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CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3 | CHAPTER 4 | CHAPTER 5 | CHAPTER 6 | CHAPTER 7 | CHAPTER 8 | CHAPTER 9 | CHAPTER 10 | |
ARCHIVES
Knights of the Vigil
There will be several Knights of the Vigil standing at the base of some stairs leading up to the top of Watcher's Keep. I speak with their leader, Brother Odren, and accept their quest to renew the magical seals that will keep a great evil called the Imprisoned One trapped in the Keep. I am brought to the top of the Keep. Brother Pol gives me the Ritual Scroll, needed for when I reach the Imprisoned One, and the Vigil Stone, which is needed to open the way to subsequent levels of Watcher's Keep. Sister Garlena sells a lot of magical weapons and can buy my excess loot as well. Of particular note to some may be the Firetooth Crossbow, which shoots flaming bolts without limit. Jan in the evil party will definitely make use of it. The way to the Archives level of the Keep is now open.
Tattered Parchments
I could go west into the large central hall, but I prefer to go through the south door first. Imoen disarms and loots some containers. The loot includes a lot of magical ammunition, a Wand of Sleep, and Paladin's Bracers (+10 hit points, Paladins only). You can give Cespenar 10,000gp to upgrade the Bracers to the Blessed Bracers (+10 hit points, Cure Critical Wounds 1/day, Resurrection 1/day, Paladins only). But I prefer to have Keldorn keep the Guantlets of Dexterity. Armor class is still meaningful, even at many points during Throne of Bhaal, at least in my honest opinion.
I continue south and kill a Stone Golem. I then open the door to the west and let the Trolls come through. Imoen kills the non-spirit Trolls in an instant with a Death Spell. This leaves the rest of the party with a free hand to finish off the Spectral Troll and the Spirit Troll with standard methods.
I continue west through the door. I then look for items in the containers in this room. I find Tattered Notes at 3:24 and 4:40 of the video. They provide clues on performing a ritual that is needed to progress to the next level of the Keep.
I also find a Handwritten Note at 3:48 of the video which provides a clue for a machine that I'll find later on.
I also find a Golem Manual at 4:04 of the video, which now allows Imoen to summon a Flesh Golem once a day.
Bell
I continue westwards. Imoen checks for traps and loots the containers. One chest has a Chainmail +2, 10 Bullets +3, and a Crimson Dart +3 (always returns to the user's hand).
A bookcase has a Case of Plenty +1 (unlimited Bolts +1). I then return to the Pocket Plane. I give 5,000gp to Cespenar to upgrade it to the Case of Plenty +2 (unlimited Bolts +2). Under the Item Upgrade Mod, I then give Cespenar another 40,000gp plus 40 Bolts +3 to upgrade it to the Case of Plenty +3 (unlimited Bolts +3). This will be Jan's source of ammunition in the evil party.
Another bookcase has a Bell, which will be needed for a ritual fairly soon.
The video concludes with me sending Avastrian and Anomen alone through the door to the north to take on a pair of Vampiric Wraiths. Anomen blows both of them away with his Mace of Disruption.
Blue and Green Wardstones
Avastrian takes his Amulet of Power back from Imoen. Now the party goes east through the great hall, where they kill a Poison Mist and a Wandering Horror.
Avastrian and Anomen then go north by themselves, and open a door along the north part of the great hall. They find a bunch of undead monsters that can drain levels, including Devil Shades. Keldorn comes up just close enough to use a Sunray from his Daystar sword. Imoen helps matters along with a Chain Lightning. The room itself has a Blue Wardstone (1:31 of the video).
Avastrian and then Anomen go on ahead to the room to the east. Imoen comes up behind after everything's clear, and checks for traps and locks. At 2:05 of the video she finds some miscellaneous treasure, a Small Shield +2, and a Green Wardstone. At 2:24 of the video she finds another Tattered Parchment that reveals more clues about the proper conduct of the upcoming ritual.
Avastrian and Anomen go ahead to the room to the south, and quickly kill a monster called a Spellhaunt that can drain arcane spells from its target (like a Nishruu). Avastrian finds a Handwritten Note at 2:56 of the video that provides a clue for using a certain machine. He finds a King's Tear and a Key at 3:05 of the video. The party then regroups in the large room on the north side of the Archives.
Tinderbox and Old Slippers
Now Imoen searches for traps, both leading to and in the room just west. At 0:40 of the video I find an Ammo Belt that can hold arrows without limit, as well as a Tinderbox, which is a quest item.
At 1:16 and 1:35 of the video I find Notes that provide clues about what I need to do to make progress.
At 1:50 of the video I find the Quiver of Plenty +1 (unlimited Arrows +1). At 2:28 of the video I find a pair of Old Slippers, which is a quest item that I'll use very soon.
I then return to the Pocket Plane. I give Cespenar 10,000gp and a Rogue Stone to upgrade to the Quiver of Plenty +2 (unlimited Arrows +2). The Items Upgrade Mod makes an additional upgrade possible. I give Cespenar 40 Arrows +3 and 40,000gp to upgrade to the Quiver of Plenty +3 (unlimited Arrows +3). I have Imoen equip this, in addition to the Gesen Bow, for the rest of the game. There's a lot to be said for this setup. It's a rare enemy that requires a +4 or better weapon to hit. The Arrows +3 from the Quiver will hit their target faster than the arrows from the Gesen Bow. The Arrows +3 and the Gesen together will give Imoen a very good THAC0 in spite of her being a dual-classed Mage/Thief. Also, what the set up amounts to is Imoen being able to hit her targets with unlimited Arrows +3 with a little extra electrical damage on top courtesy of her Gesen Bow.
Giltham's Fireplace
Now I head for the room towards the southwest corner of the level. Anomen opens the door, and easily roasts the Mustard Jellies with a Fire Storm. The containers in the room have plenty of magical ammunition, as well as a Wand of Heavens.
Avastrian, with the Tinderbox in his inventory, clicks on the Fireplace. Everybody in the party gets 4,000xp once the Archivist appears and is willing to provide information needed to make progress.
Priest's Crypt
Now the party travels to the room towards the northwest corner of the level. They enter inside, whereupon an undead Priest emerges from the crypt. You could kill him and his two Golem bodyguards, but it's more worthwhile in terms of xp to give him his Old Slippers. Everybody in the party gets 20,000xp.
I then click on the sarcophagus for a chapter and verse pinpoint that I'll need very soon. Everybody in the party gets 8,000xp for this.
Ritual Altar
I start to buff up. Oh and I forgot to get the Candle from a chest near Giltham's fireplace, so Avastrian quickly runs to get it. Anomen now places the Candle and the Bell in the Altar.
A few of the nearby Statue Guardians awaken and attack. I normally say gang up on my enemies and kill them one at a time. But every rule has an exception, and this is one of them. There are two Statues here who can use Clerical spells, including Storm of Vengeance, so I split my forces apart in order to stay on top of both of them and prevent them from getting off any spells. Imoen also casts Project Image, and then has her Image summon a Planetar to help things along.
As the battle nears its conclusion, I move the Planetar and the Skeleton Warriors towards the east. The reason for this will become apparent soon enough.
The Altar then demands completion of the ritual. The correct sequence is 'Bell', 'Bell', 'Candle', 'Book' (you'll need to have first examined the Priest's Crypt to know which page number to turn the book to), and then 'Bell'. This opens up the portal to the next level and awakens the rest of the Statue Guardians.
The Statue Guardians include two Mages, and so my reason for sending the Planetar and Skeleton Warriors on ahead becomes apparent, to have them absorb the initial onslaught. Anomen blankets the area with a Storm of Vengeance, and Jaheira summons an Elemental Prince.
This battle can't really follow a set script beyond this, so you really have to form your own sound judgment depending on how the situation develops. In my example, once I noticed that enough enemies were bunched together, I had Jaheira hit one of them with Insect Plague so that it would spread to the nearby Mage. Imoen's Image also makes use of a Time Stop plus offensive spells sequence.
The loot afterwards includes a Bastard Sword +2, a Large Shield +2, a Dagger +3, Usuno's Blade (+4 Ninja-to, 10% chance of 2d10 electrical damage), and Foebane +3 (+3 Bastard Sword, +6 damage vs. shapeshifters, undead, and extra-planar creatures).
The latter item can be upgraded if you give Cespenar 10,000gp, plus Fflar's Scabbard. The end result is Foebane +5 (+5 Bastard Sword, +1 saving throws, Larloch's Minor Drain on target with no save on each hit, +6 damage vs. shapeshifters, undead, and extra-planar creatures). This may perhaps be an optimum weapon for a vanilla Fighter or Barbarian who can't defend himself with spells like Stoneskin or Protection from Magic Weapons since it can essentially regenerate the warrior with every hit, especially during a Greater Whirlwind Attack. But since Avastrian is a Fighter/Mage with different methods of keeping his health up, I prefer a different set up for him.
The way is now open to the Elemental Level.
