With the gates of Saradush Castle barred, the basement is the only accessible route into the keep. The party passes through it during the opening chapter of Throne of Bhaal (Chapter 8), as part of the quest Dealing with Gromnir. Entry is possible either from the sewers (arriving in the chamber at the top-left corner of the map) or from the old prison (arriving at the bottom-right). The exit in the upper right corner leads to Castle Saradush First Floor.
When the party first enters this area, whether from the prison or the sewers, each party member is awarded 3,000 XP for doing so.
Description[]
Below the Castle Saradush is the basement level, comprised of several distinct sections divided by doors, including connections/transitions to other area maps.
The basement has various storage containers of many types such as barrels, crates, chests, cabinets, urns, sacks and jars. Some utilitarian furnishings are present like worktables and benches.
Lighting is rather dim here, from wall mounted sconce type oil lamps and torches.
One of the sections appears to be a torture chamber/punishment/interrogation area with various machines of pain, although no one is currently subjected to this cruelty.
One wing of the basement is a prison block and has two corridors with individual holding cells for prisoners, as well as a crude and unfinished connection to the now disused Saradush Jail.
The cell block section is closed off with locked doors - their lock difficulty is 0, but they still function and have to be picked, forced, or knock-spelled.
On the map[]
Automap note markers:
Enemies[]
- Elite Orc (×6)
- Elite Orog (×6)
- Fighter (orc) (×4)
- Fighter (×2)
- Thief (×2)
- Mage
Containers[]
See "Map Notes" in the InfoBox for locations of "T" for "Treasure" - Note that some containers are locked, and some are locked and trapped.
T1 (non visible)[]
- Bullet +3 (×20)
- Potion of Extra Healing (×3)
T2[]
- Arrow (×160)
- Acid Arrow (×20)
- Arrow of Ice (×20)
- Wand of Lightning (×5 charges)
T3[]
- Bolt (×160)
- Fflar's Scabbard
T4[]
T5[]
- Bolt +2 (×20)
- Bolt of Lightning (×40)
- Random treasure (×2)
Walkthrough[]
Background[]
If the party arrived here from the Sewers beneath Saradush, they emerge in a small room with a closed door as the only means of egress.
Inspect the containers here and find some potentially useful items. Beyond the door can be heard activity and orcish language spoken.
Once the closed door is opened here, it can't be closed again.
If the party transitioned here from the Saradush Jail, they are in a crude tunnel and ahead stands a female figure named Asmay Jahag.
If desired, speak with her for some background and information of what may lie ahead. Afterwards, she'll walk off the map (somehow).
Exploring[]
The party will encounter various groups of Gromnir's forces in the basement, all are armed and either hostile immediately, or become hostile if the party is spotted - there is no initial challenge or questions from the forces, and they assume intruders are to be dealt with by deadly force.
Whenever a party member is seen, attacks will occur.
If the party is able to skulk or scout ahead with some form of invisibility, sanctuary or being hidden, then this will not be automatically dispelled or removed except if the party member breaks that state by certain actions (like opening a door/conducting an attack).
If a party member, such as a thief/monk who is able to remain hidden moves about the cell block area, they will possibly see some text displayed where various guards are noticing doors being opened, and comment about that.
There are several hidden ground traps in the cell block corridors that will possibly result in some damaging effects, such as Arrow of Biting, Arrow of Dispelling, and others.
These can be detected and disarmed with sufficient skill. Note that once the locked doors to the cell block are opened, they can't be closed again.
Be aware that there are some invisible thieves in the cell block area, and if certain ground traps aren't disabled more will appear due to an alarm script being triggered. If the party isn't interested in any subterfuge or ninja style-sneakiness, then it is entirely feasible to just fight everything in this basement, section by section and overcome the hostile forces in any manner the party can muster.
There are two prisoners and a third fellow named Vinke currently held in holding cells here - if they can be freed without accidentally killing them - which is possible due to Area of Effect damage effects by the party or the enemy, then some reputation bonuses can be had for releasing them.
The party can skip any fights with all of the forces in the basement as long as they stay hidden, and transition out of the basement as well, perhaps heading upstairs to the castle interior.
Gallery[]
Mod content[]
This section is about unofficial content that is only available via fan-made mods.
Mods:[]
The Sword Coast Stratagems mod revises all the humanoid enemy creatures here to their full potential and gives them smarter responsive tactical AI scripts for more adaptive behavior.
With SCS, if a group of enemy creatures is alerted to the party's presence, it's likely the forces here won't just stay behind their closed doors, but all will begin searching for and attacking the party all at once - part of the "better calls for help" component. In the unmodded game, many enemies can't/won't open doors on their own.
Gallery:[]
Portraits from Portraits Portraits Everywhere
Screenshots:[]
