• Vampire

Master teachers:

• M: Dark
• S: learning, perception, Vampire

GM Teachers:

• Staff, Identify Item, Mediation, Vampire

Training:

• To maximum level. The best training center in the game.

Magic shops:

• Dark

Quests:

• Necromancer Promotion
• Destroy skeleton transformer
• Vampire Promotion
• Bone of Doom
• Grave Dirt
• Puzzle Box
• Potion of Pure Intellect

Dungeons:

• Necromancer's Guild
• Mad necromancer’s lab
• Vampire Crypt
• Yaardrake’s cave

Shadowspire is the toughest area in the game. You have to come here to get the best training, and dark magic spells. There’s probably the best potion and magic items shops in the game, as well. But, other than running as fast as you can along the E-W road to Ravenshore, or the N-S road to Rust, avoid Shadowspire until you have a senior party. You will be inundated with powerful magic attacks. I suspect that without GM level "Protection from Magic," there is no way to get past the bone dragons, vampires, and necromancers.

1. Bone of Doom. You found this back in Ravenshore in the Dire Wolf cave.
2. Necromancer Guild. (Up the mountain road E of the town.) This is a mainline alliance quest if you have sided with the Temple of the Sun. To succeed, you will have to dump one of your party members and add Dysan Leander (a weak character who easily can be killed.) Your cleric should have "Raise Dead" by now. You’ll probably need it for Dysan! Things are fine when you first enter. Wander around. One important door, and all the bedrooms, are locked. Up a level, around, and down on both sides leads you to elevators to two separate towers. Up one is Sandro. You must see him if you have allied with the Necromancers to get the Nightshade Brazier quest against the temple of the Sun. Up the other is Dysan. Add him to your party. Whoever you dump will be back in the guild at Ravenshore, waiting. Now, head down to the door that was straight-ahead and up when you first entered. Fight your way through to the room with that is the control room for the skeleton transformer. You will be taking on a lot of necromancers and archers! When you have sent them back to the pit that spawned them, you will destroy the transformer. First click the levers to allow the door slider to move, then press the button that closes the door. Click the slider to secure things. Now walk into the transformer area, and a cut scene will let you know you succeeded. When you leave, expect even more baddies. Use Dysan and his key to get into all the bedrooms. There is good treasure in each, including the shield "Eclipse" that Laithus wants back in Ravenshore. Report back to the Temple of the Sun, and they will join the alliance.
3. Mad Necromancer’s Lab. This is in the NW part of the area and is surrounded by bone dragons and vampires. VERY heavy magic attacks! When you cross the moat and enter you are fighting vampires and necromancers on all sides. To the right is well-guarded room (bone dragons) and an elevator to a second floor. The ghost of Brazen Stormlance is here. He will give you the rest of the Knight promotion quest you got from his daughter in Garrote Gorge. (Go to Dervishe’s house in the NW part of the village of Ravenshore to get a potion that will restore him.) Back in the entrance, and this time to the left leads you through two very difficult rooms to a set of stairs down. Here are many necromancers, bone dragons, and archers. There are quite a few good chests here. They contain lich jars for the Lich Promotion Quest, and the spear Ebonest (part of the Knight Promotion Quest.) You will also find the puzzle box wanted by Benefice back in Shadowspire.
4. Vampire Crypt. Another tough fight, inside. When you enter, one of the tombs on the right side is a secret door to some treasure. A room to the left has an altar that moves aside when you touch it to reveal a passage down. There are two rooms with nice treasures below. One has the Vial of Grave Dirt needed by Hallien back in Shadowspire.
5. Yaardrake’s cave. If you can fly, and are a high level (methinks you have to be at least level 30-35?) then you can get the dragon Yaardrake to join your party. Use the fly and invisibility trick you used up in Rust to enter his cave and safely pass his "friends." His cave is high on a mountain in the NE of Shadowspire just before you cross over into Rust. As with the other dragon cave, there’s one great (highly trapped) chest that contains great stuff and a rare item.