Story of Your Adventurers

Unionhack

In the original Baldur's Gate games (via multiplayer), the Icewind Dale series, and more recently the Black Pits campaigns, you've had the opportunity to create custom parties of six unique individuals. Some people chose to make their parties a well-oiled collective killing machine with the best possible stats, while others simply played what came to them naturally and what appeared to be their favorites.

In each case, sometimes the player would create stories in their head about the fictional adventurers that they created to cut a swath through the Sword Coast and beyond. Tell us the story of one of your favorite parties or single adventurers, be they recent or from back in 1999 when the original games were still fresh off the racks.

Nimran

Oh no...where to begin?

Well, I've never really role played a BG playthrough, but for IWD2 I played with characters from a series that I hope to write a novel about one day, as soon as I can find the time. A group of friends that had family issues growing up, ending up trusting each other for their similar pasts. I'll write more when I get more time.

Unionhack

Sounds awesome! I have a group that I'm playing through IWD2 with right now, led by my Bhaalspawn from BG/BG2, and I love it. I may write more soon too.

Can't wait to see, that sounds awesome.

Nimran

Alright, here goes.

I call this group the Black Legion. It's a team of six young adults looking for a reason to live after being tormented during their childhoods by their families. The idea is that they had entered Luskan (will be Easthaven in IWD:EE) during the time of the crisis that drives the story. They agree to work together, though at first they do not trust each other and would rather work alone. They view their partnership as necessary, but unwanted. During the course of the story, these adventurers of necessity learn more about each other's past, and find out that their lives and circumstances aren't so different. The team will eventually trust each other completely, as they find that the way they deal with their hardships is through fighting and helping each other through hard battles and other dangerous situations.

The party leader is a half-elf fighter/mage named Emerin. Bold and charismatic, he fights by casting defensive arcane spells on himself before rushing into battle. His leadership ability is reflected in the ultimately undying loyalty of his companions. Obviously charisma is set at 18, with strength and dex at 15 and 14, respectively. Con is 10, int is 16, and wis is 11. He fights with a longsword, later branching into bastard swords as his main proficiencies, with single weapon style to supplement them (in IWD2, I just have mastery in both sword types.)

I'll continue later if people want me to.

Unionhack

I wouldn't mind. I like it so far.

My current IWD2 party (With their levels placed for roleplaying reasons more than anything) are the following. They were bought together mostly by necessity, and four of them were in pairs before they met to defend Targos.

Arathir Starsong, Leader, Chaotic Good Tiefling Bard/Rogue/Ranger

-The Bhaalspawn who defeated his many siblings and declined godhood to walk among mortals once again. Though he often reunites with friends such as Minsc and Imoen to go on further adventures, at times he takes on quests on his own to places such as Neverwinter and the other Planes. The job in Targos is his first rodeo in the Dale, and despite his fiendish heritage, he made for a natural leader. He is charismatic and charming, and has a touch of wit to almost anything he says. His primary class is bard, but he has a few levels in rogue from his time in the city of Sigil and a few levels in ranger from his time in the Dale. He fights with two longswords.

Fargrim 'The Wary', Lawful Good Gold Dwarf Paladin of Helm/Fighter

-A former Paladin of Helm, Fargrim fell out of touch with the church of Helm when his campaigns against the forces of evil shook his faith. He regressed to being a simple mercenary and did this for several years. He met the half-elf Landon on a mutual job, and the two were stranded in a ravine and forced to rely on each other to survive. After getting out of the ravine alive, the two became fast friends and a mercenary duo of some small renown. The job in Targos is only their most recent. Fargrim still has a bit of paladin attitude in him and has trouble not turning down rewards. He is distrustful of Arathir and Eytira for their less-than-angelic heritages. Fargrim fights with an axe and shield.

Landon Free-Wind, Neutral Good Half-Elf Fighter/Barbarian/Ranger

-An orphan from Neverwinter, who grew up in the care of criminals. His physical brawn emerged at a young age and he was trained to be a gladiator to fight in illicit fighting rings. He was rescued by adventurers and recruited into a city guard at a later time, but left not much later to become a mercenary and see the world. After surviving a harsh situation with Fargrim, he and his dwarven friend went into business together. As the conflict resolver of the group, Landon often keeps Fargrim from getting 'inquisitve' towards the more 'exotic' members of the group. His barbarian levels originate from his illicit fighting history, his fighter levels come from his soldier and mercenary work, and he has taken an interest in the way of the ranger while in the Dale. Landon fights with a two handed sword.

Vallen Emberheart, Neutral Good Half-Elf Sorcerer

-A gifted magic user who subjected himself to study despite his natural talent and impatience, Vallen dreams of chronicling the history of magic items across the world while simultaneously fighting back evil. After all, ancient magical swords and dead liches often go hand-in-hand. Vallen has long been acquainted with the drow Eytira, whom he was assigned to watch during his time at a library of Oghma. The two became very close friends (and from time to time, lovers) and struck out together as an adventuring duo, with the dream of co-authoring an encyclopedia on magical items throughout the world. Having never visited Icewind Dale, he took the job in Targos with Eytira to make money and explore the uncharted reaches of the Dale while simultaneously doing some good by driving off the goblins. Landon fights with a sling and his impressive array of spells.

Eytira, Chaotic Neutral Drow Lorekeeper of Oghma

-A lost child of Menzoberanzan who refuses to speak of her time in the great Drow city, or of how she escaped. What is known about the largely quiet drow comes from Vallen's mouth. She was rescued after arriving on the surface by pilgrims traveling to a library of Oghma, where she found solace among the books as she learned the common tongue under the watchful eye of Vallen. It appears that she shares his dream of creating the magical artifact encyclopedia; it's ether that, or she is simply extremely devoted to her 'jabbuk'. Eytira fights with a crossbow and a flail.

Rinoa Elissalde, Chaotic Good Aasimar Rogue/Evoker

-Rinoa is the daughter of a Cowled Wizard of Athkatla. Forced into rigorous study on magic, Rinoa grew to resent her father and his overbearing attitude when concerning his daughter, whom he viewed as having the potential to being a great mage. He began treating her as a project of sorts and Rinoa began looking for a way out; the way out was presented when part of Waukeen's Promenade exploded when a rogue mage named Jon Irenicus fled his underground sanctum. Several Cowled Wizards fell victim to Irenicus' magic and Rinoa's father was one of these men; once the opportunity was given, she fled from her home to try out the career of the thief. Though she was naturally talented with locks and other rougeish pursuits, independent thievery was simply not profitable in the presence of the powerful Shadow Thieves, and Rinoa found herself moving on to Icewind Dale to try her hand at her new craft at a smaller scale. She had been staying at the local tavern when the goblins attacked, where Fargrim and Landon saved her life. Upon seeing what the goblins had done, she offered her magic and bow skills to aid in the repelling of the goblins. Rinoa fights with a bow and arrow.

Nimran

Okay, now that I'm free, I can give a full list of the party and their backgrounds. These are altered versions for IWD:EE

Emerin, Lawful Neutral half-elf fighter/mage

Ever since he was a young boy, Emerin had always wanted to explore the world. His parents would often tell him stories of faraway lands, happy to see his smiling face and bright eyes. His own journey started much differently from those old tales, however. It started when he saw his parents lying in pools of their own blood, murdered by bandits as they made their way across Icewind Dale to Bryn Shander. The bandits were organized and struck without warning. Emerin was the only survivor.

Years later, after leaving the Dale to pursue his dream of adventure, Emerin returned and made his way to Easthaven, where he met the men and women who would one day entrust him with their lives, the founding members of the Black Legion.

Ronan, Chaotic Neutral human bard

An enigma even to his closest friends, Ronan is a master of deception. Loyal only to himself, he has prized his ability to gain information from many reliable sources throughout the Dale, using his wit and charm, as well as his songs, to pry information from anyone who has something to hide. When he met Emerin, he promised the young man a fortune in gold, paid by a burly man named Hrothgar to all who would join his expedition to Kuldahar.

Further knowledge about Ronan's past is gained over time. It is found that he was wrongfully imprisoned in his youth for the murder of a dear friend of his, a crime he did not commit. He spent those years in prison alone, without any consolation for the death of his dearest friend. After his innocence was later proven he was released, though he had developed an extreme dislike of law enforcement. He then considered local guards to be completely incompetent, and staunchly refuses to show them respect.

Stats
STR 10
DEX 18
CON 8
INT 17
WIS 13
CHA 16

Main Profs
Crossbow
Dagger

Kaiser, True Neutral human fighter

A man of few words, Kaiser is never in the mood for small talk. He and his sister, Starlen, have been on the road for many years, and in that time he had grown distant from everyone but her. He is always by his sister's side. When Emerin encountered them in Easthaven, he asked them to join him, along with his self-proclaimed friend, Ronan. Starlen agreed, and Kaiser, unwilling to part from her, went with her.

Emerin finds out later that Kaiser and his sister were forced from their homes as children when their father tried to murder them both. Their mother lost her life trying to protect them, and Kaiser lost his left eye and hand trying to protect Starlen. He spent the next few days unconscious, as he had lost a lot of blood. When he awoke, he discovered that his sister had traded herself to slavers in exchange for food and for healing Kaiser's wounds. When he made this discovery, he found and slaughtered them all, freeing his sister from their grasp.

While Kaiser is content to follow Starlen's lead, he informs Emerin that his ultimate goal is to find his father and find out why he wanted to kill them, and, if necessary, force him to stop. As Kaiser says this, Emerin sees the sudden rising anger as it threatens to overwhelm the normally stoic man.

Stats
STR 18/85
DEX 16
CON 15
INT 12
WIS 10
CHA 6

Main Profs
Quarterstaff
Halberd
Two-Handed Weapon Style

Miria, True Neutral half-elf mage/thief

When Emerin entered Easthaven, he spotted a young woman surrounded by men who were seemingly trying to bully her. However, when they pressed closer the woman suddenly cast a spell which caused them to collapse, fast asleep. The young maiden then stepped over them, reaching down and taking their gold from them as she went. After he was approached by Ronan, Emerin sought her out in order to ask her to join his group. He found her some time later, and, after some persuading, she joined the party.

It is later revealed that Miria was not a thief by choice. Her family was of noble lineage, but she was disowned after having a tragic love affair with a rival family's son. The man she loved was assassinated by a mercenary hired by her parents, who had discovered the two lovers' relationship, and she was thrown out onto the street with no money to her name, though she quickly picked up on any useful talents needed to survive. She gained some magical knowledge by learning from a kind wizard who took her under his wing for a time. She has been stealing ever since, though it was becoming clear to her that Easthaven was no longer a good place to stay, as evidenced by the thugs that tried to attack her. She bears no ill will toward her parents despite their actions, as she acknowledges that her previous affair was destined to end badly from the beginning.

Stats
STR 9
DEX 16
CON 12
INT 18
WIS 13
CHA 14

Main Profs
Short Bow
Dagger

Starlen, True Neutral human cleric

Kaiser's sister, Starlen, had grown to depend on her brother for protection as they travelled from place to place, working as guards occasionally to pay for food and lodging. She had no grand expectations, so anywhere they could sleep was welcome. The siblings would find themselves in Easthaven, looking for work after their last room had taken the few remaining coins they had. Luckily, Emerin found them at just that time. Starlen readily agreed to his proposal, more than happy to make some more money to pay for their frugal livelihood, and her brother followed her, as always.

Emerin later discovers that Starlen and her brother have been on the run since they were children, after their father tried to kill them. Kaiser was grievously wounded, and if their mother hadn't thrown herself in front of them, sacrificing her life in the process, they both would have died. As their parents fought, Starlen managed to lift Kaiser's beaten body over her shoulder and carry him away from the scene. After that terrible night, Starlen was desperate to save her brother, who was on the verge of death. Her prayers were answered, though she did not know who answered them, and a healing light escaped from her fingertips, closing his wounds and keeping him alive, though he still did not wake up. She vowed to do whatever it took to bring him back, but was tricked by slavers, who captured her and kept her in chains. After a few days of being forced to serve her captors, Starlen was saved by her brother, who had woken up and tracked her down. He killed anyone who got in his way, no longer the sweet boy he once was.

Starlen tells Emerin that her one true desire is to see her brother smile again, though she fears that the way to that goal will involve them meeting their father again.

Stats
STR 12
DEX 16
CON 14
INT 15
WIS 18
CHA 15

Main Profs
Mace
Sword and Shield Style

Brian, Chaotic Good human berserker

When Emerin met Brian he didn't know what to think. The strange man kept shouting that he was a reincarnated ancient hero from a distant land. So strange were his words that Emerin nearly reconsidered letting him join, though the display of strength and skill he had just seen ultimately won out over his apprehension. Brian, the self-proclaimed hero was the last companion to join Emerin's party.

It would later be discovered that Brian was adopted by a mage, who treated him as more of a test subject than a son. The experiments gave him significantly enhanced strength, but ultimately caused his mind to become slightly unhinged, resulting in his constant assertions that he was, and still is, a legendary hero.

Stats
STR 18/99
DEX 9
CON 16
INT 12
WIS 10
CHA 15

Main Profs
Hammer
Two-Weapon Style

deltago

I actually just started one here for BG:
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/35472/a-storied-playthrough-sahil-quick-full-trilogy-run-full-reload-role-play#latest

Unionhack

Brian is by far my favorite, Nim. He's quite Minscy!

Deltago, that's a great idea! I might just do that myself with the Snowfall company (my party listed above).