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FIHELIS' ESTATE
Protecting the Watch's Informant
I switch out Qara for Elanee because the next several battles involve getting swarmed from all sides. Qara will be a bit out of her element in that kind of situation, at least until she can get spells like Firebrand and Chain Lightning. Elanee, meanwhile, already has spells like Call Lightning and Call Lightning Storm in her deck, and she can cast Barkskin on everyone in the party.
I see Captain Brelaina again at the Watch Headquarters in the Merchant Quarter. I get another 300xp for completing the Warehouse quest. Her next quest for me is to retrieve an informant named Fihelis and bring him to safety with the Watch. Fihelis' Estate is located at #11 on the Merchant Quarter map.
The end of the video shows how I buff up for this part of the game: Barkskin for everyone, and Stoneskin for both Elanee and Neeshka. I'll also re-summon Valeria's Beetle Familiar and Elanee's Badger Animal Companion once I enter the Estate. Elanee will also cast a Barkskin on the Familiar once inside.
Neeshka gets one of the Stoneskins because she can be a rather vulnerable party member during the ensuing fights. Elanee gets the other because damage reduction will mean reduced Concentration skill check DCs when she tries to get off her offensive spells.
Fihelis' Estate, Level 1
Now I make my way through the first level of the Estate. The ensuing battles can be pretty tough, because the Thugs here love to swarm my party from all sides and position themselves for sneak attacks. Khelgar naturally swings away while Neeshka always positions herself for her own sneak attacks. Neeshka also shows the benefit of having the Robe of Scintillating Colors equipped. She can give herself 50% concealment by activating it on herself when she gets surrounded. Valeria keeps herself protected with Mirror Images, and looks for sneak attacks herself. She also frequently Dazes her enemies with the Bladeweave spell cast on her Rapier.
Elanee will use Call Lightning or Call Lightning Storm when enough Thugs have surrounded me. And indeed, one of the advantages of Call Lightning Storm is that it has a +4 bonus to its saving throw DC, so it actually has a pretty good chance of damaging the Thugs despite their Evasion abilities.
The chest at #5 has a poison cloud trap that apparently cannot be found. A simple trick takes care of that. Valeria issues a 'stand your ground' to keep the party away from the chest, unlocks the chest, and then comes back. Then it's Elanee's turn to issue 'stand your ground'. She then trips the trap and comes back unharmed, since 9th level Druids are immune to poison. I milk the chest for 700+gp.
One of the cabinets at #3 has a Sash of Shimmering (spell resistance 12), which I don't really have any use for. The stairs up to the next level are at #4.
Fihelis' Estate, Level 2
I start off at #1 on the Level 2 map. It's pretty much more of the same. Note how there are a LOT of Thugs in the two rooms towards the southwest corner. I make a point of briefly entering both rooms in 'follow me' mode to get their attention, with the intention to bring them together in one large mass. The idea then becomes that Elanee can paste them repeatedly with her lightning-based spells while they're tightly clustered together. Most of the containers have random items. There is a chest at #4 that has a random magical weapon.
Moire
At #4 will be Moire and a few other thugs. Moire requires some care because she can score hefty damage, especially on sneak attacks. Moire keeps her attention focused on Valeria, so she consistently protects herself with Mirror Images to keep Moire occupied. If you find yourself getting overmatched, you may want to try offensive spells that won't harm party members. The chest has random treasure. Moire herself leaves behind a Rapier +3 and the Moonstone Mask (darkvision, +1 Concentration, +5 Listen, +5 Search, +Spot). Khelgar wears the Mask, since it provides bonuses to skills that he will develop once he becomes a Monk. I'll just sell the Rapier.
I speak with Fihelis to complete the quest. My next quest will involve a campaign against Orc Tribes, which requires that I journey to Old Owl Well as a stopover.
