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The Heavenly Arrow's Flight:Roisin's Journey (Solo Archer Playthrough w/RolePlay Style Storytelling)

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  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    @Blackraven‌ Thank you!

    I like doing these two more depending on my class and weapon choices. If I have a party I always go to bear river to get the boots. Not enough magical boots as is. With Roisin I basically decided to do it for cash and experience. She's a little over 95k xp now! Still quite a ways till lvl 8, though. 150k, if I remember correctly.

    As for the mages, I can't think of many... Silke was pumped full of arrows before she could do anything, Mutamin was held by Korax, (although he did get off a mirror image) and I can't remember any others... Mirror image isn't as annoying for Roisin as it is for some characters, since Roisin has 3 APR and a 4 THAC0 at this point. She almost always hits three times a round, so mirror images disappear quickly. I can't remember anyone using stoneskin. I imagine it'd be kind of similar to mirror images. Simply a matter of a couple of rounds before it's gone.
    JuliusBorisov
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    Nice, your character sounds pretty devastating. As you may soon read, I still struggle with mages (which is of course a bit embarrassing for a WS).
    Makes sense getting the boots if you're in a party, if only to keep all your party members' feet warm (because as such the protection from cold isn't really necessary). Empty slots aren't nice to look at.
    Elrandir
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    Yeah, archers can really do some damage. At max level (34) their natural ability gives a +11 to THAC0 and damage. With a +4 bow and your dexterity bonuses? Yeah. They only miss on a critical failure (which you'd be surprised how many of those Roisin gets...) and deal big damage with their shots. And if you use any magical ammunition (since the free +4 arrows from the Gensheron bow don't add anything more than the bow's +4, to my knowledge) then you've got even MORE THAC0 and damage. All in all, archers are pretty much a one trick pony, but man does that pony hit hard. Oh. And called shot, which at lvl 16 starts adding +2 damage, as well as all the previous debuffs it has. =p Even at BG1 cap with a +2 bow, Roisin will still have a 2 THAC0.
    JuliusBorisov
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    This is interesting. I always thought/feared that archers would lose their edge in BG2/TOB, for lack of any good magical arrows. I had no idea the Gesen Bow arrows had +4 enchantment on them. Are you sure about that? Doesn't the +4 refer to thac0 only? I hope I'm wrong, because then archers remain (more than) viable throughout the game since their arrows can actually hit liches and other late-game enemies.
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    edited March 2014
    Gesen bow provides unlimited arrows which count as +4 when determining what it can hit. I also have no idea where I came up with Gensheron. XD I feel almost certain I read it somewhere... Now I'm really interested as to what it was...

    Edit: I have no clue, but if I look up Gensheron on google, this page is the first result. XD

    Edit 2: I think I combined Tansheron's bow and Gesen bow. They both have unlimited magical ammunition, but Tansheron is +3 and Gesen is +4.
    Blackravenlolien
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    Once again, I forgot pictures, but there are a couple, albeit one of them is simply a CHARNAME selfie. It was much harder to get the photos to work this time around. When I plugged the ipad into my laptop, it said the ipad had no pictures on it. Fortunately, I was able to simply send the pics in an email to my email, and then extract them from there. It wasn't much more difficult than the usual method, only different. Still wonder what's up. Anyway.

    Traveling south of Nashkel, Roisin came upon an area filled with beautiful trees, bristling with vibrant red, orange, and yellow leaves. It was almost like the trees were on fire. Roisin smiled happily, pleased with the area. Traveling a short ways to the west, Roisin noticed something poking out of the dirt. After bending down and scraping the dirt away, Roisin found a small wooden box, with two scrolls in it. Roisin pondered why someone would leave such a thing here, but it was essentially money in her pocket, so she didn’t mind.

    A sudden voice from behind her made her jump, but when she turned around she saw it was only a small child. The boy was calling out for a dog, who seemed to be lost. Seeing Roisin, the boy came up to her and asked if she would help him find his dog. Upon asking him where his parents were, he said that he was here with some relatives, but they were away for the moment and he was lost. He mentioned something about moving here some day, before saying he just had to get Rufie (for so the dog was called) back. Roisin, happy to help a child, said she would, but she told him to stay right where he was, for his safety. She promised she would be back soon, but before she went, she asked how she would recognize Rufie. The boy, who was named Albert, gave Roisin Rufie’s chew toy, and told him he’d know she was a friend if she had it. Roisin then, seeing that it would soon be dark, rushed to find the dog, though she did not rush so much once she took a look at the chew toy. She paused, somewhat repulsed by the chew toy, which consisted of moist and ragged scraps of flesh hanging from a mangled bone of indiscernible origin. Roisin even thought she noticed some metal fragments amidst the gore, but she couldn’t be sure.

    At this point Roisin felt a little uncomfortable, as this was no normal chew toy. She continued though, and found him quickly, a short ways to the east. Roisin nearly shot him when she first saw him, however, as the so called “cutest wittle puppy ever” turned out to be a vicious looking wolf-like animal. Roisin thought it reminded her of a picture she had seen in a book once, though it couldn’t be. The animal she had seen in the book was a dire wolf, and surely that small child was not the owner of such a monster. Even more shaken by this additional disturbing evidence, Roisin traveled back to Albert.

    As she approached him, he ran up to Rufie, exclaiming all the normal child-like statements one would say to a pet dog. He then thanked Roisin and said that he had better take this “lost little puppy” home right away. He gave her what he said was another of Rufie’s chew things, but he said they could get more where they were going. He then thanked her again before transforming into a demon before Roisin’s very eyes. Roisin nearly fell down in surprise and fear, but managed to retain her balance. Albert then told Rufie that it was time to go home. “You’ll like the Nine Hells much better than these cold climes.” he said, before teleporting the two of them away. Roisin could barely believe her eyes, but when she looked at the black opal he had given her, she knew it was not merely a dream. Shaken greatly by the event, Roisin stuffed the opal into her gem bag and made camp. It was night time by now, and Roisin wanted to just go to sleep and pretend none of this had ever happened.

    In the early morning Roisin awoke, still thinking about the events of last night. She forced the thoughts out of her head, telling herself it was all a bad dream, and she had just found the opal in the box with the scrolls. Roisin was no coward, but to a twenty year old who had barely experienced life outside of one small town, a demon was something to cause terror, even to one as normally bold and reckless as her. Roisin traveled southeast, not eager to travel through the area where Albert, if that was even his real name, had been.

    Near where she had found Rufie, Roisin encountered a band of southerners. Amnians, it would seem. A woman who seemed to lead them told Roisin to halt, saying she trespassed quite deep into Amnian territory. She then accused Roisin of spying on Amn, before insulting Roisin and the rest of the, as the woman put it, “northern barbarians”. As much as Roisin wished to snap at the woman for her words, she calmly asked her who she was and what she wanted. The woman introduced herself as Sendai, of the noble merchant house of argils, foremost family in Amn. She said her two companions and she were out hunting, but then said that perhaps Roisin would make for better sport! Roisin replied with surprise, asking what kind of monster would hunt their fellow human like a wild animal. Sendai then said that of course she had said that in jest, before throwing in yet another insult. Roisin sighed mentally, and rolled her eyes, though she didn’t notice herself doing so. Roisin simply responded with “Sure lady, we’ll be going now.” Sendai was at least somewhat cordial with her goodbyes, wishing Roisin luck on her journeys. Though she did call Roisin a peasant yet again.

    Traveling further south, she came across two men, one of whom came up to her and began telling her about his friend Zal, the so called “fastest dart thrower that has ever walked the Sword Coast.” He then said that if she didn’t want to test the patience of such a man, then she should hand over all her money. Roisin practically snorted with laughter, a most un-elven thing to do. She pointed a finger at the talkative one, who had called himself Vax, and asked if he were some sort of moron, all while laughing. “The fastest dart thrower in the west?! That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard of!” she exclaimed loudly. After a moment of stunned silence from Vax and Zal, she straightened up and drew her bow before telling Vax to let Zal show her his stuff. Roisin was tense and grumpy after the run in with Sendai, so these two fools were just what she needed to blow off steam. For being the fastest dart thrower to ever walk the Sword Coast, Zal sure didn’t prove himself well. He only managed to throw one dart before three arrows brought him crashing to the ground. After that, Vax fell with little effort. They didn’t have much on them, but Zal was wearing a pair of magical bracers. Roisin had a good feeling about these, and hoped the last area she meant to go to before she could return to Nashkel would be a short one.

    Traveling eastward, she came to a wide open plain which she had been to before while traveling to the Gnoll Stronghold. She could faintly hear the sound of water hitting rocks, and remembered that there had been a waterfall here. She decided to go there first, since there was little else she could see in this large flatland. When she came near the mountainous part of this area, a dryad came up to her, asking Roisin to help her. The dryad said that a wondrous ancient oak was in peril of being attacked by two who would defile the majesty of nature. Apparently they had avoided the dryad’s charms, and needed to be stopped before irreparable harm was done. Though Roisin was no druidic nature freak, she was happy to assist in protecting the tree. Nature should be cared for, and coexisted with, Roisin believed. If you give to nature, nature will give back to you what you require. The dryad led Roisin to where the two men stood, and asked her to do what she must to make them leave. Roisin walked up to the older looking of the two, who introduced himself as Caldo, and the man with him, his brother Krumm. He explained that they believed there to be treasure in the tree, but if Roisin wanted to help them, she could. Roisin, more calm than usual, after the nice stress reliever of Vax and Zal, tried to peacefully resolve the situation, attempting to persuade them by talking about the tree’s beauty and magnificence. The two, obviously ignorant buffoons, assumed Roisin was a bandit who would steal their hard earned treasure when they were done. After an exceptionally short battle, Roisin looted their corpses and found among the useless garbage an enchanted club and a magical belt. Roisin gladly pocketed these, along with a healing potion, and then spoke to the dryad. The dryad thanked her and gave her an antidote to help her on her travels.

    Continuing south a short ways, Roisin found a cave, which was guarded by a dire wolf. After dealing with the beast, Roisin went inside the cave and found a large crate with an enchanted halberd and a shiny necklace. Returning outside, Roisin traveled around the waterfall, enjoying the sounds and sight of it. Seeing a small outcropping that Roisin could use to travel underneath the waterfall itself, Roisin merrily climbed up the steep path and walked underneath the outcropping. Before Roisin could really enjoy the event, however, she noticed a small girl crying. Wary of children in the wilderness now, Roisin came towards her cautiously. When Roisin asked the girl what was the matter, the girl said that her cat, Pixie, was playing close to the waterfall and slipped. Roisin, even more cautious now, decided she might as well check the base of the waterfall. Surely there wouldn’t be two demons pretending to be children with lost pets, right? Roisin hoped not. Traveling back down the path, Roisin came to the base of the waterfall only to find the cat, quite dead, laying in the water. Roisin returned to the girl and gave her the cat, noticeably saddened by the event. The girl was understandably upset, but was happy she could at least give Pixie a proper funeral. The girl gave Roisin the last of her allowance, which Roisin didn’t want in the slightest, but accepted. She then helped the girl make a grave for the cat and said a short prayer she had heard the priests of Oghma use whenever one of the old monks of Candlekeep died. The girl thanked her again and gave Roisin a hug, which Roisin returned. As she hugged the girl, she slipped the small pouch of gold the girl had given her back on the girl’s belt and then bid the girl farewell, after making sure the girl would be safe getting home, of course.

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    (Out of character here, I don’t like how they handle this quest. (partly because I’m a cat-lover. =p) I’m fine with a reaction based reward, but just because the girl doesn’t like me as much, doesn’t mean I should get such a depressing ending. If you have a good reaction, then the girl says her father (who’s obviously a cleric of some power) will resurrect Pixie again, as he has done before, since apparently the cat does this a lot. But just because I’m not as likable, the cat is doomed to stay dead? Really? It’s a minor gripe I know, but it annoys me. Anyway, back to the game.)

    Continuing northwest, Roisin finished exploring the area. Along the way she encountered a winter wolf, whose pelt she gladly took, and a gnoll who carried a magical halberd. Once done exploring, Roisin returned to Nashkel, her pack heavy with loot. Once she had identified the items, she was overjoyed to find the bracers Zal had been wearing were magically enhanced to make one more accurate with missile weapons. With this, Roisin’s THAC0 dropped to 2. The rest of the treasures she had gained were largely useless and uninteresting, though they sold for a good amount. With this done, she returned to the inn to sleep and plan her next journey, having finally finished exploring the southwest.

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    Look at that awesome 2 THAC0 and 20 Reputation! We're a hero!
    JuliusBorisovCrevsDaak
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    Good job again. I think you properly role-played the clash with Sendai & co. and I agree that Pixie's resurrection shouldn't depend on charname's charisma/reputation.
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    Thanks!
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    edited March 2014
    We go north today! Also, completely unrelated to the story, I got my ipad to upload pics to my laptop again! Although I still have bad memory and forget to take any...

    [Spoiler] Setting out just before noon, Roisin decided to travel north and explore the lands near Baldur’s Gate itself. At the very least, it would be rewarding to fight a few more ankhegs. Traveling to Brun’s farm, she traveled slightly northwest, and found a few small houses, with three men standing outside. As Roisin came near, she overheard them talking about some problem they were having. When they realized she was there, they asked what she wanted rather gruffly. One of them said that he had troubles on his mind and wished to be left alone, but another one told him to ease off, saying that perhaps Roisin could help them with their problem. The rude one, who had been called Jebadoh, apologized and explained that they were having hard times because they couldn’t get a boat into the water before it was swamped by the rains. As they talked, Roisin was thinking to herself, “Oh no, not more fishermen. That last guy I met was looney enough.” But fortunately the three seemed to be less insane. Instead, they seemed somewhat unsavory, and Roisin wasn’t entirely sure she liked them. Her opinion wasn’t raised when the last of the three exclaimed “It’s that bitch of Umberlee! She’s the one!” Roisin knew of Umberlee and knew her title, “The Bitch Queen“, but still wasn’t entirely sure she liked this man. The first man told the one who had exclaimed loudly, Telman, to steady himself. Sonner, for so the man was called, explained that a priestess of Umberlee was harassing the poor fishermen, and they didn’t know why. He said that two of them had actually been swept away by the waters while merely walking to the dock, but they couldn’t prove to the guard it had been the priestess. He asked Roisin to strong-arm the priestess into leaving them alone, and Roisin saw no reason not to comply, though she didn't entirely trust the men.

    Along the way, Roisin encountered a few ankhegs, but dealt with them easily. She harvested two of their carapaces to sell to Fuirim. Once at the bridge to Baldur’s Gate, Roisin couldn’t help but walk up to where the bridge was drawn. She wanted into the great city, but the guard said they couldn’t let anyone through due to the bandits. Dejected, she traveled northeast from the bridge and found a small cottage near the river. Outside the cottage stood a young girl, who looked to be no older than twelve. Roisin assumed she might as well ask the girl about the priestess of Umberlee, since this was where the fishermen had said she resided. To Roisin’s surprise, the girl responded angrily, telling Roisin she was trespassing, saying that it was those horrible fishermen who had sent her. Roisin was not entirely sure she believed the fishermen’s story anymore, but said that they had indeed sent her, however she only desired to understand the situation. The girl responded harshly, saying it was none of Roisin’s business. When Roisin attempted to speak further to the girl, she drew a flail and attacked her! Using the blunt side of her blade, Roisin knocked the girl down, not wishing to harm her seriously. Upon realizing she had been bested, the girl broke out into tears, asking why Roisin did this. She continued to explain that Sonner and the others had killed the girl’s mother after stealing her elemental summoning bowl and torturing her for the words to make it work. Through her tears she said that Umberlee had given her more power than her mother, but she could not do it on her own. She had more power than her mother, but lacked her will. She begged Roisin to help her, and Roisin comforted the child, telling her she would help her as best she could. The girl said her name was Tenya, and she said that all that was required was for the bowl to be returned.

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    Before she returned to farm area, she finished searching the area around Tenya’s house. Out back of her house an ankheg attacked, which Roisin dealt with. Stuck between the bug’s carapace sections was a dagger. Roisin wondered at it, but saw no use for a mundane dagger, and so tossed it.

    Traveling back to the farm, Roisin stormed over to the fishermen’s houses. When she got there, she walked up to Sonner, blade drawn. Telman excitedly asked if she had done it, if she had killed Tenya. Roisin cooly responded that the priestess had much to say about the three. Before Telman could respond, Sonner told him to hold his tongue, before attempting to talk Roisin out of it. He said that Tenya was treacherous, and said that stealing a bowl was a shallow excuse for having them killed. He then tried to throw in more money to their original deal, to bribe Roisin. Roisin snapped at them, saying that Tenya said they had killed her mother. She then pointed her blade at Sonner and told him she did not like being used, that it made her... angry… The three then began making excuses, one of them even mentioning a priest of the evil god Talos. Sonner threatened Roisin with stepping on the toes of powerful foes by assisting Tenya, but Roisin bluntly stated that he had better give her the bowl, for she would not ask so nicely a second time. Rightly intimidated, Sonner gave her the bowl and a warning, saying that she should avoid the Talos shrine. Roisin sheathed her blade and returned to the bridge, unfazed by the threat. When she got to Tenya’s hut, it was night, and she saw her waiting for Roisin, a torch in her hand. Roisin saw her before Tenya could see Roisin, due to Roisin’s infravision, and Roisin almost smirked when she saw the child’s eager face. When Tenya saw Roisin she practically ran to her, asking her if she bore good news. Handing the bowl to Tenya, Roisin told her that perhaps her mother would now rest. Tenya responded in a rather strange way, seeming unconcerned about her mother, even saying that Umberlee was her mother now, but Roisin shrugged it off. She told Roisin she had no reward for her, but the Sea Queen would remember her, as she does for all those who serve her well. Roisin was unsure whether she really desired Umberlee’s appreciation, but decided it would be better not to have the god angry with her at least. Afterwards Tenya teleported away. Roisin thought it had been a strange day, but decided to travel further north, needing no rest.

    By the time she arrived at the next area, it was midmorning. To Roisin’s surprise, as she traveled through this area, she was beset by zombies. As she traveled she came across long rows of tilled dirt, so she assumed she was on farmland. What farmland possessed zombies, however, she did not know. Continuing northward, she came to a farm house. A man stood outside, going about his daily work. She inquired as to the zombies in the area, and he said that they had been killing people in and around the farms for a couple of weeks. The other farmers and he had put together some gold for anyone willing to kill the zombies, and Roisin accepted, though the reward was paltry. After dealing with the lot of them, 20 in total, Roisin returned to the man and told him. He was very thankful, and paid Roisin 150 gold pieces for the work.

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    Roisin traveled back to Beregost to sell the carapaces, and while there remembered the man who was wanting those half-ogres near the lake dead. She had quite forgotten about him, but as soon as she remembered she traveled there. The man was overjoyed about her having killed them, and even said news of the battle had reached him even here. Roisin wasn’t exactly sure who was watching and recording her actions, (Don’t tell her about me!) but was glad the man was pleased. He gave her a magical shield, which Roisin was sure was very useful. Unfortunately a shield was rather useless for a bow wielder, so Roisin sold it, along with the rest of her treasure. Afterwards she stopped at Feldpost’s inn to sleep, desiring a more expensive room tonight to rest and plan in.

    She decided she would explore the southeastern part of the Sword Coast, and then travel to Nashkel to finally explore the mines. However she also decided she would avoid Durlag’s Tower. She had heard stories about it and all the deadly beasts and traps it contained. Roisin had no fear of the creatures, but she was not as confident when it came to the traps. She considered hiring someone part time to join her, but decided she would dislike having to share the wealth and would hate having to travel with someone. After much deliberation, she thought it best to avoid the cursed tower altogether. With a plan set, Roisin curled up in her bed and went to sleep. [/spoiler]

    After today we'll be exploring the southeast. (Lonely Peaks, Gibberling Mountains, Valley of the Tombs, Gullykin, Firewine Bridge, and Ulcaster.)
    Post edited by Elrandir on
    BlackravenJuliusBorisovCrevsDaak
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    Just so those of you who keep up to date with this thread know, I'll be taking another three day weekend this week due to stuff coming up. I might be able to fit something in on Sunday, but I can't say for sure. I will be on the forums occasionally, though. I just can't get the 2+ hours needed to sit down and play\write an episode.
    Blackraven
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    Nice take on the Tenya quest. I always find that one a bit ambiguous when it comes who's right/wrong.
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    @Blackraven‌ So do I, but the young child thing tends to cloud my vision a bit. (as it would for Roisin) I often kill Sonner and the gang and give the bowl back to Tenya, but I felt that was a bit too brutal for Roisin.
    Blackraven
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    I usually let them all live (i.e. Roisin's strategy).
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    It's almost a metagaming thing for me. If you kill one of the groups you get a +1 flail. Which side you choose is up to you.
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    I knew about the +1 Flail, not that great an item. My "good" character would probably kill the fishermen if it were the Ashideena or Varscona they carried ;)
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    Well I like money. =p Even though it becomes irrelevant later in the game.
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    True, money could be a consideration in the early/midgame. I'm still saving for greenstone amulet (with the Hard Times mod, it's superexpensive...=
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    edited March 2014
    I've never used it. Just haven't considered it being very useful. I'm sure some classes\solos could need it.

    Edit: Having taken a closer look at it, I can safely say that wow. It actually is really good. I'll probably invest in it for Roisin. In a party, though, I can't see a great need for it, though I can see it being helpful.
    Post edited by Elrandir on
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    Well Roisin's an elf, with supposedly super charm resistance, though I think you once said you aren't sure wheher it was properly implemented. But both my half-orc Grynne and halfling Teyl have been charmed an awful lot lately. For Teyl that meant game over, as he was solo; Grynne was saved by the mere fact that she had party members around... Am speed running Teyl toward the point where his last run ended, so that I continue his story.
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    Here we go, guys, a super long installment that will just about finish up our non-story adventuring. We'll still have a few more light-hearted adventures, but we're about to hit the story, and hit it hard. Also, pictures! I remembered this time, and there's 11! There would've been 12, but one of them didn't work... Or something. I'm not really sure. Nothing much was lost, though. Just talking with Gandolar, I believe. Also, today Roisin uses her blade... A lot! Anyway, y'all don't care about this, so on with the story!

    Setting out in the early morning, Roisin traveled to the Temple first, and from there traveled south, hearing of some ruins she wished to check out. The ruins were on a high ridge, looking over the area they surrounded. Roisin found a narrow trail leading up to the ridge, which she climbed. As she made her way to the ruins, she was halted by an undead who desired her flesh. Roisin unwittingly made a pun and then proceeded to deal with him. He was unable to lay a hand on her, though he did require the use of magical arrows. Even with this added challenge, he fell quickly. There was little loot of worth on his body, past a magical flail, but he did possess a winged helm, which Roisin took for herself. It’s style suited her and she was happy to abandon her well worn barbarian helmet. It had served her well, and the scratches and dents paid tribute to that, but it was also quite hideous, so she set it next to a stone sign post, which identified these ruins as the “Ulcaster School.” Roisin proceeded to travel into the ruins, unsure what she might find. She saw little of note in the ruins aboveground, though she found a set of stairs leading underground, with a sign nearby, once again denoting this as being the ruins of a school. A short ways from the stairs, however, she found a ghost! At first she was surprised, and drew her bow, ready to fire. The ghost took no hostile action, however, despite clearly seeing her. Roisin, quite unsure what to do, spoke to the ghost, asking who it was and what it wanted. The ghost began to speak slowly, talking about “the best of schools, a storehouse of arcane knowledge. Lost, all lost. A common dungeon now.” Roisin realized this was the ghost of Ulcaster himself, bemoaning the fate of his school. He said that hope would return with the retrieval of the simplest of tomes, located on the lowest floors. Roisin thought of Gorion and the years spent learning from him when the ghost said “History is so important…” With that, Roisin made up her mind to find this tome for the ghost.

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    Heading down the stairs, Roisin began searching the halls. She found little that could challenge her, and even less that could threaten her. She did manage to stumble into a fireball trap, placed conveniently in the middle of a path where she could not avoid it. Surprisingly, the trap did little more than singe her, however, and Roisin applied some chewed up herbs she had been saving for sunburn to the areas afflicted. Traveling a little further in, she found a pile of corpses, amongst which Roisin found the book. There was yet another fireball trap, but this one did not even manage to singe Roisin. Traveling back to the surface, Roisin took a mental stock of her winnings. Truth be told, she had found little in the ruins. A handful of magical items, some potions, and a few arrows which Roisin recognized as arrows of ice and of piercing. (OoC: I think it makes perfect sense for Roisin to recognize arrows without them being identified. She’s a bloody archer, for goodness’ sake! Unless it’s something really rare, it makes sense that she’d be able to tell the use of an arrow, especially since they all have a distinctive design.) The arrows of piercing she decided to use soon, as they were little more than wasted space. If she met any who wore robes or leather armor that needed to be dealt with, these would be handy. Otherwise, they were no better than normal arrows. Returning to the surface, Roisin gave the book to Ulcaster’s ghost, and he disappeared after a few words of thanks. Having seen a halfling city on a map, east of the ruins, she traveled there next.

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    Once Roisin arrived in the town, she was welcomed by a friendly halfling who introduced himself as Gandolar Luckyfoot. He asked if she was off to Durlag’s Tower, to which Roisin responded that she was merely here to explore the lovely village. He welcomed her to, but then asked if he might request some work done. He continued to explain that kobolds had been finding their way into town from the Firewine Ruins, and he asked that she deal with it. She accepted, and asked him if there was an entrance from town. He said there was one in the joint winery\temple, (Oh those halflings…) but they had not been coming from there. He said she could get there through that entrance, though. Roisin thought something was suspicious, and decided to explore the area more fully, starting with the winery\temple. She asked Gandolar if she could be allowed to explore the houses, to which he responded that the inhabitants would be glad to let her, as long as she did not pocket any of their possessions. So Roisin began exploring the village. She spoke with the inhabitants, and from what she learned, she decided that one halfling named Jenkal was quite suspicious. She also talked with the priest, Alvanhendar, and learned that they had been keeping guards posted day and night by the entrance to the ruins in the winery. This all suggested to Roisin that there was another entrance. She traveled to Jenkal’s home, and when she went downstairs she found a very angry halfling. Jenkal threatened Roisin, and as he did so, Roisin caught a whiff of Kobold in the room. Roisin inquired why it smelt like Kobold down here, and Jenkal without any hesitation told her that he had been letting them into town. He then drew his shortsword and lunged at her. Unable to efficiently use her bow in the tight room, she drew her blade and thrust it into the halfling’s chest. He fell with a gasp, and Roisin stepped over the body before beginning to search the room. She quickly found what she was looking for. A bookcase hid a secret door, through which Roisin cautiously entered…

    Within the ruins she found an ogre mage who laughed at the sight of her. He revealed himself to be behind the kobold attacks, and a fight ensued. Seeing no better time to use the arrows of piercing, and desiring to be rid of them, Roisin shot him with them, and managed to kill him with the third and final one. Sure that he was not alone, Roisin advanced cautiously. She was right to do so, because as she continued, she saw another mage, this time human. She shot him and he ran into a passage she could not see into. She was about to rush ahead, but thought better of it, and thanks to this, she saw the ambush party waiting for her. Three ogrillons and two kobolds attacked her, but due to her caution she managed to deal with them all safely, though the ogrillons did manage to wound her slightly. Afterward she cleaned up all the loot, the majority of which was useless to her for anything but monetary gain. She thought that there might be more to these ruins, but she decided that there were more important things to be done. She returned to Gandolar, and told him of Jenkal and the two mages. She also told him that she had dealt with few kobolds and they were still likely to cause some trouble. He assured her that without a leader, the kobolds would be no match for Gullykin’s guards. He gave her a small sum of money and bid her farewell. At this point Roisin decided she had too much loot weighing down her pack, so she traveled back to Thalantyr, and then Beregost, to sell and rest for a few hours.

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    Returning to Gullykin, Roisin checked in on the village, to make sure things were going well, and then she turned her attention southward, towards the Firewine Bridge. Nothing can be simple, however, so of course Roisin encountered a group of assassins. Attempting to learn more about the person or people who wanted her dead, Roisin asked who it was that had hired them. The man refused to give away any information, but he told her that he himself was named Molkar. The band attacked, and Roisin quickly targeted the priest. She brought him down quickly, but the mage (who didn’t want to stay in the fog of war…) cast a horror spell upon Roisin that succeeded. (I would’ve reloaded normally, but after seeing Blackraven deal with this group twice on his no-reload playthroughs, despite great challenge, I wanted to try it myself.) Even feared, however, Roisin managed to keep herself away from the group, and his repertoire of magic missiles was mostly ineffective. He expended all his spells quickly, it seemed, and then it was just a matter of catching up to her, which they failed at. Once Roisin had regained her senses, she brought the mage down, followed by the dwarven warrior. Molkar was the last to fall and she taunted him, saying that he was just another incompetent bounty hunter, as he had earlier said she had likely dealt with an assortment of such, and he was different. The rage on his face before her last arrow put him to rest gave Roisin an almost sick sense of satisfaction. On their corpses she found some quite valuable treasure, though nothing she could use. Although somewhat wounded from this battle, Roisin decided to continue south, to see what she could find.

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    Upon entering the bridge area, Roisin saw… Nothing. There was practically nothing of note. She saw a woman in the canyon the bridge crossed, though she could see no way of getting down there from this side. Wishing to see what a woman would be doing out here, she crossed the bridge and traveled northward to find a place to descend. As she looked for a path, she came across a man who appeared to be a swordsman. Coming up to her, he began speaking quite civilly, and Roisin was happy to find he was neither assassin nor bandit. He complimented Roisin, saying she looked to be a fine warrior. He then introduced himself as Meilum, “the Sword Coast’s most skilled swordsman.” Roisin snorted at this, and began laughing, though she tried to keep it to herself. Having no one else to distract him, however, Meilum frowned at her. “Something funny?” He asked. Roisin composed herself and asked that if he was such a good swordsman, then why was he wandering the wilderness dressed in what amounted to rags? Meilum was understandably enraged by such a statement, and he questioned whether she was insulting him. He said that if she was he would show her the metal of his blade, and once drawn, he was honor bound to wet the blade. Roisin responded that she may have been insulting him, however unintentionally, but she had no wish to fight. If he wished to duel her, however, she would be happy to oblige. Incensed by the thought that she would even assume she could duel him with a blade, he drew his and told her quietly that she had done it now, and that she would be sorry for doubting his skill. Roisin desired to merely have a friendly duel with the man, and so drew her own blade, rather than try to fight him with her bow. Poor Meilum. Even with all his supposed skill, he fell to a woman who was barely even proficient with melee weapons. He dealt her a large gash in her arm, however, which she bandaged with rags torn from his clothes. She did not wish to kill him, but the fool practically launched himself onto her blade. It was certain he was not as skilled as he had said. On his person she found little but a pair of magical bracers, and an enchanted longsword.

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    Continuing into the canyon by a small path near where she had met Meilum, Roisin found the woman, who began babbling about someone driving her mad. Roisin tried to calm her, but to no avail. She began babbling about a jar, and then began talking about her companions and she traveling into the Firewine Ruins. Apparently they had found this jar and it had driven them mad, causing them to kill each other. She started babbling again, this time about a name. Roisin told her to give her the jar, since she knew she could take it to Nalin and have him deal with it. The woman continued to babble, saying that she would not give up the jar. Roisin pushed, telling her to give the jar up. Carsa, for so the woman was called, continued to refuse till Roisin said she would take it from her, whether she liked it or not. At that point Carsa cracked, and she wailed out a long piercing “NOOOooooo” before screaming at the top of her lungs “KAHRK! OH MIGHTY KAHRK!” With that, Carsa fell on the ground dead, and an ogre mage appeared!

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    Roisin noted that he had protective magic surrounding him that would make her arrows useless. The mage approached Roisin, introducing himself and saying that she had pleased Kahrk, “mightiest of the ogre magi,” Roisin drew her blade yet again and lunged at the mage. Unfortunately for Roisin, the mage cast mirror image, and managed to create a great number of illusions. Slowly but surely Roisin managed to cut through them though, and she resisted a great deal of his spells. Lightning bolts, acid arrows, and magic missiles all served to wound Roisin greatly, but with a few critical blows, she finally pierced the monster through the heart before collapsing on her knees exhausted from the battle. On the ogre’s body she found the blade she had longed for. A katana, shimmering in the moonlight. She gathered her strength and buried poor Carsa. Wounded, tired, and with a very full pack, she traveled back to Beregost, ready for a long nap. Arriving at night, she stumbled to the Jovial Juggler and paid for a room, before collapsing into her bed. She awoke much later in the day, feeling greatly refreshed, and traveled to Fuirim’s smithy. Most of the loot she had identified was useless, but the bracers Meilum had been wearing amazed Roisin. The Legacy of the Masters, these bracers caused her to be slightly less accurate with her bow, but more accurate with her blades, and on top of that, it even allowed her to strike with more force, dealing extra damage! Though the bracers of missiles had been handy, these were undoubtedly superior, and Roisin sold the old ones to Fuirim.

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    Roisin had one final destination to go to, having decided to save the Gibberling Mountains and the Valley of the Tombs for another day. She traveled south from Ulcaster, and found herself in a grassy area, semi forested, with large hills of rock jutting out of the landscape. She traveled west-southwest a short ways, towards an outcropping of these rocky hills, thinking something might be there. She was right in that there were things there, though they were perhaps not what she had meant. A half-ogre approached her, saying he would kill her and take her iron. Roisin, unconcerned with the waddling oaf, asked why he wanted her iron. The half-ogre replied, saying that their’s was no good, that it “crumble like elf-bones”. This showed to Roisin just how serious this iron crisis was, if even the local monstrous humanoids were having trouble. Snapped out of her thoughts by the half-ogre letting out a battle cry, Roisin realized too late that he had several allies who had circled behind her. She darted away as quick as she could, letting arrows fly whenever possible. Apparently this was ogre land, as Roisin managed to attract the attention of a full blooded ogre who was nearby. Roisin sighed mentally, but managed to deal with all of them without taking a hit.

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    Traveling south of the ogrekin, Roisin found a small cave, which held an ettercap. Drawing him outside, Roisin brought him down with a few arrows. As she kneeled by the corpse to loot it, she noticed a small glittering object under a rock a couple feet away. Picking up the rock, she found a valuable water opal underneath. Returning inside the cave, Roisin found a spoiled oil of speed, along with some jewelry and a potion of fire resistance. Pocketing the valuable bits, she returned outside and traveled east of the cave. A short ways to the east she encountered three bandits, slightly more well equipped than the usual rabble. But they fell to her arrows just the same. Roisin was pleased to find a handful of enchanted arrows on them, but other than that, they carried nothing valuable. Traveling further east, Roisin came across a dwarven woman who told Roisin there were some ogres to the southwest, if Roisin wished to be a hero. The woman seemed quite unimpressed with Roisin, and Roisin wasn’t quite sure what to make of her. Roisin decided that she might as well kill the ogres, though, and so traveled south, being cautious so as to get the jump on them. She managed to deal with them quickly and quietly, without any trouble. In fact, so quickly that the dwarf woman was surprised. She gave Roisin no reward, but seeing the woman so confused by Roisin’s success amused Roisin.

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    Traveling southwest from the dwarf, Roisin came across a small farmhouse. A man came running up to Roisin, begging her to save his cow from a group of xvarts. Roisin easily dispatched the xvarts and the cow remained uninjured. The man thanked her and said that the xvarts and kobolds had been making much more frequent attacks, ever since they swarmed the mines at Nashkel. It seemed everywhere Roisin had gone the past day or two, all she’d heard about was the iron crisis. Roisin sighed, wishing she didn’t have to deal with it, but she realized that the time had come for her to check out the problem. She decided to give herself a day at the carnival, however, as a way of resting after the nonstop adventuring she had been partaking in recently. With that in mind, she set off for the carnival.

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    CrevsDaak
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    @Blackraven‌ You were talking about dangerous mages with me on this thread nearly a week ago. Well, the ogre mage from the most recent installment was one. I could've dealt with him more easily than I did, but I'm stingy. He had protection from normal missiles, shield, and one other defensive spell on from the beginning, and then he used a mirror image where I swear he successfully created all 8 copies you can create. That bloody protection from normal missiles made me use my blade instead of my arrows, (though I had +1 arrows available) and he took a long time to bring down. He still couldn't get me past half health, but if I had been playing on insane? Or with SCS? I shudder to think what he would have done to Roisin.
    JuliusBorisov
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    Hey good stuff again. My compliments for the way you handled Molkar & Co! Trying not to resort to reloading too quickly leave you surprised at your character's survivability.
    I also liked the tist you gave to the Meilum encounter.

    As to the ogre mage, on Insane he would have done double damage so Roisin would have barely survived if she had quaffed a potion at the right time. With SCS the difficulty is mainly all the possible status effects (stuns, hold persons, chaos, confusion etc) and spellcasters' smart selfbuffs. Yesterday during my 'catching up' part of my new playthrough with Teyl I also took on the ogre mage, and he managed to confuse just before I could activate the Greenstone Amulet. I thought that was going to be a sad ending and the marking of a new character for a new playthrough. Luckily I was at a distance and hidden in the shadows for while. When he finally reached me the ogre mage couldn't hurt me really.
    I'm going to see if I can find Kahrk as well. The thing is in my setup, Firewing Bridge area is replete with trolls :(
    ElrandirJuliusBorisov
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    Yeah, I knew SCS was mainly status effect stuff, but for a guy who starts out with three strong protection spells, I would be worried what SCS would give him. And trolls? Yeesh... That doesn't sound like fun at all.
  • BlackravenBlackraven Member Posts: 3,486
    Lol, nope trolls are no fun for a lower level character. I'd be able to backstab the at night I guess, lots of work though. Actually the ogre mage in the Firewine Ruins seems to be less dangerous Lendarn (the human mage).
    CrevsDaak
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    Yeah, everytime I've gone there, Lendarn is worse, if only because of his ogrillon friends. Also, I realize I may have confused you, the challenging ogre mage I talked about was Kahrk.
    Blackravenlolien
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    I'm afraid I'm not going to get one out tonight, but there should be another installment tomorrow! Late probably, but who knows!
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    The carnival episode! This was supposed to be last night's installment, but I just didn't get around to it. Ideally, I'll be doing the Nashkel Mine's later tonight, so you'll get a double post tonight. That's why this one is out early, in comparison to the usual ones.

    Roisin arrived near the carnival, and though she was still a ways away, she could hear the sounds from afar. It had been quite a while since Roisin had had a chance to truly relax, ever since leaving Candlekeep. She found little to intrigue her, but she did find a man selling magical trinkets. Roisin bought two necklaces, which she believed would be of great assistance to her in future. While traveling from tent to tent, she met a man named Lestor who talked about how he wished more people were here to enjoy the carnival. When Roisin asked where they were, he said that they were down in the mines or dead. Roisin bid the man good day and then continued to travel, but she couldn’t take her mind off of the mines. She needed to deal with the problem, and soon. Entering one tent, though, she found a man and woman. Both appeared to be mages, and when the man noticed her he came up, telling her to stay back. Apparently he was about to kill the woman. Roisin, surprisingly level headed for once, asked what this was all about. The man began rambling about the woman being a witch, and how she would ruin the town. Roisin rightfully called out the fact that he was also a mage, so his prejudice against a magic user was unwarranted, as well as foolish. The man then cried out that she would pay, and began to attack. Fortunately, it seemed Roisin had made him forget about the witch, so she stood there, relieved to be safe for the moment at least. The mage fell in no time, and the so called witch came up to speak with her. The woman introduced herself as Bentha, and thanked Roisin profusely, asking if there was anything she could do to help Roisin. Roisin, needing nothing the woman had, said that she was just happy to help. Besides, it was merely luck she had come in at that point after all. Bentha insisted on giving Roisin a reward, however, and gave her a potion of heroism. Roisin decided that at least she could sell it.

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    Continuing to look around, Roisin met a performer who called himself the Great Gazib, and his act\assistant, the Amazing Oopah, the world’s only exploding ogre. As he said this, Oopah appeared, and then quite literally exploded. Roisin looked more puzzled than anything, so he said they’d try it again. Once again Oopah appeared and then exploded. Roisin then tried to ask him how it worked, but the man interpreted it as her wanting to see it again. Apparently Oopah didn’t feel like performing, however, and reappeared, this time with a weapon in his hand! He attacked Roisin, and she put him down. Feeling more confused by the event than anything, she left.

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    As she looked further, a gnome called over to her. When she approached, he showed her a woman who had been petrified, and tried to sell her an overpriced scroll of flesh to stone, with the lure that the woman might be a princess, or a powerful sorceress in search of a concubine. Roisin, quite furious with the man’s blatant disregard for the woman’s rights, stormed off towards the town of Nashkel, to buy a normal scroll. She decided that once she had dealt with this stone maiden, she would prepare to journey into the mines. She had seen all the carnival had to offer, since she had no interest in the gambling tent, and the plight of the townsfolk was quite apparent to her. Upon freeing the woman, she thanked Roisin and offered her abilities to her as payment. The woman was named Branwen, a war-priest from the Norheim Isles. Though Roisin did not need her assistance, she did take Branwen with her to the Nashkel inn, so she could rest and recover. She mentioned the wizard who imprisoned her, a man named Tranzig. Roisin payed for Branwen’s room, and purchased one for herself. That night she prepared for the journey into the mines.
    BlackravenJuliusBorisovCrevsDaak
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    I'm not going to have the double post tonight, since I need to sleep, but it's mostly done, so you'll have it early tomorrow! (Or at least much earlier than my standard production rate) And then I'll do tomorrow night's installment as per usual. Sorry I've gotten behind, guys, but it shouldn't be hard to get back on track now. =)
    Blackraven
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    edited March 2014
    The site was glitching out, and so I couldn't get my photos to work right. Posting a second comment to fix this and ACTUALLY update the thread.
  • ElrandirElrandir Member Posts: 1,664
    edited March 2014
    We finally tackle the Nashkel Mines! And we get to meet another temporary party member! Who is he? Well I'll give you a hint, his class is depression mage! (Wait, that's not a class? Oh...) On a side note, the site was wigging out, and so I'm ending up posting a second comment for this, since apparently you can't insert images when editing a comment...

    The time had come. Roisin prepared her pack and set out at midday, traveling south the Nashkel Mines. She had hoped the situation would resolve itself, but such a hope had proven vain. As she traveled outside the town, a woman ran up to Roisin, asking if she was traveling to the mines. Roisin nodded, and woman asked for Roisin to please find her husband Joseph, who worked in the mines. Apparently he hadn’t been home in weeks, and she was worried about him. Roisin told the woman she would do what she could.

    Arriving at the mines, Roisin wasted no time and traveled into the manmade crater. She came up to the guards at the entrance, but they told her to speak with the foreman, a man named Emerson, before she could enter. Emerson was standing nearby, directing people. When Roisin asked for his permission to enter the mines, he seemed quite aggravated with her, but allowed it. Returning to the guards, one of them wished her luck before stepping aside.

    Upon entering the mines, Roisin’s natural infravision kicked in, as the place was poorly lit. It was cold too, and there was an uneasy feeling that came over Roisin. She decided she was happy to have not been born a dwarf. As she walked into the main room a miner came up to her and warned her, telling her that he had heard awful stories about what had been happening deeper in the mines. When she asked what he meant, he said that a friend of his nearly died recently while deeper in the mines. Supposedly little demons jumped out of the very walls and chased him down. Apparently guards had sacrificed themselves so he could get away. The miner told Roisin that his friend was around somewhere, should she wish to hear his story. Traveling down a southern passage, another miner came up to her. He seemed quite cheerful, considering the situation. He asked Roisin if she would give a knife to one of the other miners who was deeper in the mines. Apparently he had dropped it, and hadn’t been back up. Roisin thought the man was likely dead, if things were as bad as they sounded, but she took the knife from him anyway, saying she would return his dagger.

    As the miner walked away, Roisin noticed something in the shadows down a connecting passage. It was too short to be human, and too slight of build to be any of the normal short races. It was certainly no dwarf, anyway. Looking closer, Roisin realized it was a kobold! The little creature noticed her and fired an arrow at her. Ducking, Roisin drew an arrow back and let fly, pinning the creep to the ground. “Kobolds, eh?” Roisin thought to herself as she checked the corpse. She found little on it, besides some arrows, and she decided to hurry on down to the next level. She needed no more info from the other miners now, since she knew what the cause of the trouble was now. She still wasn’t sure why the iron was corrupted, but she knew the kobolds were behind it.

    Upon descending to the second level, Roisin saw water, and realized they had found water in this section of the mines. As she walked forward, a miner ran up to her, crying out for help! The miner gasped out that they were coming, the “yipping demons”. Roisin tried to calm the man, telling him that it would all be okay, but then a pack of the kobolds appeared and began firing. Roisin shot them down quickly, but not before the poor miner had fallen. Roisin turned her face away from the corpse, gritting her teeth, wishing she could have saved him, but there was nothing she could have done. She also knew that she could not bury him, not here, so she laid him near the stairs to the upper level, hoping he would be found by another miner, and carried outside.

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    Roisin traveled north next, hearing some faint sounds of men working. Along the way she encountered a couple more of the scaly scum, but there was little else of note. As she passed by a connecting passage, the sounds of men working became much louder, so Roisin traveled down it. Within a large circular room, she found several miners and guards, going about their business. She walked up to one of the miners, and asked if Kylee was nearby. The man replied that he himself was Kylee. Roisin smiled, happy to know the man was actually alive, and handed him his dagger, asking what he knew about the events transpiring here in the mine. He thanked her and confirmed her suspicions that it was kobolds. He said they used to see them occasionally, but their numbers had grown greatly.

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    She thanked him for the info and bid him good day before traveling out of that shaft, and back into the main tunnels. Searching around for a bit, she finally found her way to the stairs down to the next level. The path was guarded by at least half a dozen kobolds, however. Once Roisin had dealt with them, she checked their corpses. To her surprise, she found two vials of mysterious liquid on them. When she looked in the bottle, she found it contained a strange green substance similar to the residue she had seen in some of the mine carts she had passed. Roisin knew nothing of mining, and so assumed that was normal, but this caused her to think otherwise. She stashed the potions away and descended further into the mines.

    Arriving at the third level of the mines, Roisin saw a man’s corpse, partially rotten laying on the ground. The stench was disgusting, and Roisin crinkled her nose at the scent. A ring on the ground near the man, however, caught Roisin’s attention. She leaned down to pick it up and saw that it was a greenstone ring, which she could only assume was Joseph’s. She felt pity for the poor man and his wife, now a widow, and put the ring in her gem bag to take back to her. Continuing southward, she found a stone bridge, which crossed a chasm, from which a red glow showed Roisin that there was lava deep below her. Being careful to not fall in, she began to cross, but was suddenly assailed by three kobolds! Roisin shot them down with ease and crossed the bridge. As she stepped across she felt the stone below her shift slightly, and two bolts flew from the wall at her. Roisin felt them pierce her skin, and she winced, but the pain was slight, as her armor had kept the bolts from piercing very deep. Roisin pulled them out and bandaged the wounds before continuing southwest, through a long tunnel. She then turned eastward, and found a small spider nest, replete with two huge spiders, which Roisin quickly put down. Roisin had always hated spiders, for no other reason than she simply found them terrifying. She wasn’t arachnophobic, but they did disturb her. Traveling further east, down the same passage, Roisin encountered another band of kobolds, this time led by a kobold commando. Roisin dealt with them just the same as the others, however, and no great challenge was had. Roisin was pleased to find two arrows of fire on the kobold commando’s corpse, and stashed them with the others. She found the stairs to the fourth level just past the kobolds, and as she began walking down them, she activated two more traps. She rushed downstairs, and managed to narrowly avoid them, however.

    Roisin found herself in a long narrow tunnel, occupied by a kobold who died before he could even react. As she walked out of the tunnel, Roisin gasped in wonder at the large room before her. She had entered into a large circular room, with rough uneven stone walls. There was a tiny path leading across a great pond of water to a large rocky island in the center. Roisin could see an entrance to a cave in the side of the great rock in the center, and started towards it, assuming this was where the leader of the kobolds was hiding. Before she could step on the path, however, three kobolds attacked her, doing their best to keep her off the island. They could do nothing to stop her, though, and Roisin turned them into pincushions. Roisin then crossed the small path across the water, and entered the cave cautiously, not knowing what she would find.

    Within she was attacked by a few kobolds, but they fell easily. Roisin walked into a small little room, to find it rather lavishly decorated, with fine rugs and an elaborate throne made of iron. Sitting on the throne was a half-orc, who cried out “What?! How’d you get in here?” when he saw her. He walked towards her and began questioning her, saying that she had been sent by Tazok to kill him. His words, and a holy symbol she saw emblazoning his armor revealed him to be a faithful of Cyric, and Roisin knew she was dealing with a dark priest. Roisin replied to him that no one had sent her, but his head was still in danger. She told him to reveal his treachery, and perhaps she would be merciful. Upon hearing that she was not in league with Tazok, he cried out for assistance, and drew a morning star. Before his kobold and skeleton allies could come to his aid, however, Roisin had knocked him to the ground and pinned his arm to the floor with her arrow. Her next was aimed at his head and the half-orc cried out for mercy, saying he surrendered. Roisin told him to call off his kobolds, which he did. She then told him to tell her what he knew. He said something about a chest full of letters behind him. Roisin moved to the chest and opened it, but then he cried out, saying he’d have her skull for coming here. His minions returned, but they could not save their dark master, who fell with a well aimed arrow to his neck. His minions did not halt, however, and after nearly ten minutes of combat, a pile of over fifteen corpses lay on the ground. Roisin was panting and wheezing. Her agility had allowed her to remain unharmed, but it had left her quite out of breath. (As for the number of dead enemies, I think he spawned the same group twice, so Roisin had double the foes to deal with. I didn't mind, however, since it was easy to deal with them, and the massive pile of corpses was quite amusing.)

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    She searched the bodies and found little of value on most of them. The half-orc himself was carrying two letters which revealed that his name was Mulahey, and he was but one piece in a large complicated game of chess. One of the letters mentioned a man staying in Beregost who went by the name of Tranzig. Suddenly Roisin remembered that name. It was the name of the man who had petrified Branwen. Sure that Branwen would want revenge, Roisin decided to let Branwen join her for the fight against Tranzig. Of course, that could be days, even weeks from now. Roisin decided that it would be best to think of what would come next, when she was not in the lair of the enemy. Mulahey possessed a pair of magical boots, as well as a ring. Roisin hoped these would be of use to her, but left them in her pack for now. Searching the chest, she found a variety of scrolls, potions, and even a magical shortsword, but the most impressive item was a long sword which glowed bright blue. Roisin recognized it as a moonblade, and wondered whose it was. Surely it was not Mulahey’s.

    Roisin attached it to her pack, and began searching the rest of this small cave. To her immense surprise, she found an elven man, who appeared to be a mage, standing there. When she asked who he was, he replied in a most dolorous tone, that he was Xan, a Greycloak of Evereska, and a mage by trade. He said he would join her if she was a foe of Mulahey. Roisin asked how he had come to be trapped there, and he responded that he was sent to investigate the strange goings-on in the area, but was captured for seemingly weeks on end. Roisin told him that she would be happy to escort him outside of the mines, and back to society, but afterwards she had no desire to travel further with him. He accepted the offer, saying some depressing statement about how it was no surprise that he was undesired. Roisin rolled her eyes and told him to come on. He then piped up, asking if she had found a sword among Mulahey’s possessions. It turned out the moonblade was owned by Xan, and since Roisin could not make use of it, nor even sell it for much, she gave it to him willingly. Xan was wounded, so Roisin suggested they rest for a short while. Xan responded that they would likely be ambushed in the night, but perhaps it was for the best. In the night, Roisin had another strange dream, and in the morning, she felt more magic flowing through her. Roisin was disturbed by the power, but the ability to heal her own wounds was appreciated.

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    The pair traveled out of the cave and back into the large room with the pool. Roisin thought there must be some hidden way that Mulahey would get in and out of the mines, so she and Xan began searching the area. They circled round the edge of the pool, and found two grey oozes, one of whom Roisin slew with a single critical strike. At the sight of such a blow, Xan said that perhaps they would survive longer than he had thought. Roisin was perturbed by his lack of faith, but appreciated the half-compliment nonetheless. Near the oozes, Roisin found a small path leading upwards. The two of them went up it, but as they went along, rocks from the ceiling came down, nearly crushing poor Xan. They managed to avoid them, however, but they knew their path back into the mines was sealed. Climbing to the surface, Roisin squinted as the bright sun shone into her face. Poor Xan physically flinched, having been underground for so long. Roisin didn’t know where they were, but they couldn’t be far from the mines, having only traveled a short ways through that passage. Roisin decided they were likely in one of the few areas she had yet to visit. Probably the Valley of the Tombs, since their surroundings reminded Roisin of what she had heard about the area. She greatly wished to explore, but Xan was slightly injured in the fight with the grey oozes, and was not properly equipped for battle. She had little time to decide their next course of action. What would she choose to do?..
    JuliusBorisovCrevsDaak
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