Hey there, hi there Blackraven. I just wanted to take a moment to congratulate you on an outstanding run.
The keys to success in SCS no reload play are game knowledge, persistence, and concentration, of course, but also -and more importantly to my mind- humility and a sense of humor (you have to be aware of your fallibility, and capable of dusting yourself off with a grin when things don't go your way). You seem to have all five going for you. I'm sure you'll chalk up a success relatively soon.
Best of luck with your next adventure!
Cheers,
A.
Btw. There's no shame in falling in Pocket Place Challenge 2. Even with Ascension installed, I find SCS Pocket Plane Challenges 1 & 2 to be among the most dangerous fights in the adventure. Good work!
Hey @Alesia_BH, long time no see! What a pleasant surprise to read your kind words here, thank you. To be honest it was one of the five keys you mentioned, a lack of knowledge of SCS/Ascension ToB, that did Norgath in. I'll do what I can though to make sure his Dwarven Fighter/Thief sister Glorydd's tale continues where Norgath's adventure ended. (This will include completing a playthrough of ToB with Norgath with reloads allowed.)
No idea if/when you're going to read this but, as I've done before, I'd like to tell you that it would be great to see you back in action again, even if your knowledge of the game has grown a bit rusty.
Hi all, it's my pleasure to announce the return of Norgath, Dwarven Bounty Hunter of Candlekeep.
I don't expect to have much time to play these weeks, so any updates won't cover large parts of the game. This includes this first update.
As you might remember Norgath is not a very nice guy. He's not your friend, and if he helps people out it has to be because he sees profit somewhere. It's thus that he started out acting the nice guy for people along the Coast Way, helped by Lord Foreshadow's Ring of Human Influence (because with his gruff demeanor and his scarry face he noticed people like Mrs Blackwood, whose children needed a babysitter, simply refused to have dealings with him). Thus far he's exterminated Spiders for Landrin, eliminated a rogue Ogre, slain two bounty hunters that were after his hide (Neira with ranged attacks, and Tarnesh with backstab + ranged), found Brun's son for Brun and a bowl for Tenya (using stealth in the Ankheg den), finished a band of Hobgoblins that carried a pair of Boots of Stealth, befriended Noober, pickpocketed Algernon, brought Mirianne a message, fetched a book for Firebead, placated Marl, rescued Melicamp (only to see him killed by Thalantyr's magic), exacted revenge for Bjornin on four Half-Ogres, protected Charleston Nib, tracked down Brage, saved a Dryad's tree, located a dead cat, and taken out two Half-Ogres guarding a bridge.
There was little risk in all, but still two uncomfortable moments presented themselves. After picking up the CHA tome, Norgath dallied a bit while making his way out of the cave, causing him to be surrounded by Xvarts. With no critical hit protection and no good gear yet, this could gotten ugly. However the Dwarf had plenty of healing potions, and used two of them while fighting his way past the runts.
The other unpleasant moment was when Norgath got a bit cocky when facing a Winter Wolf. The animal proved to be out of his league, due again to the lack of critical hit protection and of enchanted, protective gear.
Norgath has just done some shopping though (Claw of Kazgaroth, Shadow Armor, Deep Red Ioun Stone, Greenstone Amulet, Necklace of Missiles, Cloak of Deflection, Sound Defense Short Sword +2, Composite Shortbow +2), so incidents like the former are perhaps not less likely to occur, but less likely to be dangerous.
Character record and inventory screen:
Weapon profs are: * Short Swords, * Shortbows, * Two Weapon Fighting. Thieving skills of note are Move Silently and Set Traps.
@Ravenslight, thanks so much! Nice to see you around as well! @Grum, good to know you're pleased! I'd be equally pleased to see the return of Durak (*hint, hint*) @johntyl, those three items are all from the excellent Rogue Rebalancing mod, which in addition to modifying Thieves and Bards, also adds several items to the game that are particularly useful for rogues.
@Grum, thank you, I take your words as a compliment considering there's lots of interesting content on these forums, and I'm glad you've shared the tales of Durak (my favorite) and other Charnames of yours here. I think it's amazing btw that you're playing no-reload on a phone, and I hope SoD become available soon in that format as well as others.
2nd BG1 report
The afternoon offered a few spare hours (quiet day at work, probably the only one this week), which allowed Norgath to make some progress, and me to give you this update.
The rogue had been doing some uneventful exploring of the eastern Sword Coast when he beheld an immense tower: Durlag's Tower. Aware of possible treasure, he decided to go and take a look. By the entrance he slew two Battle Horrors, using stealth and the doorway.
Inside, other dangers awaited him such as traps he couldn't disarm, and a spell casting spectre. The covetous but calculating Dwarf contented himself with a Tome of Wisdom he found on an altar, leaving any other loot for a later visit. A more remunerative undertaking was his exploration of the Lighthouse Area, whose treasure cave, once the hideout of the famous pirate Black Alaric, had a Manual of Bodily Health, several potions, and a couple of enchanted items in store for him. To get to the treasure, he disarmed four snares, and he slew four or five Flesh Golems with attacks from the shadows.
An assignment from Keldath Ormlyr, taking care of Mutamin the Gnome and his Basilisks, began well with eight easy kills (thanks to triple backstab damage), but got a bit complicated when Mutamin slew Norgath's ally Korax and went after the Dwarf. Three times did the Gnome cast Remove Magic at Norgath (who was level 7 at the time). While all of this happened out of sight of the Basilisks, even if barely so on one occasion,
Norgath was relieved each time said spell failed to dispel his Protection from Petrification. Other spells constituted no risk, as Norgath had drunk a potion of magic shielding. He felled the Gnome with arrows of biting that he frequently bought from Taerom Fuiruim, the weaponsmith he respected for his skill.
Further south, near the Firewine Ruins south of Gullykin, more danger awaited Norgath in the form of several dozens of Kobolds, a type of enemy he despised. Smelly and piss poor, the critters had nothing to offer him but the occasional poisoned dagger and some fiery arrows (an inferior type of elemental arrow compared to ice arrows and acid arrows). His Cloak of Deflection, Girdle of Piercing, and Claw of Kazgaroth protected the Dwarf from most of his foes' ranged attacks, but he nevertheless saw himself forced to use up a charge of his Necklace of Missiles, much to his chagrin, when he was about to be swarmed.
At one point Norgath managed to hide in shadows. He found a quiet spot on the bed of what must once have been a river, where he set four snares. (He was level 8 at that time, with 80 Set Traps, increased by 10 thanks to Rogue Rebalancing's Master Belt.) Toward his traps he baited Kobolds and a fighter that had gone hostile after another Necklace of Missiles charge had injured him and several Kobolds. The snares killed the fighter, who dropped a pair of Gauntlets of Weapon Expertise.
A bounty on the head of Prism the sculptor and a commission for Berrun Ghastkill - investigating disappearances of minders and contamination of iron in the local mine - took Norgath to the Nashkel Mines area. He defeated a fellow bounty hunter for the prize on Prism there, using snares and arrows of biting. In the Nashkel Mines he ran into more of the loathed Kobolds. Considering them unworthy foes, Norgath decided to stalk past them, hidden in shadows. But when he disarmed a trap on a bridge, one Kobold took notice of him. It called its companions for help, and soon Norgath found himself swarmed again. However the Dwarf found another place to hide, and a way a past the enemy.
Deeper down the mine, Norgath encountered the master of the Kobolds, a Half-Orc priest of Cyric, in his den. The Dwarf trapped the place before confronting the cleric. He had half hoped to lure the Half-Orc into the snares, but the priest summoned Kobolds and Skeletons to his side, and they were the ones to trigger the traps. The parsimonious Dwarf reluctantly expended a charge of his Greenstone Amulet and pelted his foe with arrows of biting. Some of the arrows envenomed the Half-Orc, until he fell.
Norgath left the mines via a secret tunnel that ended in the Valley of the Tombs. A green scroll of Protection from Undead allowed him to loot three tombs and slay some Ghasts and a Revenant in the process. Norgath then returned to Nashkel where two of his special snares killed the assassin Nimbul who had come for him. Correspondence found on the assassin's body led the Dwarf to Feldepost's Inn in Beregost, where a contact, Tranzig, was supposed to reside. Wary of ambushes on the Coast Way, Norgath took a detour via the Red Canyons only to run into a Bassilus the murderer, another outlaw on his list of targets, whose scalp was worth a hefty amount of gold. Norgath, protected by his Greenstone Amulet, bested his quarry with arrows and previously set snares.
He also killed three Hobgoblins with his arrows of biting, and took a Short Sword +2 from one of them. (Nice because with a second pip in Two Weapon Fighting, taken at lvl 8, Norgath now had two +2 shorts words.)
In Beregost, the Dwarf confronted the mage Tranzig. He ended up poisoning the wizard with his arrows of biting, and then slaying him with his blade. On his foe's corpse he found a letter pointing to a Bandit Camp in the Wood of Sharp Teeth. Before going there, Norgath first traveled north to Ulgoth's Beard to pay the local innkeeper over 10 grand for the Sandthief Ring, leaving him near penniless. A stop at the FAI saw Norgath ambushed by four assassins (Molkar's crew). The rogue withdrew and fled into the woods. In the Peldvale Area, I misclicked Norgath paid a bandit party to leave him alone. (Good thing Norgath had just bought the Sandthief Ring, an overpriced item I often don't bother with.)
With no gold left to give away, Norgath convinced a similar party in Larswood he wanted to join their ranks. Their spokesman took him to the Camp. The Dwarf talked an imposing Half-Ogre out of fighting him, looted the camp using a potion of master thievery he had bought near Durlag's Tower, and located the tent where the bandit leaders gathered. He entered it hidden in shadows, tossed two snares at a wizard, and then poisoned the same wizard with an arrow of biting. To his horror the arrow and the traps didn't suffice to finish the mage. It forced Norgath to go on the defensive and quaff a potion of stone form (which didn't offer complete protection against Venkt's spells, but at least took effect immediately, unlike Greenstone Amulet protection). His Boots of Avoidance, Claw of Kazgaroth, Girdle of Piercing and Cloak of Displacement and a potion of defense notwithstanding, he suffered several ranged hits (much to my surprise). It prompted the Dwarf to quaff an invisibility potion.
He then healed himself with innate healing powers and potions, while his enemies positioned themselves around him.
The bandits then found out the hard way that Norgath had previously swigged two potions of fire resistance and that he owned a Necklace of Missiles.
Norgath slew all the bandits and released a prisoner named Ender Sai, who revealed to him that the organization behind the bandits and the iron crisis was the Iron Throne, with a secret base in Cloakwood.
Norgath hid in shadows to leave the camp unnoticed, traveled to Beregost to barter with Taerom and Thalantyr, and trekked to Cloakwood to investigate the Iron Throne.
"The bandits then found out the hard way that Norgath had previously swigged two potions of fire resistance and that he owned a Necklace of Missiles."
That is why you don't fight dwarven bounty hunters.
Haha, some Dwarves, including Durak, are not to be messed with.
3rd BG1 report
Norgath hasn't been up to much though he did accomplish one important feat, so here's a quick update. He reached the Cloakwood in good order, acquired a Cloak of Non-Detection (a welcome item at that stage of his adventuring career). And repeatedly entering and leaving a cabin for backstabbing purposes, the Dwarf slew four Druids at the behest of a nobleman from Baldur's Gate. Deeper in the forest the rogue agreed to locate a lost boy that had wandered off to slay Spiders with an enchanted blade that interested him, Spiders' Bane. A scroll of PfPoison and a potion of freedom greatly facilitated the Dwarf's efforts against the arachnids. The boy and - more important to Norgath - Spiders' Bane were soon found. Alas, the boy was dead and Spiders' Bane was a two-hander he had little use for. On the flipside, Norgath reached level 9 here, which made his backstabs all the more powerful.
More freedom potions helped Norgath handle Giant Spider ambushes on his way to the Iron Throne base. He found it, a mine. The structure was guarded by a handful of fighters with plain armor and weapons, and by a party of four more dangerous looking figures: two warriors with enchanted armor and weapons, and two wizards. The Dwarf waited till nightfall to take advantage of the dark. He killed two guards that stood by a bridge near the four elites, and another guard in an outhouse that he intended to use for stealth purposes. He then set four of his snares close to the four elite guards, and took out one of the wizards with a single thrust of his short sword.
The other wizard survived a backstab, but panicked after suffering trap damage and fire damage from Norgath's Necklace of Missiles.
He fled and would not show himself again. The warriors succumbed to trap damage, ranged attacks and backstabs. One of them had a pair of Boots of Speed. Norgath put them on, put his Boots of Stealth in his pack, and entered the mine.
The bounty hunter stealthily explored the place, avoiding the guards but speaking with the miners for information. Norgath had reservations about their proposition to the flood the mine, it was a fully functional mine with untarnished iron ore, but he decided to go along with the plan after consulting with a fellow Dwarf he released from a prison cell, Yeslick. Yeslick offered to join Norgath but the rogue declined as he preferred to work alone. They agreed to have an ale at the FAI though, as soon as the business with the mine was behind them. Norgath found the master of the mine, a mage named Davaeorn with two Battle Horrors, in a lair far below the surface. Laziness and a dearth of anti-magic potions made Norgath decide to read a green scroll of Protection from Magic. Having nothing to fear from Davaeorn, Norgath first took out the Battle Horrors with sneak attacks. It was then only a matter of time before Norgath's incessant range attacks and sword thrusts did away with Davaeorn's protections, and ultimately, the wizard's life.
(The image shows another hostile wizard. That's Stephan who had taken offense to being affected by a Fireball's friendly fire.)
Norgath helped himself to Davaeorn's coffers, flooded the mine, and left the Cloakwood behind him. He had a couple of ales with Yeslick at the FAI and has just arrived in Baldur's Gate.
Congratulations to Norgath on his defeat of Davaeron. More than once I have found myself talking to my PC screen in unladylike tones to that one. If he would only hold still…
I must confess to being just a bit jealous of Norgath. I would so love to be able to share an ale with Yeslick. I’ve often thought that he would be such an interesting man to talk to.
Indeed, he is one of the hardest fights in the game. Teleportation, defensive buffs, lightning and fireballs...it is actually easier to solo him than to have a full party. Even in party runs I choose someone to solo him because of this.
Luckily, as a bounty hunter, Norgath always has the right tools for the job.
I must confess to being just a bit jealous of Norgath. I would so love to be able to share an ale with Yeslick. I’ve often thought that he would be such an interesting man to talk to.
Norgath kind of enjoyed it too. Yeslick was a bit of a grandfatherly figure to Norgath. The rogue didn't necessarily share Yeslick's moral scruples, but they were both men of their word, and Norgath did appreciate the older Dwarf's tales about his clan and their work in the Cloakwood Mine. Mining, smithing, life in a Dwarven clan. It was completely foreign to Norgath, sadly.
4th BG1 report
More than two new moons of traveling the Sword Coast had made Norgath a bit of a local hero in some parts (Nashkel and to a lesser extent Beregost), but it was in the city of Baldur's Gate that the Dwarf truly rose to fame. This intrigued Norgath greatly. He considered himself a simple mercenary, not the savior of the Sword Coast. That some of his feats had served not just his own financial interests but also the interests of farmers or merchants was mostly coincidental. Be that as it may, Norgath became one of the most affluent, powerful and respected individuals in the big city within less than a tenday. His position as an independent contractor allowed him to associate himself with several of the most influential factions in the city (rather than being limited to joining just one of those). These factions included the Grand Duke-led Flaming Fist, the Thieves Guild where he made some true friends in Narlen Darkwalk, Rededge, and Black Lily, and two prominent merchant consortiums: the Seven Suns and his friend Aldeth Sashenstar's Merchants' League, rivals of the Iron Throne with whom Norgath's dealings would not surprisingly be less than pleasant. Besides his work for said organizations Norgath also accepted a number of commissions from individuals with sufficient coin to afford his services. Examples are Brevlik, for whom the rogue purloined a Telescope from the Hall of Wonders, and Tremain Belde'ar, a Priest of Tymora that rewarded the Dwarf generously for timely bringing him his son's corpse from the Water Queen's House.
Norgath had a scare when two Iron Throne employees turned out to have poisoned a meal he ate, but after some research and with the help of his traps, Norgath successfully found and eliminated the Iron Throne hireling that carried the antidote.
The Dwarf would have paid the Iron Throne a visit to teach them some manners right after that, but decided to confer with Duke Eltan first. Norgath didn't mention the actual poisoning, but Doppelganger infestations at the Seven Suns and the Merchants' League convinced Duke Eltan to request Norgath to investigate the Throne. Norgath accepted the commission after negotiating a princely fee.
The Dwarf found the top floor heavily guarded, but no sign of any merchants in charge of the Throne. Warned by his poisoning, the rogue decided to deal with the six or seven guards before they'd be able to deal with him. Hidden in shadows like a true master thief, he set several snares around the group. Norgath knew well enough that his traps wouldn't outright kill the enemy and he also knew he wouldn't be able to fight all of them at the same time. He therefore applied an oil of speed and availed himself of sneak attacks, appearing and disappearing from the different stairs. Some of the unarmed staff (merchants, a bartender, a cook) would snitch on the guards, making it difficult for Norgath to hide in shadows. The Dwarf had no mercy with these staff members. "You've made your damn choice!" he said as he struck them down. (Reputation conveniently dropped to levels that would give Norgath the Divine Wrath Bhaalpower).
None of the guards had an answer to Norgath's backstabs and arrows of biting and soon the two upper floors were littered with corpses.
The Dwarf learned from a dastard figure by the name of Thaldorn, who had hidden himself during the brawl, that the Iron Throne leaders were on business in Candlekeep. The Dwarf let the man go that he might inform any Iron Throne colleagues of what had just transpired. He reported back to Eltan and received from the Duke a book of value to get him into Candlekeep.
Norgath made it back to the gates of Candlekeep without incident, but was waylaid there by five Ogre Mages. Thankfully his Boots of Speed allowed the Dwarf to reach the Keeper of the Portal and to enter the citadel without having to deal with the wizards. The rogue was shrewd enough to see through the thin disguise, the hardly cryptic pseudonym 'Koveras', that Sarevok used, a man that had turned up in some of the Iron Throne correspondence. But he did make the mistake of following Sarevok's tip to take on the Iron Throne leaders that were in a meeting upstairs. Norgath slew Rieltar, the Throne's president, in cold blood,
and had no mercy for the other board members either.
The Dwarf's mistake however, was his supposition that he could get away with all this, as he had done with previous eliminations. The difference was that this time he wasn't in deep down in a mine, in the bowels of the earth, or in a bandit camp in the middle of nowhere, but in Candlekeep, where law and order ruled and were enforced by Watchers. Norgath was arrested for his "crimes".
In his cell Norgath had the time to contemplate his actions. It had become clear to him that Sarevok had set him up. He had wanted the rogue to murder the Iron Throne leaders, and Norgath had fallen for it. More than the Iron Throne, Sarevok was his nemesis. Ulraunt visited him and told him he would be transported the next day to Baldur's Gate where he would be sentenced to death. Norgath saw no means of escaping his cell, let alone the heavily warded citadel, and so accepted he'd have to wait until the trip to Baldur's Gate. But then Tethtoril appeared. The sage priest had little love for the ruthless Dwarf, but he must have measured both Sarevok and Norgath, and considered Gorion's ward the lesser evil. He released Norgath from his cell and teleported him to the library's secret catacombs. The Dwarf, ever eager for profit, casually looted several vaults containing enchanted items, magical tomes, scrolls and potions. Reading the tomes made him stronger and wiser. Wise enough to realize that he might well have become the Sword Coast's most wanted man. The Iron Throne would be after him for the murder of Rieltar & Co, Sarevok wouldn't rest till he was dead, and the Fist would want his hide as well: he had become an outlaw.
Norgath found a way through the catacombs into a cavernous area. On his way he encountered Doppelgangers who were trying to take the shapes of Candlekeep's residents, probably in preparation of a replacement operation. It disgusted Norgath, but he had more urgent matters to worry about, he realized as he read a letter from Gorion that Tethtoril had given him. Apart from being the Sword Coast's most wanted man, he was also a son of Bhaal, he learned from the letter, and so was Sarevok. Norgath didn't really know what to make of it (though it did explain a number of dreams he had had and innate powers he had developed). According to Gorion's letter there were more Bhaalspawn besides Sarevok and him. Sarevok was particularly dangerous though, as he knew of his own heritage and Norgath's. The Dwarf understood that Sarevok had been the one who had slain Gorion, and that he'd have to defeat Sarevok, preferably by legal means in order to clear his reputation, or be defeated. He wondered about the other Bhaalspawn though. If there were more 'Sarevoks' out there that wanted him dead, he'd be in for an interesting ride. Norgath entered the caverns hidden in shadows and was positive he heard people breathing not far from him. He didn't see them though, nor did they notice him. The Dwarf was fine with that and stalked past Spiders and Basilisks until he found a tunnel that led to the surface, just beyond one of the keep's massive walls.
The rogue decided not to return to Baldur's Gate forthwith. He wanted the storm caused by his actions to subside, and he needed some time to think. His first stop he made at the FAI. As neither his gear nor his gold had been confiscated, Norgath decided to make several donations at the Temple of Garl Glittergold, the closest thing he knew to a Dwarven temple on the Sword Coast, so as to somewhat restore his reputation. It didn't stop a group of bounty hunters he had previously eluded, from tracking him down there.
Norgath decided this time not to run:
After that incident Norgath roamed from town to town, but he found little rest. He decided to return to Baldur's Gate to deal with Sarevok, the most immediate threat.
He still had his friends at the Thieves Guild who provided shelter and a base to operate from. Black Lily sold him a number of items that would prove useful in his quest for vindication. They included an enchanted cowl that protected against poison and backstabs, five phials of poison and a set of arrows of dispelling. From a Kara-Turan spy he learned that Duke Eltan had been poisoned as part of Sarevok's plans to eliminate the city's dukes. Two assassins had been hired to dispatch the other dukes. As a first step toward clearing his name, the Dwarf spirited diseased Duke Eltan away from right under the nose of his suspicious healer, into the care of the Harbormaster. Next he tracked down the assassins, Slythe and Krystin, in the Undercellars. The male was a backstabbing rogue, the female a wizard. Norgath planted four traps close to the pair, and revealed himself when he fired an arrow of biting at Slythe. Norgath's arrow missed, Slythe went invisible, and Krystin - also invisible but easily discerned due to her Fireshields - approached as the Dwarf retreated. Detecting Illusions wasn't Norgath's forte, so there was little he could against his enemies. He threw a Fireball at Krystin, injuring both her and a courtesan (that Norgath thanks to wrongly configured AI proceeded to kill for another steep reputation drop).
(I use aTweaks' Simple Thief script. It allows the player to have a character constantly look for traps or hide in shadows, but I must have pushed the 'v' button at some point, to make the scripted character attack sighted enemies.) When Krystin became visible, Norgath dispelled her protections with arrows of dispelling and finished the woman with acid arrows.
Slythe reappeared not much later. He proved a lot harder to deal with. Norgath knew he was safe from the assassin's backstabs thanks to his cowl, but even in face to face combat Slythe dished out serious damage. After a critical strike for 30 damage failed to fell Slythe,
severely injured Norgath applied an oil of speed (which, combined with his Boots of Speed, enabled Norgath to outrun the also hasted assassin), and slew his opponent with ranged attacks.
Norgath took Slythe's blade, that he would later see identified as a Short Sword of Backstabbing, as well as an invitation to Sarevok's coronation the next day and a letter from Sarevok containing an instruction to kill the Dukes.
The next day, Norgath visited the Ducal Palace to present to the dukes and nobles of the city Sarevok's letter with the instruction to Slythe to assassinate the Dukes. He saw Duke Belt and Duchess Janneth, Sarevok, and several nobles. When he asked one of the nobles in the audience whether the ceremony had already ended, the figure looked at him with a lifeless stare and remained silent. Norgath understood that these nobles weren't what they seemed to be; they were Doppelgangers. The Dwarf had sufficient experience with these creautures to recognize them for what they were. Knowing he had to protect not just himself but also the Dukes, he quickly boosted his strength and dexterity to supernatural levels with different types of potions and his magic resistance with potions of magic protection. He also placed four snares amidst the unwary Doppelgangers. When Norgath stepped forward to show Duke Belt Sarevok's letter, the (Greater) Doppelgangers suddenly showed their true clolors, and tried to stop the Dwarf. One of the creatures was faster than all the others in changing shape. It immediately fell to Norgath's traps. Norgath then started to dispel the other Doppelgangers' haste with his arrows of dispelling.
Some of the Doppelgangers directed their aggression toward the Dukes, while others focused on Norgath and actually injured him (which prompted the Dwarf to quaff a potion of defense). The rogue used one of his phials of poison on his acid arrows to weaken the enemies, and with Belt and a number of Flaming Fist Enforcers, he quickly finished the remaining monsters.
The Dwarf then finally had the chance to show Duke Belt and Duchess Janneth the evidence of Sarevok's murderous plans, and to clear his blemished reputation. But, as desperate needs lead to desperate deeds, Sarevok decided to intervene. He attacked all that came close to him, until a wizard teleported into the room, and out again, taking Sarevok with him. Duke Belt teleported Norgath to the Thieves Guild where Sarevok and the wizard had entered a secret tunnel to flee into the so-called Undercity.
Norgath followed through a trapped and guarded maze, disarming the snares and sneaking past the guards (Doom Guards and Skeleton Warriors, and beyond the maze, a group of mercenaries) until he came upon a temple of Bhaal. There he faced Sarevok and four of his most faithful servants: the wizards Angelo and Semaj, and the warriors Diarmid and Tazok. Norgath dispelled Sarevok's haste but saw his own buffs dispelled by Angelo. The Dwarf made the latter pay for that by dispelling the battlemage's buffs and felling him with poisoned acid arrows.
A Skeleton Warrior that rose from Angelo's corpse was elimiated with backstabs. Norgath restored some of his buffs and protections (magic protection because of Semaj, speed, defense, mind focusing), and he also used his gear that protected him from missile attacks. Diarmid the archer injured and poisoned him nonetheless.
Semaj on the other hand formed no danger, as the wizard never cast a Remove Magic at Norgath while the Dwarf was generous with his arrows of dispelling. The rogue could have killed the mage there and then, but he decided to deal with Diarmid first:
Tazok, who had been invisible up till then, injured Norgath with a sneak attack, but the Dwarf showed the Half-Ogre once and for all how an attack from the shadows is properly exectuted:
Semaj, toothless while Norgath was protected from magic, cleverly decided to go invisible and wait for Norgath's protections to expire but the Dwarf had an answer to that stratagem as well, his Necklace of Missiles.
After Norgath removed some Skeleton Warriors from the battlefield, only Sarevok and he remained.
There was doubt in Sarevok's voice and in his words. 'Does it end here then?' - he wondered aloud. Norgath had nothing to say to his enemy though. He realized he didn't hate the warrior. Sarevok meant nothing to him, nothing but an insignificant piece of business he had to get out of the way before he could move on with his life. There was no room for emotion in the stone-cold Dwarf. There were no heroics, no duel. For Norgath was no knight; he was a hardened killer and a hunter. Swift, deadly strikes from the shadows were Sarevok's bane.
Blackraven said: There were no heroics, no duel. For Norgath was no knight; he was a hardened killer and a hunter. Swift, deadly strikes from the shadows were Sarevok's bane.
Blackraven said: There were no heroics, no duel. For Norgath was no knight; he was a hardened killer and a hunter. Swift, deadly strikes from the shadows were Sarevok's bane.
I love it! Your destiny awaits Norgath!
QFT.
I hope he managed to convince the dukes to pay a bounty for Sarevok's head while he was at it.
Thanks @Ravenslight and @Grum! I like what you said Grum about negotiating a bounty for killing Sarevok. It hadn't occurred to me, but you've added this bit to Norgath's tale. Thank you
Norgath, Dwarven Bounty Hunter, 1st BG2 report
RL makes it difficult to play and write detailed updates, so the following report will be relatively concise. This is Norgath's character record at the beginning of the game.
As you can see, he started with an extra level and wasn’t far removed from another level. I considered lowering his XP, but in the end I didn’t as I felt Norgath had earned that XP. He hadn’t really farmed XP in BG1 (no Shoal, no Ankhegs, no Kirinhale, no Durlag Basilisks, no Sirines, and no or hardly any extra Flesh Golems). Instead he had dealt rather thoroughly with the Iron Throne. You can also see buffed DEX and INT, this was an unintended effect of a mind focusing potion in the final battle against Sarevok. The effect would wear off soon after though.
Last night I actually dreamed of Norgath. It wasn’t pretty: he had died. Thankfully Norgath is alive and well (even if he started off weaker and more vulnerable than he had ever felt since leaving Candlekeep). Hopefully the dream wasn’t prophetic.
Imprisoned and tortured by the evil wizard Irenicus in an eerie dungeon, and released from his cell by his old Candlekeep neighbor Imoen, Norgath’s arrival in what he'd discover to be Athkatla had a surreal feel to it. Norgath thanked Imoen for helping him out of his cell. He told her to follow him in search of a way out. There were two more prisoners, Minsc and Jaheira. Norgath helped them escape their cells but he had no interest in having the blundering half-wit or the belligerent dominatrix by his side. Instead, he snuck alone past Duergar guards to secure a key a Golem would use to open a number of doors that led to a room with an Otyugh. Norgath took the monster down with backstabs,
and he used a thrown trap to deal with three Duergar that were barring his way.
He looted the master bedroom for Sarevok’s upgraded ring of protection +2 and the Claw of Kazgaroth, and a second bedroom for a portal key. Two Golems programmed to punish Norgath for entering the latter room were ensnared by the crafty Dwarf.
Using Irenicus’ portal key, Norgath traveled to another floor where he applied an oil of speed to help him battle his way past four Mephit Portals,
stole a Girdle of Bluntness under stealth,
slew a Doppelganger named Frennedan, and (after a rest) a Vampire named Ulvaryl with one or two thrown traps.
The Dwarf’s Divine Wrath took a couple of Assassins by surprise
before he escaped the dungeon with Imoen following him. Norgath’s special item, as in my previous run with him, is his Cloak of Non-Detection as enhanced by Thalantyr. It gives two daily Invisibilities and +1 to AC and Saves. Norgath ‘found’ the item at the end of Irenicus’ Dungeon.
Imoen didn’t accompany Norgath for long. She was taken in by Cowled Wizards for casting a Magic Missile. Irenicus too was arrested, for killing some of the cowled ones as well as several rogues, with a lot of different spells that Norgath didn’t care to know. (The Dwarf had a bit of an aversion against magic, though he acknowledged its uses.) Norgath lamented Imoen’s arrest, but found himself in no hurry to go looking for her. Irenicus was Norgath’s main concern, but the wizard had looked powerful. The Dwarf needed preparation, coin, his old gear that had been stolen. He befriended Gaelan Bayle, a rogue in the Slums of Athkatla, who offered him an opportunity of employment with the Shadow Thieves, and a way to get to Imoen and Irenicus. The latter would be costly though: 40k GP. In the nearby Copper Coronet inn, the rogue rescued a number of slaves and installed one of them, Hendak, as the new innkeeper. It earned the Dwarf a fair amount of gold and a discount with Bernard, a vendor.
When he went on his way to the Docks District to meet with Renal Bloodscalp of the Shadow Thieves, a group of slavers were waiting to ambush people in a quiet street. Norgath had never let go of his habit of keeping to the shadows, so the slavers didn’t initially notice him. The Dwarf took advantage of this. He distanced himself a bit from them, and placed several snares near himself. He returned to the group, threw a potion of explosions at them, and retreated again. Their leader (Eldarin) and an invisible assassin followed him, only to get killed by Norgath’s snares.
From the leader’s corpse he picked up an enchanted short sword: Arbane’s Sword. Greed then saw the Dwarf suffer severe injuries at the hands of a wizard before he slew her with his Divine Wrath.
Another slaver he slew with a backstab, a Divine Wrath and a critical hit.
Another ambush followed not much later. Three men that had poisoned another man, Renfeld, who begged Norgath to take him to a friend in the Docks District. The Dwarf was going there anyway, so anticipating some easy money, he agreed to help (retreating from the bandits). In the Docks District Norgath witnessed a Vampire kill three rogues, and threaten him as well. The Dwarf was not impressed and the Vampire suddenly admitted she knew he wouldn’t fall as easily as her previous victims. Norgath was more upset by invisible ruffians attacking him, and even expended an oil of speed to outrun them.
He accepted the job the Shadow Thieves had for him: infiltration in one the local guildhouses to spy on its leader and find possible evidence of betrayal, the type of job that had become his specialty back on the Sword Coast. The reward would be sweet: he would take control of the guildhouse. This brings me to @Alesia_BH’s interest in theme music for our Charnames. I see Norgath as both a future crime lord – thanks to his LE alignment and the SoA Thief Stronghold – and as a lone wolf, the archetypical bounty hunter. In the end I think Norgath is too much of a loner to be a crime lord. (Had he been a master Assassin and operated with a party, i.e. his henchmen, things might have been different.) I like to imagine lone Norgath roam forsaken lands in search of his prey. Therefore I find fitting Ennio Morricone’s compositions that accompany Sergio Leone’ Dollars Trilogy, the films For a Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad & the Ugly. Two examples: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HjjDOdaFZg0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLXQltR7vUQ
Before getting his work for the Shadow Thieves underway, Norgath did some thieving in Athkatla (mainly potions, also gear he sold to buy armor and weaponry: Night's Gift, Sound Defense and Black Cat's Claw), and traveled to the Umar Hills [note: to get Bone Golems rather than Liches to deal with in the Temple Ruins]. He accepted a commission from the Mayor of Imnesvale to investigate mysterious killings and disappearances in the area. His research led the Dwarf to the Temple Ruins, which were plagued by Shadows, Wraiths, and Shadow Wolves. Norgath had three scrolls of PfUndead. He used on of those inside the Ruins. It lasted long enough for Norgath to slay a Shadow Jailor, release a Halfling lass who rewarded him with an anti-stun sword, and slay a group of ‘guards’ consisting of two Skeleton Warriors, a Greater Mummy whose presence forced the Dwarf to quaff a clarity potion, and (with sneak attacks) a Bone Golem. [Note: like the Lich in my previous run with Dagny, the first Bone Golem, who in my experience is supposed to be in the room north of the fire pool, knew of Norgath’s presence and came looking for him.]
The Skeleton Warriors dropped some amazing scrolls (Sell Trap, Spell Trigger). After his PfUndead had expired it was with difficulty and invisibilities that Norgath managed to overcome a second group of Skeleton Warriors and Greater Mummy plus Bone Golem.
He obtained a stone that kept him safe from a Shadow Dragon, rested in its lair, and PfUndead left that lair to face the Shade Lord who had been responsible for the troubles in the area. A sunstone bullet launched from a +3 Sling he found in the ruins instantly killed a Shadow Altar. A lieutenant (Shadow Patrick) fell to melee attacks, and the Shade Lord himself to backstabs as he was hard to hit otherwise for Norgath.
Norgath was rewarded a suit of enchanted leather armor he considered inferior to his Armor of Deep Night +4 and some gold by the mayor. And from a local Cowled Wizard he received an enchanted short Sword, Ilbratha, for finding him some Mimic’s blood and protecting him against a rebellious Stone Golem.
Back in Athkatla, Norgath had violent dealings with two old acquaintances, Slythe & Krystin in the Water Gardens, a posh part of town where the nobility relaxed and gossiped. The assassins forced the Dwarf to use up most of his healing potions before they fell.
At Waukeen’s Promenade he entered a circus tent that Kalah the Gnome had converted into his personal playground. He helped a boy find his lost mother, and a Winged Elf that looked like an Ogre find her natural form. In an illusory ice area, traps, backstabs and melee attacks made Norgath prevail over an Ettin, a rabid rabbit, an Ogre Mage and a Slime,
before he slew Kalah and saw the Circus Tent restored.
Norgath, Dwarven Bounty Hunter, 2nd & final BG2 report
I'm sorry to report that Norgath died in the Athkatla Tombs. A Giant Spider Held him. There were other Spiders nearby. He got poisoned and died.
My mistake was to assume that Arbane's Sword, which Norgath had equipped in the off-hand, protected against Web. On the forums I've found differing statements on how Arbane's Sword is supposed to work. @bengoshi has mentioned that in BG2EE the blade doesn't protect against web; whereas @semiticgod (who plays the original game, like me in this case) says that Arbane's Sword does protect against Web.
Sorry Norgath, for letting you down. I know you'll be back some day, perhaps in 6 months or so.
My apologies for the bad advice, @Blackraven. I have to take responsibility for this.
I read @Alesia_BH's post on the other forums. Apparently the fixpack is responsible for the absence of immunity to web. With the fixpack, it only gives immunity to Hold I and Hold II, opcodes 109 and 175.
But it was my understanding that even immunity to Hold I, opcode 109, you had immunity to both Hold Person and Web, and that the "Web overlay" effect as it's named in Near Infinity, opcode 157, is merely a visual effect, since Web uses both opcodes 109 and 157, as opposed to just 157. The spider item, ANTIWEB, grants immunity to both, as does the SCS2 component that gives large creatures immunity to Web. This would suggest that the web overlay effect is only a visual effect--why else would Web, and immunity to Web, also use opcode 109?
Thanks @Nimran (I thought you were only going to post terrible things ) and @Musigny (I hope we're going to see more no-reload attempts of yours, I only read about Sidhonie's sad end today, my condolences).
Norgath's end was a bit sad. I hadn't played since the weekend, and the incident happened literally within 5 minutes
No worries @semiticgod, things like this happen. I hope to have a Gnome Cleric/Thief enter the challenge sometime soon. (Btw I agree with your above analysis.)
Norgath, Dwarven Bounty Hunter, 2nd & final BG2 report
I'm sorry to report that Norgath died in the Athkatla Tombs. A Giant Spider Held him. There were other Spiders nearby. He got poisoned and died.
My mistake was to assume that Arbane's Sword, which Norgath had equipped in the off-hand, protected against Web. On the forums I've found differing statements on how Arbane's Sword is supposed to work. @bengoshi has mentioned that in BG2EE the blade doesn't protect against web; whereas @semiticgod (who plays the original game, like me in this case) says that Arbane's Sword does protect against Web.
Sorry Norgath, for letting you down. I know you'll be back some day, perhaps in 6 months or so.
That is a really bad way to go. I'm really sorry to hear it, I was enjoying this thread.
Hey @Vigilcoma, thank you! Norgath is certainly my most successful no-reload character, probably my most memorable, and maybe even my favorite I had to dig a bit to find the portrait, but here you go:
Edit: I don't know who the artist is, so can't give credit. The portrait can be found here.
Comments
The keys to success in SCS no reload play are game knowledge, persistence, and concentration, of course, but also -and more importantly to my mind- humility and a sense of humor (you have to be aware of your fallibility, and capable of dusting yourself off with a grin when things don't go your way). You seem to have all five going for you. I'm sure you'll chalk up a success relatively soon.
Best of luck with your next adventure!
Cheers,
A.
Btw. There's no shame in falling in Pocket Place Challenge 2. Even with Ascension installed, I find SCS Pocket Plane Challenges 1 & 2 to be among the most dangerous fights in the adventure. Good work!
No idea if/when you're going to read this but, as I've done before, I'd like to tell you that it would be great to see you back in action again, even if your knowledge of the game has grown a bit rusty.
I don't expect to have much time to play these weeks, so any updates won't cover large parts of the game. This includes this first update.
As you might remember Norgath is not a very nice guy. He's not your friend, and if he helps people out it has to be because he sees profit somewhere. It's thus that he started out acting the nice guy for people along the Coast Way, helped by Lord Foreshadow's Ring of Human Influence (because with his gruff demeanor and his scarry face he noticed people like Mrs Blackwood, whose children needed a babysitter, simply refused to have dealings with him).
Thus far he's exterminated Spiders for Landrin, eliminated a rogue Ogre, slain two bounty hunters that were after his hide (Neira with ranged attacks, and Tarnesh with backstab + ranged), found Brun's son for Brun and a bowl for Tenya (using stealth in the Ankheg den), finished a band of Hobgoblins that carried a pair of Boots of Stealth, befriended Noober, pickpocketed Algernon, brought Mirianne a message, fetched a book for Firebead, placated Marl, rescued Melicamp (only to see him killed by Thalantyr's magic), exacted revenge for Bjornin on four Half-Ogres, protected Charleston Nib, tracked down Brage, saved a Dryad's tree, located a dead cat, and taken out two Half-Ogres guarding a bridge.
There was little risk in all, but still two uncomfortable moments presented themselves. After picking up the CHA tome, Norgath dallied a bit while making his way out of the cave, causing him to be surrounded by Xvarts. With no critical hit protection and no good gear yet, this could gotten ugly. However the Dwarf had plenty of healing potions, and used two of them while fighting his way past the runts.
Character record and inventory screen:
@Grum, good to know you're pleased!
@johntyl, those three items are all from the excellent Rogue Rebalancing mod, which in addition to modifying Thieves and Bards, also adds several items to the game that are particularly useful for rogues.
Also Durak will most likely return when SoD comes out (on the IPhone). A long time, most likely.
2nd BG1 report
The afternoon offered a few spare hours (quiet day at work, probably the only one this week), which allowed Norgath to make some progress, and me to give you this update.
The rogue had been doing some uneventful exploring of the eastern Sword Coast when he beheld an immense tower: Durlag's Tower. Aware of possible treasure, he decided to go and take a look. By the entrance he slew two Battle Horrors, using stealth and the doorway.
A more remunerative undertaking was his exploration of the Lighthouse Area, whose treasure cave, once the hideout of the famous pirate Black Alaric, had a Manual of Bodily Health, several potions, and a couple of enchanted items in store for him. To get to the treasure, he disarmed four snares, and he slew four or five Flesh Golems with attacks from the shadows.
Further south, near the Firewine Ruins south of Gullykin, more danger awaited Norgath in the form of several dozens of Kobolds, a type of enemy he despised. Smelly and piss poor, the critters had nothing to offer him but the occasional poisoned dagger and some fiery arrows (an inferior type of elemental arrow compared to ice arrows and acid arrows). His Cloak of Deflection, Girdle of Piercing, and Claw of Kazgaroth protected the Dwarf from most of his foes' ranged attacks, but he nevertheless saw himself forced to use up a charge of his Necklace of Missiles, much to his chagrin, when he was about to be swarmed.
A bounty on the head of Prism the sculptor and a commission for Berrun Ghastkill - investigating disappearances of minders and contamination of iron in the local mine - took Norgath to the Nashkel Mines area. He defeated a fellow bounty hunter for the prize on Prism there, using snares and arrows of biting. In the Nashkel Mines he ran into more of the loathed Kobolds. Considering them unworthy foes, Norgath decided to stalk past them, hidden in shadows. But when he disarmed a trap on a bridge, one Kobold took notice of him. It called its companions for help, and soon Norgath found himself swarmed again. However the Dwarf found another place to hide, and a way a past the enemy.
Norgath left the mines via a secret tunnel that ended in the Valley of the Tombs. A green scroll of Protection from Undead allowed him to loot three tombs and slay some Ghasts and a Revenant in the process. Norgath then returned to Nashkel where two of his special snares killed the assassin Nimbul who had come for him.
Correspondence found on the assassin's body led the Dwarf to Feldepost's Inn in Beregost, where a contact, Tranzig, was supposed to reside.
Wary of ambushes on the Coast Way, Norgath took a detour via the Red Canyons only to run into a Bassilus the murderer, another outlaw on his list of targets, whose scalp was worth a hefty amount of gold. Norgath, protected by his Greenstone Amulet, bested his quarry with arrows and previously set snares.
In Beregost, the Dwarf confronted the mage Tranzig. He ended up poisoning the wizard with his arrows of biting, and then slaying him with his blade. On his foe's corpse he found a letter pointing to a Bandit Camp in the Wood of Sharp Teeth. Before going there, Norgath first traveled north to Ulgoth's Beard to pay the local innkeeper over 10 grand for the Sandthief Ring, leaving him near penniless. A stop at the FAI saw Norgath ambushed by four assassins (Molkar's crew). The rogue withdrew and fled into the woods. In the Peldvale Area, I misclicked Norgath paid a bandit party to leave him alone. (Good thing Norgath had just bought the Sandthief Ring, an overpriced item I often don't bother with.)
Norgath hid in shadows to leave the camp unnoticed, traveled to Beregost to barter with Taerom and Thalantyr, and trekked to Cloakwood to investigate the Iron Throne.
Also:
"The bandits then found out the hard way that Norgath had previously swigged two potions of fire resistance and that he owned a Necklace of Missiles."
That is why you don't fight dwarven bounty hunters.
3rd BG1 report
Norgath hasn't been up to much though he did accomplish one important feat, so here's a quick update. He reached the Cloakwood in good order, acquired a Cloak of Non-Detection (a welcome item at that stage of his adventuring career). And repeatedly entering and leaving a cabin for backstabbing purposes, the Dwarf slew four Druids at the behest of a nobleman from Baldur's Gate.
Deeper in the forest the rogue agreed to locate a lost boy that had wandered off to slay Spiders with an enchanted blade that interested him, Spiders' Bane. A scroll of PfPoison and a potion of freedom greatly facilitated the Dwarf's efforts against the arachnids. The boy and - more important to Norgath - Spiders' Bane were soon found. Alas, the boy was dead and Spiders' Bane was a two-hander he had little use for. On the flipside, Norgath reached level 9 here, which made his backstabs all the more powerful.
More freedom potions helped Norgath handle Giant Spider ambushes on his way to the Iron Throne base. He found it, a mine. The structure was guarded by a handful of fighters with plain armor and weapons, and by a party of four more dangerous looking figures: two warriors with enchanted armor and weapons, and two wizards. The Dwarf waited till nightfall to take advantage of the dark. He killed two guards that stood by a bridge near the four elites, and another guard in an outhouse that he intended to use for stealth purposes. He then set four of his snares close to the four elite guards, and took out one of the wizards with a single thrust of his short sword.
The bounty hunter stealthily explored the place, avoiding the guards but speaking with the miners for information. Norgath had reservations about their proposition to the flood the mine, it was a fully functional mine with untarnished iron ore, but he decided to go along with the plan after consulting with a fellow Dwarf he released from a prison cell, Yeslick. Yeslick offered to join Norgath but the rogue declined as he preferred to work alone. They agreed to have an ale at the FAI though, as soon as the business with the mine was behind them.
Norgath found the master of the mine, a mage named Davaeorn with two Battle Horrors, in a lair far below the surface. Laziness and a dearth of anti-magic potions made Norgath decide to read a green scroll of Protection from Magic. Having nothing to fear from Davaeorn, Norgath first took out the Battle Horrors with sneak attacks. It was then only a matter of time before Norgath's incessant range attacks and sword thrusts did away with Davaeorn's protections, and ultimately, the wizard's life.
Norgath helped himself to Davaeorn's coffers, flooded the mine, and left the Cloakwood behind him. He had a couple of ales with Yeslick at the FAI and has just arrived in Baldur's Gate.
I must confess to being just a bit jealous of Norgath. I would so love to be able to share an ale with Yeslick. I’ve often thought that he would be such an interesting man to talk to.
Luckily, as a bounty hunter, Norgath always has the right tools for the job.
4th BG1 report
More than two new moons of traveling the Sword Coast had made Norgath a bit of a local hero in some parts (Nashkel and to a lesser extent Beregost), but it was in the city of Baldur's Gate that the Dwarf truly rose to fame. This intrigued Norgath greatly. He considered himself a simple mercenary, not the savior of the Sword Coast. That some of his feats had served not just his own financial interests but also the interests of farmers or merchants was mostly coincidental. Be that as it may, Norgath became one of the most affluent, powerful and respected individuals in the big city within less than a tenday. His position as an independent contractor allowed him to associate himself with several of the most influential factions in the city (rather than being limited to joining just one of those). These factions included the Grand Duke-led Flaming Fist, the Thieves Guild where he made some true friends in Narlen Darkwalk, Rededge, and Black Lily, and two prominent merchant consortiums: the Seven Suns and his friend Aldeth Sashenstar's Merchants' League, rivals of the Iron Throne with whom Norgath's dealings would not surprisingly be less than pleasant.
Besides his work for said organizations Norgath also accepted a number of commissions from individuals with sufficient coin to afford his services. Examples are Brevlik, for whom the rogue purloined a Telescope from the Hall of Wonders, and Tremain Belde'ar, a Priest of Tymora that rewarded the Dwarf generously for timely bringing him his son's corpse from the Water Queen's House.
Norgath had a scare when two Iron Throne employees turned out to have poisoned a meal he ate, but after some research and with the help of his traps, Norgath successfully found and eliminated the Iron Throne hireling that carried the antidote.
The Dwarf found the top floor heavily guarded, but no sign of any merchants in charge of the Throne. Warned by his poisoning, the rogue decided to deal with the six or seven guards before they'd be able to deal with him. Hidden in shadows like a true master thief, he set several snares around the group. Norgath knew well enough that his traps wouldn't outright kill the enemy and he also knew he wouldn't be able to fight all of them at the same time. He therefore applied an oil of speed and availed himself of sneak attacks, appearing and disappearing from the different stairs. Some of the unarmed staff (merchants, a bartender, a cook) would snitch on the guards, making it difficult for Norgath to hide in shadows. The Dwarf had no mercy with these staff members. "You've made your damn choice!" he said as he struck them down. (Reputation conveniently dropped to levels that would give Norgath the Divine Wrath Bhaalpower).
Norgath made it back to the gates of Candlekeep without incident, but was waylaid there by five Ogre Mages. Thankfully his Boots of Speed allowed the Dwarf to reach the Keeper of the Portal and to enter the citadel without having to deal with the wizards. The rogue was shrewd enough to see through the thin disguise, the hardly cryptic pseudonym 'Koveras', that Sarevok used, a man that had turned up in some of the Iron Throne correspondence. But he did make the mistake of following Sarevok's tip to take on the Iron Throne leaders that were in a meeting upstairs. Norgath slew Rieltar, the Throne's president, in cold blood,
In his cell Norgath had the time to contemplate his actions. It had become clear to him that Sarevok had set him up. He had wanted the rogue to murder the Iron Throne leaders, and Norgath had fallen for it. More than the Iron Throne, Sarevok was his nemesis.
Ulraunt visited him and told him he would be transported the next day to Baldur's Gate where he would be sentenced to death. Norgath saw no means of escaping his cell, let alone the heavily warded citadel, and so accepted he'd have to wait until the trip to Baldur's Gate. But then Tethtoril appeared. The sage priest had little love for the ruthless Dwarf, but he must have measured both Sarevok and Norgath, and considered Gorion's ward the lesser evil. He released Norgath from his cell and teleported him to the library's secret catacombs. The Dwarf, ever eager for profit, casually looted several vaults containing enchanted items, magical tomes, scrolls and potions. Reading the tomes made him stronger and wiser. Wise enough to realize that he might well have become the Sword Coast's most wanted man. The Iron Throne would be after him for the murder of Rieltar & Co, Sarevok wouldn't rest till he was dead, and the Fist would want his hide as well: he had become an outlaw.
Norgath found a way through the catacombs into a cavernous area. On his way he encountered Doppelgangers who were trying to take the shapes of Candlekeep's residents, probably in preparation of a replacement operation. It disgusted Norgath, but he had more urgent matters to worry about, he realized as he read a letter from Gorion that Tethtoril had given him. Apart from being the Sword Coast's most wanted man, he was also a son of Bhaal, he learned from the letter, and so was Sarevok. Norgath didn't really know what to make of it (though it did explain a number of dreams he had had and innate powers he had developed). According to Gorion's letter there were more Bhaalspawn besides Sarevok and him. Sarevok was particularly dangerous though, as he knew of his own heritage and Norgath's. The Dwarf understood that Sarevok had been the one who had slain Gorion, and that he'd have to defeat Sarevok, preferably by legal means in order to clear his reputation, or be defeated. He wondered about the other Bhaalspawn though. If there were more 'Sarevoks' out there that wanted him dead, he'd be in for an interesting ride.
Norgath entered the caverns hidden in shadows and was positive he heard people breathing not far from him. He didn't see them though, nor did they notice him. The Dwarf was fine with that and stalked past Spiders and Basilisks until he found a tunnel that led to the surface, just beyond one of the keep's massive walls.
The rogue decided not to return to Baldur's Gate forthwith. He wanted the storm caused by his actions to subside, and he needed some time to think. His first stop he made at the FAI. As neither his gear nor his gold had been confiscated, Norgath decided to make several donations at the Temple of Garl Glittergold, the closest thing he knew to a Dwarven temple on the Sword Coast, so as to somewhat restore his reputation. It didn't stop a group of bounty hunters he had previously eluded, from tracking him down there.
He still had his friends at the Thieves Guild who provided shelter and a base to operate from. Black Lily sold him a number of items that would prove useful in his quest for vindication. They included an enchanted cowl that protected against poison and backstabs, five phials of poison and a set of arrows of dispelling. From a Kara-Turan spy he learned that Duke Eltan had been poisoned as part of Sarevok's plans to eliminate the city's dukes. Two assassins had been hired to dispatch the other dukes. As a first step toward clearing his name, the Dwarf spirited diseased Duke Eltan away from right under the nose of his suspicious healer, into the care of the Harbormaster. Next he tracked down the assassins, Slythe and Krystin, in the Undercellars. The male was a backstabbing rogue, the female a wizard. Norgath planted four traps close to the pair, and revealed himself when he fired an arrow of biting at Slythe. Norgath's arrow missed, Slythe went invisible, and Krystin - also invisible but easily discerned due to her Fireshields - approached as the Dwarf retreated. Detecting Illusions wasn't Norgath's forte, so there was little he could against his enemies. He threw a Fireball at Krystin, injuring both her and a courtesan (that Norgath thanks to wrongly configured AI proceeded to kill for another steep reputation drop).
When Krystin became visible, Norgath dispelled her protections with arrows of dispelling and finished the woman with acid arrows.
The next day, Norgath visited the Ducal Palace to present to the dukes and nobles of the city Sarevok's letter with the instruction to Slythe to assassinate the Dukes. He saw Duke Belt and Duchess Janneth, Sarevok, and several nobles. When he asked one of the nobles in the audience whether the ceremony had already ended, the figure looked at him with a lifeless stare and remained silent. Norgath understood that these nobles weren't what they seemed to be; they were Doppelgangers. The Dwarf had sufficient experience with these creautures to recognize them for what they were. Knowing he had to protect not just himself but also the Dukes, he quickly boosted his strength and dexterity to supernatural levels with different types of potions and his magic resistance with potions of magic protection. He also placed four snares amidst the unwary Doppelgangers.
When Norgath stepped forward to show Duke Belt Sarevok's letter, the (Greater) Doppelgangers suddenly showed their true clolors, and tried to stop the Dwarf. One of the creatures was faster than all the others in changing shape. It immediately fell to Norgath's traps. Norgath then started to dispel the other Doppelgangers' haste with his arrows of dispelling.
Norgath followed through a trapped and guarded maze, disarming the snares and sneaking past the guards (Doom Guards and Skeleton Warriors, and beyond the maze, a group of mercenaries) until he came upon a temple of Bhaal. There he faced Sarevok and four of his most faithful servants: the wizards Angelo and Semaj, and the warriors Diarmid and Tazok. Norgath dispelled Sarevok's haste but saw his own buffs dispelled by Angelo. The Dwarf made the latter pay for that by dispelling the battlemage's buffs and felling him with poisoned acid arrows.
There was doubt in Sarevok's voice and in his words. 'Does it end here then?' - he wondered aloud. Norgath had nothing to say to his enemy though. He realized he didn't hate the warrior. Sarevok meant nothing to him, nothing but an insignificant piece of business he had to get out of the way before he could move on with his life. There was no room for emotion in the stone-cold Dwarf. There were no heroics, no duel. For Norgath was no knight; he was a hardened killer and a hunter. Swift, deadly strikes from the shadows were Sarevok's bane.
There were no heroics, no duel. For Norgath was no knight; he was a hardened killer and a hunter. Swift, deadly strikes from the shadows were Sarevok's bane.
I love it! Your destiny awaits Norgath!
I hope he managed to convince the dukes to pay a bounty for Sarevok's head while he was at it.
Norgath, Dwarven Bounty Hunter, 1st BG2 report
RL makes it difficult to play and write detailed updates, so the following report will be relatively concise. This is Norgath's character record at the beginning of the game.
Last night I actually dreamed of Norgath. It wasn’t pretty: he had died. Thankfully Norgath is alive and well (even if he started off weaker and more vulnerable than he had ever felt since leaving Candlekeep). Hopefully the dream wasn’t prophetic.
Imprisoned and tortured by the evil wizard Irenicus in an eerie dungeon, and released from his cell by his old Candlekeep neighbor Imoen, Norgath’s arrival in what he'd discover to be Athkatla had a surreal feel to it. Norgath thanked Imoen for helping him out of his cell. He told her to follow him in search of a way out. There were two more prisoners, Minsc and Jaheira. Norgath helped them escape their cells but he had no interest in having the blundering half-wit or the belligerent dominatrix by his side. Instead, he snuck alone past Duergar guards to secure a key a Golem would use to open a number of doors that led to a room with an Otyugh. Norgath took the monster down with backstabs,
Norgath’s special item, as in my previous run with him, is his Cloak of Non-Detection as enhanced by Thalantyr. It gives two daily Invisibilities and +1 to AC and Saves. Norgath ‘found’ the item at the end of Irenicus’ Dungeon.
Imoen didn’t accompany Norgath for long. She was taken in by Cowled Wizards for casting a Magic Missile. Irenicus too was arrested, for killing some of the cowled ones as well as several rogues, with a lot of different spells that Norgath didn’t care to know. (The Dwarf had a bit of an aversion against magic, though he acknowledged its uses.)
Norgath lamented Imoen’s arrest, but found himself in no hurry to go looking for her. Irenicus was Norgath’s main concern, but the wizard had looked powerful. The Dwarf needed preparation, coin, his old gear that had been stolen. He befriended Gaelan Bayle, a rogue in the Slums of Athkatla, who offered him an opportunity of employment with the Shadow Thieves, and a way to get to Imoen and Irenicus. The latter would be costly though: 40k GP.
In the nearby Copper Coronet inn, the rogue rescued a number of slaves and installed one of them, Hendak, as the new innkeeper. It earned the Dwarf a fair amount of gold and a discount with Bernard, a vendor.
Another ambush followed not much later. Three men that had poisoned another man, Renfeld, who begged Norgath to take him to a friend in the Docks District. The Dwarf was going there anyway, so anticipating some easy money, he agreed to help (retreating from the bandits). In the Docks District Norgath witnessed a Vampire kill three rogues, and threaten him as well. The Dwarf was not impressed and the Vampire suddenly admitted she knew he wouldn’t fall as easily as her previous victims. Norgath was more upset by invisible ruffians attacking him, and even expended an oil of speed to outrun them.
I see Norgath as both a future crime lord – thanks to his LE alignment and the SoA Thief Stronghold – and as a lone wolf, the archetypical bounty hunter. In the end I think Norgath is too much of a loner to be a crime lord. (Had he been a master Assassin and operated with a party, i.e. his henchmen, things might have been different.) I like to imagine lone Norgath roam forsaken lands in search of his prey. Therefore I find fitting Ennio Morricone’s compositions that accompany Sergio Leone’ Dollars Trilogy, the films For a Fistful of Dollars, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, the Bad & the Ugly. Two examples:
Before getting his work for the Shadow Thieves underway, Norgath did some thieving in Athkatla (mainly potions, also gear he sold to buy armor and weaponry: Night's Gift, Sound Defense and Black Cat's Claw), and traveled to the Umar Hills [note: to get Bone Golems rather than Liches to deal with in the Temple Ruins]. He accepted a commission from the Mayor of Imnesvale to investigate mysterious killings and disappearances in the area. His research led the Dwarf to the Temple Ruins, which were plagued by Shadows, Wraiths, and Shadow Wolves. Norgath had three scrolls of PfUndead. He used on of those inside the Ruins. It lasted long enough for Norgath to slay a Shadow Jailor, release a Halfling lass who rewarded him with an anti-stun sword, and slay a group of ‘guards’ consisting of two Skeleton Warriors, a Greater Mummy whose presence forced the Dwarf to quaff a clarity potion, and (with sneak attacks) a Bone Golem. [Note: like the Lich in my previous run with Dagny, the first Bone Golem, who in my experience is supposed to be in the room north of the fire pool, knew of Norgath’s presence and came looking for him.]
Back in Athkatla, Norgath had violent dealings with two old acquaintances, Slythe & Krystin in the Water Gardens, a posh part of town where the nobility relaxed and gossiped. The assassins forced the Dwarf to use up most of his healing potions before they fell.
I'm sorry to report that Norgath died in the Athkatla Tombs. A Giant Spider Held him. There were other Spiders nearby. He got poisoned and died.
My mistake was to assume that Arbane's Sword, which Norgath had equipped in the off-hand, protected against Web. On the forums I've found differing statements on how Arbane's Sword is supposed to work. @bengoshi has mentioned that in BG2EE the blade doesn't protect against web; whereas @semiticgod (who plays the original game, like me in this case) says that Arbane's Sword does protect against Web.
Sorry Norgath, for letting you down. I know you'll be back some day, perhaps in 6 months or so.
I read @Alesia_BH's post on the other forums. Apparently the fixpack is responsible for the absence of immunity to web. With the fixpack, it only gives immunity to Hold I and Hold II, opcodes 109 and 175.
But it was my understanding that even immunity to Hold I, opcode 109, you had immunity to both Hold Person and Web, and that the "Web overlay" effect as it's named in Near Infinity, opcode 157, is merely a visual effect, since Web uses both opcodes 109 and 157, as opposed to just 157. The spider item, ANTIWEB, grants immunity to both, as does the SCS2 component that gives large creatures immunity to Web. This would suggest that the web overlay effect is only a visual effect--why else would Web, and immunity to Web, also use opcode 109?
Norgath's end was a bit sad. I hadn't played since the weekend, and the incident happened literally within 5 minutes
No worries @semiticgod, things like this happen. I hope to have a Gnome Cleric/Thief enter the challenge sometime soon. (Btw I agree with your above analysis.)
Thats awesome!!!
Where can i find Norgaths portrait to download?
Edit: I don't know who the artist is, so can't give credit. The portrait can be found here.