Mariel, composer. Roleplay/character journal, some restrictions.
Luridel
Member Posts: 25
"Who has not asked himself at some time or other: am I a monster or is this what it means to be a person?"
-Clarise Lispector, The Hour of the Star
ABOUT:
Loosely inspired by pacifist runs and also by one of the more hilarious things my little brother came up with (invisible skalds providing party-wide buffs), this will be a roleplay-restricted (mostly) and heavily-documented game duo: Mariel of Candlekeep, skald, and her trusty sidekick, Imoen.
Spoiler tags are for game spoilers that are further in time than this playthrough is up to or for large blocks of text/images. I've tried to make it clear which is which.
RULES (BG1-specific):
- I know the base game (nearly) inside-out. Mariel does not. Even if it means I have to spend more time trudging around, I will do my best to metagame as little as possible. These two girls (Mariel and Imoen) are on their own and paranoid, for the most part, which is my excuse for detecting traps that I have memorized.
- Mariel and Imoen must meet and interact with every single companion who is present in any way in the base game of Baldur's Gate 2. They do not need to travel with them, but they must meet them.
SPOILER - BG2:
- If either Mariel OR Imoen dies, I -must- reload, for reasons of future game continuity into Baldur's Gate 2. I should not reload for any other reasons (except in the case of game-breaking bugs or game crashes). Other temporary party members can be raised at temples if they aren't permanently killed; Mariel and Imoen cannot.
SPOILER: Late BG1; BG2
- If Mariel lands any killing blows on any enemies whatsoever, this will have in-character repercussions.
- I'm planning on doing this modless, for once in my life. I may add in appearance-only mods or mods that patch/fix things as necessary.
MARIEL:
Mariel is a composer and a writer. She is interested in writing songs about historical battles. At the start of the game, she wouldn't hurt a fly. Her primary method of self-defense is running away. Although she hates drawing attention to herself, particularly because assassins are trying to kill her, she has an interest in doing the right thing.
Her very presence is inspiring to Imoen. (Bard song will be left on whenever possible.) She carries a dagger for emergencies and darts for serious emergencies, but she certainly doesn't want to kill anyone.
Her goal is to figure out who's sending assassins after her and give them a stern talking-to about how she isn't a threat to anyone and just wants to be left alone, please.
I was ridiculously lucky enough to score 97 total points for her stats. Too bad she's not going to be able to make much use of them in the game.
Character creation screenshot:
In-game biography:
IMOEN:
Although Mariel doesn't particularly approve of stealing, her childhood best friend might just find it necessary to sneak off in the middle of the night and 'borrow' a couple of things from time to time.
Imoen's probably going to have to do more things that Mariel isn't willing to do in order to keep the two of them alive. Her goal is to protect her best friend at all costs.
-Clarise Lispector, The Hour of the Star
ABOUT:
Loosely inspired by pacifist runs and also by one of the more hilarious things my little brother came up with (invisible skalds providing party-wide buffs), this will be a roleplay-restricted (mostly) and heavily-documented game duo: Mariel of Candlekeep, skald, and her trusty sidekick, Imoen.
Spoiler tags are for game spoilers that are further in time than this playthrough is up to or for large blocks of text/images. I've tried to make it clear which is which.
RULES (BG1-specific):
- I know the base game (nearly) inside-out. Mariel does not. Even if it means I have to spend more time trudging around, I will do my best to metagame as little as possible. These two girls (Mariel and Imoen) are on their own and paranoid, for the most part, which is my excuse for detecting traps that I have memorized.
- Mariel and Imoen must meet and interact with every single companion who is present in any way in the base game of Baldur's Gate 2. They do not need to travel with them, but they must meet them.
SPOILER - BG2:
(Ajantis, Coran, Dynaheir, Khalid, Minsc, Faldorn, Garrick, Jaheira, Quayle, Edwin, Montaron, Viconia, Xzar, Tiax.)
- Mariel and Imoen don't want any long-term traveling companions. If they decide to help anyone, once they're done, they should probably say goodbye. (They'll probably temporarily pick up Xan and Yeslick, for example, rather than leave them to fend for themselves in their respective mines, and remove them from the party after leaving. They can accept party members for the quests relevant to them, but must dismiss them afterwards.)- If either Mariel OR Imoen dies, I -must- reload, for reasons of future game continuity into Baldur's Gate 2. I should not reload for any other reasons (except in the case of game-breaking bugs or game crashes). Other temporary party members can be raised at temples if they aren't permanently killed; Mariel and Imoen cannot.
SPOILER: Late BG1; BG2
Bhaalspawn cannot be resurrected. Imoen must survive at least long enough to be kidnapped in Shadows of Amn.
- For roleplaying reasons, if Mariel and Imoen can't realistically carry it, it will probably be left behind. Mariel might do her best to haul a heavy suit of enchanted armor back to town to sell, but she probably isn't going to be carrying two of those. Not without a belt of strength, at least. Imoen needs to have her hands free if she's going to be shooting a bow; she can't be carrying six greatswords.- If Mariel lands any killing blows on any enemies whatsoever, this will have in-character repercussions.
- I'm planning on doing this modless, for once in my life. I may add in appearance-only mods or mods that patch/fix things as necessary.
MARIEL:
Mariel is a composer and a writer. She is interested in writing songs about historical battles. At the start of the game, she wouldn't hurt a fly. Her primary method of self-defense is running away. Although she hates drawing attention to herself, particularly because assassins are trying to kill her, she has an interest in doing the right thing.
Her very presence is inspiring to Imoen. (Bard song will be left on whenever possible.) She carries a dagger for emergencies and darts for serious emergencies, but she certainly doesn't want to kill anyone.
Her goal is to figure out who's sending assassins after her and give them a stern talking-to about how she isn't a threat to anyone and just wants to be left alone, please.
I was ridiculously lucky enough to score 97 total points for her stats. Too bad she's not going to be able to make much use of them in the game.
Character creation screenshot:
IMOEN:
Although Mariel doesn't particularly approve of stealing, her childhood best friend might just find it necessary to sneak off in the middle of the night and 'borrow' a couple of things from time to time.
Imoen's probably going to have to do more things that Mariel isn't willing to do in order to keep the two of them alive. Her goal is to protect her best friend at all costs.
Post edited by Luridel on
14
Comments
10/9/14:
1 Mirtul, 1368 - Candlekeep.
2 Mirtul, 1368 - The road to Beregost. Feldepost's Inn.
3 Mirtul, 1368 - Beregost. Mariel waits in the inn while Imoen tours the town.
10/10/14:
4 Mirtul, 1368 - Muriel and Imoen return to Candlekeep and are turned away at the gate.
4 Mirtul, 1368 through 6 Mirtul, 1368 - After a duel with an ogre in the wilderness, they head to the Friendly Arm Inn, then make the trip to Nashkel with two of Gorion's old friends.
10/2/15:
7 Mirtul, 1368 through 8 Mirtul, 1368 - The Nashkel Mines.
GOAL CHECKLIST:
NPCs interacted with in preparation for Baldur's Gate 2:
Coran
Dynaheir
Edwin
Faldorn
Garrick
Jaheira - Met; traveled with.
Khalid - Met; traveled with.
Minsc
Montaron - Met; refused to travel with.
Quayle
Tiax
Viconia
Xan - Met; rescued from the mines.
Xzar - Met; refused to travel with.
The first of Mirtul, 1368. Midday.
Utmost urgency - well, I went directly to Father after that, and he told me I could have some more time to pack and say farewell to my friends. Imoen, as it happens, was in such a sulk about not being invited to come along that she didn't want to help me decide what to bring. She hadn't done her chores, either.
Hull asked me to fetch his sword for him, but I entered the bunkhouse, rather than the barracks, in my preoccupation. There was a man there that I didn't recognize. It is rare for us to get visitors; the price of admission into Candlekeep is quite high. I had a moment of panic and a feeling of wrongness, and I slipped out of the room and shut the door behind me before he could speak to me. The spell Firebead Elvenhair had cast on me may still be active. Was that a warning? I'm hiding in the barracks right now. Fuller says I'm being too jumpy, but he will go look for the man when his head stops aching.
The first of Mirtul, 1368. Midday.
I know everyone says the roads are dangerous, but Father's a powerful mage and I'm not bringing anything expensive.
OUT OF CHARACTER:
Character stats:
Daily summary:
Went into the inn first to speak to Winthrop and Firebead, which sent Muriel going directly to Tethtoril. She asked Gorion for more time and went out the south of the inner courtyard, putting her directly at Hull. She was able to walk away from Carbos the second he started coming towards her, leave the building, and shut the door on him, so he never had a chance to threaten her or turn hostile. She spoke to Fuller while she was there. The Hull -> Dreppin -> Phylida quests link backwards in that order, so she followed around that way. She turned the Gatewarden down for illusionary training and ignored 'hit me while you get shot at' and 'kill some rats'. She didn't encounter Shank at all.
@Nonnahswriter you have a fellow musician now
I'm bookmarking this thread because it looks very promising.
Welcome to the forum, by the way! May you now be overwhelmed by us, bard and RP geeks: @jackjack @booinyoureyes @Elrandir @lolien @Nimran @kcwise @Blackraven @Ravenslight
Well, Imoen, writing isn't going to help. You're still wearing the armor we stripped off the man with the bow who you shot in the throat before he could shoot us. It's too big, it's scuffed, it stinks. Tomorrow: have this adjusted to fit her.
There's going to be a tomorrow. And another day, and another, and more after that. I don't want to write about Father, or his letter, or the wolf that chased me halfway up a tree, or the gibberling that Imms shot before I could even turn around.
She's going to need more arrows.
Father said to go to the Friendly Arm Inn, and there I was, parroting it to everyone I met on the road - the fat man, the mad wizard and the halfling, the pointy-hatted wizard - so as soon as we came to a fork, we went the other way. If the armored man knew where we were headed, maybe this will buy us some time.
How long will Father's friends wait for me? Will we know them when we see them?
I don't think writing is helping.
Imoen.
"No," came the muffled response, the lump shifting away from her.
"Well, if ya don't wanna finish it, mind if I nab your stew?"
Mariel stuck her head out from under the covers, looking at the bowl on the nightstand with red-rimmed eyes. Her lips thinned in disgust. "Ngh. All yours."
Normally, Imoen might have pushed harder for her friend to eat, but she was hungry. Something told her that she was going to need to keep her strength up.
OUT OF CHARACTER:
Character stats:
Daily summary:
Turned Xzar and Montaron down for healing potions and refused to let them travel with the party (they were just too sketchy). Since it seemed like Mariel would want to return to Gorion's body, they started to head that way. Immediately, they were attacked by a gibberling - Imoen's first kill. They reached Gorion's body without further incident. (EE seems to have changed the distribution of enemies in that encounter? This is my first EE playthrough. I'm not sure I remember Gorion having a belt, either.)
Immediately after leaving Gorion, they had their first boss battle: a wolf. It took me a bit to get my kiting right at first - I had the wolf following Imoen rather than Mariel long enough for them each to get hit once. Neither of them died, but that fight cost me two healing potions.
To try and throw everyone off the trail, it was time to go south. Imoen shot an xvart near the crossroads, earning herself a shortsword. I had forgotten about the bandit on the south road, but fortunately Imoen was able to take him out in a single critical hit - armor and more arrows for her. Feldepost's inn got them 900 exp for talking Marl down - they probably needed it.
Bought Mariel her first book - the History of the Fateful Coin. I was going to keep healing potions split up one potion per stack to help make inventory carrying concerns more serious, but if you split a stack of potions and drop it back in the inventory again, EE auto-stacks them, so that's not happening.
Comments:
@bengoshi @lolien @Nonnahswriter Thanks, you three! Hope you enjoy - and that I can manage to keep the gameplay from getting too far ahead of the writing.
"Who dares cast Summon Reader?! Oh, it's you bengoshi. Quite alright. Carry on."
::reader begins reading::
There are so many fun stories to keep track of now. It's a nice "problem" to have.
I like what I'm reading so far, Luridel. The bit from Imoen's perspective was a nice touch! This is definitely a story to follow.
Thanks also to @bengoshi for tagging me (making sure I wouldn't miss this thread) and to @Elrandir for the LOL moment
The sky a midnight blue.
Gorion walked in silence deep,
Though not in solitude.
I kept my pace beside him,
Though still I longed for home.
And of this tale that I shall sing,
The worst is still to come.
Chorus:
Look sharp! Through the night it creeps,
The final blow, the endless sleep,
Look sharp! The killing strike,
The mighty sword, the dead of night.
Look sharp! O travelers,
Look sharp! Beware,
Look sharp! O father,
For soon the end draws near.
T'was through the woods we made our way
When he began to speak:
"Let's hurry, child, the night is long,
And yet you drag your feet."
"But father, we have come so far,
And yet I know not why.
Where will we find shelter,
Beneath this endless sky?"
Chorus:
Look sharp! Through the night it creeps,
The final blow, the endless sleep,
Look sharp! The killing strike,
The mighty sword, the dead of night.
Look sharp! O travelers,
Look sharp! Beware,
Look sharp! O father,
For soon the end draws near.
Bridge:
And from the dark, the ambush came,
The man so tall, the archers brave,
The ogre with the morningstar,
The cleric chanting loud and clear.
And in the dark, my father's cry:
"Run, my child, get out of here,"
And running fast, I heard the sounds
Of battle that I left behind.
Chorus:
Look sharp! Through the night it creeps,
The final blow, the endless sleep,
Look sharp! The killing strike,
The mighty sword, the dead of night.
Look sharp! O travelers,
Look sharp! Beware,
Look sharp! Gorion,
For now your end is here.
What a mess. Needs some significant trimming. "Archers brave?" That has to go. Accuracy over rhyme. Oghma's blood, I'm out of practice.
Imms left before breakfast to look around town a bit and maybe get her armor adjusted. Is the smithy even open this early? It's still dark. I hope she can stay out of trouble just this once.
The third of Mirtul, 1368. Early morning.
But Imms brought me a seven-volume set of the history of Shadowdale! She said that if we were going to go back to Candlekeep, we might need to bargain our way in.
Would we be safe there? I don't know, but I want to go home. It's worth a try. We'll bring them the books.
OUT OF CHARACTER:
Character inventories:
Daily summary:
While Mariel was still in the inn, it was time for Imoen's first trip around Beregost, looting some houses. I got most of the buildings in the northeast side, including the manor with the wand of lightning (which neither girl can identify just yet) and a bunch of books.
I also met Neera for the first time just before entering the manor, which I reloaded four times trying to handle on solo Imoen before eventually deciding that Imoen could attempt to sneak past the suspicious-looking mage in the middle of the road. After all, she was about to rob a house!
Next up, the duo plans to head back to Candlekeep to buy their way back in with a stolen set of books. Will it work? I don't think the odds are in their favor. Find out next time!
Comments:
Thanks, everyone - I hope you continue to enjoy.
@Elrandir What a cute lizard! I feel very watched.
@Blackraven WHO DARES FORGET TIAX? WHEN TIAX RULES, TIAX WILL NOT FORGET THIS SIGN OF DISRESPECT! Thank you - added to the list.
Tiax rules all.
In spite of our dwindling supplies, I'm still reluctant to head to the Friendly Arm Inn. Perhaps I'm apprehensive about meeting these friends of my father. Perhaps I simply don't have high expectations.
I have no time for grief on the road, which I do like. I use 'road' loosely; I'm reluctant to travel on the road itself. I wish I had a clearer goal in mind. I'm thinking, now, that it might not be the book keeping Candlekeep's gates closed to me. Ulraunt must be glad to have me gone; he never did like me. Would that I knew why.
OUT OF CHARACTER:
Daily summary:
Presuming that it would be reasonable for Mariel and Imoen to seek out Firebead Elvenhair, they stopped by his house and gave him a book he wanted. I was delighted to see that EE has added a scroll case to that quest. After that, it was time to go back to Candlekeep, where, of course, they were turned down at the gate.
Mariel got her first level-up - at last! - after running into a dread wolf in the area east of Candlekeep.
I'm stalling out a bit before picking up Khalid and Jaheira because I know they're going to soak up experience that could otherwise be going to the girls, and that when I grab them I'm going to have to rush through the Nashkel mines to complete what I consider their quest before my rules let me drop them.
She had already stepped into the clearing when she heard Imoen's warning hiss from behind her: "Mari, trouble." The smell hit her a moment later. An ogre stood in the clearing, fumbling hopelessly at one of two leather belts about its waist.
Mariel flicked her fingers to the left and up, directing Imoen to a safer spot. She advanced towards the ogre, whistling and raising the belt to draw its attention. A bird's-whistle from her left: Imoen was in place.
"Are you a collector?" Mariel asked, sing-song, hand raised high. The sash dangled from her fingertips, a ripple of midnight-blue cloth in the air as she let it sway back and forth. "I see you have impeccable taste."
The ogre was at least twice her height. It - he, if Mariel were to hazard a guess at the ogre's gender - gestured at his waist and bellowed, "Off! Get it off!"
"Is it on too tight?" Mariel asked, conversationally, struggling to keep her expression pleasant. The smell was nearly overpowering.
As the ogre took a heavy step forward, an arrow sunk into one of his nostrils. He roared, enraged, and rather than look for who had shot him, he charged through the clearing at Mariel.
The bard took a few calm steps to one side, dangling the belt in the air. "That's right," she called, "Right this way! Look at this!" The ogre's steps slowed. It lurched towards the dangling fabric. Mariel zigzagged from left to right, keeping up a steady stream of one-sided conversation: "Have you ever seen such a lovely shade of blue? Why, two belts - who would have considered such a statement before you? I bet you'd look utterly dashing with three!" The ogre stumbled back and forth, dazed, eyes following the cloth.
Imoen fired another arrow, and another, and another.
The fifth of Mirtul, 1368. Early morning.
After a terrifying skirmish with an ogre, we decided it was past time to see if Father's friends were still waiting. They were, and they had been worried. They also have a standing appointment with the mayor of Nashkel, an appointment that our stalling has made them quite late for.
How do I describe them? They are a married couple. I had thought they might be far older in appearance, but both of them are half-elven; seasoned adventurers. Jaheira is a druid and the more forward of the two. She is brisk, driven, and willing to take charge, which I cannot say I object to for the time being. Khalid is quieter, more self-conscious, and very kind.
Both of them were quite upset to hear of Gorion's passing. He wrote to them often, apparently. Ah-- Imoen is back now. I should prepare to leave. We have a long road ahead of us.
The sixth of Mirtul, 1368. Late afternoon.
Khalid wasn't so far gone that he couldn't be brought back, to everyone's relief. Jaheira has requested that we stay in town for a few days to give him some time to recover before we set out for the Nashkel mines. We were all exhausted - Imoen and I in particular had been awake for more than an entire day.
I'm thankful for Gorion's friends, but the bounty on my head has gone from two hundred gold pieces to six hundred and eighty in less than a day. For their safety, perhaps we had best part ways after we take a look into the mines.
OUT OF CHARACTER:
Daily summary:
Picked up a couple small things - diamond, ring of protection +1... that ogre fight was a fun one; managed to pull it off without anybody taking any damage. Imoen hit level two off of this.
I've been playing with auto-pausing at the start of combat, something I don't usually do and am not totally used to just yet, meaning that I keep messing up interrupting the initial casting of mirror image on spellcasters. This means that Tarnesh got to cast both mirror image and horror. Muriel succeeded her save vs. spell and Imoen was able to finish him off before he could cast anything else after that.
Had my first non-core character death: I failed to interrupt anything that Neira cast (I've been trying to save Imoen's wand) and Khalid died there. Imagine Berrun Ghastkill approaching the party to speak to Jaheira while she's carrying her husband's corpse towards the temple (not right now, mayor)!
Jaheira and Khalid are some of my favorite NPCs, but I don't want to get too attached - they're going to have to go after the mines, so I'm going to try and get through those pretty quickly.
I'll buy a round and toast her memory with you.
Right outside the inn, in plain sight of at least five guards, another bounty hunter attacked us. Foolish of him, for the guards took him down. He had an interesting scroll, which I later sat down inside my inn room to cast.
I have always been curious about what it would be like to have a magical familiar, but I never imagined I would obtain one. Thanks to that bounty hunter's scroll, I have befriended Chime, a pseudodragon small enough to drape herself about my neck like a scarf. The difficulty, it seems, is getting her to come down. She's very intelligent, but willful, and I suspect I'll have to bribe her with treats.
OUT OF CHARACTER:
Well, it's been a while! Sorry about that. I can't promise regular updates, but I made a bit of progress.
That Find Familiar scroll from Nimbul was a pleasant surprise after Mariel failed to memorize most of the scrolls Mulahey had. Beating Mulahey involved giving Xan that wand of lightning to use a couple times (and several reloads due to that thing repeatedly killing half my party).
I avoided that group of bounty hunters outside the exit to the mine after several more failed attempts. I'll come back to them eventually.