Branthos

Harper Branthos is a wood elf fighter who is part of the Harpers in Act Two. Originally holed up in Last Light Inn patrolling the outskirts and main plaza of the sanctuary, Branthos plans and sets up an elaborate ambush against an Absolutist convoy.

	“	Harpers, attack! Kill the cultists - and get that lantern!	„
		— Branthos, ambushing the caravan

Involvement

Last Light Inn

If the party reaches the Shadow-Cursed Lands through Grymforge, Branthos can be first encountered at the Last Light Inn, where he is patrolling the main plaza in front of the inn's entrance, as well as the underpass where Bex is.

After the party talks with Jaheira, Branthos, along with Elindale, Lassandra, Manus, and Skywin will move to the bridge in front of Last Light Inn, waiting for the party so they can move in to intercept and ambush a nearby Absolutist convoy in order to acquire their source of protection against the Shadow Curse. Accepting the mission would have Branthos and his squad of Harpers cast  Light on their weapons, and move in to the Ruined Battlefield, where they'll lay in wait for the Absolutist convoy. The party can either go with the group immediately or catch up with them later, as the ambush site is marked on their map.

If the party immediately talks to Isobel and fights Marcus after talking with Jaheira, Branthos and his squad would have already moved to the bridge, out of reach of the battle. Regardless, if Isobel is kidnapped, he and the rest of the squad will nonetheless turn into a  Shadow-Cursed Undead.

Ambush

Main article: Seek Protection from the Shadow Curse

Main article: Follow the Convoy

Talking to Branthos at the ambush site will commence the ambush and spawn in the encounter. Once the convoy arrives, the player has a choice to attack immediately or hang back. If the party chooses to stay hidden and keep watching, Kar'niss kills Brawler Vez, one of the goblins in the convoy. From there, the party can either signal the Harpers or the Harpers will start the encounter themselves. After the fight, on the drider's corpse will be a Moonlantern he'll comment on, but not before remarking that the war is not over.

Alternatively, the party can convince Kar'niss to relinquish the Moonlantern, and to lead the Absolutist convoy to its death, where they will eventually be cursed. Either way, Branthos and his squad will then depart amiably, and return to Last Light Inn.

If choosing to reach the Shadow-Cursed Lands through the Mountain Pass route, a goblin greets them and sends the party to a rendezvous point to wait for their guide to Moonrise Towers, where the party will pass off as a True Soul. This starts Follow the Convoy.

Kar'niss, the guide, will ferry the party, as well as the rest of the convoy to Moonrise. During the trek, Branthos, along with Elindale, Manus, and Skywin will ambush the convoy. The party can choose to either turn on the convoy and help the Harpers, or protect the convoy in order to continue their cover as a True Soul.

If meeting the Harpers for the first time, Branthos will take the drider's Moonlantern and tell the party to head to Last Light Inn, where they can reacquire the same Moonlantern after speaking with Isobel. If the party sticks with the convoy, Branthos and his squad will turn hostile, and be killed.

After the Ambush

If sided with and alive, Branthos can later be found on the top floor of Last Light Inn, drinking wine with Elindale. In sharp contrast to Elindale's more buoyant personality, Branthos showcases a very stoic demeanor and reassures him that they'll be ready for when the time to attack Ketheric Thorm comes.

Assault Moonrise Towers

If the party successfully prevented Marcus from capturing Isobel at the Last Light Inn, and once the Nightsong has been freed from her cage and is headed for Moonrise, Branthos will follow Jaheira to Moonrise Towers. However, Branthos is killed during the fight against Absolute forces before the party can arrive. His corpse can be found in the Moonrise Towers Prison, surrounded by a Death Shepherd and a horde of Necromites.

Combat

Attacks and Abilities

 Main Hand Attack ()   –  Longsword

Normal weapon damage

Make a melee attack with your equipped weapon.

 Melee: 1.5 m / 5  ft

 Rush Attack ()   –  Longsword

1d4 (1~4) + Strength or Dexterity modifier Piercing

Charge forward and attack the first enemy in your way, possibly pushing them  Off Balance.

STR Save

 Range: 9 m / 30 ft

 Pommel Strike ()   –  Longsword

1d4 (1~4) + Strength modifier Bludgeoning

Make a non-lethal attack against an enemy and possibly  Daze them.

CON Save

 Melee: 1.5 m / 5  ft

 Disarming Attack (Melee) ()

Normal weapon damage

+ Superiority Die Weapon damage

Spend a superiority die to deal Weapon Damage + 1d8 Physical damage and potentially force the target to drop the weapons they are holding.

STR Save

Allies

• Harper Elindale
• Harper Lassandra
• Harper Manus
• Harper Skywin

Loot

• Orders from Jaheira
• Potion of Healing
• Torch
• Scale Mail
• Longsword

Related quests

•  Infiltrate Moonrise Towers
•  Follow the Convoy
•  Resolve the Abduction
•  Seek Protection from the Shadow Curse

Notes

• Branthos and Elindale seem to be close friends, or at least share an amiable level of camaraderie, as they have nicknames for eachother: "Bran" for Branthos, and "Elin" for Elindale.
  • Branthos will also called Lassandra "Lass", if the latter dies in combat with him. This dialogue is only heard in combat against the Drider if Manus is already dead and cannot call out for Lassandra before Branthos.
• Branthos wears a set of armor identical to the Scale Mail armor set, but with metal kneecaps and the shoulder pads from the Scale Mail +2 set. He also has a Harp-Shaped Pin pinned on his chest.
• If killed at any point in time before or during the convoy's ambush, either Elindale, Lassandra, Manus, or Skywin will take the lead in talking to the player instead and lead the ambush, and refer the latter to Last Light Inn.
• As of Patch 6, despite having Extra Attack, Branthos is not able to attack twice during his turns.
  • Likewise, despite having Disarming Attack (Melee), Branthos is unable to use that action.
    • This is due to Branthos being given a player version of Disarming Attack, which makes him unable to use the action as he has no Superiority Die.