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CHAPTER 1 | CHAPTER 2 | CHAPTER 3 | CHAPTER 4 | CHAPTER 5 | CHAPTER 6 | CHAPTER 7 | CHAPTER 8 | CHAPTER 9 | CHAPTER 10 | |
SEAL
Globe Machine
Now I descend to the next level. In the middle of the level is a large seal that bars the way to the Imprisoned One. The seal requires three keys to open.
I head towards the northwest to earn the first key. I open the gate, and have Avastrian and Sarevok face the Mutated and other Spiders alone while the rest of the party fires away at a safe distance.
In the middle of the northwest room is a machine that dispenses colored globes, surrounded by four colored tubes.
I click on the red button first to get a Red Globe. A few Hobgoblins show up, which I easily kill. I then put the Red Globe down the red tube.
I click on the blue button to get a Blue Globe. A Mage shows up, but she's easily killed after a carefully placed Dispel Magic from Keldorn. I then put the Blue Globe down the blue tube.
I click on the green button to get a Green Globe. The party gets surrounded by Mutated Spiders. These are not the ideal circumstances for me to be fighting Mutated Spiders, but I'm able to win without taking any serious harm after Jaheira casts Defensive Harmony. I then put the Green Globe down the green tube.
I click on the purple button to get a Purple Globe. A few Skeleton Warriors show up, but they're now much easier for a higher-level party to kill. I put the Purple Globe down the purple tube.
My reward is the Mind Key.
Rilmani
Note that the Seal has three pedestals at its sides. The Mind Key opens the pedestal at the top-right corner. Once unlocked, several Ferrumach Rilmani led by an Auramach Rilmani will appear and attack the party.
The Ferrumach Rilmani are your basic hard-hitting warriors. The Auramach Rilmani can cast both Cleric and Mage spells. It starts off with a number of buffs in place, including an Aura of Flaming Death. Its immediate intention is to cast Time Stop. What the Auramach Rilmani will do with the Time Stop varies. Sometimes it will launch into an offensive spellcasting sequence. Sometimes it will attack a party member who is frozen during the Time Stop. The Auramach Rilmani is perfectly capable of killing one or more party members this way.
The linchpin of my strategy is to absorb the Time Stop harmlessly. The Auramach Rilmani will appear north of the Seal, while the Ferrumach Rilmani will be spread out around the Seal. I bunch the party south of the Seal. I then summon four Skeleton Warriors and a Planetar north of the Seal so that they will command the Auramach's immediate attention.
Avastrian unlocks the top-right pedestal with the Mind Key, and then quickly regroups with the rest of the party. Combat starts. The Skeleton Warriors kill themselves on the Aura of Flaming Death. The party itself is killing off the Ferrumach Rilmani within immediate view. At some point, the Auramach Rilmani casts Time Stop and then bludgeons the Planetar to death with his staff. A key goal of my strategy has been accomplished.
My summons are gone, so Jaheira summons an Elemental Prince to keep the Auramach Rilmani held up and expending his spells harmlessly. He is apparently keeping himself protected with Protection from Magic spells, so I spend some time trying to hit him from afar with missile weapons and waiting for an opportunity. Once Sunnis is killed, Imoen casts Breach and the party closes in for the kill.
The Auramach Rilmani leaves behind a Club of Detonation +3 (+20% chance of +10 fire damage, 7% chance of unleashing a Fireball on contact). I could give Cespenar the Club, plus a Ring of Fire Resistance, and 5,000gp, to upgrade to the Club of Detonation +5 (+5 fire damage, 30% chance of +15 fire damage, 5% chance of unleashing a Fireball on contact). It is certainly a potent weapon, but too haphazard for my taste. If you can find a way to immunize everybody across the board against fire damage, this may be worth looking into.
Test of Perserverance
I head towards the south corner of the level, and step through the first gate. A Helmite Ghost informs me that I'll have to pass three tests to earn another key.
The door on the left leads to the Test of Perseverance, whereby I have to fight a massive horde of continually spawning Orcs. Standard tactics work here as well, although planting an Incendiary Cloud over the bulk of the room certainly helps things along.
I loot the pool for Ixil's Nail +4, a +4 spear. I give Cespenar Ixil's Nail, Ixil's Spike, and 5,000gp to upgrade to Ixil's Spike +6 (+6 Spear, Free Action, target must save or be pinned and take 1d6+5 damage for 3 rounds). Avastrian keeps this in his inventory, in case he needs a +6 weapon against the Ascension version of Melissan.
Incidentally, I have Avastrian change the configuration of his 5th-level spells to multiple instances of Protection from Acid. This is in anticipation of my next battle.
Test of Courage
Now I leave and then go through the central gate. Waiting for me is a Green Dragon. It combines the best of both Firkraag and the Black Dragon. Like the Black Dragon, it can use an Insect Plague-type power. It's breath weapon has an area of effect similar to Firkraag's, except that it inflicts acid damage instead.
I go through my preparations. Avastrian casts Protection from Acid on everyone, and gives everyone a Scroll of Protection from Acid as a backup in case they get hit with Remove Magic. I also do summons, a Planetar, a Mordenkainen's Sword, a Skeleton Warrior, and a Simulacrum. Anomen saves the Remove Fear for after all of the summons have been brought in.
I then engage the Green Dragon in physical combat. I was about to have everybody use their scrolls when Sarevok kills the Dragon. Apparently SCS allowed this dragon to be susceptible to vorpal hits. The Helmite Ghost congratulates me and everybody in the party gets 20,000xp.
The Green Dragon leaves behind the Warrior's Skull, which is a quest item I'll be using very soon, as well as Hindo's Doom (+3 Katana, Lesser Restoration 1/day). Avastrian saves this in his Bag of Holding as a possible off-hand weapon in the future.
Test of Wisdom
Now I leave and go the gate to the right. An Imp has a couple of mental challenges for me. The answer to his first riddle is "seven." Everyone in the party gets 10,000xp.
The way to win his coin game is to select "two" and then "three". Everybody in the party gets another 10,000xp.
The Helmite Ghost shows up and rewards everyone with 21,000xp for passing the Test of Wisdom.
Once I step out the Ghost gives me the Heart Key.
Heart Key
Now I head back to the seal itself. The pedestal at the top-left corner requires the Heart Key to open. It releases a number of powerful adversaries. On the left-hand side from top to bottom will be:
I then have Avastrian use the Heart Key on the pedestal in order to start combat. Avastrian summons a Simulacrum. Jaheira starts to summon an Elemental Prince. The rest of the party adds in a couple of last second buffs like Hardiness (for Keldorn and Sarevok) and Improved Haste (for Anomen), and then begin to attack Velve Zauvirr to remove her priestly spells from the battle.
The Simulacrum goes into a Time Stop sequence through its spammed scrolls. I don't mind cheesing this fight. It's that much tougher in SCS. I take out the Hive Mother first, and then Y'Tossi. Once they're gone, the others are easier to kill although I still have to be prudent. Avastrian casts Protection from Magic Weapons when Xie Win Toh goes after him.
The Huntress leaves behind the Taralash Bow +4 (increase movement rate by 2), but I didn't really have much use for this.
Y'Tossi leaves behind the Gauntlets of Extraordinary Specialization (+1 attack, +2 specialization, extra 1/2 attack each round). I give these to Anomen. Anomen's melee upside has definitely fallen behind other party members who can use Greater Whirlwind Attacks with glee. These Gauntlets, in combination with the Improved Cloak of Protection +2, help him to catch up somewhat. Remember that the Improved Haste spell literally doubles the user's attacks per round. During key fights, Anomen can invoke the Improved Haste power from his Improved Cloak of Protection +2. This results in 5 attacks per round while wearing the Gauntlets of Extraordinary Specialization as well. Not bad.
Incidentally, it's after this fight that Jaheira advances to her 15th level as a Druid and is thus able to use multiple 5th, 6th, and 7th level spells. My use of the Deck of Many Things has given her a short cut so as to let her use those extra spells for a significant portion of the game.
Spirit Warrior
Now I head for the room to the northeast. I kill a couple of Fire Giants after opening the gate. With the Skull of the Warrior, I left-click on the altar in the room. Avastrian's spirit is forced to leave his body and ...
... is obliged to guide the Spirit Warrior through a quasi-dimensional maze. In my opinion the relatively best solution is:
Azamantes
The Spirit Key can will unlock the pedestal at the south end of the Seal. Once that happens, a Lich named Azamantes and three Flaming Skulls will appear and attack the party. Azamantes is unusually powerful, even for a Lich. The Flaming Skulls will litter the area with Incendiary Clouds and let loose with other spells like Fireball.
First, I prepare. This includes Protection from Fire for everyone in the party, as well as a Protection from Energy for Imoen. I place my summons just a little south of the Seal, where Azamantes will appear. I then position the party itself north of the Seal, closer to where at least two the Flaming Skulls will appear.
Avastrian then unlocks the pedestal. He then chases after the Flaming Skull to the southwest of the Seal. The party kills the Flaming Skulls north of the Seal. I have my summons attack Azamantes. The strategy is based on having my magic-resistant summons hold up Azamantes, leaving the party with a free hand to kill the Flaming Skulls as quickly as possible.
Once my other party members have finished off their remaining Flaming Skulls, they go around the Incendiary Clouds to regroup with Avastrian and help him kill his Flaming Skull.
After that, the party sits back and lets the summons continue to hold up and distract Azamantes. Jaheira summons another Elemental Prince after the first one has gone away.
It is not necessarily an easy fight though. At some point, Azamantes comes after the party, then hits it with a Remove Magic followed by a Dragon's Breath. I managed to survive though, as Keldorn's use of True Seeing and Dispel Magics tore down its defences, allowing me to kill him.
Azamantes leaves behind:
