Crimson Tides of Tethyr Walkthrough Guide - Part I

Crimson Tides of Tethyr NWN

Crimson Tides of Tethyr is a NWN module for BioWare's cRPG Definition of 2002, Neverwinter Nights 1.

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CToT is the second of three Forgotten Realms modules by alazander, though only loosely connected to his preceding module, Siege of Shadowdale.

CToT was followed up by Tyrants of the Moonsea.

Crimson Tides of Tethyr Enhanced Edition was released in July 2023.

Crimson Tides of Tethyr Introduction

After many years of war, Tethyr is finally enjoying a period of relative peace. Despite this, problems still continue to plague the realm. Beasts roam the countryside, pillaging and slaying at random. The Knights of the Black Gauntlet, an order led by the priest Teldorn Darkhope and dedicated to the evil deity Bane continue to plague Tethyr's eastern border. However, the greatest threat of all has arisen recently in the form of the huge monstrous coalition known as the Sythillisian Empire. - DM Alazander.

"Old friend, I fear that Tethyr's future is once again in the balance. The Sythillisian Empire has turned its gaze towards us for reasons I cannot fathom. How can this recently healed nation hope to defend itself from the untold thousands of goblins, orcs, ogres and giants that lurk on its northern border?" - Excerpt from a letter by Royal Court Sage Gamalon Idogyr to Elminster of Shadowdale, 1372 DR.

Crimson Tides of Tethyr Overview

Crimson Tides of Tethyr is a large-scale module for seventh level characters. The module is inspired by the Baldur's Gate series (the player actually visits BG2 locales, and there are references to its characters and itemization).

• As with summons, animal companions and familiars, NWN Henchmen leach your XP.
• Resting is restricted to once every four hours or eight minutes real-time. You must find an inn and pay for a lodging.
• Mobs are level-scaled according to NWN's native scaling of spawns.
• Much of the loot from receptacles is randomized as is common in NWN and its modules. As in NWN modules dating back to the OC, there is also powerful static itemization.
• Remember to talk to your companions after each lvlup for XP; it adds up.
• Pump Persuade; it's useful at key moments.
• Scimitar NWN and Katana NWN are the best weapon choices in CToT.
• Class checks are basic. Dialogue only checks the first class you took. So you will be referred to as a Rogue even if you're a Rogue (1) Fighter (15).
• Lore is a useful skill. You don't always have Neremul or vendors around. So what happens is, you go through the final segments of the game and can't ID all the magical loot you are finding. That means you won't be able to wear stuff like the Amulet of Natural Armor +5 and great weapons, armors and shields. Ergo, ending is harder than it should be. For example, 20 ranks in Lore is still not enough to ID the end-game Divine Fury katana or the Scimitar of Speed (quaff a Lore potion on top of that).
• UMD is also useful. Try to get 10 ranks in it.
• Sword n board > two-handed/dual-wielding because AC is very important. Look for Tower Shields; they go up to +3 I think. Always wear biggest baddest armor possible.
• Perma-Haste sources (v. important!): Boots of Haste (x2), Bracers of Blinding Strike, Scimitar of Speed, Short Sword of Quickness, Robes of the Dark Moon.
• Look for Gargoyle Boots and Dragon Slippers if you are a melee char (vendors in Suldanessellar).
• Alignment. It's easy to fall into Chaos and almost impossible to reinforce Lawfulness. There is even a point at which the PC can give a solemn vow, and yet no Lawful points are awarded. Paladins and Dwarven Defenders beware.

There are too many forced cutscenes, dialogue segments and scripted events for my liking. Making the player wait through unskippable cutscenes is obnoxious. Note that NWN cutscenes even disable the Esc key which brings up the main menu.

Audio-wise, CToT includes 17 of its own custom tracks ranging from serene pieces to militaristic stuff. No SP module outdoes CToT's custom OST.

Cutscene 1: Prelude: The Liberation of Trademeet

A lone Champion of Torm stands over the corpses of freshly slain orcs. A guard approaches him.

Sir, the men are ready to move in. Just give the word. Ah... you were attacked? - Crimson Guard Warrior. 

A brief skirmish. These orcs were poorly trained, in keeping with what we've seen of these Sythillisians. - Levantes Coronel. 

Sir, I can't help thinking... why are we doing this? Naught is left of Trademeet but ruins. We've lost good men already.

This is what Daramus would have us do, Jered. These monsters have caused enough destruction. In Torm's name, they shall be stopped!

Pardon my saying so, sir, but Daramus never did anything for the love of Torm. Why would he-

Wait, lad, did you hear that? 

The two warriors charge more orcs, this time supported by a mountain giant.

Usta ela Solcano!

Levantes unleashes a blinding beam of divine energy, owning the evil humanoids.

Gather the men, Jered. We move now! Jered runs off to do just that.

*Fade to black*

A second cutscene now plays, but this one can be shown in one pic as it's just a talk-fest.

Cutscene 2: Faerntarn Palace, Darromar - one month later...

A royal herald enters the throne room and announces the arrival of the Crimson Guards to King Haedrak III and Queen Zaranda Star, rulers of Tethyr. The sage Gamalon Idogyr expresses concerns at hiring a mercenary group, but they're gently played down by the royal couple.

*Fade to Black*

City of Darromar

Royal, Caravan, Temple & Black Quarters of Darromar

Darromar is divided into quarters featuring 30 areas including Faerntarn Palace (not accessible until end-game; it consists of 8 areas), a four-storey Mage Guild tower, a Thieves' Guild (with hideout beneath), a Chandlers, a Grand Barracks, a noble's mansion, two inns, two shops, two sewer zones (descending to a separate psionic lair), and three temples.  

There are about a dozen quests to be picked up in Darromar, a few of which are resolved later in the campaign. All but three are quite short and simple, though. The custom music is what makes this hub memorable.

Darromar - The Sea Lion's Pride - Second Floor

The adventure begins in the Sea Lion's Pride Inn, Darromar. I awaken in my room, feeling refreshed. I'm given the opportunity to Level to 7, which I take (CToT is apparently balanced for 6-8, and two Henchmen). 

The starting gear is standard fare, apart from the Rod of Revival (Raise Dead [9] Unlimited/day).

• Starting gear: 4050 GP, Short Sword, Torch, Studded Leather Armor, Woodsman Outfit, Potion of Cure Light Wounds (3). There is no item strip, but I recommend not importing a character as it ruins game-balance.

I'm an adventurer who has traveled a long way to finally reach Darromar (capital of Tethyr), probably seeking more adventure; the nation has known civil war for the past ten years ("the Interregnum"); the new leaders have restored some hope, but problems persist: roaming beasts pillage and slay, a Banite order plagues the eastern border; and now, a newly-arisen '"monstrous coalition" known as the Sythillisian Empire' are apparently the greatest threat. Tethyr needs heroes, and I'm gonna be one. I'll start off as a merc, work my way up. My skills will be in demand in Darromar. Time to seek my destiny...

The rain lashes down outside, battering the roof of the inn. You can vaguely hear a group of men talking downstairs. - DM.

I decide to take a peek in the other rooms (which for warriors means bashing down the doors with Power Attack). Inside one of them I almost trip over a passed-out drunkard! I swipe his wine and guzzle it down (-2 INT), resisting the urge to coup de grâce his sorry ass on the way out.

Bashing down the door to another room, I find myself face-to-face with a foul-tempered dwarf smelling like a brewery, Merkul Stonegrin, with whom I couldn't resist picking a fight. Alcohol-fueled violence ensued, lasting for several rounds.

Center: Elf versus Dwarf, it could go either way! Right: ... But Elf wins!

• Corpse of Merkul: Masterwork Warhammer (Attack bonus +1), Splint Mail, Large Shield, Boots of Expeditious Retreat (Expeditious Retreat [5] 3/day).
• Other loot: 95 GP, Masterwork Dagger, Wine. I also find a Note on the floor, on which is penned: "Red Nazala says it's almost ready. Where have I heard that before? Still, they say three is my lucky number..." (part of a quest)

Theft is monitored: for each item stolen expect a shift towards Chaotic. It's possible to murder three lodgers in cold blood (the drunkard and a naked couple), but it results in an obvious shift towards evil.

Having finished up here, I now head downstairs.

Darromar - The Sea Lion's Pride - Common Room

Several crimson-cloaked men dominate the center of the inn. An officer appears to be examining a large map of the region. - DM.

I attempt to coerce the bartender into giving me compensation for my damp lodgings, but not a dime is forthcoming. He informs me that the the guys in red are the Crimson Guard, a mercenary group, who recently crushed the Sythillisian force in Trademeet. The "Syths" - for short - are led by an ogre mage warlord (Sythillis) and his partner, the warrioress Cyrvisnea. For now, the Crimson Guard have settled in the Black Quarter of Darromar, one thousand strong in number (an army). But why are they here? They're waiting for war, as the Syth are about to orchestrate a full-scale invasion. The Syth comprise of orcs, goblinkind, kobolds, ogres and giants marching under one banner - hence the term monstrous coalition.

Officer Loric

The tone of conversation with Officer Loric is amusing. Bursting with Crimson Guard pride, he recounts the battle at Trademeet. The CGs took Trademeet, but Sythillis escaped. The horde then marched on them in great number from the Empire's stronghold, Murann, forcing the CG to retreat south to Darromar, where we all are now. The reasons for the Syth leaving Murann vulnerable to Amn in the north and now targeting Tethyr are unknown (it isn't because they lost Trademeet). Anyway, amazed by my responses and informed of my intention to join the mercs, Loric refers me to the recruiting officer at the Grand Barracks.

There are several references to the Baldur's Gate series in Loric's dialogue, from the nostalgic Candlekeep (where BioWare's cRPGs began) to the country of Amn (in which Baldur's Gate 2 is set), to Tuigan (BG2 Best Bow).

Alazander's modules will probably feel richer for those knowledgeable on Realmslore, and, in the case of CToT, experience with the BG series also helps (but is not a requirement).

Neremul

En route to enlist my services, I bump into an extremely butthurt Wizard blocking the front door to the inn, his staff dripping with acidic residue. It seems Neremul has been cast out of the Mages' Guild here in Darromar. I ask him to join with me; having little else to do, he agrees. Neremul has a decent repertoire of spells: Invisibility, Stoneskin and Summon Creature IV (dire spider). I'll talk more about his combat spells later. Anyway, CToT doesn't let you access Henchman inventories, but I assume Neremul has decent gear, too (his staff, for e.g).

The newly-formed duo step out of the cozy inn and onto the rain-soaked streets of Darromar.

Darromar Royal Quarter

The rain continues to poor down, and aside from the market traders and a few unfortunate citizens the streets appear to be empty. - DM.

Rain - Darromar Royal Quarter - Faerntarn Palace in the background

At this point you're permitted to explore the four quarters of Darromar (Royal, Black, Caravan, Temple), but I make a bee-line for the barracks, stopping only at a general merchant on the way, to upgrade my gear.

Masterwork Warhammer Katana Large Shield Tower Shield Splint Mail Half Plate, Amulet of Natural Armor +1, Ring of Protection +1, Ring of Insight (Lore +5). (-4000 GP)

The barracks is only a hop, skip and jump away from the inn. The duo head inside.

Grand Barracks

I need a swig of some strong, dwarven ale! - Dwarf Merc (famous BG quote).

I push in front of the rowdy dwarf to be first in line to see recruiting officer Alandra Kayne.

Exasperated by my bad attitude, Alandra nevertheless signs me up as a merc under the Tethyrian army. Scout reports have not yet come in, so I'm free to explore and quest in the city before we're all summoned for a war-briefing. 

But first, Vard offers a flavorsome convo about the Syth and the war strategy. Like Loric earlier, he dismisses as "horseshit" the theory that the Syth invasion of Tethyr is rooted in the Crimson Guards retaking Trademeet, citing that Sythillis isn't so stupid as to march a horde into an unknown region, the farms of which could not supply the food to support it. 

Besides, spies have reported that the ogre warlord is now marching the horde directly south into the Forest of Tethir to take the elven city of Suldanessellar - which could support an army, for a time. Vard spits out facts and figures pertaining to army size and composition, mentioning a few other notable "personalities" of the Syth force: Ogrim, an ogre mage necromancer raising an undead legion; Maresh, a Gruumsh-worshiping orc; and an unnamed bloodthirsty goblin worg rider with an undying hatred for kobolds.

 Alandra & Vard

Arrk the Troll

Ok, well I'm sure they'll all receive a lethal poke from my sword in due course, but for now I recruit Arrk as my second Henchman for 500 GP despite not really needing him. Not only are his physical stats quite impressive, his hide bestows Regen +5 and his Greatsword +1 inflicts on-hit DC-14 wounding - hence the dripping blood.

Ok, so I've formed a trio of adventurers, signed up as a merc and equipped myself ready for exploration of Darromar.

Companion Banter

I'll cap this post off with pics of the first banters for each Henchman, continuing the adventure in the next post. For those who don't know, banters occur when you take time out to specifically engage in dialogue with a Henchman. Companion banter had its seminal employment in Baldur's Gate 1, but were overdone in Baldur's Gate 2. After that, cRPGs lost their way and turned into relationship sims.

CToT also features companion "interjections", also popularized by the BG series. Interjections are when companions interrupt your adventuring or conversation with someone else, to add their own two cents that isn't worth listening to.

Idle banter is a foolish habit. - Neremul.

Next up: Darromar (Part II).

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