Hiding in Plain Sight

Baudry Cartamon has searched high and low for his nemesis Hazadill, but the bugbear smuggler remains elusive....

Hiding in Plain Sight
Heroic level:	10
Epic level:	None
Duration:	Long
Heroic XP:	♣1,572Solo/Casual ♦2,760Normal ♥2,900Hard ♠3,040Elite
Epic XP:	N/A
Takes place in:	Cartamon's Shipping Warehouse
Bestowed by:	Inquisitive Ingaram
NPC contact:	Inquisitive Ingaram
Quest acquired in:	The Wayward Lobster
Patron:	The Free Agents
Base favor:	5
Purchase:	Free to Play
Extreme Challenge:	No

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Overview

• (Before speaking to Baudry) Inagrim the Inquisitive hired you to investigate Baudry Cartamon's plummeting fortunes. Pirates have taken his ships, thieves are pilfering his goods, and clients are deserting him in droves. Inagrim suspects that Baudry's old nemesis, Hazadill the Bugbear, is using the resources of a wealthy new patron to muscle Baudry out of Stormreach Harbor. You should question Baudry about the whereabouts of his mortal enemy.
• (After speaking to Baudry) Baudry Cartamon is sure that Hazadill has eyes and ears among his employees -- or, perhaps, a back door into Cartamon's Shipping Warehouse? Search Baudry's warehouse for signs of Hazadill's smuggling operation. If you find Hazadill and his goons, try to learn the source of their sudden wealth.
• Hiding in Plain Sight is the pre-quest for the Twilight Forge / Restless Isles quest series. It must be completed once to gain access to Zerchi Spire-Keeper, the airship contact who sends you to the Restless Isles, where the real quest line begins. The only way to reach the Restless Isles for the first time without completing this quest is through Greater Teleport or a tier-3 Airship Navigator. After you have been there once, a tier-2 Airship Navigator can get you there.
  • Even though it's a pre-quest for an adventure pack, it's free-to-play.
• It is given by Inquisitive Ingaram in the Wayward Lobster of the Harbor. He sends you to Baudry Cartamon, who is down at the docks that lead to the lighthouse.
• This quest is usually abbreviated HiPS.

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Spoiler Warning: Spoiler material below this point!

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Objectives

• Explore the Flooded Area
• Circumvent the smugglers' defenses
• Kill Hazadill
• Search the chest on the table for the source of Hazadill's new-found wealth
• (Optional) Destroy 75 Shipping Containers — Bonus (15%): Heroic( ♣236 ♦414 ♥435 ♠456 )
• (Optional) Break the Blockade — Bonus (15%): Heroic( ♣236 ♦414 ♥435 ♠456 )
• (Optional) Kill the Aurum Officials (3) — Bonus (25%): Heroic( ♣393 ♦690 ♥725 ♠760 )
• (Optional) Take the Documents — Bonus (15%): Heroic( ♣236 ♦414 ♥435 ♠456 )

What to Expect

• Traps (random; one doesn't require rogue skills to be disarmed)
• Randomly placed quest item (optional: documents)
• Semi-randomly placed lever (mandatory: the northern lever from the spider infested wing, in one of 4 nearby alcoves)

Known Traps

Trap DCs

• The traps are semi-randomized – some appear, some don't, it varies.
• Acid, Fire, Blades, Darts
• The whirling blade traps in the tunnel dive segment can be turned off with an overhead valve at the end of the dive. Note that there is a strength requirement for this valve, so low-strength characters who swim this may need to pre-buff with a strength buff before entering the water (Strength check: 11:Fail; 12:Success Elite).
• The long trap area towards the end (see map) is a dart trap. Keeping to the left side helps.
• The trapped valve involves a nasty blade trap. Careful positioning will help.

Tips and Misc

• Many, many deadly traps and only one shrine. This is one of those quests that you will definitely want to see a Rogue or Artificer leading the way.
• Unless you sneak/zerg past the enemies in the early tunnels, you will automatically complete the "optional" objective, Break the Blockade. Circumvent the Smugglers' Defenses is part of the map to the end fight. And if you don't Take the Documents at the end, after you kill Hazadill and company, you're leaving experience on the table (literally!).
• The early Secret Door (Search DC:24) required on Elite.
• There is a cobwebbed area where the player needs to destroy the webs to move ahead. Behind many of these webs are multiple hard-hitting spiders; take the webs down slowly or you may be overrun.
• There is also a long swim in the quest. At least the first person to make this swim will face spinning blades that must be timed, slowing the underwater progress. An underwater breathing item will be helpful for that person, who can then turn off the blades with an overhead valve. (Note that healer hirelings can heal underwater, and do not drown.)
  • At the end of the underwater part, under the ladder up, at the base of the column that supports the spinning blade, you may find either a gem, potion of water breathing or a Bottle of Air sitting on the ground at the bottom of the vertical shaft driving the spinning blades; look straight down above the center of the blades and use Q (the default key for selecting interactables) to target items there to see if it is the Bottle of Air and worth going down for.
  • If you fall into the spinning blade traps in the water and die, your party members can retrieve your Soul stone from the bottom of the trap by swimming down in the very northwest corner of the room... just about the only place the trap won't hit.
• The locked doors to the two smaller rooms north and south of Hazadill require Strength checks to bash down (15 STR on Elite). If you have a fairly strong hireling, they can't "use" a door because it's locked, but place them close to the room – if you can get them to try to fight through the door, that will work just fine. One of these rooms has the second Aurum Official, a +25% optional objective. Do these before the end fight if you are chasing any optional experience.
• The end fight is a tough one – be prepared...
  • There are several named monsters on the balcony up the ladder. They may attack even before you have finished climbing, and cannot (easily) be ranged.
  • Eoman Gallius, the caster with Hazadill, seems to favor casting Otto's Sphere of Dancing before the group begins beating on you. He also can cast disintegrate and cold ray.
  • Both Hazadill and Radek can self-heal, quickly and frequently.
  • It is possible to lure one or more down off the ledge, where they can be dealt with on a more even playing field.
• The quest ends when the Book of Charts is removed from the small chest on the table.
  • After the quest, remember you're going back to Inquisitive Ingaram in the Wayward Lobster, not Baudry Cartamon, for your reward.
• As an interesting note, this quest will take you through places and sewers you've come across in previous Harbor quests, including Protect Baudry's Interests and Information is Key.

Bonus XP

• Aggression bonus: 33 or more monsters killed +10% Bonus.( ♣157 ♦276 ♥290 ♠304 )
• Onslaught bonus: 67 or more monsters killed +15% Bonus.( ♣236 ♦414 ♥435 ♠456 )
• Conquest bonus: 100 or more monsters killed +25% Bonus.( ♣393 ♦690 ♥725 ♠760 )
• Tamper bonus: 6 or more traps disarmed +10% Bonus.( ♣157 ♦276 ♥290 ♠304 )
• Neutralization bonus: 8 or more traps disarmed +20% Bonus.( ♣314 ♦552 ♥580 ♠608 )
• Ingenious Debilitation bonus: 10 or more traps disarmed +30% Bonus.( ♣472 ♦828 ♥870 ♠912 )
• Mischief bonus: 128 or more breakables smashed +8% Bonus.( ♣126 ♦221 ♥232 ♠243 )
• Vandal bonus: 167 or more breakables smashed +10% Bonus.( ♣157 ♦276 ♥290 ♠304 )
• Ransack bonus: 205 or more breakables smashed +15% Bonus.( ♣236 ♦414 ♥435 ♠456 )

Loot

• Chests: Three
• One behind a secret door at the end of the first northward passage.
• Locked chest in the room north of Hazadill's platform.
• One after slaying Hazadill (plus a second which only contains the Book of Charts that is needed to complete the quest).
• Collectables: Six
  • Rubble in the sewers under Osgood's home, to the west (opposite the valve)
  • Bookshelf in Osgood's home
  • Bookshelf in the western portion, near what would've been the start of Information is Key
  • Adventurer's Pack west of the ladder leading to what would've been the start of Information is Key
  • Mushroom to the east
  • Rubble at the end of the underwater passage, below the turbine blades
• NPC rewards: Random item, Mystical Vessel (used in Cannith Crafting)

Monsters

Name ( picture )	CR	Type	Race
Adamantine Defender ( view  • edit )	♦9Normal ♥11Hard ♠14Elite	Construct	Iron Defender
Aurum Concordian ( view  • edit )	●♥30Epic Hard ●♠45Epic Elite	Dwarf	Dwarf
Bugbear Goon ( view  • edit )	♥12Hard ♠15Elite	Goblinoid	Bugbear
Cartel Sentry (Dwarf) ( view  • edit )	♦10Normal	Dwarf	Dwarf
Cartel Sentry (Human) ( view  • edit )	♦10Normal	Humanoid	Human
Cartel Sentry (Warforged) ( view  • edit )	♦10Normal	Living Construct	Warforged
Cartel Smuggler (Elf) ( view  • edit )	♦10Normal	Elf	Elf
Cartel Smuggler (Halfling) ( view  • edit )	♦10Normal ♠15Elite	Halfling	Halfling
Cartel Smuggler (Human) ( view  • edit )	♦10Normal	Humanoid	Human
Darkfang Hunter ( view  • edit )	♦8Normal ♥10Hard ♠13Elite	Vermin	Spider
Eoman Gallius ( view  • edit )	♠17Elite	Humanoid	Human
Froz ( view  • edit )	♠17Elite	Goblinoid	Bugbear
Hazadill ( view  • edit )	♦13Normal ♠18Elite	Goblinoid	Bugbear
Huge Gray Ooze ( view  • edit )	♦7Normal	Ooze	Gray Ooze
Jianna Shaye ( view  • edit )	♠17Elite	Humanoid	Human
Klaus ( view  • edit )	♠5Elite	Humanoid	Human
Mithral Defender ( view  • edit )	♦6Normal ♥8Hard ♠11Elite	Construct	Iron Defender
Ogre Brute ( view  • edit )	♥12Hard ♠15Elite	Giant	Ogre
Radek ( view  • edit )	♠17Elite	Goblinoid	Bugbear
Udo ( view  • edit )	♠5Elite	Humanoid	Human
Ydriss Hornhelm ( view  • edit )	♠17Elite	Dwarf	Dwarf