-
- Forums
- Chatrooms
- Gallery
- Gameplay Videos
- Upload
- Articles
- Mod Reviews
- Shop SP: Games, Movies, Books
Waukeen's Promenade | The Bridge District | The City Gate District | The Docks District | The Government District | The Graveyard District | The Slums | The Planar Sphere | The Temple District | The Temple District Sewers Areas Outside Athkatla De'Arnise Keep | Trademeet | The Druid Grove | The Umar Hills | The Temple Ruins | The Windspear Hills |
OVERVIEW OF CHAPTER 2
Officially, Chapter 2 begins when you enter the Slums District in Athkatla and accept Gaelan Bayle's offer. Unofficially, for the purposes of this walkthrough it begins at the point where you escape Irenicus' Dungeon and arrive in Waukeen's Promenade. Don't worry, the difference is minimal.
Chapter 2 takes place in Athkatla, capital of the land of Amn, and the surrounding lands. You emerge from Irenicus' Dungeon only to witness a battle between Irenicus and several hooded figures. Once he has disposed of them, he turns his attention to you. A short, scripted exchange between Irenicus and Imoen follows, after which they cast spells at each other without doing much harm. 
Several hooded wizards teleport to the scene and declare Irenicus and Imoen to be law-breakers for casting spells within the city of Athkatla. After an exchange, where Irenicus kills several of the cowled mages, he and Imoen are taken into custody. You now have your work cut out for you: Free Imoen, and find Irenicus to learn what he wants from you.
What Happens in Chapter 2?
Once you have investigated Waukeen's Promenade and leave the area, the only area you can go to is the Slums District where you run into a man named Gaelan Bayle. You don't know him but he knows you and your plight, and he also knows a powerful group who can help you find Imoen and Irenicus. The sting is in the price tag: His friends need 20,000 GP before they will help you. Gaelan Bayle suggests that you can raise this huge amount of money by selling off some surplus items, and by working for others in Athkatla. Depending on your class, he suggests that you seek out different people:
Each of these quests can end up giving you a stronghold, depending on your class. It is worth noting that you can do all the quests if you like, as well as a wide variety of other quests. You just won't gain any strongholds except the one corresponding to your class.
Once you have earned 15,000 GP, a woman named Valen will seek you out once you go to any outside area in Athkatla. She suggests that you seek out her mistress in the Graveyard District some time after dark. After Valen leaves, Gaelan Bayle's nephew Brus approaches you and asks you to come back to the Slums and speak to Gaelan, who is now also prepared to lower the price to 15,000 GP.
You are now faced with a crucial choice: Will you work with Gaelan Bayle and his contacts, who are obviously Shadow Thieves, or will you cast your lot with Valen's Mistress, a very creepy lady called Bodhi? Believe it or not, the Shadow Thieves are the Good choice here, and Bodhi is the Evil path. Your choice affects what happens in Chapter 3.
Most good-aligned NPCs will be very hesitant if you side with Bodhi. Keldorn and Mazzy will even leave your party permanently.
Once you cast in your lot with either of them, it concludes Chapter 2. Don't worry if you have any pending quests; you can still do them in Chapter 3, or you can go after Imoen and clear up your remaining quests once you return to Athkatla in Chapter 6.
About Quests
As you can see, there are plenty of quests to work on. For some of them, particularly the NPC specific quests, you are working against a deadline. But don't worry! In the general case you can accept a quest, travel around half of Amn, explore Athkatla and its sights, and return to do the quest in a few weeks, or months even. As mentioned above, you can even complete Chapter 2 and go after Imoen and then return to Amn in Chapter 6 to finish the quests you haven't done yet. In fact, if you are planning to have Imoen in your party, I recommend that you go after her as soon as possible and then return to Amn and tie up any loose ends. There is nothing to stop you from doing other quests than you class-specific quest, go look for Imoen, and then return to claim your stronghold.
For a complete overview of quests in Chapter 2, please see the Quest List.
About Arcane Magic
As you saw following Imoen's and Irenicus' battle, arcane magic is strongly frowned upon in the city of Athkatla. As a matter of fact, it is illegal to use magic within the city, and ironically this prohibition is enforced by a group of magicians; the Cowled Wizards. If you use magic in any outside area of Athkatla, a Cowled Enforcer teleports in to issue a warning. If you transgress again, you will be facing a group of Cowled Enforcers and Guards. You were warned...
However, if you are deemed "worthy", you can use magic without repercussions. But how does one become one of the "worthy"? Well, Athkatla is known as the "City of Coin" for a reason. Everything has a price, and the price for "worthiness" in this case is 5,000 GP. Go to the Council of Six Building in the Government District and speak to Corneil. He will be happy to sell you a license to use magic and the party can now safely cast arcane spells anywhere in Athkatla.
The NPCs
During Chapter 2 you can meet all the NPCs available in Shadows of Amn, except for Imoen, whom you will find again in Chapter 4. Here is a brief overview of where to find them:
You should be aware that many NPCs have an agenda of their own. For example, Korgan joins the party only if you promise him to find a book somewhere under the Graveyard District. If you don't do this within a reasonable time, he will begin to grumble and, in the end, walk out on you!
About Strongholds
Depending on your class, Gaelan Bayle directs you toward a class-specific quest that will earn you a stronghold. Each stronghold comes with some benefits, but also with a number of Stronghold Quests:
Note that mismanaging your stronghold can lead to your losing it. For example, a landlord who over-taxes his peasants and refuses to help them after disasters may be facing a revolt. A Cleric who offers bad advice to people seeking council at the temple will be booted out. And a Paladin who fails in his tasks will not be a member of the Order of the Most Radiant Heart for long!
Multi-classed and dual-classed characters have to choose which stronghold they want to go after. For example, a Mage/Cleric can go after the Planar Sphere or the Temple. But you can't get both - you can only have one stronghold. If you already have a stronghold and you do another class quest, you will not be offered the stronghold, even if you are the right class.
There is one exception to this rule, though - if you are playing a multi- or dual-classed Fighter, Nalia will offer you lordship of the De'Arnise Keep even if you already have another stronghold. But it doesn't work the other way around. Once you have accepted the De'Arnise Keep, you will not be offered other strongholds.
Random Encounters
When you travel between areas in or outside of Athkatla, you will occasionally hear the message, "You have been waylaid by enemies and must defend yourself!". You then find yourself in a dark alley with said enemies, who are generally rather weak gangs of bandits or slavers. You could simply bolt for the district exit and leave them behind but why not take them out? They generally drop some enchanted weapons and a few scrolls that can either be memorized by a mage, or sold off to a merchant for cash.
One of these random encounters sets off a string of quests, the Harper Hold quests, which are particularly interesting if Jaheira is in your party. This happens when you run into a gang of bandits who have poisoned a man named Renfeld who, after you have killed his attackers, asks you to take him to the Galvarey Estate in the Docks District. These quests tie in with the Jaheira romance.
Worse than these are the ...
High-Level Encounters
If you are spoiling for a difficult fight, there are plenty to be found in Athkatla! These encounters are not for a party fresh out of Irenicus' Dungeon:
