Celestial Heavens - Drangheim

: Posted 02 January 2005; by Vox Clamant

Drangheim is the twin of Sturmford. The same skills trainers, two more promotion masters, and three significant quests. You don't want to even think about taking on the Chasm of the Dead for a while. The first half is fine --- but then you meet a pack of apparitions! The other two quests -- prison and thieves -- can be attacked early in the game.

Quests	Jaarl: Destroy Anskram Keep Defences Jaarl: Chasm of the Dead Promotion to Crusader: Eliminate the Thieves Promotion to Assassin: (2) Find Nicolai a job Rumor Quest Stop the Sturmford-Drangheim war

Trainers	Weapons and Armor: Expert and Master Magic: None Specialties: None Grandmaster Training: None

Promotions	Fighter --> Crusader Mercenary --> Assassin

Altar	Jaarl's bedroom

SHIPPING SCHEDULE	Mon.: Guberland Tues.: Sturmford. Wed: Guberland Thurs.: None Fri.: Sturmford. Sat: Guberland Sun: None

OPEN QUESTIONS:	None

Drangheim City	There is very little difference between what Sturmford and Drangheim can offer in terms of shops and trainers. \|Do NOT use the training center in Drangheim unless really necessary. It costs 4 times the training cost in Sturmford, and 10 times the centers in Frosgard and the Thjorgard Black Market!! Several key trainers are located inside buildings in the NE part of town. Don't forget the barrels inside the foundry (on your right as you enter the city.)

Prison Quest	Thanks to Lillia, Kirith, Herville, Deathmonger, and Slarti for their hints on the prison quest before I finally went back and remapped the place! There are two ways to enter the prison -- the front gate and a secret passage from the village outside Drangheim City. The easiest is to simply go in the main gate and ask the guard straight ahead of you for a visitors pass. No one seems concerned that your party is armed and dangerous, and you can wander around the place pretty much unquestioned. If all you want to do is free the general, head to the stairs in the NW corner of the prison. You will find him in a cell on the top floor. Free him, fight through the guards and return to the exit, and leave. When you find the general and let him out of his cell, he'll follow you back to the exit, then he will leave you for a drink in the Sturmford tavern. Pick him up there later, lead him to the Jaarl, and collect your quest experience. If you take that "quick-in-and-out" approach you miss a number of fun options, a minor quest, some secret passages, and lots of chests (One black.) A black chest is in the Captain's quarters on the E side of the middle floor. North of him is a room with a small crawlspace "C" that does not appear to be accessable. It probably is just a home for all the beetles that infest the area. The cook will give you a minor quest to save his brother (who is in the cell next to the general on the top floor.) If you accept it, he shows you one of the secret passages at "B" (behind the cow!) that leads up to the blacksmith's room on the top floor. There seems to be little value in this passage, other than the fun, unless you wish to avoid a fight or two along the way. The general is in "X2" on the top floor. A lever at "L" opens the cell. Obviously, pulling the lever also makes all the guards hostile. In the blacksmith's room is an attribute barrel. Moving the forge at the N side of the room uncovers the cook's secret passage down to "B" on the middle floor. If you now decide to head back to the front, you might have to wait sometimes for the general to catch up with you. All guards along the way will attack. There is another secret passage from a cave underneath the prison that connects with the bottom and middle floors. (Thanks Tim --> In the SW corner of the botttom level are five chests, three out in the open and two in a hidden room.) The well in the village allows you to enter the hidden cave, and easily climb up to the middle floor.

Anskram Keep *(Exterior)*	When you enter the clearing and see Anskram keep before you, there is no obvious way to enter. Head around the keep to the left, and wipe out the Basilisk who takes offense at your intrusion. Now head to the back of the keep, take out the 2nd basilisk, and loot the chest. At the back of the keep on the NW corner is a weak section of wall. Whack it, and you can enter. A central room on the lower floor has another Basilisk. Now, head up the stairs to the top floor. The door on the South side of the keep gets you into the imp area. At the front of the keep you will find trap doors that let you inside to destroy the defences of the building. SPOILER: Shoot the two chains holding up the drawbridge, and press the (hard to see in the dark) floorswitch to raise the portcullis.

Chasm of the Dead Quest	Getting through this from the entrance (top of map) to the chasm at point "A" is straight-forward, even with a level 8-10 party. Lots of traps, a few tough fights. And, of course, the problem with undead is that you have to kill many of them twice! But, at point "A" you will run into LOTS of apparitions that will eat up any party under level 20 or so, maybe even level 30. So, you might want to make this one of your mid-game quests. The apparitions are "buried" in the pathway that works it's way around the rim to the chasm floor in area "A". There's no way around them. Every 20 feet or so, when you pass them, they appear behind you and attack. If you run, you just trigger all 10 or so to appear, and they have no problem catching, surrounding, and, well, you get the idea. So, go slow through "A" and take out one at a time. Wrath of Bugs is a great weapon against apparitions. They get confused, don't attack, miss a lot, and make it a lot easier. Rayhne points out another idea -- featherfall down and bypass all the apparitions. Then, town portal out when you have the Crona Kiga. Paul avoided the apparitions by tiptoeing along the edge of the path. The floor of the chasm at "B" is filled with patches of undead, 4-5 at a time, that rise and attack as you pass. The mini-temple in the NE corner has lots of mummies, a bit of treasure, some traps. The same with the rooms just before the Crona Kiga at "D". At "C" is a complex with 12+ mummies guarding a central pyramid. On top is a scroll of the Lich, Part 2. The room at "D" is well guarded with skeletons. Thanks Deathmonger - There is a black chest I missed "...behind the flipping floor trap in the hallway just off the chasm." I will try to track down a specific location on the map.

Crusader Promotion	WARNING: Make sure you have read the "Bugs and ONE HUGE WARNING" section about the serious Promotion Lockout Issue before you do this!!! Keith is in the entry to the Temple. This is an easy quest once you have your party built up a bit. A couple fighters with Expert armor, and at least one expert weapon apiece is essential. 6-7 thieves and bandits immediately surround you. Once you defeat them, loot their camp. Take the plow, dolly, and herbs to the villagers in the SE corner of the map, then return to get your promotion. BTW -- did you notice one of the houses in the village is locked, and cannot be entered even though with "perception" you see the green outline that indicates an area to enter? Hmmmm. Remember that one. Two great hints from Neriana: Newbies to MM will underestimate the importance of using geography to your advantage in battles. Neriana points out the cleft in the mountain on the right side just as you enter the thieves area. Get their attention, then run over there and back in. Now, only 1 or 2 can hack at your party (instead of surrounding you) and the big rock to your right even prevents some of them from throwing daggers at you. If you look at the write-up on the assassin's quest and Kluso's house, you will see the same approach using the stairwell. Fighting in doorways, without fully entering the room, is a great tactic. Second, Neriana made good use of a new MM feature overlooked by many of us (including me until the midgame!) the "F" key. Press "F" and you can set up a formation for your party. Your fighters and an NPC in the front row can shield your weaker magic users in the back.

Stop the Rumors	(Thanks Lillia!) Here's a quest I missed from the Jaarl. (Details to be provided next time I get back to Drangheim.) He asks you to talk to a woman in town to find out who is spreading rumors. The Drangheim woman fingers another woman in Sturmford. Confront the gossip in Sturmford, threaten to rat her out to the Drangheim Jaarl, and she folds like a cheap suit. (Lillia: "Pretty easy way to get gold and experience early on.")

Get Nicoli off Welfare	Another one I missed! Thanks again Lillia! Prince Nicoli (remember him from MM6, trying to find the circus where he had run away!) needs a job. As Lillia puts it, "There's a guy in Guberland circus who needs to hire someone, but not someone who looks as scruffy as you!" (Hey, cut me some slack Lillia, I shaved and everything this morning!) Just let Nicoli know, then return to Thorin Mouth at the Circus for your reward.

Assassin Promotion	WARNING: Make sure you have read the "Bugs and ONE HUGE WARNING" section about the serious Promotion Lockout Issue before you do this!!! Atli is found in the Tavern. He gives you two quests. Get the Knife. Go to the house in the N part of Drangheim and prepare for tough fights. 12-15 Guard Captains are the start, then you get Kluso himself. The key to victory here is survive the first onslaught of 5-6 guards, then carefully pick off 1-2 at a time of the guards spread around the house. Backing into the stairwell at "B" lets you fight without getting surrounded. Attack room "C last. A tough captain and Kluso await. At "A" on the bottom floor is a black chest. My mercenary with Expert disarm at level 12 (enhanced via various goodies I'd found along the way) opened it with no problem. A very nice dagger is inside, just waiting for my soon-to-be-assassin to use in two-handed blade fighting! Take the knife out of the wall over the fireplace, and blow this popstand. It is this knife, not the one in the black chest, that is needed. When you take it, an alarm sounds, and any guards you left alive come running. (Note ... thanks Joe and DvuS -- you don't actually have to kill Kluso, just getting the knife solves the quest. But, Kluso does have some nice loot if you do!) (Thanks Kirth -- you can also go in the upper back window and miss the welcoming party at the front door.) Big hint: Trying Kirth's hint when playing through a second time, I discovered that all the guards are asleep at night. You can attack one at a time, and their dumb "comrades-in-arms" sleeping 10 feet farther down the hall don't even wake up and help their friend. Take them out one at a time. That only leaves a group of 5-6 in the room with the knife and black chest to deal with as a group. If you really want to be cheesy and take on Kluso "for free", then jump from the balcony to the top of the bookshelf on the back wall. Pick him off with arrows while all he can do is shake his fist at you! (He has some nice loot.) Kill Guaine in broad daylight. There is no hint where this guy might be, or even what city. If you're observant, though, you will now see a new person holding two daggers standing in front of the Drangheim bank. Yup. That's Velsii!

Stop the War	This quest is given late in the game after you have accomplished all quests from all six Jaarls. A messenger will find you, and indicate that Drangheim and Sturmford are at war. You must find a way to stop it. Go talk to both Jaarls., and use a bit of diplomacy. You will find that you need to find someone to write a treaty between the two cities. Hint: You do not need to wander around asking everyone you meet. Someone is a logical choice. SPOILER: How about another Jaarl they both respect. BIG SPOILER: How about the cutest Jaarl?