Gerald and Louisa
atcDave
Member Posts: 2,497
Its like adventuring with Mom!
Almost exactly 20 years ago, the great mage Gorion moved back to his sometimes home Candlekeep. He settled in for a more permanent residence, and he brought along a foundling. A baby boy Gorion called Gerold. Within a matter of weeks it was obvious the great mage was in way over his head. Neither a veteran adventuring mage, nor all the monks and bookish types that called Candlekeep home had any idea what to do with an energetic baby boy. Gorion was trying to lay low, to keep this child completely hidden from the rest of Faerun. But the situation was hopeless.
So Gorion sent out a notice, to be distributed via his friends and Harpers, as low key as possible, “Help Wanted. A nanny looking for a full time residency in the secured fortress of Candlekeep.” There was no interest at first. But after a week, a woman named Louisa, presented herself to a facilitator in Berogost. Soon she was brought into Candlekeep for an interview with a very harried and exhausted mage. Louisa was a half-elf, and older than her apparent 40 years. She had already helped raise two human children to young adulthood. She was a trained Cleric of Lathander, but had apparently never worked in that field, beyond minor healing and cures sometimes needed for a growing child.
Gorion was pleased with Louisa, and possibly desperate to the point it hardly mattered. The half-elf was hired. She would take point on all of Gerold’s daily needs. Giving Gorion some freedom to return to the studies and research he loved.
This made for a happy childhood for Gerold. Louisa had a knack for keeping the growing boy pampered, well loved and well fed. He was always active, and never neglected. He not only grew up well cared for, but Gorion was able to provide Parental attention and love too. This was probably an ideal situation for the arch-mage. He was freed of the tedious, and messy parts of parenting. And Louisa was well paid and well treated for her efforts. All told, a successful and happy upbringing for young Gerold.
As Gerold grew into a young man it was obvious he would be large. Not in the most negative sense that word, well not completely. But mostly he was a large and powerful young man. He had big dreams of being a hero, of helping everyone and making a difference in the world. Under Louisa’s tutelage, with Gorion’s teaching and direction, Gerold found the path of a Paladin would suit him well. His first thought was to be a Cavalier. A mighty hero and champion.
But uh, Gerold was a good guy, just not quite that fearless and mighty. He quickly chose Undead Hunter as his preferred path, and Louisa convinced him it was all his idea. Louisa considered undead bad enough, but she did not like the idea of her Gerold becoming fearless and not knowing when to back down! So Undead Hunter it was…
Gerold’s portrait for the saga.
Bhaalspawn Gerold. LG Human male. Paladin/Undead Hunter. Big and well fed boy
(20 year old human male, French, shoulder length blonde hair, clean shaven, large and muscular, content smile, silver plate armor, blue cape, long sword, blue shield with golden sunburst). 18/33 – 15 – 17 – 10 – 14 – 18
Louisa herself had been raised mostly by her human mother. Her father, an Elf, had died being a hero in some forgotten war 70 years ago. Her mother worked hard in various domestic jobs to ensure Louisa would get an education and have a better life. But when Louisa was training as a Cleric, her mother’s frail human constitution finally gave out. Louisa finished the training her Mom had toiled and exhausted herself for, partly paid for with her own numerous baby-sitting gigs. By the end of her training she had two strong life lessons. One, she did not want to adventure or cloister herself on permanent temple business. And Two, she liked working with children and people would pay good money for a trained healer to do the job.
So child-care became her career path. Louisa did have a taste for stability and security, so when a long-term nanny job presented itself she jumped at it. This fulfilled her completely. Enough that when the girl had grown to young adulthood, she got another such job. Then, years later, she was looking for another family to serve when she heard about the job at Candlekeep.
Helping Gerold become a fine young man was hugely satisfying for her. He was always high energy, and quickly she knew he would be *big*. But he was also sweet and kind, surprisingly so for a boy in this crazy world. She knew the time she was needed as a nanny had really come to an end. Gorion was generous to continue paying her for now. But really, the time had come to find another family in need of her services.
Louisa’s portrait for the saga.
Louisa. LG Half-Elf female. Cleric of Lathander. Dotes on Gerald
(50 year old half-elf woman, Scottish, long braided red hair streaked with grey, green eyes, freckles, slim, fit, indulgent smile, sleeveless blue tunic with long skirt).
13 – 17 – 15 – 12 – 16 – 14
Training came with hard knocks, of the sort hard on both Gerold and Louisa… “Louisa, I’m fine, really. I don’t need any healing. At least not in front of the guys…”
Then the day came when Gorion seemed to be in a panic. He informed Louisa her services were no longer required, and handed her several hundred gold. A year’s wages! But he needed to take Gerold from Candlekeep this evening. She could help him buy some weapons and gear for a trip, but then they were off. She would need to find her own way to Friendly Arm Inn, Beregost or Baldur’s Gate.
Louisa went to find Gerold’s friend Imoen and be sure she knew what was happening. The two of them would follow. At least as far as the Inn to be sure all was well of course.
*****
This Baldur’s Gate build is much the same as what I ran previously, the biggest change being the Romances for BG2 will be turned back ON with Tweaks. I think Gerold will be falling in love with a certain Avarial girl. And that means I’ll get to try out all content in the “Wings” mod.
Also new to me and well, just plain new, is the latest from Acifer “Throne of the Mad God”. I have no knowledge of what’s ahead with this, beyond the observation Acifer does outstanding quality work.
A few out-takes of the AI art are included with the full write-up of "Gerold and Louisa" at DavesGaming.
Almost exactly 20 years ago, the great mage Gorion moved back to his sometimes home Candlekeep. He settled in for a more permanent residence, and he brought along a foundling. A baby boy Gorion called Gerold. Within a matter of weeks it was obvious the great mage was in way over his head. Neither a veteran adventuring mage, nor all the monks and bookish types that called Candlekeep home had any idea what to do with an energetic baby boy. Gorion was trying to lay low, to keep this child completely hidden from the rest of Faerun. But the situation was hopeless.
So Gorion sent out a notice, to be distributed via his friends and Harpers, as low key as possible, “Help Wanted. A nanny looking for a full time residency in the secured fortress of Candlekeep.” There was no interest at first. But after a week, a woman named Louisa, presented herself to a facilitator in Berogost. Soon she was brought into Candlekeep for an interview with a very harried and exhausted mage. Louisa was a half-elf, and older than her apparent 40 years. She had already helped raise two human children to young adulthood. She was a trained Cleric of Lathander, but had apparently never worked in that field, beyond minor healing and cures sometimes needed for a growing child.
Gorion was pleased with Louisa, and possibly desperate to the point it hardly mattered. The half-elf was hired. She would take point on all of Gerold’s daily needs. Giving Gorion some freedom to return to the studies and research he loved.
This made for a happy childhood for Gerold. Louisa had a knack for keeping the growing boy pampered, well loved and well fed. He was always active, and never neglected. He not only grew up well cared for, but Gorion was able to provide Parental attention and love too. This was probably an ideal situation for the arch-mage. He was freed of the tedious, and messy parts of parenting. And Louisa was well paid and well treated for her efforts. All told, a successful and happy upbringing for young Gerold.
As Gerold grew into a young man it was obvious he would be large. Not in the most negative sense that word, well not completely. But mostly he was a large and powerful young man. He had big dreams of being a hero, of helping everyone and making a difference in the world. Under Louisa’s tutelage, with Gorion’s teaching and direction, Gerold found the path of a Paladin would suit him well. His first thought was to be a Cavalier. A mighty hero and champion.
But uh, Gerold was a good guy, just not quite that fearless and mighty. He quickly chose Undead Hunter as his preferred path, and Louisa convinced him it was all his idea. Louisa considered undead bad enough, but she did not like the idea of her Gerold becoming fearless and not knowing when to back down! So Undead Hunter it was…
Gerold’s portrait for the saga.
Bhaalspawn Gerold. LG Human male. Paladin/Undead Hunter. Big and well fed boy
(20 year old human male, French, shoulder length blonde hair, clean shaven, large and muscular, content smile, silver plate armor, blue cape, long sword, blue shield with golden sunburst). 18/33 – 15 – 17 – 10 – 14 – 18
Louisa herself had been raised mostly by her human mother. Her father, an Elf, had died being a hero in some forgotten war 70 years ago. Her mother worked hard in various domestic jobs to ensure Louisa would get an education and have a better life. But when Louisa was training as a Cleric, her mother’s frail human constitution finally gave out. Louisa finished the training her Mom had toiled and exhausted herself for, partly paid for with her own numerous baby-sitting gigs. By the end of her training she had two strong life lessons. One, she did not want to adventure or cloister herself on permanent temple business. And Two, she liked working with children and people would pay good money for a trained healer to do the job.
So child-care became her career path. Louisa did have a taste for stability and security, so when a long-term nanny job presented itself she jumped at it. This fulfilled her completely. Enough that when the girl had grown to young adulthood, she got another such job. Then, years later, she was looking for another family to serve when she heard about the job at Candlekeep.
Helping Gerold become a fine young man was hugely satisfying for her. He was always high energy, and quickly she knew he would be *big*. But he was also sweet and kind, surprisingly so for a boy in this crazy world. She knew the time she was needed as a nanny had really come to an end. Gorion was generous to continue paying her for now. But really, the time had come to find another family in need of her services.
Louisa’s portrait for the saga.
Louisa. LG Half-Elf female. Cleric of Lathander. Dotes on Gerald
(50 year old half-elf woman, Scottish, long braided red hair streaked with grey, green eyes, freckles, slim, fit, indulgent smile, sleeveless blue tunic with long skirt).
13 – 17 – 15 – 12 – 16 – 14
Training came with hard knocks, of the sort hard on both Gerold and Louisa… “Louisa, I’m fine, really. I don’t need any healing. At least not in front of the guys…”
Then the day came when Gorion seemed to be in a panic. He informed Louisa her services were no longer required, and handed her several hundred gold. A year’s wages! But he needed to take Gerold from Candlekeep this evening. She could help him buy some weapons and gear for a trip, but then they were off. She would need to find her own way to Friendly Arm Inn, Beregost or Baldur’s Gate.
Louisa went to find Gerold’s friend Imoen and be sure she knew what was happening. The two of them would follow. At least as far as the Inn to be sure all was well of course.
*****
This Baldur’s Gate build is much the same as what I ran previously, the biggest change being the Romances for BG2 will be turned back ON with Tweaks. I think Gerold will be falling in love with a certain Avarial girl. And that means I’ll get to try out all content in the “Wings” mod.
Also new to me and well, just plain new, is the latest from Acifer “Throne of the Mad God”. I have no knowledge of what’s ahead with this, beyond the observation Acifer does outstanding quality work.
A few out-takes of the AI art are included with the full write-up of "Gerold and Louisa" at DavesGaming.
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I think I’m already settled in with a team. Imoen, Jaheira, Minsc and Dynaheir will be joining Gerold and Louisa.
I’d have to admit, the variations on role playing as I go through this saga are pretty subtle. I like to play good guys and heroes. So most any character(s) I run will be trying to do the right thing. And I tend to favor the same NPCs, varying only based on party needs. In that context, the thing that’s already jumping out at me here is the role of Louisa as a motherly figure. Possibly a bit of a helicopter parent, overly involved and too worried.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t see Louisa as stupid about it. But no doubt, she will make every effort to heal Gerold any time he gets hurt. That makes me laugh a little. Any time Gerold is hit for four or more damage, Louisa is throwing a healing spell.
Like I said though, Louisa is not stupid. In an early fight, Hobgoblins got into the party’s rear while the front was heavily engaged. She knew, it was her job to protect Imoen and a *very* soft Neera even when Gerold was hit. Of course, as soon as the fight was over she was casting Cure Light Wounds on Gerold.
Speaking of Neera, she was with us until we rescued Dyna. We got as far as the first flirt between Neera and Gerold.
I think Gerold, as a young man, is very interested in noticing a cute girl.
Louisa was biting her tongue hard, thinking “no boy, this would not be a good choice…”
For those who have used NPC Project, you’ll recognize Jaheira also takes a more aggressive maternal role. Remember the “Black Lotus” tent near the Nashkell carnival? Jaheira gets very protective of [charname] on the topic of mind altering flora.
I think this made Louisa very happy.
And it makes me laugh to have two mother hens converging on Gerold.
Gerold just got his first magic weapon! Varscona will of course, remain his weapon until the tail end of SoD. Long Sword users really do get a nice treat very early in the game.
The team is developing nicely, still exploring the game map. They’re out along the Sword Coast now, Imoen and Louisa are 5th level.
I wanted to look at all the team members I’ve used so far in this run.
This is Gerold’s game. He’s a 4th level Paladin at this point.
Louisa is/was Gerold’s nanny. She never wanted to be an adventurer. But she is a trained Cleric of Lathander. She may have a soft heart and love of children, but she’s as tough and fearless as she needs to be. She is in this for the long haul. Louisa just made 5th level cleric, Holy Smiting will be called down a lot!
Imoen is Gerold’s lifelong best friend. She will also be steady and faithful to her friend(s). Imoen will be the team’s archer and scout throughout the first game.
Jaheira is an old friend of Gorion’s. She will stand by Gerold as long as he needs her. She plays the curmudgeon, but she does care about doing right at every opportunity. Jaheira is currently 3rd level both as a Fighter and a Druid.
Jaheira’s husband Khalid will also help as needed. Although truly, his heart’s really not in this…
Neera, a wild mage, joined the team after getting their help against Red Wizards in Beregost.
Minsc joined the team to rescue his witch Dynaheir. But he will stay and help his new friends as long as they need him. Minsc is currently a 4th level Ranger.
Dynaheir is Minsc’s witch, currently exploring this part of Faerun. She is a capable mage and a huge help. She is 4th level.
Minsc joining led to Khalid and Jaheira going a separate way for a while. The team promptly rescued Dynaheir. Then resuming the mission to the Nashkel Mines, Neera left and Jaheira rejoined.
I’ve explored the whole southern map now, and cleared the bandit camp. Just getting started on the Cloakwood Forest. Everyone is around 6th level.
“Easy now girl, I’ve got you.”
Readers will recognize one familiar glitch, the AI seriously thinks Minsc should have a beard!
By far the hardest one here was Louisa healing Jaheira. Anything with a wounded character will be a low percentage render, it just is. Most results will fail to pass the second filter. But surprising this time, the AI did not want to do pointed ears! That’s a first. It will often put them on the wrong character, or on everyone. So I thought two half-elven women would work fine. No such luck. I had five or six results that I thought looked promising until I blew them up, and no pointed ears!
And I had to include the one line of dialogue. In my mind, anyone calling Jaheira “girl” does so at their own peril. But Louisa will, and I think she’ll get away with it.
I had previously not mentioned, I turned up the difficulty on SCS for this run, to “Improved”. Tentatively, I may bump it up to Tactical for a later run, but probably no further. The higher levels often irk me, when enemy spellcasters too often have even short duration defenses up for every fight. It feels too “meta” to me. And certainly no new powers or abilities, then its not AD&D anymore…
Eh, that’s my bias. But anyway, this is the first point in the game where I’ve noticed some increased difficulty. The Shadow Druids are not a difficult fight on Core, not even a little. They were a little more challenging here, and didn’t feel like a cheat.
Shadow Druids in the Cloakwood Forest. This was a very personal fight for Jaheira.
Found a functioning mine deep in the Forest. A team of hunters greeted us at the entrance. They were no more trouble than other group of thugs.
The boss at the base of the mines, Dave somebody, was a more accomplished sort of spellcaster. Seriously, the melee team all worked a good sweat chasing after him and Dyna broke a nail. Louisa hit him with a Dispel Magic and he went down pretty quickly after that.
We were sent to a sort of ice prison on some frozen rock of an island. Imoen spent *A LOT* of time disarming traps.
The fights here were mostly mage fights, and most of them took a round or so longer than I’m used to. This seems about right to me. As a long time DM, it seems to me, one or two spellcasters of *about* the same level as a capable team of six adventurers, *should* die pretty quickly. The added difficulty I’m seeing in fights so far seems about right, the mages are fighting/casting smarter and better. But they don’t seem crazy powerful, or worse, omniscient with all of their defenses always up. So this has been a fun upgrade for me.
“Uh Gerold, Boo had a question…”
We all love the easily confused ogre Larze at the Blushing Mermaid, right? It makes me laugh how with NPC Project installed, Minsc will screw the little scam up completely.
As a child of Candlekeep, Gerold was horrified when the Priest of Oghma showed him their destroyed books.
The Loretakers mod adds a very well designed two-level dungeon to the City of Baldur’s Gate.
And it has Were-Rats. AD&D should always have Were-Rats.
…And an assortment of more dangerous opponents the party is just barely capable of facing.
I really like this part of the game. The City of Baldur’s Gate is fittingly my favorite part of this game. I like the urban busyness, and I love this power level of the game. A well equipped party in the middle levels is ready for some more serious challenges!
The team did some investigations for Scar, one led to an Ogre Mage in the sewers of the City.
Eventually, they looked into the Iron Throne and found their leadership was back at Gerold’s old home, Candlekeep.
This led to Gerold making a horrifying personal discovery, when he read a letter to him from his late father. Well, adoptive father. His friends, his team stood by him, and offered support as friends and family ought to.
The party stopped at the Friendly Arms Inn after they were forced to flee Candlekeep. Dynaheir has been teaching Imoen the basics of magic.
The team decided it would be a good time to stay away from Baldur’s Gate. So they set off to find a dagger at Durlag’s Tower.
“I fear we’ll be spending a few days in a dank haunted fortress!”
It did take a couple days before they reached the bottom and slew a Demon Knight.
Next the team sailed off in search of Balduran’s wrecked ship. They wound up on an island with two rival packs of lycanthropes, and a lot of fighting.
Gerold was smitten with Delainey, a friendly town historian. Sadly, Delainey knew she couldn’t travel to the outside world.
*****
The team has come a long way. They are quite capable and dangerous now.
A few stray thoughts, I don’t think I’ve used Dynaheir so much with NPC Project installed before? Certainly I’m seeing a lot of interjections and input from her. Its been fun, of course that also makes for an extra level of tragedy coming up.
I also like the idea of Imoen getting some her basic magic training from Dyna. I like Dynaheir.
The grief Gerold is causing Louisa makers me laugh. She’s an older, wiser woman, watching her boy fall for every cute face that comes along. I can *loudly* imagine her groan as he starts flirting with a cute werewolf. Even if she doesn’t detect as evil…
Apart from his sister, he hasn’t been around many women his age. So he’s maybe a bit over-eager. Of course we all know who the “right” woman will be for him, and I have no doubt Louisa will approve!
I also imagine Louisa feeling personal grief at Gerold’s bit of self discovery back at Candlekeep.
I’ve played this game a lot of times. Even with SCS running (admittedly, only at the “Improved” level) the fights with the Demon Knight and Aec’Letec went fast and easy. Easier than fighting Diseased Gibberlings at the start.