Part XI: Bloodbark Grove & Underground River (approach)

Part XI of the Siege of Dragonspear Guide.

Bloodbark Grove (AR: BD7400).

Lord Dushwick

We're starting off in the northwest of the grove. Follow the path southwest to bump into Lord Dushwick, a pompous noble who requests you search for items that his servant, Chalmers, has lost during their travels.

.

Take your pick:

• Tell the nobleman you have better things to do. The Lord will order his servant to fight you, but the servant will drop the items and leave, with the Lord running after him in despair (the items are rubbish).
• Tell him to unburden his servant by dumping the load. See above.
• Threaten their lives. See above.
• Tell them you have no time to spare. They wander off without littering.

In all four cases you may slay them as they leave for +15 Exp ea and -2 Rep ea.

The Call of the Wild Mage

Continue along the path and loot the orange-leafed tree for some Belladonna (x=830, y=1000), the final ingredient for Neera's potion (Quest: The Call of the Wild Mage). 

Now, rest and Neera will have brewed the potion in the meantime. She will then quaff it and gain control over the link between her and the voice that's been bothering her. 

It turns out to be the voice of Adoy, trapped in the Fugue Plane. You will need to find the Mountain of Nepenthe so that Neera can bring Adoy back to the Prime. 

According to Neera, it's to the north. Loot two more units of Belladonna at the foot of the tree just to the east.

Charred Journal & Cellar

Continue along the eastern path to meet with Onoroth, a merchant who sells potions and scrolls. Slay the beetles in the immediate vicinity. 

Now, Onoroth is standing near a crumbled building. Grab the Charred Journal on the ground, open the trapdoor and descend the stairs to the cellar.

Boring Beetle x3 (+175 Exp ea), Bombardier Beetle x2 (+125 Exp ea).

Cellar (AR: BD7410). 

Slay the stray wolf and flip the switch (x=630, y=550) to open a secret door to a hidden chamber. 

In here you will face off against a vamp backed up by a pack of wolves. Slay 'em all.

Fledgling Vampire (+8,000 Exp), Dread Wolf x3 (+420 Exp ea), Wolf x5 (+65 Exp ea).

Note: The dread wolves actually work like trolls: use fire or acid to vanquish them.

Detrap, unlock and loot the two chests for the following treasures: Sundermaul +3 (warhammer, THAC0 +3, dmg +4, 15% on-hit 1 point penalty to AC [save vs. spells negates], 20% on-hit Earthquake centered on wielder), Small Shield +2 (AC +3), Rogue Stone, Star Diopside Gem, Tchazar Gem, scroll of Confusion, 1,000 GP.

The Rest of the Grove:

Make your way north, take out the trash, and loot the corpse of a mage for the Clasp of Helm (Necromancy saves +3, Wisdom +1 for Priest of Helm only, Detect Illusion 1/day), Wand of Fear (10 charges) and scroll of Conjure Lesser Earth Elemental.

Bombardier Beetle x3 (+125 Exp ea), Shambling Mound (+6,000 Exp).

Strange Tree

Click on the Strange Tree to the west to trigger a flanking wolf-pack spawn.

Wolf x4 (+65 Exp ea), Dread Wolf x3 (+420 Exp ea), Vampiric Wolf (+2,000 Exp).

Don't be afraid: click on the tree once more to have the Blackthorn Bark Cure transferred to your inventory. 

This item needs to be taken to Dosia in the Coalition Camp in order to cap off the Uncommon Cold quest. 

Solutions:

• Deliver the cure like the hero you are. Dosia will be grateful and set to work on the patients at once. +6,000 Exp, Rep +2, Martyr's Morningstar +2 (THAC0 +2, dmg +2, HPs -10, on critical hit target loses 15% of their max HPs).
• Request a reward for saving lives. Dosia will question your hero-status but offer a few healing potions that were intended for the sick soldiers (+6,000 Exp, Rep -1).
• Tell her the offer's not good enough and that you will hang on to the cure. You will sicken Dosia and she will order you to get out of her camp (-2 Rep).

(Completed Quest: The Uncommon Cold).

Ok, head directly west from the strange tree and destroy the undead lurking within a circle of statues.

Skeleton Mage (+900 Exp), Burning Skeleton x4 (+300 Exp ea).

There is a hole in one of the statues holding an emerald and ten moonbars (x=800, y=680).

From this point head north, slay the basilisk guarding the northern exit of the grove, and loot its corpse for the Basilisk Claw.

Greater Basilisk (+7,000 Exp).

Note: You really SHOULD know how to protect yourself from petrification gaze by now; afterall, there are many basilisks in the original campaign. What you need to do is ward yourself against this most lethal effect with a scroll of Protection From Petrification or Potion of Mirrored Eyes. If you don't have either, you'll just have to wing it (i.e, hope you make the saving throw).

This area is now done n dusted.

Underground River 

(Approach, AR: BD5000). 

This next area winds its way up to the entrance to the Underground River itself which, according to Coalition intel, is a cavernous region that leads to the basement of Dragonspear Castle, where priest Hephernaan is reported to be based. Nothing is stopping you navigating north, straight through its guts, to gain instant access by showing the guard your Seal of Caelar, but you will miss out on optional content if you do so.

Crap to kill: Mountain Lion (+270 Exp), Brown Bear (+420 Exp), Cave Bear (+650 Exp), Greater Wyvern x2 (+2,000 Exp ea), Wyvern (+1,400 Exp), Orc Warrior x4 (+120 Exp ea), Orc Archer x6 (+120 Exp ea), Orc Bowmaster x3 (+175 Exp ea), Orc Radier (+135 Exp ea), Orc Leader (+150 Exp), Orc Shaman (+420 Exp), Huge Spider x3 (+270 Exp ea), Gargantuan Spider (+3,000 Exp), Ankheg x4 (975 Exp ea).

Quest: M'khiin Grubdoubler. Head north a lil' and you will be interrupted by Battuks, a hobgoblin leader of a band of goblin raiders, who will demand you release M'Khiin to them (if you have her in the party. If not, they demand a toll and you can choose to pay 'em or slay 'em). Anyway, for me M'Khiin intervened to use the same trick that surprised Baeloth: Summon Spirits.

When they surrender you may simply slay them (+12,000 Exp) or pay them off so that they leave in peace (-100 GP, +2,000 Exp, +12,000 Exp).

Battuks Softbelcher (+420 Exp), Raggemos Ghostrant (+420 Exp), Sab'n Drooldribbler (+270 Exp), Sickl T'matta (+120 Exp),

Loot: 570 GP, Spear +1.

The Good Druids

Druids Jamven & Chorster are entangled by vines under the great oak to the northwest. "Force attack" them to set them free. The Druids will proceed to inform you of their plight: Great Druid Ferrusk is corrupting the oak's roots from deep within the caverns. You will need to venture into the Underground River and plant the Enchanted Seed they give you at the root of the oak tree in order to satisfy this quest (see Part XII). Note the offer of help to gain entry to the caverns, if we need it.

The Myconid Tower

In the southeast Tower Ruins fungal growths have emitted a cloud of spores that will confuse any who enter - unless they sport MR or "save vs. Spells".

After the myconid drops dead interact with the corpse at x=4650, y=2930 to spawn three reds and an elder. It doesn't matter how you respond, they want to feed you to the dirt (+6,000 Exp).

Slay them.

Elder Myconid (+650 Exp): Myconid Boom-sac (5 charges, allows to summon up to three red myconids per charge for a max of five).

Red Myconid x3 (+420 Exp ea).

Murs and the Brigands

Head north to the ogre camp and you will overhear members of the ogre tribe debating their leadership as a result of Chief Slug having been kidnapped by the Crusaders.

Your options:

• Slay them on the spot.
• Stand back and watch Arbinge & Cheski duke it out.
• Duel Arbinge & Cheski as Murs' champion. Murs will be instated as Chief (+12,000 Exp).
• Duel the duo to the death in order to take the Chiefdom for yourself. You will be instated as Chief but the ogres don't follow non-ogres (+12,000 Exp).

In these last two cases Murs also gives you a follow-up quest, one that is not added to your journal at this point: free Slug and the others. However, four other quests related to the Underground River are added: Blind Albino Wyrmlings, The Lost, Accessing the Warrens and Dark Druid Circle. These quests will be covered in the next post, when they are actually undertaken. You may also request the ogres support you when the Crusade is finally confronted.

Cheski (+1,400 Exp), Arbinge (+1,400 Exp), Murs (+2,000 Exp), Ogre x5 (+270-650 Exp ea).

Loot: Morningstar +2.

Slay the ankhegs north of the ogre camp. Glint was able to detect the location of our "cut" from the guild (search Rhynwis in Part IX), but I was unable to interact with the fallen rocks to get muh entitlement. Grr...

Crusader Encampment

Ok, head back to the main path and then north to the closed-off Crusader Encampment. A cyclops stands guard outside the gate, flanked by human crusaders. There are many more units inside the gate, too.

Either slay them all or gain peaceful entry by showing the cyclops the Seal of Caelar. If you got druid support at the oak tree then a lion and two spiders will help you fight the crusaders, even respawning if they are slain.

Cyclops (+4,000 Exp), Crusader Guard x4 (+975 Exp ea), Crusader Archer x7 (+975 Exp ea), Crusader x6 (+650 Exp ea).

Quest: The Wychlaran and the Berserker. Inside the camp - it doesn't matter how you got in here - you will meet a second Rashemi duo: Rigah & Julann. Rigah has no Boo equivalent, though. The journal entry makes it clear that both Minsc & Dynaheir are required to be present to kick-start this quest; however, my Minsc got force-attacked by Charname two Chapters ago and sort of died. Choice & consequence, right thar.

Julann (+4,000 Exp).

Rigah (+2,000 Exp): Dragon Blade +3 (two-handed sword, THAC0 +3, dmg +3, cold +1, Berserker/Barb Rage crit hit +10%, on crit hit deals +2d4 cold and Slows target for 1 round, no save).

We're done with the wilderness. The party now prepares to enter the Underground River itself - a vast, subterranean region to explore, with lots more questing.

An example of Siege's banter. Yes, it's fully voiced.

Part XII

Baldur's Gate Walkthrough	Siege of Dragonspear Walkthrough	Baldur's Gate Chapter 10
Baldur's Gate Companions	Baldur's Gate Chapter 7	Baldur's Gate Chapter 11
Siege of Dragonspear Companions	Baldur's Gate Chapter 8	Baldur's Gate Chapter 12
Siege of Dragonspear Item Codes	Baldur's Gate Chapter 9	Baldur's Gate Chapter 13