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WHISPERS BELOW THE COBBLESTONE An
excellent hidden gem for Thief 1 by Korthak. This is my first mission of his and
I was very pleasantly surprised. It reminds me a lot of Skacky or Melan’s
cities, perhaps mostly reminiscent of The Sound of a Burrick In a Room. It’s
a bit rough around the edges when it comes to lighting or readables, but
still plenty good enough to come highly recommended. I
was tasked to find three items: a panting from Guldenberg’s, an ancient relic
from some underground ruins, and Lord Ravenhurst’s tanzanite gemstone. The
latter was not in his possession, so I’d have to search for it somewhere else.
I also had to acquire 3,000 worth of valuables, plus end the mission towards
Auldale in the northwest. I was confined to the southern part of the city at
first, then the northern half would open up once I emerged from underground. Southern Streets The
streets were bright and heavily patrolled. I quickly ascended to the
balconies and rooftops just southwest of Ravenhurst’s. I could traverse
between most buildings in the city’s southern part without hindrance. No loot
was found in the streets except for one item; a goblet on a sill west of
Guldenberg’s (left image below). The safest way to approach it was with a
rope arrow from the roof just west of here. The corner by the window was
dark, so I just had to time the guards climbing the rope.
The
rest of this part of town was easy. The way to progress was along a ledge in the
southeast, leading to Leveilleur’s estate (right image above). I could pick
the lock on the front door, but it couldn’t be relocked, so I went in through
the balcony entrance instead. Lock-blocked the basement key and returned it
to the top floor immediately. The rest of the building was easy. Underground To
get into the undercity, I dropped from the janitor’s balcony and mantled up
the street lamp below (left image below). I had to time the patrolling archer
and another thief on a plateau across the canal. The top of the lamp was
dark, so it was a safe method. Entering this way made me able to skip one of
the two pickable doors going through the intended room further west.
The
biggest problem in the undercity was getting past a stationary thief on a
wooden plateau close to the hideout’s basement entrance. Everything else was standard
sneaking. The thief faced west and south, pivoting randomly. I tried first
coming from the stairs to the south. This was possible to do without a first
alert, but it required perfect timing of the other patrolling guard, plus a
fair bit of luck with the thief facing west for a long time. In the end this
was a tedious and undesirable method. A better tactic was roping down from
the above walkway (right image above). I found I could retrieve the arrow and
drop silently onto the chair without alerts. From here, with a bit of luck I
could sneak into the building to the west undetected. The
thieves’ establishment was a bit tense at times, but there were so many
perfect shadows it was just a matter of waiting for the patrols to line up.
The bartender and the patrolling lady with the club was a bit tricky, but
nothing too hard. Grimar’s chambers was also much easier than anticipated.
Grabbed the tanzanite and the needed vault key from his secret compartment. In
the basement I realized the vault door was sliding and could not be
lock-blocked. I didn’t have any scrolls or potions to block it with, so I
kept going and would look for something else. I had to use something from
this side of the door, as it would have to be returned for Supreme. Finally,
in the ruins I found a skull right below the Shaman Hand that worked. I
brought it back and locked the door by blocking it with the skull (left image
below). Then I returned the vault key. When I grabbed the skull again, the
door locked shut behind me. Perfect! The burrick caves were easy as pie. I
returned the skull and the ruins key and headed up to the hammerite temple.
Northern
Streets Most of this part of the city was very straight
forward. Just like in the south, the biggest problem was finding an efficient
way around. The toughest area was Guldenberg palace, especially getting into
the treasury. The foyer had no shade, and 2-3 guards plus the sir himself
patrolled close by. It was just a matter of waiting for the right time. West of the palace I had to skip a loot item for
Supreme. It was in a building with a patrolling tenant carrying a club. A
small, pickable footlocker in the western room held a purse (right image
above). I tried picking the lock when he was farthest away, and although he
didn’t always alert, it was only because he stopped at the end of his route
for a little while. In those scenarios, they don’t verbally first alert while
being stopped, although they might still give a settling remark later. I
waited out of sight for a few minutes, and sure enough, he eventually uttered
a “Guess it was nothing”. Perfect Supreme busted, but oh well. The other buildings were easy, and I ended towards
Auldale in the northwest. This was truly a gem of a mission! I will be sure
to check out more of Korthak’s releases in the future. Statistics: Time: 2:11:36 Loot: 4400 out of 4400 (Supreme: 4360) Pickpockets: 4 out of 4 Locks Picked: 14 Damage Dealt: 0 Damage Taken: 0 Consumables: None Ghost: Success! Perfect Thief: Success! Supreme Thief: Success! Perfect Supreme Thief: Failed! Notes: -
Skipped a purse worth 40 in a building west of Guldenberg’s.
The tenant heard the lockpicks and gave a first alert. |
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