The Key to Scholomance quest chain

Entry to the dungeon of Scholomance is barred by a locked door. This quest chain serves both to entice characters to explore the plaguelands zones and to reward diligence with access to further adventure.

The ultimate reward of this quest is the, which unlocks the door to Scholomance without resort to lockpicking methods.

A Call to Arms
Both the Alliance and the Horde have sent out heralds (or their equivalents) to all the major cities, asking for help for the Argent Dawn in the Western Plaguelands against the scourge.
 * ''Members of the Alliance are directed to Commander Ashlam Valorfist, at Chillwind Camp.
 * ''Members of the Horde are directed to High Executor Derrington at The Bulwark.
 * ''This quest is optional, and characters may skip directly to the next part of the chain.

Proving your mettle
Both Commander Valorfist and High Executor Derrington need to weaken the Scourge forces before beginning an assault against the scourge in Andorhal. They have different plans, though...


 * Clear the Way (Western Plaguelands)

Commander Valorfist intends to send forces up the east road into the ruins of Andorhal. But doing that requires pushing the scourge back, winnowing their forces in Sorrow Hill. That's where you come in. You are directed out to Sorrow Hill, to slay a number of both the flayers and the ghouls.


 * Scarlet Diversions

High executor Derrington, on the other hand, has the Scarlet Crusade on hand as both an obstacle and an opportunity. Rather than face a two-front war, he wants you to burn down the command tent of the Scarlet Crusade encampment between Felstone Field and Dalson's Tears and use a scourge banner to blame it on the scourge. The Crusade already has a mad on about the scourge, so with any luck they'll concentrate on the scourge and leave the Argent Dawn forces alone for a while.


 * All Along the Watchtowers

Both the Commander and the High Executor then send you back into Andorhal to put a magical marker beacon on each of the four watchtowers. You are told that the scourge have been using them for directing troop movements. You aren't told exactly how the beacons help the Argent Dawn. Perhaps they allow those signals to be read? Perhaps they actually confuse the signals somehow? Who knows. Regardless, the towers are slated as high priority targets in the coming attacks.

You proceed to mark the towers with the beacon torches. At pretty much every tower, you have to ward off a few of the defenders, so it is no easy task. But finally, you return to report success!

Forging a key

 * Neither the Alliance nor the Horde sides of the Argent Dawn have been able to gain entry to Scholomance. But there are people who think they know how to put together a key...


 * ''' [55] Scholomance (alliance) (horde)

Derrington (or Valorfist) feels you have proven yourself enough that he trusts you to shepherd a new task: forging a key to allow entry to Scholomance, the keep on Caer Darrow in Darrowmere Lake. He directs you to the person who would be creating the key.
 * Alliance characters are directed to Alchemist Arbington. Horde characters are directed to Apothecary Dithers.


 * ''' [55] Skeletal Fragments (alliance) (horde)

The first thing that Arbington (or Dithers) sets you to, is gathering up appropriate fragments from the reanimated skeletons in the Andorhal area. Yes, it's going to be a Skeleton Key, quite literally.

There are a lot of skeletons, and with a little martial persuasion, you are able to gain skeleton fragments fairly easily. You take them back to your contact who then imbues them with magic to allow them to survive the next portion of the process: forging a key blank with Thorium.


 * ''' [57] Mold Rhymes With... (alliance) (horde)

Both Dithers and Arbington direct you to the same mercenary goblin blacksmith in Gadgetzan: Krinkle Goodsteel. He's the only one known to produce the mold needed for the project. But it gets better... the Argent Dawn is asking you to take on the costs for the mold. 15 gold, payable in advance.


 * ''' [57] Fire Plume Forged (alliance) (horde)

Krinkle takes your gold and gives you the mold. Fortunately, he also tells you just what you have to do to forge the stem of the key.

That part... not so easy. You need the Skeleton Key Mold (with the imbued skeleton fragments packed inside) and 2. And you need literally volcanic heat to fuse the thorium and bone together. Fortunately, the nearby Un'Goro Crater has an active volcano in it. Krinkle points you to a lake of lava atop Fire Plume Ridge.

When you get there, you find the whole volcano teeming with fire elementals. You dodge most of them, but in working your way up the volcanic cone to the lake, you do have to destroy a number of them. Right near the lake, you spot what might be the granddaddy of all fire elementals: Blazerunner. You are able to stay safely away from him while pouring the thorium into the mold. You don't linger around; the elementals are coming back.


 * ''' [57] Araj's Scarab (alliance) (horde)

Back to Dithers (or Arbington) you go, where you get the bad news. The lich ruling the ruins of Andorhal possesses a signet in the form of a scarab. That very signet must be the head of the skeleton key. And he won't surrender it willingly.

It is some consolation that the military commander (Ashlam Valorfist or High Executor Derrington) also wants the lich dead, but for different reasons. What could be better than going up against Certain Death? Getting paid twice for it!

This task, though, is beyond your abilities alone. You gather up a number of other adventurers, and storm the center of Andorhal. The Lich has many, many minions surrounding him. It takes some time to slash and chop your way through them, but finally you face off against the lich. Through your combined might, you are able to destroy him and lay hands upon his phylactery, where lies the scarab. (You shatter the phylactery and take a shard back to the commander as proof to him of the deed. You've already got his scarab, but... whatever.)


 * ''' [60+] The Key to Scholomance (alliance) (horde)

You bring back the scarab, and Alchemist Arbington (or Apothecary Dithers) completes the key and hands it to you. "Waste no time in trying it out", he says.

Rewards

 * Skeleton Key, allowing passage into Scholomance.