The first time you pass by this part of the district, you’ll witness some fanatics preparing to execute Viconia (a companion from Baldur’s Gate) simply because she’s a drow. You’ll have two choices for what to do:
If you want to save Viconia, then you’ll just need to click twice on the stake where she’s being held. This will free her from her bonds and anger the fanatics, who will attack you. The fanatics are total pushovers, and you’ll have Viconia helping you, so the battle should be easy. You’ll earn 4700 xp for defeating the fanatics, and afterwards Viconia (a neutral-evil elf cleric) will offer to join you.
If you leave the district without saving Viconia, then the next time you pass by this spot, the fanatics will burn her, and you’ll lose her as a potential companion.
5 – Prison
The main door to the prison (#5) will start out locked. You won’t be allowed to go through it unless you need to free Jan Jansen (#8) from incarceration. The only other way to enter the prison is through the side door (#5a). You won’t find anything interesting in the prison.
Somewhere around the park here, you might meet a woman named Oriana. She’ll wander around, and she’ll only appear during the day, making her somewhat difficult to find. Oriana will talk about being rich and having wealthy customers, but she won’t say anything interesting to you — unless you have Valygar and Viconia in your party. In that case, Oriana will flirt with Valygar, which will cause Viconia to insult his manhood. This will upset Valygar, and he and Viconia will leave your party and fight each other to the death. Afterwards, you’ll be able add back whichever one wins the battle.
When you get close to Jan (a chaotic-neutral gnome illusionist/thief), he’ll try to sell you a Flasher Launcher and some Flasher Master Bruiser Mates. However, in the middle of his sales pitch, the tax agent Trax will come over and charge Jan with tax evasion and “the illegal sale of illegal items in an illegal manner.” You’ll have three ways to respond:
If you cover for Jan, then you’ll earn 8500 xp and Jan will become available as a companion.
If you admit the truth, then Trax will pay you 100 gp as a reward, and he’ll arrest Jan and take him to the prison (#5). If you later decide that you want Jan as a companion, then you’ll have to go to the prison and talk to the Prison Keeper, who will tell you that Jan‘s fine is 800 gp. However, if you haggle, then the Prison Keeper will reduce this amount to 600 gp, just so he can get rid of Jan.
If you refuse to deal with Trax, then he’ll summon some Amnian Centurions and Legionaries to attack you, and you’ll lose some Reputation. You’ll probably get killed during the attack (at least early in the game), and Jan will get arrested anyway, so this path is not recommended.
9 – Delon
In the center of the park here, you’ll meet Delon. He’ll ask you to go to Imnesvale in Umar Hills, where people have been disappearing and “strange beasts” have been seen. For more information about this quest, please refer to the Umar Hills page.
Note: If you have Minsc in your party, then it’s possible that Delon will track you down while you’re wandering around in Athkatla, and he’ll tell you about Imnesvale at that point rather than here.
10 – Council of Six Building
Inside and outside this building, you’ll meet several people of interest. The ones involved in quests are listed below.
Chief Inspector Brega
He investigates crimes in the city. He’s involved in the murder investigation quest from the Bridge District, and also the Sir Sarles quest from the Temple District.
He’s in charge of the “clerical upkeep of magical regulation” in Athkatla. That is, he’ll give you permission to cast arcane spells in the city, and it’ll only cost you 5000 gp. If you pay this amount, then no Cowled Wizards will bother you when you cast spells. But if you don’t buy the license, then Cowled Wizards will first warn you and then attack you when you cast spells (until you eventually kill enough of them that they finally stop). Corneil is also involved in one of Jaheira’s companion quests.
When you first approach the Council of Six building, Madeen will invite you to talk with his master, the Cowled Wizard Tolgerias, who can be found inside. Tolgerias will tell you that a man named Valygar Corthala recently killed two Cowled Wizards, and he’ll ask you to hunt the murderer down and bring him back — dead or alive. He’ll then suggest that you start your search at Valygar‘s home in the Docks District, or perhaps try your luck in Umar Hills.
If you go to Valygar‘s home in the Docks District, then you’ll meet his manservant Hervo inside. If you play your cards right, then Hervo will tell you about Valygar‘s encounter with the Cowled Wizards two weeks ago, and he’ll suspect that Valygar might have fled to Umar Hills. Failing that, you can also read the Corthala Tax Notice located in a locked cabinet upstairs in the house, which will mention a cabin in Umar Hills.
You’ll find Valygar in his cabin in Umar Hills. He’ll claim that he’s been defending himself against the Cowled Wizards, who only want his body because it will allow them to enter the Planar Sphere in the Slums District. If you kill Valygar anyway and deliver his corpse to Tolgerias, then you’ll earn 500 gp and 11,250 xp, but you’ll lose a point of Reputation. You can also keep Valygar‘s corpse for yourself or leave Valygar alive and work with him instead. These latter options will turn Tolgerias against you but open up the Planar Sphere as a new place for you to explore. See the Planar Sphere page for more information.
Note: The Planar Sphere is the Mage Stronghold, so if you’re playing a mage then you should definitely work against Tolgerias.
I love RPGs, MMOs, and weird little indie games. Anything that lets me build and decorate or just has a really good story. I've spent hundreds of hours in Bethesda games and even more time modding them. I also play a lot of World of Warcraft.
