The Thirteenth Eclipse (story arc)

Preparing, or 'flagging', for the Shroud raid requires a few steps, outlined below. Without these you can't enter The Shroud.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Valairea Satnarine Subject: Urgent! Find me in Meridia! I have an urgent need for your services and help in Meridia. Please come find me at your earliest possible convenience. I'm waiting for you next to the entrance of the Eldritch Chamber, below the tavern. Come quickly, I believe an entirely new realm of possibilities is about to fall open before us. - Valairea

1. Go to The Twelve, and speak to Gustavine Kyerrh. He will give you the quest to find Meridia.
2. While in The Twelve, speak to Jeanselme Brucetius to receive a Small Ingredients Bag.
3. Exit the Tower of The Twelve, and go to the southwest corner to enter The Vale of Twilight.
4. Explore The Vale until you locate Meridia, the town within The Vale. Rest, Repair, Bind, and speak to Grandmaster Aaseamah Screven to advance your quest.
5. You must now complete the 5 Pre-Raid quests with a difficulty setting of at least Normal and collect the Shavarath Stone in the end chest from each of these quests. Make sure you keep these Shavarath Stone items.
   • Running with the Devils - Shavarath Stone of Battle (red) (Ingredients: Bitterscrub Fungus, Glistening Pebbles)
   • Rainbow in the Dark - Shavarath Stone of Foresight (deep green) (Ingredients: Green Briar Twigs, Glistening Pebbles)
   • Ritual Sacrifice - Shavarath Stone of Might (purple) (Ingredients: Lammanian Lily Petals, Bitterscrub Fungus)
   • Let Sleeping Dust Lie - Shavarath Stone of Strategy (light green) (Ingredients: Locust Husk, Chipmunk Funk)
   • The Coalescence Chamber - Shavarath Stone of Victory (blue) (Ingredients: Green Briar Twigs, Chipmunk Funk)
6. Once you have 40 favor with The Twelve, you will receive an in-game mail notification. (Note: This can occur before completing all 5 quests, but you must complete them before you can complete all the steps below.) Go back to either Jeanselme Brucetius in The Twelve or Valairea Satnarine in Meridia and claim your favor rank and a Small Ingredients Bag. You can also purchase Small Ingredients Bags in House Phiarlan, Jorasco, or The Portable Hole; but since they are Exclusive, you can only have one in your backpack at a time.
     Warning!: If you already have one with you when you talk to Jeanselme, you will not receive the free one and you will not be able to try that option again. Instead, leave your Small Ingredients Bag in the bank before talking to Jeanselme.
7. Now, go to Valairea Satnarine outside the Eldritch Chamber in the center of Meridia, and start her quest of Eldritch Device Tutorial.
8. You now have access to the Altar of Fecundity in Meridia, and you can now begin crafting. In order to complete "Chapter 1: The Nature of Eldritch" of the quest, take all 5 items she gave to you (Chunk of Shavarath Dirt, Gnoll Whittled Branch, Polished White Marble Stone, Spider Spun Thread and Special Energy Cell) to the Altar of Fecundity. You may want to do this right away because these 5 items cannot be inserted in an ingredient bag. Select the recipe "Valairea's Combination" which will automatically select the required ingredients, then click "Mix Magically" to create a Glowing Orb. Bring this back to her.
9. Your quest should be advanced to "Chapter 2: Stones of Shavarath" now. In the end chests of the 5 pre-raid quests are 5 different Shavarath Stones (a different one in each); take one of each and put them in the Device to make a Shavarath Signet Stone (grey) - This Stone is a key ingredient to make your Green Steel Item. Again, make sure this is visible in your Inventory when you bring it back to Valairea.
10. Then the Grandmaster Aaseamah will give you the quest of The Thirteenth Eclipse (The Shroud raid). If he does not advance your quest at this point, be certain you have collected your end rewards from each of the five quests. You have not actually "completed" the quest until you collect your reward.

Trivia

• Several of the Vale quest names are references to song names from the 1970s and 1980s hard rock/heavy metal bands:
  • "Running with the Devils" is the first track from Van Halen's 1978 Van Halen album.
  • "Rainbow in the Dark" is a track and a single from Ronnie James Dio's 1982 Holy Diver album.
  • "Let Sleeping Dust Lie" is a bit more obscure but most likely a reference to a track from Michael Schenker Group's 1981 album MSG. The track is titled "Let Sleeping Dogs Lie"
  • "Turun Palo" is the Finnish name for the Great Fire of Turku.