Aran's Task - Defeat Bodhi and her guild

"Aran's Task - Defeat Bodhi and her guild": This page is to expand and provide detail with the task introduced from the Aran's tasks to receive the Shadow Thieves' aid page, specifically task number 3, which occurs in Chapter Three of the Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn and Baldur's Gate II: Enhanced Edition saga.
==The task==
Aran has directed that Gorion's Ward shall proceed to the Athkatla Graveyard and meet his loyal mage Haz in the Lower Tombs to gain entry. The party Journal should have the following instructions:
Don't forget to take those wooden stakes with you on this mission.
==Creatures involved==
===Allies===
Aran Linvail
Flesh Golem "Fleshy"
Haz
===Enemies===
Bodhi
Clay Golem
Durst
Fledgling Vampire , male and female
Gellal
Greater Ghoul 
Grimwarder 
Grimward Archer 
Lassal
Tanova
==Gameplay/walk-through==
When ready, the party should make their way to the Graveyard and enter one of the entrances to the Lower tombs. There may be a group of Spiders (Sword Spider, Giant Spider and 3 Spiders) that has spawned in your path, so dispatch those and move to NW back side of the Pai'Na's Lair to the meeting place with Haz and his golem. 
===Make entry into Bodhi's hideout=== 
Description: A grand hall, with different tile patterns on the floor lies ahead. Statues of Jackal headed figures are in neat rows along the main path. Colorful decorated upright sarcophagi "heads" are aligned along the outer walls. The entire tomb decor is reminiscent of an "Egyptian" crypt. Perhaps the tombs were built in devotion to a forgotten kingdom and unknown deity. At the end of the Hall are a closed pair of blue hued great stone doors. To either side of the doors are a pair of tall statues holding a crook scepter. These doors are to be opened by the Golem.
Haz will greet the party and say "At last, you've arrived. These spiders were starting to make me nervous. Allow me to open these doors for you.". He then orders his golem forward toward some doors to the vampire hideout and says "Fleshy! Go forth and open the doors! Now, you stupid creature! Now! <CHARNAME>, I trust you're prepared.". Haz and the golem move forward and the party will probably observe several Grimwarder creatures in front of the main hideout doors, who are rapidly charging toward Haz - who fearfully cries "No! Stay back!". At the same Instant a male vampire figure named Lassal will shout at the party "'Fools! The mistress knew you would come! Fight then, and know you die for nothing!". A few tics later Lassal will disappear with a Dimension Door animation, and the golem will lumber forward to open the doors into the hideout.
If the party is quick enough, they may be able to intercept and take down the Grimwarders before they slay Haz. If not, he'll die. If he is saved, he will say "That is all I can do for you.", and flees the area, along with his golem. If he is killed the golem will remain and fight as a neutral creature if attacked. Haz's corpse can be looted for some treasure and valuables. All total there are two Grimwarder and two Grimward Archer here to contend with. Note that the archers try to keep away from melee range so as to allow better missile fire attacks. The Grimwarder remains can also be examined for various weaponry, ammunition, helmets and valuables.
==Bodhi's hideout==
Description: The next area is available for entry once the golem has opened the blue doors. Within is a large rectangular room with a high ceiling. It is lit by several oil lamps. a cluster of decorated urns are near the wall edges, but the most prominent feature is an ornate golden-leafed banquet sized table with matching high-backed chairs occupying the center of the chamber, with lit oil lamps placed upon it. There are two corridors connected to this area - one leading to the East and one to the West. A staircase doorway leads below on the NE wall. There is also a secret doorway that must be detected on the NW wall. This will not be apparent upon first entry into this room.
===Central hall=== 
As a party member enters the room, they'll likely see a male Fledgling Vampire and a Greater Ghoul, and again Lassal, who jeers at the party with a defiant declaration saying "Come then, come to your doom! Dare you breach the inner sanctum? I think not!". He'll then move quickly and run away off the map, most probably heading for Bodhi's Lair (downstairs).
The Fledgling vampire and the ghoul will move toward the closest party member to attack. Now, it is also possible that the vampire Gellal, who is tucked away in the Western corridor (coordinates 939.979) could detect the party at this point, and will most likely stride forward to attack, while snarling out a ferocious and guttural roar. The party should take down these undead creatures. If the vampires are destroyed, they will turn into gaseous cloud form and drift away to their respective coffins to reconstitute. The fallen ghoul may drop some treasure.
===Corridor to the room of blood and blades:===
To the party's right is a corridor that leads to the "room of blood and blades". About midway down the passageway will be found a Fledgling vampire with a female appearance (coord: 1991.670) and Tanova {coord: 2121.683). In the unmodified game this version of Tanova is primarily a spell caster and has poor melee attack abilities. She'll immediately fire off a couple of protective buffs and then begin offensive spell casting at any detected party members, typically the closest to her. If you engage and destroy her, she will turn into a gaseous cloud and disappear from the map. Tanova will reappear again in in Chapter 6. If you desire to explore the room of blood and blades at this time, to see what is within and to clear the "fog of war" and reveal the map, the party may do so, but beware the insidious nature of this area which can prove to be a painful trek to walk through. Nothing can be done about the damage inflicted except for Stoneskin or physical damage resistance.
===Corridor to the Crypt and bed chamber:===
When the party is ready and wishes to explore the corridor that Lassal came from, move ahead into a corridor with some sharp turns. It is also possible that Lassal will be blocking the party's path and will attack.
===Crypt chamber:=== 
The corridor has a passageway that leads to Crypt chamber with a hostile guardian Clay Golem, that is watching over three ornate sarcophagi (or coffins). Any of the coffins can be interacted with and "clicked on" but will only do something if a named vampire has already been defeated and fled here by gaseous cloud form. These are Durst, Gellal, and Lassal. When the cursor is placed over the coffin it may display a text message saying "The vampire retreated to this coffin once you defeated it. If you have a wooden stake, you can try to kill it." If so, then a party member may use a Wooden Stake upon the vampire within to permanently destroy it. 
Each staking awards the party extra 9,000 XP as well as a screen text message saying "You pound the stake through the vampire's foul heart. The creature shall prey no more on the blood of others..".
===Bedchamber:===
If you go back to the original corridor where Lassal spawned, eventually the party will come to a sort of vampiric bed chamber, with an odd resting platform perforated with holes, cushions, urns, and a table as well as a chest. Two oil lamps provide illumination. There is an exit to the Athkatla Graveyard here as well, leading to the surface.
There are two containers that can be examined to see if they have anything within. See the Containers and loot section further below.
===Blood bath chamber:===
This room can be entered from a secret corridor from the Central Hall or another corridor connected to the Crypt chamber. Within will be Durst, a fledgling vampire (male appearance) and a Greater Ghoul. With SCS installed the fledgling vampire will attack from invisibility and attempt a backstabbing attack. If the party is able to destroy all the creatures here it will be possible to search this room unmolested. 
The chamber looks like some kind of pleasure area for vampires, with cushions and pillows, various urns and vases, a comfortable chaise lounge, two oil lamps and a prominent raised bath with steps on all sides for ease of access. This macabre bath (or pool) contains uncongealed blood, and much of it. Hovering the cursor over the pool displays text saying "The pool is filled with what is obviously blood. You can enter the pool if you dare." If a party member does enter, they will trigger some minor damage (10 HP) to themselves as well as receiving the Mace of Disruption in their inventory - a text message displays "You enter the blood pool and find a mace at the bottom. The blood makes you feel sick, however.." 
When the party has finished the exploration, then they can transition below to Bodhi's Lair by taking the passageway and stairs leading below. The assault on the vampires must continue and can't end until they are evicted or destroyed.
==Bodhi's Lair==
===Entry corridor:===
The party descends steps into another corridor, decorated in the same theme as the rest of the tombs. Two oil lamps provide some weak illumination. In the distance can be seen a dim figure moving rapidly toward the party. It's a Greater Ghoul. Further along the passageway after turning a right-angle corner is seen yet another one. Beyond the undead creature is a set of closed stone doors. When ready, open the doors and advance through the doorway to the next chamber.
===Blood lair:=== 
Within is an octagonal chamber that has a overwhelming odor of blood. Five pools of flowing blood are within, with an octagon-shaped one in the center. If you examine the pool with the cursor it displays: "The central pool is full of fresh, constantly flowing blood from an unknown source. The room is thick with its smell." Giagantic carved stone heads are mounted on the walls. Four oil lamps provide illumination. Mosaic tiles on the floor dispaly a group of shrouded figures. Two set of doors are closed leading to unknown areas beyond. Not much time is available to take in the sights, as there are two female and one male Fledgling vampires, two Grimwarders, and two Grimwarder archers ready for battle.
When the party is ready open the doors to the two attached chambers to this area. One room is cluttered with various tomb artifacts of the dead, and there are two containers that may have things within, an Urn and a chest.
The other room contains and altar, but also here is where a Lassal is waiting. Instead of attacking he makes some statements and dares you to find him in the room of blood and blades on the floor above, then vanishes yet again. The altar within is a container that can be searched.
===The room of blood and blades===
Description: A very large circular chamber with cut stone walls on which are mounted gruesome faces peering toward the center. The floor slopes down toward the middle, where there is a pentagonal shaped drain. Great "ship anchor" sized chains are tightly suspended and fastened from the ceiling to the drain. If the player's cursor is placed nearby a text displays "This hideous torture room is dominated by a blood-encrusted drain in the center. It appears as if victims are thrown in the room to bleed out their lives on the cruelly spiked floor. Why the blood is collected in this drain remains a mystery."
Invisible to the party are five triggers on various parts of the room's floor. If walked over, the triggers launch a "spear-spike" trap thrusting upwards into the party member causing a great deal of piercing damage. The traps cannot be detected nor disarmed, and they will trigger over and over again if traveled across.
Further back in this huge room will eventually be found Lassal, who will verbally challenge the nearest party member in sight with "Think yourself brave enough to stand before me? Perhaps bravery is not enough!" Further back and forth dialogue will continue, mostly him spitting out threats, and then he'll begin to fight. See the Lassal page for his abilities and details, as well as mod content. With the SCS mod, lassal will seek to make party members chase after him after shapeshifting into bat form (which is difficult to hit and has fast movement rate). While in bat form lassal regenerates. Running around the room chasing the bat will expose that party member to more trap damage. 
===Stake Lassal's coffin - facing Bodhi===
When the party is able to defeat Lassal so it turns into gaseous form and retreats to his coffin, then the party can go to the Crypt and use the wooden stake to permanently destroy him. As soon as that is performed, Bodhi will appear in the crypt and begin her dialogue.
She'll initially be neutral and say to the nearest party member (she's actually addressing Gorion's Ward as is apparent in the dialogue) "Hmm... I had hoped it would not come to this, but you are set in your path, aren't you?". Further questions and answers will play out, with the PCs dialogue choices determining how much. The party can actually learn quite a bit of information from Bodhi if patient and willing to engage in her responses. You will even learn that there is something unique about Imoen, though not exactly what. However, in the end, violence will ensue, and Bodhi will attack. When the battle begins, she'll engage in melee combat, and after two rounds attempt a Vampire Domination. This will continue every two rounds. As she only has 102 HP in the unmodded game, it probably won't be very long until she stops the battle and says "Well, that certainly was... educational. I have seen enough, and I am done with you... for now." She will then vanish from the area. The Task for Aran is now complete. 
The player's Journal will update:
:Journal entry: Aran's tasks to receive the Shadow Thieves' aid
I have defeated the rival guild, full of vampires as it was, and have faced Bodhi. She claimed to know something of Imoen and seemed to be judging me in some manner before she left in gaseous form. All that remains now is to return to Aran and tell him that the guild is gone, even if their leader remains unkilled. I will have questions for him as well.
One more troubling thing... Bodhi knew. She knew I am a child of Bhaal. 
With the SCS mod Bodhi will be much more resilient and powerful. She may be accompanied by six Grimward Archer assistants after the battle begins. As these are missile firing creatures, they will keep their distance and fire at any in melee with Bodhi.
==Containers and loot Bodhi's Hideout/Lower Tombs==
* Bedchamber: Random treasures in a locked chest, plus some Wooden stakes in the chest and on the table.
* Blood Bath Pool: Mace of Disruption
==Containers and loot Bodhi's Lair==
* A locked (70) and trapped (50) chest contains the Ashen Scales and Katana +2.
* An urn contains a Random treasure
* An Altar (near Lassal) is empty.
==Final actions==
Collect any treasures or dropped items you wish to keep, and when your party is ready, travel to the surface. Reporting your success to Aran Linvail will close out the quest and begin advancing the party towards Chapter 4 and traveling to Brynnlaw. Each party member will also receive 50,000 XP as well.
==Gallery==
Chap3LowerTomb2.png|Fledgling Vampire and Greater Ghoul attack the party. PC attacked with Vampire domination ability. 
Chap3LowerTomb3.png|Undead slain and XP awarded - combat log informs that vampire Gellal is planning something offscreen.
Chap3LowerTomb4.png|A strangely furnished bed chamber of sorts is discovered. A container is found and will be examined.
VampireStaked.png|The party uses a Wooden Stake to finish off a vampire that has retreated to recover from wounds previously suffered. The undead creature is destroyed.
Chap3LowerTomb5.png|Party member gains the Mace of Disruption from the Blood Bath. However, the rubber ducky of doom is nowhere to be found.
Chapter3BodhiLair1.png|Party opens door to the Blood Lair, sees various vampire, Grimwarder and Grimward Archer creatures within.
==Mod content==
If playing the Alternatives mod and the party decides to accomplish the last remaining task required by "Aster", the party will be undertaking the same mission as the Aran Linvail task, mainly to destroy the Vampires in their hideout. Instead of the mage Haz, the party will meet a mage named "Zahl" also with a golem named "Fleshy". The mod does not change the area, loot, or opponents. 
The Sword Coast Stratagems mod will make revisions to all enemy creatures encountered on this page. If the "Improved Vampires" component is installed, that will be the most noticeable change for the player. See the Vampire page and Mod content section for more information. Each named vampire may have additional SCS mod notes as well. Note that Tanova will be potentially pose a much greater challenge as SCS has made significant changes to her.
If the "Tougher Bodhi" component is installed, then it will be vastly more difficult when facing her compared to the unmodified game, similar to the early Tactics Mod but updated a bit for the EE games. Be careful facing her with that component. She has some mod only powers and abilities above and beyond the "Improved Vampires" capabilities. This can be problematic for a party member attacking with melee weaponry, as Bodhi's "Deathly Shroud" deals cold damage to the attacker, and lowers saving throws by 1 (lasting 36 seconds) upon each attack on her. There are other powers as well which can be used by this iteration, but all of them can be used in the final battle with Bodhi in chapter 6.
===Mod gallery===
:Portraits from Portraits Portraits Everywhere
===Allies Gallery===
ARAN.jpg|thumb|Aran Linvail, Shadow Thieves Guildmaster in Athkatla. He's given the party its final task.
HAZ.jpg|thumb|Haz, a Mage and member of the Shadow Thieves. He and his golem "Fleshy' will assist in gaining entry to Bodhi's Hideout.
Chap3 LowerTomb.png|Mage and Flesh golem await the party at the vampire hideout to assist with entry. GCFS mod revises golem appearance.
===Enemies Gallery===
nbodhis.jpg|thumb|Bodhi, alternate Portrait from Unfinished Business (Baldur's Gate II) mod. Appears after Lassal's is staked. "Oh no, I am quite sure this will end in violence. You are too volatile for my purposes. I merely wondered if you knew the extent to which you were being used."
BODVAM01.jpg|thumb|Durst, male vampire found in the Bodhi's Hideout, he roars "EeeeeAAAARRRGHGHGHGHHH!"
BODVAM02.jpg|thumb|Gellal, male vampire found in the Bodhi's Hideout, he snarls "ggrrrrlglAAAAARRRRGHGHGHG!"
LASSAL.jpg|thumb|Lassal, male vampire encountered in Bodhi's Lair, and shouts "Come then, come to your doom! Dare you breach the inner sanctum? I think not!". 
TANOVA.jpg|thumb|Tanova, female vampire encountered in Bodhi's Hideout. "Die, cattle!"
CursedWound.png|Clay Golem guarding three coffin/sarcophagi strikes party mage with SCS "Cursed Wound" ability. Can't heal this wound by normal means.
Gellal1.png|Hidden Gellal appears next to party and uses "Children of the Night" ability, then attacks. SCS mod element shown.
CH3Tanova1.png|During Chapter 3 in the Lower Tombs a Fledgling Vampire and Tanova face the party. She's Improved Invisible and applied other protective spells with SCS and SR mods.
Lassal3.png|Lassal faces the PC in the horrible, trapped blade chamber and attacks with "Cloud of Bats" ability. SCS mod shown.
Bodhi4C3.png|Bodhi uses "Touch of Death" on party member dealing a AoE nasty wounds effect to all close by party combatants. SCS mod, "Tougher Bodhi" component.