Temple of the Forgotten God IWD
Welcome to Part V of my Icewind Dale walkthrough; this part covering the Temple of the Forgotten God.
As is evident from the above screencaps of its four tiny areas, the temple constitutes a brief segment of the campaign. So yeah, this is going to be a very short write-up in comparison to the others.
The temple is located in another canyon to the east of the Vale of Shadows. We are here on behalf of Arundel in an attempt to recover the Heartstone Gem. This druidic artifact is needed in order to scry for the source of the evil plaguing Kuldahar.
The temple is located in another canyon to the east of the Vale of Shadows. We are here on behalf of Arundel in an attempt to recover the Heartstone Gem. This druidic artifact is needed in order to scry for the source of the evil plaguing Kuldahar.
Verbeegs
Stone statues of robed figures tower above the approach to the temple, blanketed with snow. Here the party bumps into Red Toe, a verbeeg fleeing the temple. The giant can be waved away, slain, or questioned.
So yeah, we learn only that "bad priests" have raided the temple and slain many within.
Acolytes of the Forgotten God
Anyway, we step inside the temple...
We are accused of being thieves and defilers by the surviving acolytes of the Forgotten God; who, it is worth noting, are evil-aligned like those who recently raided them (as are verbeegs according to the Monstrous Manual).
Thus, we should not have any qualms in ploughing through the place in search of the Heartstone Gem.
Map of Temple of the Forgotten God
As can be seen, the two combat zones are just a series of halls and rooms. There are no secrets to be found and no surprises in store aside from the odd verbeeg stomping in from a sideroom. A few traps are set about but only the sleep trap is hazardous. Unlike Kresselack's tomb, we don't need to find a single key. This is as straightforward as it gets though that's not to say that it's boring.
The survivors are non-trivial in number: no fewer than nine acolytes and sixteen verbeegs are getting about. The verbeegs sport 19 Strength and wield spears with great reach whereas the acolytes are divine spellcasters whose most effective spell is Entangle. In fact, it's their shtick though they also cast Static Charge, Flame Weapon and Spiritual Hammer. But we have Free Action status and something better than Entangle: Web. Why is Web better than Entangle? Yes, Entangle is an AoE in IWD, too, but webbed enemies cannot move at all whereas entangled ones can still attack with melee and ranged weapons.
Also, our supertanker sports -9 AC against the hard-hitting verbeegs. They cannot hit him except on a crit (a 5% chance). Of course, if he gets swarmed by several verbeegs then he is bound to be hit (and he's not yet a supertanker, HP-wise), but Web is pretty useful in keeping the mob immobilized for the most part. The point is, if one or two verbeeg's escape Web's embrace then our tank can stand against them without fear of being skewered by their giant spears.
In short, the temple acolytes and guardians are in for it. Of course, that's mostly because I know the game. Newbies will probably get a new asshole ripped for them.
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| Webbed verbeegs are dead verbeegs |
Solid Gold Pedestal
No survivors are found in the inner sanctum, though. Everyone's dead. And the Heartstone Gem has been taken from the golden pedestal!
Vial of Mysterious Liquid
The corpse of one of the raiders is spotted on the floor; his vestaments indicative of a priest of Talona. Thus, we know that Talonites raided the temple and slew the acolytes of the Forgotten God in order to steal the Heartstone Gem. A vial of mysterious liquid is looted from the Talonite's corpse, to be shown to Arundel upon our return to Kuldahar.
There is only one arcane spell scroll acquisition in the 1.06 temple, but it's a notable one: Skull Trap. This is a top-tier direct damage spell in BG, BG2, IWD and IWD2. In IWD, it's save vs. Breath or take 1d6 magic damage per caster level (save for ½). That's per enemy caught within the AoE. This is a vicious spell that sees a lot of use in the upcoming Dragon's Eye - and beyond. It is also cool in that it can be set as a stackable trap. Lay down several of these babies... enemy walks into them. Boom. It dies. We like that.
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| 25% chance to net one of these |
Some of the random items are quite powerful, too. They are all found in chests. Most notably, it is possible, though improbable, to come out with Long Bow +2 Defender, Greater Ring of the Warrior and Spiked Long Sword +1 along with Charged Battle Axe +2 or Two Handed Sword +1: Hammering.
Of those, Charged Battle Axe +2 and Two Handed Sword +1: Hammering are the most coveted. Why? 15% and 20% on-hit no-save, MR-bypassing Stun. Thus, I have ranked these two weapons equal-third in Best Infinity Engine Weapons. They're just that good. Arundel may not approve of their balance, though.
Overall, the Temple of the Forgotten God is an easier segment of the campaign, and potentially a very rewarding one in regard to items. Why the denizens of the temple had such an arsenal at their disposal - which they were unable to wield (being priests and giants) - is somewhat puzzling. It seems they were just dumb, and deserved to be massacred. Which they were. Twice. In one day. Hilarious!
Anyway, we return to Arundel in Kuldahar - for yet another lead:
By the way, a comparison shot of IWD and IWD2 Kuldahar shows us where the gem is supposed to be: nestled amidst mossy stone mounds, in front of the Archdruid's abode.
Next up: Chapter 2 Icewind Dale. The campaign shifts up a gear.
- Experience points: 10,500 kXP + 19,500 qXP = 30,000 total XP (140,560)
- Killcount: 25 (433)
It is important to remember that Orrick's vendor inventory changes at the commencement of Chapter Two. The details are covered in Part III but Slow, Spirit Armor and Dispel Magic are spells we don't want to miss. Especially Slow. See, Haste is great right? Doubles our party's ApR. But Haste inflicts fatigue when it wears off and Slow potentially affects more than six units. And it not only halves enemy ApR and movement rate but also inflicts a four-point penalty to their THAC0, AC and saves vs. Spell. Ideally, we cast Haste on ourselves and Slow on the enemy in order to gain a huge advantage, but I generally save Haste for the tougher combat encounters.
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