Kharid-et Dig Site

Kharid-et Dig Site
Released		30 March 2020 (Update)
Members		No
Location		Kharid-et dig site
Music		What Lies Beneath?
Infobox • Talk page

Inside Kharid-et fortress

The Kharid-et Dig Site is an Archaeology dig site where a former Zarosian fortress once stood. It is located east of where Al Kharid stands today, near the border between the Zarosian Empire and the Kharidian Lands. It was there that, after witnessing their ability in battle, Zaros met with the Mahjarrat and convinced them to join his empire and betray Icthlarin and the Menaphite Pantheon. At one point the Kharid-ib was brought to Kharid-et by Bilrach and Lucien following the Heriditas Expedition.

Dig site info

Kharid-et Dig Site
Manager	Dr Nabanik
Requirements	5 Archaeology
Databox • Talk page

History

Located at the fringe of Zarosian territory, the Kharid-et was a fortress that overlooked the Kharidian Desert to inform the Empire of any incoming attacks from the desert peoples.

The Kharid-et deployed groups of Zarosians out for expeditions, either small groups of venators (scouts) or larger armies. A magical barrier was erected to protect the fortress from intruders, with those who bore a special seal could enter and leave the fortress, and it was further protected by several pylons that charged an impenetrable shield. The fort was not entirely occupied by a military garrison; civilians also lived inside, although they were typically the soldiers' family members.

Following Zaros' downfall by Zamorak, Azzanadra returned to Kharid-et, knowing that it would be in imminent danger due to its position. The fort commander at the time was Prefect Livia Drusilla, who was surprised by Azzanadra's arrival, having been told that Zaros himself was coming for an inspection. Azzanadra arrived with the praetor Trindine, and left her and her squad of praetorians as reinforcements for the fort's garrison as he continued to travel to other fortresses to inform their commanders.

Like Ghorrock, the fortress was generally obscure due to not holding any significant importance. However, the Zamorakians soon learned of the secrets it held and sent a massive Avernic army to raze the fortress and take its secrets. Due to the lack of discipline and ingenuity by the Avernic demons, the Zarosian garrison was able to withstand the siege, although a last ditch effort was required to rout the army completely, with the Prefect and her commanders luring the demons into a funnel trap. The Zarosians ultimately emerged victorious, although the Prefect, her officers and soldiers were all killed. The civilians had been evacuated safely during the siege, leaving only a few pontifices and praetorians.

Knowing that they needed to protect the secrets of Kharid-et with their very lives, a pater devised a plan to lure an Icyene force into the fortress, where they would be set upon by reanimated soldiers and demons. The plan worked, and a massive battle took place that left no survivors, making it so forsaken that no one dared set foot inside for thousands of years.

It was later engulfed in sand where it was buried for millennia. However, it would later be rediscovered in the Sixth Age. Azzanadra, who assumed the guise of an archaeologist named Dr Nabanik, would lead an expedition to excavate the remains of the fortress. He was mostly curious about finding out Trindine's fate (referring to her as a "trusted loyalist"), and tasked the World Guardian to uncover the secrets, having decided against doing it himself. The World Guardian was able to find several items of importance to unlock more of the fortress, discovering an imprisoned tsutsaroth demon and the "trusted loyalist", who was later revealed to be Trindine.

Points of interest

Main entrance

Outside the Kharid-et is a small, excavated area already done by the archaeologists. Dr Nabanik will give players a damaged centurion's seal, which must be repaired at an archaeologist's workbench to access the fortress interior. Players may find the remains of three Zarosian venators outside the entrance, along with four nodes of samite silk overseeing the excavated pit.

The main gate can be cleared of debris with level 12 Archaeology. Once all the debris is cleared, use the restored centurion's seal on the barrier, which will unlock access to the fortress interior.

There is an archaeologist's workbench, a bank chest, and a material storage container near Dr Nabanik.

Inner fortress

Kharid-et main fortress

Shadow anchors

Main article: Shadow anchor

There are eight shadow anchors scattered around the main fortress area. These can each be powered with 10 pylon batteries to make the Shadow Realm more visible in the nearby area. Powering a shadow anchor will immediately reward some one-time experience, and in the barracks, administrative office, right outside the chapel and inside will cause a ghost legionary to appear and give rewards.

See the main article for the locations and map.

Powering up all the anchors will complete the achievement Light and Shadow and make all four ghost legionaries visible without wearing a ring of visibility or having Sliske's gift. Two additional legionaries will appear, one near the mess hall and another outside the chapel wall if a ring of visibility is worn or Sliske's gift is possessed.

Pylons

Main article: Pylon (Archaeology)

There are several pylons scattered in the main area, which may be charged with pylon batteries. This charge is globally shared between all worlds, including ironman accounts. When fully charged, the pylon provides the Protection of Zaros buff, which grants an additional 10% Archaeology experience, 5% mattock precision, and an extremely rare chance of finding inquisitor staff pieces, or a 10% drop rate increase when excavating from the praetorium building.

This allows you to claim the reward from the ghost legionary without needing a ring of visibility or Sliske's gift, as long as the anchor it is next to is powered up. Each pylon battery adds 0.001% to the total charge. The pylon batteries cannot be banked, but the experience given scales with the player's Archaeology level and amount handed in.

Prison door

Located near Liam is a door leading to the prison block of the Kharid-et. Liam may be spoken to about the door, and players will find pages from a custodian's log as they excavate finds. When the first and second pages have been found, speak with Liam and he will give the player the missing dial to be placed on the right side vertical set of buttons, allowing the door to function properly. All four pages are required for completion of the Prison Break mystery.

A small puzzle must be solved in order to open the door, using the four horizontal Ancient Magicks buttons on the left side. The solution to open the door is: Shadow, Blood, Smoke, Ice. Once opened, the prison block area becomes accessible, leading to a level 47+ excavation hotspots.

In front of the prison door is one of two material depositors, along with three castra debris.

Barracks

The barracks is the first building players will see when they enter the interior. There are three legionary remains in the barracks, along with two Zarosian insignia material caches and one imperial steel material cache right outside the barracks.

Administrative building

The administrative building in the south-west is where high-ranking Zarosian officials lived. There are three administratum debris in the accessible wing. The other wing can be accessed by traversing a crumbled wall leading underneath the staircase, though it contains nothing but a shadow anchor and a ghost legionary.

Chapel

A chapel can be found in the main fortress. In order to access this area, the player must have a pontifex signet ring worn, in their inventory or on their tool belt. Outside the chapel are several Kharid-et chapel debris excavation hotspots requiring level 74 Archaeology. Inside contains several pontifex remains and Orcus altar excavation hotspots requiring level 81 and 86 Archaeology respectively, along with two material caches of Blood of Orcus.

To the east of the northern ghost legionary is an inactive blood dial, which can be activated by casting the 'Exsanguinate' spell scroll.

There is a hand of glory (Kharid-et) to be found on the altar.

Kitchens

The kitchens are where the fortress' occupants would eat during their spare time. Armarium debris and culinarum debris excavation hotspots can be found here, along with two ancient vis material caches.

Another dial can be found in the kitchen, which can be activated by casting the 'Smoke Cloud' spell scroll.

Outside the kitchens is another material depositor.

War table

West of the kitchens is a ruined building containing a praetorium war table. This table can be interacted with, provided that the player has powered all eight shadow anchors (if the pylon is not active), or the pylon is currently active (regardless of how many anchors are powered). This will bring players into the praetorium building which contains level 107+ excavation hotspots.

Prison block

The Prison block is accessed through the prison door in the main fortress area. Once this area is unlocked and visited for the first time, when players enter Kharid-et, they will be asked if they would like to visit the main fortress or prison block.

The prison area entrance consists of three praesidio remains, including an inactive dial, locked doors, and a barrier.

• By wearing or holding a legatus pendant, players are able to walk through the Legatus barrier and access the carcerem debris, which requires level 58 Archaeology to excavate. The barrier won't be dispelled, so you need to keep a pendant to access this part of the floor. The pendant may be added to toolbelt.
• Inserting the ancient timepiece artefact into the mechanism, allows access to solitary confinement.
• Solitary confinement contains a maximum security barrier to the north, which can be accessed by having both a legatus pendant and pontifex signet ring worn, on the toolbelt or in the inventory. Completing dialogue with the strange device starts The Forgotten Prisoner mystery.
• Heading south, near the ice dial and casting the 'Incite fear' spell scroll will bring players to the western wing of the Vault of Shadows. Completing the puzzle starts The Vault of Shadows mystery.

Vault

The most secure area in Kharid-et, the vault, can be accessed by entering the door in eastern prison block after solving the Time Served mystery.

In the north-western vault there is a strange device behind a maximum security barrier requiring a legatus pendant and a pontifex ring to pass that can be interacted with to start the The Forgotten Prisoner mystery.

In the south-eastern part of the vault is the Vault of Shadows which is investigated in The Vault of Shadows mystery.

Praetorium

The Praetorium is accessed through the praetorium war table in the main fortress. This table can be interacted with, provided that the player has powered all eight shadow anchors (if the pylon is not active), or the pylon is currently active (regardless of how many anchors are powered). The praetorium building contains ancient magick munitions, praetorian remains and war table debris.

Players can obtain inquisitor staff pieces in this area even when the pylon is not active, with a 10% drop rate increase if the pylon is active.

The praetorium also contains the final dial for the Vault of Shadows mystery, which can be activated by casting the 'Animate Dead' spell scroll.

Material caches

Level	Material cache	XP	Material	Faction	Members
25	Material cache (ancient vis)	24.2	Ancient vis	Zarosian
58	Material cache (Blood of Orcus)	30.2	Blood of Orcus	Zarosian
12	Material cache (imperial steel)	24.2	Imperial steel	Zarosian
12	Material cache (samite silk)	24.2	Samite silk	Agnostic
25	Material cache (Tyrian purple)	24.2	Tyrian purple	Zarosian
5	Material cache (Zarosian insignia)	24.2	Zarosian insignia	Zarosian

Mysteries

Name	Requirements	Rewards
Breaking the Seal	12 Archaeology [B]	900 experience Access to the Main Fortress
Prison Break	12 Archaeology [B] Breaking the Seal	900 experience Access to the prison block
Time Served	47 Archaeology Prison Break	2,800 experience Partial access to the Vault
The Forgotten Prisoner	107 Archaeology [B] Prison Break	54,000 experience
The Cult of Orcus	74 Archaeology [B] Prison Break	11,000 experience
Decimation	107 Archaeology [B] Prison Break	54,000 experience
Shadow Fall	107 Archaeology [B] Prison Break	54,000 experience
The Vault of Shadows	107 Archaeology [B] Time Served All shadow anchors powered or pylon active	2,500 experience (ice button puzzle with 58 Archaeology)[B] 5,000 experience (blood button puzzle with 86 Archaeology)[B] 7,500 experience (smoke button puzzle with 100 Archaeology)[B] 10,000 experience (shadow button puzzle with 107 Archaeology)[B] 25,000 experience 30,000 experience Ability to teleport between the five buttons.

Achievements

Main article: Zarosian achievements

There are 24 achievements in this group.

#	Name	Members	Description
14	Aquatic Escape	Yes	Escape Kharid-et by boat.	10
3	Breaking the Seal	No	Solve this mystery.	5
9	Decimation	Yes	Solve this mystery.	20
20	Empty Children	Yes	Solve this mystery.	15
15	How Do You Do, Fellow Ghost?	Yes	Talk to one of the ghostly inhabitants of Kharid-et while wearing a full set of ghostly equipment.	25
13	Light and Shadow	Yes	Power all the shadow anchors at Kharid-et	25
1	Mastery - Kharid-et	Yes	Complete all of the listed achievements.	0
18	Mastery - Senntisten	Yes	Complete all of the listed achievements.	0
2	Mysteries - Kharid-et	Yes	Complete all of the listed achievements.	0
19	Mysteries - Senntisten	Yes	Complete all of the listed achievements.	0
21	Night Theatre	Yes	Solve this mystery.	15
24	Pane in the Glass	Yes	Repair the stained glass windows in the Cathedral	25
16	Ponti-Nex	Yes	Pray at the altar in the Kharid-et chapel while wearing a full set of ancient ceremonial robes.	30
4	Prison Break	No	Solve this mystery.	5
11	Research - Kharid-et	Yes	Complete all of the listed research.	0
23	Research - Senntisten	Yes	Complete all of the listed research.	0
22	Secrets of the Inquisition	Yes	Solve this mystery.	15
8	Shadow Fall	Yes	Solve this mystery.	20
7	The Cult of Orcus	Yes	Solve this mystery.	15
6	The Forgotten Prisoner	Yes	Solve this mystery.	10
10	The Vault of Shadows	Yes	Solve this mystery.	25
5	Time Served	Yes	Solve this mystery.	10
12	Warm Glow	No	Excavate at Kharid-et whilst the pylons are active.	10
17	Zarosian Expert	Yes	Restored a collection of Zarosian artefacts.	0

Research

Main article: Research § Zarosian culture research

Personalities

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  Dr Nabanik

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  Trindine

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  Ghost legionary

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  Ghost praetorian

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  Archaeologist

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  Dafi

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  Farhad

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  Intern

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  Liam

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  Munsim

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  Viko

Music unlocked

• What Lies Beneath?
• Buried in Time
• Subdued by the Sand

Gallery

In-game

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  Kharid-et introduction cutscene 1

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  Kharid-et introduction cutscene 2

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  Trindine approaching the Vault of Shadows

Concept art

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  Kharid-et game update artwork

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  Kharid-Et Concept Art

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  Kharid-Et Concept Art

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  An artwork found in Kharid-Et of Zaros facing Loarnab alongside Avernic Demons

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  Concept art of a Zarosian Legionary Warrior

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  Concept art of a Zarosian Praetorian Mage

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  Concept art for 'The Forgotten Prisoner' Kharid-Et mystery

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  Concept art for Kharid-Et Artefact inventory icons

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  Concept art for the 'Vault of Heriditas' an earlier beta version of Kharid-Et

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  Concept art for the 'Vault of Heriditas' an earlier beta version of Kharid-Et

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  Grey boxing for the 'Vault of Heriditas' an earlier beta version of Kharid-Et

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3D models

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Development

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Transcript

This article has an associated transcript page. Click here for the transcript.

Update history

This information has been compiled as part of the update history project. Some updates may not be included—see here for how to help out!

• patch 25 July 2022 (Update):
  • All variant Pontifex Rings can now be used to pass the Pontifex barriers.

• ninja 17 January 2022 (Update):
  • Added mini Summoning obelisks to all main Archaeology dig sites, including the Archaeology Campus.

• patch 10 January 2022 (Update):
  • A few mounds of sand at the Kharid-Et Digsite that were floating above the ground have been fixed.

• patch 1 March 2021 (Update):
  • Players are once again able to reach the Praetorium war table in the Kharid-et digsite.

• hotfix 22 February 2021:
  • A temporary portal has been added to access the Praetorium war table in the Kharid-et digsite.

• patch 16 November 2020 (Update):
  • A wall in Kharid-et is no longer missing collision boxes. That oughta hold it up for another few centuries!

• patch 18 May 2020 (Update):
  • Activating all eight Kharid-et shadow anchors will now grant players a fast travel option to the Praetorium from the Kharid-et entrance.

• patch 4 May 2020 (Update):
  • Fixed some instances of material caches clipping into the floor at Kharid-et and the Infernal Source.
  • Players can now discover pylon batteries while excavating in the Kharid-et prison block.

• patch 27 April 2020 (Update):
  • Corrected a Zarosian insignia material cache in Kharid-et that was floating.
  • A floating bibliotheke debris excavation point has been lowered.
  • Fixed a light in Kharid-et that was causing material caches to appear as two separate colours.

• patch 20 April 2020 (Update):
  • Players can enter the Kharid-et praetorium without a ring of visibility.

• update 30 March 2020 (Update):
  • Added to game.

Trivia

• The player le me was the first player who fully completed this dig site on 6 April 2020 which was shown in-game with the announcement: News: le me is the first to master the Kharid-et Dig Site by fully exploring the site's history!
• The four buttons giving access to the Vault are placed in locations associated with their element:
  • The smoke button is located by the huge oven in the kitchen.
  • The shadow button is in the Shadow Realm.
  • The blood button is by the Orcus altar, where bloody sacrifices took place.
  • The ice button is in the prison ('in the cooler').
• Only on meticulous inspection can one make out what appear to be dozens of stars of Saradomin engraved all over the outside walls of the inner fort, suggesting that the Saradominist onslaught that was trapped in the fort after its fall managed to vandalise it first.