1504 replies to this topic

[Crazee]

1, Shadow Druid, Yes, D, Beta.

[Usurper]

This is going to be a relatively short chapter. Just gotta take out the old dwarven mine and we're in chapter 6. Very soon compared to chapters 3 and 4.

[Usurper]

Ok, here are the final votes:

Who should wear girdle of Cognizance?

1. Syvishtara                   .......
2. Bub Snikt                    
3. Viconia                      .........................
4. Imoen                        .........
5. Keiria                       ...
6. Coran                        ..........
7. Faldorn                      .

What class should Faldorn be?

Avenger                         ..............
Justifier                       ...
Shadow Druid                    ....................................

Should we add Faldorn to the party?

No                              ....
Yes                             ..................................................

Replace who?

A. Bub                          ...............
B. Viconia                      
C. Imoen                        .
D. Keiria                       ...............................
E. Coran                        ...

Drop everything or stay on target?

Alpha - Blow off everything.    .........................
Beta - Stay on target.          ............................

I have divined the true will of the thread. Viconia will wear the Belt of Cognizance, and I'll change her character portrait to that of Drizzlnafein or whatever. Faldorn the Shadow Druid will replace Keiria Silverstring (sorry babe but you failed to menace), and we'll stay on target to root out the Iron Throne from the Cloakwood. And all of this will happen ... soon.

[William Imm]

Did you take in account my portrait suggestions in my previous post? If Viccy becomes female again, give her the BG1 drowified portrait for variety and awesomeness.

[Usurper]

Oh, yeah, I should bring those up for voting in the main thread. I'll talk about them next update.

[Usurper]

Does she do that? I haven't actually used her before. I guess I have some conversations to look forward to, heh.

[Usurper]

24 Uktar, 1369

Gameplay note: Faldorn is a force to be reckoned with. First of all, she has enough xp to be level 7.



This gives her the ability to cast level 4 spells.



She knows Animal Summoning I, Call Woodland Beings, Cure Critical Wounds, Neutralize Poison, and Protection from Electricity.



Animal Summoning I is good for fodder and if you don't like gnolls or hobgoblins. The types of animals called are random, but they are generally bears and wolves and other natural animals.



I remember the first time I played Baldur's Gate II, I would use Call Woodland Beings, get a nymph, and immediately send her into melee. Then I would wonder why she died so fast. It wasn't until weeks or months later that I realized her strength is her spellcasting abilities and not her bare fists. What she is, is a backup cleric. Always good to deploy midway through fights.



This is the next-level heal which cures, as of now, a maximum of 39 hit points. Suitable for healing up anybody in the party in one cast, because they're probably not going to be at 1 hit point when it's cast.



Neutralize Poison is not only an antivenom, but it is a poison resistance buff that lasts for about 1 minute per level, so a good 7 long minutes now. That's enough to clear a map at least. It is also enough to outlast any Cloudkill spells that are cast upon the party.

The final spell, Protection from Electricity, has a messed up description. A minor bug in the BWP. But it basically lasts 1 turn per level and gives 100% invulnerability to all lightning bolts and lightning-based breath weapons. Good when going up against a druid or a blue dragon.



Going back down the spell levels, for level 3 Faldorn has Remove Curse, Call Lightning, Cure Blindness or Deafness, Cure Disease, Cure Serious Wounds, Dispel Magic, Zone of Sweet Air, Hold Person or Animal, Moonblade, Protection from Fire, and Summon Insects. Nothing we haven't seen before, although only Gavin had some of these, and it's been a long time since we hung out with him.



Faldorn's level 2 spells are Barkskin, Charm Animal, Find Traps, Flame Blade, Goodberries, Resist Fire and Cold, and Slow Poison. Again, spells we have all seen before.



Down at level 1 Faldorn has Armor of Faith, Bless, Cure Light Wounds, Curse, Detect Evil, Doom, Entangle, Faerie Fire, Shillelagh, Strength of Stone, and Sunscorch. A solid selection.

Now that there are two healers in the party, Faldorn and Viconia can both split up the healing duties and memorize some extra utility or combat spells. I tell Faldorn to memorize an Entangle, a Strength of Stone, and Sunscorch for level 1. For Viconia, she memorizes a couple Magical Stones, a Doom, a Cause Light Wounds, and a Command. Give them some versatility at level 1. At level 2 I tell Faldorn to memorize 6 Barkskins. We will be using that extensively. Viconia changes things around to have more Hold Persons and a Silence instead of just Aids and Poisons. At level 3 I let Viconia memorize one Glyph of Warding and Faldorn memorizes one Call Lightning and one Summon Insects, in addition to the Cure Serious Wounds that they both have. And for level 4, which only Faldorn can access, I let her memorize Animal Summoning I and Call Woodland Beings, in case we run into more trouble than we can handle.

Finally, Faldorn's going to go all-out as a melee combatant.



She is dual-wielding the Club +2 that has a 20% chance to confuse its target for 3 rounds, and in her off-hand she has the Poison Ivy +2, which gives out 1 point of poison damage every second for 8 seconds when it hits a target. Targets could be wandering around confused and poisoned, just letting themselves die, if Faldorn gets ahold of them. Don't worry, I had her train Clubs, Maces, and Two Weapon Style. She's good to go.

And if you think that's not enough, she can also shapeshift into a wolf, a brown bear, and a black bear at will. That's Faldorn. Let's get busy.

Faldorn shows us the way to go, and we are soon on our way to Cloakwood Crossings. It is only a 16 hour trip.



When we arrive, we see a strange sight in the distance. A wyvern big enough to carry a cow around flies through the sky!



We hang out for a bit, see the sights, set up camp, and take some down-time. Coran considers this to be good enough for the hunt that he mentioned earlier.



Then he asks us a very important question.



Hmmmm, very difficult to answer. Both Shar-Teel and Branwen are blondes, while Xan has brown hair. Coran himself also has brown hair, and he's kinda cute. But in the end, I have to tell the truth.

The red-heads certainly capture my attention more than any other type.

I approve of your taste. Why love if not to play with fire?

EXACTLY!

To tell you the truth, I can never decide what makes my heart beat faster. So, I've invented an ingenious system.

I am all ears.

You see, my friend, I've decided to dedicate a year's season to each of the tempting guilds. I love brunettes the most in summer, the redheads in autumn, and blondes in the winter.

What about spring? Do you take a holiday from wenching?

Why, never! Spring I leave to whimsical flights of fancy.

Ah, the blue-haired elven maidens and bald Thayvian sorceresses?

Exactly. Ah, did that Red Wizardess I met in Waterdeep a few years back teach me a thing or two!

Coran is just so happy about life! He's like a breath of fresh air.

We try to go to sleep and wait out the night, but we are awakened by a giant spider!



Imoen saves us all from it.



My heroine! We sleep and wake, and I send her out to scout. It isn't long, though, until she finds an unfortunate enemy - a hamadryad. What's a hamadryad?



Apparently a skilled spellcaster.



The hamadryad casts Dire Charm and Dimension Door, popping around the woods like an evil fey creature.



Thankfully some of the equipment Faldorn is wearing gives her high resistance to such tactics.

I cast some missiles at it. It is partially immune.



Faldorn tries to cast Sunscorch at it.



In retrospect, not a smart idea to cast sun-based spells at plant-based enemies.

Imoen is the one to really luck out here. She interrupts the hamadryad's routine!



Seemingly in retaliation, the hamadryad teleports near Imoen.



Imoen simply takes the next logical step of casting Burning Hands on the fey creature.



It doesn't work out well. The hamadryad must have minor spell immunity or minor spell turning up. I know how to take care of that!



Oh-I-guess-the-Weave-knows-better-than-I.

The hamabitch starts getting annoying. She casts Entangle then teleports away!



Imoen, Coran, and I are entangled in these roots and are unable to get to the hamadryad!



Thankfully Haiass still can. I am pretty pissed, though, and try to use a wild magic spell that I have never used before, Mynoc's Irresistible Appeal. I'll make her come over here!



Oh.



I think this means that the Weave has nature on its mind, and cannot bring itself to harm a hamadryad. I honestly can't say that I blame it. I don't even know why I'm fighting it.

Then Viconia casts Magic Stone, and 10 Magical Stones appear in her inventory. Hmm.



She begins to throw them at the hamadryad. And it is one of those stones that kills her.



But the hamadryad had teleported and wandered so far that she had attracted a spider to fight against us. Faldorn and Bub, the only two people not still entangled, close to engage the spider.



Faldorn takes a hard hit from the arachnid.



But she gives back what she got in greater measure.



A quick heal from Vic brings Faldorn back to full. Then I ask Faldorn if Nature can protect us as we explore the area. She rushes around casting a spell on all of us, and when she is done we are all brown with green hair!



I touch my skin. I feel like a tree! It's so cool!

[Usurper]

Unfortunately the magic wears off rather quickly, and by the time we find another person in this forest to talk to, we are normal again.



What's with you rangers and baby Wyverns? Some kind of perversion involved I would think.

Perversion? No foolish traveler, we train these fine animals to protect Nature from Her enemies. Yes... yes indeed the enemies of Nature must be destroyed. Far too many bandits, orcs, and other beings of evil have violated Nature. Now how about that toll fee? What did I say it was... ahh yes 200 gold.

That is too much for us. We barely have enough gold to buy provisions.

Well since I rarely get visitors out here and you have been good listeners, I'll let you pass this time.

Thanks Keiran I will not forget this!

Nature thanks you. You may have use of this bridge. May the Great Mother watch over you.

Finally a reasonable tree-hugger! I was getting really uneasy killing the spirits of the forest and out-of-control druids. I'm really glad I was able to talk Kieran out of charging us or fighting us. Especially because his bridge is the only way to get anywhere in this area!



I notice that Kieran is still around, not having wandered off. So I decide to talk to him again. He seems to want to trade!



He's got magical arrows, bolts, and bullets. He's got potions of all kinds. He has protection scolls, the green kind that you can't memorize. He has a ton of low-level spell scrolls from levels 1 to 4, and also every type of wand, from a Wand of Fear to a Wand of the Heavens. He has another Gift of the Woods, the one that sets AC to 0, in case we decided that having 2 was not enough. He also has a Ranger's Long Bow +2, which adds +1 to DEX but is usable only by rangers. Unfortunately everything is outside of our price range.

We say goodbye to the nice ranger, and try to move across the bridge. We are greeted by a Black Talon Elite. Fuck!



I throw out my hands in a half-assed gesture of magical might and pray for the Weave to fill in the rest. It does. In polymorphing ability.



If that's what it's going to be, that's what it's going to be. I melt myself and begin to inch forward.



Imoen kills the first one.



With this new perspective from the ground, inching along and feeling everything beneath me in excruciating detail, I realize what I've been doing wrong with magic this whole time!





Gameplay note: Notice the pip in Long Swords! Also all my saving throws got better this level.



I am even better still in my new form of a mustard jelly. I take down the next elite!



But the last one, the last one is taken out by Faldorn's fury.



Coran seems to have been thinking about something else.



You, in women's shoes? I'd like to see that!

Ahem... actually I did wear them once: shoes, and a dress, and -

Ha ha! I might have known!

It happened entirely by accident. Helg and I -

Go on.

You might have heard about the carnivals, when the whole cities go mad with vigor, mask themselves, and, more importantly, dress up sumptuously. While for the commons any bright rag and paper mache will do, the nobles order frocks with yards of expensive cloth set with jewels, lace, and exotic feathers.

So Helg decided to relieve one exquisite costumer of its delicious goods on the eve of the masquerade. We silenced a couple of poor souls who were putting the last stitches on the frocks, and Helg left the guard drunker than a dwarf on a festive day, and went to collecting the bounty...

Only the city guard took undue notice, as he seemed to favor one of the seamstresses. So, Helg told him that he was a helper hired to do the last minute alterations on dress for a capricious debutante... and the way he said it, I knew that the guard was coming in to check on us. So, I jumped in a dress, put a mask on, and got onto a dais of sorts the dressmakers use to do their thing. Helg comes in with the guards, grabs the pins, and announces: "So you wanted me to pad that bosom some more, my dear?" And he went on about it quite diligently.

Hmm, I never thought that I was destined to experience an episode of breast envy...

Uh... thanks for that story Coran. I really enjoyed listening to it as a jelly on the ground. I shapeshift back to my natural form and we decide to all patrol together. As we walk along, I look in Rhialto's Spellbook some more. Maybe there's something I missed...



Study the spellbook for a while, and see if you can learn something new.

You spend some time, browsing through the book...

You found something of interest.

Try to learn the spell "Vile Word of Discord".

You succeed in learning the spell.



Gameplay note: What's the difference between this spell and Confusion? Well this one hits both allies and enemies, and has the additional possibility that a victim will ally with the caster and/or drop random equipment. Also I think that -4 penalty to save against spells makes it harder to resist than confusion. Finally, it is a level 3 spell and Confusion is a level 4 spell. Woot!

I know what I'm putting in my new level 3 spell slot!

I look over the book again to see if I can find any more magic.



Study the spellbook for a while, and see if you can learn something new.

You spend some time, browsing through the book...



Try to learn the spell "Cellular Regeneration".

You try to learn the spell, but it's too difficult. You need more experience in the art before you can learn it.

Still not daunted, I try one last time. But I can't learn Glyph of Wild Magic either. Damnit. Maybe next time.

[Usurper]

Then it's back to patrolling. And killing baby wyverns.



I try to get smart with the spells, and I get whacked hard for my trouble.



I tell everyone to back up, and I reach through Nahal's for some guidance of the Weave. I shout out triumphantly, and...



The world's slowest fireball lazily leaves my hand and meanders slowly towards mine enemies. I watch in stunned silence as it eventually explodes.



It manages to hit one slow wyvern. Imoen augments the damage with her own style.



Coran throws out one of his Huntsman's webs, hoping to get some of the flying wyverns caught in it I suppose.



But the only one caught in it is Bub Snikt. Viconia knows that the wyverns will turn on him, so she rushes in to give him a pre-emptive heal. It doesn't turn out to be so pre-emptive.



I know it's not going to be enough, so I rush in to heal as well.



This is looking bad. And it just gets worse.



Bub dies to the combined savagery of many baby wyverns, and Coran's stupid move. A pity.

The wyverns turn on me next! I pop some mirror images to try to save myself.



As I am running away, Viconia manages to let loose a Glyph of Warding. The magics course over the tight cluster of wyverns, and they turn on her. She is severely bitten.



Faldorn steps up in the shape of a bear to take over tanking duties as Viconia runs away.



Previously Faldorn had summoned a Nymph to aid us, and now the nymph begins casting a spell, although I do not know what it is.



Pure, beautiful energy courses through everyone and we are all almost healed completely! Faldorn the black bear is still hurt, but everyone else is rejuvenated!

Actually, Faldorn is in very bad shape.



She manages to run away as a bear while Coran gives us our first victory of the fight.



Haiass brings us our second kill, and Coran's epiphany.









Then Faldorn changes back to her natural form, and Viconia heals her.



This leaves her open to cast an offensive spell.

But back on the front, Haiass is our only feasible tank left, and he is almost dead.



I fervently hope that the baby wyvern he is fighting, that almost looks dead as well, falls before he does. But alas, it does not.



Immediately after Haiass falls, the nymph I was fighting next to falls as well. Will everyone die this day?! I run to the west to try to regroup, cast a spell, take stock, do something, then lightning bolt out of nowhere!



Faldorn calls the full fury of nature down upon these wyverns. Sweet!

And Viconia manages to get the killing blow on the last one.



And we are done. At only the loss of life of Bub, Haiass, and one beautiful Nymph. A sad day. I shall miss Bub's silent competence.

Gameplay note: That was a dumb mistake that killed Bub. Too bad. Looks like Minsc is up next. We'll get him next update.

[William Imm]

I think you are forgetting something...

Remember on the last two posts that you made, you were going to do a vote on portrait selection & Faldorn's alignment this update? Well, the update has been made, and nowhere have you mentioned voting for either. Please bring both up soon - I would love to see some of Enkida and Santificer's work in this LP.

[Usurper]

Yeah I guess I had too much going on in my head. I'll try to put those in next update.

[AmyAE]

Where did you find that portrait for Coran, and could you post a copy of it? I have had such a hard time finding decent alt portraits for him.

Also, changing Coran's alignment might cause problems if you decide to do his romance, since at a certain point in the romance, his alignment can change to CN. Just a heads-up.

[Usurper]

Where did you find that portrait for Coran, and could you post a copy of it? I have had such a hard time finding decent alt portraits for him.

Also, changing Coran's alignment might cause problems if you decide to do his romance, since at a certain point in the romance, his alignment can change to CN. Just a heads-up.

One of the posters in the main thread found it, and put up the link: http://nattzvart.dev...celift-39842839

Thanks for the heads-up about the romance. I'll watch out for that.

[Usurper]

29 Uktar, 1369

It is a three day trip to get back to the temple. And it costs 600 gold to raise Bub.



I can't even remember how many times I've been to the Song of the Morning temple, raising dead companions. What happens when I just don't have the money to raise any more? Hopefully that day will not come soon.

We drop off Bub at the Jovial Juggler.



We will come get you if there is anything worth hunting for.

Fires shall sweep through the streets.

Yes, yes, Meta Infernum, if that happens too.

If there is one man I need with me now, in the deepest heart of the Cloakwood, it is the ever-fearless, ever-optimistic Minsc.



It has been a boring trip without you. Welcome back.

We equip him as normal, with the exception of armor and helm. I suspect that there will be high-level magics flying around once we assault the Iron Throne mine, so I give Minsc the Helm of Mind Warding. I don't want to lose him to a Charm or Confusion. Also, the Woodland Armor is his favorite too, as it was Bub's. It fits him extremely well and lets him move around. But all in all it is our old beloved Minsc that stands before us, decked out in our finest equipment.



Coran seems a little disappointed with the way things are going.



Stick with me, and we'll eventually run into one.

Ah, you are quite talented in seeking out all sorts.

But you can't deny that there is something, some subtle charm, in having a beautiful, seductive woman for an enemy.

For you it's a losing proposition. You can never resist a seductress.

Ah, I'm very certain that giving into a seductress always has a winning side to it.

Talk to me after you get chewed up by a vampire or a hagspawn.

Lighten up, my friend, lighten up. Wouldn't it be wonderful if a deadly match could be turned into a match of passion?

Are you sure your arch-enemy is not an erineyes or a succubus?

Yes, I am positive, but there was a lady in his war-band.

Now that's better!

Since we're here, I stop by the Thunderhammer Smithy to see how things are going with Taerom. He gets quite excited when he sees what I've got in my bags.



9000 gold?! I think I've only seen that much money once before, back in Restenford. I don't even know if I can gather that much money up ever again. We'll have to see.

We also stop by to see Firebead Elvenhair.



Pain.

Gameplay note: My sword keeps saying terribly appropriate and hilarious things. I think the sword alone is worth suffering through Restenford

Firebead is actually pleased to take one thing from our stash of loot. I guess that means we can sell the rest.



He is friendly enough still, but not enough to teach me of his secrets!

We go back to the Jovial Juggler to sell off the rest of the gems and rings and such that we collected in our journeys. Also, I take pity upon Gurke and convince Imoen to give him back his cloak.



Gameplay note: 150 xp nevertheless!

We also get 350 gold from bandit scalps via Officer Vai.

And, finally, because there might be money in it, we stop by Nashkel to sell our Winter Wolf pelts.



That's a cool 250 gold. But when we try to sell the second one...



Hmmm. I guess I'll have to go see if anyone in Beregost wants these other two Winter Wolf pelts.

On the way out, I see that tiny little svirfneblin, Karaea, again. I decide to see how she's doing.



I'm curious if you can provide other products than those you've got in stock.

Are you pulling my short gnomish leg, Syvishtara? Don't I have more than enough shoes for you and all your friends, one for each day of the week? Maybe each day of the month? Why do you ask, anyway?

Just wondering, like I said. So have you got anything else?

Well, I don't make all the boots, you know. Jams and pies are my specialty. But I do fill special orders from time to time, for a price. If you have something in mind, run it by me and I'll try my best.

You have some fancy footwear here, so you should have some connections beyond just Aurora. Is it possible to secure a special deal?

Hmm, I dunno. It's not like my usual supplier has anything additional. You might be better off hiring a transmuter who'll modify the boots. Not that I know a transmuter. Hmm, well there is this crazy old half-elf hermit...

He doesn't really create items but instead messes around with existing ones, combining and changing them. He's not really right in the head though, so I can't guarantee the quality of his work. I have no magical skill myself beyond a few illusions, though that probably won't help you much.

I think he can be bribed to refashion some materials and make them work better than before. But there's a problem, now that I think of it. Last I heard, he was short on supplies, much like I am, so I doubt he can be compelled to work even if you pay fifteen thousand gold coins.

A hefty sum indeed. But before I consider it, what can I expect from this transmuter of yours?

Hee hee! You're funny, Syvishtara. I said *even* if you pay that much. He just has no materials to work on, that's the problem. So you may have to wait a bit. But since you're interested, I'll see if I can get in touch with him and let you know if the situation changes.

What kind of material does he need?

He transmutes items, combining them with qualities of all the ingredients. So he needs certain materials, things not easily obtained in shops. In other words, he takes special items and hacks around with them a bit. Usually, something better comes from his tinkering. Or so we hope.

I have plenty of magical things. What will do?

Ooh, I'm not really sure, Syvishtara. If you wish, I can try to find out, but it'll take some gold just to track him down. Five hundred should be enough, I suppose.

Why does everybody want so much money? I'm a hunted elf! I got friends to resurrect!

Can you instead introduce me to him?

I don't even know where he is these days. He keeps low and moves around a lot. So I'll have to make some queries, maybe even bribe some shady characters. Eww.

Later, then. Let's get back to usual business.

Here's my wares, then! I hope you find something you like!

Unfortunately the only wares of hers that I can afford are the Boots of the Leopard. And they're probably not a good investment.



Gods I wish I had 42,525 gold, though, so I could buy her Boots of the Pub.



And for 8,100 gold, I could look like a drop-dead seductress, just like Coran wants!



Gameplay note: We already have the Nymph Cloak, which I am wearing, and that gives a +2 CHA bonus. Combined with those boots, I'm pretty sure we could start the Coran romance! Gotta wait until we have the cash, though.

The last thing that I notice is that Karaea will buy my Winter Wolf pelts and my wyvern heads. Altogether they are worth 600 gold, so I sell them. I'm sure I can get more later. That puts us at a solid 3303 gold.



The Iron Throne better be rich. I'm getting tired of being poor all the time.

[Usurper]

Finally, even though I am trying to save money, I talk to Juoma the Herbalist to see if I can get some cheap potions.



Do I have any herbs that you could make a use of?

Let me see... you have lots of things in your bag and my eyes are not as good as they were when I was young... oh good old times... Anyway, take a look at this scroll please, you can recognize the herbs you have by reading it and checking the illustrations... it also shows you which herbs can be combined to make a potion...

I think I recognized some herbs... could you brew a potion from Springrose and Stormspit?

Plants of health... give me 90 gp and I will create you a potion.

Here you are.

Thank you. Your potion will be ready soon. Please don't interrupt me during the creation process.



Here you are.

Thank you, Juoma.

I hope you will make a good use of it.

She gives us a Healing Gel.



This is well worth the 90 gold it cost to make! I buy 3 more and give them all to Minsc.

I wait.

We're still at 2943 gold. Hopefully we will be able to buy some sort of magic item soon.

Then a few days of travel and rest later, and we are back at the Cloakwood Crossing.



This time, instead of stumbling around in the woods like a fool, I send Coran ahead to scout. He eventually finds another cave. Dude must love caves.



He doesn't want to take any chances and automatically traps the entrance this time.



Then he calls us as backup and offers a toast!



And for a woman too.

Indeed, indeed. The roads would be grey and dusty, if not for the chance of meeting a fair maiden.

And to think of that I could've missed the pleasures of roaming simply by being born who I am.

Are you an elven prince in disguise?

Oh, no, no. Nothing this grand. We're not in a fairy tale after all.

My family isn't particularly noble or well-known, but it is entirely dignified. Why, my mother is a priestess of Rillifane, and Rillifane is a serious god, at least where leaves and petals are concerned.

You come from the Forest of Tethyr, yes?

Yes, there is the village of Fallawine within a day's ride from the magnificent Suldanessellar.

Come, my friend, finish your wine, and on we go, to face new adventures!

We down our drinks, say our magics, prepare our swords, and send Coran in. When he enters, he realizes where he is. The lair of the wyverns!



Coran rushes back out, the wyverns screaming hot on his tail. We cast our buffs and ready our weapons. He exits the cave and his traps hit the first baby wyvern behind him!



And the battle is on. Coran starts us off strong with an excellent arrow strike!



We are low on front-line fighters, so Faldorn calls some animals to aid us.



Viconia gives us all the Chant even before we know what animals Faldorn called, and even before they have answered her call Minsc kills the first wyvern.



I am using a new spell today, one I cast earlier in preparation for the fight. It is Melf's Minute Meteors. They are amazingly excellent!



I kill the second wyvern with them. Why have I never used these babies before?

Faldorn, who finished summoning her Dire Wolves earlier, gets hit in melee combat with the wyverns.



But she heals herself up in a moment and keeps on fighting.



Imoen manages to land the killing blow on the next wyvern.



And Minsc kills the final one.



This 4 wyvern fight was much easier than the previous one. Why had we not killed so easily before? Must be Minsc.



Aww, Coran, come on! We were just there!




Now, now, Coran, we do not even know if that was a female wyvern.

Hmm, actually, we do. Look at the shape of the skull - it was definitely a female.

Alright, female it was. But, Coran, you have an odd concept of beauty. Next you will be making advances at goblin maids.

Not a chance! The wyvern is a powerful beast, and magical besides... she has a certain majesty and beauty about her. A goblin, on the other hand, is but seventy pounds of green, slimy spittle. I say, let goblin males have goblin maids.

Bah, whatever...

Tell me, who killed your sense of humor?

Sorry, Coran, I am simply disinclined to talk to anyone right now.

Right. I will go talk to some oak tree then. I am an elf after all. Oaks are quite pleasant companions compared to you.

Gameplay note: That went in a strange direction. I didn't intend to get pissy at Coran, I was trying to joke around with him. But there was no way for me to be nice after he said let goblin males have goblin maids.

We go back into the lair of the wyverns, and see what actually happened here. Someone else had beaten us to the kill!



Gameplay note: This is actually a pretty cool ending to the quest, and something you don't see very much in RPGs. The cave is littered with the dead bodies of another adventuring party who had already killed the biggest baddest wyvern, and you just take out its measly children. You don't get to kill the big bad. Look closely, because this is probably the last time you'll ever see that happen.

We are determined to root out where this Iron Throne mine is, though, and do not go back to immediately collect the bounty for our kill. Instead we look for signs of the Iron Throne.

[Usurper]

They are not hard to find.



Four Black Talon Elites ambush us almost immediately. We have to be careful! I decide to cast my new spell, Vile Word of Discord. I guess they have anti-caster training, though, because it makes me a focal point for Ice Arrows!



I retreat out of range to drink a healing potion, but this just causes the Black Talon Elites to target Faldorn and Viconia!



Damn, these guys are good. Imoen responds with her Wand of Fear, which successfully scares one of the bastards.



And Coran casts a Web, which successfully holds the other two.



This is close. Minsc is seriously hurt. Then he gets hit with another Ice Arrow!



Imoen tries to help things along as Minsc drinks a healing potion, by casting some Magic Missiles.



These guys really know how to interrupt spellcasters! Viconia is seriously injured as a Black Talon Elite turns on her when she tries to cast Glyph of Warding on him.



Finally one of the bastards falls, but I get hit with another arrow. How do these guys keep track of so many targets to hit one as soon as they cast a spell??? I had only cast Drain Life after all!



Faldorn had summoned a Nymph again earlier. I lost track of her in the confusion and when she finally arrives (they take forever) she immediately teleports to Minsc's side. Why did she do that?



We still have two Black Talon Elites to contend with, but only one is fighting right now, so we concentrate all our effort upon him. Imoen throws some magic missiles.



But Coran is the one to kill this particular enemy.



That leaves the one frightened Black Talon Elite wandering around among us. I do not want to take any chances. I fry his ass with a lightning bolt.



Then I get us the hell out of there. We are so weak a fly could buzz us dead!



Faldorn has two Cure Light Wounds left that she uses to kindof patch us up again, but that is all. It makes us look a tiny bit better but not much. We were down to the last of the last magic. We are going to need to sleep here in Shaundakul's sanctuary. At least Minsc is happy with the way things have gone.

Camaraderie, adventure, and steel on steel. The stuff of legend! Right Boo?

We managed to get 3 sets of Chainmail +1 from the corpses before I teleported us away. We place them gently on the mule. I seem to be somewhat out of sorts. We came so close to dying and those damned elites were so good with their arrows. They don't usually perform so damnably well.

I take a deep breath, gather everyone around, and we make a good fire and try to unwind through stories. I try to learn a little about Faldorn. I know almost nothing at all.



Any advice on our current situation from the shady department?

The Cloakwood is wailing in pain under the miner's picks and shovels, and you are asking me what to do?

Good point. I try to change the subject.

You have a very pretty name for a barbarian girl raised by the Shadow Druids, Faldorn.

It's good enough, but human's artificial tongues do not have the beauty of a bird's song or a wolf's howl...

*You ask Faldorn lots of personal questions.*

Every woman has a beast in her. Yours is a magpie.

A... magpie. Huh. I did not know that. A little confused, I call us all to bed down for the night.

The next morning, we awake refreshed and ready to take on the day. That is, until I try to cast my morning Armor spell. My normally sleek magical armor manifests as a huge green blob, and blorps over me. It stinks, and so bad that it makes me dizzy!



I guess I won't be casting too many spells today.



Or engaging in melee combat for that matter. I ask Faldorn for the protection of the forest, instead. She gives us all Barkskin. Then I teleport everyone back, and we begin our sweep of the area for the day.



Baby wyverns are old hat here now, so we engage and begin chopping away.



They do not prove to be much of a threat.



This concludes our sweep of this side of the river, and we find one more bridge to cross.



Coran crosses it without anybody noticing him, and he only sees some baby wyverns in the trees. He says its safe for us to cross.



He even sets up some traps to protect us.



After we are all across, Faldorn and Minsc approach the wyvern to lure it over to us. It comes with friends!



They run back to the main group, and when the wyverns come one of the falls immediately to traps and the group's assault.



Faldorn is hurt, and retreats from the battle. Minsc, finding himself alone in melee, enters into a berserker rage!



Viconia, not wanting to mess around this time, casts a Glyph of Warding right on top of Minsc. It works great.



A minor tragedy happens just as the other wyvern is dying. It takes Haiass with it!



A second later, though, the wyvern attacking Minsc dies too.



I tell everyone to pull away from the berserker. I don't want him to kill us all.

While we are waiting for Minsc to calm down, Coran has a bright idea.



Yes, that would be pleasant.

Wonderful. Well, Syvishtara, since you will be singing the first voice, you can choose the song.

Very well, here we go....

It's not that I can't afford

a quiet life of comfort, tadi-ladi-da-da...

...

Ah, how can any man not fall in love with your sweet voice, Syvishtara?

Uh... thanks!

We were waiting for Minsc to calm down, but he was out searching for new enemies. He finds two of them.



I debate whether or not to move in to support Minsc, but before I can even come to a decision the first baby wyvern gets chopped in half.



And then the second. Eh, he can take care of himself.



I notice that the wyvern corpses aren't simply falling to the ground. They are getting pushed back, as if the blows were knocking them away from Minsc the berserking. Pretty awesome!

[Usurper]

Minsc finds two more wyverns and continues his killing spree. But this time he gets hit. Before I know what's going on, Viconia has rushed to him in the speed of her Boots of the Forgotten Ones and casts a spell. I get flashbacks to Finch in the Iron Mines! But this time, the wyverns prevent it from happening.



As one wyvern falls, I realize why they were doing relatively well against Minsc. One wasn't a baby!



Minsc turns from the adult to the baby and things get freakin awesome.



Holy shit Minsc!



Nothing can stand against one angry ranger. Faldorn, even with her wild heart, hesitates to approach Minsc. Yet she does, and heals him.



Gameplay note: I guess it is the effect of some mod that even though Minsc is still raging, he is controllable when out of combat. I am able to steer him towards more enemies then and only lose control of him when he attacks them.

Then he is off again. I see him fade into the shadows between the trees as he goes.



None shall see me, though my battlecry may give me away.

The thought of a berserking, silent ranger sneaking up behind me with the two-handed Flame of the North in his hands sends shivers up my spine. I have never felt so much pity for our enemies before!

But there is nothing else left to stand up to Minsc in this forest. He has slaughtered his way through everything.



Imoen, standing open-mouthed, finally shakes herself and tells me she learned something from watching Minsc sneak around!







With nothing else to do here, I decide that now is the best time to return Coran's quest to the Song of the Morning Temple.



But one day into our journey we are ambushed by wyverns! Full-grown ones, not baby ones!



We divide up, half the group going after the first and half going after the second. I cast a lightning bolt at mine.



Minsc tanks one wyvern and Faldorn tanks the other. She doesn't do as well as he does.



When Minsc's wyvern dies, we have some trouble getting the other one to focus on him. It seems to want to chase me all around the map. Eventually Imoen finishes it.



We finish the rest of our trip without incident. Keldath Ormlyr is impressed!



Powerful beyond belief! Why, this wyvern did not stand a chance against us! If you need to slay a wyvern, or a dragon, or some other foul beast, Coran is your man for the job, most holy Keldath Ormlyr.

Er, Syvishtara, I told you, it was worth our while: a couple of well-aimed arrows, an antidote, and ta-da! 1000 gold! By the way, I expect a double share of profits for pointing you to this little quest.

I shall keep that in mind.

We get our gold, and are up to 4,067! A good day overall. But the best part in my opinion is that when we went to the Song of the Morning Temple, Keldath gave *us* money. We should do that more often.



Gameplay note: Ok, that seems like a good stopping place. We have some voting to do. It has been brought to my attention that we could change Faldorn's portrait. Also, we could change Viconia's. What do you guys think of the following portraits?

1. Should we change Viconia's portrait to this one? Yes/No.



2. Should we change Faldorn's portrait to this one? Yes/No.



And finally, Imoen has reached level 7! It is time now to choose whether or not to dual-class her to a mage now. What do you think?

3. Should we dual-class Imoen to a mage now? Yes/No.

Voting this time should look simple, like this:

1. No.
2. Yes.
3. No.

Let me hear what you want!

[AmyAE]

1. Yes.
2. No. (What the hell is up with Faldorn's makeup in that portrait?)
3. Yes.

(Thanks so much for the link to that Coran portrait!)

[William Imm]

1. Yes (that was my suggestion, after all, and it's a awesome portrait anyway - please keep it even if she becomes female again)
2. Not really, but I threw up the suggestion in case someone wanted to vote for it.
3. Yes, and *please* give her the portrait from Enkida's portrait pack.

Edited by William Imm, 16 May 2012 - 06:34 PM.