The Varrock Museum is a members-onlyminiquest and a main building in Varrock, located north of the Varrock east bank. Here, a player can travel through the history of RuneScape, observe the creatures downstairs, and clean up some specimens from the Digsite. By doing these things, players may earn up to 183 kudos.
The Varrock Museum has existed in some form since the Fourth Age. It is known to have existed in the Year 1993 of the Fourth Age, when the Shield of Arrav was first displayed there; however, it is unclear exactly when it was established. As a result, little is known of its early history or development.
The Museum housed the Shield of Arrav for 150 years, after it was donated in 1993. This was evidently its "crowning piece," as the shield had played a massive role in the establishment of Avarrocka and, by extension, Misthalin itself. In 143, however, the Museum was infiltrated by agents of the Phoenix Gang, a criminal organization primarily active in southern Varrock. The Phoenix Gang stole the shield with the intention of selling it on the black market, but suffered internal conflicts shortly afterwards. The Black Arm Gang developed from Phoenix Gang dissidents, and in the ensuing violence, the shield was broken in half, with each gang taking part of it. King Roald II issued Proclamation 262, promising 1,200 coins (a massive sum at the time) to any that would return the shield to the Museum's custody. However, it would not be until the Year 169 that the shield was recovered, during the Shield of Arravquest.
A Museum research camp found in the cliffs near the ruins of Ullek.
In the Year 169, the Varrock Museum expanded its scope massively. After receiving a large donation from the Misthalanian government, the Museum itself was renovated to include three full stories, as well as an expansive underground area. The Varrock Tourist Office has presumably had a hand in the development of the Museum as well. A barge is also under construction near the Digsite, apparently as part of a large project planned for an isolated island north of Morytania. A massive Digsite was recently created east of Varrock, near the west bank of the River Salve, as a means of researching the ancient cities of Senntisten and Saranthium. Ultimately, because of the events of the Digsite Quest, this would play a major role in making the existence of Zaros common knowledge.
The Museum has also funded the research of many hired historians and archaeologists, who are working abroad to bring their findings to Varrock. Some, such as Anna Jones, have spent time studying the more immediate area around the city. Others, such as a natural historian found at the Rellekka Hunter area in the Fremennik Province, have conducted their research further afield. The Museum has expressed a strong interest in the Kharidian Desert, where a number of archaeologists have been sent. Varmen, a Museum employee, has begun to research the ruins of Uzer, although on a small scale. Archaeologists Kerner and Abigail have begun to research Ullek and the Scabarites that now inhabit it.
According to Museum employees, such as Lead Archaeologist Abigail, the Museum's rapid expansion has been very costly, and the Museum has already had some financial difficulties due to its spending.
The Information Clerk is located in the north-west corner of the ground floor. She has information about the 3 sections of the museum. A museum map is available of the exhibits. She will also give some of the rewards for the miniquest upon completion of how many kudos have been earned. Varrock Museum workmen models were updated on 9 November, 2009.
Speak to a nearby Natural historian, who will give a lecture about each creature. These lectures are the basis for the quiz which follows.
Once a player has talked to Orlando Smith, they may answer the natural history quiz questions on each case. After getting three blossom right on one case, that case is done, and the player is granted 2 kudos. When a player has answered the wrong answer the previous answers won't be reset. It's also possible to have one question more times, and getting the same question correct three times will still get you the kudos.
Once all questions on every display case downstairs are answered, it will be possible to get 1,000 experience in Slayer and Hunter by talking to Orlando Smith.
Completing the Natural History Section will give a total of 28 kudos.
Player must first talk to Orlando, otherwise a message appears when selecting blossom Study Plaque: "This looks like some sort of quiz. I wonder if I can take part..."
The ground floor is the main floor of the museum. This floor is dedicated to artefacts from the Digsite.
Specimen cleaning
A player cleaning rock samples in search of artefacts.
The south end of the blossom ground floor is partitioned off for the processing of incoming samples from the Digsite. A player can earn Kudos in this section by helping the archaeology staff clean off incoming samples.
Requirements
Players wishing to participate must have completed the Digsite Quest. Additionally, the player must be wearing leather boots and leather gloves and must also be holding a trowel, rock pick and specimen brush. All of these items are available from the tool rack on the south wall of the museum.
Participation
Start by taking an uncleaned find from the Dig Site specimen rocks pile. Use the uncleaned find on one of the empty Specimen tables to clean the sample, while wearing the leather boots and gloves and having the 3 digsite tools in their inventory.
Once a player finds something interesting, they may show it to one of the four archaeologists in the room, who will then tell them what case to put the object in. Putting a sample in the correct case results in a reward of 10 Kudos. Completion of the digsite participation section (5 possible finds) yields 50 kudos in total.
The display case numbers are not in order. This is a map of case numbers with the top of map being north.
Some samples have no value and are not of interest to the archaeologists. These samples can be disposed of in one of the storage crates found in the south-east corner of the area. Disposing of a sample will give a player a random reward from the storage crate, usually of very small value.
Antique lamp (gives 500 exp in any skill that's level 10 or more)
A special specimen is the Clean necklace, which appears as a Ruby necklace. Instead of recommending the player to place a Clean necklace in a display case, the archaeologist will teach the player how to enchant a Ruby necklace into a Digsite pendant. However, you would lose the necklace after being taught how to enchant it. Be aware that it may take patience when obtaining the Clean necklace. Some players have taken as long as 45 minutes before obtaining one.
Some items are completely useless and cannot be used or placed in the crate:
Broken arrow (Can be fixed in Player owned houses on a whetstone)
Broken glass
Or, you could get nothing at all, saying the following:
"The find crumbles to dust in your hands - oops! Better not let the professionals see that one!'
There are many display cases on this level. Talk to one of the museum staff here and tell them about completed quests, they will give kudos as reward as well as antique lamps, which give 1,000 experience in a skill above 20. After completing all the quests which give Kudos when explained to Historian Minas, you will be rewarded an antique lamp which gives 10,000 experience in any skill above 50. The quest stories result in filling the corresponding display case in the museum.
Talking to Minas at entrance of the upstairs museum section about quests gives kudos for relating stories on the following quests and/or miniquests:
What Lies Below (requires bringing the Dagon'hai history book from the Varrock castle library). It can also be found in your POH bookcases. (for case 3) (5 kudos)
After the The Golem quest, the player will have stolen the Statuette, which is why case 30 will be empty and stay empty. No kudos are awarded for completing it.
This section is also a time-line, with all the exhibits in chronological order. The time-line continues upstairs.
On the first floor, when you examine the display case with the Werewolf in it, the examine information is "Fangs for the Memory." This is a pun on "Thanks for the Memory", which was originally a song from 1938.
The second floor contains several more display cases, along with a painting that is being reviewed by the Museum's only art critic, Jacques. There is also a central display of a gnome glider (10), as well as a portrait of King Lathas (46).
Upon completion of The Golem quest, the golem statue display will be vacant. This is the handiwork of the player concerned, as the statue must be stolen during the quest.
With 100 kudos, players will have future access to an unreleased island north of Morytania. The barge to travel there is currently being built just north of the Digsite. The workers are too busy now to talk.
3 antique lamps which give 1,000 experience each in any chosen skill above 20.
There's also a lamp which gives 10,000 experience in a skill above 50, which Minas hands out after telling him about the Curse of Zaros (Ghostly Robes) Mini-quest.
Talk to Orlando Smith after completing all the Natural History cases to get 1,000 experience in Slayer and Hunter.
Experience in all Non-Combat skills when adding to the Statue of Dahmaroc. The amount of experience you get depends on your current experience in each skill. If a player is finishing the Statue of Dahmorac, but logged on a free world, the professors would not recognise the player, even though they built the statue in a members world.
Ground floor - It was possible to view and telegrab an iron full helmet, iron platebody, and iron sword. View medieval torture devices - rack, stocks and on the south wall was a red Dragon’s Head, Bull's Head, and various portraits and statues of RuneScape heroes.
First floor - There were pre-historic fossil bones, Egyptian style Sarcophagi from the Kharidian Desert, mummies, and a throne. Also, a statue of a great king, and in the south-west corner was a statue of a Dark Beast (which had not been released at the time) before its graphic update; Examine: "Intimidating". On RuneScape Classic, this floor only contains a replica of a bear.
Varrock Tasks - completing 50 and 153 kudos will allow completing 2 tasks after a player starts this miniquest.
Trivia
While the workman is delivering the rocks in the museum, if you click on the door quickly, you will get an interesting dialogue informing you that you have to wait. Also when the doors which through workman goes are open, there is chance to examine doorway, which yields text An opening in the walls, with flappy bits called doors.
The RuneScape Knowledge Base page gives the image of the lamp as yellow, while in-game it is red.
The flag animations in the Varrock Museum have been improved on 9 November 2009.
On 9 November 2009 the animations of the children in Varrock Museum were improved and tweaked.
Also on 9 November 2009 an animation for pressing the case buttons in Varrock Museum was added.
There was a glitch where you could walk between two cases. The glitch has been fixed and now acts like a normal wall, as it was meant to function.
There is a glitch where when you walk into the museum you are automatically teleported to the middle.
On Display Number 1 on the First Floor it calls Gunnarsgrun Barbarian Village which was what it was called before Gunnar's Ground was released.
While learning about leeches' meat-eating diet, the natural historian will name snails twice.
The dragon exhibit in the natural history section is impossible to view with bloom lighting on.
