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NEEDY PEOPLE
You’ll find a few people in the outdoors of Nulb who want something from you. Starting with…
At #1, you’ll find a disgruntled old pirate named Preston Watz. He’s got a terrible toothache. Bertram can fix it for him. Problem is, he can’t afford Bertram’s services. He’d like you to talk to Bertram.
Bertram can be found at #2. He won’t budge. He won’t even accept your offer to pay it, expressing contempt for charity on behalf of Preston.
Upon relating the news to Preston, he then indicates to you that the local gypsy, Mona, owes him money. He’d like you to collect it from her so that he can pay for Bertram’s services. In order to accomplish this, you’ll need to complete the Mystic Orb quest. Once that quest is finished, talk to Preston again for your experience point reward.
Once this quest is finished, it is possible to talk to Preston again about buying his house. A character with good enough Diplomacy can lower the price from 800gp to 500gp. The house allows you a safe place to rest (meaning a green rest icon) and two empty chests for storage purposes. The house is located at #11 in Nulb.
Not so much a quest, but Otis, the blacksmith found at #6, opens up a variety of possibilities for the party. For one thing, he has a number of Masterwork items available for sale. They are:
He’ll also tip you off that Preston at #1 is looking to sell his house. If you talk to Preston, you can use Diplomacy to reduce the price from 800gp to 500gp. The house, located at #11, has a couple of empty chests that can be used for storage, and provides a place where the party can rest without worries.
Otis is in truth a blacksmith in disguise only. He’s investigating the recent goings-on surrounding the revival of the Temple of Elemental Evil. Not only can he mark the location of the Temple on your map, but it won’t take much to convince Otis to join your party.
There are a couple of things you need to be aware of (which I learned courtesy of JaggedJim’s walkthrough). One is that if you enter to the Temple, and then return to Nulb, he’ll leave the party. Do the same thing a second time, he’ll leave you for good. The second thing is that if he leaves your party the first time and then rejoins, he’ll mention that you could use assistance from Mother Screng. Provided that Otis is in the party, and your own characters are 5th level or lower, Mother Screng will then join your party. Hruda, Mother Screng’s daughter on the 2nd level of the house, is then willing to join as well.
You’ll find Sammy, Otis’ apprentice, at #5. For a hefty price, Sammy will let you know that Otis keeps a cache of treasure underneath his anvil. You can use Diplomacy and/or Intimidation to lower the price to as much as 100gp.
Inside the cache, you’ll find an assortment of treasure, as well as a Chainmail +1 and a Long Sword +2.
It is possible to simply open the anvil without taking anything. Otis will then accost you. This leads to a conversation about how he’s been sent to investigate the evil plaguing the area. If you take the items afterwards, he apparently won’t say anything about it. Taking the items the first time you open the anvil, however, will certainly lead to a violent confrontation with Otis.
If you decide to see such an endeavour through, which I didn’t, complete it by telling Sammy that you’ve found the stash. He’ll indicate that he doesn’t want to know what you plan to do. You can simply end the conversation instead of choosing the "I plan to…” option to complete this sequence.
Mona
the Gypsy is a fortuneteller by trade. Unfortunately, somebody has
stolen the mystical orb that she relies upon. If you completed the
Sport Fishing beforehand, she’ll
request your assistance in retrieving the orb with very little prompting.
Otherwise, you’ll need Diplomacy to find out.
That somebody is an old acquaintance of yours, Mickey from the Brewery in Hommlet. It turns out that Mickey frequents Nulb by night for the thrills of the rough life. Unfortunately, he’s now in over his head, as a thieving guild has put him up to stealing Mona’s orb. A character with sufficient skill in Intimidation can oblige him to surrender the Orb. Another approach is to knock him out with non-lethal damage and then take it from him. Return the Orb to Mona for your experience point reward.
You can try to have Mona tell your fortune now. The only option that is known to have definite consequences is the “Humour” option, as will be seen when the Temple of Elemental Evil is explored.
Incidentally, if you have the Circle of Eight mod-pack installed, you can now prompt a dialogue with Mona that allows you to enter the brothel.
Once the Orb has been returned to Mona, you’ll notice the slave girl standing behind her. Serena is indebted to Mona, so she must remain in servitude. To obtain Serena’s freedom, or servitude to the party, 500 gp must be paid out to Mona. Serena can now join the party, or be left to her own devices. If you selected the dialogue options that made it clear that Serena was changing masters, she’ll come without the bothersome tendency to collect loot.
