Daughter of Darkness: Difference between revisions

== Objectives ==

''Objectives and journal entries may vary pending story decisions.''

Once the Nautiloid arrives in the Material Plane and crashes on the Sword Coast, Shadowheart can be found unconscious on the [[Ravaged Beach]] {{coords|273|223}} if she was rescued or banging on the door to the [[Dank Crypt]] {{coords|285|305}}. If the party either ignores her or refuses to let her join, she appears yet again in the [[Druid Grove]]. Lastly, if she has still not been recruited, she'll appear in either the [[Goblin Camp]] or the [[Mountain Pass]] with the [[Mysterious Artefact]] as the party is being overwhelmed by the voice of [[The Absolute]].

==== Shadowheart's mission ====

=== A mysterious wound ===

=== Conflict at camp ===

During the night, the player character wakes up to Shadowheart holding a knife to Lae'zel's neck. She says she'll tell the party Lae'zel was transforming, so she put her down. If nothing is done, Shadowheart slits Lae'zel's neck and smashes her parasite as it crawls out. The player character can defend Lae'zel, causing Shadowheart to become hostile and have to be killed. Lastly, with a Persuasion check (DC 10), Shadowheart can stand down. In this case, Lae'zel and Shadowheart resolve their issues and agree not to fight again.

=== Shadowheart's memories ===

As part of her sacred mission for Lady Shar, Shadowheart has lost most of her memories about herself. She believes she can only regain them by returning to her cloister with the artefact. That said, Shadowheart does remember some things about her life. If, after learning about her Shar worship, the player character asks Shadowheart "Tell me something about yourself besides Shar, besides tadpoles," she says that she doesn't know how to swim and she likes night orchids. If asked for anything more she'd care to share, Shadowheart explains that she quite literally can't, as there is little she remembers about herself.

==== Shadowheart and wolves ====

When faced with wolves, Shadowheart shows extreme fear and gains the Frightened status. This can happen as early as Act One, in the Inner Sanctum of the [[Druid Grove]]. There are several wolves near the entrance, which scare Shadowheart and prompt a dialogue with her. She explains that they are ravenous predators with fangs, so it's hardly irrational for her to fear them. If the player character has at least 10 approval to her, she asks that they avoid having her face wolves if at all possible, as they've been decent to her so far. Otherwise, she just says the player character shouldn't be surprised if she's reluctant to face them in the future. Another area this can be triggered is the captain's room in [[Creche Y'llek]].

With a high enough approval, the player character gains a dialogue with Shadowheart where she explains she wants to share something, as she's never felt more comfortable with anyone than she has with the player character. She says that it's difficult to put into words and asks the player character to connect their tadpoles so that she can show them what she wants to share. The memory shows a young Shadowheart as a group of Sharran worshippers corner a wolf in the woods. The leader of the Sharrans, the Mother Superior who raised Shadowheart, asked her name and took her away to be raised in the cloister. Shadowheart has no memory before the woods and can't remember what her name was before becoming Shadowheart. A passive Religion check reveals that a typical Selûnite ritual is to send children into the woods at night to find their way back home. If the check is passed, the player character can mention it looked like she was wearing Moonstone, which is typical for Selûnites. However, Shadowheart rejects this and says she was just wearing some meaningless bauble.

The party can gain a powerful curative mushroom known as the [[Noblestalk]] {{coords|-4|-62}} in the [[Underdark]] in the same area as [[Find the Mushroom Picker]]. In order to safely acquire the Noblestalk, the Bibberbang in the area must not be detonated. There are many ways to achieve this, such as using [[Glut]] to move the Noblestalk, using [[the Sovereign's Key]] to prevent the Bibberbang from activating, jumping on high strength characters, or utilising spells such as [[Misty Step]] or [[Fly]].

==== Night orchids ====

Within the [[Shadow-Cursed Lands]], a Night Orchid {{coords|57|179}} can be found in the [[Ruined Battlefield]], northeast of the [[Last Light Inn]]. By talking to Shadowheart, the player character can remind her that she told them about the flower, and that they have one for her. She teases the player character, initially saying she hopes they didn't pick them by hand as they're deadly poisonous. However, she was only joking - they're safe, and beautiful. She thanks for the gift, although she has nothing to give in return.

After entering the room {{coords|-767|-755}}, the party notices a sacrificial bowl. The party must give a blood offering to continue onto the trial. If Shadowheart is in the party, she offers to do this. Once the offering is given, the party can proceed to the trial.

The Soft-Step Trial is a stealth trial. There are two shadows patrolling a small maze, which the party must sneak past to get to the umbral gem. If the party is detected by a shadow, they are transported back to the start of the maze. [[Invisibility]] can be used to prevent detection. Find the [[Soft-Step Key]] in the hidden room of the maze to proceed forward, lockpick the door open, or use [[Misty Step]] to bypass it entirely.

In this trial {{coords|-767|-727}}, the party faces replicas of themselves. If the party attacks a replica of a different character, they gain a debuff that lowers their ability scores. An easy way to end this trial quickly is to remove all equipment until the replicas appear, then add the equipment again, so that the replicas are weaker. Using only one party member can also help, as it avoids the debuff. Once the replica has been defeated, an Umbral Gem is dropped.

The Faith-Step trial can be accessed by moving north of the other two trials and then following the stairs down {{coords|-752|-727}}.

There are several ways to trivialise this trial:

The Silent Library is south of the Faith-Step Trial. Once inside, [[Silence]] is cast over the party. If the party is detected, a number of [[Justiciar Soulhunter]] and [[Justiciar Nightweaver]] attack. Defeating [[The Librarian]] at the centre of the room ends the Silence spell. With a successful Perception check, the party notices a button {{coords|-784|-747}} that unlocks the locked gate to the west.

To access the hidden room, the party must offer the correct book to the pedestal. The correct book is [[Teachings of Loss: The Nightsinger]] {{coords|-771|-742}} which is inside a trapped bookshelf (DC 15). Interact with the Riddle of the Night and combine it with the book to open the way. Inside is the Spear of Night, as well as [[Dark Justiciar Half-Plate]] and a [[Dark Justiciar Helmet]]. Giving the Spear to Shadowheart allows her to claim her place as a Dark Justiciar.

'''WARNING: Entering Shadowfell locks the party out of many side quests, and pushes the party to the end of Act Two. Do NOT enter until all other business in the area has been resolved.'''

If Balthazar was not killed, he arrives in the Shadowfell immediately after the party, thanking them for their service in completing the trials. He floats ahead and tells the party to come with him to witness greatness. Once the party leaps to the heart of the Shadowfell, they learn the Nightsong is not an object, but an aasimar woman named [[Dame Aylin]]. She has been held captive by Thorm using the power of Balthazar to share her immortal life with him.

Shadowheart can be convinced to spare Aylin in several ways. If the party does nothing and lets Shadowheart decide fully on her own, she chooses to throw the spear into the depths of the Shadowfell. However, she can also be persuaded by a difficult Persuasion check (DC 30), or by giving her the choice on her own and then passing a second, less difficult check. Another humorous method is to ensure the Spear of Night is not with the party when the time comes.

If Shadowheart kills the Nightsong, she becomes the Dark Justiciar and gains the [[Shar's Spear of Evening]]. However, the party loses a valuable ally in the Nightsong. There is a major consequence for Last Light Inn due to Shadowheart's actions. Isobel is overwhelmed and unable to sustain her protection magic over the Inn, causing all within to fall to the shadow curse. Shadowheart refers to this as cleansing the resistance to Lady Shar's will. Additionally, Jaheira may either die to the shadow curse or disappear completely and does not aid the party in the Last Light Inn fight.

When Shadowheart arrives in Baldur's Gate, she says that her peers are no doubt watching her. She can find [[Ferg Drogher]] {{coords|45|-98}} in [[Rivington]] near the [[Requisitioned Barn]]. He calls out to the party as they get closer to him, if Shadowheart is in the party. He explains that the Sharrans are in the [[House of Grief]] in the [[Lower City]], starting [[Investigate the House of Grief]]. If the party enters the House of Grief with Shadowheart in the party, she is immediately led further in by [[Mirie]]. From here, either she or the player character can undergo the Mapping of the Heart by an Inquirer of Grief. After the Mapping, the Inquirer reveals themselves to be none other than the Mother Superior herself, [[Viconia DeVir]]. She bids the party to come down further, into the [[Cloister of Sombre Embrace]].  

 

=== Shar's final test ===

The conclusion to Shadowheart's quest is a final test beyond the Threshold of Loss. The door can be opened either with the {{RarityItem|Silver Key}} (carried by [[Sharran Fidelian Lamona]]), by lock picking it (DC 30), or by placing items amounting to 1000 or more gold value in the scale on the statue of Shar. If Shadowheart is a Dark Justiciar, the door opens on its own.

If Shadowheart has followed the path of Selûne through her quest, her [[Arnell Hallowleaf|father]] tells her that she cannot both free her parents and free herself from Shar's curse. He asks her to free herself from the curse. If given the choice to make on her own, without any persuading from the party, Shadowheart's choice depends on whether three memories have been triggered during her time in the city. If they have not triggered, she chooses to put her parents to rest, transforming them into moon motes -- if the memories have triggered she rescues them instead.{{note|To have Shadowheart rescue her parents if left to choose on her own, requires the player character to trigger three memory-related conversations with her throughout the lower city. One is the gravestone of Allister Marnley in the Graveyard, another is a graffiti drawing tucked behind a billboard near the Baldur's Gate waypoint. The third memory, discussing the city smells, randomly triggers after finding these two.}}

== Sub-quests ==

== Quest rewards ==

* The decisions made throughout this questline dramatically affect a player character's [[Shadowheart/romance|romance]] with Shadowheart, as Lady Shar demands that Shadowheart give all of her heart to her, and no one else.

{{NavQuests|state_main=expanded}}