If you like the Stratz quests, you will LOVE the Shiro quests. Shiro follows the same basic plot as the Stratz quest with a few new twists. The Shiro quests, like the Stratz quests, consist of several mini-quest which lead up to a final 'challange for the goal' which must be completed single handedly. The Shiro intermediate quest items, unlike the Stratz intermediate quest items, are not overly interesting in themselves. Also, while the beginning of the quest can be broken into several sessions, the final challange requires a sizable group to gain the last set of keys, followed by a somewhat time consuming completion process. Crashes or real life commitments can send you back to ground zero having to repeat every portion of the quest all over to try again.
Be warned that the Shiro quest, like many of the new MA3 quests, takes equipment from your inventory without a lot of notice. I was a bit disconcerned when my supply of drinking water dissapeared on me the first time I wandered through the area. I would not have even known why if the group I was with did not already know the quest. Also, the standard MA3 keyword bug may or may not be a problem. I still grumble about the time the Dao quest ate my dragon jar full of impossible to replace equipment when it hit the keyword 'dragon' out of my inventory, and still curse the admins of the mud for not performing routine pfile backups.
Those of you who enjoy solving quests on your own should stop reading here. Spoilers follow.
You need 5 keys to seek enlightenment. They are:
You need to collect the following items to complete this quest. You should probably gather several before you begin as you will probably have to repeat the process several times. Grabbing scrolls ahead of time can simplify the process a little.
The Void Dragon tells you 'Bring me the scroll of the Void'
The Void Dragon says 'The emptiness inside you has been calling to me ever since you have entered this shiro, I will help fill this emptiness, and help you embrace it.'
The Void Dragon gives you the key of the Void.
The Void Dragon says 'Take this to the Monk of Enlightenment.'
Myoto Ronseko, the mistress tells you 'I....need....a container....full of....nothing.'.
Myoto Ronseko, the mistress mumbles something not recognizable to anybody's ears.
Myoto Ronseko, the mistress gives you a scroll of the Void.
The Air Dragon tells you 'Bring me the scroll of Air'.
The Air Dragon says 'Ahh your knowledge is greater then we expected, this will help you go farther on your quest.'
The Air Dragon gives you the key of Air.
The Air Dragon says 'Take this to the Monk of Enlightenment, he will know what to do.'
Tyoki Banchun, the librarian tells you 'I can't find it!! The mistress from the tower told me it was here!! I need this scroll!! Its the only way, can you help me?! Help me find the scroll which will restore me! I need it soon!'.
Tyoki Banchun, the librarian says 'Thank you so much good person, now I am once again whole. Take this as a sign of my gratitude.'
Tyoki Banchun, the librarian gives you a scroll of Air.
The Earth Dragon tells you 'Bring me the scroll of Earth'.
The Earth Dragon says 'You are a strong one there, carrying that heavy thing. I like your devotion, so I will help you on your journey.'
The Earth Dragon says 'Take this to the Monk of Enlightenment, he will help you better then I can.'
The Earth Dragon gives you the key of Earth
the buddha of madness tells you 'We can dance and sing all night, for there is no day, and there is no night, and we will see the morning shining from the crystal walls of the darkest sky. You know what I need? A stone scimitar, so that maybe I may cut you and watch you gush blood.'
the buddha of madness says 'I can't believe how dumb this was, but thats ok for stupdity and madness go in hand, and tha gods will look upon this as a jester of time and play with our minds. Take this and beat the madened gods.'
The buddha of madness gives you a scroll of Earth.
the buddha of madness says 'Now leave!!'
stone scimitar is on caryatid in pyramid
The Water Dragon tells you 'Bring me the scroll of Water'.
The Water Dragon says 'You bring me the essence of your soul, good I will allow you to continue on.'
The Water Dragon gives you the key of Water.
The Water Dragon says 'Take this to the Monk of Enlightenment, he will help you.'
the First Cook tells you 'Dear person, might you have a water jug which I might be able to use? I need it to make this fresh rat meat more juicy.'.
the First Cook says 'Ahh the master will enjoy his rat meat this evening, this is a small something for you.'
The First Cook gives you a scroll of Water.
water jug is on puddle in elemental canyon
The Fire Dragon tells you 'Bring me the scroll of Fire'.
The Fire Dragon says 'So you bring me proof of your valor, good then I will allow you to continue your journey.'
The Fire Dragon gives you the key of Fire.
The Fire Dragon says 'Take this to the Monk of Enlightenment, he will continue this.'
someone tells you 'So you wish to learn? Fine, bring me the fur from a scorched wookie, and we will talk.'.
Myoto Asaiko, the master ninja says 'You have done well! Now lets see how well you fight!'
player gets the scroll of Fire from corpse of Myoto Asaiko, the master ninja
a burning piece of fur is on burning wookie in wookie
The emerald shield quest is similar to the quest for enlightenment. You must collect a bunch of rather uninteresting emerald stuff to trade for the emerald shield. The process consists of killing the mobs to get their keys until you sucessfully unlock the containers. The keys usually break when you try to unlock the container.
After killing Myoto Suman, go down into The chambers of the oni. Oni will load and drop the shield if you are carrying all of the control items. He will attack the person who picks up the stone(shield).
Object 'emerald stone' is type armor, extra flags glow hum dark magic nodrop bless anti-mages anti-clerics bond. Weight is 100, value is 0, level is 115. Armor class is 20. Worn:Takeable Shield Affects damage roll by 15. Affects hit roll by 10. Affects hp by 50.
The training yard
[Exits: north west]
The yard is kind of large. Against all the walls are weapon racks, all
filled with different kinds of weapons. There is no ceiling, but linger
overhead are dark clouds. A deep pit sits in the center of the yard.
Spikes reach out from it, and it looks like it is used for training or
something. Blood covers each spike, and some of the spikes have corpses
sprawled out on them. There is a small ladder with a ledge hanging over the
south-eastern corner of the yard.
The corpse of Myoto Asaiko, the master ninja is lying here.
A black glass key lies here.
A small rack full of Asaiko's weapons sits in the corner.
Player gets an emerald key from corpse of Myoto Asaiko, the master ninja.
Player unlocks a weapon rack.
Player opens a weapon rack.
Player gets the emerald katana from a weapon rack.
Kikashi Sontsuko, the clan lorekeeper tells you 'Bring me some proof of your honesty. I need written proof that you were once in my family's land.'.
The kitchen
[Exits: east south]
The kitchen in the shiro is very small, compared with the rest of the
castle. A small burning fire glows from the center of the room,
illuminating the kitchen with an eerie green light. Sitting in the fire is
a large pot, hands, legs and talons sit in the scolding hot green water.
Along the walls are utensils and pots, each one no longer the silver color
they used to be, now just a black haze. The floor is covered in blood, and
remains of humans, elves, and onis. In the ceiling is the small outline of
a door.
The corpse of the First Cook is lying here.
A murky pool of water is filled with dead body parts, and in its base is a
small door.
Player gets an emerald key from corpse of the First Cook.
Player unlocks a pool of water.
Player gets the emerald gunsen from a pool of water