[SPOILERS] Secret Event - Unravelling the Clues

[Morellian]

Spoilers for the secret event ahead, of course!


UPDATE: The mystery has been solved! Read through for instructions on how to complete the Secret Stones questline.

Congratulations on solving the mystery of the Secret Stones! Get ready to face the Shadowed King in a new scaling 3man instance, Askâd-mazal, the Chamber of Shadows,
opening May 20th at 10am!

PRE-REQUISITES: In order to pick up this questline, you need to have done the previous "Secret Stone" quest chain. You or a friend will also need "Ashmar-aban", the gold necklace from completing the Howling Pits instance in the Iron Hills. This has a pre-requisite quest chain from Nain.


TO FIND THE STONES: Pick up the quest from Grimyr to the right of the steps up to the throne, inside Erebor. Complete the resulting instance, and talk to Thorin. Then you need to find Frethir in Moria, he can be found at the Bridge-shard in the Foundations of Stone. Next, you need to find the hidden lever on the path towards the Shadowed Cave, and enter the door that is revealed (make sure you are not mounted and have Frethir with you for the lever to appear). Have a look at the Terrainmap if you're struggling to find the path.



FIRST STONE: SOLVED!



Translation:

"Shield against
the howling winds"

Credit: Thoronlin, Altair6

Solution: Stormwall, Ered Mithrin. Hidden switch is at 38.1N 43.1W, the door is found at 38.6N, 43.8W.

Inside the chamber are two inscriptions, the first of which reads "The heir of iron holds the light in the darkness" (credit: Xaviere), and the second of which reads "Ashmaraban", the name of the necklace from the Howling Pit (credit: Lindalien). To get the necklace, you need to complete the "Howling Pit" instance in Jarnfast - the pre-requisite quest chain starts with "Beneath the Fold" from Nain. After you finish the instance, Nain has a new quest to turn the necklace into a wearable item. If you don't have the necklace, find someone else who does, and they will need to accompany you for the next step of the quest.

Down under the throne in Jarnfast, by the Howling Pits entrance, some "Hidden Runes" should become visible on the wall by the stairs. The runes say: "The symbols of his power adorn his crown", and "Aglâmbazari" (Glimmerdeep) (Credit: Duf of Ark and Silverrider). You now need to find a series of runes, each in order. You need to find each set of runes, one after the other, starting with the ones in Jarnfast, or you will not be able to progress the quest.

Rest of the runes (credit: Siddharta):
Glimmerdeep (landscape): 38.6N, 47.7W, behind the waterfall by the small bridge as you approach Glimmerdeep from the road
Thikiil Gundu (instance): 23.4N 135.9W, behind one of the statues in the entrance hall
Thikiil Gundu (instance): 24.2N, 135.4W, upper level of Afhan-binnin, on the back of the geode
Thikiil Gundu (instance): 25.0N 136.0W behind the central throne in Thikil-nesad

From here, travel to Zirakzigil and find the five levers scattered in the snow, by the dwarven statue-heads.

14.4N, 109.0W
14.8N 108.7W
15.0N 109.0W
15.1N 109.5W
14.0N 109.5W

Once you have the levers, head up the side of the mountain, past the Searcher's Eyrie. The Ancient Key can be found at 13.7N 110.0W. You can now unlock the door in the Stormwall chamber and claim the first stone!





SECOND STONE: SOLVED!



Transliteration:

"Kâm lagûrz
Flagzultaza
Skrizgurzu"

Credit: Mairie, Odobenus

Solution: Kam Lagurz in Lhingris, at 15.5N, 31.8E. The Emissary will charge you with finding the "Remnants of the Fallen Ones".

1st Remnant: The Mistress, Dar Narbugud
2nd Remnant: Behind the Blind One after defeating him, Dar Narbugud
3rd Remnant: 1st boss, Dark Delvings
4th Remnant: 2nd boss, Dark Delvings
5th Remnant: The Lost One, 16th Hall
6th Remnant: Twin Nameless Bosses, the Rift
7th Remnant: Thaurlach, the Rift (not necessary to kill the Ever-seer)

After you collect all the remnants, return to Kam Lagurz, and you can enter an instance with the Emissary. You need to speak some Words.

The Emissary tells us to "seek the Mighty Ones" before speaking the words. This could be talking about the Balrogs: when Thaurlach is defeated in the Rift, text pops up saying "The spirit of evil lingers still." Upon visiting Durin's Bane on Zirakzigil, there is text that says "The war with the Valar is eternal".

The remnants also each have a seemingly coded series of letters, each one different. This is possibly a cipher we need to decode. The codes are:

TPDnamqvtinadwmkxyyyfgvnjqfrty tl
hmqxwapxgvtsrnryepthxmqktVKDVJ ZSM
avwddmwfnrcwsyhwgrhevzbjdhwtlh jDJME
atkCPAPnwvtwwjknsqmomgup
avcjclluiUFEHMRZirwlitnvdnvnsj spwbmae
hmvdadvchvkelusnjUCCNGJnffoezb jcxtqobtnk
tpdypqSZwzxebbtxszqayzivfi

Inside the chamber there are also three scraps of paper with some Khuzdul translations, as follows:



The cipher has now been broken! The uncoded remnants read as follows:

ALL HAIL THE NAMELESS MOTHER
HER CHILDREN WHISPER THE NAME THROKHAR
ANXIOUSLY AWAITING THE CALL OF THEIR LORD
THE DAY OF HIS RETURN IS NEARING
THE SLUMBERING ONE SHALL HEAR OUR PLEA
AND ON THAT DARKEST DAY YOU WILL KNOW DESPAIR
HE WILL RISE FROM THE DEPTHS AND DEVOUR THE WORLD

Key decoding credits: Giseldah, Faratalath, Hephburz-2

Isolating the words capitalised in the code, we have the sentence "Hail Throkhar, Lord of the Darkest Depths".

Translating into Khuzdul: "Shamukh Uthrokhar, Uzbadu Bazari Uznanul".

Target the Emissary, and type /say: Shamukh Uthrokhar, Uzbadu Bazari Uznanul to claim the second stone! (Credit: cakeparsee)





THIRD STONE: SOLVED!



Translation:

"The hand fallen, the hand raised"

Credit: Gildoriel

Solution: Rockbelly Pit, Ered Luin, 15.7S, 102.3W. Go up a level for the switch, then the door is back downstairs. Inside the chamber we get a vision of a cave-troll breaking in and stealing the stone. The cave-troll can be found just to the left as you exit Thorin's Gate. We are informed that a Dourhand has taken the stone from the frozen cave-troll. The body of the Dourhand is at the Wardspire in North-Eastern Ered Luin. Next, we need to track down the goblins that killed the dwarf.

Rest of the locations, courtesy of Siddharta:
Goblins: Evendim, Southern Emyn Uial, 9.8S, 74.6W
Guaradan: Evendim, The Even-rills, Northern Emyn Uial 3.3S, 69.0W
Angmarim: Evendim, Candiach, Parth Aduial, 10.7S 64.8W
Ranger: Fields of Fornost, 12.3S 55.5W, and then in the pool next to him
Stone itself: Carn Dum (instance), inside the castle, several levels up towards Mordirith's throne room (through a door in the stairwell between boss 3 and 4, there's a dead Angmarim right outside).





FOURTH STONE: SOLVED!



Translation:

"Over the Land there lies a long shadow
Westward reaching wings of darkness"

Credit: Deorwyn, Gildoriel

Solution: The hidden switch is at Paths of the Dead, 45.8S 74.1W. The door is then at at 43.6S, 73.9W.

Entering through the door, we need to find a way to remove the runes inside the chamber. The next step is to speak to Marus in the Shadowed Refuge, 13.1S, 101.2W. We now have to find the original chisel. He also mentions a copper and obsidian rune-stone base, and a polished dwarrowgleam. The chisel can be found at 4.7S 106.0W, in the passageway north from the 21st Hall. You will also need a Polished Dwarrowgleam (Ironfold Jeweller), an Ironfold Chisel of Fire (Ironfold Metalsmith), and a Khazad-copper Obsidian Rune-stone (Supreme Jeweller, has to be the non-critted version). Once you have all these items you can talk to Marus, he will tell you how to remove the rune. The door can then be opened, revealing a second chamber behind where you can claim the fourth stone!



Once you have returned all the stones to the Crown Chamber, the mystery will be revealed! You can head up the path from the chamber to the Shadowed Cave entrance to complete the deed "Discovery: Askâd-mazal, the Chamber of Shadows".

[Morellian]

Update: thanks to Mairie on Laurelin for the translation of the second inscription!

There is a switch inside Kam Lagurz in Lhingris, at 15.5N, 31.8E to further the Second Stone quest.

Anyone else making progress..?

[Deorwyn]

The fourth inscription appears to be something like

"Over the Land [[th-o-??]] lies a long shadow
Westward reaching wings of darkness"

[Morellian]

The fourth inscription appears to be something like

"Over the Land [[th-o-??]] lies a long shadow
Westward reaching wings of darkness"

Thanks for this!! I was trying to translate with some googling and I think my knowledge is far too lacking to make head or tail of them, haha

I'm trying to think of something that would cast a westward, wing-like shadow. Nothing immediately springs to mind but I may be taking it too literally.

[chekersftw]

Update: thanks to Mairie on Laurelin for the translation of the second inscription!

There is a switch inside Kam Lagurz in Lhingris, at 15.5N, 31.8E to further the Second Stone quest.

Anyone else making progress..?

Found the 2nd and 3rd remnants after defeating the first two bosses in Dark Delvings

[Elmagor]

4th stone Patches of the Dead

[quaxbi]

Found the 2nd and 3rd remnants after defeating the first two bosses in Dark Delvings

3rd and 4th for me

[Morellian]

Found the 2nd and 3rd remnants after defeating the first two bosses in Dark Delvings

Thanks! Yeah it was the 3rd and 4th for me too.

[chekersftw]

3rd and 4th for me

Yup. 3rd and 4th. My bad. Was just going off memory.

[chekersftw]

2nd Remnant after the Blind One in DN.

[angryhands]

I think I have translated the first clue:

cold against
the howling winds

Thoronlin of Laurelin

[Deorwyn]

2nd Remnant after the Blind One in DN.

Did the final boss in DN (the lady) also have a remnant? (Since you can't solo that one afaik)

[Thorebane]

Found the hint to the fourth one.

Paths of the dead.

Hidden switch and door.

Gotta find someone to remove the rune off the door?

Also for stone 2, two remnants are in Dark Delving. (3 and 4) and number 5 is from the last boss in sixteenth hall

[Morellian]

Thanks all! Will update the main post with what we know so far.

[Wilibrad]

it's all cool, but where you find a chamber? A run all stone foundation with dwarf, but not to see anything.

[angryhands]

Thanks all! Will update the main post with what we know so far.

If this isn't the main post, what is?

Thoronlin

[chekersftw]

Did the final boss in DN (the lady) also have a remnant? (Since you can't solo that one afaik)

I was soloing it and didn't try the Mistress. I'm out of time for now but I'll probably find a group and give it a go if no one else has confirmed it within a few hours.

[Wyatt]

I can confirm remnant after the death of Mistress. Killed her solo and remnant has appeared.

[Altair6]

I think I have translated the first clue:

cold against
the howling winds

Thoronlin of Laurelin

I'm trying this one and thought the first word was shield.

[Morellian]

If this isn't the main post, what is?

Thoronlin

Apologies, I mean the initial post on this thread!



Thanks for the heads up on the mistress, peeps. Will try it now to see which remnant it is. Have updated the first post with all the info we have currently.

Keep up the good work folks

[angryhands]

I'm trying this one and thought the first word was shield.

Yes:

shield against
the howling winds

Thanks for the correction on the first word!

Thoronlin

[Gildoriel]

The fourth inscription appears to be something like

"Over the Land [[th-o-??]] lies a long shadow
Westward reaching wings of darkness"

Actually I translated the 4th word in this as "there" because the first vowel can be an "ä".

[Gildoriel]

I think I have translated the first clue:

cold against
the howling winds

Thoronlin of Laurelin

I've been at this quite some time now - what alphabet and what language is it? *wondering*

[taiki_exe]

the third stone looks like

the sand (hand?) fallen
the sand (hand?) rized (?)

but this is not entirely accurate

[Xaviere]

As hinted at in another thread, the Edda-stone in the scholar's abode in Erebor offers a primer (of sorts) to that strange-looking script!