QUEST 69 · MEMBERS

Creature of Fenkenstrain

Dr Fenkenstrain, master and sole occupant of the castle to the north-east of Canifis, needs a new servant to go on a dark errand for him. Do you have the stomach to help Fenkenstrain complete his twisted purpose?

Creature of Fenkenstrain — OSRS Wiki quest image
OSRS Wiki image for Creature of Fenkenstrain. OSRS WikiGame image © Jagex Ltd
Difficulty
Intermediate
Length
Medium
Quest points
2
Released
31 January 2005
Jump to a chapter

Before you start

Where to start

Read the signpost in the middle of Canifis.

Recommended

Enemies to defeat

  • Experiment (level 51) - can be safespotted or flinched

STEP BY STEP

Walkthrough

Follow the chapters below. Click any screenshot or diagram to view it at full size.

Before you begin

The start point. Open interactive map ↗Map data and tiles: OSRS Wiki · Game imagery © Jagex Ltd
Note: If you are only interested in unlocking access to the Experiment Cave, you do not need any of the required items - follow the Gravedigging section to obtain the star amulet, then skip digging at the grave and go straight to the memorial to enter the cave.

Job interview

To start the quest, read the signpost located in Canifis - it is advertising a job vacancy for a 'Braindead Butler'. If the signpost says you do not meet the requirements, speak to Dr Fenkenstrain directly and he will still offer you the job, allowing you to start the quest.

Pick up the pickled brain from the table in the pub to the south, and Roavar the innkeeper will offer to sell it to you for 50 coins. Alternatively, use Telekinetic Grab to avoid paying.

Follow the path to the north east to Fenkenstrain's Castle, and talk to Dr Fenkenstrain located just inside. As part of the job interview, he will ask you to describe yourself in one word; answer "braindead", then tell him that your best skill is "grave-digging". He will ask you to find some "dead stuff" - he is planning to stitch together a body and bring it to life.

The body parts you need to find are the pickled brain you already picked up, a decapitated head, torso, arms and legs; you can retrieve these in any order.

Gravedigging

Items needed: A spade
Items recommended: Armour, food, and a holy symbol is recommended for protection against Feral Vampyres and leeches.
Gardener Ghost 's grave location. Open interactive map ↗Map data and tiles: OSRS Wiki · Game imagery © Jagex Ltd

Upstairs in Fenkenstrain's Castle, there are bookcases in both the west and the east rooms. Search the west bookcase for "The Joy of Grave Digging" and you will find a marble amulet. Search the east bookcase for "Handy Maggot Avoidance Techniques" and you will find an obsidian amulet. Use them on each other to get a star amulet.

Head to the grave located slightly south-east of fairy ring ALQ (see map). Using "Read" on the grave will confirm the grave as Ed Lestwit's. Right click to dig the grave, and you will receive a decapitated head. Use the pickled brain on it.

The location of the memorial. Open interactive map ↗Map data and tiles: OSRS Wiki · Game imagery © Jagex Ltd

Just east of Fenkenstrain's Castle and west of the Farming patches, there are some tombstones. Use the star amulet on the furthest memorial to the east with the indent on it and push it to enter a dungeon that contains unaggressive level 25 and 51 Experiments.

Experiment safespot.
Experiment safespot. Image source ↗

Kill a level 51 wolf-woman Experiment to get a cavern key. An experiment in a crevice to the south west may be safespotted with ranged or magic, or flinched with melee by attacking from the crevice entrance.

Note: If you have started Rag and Bone Man II, you may wish to kill the level 25 experiments here until you receive an Experiment bone.

Once you have the cavern key go through the north-west passage until you reach a gate. Go up the ladder, then dig at the three graves to the north and you get legs, arms, and a torso.

Lightning

Items needed: Ghostspeak amulet, decapitated head, pickled brain, arms, legs, torso, needle, 5 thread, 3 bronze wire, and a silver bar.
Skills needed: 20 [boostable] to create an extended brush
The body after all that trouble.
The body after all that trouble. Image source ↗
Show animation: The conductor is repaired.The conductor is repaired.
The conductor is repaired. Image source ↗

Push the memorial you came out of, and retrace your steps through the cavern. Exit the cavern and follow the path west until you reach Fenkenstrain's Castle.

If you haven't already, use the pickled brain on the decapitated head, and give the body parts to Fenkenstrain. He will ask you for a needle and five spools of thread to sew the body together. Give them to him, and he will ask you to repair the lightning conductor, so that he may harness the power of lightning to bring the creature to life.

Cleaning the Fireplace.
Cleaning the Fireplace. Image source ↗

Wearing your ghostspeak amulet, ask the Gardener Ghost in the back of the castle for the shed key, then go inside the shed next to him and search the cupboard for the garden brush.

Take three of the garden canes just east of the shed and use them on the brush with the bronze wire in your inventory ( 20 ). This will create an extended brush, making it suitable for chimney sweeping. Go back inside, take the staircase to the 1st floor (UK) and use it on the fireplace in the west room to get a conductor mould. Make sure you use it on the centre of the fireplace and not the fireplace surround.

Once you have the mould, you need to go to any furnace with a silver bar in your inventory to make a conductor (via the 'make lightning rod' option). The nearest furnace is in Port Phasmatys (2 ecto-tokens needed to enter, free if Ghosts Ahoy has been completed). Alternatively, use a teleport to a furnace (such as Amulet of glory teleport to Edgeville) if you have a method to easily return to the castle (such as fairy ring ALQ).

Note: On some occasions, you cannot make the conductor. Re-logging may fix this issue; in some cases, you have to talk to the gardener to get the option to make the conductor in the furnace.

Go back to Fenkenstrain's Castle; take the stairs on either the eastern or western side of the castle up to the 1st floor (UK), walk to the room furthest south, and climb the ladder to the roof. Click on the lightning conductor to fix it. Lightning will instantly strike, and the monster comes to life!

Lord Rologarth

Skills needed: 25 [boostable] to pickpocket Dr Fenkenstrain
It's alive! ...and it talks!
It's alive! ...and it talks! Image source ↗

Talk to Dr Fenkenstrain again. He will tell you that the monster tried to kill him, so he locked it in the tower. He will give you the tower key and tell you to kill the monster. Go upstairs again, and enter the central room of the upstairs section, climb the ladder, and talk to Fenkenstrain's monster.

The monster will introduce himself as Lord Rologarth. He will tell you the true story of how Fenkenstrain tricked him into selling all of his subjects and himself to the vampyres, and ask you to stop him from carrying out any more experiments.

You need to steal from Fenkenstrain a powerful ring which is allowing him to raise the dead. Go back downstairs and pickpocket him to obtain the Ring of Charos ( 25 ).

Congratulations, quest complete!

Quick checklist 31 instructions

Use this when you already know the route. The full walkthrough above includes explanations and diagrams.

Walkthrough

  1. Start the quest by reading the signpost in the centre of Canifis or by talking to Dr Fenkenstrain.

  2. Take a pickled brain off the table in the tavern in Canifis for 50gp, or by using Telekinetic Grab.

  3. Talk to Dr Fenkenstrain inside of Fenkenstrain's Castle.

    Say: Yes. → Braindead → Grave-digging

  4. Go upstairs by the eastern or western staircase to the bookcases and read:

    • "The Joy Of Grave Digging" in the west bookcase.

      Say: The Joy of Gravedigging

    • "Handy Maggot Avoidance Techniques" in the east bookcase.

      Say: Handy Maggot Avoidance Techniques

    • Combine the marble amulet and obsidian amulet to form the star amulet.

  5. Right-click dig at the cross-shaped grave marker in the Haunted Woods, south-east of Fenkenstrain's castle and immediately east of fairy ring ALQ.

    • Be quick, the area is infested with vampyres. Take a holy symbol and food for low levels.

  6. Combine the decapicated head and the pickled brain.

  7. Head north out of the Haunted Woods and use your star amulet on the easternmost memorial (south-east of Fenkenstrain's castle).

  8. Push the memorial to enter the Experiment Cave.

  9. Inside, kill a level 51 Experiment for the cavern key. If you have started Rag and Bone Man II, kill additional Experiments (level 25) for the Experiment bone.

  10. Follow the north-western path to the end.

  11. Search the chest and climb the ladder.

  12. Right-click Dig at the three graves to get the torso, arms and legs.

  13. Return to Dr Fenkenstrain (Fenkenstrain's castle teleport) and give him the body parts.

    Say: I have some body parts for you.

  14. Talk to him again to give him the needle and thread.

  15. Talk to the Gardener Ghost for the shed key (ensure ghostspeak amulet is equipped).

    Say: Do you know where the key to the shed is?

  16. Search the cupboard inside the shed to get a garden brush.

  17. Take 3 canes from the pile of canes next to the shed

  18. Use all the canes (3) on the garden brush to get an extended brush (using a total of 3 bronze wires).

  19. Go upstairs to the western fireplace and use the extended brush on the fireplace for a conductor mould.

  20. Go to a furnace (closest is in Port Phasmatys, teleport to Falador, fairy ring to Zanaris, amulet of glory to Al Kharid, or Home Teleport to Lumbridge) and smelt a silver bar into a conductor (lightning rod).

  21. Return to the castle, go upstairs and then climb the southern ladder to reach the lightning conductor.

  22. Repair the lightning conductor.

  23. Return to Dr Fenkenstrain and talk to him.

  24. Go upstairs, then through the metal door, then climb the northern ladder.

  25. Talk to Fenkenstrain's monster.

  26. Go downstairs, then pickpocket the doctor for the Ring of Charos.

  27. Congratulations, quest complete!

QUEST COMPLETE

Rewards

  • 1,000 Thieving Thieving experience
  • The Ring of Charos, which allows access to the Werewolf Agility Course, and, when activated during Garden of Tranquillity, reduced cost to many transport links.

OSRS WIKI CONTRIBUTORS

Sources & credits

Walkthrough text and preparation lists are adapted from Old School RuneScape Wiki contributors under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0. Game imagery © Jagex Ltd; individual image sources are linked in their captions. This page is fan-made and not affiliated with Jagex.

Game icons © Jagex Ltd, via the OSRS Wiki. Interface icons by Lucide.