Not to be confused with Ruined Temple of Bhaal.
The Ruined Temple was dedicated to a now forgotten and fading god Amaunator, beneath a forested area known as the Temple Ruins, located northwest of the Umar Hills. As Amaunator's influence waned, another, darker power filled the void.
Walkthrough[]
The party enters into a main corridor that ends at a "Shadow Door", a magical barrier that can only be dispelled and opened through the power of a Sun Gem.
Shade Wolf Lair[]
On the north side of the entry corridor is an unlocked door that opens into a square room with several Shade Wolves and possibly Skeleton Warriors. It is one of several spawn points. Search the small stone container nearby for Amuana's Bones and mundane missiles: Arrows (×80), Bolts (×80), Darts (×40), and Throwing Axes (×40).
Shadow Prison[]
On the opposite side is a prison overseen by a Shadow Jailor. Take its key to rescue and potentially recruit Mazzy Fentan. Opening her cell grants 12,250 XP to the party.
Be sure to loot a container in the prison cells for the second half of Tombelthen's Journal, an item needed for the Ranger-Protector of the Umar Hills quest.
To the southeast of the Prison is a room with broken columns. This chamber is a spawn point for shadows. A corridor leads on from here to the Pedestal of Light. A scroll describing the Morning Ritual is hidden in within the central column.
Statue of Ritual[]
To the northeast of the Prison stands the Statue of Ritual. Investigating the statue reveals, in a status message:
"This bust is a depiction of the sun god, Amaunator. The caption on the pedestal reads as: 'Let not Holy Ritual be derided. None is worth of His Grace without first paying homage in the manner that He Himself has prescribed. Learn the Ritual or face His Punishment.'"
Scattered around the dungeon are broken tablets describing the three holy rituals that Amaunator's faithful performed to honor dawn, midday, and dusk. Interacting with the statue allows the player to perform each ritual in turn, with each ritual comprised of three steps. If all steps are completed successfully for a given ritual, the party gains 45500 XP. If the ritual is failed, the party member interacting with the statue is struck by a Flame Strike spell.
Once all three rituals are completed, the party gains the Sun Ray Symbol, one piece of the holy Symbol of Amaunator. The completed symbol is needed to enter the Shadow Dragon Lair.
A southern corridor here leads to the Pedestal of Light room, where you can also complete the quest The final battle with Bodhi using Bodhi's Black Heart.
Pedestal of Light[]
The Pedestal of Light emits an aura of holy radiance that instantly destroys any shadows or related creatures that enter the area. Its power stems from a Sun Gem, which must be removed in order to defeat the first Shadow Door. Once taken, the pedestal loses its powers.
"The gem that sits on the pedestal easily penetrates the unnatural shadows of this place. You could take the gem if you wish to. When you take the gem from the pedestal, the illumination lessens considerably and the shadows of the room deepen."
Once the first Shadow Door has been dispelled, the party can enter deeper into the dungeon via the once-blocked corridor.
Shadow Door Corridor[]
Through the first Shadow Door is a corridor that curves south, then east, in a horseshoe-shaped arch. Two more Shadow Doors close off access to the other side of the corridor, limiting your choice of direction.
Bridge and Lava Rooms[]
Take a left into the first room, across a bridge towards the room beyond. Shadows and Shade Wolves appear and attack when the lead party member trips a silent trap near the middle of the bridge.
The bridge leads to a chamber filled with bubbling lava, so hot that it causes minor heat damage to those who linger too long within it. Two small elongated crannies within the lava conceal Bolt's of Lightning (×40) and a Pearly White Ioun Stone in one, and Arrows of Ice (×40) and an item of average random treasure in the other.
On the wall on the far side of the chamber is a trapped (Disarm: 40) bas relief that contains a Wand of Lightning (6 charges) and Darts of Wounding (×40).
Undead Room[]
To the right of the bas relief is a narrow doorway that leads to an empty chamber with a trapped (Disarm: 40) pyramid-shaped column that contains a scroll of Wyvern Call, a Tome of Amaunator, the Noon Ritual scroll, and Bullets +1 (×40). This room is the first of two places within the dungeon where a silent trigger (this one is near the entrance to the dungeon) spawns different groups of undead depending upon current experience points accrued by Gorion's Ward.[1]
- < 400,000: a Skeleton Warrior and Shadows (×2)
- 400,000 – 999,999: Skeleton Warriors (×2) and Shadow Fiends (×2)
- 1,000,000 – 1,999,999: a Greater Mummy, a Bone Golem and Skeleton Warriors (×2)
- > 1,999,999: a Lich, Greater Mummies (×2) and Skeleton Warriors (×2)
Amuana's Tomb[]
Across the lava chamber from this empty chamber (along the nearside wall) is another narrow doorway that leads to the Amuana's tomb chamber where the party will encounter the ghosts of two dead Amaunator priests; Badon and Dettseh. If presented with Amuana's bones from the Shadow Wolf Lair, they will pass back on to the afterlife, granting the party 17750 XP. Amuana's ghost will then grant the party a second piece of the Symbol of Amaunator, the Dawn's Light Symbol, as well as a Shadow Dragon Wardstone, allowing them to bypass the Shadow Dragon in the penultimate chamber. Once she has departed, the party may also take the Sunstone Bullets (×20), a Scroll of Pierce Magic and from her tomb. Be sure to check Dettseh's corpse for an additional 250 
.
Exit the tomb to the southeast towards the shadow door corridor by crossing the chasm, which sets off another spawn trigger. South in the corridor is a side hall to the left where another group of undead have spawned from the trigger you set off. These will be the same as listed above, depending upon Gorion's Ward's current XP.
Tile Room[]
From the shadow door corridor, take the short hallway northeast into the Tile Room, and a silent trigger will display a status message:
"As you approach the letter-tiled floor, a voice intones: 'Only the Name of the master shall keep thee from the Power of the Darkness!'"
In the room beyond, the floor is covered in tiles that are each emblazoned with a single letter. The status message gives you a clue to "follow the path of Amaunator". To cross safely, each party member must only step on the tiles that spell out AMAUNATOR; stepping on a wrong tile triggers a Flame Strike. It is best to disable Party NPC AI to cross here as these flame strikes are brutal.
Chapel[]
Beyond the tiles are two doors. The one on the left leads to a Chapel, which contains a Bone Golem. An easy way to dispatch this is to have a hasted party member lure it back onto the tiles, where it will stumble around and be bombarded with Flame Strikes until it is destroyed. The chapel contains a statue. Clicking on the top half provides a clue for another quest (see The final battle with Bodhi).
"This statue depicts a woman whose eyes blaze with light. She appears to be waiting for something to be placed in her arms."
The bottom half of the statue has a treasure stash with the Dusk Ritual scroll, Sunstone Bullets (×10), Arla's Dragonbane, a Sun Gem, and scrolls of Disintegrate and Protection from Magical Weapons.
The door on the right leads to a cell where a shadow tries to convince the player to take it across the tile room. If pressed, it will reveal that a shard of the Symbol of Amaunator, the Lightstone Symbol, is hidden in the back of its cell. If the shadow is taken across, however, it betrays the party and attacks.
Once all three of the shards of the Symbol of Amaunator are gathered, they fuse together, granting the full item and 21250 XP for the party to split.
"When you place the three symbols together the [sic] meld into the Symbol of Amaunator. This should be the key that will gain entrance into the lower dungeon."
The symbol serves as a key to unlock the door to the Shadow Dragon Lair, which is found by following the main corridor past the tile room and all the way around to the east.
Shadow Dragon Lair[]
In the Shadow Dragon Lair, the party will encounter Thaxll'ssillyia; if they have the Shadow Dragon wardstone from Amauna's Tomb, the dragon will not attack as long as they do not try to interact with it. If the party is of insufficient level, it might be a good idea to pass by the dragon first and come back later - the shadow dragon does not disappear until it is killed.
Altar of Amaunator[]
A door in shadow dragon lair leads back up to the Temple Ruins outdoor an area that is currently closed off by an impenetrable wall trees and vegetation. A defiled Altar of Amaunator stands in the grove, where the party must confront the Shade Lord, Shadow Patrick, the Shadow Altar and a swarm of Shadows. The altar spits out a continuous stream of shadows until destroyed.
If Mazzy Fentan is present in the party, then there will be extended dialogue between her, the Shade Lord, and Shadow Patrick. Otherwise, the shadow undead will attack immediately.
Once they have all been destroyed, their loot can be recovered from their bodies, and the party can return to Imnesvale to report success to Minister Lloyd, completing the quest to Investigate the deaths in the Umar Hills.
Rituals of Amaunator[]
Morning Ritual:
- 1st Step: Say a prayer to the light.
- 2nd Step: Hold high the holy book.
- 3rd Step: Reflect on the Glory of the Light as it conquers the dark.
Noon Ritual:
- 1st Step: Praise to Amaunator.
- 2nd Step: Raise my hands.
- 3rd Step: Rejoice at the Dominance of the Light.
Dusk Ritual:
- 1st Step: Recite the tenets of faith.
- 2nd Step: Hold my children high.
- 3rd Step: Mourn as sun gives way to night.
Characters[]
- Amuana - Dead child prophet of Amaunator
- Badon's Ghost - Ghost of an Amaunator priest
- Dettseh's Ghost - Ghost of an Amaunator priest
- Mazzy Fentan - Halfling fighter Potential Companion
- Shadow Jailor - Keeper of the key to Mazzy's cell
- Gorje Hilldark - Duergar prisoner (Modded Content)
Notable Loot[]
Related Quests[]
- Investigate the deaths in the Umar Hills
- Ranger-Protector of the Umar Hills
- The final battle with Bodhi
- Gain the services of Sir Sarles for the temple (Modded Content)
Gallery[]
- Portraits from Portraits Portraits Everywhere
Mod Content[]
- If Unfinished Business (Baldur's Gate II) is installed, the quest Gain the services of Sir Sarles for the temple requires the player to rescue Gorje Hilldark, the brother of Unger Hilldark, before the party is granted the option to hunt down Neb and retrieve the Illithium Ore from him. Gorje will be found as a prisoner in the prison here in the ruins,
References
- ↑
SPWNDEAD.BCS