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Overview

This district contains some of the city's tougher quests, so we recommend leaving it for last. The points of interest are Degrodel's house, the Helm and Cloak inn, and Entar Silvershield's estate, which is a real must-visit for any thief! There's also some good loot all around this area so keep your eyes peeled.


1 - House

Inside this house you'll find a Potion of Healing in a nightstand on the upper floor.


2 - Quinn's House

Inside this house you'll meet Quinn. He'll tell you that his friend Nester was killed by an ankheg east of the city (in AR0900), and he'll ask to you head over their and see if you can find something of Nester's so his mother will have something to bury.

You'll find the murderous ankheg in the northern part of the map, past Tenya's house. When you kill it, you'll find Nester's Dagger on its corpse. Then when you deliver the dagger to Quinn, you'll receive a Shandon Gem, +1 Reputation, and 950 xp.

Also in this house you can loot some containers for a Longbow +1, a Potion of Magic Protection, and a scroll of Horror.


3 - Inn

When you enter this inn, you'll run into Connoly Finn, who will offer you information about the Undercellar, but who won't know anything about the Iron Throne. You can also meet with a bartender (on the ground floor), who will sell you drinks and rent you rooms, and Borinole Mann (on the upper floor), who will tell you rambling stories of the good old days. You can also loot a locked cabinet (on the upper floor) for a Potion of Defense.


4 - House

Inside this house you'll find a Potion of Insight in a cabinet on the ground floor. The commoner living in the house won't call the guards if he spots you stealing it.


5 - Twins' House

Inside this house you'll meet the twins Laerta and Louise. They'll tell you that a "bogeyman" keeps looking in their window at night. Then the mage Gervisse will enter the house and tell you that the druid Voltine is planning on abducting the twins. Finally, Voltine will appear in the house, and she'll tell you that Gervisse is a dirty voyeur. This will give you two ways to complete the quest:

• You can side with Gervisse and force-attack Voltine. Voltine is worth 60 xp, and she'll drop a Wand of Polymorphing when she dies. Gervisse will then thank you, but he won't give you a reward.
  
  
• You can side with Voltine and force-attack Gervisse. Gervisse is worth 900 xp, and he'll drop a Mage Robe of Fire Resistance when he dies. Voltine will then thank you and give you a Wand of Polymorphing.

Regardless of your choice, when you talk to Laerta afterwards, she'll give you a scroll of Protection from Evil, and you'll also earn 1000 xp.

You can also pick up Splint Mail +1 from a locked cupboaard in the house.


6 - Ocellis

Ocellis will tell you that the Grand Dukes are discussing whether or not they should declare war on Amn, but that it's probably just a negotiating ploy to get better prices on iron.


7 - Degrodel's House

When you enter this house, you'll get attacked by Doom Guards, Helmed Horrors, and Invisible Stalkers. If you're playing the original game, then you'll face off against seven enemies, and you'll earn 17,000 xp for defeating them. If you're playing the EE, then you'll have an easier time as you'll only have to deal with five enemies worth 12,000 xp. But regardless, the battle can be tough, and we'd recommend buffing up with useful spells -- like Bless and Haste -- before entering the house.

After the battle when you explore the house, you'll discover Degrodel in a back room. He'll congratulate you for defeating his guardians, and then he'll offer you a quest. He'll tell you that a group of adventurers was turned to stone when trying to rob Ramazith's tower, and that they were sibsequently sold to an art dealer named Felonius Gist. One of the adventurers was supposedly wearing the fabled Helm of Balduran when he was petrified, so Degrodel will give you six Stone to Flesh Scrolls so you can cure the adventurers -- and then take the helm from them.

Gist's manor is located in Baldur's Gate Central. You'll find five statues inside -- Vail and his four companions. You'll only need to cure Vail (who is in a corner). After doing so, when you talk to him, he'll reveal that he's not wearing the Helm of Balduran and that he doesn't want to give it up. But if you insist, then he'll give you a letter with hints about where to find it. This will earn you 500 xp.

Note: You can also kill Vail and his party if you want. This is an easy fight because they'll start out significantly wounded. You'll earn 5800 xp for the battle, but you won't find much on the corpses other than some magical arrows.

From the letter you'll learn that the Helm of Balduran can be found "where people rest, in a building that may as well have been named for the purpose." That is, the helm was hidden in the Helm and Cloak. You'll find it on the (rear) upper floor behind a trapped painting (#15).

When you deliver the helm to Degrodel, he'll pay you 5000 gp for it, but then he'll summon two Doom Guards, a Helmed Horror, and an Invisible Stalker to "escort you out" -- that is, attack you -- and he'll flee the premises. If you're quick, then you can kill Degrodel before he leaves to get the helm back, and then mop up the other enemies. In total, you'll receive 10,800 xp for the battle, and when you loot Degrodel's corpse you'll find the Helm of Balduran and a Mage Robe of Electrical Resistance. You'll also find a Splint Mail +1 in the locked cabinet in Degrodel's room.


8 - House

Inside this house you'll find an Amulet of Protection + 1 / The Protector +1 in a cabinet in the kitchen.


9 - Pheirkas' House

Inside this house, Pheirkas will ask you to steal Algernon's Cloak from Algernon in Feldepost's Inn in Beregost. If you complete this task and deliver the cloak to Pheirkas, then you'll receive 150/200 gp and 200/300 xp in reward (with the exact amounts depending on your Reputation).

Note: You can pick up another +2 Charisma cloak, the Nymph Cloak, from Baldur's Gate West, so there isn't any harm in completing this quest. You can also kill Pheirkas to get the cloak back, and it won't cost you any Reputation.

Just outside the house you can pick up a scroll of Color Spray from a barrel.


10 - Containers (EE)

If you're playing the EE, then in one of the containers here you'll find a Night Club +1.


11 - Entar Silvershield's Estate

There are two things to do in this estate -- steal stuff and recruit Skie (TN, Human Female, Thief) -- but to do either, you'll have to convince the people inside that you belong there. Luckily, they're pretty gullible, and they'll believe you if you say that you're Entar's business associates from Waterdeep.

There are lots of thigs to steal in the estate:

• In the western room on the ground floor, you can pick up a Potion of Invulnerability, a Potion of Magic Blocking, several trinkets, and over 600 gp. To get the guard out of the way, just draw him into the foyer when he notices you.
  
  
• In Skie's room on the upper floor, you can pick up a Cloak of Protection +1, an Elixir of Health, an Oil of Speed, a Potion of Freedom, several trinkets, and over 800 gp. To get Skie out of the way, either recruit her or wait for her to wander out. The cook might also be able to see you thorugh the wall, so you'll probably need to charm her and order her to move somewhere else.

To recruit Skie, you'll need to have Eldoth in your party. You should have met him in the Cloakwood Forest (AR1600). If you don't have Eldoth, then Skie will call the guards. Just note: if Skie offers to join you and you refuse her, then Eldoth will leave your party, and he and Skie will disappear from the game.


12 - Gorpel Hind and the Merry Fools

Next to the bar here you'll meet Gorpel Hind and the rest of the Merry Fools: Farluck, Nelik and Turpin. After talking to them, the Maulers of Undermountain will enter the tavern abd pick a fight with you. If you shared a tale with the Fools, then they'll stay and help you. Otherwise, they'll leave and you'll be on your own.

Since you'll control when the fight starts, you can buff up your party first with spells like Bless and Haste. You might also want to wait for the waiter to clear the room. Then just do the regular thing: focus on the enemy spellcasters (Arlin, Pargus, Wilf) first before mopping up the rest (Caturak, Gretek, Nader).

In total, you'll earn 5250 for defeating the Maulers, and when you loot their corpses you'll find an Adventurer's Robe, some Arrows of Fire, some Arrows of Ice, a Battle Axe of Mauletar +2 (aka a Battle Axe +2), Bracers of Defense AC 7, and a Long Sword +1.


13 - Bartender

This bartender will sell you drinks and rent you rooms.


14 - Upper Floor

In this part of the Helm and Cloak, you'll meet a noblewoman named Sarah, who is an emissary from Amn -- and who is important enough to warrant two guards posted outside her door. Inside a chest in her room you'll find an Angel Skin Ring, which you might need for Fergus' quest in Baldur's Gate Southwest.


15 - Upper Floor

In this part of the Helm and Cloak, you'll find the Helm of Balduran hidden behind a trapped painting. You'll need it for Degrodel's quest (#7).


Exits

1. Entrance to the Helm and Cloak.