[Roleplay] Saul's Saga (Minimal Reload)
Rewolf
Member Posts: 102
As some of you might have read on the forums, I have been playing Baldur's gate for over 14 years now, but I've never been able to finish the game, let alone start Baldur's Gate 2. In hopes of actually finishing the game I thought it would be nice to create a Roleplaying playthrough for everyone to follow. This way I would have some encouragement (If I write well enough!) to play on and hopefully finish the game.
The rules I use for myself is as follows:
- I try to roleplay the game and this journal as much as possible. This means sleeping at normal times ingame if possible and trying to pick dialogue options which are fitting for my character.
- I will only reload on the death of CHARNAME, not on the death of Party members. If that happens I will just have to see how I can reform my party.
The Saga follows a man named Saul Loken, who grew up as an orphan in Candlekeep. Saul was tutored by the sage Gorion and grew up to be a fine man of principles.
- Class: Kensai/Cleric
- Alignment: Neutral Good
Saul had always wanted to become a monk after some of the had visited Candlekeep in his past. However, Gorion withheld him from this path, claiming that another path was destined for him, not one spend in a monastery. Besides that, he claimed that Saul didn't possess the amount of psionic energy needed to become trained into a monk. Disappointed, Saul took it on himself to become as skilled and closest to the elegance, nimbleness and agility of a monk.
He followed the way of Lothander in fighting for Good and pursuing those who profit from actively doing Evil deeds. He believes that in the world there should be a balance of power between Good and Evil. Following the stories he had heard and read, the conclusion was clear. With great power there always came great costs and losses, whether it was power in the hands of a God, realm or man in the name of Good or Evil. Saul thinks that neither Good or Evil would be good to hold absolute Power as it would either corrupt or destroy itself or be the destroyed by the opposite side. He himself does however support Good and actively tries to tip the scale of balance in favor of Good, whether he has to break the law for it or not. He does not actively fights Evil persons, because as long as they don't do anything Evil, they don't have to be fought or destroyed. they have as much right to exists in such a case as someone who isn't Evil as well and doesn't do anything Evil just as well.
As weapon of choice, he chose to fight with the Quarterstaff. Not wanting to maim his enemies, but only to let them learn from the bruises and broken bones he would deliver (though he still had to actually get into a fight for the first time of his life). Plus, with a Quarterstaff it didn't matter with what part you hit someone, as long as you hit right it always hurt. The greater agility and reach he had from fighting with this weapon as well as fighting unarmored was something Saul savored and thrived upon, being able to use greater dexterity and his wits to outsmart and manoeuvre any opponent.
The rules I use for myself is as follows:
- I try to roleplay the game and this journal as much as possible. This means sleeping at normal times ingame if possible and trying to pick dialogue options which are fitting for my character.
- I will only reload on the death of CHARNAME, not on the death of Party members. If that happens I will just have to see how I can reform my party.
The Saga follows a man named Saul Loken, who grew up as an orphan in Candlekeep. Saul was tutored by the sage Gorion and grew up to be a fine man of principles.
- Class: Kensai/Cleric
- Alignment: Neutral Good
Saul had always wanted to become a monk after some of the had visited Candlekeep in his past. However, Gorion withheld him from this path, claiming that another path was destined for him, not one spend in a monastery. Besides that, he claimed that Saul didn't possess the amount of psionic energy needed to become trained into a monk. Disappointed, Saul took it on himself to become as skilled and closest to the elegance, nimbleness and agility of a monk.
He followed the way of Lothander in fighting for Good and pursuing those who profit from actively doing Evil deeds. He believes that in the world there should be a balance of power between Good and Evil. Following the stories he had heard and read, the conclusion was clear. With great power there always came great costs and losses, whether it was power in the hands of a God, realm or man in the name of Good or Evil. Saul thinks that neither Good or Evil would be good to hold absolute Power as it would either corrupt or destroy itself or be the destroyed by the opposite side. He himself does however support Good and actively tries to tip the scale of balance in favor of Good, whether he has to break the law for it or not. He does not actively fights Evil persons, because as long as they don't do anything Evil, they don't have to be fought or destroyed. they have as much right to exists in such a case as someone who isn't Evil as well and doesn't do anything Evil just as well.
As weapon of choice, he chose to fight with the Quarterstaff. Not wanting to maim his enemies, but only to let them learn from the bruises and broken bones he would deliver (though he still had to actually get into a fight for the first time of his life). Plus, with a Quarterstaff it didn't matter with what part you hit someone, as long as you hit right it always hurt. The greater agility and reach he had from fighting with this weapon as well as fighting unarmored was something Saul savored and thrived upon, being able to use greater dexterity and his wits to outsmart and manoeuvre any opponent.
4
Comments
"No way I will go first you buffoon! Gorion would sooner smack a book on your head then that I would go to Winthrop before you. Besides, once he sees me coming first thing in the morning, he'll know I would be up to something." Imoen was as high-spirited as she ever was, laughing playfully at him. He wasn't going to get away with this and he knew it. She was way too cunning, sly and charming enough to use her wits and talk her way out of these things and he couldn't blame her. Besides, she wasn't getting the attention he got as Gorion's Apprentice. Whatever he deed was noticed and reported to Gorion and, depending on what he did, he would either get a correcting preach or another 'meaningful' lesson in the arts of humility and humbleness.
Imoen slapped Saul lightly on his head and snapped him out of his own mind. "Well? Are you going or are you actually going to wait on Gorion's smacking? Because in that case I might as well get a coffin for you, by the time that might happen Ao will have probably already destroyed the world." Saul stepped outside the library regretfully, walking towards Winthrop's Inn. Clean as an elven arse it might be, but still there were always chores that needed to be done.
The reminder of the day progressed as usual, with Saul doing the chores he was directed to do all over the day. Phlydia managed to lose one of her books again which needed to be found (which Saul found strange, since they did reside in the citadel with the biggest library on the Sword Coast. Why couldn't she just grab another copy?) and Hull once again showed his drinking prowess last night. And now it was all up to the mighty Saul to save them all from their troubles. The most epic moment was probably the quest where he had to save Reever's storage from vicious rats!
Although Saul didn't mind doing these things, as Gorion had teached him that the greatest rewards were in the smallest tasks, but he knew he was capable of much more and he was pretty sure Gorion knew it too. It always felt that something was held back from him, but no one seemed to either know this or wanted to tell him this. Maybe today will be different, Saul thought, although that is what I have been thinking almost every month now. He felt ready to tread into the world outside, to explore and learn more then only from the letters in the books and the words from Gorion's lessons. He had heard them, read them, studied them and it wouldn't be surprising if he couldn't sleep so well because his head was so stuffed with the information. He felt like something dark was approaching, but he couldn't imagine anything evil getting in the thick walls of Candlekeep. Just with that thought, Saul noticed something different in the Priest's Quarters to his right. He saw a figure standing inside, but it wasn't a Priest. A hooded man stood inside looking at a piece of parchment like he was trying to recognize something or trying to find something. He might be needing help, Saul thought and he stepped inside to offer his help.
"Hey there, do you need some help?" The man suddenly turned around with a shock on his face, as if some secret had been discovered, but at soon as he saw Saul his features become more at ease. "Oh good, I do need some help. You are the ward of Gorion, are you not?" It felt strange that someone was asking him this question. Practically everyone in Candlekeep knew Gorion and thus knew Saul, but he couldn't judge the man just but not having that knowledge. "I might be, what interest is that to you?", Saul replied as he tried to assess the situation that was developing. The man stepped closer to him and slowly moved his right arm towards his belt. "Good, 'cause I have a blade with your name on it."
He lunged towards Saul with a drawn knife from his belt, aiming at the throat for a decapitating strike. Years of focus, training and skill came into practice for Saul as he drew his quarterstaff from his back in instinct and gave a reply to the strike, just before the knife hit his flesh. Repelling the strike backwards with a push of his staff, Saul quickly shuffled his feet forward and used his body and momentum to give a full thrust on his attacker's torso with the middle of his staff. Caught off guard, the assassin stumbled back before being able to restore his posture, but that was all Saul needed. Making a low handed strike with the other side of his staff, Saul hit the assassin in his side and could feel the spleen rupture on the impact. As his opponent shrieked out in pain and lunged forward in anger, Saul followed up his low strike a high handed strike to finish this off. With one fell blow he hit the man on his head and he fell lifeless on the ground.
In a matter of seconds the fight had started and was already over. Shaking of adrenaline and fear Saul quietly stepped outside once again. Gorion had to know this! Not only did he actually managed to fight someone off, someone was also after him!
Starting off with a small intro! This will be followed up by more actual Game experience! I will try to write pieces like this to show some part of the story (in my head) behind the games and the characters and also to post some journal entries that my character would write down.
Out of breath, he almost ran Gorion over. "Oh my child, I am glad I've found you." So was Saul, telling Gorion what had just happened."It is as I feared. These walls aren't safe anymore. We must hurry and leave immediately. By nightfall we shall travel towards the Friendly Arm Inn where we shall meet some old friends of mine, Khalid and Jaheira and who will help us further."
With the moon at it's lowest point they left Candlekeep, hoping to hide in the shadows of the night and evade any danger. It wouldn't last long, however. Shortly after leaving the citadel they were ambushed by a strong looking party.
"Hand over your ward old man and no one shall be hurt!" Gorion didn't look impressed by what the armored had just said or seemingly promised. "You would be a fool if you think I would trust your benevolance. Step aside, and you and your lackeys shall be left unhurt." Neither side looked like stepping back and the tension was growing with each fleeting second, waiting to explode. Both sides were intensely studying the other, waiting on a move or mistake from their opponent.
Suddenly Gorion incited the battle when he waved his arms and started casting a spell Saul recognized as Invisibility. Before being able to figure out why Gorion would cast it he realized his feet were starting to disappear when he looked down. "Quick my child, run!"
Frozen with a mixture of fear and shock, he stood nailed to the ground while the scene around him erupted into a vicious battle. Breaking free from his nerves, Saul dashed away from the arrows and spells that were starting to fly around him.
Almost 150 feet into his escape, he was suddenly grasped by someone from behind a tree. Panicked, he frantically tried to break free, until he saw the eyes of his assailant. Those deep blue eyes were all too familiar and the slight locks of red hair eased his mind a little. "We have to help Gorion!" Imoen was full of adrenaline, not only due to grabbing Saul but also out of concern for their foster father. She almost dashed out, back into the clearing. "Wait!" This time it was Saul who held her back. They captured what was to be the last moments of the battle. Gorion had fought almost all the attackers, save one. The armored man and him were going head to head. As much as Saul wanted Gorion to win, it would never happen. With one fell blow from the armored figure Gorion was struck down.
Never before had time looked so bleak for Saul. Although he wasn't alone now, he couldn't shake of the feeling of guilt and anger he had. "We have to get to the bottom of this Saul! This was not just a random ambush, they are out for you. And the letter Gorion had with him...it clearly indicated that something is amiss and you're likely to be a part of it!" He knew Imoen was right. But how could they possibly defeat such a man?
Saul turned to Imoen to consult her. "We should travel to the Friendly Arm Inn as Gorion wished and meet up with this Khalid & Jaheira. If they're truly friends, then they maybe know more of this or can help us uncover it." Together they started to head down the Lionsway, traveling carefully, still watching their surroundings for any impending ambush or worse fates.
Just as they came up to the crossroads with Beregost, they were suddenly approached by an old man. "Ho there wanderer. Stay thy course a moment to indulge an old man." Reluctantly they stopped and examined the man standing before them. Not recognizing him as a threat, Saul finally replied and told the man that they were off to the Friendly Arm Inn, to find some shelter and friends. "Ah, I think you would do well by following that path indeed. I wish you further luck in your travels because in these times everyone needs all the help they can get. Speaking of help, I believe your companion has some nifty potions you might use, so you might well dispense that." With those words the man left Saul and Imoen behind, puzzled as to who this stranger was.
Saul turned to Imoen with questioning look after his last remark. "What potions is he talking about Imoen?" Bowing her head slightly down and getting a little color on her cheeks she confessed to him what had happened."You remember that halfling and human we met before? The ones that didn't look too friendly? Well, I figured that they didn't really needed them since they already looked good enough equipped so I gladly relieved them of their burden..." Saul at first couldn't believe what he had just heard and shook his head in disbelief. On the other hand, what else should he have expected from Imoen? She was never the one to keep her hands strictly in her own pockets and those figures did look they were up to no good. Since he couldn't turn back the things that had happened, they only resolve was to travel further.
Without any hinder they manage to get to the Friendly Arm Inn, eagerly awaiting possible answers or help that awaited them inside. Just before they entered the steps towards the Inn, they were already approached by a wizardly looking man. "Hi there friend. You look familiar, might I ask what you're arriving here for." Relieved to have found the help they were looking for, but still cautious enough not to trust anyone outright, Saul replied to the man they were here to find some friends. "Ah, then you are definitely the one I am looking for. I will bring you to your friends in a minute if you'll just hold still for a minute." Due to training and living in Candlekeep for years, both Imoen and Saul recognized the man started casting a spell and realized to this man was up to no good. In quick response Saul casted a psychic barrier over himself and Imoen before the wizard could use his spells on them. Imoen had already started firing at the wizard and Saul tapped into his Focus and used his Kai to engage the wizard as well. In a matter of seconds the guards were also alerted by the fight and joined them against the wizard. It didn't take long to take him down, though with a final ditched effort he did manage to inflict some serious injury on Saul.
Imoen immediatly turned to guards for help. "Quick, we have to do something!" Two figures appeared in the doorway just as she said that. "Step away child and let the spirit of nature do it's work." It was a woman and a man who had heard the trouble from the fighting outside and came to their help. She kneeled over Saul and quickly casted a healing spell to cure the injuries he had sustained. "I am Jaheira and this is my husband Khalid. We heard trouble outside and came to see what was happening. Is there anyway we can help you?"
"I'll kill the bastard who done it!" It was a day later and Jaheira was still upset by Gorion's death. "C-c-calm down now d-d-dear, we shall find the t-t-truth" Khalid didn't look like the perfect partner for her, but for the trained eye it was visible that they found in each other what they lacked in themselves. Saul decided to break in on the conversation and tried to free the conversation from the anger and frustration that was building up. "I think we all share that opinion. However, I can not just leave this place for my own answers and leave the questions of others unanswered." All their eyes turned to Saul and sat down to discuss the options. In the end the group came to the same conclusion. They would go and find the cause behind all of this, but they wouldn't let other losses go unsolved if they could. "Starting with the ring of Joia, since that seems to be the closest task at hands"
Exploring the surroundings of the Friendly Arm Inn, Jaheira and Imoen functioned as scouts, sniffing out any danger that might lay ahead. It was not 1, but 2 different groups of Hobgoblins they found, lurking just north of the Inn. Both groups were underequipped and trained in comparison with their own group and they were easily dispatched with a few blows.
After finding Joia's ring among the corpses of the Hobgoblins, the group returned to the Inn to give it back to her. Upon entering the Friendly Arm Inn, they were approached by Bentley Mirrorshade, who had a urgent look on his face. "Jaheira, I just got an important message delivered here for you! It's from Berrun and he's asking you for help with the Iron Crisis he's having down the mines!" Saul and Imoen had no idea who this Berrun was, but seeing the look on Jaheira's and Khalid face when his name was mentioned showed that this was someone who's call for help they couldn't decline.
"I think we should leave that belt-fetish Ogre for what it is. The Dwarf should have realized her own troubles before even needing to call for our help. " Jaheira was quite clear in her opinion on this and her desire to help their acquaintance. Imoen did seem to agree her, "Yeah, and to be honest she's got to be a mutton-headed writer, trying to argue with an ogre over a belt or a signed book.....still it might be worth looking into because helping mutton-headed people is what I've been doing all my life, right Saul?" She looked at him and gave him a small wink. He didn;t agree with her about being mutton-headed, but she was right that he could always count on her help. Khalid and Saul didn't voice any opinion on the intellect of Unshey, but did express the desire to find out this Ogre and thus they traveled southwards to find that first.
Exploring the area around the Lion's Way, it should be easy to track a creature as big as an Ogre. That was not what they found first tough. 2 Gibberlings, seemingly guarding a rock got their attention first. Easily struck down, they found out what the Gibberlings had been guarding. A magical ring, hidden within the rock. That had to wait until they got back and could identify it. Not long after that Jaheira recognized the tracks that could only indicate an Ogre was nearby. Preparing defensive spells they would need, the group quickly engaged in battle to surprise the Ogre in the first rounds. The plan seemed to have worked, because the Ogre didn't put up much of a fight, although Khalid needed to drink one of his healing potions to recover from the blow he had received mid-fighting.
"Here, you should take my girdle. With the road you have ahead of you, you'll need it more then me self." Unshey offered the girdle back to Saul after hearing they were going to Nashkel. Happy as she was to have her possesion back, she realised that staying put in a fortress didn't require extra protection from magical items in comparison to those who dared the roads. "I am not going to get in any trouble with the stability these stone walls provide. Just take it, ya wee lass." Not wanting to look ungrateful, Saul could do nothing but accept the offer. He was quite pleased to take the girdle though, especially since it was much better then the other girdle was that the Ogre had been wearing. Never going to put that one on, he thought to himself. This quest has proven to be a fortunate one. The ring they founded turned out to be a ring of protection. Who ever had managed to lost that to those Gibberlings didn't manage to get the most out of it, it seems. The belt was also a enchanted belt, which provided protection against swords and arrows. Saul figured out that would come in handy, considering the fact that he didn't wear any armor to do this for him.
"So, what are we going to do now?" Imoen was as cheerful for the next trip as she always was. Though she still mourned for the loss of her foster father, she looked happy to be outside the walls of Candlekeep and see more of the world. They didn't need to think about that very long and Saul quickly gave her a reply. "Well, only the spider infestation of Landrin's home in Beregost remains now, so I guess we'll go that way. Besides, it is on the route to Nashkel anyway and I don't think leaving a bunch of Giant Spiders in a town is something I can agree with." They would find out why Gorion had to give his life to protect Saul, but first, Berrun's call for help couldn't be ignored....