The Riddle

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A hole in the foundation of the destroyed farmhouse leads down to a dark, dank cave. Perhaps Barthand slipped and fell inside the cave?

Requires access to adventure pack Definition: adventure pack A list of all adventure packs : Menace of the Underdark

The Riddle
Heroic level:	19
Epic level:	None
Duration:	long
Heroic XP:	♣3,151Solo/Casual ♦5,442Normal ♥5,633Hard ♠5,824Elite
Epic XP:	N/A
Takes place in:	Dank Cave
Bestowed by:	Ingval Muth
NPC contact:	Ingval Muth
Quest acquired in:	Eveningstar
Patron:	Purple Dragon Knights
Base favor:	7
Free to Play:	No
Extreme Challenge:	No

Loading screen

Overview

Ingval Muth has asked you to find the War Wizard Barthand, who disappeared suddenly while investigating troubled dreams in the village of Eveningstar.

Barthand was last seen near a hole leading to a Dank Cave, located in the extreme southwest corner of Eveningstar. Go there and do your best to locate him.

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Spoiler Warning: Information below this point can be considered spoiler material!

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Objectives

• Search for the Wizard Barthand
• Defeat the hags
• Talk to Barthand
• Seek the Eye of Frelga
• Find the Night Hag, Frelga
• Defeat the Night Hag, Frelga

Tips and Misc

• The most common foes are Will-o'-Wisps (which shoot chain lightning and cause Fear) and Vine Horrors (which use Spike Growth). On Heroic Elite difficulty, a full party can be overwhelmed quickly by mobs of these two foes alone. Evasive fighters such as Monks, Rangers and Rogues may survive longer but need time to whittle foes down. Spellcasters with great area-of-effect damage are ideal here.
• The loop in the southeast can be skipped if you want to avoid a few fights.
• Forest Hags repeatedly spawn Animated Armor (constructs) until killed. Focus on the hags, as their deaths will also destroy the spawned Armor.
• After the first shrine, the path to the east (looks like it leads back to Barthand) dead-ends with nothing down there but a bunch of wisps.
• Further down the path, the next turn east that looks like it should loop to the north also dead-ends with nothing but wisps.
• The password to open enchanted door is "knuckle-bones". You get the password from the War-Wizard in the "friendly NPC" room to the north-east
• Frelga's Eye cannot be targeted; however, it also doesn't attack. AoE, manual targeting (using the "T" key), or randomly swinging near it will quickly destroy it.
• Door with locked lever (Lock DC) protects a chest that spawns a mimic and 2 to 4 Will-o'-Wisps; the chest can be looted once all are killed.
• The door leading east from the third shrine only leads to a few Mudmen (and a bones collectable).
• Victory requires not only defeating Frelga, but other Night Hags and Vine Horrors surrounding her. Some may fall off the ledge during the fight and require locating.
• The quest giver and rewards is to the north, near a bonfire on the far side of a house.

Bonus XP

• Aggression bonus: 92 or more monsters killed +10% Bonus.( ♣315 ♦544 ♥563 ♠582 )
• Onslaught bonus: 119 or more monsters killed +15% Bonus.( ♣473 ♦816 ♥845 ♠874 )
• Observance bonus: 1 or more secret door discovered +8% Bonus.( ♣252 ♦435 ♥451 ♠466 )
• Mischief bonus: 20 or more breakables smashed +8% Bonus.( ♣252 ♦435 ♥451 ♠466 )
• Vandal bonus: 26 or more breakables smashed +10% Bonus.( ♣315 ♦544 ♥563 ♠582 )
• Ransack bonus: 32 or more breakables smashed +15% Bonus.( ♣473 ♦816 ♥845 ♠874 )

Loot

• Chests: 4
  • 1 for saving Barthand
  • 1 for finding Eye of Frelga
  • 1 optional for killing a mimic (CR 30 on Elite) behind locked lever (Lock DC)
  • 1 end chest
• Collectables: 9
  • Bones by the small pool at the end of passage northwest of the entrance
  • Adventurer's Pack in the southern alcove
  • Adventurer's Pack in the corner just east of there
  • Adventurer's Pack just after rescuing Barthand
  • Bones underwater in pool by seconds set of hags
  • Adventurer's Pack in crevasse near bottom of the room with all the ledges
  • Adventurer's Pack on one of those ledges (need to jump down to reach it)
  • Bones in eastern room with mudmen, just before final battle
  • Bones on ledge with final battle
• NPC rewards: ML1–2 items

Monsters

Name ( picture • New Monster )	CR	Type	Race
Animated Armor ( view  • edit )	♣17Solo/Casual ♦16Normal ♥23Hard ●♦22Epic Normal ●♥30Epic Hard	Construct	Animated Object
Chest (monster) ( view  • edit )		Aberration	Mimic
Forest Hag ( view  • edit )	♠29Elite	Monstrous Humanoid	Hag
Frelga's Eye ( view  • edit )	Unknown	Aberration	Evil Eye
Frelga ( view  • edit )	♥26Hard ♠32Elite	Evil Outsider	Hag
Grundlehin ( view  • edit )	♦21Normal ♥25Hard ♠31Elite	Monstrous Humanoid	Hag
Mudman ( view  • edit )	♥23Hard ♠28Elite ●♦25Epic Normal ●♥29Epic Hard ●♠40Epic Elite	Elemental	Muckman
Vine Horror ( view  • edit )	♥20Hard ♠25Elite ●♦21Epic Normal ●♥28Epic Hard ●♠53Epic Elite	Plant	Vine Stalker
Vine Stalker ( view  • edit )	♦9Normal	Plant	Vine Stalker
Will-o'-Wisp ( view  • edit )	♠25Elite	Aberration	Will o' Wisp