Ravage Roaming (Balthazar's Lair)

map_ravage

 

Expert teachers:

  • None

Master teachers:

  • A: Leather
  • M: Air

GM Teachers:

  • Axe

Training:

  • Maximum (to level 30?)

Magic shops:

  • Normal Elemental and self

Quests:

  • Potion Pure Accuracy
  • Unflood Balthazar's Lair
  • Find Balthazar’s axe
  • Dungeons:
  • Balthazar's Lair
  • Church of Eep
  • Plane of Water
  • Barbarian Fortress
  • Crypt of Korbu
  • Pirate’s treasure

Exits:

  • North to Garrote Gorge.
  • Boat to Ravenshore, Shadowspire

Unless you have a flying dragon, Balthazar’s Lair is especially useful for gaining Master Air status. It is also part of the critical alliance quests. By the time to can get here, most of the quests are of just moderate difficulty. The one exception is Korbu’s crypt. Between the Wyverns outside and the Efreet inside, it’s a battle!

  1. The church of Eep. This is located on an island in the center of RR. Unlike the prior two Eep churches (GG and Ravenshore) this one is about puzzles, not monsters. A bunch of floor tiles are trapped to close doors you want open, and transport you where you’d really rather you weren't. High perception skills make this much easier (because you can see the traps.) When you approach doors and stand right in front of them, the traps tend to close the doors. Sooooo … the answer is to jump over the trap into the open door! That is not possible in the second room you enter, though. So you need to press a button on a wall that magically moves a crate into a strategic position. Jump onto the crate, first, then to the door from there. In the lower level you need to get to the far end of the room, but transporters keep shooting to back. The 3rd cheese is in the chest on top of the table.
  2. Crypt of Korbu. If you get through the wyverns outside, prepare to get hammered by powerful genies and efreet inside. There’s a sparks trap (no real damage to you at this point) inside the door. In the big open room one of the crypts, when touched, opens a secret passage to Korbu’s sarcophagus. Pick that big momma up, and save it (with Korbu’s remains) for your next visit to Shadowspire.
  3. Barbarian Fort. Lots of ogres and ogre mages, and two secret switches. Up on the ramparts are some good chests. When you enter, there is a 2nd floor in each of the four corners. One has a switch that opens a passage to the lower levels. Underground are lots of treasure chests. At the far end of the underground is a room with one chest to the right as you enter. At the far side of this room is a secret door opened by a button on the wall. A chest inside has the dragon egg you need for either the dragons, or the dragon hunters, depending upon which side you chose.
  4. Pirate’s treasure. In the south central part of RR you will find six chests guarded by six gazillion gorgons. The chests are a huge money haul! Plus, an artifact or two. If you have a day to kill, destroy all the gorgons, then empty the chests at your leisure. (Protection from Magic is critical!) If not, hover a few yards in the air and draw them to a far side of the map. Then rush back, swoop in, and grab the goodies while the Gorgons are still muttering "wazzup?"
  5. Balthazar’s lair. This is also a lot easier than you’d guess — especially with dragons. You find the entrance (a square, blackish pool of water) a bit SW of the church of eep near the edge of the central bay. Step in, and slide into the only unflooded part of the lair. Deal with the overgrown fish that have taken up light housekeeping. Take the quest at the door on your right. Throw the switch marked "A", and head down into the next level, clearing our elementals. as you proceed. At the bottom of the first ramp is the key to success – a scroll with letters on it (A, B, C, E, G…). That gives you the order of the levers you must pull to empty the lair. When you find and pull the last one, a cut scene shows the water rushing out. Head one level further down and accept, humbly, the profuse thanks of the minotaur king. Now all the shops are open to you. There are still elementals in a few areas you haven’t explored, though. Make sure to get Air master status so you can use invisibility and fly. Also, get the Axe quest from Tessalar (near the "E" lever. The Axe is in the dwarf mines in Alvar. You have to get it verified at the town hall in Dagger Island. Don’t forget to touch the central fountain so town portal will work here.
  6. Plane of Water. Don't even think about it until you are sent there later in the game.