The iron shortage only happened because so many people refused to eat their broccoli. Even though it's such an iron rich and yummy vegetable. :c
They literally suck the iron out of the soil. Dastardly evil Broccoliches!
So... Stuff I would like to learn more about.
Character: That lich you find under the pub. Does he change the barrels? How long has he been there? What has been his favourite beverage over the millennia? Is his name really Dave? (Surely it has to be Irakullimadaveanissus)
Item: Tome of Netheril, that Duke Elton gives you. Why O Why can't I read this. I used an identify spell and everything.
Area: Valley of the Tombs. So many questions. Why bury people so far away? (because Alatos did bury someone there, or deceased someone, and thier family buried someone there) Why no mummies? Do the tombs align themselves so a star shines in on a certain night?
As per PnP rules you need to be level 16 mage to create one requiring several weeks of work plus the 8th level spell Permanency which drains the casters Con by one.
So who the heck forged mountains of stupid +1 weapons giving up a piece of his health every time!? Don't 16 level wizards have better things to do?
(of course the same argument can be made about most PnP campaigns if you stick to the loot of the srandard adventure modules... )
Area with Bassilus south of High Hedge. I always wondered why is it, that everyone there is mad. Maybe there is a hidden cursed tomb of a cursed mad wizard or something.
CONSPIRACY TIME!
Totally not looking at Talanthyr as a suspect here. Powerful mage? Check. Lives in fortress protected by golems, in a rather hidden area he doesn't like? Check. I say Talanthyr is hiding there, possibly using a pseudonym (which is why no-one ever references the mighty Talanthyr elsewhere), to escape punishment for his enchantment experiments. Mellicamp went there because he gave up hope and accepted to live among other "test subjects" of his master who shared his fate.
Well, skeletons are supposedly the creation of experimental mages (as per their descriptions), and High Hedge is surrounded by skeletons - so there's certainly reason to think Thalantyr may be conducting some form of arcane experiments.
Not really a huge Forgotten Realms fan, but I vaguely remember Thalantyr being mentioned in one of the AD&D2 sourcebooks. Anyway...
I'm interested in (in no particular order): Soulafein Mencar Pebblecrusher & Co. Capt. Dennis & co. The pointless group of adventurers (Valeria, etc.) in the Bridge District. Saemon Havarian (I just like him). Veikang.
I'm interested in (in no particular order): Soulafein Mencar Pebblecrusher & Co. Capt. Dennis & co. The pointless group of adventurers (Valeria, etc.) in the Bridge District. Saemon Havarian (I just like him). Veikang.
While we're on the subject of BG2 loose ends, there's also that mysterious adventuring party that you meet in the sewers beneath the Copper Coronet, in the room with the giant mushrooms - nearly all of them have just been killed, and the Minotaur who leads them is taking his last breath as you walk in the room.
Having just played some of the TotSC areas for the first time ever, I think I'd like to see more info on the Ice Island area. From what the game suggests, this was apparently an area created by some higher power to weed out ultra powerful mages who lack the wisdom or responsibility to wield that power. The responsible ones are able to find a way out, while the irresponsible ones are forced to remain there.
I'd also like to know more about the background of the characters mentioned in the Harrower's description - the heroic female paladin Ariabel, who apparently confronted a vampire queen named Zerafex and her army of undead all by herself, in a crypt somewhere.
The description: "The Dethek runes along its sides name the blade 'Harrower,' a weapon once wielded by Ariabel, a Waterdhavian Paladin of Lathander who once carried the weapon into combat against the vampire Zerafex and her host of unholy spawn. Ariabel did not survive the contest, but decades later a gang of Tethyrian tomb robbers recovered her sword from the crypt where she fell."
Did Ariabel manage to kill Zerafex before dying herself? I would speculate that perhaps she did, if tomb raiders were later able to enter the crypt without meeting the same resistance.
Balduran's Island - I still don't understand enough about how lycanthropy came to the island, the relationship between the wolfweres and werewolves, and how Balduran figured in it.
According to Balduran's logbook and other info gotten along the way, Balduran and his pirate crew had engaged in a major battle with enemy forces from a land that they had been raiding. Balduran and his crew reportedly escaped with a bunch of loot, but suffered heavy losses in the battle. They then recruited new sailors from the local lands to replace the ones that had been killed, but unbeknownst to them, it would seem that many of these people were infected with lycanthropy. When Balduran arrived on what would become the "werewolf island" (either because he was shipwrecked, or to restock supplies), the lycanthropic sailors shed their human forms and attacked Balduran's original crew, killing them all and/or turning them into werewolves too. Eventually, the lycanthropic settlers on the island divided into two competing factions, the werewolves and wolfweres. The more intelligent werewolves built a fortress for themselves, but the more powerful wolfweres held control of Balduran's ship and the coastline, which the werewolves needed to get control of, in order to collectively escape from the island. The leader of the werewolves managed to build a small boat for himself and escape to Ulgoth's Beard, where he hired a group of adventurers (your party) to return to Balduran's island - under the pretense of retrieving artifacts, but actually to be coerced into destroying the wolfweres and paving the way for the werewolves to escape.
I agree with all you've said, but I guess my question is where the wolfweres figure in. As I understand it wolfweres aren't lycanthropes and are totally separate from werewolves. I guess the sailors recruited could've been made up of both types of wolf-creature, but if that were the case I'd imagine they'd fight each other since both races seem to hate the other.
I also heard a rumor that wolfweres are created when a werewolf mates with a wolf, but I don't know if that's true...
Having just played some of the TotSC areas for the first time ever, I think I'd like to see more info on the Ice Island area. From what the game suggests, this was apparently an area created by some higher power to weed out ultra powerful mages who lack the wisdom or responsibility to wield that power. The responsible ones are able to find a way out, while the irresponsible ones are forced to remain there.
Maybe it was created as a separate area for Spellhold to house some of their mages they don't want you knowing about and that Shandalar is indeed a Cowled Wizard.
What do you think happened to Balduran as well? Did he survive/escape?
Having just played some of the TotSC areas for the first time ever, I think I'd like to see more info on the Ice Island area. From what the game suggests, this was apparently an area created by some higher power to weed out ultra powerful mages who lack the wisdom or responsibility to wield that power. The responsible ones are able to find a way out, while the irresponsible ones are forced to remain there.
Maybe it was created as a separate area for Spellhold to house some of their mages they don't want you knowing about and that Shandalar is indeed a Cowled Wizard.
I actually thought about a Cowled Wizard connection at the time - perhaps it was a structure that they had created but since abandoned, but continues to function on its own?
What do you think happened to Balduran as well? Did he survive/escape?
The game appears to leave open what happened to Balduran - everyone questioned says that they simply don't know what happened. The second-to-last entry in Balduran's journal indicates that he had decided to go exploring the island on his own while the crew stayed behind and rested - which means he may not have been present at the beach when the lycanthropes shed their forms and attacked the other crew, in the incident described by Dradeel.
Character: Bjornin, Thalantyr, Winski (particularly interested), Ulraunt Edit: and Scar, I feel bad about forgetting him. It's not fair that you don't get to know more about him.
Area: Ulcaster, Ice Island, Candlekeep
Weapon: Vampire's Revenge +1. No, but seriously, the Cursed Berserking Sword +3. Headcanon and gut feeling tells me it has something to do with Kozah considering how strong the enchantment is (seriously, +3 weapons are rare) and where Brage is found. Perhaps the weapon is 'homing' to where it originated from? Hmm...
One for BG2 as well:
Character: Cowled Wizards. (ok they're a faction not a character, but after trying out the Valerie mod I want to know if they're all LE/NE jerks or if there are actually different sides to the group)
Area: Those forests which have barely any content other than Coran in one of them.
Weapon: Tossup between Lilarcor (how did it end up in the sewers and start dominating helpless commoners? Also who is Vallah?) and Blackrazor (this thing is a canonical D&D weapon, what is it doing in the hells?)
Still, what brought him to such a pissant town? His machine seems to be about elements. Maybe it's research on energies unique to this region? ENERGIES THAT MAKE PEOPLE GO MAD?
Beregost was a totally different scene during the heydays of Ulcaster. BTW, Ulcaster would be my choice for the area to know much more about. A reasonable question is how long has Thalantyr been there and did he conjure/build his castle or was it already there and he either restored it or perhaps it was a bequest for services rendered.
A person to know more about is Gorion. Why and how was he chosen to act as guardian/foster father for the Baalspawn?? How did it come to pass that Elminster, so close at hand and obviously concerned in the matter, failed to rendezvous with Gorion and Charname before Zarevok's ambush.
Batalista's Passport [Ring of Fire Resistance] What most interests me is what was in the mentality of Bioware devs re its remote location. Was there some story-line that would have brought Charname to that rocky dell which never got "fleshed" out. Perhaps something like an Ogre Mage that often happens to expire just below the stash-hole.
Character: Bjornin, Thalantyr, Winski (particularly interested), Ulraunt Edit: and Scar, I feel bad about forgetting him. It's not fair that you don't get to know more about him.
Area: Ulcaster, Ice Island, Candlekeep
Weapon: Vampire's Revenge +1. No, but seriously, the Cursed Berserking Sword +3. Headcanon and gut feeling tells me it has something to do with Kozah considering how strong the enchantment is (seriously, +3 weapons are rare) and where Brage is found. Perhaps the weapon is 'homing' to where it originated from? Hmm...
One for BG2 as well:
Character: Cowled Wizards. (ok they're a faction not a character, but after trying out the Valerie mod I want to know if they're all LE/NE jerks or if there are actually different sides to the group)
Area: Those forests which have barely any content other than Coran in one of them.
Weapon: Tossup between Lilarcor (how did it end up in the sewers and start dominating helpless commoners? Also who is Vallah?) and Blackrazor (this thing is a canonical D&D weapon, what is it doing in the hells?)
I'll try to help a bit from what I remember from the sourcebooks. Should be from the "Lands of Intrigue" series. I'll need to refer to them for more details but this is a start.
* Cowled Wizards *
Many of them are evil or simply amoral in the pursuit of wealth. Waukeen is a True Neutral deity, and since Amn is one of her centers of worship, Amn people are just like that, even though I think she was still imprisoned in the Abyss by the demon lord Graz'zt at the time of the game (1369DR) and Lliira, Chaotic Good goddess of joy, was managing her portfolio (which presumably should cause her followers to be more joyful and less money-minded LOL)
As an aside, the wizard who attacks you in the final Cowled Wizard ambush for casting spells without license, one Zalladora, is actually a VERY powerful wizard. Far, far, more powerful than anyone in the game.
In the sourcebooks, she is supposed to be called Zallanora Argentresses, and a True Neutral elf mage of 3rd-level, but she is actually possessed by the spirit of the Shoon Demilich, a ridiculously powerful demilich (L36 mage when alive IIRC). There is an artifact by the name "Tome of the Unicorn" linked to the demilich that allowed the demilich to swap souls with Zallanora after arranging for her to be captured. Zallanora's spirit is now trapped in the tome while Shoon lives in her body.
Right now, Shoon just wants to gain power in his alias as Zallanora, and will take pains to ensure that Zallanora is not suspected to wield more power than her three mage levels will suggest. Bioware went out of canon here by making her an archmage sent to attack the party.
Twisted Rune also has a backstory of its own, and I wonder why they are in Amn without any explanation. Not too satisfied by it, but I'll just read the books
@Skaffen liches do not lose CON and have to kill all those hours they dont sleep... Thus, the insane amount of low magical weapons around.
That also explains what is that lich in the city gates doing all day.
It might also explain why Kangaxx was dismembered. He got bored of creating longswords +1 and in secret, under Mount Doom, he created the One Ring (of Gaxx) to control all +1 and +2 weapons. After some unexplained hara kiris by random mobs, he was caught and punished. Who can blame him? It has to be dead boring being a lich in BG2
About all those that i would like to know about (other than the mentioned), irenicus spider-girlfriend would be one of my top 5. Did he really went with that chick? And why?
The crazy gnome in the circus too. The solar of ToB as well. What is he doing there ?
On another subject, i am really interested in the financial terms Amn's central bank gives merchants. Those guys buy anything! Where do they get the money? Hiw can they not be broke with such clearly poor skills in trading?
Comments
So... Stuff I would like to learn more about.
Character: That lich you find under the pub. Does he change the barrels? How long has he been there? What has been his favourite beverage over the millennia? Is his name really Dave? (Surely it has to be Irakullimadaveanissus)
Item: Tome of Netheril, that Duke Elton gives you. Why O Why can't I read this. I used an identify spell and everything.
Area: Valley of the Tombs. So many questions. Why bury people so far away? (because Alatos did bury someone there, or deceased someone, and thier family buried someone there) Why no mummies? Do the tombs align themselves so a star shines in on a certain night?
As per PnP rules you need to be level 16 mage to create one requiring several weeks of work plus the 8th level spell Permanency which drains the casters Con by one.
So who the heck forged mountains of stupid +1 weapons giving up a piece of his health every time!? Don't 16 level wizards have better things to do?
(of course the same argument can be made about most PnP campaigns if you stick to the loot of the srandard adventure modules...
I'm interested in (in no particular order):
Soulafein
Mencar Pebblecrusher & Co.
Capt. Dennis & co.
The pointless group of adventurers (Valeria, etc.) in the Bridge District.
Saemon Havarian (I just like him).
Veikang.
The description:
"The Dethek runes along its sides name the blade 'Harrower,' a weapon once wielded by Ariabel, a Waterdhavian Paladin of Lathander who once carried the weapon into combat against the vampire Zerafex and her host of unholy spawn. Ariabel did not survive the contest, but decades later a gang of Tethyrian tomb robbers recovered her sword from the crypt where she fell."
Did Ariabel manage to kill Zerafex before dying herself? I would speculate that perhaps she did, if tomb raiders were later able to enter the crypt without meeting the same resistance.
http://www.beamdog.com/files/bgee/BGManual1_print.pdf
He's a 17trh level archmage with Netherese magic up his sleeve and carries a "staff of power."
Pallonia, the astrologer...
Poe, the bard at Firewine...
They might all have made interesting joinable NPCs, imo.
Mutamin's Garden (Basilisk grinding spot)
Sling +3: Arla's Dragonbane
I also heard a rumor that wolfweres are created when a werewolf mates with a wolf, but I don't know if that's true...
What do you think happened to Balduran as well? Did he survive/escape?
I actually thought about a Cowled Wizard connection at the time - perhaps it was a structure that they had created but since abandoned, but continues to function on its own?
The game appears to leave open what happened to Balduran - everyone questioned says that they simply don't know what happened. The second-to-last entry in Balduran's journal indicates that he had decided to go exploring the island on his own while the crew stayed behind and rested - which means he may not have been present at the beach when the lycanthropes shed their forms and attacked the other crew, in the incident described by Dradeel.
Area: Ulcaster, Ice Island, Candlekeep
Weapon: Vampire's Revenge +1. No, but seriously, the Cursed Berserking Sword +3. Headcanon and gut feeling tells me it has something to do with Kozah considering how strong the enchantment is (seriously, +3 weapons are rare) and where Brage is found. Perhaps the weapon is 'homing' to where it originated from? Hmm...
One for BG2 as well:
Character: Cowled Wizards. (ok they're a faction not a character, but after trying out the Valerie mod I want to know if they're all LE/NE jerks or if there are actually different sides to the group)
Area: Those forests which have barely any content other than Coran in one of them.
Weapon: Tossup between Lilarcor (how did it end up in the sewers and start dominating helpless commoners? Also who is Vallah?) and Blackrazor (this thing is a canonical D&D weapon, what is it doing in the hells?)
A person to know more about is Gorion. Why and how was he chosen to act as guardian/foster father for the Baalspawn?? How did it come to pass that Elminster, so close at hand and obviously concerned in the matter, failed to rendezvous with Gorion and Charname before Zarevok's ambush.
Batalista's Passport [Ring of Fire Resistance] What most interests me is what was in the mentality of Bioware devs re its remote location. Was there some story-line that would have brought Charname to that rocky dell which never got "fleshed" out. Perhaps something like an Ogre Mage that often happens to expire just below the stash-hole.
* Cowled Wizards *
Many of them are evil or simply amoral in the pursuit of wealth. Waukeen is a True Neutral deity, and since Amn is one of her centers of worship, Amn people are just like that, even though I think she was still imprisoned in the Abyss by the demon lord Graz'zt at the time of the game (1369DR) and Lliira, Chaotic Good goddess of joy, was managing her portfolio (which presumably should cause her followers to be more joyful and less money-minded LOL)
As an aside, the wizard who attacks you in the final Cowled Wizard ambush for casting spells without license, one Zalladora, is actually a VERY powerful wizard. Far, far, more powerful than anyone in the game.
In the sourcebooks, she is supposed to be called Zallanora Argentresses, and a True Neutral elf mage of 3rd-level, but she is actually possessed by the spirit of the Shoon Demilich, a ridiculously powerful demilich (L36 mage when alive IIRC). There is an artifact by the name "Tome of the Unicorn" linked to the demilich that allowed the demilich to swap souls with Zallanora after arranging for her to be captured. Zallanora's spirit is now trapped in the tome while Shoon lives in her body.
Right now, Shoon just wants to gain power in his alias as Zallanora, and will take pains to ensure that Zallanora is not suspected to wield more power than her three mage levels will suggest. Bioware went out of canon here by making her an archmage sent to attack the party.
Twisted Rune also has a backstory of its own, and I wonder why they are in Amn without any explanation. Not too satisfied by it, but I'll just read the books
That also explains what is that lich in the city gates doing all day.
It might also explain why Kangaxx was dismembered. He got bored of creating longswords +1 and in secret, under Mount Doom, he created the One Ring (of Gaxx) to control all +1 and +2 weapons. After some unexplained hara kiris by random mobs, he was caught and punished. Who can blame him? It has to be dead boring being a lich in BG2
The crazy gnome in the circus too. The solar of ToB as well. What is he doing there ?