The Upper Hand

Dracthyr get an additional line of dialog from Sarkareth after the cutscene with the artifact. Marked for possible spoilers.

Spoiler

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• You resist the Oathbinder?
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• No matter, if you won't kneel, then you will die!
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Very odd experience here for my dad.

He's old, and on a good day (which I'm sad to mention this wasn't) he isn't really that skilled a combatant solo - which means, of course, that no, he didn't succeed at taking Sarkareth down far enough to have the master evoker get given a takedown.

FAILURE ZERO - Call This A Design Flaw
You have to fight him solo even if you're in a group of characters, even if you're at the same level.

At the time of this writing will be character level 70, gear level "season two dragonflight" even though season three is up you might be in Zaralek quest gear, which can no longer be upgraded.

No heals from your healer friend nor side effects healing from your paladin tank, who can't tank for you.

This resulted in me winning mine painfully (on my paladin) while he got about halfway but pretty well clobbered (on his hunter).

Success within your party is not good enough. You have to win it yourself.

FAILURE NUMBER ONE
Alrighty, fine we said, let's retry this.

Apparently if you wander around any during Emberthal and Sark's RP whilst she attempts to talk sense into the lordly - if you happen to be outside of the arena ring zone when Sark calls for Vox, initiate containment - then it is indeed contained, and you have no power to assist her.

This fails the quest.

FAILURE NUMBER TWO
Retaking the quest to restart the event is bugged. Not impossibly so, but bad enough that my dad has finished leveling 3 other alts before coming back to this.

Frankly, if Zaralek weren't required to invoke old-world flight on the new land, he might not bother; he's curious about the lore, just usually prefers to walk through it as quests rather than give it a listen on youtube - and he was tempted to give up.

Making quests bad enough players who hunger to stay start plotting to quit is definitely a design fail.

WELL THAT'S JUST not so PLUM DANDY, NOW HOW DO I GET BACK IN THERE
Turns out the usual tactic of "abandon then retake it" for escort quests is not 100% reliable here for being able to find where she is standing, and taking the quest again.

When not grouped, when you abandon the quest, she's supposed to be somewhere along this hallway, maybe partway toward the middle. (In the previous quest, you just beat a lieutenant in the hallway, and Emberthal refused to kill him, ...

The art only visually hinting that you're expected to keep walking forward but basically walk from the front door up through the hallway past the triggering points.

If we were grouped again (remember, we've come back after being logged out a long time and discussing this and basically ignoring it during the holidays) I could share the quest (that my paladin was on, just not handed in) leaving you at the "middle starting" point where your listed goal is "talk to Emberthal".

FAILURE NUMBER THREE
The UI was being resistant to letting her speak bubble work on a click, too.
Take your buffs and temporary enchantments before you accept.

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• Maybe they will fix this
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• Maybe they will blame this on our local keyboards
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• It's rather a hopeless and helpless feeling trying to help her fulfill her goal when the mouseclick and her won't get on with this.
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..you talk (poke her speak bubbler) to her and CLAIM THAT YOU'RE READY.
Save potions for when the fight hits full, because the RP is a little slower than a DBM pull timer while Sarkareth gloats:

Spoiler

Emberthal: We can't stay divided like this. We have to unite.

Sarkareth: Oh, I agree. Under the hand of our father - Neltharion!

(Emberthal now struggles to speak against the commands of a mind-breaking fist weapon.) The oathbinder? nnnnnghhhh...

Oh yeah, that's definitely not what she means, Sark, but thanks.

Emberthal: Champion... I can't... you have to...

Extra credit if you're an evoker, because player characters still not just resist but completely ignore his mind controller widget. Clearly we've had enough of it for ten thousand years, it's old news, no effect and Neltharion's our dad too so Sark - you are goin' to get your nose busted.

BE INSIDE THE ARENA CIRCLE
Do not meander past its edges while he bla bla blahs. Really, don't. One of the current bugs is that you can be locked out.

Spoiler

...because he commands Vox to invoke containment and the game is serious and means this. To Sark it is definitely not a game.

Just - be ready to hit him like the raid boss he will eventually become the very moment he's red enough to whale on.

You get him down to only-almost-dead and it cuts to cinematic. Well, maybe you and I do. My dad is still working on this. Everyone, wish him luck, and happy new year?

Spoiler

When you win, Emberthal is able to stand and rant at Sark, who is lying on the ground, still reaching for the fist weapon you knocked away.

Emberthal: THIS is how you wanted unity? By breaking us with more of Neltharion's tools?

She crushes it beneath her large dracthyr foot before he gets his claw on it to restart the fight.

He commands VOX to transport him away.

Oh, oh dear. He got away, but we're in one piece. Yay? I think I'll save yay for my 80 year old dad managing to succeed at this.

DENOUEMENT
She's so saddened at the situation and frustrated with herself...

... that it will never once occur to her that Sark did not command VOX to take away her commander privileges, so in theory, it should be possible to raid skip from right here.

But that's okay, it probably didn't occur to the questline crafters, either, much like it didn't occur to anyone to ask Magni if he'd be kind enough to have M.O.T.H.E.R. knock politely on any titan doors for us.