Saradush
As soon as you arrive here you will be treated as hostile by the authorities. They will attack your party and once defeated you get to talk to Melissan. She will explain that the City is under attack by a BhaalSpawn called Yaga-Shura, and the City itself is under the rule of Gromnir, another BhaalSpawn, who is quite mad. You should agree to deal with Gromnir for her, and set about wandering the City looking for a way into the Castle Saradush.
There are three people with which you should talk to get into the castle. Firstly, there is a Harlot outside of Countess Santele's house who also wishes Gromnir dead (he killed her parents), so talk to her and she'll inform you that there's a chance that you can get into the castle through an old underground prison. Then talk to Pygram Aleson in the Tavern, who will tell you to go to Sister Farielle in the Temple of Waukeen (after you have paid him some of your accumulated wealth). Finally, talk to Sister Farielle at the Temple and she'll give you a Prison Key and tell you how to get inside (this won't work if you're of Evil Alignment).
Indeed, if you are of Evil alignment, another way to get into the prison is to talk to Pletje in the Tavern. He will tell you a tale of Vampires that are hiding in the old Prison, and masquerading as 'Courtesans' to lure unsuspecting 'food' to them. The Courtesans appear in the bar at night, and you can accept the invitation to follow them. Unfortunately this will mean only yourself will enter a Prison where there are hoards of Vampires waiting for you. There is a simple way to beat them… run! Exit the door behind, find your party and now you'll find that the door leading inside is unlocked. You'll still have to face the Vampires, but with your entire party it should be okay.
Throughout the prison (no matter which way you got in) you will have to face a plethora of Vampires, and the apparition of an old man. If you follow him and accept all his clues, he will be laid to rest and eventually your reward will be the Bronze Ioun Stone, so it is actually worth it (although not essential to the plot). The last door in the prison you will come to contains Phlydian (the Vampire leader of this nest) and her kin. It will be a hard battle (these darn vampires always are) so make sure you're prepared before walking in. Once defeated you will have entered the underneath levels of the castle.
Here you will encounter Asmay Jahag, another BhaalSpawn, and he warns you that the whole next area is booby trapped with many patrols around the cells further on - he's not lying. It is worth taking some time out to release the prisoners (although you should be doubly careful of Invisible Thieves as part of the patrols), as each prisoner set free will net you a reputation point. Now all you have to worry about are the Elite Troops at the entrance to the castle basement. Once defeated you can enter the castle properly.
Another way to get into the castle is through the sewers, using a key that can be found in Gromnir's barracks in the City. But they can be confusing, with truly difficult enemies at times. Also they have four exits, with only one leading to the castle, so I advise the prison route (if only for a better stash of magical items).
On the first floor of the castle you'll encounter Il-Khan Soldiers and an Il-Khan Battle Mage. Take the Mage out first, if you can, and mop up the soldiers afterwards, as he will use the Spell Trigger and Time Stop, plus the archers in the soldiers' ranks will use the ability 'Called Shot' for better aim.
At this point it is handy to note that you can use the Pocket Plane to rest, restock and recuperate spells, because you'll need to as on the second floor of the castle you meet Gromnir face-to-face. He is flanked by a Battle Mage and Karun the Black (another BhaalSpawn), so make sure you are ready to use multiple ranged attacks (to distract any Spell casting). Berena Elkan and Eler Had will soon make mincemeat of your spellcasters if you let them anywhere near, so cover them adequately and summon as many allies as you can to soak up the attacks. Expect the spells Time Stop, Symbol Stun and Death Spell amongst others - it will be a tough battle.
After the battle Melissan will appear again and will ask you to kill Yaga-Shura the Fire Giant. Unfortunately he is invulnerable to attack, so you will have to find out the cause of his invicibility before you can take him on. The Forest of Mir and his own dedicated Temple in the Marching Mountains may have the answers. So travel back to the Pocket Plane to restock, etc. and you will find that now you can choose where to go when exiting again (also, check with Cespenar which items you can upgrade).
Player Guide Index
- Chapter 8: The Siege of Saradush
- Chapter 9: Amkethran
- Chapter 10: The Throne of Bhaal
- New Items and Weapons
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