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Help Omeluum Investigate the Parasite
Help Omeluum Investigate the Parasite is a sub-quest of Act One's main quest, Find a Cure. It can be initiated by speaking with Blurg and Omeluum at Ebonlake Grotto (the Myconid Colony), and informing them of the parasite.
 | Spoiler warning: The following content contains unhidden spoilers. Read at your own risk. |
Objectives
- Let Omeluum examine the parasite.
- We mentioned the parasite to Blurg, a hobgoblin. His colleague, a mind flayer named Omeluum, offered to examine it. Perhaps it can cure us?
- Ask Omeluum how to negate the tadpole's magic.
- The mind flayer couldn't extract the parasite, but offered us a way to negate the magic protecting it.
- Find the mushrooms Omeluum requested.
- To help us, Omeluum requires a Tongue of Madness mushroom and some Timmask Spores. We can find both at the mysterious tower nearby.
- We found some Timmask Spores. We'll need to bring them back to Omeluum once we find the Tongue of Madness.
- We found the Tongue of Madness. We'll need to bring it back to Omeluum along with the Timmask Spores.
- Drink the potion Omeluum made for us.
- Before Omeluum can start the procedure, we'll need to drink the potion it made from the mushrooms we found.
- Get the Ring of Mind Shielding from Omeluum.
- The potion Omeluum gave us didn't work - it made the parasite even stronger. To calm it down, Omeluum is willing to trade us a ring of mind shielding.
- Quest Completed!
- We left the area before Omeluum could help. We'll need to find a cure somewhere else.
Walkthrough
The quest is officially started by talking to Blurg, who upon learning about your situation (if the player chooses to share), summons his ally Omeluum to consult. Talking to Omeluum and agreeing to his plan to brew the potion will kick off the quest.
To complete this quest, the player will have to travel to the Arcane Tower per Omeluum's instructions to obtain the items they need. This guide will contain information for the full exploration of the tower. Strictly speaking the player does not need to explore most of the tower to complete this quest.
It is possible to both acquire Tongue of Madness and Timmask Spores without entering the tower. For Timmask mushrooms, approaching them in turn based mode and picking up the spores before they disappear works. Tongue of Madness can be bought from Derryth.
Dealing with the Defenses
The tower is guarded by automated Arcane Cannons. They are automatically hostile and will shoot at your characters whenever they're in sight-line and in range - there is a targeting indicator that will tell you this. Anything that breaks this line of sight indicator - i.e. solid obstacles - will effectively stop the attacks.
As of the Early Access, automated defenses do not trigger a turn-based combat encounter - rather, they will shoot and attack in real-time exploration mode as well. It is recommended that you consider turning on Turnbase Mode to make movement and controlling your party more manageable.
In general, there are a few approaches to dealing with these the Arcane Cannons:
- Brute force - the cannons can be directly damaged and rendered inoperable. Take note of its resistances and Lightning vulnerability.
- Override - the cannons can be shut down once the player gains access to the 1st floor and restores power.
- Running by/Stealth - this is best done in Turnbase Mode as it'll allow the player to move cover-to-cover between turns.
- Anti-Magic - as the Arcane Cannons are magical constructs, being within the vicinity of the Anti-Magic effect of the Sussur Bloom will shut them down temporarily.
- Sussur Blooms can be found in the garden at the bottom of the Arcane Tower, or at the Sussur Tree in Dread Hollow.
- Attacking a Cannon while it's shut-down by the Anti-Magic field will destroy it, as opposed to "knocking it out".
Destroying the turrets will net you more experience overall - as each defeated tower nets 40 XP as of Patch 9 of the Early Access.
Note, cannons that have previously been rendered inoperable (by brute force) but not destroyed can actually be revived by the Anti-Magic aura, by walking into and then out of its range. You'll see the circuitry on the cannon re-ignite when this happens. This is something to take note of and to be careful of if you're combining the brute force approach with the Anti-magic approach afterwards.
In general, there are two formal/obvious ways to navigate the tower:
- Platforming on the fungus growing on the South side of the tower (can access the 2nd floor, and the exterior of the 1st).
- Restoring power and using the elevator (all floors).
If the player has access to flight (such as the Fly spell, or the Circle of the Moon Druid's Dire Raven form), they can completely bypass the need to restore the tower's power. However, this means they'll give up on 25 Experience and potentially Inspiration Points for the Guild Artisan background.
To successfully finish the quest, the player only needs to visit 2nd Floor (Greenhouse), which contains some Tongue of Madness mushroom and Timmask Spores. Once they have these, they can return to Omeluum to finish the quest. Everything else is strictly optional:
| Level | How to access | Notable elements |
|---|---|---|
 Ground floor (Generator)
|
The exterior Garden can be access by flight, jumping or teleporting on outside the tower. The locked 1st floor itself can be accessed by the Back Door or a Hole on the wall. | Contains the generator that allows you to restore power to the tower. The elevator itself is located on a mezzanine, with the rest of the basement beneath it. |
| 1st Floor (Greenhouse)
|
Can be reached by the elevator, flight, or by jumping or teleporting on the mushrooms on the tower exterior. | Contains the quest related items  Tongue of Madness,  Timmask Spores). If the party don't want to explore the rest of the tower, they only have to visit this one floor.
|
| 2nd Floor (Main Entrance)
|
Can be accessed by the Main Door. Or flight and elevator if approaching from another level. | Contains the Chest of Mundane with  Mystra's Grace + two Scrolls) and 2x Arcane Cannons.
|
| 3rd Floor (Bedroom)
|
Can be reached by the elevator and/or flight. | Contains key elements that allows the party to converse with Bernard and other constructs peacefully. |
| 4th Floor (Roof)
|
Can be reached by the elevator and/or flight. | This level contains Bernard, and the  Guiding Light ring which is one method to visit the basement.
|
| Basement (Secret Room)
|
Can be reached by the elevator with the Guiding Light ring equipped, by flying or using  through a gap from the 1st level, by using  to activate a lever under the staircase, by using a bow to activate the lever under the staircase through the staircase, or by activating the lever on the 4th floor hidden next to a bookshelf.
|
Contains treasures - including the  Staff of Arcane Blessing,  The Sparkswall, and another set of the quest items Tongue of Madness, Timmask Spores).
|
The 1st Floor (Generator) and Activating the Tower
To fully explore the tower, the player's goal would be to enter the locked 1st level of the tower - as the generator used to restore power to the tower is located there. To access this floor, the player must first get to the bottom of the tower.
Without a working elevator, the player will have to use the fungus platforms growing on the Southern wall of the tower to jump their way down. It is a good idea to cast Feather Fall to prevent unnecessary fall damage. Alternatively, Flying or teleporting (via Misty Step) will also get the player down without issues.
The 1st floor is locked and one of the few areas that is not accessible directly by flight. There are two options to get in:
- Through the Ornate Door in the back, which can be unlocked with a DC15 Sleight of Hand check, or by breaking it down (24 Hit Points, Sturdy).
- By accessing a hole on the South wall (it looks like a pipe). The player will need to first pass a Perception check, and then crawl through as a small creature (i.e. the Druid's Cat Wildshape or a character shrunk by the Reduce spell).
To restore power to the tower - which will activate the elevator and deactivate the automated defenses - the player will need to bring Sussur Blooms to the Power Generator. Sussur Blooms can be found at the Garden just outside the door, or from the tree at Dread Hollow.
Interact with the Power Generator to bring up the crafting menu and use it to combine the machine with the Bloom. A cutscene should play where the tower comes to life, and you will gain 25 Experience and an Inspiration Point for the Guild Artisan background. With the power restore, you can now navigate up and down the tower via the central elevator.
The 2nd Floor (Greenhouse)
This floor can only be accessed by the restored elevator, by flying, or by platforming on the exterior fungus on the south side of the tower. This is a level that contains all the mushrooms required for the quest. Once the quest items are obtained, all other actions at the tower are strictly optional. Skip forward to the Return to Omeluum section to finish the quest.
The other notable item on this floor is the Threadbare Book containing the following phrase:
- "How can I trust? How should I know? How can I show myself, my darkest me?"
This can provides additional options to interact with Bernard later on the roof.
The 3rd Floor (Main Entrance)
The main floor can be accessed directly through the front door of the tower. Exploring this floor is completely optional as the player can go straight to the 2nd floor Greenhouse to complete the quest, or the 1st floor to restore power.
The primary benefit of exploring the main floor prior to restoring the power would be additional XP from the two still-active Arcane Cannons, and getting access to Mystra's Grace earlier. The latter can provide the party an additional casting of Feather Fall which can help them avoid some damage trying to access the 1st floor. As the elevator inside is inactive, they will ultimately need to still find an alternative way to the lower levels.
Opening the Main Door requires succeeding on a Difficulty Class 15 Sleight of Hand Check. Alternatively, the main door can also be broken down - it has 
and 36 Hit Points. Opening this door prior to the restoration of power will lead to a confrontation with two Arcane Cannons. Once they've been dealt with, you are free to roam and explore the main level of the Arcane Tower.
- The Southern balcony doesn't contain any notable items, but lets you access the exterior fungus platforms to the lower levels.
- The Northern balcony has the Chest of the Mundane.
- Approaching it will trigger an Arcana Check. If your character passes, they'll identify that the chest is in-fact magical, despite its name and mundane looking loot. Taking the items out from it will reveal they are two level 1 magical scrolls (randomized), and
Mystra's Grace. Approaching the chest with the Sussur Bloom's Anti-Magic aura will also dispel the illusion and show the true loot inside the chest.
- Approaching it will trigger an Arcana Check. If your character passes, they'll identify that the chest is in-fact magical, despite its name and mundane looking loot. Taking the items out from it will reveal they are two level 1 magical scrolls (randomized), and
The 4th Floor (Bedroom)
This floor can only be accessed by the restored elevator or by flying. This floor contains documents that the player should inspect prior to ascending to the 5th Floor (Roof).
- The Road to Darkness can be found on the desk at the South-Eastern corner at (X:-25, Y:-297).
- The Torn-out paper on the table close to the elevator at (X:-35, Y:-286).
Aside from the books, the magical ring Mage's Friend can also be looted on this floor in a wooden chest by the bed, at (X:-29, Y:-273).
The Engraved Githyanki Disc can be found on top of a bookshelf in the South-Eastern corner X: -31 Y: -296 and be read by Lae'zel to start the quest Discover the history of Prince Orpheus. If she is not available, it can be read after picking up The Careful Art of Tir'su Ciphers from the table near the elevator X: -32 Y: -292 and using it to read the disc (or after succeeding on a Difficulty Class 20 Intelligence Check).
Lastly, there is an interactable button at the North-Eastern corner of the tower that appears to do nothing when pressed. To make it work, the player will need to retrieve and equip the Dog Collar from a grave in Dread Hollow at (X:-41, Y:-212), prior to interacting with it. Doing so will reveal that the button served as a food dispenser for Lenore's pet, as a piece of raw steak appears. The player can only do this once.
The 5th Floor (The Roof)
This floor can only be accessed by the restored elevator or by flying. Upon arriving at the floor, a dialogue will trigger with Bernard, who is standing guard by the elevator along with a group of Animated Armours.
Bernard speaks strictly in poetry, with the scattered lines found throughout the Arcane Tower serving as various command phrases for him. In the first meeting, if the player has read The Roads to Darkness and responds with "Or art though friend, a rescue from my lonely wake?" it prevents Bernard from becoming hostile and attacking. Successfully doing this grants the player 50 Experience points.
Afterwards, the player will have several options/commands they can use with Bernard, depending on what they've read.
| Line | Action | Required Book |
|---|---|---|
| "Or art though friend, a rescue from my lonely wake?" | Causes Bernard to not turn hostile. Triggered during the first conversation. Required for the other options. | The Roads of Darkness (4th Floor) |
| "How can I trust? How will I ever know? / How can I show myself, my darkest me?" | Bernard will place  Guiding Light on a table.
|
Threadbare Book (2nd Floor) |
| "These empty sheets are all that's left on you. / The last of all the thoughtless gifts you gave." | Bernard will give the player a Potion of Greater Healing. | Patched Parchment (table next to Bernard, 5th Floor) |
| "There is a light in every living thing. / It's crawling t'wards the surface to survive." | Bernard and the nearby Animated Armours become hostile and attack. | Dusty Book (3rd Floor) |
| "The silence stretches on - I'm all alone. / Please, can I hold your hands, for just a while?" | Bernard will hug the player and reassure them. It speaks as if the player is Lenore. | Torn-out paper (4th Floor) |
The Guiding Light Ring can be obtained by reciting the passage above, or by destroying Bernard in combat. It cannot be pick-pocketed. Destroying Bernard will also grant the player the 
Light of Creation Halberd - a strong weapon that has significant drawback.
Lastly, there is a toppled stool of Hill Giant strength that the player and can sit on (after placing it back upright) and notice its magical effect. If they break the stool and pass the subsequent perception check, they can obtain the 
Club of Hill Giant Strength.
The Basement (Secret Room)
The basement can only be accessed by using the restored elevator with the Guiding Light equipped, or by flying. When the player approach the elevator with the ring equipped, an additional "Basement" button will appear at the controls, which grants access to the secret room when interacted with.
Alternatively, with access to flight, the player can take advantage of a gap between the first floor and basement stair well that will allow them to fly down to the secret floor without ever needing to interact with Bernard or getting the Guiding Light.
In the basement, aside from more Tongue of Madness and Timmask Spores, the player can also find:
Returning to Omeluum
Once the player returns to Omeluum, he will brew the potion as promised and attempts to extract the tadpole from the player. As the process starts, a series of Saving Throws will be asked of the player:
- The character that drinks the potion will automatically be subjected to a Constitution Saving Throw.
- Failing this will result in the character being poisoned for 10 rounds. As this is an automatic save, there is no skill-check window and an opportunity to add modifiers to help pass it. However, as the player is likely not in combat when this happens, the consequences are limited. As the log currently does not show this save, at this point it's not possible to tell what the Difficulty Class of the save, nor if spells like Protection from Poison helps.
- Once Omeluum starts psionically probing, the tadpole will resist, and the player will have a choice of passing a DC 10 Wisdom or Intelligence Saving Throw.
- Failing this causes the player to gain the Tongue of Madness condition for 5 turns, which gives them Disadvantage on Charisma Checks.
- As Omeluum continues to press, the player will be asked to pass a DC 15 Wisdom or Intelligence Saving Throw.
- Failing this causes the player to gain an unique "Dazed" condition for 5 turns, which gives them Disadvantage on Wisdom and Intelligence Checks. This is different from the Dazed condition caused by attacks like the Pommel Strike weapon action.
Regardless of what saves the player manages to pass, Omeluum is unable to extract the Tadpole. Rather, his intervention has cause it to become stronger. This results in the character that drank the potion gaining the Survival Instinct Tadpole Power. In the Early Access, the character instead gained the Repulsor Tadpole Power. At this point, the quest will be marked as complete.
As he was unable to help, Omeluum will offer the player his 
Ring of Mind-Shielding, though he would not part with it completely for free.
During Early Access, the player's options included:
- Offer gold - i.e. trade for it just like any other merchant
- Trade their knowledge/experience of the Nautiloid - requires a DC 15 Intelligence or Performance Check.
- Intimidate Omeluum - requires succeeding a DC 20 Intimidation Check. Omeluum will not turn hostile in case of a failure.
Note, if the player has failed their previous saves during the extraction process, they can choose to leave the conversation and allow those effects to pass prior to attempting the skill checks to obtain the Ring of Psionic Protection. In Early Access, it seems that the player is free to try these checks to get the ring for free as many times as they want.
Quest Rewards
- The character that drinks Omeluum's potion gains the Survival Instinct Tadpole ability.
(can be purchased or obtained through checks).- Omeluum becomes a trader, with notable items like
Amulet of Misty Step and 
Creation's Echo in his inventory.