Pit of Moander – Curse of the Azure Bonds

This guide will help you navigate the Pit of Moander in Curse of the Azure Bonds.

Pit of Moander Map

1 – Starting Point

This is where you’ll start out in the pit. However, as soon as you arrive, a cultist cleric will collapse the tunnel behind you, and so you won’t be able to go back the way you came.

2 – Shambling Mounds

If you picked up the wand of defoliation in Yulash, the shambling mounds should go down pretty easily.

3 – Vegepygmies

Like the shambling mounds, they are vulnerable to the wand of defoliation.

4 – Alias and Dragonbait

If you “parlay” with the pair and tell them your story, they’ll tell you their story in return (journal entry 3) and then offer to join you. Alias is a level 6 fighter, and Dragonbait is a level 7 paladin. They’re useful enough companions, although their hit point totals are a little low. If you agree to let them join you, they’ll stay with you until you exit the pit.

Note: Alias and Dragonbait are the people shown on the title page of the game.

Another Note: If you want to see what Alias and Dragonbait would add to the story, but if you don’t want them stealing away experience, you can let them join and then drop them in the “alter” menu. The game will think they’re still in your party, and you’ll see their comments until you leave the pit.

5 – Giant Slugs

Giant slugs can do 60 points of damage with their acidic attacks, so you might want to “evade” them rather than “fight” them.

6 – Dead Zhentrim

If you “examine corpse,” you’ll find a scroll from Zhentil Keep in its hand (journal entry 46).

7 – Shambling Mounds and Giant Slugs

This can be a very difficult battle if the slugs hide behind the shambling mounds and spit acid at you. So try to clear a path through the mounds as quickly as possible, and take down the slugs before they can do too much damage.

8 – Cultists and Vegepygmies

The cultists are the more dangerous of the two, so concentrate on them first.

9 – Mogion

Mogion is the priestess of Moander. No matter what you do, Mogion will invoke one of your bonds, and you’ll be frozen in place. Then she’ll use the power of your bond to return Moander to the world. “You see a disgusting mass of slime, mold and refuse start to ooze from the dimensional rift.” The good news is that the ritual will remove Moander’s bond from your arm.

Once you can control your party again, you’ll face Mogion and a bunch of cultists and shambling mounds. You’ll start far away from your enemies, so you might be able to cast a couple “fireball” spells and kill off the cultists before they can get close enough to do anything. A “silence” spell is usually pretty effective against Mogion, and the cultists are low enough level that spells like “stinking cloud” and “hold person” will often work against them. Once the humans are neutralized, the battle against the shambling mounds should be pretty familiar.

After the battle you’ll find plate mail +3, a shield +2, a mace +2, a cloak of displacement, and an incandescent blue ioun stone (+1 wisdom). But you won’t be done yet. You’ll still have to defeat the three Bits o’ Moander that made it through the rift before you defeated Mogion. However, the bits are basically big shambling mounds, and the wand of defoliation works against them, and so they shouldn’t prove too much of a problem. Once they’re dead you’ll find the Gauntlet of Moander, a special quest item that won’t show up in your inventory.

Note: The pit will become a lot more dangerous after you’ve defeated Mogion, so you might want to head directly for the exit after looting the treasure cache at #10.

10 – Cache

In one of the squares behind the altar, you’ll find gloves of thievery (if they do anything at all, we couldn’t tell) and a clerical scroll, plus some gems and jewels. You’ll also find a map of the upper level of the pit (journal entry 20).

Exits:

• A: Stairs between the upper and lower levels.
• B: Exit to Yulash. You won’t be able to use this exit until after you’ve defeated Mogion in the lower level (#9). Then when you are able to exit, you’ll have to face a large group of cultists, vegepygmies, and shambling mounds first. After you’ve left the pit, Yulash will come under attack from Zhentil Keep, and you won’t be able to go back inside. We suggest you visit Zhentil Keep next.