Access:
There is no connection from Landing in Stonebrunt from taking the Toxxulia Pad Launch Pad, so go to Moonfield Hamlet, 61.66, 377.24, 1,257.92 . Select Quel'ule, then select The Marred Plateau. Talk to the Temporal Pathfinder and select your zone. The quest hub for these heroic instances is located at the Deepwater Pavilion. Rafiqa offers the Mark of Manaar quests.
Once inside, you'll find yourself surrounded by Deepwater Knight corpses. They'll slowly rise and wander toward energy fields blocking four alcoves. If you get close to them, they'll attack you, so stay clear if you're able. In each alcove you'll find Fragment of Mash'al. While inside the alcoves, you're safe from the knights. Kill all four fragments, and Mash'al himself will appear in the center of the room. Kill him (and after he dies, watch at the fountain at the top of the ramps for some sweet retribution) and then use the orb pedestal north of his platform to proceed. The platform will rise up to the next level. Be ready! As soon as the platform reaches the top, you'll be attacked on all sides by gruengach. AE will make short work of them. Kill a palace gruengach royal guard or eight, and head for the doors at the edge of the chamber. Once you've cleared the area of gruengach, climb on one of the platforms and touch the orb pedestal next to it to rise to the next level. Once again, you'll be attacked as soon as you break the plane of the next level, and this time there are several named attackers. Kill Zordiac the Horned Negotiator, Warlord Yuengtash, Clefthoof Archmagus Manno and Praun the Interrogator, in addition to various no-name gruengach. There are three exits from the room. The hall to the west is just a short dead-end, but don't be fooled. Walk through the wall to find Dartain/The Duality if you're doing The Footsteps of Dartain: Ascension. In here you'll also find a cowardly sycophant who will drop the ornate key you'll need for the void shard chest. The hall to the north leads to a peculiar sight where A Coerced Ambassador and his retinue are being held by bloodthirsty psychopaths. You should affect his rescue in the usual fashion, which is killing everyone, and you'll find an ornate chest in this area that you can open once you retrieve the key mentioned above. The doorway to the south leads to a long spiral stair up to the next level. You'll find a defiled pegasus in this open room, linked to the magickers who hold them in thrall. Once again, after you clear the room, mount the platform and you'll face Gloom Chevalier Faris. Do take note of the hints for fighting Faris, in that you have to kill the books to inflict damage until her shield drops at about five percent health. Once you've won, the platform will position itself near a doorway to allow you to proceed. Clear out the chevaliers and board yet another platform (be sure to look up before you use it, because the shaft is something to see) and rise again. You'll enter the main chamber through a door to face El'Arad, Lord Primarch of Erudin. As you orbit the room clearing the trash, you'll regularly get hit with "Soul Incinerator" for around two thousand health. It's positional, so don't run laps in this room. Again, check the notes for how to fight him. Note that if you're on The Footsteps of Dartain: Ascension, don't kill El'Arad before you talk to Dartain!
ZAM would like to thank Oakmiser of EQ2 Flames for some of the information in this article.
