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The Great Brain Robbery

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Contents

[edit] Details

Official quest description: The peaceful contemplation of the monks of Harmony Island has been disturbed by such rude interruptions as an invasion of zombie pirates and the theft of their brains! The evil zombie pirates have returned with a new scheme, and it's up to you to try to re-mind these poor priests before the sinister Mi-Gor completes his experiments...
Release date: 6 March 2007
Start: Talk to Brother Tranquility in Mos Le'Harmless
Difficulty: *****
Length: Medium
Members only: Yes
Requirements:
Items needed:
Monsters to kill: Barrelchest (level 170), 5 Sorebones (level 57)


Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Walkthrough

[edit] Beginning

ITEMS: Diving gear (helmet and backpack), hammer, some nails (10 are needed but some will be bent, so bring at least 20), and 4 regular planks

Brother Tranquility teleporting you.

Bank any familiars or pets. Use a Charter Ship to Mos Le'Harmless or talk to Bill Teach at an eastern dock in Port Phasmatys. Near the dock you'll notice a rather sickly-looking monk named Brother Tranquility. Talk to him to begin the quest. He'll tell you about how some of his fellow monks are in a bit of trouble and ask for your help. Accept his offer to teleport you to Harmony Island.

[edit] Gathering info

Moving the statue.
Now you need to find out more about what's going on so head outside. Zombie pirates (level 57) will attack you. A short way to the northeast you'll find a statue that can be pulled to the side. Go down the ladder and into a tunnel. It's full of water, so you'll need to use your diving gear to get under the water. Run past the zombie pirates down there and repair the stairs at the far end. Climb up them, then look through the peephole to spy on the enemy.

[edit] The Prayer Book

ITEMS: Holy Symbol, Teleports to Falador (optional)

Go back and tell Brother Tranquility First about what you heard. he will tell you that the two of you can't hold the conversation there and that he will teleport you to Harmony Island to discuss the matter in private. Choose yes and go there and finish the conversation. He'll suggest you get a book that can be used to pray away poison. Travel to the Monastery near Edgeville to find the book in a bookshelf towards the south-west corner of the building on the ground floor. It will give you instructions on how to use it. Put on a Holy symbol and head back to the island. The monks will be feeling the effects of the gas so use the prayer by right-clicking the book. If you walk outside before you use your book you will see scene where you suffocate and you will wake up inside the windmill.

[edit] The Doctor

A player reading the Prayer book.

Now that the monks are no longer in danger of being gassed, talk to Brother Tranquility again. They'd like to get their brains back in their bodies where they belong. Unfortunately, as you're all too well aware by now, you're no brain surgeon. Luckily, you know someone who is. Travel to Dr. Fenkenstrain's abode (Called Fenkenstrain's Castle on the world map). You will find him if you go up the northern middle ladder located on the second floor. After a bit of negotiation, he agrees that a new home free of the threat of being eaten sounds better than where he is. However, he doesn't want to risk being eaten while walking there, and he's allergic to teleportation, so you need to find some other way.

Head to Canifis and talk to Rufus, the owner of the meat store. (Just north of the bank). Make sure to be wearing the Ring of Charos when talking to him, and have two open inventory slots. He'll agree to let you use a crate and will give you 6 crate parts, but you have to fill it yourself and he'll be checking the quality to make sure it's worth carrying in one of his boxes. Since he assumes you'll be transporting cats, you need to find a bunch of them to fill the crate and avoid suspicion.

Elfinlocks makes another cameo appearance.

ITEMS: 10 planks and 10 pieces of fur (any kind)

If you have a house with a workshop that has a crafting bench in it, go there now. If not, you'll have to borrow one from a neighbour. Either way, take 10 wooden planks and 10 pieces of fur (any kind) and craft a bunch of fake wooden cats.

ITEMS: 4 planks, nails (20 needed for crate plus 8 for bottom, but a lot will be bent so bring 50), and a hammer (Note: A sacred clay hammer will not work.)

Now travel back to Fenkenstrain's castle with all of the items. When you get to the room where the Doctor is hiding out, you'll see a hotspot to build the crate. Do so, then use the extra planks of wood to build a false bottom by clicking on crate again (Add-bottom crate). Fill it with fake cats, then use the wolf whistle Rufus gave you to call him (make sure to wear the ring of charos before blowing the whistle). Fenkenstrain will automatically get in the crate. Once past inspection, Rufus will give you a shipping order. Use this on the crate and it will be teleported to the island.

[edit] Making the transplants

ITEMS: diving gear, a hammer, and enough armour and food for fighting four lvl 57's

To cover up the graphic operation.

Now that the doctor is at Harmony Island, travel back to Mos Le'Harmless. Grab your items from the bank before you go over to Brother Tranquility and have him teleport you again to Harmony Island. Go down the trapdoor in the floor a few steps from where you arrived to talk to Dr. Fenkenstrain who will tell you that he needs some equipment to perform the surgery. He'll give you a list of items to collect:


This once was a door...

Luckily, the bad guys already have what you need since they performed the surgery in the first place. The only problem is how to get in....

Put on your diving suit (to avoid passing out from the gas) and head north from the windmill to the ship beached nearby. Search the locker on the ground floor to get a fuse, then climb up a level and get a tinderbox and a keg of powder. With these in hand, go back to the front door of the monastery. Wedge the keg in the front door, add a fuse, then light it. Instant entrance.

Once inside, kill the Sorebones inside to get the equipment you need. Don't worry, they'll only drop as many as you need of each item if you forgot what you need, so just keep killing them until they stop dropping surgical equipment. Note that the dear doctor also requires a hammer. Walk back to the windmill, head downstairs, and give all this to Dr. Fenkenstrain to begin the gruesome surgery... Then go upstairs and talk to Brother of Tranquility.

[edit] The Battle

Now that the monks are back where they belong, it's time to end this once and for all. Grab all the armour, food and potions you'll need for this fight (though not a helmet or cape since you still need to wear your diving suit). Walk through the front door and the Sorebones will be gone. Only Mi-Gor will still be there, giving you the option to "confront" him. When you do, he'll sic his monstrosity on you, a giant mess of machinery named "Barrelchest". Each of his hits will disrupt your prayer, but if you quickly turn your prayer back on, it will be effective for the next hit. Until recently, you could effectively prayer flash Protect from Melee, but now each hit drains prayer points by 5, so unless you kill him before your prayer runs out, this will not work as well, so prayer potions or restore/super restores are recommended. As well as disrupting prayer, he also lowers your defence so as an alternative don't pray, take saradomin brews, super restore and good food.
The Barrelchest!

He is weak to magic and poison. He won't use anything but melee attacks and he's fairly accurate. and when he hits, he can hit up to 35, so be careful of that. NOTE: Due to the update on 2 June, you can no longer safespot Barrelchest in ANY way. If you log out or teleport away, he will be at full health again when you return. He now also drains prayer points at a rate of 5 every hit.

Barrelchest seems to have a high defence against slash style attacks, so wielding an Abyssal Whip is not advised. Also, many players believe that he is weak to crush style attacks, so if you melee him, use weapons with a crush option. The other belief is that he uses crush style attacks, so wearing armour with a high crush defence (e.g: torag plate body and legs) may help too.

Once you've killed Barrelchest, pick up his anchor and walk back to the windmill to inform Brother Tranquility of your victory. He'll thank you and give you a lamp granting 5,000 experience in any skill of your choice which is above level 30. Congratulations!

[edit] Reward

The Great Brain Robbery Reward

[edit] Music

Music tracks unlocked:

  • Zombiism
  • Brain Battle - released 5 February 2008, automatic unlock for those who already completed the quest

[edit] Tips

  • Having the Book o' piracy allows you to skip the first speech with Bill Teach in getting him to transport you to Mos Le'Harmless.
  • A Kharyrll Teleport (Canifis Teleport) in your House provides faster return to Fenkenstrain's house after creating the fake cats.
  • The Charter Ships are a useful (if pricey) way to get to Mos Le'Harmless and Port Phasmatys.
  • Talk to the pirate Smith at the docks of Mos Le'Harmless to convert the anchor to a two handed weapon for a fee of 230,000 coins (See above, under reward).

[edit] Trivia

  • The title of the quest is probably a reference to a 1903 movie titled "The Great Train Robbery", though there's also a book and a song by the same name. It could also be a reference to the real Great Train Robbery in 1963 near Linslade (nr, Leighton Buzzard), Bedfordshire in England. Wikipedia has several pages describing the Great Train Robbery. It can also be reference of an song called "Great Train Robbery" by Black Uhuru.
  • When first talking to Brother Tranquility, the player's dialogue will reference Star Wars Episode IV, referring to Mos Le'Harmless as "a hive of scum and villainy"
  • The new RS music, Zombiism when on Harmony Island, comes from the movie The Great Train Robbery (1903 film).
  • Another Monty Python reference is hidden in the quest. When Rufus comments that the cats aren't moving, the character will comment that they're "probably pining", referring to "The Dead Parrot Sketch".
  • The Mi-Gor character and Barrelchest monster are probably references to emphysema, a fatal lung disease that leaves victims with a "barrelchest" and a raspy voice.
  • This quest marks the second appearance of Elfinlocks, a fake player from the Draynor Bank Robbery plot, who is travelling with her clockwork cat in Canifis. She appears to have gained another Blue Party Hat since her last appearance.
  • When first going to Harmony Island, the player does the "Scared" emote saying that they're afraid of getting hit while transporting. This is a reference from the transportation method used in Rum Deal.
  • The zombie pirates and the Sorebones are the only monsters so far that drop bandanna eyepatches stitched already.
  • The crate hotspot is the only known hotspot that is made outside of your house, other than the penguin hide on the Iceberg.
  • Some of the zombie pirates appear to have equipped the special cutlasses you buy from Smith from Mos'le Harmless.
  • In a dialogue with Dr. Fenkenstrain, you say: 'Urge to kill ... rising'. This sentence also was used in a Simpsons Halloween Special #6 when they where making fun of Stephen King's "The Shining".
  • After obtaining the Prayer Book book from the Monastrey, Brother of Tranquility asks if you said the "words", probably a reference to a 1992 movie Evil dead, titled "Army of Darkness" when Ash returns the book.
  • When talking to Dr. Fenkenstrain after teleporting him to Harmony, you will mention "Unusual Implements R Us", a play on the toy store "Toys R Us".
  • After the battle with Barrelchest your Diving helmet will be a little cracked on the character's chathead when you're talking to Brother Tranquility about finishing the quest. However, this is not visible in game.
  • If you examine any number of Skull staples, it will always say: "One Skull staple."
  • If you examine the whistle it will say "a silver whistle" which in common folklore would seem odd due to werewolves "weakness" to silver.
  • The antagonist Mi-Gor may be a dual reference to Igor, the hunchbacked assistant of Dr. Frankenstein, and to the Mi-Go(the Fungi from Yuggoth) from H.P. Lovecraft's story "The Whisperer in Darkness". The Mi-Go were able to transport humans from Earth to Yuggoth (Pluto) by removing their brains from their bodies and inserting them into storage cylinders equipped with sensory devices.
  • The reward lamp can be banked.
  • The item used to call Rufus, the wolf whistle, is the name of the quest required to begin the skill of summoning.
v • d • e
Pirate quest series
Main series

1. Pirate's Treasure. 2. Rum Deal. 3. Cabin Fever. 4. Freeing Pirate Pete. 5. The Great Brain Robbery. 6. Rocking Out.

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