De'Arnise Keep

The De'Arnise Keep is a location in Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn. It is the ancestral estate of Nalia De'Arnise, and is the source of her recruitment quest, as it has recently been beseiged by Trolls and Yuan-ti. Nalia requests that Gorion's Ward assist her in slaying the monsters and driving them away from her home in exchange for her assistance as a party member.

After the Keep has been cleared, Nalia will explain how she despises her officially betrothed, Isaea Roenall, and how the Roenalls will undoubtedly attempt to claim the Keep and its lands now. For most classes, this is used to explain why she will continue to adventure with them, if they desire. For Fighters, Barbarians and Monks, she gives them an offer to become a Steward for the Keep, allowing her to keep the Roenalls out. This unlocks the Keep as a Stronghold.

As a Dungeon
[To Be Written]

As a Stronghold
Governing the Keep is not too involving. A Major Domo is hired to handle the small details, but will need you approximately once a week to once a month in order to handle larger cases; a runner may appear in other areas to summon you to the Keep for such matters.

Because the Keep has peasants loyal to it, it generates a weekly amount of tax - 500 gold pieces, by default. The player may opt to raise this amount, but this will anger the peasantry.

An invisible "stat" associated with the Keep is Revolt. This measures just how displeased the peasants are with the leadership provided by Gorion's Ward; starting with a value of zero, if it reaches a value of 10, then the peasants will revolt - the player will be permanently barred from accessing the Keep and will lose all benefits of the Keep.

Talking to the four named servants who inhabit the Keep - Metigo the butler, Olmara the cook, Talira the maid, and Captain Cernick - will provide a subtle clue as to how high the Revolt score is. The less happy they are, the less happy the peasants are.

Approximately once a week, the Keep will produce a notable problem that the player will need to handle. There are eight of these in total, after which the Keep no longer has quests associated with it, but does serve as a steady generator of money.

Problem One: The Angry Merchant
The first problem to attend to is the matter of an angry merchant who blames the player for not policing their land suitably, as he was attacked by bandits whilst travelling through. He demands reparation and an assurance that this will never happen again, or else he will not only cease coming to the Keep's holdings, he will foreclose on any properties he owns here - and he has quite a number, as the Major Domo warns the player.

Firstly, the player has to choose how they will react to the merchant's requests for reparations. They may choose to pay him either 1000 gold pieces or 500 gold pieces, to send him away with nothing, or to have him executed. Paying 1000 gold pieces will make the peasantry happier, because this buys off at least some of their debts. Paying 500 is the "neutral" choice. Executing the merchant will grant the player 15500 XP, but will cause Revolt to rise as the peasants take this as a sign of tyranny. Refusing will cause a more drastic Revolt increase, as the merchant makes good his threats.

Secondly, the player has to choose what they will do about the bandits. They can either pay 500 gold pieces to get some expert mercenaries to clear them out (grants positive attitude and 15000 XP), pay 250 gold pieces for some lower-skilled mercenaries who will winnow their ranks, but won't exterminate them (no bonus or penalty), or pay nothing (Revolt increases).

Problem Two: The Thieving Guard
Captain Cernick has caught one of his guards, Lastin, stealing money from the Keep's coffers. The player must decide how to punish Lastin for this.

Executing Lastin will cause Revolt to increase.

Expelling Lastin from the guard will not make the peasants happy, but not so much that Revolt increases.

Forgiving Lastin will grant 15500 XP.

If they ask Lastin his reasons, he explains he was only doing it to pay for medicine for his sick wife. They may then offer to pay the 500 gold pieces she needs for it. If they do this, then Expelling Lastin will give them 11500 XP, rather than none, though Forgiving him will still grant 15500 XP and make the peasantry happy in the bargain.

Problem Three: The Priest of Tempus
Bolumir, a wandering Cleric of Tempus, wants permission to set up a shrine in the Keep. The player is asked if they will allow this.

Turning him away rudely will increase Revolt.

Turning him away politely grants 11500 XP and leaves Revolt at its prior state.

Granting his wish provides access to Bolumir's shop on the second level of the Keep, in the former Golem Chamber, and makes the peasantry happy.

Problem Four: Lord Roenall's Demand
Lord Isaea Roenall has come to the Keep asking to speak to the player.

If the player refuses to see him, then one of his guards will enter and make a threat to Gorion's Ward, trying to intimidate them into giving up the Keep, before leaving.

If the player sees him, again, Lord Roenall demands that the player give the De'Arnise Keep to him. The player may either acquise, losing their Stronghold permanently, or throw him out (continues the Stronghold storyline).

Problem Five: The Maid & Her Suitors
One of the Keep's maids, a woman by the name of Chanelle, is caught in a love triangle between the poor Ranger Jessup (whom she loves), and the wealthy landowner Malvolio (whom she dislikes). Gorion's Ward is asked to resolve the matter.

Declaring she is to marry neither of them will make the peasants angry, increasing Revolt.

Declaring she is marry Malvolio makes him offer you a "gift" of 500 gold pieces. Accepting, however, robs you of the 11500 XP you receive for refusing and makes the Revolt increase even further than the increase already provided by declaring Malvolio as Chanelle's husband.

Declaring she is marry Jessup grants 15500 XP, but makes them mention that the "old lord" promised them a dowry. The player may give them either 100 gold pieces or 500 gold pieces for a favorable reaction from the peasantry; the bigger the dowry, the happier they people are with their generous new lord.

Problem Six: The Moneylenders
A pair of suspicious individuals have approached the castle, claiming to be moneylenders to whom the "old lord" owed 2000 gold pieces. Whilst the Major Domo is convinced that their claims of a debt owed by the Lord of De'Arnise Keep are fradulent, they do have friends who will apparently collect on debts owed by the local peasantry.

The player may pay either the full 2000 gold pieces, or convince them to accept half that fee, which completes the quest but gives them nothing.

Alternatively, the player may either throw the moneylenders out, or execute them, and then consider paying the debts of the peasants themselves. If this is chosen, paying nothing will do nothing, paying 500 gold pieces will grant 11500 XP, and paying 1000 gold pieces will grant 15500 XP.

Problem Seven: The Flood
A terrible flood has swept through the lands governed by the De'Arnise Keep. A represenative of the farmers has come to seek financial assistance in restoring the ruined lands, as well as to ask for the new lord to build dikes to prevent such a tragedy happening again.

If the player refuses to pay anything, then a serious amount of Revolt is gained.

If the player offers to partially cover the expenses, then they gain 4500 XP, plus an extra amount depending on how much they pay; 1000 gold pieces earns no extra XP, 2000 gold pieces earns 2500 XP, 3000 gold pieces earns 4500 XP, 4000 gold pieces earns 6500 XP, and changing your mind and paying the full amount awards you with an extra 8500 XP, effectively robbing you of 500 XP that you would have gained by paying that much in the first place.

Paying the full amount of 5000 gold pieces from the start earns you 15500 XP.

After this has been sorted, the player can either refuse to build dikes for a Revolt increase, or agree to build them, which costs 2000 gold pieces.

Problem Eight: Invasion!
Lord Roenall finally makes his move, attacking the Keep with his forces. The player and his party must meet Lord Roenall at the gate and kill him to stop the invasion. Success in this completes the Stronghold Questline for De'Arnise Keep and awards the player 50000 XP. The player may also loot Lord Roenall's body for Full Plate +1, a Bastard Sword +1, a Large Shield and some gold.