Wulbren is sort of a self-centered jerk, but the deep gnomes think he’s important, and they’ll ask you to rescue him. In this guide, we’ll show you how to liberate Wulbren from his prison and deliver him to safety.
If you free the deep gnome slaves from the duergar at Grymforge, then they’ll ask you to rescue their leader Wulbren, who was captured and taken to Moonrise Towers after learning the recipe for runepowder. If Barcus Wroot survived the windmill in the Blighted Village, then he’ll be with the slaves, and he’ll be particularly insistent that you perform the rescue.
Walkthrough
When you make your way to the Last Light Inn in Act 2, you’ll find Barcus Wroot there, assuming he’s still alive. He’ll be puttering around an alchemical workbench (#5). When you catch up with him, he’ll tell you that he’s figured out a new type of smokepowder bomb called Brilliant Retort, and he’ll promise to give you some if you rescue Wulbren. Barcus will also remind you who Wulbren is, just in case it’s been a while since you were at Grymforge.
To rescue Wulbren, you’ll have to travel to Moonrise Towers, which is located in the southern part of Reithwin Town. This is notable because Reithwin Town is infected with a stronger version of the Shadow Curse, where regular lights and spells won’t protect you. To survive in Reithwin Town, you’ll need to acquire a Pixie Blessing or a working Moonlantern — or run through the town to the towers as quickly as possible. The blessing and Moonlantern can be picked up at the Harper Ambush Site in the Shadow-Cursed Lands.
Inside Moonrise Towers, you’ll find Wulbren and two other deep gnomes in one of the cells (#2). If you try to talk to them (or any other prisoners), and if a guard or a scrying eye sees you, then you’ll be told that the prisoners are off limits, and you’ll have to beat a DC-14 Deception or Persuasion check to be left alone. If you have a Charlatan (like Astarion) in your party when doing this, then you’ll gain the “Not to Worry, I Have a Permit” inspiration. You’ll only have to dismiss the guards once. After that, they’ll ignore you.
When you talk to Wulbren, he’ll be wary of you. To gain his trust, you can drop Barcus Wroot’s name (if he’s still alive), or you can beat a DC-6 Intimidation check (Barbarian only), a DC-6 Persuasion check (“My mind is my own”), a DC-10 Persuasion check (“I know the tieflings imprisoned here”), or DC-6 Deception check (“I’m an undercover agent for the Flaming Fist”). If you’re successful, then Wulbren will tell you that he has a plan, but that for it to work, he’ll need a tool that can break rock, and he’ll ask you to throw one into his cell when the guards aren’t looking. He’ll also inform you that he’ll free the imprisoned tieflings (#1) as well, which will merge this quest with the quest Rescue the Tieflings.
There are two ways to break Wulbren and the other captives out of prison, described below.
Wulbren’s Plan
When Wulbren says “tool,” what he means is “weapon.” If you examine the wall at the back of his cell — which you should be able to see through the bars — you’ll learn that it resists Piercing and Slashing damage, but it’s vulnerable to Bludgeoning damage. So you’ll need to give Wulbren a Bludgeoning weapon. Conveniently, you’ll find Wulbren’s Hammer on the upper level of the warden’s office (#3), but that’s a restricted area, and you’ll have to steal the hammer to pick it up.
If stealth and theft aren’t your strong suits, then you can just give Wulbren any Bludgeoning weapon, including basic weapons like a Mace, Quarterstaff or Torch, which are all sold by Roah Moonglow on the main level of the towers. You can also find a bunch of basic weapons by the sloop to the north (Exit A). Or you can skip giving Wulbren a weapon entirely and break open the walls yourself.
To give Wulbren a weapon, just toss it into his cell. But be careful when doing this. If the guards spot you aiding a prisoner, then they’ll turn hostile. You can also talk to Wulbren and give him a weapon that way (via the trade window that pops up), but this method will only work for certain weapons, like Wulbren’s Hammer.
When Wulbren has a weapon, he’ll wait for you to tell him when to start the escape. When you give him the green light, he’ll go to the back of his cell, but he’ll only attack the wall when no guards are around. After breaking through, he’ll move to the back of the tieflings’ cell and break down their wall as well. The gnomes and tieflings will then head to the sloop at the back of the prison (Exit A).
Meanwhile, when the guards spot one of the broken walls, they’ll turn hostile, and the warden will open all of the cell doors, giving the guards easy access to the sloop — and the gnomes and tieflings. To prevent this, you can pick off Adept Keris and the two scrying eyes patrolling by the cells before beginning the escape. As long as nobody sees you doing this, the other guards won’t move from their posts, and nobody will notice that there’s anything amiss. Or you can just kill all of the cultists in the prison. If you fight enemies in isolated places, then you can break up the fighting into four or five battles, making them pretty easy.
To reach the sloop (Exit A), you’ll have two options. If the guards are aware of the escape, then the cell doors will probably be open, giving you easy access. But if you’ve been stealthy, then you’ll have to circle around to the sloop, jumping onto a ledge along the way (#4). This requires a higher-than-normal jump, so you might need a boost, such as from the spell Enhance Leap.
When you reach the sloop, you’ll likely find the gnomes and tieflings there already, attacking the brittle chains holding the sloop in place. If you get to the sloop first, then you can attack the chains instead, to speed things along. Once the sloop is unmoored, the prisoners will be ready to leave, and they’ll ask you for advice about where they should go. No matter what you say, they’ll head to the Last Light Inn. You’ll just have to decide if you want to travel with them or not. We’d recommend tagging along, especially if you have Minthara following you for the quest Decide Minthara’s Fate. You’ll only be able to use the sloop once.
Combat
Instead of sneaking out, you can fight your way out. To do this, enter the warden’s office (#3) and pull the levers for cells 2 and 4, or the big communal lever beneath them (which will open all of the cells). This will cause all of the prisoners to race out and head for the docks exit (Exit B), attacking any guards who get in their way. Then at the docks, you might encounter even more cultists, and the prisoners will fight any they encounter as they head for Reithwin Town. When they reach Reithwin Town, they’ll disappear and make their way to the Last Light Inn.
Note: Since the prisoners will have low health and no equipment, they’ll fight poorly and die easily. If Wulbren dies during the escape, then you’ll fail this quest. If some or all of the tieflings die, then you’ll either fail or earn a lesser reward for the quest Rescue the Tieflings. To prevent casualties, just kill all of the cultists in the prison and docks before starting the escape. Nobody in the main part of Moonrise Towers will notice.
At the Last Light Inn
Back at the Last Light Inn, if you arrive at the same time as Wulbren and the other prisoners, then a cut scene will start up where they’ll be inspected for parasites — and you too if this is you first time there. If you arrive separately, then the prisoners will already be ensconced at the inn.
Once everybody has been cleared, you’ll just need to talk to Barcus (#5) (if he’s still alive) and then Wulbren (#6) to complete the quest. You’ll learn that while Barcus worships Wulbren, Wulbren doesn’t think much of Barcus. In fact, Wulbren will pretty much just show disdain for Barcus and send him on his way. Still, you’ll earn 225 xp for completing the quest, and Barcus will give you an upgraded Smokepowder Bomb called Brilliant Retort. You’ll meet Barcus and Wulbren again in Act 3.
Note: While the equipment cards show Smokepowder Bombs and Brilliant Retort dealing the same amount of damage, Brilliant Retort actually does 3d4+9 Force damage twice instead of once, making it the better bomb.
Share this article:
Steven Carter
Starting with cassette tape games on the TRS-80, Steven has been playing, creating, and writing about games for a long, long time. This makes him experienced, not old. Lately, Steven has been focusing on walkthroughs, making sure everybody knows how to solve Towers of Hanoi puzzles.
