Illithium Quest

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I remember it from when I BG2 first came out but I'll be darned if I remember anymore how you get it in the first place. I know that goof over at the snob's estate is not there when I visit and the ore vendor and the nasty dwarf are in their places.

Spoiler please.

 

It's part of the Church quests. You need to accept the Cult of the Eyeless quest before you can get it. Then talk to people in the church there

 

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Remember also if you find out where the Duergar supplier is and THEN get fake illithium from the ore merchant, you can both complete the temple quest (with the fake stuff), and also take the real stuff along with the +1 mace of disruption (Bohdi's lair, upper floor, in pool of blood) to the master smith in the docks district (Cromwell). He will make an improved mace, +2 and immune to level drain while wielding.

This time around playing BG2, I had Viccy wielding it just about for pretty much the whole game thereafter, backing up my fighter who (finally) dual used the celestial katana and the equaliser, while Korgan tanked it with Crom Faeyr, switching to the +3 dwarven throwing hammer for ranged attack.

 

I thought you could do this but the artist recognizes the fake stuff and refuses to do the sculpture for the church, thus taking that part of the quest out of the game with the exception of pickpocketing for the Helm of Glory.

I am doing something wrong? I've read in searches that you can keep the real stuff by killing the artist and the family with a demon but this just doesn't turn me on. Even Korgan doesn't want me to go this far.

 

You are right that the artist recognises the fake stuff and storms off, but take the fake stuff back to the church anyway, you will be surprised...

 

I may be mistaken, but the church will be happy because the artist (who got the real stuff) completes their project. The church could care less about the fake. The problem comes when you want to combine the real stuff with the mace of disruption which you will not be able to do since you gave the real stuff to the artist.

That's why people give the real stuff to the artist and divise some way to kill him and take it back.

 

I got a reasonable reward (including the helm) for delivering the fake stuff to the church -- they actually sound happier that the snob wasn't paid to make it. You don't get quite as much experience this way, but the immunity to level drain is easily worth the 21,500 experience points you miss out on.

 

hooterville, this is a way to do it and keep the various factions happy.

First, a church of Helm representative waylays you as you walk through the temple district and asks for help. That leads to the "Cult of the Eyeless" quest.

When you complete that and go back to the Helm Church (Temple District), they have another job for you. This opens up the "Sarles the Sculptor" quest.

See Sarles, a guest of the Jysstevs at their estate in the Government district. He will do a piece of work for the church, but only if you can find 200 stones of illithium for him to work with. Go to the ore merchant (Jerlia) in the SW of Waukeens Promenade.

Jerlia does not have that much illithium, so pay her to reveal her source. The source is Ungar Hilldark, a Duergar in disguise in the Copper Coronet (Slums District). Having got Ungar Hilldark's name, now change your mind and ask Jerlia to knock up some fake alloy.

Go to Ungar, Follow the lead that he gives you to Neb (Bridge District)where there are 200 stones of real illithium alloy. Get the fake stuff from Jerlia when she has had time to make it.

At this point I tuck the real stuff somewhere. I use the table at the exit of the Copper Coronet for most of the things I may want later.

Now I go back to see Sarles, carrying the fake illithium. After a moment or two Sarles realises the illithium he has been given is fake, and storms off. Quest over, you may think, but not so. Take the fake illithium that you still have on you to the Church of Helm. While reporting your failure to the priest that gave you the quest, his boss walks by, sees the blob of fake illithium, and likes it just as it is. The church is now happy with you.

Now, simply wait until you have attacked Bohdi's lair, where, in a pool of blood surrounded by cushions you can reach in and retrieve the Mace of Disruption +1. Go back and get the real illithium, take it to Cromwell, the master smith in the Docks District along with the mace, and he makes you a cool more powerful +2 one. I found it worth the effort to do.

 

"Now I go back to see Sarles, carrying the fake illithium. After a moment or two Sarles realises the illithium he has been given is fake, and storms off. Quest over, you may think, but not so. Take the fake illithium that you still have on you to the Church of Helm. While reporting your failure to the priest that gave you the quest, his boss walks by, sees the blob of fake illithium, and likes it just as it is. The church is now happy with you. "


The above is the only part I didn't know. Thanks for the enlightenment.