Victor's journal (moderately roleplayed SCS no-reload playthrough)
Blackraven
Member Posts: 3,486
After I decided to take a break with Thani my Dwarven Wizard Slayer (in order not to have her no-reload run end due to some sort stupidity on my part for lack of game knowledge), I decided to roll a new, hopefully less 'challenged' SCS no-reload character, a Human Mage. I could hardly believe eyes when the following happened within a few minutes of re-rolling for an 87+ score:
Officially my best roll ever. I've rolled a 98 twice before but on a Cleric/Ranger and on a Bard, which have higher minimum stats than a Human Mage.
Thus Victor was born:
Rules:
- core difficulty, but I'll allow lowering difficulty slider to maximise hitpoints at leveling up;
- alignment/personality has to be roleplayed at all times, in this case a LN unbending vigilante, hardened by Gorion's death and with a very strong will to survive that make him tend toward evil (without actually being evil);
- Victor will surround himself with a party for most of the game, which after quite a lot of solo runs should make this run more challenging to me than bulldozering my way through the game with an XP devouring solo character;
- NPCs must be roleplayed as well, although I think that not many conflicts should occur because Victor will be careful to team up with more or less likeminded characters;
- any NPCs that are kicked out will get to keep their equipment, and their share of the gold (will donate that to a church);
- no unrealistic actions such as resting in a dungeon right before meeting the boss, or dualwielding flails and bastard swords;
- TotSC quests must be undertaken (for the first time in years...).
Officially my best roll ever. I've rolled a 98 twice before but on a Cleric/Ranger and on a Bard, which have higher minimum stats than a Human Mage.
Thus Victor was born:
Rules:
- core difficulty, but I'll allow lowering difficulty slider to maximise hitpoints at leveling up;
- alignment/personality has to be roleplayed at all times, in this case a LN unbending vigilante, hardened by Gorion's death and with a very strong will to survive that make him tend toward evil (without actually being evil);
- Victor will surround himself with a party for most of the game, which after quite a lot of solo runs should make this run more challenging to me than bulldozering my way through the game with an XP devouring solo character;
- NPCs must be roleplayed as well, although I think that not many conflicts should occur because Victor will be careful to team up with more or less likeminded characters;
- any NPCs that are kicked out will get to keep their equipment, and their share of the gold (will donate that to a church);
- no unrealistic actions such as resting in a dungeon right before meeting the boss, or dualwielding flails and bastard swords;
- TotSC quests must be undertaken (for the first time in years...).
11
Comments
Gorion took me by surprise this morning when he told me that we're to leave Candlekeep asap, and he gave me some gold to buy equipment for our journey. I'll be keeping this diary to organize my thoughts and to record my experiences.
I actually like the prospect of traveling beyond Candlekeep's walls so I didn't linger much. Did a few chores, said my goodbyes, and just finished shopping at Winthrop's (only bought throwing daggers). Dip "procured" an enchanted dagger for me somewhere when I wasn't looking. I think I'll never get to teach that devious little badger.
Anyway, there's no time to look for the weapon's owner. Off I am, with Gorion and Dip beside me.
***
My foster father is no more. Last night we were ambushed by a group of ruffians whose leader demanded Gorion to hand me over to him. Gorion refused, told me to run, and fought valiantly against our attackers. Nevertheless he was no match for their commander and their priestess. I don't know what to think of all this apart from lamenting Gorion's death. There was little I could have done with only a single Armor spell memorized. It's also very upsetting that such an experienced, renowned and allegedly powerful wizard is unable to dispatch a couple of young adventurers (judging by their voices, and by the priestess' looks), even though their leader was admittedly huge. For years I've been fed the notion that the arcane art is the highest of all arts that one might pursue, but maybe magic isn't all that? Either way, my foster father gave his life for me, and he shall be avenged.
***
Imoen, my friend from Candlekeep found me this morning by the road; she wanted to travel with me, but I went straight back to Candlekeep with her, and I explained to her in words that were perhaps harsher than necessary, that she had no business out in the wilds. I mean if Gorion wasn't prepared for the road, what about little Imoen? All she knows is to pick the occasional lock, or pocket, but I can't see how that will help her survive an ambush like that of last night. And such an ambush might well reoccur, because for some reason those people were after me last night, not Gorion. I can't expose Imoen to such a threat. Interestingly the Gatewarden told us that Imoen was welcome and that I wasn't. He wouldn't explain why.
***
On Gorion's body I found a letter this morning telling that I might find friends at the Friendly Arm Inn, but the Gods know who else have read that letter, so I decided to travel southward, away from the road most of the time, to Beregost. I met two travelers who asked me to join them, a Necromancer named Xzar and a Halfling warrior by the name of Montaron. They were headed for Nashkel, so I decided to join with them until I would reach Beregost. The Necromancer was quite enthusiastic when he learnt that I was a Mage myself. He even gave me two scrolls to scribe: Chill Touch and Larloch's Minor Drain. I successfully copied the former to my spellbook, but messed up with the latter, much to his dismay and my own. Dip found an enchanted ring, placed on top of a large rock, quite ostentatiously really. Maybe someone had put it there on purpose? In Beregost I told my companions that we might meet soon in Nashkel, but that I had some business to attend to in Beregost. With only a few GP in my pockets I wanted to first look for work in Beregost and vicinity. I did get a couple of jobs, and was reasonably well-rewarded for them. I fetched a book for Firebead Elvenhair, a frequent visitor of Candlekeep. In the Jovial Juggler Inn I was told of a gnomish lady who lived next door but had left her home and fled to the Friendly Arm Imm. Her house had been invaded by four Huge Spiders. I dispatched the monsters by luring them out onto the streets one by one, and killed them with my throwing daggers. Will seek a reward in due time.
Just south of Beregost I slew two Ogrillons who had just killed a Halfling courier. On one of them I found a letter to a certain Mirianne in Beregost. I located her, gave her the letter, and was rewarded with a ring identical to the ring Dip had found on the road to Beregost. At the Temple of Lathander high priest Keldath Ormlyr informed me of a bounty on the head of Bassilus, aka the mad priest of Cyric, and of a reward for dispatching a gnomish Illusionist named Mutamin and his dire-charmed Basilisks. I would go after those Basilisks, but I'm not sure whether I'm prepared yet to fight such beasts. All the fighting so far has been quite tiresome, and it's frustrating that what little magic I command is of almost no use. I really don't see how I'm to become a competent Mage now that I'm not in the safety of Candlekeep anymore, and now that I acually have to work to make a living.
There was one occasion where my magic was of some use though. For Thalantyr the Conjurer I located his former apprentice who had run off with a pair of potentially dangerous gauntlets. The apprentice, Melicamp, had been tranformed into a chicken upon equipping the gauntlets. I saved the chicken from a hungry wolf after I managed to blind the animal.
When I returned to Thalantyr with the apprentice, the wizard told me he could only restore Melicamp to his human form with a dead object, such as a skull. With tremendous difficulty and with the aid of my trusty ferret, I managed to obtain a skull from one of the nasty, dagger-throwing Skeletons that roamed the area.
I picked up Dip and ran back inside with the skull. Even had to shake off a Flind in order to reach Thalantyr. And to what end? Well, only to see the wizard fail to retransform Melicamp, killing the chicken in the process. I didn't even get paid anything for my effort. All in all an exceedingly disappointing experience.
South of Beregost I retrieved a heirloom amulet for a man whose family had been brutally murdered by Hobgoblins. Of course there was no way for me to exact justice on the scum, simply because I don't have the means to fight a band of Hobgoblins, including archers, and live to the tell the tale. I decided to travel southward to Nashkel and see if I could find Xzar and Montaron, but they were nowhere to be seen. I described them to one of the townspeople but all he did was making studid comments about how everyone seemed to hate him and asking me when I was going to kick him? I could see why, and it took me a great mental effort not to bust his head and shut him up when he refused to leave me alone. Other townspeople, including the mayor and some of the guards, told me they had indeed seen Xzar and Montaron, but they didn't know of the duo's whereabouts, so I gave up the search. They did tell me about disappearances and tarnished iron ore in the Nashkel Mines, and of a murderous Nashkel Guard captain and an emerald thief on whose heads bounties had been placed.
As I strolled off, with the intention of heading westward I found a suit of Ankheg armor. I inquired with the Guards but the armor didn't seem to belong to anyone, so I kept it, or to be more precise: I donned it. I've made a decision that may well change the course of my adventuring life: never mind my arcane studies, I'm going to train myself as a fighter! I mean I'm all alone, I've got almost no gold, no one to tutor me in magical arts, and besides, that armor must have been left there for a reason.
[Victor was a level 3 Mage when he dualed to Fighter.]
***
I've had little training beyond my combat classes in Candlekeep, where I mostly learned to defend myself with a dagger. It's been about a week now that one of the Nashkel guards, a fellow named Bardolan, has taken it upon him to train me in the use of sword and bow in exchange for some gold. A week is nothing of course but more than 50 hours of intensive practice I do feel I now master the most basic combat stances and movements. And according to Bardolan I'm a fairly talented marksman. My tutor actually recommended me to seek out the Basilisks that I was so wary of. Protection from Petrification would be indispensable because of the beasts' gaze attacks, but otherwise Basilisks are relatively slow and clumsy. They would offer an excellent opportunity to test my combat skills without running too much risk. Bardolan sent me to a merchant at the Nashkel Carnival who sold me a scroll of Protection from Petrification.
***
On my way north I battled a number of Gibberlings and Hobgoblins. They had difficulty hurting me thanks to the solid protection my ankheg armor provides. When I reached the Basilisk area east of Beregost, I soon learnt that it was as Bardolan had expected. I found the Basilisks especially vulnerable in melee combat without them being much of a threat to me, even though there was one of Greater Basilisk that forced me to quaff a healing potion or two. At one point I even started attacking with my dagger +1 in my left hand.
[Victor's starting profs as a fighter went to Bastard Swords **, Shortbows *, and Two Weapon Fighting *; at fighter lvl 3 a second pip was placed in TWF.]
I had a big scare when, while I was battling four Basilisks, suddenly Mutamin the Gnome (whom I hadn't seen anywhere until then) arrived at the scene, none too pleased to see me. I decided to retreat before he would cast some kind of charm on me similar to those he had used on the Basilisks. And I would have simply abandoned my mission if it weren't for a Ghoul who inexplicably wanted to serve me. The Ghoul was immune to the Basilisk gazes, and stunned Mutamin with its fell claws. It allowed me to safely dispatch the wizard and the remaining Basilisks.
With that business out of the way I traveled to the Friendly Arm Inn to claim a reward for clearing the spider-infested house in Beregost.
Before actually making it inside the inn, I slew an Ogre (gravely injured with ranged attacks and finished off in melee) south of the inn; I disptached a group of Hobgoblins who had stolen a ring from a retired adventurer (Dip, my keen-eyed and ever alert scout, found me another magical ring, one that gives me more spells to cast); and I had to deal with a wizard that horrored me but failed to make use of my temporary state of panic. On the wizard's corpse I found a bounty notice mentioning a price on my head. I burnt the piece of paper, but I doubt it was the only copy. I've got no clue who could want me dead, and why.
Inside the Inn the Gnome from Beregost rewarded me handsomely when I showed her a Spider's corpse and told her I had removed the Huge Spiders that had infested her home. I also met Khalid and Jaheira, the 'friends' that Gorion had told me about and that were also mentioned in the letter I found on his body. They didn't recognize me immediately. Must have expected someone different than a heavily armored guy like me. Khalid especially seemed surprised by my presence; he started to stutter. It almost had me laugh out loud, but I managed to check myself. The two offered to join me, and to travel with me to Nashkel where they were to meet the town mayor, but I declined. I told them I had already been to Nashkel, and that my priority was not the trouble in the Nashkel Mines but to form a solid party capable of finding and dispatching Gorion's killers. I met a more suitable traveling companion at the inn, a big Half-Orc warrior, but he mistook me for a waiter and showed no interest in my cause.
Further north the city of Baldur's Gate was closed due to banditry threatening the safety of the city, so I made my way south again, to Beregost, to see if in that travelers and adventurers' hub any new faces had arrived. In one of the town's shops I met a Dwarven mercenary by the name of Kagain. He ran a caravan company, and asked me to accompany him to check on a large caravan the arrival of which in Baldur's Gate was long overdue. We found the caravan stranded and pilfered by bandits, a couple of hours north of Beregost. With his business ruined by the event, Kagain offered to join me, in order to hopefully make some money and kill some bandits.
[Kagain was level 4 with 43 HP upon joining.]
I find it hard to determine where to look for reinforcements as well as for my foster father's killer. After I told Kagain of the bounties on the heads of two criminals from Nashkel, the former guard captain and the emerald thief, Kagain suggested that we travel south, and I agreed seeing little else for us to do. On our way, we were ambushed again, but this time the assailants had no particular interest in me, only my belongings. Battle was imminent, when we received support from an unexpected ally, the Half-Orc warrior I had met in the Friendly Arm. The ambushers turned out to be old foes of his. The three of us slew them, and the Half-Orc, Dorn he called himself, was so pleased with Kagain's work and mine that he proposed a partnership. Dorn is a warrior of tremendous strength, and a Blackguard with dark powers he receives from some dark force. I'm not sure how well the Half-Orc can be trusted, but for the time being our agendas match, so Kagain and I agreed to his proposal.
[Dorn was level 4 with 30 HP upon joining.]
Like me Dorn is involved in a vendetta with a group of people that have crossed him, former companions in his case. And like me, he has no clue yet where to look. Therefore we continued with our plan to explore the southern Sword Coast in pursuit of the murderous guard captain and the emerald thief, and who knows any clues that might bring us further in our personal quests for retribution.
We traveled to the Cloudpeaks where we fought battles against different groups of lowlifes and beasts. None of them formed a true threat to us, though a ferocious Winter Wolf almost killed Dorn at one point.
***
There can be no doubt that this iron crisis that people have been talking about is true. My blades kept on shattering, so I ordered my men back to Beregost, where I had seen an enchanted Bastard Sword for sale, and an enchanted axe as well, which would serve Kagain. We only had the gold for one of both weapons. It went to the bastard sword. Kagain didn't object; he had seen my blades shatter one after the other.
***
In Beregost, Dorn must have received a channeling from the dark god or demon he serves because he suddenly announced that he had a lead on one of his former companions. Kagain and I followed him east of the Nashkel Mines and indeed, there was a female Necromancer at work with a number of corpses. She was not without charm, and tried to persuade Dorn not to seek vengeance, but the Half-Orc was unmoved. The Mage enfeebled me and horrored Kagain, giving us all a hard time, but with a devastating strike with his greatsword Dorn finished her off.
On the woman's body we found a letter giving further leads to a camp set up by some of Dorn's former companions just outside Baldur's Gate. However, since that bridge to that city is lifted, we cannot reach them, yet.
***
From Beregost we traveled back to the western Cloudpeaks where we continued our exploration. As we went furrther westward, we ran into more and more Gnolls until we saw from afar a fortress guarded by Gnolls. Dorn, ever bloodthirsty was eager to fight them, while Kagain, more calculating was less willing. However as we slew two Half-Ogres guarding a bridge to the stronghold, and found a pair of Brawling Hands (Gauntlets of Dexterity) on one of them, the Dwarf too became more enthusiastic. The gauntlets went to the Dwarf, making him an impressive tank. I lost count of the number of Gnolls we slew.
All I know is that we cleared the entire fortress, and that we saved a woman that had been captured by the monsters. She had nothing to give us, so I told her to simply run off and enjoy her refound freedom.
[Victor reached level 6 here; his last proficiency point for BG1 was a third pip in Bastard Swords, not necessarily optimal but fitting for his development.]
Back in Nashkel we decided to sell some of the loot we had found in the Cloudpeaks (the proceeds of which would allow us to buy me a suit of full plate mail and Kagain an axe +1), and to take some well-earned rest at the local inn. Inside, we met with a priestess, another bounty hunter who had a more permanent form of rest for us in mind though, or for me at least. A fight ensued, and it was a helpful Monk that eventually slew the bounty hunter.
I spoke with the Monk afterward. He introduced himself as Rasaad and was very softspoken and composed even though he, like Dorn and myself, was looking for justice after a grave wrong had been done to members of his Selune venerating Sun Soul order: an entire monastery had been slain by followers of Shar, Selune's bitter rival. I welcomed him into the party, though I have yet to see what he has to contribute. I find it hard to comprehend fight without using armor and with nothing but his bare fists. While we haven't found any clues in the south as to our quarries, there is still the coast to explore, our next destination.
Hope you'll like Dorn after this playthrough (it's the first time you use him, isn't it?) Also, hope you'll like Rasaad's story. Expect some LMAO dialogue choices
Also, "TotSC quests must be undertaken (for the first time in years...)" yessss!
Overall, this playthrough is refreshing and I'll definitely follow.
Maybe you can make a small announcement in your main thread or in the @Elrandir 's thread so that more people don't miss another story by @Blackraven aka the master of BG1 no-reload SCS playthroughs/
It's not the first time I've used Dorn. In previous BG1EE playthroughs (before I went back to heavily modded BGT challenges) I used him a couple of times. His 'you look tired' alone is a good reason to have him tag along.
@Elrandir, hey long time no see! I'm glad this playthrough has your interest. The exceptional, too good to pass up stats and the potentially powerful "Arcane Fighter" class had me decide to make a number of suboptimal choices from a powergaming perspective such as illogical weapons profs, taking a party along (pretty frustrating), including the TotSC quests etc.
We left Nashkel in an almost straight line toward to the coast. Our journey was relatively uneventful with the occasional pack of Gnolls as our only distractions/delays. It gave us some time to get to know each other better. I had an interesting conversation with Rasaad. He's originally from Calimsham where he grew up as a begging and thieving street urchin, but he was schooled, together with his brother by Sun Soul Monks and later became one himself. My impression of Rasaad is that he knows discipline, and that he stays true to his word (much like Kagain whom I've come to consider a confidant, a brother in arms).
These are traits that I admire in Rasaad, seeing where he's come from, and traits also that I appreciate in a man that I'm to trust as a companion. What bothers me is that he can't be convinced to wear any armor, not even a nice enchanted suit of studded leather we had picked up in the Cloudpeaks. The path that Kagain, Dorn and I tread is full of dangers, and apparently Rasaad just doesn't see it. We might have to part ways, as I don't want him to get himself killed.
***
On a broad strip of land, enclosed by two sea arms, noteworthy events took place. We came upon an excavation site, and were offered payment by an archaeologist for guarding the site from possible bandits as the researchers were about to enter. It turned out that rather than bandits one of of his own men was the true danger: he asked us to kill the expedition leader and share any treasure that might be found there. I obviously declined, and I told the leader later of his conspiring associate. Inside the excavated structure, an ancient holy place, the thick air was filled with an unidentified evil. The diggers went berserk, and we saw no other option than to kill them in order to protect the archaeologist and ourselves. A sad turn of events.
Not far from the mining site, we ran into a woman, a priestess who told us to keep away from Brage so as not to endanger ourselves. The name Brage immediately rang a bell. It belonged to the murderous guard captain from Nashkel. According to the woman this Brage was possessed by some foul spirit. When we approached we found the pitiful scene of a bloodbath that had been caused moments before: a wrecked carriage, dead horses and dead people. I told the woman to please step aside. If the man was indeed possessed by an evil spirit, he would have to be slain in order to unman the beast. The woman, apparently Brage's cousin, disagreed. Her familial relationship to Brage explained her position, and I'm sorry to report that she attacked us. Although she managed to Hold Dorn, her powers as a Cleric were no match for the fighting power of the four of us (well three, without Dorn).
The same fate awaited Brage. He admitted to the recent slaying of the travelers whose battered corpses were still warm, and to the crimes he'd been accused of back in Nashkel. Nashkel was a very long way. On it, I recokoned, Brage would most likely turn on us in hopes of escaping judgment before the local authorities. Thus I saw no other option than to take his life so that he (or the spirit that possessed him) could make no more victims. I offered to decapitate him. A good, clean strike with my bastard sword or Dorn's greatsword would have been quick and painless. Brage however, wouldn't have it: he attacked us. It must be granted, he was a good swordsman, but it was foolish of him to oppose the four of us. In the end I'm relieved to have prevented more victims that the 'beast' would have surely made, and at the same time it still saddens that we had to kill the man.
***
Further north we had another unfortunate encounter, this time with a diviner who offered to read my hand. Something obviously shocked her, and when I respectfully urged her to tell me what she saw, she started casting spells, first protections, and later offensive magic directed at us. We defended ourselves, and another sad, unncessary death, not unlike that of Brage's cousin, was the result.
On a more positive note a female rogue, quite pretty (and she knows it), joined our party. Safana is her name. She told us of treasure guarded by monsters in a nearby cave, and that she needed strong men like ourselves, to get it. With both Dorn and me attracted to the woman, Kagain intrigued by the mention of treasure, and Rasaad indifferent, we agreed to help her. Kagain especially proved unstoppable. Safana warned us of Sirines by the shoreline, whose charms might be too much for us, but the Dwarf quaffed a strength potion, ordered me to hand him an oil of speed which I, surprised by his assertiveness, did without making any objections. The Dwarf then went completely berserk on the Sirines. [I forgot to mention in my previous post that I kitted Kagain as a Berserker when he joined Victor. Safana btw is an unkitted Thief as per vanilla. She joined as a lvl 6 Thief with 25 HP.] Kagain shredded three Sirines, and pushed straight on to finish off a second trio of the scantily clad creatures, but from afar I saw him suddenly lose his fury, and become winded. One of the Sirines hit him (kissed him) which caused him to relax (feeblemind), and after that a Charm took away any of the fire that might have remained in him. After a while the effects of the Sirine's magic wore off though, and the Dwarf refound his fury. It enabled him to kill off the other Sirines and two Carrion Crawlers.
Inside the Cave, Safana disarmed various traps while Dorn, Kagain and I took on the "monsters": three Flesh Golems. I took a pretty serious beating at one point, so I retreated. I was glad to see Kagain step in and stand his ground, because Dorn seems better at dealing blows than at taking them.
After we secured the treasure (a number of magical trinkets we still need to identify and some potions), Safana said she wanted to stay with the party. We agreed, not even because of her sensuality - she seems to flirt with everything male that crosses her path - but rather for her useful skills as a thief.
***
Further north we ran into even more Sirines, but Kagain reentered into his berserker rage and dealt with them. He was aided by the lightning that struck from the sky.
We then battled our way past a group of Ogres (including berserkers), Half-Ogres and Ogrillons to stumble upon a creature similar to the Sirines we had encountered before, a Nereid. This one wasn't immediately hostile, but she provoked our ire when she killed Safana with a death kiss. The remaining four of us attacked her and she soon surrendered, telling us she had to kill on the whim of an Ogre Mage. We told her to revive Safana, and she did. Indeed an Ogre Mage named Droth appeared, scolded the Nereid for not following his orders, threatened to kill us itself and started casting. I ordered Safana to back away as she was clearly not in the condition to fight. My men and I charged in and we soon beat through the monster's spell protections. All Droth managed to do before he fell was to summon a few Kobolds but that didn't bother us in the least.
In Beregost we got some of our loot identified. I took a helmet that enhances my defenses (from Droth), Kagain is rocking a nice enchanted small shield (from Laryssa) and a girdle that protects against crushing damage (Caldo), a cloak that allows tranformation into a wolf at will went to Rasaad, and Safana is wearing a deep red ioun stone that enhances her dexterity, a pair of bracers of archery, and the enchanted studded leather armor that Rasaad had previously refused to don. For Dorn, a suit of ankheg armor is in the making at the Thunderhammer Smithy.
Dorn insisted that we return to Baldur's Gate to find his former companion's encampment, so we traveled back north. The lands south of Baldur's Gate were infested with Ankhegs, but they trouble the local farmers no longer. I must say I respect Rasaad's bravery. The guy knows well enough he's vulnerable, and the Ankhegs did injure him, but he never backed down.
We also helped a young priestess whose bowl had been stolen by fishermen that had just hired us to dispatch the same girl. I don't like breaking a contract but those men hadn't told me the complete story (having killed the girl's mother seems to me a detail they oughtn't have kept from me).
Baldur's Gate was still off-limits for us, much to both DOrn's chagrin in mine. It might well be that my assaulters and Gorion killers are in the city somewhere. And if they aren't clues may be found there.
Kagain proposed that we investigate the Nashkel Mines; one of few commissions we still haven't carried out. We'll probably head there as soon as Dorn's ankheg armor is ready.
***
Not far from the place of battle three Hobgoblins threatened to kill us if we didn't hand over our gold. Normally a few Hobgoblins wouldn't be worth mentioning here, but these three were sturdier than most of their ilk, and besides they were aided by more Hobgoblins (elite archers) and three Ghouls. I commanded my men to retreat, but too late, as Dorn got held. I tried to fight off the Ghouls before they would kill Dorn, but then I too, got held by one the Ghouls. I was in good health and thus free from immediate danger, but I feared for Dorn, whose injuries were grave. However, Kagain, Rasaad and even Safana did what I hoped they would do: they fought off the Ghouls first, preventing them from killing Dorn, and then finished off the Hobgoblins, who were less of a threat to us. In a way this has been a good test of the loyalty of my followers, and I'm glad to say they did not disappoint.
***
The five of us healed and then returned to Nashkel to claim the bounty on Bassilus, sell some loot, and pick up Dorn's new suit of armor. We then traveled south to the Nashkel Mines. As we explored the surroundings we ran into the emerald thief we had been told about in Nashkel. We were about to take him to Nashkel to deliver him to the guard when a mercenary not unlike myself, a bounty hunter named Greywolf, intervened. He wouldn't accept the fact that he had come too late, and attacked. This was a haughty move of the lone man; he was no match for my party's joint strength.
Prism dropped dead due to apparent heart failure after the fight, so we simply picked up the gems to return them to the bounty handler back in Nashkel, but there was no rush now that Prism had died. We decided to explore the Nashkel Mines first.
***
The Mines proved to be beset by Kobolds, harmless creatures individually but they operated in groups and proved to be very well-organized. They would often try to swarm us, with Kobold Guards as their vanguards and aracher commandos attacking with fire arrows. I commanded my companions to stay close. Kagain, Dorn and I did most of the work. Well-armored, disciplined and capable fighters, those two are my most useful comrades. Kagain had a bit of a scare though, quite literally, when he got Horrored by a Kobold Shaman and triggered three traps. Had this happened to any other of my comopanions, they would have been dead by now, but not the staunch Dwarf. He took a couple of healing potions when he regained his compsure, and was soon ready to continue.
We found the master of the sabotaged Mine in his lair, four levels underground, a Half-Orc priest. I told Dorn to do the talking, he's a Half-Orc as well after all. But there was no reasoning with the priest. He summoned Skeletons and Kobolds to help him overcome us, but I cast Sleep on the Kobolds from a scroll I happened to have at hand, and most of the Critters were affected by it. They blocked the Skeletons' path toward us, so we could focus our collective fury on the Priest. It didn't take long, he failed to even cast a single spell, before he begged us for mercy. I denied him this and beheaded him with a single strike.
We slew the Half-Orc's lackeys, looted his corpse and a chest, and freed a prisoner, an elven Mage named Xan. We agreed to have him travel with us, back to civilization, but when we rested near the Mine exit and were ambushed by (more) Kobolds, he fell. It was a sad moment. We lamented the Elf's end and I contemplated my own life. What would have become of me had I insisted in pursuing the arcane arts? Would I have been alive still? Or would I have met an end like Xan's long ago?
On the surface, Rasaad, who for some reason always strides ahead of the group, got himself into trouble when he unwillingly angered a wizard. The latter summoned to Mustard Jellies whose spit injured but did not slow the Monk, as it did with me. Anyway, we first dealt the slimes, that had crawled after us, and then enraged Kagain dealt with the wizard himself.
***
In Nashkel, we collected our rewards for finding the stolen emeralds and for clearing the Mines. Most of the townspeople were happy to see us, but not the Assassin that awaited us in front of the inn. Nimbul was overwhelmed. My men, aided by the guards, surrounded him; Safana kept a distance and attacked him with her darts. Curiously, our opponent cast Confusion on Safana, without any success by the way, rather than on the horde that was the immediate threat to his life. With ovewhelming force we struck the Assassin down, though not before he unleashed a host of magic missiles and other damaging spells upon me, but I did not relent.
On his body I found a letter with an instruction to kill me and all those that travel with me. I showed it to my companions and asked them if they were still willing to stay with me, knowing the dangers involved in keeping my company. Rasaad said that he would risk his life defending me and that he knew I would do the same for him, which is probably true. Dorn, ever fearless, saw no reason to end his partnership with me. "Let them come," he said. "I'll write their obituaries for them, in their own blood." Kagain observed that his association with me had so far been a profitable one, and that I've proven myself to be a man of my word, much like him, and a capable one at that. He too, was willing to continue traveling with me. I was pleased by Kagain's recognition. Our motives aren't the same, as I seek justice and he seeks gold, but we understand each other.
It was Safana that I was least sure about, but when I turned to her, she smiled, and in her sultry voice, she asked whether she'd never told me that she loves dangerous men? That night she showed me what she meant by that. She came to my room and I had some fun with her. I didn't sleep well after it though. I even had a nightmare. The Half-Orc from the Nashkel Mines was again before me, praying for mercy, and this time, I stayed my hand. I had grown weak. In the morning I woke with a new ability to heal light wounds. I feel as if one the Gods has taken an interest in me and is trying to guide me, away from the path I've taken. Be that as it may, I shall not be swayed so easily. Justice is fuel, and it shall continue to be so.
After suffering it more than 3 times, I made it a rule to write everything in the MSWord first.
I write the text there, leave spaces for future pictures, then copy/paste the story here, save a draft and then add pictures. Yes, the "Save Draft" button is very useful!
This way, you won't lose anything. Anyway, don't be too down. It happens. A wonderful progress here
Anyway I rewrote the installment, though it's shorter now than it was originally.
We were quite battered from these battles and on our way back to civilization to buy more healing potions (of which we had but a few), when we got waylaid by four highly professional killers. Their leader seemed to know why I must die but refused to give me any information.
The first thing we did was to all quaff healing potions to be in better shape for the battle that was clearly imminent. I used my Wand of Monster Summoning to call four Gnolls to our side, hoping they would distract our enemies while we would organize ourselves better. But one of our opponents, a Gnome wizard, immediately cast Sleep on them, effectively neutralizing the summons.
When their priest successfully held Dorn (but thankfully not Kagain, who was enraged), things started to look bad for us. I had a scroll of Horror and cast the spell in the hopes of temporarily neutralizing some of our foes. Fortunately it affected both the Gnome and a Dwarven fighter, but it didn't help Dorn: he was struck down by the leader of our opponents, a human fighter named Molkar.
With overwhelming force the remaining four of us retalliated by slaying first the priest and later Molkar. Using ranged attacks we then managed to finish off the still panicked Gnome. (I used my bow and arrows, Kagain his throwing axes and Safana her darts.) The Dwarf, who had regained control of his mind, fell to a melee assault.
Back in Beregost we visited Keldath to see if he was able to get Dorn back up on his feet, and he was, much to my relief. At night Kagain, Dorn and I conferred a small council at my behest. The three of us are in my opinion the backbone of this group. I mean, Safana has her utility as a Thief, and Rasaad is a valued counsel in matters of morality (though I think the others wouldn't miss him if he were gone), but Kagain, Dorn and I have kept this party going. So we discussed how we could further streamline our actions in battle.
Up till then our 'strategy' had consisted in the three of us simply charging our foes in melee. But I was hoping for us to find more elaborate ways doing battle, especially against well-organized groups of enemies, such as the assassins in the Wood of Sharp Teeth. We agreed that Kagain is the hardiest of us all and that he had to continue to be our number one tank. Between Dorn and me, I thought myself the better frontliner but Dorn thought the same of himself. However Kagain agreed with me, stating that Dorn did hit harder than me but that I was more resilient than Dorn. Before the Half-Orc could lose his temper, Kagain and I suggested another role for him. We pointed out to him that he hadn't made the most out of his ability to poison his weapon. (This is something the Dwarf and I had already discussed on our way back to Beregost, after the encounter with Molkar and his band.) Kagain proposed to him that we buy him the Light Crossbow of Speed at the Thunderhammer Smithy and that he use the Bracers of Archery so that he'd train himself to become a killer sniper. Dorn liked the idea, so the next day we did some shopping. We sold quite a lot of loot we had held on to for too long (mostly weapons that no one was using). Besides the crossbow we also bought healing potions, ammo, a suit of Shadow Armor for Safana (she really wanted it, and I must say she looks pretty sexy in it), and I got myself a Dagger of Venom to wield in my off hand.
I'm aware that the Dagger of Venom in the off hand of a warrior with only two ** in TWF and one * in Daggers is suboptimal, but as stated before, this run is a bit more roleplayed than other runs I've done lately.
We're now ready for our second incursion into the Wood of Sharp Teeth.
***
We didn't have to wait long before we could try out our new strategy. Again we were waylaid by a party of four assassins, two rogues and two clerics, all females. Safana and Dorn attacked with their respective darts and (poisoned) bolts. Both focused on the casters, making sure to interrupt the priestesses as much as possible. As usual Kagain and I engaged our foes in melee, and even Rasaad fought along with us. Our new strategy paid off. We survived the battle without annyone of us suffering serious injuries.
It also worked against groups of Blacktalon Elite. The archers would often divide and attack from two different positions, but Kagain and I would split and know ourselves backed by Dorn archery and Safana's as well.
In the Peldvale area we were waylaid by a group of bandits, but rather than fighting them Kagain and I did our best to convince them that we wanted to join their ranks. Their spokesman bought it, and we were led to the bandit camp. The bandit leader, a giant half-ogre named Tazok (a name I had read in the letters Tranzig had carried). He questioned us, and apparently our answers satisfied him, because he accepted us into the bandits' ranks before he left on a raid somewhere. Safana flirted around for a bit, and filled our coffers picking locks and emptying chests.
We found Tazok's tent, the place where any relevant information regarding the link between the iron crisis and the bandits might be found, as well as information on why 'they' (whoever they are) want me dead. With Tazok gone, we decided to take a look inside. We expected to run into a guard or two, but there were at least ten. Safana and Dorn quaffed potions of fortitude, and I drank a potion of magic blocking when I saw a mage; I went straight after it. I cannot give an exact account of how we survived the encounter. Everything went very fast. Dorn was very effective with his poisoned bolts. He poisoned the mage I was fighting, and various other bandits, including their spokesman, a tough fighter. Most of our foes were better archers than meleers, so Kagain didn't tend to take long in dealing with them.
From a prisoner we released, we learned that the organization orchestrating the iron crisis and the bandit violence was the Iron Throne, a consortium with a hidden base of operation in Cloakwood. On our way out we were accosted by the Black Talon leader. He must have heard the clattering of steel inside the tent, because he went hostile, followed us as we tried to get away, and had many of the bandits attack us. We were tired from battle still, but with an ultimate effort we managed to slay the man, pick up his excellent gear and leave before we would be overwhelmed.
We took a few days off at the Friendly Arm Inn, to recover and to trade with Bentley and Gellana Mirorshade., and then we moved on to Cloakwood. In that vast forest we slew a pack of Tasloi and found a cloak that I identified as a Cloak of Non-Detection. I gave it so Safana. We also agreed to protect Aldeth Sashenstar, a merchant from Baldur's Gate against a group of Druids that were apparently out for his blood. The Druids said that Aldeth had slain one of their own, so it was difficult for me to decide who was wrong and who was right here. However, I'm not one to shirk a duty I've committed myself to, so I placed myself beside Aldeth and tried to talk the Druids out of their plan to murder Aldeth. The Druids took that as an invitation to do battle. Plagued by insects we slew them. Aldeth was thankful and told us to look for him at the Merchants' League in baldur's Gate.
There was one area of the forest that was infested with spiders and contained lots of web traps that would hold the unwary. A boy asked us to look for his brother, and we agreed to help him. We didn't have enough potions of freedom for all five of us. So Kagain and I drank one each, and we told Dorn to follow at some distance. Safana and Rasaad would accompany the boy. We triggered plenty of web traps and slew many spiders before we reached a Den inhabited more spiders and by a very fat, naked woman who seemed to somehow control the spiders. She set her spiders on us. It all made me think of Mutamin and his Basilisks, when I had just decided to train myself as a fighter, months ago. Kagain and I fled outside and with Dorn behind us using his crossbow we engaged the spiders (and ettercaps) by the entrance. One giant spider caught Dorn in a web but none of the arachnids would hurt him, as Kagain and I killed them off before they could reach the Half-Orc.
Victor reached level 7 here as a Fighter; the others except Rasaad are all about 20k XP behind Victor.
We slew the woman, and found the boy's brother's corpse as well as a very good free action granting greatsword for Dorn: Spiders' Bane. Another noteworthy encounter we had in Cloakwood was with a Hamadryad that direcharmed Rasaad and Kagain, that entangled us in her plants, and that teleported away each time I closed in on her to strike her down. In the end I did manage to finish her off.
***
Hours later we found the Iron Throne base. It was the middle of the day which was going to make it hard for Safana to scout the premises, so I can't blame her for catching the eye of an assassin leader. Her charms apparently failed to pacify him because she came running back to us, but her pursuer was rapidly catching up with her. This man, Drasus, must have been the best fighter I have faced so far, a fearless Berserker, well-equipped with an enchanted morningstar, a pair of boots of speed and potions of frost giant strength. He beat me up badly and would have caused me to go invisible or retreat if it weren't for my party's joint effort in taking him down.
Another fighter was barely easier to deal with, and two mages (we only faced after having rested and healed) gave us some trouble as well. They cast Chaos on Safana and they charmed her as well. I ordered my men to retreat and stay out of range. Then I drank potions of Magic Blocking to keep me safe from their magics, except for an exceptionally well-timed Spook cast right after one of those potions' protection had worn off.
With my Dagger of Venom I poisoned both Mages. The first one fell soon after, but the second one was harder to deal with, and did not go down before having injured me with damaging spells. Dorn's posioned bolts did him in though.
***
Inside the Iron Throne base, an old Dwarven mine, things only got harder for us. On the second level Safana was doing a good job disarming traps, until a Chaos spell reached her from an unseen source. It affected her and Kagain as well.
A well-buffed mage showed up not much later, followed by various guards. She enfeebled Kagain. Rasaad, in a desperate attempt to save his comrades from the guards, cast a Sun Soulray at the guards, when still confused Safana was at some distance from the target area. However she walked right back into it and got herself killed. Meanwhile Rasaad was rendered unconscious by an Emotion: Hopelessness.
The mage then disappeared, but the guards didn't. With only Dorn and me still alive and in control of ourselves, it was up to the two of us to deal with them. Enfeebled Kagain quaffed a potion of frost giant strength when his confusion had worn off. Thus the three of us finished off the guards. We waited till Rasaad was back up on his feet, picked up Safana and her belongings and went looking for a way to the next level. I got held by a Ghast but my companions slew the undead abomination before it could kill me. We discovered a secret entrance into a prison where me met a Dwarven battlepriest, Yeslick. He told us about an evil wizard named Davaeorn, the master of the mine, and he detailed the mine layout for us. We welcomed him into our party, locked ourselves in, and rested for a bit.
On the next level there were even more guards. We retreated and battled them upstairs. When we were done we descended again and found a straight, relatiely little guarded route toward the next level, which turned out to be the final level, and Davaeorn's lair.
I cast Protection from Magic on myself, and told my men to wait for me in a small, quiet chamber. Having experiences the havoc that wizards can wreak with their area-of-effect spells, I decided to confront the mage alone and well-protected against his spells. This seemed this a wise decision especially when I triggered magical web, fog and skull traps, but things worked out pretty badly. First Davaeorn fled into his library. I followed him, and once I got inside he had me face two battle horrors that blocked the way out. Davaeorn himself then dimension doored toward my companions. With a teleport field he managed to move some of my companions into the web/cloud area. While I was still fighting the Battle Horrors, a number of guards came to Davaeorn's aid. The wizard used his highly damaging fire magics, that severely injured and eventually felled the guards (though they were succeeded by new ones), Yeslick, and later even Kagain.
As soon as I dispatched one of the two Battle Horrors, I called Rasaad and Dorn, and urged them to join me in an assault on Davaeorn. After the wizard's protections wore off, I could easily slay him.
We gathered what loot we could find, picked up our fallen comrades' corpses and gear, and are now now on our way to Baldur's Gate. Morale is low, and understandably so. Never before had this party been tested so thoroughly. Three casualties have been the outcome.
I've sent one character under the Protection from Magic scroll to Davaeorn to melee him while the rest of the party was constantly busy with the upcoming Blacktalon elites. During Davaeorn's teleportations the character sent to him managed to kite Battle Horrors to the main group and then went again to melee Davaeorn. Davaeorn once appeared in the centre of the main group but quickly went elsewhere.
The battle lasted for about 1,5 hours game time (the Protection from Magic wore off not long after its ending). That tactics allowed the main party to not be bothered by any magic and nobody died.
But right after the flames had disappeared, Victor died anyway. (I suspect there must have been some fire damage anyway.)
I'm a bit sad about Victor's death because it was the result of me being not fully focused on the game and because I liked the character.
I've considered restarting and soloing Victor to Baldur's Gate, and to continue his tale with Tiax and Dorn (and Kagain, who was chunked btw) in Durlag's Tower. But I've also rolled a Bard and a Cleric/Thief... so I'll have to see what I do.
Nobody has ever beaten that combination.
It was a fine and interesting run, just a pity it had to end prior to BG2. But there're always new characters somewhere not far away : )
She will solo for awhile [Goal: Level 3-3-4] then reconnect with Imoen, who has been safely sequestered with Firebead and has gathered much useful info, and recruit Branwen, Kivan and Dynaheir. Planning to feature Stealthy Backstabs and the common feature of dualling Imoen at Level 5 ~~but, as a Cleric! instead of Mage.
I did it long ago (with an editor) but I dual classed at a much higher level. That was just for the fun but the overall game was not so fun...
I kinda think some interesting elements might arise from the idea. Good Cleric trying to keep her headstrong brother from going to the dark side...
It is nice to play her as a swashbuckler (if you haven't tried yet).