Chaotic Evil Playthrough [Narrative, Minimal Reload]
Gurkengelee
Member Posts: 56
Hello everyone. This is my first entry on the Beamdog forums, and I wish to start with a narrated playthrough. I always tried to do an evil playthrough through the Baldurs Gate Saga, choosing all the evil choices, doing all the evil things, and spreading carnage as the son of murder. But I always end up going the “smart evil” route. Managing the reputation around 18, doing good things “for favours” (read: Better XP and item rewards) and only choosing the evil route where it comes with an advantage or at least not a huge disadvantage. While this is generally the accepted method of doing an evil playthrough it does not really differ from being good aligned. It also does not seem to be the way Bioware (and Beamdog) have intended the evil alignment to be. If you look at the evil NPCs, they do not care for a high reputation. In fact, they start complaining and leaving. They go on random killing sprees and chide your character if they do selfless things, that you as the player justify as gathering favors.
So yeah, this time I want to go the pure chaotic evil experience. And in order to force myself to do it I want to report on my progress here, so I cannot cheap out of the tough evil choices. So for this playthrough we will always pick the evil dialog options, consequences be damned. If the evil choice leads to a game over screen (as is the case if you resist arrest in Candlekeep) I will use the narration to justify not picking the evil option. Speaking of narrative: This will be written as a journal kept by CHARNAME. Since I guess there will be a lot of surprises for me in this playthrough I might occasionally add Authors Notes in [brackets]. That said I will also try to limit meta knowledge to a minimum. For all intends and purposes this playthrough should emulate what a new player would experience if they try to go the evil route.
I will also try to stick to a Minimal Reload scheme. Thus, I will respect the outcomes of my actions and of any battles. But I will not quit the game when CHARNAME dies but reload from the latest save.
I am using the Enhanced Edition of Baldurs Gate with Siege of Dragonspear installed (which I never actually played before!). I use the BG1 NPC Project (without NPC relocation) and SCS. I will play on the Tactical difficulty. That always seemed to make the most sense to me, since it has the best AI but mages only come pre-buffed with long-lasting buffs. On hardcore and insane mages are elevated to all-knowing beings coming prebuffed with all their spells as if they knew the Bhaalspawn would burst through the door just in this moment. It also really turns the game into a battle of the spellcasters with all other characters standing in the corner and picking their noses until the mages are done stripping each other of their defenses. Since I did not want to make a spellcaster for this playthrough I kept the difficulty reduced. Although the game might be difficult enough going pure evil.
Speaking of character: Behold the CHARNAME of this adventure. Groshok the Chaotic Evil Barbarian.
I chose barbarian since I feel that this is the class that is the easiest to roleplay as Chaotic Evil alignment. I used an auto-reroller to get quite good stats. We start specialized in flails and with two points in two weapon style. This is a bit of meta knowledge I allowed myself. We will further specialize in katanas and long swords, so we get all the good weapons in BG2 without overlapping with other NPCs in BG1 and BG2. As chaotic evil our reputation starts at eight. It probably will only go lower from here. I am excited, so let’s go!
So yeah, this time I want to go the pure chaotic evil experience. And in order to force myself to do it I want to report on my progress here, so I cannot cheap out of the tough evil choices. So for this playthrough we will always pick the evil dialog options, consequences be damned. If the evil choice leads to a game over screen (as is the case if you resist arrest in Candlekeep) I will use the narration to justify not picking the evil option. Speaking of narrative: This will be written as a journal kept by CHARNAME. Since I guess there will be a lot of surprises for me in this playthrough I might occasionally add Authors Notes in [brackets]. That said I will also try to limit meta knowledge to a minimum. For all intends and purposes this playthrough should emulate what a new player would experience if they try to go the evil route.
I will also try to stick to a Minimal Reload scheme. Thus, I will respect the outcomes of my actions and of any battles. But I will not quit the game when CHARNAME dies but reload from the latest save.
I am using the Enhanced Edition of Baldurs Gate with Siege of Dragonspear installed (which I never actually played before!). I use the BG1 NPC Project (without NPC relocation) and SCS. I will play on the Tactical difficulty. That always seemed to make the most sense to me, since it has the best AI but mages only come pre-buffed with long-lasting buffs. On hardcore and insane mages are elevated to all-knowing beings coming prebuffed with all their spells as if they knew the Bhaalspawn would burst through the door just in this moment. It also really turns the game into a battle of the spellcasters with all other characters standing in the corner and picking their noses until the mages are done stripping each other of their defenses. Since I did not want to make a spellcaster for this playthrough I kept the difficulty reduced. Although the game might be difficult enough going pure evil.
Speaking of character: Behold the CHARNAME of this adventure. Groshok the Chaotic Evil Barbarian.
I chose barbarian since I feel that this is the class that is the easiest to roleplay as Chaotic Evil alignment. I used an auto-reroller to get quite good stats. We start specialized in flails and with two points in two weapon style. This is a bit of meta knowledge I allowed myself. We will further specialize in katanas and long swords, so we get all the good weapons in BG2 without overlapping with other NPCs in BG1 and BG2. As chaotic evil our reputation starts at eight. It probably will only go lower from here. I am excited, so let’s go!
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Comments
On a side note, I find it interesting that role-playing villains has been so popular around here lately. Both @JuliusBorisov and @TheGreatGodLoki have told the tales of a Gorion's Ward given over to evil. In any event, evil is challenging (some might even say mysterious), so I am looking forward to seeing your own variation on the theme.
My foster father Gorion told me that we would leave Candlekeep today to set out on a journey. He wouldn’t tell me where to, but I didn’t care. Ever since that visitor from Uthgard trained me in the way of the Barbarian I yearned to leave this damn place with its dusty tomes and closed walls. But now the time has finally come. Gorion gave me a couple of gold pieces to buy some equipment at the local inn.
I went inside and talked to Winthrop. I always hated that fat fart. He was as stupid as he was voluminous. But he had access to the equipment storage, so I had to put up with him. When I approached, he asked me for a 10.000 gold entry fee. What kind of fool does he think I am? I told him to stuff it where the sun don’t shine and then bought two flails and a helmet. Ah it felt good to have the weapons in hand. Now to do some smashing.
An opportunity arose just in the room next door. A locked cupboard just begged to be smashed open. Inside were a couple of gold coins and some arcane scrolls which I pocketed. The other room had a noble couple inside, complaining about the monks. I saw another opportunity and told them, that the monks are most certainly offended by the jewelry of the noblewoman. And in fact, those idiots believed me and went upstairs to get rid of their rings and amulets. I followed them and searched through the different rooms. I finally found the room of the nobles and encountered a very hard lock. Pah. The lock to hold ME out has not been invented yet. I channeled my fury and felt the power rushing through my veins. With one mighty swing of the flail the lock shattered. I picked a star sapphire, a pearl necklace and a fire opal ring from the locker. Nice. Those riches are better with me than with those idiots.
I cracked open the other containers on this floor. Next to some gold coins I also picked up a Potion of Clarity. That might come in hand when traveling outside of Candlekeep. In one room another noble wasn’t very happy with me rummaging through his stuff. So I punched him in the face until he was quiet.
He had some gold and another ring stashed. I sold all the stuff to Winthrop. Should he be found with the nobles riches and be tried for stealing. That would be hilarious. I bought myself a splint mail and then talked to Firebead Elvenhair. A frequent visitor to Candlekeep with a ridiculous stupid name. He asked me to fetch an Identification scroll from Tethtoril. I swear, without me to run its endless errands this keep would crumble into the very dust it sprang from. I will be gleeful to watch this happen once I leave this miserable place. I found Tethtoril in the inner grounds, fetched the scroll and went back to Firebead.
[Authors Note: I also got the 300 gold from talking to him 30 times. But since this is an easter egg I didn’t include it into the narrative.]
He gave me a Potion of Healing and cast a spell on me and said it would protect me from any evil I might meet tonight. I do not know what is out there beyond these walls but I guess I will find out soon enough. Outside I met Phlydia, one of the dumber visitors to Candlekeep. She informed me that she lost a book called “The History of Halruaa”. Yeah, the last time she lost an entire four-volume set in the hay we keep for the cows. I should probably throw her into there to search for the book herself. I bet no one would notice a difference to the rest of the livestock.
On my way I had an urge to enter the Priests Quarters. Maybe I could snatch another Potion of Healing before leaving. Inside I was approached by a man I did not recognize. I asked him what his business was, and he told me there was a bounty on my head, that he intended to collect. Well I splattered his corpse over the whole floor with a good swing of my flails. A bounty on my head hm? Probably by one of the visitors to Candlekeep I roughed up last year. Well if jokers like that guy are trying to collect it, it could not be too high. Interesting and exciting nonetheless. I was approached by Parda who came to see what the commotion was about. I dismissed him and went on to talk with Dreppin the stable hand.
He told me that Phlydias book was indeed lost in the hay. I fetched it and then talked to Dreppin again. He told me that the cow – Nessa not Phlydia – was sick and needed an antidote. He suspected Hull the Watcher to have one for his morning hangovers. A hangover medicine for a cow? Whatever tickles your fancy Dreppin … Further down the way I was approached by Reevor the storage keeper. He charged me with killing the rats in the store house. Bah. I entered and smashed the rats. Good thing I got this spell from Firebead on me, right? I also killed Reevors cats for him giving me such an insulting task.
[Authors Note: Doing all those Candlekeep Quests doesn’t seem very evilish. But they are added to your journal automatically with no choice of dialog. I figured I can do quests that are added without interaction. You also get a reward for them, so that is that.]
Reevor left me with a paltry 5 gold for my tasks. Never play the hero, it is just not worth it despite Gorions constant babblings of “doing the right thing”. The right thing is what helps me, that is how I see it. I met Hull at the gate, and he informed me that he had an Antidote in his stash. He also asked me to retrieve his sword that he forgot this morning. He feared the Gatewarden catching him without it. Seeing Hull flogged in the courtyard would certainly be entertaining. But he promised me some gold, so I agreed to get the sword. Speaking of the Gatewarden, I met him a minute later. He asked me to have training in mass combat. I denied him, and he dared to call me “little one”. Yeah that’s about it. I refused him again and he left, not before calling me “brat”. Oh just you wait.
The Priest in the sickhouse provided me with another Healing Potion. Onto the bunkhouse where I was approached by another stranger. How did they get in here? He also wanted to collect the bounty and show “them” that he was more than just a little street trash hood. Well, after a swing from my flail he became a gory carpet. Talk about moving up in the world. I was approached by Karan and informed him of the attacker. Karan confirmed that those bounty hunters where after me. Before I could inquire more, he ran off, telling me to find Gorion.
In the barracks I fetched Hulls sword and the antidote. I also got a task by Fuller to deliver him some bolts. Hull gave me 20 gold for the sword. He also babbled something about Baldur’s Gate and Amn going to war about an iron shortage. Well that sounds like fun. I cannot wait to leave and join the fray. I gave the antidote to Dreppin. I haven’t checked the actual contents of the flask, so if the cow explodes that is not on me. Dreppin also told me of bandits that are actually hunting for iron. What kind of bandit wants iron instead of gold and gems? Sounds like idiots to me. Well if they try to get my flail, I will certainly give it to them. Right into the groin. Phlydia gave me a gem for the book, which I pawned at Winthrop for some bolts. Fuller gave me a dagger for them. Seemed enchanted to me and it apparently could kill a Hobgoblin with a single swing. The scroll of identification I gave Firebead would be handy now. And some wimpy spellcaster to actually cast it for me.
Finally I approached the inner keep. And was promptly intercepted by that nerve-wrecking girl Imoen. She babbled something nonsensical and I told her to bugger of.
I spoke with Gorion and told him that I was born ready. We finally went to leave this accused place. He told me to go to the Friendly Arms Inn in case we ever got separated. Yeah tough chance on that one. Gorion never leaves me out of his eyesight for longer than two seconds.
I think one of the big reasons we do the evil side is because Good is so boring. It's fun to go against the grain every once in a while. I was thinking of a solo cavalier playthrough as Lawful Good where he is "good" but Bhaal has changed the concept of it, and so he must purge all non-believers, but he'll still help people out because that is another way to help spread the word of Bhaal.
But I'm sure a good solo playthrough can be done, and I'd whole heartly read along!
I actually thought about dumping Int to 6 or so for roleplaying purposes. Playing a big dumb brute you know. I then decided against it solely for gameplay purposes. Int 9 is needed for wands and int 12 (13 with the tome) provides me with some staying power against Illithids in BG2.
Charisma 18 gives you some better rewards from quests that we can actually accept (Fullers Dagger, Landrins AntiDotes, the Protection from Undead Scroll at Dryad falls come to mind). It also lowers shop prices at least a bit, which is nice when you are on low reputation. I also didn't want to pick up the two high-charisma evil chars (Viconia, Dorn) since they lower reputation by 2 points each with no way for me to recover it, since I won't donate to temples.
Does that make sense?
I awake to the iron smell of blood. Gorion was dead! We have been ambushed by … what in the nine hells was THAT? The darkness cowled its presence but it seemed like an enormous metallic figure with eyes burning like hellfire. It was accompanied by several men and ogres and while Gorion was able to kill most of them, he was finally slain by that armored figure. I never thought I would see the day Gorion died. But here we are. It is a strange feeling. The figure wanted me and I fear I couldn’t put up a fight against that beast with my current experience in combat. I need to grow stronger and then find that thing and punch it until it spills its secret. But for now … without Gorion … I am finally free. That at least feels good.
By the gods I was immediately approached by Imoen. I told her to bugger of, but she insisted to stay. Without Gorion or the Watchers I could finally express my feelings that have grown for Imoen over all those years. So I punched her bloody and dumped her body into the woods for the wolves to find. But not before relieving her of all her potions and a magical wand.
Since I never been outside of Candlekeep I thought it to be sound advice to head to this Friendly Arms Inn. Maybe Gorions friends could tell me more of the people hunting me. I was approached by some fat man. Maybe another bounty hunter so I told him to stay away. He babbled something about “respect”. Yeah, if I wanted his opinion I would have asked. Alas I did not so I left him where he stood. May the wolves eat him. Further up the road I met a peculiar pair of man and half-man. They offered me a healing potion as a token of goodwill. I took it and decided to join up with them. They wanted to go to a place called Nashkel, apparently the source of this iron crises Hull mentioned. Well why not? If this is the center of the crises it might well become the center of the war. What better place to be? The pair was called Xzar, a Necromancer, and Montaron, some kind of scoundrel. If nothing else, they will make good arrow fodder.
A bit further up I saw something glitter in a tree. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be a diamond. So many riches out here! Just beyond the doorsteps of Candlekeep. I wasted so many years inside, getting paid measly gold for exterminating rats when all the treasures are found for free out here.
A messenger spread the word of a caravan raid northeast of Beregost. Must have been those iron bandits? This will warrant inspection, maybe I can find some bandits to slaughter. Or join. I decided to search Gorions body. A powerful mage like him should have some nice trinkets on them. Well the only thing I found was an apparently enchanted girdle and some blood stained note. It was written by someone called “E” and it seems that it was this E-fellow that urged Gorion to leave Candlekeep. Lured the poor bastard right into his death. Well played “E”, well played.
We encountered a wolf along the way who manage to get a hold of my leg. Ouch. We put it down and I gritted my teeth as we moved on east.
We were approached by an old man in red robes with a pointy hat. He wanted to talk but I shooed him away. We all know the tales of old man approaching young-half orcs in the woods, luring them with the promise of carnage and blood shed and then stuffing them into girly clothes, right? Yeah, I won’t have none of that. He also babbled something about respect like the fat guy back in the west. Why does everyone provide me with his uncalled-for opinion?
At least he told me that the Friendly Arm Inn could be found in the north. So we cut the road and headed straight north. And lo and behold under some rock we found a glittering, apparently enchanted ring. I pocketed it. Would be high time to find some mage to identify all this stuff. Up north we met a hunter of some sorts who warned us of danger. Let them come I say! I will slaughter whatever nature sends against me.
[Authors Note: I know that this ring is a Ring of the Princes +1. But Groshok does not, therefore he won’t just equip it, but wait for it to be identified.]
At night we finally arrived at the Friendly Arms Inn. Time to find these Khalid and Jaheira. They are probably powerful mages when they are friends with Gorion. At least they can identify my stuff. Speaking of stuff, we found another enchanted ring under a rock. Who leaves all those jewelry lying about?
Inside the walls of the inn we met a woman called Joia. She asked us if we could retrieve a ring for her that has been stolen by some Hobgoblin. But she wouldn’t pay me for the deed so I denied. Do I look like some cheapskate delivery boy? She left her house so I cracked open her lockers and stole her stuff. Well that’s certainly some kind of payment.
[Authors Note: That’s 400 XP and 1 Rep point gone right there. Go evil!]
Some peasant told me about the owners of the inn. Apparently they also have a temple. But maybe not much longer since he suspected Amn to want to use the Inn as a bridgehead to siege Baldur’s Gate. Fine by me. As it seems the iron crises is not just a shortage of iron. All tools and weapons made of iron are brittle and prone to falling apart. I looked at my flails with a bit of skepticism. If they break in the middle of combat even I could be in trouble. So maybe it made sense to accompany Xzar and Montaron to the mines to find out what was going on.
[Authors Note: I think this is actually a sensible reason why an evil character would want to check out Nashkel Mines.]
We were approached by some whimpy man in a dress. Probably a mage. He asked us why we are here and I told him to bugger off. So he decided to go ahead and kill us.
Xzar and Montaron proved their worth in this battle with the former interrupting a spell by the mage and the latter putting his short sword deep inside his belly. On his dead body we found several arcane scrolls and a note that said I was to be hunted down for 200 gold. Just 200 gold? No wonder why there are only idiots coming after me.
Inside the inn the talk was all about the bandits cutting of the roads to Nashkel. So I will probably meet them on my way there. Good, a chance to split some heads. I was asked by some half-orc to fetch some ale. I thought about crushing his teeth in but for once I was still wounded by that wolf bite. And secondly this guy looked tough. Maybe I can recruit him for my party later.
[Authors Note: This is actually not meta gaming but exactly the reason your journal spits out when you interact with Dorn. Go figure.]
A girl named Nessie told me that would-be assassins name was Tarnesh. Apparently he waited a long time for me here. So my movements are not that secret. This E-fellow must have spilled my movements to those assassins, which is why they can find me. If I get hold of this E I will spill his guts in repayment. I finally found Jaheira and Khalid. Instead of arch-mages they turned out to be a stuck-up wench and her stuttering excuse for a husband. While they wished to join my travels to Nashkel I denied them. Those weaklings would only get in the way.
We decided to search the inn for more assassins. Upstairs we found a dwarven cleric named Unshey who lost their Belt of Piercing to an ogre south of the inn. They promised us a book if we get the belt back. Yeah I had enough books for a lifetime. But the “Belt of Piercing” sounded interesting. Further upstairs was a gnome named Landrin. She promised to pay us a hefty sum of gold when we clear her house of some spiders. She also provided us with some antidotes. Well, I slaughtered rats without a scratch, what possible danger could a bunch of little spiders pose?
We also plundered some of the rooms. There was a guy trying to stop us, but I put him in his place.
There was also some pompous nobleman trying to get me to clean his pantaloon. I told him to clean his laundry himself and he nearly started to cry when I mentioned his mother. What a whimp. I do not even know my mother. Those golden pantaloons looked nice though. Maybe we will get them later.
[Authors Note: Not getting the pantaloons here hurts. I hope you can pickpocket them. Otherwise I will later kill that guy.]
I also love how every evil Playthrough paints Khalid And Jaheria as the same. Those poor NPCs. As a good Playthrough they're usually my go to for the game. Khalid is a solid fighter and Jaheria fills both a cleric (even tho she's a druid) and a fighter roll.
@TheGreatGodLoki, your point is well-taken. In Anna Kerennina, Tolstoy muses that “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” I think many people feel similarly about role-playing alignment in Baldur’s Gate: “All good characters are alike; every evil character is evil in its own way.” As a result, good may seem boring because it seems like it doesn’t provide the same scope for variation as evil.
To play “devil’s advocate” for good, though, I think this perspective is only true up to a point. Especially in a land as filled to the brim with power and violence as Faerun, I think playing a good character can be just as dynamic and be just as much "going against the grain" as playing evil. Anyway, much more can be said, but I don’t want to hijack @Gurkengelee’s thread with a side-inquiry, so happy to continue on the general discussion boards, if you want.
N.B. None of this is, of course, to affirm or deny that Ausar - the protagonist of my own playthrough - is good, or neutral, or evil
“Yeah, the last time [Phyldia] lost an entire four-volume set in the hay we keep for the cows. I should probably throw her into there to search for the book herself. I bet no one would notice a difference to the rest of the livestock.”
“I gave the antidote to Dreppin. I haven’t checked the actual contents of the flask, so if the cow explodes that is not on me.”
LOL! (I did actually laugh out loud, for the record.)
But his dark side is really terrifying. Beating Imoen bloody, to the point of death, and then abandoning her on the side of the road is cruel in the extreme. I shudder (proverbially) to think at what will come next.
Keep doing what you’re doing! Looking forward to your next installments!
Wow. This part is just absolutely brilliant, in fact this whole play-through is. This section I really just love though, I did not see that coming.
I always got the impression that the evil choices you have during dialogs in Baldurs Gate are either violent or making fun of the recipient. The best example seems to be the watcher east of Nashkel mines where you can first answer that you are a bunch of Tarrasques "Kraa, Kraa" and then go on to kill the guy.
So I try to incorporate this into Groshuks inner dialog. Also I get some input from the journal entries in the actual game (which I never really read until this playthrough).
@Rao - I imagined Ausar to be neutral good or maybe lawful neutral. We'll see what happens
@Aerie - Thanks! I hoped I could write it in a way that the second sentence came at a surprise after the first one. Cool if I succeded
We finally got some well-deserved rest and asked Bentley Mirrorshade for some equipment. Unshey mentioned an ogre and I really do not want to go toe-to-toe with such a beast without more experience. So I bought a couple of slings for Montaron and Xzar and a composite longbow for myself. He also sold an enchanted shield named Buckley Buckler which I gave to Montaron. We also went into the temple to identify our loot. Turned out one of the rings protected its wearer while the other one helped arcane spellcaster to cast more spell. I put the first one on me and the second one I gave to Xzar. He also got the Dagger I received from Fuller.
[Authors Note: I deactivated the option to rest until healed. While convenient it doesn’t really fit into a narrative playthrough to just sleep for days on end.]
So we went south to find the Ogre. After a short search we encountered him and Montaron and I started to prepper him with missiles while Xzar ran around the brute making chicken noises. We felled the beast without receiving a single scratch. But an Xvart decided to join the fray and managed to poke me with his short sword. The Ogre had two girdles on him. So we would have to identify them before heading back to Unshey. Since Nashkel is to the south and there is bound to be another temple on the way, we headed to Beregost. On our way we heard rumors that Beregost was to be fortified against an Amnian attack. Oh my, this war really is bound to happen isn’t it? Nice.
We also came across a little boy who threatened us with his mother. I told him to beat it and he whined something about his friend Albert. Stupid Children should be glad I don’t bite his head off.
[Authors Note: This is the first time I realize he is talking about Albert the demon south of Nashkel. The details you miss …]
In Beregost a guy named Goblin or Golem or somesuch pointed us to the Thunderhammer Smithy and Feldeposts Inn for some weapons and armor. Since Xzar has the habit to hurt himself while using a sling I decided to go the smithy first and get some throwing daggers for him. On the way we were approached by some puny elf girl who cried for help. I really didn’t want to get involved but then some guys in red dresses appeared and apparently took me for the girls bodyguard. Sensing an opportunity I offered the leader of the group to hand the girl over for a reward. Instead he offered me my continued existence. Given that this guy was obviously a well experienced mage and I still suffered from the Xvart wound I agreed to the terms.
But then the girl did some magic on her own and the enemy leader vanished. His obviously much dumber apprentice then ordered his man to attack us. With the leader gone I gleefully joined the fray and slaughtered them all. Turned out the girl had no gold to reward us with. So I took a gem pouch from her and forced her to strip out of her robes. Those went well on Xzar. As I said, all mages wear dresses.
[Authors Note: Obviously we had to accept Neera into the party and then dismiss her to make this work.]
We went to the Thunderhammer Smithy just to find it empty. Just as well, I took the opportunity to crack open their locks and bring myself into the possession of a magical bastard sword. We decided to spend the night in Feldeposts Inn, where some guy got into an argument with Montaron.
He didn’t back down and attacked us with his bare hands. Montaron and I made short work of him and let his body bleed out on the floor for someone else to clean up.
[Authors Note: Killing Marl, while obviously more difficult than talking him out of his anger, awards only 650 XP instead of 900. Pff.]
His friend threatened us with the Flaming Fist. Whatever. The barkeep told us over some cups of Evermead that he thinks the Flaming Fist will lose its effectiveness anyway, since they are also affected by the iron deterioration. So let them come I say. We booked a room and stayed for the night.
[Authors Note: I never really used the option to buy drinks at an inn to get rumors. But for a narrative playthrough it is really fun to do so.]
We awoke early in the morning before the shops opened. We took this opportunity to break into some of the houses and get some loot. We finished our burglary right when the sun rose. I sold the gems we got to Feldeposts and about 500 gold richer we went to the Smithy. On the way the town crier told us about a hefty 5.000 gold bounty on some guy named Bassilus. Xzar inquired more and apparently this Bassilus-figure violated some Necromancer’s honor code or somesuch. Whatever but the bounty will belong to me.
We went to Thunderhammers and got some throwing daggers for Xzar. Montaron also picked up an enchanted sling. The smith – Taerom Fuiruim – also offered a Shadow Armor that seemed interesting for Montaron and a poisonous dagger. That would probably be wasted on that blasted Necromancer since he couldn’t hit a barn door with his dagger. Well but we needed more money anyway. Time to go to work!
We went into the Jovial Juggler inn, looking for some work. There was a paladin named Beregost who got roughed up by some half-ogres and wished that we exact revenge. I’d rather share a drink with anyone who is beating up those stiff-ass paladins but oh well. As long as we get paid. There was also a dwarf named Gurke who complained about his cloak being stolen by some Tasloi. In the Cloakwood. Really. What a moron. Alas I had no idea where this Cloakwood was supposed to be and I would certainly not ask a dwarf named Gurke for directions.
[Authors Note: “Gurke” means cucumber in my native language of German. My forum name “Gurkengelee” translates to cucumber jelly. The more you know.]
In another house we met Firebead Elvenhair. Instead of a scroll he now wants us to fetch a book for him. “The Fateful Coin” is supposedly for sale in one of the stores. Why the old geezer cant buy it himself is beyond me but he promised compensation. So I went into Feldeposts and indeed the barkeep sold a copy. I brought it back to Firebead and he gave me another book – boring – and a case for arcane scrolls. The latter is pretty useful and I stuffed all the scrolls we have found in there.
[Authors Note: This quest increased our reputation by 1 to 9.
Just north of Firebeads house was the manor of some “Colquetle” who apparently didn’t hear from his wife and son in weeks. Well with bandits on the row chances are they are both dead, buddy. Deal with it. We entered another shop which turned out to be a mercenary post. The owner, a dwarf named Kagain, wished to hire us. He’d pay 30 gold per head to find one of his missing caravans. Sounds easy enough. Since the caravan apparently carried around some bigwigs noble son, he insisted on joining us. Sure, if things go south in a fight I can just throw the dwarf.
Next we went into the Burning Wizard where some halfling named Zhurlong asked us to retrieve his boots, that got stolen by hobgoblins south of Beregost. He promised 100 gold as a reward. He also pickpocketed some gold from me and apparently thought I wouldn’t notice. Oh I did notice alright. I thought about killing him here and now, but I find it funnier to smother him with his own boots. So revenge has to wait. Upstairs I found an enchanted mace in one of the lockers. Nice.
Outside we talked to some dandy named Garrik. He offered us 300 gold if we act as bodyguards for his mistress Silke. Sure thing. Silke informed us that she was threatened by some thugs of Feldeposts. When they arrived we made short work of them. They didn’t even put up a fight. Poor sods. Albeit I get the feeling, that Silke hadn’t told us the whole truth I don’t care. Seeing those bastards cut open, with their blood spilling just made me feel …. warm. I fetched some gems from their bodies together with three potions of defense. Very nice.
[Authors Note: This cost us 2 reputation bringing us down to 7.
We went into the Red Sheaf Inn and were attacked by an dwarf assassin. I was nearly decapitated by his first strike! This was a much more dangerous foe than the last measly attempts on my life. I quaffed a potion of defense that I just grabbed from the dead thugs and with four people slashing, throwing and casting at the dwarf we overwhelmed him. A bounty notice on his body informed me, that the bounty on my head had risen to 350 gold. Finally some recognition!
[Authors Note: If this was a no-reload run it would be over. The first time I entered, Karlat crit Groshok and since he was still injured the single strike was enough to take him out.]
A halfling named Perdue apparently lost his sword to a bunch of Gnolls. After we ridiculed him about his incompetence, he offered us 50 gold to bring his sword back. 50 gold for a potential dangerous fights against numerous gold? Yeah the gnoll can wipe his arse on the sword for all I care.
Upstairs Raleo Windspear informed us about the local going-ons. A wench named Mirianne was awaiting news from her husband. The Thunderhammer smithy ran low on iron and was searching for exotic materials as a replacement. And to the west a mage named Thalantyr opened up shop. Raleo recommended to speak with Thalantyr first when entering his shop or the consequences might be deadly. Sounds like a likeable fellow this Thalantyr. We went to Mirianne and she indeed promised us a reward for getting any news from her husband on the southern roads. Since we are headed there anyway, it won’t hurt to be on the lookout.
Afterwards we went to the Temple east of Beregost to get some more intel on that Bassilus fellow and also to identify our stuff. Xzar suggested to turn Kagains ear into a never-ending gold purse and while I was inclined to agree but Kagain selfishly refused to have his ear cut off. Not a team player this one.
As it turned out the High Cleric and governor of Beregost Kelddath Ormlyr had zero further information on Bassilus. So we would have to search for him ourselves. We identified our items. Turned out one of the girdles on the ogre was cursed and would switch your gender. Unsheys girdle on the other hand was quite powerful and protected the wearer against missile and pierce attacks. It was called Elves Bane which made Xzar all kinds of giggly. So I gave it to him since as a mage with no armor he made a prime target for enemy archers. And a dead mage was no help whatsoever. Unshey can wait for her girdle for a long time I wager. We sold any item we couldn’t use and then went west of Beregost to find Perdues sword and this mage named Thalantyr.
[Authors Note: Raise your hand if you ever played a good-aligned character but also kept the girdle instead of returning it to Unshey. While claiming it to be for the greater good. Yeah, we are all evil, aren’t we?]
We found the gnolls next to a large stone structure and slaughtered them with ease. Using throwing daggers Xzar is actually hitting things. The Sword Coast is full of wonders … In front of the entrance to the building we met a thief named Permidion Stark who told us, that inside were two flesh monsters that are impervious to mundane weapons. That must be the deadly repercussion Windspear warned me about. So we shall talk to Thalantyr first.
[Authors Note: There is an option to tell Thalantyr that you go where you please (like Dr. Mundo from League of Legends). It just ends in a quip from Thalantyr and the Dialog closes. No further action and you can talk to him again. So I decided that I can also use the dialog option to enter trading. Especially since I refuse to play without the potion case.]
As we did so it dawned on me that this mage might be as powerful as Gorion was. Interesting. We bought a potion case from him and also a Wand of Sleep. It might come in hand when fighting the bandits on the road. We brought the sword back to Perdue and also went to Landrins house which I forgot about the first time round. Turned out the spiders were a lot bigger than expected. Xzar used the Wand of Sleep and we exterminated the vermin. We picked up the body of the largest spider and the other stuff Landrin wanted.
With everything done in Beregost we started on our journey south to Nashkel.
We encountered some Ogrillons on the road and put them down. One of them carried a message by Roe, Miriannes husband. Lucky find. Not so lucky for the poor messenger though. We killed some hobgoblins who carried a pair of enchanted boots – probably Zhurlongs. Further down the road a trio of Flaming Fist mercenaries had the audacity to try and imprison us. If they want a fight they certainly can get one. The Wand of Sleep knocked them all out and we quartered them where they lay. One of my flails broke in the process. Damn iron.
Some more miles south we encountered our first bandits. Hobgoblins as it turned out. We slaughtered the beasts and picked up a valuable looking amulet with the inscription “Colquete” from some mutilated bodies.
After that the journey remained uneventful and we arrived in Nashkel. We were greeted harshly by some Amnian soldier. Ha. When the war comes I will slaughter you all. Maybe even before that. On our way to the Mayor we heard rumors that people were killed in the mines with the guards unable to do anything. This magnitude of incompetence makes me want to slaughter all those puffed up soldiers even more. We met up with the mayor of this soddy little town named Berrun Ghastkill. He recognized Xzar and promised us 900 gold pieces if we can solve the problems in the mines.
A bounty officer by the name of Oublek mistook me for some bounty hunter named Greywolf. I pocketed the bounty of 200 gold and went on my merry way. “Greywolf”. What kind of stupid moniker is that anyway? Most wolfs are grey. Should have called himself “Pinky Pig” instead. At least I would have denied to be him then.
Further down the road we encountered some kind of maniac who talked to his freaking hamster. He asked us to help him rescue some woman. There didn’t seem to be any reward involved and I really did not want to catch whatever this rodent talking guy had. So I denied. Which had the amusing consequence of him bursting out with anger and attacking me. So we cut the bastard down. The stupid hamster escaped before I could snatch its head off. You win some you lose some, I guess.
In the barracks another soldier pestered us. I told him that if he wants trouble he can have it and he chickened out. Why Baldur’s Gate hasn’t already wiped this place from the face of the earth is beyond me. I snatched an enchanted short sword from one of the lockers and left.
Confident that the guard was completely incompetent we started to rob the houses and some of the commoners.
[Authors Note: This was the first time I chose this dialog option with the lady that gives you the quest for the greenstone ring. She doesn’t actually give you anything, you decrease your reputation by 1 and if you steal from her lockers she still calls the guards. Oh well. Our reputation is now 6.]
We went inside the Belching Dragon Tavern and met Volo. Over an ale he told us that the Captain of the Guard went mad right after acquiring a new blade. Interesting. The Barkeeper told us of Ogres and Madmen west of Nashkel. He was also worried about the Grand Dukes of Baldur’s Gate accusing Amn of the increased Bandit Raids along the sword coast. Blah. If they think Amn is responsible they should go to war and not just write accusing letters. Whussies.
The cleric of helm in the temple also made a big story out of this Captain Brage and how he might not need to be killed. Pah, even the law in Amn is soft. We identified the items and gave the short sword and Zhurlongs boots to Montaron. Turned out they help you sneaking around and backstabbing people. We sold everything we didn’t need to the local shop keeper, who also asked us to keep an eye out for some winter wolf pelt.
Since I had expended my Barbarians Rage we decided to take a nap despite the sun being on its fullest. Well turned out the inn had another assassin in waiting. This time a cleric of Cyric as it appeared. She stood no chance against the four of us and the bounty notice told me that my bounty has risen to 680 gold. That would be a considerable boost to our pockets, so I quickly destroyed the notice before the others could see it. I have no desire to find Montaron at my throat when we make camp for the night.
Since we still had some open business in Beregost and the Friendly Arms inn and also needed to find Kagains lost caravan I decided that we would travel back north before venturing into the mines. Ghastkill basically confirmed that no one else was looking into the mines and the guard couldn’t find their own butt. So there was no pressure to get involved.
[Authors Note: I didn’t pick up Edwin here, because I wanted to keep the party small for the moment for faster level gain. With our constantly decreasing reputation we will face guards and bounty hunters pretty soon so I thought this would be a good approach. Since it made no sense to head to the west fields without speaking to Edwin we left the Ankheg plate for the time being. So sad.]
I see you're just like me on my playthroughs where I don't use Neera. That gem bag is just so handy and as far as I know, she has the only one.
I would agree with the above point. Sometimes I do play my high charisma characters are winsome charmers or diplomat-types, but I often feel just as comfortable playing them as individuals in whom others sense a force of will that naturally commands respect. The archetype of the gruff and brusque, but revered military commander in the vein of, for example, General Patton is sort of what I have in mind here. Alternatively, there is the sort of magnetism associated with certain forms of spiritualism - think about Poe's Lady Ligeia or Hesse's Demian: neither are charmers but both possess an inner resolution that naturally attracts discipleship and perhaps even obsession.
If we do want to think about Groshok as an 18 charisma character, then it seems like he would fit into something like the "General Patton" category. However, given that Groshok is a chaotic evil barbarian with 12 intelligence and a whopping 9 wisdom, I would be surprised if he was self-aware enough to appreciate fully the extent of the effect he has on other people, much less understand why. Something like "I'm big/scary/mean and they are scared/weak" is about as much insight as I would expect from his journal entries.
But of course, he's his own man...er...half-orc, and I guess we'll see what he has in store for us down the road!
We arrived at the area where the half-ogres should be located that roughed up Bjornin. Instead of the ogres we ran into a party of bandits consisting of a fighter, a mage and an hobgoblin archer. After the fight broke out Montaron and Xzar started to run around like chicken. I presume this was due to a spell cast by the mage but they may just be cowards. While I dismembered the archer and the fighter, Kagain was killed by the mage before I could reach her. Bah. Now who is paying us for the caravan?
At least we found the tribe of half-ogres. A sleep from Xzars wand put them down and I slaughtered them like children. Being half a man short I decided to head straight back to Beregost and cash in with Bjornin. He gave us his enchanted shield. Good fortune that the one peep using shields in my party just got blasted to the afterlife.
[Authors Note: This quest increases our reputation by 1. So it is now 7.]
We also brought the message to Mirianne who gave us a ring that should protect us. Thanks girl. We delivered the boots back to Zhurlong. Together with a stab in the throat by Montaron.
Begrudgingly I decided to raise Kagain from the dead. He made a got sponge for enemy casters after all. He would have to repay me though! After a rest in the Jovial Juggler we headed north to find Kagains caravan. It was indeed raided by bandits and the perpetrators were still abound. One of them was a pretty good shot and nearly killed Montaron. In the end they fell to our onslaught and Xzars sleep wand. Turned out the Silvershield son was dead and Kagain now wanted to join me for protection. Suits me, you owe me your life anyway little dwarf.
We went to the Friendly Arm inn to give Landrin her possessions. She rewarded us with a about 300 gold. Montaron also stole the golden pantaloons from that buffon that mistook me for a maid earlier. Ohhh the thoughts of those pantaloons warming my crown jewels … yeah, that’s what adventuring is all about, isn’t it?
9. Mirtul
We rested in the Friendly Arm inn and something weird happened. I had a dream so vivid I could have sworn it was real. I saw the armored figure killing Gorion over and over again. So much power … so much might. I know I must have it. I know I WILL have it. In my dreams a path opened up for me. A path to my destiny. A path to unlimited power. I will walk this path. And woe to whoever dares to stand in my way. After I woke up I felt that I was able to drain the life force of my enemy and feed my own with it. How I got this knowledge I cannot say. But Xzar noticed it too and asked me about my dreams. I told him that I will rip his lungs out if he ever mentions it again. My dreams are my own, I hope he got the message. He is quite a valuable asset right now.
We bought some healing for Montaron at the temple and then headed back south. The bounty on this Bassilus fellow was still open and with no clues where to go, I decided to search around Beregost. We were ambushed by some bandits which we promptly slaughtered. They got some good shots at Montaron and Xzar. Patching that up would be costly. But better they eat the arrows than I do.
Back in Beregost I decided to pay this Colquete a visit, his sons necklace in hand. I offered to sell it to him, but he refused. Didn’t love your son that much after all, eh?
[Authors Note: This decreased our reputation by 1. It is now 6.]
The necklace fetched quite a good price at Feldeposts. We picked up an enchanted battle axe for Kagain here too. Might come in handy against this Bassilus.
12. Mirtul
We decided to start our hunt for Bassilus west of High Hedge. Tired from the trip we set up camp in the wilderness. Montaron surprised me, volunteering to cook the meal. Turns out he could cook as well as Winthrop back in Candlekeep. Apparently he was afraid that one of us could put poison into his bowl of rabbit stew. While having some experience with poison he didn’t resort to them on a regular basis, much more preferring to stab people to death. I find that I am growing on the half-ling. Poison, while certainly effective, always appeared to be to be the tool of women and whimps. A real warrior kills his prey in glorious combat. As I experienced it back with Feldeposts thugs, killing only feels satisfactory when you can bury your blade deep in the body of your enemy, feel his warm blood prickling over your skin and see into his eyes, while the life drains from him. Montaron seems to feel the same. We might get along after all.
After we broke camp in the middle of the night, we met some kind of Dryad or Nymph. She asked to accompany us but I told her to bugger of. She then went on to kiss me. The movement came so unexpected, I couldn’t evade. When her lips touched my face, I felt my life essence wash away. My muscles gave way and I fell, face first, into the mud. My companions, probably believing me dead, attacked the wench and did considerable damage. She went on to plead for her life, claiming she was a slave to some master. No. NO! No one attacks me … no one brings me to the brink of death … AND LIVES! I stemmed myself up, focusing all my strength on this simple movement. And I told her, she would die for it. I managed to swing my flail and rip her open. She fell with a satisfying wet crunch and lay still on the ground.
[Authors Note: I know that @JuliusBorisov went with the other dialog choice to get the Ogre Mage to appear. I think when you are lawful or neutral evil you can rationalize this choice “to lure out the master and then kill them both”. But being chaotic evil Groshuk doesn’t make plans. He destroys. So no helm of defense for me. But the 5.000 XP are welcome nonetheless bringing Groshuk to level 3 and the rest of the party to level 2.]
South of the dead wench we found a tribe of Ogres. A fierce battle ensued. In my weakened state I had to use to longbow and provided fire while Kagain stormed the enemy. A mistake that nearly cost us everything. As it seemed some of the Ogres could also challenge their rage to become resistant to pain and pumping up their muscles. Kagain was punched to the ground and would have lost his life here if not for the brittle iron. The Ogres weapon broke and while he kept on pummeling the dwarf, the tough bastard refused to die.
We won, but we were bloodied. But as a stroke of luck we found a guy who called himself the Surgeon. He told us some pity story about him being unable to kill his brother and now regretting it. What a weakling. At least he was useful and cast a couple of healing spells on us, saving us the trip to the temple.
We searched the rest of the area but besides a mad gnome and some sirens we didn’t find any clue about Bassilus. Since the sirens – being women – used poisoned arrows that got me good, we headed back to Beregost to heal and restock.
We decided to continue our search to the south where we spotted an ominous lighthouse. That would make a good lair for a mad cleric wouldn’t it? We met a girl who said something about “A problem only you can solve.” Yeah, no. After my experience a couple of days ago I won’t fall for the lady in distress trap a second time. I considered killing her but then decided we had more pressing matters in the search for Bassilus.
On the beach a couple of more sirens await. After I learned about their tactics in our last fight I let Kagain drink the potion of clarity I got in Candlekeep. I myself channeled my rage so the both of us were not affected by their charm spells. They still put up a very good fight, peppering us with poison arrows. Montaron took out two of them from the shadows but then had to flee after an arrow hit him. I gulped an Oil of Speed and a potion of defense and cleaned up the survivors.
We entered a wet cave and Montaron warned us about traps. But not only that, we encountered some flesh monstrosities. My morning stars proved ineffective so I borrowed Montarons short sword and hacked away. They nearly smashed Kagain and me to pulp but in the end we triumphed. We found a stash of sorts with a wand, a cloak, some jewelry and a book. I was about to toss the book aside but then noticed that it appeared to be magical. Maybe it was worth something. Also Xzar claimed the mithral ring we found for some thaumaturgie. Whatever I gave it to him.
Bloody but not beaten we decided to leave the area for now and go back to Beregost. Having no gold to our name we sold the pearls we found at the Sirens at Feldepost to be able to afford to identify our items at the temple. Turns out the book was indeed magical. One of the old tomes I heard about in Candlekeep. We made rest and I studied the book this night. When I finished I felt a … change. My already formidable body felt much more powerful and healthy. And then I could see how the wounds I got in the last fights started to close. Slowly but surely, they vanished and only healthy skin remained. Well, this was handy.
[Authors Note: Constitution 20. Nice. Both of my frontliners now have regeneration. That should alleviate my lack of a cleric. The party also reached level 4, so I think we have a solid foundation for the rest of the game.]
15. Mirtul
My last guess where Bassilus hideout could be, was to the south of High Hedge. When we arrived we were approached by a talking chicken. A talking chicken?? A cursed bird! Well he claimed to be a polymorphed man. What kind of moron manages to turn himself into poultry? Someone who can’t stomach a joke it seems.
On our search for Bassilus we came across some Hobgoblins who carried a nice short sword for Montaron.
Then, finally, we encountered Bassilus. He was surrounded by a host of undead. He talked to them like they were his family. Xzar picked up on this pretty quickly and pretended to be Bassilus uncle Lester. I picked up on the charade and pretended to be Bassilus father. The confused cleric seemed to believe us for a while. Montaron used the time to slip into the shadows and position himself behind Bassilus. When Bassilus finally had a moment of clarity and saw through our disguise everyone was in position. Montaron opened up with a backstab and Kagain and I stormed the cleric, while Xzar provided arcane support. Bassilus was obviously much more experienced than we were. In a straight one on one he could have killed any of us. But under the barrage of four people he quickly fell. As he went to his knees I swung my flail and hit him on his head. Bone, brain and blood splattered and covered my hands, my breastplate, my face. Untold joy rose inside me. A warm, homely feeling as if this – as if killing – was what I was meant to do. What I was meant to BE.
The feeling faded as quickly as it came and left me feeling somehow empty again.
We lootet his corpse. He had a magic hammer, magic gloves and his holy symbol on him. We brought the latter to the temple in Beregost and got the 5.000 gold bounty. Our pockets considerably boosted I decided it would be time to go back to Nashkel.
[Authors Note: We now had about 8.000 gold to our name. Not that much but hopefully enough to get by.]
We arrived at the Nashkel Carnival. While I do not take enjoyment from petty pleasures a carnival might hold some rare and wondrous things for me. It certainly started well, when a mage continued to summon an Ogre and then continued to explode him. Probably an illusion. But the Ogre went wild and we quickly hacked it down. In one of the larger tents a tall and slender man approached us. Montaron hissed “Thief.” so without asking any further questions I swung my flail while Xzar started to throw daggers at the guy. He was taken by surprise and died on the spot. Thief or not, he had some pretty valuable potion on his corpse.
[Authors Note: Do you also kill Vittaire when you are playing good or neutral aligned chars? I do, albeit this is very meta gamy and self-administered justice runs contrary at least to lawful alignments.]
In another tent we met some joker named Zordal who threatened to kill some woman that was with him in the tent. Well, see if I care. After he killed the woman, we proceeded to bash his skull in. Then we looted both their corpses. Two for one bargain, that’s what I am talking about!
As far as rare and wondrous things go we purchased an amulet of missiles and two potions that would provide me with incredible strength and intelligence.
Back in Nashkel we met a wizard named Edwin who asked us to kill a witch named Dynaheir. He promised me a reward that would surpass my imagination. Well I can imagine a whole lot so I hope he stays true to his word. Otherwise he will be the next one to be murdered.
Speaking of murder we encountered some villager who started to ask us silly questions. I told him to shut it but he just … wouldn’t … stop …. talking. Bah, how he got on my nerves. I swung my flail and killed him. I didn’t even bother looking at this trash falling to the ground.
We then made way to the gnoll stronghold where the witch should be held. On our way we encountered a village of Xvarts. Little bastard creatures dared to attack us when we entered. So we slaughtered them. Every last one of them. I hacked, and kicked and swung. The Xvarts died in droves and even their pet bears were killed. The blood ran so freely, a red mist lay about the village when we were finished. I smiled. I don’t really know why, but killing makes me feel good. Overpowering the weak and spilling their organs brings me joy. It may be the rush of battle, sure. I heard of warriors enjoying fighting, the thrill of a battle for life and death. But for me it is not even that, at least not fully. Fighting is fun, sure. But killing is where it is at. We looted the village and went further westward.
There we were approached by a bloke who tried to sell us magical items. But why buy something that you can just take by force? I ordered him to hand over his items or forfeit his life. The guy was pretty cocky and chose to fight us. He tried to cast some spells but died pretty quickly under our weapons. Idiot. We looted his corpse and moved on.
22. Mirtul
On our way we met a bandit named Neville. Pah as I announced that we will kill and rob him, he quickly pickpocketed some gold from the dwarf and ran for the woods. Coward.
[Authors Note: I really don’t like how the game handles this encounter. He will rob you for some gold and vanish when you choose the evil option, but if you are nice you have to fight him and his hobgoblins and get a magical longsword among other things. Should be the other way around in my opinion.]
Along a bridge over the river we found the ogres the barkeep from Nashkel told us about. They were pretty strong and got some hobgoblin archers on their side. Nevertheless they died to our attacks.
Behind the bridge we found a paladin of some sorts who decided to attack us. I give it to her, she had more guts than the whining Bjornin-fellow back in Beregost. She still fell in two hits of my flails.
We also met a noble named Jared who promised to give us anything if we got rid of a bear that apparently followed him. Turned out to be a polar bear! How does one of those get here? Bah, doesn’t matter, we slaughtered it and kicked his corpse into the river. Jared then tried to cheat me and wanted to send me of with 50 gold. No way. No one cheats me out of my reward. I decided to take what I was promised and started with Jareds left arm. Afterwards Montaron took his right eye. Montaron took his ears. Kagain took his boots, which appeared to be magical and then ram his axe through the nobles skull. Bah, stupid pragmatic dwarf takes all the fun out of this adventure. Well I hope Edwin got the message what happens, if HE tries to cheat me out of the reward he promised.
[Authors Note: I honestly thought that 18 charisma would ensure that we get the boots from Jared. But apparently with reputation of 6 my characters reaction was too low. While the boots are not that great, I feel that I had to kill Jared here, being Chaotic Evil and all. Our reputation dropped by 2 and is now 4. Uh oh.]
We finally reached the Gnoll Stronghold where we were held up by a pair of Ogrillons. They demanded 200 gold as a toll. Edwin, being not as dumb as he looks in his red dress, told them to count all the way up to whatever gold they want, but with eyes closed. Well as soon as the pair shut their eyes, Kagain and I made fresh meat out of them.
Some steps and a two dozen dead gnolls later we found the witch. She had a funny accent but she screamed like everyone else when I stomped her to pulp. Edwin was satisfied but instead of riches he swore me his allegiance for a year. Not quite what I intended, but for a mage he seems to be quite powerful. And if he dies as my tool nothing is lost, isn’t it?
[Authors Note: The BG NPC project seems to be buggy here. When I killed Dynaheir the quest didn’t resolve. So I had to pick her up, resolve the quest that way, then kill her and throw her out again. Oh well, the result is the same.]
I decided that we would explore the stronghold for some valuables. While we didn’t find anything spectacular we stumbled upon another magic tome. If this one would be as useful as the last one, it was a lucky find indeed.
23. Mirtul
On the way back to Nashkel we encountered a little girl who cried about her cat, tumbling down a waterfall and asked if we could save her. I grinned. This would be fun. I searched the bottom of the fall and indeed I found the dead feline. Back at the girl I dangled it in front of her, poking it with my finger and making “Meow” noises. The girl cried even more, threw us a couple of coins for services rendered and ran away. That was good fun.
Next we ran into a Dryad who asked us to help her tree that was about to be chopped down by some lumberjacks. She couldn’t offer me any tangible reward so I refused the wench. But the lumberjacks thought that the Dryad’s tree would be full of gold and thought I came to steal it. Well if there really would have been gold I certainly would have robbed them blind. Since they attacked me, we killed them and still robbed them blind.
Edit: Which let me to whine a bit. But I am back on track now (hopefully) and will continue the series
Edit2: Also thanks to @TheGreatGodLoki and @Rao for your inquiry. Really pushed me back into motivation.
Back in Nashkel we were attacked by the guards. Why? I do not know. But they turned out to be exactly as whimpy as I thought, so we slaughtered the whole garrison with barely a scratch. I guess we own this town now.
[Authors Note: So Amnian Soldiers attack you with a reputation of 4. Killing them is dropping your reputation further. So we are now on reputation 1. That’s it then. I never have been at reputation 1 and I am interested to see, how this game will feel from now on.]
Our ownership didn’t amount to much since the local store had no throwing daggers for Xzar in stock. So we went back to Beregost only to find out, that the smith has boosted his prices to insane amounts. Apparently only for us. You would think that killing Amnian soldiers would make me something of a hero in Baldurs Gate? But no. All the talk about war was only that. Talk. As soon as someone steps up and spills some blood, everyone hides behind his mother and points his finger at you. Cowards.
At least we could get some rest here, but as soon as we entered the inn, we were ambushed by a group of Flaming Fist mercenaries. They put up quite a good fight, even killing Xzar after he got off a horror spell. I am slightly impressed. Bjornin actually joined the fight on our side and decapitated Xzars killer. He’s still a stuck up whiny paladin though. But the joy of killing law enforcement aside it seems that I am a wanted criminal now. For what? I cannot say. But let them come in droves I say. I will crush everyone who opposes me.
Since Xzar outlived his usefulness anyway with Edwin, a seemingly much more powerful mage, swearing fealty to me, I decided it would not be worth the money to resurrect him. Montaron bitched for a while but accepted my decision in the end.
At last we got some rest and I could study the tome. Bah, something about personality and stuff. Stupid read.
27. Mirtul
With the law on our heels I decided it would be time to head to the Mines. I have found no clue to Gorions assailant anywhere else so maybe I get some answers there. On our way we were ambushed by some lowlifes. They in turn were ambushed by another half-orc by the name of Dorn il-Khan. He seems to be strong and when he fought ghostly apparitions, like living shadows, appeared out of nowhere and ripped the bandits apart. He suggested to team up, and since Xzar just left a hole in my party I accepted.
Further down the road we dealt with another ambush, this time by some jokers who claimed to be the fastest dart thrower on the Sword Coast. Dart thrower. They must have been kidding and we slaughtered both of them.
We also came across a kid named Albert who asked us to search for his lost puppy. What is with all the children and their lost pets? I told him to bugger of and when we later were attacked by said puppy I stomped him with my boot until his neck broke. To my surprise Albert turned out to be a demon. A pretty whimpy one since he started to cry and left the scene. Pah.
Another ambush was made by a group of Amnians who accused us of being spies of Baldurs Gate. I didn’t bother to deny it, since they raised their weapons against me. Anyone who does that, must die. Anyone. The girl and her comrades learned that pretty quick.