Grimling War

This is a series of mini-raids in Grimling Forest that get progressively harder as you complete them (a la Ring Wars). It begins with three easy little raids that are perfect for lower levels to group and complete. These can be done with one or two groups of mid 40s or one group of higher level. The first three are known as the scout quests since they are initiated by talking to the Scouts. The next three after this get hard and results in receiving Hollow Acrylia Obelisk, the key to Inner Acrylia Caverns. Currently, only 5 exist on the server.

General Staginar

Travel to Grimling Forest and find General Staginar.

You say, "Hail, General Staginar"

General Staginar says "Greetings Gnostica. Are you here to serve in the war against the grimling horde?"

You say, "I am here to serve in the war"

General Staginar says "As you probably know, we've been battling the grunts for nearly a generation now. They have proven to be a challenging opponent. We've inflicted great casualties upon their kind in this war, yet somehow, they seem to grow even more numerous. Barring some miracle, they will become a serious threat to Shar Vahl very soon. One remaining strategy has a chance of bringing us victory, but none have met the requirements for its implementation."

You say, "what requirements"

General Staginar says "Our intelligence has provided us with some information about the enemy. They blindly follow a being they refer to as 'the master'. Our high spiritists have sensed a powerful presence from the caverns beyond our mines, but only those who possess a special key can venture there. None who have obtained the key and ventured into the caverns have been seen alive again."

You say, "what key"

General Staginar says "The grimling high commander holds half of a magical acrylia obelisk that will transport the wielder to their master's stronghold. I have slain the high commander who held the other half of the obelisk and I have the knowledge of it's construction. I will only give it to one who has proven to be a powerful soldier, for nothing less would stand a chance against the enemy ruler."

At this point you have two options to obtain the orders to start the grimling war. The first is a series of raids on the grimling camps within Grimling Forest, the second is collecting parts from uncommon named bosses (20% spawns) within Grimling Forest and Acrylia Caverns.

Option 1: Grimling Camp Raids

You say, "what high commander"

General Staginar says "The grimling high commander will only appear if their compound to the north is overrun. There are two encampments near the compound that will need to be invaded as well in order to secure the area. It is a very complex mission and I will only authorize you to lead it if you have demonstrated competence. Serve our people by successfully completing the lesser raids here in the forest. Bring me the Golden Medal of the Shar Vahl as proof of your prowess, or, if you are already at least as powerful as I am, there is another test that will give me confidence in your abilities."

You must progress through a series of raids in Grimling Forest, starting with Captain Necin. Each success unlocks the next raid.

You say, 'Hail, Captain Necin'

Captain Necin says 'Hello, Gnostica. I'm looking for an accomplished soldier to help me carry out a very dangerous mission. If you know of one please have them report to me at once.'

You say, 'I am an accomplished soldier.'

Captain Necin says 'Very well, acquire a chest of valor and fill it with the medals you receive from scouts Husman, Danarin, and Derin. Give me the resulting soldier's chest and I will reveal the details of my mission.'

The chest of valor can be purchased at the nearby vendor, Shopkeeper Chirrin. The medals are the results of the Scout's Raid quests.

Scout Husman - Copper Medal of War

You say, "Hail, Scout Husman"

Scout Husman says, "Hello Gnostica, It's a good day for a raid, wouldn't you agree?"

You say, "agree"

Scout Husman says, "Well, if you have the courage, round up about six people of my strength and, when you're ready to begin, give me a polished acrylia sphere. I'll lead you on a raid against a grimling camp not far from here. If we're strong enough to take over the camp there will be a good chance for treasure."

You say, "raid"

Scout Husman says, 'I know the way to a grimling camp close to here. If you have about six people of my strength we have a good chance of taking it over. With luck, a grimling officer will take part in their counterattack, and they can carry valuable treasure indeed. Fetch me a polished acrylia sphere and I'll guide you."

You initiate the quest by giving Scout Husman a Polished Acrylia Sphere (purchase from the nearby Shopkeeper Chirrin) and he will march out and attack a camp of Grimlings. You must keep him alive during this assault and clear the camp. There will then be several (up to 10 or 20) waves of 3 to 5 Grimlings that assault you at the camp. Eventually, a grimling officer will eventually be a member of one of those waves. Kill him and loot a Grimling Officer's Scalp (NO RENT), turn that in to Scout Husman and get a Copper Medal of War (no drop).

The officer can spawn in the first wave or the 30th wave. It is completely random. Thus, this could take 15 minutes or two hours.

WARNING - after you do the turn in to the scout the whole camp will respawn soon. Just train them to the guards close by if you get agro, no need to keep killing these greens after we have the medal.

This one is meant to be challenging for a single group of level 25s, so it should be a bit easy, but will give us a great idea about how the whole spawning of waves of attackers and keeping an NPC alive is done.

TIPS - 1 ) You cannot heal or buff the scout 2 ) The scout will generate agro by attacking just like any party member, always steal agro from him. If he dies we fail and must start over. 3 ) Never target the scout. Someone will inevitably attack him by mistake or sic their pet on him. 4 ) No AE, you will hit the scout. 5 ) Crowd control is your friend...otherwise have a tough tank get agro on all of them, then dispatch them one at a time while getting hit by all of them until they are all dead. 6 ) If you agro the scout don't panic. Just zone, it is close by. He should pop back at camp unharmed after you zone. 7 ) The camp WILL re-pop after a few waves. You must deal with the re-pop and the next wave. I don't know the respawn time of the camp, but it will keep popping if there are allot of waves. 8 ) Officer is unstunnable and unmezzable. Unsure if he is root/snareable.

Scout Danarin - Silver Lined Copper Medal of War

You say, "Hail, Scout Danarin"

Scout Danarin says 'Hello Illia, welcome to the front lines of our war against the bastard grimlings. As I'm sure you know, we Vah Shir shun violence, but with this enemy there is no other way. Let me know if you'd like to see some action.

You say, "I would like to see some action."

Scout Danarin smiles, 'I can escort you to a camp rich with enemies. With my help you can take possession of their camp. They'll try desperately to reclaim their lost territory and, if we're lucky, an officer will show up. You'll want to bring about ten soldiers as powerful as me. When you're all here and ready for battle, give me a marbled acrylia sphere.

You initiate the quest by giving Scout Danarin a Marbled Acrylia Sphere (purchase from the nearby Shopkeeper Chirrin). He will respawn with weapons, and lead you to the camp. He will pause briefly then tell you "my next words mark the start..."

The procedure is the same as the first raid. Only now the mobs will be slightly harder, in that they won't ALL be green to our mid 40s group. The tips are the same as above.

Clear the camp, kill the waves, and when he spawns kill a grimling officer and loot Grimling Officer's Tooth (NO RENT). Turn this in to Scout Danarin and get a Silver Lined Copper Medal of War (no drop).

Scout Derrin - Gold Lined Copper Medal of War

You say, "Hail, Scout Derrin"

Scout Derrin says 'Greetings Illia, what brings you to the battlegrounds? Looking to raid a grimling camp perhaps?

You say, "I would like to raid a grimling camp"

Scout Derrin says 'I can lead a dozen men of my strength on a raid against a well fortified grimling encampment. It's a risky mission, but one that has the potential to yield substantial rewards. If you have the manpower and the courage, give me a glowing acrylia sphere and we'll get started.

The quest is recommended for about 12 Level 40ish people, though it can be accomplished with fewer higher level people.

You initiate the quest by giving Scout Derrin a Glowing Acrylia Sphere (purchase from the nearby Shopkeeper Chirrin). The scout will lead you to a nearby camp, then charge it. This is the same drill as before; clear the camp and kill the waves until you spawn and kill a grimling officer and loot Grimling Officer's Eye (NO RENT). Give the eye to Scout Derrin to receive the Gold Lined Copper Medal of War (no drop).

Captain Necin - Silver Medal of War

Combining these three Scout medals in the Chest of Valor produces the Soldier's Chest. Give the Soldier's Chest to Captain Necin:

Captain Necin says 'Take this map and study it carefully. The mission we are preparing to embark upon will make your previous raids seem like child's play. Many friendly forces will need to help us to achieve our objectives. Two dozen soldiers as powerful as me to be exact. When you have selected and briefed the troops that will carry out the offensive, give me the map and I will lead the assault.'

He hands you a Map of Grimling Forest. Handing it back to Captain Necin will initiate a raid on two Grimling camps at the same time. If Captain Necin dies and you fail, he will not spawn again for 12 hours and you will have to re-accomplish the three previous Scout encounters to try again.

Captain Necin and Sergeant Jherum will each go to different Grimling camps and you must keep them both alive by spliting your forces. The stronger force should go protect the Sergeant since he is easier to kill, and a tough tank should go with the group protecting the Captain since his camp is larger.

TIP: Getting agro early is key...there are many Grimling nukers that will fry these guys in 5 seconds! Don't bother killing any grimlings before they get there because the whole camp will respawn when the cats charge. But by having people in camp you will take most of the aggro and keep the two Vah Shir alive.

Kill the waves of Grimlings and keep both Captain Necin and Sergeant Jherum alive until you spawn and kill a grimling officer and loot Grimling Officer Toes (NO RENT). Give the Toes to Captain Necin to receive a Silver Medal of War.

Veteran Vadrel - Golden Medal of the Shar Vahl

Give Veteran Vadrel the Silver Medal of War

Veteran Vadrel says, "Just in time, Gnostica. I have finished plans for an attack deep in enemy territory. I have had scouts gather information on two newly constructed grimling camps. These grunts need to be taught that they will not be allowed to spread across the surface of this world unchecked! Take these plans and study them. Keep them confidential. When you have gathered an army of at least two dozen loyal soldiers return the plans to me and we will begin."

Veteran Vadrel gives you Vadrel's Plans. Give him back Vadrel's Plans to initiate the next raid.

Veteran Vadrel says, "You know the drill by now, Gnostica. Order your people to make ready for war! Follow me."

Veteran Vadrel will march out towards the camp he is going to invade. On the way there is an ambush and you must kill off all the Grimlings that attack. He is then joined by Veteran Cullin (another Vah Shir) and they split up to attack two Grimling camps again. Once again, split forces and protect them both.

TIP: Getting agro early is key...there are many Grimling nukers that will fry these guys in 5 seconds! Don't bother killing any grimlings before they get there because the whole camp will respawn when the cats charge. But by having people in camp you will take most of the aggro and keep the two Vah Shir alive.

Kill the waves of Grimlings until you spawn a grimling commander (level 39) and loot Grimling Commander's Head (NO RENT). Give the head to Veteran Vadrel:

Veteran Vadrel says, "You have done well Gnostica. You will need continued success to overcome the master of the enemy, whoever that may be. Speak to the general, tell him the invasion was successful. He will guide your efforts further. Now gather your forces and leave this place. The enemy will overrun it soon. Farewell!"

Veteran Vadrel gives you the Golden Medal of the Shar Vahl.

Option 2: Named Parts Collection

You say, "what test"

General Staginar says "If you are less experienced than I am, performing this task will gain you nothing. With that in mind, take this box and venture through the mines and into the caverns. Combine in it Gooplart's tooth, Gizgargank's scalp, Grikplag's skull, Gnildaria's eye, Gnerpokkel's heart, Gilgaplank's toes, the husk of the summoned burrower, and the shackles of a Vah Shir captive. Return to me with the Box of the Hero of Shar Vahl and I will send a team of our veterans to escort you into battle."

General Staginar gives you Box of the General's Challenge

The named you are looking for are:

• Grimling Forest: Overseer Gizgargank, Prophet Grikplag, Sorceress Gnildaria, Overseer Gnerpokkel,

• Acrylia Caverns: Possessor Gooplart, Corpseraiser Gilgaplank, an escaped burrower, High Priest Gakkernog

The last step of the quest for the Shackles of a Vah Shir Captive is a mini-'ring' kind of event. One person stands on a broken bridge and gets "shackled" (rooted) there, and some mobs spawn in the room leading to the bridge in waves. Gotta kill them before they reach the shackled player or they push him into a lake of fire, and game over. At the end, you kill the high priest (who has until now been untargetable), loot a Grimling Shackle Key, run across the room and free Trondol Shir.

Collect and combine the items to receive Box of the Hero of Shar Vahl.

Prepare for War!!!

Prepare 3 raids of about the same size with one being stronger for the named. The stronger one needs to have at least one fearless knight to tank the named because of this fear effect. Each should have a chanter to memblur the cats in case of accidental aggro, a bard for MR song, and a mix of healers and dps.

Turn in the Golden Medal of the Shar Vahl or the Box of the Hero of Shar Vahl to General Staginar and receive Staginar's Battle Orders.

General Staginar says "Soldier, that's some fine work! The horde will not easily recover from the destruction you have inflicted upon their kind. You have earned an opportunity to wrestle the key from the grimling high commander. Take these orders to Veteran Cullin. If you can take possession of the grimling bases to the north and defeat the grimling high commander, return to me with his half of the obelisk and the battle orders. Show the grunts no mercy, Gnostica! Good luck!")

Go to Veteran Cullin and say, "Hail, Veteran Cullin."

Veteran Cullin nods at you in acknowledgement. "Gnostica, you're welcome to enjoy the sanctuary we have established here, but the safety we provide comes at a price. You must take up arms and join in the war against the grimlings. Take what you need and rest up, then get out there and make a dent in the numbers of their horde!"

Give Veteran Cullin Staginar's Battle Orders

Veteran Cullin says, "Finally! An army with the courage to bring these scum to their knees! I pray that you have the numbers and the prowess to match your heart or we'll be fed to the grunts for dinner tonight. The general instructed me to ready my troops when he gave you his orders, follow me and I'll brief you all together."

Veteran Cullin will then go meet Veterans Fhelik, Kufur, and Shiktan.

Veteran Cullin says, "Men, here is the army that General Staginar has appointed to attempt this invasion. They have demonstrated enough competence for him to trust them with our lives."

Veteran Cullin says 'It is about as I expected. Fhelik, you'll lead the raid upon the smaller camp south of the stronghold. Kufur, you will assault the larger camp. Shiktan and I will lead the invasion into the stronghold itself. Fhelik, take who you need and make your way to the attack position.'

Veteran Kufur says 'I've scouted the area and they're dug in pretty well. There are two camps just to the south of the stronghold, one with eight grunts and one with nearly twenty. I couldn't get too close to the stronghold itself, but I'd guess there are at least two dozen there.'

Veteran Kufur says 'At least fifteen of you follow me! There's glory to be had!'

Veteran Fhelik says 'Well, there are eight of 'em there now and no telling how many they'll send to reclaim the camp once we've cleared it. Give me a handful of men and I'll fight 'til there's no breath left in me.'

Veteran Cullin will proceed to loc -348, 169 and says, "This is the most difficult mission in the forest, the grimlings will fight intensely to regain it. I remind you, I must survive for this mission to be a success. If I or any of my troops die we will have failed to meet the objective. Give me the high commander's arm to bring the invasion to a close."

Set the raids to follow Cullin/Shiktan (largest raid), Kufur, and Fhelik as they split up and assault the two camps as well as the fort. Once at the camp, clear the green mobs and wait for the veteran cats to rush. Clear the green mobs that spawn again on the rush. From there, the veteran cats will be permarooted and you can surround them with casters to get aggro first and clear the waves that come approximately every 75 seconds. The first waves may have only 3-4 grimlings but it ramps up a bit to 6 or so mobs with lots a dangerous casters at each camp. The spawns can fear and charm so buff MR. Fears often result in toons running under the world. With ~60 toons, expect the camps will start getting overwhelmed after 15 minutes or so.

Tip: It may be good to have a melee with an assist button for the cat in their area to help pull aggro off the cat. The cat will often summon grimlings to him once he is injured. Cats cannot be mezzed (immune) or charmed (heard event will end).

They will keep coming until a grimling high commander spawns. It hits for ~450, casts Grimling Death Chant (-300 MR fear effect), and has some other minor effects. Kill him, loot the Arm of the Grimling High Commander and give it to Veteran Cullin to end the event. Each wave has a 3% chance to spawn the High Commander. He will drop one of the following:

• Robe of the Maniacal
• Tome of Grotesque Rites
• Blood Stained Quartz Orb
• Possessed Sacrificial Club
• Possessed Sacrificial Cleaver

Veteran Cullin says, "Gnostica! you've surpassed my most optimistic hopes and conquered the grimling stronghold. Please accept this medallion as a token of the gratitude of all Vah Shir. The Jharin will tell tales of your victory as long as our people exist. Your name shall be held in reverence from this day forward. Take the piece of the acrylia obelisk back to the general and he will isntuct you further. It has been an honor serving with you, farewell!"

Receive Medallion of the Hero of Shar Vahl and Acrylia Obelisk Half.

After Victory

Give General Staginar the Acrylia Obelisk Half

General Staginar says, "Gnostica, your actions have earned you the respect of all Vah Shir. Upon your shoulders now rests the hope of our people. This hollow acrylia obelisk is the key that will gain you entry to the stronghold of the master of the grimling horde. Once there, you will need to collect enchanted pieces of acrylia from the enemy's vile minions. Once you have collected all five of them, you must place the obelisk into this smelting pot with the acrylia pieces. A special key will form inside that will grant you access to the deepest chamber of the stronghold."

Receive Hollow Acrylia Obelisk and Enchanted Acrylia Smelting Pot

After the event has ended, General Staginar says "No one knows what lie beyond, what dangers you may face, or what trials you must overcome. No one who has ventured into the stronghold has returned to inform us of the dangers it may hold. Now, more than ever, we pray for the spirits of our ancestors to watch over and protect you. Now, round up an army of your most skilled and trusted friends and rid us of this menace!"

Inner AC Key: Hollow Acrylia Obelisk

Haven't found what the Enchanted Acrylia Smelting Pot is for yet...

Sources

• Allakhazam Quest write up
• True Fellowship guild notes
• Allakhazam post on Grimling High Commander being defeated on Al'Kabor
• TAKP Forum Thread