Contact!

Official quest 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.
Release date: January 10, 2007
Start: Speak to the High Priest of Icthlarin
Difficulty: *****
Length: Medium
Members only: Yes
Requirements:
Gertrude's Cat
Prince Ali Rescue
Icthlarin's Little Helper
Items needed:
Any of the lightsources (the Seers' headband is very good here because it cannot be extinguished by Scarab mages, but closed sources like a bullseye lantern are also good)
A tinderbox (optional if using Seers' headband)
Either Pharaoh's Sceptre or money for using the magic carpets
Food
Several antipoison potion
Decent armour and a weapon (depends on which combat are you using), a prayer potion and Amulet of Glory is recommended as well.
Recommended:
A fairly high combat level (95+)
43+ Prayer
A Super Set
Prayer potions
Charged Amulet of Glory
An Emergency teleport (such as the ectophial or a Teleport to House tablet)
Good food (swordfish and above)
Monsters to kill:
Giant scarab (lvl 191)
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
edit Walkthrough
Starting off

Travel to Sophanem and speak to the high priest in the western temple. He will say that they have been having problems getting in contact with their sister city of Menaphos.
Talk to the priest and ask him about ways of getting into Menaphos. Pick the option about any ways through dungeons.
Talk to Jex, who is in the northeast part of the city in a building with a broken altar. He will tell you how to access the dungeons beneath the building.
Go down a level (down the trapdoor in the temple) and talk to the guard if you haven't got any lighting source already. He will sell you a torch for 200 coins, and a tinderbox for 50 coins. A bullseye lantern is a better choice because it will go out less often, but you must take your tinderbox into the dungeon. It is strongly recommended that you take good food (monkfish or above), an emergency escape teleport such as the ectophial, a tinderbox, light source such as a bullseye lantern, and an antipoison potion. It's also a good idea to bring a few energy potions, in case you have run toggled the entire way, which is recommended by some. Other recommend using full dragon hides with elemental shield, walking the maze and avoiding traps. Use the appropriate prayer if one of the minions comes near you. Avoid them if possible.
Dungeon

Turn OFF auto-retaliate in the weapon interface, since it might cause you to run into a trap and also waste some prayer points fighting back, if you're hit at an inopportune moment!
Go down the trapdoor and follow the dungeon around until you get to the ladder north of the southwest corner using protect from magic prayer.
When following the route above, the player will only encounter Scarab mages. Therefore, Protect from Magic is advised.
You will encounter various traps:
Trap
Image
Description
Floor Trap - Spikes

Similar to the floor traps found in the Rogue's Den (but easier to see - x markings on floor), these can be avoided using agility by selecting 'Search floor'. If you run over them without searching, you will be hit for 14-17 hitpoints.
Wall Trap

Similar to the wall traps in Rogue's Den, these can be disabled by thieving by selecting 'Search Odd markings'. If you run through them you will be hit for 14-17 hitpoints.
Crusher Blocks

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.
Sand Pits

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. Note that you can be poisoned by these.
Scarab Trap

These are the most dangerous of all the traps, similar to the pits in Desert Treasure, these pits appear if you walk next to a wall spot with a scarab on it. This will extinguish your light source and cause you to fall down to the bottom level. If the situation happens, immediately click your emergency teleport for safe, DO NOT spend time lighting your source up!
Note: Scarab mages can extinguish your light source even if closed, unless you are using the Seers' headband. You will not be able to continue attacking (if you were in combat) until your light source is relit.
edit Lower Dungeon
NOTE: You only enter this dungeon when failing any traps at the dungeon above. There is a chance you don't visit this lower dungeon at all.

The ladders in the dungeon above all lead to a MUCH more dangerous second 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 many Scarab mages. It is multi-way combat and your hitpoints will be reduced very quickly.
If you have a good supply of food, use Protect from Magic and find a ladder and get out fast if possible. It is strongly recommended that you use your instant teleport soon when you are sent down there. It is highly possible to die in a matter of a few seconds.
Once you have found the correct ladder (See map), follow the passage around until you come to the corpse of Kaleef. Search the corpse to get a parchment, read it.
Travel slightly west and inform Maisa that Kaleef is dead. She would like to confirm your identity before trusting you.
Tell her that you helped rescue Prince Ali.
He was being held in Draynor Village.
Leela assisted you.
She will then trust you and tell you to speak to Osman, the Spy Master in Al-Kharid.
Osman
Travel to Al-Kharid(Amulet of Glory or Ring of duelling recommended), go north of the palace and speak to Osman, he is standing against the north wall of the palace, try and convince him to come to Sophanem personally, picking the "Drive a wedge.." option does the trick. Osman will then appear just outside the gates of Sophanem.

Osman sneaks into the temple
Before traveling back, equip yourself for a big fight. Emphasis on good food (monkfish or above, sharks or better 'highly recommended), a prayer potion is also crucial.
A super set is highly recommended if you're using melee to fight against the boss, as the monsters may hit 20+, and the scarab is very difficult to hit even for a 100+ person. Always bring your best weapon and a one-click escape teleport. Ice rush, slayer dart and earth spells are extremely effective. See the next part for any paraphernalia suggested.
Travel back to Sophanem, Osman will be just outside the gates. Talk to him again and suggest the secret entrance just north of the city. You will then see a funny cut scene where Osman sneaks past Jex into the caves below by blackjacking him.
[edit] The Final Battle: Giant Scarab

Go back through Sophanem Dungeon to where you found the body of Kaleef. As soon as you go down the ladder you will see another cut scene where a large beetle appears!
Travel into the cave and fight the level 191 Giant Scarab which hits up to 20 with melee and ranging. It summons level 68 Locust riders and Scarab mages (which can also do 9 damage with poison) to aid it, which will attack the player at the same time. The riders will attack with ranged or melee, and the mages will attack with magic so you are being attacked by all 3 combat styles at once.
It is recommended to defeat the magic-casters and rangers as soon as they spawn, but ignore the melee riders as your prayer makes them harmless.
Melee: Using Protect from Melee prayer is recommended against the scarab, and having plenty of food is extremely helpful in this fight. Wearing dragonhide armour will help protect against both magic and ranging. Also the Giant Scarab has extremely high defence against slash attacks, so an abyssal whip is not recommended.
Ranged: It would be wise to use a Crystal bow. Use Karil's or black D-hide, and use Protect from Ranged. Diamond bolts (e) can also hit though its armour. Doing range any other way is not very effective in this battle.
Magic: Use Protect from Ranged. The scarab is particularly weak to earth spells. Iban Blast and Ice Rush are other ways to quickly beat the scarab, although if using Ice Rush an Ancient Staff is recommended. A full set of Mystics or above proves useful, pack also a battlestaff or mystic battlestaff with a mind shield/prayer book.
For more battle tips, read the Giant scarab article.
Battle notes:
The battle site has recently lost most of its original safespots and cannon uses when fighting bosses. It also becomes hard to mage or range from a distance.
The green projectile attack is not magic, but range.
If players are afraid of dying while fighting the Giant Scarab, it is recommended that they wear the Ring of life.
After the fight
Once the scarab is defeated, another cut scene will happen where Osman is miraculously alive (since he blended into the shadows as a spy master). He talks to and tells you to take the Keris on the floor, and then teleports away.
If you happen to die at the same time as the scarab or fail to pick up the Keris for some other reason, you can still get it from Osman in Al Kharid for free.
Go back to the high priest. (Tip: It is suggested that you teleport out since there is no quick and easy way to get above