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Novelization of Baldur's Gate - By Nonnahswriter

NonnahswriterNonnahswriter Member Posts: 2,520
edited March 2016 in Fan Creations
Truth be told, I've never actually seen the original BG opening...until recently that is. I'm one of the ones who've only ever played the second game, and BG:EE was the first exposure to the original game.

That being said, BG:EE has been a real treat for me! Now I not only understand all of the first-game-references/jokes from the second game, but I also get to see how the full story began and see it unravel.

As far as the new opening was concerned, I'd seen plenty of people debating and complaining about how the old opening was so much better, captured the "mood" more effectively, though the new artwork is awesome, and...blah-blah-blah. So I decided to look up the original, and, low-and-behold, I could watch it on youtube.

I'd been thinking of writing a fanfiction of Baldur's Gate for a while, to help get those creative juices flowing for my own works, and after seeing the opening... I guess you could say I got a little inspired. And thus, this was created.

Could this be the start of a fanfiction? Perhaps. But in the meantime, here's a nice pretty prose-rendition of the original BG opening.

I hope you enjoy it~ And feedback is always welcome!

(Disclaimer: the dialogue used in this work was taken from the original game. It is not mine. Same with the quote. Everything in between, however, is mine.)

***

Prologue

“He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster… when you gaze long into the abyss the abyss also gazes into you…” -Friedrich Nietzshe

A jagged flash of lightning cracked across the sky, and dimmed the full moon’s glow for just an instance. The dark stormclouds have already stretched themselves over the lower reaches of the city, save for the tall citadel that pierced the sky with dark, gothic spikes. Another roar of thunder rung out, before the door at the top of the citadel opened.

A man stumbled out, dressed in battered platemail armor and a horned helmet that hid most of his face. He limped forward, and huffed a heavy sigh of exhaustion as he fell on his knees. He’d barely gotten out of there alive as he scrambled up the long staircase, tripping over his own metal-cast feet. He dared not even look over his shoulder, lest he see his assailant, and his eyes, those burning, terrible eyes…!

Thunder rumbled through the storm again, but it was the banging from the door that startled him. Suddenly, a tall, armored figure crashed through the door, so hard that it broke off from its hinges.

His entire head was encased in a helmet carved from the skull of a horned beast, with rows of teeth encircling his face. Curved spikes grew out of his pauldrons and gauntlets, piercing the air like a monster’s claws before the killing blow. His eyes glowed in the dark of night, a sick, burnished yellow brimming with power…and evil.

The fleeing warrior spun around on the floor, and despite the metal locked against his body, he shook with very noticeable fear. The sight brought a grin to the dark one’s yellow eyes, and he let out a low chuckle as he stepped closer.

“N-No, you can’t…” the warrior stuttered as he struggled to push himself away from his hunter. He couldn’t even regain his footing, with the fear weakening his legs.

The dark one only laughed harder, and pointed a metal-encrusted finger at his victim.

“I will be the last,” he said, “and you will go first…”

He came closer. The warrior crawled away on the floor, until his back hit the fence. Finally, he got to his feet, pulling himself up with the help of the bars.

“Th-There are others,” he stammered, “I-I can show you… Please!”

He turned his head, and yanked at the fence’s bars. There had to be a way out. Any way out, a gate, a loose bar, a crack he could squeeze himself through…

But that was his mistake—he felt his hunter grab hold of his head, and slammed him against the fence with inhuman strength. He fell to the ground, and his helmet fell off, clattering against the stone floor. Blood leaked down his nostrils, and his eyesight blurred as his heartbeat pounded against the inside of his skull.

He lay there dazed a moment before he saw the metal boot of his hunter set down in front of him. But before he could move, cold metal fingers wrapped around his throat, and he was dragged back on his feet. He struggled to even breathe as the sharp metal points jabbed into his throat.

Suddenly, he wasn’t even touching the ground anymore. His assailant was lifting him into the air, with just the grip of one hand. A terrorized scream ruptured from his lungs, earning another low, growling laughter from the horned hunter. And he slammed into the railing yet again, only this time, the bars snapped broken, and the metal curled against the momentum of his body weight.

He tried to put his foot down, only to feel it slide against the slanted roof. He dared not look down; the citadel was an easy ten stories above the rest of the city’s buildings. He could only stare into the hungry yellow eyes of his enemy… A murderer, a fighter, a monster, capable of terrible power and destruction. He would be the last…and he will go first.

The warrior reached for the hand wrapped around his throat, but he couldn’t even free a finger. He fought to work air into his lungs, to plead for his life, but the words were lost in pained whispers that barely blew past his teeth.

Then a snap, and a sickening crack, and his neck was broken. The man fell limp in the hunter’s grasp, the life gone from his gaze, and another low, victorious laugh bubbled to the surface. He could almost feel the power rising up from within him, the power it took to take another’s life.

But this wasn’t enough. No, it could never be enough… One man, one pathetic man whose dying breath begged for life until the very end. He needed more, more death to drink from, more bones to serve as the pillar of his throne.

Lightning split the sky once more, and with a grunt of dissatisfaction, he tossed the body over the side of the citadel. He barely heard the crunch of bones under the rumbling thunder. The last he saw of the poor fool was his blood flowing from his corpse. Like a red river carving a path through the hills, perfectly melding into the ebbs and contours of the cobblestone road…
Post edited by Nonnahswriter on
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Comments

  • ajwzajwz Member Posts: 4,122
    I think it would be a good idea to have a challenge like this like the fan art challenge for people with no artistic ability whatsoever.
  • NonnahswriterNonnahswriter Member Posts: 2,520
    ajwz said:

    I think it would be a good idea to have a challenge like this like the fan art challenge for people with no artistic ability whatsoever.

    I agree. I like to draw, but I'm a way better writer than an artist. Perhaps after the Grand Fanart Contest the mods could set something up?

  • CoutelierCoutelier Member Posts: 1,282
    It's good. If you do write a whole fanfiction of the game, maybe consider posting it on ff.net, or on gamejag, which is a forum devoted to Baldur's Gate fanfic. There used to be regular quizzes on there, but after ten years the forum is starting to get pretty desperate for some new blood.
  • NonnahswriterNonnahswriter Member Posts: 2,520
    Coutelier said:

    It's good. If you do write a whole fanfiction of the game, maybe consider posting it on ff.net, or on gamejag, which is a forum devoted to Baldur's Gate fanfic. There used to be regular quizzes on there, but after ten years the forum is starting to get pretty desperate for some new blood.

    Thank you! I've read a lot of stories on ff.net, though I have yet to make my own account. This might just be the right excuse! :)
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  • MykraMykra Member Posts: 252
    I hope you continue this. As Bhaaldog said, the game deserves a proper novelization.
  • MykraMykra Member Posts: 252
    I am highly disappointed in myself that I have not been able to get you to update this by wishful thinking alone.

    So I'll beg. Update, please? :D
  • MykraMykra Member Posts: 252

    <
    I promise, I do intend to continue it, but at what rate I'm unsure of. There should be an update coming soon, but the muse is an elusive thing, and especially difficult to capture. Just try to be a little patient. And I'm flattered that you're so eager, really, that's the best compliment I could ask for! :'D

    No worries, I just figured my reply was better than the typical bump or poke.

    Just letting you know I thought it was good enough it should be continued, whenever you feel good to go.
  • AnduinAnduin Member Posts: 5,745
    ajwz said:

    I think it would be a good idea to have a challenge like this like the fan art challenge for people with no artistic ability whatsoever.

    I would enter that! I have no artistic talent at all... However I am the king of the ellipses...

    Honest...

    Me and ellipses just go...

    ...

  • ShapiroKeatsDarkMageShapiroKeatsDarkMage Member Posts: 2,428
    Could you write the stats of Makra?
  • NonnahswriterNonnahswriter Member Posts: 2,520
    edited October 2014

    Could you write the stats of Makra?

    I drew a picture of him somewhere on the forum. Lemme find it...

    *few minutes later*

    Str: 15
    Con: 14
    Dex: 18
    Int: 18
    Wis: 9
    Cha: 16

    I'm probably under-playing him a little (because we all know someone with a Dex of 18 probably wouldn't drop books so easily...), but I always preferred displaying my protagonists' weaknesses rather than strengths. I think it helps them appear more human/relatable.
    Post edited by Nonnahswriter on
  • MykraMykra Member Posts: 252
    15 Str? Pssh, noob.

    /run
  • NonnahswriterNonnahswriter Member Posts: 2,520
    Mykra said:

    15 Str? Pssh, noob.

    /run

    Well hey, we can't all have three 18s. XD

  • ShapiroKeatsDarkMageShapiroKeatsDarkMage Member Posts: 2,428
    I really liked your depiction of Gorion's last stand.
  • NonnahswriterNonnahswriter Member Posts: 2,520

    I really liked your depiction of Gorion's last stand.

    Thank you! :D Always thought the old man died a little too quickly. ^_^;;
  • ShapiroKeatsDarkMageShapiroKeatsDarkMage Member Posts: 2,428
    Are you going to feature the canonical party in this fan fiction?
  • NonnahswriterNonnahswriter Member Posts: 2,520

    Are you going to feature the canonical party in this fan fiction?

    Yes, though I plan to include as many of the other characters that have quests related to the main storyline (so, Yeslick and Branwen come to mind, but there's a few more). They'll be like temporary guest-like characters in the party.
  • ShapiroKeatsDarkMageShapiroKeatsDarkMage Member Posts: 2,428
    Sweet. I can't wait to see your protrayal of Minsc.
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