Arcanum: Of Steamworks & Magick Obscura

Developer:  Troika Games
Publisher:  Sierra

Walkthrough by Steve Metzler (September, 2002)

By the way, it's best to ignore what a lot of the mainstream gaming sites said about Arcanum. They were largely over-critical. Sure, the graphics are nothing to write home about, and the interface is a bit unwieldy until you get used to it... but once you get past these niggly bits you'll find an RPG of astonishing depth lurking behind there! It took me literally months to finish my first game, and then I found myself itching to start a new one the very next day.

Conventions
Once again, I've chosen to eschew that handy yet game spoiling Table of Contents. OK, so this walkthrough is loaded with outright spoilers anyway, but I try not to ruin all the fun right up front by providing you with a listing of all the important locations you will visit. If you're looking for references to a particular location, person, weapon, etc., then just search for it in your browser.

At the bottom of this guide are handy tables for locating important items and people.

Directions are given assuming that the top of your screen is north, and the longer direction names are abbreviated, like SW for southwest.

Tips
Before you even THINK about starting to play, download and apply the latest patch (version 1.0.7.4 at the time of writing), which may be obtained here on the official Arcanum site. This patch became available on the 30th October, 2001.

As these things go, it's five years down the road, and the Sierra Arcanum site no longer exists. But fear not, we have archived the 1.0.7.4 patch for you here:

Arcanum 1.0.7.4 patch

I would never pretend to tell you what type of character to create, especially in a game where you have as much free reign as this one. Choosing a male or female character doesn't make much difference, except female characters have less choices in the race category. You might as well choose a background to make your character a little more interesting, but be careful not to choose one that loads up a single stat at the expense of many others unless you really want your character to be unbalanced. Whether you choose to specialise in technology or magick, or even play the middle road, it matters not. You should be able to complete the game with all character types. Having said that, let it be noted that Melee or Magick specialists have it a lot easier than those who choose the way of Guns. Also, be sure to consider the likes of Persuasion as a favoured skill. It's good to have the option of being able to talk your way around combat every so often. One other thing to consider at character creation time: dwarves make lousy magicians because it costs them twice as much Fatigue as any other race to cast a spell!

Do yourself an enormously big favour and make sure to purchase a set of Lockpicks from the virtual shopkeeper at character creation time. I couldn't find any merchants who would sell them, and without them you can't pick a lock on even the lowliest chest. Having said that, if you don't have a set of Lockpicks, you can usually bash open locked containers (and doors!) instead. To do this, first make sure you remove all valuable weapons from both your own and your followers' weapons slots (using weapons to bash damages them unnecessarily). Enter Combat Mode, then Alt+Click on the container or door. Your followers will join in the fun! You will find Lockpicks here and there eventually, but it's handy to have a set from the start.

Of all the stats, Dexterity (DX) is perhaps the most important. Firstly, it boosts your Armour Class (AC), making you more difficult to hit in combat. But even more importantly, it directly affects your Speed. The number of attacks you get per combat turn (assuming a high speed weapon) is roughly DX/2, so once you get your DX up to 20, you're getting in at least 10 attacks per turn, maybe even more if you're not encumbered at all (each level of encumberance deducts 2 from your Speed, so it's best to travel lightly yourself. Load up your followers with the heavy stuff). And finally, DX is the stat that governs how far you can advance in Bow, Dodge, Melee, and Throwing. These are the most important combat related skills.

In order to use an item in your inventory, just drag it over the 'hand' icon to the right of your inventory. If it's a usable item, the icon turns green and you can drop it on the hand icon (if it's not usable, the icon turns red). When you drop it on the hand icon, one of two things happens:

1. You'll wind up reading the item if it is a book, note, newspaper, etc.
2. Your cursor turns a different colour, and you are returned to the game world. The next object or creature that you click on will have that item applied to it. This is how you can use scrolls and potions on followers, creatures, and even yourself.

Getting out of town onto the World Map can sometimes be an anxiety-inducing affair. Usually, you just have to travel far enough out of town. You know you've reached the right spot when the map icon on the top left of your screen turns into a blue globe! Below, I've marked each important location with it's World Map coordinates, as you can find most places simply by wandering close to them. Sometimes people will tell you the location of an important place, and this puts it on your World Map. In a few cases, you can ONLY find a place if someone puts it on your World Map.

After dispatching all your foes in battle, just right-click to exit combat mode. Any followers you have along with healing skills will automatically begin the process of healing you. Speaking of which, if you get tired of waiting for someone's Fatigue to recharge, a handy trick is to just advance the time 1 hour using the Sleep menu.

Magical Chests and other such caches usually contain RANDOM magickal items. I've only bothered to document the items that are always at a particular location. Most often, these always-present items are 'hexed' (evil).

Combat is by far the easiest way to gain XP in this game. Just wandering around on the World Map for a while and beating up on whatever attacks you will often result in you going up a level before you even know it. Characters attempting to take a diplomatic route through will find it to be very hard going indeed, as the XP gained in solving quests pales in significance to that obtained by just killing things. Anyway, you need to be quite adept at either Melee or Magick to even complete most of the quests. You simply cannot talk your way around monsters no matter how high your Intelligence (IN) is, or how good your Persuasion skills are!

If you try to lug around all the interesting objects you find, even if you share the load with your followers, you'll soon find yourself running out of space and/or becoming encumbered. The best solution I found was to store spare items in the dressers of the inn rooms you stay at. No one seems to ever touch anything you store there! On a related note, you can store large items in your hotkey slots, without limit to the size of the item (but its weight still registers in your inventory).

A caution about schematics: just because you bought a schematic and you have the 2 ingredients necessary to make a new item doesn't mean you'll succeed! For instance, early on in the game I bought a Bullets schematic. But I soon found out that you need a lot more than Saltpetre and Charcoal to make Bullets. You also need to be quite a few rungs up the ladder in the Explosives technological discipline. So it is with a lot of schematics you find or buy. In a lot of cases you must have expertise in more than one discipline to be able to combine the items, so beware.

When you pickpocket someone for their Gold, you only get 100 coins per successful attempt no matter how much they have on them. I reckon this is fair, otherwise the game would be too unbalanced in the favour of thieves.

Wherever you go in your travels, always make sure to pump any bartender you find for info. They always know what's going on in the area, and their info is free. Bartenders can usually train you as an Expert in Gambling and Haggle.

Nearly all shopkeepers will train you as an Apprentice in Haggle.

Disclaimer: in order to train as an Apprentice or Expert in whatever skill, you need only fork out some cash. Usually, this is in the order of 100 Gold for Apprentice, and 500 for Expert. However, in order to train as a Master, you have to have spent 5 points on the skill, and be at Expert level. The Master will then give you a quest, which should you successfully complete, he/she will then grant you the rank of Master. Now... in bringing this guide to you, I was prepared to play all the way through Arcanum only so many times. Therefore, I couldn't spend enough points to attain Master level in every skill (and to be honest, I'm not even remotely interested in skills like Repair or Haggle), so I couldn't document the final quest to become Master in most cases; however, I usually can tell you at least who the Master trainer is for a particular skill.

OK, that's probably enough of the up front stuff, and you won't retain it all at once anyway, so let's move on and start this incredible adventure.

Crash Site (1452 W, 1292 S)
You start your journey here, with a dying old gnome giving you a ring and imploring you to deliver it to a boy... somewhere. Virgil, a Panarii monk, immediately walks up to you and starts nattering away. He thinks you're some kind of deity, referring to you as the "Living One". Make sure you get him to join you as a follower (just being as polite as you can under the circumstances will do the trick). His healing skills are indispensable. Also be sure to loot all the corpses in the area. You should at least get the Passport from the gnome's body (he's one Preston Radcliffe), the Camera off Isaac Zapruder, and the Wilhemina's Note to Jared off Wilhemina.

You'll have to fend off a few Ailing Wolves, Lesser Boars, and possibly get your first encounter with a Kite Scout - a bit tougher than the others. Virgil can cast a Minor Healing spell for your injuries. If you're up to it, there's a Kite Shaman through a cleft in the rocks to the SW. Killing him's worth more than 500 XP, plus he's got a Magick Chest with 150+ Gold and a Fatigue Potion in it. There might also be a gem or two, and an unidentified weapon or piece of armour. As a quick test to determine if an unidentified item is hexed (evil), try equipping it. If you hear a hum and the ground underneath your character turns briefly into a pentagram... it's hexed!

All the way to the north, one of the ogre bandits that attacked the zeppelin has crashed in his flying machine. You can take a Strange Amulet off his body.

To the NE in this area, past a pond, is the entrance to a cave. Some Sewer Rats to dispose of, then there's a pile of junk to the NW of the entrance containing Saltpeter and Arrows. A barrel just to the NE of there contains some more items: Fatigue Restorer, a Healing Potion, and a broken Flintlock Pistol. Proceeding further north, there's another barrel containing: Healing Potion, Migraine Cure, Iron Ore, and Coal. At the end of the passage, there's a dead bandit. His spirit(!) gives you Quest 2 below. There's a bed here that you can sleep in if you need to recover some HP, and yet another barrel containing: Charcoal, a usable Old Flintlock Pistol, some Bullets, 2 Stun Grenades, Dynamite, and an Explosive Grenade.

Virgil keeps suggesting to seek out the Elder Joachim in a place called Shrouded Hills, somewhere to the SE of here. Might as well head in that direction when you're done exploring the area around the crashed zeppelin. As you're exiting the area to the SE, you come across a shrine that portends you fighting an "evil one". Hmm. As you pass the shrine, you're accosted by an elf. You can let Virgil do the talking, in which case the elf ultimately runs away, or you can talk to him yourself. If you talk to the elf yourself, you'll probably wind up killing him, because you find out that he knew of Preston Radcliffe (the gnome who gave you the ring), and for some unknown reason he's bent on killing any survivors of the crash, which means you! After your encounter with the elf, you get your first chance to use the World Map. You may travel to either Arbalah's House if you took Quest 2 below, or to Shrouded Hills.

If, instead of travelling via the World Map, you continue on past where you met the hostile elf, you'll run into what could be described as Wolf Alley. It's a winding passage through the rocks that contained no less than 7 Wolves. These are the really tough Level 3 ones, as opposed to the Level 1 Ailing Wolves you can so easily bump off. If you can get them all, you should be nearly at Level 4 by this stage.

Quests

• 1.  Discover the origins of the strange ring.
  You automatically get this quest when the dying gnome hands you the ring. You have the feeling it might take some time to resolve this quest...

• 2.  Kill the priest Arbalah to free the spirit of Charles Brehgo - 1500 XP.
  The spirit of the dead bandit in the cave gives you this quest. Travel to Arbalah's house, which is now on your map. Arbalah tells a different story entirely. Now, you can kill Arbalah, which is bad for your alignment but nets you 1500 XP (there was no treasure. It was a ploy used by the spirit to motivate you to kill the priest), or take Arbalah's House Quest 1 instead.

Arbalah's House (1451 W, 1304 S)
You can travel here via the World Map from the Crash Site.

While we were at Arbalah's house, we were accosted by a member of the Molochean Hand. Another bloke intent on killing any survivors of the zeppelin crash. What is it with these people? Anyway, after killing this ruffian, the Strange Amulet that I got off the ogre bandit was now identified in my inventory as a Molochean Hand Amulet. Aha, this is starting to add up. Even though I couldn't loot anything from the elf I killed at the crash site, when I returned a day later, there was a pool of blood there, and one of these amulets. So... the people trying to kill me all belong to the same organisation!

Quests

• 1.  Recover Arbalah's artifact from the bandit - 1700 XP and a Blessing.
  Instead of killing Arbalah, if you speak with him you learn that the bandit was lying, and it was Arbalah who was wronged. You promise to recover his artifact. When you return to the bandit's spirit in the cave, you can trick him into telling you the whereabouts of his partner in crime (just lie to him. It won't do any harm). Travel to Simon Fahrkus' Shack (1450 W, 1326 S) via the World Map. If it's daytime, Simon will come out of the shack as you approach; otherwise, you'll have to go inside. You can get the artifact from him by either threatening force, telling a lie, or killing him for it. I know what you're thinking... but you can't steal it. When you return the artifact to Arbalah, you receive a Blessing from him, which bumps your Reaction Modifier by 5 points!

Shrouded Hills (1409 W, 1317 S)
A mining town to the east of the crash site.

Standing just to the north of the well where you arrive in Shrouded Hills is a young gnome. When you approach him, he engages you in conversation. He claims to be Preston Radcliffe's younger brother William. You can give him the Signet Ring, but he's not the owner (remember, it's engraved with the initials GB). You don't get any XP for giving him the ring, and you can't easily get it back afterwards because he gives you 25 Gold for it, so I believe it's a trap for the unwary.

The Shrouded Hills Inn is just to the SE of the well. You can stay here for 25 Gold per night. Coincidentally, Virgil's mentor, Joachim, has a room here at the end of the hall. When you enter, you find 2 thugs who Joachim dispatched along with a note on the floor from Joachim urging you to meet him in Tarant. Virgil confirms your suspicions by stating that the gnome claiming to be William Radcliffe may indeed be an imposter. In the room at the top of the hall that you paid for, there's a dresser containing some Gold and a pair of Worn Shoes that will at least boost your Damage Resistance by 1.

Just around the corner from the bank is Ristezze Imported Goods. Talk to the shop's owner to obtain Quest 3 here.

The smith, Lloyd Gurloes, will train you as an Apprentice in Repair, Pick Locks, or Disarm Traps for 100 Gold. Lloyd will also give you Quest 10.

The guards here will train you as an Apprentice in: Dodge, Melee, Throwing, Spot Trap, Bow, and Prowling.

On the NE path out of town, on the way to the bridge, there is a gypsy woman who has some handy magickal items for sale and she can identify magickal items for you, as well as training you as an Apprentice in Prowling.

The half-ogre drunk standing by the bar at the inn, Sodd Mead Mug, will join you as a follower, but you must have CH of at least 9 for this to be possible.

If you exit Shrouded Hills via the bridge to the east, after completing Quest 1 or 2 below, you'll bump into the gnome who claims to be William Radcliffe again. You'll have to fight him this time. You can recover a Note from him that explains a bit more about your predicament.

Quests

• 1.  Constable Owens needs you to remove the thieves from the bridge - 1000 XP and 250 Gold, plus bridge key... and a Fate Point!
  Talk to the constable/mayor who is pacing around in the vicinity of the well. Thieves are holding the bridge on the east side of town (take the NE path from the temple to get there), charging a toll to all who would cross. Now... these guys are extemely tough - way too tough for your Level 3 or 4 character - so I chose to solve this one using wits. Before you ever speak to Lukan the Witless there for the very first time (you won't get the necessary dialogue choice on subsequent attempts), you need to have pumped at least 1 CP into Persuasion. Then, follow the "Hmmm. I may be able to persuade you otherwise..." dialogue path to its logical conclusion, taking the most non-confrontational/evasive choices along the way. You convince Lukan that he's encroaching on someone else's territory, and you can even get him to fork over 200 Gold before he leaves! You get some XP and 50 Gold more when you return to the constable and report your success.

• 2.  In order to join the thieves, you must destroy the construction materials for the new bridge - 1000 XP plus bridge key.
  There is another way, though evil in nature, that you can avoid the bridge toll. During your conversation with Lukan, you can offer to help the thieves out by destroying the materials the locals are planning to use to build a new bridge (in order to circumvent the thieves' toll). Head directly south along the river, and you'll find these materials. Make sure you disarm Virgil and yourself so you won't damage your weapons. Then enter Combat Mode and use Alt+Click repeatedly to damage the stuff beyond use. When you report back to Lukan, he gives you a bridge key, and also tells you about an organisation known as the Thieves Underground. Of course, this solution to getting across the bridge will cost you a few Alignment points. Your actions also piss off Constable Owens, but he's too cowardly to do anything about it, and it doesn't seem to affect the reaction of anyone else in town... so you in effect get away with it, with the possible exception that you can get no more quests from Owens.

• 3.  Ristezze the Importer wants you to find a camera OR some Bessie Toone paraphenalia - 1200 XP and the location of Tarant.
  Show Ristezze the ring, and ask about its manufacturer, P. Schuyler & Sons. He'll ask you to fetch either of the above items in return for information. If you have the Camera from the crash site, you can give him that. If you don't have it or don't wan't to part with it, you need to find the old mine. Ristezze says it's on the north side of town, but it's actually to the extreme west, and a little south. Go figure. Once inside the mine, keep heading north, and then SW. There's a Wolf guarding a Magick Chest there. He's quite a bit tougher to take on than the Ailing Wolves you've encountered so far. The chest contained some Gold, a Heal Poison, and a Mnura Coin. Next to the chest is a Mine Cart which contains an Unidentified Dagger. However, none of this stuff belongs to Bessie Toone, so we must continue searching. Over on the east side of the mine, there's a nasty Spider and some Lesser Spiders. Virgil can usually cure you of the poison after the battle is over (though it can be a pretty tight race), so don't use any Heal Poison you found unless you absolutely have to. There's a barrel there containing some Old Gears (take these!), and Dynamite. Also a crate full of Factory Discards containing some interesting odds and ends.

  Finally, if you head to the west part of the mine, and then north, you'll find the ghost of Bessie Toone. Take out the Lesser Spiders. You can't talk to Bessie, but she's looking for a little girl named Sarah. Hmm. Anyway, there's a Metal Can here containing Bessie's Old Boot, which is the piece of paraphenalia you've been searching for. Another crate full of Factory Discards too. Actually, it is better to give Bessie's Boot to Ristezze in order to complete the quest, because it's worth almost nothing, whereas the Camera is worth at least 250 Gold (and is useful somewhere else much later on). Once you've given either of the items to Ristezze, he puts Tarant on the map for you! Quest 4 also automatically appears in your quest book.

• 4.  Get information from P. Schuyler & Sons about the owner of the strange ring - 2000 XP and Tarant Quest 3.
  You have to journey to Tarant. See paragraph on P. Shuyler & Sons in Tarant section.

• 5.  Jacob Bens wants you to steal the local mining company's payroll from the bank safe - 900 XP and 250 Gold.
  At the inn, you may bump into a drunken half-ogre at the bar, and he'll give you this quest. You can immediately go to Constable Owens and report this pending crime. Owens chickens out and sends you to Doc Roberts. The good Doc is located in the building just west of the temple, marked 'General Practitioner' (Doc Roberts can train you as an Apprentice in Healing and Firearms, and as an Expert in Firearms). You can tell him that Jacob Bens wants you to rob the bank's safe, which bumps your Alignment 1 point to the right, but that botches this quest. Anyway, you should complete Quest 8 first. Then, sometimes the teller has the door leading to the safe open. If so, you can just waltz right in and pilfer the 500 Gold (otherwise, you'll have to sneak in at night and need pretty good Pick Locks skill, or, you can always pickpocket her to get the key to the door). Give 250 Gold to Jacob Bens, keep the rest for yourself, and no one else seems to be the wiser. You lose 2 Alignment points, but what the hey.

• 6.  Jongle Dunne wants you to destroy the town's steam engine - 800 XP and 2 Healing Potions.
  Visit Jongle Dunne, the alchemist, in his shop in the south of town and talk to him to get this quest. It seems that the steam engine (in the back of the temple, located just north of the well) that Constable Owens has running there is wreaking havoc with Jongle's magickal powers. Fulfilling this quest will set you back a few alignment points. I had to lob a few sticks of Dynamite at the control panel for the engine, killing its minder. Jongle gives you 2 Healing Potions in return, plus Quest 7, in addition to putting Dernholm on your map. Jongle will also train you as an Apprentice in Healing and Persuasion.

• 7.  Jongle Dunne needs a package picked up from a man named Charles Dolan, a merchant in Dernholm - 800 XP and 70 Gold.
  Jongle puts Dernholm on the map for you. Charles Dolan's shop is located in the SW part of Dernholm. Just pick up the package and return it to Jongle.

• 8.  Constable Owens wants you to fix the town's steam engine - 800 XP and 100 Gold.
  If, after you destroy the steam engine as per Quest 6, you speak to Constable Owens, you get this quest. The part you need is an Old Sprocket, which I happened to have on me. I picked it up somewhere in the Bessie Toone Mine. Just goes to show how important it is to hold onto all that junk you've been finding. Beware that if you fix the steam engine, Jongle Dunne becomes hostile and won't ever speak to you again, which botches Quest 7. You can always complete this quest AFTER you deliver the package to Dongle to avoid that happening.

• 9.  Doc Roberts wants you to help him stop an impending bank robbery - Choice of: Revolver (technologist), Enchanted Sword (mage), or Battle Axe (neutral).
  See Quest 5 for details on how to find Doc Roberts. Regardless of whether you rat on Jacob Bens or not, you can get this quest to help the Doc take out the Bowen gang, who are planning to rob the bank. If you get this quest before 18:00, you just need to talk to him once he's standing outside the bank and the robbery commences immediately; otherwise, he'll stand outside the bank all night, while you might as well get some rest until 7:00 the next morning when the bank opens again and the gang strikes. Help him defeat the gang, and you get a weapon of your choice as a reward.

• 10.  Lloyd Gurloes wants you to obtain some pure ore for him - 800 XP and Fine Steel Dagger.
  Ask Lloyd, the smith, how business is lately, and he mentions Bessie Toone (see Quest 3). He says that in exchange for some Pure Ore, he'll make you a Dagger. Pure Ore is obtained by mixing Iron Ore with Steel. It's the first schematic in the Smithy discipline. Anyway, the conversation with Lloyd sets you on the path to meet Percival, Bessie's son. See Quest 11.

• 11.  Percival Toone wants you to find a way to free the ghost of his mother - 1700 XP and 500 Gold.
  His house is located just south of the mine entrance. If you completed Quest 3, and tried to talk to Bessie Toone, then you learned about Sarah. Percival lets slip that Sarah is in Dernholm. You need to travel there and find Sarah. Unfortunately, Percival won't tell you where Dernholm is, and if you didn't take Quest 7, you think you probably have to travel to Tarant first and locate the mine's owner... but this could be difficult too. He wouldn't give you the man's name. However, there's a much easier way. A villager wandering around just to the east of here will mark the location of Dernholm on your map! See Dernholm Quest 1 for details of how to get the deed back. Giving the deed to Percival nets you a lot less XP than giving it to Sarah, but you do get 500 Gold as compensation.

• 12.  If, in my travels, I happen across the ancient elven amulet of N'Tala, Gaylin has offered to pay me a handsome reward for its return - 1700 XP and 1000 Gold plus some very important locations on your map.
  Gaylin is the town herbalist, whose shop is just along the path past Doc Roberts' place. She can train you as an Apprentice and Expert at Healing. You get this quest by asking her if she has any work. It might be a while before you come across this amulet in your travels, but at least you can be on the lookout for it...

Dernholm (1236 W, 1652 S)
There is an Tarant Newspaper containing an important news item about a possible war with Caladon on the ground here on the way into the centre of town. You should hold onto this newspaper.

The King's Inn & Pub is located smack in the middle of town. There is a gnome thief named Vollinger standing at the bar in the inn who will join your party if you are roughly at his experience level of 15. Virgil doesn't trust him though, which is quite right if you're playing a goody-two-shoes type. Vollinger is of evil Alignment. He can train you as an Apprentice in: Backstab, Pick Pockets, Prowling, and Spot Traps.

The blacksmith at Wallow's Quality Armor can train you as an Apprentice in Repair, Pick Locks, and Disarm Traps.

At the entrance to the docks, on the east side of town, there's a rubbish bin containing a Large Pipe. It's one of the components of an Elephant Gun, if you're technologically inclined.

Jayna Stiles, a technological healer who lives in the far SE part of town, will join you as a follower, but only if you're leaning towards the technical side yourself. All she can make to begin with are Healing Salve and Elixir of Persuasion.

If you've already met the Bow Master Kietzel Pierce in Blackroot, then you'll find his missing student Dudley Crosston here. He's one of the Elite Bow Guards, and typically patrols in the area of Jayna Stiles' house and the docks.

If you bump into the Elite Guard Captain in your wanderings, he can train you as an Expert in Bow and Prowling.

Lianna Pel Dar, who lives on the west side of town, can train you as an Expert in Throwing. She'll also relate the history of Cumbria to you. You'd have to be really good at Pickpocket, or expend a Fate Point, but if you're up to it she has the very powerful Sword of Baltar on her person. It takes a minimum ST of 18 to wield effectively, but deals out 15 - 25 points worth of damage!

North of the castle are the infamous Pits of Dernholm. I talked to one of the guards here in an attempt to get myself chucked in, but no luck. Maybe I was better off. As the guards are all Level 45 around here, who knows what utterly undefeatable horrors lurk in the Pits?

Quests

• 1.  Sarah Toone wants you to help her regain ownership of the Bessie Toone Mine - 4500 XP plus Filament Sword.
  The boarded-up building just to the west of the inn is where Sarah Toone is staying. It would seem that Percival gained control of the mine through nefarious means, so you can choose to pitch in with Sarah instead. She gives you the name and address of the present owner, in Tarant. 25 Lion's Head Circle is located on the east side of Tarant. Using my powers of Persuasion, I was able to talk Mr. Stanton into handing over the deed to the mine for nothing, otherwise you'll have to fork over 350 Gold to get it. When you return the deed to Sarah, she presents you with a fantasic Sword. Completing this quest also completes Shrouded Hills Quest 11... even though Percival is definitely not happy about the eventual outcome.

• 2.  King Praetor would like you to collect his taxes from Black Root - 800 XP and 200 Gold.
  To get this quest, enter the castle in the northern part of town, and head all the way to the north part of the castle. Talk to the noble in robes there, who turns out to be King Praetor. He wants you to collect 5 gold bars worth of taxes from the town of Blackroot (he puts it on your map). Journey NE on the World Map to Blackroot and talk to the mayor, whose residence is located in the NE part of town. If you found the Tarant Newspaper in Dernholm (see above), you'll get dialogue options to convince the mayor that Tarant is preparing for war against Caladon. He decides he'd be better off aligned with Praetor, and agrees to pay the taxes (a Chest of Gold. And no, you can't sell this to anyone). There is another way to win the mayor's favour and collect the taxes, and that is by accepting Blackroot Quest 1. Actually, this approach nets you more XP in the long run than the newspaper ploy.

• 3.  Gladys wants you to find her ring, an old family heirloom - 800 XP.
  Gladys lives over on the west side of town. She sends you to speak with Archibald. He lives over by the docks on the east side of town... a cantankerous old soul who will have nothing to do with you, but he mentions that he'll set his son Bernard upon you. If you speak to Bernard, who is standing next to 3 barrels to the east of Archibald's place, he'll tell you about the long-standing family feud over Gladys' ring. Traipse back in to Archibald, make a bit of fuss over the old lad, and he'll cough up the ring.

• 4.  Find the Lady Druella, get her to agree to marry Sir Garrick Stout, and return her to him - 8500 XP, Master of Melee, and Quest 5.
  Sir Garrick Stout, the pompous fool in armour standing outside either the barracks or the castle on the north side of town, is a Level 45 Master of Melee. The woman of his dreams is being held in a trance by some creatures called Gyr Dolours. It's a long story. Anyway, he wants you to rescue her, and return her to him so that he can marry her. He marks the location of the Lair of Gyr Dolours on your map. It's just to the NE of Dernholm. When you arrive there, head cautiously up the path to the north. You have to be careful not to let the Gyr Dolours gang up on you, because they cast a spell that renders you unable to attack, and then they drain all your fatigue; however, if you let them come to you and take them on a few at a time, no big problem. Anyway, killing them is the easiest part of this quest. Lady Druella comes out of her trance, and that's when all the trouble really starts! There's no way she's going to go back willingly and marry that idiot Stout, even if it does mean her blind lover getting his sight restored as compensation. The only way she'll agree to come with you is if you agree to let Stout make you a Master of Melee... and then kill him.

  If you decline to kill Stout and force her to come back (she reluctantly agrees and temporarily joins you as a follower), you lose 50+ Alignment points by handing her over to Stout. Even worse, Stout makes you a Master of Melee, but doesn't carry out the rest of the bargain, which was to give you the special healing potion to restore Adkin's sight. If you kill him then (which is surprisingly easy once you're a Master of Melee at Level 34 with a decent sword :-), all he has on him is some Strong Poison. Druella begs you to go to Adkin in Stillwater, but what's the use seeing as you only have Poison? A dead end.
  Well, dear reader, as astounding as it may seem, the best way to complete this quest is to make an agreement with Lady Druella to kill Stout. Lady Druella comes along willingly, Stout graciously hands you the Potion to Heal the Blind and makes you a Master of Melee... and then you kill him. This approach only sets you back 6 Alignment points, plus you get the quest to cure Adkin Chambers of his blindness.

• 5.  Take the healing potion to Adkin Chambers and restore his sight. Also, tell him Lady Druella's location - 6400 XP and a Fate Point.
  Adkin Chambers lives in Stillwater. See Stillwater Quest 4.

• 6.  King Praetor wants you to find his daughter - 800 XP and 1250 Gold.
  You have to complete Quest 2 for King Praetor first, and you must also have visited Caladon to get this quest. Praetor fears that his daughter Aria has fled to Caladon, and is possibly living with an Auguste Farad there. If you talk to the dock worker (you may now know him as Bernard) as Praetor suggests, you find that the ship his daughter left on sailed in very bad weather, and hasn't been heard from since. So... first you go talk to this Auguste Farad fellow. He's in the foyer of the castle in Caladon, pacing back and forth. He admits that Aria and he are an item, but that both sets of royal families are against the marriage. However, he also has not seen Aria for several months, which means that she never arrived in Caladon. Now, if you journey back to Blackroot, and from there head SW towards Caladon and go as far along the coast as it it possible to go, you come to a place called Razors Pointe (1504 W, 1772 S).

  There are two shipwrecks there. If you make your way along the path that runs through shallow water, you'll find a lot of Barrels and Chests. Unfortunately, you also find Aria's body on the deck of the second ship. Take her amulet as proof that you found her. When you return to Praetor, he lets you keep the amulet. Praetor only gives you 250 Gold as a reward. Tightwad. The rest of the Gold comes from Farad when you return to Caladon to bring the bad news and give him the amulet as a keepsake.

Wolf Cave (1230 W, 1531 S)
If you strike out directly north from Dernholm, and then head for Blackroot when you are just SE of the tree on the World Map, you should encounter the Wolf Cave. On the west side of the cave there are some pretty tough Putrid Rodents guarding the corpse of a skeleton. The skeleton has a set of Lockpicks on him, so this is your chance to finally get your hands on a set if you didn't purchase them at the very beginning of the game. On the east side of the cave is a mother Wolf with her Cubs. They are deceptively hard to knock off as the cubs swarm around you and nibble away at your HP very quickly. Anyway, there was a skelton there that I couldn't loot. Possibly a bug? There is some useful stuff in the barrels though.

Blackroot (1097 W, 1441 S)
Blackroot is to the north of Dernholm on the east coast.

Garret Almstead, the blacksmith, will give you a pair of Dwarven Gauntlets as a gift if you are sympathetic about his difficult upbringing. He can also train you as an Expert in Repair and Pick Locks.

To the east of the blacksmith lives an inventor who has a lot of good tech gear for sale, such as an Electrical Harness, at bargain prices.

There is a ship in dock here, but you need to have a specific destination in mind before you can hire it. Tarant becomes a possibility a little later on. The cost of passage is 100 Gold per person.

There is also a train station in the NW part of town. You can purchase reservations for either Ashbury or Tarant at a cost of 75 Gold per person.

The human priest Dante is standing at the bar in the Sour Barnacle (located on the pier in the north part of Blackroot). He'll join you as a follower provided you are roughly at his level. Otherwise, he says you're too wet behind the ears.

Clarissa Shalmo is the half-orc guard standing at the bar in Annabelle's Gallery on the west side of town (it's attached to the Drop Yer Anchor inn). She's looking for an ancient throwing weapon called Azram's Star... actually, she's the Master of Throwing in Arcanum, and the quest for you to become a Master of Throwing will involve retrieving this weapon for her. Kietzel Pierce, the Bow Master, is also standing here. He asks you to keep a lookout for his student Dudley Crosston, and to tell Dudley that Pierce is travelling to Caladon if you meet him.

Herkemer Oggdoddler is the grizzled war veteran wandering about on the peninsula just west of the mayor's residence. For 500 Gold each, he'll train you as an expert in the following disciplines: Dodge, Melee, Spot Traps, and Firearms. You must listen patiently to his ramblings about the war before you get the right dialogue choices though.

Quests

• 1.  The Mayor of Blackroot wants you to find his badge of office, a ceremonial silver dagger, stolen by a local gang of thieves - 800 XP and Chest of Gold.
  The mayor's residence is located in the east part of Blackroot. Whilst trying to obtain Praetor's taxes, you learn that the Tarant guards are not protecting Blackroot as well as they could be. You can then accept this quest to retrieve the stolen Silver Dagger. D'ak Taan the elf thief and his merry henchmen are holed up in the far west part of Blackroot, across a body of water to the west of the train station. You can buy back the Ceremonial Dagger and some other stolen gear for 300 Gold. Alternatively, you can undertake Quest 3 or 4 to obtain the Dagger.

• 2.  Mrs. Cameron would like you to find her son, Liam - 4600 XP and Mage's Dagger OR Chapeau of Magnetic Inversion.
  Mrs. Cameron's house is located to the SW of the mayor's residence. Her son has a workshop located in the woods, and she hasn't heard from him for a while. She'll put the location of the workshop on your map if you agree to look for her son. See section on Liam's Workshop below for further details. When you return to her with news of Liam (and you've managed to destroy the portal), she'll hand you a Mage's Dagger if you're magickally inclined, or an electrically powered Chapeau (tophat), that provides a Damage Resistance of 20, if you're a technologist.

• 3.  D'ak Tann the thief wants you to obtain poison from Grunwalde - 800 XP and Ceremonial Dagger.
  Grunwalde's house is located on the path that traverses the southern part of Blackroot. He's an alchemist who makes only poison. If you're not capable of stealing the poison from him (which is quite easy. I managed in several attempts with no Pick Pocket skill), you can buy it for 100 Gold by convincing him you've got a major pest infestation problem.

• 4.  D'ak Taan the thief wants you to rob the Hedgewizard's chest - 800 XP and Ceremonial Dagger.
  The Hedgewizard lives in a house to the SW of town. Tugal will give you a Scroll of Summon Undead if you promise not to touch the the contents of his chest. Supposedly, you could use this scroll to help defeat D'ak Taan and thus get the Ceremonial Dagger back that way... but the level 3 decaying soldier that it summons is not very helpful. The Hedgewizard's chest is quite difficult to lockpick. You might be better off with Quest 3 unless you're an accomplished thief.

• 5.  The innkeeper wants you to bring back his strong box from the locksmith - 800 XP and indefinite free stay at the Drop Yer Anchor.
  Talk to Hallaway, the innkeeper at the Drop Yer Anchor. If you mention that you can't afford the price of his room, he'll give you this quest. Almstead the blacksmith's place is just to the SE of here. Even with some Persuasion skill, I could only talk him down to 80 Gold as the price for returning the Strongbox. Not very good when you consider it's a room worth only 25 Gold a night that you're getting in return. Much better to steal the key to Almstead's trunk off him and get the Strongbox back for free.

• 6.  A strange halfling seems to have included you in an ancient game - 800 XP and a Mysterious Gem.
  If you head to the shore just east of the mayor's residence, you should find a halfling wizard there. If you agree to play his ancient game, he'll start off with a riddle. The answer to this first one is 'Clock'. He then sends you in search of a colleague of his all the way over on the west side, past the camp of thieves. The answer to his riddle is 'The spring'. Finally, he sends you further along the path behind him to meet the last halfling. The answer to the final riddle is 'Fire'. I thought I'd have to have pretty high IN to get the dialogue chances for all 3 questions, but I managed it with IN 8. If you answer any of the questions wrong, some very strong creatures immediately surround you, and you're basically toast. Get them all right, and a Mysterious Gem is your reward. This Gem invokes a Level 50 halfling imp who will aid you in batttle.

• 7.  Retrieve Azrams Star from K'na Tha for Clarissa Shalmo in Blackroot - 4600 XP and Throwing Master.
  This is the quest to become a Throwing Master. Clarissa says she'll train you from Apprentice all the way through to Master if you fetch this item for her... but I was already a Throwing Expert when I got this quest, so I can't verify that. Anyway, she marks the location of K'na Tha on your map, but it's in the Glimmering Forest beyond the Stonewall Range, so you must find a pass through the mountains before you can journey there.

  Once you arrive at K'na Tha (1435 W, 616 S) head through the Passage in the trees. Then head NW through one of the doors, and take on the Plagueish Maiden who is guarding 3 flame lights. Note that since this is the quest to become Throwing Master, you'll need to make extensive use of a throwing weapon to complete it. You can't cross the canal to where the Plagueish Maiden is, but you can use your throwing weapon to put out one of the lights across the canal, namely the middle one (you'll find out with some experimentation that this is the only one of the 3 lights that moves you to a new area). In the next area, it's the right-hand light. In the next, it's the unlit one right where you arrive, followed by the left-hand one. In the next area, take the left-hand passage at the intersection, then put out the middle light. You wind up on a central platform surrounded by enemies on all sides. You have to kill all the creatures (the final one being a tough Snake Elemental), and then put out the light to the NW (might take 2 throws to extinguish it completely), followed by the fire on the statue to the NE. This causes the light to the NW to be lit again. When you hit it this time, you are finally transported to an altar that contains Azram's Star and 500 Gold. After pocketing the Star, put out the light there to exit back to the real world. You may want to keep Azram's Star rather than returning it to Clarissa Shalmo, as it's a powerful weapon - though it loses a bit of its power once you take it away from K'na Tha. If you want the XP and the Master training, you could always kill Clarissa afterwards, or pickpocket the Star off her.

  And now that you're a Throwing Master, there's another weapon even more powerful than Azram's Star that's worth procuring... if you go to the very top of your map, right between the 'O' and the 'U' in Grey Mountains (at 750 W, 556 S - and you must approach this location from the north as it's through a narrow cleft in some rocks), you'll find an Old Blind Master killing all his chickens with an Aerial Decapitator. He attacks you straight away, so you have no option but to kill him in order to get this weapon... but he's a very tough Level 49 fighter with lots of HP, so be careful. As far as I know, there's no quest that leads you to this Old Blind Master. It's also one of those locations that doesn't show up when you get close to it, so you are apparently meant to just stumble upon it with a bit of luck.

Liam's Workshop (1179 W, 1466 S)
Just to the SW of Blackroot. Enter the workshop, and look in the dresser next to Liam's bed. Read the journal you find there, and you'll get Quest 1 below.

Quests

• 1.  Destroy the portal described in Liam Cameron's journal - 3400 XP.
  The locked Chest at the foot of Liam's bed contains the Magickal Trap and Scroll of Disperse Magick that were mentioned in his journal. Take the path to the east from the workshop, which circles to the south. Along this path you'll find 3 very tough creatures, the last and toughest standing guard over poor Liam's body. I was able to defeat them all, just barely. Liam has an Axe and another Magickal Trap on his body. Further along the path, there are more really tough creatures near the portal that was described in Liam's Journal. Once you vanquish one wave of them, another immediately comes through the portal to attack. You really can't hope to take them on unless you are at least at Level 25, but if you can, it's great for the old XP because they just keep coming! Anyway, once you've had enough, just use either the Magickal Trap (if you're a technologist) or the Scroll of Disperse Magick to destroy the portal. Any creatures already spawned will immediately perish once the portal is closed. Return to Liam's mother to complete Blackroot Quest 2.

Torg's Altar (1215 W, 1139 S)
If you head pretty much on a beeline from Shrouded Hills to Tarant, you should encounter Torg's Altar about halfway there. Read the inscription on the large altar to find out what to offer it. However, don't bother to offer it anything just yet! The altars you encounter in your journeys are all part of a grand scheme, as will soon become evident...

Tarant (972 W, 1028 S)
You just cross the bridge to the NE here to enter the city of Tarant. The telegraph office where Joachim said you could collect a telegram from him is at 79 Kensington Broadway (the large street you are now standing on). It seems Joachim could not meet you here in Tarant either, and suggests the town of Stillwater as a meeting place...

If you stumbled upon the Thieves Underground while completing Shrouded Hills Quest 1, when you talk to the man standing in the alley in Lusgsten Road he'll mention a fellow named Thaddeus Mynor, who lives on the corner of Westrel South and Quilton Bend. It seems Mr. Mynor can put you in touch with this Thieves Underground. If you visit Mr. Mynor, who lives in the NE part of town, you'll be able to get Quest 14.

There are tons of shops in Tarant. I didn't bother to document many of them unless the owners were part of a quest. Feel free to peruse them and spend all your hard earned coin!

P. Schuyler & Sons is a bit difficult to find. If you head down the second street off Kensington Broadway (Devonshire Way), you'll see an alley to the right. P. Schuyler & Sons is at the end of that alley.

Magnus the dwarf, standing just outside P. Schuyler & Sons, shares a common interest in that he also has a piece of jewelry made by them. He will join your party if you so wish.

Inside P. Schuyler & Sons, talk to James Kingsford. At first, he won't entertain you. However, with a little Persuasion I was able to get a key off him for the back room. If you press him too far and try to make him tell everything, he succumbs to a mysterious poison attack. However, you can still get the key and then just let him run off. You now have access to a basement via a trap door in the back room. The Zombies down in the basement aren't too tough if you can manage to peel them off one at a time, but if you let them gang up on you, you're probably goners. There are 2 levels worth of them... and then you finally get to meet up with the Schuyler family of wizards! You can talk your way through the whole encounter and make a pact not to let the world in on their terrible little secret. In any event, you find out that the owner of the ring you are carrying is named Gilbert Bates, and you have just completed Crash Site Quest 1, and Shrouded Hills Quest 4. You have also landed Quest 3 below.

I chose to kill all the Schuylers afterwards. You don't lose any Alignment points, and there's a pretty good cache of stuff in their locked Mystic Chest. Winston Schuyler has the key to the filing cabinets on him. One of the cabinets contains the purchase order from Gilbert Bates' father that comissioned the ring.

There is a Panarii temple here on the NW part of Lion's Head Circle (No. 7). You can talk to the priest there to gain a bit more knowledge of your situation. He suggests the Panarii temple in Caladon for further reading.

Vermillion Station is located on Vermillion Road, west side of town. You can reserve seats for either Ashbury or Blackroot at a cost of 75 Gold per person.

At 32 Mulligan Bone Alley, in the NE part of town, there's a load of stuff in a warehouse (most notably some nice helmets) once you get through the locked door. The catch is, it's guarded by 4 Mechanized Arachnids, all Level 20! They damage all weapons too. Good luck.

The Zoological Society is located in University Court, in the NW part of Tarant. You can view the skull of a great dragon there, and viewing the plaque that describes the skull puts the location of his remains on your World Map. See section on Bellerogrim's Lair below. Also, there's an Ancient Iron Chest on exhibit that was unearthed in Bellerogim's lair. Seemingly, no one has ever been able to open it. You COULD expend a Fate Point to open the Chest, but you'd be getting ahead of yourself if you did that. A better solution will present itself in due time...

All the way at the back of University Court there's a building housing a few boffins who will expound their theories to you. Slightly more useful is a bookseller there who will sell you Technical Manuals that increase your skill in the various technological disciplines. However, the person in this building you should really seek out is Aldous T. Buxington III. He gives you a book entitled "The Pagan Gods of Arcanum". This book, coupled with information provided by the chart on his wall sets you off on a very interesting quest that's also a great stats builder! See The 12 Altars of the Pagan Gods section towards the end of this guide for details on solving this intricate puzzle.

Xe'rad's Magick Armoury, located at 23 Desaille Terrace in the NW of town, is a good source of magickal weapons and armour.

The Boil is the seediest part of town. It's the area to the south of the Garillion Bridge, where you first entered Tarant. If you can manage to take out the human and the two orc bandits guarding the entrance to the west side of the Boil, you're in. Watch out, they have fatigue-draining weapons! Once past these bandits, you'll notice a bar right there with no name on its sign. If you talk to the bartender, you can get Quest 19. Then, you have a choice of working for one of the two gangs that control the area. Once you choose a side, you won't be able to take any jobs from the other side. So... if you want to work for Pollock, talk to the halfling bandit standing in the SW part of the bar. He'll send you over to Miranda Tears, who will give you Quest 25 for starters. If instead you want to work for Darian Maug, then talk to one of the two half-orcs standing at the table to the east. He'll send you over to talk to the dwarf Muggs and you'll get Quest 27.

At the docks, right across from Madam Lil's, there's a Junk Dealer who's an Expert in Repair (and he can train you as an Expert in Repair too). He can fix even the most heavily damaged things back to within only a point or two of their original condition, and he's very cheap too.

Just south of Thaddeus Mynor's place at the end of Quilton Bend there's a small unoccupied building. Around the back of this building, through an opening in the wall, is another gypsy woman who can identify items for you.

Poone at Poone's Flophouse on 13 Low Dervish Row will train you as an Expert in Pick Pockets.

If you pay a visit to the Tarantian Water and Power Plant on Lion's Head Circle and speak to the dwarf Charles Dunston, you'll find out that he's sealed off part of the sewers due to the dangerous beasts that are inhabiting them. He won't seem to let you through the locked door to the sewers no matter how good your Persuasion skills are. However, as usual, there IS another way... in the far SE part of town past the docks, there's an entrance to the locked part of the sewers in a small hut at the end of a narrow walkway that leads to the middle of the river. The going is easy down there at first, but then you may run into some really tough Elemental creatures. Anyway, from this part of the sewers you can get to places topside that are otherwise very difficult to get to, like back entrances to thieve's hideouts in the Boil :-)

Quests

• 1.  Mrs. Cassandra Pettibone wants you to steal the elven funerary stone from the newly unearthed elven catacombs - 1000 XP and 300 Gold.
  You'll find Mrs. Pettibone at the top of Lungsten Rd. She asks you to meet her discretely at her house, which is at the end of this street. If you accept this quest, she'll mark the location of the catacombs on your map. Even though she offers 250 Gold, you can get 300 with the help of some Persuasion skill. The Elven Ruins (711 W, 1023 S) are on a straight line east from Tarant. Along the way you'll encounter a Forbidden Pit (833 W, 1034 S), with 3 widower spiders in it. Defeating them was quite easy, and I found 350 Gold in a Junk Pile there.

  Once you arrive at the Elven Ruins, you'll find a few Dark Elves standing over the body of one Professor James. They don't want anyone to desecrate their catacombs. You can attempt to spoof them that you're a professor of archaelogy who's just here out of scientific curiosity... but that doesn't seem to fool them. Ultimately, whether on the surface or once inside the catacombs, you'll have to kill them. The catacombs contain some Zombies and Ghouls that aren't too tough to get past. In the SE, there's a locked barrel containing a Magickal Medallion. To the west is the room containing the Funerary Stone. It's a big, heavy sucker. Return it to Mrs. Pettibone to claim your reward.

• 2.  Matthew Jameson wants you to retrieve his wedding ring from the sewers - 1200 XP and 150 Gold.
  Matthew is standing on the corner of Kensington Broadway and Devonshire Way. Ahh, nothing like a good excuse to go down into the sewers, what hey? The sewer grate allowing you entry is right there beside Jameson. Not much down here except Sewer Rats and the slightly more difficult Prodigious Vermin. Jameson's wedding ring is in a room just to the NW of where you entered the sewers, but don't leave yet. In a dry room in the NE part of the sewers, there are a human and half-orc thief guarding two Barrels and a Chest. These contain a goodly amount of Gold, some other useful items, and an Unidentified Staff. In the northern part of the sewers, there are some locked Metal Shutters to a room containing what looks like a steam engine. If you can't lockpick the Shutters, then there is another way to get in (you can see a ladder). Go back topside and head west down Devonshire Way, then left around the corner to 19 Pickwick Alley which is the Willoughsby residence. There's a trapdoor in the back room. Head down and take out the 3 Mechanized Arachnids. The locked Chest contains the schematics for a Pyrotechnic Axe - a marvellous weapon! The servant Lorhan, standing by the billiard table upstairs, is none the wiser to your thievery.

• 3.  Get information about the strange ring from Gilbert Bates - 1200 XP and Quest 6.
  You get this quest by gaining entrance to the basement of P. Schuyler & Sons, and then talking to the Schuyler brothers. As nearly everyone on the street will tell you, Gilbert Bates' estate is located at the very end of Kensington Broadway. He is purported to be the inventor of the steam engine. You get 1400 XP for talking your way past the guard. Alternatively, you can take Quest 5 or 7 in order to gain entrance, and you can also enter via a mausoleum in the cemetary located in the SW of Tarant. The way through to the basement of Bates' house from the cemetary is heavily trapped, and contains a few locked doors. Bates is upstairs in the estate house. He'll tell you a long tale concerning the origins of both the ring and the 'gnome' who gave it to you. Afterwards, he'll give you Quest 6, and offer to buy the ring back for 200 Gold. Note: it's a good idea to accept his offer :-)

• 4.  Tom Grak, a rather jovial half orc, has asked me to find Sir Matt de Cesare for him - 1700 XP and Quest 9.
  Tom is standing outside a subterranean kiosk towards the end of Kensington Broadway. He wants you to find this de Cesare character for him, and says he's most likely hanging off the end of a bottle somewhere. Indeed, M. de Cesare is hanging out at the bar of the Wellington Gentlemen's Club, located on Vermillion Road in the SW part of the city. He pretends to be drunk, but this is just a ruse, and he asks you to follow him outside, where you can obtain Quest 9. If you're a female, then you technically can't get into the Gentlemen's Club; however, you can circumvent this problem by finding Mr. Wellington himself. He lives at 42 Vermillion Road, just north of the station (the house is set back off the road a bit). In exchange for granting you access to his club, he's looking for 200 Gold plus he wants to bed you. If you then threaten to rip his throat out, he relents and hands you a signed invitation to his club!

• 5.  Devise a solution to Bates' saboteur difficulties at his factory to gain an audience with him - 1200 XP and audience with Bates.
  If you can't blag your way by the guard to gain entrance to Bates' estate (see Quest 3), then you can at least get this quest. Ten Hands Alley is just to the east of the estate entrance. The factory is at the end of the alley. Now that you have the key, just waltz into the factory, and wait till after midnight in the large back room. Take care of the 3 Bandits that appear, and report back to the guard at Bates' estate. An easy in.

• 6.  Search the mines of the Black Mountain Clan for clues to their whereabouts, and report back to Bates - 2500 XP, 300 Gold, and Quest 18.
  The Black Mountain Mines (1307 W, 754 S) are to the NW of Tarant. Bates put them on your map. Just a few Ailing Wolves on your way in, then take the door to the NW down to the next level. Lots of Dwarven Chests and a few Kites and Kite Shamen on the way to meet your first... Ore Golem. Man are these guys tough! They're Level 25, and every time you strike them with your weapon it does about 3 points of damage - to the weapon :-(

  Anyway, in the far SE of this level is a room guarded by a Seething Mass. Another great weapon wrecker. There are 3 Barrels in this room containing some useful Dwarven artifacts: Machined Gauntlets, an Unidentified Hammer, and the schematic for a Pyrotechnic Bow. In the NE part of the level is a large room containing some dead bandits. When I tried to loot one, another Seething Mass appeared. There's an exit here back up to the first level, where there's a Patriarch Wolf surrounded by some Ailing Wolves. Not too difficult. Note that there are 3 passages behind you, and that you just came through the left-most one. Up ahead there are 3 Brute Fangs guarding another passage. You can avoid them by taking the right-most passage behind you, which comes out at roughly the same place as the passage they are guarding. If you decide to take them on, try to lure one or two of them out. Taking on all 3 Brute Fangs at once is extremely difficult. Either passage leads to a level with a lot of rooms, guarded only by Kites and a few Granite Rats. There's plenty of booty in the chests here, but the rooms contain many armour-wrecking traps, so beware!

  The middle passage leads to a very large hall occupied by a truckload of Kites. The side passages here are guarded by Were Rats. In a passage off to the east is a Chest containing a Tesla Coil and a Large Capacitor, in case you're in need of those bits. To the back of the large hall are 3 chairs, the centre one apparently a throne. Looks like that's where the dwarven rulers sat. The doors behind the throne lead to a very, very long twisty passage that eventually winds up... in a small room containing a lone dwarf and some carvings on a central pillar. Read the pillar to learn the fate of the Black Mountain Clan. You can question the dwarf, but he's already written it all on the pillar. You can now report back to Bates.

• 7.  Cedric Appleby will grant you access into Bates' house if you destroy Bates' new steam engine prototype - 800 XP, 300 Gold, and Quest 8.
  Cedric's house is located at 29 Low Dervish Row, around the corner from Madam Lil's. He definitely has it in for Bates, having lived in the shadow of the famous inventor for many years. He gives you some Dynamite in order that you may sabotage Bates' steam engine. The factory is located at the end of Ten Hands Alley, just north of here. There are two locked doors around the side of the factory, the furthest being the easiest to lockpick. The prototype steam engine is in a room to the NW of the factory. Just lob a stick of Dynamite at it, and get out! Once you have destroyed the engine, the guards will attack you on sight, so you must time your escape carefully, because one of the guards here is at Level 32. I had Magnus with me, but he appears to have left my party after this deed. Dwarves definitely don't like to see good technology being destroyed (which sent my Alignment pretty far west)!

• 8.  Steal any incriminating evidence from Bates to help Appleby expose him - 800 XP and 500 Gold.
  You need to complete Quest 7 in order to get this quest. Appleby gives you some servant clothes to help you gain access to Bates' estate. These indeed get you right by the guard with no trouble, but you won't be able to take any followers with you. Once inside, just go upstairs in the house and talk to Bates as per Quest 3. Then comes the extremely difficult bit. The evidence is in the locked chest in Bates' bedroom, but there was no way I could find to get in there without alerting the guards, as the doors are always kept locked. Even when Bates wasn't in his bedroom and the guards' backs were turned, I couldn't pick the lock on the hall door without alerting them (but I had only minimal Prowling skill. Maybe more would do the trick).

  In the end, I had to complete this quest much later on in the game when I was almost as strong as the guards. Killed 4 of the poor buggers, and then picked the lock on the Chest containing Bates' Journal. After you do this though, Bates won't talk to you anymore, so you'd better make sure you complete Quest 6 before taking this route! Even though on the surface Appleby won't talk to you because you've sided with Bates up till now, once you saunter up to him with Bates' Journal he's easy pickings for 500 Gold. The entire escapade will cost you 10 Alignment points, so it's really only for those taking the 'dark' path through the game.

• 9.  Sir M. de Cesare wants you to find the skulls of the Ren'ar siamese twins and bring them to him - 3100 XP and Quest 23.
  When Matt de Cesare talks to you outside the Gentlemen's Club, he tells you that he suspects the skulls are in a warehouse somewhere in Tarant. Sure enough, the skulls are in a locked warehouse located at 17 Quilton Bend (just around the corner from Thaddeus Mynor's place). If you can't pick the lock on the door, you can always dynamite it. This technique also has the pleasant side affect of killing the nasty Were Rat lurking just inside the door. Then you only have to contend with the remaining Level 13 half-ogre guard. The skulls are inside a pile of locked barrels. When you bring them back to de Cesare, you get Quest 23.

• 10.  Mrs. Evelyn Garringsburg wants you to find her stolen painting, the famed "Kerghan and Persephone" by Pizarro - 1200 XP and 300 Gold.
  A Tarant newspaper you find on the floor at the Wellington Gentlemen's Club, Vermillion Road starts you off on this quest. Visit Mrs. Garringsburg at 37 Devonshire Way (just east of the Gentlemen's Club) and learn of the stolen Painting she wants you to recover. This quest is related to Quest 11, in that if you read the note which you are supposed to deliver, it mentions only the address: 57 Mulligan Bone Alley, located on the NE side of town. There is a half-ogre guard there. Defeat him to get the key to the back room where the stolen Painting is kept.

• 11.  A strange man in the Wellington wants you to deliver a note to 36 Low Dervish Row - 1000 XP and 100 Gold.
  Seek out the dark elf noble in the NW corner of the Wellington Gentlemen's Club, Vermillion Road. He'll ask you to deliver a note to the men in 36 Low Dervish Row, which is in the SE part of town. He says he's prepared to pay 100 Gold for the delivery, and that under no circumstances are you to read the note. If you look at the note (as if you wouldn't!), the men there will attack you when you arrive. You miss out on some Gold, but you get XP as recompense... and a hint for solving Quest 10.

• 12.  Delores Beston wants you to steal Madame Toussaude's crystal ball - 1200 XP and CH -2.
  Delores is a seer, whose place is located at 42 Polton Cross, in the middle west part of town. Her crystal ball has been damaged, and she's offering you 200 Gold to procure Madame Toussaude's for her. Madame's place is located next to Madam Lil's bordello, in the SE part of town. Kill her and take the crystal ball off her body to complete this quest (she curses you upon her death and you lose 2 Charisma points). Alternatively, you can obtain Quest 13 simply by telling Madame Toussaude why you are here (but she knows that already)!

• 13.  Madame Toussaude wants you to deliver her crystal ball to Delores Beston - 1200 XP and CH + 1 OR solution to Quest 10.
  When you confront Madame Toussaude regarding Delores Beston, she quite willingly gives up her crystal ball, and implores you to give it to Delores. Um... prescience coming into play here. Delivering the crystal ball to Delores results in her death! Recover the crystal ball from the body of Delores, and return to Madame Toussaude. She'll raise your Charisma as a reward (or, if you haven't completed Quest 10 yet, she'll divine that the painting is at 57 Mulligan Bone Alley. This isn't very useful as there are other ways to find out where the painting is, so you should complete Quest 10 before taking this quest). I returned the crystal ball to its stand as a gesture. Perhaps you could sell it instead?

• 14.  Thaddeus Mynor wants you to retrieve the map of the Tarantian sewers - 1200 XP and 300 Gold.
  Thaddeus Mynor's house is located in the far NE of Tarant, at the junction of Westrel South and Quilton Bend. If you complete this quest for him, you can become a member of the Thieves Underground, with all the benefits it confers :-) The Dept. of Water, Hall of Records is on East End Avenue, just past Bates' estate. Of course, the clerk there won't just hand over the plans, so I waited in his office until midnight, and stole the plans from the safe in his back room while he was sleeping. The guards didn't even bother me on the way out. You can also get another quest when you complete this one, which is a variation on Quest 8. Appleby gives you a key to the secret entrance to Bates' house, located in a mausoleum in the cemetary, SW part of Tarant. You won't be able to get this quest if you've already had your audience with Bates, because Appleby will have nothing to do with you then.

  Anyway, once you're a member of the Thieves Underground, you get an additional set of quests in Tarant, and later, in another place. The Tarant Thieves Underground Quests are documented in a special section below, underneath the normal quests.

• 15.  Mr. Plough wants you to rid his warehouses, near the docks in Tarant, of rats - 3100 XP plus technological artefacts.
  Mr. Plough the gnome is standing behind a pair of doors in the SE part of Tarant. He won't be able to pay you anything, but you get to keep what you find in the warehouses as a reward. The small warehouse back through the doors contains a few sewer rats, and the chest there contains the key to the large warehouse just NE of there. Inside are some more Sewer Rats and a few Prodigious Vermin. There are quite a few handy technological items in the various crates and chests, most notably: a Bear Trap, and some Dwarven Ore (which makes a Feather-Weight Axe when combined with an Oak Axe Handle).

• 16.  Madam Lil would like you to retrieve Cassie's necklace from Mr. Mooreland's house on 46 Devonshire Way - 2100 XP and 100 Gold OR free entertainment.
  Madam Lil's bordello is located in the east part of town. You can purchase some... delightment from one of her girls for 100 Gold. If you're looking for a bargain, there's always Bessie the sheep for the going rate of 25 Gold. If, on the other hand, you're just looking for another quest, then you can get this one by telling Madam Lil that you're interested in something else. When you show up at the Mooreland's residence, you'll find Laura the maid there. You can cajole her out of the necklace for 50 Gold (25 Gold if you're stingy), or you can get it for free if you talk her into joining up with Madam Lil. Return to Madam Lil for your... reward. You might be inclined to keep the necklace instead as it has a Magic Resistance of 40%; however, this turns out to be a mixed blessing - it makes Virgil's attempts to heal you fail about half the time! I eventually wound up returning the Necklace to Madam Lil, in which case you get another job from her. See Quest 22.

  By the way, Madam Lil will train you as an Expert in Persuasion for 500 Gold. She then refers you to Willoughsby for training as a Master of Persuasion. Willoughsby hangs out in an office at the Water Dept. & Hall of Records building, but he doesn't appear there till the latter stages of the game.

• 17.  Mr. Wright, Editor of the Tarantian, would like you to deliver a payment note to Mrs. Halster - 1200 XP and 75 Gold.
  Mr. Wright, at the Tarantian Editorial Office, located on the west side of Polton Cross in the centre of Tarant, will give you this quest if you ask him if there are any jobs going. Mrs. Halster lives just up Vermillion, across from the Wellington.
  Wright will also offer to pay you 500 Gold in exchange for your story about the zeppelin crash... but I'm not sure you want to generate that level of publicity about the affair. If you sell your story to Wright, then every pub patron across the land will know about you. Most of them will treat you kindly, but some of them are Molochean Hand and will attack you as soon as you talk to them in a pub. Usually, they aren't too difficult to put down, so this is your call.

• 18.  Look for the Black Mountain Clan on the Isle of Despair - 1000 XP and some important information.
  You get this quest having completed Quest 6. Bates tells you to seek out a man named Teach on the docks of Ashbury. He also offers you the services of his ogre guard Chukka... who wouldn't join my party. Said he hated me. Sniff.

• 19.  Caleb Malloy wants you to pick up his shipment of whiskey - 3100 XP and 500 Gold.
  Caleb Malloy's bar is the one with no sign on it just as you enter the west side of The Boil. Caleb wants you to meet an associate of his on the Garillion Bridge concerning a shipment of whiskey. Meet the dwarf named Biggs at the middle of the bridge and he gives you the Crate of Whiskey. The 2 orc bandits standing nearby immediately attack... but they should be no problem at all if you managed to get into The Boil in the first place, right?

• 20.  Discover the fate of Wilhemina, girlfriend of Jared the guard - 1700 XP.
  Unbeknownst to you, when you took the Note to Jared off Wilhemina's body at the Crash Site, you already had the means to complete this quest. Just talk to Jared, the captain of the guard, outside Vermillion Station. After you show him the Note, you get Quest 21 as well.

• 21.  Jared the guard wants you to go to the stonecutter to commission a tombstone for his beloved Wilhemina - 1000 XP.
  The stonecutter's place is all the way at the other end of East End Avenue, at number 12. Just go there and tell him Jared sent you. Easy one.

• 22.  Mr. Langley owes 400 coin to Madam Lil. Collect it and return it to her - 2500 XP and 200 Gold OR a favour.
  Langley is the doorman at the Bridesdale Inn on Vermillion Road. He'll get you the money, but he needs 5 days. Sure enough, when you return after 5 days or more, he hands you the money he owes Madam Lil.

• 23.  You need to find Arthur Tyron and bring him the siamese twin skulls as proof of a larger conspiracy - 3100 XP.
  Matt de Cesare tells you that Tyron was last seen in Blackroot. However, when you go to Blackroot and search an empty house to the SW of town, all you find there is a note from Tyron stating that "The crow is in danger". When you return to de Cesare with this news, he doesn't really give you any further information on where Tyron may be located. He just tells you to keep looking for him...

• 24.  Madam Lil would like you to locate a Medallion of Beauty for her - 2500 XP plus 600 Gold OR 2 favours at once.
  Well... the lone woman in the King's Inn & Pub at Dernholm is wearing one of these. Good luck getting it off her without having to waste a Fate Point though! Not worth it just to complete this quest, me'thinks.

• 25.  Miranda Tears wants you to take a crate of ale from the Clan Maug's warehouse - 3100 XP.
  The warehouse is west of the bar. There's one guard standing outside the door, the other patrolling around the building. The one standing at the door has the key to the door on him. Just grab the crate of ale from inside and report back to Miranda. She sends you to Pollock himself to get Quest 26.

• 26.  Pollock wants you to kill Darian Maug - 4600 XP and 1500 Gold.
  You should be able to cross over to the east side of the Boil now, and Pollock's mugs shouldn't bother you. If they do attack, then it may mean you're not tough enough for this quest yet (it's their polite way of letting you know). Anyway, tell the guard at the the door that Miranda Tears sent you, and you're in to see Pollock. He wants you to kill his opposition, Darian Maug. If you're a magick user, he'll give you 3 scrolls to help you out: Shrink, Unlocking Cantrip, and Nightmare. If you're a technologist, he'll give you: a Hand Cannon(!), Energizer, and an Explosive Grenade.
  Back on the other side of The Boil, there's a large building at the north end guarded by a gnome named Milo and an Orc Berserker. Inside are another 10 Orc Berserkers (Level 30) and a Brute Fang that you have to get through on your way to meet Darian Maug in the back room. Return to Pollock when the deed is done. That's the last of the Pollock gang quests.

• 27.  Muggs would like for you to collect 200 Gold from a Mr. Larrs in the Boil. If Larrs is unable to pay, you are to kill him - 3100 XP and 25 Gold.
  OK, so you've decided to work for the Maug Clan. This is a pretty easy one, especially if you have a lot of dough. Larrs lives right across from the bar. He only has 25 Gold to his name, so I took that off him and offered to pay the rest myself. You could kill him instead, and then you'll get away without having to pay anthing (and Muggs gives you 25 Gold). Muggs sends you to see Darian Maug for Quest 28.

• 28.  Milo wants you to kill Treat, a Pollock gang member, for messing with his girl - 4600 XP plus 550 Gold and audience with Darian Maug.
  Darian Maug is holed up in a building called the Bentley, all the way to the north here. Unfortunately, the entrance to this building is controlled by a poxy gnome named Milo. He won't let you in to see Maug unless you complete this quest for him. Sigh. Treat lives in a shack on the other side of the Boil. You'll have to get past those 3 thugs guarding the Pollock entrance to the Boil in order to reach Treat's shack, which is just to the south there. When Treat is threatened he shape-shifts into an Elemental Snake, so he can be a bit tough to kill. When you return to Milo, if you winge about having to kill a shape-shifter he'll toss in an extra 50 Gold for your trouble. Now go in to see Darian Maug who will give you Quest 29.

• 29.  Darian Maug has contracted you to kill Pollock - 4600 XP and 1500 Gold.
  Darian tells you that no one has spotted Pollock outside for a long time, so he must have a secret way into his place. Simple :-) Right outside Darian's office is an entrance to the sewers. You have to fight your way through (though none of the creatures are anywheres near as tough as the guy you've been sent to kill!) quite far to the NE, in fact right to the other sewer entrance in the middle of the river, before you can turn around and head back SW to the ladder under Pollock's place. Pollock is very tough, and you'll have to fight at least one of his henchmen as well. Once you've killed Pollock though, you can run back down into the sewers and no one will follow you. You can either make your way back to Darian via the sewers, or head topside via the entrance in the middle of the river.

• 30.  Thaddeus Mynor wants you to steal the golden idol of the barbarians of Kree - 10900 XP and 1000 Gold.
  Once you're a member of the Thieves Underground and you subsequently go back to Thaddeus looking for more work, he'll give you this quest. The ruins of Kree (635 W, 1204 S) are on the Morbihan Plains, SE of the Elven Ruins right next to a lone mountain. The place is guarded by a horde of human bandits decked out in weird headgear. Beware that they are Level 30, and you might have to take on 4 or 5 at a time! Just keep working your way north and you'll eventually come to 4 bandits standing around a fire. There's an Arcane Chest here with 1000+ Gold in it. The room just north of there contains an altar from which you can remove the Golden Idol of Kree. Just to the west of this altar, through a hole in the wall, is an altar to the lesser god Shakar of the Moon circle, and it takes a Bone Dagger as an offering.
  When you're finished here, take the Idol back to Thaddeus to claim your reward.

• 31.  Obtain a copy of "Horror Among the Dark Elves" by Renford A. Terwilliger - 6400 XP.
  You get this quest by solving Qintarra Quest 8, whereby you found the obituary of Terwilliger. Well, a good spot to look for books is the Tarantian Library, and it's right around the corner from the Hall of Records, behind the Zoological Society. Here's your excuse to finally fork over the 1500 Gold to become a lifetime member of the Library. The librarian will then try to find a copy of "Horror Among the Dark Elves" for you, but none are available. However, she does manage to find "The Curse of T'sen-Ang", which turns out to be almost as useful. It's written by Kendrick Wales (remember, the secretive author who lives in Ashbury!), and it alleges that the single known remaining copy of "Horror..." is in the possession of one Victor Misk, who lives in Caladon. For the moment you can't complete this quest, but you now have Quest 32 to tackle instead.

• 32.  Find Mr. Victor Misk - 4300 XP.
  Well, you've been hearing snippets about Caladon through the entire game. Finally, you have an excuse to go there! Now when you approach the captain of any ship in Tarant, Ashbury, or Blackroot you'll get the option to travel to Caladon (see section on Caladon below).

• 33.  You need to Retrieve the Blade of Xerxes to enable you to slay the demon L'anamelach - 8500 XP.
  Talk to Professor Eakins in the building at the back of University Court. He relates the tale of how an elf came to be possessed by this demon for the last 500 years. You need to get hold of the Blade of Xerxes in order to put this demon down forever. Eakins marks the location of The Pit of Fires (1366 W, 936 S) on your map, where the Blade is kept. It's to the west of Tarant, at the Stonewall Range. There were some thieves camped out at the cave entrance when I got there. If you're at least an Expert in Persuasion, you should be able to blag them into retrieving the Blade for you! Lesser mortals will have to make do with entering the cave themselves and killing everything in sight... anyway, once inside you've got your work cut out for you. There are 2 pits of lava in the Cave. The one containing the Blade of Xerxes is all the way to the NE. You can go through 2 rooms full of Fire Elementals to get there if you start from the west side of the cave, or just one room if you go straight to the back of the cave (in this room were some dead thieves, but I don't think they were the same ones as at the cave entrance). The pit of lava that contains the Blade is guarded by 3 Seething Masses. In short, this particular campaign is a great weapon and armour destroyer :-( Now you can return to Caladon to complete Quest 4 there.

• 34.  Capt. Wheeler of the Tarantian Guard wants you to convince Donn Throgg to surrender to end the orc uprising - 10900 XP.
  Sometime later in the game, you'll notice the paperboys hawking the headline: ANARCHIST LABORERS TAKE OVER FACTORY! After that, on the Ten Hands Alley side of East End Avenue, you'll come upon a gnome noble and a group of guards gathered outside the factory there. Speak to the gnome noble (Mr. Babcock), and you'll learn that the orcs inside the factory are trying to unionise. He says that the last time something like this happened, Captain Wheeler had his men kill everyone to end the protest. Doesn't sound good. Go talk to Wheeler then, and you can get this quest (or Quest 35 instead, if violence is your bag). He gives you the key to the factory. You can convince Donn Throgg that he can make a fool out of Capt. Wheeler by coming peacefully back outside and confronting him... but it all proves to have been just a ruse by Wheeler to lure him outside. Wheeler's men proceed to gun down Throgg and all the other half-orcs.

  Alternatively, you can offer the join the cause of the half-orcs when you talk to Throgg... but this course of action winds up pitting you against all of Tarant. Hope you like big battles!

• 35.  Capt. Wheeler of the Tarantian Guard wants you to kill Donn Throgg to end the orc uprising - 10900 XP.
  You can offer to kill Donn Throgg for Captain Wheeler. The easiest way to do this is to go in the back door, else Throgg is likely to escape while you're fighting the other half-orcs. Of course, this line of action sets you back a few Alignment points.

• 36.  Mr. Babcock wants you to convince Donn Throgg to slip out of the factory unseen, thereby ending the orc uprising - 10900 XP and a Fate Point.
  The cleanest way, but you must be at least an Expert in Persuasion to get the necessary dialogue options. Babcock gives you the key to the factory, and you can then convince Throgg to slip out at night.

• 37.  Sebastian wants you to kill Pollock (or Maug). In return, he'll help you in your own quest - 6400 XP and Sebastian will join you.
  After you're capable of travelling to Caladon, the next time you pass by Willoughsby's residence (corner of Lungsten Road and Pickwick Alley), you'll find himself and a mage named Perriman Smythe standing outside the door. Willoughsby says he's too busy to talk with you at the moment, but offers to meet you at his office in an hour. His office is on East end Avenue in the same building as the Dept. of Water and Hall of Records (meanwhile, Smythe will join your party. He knows spells from the Fire, Necromantic White, and Phantasm colleges).

  Anyway, when you later meet Willoughsby and the conversation comes round to discussing problems in Tarant, he'll mention that he's taking some 'personal' action to clean up The Boil. He suggests that you can meet a man named Sebastian there in Caleb Malloy's bar if you're interested in helping out. I think you can only get this quest if you bumped off either Maug or Pollock in one of the quests for the rival gang. Sebastian (the technologist now standing near the entrance in Malloy's bar) asks you to kill the remaining gang leader so that he can then seize control of The Boil. It's pretty easy to kill either Pollock or Maug now, because as far as they're concerned, you're on their side! You can always sneak back out through the sewers afterwards if you feel you can't take on the remainder of either gang. Sebastian offers to join your party as a reward. He's skilled in Firearms, Prowling, and Pick Locks. Not too strong though, so you might want to take that Charged Axe off him and put it to good use if you can :-)

• 38.  Edward Willoughsby wants you to convince King Farad's advisors that Caladon should join the Unified Kingdom - 8500 XP and 10000+ Gold plus Master of Persuasion.
  Also during the conversation with Willoughsby (see Quest 37), he'll mention the Unified Kingdom, and how they are always trying to get new cities like Caladon to join. This is the quest for becoming a Master of Persuasion, so you can only get it if you are already an Expert with 5 ranks of skill... Willoughsby hands you a dossier with 10 important negotiating points in it, and tells you that your pay for this job depends on how well you handle the negotiations concerning these points. You must first travel to the castle in Caladon, and speak to Renard just outside the entrance. Then you can speak to the council members inside by approaching the podium in the room at the end of the hall (as Renard warned you, don't bother to talk to any of the lobbyists in the hall there on your way to the podium).

  As you can tell from the dialogue choices you are presented with, the options at the top of each section favour Tarant, and the ones at the bottom Caladon. You should try a run through selecting the first option in each instance. If the council rejects your proposal at the end, start over again and select the second option in one or two instances. You should wind up with at least 10000 Gold and Master of Persuasion status when you meet up with Willoughsby outside the castle, after the council finally accepts your proposal.

• 39.  Heinrich Jenks wants you to assassinate King Farad of Caladon - 10900 XP and 20,000 Gold plus a Fate Point.
  As you're leaving Willoughsby's office, a man named Jenks accosts you in the hall. If you go along with him, you'll get this quest to assassinate Farad. Jenks says it will be easier if you can get the negotiator's job mentioned in Quest 38, because you'll then get access to parts of the castle that would otherwise be off limits. He gives you the name of a person to contact in the castle's kitchen (Vernon), and also one on the Caladon docks in case you can't get into the kitchen (Bullors). There's a paragraph in the Caladon section of this Guide that tells you how to accomplish this dirty deed. Beware that it makes everyone in Caladon hostile towards you, so you won't be accomplishing much else there if you take this on.

  If you go back into Willoughsby's office after speaking with Jenks and tell him there's a plot to assassinate Farad, you only succeed in getting Jenks killed and that botches this quest. Of course, completing this quest botches Quest 38.

• 40.  Madam Lil would like you to deliver a gift to Mrs. Halster at 48 Devonshire Way. You must tell her it is from her husband - 2200 XP.
  I believe you can only get this quest from Madam Lil if you are playing a male character. Piece of cake anyway.

Tarant Thieves Underground Quests

You can only get access to these quests by joining the Thieves Underground as per Quest 14 above. You can get instructions on what to steal next from the halfling city dweller in the purple dress who hangs out in Vermillion Station. You fence the stolen gear at Mr. Black's place, 11 Low Dervish Row, around the corner from Madam Lil's.

• 1.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve a vial of venom from the Lethe Wyvern from the Zoological Society - 1000 XP and 200 Gold.
  The Vial is in the locked Wood Chest in Dr. Fenwick's office.

• 2.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve the potion of dark power from Mr. Fitzgerald's home at 40 Polton Cross - 1700 XP and 500 Gold.
  The Potion of Dark Power is in a locked Wood Chest in the back room of Fitzgerald's place.

• 3.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve the Ring of Virility that Mr. Franklin keeps on his person - 1700 XP and 200 Gold.
  Franklin lives at the corner of Grimson Way and Vermillion, with his half-ogre bodyguard. He was quite easy to pickpocket. I only had just over 2 ranks of this skill, and managed to pull it off on the second attempt. You might well consider keeping this piece of jewelry instead of fencing it, seeing as it adds a hefty +2 to CN.

• 4.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve Cassie's jewelry from the back room of Madam Lil's - 1500 XP and 400 Gold.
  Cassie's Jewelry is in a locked Wood Chest in the room all the way to the NE in Madam Lil's. It's guarded by a maid who never goes to sleep, so you'll most likely have to kill her, but nobody seems to care...

• 5.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve an experimental engine called the Heron Device - 1700 XP and 500 Gold.
  At 46 Mulligan Bone Alley, there's a small warehouse patrolled by a guard. I took him out, and he has the key on him (you could also pickpocket him for it). In the room all the way at the back, there are some locked crates containing the Heron Device.

• 6.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve the rare Derian Ka sword from Mr. Applesby's home - 1500 XP and 500 Gold.
  Piece of cake. Remember, Applesby lives at No. 29 on the same road as Mr. Black. A locked safe through an unlocked door leads you to the Sword.

• 7.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve the flawless dwarven rubies rumored to be aboard a ship anchored in Tarant - 1200 XP and 500 Gold.
  The locked Barrel on the docks in front of one of the ships contains the rubies.

• 8.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve the Essence of Will-o-the-Wisp from Parnell's - 1000 XP and 200 Gold.
  J.T. Parnell's is at the north end of Kensington Broadway. The Essence is in an unlocked Chest in the back room, but the door to it is locked. Best not to kill either of the inhabitants while obtaining this, believe me ;-)

• 9.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve the lucky medallion rumored to be held by one of Poone's vagrants - 1000 XP and 150 Gold.
  The vagrant of interest is wandering continuously around Madam Lil's, occasionally popping into Poone's Flophousse for a second or two. You'll have to kill the poor bugger to get the Lucky Medallion, because he's moving too fast for Pick Pockets to even remotely have a chance of working.

• 10.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve the enchanted looking glass from Mrs. Pettibone's home on Lungsten Road - 1000 XP and 100 Gold.
  Oddly enough, this is one of the worst paid Thieves Undergound quests, yet you might have to kill more poor souls to complete it than for any of the others. Quite a few guards, and also Willoughsby's half-ogre bodyguard Lorhan, will jump in through Mrs. Pettibone's window should you try to open her locked Wood Chest to get the enchanted Looking Glass. Good luck.

• 11.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve the Jewel of Hebe from the Panarii temple - 1500 XP and 500 Gold.
  You'll probably have to kill the priest there to obtain this item from the locked Chest. Doesn't seem to bother Virgil overly much... anyway, this jewel adds BE + 2 and CH + 1 when worn, so it's another item you may want to keep rather than selling to Mr. Black!

• 12.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve the bottle of Napha Water from Mrs. Halster's home on Devonshire - 1000 XP and 150 Gold.
  In the locked Wood Chest next to Mrs. Halster's bed.

• 13.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve the music box that Madam Lil keeps on her person - 1700 XP and 150 Gold.
  Not too difficult... while you're there perusing Madam Lil's inventory, you might happen to notice the Gift for Mrs. Regina Halster. I suspect this item relates to a quest I couldn't get for some reason or other :-(

• 14.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve the plans for Schreck's Multi-Barreled Pistol from the Bates Factory - 1500 XP and 400 Gold.
  Just sneak in the back door, then wait till the guards have left the room with the filing cabinet in it that contains the schematic. It seems that it's not possible to learn this schematic anyway, so you might as well sell it.

The Lair of Bellerogrim (769 W, 838 S)
Bellerogrim's lair is located to the NE of Tarant. When you arrive at the site, go north along the path to the cave. At first, it appears that there's nothing here except the giant skeleton (curiously, it still has a skull attached even though that's supposed to be the one at the Zoological Society), but careful exploration reveals some crates in the SW of the cave concealing a passage. You have to skirt around to the south to get access to the passage. At first you just encounter some Dragarons down there... but then you run into a nasty Level 30 creature known as a Burnowar. Not only is he deadly in his own right, but he can invoke Fire Elementals which are even deadlier! The best way to take on one of these creatures is to sneak up behind it and attack before it gets a chance to react and summons an Elemental. If it does manage to call an Elemental, ignore that creature and just keep pounding the heck out of the Burnowar, trying to either kill it or knock it unconscious. In either case, the Elemental will immediately disappear. The cave contains a few Mystic Chests that have Greater Healing Potions in them, an Arcane Chest containing a Magickal Throwing Weapon, and a Black Chest, which contains a Book that tells the story of how Kraka-Tur defeated Bellerogrim and stole his blood. It appears this Kraka-Tur creature may still be at large...

Ashbury (505 W, 978 S)
Ashbury is on the east coast, just past the Elven Ruins. You can get here by train from either Tarant or Blackroot.

If as soon as you first arrive in Ashbury, and you go around the corner of the Ashbury Hostelry, you'll see a man there kicking a Worthless Mutt to death. If you either talk him out of it or kill him before the Mutt is dead, the Mutt will join you as a follower (even better, it matters not what your CH is, or how many followers you already have)! Now... I did a few other things in Ashbury before I got there, and the Mutt was already dead :-( However, all is not lost in this situation. One Scroll of Resurrect later, and the Mutt is yours. He becomes 'Dog' when he joins your team, and he's a great Melee fighter. Hey, since the Fallout lads were involved in this one, there had to be a Dogmeat replacement, right? ;-)

The woman in the cottage at 12 Harbor View tells you about the ruins of an Ancient Temple, which puts it on your map. She says it's to the east of here, which would be a difficult feat as Ashbury is on the east coast! It's actually to the west. See section on Ancient Temple below.

Kendrick Wales, the author who lives at 14 Trellis Way, has an important book coming out soon, but he won't divulge the contents. Hmm.

If you talk to the man in robes standing outside the back of the meeting hall, he'll tell you that an adventurer passing through mentioned the coordinates: 617 W, 528 S (if he doesn't tell you, then try the local bartender). These coordinates are far to the north past the mountains, so you'll need to find a pass through the mountains first.

If you feel up to it (i.e., you're somewhere around Level 25 or better), then Ashbury Castle is great for the old XP. It's on a narrow path to the north that begins just behind the meeting hall. Once inside, if you head to the NE along the hallway, you come to a throne, next to which is a chest containing the key to upstairs. Nothing much at all upstairs except a key to the basement in a chest at the base of 2 beds. In the basement, there is a trail of tough Lord's Slaves, leading to the Lord of the Damned himself guarding an Arcane Chest in the NE part of the cellar. It seems there wasn't much in the Chest to make it worth all the hassle, but at least you should get enough XP killing all those ghouls and skeletons to drive you up about 3 Levels. And... make sure you get the Unidentified Helm off the dead Lord's body!

The Elven Trader standing in front of the spectacle shop has 2 powerful scrolls you can pickpocket: Call Earth Elemental and Teleportation. Also has an elven statuette called a Li'tani that you can purchase. It's the very first offering in the 12 Altars of the Pagan Gods series :-)

In the far south of town there's a prison. If you bail out the gnome Guido Lighttouch for 500 Gold, he'll train you as an Expert in Pick Pockets. There's another guy locked up in there called Jerrold Aymes, who won't say too much to you. So, I killed all the guards and picked the lock on his cell door thinking that I might get some gratitude then... but the ingrate still wouldn't talk to me after all that.

The man in robes standing in front of the building south of the prison is William Thorndop and he's now a priest of the Halcyon order, but he used to be a crack gunman. Had 2 of his fingers removed on both hands so that he wouldn't be able to fire a gun any longer! Hmmm. I have an inkling that he's the Firearms Master...

SW of Thorndop, on a dirt path behind a cornfield, is another gypsy woman who can identify magickal items for you.

Quests

• 1.  A fellow named Theodore wants you to retrieve his "technologically improved" plate from Ashbury's local scientician - 800 XP and 250 Gold.
  Theodore is standing outside 12 Trellis Way, on the west side of Ashbury. Apparently, the technologist who owns the place has left some nasty pieces of gadgetry in there, and Theodore can't retrieve the armour he comissioned. Sure enough, inside 12 Trellis Way there's a Mechanized Arachnid guarding a trap door. When you get past him, there's an even tougher Automaton downstatirs. You can utilise the trick of continuously running up the ladder to heal in order to defeat the thing. Inside a Wood Chest is Theodore's armour, along with the schematic for producing an Automaton of your very own. You can get 250 Gold instead of the 200 Theodore offered if you hold out before returning the armour. Indeed, instead of returning the armour to Theodore, you might well consider keeping it. It's pretty fancy stuff... if it will fit you.

• 2.  Geoffrey Tarellond-Ashe wants you to help him solve the mystery of the Ashbury Cemetary - 1500 XP and 500 Gold.
  Geoffrey is the wizard standing outside the entrance to the cemetary, which is located on the south side of town. He's a dark necromancer, and my Alignment was too far to the right for his liking. But even though he wouldn't join my party, you can still get this quest from him. You've got to find out what's causing all these Zombies to be generated. Enter the cemetary and make your way inside the crematorium to the SW. There's a trapdoor in the back room leading to a room full of Rats. Another trapdoor here leads to a cave full of Zombies, Ghouls, and Putrid Walkers. A passage in the NE part of the cave leads to another cave. In the middle of a large room is the Gem of Malachi Rench, which is the entity responsible for generating all these Zombies. Guarding the Gem are 2 tough Gore Guards. I found a Magickal Mace in a sarcophagus here too. Return the Gem to Geoffrey for your reward.

• 3.  The Mayor of Ashbury will allow you to answer questions at this evenings Town Council meeting. Your answers must please as many people as possible - 1500 XP.
  The Mayor is standing outside the town's meeting hall, located in the north of Ashbury. I had an IN of 10 when I accepted this quest, and it wasn't high enough to get the right dialogue choices to most of the questions. What you can do is use Essence of Intellect (which may be obtained at almost any magick shoppe) to temporarily boost your IN by 10. You then get lots more dialogue choices, but you have to answer the questions very quickly before the Essence wears off! If they rubbish even one of your answers you have to start over. I'll leave it as an exercise to the reader to figure out the correct answers :-)

• 4.  Kill the 3 wild pigs that keep eating Theo Brightstart's corn crop - 1700 XP and 75 Gold.
  Theo is standing in front of his house, which is to the SW of the prison. He offers you 50 Gold for this job, but you can get 75. Just kill the 3 wild pigs that are roaming in the cornfield to the NW of here. If you're a real glutton for punishment, you can take Quest 5 next...

• 5.  Load the 5 large boulders located in Theo Brightstart's field into his cart - 1700 XP and 100 Gold.
  Another menial job for Theo. Again, he offers you 50 Gold, but you can talk him into making it 100. The boulders are extremely large, so I started off by unloading my entire inventory into the cart first. There's still plenty of room in there for the 5 boulders too, and when you're done, just take your inventory back out. After all this, there turns out to be more of a reward than was at first evident: Theo will now train you as an Expert in Throwing.

• 6.  Kill the entire Willenbecker Gang and release their hostage, Mrs. Rolland, unharmed - 8500 XP and Firearms Master training or Looking Glass Rifle.
  This is the quest to become Firearms Master. You need to be a Firearms Expert with 5 ranks of Firearms skill before you can undertake it. You then get the dialogue option to ask Thorndop if he's the Firearms Master. A dwarven villager runs up and hands him a letter. When you read it to Thorndop, it turns out that the Willenbecker gang are out for revenge and they've taken a Mrs. Rolland as hostage in the barn just east of where you're now standing. At first Thorndop is is reluctant to train you even if you promise to free the hostage and kill the gang, but he agrees after a while. You must be careful to sneak around the side of the barn and enter the door there, else they will kill the hostage immediately if you try a frontal assault. The guns they had weren't much use. Mine was an Elephant Gun :-) Afterwards, you can either choose to let Thorndop (very reluctantly) train you as Firearms Master (and lose a few Alignment Points), or you can accept a Looking Glass Rifle as a gift instead (and gain a few Alignment Points).

Ancient Shipwreck (498 W, 892 S)
On the coast north of Ashbury. Nothing to do here during the daytime, but at night a bunch of Greater Skeletons make an appearance. They have nearly 1000 Gold on them, and some gems and healing potions.

Ancient Temple (777 W, 919 S)
A woman in Ashbury puts this on your map. It's to the west of Ashbury. There are a few Zombies protecting the passage to the underground temple. Once underground, in the centre of the temple there's a Magick Chest watched over by a few Gore Guards and Putrid Walkers. The Chest contains a Library Key that gets you into the library (to the south), and through another locked door to the north. In the room to the north, there's a cursed skeleton who wants you to retrieve some blood from a pool in a cave in order to bring him back to life. He marks your map with a location called: Dungeon of the Dragon Pool, due north from Tarant. This quest does not appear in your quest log, and you also don't get any XP for completing it... however, if you do bring back the Vial of Dragon's Blood and pour it over the skeleton (drag the vial to your hand icon, then click on the skeleton), the skeleton turns out to be a great undead warrior named Torian Kel. He'll join your party, but only if you are of evil alignment. Isn't there always a bloody catch?

In the library to the south is an Arcane Chest guarded by quite a few Level 20 creatures. There are some handy scolls on the floor here and the Chest contains a powerful Unidentified Shield. There are also 2 Dust Piles in the temple. One contained a Quality Axe, the other some Dread Armor. In the SW of the temple there's another Arcane Chest guarded by some tough Foul Spirits. Inside is a Torian Kel key. Never figured out what purpose this key served as I was able to get into Torian Kel's room using only the Library Key. Just to the north of here is a room with a strange altar in it. If you read the inscription on the large altar, it appears you are to offer a Black Diamond to it. Indeed, you can procure one of these in the ruins outside the Ancient Maze (see section below). This altar is to Moorindal, greater god of the Moon circle.

Dungeon of the Dragon Pool (993 W, 790 S)
The cursed skeleton in the Ancient Temple sends you here looking for a pool of blood. Guarding the passage to the dungeon are a few Grizzly Bears. There are some tough Level 18 - 25 creatures around the place guarding first a Junkpile, and then a Chest, both containing keys to locked doors. Through the second locked door are 2 more Level 25 creatures. Once you manage to dispatch these you encounter a passage to the next level. There was a trap on this level that caused me to drop my weapon almost without noticing. Careful! After getting by another 2 tough creatures, you can walk up to the pool of blood and take a sample :-) Bring the Vial of Dragon's Blood back to the cursed skeleton.

Vooriden (871 W, 1191 S)
This tiny village is to the west of Kree. Just enter the temple straight ahead of you as you arrive to get Quest 1. There's nothing much else you can do here besides this quest!

Quests

• 1.  Edwin Wallows of the Halcyon Order in Vooriden wants you to retrieve a new altar stone from the Torin Quarry - 4600 XP and a Fate Point.
  It seems that a pirate named Stringy Pete desecrated the Halcyon Order's altar 200 years ago, and no one has been able to make an offering since. Wallows packs you off to Torin Quarry to get a new altar stone. You can get his half-ogre lackey to join your party for the purposes of lugging the stone back. I already had Sodd Mead Mug, so didn't need to avail of Murgo's services. Journey to Torin Quarry (1420 W, 1100 S) in the Stonewall Range, a bit north of the Crash Site. The quarry is inhabited by a group of Bonecrushers and Greater Gorillas, and there's a dead elf with an Unidentified Dagger and Unidentified Bow on him. Once you've finished off the beasts, empty your entire inventory into your followers' inventories and pick up the huge Stone lying in the centre of the quarry. When you deliver it back to Wallow, he uses it to immediately repair the altar, and you can make offerings there now. Halcyon is the greater god of the Sun circle, and accepts an Olive Branch as an offering.

Uncharted Cave (1048 W, 695 S)
The entrance to this cave is located in the middle of the two bridges to the north, right up against the mountains. Best take off your armour so it doesn't get damaged, because the only way in is by running through the fire. Inside is a Fire Elemental guarding a Junkpile, which contains... an Unidentified Ring.

Ancient Maze (1368 W, 1585 S)
I found this place when I was wandering through the countryside SW of the Wolf Cave. On the outskirts of the maze were 3 gems (you have to hop through a window in the ruins to get to them), one of them a Black Diamond that you can offer to the altar in the Ancient Temple. Work your way to the back of the maze hopping through windows and going into the foresty bits as needed. There is some good stuff in the chests along the way, but mind the Gore Guards. At the back of the maze is a sarcophagus guarded by 2 tough Ore Golems. The sarcophagus contains an Unidentified Helm.

Isle of Despair
A penal colony. You get here by sailing with Captain Teach from Ashbury. Teach is an associate of Gilbert Bates.

Once inside the encampment you need to talk to Ogdin, the half-ogre guard standing outside the building just to the north of The Pit. With a bit of Persuasion skill, and by appealing to his intellectual side, you can talk your way in to see Thorvald; otherwise, you'll have to fight in The Pit. The fights in The Pit are quite easy. Your first opponent is only Level 10, and if you defeat him, it's sufficient to get in to see Thorvald... but you can stay on and take on 4 more sets of opponents for the fun of it and the XP.

Ogdin gives you a key to get in to see Thorvald Two Stones. When you ask him about the Black Mountain Clan, he claims that none of them have ever been on this island. You tell him that it was the Wheel Clan (Thorvald's own clan, as it turns out!) that allegedly sent them here, and he suggests that you seek out the Wheel Clan for further answers (you've just completed Tarant Quest 18). He marks the location of the Wheel Clan on your map. But you also need a special pair of glasses to be able to spot the entrance to the clan's cave. It can be quite difficult to talk him into giving you these. If he won't give you his pair, just travel back to Ashbury with Teach anyway. Raymond's Fine Spectacles shop is right there on the docks. All you need to give Raymond is a Kathorn Crystal, and for 1000 Gold, he makes you a pair of Wheel Clan Spectacles on the spot! As a result of speaking with Thorvald, Quests 4 and 5 below now become available.

Shades Beach is at the north of the island. There's a wreck of a strange submarine here, and some Greater Spiders. There are two schematics on the ground: Bronwyck's Gun, and Reanimator.

Quests

• 1.  The village guard on Isle of Despair wants you to kill the Sorcerous Beast - 1200 XP and Serpentine Necklace.
  You get this quest by talking to the guard outside the gate of the encampment, on the beach where Teach drops you off. If you go around the west side of the compound, there's a place where the water is shallow enough to let you cross. If you continue along the beach on the other side, you'll eventually come across a set of large footprints leading from the water. Follow them, and you'll come to the ruins of a house with a Temporal Crusher inside. There's your sorcerous beast. Once the Crusher is dead, you can retrieve an Unidentified Ring and some Unidentified Gauntlets from the Junkpile inside the ruins. Return to the guard for your reward.

• 2.  Cynthia Boggs has asked you to help her escape from the encampment on the Isle of Despair - 1500 XP.
  Cynthia is standing there right as you enter the encampment. If you accept the quest, she gives you a White Scarf to wear so the women you are visiting on her behalf won't attack you on sight. She marks your map with the location of the Women's Camp, which is on the east side of the island. So... you travel there (make sure to put on the White Scarf first!) and talk to Lorria, but she is unsympathetic to Cynthia's plight. She says that if Cynthia can't escape herself, she'd not be able to fend for herself either, and hands you a fairly usless old pistol for you to give to Cynthia to aid in her escape. When you return to Cynthia with this news, she is not disenheartened by it as I expected her to be. If you offer to help her escape, she agrees to join you. With a bit of Persuasion skill you can convince the guards that she is a slave you bought from Thorvald, and they let her go with you. You can either take her back to the Women's Camp, where Lorria will reluctantly accept her, or keep Cynthia on as a follower... but she will leave you anyway once you return to the mainland.

• 3.  Find Warren del Par of Cumbria and tell him that Maximillian still lives on the Isle of Despair - 1500 XP.
  The home of Maximillian is located in the middle of the island. After listening to his story, you realise he is rightful heir to the throne of Cumbria. If you've already spoken to del Par's daughter Lianna, you give him the bad news that Warren is dead. He then asks you to find Lianna instead. When you (eventually) return to Dernholm and speak to Lianna, she vows to travel to the Isle of Despair and bring back Maximillian...

• 4.  Investigate the Wheel Clan for further information about the Black Mountain Clan - 3600 XP.
  You get this quest by speaking with Thorvald. You complete it by talking to the king of the Wheel Clan.

• 5.  Tell the Wheel Clan of Thorvald's incarceration on the Isle of Despair - 800 XP.
  If you promise to tell the Wheel Clan of Thorvald's fate during your conversation with Thorvald, you get this quest.

Wheel Clan (954 W, 666 S)
You need to visit the Isle of Despair in order for the location of the Wheel Clan cave to be revealed. It's between the 2 bridges, right up against the mountains to the north. In addition, you need to wear some special gear or else the entrance will not be apparent. Stand in the stone square while wearing this special gear, and the entrance to the cave becomes visible.

Once inside the cave, just keep heading north until you meet King Randver Thunder Stone... or is he truly the king? Make sure you mention the plight of Thorvald to Randver to complete Isle of Despair Quest 5. Then, if you are careful with your dialogue choices, he'll tell you of the secret passage under the throne that leads to his father; otherwise, you'll have to hack your way past all manner of beasties in a place called the Dredge in order to reach his hiding place (the entrance to the Dredge is to the SE of the throne room. One thing I noticed while working my way through the Dredge was that the Arcane Great Sword I had picked up in my travels was immune to damage when striking the likes of Ore Golems and Fire Elementals. Very handy indeed). Also, if your IN is at least 10, you'll get to talk to Randver about the Stone and the Shape. Knowledge of this aspect of dwarven lore will come in mighty handy in a few minutes...

However you reach him, by talking to the true king, Loghaire Thunder Stone, you'll learn how the elves, the dwarves, and Bates were all caught up in a terrible struggle between the magicks of old and the intrusive technology of the steam engine. Loghaire sets you on a new trail by presenting you with a document from the elves signed by one M'in Gorad, and suggests you go to Stillwater, which he marks on your map. He hopes that someone in Stillwater will be able to point you in the direction of the elven city of Qintarra. Even better, if you talked to Randver about the Stone and the Shape, you'll be able to use this line of reasoning to convince Loghaire that he should return to his people. If you can do this, he presents you with his powerful axe "Harrow", then runs back up the ladder to take his place as King again. You get a Fate Point for this! In any event, you've just completed Isle of Despair Quest 4, and have been given Quests 1 and 2 below.

Through a bunch of passages on the west side of the ground level of the Wheel Clan cave is the altar to the god of the dwarves, Alberich, a lesser god of the Earth circle. It takes Lava Rock as an offering.

If as you enter the Wheel Clan cave you immediately go to the left and head down the stairs, you enter a vast tunnel complex that the dwarves have carved out of the mountain. There's an inn, an inventor (with a Small Steam Engine for sale!), a smith, and a herbalist. There's even a magnificent garden down here in the southern tip of the tunnels! The garden has an Olive Tree in it. This particular tree is the only source I know of for Olive Branches. If you care to explore this area, you can begin with Quest 3.

Quests

• 1.  Find out what happened to the Black Mountain Clan - 7600 XP.
  You get this quest by conversing with Loghaire Thunder Stone in his secret hideaway. You need to journey to Stillwater next.

• 2.  Find the elven village of Qintarra - 4900 XP.
  You also get this quest by conversing with Loghaire Thunder Stone. You complete it by solving Stillwater Quest 5.

• 3.  Thrayne Iron Heart wants you to find his brother Erland at the Stonecutter Clan and tell him to return home - 6400 XP.
  Thrayne is in a room at the far northern part of the tunnels. As you exit the conversation dialogue, he gives you this quest. He can also train you as an Expert in Spot Trap and Disarm Trap.

  The entrance to the Stonecutter Clan cave (1344 W, 887 S) is located at the base of the Stonewall Range mountains, a little more than halfway between Torin Quarry and the Black Mountain Mines. If you head through the door to the west of the room with two large tables in it, and work your way through two rooms full of dwarven furnaces (and Gore Guards, and a Black Defiler, and some Black Defiler Slaves), you'll come to a locked room where all the dwarves are holed up. A box here contains the schematics for a Muscle Maker. Erland Iron Heart, the dwarf technologist, explains what happened and gives you a key to a laboratory (tell Erland that his brother Thrayne wants him to return and you've just completed this quest).

  The entrance to the laboratory is through a locked door to the north of the room with the two large tables in it. A barrel here contains Mithril Ore. A second locked door leads to a tunnel, with a passage through a hole knocked in the wall at the end of the tunnel. Through this passage is the laboratory, which is occupied by a fearsome Bludgeoner spirit. Once you vanquish him and a few Putrid Walkers, seek out the table with a book on it. There's a Necromizer schematic on the table, and an Unidentified Medallion. The book explains how the Necromizer came to be.

• 4.  Erick Obsidian wants you to find the lost burial ground of the Iron Clan, and retrieve the Durin Stone - 6400 XP.
  Erick the historian is in a room just to the SW of Thrayne Iron Heart. He hands you an Ancient Schematic for an Iron Key, and also gives you this quest. This Iron Key schematic (used by combining a Heartstone with Mithril Ore) makes the "Key to the Iron Clan Chest", and that's what opens the Ancient Iron Chest at the Zoological Society in Tarant! Inside the chest you find a map to The Place of Lost Voices, and 3 strange Drums... if you travel to The Place of Lost Voices (1322 W, 830 S), which is several mountains south of the Black Mountain Mines, you'll find a cave entrance. Inside this cave, there is a long winding tunnel leading to a large room that contains a strange machine. If you put the Drums you got from the Chest into the machine in the correct order, a mystical voice tells you that the Iron Clan built this machine, and you must look for the Book of Durin's Truth to proceed further in this quest (if you get the order wrong, Iron Arachnids emerge from under the sewer covers). You'll find this book in due course...

• 5.  Vegard MoltenFlow wants you to retrieve his family heirloom from the depths of the Dredge - 6400 XP and Miner's Helmet.
  Vegard is pacing back and forth in the room next to Erick's. You have to go see Randver in the throne room to get permission to go into the Dredge, the entrance to which is just SE of the throne room on ground level (if Randver has been replaced by Loghaire, then just use the secret Passage under the throne). Vegard Moltenflow's Key is on the ground in the far northern part of the Dredge. You'll know you're in the correct area when you begin fighting lots of Wolves, and then creatures called Mongrelons. Just past there, if you're up to it, is a room containing 2 Dwarven Chests guarded by 3 Brute Fangs and a Grey King. One of the Chests has the schematic for Machined Platemail in it, the other some rare Mithril Ore.

  The room containing Vegard's heirloom is to the south of here, smack in the middle of the Dredge. Once you have his key, you're past the Metal Door and into the Black Chest there only to find... a Toy Train! If you don't have the key you may have to expend a Fate Point to pick the lock on the Metal Door and then bash open the Chest, but that would be a waste just to complete this rather insignificant quest.

• 6.  Arvid Millstone wants you to destroy what has been killing all the miners in the Wheel Clan - 8500 XP.
  If you take the stairway down on the west side, directly across from where the entrance to the Dredge is on the east side, you'll run into all sorts of spiders. Make sure you kill the Level 40 Dread Crystal Spider, and then keep working your way into the tunnels. Eventually, you'll come to a room full of dwarf miners. Talk to their foreman Arvid Millstone, and you'll have already solved this quest, having killed the Dread Crystal Spider for him.

Stillwater (1191 W, 754 S)
Loghaire Thunder Stone, king of the dwarves, puts Stillwater on your map (see Wheel Clan above). It's right at the source of the river closest to where the Black Mountain Mines are.

When you speak to the innkeeper at the Bleeding Rose Inn, he gives you a book left by Joachim (note: you have to have picked up Joachim's telegraph at the Telegraph Office on Kensington Broadway in Tarant for this to happen). It contains a note from Joachim, and some background info concerning the Molochean Hand.

Well, you've come here looking for a way to find the elven village of Qintarra. If you speak to a man at the inn, he'll tell you that an elf by the name of Myrth might know where it is. Myrth is the subject of Quest 5.

Adkin Chambers' house is on the west side of Stillwater. He's the disfigured blind hermit. Now, there are several ways you can approach him, depending on what you've achieved before arriving here:

1. If you've already completed Dernholm Quest 4, thereby killing Garrick Stout, and you have the Potion to Heal the Blind, AND you are also an Expert in Dodge... then you can coax him into training you as a Master of Dodge first (he wants you to kill Stout, but you've already done that, so you get the XP immediately) and then present him with the Potion. You get max XP this way (for completing Quest 4 below as well as Dernholm Quest 5), but lose 10 Alignment points for being nasty to a blind man. If you give him the Potion first, you get 20 Alignment points for being such a swell guy (or gal), but he trains you in Dodge as a favour for restoring his sight and you DON'T get Quest 4 below, thereby losing out on some XP. Your call.
2. If you have completed Dernholm Quest 4, but you are not a Dodge Expert, then just give him the Potion to Heal the Blind, thereby completing Dernholm Quest 5.
3. Regardless of whether or not you've completed Dernholm Quest 4, if you are a Dodge Expert then you can get Quest 4 below.

Quests

• 1.  Richard Leeks, the blacksmith in Stillwater, wants you to find his friend Cyrus - 6400 XP and Stillwater Blade.
  Pretty straightforward. Just speak to the blacksmith and he'll tell you about his friend Cyrus the wizard who was supposed to have stopped by yesterday. Cyrus' house is a bit to the north of the square with the statue in it, past the house with the nice garden in the back. Uh oh. You see pools of blood when you arrive, and Cyrus is missing. There are some large footprints in the snow here. Follow them and you will eventually come to a cave. Cyrus is locked in a cage here. Approach close to the door of the cage to start a dialogue with Cyrus. This event triggers the return of the ogre, one Drog Black Tooth. Run back towards the cave entrance and kill the ogre. He has the key to the cage on his body. When you return to the blacksmith, he'll present you with a fairly handy sword.

• 2.  Gildor Nightwalk will reward you with 1500 coin, if you are able to pass the beasts of death and retrieve the great ruby for him - 4600 XP and 1500 Gold.
  Gildor' place is just behind the smith's backyard. Listen patiently to Gildor's story, read the book he gives you halfway through, and then let him finish the story. He marks the location of this place on your map as The Ruby Glade (795 W, 248 S). It's at the very north of the continent. In order to get there, you'll need to find a pass through the mountains...
  Once you get to the Glade, you can read the inscription on the stones just to reinforce the idea that good Prowling skills are the ideal way to complete this quest... however, I was Level 39 at this stage, so I just waltzed right into the circle of stones and was immediately surrounded by 7 Greater Demons, as promised by Gildor. But they were only Level 13, so I was able to wipe up the floor with them!

• 3.  Brigitte, Priestess of Stillwater, has entrusted you with the task of finding the stolen idol of their goddess, Geshtianna - 6400 XP and +1 to BE.
  Brigitte is standing in a serene garden at the back of the large building on the north side of the square with the large statue in it. In return for finding the stolen idol you will be granted a blessing that bestows Beauty. A man named Marley lives in a house on the outskirts of the SE part of town. Marley seems possessed by a strange beauty (which is what the Idol does to you), and he has a very large box locked in his back room. Hmm. You should be able to convince Marley that if he gives back the Idol, that he'll be granted a blessing in return (in which case he hands you the key), otherwise you can just kill him and it won't affect your Alignment. When you bring the Idol back to Brigitte you get the offer to let her bestow a little extra... goodness on you, and also to partake in some goodness with some of her friends. All harmless, wholesome fun for the weary adventurer, let me assure you :-)

• 4.  Kill Sir Garrick Stout and bring his eyes to Adkin Chambers as proof - 6400 XP and Dodge Master.
  You must be a Dodge Expert to get this quest. Chambers wants you to kill his nemesis Stout, and in return he'll train you as a Master of Dodge. If you've already killed Stout for whatever reason, you'll get the XP automatically; otherwise, you'll have to travel to Dernholm and take on Stout, who's a Level 45 Master of Melee (see Dernholm Quest 4). Return to Chambers when you are victorious, and he'll train you as a Master of Dodge.

• 5.  Myrth wants the pelt of a Stillwater Giant in exchange for the location of Qintarra - 4300 XP plus location of Qintarra and a pass through the mountains!
  The elf noble Myrth lives in the NE part of Stillwater. But before you embark on this quest, you might be interested to know that there is a much easier way to get the location of Qintarra than by accepting this rather longish quest; however, you must be either quite adept at Pick Pocket, or be willing to expend a Fate Point to pick Myrth's pocket. He's wearing... the Amulet of N'Tala, which is the one the herbalist Gaylin in Shrouded Hills has you searching for! When you return it to her, not only does she reward you handsomely, but she also marks the 2 locations on your map that you get by completing Myrth's rather arduous quest. Your choice :-)

  Anyway, should you decide to do this quest... Myrth at first talks you round in circles, so you need to counter one of his jokes, and then wait patiently for him to come around. Eventually, he'll give you this quest. He says you need to see a man named Hippington in relation to finding the Giant. Hippington lives NE from Myrth. This guy seems like a mad scientist raving loony, alright. He gives you a magickal Stillwater Trap and some Stillwater Scent, and tells you the Stillwater Giant hangs out in shapeshifted form as a blue bunny in order to conserve food. Right. Well... head around the back of his house and to the SE, and you come to a cave. Before you go in, take off your armour like the man says and use the Scent on yourself (drag Scent to hand icon, then click on yourself).

  Once inside the cave, prowl up close to where the rabbit is, then drag the trap to the hand icon, wait till the rabbit sits still for a second, and quickly click on him. Voila, one trapped Stillwater Giant. When you take your specimen back to Hippington, he says we now need to have our catch authenticated. Groan. He sends you packing back to Tarant where you must seek out a Dr. Fenwick in the Zoological Society (remember, it's in the NW corner of Tarant, on East End Avenue). Of course, Fenwick confirms the fact that Hippington is a few slices short of a loaf, and that the blue rabbit is nothing more than a hoax. He suggests you check out Parnell's place if you're looking for a Stillwater Giant pelt, though he assures you that the one on exhibit there is a fake too. H.T. Parnell's is just around the corner from here, on Kensington Broadway. He'll sell you the pelt for 2000 Gold (or you can steal the key to the Stillwater Giant exhibit from him). While you're here talk to Gar, the 'intelligent' orc on display. If you question him carefully, you'll find out he's actually human. You can release him by threatening Parnell with telling the newspapers about the scam. If you let him join you as a follower, you lose 50 Alignment points. If you let him go free, you gain 10, plus a Fate Point.

  Head back to Stillwater with the pelt. You can tell Myrth any story you like about how you came upon the pelt. He knows it's a hoax because he told you every elf has to find one as a coming of age test, right? Anyway, he marks the location of Qintarra on your map, but even more importantly (because you could find Qintarra just by wandering around the Glimmering Forest)... he also marks your map with a pass through the mountains (see section on Hardin's Pass below), which would be nearly impossible to find on your own. You've also just completed Wheel Clan Quest 2, by the way. I left the blue rabbit with Myrth. A fitting touch, I thought :-)

  Anyway, you'd think that's the last you'll hear or see of the Stillwater 'Giant'. Wrong! Now, this doesn't happen every time, but just outside of Stillwater on my way to Hardin's Pass once, I came across a Blue Bunny? Sure enough, when I attacked it the Bunny morphed into a genuine Level 30 Stillwater Giant. After killing it, you wind up with an Authentic Stillwater Giant Pelt plus a Fate Point! Neither the loony cryptozoologist Hippington or Dr. Fenwick in Tarant are at all interested, but guess what? H.T. Parnell will buy it off you for the 2000 Gold you spent on the fake pelt.

Hardin's Pass (1288 W, 714 S)
This is the only way to get through the mountains to the west in order to reach the Glimmering Forest. Myrth marks it on your map as a result of your completing Stillwater Quest 5. When you land on this circle, you are dumped in the middle of the pass. Head SW first, then just keep fighting your way west through all the beasts. After encountering many Polar Bears, Yeti, and Frigidons, you'll find yourself coming out of the snow onto grass again. From here, you can travel into the Glimmering Forest via the World Map. Note that on subsequent journeys via this pass, you can just use it as a waypoint. You only have to walk (fight!) through it the very first time you use it.

Qintarra (1545 W, 658 S)
This is a beautiful elven tree city located in the middle of the Glimmering Forest, NW of Hardin's Pass. Just talk to one of the elves at the bottom of the tree to gain passage to the top.

Quests

• 1.  Swyft wants you to bring her to Tarant safely - 1700 XP and 300 Gold.
  Swyft is the brazen young elven female standing just to the east of the passage at the top of the tree. She's prepared to pay you 300 Gold to escort her to Tarant, and if you accept this quest she joins you as a follower. Swyft is only Level 9 when you meet her, not especially handy in the latter stages of the game. Anyway, if you don't deliver her to Tarant promptly, she keeps bugging you, so best get it over with. Make sure to take back any weapons or armour you gave her before you hit Tarant, or you'll lose them!

• 2.  Ellumyn wants you to retrieve some mithril from the caves of the Wheel Clan - 1700 XP plus Ellumyn's Bow.
  Ellumyn is the village weapon maker, located 2 trees to the east of where you met Swyft. He's prepared to give you a fine bow of his in exchange for some rare Mithril Ore. Even though he says you'll need to get this item from the Wheel Clan, you can also find Mithril Ore in a barrel in the Stonecutter Clan cave :-)

• 3.  Whysper wants you to gather an essence from the rare Vol'ars Wisp - 2200 XP and Scroll of Succour Beast.
  If you go one tree to the east from where you first arrived, then head south, you'll find Whysper standing at the very end of the path. She's a scientist studying wisps, and would like you to collect the essence of a particular one for her. She also gives you a gem that makes you invisible for a few minutes, but can only be used once. Whysper infers that you'll just have to wander around the Glimmering Forest for a while until you encounter one of these wisps... but don't hold your breath. The answer will come in time.

• 4.  Secure Jormund's release by finding Wrath's killer - 5100 XP plus Staff of Xoranth and a Fate Point.
  Jormund, a dwarf wizard, is standing in his hut which is to the west of where you arrive at the top of the tree, then south. He's bound to service by Wrath, the elf wizard who is training him, for as long as Wrath lives (unfortunately for Jormund, elves live for a very, very long time). I offered to talk to Wrath, and even to kill him, but Jormund wouldn't accept either offer. If you then head all the way north from there, you'll find Wrath's body. Looks like he may have been poisoned. Take the glass off his body. When you return to Jormund, there's a guard posted outside his door. He's been accused of murdering Wrath. Talk to Jormund again, then to the guard, and show the glass you found to Jormund. He suspects poison as well, and tells you that the only apothecary here who could have sold it to someone is Sharpe. You then get this quest. Start by going to find Sharpe, but you only find his other half, Ivory, who's in the hut at the far NE corner of Qintarr. It seems Sharpe is away...

  Wait for her to leave the hut (around midnight), then pick the lock on the Vase there to find a Vial containing traces of the poison used to kill Wrath. Wait until morning, then talk to Ivory when she returns to the hut. When you start to question her about the poison, you learn that there was a triangle between her, Sharpe, and Wrath. Even though jealousy was involved, it becomes clear that an elf would never kill another elf... so you and Ivory come to the conclusion that Wrath couldn't stand it any longer and took his own life in order to frame Sharpe (you have to choose your dialogue very carefully in order to steer the conversation in this direction. One over-zealous or even remotely accusatory statement and she won't talk to you any longer). Armed with this knowledge you can now convince the guard to release Jormund. He'll join you as a follower, and he's got a full complement of Fire and Force spells (including Disintegrate!), so he can be quite handy.

• 5.  Mr. Winde wants you to ensure that the lost elven hunter is on his way home - 2000 XP and Elven Chainmail.
  Winde is standing just to the SW of where you first arrive. It seems one of his hunters was supposed to have returned by now, and he fears the hunter may have been set upon by beasts. He marks the last known location of this hunter on your map. See section on The Bedokaan Village below.

• 6.  Remove the humans from Falcon's Ache - 6400 XP and an audience with the Silver Lady.
  Head east from where you arrived, and then north. You'll see 3 elves guarding a passage that leads further upwards into the trees. Standing amongst them is the woman called Raven, who's actually the Silver Lady's daughter. Of course, you want to get an audience with the Silver Lady, but she alludes to there being more pressing matters for her to deal with. If you question her further, you'll get this quest to remove some humans from a place that is very sacred to the elves. Furthermore, you must not shed a drop of blood on this sacred ground. When asked, she marks the location of Falcon's Ache on your map. Just where you arrive at Falcon's Ache, you see a copse of trees immediately to the south. Head in there, and you can make your first offering to the pagan gods. The altar here is for Ter'el, a lesser god of the Sun circle, and he takes a Li'tani as an offering (small elven statue. You can get one from the elven trader on the docks in Ashbury). You get a blessing that increases your PE + 1, and Bow skill + 1.

  The humans, a group of logging company surveyors, are to the SW of where you arrived at Falcon's Ache. By the way, note how all the animals, even the ones that normally attack you, are living in peaceful harmony. Anyway, again a bit of Persuasion skill goes a long way. I was able to convince them that Gilbert Bates had an interest in the same piece of land, and that was enough to get rid of them. When you return to Raven, she grants you an audience with her mother... after which you're really none the wiser. So, speak to Raven again and she's able to piece together a few bits of the Silver Lady's puzzle. You get Quests 7, 8, and 9 as a result. You should probably start on Quest 8 next, as it seems the most immediately achievable.

• 7.  Locate the village of the Dark Elves - 4900 XP.
  You need to complete Quest 6 to get this quest. You complete it somewhat later on...

• 8.  Find out about Renford A. Terwilliger - 3100 XP and Tarant Quest 31.
  You need to complete Quest 6 to get this quest. The only thing you have to go on is that Terwilliger came from Tarant. So... back to Tarant it is then. When you ask people on the street in Tarant if they have heard of Renford A. Terwilliger, some say to check the cemetary, others the Hall of Records. If you go to the cemetary, sure enough, you find his tombstone in the NW corner. He died in 1804 (over 80 years ago). Only thing left to do now is check the Hall of Records. The Hall of Records is downstairs in the building that also houses the Water Dept (next to Zoological Society). Armed with the date from Terwilliger's tombstone, the clerk is easily able to locate his obituary. From this you learn that Terwilliger died under mysterious circumstances, and come across a reference to a book he wrote about the Dark Elves, which results in you getting Tarant Quest 31.

• 9.  Find out about M'in Gorad in the village of the Dark Elves, and report back to Raven - 8500 XP.
  You need to complete Quest 6 to get this quest... much later, having got what you need from M'in Gorad, when you return to Raven she suggests another audience with her mother, the Silver Lady. This time, the conversation is brief and a little less confusing. Basically, she says: "Your answer lies with Nasrudin". You thus get Quest 10.

• 10.  Find Nasrudin - 12600 XP.
  As a result of your second audience with the Silver Lady, after returning from the village of the dark elves, you get this quest. Raven will also join you as a follower now. She's got considerable experience in the Water and White Necromantic spell colleges, which means she can take the place of Virgil as your healer. She suggests going to the First Panarii Temple in Caladon for some further information concerning Arronax and Nasrudin...

The Bedokaan Village (1180 W, 314 S)
This village, inhabited by upright-walking reptilian creatures, is far to the NE of Qintarra, just at the top of the river that separates the Glimmering Forest from the Grey Mountains. When you arrive there, you see the elven hunter has been imprisoned in a pit. Seek out their leader, Kan Kerai, who is pacing around a fire in the NE part of the village. It seems that poachers have been killing his people for their skins, and for the time being he is treating all 'warm bloods' alike, even the elven hunter though no elf has ever laid a hand to the bedokaan. If you give Kan Kerai the answers he is looking for, then you get Quest 1 below.

The second altar of the 12 pagan gods is in this village. It takes a Heartstone as an offering , and gives a blessing from the god Makaal, a lesser god of the Sun circle, that bestows +1 DX. A Heartstone can be found just to the north of the pit where the elven hunter is imprisoned. There's also one north of Kan Kerai's fire. You might need it later for something else :-)

Quests

• 1.  Kill the Poachers for Kan Kerai - 2000 XP.
  The poachers are located at The Poachers Camp (1206 W, 275 S), just to the NW of the Bedokaan Village. If you talk to their leader, Robert Milton, you can strike a deal whereby you give him the location of the Bedokaan Village in exhange for 1000 Gold. When you subsequently meet him back at the village, he's wiped out all the creatures (including the imprisoned elven hunter). Even though this course of action is bad for your Alignment, it's good for your pocket, and oddly enough earns you a Fate Point! But it also botches Winde's quest (Qintarra Quest 5).
  Anyway, assuming that you kill Milton (he has an Elephant Gun on him!) and the other 3 poachers on the spot, make sure you talk to the elven hunter who has now been released from the pit, and then return to Winde.

Small Pond (1596 W, 881 S)
The pond is located south of Qintarra, near the head of the cheetah on the World Map. Just north of the pond are a monkey trainer and his horde of Monkey Swarmers. Once you dispose of them, there's an Arcane Chest in the shed which contains an Unidentified Sword.

Secret Village (1320 W, 180 S)
Located at the very top of the continent. A group of Kite Shamen in a mushroom circle. There are a dead wizard and ragged fighter here, but neither of the bodies had anything on them. Don't see what the point of this encounter was.

Strange Ceremony (1373 W, 705 S)
Hmm. Again, there didn't seem to be a point to this encounter. A few Kites around a fire. No sign of a chest or anything.

Small Camp (1261 W, 478 S)
Just to the west of the river that separates the Glimmering Forest from the Grey Mountains, you chance upon a Small Camp. Some human nobles and their guards have been killed by a Fleshy Mound. There's not a whole lot here. I found 124 Gold and and a few rusty weapons on the bodies.

Kerlin's Altar (883 W, 422 S)
Located to the NW of the drawing of the Ram on the World Map. It takes a Mnura Coin as an offering. Kerlin is a lesser god of the Earth circle.

The Bog (1076 W, 514 S)
SW of Kerlin's Altar, just to the east of the river that separates the Glimmering Forest from the Grey Mountains. There's a Wood Chest here guarded by some Putrid Walkers and a few Gore Guards. The chest contained: 650 Gold, an Unidentified Sword, and an Unidentified Axe.

The Bangellian Deeps (1179 W, 289 S)
There's a cave here, just north of the tip of the river that separates the Glimmering Forest from the Grey Mountains. Just to the NE after you enter the cave is a Wargunn guarding a Fancy Chest. The Chest had some useful scrolls in it, as well as some Unidentified Armor and an Unidentified Staff. Further on in there are more chests, each guarded by a host of weapon and armour wrecking beasties: Firejumpers, Seething Masses, and a Burnowar. The chests contained an Unidentified Bow and some Unidentified Armor. At the very back of the cave... there's a Cursed Paladin and some Paladin Slaves. The Cursed Paladin can heal himself, and was the toughest creature I fought so far. Fortunately, the Slaves are easy pickings once you manage to beat the Cursed Paladin into submission. In the Arcane Chest here, there's a very powerful but evilly aligned weapon called the Bangellian Scourge. It does a lot of damage, but has some nasty side affects including the sending of your Alignment west by 30 points just arming it. All the better for the evilly inclined though ;-)

Strange Pond (617 W, 528 S)
Someone in Ashbury told you the location. The pond is surrounded by a host of Level 20-ish creatures. In the middle of the pond is an island, and in the middle of this island is an Arcane Chest which contained, amongst other things: 700+ Gold, an Unidentified Ring, and Unidentified Gloves.

Caladon (1605 W, 1828 S)
On the very southern tip of the continent. Initially, you can only get here by ship from either Tarant, Ashbury, or Blackroot.

Just across from the docks where you arrive is the Mushroom Inn. There's a Tarant Newspaper here that tells you about the Whytechurch Murderer, who is the subject of Quest 4 below.

Kietzel Pierce, the Bow Master that you first met in Blackroot, is at the Mushroom Inn. If you managed to locate his missing student Dudley Crosston, who you should find in Dernholm, you get 1700 XP for taking a heavy weight off Kietzel's mind.

From passers-by you find out that Victor Misk lives at 9 Gray Wolf Terrace. This address is just around the corner from the Armoury, in the centre of Caladon. Of course, when you arrive there you find out that Misk is already dead. See Quest 1.

The First Panarii Temple (the Panarii priest in Tarant told you about it) is next to the cemetary. Just inside the entrance is a large book called the "Archaeon" that tells of Kraka-Tur (you came across his journal in the Lair of Bellerogrim), Arronax, and others being banished to a place called the Void for their foul deeds. I couldn't accomplish anything on my first visit. The head priest Alexander is away, and an acolyte tells you to come back later... and quite a bit later it is too. You have to visit the village of the dark elves, T'sen-Ang, and then talk to Raven in Qintarra afterwards. She suggests you find out more about Nasrudin by visiting here, and when you return this time, Alexander is here! He'll let you through the heretofore sealed doors behind him in order to chat with Gunther Willhelm the historian (in the suit, to the right) and Hadrian the gnome archaeologist (to the left). Speak to Gunther first and get a bit more background info on Mannox, Alexander, and Nasrudin. He cautions you about telling Hadrian the true story about how you got here. Then, have a look at Quest 8.

By the way, remember how Virgil left you to return to Caladon as you were leaving T'sen-Ang? Well, he's in the basement of the Sobbing Onion, accessed through the trap door in the back room. He's come here to avenge the death of his brother at the hands of the same thugs that are attacking him now. If you intervene quickly, you can save Virgil (though he's meant to die and you're supposed to have to resurrect him, because in the conversation afterwards, you ask him what death was like! There's a Scroll of Resurrect in the Wood Chest there if you need it :-) Joachim finally arrives on the scene once Virgil rises from the floor, but he won't join your party. Seems to think you're doing just fine on your own. Virgil, however, is glad to re-join. He seems changed somehow, and says that he is now ready to help you face Arronax...

Standing just outside Shoreline Park in the NE part of town are two old crones having a quarrel. It would seem that one of them made an error of judgement, and handed over 2000 Gold worth of goods in exchange for 3 'Magick Beans'. I bought the beans for 1000 Gold to resolve their problem. You need to have the beans identified before they become usable... the gypsy woman who can identify items in Caladon is all the way to the north of town across a shallow stretch of water.

Daniel McPherson, Master of Disarm Trap, lives at 23 Dragon's Turnabout (NW part of town). He's got a full-blown maze loaded with traps for you to navigate built into his basement, but you can only get access to it if you're training as Master of Disarm Trap.

If you're already an Apprentice at Prowling, then the Elite Bow Captain who is walking up and down King's Way will train you as Expert. He then gives you Note 1 from the Prowling Master. The clues in this Note point you in the direction of the Mushroom Inn, where you'll find a Note 2 in room number 4 there. The clue on this note reads: "Look closely near the beast with four legs but one foot. Enhance your gift of sight to make old paintings new and bright." So, look at the bed there (the beast), then look at it again to retrieve the pair of Eyeglasses. Put these on, then look at the painting on the wall there, which action places A Mysterious Location (1587 W, 1816 S) on your map.

If you head along the coast east from Caladon, you quickly arrive at this place. There are a bunch of Brute Fangs here, guarding a corpse that is lying against a Hollow Stump amongst a ring of stones (presumably, seeing as you're on the Prowling Master quest, you should use your Prowling skill to sneak by all the Brute Fangs). The Stump contains only a Note, which says: "Here is a note whose secrets shine bright when viewed beside the Mushroom's bright firelight". So... head back to the Mushroom Inn, stand near the fire, and read the note again. Aha! It's from the Prowling Master, one Albert Leek. The clue here is: "Use a knife to slice my head. Weep beside me when I am dead." Off to the Sobbing Onion then, and the half elf standing at the bar turns out to be Albert Leek. Of course, he'll only train you as a Master Prowler if you have the requisite skill. Funnily enough, you had to be better at figuring out clues than Prowling to attain the title of Prowling Master!

If you took Tarant Quest 38 to assassinate Kind Farad and you don't have enough Persuasion skill to get the run of the castle, you'll find Bullors (the dwarf city dweller) at the SE end of the docks there standing next to a large crate. The crate is bound for the castle, and if you get inside it, you'll find yourself... right next to the kitchen. Your other contact Vernon is in the kitchen, and he gives you a key to the kitchen door. From there, make your way NE to the stairs. On the next floor, you only have to contend with one guard. Then find the vent in the room to the NE that leads to a corridor with 2 huge ventilation fans in it. Enter any of the vents there, and then work your way towards the large central room with all the chests in it. The room is heavily trapped, but the central chest contains 3700+ Gold.

Take the door to the west from this room, head up the stairs, and you'll find yourself right outside King Farad's room. After you assassinate him, the easiest way out is by exiting through the vent in his room. Then just head NE through one locked door, then west up the stairs there. You find yourself in a room quite near the castle entrance. Unfortunately, your assassination of the King has been noted by the entire populace of Caladon, who are now hostile to you. Report back to Jenks in Grants Tavern on Kensington Broadway in Tarant to complete this quest.

Quests

• 1.  Lillian Misk wants an investigation into who disclosed the information concerning the ownership of "Horror Among the Dark Elves" by her late husband - 800 XP.
  Speak to his widow Lillian to get this quest (and you've also just completed Tarant Quest 32). During your conversation, Lillian mentions that before Misk died he hid his copy of "Horror Among the Dark Elves" somewhere that only himself and his father knew about. Hmm.

  She doesn't suspect that the servants leaked the information about Misk owning the book, but you should question them anyway. Wesley the butler seems a lot more nervous than Brinda the maid. Don't press Wesley too hard though, or he runs out the door and everyone in the household becomes hostile to you. The more astute among you will have noticed the corner of Wesley's passport sticking out from under the sofa. From this you get his address: 25 Dragon's Turnabout, Caladon. Let's pop on over there and have a poke around, shall we? Dragon's Turnabout is in the NW part of town, past the entrance to the Panarii temple. Sure enough, we find a Note in the Wood Chest at the foot of Wesley's bed that implicates him (but not explicitly) in the book deal. It's signed by an Elmer Burbottom. When I returned to Wesley and confronted him with this evidence, he just got really stroppy about my poking into his personal affairs and clammed up even further.

  So, I then searched every corner of Caladon looking for this Burbottom character, to no avail. Finally, it occurred to me to check the Hall of Records in Tarant. But before you go all the way back there, visit the cemetary right at the end of Gray Wolf Terrace, and enlist Brigham Schulefest's aid in digging up Misk's grave (basically, you buy his shovel for 500 Gold and wait till nightfall when the guards are asleep. Don't tell him about the zeppelin crash because he's Molochean Hand! Hold onto the shovel for later). While you're there, Virgil will leave you to go visit another grave. Take note of whose grave this is and look this name up in The Hall of Records too, for a bit of a surprise! If you return to Lillian with the book from Misk's grave (it's from the gift shop at the Roseborough Inn), she'll put Roseborough on the map for you. Make a note to visit there as soon as you can.

  Anyway, so you travel to Tarant and look up both those names at the Hall of Records. Turns out that Lawrence Brummond was brutally murdered, and Virgil is his brother. Virgil went on the run when this happened. Interesting. Also turns out that Burbottom lives at 14 Trellis Way in Ashbury, which is the address of Kendrick Wales, the author! So Wales is a pen name then. Head on over to Ashbury, and enter Wales' house. Just as you get there a wizard who attacked Wales vanishes. Before he dies, Wales admits that Elmer Burbottom was his real name, and that it was indeed he who got the information from Wesley. Alright, back to Caladon we go. When you return, Wesley is gone. Speaking to Lillian reveals that someone put a knife through his heart a few days ago, poor bugger, but it serves him right. I couldn't help but noticing that you get a paltry amount of XP for solving this mystery that had you running all over Arcanum looking for clues. Hmph.

  While at the Misk residence, you'll no doubt have noticed the Book of Durin's Truth in the locked display case. This item will only have meaning to you if you've visited the Place of Lost Voices. You can buy it from Lillian for 2000 Gold, or steal the key from her, or sneak in and steal the book at night once Wesley is gone. Opening the book reveals the location of the Iron Clan! See section below: Secret Entrance to the Iron Clan.

• 2.  Arthur Tyron needs you to find proof of half ogre breeding being done on "Half Ogre Island" - 8500 XP and a Fate Point.
  Finally after all your searching you come upon Tyron! He's living in the NW part of town at 22 Dragon's Turnabout. You give him the Re'nar siamese twin skulls, thus completing Tarant Quest 23. He then tells you about this wild conspiracy theory of his whereby women are being used to force breed half-ogres. He also tells you that Matt de Cesare is dead. Anyway, you can accept his quest to go to this island and have a look around. Sure enough, that's all you need to do. An unlocked safe in a gruesome laboratory not far from where you're dropped off contains a journal that tells all... but when you return to Tyron to let him know what you found, it's not Tyron who is there at all, but rather a gnome who is quite knowledgeable about the whole situation.

• 3.  Find proof for Hieronymous Maxim that his heavier than air machines actually flew - 9900 XP and Medical Arachnid.
  Maxim the inventor is in his factory all the way in the SW part of Caladon, at the west end of Old King's Way. He needs proof that his design for a flying machine actually works, because all the ones he built have been destroyed. Well... remember that I told you to get the Camera from the Crash Site? This is what it's for! Of course, it contains pictures of Maxim's stolen aircraft attacking the zeppelin. Maxim gives you a strange invention of his called a Medical Arachnid as a reward. He also offers to build you a Mechanized Gun if you bring him a Clarington Rifle and an Auto Loading Mechanism. Oddly enough though, the schematics for a Mechanized Gun call for a Repeater Rifle instead of the Clarington Rifle!

• 4.  Chief Inspector Henderson has charged you with the task of finding the Whytechurch murderer - 8500 XP and 2000 Gold.
  Caladon Police Headquarters is located at 5 Saint's Avenue, in the NE part of town. Talk to the gnome (or is he a halfling? I can never tell the difference). Since his own people aren't making any progress, he agrees to let you assist. You can start off by questioning the prostitute in the adjoining room, but it wasn't much help. Then go to either murder scene and note the trap door that you can't possibly open. When you report back to the inspector, he finds this fact unremarkable, but tells you that another murder has been committed, this time at the Mushroom Inn. Go to room 2 there and note the name written in green blood (getting creepy alright). When you report back to him this time, he suggests you seek out a demonologist. Hey, wasn't there one of those back in Tarant at University Court? Groan. Head back to Tarant and have a look at Quest 33 there.

  Once you return to the inspector with the Blade of Xerxes in hand, he sends you down to the end of the street where 2 of his men are guarding an entrance to the sewers (that's where you figured the elf must be hiding). Work your way to the end of the tunnel (some Krag Berserkers along the way are all carrying Bone Daggers if you need one for an offering), and you'll come upon an elf named Vincent standing next to an Arcane Chest (which contained a powerful Unidentified Shield). Speak with him. He's been expecting you. Make sure you attack him with the Blade of Xerxes. It seems to be alright if one of your party members kills him with another weapon as long as you attack him with the Blade first. If you don't have the Blade on you, DO NOT attack him (although, I don't think Vincent will be standing there in the first place if you don't have the Blade. It's a set scene). If you kill him with any other weapon, you free the demon L'anamelach and it's impervious to all weapons! And that's not a good thing. Anyway, if you complete the quest successfully, the inspector is eternally grateful, in his own flippant way, and rewards you with some Gold for your efforts.

• 5.  Ryan Sanders wants you to kill his father, Jonathan Sanders. He will pay you 1,000 coin when the job is complete - 9900 XP and 1000 Gold.
  Ryan is in the Sobbing Onion. Be sympathetic to his cause and you get this quest. His father lives over at 5 Whytechurch Landing, right at the back of the Onion. You can get 2000 Gold out of Ryan by threatening blackmail after you kill his father, but then he becomes hostile and sets his goons after you. You can try to talk to Jonathan Sanders about the contract his son has put on his life... but he didn't believe me and I had to kill him anyway.

• 6.  David Wit would like you to discover what is killing his rabbits - 3600 XP.
  David and his daughter Cynthia live in the house furthest south in Caladon, at 25 Old King's way. Talk to David and you learn that something is killing his rabbits at night. Then talk to Cynthia and find out that she has strange nightmares. Hmm. If you wait around outside till evening time, a werewolf comes out of the house and starts beating up on one of the rabbits. Just observe. When you follow the werewolf back inside, you see Cynthia passed out on the floor. When she awakes, you tell her that she's a werewolf. She begs you to talk to her father, thinking he might know what to do. Talking to David completes this quest, and you can get Quest 7 next.

• 7.  Find a cure for Cynthia Wit's werewolf curse - 5600 XP, 1000 Gold, and a Fate Point.
  If you don't kill Cynthia, you get this opportunity to find a cure for her instead. Her father suggests that you might find a cure for lycanthropy in a place called Tulla...

• 8.  Hadrian the Archaeologist wants you to bring back a piece of Nasrudin's skeleton - 6000 XP... and a bucketful of useful info!
  Speak to Hadrian the gnome archaeologist, and ask him about Nasrudin's remains (note while you are talking to him that one of the exotic items he has on display is probably the "key of glass" you need to get into the Iron Clan cave, mentioned in the Book of Durin's Truth... but you can't get this item yet). You get the same quest no matter what conversation path you choose, but some ways are easier than others:
  1. Pretend to be a fellow archaeologist. This is the easiest route to pursue if you can pull it off. He tells you that the official way in to Nasrudin's tomb at the back of the temple is too heavily guarded, and they'll never let you through (true), BUT he knows of a secret way into the tomb that no one else has discovered. If you enter the sewers via the grate right in front of the Temple, and look for a crack in the wall he has spotted there, that will get you in. Then you need a code word to get by an otherwise impassable door, and he gives it to you (if you knock on this door 3 times, a few Storm Soldiers appear and start beating on you, but they're pretty easy to dispose of. However, that still doesn't get you through the door). See paragraph after c. once you're in the tomb.

  2. Tell him the story about the zeppelin crash, like Gunther warned you not to. Oops. However, as you're exiting the conversation, he does come around a bit. He's so interested in getting his hands on Nasrudin's remains that he gives you this quest anyway. This route turns out exactly like option c. below, so you can follow that thread to get to the tomb.

  3. Tell him that you have an interest in the remains. He alludes to there being a way into the catacombs via the sewers, but he doesn't elaborate. Going through the crack in the wall as in a. doesn't quite cut the mustard, because you can't get through the impassable door without having the code word. However, you can see from there that there is another way in behind this door coming from the left. So... go back into the sewers. Make the first right, then keep working your way to the SW, going to the right whenever possible, and you'll eventually, after a few twists and turns, start coming back up to the NW part of the sewers. Finally, in the far NW corner of the sewers, there's another crack in the wall that leads to the passage you saw behind the impassable door.

  Once inside the tomb, no matter how you got there, open the sarcophagus. Note that the skeleton inside is missing the finger on his right hand... so it must actually be Mannox that's buried there instead of Nasrudin! Also note the writing in blood on the sarcophagus lid. The poor soul was apparently buried alive. Take the Skull from the sarcophagus in any case, and return to Hadrian (the exit from the tomb is a passage in the floor in the east corner). Hadrian confirms your suspicion that the corpse is not that of Nasrudin (it's a human skull, and Nasrudin was an elf), and sends you back over to Gunther to see if he can translate the writing in blood. When you tell Gunther about the symbols, he says they translate to "opposite" and "truth". And they're in relation to Mannox. Hmm.

  This leads you (albeit rather tenuously) to a big loose end that you can now tie up... in front of the Roseborough Inn there's a curious Ancient Stone with some strange symbols on it. A plaque next to the stone states that it used to be in the centre of the Ring of Brodgar, which is out on the grass a ways NW of the Inn. The symbols are a set of directions and distances (like: SW 30). If you plot them out carefully on a piece of paper, you wind up going about 70 units to the east, and then 100 units to the SE. I tried this (from the centre of the Ring) using paces with my character, and you wind up close to the cemetary, but there's nothing there exactly. HOWEVER, the clue here is "opposite" (see above). So... I then tried the exact opposite: going west 70 paces, then NW 100 paces. Still no dice. BUT, if you assume yards (or metres) instead of paces and say that 1.5 paces equals 1 metre (man, this is fairly contrived), then something fairly amazing happens...

  Start from the centre of the Ring of Brodgar again, and after walking 100 paces to the west, then 150 paces NW (roughly along the coast) you come to a Stone Vault! Of course, the word to open the Vault is "Truth", and you're now inside the true tomb of Mannox. You find his Journal and Sword there. Return to the First Panarii Temple in Caladon and tell them all that you have discovered the truth about what happened to Mannox. Remember that Alexander is a direct descendant of Mannox. You get a Fate Point when you hand over his family's sword. Even better, Hadrian now gives you access to all the objects in his collection! You now have the Glass Key to get into the Iron Clan cave (see Secret Entrance to the Iron Clan section below), the Eye of Kraka-Tur (might come in handy later on?), and the Finger of Mannox which bestows some great stats when worn.

  Meanwhile, Gunther has been working on the older translation of the Archaeon again, and he now thinks that Nasrudin is most likely buried on the island of Thanatos rather than in Caladon as previously thought. Sigh. Off to there next then... but this is not so easy. None of the ship captains want to take you there. See the Getting to Thanatos section below for further details. Incidentally, when you return to Loghaire at the Wheel Clan with news that the Black Mountain Clan are imprisoned in the Void, he offers to join you (regardless of your follower limit :-) on your journey to Thanatos. Loghaire is quite a formidable Melee fighter. Funny thing is though, you give him his own weapon "Harrow" back, and the silly little bugger refuses to use it!? Hmph.

• 9.  Kietzel Pierce will train you as a Bow Master if you can find the Bow of Ecclesiates, said to be hidden in the ancient Ruins of Szabo - 800 XP and Bow Master.
  Kietzel is hanging out in the lobby of the Mushroom Inn. Of course, you can only get this quest if you are already a Bow Expert with 5 ranks of skill. Journey to the Ruins of Szabo which Kietzel marks on your map (1028 W, 1323 S). Take the Passage leading underground there, and then take out the 2 Bludgeoners in the room ahead. In the next room is a Torch which, when extinguished with your bow, brings you into an area with a whole bunch of Tattered Bowmen. At the end of this area is another Torch. Shooting out this Torch brings you in front of 3 more Torches. The Chest here contains what turns out to be the Bow of Ecclesiates (just 'Bow'). Shoot out the right-most Torch here to return to the outside world. Kietzel is ecstatic with this Bow when you return it to him, and trains you as Bow Master. You only get a measly 800 XP for completing this quest though :-(

• 10.  Rescue Tollo Underhill, the thief, from the pits beneath Praetor's castle - 10900 XP and map of Vendigroth Ruins.
  You need to complete T'sen-Ang Quest 3 by speaking to K'an Hua in order to get this quest. Just travel to Dernholm and talk to the guards outside the Pits who should throw you in after you annoy them a bit (note: they won't throw you in no matter what until you get this quest! However, if you want to get into the Pits anyway, there's a Passage amongst some trees across the river and several hundred paces to the NW. Difficult to find though). Once in the Pits, just keep fighting your way through the dark elf prisoners until you run into Tollo. You can take the map off him once he joins you. If you wish to keep him in your party, there's some nice Unidentified Small Armour and an Unidentified Dagger guarded by some Spiders just north of his cell. Just have to get by a Desecrator then, and you're out of the Pits. Tollo will join you as a follower if you've enough CH. See Quest 11 next.

• 11.  Retrieve the Vendigroth Device and meet K'an Hua in the Ring of Brodgar - 17100 XP.
  If you complete Quest 10, Tollo will give you a map of the Vendigroth Ruins. Travel to the Gateway to the Wastes, and then onwards to the Dark Dark Elf Camp, both of which K'an Hua put on your map. At the Dark Elf Camp, you'll find a dead dark elf with a Vendigroth Journal on him. This gives you the location of the Vendigroth Ruins, from whence you can proceed using the instructions in that section below to find the fabled Vendigroth Device. Once you have the Device, meet K'an Hua in the Ring of Brodgar (just NW of the Roseborough Inn). See section on Ring of Brodgar below.

Caladon Thieves Underground Quests

You can only get access to these quests by joining the Thieves Underground as per Tarant Quest 14. Standing in the alley beside the Toadstool (companion bar to the Mushroom Inn) is a half-orc who's the Caladon Thieves Underground contact. He'll tell you that the black market (fence) for Caladon is located in the back of the Sobbing Onion, which is just up the road a bit. He's also the guy who doles out thieving jobs for you here. The fence at the Sobbing Onion is a fellow named Mr. Razzia.

• 1.  The Thieves Underground would like me to go to the dock warehouse and retrieve the post bound for Tarant - 2000 XP and 350 Gold.
  The Tarant Postal Bag is in a set of Locked Crates in the building on the docks.

• 2.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve Ryan Sander's pocket watch - 1500 XP and 300 Gold.
  Ryan Sanders is in the front room of the Sobbing Onion. He's quite easy to pickpocket.

• 3.  The Thieves Underground would like me to find the secret basement in Ryan Sander's home and retrieve the Staff of Restoration rumored to be hidden there - 2800 XP and 500 Gold.
  Sander's home is at 5 Whytechurch Landing, right at the back of the Onion. His father Jonathan is there in the front room with 2 bodyguards; however, they don't even notice when you pick the lock on the Trapdoor in the back room. The Staff of Restoration is in the locked Wood Chest on the west side of the basement. Another handy item you may want to keep rather than selling to Razzia.

• 4.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve a chest of gold from a wrecked ship south of Caladon before the authorities can get to it - 1000 XP and 700 Gold.
  If you go over the bridge to the south of town, and just keep heading south until you come to the coast, then work your way along the coast until you come to a shipwreck, you'll find quite a few things here. On the shore is a large crate with a Small Steam Engine inside. On one of the wrecked ship bits is a Body with the Chest of Gold that you came here for next to it. On the Body is a pair of Metal Boots, and a set of Unidentified Armor.

• 5.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve a necklace that is rumored to have magickal powers from the couple staying at The Mushroom Inn - 1500 XP and 250 Gold.
  In a locked and trapped Wood Chest in Room 3 at the Mushroom Inn. Oddly enough, when I had the Amulet identified, it shows up as a Dark Helm. But you can wear it as a necklace, and it boosts your Magick Resistance when you do so, therefore it really is an Amulet.

• 6.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve a suit of Caladon Crusading Armor from a secret Armory hidden beneath one of the guardhouses - 2200 XP and 400 Gold.
  The guardhouse you are looking for is the one right at the entrance to Shoreline Park. You'll have to be able to pick the lock on the Trapdoor to gain access underground. The Caladon Crusading Chain is in a locked Wood Chest in the back room, guarded by a few Rock Rats.

• 7.  The Thieves Underground would like me to retrieve Ryan Marshall's police records - 3100 XP and 300 Gold.
  Best wait until evening time when one of the guards in front of the police station goes away (otherwise he can "see" you right through the brick wall!) and then pick the lock on the filing cabinet in the back room to get Ryan Marshall's file.

• 8.  Adam Maxwell, a member of the Thieves Underground, has asked you to steal the ancient book entitled "Divinations and Magicks for the Adept Wizard" from the home of Widower Misk in Caladon - 3100 XP and 250 Gold.
  Maxwell lives at 24 Dragon's Turnabout, and he will give you this quest if you're a member of the Thieves Underground. Just wait till after midnight in the Misk residence, then break into the back room and nab the book off the Pedastal.

• 9.  Adam Maxwell, a member of the Thieves Underground, has asked you to heist the priceless Necklace of Queen K'na S'ea from the museum in Caladon - 6400 XP and 550 Gold.
  You need to complete Thieves Underground Quest 8 before you can get this quest. The museum is at No. 1 Dragon's Turnabout. The Necklace is in the safe there. A Mechanized Arachnid (Poison) attacks you when you open the safe...

Roseborough (1750 W, 1515 S)
Far to the NW of Caladon, on the coast. Lillian Misk put it on your map when you talked to her about the book from the Roseborough Inn gift shop that you found in Victor's grave.

If you cast your mind back, you'll recall Lillian Misk mentioning that Victor hid the book in a place only he and his father knew about, and she also stated that Victor's father was buried here. So if you put two and two together... Philip Misk's (freshly dug up) grave is in the small cemetary to the north of where you arrive in Roseborough. Sure enough, hidden there is Victor's copy of "Horror Among the Dark Elves". You've just completed Tarant Quest 31 and Qintarra Quest 7 in one go! You should travel to T'sen-Ang next. See section below.

If you still have the Matchbook from the Roseborough Inn with you, the innkeeper remembers Stennar/Preston Ratcliffe passing through. She actually sent him to Razzia in Caladon to get the fake passport!

Quests

• 1.  Trever Lynwood, a journalist for the Tarantian, needs you to get a photograph of the elusive Lethe Wyvern - 6400 XP and 300 Gold.
  Trevor is standing there with another man near the innkeeper's desk in the Roseborough Inn. He's on assignment for the Tarantian newspaper to get a photograph of this fearsome beast. He lends you his camera if you promise to get a shot for him, and marks the location of the beast's lair on your map. He also tells you of an old bridge near there that might come in handy. Travel to the Lethe Wyvern Sighting (1580 W, 1009 S), which is right on the river to the north. The beast is lurking in the trees north of the path. He's quite difficult to spot before he spots you, but all you need to do is use Trevor's camera on him before you kill him (you'll hear a click when you use it on him successfully), and even though he's Level 45, he's quite easy to kill as you should be 'loaded for bear' at this stage in the game. The bridge Trevor mentioned is just to the NE of here. It is indeed handy for getting both to the Glimmering Forest and back to the Stonewall Range area without having to hire a ship in Caladon all the time :-)

T'sen-Ang (1506 W, 297 S)
You can only find this place by completing Qintarra Quest 7. It's in the far northern part of the Glimmering Forest. Tell the guard at the base of the tree that you're here to see M'in Gorad. The easiest way to get in is to pretend you're with the Molochean Hand (who you now realise are working for the Dark Elves), by possessing one of the amulets you took off their bodies.

M'in Gorad is a female dark elf who's in a room one platform to the west of where you arrive, and then north through a Passage. If you have high IN and Persuasion skill, you can find out what happened to the Black Mountain Clan by persuing the tack that the Molochean Hand needs to know more in order to locate the blimp survivor, thus completing Wheel Clan Quest 1; otherwise, she has a Note on her that tells you about the fate of the Black Mountain Clan. You can either pickpocket it or kill her for it. Then reading the Note will complete Wheel Clan Quest 1.

You should now return to Raven in Qintarra... as you're leaving, you run into Molochean Hand key man Gideon Laier. If you're careful with your conversation choices, the Molochean Hand will bother you no more :-) One more surprise in store. When you get to the bottom of the tree, Virgil inexplicably leaves the party. He says there's something he must do in Caladon that he should have done a long time ago...

One platform to the west of where you arrive, on the SW part of the platform, is the dark elf wizard Z'an Al'urin. She'll join you as a follower, but only if your Alignment is neutral or evil. Speaking of evil... if you are so inclined then you should check out Quest 2 below.

Quests

• 1.  Kill the dark elf mage T'val N'or in order to break the spell holding the half ogre slaves - 6400 XP and a Fate Point.
  If you head two trees over to the west, and then north from where you arrived, you'll find a dark elf guard with three half-ogre prisoners. Talk to one of the prisoners, and you can agree to kill this mage to release them. The mage is in a room just to the south of here... by the way, I'd wait till you've done everything else you wanted to do here before killing this mage. It can make the whole village hostile towards you!

• 2.  Kill all of the inhabitants of Stillwater - 8500 XP and a Fate Point.
  OK... if you're playing an evil character, this is the opportunity you've been waiting for ;-) If your Alignment is at least -10, then when you're talking to M'in Gorad, you get the dialogue choice to say that you're not with the Molochean Hand, and that you'd like to join forces with the dark elves! She then asks you to kill all of the inhabitants of Stillwater to prove your loyalty to her cause. Of course, doing this will send your Alignment all the way west, if it isn't there already. You'll know you've got them all when you register another Fate Point. Report back to M'in Gorad then to get Quest 3.

• 3.  I am meant to travel to Caladon and speak with the high priest of the Panarii, K'an Hua. He is to be found in his office in the Panarii temple there - 6000 XP.
  You need to complete Quest 2 in order to get this one. K'an Hua is in his office in the basement of the temple. Just tell his guards that M'in Gorad sent you, and you'll be let in. Speaking to K'an Hua confirms that you are now on the dark path to the end of the game! You get Caladon Quests 10 and 11 next...

Bolo's Altar (1626 W, 1636 S)
Straight northwards from Caladon. Bolo is a lesser god of the Earth circle, and takes any Ring as an offering.

The Cold Place (1611 W, 1412 S)
NE of Roseborough. You have to find the snow path that spirals into the centre of this place. It begins at the northern part. You're in Combat Mode the whole way in and all the way back out, so be careful. In the centre is an Arcane Chest with a few goodies inside.

The Broken Cathedral (1627 W, 1206 S)
Almost due north from The Cold Place. A pair of Grim Shades and some Bone Butchers guarding an Arcane Chest which contained: 1100+ Gold and an Unidentified Sword.

Thieves Cave (1550 W, 1536 S)
You'll most likely run across this place when you're searching for the Gorgoth Pass. It's on the mountain face straight east from Roseborough. You have to either shrink yourself using the spell or the scroll to get into the cave, but it's best to use the spell (you need to come back again to complete a quest). Also, you have to make any non-shrunken followers wait outside, or you won't be let into the cave. Once inside, talk to Renzo to get Quest 1 below.

Quests

• 1.  Renzo would like for me to plant the stolen heirloom on Frederik - 4600 XP and 500 Gold.
  It would seem that these kind-hearted thieves have been framed, and they'd like to get their own back. Accept the stolen heirloom from Renzo, and head back to Roseborough. Sure enough, Frederik is camped out at the bar in the Roseborough Inn. Just plant the statue on him, then report to the Captain of the Rosborough Guard, in the building just to the west of the Inn. Tell him that Frederik has framed the halfling thieves. Report back to the Thieves Cave and shrink yourself again to collect your reward.

Gorgoth Pass (1500 W, 1443 S)
You hear a rumour in Caladon that there's a pass through the mountains somewhere north of here, and the rumour also alludes to an altar being there. You have to work your way all along the west side of the Stonewall Range north of Caladon to find this place. Just keep trying to make inroads into the face of each mountain until you get "Your path is blocked...", and you'll eventually find it, to the SE of The Cold Place.

Indeed, there's an altar to Kai'tan, the greater god of the Earth circle, in the middle of the pass. She accepts a Geode as an offering. Lots of tough creatures to fight through to get here, by the way, including the ubiquitous Ore Golem. Anyway, once you've fought your way through them once, as with Hardin's Pass, you can now use it as a convenient waypoint for travel between Caladon and Tarant.

The Old Lagoon (1696 W, 1319 S)
Well, the ever elusive Vol'ars Wisp turns out not to lurk in the Glimmering Forest at all, as Whysper indicated, but much further south. There's a pond here inhabited by all sorts of Wisps and other creatures, with an Arcane Chest at the centre. Make sure you take some Vol'ars Wisp Essence with you in order to complete Qintarra Quest 3.

Ancient Ruins (1754 W, 1480 S)
North of Roseborough on the coast. Just a few Fleshy Mounds guarding a Mystic Chest.

Secret Entrance to the Iron Clan (1515 W, 1184 S)
Located between Arbalah's House and Torin Quarry, but on the west side of the Stonewall Range mountains. You can only find this place by reading the Book of Durin's Truth (see Caladon Quest 1). You also need the "key of glass" that the book mentions in order to gain entrance. See Caladon Quest 8 for details on how to obtain it. Once you have the Glass Key, you can use it on the Ancient Iron Device to open the iron doors leading into the cave. Once inside, head through the door in front of you, and... 4 Automatons attack you! Once you dispatch them, there are 3 large Barrels here, each containing a valuable item: Iron Clan Armour (great for Loghaire), Iron Clan Hammer (ditto), and the Durin Stone. Take the Durin Stone back to Erick Obsidian of the Wheel Clan to complete Wheel Clan Quest 4.

Getting to Thanatos
If you journey to Blackroot where the ship captain in Caladon suggests you might find someone crazy enough there to take you to Thanatos, the Ship Builder on the docks there has finally finished building his ship. Unfortunately, he wants 50,000 Gold for it, and I was not able to persuade him otherwise! So then I remembered Edward Teach, who took me to the Isle of Despair when no one else would, and went to Ashbury... but he's no longer on the ship there. I then returned to Gilbert Bates in Tarant thinking that he might know where Teach was. Nope. So, I finally returned to Blackroot and had a look around there. Sure enough, Teach is right there on the docks either in or near the Sour Barnacle! But the poor bugger has lost his ship gambling. He suggests 3 means by which you might get a ship to journey to Thanatos:

1. Buy one from the Ship Builder (but you're very unlikely to have 50,000 Gold on you. Master Hagglers could probably get it for less).
2. Gamble for it with Killian Drake (who is standing right there at a table with 2 big goons). This option is only available to a Master of Gambling. Killian won't even entertain you otherwise.
3. Of course, the most unsavoury option, and the one you're most likely to have to run with. Teach tells you about Stringy Pete, the ghost pirate, and sends you to Stringy Petes Cove (682 W, 1342 S) SW of Kree, in search of Stringy Pete's grave. He hopes that you might be able to defeat Stringy Pete and take his ship. When you arrive there, head south along the path, and take the small boat across the cove. There you find Stringy Pete's grave. A little further along the path is Stringy Pete himself, standing proudly in front of his ship. Now... you can attack Stringy Pete, but he's Level 50. That wouldn't be so bad in itself, but even when you zero out his Fatigue, he just keeps on going (because he's dead already, right). Even if you defeat him, 5 of his minions immediately spring up and they're just as tough as he was. I could only manage to defeat them using the powerful Disintegrate spell (highly recommended, by the way) and a few Greater Fatigue Potions. So... a much more likely way to get his ship is by taking on the 3 quests he offers you in exchange for his ship. See below.

Anyway... whether you manage to bump ol' Pete off, or you complete his quests, you finally have yourself a ship that ye can sail wherever ye fancy. I suppose it's off to Thanatos we are then? See section on Thanatos below.

Quests

• 1.  Stringy Pete wants you to return his treasure, including the silver boot buckles of Jonas Williamson, to the remaining members of the Williamson family - 6000 XP.
  Pete tells you that he buried the treasure just north of here. Actually, it's due west on your World Map at: Stringy Pete's Treasure (807 W, 1341 S). Sure hope you brought that shovel along again :-) Make sure you take the Treasure and the Silver Boot Buckles (of course), then head on over to The Williamson Homestead (509 W, 1114 S) on the east coast. Molly Williamson is only too delighted to take the stuff off you.

• 2.  This quest is essentially Vooriden Quest 1.
  I had already solved it earlier in the game when I stumbled upon Vooriden.

• 3.  Stringy Pete wants you to put the Bangellian Scourge into the Bangellian Furnace - 6800 XP.
  You may already have procured the Bangellian Scourge. If so, I hope you remember where you stashed it! Otherwise, have a look at the Bangellian Deeps section above. Only difference is that now you should throw the Bangellian Scourge into the Furnace there right after you get it.

Thanatos
You need to get a ship of your own before you can journey here.

Just south of where you arrive is a Barrel (next to a tent) that contains a Book. This book is a journal that tells the story of a man's search for the Ashlag tribe. More importantly, there are 2 locations on Thanatos that now appear on your World Map. There's nothing much at The Village of the Ashlag Tribe (744 W, 1701 S), but there's a lot happening at the Land Bridge (720 W, 1887 S), which is the place the journal referred to as "The god of Thanatos". Cross the Land Bridge and enter the enclosed tree area there. If you fight your way through to the far SW of the enclosed tree area, you'll finally come upon an exit (that was rather difficult to spot). Just south of the exit is a shack, and inside this shack there's a bit of a surprise in store for you, I'm afraid! See Quest 1 below.

Quests

• 1.  Retrieve the Vendigroth Device and meet Nasrudin in the Ring of Brodgar - 17100 XP.
  Speaking to the old elf wizard in the shack completes Qintarra Quest 10, and you also get this quest. Indeed, you are now at Nasrudin's Resting Place (721 W, 1891 S). Nasrudin is resting there alright, but not quite in the way you probably imagined him to be :-)
  Nasrudin marks the location of the Gateway to the Wastes on your map. Off to the Vendigroth Wastes next, in search of the lost city of Vendigroth.

Gateway to the Wastes (466 W, 741 S)
As soon as you arrive at the Gateway to the Wastes, you'll bump into Weldo Rubin, the halfling adventurer. He kindly puts Tulla, the city of the mages, on your map. Weldo will join you as a follower.

Tulla (444 W, 989 S)
A wizard greets you outside the city. It appears that someone called Jorian has foretold of your coming. You just walk through the pillars on the outside to enter the city, and the pillars immediately on the inside to exit.

If you head NE from where you arrive you'll come across a large building with a fountain called Pejorian's Pool in front of it. Head up the steps into this building, then go all the way to the end of the corridor and take the steps up to the second floor. Jorian is there at the end of the corridor on the second floor. He'll only let you in to see Simeon Tor (through the door behind him) if you go back downstairs and look at the Mural of Enlightenment that's hanging on the wall in the middle of the corridor. Do so, and then go in to see Simeon Tor, where you get Quest 2 below.

The masters of each college of magick live in this building too. By passing a simple test, you can become a master of one, and only one, college. The advantage you gain is that casting a spell from that college will now cost you half as much fatigue as it normally would!

S'Btin'ka, "Mistress" of Morph is in a room in the west part of the building. For 500 Gold, you can purchase a Lycanthrope Restorative from her to cure Cynthia Wit in Caladon (see Caladon Quest 7).

Quests

• 1.  Retrieve the platinum chalice from Fa'al Kin's Maze for Herzod Munk - 6500 XP and Scroll of Phantasmal Fiend.
  If you head SE through the two stone archways in the wall where you first entered Tulla, and then enter the building furthest to the east, you'll find a man in white robes called Herzod Munk. Seems he's quite lazy, and wants you to perform his afternoon's excercise for him, which is to retrieve a chalice from a Maze set out by a wizard named Fa'al Kin. So... head back outside with the coin Herzod gives you, and now when you step through the stone archway in the middle of the square, you wind up in a room with two chests. Take the contents of both chests (but don't equip any of the items yet), and then touch the pillar in the centre of the room. You are transported to another room. Then, wearing ONLY Fa'al Kin's Ring, touch the pillar here. To get to the following rooms, touch the cetral pillar wearing ONLY Fa'al Kin's: Amulet, Helm, Boots, Gloves, and Dagger respectively. Then equip all six of Fa'al Kin's items to get to the room with the chalice. Take the chalice, then take all of Fa'al Kin's items off again, and touch the pillar here to return to Tulla.

• 2.  You need to determine how to get Pelojian's spirit to answer your questions when it appears above Pelojian's pool at midnight - 9900 XP.
  Simeon doesn't give you much to go on regards getting Pelojian's spirit to speak, but you probably noticed the magick symbols scattered throughout the city that you can step onto, and that these symbols match the ones on the Mural of Enlightenment. All 16 spell college symbols are represented. The mural tells you how they are organised into groups of 4, and the order in which you must step on each symbol within a group in order to unlock the door to the building to which that group corresponds. You can work the groups in any order as long as you step on the symbols within the group in the correct order. The last symbol you step on within a group is always in front of the door it opens, so you'll know when you get the order right. The following is one possible solution. Don't look below if you want to figure this out yourself:

  Earth, Air, Water, Fire
  Necromantic White, Necromantic Black, Summoning, Nature
  Conveyance, Force, Morph, Phantasm
  Divination, Meta, Mental, Temporal

  In the building corresponding to the Fire group, you find Pelojian's Amulet, and a Book containing a clue as to the order you must step onto the symbols surrounding Pelojian's Pool (the clue is that the Fire goup must be the last of the colleges you step on before the symbol for the new college of magick to which Simeon referred). I've listed the final college in each of the groups above as the one representing the group symbol you should step on. I'll leave it to you to work out which college belongs to which group symbol :-) Wait until just past midnight, and make sure you are wearing Pelojian's Amulet. Then, step on the symbols surrounding the pool in the following order (hint: if you get the order right, they stay lit):

  Temporal, Phantasm, Nature, Fire, New College

  Pelojian now speaks, and puts the location of the lost city of Vendigroth on your map!

Vendigroth Ruins (307 W, 587 S)
You find this place by completing Tulla Quest 1, or if you're on K'an Hua's evil errand.

To the east of where you arrive is a huge fallen statue, and near there, the tower of a building that is otherwise covered by sand. You can gain entrance to the underground part of Vendigroth via a Passage in the tower.

In a room to the north of where you arrive underground, there's a Plaguish Maiden guarding a Chest that contains a Vivifier Schematic. Further north, there's an Arachnix Mother guarding another Chest with a Large Bore Vendigrothian Rifle in it. On the west side of this area, there's a Junkpile that contains Vendigroth Key 1. This key gets you through a locked door to a small room that has a Vent in the wall you can climb through.

In the north part of this second area is a Chest that contains a Vendigrothian War Gauntlets Schematic. In the NE part of the area is a Junkpile that contains Vendigroth Key 2. That gets you through another locked door in the centre of this area that leads to another Vent.

A room just to the west when you enter this third area has 3 Chests in it, one of which contains Vendigroth Key 3. Further to the west is another vent guarded by 2 Siren Queens. This vent leads to a park with a large altar in it. You guessed it. This is Velorien, the All-Father's altar! If you've done all 15 of the previous offerings, then you can do this one by just walking onto the altar. See section below on The 12 Altars of the Pagan Gods to see details of the powerful blessing you receive. Note also however that all the blessings you previously received from the greater gods are cancelled, and among other things you lose WP - 2, which might put a damper on your spellcasting abilities, especially if you are at Level 50 already and can't allocate any more points :-(

Past the altar is what turns out to be a laboratory that is overrun with Automatons. In the eastern part of the lab is Vendigroth Key 4, which opens a door in the SW part of the lab that leads to a Chest containing a Droch's Warbringer Schematic. On the west side of the lab is a Chest that contains some Vendigrothian Sheet Metal.And finally, down a set of Stairs in the north part of the lab, is the room containing what you came here for... the fabled Vendigroth Device!

If you go through 2 more Vents on the east side of the third area, it brings you into the west side of the lab.

You can now return to Tulla, and use one of Simeon Tor's portals to travel straight back to the Ring of Brodgar... unless you are a technologist. Best take a ship to Caladon then, and on to Roseborough from there.

Ring of Brodgar (west side of Roseborough)
Nasrudin (or K'an Hua, depending on how you played up to here) meets you in the Ring and gives you one of the quests below (note: at this stage in the proceedings, I gave up keeping track of the XP you get for completing quests. It all blends in with the combat XP, and you're probably Level 50 or close enough to it that it doesn't matter a toss anyway).

Quests

• 1.  Stop Arronax.
  When you are ready, Nasrudin sends you to the Void... you've finally completed Thanatos Quest 1, and you get this quest in its place.

• 2.  Find Arronax.
  You get this quest instead if you're on the 'evil' branch that began by killing all the inhabitants of Stillwater for M'in Gorad, and then retrieving the Vendigroth Device for K'an Hua. You can either surrender the Device to K'an Hua, or keep it in order to help you defeat Arronax (but then you get no XP for completing Caladon Quest 11). Either way, you get banished to the Void (even if you kill K'an Hua) which plays out as described below.

The Void
You wind up on the Void side of the Ring of Brodgar. Take the portal to the east, and then the set of Stairs to the SE. Arronax! See Quest 1 below.

Quests

• 1.  Defeat Kerghan.
  Speak to Arronax, and you realise that he was not the evil apparition who appeared back in the real world a few months previous... it was Kerghan! Now, you can kill Arronax to complete Ring of Brodgar Quest 1, but that seems quite pointless now if you believe what Arronax has told you. Instead, you can take this quest from Arronax, and also Quest 2.

  Should you decide to take this quest, you can enlist the aid of some of Kerghan's enemies. This is the easiest way to find them all: take the portal behind Arronax. You come out just south of the bridge that leads to Kerghan's castle. Take the portal just SE of here, and you wind up in Gorgoth's territory. Gorgoth should join you if you fetch the carcass of one of the lizards you just killed while fighting your way towards him... but I couldn't make this happen. He keeps ranting on about killing Arronax, whether or not Arronax is with you, or even if Arronax is already dead! Anyway, the portal here takes you to a plateau that has some steps at the SW end of it that lead down to a cave. At the back of this cave is an altar that has a very powerful weapon called Kryggird's Falchion sitting on it. Go back topside, and keep taking portals until you run into Kraka-Tur. He'll join you if you read his journal in the Lair of Bellerogrim (I don't think you need to have the journal with you. As a matter of fact, I thought it would be the Eye of Kraka-Tur that you got from Hadrian that would do the trick here, but again, go figure).

  The portal here takes you to meet the Bane of Kree. He's quite easy to win over, and he has a very powerful magickal weapon on him: Torian Kel's Ancestral Sword. Of course, if you have Torian Kel with you, he is delighted to get his family's sword back... though there are other weapons he prefers to use (like the Bangellian Scourge). Finally, the portal here takes you back to where you first entered The Void, and you can get back to Kerghan's castle from here.

  If you bring Arronax or any of the other denizens of The Void with you, you will have to fight your way through Kerghan's castle. However, if you are of Evil Alignment and go with your normal followers, you can just waltz all the way through the castle for your audience with Kerghan. If you have to fight, just cross the bridge and kill the 2 guards there to gain entrance, then just keep killing things and taking portals until you reach the surviving members of the Black Mountain Clan. The very next portal after that (past 4 fearsome Bludgeoners) brings you straight in front of Kerghan. See Quest 3 for further details.

• 2.  Effect Arronax's release from the magick that binds him.
  All you need to do is kill the guards outside Arronax's door to release Kerghan's bond. You can then choose to have Arronax join your party, regardless of your follower limit.

• 3.  Kill Arronax, the Bane of Kree, Gorgoth, and Kraka-Tur to join Kerghan.
  You can speak to Kerghan, listen to his story, declare him a madman, and then kill him (he morphs into a huge Level 50 serpent, but my party made mincemeat out of him without me being able to even get near the creature! Once you defeat the serpent avatar, Kerghan reverts back to his original form and goes into his protective shell. Just use the Vendigroth Device on him then to bring on the good ending. Yup, that's it. Roll the credits :-)
  Alternatively, you can side with Kerghan and take this quest. Virgil will attack you then, but once you kill him and Arronax, everyone else in the party stays with you, and you can set about the task of going through portals (see Quest 1) until you find these other powerful creatures and kill them. Kerghan gives you a Void Ring that supposedly makes navigating the portals easier, but it just confused me and I didn't use it. Anyway, once you kill all of Kerghan's enemies and report back to Kerghan, the game ends abruptly and most unsatisfactorily. Yourself and Kerghan proceed to conquer all of Arcanum, but then Kerghan turns on you and you narrowly defeat him. Now you're left to face the end of time... alone.

The 12 Altars of the Pagan Gods
During the course of your journeys through Arcanum, you will encounter quite a few altars: 12 to be exact. I soon found that making an offering to one altar seemed to cancel the effects of previous offerings. Curious behaviour. Then at University Court in Tarant, you run into Aldous T. Buxington III, and he gives you a book entitled "The Pagan Gods of Arcanum" that explains the relationship between the gods, and also what you need to offer each one (but you can usually figure this out from the verse on the large altar in most cases). Equally as important though is the order in which you make the offerings. This order is laid out on his wall chart, and reference is made to it on the 2nd to last page of his book: "Four powers and then a fifth. Three fives and then the one". What it means is this:

The gods are split up into 3 circles of 5 gods each ("Three fives"). The circles are, from left to right on the chart: Moon, Earth, and Sun (you can see the corresponding symbol on each altar). There are 4 lesser gods and a greater god in each circle (thus: "Four powers and then a fifth"). Within each circle, you have to make offerings in the order set out by the symbols on the wall chart. If you mess up the order, or cross circles, the latest blessing cancels out any previous ones. Also, an offering to a greater god cancels out all the blessings given by the lesser gods in that circle, but that's life.

Notice that there are only 11 gods represented on the chart, but you have to make 15 offerings. That's because multiple groups worshipped some of the gods (4 of these), so 11 + 4 = 15. Finally, there's a reference to "the one". This is the "All-Father" (the 12th god) to whom you make a final offering which gives a very powerful blessing that cancels out all previous ones. Anyway, that's the gist of it. Here's the order you must make the offerings in to accrue all the possible benefits (note: if you're not intending to make the final offering to the All-Father, Velorien, you might also want to skip the 15th offering, to Kai'tan. The benefits of the lesser gods in that circle that it cancels out are some of the best ones, like ST + 1 and DX + 1).

God and (chart symbol)	Altar Location	Offering and (place to obtain it)	Blessing
The Sun Circle
1. Ter'el    (Tree)	Falcon's Ache	Li'tani (Elven trader, Ashbury docks)	PE + 1, Bow + 1
2. Makaal    (Lizard)	Bedokaan Village	Heartstone (Bedokaan Village)	DX + 1
3. Alberich    (Dwarf)	Wheel Clan	Lava Rock (Black Mountain Mines)	ST + 1
4. Geshtianna    (3-Headed Woman)	Stillwater	Passion Root (east of altar)	BE + 1
5. Halcyon    (Sun)	Vooriden	Olive Branch (Wheel Clan garden)	WP + 2, PE + 1, Spot Trap + 1, Heal + 1
The Moon Circle
6. Torg    (Ogre)	Torg's Altar	Ruby (various chests)	CN + 1
7. Bolo    (Hand)	Bolo's Altar	Any Ring (all over the place)	Pick Pockets + 1, Pick Locks + 1
8. Kerlin    (Coin)	Kerlin's Altar	Mnura Coin (various chests)	Haggle + 1, Persuasion + 1
9. Shakar    (Ram)	Kree	Bone Dagger (Caladon Sewers, Krag Berserkers)	Dodge + 1, Melee + 1
10. Moorindal    (Moon)	Ancient Temple	Black Diamond (Ancient Maze)	Backstab + 2, Prowling + 1
The Earth Circle
11. Alberich    (Dwarf)	Wheel Clan	Lava Rock (Black Mountain Mines)	ST + 1
12. Makaal    (Lizard)	Bedokaan Village	Heartstone (Bedokaan Village)	DX + 1
13. Kerlin    (Coin)	Kerlin's Altar	Mnura Coin (various chests)	Haggle + 1, Persuasion + 1
14. Bolo    (Hand)	Bolo's Altar	Any Ring (all over the place)	Pick Pockets + 1, Pick Locks + 1
15. Kai'tan    (Earth)	Gorgoth Pass	Geode (Wheel Clan, and SW of altar)	BE + 1, CH + 1, Bow + 1
The All-Father
16. Velorien	Vendigroth Ruins	Yourself (walk onto altar)	HP + 100, FT + 100, ST + 3, DX + 3, Dodge + 3, Melee + 3, Pick Pockets + 3, Firearms + 2, DR + 30, MR + 30

Important Items
Things you wouldn't want to miss. These items are difficult or costly to obtain - perhaps only becoming available as the result of completing a quest, or obtaining a schematic, or attaining a technological degree.

Note that if an item can be found in many places, I only list the first one or two places where you would normally come across one of these items. Also note that this list is by no means exhaustive. A lot of stuff was just too common or unremarkable to bother with.

Weapons

What	Where	Why and How
Hexed Dagger (Hexed :-)	Shrouded Hills - Bessie Toone Mine, mining cart	D:1-4 FT:1-2 Speed:15 Not much cop this, but it's one of the first magickal items you find that's in the same place every time. Even though it's hexed, never seemed to cause any harm.
Mage's Dagger (Magickal)	Various magick shops / Random locations	D:1-6 (Mana:10) Speed:17 Fatigue boost good for mages in early stages of the game.
Enchanted Sword (Magickal)	Shrouded Hills, Doc Roberts / Random locations	D:1-8(+3) FT:1-4 Speed:15
Mace of the Damned (Hexed)	Ashbury - Cemetary, sarcophagus underneath crematorium	D:1-8, Chance for Stun, Drain Will, Calls 3 zombies Speed:11 Not extremely useful.
Charmed Axe (Magickal)	Random locations	D:1-12(+5) FT:1-9(+1) Speed:9
Life Stealer Dagger (Hexed)	Tarant - P. Schuyler & Sons, basement	D:1-6 Heal Rate:-95% Fatigue:-50% Speed:15 Not really sure how beneficial/detrimental this weapon is.
Charmed Staff (Magickal)	Random locations	D:1-8 FT:3-12(+6) Speed:13 Not bad for mages. High fatigue damage to enemies.
Lingering Sword (Hexed)	Elven Ruins, sarcophagus	D:5-10 FT:1-1 (Speed -6) Speed:17 Good damage but slows you down a lot.
Sword of Defense (Magickal)	Various magickal weapons dealers, like Xerad's in Tarant	D:5-10 FT:1-3 (AC+15) Speed:15 Depending on your Magickal Aptitude, can boost your AC significantly.
Staff of Hypocrisy (Hexed)	Tarant - Sewers, chest guarded by 2 thieves	D:1-9, Random Shield of Protection Speed:12 Not very useful. Virgil prefers almost anything else to this.
Axe of Strength (Magickal)	Various magickal weapons dealers, like Xerad's in Tarant	D:6-12 FT:1-3 (ST+1 CN+1) Speed:10 Boosts the wielder's ST and CN.
Serrated Chakram (Magickal)	Various magickal weapons dealers, like Xerad's in Tarant	D:1-10(+5) FT:1-3 RNG:20 Speed:17 An excellent throwing weapon, with good damage, range, and speed.
Fine Revolver (Technological)	Second schematic in Gun Smithy technological discipline	D:3-12 FT:3-9 TH:+5 RNG:15 Speed:17 Possibly the first decent gun you can acquire.
Mystic Mace (Magickal)	Random locations	D:1-9(+12) FT:1-12(+8) Speed:11 MSR:10 Not a bad weapon for Virgil. Just above his ST, but he can still wield it. High Damage and Fatigue bonus due to Virgil's magickal aptitude.
Sword of Sickness (Magickal)	Shrouded Hills, gypsy woman	D:5-20 FT:1-5 (Poison 1-20) Speed:13 A great weapon for early in the game, but it might be a bit pricey for you.
Hushed Revolver (Technological)	Fourth schematic in Gun Smithy technological discipline	D:2-9 FT:2-5 RNG:9 Speed:13 Not as powerful as a normal Revolver, but allows you to make silent attacks.
Star of Soul Bonding (Hexed)	Lair of Bellerogrim, Arcane Chest	D:1-8 FT:1-25, Random Stasis Speed:10 One of the first throwing weapons you find.
Charmed Great Sword (Magickal)	Random locations	D:4-16(+4) FT:3-11(+4) Speed:13 MSR:14
Axe of Lost Time (Hexed)	Somewhere in Ancient Temple or Dungeon of the Dragon Pool	D:6-72, Very Slow Speed, Chance Hasten on Enemies Speed:9 Virgil picked this up at one of these locations. Not sure who (or what) he got it from. You usually only get one swing with this baby, but it could be a good one :-)
Repeater Rifle (Technological)	Third schematic in Gun Smithy technological discipline	D:5-12 FT:1-8 RNG:15 Speed:19 Being able to chamber 2 bullets at a time gives this weapon very high speed.
Axe of Creeping Death (Hexed)	The Bog	D:6-15, Chance Poisonous Vapours Speed:9 Unfortunately, the chance of summoning a poisonous cloud with this weapon is pretty good.
Magick Bow (Magickal)	Random locations	D:1-10(+4) FT:2-5 Rng:20 Speed:8 OK for early in the game if you have some Bow skill.
Power Axe (Technological)	Black Mountain Mines	D:5-18 FT:3-11 Speed:13 A handy dwarven weapon.
Sword of Air (Magickal)	Various magickal weapons dealers, like Xerad's in Tarant	D:5-20 FT:1-5 Speed:17 Nearly indispensable in the early stages of the game. High speed and big damage!
Looking Glass Rifle (Technological)	Fourth schematic in Gun Smithy technological discipline	D:10-30 FT:1-15 TH:+20 RNG:25 Speed:6 Excellent Damage capability and Range, but very low Speed.
Compound Bow (Technological)	Various armour shoppes, like Wallow's in Tarant	D:5-18 FT:3-9 RNG:15 Speed:6 Low speed but high damage. Also one of the components of a Pyrotechnic Bow.
"Harrow" (Technological)	Wheel Clan, Loghaire Thunder Stone	D:4-18 FT:3-12 D adj Race/Alignment Speed:11 A strange artefact this. You can obtain it from Loghaire if you talk to him about the Shape and the Stone. However, it never seemed to work for me even when I was playing a dwarf (it purports to do added damage based on Race/Alignment, whatever that means). Curiouser still, when Loghaire joined my party later on in the game and I gave it back to him, the silly bugger wouldn't use it - even though it's his own favourite weapon you would think. Hmph.
Large Bore Vendigrothian Rifle (Technological)	Vendigroth Ruins	D:5-25 FT:1-7 RNG:15 Speed:10 Not a whole lot of use, considering the late stage in the game at which you find it.
Hurtful Long Bow (Hexed)	Thanatos, Ashlag Village, Arcane Chest	D:5-20, Random Harm Speed:8 Raven liked this weapon a lot, but it wound up doing too much Harm to her as well and I had to take it from her.
Hand Cannon (Technological)	Fifth schematic in Gun Smithy technological discipline / Tarant - The Boil, Pollock	D:5-35 FT:1-10 RNG:12 Speed:13 Higher Speed than the Looking Glass Rifle.
Arcane Axe (Magickal)	Bangellian Deeps, Cursed Paladin	D:3-14(+20) FT:2-10(+9) Speed:12 MSR:13 Quite the weapon for magick users.
Azram's Star (Magickal)	K'na Tha	D:1-10(+20) FT:1-3 RNG:20 Speed:21 Best magickal throwing weapon in the game.
Aerial Decapitator (Technological)	Unknown location, Old Blind Master	D:20-40 RNG:8 Speed:17 Not as good a range as Azram's Star, and not as fast, but does a lot of damage and is better suited to tech users.
Sword of Baltar (Magickal)	Dernholm, Lianna del Par	D:15-25 FT:5-15 Speed:15 MSR:14 You'll have to be quite the thief to pick Lianna's 'pocket' for this weapon! Most likely you will have to expend a Fate Point instead. However, it's one of the best weapons in the game, so well worth it. Requires a minimum ST of 18 to wield effectively in combination with a shield, so not too useful early on.
Iron Clan Hammer (Technological)	Iron Clan	D:15-35 FT:1-8 TH:+5 FD:1-5 Speed:15 Best hammer, and indeed one of the best weapons, in the game.
Charged Axe (Technological)	Tarant - The Boil, Sebastian	D:1-12 FT:1-9 ED:20-30 Speed:10 May not look like much on paper, but the electrical damage this baby doles out is significant, especially against armoured opponents. You can only get this weapon if Sebastian joins your party, a possibility which only arises in the latter stages of the game. I just took the weapon from him and bid him farewell, as it was much more useful than he was :-)
The Bangellian Scourge (Hexed)	Bangellian Deeps, chest in room guarded by Cursed Paladin	D:5-30, Evil Align, Harm, Lightning, and Quench Life Speed:15 The most evil weapon in the game! Sets your Alignment back quite a few points... but you probably don't give a toss as you're so evil already ;-)
Arcane Great Sword (Magickal)	The Bog / Random locations	D:4-16(+16) FT:3-11(+16) Speed:13 Check out the Fatigue rating! Depending on your magickal aptitude, this could be the best weapon in the game. Also impervious to damage when bashing the likes of Ore Golems or Chests.
Elephant Gun (Technological)	Sixth schematic in Gun Smithy technological discipline / Poacher's Camp, Robert Milton	D:20-50 FT:1-15 RNG:15 Speed:9 The ultimate gun. Requires a minimum ST of 12 to use effectively.
Torian Kel's Ancestral Sword (Magickal)	The Void, Bane of Kree	D:10-25(+10) FT:1-4 TH:+10(+21) Speed:25 Miserable Fatigue... but fantastic Speed to compensate, and you'll never miss a blow!
Kryggird's Falchion (Technological)	The Void, altar in cave	D:35-50 FT:10-20 TH:+20 Speed:20 What can I say?!

Armour

What	Where	Why and How
Dwarven Gauntlets (Technological)	Balckroot, Garret Almstead / Fourth schematic in Smithy technological discipline	AC:3 DR:+5 D:+7 You receive these as a gift from Garret if you speak kindly to him about his tough upbringing.
Arcane Gauntlets (Magickal)	Random locations	AC:(+5) DR:+5(+5) Great for magick users.
Basic Platemail (Technological)	Various magickal weapons dealers, like Xerad's in Tarant	AC:15 DR:+36 FR:+10 ER:-20 NP:-80 Walking tank stuff. Most useful early on.
Light-Fingered Gauntlets (Magickal)	Various magickal weapons dealers, like Xerad's in Tarant	AC:5 Bonus Pickpocket The handware of choice for thieves.
Mystic Chainmail (Magickal)	Random locations	AC:12(+5) ER:-10(+10) All Other Resistances (+15)
Basic Machined Plate (Technological)	Ashbury, 12 Trellis Way, basement	AC:20 DR:+30 FR:+10 ER:-20 NP:-80 Just don't return it to the man who sends you into the basement to retrieve it. All you lose is 200 Gold and a few XP in exchange for a fine suit of armour.
Chill Shield (Hexed)	Ancient Temple, chest in library	DR:ER:FR:MR:PR:+20%, st, dx, wp(-3), FT -95% Bad for some of your major stats, otherwise good AC.
Chapeau of Magnetic Inversion (Technological)	Black Root, Mrs. Cameron	DR:20 Requires Charges You can get this hat as a reward if you manage to close the portal near Liam's Workshop.
Miner's Helmet (Technological)	Wheel Clan, Vegard Moltenflow	AC:15 Vegard presents you with this helmet if you manage to retrieve his family heirloom (a toy wagon!) from the depths of the Dredge.
Nature's Wrath Helm (Hexed)	Ancient Maze, sarcophagus	DR:+20% Crit: Entangle Even though this item is supposed to be hexed, I never seemed to suffer any adverse affects from it. One of the best helms around. No penalty to PE from it either.
Dread Armour (Magickal)	Random Locations / Various magickal weapons dealers	AC:19(+31) DR:+5 FR:(+5) NP:-20 People will comment on your attire all the time thus causing unfavourable reactions... but you can always swap it for something else when you need to converse. Good all-around armour, and nearly impervious to damage - 10000 points to play with!
Shadowing Robes (Magickal)	The occasional Molochean Hand mage	AC:5 DR:7 FR:3 Prowling +2 Obviously, great for Prowling.
Magick Robes (Magickal)	Various enemies	AC:5(+6) DR:+7(+12) FR:+3(+8) MR:(+10) Good for magick users, like Virgil.
Bronze Barbarian Clothes (Magickal)	Kree	AC:11 DR:+16 PR:(+40) FR:(+40) ER:(+40) Weight:100 Lightweight, but can only sustain low damage (50) before giving up.
Mystic Robes (Magickal)	Random locations	AC:3(+10) DR:3(+10) All Other Resistances(+35) Great stuff for magick users.
Shield of Force (Magickal)	Various magickal weapons dealers, like Xerad's in Tarant	AC:30 ED:1-10 to Attacker Good AC plus deals out Electrical Damage to any attacker.
Machined Gauntlets (Technological)	Black Mountain Mines, room guarded by Seething Mass	AC:5 DR:+7 D:+15
Dark Helm (Hexed)	Ashbury Castle, Lord of the Damned	AC:6 DR:9 PE:-1 Magick Aptitude +20 Alignment -20 Even if you're playing a goody-two-shoes type, you can usually afford to take the hit in Alignment in exchange for the Magick Aptitude boost this helm provides. Note that this helm deducts 20 points from your Alignment EVERY TIME you take it off and put it on again (likewise, it adds another 20 points to your Magick Aptitude). You can thus change from good Alignment to evil in a matter of seconds if you wish, but of course, this change is not so easily reversible!
Dragon Skin Leather (Magickal)	Various magickal weapons dealers, like Xerad's in Tarant	AC:9 DR:+16(+10) FR:+5(+60) NP:-10 Great for thieves due to the low Noise Penalty. Also extremely fire resistant.
Creep Armour (Magickal)	Various magick dealers, like the Magick Shop next to Xerad's in Tarant	AC:10 DR:+5 FR:+5 NP:-10(+15) ++Backstab Possibly the best armour for thieves. Note the potentially zero or better Noise Penalty, which aids greatly in Prowling. Also great for Backstab.
Charmed Platemail (Magickal)	Random locations	AC:15(+4) All Resistances:(+4) Weight:1000 Heavy kit, but good.
Arcane Platemail (Magickal)	Random locations	AC:15(+10) All Resistances:(+10) Weight:1000 Nice gear, and classy looking too :-)
Iron Clan Armor (Technological)	Iron Clan	AC:45 DR:+50 PR:+30 FR:+30 NP:-20 Fantastic stuff... but only for the little people among us.

Amulets and Rings

What	Where	Why and How
Ring of Poison Resistance (Magickal)	Morbihan Plains - Forbidden Pit	AC:(+10) PR:(+20)
Dorian Amulet (Magickal)	Various locations and people	Magickal Resistance +40 But has the nasty side effect of making Virgil's healing spells fail nearly half the time :-(
Medallion of Beauty (Magickal)	Woman in the King's Inn & Pub at Dernholm / Woman in red dress at Roseborough Inn	BE(+1)
Ring of Protection (Magickal)	Random locations	AC:(+10) DR:(+10)
Fated Ring (Magickal)	Various magick shoppes / Random locations	Crit Hit Chance +5, Gambling +1
Mystic Ring (Magickal)	Tarant - P. Schuyler & Sons, basement	PR:(+15) FR:(+15) ER:(+15) MR:(+15) Most powerful ring in the game.
Medallion of Silence (Magickal)	Elven Ruins, locked barrel	++Prowling
Serpentine Necklace (Hexed)	Isle of Despair, gate guard (for killing the Sorcerous Beast)	Poison Heal Rate x2, Bad Reaction Adjustment -5 Not sure how useful this is.
Hellfire Medallion (Hexed)	The Pit of Fires, Junkpile	Fireflash DOT in combat
Amulet of N'Tala (Magickal)	Stillwater, Myrth	ST(+1) CN(+1) Healing(+50%) Gaylin, the herbalist in Shrouded Hills, sends you looking for this. It's around the neck of that annoying elf, Myrth. Probably worth expending a Fate Point to procure if you're not a skilled pickpocket.
Jewel of Hebe (Magickal)	Tarant, Panarii Temple	BE(+2) CH(+1)
Charmed Ring (Magickal)	Isle of Despair, lair of the Sorcerous Beast	PR:(+5) FR:(+5) ER:(+5) MR:(+5)
Ring of Virility (Magickal)	Tarant, Grimson Way, Mr. Franklin	CN(+2)
The Finger of Mannox (Magickal)	Caladon, First Panarii Temple, Hadrian's collection	+Crit Hit%, PR +20%, WP + 1, +2 Melee Skill You can't obtain this till pretty late in the game, but it's a handy artefact to come by!

Important People
Characters you'll meet throughout the course of the game who may join you as a follower. Note: not included are followers who will only join you as part of a particular quest, and then leave immediately thereafter.

Who	Where	Why and How
Virgil	Crash Site	You have little choice here as to whether Virgil joins you or not. However, Virgil is nearly invaluable as a healer, and he has much to contribute throughout the game regarding advice on various situations that arise. I would recommend keeping him with you till the bitter end :-)
Sodd Mead Mug	Shrouded Hills	You need to have CH of at least 9 before Sodd will join you. He seems like a bit of a lush, but it doesn't affect his fighting skills. A brutal walking tank of a melee fighter by the end of the game.
Jayna Stiles	Dernholm	A technological healer. Will only join you if you're leaning towards the tech side yourself.
Vollinger	Dernholm	A gnome thief standing at the bar in the inn who will join your party if you are roughly at his experience level of 15. Virgil doesn't trust him though, which is quite right if you're playing a goody-two-shoes type. Vollinger is of evil Alignment. He can train you as an Apprentice in: Backstab, Pick Pockets, Prowling, and Spot Traps.
Dante	Blackroot, The Sour Barnacle	A mage who will join you as a follower provided you are roughly at his level. Otherwise, he says you're too wet behind the ears.
Dog	Ashbury, outside the hostelry	This 'Worthless Mutt' is far from it. Turns into a fearless Melee fighter who is adept at bashing down doors and foes alike. As indispensable as Dogmeat was in Fallout :-)
Geoffrey Tarrelond-Ashe	Ashbury	An utter snob of a dark necromancer who will only join you if you're of evil Alignment.
Magnus	Tarant, outside P. Schuyler & Sons	Magnus the dwarf is handy enough to have around in the early stages of the game. He'll leave in a flash if you attack too many innocents though, because he's politically correct to the extreme.
Chukka	Tarant, Gilbert Bates' Estate	I could never get Chukka to join me for whatever reason, but it seems like he'd be a good Melee fighter along the same lines as Sodd Mead Mug.
Gar	Tarant, H.T. Parnell's	You lose 50 Alignment points if you accept Gar into your party. Better to grant him his freedom and gain a Fate Point.
Torian Kel	Ancient Temple	You must fetch a vial of blood from the Dungeon of the Dragon Pool in order to bring Torian Kel back to life. He'll only join with you if you're of evil Alignment. Great Melee fighter.
Jormund	Qintarra	You must secure his release by proving that he didn't kill Wrath. Once he agrees to join your party, he's got a full complement of Fire and Force spells (including Disintegrate!), so he can be quite handy.
Raven	Qintarra	Raven, daughter of the Silver Lady, is a healer much like Virgil, only better looking. Pretty handy with a bow too ;-) You must journey to T'sen-Ang and speak to M'in Gorad, then return with news of the Black Mountain Clan before Raven will join your party.
Z'an Al'urin	T'sen-Ang	This dark elf wizard will join you as a follower, but only if your Alignment is neutral or evil.
Perriman Smythe	Tarant, outside Willoughsby's house	A mage from Tulla. He knows spells from the Fire, Necromantic White, and Phantasm colleges.
Sebastian	Tarant - The Boil, Caleb Malloy's bar	A thief skilled in Firearms, Prowling, and Pick Locks.
Loghaire Thunder Stone	Wheel Clan	First you need to talk to him about the Stone and the Shape, and convince him to return to rule his clan. Second, you need to find out the fate of the Black Mountain Clan. Loghaire will then join you regardless of your follower limit, and he's a formidable Melee fighter.
Tollo Underhill	Pits of Dernholm	A Level 30 halfling thief. You probably only stumble upon him late in the game, but he's a fairly useful thief.
Weldo	Gateway to the Wastes	A halfling adventurer. Not a whole lot of use.
Arronax	The Void	An unlikely companion to say the least ;-)
Gorgoth	The Void	You should be able to get him to join you by giving him an Animal Carcass, but I could never make this work.
Kraka-Tur	The Void	If you have found and read his journal in the Lair of Bellerogrim, Kraka-Tur will join you, but he's pretty much crap in a fight.
The Bane of Kree	The Void	Has Torian Kel's Ancestral Sword on him.

Acknowledgements
Many thanks to the following people who contributed to the latest version of this guide:

Mario Bozieeviae
d'Luzer

Thanks again for the tips and hints folks! :-)

See the metzomagic.com Review of Arcanum.

Copyright © Steve Metzler 2002. All rights reserved.