Sorcery of the North  

I went there with an LS member of mine (he's a 57drg and I'm a 43whm) today... He kept killing the shadow's one after the other, while I kept healing/resting. We had an average killing time of about 1.5 minute per shadow, including rests. It took us 3 hours to get the 1st key drop, and the first chest was quite close to us luckily. Then, about 10 mins later, the next key dropped...

We started searching the chest spawns, and when we did all but the 3 upperleft ones, we realized we had to go down at around G-9, so we did... We came to a room with 2 or 3 golems, and my sneak started wearing. I recasted, and made the fatal mistake to recast in front of a cermet door... The Killing Weapon came through the door and killed me in 3 hits. The DRG (with WHM sub so he could sneak/invis himself) quickly checked the last 3 spawns to find a RDM75 got the chest there... Great, so he raised me, waited a bit, and we checked all other chest spawns. In the end we found it at J-7, so after 4 hours (not counting the travelling time TO and FROM Fei'Yin) we finally both got the keys... I now realize why the scroll is worth 90k on Titan, simply because it's hell to, around level 42, get this scroll :)

This quest is, as my subject line says, ridiculous! I went as as 51drk/war to help some LS WHM friends get their scrolls thinking I might as well get it too while I was there. The party was 4 WHMs of various levels, a 51drg and me (51drk). WE had no problems killing the mobs. The first key dropped from a shadow after only a few minutes. The WHMs lotted. While waited for a pull, I checked a chest spawn point (Mysterytour's map is very helpful) and there it was! I passed someone running out of the room while i was going in, too, so I was lucky to find it. I screamed at the WHM to come quickly and he got his key item. The second key took another hour or so to drop. Another WHM got it. The others had to go so she sneaked/invised us as I led her around looking for it. An hour later she catches aggro and we both die, no chest.
Take two. We show up. The first room I check, there's the chest! We ran to it but a high level THF got there first.. and poof... no key item for my friend. WE try for another two hours and no chest. We catch aggro and die.
Take three. We try for an hour. A high level THF runs by us as we enter the room and says he just got the key. We wait for another hour... and promptly catch aggro and die.
Going to try again soon....
It would be nice if there weren't so many THFs camping here. What's a WHM to do? So I'd ask any THFs to check for WHMs looking for the scroll and let them have it. Your Lifebelt can wait a little longer. Thank you.

My THF is lvl 50, could I just sub whm for sneak/invis and just go pick the chest?

http://mysterytour.web.infoseek.co.jp/ffxi/us/index.html

Click on Map1 then choose Treasure Maps. They also show spawn points of coffers in each area. Very helpful when going for AF gear.

The last few times I've been to Fei Yin to check for the chest, the same two Japanese players Mursamezero and Christos have camped the chests on the top right hand corner of the map. So don't bother going there, especially if you're under level 60. Specters spawn in those rooms, and they don't lift a finger to help if you're attacked. Plus you have to go through the basement section to get there, which isn't a very nice walk. I just ran through the first level checking all those spawn points. I found the chest about an hour or so after getting the key (which took 2 hours) Hope this helps!

On a side note, I've gotten the Life Belt (60k on Asura) and I heard that there is also a Whm spell Level 42, but I haven't gotten that yet.

Edited, Mon Aug 23 02:09:31 2004

i had purchased teleport-holla from AH when i was a WHM36 cause it only like 6k or something.

anyway... when i went to get the vahzl quest from eperdur he gave me the holla quest. so i went and did it (knowing i can't activate another quest with him at same time) holla is cake, and note that u never have to talk to anyone exept eperdur during that quest.

upon completion of placing the banishing seal in gusgen mines. i returned.. got holla scroll.. and then had to zone out of area.. came bac to eperdur and then got the vahzl quest.

the vazhl quest was easy for me, cause i waited till lv 56 WHM to go get it, and then i had a high lev. DRK friend help me kill shadow till we got key (about an hour). i ran around a bit with sneak & invisible on lookin for chest (30 minutz or so) found it in room with specters in it, i let invisible wear (so i can trade key to chest), making sure i had sneak b4 gettin close to them... then i went over opened the chest and in the process of getting its contents it removes your sneak so the room heard me, and 2 specters ripped me up. dyin is cool tho.. when u r deathwarping to go get your nice new scroll :) good luck

First to those that don't look down and just check the most recent, you can do this with a small party and without the aide of higher level help.

We (50 whm, 50 blm and 51 mnk myself) took to Fei'Yin and proceeded to one of the small connecting corridors at J-9. I pulled Shadows and Ore Golems from the connecting rooms, fights were quick, and many times I (being the tank by default) didn't take much damage at all. After all, these things were only EP to us, so about 20 xp per kill I'd say.

The only time I really started to take some heat was when those Shadows used Dimensional Death almost one after the other. It only did about 100-250 damage per use, but sometimes they have a habit of using it in quick succession.

After about 3-5 hours (I lost count really, heh) we got three keys, and proceeded to search for chests (with a print out already on hand of chest locations). We found one pretty quickly (which our whm took), but after searching for another hour or so without another find, we called it a night and logged there. I'm sure there were some higher lvl Thfs roaming and taking some chests, since no one else was killing those mobs.

So my final advice? Doing this when you can first can use the scroll (42) might not be such a good idea. A full party set up will be able to take the Shadows, but too many Dimensional Deaths and the other Shadows in the area will start licking their lips (or whatever they have) at your tank. You don't need a great party set up later on, so just wait for it then when its safer, easier and more managable. Getting two other people from your LS / friends list around lvl 50ish shouldnt be too hard. And watch out for THFs picking your treasure chests (after all, unless on this quest, you'll only get the usual loot, which is what they like ^^).

I did this quest last night with my friend who is a 57 WHM. When we got to Fei'Yin we found a 60+ THF that said they would help. We killed Ore Golems and Shadows. It took 7hrs for us to get the one key each and the battles where sort and quick.

Another thing, its a Fei'Yin Teasure Chest Key, not a Northern Ruins Teasure Chest key.

Edited, Fri Mar 19 08:50:20 2004

Go to Eperdur in North Sandoria Cathedral after you've completed the Teleport-Holla quest to get this.

After he has assigned the quest head in to Fei'Yin (NE corner of Beaucedine Glacier). The tome you need will be in a chest for anyone who has the quest assigned. Shadows (evil elvs) on the 2nd floor around J-8, J-9, and J-10 are perhaps the easiest kills for keys. You will need either a full party around lvl 50, or one high level (60+) damage class with you.

Once you've got the key cast sneak and invis, being careful of the magic-agro mobs, and find the chest. There are tons of pop spots in Fei'Yin so you should either prepare for a long search, or look up a chest spot map. you can decide that :)

Just an FYI, you need to have the Teleport-Holla quest done (same NPC as this quest) to recieve this quest.

The Teleport-Holla scroll quest ("Healing the Land") is given first by the same NPC in the same location.