Black Knights' Fortress + Grey Knights' Fortress

Lately, we have seen the revamp of two old non-members quests, along with their respective areas, as a way of introducing the signature heroes and fleshing out the lore behind Runescape's recent history. This therefore gave me the idea to revamp a quest almost as old as the game itself; Black Knights' Fortress.

Remember that quest? You were asked by Sir Tiffy to infiltrate the fortress of the Black Knights to foil their plans. Planning to use an invulnerability potion, they had planned to siege Falador, but were foiled by a cabbage. In my revamp, we take a similar story, but this time use it to introduce another signature hero; Sir Owen.

A small troupe of merchants were crossing into Mithalin when a small band of thugs attacked them. The merchants were trained in magical arts, but when it appeared that they were succeeding, their assailants pulled out a strange potion unlike anything seen before. Within seconds, they were physically and mentally reinvigorated. The merchants were badly wounded and robbed of all their goods.

Reporting to Falador, the thugs appear to have been hired by the Black Knights, and Sir Amik plans to lead an assault, but Sir Owen assures him that this is not right. As a neutral party, you are being asked to find out how this formula came about and stop production.

An argument is taking place within Falador castle, Sir Owen and Sir Amik are in a bitter disagreement over plans on the Black Knights. Sir Amik insists that a complete assault needs to be initiated; any movement from the Black Knights warrants an attack. Sir Owen refuses to let this go forward, citing the events a few years before. However, he decides that, as a neutral party, you can go there and infiltrate the base to find out what really happened.

Sir Owen chooses to join you, as he is interested in getting some fresh air away from the castle. En route, an empty vial is left on the path, with drops of odd serum inside it. Looking at it closely, Owen believes it might be a potion, though which one he cannot tell. Thinking for a moment, he quickly realizes that it is not a conventional brew. Asking how he knew, he informs you of a gift he has.

Owen, for as long as he can remember, can see distant places just by thinking of them. It was the one reason the Temple Knights kept him in the order despite his sometimes aggressive behaviour. It only provides brief details, so he cannot see things in major detail, and he needs to know a place to see it.

Heading into the Fortress, the front entrance is locked and the guards don't let anyone in without a clearance. Sir Owen decides that possibly the best way inside would be to go through a servant's entrance. In order to force the servant to open the door, you'd need something to force him outside; Owen decides possibly the best way to do that is to block the waste chute from the kitchens using a large object. Using a cabbage, you block the chute and wait until the cook leaves the mess hall and opens the door, at which point you slip in.

Using initiate armour, you and Sir Owen enter the main chambers and ask the quartermaster what the vial contains. It appears even he doesn't know, but says it will bring a swift defeat to their enemies. It is from here, you go to the main planning room, while the guards are swapping shifts. Inside the planning room, the purpose of the potion becomes clear, but there are also stone carvings and pictures of two knights on the desk; one in white armour and one in black armour, reaching out to one another.

It is at this point the main strategist comes into the room, but appears uninterested in stopping you, or even putting up a resistance for that matter. He decides to tell you the formula was called "Grey Knight's Commitment", a potion dating back hundreds of years ago, when Falador was still being built. The potion is simple to make, but is very precise and also tells you how to stop batch production, so the Black Knights can stop letting it fall into the hands of thugs.

Suspicious as to why this knight would willingly betray his own order, Sir Owen demands answers. The Black Knight reveals himself as a young man named Sir Isaac, a knight for the Kinshra and Zamorak, but not a mercenary. If anything he says that he despises the rivalry as pathetic and that years ago, the two orders were once more at peace than they used to be, not divided as religiously as they are now.

After sabotaging the potion, Sir Isaac throws you out, but informs you that it isn't the last time you will meet. Sir Owen hands over the sample of potion to Sir Amik and he decides that no action will need to be taken on the Black Knights for now. Sir Owen is still puzzled about what Sir Isaac said and plans to think about it.

In a cut scene afterwards, a raven flies to Sir Owen's window and drops a note. It simply says;

"Meet me in Taverley; I have found the Grey Knight's Fortress and you're the only White Knight I can trust to help me.

Strength through Chaos
-Sir Isaac"

This members quest follows on where Black Knight Fortress leaves off.

Reluctant to leave for Taverley, Sir Owen asks that you go in his stead to meet the mysterious Sir Isaac. Reaching Taverley, Sir Isaac is formal and lays his weapons to one side; he is outnumbered so starting a fight would do no good. The serum that was being brewed that gave a renewed strength and mentality to the drinker is called "Grey Knight's Commitment" and could not only act to boost ones' strength, but also cure most illnesses, most notably the affliction taking hold of King Vallance. With the King cured, the Grey Knights could be returned to power.

Having overheard everything, Owen wants to know more of the Grey Knights. Isaac explains that during his time as a squire amongst the Kinshra, he found remnants of an old embroidery and stone tomes in the basement of the Kinshra base near the Monastery speaking of an old order that was founded in the early days of Falador. From the old grids, there are two entrances to their base; one in the Troll Country, near the Wilderness, the other, just south of Port Sarim in the Saradomin church. In order to open it, it requires one knight of each order; a white knight and a black knight.

Reluctantly, but under assurance the player will be able to stand up to Isaac should this be a trap, Owen decides to join. When approaching the church, the threesome are attacked by a gang of highwaymen. Isaac fires warning shots from his crossbow to scatter them, but Owen seems to show little tolerance for them. Isaac asks Owen whether his parents told him how to pick his fights properly, but Owen says that his father always told him to show no mercy to injustice, the highwaymen deserved it, much to the distaste of Isaac.

When they arrive at the church, the trapdoor is incredibly stiff and will require some more brute force to open, which suggests the elixir might be what is needed. Isaac simply tells you that he has the ingredients for the dosage, but just needs a vial filled from the cauldron of thunder in Taverley dungeon to replace the water. En route, Sir Owen tells you he doesn't trust Isaac, and frets this may be a trap. He also says that his father was a no nonsense kind of person, and that he secretly despised him. Owen's father was the kind of man who made sure that Owen blessed Saradomin for every morning he woke up, for every meal he ate and for every night he would sleep or fear his wrath. However, Owen's views on Saradomin were shaken when barbarians set upon an injured woman and her child in the Wilderness when he once travelled there; when he refused to bless Saradomin or began to show doubt, his father lashed out and gave him his scar. Part of him wonders if it was because his mother left or whether that was the reason why.

After retrieving the vial from the cauldron, the two drink the elixir and open the trap door with ease. Upon entry, they are greeted by a ghost that tells them that he was once the door keeper to the Grey Knight's Fortress and welcomes the two knights, commenting how the Black and White knights have chosen such young recruits. It has been so long since anyone had since been down there.

A fallen pillar represents a problem early on, but Owen tries to move it. When speaking to Isaac about why he doesn't have much upper body strength, he says that he was raised by his mother alone; before he was born, his father forced his mother away because she was Zamorakian, threatening to hurt her if she ever walked into Falador and she always encouraged him to use his mind, rather than his fists. He never knew his father and was raised by the Kinshra as they showed him kindness.

Delving further into the chambers of the underground fortress, Isaac begins to solve puzzles to open some of the locks on a large gate. When speaking to Sir Owen, he says he might not be able to trust a Zamorakian, but Isaac is a good knight, he's honourable and just. Once the gate is opened, the two enter a grand atrium, a huge amount of history on the walls, albeit broken and damaged. Isaac concentrates for a moment and then identifies the halls as the Grey Knights' Fortress, the underground base for the original order of knights when Falador was founded. Asking how he knew, Isaac says that he has the ability to see into the past of a place, just by thinking of a time. Sir Owen becomes suspicious.

When trying to translate the runes, Isaac pulls away his hood to properly see what he's doing; it's at this point it all becomes clear. Owen and Isaac look very much alike in face structure and when asked their father's name, they both give the same answer - Sir Verne. The two of them are brothers, separated from a young age, Owen staying with his Saradominist father and the White Knights, Isaac being born later and staying with his Zamorakian mother and the Kinshra.

Now aware of who they really are, their reservations towards each other are shed and they share a tender moment together and embrace. Seconds later, they pull away suddenly. Owen said he was thinking of Ardougne and saw it, but it was different somehow, whereas Isaac said he was thinking of a point in time 15 years ago, but saw somewhere distant. Their powers work in conjunction to not only see distant places, but distant times when together. They decide to proceed onwards and use their connection to see through the past and discover what happened here.

Further into the labyrinth, more puzzles are in place until the central chamber is reached. Branching off the centre are small rooms, which might be linked to the channels in the walls and floor. It is here that the knights would meet, shake hands and the entire fortress would come to life, according to the tomes Isaac found. The player goes into the chambers and connects the pathways preparing the centre chamber, allowing the delivery of the Commitment to operate.

Owen and Isaac then grab each others' hands and then begin to concentrate on Asgarnia in the past, using the conduits in the chamber to boost their strength with the Commitment. The player also sees what's taking place.

It's the Fourth Age, mid way through. Six nomadic tribes come together in one place, weak and weary. One coming from the East to escape Morytania, two from the North, escaping the wilderness, a fourth coming from Troll Country and the final two coming from the South to escape goblins. In their weakened state, they decide to stand together and build a village.

Those that are strong enough aid in the defences and building the village, those who are better at more mental challenges help set up markets and schools to teach their young and feed their people. It was balanced and operated for a long time.

Further along, the village grew into towns, and then into the city of Falador. However, the threats from all sides were growing in number, and the injured were increasing. It was then, the strongest and wisest of the clan founded an order of knights, Black Knights to protect the city and allow it to expand, the White Knights to protect the city from the inside with its infrastructure. Then, they discovered a rare chemical and a property in the bark of the White Tree that, when mixed together, gave them strength of mind and body. This allowed them to build a great city from the inside and fortified them from the outside. The two knights worked together as the Grey Knights, a mix of White and Black.

At the dawn of the Fifth age, the city was enormous and began setting out to make pacts with the other settlements. A group of knights went to Taverley with the Cauldron and offered an exchange; a troupe of black knights would remain as a royal guard to fend off the trolls from the North, whilst the druids could perfect the Grey Knights' Commitment serum and protect the cauldron. This was the founding of the Imperial Guard.

Port Sarim was later built when Karamja was discovered and the White Knights founded trading overseas, further improving their prosperity.

The Grey Knights' Fortress was built underground, thanks to dwarven, human and druid ingenuity to act as a base of operations to preserve the order as one, allowing them passage between their two key factions, allowing them to remain connected during war or when society broke down.

But tensions began emerging after the accident at the Wizard's tower. A bitter harvest came to the land as magical energies from the flames flooded the valley, twisting and warping the bark of the White tree on Ice Mountain. The batch of the Grey Knights' Commitment brewed following that fateful day led to paranoia within the Grey Knights. The White Knights were convinced the Black Knights would turn on them, their new fortress on the Wilderness border acting as a front to cover up a potential assault, whilst the Black Knights feared the White Knights would try and manipulate the infrastructure against them.

When the King before Vallance fell, the Grey Knights' Fortress was being used less and less when the White and Black Knights felt they could no longer trust each other. When Vallance fell ill, the White Knights made their pre-emptive strike and banished the Black Knights. The Grey Knights were no more, only Black and White. Their beliefs got the better of them and soon they went on to follow their separate gods.

As the visions ended, the Fortress rumbles as the flow of the elixir stirred up interest from both sides. The Kinshra from the North and the White Knights from the South. A battle ensues as each accused the other of trying to attack the other. Isaac then spots how weak the foundation are and tries to bring down the ceiling, hopefully forcing everyone out and stopping the Fortress being used wrongly and Owen assists making the job easier. The roof collapses in when the flow is disrupted suddenly and the two sides retreat.

Isaac is arrested, having chosen to remain with Owen and awaits trial. At the trial, Owen defends his brother fiercely, admitting he has done no wrong. The four of the five judges (Sir Amik was injured in the scuffle and couldn't attend) give their verdicts.
Sir Verne is adamant that all Zamorakians are evil and that Isaac should be put to death, willing to admit he would rather see Isaac dead than welcome him as a son.
Sir Vyvin doesn't wish to put Isaac to death, but feels he cannot abandon principle. Isaac is Zamorakian and fears that if he is left to live, others, both benign and dangerous, will try and make their home in Falador and weaken the state.
Sir Renitee wishes Isaac to live. It is clear from his tribunal, Isaac is a clever young man and could benefit the historians with his knowledge.
Sir Tiffy votes in favour of Isaac living; Isaac is an honourable young man and it is clear he has never hurt anyone, his purpose in the Black Knights was to study and he would serve the city well as a diplomat.

In the end, it all comes down to the player to pick a rune from the bag; if it is a death rune, Isaac will die; if it is a law rune, Isaac will live. The player picks the rune and unveils it to be a law rune, meaning Isaac will be spared.

Owen and Isaac are relieved, with the other judges sated at the decision. Sir Verne, on the other hand, is bitter and in a great deal of frustration and threatens Isaac. Duties return to normal and Owen and Isaac consider making some of the elixir, to cure King Vallance and restore him to power and end the struggle for power. You are then asked to collect some bark from the tree as Isaac has ran out.

Upon your return, something terrible has happened. En route to the King with the elixir, Isaac and Owen were attacked. The cure was destroyed when Owen was knocked out cold and Isaac took fatal wounds from the assailant, but landed a critical blow to their assailant before he died. Owen returns to his quarters to find the stuff that Isaac had moved there utterly destroyed.

When Owen demands a formal investigation, Sir Amik refuses. He says that he is merely sorry for Owen's loss and expresses sympathy that Owen's brother was a Zamorakian. This enrages Owen who says that even though his brother basked in the flames of Zamorak, rather than in the shining star of Saradomin, he was still a good man and deserved to be treated with respect. Sir Amik dismisses Owen who leaves the castle in rage, saying he will not follow up work into the elixir; the ends of curing the king do not justify resorting to Zamorakian techniques. He decides that he plans to go on missionary work for the time being; he'd normally turn to Saradomin in times like this, but he feels that it's Saradomin who is to blame for what happened.

Before leaving, he hands the player something. It is a set of original grey knight armour; Isaac had plans to reproduce it once the order was refounded, but it could be considered contraband in the castle at these times.

In a cut scene that follows, a squire confirms Sir Verne is dead, but had completed the task of stopping the serum being mass produced. Sir Amik is pleased, had he failed, the Black Knights would wander freely through out the lands; King Vallance was sound of mind, even when sick and made it perfectly clear that he wanted the Grey Knights to remain, the last thing they want is for that to happen whilst they have a bid for power.