Jokanur Diggings

Investigate the ruins of Fahranur, The First City with Kormir to find what is killing the workers.

Requirements

 * You must have reached Sunspear rank of First Spear or be level 12 to be able to enter the mission.
 * You must have Melonni in your party to enter this mission.

Objectives
Travel to the ancient Istani ruins.
 * Obtain the tablet from Darehk and place it on the stone pedestal.
 * Place the two tablets on the pedestals.
 * Guard Kahdash while he places the tablet on the pedestal.
 * Find and defeat the Apocrypha.
 * Kormir must survive.
 * *BONUS* Do not harm any Sunspear Ghosts.

Reward
The rewards are based on how many Sunspear Ghosts (including Kahdash) that were killed during the mission.

Walkthrough
Speak to Digmaster Gatah to enter this mission.

Begin by making your way to the first gate. On the other side is a stomper. In your best Indiana Jones style, time your run through this stomper to avoid being crushed to death. Safely through, you encounter a ghost, Darehk, carrying a tablet. Kill the ghost and put the tablet on the stone pedestal in this area. This opens the next area of the city for you to enter. Your party gains a morale boost each time a stone pedestal gate is opened. Darehk will start running away from you as soon as he spots you. If you are unable to cripple or kill him fast, ignore him and deal with the other undead in the area first to avoid being overwhelmed.

The next area has two tablets which have to be retrieved and put on the pedestals to open its gate. You have to be careful of the fire and crippling traps set in the walls which go off periodically in this area. Kormir can die from standing in one, ending the mission. If you place one of the stone tablets on the pedestal and take too long putting the other tablet on its pedestal, then a ghost will come, steal it take it back to where you first picked it up. Either carry the first tablet till you gain the second one or put the tablet on the floor by the pedestal while you retrieve the other if you are trying to do this mission alone. Carry and place both tablets on their pedestals to move on to the next area.

In the next area, a ghost named Kahdash holds a tablet, but he will carry it to the pedestal for you. Because he moves slowly as he does this, race ahead of him and kill the undead in his way so he doesn't come to harm. If Kahdash does die, he will immediately respawn at his original location and begin moving toward the pedestal again. Eventually he will put the tablet on the pedestal, which will let you through to the final area of the mission.

Kill the undead in this area as you head down the steps to the location where Apocrypha, the final boss, resides (with several Relentless Corpses and Restless Dead). Apocrypha changes professions periodically and must be killed to complete the mission. In its Dervish form, Apocrypha can deal a fair amount of damage to characters in melee range; in such a case, it is best to stay spread out.

Master's Reward
In the area in which you have to place two tablets to access the next section of the mission, there will be two Sunspear Ghosts who will try to steal the tablets from their pedestals and return them to where you first retrieved them. To get the Master's Reward, you must retrieve the tablets and place them on the pedestals without killing the Sunspear Ghosts and prevent Kahdash from being killed. If a Sunspear Ghost dies, he will resurrect after several minutes; however, the Master's Reward will not be achieved due to his death.

To do this, grab the tablets one at a time and place each one right in front of each pedestal. Only place the tablets atop each pedestal when you have both of them in the area down below, else you run the risk of the Sunspear Ghosts stealing them and placing them back up in its original location once again. The Sunspear Ghosts are hostile, but will not attack you, so just avoid attacking them in return. If you bring heroes along on the mission, be sure to command them to guard. Kormir will also attack the Sunspear Ghosts if she is within range, but she usually follows closely with your party, so pulling her away should not be too difficult.

Kahdash is considered a Sunspear Ghost; if he dies, you will lose the Master's reward.

Hard mode
This mission can be challenging to complete in Hard mode if you are unused to dealing with a party size of four, or have not previously used Melonni.


 * There is plenty of damage to be handled. Depending on what skills you have unlocked, a single backliner may not be enough.  The Preying Lances at the beginning of the mission are particularly dangerous, as are the Restless Dead who cast Deathly Swarm repeatedly.  To deal with this, you should have at least one of the following:
 * A strong protector. (A bonder monk or a spirit lord ritualist are ideal.)
 * Some way to shutdown casters with anti-caster skills.  (A ranger with Broad Head Arrow works wonders here.)
 * Bring melee counters to either shutdown martial foes (Weakness, Blind, Ward Against Melee, etc.) or punish melee attackers (Spiteful Spirit, Empathy, Reckless Haste, Price of Failure, Insidious Parasite, etc).
 * A strong healer. (Word of Healing or Healing Burst are ideal.)
 * You must bring Melonni. This limits your party selection to whatever profession you are, a Dervish, and two other heroes/henchmen/players.  This can make building a balanced party difficult, especially if you do not have a lot of Dervish skills unlocked; although note that Heart of Holy Flame, one of her starting skills, is very useful in this mission.  If you absolutely cannot set up Melonni with good Dervish skills, then consider changing her secondary profession so that she can fill a role mentioned above (such as an Orders Dervish).  Force her into whatever role fits your party best, even if she cannot do it as well as another profession.

With these tips in mind, you should be able to prevent enough damage that your party will easily deal out more than anything you are facing. Careful planning is required as you move through the mission and take care to remember that the undead respawn after a relatively short time, so don't stay in one spot too long to recover.

Another method you can use with a far less balanced party is to ensure that the current area you are working in is free of Restless Dead. To achieve this pull the first few past the initial trap and kill them at the doors to the temple. Then move into the space you pulled them from and pull the next group of Restless Dead to there before killing them. Just keep repeating this process as you move further in. The Restless Dead will rise again behind you, but out of range.

Skill recommendations

 * Consider bringing a snare to prevent the first ghost from running away.
 * Holy damage is especially useful in the ruins.
 * To win the Master's Reward, avoid summoning allies in the ruins until you have passed the second test, since summoned creatures can easily kill one of the sunspear ghosts by accident. After passing the first test and until you cross the doorway from into the third, turn off minion and attack spirit creation.
 * The Relentless Corpse and Restless Dead are fleshy.
 * The Restless Dead enchant their entire group with Tainted Flesh; bring appropriate counters.

Allies
Humans (Order of the Sunspears) Ghosts (Order of the Sunspears)
 * 20 (20) Kormir
 * 12 (20) Ghostly Sunspear Commander
 * 12 (20) Kahdash

Foes
Insects Plants Ghosts Skeletons (Undead)
 * 8 (23) Grub Lance
 * 8 (23) Preying Lance
 * 10 (24) Fanged Iboga
 * 10 (24) Stormseed Jacaranda
 * 12 (20) Darehk the Quick
 * 12 (20) Sunspear Ghost
 * 10 (24) Relentless Corpse
 * 10 (24) Restless Dead

Boss-like foes
Monoliths
 * 13 (24) Apocrypha

Interactive objects

 * Stone Pedestal

Opening cinematic

 * Melonni: "This looks bad."
 * : "It's just some old inscriptions."
 * Melonni: "I hate not knowing what they say."
 * Kormir: "These come from earlier times, from before the Scarab Plague. A scholar could decipher them."
 * Melonni: "I don't know any scholars that would want to come out here."
 * Kormir: "You would be surprised."


 * Melonni: "What's that?"
 * Kormir: "It's one of the excavation workers."
 * : "Yes, but look at him."
 * Melonni: "I would like to change my opinion to: "This looks very bad." "

Initial dialogue

 * Kormir: "The diggers were excavating the ruins west of here. That is where we must go."

Intermediate dialogue

 * Melonni: "I have never seen anything quite like these markings. What did this to the diggers?"
 * Kormir: "I cannot say, but I am certain we will find their killer in the ruins. We will find it, and we will destroy it."


 * Kormir: "I am Spearmarshal Kormir. We seek access to the inner chambers."
 * Ghostly Sunspear Commander: "Your name means nothing to me. I'll warn you as I've warned the others: Death stalks these dusty halls. You must not enter!"
 * Kormir: "The centuries have addled your senses, phantom. We are Sunspears. We shall pass with or without your permission!"


 * Darehk the Quick: "The chamber is sealed. I will not allow you entry."
 * Kormir: "If you will not give us the key willingly, we will be forced to take it from you."


 * Kormir: "This next chamber will also be sealed. We'll need two tablets to open it."
 * Melonni: "Kormir, how do you know so much about this place?"
 * Kormir: "A Spearmarshal's duties do not end on the battlefield. Come, we must find the stone tablets."


 * Kormir: "Excellent work! We must continue. The third trial awaits."


 * Kormir: "We are here to destroy what lies within the inner chamber. Stand aside, specter."
 * Kahdash: "The inner chamber is sealed with good reason. Others have come before you, but the evil of the Apocrypha remains."
 * Melonni: "If you truly oppose this 'Apocrypha' you will help us destroy it. Please. Our enemies are the same. Let us work together."
 * Kahdash: "Your words ring true. Very well, I shall help you. I will place this tablet back on the pedestal, but I need your protection to succeed."


 * Melonni: "Thank you, Kahdash. I promise that we will not rest until the evil is driven from this place."
 * Kormir: "Well said, Melonni. Onward, friends! For the glory of the Sunspears!"


 * Kormir: "Whatever that abomination is, we will defeat it! Sunspears, forward!"

End cinematic

 * General Morgahn: "You were correct, Warmarshal. The Sunspears have been recruiting and training new leaders."
 * Varesh: "We will need to increase our own forces as well."
 * General Morgahn: "With respect, Varesh, the Sunspears serve all the Elonian Provinces."
 * Varesh: "If they serve all of Elona, why are their headquarters here, in Istan, instead of Kourna?"
 * General Morgahn: "Your father taught me to trust the Sunspears."
 * Varesh: "My father taught me to do what is necessary to protect my land."
 * Varesh: "General Kahyet! You are dismissed, Morgahn."
 * General Morgahn: "We are not done yet, Varesh."
 * Varesh: "Prepare for our return to Kourna. I shall join you shortly."
 * General Kahyet: "He is a loyal old fool."
 * Verash: "What news, Kahyet?"
 * General Kahyet: "The Aprocrypha has been destroyed by the Sunpears."
 * General Kahyet: "But not before I gained what we needed from it."
 * Varesh: "Praise Abaddon."
 * General Kahyet: "Praise Abaddon!"
 * General Kahyet: "Prepare the way. You lead. I shall follow. Nightfall comes."
 * Varesh: "Yes, my teacher. Nightfall comes."

Trivia

 * At some point during alpha testing, this mission was known as Monolith.