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The
Quest of the Green Mire Clone
by Farik Il'Kadar (2/1/00) |
| Once there was a time when I ran pell-mell through
the lands of Osteth, cavorting with frolicsome beasts, growing rich
on the proceeds. In my travels, I have seen scores of warriors clad
in bright green armor. I heard tales of how one had to "camp" in the
fabled Green Mire Grave to obtain this armor. I snickered contemptuously
at these sheep, and coined them "clones". |
| Then I learned that the Green Mire Cuirass is AL
108, and somewhat lighter than my standard issue heavy-as-hell AL80
Yoroi. There's even some spells on it, if you qualify. |
| My acquisitive, self-preserving instincts kicked
in. From that day, I would cavort no more. I would run, not hither
and yon, but with direction and purpose. I would become like unto
a sheep. I would descend into the depths of the Shoushi swamp and
metamorphosize into a Green Mire Clone (tm), some assembly required.
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| After much perusal through musty parchments and
tomes, I obtained the location of the grave's entrance. I made my
way to Shoushi and entered the grave. I explored the grave's halls
and catacombs, fighting drudges and mossworts. In a creaking chest
in a vaulted tomb, I found the warrior's spear, a Yari of considerable
power. A pretty toy, but this was not my Quest. |
| More exploration, more dead mossworts, puzzles solved,
chests looted. Finally, I descended into the very bowels of the grave.
Therein I discovered a multitude of Dereth's warriors. Mages, archers,
fighters. All standing around, apparently waiting for something. In
the back of the room, an open, empty chest. |
| This was my quest? |
| I felt apprehension. Will I have to wait in line?
How long will I be here? I pushed back my doubts: I must persevere,
I have a Quest and I will fulfill it, even if I have to stay up past
my bed time to do so. |
| Happily, a consistent stream of playful (and powerful)
mossworts made their way into this cavern, to defend their hoard.
Our haphazard band of warriors was strong, and the mossworts were
usually slain quite quickly, but not without a fight. Over the long
course of the night, several members of our queue were slain (including
myself), but the run back from the lifestone was invigorating, and
the cavern's occupants offered ample opportunites to burn off our
life-force penalties. |
| Some warriors were not so patient. Some were so
bold as to actually steal the newly-spawned prize. These churls will
no doubt live forever in infamy, even though I have already forgotten
their names. |
| Finally, after much fighting, cursing, laughing,
barbing, and looting, it was My Turn. I stepped up to the now-locked
chest, activated my Green Key, and creaked back the lid. There, shining
up at me, was my Green Mire Cuirass. Accompanied by an Iron Crown,
for which there is no apparent use. |
| The prize was mine! With this Cuirass, and a Heaume
I had taken as loot, my transformation into a Green Mire Clone was
complete. I said my farewells and sprinted back to Mayoi, to show
off my new duds to whatever Source were there. I even had time for
a beach run with Rojon before I had to sign off for the night. |
| My Quest has been accomplished. I am once again
free to run where my whims take me. |
| There is little specific information in the foregoing
account. Anyone interested in getting their own GMC might want some
spoilers. So without further ado, let me present . . . |
| Farik's Guide to the GMG |
|
The Green Mire Grave has four wings. To do the
quest in its entirety, you have to visit all four. Although you
could conceivably skip right to the end. Here, in approximate order
of difficulty, is the recap:
(Note, I think Green Keys, no matter who you get
them from, will open any chest in the GMG, including the final one).
(Note, there are many other monsters in each wing, I am relating
here which monsters hold the keys you need).
- South Wing: Fight a Drudge Prowler, get
a Green Key.
- North Wing: Fight a Barker Mosswort,
get a Grey-and-Red Key.
- East Wing: Fight
a Mosswort (creeper? - I don't remember exactly), get a Green
Key. A chest in the East Wing (upper floor) contains the Green
Mire Yari (a spear), a normal Tachi, and a normal Yoroi Breastplate.
You can skip this wing altogether if you only want the Cuirass.
- West Wing, aka the Campground: Two areas
of interest here. First is the Prison section. Here is where you'll
find a locked door, with a chest behind it. Use the Grey-and-Red
key to open the cell door, then use a Green Key to open the chest.
If the chest is empty when you get there, wait for the respawn.
This chest contains a Grey Key.
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| Second is the GMC section. You will need the Grey
Key to open a door which leads to the bottom level of the grave. (Unless
you get good timing, and someone has recently unlocked this door).
At the bottom is a large cavern. You'll know you're in the right place
if there are many white dots in your radar. At the back of this room,
behind a Stonehenge-looking rock arch, is the chest where the Cuirass
spawns. Many Barkers, Mudlurks, Shamans, and even a Mosswort Chieftan
spawn here. With the crowd I was in, the mossies stood very little
chance, although people (including myself) will occasionally die -
the Shamans toss level II and III war spells. The spawn you are waiting
for is the Ghost Wisp; it appears in the stone arch. After it spawns,
the next Chieftan spawn will have a Green Key. However, you don't
have to wait for the Chieftan if you have a leftover Green Key (I
got an extra from someone who wasn't going to use it). After the Ghost
Wisp spawns, the chest will respawn, containing the Cuirass and an
apparently useless Iron Crown. |
| I had a pretty civilized group. One person kept
a list, tracking who got the next spawn. We had a couple thieves cut
in line and grab the armor. These people will probably end up on a
web page somewhere. The idea of waiting in line might seem boring,
but the mossworts spawn often enough to make it interesting. Like
I said, I died once down there so it's no cakewalk. |
| BTW, anyone in the final cavern who says they're
"just there for the xp", and therefore don't want to be on the list,
is probably either lying or ignorant. There are plenty of places in
Dereth where you can go to kill mossworts, without having to share
them with a dozen other people. |
| So, final advice: if you want the GMC and you want
to get it for yourself, go in there knowing you'll be making a night
of it. Having gone through all four wings (over the span of about
3 sessions), I think I spent a total of five hours in there, the last
three in the final room. When you get to the final room, ask if there's
a list, and ask to be put on it. If there isn't, volunteer to keep
the list. Be nice, most of the other people are in there for the same
reason as you. |
this page last updated 7/22/00
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