eq2 quest:The Beginning of the End  

EverQuest II Wikibase™ Quests

Game Update #58 Arcanum Revealed October 12, 2010

This quest is a prelude to the release of Destiny of Velious.

Speak to either Al'Kabor or Dartain (the Duality) in the Paineel Council Chamber ( 1878,-295,3478 ) Copy in The Sundered Frontier to begin this quest.

a charred book in SQ

a charred book in NFP

1. Search the libraries in either Qeynos or Freeport for the meaning of the Sigil. This is a charred book.
• South Qeynos: Take the red teleporter and head down the stairs. The book is open on the ground at 706,41,111 Copy .
• North Freeport: Open book on a table at 26,-7,-127 Copy .
2. Return to the Duality
3. Investigate two more sigils. Find a secret chamber near Nektropos Castle to learn more about them.
• Zone into Everling's Lost Chamber just outside of Nektropos Castle in Nektulos Forest at -1382,122,-1874 Copy (this zone uses the map for Dire Hollow: Grim Tidings)
• Inside you will need to work your way through the level scaled chamber golems.
• The first rune is found by clicking on a bookcase at 8,-16,61 Copy .
• The second rune is found by clicking on a stack of books at 41,-10,103 Copy .
4. Return to the Duality

	The proper name of this page, The Beginning of the End?, contains a question mark which gives the wiki trouble. Therefore the Wikibase title has had the question mark removed.

Lore

Below are the full dialogues for this quest. Do not read it if you are avoiding spoilers!

Duality Mutterings

Al'Kabor says, "Argh, nothing here either. Everything points at Theer...yet he isn't mentioned directly anywhere, how does he tie in?"
Dartain says, "Hm...this doesn't add up. There must be something I'm missing!"
Al'Kabor says, "It is so close to all adding up...but...there's a missing piece somewhere. If I can decipher just a little more, it should all begin falling into place."

Introduction

You say, "Hail, Al'Kabor"
Al'Kabor says to you, "Greetings, adventurer. I am pleased you have come. We, as Norrathians, are close to a crucial point in our history, and perhaps in fact, our existence. Only by understanding can we hope to avert what is to come."
You say to Al'Kabor, "You speak of the Age's End prophecy, is that right?"
Al'Kabor says to you, "Indeed. I believe, based on my studies, that the "prophecy", as it were, does very well point to events that will come to pass, and that may be unavoidable. But perhaps with proper study, we can discern what is to come and even a way to avert it.''"
You say to Al'Kabor, "How is it that you know so much about the prophecy?"
Al'Kabor says to you, "During the Age of Turmoil, I came across information during my travels in Kunark about the stone found by the shissar in ages past. It was apparent to me that I had stumbled across something of significant importance when it was no less that the agents of Mayong Mistmoore himself that I found the information with."
You say to Al'Kabor, "What happened then?"
Al'Kabor says to you, "At first, my interest was primarily driven by the idea of countering Mayong's plans, whatever they may be. As I looked into the information further, it was evident that what he had found was more than some nefarious plot or insidious scheme. I knew that I needed to learn all that I could about it."
You say to Al'Kabor, "I see. What were you able to find out?"
Al'Kabor says to you, "Information was difficult to come by, as I wasn't certain what it was I was looking for. I found, though, that it was much like the proverbial iceberg - the more I learned, the more I discovered that there was to learn. Questions led to answers, which led to more questions. It was quite some time before I could even put a name to what I was researching."
You say to Al'Kabor, "That sounds frustrating."
Al'Kabor says to you, "You might think so, but I found the feeling of discovery exhilarating. Every step forward I took in the research was a triumph, and every step back was a new challenge. I never felt like my endeavor was pointless. Although I had many more adventures I went on with my companions, I worked on my research until my own death."
You say to Al'Kabor, "So for all of your research, what did you manage to find?"
Al'Kabor says to you, "Admittedly, in spite of all of the time I invested into this, I discovered very little, as there simply wasn't much information on the Age's End prophecy available to me. Mayong had hoarded the vast majority of it, and I was forced to decipher shreds of evidence hidden the tomes of Norrath's libraries. I did, however, make some interesting discoveries."
You say to Al'Kabor, "What were those?"
Al'Kabor says to you, "I believe I have found the meaning of a couple of the symbols represented on the object known as the Chelsith Stone, but not necessarily their significance. I believe the orientation of the symbols on the stone to be an important piece of the puzzle, but until recently, I had little idea what the face of the stone looked like."
You say to Al'Kabor, "You have seen it, then?"
Al'Kabor says to you, "No, I have not. But then, it's not necessary that I do. I've found that some notes have been made about the inscriptions on the stone, and I've been able to piece together my own picture of the face itself. This will help my research immensely. To be honest, I believe my role here will be to simply compile and piece together what has been discovered by others here, and see how they are all interconnected."
You say to Al'Kabor, "You said you had deciphered some of the runes. Which ones were they?"
Al'Kabor says to you, "Well, to be brief, the one I found first was the rune of the Dal Crown, which I found in the notes I discovered on the agents of Mistmoore. I originally believed this to somehow represent Brell or the Underfoot, as it appeared to resemble the crown worn by the Duke of Below. However, this appeared no where in any information connected to Brell Serilis, and in fact, no where in the Underfoot which Dartain was imprisoned in."
You say to Al'Kabor, "Interesting. What might it mean?"
Al'Kabor says to you, "I believe it more specifically points to someone who has a role to play one way or another in the Age's End prophecy - my long time companion, Firona Vie. It was for this reason I sought her out, and implored her to reveal herself."
You say to Al'Kabor, "And so she did. But how do you know that her part in this prophecy isn't for ill?"
Al'Kabor says to you, "I don't, until I know more about the placement of the runes themselves. However, in order to discover that, I need to know the meaning of the runes. This is where you can be of service. I have a marker here with a rune symbol etched on it. I want you to search for information, and see if we can unlock the mysteries surrounding it."
You say to Al'Kabor, "Very well. Where should I start searching for information?"
Al'Kabor says to you, "Given that this symbol shows up in many erudite structures of the past, I might research their tomes on Norrath, in the libraries where they live. I studied in the libraries of Odus extensively, and was never able to find a satisfactory answer. Bring any information you find back to me, and I will try to piece the puzzle together. Good luck to you."
You say to Al'Kabor, "And to you. Farewell."

Meaning of the Sigil

You say, "Hail, Al'Kabor"
Al'Kabor says to you, "Ah, you have returned. Was your search successful?"
You say to Al'Kabor, "I was. I have much to tell you."
Al'Kabor says to you, "Excellent. What were you able to find?"
You say to Al'Kabor, "Unfortunately, I found very little. I was able to discover some notes from Varsoon, who did a little study on the rune itself. It's known as the Rune of Severing. It has been known to show up with the followers of Cazic-Thule, and as you said, has been in erudite architecture as well. Varsoon believed there was much more to it, however."
Al'Kabor says to you, "Of course there was, which is why he was researching it. Was this all he had?"
You say to Al'Kabor, "The notes I have of Varsoon's was only a partial collection. If he found more, then he was careful to hide or destroy what he found. However, if it is indeed like the Dal Crown rune you deciphered before, could it also be a person? Could it mean someone from Odus? Perhaps even you?"
Al'Kabor says to you, "Not impossible. I think it would be someone more likely to be intrinsically tied with the prophecy itself, however. Perhaps El Arad, or even Eurd himself. However, this is an important piece of the puzzle, so I'll continue to research with the information you've brought me."
You say to Al'Kabor, "What more can I do to help?"
Al'Kabor says to you, "There's two runes I would like you to look into now. These two, I have not been able to find much information on, but I think you might have more luck researching these here. Like before, I have a couple of markers for you to use. I have heard that one known as Lord Everling was looking into these two, and might have information we can use."
You say to Al'Kabor, "Ah, I will need to visit Nektropos Castle. I'll return soon."

The Two Runes

Thumbing through the books on the shelf, you notice that one in particular seems to have the very symbol you are looking for emblazoned on its cover. Many of the pages have fallen to pieces, but a couple of passages seem to catch your eye.
... is not as I had thought. I can feel my mind slipping away, but in the moments of clarity, I can see that I have been mistaken all along. This rune, which I once believed to be my passage to the Ethernere, is representative of something far greater. It seems to point to another event, although what that is eludes me, and I fear I may not have time to solve it's mystery...
... Void... there is blackness there. It is Void. How can Nothingness exist? It cannot, yet it does. My lost daughters, I cannot come for you. The Void is all that is here in this rune. It is not a path to the Ethernere, it shows me only blackness. The Void. This is the Rune of Oblivion... Blackness...

This book is lying on its side, clearly undisturbed for a very long time. You lift it up, disturbing the dust that covers it, a small stone rune-engraved stone falls out. In the book, some of the pages crumble to dust when you touch them, but a couple of others remain intact. Reading through those, you find the following:
... it's apparent that her visions were of things to come - or at least she believed so. In searching through what I've discovered, it seems that she trusted few with the visions she had. She did, however, seem to verify something that the shissar themselves believed - that this rune had something to do with the destruction of Luclin. While it is never mentioned specifically by name...
... plenty of cross referencing to the shape of the rune. There can be little doubt about it - the twisting spiral rune is none other than the Rune of Sunder, which represents destruction of the moon, if the doomsday calendar and the dreams of the Queen are to be believed. I would like to next attempt to verify the apparent date of this...

You say, "Hail, Dartain"
Dartain says to you, "I've been waiting for you to return. I trust you were able to gather more information for me?"
You say to Dartain, "I was. I managed to find a secret chamber containing some interesting books."

You gain Alternate Advancement experience by completing a quest!
You gain experience!

I was able to collect information on the symbols for the Duality.

END OF QUEST #1