After ceremoniously depositing Yeslick on the heap, Pollie and her...let's call them traveling companions. No one really wants to be her friend at this point. More than a dozen and a half of her "friends" are piled up in a circle of rocks out in some gibberling infested woods, her reputation with the general populace is in the shitter, they are tired and ready to get this over with already. So "friend" is not the word most of them would choose at this point. Anyway, they headed back to Baldur's Gate for reinforcements. Pollie decided to drag along Tiax, because, well, why not. He probably doesn't eat much, and he can sleep at the foot of the bed at the inn. All rested up and ready to hit the road again, Pollie is pulled aside on the street and told that Duke Eltan has grown ill...mysteriously, of course. (Aside: I'm really bad at remembering names and the particular sequence of events of this part of the game, so there's no need to correct any errors I make here.) Well, Pollie *could* drag everyone back over to Durlag's Tower to very possibly get slaughtered, or she could get on with it and get this inevitable confrontation with Sarevok over with. Screw it. Let's just get it over with. Traveling through the city becomes a chore due to the Flaming Fist soldiers chasing them at every turn, and eventually they are caught. At the Flaming Fist compound, Pollie et al are imprisoned. Apparently the FF is under new management. Their customer service has gone down the drain. Fortunately Pollie finds her cell mysteriously and conveniently open. Her mastery of lock picking is no match for the impenetrable locks on the other cells. A nice young man named Neb graciously helps them escape and they are on their way. Long story short, various other "research" followed, resulting in much bloodshed, the freeing of Duke Elton from his nefarious doctor, and the acquisition of Sarevok's diary and invitations to the Ducal Palace for Sarevok's coronation. At the Ducal Palace, Sarevok acts like a real heel. A group of the noble persons in attendance transform into doppelgängers and go after the remaining council members. Pollie and crew mop the floor with them, and are left to deal with Sarevok. Everyone keeps their distance and come out pretty much unscratched. Only Viconia got in close and went toe to toe with the big guy. He hit her like a ton of bricks and brought her down to a precious few HP. Thankfully she managed to get out of the way while everyone else laid into him with missile weapons. Well they showed him what for, because he made up some excuse to get outta there and head for his hideout. A quick magical transport and the party find themselves back at the thieves guild. "He went thatta way!" says the thief pointing down some previously hidden stairway... To be continued...
"A nice young man named Neb graciously helps them escape "
Ooooh! I wonder if that's the same Neb that MC ran into in SoA. I hadn't taken any note of the fellow at the time, not having gone through any of SoA yet. Is there any description of him or of his character? In SoA, the guy named Neb is a minor villain ... well, a total swine actually ... with a price on his head.
I was actually amazed you've voted for the Spellhold rather than the Lion's Way, @procco , in the latest Beamdog contest, after everything that happened in this thread:)
My tanks are all dead! Viconia and her gauntlets get the body hauling duty. Anyway, the REAL reason I picked him is I figure he'll make good bait for Sarevok. Something tells me he won't last through to the end of the game. I'm going to TRY to get everyone else through, but we'll see what happens.
And so it ends. Pollie and her team descended into the thieves' maze. Working their way through was a challenge, what with traps, skeleton warriors, oozes, and doom guards at every turn. But make it through they did. They came upon Sarevok's master, had a nice little chat, and left him to die alone and forgotten. Passing through the door at the end of the maze, they came into a ruined city. Now *that's* a graveyard, thought Pollie. She should have dragged everyone down here. Venturing into the ruins, they were assaulted by a party of thugs from the Iron Throne. Surely they'll want to help us take down Sarevok. Nope. In fact, they completely wiped the party out several times. Finally, Pollie meditated on the challenge and decided the best course of action would be to hide just out of their line of sight and use one of those cloud kill scrolls she'd been hanging on to. That, in combination with a web spell and copious amounts of fireballs from the dozen or so wands they'd collected in their travels made quick work of the Iron Throne creeps. At the entrance to the temple where Sarevok's was surely hiding, they were again met by Tamoko. She was a little pissed Pollie went back on her word to not kill Sarevok. Pollie tried reasoning with Tamoko, but it ended in blows. Tamoko was dead. Alright, this is it. The party rested on the steps to the temple, cast about every protective spell they could muster, and headed inside. Inside the temple, Pollie crept forward...she just knew the place would be trapped, and she was right. Sensing that Sarevok must be just on the other side of those traps (oddly she couldn't see, even if it was maybe 20 yards or so away) she used the other remaining cloud kill scroll. The cries of pain she heard told her there must be someone there. Not taking any chances, she and the rest of the team began unloading their fireball wands across to the platform, hearing more cries of pain with each shot. Silly Tiax must have moved a little too close to the stage, and Sarevok finally stepped forward. He closed the gap between himself and the party quickly, but they had time to launch a volley on magic missiles at him, hurting him badly. He was able to get in a swipe at Baeloth, hurting the drow, but that gave the party a chance to get off a second volley of magic missiles. And that was that.
A round of high fives amongst the crew, and they were out of there.
Thanks for reading! I'll be back with a recap this evening.
I'm hoping pollie will make it to BG2. I have enjoyed following her adventure so far. Excellent written.
And Pollie can keep her SoA "company" right at the graveyard or at the exit from the starting dungeon. Cracked stones, signs of a big boom, and "company members" all around...
I am planning on taking her into SoA, but I don't think I'm going to attempt the same type of minimal reload game. There's not nearly as many characters to fall back on in BGII. Oh, alright. I'll give it a go...I may not make it too far into the game, though. I'm much less familiar with BGII, so it'll probably be pretty hilarious how quickly I kill everyone off.
Heeh, cute indeed. And you defeated Sarevok better than I did. Took me over a dozen reloads before the RNG gods favored me. Reading Pollie's saga inspired me to do something similar for BG2, although my recounting is nowhere nearly as well organized.
I'm not sure Pollie will need a graveyard in SoA; if nothing else, there's a Rod of Resurrection available. Now, I suppose for RP reasons (or just for a challenge, sort of like a no-reload run but worse) you could pretend that it was impossible to raise any of your companions, but considering the death rate later on it might be difficult to get through without running out of NPCs. This is especially true with the improved combat AI that the newer EE characters (Neera, Rasaad, Hexxat) evoke. Those fights are HARD.
Thank you for the very interesting reads, though many fell, they fell heroically and even though the name Pollie doesn't sound heroic at all, she was very heroic to carry on even though companions fell left and right and kept on lying dead left and right of Gorion.
I'd love to see a continuation of her adventures too.
Recap: Well, that was a lot of fun, but I think it's time for a little reflection and inventory taking. Let's see who we have over in the graveyard and what killed them: Montaron (wolf) Jaheira (wolf) Neera (poorly aimed wand of lightning) Minsc (poorly aimed color spray, kobold) Khalid (ogre) Kagain (ogre) Xzar (cave bear) Kivan ( assassins near exit from Nashkel mines) Branwen (ditto) Rasaad (Malkax the hobgoblin) Xan (gnolls in bandit camp) Dorn (ankheg) Ajantis (bear) Dynaheir (wizards of Thay) Faldorn (bear) Shar-teel (Khark, the ogre mage in a jar) Yeslick (warders in Durlag's Tower) 5 random bodies from the sewers in Baldur's Gate
Let's see who survived: we have the final party of Imoen, Viconia, Coran, Baeloth, and Tiax (who I was freaking TRYING to kill but he kept getting by). Garrick ran away, never to be seen again. Eldoth, Skie, and Quayle are, as far as I know, still hanging out at the Elfsong. Edwin was killed by Minsc before even leaving Nashkel. And Safana was ditched somewhere along the coast and forgotten about. Did I miss anyone?
Final tally:18 dead(including Edwin) and 10 survivors.
Now off to Amn. I'll begin posting again soon over in the BGII forum.
I'm hoping pollie will make it to BG2. I have enjoyed following her adventure so far. Excellent written.
And Pollie can keep her SoA "company" right at the graveyard or at the exit from the starting dungeon. Cracked stones, signs of a big boom, and "company members" all around...
That, or there is a convenient graveyard nearby. Maybe they'll get dumped right in front of the snooty diners in Wakeen's Promenade... Or better yet, I'll find a spot near Watcher's Keep so I can use the grave in ToB as well.
Given the fact that a rod of resurrection (usable by all classes) is available relatively early in SoA, I am curious what the rationale would be for Pollie not using it to revive fallen comrades.
Given the fact that a rod of resurrection (usable by all classes) is available relatively early in SoA, I am curious what the rationale would be for Pollie not using it to revive fallen comrades.
Or you could proclaim something like ... "Death is failure! There is no room for failures amongst my companions! Join my Father in oblivion, unworthy ones!"
I strongly suggest doing a simultaneous alternate run-through where Pollie is less judgmental, just for your own edification. Certain scenarios, especially those using the upgraded AI combat mode, can have a high fatality fate. The Twisted Rune, the Red Wizard Enclave and the finale of Rasaad's quest come to mind as particularly deadly. Also, dragons are no pushovers, and don't even THINK about Kangaxx. Killing his lich form is just the start of your problems.
Oh, and certain types of demise will leave your NPCs unrevivable in any event. Bring totally drained by undead, or taking enough physical damage to get "chunked" will do the deed. There is no corpse to be raised in those cases.
Comments
All rested up and ready to hit the road again, Pollie is pulled aside on the street and told that Duke Eltan has grown ill...mysteriously, of course. (Aside: I'm really bad at remembering names and the particular sequence of events of this part of the game, so there's no need to correct any errors I make here.)
Well, Pollie *could* drag everyone back over to Durlag's Tower to very possibly get slaughtered, or she could get on with it and get this inevitable confrontation with Sarevok over with. Screw it. Let's just get it over with.
Traveling through the city becomes a chore due to the Flaming Fist soldiers chasing them at every turn, and eventually they are caught. At the Flaming Fist compound, Pollie et al are imprisoned. Apparently the FF is under new management. Their customer service has gone down the drain. Fortunately Pollie finds her cell mysteriously and conveniently open. Her mastery of lock picking is no match for the impenetrable locks on the other cells. A nice young man named Neb graciously helps them escape and they are on their way.
Long story short, various other "research" followed, resulting in much bloodshed, the freeing of Duke Elton from his nefarious doctor, and the acquisition of Sarevok's diary and invitations to the Ducal Palace for Sarevok's coronation.
At the Ducal Palace, Sarevok acts like a real heel. A group of the noble persons in attendance transform into doppelgängers and go after the remaining council members. Pollie and crew mop the floor with them, and are left to deal with Sarevok. Everyone keeps their distance and come out pretty much unscratched. Only Viconia got in close and went toe to toe with the big guy. He hit her like a ton of bricks and brought her down to a precious few HP. Thankfully she managed to get out of the way while everyone else laid into him with missile weapons. Well they showed him what for, because he made up some excuse to get outta there and head for his hideout.
A quick magical transport and the party find themselves back at the thieves guild. "He went thatta way!" says the thief pointing down some previously hidden stairway...
To be continued...
Ooooh! I wonder if that's the same Neb that MC ran into in SoA. I hadn't taken any note of the fellow at the time, not having gone through any of SoA yet. Is there any description of him or of his character? In SoA, the guy named Neb is a minor villain ... well, a total swine actually ... with a price on his head.
Passing through the door at the end of the maze, they came into a ruined city. Now *that's* a graveyard, thought Pollie. She should have dragged everyone down here. Venturing into the ruins, they were assaulted by a party of thugs from the Iron Throne. Surely they'll want to help us take down Sarevok. Nope. In fact, they completely wiped the party out several times. Finally, Pollie meditated on the challenge and decided the best course of action would be to hide just out of their line of sight and use one of those cloud kill scrolls she'd been hanging on to. That, in combination with a web spell and copious amounts of fireballs from the dozen or so wands they'd collected in their travels made quick work of the Iron Throne creeps.
At the entrance to the temple where Sarevok's was surely hiding, they were again met by Tamoko. She was a little pissed Pollie went back on her word to not kill Sarevok. Pollie tried reasoning with Tamoko, but it ended in blows. Tamoko was dead.
Alright, this is it. The party rested on the steps to the temple, cast about every protective spell they could muster, and headed inside. Inside the temple, Pollie crept forward...she just knew the place would be trapped, and she was right. Sensing that Sarevok must be just on the other side of those traps (oddly she couldn't see, even if it was maybe 20 yards or so away) she used the other remaining cloud kill scroll. The cries of pain she heard told her there must be someone there. Not taking any chances, she and the rest of the team began unloading their fireball wands across to the platform, hearing more cries of pain with each shot. Silly Tiax must have moved a little too close to the stage, and Sarevok finally stepped forward. He closed the gap between himself and the party quickly, but they had time to launch a volley on magic missiles at him, hurting him badly. He was able to get in a swipe at Baeloth, hurting the drow, but that gave the party a chance to get off a second volley of magic missiles. And that was that.
A round of high fives amongst the crew, and they were out of there.
Thanks for reading! I'll be back with a recap this evening.
Congratulations on beating BG with those who were left behind! And thanks for a nice reading:) That was a lot of fun!
I'm not sure Pollie will need a graveyard in SoA; if nothing else, there's a Rod of Resurrection available. Now, I suppose for RP reasons (or just for a challenge, sort of like a no-reload run but worse) you could pretend that it was impossible to raise any of your companions, but considering the death rate later on it might be difficult to get through without running out of NPCs. This is especially true with the improved combat AI that the newer EE characters (Neera, Rasaad, Hexxat) evoke. Those fights are HARD.
I'd love to see a continuation of her adventures too.
Well, that was a lot of fun, but I think it's time for a little reflection and inventory taking. Let's see who we have over in the graveyard and what killed them:
Montaron (wolf)
Jaheira (wolf)
Neera (poorly aimed wand of lightning)
Minsc (poorly aimed color spray, kobold)
Khalid (ogre)
Kagain (ogre)
Xzar (cave bear)
Kivan ( assassins near exit from Nashkel mines)
Branwen (ditto)
Rasaad (Malkax the hobgoblin)
Xan (gnolls in bandit camp)
Dorn (ankheg)
Ajantis (bear)
Dynaheir (wizards of Thay)
Faldorn (bear)
Shar-teel (Khark, the ogre mage in a jar)
Yeslick (warders in Durlag's Tower)
5 random bodies from the sewers in Baldur's Gate
Let's see who survived: we have the final party of Imoen, Viconia, Coran, Baeloth, and Tiax (who I was freaking TRYING to kill but he kept getting by). Garrick ran away, never to be seen again. Eldoth, Skie, and Quayle are, as far as I know, still hanging out at the Elfsong. Edwin was killed by Minsc before even leaving Nashkel. And Safana was ditched somewhere along the coast and forgotten about. Did I miss anyone?
Final tally:18 dead(including Edwin) and 10 survivors.
Now off to Amn. I'll begin posting again soon over in the BGII forum.
Or better yet, I'll find a spot near Watcher's Keep so I can use the grave in ToB as well.
http://forum.baldursgate.com/discussion/41390/keeping-khalid-company-spoilers#latest
I strongly suggest doing a simultaneous alternate run-through where Pollie is less judgmental, just for your own edification. Certain scenarios, especially those using the upgraded AI combat mode, can have a high fatality fate. The Twisted Rune, the Red Wizard Enclave and the finale of Rasaad's quest come to mind as particularly deadly. Also, dragons are no pushovers, and don't even THINK about Kangaxx. Killing his lich form is just the start of your problems.