Essence Recovery

Quest Overview
Quest to the gain the Prismatic Glyph used to upgrade Shadow Armor.

Step 1: Enchanted Decanters

 * Important: Make sure everyone from your fellow has a Harbinger Item before starting.
 * 1) [Optional] Speak to Talar the Apprentice in Xarabydun to receive Instructions for Essence Recovery.
 * 2) First step in the instructions is to gather four Enchanted Decanters from the Arcanum Research Facility near Al-Jalima at 5.9N, 6.3E.
 * 3) From the drop point, take the north west door to the decanter rooms. They are found scattered on the floor here.

Step 2: The Essences of Magic

 * 1) From Yanshi, run to either Issk @ 12.9S, 46.5E or Vincadi @ 12.6S 46.7E.
 * 2) * Note: Each NPC offers the same quest, however the lore is different for each. Flagging with one will prevent you from accessing the other, so be sure your whole group flags with the same NPC.
 * 3) * Tip: Soft tie to the surface portal @ 13.0S, 47.3E for convenience. If you die, you'll want an easy way to get back quickly.
 * 4) When your group is ready, everyone should hand their Harbinger Item to the NPC (either Issk or Vincadi) and then use the nearby Tunnels to the Harbinger portal to begin.
 * 5) Once inside, the dungeon is linear to the bottom (keep heading down).  The only obstacles are a series of 4 jumps that must be made.
 * 6) * Jump 1: Acid Pit - Full jump ahead (land on invisible platform)
 * 7) * Jump 2: Lava Pit - Jump into the pit and take the hallway to the North
 * 8) * Jump 3: Ice Shelf  - Shift-jump down onto the platform above the ice shelf, clear the spawn, and wait for your group.
 * 9) * Jump 4: Ice/Acid Pit Combo - Dispell, then shift Jump down onto the ice shelf and quicky run to the edge and full jump across the acid pit (land on invisible platform). The ice hurts, so be quick.
 * 10) * Jump 5: Staging Area - Shift jump down and quickly move to the south (near the portals).
 * 11) Take the Essence Chamber Portal
 * 12) Kill each of the 4 Essences, the Essence of Strife, Essence of Enchantment, Essence of Artifice and the Essence of Verdancy
 * 13) Each will drop multiple crystallized essences.
 * 14) [Warning] After you kill all four essences, a portal will open to the Essenceless Harbinger -- do not use it! as fighting the Harbinger is not necessary for this quest.
 * 15) Use each decanter on each of the four essences.
 * The Crystallized Essence of Verdancy is drawn into the Enchanted Decanter, liquefying on contact. As the last drop of essence is taken the decanter magically seals itself.
 * 1) Give all four decanters of essence to Talar the Apprentice to receive Prismatic Oil and the text An Ancient Masonry on Aerlinthe.
 * 2) The oil is used to complete the glyph recovered from the Ancient Masonry. If you're not interested in completing the 2nd step and upgrading Shadow Armor, you can hand the oil back to Talar for ?? xp.

Step 3: Ancient Masonry on Aerlinthe

 * 1) Head to Aerlinthe by either using the recall spell or by using the methods outlined here.
 * 2) From the drop head north and around the shoreline to the Ancient Masonry portal at 88.1N, 47.6E. Progressing through the dungeon is done via levers.
 * 3) Room 1: Pull the lever directly ahead to open the center room. Pull the lever inside this room and then run to the east middle room and pull the floor lever. Now run to the west center room and pull that floor lever which will open the north door to lever room 2.
 * 4) Room 2: Use the first two levers in the center as before. Run west to the middle room and pull the floor lever to open the north room. Now run to the north middle room and pull the floor lever to open the east doors to lever room 3.
 * 5) Room 3: Use the first two center levers. Run to the north middle room and pull the lever on the floor. Now run to the east middle room and pull the floor lever which will open the south doors to the 4th lever room.
 * 6) Room 4: Use the first two center levers. Run to the east middle room and pull the lever on the floor. Now run to the south middle room and pull the floor lever which will open the door to the west.


 * 1) The final west section has a locked door to the south (Dif. 500), if someone has high enough lockpick it is possible pick the door and skip the final part, otherwise you need to head north for the key.
 * 2) Use the levers in the west and east rooms to open the double doors to the north. Inside is the Ancient Steward, defeat it and loot the Steward's Key.
 * 3) Head back to the locked door to the south and unlock it with the key, inside are Glyphs of Alteration on the floor.


 * 1) To activate the Glyph you now need a Pyreal Mote, if you don't have one simply head to the Mysterious Cave or Halls of Metos and kill the Golems there until one drops.
 * 2) Once you have a Mote, use the Glyph of Alteration on it to make a Pyreal Glyph. Use the Prismatic Oil upon the Pyreal Glyph to make a Prismatic Glyph.
 * 3) Use the prismatic glyph on Enhanced Shadow Armor to make a piece of the Shimmering Shadows set. You need only one glyph to complete a suit.

Images
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Lore & Dialog
Speaking with Talar the Apprentice
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "The four Essences have sunken into the ground below Old Yanshi. The Menhir rings that once focused and held them have been overpowered by the Harbinger's magic and he now feeds from their power."
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "Yes, you look skilled enough to help me. I require a sample from each of the four Essences below Old Yanshi."
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "All of the Arcanum's attempts at collecting these samples ourselves have failed. Fifteen of our best agents were defeated in a recent attempt on the Essence of Verdancy. Find yourself a group of adventurers at least as powerful as you before you go anywhere near these new Essences.":
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "First, you need to retrieve four Enchanted Decanters from the Arcanum Research Facility outside of Al-Jalima. You will use these decanters to collect each Essence's essence. The details are in these instructions."
 * Talar the Apprentice gives you Instructions for Essence Recovery.
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "Good luck and don't underestimate the power of the Essences. They are raw magic after all."

Destroying the Essences
 * [Player Name] strikes the final blow against the Essence of Verdancy. The Essence contracts and falls to the ground, crystallizing on contact.

'''Filling the decanters with the Crystallized Essences
 * The Crystallized Essence of Verdancy is drawn into the Enchanted Decanter, liquefying on contact. As the last drop of essence is taken the decanter magically seals itself.
 * The Crystallized Essence of Strife is drawn into the Enchanted Decanter, liquefying on contact. As the last drop of essence is taken the decanter magically seals itself.
 * The Crystallized Essence of Enchantment is drawn into the Enchanted Decanter, liquefying on contact. As the last drop of essence is taken the decanter magically seals itself.
 * The Crystallized Essence of Artifice is drawn into the Enchanted Decanter, liquefying on contact. As the last drop of essence is taken the decanter magically seals itself.

Handing Talar the Essences for Prismatic Oil
 * You give Talar the Apprentice Decanter of Essence of Artifice.
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "Ah, Essence of Artifice! I can't wait to start testing this. These Essences react differently to various alchemical tests than the pure essence we collect from the Fathomless Chasm."
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "You still need to retrieve a sample of the Essence of Enchantment for me."
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "You still need to retrieve a sample of the Essence of Verdancy for me."
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "You still need to retrieve a sample of the Essence of Strife for me."
 * You give Talar the Apprentice Decanter of Essence of Enchantment.
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "Ah, Essence of Enchantment! You didn't get any on you I hope. I theorize that this essence could have dangerous effects if it comes in contact with a creature. I'll have to be very careful while :I'm testing this."
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "You still need to retrieve a sample of the Essence of Verdancy for me."
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "You still need to retrieve a sample of the Essence of Strife for me."
 * You give Talar the Apprentice Decanter of Essence of Strife.
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "Ah, Essence of Strife! War in a bottle eh? I don't know where to begin testing this. I'll have to confer with some of the Arcanum's War Magic specialists."
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "You still need to retrieve a sample of the Essence of Verdancy for me."
 * You give Talar the Apprentice Decanter of Essence of Verdancy.
 * Talar the Apprentice gives you Prismatic Oil.
 * Talar the Apprentice gives you An Ancient Masonry on Aerlinthe.
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "Ah, Essence of Verdancy! It's a good thing this decanter is enchanted or the essence would have eaten right through it and through the floor stones and through the ground beneath. In fact I don't think it would stop until it reached its source."
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "Let's see, where did I put those enchanted gloves."
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "Excellent, more essence samples. These will prove invaluable in my continuing research. Let me mix your reward."
 * Talar combines a small amount of each essence into a small vial of viscous red oil. He holds the bottle up to the light and watches as the oil clears and prismatic colors can be seen spinning in vial.
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "Here you go. This oil works on the same principle of elemental energies that the Prismatic Plume uses. Apply this oil to a piece of Greater Amuli Shadow Armor and you should be able to instill it with an impressive amount of elemental protection. If you would prefer a different reward then give me back the Prismatic Oil and I'll see what I can do."
 * Talar the Apprentice tells you, "If you wish to apply the Prismatic Oil to one of the other Greater Shadow Armor pieces you should read this report we received from an Arcanum Researcher on Aerlinthe Island. He found a buried structure there which may hold the required intermediary you need to instill the other armor sets with the Prismatic Oil."

Retired Text The Price of Loyalty
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "Our best efforts to prevent the Harbinger from pulling the Essences to him in Old Yanshi have failed. He is drawing massive amounts of pure magical power from them and has gained considerable power. Fortunately the we have learned something from our failure. The Nullified Essence I created the first time caused the Harbinger pain, so I knew I was on the right path. I have made some modifications to the formula that I believe can be used to weaken the power the Harbinger has attained from the four Essences."
 * Ciandra combines a small amount of each essence into a decanter of glowing blue liquid. She says a small incantation and holds the decanter up to the light, watching as the liquid inside changes color to a dark violet hue.
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist gives you Decanter of Nullified Essence.
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "Take this Nullified Essence and talk to either Vincadi or Issk in Old Yanshi to decide if you wish to use it to weaken the Harbinger before attempting to do battle with him. If you do decide to weaken the Harbinger then be careful not to apply more than thirty applications at once or the potion will have a lessening return. As always return with anything you think I might find useful in my research."
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "If you are still interested in fighting the Essences you should talk to my new apprentice, Talar. He's quite a good alchemist and with all of my recent Harbinger research he's been an immense help in continuing the Essence research."

Shining Runes and Shadowed Hands
 * You give Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist Decanter of Essence of Artifice.
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "Ah, Essence of Artifice! I can't wait to start testing this. These Essences react differently to various alchemical tests than the pure essence we collect from the Fathomless Chasm."
 * You give Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist Decanter of Essence of Strife.
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "Ah, Essence of Strife! War in a bottle eh? I don't know where to begin testing this. I'll have to confer with some of the Arcanum's War Magic specialists."
 * You give Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist Decanter of Essence of Enchantment.
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "Ah, Essence of Enchantment! You didn't get any on you I hope. I theorize that this essence could have dangerous effects if it comes in contact with a creature. I'll have to be very careful while I'm testing this."
 * You give Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist Decanter of Essence of Verdancy.
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "Ah, Essence of Verdancy! It's a good thing this decanter is enchanted or the essence would have eaten right through it and through the floor stones and through the ground beneath. In fact I don't think it would stop until it reached it's source."
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "Let's see, where did I put those enchanted gloves."
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "Good, more samples, let me give you your reward and then I have some new matters to discuss with you."
 * Ciandra combines a small amount of each essence into a small vial of viscous red oil. She holds the bottle up to the light and watches as the oil clears. Prismatic colors can be seen spinning in vial.
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "Here you go. This oil works on the same principle of elemental energies that the Prismatic Plume uses. Apply this oil to a piece of Greater Amuli Shadow Armor and you should be able to instill it with an impressive amount of elemental protection. If you would prefer a different reward then give me back the Prismatic Oil and I'll see what I can do."
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist gives you Prismatic Oil.
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "Ok, here's what we already know. These new Essences are extremely powerful and extremely unstable. I have surmised that the Cisterns have filled with elemental essence again, but without the Menhir Rings focusing and stabilizing these energies they have... overflowed, more like a discharge really, resulting in these new Essences. With the Cisterns spilling elemental energy the Essences will keep returning and gathering energy. Fascinating, but not good."
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "I've just completed some new tests and I now believe the Essences are being drawn to the Harbinger, either through some mutual bond they share or by the Harbinger's will or magic. I don't need to tell you that it would be extraordinarily bad if the Essences were to reach the Harbinger."
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "Luckily with these essence samples you brought me I can complete the potion I've been working on to prevent the Essences from getting any closer to Yanshi."
 * Ciandra combines a small amount of each essence into a decanter of glowing blue liquid. She says a small incantation and holds the decanter up to the light, watching as the liquid inside changes color to a dark violet hue.
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "This Nullified Essence should place a barrier over the spot it is poured. Take this to the big Stone in Old Yanshi and pour it over the top of it. If it works the Essences should return to their Menhir or at least to their vicinity. Others are helping me with this task as well. Work together and be careful not to use more than thirty of these potions within a few minutes time. After thirty applications the potion has a lessening return. As always return with anything you think I might find useful in my research."
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist gives you Decanter of Nullified Essence.
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "I've also recently received word from an Arcanum Researcher on Aerlinthe Island. He found an buried structure there which may have something you can use to instill the other Greater Shadow Armor sets with the Prismatic Oil. Here take his report."
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist gives you An Ancient Masonry on Aerlinthe.


 * You give Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist Reflective Shard.
 * Ciandra takes the shard. Peering closely at it's reflective surface, she looks deep in thought.
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "It troubles me that the Harbinger made such easy work of the Nullification Barrier. This just proves what I feared though. The Harbinger is drawing the Essences to itself."
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "It was a lucky thing you were able to bring this shard back to me though. With this I may be able to devise some other means of preventing the Harbinger from amassing more power. Here's a small token of my gratitude.
 * You've really come through for the Arcanum."
 * You've earned 7,500,000 experience.


 * You give Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist Prismatic Oil.
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "No problem, lets see, I think you've earned this."
 * You've earned 6,500,000 experience.

A Change in Tactics
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "The four Essences have returned to world. They have been seen near the broken menhir rings that once focused and held them. From what I've been able to surmise from our Arcanum Agents, the Essences are much more aggressive than they once were. Perhaps Gaerlan's tinkering with the elemental forces has changed them."
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "Yes, you look skilled enough."
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist gives you Instructions for Essence Recovery.
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "All of the Arcanum's attempts at collecting samples from the four Essences have failed. Fifteen of our best agents were defeated in a recent attempt on the Essence of Verdancy. Find yourself a group of adventurers at least as powerful as you before you go anywhere near these new Essences."
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "First, you need to retrieve four Enchanted Decanters from the Arcanum Research Facility outside of Al-Jalima. You will use these decanters to collect each Essence's essence. The details are in these instructions."
 * Ciandra, Arcanum Alchemist tells you, "Good luck and don't underestimate the power of the Essences. They are raw magic after all."

Update History

 * During the A Change in Tactics event, the Essences of Magic were found on the surface and it was only possible to create Prismatic Amuli.
 * During the Shining Runes and Shadowed Hands event, the prismatic glyph was added allowing for prismatic alduressa, celdon and koujia to be created in addition to amuli.
 * During the Price of Loyalty event, the Essences were moved into the Essence Chamber and became part of the Harbinger Quest mechanic.