QUEST 21 · MEMBERS

Merlin's Crystal

The wizard Merlin has been trapped in a magical crystal by the witch Morgan Le Faye. So far, King Arthur hasn't been able to figure out how to free his mentor from his crystal prison. Can you help?

Merlin's Crystal — OSRS Wiki quest image
OSRS Wiki image for Merlin's Crystal. OSRS WikiGame image © Jagex Ltd
Difficulty
Intermediate
Length
Short
Quest points
6
Released
27 February 2002
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Before you start

Where to start

Talk to King Arthur in Camelot.

Requirements

Must be able to defeat a level 39 enemy.

You do not need to have an Attack level of 20 to free Merlin, you can 'Use' Excalibur on the crystal to free him.

STEP BY STEP

Walkthrough

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

Merlin's predicament

  1. 1 Location
  2. 2 Location
  3. 3 Location
King Arthur Sir Gawain Open interactive map ↗Map data and tiles: OSRS Wiki · Game imagery © Jagex Ltd

Head to Camelot, east of Seers' Village. Ask King Arthur if you can join the Knights of the Round Table, and he'll suggest you complete a quest first to prove yourself; Merlin has been found trapped in a crystal. He wants you to ask the other knights for ideas on how to rescue him.

Gathering information

Speak to Sir Gawain, found either within the castle or roaming in the courtyard. Ask him how Merlin got trapped, and he will suspect it to be the work of Morgan Le Faye. However, he does not know how to get into her keep, which is guarded by Mordred and his group of renegade knights.

Next, talk to Sir Lancelot on the 1st floor (UK). Ask him if he has any ideas on how to get into the keep. He will mention that there is a sea entrance to the keep, and that the knights get all of their deliveries by boat from Catherby.

Infiltrating the keep

Items recommended: Combat equipment, food

Now that you have a lead, follow the road south-east to Catherby. If you do not already have a bucket of wax, pick up the nearby insect repellent for use later, which can be found on a table in the house containing Perdu just north of the bank. Ensure you have your combat equipment, then head just north of the dock between the bank and the Candle Shop, where you'll find a few crates against the back of the shop. Click on them to hide inside. There will be a bit of dialogue as workers come to pack you up and put you in the boat. After a while, you'll end up in the Keep Le Faye; when prompted, choose yes to climb out.

Defeating Mordred

Fighting Sir Mordred.
Fighting Sir Mordred. Image source ↗

Head up the stairs to the top floor, ignoring the renegade knights that are wandering around the castle. You should find Sir Mordred (level 39); fight him, and just as you are about to defeat him, Morgan Le Faye will appear and beg for her sons life. Do not select the option to kill him or interrupt the conversation, or you'll need to fight Mordred again. Running out of Prayer will interrupt it.

Agree to spare him in return for information on how to untrap Merlin, and she will tell you that you will need a magic symbol, bat bones, and a black candle, in order to summon a mighty spirit. You'll need to bind the spirit with magic words, and then obtain the sword Excalibur to finally shatter the crystal.

Obtaining the items

Items needed: bread, bat bones (obtainable below), bucket of wax (obtainable below)
Items recommended: Fast travel method to Taverley, Port Sarim, Varrock and Camelot for subsequent sections

Bat bones

If you did not bring bat bones, you can obtain some by descending the stairs to the ground floor (UK) and leaving through the doors, then killing the giant bats around the keep.

Note: Upon leaving the keep, you will only be able to return through the Catherby crates.

Black candle

The black candle can be obtained by bringing a bucket of wax to the candle maker in Catherby, located in his house west of the bank. Ask him about black candles, then talk to him again to give him the wax.

If you do not yet have a bucket of wax, head to the fenced-in area north of the keep, by the flax field. Pick up a bucket by the gate. If you have insect repellent, use it on one of the beehives, then use the bucket on the beehive to obtain your bucket of wax. If you wear the Beekeeper's outfit, you can simply click the beehive with the bucket in your inventory, without needing to use insect repellant.

Excalibur

Items needed: Bread
The Lady of the Lake
The Lady of the Lake Image source ↗

The sword is kept by The Lady of the Lake, found by the lake within Taverley, in the peninsula just south of the Hot Air Balloon. Tell her you seek Excalibur, and she will say that she will only give it to one who is worthy and good. She has set a test for you; she wants you to first enter the Port Sarim Jeweller's shop.

Head to Port Sarim. If you don't have any bread, you can make bread dough on the cooking range just south of the Jeweller's shop. Purchase a pot of flour from Wydin's Food Store, a bucket from the Trader crewmember's on the southernmost dock, fill it at the sink east of the magic shop, then use it on the flour to make bread dough for cooking. Alternately, if you have completed X Marks the Spot, you can travel via Veos to Port Piscarilius, and head west to the Kourend Castle Baker's Stall. to purchase some bread.

Open the door to the jeweller's shop and a beggar will approach, asking for food to feed his starving family. Give him the loaf of bread. When you do, he will change into the Lady of the Lake, who gives you Excalibur for passing the test. You must finish this dialogue or you will need another piece of bread to repeat it.

Chaos altar inscription

  1. 1 Location
Location of the inscription. Open interactive map ↗Map data and tiles: OSRS Wiki · Game imagery © Jagex Ltd
Chaos altar
Chaos altar Image source ↗

Finally, you will need the magic words for the spell. Head to the Zamorakian chapel in the south-east corner of Varrock, containing a chaos altar. "Check" the altar to find the words needed: Snarthon Candtrick Termanto. Finishing this dialogue is required to progress further.

Breaking the Crystal

Summoning Thrantax.
Summoning Thrantax. Image source ↗

Now that you have all the required items and the magic words, return to Camelot, where you will find the magical symbol on the north-east side of the castle's garden, just inside the fence. Light your black candle and drop the bat bones in the circle (DO NOT BURY THEM). A demonic spirit named Thrantax the Mighty will appear, and you will be presented with a sequence of words. The correct incantation is "Snarthon Candtrick Termanto". If you get it right, the spirit will obey you.

Warning: If you recite the wrong phrase, the spirit will attack you, and you will have to get a new black candle and try again. Be careful as the spirit is level 92, with a max hit of 10, and can hit rather accurately.

Once under your control, the spirit will offer a boon, which the player uses to make the request to free Merlin. After granting your boon, he will disappear. Head into Camelot Castle, and climb up the south-east ladder to the very top of the south-east tower, where Merlin is imprisoned in a blue crystal. Use Excalibur on the crystal, and it will shatter.

Head back down and talk to King Arthur, who will dub the player an honorary Knight Of The Round Table.

Congratulations, quest complete!

Quick checklist 29 instructions

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

Getting started

  1. Talk to King Arthur.

    Say: I want to become a knight of the round table!

  2. Talk to Sir Gawain, who can be found in the courtyard to the south or nearby in the castle.

    Say: Do you know how Merlin got trapped?

  3. Talk to Sir Lancelot upstairs.

    Say: Any ideas on how to get into Morgan Le Faye's stronghold?

  4. Go to Catherby.

    • If you didn't bring a bucket of wax, grab insect repellent in the house north of the bank in Catherby.

    • Use the insect repellent on one of the beehives to the west with an empty bucket (a bucket can be found near the beehives) in your inventory to get a bucket of wax.

  5. Hide in the crate east of the candle maker's shop.

    Say: Yes Wait and finish the cutscene. Climb out of the crate. → Yes

Inside the keep

  1. Climb to the top floor. The Renegade Knights will attack you on your way up.

  2. Attack Sir Mordred. He cannot be safespotted, but he can be flinched using the stairs (position him on the square left of the stairs whilst flinching from the square north-east of him). He can also be killed with rings of recoils or by another account poisoning and attacking right before his death.

  3. When Sir Mordred reaches 0 hitpoints, Morgan Le Faye will appear and ask that you spare him. Spare his life to discover how to save Merlin.

    Say: Tell me how to untrap Merlin and I might. → OK I will do all that. Warning: Do not interrupt the dialogue or you will have to fight Sir Mordred again.

    • If you don't already have bat bones, exit the keep through the west doors and kill a bat before leaving.

    • Can be recoiled down after dealing a 0 and not splashing Magic.

Black candle

  1. Talk to the candle-maker in Catherby.

    Say: Have you got any black candles?

  2. Talk to him again for a black candle.

Excalibur

  1. Talk to The Lady of the Lake south-east of Taverley on the peninsula.

    Say: I seek the sword Excalibur.

  2. Go to Port Sarim. (Make sure you have bread in your inventory.)

  3. Enter the jewellery shop to the north.

  4. Give the beggar your bread.

    Say: Yes certainly. Finish the conversation.

Ritual

  1. Go to the Zamorakian temple in the south-east corner of Varrock.

  2. Check the Chaos Altar's inscription.

  3. Return to Camelot with a tinderbox and enter the castle gates.

  4. Go to the ritual site at the north-east corner of the Camelot castle grounds (a red star in the middle of 8 columns).

  5. Stand on the star and light the black candle.

  6. Drop the bat bones on the star.

  7. The magic words are "Snarthon Candtrick Termanto".

Finishing up

  1. Enter the castle and climb to the top of the south-east tower.

  2. Smash the giant crystal with Excalibur. (Does not require 20 Attack, just use Excalibur on the crystal instead of attempting to wield it)

  3. Talk to King Arthur.

  4. Congratulations, quest complete!

QUEST COMPLETE

Rewards

  • Excalibur (Required for Holy Grail quest.)
  • Ability to claim 5 Kudos and an Antique lamp rewarding 1,000 XP in any skill of at least level 20 from Historian Minas after completion of the quest
  • Appointment with a title as a Honorary Knight of the Round Table.

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.