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Contact! (#117)


Released		10 January 2007 (Update)
Members		Yes
Quest series		Kharidian, #3
Lead developer(s)		Chris J, Matt H

Contact! is the sequel to Icthlarin's Little Helper and the third installment in the desert quest series. It deals with the quarantine of Sophanem imposed by neighbouring Menaphos.

“

Deep within the Kharidian Desert, south of Shantay Pass, unrest is growing within the cities of Menaphos and Sophanem. With the threat of the Devourer still lurking in the shadows, the High Priest of Icthlarin has deemed it time to make contact with the citizens of Sophanem who had fled to Menaphos in the face of the recent plague. Thus far his attempts have proved futile, however, as Menaphos remains wary of the contagion and refuses to comply.

”

Details

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Start point	Speak to the High Priest of Icthlarin in Sophanem. Show on map
Official difficulty	Experienced
Official length	Short
Description	The High Priest of Icthlarin has problems again - this time with the inhabitants of Menaphos. Sophanem is recovering from the plague, yet most of its citizens are still trapped on the other side of the river. Diplomacy has failed and subterfuge beckons. Clearly, this is the sort of job that a shifty adventurer could excel in.
Requirements	Completion of the following quests: Prince Ali Rescue Icthlarin's Little Helper Gertrude's Cat
Items required	A light source (Kandarin headgear, Firemaking cape, Abyssal lantern, or a bruma torch are strongly recommended as they can't be extinguished by traps in the dungeon). If you don't have one, the Sophanem guard under the temple of the lesser deities will sell you an unlit torch for 200 coins. A tinderbox (unless you have a non extinguishable light source such as Kandarin headgear, Firemaking cape, Abyssal lantern, or a bruma torch). If you don't have one, the Sophanem guard will sell you one for 50 coins.
Recommended	70 Combat level 50 Agility 50 Thieving 40 Prayer for using Protect from Missiles against the Giant Scarab boss if ranging or maging, otherwise the fight may prove very difficult. Melee users should pray Protect from Melee instead, requiring 43 Prayer. Antipoison potion Combat equipment Food Prayer potions The Pharaoh's sceptre or a Nardah teleport (to get to Sophanem) 3 Nardah teleports to get to Nardah An emergency escape teleport Desert robes Waterskins A ring of dueling or amulet of glory (to quickly return to Al Kharid) ~800 coins (if using Magic carpet transportation) A Shantay pass (entry to the Kharidian Desert)
Enemies to defeat	Giant Scarab (level 191) Summoned by the Giant Scarab: Locust rider (level 68) - Ranged and melee Scarab Mages (level 119 & 66)
League notes	Desert✓ — location requirement

Walkthrough

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The Route into Menaphos

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Travel to Sophanem and speak to the High Priest in the Great Temple in the south-west of the city. He will tell you that the struggle for Klenter's soul continues and that the citizens have been having problems getting in contact with their sister city of Menaphos. Even though you proved the plague is not contagious, the Menaphites refuse to lift their quarantine and are not open to discussion. Offer your help, for which the high priest is grateful. In a cutscene he recounts how the Menaphite Guard, led by the cruel gatekeeper Coenus, rudely attacked the High Priest's delegation when they approached the gates of Menaphos across the bridge to talk to the Menaphites, who had orders not to let them pass. He explains the Pharaoh of Menaphos is more secular than the priest would like and respect for the clergy is diminishing.

The High Priest continues to explain that whilst Sophanem has some contact with the outside world via its own gates and the magic carpet routes, the city still requires access to Menaphos because many Sophanites are currently stuck there. He wants you to find a way to make contact with them to let them know Sophanem is safe. You can suggest several ideas: the High Priest dismisses a Menaphite disguise, for Coenus would even shoot his mother were she to cross the bridge. It is impossible to scale the walls due to the dangerous River Elid and the bridge itself is guarded and lit day and night. The High Priest does not wish you to harm the guards in combat, them being the Sophanites' brethren after all, and does not know of any hidden underground passages into Menaphos.

He goes on to explain the Book of Light and Day's story of how Tumeken created the lesser deities of the Menaphite Pantheon. He mentions the Sect of Scabaras, one such lesser god, once 'great architects of the subterranean' until being smitten by Elidinis. He directs you to the Temple of the Lesser Gods in the north-east of the city, which contains a shrine to Scabaras. The High Priest tells you to talk to its caretaker Jex.

Find Jex in the temple in the north-eastern corner of the city; it has a broken altar inside. He will tell you that the temple and its cellar, including the bank, were destroyed when strange scarab creatures burst inside from some kind of dungeon a few months ago, forcing the Sophanites to fight them back. He recommends that you do not go inside; many townsfolk have died in the dark cave due to the vicious monsters and dangerous traps. Upon hearing you are working for the High Priest, Jex blesses you and explains how to open the barricaded trapdoor beneath the temple. He advises you to be very careful and to bring a light source.

The Sect of Scabaras

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Go down a level and talk to a guard. The two will explain that they are guarding the trapdoor to make sure nothing comes out and nobody in, thinking the monsters below are related to the ancient Sect of Scabaras. They also mention they were not in Sophanem when the plague broke out, as they were trying to capture Simon Templeton. They will also sell you a torch for 200 coins and a tinderbox for 50. It is strongly recommended that you take good food, a tinderbox, a light source, an antipoison potion, and an emergency escape teleport such as the ectophial; as the next step after completing this section requires travel to Al Kharid, bringing a Ring of dueling is also prudent. It is best not to bring any valuables in case of death. Make your way through the multicombat maze to the other end and go down the right ladder. Most ladders lead to even more dangerous caves below containing more Scabarites.

Traps

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The dungeon is riddled with various types of traps, which should generally be avoided or bypassed.

You will also encounter scarab mages, scarab swarms, and locust riders. These can be very dangerous, and it is recommended you use Prayer against these foes. Scarab swarms can poison and will only appear if you step on a sand pit trap.

Image	Description
	Floor trap - Spikes: Similar to the floor traps found in the Rogues' Den (but easier to see - "X" markings on floor), these can be avoided using Agility by selecting "Evade Trap". If you run over them, you will be hit for 10% of current hitpoints, rounded down, plus 10 hitpoints. At level 84 Agility, players no longer run the risk of triggering these traps when using the "Evade" option.^[1]
	Wall trap: Similar to the wall traps in Rogues' Den, these can be disabled by Thieving by selecting "Disable Trap". If you run through them, you will be hit for 10% of current hitpoints, rounded down, plus 10 hitpoints. At level 84 Thieving, players no longer run the risk of triggering these traps when using the "Disable" option.^[1]
	Wall Crusher: These are also found in the pyramid in Icthlarin's Little Helper. Simply, move diagonally carefully around them. If you run into them, you will be hit for 8 hitpoints of damage. (Note: You can run through these without taking damage by just clicking past them with run enabled).
	Sand pits: Barely visible circles on the ground. If you step on these, the ground will crack open and a Scarab swarm will come out. This can be avoided by walking around the pit.
	Scarab trap: Similar to the pits in Desert Treasure I, these pits appear if you stand next to a wall spot with a scarab symbol on it. This will extinguish your light source and cause you to fall down to the bottom level.

Tips

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In the Combat Options tab, turn Auto Retaliate off in order to avoid unnecessary use of food or prayer points; accidentally retaliating against an attack may cause you to run into a trap if you are hit at an inopportune moment. Go down the trapdoor and follow the dungeon around until you get to the ladder north of the south-west corner using the Protect from Magic prayer. When following the route to the right, you will only encounter scarab mages. Therefore, use Protect from Magic and keep auto-retaliate off. The mages hit high but attack very slowly; it is therefore possible to only pray against one attack with ample time to run past. The locust riders use ranged and likewise hit high but attack slowly.

The ladders in the dungeon all lead to a much more dangerous lower level of the dungeon. If you go down the wrong ladder or fall down a pit, you will be placed in the lower portion of the dungeon. There are level 98 and 106 locust riders and lots of Scarab mages. It is a multicombat area and your hitpoints will be reduced very quickly. Find a ladder and get out fast or use an emergency teleport. If you have enough protection, this level could be a shortcut going from the north middle ladder (2) to the south-west ladder (6). Then, go up, east, north, and west to the exit ladder.

Warning: Unless you have an inextinguishable light source, such as a piece of Kandarin headgear, a bruma torch, or the Firemaking cape, your light source can be extinguished at any time (even bullseye lanterns). If this happens, use a tinderbox to light it again.

Kaleef's corpse

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Once you have found the correct ladder (being the one directly north of the south-westernmost one; you unlock a new music track), follow the passage around until you come to the corpse of Kaleef. There are no more dangers here. Search Kaleef's body to get his notes and read them. They are orders from 'Os' to Kaleef to contact an agent inside Menaphos using the Scabarite tunnels beneath the Temple of the Lesser Gods.

Go slightly west and speak to Maisa, a woman stood at the other end of a gaping chasm. She will expect Kaleef, of whose death you inform her, causing her to cry. She curses Osman, the Spymaster of Al Kharid, and says she wants to go home; Kaleef was supposed to tell her how to get out of Menaphos. To win her trust, tell her you have helped rescue Prince Ali, who was being held in Draynor Village and that Leela assisted you. She will then agree to cooperate and tell you to tell Osman to come to the cave, after which she will inform the Sophanites inside Menaphos that it is safe to return. She emphasises that Osman himself should come, and not another one of his agents.

I Spy with my Little Eye

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Travel to Al Kharid and speak to Osman outside the palace. Try and convince him that his help is needed most urgently in Sophanem. Initially, he will not believe you spoke to Maisa, claiming she is inside Menaphos, locked to the outside world 'thanks in no small part to [him],' as he had his agents stir up civil unrest in the city. Upon being informed of the situation with Kaleef and Maisa, Osman will agree to send one of his people to the dungeon but refuses to come himself, saying he would be lynched on sight. Osman explains Al Kharid and Menaphos were at war for centuries, the Menaphites' trying to expand their dominion northwards. Despite the official peace, there remains much bad blood between the two and Osman claims to have done 'many a dark deed' as Spy Master.

File:Contact! - Osman sneaking.png

Osman sneaks into the temple after knocking Jex out.

You explain that the plague of Sophanem is not contagious and the High Priest wants to open the town again and allow its inhabitants to return from Menaphos. Osman asks why he would help you with this plan that would benefit the enemy of Al Kharid. Trying to convince him that it is more thrilling than standing around in Al Kharid, getting to spy on the Menaphites himself or the promise of graverobbed treasures beneath Sophanem will not do the trick; Osman has his people for doing the spying and does not wish to rob the dead and end up like Simon Templeton. He is susceptible to the idea of driving a wedge between the two cities Sophanem and Menaphos, however. He will agree to help and meet you at the gates of Sophanem after dealing with a few more things.

Before travelling back, equip yourself for a big fight and another journey through the tunnels. Bring good food and some prayer potions as well as previous supplies to traverse the maze, such as your light source. Super potion sets are recommended if you're using melee, as the monsters may hit over 20 and the final boss is fairly resistant to melee and Ranged. Iban Blast and Ice Rush spells are quite effective.

Return to Sophanem. Osman will be just outside the gates, unable to find a way in without attracting undue attention. Suggest the secret entrance just north of the city that you had used previously. He will decide to split up to avoid getting caught together, stating that he knows his way around Sophanem. A cutscene then shows Osman sneaking into the city, luring Jex out of sight, knocking the hapless man unconscious, and getting into the caves below the temple. You then decide to look for Osman inside the cave.

Beetle battle

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This fight takes place in an instance.

On death, all unprotected items will be moved to a grave outside the instance. Any items left on the ground will be lost.

Items recommended: Food, prayer potions and combat equipment to defeat a level 191 Giant Scarab.

If you want, talk to Jex for some amusing dialogue about his being attacked by some 'degenerate' he suspects to be Siamun. He also comments that his temple is still in its sorry state, for most Sophanites mainly revere Icthlarin, and Simon Templeton stole some of the damaged masonry. Go back through the Sophanem Dungeon to where you found the body of Kaleef. As soon as you go down the ladder, you will see another cutscene.

Osman is seen talking to Maisa across the chasm, imploring her to stay disguised. Suddenly the caves starts to shake. Maisa flees into Menaphos whilst Osman is surrounded by scarab swarms appearing from cracks in the ground. They merge into one giant scarab that attacks Osman. He is seemingly knocked out and vanishes from sight.

Head into the cave and fight the level 191 giant scarab, which hits up to 20 with melee and ranged (the ranged attack looks like earth blast). Keep an eye on your hitpoints or game messages, as the scarab can poison you through anti-poison, negating your poison timer. It can also summon level 68 Locust riders and Scarab mages (which can also do 9 damage with poison) to aid it, which will attack at the same time. The riders will attack with ranged or melee and the mages will attack with slow but powerful magic, so you are being attacked by all three combat styles at once. It is recommended to focus on the scarab, unless you find that you are taking too much damage, in which case defeat the minions as soon as they spawn depending on which style you pray against. Note that a cannon cannot be used during this fight.

If you're using melee, you will require pretty high stats (70 or better). Protect from Melee is recommended against the scarab, and having plenty of good food such as sharks is recommended, you may also need a prayer potion as the scarab has incredibly high defence and drags out the fight. Wearing dragonhide armour alongside mid-tier melee boots, gloves and helmet (such as a Helm of neitiznot) will help protect against both Magic and Ranged - anything lower than this will lead to relying on good hits to win the fight. You should kill the ranger or mager as soon as they spawn, as more will continuously spawn throughout the fight. Simply hit the scarab in-between spawns.

If you're using Ranged, use a rune crossbow with broad bolts or higher, or use a crystal bow. Anything lower will cause problems, due to the scarab's high Defence. Use Karil the Tainted's equipment or black dragonhide armour, and use the safespot also listed in the mage tips below. Doing range any other way is not very effective in this battle. Use Protect from Missiles, if you can not get to the safespot, get the Scarab mage and the Locust riders to spawn. Trap the Scarab Mage on either side of the wall, that is on your right, when passing Kaleef's body. The Locust Rider, and the Giant Scarab shouldn't be able to melee you, on either side of this wall, so just turn on your protect from range. This takes more setup than the mage option, but once you have it set up, it is just as easy.

If you're using Magic, there are various safespots in the cave; hide there and use Protect from Missiles. For example, one may safespot from the entrance, near Kaleef's corpse. Using mystic robes or better in tandem with the Iban Blast spell is an effective approach, due to the scarab's low Magic level. Fire spells are also effective, dealing an extra 50% damage due to the scarab's elemental weakness. With a magic-focused setup and use of protection prayers, it is an extremely easy fight for players with decent stats.

Contact established

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Once the scarab is defeated, any remaining Scabarites will die and the three scarab swarms disappear. Osman, dishevelled and slightly injured, reappears, having blended into the shadows, claiming the situation was under control. He tells you to take the Keris dagger on the floor, which Kaleef had used to pierce the bug's shell from behind. He thanks you and teleports away.

Bug:

If you teleport out of the dungeon before the conversation with Osman, you will simply need to talk to the High Priest to finish the quest. Upon travelling back to the dungeon through the maze, Osman will not be there. You will need to talk to Osman in Al Kharid to receive your Keris for free instead.

If you have enough food remaining, killing a locust rider with the Keris is a hard Desert Diary task. One is also found just up the ladder. The wall trap in the passage to the southern corridor (and only that one) will have been rendered broken by rust.

In Sophanem, the townsfolk from Menaphos have returned and business, albeit slowly, is starting to return to normal. Go back to the High Priest. If you have little food left, teleporting away and coming back via the magic carpets may be safer and probably faster than going through the dungeon again. He will confirm that Maisa was indeed successful and reward you with a magic lamp granting two wishes.

Congratulations, quest complete!

Rewards

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1 Quest point
7,000 Thieving experience
Bankable Combat lamp granting 2 x 7,000 experience in Attack, Strength, Defence, Hitpoints, Ranged, or Magic
The Keris dagger
Access to Sophanem's shops including: bank, Blades by Urbi., Nathifa's Bake Stall., The Spice Is Right.
The music track Back to Life and The Spymaster

Unlocks:

Giant scarab accessible in the Nightmare Zone.

Required for completing

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Completion of Contact! is required for the following:

Beneath Cursed Sands
Hard tier of the Desert Diary

Transcript

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This article on a quest has an associated dialogue page.
Click here for a transcript of possible conversations encountered throughout the quest.

Music

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Name	Unlock details	Music track
The Gates of Menaphos	Plays during the High Priest's encounter with Coenus
Labyrinth	Unlocked in the Scabarite maze below Sophanem
The Depths	Unlocked in the deepest part of the caves beneath Sophanem
The Spymaster	Plays when Osman sneaks into Sophanem
Beetle Juice	Unlocked in the same cave when the giant scarab is present
Back to Life	Unlocked in Sophanem upon quest completion

Changes

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Date	Changes
27 April 2022 (Update)	Fixed a few plotholes and inconsistencies in the Icthlarin's Little Helper and Contact! quests. Removed some inappropriate dialogue from the Prince Ali Rescue, Icthlarin's Little Helper and Contact! quests.

Trivia

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Along with Scrambled! and Wanted!, this is one of three quests which uses an exclamation mark in its title.
This quest had the Osman sneaking into Sophanem cutscene replaced with Beneath Cursed Sands. Now the camera no longer follows him and only shows him luring Jex.

References

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^ ^1.0 ^1.1 Jagex. Mod Ash's Twitter account. 15 July 2020. Archived from the original on 12 June 2023. Mod Ash: "Looks to me like around 83-84 should do it, for both."

Contact!

NPCs

	High Priest Coenus Menaphite Guard Jex Maisa Osman The man who is not Osman Kaleef
Enemies	Scarab Mage Scarab Swarm Giant Scarab Locust rider

Items

Music

Related

v t e Sophanem
Inhabitants	Banker Carpenter Embalmer Guard High Priest Jamila Jex Klenter Nathifa Neferti the Camel Neite Plague cow Priest Raetul Rug Merchant Siamun Sphinx Stonemason Tarik Urbi Worker
Monsters	Locust Plague frog
Shops	Blades by Urbi. Jamila's Craft Stall. Nathifa's Bake Stall. Raetul and Co's Cloth Store. The Spice Is Right.
Features	Pyramid Plunder (Jalsavrah Pyramid) Sophanem Dungeon Klenter's Pyramid Great Temple Temple of the Lesser Gods
Related	Icthlarin's Little Helper Contact! Beneath Cursed Sands