An Account of Levinus Sternfell's Expedition to Icewind Dale (first time playthrough)
Blackraven
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This is the journal of Levinus Sternfell, itinerant Cleric of Lathander, serving at the Morning Watchtower in the village of Deadsnows in the foothills north of the Nether Mountains.
I went with Cleric/Ranger and edited him into a Priest of Lathander (kitting characters is possible for me because I'm playing with the IWD in BG2 mod, which, as the name implies, allows me to play IWD in the BG2 engine). I wanted to play a Priest, but all I know about this game is that it is quite a hard game and involves a lot of fighting (more so than Baldur’s Gate), hence my choice for Cleric/Ranger rather plain Cleric. As in BG the Cleric/Ranger gets Druid spells but only up until the level that Rangers get to cast spells (I think that in IWD this is caster level 4), so unlike in BG no high level Druid spells for a Cleric/Ranger.
By the way, the obvious class choice would have been a single or multiclass Mage since the IWD NPC mod I’m playing with has no default Mage, and the fact that some of the NPCs’ banter refers to their original classes makes that radically changing NPC classes would be immersion breaking. However, below I’ll explain how I customized one of the NPCs to avoid having to play a Mage (just not my favorite class I’m afraid).
In this journal I shall relate the details of my expedition to Icewind Dale. My captain, high priest Ashnar the Humble, has given me the task to spread the light of the Morninglord in the far north and, no less urgent, to investigate rumors that have reached the Temple of unnaturally severe weather conditions, suggesting that a force of darkness has been at work in the north. I understand that at least one or two other Temples of my faith are sending priests as well.
***
I traveled first via Sundabar to Silverymoon where I called on the Rhyester’s Matins Temple. I learnt from one of the Dawnbringers that an initiate from Waterdeep, Endricane, had left for the Ten Towns four or five days before me. He is likely to be found in Easthaven. I shall look for him when I arrive.
From Silverymoon I traveled along the River Rauvin, and trekked through the Lurkwood (keeping to the relatively safe southern borders of the forest) until I reached Grunwald. From there I’ve followed the Long Road passing Mirabar and Luskan. Joining a trade caravan I made my way through a pass in the western part of the Spine of the World mountain range. On the Long Road I met and befriended a Half-Elven adventurer by the name of Teri, a swashbuckling type with a few magic tricks up her sleeve as well.
In the IWD NPC mod, Teri’s default class is Thief, although the mod makes it possible to set her class to Fighter/Thief, Mage/Thief or one of the Thief kits as well. I opted for Mage/Thief and kitted her as a Swashbuckler, so that she would be a bit stronger in physical combat. I don’t regret the decision, the Swashbuckler kit goes well with her extraverted nature.
Apparently Teri’s the sole child of two adventurers, and has lived most of her life on the road. She hasn’t been too forthcoming yet about her motives to be traveling all the way north, but I can’t imagine her being on the run for having committed some kind of grave crime. At the very least she seems friendly enough and honestly, after a few tendays of traveling mostly by myself, her company has been a welcome change. I’ve told her about Lathander and what it means to me to serve the Morninglord and to do good. She doesn’t seem to have a similar sense of purpose but I shan't judge her. I better be grateful, if only for thet fact that our conversations have been a nice distraction from the bitter cold we find ourselves in, because cold it is in these parts. I’m not sure if this is the unnatural weather at play that I was told about, but I do know that I would do well to get myself a thick cloak or perhaps to acquire some enchanted trinket or other to protect me from the cold as soon as I can.
***
With the caravan we reached the walled town of Bryn Shander. The caravan continued further north, toward Targos, but Teri and I headed straight for the Eastway, which leads to Easthaven. Without the warmth of the people of the caravan and without their frequent sharing of wine with us, the cold seemed even more unforgiving to both Teri and me. We were more than happy yesterday when we entered Easthaven’s Winter Cradle Tavern and found a place by the hearth and managed to reserve two rooms to rest. At the tavern Teri and I overheard a group of four adventurers conversing with one of the town’s elders, a man named Hrothgar, about an expedition to a nearby settlement called Kuldahar. The idea is to investigate the harsh, unnatural weather conditions and the purported disappearances of townspeople, and to lend whatever aid possible. Teri and I joined the conversation and I offered them my help. A Paladin by the name of Holvir, the party’s apparent leader, told me that they had just formed their party in the past few days and suggested that we band together. I assented and Teri, even if more in it for treasure and thrills, was enthusiastic as well. Beside gallant Holvir and Teri and me, our party of six includes a graceful Half-Elven Druid named Nella, a quiet Elven Archer by the name of Korin, and Severn, a witty Halfling Bard.
Holvir is a Paladin by default. I merely kitted him as an Undead Hunter for RP purposes. I understand there are quite some Undead in the game so Undead Hunter seems fitting to me, although I have no idea how useful his immunities to Hold and Level Drain are going to be.
Nella’s default race/class is a human Fighter, but that didn’t make much sense to me, as she has been trained by Arundel the Archdruid, and her banter suggests she is a Druid. I chose to kit her as a Barbarian/Druid because I like the class combination and because she had decided to leave civilization and live in the wild.
I wanted Korin (plain Ranger by default) to be an Archer both for the ranged firepower and to set him apart from Levinus, “gameplaywise”.
Finally, Severn (plain Bard by default) I kitted as a Skald because I thought his song would contribute greatly to the warrior-heavy party and because I like the idea of him being normally all clever and witty like a typical Bard and becoming this great motivator on the battlefield.
Today my new comrades and I helped some of the townsfolk with a couple of minor errands, bought some basic equipment, and killed off a small group of Goblins at the edge of town. For Hrothgar we tracked a lost caravan that had fallen victim to Orcish raiders led by an Ogre east of Easthaven. With some difficulty we slew the monsters including the Ogre in their stronghold, allowing the townsfolk to recover whatever was left of the goods.
Sunscorch is a really nice spell, as it always deals damage (save vs spell for half), the damage increases with the caster’s level, and above all: the target is blinded for three rounds.
When we returned to Easthaven this evening, we decided to stock up on ammo and weaponry at Pomab's (a Calimshite store owner), and on healing potions at the Church of Tempus. An interesting place by the way, holding the remains of legendary Jerrod the Barbarian who had sacrificed his life to prevent the Ten Towns from being overrun by demons. Outside, swift-footed Nella ran into a priest who proved to be Endricane. He told us that his missionary work was taking him to other towns, where Tempus’ presence would be less palpable. I explained that I couldn’t join him (yet), as I had given my word to Hrothgar to accompany him on his expedition to Kuldahar. Endricane and I agreed to meet up in Bryn Shander on the day of the next full moon.
My comrades and I are now going to take some well-deserved rest because tomorrow morning we’ll be off to Kuldahar with Hrothgar and others.
***
I went with Cleric/Ranger and edited him into a Priest of Lathander (kitting characters is possible for me because I'm playing with the IWD in BG2 mod, which, as the name implies, allows me to play IWD in the BG2 engine). I wanted to play a Priest, but all I know about this game is that it is quite a hard game and involves a lot of fighting (more so than Baldur’s Gate), hence my choice for Cleric/Ranger rather plain Cleric. As in BG the Cleric/Ranger gets Druid spells but only up until the level that Rangers get to cast spells (I think that in IWD this is caster level 4), so unlike in BG no high level Druid spells for a Cleric/Ranger.
By the way, the obvious class choice would have been a single or multiclass Mage since the IWD NPC mod I’m playing with has no default Mage, and the fact that some of the NPCs’ banter refers to their original classes makes that radically changing NPC classes would be immersion breaking. However, below I’ll explain how I customized one of the NPCs to avoid having to play a Mage (just not my favorite class I’m afraid).
In this journal I shall relate the details of my expedition to Icewind Dale. My captain, high priest Ashnar the Humble, has given me the task to spread the light of the Morninglord in the far north and, no less urgent, to investigate rumors that have reached the Temple of unnaturally severe weather conditions, suggesting that a force of darkness has been at work in the north. I understand that at least one or two other Temples of my faith are sending priests as well.
***
I traveled first via Sundabar to Silverymoon where I called on the Rhyester’s Matins Temple. I learnt from one of the Dawnbringers that an initiate from Waterdeep, Endricane, had left for the Ten Towns four or five days before me. He is likely to be found in Easthaven. I shall look for him when I arrive.
From Silverymoon I traveled along the River Rauvin, and trekked through the Lurkwood (keeping to the relatively safe southern borders of the forest) until I reached Grunwald. From there I’ve followed the Long Road passing Mirabar and Luskan. Joining a trade caravan I made my way through a pass in the western part of the Spine of the World mountain range. On the Long Road I met and befriended a Half-Elven adventurer by the name of Teri, a swashbuckling type with a few magic tricks up her sleeve as well.
In the IWD NPC mod, Teri’s default class is Thief, although the mod makes it possible to set her class to Fighter/Thief, Mage/Thief or one of the Thief kits as well. I opted for Mage/Thief and kitted her as a Swashbuckler, so that she would be a bit stronger in physical combat. I don’t regret the decision, the Swashbuckler kit goes well with her extraverted nature.
Apparently Teri’s the sole child of two adventurers, and has lived most of her life on the road. She hasn’t been too forthcoming yet about her motives to be traveling all the way north, but I can’t imagine her being on the run for having committed some kind of grave crime. At the very least she seems friendly enough and honestly, after a few tendays of traveling mostly by myself, her company has been a welcome change. I’ve told her about Lathander and what it means to me to serve the Morninglord and to do good. She doesn’t seem to have a similar sense of purpose but I shan't judge her. I better be grateful, if only for thet fact that our conversations have been a nice distraction from the bitter cold we find ourselves in, because cold it is in these parts. I’m not sure if this is the unnatural weather at play that I was told about, but I do know that I would do well to get myself a thick cloak or perhaps to acquire some enchanted trinket or other to protect me from the cold as soon as I can.
***
With the caravan we reached the walled town of Bryn Shander. The caravan continued further north, toward Targos, but Teri and I headed straight for the Eastway, which leads to Easthaven. Without the warmth of the people of the caravan and without their frequent sharing of wine with us, the cold seemed even more unforgiving to both Teri and me. We were more than happy yesterday when we entered Easthaven’s Winter Cradle Tavern and found a place by the hearth and managed to reserve two rooms to rest. At the tavern Teri and I overheard a group of four adventurers conversing with one of the town’s elders, a man named Hrothgar, about an expedition to a nearby settlement called Kuldahar. The idea is to investigate the harsh, unnatural weather conditions and the purported disappearances of townspeople, and to lend whatever aid possible. Teri and I joined the conversation and I offered them my help. A Paladin by the name of Holvir, the party’s apparent leader, told me that they had just formed their party in the past few days and suggested that we band together. I assented and Teri, even if more in it for treasure and thrills, was enthusiastic as well. Beside gallant Holvir and Teri and me, our party of six includes a graceful Half-Elven Druid named Nella, a quiet Elven Archer by the name of Korin, and Severn, a witty Halfling Bard.
Holvir is a Paladin by default. I merely kitted him as an Undead Hunter for RP purposes. I understand there are quite some Undead in the game so Undead Hunter seems fitting to me, although I have no idea how useful his immunities to Hold and Level Drain are going to be.
Nella’s default race/class is a human Fighter, but that didn’t make much sense to me, as she has been trained by Arundel the Archdruid, and her banter suggests she is a Druid. I chose to kit her as a Barbarian/Druid because I like the class combination and because she had decided to leave civilization and live in the wild.
I wanted Korin (plain Ranger by default) to be an Archer both for the ranged firepower and to set him apart from Levinus, “gameplaywise”.
Finally, Severn (plain Bard by default) I kitted as a Skald because I thought his song would contribute greatly to the warrior-heavy party and because I like the idea of him being normally all clever and witty like a typical Bard and becoming this great motivator on the battlefield.
Today my new comrades and I helped some of the townsfolk with a couple of minor errands, bought some basic equipment, and killed off a small group of Goblins at the edge of town. For Hrothgar we tracked a lost caravan that had fallen victim to Orcish raiders led by an Ogre east of Easthaven. With some difficulty we slew the monsters including the Ogre in their stronghold, allowing the townsfolk to recover whatever was left of the goods.
Sunscorch is a really nice spell, as it always deals damage (save vs spell for half), the damage increases with the caster’s level, and above all: the target is blinded for three rounds.
When we returned to Easthaven this evening, we decided to stock up on ammo and weaponry at Pomab's (a Calimshite store owner), and on healing potions at the Church of Tempus. An interesting place by the way, holding the remains of legendary Jerrod the Barbarian who had sacrificed his life to prevent the Ten Towns from being overrun by demons. Outside, swift-footed Nella ran into a priest who proved to be Endricane. He told us that his missionary work was taking him to other towns, where Tempus’ presence would be less palpable. I explained that I couldn’t join him (yet), as I had given my word to Hrothgar to accompany him on his expedition to Kuldahar. Endricane and I agreed to meet up in Bryn Shander on the day of the next full moon.
My comrades and I are now going to take some well-deserved rest because tomorrow morning we’ll be off to Kuldahar with Hrothgar and others.
***
10
Comments
(Edit: I have also a cleric/ranger in my mind, what i would like to journal, so this is doubly interesting for me.)
So what I did was to look for portraits in more or less the same style that fit the characters how I imagined them (without knowing them very wll to be honest).
Here they are:
Tragedy has befallen our expedition. In the Kuldahar pass we were ambushed by a band of Giants who, throwing boulders at us from above, managed to cause an avalanche that killed our entire expedition party but the six of us. Holvir, Nella, Teri, Severn, and I were lucky to be forming the frontline, following Korin’s trail who had been scouting ahead, when the Giants attacked. The others behind us, Hildreth, a Dwarven warrioress we had met at the Winter’s Cradle Tavern, Hrothgar the expedition leader, and many nameless companions, all gone…
After a pause for contemplation and prayer, we decided to try and help Kuldahar anyway, for Kuldahar and also for the good people that had just fallen for a just cause. This wasn’t that difficult a decision by the way, as there was no way to return with the path back to Easthaven completely blocked with boulders and a huge mass of ice and snow.
I’m unsettled by the fact that the Giants, who are normally unaggressive so long as one doesn’t infringe upon their territory, bothered with attacking us from atop their crags, far from the road we had been on. Maybe there is indeed a force of evil conspiring against the (relative) peace in the Dale.
After we recomposed ourselves, we met a kindly hermit further down the road. He gave us directions to Kuldahar and told us that he would bury the corpses as soon the snow would melt (which might be a long time from now). We would have two more interesting encounters before making it to Kuldahar, one with a confused Ogre in an abandoned tower and the other with a Goblin Marshall outside a mill. Both were in tremendous pain. Nella gave the Ogre a herbal recipe to soothe the headache it was suffering from. We had difficulty reasoning with the Goblin Marshall. It kept yammering about a voice in his head that apparently dictated his actions. The mill itself was in the process of being plundered by Orcs when we entered. It pains me that we failed to arrive in time to save its inhabitants, whose corpses we found on the floor. There was little we could but to slay the Orcs, and so we did.
***
I seem to have gained Korin’s trust. He confided to me that he had always wanted to be a powerful wizard and that he had come close to being one. In his youth he was the most talented spellcaster of his community so he claims, and not through learning but through innate arcane power, a Sorcerer. However, one day he noticed that his powers had waned, his connection with the Weave severed. He fled from his people, ashamed of what had happened, ashamed of himself. He lived in solitude and trained himself to be a Ranger. I must admit he’s pretty good at it. He’s great with his longbow and his tracking skills are admirable as well. Another good thing that seems to have come out of the experience he related to me, is his present humbleness. He told me he used to be an arrogant young Elf, but the Korin I know is modest, unassuming.
***
With the greatest of oaks that I had ever laid eyes on as its beacon, and with its luscious verdure all around, Kuldahar loomed before us as an oasis of perpetual birth and growth and fertility in the desert of frost and death that we found ourselves in. The place looks to have been blessed by Lathander himself. Nella solemnly recounted to me how she had felt an irresistible pull to the Oak, about as profound a connection as the one that may be felt with a parent, when she first beheld the tree. She had been 11 years old and visiting Kuldahar with her parents, traveling merchants from Bryn Shander. Such was the pull that she hid in the tree, away from her parents, after they refused to allow her to stay in Kuldahar. The following day the Archdruid Arundel found her, and reunited her with her parents, but four years later, at the age of 15, she returned to stay with Arundel and to be trained in the ways of the Druid.
The same Arundel, still Kuldahar’s Archdruid, greeted us in his residence, a small home built between some of the roots of the great Oak. His welcome was warm but his tidings were disturbing. He confirmed the rumors we had heard before of the unnaturally severe weather conditions. It turns out that the cold is unheard-of indeed and that it has presented itself earlier this year than in other years. The Oak is producing less and less warmth, and might even be dying, which would also mean the end of Kuldahar. Arundel also told us about normally undisciplined monsters working in concerted action. He mentioned the sight of Giants patrolling in groups of ten outside Kuldahar, keeping strictly to their routes. This behavior reminds me of the Giants that had seemingly awaited us to cause the avalanche in the Kuldahar pass for no apparent reason. Finally Arundel mentioned numerous cases of recent disappearances of people, abductions maybe, as no bodies have been found. The Druid asked us to investigate the Vale of Shadows just east of Kuldahar. Most people who go there do not return, according to Arundel. There might be an evil presence at work there that might have to do with the recent events in Kuldahar. We told Arundel that we needed to rest first, and that we would set out for the Vale of Shadows the next day.
Before we checked in at the local inn we explored the settlement for a bit. The potter, the smith and most of the inhabitants were understandably disheartened and frightened by the events that have been plaguing Kuldahar. It was a stark contrast with the peace I felt in warm, green Kuldahar. The smith had some very good weaponry for sale, most of it at exorbitant prices, but two cheaper items, a well-balanced, enchanted scimitar and a masterfully crafted mace, might become affordable in the near future for Teri and me respectively. A wizard called Orrick the Grey sold us a number of useful scrolls, such as Web, for Teri and Severn. He asked us to keep an eye out for information about a "mythal stone", purportedly a source of powerful elven magic. At the Evening Shade Inn we were received surprisingly rudely by the self-proclaimed proprietor, a Halfling named Aldwin. However, he would sing a different tune soon after, when Teri showed him a deed from the previous owner, bequeathing the Inn not to Aldwin but to the people of Kuldhar. I have my suspicions about the way Teri came across the deed, but in the end it may be for the better that we taught Aldwin a lesson.
***
In the morning we set out to the Vale of Shadows, an apt name as we would learn, given the presence of Shadows roaming about. At the same time Vale of Sketetons or Vale of the Yeti would have been fitting names as well. We had to battle plenty of the undead creatures and the monsters.
The Vale contained various crypts, a cave, and a temple, which we investigated in that order. Outside we had to deal mostly with Yetis. In total we must have killed at least fifteen during our exploration of the Vale. We skinned most of them and kept the pelts to enable the people of Kuldahar to protect themselves against the extreme cold and, honestly, to make some gold when we get back to Kuldahar (if we make it back). Thankfully we only had to face two or three at a time, manageable numbers.
Exploring the Vale amidst Yetis slain by us.
The burial chambers were guarded by undead of different types: Zombies, Ghouls, Ghasts, Skeletons, and the occasional Shadow. Their numbers were never greater than ours, and we also never got into serious trouble with a proven battle formation of Holvir, Nella and me fighting at the frontline, Korin and Teri contributing with ranged attacks and last but not least Severn inspiring all of us with his battlesong in ways that never cease to impress me.
Really, the Halfling Bard tends to behave like little more than a joker and smooth talker most of the time. But that’s until battle breaks out. At that point he becomes someone else. His singing instils belief and courage in all of us. I notice that it makes me concentrate on nothing but the moment, aware that nothing matters but beating our enemies. Severn’s expressed uncertainty regarding his use to the group but my companions and I have assured him that his song does wonders to all of us.
In terms of loot a pair of protective Bracers (AC8) for Teri, an enchanted fine long sword for Holvir, a number of (both priest and arcane) scrolls have probably been our best finds. We also held on to a few keys we saw no immediate use for.
The cave I mentioned housed more Yetis for us to slay. We ended up with so many pelts that we decided to return to Kuldahar to unburden ourselves and report our findings so far to Arundel, who urged us to investigate the temple. We then returned to the Vale of Shadows to enter the temple. Teri seemed most excited at the prospect of traps and other dangers awaiting us.
Upon entering, for one instant I thought the temple with its warm, earthy colors looked welcoming albeit long abandoned, but we made no mistake. This temple was dedicated to Myrkul, the God of Death. We weren’t surprised when it proved to be heavily guarded by undead. After we slew a few Temple Guardians, formidable undead fighters they are, and an Undead Mage that warned us how dangerous it could be by successfully casting Hold Person on Korin, we triggered a trap that Teri had failed to detect [despite having a respectable Detect Traps score of 70]. It caused the six of us except Korin who had been straggling behind, to fall asleep while we were under attack by Skeletons. Severn was the first to wake up again, followed by me. The three of us managed to keep the Skeletons from hurting our companions until they too woke up. We then proceeded to finish our foes off.
Curiously, Teri triggered various undetected traps in the temple, which has made her Detect Traps skill a top priority for me.
I was pleased to see confirmed that Holvir in his capacity of Undead Hunter considered it his sacred duty to completely cleanse the temple of its undead presence, much like me as a Dawnbringer of Lathander. We explored all the hallways and left no crevice untouched. A fortunate consequence of our thorough approach was that it allowed us to fill our coffers and to acquire a number of useful items (such as Gauntlets of Weapon Skill, a Black Wolf Talisman, and a Ring of Shadows) as well as less useful items that we could sell later. Tinkering with the keys we had found in the crypts outside as well two more keys we had come across inside the temple, we managed to find our way to a lower level that turned out to be infested with undead as well. At one point we were overwhelmed by an undead army of Tattered Skeletons, sharpshooting Skeleton Archers, a Skeleton Mage and a handful of Imbued Wights, some of these creatures apparently summoned by a trap we had unknowingly triggered, much to Teri’s frustration. We were lucky to be attacked first by a single Tattered Skeleton, that we easily dispatched, and the Skeletal Mage only. After I failed to Silence the latter, my comrades and I killed it off with our ranged weapons. Most of the subsequent fighting was quite straightforward. After all, with the exception of the rarer spellcasting types, undead are unintelligent creatures that simply attack what they have been instructed to attack, without anything resembling a strategy. Regardless, the Skeleton Archers seriously injured almost all of us. It was a good thing that we had brought a decent stock of healing potions with us.
The remainder of our exploration of the temple posed no real trouble, even though when entering a third and final level we were welcomed by another horde of undead. This time there were no casters. We simply let the Spectral Guards, Tattered Skeletons, Temple Guardians, and Skeletons come at us, and took them on one or two at a time.
Finally we spoke with the spirit of a creature called Kresselack. It would have answers for us if we were to kill Lysan for him, an evil priestess of Auril who for the greater glory of her deity was working to cover the entire Dale under a smothering layer of permafrost. We found her in the Yeti cave we had cleared earlier. She made no secrets of her intentions when we confronted her and before we knew she summoned a pack of Yetis and attacked. Holvir, Nella and I focused on her first though, to prevent her from casting, while Korin and Teri took on some of the Yetis. Lysan and her summons fell rapidly enough.
When we returned to speak with Kresselack, all it had to say was that it hadn’t been involved in the troubles that had been plaguing Kuldahar. I believe the spirit. I find the activities of Auril's clergy much more suspect. The spirit offered us the contents of its coffin, including a suit of plate mail and an enchanted two-handed greatsword that Korin is currently wielding for melee purposes.
The outcome basically meant that we had come to the Vale of Shadows pretty much for nothing but the satisfaction of slaying undead and finding loot. As the spirit admitted to being evil both Holvir and I wanted to finish it but Nella, more worried about Kuldahar, warned us against it. We oughtn’t risk ourselves against an ancient spirit that’s probably very powerful given its resting place in a temple replete with undead guardians. She was right of course, Kuldahar and its people were relying on us, and had to be our priority, so that’s where we went.
***
Arundel was grateful for our efforts but at the same time understandably puzzled by the persistent uncertainty as to the cause of Kuldahar's troubles. He asked us to look for the Heartstone Gem that is reported to be seen in the Temple of the Forgotten God, far east of Kuldahar. Apparently this gem had been stolen once from the Druids of Kuladahar. It is said to have magical properties that make it useful for divination purposes.
We rested a night, sold some loot and, the next day we set out to the Temple, somewhat reluctantly I must say. we. So far we've been groping in the dark really, and the fact that we now seem to depend on this gemstone that might not even be where we're told it is, doesn't do much to improve our prospects.
It took us two nychtemerons to get to the Temple. From a distance we observed a massive statue of a hooded figure, the forgotten deity. None of was able to identify who this forgotten God was. By the entrance we enountered a Verbeeg guard that told us it was fleeing the Temple. Battle had just been or was still being fought inside the Temple. When we entered we found out that the Temple had been invaded by thieves or perhaps a rivaling clergy. Unfortunately there was no reasoning with the Temple acolytes who took us for associates of the intruders. It led to a second bloodbath (after the one following the intrusion by the unknown faction before us). It pains me to say that both acolytes and their Verbeeg lackeys dropped like flies, but it was us or them, and we were only defending ourselves.
To do the acolytes justice they did a respectable job at defending their territory. They used Hold spells to keep us in place and have their Verbeegs finish off. One of those spells actually connected, and held a few of us, including myself. But the others were fast enough to dispatch the acolytes (who had little protection against our missile attacks, dressed as they were in their plain robes). One particularly interesting encounter had one of them casting Entangle on us, and Teri casting Web on them. The fact that we were still able to use our ranged weapons while being entangled whereas Ter's Web froze them in place, was clearly in our favor.
We reached the Temple's inner sanctum only to discover that the Heartstone Gem had been robbed by the intruders that had preceded us. We saw the corpse of what must have been a Priest of Talona, judging by the vestments, and a vial of poison we found. Back in Kuldahar, Arundel examined the poison and identified it as the venom of a poisonous reptile species. It loses its effectiveness within a few days, so for it to be of any use to the Talonite priest, the venom must have been acquired within the relative vicinity of Kuldahar. The only nearby place where these reptiles live is in a dormant volcano called Dragon's Eye. This is going to be our next destination in our search for answers, but not before we conclude some business with the smith (it's finally time to buy that mace for myself and the scimitar for Teri and to stock up on ammunition), and get some rest.
About the megamod, it looks to me like putting BG2 kits and abilities into Icewind Dale is overpowering the early part of the game a bit. Encounters that should be challenging are almost getting roflstomped. I'll be interested to see if later encounters get any more difficult, but so far, I very much prefer the original game mechanics to the BG2 version.
In fact my run has kind of come to a halt after two members of the party (Holvir the Undead Hunter and Nella the Barbarian/Druid) fell to Bombadeer beetle's stuns and attacks. I have virtually no Free Action, only gold to raise one of the two fallen characters, and no options of questing elsewhere to generate some gold... Really difficult, and the latter aspect (linearity of the game) is a bit offputting. I intend to continue the run sooner or later, but I'll either have to heavily reload through the game or find some kind of trick. I think I could have really used a Sorcerer there with multiple Sleeps or Webs.
I still have the install, not so much time though. I've barely even been playing BG, or checking the forums... Today I squeezed in an update on my run with Butch documenting progress made a week ago.
Levinus's must be one of my better journals, so fwiw, later doesn't mean never as far as I'm concerned
I think I'll have too look into that one once I finish my current playthroughs!