(Part XVII of Arcanum Walkthrough for Troika's cRPG Definition of 2001, Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magick Obscura).
Full-sized map of Ashbury, annotated: [3456 * 2121 px]:
Ashbury
Ashbury Location
Ashbury is located on the eastern seaboard of Arcanum, east of the Morbihan Plains. After going to the Black Mountain Mine, Gilbert Bates of Tarant can mark Ashbury on the Arcanum map.
Ashbury, Black Root and Tarant make up the Unified Kingdom; they share trade resources and military strength. As a result, Ashbury is doing a lot better than Dernholm, which has gone downhill by clinging to tech-free feudalism under Praetor rule.
If this post seems short, it's because there isn't much content in Ashbury that is worth covering. Indeed, there is almost no lore on the place at all. This is another criticism I have of Arcanum: Tarant is its highlight, and nothing that comes after stacks up. There are just too many towns with trivial sidequests, when we've already completed a CITY-FULL of sidequests. It really takes the steam out of the campaign if we go through this low-key, unimportant content. And to think there are at least THREE more towns to go...
Gunslinger note: There are two guns of interest in Ashbury: Long Range Pistol can be pickpocketed from the proprietor of Sidearms & Saltpeter, and the Looking Glass Rifle can be pickpocketed from William Thorndrop (who is also the Firearms Master in Arcanum).
Captain Edward Teach
We are in this picturesque habortown because Gilbert Bates told us that Captain Edward Teach can take us to the Isle of Despair, which is our lead for tracking down the BMC. Indeed, the captain can sail us to the Isle presently:
However, unfortunately for the walkthrough writer, there are quests and other trivialities to cover in Ashbury. First, the two companions:
Dog Companion: Worthless Mutt
As soon as you arrive in Ashbury, save your game. On the east side of the Hostelry, a gnome is cruelly kicking a dog to death unless we intervene:
If we save the Fallout 1 reference, it auto-joins the party and does not count towards our party size limit:
Party of eight:
As a Mage, one con of having a big party is that we can only cast targeting spells IF we have line-of-sight to the target. No LoS? No casting for us. So if our tanks get in the road, we can't cast a spell until we move (which wastes action points). Other isometric cRPGs don't employ this "feature."
Unlike ToEE, Baldur's Gate and even bloody PoR: RoMD, Arcanum lacks FPC, marquee selection and formational movement such as lines, files and wedges. The only control we have over party positioning is the F1-key. Thus, they move around in a un-tactical sprite-blob but at least we can direct them to a position on the playing field, unlike NWN.
If we save the Fallout 1 reference, it auto-joins the party and does not count towards our party size limit:
Party of eight:
As a Mage, one con of having a big party is that we can only cast targeting spells IF we have line-of-sight to the target. No LoS? No casting for us. So if our tanks get in the road, we can't cast a spell until we move (which wastes action points). Other isometric cRPGs don't employ this "feature."
Unlike ToEE, Baldur's Gate and even bloody PoR: RoMD, Arcanum lacks FPC, marquee selection and formational movement such as lines, files and wedges. The only control we have over party positioning is the F1-key. Thus, they move around in a un-tactical sprite-blob but at least we can direct them to a position on the playing field, unlike NWN.
Ashbury Cemetery
Geoffrey Tarellond-Ashe
There is another potential companion standing at the gate to the Ashbury cemetery: Geoffrey Tarellond-Ashe. He requests that we retrieve a gem from the catacombs beneath the chapel:
Geoffrey won't join the party unless we are Evil-aligned:
En route to the crematorium, the graveyard is teeming with 3rd level respawning zombies.
Crematorium
In the crematorium, there are two 35th level fire elementals camping in a locked furnace:
It's easier to take them both out solo: Agility of Fire, Disintegrate, Greater Fatigue Restore, Disintegrate:
The reward: the Inferno Hammer.
We drop down a trapdoor into a basement and then climb down a ladder into the catacombs, which is infested with low level undead.
Gem of Malachi Rench
The Gem of Malachi Rench is found on the ground in a burial chamber at the end of the dungeon:
Give gem to Geoffrey [1,500 XP, 500 GP, Mace of the Damned]
Town Council Meeting
Chester Miller, Mayor of Ashbury
The mayor of Ashbury, Chester Milller, is found twiddling his thumbs outside the Town Hall:
His problem is: the people of Ashbury can't agree on how to immortalize Lord Bennington in a monument. Therefore, the mayor requests that we take the podium and deliver our proposals to the people:
The "correct" dialogue options -- the proposals that most please the people -- only come up if we have the required Intelligence score.
Orator of Ashbury
A score of 12 is enough to receive the Orator of Ashbury reputation (though we receive more XP with higher Intelligence scores, such as 16).
[1,500 XP, Good +3]
If we lack intelligence or choose the "incorrect" proposals:
This is an amusing diversion but it is not important.
The ruins do not seem to have a quest attached to them; only rumors. It's basically just a three-level dungeon crawl culminating in a battle with a lich called the Lord of the Damned. However, this lich is a joke in terms of its abilities; it has no phylactery. Just pathetic.
[1,500 XP, Good +3]
If we lack intelligence or choose the "incorrect" proposals:
This is an amusing diversion but it is not important.
Temple Ruins
The ruins do not seem to have a quest attached to them; only rumors. It's basically just a three-level dungeon crawl culminating in a battle with a lich called the Lord of the Damned. However, this lich is a joke in terms of its abilities; it has no phylactery. Just pathetic.
Lord of the Dead
The chest by the throne on the ground level holds the key to the upstairs one, and the chest in the Lesser Lich's lair on the first level holds the key to the basement, which is where we face off against the Lord of the Dead:
Enemies: 3rd level Lesser Skeleton, 6th level Ghoul, 12th level Putrid Walker, 12th level Tattered Bowman, 22nd level Gore Guard, 22 level Lord's Slave, 30th level Lord of the Damned.
Scientician's Workshop
By day, Theodore of 10 Trellis Way is found loitering outside 12 Trellis Way. He requests that we retrieve "technologically-improved plate" from the workshop of Ashbury's scientician (who is unnamed and not present).
We destroy the 25th level Mechanized Arachnid inside, and drop down the trapdoor to arrive in a basement-worskshop.
Then, we destroy the 30th level Automaton that breaks out of its container, and loot the Basic Machine Plate and Automaton Schematic from the chest:
Easy.
[800 XP, Good +1, 200 GP]
Easy.
[800 XP, Good +1, 200 GP]
Kendrick Wales, Author and Scholar
Kendrick Wales, author and scholar, is located at 14 Trellis Way. We'll have dealings with him once we've progressed the plot.
No, he can't.
◦ Having obtained the location of the Isle of Despair, you must journey there to further investigate the disappearance of the Black Mountain Clan.
Torian Kel
Asking Ashbury townsfolk about rumors will map-mark the Ancient Ruins. Travel to and explore the ruins to find Torian Kel in undead form, who marks the Dungeon of the Dragon Pool on our map. Go to the DotDP, find the Dragon Blood Fountain and click on it to get Dragon Blood. Now, return to Torian Kel, use the dragon blood on him, and he can join the party in restored form.
En route to the DBF, you should find the Axe of Lost Time on the floor among scattered bones, next to a junk pile.
| cRPG Blog | 8. Thieves' Guild Arcanum | 17. Ashbury Arcanum |
| ARCANUM (Index) | 9. Cassandra Pettibone | 18. Isle of Despair |
| 1. Arcanum Walkthrough | 10. Gilbert Bates | 19. Wheel Clan Arcanum |
| 2. Shrouded Hills Arcanum | 11. Garringsburg Heist | 20. Durin Stone Arcanum |
| 3. Bessie Toone Mine | 12. Madam Toussaude | 21. Stillwater Arcanum |
| 4. Jongle Dunne | 13. Ancient Maze | 22. Qintarra Arcanum |
| 5. Doc Roberts Arcanum | 14. Dernholm Arcanum | 23. Bedokaan Village |
| 6. Amulet of N'Tala | 15. Black Root Arcanum | 24. Persuasion Master Arcanum |
| 7. Tarant Arcanum | 16. Black Mountain Mines | 25. Caladon Arcanum (to the end) |
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