They say there can be no honor among thieves. They say that human greed is stronger than human loyalty, and that no promise is safe from the corruption of gold and power. But even within the shadows, some order must be held. Here, knowledge is more powerful than the sharpest blade, and alliances are kept through a careful balance of lies. And though indeed there may be no honor among the thieves, there is respect amid distrust.
A chance meeting at a country inn leads you into the dark underbelly of the city of Endorr. There, you become entwined in a tangle of lies and deceit, as you infiltrate a local thieving guild in search of a stolen artifact. And as you discover the truth of the shadowy world around you, you learn the nature of your own conscience. Who around you deserves your trust? And what is the price of your own honor?
INFORMATION FOR PLAYERS
ôHonor Among Thievesö is a Neverwinter Nights module intended for a single player with a character proficient in thieving skills. Most of the adventure takes place in the city of Endorr, which is a port city on the northwest corner of the nation of Beleria, overlooking the Obsidian Ocean.
Character choices
The ideal character to start the module is a rogue of level 4-6, though several other classes may also be successful. For example, a mage who knows spells such as invisibility and knock can get through many situations where thieves prevail, especially if he/she takes a pixie as their familiar. As long as you have a few skill points in hide, open locks, disarm traps, and pickpocket, you will be able to succeed in the module.
All alignment choices are supported, but temptations toward chaos and evil are plentiful. Your actions can affect your alignment, and your alignment will determine some of the options that become available.
Henchmen
Although there are no henchmen available, you will be aided from time to time by various non-player characters. Sometimes, these NPCs will lead you and sometimes they will follow behind you. You can influence their behavior by initiating conversation with them. But beware; their motives may not always be honorable.
Note that if an NPC is trying to lead you somewhere, you may need to move out of their way to let them proceed.
Resting
Resting is allowed in almost all areas of the module, but you are blind and deaf while resting and if awakened forcefully, it make take a moment for you to regain your senses. If you rest fully in the comfort any room that contains a bed, time will advance by 8 hours. Elsewhere, time will advance by 2 hours. You can walk onto most beds, and interact with them by clicking near the center. That will give you choices for resting 8 hours, or until sunrise or sunset.
Beware that resting in some places is very dangerous. For example, if you rest out on the streets of Endorr, you may invite thieves to pick through your possessions, or assassins to slit your throat. In an effort to curb crime, city guards will wake anyone seen sleeping in public places. ItÆs for your own good.
Death and Dying
Death in the module occurs when your characters falls below 1 hit point. What happens then depends largely upon where you died, and who was your killer. For example, if you are killed (captured) by the city guards then you will awaken in the prison, and will have to hope that someone comes to bail you out. In some other situations you may be found by a good samaritan who will bring your body to the city temple. However, the clerics require 1000 gold pieces to perform a resurrection, so it is a good idea to carry at least that much gold on you when you go adventuring. If you die in certain places, especially outside of Endorr, then no one will find you and your body will succumb to the ravages of time.
Sometimes, your allies will be able to raise you from the dead. If you die and the respawn dialog comes up, wait a few seconds to let them cast their spell to bring you back to life.
Finishing the game
This is a very non-linear module, which makes it unlikely that you will finish every subquest and that events will unfold in any particular order. There is a main quest which will gradually become clear to you as the game progresses. You will know that youÆve completed this main quest when you get a journal entry entitled ôHonor Among Thievesö that contains with the words ôTHE ENDö.
Playing tips
Avoid fighting your foes toe-to-toe. Scout situations ahead from the safety of shadows, and place traps that you can lure your enemies onto. Try firing ranged weapons at your enemy, then running around a corner and hiding. And invest in a potion of invisibility or two (and place it in your quickbar for easy access), just in case a plan goes awry.
DonÆt pick through containers when their owner is standing nearby. If a chest is locked and a guard stands next to it, then you should expect the guard to react if it is disturbed. Most people will shout a warning if they see you sticking your nose where it doesnÆt belong, but they will attack if you start taking items. However, if you are stealthy, you may get away without them noticing what happened.
The reactions of NPCs are modified from standard Neverwinter Nights behavior, making certain stealthy tactics more effective. For example, if you attack someone, only those who see you do it will become hostile. If you attack or pickpocket someone, they will be hostile, but only temporarily. However, if you kill someone, then witnesses will be hostile permanently. City guards will react to shouts for help, and will recruit other guards if pursuing a criminal.
Try to turn foes against each other. If you help in a battle but donÆt deal the final blow, you will still be awarded experience points.
Be cautious.
Trust no one.
New features in Version 2.0
Some new custom scripts make possible a few novel ways to interact with the environment:
* If your character carries any form of light-emitting item, such as a torch, their Hide skill will be dramatically reduced. So stay in the shadows.
* Certain objects will make noise when physically struck and may cause guards to come to investigate. This can be useful for getting guards away from their post by shooting an arrow at an urn in a far-away corner.
* Dropping a piece of meat near a dog will cause it to eat the meat and become friendly, and perhaps even fight over the meat with other dogs.
* Conversations with NPCs, especially wandering commoners, will cause them to take a few steps in a random directions (this may be useful for unblocking traffic jams).
* You can walk onto most beds, and interact with them by clicking near the center. That will give you choices for resting 8 hours, or until sunrise or sunset.
The Campaign World
ôHonor Among Thievesö is set in the Runelands, a custom campaign world which is loosely based on the Forgotten Realms. Future modules set in the Runelands will provide more information to progressively flesh out the campaign world.
The adventure begins in the Valley of Four Corners, in the northwestern part of the kingdom of Beleria, a nation which lies on the west coast of a large continent. Beleria is populated primarily by humans and halflings, though dwarves and gnomes can also be found in small numbers. Pure-blooded elves are somewhat uncommon, as most prefer to live in the forest nations of LinÆlitharn and Alvariel, which lie to the east.
The major difference between the Forgotten Realms and the Runelands is that the world is flat. The sun rises in the east each morning and sets in the west in the evening. The moon, however, travels from south to north over the course of an entire year. It rises in the south, marking the beginning of spring, reaches the zenith in the middle of summer, and sets in the north at the beginning of winter.
For players wishing to give their characters an appropriate deity, here is a partial (human) pantheon:
Lor (N û neutral): god of will, creator of the universe
Elanae (N): goddess of life and nature, the mother tree
Selene (NG): goddess of growth and the seasons, the moon goddess
Nergal (CE): god of decay and age, the lord of ashes
Pallas (LG): god of honor and the patron of kings
Ailura (CG): goddess of love and wild nature
Hurm (CE): god of war and destruction
Liet (LN): god of justice and law, gatekeeper of the afterlife
Shtuura (LE): goddess of knowledge and arcane magic
Skellar (CN): god of mischief and lies, the patron of deceit
Arendelle (NG): goddess of fertility and the harvest
Thulil (NG): god of the dawn and the sun, bringer of light
Frenthel (CN): god of luck
Riull (CN): god of wealth and prosperity
Phaerom (NG): god of travelers and explorers
The gods of the elves, dwarves, halflings, gnomes, and orcs are the same as in the Forgotten Realms, though their history is different.
Some of the common knowledge possessed by the people of Beleria is provided in the form of a book which will appear in your playerÆs inventory. This includes brief notes on geography and history as well as a calendar. Here is the text of the book:
ôSumma Belerianisö
This book contains common knowledge about the nation of Beleria and the surrounding world.
The kingdom of Beleria was established in the year 923 LR (Lotharyan Reckoning) by Beldar of Asilgard. This act marked the conclusion of a decade-long war among various human city-states, including Asilgard, Urdenfjorn, and Krakalgrad. Additional lands were incorporated into the kingdom, including Endorr in 1256 LR. Beleria now covers a large part of the western continent and is home to humans and halflings (most of who live in the northeastern province of Norenshire). Dwarves and gnomes are also occasionally found in Beleria, but usually in small numbers. Pure-blooded elves are relatively uncommon.
On the north, Beleria is bordered by the Kalamnir Mountains and the dwarven kingdom of Kragholm. This is a rugged and largely unexplored region, and most human knowledge of it comes from dwarven traders and occasional explorers. The eastern border of Beleria is not well-defined, as human settlements gradually give way to the Juntar plains (home to various barbarian tribes) and the elven forest of LinÆlitharn. To the southeast lies the human kingdom of Sardathia, the border of which had been established in 1340 LR after decades of war. On the south, Beleria is bordered by the Sea of Serpents and the Emirate of Akkaban. Akkaban is a human kingdom that has existed for at least two millennia and has become a major trade partner with Beleria in the last 150 years. To the west of Beleria stretches the Obsidian Ocean, which is generally believed to mark the edge of the world.
The Belerian calendar is marked since the time when Lothar of Xenegath defeated the Orcish hordes of Kruth and carved out the first human settlements in this region of the western continent, over thirteen centuries ago. The year is divided into twelve months of 30 days each, with 5 extra days marking special events: Moonrise - the first day of the year, when the moon Selene first appears above the southern horizon and signals the beginning of spring; The Feast of Flowering û after the end of the 3rd month, marking the beginning of summer; Midsummer û a festival of joy which occurs in the middle of the 5th month, when the moon reaches the zenith of the sky and the weather is always fair; Godsmeet û a day of prayer after the end of the 6th month, marking the start of autumn; and Harvestide û after the end of the 9th month, celebrating the autumn harvest and preparing for the winter, as Selene sets beyond the northern horizon. During winter, the moon is absent from the sky and snow covers the lands.
Today, it is the year 1383, and Beleria is ruled by King Rohan who lives in the capital, Asilgard. The past eight years have been quite peaceful, aside from occasional skirmishes with the Juntar barbarians and various orc tribes that still live in the forests and mountains of Beleria. Nevertheless, the land holds many opportunities for high adventure for all those who seek such things...
The City of Endorr
Most of the action of the module takes place in the city of Endorr, which is a port city on the northwest corner of the nation of Beleria, overlooking the Obsidian Ocean. When you enter Endorr, your map will already contain pins indicating key locations of interest.
Temple of Selene
The major temple in Endorr is a temple to the moon goddess Selene, the lifegiver. The highpriestess, Valariel, can tell you all about Selene, and she offers various healing services at reasonable prices. The temple also offers free shelter to anyone who asks; just speak with one of the acolytes. Downstairs, the temple offers sales of various healing supplies such as potions and magical icons that can bring you back from the brink of death.
Market square
Here is where you can purchase various supplies and foodstuffs at low prices. However, you will find a better selection of weapons and armor at ZorinÆs Armory, just north, and miscellaneous items in OzricÆs General Provisions, just to the south.
Tavern Under the Grinning Gargoyle
This is the largest tavern in Endorr, and a favorite haunt of the thieves. The innkeeper sells a variety of ales and spirits, and offers comfortable rooms for 10gp per night.
HavikaarÆs Myths and Magicks
The wizard Havikaar Ilnether is the main seller of magical items in the city. His store is also an extensive library containing books on everything from ancient lore to magical recipes.
The Prison
The prison is where the city guards throw thieves and criminals (See ôDeath and Dyingö).
The Upper City
The gates to the Upper City are just west of the main market square. However, they are locked and the guards will only open them for members of the nobility.
The Temple of Pallas
While the clerics of Selene cater to most of EndorrÆs citizens, the nobility often favor the temple of Pallas, god of kings. The catacombs beneath the temple contain tombs of the greatest of the kings and queens of EndorrÆs long history.
Merthurian Mercantile Company
The Merthurian Mercantile is a large conglomerate of merchants and traders that operates throughout Beleria, Sardathia, and Akkaban. Their Endorrian branch concerns itself with shipping on the Obsidian Ocean and on the Amraphen river, as well as trading with the dwarven kingdom of Kragholm and the northwestern city of Urdenfjorn.
Some say that the high officials of the Mercantile are more powerful than kings.
WALKTHROUGH
*** WARNING: Major Spoilers ***
This section summarizes how to get through certain subquests, roughly arranged in the order that you are likely to encounter them. However, there are many different ways to complete some of these, even some that you may invent yourself. The examples describe the easiest method of proceeding, aimed at a character that is Chaotic Neutral.
Note, not all subquests are listed here, and not all of their variations are described in full detail. But the information here should be enough to help you finish the module in case you get stuck somewhere.
1. Starting out at the Hopping Hobgoblin Inn
The King of Beetles (optional)
This is a simple quest that is assigned by Fjorn, the bartender at the Hopping Hobgoblin Inn. To complete it, go to the cave in the northeast part of the Valley of Four Corners. There you will walk into a battle between a human fighter and a large insect-like creature. You can help the fighter out, or just turn tail and flee. You are, after all, a rogue, not a paladin, and will get credit even if you take the safe route.
Gemstones of Calabar Alhambra
This quest is assigned by Dariush Valyana, who challenges you to prove your thieving skills. To complete it, you must steal some gems from a locked and trapped safe in a room upstairs. However, unless you are invisible, the merchant in that room will have his guard attack you. The easiest way to avoid this is to talk with the merchant and lie to him about some gems you have to sell. Then lead him somewhere far away, like into the valley. Then just tell him to forget about it, run back to the inn, and take the gems. All you need to do is show the gems to Dariush to prove yourself û you can then sell them, give them away, or return them to the merchantÆs chest.
A clandestine mission
This is really the main plot of the module. If youÆve proven yourself to Dariush, then he will hire you for a dangerous heist: to steal back an item which was stolen from him by a thieving guild known as the League of Twilight. Follow him to Endorr where he will explain his plan. Further events in this quest will de described below.
2. Travelling to Endorr
Saving Haman (optional)
Along the road to Endorr, you come across a wagon that is in flames. You guessed it û orc attack! If you are so inclined, you can investigate this by traveling up the hill northward and into a forest clearing. There you will encounter an orc campsite. You can wipe out the orcs, or just sneak around to the north to rescue a man named Haman Nefzen, who is their captive. If you lead Haman to Endorr, his father, Zacho the sword maker, will reward you well. Be sure to talk to Dariush, he can help you battle the orcs. In fact, this minor subplot is only there to demonstrate how powerful Dariush is.
3. Infiltrating the League of Twilight
A clandestine mission
Once youÆve followed Dariush to his home, he will explain to you his plan for getting you into the guild. He knows of a spy, named Derent Skul, who is collecting information on the League of Twilight for a rival guild in the eastern nation of Sardathia. He tells you to expose this man to the League of Twilight, pretending that you are a former member of that Sardathian guild who wishes to switch sides. To do so, go to EndorrÆs South Quarter and to the Tavern Under The Grinning Gargoyle, where Derent is having a drink. Once he leaves, follow him to the cityÆs main market and wait until he pickpockets a merchant there. That merchant carries DerentÆs orders. Once Derent has them, kill him. Then go back to the South Quarter, and to the northeast corner, where you will find an elf named Thruldor Cystana. Tell Thruldor about the letter. He will be intrigued, and will tell you to meet him in a few hours. Then he will take you into the guild where you will meet his superiors.
The League of Twilight
Talk to the man named Gareth. Try to persuade him to let you join the guild. He may ask you for further proof of your allegiances, which may involve killing a man named Valin Goodman, who is suspected of also being a spy. You can refuse, but it will make things harder later. If you agree, you donÆt really have to kill Valin û just persuade him to leave town. However, be aware that the guild will be spying on you. So if you spare ValinÆs life, be sure that no-one is watching. Hopefully, the thieves will allow you into their guild, under the rank of ôgreycloakö.
Once you are in the guild, you are to lay low until you are recognized with a symbolic dagger called the Tooth of the Night. Only then can you return to Dariush to hear the rest of his plan.
4. In the service of Twilight
Once you are a member, the guild officers will assign you certain missions involving theft and assassinations. If you speak with a woman named Loriana, she will offer you a selection of missions you can embark on. Completing these missions earns you experience, and more importantly, increases your status with the thieves. However, the guild is a fractured organization, and befriending LorianaÆs thieves does not necessarily impress GarethÆs assassins. To gain status with the assassins, talk to Gareth. Your reputation with the two factions can be very different, and you can still complete the game even if one of the factions dislikes you.
Missions assigned by Loriana:
The following missions are assigned by Loriana. These may be completed in any order, although some of them may not be available until your status with the guild has grown.
Miscellaneous thieving (optional)
This is a completely open-ended type of mission. If you purchase a ôGuild bagö from Vico, the supply-man in the guild headquarters, then you can put anything you want to donate to the guild inside the bag and then talk to him. You will not receive any gold, but youÆll get experience and your reputation will grow. So steal whatever and from whomever you want (but donÆt be stupid!). But when you speak with Vico, itÆs always best to do it when the bag is good and full û youÆll get more bonus points for large deliveries of loot.
Helping Vedur (optional)
This is an easy mission. Go to the docks and speak with a dwarf named Vedur. He needs you to serve as a lookout while he plunders a house. Once he goes inside just wait a minute or so. He will suddenly run out chased by a flesh golem. Do not engage the golem yourself! The guards will eventually converge and kill the golem û you can help with ranged weapons. If Vedur survives the battle, talk to him and he will give you the item he stole, which you must return to Vico. If Vedur dies, you will find the item on his body.
Stolen Star (optional)
Loriana sends you to the home of Merurry Bweibert, the brother of a guild thief named Marko. She believes that Marko gave his brother a gem that he had recently stolen from some merchant clerics. You are to enter the house (watch out for the dog) and retrieve the gem from the chest at the foot of MerurryÆs bed. However, the chest is trapped and requires a key to unlock. You can pickpocket the key from Merurry, or kill him, or just blow up the chest with a wand of missiles (Dariush gave you one). Once you have the gem, return it to Vico.
Rare coin (optional)
Loriana wants you to find a man named Mert Diams, who frequents the City Gates sector of Endorr. Steal a coin that he has in his possession, but donÆt get caught by the guards. Another option is to follow Diams home in the evening and take the coin from a cabinet into which he puts it away at night. Bring the coin to Vico.
Holy relic (optional)
One of LorianaÆs clients has requested the theft of something from the tomb of King Velhar, which lies within the catacombs below the Temple of Pallas. The client is named Ulvin Bedwere and he can be found on the first floor of the Merthurian Mercantile. If you speak with him, you can persuade him to tell you that what he wants you to steal is the kingÆs skull. He believes that it provides clues to the mystery of the kingÆs death, many years ago.
To enter the catacombs, you will need to steal a key kept by Father Jorian of the Temple of Pallas. Then proceed to the northwest corner of the catacombs, avoiding the wandering undead if possible. There you will find a sarcophagus under a statue of a dragon. Disarm the trap on the sarcophagus and retrieve the skull. Return it to Ulvin, who will give you a reward. Then return to Loriana to give her half of the money (if you so chooseà)
There are a number of valuable items within the sarcophagus of King Velhar, but some of them are cursed. In particular, the kingÆs sword, armor, and helm, are imbued with the anger of a dragon once slain by the king. If you take them from the sarcophagus, then you will be tormented by occasional acidic pain whenever you wander in the outdoors. This powerful curse cannot be lifted by any means except by returning the items to the sarcophagus.
Taxation (optional)
If your reputation with her is sufficient, Loriana may entrust you to deliver the sum of 12,000 gold pieces as a bribe to a nobleman named Errol Worthing, who lives in the castle of Endorr. As you exit the guild, you will be confronted by a dwarf named Gemli who will demand that you hand over the gold to him. DonÆt agree, but be ready for a battle. If youÆve attained the rank of blackcloak, take a few rogues along with you to help in the battle.
Following LorianaÆs instructions, you will enter the castle through a tunnel near a waterfall near the castleÆs west wall. This tunnel leads to Sir WorthingÆs chambers through a fake armoire. Once inside, be stealthy and check for traps. You are not to disturb anything, including any traps that you see. Place the gold in the chest and be sure to lock it. Then exit. If you witness any questionable goings-on, donÆt interfere and just do your job. Or notà itÆs up to you.
OzricÆs gold (optional)
Loriana wants you to steal 4000 gp and four specific items from the house of a man named Ozric. However, OzricÆs home is well-protected. The only way to get in is to slip in either in the morning, when Ozric leaves his house to go to work, or in the evening, as he returns home. Once youÆre in, open up the desk in the main living room û it will reveal a password that you will need later. Then follow into OzricÆs bedroom, and steal a diamond ring and a jade pendant from a cabinet there. Then go into the second door in OzricÆs home (careful, it is trapped). The room beyond may look like a storage room, but in fact it is only a decoy. DonÆt open any of the chests. Just search around for a trap door and go down. You will find yourself where Ozric keeps his real treasure. To go past the golem, speak the password you found upstairs. Then root around for the other two items you need to steal. One is a swashbucklerÆs rapier and the other is a sparkling emerald. The emerald is in a well-locked chest û you may need to invest in some locks+3 or better. Finally, open up the large chest and take out all the gold (12410 gp). Next, right click on the gold icon in your inventory and select ôSplitö, then type in 8410. Place the resulting icon back in the chest. This way you would have stolen exactly the requested 4000 gp. Then return everything to Vico. DonÆt take anything else from OzricÆs home, and donÆt hurt him, or Vico will be very unhappy and your reputation with the thieves will suffer.
Bring: ThievesÆ tools +3 or +6.
Carristin Necklace (optional)
Loriana wants you to steal a fancy necklace from the home of Vastano and Chria Carristin, simple food merchants. You can turn this down if itÆs not your sort of thing, and it will actually impress Loriana. But if you prefer stealing then you can talk to the Carristins and try to cajole or threaten them. Or if you want a short-cut then here it is: They keep the necklace hidden inside a hollowed out ôbaktunutö (looks a bit like a coconut) that the Carristins keep in a crate inside their cellar. If you get it return it to Vico.
Stealing Chivalry (optional)
Loriana will send you to steal a legendary sword named ôChivalryö from the estate of Lord Marcus DÆUrberville. She will give you a replica of the sword that you are to put in place of the original, so that the theft is not discovered. Once inside the estate, proceed to the upper floor and to the lordÆs bedroom. There you will find a statue that once held the sword. However, the sword is gone, stolen by the lordÆs daughter Contessa. Return with this news to Loriana.
ZorinÆs armory job (optional)
This is a very complex thieving job only available after youÆve become a ôblackcloakö (see below).
Loriana will give you four bags of holding and some potions. You are to go to the small dock just outside the main city gates, where you will find some workers unloading a boat. Open up the crate and empty it by removing the contents into your bags of holding. If the crate is empty when you close it, you will have the option of climbing inside. Once inside, keep quiet as the workers take you inside the storage rooms of ZorinÆs armory, a place veritably filled with treasure. Your mission is to take as much of that treasure as you can fit within those four bags of holding, preferring the most expensive items of course. That is, donÆt fill up the bags with banded mail or simple leather armor +1. Go for the +2 weapons, exotic helmets, wands, belts, anything which seems valuable.
Of course, it wonÆt be easy. ZorinÆs storage is patrolled by some tough guards, minotaurs, and has some dangerous traps. The first thing to do is to climb up the chain near the crate in which you arrived, check around on the wall, and unlock the door. This will allow you to get back in here in case things go really bad at some point (i.e., youÆre caught and thrown into prison). Then climb down and begin stealing. DonÆt bother with the first room. Go down the hallway (quietly!) and empty out the two treasure rooms. One contains chests with some magical weapons and armor, and the other has some miscellaneous items. Watch for traps. The chest that is lit by the blue light has a trap which is activated once you shut it, so get some things and run. One of the gargoyle statues is animated, so be careful. Try to time things so that you can slay the gargoyle before one of the guards comes back. Also, watch out for the hell hound(s) in a cell near the treasure rooms. That cell will open when you go into one of the rooms, so be ready. The best thing is to stay hidden or invisible, and you can lock the doors behind you to slow down the guards.
There are two ways to get out of ZorinÆs storage. One is up the chain and through his house, but the guards there are tough and pretty perceptive. The other way is to jump down a grate in the room that looks like a large prison cell. That will get you into the city sewers, which you can follow southward back to the South Quarter.
Bring: A few potions of invisibility. ItÆs hard to do this job without alarming the guards and harder still by fighting them. If you watch their patrol patterns carefully, you may be able to set some traps to wear them down.
Missions assigned by Gareth Sunandar:
The following missions are assigned by Gareth. He suggests them in a sequential order which is not necessarily the one shown here. Your actions and other game events may change the priority settings of these. In any case, you can refuse nearly all of these jobs, but that wonÆt help your reputation with Gareth and his assassins.
HrlanthrÆs end (optional)
Gareth wants you to slay a half-orc named Hrlanthr, who can be found in the Tavern Under the Grinning Gargoyle. You can refuse this mission if you want. Gareth will be angry (and youÆll lose some reputation with him), but heÆll lighten up eventually. If you decide to take the job, donÆt just fight Hrlanthr unless you are really tough. Instead, try to insult him and get him to attack you. If that happens, run, and the guards will come to your aid and (probably) take care of him. Take his ear back to Gareth.
A Harsh Example (optional)
Gareth wants you to murder a man named Kaldo Mennemen, who works at the southern docks in the daytime. Again, you can refuse, gaining some good alignment but losing some reputation with Gareth. If you accept the mission, you can kill Kaldo in any way you choose, but try not to let the guards see you do it.
Special delivery (optional)
Gareth instructs you to deliver a lock of hair to a woman named Chwatra who lives in the southwest corner of the Slums (west of the South Quarter). ItÆs an easy mission, so thereÆs no reason to refuse it. Once youÆve brought the hair to Chwatra, take a nap (you can do it in her home) and pick up the item that she made. Bring this item back to Gareth.
Prison break (optional)
Gareth will instruct you to break a man named Kastin Borias out of the Endorr prison. This is a very free-form mission that can be completed in a number of ways. First, you will need to get into the prison. The easiest way to do that is to steal a prison guard uniform, either from the body of a freshly killed prison guard or from one of the crates in the storage room just north of the main prison chamber. Once you are wearing the uniform, ask the guards near the gates to open them for you. You can find Kastin in the northwest cell, and talk with him to convince him to follow you out. However, if he is seen exiting his cell then he may be attacked and killed.
One easy way to prevent that is to purchase a ôrod of shadowsö from Vico, which can be used to make Kastin invisible. Another idea is to bring a spare prison guard outfit and tell him to wear it. However, be careful since Rodon, the main jailor, will recognize Kastin and attack him. You can delay Rodon by locking him in one of the prisonÆs storage rooms which he wanders into now and again, or by starting a conflict between the guard dogs by dropping a piece of meat.
Another solution is to sneak into the prison torture chambers (south of the cells) and steal an executionerÆs outfit. Then you can tell Rodon that you are bringing Kastin to be interrogated. Then you can escape through the torture chambers as described below in ôThe Prisonö mission.
If you manage to get Kastin out of the prison in one piece, lead him back to the guild and speak with Gareth.
Varastii Heist (optional)
This mission is started by talking with Gareth, although it involves Loriana as well. Gareth will give you a note instructing you to speak with Loriana about the ôVarastii Heistö, which involves the theft of a valuable amulet. However, instead of bringing the amulet to her, Gareth wants you to plant it in the home of a nobleman named Samar Latham. What you do is up to you.
Stealing the amulet is impossible except for a plan that Loriana recommends. She will give you a ôblasting urnö and a flask of alchemistÆs fire. You are to go to the Varastii estate, which allows visitors, and sneak down to the cellars. Then you are to place the blasting urn directly below the location of the amulet in the room above. This is in the center of the room, just between the four westernmost wooden pillars in the main storeroom. Drop the urn on the ground, step away, and throw the alchemistÆs fire near it (but not directly at it). The explosion will blow a hole in the ceiling and the amulet will fall through along with a lot of rubble. Stay stealthy because the guards will come running.
Once you have the amulet, you will not be able to exit the estate the same way you came in, because the estate will be locked up tight. You will need to sneak your way upstairs (after stealing a key from a guard who patrols the western corridors) and to Baron VarastiiÆs study. There you will find a window that you can climb out of.
At this point, you can choose to bring the amulet to Loriana or plant it in the home of Samar Latham as instructed by Gareth.
Assassination (optional)
Gareth tells you to assassinate a man who lives in a house in the slums. However, he is well protected, expecting an assassin. When you approach his house, be careful for there are some thugs in the alleys. To get past his door, try to pick the lock, because if you break it down then two guards will appear. Once inside, try to avoid letting the guards look in your direction, because they are quite perceptive (and tough). Find the living room and the staircase leading upwards. Once upstairs, itÆs a good idea to lock the door behind you, so that the patrolling guard wonÆt walk in on you. Avoid the winter wolf and open up the other portcullis. You will then face a door that cannot be picked open. You will need to smash it down (a wand of missiles is good for this). You will see that the door was barricaded from the other side, with archers at the ready. Try to not let them see you. Once you are stealthy, you can burn the blocking crates by clicking on them if you have a torch in your hand. Then go to the far door on the right, and into the room where Wallen Bennald hides. Watch out for a trap on the floor. YouÆll need to eliminate the guard in there, and then you can talk with Bennald. If he offers to bribe you to spare his life, take it, and donÆt ask questions. No one will know. If you are curious to know why he was on the guildÆs hit list, you can talk to him, but thereÆs a good chance that heÆll get nervous and attack. HeÆs pretty tough, so be ready.
Betrayal of Thruldor (optional)
Gareth wants you to assassinate Thruldor, the elf who you told about the spy, Derent Skul. You can refuse to do so, and someone else will take care of it. If you take the job, donÆt attack Thruldor yourself. Just tell him the command phrase that Gareth told you and he will follow you. There are a couple of ways to get him killed. For example, if you get into a fight then he will try to help you, and then you can hide leaving him on his own. You can ask him to pickpocket someone, thus hopefully getting him to slip up and get into trouble. Or you can lead him to GrolmÆs pub, whose owner apparently has a bone to pick with the elf. In any case, you can always just warn Thruldor to get out of town. HeÆs very stealthy so nobody will be the wiser (maybe).
The traitor Havikaar (optional but strongly recommended)
This mission does not become available until you have been promoted to the rank of ôblackcloakö.
Gareth wants you to assassinate the wizard Havikaar, who owns a magic shop in the South Quarter. Apparently, Havikaar is suspected of being a spy named Karol Norvath who is in charge of the plot against the Twilight. If you agree, you will have to sneak through HavikaarÆs tower which is well protected by various guards and wards.
Ground floor: When you enter his shop, do so while stealthy, or else HavikaarÆs familiar and a guardian Minogon will attack you. Just go upstairs to the next level.
2nd floor: This floor is designed as an obstacle for thieves. The floor is covered with traps which must be painstakingly disarmed. Unless you are a master thief, only some of the traps can be disarmed. Fortunately, removing these traps opens up a pathway that leads through the chamber to the staircase up. However, the floor is also protected by fire fog and acid fog, and a guardian ôwind golemö walks about looking for intruders. If you watch the wind golemÆs movement, he will trace out the route among the traps. To shut off the acid fog, sneak through to the first lever on your right. Then proceed across the room to the lever on the far wall, which shuts off the fire fog. Ignore the lever on your left û itÆs a decoy. Then you can snake around among the traps until you reach the stairs. You donÆt need to attack the golem.
3rd floor: Here is where Havikaar stores many magical supplies. First, however, you will have to pass by a large wind golem which you definitely donÆt want to fight. Just sneak by. However, to open the locked stone door, you will need to take a risk. Fire an arrow at the button on the pillar in the room behind the portcullis (but do it when the golem isnÆt looking!). This will open the portcullis and allow you to enter the room and press the button on the other side of the pillar. That will open the stone door into the storage room. You can shut the door again, it wonÆt be locked. In the storage room there are some chests. You can pilfer them for some nice magical treats. However, one of the chests is enchanted to attack whoever opens it. This cannot be disabled and the chest sees through any invisibility. It will even pursue you through the walls! The best way to destroy it is to stand your ground and fight it toe to toe, but keep your healing potions handy. Again, a wand is particularly effective.
4th floor: This room once functioned as a small academy for young wizards, but has long been empty of students. There are no stairs to the upper floor but instead there is a portal which must be activated. Activating the portal requires to you solve a puzzle. In the largest room, you will see a strange pattern of objects, including six receptacles (two statues, a bird cage, an urn, a water pool, and a brazier). These receptacles contain small ôelemental tokensö which function as follows: if there are an unequal number of tokens in any of the receptacles that are on opposite sides of the room, then the receptacle with more tokens will create a magical field. One of these, centered on the intact statues, is already activated û creating a jungle of entangling tentacles. To disable these, just remove one token from the crumbled statue on the opposite side of the room. To activate the portal, remove tokens from other receptacles until there is exactly one in each. This will balance the forces and create the portal.
5th floor: These are HavikaarÆs living quarters, and it is where he will confront you. You donÆt need to fight him. If you wish, speak with him and try to figure out why the guild wants him killed. He will insist on his innocence. If you donÆt believe him, attack him, but be prepared. HeÆs a powerful mage and there are two wind golems in the room which will defend him. But if you choose, you can talk with him about his business transactions with the guild. You will learn about a magical gauntlet which he has recently been asked to identify. He thinks this gauntlet is the reason why the guild wants him dead. Somebody has tried to frame Havikaar as a spy.
If you believe the wizard, you can return to Gareth and try to make that case. If you are convincing, he will instruct you to speak with Feyal Cain, who is in charge of espionage. Feyal will tell you to spy on Havikaar. You can do so, but you wonÆt learn anything incriminating. If you speak with him, you will learn that he was framed by a Halfling thief named Marko Bweibert, the one who had originally brought that gauntlet to him. Marko himself, however, is missing.
The Prison
During some of these missions, you may be captured and thrown into the city prison. This is by no means the end of the game. If you find yourself in a prison cell, attack the door to draw the attention of Rodon, the prison warden. If your persuasion skills are very high, you may be able to get him to release you. Otherwise, just lie down and go to sleep. If Dariush is alive and you are in his employment, then he will see to it that you are bailed out. In this case, Rodon will release you and lead you out of the jail. Once youÆre out, speak with Fryl, the annoying prison bookkeeper, and he will order his guard to unlock the chest where your things are stored. Unfortunately, you will find that some of your property will be missing, especially any stolen items. DonÆt worry, plot items cannot be lost this way, although some subquests may be impossible if specific loot is gone (e.g. the items from OzricÆs home). You can complain to Fryl, but it wonÆt do any good.
Unfortunately, Dariush can only bail you out one or two times. However, if you are a member of the League of Twilight then they will arrange a plan for your escape. Go to sleep, and when you wake you will find a bag in your cell which contains some darts and a note. This note explains how to escape from the prison. If you manage to do so, you will still need to get your things. This can be done by bribing Fryl with 500 gp, but it will take some good thieving before you amass that much after breaking out with just rags on your back. Alternately, you can try to pick the lock of the chest where your loot is stored (ItÆs the second chest from the left in the room behind Fryl). This is dangerous because if the guard in that room sees you do it then he will attack.
5. Rising in the ranks
In order to reach the higher missions, you will need to pass what is called the ôTest of Skillö. Ask Gareth if he thinks you are ready to attempt it. His decision will depend upon your reputation with the thieves or assassins.
The Test of Skill
If Gareth allows it, you may begin the Test by speaking with a man named Kell who is in a southern room of the guild. Kell will give you a key which lets you begin the Test.
The Test of Skill is a large chamber filled with traps and puzzles. At the southeast end of this chamber there is a chest which contains a purple rose. Your task is to obtain this rose and bring it back to Kell. If you die within the Test, you will be recovered and brought back to life by the guild, but this will only be done twice. If you die a third time then your body will be discarded.
The first part of the Test requires obtaining a key from a being called ôKeeper of the Keyö. You will need to either persuade him to give you the key or pick it from his pocket. Killing him doesnÆt accomplish anything, since he will be immediately brought back to life. However, after you kill him three times he will drop the key.
Once you have the key, proceed south. There you will find a room filled with traps. Disarm the traps to make yourself a path through the room, until you reach two doors. The right door leads you to a dead end, but itÆs worth going this way to get some useful supplies. First, you will have to run through a series of lightning beams that shut on and off. This is easier than it looks, and you can also destroy the ballistae that launch the beams. Once you get through that room, get stealthy so that you can pass by the ôwind golemö that guards the next room. Then you will find a ôsupply chestö. Disarm the trap on that chest, and pick the lock. Within you will find some useful items. Then go back to the left door in the room with the traps.
The left door is opened with a lever, and leads to a set of doors each of which is opened with a lever. Now, you will not be able to go back without finishing the Test. You will find yourself in a room filled with gas clouds, in which there is a single locked door. To get the key to that door, go to the northeast corner of the room (you can time your path through the gas clouds, as they shut on and off). Then search around until a hidden wall door appears. Go through this door. You will find a secret room with some fire beetles û kill them. Next, dig through the rubble and the cracked boulder (use wands if you need to) and wiggle your way through to get the key that is on the other side. That key opens the door in the room with the gas clouds.
Next, proceed south through the long corridor. This corridor is filled with automatic spike traps that cannot be disarmed, so youÆll have to step among them with care and/or speed. Again, this is easier than it looks, and there is a path among the traps which is safe. When you get to the end of the hallway, get stealthy and open the door. You will see a bridge that is blocked by a pair of barriers, and to your left there is a ledge on which stands a guardian wind golem. DonÆt bother fighting the golem. Instead, stand out of his sight, in the doorway, and destroy the left barrier from a distance using arrows or a wand. Once itÆs destroyed, get stealthy again and walk over the bridge and past the portcullis.
Now, you will see an area which is continuously getting blasted by fireballs launched from two automatic catapults. You can run past if you time things right, but you can also destroy the catapults from a distance using a wand. In any case, go southward first. You will see a collapsed bridge which appears impassable. However, as long as you run south over the bridge at a decent pace, you will jump across the gap and find yourself on the other side. Now, go right to where a gas cloud turns on and off. If you time it right, you can run to get the key which lies at the foot of the statue in that direction. But be quick. You will ultimately need to find four such keys.
After you have the first key, go east, while hiding and checking for traps. You will see an earth elemental ahead. You can kill the elemental by drawing him out, then jumping across the gap in the collapsed bridge, and then shooting him with arrows. Once heÆs dead, go east to where you can find another key lying at the foot of a statue. Get the key, but watch out for another catapult blasting fireballs.
Once you have two keys, jump back across the gap and proceed west. Pick up another key lying at another statue, and then get stealthy. As you turn and walk south, you will see another wind golem on your right. You can try to kill this golem with arrows or a wand, but be careful that he doesnÆt slay you first. As you continue south, you will suddenly find yourself trapped behind some bars that cannot be unlocked. Look to your right. Shoot arrows at the target to open the bars, and continue south. Check for traps. You will then enter a room in which you will find the fourth key. Now use the keys to unlock a series of four doors that lead you south.
Now you will come to a corridor filled with smoke. This corridor is covered in traps, but you will not see them show up in red because they are obscured by the smoke. The only way to get through is to right-click on the ground until you see the disarm trap icons appear. You can use these to disarm the traps and get past. DonÆt step forward until you right-click on the ground, because there are quite a few traps and no path through them. Another option is to bully the frightened goblin that cowers in the previous room into going through the corridor ahead of you. He wonÆt get far, but a few of the traps will be ôdisarmedö.
Finally, you will come to the room in which the purple rose is kept. This room also contains an iron golem and three ballistae firing lightning bolts. You can try to kill the golem, but he is of course very tough. Try to get him to walk through the lightning û heÆs very vulnerable to electricity. In any case, to get to the chest, you will need to destroy at least two of the ballistae (but be careful û they have traps on them). Then you can turns stealthy and get to the chest. There are several traps on the floor near the chest, so be careful. The final trap may be beyond your skills, but you will find that you can reach across it to open the chest. Once you have the purple rose, pull the lever on the nearby pillar. This opens up a portal which brings you back out of the Test. Once you are out, give the rose to Kell who will announce to Gareth that you have passed the Test of Skill. You will then be promoted to ôblackcloakö rank and will receive some magical leather armor.
Bring: ThievesÆ tools +3 or +6, some potions of invisibility, lots of healing potions.
Once you are ranked as a ôblackcloakö, you will be allowed to issue orders to any lower-ranked thieves or assassins you see. Anyone whose description says they are wearing grey is likely to obey your orders. You can use these NPCs to aid you on your missions (by fighting your battles for you) or do perform your thefts for you or distract guards. However, they are quite weak, and more of a temporary distraction than real substantial help.
Missions assigned by Feyal Cain:
As a ôblackcloakö, youÆve earned the respect of the spymaster Feyal Cain, who will now answer your questions and assign more missions. Here are the missions he assigns:
Secret hideout (optional)
Feyal Cain asks you to investigate a group of Halfling thieves who seem to be operating in the city. To find their hideout, go to the South Quarter and look for a Halfling named Perudo Farer. Follow him around, and youÆll see him go down to the cityÆs sewers (hidden entrance near the mill wheel in the southeast corner). Then follow him through the sewers to the hideout of his small gang of thieves. You donÆt need to fight them, just go back and tell Feyal about them and the guild will dispatch some assassins to ôtake careö of the Halflings. If you want to steal their treasure, youÆll need to get into their well-protected storage vault. Look for the thick stone doors, and shout the name ôBrandobarisö. The thief inside the vault will open it up for you. But be aware, if you kill him, then you wonÆt be able to get back into the vault ever again, because the doors can only be opened by somebody on the inside.
Merthurian diamonds (optional)
Feyal wants you to find out where the Merthurian Mercantile is getting shipments of diamonds. Go to the Mercantile headquarters and to the second floor where you will find a giant open book. Click near the base of the book to begin looking through the pages. You will learn that the diamonds are supplied by a pirate named Fergus the Red, who is the captain of a ship at the docks called the ôEbony Thrallö. The ship is locked, but you can obtain the key from a man named Unar Gol who is at the Tavern Under the Grinning Gargoyle. Once you have the key, use it to unlock the trapdoor leading to the shipÆs hold. You can stowaway on the ship which will take you to Skaern Point, the source of the diamond trade.
As soon as you enter the hold, the Ebony Thrall will set sail. Since you cannot exit, just go to sleep. When you wake, the ship will have landed. Go stealthy, because one of the pirates will go downstairs to get a drink. Follow him out and youÆll find yourself at Skaern Point. Follow the workers to a camp near the entrance to a mine.
Inside the mine you will learn that Fergus the Red and his pirates have enslaved a small clan of dwarves and forced them to mine diamonds. The dwarves do this because they are stranded and their lives threatened by an iron golem thatÆs under FergusÆs control. That is not your concern, of course, and you can choose to return to Endorr by again stowing away on the Ebony Thrall.
If you want to save the dwarves, talk to any of them. They will direct you to speak with their leader, Figan, who is kept in a cell. Figan will suggest a couple of escape plans. One is to attack the golem with ranged weapons, drawing it away from the exit so that the dwarves can make a run for it. Another plan is to steal the device that controls the golem. It is kept by Fergus in the pirate hut on the right, and youÆll need to pickpocket him to get it. There is another option û to pickpocket the golem to pull out a joint in its back which will cause it to collapse into a useless heap of metal.
Whatever route you choose, tell the dwarves to get ready (To get Figan out of his cell, go to the pirate hut on the left and get the key from a peg on the wall). They will make a run for the ship once events begin to unfold. However, you may want to escort them yourself, since theyÆll have to fight their way past the workers and pirates outside. At least one of the dwarves has to make it to the ship.
Temple treasure (optional)
Feyal asks you to investigate why the priests of Selene seem to have changed their spending patterns recently. Go to the temple and speak with highpriest Felrun. Pretend that youÆre a seller of magical items and see if heÆs interested in finding something in particular. ItÆs not easy to get him to open up, but you can do it with a few careful lies (some of these will shift your alignment 1 point toward chaotic). Alternatively, search through his bedroom and take the temple ledger that he keeps there. Bring it to Feyal. It will make it clear that the priests are looking for some kind of magical gauntlet.
The mysterious Karol Norvath (optional)
It may come to pass that the League of Twilight will begin to suspect your secret employer, Dariush Valyana, to be the spy Karol Norvath. This can happen on its own, or you can suggest it yourself during conversations with Loriana, Gareth, or Feyal. In any case, if this happens, Feyal may instruct you to search ValyanaÆs house. You will do this with the help of a Halfling named Jaren Jelfelher. Follow along with Jaren (he runs fast, so keep close) to DariushÆs house and then go stealthy. Jaren will unlock the door to the downstairs while you are to search upstairs. You will not be able to open the door to DariushÆs bedroom, but be sure to try it once. Then go downstairs. Jaren will tell you that he found a very incriminating scroll in a chest in DariushÆs cellar. Take the scroll, but also ask Jaren to unlock that upstairs door that you failed to open. He will pick the lock and then run off. Bring the scroll back to Feyal as proof that Dariush Valyana is indeed the spy, Karol Norvath.
When you return to Feyal, you can offer to kill Dariush for him, or let him dispatch Kamia, the guildÆs deadliest assassin. Kamia will almost certainly be able to kill Dariush û which will end your ôclandestine missionö, and end your chances for receiving his reward of 35000 gp. If you offer to kill him yourself, Feyal will tell you to retrieve the holy symbol of DariushÆs god, Lor. This symbol is called the ôStar of Creationö û a small red gem. However, Dariush no longer worships Lor, and if you search his house downstairs you can find the symbol among some garbage.
Although it certainly looks that Dariush is indeed a spy, this is all really a set-up. The scroll was actually planted by Jaren, as part of FeyalÆs plot (which will eventually be revealed). It is completely up to you whom you wish to trust in all of this. In reality, Dariush honestly intends to honor his agreement with you, and pay you the promised reward if you retrieve his possession. But itÆs up to you if you want to do this or not. If you choose to kill Dariush, you may want to pick through his pockets until youÆve emptied them of the various healing potions he carries.
Missions assigned by the Merthurian Mercantile:
Reminder errand (optional)
If you speak with Murister Kelm on the first floor of the Merthurian Mercantile, he will assign a few short and simple missions. The first is an errand to go speak with Zorin Klender, the blacksmith, to demand that he pay his monthly dues to the Mercantile. Zorin will refuse, threatening a trade war. Just return with his answer to Murister, and he may decide to entrust you with more missions.
Shipment (optional)
Murister will instruct you to escort a shipment arriving from the city of Urdenfjorn to make sure that it is not interfered with. The shipment is led by a man named Lars, who will appear just outside the city gates after you accept this mission. He leads another man who in turn leads two ôwurbeastsö that carry valuable furs from the northern lands. If you wish to follow MuristerÆs instructions, just go along with Lars to the Mercantile building and watch him make his report. He and the rest of the group will vanish.
However, you can choose to betray Murister and steal the shipment. First, talk with Loriana to make sure that she is ok with that. Sometimes she will not be happy with people conducting their own thefts. If she approves, you can conduct the theft in many different ways. You can try to convince Lars to follow you, and lead him to a place where there are enough of your comrades to defeat him. You can lie to him to tell him that the deal has been cancelled, and heÆll run ahead to verify this leaving the wurbeasts behind. You can pickpocket the wurbeasts to steal one fur at a time. Or you can ôspeakö with the wurbeasts and try cutting the straps that hold their cargo. But of course, if this is seen by the guards, youÆll be in some trouble. There are probably some other techniques for stealing the furs, so experiment û this mission is very freeform.
Glass globe (optional)
If you completed the shipment mission for Murister (or wasnÆt caught betraying him), heÆll give you a third job. You are to deliver a magical glass globe of great value to a man named Garias Tanneset However, the globe does not appear particularly valuable, and in fact, it isnÆt. Murister is just trying to cheat Garias, who is a bit of a dreamer. ItÆs up to you if you wish to collect the full 1200gp they had agreed upon, or if you want to ask for even more! Regardless, Garias can be found wandering around the Upper City during the day. During the night, knock on his door and the guard will fetch him.
The League of Twilight
After youÆve achieved the rank of blackcloak, and once your reputation with either Loriana or Gareth exceeds a certain level, one of them will give you the Tooth of the Night. This will allow you to return to the home of Dariush Valyana and hear about the next step of his plan.
6. The next step of the plan
A clandestine mission
After youÆve returned to speak with Dariush Valyana, he will explain that the item he seeks is a magical gauntlet of great value. To obtain it, he wants you to instigate a conflict within the guild, pitting the assassins and the thieves against each other. This can be done with a letter that Dariush gives you. Drop the letter in front of any of the LeagueÆs rogues who wander the streets, and they will pick it up and bring it to their superiors, launching the quest called ôFinding Zander Thrillfarö.
Finding Zander Thrillfar
Gareth will send you to find and bring back a man named Zander Thrillfar, who is hiding in the temple of Selene, in one of the shelter rooms. When you find him, tell him to go back with you to the guild. Once he returns to the guild, an argument will begin. This will involve Zander, Akasha Allandrios (who is actually GarethÆs superior), and Loriana. This will end in a battle in which Zander will be killed. DonÆt try to help û the man is doomed. Afterwards, Loriana will leave and go to her quarters. Now, two new quests will be available, ôAiding Akashaö and ôHelping Lorianaö.
Aiding Akasha
If you prefer to side with the assassins, speak with Akasha and tell her of a powerful magical gauntlet which you believe may be in LorianaÆs possession. If she trusts you (this depends on your status with the assassins), she will tell you how you can sneak into the guildÆs treasure coffers to look for the gauntlet. To do this, first speak with the man named Gerto, who stands just outside VicoÆs supply room. Tell Gerto to create a distraction û he will attack Vico and thus draw him out of the room. Once Vico is busy fighting, open up the chest in that room û it will turn out to be a doorway down to the treasure stores. Jump down.
Here, you may find yourself fighting some guardian ogres, but itÆs quite unnecessary to deal with them. The gauntlet is not in the first level of the guildÆs storage. You will have to go down into the guildÆs well-protected Vault, which is accessed through a staircase in the northwest. Enter using stealth.
The Vault is a death trap, but it can be navigated if youÆre very careful. ItÆs easiest to do if you first turn yourself invisible using a potion (i.e. you really donÆt want to take on the guardian iron golem!). Pull the lever on the left to open the large door. Then run through before it closes again. Before you, you will see a force-curtain, which repels anyone who tries to pass. However, you can get through it by walking backwards. Next, run forward toward the target, or a fireball will singe your eyebrows. Walk around to the left or right, avoiding the beams of negative energy and checking and disarming traps along the way. Once you get to the vault safe, unlock it (you may need some good thievesÆ tools). Open it, and take some items if you wish, but be quick. There is a fireball trap on the safe which explodes within a few seconds of it being opened, and cannot be disarmed. So take some stuff quickly and then run back. You can do this a few times if you wish. In any case, you will learn that the gauntlet you seek is not in the Vault at all. To return to the guild, pass through the portal in the upper treasure level, just near the stairs to the Vault.
Bring: potions of invisibility and thievesÆ tools +6.
When you return to Akasha with news that you did not find the gauntlet, she will instruct you to kill Loriana. You can do this yourself by luring Loriana to some dangerous place, which she will do if she trusts you, or you can tell Kamia the assassin to do it. Kamia may or may not be able to kill Loriana without your help, since Loriana has a tough bodyguard. The easiest way to take care of Loriana is to lure her out to the guild study, away from her guard, and then tell Kamia to kill her. Gareth and Akasha may then join in to help.
Nevertheless, the gauntlet will not be found among LorianaÆs possessions. Thus, this quest will end in a somewhat frustrating way.
If you do not wish to side with the assassins, you will eventually need to see to AkashaÆs death (see ôHelping Lorianaö, below). If Akasha is killed, this quest is completed automatically.
Helping Loriana
If you prefer to side with the thieves, speak with Loriana and ask her if she knows about any magical gauntlets that might be in the guildÆs possessions. She will suggest that Akasha may have it, and will ask you to check. To get upstairs to AkashaÆs chambers, you will need to obtain one of the keys carried by her or Gareth, but these cannot be pickpocketed. Loriana will offer to get Akasha and Gareth to fight each other. Once this happens, you can speak to Akasha, who will send you on a mission (see ôGarethÆs punishmentö, below) which results in GarethÆs death.
Once you have GarethÆs key, use it to get up the stairs which lead from the guildÆs study. Here, stay stealthy. Beware that there is a dispel-magic field just as you enter, which will get rid of some of your magical effects (such as invisibility). Be careful that the sentries donÆt see you û they will attack you on sight, and are quite tough. If they see you, use a potion of invisibility and vanish. Once upstairs, you will need to search thoroughly through all of the containers and chests that you find. Be careful, the chest at the foot of AkashaÆs bed is an animated chest just like the one in HavikaarÆs tower (she bought it from him). Also be careful not to get too close to the gong in her room, or it will strike and call the guards. Once you search the upstairs, you will learn that the gauntlet is not there.
When you return to Loriana with news that you did not find the gauntlet, she will suggest that you will need to kill Akasha. This is not easy, but with some preparation you should be able to succeed. Lay some traps around her feet, use some potions, and blast her with wands and spells (you should have plenty of scrolls by now). Once she is dead, search her body. However, again you will fail to find the gauntlet, and the quest, like the one above, also ends in frustration.
If you do not wish to side with the thieves, you can complete this quest by killing Loriana (see above).
In order to advance the plot, you will need to complete both the ôAiding Akashaö and ôHelping Lorianaö quests. You can do this by following each of their instructions as described, siding with one and killing the other, or just killing both. Once both quests are complete, it will seem as though you have reached a dead end, but this is not true. Just take a breather, get some rest, and a new twist in the plot will come to you (see ôThe Mysterious Karol Norvathö, below).
GarethÆs punishment
If youÆve followed LorianaÆs advice and let a fight ensue between Akasha and Gareth, speak with Akasha. She will instruct you to help her kill Gareth. To do this, she will send you to ArolÆs Alehouse in the Slums district, where you will speak with a man named Gund Welten. Ask Welten for a tooth which he has on his person, a tooth he smashed out of GarethÆs mouth in a recent fist fight. Bring this tooth to Chwatra, the hermit woman who lives in the southwest corner of the slums. She will make an ôEffijingkoö using the tooth. Use this itemÆs special power to plant it in the ground. It will look like a combat dummy. Destroy the dummy û doing this will remotely deal damage to Gareth, bringing him to the brink of death. Once the dummy is destroyed, speak with Akasha. She will deal Gareth the final death blow. Then you can obtain his key to get upstairs.
Note that the Effijingko is an item that Chwatra can make using many different items in the game, giving you the power to remotely damage many of the critical NPCs. For example, in AkashaÆs bedroom you can find a piece of hair that can be used to make an Effijingko that will harm Akasha. This is a technique you can use in many situations in the game, to deal heavy damage to Gareth, Loriana, Akasha, Havikaar, or Dariush.
A mysterious gauntlet
This quest normally begins if you speak with Havikaar at the top of his tower, but it can get started in a number of other ways. Havikaar will tell you that he recently identified a magical gauntlet which he believes is a powerful artifact of the forgotten god Nhegeth. In fact, this gauntlet is the central item around which the main quest revolves, and once you find it, you will be faced with a critical decision: what to do with the item. There are many people who are looking for this thing, including Havikaar, highpriestess Valariel, Loriana, Akasha, Feyal Cain, and Dariush Valyana. You can choose to keep it for yourself. But first, you will have to find it û see below.
To learn about the gauntlet, speak with Havikaar and with highpriestess Valariel at the temple of Selene. They will explain what it is all about, and Valariel can be persuaded to hire you to retrieve it for her. See below for further information about this Hand of Nhegeth.
The mysterious Karol Norvath
Once you have finished the ôHelping Lorianaö and ôAiding Akashaö quests, go to sleep. When you awake, you will find on your person an envelope from the mysterious spy, Karol Norvath. He will invite you to meet with him in the Tavern Under the Grinning Gargoyle.
As it turns out, Karol Norvath doesnÆt really exist, and is simply a myth created by Feyal Cain, the guildÆs spymaster, to cause havoc in the League of Twilight. Feyal is obsessed with finding out the identity of the guildÆs secretive master who is behind the scenes, and thinks that by creating a fictional coup by a rival guild he can influence events so as to eventually lead the guildmaster to slip up and reveal himself. However, your recent actions have opened up a new possibility that intrigues Feyal. He wants you to retrieve the gauntlet of Nhegeth for him, and he will tell you where to look for it.
Feyal has been spying on you from the first moment you entered the guild, and his spy was present during your most recent conversation with Dariush Valyana. So he really knows everything about what is going on. He also knows that the thief, Marko Bweibert, who originally stole the gauntlet, has a secret hideout in the home of his brother Merurry. To enter this hideout, you will need to take a book entitled ôSecret Passagesö (you can find a copy in HavikaarÆs library) and place it on a bookshelf in MerurryÆs home. This will cause the bookshelf to slide over and reveal a secret door. Go through into MarkoÆs storage room, and look for a trap door. Go down through the trap door into MarkoÆs hideout.
In the hideout, you will find the dead body of Marko Bweibert, still wearing the Hand of Nhegeth. Take the hand into your possession.
Here is where you will be faced with the major decision in the module û what to do with the Hand of Nhegeth? See ôThe Hand of Nhegethö, below.
Although the decision is up to you, it will be constrained by the appearance of a being known as the ôPale Elfö, a master assassin, who will insist that you bring the gauntlet to his master, Feyal. Do not attempt to disobey the elf or he will cut you down with ease. Your best option is to obey the elf and bring the gauntlet to the spymaster. There is another option, however, and that is to put the gauntlet on yourself. Curiously, the pale elf will not be angry at this and will in fact appear pleased, and will vanish. If this is your choice, see below (Wearing the Hand of Nhegeth).
If you bring the gauntlet to Feyal, he will be pleased with you. He will tell you to await his further instructions at the Tavern Under the Grinning Gargoyle, and heÆll vanish.
If you try to give the gauntlet to anyone other than Feyal, the pale elf will first warn you, and if you insist, he will murder you on the spot.
7. Feyal and the master of Twilight
Once Feyal has the gauntlet, it is up to you what you want to do. You can choose to finish up any other missions or just relax around the city. Once enough time passes, you will receive another note from Feyal, which will appear in your inventory. If your perception skills are good, you may notice that the note is actually delivered by a stealthy rogue wearing a black mask. Follow him if youÆre the curious typeà
Prison break
If you had successfully rescued Kastin Borias from the prison (see Prison Break), you will receive new instructions from Feyal û to kill Kastin. No reason will be given. Do so in any manner of your choosing, preferably after convincing him to come with you away from the guild where his friends might try to stop you. If you choose to do this and succeed, a reward will await you in the Tavern.
If you hadnÆt rescued Kastin, this mission will not be assigned and you will move right to the next note from Feyal, described below.
The Pale Elf
You will receive new instructions from Feyal û to kill the pale elf. The note explains that the pale elf is a deadly and immortal astral projection of a being named Kruor Irithukiir, who is in stasis below the catacombs of the Temple of Pallas. If you kill KruorÆs physical body, his astral form will be destroyed as well. FeyalÆs note will explain how to enter KruorÆs lair through a sarcophagus in the Tomb of King Luunr.
Once inside, you must sneak by some guardian floating eyes, but donÆt worry, the pale elf will not appear (since he is away spying on Feyal). In the lair, you may come across an acolyte whom Kruor kidnapped from the Temple of Selene a few days ago. You can try to rescue her by leading her out of the lair, but she will inevitably be killed by a nasty amulet around her neck, just before reaching the door.
Going west in the lair you will find KruorÆs workshop, where he keeps his huge journal and a crystal ball. If you read the journal, you will learn that Kruor is the guildmaster of the League of Twilight. He has been working behind the scenes in Endorr for hundreds of years, corrupting its people as a means of exacting revenge for a massacre of his clan committed long ago by king Luunr. Interacting with the crystal ball brings up a conversation tree that allows you to spy on various key NPCs to see what theyÆre currently doing. Most importantly, this allows you to find out the location of FeyalÆs headquarters. If you do this, then you can decide whether you want to continue following FeyalÆs instructions to kill Kruor, or whether you prefer to find Feyal in his lair and confront him instead.
If you decide to kill the pale elf, go northeast to his bedchamber, then west through a series of trapped passages with secret transition plates. Always go to the transitions at the ends of corridors, others are traps. Ultimately, you will find the chamber where the physical body of Kruor Irithukiir stands in stasis. You can cut him down without fear, he will hiss at you but not move (he has forgotten how).
Finding Feyal Cain
As described above, one way to find the location of FeyalÆs hideout is through peering into the crystal ball in KruorÆs Lair. There are other ways, however. If you speak with Loriana, she will tell you that Feyal employs several spies who always wear black masks. If you see one, you can follow him to FeyalÆs headquarters. However, they are extremely stealthy, so you will only see one if you have an unusually high Spot skill or are using magical means to enhance your sight (Vico sells some potions). After some time passes, one of these spies will appear to deliver your instructions from Feyal (see above), and you can follow him to find FeyalÆs hideout (ItÆs in an abandoned house in the Slums, but youÆll need to be following someone or learn of the secret door in some other way before it becomes available to you).
Another method for finding Feyal is to speak with Akasha. If Kamia is still alive, Akasha will send her to assassinate Feyal. Feel free to follow along.
Once you enter FeyalÆs headquarters, youÆll be faced with various traps and dead ends. The best thing is to ignore most of them and just turn left and then open the third door on your right (the second from the south). The door may need to be busted down. Next go directly west until the corridor turns north and enters FeyalÆs living quarters. Head northeast and youÆll find Feyal in his library, sitting on the ground clutching the Hand of Nhegeth.
After you gave Feyal the gauntlet, he put it on, and immediately began to be corrupted by its power. That is why he began to issue instructions which served to undo his actions in the past (killing his former associates Kastin and Kruor). If you obeyed all of those instructions, then the Hand will be pleased with Feyal and will bestow some fearsome powers on him. Notably, if you obeyed and killed Kruor, Feyal will have become immortal. If you defeat him in battle, he will instantly regenerate. Eventually, FeyalÆs powers will grow to near godlike levels and he will return to the guild to kill all of its members without mercy. At one point, however, the power of the gauntlet will become too great for his mortal body and he will be destroyed. In its place will open a portal allowing the god Nhegeth to enter. Nhegeth will then begin to devour the city of Endorr! In fact, this has been KruorÆs plan all along, his ultimate revenge upon the city, and the reason why he manipulated events to make sure the gauntlet wound up in the curious hands of Feyal. If this happens, the city is doomed. Do not attempt to fight Nhegeth. Just run for your life. If you make it out of Endorr, the main storyline will have been completed. But if youÆre curious, go back and see whatÆs left of the cityà
If you see proof of FeyalÆs immortality, and if you had previously promised to help highpriestess Valariel to find the Hand, then you can ask Valariel to come with you to defeat Feyal. She will do so, cutting off his hand with her magical sickle. He will then be mortal again and with her help, probably not too hard to defeat. Valariel will then take the hand û see below.
If Feyal is not yet immortal, then you can kill him to obtain the Hand. If Kamia has come along, and if she kills him, she will take the gauntlet and vanish, returning to the guild where she will give it to Akasha û see below.
8. Conclusion
The Hand of Nhegeth
Once you have the gauntlet, there are many things you can do with it, each with very different consequences:
If you give the gauntlet to Akasha, she will thank you, and announce that she plans to use it to take over the guild. If this is not to your liking, you will have to kill her yourself, as Akasha cannot be trusted with the artifact.
If you give the gauntlet to Havikaar, he will begin to study it. When you return to him after a few hours, you will find that he is wearing the gauntlet, and that it has corrupted his judgment. You will have to kill him to get it back.
If you give the gauntlet to highpriestess Valariel, she will perform the ritual of undoing which will destroy the evil relic. Follow her downstairs to witness this ritual. It will end with the death of the priests of Selene, but they will succeed in destroying the artifact. Although it is not without tragedy, this is the most appropriate ending for characters of good alignment.
If you give the gauntlet to Loriana, she will bring it to Valariel, who will then destroy it as described above.
If you give the gauntlet to Dariush Valyana, he will give you your reward of 35000 gp. However, he will then don the foul thing and go back to the Temple of Selene to exact his revenge on the clerics there. Follow along if you want. While wearing the Hand, Dariush is immortal, and he will slay the clerics with his awesome powers. However, the power of the gauntlet will eventually consume him, and his soul will be torn apart forming a portal through which Nhegeth himself, the god of oblivion, will step through. Nhegeth will then proceed to devour everything in sight. Do not attempt to fight this monster. Flee the city before it is completely destroyed and turned into a vortex of nothingness. This is the most appropriate endings for greedy characters. You will escape with great wealth, but burdened by guilt at having caused the death of hundreds of innocent people.
There is another possible outcome to the module. At one point, you may notice a new NPC standing in the main market, a merchant named Thanar Jaalhasthu. At first, he seems like a friendly seller of exotic magical trinkets. However, he is really a leader of a secretive cult that worships Nhegeth, the cult from which Marko Bweibert originally stole the artifact. If the Hand of Nhegeth is brought into his presence, Thanar will insist that it be given to him. If Valariel or Dariush carry it, they will refuse. If you have it, you have the option of returning it to Thanar in exchange for a magical item of great power.
If Thanar is not given the Hand of Nhegeth, he will summon his allies who will begin a bloody battle aimed at recovering the hand. This will be a rather chaotic scenario, and you may prefer to stay out of it and let the guards do the fighting. If the person that carries the Hand is slain, the cultists will take it and attempt to flee the city. You will see that suddenly they all begin moving east. DonÆt let them past the gates and the bridge. Slow them down at any cost. If they get out of the city, they will teleport away, taking the Hand of Nhegeth away forever, toward whatever evil purposes it was originally intended for.
Wearing the Hand of Nhegeth
If you put the gauntlet on, even for a moment, you will become corrupted by its power. You will find yourself unable to give it away, or even to put it down on the ground. Eventually, it will automatically and relentlessly equip itself in your glove slot. Then, over time, its powers will grow. At first, these will increase your strength and intelligence, and give you the power of regeneration. Later, they will give you magical protections, increased constitution, and powers to damage your enemies using a ghostly grasp of negative energy. However, to gain these powers, the Hand will demand that you perform certain tasks. What these are will largely depend upon your earlier actions. To pass the relicÆs tests, you may have to undo some of the choices you made in the past. For example, if you spared the life of Zander Thrillfar (it is an option if you speak with him), the Hand will demand that you kill him, and will tell you where to find him. As the powers of the Hand grow, you will become immortal, and be given true sight. You will also gain the ability to instantly slay any living creatures, turning them into mindless tendrils of evil energy. However, all of this is a trap. Eventually, the Hand will devour your soul, and Nhegeth will arrive through the portal that you will become. This is the most appropriate ending for power-hungry and curious characters, but itÆs not a happy one.
Once you are corrupted by the Hand, there is only one way to get rid of it. You will need to speak with Valariel. What she will do is rather nasty, but itÆs the only solution: she will cut off your left hand, thus ridding you of the evil gauntlet. The option to agree will only be available if you havenÆt become evil as a result of wearing the thing. If you agree, she will cut off your hand, take the gauntlet, and destroy it as described above. The consequence to you is rather tragic, however: you will no longer be able to wield two-handed weapons, carry anything in your off-hand, or wear a ring on your left finger. This is the price of curiosity. (But donÆt worry; this condition will not carry over to any future modules you play with the same character).
INFORMATION FOR DMS
*** WARNING: Major Spoilers ***
Since this is a single-player module, it is really not intended to be played with a DM, and there are very few tools provided. A DM may try to add a bit of extra color to the game by taking over the actions of certain NPCs. However, since so much of the game is based around the prepared conversations, it is really best to let the NPCs speak to the player without DM intervention. There are many variables and settings which govern how things develop, and it would be difficult for a DM to manipulate these without screwing things up.
The only real substantial tool for the DM is a ôcheat roomö which enables certain parts of the plot to be accelerated, but this is to be used with care.
The Cheat room
In the course of testing the module, I needed to be able to short-circuit certain plot elements (so that I didnÆt need to replay through everything while working on the endings). To allow this, I created an area called ôCheatö which contains some key items that open certain situations, and a child named ôLorö who allows the player to cheat. Talking with the child allows the player to control certain variables that set things into motion. The particular meanings of these settings are really much to confusing to try to explore on your own. But if you really get stuck and need help, then contact me via email (cisekp@magellan.umontreal.ca) and I can give you hints.
There is no way to normally enter the Cheat room as a player character, though the DM can of course bring players there. Also, if you type the words ôA portal pleaseö within earshot of Dariush Valyana, then a ôportable portalö item will appear in your inventory. If you use that itemÆs special power you will be teleported to the cheat room. A set of doors in that room will then lead you back into specific areas of the module (examine them to see where each leads).
I strongly advise players who wish to go through the module in the normal way to not travel to the cheat room. It can really screw up the plot unless you know exactly what the options mean. If you get really stuck, and fear that youÆve come up against a plot-killing bug, contact me and IÆll tell you what to do.
INFORMATION FOR BUILDERS
This module contains a great deal of customized scripts which radically change some of the standard NPC behavior and game mechanics. Because one of my main purposes in building this module is to get lots of practice in scripting, I had chosen to write all these myself instead of using the excellent script packages that are already out there (such as ôNPC_activitiesö). There were many, many occasions in which I regretted this decisionà
The scripts are organized as follows: Scripts starting with ôat_ö are actions taken within conversations, and those starting with ôsc_ö are conditions for conversation options, as is usual. Scripts starting with ôpcht_ö handle module events, those starting with ôpcs_ö control creature spawn events, and those starting with ôpcu_ö control NPC behavior firing on the OnUserDefined events. Scripts starting with ôpc_ö are general custom scripts.
There are several techniques used in the module which you may be interested in using in your own modules. Here are some pointers on where the relevant scripts may be found:
In an attempt to create a city environment which feels alive, I scripted the commoners to wander about during the day and go home at night, shout if they are merchants and respond if they are customers, call for help if attacked or if they see a theft committed, etc. (see ôpcu_commonerö) The guards will investigate conflicts and recruit other guards when pursuing an enemy, and many of them will respawn if they are killed (see ôpcu_guardö). Thieves will attempt to pickpocket sleeping characters and will pick up items lying on the ground (see ôpcu_thiefö) and assassins will attack people walking around alone at night (ôpcu_assassinö).
When creatures die, various things happen (see ônw_c2_default7ö). Much of this is based on the various versions of lootable corpse script sets in the community (in particular, the work of Keron Blackfeld and Jassper). First, a corpse falls, leaving ôremainsö which can be looted. After some time, the corpse decays, and the items are left on the ground. Once this happens, thieves may pick them up and carry them away.
When some containers are opened, they shout ôPC_SHOUT_IMOPENEDö which will cause certain NPCs to react. For example, guards may turn to you and say ôHey, leave that alone!ö When things are taken from those containers, they shout ôPC_SHOUT_IMPLUNDEREDö, which causes some NPCs to attack.
IÆve also made some changes to the WalkWayPoints command in ônw_i0_genericö. The reason for this is that NPC pathfinding is very different whether a PC is or is not present in a given area. If a PC is not present, then NPCs will often get stuck in their walking patterns because their pathfinding is minimal. While this improves performance, it can cause problems in the module, which depends on things unfolding in certain reliable ways. What IÆve done to work around this is to make the WalkWayPoints command use ActionWalkToObject if a PC is present in the callerÆs area and ActionForceMoveToObject if there is no PC present. This means that NPCs will still succeed in following their routes even if the PC leaves. Whenever the PC enters an area, the currently walking NPCs in that area will reset their behavior to use ActionMoveToObject, so that they donÆt teleport from place to place, which looks lame. The end result of all of this is slightly more robust walking behavior from the NPCs û I hope.
There are numerous other tricks IÆve used to create unusual traps and custom behavior. Feel free to explore and borrow whatever you wish.
Version history
Version 1.0: Uploaded to NWVault on 1-12-04
This is the first released version of the module, after much testing. It will run on the basic NWN game (patch 1.32) without expansion packs.
Version 1.1: Uploaded to NWVault on 2-1-04
This version is designed to run with the Shadows of Undrentide and Hordes of the Underdark expansion packs. This required fixing a bug with secret doors and some problems with pathfinding.
Version 1.2: Uploaded to NWVault on 2-15-04
This version adds usable beds and fixes several bugs to make the behavior of specific NPCs more robust.
Version 2.0: Uploaded to NWVault on 9-4-2004
This is a major upgrade adding several small missions and a few large ones, as well as significantly fleshing out the endings of the main storyline. The Upper City is now accessible, except for the castle, and a few formerly uninteresting houses contain minor details of interest. Furthermore, several new scripting tricks have been added to add to the variety of ways that things can be done in the module.
CREDITS
I have learned a great deal from the other modules IÆve played and examined in the toolset. For this project, the most inspiring were the excellent modules ôGuild Warö by Rick Burton, ôIn The Company Of Thieves 1 û Grand Theft Ottoö by Wynne McLaughlin, and the exceptionally creepy ôThreat of Dreams 1 - The Hunger and the Sicknessö by GhostFactory.
I have also borrowed from several scripting techniques, including the lootable corpse script sets of Keron Blackfeld and Jassper, and the custom tentacle creatures that Red Golem came up with.
The hak file includes the contents of 6 hakpaks developed by others. These are:
DLA Sewers û a fantastic tileset of an underground sewer system with a claustrophobic feel.
NWAlleys û an addition to the City Exterior tileset which allows one to put down narrow alleys, perfect for the shadowy Slums district.
Hills of Wayland û an addition to the Rural tileset which allows beautiful gentle sloping hills.
Adam MillerÆs Placeable Water û a new set of placeables which allow one to fill rooms with water for a great flooded effect.
DOA Base Item Model Set 1.2 û redefines the appearance of items lying on the ground, making rings, gloves, cloaks, boots, etc. all have wonderful custom appearances.
BRolanda's Usable Beds v2.1 û alters the walkmesh on all tiles that contain beds, thus allowing characters and NPCs to lie down in comfort.
Finally, I wish to thank various playtesters and others who have provided me with valuable feedback. Version 1.0 was playtested thoroughly by DocTari and Kerlyssa. Some of the ideas in the module are directly inspired by their suggestions. For example, Kerlyssa suggested the idea of being able to burn things using a torch and the idea that dropping meat should make dogs friendly. Version 2.0 was playtested by many people, including Dantreige, Nicolas Faucher, Morgan White, Eron Hennessey, Dennis Rios, and Conor Knoxx. I am grateful to all of them for their very thorough testing and valuable feedback. I canÆt believe some of you discovered nearly everything thatÆs in there!
Finally, thanks to Bioware for developing an extraordinary game that lets us all exercise our imagination.
