EQ2: Thurgadin Ice Brew – A Cheeves and Maltheas Brewday Adventure!!!

It’s Brewday again in the land of Norrath, and Maltheas was all set for some adventure! He was wearing green anyway, but made sure to pick out his flying carpet from last years antics, and set his Bauble of Holidays Past to Shamrock. Grabbing Cheeves on the way out, they set off for the nearest entrance to the fabled Bar of Brell, conveniently situated just outside Qeynos in Antonica.

Warning: This adventure will be a massive spoiler for anyone who has not yet done the quest.

EQ2 Bar Of Brell Entrance In Antonica 600x332

The entrance to the Bar of Brell in Antonica. Cheeves can barely contain his excitement.



Just heading left out of the picture you can see the God of Crafting, Brell. Maltheas briefly considered going and saying hello, but then he remembered last year, and decided to let the old scoundrel get his own beers for now. As a priest of the God of Healing, Maltheas takes a dim view of excessive drinking. He takes an even dimmer view of people who never get a round in, and Brell falls at both hurdles. Admittedly, he IS the God of Brewing, so he might deserve a pass on the second one.

Cheeves has attempted to extol the virtues and civilising powers of fine wine, but his master continues to prefer berry juice and milkshakes. He will persevere, and he has, at least, managed to persuade Maltheas to lay down a few of this year’s finer vintages. Coldain butlers are nothing if not patient.

The brave pair stepped though the portal. Brell’s Bar was packed with both regulars, and its yearly influx of adventurers. Pushing through the crowd, Maltheas looked about for anybody new. There was the crazy Dwarf, Rasel Alechaser, in trouble with the ladies again, thanks to his ale-goggles. Snoogle Blitzed, preparing for this years presentation, gave Maltheas a cheery wave, while his mechanical assistant, Buzzed, shared a knowing look of despair with Cheeves.

Finally Maltheas found a new face, and stepped forward to introduce himself. It was a Coldain, as blue as Cheeves, but not quite so composed.

Oldar Foambeard: Well met! What brings ya to this mystical watering hole?
Maltheas: The adventures!!! Ohs, and snacks too. Stonecrusher is makings the greats cheese-nuts!!!
Oldar Foambeard: I’m glad ta hear ya say that, and not “ale”. Adventure they’ve got, good ale they’ve not. It may as well be fermented river water!
Maltheas: Oohs. Yous didn’t try all of thems alreadys, did yous?
Oldar Foambeard: The amount of swill that’s passed me lips over me many years is great, and what they’ve got here ranks amongst the better, I must admit. But Thurgadin Ice Brew is still the best there be! Punch ya in the gut and leave your head in tomorrow, it will.
Maltheas: How horribles!!! Ers, I means, I’ll be beings the judge of thats!

EQ2 Oldar Foambeard In The Bar Of Brell 600x303

Sighs. Free beer coming up.

Maltheas had the sneaking feeling that he was once again involved in providing dwarves with free beer. Nevertheless, his whiskers were twitching with potential adventure, and queueing at the bar for a few minutes seemed a small price to pay. Grabbing a pair of flagons of fine dwarven ale, he returned to Foambeard.

Oldar Foambeard: Ya see what I’m saying? Nothin’ Me gran chewed rocks with more kick in ’em. Now get us some Thurgadin Ice Brew, and y’all see what a real drink be like.
Maltheas: Eeks!!! Thurgadin is being in Velious! Is’ll get eatens by otters!
Oldar Foambeard: Nah. I came from New Halas on the Isle of Erollis. That’s where y’all find the brew.
Maltheas: Oh. Phews. I’lls be right backs!

As luck would have it, the Bar of Brell has many exits, and one takes you right in to the centre of New Halas. This only goes to show how lazy dwarves can be when they have someone else to go to the bar for them.

Heading up to the crafting area of New Halas, known as Raven’s Roost, he quickly espied a distillery sitting unattended. Unstoppering a bottle, he began to help himself. Alas, the merry gurgle of the ale was cut-short by an angry cry!

Tetda Rockstein: Hey! what do you think yer doin’!? That ales way too strong fer the likes of ya!
Maltheas: Eeks!! Oldar Foambeard told me toos!!!
Tetda Rockstein: If that’s the case then y’all gladly prove it! Wrestle me for the Ice Brew!
Maltheas: ?? How is that making any of the sense? Is not wanting to hit yous, and if I dids it would be provings the big nothings!
Cheeves: I would be quite happy to wrestle this fine lady in your place if you prefer, Sir. It is how we traditionally solve disagreements here. Also, it can be quite… invigorating.
Maltheas: Noes, I’lls do.. Wait, yous never help with the fightings! It in yous contract!
Cheeves: On this occasion, Sir, I’d be prepared to make an exception…

EQ2 Tetda Rockstein In New Halas 600x472

These Coldain are crazy!!!

Maltheas: How abouts Is just hittings her on the head with mys shiny spanner? *THONK*
Tetda Rockstein: Ya proved worthy of the Ice Brew. Enjoy it, mighty one!
Maltheas: Hoorays!!! Oh, and sorries. Let mes be healings that for yous.

With the ale in hand, the intrepid duo returned to Brell’s Bar.

Oldar Foambeard:Ya’ve got the Ice Brew. That’s wonderful, Maltheas! Now y’all see what I’m going on about!
Maltheas: It was horribles! Crazy woman was makings me fight for its!
Oldar Foambeard: Oh! I should have warned ya about hard-headed Tetda. Ya’ve definitely earned this drink, me friend!
Cheeves: Ahem…
Oldar Foambeard: Ha! O’course I’ll share it with ye too, me fine fellow Coldain! THREE flagons, barmaid!

Our half-sized trio quickly poured 3 full cups of Ice Brew, and sat back to enjoy the fruits of their labours. Well, Maltheas’ labours, and Cheeves at least went along. Somewhere between the third and fourth gulp, things started to go a little hazy…

EQ2 Cheeves And Maltheas In Steamfont 600x395

Thurgadin Ice Brew packs a punch!

Maltheas was not best pleased, and intended to go give Foambeard a piece of his mind, but Cheeves insisted they first return home to freshen up. The morning’s ablutions dealt with, and wearing a freshly polished suit of armour, they returned once again to the Bar of Brell. It appeared that Foambeard had fared no better than they had.

Foambeard Having Lost His Shirt

Turns out they're blue all over.

Maltheas: Ooohs! Where your clothes?
Oldar Foambeard: What? Mayhap it was not the smartest plan to mix them drinks! Seems to cause a bigger kick from the Ice Brew than normal. One for the books at any rate, eh?
Maltheas: The Book of the Deads, maybes. Is still feelings dreadfuls!
Oldar Foambeard: I dreamed all kinds of crazy things… Oh. In light of me missin’ stuff, I bet it weren’t a dream at all!
Maltheas: Oh dears. Is yous remembering anythings?
Oldar Foambeard: I recall metal men takin’ off with me armour after I went swinging on a crane. Well, and I flew on a rug, and a big pit in the sand, surrounded by angry monkeys who liked me velium shield.
Maltheas: Those are the most terrifying sorts of monkeys!!!
Oldar Foambeard: Oh yes! I went swimmin’ near a huge lighthouse and ended up surround by infernal barkin’ and the pungent smell of wet dog fillin’ me nose. But that’s all, I swear!
Maltheas: Oohs. Theys sounding like clues! Cheeves, get ready to LEAP INTO ACTION!!!!
Oldar Foambeard: Eh, what?
Cheeves That’s his catchphrase, Sir. This week, at least. You can tell by the heroic pose.
Oldar Foambeard: I see. Get goin’ then. I be freezin’ me beard off, here!

So, three clues as to where to find Foambeard’s items. The last one seemed the most obvious, hopefully referring to Antonica’s lighthouse, and its local Dankfur Gnoll neighbours. The metal men sounded a bit like clockworks, suggesting Steamfont, but Maltheas was a bit unsure as to where he would find a crane. The rug and the monkeys was clearly the Sinking Sands, but that’s not somewhere he had adventured very much, so exactly where to look was a mystery.

Dealing with, hopefully, the easy one first, they set off for the lighthouse. Not being sure exactly what to look for, they first checked the two Dankfur islands nearby.

EQ2 Foambeards Pants Near Antonicas Lighthouse 600x442

Foambeard's Pants are located. So that's the most vital one sorted!

Easy peasy! The pants were on the first island South-East of the lighthouse, guarded only by a rather annoying gnoll who had become attached to them.

From here, things would get trickier. Try as he might, Maltheas could not find a crane or any likely looking spot near Ak’anon in the Steamfont Mountains. But that isn’t the only place where mechanamagical dangers lurk. Maltheas has also seen some, from a safe distance, when running his crafting errands in the lands of the Shadow Odyssey, in the Moors of Ykesha. Was there also a crane? Quite possibly, as there had been a lot of construction going on. It was definitely worth checking out!

After popping back home for a revitalising snack, Maltheas went to the area of his home where he keeps various teleportation devices. He activated his Archeologist’s Token of the Excavation which would deliver them to the old Sinking Sands dig site (a reward for the Shadow Odyssey prelude event), from where Skystrider, the airship to the Moors, departs. Half a mo, though. Maybe the old dig site was exactly what Foambeard fell into. And it was!!!

EQ2 Foambeards Shield In The Sinking Sands 600x355

Shiny! But watch out for evil monkeys...

Hmm. Perhaps they were retracing Foambeards route that fateful night. From the lighthouse in Antonica he could have sailed to the Sinking Sands docks, which is just down the beach from the dig site and airdock.

Flying in to the gnomish base in the Moors, it was a feast of cranes. There were several different areas to check, but eventually Maltheas located the Foambeard’s armour.

EQ2 Foambeards Armour 600x418

Never mess with a tinker, clockwork rascals!

With all of Foambeard’s gear, they returned to the Bar of Brell for what would hopefully be the final time!

Oldar Foambeard: Did ya have any luck out there, Maltheas?
Maltheas: Of courses! Is a professional finder of things! Wes been quicker but Cheeves was insistents on ironing yous pants.
Oldar Foambeard: Praise Brell! Thank ya for findin it all. Ya’ve definitely saved my hide.
Oldar Foambeard: Tell ya what. Take this. Ya’ve more than earned it, me friend!
Maltheas: Oohs! Shinies!!!

There’s two rewards you can choose. Frostbeard’s shiny shield, the Hammer’s Wrath Buckler, that I’m guessing has a unique appearance. It certainly puts the Shiny Brass Shield into the shade. The other reward is a pair of Small Thurgadin Distilleries. These are furniture items, but also an ingredient in making a rather finer distillery using one of the new recipes available for sale within the bar. As the distilleries are tradeable, but the shield is not, Maltheas chose the shield. He’ll pester Zoltoon or Glopp into going and getting him some distilleries to play with tomorrow. This post kind of overan, time-wise (My extended search around Steamfont had a lot to do with that!), and I want to sleep!

EQ2 Brellsday Hammers Wrath Buckler 600x393

Another job well done by Maltheas - Extreme Quester!!! (and Cheeves - Extreme Butler)

It was a great quest, good for any level, and you should definitely check it out while Brewday is running. As I mentioned, all the previous Brewday content is out and about, some with new rewards.

Update : Glopp did the deed, and you can see what Maltheas made from his reward here!

Comments are closed.