The Great Masquerade quest chain

The Great Masquerade was the alliance quest chain that leads to obtaining the Drakefire Amulet, the key to Onyxia's Lair. This was one of the most arduous quest chains in the game, involving multiple trips into Blackrock Depths, a major event in Stormwind City, and a raid in Upper Blackrock Spire. It could require Lower Blackrock Spire runs as well, to acquire the key to the raid area.
== The Great Masquerade ==
Monumental events, from such simple beginnings...
=== Prelude: The Dragonkin Menace ===
* Dragonkin Menace
Morgan's Vigil struggles to survive against the pressure of the
Black Flight. Helendis Riverhorn asks you
for help pushing back their forces.
Showing sympathy for the people of Morgan's Vigil, you combat the
Black Flight's forces, slaying a great many of them, including a
fearsome Black Drake.
As have other people elsewhere on Azeroth, Helendis has other problems,
and used this task to see if you would be up to challenges greater yet...
=== Act 1: The True Masters ===
* The True Masters
Helendis tells you of the outpost's findings: that they believe the
Blackrock orcs are under the control of the
black dragonflight. Helendis has decided to
"kick the issue upstairs", and wants you to take a letter to
Magistrate Solomon, in Lakeshire, in the Redridge Mountains.
* The True Masters (2)
Solomon opens the letter, and decides that Stormwind must respond, or
all is lost. He directs you to Highlord Bolvar Fordragon, in
Stormwind Keep.
* The True Masters (3)
Bolvar, though, is reluctant to send troops without having undisputable proof.
(You may have learned earlier, that it's hard all over, troops are spread thin,
and nobody is getting enough military aid... See the
 quest chain.)
Bolvar asks you to speak to Lady Prestor, who downplays the situation.
* The True Masters (4)
Politician that he is, Bolvar determines to make you an acting deputy of
Stormwind, and sends you back to Magistrate Solomon.
Understandably, Solomon is not overjoyed to find that instead of an army,
he only gets you...
* The True Masters (5)
As deputy of Stormwind, Solomon says, you are required to report to
Marshal Maxwell, back at Morgan's Vigil.
When you get there, Maxwell just laughs.
* The True Masters (6)
It seems you aren't the first to be so deputized. Brave men and true have
been lost in this fight.
The former commander, Marshal Windsor, had gathered a great amount of
information before being ambushed and taken by the orcs. The only person
to win free of the fight was Ragged John, who has retreated to a cave
to the north.
You travel north to Flame Crest, and locate Ragged John, and tease the
story out of him. It seems that the orcs failed their assault, and instead the Dark Iron dwarves captured Marshal Windsor alive!
=== Act 2: The Search for Marshal Windsor ===
* Marshal Windsor (quest)
Marshal Maxwell directs you personally to go into the Blackrock Depths
and find Windsor.
You gather a small group of adventurers, and venture into the depths.
You manage to defeat a number of the Anvilrage guards, including
an interrogator who has the key to Windsor's
prison cell.
* Abandoned Hope
Marshal Windsor is furious with Bolvar. (Join the club, mate. They've got
truncheons and inscribed breastplates...) But without his notes, and
without Ironfoe (his mace), Windsor is despondent. The situation
appears hopeless.
You return to Maxwell, who believes that Windsor has simply gone around the
bend. Still, he rewards you for your dangerous work.
* A Crumpled Up Note (quest)
Unwilling to completely abandon Marshal Winsor to his fate, you travel back
to the depths, and go ... investigating.
On one of the bodies, you discover
 The note mentions
a couple of high ranking dwarves among the Anvilrage - General Angerforge,
and Golem Lord Argelmach.
* A Shred of Hope
You take the note to Marshal Windsor, who believes that between them,
these two Dark Iron dwarven leaders hold the most of his notes. If you
retrieve them, it will be enough to force the issue in Stormwind...
You and your friends venture into the dark places of Blackrock Depths
and overcome both the general and the golem lord, retrieving Windsor's plans.
* Jail Break!
Marshal Windsor seems completely re-energized by the return of the tablets.
He insists on leaving the dungeon immediately, and asks your aid in escaping.
First, however, there's some unfinished business that he has to attend to,
other members of the patrol he was with, fellow prisoners.
You escort him to a supply closet, where he rearms himself. He may not have
Ironfoe with him, but at least he's got good solid steel between him and
the world. He leads you across the prison compound to the other cells, where
certain people he sets free, and others - treacherous ones - he dispatches
rough justice upon.
Eventually, though, you manage your way back out of the depths. Once in the
clear, though, even you can't keep up with him. You make your way back to
Morgan's Vigil, and talk with Marshal Maxwell. By the time you get
there, Windsor has been there and gone again, off to Stormwind.
=== Act 3: Revelation at Stormwind Keep ===
* Stormwind Rendezvous
Maxwell tells you that Windsor's instructions are for you to meet him at the
gates of Stormwind, with as many people as you can gather.
(You do
recall that Windsor was the post's commander, right? Maxwell was merely
standing in for him in absence of direction from the Keep...)
You gather such a force as you are able, and head to Stormwind.
* The Great Masquerade
You meet up with Windsor at the gates of Stormwind, resplendent in polished
armor, white charger and all. The guard at the gate challenges him, and
Lady Prestor calls for his head.
Bolvar countermands her, though, commanding that none
of the guards are to touch him.
You escort Windsor through the city to the keep, where he presents his
information to the highlord. The highlord is stirred to action, yes, but
it is too late for Reginald Windsor - Lady Prestor reveals her true
identity as the broodmother Onyxia, slaying the hero and summoning
a good portion of the black dragonflight to wreak havoc.
Windsor's act of defiance has broken Onyxia's hold on Bolvar, though, and
he makes up for lost time, slaying many of the black dragonflight (with
your aid), and forcing Onyxia to retreat.
=== Act 4: The Drakefire Amulet ===
* The Dragon's Eye (quest)
Breaking Bolvar's Medallion freed him from Onyxia's
control. The amulet also gave him some access to Onyxia's mind, though.
With the amulet, you could penetrate the defenses around Onyxia's Lair,
and perhaps put an end to her.
But the medallion is shattered, and must be mended if that is to be attempted.
While he can't direct you to anyone specific, he can tell you that another
of dragonkind might be able to help you rekindle its powers.
You search the world, and after much travail, find yourself in
Winterspring, in the presence
of the Matron Protectorate of the blue dragonflight, Haleh.
* Drakefire Amulet (quest)
Haleh tells you that the amulet is one of Onyxia's scales, enchanted and
transformed. Useless now, she says, but repairable. To repair it, you have
to get the blood of a black dragon champion. Haleh directs you to
one - General Drakkisath, ruler of the dragonspawn army of Nefarian.
You gather an army, and assault Blackrock Spire, beating back the best
the black dragonflight can throw at you. You defeat Rend Blackhand and
his mount Gyth, and the chromatic dragonflight that Gyth is part of.
And finally, you face and slay the black dragonflight's general himself.
You return to Haleh with a vial of his blood, and watch while she repairs
the amulet, restoring its enchantment and effectiveness against Onyxia's
wards.
As you leave with the amulet, she wishes you good luck on behalf of
the blue dragonflight.
== Rewards ==
This permits entry into Onyxia's Lair. Don't lose it!
Reputation awards from this chain:
* about 1085 Darnassus
* 2850 Stormwind
* about 685 with other Alliance factions
== Notes ==
Typically this chain requires several trips into dungeons, and at least one raid...
# BRD - to complete Marshal Windsor (quest).
# BRD - to acquire the crumpled note. With luck, combine this run with Jail Break!. Otherwise, a third BRD run
# UBRS - presuming someone has access to a key to UBRS, a raid to get the blood.
== Summary ==
== Patches and hotfixes ==
*
Category:Pre-Cataclysm quest chains