Civilized District – Pool of Radiance

This guide will help you navigate New Phlan’s Civilized District in Pool of Radiance.

Civilized District Map

1 – Starting Point

After completing a brief tour, this is where you’ll start in the game.

2 – Temple of Sune

3 – Arena

In this area you can fight duels and hire NPC henchmen. Duels give experience (100X the character level) but no treasure, so it’s more worthwhile to fight elsewhere. If you want to fight multiple duels, you’ll have to leave the building and then return to the arena each time.

You won’t be able to hire henchmen until you hit level 2. Henchmen work for a share of the gold and some equipment — that is, suck away things you’ll probably need — and so there doesn’t seem to be much of a reason to use them.

4 – Cleric Trainer

5 – Magic User Trainer

6 – Fighter Trainer

7 – Rogue Trainer

8 – Council Building

When you first enter the building, you’ll only be able to visit the clerk (#9). All of the other exits will be blocked by guards. As you complete quests, you’ll be able to explore more of the building.

9 – Council Clerk

The council clerk will give you a series of quests during the game, and she’ll also reward you when you’ve cleared an area of the city (whether it’s a quest she’s given you or not). Generally, once you’ve completed one quest, another one will become available.

We won’t comment on every quest here (since there are well over a dozen). Instead, we’ll describe some of the less obvious ones.

a) Investigate the auction in Podal Plaza. When you enter the area, you can disguise yourself as monsters and then listen in on the auction. After the scene has played out, you can return to the clerk and receive about 1200 total experience.

b) Find books, maps and tomes. You can do this in Mendor’s Library. There are 9 books in the library, and each one you bring back will net you around 500 total experience and 100 platinum pieces.

c) End the graveyard menace. If you accept this commission then the clerk will give you a two-handed sword +1, +3 vs. undead. You can get to the graveyard by selecting “bay” at the dock, “north” in the bay, and then by using one of the northern exits in the Kovel Mansion area. For clearing out the graveyard, you’ll receive about 30,000 total experience, plus some money and jewels. You might also win a “special prize” for ending the menace. The prize is worth about 60,000 experience, plus some jewels.

d) Prevent the nomads from joining the enemy forces. The Nomad Camp is located in the Wilderness. You can either help the nomads fight off some kobolds, or you can kill the nomads (or let the kobolds kill them). You’ll receive about 6000 experience and some jewelry for your efforts.

e) Find the source of the river’s pollution and end it. For this you’ll have to go to the Pyramid north of New Phlan, kill a sorcerer there named Yarash, and destroy his equipment. You’ll receive almost 35,000 experience plus some platinum and jewels as your reward.

f) Prevent the kobolds from joining the enemy forces. You’ll find the kobolds in the Kobold Cave in the Wilderness, and all you’ll have to do there is defeat their king. You’ll receive about 6000 total experience and some gems as a reward.

g) Prevent the lizardmen from joining the enemy forces. You’ll find the lizardmen in the Ruined Castle in the Wilderness, and, like the nomads, you can either fight them or help them. As your reward, you’ll receive about 15,000 total experience, plus some money and jewels.

h) Rescue the heir to the house of Bivant. You can find the heir in the Buccaneer Base in the Wilderness. You’ll have a few ways of rescuing him, including simply buying him from the buccaneer captain. For your reward, you’ll receive about 19,000 total experience, a two-handed sword +1, +3 vs. undead, some clerical scrolls, and some jewelry.

After you’ve completed two quests (or cleared two areas), the clerk will tell you to see Councilman Cadorna in the room to the east (#18). After you’ve completed three quests, the clerk will tell you to see Bishop Braccio (#19). After you’ve completed about a dozen quests, the clerk will tell you to see Councilman Cadorna in his chambers to the south (#21). And after you’ve completed Cadorna’s second task, the clerk will tell you to see Lord Urslingen in his room (#22).

10 – Temple of Tyr

11 – Tavern

Every time you enter a tavern, there’s a chance you’ll be pick pocketed, hear a “tavern tale,” or participate in a brawl. So don’t enter unless you need to.

Inside taverns you can gamble, provided you have platinum pieces. If you don’t mind saving and loading, you can guarantee that your bets win, and you can make a lot of money quickly.

12 – Arms and Armor Shop

13 – Holy Shop

Holy shops sell mirrors and holy items.

14 – Silver Shop

Silver shops sell silver-plated items and fine composite long bows, which are better than other bows.

15 – Jewelry Shop

16 – Inn

It’ll cost you 1 platinum piece to rest at an inn, but it’s the only place in the district where you can rest, and so you should definitely stop at one at the start of the game so you can memorize spells. Once you’ve cleared the Slums (through Exit A), it’ll be cheaper and easier to rest there.

17 – Temple of Tempus

18 – Councilman Cadorna

Note: You won’t be able to visit Cadorna here until the Council Clerk (#9) tells you to see him.

Cadorna will tell you that his family hid a treasure in the Textile House (south of Podal Plaza) when the city was overrun, and he’ll ask you to fetch it for him. He’ll also ask you to rescue the servant he originally asked to retrieve the treasure.

When you find both, and if you don’t break the seal on the treasure box yourself (it’s fine to let the Thieves Guild in the Textile House break the seal and then replace it for you), you’ll receive about 5000 total experience and 20 gems when you return to the Council Clerk.

Note: If you break the seal on the box when you first get it, then the Thieves Guild won’t be able to help you, Cadorna will notice your treachery, and you won’t get a reward. But you’ll still be able to keep the contents of the box, which includes gauntlets of ogre power.

19 – Bishop Braccio

Note: You won’t be able to enter the bishop’s chambers until the Council Clerk (#9) tells you to see him.

When you enter his chambers, Bishop Braccio will introduce you to a cleric named Dirten, and he’ll ask you to accompany Dirten to the Temple of Bane so he can purify it. If you don’t want to visit the temple yet, you can refuse to go with Dirten, and then he’ll wait for you. You won’t get a reward for completing the quest, but you’ll be able to keep all of the magic items you find in the temple, which sell for quite a bit.

20 – Dock

The harbor master will ask you for a destination. At the start of the game, you’ll only be allowed to go to Sokal Keep, but after you’ve cleared that location, you’ll also be allowed to go to the eastern side of the wilderness, the western side of the wilderness, and the north side of the bay. If you choose the bay, then you’ll have to decide between two entrances into the city, north (Kovel Mansion) and south (the Wealthy District).

21 – Cadorna’s Chambers

Note: Like in your previous meeting with Cadorna, you won’t be able to visit him in his chambers until the Council Clerk tells you that you’re invited.

When you arrive in his chambers, Cadorna will ask you to deliver a message to Zhentil Keep, located in the Wilderness west of New Phlan. However, when you get there you’ll be attacked by the keep’s soldiers. The message was just a ploy to put you in the keep so you could be assassinated.

After you’ve survived the attacks and returned to the Council Clerk, you’ll receive about 12,000 total experience plus some gems, and Cadorna will be named a traitor. Then the Council Clerk will tell you to meet with Lord Urslingen to the south (#22).

22 – Lord Urslingen

Note: Even if you wander around the southern side of the Council Building, Lord Urslingen won’t show up until you’ve been invited to see him by the Council Clerk.

Lord Urslingen will ask you to “secure” the Stojanow Gate. This involves going to the gate (located north of Podal Plaza) and defeating the guards there. Once you’ve done that and returned to the Council Clerk, you’ll earn 22,000 total experience and some jewelry, and the Council Clerk will ask you to lead the attack on the castle. Lord Urslingen won’t appear again.

Exits:

A. Gate to the Slums.
B. Boat. Once you’ve selected a destination at the dock (#20), the boat will take you there. Until you’ve cleared Sokal Keep, that’s the only place you’ll be allowed to go.