Aegon and the Troupe have descended to the lowest level of the mines and faced up against Davaeorn and his mercenaries. Now the Iron Throne’s minions lie dead, and they must find any leads on the Iron Throne’s plans, as well as the key to the river plug that can destroy the whole operation.
1 Eleint 1368
We searched the bodies of Davaeorn and his Blacktalons, but there wasn’t anything resembling a key among them. The key must be kept somewhere in Davaeorn’s chambers. I ask Aura and Kieria to keep an eye out for traps as we explore.
In the central chamber, where Davaeorn was waiting for us, we find a locked chest. Aura cracks it open, but all she finds in there is around 300 gold pieces.
To the west we find what appears to be a dining room with a single table and a steadily burning coal fire. A locked chest lies next to the dining table. Inside Aura finds a greenstone ring, and Potions of Firebreath, Explosions, and Master Thievery. She holds onto the potions herself.
To the east of the main chamber we find what must be a reading room. Sitting on some bookshelves I find a Scroll of Detect Invisibility. Dynaheir copies the scroll to her spellbook.
Leaning against the shelves is an enchanted war hammer. It isn’t as powerful as mine or Branwen’s hammers, so we stash it in the Bag of Holding.
I also notice a book on the shelves that I know is quite rare. It is the chronicle of Faruk, a tailor from Calimshan. I don’t know if the stories are authentic, but it is an interesting Journal that Finch will surely be interested in for her library.
We move to the south and find Davaeorn’s bedchamber. For a dungeon it’s a comfortable looking room, with purple carpets and silk bedding. A young man comes running into the room, his face panic stricken as he begs us not to kill him.
Stephan: You… you killed Davaeorn? Oh… please don’t kill me! Please, oh please, oh PLEASE! I’m just his apprentice, I swear! I don’t know anything! Okay, I know a little, but I was only his student! Honest! I can… I can help you! Yeah, I can give you information! Ask me something! Go on, ask me anything!
Aegon: Who are you? What was your role here?
Stephan: I told you, I’m just Davaeorn’s apprentice! I studied under him, and that’s it! I didn’t know anything about anything! Well, I know a little, but just ask and I’Il tell you!
Aegon: What was the purpose of this installation?
Stephan: The mine? Um, I… I think they were going to try to look like the saviors of the day, riding in with their stores of iron to equip the troops or something like that. With the bandit raids and the rumors about Amn, the Iron Throne figured that the dukes of Baldur’s Gate would think they needed arms and ore quickly in case of Amnian attack. They… they figured they could get exorbitant prices or better yet, sanctions against competitors and an easing of trade laws for themselves only. A quick way to install themselves as an underground power on the coast. That’s all I know about it, I swear!
Aegon: The iron shortage! Who is behind it?!
Stephan: Who is behind it? Um… well… the Iron Throne, f guess. Davaeorn ran this place for the regional bosses in Baldur’s Gate. They used some strange potion to taint iron already stored, used Mulahey to keep new ore from being mined, and had the bandits raid any incoming trading caravans. It doesn’t take long for perceived shortages to embellish real threats. You know all of this if you are the one who killed Mulahey. Can I go now?
This confirms everything we’ve already surmised. The Iron Throne wants to become a major business enterprise and power on the Coast. But it still doesn’t explain one thing: why come after me? They sent assassins for me before I’d even left the Keep, so it’s not in response to my actions in Nashkel. In fact, if they hadn’t come for me I may never have started after them.
While I’m mulling this over something occurs to me. There was a letter in Bartleby’s case… If I can just find it…
Aegon: Hold on a minute! I have a letter here. I think you wrote it. Is it yours?
Stephan: Ummm… Yes. I wrote this to my…my friend Alyth. I’ll take it back, thank you. With my master dead, I guess I can bring it to her myself.
He takes the letter out of my hand.
Aegon: Alyth, you say? The address on the letter says she resides in Baldur’s Gate.
Stephan: Oh, no! No! Alyth just supplies our rations! She has no idea that we’re working for the Iron Throne! She doesn’t even know her victuals go to a mine!! I beg you!! Please don’t hurt her!!
That’s enough of a distraction. I return to my interrogation.
Aegon: Who was Davaeorn’s superior? Who really gives the orders around here?
Stephan: I don’t know! I swear it! All I can say is that the regional leaders of the Iron Throne placed Davaeorn here! There are three of them, I think, but I don’t know their names! Davaeorn was getting orders from someone else too, he complained about it a lot, but he never said a name or anything to me! Honest! The main building for the lron Throne is in Baldur’s Gate, somewhere in the southwest of the city, but I have never been there! I tell you true! Can I please go?
He’s clearly no threat to us, and we are about to take down the mine. I decide to have mercy this time.
Aegon: Get out of my sight, weakling!
Stephan: Oh, thank you thank you thank you! I promise not to get involved with people like this again, no matter how good the fringe benefits are! Yes, sir, I’m reasonably sure I will be careful from now on! Thank you, goodbye.
Inside Stephan’s chamber a large collection of books lines one of the walls. Among them we find some scrolls, so Dynaheir and I get to work. I fail to copy True Strike and Larloch’s Minor Drain, but Dynaheir adds Horror to her collection of spells.
A fourth scroll contains a spell that will turn a creature’s blood to fire. It’s a powerful spell, one neither myself or Dynaheir are ready to learn.
I also spot a book that bears the insignia of Candlekeep. This was scribed by one of the sages back home! I take it and start to read. It is a tale of romance, of Claius and Urania.
If it is from Candlekeep, I wonder if Camryn was the scribe. I check the spine and sure enough, another letter drops out. I didn’t expect to find one of his romantic letters this deep in the Iron Throne’s mine!
We will have to deliver this to Tamah in Beregost. I wonder in what other strange places we will find these letters?
I notice some more scrolls on a bookcase against the opposite wall. There is another Scroll of Larloch’s Minor Drain, as well as one of Melf’s Acid Arrows. Dynaheir copies both of these into her spellbook.
Back in the bedchamber we find a chest next to Davaeorn’s bed. It is locked and Aura is unable to work out the mechanism. We try to smash it open, but to no avail.
Aura quaffs her Potion of Master Thievery and tries to pick the lock again. It pops open and inside we find a Wand of Fear.
There are two more exits to this room. To the south is an elevator that appears to lead back to the top. To the east is a small corridor. We decide to follow the corridor. When we get to the end we find a room with 3 ornate chests, and a large pool of slime. The slime moves of its own accord, and lashes out at me when i try to move past it.
Our missile weapons seem to have no effect on the jelly, so we switch to melee weapons. Even they don’t seem to have much effect, with Kivan’s Dragon Spear going right through the thing.
Time to ask the Weave for help. I conjure a Red Chromatic Orb and send it hurling toward the jelly.
Dynaheir joins the assault with some of Melf’s Fiery Missiles.
The slime whips and warps as it takes hits from our magical barrage, and a tentacle forms that slashes Aura across the face. Poison seeps into her wound and she feels her joints stiffening.
We need to destroy this thing quickly. I send another Chromatic Orb at the creature.
Despite her rigid bones, Aura sees an opportunity and thrusts her scimitar into the central nerve of the jelly. The whole thing collapses into a pool of liquid and starts seeping into the stone floor.
There are three chests here, all locked. Though the slime’s poison slows her movements, she’s still able to pick apart each of the locks. The first chest contains a collection of jewellery, including some rubies and a ruby necklace. There is also a Scroll of Web, which Dynaheir uses to pad out her spellbook.
The second chest contains over 1000 coins, as well as a small collection of scrolls. Dynaheir, Kieria and myself gather around the scrolls to see what we can learn. Dynaheir fails to understand a Scroll of Battering Ram, but she successfully adds Luck to her repertoire.
Kieria also copies a Scroll of Web, meaning all three of us can now evoke the effect. Myself, I copy Melf’s Minute Meteors, a favourite of Dynaheir’s.
There is also a Scroll of Globe of Invulnerability which, while a powerful protective spell, we agree is too powerful for our abilities at the moment.
The final chest contains protective scrolls, one to Protect from Undead.
Another protects from fire.
And a third we cannot identify.
There are also two spell scrolls here: one of Invisibility which Kieria fails to copy into her spellbook, and another that can Break Enchantments which we hold in our Scroll Pouch for now.
We have searched every chest in this place, and yet there is no key for the river plug. What if it isn’t here? How will we shut down the mine? We have to find it!
We go back and search every nook and cranny, every bookshelf, strip apart the beds. It must be here. As we search, Kivan and Branwen get to know each other a little better.
Kivan: I have not traveled North, my lady Branwen, yet I have heard word of the harsh beauty of your native land.
Branwen: ‘Twas truth you have heard. Northeim Isles rise from the cold sea, as castles here in the South, pink and gray and speckled with shining crystals.
Kivan: And the sea breaks against the cliffs… a magnificent sight indeed.
Branwen: The cliffs are as unyielding as the warriors of my land. They sail the sea in longboats, their prows and sails painted red, the color of blood and honor.
Kivan: And the dark blue waters of the deepest fjords – color the eyes of the daughters of Norheim?
Branwen: Perchance you have heard songs of the Northerners?
Kivan: No, it was only a guess.
After much searching Aura finds the key in a secret compartment in one of Davaeorn’s chests.
Gameplay Note
This item was missing from the area, so I used cheat codes to add it to my inventory. I think it was missing because it was moved out of a chest and onto Davaeorn in the Enhanced Editions, but one of the installed mods replaces Davaeorn with a new version that doesn’t drop the key. I’m considering this a bug so I feel its fair to add the item back this way.
The elevator at the back of Daveorn’s chambers should take us back to the top level. We all climb onto it and close the gate behind us. Aura operates the lever and the metal cogs surround us start to groan.
It’s time to shut this place down for good.
