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Cazador's Dungeon
| Szarr Palace | ||||
| Lower City Sewers | ← | Cazador's Dungeon | ||
| ↓ | ||||
| Szarr Palace | ||||
“The master is preparing the Black Mass. Beneath his palace. There's a defiled chapel - it was hidden there the entire time. Hidden from us all.„
Overview[edit section | visual editor]
Cazador's Dungeon is a vast subterranean realm deep under Baldur's Gate, laying on the level below its Undercity. It is considered a part of Szarr Palace. Belonging to and used by its masters, few people except them know of its existence.
The palace belongs to the Szarr patriar family of Baldur's Gate, of which most members are vampires. Some documents in the dungeon mention Donnella 'The Architect' Szarr, who reopened and brought under the family's control The Tourmaline Depths beneath the palace. In her notes Donnella suggested this realm may have been created by exiles of the dwarven kingdom 
By the start of the game, the palace and, by extension, the dungeon, has been long owned by the master vampire 
After the events in the dungeon are concluded, the party receive an additional tier to the set of possible allies in the 
Access[edit section | visual editor]
There are two routes into the dungeon:
- From the Palace Ballroom: The party can head to the southwestern corner of the ballroom X: -1298 Y: 995 to find the Office Hall. There they can interact with the dais at X: -1305 Y: 987, which functions as an elevator leading directly down into the dungeon.
- From the Lower City Sewers: the party can enter via the Gloomy Descent at X: -112 Y: 886. Note that this entrance is initially locked; it only becomes available after the party have explored the palace and the majority of the dungeon to unlock the door from the inside at X: -1981 Y: 843.
Fast travel (except for returning to the waypoint in the beginning of the dungeon) and returning to the Campsite are not possible inside this area, until both 
Dungeon layout[edit section | visual editor]
For convenience, the description of the dungeon is given as if following its exploration after using the elevator from the Szarr Palace.
Main gallery[edit section | visual editor]
After descending on the elevator dais, the party find themselves at the end of a elongated gallery with several gilded double doors to the both sides. Initially, the Crypt Gate blocking the way forward at X: -1926 Y: 862 is sealed with 
Upon the party's descent, a waypoint is unlocked inside the dungeon. Until the events in the dungeon are concluded, it can be used to return to the initial point of its exploring, but it does not allow teleporting anywhere else.
To the west, behind a narrow bridge over the chasm, is another magically locked Crypt Gate at X: -1951 Y: 854; it leads to Cazador's private chambers.
If Astarion was not betrayed to the Gur hunter in Act One, after the events in the Grand Chamber are concluded, a group of Gur people await the party near the elevator dais, led by 
Cazador's Room[edit section | visual editor]
Cazador's room is a small chamber behind the sealed Crypt Gate to the west of the elevator, holding the most private belongings of the vampire lord.
In the room's centre is a marble dais, where on a cushion rests the skull of the vampire Vellioth, Cazador's sire. Interacting with it leads to a series of three 
Near the skull lies a 
In the opulent chest near the entrance is gold, random precious gem and several random rare alchemical ingredients.
Cells[edit section | visual editor]
Behind the Crypt Gate ahead is the prison area with two magically locked cells on each side. Unlike previous arcane locks, these gates can neither be opened with Szarr Family ring nor lockpicked, though the party can decide to unlock them later in one of possible outcomes of the final cutscene. Otherwise, these gates remain permanently locked.
In the cell to the right, a certain number of Cazador's victims are imprisoned. When the party approach, the dialogue with one of the captives, 
In the left cell are five kidnapped children of the Gur tribe. It is possible to speak with them as well (namely with Gandrel's daughter 
Either from the spawn or from the Gur children the party may learn that the key to the cells is 
At the far end of the room is an unlocked door to the Grand Chamber, where Cazador counts down the last moments to his triumph.
The Grand Chamber[edit section | visual editor]
The Grand Chamber is at the northernmost point of Cazador's Dungeon. Here the party can confront
The hall features a large ground resembling a seven-pointed star, protruding from the middle of a vast chasm. A long stairway leads down to this ground from the entrance. Giant cage-like chandeliers hang on the chains around, filled with human bodies (possibly the unconscious 'souls' Cazador needs for the ritual). On six points of the star six of Astarion's "siblings" are already restrained by magic, all having the 
Cazador stands in the middle of this star, surrounded by a small retinue of werewolves, bats, fallen Gur Hunter undead, and a skeletal servant 
The layout of the dialogue changes if Astarion is in the party. If he is a companion but not in the active party, Cazador can be placated by passing a
Also in the centre of the ritual ground is Cazador's marble coffin. If he is reduced to 0 HP in the fight, Cazador retreats into it (when he does, a ray of red light protrudes up from the coffin). After Astarion's personal quest is concluded, the coffin can be looted for the 
Two smaller sets of stairs lead from the star-shaped ground to a smaller one almost below the entrance. This ground features two stacks of scrolls with random very rare spell scrolls and a noteboard. Near the noteboard lies another
In the middle of this lesser ground is a hearth with several charred goblin bodies. One of them carries the 
Lower level[edit section | visual editor]
* Yellow dot: the ascent to the city sewers
* Blue dot: the key to the sewers door
* Pink dot: the movable chandelier
The lower floor can be accessed from the upper floor using 
In the room below, a button on a pillar at X: -1964 Y: 842 raises and lowers a massive chandelier X: -1964 Y: 832 which can be used as an elevator to enter and leave this level.[See: Bugs]
At X: -1981 Y: 843 is the appendix with another locked Crypt Gate. Opening it requires either any of the
The center of the room to the west is filled with a damaging caustic brine. Several metal crates and trunks around contain rare alchemical ingredients, random potions and / or coatings, and Camp Supplies (mostly wine).
In a room to the east a 
Companion interactions[edit section | visual editor]
Cazador's Dungeon is the location where
If Astarion is the active party, dialogues with captives in both cells are more consistent, but at the same time more difficult. When talking to Sebastian, the captive recognizes Astarion as the one who led him to imprisonment, and lunges at the grate. To offer help, the interacting party member must pass a 
The layout of the Gur children's conversation while Astarion is present also requires passing ability checks to find out about the staff, though in this case DC rolls may be even higher (up to 18).
If Astarion is in the active party, after the party talk with Sebastian or with Chessa – regardless of order, but the dialogue with Sebastian is more likely to go first, as it triggers automatically – he prompts a dialogue with the player character. In both dialogues he expresses guilt for what he has done, but also his inability of doing otherwise (i.e., acting against Cazador's orders). The player character can ask Astarion for the details, encourage him to take up the ritual, or deepen his doubts concerning it. Characters who are currently romancing Astarion can also point his attention to their possible fate if they had met him while he was still bound to his master's will.[6]
If Astarion is present and in the active party when the party speak to Cazador in the Grand Chamber, the vampire lord mocks Astarion until he loses his temper and lunges at Cazador. At this point Cazador manages to subdue Astarion and teleports him to the farmost point of the ritual "star". He immediately initiates the Rite of Profane Ascension; the party have only three turns to interrupt this process. To do so, they must either free Astarion from magical binds via 
If the party convinces Astarion to not finish the Rite in Cazador's stead, they must also decide the fate of Cazador's captives, turned and enslaved for the Rite. Regardless of the outcome, Astarion (as a companion) prompts a dialogue where he expresses his feelings about his new future. His revelations are quite different depending on the result, and also differ slightly in each case depending on whether the player character is romancing him.
Inspiration and oathbreaking[edit section | visual editor]
Depending on the party's decisions throughout the final cutscene and afterwards, party members may earn one or both of the following inspirations:
Also, the final decisions are a major pivotal point for preserving the Oaths of the Paladin characters:
- Helping Astarion to conduct the Rite instead of Cazador inevitably breaks the Oath of any Paladin subclass[7]
- Convincing Astarion to reject the Rite may also result in breaking certain Oaths due to one of subsequent mutually exclusive decisions:
- Killing the vampire spawn - Devotion Paladins
- Freeing the vampire spawn - Ancients' Paladins and Paladins of the Crown
- Leaving the vampire spawn in the cells - Vengeance Paladins
Waypoints[edit section | visual editor]
This location contains the following Waypoints:
Related locations[edit section | visual editor]
Related quests[edit section | visual editor]
Characters[edit section | visual editor]
Notable[edit section | visual editor]
Vampire spawn[edit section | visual editor]
The Gur hunters[edit section | visual editor]
The hunters appear if Astarion was not betrayed to Gandrel in Act One, regardless of how the Rite ended. Gandrel is among them if he survived the events of Act One and Act Three.
Creatures[edit section | visual editor]
Loot[edit section | visual editor]
Related literature[edit section | visual editor]
Bugs[edit section | visual editor]
- The chandelier which serves as an ersatz elevator sometimes works correctly, but other times party members may be "left behind" after jumping onto it and fall to their deaths; use it with care.
- The trapped casket with the Pelorsun Blade may not be present on some platforms. Although the casket may require noticing and then digging up.
Notes and references[edit section | visual editor]
- ↑
- ↑ There is also a possibility of the Gur joining the party as allies against an ascended Astarion alone, if the party deem him too dangerous to live.
- ↑ Astarion does not actually need the scroll to conduct the Rite, should he choose to become a Vampire Ascendant instead of Cazador. In this case, he somehow knows the incantation even without ever reading the scroll.
- ↑ If the spawn are freed, and Gandrel still lives, he can be met in the Lower City Sewers afterwards with Chessa and
LOW_GurFollowUp_GurHunterInUndercity. - ↑ This trap deactivates if Astarion finishes the Rite instead of Cazador.
- ↑ Sources:
Astarion_InParty2_Nested_Sebastian,LOW_CazadorsPalace_Cells_Child_001. - ↑ The oathbreaking cutscene triggers without a pause after the Rite scene ends.
- ↑ This can be looted from Ulma, if she is defeated; opens the chest in the Gur Camp in Rivington.
- ↑ This can be looted from Ulma, if she is defeated.
- ↑ In the dialogue with Vellioth's skull it is also called the "Schooling Scroll", which may have been its initiall title, but was changed afterwards.
