Avernum 4 Annotated Maps

Slith Lands

	Grindstone
Remote Tunnel				Eastern Gallery
Slith Caves

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Cache: Mandrake Root, Graymold
Notable items: Blessed Spear, Mercuric Leather, Woven Silk Robe, Emerald Chestguard
Stats: Repel Spirit +1, Summon Shade +1, Unshackle Mind +1

Lots of sliths here. Kill them all and take their stuff (blessed spear included). If you've talked with Ariadne about treasure, she told you about the north area. Approach it and it'll open up for you, reveal a pathway to a new dungeon. Note that if you want to enter this way, you can not exit till later. So be sure this is what you want to do. Actually, I take this in two passes; first to clear the outer tunnel, then when I am very strong, come back for Nicoduas.

When you've decided to come down, head down the stairs to a dark pit. Undead enemies here include Pit bones, which slow you, and Spiked shamblers, who reflect melee damage back on you. There are three basins to the SE, the north one heals you, the middle one poisons you, and the south one casts a permanent shield on you (use this one!). Pit ghouls and revenants are to the north, as is a disruption wand, which is pretty nice to have handy here. Three more basins are here, one refills your energy, one protects you mentally, and one summons a vengeful shade to fight you.

If you are ready to take on Nociduas, use them all. Then head back to the center where Nicoduas is located. Hit him hard, as fast as you can, or he'll summon a demon. If you're less than level ~30 and relying on brute force alone, he'll probably summon the demon before you can prevent it. There are ways to defeat him as early as level 17 (see notes below). Note that he also has a healing potion that will restore nearly all his health one time. USE THOSE INVULNERABILITY POTIONS! You've probably been saving them up, this is an excellent chance to use them. Together they are tough, but you can beat either set. He will probably charm you once, but that's OK. On death he drops a mercuric leather. Read his spell book for 3 more spells.

Check out everything, and you'll find some bodies. On them is a woven silk robe, and the almighty emerald chestguard (with huge resistance bonuses and little penalty). This armor will last you through the game. Follow the route to get out, and you end up next to Grindstone. Use the pylon to return to the action.

Note that you don't have to do the Nociduas battle. It takes him 4 turns to summon help, so just run past him and grab the Emerald chestguard. The dungeon is actually designed so that this is possible. You may miss out on the spells, but it's by far the easiest route to get this artifact.

The battle with Nociduas is among the hardest in the game, and easily the hardest in proportion to your level when you take it on. I typically build up to level 20 before attempting this encounter. You need one really strong fighter, augmented and buffed, to charge him while keeping your spellcasters outside the door, exposing only one at a time as needed. Try to keep him slowed and dazed as this reduces his chance to attack you. Stubborness is an important factor here.

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