A component quest related to the larger Troll Trouble questline, this won’t appear in your journal until you stumble upon it. Assuming you’re here after checking out the Troll Trouble - Events Overview page, you’ll know this pops up after the Troll Invasion event appears, roughly two weeks before An Ancient Curse expires. For reference, if you’re following the walkthrough chronologically, we’ll be dealing with this shortly after An Ancient Curse - Part 2 starts as part of our journey south through previously-explored areas leading up to the Swamp Witch’s Hut Expedition.
On the way south you should pass through and explore (or rather, re-explore) the A Ford Across the Skunk River and Lone House areas, as both will contain new encounters now that the Troll Invasion event has occurred. After those two areas are cleared, the next stop is the Ruined Watchtower, which should also have new encounters in it.
To reach this area from the capital, follow these directions:
- Northwest
- West (to A Ford Across the Skunk River)
- West (to Overgrown Pool)
- Northwest (along the Skunk River)
- Northwest (along the Skunk River)
- South (across the Skunk River)
- Southwest.
(1 of 2) Follow the wolf and it’ll lead you to Ekundayo,
Follow the wolf and it’ll lead you to Ekundayo, (left), who can be induced to join your party if you leverage your mutual interest in killing trolls. (right)
Ekundayo’s Vendetta¶
Once again, if you haven’t been here yet, refer to the Ruined Watchtower page for the general encounters that can be found here. At the very least, be sure to get your hands on the Trollreaper weapon, as its unique properties will be invaluable for the upcoming battles.
As for the events related to the quest Troll Trouble, follow the road that bisects the area until you find a dog. This dog will bark at you before running to the southeast, and will periodically stop so you can keep up. Take the hint and follow the dog as it leads you off the road and up a hill to the east, ultimately stopping at a man named Ekundayo.
Talk to this Ekundayo and pick whatever dialogue options you wish (provided you avoid the nearly universal [Chaotic Evil] option to just kill him) to get him to reveal he’s hunting trolls, specifically a specimen named Kargadd. Perhaps his ultimate goal will intersect with yours some day, but for now he seems content to kill any trolls he finds, and you’ve got plenty of trolls in need of killing. This shared goal should make you natural allies, so exhaust his dialogue options to learn more about him and finish with “I’m hunting the trolls too. Would you like to join our efforts?” to get Ekundayo to join your party.
Not only will you get yourself a stellar archer (fortunately you get to level him up, so you can spec him into whatever skills you need), but he’ll mark “all the places where troll feet tread the land”, but specifically some Dwarven Ruins. Unfortunately, he’s not at full strength when he joins, and he does make a request: he’s been waiting for some trolls, and he wishes to finish his hunt. Either coax another answer out of him (you can just wait until the next time you’re in Tuskdale to talk all you wish), send him back to the capital, or wait with him for the trolls to appear. In the latter case, note that you do not actually have to accept him into your party, which effectively sends him to the capital while also indulging his desire to wait for the trolls.
(1 of 2) Wait for the trolls Ekundayo was stalking to arrive,
Wait for the trolls Ekundayo was stalking to arrive, (left), then ambush and exterminate them. (right)
If you do wait for the trolls, a few hours will pass in-game, after which two Trolls and a Branded Troll will show up downhill from you. Merely head down and slaughter them to appease Ekundayo.
(1 of 7) While searching for Kargadd, you’ll first stumble across his children - creating a moral dilemma for Ekundayo.
Battle: Kargadd¶
To finish this quest you’ll need to hunt down the troll that caused Ekundayo so much grief, and what luck! It can be found in the Troll Lair, which is where you need to go to complete the quest Troll Trouble. Actually taking Ekundayo along with you isn’t necessary, but if you do bring him along he’ll warn you of Kargadd’s presence before you actually encounter the rock troll.
Since a fight with his arch-nemesis is imminent, he feels it’s time to tell you about this adversary. Detailing the painful secrets of his past are apparently a worthwhile trade-off if it enhances your chances at victory. You can fish around for the more painful details of his past if you wish, or avoid them with a [Neutral] dialogue choice, but the most useful bit of information he’ll relay is that Kargadd - like all Rock Trolls - is fatally allergic to the sun.
Speaking of which, pass through a sunlit room and go through some doors to the northwest. Lead with your tank and you’ll be intercepted by two… complications. Kargadd is indeed nearby, and he brought his family, namely his children, Karga and Argadd.
Your options will vary a bit here, depending on whether you have Ekundayo with you or not. If you do, he’ll draw his bow and aim at the children of his hated foe. If your protagonist’s alignment is any [Good] you can pick a dialogue option to talk Ekundayo into not becoming a monster similar to Kargadd. Alternatively, you can approve his attack [Lawful Evil], or attempt to stop him [Neutral Good]. In the latter case, Ekundayo will size up the rock troll children and judge them based on the “rock troll” aspect of their nature, rather than the “child” bit. Pass an [Intimidate 20] check to command Ekundayo to stand down and give the young rock trolls a chance to run - with a warning against future mischief (a [Lawful Good] act), or you can endorse Ekundayo’s murderous intent (a [Lawful Evil] act). On the obscure chance your character is an adherent of Calistria, you’ll also have a unique option to endorse Ekundayo’s violence.
If Ekundayo isn’t with you, your options are simpler. You can either tell the young rock trolls to skedaddle, or you can declare that your lands are no place for trolls… living ones, anyway.
In combat, the juvenile rock trolls aren’t much of a threat, having a pathetic Armor Class and only moderate HP. Their Attack bonus is passable, but their damage output is miserable. Your party should have no trouble cutting them down. As far as profitability goes, you’ll get slightly more experience for killing them than for sparing them, along with a few gems and/or gold.
| Reward |
|---|
| 81 XP |
After dealing with the children (one way or the other) Kargadd will show up, and he’s in a violent mood regardless of whether you slew or spared his offspring. As Ekundayo promised, Kargadd is a bruiser, although not significantly more powerful than other foes you may have faced (Greater Enraged Owlbears come to mind). He gets multiple attacks per round, and his Attack bonus is high enough to ensure he has a good chance of hitting your tanks… unless you’re using one of this guide’s suggested builds, in which case Kargadd’s Attack Bonus, high as it otherwise may be, is still something of a longshot. Against less well-protected characters, Kargadd will chomp right through them.
Haste and Slow should be enough to decisively swing things in your favor (along with persona buffs like Shield and Mage Armor if your tank is a Magus). Kargadd’s Armor Class is rather low, and although he makes it up by having a great amount of Hit Points, if your Hasted party is able to surround him, there’s not much he can do.
If that’s too simple and direct for you, you can always try luring him into the sunlight. To do this, retreat southeast into the previous room and send most of your characters back into the entrance hall where you met Hargulka, leaving only your tank behind to lure Kargadd into the light. Alternatively, you could have just left your party behind and only advanced on Kargadd with your tank. Either way, this isn’t an ideal way of going about things, as the lightweight sun will only petrify Kargadd if he fails a [Fortitude 21] check, which isn’t likely considering he’s got a +21 Fortitude Save. The difficulty of this check will increase by one per round, so it’s not quite as hopeless as it seems, but you’ll likely have to withstand Kargadd’s melee attacks or the rocks he’ll throw for several round, and that’s if he’s pliable enough to follow you into the light in the first place.
Given the hassle that petrifying the troll entails, you may be better off simply buffing, then pulverizing him. However you do it, once you emerge victorious Ekundayo will muster one last painful show of contempt, completing this quest. If he’s not with you, just return to your throne room at your leisure and inform him of the demise of his nemesis. Either way, loot Kargadd for a Belt of Physical Might +2, which will boost the Strength and Constitution of its wearer by +2, making it a useful item.
| Reward |
|---|
| 112 XP |
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