CHAPTER 12: THE HIGH COUNCIL CONSPIRACY
In this chapter, you get to investigate the mole -or moles- that are responsible for the current anarchy within the High Council of Tanirith. In doing so, you get to face off with wererats and assassins. This will lead you face to face with the first of three Overlords ... quite early at this stage of the game, eh?
1) fresh from saving Wailsrond, go speak to the Lord Paladine. As you deliver the news, a courrier from Lantharond will bring a diplomatic letter to the Lord. This letter announces that Lantharond is nullifying its alliance treaty with Tanirith on the basis that Tanirith failed to send armed forces to help Wailsrond, another ally of Tanirith. Aside from the fact that the letter is signed by the Regent of Lantharond and not by the King himself (rumors have it that he is sick and dying; see Chapter 19), one can wonder how is it that Lantharond knew so quickly of Wailsrond's rescue and Tanirith's failure to send troops. The answer is clear to the Lord Paladine: spies and moles are operating within the city. He enjoins you to find them out once and for all; if you have not already, he tells you to go speak with Jarad Noll.
2) go show the spy report that you found to Jarad Noll. Then, play on the invitations that you got from Shalla Thrall and Nomune Ngallan to speak with them further. Shalla resides in her late father's estate (Golan Thrall; see the SL Guide), whereas the gates of Nomune's estate are at x43y15. Ask them questions to learn as much as you can from them, but be careful as to not make false accusations.
3) then go to Adventurers Inc. (see SL Guide). While there, pick up Ellai Longroads and Leira Songheart; while not crucial to any part of the story, these characters can still be useful. Take the large job of cleaning the sewers from wererats (or ratmen); you'll also be given a sewer key that will allow you to explore all of the sewers at your leisure, if you feel like it.
4) enter the sewers through the park, using the secret entrance under the memorial monument (see SL Guide). Once in the sewers, head straight to the room where the ratmen entrance is marked on the figure to the left. After taking care of the wererats guards there, open the trap door to go down in the undersewers.
5) from where you land, go through the door at the south. After taking care of more wererats, go to x32y34 with search on and pull on the lose stone there to open the corridor at x27y34. From there, head to x41y28, the room of the current leader of the wererats, the Ratlord Rhodin. After taking care of him, you'll find interesting things at x43y26 and x44y30, including clues as to the location of the Assassins Guild; also at x43y31, there's a secret door that leads to Rhodin's loot. Having done the job, go back to Adv. Inc. to collect your reward.
6) after being given your reward, go back to the front kiosk so that you may take the large job of eradicating the illegal Assassins Guild, which calls itself "The Red Claw" (you'll recognize the name all too well if they have attempted to assassinate you already). Then go search the seemingly abandonned house where you had found assassins, back in TiSL (see SL Guide). In the basement, you'll find a burnt out letter that seems to incriminate Shalla Thrall. But before rushing to judgement, take the letter first to Jarad: he will tell you to be careful as to not quickly accuse Shalla. Then go back at Shalla's to show her this letter, she will tell you of its contents and allude to the fact that the courrier was mysteriously attacked and never to be seen again; she had wondered as to what exactly happened with this letter. Finally, go to Maps of All Trade: Maps the furfoot (Ellai Longroads' cousin) will be able to fix the letter, which will prove to be nothing more than mundane business correspondence, as stated by Shalla. Thus, someone was trying to frame Shalla Thrall as the mole, and therefore she must be innocent. This then leaves Nomune Ngallan as the prime suspect.
7) since the assassins are not in the abandoned house, their HQ must then be in the sewers. Head back outside of the city to x8y36 with search on: there you'll find a hidden entrance to the sewers. Once in the sewers, you'll find a secret door to your left as indicated on the figure to the left. This will lead you to a small room guarded by assassins. After dealing with them, open the trap door and go down to another part of the undersewers.
8) from where you arrive, go to x10y17: you'll find a secret door there that leads right into the Assassins' Guild! After dealing with the Red Claw assassins there, go to x10y21 with search on: you'll be able to make the wall at x10y22 move, thus revealing a corridor. Go down this corridor to x7y37, where you'll face off with the Grand Dagger of the Red Claw, a shifty man named Shadowsilk. As happenstance would have it, the Grand Dagger is hosting the Raven, the royal spy from Sharranth! After the "no quarters given" battle that ensues, you'll find interesting stuff on Shadowsilk and the Raven, including a letter which reveals a plot to assassinate the Lord Paladine! Interestingly, it would appear that Anthraxus Storm would not condone such an act. Then go to x9y40 with search on, which will allow you to open the way to the Guild's treasury. From there, head back up to x14y20, where you'll find a secret door opening to another corridor. Down this corridor, at x14y33, you'll find a cell holding a prisoner ... and who is none other than Nomune Ngallan! Bring Nomune back to Jarad Noll (and be careful as to keep the poor sap alive while doing so!); the shocked High Councilor will then tell you to apprehend the false Nomune at all cost.
9) go to Nomune's estate and confront the impostor: he will reveal himelf to be Master Taroth Sark, of the Inner Council of Overlords! He'll first run off to leave you to fight some of his psi-warriors. After the battle, head to the library shelf at x14y25 with search on: this will allow you to open the way to a secret flight of stairs to the basement. In the basement, go to the door at x27y84: Taroth Sark is there with the main of his entourage, busy at using a communication globe and conversing with another Overlord. Take care of Taroth and his bunch; unfortunately, a near-dead Taroth will manage to escape with the help of a teleporting ring. Walk over to the globe at x29y81: you'll find out that the Overlord Sark was speaking to is none other than the same one you spoke with some six months past, after defeating the three Overlords responsible for the trouble in the Sword Lands. Explore the rest of the place for extra neat stuff.
10) then go back to Jarad Noll. He and (the real) Nomune will be quite grateful, expressing their gratitute with nice rewards. Then rush over to see the Lord Paladine to warn him about the assassination plot against him. As you do so, Red Claw assassins will shed their disguises and attempt to do the deed! Once you have saved the Lord Paladine, go to Adv. Inc. to get your reward for the "killer" job you did at eradicating the Assassins Guild. Finally, note that assassins will not ever again attempt to kill you, since you have dismantled their guild (however, adventurers and other swords-for-hire might still try).
Congratulations! You have not only revealed the mole within the High Council and delivered Tanirith from the dangers of the wererats and the Red Claw, but saved the lives of the Lord Paladine as well as that of councilor Nomune Ngallan, and defeated an Overlord in the process! You can now tackle either Chapter 13 (most suggested), Chapter 15, Chapter 16, Chapter 19, or Chapter 20!
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