The Vault of Shadows

This article is about the mystery and its achievement. For the miniquest, see The Vault of Shadows (miniquest), and for the achievement for the miniquest, see The Vault of Shadows (miniquest) (achievement).

The Vault of Shadows
Solve this mystery.
Release date	30 March 2020 (Update)
Members	Yes
Category	Skills
Subcategory	Archaeology
Subsubcategory	Zarosian
RuneScore	25
Requirements	107 Archaeology [B] Time Served
Advanced data
ID	2395
Infobox • Infobox talk page

The Vault of Shadows is a mystery as well as an achievement that requires the player to complete four puzzles. Each puzzle must be completed to solve the mystery and can be started from any wall location with the corresponding spell. The order of the puzzles is fixed and can be progressed through the remaining spell locations in any order.

Not to be confused with the miniquest with the same name: The Vault of Shadows (miniquest) which requires level 58 Archaeology and level 60 Divination. Both the miniquest and mystery are effectively the same piece of content, but they differ in terms of the requirements. Any completed parts will count as progress towards both the miniquest and the mystery. However, players without the Archaeology level requirement will not receive the experience rewards until they turn in replacement spell scrolls to Dr Nabanik after the miniquest by talking to him with a scroll in their inventory.

Alignment	Zarosian
Dig site	Kharid-et Dig Site
Requirements	107 Archaeology [B] Time Served All shadow anchors powered or pylon active
Required items	These items can be obtained before and/or during the mystery. Legatus pendant (may be stored in the tool belt) Pontifex signet ring (may be stored in the tool belt) 'Incite Fear' spell scroll 'Exsanguinate' spell scroll 'Smoke Cloud' spell scroll 'Animate Dead' spell scroll Ring of visibility or the ability to access the shadow world after Fate of the Gods
Rewards	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.

Steps

Button activation

The locations of all four buttons.

Information gathered in previous Archaeology mysteries and research has alluded to the presence of a vault at the Kharid-et site hidden within the shadow realm, possibly several layers into the shadow realm. In order to access this vault, four buttons (found as 'inactive dials' before they are powered) located around the site must be activated with the use of spell scroll artefacts.

If the player does not have the Archaeology level required to restore one of the spell scrolls specified, a loaned version of that spell scroll may be received from Dr Nabanik to use in place of the restored artefact, which will suffice for completing the miniquest. If doing this, a restored spell scroll will need to be given to Dr Nabanik to later receive the Archaeology experience reward from the Archaeology mystery.

The buttons may be activated and pressed in any order - the order of the subsequent puzzles is fixed in sequence, even if the buttons are activated or solved in a different order to below. This guide lists the button activation in the order of Archaeology level requirement for each scroll artefact (when doing the full mystery) and assumes this ordering for the puzzle section.

The buttons are activated as follows:

• Ice button

  Enter the eastern door of the prison block of Kharid-et Dig Site, to enter the lowest level of the fortress, in the same room where the strange device is found (completion of 'Time Served' mystery required). The dial is located on the west wall on the middle-south of the corridor, just outside the southernmost room.

  • Cast an 'Incite Fear' spell scroll (which requires level 58 Archaeology), or loaned 'Incite Fear' spell scroll, while standing next to the dial.
  • Press the ice button to teleport to the western puzzle room of the vault.
• Blood button

  Pass the pontifex barrier to enter the chapel at the south-east of the Main Fortress [topmost floor]. The dial is located on the northern wall in the chapel.

  • Cast an 'Exsanguinate' spell scroll (from the level 86 Orcus altar excavation hotspots), or loaned 'Exsanguinate' spell scroll, while standing next to the dial.
  • Press the blood button to teleport to the southern puzzle room of the vault.
• Smoke button

  Go to the kitchen in the north-east part of the Main Fortress. The dial is located on the western wall next to the oven.

  • Cast the 'Smoke Cloud' spell scroll (from the level 100 culinarum debris excavation hotspot), or loaned 'Smoke Cloud' spell scroll, while standing next to the dial.
  • Press the smoke button to teleport to the eastern puzzle room of the vault.
• Shadow button

  Click the praetorian war table to enter the war room (activate all the shadow anchors first, or wait for the pylons to become active). The dial is in the small room furthest west, on the western wall.

  • Cast the 'Animate Dead' spell scroll (from the level 107 ancient magick munitions excavation hotspot), or loaned 'Animate Dead' spell scroll, while standing next to the dial.
  • Press the shadow button to teleport to the northern puzzle room of the vault.

First puzzle room

The dial commands

Head back to the Ice Button's location (or whichever button you activated first). Press the button and enter the vault.

Pick up the praetor's log page 1 from the floor. It will note that the code for the vault is the same sequence as with the prison door in the Prison Break mystery: shadow dials first (top row), then blood dials (second row), then smoke dials (third row), and finally ice dials (bottom row).

There are some controls on the floor that will move the coloured dials on the door. The controls each correspond to a different cluster of 4 dials (in a 2x2 square) on the door, and rotating the controls will rotate these dials (clockwise or anticlockwise). The controls are orientated roughly in correspondence with the dials they control when facing the door - the controls nearest the door will affect dials on the top 2 rows (with the left-most control affecting the left-most 2x2 dials in these two rows, the centre control the most-central 2x2 dials on these rows, and the right-most control the right-most 2x2 dials on these rows), the controls farthest from the door affecting the bottom 2 rows (in the same fashion) and the middle controls affecting the 2 most central rows (in the same fashion again).

Follow the steps detailed below to adjust the dials in the correct configuration. Should you make an error, leaving and returning will reset the puzzle.

• Position the camera with the vault door on the right side (camera facing west if you entered via the blood button as in the image on the right)
• Move top-right dial forward once
• Move middle-right dial forward once
• Move top-right dial back once
• Move bottom-left dial back once
• Move bottom-middle dial forward twice
• Move bottom-right dial forward twice
• Move centre dial forward once
• Move top-middle dial back once
• Move bottom-middle dial back once
• Move middle-left dial forward once
• Move top-left dial forward once

When you solve the puzzle, the door will open and you will find praetor's log page 2. Leave the vault from the button where you entered the vault.

Second puzzle room

The second puzzle, labelled.

The second puzzle is a similar puzzle to the first, but this time the player has five buttons in an X formation instead of nine. The controls each rotate the dials in 2x2 square as before. Again the final order of dials from top to bottom is 'Shadow', 'Blood', 'Smoke', 'Ice'.

To solve the puzzle do the following. Should you make an error, leaving and returning will reset the puzzle. However, if you know where you went wrong, it may be helpful to reverse your steps. (For example if it says bottom right back, middle back, top left forward and you moved bottom right forward instead of back and then did the other two, you can go top left back, middle forward, bottom right back, and then resume the guide starting with another bottom right back) Changing worlds or going to lobby will put you back in the chapel.

• Position your camera facing the door
• Move bottom-left back once
• Move middle forward once
• Move top-left forward twice
• Move bottom-left back once
• Move middle back twice
• Move top-right forward once
• Move bottom-right forward once
• Move middle back once
• Move top-right back twice
• Move middle back twice
• Move top-right back once
• Move middle back once
• Move bottom-left back once
• Move bottom-right forward once
• Move middle forward once
• Move bottom-right forward once
• Move middle forward once
• Move bottom-right forward once
• Move bottom-left forward once
• Move middle forward once
• Move bottom-left back once
• Move middle forward twice

When you solve the puzzle, the door will open and praetor's log page 3 will appear in your backpack. Leave the vault from the button where you entered the vault.

Third puzzle room

Go to the area north of the chapel and cast the "smoke cloud" spell to the button on the west wall.

The third puzzle, labelled

In this puzzle, the buttons are in a line horizontally (when facing the door). When moving columns of dials, the buttons in a vertical row will move. The solution is the same.

Should you make an error, leaving and returning will reset the puzzle. Changing worlds or going to lobby will put you back in the chapel. Using the boat will take you out by the river and put you on the bank of the river, opposite the dominion tower.

The sequence to open the door is as follows. See the image to the right for the button numbering used. Backward movements are denoted with a B after the number, eg. 5B is 5 dial back.

• 5B, 2, 7B, 3, 3, 4B - Top row complete
• 2, 7B, 2B
• 1, 1, 8B, 1B, 1B
• 3, 3, 8, 3B, 3B - Second row complete
• 7B, 4, 8, 4B - Puzzle complete

When you solve the puzzle, the door will open and praetor's log page 4 is placed in your backpack. Leave the vault from the button where you entered the vault.

Final puzzle room

The fourth puzzle, labelled.

The solution for the puzzle is, once again, the same. There are five buttons corresponding with three different shapes of dials (each moving four dials at a time):

• The buttons nearest the door move the 4 dials in a diagonal line from one corner on the top row to the opposite corner on the bottom row (the left-most dial when facing the door moves the dials in diagonal line from top-left to bottom-right and vice versa for the right-most button).
• The two buttons at a middle distance from the door move 4dials up and down in a curved c-shape on the corresponding side of the door (the left-most button when facing the door only affects the left half of the door and vice versa) - the two outer-most dials on the middle two rows and the the two inner-most dials on the top and bottom rows are moved.
• The button furthest from the door rotates the 4 dials in a 2x2 shape in the middle 2 columns of the bottom two rows on the door, as with the controls on the first two puzzles.

The puzzle may be solved with the actions as follows. See the image to the right for the button numbering used.

• 3rd button 2 times forward
• 1st button 1 time back
• 3rd button 2 times back
• 1st button 1 time back
• 5th button 1 time back
• 2nd button 2 times forward
• 4th button 1 time forward
• 1st button 1 time back
• 3rd button 1 time back
• 1st button 1 time forward
• 5th button 1 time back
• 3rd button 2 times forward
• 5th button 1 time forward
• 2nd button 1 time back
• 3rd button 1 time back
• 2nd button 1 time back
• 3rd button 2 times forward
• 4th button 2 times forward
• 3rd button 2 times forward

Solving the mystery

Floating crystal in the centre of the vault.

• After completing all four puzzles, the player can pick up the shadow engrammeter (depleted) from the centre of the vault.
• The shadow engrammeter must be charged by collecting equivalent to 500 vibrant tier or higher Divination memories to fill the shadow engrammeter (Enriched memories count for double). Divination energies cannot be used; thus, this step cannot be skipped by purchasing divine energies.
• Return to the centre of the Vault, and operate the charged engrammeter to get Trindine's memory.
• Bring the memory to Nabanik outside of Kharid-et Dig Site to get Trindine's memory as a book.

  If asking Dr. Nabanik about the mystery does not trigger the exchange, try destroying the shadow engrammeter (which can be reclaimed for free) after obtaining the memory.

• Bring the book back to the vault, either wearing a ring of visibility or having the ability to permanently see the Shadow Realm.

  If the book is destroyed, there is no need to reclaim it from the player-owned bookshelf. Trindine will still be waiting at the vault.

• Talk to Praetor Trindine who is now in the centre. Azzanadra will appear when you start talking to her, and will ask the player to leave so that two of them may speak privately. The mystery will be completed at this point.
• Return outside and talk to Nabanik. A cutscene will play. Talk to Nabanik again and after his usual intro dialog, he will then say he wants to discuss Trindine, after which the miniquest will complete.

Mystery solved!

Transcript

This article on an Archaeology mystery 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 January 2021 (Update):
  • A new miniquest called 'The Vault of Shadows' has been added, which takes you through The Vault of Shadows Archaeology mystery.
    • The requirement to do so is now 58 Archaeology, although you will still need 107 Archaeology to restore your own Spell Scrolls and receive XP.
    • If you have previously completed the mystery, speak to Dr Nabanik to complete the new miniquest.
      • • There is no longer a requirement to return the level 107 loaned spell scroll to complete the mystery/ miniquest.

• patch 26 May 2020 (Update):
  • Fixed an issue where an NPC was repeating the wrong dialogue after completing the Vault of Shadows mystery.

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

Trivia

• The player L33 was the first player who completed this mystery on 5 April 2020 which was shown in-game with the announcement: News: L33 is the first to solve the 'The Vault of Shadows' mystery!