by Amelia Schaffer

Created on: November 25, 2010

Ignus is the wizard on display at the aptly named Smoldering Corpse Bar in “Planescape: Torment.” Although it’s not immediately obvious that you can add him to your party, although you get a hint that someone could free him if he had an endless supply of water.

Later in the game, Pharod will send you on a quest to retrieve a bronze sphere in the Weeping Stone Catacombs. In the second passage counter-clockwise from the main Catacombs entrance, you’ll encounter a stone face on the wall, Glyve. He will ask you to find the Decanter of Endless Water so he can have clean water.

You can find the Decanter of Endless Water in the Drowned Nations, located beyond the Dead Nations. The entrance to the Dead Nations is at the bottom of the map, but be aware that you’ll be taken prisoner when you arrive and the exit to the Drowned Nations will be closed. There are a few ways to leave. The easiest is to ask Stale Mary about the Silent King; if your Charisma is high enough, she’ll show you a portal to his throne room. You can also expose Soego to Hargrimm as a Wererat, making Hargrimm willing to speak to the Silent King on your behalf. If you’re in for a bit of violence, you can either kill Hargrimm to get the key to the Silent King’s throne room (making everyone else turn hostile) or pickpocket the key from him (making everyone turn hostile when you open the door). You can also have a party member kill you, in which case you’ll return to the main Catacomb entrance, and you can stroll back into the Dead Nations as if nothing happened.

In any case, the entrance to the Drowned Nations is located to the left of the main Dead Nations entrance. The Decanter of Endless Water is located in the third corridor clockwise from the entrance. Bring it to Glyve to learn that a woman named Namelle knows the Decanter’s command word.

Once you’ve completed Pharod’s quest, made it through the Tenement of Thugs and the Alley of Lingering Sighs, and reached the Lower Ward, continue on to the Clerk’s Ward. You’ll find Namelle near a tent just north of the lower entrance to UnderSigil. She will give you the command word and ask you to find her friend, Aelwyn, located near the Apothecary. Once you complete this quest, Namelle will kiss you, increasing your maximum HP.

Now you can return to the Smoldering Corpse Bar in the southeast Hive and use the Decanter of Endless Water to free Ignus. Even if you don’t want Ignus in your party, it’s a good idea to let him join for 5,000 XP, then talk to him in order to gain some more experience and memories. If you heard Reekwind’s story about how Ignus burned down Ragpicker’s Square, ask Ignus who trained him as a mage. You’ll eventually remember that it was you (and gain 10,000 XP).

If you’re a mage, Ignus can train you, giving you experience, fire resistance, and fire spells at the expense of a lowered base HP. For the fourth lesson, you’ll need the intestines Marta took out in the Buried Village.

Ignus is a bit unstable, so you’ll have to tread carefully when talking to him or he might attack you. If he doesn’t want to talk anymore, it’s sometimes possible to calm him down by saying you wish to speak of flames and burning.

If your alignment is Good or Neutral, you’ll have to fight Ignus before the you face the final boss, whether or not he’s in your party. Therefore, even if you keep Ignus in your party throughout the game, it’s a good idea to remove him and fill the spot with someone else before you head to the Fortress of Regrets.

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