Yes. Laridda is not the gnome Nere throws into the lava when he emerges from the Grymforge cave-in: that character is Meerna. Laridda is listed as surviving Grymforge and traveling with the freed gnomes to Ebonlake Grotto. You can keep Laridda alive and rescue the trapped gnomes, but Meerna’s death is not prevented by interrupting the cutscene.
Who does Nere throw into the lava?
Nere throws Meerna into the lava during his emergence from the rubble. Laridda and Meerna are separate deep gnome characters; the BG3 Wiki quest reference identifies Meerna as the victim, while its Laridda character entry lists Laridda among the survivors who can travel with the freed gnomes to Ebonlake Grotto.
The distinction explains the apparent choice: you do not have to let Nere and the other trapped gnomes die to keep Laridda alive. The available references do not identify a Laridda-specific dialogue choice.
How to rescue the Grymforge gnomes
Keep the cave-in quest active
The timer starts when a party member interacts with the rubble to speak to Nere. Long resting or leaving Grymforge advances it. After the second advance, Nere dies, the cave-in clears, and the gnomes and duergar leave, failing the rescue quest. If you intend to rescue the captives, deal with the cave-in before taking those actions.
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Free Nere, then choose a release route
After the fight, either use the dialogue route involving Nere or, if you sided with Brithvar, persuade or intimidate him to release the slaves. The routes differ by allegiance and dialogue check, not by Laridda’s identity.
| Route | What to do | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Nere | After the battle, pass a Wisdom check and choose to enter Nere’s mind to demand that he free the gnomes. | Nere sets the gnomes free. |
| Brithvar | Side with Brithvar. After the battle, ask, “And the slaves? What about them?” and pass an Intimidation or Persuasion check. | Brithvar releases the gnomes. |
Speak to the gnomes before resting to resolve the rescue quest. The dialogue and timer details are documented in the BG3 Wiki quest walkthrough.
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Can you interrupt the cutscene to save Meerna?
No reliable cutscene interruption saves Meerna. The quest notes say that entering turn-based mode and attacking Nere during the emergence scene does not prevent her scripted death; she disappears after the fight. That tactic is not a way to save Laridda, either, because Meerna is the one in the scene.
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