Hard Bargain – Pillars of Eternity Quest

This guide is for a particular side quest in Pillars of Eternity during Act 3. The guide has a walkthrough of the area, and a map with a legend.

Map Legend

1 – Rinatto
2 – Market
3 – Alarhi’s Residence
4 – Celestial Sapling

Background

You’ll receive this task from Rinatto in Hearthsong (#1).

Walkthrough

Rinatto will tell you that he was cheated by a “witch” named Alarhi. He’ll explain that he purchased Elardh Golah flower buds from her, but that they didn’t work when he tried them out, and so now he wants his money back. He’ll then ask you to mediate the dispute.

However, when you go to the Hearthsong market (#2) to talk to Alarhi, you’ll find that she’s not there, and that her assistant Iwen is running her shop. Iwen will inform you that Alarhi went home. When you travel to Alarhi’s residence (#3), Alarhi will claim that she sold Rinatto genuine Elardh Golah, but that he is too old for it to do him any good.

You’ll then have two main ways to complete the quest:

• You can take Rinatto’s side and demand that Alarhi pay him back. Alarhi and her guards will attack you, and you’ll find Rinatto’s Money when you loot the corpses. Then when you deliver the money to Rinatto, you’ll lose a “moderate” amount of reputation with Twin Elms, and Rinatto won’t give you a reward. But Rinatto will expand his stock by adding a variety of traps, and he’ll move to the Celestial Sapling (#4).
  
  
• You can side with Alarhi. Alarhi will be furious with Rinatto, and she’ll demand that you convince him to leave, lest he pay for his slander in blood. You’ll then have two ways to continue:
  
  
  • With Lore 10 or a reputation of “Positive 4” (aka “champion”) with Twin Elms, you can ask Alarhi to return Rinatto’s Money, and she’ll reluctantly agree. She’ll also give you a Tiny Beetle pet. However, when you deliver the money to Rinatto, you’ll earn the exact same reward as if you had taken Rinatto’s side initially, including the negative reputation (see above).
    
    
  • Otherwise, Alarhi will give you Alarhi’s Wooden Cage, and she’ll order you to tell Rinatto that a certain part of his body will end up in the cage if he doesn’t leave. Back at Rinatto, you’ll have two options for what to say to him. If you lie to him and follow that up with the Might 18 or diplomatic response, then Rinatto will leave Twin Elms. Otherwise, he’ll become belligerent, and a Glanfathan huntress will kill him. Either way, when you return to Alarhi, she’ll reward you with a Tiny Beetle pet and 1200 cp. You’ll also earn a “moderate” reputation bonus with Twin Elms if Rinatto died, or a “major” bonus if he survived.
    
    Note: If Rinatto flees from the city, then the next time you travel to Elmshore, he and some friends will ambush you in the southeastern part of the map. The ambushers will drop some “fine” and “exceptional” items.

1 – Rinatto


2 – Market


3 – Alarhi’s Residence


4 – Celestial Sapling