The Role-Player's Guide to the Ghoulbane Quest

Introduction

This guide is intended to document the story behind the Ghoulbane quest. It's not necessarily the fastest way to achieve the sword, and it includes lots of optional material not strictly required. Full details on why this guide is written and the meaning of the colors used can be found here.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Ryshon Hunsti, West Karana

Find Ryshon Hunsti in West Karana. He's fishing by the water near the southeast end of the zone, near loc X, X.

You say, 'Hail, Ryshon Hunsti'

Ryshon Hunsti says 'Hello, <Your Name>. What brings you to the Karanas? Do you seek [enlightenment]?'

You say, 'I seek enlightenment'

Ryshon Hunsti says 'Ahh, I could see by the look in your eyes that you are looking for something more than just enlightenment. Perhaps you are looking for a [sword] crafted by a noble man.'

You say, 'What sword?'

Ryshon Hunsti says 'It is not just a sword my friend. It is much more than that. This sword carries with it a special [power], something unlike anything else within this realm.'

You say, 'What power?'

Ryshon Hunsti says 'It is an instrument fashioned together by noble man. It is said to be blessed by the gods themselves. Only a man whose bloodline comes from nobility may wield it. Do you seek the [sword of nobility]?'

You say, 'I seek the sword of nobility.'

Ryshon Hunsti says 'I see, then take this note to Kanthuk Ogrebane. I've been told he can be found fishing not to far from the dwarven city.'

Receive a Note to Kanthuk.

Part 2: Kanthuk Ogrebane, Butcherblock Mountains

Find Kanthuk Ogrebane in the Butcherblock Mountains. Head to the entrance to the dock area and follow the wall (outside the docks, not inside) around to the north. Kanthuk is fishing just a bit north of where the wall meets the water.

You say, 'Hail, Kanthuk Ogrebane'

Kanthuk Ogrebane says 'Hello, <Your Name>.'

(Hand him the note)

Kanthuk Ogrebane says 'Ahh, I see that you have spoken to Ryshon. You seem tired from your long journey. Sit with me as I tell you a tale. A tale about a true friend of mine, a great man known as [Amstaf Trunolis].'

You gain experience!!

You say, 'Who is Amstaf Trunolis?'

Kanthuk Ogrebane says 'Amstaf Trunolis was a good man. I've followed him into [battle] many times. We've seen many of our friends die by the sword of others.'

You say, 'What battle?'

Kanthuk Ogrebane laughs. 'I remember the first time we charged into battle. I was so scared. My hands wouldn't stop trembling. Amstaf pulled me off to the side before the initial attack began. He held my hands within his. I saw his hands begin to glow and felt his energy pass into me. I felt [courage].'

You say, 'What courage?'

Kanthuk Ogrebane says 'I'll never forget what he did for me that day. He gave me the courage to continue. No one's ever done anything like that for me. I vowed that day that I'd follow him into any battle. I'd be there fighting alongside him, no matter what. As time went on we came across an elven woman named [Ambreen].'

You say, 'Who is Ambreen?'

Kanthuk Ogrebane says 'Ambreen was younger than he and I. She knew of the powers of nature. She was able to control the rain which fell from the heavens and would call upon the spirits to aide her. It was obvious that Amstaf took a liking to Ambreen. She ended up coming along with us on our crusades. The last that I saw of Ambreen was when we went to the snow covered lands of Everfrost. We were wandering the lands when a freak [snowstorm] hit us. We were separated from one another for quite some time.'

You say, 'What snowstorm?'

Kanthuk Ogrebane says 'I don't know where it came from, but it was so sudden that it caught us all off guard. The snow quickly became unbearable. I tried to move to higher ground, but was unable to. I was stuck within the snowy confines. I didn't know what to do [next].'

You say, 'What did you do next?'

Kanthuk Ogrebane says 'As I laid there my body began to slowly freeze. I knew death was near and accepted the inevitable. Suddenly I felt something clutching at my cloak. I was being dragged upwards out of the snow. A hand pressed against my chest and began to glow. I felt energy pass into my body. Do you know [how] he had saved me?'

You say, 'How did he save you?'

Kanthuk Ogrebane says 'He saved my life by laying his hands upon my body. A few moments later we found Ambreen lying in the snow, her body frozen by the harsh surroundings. We lifted her up off the ground and began to look for [shelter].'

You say, 'What shelter?'

Kanthuk Ogrebane says 'We ended up taking refuge within a deserted cabin not to far from our location. We knew that we didn't have much time left to bring life back to her body. However, the storm didn't pass through and we knew we couldn't venture to far without the fear of freezing. I warmed the cabin and rested for some time thinking about what we were going to do. It wasn't long before my exhaustion took over. I fell into a deep [slumber] that night.'

You say, 'What slumber?'

Kanthuk Ogrebane says 'That night I dreamt of many things. Random thoughts kept swirling around my mind. I kept seeing the image of a cloaked being and of Amstaf circled around a fire. I saw Ambreen's body convulsing above the fire as if life was being brought back to it. I don't know what happened that night. I don't even know if what I dreamt was real, but before I awoke I saw a [strange image].'

You say, 'What strange image?'

Kanthuk Ogrebane says 'I saw Amstaf lower his head and walk away in silence. He was surrounded by two beings carrying a torch. I don't know what it meant, but I swear it was so real. When I awoke both Amstaf and Ambreen were gone. Please find Llara and give this pendant to her. This pendant belonged to Amstaf. She too had a vision that night that may clear things up. If she asks where you got it from mention my name.'

Kanthuk hands you A Pendant, which identifies as "Trunolis Family".

Part 3: Llara, Dagnor's Cauldron

Find Llara in Dagnor's Cauldron. She's standing alone near the entrance to the Estate of Unrest, loc X, X.

You say, 'Hail, Llara'

Llara says 'Hail, <Your Name>.'

(Hand her the pendant.)

Llara says 'Oh my! This belongs to Amstaf. Where did you get it?'

You gain experience!!

You say, 'Kanthuk gave it to me.'

Llara says 'I take it you're here to find out more about [Amstaf].''

You say, 'Who was Amstaf?'

Llara says 'I've known Amstaf since he was a child. We grew up in the same city together. Ever since I've known him there's always been something [unusual] about him.''

You say, 'What was unusual?'

Llara says 'When we were growing up we used to venture outside the city gates. Some times we would encounter a wandering ghoul or an undead spirit of some sort. He was always able to quickly dismiss the undead being with very little effort. I [learned] many things growing up with Amstaf.''

You say, 'What did you learn?'

Llara says 'Amstaf told me many things when we were younger. Once Amstaf told me that life isn't about how you get there, it's about where you end up. I miss my dear friend. Its been a long time since I've seen him. The night of the snowstorm I dreamt about him. I remember seeing Amstaf's face. I saw something I've never [seen] before.''

You say, 'What did you see?'

Llara says 'I saw desperation. I spoke to many people who knew Amstaf trying to find out if anyone heard anything about that night. No one knew anything about it. When I had reached the dwarven hunting grounds I ran into a woman named Walnan. She kept rambling on and on about the power of the Orb and something about Magi`kot. I didn't understand what she was saying. She didn't know anything about my situation either, but she did tell me that there were others that may be able to help me. She told me that I should find [Ruathey].''

You say, 'Who is Ruathey?'

Llara says 'Ruathey is known for her ability to look into people's souls and find truth. Though I wasn't able to find Amstaf, I was able to recover his sword. I believe that by having his sword I am closer to finding him. Take this note to Ruathey and tell her that I sent you.'

You get yet another note.

Yup, need Lucy info, etc. here too.

Part 4: Ruathey, Lavastorm Mountains

Find Ruathey in the Lavastorm Mountains; she's standing right near the zone line from Nektulos Forest.

You say, 'Hail, Ruathey'

Ruathey says 'Hello, <Your Name>.''

(Hand her the note.)

Ruathey says 'I see that you've spoken to Llara. She too came to me looking for Amstaf. Though she wasn't able to find her friend, she was able to recover his [sword].'

You gain experience!!

You say, 'What sword?'

Ruathey says 'I've heard stories about a holy sword. There are many rumored to be hidden all throughout the world, yet only a few have actually been found. Amstaf had one of these swords. It is known for its ability to dismiss the undead. Perhaps by having this sword it'll bring you closer to finding your friend. Gather a ghoul's heart, Amstaf's Scroll, the Blade of Nobility, a nobleman's hilt and place them in this [bag].''

You say, 'What bag?'

Ruathey says 'Take this bag and gather the items I've mentioned. I've been told that the Ghoul's Heart can be found in the estate of the undead, while the scroll can be found in the Keep not far from the Karanas. One of the others are rumored to be found near the dwarven city among the goblins. While the last should be found in the caverns of Najena.'

Get bag name and screenshot.

Part 5: Collecting the Items

You need to collect A Ghoul's Heart, Amstaf's Scroll, the Blade of Nobility, and the Hilt of the Nobleman and combine them in the bag.

A Ghoul's Heart (which, oddly enough, identifies as "a ghoul's heart") drops from "a ghoul" and "a crazed ghoul" in the Estate of Unrest.

Amstaf's Scroll drops from "a crazed goblin", "a goblin", and "a goblin thief" in Highkeep (the goblins are in the basement).

The Blade of Nobility (which identifies as "Blade of Amstaf") drops from any of the three static (not wandering) goblins that can spawn at the crazed goblin camp in Butcherblock. (They're named "a goblin" or "a crazed goblin".) On the EQAtlas map, it's location 6.

The Hilt of the Nobleman drops from "A Skeleton" (note the capitalization) in Najena.

Place all four items in the bag Ruathey gave you and click combine. You are now holding your Ghoulbane. Gratz!

Sources

For once, I wrote the bulk of the commentary to this guide (such as it is) myself. The in-game text was collected from the log files of Malathos from the EQTraders Message Boards community; his log file was made in April 2003, so the game text may have changed slightly in the interim. Allakhazam's provided much of the mob and item information.