Baldur's Gate
Plus
Tales of the Sword Coast
Walkthrough
By
Steven W. Carter
(scarter831@earthlink.net)
November 4, 2002
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* Introduction *
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This is a complete walkthrough for Baldur's Gate and the Tales of the Sword
Coast expansion pack. Baldur's Gate is a role-playing game developed by
BioWare and published by Interplay.
The walkthrough is divided up by area. Most areas are (relatively) self-
contained and can be visited in any order, but I've put them in an order for
the walkthrough. Feel free to deviate and do things in your own order. Areas
from the expansion pack are labeled with an “*” symbol. If you've already
played Baldur's Gate and are only interested in the expansion pack areas, the
walkthroughs for those areas can be found in Chapter 5.
Also, in a few areas you can find objects lying on the ground. For those
areas I've listed the location of the object as an (x,y) coordinate. You can
see your current coordinate in an area by pressing the “L” key. The “L” key
also shows the identification number (ARXXXX) for the area you’re in.
Disclaimer: I provide no guarantees here. This is a walkthrough I developed
while playing the game twice using version 1.3.5512 and the default difficulty
setting.
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* Prologue *
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* ------------------- *
* Candlekeep (AR2600) *
* ------------------- *
You start out south of the Candlekeep Inn. Immediately head inside and talk
to Winthrop the proprietor. It doesn't matter what you say to him. You start
out with some gold, so go ahead and buy some body armor and a helmet (if you
can). Your staff isn't a terrible weapon, and you can use that for a while.
Then talk to Firebead Elvenhair, who is standing next to the fire. He'll give
you a quest -- to return the identify scroll he left with Tethtoril. Then
explore the rest of the inn. Depending on your strength and lock-picking
ability, you might be able to grab some extra gold and equipment. Just be
sure not to do any looting while people are watching. Sleeping people aren't
watching.
Then go back outside and head east. You'll see Phlydia, who recently
misplaced her copy of The History of Halruaa. Another quest! Keep walking
clockwise around the inner keep. Moo at the cows. Eventually you'll come to
a building called “Priest's Quarters.” When you go inside, somebody named
Shank will talk to you and then attack you. He's not very powerful, and you
shouldn't have any problem killing him. Loot the corpse, explore the room for
other odds and ends to pick up, and then go back outside. Parda will talk to
you and recommend that you get moving.
Walk east and talk to Dreppin. He'll tell you where to find Phlydia's book.
Get the book and return it to Phlydia for 50 experience and a gem. Return to
Dreppin, and he'll tell you he needs a potion for his sick cow Nessa. A guard
named Hull has it.
Continue moving clockwise. There is a Temple of Oghma, but it isn't useful to
you. Eventually you'll come to a man named Jondalar who will give you some
battle training. All you have to do is land a blow against him or Erik (who
will help out) to end the session. Nearby is ``The Storehouse'' with Reevor
standing next to it. Inside are some rats, and Reevor will give you 5 gold
coins (and 50 experience) if you kill them. Also inside, in one of the
barrels, is a silver ring. Basic jewelry like the silver ring is only useful
for selling.
Move south and you'll find Hull at the main gate to the keep. It seems he had
a little trouble waking up this morning and went to his post without his
sword. His sword and the potion for Nessa are located in his chest in the
barracks building.
Continuing south will bring you to the Gatewarden. He'll tell you how you can
practice fighting with multiple companions with Obe the Illusionist.
Regardless of whether you want to practice or not, tell the warden you do.
Then the warden will stand by Obe's door. If you do decide to practice, wait
until after you return Hull's sword. The practice session will net you a
small amount of experience.
East of Obe's house is a hospital. If you talk to the Priest of Oghma, he'll
give you a healing potion. In a curtained off area is a bed and desk, and in
the desk is another potion -- provided you can unlock it. Be careful if you
try to steal the potion; the reader and priest will detect you sometimes even
when it doesn't seem they should be able to.
To the west is a bunkhouse, and inside is another attacker, this one named
Carbos. Outside the bunkhouse is a box with 15 gold coins inside. Once you
kill the assassin and return outside, Karan will greet you and also recommend
you get moving.
West of the bunkhouse is the barracks. Inside the barracks is a guard named
Fuller. If you ask him about errands, he'll tell you to buy him some crossbow
bolts from Winthrop at the Candlekeep Inn. In the northeast corner of the
barracks is Hull's bunk, and in the chest at its foot are his sword and the
potion for Dreppin. When you bring the sword to Hull, he'll give you 20 gold
coins (and 50 experience). When you return the potion to Dreppin, you'll get
50 more experience.
Now explore the middle part of the keep where the library is located. Imoen
will greet you, and it doesn't matter what you say back. If you run into
Gorion, tell him you need a little more time. Somewhere wandering around is
Tethtoril, and he'll give you Elvenhair's scroll if you talk to him.
Return to the Candlekeep Inn and give the identify scroll to Elvenhair. When
you do, he’ll give you a potion of healing (and 50 experience). Then buy some
crossbow bolts for Fuller. When you deliver the bolts, Fuller will give you
10 gold coins (and 50 experience). Directly across from the barracks is a
barrel with some gold inside. Head back to the Candlekeep Inn, sell
everything you don't need, and buy provisions. Even if you don't plan to use
a bow yourself, you'll need some arrows shortly, so buy some.
Then head back to Gorion and tell him you're ready to start your grand
adventure!
Who's where?
------------
Dreppin: northern area
Erik: eastern area
Firebead Elvenhair: Candlekeep Inn
Fuller: barracks
Gorion: library steps
Hull: by main gate
Imoen: east of library
Jondalar: eastern area
Reevor: next to the storehouse
Tethtoril: outside library
Winthrop: Candlekeep Inn
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* Chapter 1 *
******************************************************************************
Watch Gorion get killed, but remember that the “Armored Figure” can be hit by
magic missile attacks. That bit of information will be useful later.
* --------------------------- *
* East of Candlekeep (AR2700) *
* --------------------------- *
Imoen will join you. She's a reasonably good thief, and you need all the help
you can get right now. If you bought extra arrows, give her some. She has
some healing potions, and you should split those up between the two of you.
She also has a wand of magic missiles, which you should put in one of her
quick item slots.
Head north to where Gorion got killed. Be careful to stay away from bears.
If a wolf attacks, you and Imoen should be able to handle it. If things look
dicey, have Imoen use her wand. On Gorion's body is a letter from Elminster.
If you haven't figured out that you should head to the Friendly Arm yet, the
letter should make it clear. Also pick up the items from the two ogres Gorion
killed.
Explore the rest of the area. On the coast north of the path to Candlekeep is
a man named Chase. It doesn’t matter what you say to him but “OK” seems to be
the best choice. In a tree at location (4419, 1955) you can find a diamond.
Lastly, if you walk along the road at the southern edge of the area, you'll
run into Kolssed. He'll mention that he just saw two people. Those two
people are Montaron and Xzar. They are located farther along the road. When
you find them, they will give you a healing potion and ask for your assistance
in travelling to Nashkel. As with Imoen, there's no reason not to let them
join your group.
Who's where?
------------
Chase: along western coastline
Kelssed: on road near southeast corner
Montaron: on road on eastern edge
Xzar: on road on eastern edge
* ------------------- *
* Crossroads (AR2800) *
* ------------------- *
Talk with Elminster and then explore the area. There isn't too much of
interest around. Along the road at the northern edge of the map, you'll meet
Aoln. He'll tell you to be wary of wolves and gibberlings in the area and
that an ogre mage is the most fearsome creature he's seen.
In the eastern part of the area, south of a ridge, is an ogre. He's probably
too tough for you at this point, so if you see him, run away but remember his
location. He's part of a quest, and you'll need to kill him later. If you
want to try and kill him now, have as many characters as possible equip ranged
weapons (Imoen should use her wand so somebody else can use her bow), and have
one character act as bait. Have the bait run around and try to get the ogre
to chase it while everybody else attacks. Once you kill it, either now or
later, you'll get two girdles (one cursed and one for a quest), a scroll, and
a mace.
On a rock, at location (1004, 1115), is a ring of protection +1. On the road
at the southern edge of the map you'll run into Andout who will inform you
that Beregost is being garrisoned. Nearby you'll find Jase who will let you
know there are bandits in the area. North of Jase is an overturned wagon, and
by the wagon is a barrel with gold inside.
When you're ready to leave, exit the area to the north.
Who's where?
------------
Andout: southern part of map, near road
Aoln: northern part of map, near road
Jase: southern part of map, near road
* ------------------------- *
* Friendly Arm Inn (AR2300) *
* ------------------------- *
The inn is located in a former fortress with high walls and a single gate on
the southern side. Before going inside the fortress, explore the grounds
outside. Located at (2553, 3757) is a ring of wizardry (provided you have the
“right” version of the game). Also, following the road, you will come across
three groups of hobgoblins. The middle group (northwest of the Friendly Arm)
will have a hobgoblin wearing green instead of the standard red. That
hobgoblin is carrying Joia's Firedance ring, and you need it for a quest. The
other hobgoblins have bastard swords (which are better than long swords, if
that's what you have now), leather armor, helmets, and gold or trinkets. Once
the road is clear, head inside the fortress.
Inside the walls, just to the west of the drawbridge entrance, is a home. It
belongs to Joia, and she wants her ring back. When you give it to her, you'll
receive 400 points of experience and a point of reputation. She'll also leave
the home at that point, allowing you to do some search and seizure. Inside
one of the chests is some gold and a gem.
Talk to some of the commoners. You'll learn that there have been recent
problems with bandits and iron. To the east is the Temple of Wisdom. You can
get healing and antidote potions there, but you probably can't afford them
yet. You can also identify items there.
When you approach the staircase leading up to the inn, an assassin will attack
you. This one is named Tarnesh, and he is much more difficult than the two
you faced in Candlekeep. Luckily, the guards will help you out, so when you
hear him say “Hi, friend” head in their direction. Between the guards and
your party, you should be able to finish him off reasonably easily. On his
body you'll find some scrolls and a letter. The letter indicates that
somebody has put a bounty on your head.
The inn is made up of three levels. When you enter the inn (first level),
you'll meet Jopi. His uncle is named Ragefast, and you'll meet him later in
Baldur's Gate. Also on the first level is Whelp, a drunk who provides some
entertaining dialogue. In the western corner are Khalid and Jaheira, the two
people Gorion wanted you to meet. Go ahead and have them join your party, but
realize that Khalid and Imoen are good, Jaheira is neutral, and Xzar and
Montaron are evil. Eventually, somebody is going to have to go.
Bentley Mirrorshade runs the bar and shop on the first level of the inn. You
can sell to him most of the things you have been picking up, and you can also
buy useful things like more arrows and a large shield +1 (although probably
later). He also has for sale two books, the History of the Fateful Coin and
the History of the Unicorn Run. Go ahead and buy them; you'll need them
later.
On the second level is Unshey. He'll tell you that he lost his belt of
piercing to an ogre south of the Friendly Inn. That ogre should sound
familiar. When you give the belt back to him, he'll give you a measly 10
gold coins (plus 800 experience points). The belt is actually useful (+3 AC
bonus against piercing weapons), so you might want to keep it instead. Or,
you can give the girdle to Unshey and then kill him to get it back. It's not
possible to steal it from him. If you choose to kill him, it'll cost you 5
reputation points. Also, in the southern-most room on the second level, you
can pick open a chest with a healing potion and gold in it.
On the third level of the inn is a nobleman who will mistake you for the
laundry service and give you some golden pantaloons. The pantaloons aren't
useful, but if you give them back to the nobleman you'll receive 100
experience points. (Note: You can use the pantaloons in Baldur’s Gate 2, so
you might want to keep them if you plan to export your character to that
game.)
Also on the third level, in the common area, is Landrin. She lives in
Beregost and has a problem with spiders in her house. If your charisma is
high enough, she'll give you 6 antidote potions to help you in clearing her
house. Eventually you'll need to bring her back a spider body, her husband's
boots, and a bottle of wine.
It seems that every NPC you add to your group wants to go to Nashkel, so
that's the direction you should head next. However, you should leave the
current area to the north. That will add a new location to your map, and you
can still travel to the south.
Who's where?
------------
Bentley Mirrorshade: first level of the inn, behind bar
Genna Mirrorshade: Temple of Wisdom
Jaheira: first level of the inn, western side
Khalid: first level of the inn, western side
Landrin: third level of the inn, common area
Unshey: second level of the inn, east side
Whelp: first level of the inn
* ----------------- *
* Beregost (AR3300) *
* ----------------- *
When you enter the area, Golin Vend will greet you and give you information
about the town. If you've read Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate, then Golin
won't tell you anything you don't already know. Commoners will also tell you
more about the iron shortage and bandit problems, plus mention other topics of
note such as the Ulcaster School, the Firewine Bridge, and Bassilus.
Directly south of where you enter the area is a group of four residences. You
can do some pilfering here if you want. In the most western house (the one
with the boy waiting for the Greycarts) is a chest with 96 gold pieces in it.
You can steal the gold with the boy watching and not face any repercussions.
There is also a bag on the ground next to the most southern house, and it has
a small amount of gold in it.
In the group of buildings to the south you will find Kagain, an evil fighter
and owner of an escort business. If your party is evil or neutral, then
Kagain is a good choice for the front ranks. In the back room of his shop is
a crate with some gold in it. You can also do some minor looting in the other
buildings.
South of Kagain's shop is the Feldepost Inn. When you enter, a man named
Marl, who doesn't like adventurers very much, will approach you. If you
answer...
-- “No need to get bent out of shape.”
-- “I just do what I think is right.”
-- “Hold on!”
-- “If you knew him like you think...”
-- “The Realms call...”
... then you'll gain 900 experience and Marl will go away. If you answer
anything else, you'll have to fight him, and he's only worth 650 experience.
Also on the first level is the bartender, who has a few magical items for
sale. Visit him again when you have more gold. On the second level is an
unfriendly man named Algernon. He's holding a cloak of charisma +2, which you
can steal.
East of the Feldepost Inn is a large monument. During the day the town crier
will be standing there, and he'll tell you about a reward for the killing of
the cleric Bassilus. South of the monument is another group of buildings. In
a home on the western side is Firebead Elvenhair (who you previously met in
Candlekeep), and he's looking for a copy of the History of the Fateful Coin.
You should have a copy of that from the Friendly Arm Inn, and when you give it
to him he will reward you with a copy of the History of the Dead Three (plus
300 points of experience and a point of reputation).
In the southeast corner of this block of buildings is the Jovial Juggler Inn,
and to the west of that is Landrin's house with the spider problem. Don't try
to clear Landrin's house until you have purchased some antidote potions, which
you can find in the temple east of town. There are four huge spiders in the
house, and if the battle becomes difficult, you can always leave, rest, and
then return to the house until the spiders are all dead. Remember to pick up
all three items that Landrin wants (boots, spider body, wine).
Inside the Jovial Juggler, you'll meet Bjornin, who wants you to kill some
half-ogres to the southwest, and Gurke, who lost his cloak to some tasloi in
the Cloakwood Forest. Upstairs is Oogie Wisham, who thinks Bjornin is out to
get him. Oogie needs some medication.
In the block of buildings north of the monument are three homes, the Red Sheaf
Inn, and the Burning Wizard Inn. Outside the Burning Wizard is Garrick, who
will offer your party a job acting as bodyguards for Silke the thespian. If
you agree to the job, Garrick will lead you to the Red Sheaf Inn where Silke
is waiting. Silke is a bad, bad girl and she'll try to get you to kill some
innocent merchants. If you're feeling evil yourself, you can kill the
merchants (15 experience points each), loot their potions of defense, and get
a 300 or 400 gold piece reward from Silke. However, you'll lose 2 points of
reputation and Garrick will not offer to join your group. If you take the
side of the merchants, you'll have to face Silke, who is a mage. She can cast
lightning bolt, so you need to kill her quickly. Let loose with the best
spells you have. You'll get 900 experience for killing her, and she's
carrying a quarter staff +1 plus the 400 coins she would have paid you if you
had killed the merchants. Also, if you talk to the merchants, they'll give
you a potion of defense, and if you talk to Garrick, he'll offer to join you.
Inside the Burning Wizard you'll meet Zhurlong, who lost his boots of stealth
to a tribe of hobgoblins. Every time you talk to him, he'll steal some gold
from you (but give it back later), so only talk to him once. Upstairs you
will meet Spen Gil'meh who will tell you a little about Beregost and the
Firewine Bridge. It's a good idea to spend the night here so you can memorize
spells after your bout with Silke.
When you enter the Red Sheaf Inn, you'll be attacked by Karlat, yet another
assassin ready to do you in. He's a tough fighter, and you should once again
hit him with everything you have. He's worth 270 experience points and has a
bounty notice plus some other items on him. The bounty notices aren't useful
in any way, although it’s fun to watch the bounty price go up. You can get
rid of the notices at any time.
Also on the first level is Perdue. If you answer...
-- “A dog's head?”
-- “Oh, a gnoll!”
-- “Never liked them myself.”
-- “You've got yourself a deal.”
... then Perdue will give you a quest to retrieve his lost short sword. It's
being held by some gnolls in the High Hedge area to the west of Beregost.
(Well, hey, 50 gold coins is 50 gold coins.) Upstairs is Raleo Windspear, who
like Spen Gil'meh, can give you some background information.
East of the Red Sheaf Inn is yet another block of buildings. The home in the
northeast corner belongs to Mirianne, and, if you talk to her, you'll learn
that she's awaiting word from her husband. The shop in the southeast corner
is the Thunder Hammer Smithy. Here Taerom Fuiruim will buy most items, and he
has some magical items for sale as well. Late at night the smithy will be
empty, and you can steal a bastard sword +1 from one of the chests inside
(provided your lock-picking ability is good).
The house in the northeastern part of town belongs to Gerard Travenhurst, a
member of the town council. Upstairs, in one of the bedrooms, is some good
loot, including a wand of lightning and a potion of healing.
When you're ready to move on, sell what you can, buy what you can, and then
stay at an inn to memorize spells. Then leave the area to the south.
Who's where?
------------
Alain: middle house
Algernon: second level of Feldepost Inn
Bjornin: first level of Jovial Juggler Inn
Dunkin: first level of Feldepost Inn
Firebead Elvenhair: southern house
Garrick: outside Burning Wizard Inn
Golin Vend: outside, northern edge of map, on road
Gerard Travenhurst: northeastern house
Gurke: first level of Jovial Juggler Inn
Karlat: first level of Red Sheaf Inn
Marl: first level of Feldepost Inn
Mirianne: eastern house
Mr. Colquetle: southern house
Oogie Wisham: second level of Jovial Juggler Inn
Perdue: first level of Red Sheaf Inn
Raleo Windspear: second level of Red Sheaf Inn
Silke: outside Red Sheaf Inn
Spen Gil'meh: second level of Burning Wizard Inn
Taerom Fuiruim: Thunder Hammer Smithy
Zhurlong: first level of Burning Wizard Inn
* ---------------------------------------------------- *
* Forest South of Beregost / North of Nashkel (AR3800) *
* ---------------------------------------------------- *
South of where you start the area is Shelligh, a little boy out picking fruit.
He's just reinforcement that people are having a hard time right now.
Continuing south along the road will bring you to an ogrillon. It is carrying
a letter from Roe to Mirianne, and you can give it to Mirianne later. Try to
hit the ogrillon with ranged weapons. It only uses its fists, but a single
punch or two can kill your characters.
If you follow the road all the way to the southern edge of the map, you'll
run into another ogrillon, which you should kill in the same way as the last
one, and a Flaming Fist mercenary. The mercenary will mistake you for
bandits, which is fine. Challenge him to a fight. He's carrying plate mail
and a cool plumed helmet, and you can kill him without losing a reputation
point.
Near the middle of the map, you'll run into a group of three hobgoblins, two
wearing red and one wearing green. The one in green will have Zhurlong's
boots of stealth. Near the hobgoblins is a cave, and inside the cave will be
5 potions of healing and some gold. Northwest of the cave is Bub Snikt, who
can give you some background information if you ask for it.
Scattered around the remainder of the area, you'll find some more hobgoblins
and some gibberlings. You should be able to kill them all pretty easily.
There might also be a ghoul or two around, and you should be a little careful
with them since they can paralyze your party members.
After you've explored the area, continue south towards Nashkel.
Who's where?
------------
Bub Snikt: western side of map
Shelligh: north edge, near road
* --------------------------------------------------- *
* Hills South of Beregost / North of Nashkel (AR4300) *
* --------------------------------------------------- *
If you follow the road, it will turn towards the west, and eventually it will
pass a hobgoblin camp. There are six hobgoblins there, two with bows. If you
advance slowly and attack the nearest hobgoblin with ranged weapons, it will
charge you, and you might be able to take out the entire group only fighting
one or two at a time.
There isn't much to the rest of the area. Lord Foreshadow can be found in the
southwestern corner of the map, on the road. He'll insult your attire.
Portalbendarwinden (say that three times fast) is in the southeastern part of
the map. He'll insult your aura. The rest of the area has a variety of
hobgoblins, ghouls, kobolds, and bandits. If you kill any bandits, pick up
their scalps (eww), but don't sell them until you meet Officer Vai later in
the game.
When you've explored the area, rest to heal your characters and memorize
spells. You'll have a battle on your hands when you get to Nashkel.
Who's where?
------------
Lord Foreshadow: southwestern corner
Portalbendarwinden: southeastern area, near a ridge
******************************************************************************
* Chapter 2 *
******************************************************************************
* ---------------- *
* Nashkel (AR4800) *
* ---------------- *
You'll find yourself just to the north of a bridge. Ignore the bridge and
head west and then head south along the western edge of the area. You'll come
to a farm and a field, and on the western side of the field at location (191,
2746) are a pearl and a set of ankheg plate mail. The ankheg plate has the
same armor bonus as full plate mail, but it is much lighter. On the down
side, it is enchanted, and so you can't use cloaks/rings of protection with
it. It's your best armor for now, so give it to your primary fighter. Later
give it either to your cleric or a weak fighter (such as Khalid).
Now head back to the bridge and cross it. Bardolan will confront you and tell
you to play nice while you're in town. He'll also mention Commander Brage.
That's a quest you'll get to later.
To the east is the Nashkel Inn. When you go inside, Neira will try to kill
you. She's assassin #5 if you're keeping track. She's also a spellcaster, so
let her have it with your best offensive spells. She's worth 650 experience
points, and she's carrying a helmet of infravision. The helmet isn't really
useful, but, like the Flaming Fist helmet, it's different from the standard
horned helmet, and so it's cool for that reason. The inn is otherwise boring,
except there is a small amount of gold in the rooms in the back.
Next to the Nashkel Inn is the Nashkel Store. Here you can sell most of the
stuff you've picked up in the last two areas. Be careful not to sell any of
the quest items. There isn't much to buy unless you need arrows or bullets.
By continuing down the road, you'll run into Berrun Ghastkill, the mayor of
Nashkel. He'll ask you to investigate the mines southeast of town. If you
hadn't heard yet, something is wrong with the ore the mines are producing.
East of the mayor is the Temple of Helm. Inside is Nalin, and he'll tell you
he might be able to help Commander Brage if you can bring him to the temple.
He'll also do the standard priest things. It's a good idea to make sure
everybody in your party has at least one antidote potion, so buy some potions
if you need to. In front of the temple is a graveyard, and you can amuse
yourself by reading the markers. If you read the one for “Mark D” Daer'Ragh
will confront you and tell you to leave the marker alone. If you click the
marker again, he'll return with several phoenix guards and kill you. (It's
possible to kill the phoenix guards later in the game when you're more
powerful, but it's not worthwhile to do so.)
Continuing down the road again you'll find Oublek, who will mistake you for a
bounty hunter named Greywolf. If you pretend to be Greywolf, you'll get 200
gold coins, but you won't be able to collect any bounties from Oublek later.
If you tell Oublek he's mistaken, you'll gain a point of reputation. If you
talk to Oublek again, he'll mention there are bounties for the return of
Commander Brage and the return of some emeralds stolen by an artist named
Prism.
Farther down the road is the garrison, which isn't very interesting, and next
to the garrison is Minsc, who will join your party if you agree to rescue the
mage (invoker) Dynaheir. Minsc is a good companion, a ranger with 18/93
strength. He's also good aligned. If you're trying to keep your party
good/neutral, now is the time to get rid of Xzar and Montaron.
South of the garrison is the Belching Dragon Tavern, where you can meet Volo
himself (and not learn very much from him), and at the end of the road is a
(locked) home. Inside the home is a female commoner, who, if you ask about
the mines, will tell you that her husband is down there somewhere. The
husband, Joseph, wears a greenstone ring.
To the south, between the tavern and the home, is another bridge leading to
the farm area. On the bridge is Edwin, an evil conjurer. He wants help to
kill the “witch” Dynaheir. If you agree to help, he'll join your group.
Otherwise he'll leave, and you'll have to attack him the next time you see
him. You can have Minsc and Edwin in your group at the same time, but I'm not
sure what happens if they're still there when you get to Dynaheir.
When you cross the bridge, you'll find Noober, the most annoying creature in
the game. If you decide to wait him out (he'll say “What about now?” about 20
times) you'll get 400 experience points. If you decide you don't want to
wait, you can kill him for 15 experience points and not suffer a reputation
penalty.
The area west of the river is devoted to farms and farmers, and there isn't
anything (else) interesting there. In the remaining area east of the river is
Manor House, but you won’t find any farm animals there. Instead there are
some scrolls you can steal (first floor) and a woman named Samantha (second
floor). If you ask Samantha her name twice and then tell her she's pretty,
her boyfriend Jamie will jump out of the closet and attack, and Samantha will
run away. You won’t lose any reputation for killing Jamie, but you will if
you kill anybody else in the house.
Before going any farther, it's a good idea to finish up some of the quests
you've completed but not yet been rewarded for. When you're done exploring
Nashkel, exit the area to the east and then select the Friendly Arm Inn. Give
Landrin the three items she wanted (click on her three times), and she'll give
you 295 gold coins (plus 800 experience points). Then leave the inn and exit
the area to the east, but select Beregost on the map.
In Beregost, go visit Mirianne and give her the letter from her husband Roe.
She will give you a ring of protection +1 (plus 300 experience points). Then
go to the Burning Wizard to visit Zhurlong and give him his boots of stealth.
He'll give you 100 gold coins plus whatever he stole from you before (plus 300
experience points). The boots are useful (+35% stealth) and you can kill
Zhurlong to get the boots back and gain 90 more experience points in the
process. Plus you won't lose any reputation points for the murder.
By this time your party will be tired from all the travel, so go ahead and
spend the night at the Burning Wizard. Then exit the area to the east.
Who's where?
------------
Bardolan: by northern bridge
Berrun Ghastkill: on road next to Temple of Helm
Edwin: on southern bridge
Minsc (and Boo): next to garrison
Neira: Nashkel Inn
Noober: near southern bridge
Oublek: on road next to garrison
Volo: Belching Dragon Tavern
* ------------------------ *
* Beregost Temple (AR3400) *
* ------------------------ *
There are vampiric wolves in the eastern part of this area, and you don't want
to mess with them yet. Instead follow the path northeast and enter the Song
of the Morning Temple. Inside you'll meet Keldath Ormlyr, and from him you
should buy a stone to flesh scroll. After that go ahead and visit the
vestibule to the north and talk to Blane and Bram. Then stay on the western
side of the map and travel south, eventually leaving the area to the south.
Along the way you might run into Ashen, who is just there for color, and some
normal wolves / dogs, which you should be able to kill. Select the Nashkel
Carnival on the map screen.
Who's where?
------------
Ashen: western side of map
Blane: vestibule
Bram: vestibule
Keldath Ormlyr: Song of the Morning Temple
* ------------------------- *
* Nashkel Carnival (AR4900) *
* ------------------------- *
The actual carnival is in the southern part of the area. In the northern part
are kobolds, which you should be able to dispatch easily.
On the western side of the carnival is the stage area. Not too many people
are watching the show, but if you want, you can ask The Great Gazib to do his
exploding ogre trick. If you ask three times, the exploding ogre (aka Oopah)
will decide he's had enough and attack your party. He's a tough opponent this
early in the game, but if you kill him you get 270 experience points, a mace,
and some other treasure object.
To the east of the stage are a boy and Lord Binky the Buffoon. North of those
two is a gambling tent. Save your game and then walk in. Vitiare, “master
thief and pickpocket extraordinaire,” will walk up to you, steal 100 coins,
and then leave. However, if you target him right away and throw in a couple
spells, you should be able to kill and get your gold (plus more) back. You
won't lose any reputation points for the deed.
East of the gambling tent are three more tents. The northern (largest) one is
another gambling tent, and the southern one houses a potion dealer. Even if
you don't care about the potions, go ahead and buy them because you can sell
them for more later. The middle tent contains an evil wizard (Zordral) and a
damsel in distress (Bentha). If you answer...
-- “What's this all about?”
-- “Why don't we discuss this...”
-- “Come on...”
-- “Ok, that's it...”
... then Zordral will ignore Bentha and attack you. Otherwise he'll use his
magic word to kill Bentha and still attack you. If you want to be cold-
hearted, the best option is to let Zordral kill Bentha so you can get her
equipment as well as his. Zordral is a mage, and he'll cast mirror image on
himself and then horror on your party, so you want to kill him quickly before
your party starts running around in a panic. So let loose with everything you
have. If you still can't kill him, then you might want to wait and come back
later. Zordral is wearing a knave's robe, which isn't all that exciting a
prize, but he is worth 900 experience points. After the battle, tell Bentha
(if she's still alive) that the good deed was reward enough, and she'll give
you a potion of heroism.
East of Zordral's tent are three more tents. The northern one sells
potentially useful magical items while the southern two sell some standard
weapons. Farther east is a rectangular tent selling standard armor. Among
the tents is Zeke who will offer to sell you a stone to flesh scroll for 500
coins so you can rescue a stone maiden (Branwen). You should already have
such a scroll from when you visited Beregost's temple. Branwen is located to
the north, and when you free her she'll offer to join your group. She's a
neutral cleric, and she’s useful to have around (if your only other healing
option is Jaheira). If you add her, she'll tell you that it was a man named
Tranzig who trapped her. You'll hear from Tranzig again.
On the far eastern side of the map is a lone tent. It contains a few people
intimate with “the black lotus” but there is nothing useful inside.
Once you’re ready to move on, exit the area to the north but then select the
Nashkel mine area on the world map.
Who's where?
------------
Branwen: eastern side of carnival
Bentha: small middle tent
Lord Binky the Buffoon: east of stage
The Great Gazib: on stage
Zeke: among the tents
Zordral: small middle tent
* ------------------------------- *
* Nashkel Mines, Outside (AR5400) *
* ------------------------------- *
Head west along the northern edge of the map. In the northwestern corner is
an old tree, and in the knot of the tree, at location (165, 178), is a wand of
frost. Retrace your steps to your starting position, and then circle around
the mine in a clockwise fashion until you hit the western edge of the map.
Head south from there and you will come across Prism, the artist who stole the
emeralds. Tell Prism you don't have anything to do with Greywolf, and then
agree to guard him while he finishes. Immediately thereafter Greywolf will
show up. Ask him to let Prism finish his work and he'll attack you. Greywolf
is a tough fighter, but he is worth 1400 experience points and he has a nice
sword on him -- Varscona, a long sword +2 with +1 cold damage. Once Greywolf
is dead, talk to Prism. Prism will kill himself, and you can pick up the
emeralds from his body. You will also receive 1000 experience points and a
point of reputation.
Still avoiding the mines, explore the rest of the map. You'll come across
some kobolds and wolves, which should be easy kills, and at the middle eastern
edge of the map you'll find a guard named Dandal. He'll tell you to talk to
Emerson about the mines. Also, in the middle southern part of the map is
Galtok. He's fleeing from a group of kobolds, and if you agree to help you'll
immediately have to fight four of them. Galtok disappears when the kobolds
arrive, so there is no prize for helping him.
Now head for the mines. Three guards block the mine entrance, and they won't
let you pass until you talk to Emerson. Emerson is southwest of the mine
entrance. Talk to him and then talk to the guards blocking the mine, and
finally they'll allow you to enter.
Who's where?
------------
Dandal: middle eastern edge
Emerson: southwest of mine entrance
Galtok: middle southern area
Prism: middle western area
* --------------------------------------------------------------- *
* Nashkel Mines, Inside, (AR5401, AR5402, AR5403, AR5404, AR5405) *
* --------------------------------------------------------------- *
When you enter the mines, Gord will come over and tell you to talk to Ruffie.
Ruffie is just to the south. Between the two you'll learn there are “demons”
in the mines. In this case, another word for “demons” is “kobolds,” so don't
get worried.
There isn't much to see on the first level of the mines. You can talk to
various miners who will paint an ugly picture of what has been going on. In
the southern half, a miner named Dink will approach you and ask you to return
a dagger to Kylee, who is on the second level. There are a couple of archer
kobolds around who shouldn't present a problem. There is also some ore in the
ore carts, but you shouldn't pick it up because it can contaminate your
weapons. The exit to the second level is down one of the southern shafts.
When you enter the second level, Beldin will come racing towards you screaming
about yipping demons. The demons are four archer kobolds, and they'll
immediately kill Beldin and then turn on you. They're still kobolds, yipping
or not, and you should be able to kill them easily. If you're getting low on
arrows, be sure to pick some up from the kobold corpses.
Level 2 is much like level 1, except there are more kobolds around. Kylee is
in the southwestern part of the mine, in a room with two Amnish soldiers.
When you give him back his dagger, you'll receive 200 experience points. Some
of the kobolds you find will have vials of “mysterious liquid.” This is what
they're using to contaminate the ore. If you drink it, you'll become poisoned
and lose 2 hit points permanently. The exit to the third level is down a long
southern shaft on the eastern side of the mine.
The third level is more interesting. There are traps around, so have your
thief lead the party to find them. If your thief runs into a group of
creatures, have him / her run away back to the group, have the group kill the
creatures, and then continue on as before.
Next to the entrance is Joseph's ring, so pick it up so you can return it to
his wife later. To the east and west of the entrance you'll find shafts with
lots of kobold archers. Kobold archers are sort of annoying in large numbers,
and they don't have good experience or equipment, so feel free to skip those
parts of the level. Instead, head generally south until you come to a bridge
spanning a red glowing chasm. There are two traps on the bridge, so be ready
for them.
South of the bridge you'll find more kobold archers, ghouls, and a couple huge
spiders in a chamber at the southern edge of the map. The exit to the fourth
level is down a shaft east of the spider chamber. You'll know you're on the
right track when you run into some kobold commandos equipped with fire arrows.
Have your melee fighters charge the commandos so they can't use their bows,
and finish them off as quickly as possible. The exit to the fourth level is
guarded by three traps, so approach it cautiously.
There aren't any traps on the fourth level, so you don't have to worry about
that, but there are some more kobold commandos with fire arrows. They are
guarding the bridge to a circular island, and you'll come upon them almost
right away. Charge them again with your fighters so they can't use their
bows, and then kill the ghoul hiding on the opposite end of the island. The
majority of the island is taken up by a large rocky dome, and you should enter
that next. The door is right next to the bridge.
Inside the dome you'll find Mulahey, who is responsible for the mine's
problems. He'll mistake you for Tazok's minions, ordered to execute him, and,
if you play along, he'll mention letters he has in his chest. Then he'll turn
on you and call for help. The help is pretty wimpy (kobolds and skeletons)
but they'll come in behind you, exposing your spellcasters. The best strategy
seems to be to leave your best AC fighter behind your group. Then the help
will target that character and almost always miss while the rest of your party
can concentrate on Mulahey, who is a spellcaster. Keep hitting Mulahey with
spells and ranged weapons, and he won't be able to concentrate long enough to
complete any spells, and eventually he'll surrender. He's lying, though, so
don't accept. (If you do accept he'll conjure in more kobolds and skeletons.)
Once everything is dead, explore some more and you'll find Xan, a poor guy
Mulahey was keeping prisoner. He'll join your party if you want him to. He's
a neutral enchanter, but I prefer to use Minsc and Dynaheir, so I never use
him. Back in Mulahey's room, you can open his chest -- it's not even locked
-- and when you pick up his papers the chapter will end.
Who's where?
------------
Beldin: level 2, near entrance
Cory: level 1: western side
Gord: level 1, near entrance
Lesley: level 1, western side
Mulahey: level 4, inside rocky dome
Ruffie: level 1, south of entrance
Xan: level 4, inside rocky dome
******************************************************************************
* Chapter 3 *
******************************************************************************
Reading Mulahey's letters, you'll find that Tazok is not especially happy with
how the ore-poisoning operation is going and that somebody named Tranzig is
one of Tazok's operatives. Tranzig is located at the Feldepost Inn in
Beregost, and you'll meet him later.
Between Mulahey and his chest, you should also pick up Mulahey's holy symbol,
which you need as proof that you've killed him, boots of grounding (+50%
electricity resistance), a ring of holiness (extra spells for clerics and
druids), and a mess of scrolls. When you've picked up everything you need and
have caught your breath, exit the area and then head north. Eventually you'll
come across some grey oozes, and beyond them is an exit to the surface. The
area the exit leads to is probably too difficult for your party at this point,
but feel free to take a look. It's a one-way exit, though, so save first. If
you're feeling more cautious, head back the way you came and exit the mine
surface area to the east, but click on Nashkel in the world map screen.
Back in Nashkel, give Joseph's ring to his wife (800 experience points),
collect the bounty on Prism (300 gold pieces, 200 experience points), and then
talk to Berrun Ghastkill to collect the reward for clearing the mines (one
reputation point, 900 gold pieces, 1000 experience points). Then save your
game and approach the Nashkel Inn. Assassin #6, Nimbul, will attack you, but
he'll talk a bit first and you can start attacking him while he's talking.
He's a spellcaster, but he should go down easily with the head start he gives
you. On his corpse you'll find a letter showing he was hired by Tranzig, plus
some magical items (ring of infravision, short sword +1, boots of avoidance).
Now you can go to the Nashkel Store and sell what you don't need and buy what
you do need, and then head to the inn for a rest.
* ----------------------------------------------- *
* Cloudpeak Mountains / South of Nashkel (AR5300) *
* ----------------------------------------------- *
In the northwestern part of the map is Albert who has lost his dog Rufie.
He'll give you Rufie's favorite chew toy so Rufie will recognize you as
friendly. Rufie is almost directly east from Albert, though about halfway
across the map. Once you find him, Rufie will follow you around, and all you
have to do is lead him back to Albert to finish the quest. Your reward?
1000 points of experience. (You can also kill Rufie for 1200 experience.)
Southwest of Rufie's location you'll meet a band of Amnish merchants: Sendai,
Alexander, and Delgod. They're a tough group, and if you're polite, they'll
go away peaceably (but you won't gain anything). Otherwise you'll have to
fight. Delgod is the spellcaster in the group, so target him first with your
spells and ranged attacks. If you still have the wand of lightning, this is a
good time to use it. Between the three merchants you'll get 1200 points of
experience, studded leather armor +2, and lots of arrows +1.
In the southeastern corner you'll find Larry, Darryl, and Darryl. They’re a
reference to the Bob Newhart Show, and you can even get their autograph.
Near the center of the map are Vax and Zal, “the fastest dart thrower in the
west.” Yes, this is a strange area. Anyway, Vax and Zal want your money, and
unless you want to oblige them, you'll have to fight. They're not very tough,
and once you close in on them with your fighters, they'll go down easily. You
get 1000 experience points for killing them, and on the bodies you'll find
about 150 gold, two potions of healing, and bracers of archery.
Scattered around the remaining parts of the map are xvarts, kobolds, and
skeletons. Plus, there is a hidden stash at location (1794, 412). Inside the
stash you can find scrolls of chromatic orb and cloudkill. You might also
find a winter wolf in the area. If so, close in on it quickly because it has
a nasty ranged frost attack. On its body you'll find its pelt, which you can
sell at the Nashkel Store for 500 gold pieces.
When you’re read to move on, exit to the west.
Who's where?
------------
Albert: northwestern area
Alexander: southwest of Rufie
Darryl (x2): southeastern corner
Delgod: southwest of Rufie
Larry: southeastern corner
Rufie: northeastern area, location (3786, 677)
Sendai: southwest of Rufie
* ------------------------------------ *
* Forest Southwest of Nashkel (AR5200) *
* ------------------------------------ *
Head west from where you start in the area and you'll meet the Dryad of the
Cloudpeaks. It seems two ruffians are intent on chopping down an ancient oak
tree, and she needs your help to stop them. Agree to help. The two ruffians,
Caldo and Krumm, are nearby, and when you announce you're not going to let
them harm the tree, they'll attack. They're wimps, so don't be worried.
They're also worth 350 experience points, and Krumm is carrying a girdle of
bluntness, which gives an armor class bonus against blunt weapons. Plus, when
you talk to the dryad again, she'll give you a healing potion, and you'll also
receive 500 experience points and a point of reputation.
Near the southern edge of the map is a waterfall, and if you click on the
waterfall you'll find a dead cat. Yay. At the top of the waterfall is
Drienne, and she'll tell you that her cat Pixie fell in the waterfall. Click
on her again, and she'll tell you that Pixie does this sort of thing a lot,
and that her dad will raise the cat from the dead. Plus, you'll receive 200
experience points, a point of reputation, and a scroll of protection from the
undead.
East of the waterfall is a cave guarded by a dire wolf. Inside the cave is a
halberd +1.
In the middle, northern part of the map is a group of four gnolls. They'll
demand you pay 50 gold coins in order to pass. Insult them and they'll attack
-- and then they'll die because they're gnolls. They seem to have better loot
than normal gnolls, with gold and some other random treasure object on their
corpses.
On the western side of the map you'll meet Ingot (a gnoll) who will mention
that he's an outcast from the gnoll stronghold. He’ll also mention that
there’s a captive (Dynaheir) at the stronghold. Around the rest of the map
you’ll find a scattering of wolves, gnolls, xvarts, and a couple more winter
wolves. When you're done exploring, exit the area to the west and select the
gnoll stronghold on the world map.
Who's where?
------------
Caldo: next to old oak tree
Dryad of the Cloudpeaks: next to old oak tree
Ingot: western side
Krumm: next to old oak tree
* ------------------------- *
* Gnoll Stronghold (AR5100) *
* ------------------------- *
You start out next to a bridge. Cross the bridge and you'll discover Gnarl
and Hairtooth, the bridge guards. They'll let you pass for 200 gold coins,
they'll even let you pass for 100 gold coins, but you want their equipment, so
keep refusing their demands and then fight them. Hairtooth has gauntlets of
dexterity, which raise a character's dexterity to 18, so the fight is
definitely worth it, and it's not like Gnarl and Hairtooth are very difficult
opponents anyway.
Past the bridge, the path branches in three directions. There isn't anything
to the north other than some encounters with gnoll elites, to the west lies
the gnoll stronghold, and to the south lies some caves. Clear out the north
path first, and then enter the stronghold.
There will be several gnoll encounters. Travel up the stairs, fighting as
you go, and then take the narrow stairs leading north. There are two
prisoner pits on this level, and Dynaheir is in the eastern one. To get to
her you'll have to fight even more gnolls, including gnoll veterans and
finally the gnoll chieftain. When you reach Dynaheir, she'll offer to join
your group, and you'll need to add her if you want to keep Minsc around.
From there go ahead and explore the rest of the stronghold, killing
everything you see. Then make your way back down to the bridge.
Exploring the southern path from the bridge will reveal encounters with
xvarts and gnolls, and three caves in the area. One of the caves has a tome
of leadership and influence in it, and reading the tome will raise the
character's charisma by one point permanently. So let your leader read it.
The other caves won't have anything but encounters, although one of them will
introduce you to the carrion crawler.
Exit the area to the east and head back to Nashkel. At this point in the
game you can be attacked (aka ambushed) while traveling between map areas, so
make sure you're in reasonable shape before the trip. When you get to
Nashkel, head for the store and sell all of the loot you've accumulated, and
stock up on arrows and bullets. Rest up at the inn if you need to, and then
head west.
Who's where?
------------
Dynaheir: eastern prisoner pit in stronghold
Gnarl: west side of bridge
Hairtooth: west side of bridge
* ------------------------------ *
* Hills West of Nashkel (AR4700) *
* ------------------------------ *
In the middle of the map is an xvart village. When you enter the village and
start fending off all the xvarts who attack you, Nexlit will come out and yell
at you for being mean. Then he'll call out the village's protector, Ursa the
cave bear. There isn't anything special about Ursa, and she should be easy to
kill. Northeast of the village is a cave with another cave bear in it. A
chest in the cave contains a flail +1 and bracers of defense AC 8.
Once you've killed all the xvarts in the village (or get bored killing them
because they regenerate so often), head west. You'll run into Borda, who is a
con man. Don't buy any of the potions or scrolls he is selling because they
are worthless. The rest of the map is pretty much empty, although you'll face
the occasional wolf or xvart. When you're done exploring, exit the area to
the west.
Who's where?
------------
Borda: middle western area
Nexlit: xvart village
Ursa: xvart village
* ----------------------------------------- *
* Forest North of Gnoll Stronghold (AR4600) *
* ----------------------------------------- *
Assuming you entered the area on the eastern side, head south. You'll come
upon Jared next to a bridge. Jared is excited about a bear on the other side
of the bridge, and if you kill it for him he'll give you boots of the north
(+50% cold resistance) and you'll also receive 150 experience points. The
bear is a mountain bear, which is a little tougher than the bears you've faced
before, but it should still be no problem.
Then head back north along the eastern edge of the map until you come to a
rocky outcropping. Go west from there and you'll meet Neville, a robber. If
you give the third answer, Neville will take 55 gold and otherwise leave you
alone. If you give either of the other answers, Neville will attack you, and
five hobgoblin archers will jump out of the bushes to attack you as well.
Neville has a long sword +1 and a scroll of dispel magic, so this latter
option is the one you want. Concentrate on Neville and then worry about the
hobgoblins after he is dead. If any of the hobgoblins flee west, let them go.
Save your game and then head west.
To the west is another bridge, but this one is guarded by two ogre berserkers
and three hobgoblin elite archers with poison arrows. If you still have the
wand of lightning, you might be able to take out all three hobgoblins with one
shot because they're standing in a line on the bridge. If not, concentrate
your spells and ranged weapons on the hobgoblins while your fighters work on
the eastern ogre. The western ogre won't notice you until after you start
crossing the bridge, so rest/heal up before dealing with him.
Cross the bridge and then head west. You'll first meet Laurel, who actually
needs some help killing gibberlings. Go figure. When you agree to help, 12
gibberlings will appear, and after you kill them and talk to Laurel, you will
receive 250 experience points. Continuing west, you'll find a regular ogre
eating dinner by a fire. Talk to him twice to attack him.
In the remainder of the area, you'll find varieties of dogs, ogres, and
gibberlings. When you're done exploring, exit the area to the north.
Who's where?
------------
Jared: by southern bridge
Laurel: west of northern bridge
Neville: east of northern bridge
* ----------------------------------------- *
* Hills West, Northwest of Nashkel (AR4100) *
* ----------------------------------------- *
From your starting position, head straight north. About halfway across the
map you should come to Charleston Nib and his group at an excavation site. Be
polite to him and agree to act as guards (for a fee) so his men can get some
work done. When Nib leaves, his partner Gallor will come over and try to
convince you to kill Nib so he can make a profit on the excavation project.
Play the Indiana Jones role and refuse. When Gallor leaves, walk over to Nib
and talk to him again, and you'll be transported inside the shaman's home that
Nib and his men have unearthed. The diggers will become possessed and attack
you, but they are easy targets. When they're dead, talk to Nib again and
he'll explain what he thinks happened and then pay you your fee. You'll also
receive 1000 experience points and one point of reputation.
If you're feeling particularly powerful (or foolish), try taking the artifact
from the sarcophagus. Then when you leave the shaman's home, a doomsayer will
attack you. The doomsayer is pretty tough, and it is much more likely to kill
you than you are to kill it.
After finishing with the excavation area, head west. Towards the western side
of the map you'll find Ba'ruk, who won't be happy to see you. (As far as I
can tell, Ba'ruk doesn't appear until after you visit the excavation site.)
Ba'ruk will attack, and five kobold commandos with fire arrows will join in.
Kill Ba'ruk quickly because he is an archer with poison arrows, and then kill
the commandos at your leisure. Ba'ruk won't have anything very interesting on
his corpse.
After finishing with Ba'ruk, head back towards the excavation site. Southeast
of this area, by an overturned cart, are Commander Brage and his cousin
Laryssa. Talk to Laryssa and ask who Brage is (even though you already know).
When he asks you a riddle, answer “death.” Then offer to take him to the
Temple of Helm in Nashkel. You'll be teleported there. Make sure your lead
character has a couple of inventory slots open because Brage will give you
items before the trip, and if your lead character's inventory is full, the
items will be dropped on the ground and you'll have to get them later. For
returning Brage to the temple, you'll receive 1000 experience points, 1000
gold pieces, a reputation point, and Brage's (cursed) sword -- plus a free
trip back to Nashkel.
While you're in Nashkel, visit the store and inn, and prepare yourself for
another journey into the uncharted territories. Then exit in any direction,
and select the hills to the northeast of Nashkel on the world map.
Who's where?
------------
Ba'ruk: northwestern area
Brage: southeast of excavation site
Charleston Nib: excavation site
Gallor: excavation site
Laryssa: southeast of excavation site
* ----------------------------------- *
* Hills Northeast of Nashkel (AR4400) *
* ----------------------------------- *
In the southeast part of the map there is a body under a tree. In it you'll
find some gold pieces and potions. Nearby will be a variety of ogres and
hobgoblin elites with poison arrows. Advance slowly so you don't have to
fight them all at once. To the north of this spot is Sarhedra who will tell
you to attack the ogres to the south (which you just killed). Talk to her
again and she'll wander away mumbling that she's not very good at this quest
stuff. But you'll be awarded 300 experience points nonetheless.
Near the middle of the map you'll find Ioin Gallchobhair and his two friends
Billy and Dribben. They're robbers and they want you dead. None of them is a
spellcaster, and they should go down fairly easily. They don't have
interesting equipment, but they're worth over 1000 experience points.
South of the robbers is a farmhouse. There you'll meet Hulrik and find out
that xvarts are attacking his cow. If you can kill the xvarts before they
kill the cow, you'll receive 350 experience points, a point of reputation, and
the thanks of Hulrik -- and no doubt the thanks of Arabelle the cow, too.
Moo.
In the mountains on the western side of the map is yet another bandit, this
one named Arghain. He will want your iron and your life, but his support will
be to the north, and so if you approach from the south, you will be able to
attack Arghain and his friends in two separate battles. Arghain is worth 520
experience points and has a bunch of gold and a two-handed sword +1.
Next to Arghain, to the east, is a cave. Inside the cave is an ettercap, plus
some treasure. Now, the ettercap itself isn’t too difficult (although it can
poison you), but there is also a web trap right inside the entrance. So
toggle your thief to detect traps before you go in, and then have the thief
disarm the trap right away. Just outside the cave, at location (1574, 1486),
you can find a water opal under a rock.
The rest of the area contains mostly xvarts and ogres. When you're done
exploring, exit the area to the south, enter the carnival area, and then exit
that area to the east.
Who's where?
------------
Arghain: in mountains on western side
Billy: middle area
Dribben: middle area
Hulrik: south of middle area
Ioin Gallchobhair: middle area
Sarhedra: middle eastern side
* --------------------------------------------------- *
* Mine Exit / Hills East of Nashkel Carnival (AR5000) *
* --------------------------------------------------- *
You need to be careful in this area. There are ankhegs wandering around, and
they have a nasty ranged attack that can kill your spellcasters in a hurry.
When you come upon one, have your fighters close quickly to neutralize the
ranged attack. If you come upon two or more, blast them with the best spells
you have available. Each ankheg will leave behind an ankheg shell, and you
can sell the shells later for a tidy sum -- plus have another set of ankheg
plate mail crafted (at the Thunder Hammer Smithy in Beregost). Note that the
shells weigh 100 pounds, though, so only carry what you can. Minsc is a good
choice for transporting shells.
At the middle northern edge of the map you'll meet Zeela, Lamalha, Maneira,
and Telka, a group of female bounty hunters who have been tracking you for a
while and now want you dead. The first two are spellcasters and the second
two are archers. A well-placed web or silence spell will go a long ways in
making the fight easier to win. For killing the quartet, you'll receive 3300
experience points plus an assortment of equipment.
There are four caves in the area. The one at location (1760, 804) is the exit
from the Nashkel mines, and you can't enter it. The one at (4815, 2815) is
guarded by three ghasts and contains a wand of monster summoning, chainmail
+1, and more. The one at (908, 1735) is guarded by a ghoul and has some gold.
The last cave is at (1895, 2850). To the west of it Hentold will tell you
that he stole a dagger from the cave and ask you to return it. Inside the
cave is a revenant, which will ask you for the dagger back. The dagger is a
dagger +2 and the revenant isn't all that tough, so tell the revenant you're
not going to give it back. The revenant will attack you, and you'll kill the
revenant and receive 3000 experience points for the effort. You'll also find
some treasure items in the cave.
In the southeastern part of the map is Narcillicus Harwilliger Neen, a
scientist of sorts doing experiments with slimes, jellies, and oozes. Ask him
about his experiments, and then ask him to write the spell down for you. He
and two mustard jellies will attack. Neen is a spellcaster, so concentrate on
him first. The jellies are immune to arrow attacks, and they're resistant to
magic, so just gang up on them with melee weapons. You'll get 5400 experience
for killing the three, plus a knave's robe, a scroll of lightning, and more.
Other than the ankhegs, there are also skeletons, gibberlings, dogs, and
tasloi in the area. When you're finished exploring, exit the area to the
south.
Who's where?
------------
Hentold: southwestern area, near cave
Lamalha: middle northern edge
Maneira: middle northern edge
Narcillicus Harwilliger Neen: southeastern part of map
Telka: middle northern edge
Zeela: middle northern edge
* ----------------------------------- *
* Hills East of Nashkel Mine (AR5500) *
* ----------------------------------- *
Head west along the northern edge of the map and then south along the western
edge. Near the southwest corner you'll find a Flaming Fist mercenary. You
can goad him into a fight if you want, but you'll lose reputation points.
Instead, say that you're adventurers, and the mercenary will tell you that
he's looking for a deserter named Samuel. The reward is a whopping 50 gold
pieces.
After talking to the Flaming Fist mercenary, head east to location (1957,
2375). There you'll find a couple of gems and a ring of fire resistance.
If you haven't met Hafiz yet, head back towards the northwest corner of the
map. Hafiz is located around (850, 740). Tell him about yourself, and he'll
tell you about his dreams. Plus he'll give you a protection scroll.
Then go ahead and explore the rest of the map. You'll find mostly
gibberlings, but also the occasional wolf or bear. Near the center of the map
are Lena and the deserter Samuel, but don't talk to them until you're ready to
leave. When you talk to Lena she'll tell you Samuel is very sick and needs
medical attention. Agree to take him to the Temple of Wisdom at the Friendly
Arm Inn, and then head there right away. At the Temple of Wisdom, Genna will
take Samuel off your hands and give you two potions (plus 500 experience
points and a point of reputation). This is a much nicer reward than the
Flaming Fist mercenary would have given you.
While in town, stock up on arrows and bullets and antidote potions if you need
them, and then spend the night at the inn. When you're ready to move on, head
to Beregost.
In Beregost, go to the Feldepost Inn so you can have a friendly chat with that
fellow Tranzig. He's upstairs in the room opposite Algernon. Tell him to
surrender twice and he'll attack you. He's a spellcaster, but there's only
one of him versus six of you. After you've beat on him enough, he'll
surrender and give up the location of the bandit camp. Then go ahead and
kill him for his equipment. He's holding a wand of magic missile and a ring
of protection +1. (It's also possible that Tranzig won't surrender, but your
map should still be updated to show the location of the bandit camp.)
Then head over to the Thunder Hammer Smithy, where two people should approach
you. One is Chloe, who will tell you that Officer Vai is waiting for you at
the Jovial Juggler Inn. The other is Elminster, and he'll tell you that you
should search for bandits to the northeast. Both will also indicate that you
are famous for your actions in the Nashkel mines.
Go into the smithy, and if you have any ankheg shells, Taerom will offer to
buy them for 500 gold coins or make you a set of ankheg plate mail for 4000
gold coins. There is a bug in the game, and if you're holding multiple
shells, Taerom will only pay 500 for all of them, so if you decide to sell,
have all characters but one drop their shells, and sell the shells one at a
time. Once you agree to have the plate made, Taerom will stop buying the
shells, so weigh your options. You'll encounter numerous ankhegs later north
of the Friendly Arm Inn.
At the Jovial Juggler, Officer Vai will tell you that her contingent has not
received orders from Baldur's Gate in over a week and that she'll pay 50 gold
coins for each bandit scalp you give her. She'll also pay 500 gold coins for
winter wolf pelts, the same price as the shopkeeper in Nashkel.
Who's where?
------------
Hafiz: northwest area
* ------------------- *
* High Hedge (AR3200) *
* ------------------- *
In the eastern part of the area is Kivan, a good-aligned ranger. He's been
hunting bandits, and he'll be willing to join your group. I like Minsc better
as a ranger, but Kivan has 18+ strength, and he's good with a bow. Also on
the eastern side, next to the High Hedge, are two gnoll slashers with a gnoll
veteran. One of the slashers has Perdue's short sword.
On the western side of the map is a small cottage, and near the cottage you'll
find Permidion Stark, a thief. He'll talk himself out of robbing the High
Hedge, but he'll also mention that there are two flesh golems inside.
Sprinkled around the rest of the map you'll find spiders, dogs, ghasts,
gnolls, and a lot of skeletons. Pick up a skull from one of the skeletons.
Then head for the High Hedge, home to the wizard Thalantyr, located in the
southeastern part of the map.
The High Hedge is cramped inside, and there are two flesh golems who will
attack you until they’re dead or you speak to Thalantyr. The golems are worth
2000 experience points each, and they're not overly difficult to kill if you
have a low armor class. So only enter the High Hedge with two warriors, have
them kill the flesh golems, and then bring in the rest of your party to talk
to Thalantyr. Talk to Thalantyr twice, the second time telling him about
rumors and your desire to buy magical items. You can buy numerous magical
items from Thalantyr, including robes of the magi, which are the best robes
your wizard(s) can use.
When you've finished exploring the area, exit it to the south.
Who's where?
------------
Kivan: eastern area, location (3656, 1478)
Permidion Stark: south of cottage
Thalantyr: inside High Hedge
* ---------------------------------- *
* Hills South of High Hedge (AR3700) *
* ---------------------------------- *
In the northeastern part of the area you'll find a chicken and a wolf. When
you kill the wolf, the chicken (named Melicamp) will thank you. It turns out
that this is no ordinary chicken but instead an apprentice of Thalantyr's who
miscast a polymorph spell. Try out a few chicken jokes if you want, but agree
to take the chicken back to Thalantyr so Thalantyr can reverse the spell.
There's no hurry with Melicamp, so continue exploring the area. Head south
and you'll meet Footy, who has been spying on Bassilus, the evil cleric.
Remember that there is a 5000 gold piece bounty in Beregost for the death of
Bassilus. If you talk to Footy, he'll tell you that the undead around
Bassilus are “funny.” It seems Bassilus is telling stories, but his undead
minions aren't listening.
Continue south and you'll find the ring of stones where Bassilus is hanging
out. Bassilus has lost a few marbles and will confuse those around him with
his family. Play along. If you answer...
-- “Uhh... yes, son...”
-- “No matter.”
-- “It is not I who lies...”
... then most of the undead surrounding Bassilus will collapse, leaving you
with an easier fight. (No matter what you answer, you'll have to fight
Bassilus.) Bassilus is a spellcaster, but without any support you can gang up
on him and kill him pretty easily. On his corpse you'll find his holy symbol
(which you need as proof for the bounty), gauntlets of fumbling, and a war
hammer +2.
Near the middle of the map, south of the “beware of wolves” sign, you'll find
Zargal the hobgoblin and his two friends Geltik and Malkax. They want your
money, and if you don't give it to them, they'll attack you. Named or not,
they're still hobgoblins, and you should be able to kill them in any number of
ways. Zargal is carrying “The Whistling Sword,” a short sword +2.
The rest of the area has wolves, skeletons, ghasts, hobgoblins, and bandits in
it. When you're finished exploring, exit the area to the west, but then
select the Beregost temple on the world map. In the temple, collect the
bounty for killing Bassilus (1000 experience points, 5000 gold pieces), and
then head over to the Red Sheaf Inn in Beregost to give Perdue back his short
sword (500 experience points, 50 gold pieces). Finally, return to High Hedge
so Thalantyr can fix up Melicamp. But save first. There’s a chance the
“antichickenator” spell will fail (it’s random). Once the spell succeeds,
you’ll get 2000 experience points and one point of reputation.
If you're not saving up gold to make a purchase from Thalantyr, you can
reverse the above process and visit High Hedge before Beregost, and save some
hours of game time. When you're ready to continue on, exit the High Hedge
area to the west, and select Ulcaster on the world map.
Who's where?
------------
Bassilus: in ring of stones
Footy: southeastern area
Geltik: middle area
Kissiq: middle area
Malkax: middle area
Melicamp: northeastern area
Zargal: middle area
* ----------------- *
* Ulcaster (AR3900) *
* ----------------- *
The Ulcaster School is in the northeastern part of the area, and the rest of
the map is made up of rocky hills without too much else going on. There will
be a hobgoblin with boots of stealth just to the south of the middle of the
map. Furret, who has a “gem of true seeing,” will be on the western edge of
the map near the northwestern corner. Don't buy the gem from him; it's
another scam. If you want to, you can kill Furret without losing any
reputation points and get his gem which is really a turquiose gem. In the
rest of the map are skeletons, kobolds, and hobgoblins.
When you get to the Ulcaster School part of the area, you'll meet two
creatures of interest. Icharyd is a wraith who patrols the southern part of
the school. He wants to eat your flesh so he can become whole again. You
want to preserve the status quo. With six against one, and with a little
magical assistance, Icharyd shouldn't pose much of a problem. He's worth 950
experience, and he'll have a flail +1 on his body.
The other creature is the ghost of Ulcaster himself. He seems to wander all
over the school, but I usually find him on the western side. Click on him a
few times and he'll say, “Hope would return with the retrieval of the simplest
of tomes.” That's your quest, but you'll have to enter the bowels of the
school in order to find the book he wants.
The entrance to the dungeon area is on the western side of the school. There
is a sign next to it. Inside, you'll run into wolves, jellies, and spiders.
In the southern portion are some traps, so be sure to have your thief take the
lead. The book Ulcaster wants, the History of the Sisters of Light and
Darkness (or something else; this might be random), can be found past a
trapped body and a vampiric wolf. The pile of debris in which it is located
is also trapped. When you return to the surface and give the book to
Ulcaster, you'll receive 1000 points of experience.
Who's where?
------------
Furret: northwestern edge of map
Icharyd: southern side of school
Ulcaster: western side of school
* ----------------------------------- *
* Hills Northwest of Nashkel (AR4200) *
* ----------------------------------- *
On the northern side of the map is an abandoned home. South of the home are
some ex-miners trying to be fishermen, and east of the home, spread out along
the length of the lake, are the four half ogres that Bjornin (from Beregost)
wants you to kill.
Southeast of the lake is a group of three bandits. They want your gold and
weapons, blah blah blah. They shouldn't be much of a challenge at this point,
and they're not carrying anything interesting.
In the middle of the area you'll meet Drizzt Do'Urden. For some reason he
will ask you to help kill some gnolls. Even with your help, Drizzt will kill
most of the gnolls by himself. I've heard that it is possible to kill Drizzt
in order to get his equipment, but I've never been able to do it. You can,
however, steal his scimitar +3. After the gnolls are dead, Drizzt will stand
around waiting for you to talk to him. At that point you can pick his pocket.
When you do finally talk to him, Drizzt will mention that the human bandits
seem to be from the Black Talon while the hobgoblin bandits from the Chill.
He'll then suggest you try to infiltrate their ranks.
When you're done exploring, head back to Beregost and collect your reward from
Bjornin at the Jovial Juggler Inn. He'll give you a medium shield +1, and
you'll also receive a reputation point and 400 experience points. If you have
the scalps from the bandits you just killed, you can sell those to Officer Vai
while you're there. Then do whatever shopping you need and head east to the
temple.
Who's where?
------------
Chelan: at lake
Drizzt Do'Urden: middle of map
Jemby: southeast of lake
Teyngan: southeast of lake
Torlo: at lake
Zekar: southeast of lake
* -------------------------------------- *
* Beregost Temple, Second Visit (AR3400) *
* -------------------------------------- *
You've been in this area before to visit the temple. Now it's time to explore
the eastern half.
In the southeastern part of the area you'll find Cattack and his hobgoblin
bandit group. They're a part of Chill, but they won't let you join. In fact,
if you ask to join Cattack will get insulted and attack you. It's just as
well; he'll attack you regardless of what you do. Just pound on Cattack and
his group with your fighters, and they'll go down quickly.
Then move slowly from the southeast corner to the northeast corner. When you
see a wolf/dog, let it charge you so you only have to face one or two at a
time. This is especially important when you face the vampiric wolves. There
are two of them, and they can paralyze and quickly kill a character when
they're working together. Plus, you can only hurt the vampiric wolves with
magical weapons / magical ammunition. So when you see one (they're purplish),
zap it with magic and focus all of your attacks on it.
In the northwestern corner is a drunk who wants all of your money. He's not
really a lich. Just keep telling him to get lost. In the center of the area
is Galileus, who has been spending his free time examining the sky. He’ll
tell you there are “interesting times ahead” -- like you didn’t know that
already.
When you're done exploring, exit the area to the north and select the Larswood
Forest.
Who's where?
------------
Cattack: southeastern area
Galileus: middle of map
* ------------------------ *
* Larswood Forest (AR2900) *
* ------------------------ *
Head east along the southern edge of the map and then north along the eastern
edge. In the northeastern corner you'll find Osmadi, who thinks you're
responsible for killing his brothers. It doesn't matter what you say; he'll
attack you and call on a couple bears to attack you as well. After the fight
is over, talk to Corsone. Do not be polite, and eventually you'll learn that
Corsone is a shadow druid who needed your help to kill Osmadi. Corsone will
then attack, but you should be able to kill him before he can even get a spell
off.
Continue circling around the edge of the map. There are Black Talon elites
around, and they are nasty archers with flame arrows. Make sure your lead
character is wearing the ring of fire resistance because s/he's the one who
will get targeted the most. When you get bored of this, or when you've made a
complete circuit, head towards the center of the map.
In the center of the map you'll find Teven the bandit. Tell him you want to
join his group and that it's a bloodthirsty job. Teven will take you to the
main bandit camp to meet Tazok. You'll also receive 400 points of experience.
(You can also attack Teven and then fight your way to the bandit camp if you
want. But then you’ll need to stop at Peldvale next.)
Who's where?
------------
Corsone: northeastern corner
Osmadi: northeastern corner
Teven: center of map
* -------------------- *
* Bandit Camp (AR1900) *
* -------------------- *
You'll immediately be confronted by Tazok. The best course of action to take
is to answer his questions in such a way that he doesn't feel compelled to
fight you to test your capabilities. (I've heard people claim that you can
kill Tazok during the test, but I've never been able to do it.) Thus, you
should answer...
-- “You're strong...”
-- “Would you rather...”
... and Tazok will leave you alone. Then you can explore the area and not
have to worry about fighting the hobgoblins and bandits, who will consider you
friendly -- except in the southern half of the area, where the hobgoblins will
attack you.
In the northwestern region of the area is a group of five tents. In one tent,
Tersus will give everyone in your party a set of leather armor, which you
should drop right away so your characters aren't weighted down. In another
tent, there are three gnolls who will attack you. In yet another tent, you
can pump a bandit named Knott for information, and he'll tell you that Tazok's
tent is in the northeastern area of the camp. He'll also tell you there are
no traps in Tazok's tent, but he's lying about that. There isn't any way to
enter the fourth tent, and the fifth tent is empty save for some barrels and
crates you can steal from. You can find Ardenor Crush, leader of the Black
Chill, among the tents.
Completing the “circle” of the tents is a cave with some gnolls in it. In
front of the cave is a hobgoblin that will warn you not to go inside, but
ignore him and enter. There isn't anything but gnolls in the cave, and
they're pretty easy experience. The loot from their bodies doesn't hurt,
either.
When you approach Tazok's tent to the northeast, you'll meet Taugosz Khosann,
leader of the Black Talon, and Credus, who was the newest recruit until you
showed up. Credus will tell you that you are now in charge of guarding
Tazok's tent and then wander off. Around Tazok's tent you can find numerous
crates and barrels with useful things inside, such as a medium shield +1, a
short sword +1, a wand of fear, and a nice amount of gold. South of Tazok's
tent is another empty tent. It has some magic scrolls you might be able to
use.
Before entering Tazok's tent, make sure all of your party members are healed
and have their spells memorized. Tazok won't be inside, but you'll still have
to face Raemon, Britik, Venkt, and Hakt. Venkt is a spellcaster, so try to
disrupt him with spells and ranged weapons. Hakt is in the back of the room
and won't be visible at first. He's an archer with poison arrows, and he can
do a lot of damage if you ignore him. Send one fighter at him to make him use
his sword rather than his bow. Don't use area spells (like fireball) in the
attack because also in the room is a prisoner named Ender Sai, and you'll want
to talk to him after the fight is over.
Once the bad guys are dead, loot their corpses. The only real item of
interest is a long bow of marksmanship on Hakt's corpse. Then talk to Ender
Sai. For some reason he'll think you're bandits, and he'll ask if it's time
for his execution. It doesn't matter what you answer. Every conversation
path leads to Sai telling you that Tazok works for the Iron Throne, and that
something is going on in the Cloakwood Forest.
There is a chest in the room, but it is trapped. Have your thief disarm the
trap and then open the chest. When you take the two letters from inside, the
chapter will end.
Who's where?
------------
Ardenor Crush: among the tents
Britik: Tazok's tent
Credus: near Tazok's tent
Ender Sai: Tazok's tent
Hakt: Tazok's tent
Knott: southeastern tent
Raemon: Tazok's tent
Taugosz Khosann: near Tazok's tent
Tersus: northwestern tent
Venkt: Tazok's tent
******************************************************************************
* Chapter 4 *
******************************************************************************
Before leaving the Bandit Camp area, you might want to kill Taugosz Khosann.
He's carrying a medium shield +1, a war hammer +1, and full plate mail.
Remember, if you have strong fighters, the full plate mail is better than
ankheg plate, and so it is worthwhile to pick up. You can also wander around
and kill bandits for their scalps, but you won’t find any more interesting
equipment. Then exit the area to the south.
* ----------------- *
* Peldvale (AR2400) *
* ----------------- *
In the northwestern corner you'll run into Viconia, and she'll desperately ask
for your help. A Flaming Fist mercenary is on her trail, and he'll accuse her
of being evil and a murderess because she's a drow elf. Well, we can't have
any racism here, so defend Viconia against the mercenary. You won’t lose any
reputation points. Once the mercenary is dead, Viconia will offer to join
your group, but she's an evil-aligned cleric. I've never tried using her.
Explore the rest of the map quickly. Peldvale is the sister area to the
Larswood Forest, and it has the same sorts of encounters: gibberlings, dogs,
bandits, and Black Talon elites. If you had visited the two areas in the
opposite order, then you would have met a bandit here who would have taken you
to the bandit camp like Teven did in the Larswood Forest.
Who's where?
------------
Palin: northeastern area
Viconia: northwestern corner
* -------------------------------- *
* Forest East of Larswood (AR3000) *
* -------------------------------- *
In the center of the map you'll find a platform with four wizards on it.
They're the Red Wizards of Thay, and they won't be pleased with your
interruption. You can probably just charge in and kill them, but if you want
to do some planning, try to get a silence spell or a fireball in before
charging with your fighters. The wizards have a variety of scrolls on them,
plus a ring of energy.
Note: If Edwin is in your group, the wizards will simply talk to you and then
leave (since they’re all Red Wizards of Thay). But you can kick Edwin out of
your group, approach the wizards, and then quickly add Edwin back in if you
want to attack them.
Northwest of the platform you'll find Fahrington. He's missing a scroll of
wisdom, and he thinks a tasloi stole it and headed east to an ettercap lair.
Head east and kill all the ettercaps you find. One will have a magic
protection scroll, and that's the one Fahrington wants. When you return it to
him, he'll let you keep it, but it's really a cursed scroll of foolishness, so
don't read it. You'll also get 300 experience points for the deed.
The rest of the map features lots of encounters with spiders. On the eastern
side of the map are a couple of web traps with spiders nearby, so be careful
and scout with your thief.
When you’re ready to move on, exit the area to the south, but select the
Beregost temple on the world map. Eventually you’ll want to go to the area
east of the temple but before you go you’ll need to stock up on supplies.
You'll need some way to protect yourself from petrification (a few potions of
mirrored eyes will work), and you'll need a stone-to-flesh scroll. The former
can be found at High Hedge while the latter can be found at the Beregost
temple.
Who's where?
------------
Brendan: platform
Denak: platform
Diana: platform
Fahrington: northwest of platform
Lasala: platform
* -------------------------------------- *
* Hills East of Beregost Temple (AR3500) *
* -------------------------------------- *
Assuming you entered the area from the east, head north and notice Korax the
ghoul. If you talk to him he'll join your group -- sort of. He'll actually
become dire charmed, which means his friendship will only be temporary, but in
the meantime he can help you kill some basilisks. Continue north with Korax
in front of your group.
Around location (1350, 350) you should run into two basilisks. Have Korax
charge them while you attack them with ranged weapons. Korax is immune to
their flesh-to-stone attacks, so he won’t take any damage. Then at location
(2200, 900) you'll meet Mutamin, who has been using basilisks to create some
“artwork.” With him will be a greater and lesser basilisk. Use Korax to
distract the basilisks while the rest of your party attacks Mutamin. Mutamin
should die quickly. Then use your ranged attacks to kill the basilisks.
Korax will keep trying to close in on the basilisks, so you'll have to keep
moving him back away. While Korax is immune to the basilisk gaze, he's not
immune to their normal attacks, and he won't last very long if he goes toe-to-
toe with them.
At this point you should kill Korax. His charm spell won't last much longer,
and you don't want him turning on you in the middle of an encounter,
especially if the encounter is with basilisks and you were relying on him to
neutralize their petrifying stares. Just attack him. You won't lose any
reputation points.
In the northwestern corner you can find Shar-Teel. She'll challenge your best
male warrior to a fight. If you win (and you should win), Shar-Teel will
offer to join your group, and you'll receive 300 experience points. If you
lose, you'll have to pay her 20 gold pieces. Shar-Teel is an evil warrior,
but if that’s the type of companion you’re looking for, Kagain is a better
choice. Shar-Teel has a crummy constitution.
Southeast of Shar-Teel at location (1400, 820) is a petrified woman named
Tamah. Use the flesh-to-stone scroll to free her. If you don't ask for a
reward, you'll receive a point of reputation plus 300 points of experience.
Around location (3000, 2000) you'll meet a band of insulting adventurers from
Waterhaven. There are four of them: two spellcasters, an archer, and a
fighter. The spellcasters and archer will stay bunched together, so if you
have the fireball spell, it works well here. Regardless, do the normal thing
and take out the spellcasters first with your best spells and ranged attacks,
and then concentrate on the other two. When you loot their corpses, you'll
find two long swords +1, a morning star +1, bracers of defense AC 7, a golden
girdle (+3 AC bonus against slashing weapons), some arrows +1, and more.
Then explore the rest of the map. There are lesser basilisks scattered
around, so keep your lead character protected. Then have that character take
the role of Korax when you attack the basilisks. There are also a couple of
greater basilisks in the southern part of the map with the large skeleton
bones.
When you're ready to move on, exit the area to the south.
Who's where?
------------
Baerin: location (3000, 2000)
Kirian: location (3000, 2000)
Korax: western edge
Lindin: location (3000, 2000)
Mutamin: location (2200, 900)
Peter: location (3000, 2000)
Shar-Teel: northwestern corner
Tamah: location (1400, 820)
* ----------------- *
* Gullykin (AR4000) *
* ----------------- *
The northwestern part of the area is taken up by the halfling village of
Gullykin. Near the entrance to the village is Gandolar Luckyfoot, who will
ask your to help kill the kobolds that have been attacking the village from
the Firewine ruins. He'll also tell you that there is a secret door in the
winery / temple that leads to the ruins.
In the northwestern part of the village is the winery / temple. The staircase
leading to the ruins is on the eastern side of the building. Also there
you'll find Alvanhendar, a priest who can perform the same duties and sell the
same items as Keldath Ormlyr in the Beregost temple.
In the lower level of a halfling home in the southwestern part of the village,
you'll find a halfling named Jenkal. Most halflings will be thrilled to meet
you, but this one will not. In fact, he'll threaten to kill you. Tell him
that it smells like kobold in his home and he'll admit that he's been helping
the kobolds. Then he'll attack you and die pretty quickly. There is a secret
door in the room, and it leads to the Firewine ruins.
In the rest of the homes, you can meet some more halflings and do some minor
looting. In the middle, southern home is a sling +1.
There isn't much to see outside of the village. The map is divided into two
parts by a land bridge guarded by four ghouls, and on the eastern side, near
the southern edge of the map, is a group of four bounty hunters: Molkar,
Morvin, Drakar, and Halacan. On their corpses you'll find a morning star +1,
a long sword +1, chainmail +2, and other odds and ends.
When you're ready to move on, heal your party and memorize spells, and then
head to Jenkal's home and go through the secret door.
Who's where?
------------
Alvanhendar: temple/winery
Drakar: southern edge
Gandolar Luckyfoot: town entrance
Halacan: southern edge
Jenkal: southwestern home
Molkar: southern edge
Morvin: southern edge
* ------------------------- *
* Firewine Tunnels (AR5201) *
* ------------------------- *
You'll start in the tunnels right next to an ogre mage. Since he's within
reach of your fighters and doesn't have any support with him, he should go
down quickly. The next mage in the area is a little trickier. He's down the
passage to your south and has a few kobold commandos around to help him out.
Plus he's likely to cast lightning bolt, and in the constricted confines of
the tunnels, lightning bolts can bounce all over the place and do all sorts of
damage. What you need to do is make the lightning bolt work for you. Move
your entire party except for your lead character as far west in the starting
room as possible, and then have your lead character walk to the doorway. Your
lead character will spot the mage, and the mage will probably cast
invisibility and then lightning bolt. Leave your lead character in the
doorway until the mage finishes the lightning bolt spell, and then move him /
her as far to the right as possible. The lightning bolt will travel through
the doorway (probably hitting your lead character), but then bounce back and
forth down the passage a couple times, hitting the mage and killing a few
commandos. The mage will then approach your group, and you should be able to
finish him off easily from there. He'll be holding a scroll of cloudkill,
which you might find useful.
There are some ogrillons in the tunnels, next to the spot where the southern
mage started out, and after they're dead it's just a matter of killing a whole
bunch of kobold commandos. The commandos will continually regenerate, and
they won't let you rest, so the best course of action is to do what you need
to do and then get out of the tunnels as quickly as possible.
Follow the tunnels to a large rectangular room in the southeastern part of
the area. There are five exits from this room. North leads back the way you
came. Northwest leads toward an undead knight, who will ask you to strike
him down and “take the armor back.” On his corpse you'll find a set of
ancient armor. That's the armor he's talking about. West (then taking the
first west and north exits) leads to a group of ghost knights. Talk to them
and you'll return the armor to them and gain 1500 experience points. East
leads to the surface of the Firewine Bridge area.
* ------------------------ *
* Firewine Bridge (AR4500) *
* ------------------------ *
You'll start the area on the eastern side of the map. Head towards the
northeastern corner and meet Meilum, “the Sword Coast's most skilled
swordsman.” If you bow down to his prowess, he'll go away peaceably.
Otherwise you'll have to fight him. Go ahead and fight him. He has gauntlets
of weapon expertise, which will help your THAC0 and damage bonuses.
In the dried riverbed north of the bridge you'll find Carsa. She has an evil
jar. Keep trying to help, and then ask for the jar at the earliest
opportunity. Eventually Carsa will summon Kahrk, an ogre mage. Kahrk will
kill Carsa and then turn on you. Cast dispel magic on him to remove his
shield, and then just pound away. He'll have some gold and gems, plus a
scroll of non-detection.
On the bridge itself you can find Poe, a bard. He'll tell you the story of
the ghost knights in the Firewine tunnels if you ask him.
In the northwestern corner is Bentan, a follower of the god Ilmater. If you
want to hear more about Ilmater and how you'd be better off ridding yourself
of your worldly possessions, tell Bentan that nobody in your group worships
Ilmater. If you want Bentan to go away as quickly as possible, tell him
everybody in your group worships Ilmater.
Explore the rest of the map and kill all the kobolds you come across. Then
head back to Gullykin to collect your reward from Gandolar Luckyfoot (250 gold
pieces). Finally, return to Beregost to rest and stock up on arrows and
bullets.
Your next stop will be the lighthouse area southwest of High Hedge. You'll
need protection from magic in that area, so pick up a couple potions of magic
blocking from High Hedge along the way.
Who's where?
------------
Bentan: northwestern corner
Carsa: north of bridge
Kahrk: north of bridge
Meilum: northeastern corner
Poe: on bridge
* ------------------- *
* Lighthouse (AR3600) *
* ------------------- *
The creatures to watch out for in this area are sirines. They're spellcasting
archers. The first spell they cast is usually invisibility, but after that
they rely on dire charm. Potions of magic blocking can prevent characters
from being charmed, and then you can use a strategy similar to killing
basilisks with the sirines. Alternatively, because dire charm isn't fatal
like the basilisk's gaze, you can just take your chances. Attack the sirines
like any other spellcaster, and if a character gets charmed, finish off the
sirine and then have everybody else run away from the charmed character. The
northern part of the area is largely empty, and you can run around there
safely until the charm wears off.
At location (3750, 2400) you'll meet Safana. She's a neutral thief, and
she'll join your party if you help her get to Black Alaric's buried treasure.
The treasure is in this area, and you don't need Safana to find it.
At location (1400, 3700) you'll meet Ardrouine. She'll ask for your help in
killing some worgs in the lighthouse. If you haven't spotted it yet, the
lighthouse is north of Ardrouine. When you return after killing the worgs,
Ardrouine will give you 50 gold pieces (plus 500 experience points and a
reputation point).
Starting around the middle of the map, west of a beach, is where you'll find
the sirines. There are six of them, including Sil their leader. Unlike
other creatures on the map, like the annoying hobgoblins, the sirines will
not regenerate, and so once they're gone, they're gone.
Past Sil to the north is a cave where the treasure Safana mentioned is
located. The treasure is guarded by three flesh golems and includes a wand of
paralyzation, a cloak of the wolf, and a manual of bodily health. The manual
permanently increases a character's constitution by one point. If you have a
character with 19 constitution, then let that character read the manual. A 20
constitution means the character will slowly regenerate hit points over time.
Note: If you rest in the cave, there’s a good chance a flesh golem will attack
you. So if the flesh golems aren’t difficult for you to kill, then resting is
a good way to make some extra experience.
Who's where?
------------
Ardrouine: location (1400, 3700)
Arkushule: south of Pallonia
Pallonia: near location (3500, 1600)
Safana: location (3750, 2400)
Sil: south of cave
* -------------------------------------------------- *
* North of Lighthouse / South of Candlekeep (AR3100) *
* -------------------------------------------------- *
At location (2900, 550) is Shoal the Nereid. Have one of your NPC characters
talk to her. The character must have a reasonably good charisma for Shoal to
respond. When Shoal does respond, she'll kiss -- and briefly kill -- the
character and then turn on the rest of the party. After taking a little bit
of damage, Shoal will stop, and you can then get her to raise the killed
character. Then Shoal will explain that her essence is being held by an ogre
mage named Droth, and that she must do as he commands. Shortly thereafter
Droth will arrive, and you'll be able to free Shoal by killing him. Droth is
worth 975 experience points, and freeing Shoal is worth 750 experience points.
Droth also has a helmet of defense.
When Shoal raises your character from the dead, she'll only return a single
hit point to the character. Heal the character a little because there are
ogres about, but don't worry about fully healing him / her. South of Shoal's
location is The Surgeon, and he'll heal your party using a series of cure
light wounds spells. Also, if you ask him who he is, he'll tell you that he
is the brother of a man named Davaeorn, and that he is now doing penance for
not killing Davaeorn when he had the chance. You'll learn more about Davaeorn
later.
At location (2000, 1300) is Mad Arcand. He'll ask you to retrieve something
from a pirate ship for him. The pirate ship is about two screens away to the
west, and the something is a ring. When you return the ring to Arcand, he'll
give you a potion of fiery burning, and you'll also receive 300 experience
points.
There are some more sirines in the southwest corner of the map, so be careful
there. When you're ready to move on, head to the Friendly Arm Inn to rest and
re-supply. Then exit the area to the west and select the Cloakwood Forest on
the map screen.
Who's where?
------------
Mad Arcand: location (2000, 1300)
Shoal: location (2900, 550)
The Surgeon: location (2900, 2100)
* ---------------------------- *
* Cloakwood Forest #1 (AR2200) *
* ---------------------------- *
This is the part of the Cloakwood Forest where Gurke lost his cloak. The
offending tasloi are in the southeastern corner. Be careful with the tasloi
and make sure you chase down all the ones who flee. Gurke's cloak is a cloak
on non-detection.
In the center of the map is a hunting lodge, and in front of the lodge you'll
find Aldeth Sashenstar. He's having problems with some “uncouth savages” and
needs your help. If you agree to help, Seniyad and three other druids will
show up. They're the savages, and they're also (probably) the good guys in
the matter. However, it's more profitable to kill the druids. You'll get
over 6000 points of experience and the friendship of the Merchant's League in
Baldur's Gate (plus an extra quest later). Also, you can pickpocket a bastard
sword +1/+3 versus shapeshifters from Sashenstar before you talk to him. The
sword is the main prize you get if you help the druids.
On a bridge in the northern part of the map you'll find Coran, a hunter of
wyverns. If you agree to help him on his hunt, he'll agree to join your
group. Coran is good-aligned fighter / thief who has three proficiency points
with long bows and a dexterity rating of 20. He's a better offensive weapon
than Imoen, but he is bad at finding traps, and at this point in the game you
need the find traps ability. So weigh your options when deciding if you want
to add him to your group.
In the rest of the area you'll find tasloi, wolves, and giant spiders. None
of them should pose a problem at this point in the game. When you're ready to
move on, exit the area to the west.
Who's where?
------------
Aldeth Sashenstar: in front of lodge
Coran: on bridge
* ---------------------------- *
* Cloakwood Forest #2 (AR2100) *
* ---------------------------- *
Upon crossing the river, you'll meet Tiber. He and his brother Chelak came to
the forest to hunt spiders, but now Chelak has been missing for a week, and
Tiber would like you to find him. Any guesses about whether you'll find
Chelak alive or dead?
West of Tiber are several web traps, usually with spiders or ettercaps nearby
to feast on whichever of your party members happens to get stuck. Foil the
dinner plans by scouting ahead with your thief.
If you keep moving west after talking to Tiber, you'll come across a huge pile
of dirt. This is the spider lair, and inside you'll find something called
Centeol and -- surprise, surprise -- a bunch of spiders. If you talk to
Centeol you can learn more about her history, but regardless of the
conversation choices you make, you'll still have to fight her and the spiders.
If you have the fireball spell, this is a good place to use it. Center it on
Centeol, and it will hit her and the spiders. Then just wade in and start
killing things. Spiders can't hit characters who have low armor class values,
so just make sure no spider sneaks away from the middle of the lair to attack
your spellcasters. When everything is dead, you'll find the very heavy body
of Chelak, the two-handed sword Spider's Bane (an excellent weapon for bards),
a ring of folly, and a wand of frost.
After leaving the spider's lair, immediately head back to Tiber so you can
unload the body of Chelak. You'll receive 800 experience points for the deed.
In the rest of the area are more spiders, more ettercaps, and more web traps.
Some of the spiders are phase spiders. If you see any of these, then stop
your group and wait for the spider to teleport itself to you. This way you'll
only have to fight one at a time. When you're ready to move on, exit the area
to the north. If you need supplies then head back to the Friendly Arm Inn for
a pit stop. Otherwise continue on to the next part of the forest.
Who's where?
------------
Centeol: inside spider lair
Tiber: location (4650, 1200)
* ---------------------------- *
* Cloakwood Forest #3 (AR1600) *
* ---------------------------- *
Near where you enter the zone you'll find a bard named Eldoth. He has a
scheme to “kidnap” the daughter of one of the dukes of Baldur's Gate. If you
agree to help him, he'll join your group. He's evil, and I've never used him.
The area is divided into two parts by a river, and when you cross the bridge
spanning the river you'll meet Laskal, “the protector of the Cloakwood.”
He'll tell you that he has a message for those that serve the Iron Throne --
but the message is that the Iron Throne should leave the area, so don't
pretend to be a part of the organization. Laskal will also tell you that the
Iron Throne has a fort to the east, but it is far to the east, two areas away.
West of the bridge you'll find a ring of stones, and inside the ring you'll
meet Faldorn. If you agree to help her stop the Iron Throne, she'll agree to
join your group. She's a neutral druid, of course, but I don't like her as
much as Jaheira. You'll also meet other shadow druids in the area. They'll
attack you if you have Jaheira in your group or if you say the wrong thing to
them, but they're only worth 120 experience points and don't have anything
useful in their possession.
In a cave near the center of the area you'll meet Peter of the North. He's a
“woodsman” looking for “subterranean trees.” Yeah, right. Keep doubting
him and eventually he'll admit that he's training wyverns for the Iron Throne
-- and then attack. It won't be a tough battle, and you'll barely net 1000
experience points for killing Peter and the two baby wyverns.
When you're ready to move on, exit the area to the east.
Who's where?
------------
Amarande: inside tree house
Eldoth: middle, southern edge
Faldorn: in ring of stones
Izefiah: near tree house
Laskal: near bridge
Peter: in cave
Takiyah: near ring of stones
* ---------------------------- *
* Cloakwood Forest #4 (AR1700) *
* ---------------------------- *
East of where you start in the area you'll find Hamadryad. (I'm not sure if
that's the name of a person or a type of dryad, but there is only one, so I'm
assuming the former.) Supposedly it can cast dire charm, but a couple magic
missiles or other ranged attacks should kill it before it can get the chance.
Past the bridge, on the eastern side of the map, is a wyvern lair. Inside are
two adult wyverns and three baby wyverns. (If you have Coran with you, these
are the wyverns he wants to kill.) The adult wyverns can poison you, so try
to finish them off first, and don’t be shy about using spells / wands. When
everything is dead, you can pick up a couple of wyvern heads. They're not
good for anything except to sell for gold. The mayor of Beregost will pay
2000 coins for one head, and many other shops will pay 500. There is also a
corpse in the lair, and inside you can find gold, gems, and a wand of fear.
In the northwestern part of the area, you'll find a few more baby wyverns.
Elsewhere you might be able to find guards, wolves, tasloi, and a wraith
spider or two. When you're ready to move on, exit the area to the east.
Who's where?
------------
Hamadryad: southeastern area
* --------------------------------- *
* Cloakwood Mines, Outside (AR1800) *
* --------------------------------- *
The mine buildings are surrounded by a moat that is shaped something like a
figure eight. There isn't much of interest outside of the moat, so feel free
to head directly to the bridge that leads across it. The bridge is on the
western side of the moat, south of where you start in the area.
If you decide to do some exploring, you'll run into Lakadaar in the
northwestern part of the area. If you answer his questions to his liking,
he'll leave you peaceably. Otherwise some guards will appear, and they'll all
attack you. This isn't a big deal since they're all easy to kill. You might
also find some tasloi and wolves in the area.
There are two guards watching the bridge, and they'll be easy to defeat. The
real defense comes further inside where you'll meet Drasus, Genthore, Kysus,
and Rezdan. Drasus is a fighter, and he'll charge you. The other three will
stay back -- and stay clumped together. Area spells such as fireball and web
work well on them. When the fight is over, you'll find some possibly useful
items including boots of speed. You'll also find a letter from Rieltar to
Drasus that mentions Davaeorn.
Explore the rest of the compound and you'll find some more guards. One will
tell you that the entrance to the mines is located in the second bailey.
Before proceeding to the mines, heal your characters and memorize spells. It
will be difficult to rest once you're inside.
Who's where?
------------
Drasus: inside first bailey
Genthore: inside first bailey
Kysus: inside first bailey
Lakadaar: northwestern area
Rezdan: inside first bailey
* -------------------------------------------------------- *
* Cloakwood Mines, Inside (AR1801, AR1802, AR1803, AR1804) *
* -------------------------------------------------------- *
On the first level you'll find a lot of guards and miners. Kill the guards
and talk to the miners -- until the phrase “get me out of this hell hole” gets
on your nerves, and then only talk to the named miners. You should also talk
to the miner in the northeastern part of level who is wearing red and who is
standing next to a circle of silver. The circle is actually a plug, and the
miner will tell you that he can open the plug and flood the mines if you get
him the key. The key is carried by Davaeorn, “the master of the mines.” The
miner will also tell you to talk to Rill, who might be able to come up with a
plan to evacuate the miners before the flooding takes place. The exit to the
second level is at the end of the mineshaft that looks like an upside down
candy cane.
The second level is the prison level. There are two traps on the level, both
near an archway leading to the southwest. If you hit the first trap (magic
missile), then you'll know that the second trap (lightning) is nearby. Scout
carefully with your thief because the lightning trap will likely kill any
character who triggers it.
In the room past the traps you'll find the spellcaster Hareishan, who is
supported by several guards and Black Talon elites. The best way to handle
this group is to try and take them out one opponent at a time. Have one
character run into the room and then run back out to the rest of your party.
Some guards and usually Hareishan himself will chase after. Once you've
killed part of the group, go ahead and charge into the room and kill the rest.
Past Hareishan's room you'll meet Rill. Give him the 100 gold he asks for so
he can bribe the guards and get the miners out of harm's way. Near Rill is
Yeslick, a dwarf who will join your party. Yeslick is a good-aligned
fighter/cleric, but he doesn’t have great multi-class stats. He’s a better
option than Jaheira, but otherwise you should probably skip him.
The third level contains the living quarters, so you'll have to do a lot of
fighting here. Try to explore the area quickly because the bandits and
hobgoblins regenerate fairly quickly, and so you'll have to fight several
battles multiple times.
On the eastern side of the level you'll find Natasha, an enemy spellcaster.
She’ll have several scrolls on her that you might find useful. A room in the
southeastern corner has an ogre mage and several dead bodies in it, but
neither the mage nor the bodies carry anything useful. The staircase leading
down to the fourth level is located in the most southern room.
The fourth level contains Davaeorn's quarters. You'll first arrive in an
antechamber where you'll have to kill a guard, and you can use this room to
cast some spells (like bless or defensive harmony) before facing Davaeorn.
The passage leading to Davaeorn is trapped, so have your thief check it out
first.
Davaeorn is a fairly typical spellcaster, but he's larger and tougher than
most you have faced so far. His favorite spell seems to be dimension door, so
you'll have to chase him around a bit. He also seems to favor dire charm, so
try to disrupt his spellcasting with your own spells and ranged attacks. When
you kill Davaeorn, the chapter will end.
Who's where?
------------
Andarsson: first level, near entrance
Canticle: first level
Davaeorn: fourth level
Faber: first level, near entrance
Hareishan: second level
Natasha: third level
Phaersis: first level
Rill: second level
Stephan: fourth level.
Tipian: first level
Yeslick: second level
******************************************************************************
* Chapter 5 *
******************************************************************************
Finish exploring the level and loot everything that you find useful. Between
Davaeorn's corpse and chests on the level, you should be able to find bracers
of defense AC 6, several scrolls and potions, over 1000 gold pieces, the key
to the river plug, and three letters from Rieltar to Davaeorn.
The exit on the western side of the level leads back to the first level of the
mines. Use that and take the key to the miner next to the plug. He'll flood
the mines, and you'll receive 2000 experience points and two reputation
points. Then head to Beregost.
In Beregost, go to the Jovial Juggler Inn and talk to Officer Vai. She'll
tell you that her contingent has been recalled to Baldur's Gate, and you'll
receive a reputation point. Then talk to Gurke (also in the Jovial Juggler),
who will let you keep his cloak, and you'll also earn 300 experience points
for finishing his quest. Then go to the temple where Keldath Ormlyr will give
you 2000 coins for a wyvern's head. Finally, do whatever shopping you need
and head to the farm area north of the Friendly Arm Inn.
* ------------------------------------------- *
* Farm North of the Friendly Arm Inn (AR1400) *
* ------------------------------------------- *
In this area you'll find a lot of roaming ankhegs. These things can be
dangerous if they target your spellcasters with their ranged attacks, so try
to make sure your fighters are always in front. Also, you will only have to
face one or two ankhegs at a time -- unless you save while in the area, and
then you might have to face three or four at a time, which can be difficult.
So try to avoid saving unless ankhegs are easy experience for you.
In the middle of the area is a farm with Farmer Brun standing out front. Brun
will tell you that his son Nathan is missing, and that he probably headed
west. West of the farm you'll find a big hole in the ground. It's the ankheg
lair, but it shouldn't pose much of a problem. Unlike the surface area,
you'll only have to face ankhegs one at a time in the lair. In the
northeastern part of the lair is a treasure cache where Nathan's body is
located. You'll also find some magical darts, a dagger +1, chainmail +1, and
more. It's safe to save and (usually) to rest in the lair once you've cleaned
it out, so you can use it to avoid saving on the surface. When you return to
Farmer Brun, you'll receive 500 experience points for bringing him the bad
news (and Nathan), but Farmer Brun will tell you that he can now no longer
afford to run his farm. Talk to him again and give him 100 gold. You'll
receive 1000 points of experience and a point of reputation for the good deed.
In the northeastern part of the map you might meet Gerde (she wanders), who
will give you some information about the ankhegs. Feel free to ignore her
limit. After you've killed ten ankhegs, talk to her again and she'll give you
75 gold pieces.
On the road on the western side of the area is Ajantis. He's a paladin who
will join your group if you need him. His strength is 17, and it never hurts
to have a little extra healing around.
North of Ajantis you'll find a pair of cottages with three fishermen standing
out front. They'll tell you that they're being harassed by a priest of the
“Bitch Queen Umberlee.” If you agree to strong-arm the priest for them,
they'll give you a magical weapon (a flail +1) for a reward. The priest is
located in the area to the north.
Who's where?
------------
Ajantis: western road
Farmer Brun: near farm
Gerde: northeastern area
Jebadoh: near cottages
Sonner: near cottages
Telmen: near cottages
* -------------------------------- *
* Bridge to Baldur's Gate (AR0900) *
* -------------------------------- *
The first thing you'll notice in this area is probably -- surprise, surprise
-- the bridge to Baldur's Gate. But ignore it for now and head north. In the
northeastern corner you'll meet Tenya, the priestess the fishermen from the
previous area were complaining about. Tell her you just want to know what is
going on, and then tell her again. She'll attack you, but as soon as you
damage her she'll stop the fight and tell you that the fishermen tortured and
killed her mother. Agree to help her, and then continue north.
Before reaching the northern edge of the area you'll be attacked by an ankheg.
On its corpse you'll find “Nester's dagger.” Hang on to it. You'll learn
more about Nester later. Then exit the area to the north, but head back to
the southern farm area on the world map.
Confront the fishermen and they'll have another sad tale to tell. Keep
demanding the bowl, and eventually they'll give it to you -- and then they'll
attack. They're not disguised assassins or anything, and they'll die really
quickly. Then take the bowl back to Tenya. She won't have a reward for you,
but you'll earn 2500 experience points and the gratitude of Umberlee.
Continuing to ignore Baldur's Gate for now, exit the area to the north and
select the northern farm area.
Who's where?
------------
Tenya: northeastern area
* ------------------------------------------- *
* Farm North of Baldur's Gate Bridge (AR0400) *
* ------------------------------------------- *
Most of the area is taken up by a farm. The farmer, Wenric, is located in the
northwestern area of the map. He'll tell you that his farm has been overrun
by zombies, which you'll probably have already noticed, and he'll offer you a
reward for killing them all. Explore the rest of the area, kill the zombies,
and Wenric will give you 150 gold pieces (plus 800 experience points). He
also has a cloak of protection +1 in his house that you can steal if you need
it. Then exit the area and select Ulgoth's Beard on the world map.
Who's where?
------------
Wenric: northwestern area
* --------------------------- *
* Ulgoth's Beard (*) (AR1000) *
* --------------------------- *
Ulgoth's Beard is the springboard for the areas included in the Tales of the
Sword Coast expansion pack. Several inhabitants of the town will offer you
quests, but all of the quests will involve you leaving the area. So before
accepting any quests, first explore the town and see what it has to offer.
On the northern side of town is the Ulgoth's Beard Inn. When you go inside,
Hurgan Stoneblade will ask you to retrieve the dagger Soultaker from Durlag's
tower. At the back of the inn you'll find Galkin. He'll sell you a wardstone
capable of opening the dungeons beneath Durlag's Tower -- for a mere pittance
of 900 gold pieces. You don't need to buy the wardstone; there are two other
ways you can get a wardstone, and both will cost less gold. And speaking of
gold, you can buy all sorts of useful items at the inn: multiple large shields
+1, a cloak of displacement, a ring of invisibility, a quarter staff +3, and
more. Outside the inn is Ike, who will take you on a tour of Durlag's Tower
when you're ready to go.
In the center of town is Shandalar. He'll ask you to retrieve his missing
cloak from “another place.” Also near the center of town is Delsvirftanyon.
He'll offer to sell you some “small and shinies” for 500 gold. These include
two wardstones (one fake) and some other trinkets. You can also get a
wardstone from Ike if you take his tour.
In a home in the northwestern corner of town lives Therella. She'll ask you
to find her son Dalton in Durlag's Tower. South of Therella's home in the
southwest corner you'll meet Mendas. He'll tell you about a shipwreck and ask
you to retrieve the logbook from it. However, you'll have to steal some sea
charts from the Counting House in Baldur's Gate before you can find the wreck.
Outside of Mendas' home you'll meet two people: Calahan, who will indicate
that Mendas might be hiding something, and Fenrus, who will give you some
information on Durlag's Tower.
When you're ready to go on a quest, talk to Shandalar. He’ll give you a
wardstone and teleport you to your destination.
Who's where?
------------
Calahan: near Mendas' home
Delsvirftanyon: near center of town
Dushai: eastern side, near garden
Fenrus: by docks
Galkin: Ulgoth's Beard Inn
Hurgan Stoneblade: Ulgoth's Beard Inn
Ike: outside Ulgoth's Beard Inn
Mendas: southwestern home
Shandalar: center of town
Therella: northwestern home
* -------------------------------------- *
* Shandalar's Island (*) (AR1008, AR109) *
* -------------------------------------- *
You'll arrive on a small, icy island. Kill the polar bear and then enter the
cave. Inside, a couple of winter wolves will greet you, and past them is a
room with three spellcasters: Marcellus, Andris, and Beyn. They'll talk to
you but it doesn't matter what you say; they'll eventually attack. All three
are powerful spellcasters, but they are overly fond of casting dimension door.
I had the most luck by sending one character into their room, letting the
spellcasters notice him, and then having the character run back to the rest of
the party. One of the spellcasters would invariably chase the character or
teleport into the room with the party, and I was able to attack the
spellcasters one at a time that way. In total, you'll receive almost 10,000
experience points for killing the trio.
In the center of the map you'll find Garan. It doesn't matter what you say to
him either. He'll not only attack you, but he'll summon in four ankhegs to
help him out. Two ankhegs will appear in front of him, and two will appear
behind him. Kill the front two quickly so you can converge on Garan and kill
him as well. Then kill the last two ankhegs at your leisure. Garan has four
scrolls on him that might be useful.
In the room to the north of Garan you'll meet Cuchol. He, like everybody
else, will want the wardstone you're carrying, and he'll attack you for it.
Just rush him and take him out. He's standing behind a magic missile trap,
but it will do very little damage to whichever character triggers it, so feel
free to ignore it.
Shandalar’s cloak can be found at the end of a long, twisting passage off the
room that had the three spellcasters in it. There are several traps along the
passage, so make sure you scout with your thief. Along the way you'll meet
Tellan, a spellcaster who sounds like he might help you in later battles, but
then who attacks you anyway. (I'm not sure if I'm doing somet