Welcome to Part XIII of my Icewind Dale walkthrough; this part covering the Deep Gnomes, Old Dorn's Palace cRPG dungeon and Marketh.
Deep Gnomes
The ruby-loving deep gnomes aka svirfneblin are stealthy demihumans of the Underdark. Most notably, deep gnomes aka svirfneblin sport innate non-detection and immunity to illusions along with level-scaling MR and AC bonuses. However, those perks along with their flinging of 1d4 +6 stun darts are not implemented in IWD. Instead, slaves or not, they wield miner's picks.. and fists.
Like the drow, who are their enemies along with kuo-toa and mindflayers, deep gnomes not only have their own religion, language and culture but have also forged great cities such as Blingdenstone, Corundruby and Mycaern culminating in the legendary Vault of the Star Ruby, a Callarduran "city of temples" tunnelled out deep beneath the seabed, whose existence is unknown to surface-dwellers.
The deep gnomes in IWD worship the intermediate power of Bytopia, Callarduran Smoothhands, whose avatar manifests as Earth Elementalist (33) / Illusionist (33) / Fighter (30) / Cleric (23) / Thief (20). In fact, a temple dedicated to the Deep Brother exists in their secret camp but their ruby priest, Guello, has been captured and enslaved. It is possible to find and rescue Guello before entering the camp, but the reward cannot be collected until two other quests, offered by Tarnelm in the oubliette, have been satisfied.
The Infinity Engine's portayal of deep gnomes seems inaccurate to me: they are actually supposed to be "wiry and gnarled" as per Realmslore.
As is clear from my overview of Marketh and Malavon, many of the deep gnomes of Durdel Anatha have been enslaved by order of Revered Brother Poquelin, aka Belhifet. As if slavery itself wasn't bad enough, the above two lieutenants have cruelly cut out the eyes or tongues of many slaves who are busily gem-mining, gemcutting or tending to myco-hulk pods under the watchful eyes of fire salamanders and umber hulks.
The thing is, though, the raw hand dealt is soon to get worse because Malavon is currently busy manufacturing vibration-detecting umber hulks in order to pinpoint the location of the uncaptured deep gnomes and their secret camp (the innate MR and non-detection of the free deep gnomes blocking his ability to magically divine their location).
Upon arrival to Durdel Anatha, it is recommended to prioritize questing for the deep gnomes. This is because they offer info on Poquelin's lieutenants as well as access to merchants, crafting, resting and clerical services. New players may feel miffed if they only discover the secret camp after taking out two or three lieutenants... but that's the way the cookie often crumbles. In fact, some players might not find the camp at all. And that's good design. I like missables.
Oubliette: Tarnhelm
The first and second of three deep gnome quests is offered by Tarnelm. He is found in the oubliette which is accessed via a chain-driven lift located in the north of Durdel Anatha.
Tarnelm is understandably stand-offish and, indeed, downright rude. At this point some players may wish to aggro and slay the slaves, though this is inadvisable since the secret camp is forever cut off, and we forgo 478,000 quest experience points.
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| "Back off! Yer kneecaps are at me mercy!" |
Tarnelm gives us some info on Marketh, Ilmadia and Malavon. Then, he requests that we procure food supplies before the deep gnomes starve to death. The sprites of some slaves in the oubliette are prone and unconscious because the gnomes are overworked and malnourished.
Slaying the fire salamanders near the lift is not acknowledged by Tarnelm, though a possible location for their origin is given:
Note how, for now, Tarnelm hesitates to reveal Beorn's location (the secret camp).
Rhinoceros Beetles
In spawns of three each, two notable monsters are getting about in the oubliette: rhinoceros beetles and umber hulks. The former are just tanks but the latter hit hard, hit fast, and their gaze attack inflicts Confusion on victims that fail their save vs. Spells, lack MR or are not mind-shielded (Chaotic Commands, Potion of Clarity).
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| Cf. BG2 umber hulks |
These monsters drop shells and hides which, as per yeti pelts, can be sold to Conlan in Kuldahar for 500 and 20 GP each. However, they are heavy at 85 and 25 lbs and such chump change is hardly going to impact our cash-flow at this stage of the campaign, so it's just not worth it. In addition, the shells may be crafted and then enchanted once we gain access to the secret camp.
Anyway, the food supplies are found in Marketh's Palace. We know this from the gnomish girl, Fengla, who gave us the key to the watchtower in Part XII. She was bringing food out for the slaves.
Seth
Entry to Marketh's Palace is guarded by the halfling thug, Seth.
Bluffing Seth and gaining non-violent admission to the palace requires an Intelligence and Charisma score equal to or greater than 12. But we still need to answer a few questions, and knowledge of the Kraken Society comes from the Secret Societies tome found in the secret library of the yuan-ti monastery.
However, even the dumbest halfling in the world gets in easily:
A token but welcome example of race-based reactivity there.
Otherwise, we're ambushed by several thieves with triple backstab modifiers. Mirror Image, rated by me as the second best Infinity Engine spell, confers good protection against acute physical-based damage.
Note that no experience points are awarded for bluffing our way past Seth yet 2,000 XP is awarded for each thief slain. Hate.
Old Dorn's Palace
The first level of Old Dorn's Palace is just a garden [pic] which has as its focal point a statue of Marketh; the original statue of the dwarven founder of Dorn's Deep, simply named Dorn, having been torn down. We know nothing else about Dorn, though. There is no lore on him at all. Just a single reference to one "Creed Dorn" who was slain by elves in Kuldahar Pass but resurrected with the Staff of Moradin's Breath. In fact, we know little of the dwarves that lived here because there is no literary lore to explore, and the placeable descriptions are generic in nature.
Callard
Once cleared of one dozen red myconids and eight shriekers along with their summoned aggro (a mixed bag of blind minotaurs, boneguard skeletons and fire salamanders), we can speak to the deep gnome sculptor, Callard, and receive from him a portrait of Marketh painted by Flozem, in which the former slavelord is depicted as "an elegant statesman."
The second level of the palace is where we want to be, and the kitchen is holding a bag of potatoes, not turnips, which is what we want for Tarnelm and the starving slaves.
The halls, however, are guarded by eight backstabbing thieves. As in the Seth encounter, the thieves are initially under the effects of stealth, but they should have been given an invisibility potion to quaff as that would have allowed for a second backstab attempt. This is just too easy, a doddle.
There are three bedchambers of note on this level: the suites of drow priestess, Ginafae, and of Marketh's two bodyguards, the brothers Fleezum & Flozem.
Fleezum & Flozem
Assuming we didn't slay his brother Fleezum, there is some class-based reactivity in regard to Flozem. Bard-only:
Thus, Flozem drops his arms & armor before taking his leave of Dorn's Deep in order to pursue a career as an artist (60,000 XP).
For two reasons, I doubt many players have seen this: First, because Bards are fifth wheels in IWD 1.06; Second, because Fleezum is likely to be encountered first, he will turn hostile after a short dialogue, and Flozem turns hostile because we killed Fleezum.
Girdle of Stromnos
Most notably, Flozem drops one of the best belts in the game: the Girdle of Stromnos. Other than potions of Strength, this is the only item in Icewind Dale that sets Strength to a superhuman score. Other items increase our Strength but they only add one <18 Strength point or bump us up one percentile point range.
That means that, if we have Strength 17 then our Strength is upped to 18, but, unlike BG and BG2 perma-Strength boosts which bypass percentile ranges, if we have 18/01-50 percentile Strength then our Strength is only upped to 18/51-75.
Which means, for these items, we need 18/00 Strength (a 1% chance to roll in chargen) in order for our Strength to be upped to 19. Now, 19 Strength only confers +1 dmg over 18/00 (+100 lbs carryweight and +5 lock-bashing power), right? But then we can stack, say, the Ring of Dwarven Bone, Ring of Strength and Large Shield of Strength for Strength 22 total (THAC0 +1 and dmg +3 over 18/00).
Order of equippage matters, too: since the girdle sets Strength then that means we must equip it first followed by the additive rings and shield. Plus, not everyone min-maxes: this belt turns any weakling into a hard-hitter. Thus, only one other belt can contend with the usefulness of Stromnos (+50% slashing resistance).
Fleezum & Flozem are worthy tanks to face off against in a duel though with power-gamed supertanker AC of -19 vs. slashing [pic of breakdown of sources], they're only going to hit on a crit (5% chance per swing).
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| Bathed-in-Blood (AC -1), dueling the brothers, Stromnos (Str 19) |
Ginafae
Ginafae is a little more complicated. She is a drow priestess, the sister of Malavon and currently - see here - imprisoned in the palace as Marketh's concubine.
We won't be able to release her until we acquire the Oil of Null Effect from Malavon's personal chambers. And, somewhat arbitrarily, we won't be able to free her if we slay Marketh.
Basically, Ginafae doesn't want us to kill Marketh, so, if we do kill him, she becomes upset and the dialogue option to free her simply does not present itself. So that means we have to let Marketh skedaddle if we want to rescue Ginafae; let Marketh, who is a slaver, torturer and murderer... go free?
Anyway, nullifying Malavon's contingencies by means of the oil releases Ginafae and results in 80,000 XP.
Marketh Location
The third level of the Marketh's palace is straightforward. There are no locks or traps at all and that's just pathetic for a den of thieves and assassins. Having taken out 20 thieves led by the halfling, Seth, we confront Marketh in his cosy chambers.
There are two ways to handle Marketh: slay him on the spot...
-- (flavor-based Paladin reactivity) -- Shock horror: The "Lord Chamberlain" is a cheater with ApR 3 and MR 80% --
... or allow him to leave after handing over his badge. It is also possible to demand he hand over his ApR +1 sword and AC 4 armor as well as his badge. This requires an Intelligence score equal to or greater than 13, though.
Force him to hand over the ring and he plays a dirty trick on us: the ring is cursed, and turns the foolish wearer to stone (petrification).
So much for Marketh. We now have three of the six badges.
The sack of potatoes are delivered to Tarnelm back at the oubliette (80,000 XP). Then, a second quest is given:
... in three waves of three:
The sack of potatoes are delivered to Tarnelm back at the oubliette (80,000 XP). Then, a second quest is given:
Umber Hulks Icewind Dale 1
Invisible proximity triggers are now activated in the northeast. Once crossed, Malavon's umber hulks spawn to simulate their burrowing into the oubliette...
... in three waves of three:
Pretty cool.
It is all but impossible for six 10th level party members to consistently make their save vs. Spell against such gaze spam. Thus, it is best to just send the tank in warded by Chaotic Commands or a Potion of Clarity.
Having delivered the potatoes and triggered the umber hulk attack, we can now take the resultant tunnels into the secret camp!
Deep Gnome Secret Camp
Beorn
The secret camp is a small area but it offers access to merchants, crafting, resting, lore and clerical services. Upon entry we are approached by Beorn, priest of Callarduran:
Really flat writing, there. In fact, I've got to say it: it's sleep-inducing twaddle on par with my blogposts.
Over at the temple dedicated to Callurduran, Beorn requests that we save ruby priest Guello from his enslavement in the mines:
This quest, which results in 80,000 XP and upgraded clerical services, will be covered in the next post. How are clerical services upgraded? Guello offers Resurrection whereas Beorn only offers Raise Dead. Whoop-dee-damn-doo.
Nym
The drow, Nym, is far more interesting than Beorn and Guello:
cf. Larrel's of the time of Prosperity, of the time of the Betrayal, Norlinor and Evayne's journal. But no, we are unable to tell Larrel about Nym. By employing Chromatic Orb: Stun or Web, it is possible to immobilize and then slay Nym before he can teleport away (7,000 XP). Good luck bypassing his drow MR and saving throws, though.
cf. Nym's Exotic Goods (Nym's Store)
cf. IWD2 Nym
Dirty Llew
Dirty Llew, a duergar merchant and blacksmith, can craft the rhino beetle shield out of their reinforced exoskeletons. This costs 10,000 GP for males and 5,000 GP for females. It is all but useless with its paltry AC bonus of 1, but Nym can then enchant the shield for 30,000 GP (AC +3 and token fire resistance). Looking in the TLK file, it seems that Orrick was supposed to be able to enchant the shield to +4, but this option was omitted. Thus, the Red Knight's Shield and Great Shield +3 remain the best shields. Plus, they were free.
The hides of umber hulks may not be crafted but Umber Hulk Hide armor is sold, pre-made, and makes for the best Druid armor (AC 2). Cf. Ankheg Plate Mail craftable by Thunder Hammer Smithy.
Overall, the items offered by the merchants are uninteresting and underwhelming. How is Nym's arcane spell scroll selection, though? Well...
• Invisible Stalker: 6th circle conjuration that summons an invisible stalker for 2 hours. Borderline useless summon. Hits like a kitten. Conjure Earth, Fire and Water elementals are much stronger, and one circle lower.
• Lich Touch: 6th circle necromantic that bestows immunity to paralysis and inflicts on-touch 1d10 cold and paralysis on a failed save vs. Spell. This is quite powerful because the on-hit paralysis duration is one round per caster level for a maximum 14-round duration. That is long enough to slay the victim 20 times over.
• Stone to Flesh: 6th circle evocation that permanently [*] petrifies a single target on a failed save. This is powerful but we forego loot and kXP [*] Countered by Stone to Flesh.
• Monster Summoning IV: Wow. A 6th circle conjuration that summons 1-2 ghasts, yetis or ogres. Paralysis/disease of ghasts aside (33% chance), it's garbage.
• Prismatic Spray: 7th circle cone-shaped conjuration AoE that inflicts Blindness on <= 8 HD victims along with random effects that target different saving throws, such as 20, 40 and 80 HPs of damage, and petrification, insta-kill poison or "insanity". Strong, but cone-shaped spells are unwieldy in their targeting.
• Acid Storm: 7th circle evocation and Acid's answer to Fireball, Cone of Cold and Chain Lightning. Damage-over-time AoE that could be useful against already-webbed enemies. Duration scales, not damage. Good if you like to watch things slowly die.
• Monster Summoning VI: Wow. An 8th circle conjuration that summons 1-3 carrion crawlers or fire salamanders. The former don't even sport on-hit paralysis. Piss-poor. We never reach 8th circle spellcasting under the 1.06 cap, so this spell can only be cast twice from the two scrolls on sale.
• Mind Blank: Disappointing, caster-only 8th circle abjuration that wards against the gamut of mind-affecting negative status effects. The divine fifth circle Chaotic Commands is not just caster-only and grants the same benefits as Mind Blank for one turn per level of the caster, which, in a campaign like IWD, is just as good as the day-long MB. Again, can only be cast twice from the two scrolls on sale.
Again, not exactly blowing my hair back. Parties who want to prioritize arcane spell scroll acquisition are better off bee-lining to Malavon's Dome.
Finally, we may purchase from Nym two items for the restoration of Valestis' arboretum in the Severed Hand: birds and squirrels. We acquired the pure water from Wyrm's Tooth, and the seeds are found in Malavon's Dome.
Experience points: 192,840 kXP + 450,000 qXP = 642,840 total XP (4,432,296)
Killcount: 73 (1499)
Credit to the writer for making me laugh:
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