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Help Omeluum Investigate the Parasite
Help Omeluum Investigate the Parasite is a sub-quest of Act One's main quest, {{Quest|Find a Cure}0. It can be initiated by speaking with Blurg and Omeluum at Ebonlake Grotto (the Myconid Colony), and informing them of the parasite.
Objectives
- We mentioned the parasite to Blurg, a hobgoblin. His colleague, a mind flayer named Omeluum, offered to examine it. Perhaps it can cure us?
- The mind flayer couldn't extract the parasite, but offered us a way to negate the magic protecting it.
- 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.
- Before Omeluum can start the procedure, we'll need to drink the potion it made from the mushrooms we found.
- 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.
- 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 its 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. However, it is also 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 Bonecloak.
Dealing with the defences
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.
Automated defences 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 turn-based 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 turn-based 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 first 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 ground floor (generator room) 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 ground 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 leading in from the back yard, 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 defences - 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 first 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 (see Arcane Tower for further area information).
The basement (secret room)
Optionally, the player can also find more Tongue of Madness and Timmask Spores in the basement. This room can only be accessed by using the restored elevator with the Guiding Light equipped, or by flying.
Obtaining the Guiding Light requires visiting Bernard on the top floor of the tower. It can be looted from him, or he will place it on a nearby table after the player speaks the following commands to make Bernard passive, then grant the ring:
- "Or art though friend, a rescue from my lonely wake?" - The Roads to Darkness, found on the third floor bedroom.
- "How can I trust? How will I ever know? / How can I show myself, my darkest me?" - Threadbare Book, found on the first floor greenhouse.
When the player approaches the elevator with the ring equipped, an additional "Basement" button will appear at the controls, granting access to this secret room.
Returning to Omeluum
Once the player returns to Omeluum, it will brew the potion as promised, and attempts to extract the tadpole from the player.
If the player passes a passive 
DC 10 Insight check, they can learn that Omeluum expects doubt and fear from them. If asked if the experiment is dangerous, it will tell them that it does not know what the potion will make them see or feel, but that they may become a danger to themselves. The illithid will however reassure them that the potion won't kill them.
The character that drinks the potion will automatically attempt a series of saving throws.
First saving throw
Constitution saving throw which, if failed, will inflict 
on the character for 10 rounds.[note 1]
Second saving throw
Once Omeluum starts psionically probing, the tadpole will resist, and the character must choose whether to attempt a save, either with a DC 10 
Intelligence saving throw or DC 10 Wisdom saving throw. If the character fails the saving throw, they gain the 
condition for 5 turns, which gives them disadvantage on Charisma checks.
Third saving throw
The character must finally attempt a second save, this time with a DC 15 Wisdom saving throw or DC 15 Intelligence saving throw. The character is Dazed for 5 turns if they fail this save, which gives them disadvantage on Wisdom and Intelligence checks.[note 2]
Survival Instinct
Regardless of what saves were successful, Omeluum is unable to extract the tadpole. Rather, its intervention has caused the tadpole to become stronger. This results in the character that drank the potion gaining the Survival Instinct power.[note 3]
As it was unable to help, Omeluum will offer the player its 
Ring of Mind-Shielding, though it would not part with it completely for free.
The player can either buy this ring or convince Omeluum to give it to them in several variants: by DC 15 Persuasion check (a githyanki Tav will have an unique dialogue line for this option), DC 20 Intimidation check, or proposing to describe the inner structure of a Nautiloid. The latter demands either an DC 10 Intelligence check which has an Advantage if the player has read a relevant Rune Slate while being on the ship in the Prologue, or a DC 10 Performance check.
Early Access
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 4]
Quest rewards
- The character who drinks Omeluum's potion gains the Survival Instinct tadpole ability.
Ring of Mind-Shielding (can be purchased or obtained through checks).- Omeluum becomes a trader, with notable items like
Pearl of Power Amulet and 
Creation's Echo in its inventory.
Footnotes
- ↑ This save doesn't show up in the in-game log, and its DC is unknown.[Needs Verification]
- ↑ This is different from the
condition caused by attacks like the Pommel Strike weapon action.
- ↑ In the Early Access, the character instead gained the Repulsor Tadpole Power. At this point, the quest will be marked as complete.
- ↑ 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.