Blind the Absolute

Blind the Absolute is a Quest in Act One of Baldur's Gate 3. It can be started by talking to Brithvar in Grymforge and convincing him to double-cross Nere.

Objectives

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

Destroy the scrying eye.

We agreed to help Brithvar and his group double-cross Nere. First, we need to take out the scrying eye - discreetly.

Brithvar is defeated. It's probably still worth destroying the scrying eye.

Quest Complete

We destroyed the scrying eye and completed our part of the deal.
The cave-in was cleared before we could deal with the scrying eye. Perhaps the duergar will still double-cross Nere. Or perhaps not.
We dealt with other matters instead.

Walkthrough

Elder Brithvar X: -626 Y: 354 can be found near the room with the cave-in, having a conversation with Stone Guard Kur. They are discussing the fact that the gnomes won't be able to clear out the cave-in without explosives. One of the gnomes had recently run away with a barrel of explosives, which someone needs to track down to get Nere out.

Speak to Brithvar and he is instantly suspicious of the party. He can smell the True Soul 'stink' on them. If the party says they are a True Soul, the pair become hostile. If the party says they aren't a True Soul, there is a chance to work with the duergar mutineers:

[DECEPTION] You're imagining things. I would never bow to the Absolute (DC 10)
[DECEPTION] I was a True Soul. That cult lied to me - now I want revenge. (DC 10)
Cast Detect Thoughts. (DC 11)
That's not me you smell. You must still be catching Nere's scent.

Successfully convince Brithvar that the party are not cultists and he offers them an opportunity for gold. Freeing Nere, then taking him down and stealing his gold. The party would get a cut of the spoils. A successful Intimidation check with "Sounds good. I expect half the spoils." (DC 10) gains an extra payout. Brithvar says that the party needs to deal with the scrying eye first, lest more True Souls would come running when they realise what is happening. The party can also ask him for leads on getting Nere out, to which he refers them to the gnomes.

The party can wait for the scrying eye to patrol a more remote area to take it down.^{[note 1]} There is a somewhat secluded spot near the stairs down from Brithvar that can work with a sneak attack. If the party is caught killing the scrying eye, a guard confronts the killer.^{[note 2]} At this point, the guard can still be persuaded or deceived into standing down, otherwise the duergar will become hostile.

Failing to destroy the scrying eye has an affect on Nere's confrontation. If the eye was not destroyed, Nere has some idea of the duergar mutinists. In some instances, he orders the party to defeat the duergars to prove their loyalty, rather than killing the deep gnomes.

Notes

↑ The scrying eye has a particular patrol it follows, moving from inside the cave-in room, down the stairs, and to the dock area. It can begin following the party if they act suspiciously (i.e. hiding in front of the eye), but it quickly returns to its route.
↑ Despite having given you the task of killing the scrying eye, if you kill it within sight range of Elder Brithwar and Stone Guard Kur, they will also accost the party for "murdering someone", forcing you to make a dialogue skill check to avoid the entire area becoming hostile.

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[1] The scrying eye has a particular patrol it follows, moving from inside the cave-in room, down the stairs, and to the dock area. It can begin following the party if they act suspiciously (i.e. hiding in front of the eye), but it quickly returns to its route.

[2] Despite having given you the task of killing the scrying eye, if you kill it within sight range of Elder Brithwar and Stone Guard Kur, they will also accost the party for "murdering someone", forcing you to make a dialogue skill check to avoid the entire area becoming hostile.

[note 1]

[note 2]