Baldur's Gate
Plus
Tales of the Sword Coast
Walkthrough
By
Steven W. Carter
(scarter831@earthlink.net)
November 4, 2002
******************************************************************************
* Introduction                                                               *
******************************************************************************
This is a complete walkthrough for Baldur's Gate and the Tales of the Sword
Coast expansion pack.  Baldur's Gate is a role-playing game developed by
BioWare and published by Interplay.
The walkthrough is divided up by area.  Most areas are (relatively) self-
contained and can be visited in any order, but I've put them in an order for
the walkthrough.  Feel free to deviate and do things in your own order.  Areas
from the expansion pack are labeled with an “*” symbol.  If you've already
played Baldur's Gate and are only interested in the expansion pack areas, the
walkthroughs for those areas can be found in Chapter 5.
Also, in a few areas you can find objects lying on the ground.  For those
areas I've listed the location of the object as an (x,y) coordinate.  You can
see your current coordinate in an area by pressing the “L” key.  The “L” key
also shows the identification number (ARXXXX) for the area you’re in.
Disclaimer: I provide no guarantees here.  This is a walkthrough I developed
while playing the game twice using version 1.3.5512 and the default difficulty
setting.
******************************************************************************
* Prologue                                                                   *
******************************************************************************
* ------------------- *
* Candlekeep (AR2600) *
* ------------------- *
You start out south of the Candlekeep Inn.  Immediately head inside and talk
to Winthrop the proprietor.  It doesn't matter what you say to him.  You start
out with some gold, so go ahead and buy some body armor and a helmet (if you
can).  Your staff isn't a terrible weapon, and you can use that for a while.
Then talk to Firebead Elvenhair, who is standing next to the fire.  He'll give
you a quest -- to return the identify scroll he left with Tethtoril.  Then
explore the rest of the inn.  Depending on your strength and lock-picking
ability, you might be able to grab some extra gold and equipment.  Just be
sure not to do any looting while people are watching.  Sleeping people aren't
watching.
Then go back outside and head east.  You'll see Phlydia, who recently
misplaced her copy of The History of Halruaa.  Another quest!  Keep walking
clockwise around the inner keep.  Moo at the cows.  Eventually you'll come to
a building called “Priest's Quarters.”  When you go inside, somebody named
Shank will talk to you and then attack you.  He's not very powerful, and you
shouldn't have any problem killing him.  Loot the corpse, explore the room for
other odds and ends to pick up, and then go back outside.  Parda will talk to
you and recommend that you get moving.
Walk east and talk to Dreppin.  He'll tell you where to find Phlydia's book.
Get the book and return it to Phlydia for 50 experience and a gem.  Return to
Dreppin, and he'll tell you he needs a potion for his sick cow Nessa.  A guard
named Hull has it.
Continue moving clockwise.  There is a Temple of Oghma, but it isn't useful to
you.  Eventually you'll come to a man named Jondalar who will give you some
battle training.  All you have to do is land a blow against him or Erik (who
will help out) to end the session.  Nearby is ``The Storehouse'' with Reevor
standing next to it.  Inside are some rats, and Reevor will give you 5 gold
coins (and 50 experience) if you kill them.  Also inside, in one of the
barrels, is a silver ring.  Basic jewelry like the silver ring is only useful
for selling.
Move south and you'll find Hull at the main gate to the keep.  It seems he had
a little trouble waking up this morning and went to his post without his
sword.  His sword and the potion for Nessa are located in his chest in the
barracks building.
Continuing south will bring you to the Gatewarden.  He'll tell you how you can
practice fighting with multiple companions with Obe the Illusionist.
Regardless of whether you want to practice or not, tell the warden you do.
Then the warden will stand by Obe's door.  If you do decide to practice, wait
until after you return Hull's sword.  The practice session will net you a
small amount of experience.
East of Obe's house is a hospital.  If you talk to the Priest of Oghma, he'll
give you a healing potion.  In a curtained off area is a bed and desk, and in
the desk is another potion -- provided you can unlock it.  Be careful if you
try to steal the potion; the reader and priest will detect you sometimes even
when it doesn't seem they should be able to.
To the west is a bunkhouse, and inside is another attacker, this one named
Carbos.  Outside the bunkhouse is a box with 15 gold coins inside.  Once you
kill the assassin and return outside, Karan will greet you and also recommend
you get moving.
West of the bunkhouse is the barracks.  Inside the barracks is a guard named
Fuller.  If you ask him about errands, he'll tell you to buy him some crossbow
bolts from Winthrop at the Candlekeep Inn.  In the northeast corner of the
barracks is Hull's bunk, and in the chest at its foot are his sword and the
potion for Dreppin.  When you bring the sword to Hull, he'll give you 20 gold
coins (and 50 experience).  When you return the potion to Dreppin, you'll get
50 more experience.
Now explore the middle part of the keep where the library is located.  Imoen
will greet you, and it doesn't matter what you say back.  If you run into
Gorion, tell him you need a little more time.  Somewhere wandering around is
Tethtoril, and he'll give you Elvenhair's scroll if you talk to him.
Return to the Candlekeep Inn and give the identify scroll to Elvenhair.  When
you do, he’ll give you a potion of healing (and 50 experience).  Then buy some
crossbow bolts for Fuller.  When you deliver the bolts, Fuller will give you
10 gold coins (and 50 experience).  Directly across from the barracks is a
barrel with some gold inside.  Head back to the Candlekeep Inn, sell
everything you don't need, and buy provisions.  Even if you don't plan to use
a bow yourself, you'll need some arrows shortly, so buy some.
Then head back to Gorion and tell him you're ready to start your grand
adventure!
Who's where?
------------
Dreppin: northern area
Erik: eastern area
Firebead Elvenhair: Candlekeep Inn
Fuller: barracks
Gorion: library steps
Hull: by main gate
Imoen: east of library
Jondalar: eastern area
Reevor: next to the storehouse
Tethtoril: outside library
Winthrop: Candlekeep Inn
******************************************************************************
* Chapter 1                                                                  *
******************************************************************************
Watch Gorion get killed, but remember that the “Armored Figure” can be hit by
magic missile attacks.  That bit of information will be useful later.
* --------------------------- *
* East of Candlekeep (AR2700) *
* --------------------------- *
Imoen will join you.  She's a reasonably good thief, and you need all the help
you can get right now.  If you bought extra arrows, give her some.  She has
some healing potions, and you should split those up between the two of you.
She also has a wand of magic missiles, which you should put in one of her
quick item slots.
Head north to where Gorion got killed.  Be careful to stay away from bears.
If a wolf attacks, you and Imoen should be able to handle it.  If things look
dicey, have Imoen use her wand.  On Gorion's body is a letter from Elminster.
If you haven't figured out that you should head to the Friendly Arm yet, the
letter should make it clear.  Also pick up the items from the two ogres Gorion
killed.
Explore the rest of the area.  On the coast north of the path to Candlekeep is
a man named Chase.  It doesn’t matter what you say to him but “OK” seems to be
the best choice.  In a tree at location (4419, 1955) you can find a diamond.
Lastly, if you walk along the road at the southern edge of the area, you'll
run into Kolssed.  He'll mention that he just saw two people.  Those two
people are Montaron and Xzar.  They are located farther along the road.  When
you find them, they will give you a healing potion and ask for your assistance
in travelling to Nashkel.  As with Imoen, there's no reason not to let them
join your group.
Who's where?
------------
Chase: along western coastline
Kelssed: on road near southeast corner
Montaron: on road on eastern edge
Xzar: on road on eastern edge
* ------------------- *
* Crossroads (AR2800) *
* ------------------- *
Talk with Elminster and then explore the area.  There isn't too much of
interest around.  Along the road at the northern edge of the map, you'll meet
Aoln.  He'll tell you to be wary of wolves and gibberlings in the area and
that an ogre mage is the most fearsome creature he's seen.
In the eastern part of the area, south of a ridge, is an ogre.  He's probably
too tough for you at this point, so if you see him, run away but remember his
location.  He's part of a quest, and you'll need to kill him later.  If you
want to try and kill him now, have as many characters as possible equip ranged
weapons (Imoen should use her wand so somebody else can use her bow), and have
one character act as bait.  Have the bait run around and try to get the ogre
to chase it while everybody else attacks.  Once you kill it, either now or
later, you'll get two girdles (one cursed and one for a quest), a scroll, and
a mace.
On a rock, at location (1004, 1115), is a ring of protection +1.  On the road
at the southern edge of the map you'll run into Andout who will inform you
that Beregost is being garrisoned.  Nearby you'll find Jase who will let you
know there are bandits in the area.  North of Jase is an overturned wagon, and
by the wagon is a barrel with gold inside.
When you're ready to leave, exit the area to the north.
Who's where?
------------
Andout: southern part of map, near road
Aoln: northern part of map, near road
Jase: southern part of map, near road
* ------------------------- *
* Friendly Arm Inn (AR2300) *
* ------------------------- *
The inn is located in a former fortress with high walls and a single gate on
the southern side.  Before going inside the fortress, explore the grounds
outside.  Located at (2553, 3757) is a ring of wizardry (provided you have the
“right” version of the game).  Also, following the road, you will come across
three groups of hobgoblins.  The middle group (northwest of the Friendly Arm)
will have a hobgoblin wearing green instead of the standard red.  That
hobgoblin is carrying Joia's Firedance ring, and you need it for a quest.  The
other hobgoblins have bastard swords (which are better than long swords, if
that's what you have now), leather armor, helmets, and gold or trinkets.  Once
the road is clear, head inside the fortress.
Inside the walls, just to the west of the drawbridge entrance, is a home.  It
belongs to Joia, and she wants her ring back.  When you give it to her, you'll
receive 400 points of experience and a point of reputation.  She'll also leave
the home at that point, allowing you to do some search and seizure.  Inside
one of the chests is some gold and a gem.
Talk to some of the commoners.  You'll learn that there have been recent
problems with bandits and iron.  To the east is the Temple of Wisdom.  You can
get healing and antidote potions there, but you probably can't afford them
yet.  You can also identify items there.
When you approach the staircase leading up to the inn, an assassin will attack
you.  This one is named Tarnesh, and he is much more difficult than the two
you faced in Candlekeep.  Luckily, the guards will help you out, so when you
hear him say “Hi, friend” head in their direction.  Between the guards and
your party, you should be able to finish him off reasonably easily.  On his
body you'll find some scrolls and a letter.  The letter indicates that
somebody has put a bounty on your head.
The inn is made up of three levels.  When you enter the inn (first level),
you'll meet Jopi.  His uncle is named Ragefast, and you'll meet him later in
Baldur's Gate.   Also on the first level is Whelp, a drunk who provides some
entertaining dialogue.  In the western corner are Khalid and Jaheira, the two
people Gorion wanted you to meet.  Go ahead and have them join your party, but
realize that Khalid and Imoen are good, Jaheira is neutral, and Xzar and
Montaron are evil.  Eventually, somebody is going to have to go.
Bentley Mirrorshade runs the bar and shop on the first level of the inn.  You
can sell to him most of the things you have been picking up, and you can also
buy useful things like more arrows and a large shield +1 (although probably
later).  He also has for sale two books, the History of the Fateful Coin and
the History of the Unicorn Run.  Go ahead and buy them; you'll need them
later.
On the second level is Unshey.  He'll tell you that he lost his belt of
piercing to an ogre south of the Friendly Inn.  That ogre should sound
familiar.  When you give the belt back to him, he'll give you a measly 10
gold coins (plus 800 experience points).  The belt is actually useful (+3 AC
bonus against piercing weapons), so you might want to keep it instead.  Or,
you can give the girdle to Unshey and then kill him to get it back.  It's not
possible to steal it from him.  If you choose to kill him, it'll cost you 5
reputation points.  Also, in the southern-most room on the second level, you
can pick open a chest with a healing potion and gold in it.
On the third level of the inn is a nobleman who will mistake you for the
laundry service and give you some golden pantaloons.  The pantaloons aren't
useful, but if you give them back to the nobleman you'll receive 100
experience points.  (Note: You can use the pantaloons in Baldur’s Gate 2, so
you might want to keep them if you plan to export your character to that
game.)
Also on the third level, in the common area, is Landrin.  She lives in
Beregost and has a problem with spiders in her house.  If your charisma is
high enough, she'll give you 6 antidote potions to help you in clearing her
house.  Eventually you'll need to bring her back a spider body, her husband's
boots, and a bottle of wine.
It seems that every NPC you add to your group wants to go to Nashkel, so
that's the direction you should head next.  However, you should leave the
current area to the north.  That will add a new location to your map, and you
can still travel to the south.
Who's where?
------------
Bentley Mirrorshade: first level of the inn, behind bar
Genna Mirrorshade: Temple of Wisdom
Jaheira: first level of the inn, western side
Khalid: first level of the inn, western side
Landrin: third level of the inn, common area
Unshey: second level of the inn, east side
Whelp: first level of the inn
* ----------------- *
* Beregost (AR3300) *
* ----------------- *
When you enter the area, Golin Vend will greet you and give you information
about the town.  If you've read Volo's Guide to Baldur's Gate, then Golin
won't tell you anything you don't already know.  Commoners will also tell you
more about the iron shortage and bandit problems, plus mention other topics of
note such as the Ulcaster School, the Firewine Bridge, and Bassilus.
Directly south of where you enter the area is a group of four residences.  You
can do some pilfering here if you want.  In the most western house (the one
with the boy waiting for the Greycarts) is a chest with 96 gold pieces in it.
You can steal the gold with the boy watching and not face any repercussions.
There is also a bag on the ground next to the most southern house, and it has
a small amount of gold in it.
In the group of buildings to the south you will find Kagain, an evil fighter
and owner of an escort business.  If your party is evil or neutral, then
Kagain is a good choice for the front ranks.  In the back room of his shop is
a crate with some gold in it.  You can also do some minor looting in the other
buildings.
South of Kagain's shop is the Feldepost Inn.  When you enter, a man named
Marl, who doesn't like adventurers very much, will approach you.  If you
answer...
-- “No need to get bent out of shape.”
-- “I just do what I think is right.”
-- “Hold on!”
-- “If you knew him like you think...”
-- “The Realms call...”
... then you'll gain 900 experience and Marl will go away.  If you answer
anything else, you'll have to fight him, and he's only worth 650 experience.
Also on the first level is the bartender, who has a few magical items for
sale.  Visit him again when you have more gold.  On the second level is an
unfriendly man named Algernon.  He's holding a cloak of charisma +2, which you
can steal.
East of the Feldepost Inn is a large monument.  During the day the town crier
will be standing there, and he'll tell you about a reward for the killing of
the cleric Bassilus.  South of the monument is another group of buildings.  In
a home on the western side is Firebead Elvenhair (who you previously met in
Candlekeep), and he's looking for a copy of the History of the Fateful Coin.
You should have a copy of that from the Friendly Arm Inn, and when you give it
to him he will reward you with a copy of the History of the Dead Three (plus
300 points of experience and a point of reputation).
In the southeast corner of this block of buildings is the Jovial Juggler Inn,
and to the west of that is Landrin's house with the spider problem.  Don't try
to clear Landrin's house until you have purchased some antidote potions, which
you can find in the temple east of town.  There are four huge spiders in the
house, and if the battle becomes difficult, you can always leave, rest, and
then return to the house until the spiders are all dead.  Remember to pick up
all three items that Landrin wants (boots, spider body, wine).
Inside the Jovial Juggler, you'll meet Bjornin, who wants you to kill some
half-ogres to the southwest, and Gurke, who lost his cloak to some tasloi in
the Cloakwood Forest.  Upstairs is Oogie Wisham, who thinks Bjornin is out to
get him.  Oogie needs some medication.
In the block of buildings north of the monument are three homes, the Red Sheaf
Inn, and the Burning Wizard Inn.  Outside the Burning Wizard is Garrick, who
will offer your party a job acting as bodyguards for Silke the thespian.  If
you agree to the job, Garrick will lead you to the Red Sheaf Inn where Silke
is waiting.  Silke is a bad, bad girl and she'll try to get you to kill some
innocent merchants.  If you're feeling evil yourself, you can kill the
merchants (15 experience points each), loot their potions of defense, and get
a 300 or 400 gold piece reward from Silke.  However, you'll lose 2 points of
reputation and Garrick will not offer to join your group.  If you take the
side of the merchants, you'll have to face Silke, who is a mage.  She can cast
lightning bolt, so you need to kill her quickly.  Let loose with the best
spells you have.  You'll get 900 experience for killing her, and she's
carrying a quarter staff +1 plus the 400 coins she would have paid you if you
had killed the merchants.  Also, if you talk to the merchants, they'll give
you a potion of defense, and if you talk to Garrick, he'll offer to join you.
Inside the Burning Wizard you'll meet Zhurlong, who lost his boots of stealth
to a tribe of hobgoblins.  Every time you talk to him, he'll steal some gold
from you (but give it back later), so only talk to him once.  Upstairs you
will meet Spen Gil'meh who will tell you a little about Beregost and the
Firewine Bridge.  It's a good idea to spend the night here so you can memorize
spells after your bout with Silke.
When you enter the Red Sheaf Inn, you'll be attacked by Karlat, yet another
assassin ready to do you in.  He's a tough fighter, and you should once again
hit him with everything you have.  He's worth 270 experience points and has a
bounty notice plus some other items on him.  The bounty notices aren't useful
in any way, although it’s fun to watch the bounty price go up.  You can get
rid of the notices at any time.
Also on the first level is Perdue.  If you answer...
-- “A dog's head?”
-- “Oh, a gnoll!”
-- “Never liked them myself.”
-- “You've got yourself a deal.”
... then Perdue will give you a quest to retrieve his lost short sword.  It's
being held by some gnolls in the High Hedge area to the west of Beregost.
(Well, hey, 50 gold coins is 50 gold coins.)  Upstairs is Raleo Windspear, who
like Spen Gil'meh, can give you some background information.
East of the Red Sheaf Inn is yet another block of buildings.  The home in the
northeast corner belongs to Mirianne, and, if you talk to her, you'll learn
that she's awaiting word from her husband.  The shop in the southeast corner
is the Thunder Hammer Smithy.  Here Taerom Fuiruim will buy most items, and he
has some magical items for sale as well.  Late at night the smithy will be
empty, and you can steal a bastard sword +1 from one of the chests inside
(provided your lock-picking ability is good).
The house in the northeastern part of town belongs to Gerard Travenhurst, a
member of the town council.  Upstairs, in one of the bedrooms, is some good
loot, including a wand of lightning and a potion of healing.
When you're ready to move on, sell what you can, buy what you can, and then
stay at an inn to memorize spells.  Then leave the area to the south.
Who's where?
------------
Alain: middle house
Algernon: second level of Feldepost Inn
Bjornin: first level of Jovial Juggler Inn
Dunkin: first level of Feldepost Inn
Firebead Elvenhair: southern house
Garrick: outside Burning Wizard Inn
Golin Vend: outside, northern edge of map, on road
Gerard Travenhurst: northeastern house
Gurke: first level of Jovial Juggler Inn
Karlat: first level of Red Sheaf Inn
Marl: first level of Feldepost Inn
Mirianne: eastern house
Mr. Colquetle: southern house
Oogie Wisham: second level of Jovial Juggler Inn
Perdue: first level of Red Sheaf Inn
Raleo Windspear: second level of Red Sheaf Inn
Silke: outside Red Sheaf Inn
Spen Gil'meh: second level of Burning Wizard Inn
Taerom Fuiruim: Thunder Hammer Smithy
Zhurlong: first level of Burning Wizard Inn
* ---------------------------------------------------- *
* Forest South of Beregost / North of Nashkel (AR3800) *
* ---------------------------------------------------- *
South of where you start the area is Shelligh, a little boy out picking fruit.
He's just reinforcement that people are having a hard time right now.
Continuing south along the road will bring you to an ogrillon.  It is carrying
a letter from Roe to Mirianne, and you can give it to Mirianne later.  Try to
hit the ogrillon with ranged weapons.  It only uses its fists, but a single
punch or two can kill your characters.
If you follow the road all the way to the southern edge of the map, you'll
run into another ogrillon, which you should kill in the same way as the last
one, and a Flaming Fist mercenary.  The mercenary will mistake you for
bandits, which is fine.  Challenge him to a fight.  He's carrying plate mail
and a cool plumed helmet, and you can kill him without losing a reputation
point.
Near the middle of the map, you'll run into a group of three hobgoblins, two
wearing red and one wearing green.  The one in green will have Zhurlong's
boots of stealth.  Near the hobgoblins is a cave, and inside the cave will be
5 potions of healing and some gold.  Northwest of the cave is Bub Snikt, who
can give you some background information if you ask for it.
Scattered around the remainder of the area, you'll find some more hobgoblins
and some gibberlings.  You should be able to kill them all pretty easily.
There might also be a ghoul or two around, and you should be a little careful
with them since they can paralyze your party members.
After you've explored the area, continue south towards Nashkel.
Who's where?
------------
Bub Snikt: western side of map
Shelligh: north edge, near road
* --------------------------------------------------- *
* Hills South of Beregost / North of Nashkel (AR4300) *
* --------------------------------------------------- *
If you follow the road, it will turn towards the west, and eventually it will
pass a hobgoblin camp.  There are six hobgoblins there, two with bows.  If you
advance slowly and attack the nearest hobgoblin with ranged weapons, it will
charge you, and you might be able to take out the entire group only fighting
one or two at a time.
There isn't much to the rest of the area.  Lord Foreshadow can be found in the
southwestern corner of the map, on the road.  He'll insult your attire.
Portalbendarwinden (say that three times fast) is in the southeastern part of
the map.  He'll insult your aura.  The rest of the area has a variety of
hobgoblins, ghouls, kobolds, and bandits.  If you kill any bandits, pick up
their scalps (eww), but don't sell them until you meet Officer Vai later in
the game.
When you've explored the area, rest to heal your characters and memorize
spells.  You'll have a battle on your hands when you get to Nashkel.
Who's where?
------------
Lord Foreshadow: southwestern corner
Portalbendarwinden: southeastern area, near a ridge
******************************************************************************
* Chapter 2                                                                  *
******************************************************************************
* ---------------- *
* Nashkel (AR4800) *
* ---------------- *
You'll find yourself just to the north of a bridge.  Ignore the bridge and
head west and then head south along the western edge of the area.  You'll come
to a farm and a field, and on the western side of the field at location (191,
2746) are a pearl and a set of ankheg plate mail.  The ankheg plate has the
same armor bonus as full plate mail, but it is much lighter.  On the down
side, it is enchanted, and so you can't use cloaks/rings of protection with
it.  It's your best armor for now, so give it to your primary fighter.  Later
give it either to your cleric or a weak fighter (such as Khalid).
Now head back to the bridge and cross it.  Bardolan will confront you and tell
you to play nice while you're in town.  He'll also mention Commander Brage.
That's a quest you'll get to later.
To the east is the Nashkel Inn.  When you go inside, Neira will try to kill
you.  She's assassin #5 if you're keeping track.  She's also a spellcaster, so
let her have it with your best offensive spells.  She's worth 650 experience
points, and she's carrying a helmet of infravision.  The helmet isn't really
useful, but, like the Flaming Fist helmet, it's different from the standard
horned helmet, and so it's cool for that reason.  The inn is otherwise boring,
except there is a small amount of gold in the rooms in the back.
Next to the Nashkel Inn is the Nashkel Store.  Here you can sell most of the
stuff you've picked up in the last two areas.  Be careful not to sell any of
the quest items.  There isn't much to buy unless you need arrows or bullets.
By continuing down the road, you'll run into Berrun Ghastkill, the mayor of
Nashkel.  He'll ask you to investigate the mines southeast of town.  If you
hadn't heard yet, something is wrong with the ore the mines are producing.
East of the mayor is the Temple of Helm.  Inside is Nalin, and he'll tell you
he might be able to help Commander Brage if you can bring him to the temple.
He'll also do the standard priest things.  It's a good idea to make sure
everybody in your party has at least one antidote potion, so buy some potions
if you need to.  In front of the temple is a graveyard, and you can amuse
yourself by reading the markers.  If you read the one for “Mark D” Daer'Ragh
will confront you and tell you to leave the marker alone.  If you click the
marker again, he'll return with several phoenix guards and kill you.  (It's
possible to kill the phoenix guards later in the game when you're more
powerful, but it's not worthwhile to do so.)
Continuing down the road again you'll find Oublek, who will mistake you for a
bounty hunter named Greywolf.  If you pretend to be Greywolf, you'll get 200
gold coins, but you won't be able to collect any bounties from Oublek later.
If you tell Oublek he's mistaken, you'll gain a point of reputation.  If you
talk to Oublek again, he'll mention there are bounties for the return of
Commander Brage and the return of some emeralds stolen by an artist named
Prism.
Farther down the road is the garrison, which isn't very interesting, and next
to the garrison is Minsc, who will join your party if you agree to rescue the
mage (invoker) Dynaheir.  Minsc is a good companion, a ranger with 18/93
strength.  He's also good aligned.  If you're trying to keep your party
good/neutral, now is the time to get rid of Xzar and Montaron.
South of the garrison is the Belching Dragon Tavern, where you can meet Volo
himself (and not learn very much from him), and at the end of the road is a
(locked) home.  Inside the home is a female commoner, who, if you ask about
the mines, will tell you that her husband is down there somewhere.  The
husband, Joseph, wears a greenstone ring.
To the south, between the tavern and the home, is another bridge leading to
the farm area.  On the bridge is Edwin, an evil conjurer.  He wants help to
kill the “witch” Dynaheir.  If you agree to help, he'll join your group.
Otherwise he'll leave, and you'll have to attack him the next time you see
him.  You can have Minsc and Edwin in your group at the same time, but I'm not
sure what happens if they're still there when you get to Dynaheir.
When you cross the bridge, you'll find Noober, the most annoying creature in
the game.  If you decide to wait him out (he'll say “What about now?” about 20
times) you'll get 400 experience points.  If you decide you don't want to
wait, you can kill him for 15 experience points and not suffer a reputation
penalty.
The area west of the river is devoted to farms and farmers, and there isn't
anything (else) interesting there.  In the remaining area east of the river is
Manor House, but you won’t find any farm animals there.  Instead there are
some scrolls you can steal (first floor) and a woman named Samantha (second
floor).  If you ask Samantha her name twice and then tell her she's pretty,
her boyfriend Jamie will jump out of the closet and attack, and Samantha will
run away.  You won’t lose any reputation for killing Jamie, but you will if
you kill anybody else in the house.
Before going any farther, it's a good idea to finish up some of the quests
you've completed but not yet been rewarded for.  When you're done exploring
Nashkel, exit the area to the east and then select the Friendly Arm Inn.  Give
Landrin the three items she wanted (click on her three times), and she'll give
you 295 gold coins (plus 800 experience points).  Then leave the inn and exit
the area to the east, but select Beregost on the map.
In Beregost, go visit Mirianne and give her the letter from her husband Roe.
She will give you a ring of protection +1 (plus 300 experience points).  Then
go to the Burning Wizard to visit Zhurlong and give him his boots of stealth.
He'll give you 100 gold coins plus whatever he stole from you before (plus 300
experience points).  The boots are useful (+35% stealth) and you can kill
Zhurlong to get the boots back and gain 90 more experience points in the
process.  Plus you won't lose any reputation points for the murder.
By this time your party will be tired from all the travel, so go ahead and
spend the night at the Burning Wizard.  Then exit the area to the east.
Who's where?
------------
Bardolan: by northern bridge
Berrun Ghastkill: on road next to Temple of Helm
Edwin: on southern bridge
Minsc (and Boo): next to garrison
Neira: Nashkel Inn
Noober: near southern bridge
Oublek: on road next to garrison
Volo: Belching Dragon Tavern
* ------------------------ *
* Beregost Temple (AR3400) *
* ------------------------ *
There are vampiric wolves in the eastern part of this area, and you don't want
to mess with them yet.  Instead follow the path northeast and enter the Song
of the Morning Temple.  Inside you'll meet Keldath Ormlyr, and from him you
should buy a stone to flesh scroll.  After that go ahead and visit the
vestibule to the north and talk to Blane and Bram.  Then stay on the western
side of the map and travel south, eventually leaving the area to the south.
Along the way you might run into Ashen, who is just there for color, and some
normal wolves / dogs, which you should be able to kill.  Select the Nashkel
Carnival on the map screen.
Who's where?
------------
Ashen: western side of map
Blane: vestibule
Bram: vestibule
Keldath Ormlyr: Song of the Morning Temple
* ------------------------- *
* Nashkel Carnival (AR4900) *
* ------------------------- *
The actual carnival is in the southern part of the area.  In the northern part
are kobolds, which you should be able to dispatch easily.
On the western side of the carnival is the stage area.  Not too many people
are watching the show, but if you want, you can ask The Great Gazib to do his
exploding ogre trick.  If you ask three times, the exploding ogre (aka Oopah)
will decide he's had enough and attack your party.  He's a tough opponent this
early in the game, but if you kill him you get 270 experience points, a mace,
and some other treasure object.
To the east of the stage are a boy and Lord Binky the Buffoon.  North of those
two is a gambling tent.  Save your game and then walk in.  Vitiare, “master
thief and pickpocket extraordinaire,” will walk up to you, steal 100 coins,
and then leave.  However, if you target him right away and throw in a couple
spells, you should be able to kill and get your gold (plus more) back.  You
won't lose any reputation points for the deed.
East of the gambling tent are three more tents.  The northern (largest) one is
another gambling tent, and the southern one houses a potion dealer.  Even if
you don't care about the potions, go ahead and buy them because you can sell
them for more later.  The middle tent contains an evil wizard (Zordral) and a
damsel in distress (Bentha).  If you answer...
-- “What's this all about?”
-- “Why don't we discuss this...”
-- “Come on...”
-- “Ok, that's it...”
... then Zordral will ignore Bentha and attack you.  Otherwise he'll use his
magic word to kill Bentha and still attack you.  If you want to be cold-
hearted, the best option is to let Zordral kill Bentha so you can get her
equipment as well as his.  Zordral is a mage, and he'll cast mirror image on
himself and then horror on your party, so you want to kill him quickly before
your party starts running around in a panic.  So let loose with everything you
have.  If you still can't kill him, then you might want to wait and come back
later.  Zordral is wearing a knave's robe, which isn't all that exciting a
prize, but he is worth 900 experience points.  After the battle, tell Bentha
(if she's still alive) that the good deed was reward enough, and she'll give
you a potion of heroism.
East of Zordral's tent are three more tents.  The northern one sells
potentially useful magical items while the southern two sell some standard
weapons.  Farther east is a rectangular tent selling standard armor.  Among
the tents is Zeke who will offer to sell you a stone to flesh scroll for 500
coins so you can rescue a stone maiden (Branwen).  You should already have
such a scroll from when you visited Beregost's temple.  Branwen is located to
the north, and when you free her she'll offer to join your group.  She's a
neutral cleric, and she’s useful to have around (if your only other healing
option is Jaheira).  If you add her, she'll tell you that it was a man named
Tranzig who trapped her.  You'll hear from Tranzig again.
On the far eastern side of the map is a lone tent.  It contains a few people
intimate with “the black lotus” but there is nothing useful inside.
Once you’re ready to move on, exit the area to the north but then select the
Nashkel mine area on the world map.
Who's where?
------------
Branwen: eastern side of carnival
Bentha: small middle tent
Lord Binky the Buffoon: east of stage
The Great Gazib: on stage
Zeke: among the tents
Zordral: small middle tent
* ------------------------------- *
* Nashkel Mines, Outside (AR5400) *
* ------------------------------- *
Head west along the northern edge of the map.  In the northwestern corner is
an old tree, and in the knot of the tree, at location (165, 178), is a wand of
frost.  Retrace your steps to your starting position, and then circle around
the mine in a clockwise fashion until you hit the western edge of the map.
Head south from there and you will come across Prism, the artist who stole the
emeralds.  Tell Prism you don't have anything to do with Greywolf, and then
agree to guard him while he finishes.  Immediately thereafter Greywolf will
show up.  Ask him to let Prism finish his work and he'll attack you.  Greywolf
is a tough fighter, but he is worth 1400 experience points and he has a nice
sword on him -- Varscona, a long sword +2 with +1 cold damage.  Once Greywolf
is dead, talk to Prism.  Prism will kill himself, and you can pick up the
emeralds from his body.  You will also receive 1000 experience points and a
point of reputation.
Still avoiding the mines, explore the rest of the map.  You'll come across
some kobolds and wolves, which should be easy kills, and at the middle eastern
edge of the map you'll find a guard named Dandal.  He'll tell you to talk to
Emerson about the mines.  Also, in the middle southern part of the map is
Galtok.  He's fleeing from a group of kobolds, and if you agree to help you'll
immediately have to fight four of them.  Galtok disappears when the kobolds
arrive, so there is no prize for helping him.
Now head for the mines.  Three guards block the mine entrance, and they won't
let you pass until you talk to Emerson.  Emerson is southwest of the mine
entrance.  Talk to him and then talk to the guards blocking the mine, and
finally they'll allow you to enter.
Who's where?
------------
Dandal: middle eastern edge
Emerson: southwest of mine entrance
Galtok: middle southern area
Prism: middle western area
* --------------------------------------------------------------- *
* Nashkel Mines, Inside, (AR5401, AR5402, AR5403, AR5404, AR5405) *
* --------------------------------------------------------------- *
When you enter the mines, Gord will come over and tell you to talk to Ruffie.
Ruffie is just to the south.  Between the two you'll learn there are “demons”
in the mines.  In this case, another word for “demons” is “kobolds,” so don't
get worried.
There isn't much to see on the first level of the mines.  You can talk to
various miners who will paint an ugly picture of what has been going on.  In
the southern half, a miner named Dink will approach you and ask you to return
a dagger to Kylee, who is on the second level.  There are a couple of archer
kobolds around who shouldn't present a problem.  There is also some ore in the
ore carts, but you shouldn't pick it up because it can contaminate your
weapons.  The exit to the second level is down one of the southern shafts.
When you enter the second level, Beldin will come racing towards you screaming
about yipping demons.  The demons are four archer kobolds, and they'll
immediately kill Beldin and then turn on you.  They're still kobolds, yipping
or not, and you should be able to kill them easily.  If you're getting low on
arrows, be sure to pick some up from the kobold corpses.
Level 2 is much like level 1, except there are more kobolds around.  Kylee is
in the southwestern part of the mine, in a room with two Amnish soldiers.
When you give him back his dagger, you'll receive 200 experience points.  Some
of the kobolds you find will have vials of “mysterious liquid.”  This is what
they're using to contaminate the ore.  If you drink it, you'll become poisoned
and lose 2 hit points permanently.  The exit to the third level is down a long
southern shaft on the eastern side of the mine.
The third level is more interesting.  There are traps around, so have your
thief lead the party to find them.  If your thief runs into a group of
creatures, have him / her run away back to the group, have the group kill the
creatures, and then continue on as before.
Next to the entrance is Joseph's ring, so pick it up so you can return it to
his wife later.  To the east and west of the entrance you'll find shafts with
lots of kobold archers.  Kobold archers are sort of annoying in large numbers,
and they don't have good experience or equipment, so feel free to skip those
parts of the level.  Instead, head generally south until you come to a bridge
spanning a red glowing chasm.  There are two traps on the bridge, so be ready
for them.
South of the bridge you'll find more kobold archers, ghouls, and a couple huge
spiders in a chamber at the southern edge of the map.  The exit to the fourth
level is down a shaft east of the spider chamber.  You'll know you're on the
right track when you run into some kobold commandos equipped with fire arrows.
Have your melee fighters charge the commandos so they can't use their bows,
and finish them off as quickly as possible.  The exit to the fourth level is
guarded by three traps, so approach it cautiously.
There aren't any traps on the fourth level, so you don't have to worry about
that, but there are some more kobold commandos with fire arrows.  They are
guarding the bridge to a circular island, and you'll come upon them almost
right away.  Charge them again with your fighters so they can't use their
bows, and then kill the ghoul hiding on the opposite end of the island.  The
majority of the island is taken up by a large rocky dome, and you should enter
that next.  The door is right next to the bridge.
Inside the dome you'll find Mulahey, who is responsible for the mine's
problems.  He'll mistake you for Tazok's minions, ordered to execute him, and,
if you play along, he'll mention letters he has in his chest.  Then he'll turn
on you and call for help.  The help is pretty wimpy (kobolds and skeletons)
but they'll come in behind you, exposing your spellcasters.  The best strategy
seems to be to leave your best AC fighter behind your group.  Then the help
will target that character and almost always miss while the rest of your party
can concentrate on Mulahey, who is a spellcaster.  Keep hitting Mulahey with
spells and ranged weapons, and he won't be able to concentrate long enough to
complete any spells, and eventually he'll surrender.  He's lying, though, so
don't accept.  (If you do accept he'll conjure in more kobolds and skeletons.)
Once everything is dead, explore some more and you'll find Xan, a poor guy
Mulahey was keeping prisoner.  He'll join your party if you want him to.  He's
a neutral enchanter, but I prefer to use Minsc and Dynaheir, so I never use
him.  Back in Mulahey's room, you can open his chest -- it's not even locked
-- and when you pick up his papers the chapter will end.
Who's where?
------------
Beldin: level 2, near entrance
Cory: level 1: western side
Gord: level 1, near entrance
Lesley: level 1, western side
Mulahey: level 4, inside rocky dome
Ruffie: level 1, south of entrance
Xan: level 4, inside rocky dome
******************************************************************************
* Chapter 3                                                                  *
******************************************************************************
Reading Mulahey's letters, you'll find that Tazok is not especially happy with
how the ore-poisoning operation is going and that somebody named Tranzig is
one of Tazok's operatives.  Tranzig is located at the Feldepost Inn in
Beregost, and you'll meet him later.
Between Mulahey and his chest, you should also pick up Mulahey's holy symbol,
which you need as proof that you've killed him, boots of grounding (+50%
electricity resistance), a ring of holiness (extra spells for clerics and
druids), and a mess of scrolls.  When you've picked up everything you need and
have caught your breath, exit the area and then head north.  Eventually you'll
come across some grey oozes, and beyond them is an exit to the surface.  The
area the exit leads to is probably too difficult for your party at this point,
but feel free to take a look.  It's a one-way exit, though, so save first.  If
you're feeling more cautious, head back the way you came and exit the mine
surface area to the east, but click on Nashkel in the world map screen.
Back in Nashkel, give Joseph's ring to his wife (800 experience points),
collect the bounty on Prism (300 gold pieces, 200 experience points), and then
talk to Berrun Ghastkill to collect the reward for clearing the mines (one
reputation point, 900 gold pieces, 1000 experience points).  Then save your
game and approach the Nashkel Inn.  Assassin #6, Nimbul, will attack you, but
he'll talk a bit first and you can start attacking him while he's talking.
He's a spellcaster, but he should go down easily with the head start he gives
you.  On his corpse you'll find a letter showing he was hired by Tranzig, plus
some magical items (ring of infravision, short sword +1, boots of avoidance).
Now you can go to the Nashkel Store and sell what you don't need and buy what
you do need, and then head to the inn for a rest.
* ----------------------------------------------- *
* Cloudpeak Mountains / South of Nashkel (AR5300) *
* ----------------------------------------------- *
In the northwestern part of the map is Albert who has lost his dog Rufie.
He'll give you Rufie's favorite chew toy so Rufie will recognize you as
friendly.  Rufie is almost directly east from Albert, though about halfway
across the map.  Once you find him, Rufie will follow you around, and all you
have to do is lead him back to Albert to finish the quest.  Your reward?
1000 points of experience.  (You can also kill Rufie for 1200 experience.)
Southwest of Rufie's location you'll meet a band of Amnish merchants: Sendai,
Alexander, and Delgod.  They're a tough group, and if you're polite, they'll
go away peaceably (but you won't gain anything).  Otherwise you'll have to
fight.  Delgod is the spellcaster in the group, so target him first with your
spells and ranged attacks.  If you still have the wand of lightning, this is a
good time to use it.  Between the three merchants you'll get 1200 points of
experience, studded leather armor +2, and lots of arrows +1.
In the southeastern corner you'll find Larry, Darryl, and Darryl.  They’re a
reference to the Bob Newhart Show, and you can even get their autograph.
Near the center of the map are Vax and Zal, “the fastest dart thrower in the
west.”  Yes, this is a strange area.  Anyway, Vax and Zal want your money, and
unless you want to oblige them, you'll have to fight.  They're not very tough,
and once you close in on them with your fighters, they'll go down easily.  You
get 1000 experience points for killing them, and on the bodies you'll find
about 150 gold, two potions of healing, and bracers of archery.
Scattered around the remaining parts of the map are xvarts, kobolds, and
skeletons.  Plus, there is a hidden stash at location (1794, 412).  Inside the
stash you can find scrolls of chromatic orb and cloudkill.  You might also
find a winter wolf in the area.  If so, close in on it quickly because it has
a nasty ranged frost attack.  On its body you'll find its pelt, which you can
sell at the Nashkel Store for 500 gold pieces.
When you’re read to move on, exit to the west.
Who's where?
------------
Albert: northwestern area