Knights of the Shield Hideout

Elfsong Tavern basement

The normal route begins in the tavern kitchen. Stairs lead down to a cellar containing wine storage and a large number of hostile rats. These rats are tied to the Roveer’s Storehouse activity and are not Knights of the Shield members.

The basement has a larger central room filled with wine barrels and a smaller side room with wine racks. In the side room, a concealed button opens the head of a wine barrel in the larger room. The barrel functions as a hidden door, revealing the passage to the hideout. The button is easy to use and is documented at approximately X: -868, Y: 544.

Secret passage

The passage is a deliberately concealed route rather than a separate dungeon or quest area. It leads down from the tavern cellar to the hideout’s main entrance.

If the party enters from the sewer side, the game bypasses this route and places them near the hidden-room side of the hideout instead.

Main Hall

The main hall is arranged around a large round table, evidently the Knights’ former meeting table. Raised areas sit on either side of the room and are reached by stairs towards the rear. The room has the appearance of a formal council chamber rather than a warehouse or barracks.

The githyanki party is positioned here. Their presence is the location’s main immediate danger and is separate from the hideout’s older history.

The Emperor’s hidden room

A concealed button near a large knight statue opens the way to the Emperor’s old private room. The button is documented at approximately X: -734, Y: 577 and is revealed with a DC 13 Perception check.

The room contains old possessions and keepsakes. Several objects trigger ambient commentary from the Emperor when examined. The sword is the most important item because interacting with it completes the associated quest.

Beyond the room is an area containing chains and a further sewer route. The hidden room therefore serves as both a personal archive and a back entrance to the Lower City’s underground network.

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Route 1: Elfsong Tavern

This is the intended narrative route.

When the party first approaches the Elfsong Tavern, the Emperor may draw attention to the building and suggest that his old lodgings are somewhere inside. His comments continue as the party explores the tavern and cellar. This introduces Visit the Emperor’s Old Hideout.

Route 2: Lower City Sewers

The second route begins in the Lower City Sewers. A ladder at approximately X: 52, Y: 793 leads directly into the hidden-room side of the hideout.

This route is useful if the party is already exploring the sewers or wants to approach the githyanki from a different direction. Entering this way does not provide the same gradual discovery of the tavern passage. A responding button inside the hideout can be used to open the passage from the sewer side.

Suggested exploration order

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Knights of the Shield

The Knights of the Shield are the former owners and operators of the headquarters. In Baldur’s Gate 3, they are presented as a secret society involved in information dealing, political influence and smuggling. The group previously operated in the city through the influence of Duke Belynne Stelmane and the Emperor.

The headquarters has been abandoned by the time of the party’s visit. No functioning Knights of the Shield membership is documented inside the hideout during the main game. The round table and records are remnants of the organisation rather than evidence that its agents are still using the site.

The Emperor

The Emperor formerly used the hideout and recognises it as an old home. His reaction gives the location much of its narrative weight. The hidden room reveals details of the life he led before the events of the game and provides a more personal counterpart to his broader claims about his relationship with Stelmane and the Knights.

The Emperor’s involvement is primarily through dialogue and commentary. He is not encountered as a separate physical resident in the hideout.

Githyanki visitors

The githyanki are searching for the Astral Prism and are led by Ch’r’ai Har’rak. Depending on the party’s earlier progress, other named githyanki may also be present.

Possible reinforcements

The conditional appearances of W’wargaz and Tska’an depend on whether they were defeated during earlier githyanki-related encounters. The hideout encounter therefore changes according to the party’s previous progression.

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Practical combat advice

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Main hall loot

The main hall contains a mixture of fixed and variable rewards:

The reserve-supplies map refers to buried treasure points, but reading it does not automatically add markers to the party’s map according to the documented location notes. Treat it as a lore and treasure clue rather than a guaranteed quest tracker.

Githyanki equipment

The following notable equipment is associated with the githyanki encounter:

The conditional items are tied to the relevant githyanki characters being present. They are not all guaranteed in every playthrough because earlier progression can remove those characters from the encounter.

The Emperor’s hidden-room items

The hidden room contains the following named objects:

Several of these are primarily narrative props. Interacting with them prompts the Emperor to comment on his former life, relationships, disguises, meals and methods.

Sword of the Emperor

The Sword of the Emperor is the room’s principal reward. It is found in the hidden chamber at approximately X: -728, Y: 588, during Visit the Emperor’s Old Hideout. Taking or interacting with it completes the quest even if other objects in the room have not been examined.

The weapon’s value is therefore not only historical. It provides useful short-rest weapon actions for a proficient wielder.

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Visit the Emperor’s Old Hideout

This is the hideout’s central activity.

The quest begins through the Emperor’s comments as the party approaches or explores Elfsong Tavern. The party must find the concealed route into the abandoned headquarters, locate the secret room and interact with the Emperor’s sword.

The quest does not require every item in the room to be collected.

Roveer’s Storehouse

This activity belongs to the Elfsong Tavern basement, not the Knights of the Shield Hideout proper. Chef Roveer sends the party towards the cellar because of the rat infestation. The rats are hostile and must be dealt with to progress through that part of the tavern’s basement.

It is worth completing before descending into the hideout if you want to clear the entire connected route in one visit.

Related Lower City progression

The hideout’s key and sewer route connect it indirectly to other Lower City activities, but the hideout does not itself contain a shop, checkpoint, prison, healing facility or faction service.

The Hhune Mausoleum Key is a particularly important connection. It is found in the hideout, but the mausoleum is a separate location and should not be counted as part of the hideout’s boundaries.

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Earlier githyanki encounters

The composition of the encounter can change depending on whether the party has already defeated Ch’r’ai W’wargaz or Ch’r’ai Tska’an. If either character has been dealt with earlier, that character may not appear in the hideout, along with the associated equipment.

This is a progression-dependent encounter rather than a random or procedural layout.

Lae’zel’s presence

Lae’zel changes the dialogue possibilities. With her in the party, the group can attempt the documented DC 18 Persuasion or Intimidation solution and may gain approval for resolving the encounter without violence.

Emperor commentary

The Emperor’s comments are connected to interacting with objects in the hidden room. Some objects may require picking them up rather than merely examining them to trigger the relevant line. If you want the full character context, bring the Emperor’s dialogue forward and inspect the room carefully before leaving.

Sewer access

The sewer route remains a useful alternative entrance and exit. If you enter from the sewers, remember that the hideout’s internal button can open the route back towards the main area. This prevents the location from becoming a one-way detour.

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