Guarded Compound

Guarded Compound(Temple District)
Area
Type	Building
Requirements
Chapter	2
Services and goods
Primary functions	Residence
Inhabitants
People	Ketta Koshi Maferan Olaf Rassmusen Sion Stalman
One-time enemies	Efreeti Glabrezu Nishruu random assortment of Ogre Berserker's & Ettercap's (3 total)
Thieving
Trap difficulty	90
Lock difficulty	99
Items
Treasure	Spear +3 (×2) Morning Star +2 Sling +2
Other loot	Wand of Fear (10 charges) Wand of Frost (6 charges) Wand of Paralyzation (6 charges)
Layout
Floors	2
Transitions
In area of	Temple District
Exit to	Street
Other information
Area code	AR0906 (first floor) AR0907 (second floor)

The Guarded Compound is a residential building located in Athkatla's Temple District. The High Hall of the Radiant Heart is next door and the building faces towards the Temple of Lathander. The front door is unlocked, and the interior consists of two floors.

Note: The game will autosave when entering the residence.

Gameplay first floor

Upon entering the first floor, the party will be instantly greeted by Sion, a fairly powerful mage, and the rogue Ketta.

“	Look who's come barging in! I should check the wards on the door, Ketta. I do believe that they've weakened enough to allow the riffraff in.	”
— Sion

The party soon finds out that this is private property, and they aren't wanted here. Dialogue choices include apologizing and departing or insisting on trespassing and remaining within. Either way, Sion will teleport both of them upstairs, with some amused and curt remarks. What kind of place is this?

Traps

Moving further into the room towards the staircase triggers a silent trap that spawns a Glabrezu, an Efreeti, a Nishruu, and a random assortment of Ogre Berserkers and Ettercaps that totals three creatures. The trigger is located behind the piano, just in front of a small circular table with two chairs, and crosses the entire room. All but the Glabrezu can be instantly killed by a Death Spell, but none of the spawned creatures are worth any experience points when killed.

The Glabrezu:

• is a summoned demon so Protection From Evil, 10' Radius protects the party from it.
• has a red circle, but is technically allied to the party:
  • doesn't get a save against Otiluke's Resilient Sphere
  • tanks party reputation if it kills an innocent

Containers

The altar in the first room can be examined.

The first bedroom on the left:

• The chest at the foot of the bed is locked ⁽³²⁾ and contains an item of well-off random treasure
• The table contains as item of poor random treasure
• The armoire on the left contains an item of average random treasure
• The armoire on the right contains an item of well-off random treasure

The bedroom with the three bunk beds:

• The bed on the left:
  • The chest on the left is locked ⁽⁷⁰⁾ and contains an item of wealthy random treasure
  • The chest on the right is locked ⁽³⁴⁾ and contains two items of well-off random treasure.
• The middle bed:
  • The chest on the left is locked ⁽⁷⁰⁾ and contains an item of well-off random treasure.
  • The chest on the right is locked ⁽⁷⁰⁾, has an Disintegrate trap ^{(Disarm: 90)} and contains a Morning Star +2 and an item of wealthy random treasure.
• The bed on the right:
  • The chest on the left is locked ⁽⁴⁰⁾ and contains an item of well-off and average random treasure.
  • The chest on the right is locked ⁽⁶⁰⁾ and contains four Acid Arrows

The library on the right contains copies of the History of the North IV-VI and VIII.

The first dining room table on the left contains an item of average random treasure and the table against the back wall contains a copy of the History of the North III.

The storage container in the kitchen contains an item of wealthy random treasure.

Gameplay second floor

Traps

Two sets of stairs go up to the second floor, where four traps (two on each landing) guard entry into this large central living room. The two inner traps (which extend from the columns to the stair railing) are acid traps which can also hold the victim for a brief period. Two more traps extend from the columns to the outer walls of this room. These are True Sight traps, designed to thwart any type of secretive surprise attack by parties that think they're pretty tricky by taking precautions to avoid detection before exploring this floor. Moving into the room to attack its occupants will trigger the traps, unless they're disarmed. Retreating back downstairs avoids the acid traps, but the enemies will follow the party.

Occupant defense

Entering the second floor from either of the two staircases is possible. The party will observe a group of now hostile defenders. Sion leads a well-balanced hostile group. Besides Sion and Ketta, there is the priest Stalman and three fighters; Maferan, Olaf Rassmusen, and the sword saint Koshi wielding Celestial Fury, a powerful Katana. The whole group is worth a total of 43,500 XP if defeated.

Expect that the rogue will be invisible and most likely attempt a Backstab attack on any detected party member. She will then quaff a potion of invisibility, perhaps multiple times, and repeat this tactic, if allowed. Stalman and Sion will initially launch protective buffing spells and continue to cast disabling and offensive varieties unless disrupted or silenced, or stopped somehow. The fighter opponents will move forward to engage in melee strikes.

If any of the party are made Helpless due to any of the initial traps, they are in peril of being automatically hit, multiple times, and can be killed swiftly. So once you're upstairs, it's better to not move forward before detecting and disarming them.

Note: For the fairest and top challenge, the party can attempt to face the defenders on the second floor. This affords the defenders the full use of the limited AI ability to put up a cohesive battle. On the other hand, if the party retreats back downstairs after showing themselves, then the defenders may follow the intruding party back to the first floor. This will be much less complicated to win by doing it, and is markedly easier, mainly due to the AI scripting limitations. See mod content below which changes this option.

Containers

In the northwestern bedroom there are four chests, an armoire and two bookcases:

• The southeastern chest is unlocked but has a Maze trap ^{(Disarm: 80)} and contains a Wand of Paralyzation (6 charges), Arrows +1 (×9), and Arrows of Piercing (×8).
• The southwestern chest is locked ⁽⁶⁰⁾, has an Incendiary Cloud trap ^{(Disarm: 80)} and contains Asp's Nest (×7), Bolts of Lightning (×20) and Bolts +2 (×10).
• The northwestern chest is locked ⁽⁹⁰⁾, has a Wail of the Banshee trap ⁽⁷⁰⁾ and contains a Wand of Frost (6 charges) and Darts of Wounding (×10).
• The northeastern chest is locked ⁽⁶⁰⁾ and contains an item of average and poor random treasure.
• The armoire and bookcases contain the complete History of Waterdeep series.

The southwestern bedroom has two armoires:

• The one closest to the bed contains copies of the History of the Last March of the Giants and History of the Moonsea.
• The other one is locked ⁽⁹⁰⁾ and contains a Sling +2 and Bullets +2 (×10).

To the northeast is a large storage room with three unlocked containers:

• The large crate contains Bullets +1 (×8).
• The small crate contains one item each of wealthy and well-off random treasure.
• The chest contains one item each of average and poor random treasure.

Between the storage and master bedroom is a small, secret room with a safe and two tables:

• The safe is locked ⁽⁹⁹⁾ and contains a Wand of Fear (10 charges), Arrows of Fire (×4), and 666 .
• The table on the left contains a Spear +3 and an item of wealthy random treasure.
• The table on the right has a Finger of Death trap ^{(Disarm: 90)} and contains another Spear +3.

The master bedroom has two bookcases:

• The one closest to the bed contains one item each of average and poor random treasure and copies of the History of the North IX and History of the North X
• The other one contains one item of rich random treasure and copies of the History of the North IV, History of the Unicorn Run and History of the Vast

Trivia

• Some of the enemy names are known as slave traders from previous D&D games. There are unused dialogue hints which infer that this compound could have been part of an unfinished quest line about the slave traders and the creature found here are referred to as the "slave lords".

• The Baldurdash Mod added content that some veteran players still believe was part of the original game. Referring to a Rogue Stone that was in Koshi's inventory that had a different description and alluded to the Twisted Rune. This is a change introduced by the original Baldurdash. It added the special rogue stone at the Guarded Compound (as well as modified some dialogue and other miscellaneous changes) in an effort to try and tie it and a few other quests together (slavers, Isaea Roenall, Guarded Compound).

• This is one of the "fixes" omitted by the BG Fixpack and not included by Beamdog's EE (which did actually use most of Baldurdash).

• Many of the File code names of creatures beginning with "HL" are probably from a planned interconnected story line that wasn't implemented by the game developers in time for the game release. This includes the Guarded compound, slavers, the Kangaxx side quest. Alhoon in the sewers and even the unused HLHIVE Hive Mother beholder.

Mod content

Sword Coast Stratagems makes changes to the creatures upstairs and downstairs. The "Summons Trigger" on the ground floor will spawn a Nishruu, two Ogre Berserkers, an Efreeti and a Glabrezu (Shadows of Amn), just like in the base game. But the Spell Revisions mod changes the Efreeti to a "gated" creature so it and the demon can't be banished with a Death Spell. The Efreeti will also regenerate and then heal itself while in its mist form (during which it is impervious to damage). The Glabrezu will use its SCS "Improved Fiends" innate abilities as well, if that component is installed, such as teleport without error and mirror images. The Ogre Berserkers will initiate their innate Enrage ability.

Upstairs, all the guarded compound residents have SCS AI code edited into the original scripts for smarter tactical response and targeting (rather than default SCS scripts).

The first big change with this mod is that once the party has visited the second floor, it cannot retreat back to the ground floor. A text displaying a message "An invisible wall of force blocks your path" makes it clear if the party attempts to retreat back down the steps. All the guarded compound enemies must be defeated before the pathway is unblocked.

The mage and cleric will self-buff with the smarter mage/clerics component, then aggressively cast offensive damage and disabling spells as well as summoning help - such as Mordenkainen's Sword and a Giant Skeleton warrior or similar. The mage has a ready to use trio of minor spell sequencer, spell sequencer and spell trigger prepared. The Thief will make use of ample potions of invisibility and attempt backstab attacks, and a True Sight/Seeing will not stop her from quaffing a potion each round, and after each attack - all these just like in the base game - but with SCS she will be selecting the weakest, and especially mages, to attack first.

The Golem Construction for Spellcasters mod adds a lesser iron golem to the defenders on the second floor. Probably belongs to Sion.

The venerable Twisting with the Rune Mod for EET and BGEE/SoD returns Koshi's special Rogue Stone with a clue, and other content regarding the Twisted Rune. Koshi's Rogue Stone has an inscription "I am in the Bridge District of Athkatla. What kind of tricks are you playing on me?"

Gallery

Portraits from Portraits Portraits Everywhere

Sion, challenges the party if you enter the building, alongside his companion Ketta - "And no one invited you in, "friend"! Now, do you intend to leave, or do I have to be nasty?"

Ketta, with Sion when you enter the compound - "It would appear so. An ice storm trap next time?"