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| Underground Nephilim Fort |
| Avernum 1 | Underground Nephilim Fort | Eastern Province |
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List of all towns and shops in Avernum
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| Underground Nephilim Fort |
There are Nepharim guards on either side of the entrance to this cave. You should kill both groups and rest before entering. If there are no guards outside, you can take a run for it when things inside start getting too tough, leave the cave and rest outside. The monsters you have already killed will not reappear when you reenter the cave. This is a way of saving on potions and can be used in many dungeons in this game.
The prisoners that Mayor Steele in Cotra asked you to free are locked up in a room in the middle of this cave. The entrance to the fort is well guarded and it would need a strong party to storm it from the front. There are however two secret passages which lead into the middle of the fort: one to the east and one to the west. The eastern one will lead you to Renn who will give you a few tips.
As well as the prisoners there are a number of other goodies (a diamond dagger, part of the Demonslayer and the spell Curing level 3) but you need a fairly strong party to get them.
The western secret passage is proably easier. From here you can get into the little guardroom to the west of the main entrance and kill the guards there. This will make your fight easier later on. Then it is is a good idea to take the eastern one and talk to Renn.
There are quite a few rats in the southern caves. It is better to eliminate them straight away, otherwise they might sneak up on you when you try to leave.
Renn, a soldier from the Cotra Militia who got caught with some others but managed to get away, is hiding in the NE corner. He will tell you about a secret entrance to the east side of the fort. He gives you some useful information about the Nepharim, the fort and the prisoners and how to get to them.
Whether you follow his advice and use the secret entrance to the fort from the east or the one from the west is proably immaterial. If you are going to clear the dungeon you have got to kill all the Nepharim. The important thing is not to try a frontal attack on the main gate but to take them on piecemeal.
If you report back to Renn after freeing the prisoners you will get 1 Rep. and 5xp.
There are a few Nepharim in a room to the SE and in the dining room. Only the Nephar chieftain is a bit difficult. He drops a steel greatsword. The seven prisoners are in a room to the east. If you open the portcullis by turning the wheel in the room to west of it, the prisoners can escape and your mission for Mayor Steele is completed, but it is worth exploring a bit more.
There is a barracks to the NW of the main gate. The Nepharim there are not too difficult and there is some good loot, including a number of ambers and a shield ring. There is another shield ring in the guardhouse to the east of the main gate.
To the north of the Baracks is a room with two Nephar shaman. They drop some good items including two fletcher's rings. At the western end of the bookshelves in the north there is a scroll which teaches Curing L3 (needs at least Rune Reading 11).
In the east is a block with three doors. The northern one is locked and leads to the wheel which opens the portcullis to the north. In the middle is a door which leads to a storeroom with a few barrels and crates – nothing particular except a charge of Energetic Herbs.
The southern door leads to a small temple guarded by a few Nephilim. On the altar is a diamond dagger. If you take it you all become confounded (cannot cast spells) and three demons appear – rather tricky! It is best if you have an unshackling crystal. Otherwise you will have to fight the demons without magic. In the NE corner of the room is a secret passage with two traps, a floor which zaps you and a trapped chest which contains an iron pike, 50 coins, a healing potion, a curing potion and a first aid kit. On the ground beside the chest is a robe – rather disappointing!
The crypt in the NW corner holds two demons which are protecting the altar. They are very diffucult for a low level party, so you cannot get the first piece of the Demonslayer yet.
