The Role-Player's Guide to SoulFire

Introduction

This guide is intended to document the story behind SoulFire. It's not necessarily the fastest way to achieve the sword, and it includes lots of optional material not strictly required. Full details on why this guide is written and the meaning of the colors used can be found here.

Table of Contents

Stage 1: The Agent

Find Kalatrina Plossen upstairs in the Hall of Truth.

You say, 'Hail, Kalatrina Plossen'

Kalatrina Plossen says 'Hail! Welcome to the Hall of Truth. We, the Knights of Truth, are all the hope this city has of loosening the grip of Lucan D'lere and his militia. I seek a young knight to [serve the will of the Truthbringer].'

You say, 'I serve the will of the Truthbringer.'

Kalatrina Plossen says 'Stand tall then, knight! We have need of your services. We have sent a man to infiltrate the militia. We fear he may soon be found out. Take him this note of warning. Say the words, 'Truth is good,' and you shall find him. Be careful, young knight. The militia does not take prisoners.'

She will give you "A Sealed Letter", which identifies as "To Alayle". The text is:
 
Please return home at once. Mother is not well !
Your Father, Mithmar

None of the Militia guards in East or West Freeport respond to the phrase "Truth is good" save one. Head to the Militia guardhouse in West Freeport. Guard Alayle is in the training yard behind the guardhouse, just outside the door.

You say, 'Hail, Guard Alayle'

Guard Alayle says 'Greetings, citizen! You should not be in the Militia House. These are restricted grounds. Please leave at once unless you have business here.'

You say, 'Truth is good.'

(Note: according to my logs and confirmed by others, Alayle repeats the "Greetings, citizen!" line when you say Truth is good. A guide I found on the Web has him saying the following line instead. Repeating his hail text appears to be a bug.)

Guard Alayle says 'Ssshhh!! Pipe down. The others might hear you. You must have something for me. Kalatrina must have given you something if you serve the Hall of Truth. If you have nothing, please leave. You will blow my cover.'

Give Guard Alayle the sealed letter.

Guard Alayle says 'This is not good news. I must leave immediately. Here. Take this to Kala.. I mean my father. I found it on the floor of Sir Lucan D'Lere's quarters. Thanks again, messenger. I got this just in time.'

You receive a tattered flier. The text of the flier is as follows:
 
ZIMEL'S BLADES                           
..... ...    ....    .. ...                                                    
....... ...... ...   ..       ...   .......      ....    ...

At this point, Krazen Loosh spawns inside the guardhouse and, after a brief delay, approaches Guard Alayle. After he speaks, Krazen attacks Alayle, and any nearby militia guards will assist Krazen.

You say, 'Hail, Krazen Loosh'

Krazen Loosh says 'The towering wall of stone is clearly unmovable at this point, being held in place by collection of magical energies.'

Krazen Loosh says 'Hello, Alayle. We just got a message from Qeynos. I think you should come with me.'

Guard Alayle says 'Oh no!! It is too late!! Run!!'

Krazen Loosh says 'As you try to open penetrate the stone wall it is clearly being held in place by a powerful force.'

(That last line is Krazen's aggro message.  Krazen and other nearby guards attack Alayle. Most likely, Alayle will die.)

Guard Alayle says 'My comrades will avenge my death.'

To my knowledge, no one has ever investigated the Qeynos link Krazen mentions.

I checked to see what happens if you save Alayle.  Basically, a friend killed every militia guard in the guardhouse, all guards towards the North Freeport zone line, and all but the gate guards towards the West Freeport gates.  Then I did the turn-in.  As soon as Krazen Loosh started attacking Alayle, we killed him too. The first time, Alayle took a lot of damage from Krazen (we were caught off guard) and when Krazen died, Alayle took off running. He was killed by a guard we had missed inside the guardhouse. The second time, we killed Krazen within seconds of his attacking Alayle. Alayle wasn't injured much, and he just stood there. He didn't say anything, so apparently the quest designers didn't program anything special to happen if you save Alayle.

What you are supposed to do at this point is return to Kalatrina and hand her the tattered flier. Unfortunately, there is a bug in the quest. You need the tattered flier for a later stage of the quest, but Kalatrina doesn't return it. You either need to obtain another flier (by re-running the quest when Alayle respawns) or just don't hand the flier to Kalatrina. If you do hand her the note, she says this.

Kalatrina Plossen says 'Zimel's Blades?! Hmmmmm. It doesn't ring a bell and the remainder of the writing is too hard to make out. It kind of looks like a list of prices. You know, down at the Office of the People they might be able to tell us if this place exists. Go speak with Rashinda. She knows all about Freeport. If [Zimel's Blades] existed, you must report back to me what happened to it.'

Head to the Office of the People, not far from the Hall of Truth, and find Rashinda Elore upstairs.

You say, 'Hail, Rashinda Elore'

Rashinda Elore says 'Hello. I am Rashinda Elore. The city Landholder Manager. If you have business to discuss, please direct it to my two clerks downstairs. Good day.'

You say, 'What do you know of Zimel's Blades?'

Rashinda Elore says 'Ariska Zimel was a human blacksmith, a master when it came to making swords, I hear. He kept to himself a lot. He disappeared about one year ago. A lot of people were disappointed when we had to condemn Zimel's Blades. All the merchandise was handed over to Groflah Steadirt. Mostly charred junk.'

You say, 'Who is Groflah Steadirt?'

Rashinda Elore says 'Groflah Steadirt is the dwarven owner of Groflah's Forge which is right near here. He was Ariska Zimel's best friend. They were apparently avid travelers before settling down here in Freeport. I guess it was during their travels that they picked up the fine arts of the forge. You should talk to Groflah about Zimel. He can tell you more than I can.'

You say, 'Why was Zimel's Blades condemned?'

Rashinda Elore says 'About a week after Ariska Zimel's disappearance, strange noises were heard from his shop. Loud booms and rumbling as though the earth itself were exploding. When the militia got to the shop, they said the shop was badly burned by an exploding boiler. They had us condemn the building due to its unsafe structure.'

(This next question is not yet confirmed; if it is, then the question above has to be changed to "Who is Ariska Zimel?" I was never able to get Rashinda to give this next response. There might be a bug in the text, though -- she gives the same response to "Who is Ariska Zimel?" as she does to the first question above, about Zimel's Blades. Again, I suspect this is a bug in Rashinda's text.)

You say, 'Have you heard of Zimel's Blades?'

Rashinda Elore says 'Zimel's Blades? It used to be a fine place of rare weaponry. [Ariska Zimel] was the owner. No one knows what happened to the man. He just vanished overnight. His shop used to be in East Freeport which is now a slum, er, I mean, which now has plenty of available lots for sale with plenty of potential. As for Zimel's Blades, we condemned it.'

Return to Kalatrina again.

You say, 'Zimel's Blades was condemned'

Kalatrina Plossen says 'Why would Lucan visit a condemned building? He must be searching for something. When I last visited the local forge, I heard rumors of Lucan searching for a sword named Soulfire. If this is true, you must find it first! No more power should go his way. Seek this sword out!'

Stage 2: Groflah and the Bar

Your only clue at this point is Rashinda mentioning that you should talk to Groflah. Since Groflah got all of Zimel's old inventory and you have what appears to be a price list from Zimel (the tattered flier), maybe a visit to Groflah is in order. Find Groflah upstairs in his forge in North Freeport.

You say, 'Hail, Groflah Steadirt'

Groflah Steadirt says 'Greetings, adventurer! Certainly a person who looks as hardened as yourself deserves a fine blade to match your prowess. Here at Groflah's Forge, we supply you with only the finest quality weapons.'

You say, 'Do you know Ariska Zimel?'

Groflah Steadirt says 'Zimel!! I do not know who you mean. Now go away. I am very busy. I will not talk here!!'

Hand him the tattered flier.

Groflah Steadirt says 'Where did you find this? This was the main price list of Zimel's Blades, but it should be all burnt up. I was at Zimel's right after the fire and I did not see it hanging where it should have been. The entire inside was gutted and . . . wait . . . the sequence of the dots!! Hmmm. I cannot talk with you here. Meet me at the Seafarer's by the docks at night. Give me the note when next we meet.'

Not surprisingly, Groflah is a bit antsy about discussing this issue. Head to East Freeport and find the Seafarer's Roost by the docks. Groflah will (rarely) spawn during the night time at the far table; his placeholders are Talym Shoontar, Sir Edwin Motte and Imxil Tbrow. While you wait, buy four Drom's Champagnes for a later step of the quest.

Some guides speculate that you can get Groflah to spawn faster if you kill his placeholders. Be aware that all of the placeholders will give you very strong negative faction hits, which can lead to problems shopping in Freeport, wandering around the town, or even completing the quest. I would not advise killing them yourself, but if you have a friend who isn't concerned with the faction hits they would give, then you may be able to get Groflah to spawn faster.

Side note: there are two vendors in the bar. Gregor Nasin is on Coalition of Tradesfolk Underground faction; he will not sell to you if you are dubious or KOS to the Freeport rogues. Henna Treghost is on Coalition of Tradesfolk faction; if you can buy and sell in most of Freeport, you can buy and sell with her too. Both vendors carry the Drom's.

When Groflah pops, hail him. His hail text and bracketed keywords lead to an unrelated quest; you can ignore them. I just list them here for the sake of completeness.

You say, 'Hail, Groflah Steadirt'

Groflah Steadirt says 'Greetings, <Your Name>! Join in the [celebration]! Have a few drinks. Alas, there are no [Tumpy Tonics].'

Hand Groflah the tattered flier.

Groflah Steadirt says 'This used to be hanging in Zimel's Blades. It is the price list. It is badly faded though. There was a fire in Zimel's Blades and I was on the scene just afterward. I did not see this hanging. I wonder who took it . . . Hmmmm.. oh, yes.. the markings on the list! It is a code! Here. I will fill it in. Read it. You probably do not even know who Ariska is.'

You receive a different Tattered Flier from Groflah here. Although this second flier has the same name and icon, it contains very different text. It reads:
 
ZIMEL'S BLADES                           
..h... e...   l ..    p.. ...                                                    
..c..... ..a.... ...  p..       t...   ..i....v.      ....    ...

Continue questioning Groflah.

You say 'Who is Ariska?'

Groflah Steadirt says 'Ariska Zimel was my best friend. He and I learned our knowledge of metal from such places as Halas and Kaladim. When he disappeared, it seemed to involve foul play. He must be alive somewhere in the city. I pray this is not the work of [Pietro Zarn].'

You say, 'Who is Pietro Zarn?'

Groflah Steadirt says 'While we were traveling through the Lavastorm Mountains, we happened upon a caravan. They wore emblems in honor of the evil god, Innoruuk. They did not see us, but we saw them. And most importantly of all, Ariska saw the apparent leader's sword. It was glowing with great energy. Suddenly, the evil knights were in a battle. The knights gave chase, leaving their camp unattended. The knight who owned the sword left it behind, opting to fight with another, leading me to believe it was not his to begin with. It was at this point that Ariska ran down and grabbed the sword. A few weeks later, we were to learn that the knight was a powerful man by the name of Pietro Zarn and that he was looking for a sword stolen from him. He called it .. Soulfire. I believe Zarn must have finally found Ariska.'

(I was not able to get any further text out of him.)

If you hang around for a while, you can get some of Groflah's emotes. They shed light upon his background and dealings.

Groflah Steadirt says 'Sing it, lass! Sir Lucan D'Lere is no friend of the people.'

(This line leads me to suspect we get some interesting text if a female bard is up when Groflah says this line. I'll bet the emote causes Tykar to speak up, providing the link. There might be other emotes I never caught.)

Finding the next person to talk to requires pure luck. One of two things is supposed to happen.

First, if Branis Noolright (one of the bards) and Tykar Renlin (the beggar at the bar) both spawn at the same time, and the bard sings his pro-Lucan song, the beggar will go off on a rant, mentioning Zimel. This would lead you to question him, which sets you off on the rest of the quest.

Henna Treghost says 'Sing us a melody.'

Branis Noolright says 'Here's one for Sir Lucan... He's just a ruler. In a long line of rulers. Looking for a few more orcs to slay. They say that he fights them with one hand tied to his back. And he won't leave Freeport till you remember his name. Thank you.'

Tykar Renlin says 'That man is no just ruler. He has jailed me and my friend Zimel for merely begging.

Second, Tykar will give his response to the key word Zimel if any player mentions it in /say in Tykar's hearing without having another NPC targeted. This leads me to think that you get your next clue if Tykar is up while you're chatting with Groflah.

(It appears (and I'm not sure of this) that if any NPC mentions Zimel, Tykar will give his response.  Thus, when Groflah starts talking about Zimel, Tykar will pipe up, and you'll know to question him. I was never able to have them both up at the same time, so I couldn't test this.)

Side note: Interactions in the Seafarer's Roost

This section has nothing to do with the rest of the quest; you can safely skip it.

This bar is one of the most fascinating places in the game. Unfortunately, it's a little buggy.

They built all kinds of interactions in the bar patrons. Whenever two particular people spawn at the same time, and a bard plays the right song, a conversation (and sometimes a fight!) will ensue between the bar patrons. Here's an example:

Henna Treghost says 'Music!! Music!!'

Trolon Lightleer says 'My city is mighty and all shall learn to cower. We are nothing less than the ultimate power. My city is pure and filled with beautiful charm. I shall conquer you to save you from harm. My city shall first send its guards to back you in times of need. Soon you shall learn to live under my laws, indeed. So bow down when you see me and give out my favorite cheer, 'All Hail Antonius Bail!' My city is Qeynos and there is nothing to fear.'

Tlin Bowfright says 'I wish the Qeynos Guards would come and conquer Freeport. The Freeport Militia are nothing more than mercenaries and criminals.'

Talym Shoontar says 'Antonius Bayle is a blithering fool.'

Tlin Bowfright says 'The only blithering fool in here is you, Talym Shoontar.'

Talym Shoontar says 'All right, Tlin! I am going to smash your face in!'

Again, there's a bug here. The two combatants try to run at each other, but instead of moving, they just run in place until one of them despawns. The same happened with the other fights I saw; the attacker runs in place, never actually reaching his or her intended victim.

The other problem with this bar is the infrequency with which these events happen. The bards sing way too infrequently, and the necessary pairings for these speeches are way too rare. If the developers ever have some free time, it would be wonderful to see them go back and sort out this bar. It really is a class act.

With respect to Groflah, he doesn't pop as often as he should, and I've never seen him, the beggar, and the bard up at the same time, so I never got the in-game clue to talk to the beggar. I had to deduce them from a bit of guesswork.

In addition, it appears there may be another bug. Giving the flier to Groflah in North Freeport is supposed to trigger his spawning in the bar the next evening, but it doesn't always work. The two could be unrelated in terms of game mechanics, but it sure would have made life easier on paladins if they could link the two events.

Stage 3: Tykar and Zimel

Tykar's placeholders are Plnorrick Spinecracker, Biggle Lombokker, and Lozani. Again, killing them incurs some nasty faction hits; it's advised you just wait.  Tykar usually appears very late during the game night.  When he does, ask him about Zimel.

You say, 'Hail, Tykar Renlin'

Tykar Renlin says 'Do you have any spare coppers for a thirsty soul?'

(Giving him cash doesn't do much, but it does make you feel better ... or maybe just poorer.)

You say, 'What can you tell me of Zimel?'

Tykar Renlin says 'What?! You know my friend Zimel?! I would like to speak of him, but my mouth is so parched. Maybe a fine grog would loosen my lips. I am uncertain which flavor shall do the trick.'

Hand him the four Drom's Champagnes that you bought earlier. You can hand him all four at once, unstacked. Yes, he's a greedy lush. :-)

Tykar Renlin says 'Oooh!! That is the taste. My lips are almost loose. Maybe another will do the trick.'

Tykar Renlin says 'Oooh!! That is the taste. My lips are almost loose. Maybe another will do the trick.'

Tykar Renlin says 'Oooh!! That is the taste. My lips are almost loose. Maybe another will do the trick.'

Tykar Renlin says 'Ahh!! That was good. Now where were we?. Oh yes. My friend Zimel is a fellow beggar. He was locked up in the arena. They were going to let him go when the Freeport Militia came for him. Ha!! He is crazy as a troll now. I took this blanket from his cell before I was released. I no longer need it and my guilt has reached its peak. I do not want crazy old Zimel to freeze. Perhaps you can return it to him.'

You receive a blanket named "Bunker Cell #1" which identifies as "Zimel's Blanket".

In the interest of brevity, we're going to cheat and skip ahead a step. Head out to the West Freeport newbie yard and collect a fire beetle eye, a rat ear, and a snake scales. Also buy a water flask and a bottle from one of the many vendors that sell them. (Yes, I know I said I wouldn't be doing things out of order. I make an exception here because if you do this in the proper order, you would likely have to find Tykar again and get a second blanket.)

In any oven, combine the Fire Beetle Eye and the Rat Ear to make Edible Goo. In any brew barrel, combine the Snake Scales, the Bottle, and the Water Flask to get Bog Juice. Both combines have a trivial of 21. If you have low skill in baking and brewing, you're likely to fail the combine a few times, so you may wish to collect multiples of the ingredients. Eventually, you'll succeed.

Return to West Freeport and find the Arena. The Freeport prison is underneath there, guarded by members of the Steel Warriors (Freeport warriors' guild). There is only one prisoner in the jail, named (simply enough) "a prisoner". He will occasionally let out an emote with some nonsense blabbering. Hailing him likewise gets gibberish. Mentioning Zimel, though, gets a much more interesting response.

a prisoner says 'unngh!!.. Biggle and boo.. Goggle froo..'

You say, 'Hail, a prisoner'

a prisoner says 'Aaaarghhh!!.. Buggl n gump.. Figgle and fump..'

You say, 'Are you Ariska Zimel?'

a prisoner stares deeply into your eyes.. Very eerie!!

If you hand him the Blanket, he says, "Bog n Goo.. Blanket too!!" In case you haven't figured it out, he wants three items: the blanket, the bog juice, and the edible goo. Hand him all three items at once.

a prisoner says 'Bog n Goo.. Blanket too!!'

a prisoner says 'Bog n Goo.. Blanket too!!'

a prisoner hands you something and says, 'Hide, hide, safe, cee.. lerk has the clue.. Must travel.. Travel.. Travel.. Tunaria's corridor..'

You receive a key named H. K. 102, which identifies as "Highkeep Strongbox 102".

Figuring out the next step takes a number of deductions. Tunaria is the old name for the continent of Antonica, and Tunaria's Corridor is the old name for the pass linking the Karanas to the Commonlands (via Kithicor Woods). Nowadays, it is called Highhold Pass. Your next clue is the key itself. The name of the key suggest an abbreviation, and if you cast Identify on it, you'll get the giveaway: it's a key from Highkeep . "Cee... lerk" actually means "clerk". Put it all together, and Zimel is telling you to take the key to the bank clerk in Highkeep.

Stage 4: Highkeep

Due to a change in game mechanics, you can no longer hand items directly to bankers. Instead, if you hail the banker, she will tell you to hand the key to her assistant. Do so.

You say, 'Hail, Bank Clerk Jaylin'

Bank Clerk Jaylin says 'Greetings! I am Jaylin Monel, your Highkeep bank clerk. If you are here to close an account, please return your strongbox key to my assistant Kiolna and she will return any items you may have stored.'

You say, 'Hail, Assistant Kiolna'

Assistant Kiolna says 'Hello! I am Jaylin's new assistant, Kiolna. If you wish to hand in your keys, please give them to me and I will be happy to assist you! It is a pleasure doing business with you.'

(Hand her the key.)

Assistant Kiolna says 'I am sorry to see you check out. Here is all you had in your box. We hope to serve you again. Have a nice day!! Next!'

You receive a Sealed Note, which identifies as "Zimel's Letter From Hayle". The note reads as follows:
 
Ariska,

For your great service to the Temple of Life I shall honor your request and hold Soulfire until I see this note presented to me by either you or a noble courier of the Hall of Truth.

Brother Hayle

Stage 5: Brother Hayle

Side note. I suggest you skip this step, and do it at the same time as Stage 7 below. The reason is that Hayle is a royal pain to reach. He's deep inside Split Paw lair. If you follow the storyline strictly, you have to get to Hayle twice: once now, when he tells you how to get SoulFire, and again later to actually claim the sword. If you collect all the bits for the sword and do the faction work first, though, you can just do all the talking and turn-ins at once, saving yourself some time and aggravation.

OK, time to find Brother Hayle. Head to the Temple of Life in North Qeynos, and ask around about Brother Hayle. Priestess Jahnda will respond.

You say, 'Hail, Priestess Jahnda'

Priestess Jahnda says 'Welcome to the Temple of Life, where the will of Rodcet Nife, the Prime Healer, is carried out. I am the High Priestess Jahnda. If you require any training in our ways, please talk to any of our priests or any of the paladins of the Temple of Life.'

You say, 'Where is Brother Hayle?'

Priestess Jahnda says 'Brother Hayle Mool is one of our finest clerics. He could convert anyone to the ways of Rodcet Nife. Recently, he has been out in the [Plains of Karana] trying to befriend the [Splitpaw clan]. I pray he has not become their prisoner or even worse, their dinner.'

This section of text is in fact part of another quest that relates to Brother Hayle; it explains in a little more detail why Hayle is in Splitpaw Lair. It's not directly relevant to SoulFire, but it does have some interesting info about Hayle. It's a cleric quest; the result is a cleric spell. I wrote up the relevant text in a separate guide here.

So, head to Split Paw Lair (also called Infected Paw). Deep within, you'll find a prison area with Hayle inside.

This area is a bit tricky, since the lever to open the door is outside the jail, and if you go in alone you will be locked inside. There are several ways to escape. First, bring a friend with you and ask him or her to wait outside. Alternately, if your friend is a druid or wizard, the pair of you can just port out when you're done. Next, if you have to go in solo, you can use your spell Flash of Light to blind one of the gnolls inside the jail. If you then back away, the gnoll will run off and open the door. Beware, though, as this is likely to chain-aggro most of the zone on you. A last option is to root a gnoll outside the jail. When root wears off, the gnoll will make a beeline for you, opening the door along the way. (Side note: this apparently no longer works since the introduction of DirectX 9. The gnolls now run right through the bars without opening them, but you can't get through them yourself.)

Whatever you do, make sure you can get back out before you enter the prison area.

You say, 'Hail, Brother Hayle'

Brother Hayle says 'This is no place for you. These Splitpaws are very fierce. Only the power of Rodcet Nife will guide them to the light. By the way, I might warn you that the cells here lock behind you.'

Gee, Brother Hayle, thanks for the timely warning. :-)

Hand him the sealed note.

Brother Hayle says 'Finally!! I see that Ariska has found a noble knight to retrieve Soulfire. Per Ariska's orders I am not to give Soulfire to you until you can show me [proof of nobility]. You must honor both the Temple of Life as well as the Hall of Truth and to a high degree. Only then shall you hold Soulfire.'

Brother Hayle is on Temple of Life faction. What he's warning you about here is that your faction with both the Temple of Life in Qeynos and the Hall of Truth in Freeport must be towards the upper end of "warmly." If they are not, Hayle will eat your turn-in. Killing Lucan (discussed below) will likely get your faction high enough with the Hall of Truth; if not, a second kill will most certainly do it, but be aware that this will make you KOS with the Freeport Rogues, called the Coalition of Tradesfolk Underground (not to mention KOS to the Freeport Militia). Raising your faction with the Temple of Life is somewhat more onerous, and the details of how to raise it are beyond the scope of this guide. Note that the only way to make sure your faction is high enough is to either risk the turn-in at "warmly" and hope, or just raise your faction to "ally" -- that's guaranteed to be enough.

You receive back "a note" -- notice that the name and icon both changed. The lore text is "Returned Letter From Hayle", though the note's text is still the same:
 
Ariska,

For your great service to the Temple of Life I shall honor your request and hold Soulfire until I see this note presented to me by either you or a noble courier of the Hall of Truth.

Brother Hayle

You say, 'What proof of nobility?'

Brother Hayle says 'I require the returned note I gave you, a Testimony of Truth, a Sword of Faith and finally the hilt of Soulfire. The Testimony and Sword of Faith are earned in the Hall of Truth, but for the hilt of Soulfire you shall have to battle [Xicotl].'

You say, 'Who is Xicotl?'

Brother Hayle says 'Xicotl is the evil troll who attempted to steal Soulfire from the vaults of the Temple of Life. The hilt of Soulfire broke off during the battle and now rests in the hands of this troll shadowknight. From what I have heard, he is frequently an invited guest at the castle called Mistmoore. Woe to any paladin who dares set foot upon the land of Mistmoore, but should you attempt it you might search the guest rooms for the troll. May Rodcet Nife walk with you.'

Stage 6: Collecting the Items

Now you have to go out and collect the three items Hayle wants. You already have the Returned Note, so you don't need to worry about that. Don't lose or destroy the note, though!

Brilliant Sword of Faith

Find Valeron Dushire upstairs in the Hall of Truth in North Freeport.

Valeron Dushire says 'I am Sir Valeron Dushire, leader of the order of the Knights of Truth. If your soul shines with purity and strength, I urge you to join our order. The might of Mithaniel Marr stands behind all who join. Soon that might will help us free this city from the tyranny of the [Freeport Militia].'

You say, 'What Freeport Militia?'

Valeron Dushire says 'The Freeport Militia took control of this city long ago. They are nothing more than a group of thugs not worthy of respect. They follow the words of [Sir Lucan] D'Lere. He has been a thorn in this city's side for too long. If you wish to aid us in the fight against tyranny, go speak with Jemoz or Sir Theron. May the Truthbringer shine upon your soul.'

You say, 'Who is Sir Lucan?'

Valeron Dushire says 'Lucan is a bad seed. You see, I trained Sir Lucan. He was nothing more than a street rat who was taken in by the Temple of Marr. The priests taught him and found him to be very agile and strong. They requested either the Priests of Marr or the Knights of Truth take him on as a squire. Gygus could not spare the trainers at the time and so we took the boy. The boy became a man, and a very formidable knight. Then something [went awry].'

You say, 'What went awry?'

Valeron Dushire says 'During one of our crusades into the lands of Norrath, we left Sir Lucan in charge of the remaining knights. He did much good and the people respected him. He was overtaken by power. He soon began to hire mercenaries to guard the city, calling them the Freeport Militia. His true downfall began when he killed Sentry Dillius, a paladin of the Priests of Marr. His divine powers were stripped from his soul. He was a paladin no longer. He and his militia now control the city. They treat it as their playground and bully the populace. Someone must [stop Sir Lucan].'

You say, 'I will stop Sir Lucan'

Valeron Dushire says 'That would be good, but I doubt you can. We have been trying for years and are unable to get him apart from the militia. If you do the impossible and destroy Sir Lucan, bring me his testimony. Every knight of the Hall of Truth carries a signed testimony. Sir Lucan still holds his.'

Go kill Lucan; you'll probably want a few friends to help you. Again, the mechanics of how to pull and kill Lucan, whether solo or with a group, are beyond the scope of this guide. When you kill his live form, a skeleton form pops right over his corpse. Kill him again.

Sir Lucan D`Lere says 'Die, dog!!'

(Kill his live form, and his skeletal form pops.)

Sir Lucan D`Lere says 'You cannot stop the undead!! Foolish mortal!!'

Loot "A Testimony of Truth" off his undead form, which identifies as "Sir Lucans Testimony". The text is almost identical to your own Testimony.
 

TESTIMONY TRUTH

I believe in the might of Mithaniel Marr. I shall uphold the words of Marr and defend them with my life. I shall protect the righteous weak and avenge the souls of those whose life has been taken for naught. From this day forth I shall become a living vessel for the ideals of the Truthbringer and if I should ever falter from his grace may he cast me from this life and into the lifeless void.

PRAISE BE TO MARR

Sir Lucan D'Lere

Take the Testimony of Truth you looted off Lucan's skeletal form to Valeron Dushire and hand it to him.

Valeron Dushire says 'Praise be to Marr!! You have done the impossible!! Sir Lucan is finally sent to the higher courts of the Tribunal. The city now has a chance to prosper. The Hall of Truth has been redeemed and gives you thanks. Take this. It is the Sword of Faith. May you wield it with righteousness. Beware of the remainder of the militia. They will be hunting for your head.'

You receive the Brilliant Sword of Faith.

Glowing Sword Hilt

Go kill Xicotl in Mistmoore and loot the hilt. That's it. :-)

The item you need is called a Glowing Sword Hilt, and it identifies as "Soulfire Hilt". This drops from the troll Xicotl, currently staying in Castle Mistmoore. He appears in the "Bath room", identified as #21 on the EQAtlas map of Mistmoore. Xicotl's placeholder is a Mistmoore Guard, a much lower level mob than most others in that area. The Guard appears as a dark elf female in the "naked" red dress. The respawn time on Xicotl or his placeholder is about 13-14 minutes, which is very different from other mobs in the castle. You'll likely have to deal with repops between spawns. Xicotl always drops the Hilt when you kill him.

Testimony

Find Merko Quetalis in the Hall of Truth. He's standing in the "back yard" area, near the aqueduct that runs through the grounds.

You say 'Hail, Merko Quetalis'

Merko Quetalis says 'Hail, good citizen! You have entered the Hall of Truth. What is it you seek? Many citizens come to request aid in dealing with the local rogues or the oppression of our sworn enemies, the Freeport Militia. A few valiant ones have been [summoned to the Hall of Truth].'

You say, 'I have been summoned to the Hall of Truth.'

Merko Quetalis says 'You have been summoned? You do not have the look of nobility. You must be a [squire]. There are many squires who have been summoned to our Hall. Not all pass the [Test of Truth].'

You say 'I am a squire.'

Merko Quetalis says 'Then I welcome you, Squire <Your Name>. Being a squire is the first step to becoming a true knight of the Hall of Truth. Remember always to protect and serve the meek. I have a [small task] which suits a squire perfectly.'

You say 'What small task?'

Merko Quetalis says 'Venture to the Commonlands and seek out our noble friend Altunic Jartin. He lives and works out of his home. Hand him this note.'

You receive "A note" which identifies as "Note To Altunic". If you read it, it says:
 
Altunic,

I have sent this squire to look into your problem for you. Hope to see you at services at the Temple of Marr.

Sir Merko Quetalis
Hall of Truth

Head to the East Commonlands and find Altunic Jartin. He wanders around the western part of the zone, from his house (the small, emtpy shack that stands alone at the far west of the zone) past the orc camps and back.

You say 'Hail, Altunic Jartin.'

Altunic Jartin says 'Greetings, traveler! Have you need of provisions or perhaps other wares? I sell what I find upon the battlegrounds of the Commonlands.'

Give Altunic the note.

Altunic Jartin says 'You are the one they have sent? A squire?!! I hope you can help me. I gather items strewn upon the grounds of the Commonlands. I sell them at good prices. Lately, I have been terrorized by a human rogue named Narls. He will no doubt appear at my [house] soon. Bring his head to me.' (Note that Narl's name is misspelled in this text; it doesn't have an S in it.)

You say, 'Where is your house?'

Altunic Jartin says 'Follow me.'

Altunic leads you to his house; about 30 seconds after your conversation, Squire Narl appears by Altunic's door. I don't think he despawns until someone kills him.

Narl did not respond to any hails, but I was KoS when I confirmed the text in this section. Others may be able to get some text out of him.

Attack and kill him.

Squire Narl says 'Death to all who oppose Innoruuk's will!!'

(Kill him.)

Squire Narl's corpse says 'Innoruuk has seen what you have done. His hate, along with the Dismal Rage, will find you.'

Loot A Human Head, which identifies as "Narl's Head". Return to Altunic and give him the rather grisly head.

Altunic Jartin says 'You have performed a great service to me, but I fear others will attack me while I stroll the countryside. It would be very noble of you to fetch me a cloth shirt for protection from wicked creatures. It is not much, but it will help.'

Cloth shirts will drop occasionally off the various monsters in the Commonlands, or you can buy it from the inn between the two orc camps for about 6gp. It's also sold in North Freeport at the Emporium near the bank. Note that you cannot use a Small Cloth Shirt or a Large Cloth Shirt. It must be called "Cloth Shirt" and nothing else. Obtain the shirt and hand it to Altunic.

Altunic Jartin says 'Thank you. You are very noble for a squire. I can see you becoming a very valuable asset to the Hall of Truth. Take this token. Tell Merko that you have [earned the Token of Generosity].'

Altunic hands you the Token of Generosity. Return to the Hall of Truth in North Freeport and find Merko again.

You say 'I have earned the Token of Generosity.'

Merko Quetalis says 'Go to the deserts of North Ro. Seek out the desert tarantulas. Stand and face this dreaded creature. If you are lucky, you will find a venom sac. This is what I require. When you return, hand it to me.'

Merko is slightly mistaken; the item you need is called "A Spider Venom Sac" and it drops off Dune Tarantulas in North Ro or Giant Spiders in the East Commonlands. You can also find them on vendors quite frequently if other players have sold them. Obtain a venom sack and return to Merko.

Merko Quetalis says 'You have earned the token of bravery. Now you must ask yourself if you are ready to face true fear. You will have but one chance. If you feel you are powerful enough to easily slay that desert tarantula, then hand me both tokens earned and you shall face the Test of Truth.'

Merko hands you the Token of Bravery.

You say 'What Test of Truth?'

Merko Quetalis says 'Only when a squire is ready, may he tempt his fate. All he need do is hand the tokens of bravery and generosity to me. If the squire survives his ordeal, then he or she shall enter the order of the Knights of Truth. The squire will be given the Testimony of Truth and become a respected knight.'

When you're ready for the next battle, hand him both the Token of Bravery and the Token of Generosity together.

Merko Quetalis says 'Go to the open sewer across the way. Inside you shall find your opponent. Victory shall bring you your final token. Return it to me. Remember our ways and remember our foes. Send them to their judgement in the afterlife. Be swift with your thoughts. May Marr be with you.'

Guard Willia spawns in the water near you, just inside the tunnel. She is on Freeport Militia faction, so if you're not KOS to the Militia yet, you can chat with her.

You say, 'Hail, Guard Willia'

Guard Willia says 'Please, let me go. I shall leave the [Freeport Militia]. I did not know they were such a vile group.'

You say, 'What about the Freeport Militia?'

Guard Willia says 'I thought they were nothing more than the local militia. Little did I know they were so vile. Now I am stuck [here] and I ask for your forgiveness.'

You say, 'Why are you here?'

Guard Willia says 'I came here to escape the militia and ask [Merko to forgive] me.'

You say, 'Why ask Merko to forgive you?'

Guard Willia says 'I had a small encounter with his wife, my aunt. She was quite red after that altercation. I guess I upset her in a great way, somehow. Could you please go ask Merko to forgive [Willia]. I shall wait here for his answer.'

If you don't attack Willia for a while, she will say:

Guard Willia says 'Please do not harm me!! I am a lady underneath this garb. I just wanted to join the [Freeport Militia] to help my people.. Please.. Please.. I am nobody. Marr have mercy. I give you the truth. Is that not what you stand for? Merko is my Uncle!!'

Return to Merko and question him, but be swift -- Willia runs off after about one minute.

You say, 'Who is Willia?'

Merko Quetalis says 'She is my niece. Lucan ordered her to kill my wife.. She did. She now belongs to the Freeport Militia. As part of the militia, she must die!! Let no militia member stand in the way of nobility.'

Your timer before Willia runs off is still ticking, so you have to decide fast. If you don't kill Willia, you fail the Test of Truth and you either have to do it again from the start, or you have to give up on SoulFire.

Assuming you let Willia run away, she says this:

Guard Willia says 'Thank you, my friend. I shall mend my ways.. maybe.'

Yes, you did just fail the Test of Truth. You have to do it over again if you want your SoulFire.

Personally, I found Willia to be a lying weasel -- her "small encounter" with her aunt that left the latter "quite red" was a murder that left the victim red with blood. On the other hand, Merko lied by omission -- he didn't tell you all the details about Willia. Blind obedience is not always an asset in a paladin; by definition, a paladin has to make judgment calls about good and evil on a daily basis, but it's always a good idea to have all the facts first. What I would have liked to do was clap Willia in chains and sit her and Merko down for a long chat to figure out exactly what happened and why. Since that's not an option, I judged Willia guilty of murder and executed her.

If you decide to kill Willia, be sure to root her when you fight her. She will run towards the nearest zone line when her health drops, and if she makes it to the zone, you fail the Test of Truth. Additionally, if she cons green to you when you fight her, she will run at 50% health -- which is to say, she will run off at full speed. The easiest way to deal with this is to root her when you fight her. If you have a friend who can snare, that's also an option. You do lose some faction with the Freeport Militia when you kill her, but it's minor.

Guard Willia's corpse says 'Your name shall be added to the most wanted list of the Freeport Militia!!'

Loot the Token of Truth off Willia and hand it to Merko.

Merko Quetalis says 'You have performed well. You have shown your allegiance to truth and cast aside the Freeport Militia. The militia will surely despise you from now on. This is how they treat the Knights of Truth. Beware. The followers of Marr stand alone in this city.'

You receive your Testimony, which identifies as "Testimony of Truth". It has the following text:
 

TESTIMONY TRUTH

I believe in the might of Mithaniel Marr. I shall uphold the words of Marr and defend them with my life. I shall protect the righteous weak and avenge the souls of those whose life has been taken for naught. From this day forth I shall become a living vessel for the ideals of the Truthbringer and if I should ever falter from his grace may he cast me from this life and into the lifeless void.

PRAISE BE TO MARR

Stage 7: SoulFire

Return to Brother Hayle. (Or, if you took my advice in Stage 5 and collected all the pieces first, just smile.) Con him again just to be sure; he should con at least "warmly", and preferably "ally." Hand him all four items at once: the note he returned to you, the hilt of SoulFire, your Testimony, and the Brilliant Sword of Faith.

Brother Hayle says 'I will not hand Soulfire to you until you hand me the Soulfire hilt, Testimony of Truth, Sword of Faith and the returned note. I require them as [proof of nobility].'

Brother Hayle says 'I will not hand Soulfire to you until you hand me the Soulfire hilt, Testimony of Truth, Sword of Faith and the returned note. I require them as [proof of nobility].'

Brother Hayle says 'I will not hand Soulfire to you until you hand me the Soulfire hilt, Testimony of Truth, Sword of Faith and the returned note. I require them as [proof of nobility].'

Brother Hayle says 'You have proven yourself worthy to hold Soulfire. Do not let her slip into the hands of evil. There are many who wish to free the many trapped souls of shadowknights and necromancers trapped inside the blade. The power of the blade can be called upon to heal you if need be. May Rodcet Nife and the twins of Marr hold you in their glory.'

Congratulations on getting your SoulFire! Note that despite persistent rumors, there is no known way to recharge it. However, you can destroy it and quest a new one, with five fresh charges.

Sources:

http://www2.ocn.ne.jp/~d-star/sfotukai.htm

The quest page at Allakhazam's and many of the comments left there by users.

http://www.tokyo2001.com/game/eq/quest/freeport/knight06.html

http://www.tokyo2001.com/game/eq/quest/freeport/knight05.html

http://www.tokyo2001.com/game/eq/quest/freeport/knight01.html

http://lucy.allakhazam.com/

http://www.tempestfates.com/Epic_paladin.html