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[Usurper]

Wild magic is the best magic.

[Usurper]

5 Tarsakh, 1370

After all the studying and preparations are done, I finally get a chance to read the History of the Chosen of Mystra.

struggle against the schemes of the gods (the now dead Bane, Myrkul, and Bhaal) who precipitated the Time of Troubles by stealing the Tablets of Fate. The theory goes on to suggest that Mystra informed Azuth at approximately the Year of the Rising Flame (0 DR), more than 1,300 years before the Time of Troubles, that some of her power must be put into the hands of mortals who would then become known as Mystra's Chosen. This power would sleep within the bodies of those mortals, allowing Mystra to call on it only with their permission. It would give the Chosen the innate ability to heal quickly, and would give them life spans far greater than those of ordinary mortals. Mystra speculated that these mortals might be able to call on her power and thereby gain some special abilities, but that these powers would not rival those of a deity. (See "Powers" below.)

The Goddess of All Magic then began to select mortals she thought to be suitable. One of the first was the young mage Elminster, and she also singled out a promising wizard named Khelben Arunsun. Both have proved to be worthy and capable receptacles of her power, but Mystra's other early attempts to invest her power in living humans were unsuccessful, and she came to realize that only very few mortals were of stern enough substance to contain such power within themselves without being destroyed or corrupted. Even though some people aside from Elminster and Khelben may have possessed the requisite strength, it is possible that having lived for years prior to being visited by Mystra had set them on a path from which they were not able to deviate. Whatever the reason, the problem needed to be solved. To get around the difficulty, Mystra devised a plan to use herself as a vessel to breed individuals who could be nurtured and acclimated to her power from the very beginnings of their lives.

For the father of these individuals, she picked the best example of human stock she could find: Dornal Silverhand, a nobleman and a former Harper who lived near Neverwinter. Mystra then possessed the body of Elue Shundar, a half-elven sorceress whom Dornal was already attracted to. Mystra revealed her presence and her plan to Elue, who happily and eagerly agreed to have the goddess share her body. Elue had been reluctant, but under the influence of Mystra the woman became a seductress, and Dornal found his advances being suddenly returned with great fervor.

Dornal and Mystra/Elue were wed in the Year of Drifting Stars (760 DR). The first of seven daughters, Anastra Sylune, was born the following winter. Sylune's six sisters emerged at one-year intervals thereafter: Endue Alustriel, Ambara Dove, Ethena Astorma (she prefers the shortened "Storm" these days), Anamanue Laeral, Alassra Shentrantra (known today as the Simbul), and Er'sseae Qilue. These siblings have become known in Realmsian lore as the Seven Sisters.

Dornal, who had been kept in the dark about his wife's true nature through the years (presumably because Mystra didn't want to risk losing his services), was disappointed and nearly distraught by the time his sixth child was born; he had always wanted sons as well as daughters. More importantly, he was seeing his wife deteriorate right before his eyes. The strain of coexisting with the goddess all these years had turned Elue into a withered shell - in essence a lich, clinging to life only because Mystra's power was within her.

When Elue was carrying the seventh child, Dornal consulted a priest who told him his wife had been possessed by an entity of great magical power. To spare both of them any further agony, he attempted to slay his wife's physical form by severing her head from her body.

As soon as he had done this, Mystra was forced to reveal herself to him, and she went on to explain her scheme. Just as she had worried would happen, Dornal was aghast at how he and his wife had been used by the goddess. He turned his back on the corpse of his wife, abandoned his lands and his children, and vanished into the North. Mystra bore him no ill will, and in fact protected him for the final 30 years of his life. When Dornal finally did meet his end he called out to Mystra, and the goddess granted him continued existence as her servant. Now known as the Watcher, Dornal Silverhand travels the world unseen by mortals on a continuing mission to locate candidates to swell the ranks of the Chosen and to identify possible threats to Mystra and her minions.

Wait... that old guy Elminster is a Chosen of Mystra?! I never knew! Him following me around all the time is more significant than I ever realized! I go to sleep with visions of epic battles and a destiny I had never dreamed before me.

In the morning I have an idea for keeping Shar-Teel alive. Potions. She needs to use potions, preferably all the ones we have.



After we load her down with everything we've got, I teleport us back and we brace ourselves to enter the cave and rescue the nephew.



The cave is dark, and damp, and entirely unfamiliar to me.



I send Bardo out to scout. He's the sneaky one.



He finds a lone orc over here...



And a lone oroc over there. He doesn't find any dwarf kids about, but he does find an exit to the northeast.



We fight our way to him.



The passageway turns out to be a long, winding one.



We see a dwarf up ahead! Great! We are done!



But he seems... hostile. We have to take him out.



We find an underground river, and a passage over it. And on the other side, more duergar. With an orc beside!



They aren't friendly.



I try to cast Rhialto's Random Missiles at the Duergar Priest, but I turn him to stone instead!



He shatters under Jet'laya's mace. We find more duergar later. We take them down too.



It looks like there is some kind of underground construction in the center of the chamber.



We go inside to check it out. It is another cave complex.



We find another duergar.



And a little while later, phase spiders teleport into our party.



Shar-Teel holds her own pretty well against them.



Safana goes trap-hunting and finds quite a lot of them.



And she stirs up a few phase spiders, which teleport to the main party to die.



Confident that she can take on whatever she finds, she presses on. But then she hears a lizard scraping on the floor. She glances and sees a Greater Basilisk!



She just backs away and leaves that alone. On her way back to us, she points out a duergar war party that we attack.



And when we go after them, they seem to have been expecting us.



They even have a mage with them!



Imoen gets separated from the group and both the mage and fighter go after her.



She runs around the corner and manages to get healed by Jet'laya. I see the duergar cleric go to heal the injured mage and decide to take advantage of the situation with Fireball.



The skeleton warrior that the cleric managed to call also starts picking on Imoen. Why is everybody always going after her?



The skeleton warrior almost kills her, but Jet'laya manages to get a heal off.



Then Jet'laya starts fighting the skeleton warrior and Imoen gets away, far enough to cast a Magic Missile at the duergar cleric.



Then everyone joins together to take out the skeleton warrior.



Imoen goes to clean up and we are busy looking at the new items we've gotten when Safana starts gasping in pain. We look to see a spider has teleported to her and she is almost dead!



Gameplay note: Remember kids, always pause while on the inventory screen!

We scramble to help her. Bardo throws her a potion and she drinks it. But the poison is working extremely fast.



She barely has enough time to drink an antidote and get healed by Jet'laya. Her hands are shaking. She almost died.



I manage to kill the spider myself.



Then we see what kind of loot we got. The duergar cleric had venom bullets.



But what he was wearing... that is something else entirely. It is Drowcraft Elven Chain +1.



Gameplay note: I put up that screenshot for the art. Here is the full text.



I can't figure out how to put it on, unfortunately. But it fits the others very well. And it seems to help Safana best of all, so she gets it.



Then the two thieves go off together to do some scouting. They find a trap.



Then we all go in to see what the room contains. It is spiders.



Also that duergar mage from earlier jumps into this fight.



I kill the mage.



And the spider too!

[Usurper]

It isn't until we turn the corner and find another underground stream that the first person attempts to address my gender change.



What do you know, you bubbling excuse for a woman? I told him I would repay my debt since I lost and that's it. End of story.

I suppose, but I thought you didn't hold to this honor stuff, especially with males.

Wait, maybe there is some decency in you! Or could it be perhaps that you have feelings for Syvishtar?

I would suggest you stop this line of thought now, before you find yourself with a dagger through your throat. Or I will cut your tongue, so that it is forked as befits a snake's. Some women *spits* are little better than men.

I don't think I like her tone. But I am distracted by Safana's worried whisper. She says that the only way to go is across this bridge, and that is where the basilisk lies.



I nod. I walk up to the bridge calmly. I tell her it will be okay.



Even though I know the Wizard Eye's vulnerability to basilisks, I still cast it just to see what happens.



Everything goes great.



The elemental finishes with the first basilisk and then goes on to fight a second that I didn't even know was there.



My Wizard Eye disappears before the battle is over, but I still hear the death rattle of a greater basilisk. I give the all clear.



We make it through the area and I send Bardo out ahead to scout. He sees more duergar.



We kill him easily, and I see a stairway leading down.



But I remember in the previous map there was another passageway that we did not explore. I decide to backtrack and check that out before we continue on this way.

Gameplay note: This is the area map that is "inside" the round thing from the previous map. It doesn't look familiar to me. Anybody know where its from?



So we backtrack. We go back out the north entrance, back around the loop, and into another stairway we see here.



We end up in another spider-infested cave.



Jet'laya gets webbed and poisoned during the fight.



I am able to cure the poison.



Shar-Teel kills the spiders that were chomping on her.



And everything seems to be okay. We send Bardo out to scout again, and he reports back that the whole cave is just full of spiders. There are no other exits, but there is a treasure stash.



He takes the stuff and gets noticed by a couple of spiders.



But he ducks into a nearby crevice and manages to hide again before running.



He runs back to us and we just leave. There's no reason to stick around to kill poisonous spiders. But the spiders come after us.



And they die quickly.



Very quickly.



So we go back into the dome thing, and then past the lair of the dead basilisks, and then finally down deeper into the ground. Still haven't seen any dwarf kids.



This place looks more like a mine.



And yep, we find duergar miners.



There are some supplies here, but nothing useful.



There are miners all through these tunnels, and we have to fight our way through every inch.



One of the guards almost kills Imoen!



I try to cast Mirror Image, but instead receive a flash of insight. I know this whole place. It's almost like I've been here before.





These miners die pretty easily, but they are equipped well. Each one is wearing Plate Mail Armor. I collect every single one. When there is a lull in the fighting, though, I make a beeline to where I know the exit is.



The second level of this mine is much like the first - familiar.



We kill some more miners, and I look around at what they are mining. Looks like regular coal.



Yep. It's coal.



Later we see an orc priest, but he is alone, so we just dogpile him until he dies.



Some war dogs and orc archers come late to the party.



Imoen has been hanging out with Safana and Bardo a lot, talking about the old days of thieving. During the fight, she finally remembers how to do what she used to do before.









Gameplay note: Imoen's got her groove back! Now we have 3 thieves in the party, heh.

[Usurper]

We find two orogs standing in the mine shaft just a little ways north.



They are dangerous and smelly, so I summon something to take care of them for us.



I summon just one skeleton, however. Underwhelming.



So I decide to summon something else as well.



It is just in time, too, as the earth elemental rises when the skeleton falls.



It manages to keep a hand in the fight, although it loses control of the front lines and we have to retreat to run away from wild duergar.



I hear spellcasting up ahead, so I send Earthie north. He runs into a little something.



A duergar priest with a few undead get smashed by giant rocky fists.



Unfortunately he disappears after the fight is over.



Way over in the leftmost part of the area, we hear an eerie sound. The sounds of duergar without the sights of duergar. They are going to try to backstab us!



I try to spook the assassins out with a Horror cast right at my own feet.



But it doesn't work. They backstab Bardo!



Bardo quaffs a potion, but the thief does too. It disappears again!



I try to back everyone into a corner to give him less of a chance to backstab us. He misses his next attack against Safana and we have our chance!



I try to cast a spell but the only thing I succeed in doing is making everyone's weapons glow. I think it's a hint.



Imoen manages to hit him with a wand, but that just makes the duergar want to get her back.



When he strikes, we are ready for him.



Shar-Teel practically cuts him in half. He dies instantly.



Safana says she thinks she needs to be a lot more on her toes in the future.







We move on to kill another priest.



Then I think for a bit and realize that Bardo never told us what was in the treasure he got from the spider cave. I ask him and he shrugs and shows me a wand.



Wow! This is the same kind of wand that was going for over 1 million gold pieces at the Friendly Arm Inn! This is probably worth more money than I have ever seen before in my life. But Bardo also says he found a spell scroll.



Whoa! This is one of those evocation spells, so Firebead can't help us with it. I copy it down into my own spellbook right away.

Eventually we find the way further down, and we take it.



Shit.



We all cast what we think will help. I go for a Lesser Air Elemental.



Jet'laya casts the Chant.



Then I try to give our Air Elemental some backup.



Imoen casts Web to try to buy us some more time.



The Web catches Shar-Teel too, which cannot be good. I try to interrupt some casting I see coming from the doorway with a Skull Trap. Looks like it works.



Then, stupidly, the orc priest walks into the Web and gets trapped. The situation is too good to pass up and I throw my last Fireball from the Wand of Fire.



Then, even though the room is full of sticky webbing and nobody can hardly get anywhere, we still manage to kill all our enemies and make the room safe.



Shar-Teel laughs aloud at the sheer brutality of it.







I don't want to waste all these monsters that I summoned, so I tell Bardo to stay hidden and direct them. He leads the expendable strike force straight ahead, down one hallway.



They find someone to kill. The Air Elemental disappears halfway through the fight, but the gnolls remain.



They kill the duergar guard without losing a man.



Then, further down the hallway, they run into a pack of 3 defenders.



One gnoll falls.



Then their captain goes down!



But Bardo is able to take out the duergar.



But then, during retreat, the last gnoll dies!



Bardo has to run back to us, enemies in hot pursuit. Behind him, out of the shadows, runs a Drow Warrior!



Bardo kills him.



But just his presence is disturbing. What are orcs, duergar, and now drow doing all working together?

[Usurper]

I search his body for clues. What we find is a ton of magical equipment that none of us have ever heard of before. He is wearing a Drowcraft Elven Chain +1, but also he has a Drowcraft Long Sword +3, a Drowcraft Light Crossbow of Speed +1, a Drow Shield +3, and 20 Drowcraft Bolts of Sleep +1.















Since Imoen has remembered her thieving ways, she can use the Drowcraft Elven Chain, so she puts it on.



I'm still worried about Shar-Teel, and even though she is not proficient in doing so, I tell her to use the Drowcraft Long Sword and Shield. We are very, very far underground, and I want to take no chances with anyone's life.



And Safana, the crossbow user, she loves the look and feel of the Drowcraft Light Crossbow of Speed, so of course I let her use it.



Then we continue on our infiltration of this duergar complex, far beneath the surface of the earth. We move down the same hallway as before and kill the orog.



Then we take down a few hobgoblins as well.



The temple is disappointing.



We move on and kill an orc archer, but another duergar thief backstabs me!



Imoen throws a reflexive Magic Missile at him, just like she used to when we were young.



And then Safana gets the deathblow.



This room is some sort of lunchroom. It is empty now. We killed everyone.



We take the next hallway westish.



You know, duergar and dwarves do things very similarly.



They even have similar forges. We go northeast next, and find some empty rooms. Also, we find an orc mage.



Imoen makes him pop a Contingency with her Lightning Bolt.



Then by following it up with a Fireball, she ends him.



Sometimes I'm just so proud of her. The duergar armory seems to be well equipped.



There is also a Small Shield +1. We make our way down the hallway to the next room. In it we find a drow priestess!



Jet'laya is not going to screw around when fighting this one.



And she doesn't. Not at all.



She was wearing another Drowcraft Elven Chain. This one goes to Bardo. Then we move on. Later it looks like we're crashing a party.



I try to help out this fight but nothing happens.



It doesn't work out well. We start to get overrun.



We retreat and heal but then I start getting hit!



Thankfully Bardo relieves me of this annoyance.



Jet'laya and Shar-Teel start wiping the floor with the remaining evils.



The last monster we end up fighting is a Drow Elite. I don't even know where he came from.



I think it was the Drow Weapons Master that was attacking me ends up wearing Drowcraft Adamantine Chain +3 and wielding a Drowcraft Scimitar +3.





Only Jet'laya or Shar-Teel could wear this, but their own armors are both better. So we end up not taking it with us. And, of course, nobody uses scimitars, so we leave that as well.

On another body we find 10 Drowcraft Bolts of Stunning +2.



There's also some full plate mail that we cannot identify. I decide to call it. We're all out of spells and low on health. We need to sleep. I teleport us to the Armory.



*She gives you such a dark look that shivers run up your spine*

Some day... some day...



When we wake, Imoen can identify the full plate. It is Drowcraft Adamantine Full Plate +3.





This is better than both Jet'laya's and Shar-Teel's equipment, but it improves Shar-Teel the most, so she gets it first.



Then we teleport back and finish clearing out that one big room.



And then it is up the one remaining hallway.



The single hobgoblin here doesn't put up much resistance.



The orc mage in the next room looks pretty scary.



But he's not so tough with all his magic stripped away.



And his little hobgoblin neither!



Gameplay note: It was at this point that I realized Imoen's thief abilities had not come back. They were all at level 1 values. I could not remember exactly what her thief abilities used to be, so I loaded my save from when I first picked her up, boosted her 40,000 xp, and worked with that amount of thief points. So now her Pick Pockets is 25, her Open Locks is 100, her Find Traps is 100, her Move Silently is 45, her Hide in Shadows is 15, her Detect Illusion is 10, and her Set Traps is 5. Sounds good to me.

We look around and find minor treasures in the chests all around, with the exception of one, which has a 500 gold stash in it. Score! Then we go to where we know the passage further down is. We have destroyed all the duergar here.



The passage down ends up with us in a prison. On the outside of the bars, at least.

[Usurper]

Bardo goes to scout ahead and hears a clear battle cry, "For Clangeddin!"



Holy shit look at all those duergar! Then the red-bearded bastard that shouted addresses him.



We are friends and we've come to help!

Then let's get to it. These duergar are beggin' fer a splittin' headache - from me axe!

We make our stand at the door. Imoen gets a spell off first, Web. She blankets the room with it.



And through Monster Summoning III, I provide us with an Ogre Berseker front line backed up by an Ogre Mage!



Even though everyone is webbed or about to be so, Imoen still casts Slow on the room. She wants to make sure.



And I take a gamble and pull out my new spell. Vortex. A silvery, shimmering bubble manifests inside the massive group of slow, webbed duergar bunched up near the door.



Controlling this thing is harder than I could ever have imagined.



It is not as if it is difficult to exert my will. It is difficult to hold it back.



The Vortex wants to destroy everything! Keeping it in one place is the most difficult.

Imoen kindof panics and unleashes a Fireball. Too close! Too close! I scream in my mind, but I cannot move and it is too late. It hits us all.



Then it is over. The wild violence is gone. I can move my own body again.



I want to make sure these duergar stay busy until they are dead, so I summon a Lesser Fire Elemental into their midst.



And I follow it up with a Lesser Air Elemental. That should keep them busy.



Gameplay note: The Baldur's Gate II engine set a limit of 5 summoned creatures, which is still in place. So 2 ogre berserkers, 1 ogre mage, and 2 elementals is my limit. I'll have to wait around until one dies before I can summon another.

Just to make sure things keep going well for us, Imoen strips the enemy of all magic.



Then, even though there are still enemies on the field and magic flying everywhere, Ferthgil starts a conversation. I guess he has written off all the rest of the duergar as already dead.



We were sent by a smithy named Otho to find his nephew Tearlac. Is that you?

My name is Ferthgil Trollslayer, I'm afraid that Tearlac didn't make it. These bastards killed him... all I have left is his warhammer. And I mean to git it back to his family so that they can put it in a place of honor! I also mean to find out what is going on here. This place is crawling with duergar and it seems mighty strange being smack dab in the middle of the Sword Coast. Are ye with me?

We have cleared the way out. Let's take our leave and be done with this place and return to safety.

Bah! Ye do as ye please. I'm not leavin' here until I have some answers. I can see that bravery is not one of yer strong points.

Very well... we will help ye!

Gameplay note: And then he joins the party. I let him replace Safana. But we're freakin' still in combat so let me finish this first...



Not now woman!

I turn to the still seething masses of duergar in front of me and try to decide what to do with them. But my Ogre Mage minion has already got a great plan. He casts Horror.



And the Web is gone, so everyone is free to move again. I let my melee fighters loose, and Haste them on their way.



The total slaughter is obscene to watch.

Gameplay note: And hard to complete. My virtual machine crashed several times during this fight.

Eventually it just comes down to a few priests and skeletons fighting over a climbable pile of bodies.



The last act of the battle is Imoen shooting a fleeing duergar priest in the back.



Then I have time to deal with Safana and Ferthgil.



Our paths must run apart for a while. If I should need your help again, though, we should rendezvous at the Jovial Juggler in Beregost.

Of course, darling. I'm sure I'll be able to find amusements there in your absence.

Gameplay note: Don't worry, I got her equipment before she left.

She can't sneak but I'm sure she'll figure some way to get out of here without dying. I hope. I can't escort her back though, I have a hundred dead bodies to sort through.



Gameplay note: These guys only dropped chainmail and normal weapons, so there isn't anything we can haul back for big cash. I considered picking up everything here to sell. Briefly. But I don't wanna take the time. We have to figure out what to do next after all.

We find a couple of stragglers during cleanup.



Then we teleport back to the Armory once again to get to know Ferthgil Trollslayer in peace.



*Shar-Teel bites off a broken fingernail and spits it on the ground. It seems that it was purely accidental that she looked your way while er... grooming herself.*

Gameplay note: Ok, here is Ferthgil Trollslayer:



His strength is 18/72. He's proficient in Axes, War Hammers, and Single Weapon Style. But he's a Grand Master (5 pips) in Spears. He also comes well-equipped.



That hammer in his inventory is Tearlac Truehammer's War Hammer Giant Feller.



In his hand, he is holding Ferthgil Trollslayer's Battle Axe +3.



On his head is Ferthgil's Helmet.



50% magic resistance?! No wonder Imoen's Fireball and my Vortex didn't hurt him much! And finally, he is wearing Ferthgil's Dwarven Mithril Plate Battle Armor.



The dwarf comes loaded for bear. He's also got 10,000 more xp than I do. He is a Berserker. We could go with that, or something else. What class should we make Ferthgil Trollslayer?

A. Berserker - That was an insane thing he just did, charging a hundred duergar by himself. And berserkers are insane. Keep him as he is.
B. Troll Slayer - It's in his name. 'Nuff said. (I'll adjust his weapon proficiencies to compensate)
C. Dreadnought - He waded into a crowd of enemies because he does that shit all the time. He's the 'Unmovable' object and the 'Unstoppable' force.
D. Pit Fighter - He charged 100 duergar because if you've killed the shit he's killed for money and fame, 100 duergar is nothing.
E. Lancer - He really likes his spears, and he's really good at them.

[Justify]

I vote E, fits well with his current (and otherwise inexplicable) proficiencies and equipment. Why carry a spear when you can pull an epic one out of your arse, after all?

[AmyAE]

C looks interesting. He doesn't have to be a trollslayer just because of his name. That's a stereotype!

That fight is a pain in the ass. I got half my party killed a few times last time I played because the Duergar thieves kept drinking invisibility potions and backstabbing us. It doesn't help that Trollslayer is right in the middle of it, so if you try to spam area of effect spells you might kill him before he gives his plot-necessary dialogue.

A mod might have fixed this, but the drow equipment you pick up in these areas doesn't decay in sunlight like it's supposed to. Just a warning that you should sell it for tons and tons of gold probably drop it before you leave.

[Usurper]

The last time I played the Big World Project there was a script fired at the exit to this area that disintegrated one drow item per round. I had dragged a ton of stuff up out of the Underdark trying to see if I could sell it, but the script fragged it all. And then it kept going, giving me stuttering for the first time . I ended up abandoning that game. So I don't want to mess with this drow stuff, lest my game become unplayable. I'm planning to drop it all before I even exit the place.

In other news, a poster in the main thread wrote a poem to mourn the loss of our female aspect. I think it's quite entertaining:

In Memoriam

So. Farewell
Then,
Syvishtara

Wild Mage and
Wild woman as well
Companion of all who
Would know you

"Oh no! Where has
My gold gone?"
That was your catchphrase

Now you have
Gone as well
Perhaps you will
Find it?

-E.J. Thribb (Level 17 & 1/2 Bard)

Edited by Usurper, 04 October 2012 - 08:55 PM.

[Usurper]

This is the last weekend of my accidental vacation, so I want to get as much done as possible. That's why updates have been long and voting time has been short. I hope you don't mind!

And, here are the votes:

A. Berserker	..........
B. Troll Slayer	............
C. Dreadnought	.....
D. Pit Fighter	..
E. Lancer	.

Looks like Troll Slayer it is. I'll adjust his proficiencies to match with what a Troll Slayer should have.

Edited by Usurper, 05 October 2012 - 07:46 AM.

[Usurper]

8 Tarsakh, 1370

So Ferthgil Trollslayer wants to know what's going on down here in the Underdark. But first we ask Ferthgil what he can do.

Gameplay note: By narrow margin, Ferthgil Trollslayer is a Troll Slayer.



We deck him out with everything we've got for him, but nothing can match his axe, armor, or helmet.



Someone mentioned his 135 hit points as reason to keep him around, but I'm sorry to say he doesn't have that many after the class change. Previously he was level 9, with his next levelup slated to be at 500,000 xp. But with 161869 xp, he should only have been level 8. It looks like the de-leveling script that is supposed to match characters roughly with our xp failed to de-level him upon joining. So he's got less hit points, but totally a legal amount for his level.

After getting acquainted, we take a look around the place.



I guess the only way to go is down. We open the trap door and drop down into the dark unknown. Which turns out to be a maze of convoluted passages, all alike.



We find the undead here, unsurprisingly.



This body over here has another copy of the spell Ettin's Healing, and a scroll of Chaotic Commands.



I'll save the spell for Firebead. In the next room, just lying on the ground, is an unidentified ring.



I check it out with Finch's glasses, and it is the Ring of Wizardry!



I can feel my mind expanding.

Gameplay note: Look at this, I can memorize 12 level 4 spells.



Then we move on. The spider room contains a spider.



And 85 gold in the corner. The Fireball trap room contains a Fireball trap.



The trapped corpse is trapped.



The most eerie thing about this place is the lack of monsters. Where are they? And the corpse has the Ring of Nimbleness on it.



Wait a second... isn't this cursed? I decide to check it out later, in safety. At any rate, for some reason Imoen and I feel as though something significant is around the next corner, so we both cast Mirror Image.



But we are wrong.



The worst thing is a vampire wolf that attacks us from the darkness.



I reckon with a bit of our people this dungeon'd just be like me old clan. Ha har!

And then we are stumped. Where do we go from here?



We search this maze for a while, but we don't find any other exits. So we just go back the way we came. When we get to the site of duergar slaughter, we notice a stairway up that we had not paid attention to before.



The stairway leads to more mines.



A duergar priest starts casting something when we enter the central hub.



We concentrate on him so much we don't notice the duergar thief until he backstabs Imoen!



Imoen's Wand of Lightning and my Blade Shower pretty much take care of him.



Bardo is the one that deals the deathblow to him.



I think the fight is pretty well in hand until a mage hits Bardo with some magic missiles.



I try to respond in kind but I just get dizzy.



OK, not JUST get dizzy.



After all that, one of Bardo's arrows takes him out.



At the same time, the melee fighters get their own job done. We are alone again.



I decide to do something about these thieves once and for all. I teleport back to prepare for it.




*growls* So, that's what you meant about putting more padding under my armor! Jerk! You want them bigger, go find a cow!

I tried babe, but she wouldn't follow.



In the morning I know 3 instances of Glitterdust and 2 instances of Detect Invisibility. No thief is going to sneak up on us again.

In the northern area of this map we find a sealed door. No telling where it goes.



In another shaft, we meet a duergar skeleton conjurer who does nothing but cast True Sight until he dies. What did he want to see, I wonder?



We explore the rest of the mine, but there is nothing here of interest. So we just move on.

[Usurper]

I get a strong sense of deja vu about having deja vu when we get to the end of the next tunnel.



I keep expecting more duergar to pour out of the hallway to the south, but none do.



The door ahead of us is locked, but Ferthgil just smashes it open with main strength.



There doesn't seem to be anything down here, but we start to hear the telltale sounds of a duergar thief lurking about.



Imoen gets it before we can do anything.



Then I cast Glitterdust on that fucker and make sure he never disappears again.



He doesn't last two seconds after that. Ha!



After the next fight is over, Bardo finally realizes what his true role is in the group - sniper!







The duergar storerooms are just as frustratingly empty as other ones I could name.



Their secret passages just as infested with the undead.



The major difference is that the duergar make their big stand in the dining room.



Imoen and I cast twin Fireballs at the same time.



Then she Hastes us and we mop up the survivors.



The fight is a tedious slaughter, but safe for us.



The single drow warrior that enters into the equation does not change the outcome.



Bardo looks for traps and finds one, in his own special way.



We find more jail cells, but they are empty.



And we find another stairway down, which we take.



We go down the stairs and find another maze. Will these mazes never end?



Then a drow warrior comes running out of the darkness at us.



No big deal really. Bardo next finds a trap. Also not a big deal.



In a kind of central chamber we find an orc mage.



We attack him and an orc cleric comes out to support him. Also he hits Bardo with a lightning bolt.



The mage teleports away!



Oh no wait it was Shadow Door.



Bardo takes the mage.



And Imoen takes the priest.



We go trap-hunting while we wait for Jet'laya to wake up again.



We find another exit just over here.



But we want to explore the rest of this place first, so we just mark it down for later. Instead we go looking for more traps...



more enemies...



that run away to expose our melee fighters to even more enemies.



Shar-Teel knows that lightning bolt is coming for her. She also knows that she probably can't survive it. She downs a Potion of Magic Shielding just before it hits.



I'm really getting tired of orc mages casting lightning bolts at my party, so I cast one at him instead.



Before the fight is over another drow warrior even joins in, but still we defeat them all.



Let this be a lesson to us. We should never chase down runners. At least not here. We keep looking around. Bardo finds more traps.



And we all find more duergar.



Eventually we find ourselves back where we started.



There is just one more passage to take before we give up and go that one way we found.



We run into a group of drow and duergar.



And then another, this time with more drow.



Oh, if I were you, I'd be prepared tae pick up yer teeth.

At least ma breath does nae smell like it's comin' oot of an ogre's arse.

It's always nice to see companions getting along. One of the dead drow has another Drowcraft Adamantine Full Plate +3. Ferthgil takes it, albeit reluctantly.



Then we press on. More drow we find.



Jet'laya picks up her personal set of Drowcraft Adamantine Full Plate after.



Bardo goes exploring and finds another stairway up.



From the amount of drow we have recently fought here I think this way leads to drow central.

[Usurper]

So we're going to the other way!



Unfortunately the other way is spiders. More spiders.



Spiders, spiders. Always more spiders.



Sword spiders, giant spiders, phase spiders, astral phase spiders...



The spider parade only stops when we get to the loot.



Gameplay note: Counting the Ankheg Cave, which this map is, I think I've looted this area at least 5 times now.

We find potions of Magic Protection and Cloud Giant Strength, 12 Flamedance Rings, some Darts of Stunning, some Bracers of Defense AC 7, a Ring of Free Action, and three spell scrolls.



The first spell scroll is the 9th level spell Arc of Death.



I think I'll have to try that out soon. The second spell scroll is Magic Circle Against Evil, the cleric spell. I give it to Jet'laya. And finally, the last scroll is Raise Dead.



This is a true treasure. Even if we lose someone down here in the depths of the Underdark, we can bring them back! Amazing! Well, unless that person is Jet'laya. She is the only one who can cast it. We will have to protect her at all costs.

We walk around further in this cave, confident that we can take out any spider we find. That is part of the reason that we completely lose our shit when we find a demon.



Just the demon's gaze burns. We find that out first.



I tell everyone to hold their position as I try to summon something to delay the demon. What the bloody HELL is a demon doing down here anyway?!



If it bleeds, I can kill it.

It may not bleed, sugartits. Give me a little magic time first ok?

Ferthgil Trollslayer uses the amulet that Imoen gave to him - the Amulet of Wyvern Summoning.



I can't hold the melee fighters back; it's like they are drawn to fight the thing. Imoen and I both summon more combatants for it to shred.



It ignores the summoned creatures and goes straight for Shar-Teel. Maybe it's because Shar-Teel is screaming at it in incoherent rage?



But... then again... it doesn't seem to connect with any of our fighters. Could we be handling it? Yes, I think we are.



Ok, this drowcraft equipment is freakin' awesome! Shar-Teel rips out the demon's very heart to keep as a trophy.



She's almost more scary than the demon.





Gameplay note: She's got another pip in two handed swords.



I don't want to waste our overreaction of summoned fighters, so I send Bardo out again to direct them towards something to kill. But he can't find anything. I guess the demon was hungry down here.



So there's nowhere left to go here.



I guess we have to go to drow central. With the number of duergar theives we've killed, we have about 20 potions of invisibility. And I really don't want to deal with any more duergar or drow in this obviously highly-traveled area. So we each pop a potion of invisibility and take off.



We pass an orc mage.



And eventually make it to the other stairway.



We go down it and find two drow guards standing watch.



We let them have everything we've got.



Maybe this is some sort of drow armory, because we find a Drowcraft Flail +3, a Drowcraft Halberd +3, and a Drow Piwafwi Cloak.







Nobody can use the flail or the halberd so we just leave them. Bardo takes the cloak. Then we continue.

[Usurper]

This place is some kind of drow stronghold.



In a nearby chest we find scrolls of Larloch's Minor Drain and Army of One.



We save it for Firebead. In another nearby chest we find some stuff and 8,900 gold! Oh my god! I have just doubled my carried gold!



The scroll is the level 9 arcane spell Heal, which I already know, and the ring is another Apprentice Ring. I give Imoen both. Now my apprentice knows her first level 9 spell too!



Then I send Bardo ahead to scout. He finds several traps.



He also overhears an important conversation.



Reiltar has the matter well within his grasp. Iron supplies all along the coast are running low and tensions are reaching peak levels between Amn and...

That is not good enough! There have been too many setbacks and far too many mistakes made on the part of your organization. Jarlaxle does not like the way things are progressing. Your operations in Nashkel were botched by that incompetent excuse for a half-orc and now the Cloakwood mines lie flooded under a river of water! We did not provide the Iron Throne with a formula to taint the iron supplies just to have this operation carried out by a group of fools. Rieltar is not holding to his part of the bargain. Perhaps Rieltar would like to make a personal appearance before Jarlaxle himself?

I can assure you that Rieltar and the other authorities of the Iron Throne can overcome these minor setbacks. As we speak plans are being...

MINOR SETBACKS!!! Jarlaxle wants no more excuses. You tell Reiltar to get this operation back on schedule and keep that overzealous son of his in line. Jarlaxle and I feel that a large part of the problem is the inappropriate mddling of his "son"! This is your final warning. Rieltar gets the situation back under control or the Iron Throne will have to answer to Bregan D'aerthe! Now get out of here before...

Well, what do we have here? It would seem, Mortius, that your young "friends" have found you yet again. I don't know how you got in here Syvishtar, but I can tell you that you will not be leaving! Surprised I know who you are? Bregan D'aerthe has been watching you... even if our "partners" have not!

We aren't scared by you drow! Your threats are wasted on us!

Are they? We shall see... the Iron Throne may be unable to deal with you, but we are not --"Lil alurl velve zhah lil vekyn uss!!!"

Bardo runs back to us as we cast protective spells.



It's on! The first person to get to us is a famous-looking drow warrior.



We beat on him until Mortius shows up. Then Imoen and I both Magic Missile his ass.



But they just don't seem to hurt him at all. I can't figure out what's going on.



He attacks Bardo with some kind of staff, and takes damage himself.



He must be wielding a powerful magic weapon. Nothing else would make a wizard act like that. Another mage shows up down the hall, so I cast Dispel Magic at him. But he simply walks around the corner to avoid it.



The famous drow gets a good hit on Jet'laya.



I move to heal her. And I guess Ferthgil was getting tired of a crazy mage wandering back behind our lines, because he turns around and chunks him in one blow.



I try to patch up our front line with an air elemental.



That other mage, Jabress Xaendrassa Auvryndar, comes back and begins to cast something. This time Imoen gets her with a Remove Magic.



I try to follow it up with Skull Trap, but he teleports away before it hits! Bastard!



Gameplay note: Jabress is a male drow name right? And aren't all drow wizards male? I'm going with that anyway.

The melee contingent of this fight melts before our concerted onslaught.



The blood from the last enemy goes flying, and we go mage-hunting.



My elemental shows us the way.



We get a little bit of damage in before he teleports away again.



I throw a Dispel at Shar Nadal's feet, which goes off just before she also teleports away. The dispel tracks her back to the entrance. Ha!



You aren't getting away this time. Meanwhile, Shar-Teel has managed to kill the drow mage.



I guess it wasn't Dimension Door, it was Shadow Door. I throw some chaos daggers at Shar Nadal, and everybody dogpiles her.



Shar Nadal stuns Shar-Teel.



Imoen hastes everyone.



Shar Nadal is confident in her spell protections, and casts Greater Malison on all of us. Then she calls forth a magical sword. It is the last thing she ever does, though, because my regular old Boomerang Dagger takes her out.



And we all fight the magical sword.



None of us can seem to hit the sword. It hits Ferthgil, though.



Even when Ferthgil gets a critical hit, he does no damage to the sword.



Eventually the sword just disappears, probably taken back to whatever plane it hails from.



We go looking for stragglers. We find a few.



Nothing threatening though.



So it becomes clean up time. There is a lot to clean up. Imoen and I can only identify half of this stuff without resorting to magic. There are also spells, more than can fit in any one person's backpack. With the aid of everyone else we manage to pick it all up and haul it back to the Armory.




We rest and then get down to the busines of sorting through everything.

First, we go through the level 1 spell scrolls we found. Those are Larloch's Minor Drain, Grease, and Orb of Air. Orb of Air is something both Imoen and I know, so we save it for Firebead.

Level 2 spell scrolls are Horror, Strength, and Melf's Acid Arrow. If there's anything that Firebead can learn, we'll save these for him too.

Level 3 spell scrolls are Fireball, Melf's Minute Meteors, and Ray of Frost, which I have never seen before. Since it is Evocation, something Firebead can't help us with, I copy it down into my spellbook.



Our only level 4 spell we found is Dimension Door. Everybody knows that, so we pack it away.

We also have level 5 spell scrolls. They are Conjure Lesser Fire Elemental, Conjure Lesser Air Elemental, and Domination. Nothing new. I save the conjurations for Firebead. He'll appreciate them.

Level 6 spell scrolls Firebead can't help us with, so it is just up to whether or not Imoen and I have or want these. They are Contingency, Globe of Invulnerability, Invisible Stalker, and Tenser's Transformation. Imoen takes the first three and I take the last.



Level 7 spell scrolls include Fire Storm and Sphere of Dissipation. Since I know the latter, I give it to Imoen. I memorize the first myself.



Finally, there are five level 8 spell scrolls. I don't know any of them, so I copy all of them down into my spellbook. The first is Globe of Darkness.



Gameplay note: I'm pretty sure we'd just see the THAC0 and AC penalty and not the spell effect. But maybe. Who knows?

The second one is Infernal Combustion Enigma.



Gameplay note: These ambiguous spell descriptions are really piquing my curiosity.

The third spell scroll we find is Miasma.



Gameplay note: This is a big boy's Cloudkill. Ouch.

The next spell scroll is Protection from Energy.



Gameplay note: I originally searched for this in the generated spell descriptions, but it didn't exist. The one that I found there only confers 75% protection against energy. So this is an improved version of that spell, I suppose. Complete immunity for 2 rounds per level. This is some pretty heavy stuff.

The final spell scroll we find is Thunder Bolt.



Gameplay note: A level 8 version of Lightning Bolt, which is a level 3 spell. Also, if you've noticed, the level 3 Lightning Bolt in the Big World Project behaves differently from what you may be used to. It snakes along the ground and only hits one target in front of it. This spell behaves like the original game's Lightning Bolts do, and like the Lightning Bolt traps still do, by bouncing around everywhere. It is quite dangerous, especially if this is the supercharged version. It will be many months before we can cast level 8 spells, but once we do, watch out!

[Usurper]

In addition to all of those spell scrolls we find, we also find 17 new magical items. It is hard to sort through them all. We first divide them into items we have seen before, and then those we haven't.

We find another pair of Glasses of Identification, just like Finch's. They are very helpful in determining what else it is we find. We also find two Cloaks of Protection +1, and some Bracers of Defense AC6. Those will undoubtedly help one of our little magelings. We also find another copy of Bardo's necklace, the Bluestone Necklace of Dexterity. We give it to Shar-Teel. We also find a second copy of the Mage's Bracers that increase spellcasting speed. We give those to Imoen. We also find another Ettin's Wand.

Gameplay note We also find an item in the German language, the Goldener Stirnreif.



This is the translation of its description: "This gold ring decorated with precious stones could pass as a crown. Except that it is pretty to look at, it has no special properties." Looking at it with NearInfinity, it seems to be accurate. Not cursed or specially magical or anything.

The only way to organize the remaining items we find is into those that help mages, and those that don't. We look closely into the items that do not help mages first. We find two copies of the same ring, actually, the Ghaunadaur Priest Ring.



Mur'neth would like one of these I bet. We also find another ring, the Ring of the Ancients.



If we only knew a cleric-mage multiclass we could find this very useful. Alas, we don't. We find an Ioun Stone as well, the Stone of Good Luck.



Ideal for thieves, so we give it to Bardo. The other non-mage piece of equipment we find is another scimitar, called Jagged Lightning.



Once again, no scimitar users. But maybe we should get some.

The only category of items left are those that will help mages. The first is a mage robe that I can actually wear!



Gameplay note: Holy Weaveballs Batman! 50% magic resistance would be enough for anything, but permanent Minor Globe of Invulnerability, +4 spells of first through third level, INT and WIS set to 19, increased spellcasting speed, and immunity to normal weapons? This is godlike. I could probably solo the game from here on out.

I put it on, and feel it sticking to me. It is cursed. I will never be able to remove this robe. Not that I would want to. The second item is a pair of gloves.



These would be perfect for Indira! Hopefully she can wear them soon. If we ever get ourselves out of the bowels of the earth, that is. Next is a ring.



We are getting too many of these now. I am wearing two Rings of Wizardry already. Imoen is wearing two Apprentice's Rings as well. Plus with my robe, how can I ever cast so many spells? I think I'm just going to have to distribute these to all the other spellcasters in my party. Maybe instill a limit of 1 per caster.



Gameplay note: I currently have so many level 1 spell slots that I can memorize 6 more spells than can be displayed on my interface.

With so many spells available to me now, I decide to wear two different rings - the Ring of Dwarven Bone for regeneration and the Ring of Free Action for, well, free action. Imoen still chooses to wear some spellcasting-augmenting rings, but she chooses the normal Ring of Wizardry and the Mystic Ring. The others we will give to bards and mages in our group, if there are any in the future.

The next-to-last mage item is the Sapphire Wand.



I don't think it runs out of charges. It might be a last-ditch resort item. The final item we have to look at is a staff that neither Imoen nor I can use. But we recognize it as the staff Mortius was swinging about.



Gameplay note: It gives a bonus to backstabbing, in addition to all that other stuff. Good for thief-mages. Evil thief-mages.

You know what? As long as I'm carrying this cursed mage robe around, I'm going to go back to using Meta Infernum. I missed that sword.





There is one more item that we find. It is a book called the History of the Dark Side. We will have to read it tonight. Then, with all the looting done, we get into the elevator we find and go up, up, up.



The way out is paved with spiders.



Always, always spiders.



In this nook are the spell scrolls of Ice Storm, Hold Person, and Simulacrum, which is new.



There are also some Darts of Stunning and a Wand of Frost.



Then there are more spiders.



In the southeast corner of the area we find some stairs.



But we find a different set of stairs nearby.



We choose to take these stairs. They look more fancy. They bring us to another cave, full of more virulent spiders.



And an orc mage. Shar-Teel charges him straight without a care in the world. He fries her in one lightning bolt.



I dispel his protections a second later, but that is too late for Shar-Teel.



Jet'laya and Ferthgil charge the mage, but then he opens a dimensional door and steps in. Jet'laya chases in after him and disappears!



Gameplay note: That's the first time I've seen the extra bit of the Shadow Door spell work. Cool!

The orc appears again, hitting Ferthgil with magic missiles.



I use the Wand of Cold on his face.



Ferthgil finally kills him.



Then we have to wonder, where did Jet'laya go? And will she be able to come back?



Gameplay note: Spell description says that creatures may be trapped in an extradimensional room for up to 4 rounds.

She come back while I'm looting the nearby cubbyhole. Great!



She describes a shadowy realm of insubstantiality and strange shapes moving. Creepy. In the cubbyhole is the stash of some low-level mage - a Knave's Robe, a scroll of Fireball, a dagger. But there is one good thing in there, a scroll of Greater Malison. That's the spell everybody keeps hitting us with!



It is only a level 4 spell as well, so Firebead can give it to all of us!

As soon as Jet'laya gets back, she casts a spell that I've always wished to see a cleric in my party cast. Raise Dead!



Following it up with Cure Critical Wounds and Shar-Teel is back in business.



I tell the woman to take up the bow. We need to get out of here in one piece.



We find an orog down here. We kill him too.



We eventually find a way up.



It leads to more caves. It's like swiss cheese down here.



Place is full of orcs.



Bardo scouts, of course. He finds some leather armor just lying around.



He also finds two ways out, one on the east side...



And one on the west.



I am already thinking about two caves ago when we had to choose which way to go. I think we need to go back and check out the previous branch before we choose a second branch. So we backtrack.



And go down the plain stairs.



Oh. Those stairs just lead back to this cave. Those stairs simply bypassed the spider caves.



Bardo mentions that this is the place where he found the leather armor. When I ask him what leather armor, he shows me. I realize it is Gnomish Workman's Leather +2.



Bardo puts it on. Seems to fit him good. Ok, my mind has been calmed. We have only one stairway to use, and that is to the west. Westward ho! That stairway brings us up into a shallow cave filled with bats. Seems like we are getting close the surface!



We walk to the mouth of the cave and find sunlight touching our faces for the first time in days!



Soon, the superpowered armors we wore are nothing more than adamantine dust.



It is back to normal weapons and armor for us.

[Usurper]

But in exchange, we have the sun. I'm okay with that. Now... where are we?



Oh, this is the ruins of the bandit camp. How strange that the tunnel up from the Underdark would lead here. I guess the drow and duergar were working more closely with the bandits than anyone realized. I remember the conversation that those drow had before I slaughtered them all. They had supplied the formula to poison the iron in the first place. And they knew my name and said that they were watching me! This Iron Throne is a constant scourge on my back. I need to find them. I need to make them stop.

Also I need to tell Otho the bad news.



When we arrive in Beregost, our friend the Dirgesinger Cow sings a song of mourning for us. She's always cares, doesn't she. She knows the fateful news we bring.



We go straight for the Thunderhammer Smithy. We need to let Otho know what happened.





I can't take much more of this male imbecility.

Look babe, you can suck it up or you can leave, alright?

Next, we talk to Taerom Thunderhammer, to see if he has finished his work on the Ankheg Platemail. He has.



I take a look at it. Pretty sweet!



Then I go back to the Jovial Juggler. I have made a decision. I walk over to everyone, clap my hands, and shout to be overheard by everything.



"PACK YOUR BAGS, EVERYONE, WE'RE GOING TO BALDUR'S GATE!"

I can't help but smile at the general cheer that arises around me.

It takes people all day and all evening to get ready to take off. There's much confusion and bedlam everywhere. In the end it is decided that there are errands to be run, things to take care of, friends to say goodbye to. We'll take care of some things and then head there in a few days. By evening time, I'm mentally exhausted. I sit down by the fireplace and open up a book that we found down deep in the Underdark, a book called the History of the Dark Side. Now that we have some time to rest, I take it out and read it.

Coast Road Way. He spent many a sleepless night trying to cast just the right Hex to reveal yet another mystery. Sometimes he would succeed, much to his surprise. Yet, other times his failure would be miserable and disheartening. He also had to deal with the fact that many said the Dark Side didn't exists, or if it does, it's better left to a more seasoned adventurer. But, CúChoinneach paid them no mind and continued the search.

During his journey, CúChoinneach met a range of unique individuals that, in their own way, had contributed to Roach and CúChoinneach's discoveries. Among these colorful denizens of the Sword Coast was a man known simply as Ken the Baker, though he is not a Baker, no one really knows how he got that name. He is often found in the Jovial Juggler in Beregost, usually right after a big victory by Team Baldur's Gate. Ken, as some call him, too believed that many mysteries lie hidden in the Sword Coast and started his team of "Hexers" to begin research of these mysteries. Among these hexers were enchanters, illusionist, and representatives from just about every school.

One of these individuals went simply by the name of Banelord. He was able to show CúChoinneach some of the finer points of Hexing, but a short time after that Banelord faded from the scene. Rumours abound as to the reason for his quick departure, but nothing has ever been confirmed.

The list continues to grow as the journey continues...

Credits:
Original Concept by Roach
Story Development by CúChoinneach and Roach
Areas and Creatures Designed and Hexed by CúChoinneach
Darkside Logo created WoRm
Items created by a large number of hexers that is too numerous to list here....(Also, CúChoinneach doesn't wish to leave anyone out. But if you go to the TeamBG site you can visit the TeamBG partner sites and find the creator of your favorite item.)
Sounds for Jet'Laya, Keiria Silverstring and Conchobhair Strongblade, edited by Grog
NPC Jet'Laya was created by Grog
All other NPC's were created by CúChoinneach
Voice and Bio for Ferthgil Trollslayer provided by Gothmog of the Stonehearth Clan.
Original Icons for some of the items were created by WoRm Website and Publicity by Ken Baker.

None of this would not have been possible if it weren't for Ken Baker and the creation of TeamBG. TeamBG allowed the coming together of minds and provided the ingredients necessary for a successful brew!

Finally a quick thank you to Gustov Montessie who has been a major contributor of editors and other programs that make it possible to create a number of the items and spells. And thanks to all the TeamBG Partners.

Special thanks to Black Isle Studios, Bioware Corp., Interplay Productions, and all of the individuals who were involved in the creation of Baldur's Gate and Tales of the Sword Coast. Without any doubt the greatest CRPG ever created, and without which I would not have created DSotSC.

My last thank you goes to you! The adventurer that who is reading this and was able to find it stashed in a bookcase somewhere in the Dark Side of the Sword Coast. Now get out there and bust some heads ye "Greedy Goblins!"

CúChoinneach

Gameplay note: I will have one more update of doing equipment upgrades (and perhaps purchases!) and collecting some animals as companions, and then we will end this major segment and have a new party composition vote. Next update. So start thinking about who you want to have with Syvishtar when he walks into Baldur's Gate for the first time.

[Aumanor]

Wow... that robe, just... that robe... This is probably the first time I'm inclined to admit that the game's balance is broken in our favour. Now I just wonder what the other side of the modding community (the other bent on killing us) is about to show and whether or not it will be enough to hinder this party in any way.
On another topic: In'm kinda disappointed on ho you handled the Drow armour. Would storing it in the extradimensional armoury and later selling it to a merchant make the game stutter, or did you think it would be exploiting game mechanics?
Finallly: Wow, even in this party and this equipment Shart-Eel doesn't seem to be able to stick around for long. It took her what, two updates to get herself killed?

[Beleg33]

Little note about the "Ethric" staff : What you saw in NI is actually a backstab penalty, likely applied to all staves by some item mod (Thinking of IR or maybe Level1NPC). I also has a -13 penalty to AC and deals 8 extra piercing damage on hit

[AmyAE]

Yay! Finally, Baldur's Gate!

That robe is balanced a little bit by the fact that you're immune not just to enemy spells, but also to lower level heal spells and buffs. But you don't really need them considering how powerful the robe is.

You might want to consider paying one of the poets to lower your reputation a few points, now that it's getting so high. Even though evil party members will stick around in your party, they still leave for good if you kick them out. (Of course, if Shar-Teel leaves for good I'm sure there will be much rejoicing on the main thread.)

[Suslik]

Permanent immunity to 3rd level spells means permanent immunity to dispel/remove magic which is the only way to quickly dispel all effects from invisible creatures which consequently pretty much ruins the balance even of BG2. BG1's balance is not only ruined, it's torn to pieces by such item because most foe mages cast spells of lvls 1-3. No good at all.