Part XII of the Icewind Dale 2 Walkthrough. Continuing from Part XI: Dragon's Eye.
Severed Hand IWD2
Severed Hand is a cRPG dungeon in Black Isle's cRPG of 2002, Icewind Dale 2. Severed Hand aka Hand of Seldarine is a complex non-linear dungeon-hub in which multiple quests are interwoven. Feel free to drift from my rigid linear path, but note that, if you do so, you may get locked out of quests and that is disadvantageous at this point of the campaign, when you are no longer getting XP from kills.
Severed Hand Approach
(AR6300). You will be confronted by the Guard Commander flanked by Chimera and Apocalyptic Boneguards. Employ bluff to gain unhindered entry: tell her that you are a delegate from the east (1,500 XP).
Severed Hand First Floor
(AR6301). Bluff or no, Zigma will have been informed by Captain Pudu of your true identity. Slay Zigma along with the Apocalyptic Boneguards and Slayer Knight of Xvim backing her up. Don't worry: we'll get back at Pudu later.
Despite the setback to your infiltration, the Severed Hand will not go on high alert. However, you will need a delegate pass in order to avoid being escorted out by the guards (or forced to slay them). To that end, speak with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Xavier Torsend. He is located in the north. Learn the names of the people responsible for the war (750 XP), learn of the imprisoned envoy (750 XP) and request and receive a delegate pass (750 XP).
Next, speak with Jerre Stoh, Ilmaterian and Slave Foreman. He is located in the west. Learn of the immortal demons (750 XP). Now, speak with the Glabrezu Guard at the entrance to confirm its immortality (750 XP), and learn that it was spawned by Iyachtu Xvim, Godson of Bane. Return to Xavier, inform him that the conscripted workers are actually slaves, and he will resign immediately (750 XP).
Next, speak with Ysha to the north of Jerre. She will give you the Severed Hand Plans and request that you alter them for her. Kav Lathram can alter them. You will find him in one of the north rooms on the second floor. Loot the pipe nearby for Ring of Nourishment and Virulent Agent (hold onto these two items for now). Now, deliver the altered plans to a grateful Ysha (1,000 XP).
Now, speak with Vashti Zerran, Jerre's assistant. She is located in the east. Someone is stealing the slaves' food. Vashti will request that you seek out the cook on the fourth floor. Go to the west of that floor. The cook is the conspicuous fatso named Miram. However, she won't listen. Probably because she's fat. Anyway, grab the Demon's Blood on the shelf, return to Vashti, and tell her that. A cutscene will fire showing a stealthy Lizardman named Zaem stealing the food. Follow it into the adjoining room and confront it. It is starving, too. Give it the Ring of Nourishment that you have already found (1,000 XP). Return to Vashti and tell her that the problem has been solved (1,000 XP).
Severed Hand Second Floor
(AR6302).
Roga Thulc is working away in the south. He wants someone to stop playing pranks. That someone is Vylu Prehv. She is found in the west, flanked by three earth elementals, but she won't talk any sense. Return to Roga and he will request that you seek out priests on the fourth floor. Head up. Ruinlord Eradru can be found in the east. He will give you the Potion of Mental Clarity for Vylu (1,000 XP). Take it to Vylu and have her quaff it (1,000 XP). Now, inform Roga of Vylu's recovery (1,500 XP).
Loot Zaem Astyr's Diary from the library and show it to the librarian, Cedrin Zil. You will want to investigate the death of Zaem Astyr. You will need to speak with Kav Lathram and Jaebrilla. Kav is in the north of this floor and Jaebrilla is in the north of the fourth floor, in the servant quarters. You will conclude from questioning them that Cedrin Zil is the murderer. Confront him and he will admit it (1,500 XP). You can dob him in to Vese Nejj, who will summarily execute Cedrin (750 XP). Loot the corpse. Also, tell Zaem what went down. He's on the first floor (750 XP).
In the north, Fynne and Tasha are battling demonic constructs. Slay the constructs and speak to the annoying Red Wizards. You will have been an unwitting pawn in a test (750 XP). Loot the construct remains for Tainted Demon's Blood. Loot Garuk's diary and the Master's Robe from this room.
SORCERER 26 (325,000): (no choices to make)
Next, speak to Red Wizard of Thay, Vese Nejj. Located in the east, he will request that you find a solution to a portal puzzle in the Wizard Tower.
Star Puzzle
Head to the fourth floor and take the west hall to reach the Wizard Tower aka Labelas Tower. Form a star by clicking on the portals in the correct order.
On the first floor of the Wizard Tower, grab Orrick the Grey's Spellbook. On the second floor, grab the Tome of Ilmater and Orrick's Book of the Mythal. On the third, grab Larrel's Bones. No need to engage with Orrick yet (we wait until we deal with Puddy).
Return to Vese, give him the portal solution (1,000 XP), and give him the bones, spellbook and mythal book (1,000 XP). As a reward, you can ask him for a tattoo (+2 Reflex). Do not slay him yet. Also, hold on to the plot-critical Tome of Ilmater.
Severed Hand Third Floor
Grab the Bonding Agent, the Iyachtu Xvim Holy Symbol and the plot-critical Imater Holy Symbol from the chamber in the west and the two chambers in the south.
You will find Yxbudur'zmutkimdu in the west. It is a gelugon. You will need Diplomacy 10 to impress it with your knowledge (1,500 XP). Regardless, slay them.
Ignore everything else on this floor for now.
Severed Hand Fourth Floor
Ok, slay the fiend Instructor in the west for shits n gigs.
Now, speak with the disillusioned Hatemaster, Drothan in the east. Show him Garuk's diary and then pump him for info. You will learn of the Holy Symbols required to enter the priest chambers (750 XP) and of the secret to the immortality of the three demons: the Globe of Essence (750 XP). The three immortal demons are the Glabrezu Guard on the first floor (the one guarding the slaves) and the two guarding the Twins' throne room on the third floor. You will also learn about an Ilmaterian priest, located in the war tower, who apparently knows how to destroy the globe (750 XP). Drothan will now leave the Severed Hand.
In one of the rooms you will find Chain of Drakkas IWD2.
Speak with Riki, a Drow merchant. She will tell you what you need for poisoning the guards in the barracks. You actually have what you need right now since you just got the Bonding Agent. Head back to floor 2 and the potion lab. Half-Dragon Dracein will give you a clear warning about trespassing. Cast Improved Invisibility on yourself and concoct the Lethal Virulent Poison by placing the Demon's Blood, Virulent Agent and Bonding Agent into the Potion Lab.
Now back on level 4, place the Lethal Virulent Poison into the sacks in the kitchen (where Miram is). This will eliminate the guards in the barracks (1,500 XP). Report back to Riki (1,500 XP).
Ok, time to find this imprisoned Ilmaterian priest. The War Tower, aka Sheverash Tower, is accessible via the northeast hall. You will arrive in the prison. Slay the elite guards and Greater Feyr before grabbing the War Tower Prison Key and cat from the table.
Now, speak with Toral Sorn in his cell. Toral is the High Priest of the Church of Ilmater. He will request that you perform the Ilmater Sanctification Ritual and purify the Radiant Pool.
Ok, so we have the Ilmater Holy Symbol and the Tome of Ilmater. All we need are the Bonds of the Faithful and the Tears of Suffering. We'll get those soon.
Next speak to Ormis Dohor, Archimandrite from the Black Raven Monastery. He is stuck in grotesque Lemure form. While it's funny, don't joke that you'll run him through.
While it's also funny, don't tell him you've decided he is lying and must die. Basically, we need to find an antidote for this unfortunate blob.
Next, speak with Puddy Talltale, a gnome diplomat from Bryn Shander. Freeing him is not enough; we will also need to find him safe passage home (3,300 XP).
Head upstairs to the second floor. Here are the charming torturers, Pustule the Sick and Harcourt Rustblade.
Slay them and loot the torture rack for the Bonds of the Faithful. Don't bother going upstairs from here because there is nothing you can do until post-Sanctification Ritual. (It's just neo-orog Obbak waiting for his chieftain, Stubnok.)
Ok, head back to floor 4 and go to the Cleric Tower aka Solonor Tower. Unless you slew him in the goblin warrens of Chapter One, here you will be reunited with Yquog IWD2. Fluster Yquog with your "dead things" collection (the three corpses you have carried from Dragon's Eye, along with the dead cat you just grabbed) (1,000 XP). Now, slay. Mind Blank, Skull Trap.
According to Near Infinity, you can get Yquog to leave the Hand if you also have 14 ranks in Intimidate (2,250 XP):
You... I... But... By Iyachtu Xvim, you're SICK! You hold no concept or understanding for things alive or dead! I want no part of you, not when I'm so close to maturity! Collect all the bodies you want, sick fleshy mortal, but you'll not have mine! I'll leave this place, and you, in peace and never return, of this I swear!
Head upstairs. Tyrannar Brutai Mar will command his troops to kill you as he runs into the portal that leads to his Sanctum. Slay the Ruinlords, Hatemasters and Slayer Knight of Xvim that seek to carry out his orders, and then head upstairs to face off against Ruinlord Mayzom Col and his crew consisting of Ruinlords, Hatemasters, Dread Elves and Half-Dragons.
Knock the altar and chests for basic treasures before heading upstairs to the lair of the Xvimian cleric, Tyrannar Brutai Mar. But of course, you can't get in.
Return to the portal room and step into the portal with the Iyachtu Xvim Holy Symbol in your inventory. You have found Tyrannar Brutai Mar (1,500 XP).
The Xvimian cleric is backed up by a crew consisting of Guthma, Sherincal, Beastlord Harshom and Gaernat Sharptooth shades; not to mention a trio of Ruinlords. You should prioritize the Xvimian cleric lest he unleash Miscast Magic, which is the only real danger. Being evil, you will be unaffected by the likes of Blasphemy and Unholy Blight. Of course, Mar is an incredibly strong self-healer and melee juggernaut; nevertheless, the sheer damage output dumped on him will win the day.
Loot the Monk's Antidote from Mar's corpse. I was lucky enough to find Tymora's Loop IWD2 in one of the chests. This is a random drop that I have never found before.
Ok, the other guy we agreed to help was Puddy. Head to the Wizard Tower and speak with Orrick the Grey in his astrolab. You will learn about the Radiant Pool (750 XP) and a way to send Puddy home (750 XP).
Ok, return to the War Tower and give Ormis the antidote (1,500 XP). He will now help you in the final battle (and he's no slouch either). Also, tell Puddy that Orrick can teleport him home (4,950 XP).
With those two loose ends cleaned up, return to the first floor and get the Tears of Suffering from Jerre Stoh (750 XP).
Ilmater Sanctification Ritual
We now have all four components required for the Ilmater Sanctification Ritual:
- Ilmater Holy Symbol
- Tome of Ilmater
- Bonds of the Faithful
- Tears of Suffering
Return to the Cleric Tower and click on the statue of Ilmater to place the four ritual components on the pedestal (4,950 XP). As you begin the ritual incantation, Iyachtu Xvim will interject with a proposal.
What you choose here affects how the final battle plays out. If you ally with Iyachtu, Isair and Madae will be unable to summons demons, but they will be able to draw from the Radiant Pool.
OTOH, if you choose to perform the ritual, Isair and Madae will be able to summon demons but will not be able to draw from the Radiant Pool. Basically, demons are not the problem in the finale: Isair and Madae are.
Also, it is much more fun to fight Iyachtu Xvim than fireball a few lousy slaves (which is what Iyachtu requests of you in order to prove your allegiance to him). Thus, I choose to perform the ritual.
Pre-battle buffs: Animate Dead x5, Preset Skull Traps where demons spawn, Mind Blank, Mirror Image, Mordenkainen's Sword, Mass Haste. Note that Blink is actually very useful for tanking Iyachtu!
As soon as battle begins: Symbol of Hopelessness. Move away from Iyachtu and have the undead tank him while you hack n slash from distance with mordsword.
Inflict great damage. Ignore the demons and keep hacking at Iyachtu. Yes, he sports 15/- DR but you should get him down to Badly Wounded status before he turns his baleful gaze your way. Be wary of Great Shout's stun which bypasses free action and mindshield, like all stun effects do. If he unleashes Meteor Swarm to ruin the summons, you are in trouble, but keep hacking with mordsword, ensure that Mirror Image is fresh at all times, and stay mobile. He should drop under the DpR of the mordsword.
Holy Water of Corellon Larethian
Once he dies in disbelief, perform the Ilmater Sanctification Ritual to receive a vial of Holy Water of Corellon Larethian (7,425 XP).
SORCERER 27 (351,000): Greater Spell Focus: Enchantment, New Spells: Blur, Otiluke's Resilient Sphere, Globe of Invulnerability, Gate.
Gate or Summon Monster IX? It's Gelugon vs. random Frost Giants, Remorhazes and Greater Feyrs. While the DpR of the Frost Giants and Remorhazes are unmatched in the sphere of summons, and while they can be directly controlled unlike fiends, I went with the Gelugons for their fire resistance, innate immunities, and ability to randomly summon other fiends. Naturally, the choice is yours.
Radiant Pool
Head down to third floor and pour the Holy Water of Corellon Larethian into the Radiant Pool. This gives us an edge against Isair and Madae in the final battle.
Return to Toral Sorn in the War Tower and inform him of the completion of the ritual and purification of the Radiant Pool (750 XP).
Globe of Essence
Ok, performing the Ilmater Sanctification Ritual has also made the Globe of Essence vulnerable to destruction. Head down to the second floor and force-attack it to destroy it (1,500 XP). In addition, you will have to take out four Slayer Knight of Xvim and three Ruinlords headed up by Ruinlord Garuk Katah. Don't forget to loot Great Sword of the Soulless x2 from the corpses of the SKoX.
Now, this act has denied the glabrezu guards their immortality. Head down to the first floor and slay the now-hostile Glabrezu Guard that is overseeing the slaves. Then, inform Jerre that he and the slaves are now free (1,500 XP). If you go and check, you will notice that the pair of Glabrezu Guards in Isair and Madae's throne room on the third floor are now gone, too.
Lastly, you might like to clean out the Office Tower before proceeding. The reason being that you will miss out on battles and loot if you push Severed Hand into its new phase, covered in Part XIII. For example, neo-orog Sprawg, Xvimian Monk Morvyn and Custodian Bisbe will despawn. It's really not important, though.
Ok, we are now going to enter into a new phase of the Severed Hand...
.
Ok, we performed the Ilmater Sanctification Ritual, purified the Radiant Pool, and destroyed the Globe of Essence. Thus, the Severed Hand is changing for the better.
We have also got ourselves a valuable ally for the final battle with Isair and Madae: the Drow monk, Archimandrite Ormis Dohor.
Return to Riki and inform her of the ritual's completion (750 XP). She will warn you of an impending alliance between the Cabal of Dragonkin and the Twins. In order to prevent the alliance from going ahead, we need to intercept the envoy who will soon be arriving at the Hand.
Now, we need to get to the aerie atop the War Tower. Problem is, as the newly-arrived neo-orog chieftain Stubnok tells us, only the escort guard for the half-dragon delegation are permitted to enter.
With an intelligence score of 3, or perhaps only 2, Stubnok tells us who has the key and where he is: Captain Pudu in the Office Tower.
The Office Tower aka Corellon Tower is accessed from the south hall of level 4.
Climb to the top of the tower, where Bisbe was. You will find Half-goblin Captain Pudu chatting up Half-Dragon Vyxein.
Interrupt them. There are bluff checks in the dialogue but it doesn't look like you can get the key from Pudu without slaying him.
So yeah, loot the key from Pudu's corpse and make your way back to the War Tower and Stubnok.
Guess he's not that dumb after all... Oh well, slay Stubnok, Obbak, and two each of Slayer Knight of Xvim and Apocalyptic Boneguard.
Cabal of Dragonkin
Buff the hell out of yourself, climb to the aerie, and interrupt the negotiations between Nalakora of the Cabal of Dragonkin and T'rsosl Malign of the Legion of the Chimera. Kill or be killed.
Now, rest and then buff because once we descend the staircase, the final fight begins!
Pre-battle buffs: Mind Blank, Mordenkainen's Sword, Mirror Image, Protection From Evil, Mass Haste, Improved Invisibility, Luck.
Buvai de'Naly will intercept you below and whisk you away to the Twins' throne room on level three.
Take me to Part XIII: Boss Fight Icewind Dale 2!
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