Q:Assault on Splinterskull 1,2

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Updated Fri, Feb 13, 2009 by Darkgolem

Hidinginplainsight

Quest Guide: Assault on Splinterskull

Quests 1 and 2: First Strike and The Hobgoblin Captives

By Darkgolem

The Assault on Splinterskull series of quests is one of the longest, and more enjoyable series of quests in the game. It usually is the first large scale foray a new adventurer will make into fighting humanoids aside from kobolds. In addition to plenty of experience and a fun design, Splinterskull Fortress has a fun design and interesting appearance. The only drawback with this series of quest is it's repetitiveness... most players have it memorized after doing the quest chain.

For the first two quests of the Assault on Splinterskull chain, a party of adventurers will face mainly warrior and rogue hobgoblins. No spellcasters are yet found. These are most noteworthy for their trip ability. Hobgoblins love to trip an adventurer, and attempt it often. Even relatively powerful adventurers for these quests can suffer a fair amount of damage lying in a mosh pit of angry hobgoblins, so it is best to be with friends, and don't let yourself get surrounded.

Starting Npc:	Chief Ungurz
Quest Zone:	Outer Splinterskull Fortress
Related Zones:	Tangleroot Gorge; House Phiarlan
Level:	3 (both)
Monsters:	Brown Spider, Black Widow Spider, Lesser Grey Ooze, Hobgoblin Infiltrator, Hobgoblin Slayer, Hobgoblin Guard, Wolf, Darkfang Spider, Night Scorpion, Hobgoblin Warden
Named Bosses	Blademaster Chagg
Bonus Objectives:	Slay Blademaster Chagg (30xp) (First Strike) Destroy 25 Weapons Crates (25xp) (The Hobgoblin Captives) Slay the Hobgoblin Warden (20xp) (The hobgoblin Captives)
Possible Reward Items:	4 chests (plus additional if rest of outer fortress searched)
Walk-Through:	First Strike: The goal of this first foray into splinterskull is simple, kill 20 hobgoblin guards. When entering the fortress, proceed down the stones into a tunnel. Further down the tunnel is a T intersection, where you will meet some spiders. Take a left (east) at the intersection, and proceed further. Shortly you will run into a group of hobgoblin guards and hobgoblin infiltrators. One of the guards will ring a bell, which will summon more hobgoblins. The fight is not very difficult, but there are numerous hobgoblins. Take a left at the intersection where the fight is, and head north. You will come into a broad chamber with hallways east and west, and a portcullis to the north. You must open the portcullis by proceeding into both east and west hallways, entering a room where a switch is found. The rooms are guarded by hobgoblin guards, infiltrators and wolves. Beware their trip attacks. After opening both switches, head back to the portcullis, which will now be open. Beyond the portcullis to the north there are a few hobgoblins, including a fairly well armored hobgoblin slayer, and then a door. The door opens into another chamber, with various hobgoblins and wolves. Again, there are hallways to the east and west, and a staircase leading north. East and west hallways end in large areas with cages, these are prisons. The east corridor has a shrine halfway down it's length beyond a door on it's north side. Both east and west rooms at the ends of the hallways have several hobgoblin infiltrators, and some hobgoblin guards. Sometimes the east room will have Blademaster Chagg, otherwise he will be beyond the stairs. There is a pit in the both the east and west room, surrounded by bars, and both can be opened with a lever found on the edge of the pit. The east pit has 3 somewhat dangerous night scorpions, and a door which requires a 16 strength to open it. Beyond the door there is a short hallway to a chest. The west pit has brown spiders, and a darkfang spider. Both east and west rooms have locked doors on their southern sides. The east door opens to a room with a chest, among crates and boxes. The west room opens to short turning hall with a chest at the end in another room. The turn here has a spike trap, which can be disarmed, or, once discovered, avoided by careful walking. Beyond the spike trap is a chest. Back at the central hall, past the stairs, is a short hallway to a door. The door opens to a large open chamber. If not found in the east prison area previously mentioned, Blademaster Chagg will be here, along with several infiltrators, guards and two slayers. At the end of this room, to the left is a hall going further into the fortress. Pass this way only if your interested in finding a couple more chests for a lot of fighting. To the right (east) is a locked door, which leads to another turning, short tunnel with a chest at it's end. A lightning trap is here, which can be disarmed, but is difficult to avoid. At this point, you will have completed both objectives to the quest, and will not need to go further unless interested in a little loot from chests. The Hobgoblin Captives: For this second foray into Splinterskull Fortress, your goal is to save 5 hobgoblin captives. Everything is the same as your last foray, the portcullis must be opened, chests, enemies and traps are in the same locations, the numbers of opponents are the same, with minor exceptions mentioned below. First: Blademaster Chagg is no longer present. Instead, in the central chamber beyond the stairs, you find among the hobgoblins, a hobgoblin warden. Killing him is not difficult, and he will drop two keys, which open the storerooms in the east and west prisons. There is also a captive. Second: The east and west prisons have two captives each. After killing the hobgoblins here, simply free them. Third: Past the scorpion pit in the west prison, you will find a prisoner in the room with the chest. Speaking to him causes him to mutter about something evil living in the dungeon (this would be Whisperdoom), and then he dies of scorpion venom. Fourth: Each storeroom found off the prisons have several crates in them, 25 total. Destroying them all will bring you the optional objective (destroy 25 weapons crates). Once the crates and Warden are destroyed, simply return to the outdoors for your next foray into splinterskull.