You mention FR source materials. I assume that is Forgotten Realms as an AD&D Adventure World and the setting of various Fantasy Novels. I have one of the basic work-ups of Forgotten Realms in a traditional manual format which devotes 3-5 pages to each of @12+ regions beginning with The Dales. Do you know of any more detailed database developed by a Gaming Community of one sort or another.
The chief source book for the BG1 geographical region circa 1368 DR is Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast. You might want to Google this. The book is now available again for purchase as an e-book via Wizards of the Coast, I believe.
Last year Ed Greenwood published Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms, which gives a lot of local flavor to the Realms in an edition-neutral way (things that remain constant as FR evolves through editions). (I don't have this yet, actually. I've been meaning to get it.)
Ed Greenwood also has answered a lot of fan questions about the Forgotten Realms on the Candlekeep forum, and there is a compendium of those answers to be found here.
I sometimes refer to the 2nd ed. AD&D Monstrous Manual for descriptions of the monsters and their culture.
I do own Philip Athans' novelization of BG1; although I admit I have never actually more than skimmed it, and won't be using it for this game.
There are many FR based novels as well, but I think for my purposes in this game the FR setting source books and links above provide more than enough.
I've seen a thread here on this forum (here) about a NWN2 persistent world devoted to recreating the BG1 world. If you visit that project's website they may have links to materials about the setting. If so, how 'canon-faithful' it is I could not say.
...I am continuing to work on the idea of a Re-development dream for Beregost and how it might become a political and economic reality within other larger balances of power. I am particularly interested in whether local mineral and forest resources are already spelled-out/copyrighted. And also whether there are any particular former partially fortified Manor Houses on the site of now abandoned and possibly haunted Estates within a 10mile radius.
Also: Does Candlekeep have anything like Docks, Harbor Warehouses, etc??? Or do all its supplies arrive from N or S via the Coast Road...
The Sword Coast in 1368 DR is a dangerous wilderness region teaming with monsters and bandits, with the few populations centers that we find in the BG series. In Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast, Ed Greenwood writes however that "Readers should note that these wildernesses are studded with many independent holds, castles, and self-styled baronies not discussed here." I.e., it is left up to the DM to create whatever he or she wishes to add in, along these lines.
Anything beyond what the source materials provide is up to the DM, so you can flesh out Beregost and its surrounding area as you like--or at least you could if it was a tabletop PnP game.
Supplies to Beregost come via caravan traffic traveling the Coast Way, which is the name for the Trade Way between Beregost and Baldur's Gate. The Trade way extends all up and down the length of the Sword Coast, from Calimport to Luskan. It is the major overland trade artery along the western coast of Faerun. There are sea ports along the Sword Coast as well, but items arriving by sea are distributed via other routes from those ports. Beregost is well inland, so everything making its way there is by caravan.
In the 3rd Edition FRCS on pp 88-89 there is a map of the trade routes and resources for the Forgotten Realms. This would be the same for the time period in which the BG game is set. That map is followed by a brief section on Trade and Commerce in the Realms, although it doesn't go into great detail.
Here is a hand-drawn map of the Realms by a fan that works for the time period of the game.
Candlekeep does not have any boat access. You can read Ed Greenwood's description of the library fortress here.
Your RP concept sounds really intriguing. I suppose that in terms of game mechanics there's a point at which imagining things beyond what the game engine makes available to you becomes more and more of a stretch to put into practice. Eg, you can't literally add new buildings in, etc. Sounds neat, though!
I love the randomness of the approach - and admire your restraint in metagaming. Looking forward to the adventures as they work their way north toward BG...
There's a lot that can happen on the way to BG city, so we'll see what develops.
As we know as players, the party won't be able to enter BG City. But they don't know that. If they do arrive at the bridge I'll probably have to use some creativity to augment the in-game reason for not getting access. (It's not a very satisfying explanation.)
Ty @Lemernis. I have the Grand Tour manual and will get Volo's Guides. Love the hand-drawn map and will make my own version of a portion. I am a nut for Maps. Graphics from the Multi-Player ongoing game (which I gather is something like World of Warcraft?) are really Top Drawer and significantly change my RPing of the original 'circuit' inside Candlekeep. The Wiki link and Candlekeep Compendium [featuring Ed Greenwood's comments over a decade] are Very much appreciated.
Inspired now. ~~Over many years I have been dreaming up my own Game-World based upon the Premise of a typical Sword&Sorcery setting in which the Prime Secret is that the Planet eons/ages ago hosted a Top Secret hightech Galactic colony aiming to tap its powerful Magnetic Field for critical disruption of a nearby Hyperspace Worm Hole.
This BlackOps Project was blasted by The Others and the Prime Bodhisattva level Wizard serving as focal point for the Hyper assault managed to preserve his existence~~in the Nova-like energies released when the "Field" collapsed~~but he has been trapped inside a Neutron Shell for 20,000 yrs and is now pretty much a "Poisoned Dragon."
Looking forward to see how you play Kivan and perhaps Viconia if the Runes fall that way..
Already the consideration of what might be involved in attempting to build a life in Beregost is helping to flesh-out what kinds of motives/desires/fears might be sufficient to propel various PCs along a mainstream Canon Path.
Not far from Beregost we were ambushed by a band of five bandits. They struck at us with bows each from different locations surrounding us, and with a terrifying suddenness. Kivan and Khalid were both injured by the first volley of arrows.
Jaheira called out for us each to charge one attacker. We all dashed towards them with our melee weapons drawn. This included me with my quarterstaff and Imoen with her short sword and buckler.
Before I charged the assailant nearest me I attempted to Blind him with a spell, but the effort failed.
Our overall strategy seemed to be working, however. The strength of their ambush tactic lay in shocking the victims into chaos, and use of their bows—we had removed that advantage. The bandits perhaps sensed that their plan was now in disarray. The ones who seemed to be getting the better of it ran to seek the aid of their fellow brigands, perhaps hoping to fight back-to-back. Two of them each fled from Kivan and Jaheira, respectively, and toward the bandit who was fighting Imoen. As they did, they also attempted to switch to their bows.
Jaheira and Kivan were having none of that however. They pursued the fleeing bandits relentlessly and forced them to use their swords instead.
The one I attacked seemed unimpressed at my efforts. He literally gave me his back and re-equipped his bow to shoot at Khalid, who was trading blows with a foe who thus far had resisted the impulse to run.
That was the break we needed! It opened an opportunity for me to cast a spell. For now three of the enemy to my right were clustered close enough together for me to cast the Slumber spell upon. Two of them succumbed to it. I then took up my staff again and swung at the bandit who had fired (and missed) at Khalid, landing a solid blow to the back of his neck (I was trying to hit his head). That got his attention I daresay! He slung his bow over his shoulder, drew his sword and thrust it at me again. Still, I kept him at bay with the greater reach of the staff.
Apparently the success of my spell bolstered everyone’s morale. Kivan swiftly skewered his sleeping foe with the spiked end of his halberd. He then switched to his bow and fired upon the one who was fighting me.
The enemy fighting Imoen had also fallen prey to my Sleep spell which freed her up to use her bow. At the sight of Kivan using his bow, Imoen too switched to her short bow, and also aimed it at the enemy I was fighting.
Jaheira turned her attention to the sleeping enemy at Imoen’s feet and crushed his face with a vicious blow.
Khalid let out a mighty yell and struck his enemy in the head with such force that it sprayed his brains across the field. [I.e., he rolled a critical hit.]
Imoen’s and Kivan’s arrows then struck down the bandit that I had managed to hold off (and now had even injured!) with my quarterstaff.
Our tactics had prevailed against at what first seemed could well be our slaughter. Kivan smiled at me with a grudging look of respect. He seemed quite pleased with what he had just witnessed.
We all commented on Kivan’s impressive fighting skills. To this he gave no response, however.
Imoen and I gathered the bandits gems, gold, swords, and bows. Jaheira and I healed Kivan and Khalid from their arrow wounds.
[This party is not at all inclined to take scalps. They know nothing of Vai’s offer to purchase them. I don't see them removing scalps even if they did.]
We moved forward by tracking parallel to the road in the wilderness, with Imoen and Kivan both scouting ahead. We slew a lone kobold this way.
A bit further along we encountered a pair bandits which Imoen and Kivan snuck upon and surprised with melee weapons. Kivan’s foe ran from him and tried to switch to the bow. But Kivan chased him down and killed him with his halberd. Kivan then used his bow himself to aid Imoen, and together they slew that bandit. Again we stripped the slain of their valuables.
The cloudy sky had been darkening, and at this time it a windy, driving rain began to fall. This was fortuitous, actually, for it helped Imoen and Kivan hide better.
Not far ahead Kivan treated us to a display of his marksmanship. Concealed from within the trees he stealthily picked off four gibberlings rapidly, one by one… almost with a single arrow for each (the last one he missed with the first shot but killed with his second).
As Kivan scouted ahead he signaled us forward but we were perhaps a bit too clumsy. A single gibberling charged us in a rage. But Kivan swiftly felled the creature with an arrow before it had taken even three steps.
Kivan continued scouting forward and we heard an ominous growl. Only a moment later Kivan whistled for us to advance. To our amazement a softly growling wolf stood at his side, which Kivan petted on its neck. Kivan said nothing and advanced with his new companion. Jaheira whispered to me that a ranger can communicate with animals, and evidently the creature had agreed to help him. She added that such relationships are often not long lived, however, so we should remain vigilant as to whether the creature may eventually become hostile.
[At this point the party is standing right next to the Ring of Protection. Do they notice it hidden in the nook within the rock? Black card = no.]
Kivan whistled again for us to proceed. The elf and his new fellow scout again explored ahead for us. We continued in this manner for quite a ways. But eventually, Kivan noted that he could see that the wolf was reaching the edge of its territory. He knelt down and whispered to his canine friend who then gratefully trotted off.
Our journey continued without incident until we arrived at the Friendly Arm Inn by so late at night that dawn was not far off.
And this time Imoen scouted ahead at the steps! No ambush awaited us, fortunately.
I needed to rest in order to prepare my spells, as I had spent both memorizations in the bandit attack just outside of Beregost. I also needed to identify the enchantment on the ring Mirianne gave to Imoen, and required a spell for that. So we rented a room and rested.
Jaheira and Khalid seemed to be getting on well with our new comrade, as I listened to them talk (well, mostly Jaheira) while drifting off to sleep. Jaheira related some of her experiences of life in the forests of Tethyr, and both she and Kivan lamented Amn's deforestation.
I awoke after a good nap and meditated to prepare my spells.
After our rest period I was able to determine that the ring gifted to Imoen confers upon its wearer increased hardiness to withstand physical attacks. I was very happy to see Imoen get such a protective item. In order for her “to sneak good” she insists on wearing no armor. She has only a buckler and her agility to protect her from weapons in a fight! (This ring helps me worry only just a little less about her. But every little bit helps.)
We sold the gear we had collected from the bandits for a decent sum. Our purse now contained quite a bit over 400 pieces, and we were already well stocked with ammunition. In addition to the bows and swords we took from the bandits, they had some jewelry and gems, and a spell scroll that I cannot use (the spell to Armor its caster).
Before departing the inn we had a bit more discussion at a table, reliving our battle on the road with the gang of bandits. I praised Kivan for his obvious skill with the bow, the halberd, and his prowess at scouting. We were all very, very impressed, I said! This comment was accompanied with nods of sincere agreement by the other party members.
Kivan had little to say in return. He simply commented that the rest of us looked to be up to the challenges before us. He included an afterthought that I had surprised him. But that was all he would say.
The talk turned to fighting tactics against various types of foes, with this weapon or that, which held less interest to me. I surveyed the room to see if anyone at the inn might be enlisted to aid us on our journey to Baldur's Gate.
The apparent half-orc sellsword we had seen on our first visit was still at the inn. Perhaps he had made himself a fixture at the Friendly Arm, protecting travelers for a fee I mused. He sat at a table nursing a flagon of drink. The expression on his face bespoke a disdain for the commoner tavern patrons surrounding him. I felt little doubt that he would be one who lives for the thrill of battle, and would indeed take pleasure in it. I asked the group what they thought about him.
After a moment of eyeing him, Jaheira was the first to speak. “No doubt capable,” Jaheira remarked. She then took a swig of her ale. “But not to be trusted,” she added.
“I would a-g-g-gree with that assessment,” said Khalid.
“He gives me the creeps!” Imoen shuddered.
Kivan merely glanced at him for a moment or two as the other spoke. “Why do we care?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said raising a glass of wine to my lips. “He looks to be for hire to protect travelers on the road. And we have a bit of gold now…”
“Are you suggesting that we should hire him?” Jaheira asked incredulously.
“Look at him. My guess is he could probably kill two men at once, perhaps more,” I responded. “But I don’t have a strong feeling about it. I just felt it worthwhile to voice the idea.”
“I’m not for it, Oracos,” Imoen said flatly.
“Neither am I!” Jaheira added with a laugh. She then smiled at me reassuringly and with a somewhat more respectful tone added, “We really don’t need another member in this group. You don’t think we’re taking care of things well enough?”
I pointed out to Jaheira how handily we had dispatched the brigands who attacked us seemingly from nowhere with the addition of Kivan to our ranks. But I responded as well that her instinct was probably on target. I concurred that the half-orc did indeed appear perhaps a bit too ruthless looking to be trusted. I was content to leave it at that. And in fact I did not have a strong sense about it one way or the other.
With that, we drained our flagons and glasses, and pushed away from the table to depart. A nap, spell meditation, and the wine had raised my spirits a bit. We had a strong new ally with us, in this formidable elf. As we strode outside onto the steps at the entrance I was feeling pretty good.
“We would be wise to buy some potions at the temple from Gellana,” Jaheira observed. She was right, and there we went.
Once within the temple, as we looked at the potions I recalled that we had seen that bandits sometimes use poisoned arrows. Jaheira and I could heal wounds but poison we cannot stop. So we purchased two potions of poison antidote. We also bought one healing potion to use in an extreme emergency. That left us only 28 gold pieces. Hopefully purchasing the potions was a prudent move.
The potion of healing we gave to Khalid. And one potion of poison antidote we gave to him as well. The other vial of poison antidote we gave to Kivan. We were initially going to have Jaheira use it. But she declined. She felt that instead Kivan should have it. He may well find himself in hand-to-hand combat more than her, she suggested. Moreover, given Kivan’s choice of weapons he lacks a shield, which she does have, to block arrows.
We made our way back to the fortress gate,. As we began to make the turn to continue on the road, Kivan bid that we halt.
“I recommend that we leave the road and travel through the woods instead,” he said.
This suggestion took me somewhat by surprise. Jaheira studied Kivan’s face carefully, but his expression remained impassive as ever.
I cleared my throat and I considered how I might tactfully frame my concerns. “Is traveling through the woods actually safer than the road?” I asked in all sincerity.
“If I’m leading you it is,” he answered. “Not on your own.”
Jaheira glanced for a moment at Khalid, and he back at her. They seemed more curious by this suggestion than alarmed.
Imoen bit her lower lip and seemed slightly unsure. But her apparent indecision lasted only a moment. She quickly beamed a smile. “Yep, I trust Kivan to lead us through the forest,” she said. “But don’t forget, I can help by scouting too. I’m gettin’ pretty good at it!”
I looked now to Jaheira and Khalid for their response.
“I think this may be wise,” Jaheira said beginning a little slowly, but sounding utterly sure of herself by the sentence's end. Khalid slightly arched an eyebrow at her statement but nodded with a look of thoughtful approval.
They all then turned their gaze to me.
“A consensus seems to have formed ahead of me,” I laughed. “But I do not doubt your skill as a ranger of the wood, Kivan.”
“Shall I lead the way now?” Kivan queried.
“Ehm, well, yes… lead on then, I suppose” said I. As I said this I observed a faint smile shared between Jaheira and Khalid. It was tempting to read into it, and I tried to resist the impulse… Perhaps they were glad that I had for once not cast runes! Bah, whatever it be... It seems sensible to avoid the road in an apparently capable ranger’s care.
“The forest is this way,” Kivan said, as he began walking east along the fortress wall.
@Eadwyn Lol, re: the cards I'm really hoping! And yes, I'm basically just pounding this out as I go. Right after I post I do usually go back over an entry at least once to tidy it up. Once it's all finished, if I like the story enough maybe I'll polish up the whole thing.
@Iecerint Yeah, as a player I'm really hoping to add an evil party member next. But the characters seem to be taking on a life of their own in the roleplay, so I'm letting that go where it will.
[Of course this path gives the party the opportunity to discover the Easter egg Ring of Wizardry. It could arguably be far lower odds than a card flip to spot something like that, I admit. But Kivan has elven vision and is a highly skilled tracker who reads minute details to the terrain. So perhaps it’s not completely far-fetched. Oh, and what the heck: even without an elven tracker’s eyes, why not let’s say it’s a 50-50 chance that a gem on the ring peeking through the dirt manages to catch a ray of sun just right to sparkle to be noticed by any of them.]
[Spot the Ring of Wizardy? Red card = yes! Boo-yah! (Edit: You called it Eadwyn!)]
Not far along from the gate, Kivan stopped and crouched down to examine something at the base of a pine tree. We were still outside the Friendly Arm's fortress wall. I assumed Kivan was reading the manner in which a few blades of grass were bent, or how a stick was broken. But he then looked up to me and handed me a small object. It was a dirt encrusted ring.
“Here you go wizard,” he said.
After dusting off the ring a bit I could see that it was certainly no ordinary piece of jewelry. To my wizardly senses with the Weave it was without a doubt magical. The ring itself was of the finest quality gold, and the gems on it were exquisite. These were extremely high quality items that were used in the crafting of the object. It would be worth a princely sum on that basis alone, any enchantments on it notwithstanding. I would later have to cast a spell to tell what its magics are, of course.
This was a happy find, certainly. An auspicious omen if there ever was one! Only the gods may truly know for sure… but perhaps even an affirmation of my good judgment and leadership… Or so I may humbly hope!
We traveled the rest of the afternoon and all through the night into the ever deepening wood, with Kivan carefully leading the way. Based on my knowledge of the stars, at times I questioned if we were perhaps veering rather too far to the east. Kivan assured me that he was leading us safely, and that I need not worry. Not quite in so many words as I just used! But that was the gist of it.
True to his word, Kivan did eventually place us within sight of the Coast Way at times. Although we still seemed to be traveling far more the east that I would have thought we should. We had not seen the Coast Way for quite some time. But we had traveled an afternoon, evening and night without facing a single hostile encounter of any kind.
However our luck in that regard was to change—at least potentially. Kivan returned from an exploration of the woods ahead to report that he had spied a female dark elf not far ahead. Where there is one there is will be more, he said. They are not solitary by nature.
The elves of Shilmista were no stranger to the drow, and there was no love lost between the elves of the wood and the drow of the Underdark. Kivan counseled that a fight with the drow was definitely to be avoided. We should therefore make our way around the number of ponds just to our east.
The sighting of a drow was an ill omen indeed. Jaheira and Khalid seemed visibly unnerved by it. The drow are one of the most decidedly evil races in all of Toril. Their cruelty is virtually unlimited. Their tortures are beyond comprehension. Their magics are immensely powerful. For a troop of them to be roaming the surface is a very, very bad thing.
Kivan led us to the south, away from where he had sighted the drow. He brought us east. But he soon returned from his scouting to advise that he had seen giant spider that would best be avoided. He would see if there was a middle path through the ponds, he said.
So we headed a bit north again. Kivan told us to wait by a stand of trees. He said to remain vigilant and that he might be gone for a while in order to carefully scout the area.
It did indeed take our elven friend a long time. When Kivan returned he reported that it would be a bit risky but he had found a way forward. There was not much cover in many spots of the path we would take. We were at risk to be seen in some areas, so speed at certain points would be vital. But the risks from the natural predators in areas with better cover were actually greater, he said. We would hide in plain sight, in effect.
Kivan moved out ahead and disappeared behind the trees. Soon he whistled for us to move forward with a bird call that Jaheira recognized but was rare for the area. We scampered hastily along the southern shore of a pond, which Kivan had told us should be safe as long as we were swift.
Before long we made it to a grove of trees in which we could take cover again. Kivan crept off ahead of us again, still hugging the shoreline of the pond. He whistled us forward again and we advanced. But very soon thereafter he whistled the signal for us to halt. He signaled with his hands that there was someone ahead, and that we should run to the right instead toward a rock ledge that it appeared should hide us.
As we ran to seek cover there Kivan moved ahead and we heard a gravelly voice call out to him. Kivan motioned for us to stay down and try to stay hidden. But the voice barked that it was too late—he and the rest of his band had already seen us. The voice ordered for us to slowly emerge from behind the rock ledge.
We did so and found ourselves staring at a dozen—aye, perhaps even as many as fifteen—longbows trained on us by bandits in chainmail. We were heavily outnumbered.
At this point Jaheira emphatically signaled with her hands 'I will do the talking!'. My instinct was to trust her. To my shame, I admit that it also did not seem such a bad thing to allow someone else to be identified as the leader. But I knew that my father had given her the charge to protect me, and I have never questioned the depth of her resolve to do so.
Jaheira calmly requested that she approach the leader and speak with him. She slowly and deliberately slung her shield on her back and slipped her club into its harness on her belt. With her hands raised up in the air to demonstrate she was unarmed, she walked up to him slowly. The two of them spoke together in low tones for a several moments.
She walked back to us and flashed a hard smile. “We’re going for a walk,” she announced.
“Shut up and get a move on!” the bandit leader growled. We hurriedly complied. I do believe that at this moment either fight or flight would have resulted in certain death.
The bandits kept the five of us in the middle of their formation as they marched us forward. They kept their bows notched. I tried to ask Jaheira in a whisper what had happened, but the leader screamed for us not to speak.
We came to a very dark, dense thicket that was a twisted maze of thorns. However, it bore a secret entrance. And upon stooping to enter, we found that the seemingly impenetrable mass of thorns was hollowed out from within. It formed a long and winding tunnel through the dense thorny brush. Eventually the tunnel opened into a small glade. The clearing was nestled within the densest part of the forest. Indeed, I sensed the glade was likely protected from view with powerful illusions to keep it hidden.
Tazok's Secret Bandit Camp
There we found ourselves within view of an encampment crawling with bandits! We could see hobgoblins and humans milling about together. Many tents there were. But I had but a moment then to take in a brief visual sweep.
The bandits who had taken us prisoner marched us up to one of their lieutenants, a human. This man was anxious at our appearance, and chided the one who had brought to the camp. He mentioned that none other than our very nemesis Tazok would be displeased at this decision.
And then came into view a most fearsome sight that I shall not soon forget. A massive, towering ogre burst out of a nearby tent about and strutted his way over to us. His thighs rippled with layers of muscle and were as nearly as thick as a man's chest. His bicep was the size of a man's head. The ogre moved with tremendous agility for one so gigantic and musclebound. His face was deeply battle-scarred. From within his helmet his yellow eyes flashed towards us in a rage. Just the sight of creature instantly filled me with fear, I freely admit. He was a terrifying sight.
At first glimpse of Tazok, Kivan was possessed by a reflex to grab his bow. But just as quickly Jaheira and Khalid, standing next to him on either side, each kept a hand firmly clamped on both of Kivan's wrists. Jaheira fervently whispered something to him. Kivan shuddered, seeming to almost writhe in pain at what she said. But he nonetheless quickly bowed his head and became still. Kivan's face remained well concealed beneath his hood with his head held low.
The ogre roared with fury at head of the group who had taken us captive for his stupidity in bringing us there. He demanded of Jaheira to know who we were.
Jaheira was, I believe the perfect member of our party to handle this task. She didn't bat an eye, and was utterly fearless in response. Jaheira stated that we were simply adventurers who had spotted an opportunity to profit by joining the bandits who had so successfully been raiding the region. She sounded every bit believable. And as Jaheira spoke with Tazok she also exuded a genuine confidence.
After a little banter with Tazok Jaheira managed to persuade him to try us out. Tazok grudgingly agreed. But he assured us that should his captains, Ardenor and Taugozs, report anything negative back to him we would personally kill us in a most horrific fashion.
He also mentioned traveling to a mine this evening. (The Nashkel mine, I should think...) And then he strode away with what seemed an unnatural speed for one so huge.
To our shock, we were left alone and now seemed to have the run of the camp. The bandits who brought us walked off to attend to their business. We were far enough from any of them to speak without being overheard as long as we kept our voices low. So we had a counsel.
Imoen asked Kivan if he was alright, but the elf remained rooted to his spot with his head down, and did not answer. Khalid and Jaheira relaxed their grip on Kivan's wrists and let go. He seemed to be trembling ever-so slightly. It seemed almost as if he had just fought a terrible battle inside himself, and still wasn't back to normal after it.
I asked Jaheira what she had whispered to him just as Tazok appeared.
"I told him to wait," she said matter-of-factly. "By which I meant for him to wait to kill Tazok until the time is right."
I stated I could not agree more that attack just now would have simply gotten us all killed. But I quickly added I wasn't not sure what the right time would be! Tazok looked so powerful that he could quite literally tear any of us limb from limb. I noted that an opponent like that can only be defeated with magic. Kivan simply would have stood no chance against him in martial combat, unless perhaps he got off the perfect bow shot. But ogres also often use enchantments to protect themselves from standard weapons.
Just now we were favored by the gods, I said, that Tazok apparently had no clue that we were the very ones he had been sending assassins to kill! It would probably not be long before he figured it out.
But I added that I was flabbergasted at this bizarre turn of events. Our plan was to flee Tazok and now here we were right under his very nose! We were lucky almost beyond belief not to have been killed in the last hour. But we should count our blessing and flee post haste.
Khalid then glanced at Jaheira with a strange expression that I guessed belied a secret. This notion I found very troubling—even mildly alarming. I think they then both read the worry in my face, in reaction to this rather odd feeling moment.
Jaheira's forehead furrowed slightly, but she did not waste time in choosing her words. Confident as ever she related that when Imoen and I slept yesterday at the inn she and Khalid had forged a mutual understanding with Kivan.
Jaheira continued with her explanation: As we know, Kivan wishes to track down Tazok and kill him. This is at odds with our plan to flee Tazok, as we are also well aware. However, she and Khalid simply wished to find out as much as possible about Tazok in the interest of successfully evading his reach—or more to the point, the long arm of the Zhantarim organization specifically at his disposal. Kivan, who had been tracking Tazok for years, must have by now learned many things about him. So they agreed to an exchange of services, as it were. Jaheira would support having Kivan lead the way as he continued to explore and track his quarry. And when we rested Kivan would continue to share more information as Imoen and I slept.
"As a token of our good will in the bargain, I shared a key bit of information that was vital to Kivan," Jaheira continued. "Namely, that a great wizard has advised us that the 'bandits we seek' may be found to the northeast of Beregost."
Jaheira continued that she, Khalid and Kivan all deduced that without a doubt Tazok must be headquartered somewhere deeply hidden within the Wood of Sharp Teeth.
"But what happened today came as a surprise," she said. "I did not expect us to be found by the bandits!"
As Jaheira spoke Kivan had gradually recovered from his earlier inner turmoil. He now interrupted her with a terse comment. "It is I, not Jaheira, who is responsible for us being here now," he said.
Kivan went on to recount that when he had scouted ahead, he spied upon the same bandits that took us prisoner taking a rest. He overheard them speak of a nearby base camp. They also chatted about a desire to increase their numbers, as they were concerned at becoming outnumbered by the hobgoblins. They were actively recruiting.
Kivan said he had searched these woods before and had found no camp of any sort. It must be concealed by enchantments. So the only way Kivan could see to find Tazok was to do one of two things. He could track the bandits back to their base. Or he could try to bring our party to them—seemingly by accident—and hope for the best. In the latter event, if we had to fight them, at least he had a capable bad of allies to do so. We might leave one alive from which to extract information about how to access the camp.
But that the option of tracking the bandits to their camp he felt was almost certain to fail. He had actually tried tracking bandits in the region before in this hope. But he had found that they were highly skilled at scouting themselves. Every time they seemed to detect his efforts and managed to shake him. On one occasion he tried to pick them off one by one and capture the last one standing. But they turned the tables on him and tracked him instead. That was a very close call in fact. And in this case today, certainly, with an entire party in tow (including several without wilderness skills), he could not trust our entire party to remain silent and hidden sufficiently to attempt tracking them back to the camp.
"So you intentionally brought us to them?" I asked.
"Aye," said Kivan. He then added that he figured Jaheira would likely take the lead when the bandits spotted us. His greatest worry about the plan was that I might speak for the group, given my wish to flee the area. Anything I said toward that end would hardly make us candidates for recruitment to the bandits' ranks. But if we ended up having to fight them, he still felt the risk was worth taking.
"Jaheira came through as I had hoped," he said. Jaheira seemed bemused by this comment, in a combination of slight embarrassment and pride.
"You gambled all of our lives by delivering us right into their hands," I observed.
"That I did," Kivan responded.
Jaheira then more freely expressed her thoughts that she felt our decision to flee somewhere and hope that we could get far enough away was simply not the right course to follow. She said that she and Khalid had promised Gorion that they would protect us. And this they would do. But in order for them to succeed in keeping me alive, I must place trust in them as well.
"I know the ways of the Zhentarim," she stated. "You do not."
Jaheira continued that the Zhents had many spies literally everywhere. My notion of safety in flight was a fantasy, she said. At the very least, to even have a fighting chance of survival, we must learn more about which branches of the organization were controlled by Tazok. It may then be possible to bribe the right people to allow us to escape somewhere. But we needed to know who to approach.
The impact of this development actually left me a bit stunned. It did not sit well with me.
I pulled Imoen aside and asked her what she felt we should do now. Clearly, we could not trust our friends as much as we thought. Everyone in the group seemed to have their own agenda. How could we trust any of them after this?
Imoen thought hard about it for a moment, and her facial expression was as troubled as mine. In a moment her face brightened somewhat, however, and she reminded me that I always consult my runes.
"True," I noted. "And I will, rest assured, when we are less vulnerable. But I still wish to know your feeling about how much we may trust Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan now. You have a heart that can be trusted, I think. What does it tell you?"
Imoen searched her feelings thoughtfully for a moment. "I dunno... but I think 't would be smart if we stay together fer now," she said. I noted that with the area crawling with bandits, I too felt that it would be wisest to stick with a skilled tracker and warriors. I told her that we would stay with them a very brief while to find out what we could here in the camp, and then assess our options.
We returned to the others and I told them of our plan.
"We will stay here for just a very brief time for Jaheira and Khalid to try to ferret out what information they can. But I do mean brief! Then we shall take our leave of this camp and decide whether this party shall continue as one.
At this Khalid looked a bit stricken. But Jaheira seemed as confident and determined as ever to prove herself right. Kivan's face remained stonily impassive as ever, with no hint of emotion or thought at all.
"Let us quickly explore the camp then," I said.
Just as I said this it came to me that we were heavily in need of rest, however. And I wished to identify the ring we had found, which required meditation. The ring was a gift from the gods, I felt, and best to know what it is.
I announced that we would rest and take some time here. Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan may explore the camp if they wished. Imoen may join them if she wished. Though I wished to leave the camp as soon as possible, this was a risk I felt we must now take.
[Here Oracos would in fact most likely just leave with Imoen, and perhaps others if they agreed to join. Or he might at least seek guidance from the runes, and I would turn a card as to whether they would leave. But per the game engine they have to proceed with the fight at the boss tent to advance in the game. Also, without resting and using the Ring of Wizardry this level 1-2 party of five will be hard pressed to survive that fight. The party's wizard has only 2 spell slots, no wands, and no spell scrolls. So I have to fudge this a bit and RP the meta-game imperatives: They have to complete chapter 4, and now is as good a time as any in terms of the story development. And in order to have much of a chance inside the boss tent they must rest.]
A bond of trust in our companions was now fractured. A strain within the group was palpable, at least as it seemed to me. I worried even at our current course action. But I felt we needed the others to return to some safe location such as the Friendly Arm Inn. We would have to indulge their intrigues at least for just a bit longer.
Before entering my meditations to prepare spells I asked Imoen to tag along with Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan as they explored the camp to learn what they could. I asked her to please pay keen attention to everything they learn.
When I completed my spell preparations I cast a spell to identify the ring we had found:
The ring is a truly wonderous gift from Mystra, I feel. It is called “Evermemory.” With this ring I may double the number of spells that I may now memorize (at least for my current level of skill). Although dismayed by the deeds of Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan in getting us brought to the camp, I was quite excited about this ring.
When the others returned, I pulled Imoen aside, well away from the other three, and asked her to share what she and the others had found out about the camp. Imoen related that the camp consists of two factions. The humans are a bandit mercenary force named the Blacktalons. The hobgoblins are called the Chill.
The Chill’s leader, Ardenor, has some powerful magic abilities according to at least one Blacktalon they spoke with. The leader of the Blacktalons is named Tenhammer. He is a heavily armored and powerful looking warrior with an intimidating war hammer, who spoke in broken Common with an accent, and said that we are to answer only to him.
The Chill and Blacktalons clearly don’t like each other, Imoen reported.
At least one member of the Chill seemed to believe both groups are under the hire of the Zhents. He said he wasn’t sure though. Both that hobgoblin and ‘Tenhammer ‘ mentioned a group named the “Iron Throne” also. There was something also about independents… that part was confusing, though, Imoen said.
Imoen continued that there is a very large tent at the end of the compound that appears to be the camp’s headquarters. There are many Blacktalons archers guarding it. Jaheira felt it a bit risky to even consider entering that one until we have all rested and are well prepared, she said.
“Jaheira said I should try sneakin’ in to that tent tonight and see what I can find,” Imoen added. Imoen related however that in one of the tents that they entered that turned out to empty she tried picked the lock to a chest, and was unable to. So even if the big tent is unattended inside, she may not be able to open any locked containers, she noted.
I said to Imoen that we need not concern ourselves with what Jaheira wishes to do.
Then the others approached us, and Jaheira asked that we discuss what they had discovered.
“Imoen has already filled me in,” I said. I asked if Jaheira if she was satisfied with her efforts to learn what she could.
“Not yet, Oracos,” Jaheira responded. “We haven’t had a look in the biggest tent yet. I figured we might send Imoen in this evening to use her stealth and see what she can find,” she said.
“May we not leave now?” I asked. At this point I simply wanted to return to the Friendly Arm in safety. I would figure out what to do next about this entire party there.
“I feel strongly that we must investigate that last tent,” Jaheira replied. “After we do so, we can travel wherever you like…” Jaheira seemed to be struggling how to express her next set of thoughts. Khalid nudged her on with a look of encouragement to continue. But he then spoke to her as well. “No, J-j-heira, tell him the truth,” Khalid said gently.
Jaheira shot a peevish look in return at Khalid. But she seemed to acknowledge whatever Khalid was getting at.
“Khalid and I will continue to protect you, as we solemnly swore to your father we would do,” Jaheira continued. “But I have to set some ground rules with you now: Khalid and I know what we are doing. You must trust and heed our counsel. It is ultimately for your protection, even if that is not apparent.
“There was more to your father than you know. And our relationship with him extends deeper than you realize. I cannot explain this to you fully just yet. But I promise that I will after we finish our investigations here,” Jaheira concluded.
This was extremely disconcerting to me. I was frankly feeling it would now be best to severe ties with the half-elves and the elf. For here we were in the camp of the very mastermind who for weeks has been sending assassins to kill us—and these three wanted to stay, risking even further that our identities will be discovered! This is wise counsel?
Plus, they had gotten us brought here intentionally! Let them continue with their death-defying agendas by themselves! I felt that I simply could no longer trust them.
However rather than risking their ire by confronting them, I felt it wisest to withhold those sentiments. Imoen and I still very much needed them to reach relative safety. We were at their mercy for now.
I sighed in resignation. “What do you require of us? “ I asked. Jaheira could see that I was clearly unhappy. But she continued undeterred.
“Let us have Imoen sneak into the tent tonight,” Jaheira said. “The rest of us can be stationed right outside to help her if she’s in trouble.”
“Imoen, are you comfortable attempting this?” I asked. “If not, say the word, and you and I will leave now.”
At this Jaheira looked somewhat distressed. “No, please, do not leave yet!” she implored. “We can protect her! If there is any sign of trouble whatsoever we can at least get Imoen out and flee the camp. Before we attempt Imoen’s search of the tent tonight I will memorize several Entangle spells to cast against those who may give us chase, if we have to run.”
I could see that Jaheira was not going to budge. In my estimation the choice before me was to take the risk Jaheira proposed or leave now with Imoen. I stared at Jaheira for a moment with a hard look. I did not like what she was doing. Not at all.
Imoen broke the frosty moment. “I think I can do it Oracos,” she said with real conviction. She gave me a look that told she was sincere.
With the relationship with Jaheira so strained, I felt we had little choice for now but to comply. We still needed her. Hopefully for not much longer.
Both Jaheira and I mentally prepared our spells. With my new “Evermemory” ring I prepared one casting of Slumber, two castings of Blindness, and one of Charm.
We walked to the large tent and in a stroke of extreme good fortune, one of the guards actually appointed us to replace him at guarding the tent! (He was complaining of bad stomach pains, he said.)
Imoen managed to peek inside but only for the briefest of moments. She reported back that there were five inside the tent. One of which looked like a gnoll, another a hobgoblin, two humans, and an elf. The elf’s feet were bound with cord, his hands bound in front of him, and his mouth was gagged by a strip of cloth however. Unless this was some sort of ruse for our behalf, he was obviously a prisoner.
One of the men wore a wizard’s robe, Imoen continued to report. The other man wore chainmail and bore sword and shield. Three stood near the entrance: the mage, the gnoll, and the human warrior. The hobgoblin, who was equipped with a bow, stood nearer to the center of the tent.
Imoen said that there was zero chance of sneaking about unseen inside the tent. Jaheira proudly reminded us that she had managed to win Tazok’s respect. She noted also that her impression was that these bandits weren’t terribly smart, either. She ventured that she should therefore try to carry forward with the same bluff she had made with Tazok to see what we could learn.
Before I could speak up about that plan, Jaheira put her hand on Imoen’s shoulder and began walking into the tent! To my chagrin there was little any of us could do but follow.
Once inside the tent the bandits inside informed us that anyone entering the tent without the authority of Tazok must die. Period. There could be no exceptions. Jaheira stated that we had been urgently dispatched to retrieve an important scroll for Tazok. But the guards inside evidently had been given strict orders, no doubt under pain of death themselves to forsake.
I noticed that the elf that was far off to the left then held up his bound hands to us to signal that he was a prisoner and not a foe. But there was no time for us to consider whether this may be true or false.
The enemy launched their attack upon us. The gnoll (was it a gnoll?) swung at Jaheira with a halberd. This fearsome creature stood in the middle. To his right the warrior wielding sword and shield attacked Khalid. From our left the wizard began an incantation. Kivan and Imoen fired their bows at the mage in the hope of interrupting his spell, but without success.
As the enemy wizard was casting, I cast a spell to Blind him. The spell worked, praise the gods! And not only that: the wizard then seemed completely thrown by being rendered sightless. He was evidently so shaken by it that from that point on he never regained his wits. For all practical purposes he was out of the battle.
Kivan called for Imoen to switch their attack to the hulking gnoll-like creature that had by then injured Jaheira.
Things then began taking a turn for the worse. Khalid got badly injured in his battle with the warrior with the sword. He was able to parry with his shield and drink the one healing potion we had purchased to restore himself. So that was fortunate. But in the very next instant Khalid got struck with a poisoned arrow from the hobgoblin that was at the center of the tent. Khalid then gulped down his poison antidote, to stop the poison from killing him. He was still seriously wounded by the arrow, however.
I cast my Charm spell at Khalid’s foe—and that too succeeded! This was a tremendous stroke of luck, for it broke the battle decidedly in our favor. I immediately ordered the entranced fighter to run pell-mell at the hobgoblin that was firing poisoned arrows, and attack with him furiously his sword. That forced the hobgoblin to switch to his sword in response.
It also left an opportunity for me to cast my Sleep spell. I did so.
In the meantime Jaheira attempted to heal Khalid. But before she could complete her spell, the gnoll struck Khalid down with a vicious—and fatal!—thrust of his halberd. Jaheira cried out and turned to the gnoll in focused rage with her club.
The gods then favored us yet again. In another stroke of good fortune, my Slumber spell took effect and rendered the gnoll unconscious. (That spell failed against the hobgoblin and mage, though.)
Kivan, Imoen, and Jaheira quickly finished off the gnollish looking creature. As they did, I cast my final Blindness spell at the hobgoblin. This spell too was successful! Jaheira now switched to her sling. With the hobgoblin now Blinded he soon fell to our Charmed warrior’s blade, Kivan and Imoen’s arrows, Jaheira’s sling bullets, and my darts.
I then ordered the ensorcelled warrior to use his bow and take aim at the Blinded mage. We all unleashed a volley of missiles at the hapless target, who best I could tell was dumbfounded in a state of emotional shock. He basically did nothing but recoil from the attacks and quickly collapsed in death.
I then ordered the enchanted fighter to drop his weapons and turn his back. We ended his life him in but a few seconds with our missile attacks.
Jaheira ran immediately to Khalid’s lifeless body and inspected his wounds. He had taken the pike end of the gnoll’s halberd into the side of his abdomen. Tearfully, she said with a hopeful tone that she had faith that he could be returned to life. She commented that the creature who had slain Khalid was a flind. (I had thought the creature looked similar to but different than a gnoll!) Jaheira added that when they had nosed about the camp earlier they had heard there were some flinds in a cave nearby.
We then approached with the elf who was an apparent prisoner in the tent. We unbound and ungagged him. He told us his name was Ender Sai. The elf shared with us that he was investigating an organization called the Iron Throne, although he would not elaborate more about why.
Ender did have much useful information to share, however. First, the Chill and the Blacktalons are normally in competition. So why would they work together? He told us that Arendor and Tenhammer believe that Tazok receives his orders from the Zhents. Tazok apparently wishes them to believe as much. However Ender said he doubted that this is the case. He stated the reason for this belief was that it was his investigation of the Iron Throne that had gotten him taken prisoner by Tazok. How he came to be captured he would not tell, though.
Ender commented that had we not happened along to intervene when we did, he would certainly have been tortured and killed. The bandits in the tent were waiting for Tazok to return for that.
The elf told us that he had discovered Mulahey’s scheme to degrade ore at the Nashkel mine, and added that Mulahey had managed to convince the kobolds that he was one of their lost gods.
Ender continued that Tazok has regularly been visiting a base located somewhere in Cloakwood. And he then told us that his captors had placed documents and letters one of them was reading inside a chest in the tent, which he pointed to.
This, Ender said, was the full extent that he could tell us—he was at liberty to share nothing more. But hopefully that much was adequate compensation for our saving his life.
Jaheira argued that we should press him for more information. But the elf seemed resolute. And he had indeed shared much. The consensus among us was that his report was satisfactory to us. We let him leave. He indicated he had the skill to do so stealthily and remain unseen.
Now was not the time to discuss it… nor was I sure at this point that I would speak about it with anyone but Imoen… but Ender’s assessment cast doubt on Jaehira’s conclusion that the entire iron shortage operation was a Zhent plot. It certainly might be. But it seems less clear than she evidently believed.
[Does Imoen now check the chest for traps? Red card = yes. She disarms the trap and avoids trap damage.]
Imoen carefully inspected the chest and noted that it was trapped. She disabled the trap and picked the lock.
Inside the chest was a trove of information and other useful contents.
Most importantly, we found two letters from to Tazok signed by someone named “Davaeorn.” The letters reference a base in Cloakwood (a forest located to the west) that is receiving iron ore by the ton from Tazok. One of the letters mentions the name “Sarevok,” a figure who appears to be as a superior of both Tazok and Davaeorn. Davaoern writes that this Sarevok ordered that “the band of mercenaries” that is “causing trouble” to their operations be killed, and demands a progress report on that. The letter also references that none other than Nimbul was hired to try to kill this adventuring band! As such I believe we have pretty clearly identified the source of the bounties and attacks by assassins upon us. To a high degree of likelihood, anyway.
The letters also make mention of an ultimatum of some sort that this group, apparently named the “Iron Throne,” intends to eventually issue. The ultimatum seems evidently related in some way to control of the iron trade. So, not surprisingly, there is likely quite a bit more intrigue afoot in this grand plot plot to manipulate the iron trade on the Sword Coast.
The spoils of the chest, belongings of our attackers, and other containers in the tent was an impressive haul:
I found no less than seven spell scrolls, several of which I have already scribed. But the scrolls included also some spells that I do not know. One is a spell to make a highly favorable impression on others. Another blasts a concentrated jet of flame at an opponent from a distance. And a third is an apparently quite powerful spell by which to remove magical protections such as a wizard may before battle. The latter I think I can scribe, yet it will require more skill for me to actually use. Perhaps in time as my ability with the Weave increases.
From our slain attackers we collected an enchanted pair of bracers and an enchanted longbow. These will require spells to identify...
Also in their possession were some arrows enchanted to add frost damage, a longbow, a composite longbow (which we gave to Kivan), two potions of healing, and a potion to block the effects of magic for a limited time.
There was also a lot of gold in the tent! We left the tent with nearly three thousand gold pieces!
I urged the party that we now take our leave, but first Kivan should check outside to see if our battle had attracted any interest. Kivan did so and quickly returned to report that the bandits outside all seemed to be going about their usual business.
Jaheira stripped all of Khalid’s gear to carry herself and thereby reduce his weight. Kivan kindly agreed to carry him, apparently grateful that his new allies had put him hot on Tazok’s trail to once and for all track him down and kill him. Kivan picked up Khalid’s body and slung it over his shoulder. I carried Kivan’s halberd to make it easier to manage.
We slipped out of the tent and moved due north. We discovered that one could exit the camp quite easily simply by entering the surrounding forest. Upon looking back towards the camp, it had completely disappeared. As I had suspected, the compound was skillfully hidden by some form of illusory magic.
We completed the day long journey back to the Friendly Arm, this time with Kivan instructing Imoen where to go and she scouting ahead through the wood. Kivan never once groaned or complained, despite carrying the literally ‘dead weight’ of Khalid. He barely needed rest either. It appears that Kivan is strong as an ox.
Just north of the Friendly Arm, we were lulled into a false sense of security at the sight of the road. Not once, but twice, we were attacked by hobgoblin bandits (which we now know are affiliated with the Chill) as we traveled along its north then eastern wall to the gate. We were very tired and not in good spirits at that point. The bandits felt like little more than a nuisance after all that we had been through.
Upon our approach to the steps we were greeted by Elminster. I am now persuaded that it is truly the legendary mage, and I am both awestruck and perplexed by his attention toward us. He advised us to follow the clues into the Cloakwood and attempt to find the secret compound there. Mysteriously as ever, he then strode off without giving us a chance to speak with him further.
I would have to consider Elminster’s advice in due time, however. First Jaheira was understandably anxious to take Khalid to the temple and seek to have him raised. As were we all, truly, I am sure. As for myself, I do not hold Khalid accountable for Jaheira’s sins. Once she gets an idea in her head she cannot be deterred from it. At times I even pity Khalid for having to endure her bullheadedness. He is completely devoted as her mate, so it must be difficult.
We laid Khalid’s fallen body down on a cot, and Gellana inspected him. She then looked at Jaheira and smiled with a twinkle in her eye, much to Jaheira’s immediate delight and silent tears of relief.
“We shall bring him back, fear not,” Gellana said reassuringly. And sure enough, moments later Khalid inhaled briskly and blinked with a shock. He was however still extremely peaked and weakened. Jaheira and I quickly healed his wounds, and his color and vigor returned.
Once inside the inn we quickly recapped for Khalid what had happened.
I recommended that we all rest now. After some sleep we would convene to discuss the party’s future.
I felt that in order to play Kivan faithfully to his own quest, he would be hellbent to get at Tazok.
Kivan is Chaotic not Lawful, remember. As Chaotic, he is not a type that is inclined to feel bound to his word. But even the agreement he struck with the entire party, it was was not some sort of total pledge of allegiance to them.
The deal that Kivan made with Khalid and Jaheira was in the same spirit.
Now for Kivan to selfishly risk the party's lives as he did to get at Tazok (i.e., he deliberately got them captured) is something that I think is in character given the depth of his yearning for revenge. But that act is something that could arguably result in Fallen status as Ranger. Rangers are sworn to protect innocent travelers in the woods! That was hardly an act of protection.
Jaheira might have helped him rationalize the choice, as ultimately an act of protection. I.e., the notion that they must find and kill Tazok before he kills them. And I think Jaheira would actually believe that it is justified. So Kivan perhaps could be vulnerable to be led astray here. But nevertheless the act of intentionally getting the party captured was imho a failure from the Ranger ethos standpoint.
If Kivan remains in the party after all this, I may well EEKeeper him to Fallen status. I'm curious what others think about that.
The Bandit Boss Tent Battle
Thank goodness I turned a red card to get the Ring of Wizardry! (In case anyone is wondering, I haven't fudged the cards. Even when it makes things tough, the game will ultimately be more fun if I keep to the method.) I think it would have been extremely difficult to win with just two spell slots. (I suppose one Blind and One Charm could have done it, though.) Anyway, the increase to four spells made it more easily winnable.
And for that battle, rest assured, I did have to reload quite a lot. Without neutralizing the enemy mage there is really no chance of a party such as this one winning. (Unless enough of them save versus Horror.) The enemy wizard saved repeatedly against Charm and Sleep. But Blind worked about half the time.
I should add that I had a number of tries where only the PC remained alive, and he fled; but once outside the tent he got pursued by the attackers from in the tent, and then was killed by the Blacktalon archers patrolling outside.
Eventually, it became clear that the best shot at success was to Blind the mage. (If this was a SCS game the mage may still have cast Horror despite being Blinded. But this is vanilla EE.) Once I got the mage Blinded the rest was fairly easy.
I wasn't surprised at fatalities. I was lucky to have only one. As it was, I think the RP of Kivan carrying Khalid over his should for a 16 hour hike is Ranger-like and believable in terms of the RP (plus Kivan's extraordinary strength). But if I had come away with, say, all but the PC, Imoen, and perhaps one other alive, I don't see them trying to lug multiple bodies back to the temple. There would have been a party reformation then and there.
Why would Blind be more effective than Sleep? Am I completely misinterpreting that Sleep gives -3 to saves vs spell?
I note with interest the choice of generous reloading during the critical encounters which advance the gamestory -- as a counterpart of not freely embarking upon all sorts of XP-building side-quests in classic adventure for its own sake style.
Sleep or Charm would actually be at least as effective, if not more, I agree. But for some reason (at least in my game) the mage in that tent was repeatedly saving against both Sleep and Charm. For some reason he was succumbing to Blindness about every other time. Maybe it was just a fluke of the dice, though.
Given that you have determined (as the player/dm) the RP motive behind Kivans (and J&Ks) actions getting into the bandit camp (as I recall there were no cards drawn to determine these actions). It would seem to follow that you (as the player/dm) having deemed it it to be subterfuge to accomplish their own agendas while placing you and Imoen in considerable danger without warning you of their intentions.
I would say that making him fallen would fit the role you have scripted for him - if you do so perhaps there will come a time when he can regain his status through some action (perhaps determined by a card draw) and perhaps J&K may also find a way to regain your trust (per card draw?).
Alternately of course you could (as player/dm) decide to reform the party going forward as a result of thier actions (with or without a card draw ).
Yeah, I felt I had to kind of run with the RP motive angle pretty heavily in this case versus using turning cards. (They must complete chapter 3 somehow.) And it seemed to open up an angle for Kivan that I had never even considered, so I figured why not. This gaming method is intended to shake up the standard rote way of playing the game, and get it moving in unusual directions, so it seemed like a fun opportunity.
It's been kind of a long time for me with some of this D&D stuff. If a Ranger Falls in a tabletop game, can he or she ever redeem themselves and regain the former Ranger powers? Or is the Fall irrevocable? Not that I'm bound by 2nd ed. AD&D PnP rules in this game. But I'm curious what the rule is on that.
So You Gotta Let Me Know… Should I Stay or Should I Go
I awoke early enough to take care of some things before the party was to meet. First I identified the longbow and bracers. The bow improves aim very substantially and delivers the arrow with greater force than a standard bow. The bracers are enchanted to help the user strike more effectively with weapons in combat and to increase the force of each landed blow.
I also made my attempt to scribe the new spells I had acquired at Tazok’s bandit camp. I succeeded with three of them: Charisma, Noxious Vapors, and Agannazar’s Jet of Flame. Sadly, I failed with Spellstrip, which was the most difficult. I admonished myself afterward for not trying to scribe that one first.
It was still in the middle of the night, and before long I fell back into a slumber. I had a remarkably vivid dream of descending from a great height in the sky, hurtling downward; and without harm passing through the surface of the earth, deep into a cavern within. There I saw a statue of myself. A dagger of bone flew at the statue, cracking it. I had a feeling of in some way gaining power from either some force, or perhaps some person, that would eventually extract a great price for it. I recall feeling searing pain over this, as I momentarily awoke from the dream.
When I awoke in the morning I sensed that I had acquired another priestly ability: that of neutralizing poison. I knew this in my bones as surely as I had gained the ability to heal.
These are divine powers that I have been gaining access to, not arcane. I am confused as to where this is all coming from. Or I should say: from Whom? Which divinity? This is not normal. I’m at a loss what if anything to do about it, however.
I have struggled with what to do about the broken bond of trust I now feel with Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan. They are all formidable warriors. And they are not acting against me—rather just according to their own motives. But I feel that they are taking risks that jeopardize us all. That is really not acceptable to me. Imoen and I can benefit from their protection, but only if we can have faith that they will not place us at risk in ways we are in the dark about!
So I felt that I must consult the gods via the runes as to whether I should dismiss anyone from our band. I expect Jaheira and Khalid to be inseparable, but I feel that Khalid is the more trustworthy of the two. He seems to have a conscience and shows an inclination to be honest. Not so, Jaheira.
And Kivan seems driven by a singular goal: to avenge the death of his mate.
Anyway, I shall seek guidance about all three of them, individually, although I highly doubt Khalid would agree to stay with me if I ask Jaheira to leave.
[Remove Jaheira from party? red card = yes.]
[Remove Khalid from party? red card = yes.]
[Remove Kivan from party? black card = no]
I cast my runes and the oracle showed that it would be best if I dismiss Jaheira and Khalid, both.
Oddly, the runes also revealed that Kivan should stay. However I doubt that he will when I inform him that Imoen and I have no wish to pursue Tazok.
At any rate, the three of them may certainly continue however they wish on their own, unless Kivan agrees to stay. The runes indicate that I can now trust his word.
I spoke briefly with Imoen about this in an early morning stroll of the fortess grounds. She also was ambivalent about what to do. She simply stated she was glad that I was making the decision, not her.
Everyone gathered at a table in the inn around noon.
Jaheira was upbeat and appeared relaxed. Imoen seemed a bit forlorn. Khalid looked a bit nervous. Kivan, as usual, displayed little emotion. I myself was feeling a slightly pensive about this meeting.
I began the meeting by expressing my disappointment that I felt I could no longer trust Jaheira or Kivan. I added that at least to the extent that Khalid remains ever faithful to his mate (not a criticism, mind you), unfortunately my faith in him is severely shaken as well.
We had faced many challenges together, I continued. Fought to the death side by side, we had. Again and again. Without Jaheira and Khalid I do not see how Imoen and I could have survived, especially given the assassins we have repeatedly faced.
“But I have sought guidance from my runes,” I said, “and I regret to say that I must ask you, Jaheira and Khalid, to leave our company.” At this Jaheira remained unperturbed. She did not seem surprised. She calmly waited for me to finish.
I turned then to Kivan. “Kivan, you may remain with Imoen and me if you wish. But you must know that we are not pursuing Tazok. And I expect that it is your wish to do so.”
Kivan then looked at Jaheira, as if she was the one that would do the talking for him.
Jaheira smiled with an uncharacteristic gentleness. She seemed to have toned down her brassiness a bit for what she was about to say.
“Oracos, first, let me try to put your mind at ease about what happened,” Jaheira began. “I am unable to explain everything to you because I still have many questions myself."
Jaheira continued, measuring her words carefully. “But your father knew that both his and your life were in peril. I know not why. He did not tell us.” Jaheira then paused and glanced for a moment at Khalid with a look in the eyes that bespoke fond memories.
“Gorion became one of our closest friends since shortly after Khalid and I first met over a decade ago. We traveled with your father on a number of journeys to some very colorful lands with him, and met many of his friends. Your father knew many, many interesting people and kept ties with all of them. And he was always helping his friends when they were in trouble. And its certainly possible that he made some powerful enemies along the way in so doing... Evidently he did.”
I felt a little better that Jaheira was sharing more information for once, as I feel that she withholds and manipulates. I was interested to hear more, however.
Jaheira then laid out her appeal to us. “Khalid and I swore to Gorion that we would keep you safe from harm,” she said. “And we have been doing that the best we can. But I don’t agree that your plan to flee is safe. I feel that the best way to keep you alive is for us to pursue Tazok and kill him. When Kivan joined us, I felt we had gained an advantage in tracking down Tazok. And that hunch was right! Kivan led us to him! Tazok can now be found somewhere in Cloakwood. His hidden camp in the Wood of Sharp Teeth will now probably disappear when word reaches him that we killed four of his lieutenants. We must track him immediately, find him again, and choose our moment of attack.”
Khalid then interjected an interesting observation. “Is n-n-ot Kivan’s ap-ppearance on our p-p-path a sign that y-y-ou ought to pursue Tazok?” he queried sincerely.
I nodded to Khalid that he had a point. “I have considered that,” I acknowledged. “But this morning I consulted my runes about what to do now. And, sadly, they advise that it would be unwise for me to continue placing my trust in you. I think you know me well enough to know what my divinations mean to me.”
Jaheira’s brow furrowed a bit. “Khalid and I can only protect you effectively if you follow our counsel. I must honestly tell you that think I therefore have to lead us. Will you not reconsider?” she asked.
“I’m afraid not,” I said with a smile that was probably somewhat strained.
“Very well,” Jaheira replied. She did not appear conflicted about our parting ways. “Kivan has already discussed with us what he might do if it came to this, and he will be joining us.”
Kivan nodded in silent confirmation.
We then arose from the table to say our goodbyes. Imoen tearfully hugged Khalid and Jaheira. She stopped just short of attempting to embrace Kivan and waived goodbye instead. I warmly shook the hands of all three.
Jaheira told us that after they have completed their own plans, Imoen and I may eventually be able to find her and Khalid again here at the Friendly Arm. Hopefully our paths would cross again, she said.
“I hope they may as well,” I said. “You have been brave and stalwart comrades, and our lives are literally indebted to you.”
Jaheira smiled. “I wish you the favor of the gods, and take good care,” she concluded.
With that Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan took their leave and departed the inn—no doubt onward to Cloakwood to search for Tazok.
[Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan leave with the gear they have. The PC has the Longbow of Marksmanship which he had identified in the wee hours. He holds onto it here, aware that it will be of use for a warrior that they yet need to recruit. He also held onto the Legacy of the Masters bracers and gave those to Imoen.]
Imoen and I then ordered a drink and talked about our plans. I shared with Imoen what my spells had revealed about the bow and bracers. I gave her the bracers, at which she looked quite pleased.
“We start afresh it appears,” I said with a wistful sigh to Imoen.
“I’m gonna miss Khalid!” Imoen responded. “Jaheira was kinda bossy, though. Treated me like a kid, she did!” she added with a sulk.
“Well you’re not much more than that!” I laughed. “But sure enough not a child anymore. Not before we left, even. And certainly not now.”
I took a sip of wine and surveyed the room again to see if anyone might be recruited to protect us. There were no obvious warriors but the same scowling half-orc we had seen earlier. It seemed worth a try to approach him.
“Imoen, I think it’s time to hire someone to help get us to Baldur’s Gate. The only candidate I see is the same half-orc I suggested we ask before we left for Baldur’s Gate a couple days ago. What do you think?”
Imoen bit her lower lip and scrunched an eye in his direction. “He looks so scary!” she whispered.
“I agree,” I said. “But do you want to risk going it alone?” I asked. “Although I concur that it's a risk either way. He might just as soon gut us in our sleep.”
Imoen shuddered at the thought.
“Runes?” I asked.
“Yup,” she answered.
[Approach Dorn and seek to hire him? Red card = yes.]
The runes directed that we should attempt to hire the fellow. When I advised Imoen of this she looked a bit displeased, but at once she shook out the tension in her arms and shoulders. “Alright, let’s do it!” she said.
The half-orc seemed to ignore us as we approached. When we reached his table he continued to avoid our gaze and took a deep drink from his stein.
I cleared my throat. But we were obviously of no consequence to him.
I then spoke up, with my voice slightly cracking (damn it all) at the introduction. "Excuse me, my good sir, might we have a word with you?" I asked.
The towering half-orc then glared at me with annoyance as if I had just accidentally stepped on his toe.
He grunted tersely that he was ready for more grog! "Bring me another flagon of ale," he muttered in a deep, gravelly voice.
I informed him that I am not a servant here.
He then barked at us to begone!
And I was only too happy to oblige him! I was then worried as to why my runes had shown that I was to speak with him, though... But then again the ways of the gods are inscrutable.
“I’m so relieved!” laughed Imoen as we walked back to our table. I joined her laughter, adding that given what we just witnessed I had to admit it was probably for the best.
I observed that to travel back Beregost now to try to recruit someone to help us was probably just as dangerous as if we headed north. We agreed that perhaps at this point it was best to try to simply make our journey up the Coast Way to Baldur’s Gate. There, hopefully we could eventually get passage on a ship and leave this region.
Before our departure we stopped in at the temple and purchased potions of healing and antidotes of poison. We still had our powerful bow to either sell or give to a new comrade. Imoen isn't strong enough to use it.
And with that we were on our way, northward to the grand metropolis of Baldur’s Gate. Our hearts were actually a bit aflutter at the excitement of actually seeing the great city we had so long heard tales of. Once we got there, too bad we would not be able to take time to explore it!
[The results of Neera's secret spellcasting practice back at the SotM over the last four days... That is, I had rolled some time ago for the first day after they left her there, but four more days have since passed... Anyway, she cast 1 spell the first day, 1 spell the next day, 3 spells the following day, and 1 spell the next: and no 20's rolled for those spells via a 1 d20. So no surges resulted. After five days she is getting a bit bored and antsy at the Temple.]
True, although earlier in the game Oracos consulted the runes to make a choice between hiding out either in the wilderness or Baldur's Gate. (Gorion had said he planned for them to do one or the other before they departed Candlekeep.) The runes then pointed them toward Baldur's Gate. And this is what both Oracos and Imoen want to do as well. They thought they were headed there when Kivan and Jaheira fooled them, and took them on a hunt after Tazok instead. But now they really want to get to BG city in order to try to hop a sailing vessel as far from the Sword Coast as they can get.
But definitely, had the card flipped back then resulted in an answer from the runes to hide out in the wilderness, I would then have rolled 1d4 for NSEW for sure.
So anyway, now they're hoping to hide out in BG city. When they learn they are denied access they will have to decide what to do. And they might well then resort to plan B to hide in the wilderness. But we'll see what happens. They're about to happen upon Ajantis, and I think it likely from a RP standpoint they would want him to join. (No need to flip a card there. Oracos, who looks for signs and omens to begin with, was looking to hire someone anyway. Now here's a paladin... The only problem is he wants to eradicate bandits... I have no idea how that RP will take shape yet.)
From Oracos's POV, it might be that the runes told him to go to BG precisely because doing so caused the chain of events that led to Kivan and Tazok. Hence, the utility of that divination reading could be deprecated.
Yeah, you're right Iecerint. He did tell Kivan something very much along those lies when they met, too. Hmm. All that did get just a bit muddled.
Well, Oracos is Chaotic, don't forget, lol.
They will probably turn soon to hiding in the wilderness. I'm looking forward to seeing how creatively the runes can be put to use, above and beyond what direction to explore.
The fishing village 4 hours south of the bridge into Baldur's Gate... is the body of water there supposed to be a river? Geographically, it doesn't make sense that it would depict the River Chionthor (it's way too far south). I guess it could be a tributary river that's not on the map? Or a maybe lake? A lake would get fished out pretty fast, though. I suppose a tributary river is the only thing that makes sense for it... The sword coast is uncharted wilderness, etc.
The BG map doesn't match up very well with the "official" map of Faerun - there's a portion of the Faerun map posted by the pocketplane group showing most the the areas covered in BG here:
On this map the bridge over the River Chionthor is situated in a north south direction which would put the the fishing village to the west of the bridge instead of south - I suspect the devs just took some liberties with the orientation of the game map and that the major body of water at the fishing village is indeed the River Chionthor - and that perhaps they simply travel down the river to the sea.
You can see some major differences in the orientation of the Coast Way road between Beregost and BG City as well which also suggests the BG Map has been considerably altered from the Faerun map and was probably never meant to be a "true" representation of the official Faerun one but was just to facilitate gameplay and fit the areas they wished to use in an easy to navigate and display fashion.
As we took the road to the north from the Friendly Arm we thought it wise to have Imoen scout in advance.
She got a bit far ahead at one point and I became anxious for her. Then I spotted her racing back toward me with a mischievous grin—a lumbering and somewhat portly hobgoblin was on her tail! She could easily out run him, and seemed to almost make sport of it. I readied a dart. But Imoen pivoted and fired her bow, dropping the creature to the dirt in an instant.
She the told me there was another ahead who hadn’t been as bold as the one she just killed. At that moment the sky darkened with rain showers that soon began to lightly fall, and this helped Imoen hide even better.
Once again Imoen slipped away between the trees and bushes. This time too she returned with the other hobgoblin in pursuit. When Imoen turned to fire her bow he let out a cry of fear and ran in the opposite direction! We had to pursue and kill him however, lest he find any others of his kind that may be nearby and alert them.
Imoen continued to scout and spotted no further bandits lurking ahead.
After about half a day Imoen spied a lone member of the Blacktalon ahead. The bandit boldly stood by the road, not even hiding. As he might be equipped with ice arrows we decided it would be wiser to steer clear of him than to try to kill him. Also, he might simply be bait with others lurking in the woods.
So we moved to parallel to the road to the south, with Imoen still scouting the way ahead.
Before long Imoen reported that she had spotted a warrior standing on the road ahead, bearing a battlescared shield decorated with the symbol of Helm. He would clearly seem a priest or a knight of the Vigilant One then.
That bodes well for us and a most fortunate omen indeed! Given our need of a protector I felt it prudent to approach him.
We walked up to the man with smiles on our faces, and he studied us as we approached. He quietly murmured some words under his breath (perhaps a prayer?). In all events, he seemed satisfied that we posed no threat to him.
[Note: I imagine here that Ajantis would have cast Detect Evil.]
Imoen and I introduced ourselves and we learned that he was a young man from a noble family in Waterdeep, and a squire of the Order of the Most Radiant Heart, an order of Helmite paladins. His name is Ajantis Ilvastarr. He stated that he had been sent on a mission from his order eradicate the bandits who have been menacing travelers on the road.
It was disheartening to hear that this potential ally has a mission from his order to seek out the very threat that we are fleeing! But I elected not to speak of that for now.
I advised Ajantis that we are but travelers to the great city of Baldur’s Gate. I asked him if he might protect us on our journey there. I offered to pay him for the service but he waived it off as I spoke it. Ajantis said would not accept gold for such a thing, although it would please him if we eventually donated to a temple of Helm in appreciation for his service.
[Ajantis agrees to accompany the party to Baldur’s Gate? Red card = yes.]
Happily, Ajantis agreed to act as our guardian on our journey to the city.
Before continuing on our way, I told him that we had been quite successful with Imoen scouting ahead for us; although it took longer to travel that way, we had avoided many a hazard. Ajantis responded that he was agreeable to continue that practice, but if and only if we then kill any bandits that we encountered along the way.
I asked Imoen if she felt this was alright, and she agreed that would be fine. (I whispered to Imoen that we would size up the odds of any fight. If it seemed a poor idea, we would then simply part ways if the young squire insisted on entering a foolishly lopsided fight.)
Not far up the road Imoen reported lay a small fishing village along a river that touchs the Coast Way. We decided to investigate and in so doing we relaxed our vigilance, assuming the road to be safe, and now with a strong warrior at our side to boot.
Then seemingly out of nowhere we were ambushed by a pair of bandits!
I Blinded one and Ajantis rushed to attack him. As he did, the other member of the duo emerged from the bushes and fired his bow upon Ajantis. One of Imoen’s arrows ended the life of the one who was rendered sightless. Then we all turned upon the other, who I struck down with a perfectly aimed dart!
[Note: Here I spaced out and began following the usual meta-gamed route I take along the river! (I usually avoid the ankhegs.) Had I stuck to the road I would have avoided that particular bandit encounter. Also, the lone bandit just north of the area transition was not there when I reloaded upon resuming the game from the previous play session.]
So yet another lesson learned about the necessity of scouting.
Ajantis of course was perfectly content to face them head on as they attacked, but he also seemed satisfied to let Imoen use her scouting skills.
[Speak with villagers or continue along the road? Red card = enter village, black card = continue on the road. Result: black card = continue traveling along the road.]
I took the bandit attack as an ill omen and decided rather than explore the village, we should continue on our way north.
[Imoen spies the mandibles of the ankheg poking through the earth? Red card = yes.]
We made our way through a stretch of farm land adjoining the fishing village. Imoen’s next scouting report at first seemed inconsequential. But as I queried her there seemed more to it than perhaps first met her eye.
Imoen said she had seen the earth disturbed from beneath right next to the road by a creature of some sort. Perhaps nothing more than a burrowing mammal. However Imoen had also spied a strange saw-toothed set of light greenish hued spikes or spines emerge from the earth at the spot.
I rummaged my memory of fauna for this region from the scrolls and tomes at Candlekeep for a burrowing creature with saw-like spikes or spines, but my memory was dim and it seemed to elude me…
[Oracos recalls ankheg description? Red card = yes.]
And then it came to me! Imoen’s description seemed to match that of a creature called an ankheg.
These are giant insects and they are very dangerous. That is about all I could recall from what I read of them. Best that they be avoided!
We sought a way around. But to the right lay an extremely dense thicket within the woods. To the left was a plowed field that exposed us to possible attacks from bandit arrows. The last time we moved toward what seemed the safety of human habitation, bandits struck at us!
[Does Ajantis recommend proceeding on the road and attempting to slay the creature? Black card = no.]
I glanced for a moment at our new companion. He had no suggestion to make.
There seemed little choice but to risk moving through the edge of the field. We would do so slowly, with Imoen’s ability to tread lightly lest the creatures sense our movement from below.
Imoen was able to step through the field delicately enough to escape detection. Not so our more heavily armored friend.
With terrifying swiftness the creature burst forth from the ground and hissed. Utterly enormous it was—so great in size that it was truly uncanny that it could be an insect. It’s terrible mandibles churned and it seemed to be working its jaw muscles ferociously. Imoen was at this point out a head of us, hiding behind a tree. I felt Ajantis and I could not risk retreating, thereby leaving Imoen to then hopefully sneak back around it to rejoin us.
Ajantis charged the creature with his bastard sword drawn. I hurled a dart at one of the creature’s large eyes. Imoen shifted from behind the tree and fired her bow.
I was able strike the creature in the eye with my dart, which made me proud! Perhaps I had partially blinded it.
But my feeling of elation was short lived. I had only succeeded in provoking the beast into its full fury. To our horror it spat a great gob of viscous green goo directly into Ajantis’ face. The Helmite squire cried out involuntarily in pain and confusion. He was clearly severely injured and he called upon Helm to heal him. I know not if Helm heard his plea. But regardless Ajantis appeared to remain grievously hurt.
Battling a strong instinct to take flight, I instead summoned my courage and ran to Ajantis to heal him. But I just as I reached our new comrade and called forth my powers to heal, the brave squire collapsed.
My healing spell had no effect upon him...
I then called to Imoen to run towards a corner of a barn to our left. As we ran there another one of the towering creatures exploded from the earth, it's hideous sectioned legs writhing and its fierce jaws snapping! We had no choice but to run for our lives. The road seemed as safe a path to safety as any other!
As we made haste up the road then emerged into our view an armored woman who called us over to her. She identified herself as 'Gerde' and explained that the creatures were in fact being used to aerate the soil for the farmers! I told her of Ajantis' fate, and she said she would see about getting him cared for if he was still alive. If he had perished, as to whether he could be raised, that was a more difficult question, she said. As someone would have to pay for it and probably take his body in a boat to Baldur’s Gate. But she would see what she could do.
Gerde directed us toward the edge of the river as the safest place for us to travel until we were well clear of the farms in about two furlongs. We ran there and caught our breath for a moment—but only a moment, as we were truly terrified at the prospect of encountering any more ankhegs.
Sadly, we were forced to continue onward without our new traveling companion. May Helm bless and keep him for his good deeds during his short life, and guard his journey to the appropriate plane in the afterlife.
Imoen seemed to wrestle a bit emotionally with my insistence that we continue without trying to bring the aspiring paladin back to life. But I advised her that we hadn’t the resources to attempt this. And his fate was in the hands of a ranger! That is about as good as anyone meeting such misfortune could ever hope for. (What I didn't want to say was my assumption that the ankheg had made a meal of him, and I, for one, did not wish to find out.)
[Note: Here I simply forgot to share some potions with Ajantis beforehand. I just failed to think of it. And it cost poor Ajantis his life. But it’s a minimum reload game (only if PC dies) , so oh well. Oracos and Imoen feel bad. But honestly, they barely knew Ajantis. Plus a ranger would see about caring for his remains. I guess on the plus side, I also didn’t think to equip Ajantis with Deadshot +2 either!]
Arrival at the City Gate
Before long we were safely past to anhkeg ‘farm’ to continue without any threat of assault by the creatures. Then the river we had followed soon diverged from the Coast Way. So we returned to following the road.
Imoen continued scouting ahead and we made our way north along the Coast Way, slowly but surely. By very late into the evening the massive torchlit stone bridge spanning the mighty River Chionthor into the vast walled city of Baldur’s Gate came into our view. We could see its sea of flickering lights, as the city crested to a higher elevation above its outer walls. But it was too dark to make out much else.
Our excitement practically knew no bounds as we walked across the bridge towards the city’s enormous gate. Such adventure awaited us within!
But at the entrance was posted a Flaming Fist guard… who denied us entry! Imoen and I stared at each other dumbfounded.
“We may not enter the city? How is that possible?” I exclaimed.
“Access to the city is highly restricted right now,” the guard replied. “Only a privileged lot may come and go in order to ensure that the basic needs of the city are met. It is closed for now to all others. I’m sorry but there are no exceptions,” the guard continued.
The guard went on to explain that rumors of an impending war with Amn gripped the city, and the unprecedented occurrence of bandit raids had increased to a fever pitch. The Grand Dukes were taking unusual precautions to protect the city.
The guard advised that we may try back later. He made it clear that the matter was closed for any further discussion.
I considered offering the guard a bribe. Either the bribe would succeed, or we would get arrested—which in turn might get us inside the city walls! Yet on the other hand, stuck in jail cell we could well become easy targets for the criminal element that seeks to kill us. And the gods only know what happens to people unable to buy their way out. So I thought better of it.
At any rate, this was an enormous setback. We were truly crestfallen at this unexpected development.
There was little to do now but camp for the night at the foot of the bridge, and consider our options in the morning.
Neither Imoen nor I slept well, although the night was mild, our fire warm, and we felt relatively secure next to the great bridge into the city. I, at least, tossed and turned. Imoen shared that she barely dozed.
Our plan to board a sailing ship to some distant land is now dashed—at least for the time being…
I simply do not know how to keep us safe! It seems a fair bet that we will be pursued by more assassins. We must hide out somewhere, deep in the woods perhaps as Gorion had suggested. The only solution I could see was to turn to my runes.
Now, where shall we go?
I would use the hallowed Rule of Five. Five times I would consult the runes. Each casting of the runes would direct us to one of five waypoints. At the fifth we should discover something crucial about how best to negoitiate our predicament. There we shall find a powerful omen about how to survive, if I have but the skill to see it.
[Which direction shall we travel first? roll 1d8 where 1 = N, 2 = NE, 3 = E, 4 = SE, 5 = S, 6 = SW, 7 = W, 8 = NW. Result: 5 = South. They travel due south.]
[Which of eight waypoints along the Coast Way south? Roll 1d8 where 1 = fishing village (4 hours), 2 = Friendly Arm Inn (16 hours), 3 = Crossroads (36 hours), 4 = Beregost (60 hours), 5 = South Beregost Road (84 hours), 6 = North Nashkel Road (112 hours), 7 = Nashkel (148 hours), 8 = Nashkel Mines (192 hours). Result: 5 = South Beregost Road.]
The runes I cast showed that we must travel due south for two days.
I already know that I must recruit anyone I can who seems trustworthy to aid us. This land is far too perilous for Imoen and me alone to hope to survive for long. Hopefully our travels will lead us to someone who can help us!
I shared with Imoen the results of my divination. I don’t know if I expeted anything from her at that point but she was uncustomarily quiet. We looked at one another for a moment, mirroring, I think, mixed feelings of puzzlement, wonder, and fear at how in the world our lives had led us to such an utterly bizarre circumstance. Or perhaps I was merely seeing my own reflection, and Imoen’s mind was somewhere completely different. But in either case, Imoen then broke into a laugh.
“We’re gonna make it Oracos, you’ll see!” she said with what seemed a genuine faith. This did indeed make me feel better, if for no other reason than I was relieved to have my best friend as a companion to share this harrowing adventure with. I smiled back, but said nothing, and nodded. She smiled back and patted me on the back. It seemed we were in silent agreement that our fates were truly in the hands of the gods.
“C’mon ‘Racos. Let’s get goin’. We got a looong way to walk ahead of us!” Imoen said.
And so we departed from the foot of the great bridge south along the Coast Way.
As always, Imoen scouted ahead. Only two hours into our journey we we attacked by a pack of wild dogs, that we were able to back off from without a fight. It took every bit of inner strength we had to avoid the instinct to flee. They followed us for a bit, growling and menacing. But before long they lost interest in us, perhaps deciding to turn their attention to easier game.
[Note: Oracos and Imoen ran in-game. But this bit is to add a touch of color in the story. They didn’t fight. But would they actually be able to outrun a pack of wild dogs? Um, probably not.]
We continued south, again following the tributary river adjoining the farm land with the ankhegs. Along the way we made the gruesome discovery along the river’s shore of a half eaten woman, an apparent victim of the ankhegs. Oddly , though, it reassured me that we had made the right decision about Ajantis. We both agreed that we couldn’t get through this region fast enough!
Through a copse of trees along the shore we spied a cavernous hole in the earth amidst a planted field, where it appeared that the land itself had collapsed into the earth. An ill omen indeed, it seemed to me.
We saw some fishermen working on their nets in the small settlement, but they were clearly not adventuring types. Not what we’re looking for. And we have a destination to reach.
[On passing through the fishing village do residents speak to Oracos and Imoen? Black card = no]
We continued south past the Friendly Arm Inn without incident. At the crossroads of the Coast Way and the Lion’s Way, Imoen spotted a couple of gibberlings that we elected to bypass.
We arrived in Beregost after two and a half days travel. At the Thunderhammer smithy we sold some gear that we had stripped from bandits that we had killed. We were within sight of the Song of the Morning amd Imoen begged that we go visit Neera.
[In the last two days Neera has cast three spells. None resulted in wild surges (i.e. no 20’s rolled on a 1d20 for three rolls).]
[Did Neera leave this morning before their arrival? Black card = no]
I agreed that would be fine.
We came upon our friend as she was sweeping the courtyard to the temple entrance. She seemed a bit lost in thought as we approached. But she looked up in surprise, and then joy, as Imoen squeeled in delight at the sight of her friend and ran to her. After hugs of greeting Imoen began to recount our tales of adventure since we had left Neera in Beregost. Neera’s jaw dropped at certain parts of the story, especially what transpired with Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan, the wood elf who had briefly joined us. Neera remained enrapt with the tale, and Imoen knew how to spin it. I had to admit that I was impressed at just what we had been through.
For her part Neera related that she had continued to secretly practice her spellcasting when tending the temple’s garden, and that she was growing ever more proficient at shaping spells. “I’m getting really good at drawing upon powers to cast higher level spells, Oracos,” she commented proudly.
Imoen then looked at me then as if we had just found the most precious lost kitten. I had seen that look before. I knew what it meant. A ‘no’ answer from me here would come at an unbelievably hefty price…
There was no denying that we need help. And there is probably good reason to believe that Neera will prove both helpful and loyal. But this young mageling is pursued in her own right by powerful wizards!
And then another thought occurred that seemed to make an odd sort of sense. The gods had brought us here, knowing well that we seek a new set of companions to join us. And like us, at least this lass also seeks to elude her attackers… so unlike our last set of companions! We are, in effect, birds of a feather. Kindred spirits, as it were.
My intuition at this point was simply ask Neera if she is willing to take the risk of joining us.
I then spoke to her in an earnest tone. “Neera, you know that to join us in our flight from those who seek our destruction is probably far more dangerous than if you stay at the temple. Here the priests will protect you. But if you wish to join us, you may. What say you?”
[Will Neera join? Red card = yes. Woot!]
“Hot diggity! I am so coming with you!” Neera exclaimed. At this Imoen clapped her hands in delight. The girls hugged again, and laughed. And something just felt very right about this, I must admit.
We are now a trio. Three orphans who have found one another.
And so it was that Neera ran inside the temple and quickly gathered her belongings. We could hear her shout a hasty thank-you to Kelddath. And in two shakes she returned to us a bit out of breath, but eager as can be. Foolishly or not, yearning for adventure. But more than anything, perhaps, she seemed to exude an aura of hope. And it seemed to be one of belonging, possibly for the first time in her life. Or so it struck me at that moment.
Off we strode down the street through Beregost, and on to the road south for another day's hike. Then I would cast the runes to see where the gods would take us next. And, indeed, who else they might place on our path!
(I wondered what in the world a “diggity” might be…)
[Note: I CLUAed Neera and Ctrl+Yed her scripted attackers. I put the now extra gem bag (she had given the party her gem bag earlier when they rescued her before) and the Red Wizard guards' gear in a nearby container. She joined at level 2. Oracos is at level 2 and Imoen is at level 3.]
The day was warm, breezy and sunny. I asked Imoen and Neera to please restrain their tendency to talk as we walked, and for Imoen to scout ahead as usual. Thankfully they both understood and agreed with the need to proceed with caution.
We continued uneventfully along the Coast Way, south of Beregost, until we reached the area in which we had earlier found a cave used by the Chill. When we reached a point that was two days travel from the Bridge at Baldur’s Gate I bid Imoen and Neera to stop so that I could cast the runes again to see what direction we should follow next.
[Which direction shall the party travel? Roll 1d8 where 1 = N, 2 = NE, 3 = E, 4 = SE, 5 = S, 6 = SW, 7 = W, 8 = NW. Result: 8 = Northwest.]
[How far will they travel in the Northwesterly direction? Roll 1d3 where 1 = High Hedge, 2 = Lions Way, 3 = Cloakwood Lodge. Result: 3. They travel to the Cloakwood Lodge map.]
The runes revealed that we should travel to the northwest for two days. That would take us in the direction of High Hedge, past it to the Lion’s Way, with our end destination the southeastern corner of the Cloakwood Forest.
By the time we reached Cloakwood my stamina was waning. I felt the need to rest. We knew that we could do so at the foot of Thalantyr’s fortress in relative safety.
Unfortunately, a gnoll stood between us and the entrance. Having no warrior with us now, we would use a spell on him. Neera asked that she please might be allowed to try. Should I be worried by her eagerness? I wondered to myself… But this seemed as good a time as any to test her magic skills.
So Neera cast a Flying Energy Missile from her fingertips at the creature. It clearly startled and injured the brute. But he then came at us, lumbering with a limp from Neera's spell. Neera and I each ran in different directions to distract it. Neera then readied her staff. I cast a spell to attempt to rob the gnoll of it’s sight, but the spell failed to work. The gnoll then seemed unable to decide whether to pursue Imoen—who got off an arrow that found its mark—and Neera, who taunted him by calling him names. That moment of indecision came at a fatal cost: I then cast a spell to place the beast into a slumber, and we killed it forthwith with our weapons.
We knocked at Thalantyr’s door and were shortly thereafter admitted inside by one of his flesh golems. We shared a bit of our adventures with him, but during this visit he seemed quite preoccupied with his experiments. So we told him we would purchase some spells and wouldn’t take long in doing so.
I had a scroll of the Blindness spell and a scroll to cast Horror. These I gave to Neera to scribe. Unfortunately she failed at her attempts to learn both permanently.
So we looked over the selection that Thalantyr had. I was determined to get Neera some more spells into her spellbook. So We purchased for her also Charm—which she also failed to scribe. She seemed rather dejected at this point but I told her we were not giving up. She should just relax and care not a whit about whether she succeeds or fails, I said.
Next we bought a spell by which has the individual enchanted by it believes he is being pursued relentlessly by a terrifying phantom. And this one Neera was able to learn (plus she has the skill to use it). Buoyed by her success we bought one more, a spell to make the victim physically weak. This one Neera would not be able to cast just yet. But it would prove useful when she had gained enough practice with the Weave to use it.
This spell too Neera was able to scribe into her spellbook. So despite her initial disappointments, we were all in quite pleased and impressed with her perseverance and success with her last two tries. They are both spells that can prove helpful to us, I am sure.
It was time to try to rest and also meditate to memorize our spells. Neera was quite eager to memorize her new Spook spell. I recommended to her that she try the Slumber spell, which she does know, pointing out that she had just witnessed how powerful it is. Neera agreed, although I wondered from her facial expression if she felt I was being pushy in making the request. I have a feeling that she will be inclined to do as she wishes when it comes to choosing which spells to prepare. But that is fine, I guess. After all, who am I to tell her what spells she should or shouldn't use?
Our rest period was interrupted by fearsome skeletons equipped with sword and shield. A dim evil glow like little yellow beads was everso faintly visible within their eye sockets, and it was most unnerving. We hastily beat a retreat into the fortress. The skeletons did not follow.
Imoen went back out and was able to lure one inside. She then nimbly dodged its throwing daggers as she darted down the fortress hallway and suddenly turned back to fire her bow. As she held the skeleton's attention with this attack, Neera and I came at it from behind with our staves. But before we could hit it, one of Imoen’s arrows brought an end to the skeleton's undeath.
The other one had wandered off, evidently. Because when Imoen went back outside to check for it, it was nowhere to be seen.
After completing our rest we sold items to Thalantyr that we had acquired from slain enemies. And, somewhat to Neera’s surprise, although it was dark we decided then to be off. By now Imoen and I had overcome our trepidation of nighttime in the wilderness. We have found that it gives Imoen a stealthier ability to scout ahead. Neera’s surprise at this was about us, however. She herself has keen half-elven night vision. She said she had assumed that we would be more fearful of darkness than we are.
We continued in our northwesterly direction. Before we had even gotten past the fortess, Imoen reported that a cloaked figure lurked. “Perhaps Kivan has returned here?” I wondered to myself aloud. Imoen noted that this apparead to be a taller person, probably a human.
A brief discussion ensued about whether we should approach him.
[Approach Permidion Stark? Red card = yes.]
[Note: This completes a second full deck of cards.]
The consensus was that perhaps it was simply time to take such a chance. Neera seemed to feel the strongest that it would be a good idea. Imoen, supported her. I was somewhat ambivalent, but agreed—adding that we should be prepare ourselves for the worst, naturally.
It turned out the man—and a human he indeed was—was a fellow who was planning to burgle Thalantyr’s fortress! Yet as he explained his scheme to us he seemed literally to talk himself out of it and abruptly walked off into the night. We were more than a little amused by this, and shared a quick laugh over it.
But Imoen and I also felt a little concerned for Thalantyr. So Imoen made a quick trip back to Thalantyr to tell him before we left, such that he might be wary of this burglar should he change his mind and return. When Imoen returned she reported that Thalantyr simply smiled and shook his head at the news, appearing none too concerned, but thanked her warmly anyway.
As we continued onward Imoen spotted yet another skeleton. We avoided him.
During our journey through the crossraods of the Lion’s Way and the Coast Way Neera told me the tale of how she had left High Forest. In her training to use the Weave by her mentor (a centaur!), she had conjured an immense fireball that immolated two of her friends. They were terribly injured, one of them possibly fatally.
But I was impressed that Neera seemed to sincerely care about the fact that she had harmed her friends. She said she had since shouldered a burden of guilt that she had fled in panic at the time, rather than trying to help smother the fire on them. And morevorer, she felt bad that her failure to control her magic had resulted in such terrible harm to a couple of her classmates.
She noted that she has an unusual ability with the Weave to cast spells that would ordinarily lie beyond the capabilities of mages with the same training as her. But the price for this ability seems to be that her magic is sometimes also affected by surges in the Weave that can produce very unexpectred results, she explained—which are sometimes horribly unwelcome.
I replied to Neera that I had read of such accounts, but more in the context of places that apparently cause it. I asked Neera if she had experienced such an aberration of the Weave outside of High Forest. She said that she indeed had. And she also noted also that no one else she knew in High Forest suffered from the same problem. So it seemed to be related to her ability itself, and not her former location in High Forest.
Neera went on to explain that the Red Wizards who are pursuing her seem to be interested in her strange abilities. But beyond that it was a mystery to her why they should be so motivated to chase after her so relentlessly.
I find myself liking Neera quite a bit. I think she is very much like us, Imoen and I. I think that she and I shall get along very well. I am a little worried about her magic, I admit. But we shall just have to see how it goes.
Along the way Imoen spotted a very large wolf prowling the area, which she foruntately led us well away from, but kept us still generally in the northwest direction.
Later in the day Imoen spotted a man who was dressed as a noble standing at the edge of a cliff by the sea, and he was by himself. How this came to be was of course anyone’s guess. He could be a powerful mage for all we knew. Or it may be just as likely that he is a man of some wealth who became separated from his caravan and will pay us handsomely to be protected until he reaches safety. We briefly discussed whether we should approach him, although no clear direction emerged. I decided to draw a rune stone.
[Does the party speak with the noble? Red card = yes.]
The oracle stone advised that I am to speak with the man. We approached him but he stood motionless and stared ahead. So lost in thought was he that he seemed to take no notice us at all. And when he did he was startled.
Then he startled us by threatening to leap to his death in the rocks far below!
I was actually rather alarmed that he may act! But I told him that there was no need to jump. And before long he calmed. He shared that his name was Chase. We talked for a bit, and he told that he had come to this very spot many, many times with the thought of taking his life. Yet something within had always restrained him.
By the time the conversation had ended, the young noble seemed to have resolved not to act on his earlier thoughts. He even joked that his mother in Beregost should build him a cliff closer to home. (At least I assume he was joking!)
Chase bid us good day and returned on his way home to Beregost. We advised him to be wary of bandits and wild creatures in the area. But he said he knew a path that was safe and how to remain hidden, as he had been coming here by himself for some time now. And with that he wandered off.
As a Diviner I found myself wondering if these be portents. First a burglar who decides to turn away from a plan with which he was at first hellbent to succeed. Then a suicidal man who chooses against ending his own life. Both turning away from a course they at first strongly felt they must pursue… I’m not sure what type of omen this might be… if any… but I did take note that it could be one. Perhaps it will all make some sense eventually.
Comments
There is also A Grand Tour of the Realms, the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting for 2nd edition AD&D.
Last year Ed Greenwood published Ed Greenwood Presents Elminster's Forgotten Realms, which gives a lot of local flavor to the Realms in an edition-neutral way (things that remain constant as FR evolves through editions). (I don't have this yet, actually. I've been meaning to get it.)
Ed Greenwood also has answered a lot of fan questions about the Forgotten Realms on the Candlekeep forum, and there is a compendium of those answers to be found here.
I use the Forgotten Realms Wiki quite a bit.
I sometimes refer to the 2nd ed. AD&D Monstrous Manual for descriptions of the monsters and their culture.
I do own Philip Athans' novelization of BG1; although I admit I have never actually more than skimmed it, and won't be using it for this game.
There are many FR based novels as well, but I think for my purposes in this game the FR setting source books and links above provide more than enough.
I've seen a thread here on this forum (here) about a NWN2 persistent world devoted to recreating the BG1 world. If you visit that project's website they may have links to materials about the setting. If so, how 'canon-faithful' it is I could not say. The Sword Coast in 1368 DR is a dangerous wilderness region teaming with monsters and bandits, with the few populations centers that we find in the BG series. In Volo's Guide to the Sword Coast, Ed Greenwood writes however that "Readers should note that these wildernesses are studded with many independent holds, castles, and self-styled baronies not discussed here." I.e., it is left up to the DM to create whatever he or she wishes to add in, along these lines.
Anything beyond what the source materials provide is up to the DM, so you can flesh out Beregost and its surrounding area as you like--or at least you could if it was a tabletop PnP game.
Supplies to Beregost come via caravan traffic traveling the Coast Way, which is the name for the Trade Way between Beregost and Baldur's Gate. The Trade way extends all up and down the length of the Sword Coast, from Calimport to Luskan. It is the major overland trade artery along the western coast of Faerun. There are sea ports along the Sword Coast as well, but items arriving by sea are distributed via other routes from those ports. Beregost is well inland, so everything making its way there is by caravan.
In the 3rd Edition FRCS on pp 88-89 there is a map of the trade routes and resources for the Forgotten Realms. This would be the same for the time period in which the BG game is set. That map is followed by a brief section on Trade and Commerce in the Realms, although it doesn't go into great detail.
Here is a hand-drawn map of the Realms by a fan that works for the time period of the game.
Candlekeep does not have any boat access. You can read Ed Greenwood's description of the library fortress here.
Your RP concept sounds really intriguing. I suppose that in terms of game mechanics there's a point at which imagining things beyond what the game engine makes available to you becomes more and more of a stretch to put into practice. Eg, you can't literally add new buildings in, etc. Sounds neat, though!
There's a lot that can happen on the way to BG city, so we'll see what develops.
As we know as players, the party won't be able to enter BG City. But they don't know that. If they do arrive at the bridge I'll probably have to use some creativity to augment the in-game reason for not getting access. (It's not a very satisfying explanation.)
Inspired now. ~~Over many years I have been dreaming up my own Game-World based upon the Premise of a typical Sword&Sorcery setting in which the Prime Secret is that the Planet eons/ages ago hosted a Top Secret hightech Galactic colony aiming to tap its powerful Magnetic Field for critical disruption of a nearby Hyperspace Worm Hole.
This BlackOps Project was blasted by The Others and the Prime Bodhisattva level Wizard serving as focal point for the Hyper assault managed to preserve his existence~~in the Nova-like energies released when the "Field" collapsed~~but he has been trapped inside a Neutron Shell for 20,000 yrs and is now pretty much a "Poisoned Dragon."
Looking forward to see how you play Kivan and perhaps Viconia if the Runes fall that way..
Already the consideration of what might be involved in attempting to build a life in Beregost is helping to flesh-out what kinds of motives/desires/fears might be sufficient to propel various PCs along a mainstream Canon Path.
Not far from Beregost we were ambushed by a band of five bandits. They struck at us with bows each from different locations surrounding us, and with a terrifying suddenness. Kivan and Khalid were both injured by the first volley of arrows.
Jaheira called out for us each to charge one attacker. We all dashed towards them with our melee weapons drawn. This included me with my quarterstaff and Imoen with her short sword and buckler.
Before I charged the assailant nearest me I attempted to Blind him with a spell, but the effort failed.
Our overall strategy seemed to be working, however. The strength of their ambush tactic lay in shocking the victims into chaos, and use of their bows—we had removed that advantage. The bandits perhaps sensed that their plan was now in disarray. The ones who seemed to be getting the better of it ran to seek the aid of their fellow brigands, perhaps hoping to fight back-to-back. Two of them each fled from Kivan and Jaheira, respectively, and toward the bandit who was fighting Imoen. As they did, they also attempted to switch to their bows.
Jaheira and Kivan were having none of that however. They pursued the fleeing bandits relentlessly and forced them to use their swords instead.
The one I attacked seemed unimpressed at my efforts. He literally gave me his back and re-equipped his bow to shoot at Khalid, who was trading blows with a foe who thus far had resisted the impulse to run.
That was the break we needed! It opened an opportunity for me to cast a spell. For now three of the enemy to my right were clustered close enough together for me to cast the Slumber spell upon. Two of them succumbed to it. I then took up my staff again and swung at the bandit who had fired (and missed) at Khalid, landing a solid blow to the back of his neck (I was trying to hit his head). That got his attention I daresay! He slung his bow over his shoulder, drew his sword and thrust it at me again. Still, I kept him at bay with the greater reach of the staff.
Apparently the success of my spell bolstered everyone’s morale. Kivan swiftly skewered his sleeping foe with the spiked end of his halberd. He then switched to his bow and fired upon the one who was fighting me.
The enemy fighting Imoen had also fallen prey to my Sleep spell which freed her up to use her bow. At the sight of Kivan using his bow, Imoen too switched to her short bow, and also aimed it at the enemy I was fighting.
Jaheira turned her attention to the sleeping enemy at Imoen’s feet and crushed his face with a vicious blow.
Khalid let out a mighty yell and struck his enemy in the head with such force that it sprayed his brains across the field. [I.e., he rolled a critical hit.]
Imoen’s and Kivan’s arrows then struck down the bandit that I had managed to hold off (and now had even injured!) with my quarterstaff.
Our tactics had prevailed against at what first seemed could well be our slaughter. Kivan smiled at me with a grudging look of respect. He seemed quite pleased with what he had just witnessed.
We all commented on Kivan’s impressive fighting skills. To this he gave no response, however.
Imoen and I gathered the bandits gems, gold, swords, and bows. Jaheira and I healed Kivan and Khalid from their arrow wounds.
[This party is not at all inclined to take scalps. They know nothing of Vai’s offer to purchase them. I don't see them removing scalps even if they did.]
We moved forward by tracking parallel to the road in the wilderness, with Imoen and Kivan both scouting ahead. We slew a lone kobold this way.
A bit further along we encountered a pair bandits which Imoen and Kivan snuck upon and surprised with melee weapons. Kivan’s foe ran from him and tried to switch to the bow. But Kivan chased him down and killed him with his halberd. Kivan then used his bow himself to aid Imoen, and together they slew that bandit. Again we stripped the slain of their valuables.
The cloudy sky had been darkening, and at this time it a windy, driving rain began to fall. This was fortuitous, actually, for it helped Imoen and Kivan hide better.
Not far ahead Kivan treated us to a display of his marksmanship. Concealed from within the trees he stealthily picked off four gibberlings rapidly, one by one… almost with a single arrow for each (the last one he missed with the first shot but killed with his second).
As Kivan scouted ahead he signaled us forward but we were perhaps a bit too clumsy. A single gibberling charged us in a rage. But Kivan swiftly felled the creature with an arrow before it had taken even three steps.
Kivan continued scouting forward and we heard an ominous growl. Only a moment later Kivan whistled for us to advance. To our amazement a softly growling wolf stood at his side, which Kivan petted on its neck. Kivan said nothing and advanced with his new companion. Jaheira whispered to me that a ranger can communicate with animals, and evidently the creature had agreed to help him. She added that such relationships are often not long lived, however, so we should remain vigilant as to whether the creature may eventually become hostile.
[At this point the party is standing right next to the Ring of Protection. Do they notice it hidden in the nook within the rock? Black card = no.]
Kivan whistled again for us to proceed. The elf and his new fellow scout again explored ahead for us. We continued in this manner for quite a ways. But eventually, Kivan noted that he could see that the wolf was reaching the edge of its territory. He knelt down and whispered to his canine friend who then gratefully trotted off.
Our journey continued without incident until we arrived at the Friendly Arm Inn by so late at night that dawn was not far off.
And this time Imoen scouted ahead at the steps! No ambush awaited us, fortunately.
I needed to rest in order to prepare my spells, as I had spent both memorizations in the bandit attack just outside of Beregost. I also needed to identify the enchantment on the ring Mirianne gave to Imoen, and required a spell for that. So we rented a room and rested.
Jaheira and Khalid seemed to be getting on well with our new comrade, as I listened to them talk (well, mostly Jaheira) while drifting off to sleep. Jaheira related some of her experiences of life in the forests of Tethyr, and both she and Kivan lamented Amn's deforestation.
I awoke after a good nap and meditated to prepare my spells.
After our rest period I was able to determine that the ring gifted to Imoen confers upon its wearer increased hardiness to withstand physical attacks. I was very happy to see Imoen get such a protective item. In order for her “to sneak good” she insists on wearing no armor. She has only a buckler and her agility to protect her from weapons in a fight! (This ring helps me worry only just a little less about her. But every little bit helps.)
We sold the gear we had collected from the bandits for a decent sum. Our purse now contained quite a bit over 400 pieces, and we were already well stocked with ammunition. In addition to the bows and swords we took from the bandits, they had some jewelry and gems, and a spell scroll that I cannot use (the spell to Armor its caster).
Before departing the inn we had a bit more discussion at a table, reliving our battle on the road with the gang of bandits. I praised Kivan for his obvious skill with the bow, the halberd, and his prowess at scouting. We were all very, very impressed, I said! This comment was accompanied with nods of sincere agreement by the other party members.
Kivan had little to say in return. He simply commented that the rest of us looked to be up to the challenges before us. He included an afterthought that I had surprised him. But that was all he would say.
The talk turned to fighting tactics against various types of foes, with this weapon or that, which held less interest to me. I surveyed the room to see if anyone at the inn might be enlisted to aid us on our journey to Baldur's Gate.
The apparent half-orc sellsword we had seen on our first visit was still at the inn. Perhaps he had made himself a fixture at the Friendly Arm, protecting travelers for a fee I mused. He sat at a table nursing a flagon of drink. The expression on his face bespoke a disdain for the commoner tavern patrons surrounding him. I felt little doubt that he would be one who lives for the thrill of battle, and would indeed take pleasure in it. I asked the group what they thought about him.
After a moment of eyeing him, Jaheira was the first to speak. “No doubt capable,” Jaheira remarked. She then took a swig of her ale. “But not to be trusted,” she added.
“I would a-g-g-gree with that assessment,” said Khalid.
“He gives me the creeps!” Imoen shuddered.
Kivan merely glanced at him for a moment or two as the other spoke. “Why do we care?” he asked.
“I don’t know,” I said raising a glass of wine to my lips. “He looks to be for hire to protect travelers on the road. And we have a bit of gold now…”
“Are you suggesting that we should hire him?” Jaheira asked incredulously.
“Look at him. My guess is he could probably kill two men at once, perhaps more,” I responded. “But I don’t have a strong feeling about it. I just felt it worthwhile to voice the idea.”
“I’m not for it, Oracos,” Imoen said flatly.
“Neither am I!” Jaheira added with a laugh. She then smiled at me reassuringly and with a somewhat more respectful tone added, “We really don’t need another member in this group. You don’t think we’re taking care of things well enough?”
I pointed out to Jaheira how handily we had dispatched the brigands who attacked us seemingly from nowhere with the addition of Kivan to our ranks. But I responded as well that her instinct was probably on target. I concurred that the half-orc did indeed appear perhaps a bit too ruthless looking to be trusted. I was content to leave it at that. And in fact I did not have a strong sense about it one way or the other.
With that, we drained our flagons and glasses, and pushed away from the table to depart. A nap, spell meditation, and the wine had raised my spirits a bit. We had a strong new ally with us, in this formidable elf. As we strode outside onto the steps at the entrance I was feeling pretty good.
“We would be wise to buy some potions at the temple from Gellana,” Jaheira observed. She was right, and there we went.
Once within the temple, as we looked at the potions I recalled that we had seen that bandits sometimes use poisoned arrows. Jaheira and I could heal wounds but poison we cannot stop. So we purchased two potions of poison antidote. We also bought one healing potion to use in an extreme emergency. That left us only 28 gold pieces. Hopefully purchasing the potions was a prudent move.
The potion of healing we gave to Khalid. And one potion of poison antidote we gave to him as well. The other vial of poison antidote we gave to Kivan. We were initially going to have Jaheira use it. But she declined. She felt that instead Kivan should have it. He may well find himself in hand-to-hand combat more than her, she suggested. Moreover, given Kivan’s choice of weapons he lacks a shield, which she does have, to block arrows.
We made our way back to the fortress gate,. As we began to make the turn to continue on the road, Kivan bid that we halt.
“I recommend that we leave the road and travel through the woods instead,” he said.
This suggestion took me somewhat by surprise. Jaheira studied Kivan’s face carefully, but his expression remained impassive as ever.
I cleared my throat and I considered how I might tactfully frame my concerns. “Is traveling through the woods actually safer than the road?” I asked in all sincerity.
“If I’m leading you it is,” he answered. “Not on your own.”
Jaheira glanced for a moment at Khalid, and he back at her. They seemed more curious by this suggestion than alarmed.
Imoen bit her lower lip and seemed slightly unsure. But her apparent indecision lasted only a moment. She quickly beamed a smile. “Yep, I trust Kivan to lead us through the forest,” she said. “But don’t forget, I can help by scouting too. I’m gettin’ pretty good at it!”
I looked now to Jaheira and Khalid for their response.
“I think this may be wise,” Jaheira said beginning a little slowly, but sounding utterly sure of herself by the sentence's end. Khalid slightly arched an eyebrow at her statement but nodded with a look of thoughtful approval.
They all then turned their gaze to me.
“A consensus seems to have formed ahead of me,” I laughed. “But I do not doubt your skill as a ranger of the wood, Kivan.”
“Shall I lead the way now?” Kivan queried.
“Ehm, well, yes… lead on then, I suppose” said I. As I said this I observed a faint smile shared between Jaheira and Khalid. It was tempting to read into it, and I tried to resist the impulse… Perhaps they were glad that I had for once not cast runes! Bah, whatever it be... It seems sensible to avoid the road in an apparently capable ranger’s care.
“The forest is this way,” Kivan said, as he began walking east along the fortress wall.
Oracos
Imoen
Khalid
Jaheira
Kivan
Why not invite a token evil party member? :]
@Iecerint Yeah, as a player I'm really hoping to add an evil party member next. But the characters seem to be taking on a life of their own in the roleplay, so I'm letting that go where it will.
[Of course this path gives the party the opportunity to discover the Easter egg Ring of Wizardry. It could arguably be far lower odds than a card flip to spot something like that, I admit. But Kivan has elven vision and is a highly skilled tracker who reads minute details to the terrain. So perhaps it’s not completely far-fetched. Oh, and what the heck: even without an elven tracker’s eyes, why not let’s say it’s a 50-50 chance that a gem on the ring peeking through the dirt manages to catch a ray of sun just right to sparkle to be noticed by any of them.]
[Spot the Ring of Wizardy? Red card = yes! Boo-yah! (Edit: You called it Eadwyn!)]
Not far along from the gate, Kivan stopped and crouched down to examine something at the base of a pine tree. We were still outside the Friendly Arm's fortress wall. I assumed Kivan was reading the manner in which a few blades of grass were bent, or how a stick was broken. But he then looked up to me and handed me a small object. It was a dirt encrusted ring.
“Here you go wizard,” he said.
After dusting off the ring a bit I could see that it was certainly no ordinary piece of jewelry. To my wizardly senses with the Weave it was without a doubt magical. The ring itself was of the finest quality gold, and the gems on it were exquisite. These were extremely high quality items that were used in the crafting of the object. It would be worth a princely sum on that basis alone, any enchantments on it notwithstanding. I would later have to cast a spell to tell what its magics are, of course.
This was a happy find, certainly. An auspicious omen if there ever was one! Only the gods may truly know for sure… but perhaps even an affirmation of my good judgment and leadership… Or so I may humbly hope!
We traveled the rest of the afternoon and all through the night into the ever deepening wood, with Kivan carefully leading the way. Based on my knowledge of the stars, at times I questioned if we were perhaps veering rather too far to the east. Kivan assured me that he was leading us safely, and that I need not worry. Not quite in so many words as I just used! But that was the gist of it.
True to his word, Kivan did eventually place us within sight of the Coast Way at times. Although we still seemed to be traveling far more the east that I would have thought we should. We had not seen the Coast Way for quite some time. But we had traveled an afternoon, evening and night without facing a single hostile encounter of any kind.
However our luck in that regard was to change—at least potentially. Kivan returned from an exploration of the woods ahead to report that he had spied a female dark elf not far ahead. Where there is one there is will be more, he said. They are not solitary by nature.
The elves of Shilmista were no stranger to the drow, and there was no love lost between the elves of the wood and the drow of the Underdark. Kivan counseled that a fight with the drow was definitely to be avoided. We should therefore make our way around the number of ponds just to our east.
The sighting of a drow was an ill omen indeed. Jaheira and Khalid seemed visibly unnerved by it. The drow are one of the most decidedly evil races in all of Toril. Their cruelty is virtually unlimited. Their tortures are beyond comprehension. Their magics are immensely powerful. For a troop of them to be roaming the surface is a very, very bad thing.
Kivan led us to the south, away from where he had sighted the drow. He brought us east. But he soon returned from his scouting to advise that he had seen giant spider that would best be avoided. He would see if there was a middle path through the ponds, he said.
So we headed a bit north again. Kivan told us to wait by a stand of trees. He said to remain vigilant and that he might be gone for a while in order to carefully scout the area.
It did indeed take our elven friend a long time. When Kivan returned he reported that it would be a bit risky but he had found a way forward. There was not much cover in many spots of the path we would take. We were at risk to be seen in some areas, so speed at certain points would be vital. But the risks from the natural predators in areas with better cover were actually greater, he said. We would hide in plain sight, in effect.
Kivan moved out ahead and disappeared behind the trees. Soon he whistled for us to move forward with a bird call that Jaheira recognized but was rare for the area. We scampered hastily along the southern shore of a pond, which Kivan had told us should be safe as long as we were swift.
Before long we made it to a grove of trees in which we could take cover again. Kivan crept off ahead of us again, still hugging the shoreline of the pond. He whistled us forward again and we advanced. But very soon thereafter he whistled the signal for us to halt. He signaled with his hands that there was someone ahead, and that we should run to the right instead toward a rock ledge that it appeared should hide us.
As we ran to seek cover there Kivan moved ahead and we heard a gravelly voice call out to him. Kivan motioned for us to stay down and try to stay hidden. But the voice barked that it was too late—he and the rest of his band had already seen us. The voice ordered for us to slowly emerge from behind the rock ledge.
We did so and found ourselves staring at a dozen—aye, perhaps even as many as fifteen—longbows trained on us by bandits in chainmail. We were heavily outnumbered.
At this point Jaheira emphatically signaled with her hands 'I will do the talking!'. My instinct was to trust her. To my shame, I admit that it also did not seem such a bad thing to allow someone else to be identified as the leader. But I knew that my father had given her the charge to protect me, and I have never questioned the depth of her resolve to do so.
Jaheira calmly requested that she approach the leader and speak with him. She slowly and deliberately slung her shield on her back and slipped her club into its harness on her belt. With her hands raised up in the air to demonstrate she was unarmed, she walked up to him slowly. The two of them spoke together in low tones for a several moments.
She walked back to us and flashed a hard smile. “We’re going for a walk,” she announced.
“Shut up and get a move on!” the bandit leader growled. We hurriedly complied. I do believe that at this moment either fight or flight would have resulted in certain death.
The bandits kept the five of us in the middle of their formation as they marched us forward. They kept their bows notched. I tried to ask Jaheira in a whisper what had happened, but the leader screamed for us not to speak.
We came to a very dark, dense thicket that was a twisted maze of thorns. However, it bore a secret entrance. And upon stooping to enter, we found that the seemingly impenetrable mass of thorns was hollowed out from within. It formed a long and winding tunnel through the dense thorny brush. Eventually the tunnel opened into a small glade. The clearing was nestled within the densest part of the forest. Indeed, I sensed the glade was likely protected from view with powerful illusions to keep it hidden.
Tazok's Secret Bandit Camp
There we found ourselves within view of an encampment crawling with bandits! We could see hobgoblins and humans milling about together. Many tents there were. But I had but a moment then to take in a brief visual sweep.
The bandits who had taken us prisoner marched us up to one of their lieutenants, a human. This man was anxious at our appearance, and chided the one who had brought to the camp. He mentioned that none other than our very nemesis Tazok would be displeased at this decision.
And then came into view a most fearsome sight that I shall not soon forget. A massive, towering ogre burst out of a nearby tent about and strutted his way over to us. His thighs rippled with layers of muscle and were as nearly as thick as a man's chest. His bicep was the size of a man's head. The ogre moved with tremendous agility for one so gigantic and musclebound. His face was deeply battle-scarred. From within his helmet his yellow eyes flashed towards us in a rage. Just the sight of creature instantly filled me with fear, I freely admit. He was a terrifying sight.
At first glimpse of Tazok, Kivan was possessed by a reflex to grab his bow. But just as quickly Jaheira and Khalid, standing next to him on either side, each kept a hand firmly clamped on both of Kivan's wrists. Jaheira fervently whispered something to him. Kivan shuddered, seeming to almost writhe in pain at what she said. But he nonetheless quickly bowed his head and became still. Kivan's face remained well concealed beneath his hood with his head held low.
The ogre roared with fury at head of the group who had taken us captive for his stupidity in bringing us there. He demanded of Jaheira to know who we were.
Jaheira was, I believe the perfect member of our party to handle this task. She didn't bat an eye, and was utterly fearless in response. Jaheira stated that we were simply adventurers who had spotted an opportunity to profit by joining the bandits who had so successfully been raiding the region. She sounded every bit believable. And as Jaheira spoke with Tazok she also exuded a genuine confidence.
After a little banter with Tazok Jaheira managed to persuade him to try us out. Tazok grudgingly agreed. But he assured us that should his captains, Ardenor and Taugozs, report anything negative back to him we would personally kill us in a most horrific fashion.
He also mentioned traveling to a mine this evening. (The Nashkel mine, I should think...) And then he strode away with what seemed an unnatural speed for one so huge.
To our shock, we were left alone and now seemed to have the run of the camp. The bandits who brought us walked off to attend to their business. We were far enough from any of them to speak without being overheard as long as we kept our voices low. So we had a counsel.
Imoen asked Kivan if he was alright, but the elf remained rooted to his spot with his head down, and did not answer. Khalid and Jaheira relaxed their grip on Kivan's wrists and let go. He seemed to be trembling ever-so slightly. It seemed almost as if he had just fought a terrible battle inside himself, and still wasn't back to normal after it.
I asked Jaheira what she had whispered to him just as Tazok appeared.
"I told him to wait," she said matter-of-factly. "By which I meant for him to wait to kill Tazok until the time is right."
I stated I could not agree more that attack just now would have simply gotten us all killed. But I quickly added I wasn't not sure what the right time would be! Tazok looked so powerful that he could quite literally tear any of us limb from limb. I noted that an opponent like that can only be defeated with magic. Kivan simply would have stood no chance against him in martial combat, unless perhaps he got off the perfect bow shot. But ogres also often use enchantments to protect themselves from standard weapons.
Just now we were favored by the gods, I said, that Tazok apparently had no clue that we were the very ones he had been sending assassins to kill! It would probably not be long before he figured it out.
But I added that I was flabbergasted at this bizarre turn of events. Our plan was to flee Tazok and now here we were right under his very nose! We were lucky almost beyond belief not to have been killed in the last hour. But we should count our blessing and flee post haste.
Khalid then glanced at Jaheira with a strange expression that I guessed belied a secret. This notion I found very troubling—even mildly alarming. I think they then both read the worry in my face, in reaction to this rather odd feeling moment.
"T-t-tell him, Jaheira," Khalid said. "It's o-o-nly right."
Jaheira's forehead furrowed slightly, but she did not waste time in choosing her words. Confident as ever she related that when Imoen and I slept yesterday at the inn she and Khalid had forged a mutual understanding with Kivan.
Jaheira continued with her explanation: As we know, Kivan wishes to track down Tazok and kill him. This is at odds with our plan to flee Tazok, as we are also well aware. However, she and Khalid simply wished to find out as much as possible about Tazok in the interest of successfully evading his reach—or more to the point, the long arm of the Zhantarim organization specifically at his disposal. Kivan, who had been tracking Tazok for years, must have by now learned many things about him. So they agreed to an exchange of services, as it were. Jaheira would support having Kivan lead the way as he continued to explore and track his quarry. And when we rested Kivan would continue to share more information as Imoen and I slept.
"As a token of our good will in the bargain, I shared a key bit of information that was vital to Kivan," Jaheira continued. "Namely, that a great wizard has advised us that the 'bandits we seek' may be found to the northeast of Beregost."
Jaheira continued that she, Khalid and Kivan all deduced that without a doubt Tazok must be headquartered somewhere deeply hidden within the Wood of Sharp Teeth.
"But what happened today came as a surprise," she said. "I did not expect us to be found by the bandits!"
As Jaheira spoke Kivan had gradually recovered from his earlier inner turmoil. He now interrupted her with a terse comment. "It is I, not Jaheira, who is responsible for us being here now," he said.
Kivan went on to recount that when he had scouted ahead, he spied upon the same bandits that took us prisoner taking a rest. He overheard them speak of a nearby base camp. They also chatted about a desire to increase their numbers, as they were concerned at becoming outnumbered by the hobgoblins. They were actively recruiting.
Kivan said he had searched these woods before and had found no camp of any sort. It must be concealed by enchantments. So the only way Kivan could see to find Tazok was to do one of two things. He could track the bandits back to their base. Or he could try to bring our party to them—seemingly by accident—and hope for the best. In the latter event, if we had to fight them, at least he had a capable bad of allies to do so. We might leave one alive from which to extract information about how to access the camp.
But that the option of tracking the bandits to their camp he felt was almost certain to fail. He had actually tried tracking bandits in the region before in this hope. But he had found that they were highly skilled at scouting themselves. Every time they seemed to detect his efforts and managed to shake him. On one occasion he tried to pick them off one by one and capture the last one standing. But they turned the tables on him and tracked him instead. That was a very close call in fact. And in this case today, certainly, with an entire party in tow (including several without wilderness skills), he could not trust our entire party to remain silent and hidden sufficiently to attempt tracking them back to the camp.
"So you intentionally brought us to them?" I asked.
"Aye," said Kivan. He then added that he figured Jaheira would likely take the lead when the bandits spotted us. His greatest worry about the plan was that I might speak for the group, given my wish to flee the area. Anything I said toward that end would hardly make us candidates for recruitment to the bandits' ranks. But if we ended up having to fight them, he still felt the risk was worth taking.
"Jaheira came through as I had hoped," he said. Jaheira seemed bemused by this comment, in a combination of slight embarrassment and pride.
"You gambled all of our lives by delivering us right into their hands," I observed.
"That I did," Kivan responded.
Jaheira then more freely expressed her thoughts that she felt our decision to flee somewhere and hope that we could get far enough away was simply not the right course to follow. She said that she and Khalid had promised Gorion that they would protect us. And this they would do. But in order for them to succeed in keeping me alive, I must place trust in them as well.
"I know the ways of the Zhentarim," she stated. "You do not."
Jaheira continued that the Zhents had many spies literally everywhere. My notion of safety in flight was a fantasy, she said. At the very least, to even have a fighting chance of survival, we must learn more about which branches of the organization were controlled by Tazok. It may then be possible to bribe the right people to allow us to escape somewhere. But we needed to know who to approach.
The impact of this development actually left me a bit stunned. It did not sit well with me.
I pulled Imoen aside and asked her what she felt we should do now. Clearly, we could not trust our friends as much as we thought. Everyone in the group seemed to have their own agenda. How could we trust any of them after this?
Imoen thought hard about it for a moment, and her facial expression was as troubled as mine. In a moment her face brightened somewhat, however, and she reminded me that I always consult my runes.
"True," I noted. "And I will, rest assured, when we are less vulnerable. But I still wish to know your feeling about how much we may trust Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan now. You have a heart that can be trusted, I think. What does it tell you?"
Imoen searched her feelings thoughtfully for a moment. "I dunno... but I think 't would be smart if we stay together fer now," she said. I noted that with the area crawling with bandits, I too felt that it would be wisest to stick with a skilled tracker and warriors. I told her that we would stay with them a very brief while to find out what we could here in the camp, and then assess our options.
We returned to the others and I told them of our plan.
"We will stay here for just a very brief time for Jaheira and Khalid to try to ferret out what information they can. But I do mean brief! Then we shall take our leave of this camp and decide whether this party shall continue as one.
At this Khalid looked a bit stricken. But Jaheira seemed as confident and determined as ever to prove herself right. Kivan's face remained stonily impassive as ever, with no hint of emotion or thought at all.
"Let us quickly explore the camp then," I said.
Just as I said this it came to me that we were heavily in need of rest, however. And I wished to identify the ring we had found, which required meditation. The ring was a gift from the gods, I felt, and best to know what it is.
I announced that we would rest and take some time here. Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan may explore the camp if they wished. Imoen may join them if she wished. Though I wished to leave the camp as soon as possible, this was a risk I felt we must now take.
[Here Oracos would in fact most likely just leave with Imoen, and perhaps others if they agreed to join. Or he might at least seek guidance from the runes, and I would turn a card as to whether they would leave. But per the game engine they have to proceed with the fight at the boss tent to advance in the game. Also, without resting and using the Ring of Wizardry this level 1-2 party of five will be hard pressed to survive that fight. The party's wizard has only 2 spell slots, no wands, and no spell scrolls. So I have to fudge this a bit and RP the meta-game imperatives: They have to complete chapter 4, and now is as good a time as any in terms of the story development. And in order to have much of a chance inside the boss tent they must rest.]
A bond of trust in our companions was now fractured. A strain within the group was palpable, at least as it seemed to me. I worried even at our current course action. But I felt we needed the others to return to some safe location such as the Friendly Arm Inn. We would have to indulge their intrigues at least for just a bit longer.
Before entering my meditations to prepare spells I asked Imoen to tag along with Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan as they explored the camp to learn what they could. I asked her to please pay keen attention to everything they learn.
When I completed my spell preparations I cast a spell to identify the ring we had found:
The ring is a truly wonderous gift from Mystra, I feel. It is called “Evermemory.” With this ring I may double the number of spells that I may now memorize (at least for my current level of skill). Although dismayed by the deeds of Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan in getting us brought to the camp, I was quite excited about this ring.
When the others returned, I pulled Imoen aside, well away from the other three, and asked her to share what she and the others had found out about the camp. Imoen related that the camp consists of two factions. The humans are a bandit mercenary force named the Blacktalons. The hobgoblins are called the Chill.
The Chill’s leader, Ardenor, has some powerful magic abilities according to at least one Blacktalon they spoke with. The leader of the Blacktalons is named Tenhammer. He is a heavily armored and powerful looking warrior with an intimidating war hammer, who spoke in broken Common with an accent, and said that we are to answer only to him.
The Chill and Blacktalons clearly don’t like each other, Imoen reported.
At least one member of the Chill seemed to believe both groups are under the hire of the Zhents. He said he wasn’t sure though. Both that hobgoblin and ‘Tenhammer ‘ mentioned a group named the “Iron Throne” also. There was something also about independents… that part was confusing, though, Imoen said.
Imoen continued that there is a very large tent at the end of the compound that appears to be the camp’s headquarters. There are many Blacktalons archers guarding it. Jaheira felt it a bit risky to even consider entering that one until we have all rested and are well prepared, she said.
“Jaheira said I should try sneakin’ in to that tent tonight and see what I can find,” Imoen added. Imoen related however that in one of the tents that they entered that turned out to empty she tried picked the lock to a chest, and was unable to. So even if the big tent is unattended inside, she may not be able to open any locked containers, she noted.
I said to Imoen that we need not concern ourselves with what Jaheira wishes to do.
Then the others approached us, and Jaheira asked that we discuss what they had discovered.
“Imoen has already filled me in,” I said. I asked if Jaheira if she was satisfied with her efforts to learn what she could.
“Not yet, Oracos,” Jaheira responded. “We haven’t had a look in the biggest tent yet. I figured we might send Imoen in this evening to use her stealth and see what she can find,” she said.
“May we not leave now?” I asked. At this point I simply wanted to return to the Friendly Arm in safety. I would figure out what to do next about this entire party there.
“I feel strongly that we must investigate that last tent,” Jaheira replied. “After we do so, we can travel wherever you like…” Jaheira seemed to be struggling how to express her next set of thoughts. Khalid nudged her on with a look of encouragement to continue. But he then spoke to her as well. “No, J-j-heira, tell him the truth,” Khalid said gently.
Jaheira shot a peevish look in return at Khalid. But she seemed to acknowledge whatever Khalid was getting at.
“Khalid and I will continue to protect you, as we solemnly swore to your father we would do,” Jaheira continued. “But I have to set some ground rules with you now: Khalid and I know what we are doing. You must trust and heed our counsel. It is ultimately for your protection, even if that is not apparent.
“There was more to your father than you know. And our relationship with him extends deeper than you realize. I cannot explain this to you fully just yet. But I promise that I will after we finish our investigations here,” Jaheira concluded.
This was extremely disconcerting to me. I was frankly feeling it would now be best to severe ties with the half-elves and the elf. For here we were in the camp of the very mastermind who for weeks has been sending assassins to kill us—and these three wanted to stay, risking even further that our identities will be discovered! This is wise counsel?
Plus, they had gotten us brought here intentionally! Let them continue with their death-defying agendas by themselves! I felt that I simply could no longer trust them.
However rather than risking their ire by confronting them, I felt it wisest to withhold those sentiments. Imoen and I still very much needed them to reach relative safety. We were at their mercy for now.
I sighed in resignation. “What do you require of us? “ I asked. Jaheira could see that I was clearly unhappy. But she continued undeterred.
“Let us have Imoen sneak into the tent tonight,” Jaheira said. “The rest of us can be stationed right outside to help her if she’s in trouble.”
“Imoen, are you comfortable attempting this?” I asked. “If not, say the word, and you and I will leave now.”
At this Jaheira looked somewhat distressed. “No, please, do not leave yet!” she implored. “We can protect her! If there is any sign of trouble whatsoever we can at least get Imoen out and flee the camp. Before we attempt Imoen’s search of the tent tonight I will memorize several Entangle spells to cast against those who may give us chase, if we have to run.”
I could see that Jaheira was not going to budge. In my estimation the choice before me was to take the risk Jaheira proposed or leave now with Imoen. I stared at Jaheira for a moment with a hard look. I did not like what she was doing. Not at all.
Imoen broke the frosty moment. “I think I can do it Oracos,” she said with real conviction. She gave me a look that told she was sincere.
With the relationship with Jaheira so strained, I felt we had little choice for now but to comply. We still needed her. Hopefully for not much longer.
Both Jaheira and I mentally prepared our spells. With my new “Evermemory” ring I prepared one casting of Slumber, two castings of Blindness, and one of Charm.
We walked to the large tent and in a stroke of extreme good fortune, one of the guards actually appointed us to replace him at guarding the tent! (He was complaining of bad stomach pains, he said.)
Imoen managed to peek inside but only for the briefest of moments. She reported back that there were five inside the tent. One of which looked like a gnoll, another a hobgoblin, two humans, and an elf. The elf’s feet were bound with cord, his hands bound in front of him, and his mouth was gagged by a strip of cloth however. Unless this was some sort of ruse for our behalf, he was obviously a prisoner.
One of the men wore a wizard’s robe, Imoen continued to report. The other man wore chainmail and bore sword and shield. Three stood near the entrance: the mage, the gnoll, and the human warrior. The hobgoblin, who was equipped with a bow, stood nearer to the center of the tent.
Imoen said that there was zero chance of sneaking about unseen inside the tent. Jaheira proudly reminded us that she had managed to win Tazok’s respect. She noted also that her impression was that these bandits weren’t terribly smart, either. She ventured that she should therefore try to carry forward with the same bluff she had made with Tazok to see what we could learn.
Before I could speak up about that plan, Jaheira put her hand on Imoen’s shoulder and began walking into the tent! To my chagrin there was little any of us could do but follow.
Once inside the tent the bandits inside informed us that anyone entering the tent without the authority of Tazok must die. Period. There could be no exceptions. Jaheira stated that we had been urgently dispatched to retrieve an important scroll for Tazok. But the guards inside evidently had been given strict orders, no doubt under pain of death themselves to forsake.
I noticed that the elf that was far off to the left then held up his bound hands to us to signal that he was a prisoner and not a foe. But there was no time for us to consider whether this may be true or false.
The enemy launched their attack upon us. The gnoll (was it a gnoll?) swung at Jaheira with a halberd. This fearsome creature stood in the middle. To his right the warrior wielding sword and shield attacked Khalid. From our left the wizard began an incantation. Kivan and Imoen fired their bows at the mage in the hope of interrupting his spell, but without success.
As the enemy wizard was casting, I cast a spell to Blind him. The spell worked, praise the gods! And not only that: the wizard then seemed completely thrown by being rendered sightless. He was evidently so shaken by it that from that point on he never regained his wits. For all practical purposes he was out of the battle.
Kivan called for Imoen to switch their attack to the hulking gnoll-like creature that had by then injured Jaheira.
Things then began taking a turn for the worse. Khalid got badly injured in his battle with the warrior with the sword. He was able to parry with his shield and drink the one healing potion we had purchased to restore himself. So that was fortunate. But in the very next instant Khalid got struck with a poisoned arrow from the hobgoblin that was at the center of the tent. Khalid then gulped down his poison antidote, to stop the poison from killing him. He was still seriously wounded by the arrow, however.
I cast my Charm spell at Khalid’s foe—and that too succeeded! This was a tremendous stroke of luck, for it broke the battle decidedly in our favor. I immediately ordered the entranced fighter to run pell-mell at the hobgoblin that was firing poisoned arrows, and attack with him furiously his sword. That forced the hobgoblin to switch to his sword in response.
It also left an opportunity for me to cast my Sleep spell. I did so.
In the meantime Jaheira attempted to heal Khalid. But before she could complete her spell, the gnoll struck Khalid down with a vicious—and fatal!—thrust of his halberd. Jaheira cried out and turned to the gnoll in focused rage with her club.
The gods then favored us yet again. In another stroke of good fortune, my Slumber spell took effect and rendered the gnoll unconscious. (That spell failed against the hobgoblin and mage, though.)
Kivan, Imoen, and Jaheira quickly finished off the gnollish looking creature. As they did, I cast my final Blindness spell at the hobgoblin. This spell too was successful! Jaheira now switched to her sling. With the hobgoblin now Blinded he soon fell to our Charmed warrior’s blade, Kivan and Imoen’s arrows, Jaheira’s sling bullets, and my darts.
I then ordered the ensorcelled warrior to use his bow and take aim at the Blinded mage. We all unleashed a volley of missiles at the hapless target, who best I could tell was dumbfounded in a state of emotional shock. He basically did nothing but recoil from the attacks and quickly collapsed in death.
I then ordered the enchanted fighter to drop his weapons and turn his back. We ended his life him in but a few seconds with our missile attacks.
Jaheira ran immediately to Khalid’s lifeless body and inspected his wounds. He had taken the pike end of the gnoll’s halberd into the side of his abdomen. Tearfully, she said with a hopeful tone that she had faith that he could be returned to life. She commented that the creature who had slain Khalid was a flind. (I had thought the creature looked similar to but different than a gnoll!) Jaheira added that when they had nosed about the camp earlier they had heard there were some flinds in a cave nearby.
We then approached with the elf who was an apparent prisoner in the tent. We unbound and ungagged him. He told us his name was Ender Sai. The elf shared with us that he was investigating an organization called the Iron Throne, although he would not elaborate more about why.
Ender did have much useful information to share, however. First, the Chill and the Blacktalons are normally in competition. So why would they work together? He told us that Arendor and Tenhammer believe that Tazok receives his orders from the Zhents. Tazok apparently wishes them to believe as much. However Ender said he doubted that this is the case. He stated the reason for this belief was that it was his investigation of the Iron Throne that had gotten him taken prisoner by Tazok. How he came to be captured he would not tell, though.
Ender commented that had we not happened along to intervene when we did, he would certainly have been tortured and killed. The bandits in the tent were waiting for Tazok to return for that.
The elf told us that he had discovered Mulahey’s scheme to degrade ore at the Nashkel mine, and added that Mulahey had managed to convince the kobolds that he was one of their lost gods.
Ender continued that Tazok has regularly been visiting a base located somewhere in Cloakwood. And he then told us that his captors had placed documents and letters one of them was reading inside a chest in the tent, which he pointed to.
This, Ender said, was the full extent that he could tell us—he was at liberty to share nothing more. But hopefully that much was adequate compensation for our saving his life.
Jaheira argued that we should press him for more information. But the elf seemed resolute. And he had indeed shared much. The consensus among us was that his report was satisfactory to us. We let him leave. He indicated he had the skill to do so stealthily and remain unseen.
Now was not the time to discuss it… nor was I sure at this point that I would speak about it with anyone but Imoen… but Ender’s assessment cast doubt on Jaehira’s conclusion that the entire iron shortage operation was a Zhent plot. It certainly might be. But it seems less clear than she evidently believed.
[Does Imoen now check the chest for traps? Red card = yes. She disarms the trap and avoids trap damage.]
Imoen carefully inspected the chest and noted that it was trapped. She disabled the trap and picked the lock.
Inside the chest was a trove of information and other useful contents.
Most importantly, we found two letters from to Tazok signed by someone named “Davaeorn.” The letters reference a base in Cloakwood (a forest located to the west) that is receiving iron ore by the ton from Tazok. One of the letters mentions the name “Sarevok,” a figure who appears to be as a superior of both Tazok and Davaeorn. Davaoern writes that this Sarevok ordered that “the band of mercenaries” that is “causing trouble” to their operations be killed, and demands a progress report on that. The letter also references that none other than Nimbul was hired to try to kill this adventuring band! As such I believe we have pretty clearly identified the source of the bounties and attacks by assassins upon us. To a high degree of likelihood, anyway.
The letters also make mention of an ultimatum of some sort that this group, apparently named the “Iron Throne,” intends to eventually issue. The ultimatum seems evidently related in some way to control of the iron trade. So, not surprisingly, there is likely quite a bit more intrigue afoot in this grand plot plot to manipulate the iron trade on the Sword Coast.
The spoils of the chest, belongings of our attackers, and other containers in the tent was an impressive haul:
I found no less than seven spell scrolls, several of which I have already scribed. But the scrolls included also some spells that I do not know. One is a spell to make a highly favorable impression on others. Another blasts a concentrated jet of flame at an opponent from a distance. And a third is an apparently quite powerful spell by which to remove magical protections such as a wizard may before battle. The latter I think I can scribe, yet it will require more skill for me to actually use. Perhaps in time as my ability with the Weave increases.
From our slain attackers we collected an enchanted pair of bracers and an enchanted longbow. These will require spells to identify...
Also in their possession were some arrows enchanted to add frost damage, a longbow, a composite longbow (which we gave to Kivan), two potions of healing, and a potion to block the effects of magic for a limited time.
There was also a lot of gold in the tent! We left the tent with nearly three thousand gold pieces!
I urged the party that we now take our leave, but first Kivan should check outside to see if our battle had attracted any interest. Kivan did so and quickly returned to report that the bandits outside all seemed to be going about their usual business.
Jaheira stripped all of Khalid’s gear to carry herself and thereby reduce his weight. Kivan kindly agreed to carry him, apparently grateful that his new allies had put him hot on Tazok’s trail to once and for all track him down and kill him. Kivan picked up Khalid’s body and slung it over his shoulder. I carried Kivan’s halberd to make it easier to manage.
We slipped out of the tent and moved due north. We discovered that one could exit the camp quite easily simply by entering the surrounding forest. Upon looking back towards the camp, it had completely disappeared. As I had suspected, the compound was skillfully hidden by some form of illusory magic.
We completed the day long journey back to the Friendly Arm, this time with Kivan instructing Imoen where to go and she scouting ahead through the wood. Kivan never once groaned or complained, despite carrying the literally ‘dead weight’ of Khalid. He barely needed rest either. It appears that Kivan is strong as an ox.
Just north of the Friendly Arm, we were lulled into a false sense of security at the sight of the road. Not once, but twice, we were attacked by hobgoblin bandits (which we now know are affiliated with the Chill) as we traveled along its north then eastern wall to the gate. We were very tired and not in good spirits at that point. The bandits felt like little more than a nuisance after all that we had been through.
Upon our approach to the steps we were greeted by Elminster. I am now persuaded that it is truly the legendary mage, and I am both awestruck and perplexed by his attention toward us. He advised us to follow the clues into the Cloakwood and attempt to find the secret compound there. Mysteriously as ever, he then strode off without giving us a chance to speak with him further.
I would have to consider Elminster’s advice in due time, however. First Jaheira was understandably anxious to take Khalid to the temple and seek to have him raised. As were we all, truly, I am sure. As for myself, I do not hold Khalid accountable for Jaheira’s sins. Once she gets an idea in her head she cannot be deterred from it. At times I even pity Khalid for having to endure her bullheadedness. He is completely devoted as her mate, so it must be difficult.
We laid Khalid’s fallen body down on a cot, and Gellana inspected him. She then looked at Jaheira and smiled with a twinkle in her eye, much to Jaheira’s immediate delight and silent tears of relief.
“We shall bring him back, fear not,” Gellana said reassuringly. And sure enough, moments later Khalid inhaled briskly and blinked with a shock. He was however still extremely peaked and weakened. Jaheira and I quickly healed his wounds, and his color and vigor returned.
Once inside the inn we quickly recapped for Khalid what had happened.
I recommended that we all rest now. After some sleep we would convene to discuss the party’s future.
The Kivan and J. & K. Alliance
I felt that in order to play Kivan faithfully to his own quest, he would be hellbent to get at Tazok.
Kivan is Chaotic not Lawful, remember. As Chaotic, he is not a type that is inclined to feel bound to his word. But even the agreement he struck with the entire party, it was was not some sort of total pledge of allegiance to them.
The deal that Kivan made with Khalid and Jaheira was in the same spirit.
Now for Kivan to selfishly risk the party's lives as he did to get at Tazok (i.e., he deliberately got them captured) is something that I think is in character given the depth of his yearning for revenge. But that act is something that could arguably result in Fallen status as Ranger. Rangers are sworn to protect innocent travelers in the woods! That was hardly an act of protection.
Jaheira might have helped him rationalize the choice, as ultimately an act of protection. I.e., the notion that they must find and kill Tazok before he kills them. And I think Jaheira would actually believe that it is justified. So Kivan perhaps could be vulnerable to be led astray here. But nevertheless the act of intentionally getting the party captured was imho a failure from the Ranger ethos standpoint.
If Kivan remains in the party after all this, I may well EEKeeper him to Fallen status. I'm curious what others think about that.
The Bandit Boss Tent Battle
Thank goodness I turned a red card to get the Ring of Wizardry! (In case anyone is wondering, I haven't fudged the cards. Even when it makes things tough, the game will ultimately be more fun if I keep to the method.) I think it would have been extremely difficult to win with just two spell slots. (I suppose one Blind and One Charm could have done it, though.) Anyway, the increase to four spells made it more easily winnable.
And for that battle, rest assured, I did have to reload quite a lot. Without neutralizing the enemy mage there is really no chance of a party such as this one winning. (Unless enough of them save versus Horror.) The enemy wizard saved repeatedly against Charm and Sleep. But Blind worked about half the time.
I should add that I had a number of tries where only the PC remained alive, and he fled; but once outside the tent he got pursued by the attackers from in the tent, and then was killed by the Blacktalon archers patrolling outside.
Eventually, it became clear that the best shot at success was to Blind the mage. (If this was a SCS game the mage may still have cast Horror despite being Blinded. But this is vanilla EE.) Once I got the mage Blinded the rest was fairly easy.
I wasn't surprised at fatalities. I was lucky to have only one. As it was, I think the RP of Kivan carrying Khalid over his should for a 16 hour hike is Ranger-like and believable in terms of the RP (plus Kivan's extraordinary strength). But if I had come away with, say, all but the PC, Imoen, and perhaps one other alive, I don't see them trying to lug multiple bodies back to the temple. There would have been a party reformation then and there.
I note with interest the choice of generous reloading during the critical encounters which advance the gamestory -- as a counterpart of not freely embarking upon all sorts of XP-building side-quests in classic adventure for its own sake style.
I would say that making him fallen would fit the role you have scripted for him - if you do so perhaps there will come a time when he can regain his status through some action (perhaps determined by a card draw) and perhaps J&K may also find a way to regain your trust (per card draw?).
Alternately of course you could (as player/dm) decide to reform the party going forward as a result of thier actions (with or without a card draw ).
It's been kind of a long time for me with some of this D&D stuff. If a Ranger Falls in a tabletop game, can he or she ever redeem themselves and regain the former Ranger powers? Or is the Fall irrevocable? Not that I'm bound by 2nd ed. AD&D PnP rules in this game. But I'm curious what the rule is on that.
I awoke early enough to take care of some things before the party was to meet. First I identified the longbow and bracers. The bow improves aim very substantially and delivers the arrow with greater force than a standard bow. The bracers are enchanted to help the user strike more effectively with weapons in combat and to increase the force of each landed blow.
I also made my attempt to scribe the new spells I had acquired at Tazok’s bandit camp. I succeeded with three of them: Charisma, Noxious Vapors, and Agannazar’s Jet of Flame. Sadly, I failed with Spellstrip, which was the most difficult. I admonished myself afterward for not trying to scribe that one first.
It was still in the middle of the night, and before long I fell back into a slumber. I had a remarkably vivid dream of descending from a great height in the sky, hurtling downward; and without harm passing through the surface of the earth, deep into a cavern within. There I saw a statue of myself. A dagger of bone flew at the statue, cracking it. I had a feeling of in some way gaining power from either some force, or perhaps some person, that would eventually extract a great price for it. I recall feeling searing pain over this, as I momentarily awoke from the dream.
When I awoke in the morning I sensed that I had acquired another priestly ability: that of neutralizing poison. I knew this in my bones as surely as I had gained the ability to heal.
These are divine powers that I have been gaining access to, not arcane. I am confused as to where this is all coming from. Or I should say: from Whom? Which divinity? This is not normal. I’m at a loss what if anything to do about it, however.
I have struggled with what to do about the broken bond of trust I now feel with Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan. They are all formidable warriors. And they are not acting against me—rather just according to their own motives. But I feel that they are taking risks that jeopardize us all. That is really not acceptable to me. Imoen and I can benefit from their protection, but only if we can have faith that they will not place us at risk in ways we are in the dark about!
So I felt that I must consult the gods via the runes as to whether I should dismiss anyone from our band. I expect Jaheira and Khalid to be inseparable, but I feel that Khalid is the more trustworthy of the two. He seems to have a conscience and shows an inclination to be honest. Not so, Jaheira.
And Kivan seems driven by a singular goal: to avenge the death of his mate.
Anyway, I shall seek guidance about all three of them, individually, although I highly doubt Khalid would agree to stay with me if I ask Jaheira to leave.
[Remove Jaheira from party? red card = yes.]
[Remove Khalid from party? red card = yes.]
[Remove Kivan from party? black card = no]
I cast my runes and the oracle showed that it would be best if I dismiss Jaheira and Khalid, both.
Oddly, the runes also revealed that Kivan should stay. However I doubt that he will when I inform him that Imoen and I have no wish to pursue Tazok.
At any rate, the three of them may certainly continue however they wish on their own, unless Kivan agrees to stay. The runes indicate that I can now trust his word.
I spoke briefly with Imoen about this in an early morning stroll of the fortess grounds. She also was ambivalent about what to do. She simply stated she was glad that I was making the decision, not her.
Everyone gathered at a table in the inn around noon.
Jaheira was upbeat and appeared relaxed. Imoen seemed a bit forlorn. Khalid looked a bit nervous. Kivan, as usual, displayed little emotion. I myself was feeling a slightly pensive about this meeting.
I began the meeting by expressing my disappointment that I felt I could no longer trust Jaheira or Kivan. I added that at least to the extent that Khalid remains ever faithful to his mate (not a criticism, mind you), unfortunately my faith in him is severely shaken as well.
We had faced many challenges together, I continued. Fought to the death side by side, we had. Again and again. Without Jaheira and Khalid I do not see how Imoen and I could have survived, especially given the assassins we have repeatedly faced.
“But I have sought guidance from my runes,” I said, “and I regret to say that I must ask you, Jaheira and Khalid, to leave our company.” At this Jaheira remained unperturbed. She did not seem surprised. She calmly waited for me to finish.
I turned then to Kivan. “Kivan, you may remain with Imoen and me if you wish. But you must know that we are not pursuing Tazok. And I expect that it is your wish to do so.”
Kivan then looked at Jaheira, as if she was the one that would do the talking for him.
Jaheira smiled with an uncharacteristic gentleness. She seemed to have toned down her brassiness a bit for what she was about to say.
“Oracos, first, let me try to put your mind at ease about what happened,” Jaheira began. “I am unable to explain everything to you because I still have many questions myself."
Jaheira continued, measuring her words carefully. “But your father knew that both his and your life were in peril. I know not why. He did not tell us.” Jaheira then paused and glanced for a moment at Khalid with a look in the eyes that bespoke fond memories.
“Gorion became one of our closest friends since shortly after Khalid and I first met over a decade ago. We traveled with your father on a number of journeys to some very colorful lands with him, and met many of his friends. Your father knew many, many interesting people and kept ties with all of them. And he was always helping his friends when they were in trouble. And its certainly possible that he made some powerful enemies along the way in so doing... Evidently he did.”
I felt a little better that Jaheira was sharing more information for once, as I feel that she withholds and manipulates. I was interested to hear more, however.
Jaheira then laid out her appeal to us. “Khalid and I swore to Gorion that we would keep you safe from harm,” she said. “And we have been doing that the best we can. But I don’t agree that your plan to flee is safe. I feel that the best way to keep you alive is for us to pursue Tazok and kill him. When Kivan joined us, I felt we had gained an advantage in tracking down Tazok. And that hunch was right! Kivan led us to him! Tazok can now be found somewhere in Cloakwood. His hidden camp in the Wood of Sharp Teeth will now probably disappear when word reaches him that we killed four of his lieutenants. We must track him immediately, find him again, and choose our moment of attack.”
Khalid then interjected an interesting observation. “Is n-n-ot Kivan’s ap-ppearance on our p-p-path a sign that y-y-ou ought to pursue Tazok?” he queried sincerely.
I nodded to Khalid that he had a point. “I have considered that,” I acknowledged. “But this morning I consulted my runes about what to do now. And, sadly, they advise that it would be unwise for me to continue placing my trust in you. I think you know me well enough to know what my divinations mean to me.”
Jaheira’s brow furrowed a bit. “Khalid and I can only protect you effectively if you follow our counsel. I must honestly tell you that think I therefore have to lead us. Will you not reconsider?” she asked.
“I’m afraid not,” I said with a smile that was probably somewhat strained.
“Very well,” Jaheira replied. She did not appear conflicted about our parting ways. “Kivan has already discussed with us what he might do if it came to this, and he will be joining us.”
Kivan nodded in silent confirmation.
We then arose from the table to say our goodbyes. Imoen tearfully hugged Khalid and Jaheira. She stopped just short of attempting to embrace Kivan and waived goodbye instead. I warmly shook the hands of all three.
Jaheira told us that after they have completed their own plans, Imoen and I may eventually be able to find her and Khalid again here at the Friendly Arm. Hopefully our paths would cross again, she said.
“I hope they may as well,” I said. “You have been brave and stalwart comrades, and our lives are literally indebted to you.”
Jaheira smiled. “I wish you the favor of the gods, and take good care,” she concluded.
With that Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan took their leave and departed the inn—no doubt onward to Cloakwood to search for Tazok.
[Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan leave with the gear they have. The PC has the Longbow of Marksmanship which he had identified in the wee hours. He holds onto it here, aware that it will be of use for a warrior that they yet need to recruit. He also held onto the Legacy of the Masters bracers and gave those to Imoen.]
Imoen and I then ordered a drink and talked about our plans. I shared with Imoen what my spells had revealed about the bow and bracers. I gave her the bracers, at which she looked quite pleased.
“We start afresh it appears,” I said with a wistful sigh to Imoen.
“I’m gonna miss Khalid!” Imoen responded. “Jaheira was kinda bossy, though. Treated me like a kid, she did!” she added with a sulk.
“Well you’re not much more than that!” I laughed. “But sure enough not a child anymore. Not before we left, even. And certainly not now.”
I took a sip of wine and surveyed the room again to see if anyone might be recruited to protect us. There were no obvious warriors but the same scowling half-orc we had seen earlier. It seemed worth a try to approach him.
“Imoen, I think it’s time to hire someone to help get us to Baldur’s Gate. The only candidate I see is the same half-orc I suggested we ask before we left for Baldur’s Gate a couple days ago. What do you think?”
Imoen bit her lower lip and scrunched an eye in his direction. “He looks so scary!” she whispered.
“I agree,” I said. “But do you want to risk going it alone?” I asked. “Although I concur that it's a risk either way. He might just as soon gut us in our sleep.”
Imoen shuddered at the thought.
“Runes?” I asked.
“Yup,” she answered.
[Approach Dorn and seek to hire him? Red card = yes.]
The runes directed that we should attempt to hire the fellow. When I advised Imoen of this she looked a bit displeased, but at once she shook out the tension in her arms and shoulders. “Alright, let’s do it!” she said.
The half-orc seemed to ignore us as we approached. When we reached his table he continued to avoid our gaze and took a deep drink from his stein.
I cleared my throat. But we were obviously of no consequence to him.
I then spoke up, with my voice slightly cracking (damn it all) at the introduction. "Excuse me, my good sir, might we have a word with you?" I asked.
The towering half-orc then glared at me with annoyance as if I had just accidentally stepped on his toe.
He grunted tersely that he was ready for more grog! "Bring me another flagon of ale," he muttered in a deep, gravelly voice.
I informed him that I am not a servant here.
He then barked at us to begone!
And I was only too happy to oblige him! I was then worried as to why my runes had shown that I was to speak with him, though... But then again the ways of the gods are inscrutable.
“I’m so relieved!” laughed Imoen as we walked back to our table. I joined her laughter, adding that given what we just witnessed I had to admit it was probably for the best.
I observed that to travel back Beregost now to try to recruit someone to help us was probably just as dangerous as if we headed north. We agreed that perhaps at this point it was best to try to simply make our journey up the Coast Way to Baldur’s Gate. There, hopefully we could eventually get passage on a ship and leave this region.
Before our departure we stopped in at the temple and purchased potions of healing and antidotes of poison. We still had our powerful bow to either sell or give to a new comrade. Imoen isn't strong enough to use it.
And with that we were on our way, northward to the grand metropolis of Baldur’s Gate. Our hearts were actually a bit aflutter at the excitement of actually seeing the great city we had so long heard tales of. Once we got there, too bad we would not be able to take time to explore it!
[The results of Neera's secret spellcasting practice back at the SotM over the last four days... That is, I had rolled some time ago for the first day after they left her there, but four more days have since passed... Anyway, she cast 1 spell the first day, 1 spell the next day, 3 spells the following day, and 1 spell the next: and no 20's rolled for those spells via a 1 d20. So no surges resulted. After five days she is getting a bit bored and antsy at the Temple.]
But definitely, had the card flipped back then resulted in an answer from the runes to hide out in the wilderness, I would then have rolled 1d4 for NSEW for sure.
So anyway, now they're hoping to hide out in BG city. When they learn they are denied access they will have to decide what to do. And they might well then resort to plan B to hide in the wilderness. But we'll see what happens. They're about to happen upon Ajantis, and I think it likely from a RP standpoint they would want him to join. (No need to flip a card there. Oracos, who looks for signs and omens to begin with, was looking to hire someone anyway. Now here's a paladin... The only problem is he wants to eradicate bandits... I have no idea how that RP will take shape yet.)
That was how I had inferred things to go, anyway.
Well, Oracos is Chaotic, don't forget, lol.
They will probably turn soon to hiding in the wilderness. I'm looking forward to seeing how creatively the runes can be put to use, above and beyond what direction to explore.
http://www.pocketplane.net/volothamp/faerun.htm
On this map the bridge over the River Chionthor is situated in a north south direction which would put the the fishing village to the west of the bridge instead of south - I suspect the devs just took some liberties with the orientation of the game map and that the major body of water at the fishing village is indeed the River Chionthor - and that perhaps they simply travel down the river to the sea.
You can see some major differences in the orientation of the Coast Way road between Beregost and BG City as well which also suggests the BG Map has been considerably altered from the Faerun map and was probably never meant to be a "true" representation of the official Faerun one but was just to facilitate gameplay and fit the areas they wished to use in an easy to navigate and display fashion.
As we took the road to the north from the Friendly Arm we thought it wise to have Imoen scout in advance.
She got a bit far ahead at one point and I became anxious for her. Then I spotted her racing back toward me with a mischievous grin—a lumbering and somewhat portly hobgoblin was on her tail! She could easily out run him, and seemed to almost make sport of it. I readied a dart. But Imoen pivoted and fired her bow, dropping the creature to the dirt in an instant.
She the told me there was another ahead who hadn’t been as bold as the one she just killed. At that moment the sky darkened with rain showers that soon began to lightly fall, and this helped Imoen hide even better.
Once again Imoen slipped away between the trees and bushes. This time too she returned with the other hobgoblin in pursuit. When Imoen turned to fire her bow he let out a cry of fear and ran in the opposite direction! We had to pursue and kill him however, lest he find any others of his kind that may be nearby and alert them.
Imoen continued to scout and spotted no further bandits lurking ahead.
After about half a day Imoen spied a lone member of the Blacktalon ahead. The bandit boldly stood by the road, not even hiding. As he might be equipped with ice arrows we decided it would be wiser to steer clear of him than to try to kill him. Also, he might simply be bait with others lurking in the woods.
So we moved to parallel to the road to the south, with Imoen still scouting the way ahead.
Before long Imoen reported that she had spotted a warrior standing on the road ahead, bearing a battlescared shield decorated with the symbol of Helm. He would clearly seem a priest or a knight of the Vigilant One then.
That bodes well for us and a most fortunate omen indeed! Given our need of a protector I felt it prudent to approach him.
We walked up to the man with smiles on our faces, and he studied us as we approached. He quietly murmured some words under his breath (perhaps a prayer?). In all events, he seemed satisfied that we posed no threat to him.
[Note: I imagine here that Ajantis would have cast Detect Evil.]
Imoen and I introduced ourselves and we learned that he was a young man from a noble family in Waterdeep, and a squire of the Order of the Most Radiant Heart, an order of Helmite paladins. His name is Ajantis Ilvastarr. He stated that he had been sent on a mission from his order eradicate the bandits who have been menacing travelers on the road.
It was disheartening to hear that this potential ally has a mission from his order to seek out the very threat that we are fleeing! But I elected not to speak of that for now.
I advised Ajantis that we are but travelers to the great city of Baldur’s Gate. I asked him if he might protect us on our journey there. I offered to pay him for the service but he waived it off as I spoke it. Ajantis said would not accept gold for such a thing, although it would please him if we eventually donated to a temple of Helm in appreciation for his service.
[Ajantis agrees to accompany the party to Baldur’s Gate? Red card = yes.]
Happily, Ajantis agreed to act as our guardian on our journey to the city.
Before continuing on our way, I told him that we had been quite successful with Imoen scouting ahead for us; although it took longer to travel that way, we had avoided many a hazard. Ajantis responded that he was agreeable to continue that practice, but if and only if we then kill any bandits that we encountered along the way.
I asked Imoen if she felt this was alright, and she agreed that would be fine. (I whispered to Imoen that we would size up the odds of any fight. If it seemed a poor idea, we would then simply part ways if the young squire insisted on entering a foolishly lopsided fight.)
Not far up the road Imoen reported lay a small fishing village along a river that touchs the Coast Way. We decided to investigate and in so doing we relaxed our vigilance, assuming the road to be safe, and now with a strong warrior at our side to boot.
Then seemingly out of nowhere we were ambushed by a pair of bandits!
I Blinded one and Ajantis rushed to attack him. As he did, the other member of the duo emerged from the bushes and fired his bow upon Ajantis. One of Imoen’s arrows ended the life of the one who was rendered sightless. Then we all turned upon the other, who I struck down with a perfectly aimed dart!
[Note: Here I spaced out and began following the usual meta-gamed route I take along the river! (I usually avoid the ankhegs.) Had I stuck to the road I would have avoided that particular bandit encounter. Also, the lone bandit just north of the area transition was not there when I reloaded upon resuming the game from the previous play session.]
So yet another lesson learned about the necessity of scouting.
Ajantis of course was perfectly content to face them head on as they attacked, but he also seemed satisfied to let Imoen use her scouting skills.
[Speak with villagers or continue along the road? Red card = enter village, black card = continue on the road. Result: black card = continue traveling along the road.]
I took the bandit attack as an ill omen and decided rather than explore the village, we should continue on our way north.
[Imoen spies the mandibles of the ankheg poking through the earth? Red card = yes.]
We made our way through a stretch of farm land adjoining the fishing village. Imoen’s next scouting report at first seemed inconsequential. But as I queried her there seemed more to it than perhaps first met her eye.
Imoen said she had seen the earth disturbed from beneath right next to the road by a creature of some sort. Perhaps nothing more than a burrowing mammal. However Imoen had also spied a strange saw-toothed set of light greenish hued spikes or spines emerge from the earth at the spot.
I rummaged my memory of fauna for this region from the scrolls and tomes at Candlekeep for a burrowing creature with saw-like spikes or spines, but my memory was dim and it seemed to elude me…
[Oracos recalls ankheg description? Red card = yes.]
And then it came to me! Imoen’s description seemed to match that of a creature called an ankheg.
These are giant insects and they are very dangerous. That is about all I could recall from what I read of them. Best that they be avoided!
We sought a way around. But to the right lay an extremely dense thicket within the woods. To the left was a plowed field that exposed us to possible attacks from bandit arrows. The last time we moved toward what seemed the safety of human habitation, bandits struck at us!
[Does Ajantis recommend proceeding on the road and attempting to slay the creature? Black card = no.]
I glanced for a moment at our new companion. He had no suggestion to make.
There seemed little choice but to risk moving through the edge of the field. We would do so slowly, with Imoen’s ability to tread lightly lest the creatures sense our movement from below.
Imoen was able to step through the field delicately enough to escape detection. Not so our more heavily armored friend.
With terrifying swiftness the creature burst forth from the ground and hissed. Utterly enormous it was—so great in size that it was truly uncanny that it could be an insect. It’s terrible mandibles churned and it seemed to be working its jaw muscles ferociously. Imoen was at this point out a head of us, hiding behind a tree. I felt Ajantis and I could not risk retreating, thereby leaving Imoen to then hopefully sneak back around it to rejoin us.
Ajantis charged the creature with his bastard sword drawn. I hurled a dart at one of the creature’s large eyes. Imoen shifted from behind the tree and fired her bow.
I was able strike the creature in the eye with my dart, which made me proud! Perhaps I had partially blinded it.
But my feeling of elation was short lived. I had only succeeded in provoking the beast into its full fury. To our horror it spat a great gob of viscous green goo directly into Ajantis’ face. The Helmite squire cried out involuntarily in pain and confusion. He was clearly severely injured and he called upon Helm to heal him. I know not if Helm heard his plea. But regardless Ajantis appeared to remain grievously hurt.
Battling a strong instinct to take flight, I instead summoned my courage and ran to Ajantis to heal him. But I just as I reached our new comrade and called forth my powers to heal, the brave squire collapsed.
My healing spell had no effect upon him...
I then called to Imoen to run towards a corner of a barn to our left. As we ran there another one of the towering creatures exploded from the earth, it's hideous sectioned legs writhing and its fierce jaws snapping! We had no choice but to run for our lives. The road seemed as safe a path to safety as any other!
As we made haste up the road then emerged into our view an armored woman who called us over to her. She identified herself as 'Gerde' and explained that the creatures were in fact being used to aerate the soil for the farmers! I told her of Ajantis' fate, and she said she would see about getting him cared for if he was still alive. If he had perished, as to whether he could be raised, that was a more difficult question, she said. As someone would have to pay for it and probably take his body in a boat to Baldur’s Gate. But she would see what she could do.
Gerde directed us toward the edge of the river as the safest place for us to travel until we were well clear of the farms in about two furlongs. We ran there and caught our breath for a moment—but only a moment, as we were truly terrified at the prospect of encountering any more ankhegs.
Sadly, we were forced to continue onward without our new traveling companion. May Helm bless and keep him for his good deeds during his short life, and guard his journey to the appropriate plane in the afterlife.
Imoen seemed to wrestle a bit emotionally with my insistence that we continue without trying to bring the aspiring paladin back to life. But I advised her that we hadn’t the resources to attempt this. And his fate was in the hands of a ranger! That is about as good as anyone meeting such misfortune could ever hope for. (What I didn't want to say was my assumption that the ankheg had made a meal of him, and I, for one, did not wish to find out.)
[Note: Here I simply forgot to share some potions with Ajantis beforehand. I just failed to think of it. And it cost poor Ajantis his life. But it’s a minimum reload game (only if PC dies) , so oh well. Oracos and Imoen feel bad. But honestly, they barely knew Ajantis. Plus a ranger would see about caring for his remains. I guess on the plus side, I also didn’t think to equip Ajantis with Deadshot +2 either!]
Arrival at the City Gate
Before long we were safely past to anhkeg ‘farm’ to continue without any threat of assault by the creatures. Then the river we had followed soon diverged from the Coast Way. So we returned to following the road.
Imoen continued scouting ahead and we made our way north along the Coast Way, slowly but surely. By very late into the evening the massive torchlit stone bridge spanning the mighty River Chionthor into the vast walled city of Baldur’s Gate came into our view. We could see its sea of flickering lights, as the city crested to a higher elevation above its outer walls. But it was too dark to make out much else.
Our excitement practically knew no bounds as we walked across the bridge towards the city’s enormous gate. Such adventure awaited us within!
But at the entrance was posted a Flaming Fist guard… who denied us entry! Imoen and I stared at each other dumbfounded.
“We may not enter the city? How is that possible?” I exclaimed.
“Access to the city is highly restricted right now,” the guard replied. “Only a privileged lot may come and go in order to ensure that the basic needs of the city are met. It is closed for now to all others. I’m sorry but there are no exceptions,” the guard continued.
The guard went on to explain that rumors of an impending war with Amn gripped the city, and the unprecedented occurrence of bandit raids had increased to a fever pitch. The Grand Dukes were taking unusual precautions to protect the city.
The guard advised that we may try back later. He made it clear that the matter was closed for any further discussion.
I considered offering the guard a bribe. Either the bribe would succeed, or we would get arrested—which in turn might get us inside the city walls! Yet on the other hand, stuck in jail cell we could well become easy targets for the criminal element that seeks to kill us. And the gods only know what happens to people unable to buy their way out. So I thought better of it.
At any rate, this was an enormous setback. We were truly crestfallen at this unexpected development.
There was little to do now but camp for the night at the foot of the bridge, and consider our options in the morning.
Neither Imoen nor I slept well, although the night was mild, our fire warm, and we felt relatively secure next to the great bridge into the city. I, at least, tossed and turned. Imoen shared that she barely dozed.
Our plan to board a sailing ship to some distant land is now dashed—at least for the time being…
I simply do not know how to keep us safe! It seems a fair bet that we will be pursued by more assassins. We must hide out somewhere, deep in the woods perhaps as Gorion had suggested. The only solution I could see was to turn to my runes.
Now, where shall we go?
I would use the hallowed Rule of Five. Five times I would consult the runes. Each casting of the runes would direct us to one of five waypoints. At the fifth we should discover something crucial about how best to negoitiate our predicament. There we shall find a powerful omen about how to survive, if I have but the skill to see it.
[Which direction shall we travel first? roll 1d8 where 1 = N, 2 = NE, 3 = E, 4 = SE, 5 = S, 6 = SW, 7 = W, 8 = NW. Result: 5 = South. They travel due south.]
[Which of eight waypoints along the Coast Way south? Roll 1d8 where 1 = fishing village (4 hours), 2 = Friendly Arm Inn (16 hours), 3 = Crossroads (36 hours), 4 = Beregost (60 hours), 5 = South Beregost Road (84 hours), 6 = North Nashkel Road (112 hours), 7 = Nashkel (148 hours), 8 = Nashkel Mines (192 hours). Result: 5 = South Beregost Road.]
The runes I cast showed that we must travel due south for two days.
I already know that I must recruit anyone I can who seems trustworthy to aid us. This land is far too perilous for Imoen and me alone to hope to survive for long. Hopefully our travels will lead us to someone who can help us!
I shared with Imoen the results of my divination. I don’t know if I expeted anything from her at that point but she was uncustomarily quiet. We looked at one another for a moment, mirroring, I think, mixed feelings of puzzlement, wonder, and fear at how in the world our lives had led us to such an utterly bizarre circumstance. Or perhaps I was merely seeing my own reflection, and Imoen’s mind was somewhere completely different. But in either case, Imoen then broke into a laugh.
“We’re gonna make it Oracos, you’ll see!” she said with what seemed a genuine faith. This did indeed make me feel better, if for no other reason than I was relieved to have my best friend as a companion to share this harrowing adventure with. I smiled back, but said nothing, and nodded. She smiled back and patted me on the back. It seemed we were in silent agreement that our fates were truly in the hands of the gods.
“C’mon ‘Racos. Let’s get goin’. We got a looong way to walk ahead of us!” Imoen said.
And so we departed from the foot of the great bridge south along the Coast Way.
As always, Imoen scouted ahead. Only two hours into our journey we we attacked by a pack of wild dogs, that we were able to back off from without a fight. It took every bit of inner strength we had to avoid the instinct to flee. They followed us for a bit, growling and menacing. But before long they lost interest in us, perhaps deciding to turn their attention to easier game.
[Note: Oracos and Imoen ran in-game. But this bit is to add a touch of color in the story. They didn’t fight. But would they actually be able to outrun a pack of wild dogs? Um, probably not.]
We continued south, again following the tributary river adjoining the farm land with the ankhegs. Along the way we made the gruesome discovery along the river’s shore of a half eaten woman, an apparent victim of the ankhegs. Oddly , though, it reassured me that we had made the right decision about Ajantis. We both agreed that we couldn’t get through this region fast enough!
Through a copse of trees along the shore we spied a cavernous hole in the earth amidst a planted field, where it appeared that the land itself had collapsed into the earth. An ill omen indeed, it seemed to me.
We saw some fishermen working on their nets in the small settlement, but they were clearly not adventuring types. Not what we’re looking for. And we have a destination to reach.
[On passing through the fishing village do residents speak to Oracos and Imoen? Black card = no]
We continued south past the Friendly Arm Inn without incident. At the crossroads of the Coast Way and the Lion’s Way, Imoen spotted a couple of gibberlings that we elected to bypass.
We arrived in Beregost after two and a half days travel. At the Thunderhammer smithy we sold some gear that we had stripped from bandits that we had killed. We were within sight of the Song of the Morning amd Imoen begged that we go visit Neera.
[In the last two days Neera has cast three spells. None resulted in wild surges (i.e. no 20’s rolled on a 1d20 for three rolls).]
[Did Neera leave this morning before their arrival? Black card = no]
I agreed that would be fine.
We came upon our friend as she was sweeping the courtyard to the temple entrance. She seemed a bit lost in thought as we approached. But she looked up in surprise, and then joy, as Imoen squeeled in delight at the sight of her friend and ran to her. After hugs of greeting Imoen began to recount our tales of adventure since we had left Neera in Beregost. Neera’s jaw dropped at certain parts of the story, especially what transpired with Jaheira, Khalid, and Kivan, the wood elf who had briefly joined us. Neera remained enrapt with the tale, and Imoen knew how to spin it. I had to admit that I was impressed at just what we had been through.
For her part Neera related that she had continued to secretly practice her spellcasting when tending the temple’s garden, and that she was growing ever more proficient at shaping spells. “I’m getting really good at drawing upon powers to cast higher level spells, Oracos,” she commented proudly.
Imoen then looked at me then as if we had just found the most precious lost kitten. I had seen that look before. I knew what it meant. A ‘no’ answer from me here would come at an unbelievably hefty price…
There was no denying that we need help. And there is probably good reason to believe that Neera will prove both helpful and loyal. But this young mageling is pursued in her own right by powerful wizards!
And then another thought occurred that seemed to make an odd sort of sense. The gods had brought us here, knowing well that we seek a new set of companions to join us. And like us, at least this lass also seeks to elude her attackers… so unlike our last set of companions! We are, in effect, birds of a feather. Kindred spirits, as it were.
My intuition at this point was simply ask Neera if she is willing to take the risk of joining us.
I then spoke to her in an earnest tone. “Neera, you know that to join us in our flight from those who seek our destruction is probably far more dangerous than if you stay at the temple. Here the priests will protect you. But if you wish to join us, you may. What say you?”
[Will Neera join? Red card = yes. Woot!]
“Hot diggity! I am so coming with you!” Neera exclaimed. At this Imoen clapped her hands in delight. The girls hugged again, and laughed. And something just felt very right about this, I must admit.
We are now a trio. Three orphans who have found one another.
And so it was that Neera ran inside the temple and quickly gathered her belongings. We could hear her shout a hasty thank-you to Kelddath. And in two shakes she returned to us a bit out of breath, but eager as can be. Foolishly or not, yearning for adventure. But more than anything, perhaps, she seemed to exude an aura of hope. And it seemed to be one of belonging, possibly for the first time in her life. Or so it struck me at that moment.
Off we strode down the street through Beregost, and on to the road south for another day's hike. Then I would cast the runes to see where the gods would take us next. And, indeed, who else they might place on our path!
(I wondered what in the world a “diggity” might be…)
[Note: I CLUAed Neera and Ctrl+Yed her scripted attackers. I put the now extra gem bag (she had given the party her gem bag earlier when they rescued her before) and the Red Wizard guards' gear in a nearby container. She joined at level 2. Oracos is at level 2 and Imoen is at level 3.]
The day was warm, breezy and sunny. I asked Imoen and Neera to please restrain their tendency to talk as we walked, and for Imoen to scout ahead as usual. Thankfully they both understood and agreed with the need to proceed with caution.
We continued uneventfully along the Coast Way, south of Beregost, until we reached the area in which we had earlier found a cave used by the Chill. When we reached a point that was two days travel from the Bridge at Baldur’s Gate I bid Imoen and Neera to stop so that I could cast the runes again to see what direction we should follow next.
[Which direction shall the party travel? Roll 1d8 where 1 = N, 2 = NE, 3 = E, 4 = SE, 5 = S, 6 = SW, 7 = W, 8 = NW. Result: 8 = Northwest.]
[How far will they travel in the Northwesterly direction? Roll 1d3 where 1 = High Hedge, 2 = Lions Way, 3 = Cloakwood Lodge. Result: 3. They travel to the Cloakwood Lodge map.]
The runes revealed that we should travel to the northwest for two days. That would take us in the direction of High Hedge, past it to the Lion’s Way, with our end destination the southeastern corner of the Cloakwood Forest.
By the time we reached Cloakwood my stamina was waning. I felt the need to rest. We knew that we could do so at the foot of Thalantyr’s fortress in relative safety.
Unfortunately, a gnoll stood between us and the entrance. Having no warrior with us now, we would use a spell on him. Neera asked that she please might be allowed to try. Should I be worried by her eagerness? I wondered to myself… But this seemed as good a time as any to test her magic skills.
So Neera cast a Flying Energy Missile from her fingertips at the creature. It clearly startled and injured the brute. But he then came at us, lumbering with a limp from Neera's spell. Neera and I each ran in different directions to distract it. Neera then readied her staff. I cast a spell to attempt to rob the gnoll of it’s sight, but the spell failed to work. The gnoll then seemed unable to decide whether to pursue Imoen—who got off an arrow that found its mark—and Neera, who taunted him by calling him names. That moment of indecision came at a fatal cost: I then cast a spell to place the beast into a slumber, and we killed it forthwith with our weapons.
We knocked at Thalantyr’s door and were shortly thereafter admitted inside by one of his flesh golems. We shared a bit of our adventures with him, but during this visit he seemed quite preoccupied with his experiments. So we told him we would purchase some spells and wouldn’t take long in doing so.
I had a scroll of the Blindness spell and a scroll to cast Horror. These I gave to Neera to scribe. Unfortunately she failed at her attempts to learn both permanently.
So we looked over the selection that Thalantyr had. I was determined to get Neera some more spells into her spellbook. So We purchased for her also Charm—which she also failed to scribe. She seemed rather dejected at this point but I told her we were not giving up. She should just relax and care not a whit about whether she succeeds or fails, I said.
Next we bought a spell by which has the individual enchanted by it believes he is being pursued relentlessly by a terrifying phantom. And this one Neera was able to learn (plus she has the skill to use it). Buoyed by her success we bought one more, a spell to make the victim physically weak. This one Neera would not be able to cast just yet. But it would prove useful when she had gained enough practice with the Weave to use it.
This spell too Neera was able to scribe into her spellbook. So despite her initial disappointments, we were all in quite pleased and impressed with her perseverance and success with her last two tries. They are both spells that can prove helpful to us, I am sure.
It was time to try to rest and also meditate to memorize our spells. Neera was quite eager to memorize her new Spook spell. I recommended to her that she try the Slumber spell, which she does know, pointing out that she had just witnessed how powerful it is. Neera agreed, although I wondered from her facial expression if she felt I was being pushy in making the request. I have a feeling that she will be inclined to do as she wishes when it comes to choosing which spells to prepare. But that is fine, I guess. After all, who am I to tell her what spells she should or shouldn't use?
Our rest period was interrupted by fearsome skeletons equipped with sword and shield. A dim evil glow like little yellow beads was everso faintly visible within their eye sockets, and it was most unnerving. We hastily beat a retreat into the fortress. The skeletons did not follow.
Imoen went back out and was able to lure one inside. She then nimbly dodged its throwing daggers as she darted down the fortress hallway and suddenly turned back to fire her bow. As she held the skeleton's attention with this attack, Neera and I came at it from behind with our staves. But before we could hit it, one of Imoen’s arrows brought an end to the skeleton's undeath.
The other one had wandered off, evidently. Because when Imoen went back outside to check for it, it was nowhere to be seen.
After completing our rest we sold items to Thalantyr that we had acquired from slain enemies. And, somewhat to Neera’s surprise, although it was dark we decided then to be off. By now Imoen and I had overcome our trepidation of nighttime in the wilderness. We have found that it gives Imoen a stealthier ability to scout ahead. Neera’s surprise at this was about us, however. She herself has keen half-elven night vision. She said she had assumed that we would be more fearful of darkness than we are.
We continued in our northwesterly direction. Before we had even gotten past the fortess, Imoen reported that a cloaked figure lurked. “Perhaps Kivan has returned here?” I wondered to myself aloud. Imoen noted that this apparead to be a taller person, probably a human.
A brief discussion ensued about whether we should approach him.
[Approach Permidion Stark? Red card = yes.]
[Note: This completes a second full deck of cards.]
The consensus was that perhaps it was simply time to take such a chance. Neera seemed to feel the strongest that it would be a good idea. Imoen, supported her. I was somewhat ambivalent, but agreed—adding that we should be prepare ourselves for the worst, naturally.
It turned out the man—and a human he indeed was—was a fellow who was planning to burgle Thalantyr’s fortress! Yet as he explained his scheme to us he seemed literally to talk himself out of it and abruptly walked off into the night. We were more than a little amused by this, and shared a quick laugh over it.
But Imoen and I also felt a little concerned for Thalantyr. So Imoen made a quick trip back to Thalantyr to tell him before we left, such that he might be wary of this burglar should he change his mind and return. When Imoen returned she reported that Thalantyr simply smiled and shook his head at the news, appearing none too concerned, but thanked her warmly anyway.
As we continued onward Imoen spotted yet another skeleton. We avoided him.
During our journey through the crossraods of the Lion’s Way and the Coast Way Neera told me the tale of how she had left High Forest. In her training to use the Weave by her mentor (a centaur!), she had conjured an immense fireball that immolated two of her friends. They were terribly injured, one of them possibly fatally.
But I was impressed that Neera seemed to sincerely care about the fact that she had harmed her friends. She said she had since shouldered a burden of guilt that she had fled in panic at the time, rather than trying to help smother the fire on them. And morevorer, she felt bad that her failure to control her magic had resulted in such terrible harm to a couple of her classmates.
She noted that she has an unusual ability with the Weave to cast spells that would ordinarily lie beyond the capabilities of mages with the same training as her. But the price for this ability seems to be that her magic is sometimes also affected by surges in the Weave that can produce very unexpectred results, she explained—which are sometimes horribly unwelcome.
I replied to Neera that I had read of such accounts, but more in the context of places that apparently cause it. I asked Neera if she had experienced such an aberration of the Weave outside of High Forest. She said that she indeed had. And she also noted also that no one else she knew in High Forest suffered from the same problem. So it seemed to be related to her ability itself, and not her former location in High Forest.
Neera went on to explain that the Red Wizards who are pursuing her seem to be interested in her strange abilities. But beyond that it was a mystery to her why they should be so motivated to chase after her so relentlessly.
I find myself liking Neera quite a bit. I think she is very much like us, Imoen and I. I think that she and I shall get along very well. I am a little worried about her magic, I admit. But we shall just have to see how it goes.
Along the way Imoen spotted a very large wolf prowling the area, which she foruntately led us well away from, but kept us still generally in the northwest direction.
Later in the day Imoen spotted a man who was dressed as a noble standing at the edge of a cliff by the sea, and he was by himself. How this came to be was of course anyone’s guess. He could be a powerful mage for all we knew. Or it may be just as likely that he is a man of some wealth who became separated from his caravan and will pay us handsomely to be protected until he reaches safety. We briefly discussed whether we should approach him, although no clear direction emerged. I decided to draw a rune stone.
[Does the party speak with the noble? Red card = yes.]
The oracle stone advised that I am to speak with the man. We approached him but he stood motionless and stared ahead. So lost in thought was he that he seemed to take no notice us at all. And when he did he was startled.
Then he startled us by threatening to leap to his death in the rocks far below!
I was actually rather alarmed that he may act! But I told him that there was no need to jump. And before long he calmed. He shared that his name was Chase. We talked for a bit, and he told that he had come to this very spot many, many times with the thought of taking his life. Yet something within had always restrained him.
By the time the conversation had ended, the young noble seemed to have resolved not to act on his earlier thoughts. He even joked that his mother in Beregost should build him a cliff closer to home. (At least I assume he was joking!)
Chase bid us good day and returned on his way home to Beregost. We advised him to be wary of bandits and wild creatures in the area. But he said he knew a path that was safe and how to remain hidden, as he had been coming here by himself for some time now. And with that he wandered off.
As a Diviner I found myself wondering if these be portents. First a burglar who decides to turn away from a plan with which he was at first hellbent to succeed. Then a suicidal man who chooses against ending his own life. Both turning away from a course they at first strongly felt they must pursue… I’m not sure what type of omen this might be… if any… but I did take note that it could be one. Perhaps it will all make some sense eventually.