Unfortunate events have kept me from entering Urval into the BG2 Challenge: after playing for some time with a moderately modded EE install, I had forgotten how hard my BGT install is. In the Mephit room Urval got overwhelmed by Mephits that gated in more Mephits (courtesy of aTweaks' fiendish gating component), so he didn't have only the portals to worry about, but the Mephits as well. He initially had Sanctuary up but the Mephits ignored that and still hurt him. He also had four Skeletons to help him, and he was buffed to deal more damage, but he simply wasn't deadly enough.
I made a huge mistake in not casting Stormshield before entering the Mephit room, probably because the ability is too situationally useful for me to consider it before each battle. (I would have if my Stormlord had had Lightning Bolt as a special ability, but the Divine Remix version hasn't, so I haven't had much use for Stormshield.) When I tried to cast it after all, Urval got interrupted. Pity because I was finally becoming enthusiastic...
I can see myself give Urval a second try though, am curious about his BG2 potential.
Meanwhile, here's an update on my more roleplayed run with
Victor, the Mage turned Fighter (Update 3):
A young girl approached us in Beregost and told us, before she collapsed from exhaustion, that she had been watching Bassilus and his 'funny spooks'. We understood from her that the evil priest was to be found to the southwest of Beregost. We decided to go after this opportunity to deal justice and behandsomely rewarded for it. We weren't going to explore the mines before Dorn's ankheg armor was ready anyway. It took us a day's trek to locate Bassilus and a dozen or more skeletons and zombies he kept as his family. When he refused to surrender, and set his undead on us, Kagain charged in, which I thought both valiant and unwise. I used a Wand of Paralyzation I had found in the treasure cave on the coast to stun the priest before he could harm us. We then proceeded to cleanse the place of its animated dead.
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 my fuel, and it shall continue to be so.
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