Essius

Harper Essius is a confident Harper at the Last Light Inn during Act Two. Depending on party choices in Act Two, he assists the party during the  Assault on Moonrise Towers.

“

Jaheira will see us through this matter. She always does.

„

— Essius

Involvement

Act Two

Last Light Inn

Essius can be first encountered at the Last Light Inn's plaza, where can is chatting with Fist Ulthred next to the fountain. Whereas Ulthred is initially skeptical and doubtful of the party, Essius attempts to talk him down and be open to the party's help. As Ulthred displays some nervousness at being in the Shadow-Cursed Lands, Essius tells him he has seen worse alleyways in Baldur's Gate.

If Marcus is exposed as a True Soul, Essius is  Surprised and joins the fight against his summoned Crawling Claws.

Resolve the Abduction

When Marcus attacks the inn and attempts to kidnap Isobel during  Resolve the Abduction, Essius frequently is amongst the Harpers who avoid being  Impaled, and runs up to fight the Winged Horrors. If Isobel is not saved, Essius and everyone in Last Light Inn turn into a  Shadow-Cursed Undead, save for Jaheira.

Assault Moonrise Towers

If Isobel is saved at the Last Light Inn, and once the Nightsong is freed from her cage and heads for Moonrise Towers, Essius follow Jaheira to the assault on Moonrise Towers, where he, along with Harper Antony, Lymn, and Naysa survive the first assault and assists the party in the remaining fight against Absolute forces.

After the main battle, if Essius survive the fight, he guards the first floor of Moonrise with the remaining Harpers. Once Ketheric Thorm is defeated and the party progress to Act Three, Essius completely disappears.

Combat

Attacks and abilities

 Brace (Ranged) ( 6 m / 20 ft)   –  Longbow

Spend 6 m / 20 ft of your movement. For the rest of your turn, roll ranged damage twice and use the highest result.

Recharge: Short rest

 Flourish ()   –  Rapier

Damage: 1~4

1d4Bludgeoning

Feint an attack to possibly throw your opponent  Off Balance.

DEX Save

 Range: Normal weapon range

Recharge: Short rest

 Hamstring Shot ()   –  Longbow

Damage: 3~10

1d8 + 2Piercing

Shoot an enemy in the thigh and possibly reduce their Movement Speed by 50%.

CON Save

 Range: Normal weapon range

Recharge: Short rest

 Main Hand Attack ()   –  Rapier

Damage: 3~10

1d8 + 2Piercing

Make a melee attack with your equipped weapon.

 Melee: 1.5 m / 5  ft

 Piercing Strike ()   –  Rapier

Damage: 3~10

1d8 + 2Piercing

Stab an enemy and possibly inflict  Gaping Wounds.

Undead and Constructs can't receive Gaping Wounds.

CON Save

 Range: Normal weapon range

Recharge: Short rest

 Ranged Attack ()   –  Longbow

Damage: 3~10

1d8 + 2Piercing

Make a ranged attack with your equipped weapon.

 Range: 18 m / 60 ft

 Weakening Strike ()   –  Rapier

Damage: 3~6

1d4 + 2Weapon

Target an enemy's hands with a non-lethal attack and possibly inflict  Weak Grip.

Creatures without weapons can't have Weak Grip.

STR Save

 Range: Normal weapon range

Recharge: Short rest

Loot

• Longbow
• Rapier
• Studded Leather Armour

Related quests

•  Infiltrate Moonrise Towers
•  Resolve the Abduction

Notes

• According to devnotes, Essius is a rather long-lived gnome and experienced Harper.
• If killed at any point before the Assault on Moonrise Towers, a replacement Harper (either Olys, Grenywald, Lanni, or Lilineth) will take Essius' place.
• Essius is the only surviving Assault on Moonrise Towers, non-failsafe Harper that is not able to be called in during Confront the Elder Brain as part of the  Gather Your Allies variant  Silver Harp Squadron, even if all the other remaining Harpers are dead.
• Unlike the other Harpers during the Assault on Moonrise, Essius does not naturally spawn with a Longbow, and is instead given one at the start of the battle.
  • Likewise, Essius does not have the same stat block as Antony, Lymn, or Naysa, nor does he share the ranger class with them. Instead, Essius seems to be have a non-descript DEX-based melee archetype.
• As of Patch 7, despite having Extra Attack, Essius is not able to attack twice during his turns.

External links

• Essius on the Forgotten Realms Wiki