eXputer
Subscribe

Locationmajor

Crimson Draughts

Crimson Draughts is an apothecary in the Lower City of Baldur’s Gate, introduced during Act Three of Baldur’s Gate 3.

Importancemajor

About this guide

Spoilers: This guide covers Act Three, Araj Oblodra’s Act Two outcome, the interior and basement of Crimson Draughts, its nearby NPCs, loot, books and connected encounters.

Overview

Crimson Draughts is an apothecary in the Lower City of Baldur’s Gate, introduced during Act Three of Baldur’s Gate 3. It is not a district, street or broad neighbourhood. It is a single business premises with an upper shop area, a lower room and a concealed Sanguine Laboratory beneath it. The building stands along the Lower City Central Wall, near Lavernica’s Home, Lora’s Home, The Blushing Mermaid and the route towards Bloomridge Park.

The location is closely tied to Araj Oblodra, the ambitious drow alchemist first encountered at Moonrise Towers in Act Two. Whether Araj appears in Crimson Draughts, whether the shop is operating, and whether the building explodes when the party approaches all depend on what happened during that earlier encounter.

Crimson Draughts is easy to overlook because it is not the centre of a large quest hub. Nevertheless, it can provide:

---

What counts as Crimson Draughts?

It does not include the nearby homes or buildings merely visible from the same street. Lora’s Home, Lavernica’s Home, The Blushing Mermaid and the wider Bloomridge Park area are neighbouring locations, not subareas of Crimson Draughts. Lora’s Home, for example, is a separate two-storey property between the Lower City Central Wall, Tefoco’s Home and Crimson Draughts.

For this guide, Crimson Draughts means

  1. 01
    The apothecary building itself.
  2. 02
    Its upper shop or storage floor.
  3. 03
    The small lower room with the alchemical workbench and hatch.
  4. 04
    The underground Sanguine Laboratory.
  5. 05
    The immediate outdoor area containing the associated NPC vignettes and empty trading stall.

Immediate connections

From Crimson Draughts, the surrounding street leads towards:

The street-view arrangement places Crimson Draughts between the Blushing Mermaid and Lora’s Home, with Lavernica’s Home behind it.

Nearby named places

Only the first five are directly represented in the immediate street arrangement recorded for Crimson Draughts. The others are useful navigation references from adjacent Lower City locations rather than parts of the apothecary itself.

---

Crimson Draughts is in the Lower City, so the party must first have access to Act Three’s city areas. Once in the Lower City, travel along the streets near the central wall and look for the apothecary building near Lora’s Home and the Blushing Mermaid.

The building has two entrances leading into the first floor. The recorded approximate positions are:

These entrances may look like ordinary doors in the city frontage. If Araj is present, the building’s condition changes dramatically when the party first reaches the area.

Nearby named places

Recommended approach

Astarion has additional dialogue with Araj, and the exact lines depend on his personal quest and relationship state.

---

Crimson Draughts is not identical in every playthrough. Its state is determined primarily by the Moonrise Towers encounter with Araj.

Recommended approach: steps

  1. 01
    Enter the Lower City and identify the route towards the Lower City Central Wall.
  2. 02
    Use Lora’s Home or The Blushing Mermaid as visual reference points.
  3. 03
    Approach Crimson Draughts with the party member who has the most useful dialogue options.
  4. 04
    If you want Astarion’s additional reactions, bring Astarion in the active party.
  5. 05
    Search the upper level before leaving, especially for the hatch key and written material.
  6. 06
    Visit the lower room and investigate the hatch.
  7. 07
    Enter the laboratory only after preparing for traps and fire-related hazards.

State 1: Araj received a blood sample

If a party member gave Araj some of their blood in Act Two, Araj leaves Moonrise Towers before the later assault and eventually operates Crimson Draughts in the Lower City.

When the party first approaches the shop in Act Three, Araj’s experiments trigger a large explosion. The first-floor interior is damaged, and Araj appears on a small balcony outside. The explosion is a scripted arrival event, not a random combat encounter.

State 2: Araj was not given blood

If the party did not speak with Araj in the relevant way, refused to provide blood, or killed her at Moonrise Towers, she does not operate Crimson Draughts in the normal Act Three state described above. The building is instead abandoned and marked as reclaimed by order of Archduke Enver Gortash because of prohibited substances and apparatus.

The entrances are boarded up and red-outlined. Entering openly may be treated as trespassing or breaking and entering, causing nearby NPCs to call for guards. Concealment methods such as Fog Cloud can help, while Misty Step may allow entry without triggering the same response. The exact result depends on positioning and whether witnesses can see the intrusion.

The abandoned building still contains some alchemical material. The lower workbench and its contents remain available for looting, and the interior is ruined or neglected rather than being replaced by a separate dungeon.

State 3: Araj becomes hostile

Araj’s Act Three dialogue can turn hostile if the party refuses a later request for another blood sample after receiving the experimental formula. If combat begins, her unique equipment can potentially be looted from her body, although trading is normally the better way to obtain specific stock.

Progression checklist

---

Exterior

Crimson Draughts is a compact urban building set against the Lower City Central Wall. Its immediate surroundings include a small outdoor trading area, a balcony and a side route towards the Bloomridge Park fence.

The exterior is also where several ambient NPC scenes occur. These are not all employees or residents of the apothecary. They are nearby street characters placed around the same location.

Outdoor named entries

Cecee stands near an empty trading stall and says she no longer has anything to sell. Sacrum moves around the area near her stall. Garri Orne and Drybeldiyx discuss the city’s dried-up drinking fountains and complain about politicians who care more about reputation than public need.

First floor

The first floor resembles a neglected storage area or abandoned shop. In Araj’s active state, the explosion damages this section when the party arrives. In the abandoned state, the room appears ruined without necessarily having the same explosion event.

The hatch key is associated with a Perception check and can still be found in the debris after the explosion. It is recorded at approximately X: -92, Y: -78.

Lower room

The hatch is opened with the Crimson Draughts’ Hatch Key, although lockpicking or other means of bypassing the lock may also be possible depending on the party’s capabilities. The key’s stated purpose is to open the hatch leading to the Sanguine Laboratory.

Sanguine Laboratory

The basement is Araj’s hidden laboratory. It is a more dangerous and revealing space than the shop above.

The laboratory’s atmosphere and contents make the shop’s public identity as an apothecary deliberately misleading. It functions as a place for experimentation as much as a retail business.

---

Araj Oblodra

Araj is a Lolth-Sworn drow, alchemist and merchant. Her Act Three business is the continuation of her blood experiments from Moonrise Towers. She is not simply a generic potion vendor. The state of her shop, her stock and her dialogue all reflect the party’s earlier decision in Act Two.

If Astarion is present, he has special reactions to Araj’s experiments and to her interest in the player character’s blood. The available dialogue varies according to his quest progression and relationship state.

The experimental draught

Araj offers a special potion, sometimes identified as Mysterious Potion or Formula Gruna, to the character interacting with her. Drinking it grants the permanent passive feature Unstable Blood. The immediate process involves the temporary Test Subject condition, which causes 1d4 slashing damage when it ends and makes the drinker explode, creating a fire surface.

Unstable Blood

The practical consequence is that the character’s blood becomes an explosive hazard when exposed to fire. This is a permanent passive feature, so consider carefully which character accepts the formula. A character who regularly stands near allies, summons or volatile surfaces may create unwanted chain reactions.

Receiving Unstable Blood

The potion is not available in the same way if Araj never returns to the shop.

Receiving Unstable Blood

  1. 01
    Ensure that Araj is present in Crimson Draughts.
  2. 02
    Speak with her using the relevant character.
  3. 03
    Agree to help finish her research.
  4. 04
    Accept and drink the experimental draught.
  5. 05
    Wait for the temporary condition to resolve.
  6. 06
    Keep the affected character away from allies and flammable surfaces during the process.

Further blood donation

After offering the draught, Araj asks for another blood sample. The character who drank the formula can donate blood once per long rest. Refusing after the relevant interaction can make Araj hostile. If you want her shop inventory, complete the conversation carefully and use the trade option before provoking her.

---

Araj’s Act Three stock is linked to the Act Two outcome and to which items were already bought from her. Some items are listed as available only after the party agrees to participate in her experiments.

Named items associated with Araj’s shop

The shop’s notable consumable is the Sanguine Explosive. In the active-shop state, Araj stocks two of them. The precise availability of some equipment depends on whether it was purchased from her in Act Two.

Purchasing advice

---

Fixed or strongly associated loot

Mind Flayer Parasite Specimen

A Mind Flayer Parasite Specimen can be found in the Sanguine Laboratory. It is a fixed exploration reward rather than a random drop.

Mephit Heart

The location is associated with a Mephit Heart. The item is unusual because it cannot be extracted and used like a normal alchemical ingredient in the expected way. The wiki notes that it may be a remnant of an earlier version of the game and that a Heart-Shaped Rock uses the same icon in later content.

Artificial Leech

An Artificial Leech can be found in Araj’s basement. It is a common finesse dagger with a bloodletting-device appearance. The same item is also associated with the House of Healing in Act Two.

Written material

The shop contains several pieces of written material. They help establish both Araj’s customers and the authorities’ concerns.

Named documents and books

Some of these items may be destroyed by the explosion. The Egg-Duty Clan-Call and Vampiric Duality are specifically noted as being in a destroyable bookcase and can be burnt to ashes during the major explosion.

HELP

The note is found in the mailbox of Crimson Draughts at approximately X: -78, Y: -83. It is an urgent complaint from a customer suffering alarming effects after using one of Araj’s products, including involuntary movement, burning blood and voices.

Open Investigation

This Flaming Fist notice is also found in the mailbox at approximately X: -78, Y: -83. It states that complaints have prompted a formal investigation under the Public Health Act and Civilian Protection Order. The notice warns Araj not to obstruct the investigation or flee Baldur’s Gate.

Notes from a Soothsayer

A copy is recorded among books in Crimson Draughts at approximately X: -95, Y: -80. It contributes to the location’s collection of unsettling accounts and investigative material.

---

Cecee Gaborr

Cecee stands near an empty stall outside Crimson Draughts. She says that she has nothing left to sell, so she should not be treated as a functioning merchant. She can, however, be pickpocketed for camp supplies.

Status: Nearby civilian, not a functional shopkeeper.

Strange Beggar Sacrum

Sacrum wanders near Cecee’s stall. He is important because he is one of the characters connected to the Find Mystic Carrion’s Servant quest. If the quest has not yet begun, the party can give him alms.

Status: Nearby quest-related NPC.

Garri Orne and Drybeldiyx

These two NPCs stand behind the building and discuss the city’s dry drinking fountains, civic neglect and political vanity. Their conversation is environmental storytelling rather than a shop service or major quest encounter.

Status: Nearby ambient NPCs.

Named people in the immediate area

---

The arrival explosion

If Araj is present, the party triggers a large explosion on first reaching the area. The blast damages the upper interior and can destroy some books. Approach the building with this in mind if you are collecting documents or want to search before the event.

Blood and fire

Araj’s formula gives the drinker Unstable Blood, and the effect interacts with fire. The potion itself causes an explosive event when the temporary condition ends. Keep the character away from oil, fire surfaces, barrels and clustered allies.

Laboratory traps

The Sanguine Laboratory contains a tripwire and gas traps. Search carefully before opening doors or moving through the main work areas. A trap-disarming character is useful, but cautious movement and turn-based mode can also reduce the chance of setting off a chain reaction.

Trespassing

In the abandoned progression state, the entrances are boarded up and marked as restricted. Breaking in openly can produce a crime response from nearby NPCs. Use stealth, concealment or teleportation if you want to investigate without immediately attracting attention.

Hostile Araj

Araj can become hostile if the party refuses a follow-up blood request after accepting her formula. Save before the conversation if you want to test different results or preserve access to her inventory.

---

Route A: Araj is present

  1. 01
    Save before approaching the building.
  2. 02
    Bring Astarion if you want his additional dialogue.
  3. 03
    Approach the building and allow the explosion event to resolve.
  4. 04
    Speak with Araj before wandering too far.
  5. 05
    Decide whether to accept the experimental draught.
  6. 06
    If accepted, keep the affected character away from allies and flammable surfaces.
  7. 07
    Complete the follow-up blood conversation carefully.
  8. 08
    Open trade and inspect Araj’s stock.
  9. 09
    Search the damaged upper level for:
  10. 10
    The hatch key.
  11. 11
    Mailbox documents.
  12. 12
    Books and notes.
  13. 13
    Ingredient containers.
  14. 14
    Go downstairs and unlock the hatch.
  15. 15
    Enter the Sanguine Laboratory in turn-based mode.
  16. 16
    Disarm or avoid the tripwire and gas traps.
  17. 17
    Collect the Mind Flayer Parasite Specimen.
  18. 18
    Search the laboratory for the Artificial Leech and alchemical materials.
  19. 19
    Check the locked skeleton room.
  20. 20
    Speak with Sacrum outside before leaving if you are pursuing the Mystic Carrion-related quest.

Route B: Araj is absent

---

Before leaving Crimson Draughts, verify that you have:

---

Crimson Draughts presents Araj’s business as an ordinary apothecary while exposing the darker reality beneath it. The shop’s public-facing role is selling potions and alchemical goods, but its basement contains body parts, creature remains, traps and experimental equipment.

The written evidence reinforces this contrast. A customer’s desperate complaint sits beside an official Flaming Fist investigation, suggesting that Araj’s work has already caused public harm before the party arrives. The investigation notice also places the shop within the civic machinery of Baldur’s Gate rather than treating it as an entirely secret cult facility.

Araj’s business also reflects her connection to House Oblodra and her interest in blood-based experimentation. Her line about the shop having witnessed greater alchemical triumphs than the keep of Urngath Dorrund captures her mixture of pride, eccentricity and professional ambition.

The location is therefore doing several jobs at once:

---

Route B: Araj is absent: steps

  1. 01
    Save before approaching the boarded-up building.
  2. 02
    Check whether nearby NPCs have line of sight.
  3. 03
    Use stealth, Fog Cloud or Misty Step if entering secretly.
  4. 04
    Search the intact lower workbench.
  5. 05
    Look for remaining books and documents.
  6. 06
    Avoid assuming that the full merchant or dialogue content is still available.
  7. 07
    Speak with Sacrum outside and continue the surrounding Lower City investigation.

Is Crimson Draughts a district?

No. It is a single apothecary building and its immediate associated area in the Lower City. The nearby homes, taverns and park are separate locations.

Can I find Araj there if I refused her in Act Two?

Normally, Araj’s Act Three appearance depends on a party member having given her blood at Moonrise Towers. If she did not receive the required blood sample, the shop is generally abandoned instead.

Does Araj always explode the shop?

The explosion is tied to the progression state in which Araj returns to operate Crimson Draughts. It occurs when the party first reaches the shop’s environs. The abandoned-shop state does not use the same active Araj explosion sequence.

Can I still find the hatch key after the explosion?

Yes. The hatch key can still be found through a Perception check in the debris after the interior is damaged.

What happens if I refuse Araj’s second blood request?

She can become hostile. If you want her merchant inventory, save first and complete the conversation without provoking her.

Is Cecee Gaborr a merchant?

She is standing beside a trading stall, but she says she has nothing left to sell. She is not a functioning shopkeeper in the normal sense. She can be pickpocketed for camp supplies.

Where is the Mind Flayer Parasite Specimen?

It is in the Sanguine Laboratory beneath Crimson Draughts, on a table in the laboratory area.

Is the Mephit Heart a normal crafting ingredient?

No. The available documentation specifically notes that it does not function like an ordinary extractable ingredient and may be leftover content from an earlier version of the game.

---

Sources