+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ICEWIND DALE FAQ/WALKTHROUGH +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ VER. 1.0 08/24/2K BY RAIZEN INOGAMI INOGAMI24@HOTMAIL.COM +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ i. DISCLAIMER +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This FAQ/Walkthrough is copyright of Raizen Inogami and no portion of this work can be reproduced without the expressed permission of the author. It is the intention of the author that this work is for private and personal use only and that no profit should be made from this. I will send a horde of blind svirfneblins to kick the crummy ass of anyone violating this. This walkthrough is available only at www.gamefaqs.com +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ii. SOME WORDS FROM THE AUTHOR (OR RAMBLINGS OF AN INCOHERENT BUFFOON) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ This is my first attempt at writing a FAQ/Walkthrough and as such I'm pretty sure there would be inconsistencies, vague or obscure writings littered around this work. If you find anything that needs clearing, additions or corrections please e-mail me and place in the subject line "Icewind Dale" so that I may not accidentally delete the mail and may reply faster. Politeness and common courtesy can take you a long way. :) Anyhoo, I've played this game for almost 2 months. Part of it is due to my thesis, upcoming graduation (hopefully:]) but mainly because I get easily distracted with Deus Ex, Guilty Gear, Diablo II, and Chrono Cross, oh and I forget to mention NBA Live 2000. Looking back, I still can't figure where I got those extra hours and why I always ran out of coffee. Like Torment, this game sucked enough life force from me that's why I decided to make a FAQ/Walkthrough for Icewind. I must confess though that I get a little bit carried away at times when writing this and blathers senselessly so I'm apologizing right now if I seem to beat around the bush especially at the walkthrough section. Also some of the infos on the gameplay section is from the manual though I added a few of my commentary so I may explain it a little bit for those like me that have no idea about paper-and-pencil RPGs. I aimed my gameplay section for individuals who have a bit of difficulty at creating their party and for those that didn't bother to read the manual. You can skip right into my walkthrough if you already know these stuff. One last thing, I have read this work a couple of times before posting it and I have tried to locate and correct any typos or grammatical errors and if there are any that are left undone please bear with it. Enjoy the game though I suggest you beat this game first on your own and use the walkthrough only for reference or if you are really, really stuck somewhere. And remember that this is how the way I finished the game, it does not necessarily mean that this is the only way to go through it, the key word is non-linear here, if you can't accomplish a quest yet, skip it, to hell with the walkthrough! This is only a guide, the decision of how you like to play is still up to you. Anyway, I hope that this work would provide you the help that you need and may you come out a better person :) +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ iii. VERSION HISTORY +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ VER. 1.0 - First version; Have beaten the game. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ iiii. TABLE OF CONTENTS +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ i. Disclaimer ii. Some words from the author iii. Version history iiii. Table of contents I. Introduction II. Gameplay A. System Requirements B. Controls C. Character Creation D. General Strategies III. Walkthrough IV. Post Gaming Notes A. Spell Progression B. Icewind Deities C. Cheats V. Credits +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I. INTRODUCTION +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Just almost less than a year after their release of their masterpiece, Planescape: Torment, Black Isle is at it again and this time the adventure will take you to the frozen north - The Spine of the World. Set in AD&D's Forgotten Realms, you will take a band of adventurers to the ice-laden mountains in search for the source of a growing evil that plagues the small town of Kuldahar. Unlike Torment, Icewind Dale is not a character specific game, you will not have a Nameless One here or a Morte but instead you will have a band of anonymous heroes where you, the player, customizes and tailors them to your liking much like Baldur's Gate. But unlike the said game, the focus of Icewind Dale is dungeon crawling (don't think about Diablo too much) as there are plenty of it. One of the things that is very remarkable with Ice Wind Dale or any RPGs made by Black Isle for that matter, is their keen sense for depth and details. They really take time to make the world believable by diversifying the places the player would visit through the entire quest. You would see people(even monsters) with different beliefs, principles, and the way they view the world which is really cool. Of course Wizards of the Coast are the ones that DID make this worlds, but Black Isle have captured that masterfully. Also like Torment (I keep referring to Torment as a comparison instead of Baldur's Gate as I have never played the game) the world is rich in terms of design and most of the time when exploring one of the many dungeons here, I make sure that I clear the whole map entirely so I can very well see what it looks like. Most of the time they live me in awe (especially if there are big statues and stuff like that). Black Isle very well solidifies the fact that you don't need to have a kick-ass 3D graphics eye candy to make awesome visuals. The music is another plus for the game, they helped a lot to pull you into the reality of the game and the situation you might be in. Whenever you encounter enemies an appropriate music would kick in that would highten the rush. Voice acting is also top notch (though it would have been great if they still have a couple more choices for the voice of your party - my cleric's voice really gets annoying at times!). Story wise, I can't describe it but awesome. Though I haven't played paper-and-pencil RPGs and some of the terms used here tooked me a while to grasp their meanings (like THACO), this never stopped me from playing the game up to the wee hours of the morning and shutting myself from the rest of the world. The bottomline is: if you spent all of your time playing Diablo II, not that there's anything wrong with it, and have completely ignored this game, your missing on a very, very great adventure. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ II. GAMEPLAY +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ==================================== A. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ==================================== ************************** REQUIRED REQUIREMENTS ************************** Pentium II (or compatible) 233 MHz 32 MB RAM Windows 95 with DirectX 7.0 or later 600 MB of Hard Drive Space 4X or faster CD-ROM DirectX Certified Video Card with at least 4 MB of video RAM DirectX Certified Sound Card Keyboard, Mouse *************************** RECOMENDED REQUIREMENTS *************************** Recommended (required for multiplayer): Pentium II (or compatible) 266 MHz 64 MB RAM 900 MB (or more) of Hard Drive Space 8X (or faster) CD-ROM =================================== B. CONTROLS =================================== This is the default controls for the game: ************** ***************** PAGE MISC ************** ***************** G - Return to Game T - Chat M - Map X - Location J - Journal L - Quick Load I - Inventory Q - Quick Save R - Character Record A - Party AI W - Mage Spellbook . - Toggle Portrait P - Priest Spells O - Options C - Arbitration *************** ***************** ACTIONS Quick Keys *************** ***************** Z - Trap Detection Quick Formation - E V - Special Abilities =================================== C. CHARACTER CREATION =================================== Once you start to play Icewind Dale and starts the single player game, you would see six empty boxes of which is the alotted number of party members you may have. It is not required that you must create six members for your party as you may only have four or two even if you so desire (more on that later). Character creation takes you to a few steps to get ready for your adventuring. *********************** GENDER *********************** Gender is just an aesthetic option, it will not affect gameplay. ********************** PORTRAIT ********************** The portrait is another option which really wouldn't do anything to the gameplay but helps much in identifying your characters. The great thing with the portraits is that you can import your own instead of using the ones in the game. ********************** RACE ********************** Race selection is very important as this will decide your class, the dialogues options that becomes available to you, your strenghts and failings, so choose wisely! The available races in the game are: **Humans** Humans are the predominant race in Faerūn,and they rule most of the significant empires and kingdoms in the Forgotten Realms. Humans may choose any class,or dual-class if they wish. Humans may not have the special abilities that the other races may have but they have the advantage of becoming any of the classes available and later on dual-class if you so choose, Three of my party members are from this race because of their dual-classing ability. **Dwarves** Dwarves are short stocky humanoids with ruddy cheeks,dark eyes,and dark hair. Though there are exceptions,they tend to be a dour and taciturn people. Dwarves have a natural resistance to magic and poison and possess infravision,which allows them to see warm objects in the dark. Dwarves gain a bonus to Constitution,but a penalty to Charisma. I have yet to use this race though their natural resistance to magic and poison will come in handy against many enemies and the mages of later levels. **Elves** Elves tend to be shorter and slimmer than humans with delicate features. Elves are generally looked upon as being frivolous and aloof. Elves have a natural resistance to charm and sleep magic,possess infravision,and are skilled in the use of the bow and long sword. Elves gain a bonus to Dexterity,but a penalty to Constitution. Because of their skill in the use of bow and bonus in dexterity, I gave my party an elf that serves as my sniper. **Gnomes** Kin to dwarves,gnomes are noticeably smaller than their distant cousins. (Gnomes,as they proudly maintain,are also less rotund than dwarves.) Most have dark tan or brown skin,white hair,and rather large noses. Gnomes have natural resistance to magic and can see in the dark with infravision. They gain a bonus to Intelligence,but a penalty to Wisdom. Still, another race that I have yet to use so I cannot say much about them though their bonus to intelligence may make them good mages. **Halflings** Halflings are short,generally plump people,much like small humans. Their faces are round and broad,and often quite florid. Their hair is typically curly,and the tops of their feet are covered with coarse hair. Halflings are highly resistant to poisons and magic,are naturally skilled with slings as weapons,and have a limited ability to see in the dark. They receive a bonus to Dexterity,but a penalty to Strength. Another race that I haven't touched yet so on to the next... **Half-Elves** Half-elves are a mix of human and elven blood. They are handsome folk,combining the best of both races. A half-elf has the curiosity,inventiveness,and ambition of their human ancestors,and the refined senses,love of nature,and artistic tastes of their elven heritage. Half-elves have a limited resistance to Charm and Sleep spells and can see in the dark with infravision. I don't know why I used them as their resistance to sleep and charm spells are almost useless in this game but still... *************************** CLASSES *************************** Once you have determined the classes you want for your party, the next thing you decide is their classes. There are several classes from which you could choose from. This classes are divided into warrior, rogue, priest and the wizard. There are still classes within this group from which you truly choose (you cannot choose warrior for example). **Warriors** *Fighter* The fighter is a champion,swordsman,and soldier. He lives or dies by his knowledge of weapons and tactics. Fighters can be found at the front of any battle, contesting toe-to-toe with monsters and villains. A good fighter needs to be strong and healthy if he hopes to survive. Special Abilities : Advanced Weapon Specialization. Restrictions : None. Try to have two or more on your party as they are powerful with melee attacks and would serve great on hacking your enemy to pieces and standing between your mages and an onslaught of enemies. *Ranger* The ranger is a hunter and a woodsman,skilled with weapons and knowledgeable in tracking and woodcraft. The ranger often protects and guides lost travelers and honest peasant-folk. An above average strength and wisdom are needed to be a ranger. Special Abilities : Weapon Specialization,Dual Weapon Usage,Racial Enemy, Stealth, and Charm Person/Mammal. At 8th level,rangers gain the ability to cast priest spells. Restrictions : Only humans or half-elves can be rangers,and they must be of Good alignment. The first time I played Icewind Dale, I included a ranger as their bonus on racial enemies, and charming animals looks enticing. Thank God I restarted with a different party as both abilities deemed to be a bit crappy. *Paladin* A paladin is a warrior bold and pure,a paragon of virtue. Like the fighter,the paladin is a man of combat. However,the paladin lives for the ideals of righteousness, justice, honesty, piety, and chivalry. He strives to be a living example of these virtues so that others might learn from him as well as gain by his actions. Special Abilities : Weapon Specialization, Lay Hands, Turn Undead, +2 all Saving Throws, Protection from Evil, and Detect Evil. At 9th level, paladins gain the ability to cast priest spells. Restrictions : Only humans can be paladins,and they must be of Lawful Good alignment. My party was lead by a paladin as he is a noble and righteous warrior which in the gaming world would translate to having a good dialogue options (I think). Aside from that he's got great special abilities like Lay Hands and a +2 on saving throws. Plus when he reach his 9th level he gains the ability to cast priest spells. **Priests** *Cleric* The cleric is a generic priest(of any mythos)who tends to the spiritual needs of a community.He is both protector and healer. He is not purely defensive, however. When evil threatens,the cleric is well suited to seek it out on its own ground and destroy it. Special Abilities : Turn Undead, Spell Casting Restrictions : Cannot use bladed or piercing weapons. My cleric serves as the healer of the party so I believe a cleric is a necessity in your party. Aside from healing spells, the cleric have great support magics that could aid you very well when the occassion calls for an upclose-and-personal style of engagement. *Druid* The druid serves the cause of nature and neutrality; the wilderness is his community. He uses his special powers to protect it and to preserve balance in the world. Special Abilities : Shape Change, Spell Casting Restrictions : Human or Half-Elf only; leather armor and bucklers only; can only wield clubs, darts, spears, daggers, slings, and staffs. I have to use a druid yet so I can only speculate though the shape change ability sounds pretty nifty. **Rogues** *Thief* To accomplish his goals,for good or ill,the thief is a skilled pilferer. Cunning, nimbleness, and stealth are his hallmarks. Whether he turns his talent against innocent passers-by and wealthy merchants or oppressors and monsters is a choice for the thief to make. There are four thief abilities in Icewind Dale. At first level a thief character will receive 30 points to allocate among his abilities. Every level thereafter he will gain an extra 20 points. Special Abilities : Stealth(and Backstab), Pick Pockets, Pick Locks, Find/Remove Traps. Restrictions : Thieves cannot be of Lawful Good alignment; they cannot wear any armor other than leather or studded leather; they cannot use any shield except for bucklers and can only wield clubs, daggers, darts, crossbows, short bows, slings, long swords, short swords, and quarterstaffs I used a thief/fighter character so that she can be both stealthy and can engage in melee effectively. Try boosting her pick locks and detect traps more as the pick pockets is almost useless in this game. *Bard* The bard is a rogue, but he is different from the thief. His strength is his pleasant and charming personality. A bard is a talented musician and a walking storehouse of gossip, tall tales,and lore. He learns a little bit about everything that crosses his path; he is a jack-of- all-trades,but master of none. While many bards are scoundrels,their stories and songs are welcome almost everywhere. Special Abilities : Pick Pockets, Bard Songs, Spell Casting, High Lore ability. Restrictions : Human and Half-Elf only; must be of partially Neutral alignment; cannot use a shield or armor heavier than chainmail. I haven't used the bard class and I really don't know much about the class itself. **Wizards** *Mage* The wizard is a master of shaping magical energies and casting them as spells. To do so, he studies strange tongues and obscure facts and devotes much of his time to magical research. A wizard must rely on knowledge and wit to survive. Wizards are rarely seen adventuring without a retinue of fighters and men-at-arms. Because there are different types (or schools)of magic,there are different types of wizards. The generalist mage studies all types of magic and learns a wide variety of spells. His broad range makes him well suited to the demands of adventuring. Special Abilities : Spell Casting. Restrictions : Mages cannot wear armor, and they can only wield daggers, staffs, arts,and slings. Specialist Wizards : Mages that specialize in a specific school of magic are allowed to memorize an extra spell of each level (once they are able to use spells of the appropriate level).They are prohibited from learning spells in their opposition schools (with the exception of Divination spells less up to 4th level, which can be used by any specialist mage),and cannot be combined in a multiclass character (though gnomish characters can become fighter/Illusionists). Human specialist wizards can dual-class if they wish. Abjurer : Abjurers specialize in protective magic. Conjurer : Conjurers specialize in creating creatures and objects to assist them. Diviner : Diviners specialize in detection and divining magic. Enchanter : Enchanters specialize in manipulating the minds of others. Illusionist : Illusionists specialize in creating illusions to confuse and mislead. Invoker : Invokers specialize in Invocation/Evocation magic. Necromancer : Necromancers specialize in death-related spells. Transmuter : Transmuters specialize in spells that alter physical reality. They are your heavy guns as they have the ability to kill multiple enemies from a distance. Their magic would definitely help you in any situation and I can't picture my party without them and finishing this game. The trade-off is that they can't wear any armor, a frontal attack using them is suicidal and their hp is crappy. You should always put them the farthest from your enemies where they can safely cast their spells. If you decide to become a specialized mage, know that you would get an extra spell per level but you would never learn any spells form the opposition school. Humans are restricted to a single class but can become dual-classed later. Non-humans on the other hand can become multiclassed if you choose so. Notes on dual and multiclassed: * Dual-classing is available only to the human race. They start out as a single class individuals then later on they can switch to another class but be careful in dual-classing as the abilities of your former class will be unavailable to you until your new class surpasses the level of your former one. Take note that even if the abilities become available to you, you can never advance anymore with your former class. * Multiclassing are restricted only to non-humans. They can be a thief/fighter class or a fighter/mage for example. Though it looks very preferrable compared to single class, know that the restricions for both classes apply to you. Also it would take you twice as long to level up compared to single class. *************************** ABILITY SCORES *************************** These ability scores define how powerful your character will be. Every class should excel in at least one of the six ability to make them truly effective. You should pump your strength and constitution for the fighters in your party for example as they will always be at the front line. The "rolls" are randomly decided by the computer. *************************** ALIGNMENT *************************** This decides your character's "nature". Your choice of alignment is guided partly by your character class like the paladin can only be a lawful good character. This would also determine how you would react to the numerous NPCs in the game. *************************** WEAPON PROFICIENCIES *************************** Every class has its own proficiency in weapon handling, warrior and rogue (except the thief) types have access to all weaponries available in the game though the fighter has the greatest proficiency in any weapon of his choice. Priests and the rest has a limited knowledge in handling weapons. *************************** OTHERS *************************** The last three is just there to solidify your characters. Appearance, biography and name wouldn't really affect how the game goes. You could name your elf Jackass and you wouldn't hear any snicker from any NPCs. Biography though would take much creativity to come up with something really good, it's here to spend your creative juices into. ==================================== D. GENERAL STRATEGIES ==================================== This section is dedicated to techniques that I have found to be the most effective in dealing with enemies and whatnots. ********************** GENERAL GAMEPLAY ********************** * Save often and I mean very often. Whenever you first enter an area or believes that a major battle is coming up or even conversing with NPCs, be sure to save first. Save when you think you need a rest outside a town, save when you have survived a major battle, save when your mage is trying to read a scroll; just save, save, save. Though this can get annoying as this breaks your gameplay but this practice would definitely save (ughh, that word again) you time and effort when you think you have made a mistake with the conversation, lost to a boss battle and you need to go at his minions again as your last save is half an hour ago(not to mention that the bosses here are very talkative), your attacked when you are trying to rest etc. * Explore the map thoroughly. You don't know what you may miss if you left some portion of the map to the fog of war. I myself almost missed that sea-spirit babe in Easthaven as she is located somewhere in the southern most part of the map. * Scour the whole gaming area with your pointer. This is especially true in the lower levels of the Severed Hand . Because of the design of the place, you can easily miss equiptments stashed in some junk. This may also come in handy when a dozen of dead bodies piled up with one another and you may think that you have gotten everything. * Your journal is very important. If you have somehow lost track of what you are supposed to do next, your journal is a great help. ********************** DIALOGUE ********************** * Exhaust every available dialogue options. It isn't really recommendable that you terminate a conversation prematurely especially with the boss characters because your really itching to kick their butt. There maybe things that they might say that is vital and may not be reflected on your journal. Also, try to talk to a character a few times to make sure you haven't missed anything. Another is converse with everybody after a quest as they might have now a different set of dialogue options. * Try to talking to anyone with all of your party members. Remember that there are times when a different party member may invoke a different reaction (this maybe due to their charisma, race and class and at one point gender) to any of the NPCs. The paladin knows that Albion is a one evil mother but your thief will not. Dirty Llew gives a lower price (I think)if you made your female characters trade with him. * Try to be nice. Of course this depends on how you want to run the game, if you want to be the epitome of a goody character or a total jerk, its up to you, but its preferrable to be nice if this is your first run on the game. *************************** COMBAT *************************** * Pick your enemy one at a time. This works well compared to an all out assault as a dozen enemy can gang up on you in no time breaking your line and making your retreat really hard. What you should do is try sending one or two members of your party who has bow/crossbow/missile weapons proficiency and a spell slinger and try sending them to the line of fire carefully. I don't use melee characters as they would have to get close to the enemy thereby reducing the fog of war exposing them to other enemies whereas your archer and mage can just walk in a single enemy's line of sight without alerting the others or reducing the fog of war. When you get its attention, try luring it to where the rest of your party is to finish him off. Most enemies have the attention span of a sperm so make sure that he sees you and walk slow so that he will truly follow you. * Mass-destruction spells. You should try getting them at the earliest time possible. When using a mass-destruction spell like Fireball, the great thing is you don't have to aim it on a particular enemy, just point the mouse on a terrain then unleash it. My strategy on using these kind of spell is when I think there are a lot of enemies waiting for me and they are still covered with fog of war I let my mage walk carefully and slowly to their position and when some of them is semi-transparent(part of them is still covered in darkness) I unleash the spell thereby killing a slew of them including those still hidden. Enemies tend to ignore you when they are still semi-transparent or when I'm not that sure I just guess where they are and cast the spell, chances are you'll get proximity damage. You don't have to see your target to damage them, so when I cleared the area, most enemies are already destroyed and some who have escaped the brunt of the blast are now in a weakened state and easy to finish off. This is great as you have effectively disposed a lot of enemies without your party getting hurt. This is also true with Cloud Kill, Ice Storm and such. * Summoned critters. You should always equip your spell caster with at least one summoning spell. Even if its only level 1 monsters, you should summon them and position them between your party and your enemiesl; they'll serve as buffers for the initial onlsaught. Even if they are decimated quickly, it'll lend you some precious seconds to strategically position your party. They are also good at being decoys. You could use them to attack and lure enemies away from you givig you an opportunity to unleash your most devastating spells (this technique's the one I used on the last boss) * The all-powerful pause. It is easier to tackle enemies when you have strategically positioned your party. Remember that as with all AD&D BlackIsle games, you can pause anytime especially in battle so you can have an easier time managing six characters hence the RPG/Strategy genre. it may be tedious at first but as you progress, it would be second nature to you. Whenever a battle becomes too heated for your party, pause the game and plan your next move. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ III. WALKTHROUGH +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ===================================== A. PROLOGUE ===================================== *********************** **EASTHAVEN** *********************** Winter's Cradle - Run by Grisella. North of town, marked by a key-like sign. Pomab's Emporium - The building right beside Grisella's, it has a sign with a corn drawn in it. Weapons, armors and other equiptment are sold here. Snowdrift Inn - The candle sign marks this place. It is run by Quimby and if your party needs rest, this is the place. It is located east of the town just beside Pomab's Emporium. Old Jed's house - Located by the shore , left of the bridge, south of most houses in Easthaven. The Fishmonger's house - Left of the Winter's Cradle, home of Gaspar marked with a fish crossed with fish's bone. Hrothgar's home - Left of the fishmonger's house. It's the house with gaps in the overhang. Temple of Tempus - The blue-glassed structure west of Easthaven. Accalia and Everard resides here. Healing spells are sold here. Apsel's Workshop - Southwest of town facing the shore. Fishmonger's Warehouse - South of Apsel's workshop. This place is managed by Churin the foreman. -------------------------- Local Critters -------------------------- ........................................................ name xp ........................................................ Beetle 35 Goblin 15 Goblin - Archer 15 Goblin Elite 45 Wolf 120 Hrothgar, the peacekeeper of the town would have a dialogue with you about the folks of Easthaven. As this is stil the only place in your map, take note of the location of the people he will mention. Your journal would then have its first entry. After the warm welcome, talk to Grisella the barkeep, she has a task for you. Apparently some bugs have taken shelter in her cellar and she requires your assisstance in eliminating this critters. Easily done and you'll receive your first 1200 experience points and some money . You'll see a fellow at the right corner of the tavern sitting by himself. He's a dwarf who goes by the name of Hildreth Highhammer (the name's feminine according to my paladin but don't ask). Talk to him as well as to the other patrons in the bar to get a rundown of what's happening in Easthaven. It appears that some disturbances have rattled the locals here and are planning an expedition to investigate. You could go to Pomab's Emporium for that needed weapons and equiptments and don't forget to go upstairs, the first time I went here I didn't notice the stairs. Its located northeast of the shop. From here go to the Snowdrift Inn which is just beside the Emporium. You'll meet Erevain Blacksheaf, an elf, in one of the rooms here. He'll talk to you about things which is basically foreshadowing events later in the game. Loot the drawers, though they are locked, you could easily force them. Go a bit south and don't walk to the bridge yet, go to the house by the shore where there are knucklehead trouts hanging outside. This is Old Jed's house. He's a fisherman who's drunk as a fish and you could help him in his "downward spiral to oblivion" by giving him booze which you could purchase at Pomab's. You'll receive 1200 xp and 6 gold, Oh, and you wil be initiated to the Eternal Brotherhood O' Fishermen (what a loon). In your dialogue with the old man, you'll have a dialogue option about advising him to go see a priest (well at least I had) so I reloaded and let my cleric, who is closest to a priest, chat with Jed. She did gave an advice but it ended up just the same so I reloaded again and exited the house thinking there might be a better solution. As you walk westward you'd see four kids - Ahmadora, Chizelo, Dillsandra, and Jeffy - poking a squirrel. I don't know what you've got to do but I thought at first that maybe you could give the squirrel to Jed to replace his dead pet in his house (place your pointer to the cage just above him) and maybe he'll stop drinking because that may have been the cause of his problem in the first place. Anyway, go to the fishmonger's house which is just in front from where the children are. Gaspar will talk to you about his business but what is important is about the town's critical food supply and his trade with Gallaway in Caer-Dinival as your journal will then be updated. After your through talking with him, go now to Hrothgar's place. Before talking to him, notice the locker at the foot of his bed? force it and get the note and smile (just what you deserve you thieving runt). Also open the cabinet just above the locker as it has a short bow with 20 arrows in it. He'll talk to you about the expedition which you would naturally join of course. He'll also send you in a mission to see to it that the caravan from Caer-Dinival makes it through. Try to talk again to the townspeople as you would have new dialogue options now concerning orcs and goblins sightings, a wolf stalking the outskirts of the town, giants and some blue-skinned woman by the shore. Go ot the temple of Tempus and talk to Accalia the initiate for some background info on Tempuran faith, nothing much to advance the game but it helps a lot in drawing you into the mythos. You'll see Everard the battlepriest at the foot of Tempus' statue (is that his statue?). Talk to him to learn more of the Jerrod's Stone and the story behind it though you probably know this by now. Walk southwestward until you see the scrimshander Apsel. He's in dire need of your help as a wolf is in his shop plus he broke his key so you should find a way to go in. Just force yourself the same way with locked cabinets and chests and dispatch the flea-ridden mongrel. After killing the wolf, talk again to Apsel and receive 1,200 xp, 25 gold and his dagger. Walk back a little, just by the shore to be specific and you'll see a townsperson mumbling to himself. Jhonen will tell you that he is being plagued by dreams and so being a nice person that you are, you promise that you would help him. After talking to him, explore the rest of the western part of the town and you'll see a strange blue-skinned woman by the shore. Talk to her and you'll find out that her name is Alisia-of-the-Sky's-Mirror. She's a water spirit of some sort and she was a lover of Jhonen's ancestor and she need's you to give Jhonen his ancestor's sword for she cannot give it herself else she will stream away like water. Being the nice person that you are you agree to give it to Jhonen. Tell Jhonen the cause of his dreams and give him the blade and you'll snag 1200 exp. Return to the chick with the funky name and tell her that you have given Jhonen the sword to get another 1200 xp and a pearl. Now that you have almost cleared the map, head now for the bridge and you'll bump into Damien who is being chased by monsters. Turns out its a band of goblin. Dipose of them. Talk to Damien and give him the trout you got from one of the goblins and earn 1200 xp. ******************************** **HILLS BEYOND EASTHAVEN** ******************************** -------------------- Local Critters -------------------- ....................................... name xp ....................................... Ogre 270 Orc 15 Orc Archer 35 Orc Elite 35 Orc Shaman 35 Wolf 120 After fending off the wolves you'll see the wreckage of the caravan at the mouth of the cave so that's where you're heading. The cave is an orc hideout and since you're not that strong enough they're dangerous to your party so try to pick them one at a time. Though some parts of the cave makes it necessary to tackle a few orcs try downing the shaman or the archers first with your spell casters or archers then finish them off with your melee that way you can reduce their number without hurting much your party. An ogre resides here at the southwestern most part of the cave with a few orcs backing him up so be careful. After cleaning the place up, inspect the remains of the ogre for the contract. ****************************** **BACK TO EASTHAVEN** ****************************** Show the contract to Gaspar and get 1200 xp. Talk to Hrothgar for another 2400 xp for investigating what happened to the caravan and he'll ask for you to give a list of equiptments to Pomab so head to the Emporium and bag another 1200 xp. Do your resting and buying now and anything you have left undone then head to Hrothgar. An interlude narrating the expedition would then follow. Let's just say that the expedition didn't turn out good as the party, save yours, are kinda "stuck" in the snow. ****************************** **KULDAHAR PASS** ****************************** ---------------------- Local Critters ---------------------- .................................................. name xp .................................................. Bettle 120 Goblin 15 Goblin Archer 25 Goblin Archer Marshal 35 Goblin Marshal 35 Orc 15 Orc Archer 35 After the avalanche a hermit would talk to you and tell the direction to Kuldahar which would be just follow the road and head east. Goblins litter the pass though they're not that tough, their archers can hurt you while the other goblins attacks with melee thereby dividing your attention so take out the archers quickly. At the end of the pass you'll see a mill, take the steps and you can talk to the goblin marshal. He's got a splitting headache so you should search for an Advil(kidding). Inside the mill is Uligar chief of the Bleeding Eye and his cohorts. I don't feel giving tribute so I made sure that the Bleeding Eye thing made sense and becomes of them, not to mention bleeding guts, bleeding kidneys... Go down for another goblin bashing fun(the way goblins are treated in every damn RPG, they should have been extinct a very, very long time ago even before the middle ages) below the stairs is a door open it and free little Jermsy. The boy hid there when the goblins attack and now that you have eliminated the critters, he could go to the temple of Ilmater in Kuldahar. You'll receive 2400 xp for helping Jermsy. Go up the ladder and thrash some more goblins then exit the mill. Don't go to Kuldahar yet as there are more xp you could get here. Up to the road heading northeast is a tower where an ogre, Ghereg, is also having a headache (maybe its the migraine season). Well, I was tempted to tell him to smash his stupid face up the wall but being the good guy and all, I just left him in his misery. Take the northern passage and you'll encounter some goblins battling some beetles and up still to the caves you'll encounter four beetles (John, Paul, George and Ringo). Exit the cave and head for Kuldahar. ===================================== B. CHAPTER ONE ===================================== ************************ **KULDAHAR** ************************ Orrick's Tower - Home of the mage Orrick and his servant goblin. You could by spell from him. He is located northeast of Kuldahar. Take the road upwards to the tree from Gerth's Equiptment Shoppe. Gerth's Equiptment Shoppe - A sign of coins (is that coins?) is outside the establishment. Equiptments are sold here and you can sell gems and books that you may find. Arundel's house - It is located just past the bridge from you have entered from Kuldahar. It is the two story building embedded in the trunk of the great oak. Evening Shade Inn - Run by Aldwin (yeah, right). There's a bed sign posted at the inn which is north of the town. Urnst the Potter's house - There's a pot sign at the front of his house which is just beyond the second bridge and below the inn. Root Cellar tavern - Whitcomb is the barkeep here along with her barmaids Amelia and Lysan. You could get rumors here with just a beer or so. It is the in the middle of the three adjacent buildings. Conlan's Smithy - You could purchase weapons and armors here and it is found just right of the inn. The anvil sign marks the smith's house. Oswald's Airship - The gnome Oswald Fiddlebender's home and laboratory located just above the temple of Ilmater west of the town. He sells potions. House of the Bleeding Rose - Temple of Ilmater. It lies west of Kuldahar and tended to by Brother Ferg and Brother Gus and the temple's head priestess, Sister Caliana. You can receive healing items here. ------------------------- Local Critters ------------------------- ....................................................... name xp ....................................................... Yeti, Tundra 420 You'd see a kid named Nate as you enter Kuldahar and he'll tell you that Arundel's been waiting for you. Talk to Arundel to know the troubles of the town. He'll send you to the Vale of Shadows to investigate. Talk again to Arundel concerning Ghereg the ogre at the pass. Arundel will give you the recipe for a remedy. You can go now to Ghereg or later whatever suits you, and when you give him the recipe you'd get 1200 xp. Not much to do so go to the tavern and talk to the barmaids especially Amalia. She'll tell you things about the town you now may have already know of plus she'll tell you about Aldwin and how he somehow become the owner the local inn. She smells something fishy and so do you so head up the inn. If you go back, you'll notice that Lysan's missing, now where could she be? An oddity here in the town is the locked house between where the tavern and the temple of Ilmater is located. I've tried everything and still the door won't budge. Anybody out there knows what's inside this house? Another is the locker in the smith's home. Talk to Aldwin about how he got the inn from its former owner Eidan. He wouldn't tell you much so you need to do some snooping around so head up to the second floor of the inn. At the third room, there would be a locked drawer which contains Eidan's ring which also contains the real proof of ownership of the inn. Talk again to Aldwin about the ring that you have found, prod him to tell you the truth and threaten him that you would tell the elders about the foul play unless he tells them himself. He'll reluctantly agree to talk to the village elders about the truth and you'll receive 3225 xp for convincing Aldwin to admit to his crimes. By the way, don't rest in the inn before Aldwin's confession or you'll waste precious money. Go and talk to the priests of Ilmater, Brother Ferg and Brother Gus (Ferg and Gus -Fergus- sounds like Feargus) and to Sister Caliana. So, she's just a replacement head priest and Reverned Mother Egenia is missing too. At the bridge leading to the Vale of Shadows, south of Kuldahar, you'll bump into Mirek who is being chased by two yetis. According to him, he and his brother were on the vale paying their respects to their dead loved ones when yetis attacked them. Their family heirloom was left with his brother at the vale. Sounds like a quest isn't it? After you've talked to everyone, done everything, the Vale of Shadows awaits. ******************************** **VALE OF SHADOWS** ******************************** --------------------- Local Critters --------------------- ............................................. name xp ............................................. Carrion Crawler 420 Ghast 650 Ghoul 175 Mummies 3000 Myrkul's Sending 600 Shadow 350 Shadow, Lesser 350 Skeleton 65 Skeleton Archer 125/200 Skeletal Mage 500 Skeleton, Tattered 65 Spectral Guard 500 Spectral Knight 100 Temple Guardian 100 Wight 1400 Wight, Imbued 1400 Yeti 420 Yeti Chieftain 600 Zombie 65 Zombie, Chosen 975 Lesser shadows and a couple of yetis prowl the outside of the vale. There are a couple of crypts here that you should explore thoroughly as they only not contain a lot of experience points to be had or equiptments and weapons needed but also keys you need to finish the vale. I think these are the keys which you will need: 1. Gate key - The crypt below the level from where you have entered the vale. 2. Sanctum key - The crypt just before Kresselac's tomb where Therik is. 3. Priest's key - It's in Kresselac's Tomb itself. I believe it lies in the room at the left with the coffin. 4. Myrkul's Holy Symbol - It's not a key but you need this to open the middle door. It's the room to the right which you can access if you have the priest's key with you. This is also in Kresselac's Tomb. Be alert also for traps in these crypts 'cause they are aplenty. You'd also notice that the crypt below the giant statue is not at all a crypt but a cave where there are a couple of human-manufactured sheds here, makes you think who made these huh? By the way, while you're here, make sure that you have searched the yeti chieftain that you will encounter if you head here for Mirek's heirloom. After thoroughly desecrating, uhh, I mean exploring the crypts, head to Kresselac's Tomb which is just in the northwestern most part of the vale. This is now your first big, multi-leveled, dungeon crawl so be prepared. When you have opened the middle door, Mytos, another one of the guardians of the crypts, would talk to you. Try reasoning with him to avoid bloodshed to receive 3225 xp. Of course you know all too much that bloodshed is inevitable so take Mytos (his worth 1000 xp) and his guards down. Clear this area and head towards the next level. This next level is another cleanup job though the enemies here are a lot tougher. After opening the door in front of you, walk a bit and you'll trigger a trap sending a couple of temple guardians at you. I don't believe the trap can be disarmed and the only thing you could do here to avoid confrontation is to hug the wall so you wouldn't step on it. There's a skeletal mage in the middle of the hall here coupled with imbued wights that are fond of casting magic missile not to mention those annoying skeleton archers. The key to advancing to the next and final level is by pulling the lever at one of the pillars to open the door. A lot of baddies will be at your throat the moment you set foot in this here area so be very, very prepared. After re-introducing the monsters to the joys of eternal peace, head to the only room you haven't been into to meet Kresselac (he sounds like the watcher guy from Soul Reaver) himself. This specter is evil but not the one you're looking for and he will offer information to you provided you grant him a boon. It seems that an Aurelite is forcing herway to the vale to extinguish the warmth of his tomb and he will send you to kill this priestess in exchange for what he knows of the evil behind the Kuldahar's misery. I don't like being an evil spirit's assassin but there's no way you would know the whereabouts of the one responsible for Kuldahar not to mention advancing in the game so I head out and find myself an Aurelite priestess to whack. The Aurelite is in the ice cave, the one south of the giant hooded statue where you fought the yeti chieftain and the one without any torches at its entrance, and guess who she is - It's Lysan the barmaid. I thought at first she was kidnapped like the rest of the citizens of Kuldahar. Turns out she is planning on dealing with Kuldahar after she's through with Kresselac's tomb so there's no other choice but to ice her(pun intended). She's not that tough though she's got a lot of hp and summons yetis to aid her (she is worth 700 xp). After defeating her, you'd get 13000 xp for the deed then a lesser shadow will appear thanking you for freeing them. Head back to Kresselac and tell him the Aurelite is no more and he'll tell you that he really doesn't know who is behind the happenings at Kuldahar but he assures you that it isn't in the Vale of Shadows. He'll let you loot his sarcophagus in thanks for your aid. Head back now to Arundel to report everything. *********************************** **BACK TO KULDAHAR** *********************************** Give Mirek the heirloom if you haven't already given him. He's usually found in front of Urnst the potter's house. You'd bag 2400 xp for this quest. Talk to Arundel and you'd get 10350 xp for telling him about Kresselac and he'll send you to another quest. He wants you to go to the Temple of the Forgotten God to look for the Heartstone Gem which he could use to divine the identity of the evil that ravaged Kuldahar. After talking to Arundel, go to the Root Cellar and talk to Whitcomb about Lysan. At the end of the dialogue, ask for Lysan's things which you would look for "clues" that may give you a lead as to who is behind all of this. ************************************** **TEMPLE OF THE FORGOTTEN GOD** ************************************** ------------------- Local Critters ------------------- .............................................. name xp .............................................. Acolyte 420 Verbeeg Giant 420 As you go to the entrance to the temple, a verbeeg guard, Red Toe, scurries away from the place. Upon talking to him, you'll know that someone has already been through the temple and have thrashed the priests and their giant guards too. When you enter the temple a priest will call for the remaining guards as he believes you to be another party sent by those that attacked them earlier. You've got no choice but to force your way to through the temple. The acolytes/verbeeg tandem is a bit irritating especially if their a bit numerous as the acolytes tends to stay in the background while their giant guards pummels you. It wouldn't take a lot of time for a verbeeg to pound you silly and the acolytes tend to cast entangled magic which causes you to be glued from where you're standing allowing the giants to take you to a world of hurting in second. Try to take them down one at a time, applying the hit and run tactics whenever you can. When you have breached their inner sanctum, you'll find that whoever was here first was also interested in the gem and have stolen it. Also you'll find a talonite priest among the dead. Search his body for a mysterious vile of liquid that you need to show to Arundel. Without anything to do anymore here, exit the temple and head back to Kuldahar. *************************** **BACK TO KULDAHAR** *************************** There's nothing much to do here but report to Arundel where you'll get 19500 xp for telling him what you have found in the temple. He'll send you to another quest to go to the Dragon's Eye caverns where he suspects the talonite may have come from. Do everything you need to do here as this quest will take you away for a awhile. ===================================== C. CHAPTER TWO ===================================== *************************** **DRAGON'S EYE** *************************** ------------------------ Local Critters ------------------------ .......................................... name xp .......................................... Beetle, Bombardier 420 Beetle, Boring 175 Eldathyn 1500 High Archer 2500 Histachii 120 Lizard Man 65 Lizard Man Shaman 850 Lizard Man, Tough 310 Skeleton Archer 200 Skeleton, Blast #### Spider, Phase 1400 Spider, Sword 2000 Spider, Wraith 1400 Troll 1400 Troll, Ice 175 Wight, Cold 1400 Wight, Imbued 1400 Undead Lieutenant 2000 Yuan-ti 850 Yuan-ti Elite 1400 Yuan-ti Priest 1400 Zombie, Poison 1100 Ice trolls scour the way to the cavern and you could easily dispatch them with fire based magics and weapons. The first level of the cavern is festering with lizard men and you'll often encounter them in group. The tough lizard men is what you should problem as the green variety can be easily dispatched and the priests rarely uses hurtful magics and is not that good in melee. You'd also encounter a few groups of bombardier beetles in the western part of this level and be aware that they spew acidic clouds once they within range of your party. Range attacks handle this bugs effectively. There are also a few spiders of varying kinds here especially at the southwestern area. At that area you'll also see Erevain's (you know, the elf at Quimby's inn in Easthaven) corpse. I presume it is Erevain's as the corpse have his sword and diary. How did he get here beats the heel outta me. At eastern part of the cavern, just after the bridge then go right, is the Lizard Man King's den. You'll have a brief conversation with him and the name Yxunomei will surface as the one that leads them to kidnap the Kuldaharan villagers. The lizard king is flanked by numerous tough lizard men, priests and the standard green ones so full frontal assault is foolhardy. Try using area affecting spells like web or stinking cloud to slow them down then drop them one at a time. As you go down south you'll encounter more lizard men and some villagers that are held prisoners. You'll bag 30000 xp for killing the lizard king and saving the villagers. This next level is home to bugs and trolls. Wraith spiders can leave you with a diseased condition and their cousins the phase spiders aside from phasing all over the place can get you poisoned. The sword variety I believe has no status attacks though I think they attack more ferociously. Trolls are a bit annoying as when they are near death, they'll play 'possum on you. This is ok if you're against a solitary troll but when you're dancing with a fairly large bunch of enemies, oftentimes you'll find yourself jumping to the next enemy while the troll is slightly recuperating then after some time gets up then attacks you more. Attacking them in their sleeping condition is by no means an easy task also as they are harder to damage. My strategy here is when you sense that they are near death is to have your mage cast Melf's Acid Arrow on them so they would still be damaged even when they fall. At the southwestern part of the this level are some Talonite priests holding Mother Egenia who is to be sacrificed to their goddess. You'll get 36000 for rescuing her and you can buy healing spells from her. This level starts with an undead lieutenant who will talk to you. My paladin sensed no evil from this creature and only serves as a vessel and your journal will reflect this. Everytime you meet an undead lieutenant in this area make sure your ready to tackle a lot of wights, skeleton archers and some blast skeletons. Speaking of which, this blast skeleton dudes are a pain if you killed them near you as they will releas a Snilloc's Snowball Swarm spell as they die and add to the fact that they have no experience points to give you. At the eastern part is Presio's room. Aside from Presio, there are imbued wights and poison zombies here that would certainly attack you at first sight. Presio himself is quite dangerous as he casts Cloud Kill among others. After dispatching him which you will get 4000 xp loot his body for his robe and dagger which you could use or sell later. Proceed northward from his room for the door to the next level but be careful as this area is heavily trapped. Sweet holy crap! What the hell does an Eldathyn retreat house doing here? Talk to Albion for the answer(well sort of) but be sure to exhaust all dialogue options from him as talking to him again if you're using a paladin as your conversationalist would result to a battle (more on this later). Talk to Geelo the librarian and buy some cool spells from him and loot all the shelves for books that you can sell to Gerth later. In this library there is a room here which is restricted only to Eldathyns which is locked and if you pick this lock a battle would ensue, so let the thief(any kind of thief will do) in your party talk to Geelo and there would be an additional option that says that Geelo is being called by Albion for some thing and Geelo would leave the room which is now the time you could pick the lock of the door though I closed the library door first just to be sure. This room contains spells and some more books, nothing really special though. You could go to Sharra the healer for some healing spells or the party could rest here which is one of the two only times you could rest in this level. Explore the area and you will notice there are doors that are locked here and guarded by Eldathyns and there is nothing else to do here. If you even use the paladin's or anyone on your party who has a detect evil spell on anyone on this level, you will be surprised that everyone is evil. And you'll confirm this if you talk again to Albion with the paladin though I hazard you to do this. What you should do here is go to the northern part of the level where there is only a single guard that stands by the locked door and you'll see that there's another door here before the guard and if you pick on this one and opens, a description would pop up saying that a blast of rotting flesh smell or something will struck you and out comes a 4 NPCs - Marchon of Waterdeep, Iholikan Quinval, Reise Coppersky, Cristiana Knight - and one of them would explain to you that these are only impostors who poses themselves as Eldathyns and that they are not even humans. Aside from Albion, Geelo and Sharra, there is the High Ritualist and High Summoner that you should problem. The High Ritualist casts spells that enhances your enemies while the High Summoner summons the enemies. After dealing with every single enemy, you can talk to any of the NPCs for resting. This is the last level and this one is exclusive to the snake-like monsters(even the map here looks like snakes entwined with each other). Upon entering the level you'll be greeted by the Odd Little Girl who speaks like Reggie from the DC comic book Major Bummer and sounds like Wednesday Addams. Clean every room, disarm every traps as the way to these rooms are full of it. After you have done that there is only one room left which you will again encounter the Odd Little Girl or should I say Yxunomei. Yxunomei is really easy except for the very high magic resistance, high damage infliction, the spells, and persistence in pursuing your party. I reloaded a couple of times and modified my strategy in many ways and what seemed to work for me is that after the dialogue, I only sent one of my party to talk to her, the rest are at the door before this one, one of my mages cast web at the entrance of her room even as the one that talked to her retreats and all the yuan-tis plus Yxunomei that would eventually storm the area would be trapped, even Yxunomei is not that too keen on the web spell though she would eventually free herself from it quicker than the rest but it gave me enough time to bombard her with spells. The spells that prove my victor are Magic Missile and Melf's Acid Arrows. I kept pelting her with these even though some of it didn't work due to her resistance. It only took a few more swings from my paladin to finish her off and get 42000 xp for killing her. You'll also net an additional 13000 xp for defeating her and getting the Hearstone Gem. Finish her yuan-ti lackeys who are still stuck with fireball or any mass-destruction spells. Loot her room then off to Kuldahar. ****************************** **BACK TO KULDAHAR** ****************************** -------------------- Local Critters -------------------- ........................................ name xp ........................................ Neo Orog Avenger 270 Neo Orog Marauder 420 **Note: I don't know if this is a bug or something but when I got back to Kuldahar, the whole map was darkened again and Mirek's being attacked again by the yetis plus his quest. Some townsfolks reseted their dialogue (even Lysan is still in the tavern for about two seconds then she pops out of existence) except for the local townspeople, Aldwin, Gerth, and of course Arundel who seemed not affected by the bug. Even the Vale of Shadows is unexplored. This started when I was heading for the first level of the Dragon's Cavern and everything's unexplored again. I am saying this as I may have left some important dialogue from this walkthrough.** Kuldahar is being attacked by the Mighty Morphin' Neo Orogs which you could handle without even breaking sweat. Go talk to Nate and he'll tell you that these monsters attacked together with a strange grey cloaked figure who went to Arundel's house. Go to Arundel and after a brief dialogue, this man would reveal himself as an impostor while the real Arundel is at the second floor dying so head there after the impostor vanishes. Arundel in his dying breath manages to ask to go for an another quest that would send you to the Severed Hand to look for Larrel who he believes could use the Hearstone Gem. =================================== D. CHAPTER THREE =================================== **************************** **SEVERED HAND** **************************** ------------------------- Local Critters ------------------------- ............................................. name xp ............................................. Shadowed Elven Acolyte 1100 Shadowed Elven Archer 1750 Shadowed Elven Cleric 1400 Shadowed Elven Officer 1500 Shadowed Elven Priest 1100 Shadowed Elven Swordsman 1300 Shadowed Elven Wizard 1750 Shadowed Goblin Archer 750 Shadowed Goblin Grunt 800 Shadowed Goblin Marksman 850 Shadowed Goblin Trainer 900 Shadowed Goblin Warrior 900 Shadowed Ogre 1050 Shadowed Orc Archer 750 Shadowed Orc Grunt 800 Shadowed Orc Shaman 1100 Shadowed Orc Marksman 850 Shadowed Worg 850 Shattered Soul 1200 Skeleton, Armored 900 Skeleton, Bladed 1300 Skeleton, Burning 1500 Skeleton, Serrated 2000 Spider, Wraith 1400 As you approach the Severed Hand, Larrel's Sending will appear before the entrance barking at some invisible enemy and would then cast a fireball. When you enter the Hand a bunch of spectral or "shadowed" versions of orcs would quickly attack you. These shadowed versions are really not that tough so you would have no trouble making your way to the second floor. At the very instant you made your way to the next level, arrows will be flying at your head so be sure to quickly thin the ranks of these archers, oh and by the way make sure that when you are exploring the hand, you should move around your pointer as rubbles oftentimes hide valuables and you could easily miss them. As you move to the third floor you would find an elevator-like contraption which is just beside the stairs leading to the next level which you could use to go the unexplored side of the first two floors. In this level you would encounter different form of skeletal creatures the most irritating of which is the burning skeleton type as they would constantly cast fireball in your face so I suggest you take this critter first. Clear this area but be careful as there are a few traps laid in here. Explore the other side of the first two floors by using the lift, kill anything that stands in your way and thoroughly examine every body and rubble as one of these has a piece of broken machinery that you is vital to your quest. After thoroughly(I can't stress this enough) exploring these lower levels head to the stairs located at the third floor. After going to the flight of stairs, you will encounter another shadowed being which you could actually talk to. His name is Lethias, former bladesinger of Seldarine, and he would shed some light as to what had happened to the Hand. Walk a little further to the right, ignoring the stairs, you'll see a little girl, Sehriya, who you could talk to for resting. The other rooms are the former taverns and festhall. In the festhall you would find Telanis who is a musician and in his song he will tell the tale of either Larrel or how enmity between the elves and the dwarves started. Another room is the shop of Lehland from whom you could purchase equiptments and stuff. You will additionally learn from her the name and functions of the five towers of the Severed Hand. SEHANINE CORELLON \ / \ / \ / LABELAS --------- ---------- SHEVERASH | | | SOLONOR When you have cleared the map head for the stairs. I have done this in a clockwise manner starting from the first one to the right. I believe this is the Corellon tower. From this floor upward, you will encounter shadowed elves who have lost their sanity, reliving the final days of the tower and will attack you without reservations. You will find another piece of broken machinery in one of the levels here. At the very last level is an arboretum or was an arboretum of the Hand. Valestis would ask if you see a plant or any animals that neeeds shelter, you should bring it here so that the arboretum may live again. The next stair leads to the Sheverash tower where you will find Kaylessa who has in her another piece of broken machinery and will give them to you if you agree to put her soldiers to rest. Since this is your specialty, go upstairs and put everything that points his arrow and sticks his swords in your direction to rest. At the third level you will find another stair that leads to the top of the tower where you will find a couple of wraith spiders to do battle with. The only thing I found here of some importance is a book so you could actually skip this part. Head down and exit to the right. I believe this bridge joins this tower to Labelas as you will find the library and the astrolabe here. The library is Custhantos' and you could have a couple of books from him which you could sell to Gerth or to Lehland but try to hold on to the book of mythals for Orrick the grey. The librarian would also tell you of a rude elf who took the last copy of a particular book. This may have some significance as this is recorded in your journal. Next is the astrolabe where you will meet Larrel himself but he can't help you now as he is just a mumbling buffoon if the astrolabe isn't fixed yet. Give the pieces of broken machinery, which would earn you 3500 xp each, to Gelarith so he could fix the thing. Exit and go back to Kaylessa. You will gain 52500 xp for putting Kaylessa's soldiers to rest and now you must also let Kaylessa die a soldier's death (read: fight her). After her death, examine her body and you'll get another broken piece of machinery. The Solonor tower is built for priestly functions and you'll meet Denaini who will also ask you to remove the shadowed clerics of the Hand from their abominous state. She would additionally ask for holy water to cleanse the pool where her kind use to worship their deities. You'll find the last broken piece of machinery in the third floor and a barrel of holy water on the fourth. Go back to Denaini after clearing the whole tower and tell her that the priests are now put to their final rest and get 24000 xp and Eldly's Sling. Give her the barrel of holy water for another 52500 xp. The first floor of the Labelas tower is nothing but rubble and you would again encounter Larrel's Sending. Nothing to do here so head to the astrolabe. This is the location of the 4 pieces of broken machinery: 1. The other side of the first floor of the Severed Hand. You would need to take the lift from the third floor to get here. 2. In one of the levels in the Corellon tower. 3. Complete Kaylessa's quest and you'll get it from her. 4. The third floor of the Solonor tower. Give the two last pieces of broken machinery to Gelarith and you can now talk to Larrel. Larrel very much sounds like Raziel from the Soul Reaver game. You can now ask him to divine the location of the evil that plagues Kuldahar. He will tell you that it is in Dorn's Deep where you will find what you seek. He can transport you directly to Dorn's Deep or to Kuldahar whichever you prefer. You could also ask him about his daughter's, Evayne, diary that you have found in the level of the Labelas tower before the library. Larrel would flip his wig though if you ask him. There's nothing more to do so you could ask Larrel to take you to Dorn's Deep or back to Kuldahar. ******************************** **BACK TO KULDAHAR** ******************************** If you decided to go back, you could give Orrick the book of mythals and bag 24000 xp. Replenish your supply then head for Dorn's Deep. ===================================== E. CHAPTER FOUR ===================================== ******************************* **DORN'S DEEP** ******************************* --------------------------- Local Critters --------------------------- ........................................... name xp ........................................... Bronze Sentry 5000 Drow Sorcerer 3000 Drow Spellsword 3000 Drow Vanguard 3000 Ghast 650 Ghoul 175 Ettin 3000 Mummy, Greater 8000 Myconid, Blue 750 Neo Orog 750 Neo Orog General 2000 Neo Orog Marauder 1500 Orc Elite 35 Skeleton Archer 125 Skeleton, Armored 56 Spider, Phase 1400 Wight 1400 Dorn's Deep is now home to the orc kind which is what will welcome you at the cave entrance. The cave itself is very big and finding your way here is a bit difficult as the landscape is very dark and the terrain is uneven. The critters lurking about here are basically myconids and ettins. The myconids are an easy bunch and the only thing terrifying with the ettins are their size, keep pelting them with spells and arrows and their easily dispatched. There are a few cave entrances here, the north cave entrance which is the closest to where you entered have a bunch of orc elites standing by a bonfire. The cave above this one (you should take the narrow way which is just right of the main cave entrance) have neo orogs waiting for you. Walk some more to the right and you'll see a structure that looks like a big furnace. This is the home of Bandoth who is not that keen on having visitors. Choose your dialogue with him carefully as he is irritated enough of your presence. You'll get to do this guy a favor in exchange for information on getting at the heart of the dwarven complex. He'll ask you to look for his apprentice who he send days ago to look for a razorvine extract. This sub-quest is cool as it is a reference to another Black Isle game, Planescape: Torment. If you have played the said game you'll know that this refers to the Nameless One's meeting with Mourns-for-Trees where the vine have entwined itself to the Nameless One's arm and... well that's another story (and walkthrough!). Its cool having little quirks like these in the game. Anyway, the razorvine extract can be found at the cave to the south, you can take any of the two entrances as it will take you to the same place. This is an ettin lair so be prepared to take down a few. The extract is in one of the skeletons sprawled in there. Take the extract to Bandoth and he'll tell you that the entrance is hidden in one of the dwarven statue at the round table room found inside the complex, oh, and you'll get 42000 xp for that job. The dwarven complex can be found west of the map where you should cross a small bridge to get to it. Don't go barging in with all guns as there are numerous enemies waiting for you to cross that bridge inside the complex and their position is intelligently done where they will get a good shot at your party from almost all direction. The drows have a good magic protection so you shouldn't rely much on magic in taking them down. Clear the area and don't finish yet the round table room or you can its basically up to you. There's another entrance in the room left of the round table, the prison cell area, where it will take you inside another cave. There's an umber hulk here who wouldn't go for your throat and could actually talk to him. He was a red mage of Thay, a master transmuter who have helped in creating the neo orogs. Saablic Tan is guilt-ridden and he needs your help to ease some of that burden by killing an orog chieftain which is also in this cave and bring back the orog's badge to him so that he will know that you have done it. The chieftain is in the far south of the cave and with him are a few neo orogs. Kill them, take the badge from Krilag, the chieftain which also has a two-handed blade, the Cairn Blade, and you'll get 35000 xp for retrieval of the badge. Show the badge to Saablic Tan for another 56000 xp for eliminating the orog chieftain for Saablic. Saablic Tan will tell you that you will need six of these badges, for what, you still don't know. If you have explored this area thoroughly you will get Kalabac's journal. You could go back to Bandoth to explain the content of the journal which he will tell of a dwarven puzzle room beyond the secret entrance in the round table room. You could skip this as this wouldn't give you any xp and you'll eventually go to the puzzle room anyway. The only thing worth telling here is that your journal would be updated. At the round table room, there is a dwarven statue here that you could manipulate to open a passage. Inside this secret room is the puzzle room which Bandoth would have told you if you decided to visit him because of the journal. The puzzle consists of symbols divided in to three circles. Each circle is inside the other. Your objective here is to step on the correct plate that would disarm the outer circle then going to the middle one, stepping again on the right one until you reach the innermost part. If you step on a wrong plate, you'll get knicked by a lightning bolt (well, its more than a knick). Aside from trying every symbol then reloading, the answer to the puzzle lies at the table room. Inspect the symbols in the table room and these are the ones you should look for in the puzzle. You should step on the hammer-and-anvil-like symbol to disarm the first circle's trap. Proceed then to the x-looking symbol in the middle. The last is the 8-like one or the circles that overlap with each other. That would disarm the last set of traps. /\ _____ / \ /\ /\ / \ \ / \( \ / )/ / \ ___ \/\ \/ | _____ | | | \/ /\ \/ \/ | | / / \ /\_____/\ |--------- ==> / \ ==> | | |------- / \ \ / | ---- ---- \_____/ After your through with the puzzle, go back to the round table room. you will notice that the dwarven statue right of the secret entrance has his mallet down. Click on it, you'll gain 56000 xp, and go to the puzzle room and there you will find that a stairwell has openend up at the middle of the room. In the room below you'll see a corpse with a note, be careful though as there is a trap here that if triggered will release a fireball. Dver's note contains the location of where you found Saablic Tan and since you have finished it (or maybe not) already proceed to the next room. There is a ghost here who would talk to you. Norlinor would tell you about the necromancer who have taken residency at the Tiers of the Dead and have violated and controlled the spirits of the dwarves that are interred here. He'll also tell you how to get rid of this lich permanently. It seems that you cannot just kill this guy by hacking him to bits but you should look for his life force which he have contained in a phylactery. You should look for this in the Hall of Heroes and put this phylactery inside Jamoth's tomb. Norlinor has also healing spells which you could buy from him, I know its funny, but what would a ghost do with money? It isn't as if he would build a shop here or anything considering were the only visitors who have gone this deep and there's no one around here (i.e. human and alive) who would need this stuff. Why can't he just give it to us as we are doing him a favor. Anyway, go through any of the three doors, it doesn't matter as it will take you to the same place. You'll find the usual assortments of undead here so finish them off quickly. Be careful in looting the tombs as some of them are rigged with nasty traps. The lich is Terikan and he's not that hard its just he's coming back again and again. His main arsenal are spells that immobilizes members of your party in some way, thinning your offense and defense. Grab the Terikan's key in one of the tombs close to the door and enter the Hall of Heroes. Terikan will follow you here and he'll summon undeads to aid him. Too bad for him he can't get any good help, he should've summoned the Teletubbies as they are more vile than any undead I've yet to see in this game. The phylactery is in the tomb where there is no statue at its front to identify who is interred here. Once you got the phylactery head to Jomoth's tomb and Terikan would be no more. You'll get 52500 xp for putting the phylactery here. Visit the tombs here and scrummage them for valuables. You'll see Evayne has also a statue here and if you go through her tomb, you'll get her diary and you'll get more insights as to what may have truly happenend between the dwarven and elven kind. Go back to Norlinor and you'll get another 84000 xp for restoring the forge in working order, enabling the dwarven undead to find their peace. Norlinor would also tell the location of the key to the door to Wyrm's Tooth which is beyond the Hall of Heroes. It's in furnace below the statue, open it and you'll get the key. Go back to the Hall of Heroes and the door leading to the Wyrm's Tooth is guarded now by two bronze sentries. Cold spells seems to work best on them. **Note: Instead of heading straight for the Wyrm's Tooth Glacier, I head back to Kuldahar for resupplying then to the Severed Hand and showed Larrel another of Evayne's diary that you have gotten in the Hall of Heroes. You'll get 56000 xp for this. ================================== F. CHAPTER FIVE ================================== ****************************** **WYRM'S TOOTH GLACIER** ****************************** ---------------------- Local Critters ---------------------- ........................................ name xp ........................................ Black Ice Knight 7000 Ettin 3000 Giant, Frost 7000 Salamander, Frost 4000 Troll, Greater Ice 1000 Troll, Snow 1400 White Wyrm 6000 Winter Wolf 1000 Yeti 420 Yeti Chieftain 2000 Yeti, Glacier 1000 This has got to be the one of the best level design in this game. Trolls and a few yetis scour the harsh, ice-laden environment. Fire-based magics would definitely do you good. There are a few temple entrances here plus there's a cave at the northwest and another beyond the bridge you couldn't cross yet in the east. The three entrances below the main door of the museum will take you to the lower level of the museum. The cave to the northwest is a passageway that would take you to the world map and the next chapter. I used what I believe is the main entrance to the temple which is at the center of the map. Once you enter, the frost salamanders will halt you and tell them that you are looking for their leader. They will take you Kerish. Kersih thinks that you are a spy of Marketh checking on him and don't convince him otherwise. He'll also tell you that Kreg Frostbeard was killed by his son Joril for ascendancy. You'll remember the name Kreg Frostbeard if you have gotten the scroll from Krilag's body, the neo orog chieftain, as also one of the six who has the badge you need. He'll also add that he has nothing to do with Kreg's death. You'll sense that there is tension between him and Joril. He'll also ask for your help with their slaves who have apparently rebelled against them and have been trapped below the museum eversince. I chose not to say that I will do it but instead would think about it. He'll let you walk all over the place though be careful as being close to this frost salamanders is enough to hurt you. You could'nt also while your inside this museum. At the northeastern part of the map in the first section at the left you'll see a woman hiding. Her name is Vera and she wouldn't tell you much now except that she's hiding from the salamanders. You'd also find a room where there are machineries generating heat and two dead bodies of the salamanders. At the southwest part is the entrance where the slaves are trapped where it is guarded by two frost salamanders. At the far left is Soth, a scholar of sort and by talking to him you'll get an engineering book which can help you in fixing the bridge outside the museum. You'll get 112500 xp. At the far right is Gareth. Tell him that Vera is alive and ok and that she is hiding from their masters to get 60000 xp for setting his mind at ease. He'll also ask for your help in escaping their captors by acquiring a key from Keresh. There's a note at the table near Gareth that solidifies your suspicion that there is friction between Kerish and Joril. Go back up and ask Kerish for the key, still believing that you are Marketh's cronies he'll give it to you. Talk again to Gareth and tell him you got the key for 60000 xp for freeing the slaves and be prepared to fight. Fighting ice creatures would be a lot more easy if you can now cast a fire elemental. What I did was cast three of them to handle my fight and my party just sniped any enemy that my elementals missed. After putting every bad guy on ice, Talk again to Vera to gain 80000 xp for informing her that the slaves are free. After the museum, you can go to the bridge and fix it for 60000 xp. The cave, ignoring the entrance to the left, branches into to way. The right one would take you to a group of white wyrms. Talk to the wyrm closest and you'll know his name is Frostbite. Other than knowing that he subsist on a diet of humans, walk away and examine their altar. The left corner of the cave is home to Joril and his frost giants. Question his lieutantship and trick him to giving you his badge for 80000 xp and another 80000 xp for acquiring it. You can bag another 160000 xp if you reveal to him your true identity but that will initiate fighting Joril, his giant guards and his pet wolf so if you think you wouldn't stand a chance leave them. Enter the cave you saw on your right earlier and fend off a couple of trolls. At the base of the large bones are a few black ice knights and Kontik. Kontik's been waiting for you... so that she could slice your throat! It seems that Auril has been really pissed with you with the Lysan incident and have sent Kontik, another of her priestess, to deal with you. At the next cave are a bunch of slaves who are to be sacrificed to the wyrms. Talk to Davin and promise them that you would help them. After killing about everything that is butt-ugly in the cave, I returned to Davin and told him there would be no more sacrifices as the creature is dead. You'll get 120000 for killing Frostbite and saving the slaves. Davin would now ask you to clear a path for them (i.e. kill the giants). Since I have eliminated all frost giants, the way has been cleared for them to escape and you'll get another 180000 xp. After clearing this level head to the cave at the northeast and enter the passage way to the Lower Dorn's Deep. ========================================= G. CHAPTER SIX ========================================= **************************** **LOWER DORN'S DEEP** **************************** ------------------------------------ Local Critters ------------------------------------ .......................................... name xp .......................................... Beetle, Rhinoceros 4000 Elemental, Earth 6000 Elemental, Fire 6000 Elemental, Water 6000 Giant, Fire 8000 Golem, Iron 13000 Minotaur, Blind 3000 Mummy, Greater 8000 Myconid, Red 1750 Salamander 2000 Shrieker 120 Skeleton, Boneguard 4000 Tarnished Sentry 6000 Thief 2000 Tower Archer 5000 Umber Hulk 4000 Zombie Lord 7000 If the last chapter was too cold for you, let this one warm you up. There are patrolling salamanders here and tarnished sentries stationed all over the map not to mention tounge-less Svirfneblin slaves. As with their frost cousins, salamanders have the tendency to burn you if you get too close and hang around with them long enough. In the north you will find a lift that takes you down to the mines. Tarnelm, a deep gnome, would approach you thinking you're there to pick on them. He wouldn't trust until you give them food and kill the salamanders at the top elevator. Tarnelm will tell you that the tower where Marketh lives, Durdel Anatha, or the domes in Artisan District might have some food. Until then you wouldn't get much from him. The Oubliette have also its fair share of critters. Umber hulks lurk around the deeper portion of the Oubilette with rhinoceros beetles. The umber hulks can give you a confused status. There's another door just above the lift, the Artisan District, and if you decide to take this route, be sure you are ready to take umber hulks and blind minotaurs. The runes scrawled on the ground are fitted with traps. Oh, and watchout in the northwestern part of the map where the umber hulks would burst out of the buildings as there is a secret weapon stashed in a corpse here. Its a plain-looking sword called Pale Justice and its a great sword though it can only be used by a paladin. I missed this completely as I enter Malavon's but after exiting here and got kinda lost, I noticed the corpse jsut beyond where the umber hulks burst out. Enter the door to the north after clearing the map. There are a few of these hulks inside and blind svirfneblin slaves tending to the place. This is Malavon's abode and his umber hulk lackeys. He is at the western part of his laboratory. Once he catches sight of you, he'll threaten to kill the blind gnomes here. I've never found a way to save the gnomes as immediately after the conversation ends, the damn iron golems will kill the gnomes right away. The iron golems proved to be a difficult adversary as they are immune to magics and my party's weapons barely knicks this guys. I was stuck here for awhile and found out in Interplay's message board that these creatures can only be hurt with at least a +3, or +4 weapons or an arrow of piercing (Thanx to Jason Newman, Tiffin, and Grumpy Fountain for the info). After dispatching Malavon's goons and taking him down, the REAL Malavon would appear. It turns out that the first Malavon was only a doppleganger, a dummy, his simulacrum as he puts it. The real Malavon is a pain in the ass as he got magic resistence and casts nasty spells like Flesh to Stone, Malavon's rage, Slow, Dire Charm and the occasional Finger of Death. Kill him and get 50000 xp. If you have the spell Fire Seed, then it would be a quick battle else Malavon will give you a bit of headache. After killing him, loot his study room as there are a lot of cool spells to be had here and don't forget his badge which you'd get 33750 xp. You'll also get seeds which you could give to Valestis from the arboretum at the Severed Hand as he really need plants that could grow on harsh conditions. Oh, and by the way, you can't exit here until you have killed all the bad guys. At the bridge to the left, there's a door here that you can enter. Inside is Norl, a hobbling gnome who works for Marketh as a gem-cutter. He'll tell you about Marketh and who he serves who turns out to be Revered Brother Poquelin of the Ilmaterian faith. If you have read the note on Krilag, the orog chieftain, it says there that they serve Ilmater so it is this Brother Poquelin after all. Exit Norl's place and go to the other bridge. At the entrance of Old Dorn's Palace is Marketh's man, Seth. This half-ling will ask what your business here and telling him that you have dealings with the Kraken Society will prompt him to test you. He'll first ask what is the color of the kraken. If you have read the book on secret societies back at the fourth level of the Dragon's Eye Cavern (you know, where the fake Eldathyns reside) you'll know that it is purple. He'll then ask who sent you, tell him Marketh. The final question would be who they are working for and you'll that it's Ilmater if you talked to Norl already. You can safely enter now though I still explored the rest of the map instead of entering right away. At the western portion of the map is the watchtower. Do be careful in walking in this place as you can get hurt by the heat rising from the lava. You'll see a slave little girl here who's name is branded to her and she is also without a toungue. I swore that all who are responsible for this monstrosity will die horribly this day. You could get from her the watchtower key. Inside the tower are a tower archers and Kelly who would instantly rain arrows on your head once you enter. Kill them all. I swore that they will die horribly so I used all the magical knowledge in my power and made my blades drink their blood and sing in their agony. When Kelly was the only one that was left alive, I held him then used summoning spells then I also cast Insect plague on him so his death is slow and painful. After killing them, Fengla will appear and shakes your hand and smiles at you then departs. It almost made cry. Oh, I'm sorry if I got carried away. Anyhoo, you'll get 8000 for killing Kelly and 80000 xp for freeing Fengla and capturing the watchtower. There is a mine at the southern most part of the Lower Dorn's Deep where the deep gnomes are kept by the salamanders. One of these gnomes is a priest named Guello who begs you to help them escape. You must kill the salamander king, Shikata, to help them. Shikata's just above the mine so kill him and his kin. Deeper in the mines you'll encounter elementals so use the opposite elements against them. This is where Maiden Ilmadia resides. She is guarded by a couple of fire giants so plan ahead on how you would survive against them. After defeating everybody don't forget her badge and get 22500 xp. At the top of the Great Forge is an entrance where Brother Perdiem and some Ilmaterians is. This place has body strewn everywhere and these Ilmaterians are encased in some sort faceted orbs. Powerful undeads roam here and the greater mummies have annoying spells like Emotion: Hopelessness. Also a statue here known as the Idol somehow controls everyone here including the brainwashed Ilmaterians. Defeat it and you destroy all the undead and release Brother Adson (he's far off the deep end for you to do anything about it), Sister Incylia, and Brother Harken. Don't forget also to get Brother Perdiem's badge. Don't bother with the stairs yet as you can't walk up without the six badges. There's another passageway at the western part of the map. This would take you to a garden-like area with a statue in the middle and two deep gnomes. I'm not sure about this one, but I think the shriekers call upon enemies with the noise they produce hence the name. Finish the critters and talk to the gnomes. Callard will give you a portrait sketch of Marketh. There are a couple of doors here. The eastern door would take you back to the mines. The other door to the north would take you to Marketh's home. The door nearest to the west will take you back to the Artisan District. If you take the door to Marketh, be careful as there are thieves here hiding in the shadows waiting for the right time to stab you in the back (I myself used this entrance rather than entering at the front door). One of the rooms here where a purple glow fill the area is Ginafae's bedroom. She's Malavon's sister, you know the one he's ranting about. Malavon have bounded her to this place with spells that would kill her if she leaves. If you have the oil of null effect from Malavon's place you could help her though the drow would turn it down as she would reason that Marketh needs her. In the room just before her is a Fleezam's room , he'll ask why you're here and you could tell him your looking for Seth but the conversation would eventually end in battle. Loot his room and his body as he got a nice armor (Bathed-in-Blood). The room adjacent to the dining is the cook's. Don't kill him as he's no trouble just grab the sack of potatoes. The room in front of the kitchen is Flozam's room. Kill him for 3000 xp. After cleaning this area, head for the stairs and confront Marketh. To tell you the truth I was preping for a big fight but the rat just gave me his badge in exchange for his pathetic life so being a good guy and all I let him go. You'll get 150000 xp for getting his badge. Seth is also here and since I was disappointed on how I dealt with Marketh, I turned my frustrations on him and you'll receive 7000 xp for ridding the world of his stink. With nothing left to do I head back to Ginafae and since Marketh left she took the potion from me and left also. You'll get 80000 xp. You can now go to the stairs as you have now the six badges but I gave the sack of potatoes first to Tarnelm. Giving the sack of potatoes will net you 80000 xp plus Tarnelm would tell you of a passageway to a small village in the northeast of the oubilette. The umber hulks would bore out the tunnels for you. Once you enter the village, Beorn will thank you for saving Guello. There's a drow here who has some great stuff. Also, Nym's responsible for the dissolution of the alliance between the elves and the dwarves. It's up to you if you want to sentence this guy. There's also Dirty Llew here. Use any female from your party and you'll know why he's called dirty and I think you'd get a lower price. Also when you decided that you wouldn't buy anything from him , he wouldn't get really mad at you. If you talk to Guello where there are pillar of stones you'll receive 80000 xp for saving him and his people. You can now go back to the temple at the Great Forge. At the feet of the stairs, you'll see the six symbols of each of Revered Brother Poquelin's lieutenants. Touch each one so that you can get uo the stairs. Let's review the location of the six badges: 1. Krilag's Badge - It's in Upper Dorn's Deep in the prison cell area where you've met Saablic Tan, the talking umber hulk. Krilag's badge is an open palm with a sphere levitating above. 2. Kreg Frostbeard's Badge - It is located in the Wyrm's Tooth Glacier. You'll have to fix the bridge west of the glacier to get to Joril, Kreg's Son, and retrieve the badge. His badge is the double-bladed axe. 3. Malavon's Badge - In the Artisan District inside the building with green-stained glasses. Defeat Malavon and you'll get his badge. Malavon's badge is the unsleeping eye. 4. Maiden Ilmadia's Badge - Also in Lower Dorn's, travel to the great forge and kill her to acquire her badge. A unicorn's head is engraved in her badge. 5. Marketh's Badge - Talk to him in his palace, he is located at the third floor where the throne room lies. His symbol is that of a miner's axe. 6. Brother Perdiem's Badge - It's in the temple north of the Great Forge. Defeat the idol for his dove-engraved badge. And you think Yxunomei's talkative. This guy screams stereotype as he will gladly spills every iota of his plan to you (maybe he's planning to bore you to death). Doing battle with Poquelin is a test in patience(and reloading), though Malavon for me is still harder. When you have sufficiently hurt Poquelin, he'll open a dimensional door that would take you back to Easthaven. ************************************ **BACK TO EASTHAVEN** ************************************ ----------------------- Local Critters ----------------------- .......................................... name xp .......................................... Cryshal Sentry #### Cyclops 4000 Golem, Iron 13000 Easthaven's in ruin thanks to the resident megalomaniac. Everything's in a block of ice except the Winter's Cradle. In the cellar you'll find Old Jed who's so drunk he couldn't get his story right ("...all the gianssan sshildren bein' held by the women in a sshtockade south o' town...", translation: if fish's this drunk they would definitely drown). Anyway now you know the townspeople are held in a stockade just beyond the bridge. You could rest here and heal your wounds from your battle with Poquelin. Go south by the shore and you'll see Jhonen. He'll give you his ancestor's blade you retrieved from Alisia-something back in the prologue. You'll net 280000 xp for receiving Aihonen's blade. Beyond the bridge are the people of Easthaven. Talk to Everard so that he can tell you how to gain access to Cryshal Tirith. You'll get another 280000 xp for this. At the third floor of Cryshal Tirith you'll find the False Pomab and a bunch of cryshal sentries. Concentrate your attack on Pomab, well it would be a lot easier if not for his pesky mirror images which unlike the Mirror Image spell you have, Pomab's images can attack and hurt you. What I did was cast mass destruction spells like Cloud Kill and Death Fog. Of course considering that the place is a bit small and you yourself will feel the brunt of the spell but Pomab and his goons would be long gone before there is any serious damage done to you(considering your pumped up and ready for battle when you faced him). Go up the stairs and you'll see the Crishi thingy and a mirror that is acting very weird. Go inside the mirror to face the final boss. The dialogue here is a bit lenghty so be sure to give your party support magics that would last long as you may find yourself barer than a nudist after all the chit-chat's been done. Poquelin would change into the demon Belhifet and two iron golems will pop-up from your left and right. This is another of those reload rituals. Give Belhifet something to play with like your undeads or elementals while your taking care of the golems. Belhifet in my opinion is much easier than Yxunomei; though the dialogue box says that Belhifet has magic resistance, he easily succumbs to a barrage of magic missiles and magic stones. Just take his attention away from your party with whatever you summon and you'll be fine. He cast Infernal Conveyance, Improved Invisibility and Dispel Effects among others. After defeating Belhifet, the ending movie will kick in so enjoy, you deserve it! ^_^ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ IV. POST GAMING NOTES ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ===================================== A. SPELL PROGRESSION ===================================== I've included in my FAQ the table for spell progression to keep tabs on when you'll get that nifty spell you just saw or when can you use that scroll that you have just acquired. I for one was pretty confused at first on how my cleric spells progresses until I read the spell progression chart. Maybe in my next update I'll add the other classes' table but for now I'll just do the one for Wizards and Priests. *WIZARD ________________________________________________________________________________________________ LEVEL | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 ________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | | | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - 7 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - 9 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - 10 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - 11 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - 12 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | - | - | - 13 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - | - 14 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 1 | - | - | | | | | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________________________________ *Specialist wizards get one additional spell per level. I have level seven spells on my mage's spell book though I can't use it yet. Try saving potion of genius so that you may have a greater rate of success in memorizing high-level spells. *PRIESTS ________________________________________________________________________________________________LEVEL | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 ________________________________________________________________________________________________ | | | | | | | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - 4 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | - | - | - | - 6 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - 8 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - | - 9 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - 10 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | - | - 11 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - 12 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | - 13 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 2 | - 14 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 15 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 16 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 1 | | | | | | | ________________________________________________________________________________________________ * 6th level spells are only accessible by priests with 17 or higher wisdom while the 7th level spells are for those with 18 and above wisdom. ============================================== B. ICEWIND DEITIES ============================================== Since I was little, mythology has always fascinated me and Ice Wind Dale or the AD&D universe for that matter is rich in its own mythos and I have taken the time(and space) to include in my walkthrough the names of the gods and goddesses(or anything else in between) that I have encountered in this game. Of course, this is a useless fact and would not aid you in anyway in finishing the game and a blatant self-indulgence in the side of the author :) Assuran - God of vengeance Auril - The ice maiden Bane - God of hate Beshaba - Goddess of bad luck Dugmaren - Dwarven god of scholars, inventors and explorers Eldath - Goddess of nature's peace Ilmater - Lord on the Rack Loviatar - Maiden of pain Selune - The moon maiden Silvanus - The Oak Father Sseth - God of the Yuan-Tis Talona - Goddess of venom and pestilence Tempus - Lord of Battle ============================================== C. CHEATS ============================================== I believe the cheats would only work if you have at least the 1.05 patch for the game. What you should do to enable the cheats is to edit the Icewind.ini file found at the Icewind Dale folder. At the Game Options section of the .ini file, add the line "Cheats=1" and save. Start the game and press Ctrl + Tab to display the console where you can type the cheats. cheatersdoprosper:setcurrentxp([*****]); where ***** is the number of xp you want your party to acquire. cheatersdoprosper:addgold([*****]); where ***** is th number of gold you would like to have. cheatersdoprosper:midas(); adds 500 gold, I don't know why bother with this cheat when you have the above one. cheatersdoprosper:explorearea(); clears the whole map. cheatersdoprosper:firstaid(); gives you 5 healing potions and antidotes. cheatersdoprosper:createitem("******",num); this cheat will give you items provided you know the item codes. Dan Simpson has made a great Item Listings piece which you would also find in gamefaqs so if you need one, try his work. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ V. CREDITS +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ I would like to thank Jason Newman, Tiffin, and Grumpy Fountain for the info on how to defeat the golems. BlackIsle for another fine piece of gaming goodness - you guys rule!!! and of course, you the reader of this work who have decided to use this as a guide in your quest for gaming supremacy, you are the reason that inspired me to write this FAQ/Walkthrough!!! No goblinoids were harmed in the making of this FAQ/Walkthrough. Icewind Dale: Developed and (c)1999-2000 Interplay Entertainment Corp. All Rights Reserved.