Colton

For those of you who haven’t heard yet, I am a massive quest freak. It was over 9 years ago when I started my account finishing Cook’s Assistant and I still am today. Through the years, we’ve seen many quest series’ build over time and gradually come to a close, some more satisfying than others (I’m looking at you, Salt in the Wound). But sadly, some are still hanging there, waiting to be finished. Some are being actively worked on to continue, some have been talked about but constantly put off, and others still have seemingly been forgotten entirely.

In this, the first of what I hope becomes a long series of articles, I intend to pick one or two storyline which have been left without endings and analyze everything about the series from the developers of each quest to where the series may end up. So without further ado, let me begin with a series that I hold particularly close to my heart which reaches back to 2005 for its first quest…

The Myreque/Vampyre Series

First Quest Release: January 10^th, 2005

First Quest: In Search of the Myreque

Number of Quests in Series: 5

Number of Quests Anticipated: 1

Lead Content Developers: Mod Tytn (all but Branches of Darkmeyer), Mod Ana (Branches of Darkmeyer)

This quest lines sees its beginnings when the adventurer stumbles into a mysterious man, Vanstrom Klause, in the Hair of the Dog Inn in Canifis, who tells the adventurer of a group of freedom fighters currently in hiding. The Myreque, he tells you, are low on supplies and need your assistance. Of course, you think nothing of this shady man, and do exactly as he tells you, only to lead him straight to the hiding place of the Myreque. At this point, it’s made clear that you, the character, have been duped, and that this mysterious man was actually a vampyre all along. After he kills two members and flees, you’re left feeling sorry for doing this group of kind people an injustice, and quickly offer your services to help them relocate to somewhere more secure.

The second installment takes the player to Burgh de Rott, a town not under the blood tithe law of the vampyres because there hasn’t been any recognizable life present there for years. In the moving process of the Myreque, the adventurer begins patching up the town bit by bit, making the bar, bank, and other buildings more usable. However, this activity draws the attention of the “tax collector” of blood tithes: Gadderanks. After taking the appropriate amount of time to consider Gadderanks’ ethical dilemma of serving the vampyres in order to feed and protect his family, the player does the only thing that makes sense. KILL HIM! As Gadderanks breathes his last, he lets the player in on a way to kill vampyre juvinates with a blessed silver rod and a special potion. With this new information, you proceed to construct a Rod of Ivandis and, in concert with a Guthix Balance potion, are able to kill lower tier vampyres for the first time. After all of this is finished, the Myreque are safe inside the basement of the bar, but the journey has only begun.

Your first mission, should you choose to accept it, as the James Bond of Morytania, is to infiltrate the Meiyerditch, a dilapidated collection of slums housing humans under the vicious vampyre rule. Here you are to find any remaining members loyal to the Myreque cause and reestablish contact with them and the Myreque hiding in Burgh de Rott. After a boat ride and some light-searching, the player finds Old Man Ral who so helpfully lends a hint as to where the headquarters of the Myreque is within the Sanguinesti. After much more searching (much, MUCH more), the player finally makes contact Vertida Sefalatis, among others. Through a message he has you take back to Veliaf, the player is soon again directed to speak with the monk in Paterdomus. Along the journey, the player discovers werewolves on the wrong side of the River Salve, which is a massive finding as it now means that other beings may be able to pass the holy river meant to keep them out. The character is then directed to inform King Roald in Varrock, who replies telling you that the Edicts of Guthix (which were in place at the time) prevent him from acting against Morytania. After informing Veliaf and Vertida of the unfortunate happenings, the player is told to speak with Safalaan on the outer walls of the city where he’s making strategic maps of Castle Drakan. It is here that the player encounters Ranis and Vanescula Drakan, the brother and sister of the still unseen Lord Lowerniel Drakan, causing them to sic Vanstrom Klause on the poor character. However, just when all hope seems lost, a servant of Vanescula, Sarius Guile, steps in and saves your green hide. She makes the case that the player is a friend of Safalaan, who, for some reason, would be extremely upset with Vanescula if his friend were killed. After this, Sarius gives you oddly specific hints that lead to the discovery of the mysterious Haemalchemy in a lab underneath the city. Safalaan seems pleased that you’ve found this tome when you bring it to him, but he won’t say why.

The next installment of this series picks back up at Paterdomus, where Saradominists and Zamorakians seem to be gathered conspiring as to how they might break the Edicts. After most teleport away and some are killed, the player is left to collect evidence from the scene. After you bring this information to Drezel, he has you take Ivan Strom back to Burgh de Rott, where you are again directed to go back to the Sanguinesti. Thank Saradomin, however, because you have a shortcut key this time! When you reach the headquarters, you discuss with Flaygian, the newest member of the group, the possibility for the creation of a weapon that will be able to counteract the mindreading abilities of the vyrewatch. However, before you’re able to complete the concept, you, Safalaan, and two others are sent on a mission back to the laboratory tunnels where you found the Haemalchemy. Here, you journey much deeper than before until you happen upon a strange rock. At this point, your team is ambushed by two vyrewatch. Helpless, you look on while one companion dies, another flees, and Safalaan struggles to fight for his life. As he seems to be struck a killing blow, Safalaan collapses, and rises in the air as a blue light shoots out from him. This makes the vyrewatch flee, and somehow the player and Safalaan are able to return to base. Once you arrive, you finish the construction of the Ivandis Flail, which finally offers a method of killing more powerful vyres. The player then returns to Paterdomus to burn the vyre corpse, but finds that this yields a key which unlocks a cabinet containing nothing less than the fabled blood talisman. From this point on, the player has access to the blood alter beneath Castle Drakan.

Even despite this discovery, the strength of the Myreque continues to wane as the Vampyres sink their teeth into the people of Morytania more and more (forgive the bad pun). It’s also widely believed that Vanstrom Klause, the player’s now long-lived enemy is at large in the area and is zeroing in closer and closer on the Myreque. Before you can take him down, however, Veliaf in Burgh de Rott tells you of a shadowy figure that was seen digging south of the bank at night. The player investigates this tunnel and finds Drakan’s medallion as well as a strange letter addressed to “Safalaan Hallow” and signed with a “V”. The author of this letter addresses Safalaan directly and says that they can offer insight to his history, claiming to also know that Safalaan has unexplained powers and has prophetic visions. After taking this letter to the man himself, Safalaan seems confused but not disbelieving. He claims to not remember much of his past, and sends you to meet this “V” where they detail for him to go in the letter. When the player goes to the sector that the letter says, V turns out to stand for Vanescula, and not Vanstrom as you had originally thought. She claims to now be willing to help the Myreque in order to thwart the rule of her brothers. She also tells of a tree in the center of Darkmeyer which will offer the player his/her “greatest weapon”. With her help, you invade the Vampyre city and find the Blisterwood Tree, which you help nourish by successfully completing a puzzle. After you chop from the tree, Ranis Drakan appears but is unable to act on his discovery as Vanescula appears not long after and kills her brother on the spot. After a meeting with the Myreque and the crafting of your first Blisterwood weapon, the player returns to Darkmeyer to fight and kill Vanstrom. But before he dies, Vanstrom finally reveals what most have been suspecting all along: Safalaan is half-Icyene. After you have vanquished the second vampyre of this quest, you return again to Vertida who will show you a strange cutscene involving Safalaan leaving the city and speaking to Vanescula, saying that he is following her advice and that they will “begin” after his mission. After returning to Burgh de Rott, The Branches of Darkmeyer ends with two powerful vyres dead, but Lord Drakan and his enormous castle still left to conquer.

This is where our story has been put on hold, with several questions answered but several more yet to be addressed. Where is Safalaan going? What is the nature of his relationship with Vanescula? Will he discover his true power, and will he use it for good or ill? The player is also left wondering about the inner workings of Castle Drakan, which still has not been explored. Additionally, who is Lord Lowerniel Drakan and why have we never seen him? What’s he been doing? And, of course, is Vanescula’s alliance with the Myreque true, or is it all some façade to kill them all in one fell swoop?

Luckily for those that love this quest line, the answer to these questions is close at hand. December 2014 saw the Player Power poll pitting the final installment in the Myreque series versus a Floor 61 quest. The former won a resounding victory, and is scheduled to be in the game late this year. The pitch for this quest promised answers, all the answers. We’ll find Safalaan’s true power, discover secrets about more of the Myreque members, invade the Castle Drakan and take down the Lord of said castle in what is sure to be an epic battle, given they’ll have to top a rather memorable fight against Vanstrom in Branches.

Unlike many of the questlines that I’ll explain in condensed format with this series, this one ends on a happy note, with the end within our grasp. So sit back, relax, and maybe we’ll have Vampyre Christmas this year.