Dealing with Gromnir is a main quest acquired and begun in Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal during chapter 8, as well as Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition, same chapter.
Aquisition[]
This quest is introduced via dialogue during the initial meeting with Melissan the first time the party enters Saradush after leaving the Pocket Plane (area).
- Journal entry: Dealing with Gromnir
- Melissan brought a general by the name of Gromnir Il-Khan to protect this town and its Bhaalspawn... only to have him lock himself within the castle out of paranoia. He refuses to see anyone and is destroying Saradush with his madness. Melissan believes he must be stopped before the sieging army can be dealt with.
- I will have to find some way into the castle to deal with Gromnir. Perhaps the meeting will be a peaceful one, although Melissan believes Gromnir must be killed. I shall see.
The main goal for the Ward is to find Gromnir Il-Khan barricaded within the castle, to see if his madness can be reckoned with - but how does one get inside? - the castle gate is tightly secured.
Gameplay[]
As the newly arrived party has this quest registered now, it will be updated as clues and revelations as well as progress is made, which entails exploring the city, and speaking with as many folks as possible - many dialogue interactions allow the party to specifically ask about Gromnir, and other aspects of getting into the castle.
The Harlot[]
One of the first bits of information obtainable can come from speaking with a Harlot who is standing outside Countess Santele's House - through dialogue the party gets a piece of information that Gromnir is a murderous ruler of the city, has caused the death or actually killed many townsfolk. When asked about the castle, the harlot may say:
- ...there's some people that say that the old prison underground leads to the castle. But they're all sealed up now, just like the sewers. - this is followed by:
- I heard that some of the army outside the walls tried to sneak in that way, and that's why Gromnir had everything sealed up. I... I wouldn't know how to get down there at all...
Other bhaalspawn[]
There are other bhaalspawn inside the city as well as yourself - they are trapped here due to the siege. Out on the streets you will find two of them and speaking with both will possibly fill in some background on the situation too.
Speak with Oris Nimblefinger - see what this little fellow has to offer.
Initiate dialogue with Alexander Ralisar - this well-spoken bhaalspawn kin has an interesting take on recent events, and opinions of Gromnir, plus he can shed some light on other aspects of the city's prospects, and the fact that Gromnir has convinced a number of other bhaalspawn to join him in the castle, where they fight for his cause and some are quite powerful.
Visit the local tavern - the Tankard Tree[]
There are a number of folk inside the tavern that will fill-in more information and provide clues if engaged in conversation - speak with everyone that speaks is the best policy.
The party can assist a tavern waitress with a bullying/harassment problem noticed by the party as soon as they enter the bar area. If the party is able to stop the harassment, either through force or paying the two Il-Khan soldiers to leave, then asking the waitress about Gromnir can lead to a journal entry:
- Journal entry: Dealing with Gromnir
- A tavern waitress whom I rescued from some bullying soldiers mentioned that the city sewers are likely an entry into the castle. The entry to the sewers is sealed, however, and likely only Gromnir's men would know more about it.
Elsewhere in the bar area is a nervous chap named Peltje. This fellow seems a bit crazed, and his story about vampires does provide a clue about another possible way to reach the castle interior - a journal entry is updated:
- Journal entry: Dealing with Gromnir
- A man by the name of Peltje was babbling about a group of vampires in the city masquerading as prostitutes. They base in the sewers, apparently, and might serve as a way to get inside the sewers... if a dangerous one. Then again, this Peltje could be as insane as he claims he isn't.
If the party wants to follow up on this bizarre account from Peltje - then after sunset go up the stairs in the tavern and speak with either of the two courtesans. The courtesans are prostitutes - so maybe they might provide a lead.
Speak with Viekang, and there may be an opportunity to gain some insight on Melissan - as well as potentially assisting out a fellow bhaalspawn discussed on the Help Viekang encounter article.
The owner of the tavern is named Pyrgam Aleson - and he's another good one to have some discourse with. The Ward can ask straight up "Do you know any way I might get into the castle to speak with Gromnir?" and this leads to an opportunity to either pay for the information, or with a successful Charisma check, get it for free. Pyrgam knows of a potential way to get into the sealed areas leading to the castle, a journal entry is registered:
- Journal entry: Dealing with Gromnir
- Pyrgam Aleson at the Tankard Tree told me there were legends of a secret entrance into the castle through an abandoned jail. He instructed me to talk to Sister Farielle at the Temple of Waukeen about getting into the now sealed jail.
Visit the Temple of Waukeen - See Sister Farielle[]
If the Ward received the tip about the jail - when ready, go visit Sister Farielle in the Temple of Waukeen.
Farielle will now have a dialogue path she didn't have before as Pyrgram provided info about the jail - through dialogue, the sister can indeed assist with entering the sealed Jail, which is marked as Prison and not "Jail" on the player's map (oops). A journal entry will register if the player can get through the dialogue properly:
- Journal entry: Dealing with Gromnir
- Sister Farielle gave me a key to the abandoned jail. Somewhere inside, there is rumored to be a secret area which connects to the castle. The key opens the door across the street, which leads to the abandoned dungeon. The Sister also suggested I bring some holy water to battle the undead I will likely encounter.
Question Gromnir's Il-khan soldiers about a way into the castle[]
This path is alluded to, especially the sewers, which allegedly have been sealed by orders from Gromnir.' During exploration the party may have noticed three sewer grates in different locations the city streets that cannot be opened to the sewers below.
Finding some Il-Khan soldiers to ask about this proves difficult - any that have been engaged have so far provided no information or were killed/chased off by the party if they were contacted, such as during the Tavern waitress assistance, or the Refuge for the Elves encounter. The rest of the city is manned by militia forces and not Gromnir's soldiers, so there isn't anyone to ask.
However, if the party checks inside Gromnir's Barracks, there must be some soldiers within.
If the party elects to pay a visit, the party will be told to beat it and get out in five seconds or face some violence. If they do leave swiftly then that's the end of this clue hunting path - or the party can refuse to leave - or things can go hostile, and the party can defeat the soldiers. It's also possible to try and use invisibility or sanctuary etc. to search the barracks containers and pick pocket the soldiers, but risky too. A search of the soldiers' corpses and containers within does in fact result in a found key.
This key can now open any of the sewer grates leading below to the Sewers beneath Saradush.
Travel/explore towards the Castle interior[]
Once the party has access to either the sewers beneath Saradush or the city prison, eventually the party can make its way to the Castle Saradush Basement - and then climb up some stairs to the Castle Saradush First Floor, and finally to Gromnir's Hideout.
When the party enters the Castle basement, each party member will receive 3,000 XP, although there is no journal entry, just some Quest experience points.
After battling/sneaking through the basement, and the Castle Saradush first floor, when ready ascend the steps to the throne room - Gromnir's lai - there will be cutscene initiated, with Melissan engaged in dialogue with the bhaalspawn general.
Several accusations and remarks are heard by the party, eventually leading to Melissan being led away by guards from the room - next, Gromnir observes the party and the Ward, and accuses them of being assassins, leading to hostilities.
If the party is able to defeat Gromnir and his forces here, then when the general is killed, a 30,000 XP is awarded to each party member, and eventually a journal entry will display, reading as:
- Journal entry: Dealing with Gromnir
- I managed to get into the castle, finally, and encountered the mad general. Whatever chance there might have been for a peaceful resolution was dashed as soon as I met Gromnir... he was obviously as mad as Melissan claimed. Regardless, he is dead now, and his tyranny and his rampaging men will no longer be a problem for Saradush. There is, of course, still the problem of Yaga-Shura's army around the city...
Following the battle, after a delay of several rounds, Melissan returns to the Throne Room and addresses the Ward. She discusses what the death of Gromnir means, and will have a back and forth discussion with the Ward, which can vary depending on replies and dialogue questions/comments, but in the end, the Ward will register a journal entry under the Defeating Yaga-Shura questline, as well as an update for the Saradush under siege subject.
- Journal entry: Saradush under siege
- With Gromnir dead, Melissan feels there is but one hope to save Saradush: Slay Yaga-Shura, fire giant leader of the army besieging the city. Melissan believes the death of their leader will demoralize the army, and they will give up their attempts to breach the defenses of Saradush. I can use my pocket plane special ability to get out of the city.
- Journal entry: Defeating Yaga-Shura
- Melissan has warned me that the fire giant Bhaalspawn is immune to all weapons and magic. Unless I can find some way to overcome his resistances, any attempt to destroy him is doomed to failure.
- Perhaps the secret to defeating him can be found in a swamp deep within the Forest of Mir, where Yaga-Shura was raised. It is also possible that a cult of fire giants in the Marching Mountains knows a way to nullify Yaga-Shura's power.
Melissan teleports away from the room, and the party has its next mission understood and registered in the journal. So ends the Dealing with Gromnir questline, and the journal will be cleaned/scrubbed and marked as resolved/finished.
Return to the Pocket Plane (area) using the Ward's Pocket Plane (ability) in order to eventually travel to the next required destination to continue the main plotline.
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