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  Home > Planescape: Torment > Walkthroughs > Walkthrough by Steve Metzler

Walkthrough by Steve Metzler

Steve's Guide to Planescape: Torment

30th September, 2000

Introduction

Planescape: Torment is a brilliant fantasy computer role-playing game set in the Advanced Dungeons and DragonsT Planescape multiverse. You take on the role of The Nameless One, a formidable being - yet unaware of who you are, and how you happened to awake on a cold metal slab in a surreal mortuary... shades of Gene Wolfe!

Conventions

Once again, I've chosen to eschew that handy yet game spoiling Table of Contents. OK, so this Guide is loaded with outright spoilers anyway, but I try not to ruin all the fun right up front by providing you with a listing of all the important locations you will visit. If you're looking for references to a particular location, person, weapon, etc., then just search for it in your browser.

At the bottom of this guide are handy tables for locating important items and people.

Directions are given assuming that the top of your screen is north, and the longer direction names are abbreviated, like SW for southwest. If more precision is needed, then positions on a clock face are used, like: 10 o'clock.

Tips

Before you even think about starting to play, download and apply the latest patch, which at the time of writing was the version 1.1 patch. This patch fixed numerous bugs, and also gets rid of the problem where the game slows down terribly after about an hour's play.

The Nameless One (TNO hereafter), begins life as a Fighter. Later on, just by conversing with various NPCs, TNO can change roles to be a Thief or a Mage. While the idea of switching back and forth throughout the game to overcome various obstacles that suit tackling by a particular class of character seems a clever one, this course of action is probably best avoided. You see, experience points (XP) accrue only for the present class. If you keep switching between classes, you'll dilute the XP across the board, and will never obtain real proficiency in anything. So, it's best to choose your preferred role early on in the game and stick with it!

Balance, balance, this game is all about balance. When creating your character at the beginning of the game, it's probably best to load up your primary stat just a little bit. For instance, Strength (STR) for a Fighter. But... I wouldn't recommend going above 15 on any stat. As far as TNO is concerned, all stats are important! Intelligence (INT) gives you more conversation choices, and it will be easier to talk your way around things rather than having to fight all the time. TNO has lost his memory, and a high Wisdom (WIS) helps him to regain more memories. Dexterity (DEX) is useful for thieving skills, but is also important as it lowers your Armor Class (AC), making you harder to hit in battle, and so forth. The first time I played, I wanted TNO to be a Mage, so I set INT to 15. Of course, I had to skimp elsewhere, and only wound up with a Constitution (CON) of 11. I suffered the consequences of this decision for nearly the entire game, being easier to knock off than a fat guppy in a tank full of piranhas :-( Each time your character goes up a level, you get to spend 1 point on one of these characteristics, so you can eventually rectify mistakes; however, it is better in the long run to start off with a balanced character, and gradually build up all the stats.

Talk to every character that exhibits a blue circle when you place your cursor over them, especially the zombie workers and skeletons in the Mortuary. This is the primary way by which you discover things, get quests, etc.

It's probably a good idea to turn off the Party AI. You'll have better control of your party members in battle then. For example, with the AI turned on, any Priests in your party will be constantly wading right into the thick of things to heal someone who only just got a scratch, thereby placing themselves in great peril. Also, the space bar is your best friend in battle! With it, you can pause at any time, issue commands for all your party members, swap items, use healing aids, etc. Then just hit the space bar again when you're ready to resume. It's the next best thing to turn-based combat :-)

During battle, I always micro-manage my party. Before you even engage the enemy, hit the space bar straight away. Then, assign each of your Fighters to attack a specific creature. To do this, click on the party member you want to use, then hold down the shift key and click on the creature you want them to attack. Repeat for each Fighter. You might also at this time organise each Mage to fire off their first spell at a specific target. Then, hit the space bar again to let the battle commence. When you kill any creature, hit the space bar right away and immediately re-assign your now idle Fighter to go beat up on something else! This way, you make sure your resources are always efficiently employed. Whenever you notice any of your party members getting low on health, hit the space bar quickly, and get them healed (you can keep all your healing charms of a similar type grouped together, and just pass these groups of charms around from party member to party member as the need arises)! Of course, it goes without saying that you should keep your Fighters up front, and your Mages pretty far behind so they can keep firing off spells without fear of being attacked.

Another warning about dilution of XP. Remember that you split any XP gained amongst all the members of your party. While having a bigger party is more fun, it definitely makes the going tougher, as characters will gain new levels at a much slower rate.

Whenever a new person joins your party, engage them in conversation at the earliest opportunity, and grill them about everything. You learn a lot of new things this way, and sometimes acquire valuable items.

After a tough battle, if you've a Priest in your party, get all the party members healed as much as you can with the Priest's remaining healing spells... then you can rest. Using this technique, you'll need to spend much less time resting in order to get your party fully healed, and the Priest will regain all the healing spells after the first 8 hour's rest!

Note that when you or your party members use Thief skills to steal something, you can't subsequently sell it to anyone because all the merchants will know it's stolen goods. So, don't bother to steal anything you're not going to use.

The best way to identify items is with Charms of Infinite Recall. Just wait till you have at least a half dozen items that need to be identified (doing only 1 or 2 at a time is a waste), and make sure they're all in a single party member's inventory. Then, put one (or more. Only one will be used) of these Charms in an empty Quick Item slot of that party member, return to the game world, right-click and select the Charm(s). You'll note the person becoming infused with light. When you return to that person's inventory, all the items are now identified! You can also equip each of your Mages with an Identify scroll, but then only one item per day/per Mage can be identified. Much more tedious. You can buy or find these Charms all over the place, so what the heck.

An easy way to move across a large area that you've already seen: select all party members, then open up the map. Click once to get a yellow square around the section you wish to travel to. Then, double-click on the square and you'll be back in the game world, positioned right at the place you want to wind up. Just hold down the shift key, click once more on the ground here (or a doorway), and your party will run straight over to where you clicked.

Some thoughts concerning Wisdom

I could never figure out how, according to the manual and the in-game help, increased WIS got you more experience points (because you always get the same XP for completing a given quest regardless of your WIS). Well, I finally did find out by playing a portion of the game through with a high WIS (to the detriment of several other stats, of course), and the way WIS plays its part in gaining XP is this: the higher your WIS, the more memories you will recall, thus gaining XP that you can't get by any other means. Also, a high WIS means that you get more of a share of the XP when your party completes a quest or kills something; however, this aspect of it can work against you when you're trying to boost party member stats all around.
Unfortunately, this Guide was written before I had twigged the nuances of Wisdom, and I played all the way through the game (twice!) with just slightly above average WIS. Therefore, you will note that very few memories have been recalled in my writings, and I've missed out on a lot of XP. So please don't write to me to tell me about all the memories I missed. I feel bad enough as it is! (of course, you should feel free to write to me about anything else you think I missed out on :-)
Anyway, in retrospect, I would recommend that if you need to have any stat as your 'secondary' stat, then it should be WIS!

Well, that's probably enough of the up front stuff. Time to wade right in...

The Mortuary

2nd floor

Morte, the indefatigable skull, is hovering near you when you stir back to life on the mortuary slab. There's some writing on your back. Hmm. So, we need to find this guy Pharod, and your journal. Get the Scalpel and some Bandages from the tables in the northern part of the room, arm yourself with the Scalpel, then attack the southern-most zombie in the room. Take the key off him, then proceed through the door in the NW corner. You could kill the other 2 zombies, but they're only worth 65 XP each. Note that the key disappears from your inventory when you go through the door. This is the game's way of telling you that you won't be needing it any longer. Get used to losing items like this, because it happens a lot, and you don't want to be wasting time looking for items that you think you have lost, but you haven't!

The next room holds 3 zombies, and little else of interest for the moment. So just head through the next door. This is more interesting. Pick up the Fist Irons, the Receiving Room Logbook, and some jink (er, Coppers) from the tables here. Note that the last page is missing from the Logbook. I suspect that has something to do with you. Talk to zombie worker #1201 here. You notice something in his mouth and cut it out with your Scalpel, for 250 XP. Use the Note, and fold the corners in this order: upper right, lower right, upper left, upper right again (marks corresponding to the number of this zombie). The Note dissolves, and you are left holding a Triangle Earring, which you can't identify yet (it's actually a 'Rule-of-Three Earring', as you'll later discover), but solving this puzzle nets you another 250 XP. Also, chat with the scribe Dhall in the south end of this room. You have been here many times before. It seems as if Dhall might have ripped the last page out of the Logbook, so that the Dustmen would not discover who or what you are and have you cremated! From now on, whenever a Dustman approaches you and asks you what you are doing in the Mortuary, you can just mention Dhall's name to get rid of them.

Again, proceeding clockwise, the next room doesn't have much of anything noteworthy in it, except a Receiving Log Page that you get from zombie #1664 there, which has an entry numbered 16539 that looks suspiciously like TNO/you! Reading more, it looks like we'll have to locate this Copper Earring, and also zombie #79, who might give us a clue on how to interpret the markings on the Earring.

Things start to get even more interesting in the next room (let's say at 2 o'clock on the Mortuary - 2nd floor map). If you accidentally topple over zombie #985, you get a new weapon. Also, speak to the Dustwoman Ei-Vene to get Quest 3 below, the first one you can immediately carry out :-)

3rd floor

The Finger Bone that activates the secret portal (see Quest 4 below) is located in a locked container on the 3rd floor, in the room at the 12 o'clock position. It doubles as a Bone Charm - but of course, don't use yet, or you won't be able to activate the portal!

Skeleton #863, in the room at 10 o'clock, has a Parchment attached to him. The note on the Parchment alludes to there being a Prybar somewhere on this floor. Indeed, there's one on a table in the room at 6 o'clock on this floor.

The stairwell on the west side of this floor is locked. The key to open this door is located on a shelf on the SE part of the stairwell wall. Indeed, once you have this Mortuary Sanctum Key in your possession, all the remaining locked doors in the Mortuary will be open to you!

The room to the south contains 3 zombies. Examine zombie #79, and you'll be able to open that Ancient Copper Earring you've been carrying around (250 XP).

Zombie #42 is wandering continuously in a big circle around the central part of the 3rd floor. If you've recalled the memory of him (see Quest 3), and you cross your arms, he'll put his arms at his side. You can then reach inside him and pull out the package that's stitched into him (250 XP). Inside it are 2 Clot Charms, some Rags, and a Green Steel Knife! Looks like TNO knew he might be coming back here again.

1st floor

There are 4 Giant Skeletons in the central room of this floor. They are much too difficult for you and Morte to take on at this stage in the game, but... there is another way. If you get the Tome of Bone and Ash off zombie #932 in the room to the SE, it will give you the knowledge necessary to dissect the Giant Skeletons! First, you have to examine each Skeleton's armor, then you have to compare the runes on it to the runes in the Tome. Then you have to remove the wards in the correct order. Worth 800 XP per Giant Skeleton, plus 3 of the Skeletons leave behind a Rune of Lesser Warding (invokes "Armor") and one has a Rune of Greater Warding (invokes "Shield"), though all of these are only usable by Mages.
Also in this room, on the wall to the north, is a Crescent Hatchet. The Skeletons don't seem to mind if you take it.

Near the exit from the Mortuary, in the room to the SW, speak to Soego. He will open the gate for you for 500 XP (you can exit here instead of using the portal. You still come out at roughly the same place). Alternatively, you can snap the neck of one of the other Dustmen here, and take the key off their corpse, but this is bad for your karma, especially if you're attempting to keep your alignment leaning towards the Good side.

Converse with the spirit of Deionarra, in the room to the NW. She... once meant a lot to you. You should get 1000 XP for recalling a memory of how you can raise the dead (plus, it now becomes one of your Special Abilities). You also get 500 XP for her telling you about the exit portal, even though you might have already heard it from Vaxis.
After speaking to her, if you've got the Bone Charm in your inventory, you may use the portal that opens up when you approach one of the openings in the northern part of this room!

Quests

  1. Find "Pharod".

    2. This... might take a little while. Let's not spoil things just yet.

  2. Find your missing journal.

    3. Ditto.

  3. Fetch Embalming Fluid and Needle for Ei-Vene - Embalming Room Key, +1 HP, and 750 XP.

    4. There are 2 jars of Embalming Fluid in the room at 4 o'clock on this floor. Also in this room is a locked container. You can bash it open with your newly found club. Inside is that (Ancient) Copper Earring mentioned in the Receiving Log Page. Take the stairs up to the 3rd floor here (on the shelf at the top of the stairs is a Charcoal Charm). Then, go inside the room to the north and head for the shelf on the wall to the NW. There is a Needle and Thread there. Remember, when the Dustmen accost you, say you are looking for someone (Dhall). Once you have secured the Needle and Thread, return to Ei-Vene. Before you get her attention this time, notice the motion of her hands. You recall your first memory, about stitching something inside zombie #42, and get 250 XP. Then give her the Embalming Fluid, Needle and Thread (250 XP), and hold still while she stitches you up. You get a permanent +1 to your HP for this. Finally ask her for the Embalming Room Key (250 XP). Now you may complete Quest 4.

  4. Fetch Embalming Key for Vaxis - Location of portal and 500 XP.

    5. Zombie #821 in the room to the south of where Ei-Vene is located... is actually not a zombie at all. Rather, his name is Vaxis, and he's disguised as a zombie. If you complete Quest 3, Ei-Vene will give you the Embalming Room Key. Once you give this Key to Vaxis, he'll offer to disguise you as a zombie too. For this, you'll need to give him some Embalming Fluid, Needle and Thread. You get 500 XP for doing this, but I'm not sure it's worth it. For one, you blow the disguise if you forget you have it on and try to run or arm a weapon. And secondly, you already have a way to get by the Dustmen, using Dhall's name. However, 500 XP early on in the game is not something to scoff at. Your call.
    More importantly, Vaxis tells you about a secret portal located in the NW room on the 1st floor. You need to find a Finger Bone on the 3rd floor to activate the portal...

The Hive - Northeast region

If you exited the Mortuary via the portal, then you wind up in a small tomb. There's a Note from someone named Penn. He apparently hired Vaxis to see what was going on inside the Mortuary. Also, 30 Coppers with the Note. Handy. Head south from the tomb, and enter the small house to the east there. This is Angyar's house, the subject of Quest 1 below.
If you exited the Mortuary by the front door instead, then you can make your way to the tomb by just heading south once you exit the Mortuary grounds. The tomb is set into a wall to the east. Collect the stuff from the tomb, then make your way to Angyar's house as above.

Pretend to be dead for Pox, just outside the Mortuary front gate, for 500 XP.

You can learn to converse with a Dabus for 500 XP.

You'll probably bump into Annah in your travels. She's a wee lassie with a mean Scottish accent and attitude to spare. Hmm. I wonder if you can get her to join your party somehow...

The Hive at night is not a nice place to be. You'll want to be finding a place to bed down, else be prepared to fight a lot of thugs.

One of the entrances to the Alley of Dangerous Angles is located in the SW corner of this region. See section on the Alley below.

Quests

  1. Free Angyar from his Dead Contract and return it to him and his wife - 750 XP, and a free place to rest from now on!

    2. Talk to Wife-of-Angyar, not Angyar himself! You'll get this quest which may be solved by locating Gravesend in the Gathering Dust bar (she gives you some confusing directions, it's actually due west of Angyar's place). Once you locate Mortai Gravesend, there are 3 ways you can obtain the Contract:
    1. Shame him into just giving you the Contract back, by convincing him that it's morally wrong to hold such a Contract. This is the cleanest way.
    2. Have him fetch the Contract and kill him for it, but this is the extremely messy way. Everyone in the bar will attack you.
    3. Have him fetch the Contract and steal it from him. Obviously, either you or someone in your party must be a Thief in order to make this option possible.
    Once you've obtained the Contract by whatever means, return it to Wife-of-Angyar. She'll ask you to show him the Contract, but not tell him how you got it back. Tear up the Contract right there in front of him, and he and the wife are eternally grateful to you (a place to rest for free from now on).

  2. Look into the matter of the mausoleum's walking dead - 1000 XP plus 200 Coppers.

    3. Talk to Norochj in the Gathering Dust bar. He'll tell you about a mausoleum to the north that is accessible via a portal. Sure enough, when you approach the entrance to the building just north of the Dustman Monument, a portal materialises. When you step through it, a spirit appears immediately you are inside. See Quest 8 for further details.

  3. Find the "source" of Pharod's bodies for Emoric - 2500 XP and 300 coppers.

    4. Talk to Emoric in the Gathering Dust bar, and convince him that you want to join the Dustmen faction. You'll get this quest when you bring up the topic of Pharod (of course, you'll have to find Pharod in order to complete this quest). Also, you'll get Quest 4.

  4. Talk to Norochj for Emoric, and do what Norochj asks of you - Quest 6.

    5. Norochj gives you Quest 5. When you have completed it, return to Emorich again, and you will get Quest 6.

  5. Speak to Awaiting Death on behalf of Emoric - 500 XP and Quest 7.

    6. You can kill yourself for the benefit of Awaiting-Death. You get 250 XP for this, and he gets a fresh outlook on life. When you report back to Emoric, you get an additional 250 XP.

  6. Speak to Sere on behalf of Emoric - 1000 XP and Quest 12.

    7. Soothe Sere the Skeptic concerning her misplaced faith for 500 XP. When you report back to Emoric, you get an additional 500 XP.

  7. Track down a thief disguised as a Dustman - 1500 XP and 200 Coppers.

    8. The person you seek is named Ash-Mantle, and is hanging about in the SW region of the Hive. Speak with him, but don't accuse him of being a thief outright or you'll scare him off. As you make to leave, you'll notice him trying to pick your pocket. Allow him to do so, observing his technique (750 of the above XP). Then, try to grab his hand. Once you've scared him off, you can return to Norochj and claim your reward.

  8. Defeat the intruder in the Mausoleum for the Guardian Spirit - 1000 XP.

    9. Once inside the mausoleum, if you assure the Guardian Spirit that you are there to help, he'll let you pass. Now, you can explore the entire mausoleum, killing all the undead that attack you, or you can head right for the centre of the action. To do this, make an immediate right, and just keep heading south. First, a word of caution: if it's early on in the game, it's best to let Morte fight all the battles. He's got a much lower AC than you. Just give him all the Bandages and Clot Charms, stand back, and let him have a go! Anyway, keep heading south and west and you'll reach a part of the path that's guarded by a Giant Skeleton. Once past the Giant Skeleton, you enter a room that contains an evil necromancer (really, is there any other kind?) and his skeleton henchmen. Just sic Morte on him. Once he's dead, all his skeletons immediately collapse into harmless piles of bones and the struggle is over. There's a good haul of scrolls here, a Magus Guard, and a magical Bone Dagger... and be sure to read Strahan's Diary for a laugh! The Guardian Spirit rewards you with some XP as soon as you leave the slain Strahan's chamber, but be sure to return to Norochj to collect your reward for completing Quest 2.

  9. Find a way to help Ingress - 750 Xp and Ingress' teeth!

    10. Ingress is wandering around just to the NW of the Dustman Monument. She's a distraught woman, having come through a portal over 30 years ago, and not being able to find the portal to take her back. She's even afraid to walk through any doorway or arch lest she be accidentally teleported! You need to seek out the fellow named Candrian in the Smoldering Corpse bar, SE region of the Hive. He offers to help Ingress, and also gives you a Negative Token (to ward off the undead). Go speak to Ingress again, and then return to Candrian once more to collect your reward.

  10. Find Craddock for Baen the Sender - 500 XP plus 45 coppers.

    11. Baen the Sender is wandering around just to the north of the Gathering Dust bar. He asks you to find this man Craddock... somewhere in the Hive. Craddock is located in the marketplace, SW region of the Hive.

  11. Help Sev'Tai get her revenge - 250 XP and Copper Earring.

    12. Sev'Tai, a Tiefling woman, is standing inside the Dustman Monument. Her 3 sisters were murdered by a Chaosmen gang who call themselves "Starved Dogs Barking". This gang hangs out in the SE region of the Hive. Just kill 3 of them, and return to Sev'Tai. Note: in order to join the Chaosmen faction, you need to speak (bark?) with Barking-Wilder, who hangs around outside the Smoldering Corpse bar, on the east side of it. You have to be of Chaotic alignment in order to pull this off, so don't even bother trying if you're playing a goody two-shoes type.

  12. Find Soego for Emoric - 2500 XP and invitation to join the Dustmen faction.

    13. You must complete Quest 6 first. As your final quest on the way to becoming an initiate of the Dustman faction, Emoric wll ask you to locate Soego, whom you first met in the Mortuary. Once you've completed this quest (I can't tell you how just yet), Emoric will invite you to join their faction. Hmm. I think some of the other factions provide greater benefits when you join. But if you always wanted to be a Dusty...

The Hive - Northwest region

Arlo's flophouse is located just to the west of the gate leading to the NE region. You can kip here for the night for only 5 Coppers.

Quests

  1. Deliver box to Ku'atraa - 250 XP and Quest 2.

    2. A young man by the name of Mar is standing just to the south of Arlo's flophouse. He'll give you a box, tell you not to open it, and to deliver it to a man in the SE part of the Hive. Of course, if you do open the box... out comes a hideous fiend. You can kill the fiend, and he leaves behind a Blood Dagger. It's a good weapon, but unfortunately it's also cursed. Once you arm yourself with it, you go berserk in battle and lose all control of your character. In order to get rid of it, you need to find someone who can cast Remove Curse (like, Mebbeth in Ragpicker's Square). Anyway, what you should do to complete the quest is first locate Ku'atraa in the warehouse, SE region of the Hive. He'll have nothing to do with the box, runs screaming from the warehouse, but suggests that you take the box to "Brasken" in the SW region of the Hive.

  2. Deliver box to Brasken - 250 XP and Quest 3.

    3. Ku'atraa asks you to deliver the box to Brasken, whose house is located on the western edge of the SW region of the Hive. The door to his place is more like a portcullis (bars). When you deliver the box to him, he tells you a bit more about the history of the box, then suggests you take it to Shilandra. I feel a Fed-Ex coming on...

  3. Deliver box to Shilandra - 250 XP and Quest 4.

    4. Shilandra's place is located in the far NE corner of the NE region of the Hive. She then sends you to the burnt-out cathedral in the Alley of Dangerous Angles.

  4. Go to cathedral located at the center of the Hive - 1000 XP.

    5. Finally... Aola in the burnt-out cathedral (east side of Alley of Dangerous Angles, search carefully, in the middle of the burnt-out out building, for the entrance to the cathedral) will vanquish the fiend in Morodor's box! If you feel like living dangerously, you can ask Aola to make you a disciple of 'Aoskar'. If you choose to become a disciple, you incur the wrath of the Lady of Pain... immediately you leave the Alley, the Lady appears and sends you into the Player's Maze (see section on this below). You can return Moridor's box to Aola after you escape from the Maze... that is, if you escape from the Maze :-)
    Anyway, once you've got rid of the box, you get Quest 5.

  5. Talk to Mar about the box - 1250 XP and 500 coppers, plus Hollow Axe!

    6. Finally, things come full circle with this seemingly interminable Moridor's box quest! Mar has moved from his original position to the south of Arlo's flophouse, and is now hiding in the stone arbour to the NW of the flophouse. Let him try to explain the situation to you, then gracefully accept all the goodies he hands over.

  6. Find Nestor's fork - 500 XP and Obsidian Earring.

    7. Nestor is the distressed guy inside Arlo's flophouse. Looks like he needs his fork to go through a portal, and someone has taken it from him. That someone is a big, dumb berk by the name o' One-Ear, who is hanging out just to the NW of Arlo's Flophouse.

  7. Retrieve Porphiron's necklace - 1000 XP plus weapons training.

    8. Porphiron is standing just to the north of Arlo's flophouse. The thieves that took his necklace are to be found just to the west of the Smoldering Corpse bar in the SE region of the Hive. After you get the necklace back, Porphiron will train you in all weapon categories (amount of proficiency attainable subject to the level you have attained as a Fighter).

The Hive - Southwest region

Another entrance to the Alley of Dangerous Angles is in the NE part of this region. See section on the Alley below.

The Office of Vermin and Disease Control is the large building roughly in the centre of this region. If you talk to Phineas T. Lort inside, he'll eventually bore you to death (good place to rest for free). If you can pickpocket Phineas, his key opens the locked cellar door. There's a Wererat in the cellar. Watch it, they're only susceptible to magical weapons! The locked chest down there contains, amongst other things, a Charm of Infinite Recall (allows you to identify magical items).

Quests

  1. Find Jhelai for Craddock - 750 XP and 30 coppers.

    2. Once you find Craddock for Baen the Sender (see The Hive - NE region, Quest 10), in the marketplace here, Craddock asks you to find Jhelai. The man is located just south of the Smoldering Corpse bar, in the SE region. You get 250 XP just for finding Jhelai, but he won't go back to work for Craddock. Return to Craddock, and offer to fill in for Jhelai.

  2. Remove Reekwind's "curse of stench" - 5000 XP, and some interesting tales penned into your journal.

    3. Phew! Reekwind is standing just NE of the marketplace here. If you pay him 3 coppers and listen to his story, you'll get this quest. Looks like you can just get a Mage to cast 'Remove Curse' on the poor bugger, but the solution to this quest is far more complicated than that, and it's far away from here that you'll find it!

  3. Find a tombstone for the Crier of Es-Annon - 1000 XP.

    4. The Crier is wandering around on the west side of this region. Engage him in conversation, then mention that a tombstone might serve all the Criers' needs better than the present method of remembering their lost city. Go to the Dustman Monument in the NE region of the Hive, and tell Death-of-Names that you want to bury a name... Es-Annon, of course (500 XP for this). Then return to the Crier and tell him what you've accomplished.

The Hive - Southeast region

Mourns-for-Trees is... mourning for the trees in the northern part of this region. 500 XP for offering to mourn along with him. If you can get at least 2 more of your party to agree to mourn for the trees, it's another 500 XP.

In the Smoldering Corpse bar, talk to 'O', and add +1 to Wisdom! Also, you can get Dak'kon to join your party for 1000 XP... and perhaps Ignus too, if you can find the means :-) Talk to Barkus, the owner. For 500 coppers (300 with decent CHR), Barkus will give you your old eye back. You recall some memories with this eye, plus gain some weapon proficiencies and 1000 XP.

Dak'kon can teach you much, but you have to become a Mage first. He can transform you into one. Then, tell him you want to learn the Way of Zerthimon. He opens up the first Circle on his circular stone artefact. Curiously, in order to use/read it, you have to access it in his inventory. I'll tell you, that one had me stumped for a while! Anyway, there are 6 Circles to read on the Unbroken Circle of Zerthimon. They require progressive levels of Wisdom in order to comprehend what you are reading (by the way, Fell's tattoo parlour, mentioned just below, is a great source for tattoos to increase your WIS :-) Here's what you get upon completing each Circle to Dak'kon's satisfaction:
1st Circle (requires WIS 12) - 300 XP
2nd Circle (requires WIS 13) - 600 XP and 'Scripture of Steel' spell
3rd Circle (requires WIS 14) - 900 XP and 'Submerge the Will' spell
4th Circle (requires WIS 15) - 1500 XP and 'Vilquar's Eye' spell
5th Circle (requires WIS 16) - 3000 XP and 'Power of One' spell
6th Circle (requires WIS 18) - 5000 XP and 2 x 'Balance in All Things' spell (one for Dak'kon!)
You're probably familiar with all of them bar the last one. That's because Dak'kon never mastered the 6th Circle himself (you beat him too it)! Balance in All Things is fairly handy. When struck by an opponent and you take damage, the same amount of damage is meted out to all foes in a 10 ft. radius. Well, you'd think there'd be no more Circles after that, but you'd be wrong! Examine the Unbroken Circle again, and you should be able to unlock the 7th Circle for 3000 XP more. Then, you get 2 copies of the spell Missile of Patience, for another 5000 XP. Gee, I think you're milking this for all it's worth. I didn't stick around as a Mage for long enough to determine what Missile of Patience gets you... but I did up my WIS by one more to 19 in order to see if I could take the Unbroken Circle any further. Indeed, you can unlock the 8th Circle for 6000 XP. Once you learn the 8th Circle, you get 10000 XP for yourself and Dak'kon, another 10000 XP split amongst your party, plus 2 Scrolls of Zerthimon's Focus (chances for a Critical Attack are raised for 5 seconds per level of the caster)! Not only that, but Dak'kon gets a permanent boost to the following stats: +1 STR, + 2 DEX, and +2 CON :-)
Well, that's about as far as you can take the Unbroken Circle of Zerthimon, but it hasn't been a bad journey, has it?

Fell's tattoo parlour, on the east side of this region, is an absolute boon to your stats, but it's gonna cost ya! All the good tattoos - ones that raise your primary stats by 2 - cost 1200 coppers each. You only have room to wear 3 tattoos on your person, so choose wisely. Note: when you return here later with a special item, have one of your party members translate for you. Fell will recall tattoos that he had long since forgotten how to execute, and they will then be available for you to purchase. Another note: you can, and should return to Fell's often. Depending on what you've experienced so far in the game, Fell will usually have a few new tattoos for sale that are based on these particular experiences. Remember also to pick up a few tattoos for your companions. It's worth it.

Quests

  1. Resolve a bar tab - 1000 XP.

    2. At the east side of the Smoldering Corpse bar, the woman Mochai is masquerading as a Dustman (seems like a popular pre-occupation). For 100 coppers, you can settle her tab with Barkus, the owner.

The Hive - Alley of Dangerous Angles

Though it grates on you, it's probably best to pay the 10 coppers to grant yourself safe passage, else you'll just wind up fighting the entire way through the Alley, and will only be able to get Quest 4 below.

Periodically, some members of the 2 gangs will have a go at each other. Let them at it. Easier for you to just pick up the pieces afterwards!

Quests

  1. Krystall wants Rotten William dead - 1500 XP, no more toll for Alley, Quest 3.

    2. Krystall is the leader of the Razor Angels. She's standing in the NW corner of the Alley. Rotten William hangs out in the SE corner. If you take Rotten William out for Krystall, you of course won't be able to get Quest 2. Rotten William has 300 coppers on him, so this fact might influence your decision!

  2. Rotten William wants Krystall dead - 1500 XP, plus request to deal with Blackrose.

    3. Rotten William is the leader of the Darkalley Shivs. He's standing in the SE corner of the Alley. Krystall is located in the NW corner. If you take Krystall out for Rotten William, you of course won't be able to get Quest 1.

  3. Krystall wants Blackrose dead - 1500 XP and 700 coppers.

    4. Blackrose is located in the burnt-out building just east of where Krystall hangs out. He questions you about your alignment. If you say you stand for good, he'll ask you to kill Rotten William (1500 XP). If you've already killed Rotten William, Blackrose will ask you to kill Krystall, to restore "balance" to the Alley. Anyway, all these quests are kinda circular! If you kill any 2 of them, you'll net 3000 XP, plus varying amounts of copper.

  4. Rauk needs you to fetch 3 rings from his tent - Scrolls (Armor, Fist of Iron, Identify!), Ring of the Traveler, Green Steel Dagger.

    5. The intellectually challenged Rauk, along with 5 Mages-in-Training, are located in the burnt-out building in the very south of the Alley. He's forgotten to bring rings for the Mages, so they can't train. You're looking for a Bronze, a Silver, and a Gold Ring. Strictly speaking, they're not all in Rauk's tent; rather, you can get the Bronze one off most any dead gang member, the Silver is in Rotten William's tent under some slats near the stove, and the Gold is hidden in a bed in Krystall's tent. When you return the Rings to Rauk, the mages use them to conjure... a killer lim-lim?! It slaughters all the mages, leaving you to round up the spoils. Whatever you do, don't kick the lim-lim. It will then attack you, is very difficult to defeat, and only nets you 130 XP for killing it! Also, it's Rauk's new-found 'friend', and he'll attack you if you hurt the lim-lim. Go figure.

Player's Maze

In the NE part of the maze, you'll find a pile of bones near an abandoned campfire. The ashes of the campfire contain a Journal, and a Sledgehammer that turns out to be a valuable enchanted weapon (Brimstone Hammer). The journal, left by yourself in a previous incarnation, contains a clue about how to get the hell out of here: "maybe I should go through one, THEN walk back to the same portal without..." (let me finish the sentence) "going through any other portal". Right. Go through the portal at 4 o'clock on the map, then head back to that same portal without going through any other portal. When you go through this portal the second time, you wind up at the portal at 7 o'clock. Exit the maze through this portal (you actually have no other choice once you get here).

The Hive - Ragpicker's Square

You get here from the NW region of the Hive.

Just to the north of where you enter, a hideous creature named Marrow-Friend is lurking there in an alley. Allow him to take a bite of you(!) in exchange for the finger bone hanging from his neck. Once you have it, bite off your own finger, and replace it with this finger bone. A ring drops off the finger, and you can now choose to wear Mempa's Biting Ring. The item is cursed, but it never seems to do TNO any harm, and it adds +2 to his Armor Class!

Just to the west of where Marrow-Friend hangs out, there's a door into a house. Once you open the door, a portal appears. If you go inside the house via the portal... there's no apparent way out. Wait a while until a character named Vlask appears with 2 henchmen. You can either pay him 100 coppers for a glass bead that activates the exit portal, or kill them for it.

Old Mebbeth's place is the big round house in the south part of the Square (the midwife's hut on your map). She'll heal you and your party members for free, and you can rest here. She's also got a lot of nice things for sale, including a handy Scroll of Remove Curse, and a Divine Censer.

Ratbone is standing outside Sharegrave's kip, in the SE of the Square. He'll train you as a Thief for 50 coppers. Also, go on inside and talk to Sharegrave. He'll tell you where Pharod is holed up and gives you Quest 1 below.

Quests

  1. Find out where Pharod's corpses are coming from for the man in Ragpicker's Square - 750 XP and 100 coppers.

    2. If you follow the walkway all the way around to the north of the Square, you'll come to an archway that's blocked by rubbish. If you have some Junk on you, you can thrust it into the archway and activate a portal here! This portal leads through another portal, and finally to a door that takes you underground - and so begins your quest to locate Pharod... see section on Trash Warrens next.

  2. Find Amarysse for Nodd - 750 XP.

    3. Nodd is standing just outside of Old Mebbeth's place. Amarysse is the harlot dressed in blue just SE of the entrance to the Smoldering Corpse bar in the SE region of the Hive. She entrusts 100 coppers into your care, to be taken back to Nodd.

  3. Find a spell ruby for Jarym - 500 XP plus 200 coppers.

    4. Jarym's tent is just south of Mebbeth's place. He's looking for a good quality ruby in order that he might complete a spell he's working on. Hey, didn't Moridor's box, the one that Mar gave you, have a ruby in it? If Aola banished the fiend for you, he has the ruby, and you can buy it back off him for 300 coppers (200 with high CHR). Jarym gives you back 200 coppers when you deliver the ruby, so it's not as bad as it seems.

  4. Learn the ways of the Art from Mebbeth.

    5. During the course of your conversation with Mebbeth, ask her if she's a witch. Usually, a question like this would be presumed to cause offence. Hmph. But Mebbeth is keen to teach you if you agree to run some errands for her first. See Quest 5 to get started.

  5. Find the herbs that Mebbeth needs - 500 XP and Quest 6.

    6. Go to the marketplace in the SW region of the Hive, and seek out the merchant who sells seeds. He won't know what to do with the seed that Mebbeth gave you, but Mourn-for-Trees in the SE region does! See Quest 6.

  6. Find a gardener who has Mebbeth's herbs - 1500 XP and Quest 7.

    7. Talk to Mourns-for-Trees in the SE region of the Hive. Then just will the seed to grow, and it'll sprout barbs that wrap around your wrist (500 XP). When you return, Mebbeth gets you to will the barbs from your wrist, and then make them into a frame (a Sadistic one, I should imagine) for another 1000 XP.

  7. Get Mebbeth's wash from Giscorl - 1000 XP and Quest 8.

    8. Another trip back to the marketplace... Giscorl is the merchant in red. 500 XP for picking up the wash from him, and another 500 for bringing it back to Mebbeth.

  8. Get ink for Mebbeth from Kossah-Jai - 1000 XP and Quest 9.

    9. Kossah-Jai is the portly woman in the marketplace, SW region of the Hive. She doesn't have what you're looking for, but she thinks that Meir'am down the road might...

  9. Find Meir'am, get the ink for Mebbeth - Quest 10.

    10. Meir'am is standing on the east side of the Office of Vermin and Disease Control, SW region of the Hive. She has one of these peculiar fish that Kossah-Jai mentioned, but now you need to find a bowl or cup to hold the ink. Argh! If you go back to the marketplace again, you can get a Battered Tankard off the woman in red just to the east of Giscorl. Bring it back to Meir'am, and she'll squeeze the ink out of the fish.

  10. Deliver ink to Mebbeth - 7000 XP and you become a Mage.

    11. Once you've completed all the quests for Mebbeth, you get 2000 XP for committing to be a Mage, plus another 5000 XP after you listen to all her instructions. You also get the following spells: Chromatic Orb, Blood Bridge, Identify - plus a pair of Amber Earrings that add +2 to AC!

The Trash Warrens

You get here using the Junk-activated portal in Ragpicker's Square. Immediately you arrive, a collector accosts you. With high CHR (I had 16 at the time), you can talk your way by the collectors and thugs at the entrance; else, you'll have to fight them.

On the east side of the Trash Warrens is a group of hostile Buried Villagers guarding a portal. The portal leads to a room containing a crate, guarded by a group of cranium rats that are casting spells at you (remember, Phineas T. Lort told you they were dangerous in packs?) There's a pretty good haul in the crate, so it's worth at least sending Morte over to pilfer the contents: 300+ coppers, Scroll of Magic Missiles, Prickly Club (good weapon for Thieves!), Silver Frame (turns out to be a Sadistic Frame that invokes "Pain Mirror"), some Cranium Rat Tails, and a Cranium Rat Charm.

In the SE part of the Warrens, you can talk to Bish. The entrance to the Buried Village is through the trapdoor behind him, and he should let you pass. You net 1200 XP for talking your way through.

Buried Village

Marta the Seamstress' house is located on the west side of the Buried Village. Have her take out your (ugh!) intestines, and you'll get a Twisted Ring for the experience. It adds +1 to Armor Class. You can buy the Teeth of the Viper here for Morte, a pretty nice set of enchanted snappers.

I was never able to get much out of Ojo, even with a CHR of 16. He knows Gris is dead (see Weeping Stone Catacombs), but that's about it.

Quint's Shop is located in the north of the Village. Unlike a lot of other merchants, Quint will buy almost anything from you. Good prices too (he paid me 320 coppers for a Bone Dagger).

Quests

  1. Recover Ku'u Yin's number from Radine - 2500 XP and Number of Ku'u Yin.

    2. Ku'u Yin is standing right in front of Ojo's house. Radine is skulking about to the SW of there. A few trips back and forth between the pair of them will net you the Number (give Radine 30 coppers to ease the pain of losing the number), and Ku'u Yin lets you have his number anyway. It's a wearable tattoo that protects you from chaotic creatures.

  2. Find and return Uhir's 'lucky knife' - 5000 XP.

    3. Uhir is wandering around in the eastern part of the Buried Village. His knife... you will encounter further along in your travels.

  3. Get bronze sphere for Pharod - 15000 XP... and a surprise addition to your party!

    4. Pharod's hide-out is located in the NE part of the Buried Village. Finally, you get the chance to speak with your old 'mentor'. Fetch the bronze sphere. Ah, such an innocent sounding little quest :-) Go to the SE part of the Buried Village. A man named Barr will let you into the Weeping Stone Catacombs, once you mention that Pharod has sent you.

  4. Get Quint's Poison Charm from the body of Gris - 7500 XP.

    5. If you ask Quint about himself, he'll offer you this quest. See section on Gris in Weeping Stone Catacombs for info on how to complete it.

Weeping Stone Catacombs

In the area just to the south and east of where you enter, there are 2 ghouls to defeat. Then, go through the door to the NE there, ('To the Shattered Crypt' on your map), and be prepared to be assaulted by a pack of lesser vargouilles. In the NE of this room, in a pile of bones, lies an extremely valuable weapon - the Punch Daggers of Moorin! (not to mention 500+ coppers in a crate nearby)

In the NW of this same area, there's an entrance to the Crypt of the Embraced. There are some real tough ghouls in here, the toughest one worth 1200 XP. If you have the Special Ability 'Stories-Bones-Tell' (see Dead Nations), you can talk to Gris in the coffin, and he'll tell you about his stash near Ojo's place in the Buried Village. It's supposedly to "the right of Ojo's kip as you face the front door", but I wasn't able to find anything there... unless he means that pile of crates behind Ojo's place. There's a lone crate set into the ground behind the pile that has a Tarnished Silver Bracelet and a Silver Earring in it... but you could get those even before speaking with Gris. Better though, if you've been to see Quint in the Buried Village and he gave you Quest 4, you'll be able to find the Necklace of Hollow Teeth. It's actually just to the south of Marta's shack, near the window with the bent bars. When identified, it turns out to cure you if you've been poisoned. I didn't plan on being poisoned anytime in the near future, so I just took it right back to Quint and got the reward. Funny though... he supposedly hands you a heavy bag of coins in return, yet nothing appeared in my inventory or was added to my total of coppers. A bug, I suspect.

In the NW part of the Catacombs, just before the entrance to the Dismembered Crypt, there's a tomb that contains a 'Claw'. Once identified, this turns out to be a Shamanic Rod. It invokes the spell "Magic Missiles". In the Dismembered Crypt you find... surprise, surprise... a Severed Arm! You should take it to Fell's tattoo studio when you get the chance :-)

The entrance to the Mosaic Crypt is in the NW part of the Catacombs. Careful not to step on any of the grates set into the floor of the crypt, or you'll be zapped by some powerful magic. The sarcophagus here contains an Enchanted Hammer, plus 212 coppers.

In the middle of the Catacombs, there's a stairway infested by a pack of cranium rats. At the bottom of the stairway, hidden in a container, is a Smiling Bottle. This Bottle invokes the spell "Elysium's Tears".

Quests

  1. Find the Decanter of Endless Water - 5000 XP.

    2. Glyve, the face in stone, is located in the passageway leading to the Mosaic Crypt, on the west side of the Catacombs. He'll ask you to find this Decanter, in the Drowned Nations, deep within the Catacombs. Once you've returned the Decanter to Glyve, he'll tell you to seek out a woman named Nemelle in a place called the Clerk's (or, Upper) Ward...

  2. Kill vargouilles to prevent the corpse of Chad from becoming a vargouille himself - 3750 XP plus location of Decanter of Endless Water.

    3. Chad, or what's left of him, is lying just outside the entrance to the Dead Nations, on the west side of the Catacombs. You need 'Stories-Bones-Tell' in order to be able to speak to him (see Dead Nations). To fulfil his request, head back down the passageway, turn left, then head north and kill the 3 vargouilles there. In return, he'll tell you the whereabouts of the Decanter. Of course, you probably already have it at this stage in the proceedings.

Dead Nations

The entrance to the Dead Nations is on the west side of the Catacombs. Oops. Looks like you're going to be here a while. Resistance is futile. Once you submit to them, you're taken to Soego's room (so, you finally found him)! You can rest there.

There are 3 ways you can leave the Dead Nations:

  1. Kill yourself. You and your party wind up back at the entrance to the Catacombs.
  2. Perform quests for Hargrimm (see Quests 1 and 2 below).
  3. Get an audience with the Silent King. See section on Stale Mary below.

 

Stale Mary is located in a room on the west side of the Dead Nations. From her, you can gain the Special Ability called 'Stories-Bones-Tell' (3750 XP), whereby you can speak to all manner of dead and undead, including zombies, ghouls, and even the bones of the dead that are scattered throughout the Catacombs. If your CHR is high enough (mine was 16), Mary will get you in to see the Silent King (another 3750 XP)! Walk into the alcove to the north of her, and a portal appears. I offered to take the place of the Silent King... but this brought an end to the game (you sit in darkness and silence forever?) Anyway, if you promise not to tell anyone the truth about the Silent King, Hargrimm will agree to let you take your leave of the Dead Nations, and you get 7500 XP for this.

There is a Puzzled Skeleton in the centre of the Dead Nations. He's been posed a riddle that he can't solve by a Riddling Skeleton (whose location is not fixed). If you have an INT of at least 16, you'll be able to trade riddles with the Riddling Skeleton until you stump him, for 6250 XP. Any less INT, and the Riddling Skeleton will best you before you get the answer to the riddle out of him, but you still get some XP for solving a few riddles.

The Knifed Ghoul in the south end of the Dead Nations has Uhir's Knife (see Buried Village, Quest 2). Just give him some Cranium Rat Tails in exchange for the Knife (600 XP).

Quests

  1. Seek out and slay any cranium rats in the Dead Nations - 3750 XP and Quest 2.

    2. Speak with Hargrimm, and ask him if there are any tasks you could perform that would convince him of your loyalty, in order that you may be allowed to leave this place. He'll ask you to kill any cranium rats you might encounter. Indeed, there are some at the end of the hallway just to the south of the chapel.

  2. Give Hargrimm a reason to remove Soego from the Dead Nations - 5750 XP plus permission to leave the Dead Nations.

    3. You need to perform Quest 1 to get this quest. Then... there is a Doubtful Skeleton hanging about just outside the room where Stale Mary is located, on the west side of the Dead Nations. Speak to this skeleton, then return to Soego and tell him there is a skeleton who is thinking about embracing the True Death. Soego leaves his quarters to go speak to this skeleton, and it is then that you are provided with the opportunity to secretly read Soego's journal (2000 XP), which is hidden in his bed in the north part of his quarters. Turns out he's a wererat, sent by the Many-as-One (cranium rats) to spy on the Dead Nations! Talk to Hargrimm afterwards, and he goes to speak with Soego... be sure to take Soego's Skull after the fact, it might come in handy later. Then go talk to Hargrimm once more (3750 XP). If this quest was your ticket out of the Dead Nations (i.e., you didn't see the Silent King), Hargrimm agrees to petition the Silent King on your behalf, and you get an additional 7500 XP.

  3. Find the Nameless Zombie her name - 5000 XP.

    4. You need to have the Special Ability 'Stories-Bones-Tell' (see Stale Mary) before you can get this quest. Then, speak to the Nameless Zombie, near where the Puzzled Skeleton is. She'll ask you to locate her tomb, in the Drowned Nations... but you can convince her that this isn't necessary, and just make up a name for her on the spot.

Drowned Nations

One entrance to the Drowned Nations is in the SW part of the Dead Nations. The other is in the SW end of the Warrens of Thought (though I never managed to open this particular locked door).

In a room just to the east of the entrance to the Drowned Nations, there's a trocopotaca standing over a body. The body has an Abyssal Pipe on it, which invokes the powerful spell "Cloudkill". Just south of this room is another room with some of the same beasties inside. There's a chest here with 371 coppers in it.

In a room on the east side of the Drowned Nations, down a set of stairs, there's an alcove to the north that has the Decanter of Endless Water lying inside. Be prepared to fight for it! Return the Decanter to Glyve to complete Weeping Stone Catacombs Quest 1.

In the south part of the Drowned Nations, there's a chest containing 3 Charms of Infinite Recall. Much more useful than the "Identify" spell when you have multiple items to identify.

In the far SE part of the Dead Nations, on a body, is the Bronze Sphere for which Pharod sent you into the Catacombs! Also here is a Sealed Passageway, that leads to... a tomb. You must enter alone, so make sure you have plenty of room in your inventory first, as there are a few worthwhile items inside.

Tomb

Head into the room to the south, avoiding the large symbol set into the floor (note that if you step into the centre of the large symbol, you get zapped. Hmm). You get teleported to a room to the west. Get Tomb Key1 from the sarcophagus, and be sure to pick up the Abyssal Pipe from the body just south of there. Notice that if you try to exit this room, you just get teleported right back into it. So, stand in the centre of the symbol (killing yourself), and you wind up back at the entrance! This time, when you head south, you wind up in a room to the east. Get Tomb Key2 from the sarcophagus there, stand in the centre of the symbol... and this time when you walk south you wind up in the room to the south. Pick up Tomb Key3 from the sarcophagus there, and kill yourself once again. Finally, with this key, the next time you attempt to venture into the room at the centre... you get to stay there.

Now examine all the wall panels, pushing in each one in turn. By the way, this is your journal, so you've just completed The Mortuary, Quest 2! TNO was relying on the fact that he could kill himself repeatedly in order to move from room to room - a feat no one else could possibly accomplish - to protect his journal from the rest of the multiverse. Once you've pushed in all 8 wall panels, you can open the sarcophagus in the centre of the room, revealing... Tomb Key4. Now head south again one more time. You wind up in a small room in the SE part of the tomb. The sarcophagus here contains: Knot Charm, Charm of Infinite Recall, Scroll of Ax of Torment, Tear of Salieru-Dei (an artefact that grants permanent +1 to CON, but only if your alignment is Lawful Good, which it's probably not :-), and an Enchanted Battle Axe. A portal here opens up, allowing you to exit the tomb and rejoin your companions.

The Warrens of Thought

The entrance to the Warrens of Thought is on the east side of the Weeping Stone Catacombs, guarded by 2 wererats. Careful, these creatures will only succumb to magical weapons or spells.

Once inside, things will run a little differently depending on if you've visited the Dead Nations or not. If you have, you can bluff your way past Mantuok and get an audience with Many-as-One (2000 XP). If you haven't, then you'll probably get teleported to a room where you are held prisoner. No fear though, the room is loaded with useful weapons (Baatezu Mace for you Club fans), and you can talk the guard into letting you out. But then you have to fight your way through to the room where Many-as-One hang(s?) out. Just keep heading north and east.

Once you've spoken to Many-as-One (you get Quest 1 below), you no longer have to fight the wererats, and are free to explore the Warrens of Thought at your leisure. In the room furthest north, in a barrel in the (dark!) NW corner, there's a bottle of Murk, which allows you to cast "Blacksphere". In a room to the south, near where you get locked up, there's a Scroll of Ball Lightning sitting on a shelf.

In the far SW of the Warrens of Thought is the door that leads to the Drowned Nations, but I never managed to find out how to open it. I couldn't find a key, and couldn't bash it open even with STR 20 :-(

Quests

  1. Discover the weaknesses of the Silent King for Many-as-One - 9500 XP.

    2. You get this quest when you first speak to Many-as-One. If you subsequently tell Many-as-One the truth about the Silent King, you'll get 7500 XP, plus 2000 more XP when Many-as-One helps you to recall some memories; however, once you do this, you have outlived the extent of your usefulness, are no longer welcome in the Warrens of Thought, and will have to fight your way back out.

Tenement of Thugs

Once Annah has joined your party, you can enter the Tenement of Thugs, because she tells you the trick for getting by the supposedly 'painted on' door. The Tenement is in the SE region of the Hive, being the large building to the north of the Smoldering Corpse bar.

Interlude: Pharod's Vault

Once you enter the Tenement of Thugs, you'll witness a cut scene where Paharod is beset upon by a horde of... shadows. OK, the poor blighter's dead now, so you can go pilfer his hidden stash. Though strictly speaking, Pharod's Vault is not within the confines of the Tenement of Thugs, I've chosen to document it here as it's as good a place as any. Anyway, as you surmised, his Crutch is the portal key. Take it (and the Bronze Sphere of course, you can sense it's important somehow!) and when you approach the archway to the NW of his 'throne', sure enough a portal appears. Now, you have to search all the bookshelves on all the levels of his stash meticulously, and this is a list of the important stuff you should find there: Scroll of Magic Missile, Scroll of Chromatic Orb, Blood Fly Charm, Scroll of Swarm Curse, Blood Charm, Stinger Earring (+2 to AC!), Angle-less Eye (+1 to AC for missile attacks? Hmm). By the way, Pharod's Crutch is a useful enchanted Club weapon, so you might want to keep it if you're so inclined.

Meanwhile... back at the Tenement...

If TNO dies here, you wind up in a room with a locked door. Just have Annah use her Thief skills to open it.

Quests

  1. Find key and sneak out of Tenement - 1000 XP plus Adder's Tear.

    2. Speak to Sybil, the woman standing just outside the large room filled with crazed thugs on the ground floor. She'll tell you about a key you'll need to open the door to the alley, and that it's supposedly hidden on one of the thugs somewhere upstairs. She'll also allude to the fact that you can sneak past the thugs if you enter the room via another door to the SE of here. Anyway, all the way up on the 3rd floor, there's a mage at the end of a long corridor. Open the door to this corridor, wait for the 3 thugs to come out of the corridor, then kill them. The mage won't have seen you yet. Then have Annah sneak in the shadows, get behind him, and backstab him. One less crazed mage, and he has the Tenement key on him! The room next to where the mage was standing has a cart with 4 Clot Charms and 170+ coppers in it. Once you have the key, give it to Annah, then head back to the ground floor, and find the door on the east side of the room with all the thugs in it. Have Annah stealth her way through the entire room, being careful to keep in the shadows (if you have some Dirty Rat Charms, these boost Stealth skill by 10%). The door to the alley is all the way at the south end of the room. Once she makes it through the door, you're all out, and Sybil meets up with you in the alley. By the way, you don't have to stealth your through the room in order to get out - you can simply make a mad dash for it or fight all the way to the door - but using stealth for a change is a lot more fun!

Alley of Lingering Sighs

The only way to get here is through the Tenement of Thugs.

Enter the Small Dwelling to the south of the Tenement, and recover the Hammer from the dead Dabus there. Also, make sure you determined how the dabus died, either by using Stories-Bones-Tell, or by simply examining the corpse. Then, head east, through the large gate, and down the stairs. Speak to the... entity there, and you'll get Quest 1.

Quests

  1. Get rid of dabus in the Alley of Lingering Sighs - 11500 XP and Quest 2.

    2. You can kill the dabus that's hammering away in the Alley, but it's bad for your karma, among other things (like, it pisses off the Lady of Pain, and you don't want to do that... again). A better way is to tell him about his fallen colleague in the Small Dwelling. He'll go to investigate, and shut himself inside.

  2. Undo repairs the dabus made to the Alley - 16250 XP and passage to the Lower Ward.

    3. I sure hope that you're still carrying that Iron Prybar around with you. If not, it's going to mean heading back into the Tenement of Thugs (there's one in a cart on the ground floor, right at the bottom of the stairs that lead to the 2nd floor). Anyway, there are 2 spots on the wall in the Alley that exhibit a question mark when you place your cursor over them. One is to the NW of the gate at the top of the stairs, the other is just to the west of the Small Dwelling. Make sure you have your Hammer and Iron Prybar in inventory, then examine each of these spots, and make the necessary adjustments.

Lower Ward

The only way to get here is through the Alley of Lingering Sighs. However, once here, you can head back into the Alley of Lingering Sighs, then use the World Map to get back to any place in the Hive.

As soon as you enter the Lower Ward for the first time, Morte is kidnapped by 2 wererats. Sigh. I suppose you'll have to go looking for the poor bugger now... OK, I guess I have to tell you where Morte is, since this is a Guide. Well, you see that place on the very south of the Lower Ward map marked 'A Wrecked House'? Yup. Go in there, and when you take the stairs down, you find Morte sitting on a shelf amongst a load of his friends. Then, the mage Lothar appears, and wants you to find a skull to replace Morte with (see Quest 2). He thinks you might find such a skull in a tomb in the Drowned Nations. If you get the dialogue choice to say you've been there and it's empty, you'll get 30000 XP for this!

Korur, standing just to the SW of the entrance to the Ward, will train you in weapons.

Lenny, standing just to the south of the siege tower, will train you as a Thief.

Giltspur is standing amongst a crowd of punters just outside the market. He'll give you Quest 4 if you ask him about work. Also, he's got a Stinger Earring on him. Quite expensive, but also quite easy for the likes of Annah to nick! It's +2 to AC, so not a bad thing to have.

Speak to Xanthia, the snotty woman in blue standing just to the east of Sebastion the Mage. She'll reveal that just to settle a small grudge whereby a thokola spilt some drink on her dress, she's set him up to kill an abishai, though she knows it isn't possible without magic weapons. Talk to Thorp, the head of the 3 thokola who are standing there to the SE of Xanthia. You get 6000 XP for warning them, they give you 600 coppers in return for the favour, plus you get another 2000 XP when you return to Xanthia and tell her what's transpired. She's pissed off at you, but no great loss.

In the indoor market next to where Giltspur is standing, there are 3 merchants with lots of useful items for sale (Note: a Thief will be able to steal most of these. Can't resell them in that case, but if they're useful to you, who cares?) Most notable of these is a Displacer Ring, sold by Aalek, that adds +2 to AC.

The Pawn Shop in the SW holds little of interest... except for the Shards of Fate, a curious Fist weapon. If you can get Miccah and Brokah (the husband and wife who own the place) to argue, which isn't difficult, Morte learns some new taunts.

Near the entrance to the Great Foundry, there is a woman named An'azi, a githzerai, one of Dak'kon's people. She is suffering greatly, and begs to be put out of her misery. You can ask Dak'kon to do this, but you only get 10 XP. Therefore, I suspect it's one of those accursed alignment tests... but I'm not sure in which direction it takes you - Lawful or Chaotic, Good or Bad? :-(

Quests

  1. Kill Grosuk the abishai for Sebastion - 4000 XP and permanent +2 to CHR (Sebastion fixes up your scars)!

    2. Sebastion is the mage standing on the drawbridge just to the east of the entrance to the Lower Ward. He'll train you to be a Mage, but you'll have to complete this quest for him first. Sebastion tells you there's a contract he can't fulfil, and wants you to kill the party (Grosuk) he made the contract with. Grosuk the abishai is indeed standing just to the east of the siege tower. Speaking to him reveals that Sebastion promised to tell him how to get into the siege tower. Now, you can play this 2 ways:
    1. Kill Grosuk (8000 XP)! You also get a reward from Sebastion, but this solution doesn't do wonders for your 'lawful good' reputation, if you happen to be leaning that way.
    2. Tell Grosuk that Sebastion can't fulfil his end of the contract. Grosuk promptly stomps over to Sebastion, polishes him off, and all you get out of it is a Heart Charm.
    I thought that an extremly extremely clever thing to do would be to get into the siege tower prior to speaking with Grosuk, and then I'd be able to tell him how to get in, thus circumventing Sebastion. Tried this and... no dice. The moral dilemma concerning the 2 choices above is central to the quest's theme.

  2. Find a skull of great value - 15000 XP plus Morte gains the Special Ability 'Skull Mob', and Quest 3.

    3. If you've got Soego's skull with you (see Dead Nations), then you're all set. Another option is the skull of Mantuok, the nasty wererat you (possibly) met in the Warrens of Thought. He's to be found through the trapdoor under the divan in Lothar's room, near a bridge with some of his buddies. You can kill him in battle, or you can just give him a piece of Poisoned Cheese that you buy from Giltspur. When Mantuok asks what you're doing down there, tell him you're on a mission for Lothar. Then, when he challenges your intentions further, you should get a dialogue option to offer him the cheese. You get 5000 XP if you manage to off Mantuok with this ingenious 'have-a-piece-of-poisoned-cheese-won't-you' technique! In any event, Mantuok's carrying around the Grimoire of Pestilential Thought - a neat thing to have if you're a Mage leaning toward the dark side... so it's worth either wasting him or picking his pocket for it. Once it's in your possession, this book will talk to you! If you spill a drop of blood on it for openers, you'll learn the spell 'Blindness'. The next time you talk to it, you'll get Quest 11 .

  3. Find the night hag Ravel Puzzlewell.

    4. This is another one of those quests that might take a while...

  4. Take a handbill to Scofflaw Penn at the Print Shop to be printed - 6000 XP and Quest 5.

    5. Penn's Print Shop is located in the NE of the Lower Ward. After you deliver the handbill, if you mention the note you found in the Mortuary, you can then ask Penn if you can join his group... but he won't entertain you - not yet, anyway. Just be sure that you don't piss him off so much that he locks you out of his shop, because you might require his services later on!

  5. Take a message to Keldor of Durian at the foundry - 6000 XP, entry to the Great Foundry, and Quest 10.

    6. Giltspur gives you this quest after you deliver the handbill and report back to him. This is your ticket into the Great Foundry! It's in the northern part of the Lower Ward. Just talk to one of the guards behind the gate there, and he'll let you in once you have the message from Giltspur on you. Keldor is to be found through the door to the NE marked 'To the Godsman Hall', immediately you enter the Foundry. Then, go up the steps and through the next door. Keldor will give you Foundry Quest 1 (see section on The Great Foundry below).

  6. Karina needs a friend - 4000 XP.

    7. Karina is the woman in red garb standing in the middle of the indoor market. Just getting this quest nets you 2000 XP, and then speaking to Corvus, the guard by the entrance north of there, finishes the quest off for the remainder of the XP.

  7. Find Trist's loan documents - 15000 XP, 1000 coppers, and (possibly) Quest 8.

    8. Trist is one of the people standing on the platform in the north part of the Lower Ward. Speak with her, and you learn that she's being sold into slavery to recoup monies from a loan she supposedly didn't pay. Hmm. Further probing reveals that the loan document was most probably stolen, so go talk to Byron Pikit first. He's standing just outside the marketplace. You get 1000 XP for delving a little deeper into the mystery, but you won't get too much further with Pikit. So, go speak to Lenny next, who's standing just to the south of the siege tower. If you pretend that Pikit sent you, Lenny spills the beans. You get 2000 XP for this, plus another 4000 XP if Lenny tells you about the 'bonus' that's stored in the Warehouse along with the loan document (you might need high CHR to get this option). So, head to the Warehouse in the north of the Lower Ward next. In the Warehouse, speak to the floating head there (Vault of the Ninth World). You should at least be able to secure Trist's Loan Document, and also a Scroll of Evidence if Lenny confided in you. While you're here, you might be able to secure a Bag of Coins, if you can guess the amount that's in the Bag on the first attempt. Anyway, Take the Loan Document to Declan, who's the auctioneer standing on the platform with Trist. He'll agree to release Trist, and you get 4000 XP. Talk to Trist afterwards, and she gives you 1000 coppers, plus you get 4000 more XP!

  8. Get evidence that Byron Pikit is a criminal - 2000 XP.

    9. If you secured the Scroll of Evidence from the Warehouse (see Quest 7), then you can try showing it to one of the Harmonium Officers standing on the auction block. For some reason, they won't even give you the time of day, however... if you completed Quest 6, Corvus in the marketplace is now your friend, and you can get Pikit arrested by giving the Scroll of Evidence to Corvus.

  9. Release Dimtree from his zombie condition - 8000 XP.

    10. Talk to Hamrys in the Coffin Maker's Shop, SE corner of the Lower Ward. Though he's a wealth of information, especially concerning the factions... he's also an interminable bore. Then talk to Dimtree. Seems the poor chap was put here by Sebastion to keep Hamrys occupied - in other words, to keep him from inflicting his boredom upon the rest of Sigil. Anyway, Dimtree has had enough and wants out. Go talk to Sebastion the Mage again. He looks through a spell book, and says he can't help you directly; however, you can surreptitiously read the required spell over his shoulder for 4000 XP. Then, return and speak the words you learned to Dimtree, and the deed is done.

  10. Take the handbill to Barkus at the Smoldering Corpse - 8000 XP and 200 coppers.

    11. You get this quest when you return to Giltspur after completing Quest 5. Just take the handbill to Barkus, and return to Giltspur. Easy money.

  11. Sell a companion into slavery - Scroll of Adder's Kiss.

    12. After you give the Grimoire a drop of your blood, this is the quest you get. Hmm. The book tells you to seek out Vrischika in the Clerk's Ward (see below). She'll buy a slave. This is not looking good...

  12. Kill a companion for an additional power - Scroll of Power Word, Kill.

    13. After you complete Quest 11, the Grimoire will give you this final quest. Of course, being the Nameless One (now 'Dark One'?), you can probably resurrect whoever you bump off about 30 seconds later... but it's just not the same afterwards, is it? Hard going here. As you can imagine, this is negative Karma all the way. After this, the Grimoire becomes silent.

The Great Foundry

You get here from the Lower Ward, as a result of Quest 5 there (Note: you can also gain entry to the Foundry via an item you obtain in the Clerk's Ward, Quest 10... but that happens much later on. Don't peek ahead if you wish not to spoil things too much).

If you speak to Saros in the Godsman Hall (see Quest 3 below), and ask him about his sister, he'll tell you that she has a special talent. When you then speak to Sarossa, who is usually standing in the circular room at the entrance to the Godsman hall, only then will you get the dialogue choice to ask her about this talent. If you can convince her that you believe in the Godsmen philosophy (usually, you have to join the Godsmen to be able to convince her), then she'll agree to 'change' you. You gain a permanent +1 to WIS.

Nihl Xander is standing at the end of the passageway off the east side of the Godsman Hall, leading up to Sandoz's room. He recognises you, from a stone bust that someone had carved! If you agree to help him construct this 'Dreambuilder', you'll get Quests 5 and 6 below.

Quests

  1. Forge an item - 8000 XP and a new weapon of your choosing.

    2. When you mention to Keldor in the Foundry that you might like to join the Godsmen, you get this quest, and also Quest 2. Head back out into the Foundry proper, and seek out the woman who is walking around there, Alissa Tield. Tell her you want to forge an item, and she'll tell you that you need: protection from the flames, tongs, hammer, and a piece of iron ore. Go see Nadilin in the clerk's office (room just to the east of where you entered the Foundry). And he'll sell you the Leather Apron, Forge Hammer, and Tongs. He mistakenly quotes 50 coppers as the price, when it's actually 40. You can pick him up on this if you're a miserly bastard, or pay him the 50 for a little push towards Lawful Good. Nadilin says you can only get iron ore from someone named Thildon, so head back out into the forge and look for him. Thildon reluctantly parts with a piece of ore. Now, find the one empty smelting pot, and left-click on it (not exactly the intuitive way, I thought). You can forge a Stiletto, a Sledgehammer, or an Axe. Not bad weapons, actually. When you're done, report back to Keldor, and he'll give you Quest 3.

  2. Join the Godsmen - 8000 XP, access to Godsmen artefacts, and to the room containing the 'secret' project.

    3. You must complete Quests 1, 3, and 4. Then you get access to some very useful weapons and scrolls. You'll be able to take on Quest 9 now, and also have Sarossa 'change' you.

  3. Solve the murder of Avildon the smith - 10000 XP and Quest 4.

    4. Back to Alissa, and she'll fill you in a bit on this murder Keldor wants you to solve. Now, you can finger any of the 3 suspects to complete the quest, but I believe this is the 'right' way: Speak to Thildon, and he'll suggest you interrogate Saros. Saros is Sandoz's son (Sarossa's brother). You can find him skulking about in the hall where Keldor is. He presents you with an awl that he says Thildon dropped on the night of the murder. Back to Thildon then, and he insists that Saros stole the awl from him and planted it as evidence. Saros... admits doing this, but still insists that Thildon is guilty, and that he only did this to make sure that Thildon would get convicted of the murder. Sigh. Thildon next fingers Saros and Bedai-Lihn (remember, the 3rd suspect?) as Anarchists. Back to Saros again, and he still insists that Thildon is the guilty one. Finally, when you return to Thildon this time, you can threaten him with having to take an oath (along with Saros) in front of Keldor to determine who's guilty. He finally backs down, and you can either have him arrested, or allow him to flee, depending on your Lawful/Chaotic tendencies.

  4. Prevent Sandoz from killing himself - 12000 XP, and you may join the Godsmen.

    5. You must complete Quest 3 first, then Keldor will give you this final quest to become a Godsman. Head to the east side of the Godsman Hall, through the door, up the passageway and the stairs. You should be able to talk Sandoz out of his suicide by speaking to him through the closed door to his room.

  5. Help complete the Dreambuilder in the Great Foundry - Portents of things to come...

    6. You need to have the Dream Key, a result of completing Quest 8, in your possession. Then go to that small door in the NW of the Foundry, the one you've always been wondering what lies beyond, and dream.

  6. Fetch a vial of skin and blood.

    7. You need to venture into the Clerk's Ward to secure this item. See Clerk's Ward, Quest 1. When you return with the vial from the Apothecary, you get Quest 7.

  7. Fetch a birdcage festooned with razorblades - Quest 8.

    8. If there was ever a compelling reason to get into the siege tower, this is it! Talk to Lazlo in the Marketplace. Ask him about this ward. He'll tell you of some strange comings and goings, and it is from this that you deduce how to get into the siege tower! Now go to the drawbridge to the east of the siege tower, and a portal will open up. Go through it (only if you don't want to, of course :-) Once inside the siege tower, speak to Coaxmetal the golem. Interesting. Coaxmetal will provide you with some nice weapons, namely: Punch Daggers of Shar, Brimstone Hammer, and Spiked Gauntlets of Ogre Power. You can't steal these, so purchase wisely! Also, more importantly, he'll forge the Blade of the Immortal for you... something that you can supposedly kill yourself with, but only if used in the right place. Hmm. Oh, and don't forget to ask him for the birdcage :-)

  8. Bring a coffin pillow to Xander - 16000 XP and Dream Key.

    9. Easy one. Go talk to Hamrys in the Coffin Maker's Shop again, and ask him about a pillow. Then listen to his long dissertation about coffin making, and feel free to threaten him with bodily harm once your patience is exhausted. He sends you to the Warehouse. Just tell the Vault that you're here to claim something, and you've got your Dream Pillow. In return for the pillow, Xander gives you a key to get into the room where the Dreambuilder is housed.

  9. Sabotage the Godsmen's machine for Bedai-Lihn - 8000 XP and Quest 10.

    10. Bedai-Lihn is an Anarchist, but you need to have undertaken Quest 3 in order to find this out. You also need to join the Godsmen, or you won't be able to complete this quest. Once you're a Godsman, take the north stairway from the circular room at the entrance to the Godsman Hall, and speak to Bedai-Lihn at the end of the walkway overlooking the Godsman Hall. Tell her you're not happy about being a Godsman any longer. She'll confide in you, and ask you to destroy the weapon that's being built for the baatezu. Speak to Keldor again, and ask him about the secret project. He'll give you a Godsman Token, which grants you access to the room at the north end of the Foundry. If you talk to one of the guards near the large doors, and show him the Token that Keldor gave you, he'll let you inside. Talk to Kel'lera, the githzerai woman who is heading the project (you'll get a lot more out of her if you have Dak'kon with you). It appears that they've been contracted by the baatezu to build a weapon that spews forth a great stream of fire. After you've got the skinny on the weapon, ask her about... ahem... 'weak spots' (I can't believe you get away with this). Then left-click on the rear of the machine where the question mark appears when you put your cursor over it, and you'll be allowed to sabotage it! Beware that in addition to blowing up the machine, you've just blown any chances at being a Lawful Good type :-)

  10. Kill Sandoz, the Godsman factotum - 8000 XP and Quest 11.

    11. Just march upstairs and take out Sandoz and his 2 guards.

  11. Smuggle Bedai-Lihn from the Foundry - 8000 XP, and Scofflaw Penn will now talk to you.

    12. You need to find her a complete set of smith's gear, and some rags. First, I thought I could just give her my smithy stuff, and I had some rags hanging about, but this doesn't work. There's also a Hammer, Tongs, and rags in a crate at the north end of the secret room, but these are of no use either. What you must do, in fact, is head back to Nadilin the clerk, and he'll sell you a Godsman Disguise for 60 coppers! Once you've completed this quest, you wind up outside the Warehouse. If you're still dead set on being an Anarchist, you can now talk to Scofflaw Penn in the Print Shop. See Quest 12.

  12. Join the Anarchists - 16000 XP and access to their stash at the Warehouse.

    13. When you speak with Penn this time, you get the dialogue option to repeat the phrase that Bedai-Lihn gave you: "The city must burn." If you agree with Penn's doctrines, he'll assign you a task to kill Qui-Sai in the Civic Festhall. Qui-Sai is what appears to be a stone statue in a room in the north part of the Civic Festhall, which is located in the NE part of the Upper Ward (also known as the Clerk's Ward. To get to the Clerk's Ward, take the eastern exit from the Lower Ward). Now, you're better off waiting a while before you do anything rash here, because you'll be OK inside the Festhall after you kill Qui-Sai (no one there seems to realise what you've done), but once you step outside, every Harmonium Officer in the Clerk's Ward is going to be chasing after your sorry ass - making it difficult to go about your business at a leisurely pace. But then... you are an Anarchist, right? :-)
    Talk to Penn afterwards, and he'll send you off to see Leena and Conall in