xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ShadowGuard FAQ/Walkthrough (NeverWinterNights Diamond Edition expansion pack) Version 1.00 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Table of Contents #1) Introduction and Overview #2) Episodes and Quests #3) Contact Information xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx #1) Introduction and Overview This is a short game with some rough spots in the implementation, but with some interesting features that differ from NWN, and an enjoyable series of brief adventures. The basic idea is that you are the son of the ruler of Ghaarak, and you have just graduated from the academy. Your father has received a mysterious magic jewel and an enemy wants it. He also wants to kill you and your father, and destroy Ghaarak. Ultimately he succeeds in the last two of these goals, but you escape from Ghaarak -- at which point the story ends. Along the way you carry out various tasks, promoting civil order in Ghaarak and eliminating some of the lesser villains. I played with an elven wizard imported as a high level character from NWN (chaotic good). It was broken back to level 3 at the start of the game (and only reached 5 at the very end.) One of the novel features of ShadowGuard is that you must eat when you rest. Your inventory starts out with 4 "meal packs," and you can buy more in the marketplace (from Rago.) (The game is short enough that a couple dozen meal packs will suffice.) There is no resuscitation in the game, so save often. The implementation of henchmen is different from NWN. The main one is Markius Albright, first encountered in the marketplace. He offers you quests and then becomes a henchman when you accept. There is partial inventory control in that you can inspect his inventory and adjust his weapons, but you cannot take his possessions (e.g., healing potions) for your own use. After the quest, he generally goes off and ceases to be a henchman (until the next time). If you give him something, it disappears with him. (So don't!) Your character is quite weak and your best strategy when fights erupt is to keep out of the way and not get killed. Your henchman usually does most of the fighting, and you may need to heal him, so prepare by buying plenty of healing potions. The development of the story proceeds through quests. When you don't know what to do next, you can sometimes ask your henchman. More often, you will want to check the Journal for any currently uncompleted quests. The suggestions are generally quite clear. Actually, you don't need a walkthrough for this game because it is made so obvious what you should do next. The game board consists primarily of the Marketplace and the Imperial district, together with various buildings with interiors. The Imperial district has the Imperial Grand Hall. (You start in the Academy, but otherwise it is mainly irrelevant. The Imperial Estate is inaccessible for most of the story.) The Marketplace has the Ravenclaw Tavern and the Sewer entrance. Various vendors are distributed about the Marketplace, but they are out in the open. Rago sells meal packs. In my run, he bought loot at the best price. Forgehammer sells weapons and armor, and Sevanna sells healing potions and spell scrolls. The other two named vendors are quest related. Crates behind Sevanna's stand hold crafting supplies; Forgehammer also sells them. You may want to play with crafting, but since you can't make magical items and since non-magical ones so cheap, this is just for your own amusement. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx #2) Episodes and Quests You start with an interaction with "The Eternal Spirit." (An imported high-level character comes in at Level 3 with some inherited spells, and its interaction is just a pass-through, but a new level-1 character is immediately offered level-ups to 2 and 3; it receives gratis some extra level-1 spells, but only those it chooses for spell level 2). After a monolog and a dialog with Gilles that just provides some background, the graduation ceremony from the academy begins. You are called on to judge the spirit of "Yakir the Black." Of the three choices among which you ultimately choose: choice 1 shifts you 5 points towards lawful, choice 3 shifts you 5 points towards chaotic, and 2 does neither. For most characters, the choice would seem not to matter, and I see no connection between this episode and anything else in the story. At the conclusion of the ceremony, you choose among three "crests." These are magical devices with potentially valuable powers. The "Crest of the Guardian" offers Globe of Invulnerability (11) or Shield (5) once per day. The "Crest of the Redeemer" permits you to cast Cure Moderate Wounds (10) or Monstrous Regeneration (11) once per day. The "Crest of the Enforcer" grants Flame Weapon (3) once per day. I would recommend either Guardian or Redeemer because your main challenge is keeping yourself and your henchman alive! (I cannot find documentation on "Monstrous Regeneration.") You also receive a rather strange book, "The Chronicles of Abaran." When you right-click on it, you get the option, "Use: Unique Power Self Only." When you select it, you begin reading the book; as you continue reading, "illustrations" appear. The book basically provides background on the emperor Rakha and his enemy the Crimson Prophet. With all these preliminaries out of the way, you can finally begin adventuring. You leave the Academy for the Imperial District and then exit from it to the marketplace. (A conversation with Gilles is part of the sub-theme of your relations with your father.) In the Marketplace, you are hailed by Markius Albright. Accept his quest ("Slavers in Ghaarak"), but defer carrying it out until you have visited the market stalls of Rago (food packs), Sevanna (healing potions), and Forgehammer(arms and armor.) You start out with 1000 GP. Stock up on food. (Resting is vital and food packs are cheap, so don't stint yourself.) Buy the best arms and armor you can afford, while leaving enough funds for a significant number of healing potions, plus possibly 50-100 GP for bribes. Visit Nelgir's gem shop for another quest. The elven female in the interaction, Kara Dy'nesh will turn out to be a member of the ShadowGuard, which is headed by Markius -- these are the good guys, your allies. This quest is called "The Restless Spirit;" it will be a while before you can do anything about it. You can now approach Shrak to carry forward the slaver quest. Response 3 followed by the bribe of 50 GP (or even 20 GP) elicits information on contacting the slavers. Alternatively, open the trapped chest next to Shrak (he pays no attention) to obtain a revealing letter. (Note: when documents are found, you usually have to actually put them in your pack for the quest to be updated.) Take the information/letter back to Markius. Agree to help him deal with the slavers, and he will become your henchman and now YOU have to lead the way. Enter the tavern and give the secret knocks and password at the door on the SE side of the short corridor. You are stunned and captured. When you come to Markius is fighting (by hand) against two armed slavers. You have dim vision, which you should use to get out of the way. (Your weapons and any summoned animal would be gone, as well as the effects of mage's armor, but your familiar would still be with you.) When you leave the room, you will find a chest with your weapons, but Markius' will probably be gone. (I think this is a bug. The chest is too small to hold his weapons as well as yours.) You need to rearm Markius: I gave him my sword +1 and kept a cross bow. Do what you can to prepare for a fight. Then exit. After a couple of rooms/fights you reach a large room with someone named Jhordak, who is apparently a personal enemy of Markius. In due course a fight ensues. Afterward, remember to search Jhordak's body. Continue through one more room with enemies, to a room with a rope. Take back your weapon from Markius because he will disappear after you climb the rope. In parting, Markius suggests contacting Tarin Lightfingers and Kara Dy'nesh at the tavern. Kara is the elven woman who stole the gem and Nelgir also suggested looking for her at the tavern (see Journal.) You speak to Tarin and sit in on his card game. He wins and one of his opponents, a minotaur, Gahn, gets upset. In the end, the minotaur tells his tale, and you agree to try to recover a brooch that he lost to a cardshark named Mylok the day before. (Gambler's Luck quest) Mylok is standing by the wall a short distance SE of the restaurant. (Prepare for a fight.) Most sequences of responses lead to him attacking you. You kill him and take the brooch back to Tarin then offer it to Gahn. To get him to take it, you must lie, which shifts you 5 points towards chaotic. (If you did the deed without payment you are also shifted 5 point towards good.) A person named Malthar next approaches Tarin and proposes a game of cards. You sit down at the table with them. In the end, Malthar reveals that he is a bounty hunter for Pharos Nightcrawler to whom Tarin owes an unpayed debt and that he has spiked their drinks. You refuse to let them have Tarin, they attack, you are (probably) wounded but Gahn comes to the rescue. In the meantime, the Nightcrawlers have carried off Tarin. You set out (alone) to rescue him, following up an observation by Gahn that the men involved have been seen around the boathouse (marked on the map.) You see Malthar head down a trapdoor and follow. After a number of fights, with the aid of your familiar and a summoned boar, you defeat all the Nightcrawlers and rescue Tarin. With Tarin taken care of, turn to Kara (as both uncompleted Journal entries suggest.) Go to the tavern and speak to Ruknar the barkeep. Bribe him to give you the key to the room of the "pretty Elven lady" (opposite the one the slavers occupied.) Talk to her and tell her Markius sent you. She will explain why she took the gem and cannot return it. She goes into a trance and communicates with the spirit, who proves to be Malgor, Nelgir's father, whom he murdered. He cannot rest until Nelgir is brought to justice, which is obviously your next task. Based on a hint from the spirit, you are to look for Malgor's body in the sewer (entrance shown on map.) As you look about, you "notice" a suspicious pile of rubble, which indeed conceals Malgor's body complete with Nelgir's monogrammed dagger in the back. The Journal entry that appears suggests going to Officer Gadolin. You find Gadolin in the marketplace slightly north of the gate to the Imperial District. On the way, the Crimson Prophet manifests himself and is unsuccessfully confronted by Harkon (who will turn out eventually to be another member of the ShadowGuard.) Return with Gadolin to arrest Nelgir, then speak to Malgor's ghost. At this point, the only uncompleted item in the Journal suggests that your father should be informed about the appearance of the Crimson Prophet. So head for the Imperial District. Your are stopped by a hooded messenger who tells you that someone named Xanthar has something concerning your father to tell you, so you head off to talk to Xanthar near the docks. Xanthar turns hostile and attacks but Markius appears and defeats Xanthar. Markius advises you to warn your father there is a plot against his life. So off to the Imperial District again. Enter the Imperial Grand Hall. Your father is in the Council Chamber (marked on map.) When you enter you overhear a lengthy conversation concerning the mysterious magic gem. You then have a conversation with your father which advances the Journal but without any new quest. You should explore the other rooms. The storage room has some worthwhile items of loot. The library has books and a bashable chest. The chest contains a ledger concerning the control stone. It seems it ought to be relevant, but so far I haven't been able to fit it in. You can talk to Zhiram in the central chamber with the control stone, but to little apparent effect. As you head back to the market district, you are stopped by Markius who has information that Mikel Ravenclaw is plotting you and your father's death. You go with him to the tavern to deal with Mikel Ravenclaw. Mikel's chamber is marked on the map. Provoke the guard at his door, kill him and take his key. Enter Mikel's chamber. Kill Mikel. On his body you find a note in the handwriting of Chancellor Varhun putting him up to the assassination attempt. (Put the note in your pack to update the Journal.) The Journal entry suggests that you approach Captain Anagril (who will be found in the Imperial District.) Loot the two small rooms to the west, then head for the Imperial District. As you approach the entrance to the district, you are stopped by a sinister person named Ghasaran. He is looking for Kara and you refuse to tell him where she is. A new entry "Disciples of Akhana" appears in the Journal sugggesting that you inform Kara. (The Kara episode must be done before going to your father in the Imperial District.) Go to Kara's room at the tavern. Prepare for a fight. Talk to her. Ghasaran and company show up claiming to have followed you. After some talk, a fight ensues. Kara leaves after some talk Enter the Imperial District and speak to Captain Anagril, who is just inside the Imperial Grand Hall. You go to Varhun and after some talk you search his desk. After some more interactions with Anagril and Varhun, Varhun attacks and is killed. Search his body for some good loot. He has a key, but I never found a locked door that it would unlock. At this point the "Assassins" quest item is under the Completed tab in the Journal. It does, however, suggest going to your father. On leaving the Grand Hall, Markius takes himself off after urging you to speak to your father. You go to the Imperial Residence; it explodes killing your father; the Red Prophet appears and tells his followers to kill you; Markius shows up and saves you. Head for the marketplace; in the outer courtyard of the district, a fight is in progress. After it finishes, speak to Captain Anagril. The gate to the market sqare is magically blocked by the control stone, which must be disabled in order to escape. There are two options: direct assault or a secret passage. (Stop by the Academy for some supplies.) The secret passage is by the "Statue of Emperor Rakha," but you will have to fight your way through the golems, who are now hostile. The area you reach is just full of traps, so watch out! At the other end, you will find a rope to climb to reach the storage area of the Grand Hall (guarded by a couple of Crimson Followers.) Proceed to the central chamber with the Control Stone, fighting for each room. (Note the chests in the storage room are new and can be looted.) The control stone can be dealt with in two ways: by knowing the access code and the rune setting, or by bashing all the peripheral pedestals. The code is in a book, "Ledger #13: The Control Stone," which you may have picked up earlier or can pick up now in the library. It can also be obtained with Spellcraft by interacting with the stone. The rune setting is given by a mnemonic in Zhiram's ledger. Zhiram is lying deal in the control room. In SOME runs, his journal can be found on his body. In other runs, it is nowhere to be found. (I think this is a bug.) In any case, bashing always works. When the last pedestal is bashed, the Crimson Prophet bursts from the Treasury room, utters some threats, summons some minions and runs off. Harkon, who had been imprisoned in a magic bubble, helps in the subsequent fight and then runs off, too. You can explore the rest of the building for some more fights and some loot. There is an trapped unbashable chest in the Treasury, to which I never found a key, as well as two others that can be opened. In any case, the gate to the Marketplace can now be opened. (When the ledger is found it suggests that the rune on the right be set to 9, the one to the left be set to 1, and the one in the middle to 0. This works. An advantage of using the control orb is that you can shut off the golems outdoors.) A battle ensues as soon as you exit the Grand Hall, and others may follow as you approach the gate to the Marketplace. Once there, Markius departs. You go to the gate and speak to Markius again. You have to choose a different member of the ShadowGuard to accompany you to the ship by which you will escape Ghaarak. You speak to each of them. The choices are as follows: Kara Dy'nesh, true neutral elven cleric (5), AC 19, HP 45 (Strength 10, Dext 18, Const 10, Intell 10, Wisdom 17, Charisma 15) Tarin Lightfingers, chaotic good halfling rogue (5), AC 19, HP 40 (Strength 10, Dext 21, Const 15, Intell 14, Wisdom 10, Charisma 12) Lyen Silverblade chaotic good human ranger (1), rogue(4) AC 14, HP 51 (Strength 16, Dext 13, Const 16, Intell 8, Wisdom 10, Charisma 10) Note: you must speak with each of the four (including Markius) before you can leave the District. So make your choice, enter the marketplace and receive 500 XP, which may allow you a level-up. Fight your way to the docks, just in time to see them destroyed and Officer Ganolin wounded. Talk to Ganolin. He suggests there may be a secret underground passage to the docks from Ravenclaw Tavern. On investigating a pile of rubble, you learn that you will need a rope to descend. At what used to be Sevanna's stall, you will find a chest containing a rope and grapple. You find yourself in Ravenclaw's room. Go into the small side-room and use the key (you did keep Ravenclaw's key didn't you?) to open the trapdoor. Making your way to the docks, you find Harkon and company confronting the Crimson Prophet. The latter summons some demons and escapes. After the fight, talk to Markius, then follow the others onto their ship and go down into the hold. Story ends. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx #3) Contact Information smithfreeman14@gmail.com Please include the word "ShadowGuard" in the subject line. xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx