I'm like a newbie again!

[Occhidiangela]

Tal drops as early as act II in the AS. I see it all the time. Ort can on occasion drop in act IV from monsters. I have seen Amn and Shael drop from the Hellforge quest in normal, though not all that frequently: more often, and Eth or Tir drops. :P I think I have seen Sol from Hellforge as well, but now my brain may be mixing NM and normal memories of dozens of characters. Best Hellforge Hell quest rune drop I ever got was Um, best NM quest rune I ever got was Lum.

You can morph runes up to Thul by using low level runes and a cube. Now, it may take some luck, but Ral Ort Tal can be made before opening the last seal: I concede that it will take a lot of Tal's to make three Rals, three more for another ral, and another Tal for Tal, so unless you full clear and get a bit of luck, it could be tough to make Ancients Pledge by Act IV and the last quest.

Paladin Shields, however, with sockets in them, drop rather frequently. Kite Shields with three sockets are not all that uncommon, nor large shields.

Drop in some diamonds, Flawless and or Perfect, and you get 40-50+ percent Res All.