Act Four, Part XI: Border Ethereal, Dragon's Throne, Xyrnamaxus, Magnificent Harp

Part XXX of Aielund Saga Walkthrough Guide. Continuing from Part XXIX: Hall of Worlds. The Aielund Saga is a NWN Module for BioWare's Neverwinter Nights 1.

The Border Ethereal

Blackwood Tower

The heroes are becoming godly now.

We step back into the planar gate to the Halls, and from there take the door into...

The Border Ethereal  

(We're putting the assault on Acheron off for the moment, there are other planes to explore first..)

Well, this place is a whole lot of nothing. - Robert.

We're here to find a dragon, an uber-dragon that exceeds even Salinder in power. We need phat lewt from its hoard if we're to defeat the Saqaarin in their citadel.

Exploring in an eastward direction.. Oh, who's this? Archmage Cuthbeort! Why, we haven't seen you since Ethereal Feybourne. And you're battling Slaadi once again, I see!

We pitch in, helping him out with two Black Slaadi (+350 EXP ea) - just as we did as Level 14 noobs all those years ago..

We prepare for a larger and stronger force of Slaadi to emerge from the portal.

After a short wait, four each of Black (+300 EXP ea) and White (+9 EXP ea) Slaadi rear their ugly toad-like heads. Nellise shakes the earth to put them flat on their asses, after which Terinus drops a Horrid bomb and flings in an IGMS for good measure. Not to be seen as utterly useless, Cuthbeort launches a Delayed Blast Fireball into the mix, after which Robert and I mundanely put the wounded out of their misery.

The heroes are surprised by a second emergence from the portal: a falchion-wielding Disciple of Abaddon, but it can neither soak our blows nor endure the arcane barrage for more than a couple rounds (+850 EXP, Falchion of the Horde +6, +2d10 fire, +2d10 neg-en, on-hit DC-20 Poison).

Cuthbeort now recalibrates the portal that we may enter the pocket plane to the dragon.

Dimensional Pocket

Uh, has anyone else noticed this island appears to be floating in the middle of a great big nothing? - Robert.

A ramp leads straight up to a solid steel fortress.

Two gargoyle nuisances ask us riddles, pretending to guard the gate (+1500 EXP).

We humor them, answer the riddles, then enter the fortress.

Dragon's Throne

Oddly, merely entering the throne debuffs us..

Simply magnificent. - Nellise.

Xyrna stands before us

Come and listen... I must speak with you. - Xyrnamaxus.

Xyrna challenges us with four riddles. 

Each riddle is sort of random, but the rewards for each seem consistent and are as follows (you can only choose one from each; my choices are underlined..):

• Riddle one: +1000 EXP, Spellbane Shield +7 (Arcane Spell Failure +25%, Imm: Spells >=lvl8) OR Longbow of the Eldar +10 (STR +4, Mass crits 20, Mighty +10) OR Adamantium Gauntlets of Destruction +10 (+2d12 magic, Lawful Monk only).

• Riddle two: +2000 EXP, Voidwalker Armor +8 (no armor feat req, DR 20/+7, Freedom, Haste, Imm: Knockdown, Hide/Move Silently +12) OR Adamantium Robes of Harmony +7 (DR 20/+7, WIS +4, Freedom, Haste, Epic Warding 1/day, Monk only) OR Mageplate +7 medium armor (DR 20/+7, Conc +12, Bonus spell: Wiz lvl9, Sequencer [3 spells] 1/day, Clear Sequencer Unlimited/day) PLUS Enchanted Bracer of Armor Proficiency (Bonus feat: Armor Proficiency [Medium], all Saves +4, saves Mind Affecting +5).

• Riddle Three: +3000 EXP, Ring of Force Shield (+7 AC def, Epic Warding [1 charge/use]) OR Amulet of Life (+7 AC nat, WIS +8, Imm: Death Magic, Disease, Fear, Level/Ability drain, Poison, Regen +5, Good/Neutral only) OR Belt of Indefatigable Health (CON +10, Imm: Disease, Poison, Regen +3).

• Riddle four: +4000 EXP, Quicksilver Rapier of Perfection +7 rapier (Keen, Mass crits 20, +2d12 slashing, on-hit DC-18 Slow) OR Ancient Twinsword of Power +7 two-bladed sword (Keen, 2d12 electrical, Mass crits 20) OR Eldritch +7 mace (on-hit DC-24 Dispel Magic, +2d8 magical, Resist magic 10/-). 

We now brazenly swipe a magnificent harp from right under Xyrna's nose, causing her to go hostile.

You are foolish to challenge me! -Xyrna.

I inflict immense damage on Xyrna before she casts Dragon Knight.

The poor old dear doesn't bring much more to the table, managing only to cast Greater Ruin and breathe Prismatic Spray (+1680 EXP)..

With riddle-loot and harp in hand we take our leave, heading outside to the Dimensional Pocket and then taking the portal back to...

The Border Ethereal

En route back to the "outhouse" that leads to the Halls, we spot a sick old man lying on the ground. The heroes can't directly help him, though, because he's on the Prime Material Plane.

We stroll over to a village in the north...

How strange this is, to see the world as we knew it reduced to little more than a shadow. - Nellise.

We communicate with an intuitive girl, but she won't follow us because her mother is watching over her.

A nearby pig can sense us; we scare it away and the mother gives chase. The girl now follows us to the old man.

She helps the old man, and together they wander off back to the village (+5000 EXP).

The ethereal quests now capped off, we travel back through the Halls and enter Assumption to deliver the harp to Aoipe: +2500 EXP, Angelic Hood (+10 AC vs. Chaotic Evil, CHA +4 , WIS +4, Imm: Level/Ability drain, Regen +1), Angelic Shield +8 (DR 20/+7, CHA +4, Regen +2), Angelic Armor +9 (Neg-en resist 30/-, CHA +4, STR +4, Haste, Imm: Death Magic/Knockdown, Good only), Arrows of Divinity (+2d12 divine, on-hit DC-14 slay evil [495]). (Ammo-wise, SO many arrows, and NO bolts..)

Level Up to 34!

(Epic Characters)

Lilura: Champion of Torm (18) / Paladin (12)/ Fighter (4), Overwhelming Critical 

Robert: Fighter (34)

Nellise: Cleric (30) / Paladin (2) 

Terinus: Wizard (30)

Having added a few key pieces to our arsenal, we gate back to Blackwood Tower in preparation for the last planar assault before we take on Acheron.

Next Up - The Aielund Saga: Act Four - Part XII

Aielund Saga Act 1: Nature Abhors a Vacuum	Aielund Saga Act 3: Return of the Ironlord
Aielund Saga Act 2: Defender of the Crown	Aielund Saga Act 4: The Fall of Aielund