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Lord of a Barren Land is a side quest in Pillars of Eternity.

Synopsis[ | ]

Gilded Vale is ruled by Lord Raedric, who resides in the keep beyond the Esternwood. With the Dyrwood in the grip of the curse known as Waidwen's Legacy, he has resorted to harsh measures in order to root out the cause. It has made him enemies, many of whom would see him removed from power. The Watcher is asked to help depose the tyrant by any means necessary.

Walkthrough[ | ]

  • Meet Kolsc in Esternwood. He will only appear if you have a Good/Neutral reputation with Gilded Vale. You may agree to help him or choose to give time to think about it. Either way, travel to Raedric's Hold.
  • Raedric's Hold is a heavily guarded fortress, to enter you may choose to:
    1. Fight your way through the front door (difficult, but lots of loot). No need for a walkthrough this way as long as you know your tactics. But is recommended to have at least 3 fighters/barbarians in your team. Assuming you take the shortest route you will fight at least 10 Raedric's Guards, 3 Spellwrights, 6 Champions of Berath, 6 Archers, 6 Sellswords, 2 Priests of Berath, 1 Archmage and Raedric VII.
    2. Climb the west wall to reach the lower ramparts (requires either Athletics 3 or a Rope and Grappling Hook unless you want to get Fatigued. All characters in your party that have Athletics 5 or less will receive a level of Fatigue). You will fight at least 3 Archers, 3 Guards and 1 Priest of Berath on the walls.
    3. Sneak your way through the sewers at the east side of the hold (requires either Might 18 or a Prybar unless you want to get Fatigued. All characters in your party that have Athletics 0 or less will receive a level of Fatigue)
  • Consider that you may change your approach at any given time until you meet Raedric.
  • There are 3 routes to complete this quest:

Kolsc route[ | ]

Sneak through the Dungeons and ask for help from Nedmar (requires either Resolve 18 or Intellect 12 and Perception 12)

  1. Enter via the sewers.
  2. Kill all of the undead guarding the cells and to the sewer secret entrant. You may optionally kill Osrya.
  3. Free Giacco from his cell by unlocking it and talking to him.
    • If you kill Osrya before talking to Giacco and then tell him she is dead (avoid answer #1, choose answers "I take it you ended up here…" and then "Osrya's dead"), you will receive [Gilded Vale: Moderate Positive] reputation for that.
    • You will receive another [Gilded Vale: Moderate Positive] reputation when you tell Giacco he is free (answer #1). After that, Giacco will leave.
    • Note that if the path to the secret entrance is not safe, Giacco will be killed! If he escapes successfully he will be found standing in the house at Magran's Fork.
  4. Make your way to the kitchen. Ignore this floor and continue up the stairwell.
  5. Take the Berathian Priest Robes from the chest. Equip them to any character to blend in with the other acolytes. Keep in mind you will be stopped by some of the characters in this area, and you must pass a unique check for each to proceed unhindered (see the item page for more).
  6. Make you way to the chapel towards the southeast. Sneak and press the hidden button at the second skull.
  7. Talk to Nedmar and tell him Giacco is safe. He will give you a Master Key. (Note: Nedmar will allow you to rest in his room)
  8. Go to the Library, open the locked door and descend to Raedric's Throne Room.

Osrya route[ | ]

Sneak through the Dungeons and ask for help from Osrya (requires either Intellect 12 or Resolve 18).

  1. Enter via the sewers. This requires Might 18 to bend the bar of entrance by hand. Alternatively you may use a Prybar or swim through wearing Iverra's Diving Helmet.
  2. Make your way to Osrya.
  3. Talk to her and agree to kill Nedmar. Alternatively, kill her, and discover the switch to open the secret passage (Mechanics 7) by going into stealth mode. (Note: You can agree to kill Nedmar to avoid immediate combat, ask her to let you rest then kill her, it's not necessary to kill Nedmar even if you made an agreement with her)
  4. Take the stairs to the kitchen. Ignore this floor and continue up the stairwell.
  5. Take the Berathian Priest Robes from the chest. Equip them to any character to blend in with the other acolytes. Keep in mind you will be stopped by some of the characters in this area, and you must pass a unique check for each to proceed unhindered (see the item page for more).
  6. Make your way to the chapel towards the southeast. Sneak and press the hidden button at the second skull.
  7. Talk to Nedmar and kill him.
  8. Go back to Osrya. She will show you a hidden passage. Ascend to Raedric's Throne Room.

Scorched earth route[ | ]

Do whatever you want.

  1. Make your way combining sneaking and fighting. There is no alarm on the castle, so knocking off someone doesn't put the castle on alert.
  2. Kill the weak guards in the courtyard, and enter through the wine cellar looking entrance on the left.
  3. This entrance has a full staircase from top to bottom with no guards. The top floor spits you out right next to the Robes of Berath.
  4. Ally with Osrya or Nedmar for access to the throne room.

Dealing with Raedric[ | ]

Once you've reached the throne room, talk to Raedric. You can either kill him or join him.

  • If you kill Raedric. Kolsc will give you full access to the hold and you may loot everything. (Note: you can tell him you're going to kill Kolsc to avoid immediate combat, make the necessary formation and attack, depending on the level of difficulty you will be mobbed to death otherwise)
  • If you side with Raedric you will be sent to Magran's Fork to hunt Kolsc.
    • Kill Kolsc [Gilded Vale: Major Negative] (Note: Before killing Kolsc, you can get Giacco to leave by talking to him, supposing you saved him, combat will start if you fail)
    • Return to Raedric to receive your reward. Optionally you can kill him for +1 Cruel disposition.

Notes[ | ]

  • A few notes regarding the hold:
    • Mechanics 9 will open ANY door.
    • Stealth 4 on all the members of your party can prevent any fight.
    • Resolve 18 or Intellect 12 will give you full access to the chapel.
  • Your actions while completing this quest will slightly affect the quest The Champion of Berath depending on your Journal Entry.
  • Having a bad reputation with the Gilded Vale will trigger instant aggro from Kolsc and Raedric leading to the 30002 entry in your Journal no matter what you do.
  • If you kill Giacco (before speaking to him, because he will disappear after the dialogue), he will drop Skaen Cultist Robes and around Copper pands (cp)50 cash.
  • In the room with Osrya, you can find a non-aggressive Black Cat, that you can speak to (discovering that it is a zombie cat), and when you pick it up, it is added to your inventory as pet.

Journal[ | ]

quests\07_gilded_vale\07_qst_lords_of_a_barren_land
ID Objectives
0 Lord of a Barren Land
10000 Gilded Vale is ruled by Lord Raedric, who resides in the keep beyond the Esternwood. With the Dyrwood in the grip of the curse known as Waidwen's Legacy, he has resorted to harsh measures in order to root out the cause. It has made him enemies, many of whom would see him removed from power.
1 Travel to Raedric's Hold.
10001 I was approached by a man who spoke against Lord Raedric's cruelty. He asked that I join him in his cause, and put an end to Raedric's rule. The keep lies east of the Esternwood, and will be heavily defended. It will be a considerable challenge to get inside.
20004 Kolsc believes that a frontal assault upon the keep would be impossible. He suggested I attempt to find a way in through the sewers, at the eastern edge of the moat. Alternately, I may be able to find some way to access the upper floor of the castle where Nedmar, Kolsc's contact, resides.
2 Confront Lord Raedric the VII inside Raedric's Keep.
10002 I have reached Raedric's Hold. Lord Raedric waits somewhere within, but making my way inside will not be a simple task.
20000 I've spoken with Nedmar, the high priest. He promised to grant me safe access to Raedric's throne room if I manage to free his former acolyte, Giacco, from the keep's prisons in the lower dungeons.
20001 I've spoken with Osrya, an animancer in the keep's dungeons. She has promised to open a secret passage to Raedric's quarters if I manage to dispose of Nedmar, the high priest of Berath. He resides within the upper floors of the keep.
20003 Kolsc believes that a frontal assault upon the keep would be impossible. He suggested I attempt to find a way in through the sewers, at the eastern edge of the moat. Otherwise, perhaps I can find some way to access the upper floor of the castle where Nedmar, Kolsc's contact, resides.
20011 I have released Giacco from his cell.
20005 I saved Giacco, Nedmar's young acolyte, and informed Nedmar of my success. The priest gave me a key with which I can open the door to the scriveners' quarters, and through it reach the chapel directly beside Raedric's throne room.
20012 I have dealt with Nedmar. Osrya may appreciate the news.
20006 I slew Nedmar, as promised, and informed Osrya of the deed. Osrya was grateful for my assistance, and opened a secret passage that leads directly into Raedric's chambers, which should provide easier access to his throne room.
20007 I've found some Berathian robes. They may help me blend in with the priests on this floor.
20009 I've killed Osrya, which makes it unlikely that she'll assist me in reaching Raedric.
20010 I killed Nedmar, which has ended our bargain.
20008 Giacco has been slain.
3 Travel to Kolsc's hidden encampment.
10003 I spoke to Lord Raedric, who had a different tale to tell. He has asked me to confront Kolsc about his plans to usurp the throne and leadership over Gilded Vale and its surrounding lands. Raedric says that Kolsc can be found within the wilds known as Magran's Fork.
20002
4 Confront Kolsc.
10004 I have found the place where Kolsc and his allies meet. Kolsc waits within. It falls to me to decide his fate.
5 Return to Raedric's Hold.
10005 I have slain Kolsc, and thereby eliminated the primary threat to Lord Raedric's rule. Raedric has promised a reward upon my successful return.
End states
Yes Kolsc Ends Quest
30000 Lord Raedric VII is dead. Kolsc is now free to claim Raedric's Hold and its surrounding lands, including Gilded Vale.
Yes Raedric Ends Quest
30001 I dealt with Kolsc, and informed Lord Raedric that he is free to rule the lands of Gilded Vale without further opposition from the usurper.
Yes Force-Killed Both (Never spoke to turn in to either)
30002 All the living heirs to the Raedric holdings have been slain by my hand. Gilded Vale will have to carry on without its 'saviors'.
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