There's a possible glitch which causes this quest to fail to trigger after the ToB part of Hexxat's request. Do Neera's before Hexxat's to avoid the bug.
Destroying the Order of Eight Staves is Neera's companion quest in Baldur's Gate II: Throne of Bhaal Enhanced Edition campaign. The storyline continues from Neera's Hidden Refuge quest, though it's not necessary to complete the prequel for this part to be aquired.
 Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition – Throne of Bhaal (2013)This icon indicates content from the Throne of Bhaal campaign of the Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition. |
After travelling around with Neera for a while (above 7 days) she'll be visited by a bird named Jerome, who will be more likely to appear in the wilderness. Jerome is relaying a message from Telana, who says that the Order of the Eight Stave's leader Vicross is in Tethyr. Neera proposes an ambush to lure out the Red Wizards of Thay by travelling to the Clearing to the north of the North Forest and triggering a Wild Surge.
At the Clearing, she will ask to cast Nahal's Reckless Dweomer and then request a rest period. After resting, Vicross and her team of four thayan knights, four thayan fighters and four Red Wizards will teleport in and, after a dialogue, attack the party. Grab as much of the loot as you can before you kill the last combatant. After combat, Vicross will teleport out — and her previously manifested Wild Surge will carry the party party along.
Vicross and your party appear in an arena with Yuan-ti fighting captives (Voghiln among them). Vicross will teleport out, and additional Yuan-ti will arrive from the northwest. Kill the enemies. After combat, the announcer Dennaton will recognize you and request that you meet him. You can't talk to or reach him here, but you can head to the southwest to reach the staging area.
The staging area has shopkeeps and the Lich Szass Tam, who told the announcer to invite you backstage. Szass Tam orders you to kill Vicross, who had hidden her Wild Mage nature from the other Red Wizards of Thay, and then ring the Bell of Summoning in her chambers to signal your success. Alternatively, you can reject the order and fight Szass Tam, but this will cause you to be prematurely ejected from Thay.
If your party agreed with Szass Tam, you could use local merchants (like in Black Pits 2) to buy some magical items, like Kazrah's Shield, Gift of Peace, Buckler +3, Ring of Regeneration, or Cloak of the Lich.
Szass Tam will teleport the party into the Vicross' Estate. Vicross is in the center room with several powerful guards. Once they are dead, ring the Bell of Summoning and Szass Tam will teleport in. After some dialogue, he attacks. Once his health is low enough, he'll give up and offer to return you to Tethyr. If you insist on continuing the fight, his health becomes full again and must once again deplete it before he forcibly returns the party to Thethyr via teleportation magic.
Either way, returning to Tethyr after Vicross is dead triggers a dialogue with Neera and the end of the quest. Completion of the quest grants 20,000 XP to all characters. Successfully defeating Szass a second time grants an additional 15,000 XP to all party members and the unique Wand of Whips.
WARNING: Defeating Szass too quickly can prevent the quest from finishing. You'll still be sent back to Tethyr, but the dialogue to end the quest may not initiate, therefore the quest won't be completed properly, and no experience point reward will be had.
Trivia[]
Astute players might notice that Szass Tam teleported directly into Vicross' mansion before unleashing powerful magics over her still-warm body. Both of these things can, per DnD lore, potentially be traced back to their casters. He also acts without first making sure that Gorion's Ward has actually eliminated all the potential witnesses in the mansion. This is after he has shown himself talking to Gorion's Ward in the marketplace of the arena. In order to tie up loose ends, he is creating lots of new ones. Besides, it is questionable if the investigation of this murder would reach all the way to Tethyr (where Gorion's Ward is planning to return to, after all). Szass Tam's plan appears a bit shoddy.
See also[]
Sources & references[]
- Baldur's Gate II Enhanced Edition walkthrough by Haeravon