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The Quest for the Key to Veeshan's Peak
by Verdandi Snowblood
Veeshan's Peak is a locked zone deep in the continent of Kunark, accessed from the Skyfire Mountains. The key that grants you access is also an augment which can be put on any piece of your armor. While the zone has been available since Kunark opened in 2000, Veeshan's Peak was revamped in the summer of 2004. At that time, the quest for the key was extended. Those who hold the original key to the zone can do an additional quest to get the key to the new Veeshan's Peak. Those without the original key can choose either the original quest plus the additional final quest or can do some different bypass steps and then the same additional final quest.
The Original quest is much more time consuming but grants you a more powerful augment at the end. It is also much easier to solo (or mostly solo) as well as having a more interesting storyline and taking you through more parts of Kunark. The Bypass involves a lot less legwork and time but will require more help. The Original route yields an VP key augment with +30 to hp, mana, and endurance, while the quest from bypassing yields an augment with +15 to hp, mana, and endurance.
Keep in mind that Veeshan's Peak can be an extremely dangerous place. The zone-in is not safe to anyone who is kos (kill on sight). The dragons inside are on the Ring of Scale faction, which is very easy to lower and rather difficult to improve. If your Ring of Scale faction is at all bad, you may have to invest hundreds of hours of work to repair it. If you do chose to improve your faction sufficiently, you can do quests for the dragons in Veeshan's Peak to receive some pretty nice stuff. If you choose not to befriend the dragons, you can bring a big raid and show them who's boss.
Enough chatter. Choose your poison:
Original OR Bypass
...then there's the Final quest...Note: You don't actually have to do any of the parts of this in any particular order. You can collect the Final drops while working on the first part of the quest.
Another Note: having the original key on your keyring is just as good as having the actual original key itself. One of the NPCs involved can reconstitute the original for you to use in the quest combine. If you obtained the original key and then deleted it after it was added to your keyring, you can still skip straight to the Final quest.
You must gather together three medallions and a tooth off of the undead dragon Trakanon. Each medallion, however, is broken into three pieces which you must gather together and turn in to different people to get each whole medallion. Two of those pieces, in turn, can only be acquired by completing other quests. You will be doing a tremendous amount of camping very rare critters. You will also be delving into dungeons that will be very challenging solo even for a well equipped 65. And of course, most folks will need at least a small raid to tackle the dragon Trakanon. I do not recommend starting this quest until you are at least level 50 with several groups of help or level 60 with a group of help. Also, if you don't already have them, I strongly recommend the EQ Toolbox Maps for use with the Legacy of Ykesha expansion in-game map tool.
This guide was written based on my experience doing this quest, which was completed with a great deal of assistance from Azaar of Bristlebane's guide, The Key of Veeshan and Allakhazam's writeup.
Also, this was written with a target audience of shaman. The only specific spells that are especially recommended are invisibility and invisibility to undead, both available as potions for those who cannot cast them.
Overview of the Quest Givers and Items
Starts with Emperor Ganak (-2700, +2800) in Trakanon's Teeth.
As you start collecting pieces of medallions, you may find it hard to keep track of which are which. If you hold one on your cursor and cast identify on yourself (or while someone else casts identify on you) you will get a message telling you which medallion it is for and whether it is top, middle, or bottom. As always, you can gather the quest items before talking to the quest givers if you wish to save yourself the extra trip. Given the quantity of pieces involved here, I recommend either working on one full medallion at a time or doing the hardest parts first, to save yourself from storing all these pieces at once in the bank.
Details
The quest starts with Emperor Ganak in Trakanon's Teeth, at number 5 on that map. He should be familiar to you from the quest for the key to Sebilis. The area right outside his tunnels is thickly inhabited by undead, so invis to undead will be a big help here. Once inside the tunnel there is nothing agro between you and Ganak. Ganak himself is not kos and should talk to anyone.
You say, 'Hail, Emperor Ganak'
Emperor Ganak says 'Greetings. It has been long since I was aware on this plane. Who are you and what do you want of me, Ganak, wyrm scourge and slayer of Jaled-Dar?'
You say, 'Where is Veeshan's Peak?'
Emperor Ganak says 'You wish to know of Veeshan's Peak?! You are either very brave or very foolish! There is nothing there for the uninvited but a fiery death. I have been away from this plane of existence for a long time, yet, still, I feel the presence of the ancient wurms. I am sure they sense my presence as well, since I hold the only [key to the chambers] of the Ring of Scale.'
You say, 'What key to the chambers?'
Emperor Ganak says 'I am not so quick to grant someone the key to their death! If you truly wish your doom to fall upon you so soon, bring me the three medallions of the fallen Iksar tribes, Kylong, Obulus, and Jarsath. The tribes were crushed long ago by the warriors of the Kunzar and their remains lie buried beneath the rubble of ages. Finding the lost medallions of my people will not be enough to prove you worthy of entry into the fortress of the great wurms. There is another task you must complete before you return the medallions.'
You say, 'What medallions?'
Emperor Ganak says 'There were five different tribes of my people. The Kunzar, Kylong, Nathsar, Obulus, and Jarsath. Each of the tribes had a medallion that represented it. If you can return to me the medallions of the Kunzar and Nathsar, I will give you the idol of Trakanon.'
That bit about the medallions of the Kunzar and Nathsar and the idol of Trakanon is the quest for the key to Sebilis, if you haven't done that already.
You say, 'What task?'
Emperor Ganak says 'Those who enter Veeshan's Peak uninvited by the lords of the Ring of Scale become nothing more than a snack for the wurms who dwell in its halls. Once you cross the threshold of the peak, there is no escape. Any fool dedicated enough to locate the medallions can do so, but it takes a truly mighty individual to slay the dragon who has plagued my people for ages. I speak of the poison dragon, Trakanon, the vile undead wurm who conquered my people's greatest wurmslayers. Bring me proof of Trakanon's death with the medallions I request and I may deem you worthy of the key to the Ring of Scale.'
Medallion of the Jarsath
The quest for the Jarsath medallion is given by Xiblin Fizzlebik sitting in some ruins at -5800, +2900 in Timorous Deep.
Xiblin Fizzlebik says 'Hello, Verdandi! I am Xiblin Fizzlebik, renowned archeologist and historian of Ak'Anon. I'm currently in search of artifacts and relics on the Iksar [Jarsath tribe]. If you stumble upon anything, please bring it to me.'
You say, 'Who were the Jarsath tribe?'
Xiblin Fizzlebik says 'About two thousand years ago, there were five different tribes of Iksar who dwelled on the continent of Kunark. One of these tribes was the Jarsath. They were a very primitive sort, proud and tribal, but also cannibalistic. Often, they went to war with the other tribes that co-existed with them, back then. The ruins found on this island were of structures created by the Jarsath. I've been excavating for quite some time now, but haven't been able to find anything of significance.'
You say, 'What are you looking for?'
Xiblin Fizzlebik says 'In my studies, I have learned that the Jarsath believed they could draw power from a holy symbol, specifically, a medallion that represented their tribe. When Salthir became king of the Iksar empire, Sebilis, he had the medallion broken into three pieces and hid them on the Kunark continent so that they would never be found. I'm searching for the pieces so that I can put it back together and learn more about this tribe. Perhaps you wish to help?'
You say, 'I wish to help'
Xiblin Fizzlebik says 'All I know is that the pieces were most likely hidden in watery regions. If you manage to find them, bring them to me and I will be able to put the medallion of the Jarsath back together. I am sure there is much to be learned from it.'
Top piece: Easy as can be. Go to the Swamp of No Hope. It's pretty safe but you'll be getting kind of close to Cabilis so you may wish to have invis up just in case you stray too much. You want to go to +50, +2930, in the middle of the western edge of the zone. The ground spawn looks like the ubiquitous little brown baggie. It is at the base of the slope at the edge of the zone, close to the water.
Middle piece: A real pain, especially without a tracker. The ancient Jarsath is a Kunark skeleton that wanders Firiona Vie. In particular, it seems to spawn in and wander around the area just south and west of the drolvarg fortress at number 5 on the EQ Atlas map. I spent hours standing at the fortress and sending my pet to kill anything and everything on the slope and the plain beyond, focusing on non-drolvargs, before the bugger finally appeared. A tracker will help for the obvious reasons, although someone with sense undead is a good second choice. There are absolutely no other undead npcs in the zone, and sense undead works across the entire zone. Thus, even a low level cleric, paladin, shadowknight, or necromancer standing somewhere safe could cast the spell periodically to scan for the presence of the Jarsath and give a very rough idea where it is. I can't say for sure whether it really does have a placeholder or just has a long respawn timer. One report on Illia's Bestiary offers the following: "He walked from 518, neg 1717 to 1500, neg 1880. He stopped here a moment, then turned back around and headed to neg 967, 1628. Then of course I got attacked by a drolvarg...". I cannot verify that but you may wish to locate those locs and lurk around them. Once you get the little bugger he is approximately level 40-45.
Bottom piece: Take your dramamine. You need to kill the bloodgill marauder in the Lake of Ill Omen, right outside the entrance to Veksar at the bottom of the lake, on the western side of the underwater building. Yes, this is an underwater camp. He does not seem to have placeholders but his respawn time is uncertain. Some reports say an hour or two, while others say as many as eight. The usual method of getting him before Veksar was to stop by as often as possible, every few hours or so, and check for him. Now with the traffic heading in and out of Veksar, you will probably need to camp the entrance. There are four goblins that spawn right around there that will probably agro. If you are doing this in your 50s you may want a friend or two and might be able to get decent exp by pulling other goblins in the area.
Go back to Xiblin Fizzlebik and give him the three Pieces of Medallion.
Xiblin Fizzlebik tinkers with the three pieces and snaps the pieces together. 'Wow.. You've done it.. but I suddenly feel very.. strange.. This medallion is cursed! Here, you take it!
Medallion of the Kylong
Professor Akabao has the quest for the Kylong medallion. He is in the Lake of Ill Omen in the big windmill thing at number 13 on that map. He may be dubious but should still talk to you. (You know how erudites can be.)
You say, 'Hail, Professor Akabao'
Professor Akabao says 'Salutations, traveler! I don't get many visitors in these isolated regions. Have you come to learn of the ancient tribes of the Iksar?'
You say, 'Yes, I have come to learn of the ancient tribe of the Iksar.'
Professor Akabao says 'There were five tribes of Iksar who rose from the ashes of the Shissar Empire and founded their kingdoms on the continent of Kunark. Three of the tribes were extinguished many years later by the Kunzar tribe who were the ancestors of the current Iksar. I study an extinct tribe - the Kylong.'
You say, 'Who were the Kylong?'
Professor Akabao says 'The Kylong were a mountain-dwelling tribe of Iksar who sought esoteric knowledge. They had vast libraries of ancient magical tomes acquired from Shissar sorcerers, and strove to understand and implement the rituals documented therein. When the Kunzar armies marched upon the Kylong, the three greatest Kylong mystics shattered the medallion of Kylong, a holy relic of their tribe, and fled their mountain homes in order to prevent the Kunzar from reassembling it.'
You say, 'Where is the medallion now?'
Professor Akabao says 'I have been attempting to learn the destinations of the three Kylong leaders who held the fragments of the medallion. I know only that they sought shelter in which to hide and continue the practice of their mystical arts hoping to one day return their tribe to its former glory. Their remains may exist beneath some of the fortresses that are centers of Iksar and sarnak necromancy. I have seen indications that some of the tomes in those fortresses are, in fact, the very tomes once cherished by the Kylong. Should you manage to recover the broken pieces of the medallion of Kylong, bring them to me so I may restore the ancient artifact.'
Top piece: If you are not kos to Chardok you can stroll on in and do this without a single fight. If you know someone who is not kos to Chardok, they can go in and agro the npc you need and bring him up to the zone entrance so you can deal with him. Otherwise, bring help. You must journey deep into Chardok to the ratman Niblek, who will trade you the piece you need in exchange for a black sapphire and a ruby. Rubies are sold on vendors all over the place. Black sapphires drop off of various high level critters all over Norrath. The Bazaar may be as easy as anything else. Niblek does not despawn when you complete this step, so be sure to advise your helpers to bring those gems to complete this part for themselves as well. A few 60s or a couple strong groups of low to mid-50s should be able to handle this. You can attempt to sneak down here while invis, but the scaled wolves see invis so this would be very dangerous to anyone but a rogue with their super sneaky AA. There isn't much in the way of good maps available, so here are directions. From the entrance to the zone, proceed down the tunnel and hug the left wall past the fortress and up the exit ramp 10 feet or so. Turn around and look back down towards the fortress and you will see an opening in the wall on the left up in the air alongside the ramp. Put up levitate and run into it. Proceed down the tunnel. At the first fork go right, at the second fork go left, at the third fork go right, at the fourth fork go right and follow the right wall. Niblek is tucked into a little alcove on the right. There can be some good drops along the way including some rare Kunark spells, which might help you entice some help. Give him your gems to receive your piece of the medallion.
You say, 'Hail Niblek'
Niblek says 'I Niblek. You want someting from Niblek? Niblek find treasures in walls. Niblek like to trade treasures.'
Hand over the black sapphire and ruby.
Niblek says 'I much happy now!! I want shiny tings for long time! I give you ugly broken necklace now!'
Middle piece: One of the hardest pieces to get. Verix Kylox's Remains drop this piece deep in the basement of Karnor's Castle. Verix's Remains is in the rooms marked #1 in the catacombs at that EQ Atlas map. Probably the easiest way to get in is to enter from the underwater passage in the moat to the south. You will encounter several critters between there and the rooms, and then the #1 rooms themselves have at least 7 or 8 spawns to clear. Remember that most of Karnor's sees invis, not just the undead. Once in the #1 rooms it will be all undead, some of them with some modestly nice drops. Verix's Remains placeholder is the spawn in the northeast corner of the eastern #1 room. The respawn for these rooms is somewhere between 20-30 minutes. You may be here for many, many, many hours before you actually get the Remains. Only the best soloers should tackle this alone, due to the sheer volume of critters and relatively cramped quarters; a duo of 60+ would probably do fine. If you are in your low to mid 50s you will probably want a strong group or two. Verix's Remains is level 51 and a shadowknight, so watch your hit points on the pull.
Bottom piece: An easy bit, if you're good at being sneaky. This ground spawn is on the upper floor of the library in Kaesora, at number 5 on that map. If you don't wish to fight, you'll need invis to get through the entrance areas and invis to undead for the rest. There are undead roamers near the entrance, however, and some of the spiders see invis, so it's still not entirely safe. Even so, none of this should be a real danger unless you get mobbed. Kaesora can be confusing, even with a map, so here are directions. From the entrance put up your invis and take the first left turn. Drop down to the bottom of the pit and turn to the right at the intersection. The room ahead has the spiders that might see invis. Cross the room and go through the opposite door, to the south. In the near, left corner of that room is the hidden passage to the undead area. Walk through the wall into it and move a safe distance from the spiders. Put up invis to undead. Proceed down that long, winding hallway. At the bottom it will open up to a big room with the library the first building on the left. Go up the stairs and through the doorway and take the passage to the right. Pass the big main room to the rear of the building, where you will find the stairs to the upper walkway. The medallion will be another brown baggie on the ground around the far side of the walkway, almost at the end.
Return to Professor Akabao and turn in the three Pieces of medallion.
Professor Akabao says 'For ages this medallion has been scattered across these inhospitable lands, I had just about given up hope of locating the pieces and rebuilding this piece of Iksar history. You may keep it. It is enough to know that I have done my part to restore such an artifact to the people of Norrath.'
Medallion of the Obulus
Slixin Klex, a skeleton at -700, -1100 in Burning Woods, at number 4 on that map, has the quest for the Obulus Medallion. Be careful out there, plenty of stuff sees through invis and plenty sees through invis to undead. You are not safe from wanderers while you are talking to Slixin.
You say, 'Hail, Slixin Klex'
Slixin Klex says 'So long ago... The burning of our land?'
You say, 'What burning of your land?'
Slixin Klex says 'Fiery death from the sky. Rock and fire burning our lands. Death and destruction splintering our tribe. Once, strong we were, but the fiery rocks from the sky crushed our proud cities and weakened our tribe.'
You say, 'What tribe?'
Slixin Klex says 'Obulus was our people. The hills and trees were our lands. We tamed the dark and wilds and bent the forests to our needs. But all is gone, all our people, all our works, even the medallion that was the symbol of our power.'
You say, 'What medallion?'
Slixin Klex says 'Medallion of the Obulus. Symbol of our proud people. Broken into pieces long lost to the dark forests now. I know where they are now but I am no longer flesh. If I were, I would find them and bring them back together.'
You say, 'What pieces?'
Slixin Klex says 'Hhhhh. Three pieces there are. One rests in the hands of Sselot though he knows not its purpose. Another is guarded by an Iksar ghost in Trakanon's. The last is held by a long-rotted Iksar skeleton in the Dreadlands. Bring them all here and I may be able to unite them again. Perhaps this will even free me from my torment... or not.'
Top piece: Not too tough. This is the other sub-quest, involving the iksar Ssolet Dnaas in Warslik's Woods. You need to bring him a Burnished Wooden Stave, a random drop off of sarnaks in Chardok. It is an uncommon drop but comes off of any sarnak, including those near the zone. You may be able to find one in the Bazaar, as well; they are not No Drop. Ssolet himself appears to be on the Crusaders of Greenmist faction, the Cabilis shadowknights. If you are not an iksar and have not worked on your Cabilis factions, he will be kos. In that case you will need to bring someone to charm him. (Sneaking will also work according to the usual rules for classes with that ability.) Contrary to some reports, he is not permarooted and will come charging if agroed. The enchanter who came to charm him for me will testify to that. He is on a tiny island at +4000, +400 at the north end of the zone. Once charmed, hand him your stave to receive the piece of the medallion.
You say, 'Hail, Ssolet Dnaas'
Ssolet Dnaas says 'Greetingss, Verdandi. Unlesss you bring closssure to my ssearch, leave me while I contemplate thingss.'
You say, 'I bring closure to your search'
Ssolet Dnaas says ' My sssearch. I have been ssent out by my massster to find an item. A burnished wooden sstaff. I know not why and I do not quessstion. I know not where thiss item is found. I musst have one though. Ssssss. If you can find one for me I will give you a trinket.'
Give him the staff.
Ssolet Dnaas says 'Sssss. Thisss is what I need. You have my thanksss. Please, take thiss. I know not what it iss for but maybe you will find a ussse for it.'
Middle piece: Bring a book. A really long book. This piece drops off of the rotting skeleton at +2250, -5150 in Dreadlands. There is a single spawn placeholder there that does not wander. The rotting skeleton is an extremely, excruciatingly rare spawn. I spent 15+ hours here, a number that does not seem especially atypical. The placeholders are all low-ish level skeletons that should be readily soloable to a level 50. However, their levels vary enough that bringing a lower level alt to kill them might not be worth the trouble. The rotting skeleton himself is level 45. The respawn is approximately 7 minutes. I sat myself up on the hill where I could see the spawn point and just sent my pet after each spawn. Very rarely a drolvarg would appear to walk by, but I am not sure if it was ghosting. I was never agroed at my spot on the hill, maybe 25 feet from the spawn point, in spite of a few prolonged mental health breaks.
Bottom piece: Don't put that book away. If you finished it already, get another. Then head to Trakanon's Teeth to the ruins marked 7 on that map. Your target is the pained soul, another very rare spawn at a static camp near the entrance to Old Sebilis. I was relatively lucky with this one, just four hours, but it can be every bit as ugly as the rotting skeleton. His exact spawn point is at -1840, -4370, in a building right along the edge of the ruins. As long as you stay inside his building nothing else should agro. His respawn is about 7 minutes. The pained soul and his placeholders are all undead. His placeholders run at low health and will agro other ghosts in the ruins, so be careful not to let them run too far. I was able to hold this camp with ease at level 63 but my pet needed help. If you are much under 60 you might want help, if nothing else because the pained soul himself is in his mid to high 40s. With the amount of time you might spend waiting on him, it would be utterly tragic for him to beat you.
Return to our glum friend Slixin Klex in Burning Woods and give him the three Pieces of medallion.
Slixin Klex says 'Ssssss. I thought I would never see these. I never thought the symbol of our people would be made whole again. I feel no rest for my sssoul though. My torment still flows as freely as when my peoples first suffered fiery death. I need this not. It is useless to me. Here, you take it. Maybe you can find some good to do with it.'
Trakanon's Tooth
The final piece of the key is the tooth of the undead dragon Trakanon, deep in Old Sebilis. I am sure that a single group of sufficiently equipped and talented folks could take him. However, more likely you're going to want two, three, or four groups, maybe more if your help is new to raiding or mostly in their 50s. Only the tooth that drops off of Trakanon himself will work. Similarly named items that drop in other places, such as the Trakasaur's Tooth that drops in the zone Trakanon's Teeth, will not work. Trakanon himself is level 66 and found in the second level of Sebilis in the room marked 4 on that map. Depending on your server, just catching Trakanon up may be more of a challenge than killing him.
Completing the Quest
When you have the three reassembled medallions and the tooth from Trakanon, head back to Ganak to turn them in!
Emperor Ganak says 'I must say, I thought your flesh would be rotting from your bones alongside the remains of the ancient Sebilisians. I commend you on your victory over the poison dragon and thank you for returning the ancient medallions of my people. I reward you with the key you seek. A place shall be prepared for your souls among the most honored of the dead. Soon you will be seeing the world through the shroud of death.'
You receive Key of Veeshan.
Okay lazybones, here's the scoop on how to bypass the original quest for the VP key and get to the newer one more easily. I didn't do this method myself, and have leaned heavily on Allakhazam for the details.
Your task is to collect one Essence of Chardok, one Essence of Howling Stones, and one Essence of Old Sebilis. They each drop in the respective zones for which they are named.
Essence of Chardok: You get this drop from the Echo of Chardok. He seems to spawn only in the room of the Overking Bathezid deep in Chardok. The Echo is level 66, the Overking is level 65, and the room contains several other sarnaks. The Echo is a pretty tough nut, with a 2000 damage AE plus five-second stun. You'll want at least a strong, full group to hold this comfortably, more if you'll be mostly under 65.
Essence of Howling Stones: These appear to random drops off of anything, most commonly in the East Wing, although they do drop rarely in the South Wing and possibly also the West Wing. It is probably just that only the highest level mobs can drop it, making your chances better in the wings with more higher level critters. There is also one report that this is one of few light sources that drops in these areas; thus, mobs which appear to be giving off light are more likely to have this drop on them. If you are very familiar with the zone or are a talented soloer, a soloing class could swing this alone at 65+. Otherwise, a few friends should be fine if you are 60+, or a couple groups for 50+. (To even get into Howling Stones, you will need to quest for the Key to Charasis. Charasis is another name for Howling Stones. A lockpicker or the Hand of Glory master key to the wings of the zone will also help.)
Essence of Old Sebilis: This item is found on the Echo of Sebilis. There are numerous reports of him spawning randomly in the froglok jail, myconid (shroom), and juggernaut areas. There is also one report of him in the king tower. It may be that he is a random spawn out of any critter of a sufficiently high level. Once you find him, he is level 69 with a 1500 damage AE plus one-second stun. There are reports that any healer myconids nearby will heal him, so you may with to pull him to isolation or clear neighboring healer npcs before tackling. He mitigates slow, being only "slightly" slowable, so prepare your healers accordingly. He may wander when up, so having a tracker watch for him could help you find any current spawns faster. (If you don't already have it, you'll need to quest for the Trakanon Idol (key to Sebilis) in order to get in.)
And that's it. Once you've collected these five drops, you are ready to do the Final quest for the key to Veeshan's Peak.
At this point you should have either the five bypass drops (Essences) or the Key of Veeshan (either the actual, physical key or on your keyring). With those at the ready, you can finish up getting your key to Veeshan's Peak. This final process requires you to get a Drained Cipher of Veeshan and A Worn and Ancient Book. Then you turn in the Book to an npc for Brood Dragon Blood and combine it with your essences or original key in the drained cipher to make your new key.
The center of this final process is the drake Enrid Ebonclaw, at 2400, 3700 in Skyfire, just west of the entrance to Veeshan's Peak. Enrid is being held captive by five wyverns called Servants of the Peak. In order to talk freely with Enrid, you will need to clear those wyverns. If you want to just bring a group to clear them, a well rounded group of 65 or so would have no trouble. Or, you could use the raid force that does Enrid's task to then kill the wyverns after having completed the big raid. That seems to be a common practice, so everyone can get their Enrid step done at once.
Or you could do what I did, which was make a mad dash in and out without trying to kill any Servants. Create a hotkey of "/say I would like to know" and put it somewhere readily accessible. Position yourself on the ridge alongside the entrance to VP, near the servants around Enrid. I recommend that angle as it will have you climbing a gentle slope on the other side of the lava, so you don't get stuck during your getaway. You can't use invisibility because Enrid has to see you, but as the Servants sometimes see invis it doesn't really help. Just get buffed up, especially with a running speed buff (sow, spirit of eagles, selo's, etc). Target Enrid and charge towards him, spamming that hotkey. I had to pause when I reached him and hit the hotkey while right next to him before he responded. The cipher appeared on my cursor and I took off running again. By the time the Servants came after me, I had made it out of range so I never took a hit. All five of them getting just one hit each would really hurt though, so I'd still recommend buffing up just in case. When you get a short distance away they'll poof back to their spots around Enrid, so you won't have to run far. If you need to get a reconstituted key from Enrid, you'll have to repeat this process with a hotkey "/say recreate the key".
Whatever you choose to do, when you get to him your conversation will go something like this:
You say, 'Hail, Enrid Ebonclaw'
Enrid Ebonclaw says 'Thank you for coming to my aid, though I'm sure I could have made it alive. I'm smarter than most would admit. I even committed a crime against my master by questioning one of his motives and the punishment for that is death. Yet, here I stand! Those wyverns have kept me asleep and were trying to turn me to ash. Since you are here, I will finish what I started. I have a secret so magnificent and so powerful that the Ring of Scale will be extremely angry with me. I will exact my revenge! Now, would you [like to know] how to overcome the wards on the passage to Veeshan's Peak?'
You say, 'I would like to know.'
Enrid Ebonclaw says 'You adventurers are all alike. The dragons erected a new ward on the door to only allow the Ring of Scale and its followers entry. They changed it because of greedy adventurers like you! As a servant to the Ring of Scale, I learned how to create a cipher to enter the peak -- one that overcomes the new ward that was erected. This cipher requires the original key or the essence of the original key. The original key was very magical and powerful, for it encompassed the strength of this continent. If you have the original key, you will need to modify it by combining it with this powerless cipher and the blood of a brood dragon. If you do not have the original key, however, you will need to capture the strength of this continent, the essence of the original key. [continue]'
At this point Enrid gives you a Drained Cipher of Veeshan, a four-slot quest container.
You say, 'Continue'
Enrid Ebonclaw says 'Combine the three major essences with that same dragon blood inside the powerless cipher to create the Cipher of Veeshan, your means of entering the peak. Also, you may have the original key's essence bound to your soul, so let me know if you would like me to [recreate the key].'
When he refers to "the original key's essence bound to your soul" he means the original key on your keyring. If you did obtain the original key to Veeshan's Peak, the Key of Veeshan, and then added it to your keyring and deleted the physical key, this is your chance to get it back.
You say, 'Recreate the key'
If you do not have the original key on your keyring, you simply get:
Enrid Ebonclaw searches deeply into your soul and says, 'I am sorry mortal, I cannot recreate the key at this time.'
If you do have the original key on your keyring, you get:
Enrid Ebonclaw searches deeply into your soul and as a spell is cast on you, it says 'Here mortal, here is the physical manifestation of your key. Create the new cipher and exact revenge for me!'
And he hands you a shiny new Key of Veeshan.
You already have either the original key or the essences, so all that's left to fulfill your mission and avenge Enrid is the blood of a brood dragon. But being the wiley creatures that they are, you don't just loot the blood from a brood dragon. Oh no. We seem to be missing some of the instructions from npcs, but what you must do is help out Dry Sapara so he will give you some of his blood. You can only do this after 24 hours have passed since the last time it was triggered, so if it doesn't work that'd be why.
Get your raid together at approximately 1000, 0, where they can fend off the pesky roamers while they wait. Send out four people, one to each of the four dragon globes located around the zone. They are at -2200, -3600 (south of the Overthere zone); -3300, 2800 (west of the Burning Woods zone); 3000, -3300 (the Ragefire encounter area);and 2400, 3000 (above the entrance to Veeshan's Peak itself). When all is ready, the four people click on the globes simultaneously.
Dry Sapara shouts, 'The globes are absorbing my energy! I do not know what will happen next, so be prepared!'
As the energy pours into the globes, a flash of light occurs. There is now a beam of light pointing to the center of this mountain range. You should investigate.
Suled Dar's Shade says 'You have awakened something which you should not have, fool!'
There's our target, Suled Dar's Shade. It spawns out in the big lava lake where the raid has been stationed. Pull it to solid ground and take it down. This is a fairly difficult fight. My open raid of approximately 50 people, average level 65, made it but only barely. Suled Dar's Shade has a nasty AE spell that strips buffs and does 2000 points of damage. It also has an AE curse that snares and drains mana.
Reports are that if you fail, Suled Dar's Shade will stick around a while, long enough to regroup and try again. But of course you won't fail.
Once it's dead, six chests (named "an ancient chest") will spawn on the ground near 1000, 0 that each hold eight A Worn and Ancient Book. You'll need to do your rezzes fast, as these chests only last for seven minutes before poofing. Roamers will continue wandering in and attacking all the while, so you'll need to have enough folks ready to handle them while the newly rezzed recover. Also, the chests have the usual timer on them before they can be looted by just anyone, so you'll all need to wait a minute or two before being able to loot. Don't panic.
Once everyone has one book and is ready to move on, the main need for the raid is done. It is common, however, for the raid to move on to kill the Servants around Enrid to get the Drained Ciphers of Veeshan, and the agro npcs around Dry Sapara to turn in the books. If for whatever reason you miss out on having the wyverns around Dry Sapara cleared, you can still get to him. Put up invis and watch until the wandering wyvern closest to him comes up to the front. Run in and drop invis alongside Dry Sapara.
Give Dry Sapara your book.
Dry Sapara intensely stares at the book and says 'This tome will teach me much of this ancient place. Now, I am in your debt. What is it that you want from me?' Dry Sapara then invades your mind and says, 'Ah yes, you want a portion of my blood. Fine Outlander, take it and leave me to read this ancient book.'
He gives you Brood Dragon Blood. Put it into your Drained Cipher of Veeshan (from Enrid). If you have the original key to VP put it in with the blood and combine. If you have the three essences instead, put them in with the blood and combine.
Presto! You now have your very own Cipher of Veeshan, the key to Veeshan's Peak as well as an augment that can go on any piece of armor (or range item) which has an open augment slot of any type. If you made your cipher with the original key, it is the Cipher of Veeshan with +30 to hp, mana, and endurance. If you made it with the essences, it is the Cipher of Veeshan with +15 to hp, mana, and endurance. Either way, it works as a key to Veeshan when it is loose as well as when it has been added to an item.
Good job!
Note: this is the same quest writeup (with minor edits and big updates) that was originally posted on the Shaman's Crucible.
I, Verdandi, wrote that guide in its entirety and have recycled it here.