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[corey_russell]

Hunter Final Update:

Reloads this run:
1) PC killed by Drow Mage in mage challenge in Ust Natha

So Hunter takes all the good routes in Hell. Then we do some basic buffs and summons (positioning the summons FAR from the party so that most of them don't get killed by Irenicus Death Spell). Killing the demons took a while, had to rod of resurrection heal Anomen a number of times. But the party eventually beat all the demons without casualties. We then sent some summons toward Irenicus to keep him busy. While Irenicus was playing with the summons, the party advanced on him. Mazzy and Jaheria tanked while the rest of the party attacked with range. Yet again, Hunter casts a dispel magic and takes down nearly all of Irenicus defenses. A short while later it's curtains for Irenicus...



They party is done battling and is happy we got our revenge and that justice served. This is the end of Hunter's exploits.

[Thailog]

Chronicles of Gar, the Half-Orc Assassin, part 18


Reloads so far:

1 - Main char killed by Tolgerias at the planar sphere
2 - Main char killed by Haz under the Shadow Thief guildhall
3&4 - Main char killed during an encounter with Cyric's Chosen


Party setup:

Gar - Assassin(27)
Minsc - Berserker(23)
Viconia - Fighter(16)/Nightcloak of Shar(16)
Valygar - Archer(21)
Jan - Jester(27)
Edwin - Conjurer(19)


At a sacred elven grove, Gar learns that there is no peace for a child of Bhaal until the ancient prophecy is fulfilled. The time of its culmination seems to be at hand, and five powerful Bhaalspawn have started to wreck havoc around the Sword Coast. Apparently, they are hunting down their weaker siblings in an attempt to amass even more power, a plan very similar to Sarevok's old scheme albeit on a much larger scale. After Gar learns all that he can from the ancient stone faces, the party prepares to depart, but they are ambushed by a woman named Illasera. She claims to be a Bhaalspawn as well, and states that she was sent to hunt Gar down. Her boasts are in vain and her assassination attempt fails miserably. However, slaying another Bhaalspawn somehow causes Gar to teleport back into the abyssal plane where he is greeted by a Solar. The celestial being explains that she will be here to guide him on the rest of his journey but offers little more than cryptic warnings of things to come. After she departs, Sarevok appears. His essence has reformed and he now seeks a way back into the world of the living. He promises to teach Gar how to control his divine powers and shape the pocket plane to his liking. After some considering, Gar agrees to restore Sarevok by giving him a small fraction of his divine essence. The armored figure is satisfied and reveals that an old prophecy that he had discovered in his youth states that the culmination of the Bhaalspawn conflict will occur near the city of Saradush, which is where Gar needs to go next. However, in order to do that, he must first face an aspect of his own fears. This turns out to be a battle against several powerful foes that Gar had vanquished during his travels which culminates with another face off with Irenicus and Bodhi. The party dispatches them with a little help from a summoned Planetar and Gar learns how to exit and enter the pocket plane at will.

Viconia and Edwin gain a level as Gar notices an imp named Cespenar who claims to have served as a butler to Bhaal. Apparently, he can upgrade magical items if supplied with the appropriate ingredients and proves this by enhancing Gar's Sword Short of Backstabbing and Edwin's Cloak of Protection +2. Exhausted from the recent battles, Gar has the party rest up in the safety of the pocket plane and decides to visit Saradush in the morning. Once there, the group finds the town under siege by an army of fire giants. A woman named Mellisan, who has taken a particular interest into all Bhaalspawn, explains that the army is led by a Yaga-Shura, a nearly invincible fire giant who is also a Bhaalspawn. Apparently, the city of Saradush has fallen into disarray because another Bhaalspawn named Gromnir has taken command. Gar and company explore the area and eventually stumble across a den of vampires. After cleaning out their lair, Gar finds out that the catacombs are connected to the underground entrance to Gromnir's chambers. The group fights their way through Gromnir's underlings which grants Minsc, Valygar, Jan and Gar a level. After reaching the inner chambers of the castle, Gar tries to reason with Gromnir but fails and a battle ensues. Gar takes care of Gromnir's mages while Minsc, Viconia and Valygar engage his fighters. The barbarian himself is badly injured by Edwin's 3x Flame Arrow sequencer and gets finished off by Viconia's hammer. Mellisan then reappears and urges Gar to go after Yaga-Shura and find out the secret behind apparent invincibility.

Gar and company use the pocket plane to teleport outside of Saradush where they rescue a merchant from some bandits. On the way to Yaga-Shura's lair, the party stops at a seemingly abandoned Temple of Bhaal where a shade in the form of Gorion taunts Gar and Viconia before attacking the party. After disposing of the shade and his minions, Gar finds a woman named Nyalee who claims to be Yaga-Shura's surrogate mother. She reveals that the fire giant's invincibility comes from his heart which he removed from his body. The witch wants revenge on Yaga-Shura for literally stealing her own heart and instructs Gar to search for the two in the Marching Mountains. Jan and Gar gain a level as the party clears the area and discovers the entrance to the fire giant temple. Thanks to his new HLA, Jan's song now lasts longer which comes in handy as the party dispatches dozens of fire giants, some trolls and a few fiends before reaching Yaga-Shura's lair. Before entering the inner chamber, Gar searches the area and finds a Belt of Fire Giant Strength and a powerful twohander called Psion's Blade which protects its wielder against confusion and all forms of psionics. Yaga-Shura's sanctum holds even more fire giants who are all neatly clumped together which allows Edwin to make good use of his Improved Alacrity + 4x Skull Trap + 3x Horrid Wilting combo. Viconia, Edwin and Valygar gain a level as the party mops up the remaining enemies while Minsc defeats a fire elemental prince and finds the Ravager halberd and an Amulet of the Harpers on his remains.

Minsc levels up as the party recovers the two hearts and Gar brings them back to Nyalee. The old crone performs a ritual which makes Yaga-Shura vulnerable again but regains her love for him in the process and summons some woodland creatures to attack the party. Luckily, Gar has thought ahead and covered the area with traps which quickly finish off the witch and her summons. The group rests up at the pocket plane and then heads for Yaga-Shura's camp. On the way, they notice that Saradush has fallen and that many refugees are now fleeing before the fire giant army. The party buffs up and heads straight for Yaga-Shura's tent. The fire giant commander is taken by surprise by the fact that Gar was able to damage him and flees leaving the battle to his lieutenants. After they are dealt with, Yaga-Shura returns but Gar and Minsc cut him down using Assassination and Greater Whirlwind, respectively. As the towering fire giant falls, Gar is instantly taken back to the pocket plane where the Solar gives him a vision of his mother's death followed by some questions about Sarevok before sending him back. At the siege camp, the rest of the fire giant army dissipates after the death of their commander granting Jan, Gar and Minsc gain a level. Viconia recovers a powerful Runehammer, a sturdy shield and a heavily enchanted plate mail from Yaga-Shura's corpse. Soon after, Mellisan appears again and wants Gar to take care of Yaga-Shura's allies, Abazigal and Sendai who reside near the town of Amkhatran. Gar returns to the pocket plane to think on this and finds that one of its sealed chambers has become accessible to him. Inside, he defeats an image of himself that had taken Sarevok's place and gains an ability to heal anyone who is near him with a mere touch. The party gets some well deserved rest and Gar decides that they'll need better equipment if he is to take on the two Bhaalspawn that Mellisan had mentioned. Having recently heard some rumors about powerful artifacts and strong magics being locked inside an ancient fortress called Watcher's Keep, Gar and his group head there next.

Modifié par Thailog, 02 octobre 2010 - 06:09 .

[Thailog]

Chronicles of Gar, the Half-Orc Assassin, part 19


Reloads so far:

1 - Main char killed by Tolgerias at the planar sphere
2 - Main char killed by Haz under the Shadow Thief guildhall
3&4 - Main char killed during an encounter with Cyric's Chosen


Party setup:

Gar - Assassin(30)
Minsc - Berserker(26)
Viconia - Fighter(17)/Nightcloak of Shar(18)
Valygar - Archer(23)
Jan - Jester(30)
Edwin - Conjurer(21)


In front of Watcher's Keep, the party encounters the Knights of Vigil, a small order of Helm's clergy whose members were tasked with renewing the magical seals that hold an ancient evil imprisoned within the fortress. They ask the party to descend to the lower vaults of the keep and read a special scroll there which will strengthen the magic which keeps the seals in place. Supposedly, the upper floors are infested by evil creatures that are drawn to the Imprisoned One so the task might be problematic. Gar accepts the offer, hoping to unearth some powerful artifacts which will help him deal with Abazigal and Sendai. The first floor of the keep is cleared without much trouble. After dispatching some golems, trolls, mists and shadows Gar solves a couple of riddles and the party finds a pair of Paladin's Bracers, a Golem Manual and a Quiver of Plenty, all of which are later upgraded by Cespenar. The group also finds sveral strange notes that were apparently scribbled down by someone called Lum the Mad. In the central chamber Gar notices some statues which are suspiciously life like. Therefore, he decides to cover the area with traps before opening the portal to the next floor. After the ritual is completed, the stone figures indeed come to life and trigger the snares but they are unaffected by their damage. The party disposes of the statues the old fashion way and descends to the second floor which grants Gar, Minsc, Edwin, Valygar and Jan a level up.

Downstairs, Gar encounters a trapped Chromatic Demon, but it is not the imprisoned one of legend. It seems that the only way to get deeper into the fortress is to deal with the creature so Gar and his group go to search for a way to unlock its cage. This floor is separated into several segments, each corresponding to a certain element. Gar quickly figures out how to use this to his advantage and the party seeks out the four guardians that are holding the scepters which unlock the demon's cage. Edwin dies during the fight in the lightning room, but Viconia is able to raise him soon after. Gar finds another head for the Flail of Ages in the poison room, which Cespenar later attaches. The creatures in the ice room are weakened by the poison mist from the previous room and fall quickly. The elementals from the fire room are lured into the ice room after which they freeze to death which allows Gar to get the scepter from the fire guardian unhindered. Finally, with all four scepters in place, the Chromatic Demon is freed. The party engages the fiend's icy form with every fire spell and weapon that they've got and the Chromatic Demon falls to Edwin's favorite 3x Flame Arrow spell sequencer. On the demon's corpse, Gar discovers a Nethril circlet which Cespenar upgrades into a powerful headband which allows Edwin to memorize even more spells. Viconia gains two levels and finally learns to dual-wield Crom Fayer and the Flail of Ages.

At the third floor, the party encounters a madman called Yakman. He rambles on something about demons which apparently occupy this maze-like level. Jan finds a pair of Bardic Gloves, which Cespenar later upgrades, while Gar believes that he might be able to piece together the way through the maze by reading the madman's journal. The party heads east and encounters some Cornugons fighting a Balor in a room which seems to be a dead magic zone. Having some experience with this, Edwin explains that such areas negate all magic and prevent anyone from casting any spells. Gar lets the fiends duke it out amongst themselves and then has an Enraged Minsc take on the surviving Balor. After the demon is defeated, the party continues eastward and finds a whole pack of demons of all sorts and sizes. Apparently, this bunch is friendlier than the last one, and their leader Tahazzar offers Gar a magical item in exchange for slaying his mortal enemy, a Pit Fiend named Kar'rashur. The party continues south and finds another dead magic zone loaded with fiends. Although the creatures cannot use their spells here either, the fiends' aura of fear affects Minsc and scares him into triggering several nearby traps. Luckily he survives, and Viconia, whose helmet protects her from fear, disposes of the fiends which allows Gar to disarm the traps. In the next room, magic works again, but before the party realizes that a Succubus and her Alu-Fuiend friends charm Minsc who is wielding the Silver Sword! Jan immediately lobs a Remove Magic into the room which fortunately dispels the effect before the mighty warrior can do any harm. Edwin tosses a Horrid Wilting at the Alu-Fiends while Valygar barely manages to pinpoint the elusive Succubus who keeps popping in and out of the ethereal plane. The party encounters Karr'rashur and his baatezu fiends in the next room. Luckily, magic works here as well so Edwin makes good use of his Improved Alacrity to get rid of the lesser fiends. Viconia, Gar and Minsc focus on the fiend leader but he uses a Wish spell to restore his health. It doesn't help him much as Minsc and Viconia use another Greater Whirlwind to take him out which grants Jan a level.

The party heads back to Tahazzar but gets lost in the maze. After dispatching several quasits who are playing around with wild magic and some tieflings, the party finally finds their way back to the demon commander and gives him the heart of his sworn enemy. The fiend stays true to his word and awards the party with a scepter gem and a Thieves' Hood which gives Gar, Minsc, Edwin and Valygar a level. Gar takes everyone back to the pocket plane to get some rest while Cespenar upgrades the hood. After resting, the party proceeds as before and dispatches some death knights and a cambion on the way. In the next chamber, they find a demon wrath and a bunch of enslaved spirits. Gar immediately notices that the room is heavily trapped and has everyone stay behind until he clears the way. Viconia uses the opportunity to cast True Seeing while Edwin summons a Planetar to distract the Demon Wrath. Valygar switches to Gesen's bow whcih allows him to bypass the wrath's Improved Mantle while an enraged Minsc chops up the slave wraths using his Critical Strike HLA. After Gar disarms the traps, everyone attacks the master wrath who falls soon after. The party finally reaches the exit and Gar notices that a cambion and his troupe have taken residence nearby. He seems friendly enough and simply wants someone to play a game using the Deck of Many Things with him. Gar accepts the challenge but loses. Having wagered the way out, Gar decides to attack the cambion fearful that the demon might leave the party trapped here. The battle is short but intense as one of the cambion's minions manages to hit everyone with a powerful insect plague spell. Fortunately, Minsc and Viconia can still use Greater Whirlwind and manage to save the day. Gar finds the Deck of Many things and another gem on the cambion's corpse. The party then uses the complete scepter to open the portal which leads to the next floor. Before proceeding, Gar retreats to the pocket plane and tries out the Deck of Many Things for himself. Knowing that the thing can be dangerous, the party fully buffs up before Gar picks out one of the cards. At first, this proves unnecessary as the initial card labeled Jester merely grants Gar 50,000 experience points prompting him to level up. However, the second card labeled "Knight" summons several Demon Knights which the buffed up party readily dispatches. The third card is labeled "Moon" and grants Gar 10 extra hit points. The Deck of Many Things then disappears and the party prepares to enter the fourth floor of Watcher's Keep.

Modifié par Thailog, 03 octobre 2010 - 11:46 .

[Thailog]

Chronicles of Gar, the Half-Orc Assassin, part 20


Reloads so far:

1 - Main char killed by Tolgerias at the planar sphere
2 - Main char killed by Haz under the Shadow Thief guildhall
3&4 - Main char killed during an encounter with Cyric's Chosen


Party setup:

Gar - Assassin(33)
Minsc - Berserker(28)
Viconia - Fighter(18)/Nightcloak of Shar(19)
Valygar - Archer(25)
Jan - Jester(32)
Edwin - Conjurer(23)


As the party descends to the fourth floor of Watcher's Keep, they find that a mage named Carston "rules" this area from within a gigantic machine. Apparently, he got himself stuck inside it and now has delusions of grandeur after noticing that its switches can manipulate the environment on this floor. After exploring the area, the party dispatches a couple of magic golems, some Yuan-Ti and a bunch of shadows while Gar discovers a blue colored vial and several oddly placed torches in front of a huge locked door. Having no means of opening the door at this time, the group heads northeast and discovers a mind flayer lair. Viconia buffs up everyone with Impregnable Mind but this proves to be unnecessary as Valygar dispatches the mind flayers almost single-handedly using his Greater Deathblow HLA. Jan gains a level as the party discovers a red colored vial in the area before heading southwest. The rooms in that area are filled with Githyanki and Valygar deals with them in the same manner as with the mind flayers. Gar discovers some tinder and flint and a purple colored vial which should enable the party to rekindle the torches in front of the locked room. Before going back, Viconia pounds a Demi-Lich into dust using her Runehammer and the party faces a Red Dragon named Saldrex. Minsc and Viconia, who have both just leveled up, use their Greater Whirlwinds on the beast but it retaliates with a wing buffet. Edwin hastes Valygar who then peppers the dragon with ice arrows. Saldrex spews some fire on Gar but he escapes the flames using Evasion after which Minsc and Viconia get back up and finish off the creature with another round of Whirlwinds. Back at the central room, Gar uses the flint and the colored vials to light the torches in a manner which resembles the nearby floor ornaments. This unlocks the great door and the party dispatches two minotaurs and some ice salamanders before recovering a crystal mallet which Minsc uses to shatter the glass on Carston's machine. The mage begs for mercy and Gar lets him go after he hands over his journal. From Carston's notes and the scrolls that the party had found earlier Gar figures out how to use the machine to raise each of his attribute scores. He then unlocks the way to the next floor, thereby granting himself and Valygar a level.

At the fifth floor, the party spots a large seal with three small pedestals, each containing a keyhole. Gar takes a look arond and finds a strange device which releases colored orbs and spawns monsters. After obtaining one orb of each color, he puts them in the appropriate canisters and obtains a key to one of the three seals. A note on the seal reveals that unlocking it will summon its guardians so Gar and company buff up before doing so. The guardians arrive in the form of an Arumach Rilmani and his minions. Edwin promptly fires off an Improved Alacrity which allows him to summon a Planetar and haste everyone. Minsc engages the Arumach but the spellcaster manages to pull off a Time Stop. He then casts a bunch of spells which badly injure the berserker but fortunately do not kill him. Edwin breaches the Arumach's defenses while Gar and Viconia take care of his minions. Minsc gulps down a couple of Potions of Superior Healing and gets back into the fray just in time to finish off the spellcaster. Edwin, Viconia and Jan gain a level and the party heads south where they meet a Helmite ghost who says that they must prove their worth by passing three challenges. The first one involves slaying a green dragon which the party absolves quickly earning Minsc and Gar a level up. The second challenge consist of surviving several waves of attacking orcs while the third one requires Gar to use his wits in a game of coins. After absolving all three challenges, the party receives another seal key which grants Valygar a level up.

This time, Gar covers the area with traps before the party buffs up and opens the seal. The plan works better than expected as Gar's Acid Traps kill half of the opposing group. Viconia and Minsc engage the Marilith and Hive Mother while Gar assassinates the surviving drow. The Hive Mother falls after a timely breach from Jan and a vorpal hit from Minsc while Viconia finishes off the Marilith with a Greater Whirlwind. Jan gains a level as the party enters the northeast room and places the skull of the warrior, which was recovered from the green dragon, on a decorated pedestal. This allows Gar to switch his body with that of a spirit warrior and re-live his adventures. After a short interlude, the party obtains the final seal key and once again prepares for battle. Everyone rests up at the pocket plane while Cespenar upgrades the Staff of the Ram. Gar once again lays some traps down while everyone buffs up before unlocking the seal. A lich and a bunch of flaming skulls emerge, but the undead spellcaster is instantly cut down by Gar's Spike Traps. After mopping up the skulls, Viconia gains a level while Gar discovers a Serpent Shaft and recalls that it was one of the components which Cespenar required for upgrading the Ravager halberd. The party then enters a portal which leads to the last floor where they finally find the Imprisoned One.

Gar reads the scroll which the Vigil Knights gave him only to find himself and his party trapped inside the chamber along with the mysterious prisoner. The creature speaks to Gar telepathically and offers him a way out if he sends the knights down to their death. Gar seemingly agrees but instead confronts the knights about their plan to trap him alongside the Imprisoned One. Realizing that the Imprisoned One still lives, the knights finally muster up some courage and go to face their nemesis. Soon after that a ghost appears and reveals that the Imprisoned One is in fact a demon prince, one of the most powerful creatures in the Abyss. She offers the party a scroll which will seal the keep along with the demon and the knights. Gar accepts the spirit's offer and reads the scroll which grants everyone in the party a level up. The group then rests at the pocket plane where Cespenar upgrades the Ravager halberd. Having concluded his business at Watcher's Keep, Gar takes the party toward Amkethran, but they get ambushed by the Tethyrian army along the way. The soldiers apparently think that Gar was responsible for the destruction of Saradush and attack. Edwin demonstrates the party's superiority to the soldiers with Improves Alacrity followed by a two Dragon's Breaths and several Horrid Wiltings while Jan gates in a Glabrezu. Minsc and Viconia use their whirlwinds to mop up the survivors while the summoned fiend hits the enemy mage with a Power Word Stun. Edwin then hastes everyone which seals the soldier's fate as a hasted Minsc easily clears the way out with his new halbard. Gar pauses for a moment to loot the soldiers' gear before the party finally departs for Amkethran.

Modifié par Thailog, 03 octobre 2010 - 07:44 .

[Thailog]

Chronicles of Gar, the Half-Orc Assassin, part 21


Reloads so far:

1 - Main char killed by Tolgerias at the planar sphere
2 - Main char killed by Haz under the Shadow Thief guildhall
3&4 - Main char killed during an encounter with Cyric's Chosen


Party setup:

Gar - Assassin(36)
Minsc - Berserker(31)
Viconia - Fighter(20)/Nightcloak of Shar(21)
Valygar - Archer(28)
Jan - Jester(36)
Edwin - Conjurer(25)


In Amkhetran, Gar's party meets Balthazar, the head of the local monastic order who gives them instructions on how to reach the lairs of Sendai and Abazigal. As the party explores the town in search of supplies, they run into Saemon Havarian, whom they had killed aboard the Githyanki ship. Apparently, someone has raised him from the dead and he's up to no good again. He tricks a couple of foolish mercenaries into attacking the party who don't live long enough to regret it. At the local tavern, Gar runs into a man named Marlowe who begs the party to help his daughter. Apparently, he has made a deal with a lich and the creature took the girl's soul as payment. Gar seeks out the lich who is willing to exchange the girl's soul for Marlowe's life. Gar seemingly accepts the deal but decides to double cross the lich at the last second. Unfortunately, this doesn't save Marlowe who gets killed by the lich's minions but the party defeats the undead spellcaster and restores the girl's soul which grants Gar and Minsc a level up. After resupplying at the smuggler's cave, the group departs for Sendai's enclave. Outside, they encounter an elven woodcutter who turns out to be a drow captain in disguise. The party quickly dispatches the warrior and his minions and discovers a secret entrance to Sendai's lair which grants Jan a level up.

After dispatching some umber hulks, spiders, and a bunch of duergar dwarves the party arrives at a large underground complex. This area is packed with drow warriors who seem to be guarding a mysterious tower. Jan's jester song and Sound Burst HLA come in handy with fighting the dark elves as both of these abilities bypass magic resistance. Inside the tower, the party encounters a lich who falls to a vorpal hit after unloading most of his spells onto a summoned Planetar. This grants Minsc, Viconia, Gar and Edwin level up and the party proceeds to the inner chambers of the complex. The first one is guarded by a drow priestess and her minions which the party dispatches using a summoned Planetar who distracts the Hive Mother while Edwin drops a couple of Dragon's Breaths on which allows Minsc and Viconia to mow down the demons and the priestess with their whirlwinds. The second chamber holds a drow captain whom Gar single-handedly defeats in a duel using his Assassination HLA. Minsc makes good use of the Psion's Blade while clearing out the mind flayers from the third chamber. Jan levels up as the party finally reaches the heart of Sendai's lair. The priestess is well prepared and conjures up several statues made in her own image to fight in her stead. She also summons several waves of drow warriors and mages to help her out. The party ultimately prevails, largely thanks to Edwin who summons a Planetar to keep Sendai's minions occupied and and casts Improved Haste on Minsc and Viconia who make short work of the statues. The real Sendai finally emerges only to get assassinated by Gar which once again prompts the Solar to yank him back into the pocket plane. She summons a future version of Gar who instructs his present counterpart about the things that are to come and clears up some things about his role in the prophecy.

The party then returns to the pocket plane where Gar faces another challenge. This time, he has to fight a version of himself in Slayer form which restores his long lost Divine Might Bhaalpower and also grants him and Viconia a level up. Gar has everyone rest up properly before the party departs for Abazigal's lair. At the clearing before the underground complex, the group is ambushed by Draconis, a half-dragon mage. He first tries to attack the party using his spells but fails thanks to Edwin's Breach and Minsc's whirlwind. Enraged, he transforms into his dragon form which somehow dispels the party's buffs and unsummons Edwin's Planetar. The dragon keeps popping in and out of invisibility so Viconia casts True Seeing. Edwin breaches his defenses while Minsc and Viconia whack away with their whirlwinds. Draconis manages to badly injure Viconia and Edwin using his acid breath before Valygar finally scores the killing blow. The party recovers a pair of enchanted bracers along with Draconis' head which allows them to bypass the wards to the underground complex and also grants Minsc, Edwin Valygar and Jan a level up. The cavern interior is connected by a network of flooded tunnels which Gar barely manages to navigate. After slaying a few dozens of Kuo-Toa, a bunch of beholders and a green dragon, the party eventually ends up in front of Abazigal's lair. As his son Draconis, Abazigal is also a half-dragon and starts the fight in human form. He swings a mean twohander but it's no match for Minsc's Ravager halberd which quickly forces Abazigal to shift to his dragon form. A wing buffet scatters the party but Edwin, who was further off, manages to summon a Planetar to distract the dragon long enough for everyone to get their bearings. Abazigal's electrical breath catches the party off guard, however, Viconia, who had just gained a level, is able to save the day with a quick casting of Greater Restoration. Minsc and Viconia then combine their whirlwinds in a flurry of blows and defeat the dragon while Gar is once again brought to the pocket plane by the Solar.

The celestial creature summons Yaga-Shura's spirit to explain the forming of the Bhaalspawn fellowship who also reveals that Bhaltazar belongs to this group as well. Back at Abazigal's lair, the party recovers another head for the Flail of Ages from the dragon's corpse and are then greeted by Gar's old acquaintance Elminster on their way out who implies that Saemon Havarian might hold the key to entering Balthazar's monastery. Unwilling to trust the treacherous rogue, Gar's group then heads straight for Baltahzar's monastery and fights their way into the fortress. Inside, Balthazar and his fellow monks try to apprehend the party but fail miserably. An improved hasted Minsc hacks Balthazar to pieceswhich grants him and Valygar a level up. The Solar once again intervenes and reveals that Melissan is the true force behind the recent events and that she was pulling the strings from the start. Apparently, she was once Bhaal's first cleric but she chose to betray him and now wants to use his scattered essence to become a goddess. Before facing her at Bhaal's Throne of Blood, Gar needs to complete two more challenges. In the first chamber, he is greeted by Cyric, the reigning god of murder and Bhaal's former rival. He initially wants to pit the party against some of his own favored subjects but Gar after points out how he defeated Venduris and his gang, Cyric dismisses the idea and lets him go in peace. Completing this challenge grants Gar permanent Negative Plane Protection making him immune to level drain effects. In the second chamber, the party must go up against Bhaal's most powerful avatar form - The Ravager. This creature is incredibly resilient and keeps summoning bone blades to assist it while it claws away at the party. Minsc and Viconia use their Hardiness HLAs to soak up the damage and then keep the pressure on the Ravager with their whirlwinds while Edwin and Jan distract the summoned swords with some Magic Missiles. Eventually, the beast falls to their combined blows, which allows Gar to dissolve the pocket plane and enter the Throne of Bhaal.

At the center of Bhaal's abyssal domain, Mellisan basks in the Bhaalspawn essence and taunts Gar into attacking her. However, after feeling the sting of Minsc's blade and Viconia's flail, she retreats back into the energy vortex. Gar sets up some spike traps and then defeats an air elemental prince and his minions who were guarding an energy node. This disrupts the flow of the essence long enough for the vortex to dissolve. Mellisan emerges and walks right into Gar's Spike Traps which causes her to lose a significant portion of energy and retreat to the vortex once more. Feeling confident in this strategy, Gar lays some more traps while the party defeats a water elemental prince and his minions. Disrupting the energy flow once again yanks Mellisan out of the vortex and she gets severely injured by the traps. She attempts to flee and heal herself but a hasted Minsc thwarts her efforts and she is once again forced to escape into the energy vortex. The party the faces off against a bunch of demons and a Fallen Solar while Gar lays the last of his traps in front of the vortex before cutting off Melissan from the third and final energy pool. She once again triggers the traps, but this time, they are not enough to dispatch her. Edwin summons a Planetar but Mellisan counters with some summons of her own who manage to stun and severely injure him. However, Minsc and Viconia's whirlwinds soon wear Mellisan down prompting the Solar to intervene and end the battle. The celestial being then offers Gar a choice, to retain the essence and become a deity himself or to reject it and be free of Bhaal's influence once and for all. Gar doesn't think long on the offer and chooses to abandon the taint in favor of his freedom. Ever since he became aware of his heritage, he felt a powerful connection to Bhaal's essence, which is probably what subconsciously steered him down the Assassin's path in the first place. However, through his own strength of will, he never truly embraced the evil behind the taint and eventually became able to separate the power from the malice which it carries. No longer a pawn of Bhaal's prophecy, Gar chooses to settle down with Viconia and live out the rest of his days in peace.

THE END

Modifié par Thailog, 08 octobre 2010 - 06:21 .