The (no-reload) exploits of Amend of Candlekeep, Bounty and Treasure Hunter, and Company
Aurorus
Member Posts: 201
Having completed BGI with my good archer on SCS, I want to have 2 other charnames ready for SoA. I have not played much of SoA for many years and want to run through 1 time on vanilla to refresh my metagame memory before starting my archer through on SCS. I also want to play each alignment and each type of class (rogue, fighter, divine caster, arcane caster). I have a good fighter (archer) ready to go, but alas my bard has died, my druid has died (3 times now), and my sorceror has died. My thief, however, has performed admirably through the early and mid portions of BGI, and so this journal will detail his exploits through the Sword Coast.
Meet the protagonist, Amend of Candlekeep, ward and foster-child of the sage Gorion as he appears now (just took the screenshot), in the city of Baldur´s Gate.
Amend was raised in shelter and seclusion in Candlekeep under the tutelage of Gorion, a sage and spellcaster of some merit. From Gorion, Amend learned the importance of honoring one´s word and responsibility. A man´s word is his bond and fidelity to promises is the measure of any man.
Amend also learned something else, that Gorion never mentioned; everyone who visited Candlekeep was rich. Scholars, foppish dandies, petty nobles, powerful wizards, they all had one thing in common: money. The guards, many of whom were Aurorus´ friends, such as Hall, were poor. They drank too much, gambled, and engaged in other sorts of silly behavior to escape the reality that they were nothing more than servants and bodyguards, whose lives were forfeit if necessary, to protect their betters: everyone with money. If his word was the measure of a man, money was the measure of all other things. Everything could be had with money: women, power, pleasure, freedom from want, security, comfort. It was the fruit of labors and struggles: the measure of a man´s success against the adversities world.
He learned these lessons rather late, however, having frittered away most of his youth on frivolous activities: drinking and gambling with Hull, sneaking around the keep and pilfering little things for fun with his childhood friend Imoen, and so forth. The only real skills he possessed were a passable ability with a bow and a sword that he learned from Hull and the skills he developed with Imoen. He was possessed of an innate intelligence, however, and had a keen mind for mechanical things, dabbling with the creation of small traps and the like, capturing and killing squirrels and rats inside the keep.
So when Gorion told him that they would have to leave Candlekeep immediately because of a growing danger there and 2 assassins tried to kill him, Aurorus understood immediately what was at stake: his life. This would be a battle for his life, and it was time to put away childhood things, become a man, and use what little skills he had to survive and prosper in a harsh world.
Meet the protagonist, Amend of Candlekeep, ward and foster-child of the sage Gorion as he appears now (just took the screenshot), in the city of Baldur´s Gate.
Amend was raised in shelter and seclusion in Candlekeep under the tutelage of Gorion, a sage and spellcaster of some merit. From Gorion, Amend learned the importance of honoring one´s word and responsibility. A man´s word is his bond and fidelity to promises is the measure of any man.
Amend also learned something else, that Gorion never mentioned; everyone who visited Candlekeep was rich. Scholars, foppish dandies, petty nobles, powerful wizards, they all had one thing in common: money. The guards, many of whom were Aurorus´ friends, such as Hall, were poor. They drank too much, gambled, and engaged in other sorts of silly behavior to escape the reality that they were nothing more than servants and bodyguards, whose lives were forfeit if necessary, to protect their betters: everyone with money. If his word was the measure of a man, money was the measure of all other things. Everything could be had with money: women, power, pleasure, freedom from want, security, comfort. It was the fruit of labors and struggles: the measure of a man´s success against the adversities world.
He learned these lessons rather late, however, having frittered away most of his youth on frivolous activities: drinking and gambling with Hull, sneaking around the keep and pilfering little things for fun with his childhood friend Imoen, and so forth. The only real skills he possessed were a passable ability with a bow and a sword that he learned from Hull and the skills he developed with Imoen. He was possessed of an innate intelligence, however, and had a keen mind for mechanical things, dabbling with the creation of small traps and the like, capturing and killing squirrels and rats inside the keep.
So when Gorion told him that they would have to leave Candlekeep immediately because of a growing danger there and 2 assassins tried to kill him, Aurorus understood immediately what was at stake: his life. This would be a battle for his life, and it was time to put away childhood things, become a man, and use what little skills he had to survive and prosper in a harsh world.
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Amend and Gorion were ambushed in the night outside the gates of Candlekeep by an armored figure and his cohorts; the armored giant killed Gorion and Amend fled south into the woods. The next morning, Amend´s childhood friend, Imoen, caught up with him and joined him. After returning to the site of the ambush to pilfer what they could from the bodies of Gorion and the assailants, meeting 2 suspicious travelers on the road (whom Amend did not trust), and finding a diamond lodged in a tree-trunk, Amend and Imoen set off south through the woods to a place known as High Hedge.
They encountered a couple skeletons and a gnoll near High Hedge and continued south, avoiding the roads and public places (despite Gorion´s advice to head immediately to the Friendly Arm Inn). There they encountered a man who had been polymorphed into a chicken begging their assistance to return him to his master at High Hedge, which Amend and Imoen did, expecting some reward for this service. Thalantyr, the mage at High Hedge, was unable to transform the man back into human form and offered no payment for the services that Amend had rendered, despite the great risk to his own life, having had to kill a dangerous wolf and several skeletons to assist this wizard. Amend determined, one day, to extract payment from this Thalantyr, by one manner or another. Amend also learned to never, ever do anything for anyone unless they explicitly offer payment. In a battle for one´s life against the cruelty of the world, it is folly to take risks for nothing.
Amend and Imoen then departed High Hedge, east for Beregost, hoping to find some paying work in town. They were grateful to encounter Tethtoril from High Hedge there who payed them generously for purchasing a tome from him from a local purveyor. They also narrowly avoided conflict with a ruffian in a local tavern (Amend and Imoen reached lvl 2 and Amend´s trap-making skills improved). The next evening, the pair set off south of town to explore the nearby woods.
Along the way, they encountered a pair of Ogrillons whom they killed with their bows. One of the ogrillons had a note for a woman in Beregost. They also encountered a dark-skinned elf, a drow, being hunted by a flaming fist mercenary, who begged their help against this attacker. Against his better judgement (an unnecessary risk without any reward), Amend agreed to help this mysterious beauty. Anyone else and Amend would have said no, but there was something about this elf, something alluring, mysterious, and Amend felt something that he had never felt before. He felt compelled to help her. He knew immediately that this feeling was dangerous. The feelings that this dark elf stirred in him caused him to lose control and discipline: like a child again and unacceptable in a battle for one´s life. Nevertheless, after killing the flaming fist officer, Amend accepted this woman, Viconia´s, offer to join him. He could not do otherwise and could not resist her offer, though everything he had accepted as true cried out against her.
Moving through the woods further, the trio encountered some hobgoblins. They sought to lure the hobgoblins into a trap and attacking, then withdrawing. The woods were alive this evening however with all sorts of nasties. As they withdrew, the encoutered a ghast, some gibberlings, more hobgoblins, and a ghoul (It was amazing actually, every site spawned there encounters, some more than once). Fighting a running battle through the woods for much of the night, Amend, Viconia, and Imoen were able to slay the host of assailants.
(Note I changed Amend´s image after I decided to use his original image for my sorceror, who subsequently died, so his image in these early adventures differs from his later, more mature image).
Exhausted from their battle in the woods south of Beregost (Amend and Imoen reached lvl 3), the trio returned to the town to rest the following day. In the evening, they entered a shop next to Feldepost´s Inn, where they encountered a dwarf hiring mercenaries to search for a caravan, just the type of work Amend was searching. They agreed to help this dwarf, Kagain, search for his lost caravan, and Kagain joined them, making the company 4. After killing some spiders in a house that Imoen had scouted that evening (her curiosity got the better of her and she snuck in) the group stopped at the Burning Wizard for ale for the dwarf before setting off for the north of Beregost to search for Kagain´s caravan.
In the Wizard, a halfling stole money from Amend. Infuriated that the proprietor would do nothing to right this wrong, he sent Imoen to search for the halfling´s quarters in the inn. In his quarters, Imoen found an enchanted mace, which they took as recompense for the halfling´s thievery. Amend gave the mace as a gift to Viconia. Amend and Company then departed north.
On the way out of town, a woman approached them pleading for help against bandits. She offered no reward, however, and Amend told her to keep her distance. The bandits, mistaking Amend for her protector, attacked regardless, killing the woman and forcing Amend to flee around a corner to hide, where he was able to kill the final enemy with his first exploding backstab (a milestone to remember for any rogue).
North of Beregost, they found several looted and pillaged caravans, and Kagain decided to abandon the quest and continue on in the company of Amend, searching for other paying work. Amend and Kagain had come to respect and appreciate one another. Amend found Kagain to be both reasonable and capable: a rare combination. He was a true friend, and Amend was willing to overlook the dwarf´s fondness for ale, a weakness, but his only weakness. While searching, they encountered an ogre and with the help of a command spell from Viconia, slew the ogre to find that he was carrying several belts, which may have some value at the Friendly Arm Inn.
So the company proceeded north to the inn, where another assassin, Tarnesh, awaited Amend. Tarnesh was able to sleep Kagain, but fell to another command spell by Viconia and an arrow from Amend that sunk deep into the mage.
Stopping at the Friendly Arm Inn to purchase provisions and rest, the band met a gnome who payed them for clearing the spiders from his home in Beregost. A woman also asked them to retrieve a ring that some hobgoblins had stolen, but the woman refused to offer payment of any kind, even the hospitality of her home, so Amend refused. The land was filled with people who wanted something for nothing, and Amend could not possible hope to help all these wretched souls. And no one gave ever gave him something for nothing. So it was best that this woman take her prayers and petitions to the chapel. There the gods might assist her, but Amend doubted that the priests would, as they, like everyone else, charged for every service.
At the inn, Amend heard from a waitress that their was money to be made in Nashkel for mercenaries. Consulting with Viconia and Kagain, Amend decided to set off for Nashkel to pursue his fortune. The company left the following evening, preferring to travel by night. They arrived in Nashkel the following day to find another assassin awaiting Amend at the inn there, whom they dispatched. They also discovered that the waitress had spoke truly. The mayor of the town was offering a reward for anyone who discovered the source of the problems that they were having in the local mines. There were also several outstanding bounties available: for an artist named Prism and the former captain of the local militia, Brage, who had gone mad and slain his wife and family. The rumors around town were that this Brage apparently set off to the west after the murders. So Amend decided to head off to the west to track and apprehend this fugitive.
As he was leaving the tavern and crossing a bridge, westward, he met a mage, Edwin, probably a Thayan, given his red robes, also offering a reward for tracking and killing a witch, who was apparently in the company of some gnolls also to the west of Nashkel. The Thayan refused to specify what the reward would be. Amend was wary of mages and their promises, but since he was headed west in search of Brage anyway, he agreed to kill this Dynaheir, the witch, if he encountered her. To his surprise, the Thayan offered to join him to see the job done. So the company became 5.
They set out to the west, where they had many an adventure. The mountain passes forced them to fight their way through a xvart village to a gnoll stronghold, where they found and killed this Dynaheir. The Thayan then offered his services as a mage for 1 year rather than money as reward for the deed. He had proven more-than-capable and less maniacal than most who dabbled in the arcane, and Amend was secretly delighted with this offer. He feigned anger, however, at not receiving any money as he accepted
the Thayans services.
They returned to Nashkel via a southern route through the Cloudspeak Mountains, where they also had many adventures: a dryad told them of a treasure trove in a cave, which she offered as reward for slaying 2 men who defiled her tree; a group of Amnian scouts challenged and attacked the group; and 2 bandits, claiming to be deadly with darts also attacked them (in fact, the one bandit was rather good with darts, wounding Edwin badly, before Viconia commanded him to die).
Unable to find Brage and collect the bounty on this first foray west of Nashkel, Amend decided to search the road north of Nashkel for Prism, the artist-thief. There, in the middle of the road, he encountered the strangest thing: an ugly, crazed woman challenged the group´s best man to one-on-one combat. Kagain stepped forward to remove this lunatic from the road and clear the passage. In a suit of ankherg plate, that they had found in a meadow near Nashkel, Kagain was clearly superior to this loon in her leather armor. After Kagain bested her, she offered to join the company. Amend was rather amused by her antics and agreed.
After assessing her abilities, Amend discovered that this woman, crazed though she may be, could make a rather skilled rogue, which was perfect for his plans. Imoen had expressed a desire to study magic, and Amend wanted her to focus on divinations, an important type of magic that the Thayan disdained. Amend had spent much of his time developing his abilities as a scout and bounty hunter. He himself had very little ability with locks, traps, and the like, so it would fit his designs perfectly to have someone who could handle the odd lock and find traps along- especially as this Shar Teel was already a capable warrior. So Amend began to teach Shar Teel what he knew about traps and had her begin practicing picking locks.
Having failed to find either of their quarry on the road north of Nashkel, the company set out east of Nashkel. They were ambushed in the night by a group of gnolls. On the first swing, one of the gnolls critically hit and killed Shar Teel (the first casualty the group had experienced). Amend returned to town, payed the priests to resurrect her, and the company set out east again. Arriving in hilly country full of barrows, they encountered gnolls again, and once again, a gnoll critically hit and felled Shar Teel on the first swing. Again they returned to town to pay the priests to return life to her body and then again set out east. This time, an ankherg surfaced near they group as they arrived at a group of barrows. The ankherg attacked Shar Teel, spitting at her, as the group closed for melee. Again on the first attack, Shar Teel was hit critically and killed: 3 attacks against her, 3 critical hits, 3 deaths. So one more time, they returned to Nashkel and then back to the barrows.
They searched through barrows in the hills, encountering several undead and some lost treasures in the tombs, including some foul revenant who demanded a dagger but had nothing to offer in exchange. As the group battled the revenant, Shar Teel moved in to finish it with a backstab. She missed; the revenant turned, attacked her, critically hit her and killed her: 4 attack rolls on Shar Teel, 4 20s, 4 deaths. Amend decided that the woman was cursed and left her body to rot in revenant´s tomb.
(This has caused me all sorts of problems as I was hoping to use Shar Teel as my rogue, at least while Imoen leveled as a mage, but probably for the whole of BGI. I decided, however, given the lack of rogues in BGII, I would just go ahead and put points into find traps for Amend, rather than detect illusions, which was my original plan, but he was already 5th level at this point and still needed a few points in stealth and setting traps. So, despite playing a rogue as charname and having Imoen, I have had trouble with locks and traps the entire time and have now used every available potion of perception for sale by the vendors.)
After exploring the Barrows, Amend headed south where he encountered a woman who begged him to help her friend reach the Friendly Arm Inn. She had no means to pay, however, and was just another freeloader wanting him to take risk for nothing, so he declined. He learned later, however, that this man was a deserter and that there was a price on his head, so he returned to the woman, retrieved the man, and brought him to justice.
Still unable to find Brage or Prism, Amend returned to Nashkel. En route, he was waylaid by some brigands, demanding his coin. The brigands, however, were in turn ambushed, apparently by an old acquaintance of theirs: a half-orc blackguard, Dorn Il Khan. After dispatching the brigands, Dorn offered the company an exchange of services: his blade for their help in tracking down 2 people who had betrayed him. The half-orc´s manner was unsettling, and he had obviously made some dark pact with some evil entity. It was the type of work Amend had become accustom, however, and Amend needed another sword-arm after the death of Shar Teel. Despite his misgivings, Amend agreed, though he decided to keep a close eye on this half-breed: ready with a knife in the dark for the first time this orc-kin set to mischief.
So the company was again 6. After resting in Nashkel, they set out again to the West in search of Brage, exploring areas northwest of Nashkel all the way up to High Hedge and then further west along the Sword Coast itself. They had many adventures: encountering bandits of every sort, half-ogres, Drizzt D´Urden, and a Nymph, who killed Dorn with a kiss and then returned him to life in exchange for the murder of her captor, an Ogre Mage, Droth. They heard tell of a lost pirate treasure, which they sought and recovered after doing battle with several Sirines and some flesh golems.
The group was functioning very well. This is really a powerful group: the best NPCs available for evil: Kagain, Viconia, Imoen, Edwin, and Dorn (though Shar Teel is probably better, Dorn is a close 2nd). Most of the encounters were easily dispatched and the group struggled with little. It proved rather difficult playing this group on a no reload, as they moved so effortlessly through so many encounters, that I often found myself complacent and playing without giving much thought to what I was doing. Occasional difficulties, however, kept me focused: such as with the Sirines, where the group struggled a little.
Here, Imoen has to color spray Edwin, Kagain, and Dorn after all 3 were charmed by Sirines. At this point, the Sirines had taken heavy damage from an oil of fiery burning, a skull trap, and several poison arrows. They had fled into the cave, so once the charms wore off, Amend laid a trap outside the cave, and went inside, backstabbing one of the Sirines, with his trap killing the others that followed him back out.
Will Amend now focus on traps? Or will you ignore traps / prepare against them with Mirror Images and potions?
I've just done a new install with less mods after my game crashed a few days ago, so I can start a new game again. I won't be playing with my old saves (because of a different mod setup), but I do have the CHR-files. Time to roll...
After 3 weeks of searching the whole of the Sword Coast, the company finally found Brage, just south of an archeological expedition (which had unearthed an ancient icon, which Amend took and then had to defend against some doomsaying creature seeking the icon and speaking gibberish). Amend had scouted his location and prepared some traps for him so as he approached the group and his maniacal nature took control of him, the traps did him in: just how Amend had envisioned it months ago when practicing in Candlekeep.
On the way back, Amend decided to pass near Beregost to search for another man with a price on his head: Bassilus, a mad cleric, notorious for heinous deeds. Scouting him from afar, Amend discerned just how perverse this man was; he was raising the dead as zombies and treating them as his family. He laid a few traps in the area in case he needed them, just out of sight of this Bassilus and had the company prepare to ambush the man from behind the traps.
Moving up in stealth, Amend positioned himself behind Basilus. The group fanned out and approached interrupting him as he addressed the zombies as his family. With his concentration broken, most of the zombies fell back to dust. Viconia commanded him to die, Edwin blinded him, Kagain threw an axe, and Imoen also tried to blind him. He made his saves against the 2 blindnesses but not the command. As he fell prone, Amend backstabbed him; Kagain charged, Imoen loaded up another blindness. After a successful backstab, Amend faded back and drew his bow. Viconia tried to command him again, but he saved; Imoen started another blindness as he got back to his feet and began casting, Edwin magic missiled him to break his spell, and Kagain killed him with a blow from his axe. Amend collected his holy symbol as proof of the deed.
The group proceeded to Beregost to turn in the bounty on Bassilus; then returned to Nashkel to collect payment for the body of Brage.
Pleased with their profits from apprehending the lawless, Amend decided to pursue the reward for investigating the source of the problems in Nashkel mines. So after a few drinks with Kagain, Viconia, and Imoen, Amend set off for the mines.
Near the mines he was delighted to discover Prism, the last of the local ne´er-do-wells, sculpting some woman´s face in the side of a rock. Prism mistook him for a bounty hunter named Greywolf and begged Amend to defend him against this Greywolf. Amend agreed, figuring he would collect the bounty after disposing of this competitor. Sure enough Greywolf arrived only to discover the area trapped. Before he could even apply his oil of speed to his weapon, 4 traps all around him went off, killing the careless bounty hunter. Amend laughed; for the first time since he left Candlekeep that dark night over a month ago. If this was the competition, he had little to fear. He was growing confident in his abilities and the abilities of his followers: perhaps too confident.
The mines proved to be a fairly simple task. A clan of kobolds had moved into the lower reaches of the mines, probably through a secret tunnel that Amend discovered as he was leaving. Mighty blows from half-orc´s greatsword and Amend´s devastating sneak attacks coated the walls of mines in kobold as the group moved swiftly toward their chieftan.
A couple of sleep spells neatly removed most of the kobold guards, surrounds their leader; a command spell and a flurry of blows and arrows felled the chieftan, and a silence spell handled their shaman with little fuss. Amend was also pleased with himself, deftly finding and disarming a number of amateurish, makeshift traps that the kobolds had set up.
At the base of the mines, Amend discovered the real source of the problem: a fat, half-orc cleric named Mulahey had stirred up the kobolds and was leading them. Amend snuck into his chambers and scouted him, along with a handful of kobold body guards. Amend placed a few traps in the caverns outside the room, Edwin set up a web to catch any more kobolds who entered. Then the group prepared for battle. Amend slipped unseen behind Mulahey, and he fell quickly to the now usual volley of commands, magic missiles, blindnesses, backstabs, and a charging dwarf and half-orc with poisoned blade. The traps and the web in the caverns outside dealt with his minions.
Just north of the Nashkel Mines lay the Firewine ruins and an old mage school, Ulcaster. Amend decided to explore these ruins as he made his way north back to Beregost. Exploring Ulcaster first, the company encountered a fell wraith outside the ruins. Drinking their 4 potions of absorption to guard against the wraith´s attacks, Amend, Dorn, Kagain, and Viconia set at the wraith. After a moment of battle, the wraith called on his dark god and all the parties´buffs were removed (yes... all the potions of absorption available before Cloakwood were removed by a reset that SCS has scripted into the battle... really annoying and another complaint of mine against SCS). The wraith began calling lightning, and the group ran as they now had no protection against lightning (So I just decided to forget Ulcaster and did not get the rematch that I wanted with the Wolf... very frustrating).
Moving east from Ulcaster, they entered the Firewine ruins, where they encountered more kobolds. With a potion of perception, Amend surprised himself by handling more of the makeshift traps that the kobolds had constructed, and the party moved through the ruins without incident of note. As they approached the deepest reaches of the ruins, Amend, scouting ahead, spotted a mage, Lendarn, an Ogre Mage and several minions around a corner at the end of a long hallway. He returned to the group and they began preparing for battle. (My plan was the same as before... use Amend and Edwin, invisible, to attack the Ogre Mage... put Viconia, Dorn, and Kagain on the Wizard... and have Imoen invisible move into the kobold room, sleep the kobolds, then spell thrust on the Wizard). As the group was preparing for battle, Lendarn walked down the hall alone and stumbled into the group (just as before with Aurorus).
Imoen detected his improved invisibility, but Viconia´s command failed. He lost some images to arrows from Amend and Dorn´s poisoned sword, but managed to retreat back to his followers uninjured. Dorn gave chase immediately (just as Khalid had done in Aurorus´group). Kagain followed immediately after receiving a protection from fear and drinking a potion of invulnerability. Amend hid and Imoen and Edwin went invisible.
Dorn was hot on the heels of the mage, and as Lendarn stopped to cast something, Dorn hit him, poisoning him through his stoneskin. The Ogre Mage moved up and started in on Dorn. Imoen hit the kobolds with a sleep and got all but 1. Amend started in on the Ogre Mage with Arrows of biting. Kagain got around the corner just as the Ogre Mage was getting the best of Dorn. Dorn stepped back, and Kagain began attacking Lendarn. Edwin spell thrusted Lendarn and then proceeded to pound him with an acid arrow, a flame arrow, and burning hands, killing him. The Ogre Mage fell to a command from Viconia and Kagain finished him off, without ever permitting him to get a spell off. The battle went very smoothly.
I had already rolled the skald, but lost him due to the crash... You can always get your rematch later. You should be able to enter the school without the wraith seeing you.
Apart from that, good job at Firewine!
Returning to Beregost, the company was ambushed by a group of assassins seeking the bounty on Amend´s head. Amend had nothing but disdain for these lawless murderers and the group ruthlessly dispatched them with only Edwin suffering a minor injury.
Amend´s fame as a bounty hunter was spreading, and he was hired by a Lieutenant from the Flaming Fist to track and kill bandits plaguing the Coast Way. Documents from the Nashkel mines indicated that Mulahey had some links to these bandits and that a man named Tranzig, staying at Feldepost´s Inn in Beregost, had been acting as a messenger between the two groups. The company proceeded up to Tranzig´s room at Feldepost´s and beat information about where the bandits could be found out of his lawless hide. He did not withstand interrogation very well, running about the room for a moment, pleading pathetically for his life before dying to an acid arrow Edwin had given him to encourage him to be helpful. Documents on his body revealed that the bandits had a camp north of Peldvale and Larswood.
Setting out east of Beregost, the company planned to move northward through the woods, claiming as a prize the scalps of any bandits they encountered. East of the temple, however, they first had to do battle with several basilisks that Amend had spotted while scouting. After preparing for defense against gaze attacks, the basilisks proved little difficulty (Mutamin fell to my standard anti-mage tactics, which at this point were for Imoen or Viconia to detect-purge invisibility and Imoen to spell thrust while peppering the mage with poison arrows from Amend and Dorn).
A group of adventurers near the lair of the basilisks also challenged the party and were met with a barrage of spells and arrows to open the engagement: a web from Edwin, a silence 15´from Viconia, and an agonazzar´s scorcher from a scroll by Imoen. As 2 struggled to escape the web, Viconia held them and they were quickly killed. No one in the party suffered any injuries as a result of this battle.
As they moved north into Peldvale and Larswood, a 2nd group of assassins ambushed the company and were likewise easily defeated. An aura of invincibility had begun to set in around Amend and company as battle after battle passed without injuries or incidents. It was coming easy now, and they were a loose bunch: laughing, confident- even haughty, and beginning to revel in their obvious power.
Moving north into Peldvale and Larswood, the company slew bandits by the score. At one point as they set up camp, Amend put a trap for the unwary outside the camp and slaughtered a host of banits. The party tried resting again; again bandits attacked and were slaughtered by another of Amend´s devious traps; then a third group (Amend was out of traps and the group actually had to fight these bandits); then a 4th group of bandits. It was wanton slaughter they were leaving in their wake, and they were starting to enjoy it, especially Dorn.
North of Peldvale and Larswood, they found the bandit camp itself. After scouting the camp, Amend decided to set up in a defensive position just outside the camp in a grove of trees. The dense underbrush around the clearing provided for chokepoints, where the enemy would have to group to attack the party. There Amend could prepare his traps and there the bandits would be easy prey for the AoE effects of Edwin and Imoen´s magic.
Amend entered the camp and decided to pick off from stealth as many lone bandits as he could until the camp became alerted to his presence. Then he would lure the bulk of them into the party´s prepared position.
The bandits massed outside the northernmost narrow entrance to the clearing as Amend anticipated. As they grouped up, Edwin put out a web and stinking cloud.
Then Amend and Viconia threw oils of firey burning (and Amend accidentally hit Dorn with his, killing Dorn, who had already taken some damage from bandit archers). It was the first casualty that the group had suffered since Shar Teel fell. There were a few tense moments as several of the hobgoblins made it through the waves of damage and holds, breaching the defenses and hitting Edwin several times, but the resilient mage survived their attacks until Imoen and Amend could kill them with their bows. It was the first time that the group had been really tested since the Sirines along the Sword Coast. Amend was pleased, but the fall of Dorn proved that perhaps the company was not as invincible as they seemed. Something for Amend to ponder as he learned that the bandits were commanded by the Iron Throne out of Baldur´s Gate and had some outpost in the Cloakwood.
If in recruiting Korgan, Amend expects to have a second Kagain at his disposal, he'll be mistaken. Kagain is rational, calculating, and Korgan is bloodthirsty, berserking killer.
With the bandits defeated, Amend and company returned to Beregost to collect their just rewards from the Flaming Fist and then headed north toward Baldur´s Gate. These small towns Beregost and Nashkel were nice, but Amend had pulled all the money he was going to get out of these backwaters. It was time to seek his fortune in the big city.
Moving through some farmland that had been overrun by ankhergs, Amend and company encountered a group of fishermen who had some difficulties with a local priestess of Umberlee. They agreed to pay a small amount of gold and a magic weapon for the help, so Amend agreed. Just outside the Gates of Baldur, Amend discovered this priestess and dispatched her, despite her pleas. She claimed that the fishermen were in the wrong and had stolen her chalice. Her pleas fell on deaf ears, however: a deal was a deal and so she died.
They arrived at Baldur´s Gate to discover the city closed owing to bandit activity. Apparently, problems continues as a result of this outpost in the Cloakwood. In order to clear a path to the fortunes that awaited in Baldur´s Gate, Amend would have to dispose of this band of miscreants in Cloakwood. After visiting Ulgoth´s Beard and turning down several freeloaders there who wanted Amend´s help for free (including another mage- what was it with mages always demanding things and never producing coin?), the company returned to the Friendly Arm Inn to prepare for an expedition into the Cloakwood, much to Amend´s chagrin. There seemed little profit in this, but what choice did he have? He figured that a man like him could make fortunes in Baldur´s Gate, and he was not about to let the Iron Throne or anybody keep him the riches of the city.
The journey into the Cloakwood was eventful and the company had several adventures. They assisted a local hunter and wealthy oligarch of Baldur´s Gate against some savages (druids apparently) who had threatened them. The pay for this work was poor, but Amend was hoping for greater rewards from this fellow once he reached the city.
They encountered some spiders in and around the lair of some bloated, crazed spider-tamer. Kagain was held in the web of one of these spiders and poisoned several times, falling to the fell creatures, and the company had to return to the Friendly Arm Inn and pay good money to the priestess there to return life to his body. It was the first-time Kagain had fallen in battle, however, so Amend was willing to overlook this costly mistake.
Deep in the woods, they encountered another group of druids, apparently opposed to the savages that Amend had killed near the hunter´s cabin. This group wished him well against the Iron Throne and seemed reasonable enough. One of them, a woman named Faldorn, offered her assistance. This was just the opportunity Amend had been seeking- to be rid, once-and-for-all, of Dorn the halfbreed. Amend had always been uncomfortable with the half-orc, but the issue had reached a head recently when the Half-Orc revealed that he had made a secret and dangerous pact with a Demon. Viconia seemed taken with the danger and bravado, claiming that she could see how women would find him compelling if he were not so ugly. There was no denying it, Amend was jealous, and this jealousy had clouded his thoughts and impaired his judgement the entire journey through the forest. He wanted to be rid of the half-orc as quickly as possible.
With Faldorn´s dire wolf companion and her spells, Dorn´s sword would not be needed. Amend suggested that Dorn return to the Friendly Arm Inn and slay any bandits who fled there from the group´s assault on the compound. Amend claimed that he would meet Dorn there after the assault on the compound (but did not say that he would invite Dorn to come to Baldur´s Gate with the company). Dorn agreed and returned to the inn, with Faldorn taking his place in the group.
Shortly thereafter, the group encountered some wyverns. What happened next, no one is sure. One moment the band was fighting the wyverns, handily defeating them.
The next moment, as Amend turned around, Faldorn was gone, with only pieces of her sprayed all over the walls of the wyverns´ lair. One of the wyverns had completely torn her body asunder in a split second.
What was he to do? Soldier on with 5, or subdue his pride and return to get Dorn. Pride, jealousy.. these are all shortcomings in a man, and Amend was no exception. However, the question at hand for Amend was whether he was a man governed by passions such as pride and jealousy or a man governed by the higher faculties of reason and pragmatism. The group camped outside the wyvern den and then returned to the Friendly Arm Inn to retrieve Dorn. The half-orc nearly gloated at their return. Reunited, the 6 headed for the Iron Throne Compound and their first showdown with the Iron Throne.