One Piercing Note

One Piercing Note is a novice quest that was released on 7 November 2011. The quest continues from the legend described in the story of The Song From Before The War, found in ‘Lores and Histories’ section of the RuneScape website. It is a Murder Mystery quest, focusing on the why of the murder.

The quest contains an extensive amount of audio, and as such is recommended to be done with sound on. However, sound is not necessary for the completion of the quest.

Starting Out
Head east from Al Kharid over the stile to the Citharede Abbey. A Strykewyrm hunter will speak to you before you can enter and tell you about the Abbey of Saint Elspeth. As you enter the Abbey, you will hear a group of troubadours singing, and one of the sisters waiting for you. Speak to this Sister Catherina. She will tell you that Abbess Benita has asked her to wait for an adventurer to arrive, but she doesn't know why.

Investigating
Abbess Benita says she last saw Sister Anna at Vespers the day before, and found her body when she didn't turn up for Compline. She gives you a key to Sister Anna's cell, so you can investigate in her private room. Next she wants you to inspect Sister Anna's body. Finally you have to speak up with the people around.

Abbess Benita asks you to be subtle in your investigations as she doesn't want the murder to be known. She gives you a notebook to keep track of your progress.

Cell
Sister Anna's cell is in the south-east corner of the Abbey with the rest of the cells. Read the doors to find the correct one and open it with key in your inventory. You have to find a cloth fragment here by looking around and then you have to investigate the window, which reveals it was broken from inside.

Body
Sister Anna's body is in the infirmary, to the south-west of the Abbey. The abbess prepared it for burial herself and forbade the other sisters from seeing it. You can investigate the body simply by clicking on the bed covered with grey blanket. The information about Sister Anna's body and her wounds will be revealed.

People
You will need to speak to a total of six people found in and around the monastery: You will need to help Sister Debora, who can be found upstairs in the clock tower in the north-east corner, with setting up correct time on the clock. Beware that you see the clock mirrored, so you must in fact do the opposite of her demands.
 * Sister Cecilia
 * Sister Debora
 * Sister Elena
 * Valerio
 * Sister Catherina
 * Abbess Benita

Moving on
After you have collected all the clues, return to Abbess Benita and say that you are finished. If you didn't collect all the clues, she will say how many you still have to find. After you submit the clues, say who you think is the killer. The option chosen doesn't matter since it will be the same result. A cutscene then occurs and you hear a scream.

You rush down to the cellar to see Sister Elena's body and you have to search for more clues again. First, investigate the bloodstains and the body. Search the robe cabinet to the west. Return to Benita and she will give you the cell key for Elana's room. Search her bed and you will find a stack of letters. Talk to Benita about them. Next, search the sacks in the room to the east and talk to Valerio and Catherine about the murder.

After you finish searching for clues related to Sister Elena's murder, you return to Benita to submit what you have found again and she will ask who killed her. Again, the option chosen does not matter. She then asks you to bring Sister Catherine back inside.

Next, go outside and bring in Sister Catherine, who is dancing, and another cutscene occurs where she is locked outside and watches "The Ripper" kill Catherine and Valerio rushes to try to save her.

Climb up the ladder near the gate and operate the winch. Investigate the body and then return to Benita. Choose an option again for who you think is the murderer. Suggest making a trap to catch "The Ripper". Pick up a cabbage and then go downstairs to the cellar. Move the candelabrum and put the cabbage on it. Search the robe cabinet for a set of clothes, put it on the candelabrum and hide in the cabinet.

Another cutscene appears and you try to knock-out "The Ripper" and it runs away. You chase it around and then up the tower and finds out that Sister Anna was The Ripper and talking Sister Debora hostage. You go downstairs and change the time so the bell rings and go back up.

As you talk to Sister Anna again, the bell will ring, causing her to cower due to the noise. Sister Debora pulls off Sister Anna's claws, throwing them off of the tower. Talk to Sister Debora and she will leave. Three options will appear as you talk to Sister Anna. Any of them result in Sister Anna throwing herself off of the tower.

At the end of the quest, you gain access to the Reliquary. If a player tries to take the cithara the player will be damaged in some cases for Max-1 of the player's lifepoints. E.g. max LP = 990 you will be hit 989. In every other case a message "An invisible force gently but firmly moves your hand away from the cithara" is displayed.

Rewards

 * 2 Quest points
 * Citharede robes
 * The ability to recharge prayer points while listening to a musician (when wearing all 4 Citharede robe-pieces).
 * 250 xp
 * Troubadour Dance emote
 * Ability to make Illuminated god books (with 60 and )
 * The first time an Illuminated god book is made, you will receive 10000 Prayer XP and 10000 Crafting XP.(For a total of 60k Prayer xp and 60k crafting xp)
 * The ability to obtain Saint Elspeth's Cithara from the Reliquary beneath the Abbey and gain 50000 Prayer XP. You will require the following items (note this is a known combination that works. There may be others):
 * Saradomin blessed d'hide coif / Citharede Hood
 * Saradomin blessed d'hide body / Citharede Top
 * Saradomin blessed d'hide chaps / Citharede legs
 * Saradomin blessed d'hide vambraces
 * Saradomin Crozier / Saradomin Staff
 * Amulet of Ghostspeak or Cramulet
 * Ring of Visibility
 * Saradomin Cloak / Saradomin Staff
 * Illuminated Holy Book

Music Unlocked

 * Valerio's Song - upon entering the Abbey (quest not required)
 * Citharede Requiem - During the quest
 * Troubadour Dance - During the quest

Pre-release
In the lead-up to the quest, the Lore The Song From Before The War was released, containing hints about the quest and the lore attached to it. A One Piercing Note developer's blog was also released.

The location of the quest was revealed at RuneFest, and the desert was altered in an update a week before release to make room for the Abbey.

Audio hints were released through Skaldrun's Images forum thread, the first time audio hints have been used:
 * http://soundcloud.com/keildest/choir-part-1/s-736Mg
 * Lyrics: Holy Elspeth guide our tongues to sing to Saradomin's grace. Grant us the vision that you saw to hold before us all our days.
 * http://soundcloud.com/keildest/choir-part-2/s-DG95j
 * Lyrics: Teach us to stand fast, as you stood, undaunted by the demon's crys. The clash of battle shook you not, nor he did use Zamoraks lies.
 * http://soundcloud.com/keildest/choir-part-3
 * Lyrics: Teach us that single piercing note that rang out with your final breath. Thou shook to ash the demon's heart; brought it to silence and to death.

Trivia

 * Before the quest was added to the game, a low rock wall was visible just after where the entrance is now. Therefore players who run up to the wall before the system update took place would get the automatic message from the strykewyrm hunter when they run out of the place, not in.
 * After the quest, players can talk to Cecilia, the sister that leads the choir. She'll ask the player if she needs to leave the abbey and be a traveling musician instead.
 * One of the suggestions you could make when trying to find the killer is "I'll kill them all and Saradomin can sort it out". This is a reference to the phrase "Kill them all and let God sort them out", supposedly said by one of several historical leaders about capturing multi-religion cities.
 * Right clicking the dummy after it has been attacked by the killer shows it to be named Sister Cabbage.
 * This is the only quest to contain large amounts of blood.