Did we miss anything in this location? Is there something we didn't discover? Let us know!
OVERVIEW:
This level contains the final resting place of Durlag's son (Keil), Durlag's wife (Islanne) and Durlag's father, as well as the very spot where Durlag finally died - or was slain by intruders into the Tower. The level is dominated by a large natural cavern which contains lots of acidic slime, oozing from the rocks themselves, as well as Durlag's forge, Throne Room and Treasure Room.
STORY:
This level would have originally been mines - the natural cavern would have been dug out by the Clan as they pursued veins of precious ore and iron. Furthermore, the forges and storage rooms (later converted to tombs) were also built on this level.
After the Clan was wiped out, Durlag had the Golems and their riddles, along with the Riddle Room, built and incorporated into the structure of this level.
QUESTS "AT-A-GLANCE":
- Solve the Stone Golem's riddles.
- Defeat the Demonknight who has taken up residence within the Tower (and put Durlag's remnant to rest).
- Release Dalton from captivity.
- Help Clair De'lain flee the Tower.
ITEMS "AT-A-GLANCE":
- Please refer to below locations for the items you can find on this level. The list is too extensive to detail all the items here.
LOCATIONS:
1 - ENTRY:
The "spirit" of Durlag will talk with you when you enter here. It passes on information regarding what you have to do to conquer the Tower and it tells you that you have to expel new evil from the place to cleanse it. This room is split in two, with the second half through the door to the south-west. However, this second half is simply a bridge over a pool of lava.
Speak with the spirit after answering all three of the Stone Golem's riddles and it will tell you that a demon lord has to be driven from the Tower to cleanse it. The spirit then leads you to the secret door leading to Room 10, and opens it for you.
2 - STORE ROOM:
The "spirit" of Islanne offers to send you to the surface - good for a quick exit (and you can return quite easily as well). A crate in the room contains 171gp, 2 Tchazar gems and a Jasper gem. There is a secret door to the east which can not be opened until after all three riddles are answered, and the spirit of Durlag opens it for you.
3 - FORGE:
Two Helmed Horrors are in this room. Since they are pretty much immune to missile weapons, send in your best fighters armed and armoured to the hilt and wax them. The Helmed Horrors only drop minor treasure, and they are worth 2000XP each.
Crate - 43gp, War hammer +1.
Forge (trapped) - 2 Healing Potions, Potion of Speed, 20 +2 Arrows, 10 +2 Sling Bullets, 14 +1 Darts, 8 Bolts of Biting and the Bone Wardstone.
4 - PIT ROOM:
Note that both entrances to this room have web traps on the floor just inside the doors. The central feature of this room is a huge and apparently bottomless pit. The room contains two Sword Spiders (2000XP each), two Ettercaps (650XP each), two Phase Spiders (1400XP each) and an Astral Phase Spider (4000XP). Before you get into melee, make sure you have some Cure Poison potions.
On the northern face of the room is a Stone Golem which has three riddles to ask (the answers are variously; Keil (eldest son), Islanne (mother of clan), Trollkiller (Durlag's surname), Thunderaxe (Durlag's father's surname)). Answer the three questions correctly, and the Golem teleports you to the Riddle Room, with its four Golems. One (the north) is Durlag, who asks a further riddle (tell me of my fear, whence did it come?). The answer rests with the remaining three golems - answer wrong and the room is hit with a Fireball. (The correct answer is West, South, East and now the North.) Just a note - don't speak with the Golem in the Pit Room again, else it fireballs you!
5 - MACHINE ROOM:
A large machine covers the northern side of this room. Inserting the Bone Wardstone (only after answering the Golem in the Pit Room's riddles) will turn off the Bone Ward in the next room.
6 - FAMILY TOMB:
This room is protected by a large warding on the floor. If the Bone Ward has not been put into the machine in Room 5, and the Ward turned off DON'T STEP ON THE RUNES! You will die nastily. The room itself is dripping with treasure - unfortunately the only two accessible parts are the two chests next to the northern and eastern biers. These are both trapped.
The northern chest contains - 5547gp, 2 Bloodstone gems, Turquoise gem, Sling +3 and a Large Shield +2.
The eastern chest contains - 201gp, Ziose gem, Star Diopside Gem, Mace +2, Leather Armour +3.
Clicking on the third bier teleports the party back to the Riddle Room with the four golems, with a fresh riddle to be answered. To get the answer speak with the other golems before talking with the Durlag golem (the answer is "it began with you and your need for a home..."). Note that this teleport only works if the group has first spoken with the Golem in the Pit Room.
7 - SLIME CAVERNS:
Throughout this area there are pools of slime on the floor - don't stand in them, they are acidic and you'll take minor damage. Some of the slime-pots on the walls contain treasure too, so make sure to check them out (they are marked on the map). The main monsters in this area are Greater Ghouls, Crypt Crawlers and Ghasts. Note that the respawn rate in these caverns is quite high, and you will be fighting many repeat groups of beasts.
a - 20 +2 bullets, 40 +1 arrows.
b - 582gp, Potion of Speed, Potion of Master Thievery, 2 Potions of Cure Poison.
c - 1gp.
d - 980gp.
e - Secret room containing two Greater Ghouls and two Crypt Crawlers. The treasure to be found in here is a Potion of Healing and a Potion of Speed.
f - Potion of Master Thievery.
g - This little alcove has two Greater Ghouls, as well as a stash of 69gp, 5 Healing Potions and a Cure Poison Potion.
h - Potion of Speed, 3 Potions of Healing, Potion of Frost Giant Strength, Potion of Fire Giant Strength.
i - This alcove has three Greater Ghouls and a Crypt Crawler. The treasure within is a Potion of Cure Poison, a Potion of Freedom and a Wand of Lightning.
j - 10 Bolts of Biting, 20 +1 Sling Bullets, 20 Arrows of Fire.
k - Another alcove behind a secret door, this one has two Greater Ghouls guarding a Potion of Freedom and a Potion of Frost Giant Strength.
l - 41gp.
m - 45gp (and a normal dagger, but it's not worth the inventory slot).
n - Two Ghasts, a Crypt Crawler and a Greater Ghoul are in this room, along with 10 Darts of Wounding and 80gp. Note that to get the treasure, you have to stand in the slime and take some damage (nothing major).
o - Wand of Summoning, Potion of Frost Giant Strength. Again, you'll have to stand on the slime.
p - Two Greater Ghouls, two Crypt Crawlers and Grael. Grael speaks with you, but there doesn't seem to be anything to do but fight him. He does give a fair bit of information regarding Durlag's Tower, and tells you that he guards Durlag's body (which does not appear to be in the alcove) and that the source of the current evil is a demon. He is also carrying the Compass Wardstone. Hidden in the pile of fungus in the north western corner of the room are Bracers AC 8.
q - Potion of Healing, Potion of Fire Giant Strength, Wand of Fireballs. Pity there are no slime-resistant boots around.
r - 1880gp. Slime-stepping required.
8 - HIDDEN BIER:
This room is behind a secret door, off the south eastern part of the Slime caverns. It appears to be a servant's bier. Note that the corridors beyond this room are trapped - each corridor has at least one trap within them. Send the thief in first.
Trapped chest - 53gp, Long Sword +1, Flame Tongue, Staff of Striking.
Sack - Andar gem.
9 - WARDED THRONE ROOM:
You can only open this door with the Compass Wardstone. Inside is a large throne and several piles of treasure - most of which you can't take. Clicking on the throne teleports you back to the Riddle Room with the Stone Golems, for a final riddle - Who is to blame for all this? The answer is pretty obvious (Durlag himself of course).
Locked box - 72gp.
Pile of treasure - 13,950gp, Short Sword +1, Gems: Turquoise, Jasper, Zircon, Moonstone, Ziose, Star Diopside, Aquamarine, Horn Coral, Sphene, Water Opal, Moonbar, Star Sapphire, Diamond, Emerald and Rogue Stone.
10 - THRONE ROOM:
Clair De'lain hides here, too fearful to flee and too horrified to face the Demonknight. She gives you information regarding the Mirror Of Opposition which the Demonknight owns, and which it used against her adventuring group (Dalton amongst them).
Locked chest - Zircon gem, Iol gem, Cloak of the Shield.
The stairs up lead to the Demonknight himself. Make sure you cast all the protection spells you have before going to face the beast, and that everyone is well rested. To be honest, my Good aligned group didn't have much of a problem with him, blocking him with three sets of summons and then peppering him with missile weapons and Magic Missile seemed to work very well.
When slain, the Demonknight drops a Large Shield +1 and the Soultaker dagger. He is worth 15000XP. Break the Mirror of Opposition before leaving (unless you used it during the fight). Dalton is in this room as well, tell him to flee for home (he's pretty much freaked out beyond conversation).
Once you have bested the Demonknight, speak with Clair again. She will be amazed you defeated the creature, and then she will leave the Tower herself.
After the defeat of the Demonknight, Durlag's Tower is cleansed and you have successfully dealt with its challenges! Returning to Ulgoth's Beard is the final step in the Tales of the Sword Coast Expansion.
NOTE: The "*" mark deadly traps.
