Travel: Whiterose Abbey¶

Whiterose Abbey is fairly far to the west, between Glenebon and Pitax, on the edge of the Branthelend Mountains. The directions given below will take you there via the Pike Stretch area, which fords the East Sellen River:

1. West
2. North
3. Northwest
4. West
5. West
6. West
7. Southwest
8. North (across Skunk River)
9. East (path veers north along river)
10. West
11. Northwest
12. West
13. West, Northwest
14. West, Southwest
15. West (path veer southwest along river)
16. Northwest to landmark: Pike Stretch
17. Northwest
18. Northwest
19. Northwest
20. Northwest
21. Southwest
22. Southwest
23. Southwest
24. Southwest
25. Southeast (path veers southwest)
26. Northwest

Whew. That was certainly quite a journey. Ensure that you’re rested up before you enter, as there’s no sense in starting out fatigued or exhausted.

Wererats and Traps¶

Make your way northwest and you’ll find two types of threats that clutter this area: lycanthropes and traps [Perception 34] [Trickery 34]. In this case, the latter are more dangerous than the former, as the Wererats you encounter here are surprisingly weak, with a low Armor Class and Attack Bonus. They start out hidden and will attempt to ambush your party (unless you can succeed at a laughably high [Perception 75] check!), so be sure to spellbuff a character with a decent Flat-Footed Armor Class and lead with them to absorb the damage. As usual, illusion spells like Displacement will help mitigate damage… not that their damage is particularly high, nor is there anything that prevents you from leaving the area and healing if you need to.

Kill the first three Wererats and disarm the trap blocking your way, beyond which you’ll find another trap [Perception 29] [Trickery 29] and a larger, less subtle group of foes. This group includes Pitax Wardens and Greater Weretigers and are split between melee combatants and ranged combatants. The latter have such low Attack Bonuses that any warrior with an Armor Class of thirty or higher (long since achievable, if not required for a primary warrior) can safely ignore them. The Pitax Wardens aren’t very dangerous in general, boasting a high Armor Class, but a mediocre Attack Bonus. The melee Weretigers fare better offensively, and substitute the Warden’s respectable Armor Class for Damage Reduction. All of them have downright pathetic Reflex Saves and Will Saves (moreso the latter), however, so if you feel the need to break up the opposition by using Web or Phantasmal Web (or similar spells), you’ll get great results from either.

Eradicate this second batch of foes, then loot them for the odd bit of gear worth selling or potion worth holding onto. More loot can be found along the northeastern wall, including two crates holding various forms of alcohol and a chest that’ll yield the odd potion, weapon, and bit of salable loot.

Incorruptible Petal¶

When you’re ready to move on, explore a hallway to the northwest to find another trap [Perception 29] [Trickery 29] and a hidden treasure cache [Perception 29] on the wall nearby. Disarm the former and loot the latter to obtain Incorruptible Petal, a Glaive +5 with the “Holy” (+2d6 damage vs evil) and “Ultrasound” (+2d6 sonic damage) properties which also gives the wielder the ability to cast Heroic Invocation once per day (caster level 17).

Battle: The Gardener¶

Continue down the hallway, disarm another trap [Perception 29] [Trickery 29] and loot two more crates at a four-way intersection (one of which is locked [Trickery 28]. Further to the northwest you’ll see a cavern open up, and at this threshold you should spellbuff, as a rather large fight waits ahead.

When you’re ready, advance until you find another trap, beyond which lurks some Pitax Wardens and Greater Weretigers. By experience you know these foes don’t pose much of a threat, but there’s more lurking in the darkness beyond. The greatest of these threats include a halfling spellcaster named the Gardener, and an unassuming Greater Weretiger which is actually an Alchemist. Including some buffs that protect against fire damage to help with the latter might not be a bad idea.

A spellbuffed party should have little trouble with the Pitax Wardens and Greater Weretigers. Even the alchemist lycanthrope can be mitigated somewhat with simple buffs. The Gardener, however, is a more potent threat, and may require direct attention. If left to his own devices, the Gardener will use a Breath Weapon attack, followed by multiple rounds of Lightning Bolt (Empowered), which can do 60+ damage to targets if they fail their Reflex save (Reflex 22), or 30+ with a save. Since you’re attacking from a narrow hallway and fighting on a narrow path, the odds are good he’ll hit more than one character per Lightning Bolt. After his supply of Lightning Bolts wear out, he’ll switch to Dragon’s Breath (Blue), which also deals a comparable amount of electrical damage to his Lightning Bolts. He’ll finish up with several rounds of Magic Missile before finally ending with Beast Shape III, turning himself into a bear where his performance is moderate, at best.

Fortunately, the Gardener and his goons have several weaknesses you can exploit. The Gardener himself has a low Will Save and Reflex Save, meaning that Confusion, Hold Person, Constricting Coils, Chains of Light, Web and Phantasmal Web are all quite likely to effect him. Since he has minions near the trap to the southeast of his position, it means you also have convenient targets for a preemptive spell salvo that will likely also effect the Gardener.

Cast Greater Invisibility on your trap-disarming character and disarm the trap in front of your foes. Once that’s out of the way, bombard his minions with as many area-of-effect debuffs as possible. After that, wade into combat with your warriors while your casters prepare a second wave of spells targeted at the Gardener - anything that forces a Reflex or Will Save that can stop him from casting spells is ideal. Cast them in enough redundancy to ensure he’s effected, and this, along with the first barrage, should ensure he does nothing of value the rest of the fight. Try to cut a way through to him as quickly as possible just in case he breaks free, assuming his minions are debilitated enough to allow it.

Once the Gardener falls, the fight should be pretty well in hand, as his minions just aren’t all that dangerous without him. Loot his body for a variety of alcohol, a Headband of Alluring Charisma +2, an Amulet of Natural Armor +2 and a Ring of Protection +2. Other than that, his alchemist Weretiger will drop a Bombardier’s Vest and another Greater Weretiger will leave behind a Token of the Dryad. You can also loot a crate nearby for more liquor, and a submerged chest in which you’ll find Singing Edge, a Longspear +3 that gives its wielder further bonuses if they’re affected by bardsong, and a Chipped Magnifying Glass with the Technic League Brand another artifact for the antiquarian.

Irovetti’s Submerged Secrets¶

When you’re done looting, turn your attention to the nearby “Dripping Clock”, the odd hourglass surrounded by vines. Interact with it and pass a [Strength 18] check to free its contents - the nereid Evindra, whom you encountered in Nyrissa’s dream. Listen to her speak with Nyrissa’s voice, gloating about her impending victory and inviting you to claim the “tool” that awaits you at the bottom of the lake. After that, exhaust her dialogue options and, assuming you don’t kill the nereid, make a decision whether to allow her to stay in your capital or not.

Make whatever decision you wish, then turn your attention to the “Lake Depth” nearby. Interact with the lake to investigate it and pick the option [Dive into the lake] to discover Irovetti’s vile secret, one which, if exposed, may indeed cost him his kingdom. Doing this will obtain the Fox Signet Ring you need, but you can extend your dive by performing a [Knowledge (World) 30] check to identify the bodies, while passing an [Athletics 30] check will allow you to dive deeper to score some treasure. Both will earn you some experience, should you succeed (the former more than the latter), while the [Athletics 30] check will allow you to snag Dark Wind, a Dagger +4 that gives the wielder a +5 bonus on Stealth checks and enhances Sneak Attack damage by +1d6. An ideal weapon for a melee-oriented Rogue.

Now that you have the evidence you need, it’s time to leave this place and return to your capital. If you were expecting some down-time with which to complete more quests or get in some exploration, you may be disappointed. As soon as you return to the throne room a Pitax Envoy will arrive and invite you to surrender to Irovetti, citing the unfortunate troubles that Irovetti himself is causing. Respond how you will, but the next course of action remains the same; you’ll need to make your way back to Pitax and meet Irovetti in his capital.