Path to a Palus Knight

The Palus Knights are the most skilled knights of the Dark Elves and conquer the battlefield with their fearless spirit and great talent. Only Dark Fighters who pass the trial that I give and secure the Gaze of Abyss will earn the qualifications to be selected as Palus Knights.

Say you want to become a Palus Knight

Your eyes still show fear and caution. Gain more experience on the battlefield and learn how to control personal emotions before coming back to me.

You have already overcome fear and hesitation and acquired the title of Palus Knight. Now go on to the battlefield and teach the world to fear of our race.

Palus Knights are selected from the ranks of Dark Fighters. You are not qualified.

You already have the Gaze of Abyss. This means you have earned the right to become a Palus Knight. Take that token to Grand Master Tobias of our guild. Then you can change profession to a Palus Knight. He is the one right over there.

Good. To become a Palus Knight, you must pass two trials in order. These trials test your skills and are also a rite of passage to become a true "Abyssal Knight."

Ask about the first trial

Before you receive the trial, take this talisman. Those who follow Shilen will see it and know that you are a fighter performing a task. The first trial is the ritual of 13 skulls. Its object is to collect 13 enemy skulls killed by your own hand. It is a ritual to meditate upon the death that the Knight brings with his sword. Throw out all private emotions and perform the task with a solemn heart. Do not forget that Shilen will be watching over your path.

I will tell you about the enemy you must kill in this ritual. If you travel on the road that heads north of the village, you will come to the Neutral Zone. It is an area where combat is forbidden, according to agreement, because it is the boundary area between the two Elven tribes. There are creatures gathering their strength in the Neutral Zone, and taking advantage of the situation because Elven soldiers cannot enter.

These creatures are the lycanthrope -- half-Human, half-animal. They are slowly getting stronger in the Neutral Zone, and are even setting their sights on the Elves' home. Dispose of these lycanthropes in the name of Shilen, and collect exactly 13 of their skulls and bring them to me. This is the end of my explanation. Now you should go.

How does it happen that you have not departed yet? Is fear or hesitation keeping you here? If that is so, I will have to reconsider your qualifications for becoming a Palus Knight.

Hurry on to the Neutral Zone and kill the lycanthropes and bring thirteen of their skulls. Only then can you fulfill the custom.

You must have exactly 13 skulls to complete the ritual. Thirteen is a holy number to we Dark Elves that follow Shilen, for it symbolizes death and rebirth.

Go back to the Neutral Zone and strike down the lycanthropes ... Come back when you have 13 skulls. Only then can the ritual be completed.

Thank you. Thirteen skulls brought from dealing with the enemy of our race ... They are the result of death brought about from your own hands. Knights of other races embellish their actions and duties by saying that they are "guarding justice" or "protecting the common people." However, the knights of the dark do not forget the essence of knighthood through hiding behind fancy words or moral obligations. A knight is one that brings death. The victory he achieves with his sword means his opponent's death.

No matter what the goal or motive, all combat between knights ends in death. Just because you shout "honor" or "justice" doesn't change what it means to kill. Death is death. You have stolen your opponent's opportunity to live.

Do not forget the fact that you are the "one who brings death."

Ask about the second trial

You need your own coffin to perform the second trial, the Ritual of the Red Coffin. Yes, I'm speaking of the coffin you use to bury an elf when he dies. According to the funeral customs of the Dark Elves, we need a traditional coffin made from the carapace of a beast. You must make this yourself.

You should ask Abyssal Celebrant Kalinta how to make a coffin. You can meet her if you go to the Dark Elven Guild of the village of Gludin. You must take this letter with you.

You have brought the Coffin of Eternal Rest with your name inscribed within it. I will send this to the Priests of the Temple of Shilen. This completes your trial.

A Knight's destiny is always to face death on the battlefield! We do not know when it will come, but it is an end we cannot escape. By entrusting the Coffin of Eternal Rest made by your own hands to the Celebrants of your funeral, you are accepting death as your fate and laying down all fear. This is what the ritual of the red coffin is for.

Palus Knights do not fear death, and so they do not hesitate or stand back. They are the strongest Knights, that have already seen the darkness of the abyss and know not fear nor hesitation. Since you passed both trials, you have the ability to enter the glorious ranks. This Gaze of Abyss is the token you have earned. If you take this to Grand Master Tobias of our guild, he will change your occupation. He is the one right over there.

Go to Abyssal Celebrant Kalinta and ask about the Ritual of the Red Coffin. You can meet her if you go to the Dark Elven guild of Gludin. Make sure you take the letter I gave you.

I welcome you in the name of Shilen, child of darkness. So you are a Palus Knight in training who received the Trial of the Red Coffin from Master Virgil.

To complete the trial, you must make your own Coffin of Eternal Rest. This is not the crude wooden coffin, made by humans to bury their corpses in the backyard of their temples. This is a traditional Dark Elf coffin made with the carapace of a beast and the silk threads of a spider. The materials needed to make this coffin are all very rare, and the process of searching for the materials itself is a part of the trial. Therefore, you must find the materials yourself.

Ask about the materials

Making the coffin is part of the test. Therefore, you must find all the materials yourself. To make the body of the coffin, you must obtain a solid carapace of a giant poison spider. To fasten the coffin together you must gather five silk spider thread skeins that are produced by arachnid trackers. When you have gathered all the materials, bring them to me.

Giant poison spiders and arachnid trackers can be found in the Windmill Hill area in the southern part of Gludin Village or at the Fellmere Harvest Grounds over the northern valley.

Take this talisman with you. The followers of Shilen will recognize it and know that you are performing the Trial of the Red Coffin. May the divine protection of the abyss be with you.

Still here, eh? Caution is a virtue, but a true knight knows that he must fulfill his commitments in a timely fashion.

As you know, you must gather five Arachnid Tracker Silk skeins and one carapace of a giant poison spider to create a Coffin of Eternal Rest.

Giant poison spiders and arachnid trackers can be found in the Windmill Hill area in the southern part of Gludin Village or at the Fellmere Harvest Grounds over the northern valley.

I see you have not gathered all the materials yet. As I already told you, you must have five Arachnid Tracker Silk skeins and one large poison spider carapace to complete the Coffin of Eternal Rest.

Thank you. I will make you a Coffin of Eternal Rest with these materials. All living things must end their lives someday and return to the arms of Shilen. Someday, you will also cross the river never to return. Then your corpse will be put in this coffin and buried in the soul well.

Here, the coffin is finished. However, while the form is complete, it is not yet fully yours. To make this coffin yours, you must sign your name here in the place where your head will rest.

Sign your name inside the coffin

Now you are the true owner of this Coffin of Eternal Rest. The last part of the trial is to carry this coffin and go back to the one who first gave you the trial. Go to Master Virgil in Gludio Castle Town and give him your coffin.

I hope you will safely complete your trial and be reborn as a Knight of the deep lake. May the protection of Shilen be with you.