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[Blind_Visionary]

Pter pushed open the gates of the Candlekeep Inn, stomping up to the bar.

 

"Winthrop!" shouted Pter. "I need a new axe!"

 

"What did you do with the last one I sold you?" Winthrop sighed, strolling out of the kitchen, wiping his greasy hands on his apron.

 

"It was faulty," Pter said, holding out fragments of iron in one hand and a splintered haft in the other. "How can I expect to purge the cellars of undead when the axes you sell me can't even handle a rat?"

 

"You must've swung too hard," said Winthrop. "How hard do you have to hit a rat to kill it? Any axe would break when smashed into a stone floor at full strength."

 

"Bah," huffed Pter. "Just give me another axe. I've undead to smite."

 

"We're in Candlekeep, kid," said Winthrop. "Its a library. Not much more dangerous you'll find down there than rats. And certainly no undead ones."

 

"I had a vision," replied Pter. "The Lady of Strategy herself appeared to me in a dream. She told me I'd need to go to the cellars of Candlekeep and bring light to the darkness. I'm certain of it. Gorion belives me. Why else would he have brought me inside these walls? It's a holy mission."

 

"Fine, kid, just don't burn the books," said Winthrop, pulling an axe from a rack on the wall. "This is my last one. Break this one and you'll have to use something less holy."

 

[Blackraven]

Awesome intro B_V, safe travels!
Thank you @Dyara Hope to see more of your nice writing soon...

Kathlen, Gnome Cleric/Illusionist (4th update)

The miners have little information as to numbers and whereabouts of the Kobolds. They actually think the creatures are demons. The first level is safe thanks to the Amnish military men guarding it. The same cannot be said about the second and lower levels. You try to remain invisible, but some of the corridors are so crowded with Kobolds that you literally have to blast our way through with the wand of fire (WoF).

Spoiler

Four levels below ground you enter, invisibly, a closed area containing three separate chambers. One is empty, and in the other you encounter four snoozing Kobolds and a despondent-looking Elf. The third, furnished chamber appears to be the lair of the leader of the Kobolds, a Half-Orc priest standing next to a small throne. You return to the middle chamber and start Animating Dead. The dozing Kobolds take no notice of you, but the Half-Orc must have overheard your incantations. He appears, surprised at your presence. He believes you've come to deal with him on instructions of one Tazok.

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He's right about the first part, but not the second of course. You repeat the name Tazok to yourself, in hopes of remembering it. You have four Skeletons to aid you and keep the enemy busy while you prepare for battle with a Minor Spell Deflection and debilitate the priest with a Blindness.

Spoiler

The heavily outnumbered Skeletons are no match for the Half-Orc and his minions, although they do kill and injure a few foes before they fall. You step in with a WoF-Fireball to fry most of the minions.

Spoiler

The priest himself succumbs to a Magic Missile,

Spoiler

while the others fall to a WoF-Agannazar's Scorcher and melee attacks.

As you rummage through the priest's belongings you find correspondence between him, Mulahey, and this Tazok he mentioned. The latter appears to be the leader of the bandits that plague the Sword Coast. You store useful-looking loot and leave the mines through a long passageway. When you see the sky above you again, you find yourself in an area you haven't visited before. Its dry topography and the presence of three burial mounds tell you that you find yourself in the Valley of the Tombs southeast of the mines. Under the cover of Sanctuary, you loot the tombs, thus avoiding having to deal with the various types of Undead inhabiting them.

Spoiler

Next to a ring of stones, a ritual site you assume, you meet a wizard busily writing notes in his spellbook. He startles when he sees you, telling you he's just discovered a spell that allows the caster to summon and control Slimes and Jellies. This spell interests you. You ask him if you can copy the spell into your spellbook, but this offends him deeply. Clearly not all Mages are equally collegial. He summons two Mustard Jellies and triggers various spell protections (Shield, Stoneskin, Mirror Image, Protection from Normal Missiles). You hastily cast Remove Fear and Minor Spell Deflection, one of your favorite spells, on yourself so as to buy you some time to summon your own minions: four Skeletons. While the Skeletons are pounding away at the Jellies, you try to provoke the wizard into wasting most of his dangerous spells on you.

Spoiler

After a good while the Skeletons dispatch the Jellies and the wizard has wasted most of his spells (you had to refresh MSD for that to happen though). With your Skeletons you strip the wizard of his Stoneskins. He falls soon after.

Spoiler

Back in Nashkel you report the liquidation of Mulahey and his Kobolds to Berrun Ghastkill who thanks you heartily (and with 900 GP) on behalf of the town. One man isn't as happy with you as the rest of the town. He introduces himself as Nimbul and claims to be 'Death, come for thee.' Before you know it he disappears, attacks you from behind with his axe, and pelts you with sequencered Magic Missiles. This move leaves you battered in the blink of an eye.

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Your response is to go invisible, not by casting the spell because you consider your deadly foe capable of interrupting your casting, but by quaffing a potion. You then heal, buff with MSD, and summon Skeletons. Together you defeat your opponent.

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On the assassin's body you find a letter signed by Tazok according to which Nimbul was to eliminate you for Tazok: the organization behind both the iron crisis and the bandit plague is also the organization that wants you dead! The letter mentions a contact named Tranzig who's supposed to be staying at Feldepost's Inn, so that's where you head.

At Feldepost's Tranzig recognizes you. He doesn't want to talk, so you Hold him and finish him off with a Skeleton by your side.

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Another letter reveals to you the location of Tazok's bandit camp in the Wood of Sharp Teeth. When you leave the inn you are accosted by a group of four assassins out for your blood. Having wasted few spells on Tranzig, you manage to dispatch them upstairs (where the risk of collateral damage is much smaller), relying heavily on WoF Aganazzar's Scorchers and on your Skeletons.

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Only their Dwarf refuses to follow you upstairs, but he receives the same recipe (Skellies and Scorchers) in the tavern kitchen.

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The violence at Feldepost's makes you decide to relocate to another inn, the Red Sheaf, but there too a bounty hunter awaits you, a Dwarven fighter. You Blind him and have little difficulty dealing with him after that. The Jovial Juggler is quiet, much to your relief. This probably has to do with the presence of Flaming Fist officers that offer you 50 GP for every bandit scalp you bring them and of a Paladin named Bjornin. He asks you to slay four Half-Ogres that injured him south, south-west of Beregost. Glad with this reason to be away from Beregost and hopefully from any assassins or bounty hunters, you promise Bjornin to perform this task for him before you start your search of the Bandit Camp.

[Blind_Visionary]

As Pter tromped up the stairs towards the doors of the great library, axe in hand, Gorion stood waiting.

 

"Gorion," Pter demanded, "Open the gates. I have come to purge the undead lurking beneath the great library."

 

Gorion hesitated. "I don't think that's the best idea, Pter. Actually, we have to leave the keep. Tonight."

 

"I'm on a holy mission," Pter reiterated. "There's no going back now. I gave my oath to the Lady."

 

"Pter," Gorion sighed, "More assassins are coming for you. You need more training before you'll be able to face them. Its not safe here anymore."

 

"Not safe for the undead, you mean!" Pter huffed. "Let me in and I will find them with my axe!"

 

Gorion shrugged. "Fine. But let me let you in on a secret."

 

"Yes?" Pter looked eager.

 

"There are catacombs beneath the library," Gorion said, "but the entrance is actually hidden outside the walls of the keep."

 

"Really?" Pter exclaimed.

 

"Really," said Gorion. "So let's go. I'll show you the way."

 

With that, the two of them walked out into the stormy night. As they left the gate, Gorion looked over his shoulder to make sure that Imoen was following close behind.

[Blackraven]

Great stuff, I'm already liking Pter! Take good care of him B_V!
 

Kathlen, Gnome Cleric/Illusionist (5th update)

In the area that Bjornin indicated on your map, you have a run-in with three bandits: a mage, a fighter and a Hobgoblin archer (fortunately no bounty hunters or assassins this time). You rely again on MSD and summoned Skeletons to deal with them.

Spoiler

The Half-Ogres are rendered defenseless with two Sleeps before you and your Skeletons finish them.

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You also meet Drizzt, the famed Drow Ranger, and help him slay a pack of Gnolls.

When you return to Beregost yet another group of Assassins 'welcomes' you: two priestesses and two female rogues that disappear right after you spot them.

Spoiler

You rush inside the Jovial Juggler where you quaff a potion of freedom, cast MSD and alarm Officer Vai and her Flaming Fist colleagues. They come quickly to your aid, but they can't prevent one of the rogues from injuring you with a vicious backstab.

Spoiler

Invisibility, another staple in your spellbook, is your friend once again. You heal yourself and together with your friends from the Fist you dispatch the amazons using your club and damage spells.

Spoiler

You then travel to the Bandit Camp, insinuating into the bandits' ranks via a fellow named Raiken. The camp consists of about seven or so tents, and is replete with bandits, some running errands, many just hanging around. You get to meet Tazok, who initially seems more eager to kill you than to have you at the camp. (At least he doesn't recognize you.) You manage to convince him of your worth by telling him that dungeon crawling is fool's work and that it's better to have too many recruits than too few. Tazok leaves for 'the mine', he tells you, making you wonder what mine he's referring to.

 

You're allowed some time to look around at the camp, time that you use to speak with some of the bandits for information, and to look for letters that might give you clues. Most of the bandits seem to know little however, and the majority of the chests are locked. You do learn that the largest tent is Tazok's tent. Any import documents are likely to be found there. You sneak into the tent invisibly, and praise yourself for your carefulness when you find many bandits gathered there. In a corner, behind a large barrel you buff yourself (Shield, MSD) and you even manage to summon a few Skeletons before hostilities break out. As before you decide to rely on your WoF, trying to aim your Fireballs at as many bandits as possible without exposing yourself or your Skeletons to the fire. This doesn't work out too well with the first Fireball: it hurts your Skeletons and kills a roguish figure whose allegiance you were unsure off (he hadn't attacked you unlike the others).

Spoiler

Note: the accidental killing of Ender Sai brought Kathlen's reputation down to 10. This is inconvenient with an eye to prospective purchases in Baldur's Gate, but it does help Kathlen in the right direction for the 5th and 6th Bhaalpower: aTweaks' Divine Wrath.

 

Subsequent Fireballs and Scorchers gradually thin the ranks of the bandits, until only their spokesman, a man named Raemon, and a wizard remain. Your Skeleton and you finish them off without using any more fireworks.

Spoiler

Nippy disarms a trap on a chest containing thousands of gold, a number of scrolls, and correspondence indicating that the architects of the iron crisis and the bandit plague are the Iron Throne, with a hidden base in Cloakwood.

Before traveling there, you take lodgings at the FAI for a night. In the privacy of your room, and with your intelligence enhanced thanks to Gellana's potions, you scribe a variety of new spells into your spellbook: Charm Person, Color Spray, Aganzzar's Scorcher, Glitterdust, Stinking Cloud, Web, Detect Illusion, Lightning Bolt, and Spell Thrust.

[Blind_Visionary]

Blackraven, nice to see Kathlen successfully navigate the Amazons and the Bandit Camp! Keep up the momentum!

[Dyara]

Dyara, elven Fighter/Mage/Thief - take 14 (update 8)

 

Day 56 (27 Kythorn)

As Alora had suggested earlier ...

Spoiler

...they went to the nearest inn to have a party. Unfortunately the nearest inn was the Splurging Sturgeon and while there Brielbara convinced Coran to take care of their daughter Namara for a while. Coran then suggested to spend the day at Ulgoth's Beard. Dyara wasn't very enthusiastic about the proposal as she had read about Ulgoth's Beard and believed it a rather boring place. But Coran said it had changed over the recent years and that by now it was a rather popular small village with an outlet store and lots of adventurers would go there just for shopping. And thus they went to Ulgoth's Beard.

At the store Dyara bought a ring, a cloak, an amulet, some spells, more bullets for Xan, a hood and some arrows for Alora. They spend the whole afternoon ouside playing with Namara, walking around the village and talking to all the people there. Old Dushai told the story about Balduran and a short time later Alora asked Xan to identify a ring for her and she thanked him with some spell scrolls. When it got dark they went for the inn but were approached by the mage Shandalar who asked if perhaps they could recover his cloak. Without thinking about it too much Dyara agreed and immediately the whole group was send to an Ice Island.

Finding the cloak as their only chance to leave the island they entered the dungeon. It didn't took long and they were attacked by a group of three mages. At first everything went well as Beyn died quickly and Marcellus was close to death as well. But then they all had to pay for Dyara's foolishness (putting young Narama in danger, fighting three mages more or less unprotected besides 30% magic resistance and minor spell deflection) as the third mage Andris casted a confusion spell and they all became affected.

Spoiler

Good thing was that Dyara killed Marcellus but then she turned on Xan, killing him as well and immediately attacking Coran while Andris hit her with Melf's Acid Arrow and casted Lightning Bolt then. Everything seemed lost but then the confusion wear off...

Spoiler

Xan was dead, Coran was gone (at first I thought Dyara had chunked him but that was not the case - it was even worse, at least from a noreload challenge point of view), Dyara was close to death (down to 8 HP) and still under the effect of Melf's Acid Arrow (causing 2d4 damage/round). Only Alora had just minor injuries (from the winter wolf's breath I think).

Alora then used a potion of invisibility and Dyara did the same, knowing that there was a small chance for the Melf's Acid Arrow to kill her.

Spoiler

Fortunately it did not, Dyara used a potion of healing, the imminent danger was gone and Dyara and Alora retreated to a save position. Dyara (both Dyaras actually) was devasted, she knew she had killed her lover, also she thought she had killed Coran and Namara, she felt her knees give away and she dropped to the ground, tears running down her cheeks. So she sat there for a while, sobbing and burying her head in her hands. Alora tried to comfort her but to no avail. Finally Dyara composed herself enough to think about what to do next. While she had failed Xan, Coran and his daughter and while she didn't cared much for her own life anymore she still was responsable for the young halfling girl sitting next to her. So she took her long sword, went back and slew the remaining mage.

Looking at Xan's dead body made Dyara's heart ache but also there was some kind of hope as the body was still intact - perhaps not everything was lost, perhaps he could be resurrected. Coran and Namara however remained missing, neither their bodies nor Coran's items were there. Maybe they're still alive somehow, Dyara hoped remembering Coran saying that he would run when Namara's life is at stake.

Still searching for Coran the two then made their way through the dungeon into a cave below, having to kill two other mages on the way. There they found Shandalar's Cloak on the body of another now dead mage.

Spoiler

They searched the whole cave and the dungeon but Coran was nowhere to be found. Somehow Coran and Namara had escaped from the island, Dyara was in doubt about seeing them again. Perhaps it's for the better, Dyara thought, as the last days she had been torn between Xan and Coran. "So whereever you are, Coran, I just hope you and Namara are save", Dyara thought to herself.

When Dyara and Alora returned to the surface they were teleported back to Ulgoth's Beard. Dyara was angry with Shandalar but the mage just took the cloak and teleported away.

Day 57 (27 Kythorn)

The two then returned to Baldur's Gate and at the High House of Wonders Xan was resurrected.

Spoiler

At least Xan wasn't angry with her.

Ah well, that was really stupid, it's not just Coran is gone, it's also his equipment... gift of peace, shadow armor+3, the 2nd legacy of the masters, sandthief's ring, edvantar's gift, golden girdle of urnst, talos gift, dead shot+2, harrower+1, cloak of ice protection, whispers of silence, dale's protector, hands of takkok, all the biting arrows and lots of other arrows. Perhaps the punishment for manipulating the coran romance to not get prevented by the Xan romance

[Epsil0]

Good to see that this place is just as active if not more so than usual; had to take a break from it before I went crazy, but...

 

The character needs to be rerolled, but I'll be playing a Skald again with one extra limitation: he is never to personally get a kill throughout the entire saga. This necessitates playing in a party, of course, and I haven't gone through BG1 with a party in ages. Tough times ahoy, it seems!

[Grond0]

Good to see that this place is just as active if not more so than usual; had to take a break from it before I went crazy, but...

 

The character needs to be rerolled, but I'll be playing a Skald again with one extra limitation: he is never to personally get a kill throughout the entire saga. This necessitates playing in a party, of course, and I haven't gone through BG1 with a party in ages. Tough times ahoy, it seems!

Nice to see you back Epsil0 and best of luck with your challenge.  By the way it is possible to complete BG1 solo without having any kills (though you can't avoid receiving quest XP for Sarevok's death even if you don't kill him).  Invisibility and charm make that relatively easy for a bard or mage, though any class (other than a wizard slayer) can do it using Algernon's Cloak

[Blackraven]

Oh Dyara, that's a lot of drama there! Sorry about Coran, do you know what happened to him?
At any rate, these types of moments make for a memorable playthrough Keep up the great work!

@Epsil0, nice to see you back. I love Skalds. Hope to read about yours soon

Kathlen, Gnome Cleric/Illusionist (6th update)

You find yourself sat at a table in a nondescript shop, engaged in quiet conversation with the owner, the only other person around. You're not one to put trust in strangers - how could you, what with all the people hunting after you? - but since she told you about her former career as a cat burglar, her basic knowledge of divine and arcane spells (even though she's no caster), and her past collisions with both the Thieves Guild and the authorities in Baldur's Gate, you decide to get some of your worries off your chest. The woman is all ears as you relate your recent experiences in the Cloakwood. You leave out details you find irrelevant, like your entering a spiders' den under the cover of Sanctuary to find Spiders' Bane and a dead kid, or your hard-fought defeat of a Shadow Archdruid. (Even though that was quite a spectacular encounter. You recall how you pretty much emptied your entire spellbook on him and it still wasn't enough. Some of his summons you waited out for them to disappear, others nearly killed you.

Spoiler

You eventually finished him with oils of fiery burning, your trusty club and Wand of Magic Missiles charges.)

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There are other details that you decide to withhold not because they're inconsequential but because they seem too sensitive to share, such as your fight to the death with a member of the influential Sashenstar family following his admission that he had killed an innocent.

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You're more open about your dealings with the Iron Throne at their Cloakwood Mine, showing the woman letters implicating them in the iron crisis and the bandit plague. You relate your battle against a group of four skilled and well-equipped Iron Throne guards, two warriors and two wizards.

 

"I wanted to sneak past them invisibly but one of the mages casts Oracle and dispels my invisibility," you tell her.

Spoiler

"Interestingly, when I retreated and cast another Invisibility, it was only that same mage that came looking for me. I made him pay for his insolence using a wand of paralyzation, twice, because the first time his Mirror Images somehow kept triggering.

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The wizard's death caused the others to come after me. I had to quaff an oil of speed because one of them, a ferocious warrior, was hasted as well. We ran around a lot, with me Blinding another pursuer and fruitlessly using the same wand of paralyzation on the hasted warrior. Eventually I managed to Spook him, and I used the time that spell bought me to Animate Dead. When he got his bearings again, he dispatched the Skeletons in the blink of an eye, so strong he was. I guess I was lucky really. With a successful Hold Person just when he downed the last Skeleton, I sealed his fate.

Spoiler

I managed to finish the second wizard when he got stuck in a Web I'd thrown at him, albeit only after he made me quaff my only potion of magic shielding when he cast a Chaos at me."

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You leave out the part where you traveled all the way back to Beregost to get Thalantyr to produce for you the inconspicuous Mage Robe of Practical Protection (+2 AC bonus, +1 saves, +20% Fire/Cold/Electricty Resistance) and the Improved Shield Amulet (AC 4, +1 saves), mainly because you don't want to flaunt your wealth. 

Note: I prefer the (+2) AC bonus and the elemental protections of the Mage Robe of Practical Protection + Improved Shield Amulet over the extra lvl 2 spell and the 5% MR of the Robe of the Neutral Archmagi + Metaspell Influence Amulet.
You also omit your violent encounter with an evil Bard named Silke, whose death furnished the necessary potions for Thalantyr to do his work.

Spoiler

 

"I later dealt with the last warrior by Blinding him and pelting him with sling bullets. Inside the mines I remained invisible

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until I found the local Iron Throne executive, a wizard named Davaeorn. I approached him invisibly, protected only by two potions of magic protection (for 100 MR). I triggered plenty of traps, some of which injured me. Just when he was about to cast Oracle, a splinter from a Skull Trap hit him, interfering with his casting.

Spoiler

It allowed me to find a quiet spot to heal and buff with an MSD and an Improved Invisibility. My buffs were nothing compared to Davaeron's though.

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He also cast different crowd control spells: Stinking Cloud, Web, and Teleport Field. I hoped against my better judgment that those spells would affect his two bodyguards, two fearsome Battle Horrors. They didn't. Davaeorn Removed my buffs, forcing me to re-establish my MSD, but then he did something stupid. He kept trying to hurt me with elemental damage, first with fire and lightning, which did little or nothing to affect me, but later with Cones of Cold. Those cones ended up injuring his own guards.

Spoiler

It enabled me to finish off the Battle Horrors that I would have otherwise considered too hard to deal with.

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Davaeorn forced me to quaff a potion of magic blocking when my MSD expired, but that proved unnecessary really. I Blinded him, and slew him with three Skeletons I summoned."

Spoiler

You don't mention the fact that you left the mines with quite a lot of good loot, again preferring to keep a low financial profile.

 

"I'm very impressed with your account," the woman says after a short pause, "but I believe you, how can I not, with those letters you showed me. You're a brave woman to stand up against such a powerful institution as the Iron Throne. They're making quite a name for themselves here in the city, with their lofty new Sword Coast headquarters in the Docks District. Anyway, you have my support girl. People call me Silence, and that's what you'll get from me. Your secrets are safe with me. Silence, and free lodgings whenever you need a place to lay low. Ah, before I forget, have a look at my wares if you like. They're mainly potions and a few leftovers from my adventuring life. Maybe there's something you have use for."

You thank Silence, rest for a bit, and get out to do some exploration of the great city that has only recently reopened its gates. Apparently you didn't rest enough because when you decide to buy a new wand of paralyzation at the famous Sorcerous Sundries and sell your old one with only one charge left, you end up selling not the old but the new wand, at only a fraction of the price you bought it for. The dour shop owner, Halbazzer Drin, refuses to acknowledge the obvious mix-up, so you end up rebuying the wand at its full price, leaving you near penniless after you purchase a number of potions spell scrolls. You understand you'll have to look for jobs in the coming days.

[Grond0]

Brat - dwarf berserker (update 8)

 

Back in the Cloud Peaks Brat and his gang came across some self-important Amn notables.  After his recent experiences Brat was less polite than he might once have been and a fight ensued

Spoiler

- that did not end well for Sendai.  

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It was a similar story with Zal and Vax.  

Spoiler

Khalid and Minsc, as well as Brat, have been lucky with their HPs so far, so the party is pretty confident about defending against standard weapon attacks.

 

Defeating a number of winter wolves, various ogre berserkers and a mountain bear menacing a merchant took Brat to level 4 - and once more the gods smiled upon him.

Spoiler

 

Coming back towards Nashkel they came across Borda, but he was reasonably polite and departed unmolested.  They did though take out a village full of xvarts who acted like they owned the place.  Following Oublek's instructions they then tracked down Prism and protected him from Greywolf before exploring the area further led them to find and return Samuel.

 

Talking to people at the FAI led them to find Joia's ring and also discover a new route to the north of the inn.  Exploring that they invaded an ankheg nest.  Soon after emerging from that they came across a group of 4 ankhegs.

Spoiler

They killed those easily enough,

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but Brat was a bit dismayed to see so many together and suggested Imoen scout ahead using stealth in the remainder of the area to ensure only 1 of the monsters were tackled at a time.

 

Further to the north they met a priestess who initially attacked them before telling them about some evil fishermen.

Spoiler

Brat was unsure who to believe, but the priestess stopped attacking and he decided to return to the fishermen.  After telling them he would no longer work for them they went hostile - which was a fatal decision.

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I assumed that Tenya would now accept the bowl - but she seemed determined to die as well.

Spoiler

 

Further north still and some zombies were turned into fertiliser for the fields before the party arrived at Ulgoth's Beard.  They postponed invitations to help Shandalar and Hurgan Stoneblade and bought some goodies at the store - including finally getting around to buying some plate mail for Brat.

 

Our adventures have led us to a small village called Ulgoth's Beard.  At first glance that seems a sleepy place, but we came across several people there inviting us to undertake major quests.  I feel though that we have spent enough time wandering aimlessly and am increasingly anxious to discover more about myself.  All the information gathered so far points to Tazok as the source of answers and we will seek him out next.

[Blind_Visionary]

Imoen found Pter hiding beneath a scrawny bush.

 

"What happened, Pter?" Imoen exclaimed, her hands gingerly probing the shaft of an arrow stuck into Pter's side, leaking a sickly green fluid.

 

"Ambush," Pter said. "Ogres. A couple of archers. A dark knight. But no undead. So I ran."

 

"You're lucky," Imoen said.

 

"Maybe," replied Pter. "But I don't think Gorion made it. The entrance to the catacombs... lost..."

 

"Forget about the catacombs," said Imoen. "We've got bigger problems on our hands."

[Blind_Visionary]

"Not good," Imoen thought. "The cave bear bellowed... and the entire xvart village decided to see what's up. How am I going to get out of here?"

 

 

[SCS better calls for help appears to be working!!]

[Blind_Visionary]

"Imoen's taking too long," Pter thought. "Forget caution. She may have been paralyzed by undead... They say fools rush in... But do any of those fools carry an axe?"

 

Pter rushed headlong into the village, bellowing in the hopes that the xvart horde would turn their attention away from the lady in pink. It worked... but not for long.

 

 

"Run, Imoen!" Pter yelled.

 

"I'm trying!" Imoen shouted while parrying a xvart blade.

 

Pter strolled past the village fire, shouting at the horde of purple-skinned gnomes. Many of them turned from Imoen and ran to tackle this new foe.

 

"You're not undead," said Pter. "Back off; let Imoen go, and we can part in peace."

 

"You killed Ursa," said Nexlit the xvart. "We will not forgive."

 

Surrounded by purple flesh, Pter quickly realized that this was not his battle to win. But he succeeded in distracting the horde from Imoen -- and she successfully snuck out of the village. Pter hacked his way back to the entrance, and the pair of them fled, tails between legs.

[Blind_Visionary]

"Gorion told me to head toward the Friendly Arm Inn," Imoen said. "We'll meet friends there."

 

"Does the place have cellars?" asked Pter. "A zombie or two would do. Maybe a ghast."

 

"No," said Imoen. "I'm talking about friends. People who know us. Who will help us. People we need."

 

 

"Some friend," said Pter, after he woke from a magically-induced sleep, with magic missile scars on his chestplate. "I prefer undead."

[Grond0]

Brat - dwarf berserker (update 9)

 

Following the instructions Tranzig gave us we journeyed to Larswood and soon came across the bandit Teven, who agreed to take us to Tazok.

Spoiler

Tazok was a big man, or perhaps more likely a half-ogre, and conversation was apparently not his forte.  He attacked us initially, until deciding that was a losing proposition, and tried to withdraw. However, I was determined not to let him go without providing answers and told everyone to use their best attacks to stop him before he could get away.

Spoiler

It felt good as one of my hated throwing axes caught up with him and cut his legs from under him.

Spoiler

 

I hoped to find answers on his body, but unlike so many previous assassins he had no notes or letters on him - though Minsc was pleased to see a pair of bracers that looked good on him and Khalid thought his armour could be made to fit.  Even though I didn't learn what I hoped, I still feel I have learned much by Tazok's death and potential opponents in future should be increasingly wary to face me.

Spoiler

 

Somewhat surprisingly the other bandits did not seem to resent the death of their leader and allowed us to wander the Camp unmolested for some time - other than some gnolls who the other bandits seemed happy to see the end of.  We picked up a few trifles, but the only new information gained was from Credus who said that Tazok kept some papers locked up in his tent.  

 

We had already looked in all the other tents and were about to enter the large one, when I realised there was a man in armour nearby we had not yet talked to.  He called himself 'Tenhammer' and proved to be spoiling for a fight

Spoiler

- though his abilities didn't back up his rhetoric.  My axe stroke cut half-way through his neck

Spoiler

and Minsc completed the job a few seconds later.  He did have some impressive looking armour though, which proved to be a perfect fit for a short and wide dwarf!

 

The other bandits still seemed untroubled by our presence so we went back to the main tent.  Our intrusion there seemed unacceptable and the guards immediately attacked.  Seeing a mage close by I shouted to the others to attack him while I raged and was glad to note that the mage's initial spell failed to fire.  He was then severely injured by a blast from the new wand Jaheira purchased at Ulgoth's Beard and killed before he could attempt another spell.  A hobgoblin managed to poison Minsc with an arrow, but Jaheira immediately cured him and the battle ended moments later.

Spoiler

 

Letters in a trapped chest showed that Tazok was not working alone, but under instruction from someone called Davaeorn to seek my death.  There was still no clue as to why though, so it seems we need to track down this Davaeorn to get answers from him.  I am increasingly tired of this constant search for my nemesis and hope that the trail will end in the Cloakwood.

[Blind_Visionary]

I'll be playing a Skald again with one extra limitation: he is never to personally get a kill throughout the entire saga.

 

This I have to see! Good luck (or good intelligence) Epsil0!

[Dyara]

Oh Dyara, that's a lot of drama there! Sorry about Coran, do you know what happened to him?

 

That's part of the Coran romance, if Namara is with him, he leaves when his hp fall below 20% (Coran says that he would run when Namara's life is at stake - so I was given a warning but as I said I didn't thought too much about it when I had acceptet Shandalar's quest).

 

 

At any rate, these types of moments make for a memorable playthrough Keep up the great work!

 

Thank you .

[Grimwald the Wise]

Good to see that this place is just as active if not more so than usual; had to take a break from it before I went crazy, but...

 

The character needs to be rerolled, but I'll be playing a Skald again with one extra limitation: he is never to personally get a kill throughout the entire saga. This necessitates playing in a party, of course, and I haven't gone through BG1 with a party in ages. Tough times ahoy, it seems!

 

You don't need to kill anyone in a solo game either. I have done it with several character types. Fighter/thief was the easiest. Charming enemies and summons is the way to do it. Algernon's cloak is the key for non-magic users. Now all you have to do is work out how to get his cloak without killing him.

 

For bards and thieves there are the obvious ways. For pure fighters you need the BG1 NPC Project installed as a ring which raises charisma can be used for charming however that method is rather hit and miss.

 

There are two ways of playing it.

 

1) Going for the experience. i.e. not worrying how many deaths you cause so long as the blood is not literally on your hands.  You can lure Greywolf towards the mine guards for instance.

 

2) Trying to avoid as many deaths as possible. Mulahey has to die. So does Davaeorn, the doppelgangers in the Ducal Palace and Savarok.

Note that doing this you will be very weak at the beginning of BG2!!!!!!!!!!!

 

If you want further advice on this kind of run I can give it, but suspect that you might want to work things out for yourself.

[Grond0]

Brat - dwarf berserker (update 10)

 

In the Cloakwood Brat came across Aldeth Sashenstar.  Typically I will help him in this encounter, but Jaheira convinced Brat that the druids were in the right (and besides his new armour was not quite such a good fit as he originally thought).

Spoiler

 

Following Seniyad's instructions to head west then north the party moved into the spider area.  Brat had no reason to expect a web trap near the entrance there, but saved against it and the huge spiders were quickly killed.

Spoiler

As a result he was a bit more cautious moving forward and waited for 4 of the 5 ettercaps to come to him rather than rushing straight into their trap.  He was caught by a web when tackling the last ettercap, but magic missiles and a wand blast killed it before it could do any damage.

Spoiler

 

After seeing the second web trap Imoen agreed to search for traps as if they were in a dungeon and they had no more problems with those.  They also found Centeol's lair and quickly cleared that with minimal damage

Spoiler

- Minsc was very pleased to find Spiders' Bane there and it's probably just as well for Tiber that he agreed to let Minsc keep the sword.

 

In the next area the route north appeared to be blocked, but a new area had opened up to the east of them and they trusted that was the correct way.  While travelling in that direction they were ambushed ...

 

So far the route through the Cloakwood had caused little anguish.  We had seen plenty of spiders and ettercaps, but my rage had protected me from their poisons and the other members of the group had ensured the monsters didn't last long.  While travelling deep within the forest though we were ambushed by 3 giant spiders that dropped from the surrounding trees into our midst.  With little time to prepare, Minsc found himself being attacked by a spider and was badly bitten.  Though a strong man, I feared for the effects of the poison and shouted for Jaheira to hurry and cure him.  She was a little distance away though and, as I comforted Minsc and told him to hold on, I felt an inexplicable urge to try and help him myself.  A mere second's concentration later and Minsc stood up - apparently cured of the effects of the poison.

Spoiler

 

This is something strange to ponder on when I have leisure.  Previously I had no inkling that I could cure poison and, while it would make sense that the continuing development of my powers over my body would allow me to cure myself, the ability to cure others seems more magical than based on biofeedback control.  Perhaps Jaheira will be able to offer some insight into this puzzle.

 

Continuing through the Cloakwood the party came across a hamadryad.  Brat's rage soaked up most of her spells, although Khalid saved against one charm before dimension doors proved too slow to foil magic missiles. 

Spoiler

[Grond0]

Brat - dwarf berserker (update 11)

 

Deep within the Cloakwood we came across a large gate to a compound.  Two guards there refused to even talk and attacked us.  They were no problem, but the unprovoked assault should have warned me of trouble ahead.  In a similar situation next time I will ask Imoen to scout ahead, but this time we were unprepared when a warrior challenged us and sped into the attack.

 

Worryingly, behind 2 armoured figures a pair of mages made an appearance and started casting at us.  I raged and went to meet them while shouting at the others to scatter.  Dynaheir had already sent a horror spell at the warriors and both of those panicked; the mages had also moved into the spell's influence, but they were unaffected.

Spoiler

 

Jaheira had been unable to stay far enough away from me and was confused by one of the mages, 

Spoiler

but the other soon died.

Spoiler

The warrior spokesman, despite his apparent panic, was purposefully chasing Imoen around - reducing our ability to concentrate on the remaining mage.  He resisted a second horror from Dynaheir and produced one himself (luckily only affecting the already confused Jaheira), but died immediately afterwards.

Spoiler

Now free to concentrate on the chasing warrior, missile weapons soon brought him down.  Jaheira eventually regained her senses as the final warrior fell.

Spoiler

 

Although we took little damage in the battle I feel there was perhaps more luck than judgement involved there.  In future we should try to prepare more before entering into battle with spell casters.  I at least have the advantage of being able to close with them much quicker after finding some enchanted boots on the warrior who chased Imoen during the battle.

 

Inside the mine one of the guards came up with a convincing explanation of why he should be spared death - but he remained hostile and died anyway.

Spoiler

One of the miners then told us that Davaeorn had an important key on him and also asked us to contact his friend Rill.  

 

On the second level Imoen spotted a large group of guards surrounding a mage.  Dynaheir thought that offered the perfect opportunity to cast her first web spell, followed by her first fireball spell ... and her second.  

Spoiler

There were still noises from the room, so she followed that up with a horror spell and reported that she believed that spell had affected the mage.  Going to investigate, a single blow from Brat killed the mage while he was still stuck in the web.

Spoiler

 

On the third level some initial guards were brushed aside.  Imoen used stealth to find another mage and suggested that Dynaheir try another web spell.  Unfortunately her casting seemed to be flawed (it was stuck in an infinite casting loop) and, rather than breaking off the attempt quickly the delay allowed Imoen to become visible.  The resultant confusion from the mage affected Dynaheir but Imoen was still in control and able to take a potion of absorption just before a follow-up lightning bolt reached her.  

Spoiler

The rest of us finally intervened and were able to prevent anything more than an acid arrow from affecting Imoen.

Spoiler

 

A bit further on and Imoen reported an empty room, but when I entered an ogre mage appeared and started an attack.  I raged to protect me from a horror spell, but the others had remained too close and 2 of them were scared.  After the ogre mage was dead, it looked like Dynaheir was heading into a room full of hobgoblins, but fortunately she turned back just in time.  That seemed to have averted the danger, but I made the mistake of assuming that Dynaheir would then be stopped from going back again by the people blocking the passage - she just pushed them aside, but luckily got through the room without being killed while several of us ran to engage the hobgoblins.  

Spoiler

Jaheira was also wandering, but managed to mumble enough of a convincing explanation to prevent a guard from attacking her.

Spoiler

She still alerted some nearby hobgoblins though and I had to come hotfoot to intervene before she finally realised what she was doing.

Spoiler

 

After clearing the remaining guards on the third level we rested on the level above before coming back down to confront Davaeorn.

 

Finally I believed it was time to get some answers as Imoen reported that all the traps between me and Davaeorn had been disarmed.  This time I would know the truth.  I approached the mage openly while the others hung back, intending to engage him in conversation.  However, he merely shouted insults at me before dimension dooring away and hurling a lightning bolt at me.  I was not caught all unprepared this time though and was able to take a potion of magic blocking to protect against the spell.  Before the effects of that expired I raged to give some defense against further spells, but it soon appeared that Davaeorn had run out of spells and the rest of the party arrived in time to witness his last moments.

Spoiler

 

Searching what remained of his body we found the key we had been told of along with some letters.  They disclosed that Davaeorn was not the end of the chain as I had hoped, but only another link.  It seems I must look to Baldur's Gate and seek out Rieltar if I want to find out more.  I am tired of this life of constant vigilance and uncertainty: indeed, though I would never have thought it possible, I miss the calmness and silence of the Candlekeep Library.  However, with assassins constantly seeking me out I have little real choice but to continue my investigations and will journey to the city of Baldur's Gate immediately.

 

Surprisingly, the group got all the way in and out of the Cloakwood without ever seeing a single wyvern, though there were several spider and ettercap ambushes.  They have just arrived at Baldur's Gate.

[Aasim]

Entering Pter, a human undead hunter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I must say, this is one of the most awesome portraits I've seen. 

[corey_russell]

Grond0 - just adding to the chorus, I am definitely enjoying your RP'd, narrated run - and you are very right, very hard not to meta-game.

 

@Blind_Visionary - Take care of Pter! He has had an entertaining start, hope he has a long life so we can enjoy his run.

 

@Blackraven: In the other thread, you mentioned my mages are still going strong - thanks! They'll keep at it, but just a bit slow.

[Blackraven]

Kathlen, Gnome Cleric/Illusionist (7th update)

The city of Baldur's Gate is full of opportunities for one such as yourself. There are many people who ask you for help, but given your interest in dismantling the Iron Throne, you limit yourself to some of the more urgent and lucrative quests available to you. You retrieve a little boy's corpse from Tenya at the Temple of Umberlee for resurrection by his father, deal with Aldeth Sashenstar's brother Dabron, convince the mage Ragefast to release the Nymph he had captured, much to the scorn of his rival Ramazith (whom you slay in self-defense using the wand of paralyzation), steal a telescope from the High Hall of Wonders for a fellow Gnome you befriend, and you find the cure to a poison an Iron Throne associate had inflicted you with. This Iron Throne lackey, a lad named Marek, doesn't surrender the antidote lightly. His backstabs and Magic Missiles almost kill you.

Spoiler

But once the effect of his potion of freedom wears off, you paralyze him with your wand, and finish him off without remorse.

Spoiler

Note the level-up symbol in Kathlen's portrait. She reached level 7 as a Cleric and as a Mage in Cloakwood. I'm respecting the BG1 level cap, but will level her up in SoA (one level in each class), should she make it there.

 

For the Flaming Fist you slay four or five Doppelgangers who had taken over the Seven Suns trading house, and an Ogre Mage that had been robbing and killing innocents and feeding their corpses to Ettercaps in the sewers. You render the Ogre helpless with your Wand of Paralyzation and quaff a potion of freedom to be immune to the Carrion Crawlers' paralyzing attacks.

Spoiler

The Fist also asks you to investigate the Iron Throne's possible involvement with Doppelgangers in the city and with the rising tensions with Amn.

 

The Throne proves heavily guarded. You enter the top floor invisibly sneaking past six elite guards, and have a word with a man named Thaldorn. He tells you the Iron Throne management are at Candlekeep at the moment. When you move to leave the premises, the elite guards don't believe a ruse you come up with, that you're a merchant from Sembia. They attack. Using Invisibility and the stairs you manage to shake off some of them. You finish off one isolated opponent (Diyab), using the wand of paralyzation.

Spoiler

One floor down, you find a priest (Aasim) and two wizards (Alai, Naaman) waiting for you. With an Emotion: Hopelessness you affect one of them (Alai, Kathlen's main target); the others are temporarily taken out of the equation with your wand of paralyzation.

Spoiler

It buys you just enough time to deal with Alai (and acquire his Minor Sequencer scroll) before the other two can end your life.

Spoiler

Heavily injured you flee to the Elfsong tavern where Lake Poet Willy lowers your reputation (to 9) with a false tale of your purported misdeeds you committed.

Spoiler

Thus the fifth and sixth Bhaalpowers would be Divine Wrath (deals damage and pushes enemies away), instead of DUHM.

 

Duke Eltan, commander of the Flaming Fist, sends you to Candlekeep to meet the Iron Throne leaders and hopefully learn more about their plans and motives. You're only welcome for a little while in your old home, because the Gatewarden accuses you of murdering the Iron Throne management before you've even met them. You surrender but deny the allegation. Tethtoril trusts you and after some deliberation you come to the conclusion that the real perpetrator must have been Sarevok (or Koveras as he called himself when you met him), a member of Iron Throne you'd seen mentioned in a number of letters, and who now seems to have turned on his employer. Tethtoril teleports you to the catacombs below the Keep where you rely on potions of fire protection, absorption, and magic blocking, and on Knock (a spell you recently scribed) and MSD to access and loot three heavily trapped chests.

Spoiler

You escape the catacombs and caves invisibly, and decide to head south to lay low for a while.
Ah, one more thing, you also have this letter, from Gorion, saying you're a child of the dead God of Murder, Bhaal! You try to assimilate this knowledge, you even believe it's true, but it just impossible for you to give it a place. Maybe it doesn't mean anything? Are you another person because of it? Hopefully, when this whole business with Sarevok is over, you can leave the matter of your heritage behind you.
 

In Beregost you spend about 5000 GP to raise your reputation to near heroic levels at the Temple of Lathandern hoping that will help you with the Flaming Fist in Baldur's Gate. You also inform Bjornin about the Half-Ogres you felled a tenday or two before, ask Officer Vai to put in a good word for you in Baldur's Gate, and return a Cloak of Non-Detection to a Dwarf who had lost it in Cloakwood (only to see the Dwarf refuse to receive the item). After that you head further south to Nashkel, where you aren't wanted and people still like you. At the Carnival a merchant sells you two potions that, for the duration of 24 hours, give the consumer supernatural strength and intelligence respectively. West of Nashkel you explore the Cloudpeaks. You enjoy the area a lot: mountainous, full of lush vegetation, and with various streams and even a cascade. You protect a Dryad against two knuckleheads who want to cut her tree, and you return a dead cat to a young girl that's sobbing over the animal. Further west you come upon what appears to be a Gnoll and Xvart stronghold. You loot their caves but find little treasure of note except for a tome that increases your Charisma when you read it. 

After a tenday or so, you decide to return to Baldur's Gate. Relying on Invisibility and Sanctuary you're quite successful at keeping a low profile. You buy several scrolls at the Sorcerous Sundries, and in the quietude of Silence's shop, you quaff the intelligence-raising potion you had bought at the Nahskel Carnival and take about a day to drastically increase the number of spells in your spellbook. Amongst the most notable new spells are: Blur, Vocalize, Clairvoyance, Dispel Magic, Haste, Melf's Minute Meteors, Remove Magic, Slow, Confusion, Dimension Door, Fireshield: Red, Minor Globe of Invulnerability, Minor Sequencer, Oliluke's Resilient Sphere, Polymorph Self & Other, Secret Word, Spider Spawn, Stoneskin, Wizard Eye, Chaos, Cloudkill, Summon Lesser Air/Earth/Fire Elemental, and Shadow Door.

A woman you met at the entrance of the Sorcerous Sundries, and later by the Flaming Fist compund, recommends you to seek out two assassins in the Undercellars, Slythe and Krystin, for more information regarding Sarevok's plans. This is next on your agenda.

[Grimwald the Wise]

 

I wish that I could have been a mage, but though my intelligence is adequate Gorion suggested being a Fighter/Cleric of Mystra as my wisdom would make me an excellent cleric and I would be able to cast some arcane spells. In addition I was obviously cut out to be fighter as well.

 

Sadly Gorion is now dead. I will miss him dreadfully. We were ambushed by superior numbers and when I returned to his body my clerical skills were nowhere near sufficient to help him. I hope that whereas Drizzt showed that Drow could be good fighters for righteousness, I will show that they can be good healers in the same cause.

 

When I return to Candlekeep I will have to have words with Winthrop about to quality of his goods. Two of his flails shattered when I was fighting some rats. It is well that they did not break when I was fighting the assassins! One good thing came out of the ambush. my attackers were carrying morningstars, weapons in which I have a modicum of competence.

[Grond0]

Brat - dwarf berserker (update 12)

 

After sorting out equipment the party went fairly directly to the Seven Suns and cleared that before being directed by Duke Eltan to the Iron Throne.  Imoen was scouting ahead there and reported a large number of well-equipped adventurers on the top floor.  As a result most of the party was waiting downstairs when Brat raged and went up on his own.  When the opposition turned hostile he threw an axe and retreated.  Two of the casters, along with the doppleganger and Zhalimar followed and were defeated fairly easily.

Spoiler

After Naaman was also dragged downstairs Alai and Gardush both failed to save against horror and were quickly killed.

Spoiler

 

After selling equipment they reported back to Duke Eltan and were sent back to Candlekeep.  Although looking for the Iron Throne leaders they were climbing the library stairs looking for Gorion's old room when they were arrested for murder.

 

Candlekeep.  Nothing has changed outwardly and yet everything is different.  Perhaps I have seen too much evil in the world, but I now suspect what lies behind each smiling face.  Why did Ulraunt really arrest me on such flimsy evidence?  Is he still annoyed about the time my axe slipped out of my hand and smashed that vase imported from Waterdeep, or is perhaps that not Ulraunt at all, but another of those blasted dopplegangers?  At least Tethtoril still seems to have a soft spot for me and has offered me a chance to escape Candlekeep through the catacombs.

 

Resting in the library before venturing our escape I once more had something of an epiphany.  Conducting my normal morning exercises I realised that I could now push my body to greater limits with an ability akin to rage, but more purely physical than mental.  Surely this must be what it feels like to be a god!

 

Exploring the catacombs provided a wisdom tome for Jaheira and a strength tome for Brat.  Watching Imoen disarm the traps in the area also provided Brat with enough experience for another level - and his good fortune with HPs continued.  

Spoiler

He also tanked the phase spiders confident that raging meant he wouldn't get poisoned - and he didn't.

 

The dopplegangers and skeletons caused little damage, but I was a bit worried about Prat's gang.  Imoen was detecting traps rather than scouting ahead so Brat came across them without warning.  

Spoiler

He immediately raged (with the significant benefit that protected him from the darts of stunning that would soon be aimed at him) and attacked while the others moved up in support.  Dynaheir's opening horror affected 2 of the group

Spoiler

and though Prat managed a lightning bolt and a scorcher they didn't injure Brat too seriously and he didn't last much longer.

Spoiler

The others then made no further contribution.  

Spoiler

Brat was pleased to discover a throwing axe that seemed much lighter and better balanced than those he's been carrying around, but rarely using to date.  Buoyed by his high spirits Imoen dared to make her first backstab of the run to date

Spoiler

before Brat took a potion of mirror eyes to protect against some basilisks on the way out (I'm assuming that the innkeeper in Ulgoth's Beard told him about when and how to use these when selling them).

Spoiler

 

Back in Baldur's Gate Brat was arrested by the Flaming Fist when not understanding how power had shifted within the city.  

Spoiler

He was reasonably polite to Angelo though

Spoiler

and was soon able to escape his cell with Neb's aid.  It's unlikely he will allow the guards to catch him so easily again ...