Stirring in the Shadows

Objectives
Meetup with Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker in Stratholme. Once inside, locate the remains of Lord Rivendare and his mount and perform the ritual to claim it as your own.


 * Complete the Stirring in the Shadows Scenario

Description
We must now purify the barding by both material and immaterial means. For the material, we need to travel to Stratholme.

When it thrived, before the plague, it produced holy water capable of cleansing even the darkest of magics. There still may be caches of it lying untouched there that we can use.

Then it's just a matter of imbuing enough holy power into the barding to make sure it overcomes the will of Rivendare's mount, Shadowmane.

Travel to the service gate of Stratholme when you're ready.

Rewards
You will learn: Highlord's Golden Charger

You will also receive:

Progress
Your mount is within our reach, Highlord. I only pray Stratholme still has an ample supply of holy water.

Completion
That was quite the encounter, wouldn't you say Highlord ? Reminds me of my glory days.

Nevertheless we'll be keeping a more watchful eye on Stratholme from now on. But that's not important right now.

We should move on to the ceremony and have you claim your prize!

Stage 1: Choose Your Allies

 * Description: Choose 2 paladins to accompany you through Stratholme
 * Paladins recruited (2)


 * say
 * say
 * say

Leave Alonsus Chapel to find a group of paladins awaiting your instructions. You can only choose two to assist you for this scenario.

Indicated by the title Hand of Salvation.
 * Holy

Indicated by the title Hand of Protection.
 * Protection

Indicated by the title Hand of Retribution.
 * Retribution

Generally, the safe bet is to have one paladin each for the other two class specializations different from your own. (Example: Player is retribution, so they choose one paladin each from holy and protection.)
 * say

Stage 2: Search the City

 * Description: Search Stratholme for stashes of holy water and the three missing paladins. Destroy any unholy abominations you come across.
 * Holy Water (6)
 * Missing Paladins Found (3)
 * Killed
 * Killed
 * Killed

Begin your search by mounting up and leaving the safety of Elders' Square.
 * yell
 * The shadowy figure raises Charred and Tortured Skeletons before taking their leave.

Kill the group of skeletons and collect your first Holy Water from the nearby cache, then head to the first ziggurat straight ahead. The shadowy figure will summon some more skeletons, all of which you must kill before Osseine will be summoned.
 * yell

Use Rebuke when Osseine begins casting its Bare Bones, which inflicts AoE damage. Osseine will also pick a random party member to use Bone Cage on, which stuns and causes shadow damage for 20 seconds. Bone Cage cannot be interrupted, but you can use Blessing of Freedom if one of the NPCs was targeted.

Once the mob is dead, head inside the ziggurat to rescue your first paladin.
 * say

Head back out and be sure to loot your second Holy Water. Travel to the ziggurat west to continue your search.
 * yell
 * The shadowy figure summons a pack of Decrepit Ghouls and disappears yet again.

Slay all the ghouls, but do so without pulling all at once unless you're a tank.
 * yell

Use Cleanse Toxins on yourself or a fellow party member as needed when Pestulon uses its Pustule Plague ability. If Pestulon lives long enough to cast Summon Plague Zombies, be ready to focus the adds. Once the encounter is over, go into the ziggurat to rescue the second missing paladin.
 * say

Head out once more and grab your third and fourth Holy Water nearby, then go through the portcullis to the north. Travel the northeast ziggurat on the map, where the shadowy figure will this time summon a pack of Rotting Geists. They don't hit as hard as the ghouls from before, so it should be safe to AoE them all down.
 * yell

Use Hammer of Justice to stop Rotmouth's Consume Rot, which heals the geist. Interrupt its Rotting Noose to prevent being stunned. Travel inside the ziggurat after dealing with the creature to rescue the final missing paladin.
 * say

Leave the structure and grab the remaining two Holy Waters in the area to progress to the next stage.

Stage 3: Return to Grayson

 * Description: Return yo Grayson and give him the Holy Water
 * Give Grayson the Holy Water

Return to Elders' Square and speak with Lord Grayson Shadowbreaker.
 * say
 * say
 * say

Stage 4: Imbue the Barding

 * Description: Channel the Holy power through the artifact weapon onto the barding.
 * Barding Imbued

Interact with the Blessed Mount Barding.

Stage 5: Ride to Rivendare's Crypt

 * Description: Find Baron Rivendare's remains in his crypt at the hearth of Stratholme
 * Rivendare's Crypt Explored


 * say
 * yell
 * say

Travel to Slaughter Square and enter the Slaughter House to confront the shadowy figure.
 * say
 * Lord Grayson quickly checks another bone pile.
 * say
 * yell

Stage 6: Defeat Raemien

 * Description: Kill Raemien the Soultaker
 * Defeated


 * say
 * say

Interrupt the Drain Life, keep yourself cleansed, and free your party NPCs when they are stunned.

Final Stage: Speak With Grayson

 * Description: When you're ready to leave, speak with Grayson and he'll see you returned to Light's Hope Chapel
 * Speak with Grayson when you're ready to leave


 * say
 * say
 * say

Speak with Grayson.
 * Let me know when you're ready to return to the order hall, Highlord and I'll see to our safe return there.

NPCs
🇨🇴 🇨🇴
 * Named
 * Unnamed