The Chosen of Shar

The Chosen of Shar is a sub-quest of Shadowheart's Companion Quest,  Daughter of Darkness. It is added to the journal after encountering information on Dark Justiciars.

A mural at the Emerald Grove depicts fallen Dark Justiciars.

Objectives

Objectives and journal entries may vary pending story decisions.

Find the Dark Justiciar's lair.

• Shadowheart has shown interest in finding the lair of the Dark Justiciar - an elite force dedicated to the goddess Shar.
• We found murals in the grove that seemed to depict an ancient order of Sharran warriors - the Dark Justiciars. Further signs of their presence - historical or otherwise - may lie elsewhere.
• We found a finely sculpted idol of the goddess Shar, and decided to gift it to Shadowheart. She was greatly pleased; the discovery of such a piece bolstered her hopes of uncovering further signs of a Dark Justiciar presence.
• The Archdruid Halsin described how there was once an entire army of Dark Justiciars that waged war against followers of Selûne, long ago. The rites of becoming a Dark Justiciar are no mean feat - they must have had a substantial lair in order to train and anoint a force of such size.
• We found an ancient temple of Selûne that had seemingly been razed by Dark Justiciars in the past. Such a force must have had a stronghold to operate from. Perhaps it can still be found.

Explore Grymforge.

• We entered the ruins of what may have been a fortress dedicated to the goddess Shar. We could be close to the Dark Justiciar's lair.
• We found the corpses of several Dark Justiciars - Shar must have been worshipped here. Shadowheart suggested we search for answers.
• We found traces of Hellish fiends. Could they have killed the Dark Justiciars? If so, where is their temple of Shar?

Reach the ancient temple.

• We learned that Grymforge leads to an ancient temple. Perhaps the truth of what happened to the Dark Justiciars can be discovered there.
• The bridge to the ancient temple has been destroyed - there must be another way in.
• The cultists were trying to find an ancient temple, but the bridge has been destroyed. If we find another way in, we might discover what happened to the Dark Justiciars.
• It seems that there are limits to Shadowheart's resistance to the shadow curse - she is as vulnerable as anyone wherever the shadows are strongest. Perhaps her goddess tests her.
• A great many Dark Justiciars seem to have perished while fighting near the graveyard. We must be drawing close to the place Shadowheart wishes to find.
• We discovered that Shadowheart possesses a certain amount of resistance to the ill effects of the shadow curse. It seems that this must be due to Shar's patronage - but given the mercurial nature of the dark goddess, the extent of her protection remains to be seen.
• We discovered the remains of long-dead Dark Justiciars in the ruined town of Reithwin. It seems they fought to the death in an effort to defend something important to them.

Explore the Gauntlet of Shar.

• We discovered an ancient temple dedicated to Shar. This will be of great interest to Shadowheart - we should investigate further with her.
• We reached the place that Shadowheart had been seeking - an ancient temple dedicated to Shar. We should investigate further.

Complete the trials of Shar.

• Shadowheart realised that this temple is the legendary Gauntlet of Shar - a proving ground where initiates would seek to become Dark Justiciars. After investigating an altar, she learned that a series of trials must be overcome in order to be anointed a warrior of Shar. Shadowheart wishes to complete the trials and become a Dark Justiciar herself.

Find the Spear of Night.

• Shadowheart revealed to us that in order to become a Dark Justiciar, she must first acquire a weapon called the Spear of Night, hidden somewhere in the Silent Library.

Proceed with the trials of Shar.

• We have found the Spear of Night. Now we only need to clear the way to the Inner Sanctum of the Gauntlet of Shar, where Shadowheart seeks to be anointed as a Dark Justiciar.

Venture into the Inner Sanctum.

• We have cleared the way to the Inner Sanctum. Shadowheart is now very close to proving herself to Shar and becoming a Dark Justiciar. We should accompany her downwards.
• We have surmounted all the trials and cleared the way to the Inner Sanctum. Shadowheart is now very close to proving herself to Shar and becoming a Dark Justiciar. We should accompany her downwards.

Find the Spear of Night.

• After praying to Shar, Shadowheart told us that she must retrieve a weapon called the Spear of Night from the Silent Library before she goes any farther. Otherwise, she will be unable to become a Dark Justiciar.

Help Shadowheart finally become a Dark Justiciar.

• We retrieved the Spear of Night. Now we only need to venture through the Inner Sanctum to where Shadowheart's final test awaits. If she succeeds, she shall be anointed as a Dark Justiciar.
• We have entered the Shadowfell - Shar's very own realm. We must descend to where a final test awaits Shadowheart.

After praying to Shar, Shadowheart told us that she needs to proceed to where a final test awaits her. If she succeeds, she shall be anointed as a Dark Justiciar.

Defeat Balthazar.

• We have decided to turn on Balthazar. Now we must defeat him so that Shadowheart can deal with Nightsong.
• We have entered the Shadowfell - Shar's very own realm. We must descend to where a final test awaits Shadowheart. However, Balthazar, necromancer and ally of Ketheric Thorm, is also present, and may pose a threat to Shadowheart's ambitions if we do not intervene.

Quest Complete

• Shadowheart died. We won't be able to bring her back.
• Shadowheart left our party and won't return.
• We surrendered Nightsong to Balthazar, who took her away to Moonrise Towers. Enraged, Shadowheart turned on us.
• We convinced Shadowheart to turn her back on Shar's wishes, and instead free Nightsong. Rather than become a Dark Justiciar, Shadowheart will instead likely face dire consequences for her actions.
• We decided Nightsong's fate for ourselves, ignoring Shadowheart's wishes. This is bound to anger her greatly.

Shadowheart wielded the Spear of Night and killed Nightsong. Greatly pleased, Shar rewarded Shadowheart, and gave her a new mission to pursue.

Walkthrough

The Dark Justiciars

During dialogue with Shadowheart, she reveals that she has always dreamed of becoming a Dark Justiciar of Shar, but the Mother Superior thwarted any attempts at doing so. More information on the Dark Justiciars can be found at various places, starting in Act One. This starts the quest The Chosen of Shar to learn more about the Dark Justiciars and their history.

Information on the Dark Justiciars can be found within the Inner Sanctum of the Emerald Grove by examining the murals with Shadowheart in the party. One of the frescoes, 'Fallen,' depicts a group of druids standing over a vanquished army - the army of Shar. The druids aided a group of Selunites in vanquishing Shar's army at Moonrise Towers.

If Halsin is saved during  Rescue the Druid Halsin, he can tell more about a war that was fought between the Selunites and the Dark Justiciars.

If travelling to  through the Underdark and exploring Grymforge, several signs of Dark Justiciar remnants are noticed. In the area near the Deep Rothé in the quest  Get Past the Rubble, there are several such corpses that Shadowheart can comment on. Additionally, there is an Idol of Shar at X: -645 Y: 366 which can be found on the path past the rubble, through many sets of pressure plate traps and a locked wrought iron gate. The gate can either be smashed with force damage or passed with spells such as  Misty Step or  Gaseous Form.  Mage Hand can also be used to switch the lever on the other side of the gate. Speaking to Shadowheart, she can be gifted the statuette. Lastly, within the path to the Adamantine Forge, there are several Devilfoil Masks which indicate Merregons from the hells fought with the Dark Justiciars.

Unfortunately, the trail goes cold within Grymforge. Choosing to free Nere as part of  Free True Soul Nere results in his explaining that he was looking for an entrance to an ancient Sharran Temple, but the way was blocked. It is not until the latter half of Act Two that the party can find a way in.

The Gauntlet of Shar

As part of  Infiltrate Moonrise Towers, the party members are prompted to  Find Ketheric Thorm's Relic, which leads them to the Grand Mausoleum. After solving a small puzzle in the Mausoleum, it is possible to enter the Gauntlet of Shar.

In order to reach the Nightsong in the Shadowfell, the party must obtain four Umbral Gems. Three of them are granted upon completing the Trials of Shar. The fourth one must be acquired from the orthon Yurgir, also residing in the Gauntlet (see below). Once all four Umbral Gems are in the party's possession, it is necessary to obtain Spear of Night in the Silent Library, to be able to deal with the Nightsong if Shadowheart is in the party.

Shadowheart does not need to personally be taken through the Gauntlet of Shar, although she does have numerous opportunities for unique dialogue and approval.

The Shadowfell

Shadowheart must decide whether to slay or spare the Nightsong.

To complete the quest The Chosen of Shar, Shadowheart must be taken to the Shadowfell. If not included, she immediately appears after the party returns to the material plane to confront them, saying they prevented her from achieving her destiny. She then permanently leaves the party, saying she hopes she never sees them again and forgets them in time. The quest The Chosen of Shar then fails.

Once leaping to the heart of the Shadowfell, it is revealed that the Nightsong is not an object, but an aasimar named Dame Aylin. She has been held captive by Ketheric Thorm using the power of Balthazar to share her immortality with him.

After this, several events can play out, depending on whether Balthazar is alive and whether the player character convinces Shadowheart to spare the Nightsong.

Shadowheart can be convinced to spare Aylin in several ways, depending on her Approval rating with the player character and her Nightsong Points. Additionally, she can be persuaded by a high DC 30 Persuasion check or by trusting Shadowheart to make the choice on her own and then passing a second, less difficult DC 21 Persuasion check.

If the Aylin is spared, she thanks the party and Shadowheart throws the Spear of Night into the abyss of the Shadowfell. However, Dame Aylin grants her a new weapon as thanks - the Moonlight Glaive. Aylin promises to tell Shadowheart more about her history after taking down Thorm. Then, Aylin flies off to face him. After leaving the Shadowfell, Lady Shar subjects Shadowheart to great torment before sending her back to the mortal realm, and Shadowheart loses her favour. After completing  Defeat Ketheric Thorm, upon speaking to Dame Aylin in camp, Shadowheart is rewarded with Selûne's Spear of Night.

If Aylin is killed, Shadowheart becomes a Dark Justiciar and gains the Shar's Spear of Evening. However, the party lose a valuable ally in Aylin. 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, unlike instances where Isobel is kidnapped in  Resolve the Abduction, Jaheira is nowhere to be found and does not aid the party in the fight at the Last Light Inn.

Regardless of what Shadowheart's fate is, the result is that Ketheric Thorm must be faced as part of  Defeat Ketheric Thorm. This is either mandated by Shar, who sees him as a traitor, or requested by Aylin, who reveals more information on Shadowheart's past if she assists her.

Quest Rewards

If Shadowheart kills the Nightsong:

• Dark Justiciar Boots
• Dark Justiciar Gauntlets (Rare)
• Dark Justiciar Half-Plate (Very Rare)
• Shar's Spear of Evening

If Shadowheart spares the Nightsong:

• Moonlight Glaive
• Selûne's Spear of Night (granted after completing Infiltrate Moonrise Towers, upon speaking to Dame Aylin in camp)

Bugs

• If Shadowheart has equipped the Spear of Night upon going into the final cutscene, it will remain visible on her back in some shots even if she has already thrown it away.