Thanks for all your effort, this was a fantastic story.
I'd love to read Durak's adventures in BG2, with a party the more the merrier.
Jahira --- he feels guilty over ditching her and Khalid in BG1 (perhaps he could have saved Khalid?) Minsc --- who's fighting prowess impressed Durak earlier in your narrative. Imoen--- she is a rather competent mage these days and not the helpless little girl that you didn't want to be responsible for the death of in BG1
Durak and Kagian would be a sick front-line, but Kagain is a bit mercenary and rather evil. Would be an interesting piece of role playing.
Jan is a goofball, but a handy ally. Not sure if Durak could tolerate his shenanigans for too long.
I've never taken Mazzy but I figure you could RP her into being a keeper, and you may team up with Yoshimo out of convenience. The weak link IMO is arcane casters (until you get Imoen back anyway) since I just don't see any of them really fitting into a party with Durak the way you wrote his personality.
Also why were there no pantaloons in your inventory?
No pantaloons because they require either meta gaming or an evil act. And this will be a RP run through.
And thank you to everyone for the advice. I think that I've decided on a party. It should be fairly strong...but not overly so, given that I don't plan to rely too much on magic. We'll see how it goes!
There are some tales which are grand. Some tales which are so far beyond the norm, that they begin with one step out the door and end with godhood. This is not one of those tales. For soon after Durak's great victory over Sarevok, he disappeared, and was never heard from again. Certainly, bards sang of his exploits and historians argued over his role in saving the city of Baldur's Gate. But nobody ever learned the truth of exactly what happened to him.
This is because Durak made the mistake of never traveling with companions. He was 'fated' to be rescued from the clutches of Irenicus by Imoen. However, she had been taken far, far away by Khalid and Jaheira, for Harpers certainly tend to travel, and there was no reason for them to stay near Baldur's Gate.
As such, when the shadow thieves attacked Irenicus, Durak remained locked in his cage. The mage himself, with no reason to turn himself in, fought against the Cowled Wizards. While he did indeed kill many, he was in the end, overwhelmed by their superior numbers. Of the dwarf...there are rumors.
Rumors of a strange rescue from a sad fate. For there were Duregar left deep below. Duregar whose battle cry was "By Moradin's Hammer!" With the geas set on them by Irenicus broken, they were free to flee back into the underdark. Some say that in the years to follow, a clan of Duregar were seen carving out a home for themselves in the deep, aided by a surface dwarf. But these are but tales, and who can say what is true?
-------------------
OOC: I am very, very, very embarrassed. But as this is a no-reload run, I will tell you all the shameful truth.
Everything was going really, really well. I got through the first dungeon, beat Kalah...I bought enough potions of master thievery to get Yoshimo's pickpocket skill into the 200s. I stole enough magical arrows to last him the entire campaign. I got everyone magical armor and weapons right off the bat. Life was good!
I was then heading over to rescue Nalia's keep, with enough fire and acid arrows to kill the trolls 300x over. And then I saw a vampire fighting 3 shadow thieves. I had just stolen 5x scrolls of restoration, so I figured "hey, I'm good!"
My party charges in. I first notice the flaw in my plan when I see that Yoshimo's arrows of fire/acid/biting aren't doing anything. "Ok, that's fine. He's my scroll guy. It's good."
Then the vampire chunked Minsc.
"Oh shyt." I thought. That's really not good. I had planned for him to dual wield flails, and to use armor of faith to front line with Durak. Well, the vampire is injured. So I'm going to avenge him!
The rest move in. Durak smacks the vampire. She smacks him. Restoration. Durak hits her again, she hits him. Restoration. Potion of extra healing. I retreat a bit, heal up with potions. Move in again. Smack the vampire, get her to 'nearly dead.' Minsc will be avenged! She lands a good hit on Durak. I move to retreat...but those 3 shadow thieves are blocking him! A split second too late with a scroll of restoration, and Durak died.
Such an embarrassing death! I have never...ever...had a Charname die so quickly. I've died to Torgal. I've died to Yuanti mages. I've died to Firkraag. I've died to plenty of mages and madmen. But never have I lost a Charname before I even managed to leave Athlaka.
So thank you all for reading. I'm sorry that it had to end like this. And that I didn't do a full write up to that point. It just felt so depressing, and when I started the above story came out instead. I...like it better than what really happened.
Ouch, I'm sorry to hear it happened like that! Your story ending for him was very good though.
There are times I wish these tales weren't of no reload runs though! It definitely makes them more suspenseful, since I never know if the hero will make it to the end, but it's always sad when the unexpected happens.
Thanks for sharing your writing, it was quite enjoyable. Are you thinking of trying another run with a new character at some point?
That was better than the official novel. In fact, it resembled a real life: not always everything goes as it's been planned. At least Irenicus didn't succeed in his plans...
Hey @Grum, that's sad news to begin the day with, but don't be too hard on yourself. There's nothing embarrassing about Durak's fall, or at least more embarrasing deaths in early BG2 have been recorded. My Barbarian/Thief (with my own 'Blackravenized' portrait) was stunlocked and finished off by lowly Mephits in the plane of air in Chateau Irenicus, and I've had a badass (or so I thought) Elven Assassin who got stunned by a Chromatic Orb cast at him by Pooky the familiar...
I do lament the fact that Durak's story won't continue in BG2, and like @Gotural, I'd love to see you make another attempt with a Charname you feel attached to, and to read their story here on the forums.
I agree wholeheartedly with @Blackraven , thebeginning of BG2 is really harsh. Your character loses a good fraction of his power and you're forced to face powerful foes with lethal debilitating effects. I too, lost my first no reload character at this point of the game.
And maybe the most dangerous thing is that not only your character loses all the power gear, you yourself as a player, starting BG2 after the epicness of the Sarevok's fight, can very much find yourself not fully ready to a challenge that "small" enemies can give.
"Ok, what this imp can do to me after all I've been through in the Iron Throne building and the Bhaal Temple?"
"Ohh, these bastards won't do anything to my party"
Que Será, Será. Such are the random perils of adventuring. At least Durak died in battle against an evil foe--a LG Dwarven Defender couldn't ask for much more in life.
I admire your integrity in accepting Durak's unexpected death and posting it on the thread. I bet it was hard to not reload after all of the time you put into developing his character.
I will do another rp/no-reload run. I'm not sure what to do...
(1) Mage dual to fighter! Yes indeed. The idea is to get protection from evil, blur, mirror image and skin. Lots of defensive pre-combat buffs before wading in.
(2) Blade. Because I never ran a bard before
(3) Berserker-Druid. I started one already, but it means that I don't have any screenshots...that and in BG1 it isn't solo
(4) Sorceror. As I never ran one before.
(5) If I can figure it out, I'd love to make a drow shadow dancer/fighter. Slap on some MR (maybe make him half drow with...I'm thinking 25% or so MR?) and start him at -2 reputation. From there do a run where I only take Viconia and Baeloth. Overpowered? Eh....yes and no. Backstabs eventually mean nothing. Low leveling for the thief class and the kit mean few skill points. And SoA+ToB with two characters? It sounds scary.
Again, I'd need to figure out the 'how' and on an iphone no less. But if I figure it out then it'd be fun.
The Mage dualed to Fighter is a very interesting class. Very few people ever use it, though in BG2 it's much more resilient than a normal fighter. I've tried an insane solo poverty run with one and it got pretty far before failing (a doomed run anyway; it would have had no defense against Bodhi's level drain).
As to your possible Charnames, I think with your writing they'd all be very interesting, so I don't really have a preference.
(1) I personally love the the Mage->Fighter dual. I once did a roleplayed run with a guy named Victor. With no one to tutor him in the arcane arts anymore after Gorion's death, and impressed with Sarevok's fighting, he roamed the Sword Coast for a tenday or two without much of a sense of purpose, until he decided to train with the Amnish military in Nashkel and become a mercenary. You could read more about him here, should the concept interest you. I'd love to see your take on a Mage-Fighter. (2) Blades aren't my favorite type of Bards. I don't really see them as Bards in teh first place, but as I said, I'm sure you'd turn him/her into a cool character. (3) If you aren't too far into the game, not having any screenshots wouldn't be much of a problem I'd say. Nice dual btw. (4) Awesome. I've also never done one (even though I rolled a few in the past). Also very good no-reload potential. (5) Interesting concept both from an RP perspective and mechanically. The 25 MR and the reputation adjustments are easily made in EEKeeper.
I wasn't feeling the icewind dale run as of now. So I tried a shadowdancer. The idea was to dual him to a thief. He died to a certain wizard at the friendly arm inn.
So I rolled up a mage. I figured he would dual to a fighter. A ghoul walked up, paralyzed his familiar and ate it. Despairing about life, he 'died' (aka went off and became a farmer).
I'm having horrible luck so far. Ever since Durak died spells aren't being memorized, and I'll fortune is happening (with the mage, guards at the friendly arm also stole his kill).
At this point I'm tempted to start at SoA with a blackguard I have saved. Simply because I haven't had this many Charname deaths before...and I'm starting to think BG1 is suffering from a temporary curse.
Thanks for your epic story @Grum! I've read through'em all and I'm impressed by your writing skills. I hope you find a new (durable :P) char soon and create a new epic adventure which will last a long time.
My only advice would be that sometimes when one loses alot over a short period, one tends to cut corners to speed things up. I don't know at all if you are one of those (I am), but take your time and don't forget to buff up more than may be needed, at least in the beginning.
Update: I was going strong with the barbarian playthrough. Then I got lazy, forgot about the lightning trap under candlekeep, and it bounced several times through him. Ending the playthrough.
Sit now, and listen, to the sad take of Harkon. A half-orc's life is rarely easy. He was the first to have ever 'graced' the halls of Candlekeep, for it is a place of learning, and half-orcs are incapable of such feats. Leave aside the fact that Harkon was as intelligent as most mages. Leave aside that his one true desire was to be a mage, like his 'father.' I say leave it aside, because everyone else did. From kind old Gorion, who marveled at his accomplishment of teaching a half-orc to read, to the monks such as Parda who looked upon young Harkon with well meaning pity. But nobody ever had any expectations. The warders refused to take him in, saying that there was no way that a half-orc could learn discipline. The smiths and tradesmen refused to waste their time teaching an art to one who couldn't learn. Instead, he spent his days doing manual labor. Anything which required his prodigious strength, he was called for.
When he was forced out of the keep through the machinations of fate, he found himself alone in a world which wanted him even less than the residents of Candlekeep did. It is said that misery loves company, and to his side were drawn those who, like him, had no place on the sword cost. Viconia, a renegade drow priestess of Shar. Baeloth, another drow, though a sorceror desperate to find his way back home. And Neera, a half-elf wild mage, who was banished from her home and hunted by the red wizards.
Despite a fervent desire to walk in the path of his foster father, Harkon soon learned of the real dangers of wild magic. For when a bounty hunter attacked him in Nashkel, a simple magic missile turned deadly. An explosion ripped through the town, killing over a half-dozen soldiers and every civilian within the town. The explosion, said by survivors to have been caused by a cow that fell from the sky, all but obliterated the town's inn, destroyed its general store, and even damaged the temple of Helm.
Nobody would accept the notion that a half-orc and his drow companions could have been 'innocent.' Bounty hunters attacked the party in Nashkel as they fled the scene. The flaming fist hounded them through Beregost and the Friendly Arm Inn. Even a local ranger ambushed them as they tried to make their way into Baldur's Gate, to learn who it was that was that had murdered Gorion.
Harkon made a point of making a meeting with commander Scar of the flaming fist, to prove his innocence and to work off his debt. After solving a murder and freeing a merchant consortium from dopplegangers, the party was sent to Candkleep to discreetly investigate the Iron Throne. There, Sarevok blamed them for the murder of the Iron Throne leaders. A crime for which they were arrested, and summarily executed.
Sometimes, life just isn't fair.
------------------------
My next attempt? A Cavalier.
I admit this though. He did die at lvl 2. I just reloaded...because I didn't feel like rerolling and doing the same darn thing again. So, with that admission out of the way, he is now going strong at lvl 5. If he makes it all the way, I'll do a full write up, as I'm looking forward to telling a paladin's story from a different perspective than the usual 'pure good mary sue' that annoys people like myself.
Another nice tale! I like the idea of waiting with writing a journal until BG1 has been completed. I should have thought of that. I have countless roleplayed, detailed playthroughs that ended very prematurely Good luck with your Cavalier!
I have this thread favorited, so I will continue to read your future tales. However, perhaps you should create a new, more generic, titled thread for your future tales? Something like "Grumpy Grum's Grand Tales of Miscellaneous Mischief, Magic, Murder and More!" It may perhaps lure in a new crowd.
A Cavalier struggling to be chivalric and pious may be interresting indeed. No doubt you will write an interresting tale about it!
Sit now, and hear the tale of Brave Sir Godwyn. An Ilmaterian paladin, driven to bitter tears over his own evil nature. A man whose good deeds stemmed not from any innate desire to be good, but from a self loathing born from his own wicked desires.
Brave Sir Godwyn ventured forth from Candlekeep, accompanied by Imoen, who acted as his squire. For a month they traveled, right wrongs and helping the needy. No amount of provocation could outwardly move the man to anger. Be it boastful adventurers met while hunting basilisks, or Amnian nobility looking to pick fights while hunting, he let their words slide off him like rain. A damsel was rescued from a fortress overrun with gnolls, a child was saved from a pack of worgs...the sword coast ran thick with the blood of slain sirens. Where Brave Sir Godwyn walked, so too did justice!
That is...until he stumbled upon the beginnings of a drow invasion. While clearing an old tower of gibberlings, the sky split asunder and a drow mage materialized out of thin air. Before the fiend could get off a spell, he was put to the blade. Through the forest he searched, looking for the rest of the band, to destroy them before any innocents could be harmed.
That was when he came across a flaming fist mercenary, who informed him that a drow whom he was pursuing had already murdered an entire family. Brave Sir Godwyn leapt to the attack, only to be frozen by the foul creature's magics. Frozen in place, Brave Sir Godwyn's last sight was a wickedly barbed mace flying towards his head. It was little comfort that the drow died in the same breath, pierced in the back by Imoen's arrow.
To the shock of Imoen and the Flaming Fist Mercenary, Brave Sir Godwyn's body was nowhere to be found. All that was left behind was a suit of plate armor, which fell empty to the ground. Bards say that Ilmater recognized his champion, and brought him to his side. The truth, of his infernal heritage, luckily went unknown.
-----
Killed by Viconia. When it was a 3v1 fight no less! For shame!
I'll be away for my NG drill for the weekend. But when I get back, I'll be trying yet again. Either a shadowdancer->Fighter (single weapon longsword in BG1, katana dual wield in BG2) or swashbuckler->fighter (staffs in BG1, Halberds in BG2).
Not sure yet...all I know is that no-reload is brutal.
Damn man, you write really nice stories but it seems you had a really bad luck lately. I know it's probably a big deal to you, but how about playthrough with reloads? May break the curse
I was doing a no-reload run with a shadowdancer. It was (is) great fun. Once they hit lvl 9, they become really over powered. I figured out that if you hit the 'detect illusion' button and wait for a bit, you can start the timer on the hide skill refreshing. That way you can backstab and just about instantaneously go invisible. That guy can kill just about anything without any worry. Even the 4 red wizards of Thay in the ruins who can usually fear/nuke a solo character to oblivion...they all died without getting a single spell off.
However, I got bored with him and started screwing around. Taking NPCs without really thinking about whether they would help the story (they don't)...reloading when they get gibbed because I was too lazy to trek to the temple to Rez them. That sort of thing. So I sorta ruined his story by not keeping it in mind while playing. Basically I stopped RPing and started just playing. I even reloaded after his death after I tanked with him, for the sheer point of 'why not try?' Yeah...
Anyways. My apologies to the readers for that. For this reason, I've decided to go back to the basics. I truly loved Durak and was sad to see him go. So I got to thinking about how I could make a twist on that character. And I came up with Thorek, a dwarven fighter/cleric of Moradin.
I've decided that I'm going to take the following party members:
Comments
I'd love to read Durak's adventures in BG2, with a party the more the merrier.
Jahira --- he feels guilty over ditching her and Khalid in BG1 (perhaps he could have saved Khalid?)
Minsc --- who's fighting prowess impressed Durak earlier in your narrative.
Imoen--- she is a rather competent mage these days and not the helpless little girl that you didn't want to be responsible for the death of in BG1
Durak and Kagian would be a sick front-line, but Kagain is a bit mercenary and rather evil. Would be an interesting piece of role playing.
Jan is a goofball, but a handy ally. Not sure if Durak could tolerate his shenanigans for too long.
I've never taken Mazzy but I figure you could RP her into being a keeper, and you may team up with Yoshimo out of convenience. The weak link IMO is arcane casters (until you get Imoen back anyway) since I just don't see any of them really fitting into a party with Durak the way you wrote his personality.
Also why were there no pantaloons in your inventory?
No pantaloons because they require either meta gaming or an evil act. And this will be a RP run through.
And thank you to everyone for the advice. I think that I've decided on a party. It should be fairly strong...but not overly so, given that I don't plan to rely too much on magic. We'll see how it goes!
There are some tales which are grand. Some tales which are so far beyond the norm, that they begin with one step out the door and end with godhood. This is not one of those tales. For soon after Durak's great victory over Sarevok, he disappeared, and was never heard from again. Certainly, bards sang of his exploits and historians argued over his role in saving the city of Baldur's Gate. But nobody ever learned the truth of exactly what happened to him.
This is because Durak made the mistake of never traveling with companions. He was 'fated' to be rescued from the clutches of Irenicus by Imoen. However, she had been taken far, far away by Khalid and Jaheira, for Harpers certainly tend to travel, and there was no reason for them to stay near Baldur's Gate.
As such, when the shadow thieves attacked Irenicus, Durak remained locked in his cage. The mage himself, with no reason to turn himself in, fought against the Cowled Wizards. While he did indeed kill many, he was in the end, overwhelmed by their superior numbers. Of the dwarf...there are rumors.
Rumors of a strange rescue from a sad fate. For there were Duregar left deep below. Duregar whose battle cry was "By Moradin's Hammer!" With the geas set on them by Irenicus broken, they were free to flee back into the underdark. Some say that in the years to follow, a clan of Duregar were seen carving out a home for themselves in the deep, aided by a surface dwarf. But these are but tales, and who can say what is true?
-------------------
OOC: I am very, very, very embarrassed. But as this is a no-reload run, I will tell you all the shameful truth.
Everything was going really, really well. I got through the first dungeon, beat Kalah...I bought enough potions of master thievery to get Yoshimo's pickpocket skill into the 200s. I stole enough magical arrows to last him the entire campaign. I got everyone magical armor and weapons right off the bat. Life was good!
I was then heading over to rescue Nalia's keep, with enough fire and acid arrows to kill the trolls 300x over. And then I saw a vampire fighting 3 shadow thieves. I had just stolen 5x scrolls of restoration, so I figured "hey, I'm good!"
My party charges in. I first notice the flaw in my plan when I see that Yoshimo's arrows of fire/acid/biting aren't doing anything. "Ok, that's fine. He's my scroll guy. It's good."
Then the vampire chunked Minsc.
"Oh shyt." I thought. That's really not good. I had planned for him to dual wield flails, and to use armor of faith to front line with Durak. Well, the vampire is injured. So I'm going to avenge him!
The rest move in. Durak smacks the vampire. She smacks him. Restoration. Durak hits her again, she hits him. Restoration. Potion of extra healing. I retreat a bit, heal up with potions. Move in again. Smack the vampire, get her to 'nearly dead.' Minsc will be avenged! She lands a good hit on Durak. I move to retreat...but those 3 shadow thieves are blocking him! A split second too late with a scroll of restoration, and Durak died.
Such an embarrassing death! I have never...ever...had a Charname die so quickly. I've died to Torgal. I've died to Yuanti mages. I've died to Firkraag. I've died to plenty of mages and madmen. But never have I lost a Charname before I even managed to leave Athlaka.
So thank you all for reading. I'm sorry that it had to end like this. And that I didn't do a full write up to that point. It just felt so depressing, and when I started the above story came out instead. I...like it better than what really happened.
There are times I wish these tales weren't of no reload runs though! It definitely makes them more suspenseful, since I never know if the hero will make it to the end, but it's always sad when the unexpected happens.
Thanks for sharing your writing, it was quite enjoyable. Are you thinking of trying another run with a new character at some point?
That was better than the official novel. In fact, it resembled a real life: not always everything goes as it's been planned. At least Irenicus didn't succeed in his plans...
Vampires are such powerful foes in melee combat.
Your writing was exceptional and I hope you'll start another run in the near future.
I do lament the fact that Durak's story won't continue in BG2, and like @Gotural, I'd love to see you make another attempt with a Charname you feel attached to, and to read their story here on the forums.
"Ok, what this imp can do to me after all I've been through in the Iron Throne building and the Bhaal Temple?"
"Ohh, these bastards won't do anything to my party"
And so on.
I admire your integrity in accepting Durak's unexpected death and posting it on the thread. I bet it was hard to not reload after all of the time you put into developing his character.
I will do another rp/no-reload run. I'm not sure what to do...
(1) Mage dual to fighter! Yes indeed. The idea is to get protection from evil, blur, mirror image and skin. Lots of defensive pre-combat buffs before wading in.
(2) Blade. Because I never ran a bard before
(3) Berserker-Druid. I started one already, but it means that I don't have any screenshots...that and in BG1 it isn't solo
(4) Sorceror. As I never ran one before.
(5) If I can figure it out, I'd love to make a drow shadow dancer/fighter. Slap on some MR (maybe make him half drow with...I'm thinking 25% or so MR?) and start him at -2 reputation. From there do a run where I only take Viconia and Baeloth. Overpowered? Eh....yes and no. Backstabs eventually mean nothing. Low leveling for the thief class and the kit mean few skill points. And SoA+ToB with two characters? It sounds scary.
Again, I'd need to figure out the 'how' and on an iphone no less. But if I figure it out then it'd be fun.
It would have trouble in BG1, though.
As to your possible Charnames, I think with your writing they'd all be very interesting, so I don't really have a preference.
(1) I personally love the the Mage->Fighter dual. I once did a roleplayed run with a guy named Victor. With no one to tutor him in the arcane arts anymore after Gorion's death, and impressed with Sarevok's fighting, he roamed the Sword Coast for a tenday or two without much of a sense of purpose, until he decided to train with the Amnish military in Nashkel and become a mercenary. You could read more about him here, should the concept interest you. I'd love to see your take on a Mage-Fighter.
(2) Blades aren't my favorite type of Bards. I don't really see them as Bards in teh first place, but as I said, I'm sure you'd turn him/her into a cool character.
(3) If you aren't too far into the game, not having any screenshots wouldn't be much of a problem I'd say. Nice dual btw.
(4) Awesome. I've also never done one (even though I rolled a few in the past). Also very good no-reload potential.
(5) Interesting concept both from an RP perspective and mechanically. The 25 MR and the reputation adjustments are easily made in EEKeeper.
Anyway good luck deciding!
I wasn't feeling the icewind dale run as of now. So I tried a shadowdancer. The idea was to dual him to a thief. He died to a certain wizard at the friendly arm inn.
So I rolled up a mage. I figured he would dual to a fighter. A ghoul walked up, paralyzed his familiar and ate it. Despairing about life, he 'died' (aka went off and became a farmer).
I'm having horrible luck so far. Ever since Durak died spells aren't being memorized, and I'll fortune is happening (with the mage, guards at the friendly arm also stole his kill).
At this point I'm tempted to start at SoA with a blackguard I have saved. Simply because I haven't had this many Charname deaths before...and I'm starting to think BG1 is suffering from a temporary curse.
Perhaps you just need to find a character you're inspired by rather than just trying to come up with a class/race and fill in the personality later?
(No seriously, please have a look at this: Bard's diary and throw in your opinion, I would really appreciate it. )
My only advice would be that sometimes when one loses alot over a short period, one tends to cut corners to speed things up. I don't know at all if you are one of those (I am), but take your time and don't forget to buff up more than may be needed, at least in the beginning.
A blackguard could make for a great playthrough.
Cheers,
//Skat.
Sit now, and listen, to the sad take of Harkon. A half-orc's life is rarely easy. He was the first to have ever 'graced' the halls of Candlekeep, for it is a place of learning, and half-orcs are incapable of such feats. Leave aside the fact that Harkon was as intelligent as most mages. Leave aside that his one true desire was to be a mage, like his 'father.' I say leave it aside, because everyone else did. From kind old Gorion, who marveled at his accomplishment of teaching a half-orc to read, to the monks such as Parda who looked upon young Harkon with well meaning pity. But nobody ever had any expectations. The warders refused to take him in, saying that there was no way that a half-orc could learn discipline. The smiths and tradesmen refused to waste their time teaching an art to one who couldn't learn. Instead, he spent his days doing manual labor. Anything which required his prodigious strength, he was called for.
When he was forced out of the keep through the machinations of fate, he found himself alone in a world which wanted him even less than the residents of Candlekeep did. It is said that misery loves company, and to his side were drawn those who, like him, had no place on the sword cost. Viconia, a renegade drow priestess of Shar. Baeloth, another drow, though a sorceror desperate to find his way back home. And Neera, a half-elf wild mage, who was banished from her home and hunted by the red wizards.
Despite a fervent desire to walk in the path of his foster father, Harkon soon learned of the real dangers of wild magic. For when a bounty hunter attacked him in Nashkel, a simple magic missile turned deadly. An explosion ripped through the town, killing over a half-dozen soldiers and every civilian within the town. The explosion, said by survivors to have been caused by a cow that fell from the sky, all but obliterated the town's inn, destroyed its general store, and even damaged the temple of Helm.
Nobody would accept the notion that a half-orc and his drow companions could have been 'innocent.' Bounty hunters attacked the party in Nashkel as they fled the scene. The flaming fist hounded them through Beregost and the Friendly Arm Inn. Even a local ranger ambushed them as they tried to make their way into Baldur's Gate, to learn who it was that was that had murdered Gorion.
Harkon made a point of making a meeting with commander Scar of the flaming fist, to prove his innocence and to work off his debt. After solving a murder and freeing a merchant consortium from dopplegangers, the party was sent to Candkleep to discreetly investigate the Iron Throne. There, Sarevok blamed them for the murder of the Iron Throne leaders. A crime for which they were arrested, and summarily executed.
Sometimes, life just isn't fair.
------------------------
My next attempt? A Cavalier.
I admit this though. He did die at lvl 2. I just reloaded...because I didn't feel like rerolling and doing the same darn thing again. So, with that admission out of the way, he is now going strong at lvl 5. If he makes it all the way, I'll do a full write up, as I'm looking forward to telling a paladin's story from a different perspective than the usual 'pure good mary sue' that annoys people like myself.
Good luck with your Cavalier!
A Cavalier struggling to be chivalric and pious may be interresting indeed. No doubt you will write an interresting tale about it!
Brave Sir Godwyn ventured forth from Candlekeep, accompanied by Imoen, who acted as his squire. For a month they traveled, right wrongs and helping the needy. No amount of provocation could outwardly move the man to anger. Be it boastful adventurers met while hunting basilisks, or Amnian nobility looking to pick fights while hunting, he let their words slide off him like rain. A damsel was rescued from a fortress overrun with gnolls, a child was saved from a pack of worgs...the sword coast ran thick with the blood of slain sirens. Where Brave Sir Godwyn walked, so too did justice!
That is...until he stumbled upon the beginnings of a drow invasion. While clearing an old tower of gibberlings, the sky split asunder and a drow mage materialized out of thin air. Before the fiend could get off a spell, he was put to the blade. Through the forest he searched, looking for the rest of the band, to destroy them before any innocents could be harmed.
That was when he came across a flaming fist mercenary, who informed him that a drow whom he was pursuing had already murdered an entire family. Brave Sir Godwyn leapt to the attack, only to be frozen by the foul creature's magics. Frozen in place, Brave Sir Godwyn's last sight was a wickedly barbed mace flying towards his head. It was little comfort that the drow died in the same breath, pierced in the back by Imoen's arrow.
To the shock of Imoen and the Flaming Fist Mercenary, Brave Sir Godwyn's body was nowhere to be found. All that was left behind was a suit of plate armor, which fell empty to the ground. Bards say that Ilmater recognized his champion, and brought him to his side. The truth, of his infernal heritage, luckily went unknown.
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Killed by Viconia. When it was a 3v1 fight no less! For shame!
I'll be away for my NG drill for the weekend. But when I get back, I'll be trying yet again. Either a shadowdancer->Fighter (single weapon longsword in BG1, katana dual wield in BG2) or swashbuckler->fighter (staffs in BG1, Halberds in BG2).
Not sure yet...all I know is that no-reload is brutal.
I was doing a no-reload run with a shadowdancer. It was (is) great fun. Once they hit lvl 9, they become really over powered. I figured out that if you hit the 'detect illusion' button and wait for a bit, you can start the timer on the hide skill refreshing. That way you can backstab and just about instantaneously go invisible. That guy can kill just about anything without any worry. Even the 4 red wizards of Thay in the ruins who can usually fear/nuke a solo character to oblivion...they all died without getting a single spell off.
However, I got bored with him and started screwing around. Taking NPCs without really thinking about whether they would help the story (they don't)...reloading when they get gibbed because I was too lazy to trek to the temple to Rez them. That sort of thing. So I sorta ruined his story by not keeping it in mind while playing. Basically I stopped RPing and started just playing. I even reloaded after his death after I tanked with him, for the sheer point of 'why not try?' Yeah...
Anyways. My apologies to the readers for that. For this reason, I've decided to go back to the basics. I truly loved Durak and was sad to see him go. So I got to thinking about how I could make a twist on that character. And I came up with Thorek, a dwarven fighter/cleric of Moradin.
I've decided that I'm going to take the following party members:
BG1:
(1) Thorek
(2) Yeslick
(3) Kagain
(4) Imoen
(5) Neera
(6) Raasad
And yes, I will eventually try to do Durlag's Tower.
So sorry for the lack of posting. But that is the reason. I hope to get going again soon.