Desperate Measures

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Synopsis
Trapped within a section of the Endless Paths of Od Nua, a clan of ogres has resorted to cannibalism to stay alive. Thulgar, the sole sane survivor, asks the Watcher to put the clan head out of misery, so that he can find a measure of peace.

Walkthrough
As you enter the floor, turn right and approach Thulgar, the Ogre druid. He'll tell you a tale of woe about how the Ogres on this floor used to live well, happily eating Xaurip, until one day the Xaurip turned poisonous. Faced with slow death by starvation or slightly faster death by poison, their leader, Zolla, went mad and turned cannibal. Thulgar can't stand to kill her himself, since she was once his mate, so he asks you to do it.

Almost all of the battles on this level will be difficult for a low-level party. One Ogre is doable, but often you will fight more than one at once, and there are several Ogre Druids as well. You will need at least two fighters and possibly three, as well as strong spell support, to clear the level. Thulgar's stash has a set of camping supplies, which may come in handy.

As you cross the bridge opposite Thulgar, there is one Ogre patrolling to your right (North) and two to your left (South). Take out the patrolling one first so he doesn't sneak up on you while you're attacking the other two. Once you've cleared these three, go slightly North and cross the bridge to your right. You'll find the Earl of Yenwood's tomb. You can't do anything here right now, but see the Notable Loot section below.

If you're ready to take on Zolla (you probably aren't), go South and West. There is an Ogre guard here, and attacking him will probably bring Zolla and the Ogre Druid into the battle.

Otherwise, your next assault is on three Ogres to the North. They move slowly, so do as much damage as you can from distance before they close to melee. If you get past them, you can find the Master Stairs that take you back to Level 1 or Caed Nua.

South of the Master Stairs there are two more groups of Ogres, each of which has two fighters and a Druid. These are difficult combats. Use the segment of broken wall as a choke point. (For bonus points, set a trap there for the Ogres to walk into. There are a handful of traps in this room, if you didn't bring any with you.) If you get lucky, only one of the Ogres will be able to attack you at a time, and you can concentrate fire and spells on the Druid while holding off the fighter. If both Ogres and the Druid can all attack you at once, you're in for a world of hurt.

Once you get past these two fights, there is one more Ogre patrolling the hallway to the West. You'll pass a room to the West with some Black Oozes; this room also has the stairs down to Level 4.

When you beat Zolla take her torc back to Thulgar to complete the quest.