You can start this quest by talking to an “Old Man” wallowing on the bridge in the Bridge Over the Gudrin River area. It should be noted that this Old Man will not be around until the Season of Bloom questline is active - the earliest you can complete this quest is after The Seed of Sorrow.
Talk to this Old Man and he’ll ask you to find him some black berries that grow along the coast. You can question him further if you’d like to know more about his travels. It’s an unfortunately familiar tale by now - peasants afraid of the disease fleeing the lands of an incompetent baron(ess). Your rapport with the common folk could use some work. This starts the quest Second Breath.
Make your way south along the bridge, then on the road beyond until you hit the area transition at the southern edge of the map. From here, make your way west until you spot a Poisonous Hydra looming in your way. You don’t need to fight this beast to get the berries you’re after - although you should kill it, as the XP more than justifies the effort - but first things first; head north to reach the cliffs overlooking the southern end of the river, then turn west again until you encounter several goblins: Two Goblin Horseslayers, a Goblin Sneak and a Goblin Roc Eye. Put them down then note the bush they were guarding.
Save your game, then approach the bush and, assuming this didn’t happen during your fight with the goblins, note the [Lore (Nature) 20] check that’s automatically made when you approach. Be sure to pass this check, as it’ll vastly expand your options for resolving this quest. Pass or fail, grab the Black Berries, then return to the Old Man on the bridge. Talk to him and if you didn’t succeed at the aforementioned check, he’ll eat the berries and reveal that he wasn’t seeking a cure - he was seeking a more dignified death.
Reward: For giving the Old Man some Black Berries |
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600 XP |
While the experience reward for resolving the quest by being duped by the old man is satisfactory enough, you’ll be able to pursue other options if you noticed the berries were poisonous. Tell him as much, and if you still want to allow him to kill himself, pick the [Neutral] option, to get the same ending being ignorant of the berry’s nature would have achieved. Picking the [Chaotic Neutral] response achieves nothing but reducing the man to begging for them, while the [Chaotic Evil] action will give him the death he wants, although perhaps not as painlessly as he wanted it.
The [Lawful Good] option is the most lucrative, both immediately and in the short-term. Having a direct beneficiary of your benevolence in Tuskdale might be of value in the near future…
Reward: For sending the Old Man to see Jhod in Tuskdale |
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1,320 XP |
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