A Sleeping Stone: Dark Enlightenment

This is part of the Mystic Epic Quest series.

There are actually three quests that Takk grants concurrently:
A Sleeping Stone: Dark Enlightenment
A Sleeping Stone: Restoring Valor
A Sleeping Stone: Great Beasts
They can be completed in any order, and you can work on them intermittently. I have merely listed them in the order above in this quest series for convenience.

You must converse with Takk in Graystone Yard at some length to receive these three quests:

Takk says to you, What else did you find?"
You say to Takk, "I also found mortals within the vale, but they were not being attacked as I was. I'm assuming they had some kind of sway over the spirits there."
Takk says to you, "What makes you think that those mortals are working with dark spirits?"
You say to Takk, "There was a dark altar there... I could feel its power as I approached it, but I could do nothing to destroy it."
Takk says to you, "Indeed. Few things short of the hand of a god can destroy that altar now, and soon, even they could be powerless against it. As it stands now, there is nothing you can do to destroy it."
You say to Takk, "Who's altar is it? Who built it?"
Takk says to you, "Mortals constructed it for their own purposes. They are using it to turn spirits into shadows, light into darkness. In time, they could corrupt all of Norrath's spiritual energy into darkness, which could have terrible consequences."
You say to Takk, "Who were those mortals that guarded it?"
Takk says to you, "They are a group of cultists dedicated to the teachings of an ancient necromancer. A man so powerful, that his legacy persists unto this day. They found a forgotten tome that contained knowledge that even this man himself only risked practicing one time. The tome has since been lost to them, but the danger it presents is still with us."
You say to Takk, "If the altar cannot be destroyed, then how are we to stop it?"
Takk says to you, "The altar can be destroyed, but you must walk in the footsteps of the past to do so."
You say to Takk, "How will I go about that?"
Takk says to you, "You have begun the journey already. You must learn to create an ancient weapon of spiritual power, a weapon that has not existed since the Lost Age. The secret of its creation has been locked away with three elder TrueSpirits, who each know a part of the process."
You say to Takk, "So I must meet with them and receive their wisdom?"
Takk says to you, "Yes, but as the great heroes in the past, you will be tested before you will be deemed worthy to receive their blessings, and their knowledge. Bear this in mind, as even in the most dire of circumstances, the TrueSpirit will adhere to their law. Be ready for this when you speak with them."
You say to Takk, "I will. Now, where can I find these elder TrueSpirit?"
Takk says to you, "They are not among us, as they exist in a plane in between planes, a world of spiritual power and energies. There are three altars in the world that will take you to this plane, if you are worthy, and have the key to get there."
You say to Takk, "A key?"
Takk says to you, "Indeed. However, you already have an advantage in this case, as the key is already in your possession. The empowered stone you have in your possession will act as your key, and allow you to pass to the spirit world through the altars."
You say to Takk, "Is that what this stone is for?"
Takk says to you, "Partially. It is also the centerpiece of the weapon you must construct... it acts as the heart of the weapon, focusing the power of its wielder. You will need to fashion together the rest of the weapon around the stone, so that the weapon might live again."
You say to Takk, "Where are the altars located at?"

Takk says to you, "Although I cannot guide you to the Elder TrueSpirits myself, in my meditations I have heard the names of those you must seek... they have spoken to me, guiding me to in turn guide you."
You say to Takk, "What is the name of the first TrueSpirit I should seek out?"
Takk says to you, "The TrueSpirit you seek is known as Hulgren. He is a spirit of wisdom, and will guide you on your path to enlightenment."
You say to Takk, "I will seek out Hulgren, then."



This results in A Sleeping Stone: Dark Enlightenment

Quest text:
Takk has requested that I find the Elder TrueSpirits. Although I have little to go on, I must seek out the TrueSpirit known as Hulgren. Once I have found him, I will need to earn his knowledge.

I must find the Elder TrueSpirit known as Hulgren, and speak with him.

Travel to Everfrost, accessed via a mariner's bell in Thundering Steppes. You seek the Altar of Hulgren, and fortunately I can tell you exactly where it is!

From the docks, jump into the water and head eastwards, aiming for the ice tunnel that leads to the bulk of Everfrost. Head north through the ice tunnel, and when you exit, travel north just a little further, to (-225, 5, -353).



Right click to pray at the altar.
You will zone into "A Spiritual Pocket", an unusual little plane of shifting silvery gray hues.

Inside you will see Hulgren, who looks remarkably similar to Takk, although ghostly. Run over and speak with him.

Hulgren says, 'Greetings, Brasse. I have been expecting you for some time, and I am pleased you have found your way here. You show great promise, and I believe you will show that our trust in you was not misplaced.'
You say, 'I am honored. I have come seeking your wisdom and your knowledge in this time of peril.'
Hulgren says, 'And I am here to offer it to you. But my knowledge is not what you seek.'
You say, 'Is that so? What is it that I need to find?'
Hulgren says, 'There is a tome that contains the writings of an ancient sage, a man who studied forbidden knowledge and secrets. This tome contained a particular ritual that the man only attempted one time before he was thwarted by a self-sacrificing hero. It is this tome that you seek.'
You say, 'What should I do with it once I find it?'
Hulgren says, 'You must understand the nature of the threat that faces us. You must search for the book and study it. Learn what it has to teach, so that you might better prepare for the trials ahead of you.'
You say, 'Where should I search for the tome?'
Hulgren says, 'The book has since disappeared since it last surfaced back in the Age of Turmoil. From what is known to us, it somehow found its way to Kunark, and might be in the possession of the one of the races there, but I cannot say where.'
You say, 'So I must search within Kunark to find the book?'
Hulgren says, 'I cannot be more specific than that, but an adventurer in the Age of Turmoil found it and carried it with them. They did not know what it was they carried, since it was written in the language of the dead, and they likely could not have read such a language. But it was lost somewhere on the continent, and you must find it there.'
You say, 'I will search for the tome.'
Hulgren says, 'Return to me once you have studied it, and I will reward you with my knowledge.'
You say, 'I shall return soon.'

Quest text:
Hulgren instructed me to find an ancient tome, and read through its contents if I can. I only know that the tome is likely somewhere on the continent of Kunark.

To leave, simply right click on the altar that you can see nearby.

Now, the continent of Kunark is freaking HUGE... and it took hours upon hours of cooperative effort for the folks in the worldwide Mystic channel (/join permafrost.allmystics) to locate it, but at long last the word came back...

The tome was found by our fellow Mystics, in Charasis: The Vault of Eternal Sleep. It is marked on the linked map, and lies within the pit trap on the northern part of the Hall of Sleeping Heroes.

NOTE: Before going there, ensure that you have knowledge of the language "Death's Whisper", or you will not be able to read the Tome! This language is learned by studying runes which drop from undead mobs in the Desert of Flames zones, notably in Sinking Sands and Living Tombs.

Here is a typical scene from Vaults:



When you get to The Vault of Eternal Sleep, be sure to ask your party to enter the pit with you, for you are unlikely to be able to solo the mobs that spawn when you hop down. The Vault is not a soloable zone; it requires a full group. Even if you are fortunate enough to obtain access to a cleared zone, the pit you require has a trap that spawns one or two very nasty mobs.

The Tome itself is huge and impossible to miss once you're in the pit. Right click on it to read it, and it will disappear.

Tome text:
The tome is too large to move, and as heavy as stone. However, there is a tattered note folded in the flap of the book, written in a strange language.
Writings of Sellok - Antonica, The Age of Turmoil.
(read the tattered note)
"...and he nearly succeeded. Had he finished creating the Mantle, there would have been seemingly no limit to his power, allowing him to challenge even the gods themselves. Such power would be desired by any mortal, and it is little wonder that 'higher' beings stepped in to thwart his plan."
(continue...)
"Without this tome, I would not have been able to learn his secret... even then, there are many parts of his research that must have disappeared with him. This gives us the basis of his studies, however, and from here we can begin to fill in the blanks of the knowledge we are missing."
(continue)
"I will continue to research his notes, and the information he left in this tome. If my theory is correct, I will obtain more power than he even dreamed of. I will not challenge the gods. I will become a god, and I will stop at nothing to achieve my goal - to realize my Vision."
(Stop reading)

Quest text:
I have found the dark tome, but I could not move it. I did find a note written by someone known as Sellok. I should return to Hulgren and explain what I found.

- I should return and inform Hulgren of my find.

You'll find the altar in the same spot in Everfrost. Once again, right click on it to enter the Spiritual Pocket and find Hulgren.



Hulgren says, 'I am pleased that you have returned. How went your search?'
You say, 'I was able to read the tome as you requested.'
Hulgren says, 'What is it you found out?'
You say, 'It seems that whoever wrote the book was attempting to draw power by creating a dark mantle, which could consume both arcane and spiritual energies.'
Hulgren says, 'That is correct. It was fortunate that the first Heyokah was able to destroy the mantle, but without him, it could have been disastrous.'
You say, 'Why couldn't the TrueSpirit step in and destroy the mantle? Why can't you destroy the altar now?'
Hulgren says, 'The negative energy in a phenomenon like this has a corrupting effect on spirits. Any of us, even the most powerful of us, would be consumed by the mantle, and turned into shadows -- dark spirits. We can offer you our advice, and hopefully guide you to fulfilling this destiny.'
You say, 'What knowledge do you have for me, then?'
Hulgren says, 'You must find an ancient piece of spiritwood to serve as the handle of your cudgel. It must be long enough to provide the right amount of leverage, and have a notch on the top of the shaft to hold the stone. The spiritwood tree is quite mighty, and harvesting the branch you need will require someone with excellent woodcutting skills in order to get a suitable piece.'
You say, 'Where might the spiritwood tree be?'
Hulgren says, 'The tree is quite rare, and only grows in the hostile lands of Kunark. You must find a branch there, and cut the wood from that branch once you do.'
You say, 'I will search for the spiritwood then, honored one. Farewell to you.'

Quest text:
I must search for a piece of spiritwood somewhere on the continent of Kunark.

Spiritwood has only been found in Kylong Plains. It looks just like a regular piece of calfified timber, and can only be distinguished by the name, which is "a branch of spiritwood". It is a rare find, and most believe that there is only ever one piece of it up at any time, throughout the entire zone.

Many have spent hours and days on end seeking it, while others say they've been lucky enough to find it within 15 minutes. After spending over an hour scouring the hills manually myself, I took some very good advice and spent some time increasing my crafting level to 44... so that I could use a Gnomish Divining Rod (5 charges), a device that enables you to track harvesting nodes. What a godsend!

You can use the Gnomish Divining Rod again when you seek earthvine in Kunzar, an equally rare spawn that you will need in order to complete "Restoring Valor".

So that you do not have to scour a long list of items in the tracking list, enter "spiritwood" into the text line in the tracking window, and then that will be the only thing that shows up. Then start riding the Sokokar throughout the length of Kylong plains, and wait to see the uncommon spawn show up in your tacking window. As soon as it shows up either note the general area to return to, or simply hop off the sokokar and land nearby... at level 80, you can take some falling damage! If you do not see it along the Sokokar routes, start running the remote areas on a mount with your tracking going.

Once you track down the elusive wood, right click on it to chop it.


Quest Complete!

Special thanks go out to Brasse for providing this quest writeup!
Brasse has entered 119 EQ2 quests.

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