Character Upgrades

[LennyLen]

Was there really 2 people who wrote Jarulf's guide?

Nope, that's why it's not called Jarulf and Egbert's Guide to Diablo.

And can gloomy shrines really last past the level you are on?

The effects of the Gloomy Shrine only apply to the game in which the Shrine was used. Also, Gloomy Shrines can only be found in Single Player.

Now I don't even know if the ring he gave me was real

It's undoubtedly 'real', it's also undoubtedly a duped item.