This guide will walk you through the main quests in Chapter 3 of Baldur’s Gate II if you chose to side with Bodhi rather than the Shadow Thieves.
Shadow Thief Guildhall Map
Overview
When you pay Bodhi 15,000 gp during your meeting with her in the Graveyard District, each character in your party will earn 36,750 xp. She’ll then unlock the crypt leading to her part of the Lower Tombs (where you can pick up the Mace of Disruption +1), and she’ll give you your first task.
Task 1: Stealing the Shipment
For your first task, Bodhi will order you to go to the Docks District and confiscate a Smuggled Shipment intended for the Shadow Thieves. She’ll tell you to complete this task within five days, but in reality there isn’t a time limit. You can take as long as you want.
You’ll find the shipment at the dock in the southern part of the district. It’ll be guarded by five Shadow Thieves, including Mook and Arkanis Gath. You won’t be able to trick or bribe the guardians; it’ll just be a straight fight. You’ll earn 6100 xp for winning the battle, and you’ll find the Smuggled Shipment plus a Rifthome Axe +3 and a Short Sword +2 when you loot the corpses.
When you deliver the shipment to Bodhi in the Lower Tombs, each character in your party will earn 28,500 xp, and Bodhi will give you two choices for your next task, one “good” and one “evil.”
Task 2 (Good): Rescuing the Traitor
For this task, Bodhi will ask you to rescue a Shadow Thief traitor named Palern Flynn from the Shadow Thief Guildhall in the Docks District. The Shadow Thieves will know that you’ve betrayed them, so you’ll have to fight your way up to Level 2, where you’ll find Flynn (#1). You won’t need to do anything tricky to rescue him — the Shadow Thieves won’t target him at all — so you’ll just need to kill all of his captors and then talk to him.
When you return to Bodhi after completing your task, each character in your party will earn 28,500 xp — unless you somehow managed to get Flynn killed, in which case you won’t earn anything.
Task 2 (Evil): Assassinating the Merchant
For this task, Bodhi will ask you to assassinate Senior Armagaran Vulova, the head of a merchant house. She’ll also give you a Shadow Thief Cloak and a Shadow Thief Dagger, so you can frame the Shadow Thieves for the job.
You’ll find Vulova inside his estate in the Government District. He’ll have two guards with him: a fighter named Laen Torg and a Vulova wizard. If you want, you can let Vulova escape, but he’ll sic his guards on you as he leaves, so you’ll have to do some fighting no matter what. Either way, the battle should not be difficult. You’ll earn over 6000 xp for winning. If you choose to kill Vulova, don’t forget to place the Shadow Thief items in his fountain before departing.
When you return to Bodhi, each character in your party will earn 28,500 xp — unless you didn’t kill Vulova, in which case you won’t earn anything.
Task 3: Assassinating the Shadowmaster
For your final task, Bodhi will order you to kill Aran Linvail, the Shadowmaster of the Shadow Thieves. However, she’ll inform you that Aran is hidden away in the lowest level of the Shadow Thief Guildhall, and that you’ll need a special key to get to him. She’ll then suggest that you visit with Gaelan Bayle and acquire a key from him. Bodhi will also mention that one of her lackeys named Tizzak was captured by the Shadow Thieves, and that if you manage to locate him in the guildhall, he might have some useful information for you.
You’ll find Gaelan Bayle inside his house on the eastern side of the Slums District. He’ll attack you on sight and probably die pretty quickly. You’ll earn 1300 xp for killing him, and you’ll find a Cloak of Protection +1, Leather Armor +3, a Light Crossbow +2, a Short Sword +2, and the Shadow Thief Cellar Key on his corpse.
The Shadow Thief Guildhall is located in the Docks District. Inside, you’ll encounter an assortment of Shadow Thieves, orcs, and other creatures. The Shadow Thief Cellar Key will allow you to unlock the secret door leading to Level 3 (Exit C). To learn how to reach Aran Linvail, you’ll need to kill Booter in the torture chamber (#3). When he dies, he’ll drop the Shadow Thief Prison Key, which will allow you to free Tizzak from the prison (#2). Tizzak will tell you that Aran is hiding behind two special doors: one that requires the pressing of a button (#5), and another one that requires a key (#6).
As soon as Aran Linvail (#7) spots you, he and the Shadow Thieves with him (including two mages) will attack you. To make the battle easier, you should immediately retreat. Some of Aran’s helpers might follow you, allowing you to break up the big fight into a couple of smaller ones. You can also cast spells like Chaos or Cloudkill in Aran’s room and then immediately retreat again. Or, if nothing else, you can just wait outside Aran’s room for a while until his protective spells wear off.
You’ll earn 31,200 xp for winning the battle, and you’ll find an Amulet of Power, Elven Chain +1, a Light Crossbow +2, a Ring of Protection +2: The Guard’s Ring, and a Short Sword +2 on Aran’s corpse. You’ll also find a Katana +2 and a Ring of Djinni Summoning in one of the cabinets in Aran’s room.
When you return to Bodhi, each character in your party will earn 50,000 xp. Bodhi will then reveal a few things to you, like that Jon Irenicus is her brother, and that the prison where Imoen was taken is called Spellhold. Bodhi will also tell you that she used your payment to hire a ship to take you to Brynnlaw, the island where Spellhold is located. When you tell Bodhi that you’re ready to depart, you’ll end the chapter and head to Brynnlaw. You’ll be away from Athkatla for a while, so be sure to go shopping first to clear your inventory space. You might also want to take Yoshimo with you on the trip. Doing so will earn you a significant reward later.
Note: You’ll return to Athkatla in Chapter 6, so you don’t need to complete every side quest in your journal before departing.
Walkthrough
1 – Palern Flynn
2 – Prison
3 – Torture Chamber
Inside the torture chamber, you’ll encounter Booter. He’ll drop a Two-Handed Sword +2 when he dies.
4 – Ambush
Inside this chamber, you’ll get ambushed by Dedral and five Shadow Thieves. You’ll earn 17,000 xp for defeating them, and you’ll find a Ring of Lock Picks on Dedral’s corpse.
To unlock the door here (#5), you’ll have to press a button in another part of the guildhall (#5a).
6 – Locked Door / Haz
To unlock the door here (#6), you’ll need to pick up the Key to Aran’s Lair from Haz (#6a). You’ll earn 14,200 xp for defeating Haz and the Shadow Thieves with him.
7 – Aran Linvail’s Room
Exits
- A) Exits to the Docks District.
- B) Stairs between Levels 1 and 2.
- C) Secret passage between Levels 1 and 3. You’ll need the Shadow Thief Cellar Key (from Gaelan Bayle in the Slums District) to unlock the passage.
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