screenshot We have gathered our party before playing: Baldur's Gate

[ping]

Spoiler

"I will be the last..."

"There are others, I can show you! Please--"

(I recommend checking out the intro from the original 1998 version. The Enhanced Edition shortens it a bit, and I find the original's choreography better overall. And, maybe the biggest reason: Kevin Michael Richardson is an amazing voice actor)

Welcome to the city of Baldur's Gate, pearl of the Sword Coast! When you aren't been thrown off high towers, it's a pleasant enough place to live.

Baldur's Gate is also one of the great classics of western RPGs, and noteable for being the very first BioWare RPG, released between 1998 (BG1) and 2001 (Throne of Bhaal, the sequel's expansion). It's set in the "Forgotten Realms", one of the most popular Dungeons and Dragons worlds, and the game rules are indeed based on DnD's 2nd edition rules, adjusted for a pausable real-time video game, but still the occasional weirdness that you'd expect from early DnD ("...wait, do I want this number to be big or small?").

The "Enhanced Edition" that I will be playing was released in 2012 by the Beamdog studio. The changes are largely mechanical, with the original story and dialogue being virtually untouched, although Beamdog did introduce four additional NPCs for you to recruit to your adventuring party. In addition to a bunch of quality-of-life improvements and bug fixes, BG1EE also mostly uses BG2's rule set, including some classes and sub-classes not present in the initial release.

In 2016, Beamdog also released a new expansion for BG1, "Siege of Dragonspear", meant to cover the events between the games. I personally think that the attempt to set up BG2's beginning is the weakest part of the expansion, but it's still a fun little piece of extra content and I will be playing through it, as well.

Throughout both games and their expansions, you follow the path of "Gorion's Ward", or [REDACTED - SPOILER], or "CHARNAME" (which is the placeholder for their name in the game's script). Fully customisable, as is appropriate for a Dungeons and Dragons game, and min-maxable all the way.

Our Weeblet is the embodiment of physical hobbit perfection, plus the most charming fellow you'll ever meet, in the knowledge that a non-spellcaster will almost never suffer from being dumb as bricks (although 11 Int isn't even terrible). Him being a Halfling probably isn't the most optimal choice for a Fighter/Thief - the rogueish "Sneak Attack" was still a "Backstab" in DnD 2e and can only be done with a melee weapon, which makes a Halfling's penalty to the Strength stat very impactful. That said, Weeblet is more dextrous than any human could hope to be, and Halfling rogues have overall the highest values in their thieving skills in the game.

We are going to play on "hard" difficulty, although I might dial back to Core Rules for Siege of Dragonspear (which already likes to throw hordes of enemies at you, adding more makes it really annoying). But to be fully transparent, I'm also using a modpack (plus one individual mod) which overall make the game a bit easier, so the resulting difficulty is probably more alike to vanilla Core Rules.

I'll mention my mods when they come up, with one exception: Some returning NPCs in BG2 have their stats increased, to make up for some general power creep. One of my mods puts those BG2 stats back into BG1, which does make two or three NPCs in particular a fair bit stronger than they normally are. I won't point this out individually to avoid spoiling who's playable in BG2, though.

With that: Story time!

During these quiet years, Weeblet has always been a bookworm, although it wasn't the books and scrolls in the library that sparked his interest, and even Gorions stories grew to bore the child. No, Weeblet was obsessed with illustrated stories from the faraway continent of Kara-Tur, especially about the realms of Kozakura and Wa with their Ninja clans and Samurai and Shogun (although Weeblet got a little misty-eyed when he read how the Emperor Showaji was forced to name Hojo Tademashi the Great Warlord and de facto ruler of Kozakura).

Weeblet is well aware that one is either born into the Samurai caste or not, but he can't stop dreaming of traveling to Kozakura and become a Ninja apprentice. With that motivation, he has been working hard honing his combat skills with Candlekeep's guardsmen, much to Gorion's delight. He also showed considerable talent for the other part of the Ninja business: stealth and subterfuge, which Gorion has been less thrilled about. His friend Imoen's foster father Winthrop, the owner of Candlekeep's inn, happily tutored the two of them in the use of lockpicks and how to remain hidden in the shadows.

Imoen has been Weeblet's best friend as far as the two can think back. They're about the same age and there just weren't many children around in Candlekeep to play with - and the few that were didn't have the same inquisitive mind and desire for mischief as the two little rogues.

Winthrop: "My 'otel is as clean as an elven arse!"

Every minor NPC you talk to has this type of short voiceclip, that may or may not be part of the actual, written dialogue. They're difficult to catch at times, at least for a non-native speaker like myself, but I'll try to include them as far as I can understand them (although I might skip some of the simple "Hello!" variations). I'll mark voiced lines with bold text, dialogue that I wrote myself in italic, and regular dialogue from the game without formatting.

Winthrop: "I fear ye have spent too much time around those stiff-necked monks and mistaken my attempt at humor for a serious demand. Perish the thought that I should charge for your company. Any child of Gorion is more than welcome in my inn."

Winthrop: "Now, a little bird has told me that ye're about to leave this humble abode. Ye might want to take a look at my stock. I think I might have somethin' that might interest you..."

Weeblet: "Wh-- how-- where-- Winthrop, you can't be serious! This is a genuine Kozakuran katana! Only the mighty Samurai are allowed to wield them! How did you get your hands on one? ...but, Winthrop, there's just no way I can afford this!"
Winthrop: "Aye, ya can't. By the by, did I ever told ye about the solemn oath that I had to swear when I took over this here inn?"
Weeblet: "What?"
Winthrop: "Those monks are an untrusting bunch, they are. Really hurt this old man's feelin's, they did. Made me swear to Oghma that I'd never nick anything, nor ask anybody to nick anything from my dear guests."
Weeblet: "Why are you--"
Winthrop: "No reason for me to burn this little nest I've gotten myself, I say. An' no point in judgin' a young lad with a difficult road ahead of him, right?"
Weeblet: "I don't--"
Winthrop: "Ahh, but don't let me keep ya. Ye should have a little time before Gorion will want to leave, so maybe there's some task ye can do for a few coins, ya never know. I need to talk to my newest guests. Odd couple, those. Enough coin to buy this entire inn and then some, but their heads so far up their own arses, it's a wonder nobody conned them out of their money yet. You take a quick look around the yard an' see what ya can do."

Firebead Elvenhair: "It's so hard to find decent folks nowadays."

Weeblet: "No problem, I just now saw him on my way here. I shall be back in a minute."
Firebead: "Oh, and... I caught a little of your and Mr Winthrop's conversation. With apologies, I did not mean to eavesdrop. It seems that you and Gorion already have to leave?"
Weeblet: "We do, yes, but I couldn't tell you why. ...Er, I would appreciate if you would keep this to yourself, Mr Elvenhair, if you don't mind. Gorion didn't want me to tell anybody, but now the first two people I've talked with already know."
Firebead: "Of course, of course... In troubled times, some secrets need to be kept silent. My boy, please allow me to give you some small support for the start of your journey, as a friend of both yourself and Gorion. If you find your path leading you to Beregost one day, please do stop by at my home. It would give this old man peace to see that you're safe and sound.

So this is a funny little easter egg: Talk to Firebead exactly 30 times, and he'll give you 300 gold pieces, which is a fairly substantial sum this early in the game.

Phlydia: "Hello there!"

Phlydia: "Oh, hello! Hey, have you seen my copy of "The History of Halruaa" anywhere? You know how I can't stand the constant shuffling of arthritic feet up in the library... So I though I'd get a bit of fresh air just east of here and... Oh, I hate being so absent-minded! Please, if you find it, I really do need it back."

In the Priest's quarters, we are greeted by a friendly stranger:

Shank: "Oh, our encounter shall be quite simple for you. Plainly put, I have made it my mission to end your life. Success will mean a little respect among my peers. So you see, you can do very little except die!"

*bonk*

Shank is weak enough to make sure that a squishy mage with no useful spells memorised is still able to beat him, so Weeblet has no trouble winning this fight even wielding a Quarterstaff that he isn't proficient with.

(This is a RPG, gotta loot all the containers!)

Parda: "Hurry then, child. Equip yourself at the Inn and go join Gorion on the steps of the library... I had a sense something like this might happen."

Weeblet: "Thanks, friend. But do you mind sharing your plans right away? I'm afraid I'm a bit in a hurry and I'd rather not run back and forth if I don't need to."
Dreppin: "Sure, sure. Old Gorion's running you ragged again, huh? Nessa here ain't enjoyin' herself, her bein' sick 'n all.
Dreppin: "I need to get her one of them potions of antidote of Hull. He stayed up drinkin' last night and got hauled outta bed to man the gates early this morning, so I bet he's got a few of them lyin' around somewheres.
Weeblet: "Ha, poor guy. Are you certain that Nessa will agree with Hull's hangover remedy?"
Dreppin: "Oh, th'girl is quite agreeable. 'sides, what's tested on bullhead Hull ain't harmin' Nessa here, I'm sure."

There is a ton of books like this to be found in this game, too many to show them all off. I'll show some of the more interesting ones, but you generally don't need to read these to understand the story.

(Still debating if including the mouse cursor in the screenshots in a good idea - it's useful to show what I'm interacting with, but I'd have to be more careful to not have it block any text...)

Watcher: "I shoulda joined the army..." [note: this line is shared by a lot of guardsmen all across the Sword Coast]

Watcher 1: "Winthrop has kept his prices as low as he could, but I expect that to change soon. It's been weeks since a trading caravan has made it here."
Watcher 2: "Thankfully quiet here today, as usual. I hear there are problems outside, though - something about an iron shortage."

Temples sell some basic healing items (although "Stone to Flesh" as an actual spell is so advanced that it's literally impossible to have your mages learn it during BG1), can identify magical items you pick up, and allow you to donate money to increase your reputation.

Reputation is on a scale between 1 (public enemy) and 20 (great hero) and our donation gets us from 11 to 12. Far from optimal to blow basically our entire wallet on this -  it'll just make buying the Katana slightly cheaper, but certainly not by 500 gold. And in a non-Murderhobo playthrough, you hit 20 rep basically just by doing sidequests, so it's not a good long-term investment either. But I'm sure it'll give us good luck if we appease the gods...

Priest of Oghma: "These walls contain the world's knowledge!" - "Wisdom is only possessed by the learned."

Priest of Oghma: "It's been really weird these past few months. Iron's been going bad, falling apart almost if it were rustin' for no particular reason. From what I hear, most o' this 'bad iron' comes from the mines at Nashkel. Can't trust those Amnian miners, probably some scheme they've come up with."

This actually reflects in gameplay: Every time you swing a non-magical weapon that contains iron, there's a small chance that it'll just break. Luckily, Weeblet is about to aquire a weapon from a place far from any iron crises - Katanas (and, I believe, Ninjatos and Wakizashis, as well) are immune to this.

Reevor: "BY MORADIN'S HAMMER!" [note: this line is shared by a lot of dwarves all across the Sword Coast]
Weeblet: "Ugh, fine... Just don't forget the generous payment you've promised me."

The rats in the storehouse are completely harmless and don't even have any kind of attack. They just run towards you and wait to be killed for one whole experience point apiece. The cats (blue circle) just hang around and don't care too much about anything.

Reevor: "Ah yes, kill them like the rats they are! A glorious battle unlike any this world has ever seen... Here's 5 gold pieces. Don't spend them all in one place."

Ha, the journal entries are actually pretty good. I tend to ignore them, just looking at the journal to see what sidequests I still need to turn in.

Gatewarden: "Our rules are very strict!"

There's a bunch of green-robed monks around giving you text-based tutorials, one 1v1-combat instructor next to Reevor and the storehouse, and this dude offering to show how confusing combat with a full group of characters can get. We'll get to that soon enough, so I didn't bother recording any of these tutorials. Instead, Weeblet moves on to the Infirmary...

Priest of Oghma: "All right then, take this potion."

He gives you a basic healing potion - quite useful early on - and we can steal a second one from a locked cabinet in the same building, as long as we carefully avoid the Priest and one other roaming NPC's vision.

In the Bunkhouse, we have another encounter:

Carbos: "I've a blade with your name on it..."

Weeblet: "Look, if you're thinking of a funny shorty joke, then I've probably heard it already. Just state your business, please."

Carbos: "Foster child. Gotta keep it staight. He raised you as his own, but you are not of his blood. Your head ain't worth nothing if you're actually his child. Nah, I know you're the right one. My ticket out of the gutter, soon as I snuff your lights."

Like Shank, Carbos poses hardly any threat.

Karan: "...something on your mind?"
[This line always stood out to me because it really isn't voiced like it's a wise teacher speaking here]

Karan: "It's not this place, child. It's you they're after. Gorion is waiting on the steps to the central library and wants you to go to him as soon as you have bought what your need at the Inn. Oh, Weeblet, I have been your tutor for so many years and only in this moment have I come to doubt that my teachings have been enough. Go to Gorion, child. It is safe for you here no longer."

Fuller: "Errands? Yeah, actually. I need a quarrel of crossbow bolts. If you could get some off Winthrop at the inn, I'll reimburse you... Oh, very well, there'll be a few coins in it for you too, so you can stop giving me that look.

We run into Fuller in the barracks. Let's not be snitches here... There's a chest with Hull's sword and the Antidote for Nessa here, plus a few locked chests that (I believe) are impossible to loot without getting caught.

Imoen: "Heya! It's me, Imoen!"

First NPC with a portrait! I wonder if that means anything....

Imoen: "Little one? I doubt I'm younger than you, though you sure got real tall real fast. A journey, eh? I never get to travel. Wish I could go with ya. Yep, I really wish I could. Yes, sir. Really do."
Weeblet: "All right, all right. I get the message. I'll ask if you can go with us."
Imoen: "Oh, don't be silly, Gorion would never even let you finish the sentence. Especially after what that letter of his said... er... did I say that? No, of course I didn't. Never saw no letter. Nope.
Imoen: "Say, did you talk to Puffguts? He said he might have something in stock for you. Coincidentally. He wouldn't know of any journeys or anything."
Weeblet: "I did, and he showed me the 'something'. But he was really a bit rambling today. More than usual, even."
[...]
Imoen: "Oh Weeblet, that went right over your head, not that it had to fly very high. Now let sensei Imoen-sama explain..."
Weeblet: "Imoen you know that these honorifics--"
Imoen: "Not now, little one, we don't have all day for you to educate me. We also don't have all day to wait until they go to sleep, so lemme think for a second..."

Going through the garden is a shortcut back to Winthrop's inn. We run into Tethtoril and then into a group of chanters who don't seem to agree on what pitch to sing in...

Tethtoril: "Greetings, young one." - "I am very proud of you, as I am sure Gorion is."

Voice of the East: "In the Year of the Turrets, a great host will come from the east like a plague of locusts. So sayeth the wise Alaundo."
Voice of the North: "When conflict sweeps across the Dales, the great lizards of the north shal descend with fire and fury. So sayeth the great Alaundo."
Voice of the South: "When shadows descent upon the lands, our divine lords will walk alongside us as equals. So sayeth the great Alaundo."
Voice of the West: "The Wyrm shall wander the earth and such a pestilence will follow in his wake, that all that know of his passing shall be struck down by the plague. So sayeth the wise Alaundo."

Chanter: "The Lord of Murder shall perish, but in his doom he shall spawn a score of mortal progeny. Chaos will be sown from their passage. So sayeth the wise Alaundo."

Weeblet: "Thank you, friend Elvenhair. The last hour has made me welcome such protection. May you walk in peace."

Imoen: (whispering) "Alright, you check that chest over there. I'll talk to the odd couple Puffguts pointed out."

I suspect that this chest has been put here to give every new player a taste of thievery. Its lock is weak that a non-thief can just smash it open, as long as their strength isn't terrible. However, since thieves get a little bit of XP for picking locks, Weeblet takes the more sophisticated approach. The XP reward is a mechanic that got imported from BG2, where lockpicking and disarming traps actually gives a significant amount of XP. But to avoid changing BG1's level curve, you barely get any XP here.

The chest contains two basic spell scrolls which, unlike the Stone To Flesh scroll sold at the temple, can only be used by mages and bards. We'll have a look once we recruit a mage to our group.

Noblewoman: "A pleasure to meet a socially acceptable person such as yourself!"

Noblewoman: "I'd much prefer it if you would leave me be!

Nobleman: "No time to chit-chat."

Nobleman: "Step up to the heat young one. You'll NEED a good fire to warm the chill stares of those monks. Most inhospitable, they are. Isn't that so, Lovey?"
Lovey: "Oh yes, darling, they are MOST standoffish.
Imoen: "Oh, I would not let it concern you, milady. Perhaps they are not used to wealth such as yours. You are quite wealthy, are you not? Bring a lot of expensive jewelry with you?"
Lovey: "Perhaps that was it? It may have looked as though we were showing off. I'm going to lock all my jewelry back in the room dear, so I don't offend them again.
Darling: "A capital idea, Lovey. Perhaps I should do the same? Leave the finery under lock and key whilst we brush up on our reading? I can think of no safer place than here. I doubt very much that a scoundrel would pay the book fee into this place to burgle the Inn. Laughable!"

Imoen: "You heard? Good, now get to it. You have the brains of a beetle sometimes, but you are the better lockpick between us two. I gotta get back to my chores, but I hope we can meet again soon."

[You don't actually have Imoen in your party during this segment, so game-mechanically, this has all been Weeblet's doing.]

Upstairs, there's a number of locked chests with nobody, or at least nobody awake, around to spot you loot them. Most of the loot is pretty minor, but the Potion of Clarity is quite valuable and useful against certain enemies.

And because we tricked the two nobles downstairs, there's some very expensive jewelry in this room's cabinet.

The entire Candlekeep segment actually has a bunch of NPC reaction checks that require maxed Charisma to get the best outcome. Most of them are really minor - for example, Winthrop will be annoyed that you don't play along with his joke, and Hull will give you only half the money while being a lot more dismissive, as well - but if you're playing a thief and focus your initial skill points into lockpicking, you can get a lot of initial money from this little racket.

Nobleman: "Away with you, beggar!"

Nobleman: "My name is Quincy. Beyond that is my own business and none of your concern. Leave, lest I report this intrusion to the guard."

Nobleman: "Don't touch me! I might catch something..."

Nobleman: "I MIGHT very well be anyone, but I AM Christian of Waterdeep. Likely you would not know my family name or history, and that suits me well and good. These trips to Candlekeep are a bit of an extravagance on my part, and while I neither use illicit substances nor consort with 'hired' company, I spend quite enough here that I should not like it common knowledge. To this end, I should appreciate it if you would forgo your odd little attempt at introductions and leave me to my thoughts."

Other rooms do have occupants that will call the guards if you try to steal their stuff. You can still get around this in a violent manner: Attacking them without a weapon will render them unconcious, and because neither of those noblemen has somebody else around to see you punching them in the face (or stomach, probably, in Weeblet's case), you can get away with that.

That said, I don't envision Weeblet to be that violent, so I'll just skip those chests. But let's make a save and see what happens if you get caught:

Well.
Picking fights with guardsmen is a quick way to ruin your reputation, even if you're able to beat them. Low rep will make shops charge you more; really low rep will make every law enforcer hostile towards you, and even spawn additional coppers trying to kill you. Reputation hits are generally a bad choice, unless you have some specific reason otherwise.

Which means: *POWER WORD: RELOAD*

Weeblet: "Honoured shopkeeper, I believe the fruits of my labour shall be sufficient to aquire your finest blade!"
Winthrop: "Glad t'see that honest work still pays off, m'boy. (...) Well, I'll be arsed."
Weeblet: "Please don't tell me this won't be enough, Winthrop"
Winthrop: "Oh, oh contrer... Didn't think I'd need to fetch my stash to pay ye what ye're owed. Nice handiwork, lad. I reckon you passed your final exam in my crafts, eh?"
Weeblet: "...thank you, Winthrop."
Winthrop: "Doncha worry, we both ain't none the poorer this eve"
Weeblet: "No, I mean--"
Winthrop: "Haw, I know. I'll miss havin' ye around, lad, and so will Imoen. Now let's finish our trade like the gentlemen that ye are and me ain't."

Now, since this is the first real Katana Weeblet's ever seen, it stands to reason that he has never practiced wielding one. This is purely a roleplay decision on my part (there's no mechanical reason not to start with two proficiency points in Katanas), but Weeblet will have to use a lesser (but still Kara-Turan) weapon until he levels up a bit.

Here's Weeblet's initial equipment. He'll eventually be dual-wielding (because of course he will...), but right now, that would come with some terrible hitrates, so he goes with a shield instead, as un-ninjalike that may be. Helmet to prevent critical hits (very important!), no armour because meta knowledge. As a ranged weapon, he bought a lot of Throwing Daggers, because Ninja Stars aren't a thing in this game.

You can actually see one of my mods in action here - if I recall, you can only stack up to 40 arrows/bolts/... in one slot, so I made my life a lot easier by increasing that to 120.

To go over the less obvious numbers on the screen:

• Armor Class is evasion, not damage reduction. The latter is only available through magical means. Important: In old DnD, the lower your AC, the better. 10 is the AC of a naked man with no Dex bonuses, while the best armor has a base AC around zero. Since To Hit rolls are done with a 20-sided die, every point of AC is equivalent to 5% evasion.
• Thac0 stands for "To Hit AC Zero", as in "You have to roll this high to hit an enemy with zero AC". Against other armor classes, the required roll is simply Thac0 minus AC, so Weeblet would have to roll a 18-5=13 (40% chance) to hit his evil clone, or a 18-10=8 (65%) to hit a naked, not too agile man.
• You probably guessed it through the process of elimination, but 4-11 is Weeblet's damage output with his Ninjato.
• From the previous screen: The Ninjato's Speed Factor does not influence the time between two attack. It decides when you attack during a round of combat - 0 means right away, 9 at the end of a round.

Before finally finding Gorion, there's some side quests to finish...

(Nope, this is not the meta knowledge why I didn't get armour for Weeblet)

Fuller's reward is probably the biggest impact of 18 Charisma for any non-thief. Instead of 10 bucks, he gives Weeblet a ~magical~ dagger. It's still not a particularly strong weapon (Weeblet does more damage with the non-magical Ninjato), but once we identify it, we can sell it for a decent price.

(Sorry, Fuller, Weeblet is an ungrateful little runt)

(I also just notice that Firebead's protection spell being so very visible reveals that I did things in a slightly different order than I presented them in - namely, Weeblet tricked the two nobles out of their valuables right away during his first visit at the Inn)

With that, all the sidequests are marked as finished (very imporant!), so Weeblet finally goes to find Gorion.

Gorion: "Oh, my child, I am glad I have found you."

Gorion: "Alas, I cannot, for I have not truly decided yet. All that is certain is that we will be far safer on the move. Perhaps the woods might offer some secluded security, or perhaps the city of Baldur's Gate would offer cover amidst its teeming throngs of people. I do not know where we shall end up, but I have a few friends here and there. Hmm, I will think on this.

Weeblet: "I... I have been assaulted by two thugs hiding in the Priest's Quarters and the Bunkhouse. Father, how is this possible?"
Gorion: "Oh, my child, then matters are even more pressing than I feared. Candlekeep is indeed a formidable obstacle for ne'er-do-wells, but it is not insurmountable. No matter how thick the mesh, at least one mosquito always finds its way through. No my child, we must leave as soon as possible, for our safety, and for that of our friends here.

Gorion: "My dear child, you shuld know yourself well enough to purchase the gear you need. I have given you what I can spare, so hurry off to the inn and speak with Winthrop. Use your skills as a reference and buy what basics you must, though spend wisely. His prices are fair, but you may not have enough gold to purchase all that you would want."
Weeblet: "I have already been to Winthrop and I've said my goodbyes to him and Imoen.  I'm ready to go right now."
Gorion: "I understand, but child, we must make sure to keep out of the public eye from now on. Avoid speaking my name, even when talking to friends. You never know who might be listening in."

Gorion: "There, you will meet Khalid and Jaheira. They have long been my friends, and you can trust them."

The priest next to us casts a healing spell on Weeblet. A small piece of added consistency in the Enhanced Editions - in the original, Gorion would cast this spell on his ward, even though as a Mage, he should not have access to it.

Gorion: "Don't worry, I will explain everything as soon as there is time."

Gorion: "Wait! There is something wrong. We are in an ambush. Prepare yourself!"

Armored Figure: "You're perceptive for an old man. You know why I'm here. Hand over your ward and no one will be hurt. If you resist, it shall be a waste of your life.
Gorion: "You're a fool if you believe I would trust your benevolence. Step aside and you and your lackeys will be unhurt.
Armored Figure: "I'm sorry that you feel that way, old man."

A fight starts - Gorion has a Spell Contigency prepared, which immediately sets up Mirror Image, Protection From Magical Weapons, and Vocalize (mages do not like to be silenced) on himself.

Magic Missile on the Ogre! Meanwhile, the Cleric casts Draw Upon Holy Might on herself, while the Armored Figure still remains passive.

Weeblet got hit by an arrow at the start of the fight, and right before he runs out of range, a second one barely misses him.

Gorion takes out one of the Ogres with a Flesh to Stone spell, but gets hit by a Flamestrike from the Cleric.

The other Ogre goes down to a Lightning Bolt. Unfortunately, the enemies spread themselves out so that Gorion doesn't hit anybody else.

He then retreats a few steps and casts Stoneskin on himself.

The Armored Figure starts fighting Gorion at this point, who still focuses on taking out the support first. A Fireball roasts both the archers, but the Cleric is still alive...

...so Gorion tries to imprison her for a short while with Otiluke's Resilient Sphere. However, you can already see the projectile of the Cleric's next spell:

Dispel Magic, which nullifies all of Gorion's magic protections.

And one of Baldur's Gates golden rules is: If you can hit a mage, that mage is very dead. The Armored Figure easily strikes Gorion down.

 

 

Edited July 23, 2022 by ping

[joevar]

"You must gather your party before venturing forth"

[ping]

6 hours ago, joevar said:

"You must gather your party before venturing forth"

Spoiler

"Heya"

"Heya"

"Heya"

"Heya"

"Heya"

"Heya"

"Heya"

"Heya"

"Heya"

"Heya"

"Heya"

 

[ping]

Update 2: The Friendly Arm Inn

Spoiler

Starting chapter 1 of the game, Weeblet immediately gets approached by an old friend.

Imoen: "Heya! It's me, Imoen!"

Imoen: "I... accidentally... read a letter on his desk the other day. Can't remember exactly what it said, but he might still have... It might be on his... his body. Anyway, I'm not gonna let you wander around out all alone. Never let a friend down, no, sir! Stick with you until you say otherwise, I will!"

A quick peek behind the curtains: Imoen was added to the game very late, because the developers noticed a distinct lack of non-psychotic thieves available before the first dungeon. Because of that, all of her voice lines are taken from a character out of an early tech demo with an entirely different story - the guardswoman Pique. For example, Pique at one point says: "Good on you if you save the day. I care not, for I am gone", when she feels that the plot is getting out of hand. Imoen says:

• "Good on you if you save the day" if you gain reputation
• "I care not" as one of her selection quotes
• "I am gone" if you tell her to go somewhere.

Aaanyway, Imoen is pretty good, for two main reasons.

1. Her defensive stats are a good as it gets. 18 Dex is the maximum for any human character, and a non-Fighter doesn't gain anything from more than 16 Con.
2. Thanks to her high Intelligence, Imoen can dual into the Mage class. "Dual-classing" is basically the humans' special ability: Once Imoen decides that she has gotten all she wants out of the Thief class, she can completely swap over to Mage. This comes with some downtime (she loses her Thief abilities until she has more Mage levels than Thief levels), but because she doesn't put any XP into the Thief class ever again, she becomes a more powerful Mage much quicker than a non-human Mage/Thief.

For reference - Weeblet gained 404 XP in Candlekeep doing sidequests and picking locks. But because he's a multi-class, those XP are split equally between his two classes, which means that he really needs 2500 XP to reach Thief(2) and 4000 XP for Fighter(2).

But back to Imoen. As a pure thief, she isn't quite as good - I mentioned it in the previous update, but the main combat feature of thieves is their backstab ability, and with her bad Strength, Imoen isn't that amazing at that.

Instead, Imoen is best off using her shortbow and keeping away from enemies. For now, she actually does really good with them, since all bows have an additional attack per round. Imoen doesn't hit nearly as hard as Weeblet (4-11 damage), but she does get more attacks in. It takes a few levels until the Figher class's better scaling fully kicks in.

Imoen comes with a Wand of Magic Missiles with 10 charges, which doesn't hit particularly hard - but it hits without requiring an attack roll.

And, before we finally get on with the game, Imoen's good Intelligence (and not-terrible Wisdom) give her enough "Lore" to auto-identify the magical Dagger Fuller gave to us. It really isn't anything special because Daggers have the lowest base damage in the game: 2-5 is still worse on average than a non-magical Ninjato's 1-8.

Just a few steps down up the road, we run into a man that seems nice enough...

Kolssed: "I doubt these are the ones you seek. They do not seem the friendly type, and are far afield of the inn. If you wish to meet them, I left them not a moment ago just up the road. You will have to pass them anyway if you wish to go to the Friendly Arm. There is a crossroads a ways to the east and the Inn is north of that.
Weeblet: "Could you help us? my foster father and I were attacked last eve, and now I'm not sure where to go."
Kolssed: "I have little to give besides advice and goodwill. Make friends where you can, as traveling alone is almost certain death. You will want to surround yourself with like-minded companions lest you risk making enemies in your own party. Aside from this little tidbit of wisdom, I'd say you're on your own. Luck be with you."
Weeblet: "To you as well."
Kolssed: "Fare thee well, as they say."

Imoen: "We should be wary. Who knows, the twosome he saw might be in cohorts with Gorion's... with that huge man. I... know what happened at Candlekeep, Weeblet. Dreppin dragged a corpse out of the priests quarter and I asked Parda what happened. And then I asked him another seven times until he finally told me."
Weeblet: "But the man also advised to find, what did he say, 'like-minded companions'. Who knows, maybe they're just gruff like Reevor?"
Imoen: "I guess... And if it is more assassins, I guess it would be easier to deal with a stab in the front than in the back."

Montaron: "Ye already be disturbed, now leave me be! Yer company be toil enough as is."

Weeblet: "Greeting, friend! It's good to meet a fellow halfling! I met many good people during my childhood, but mostly humans and elves--"
Montaron: "Ye're still talking to me?"
Weeblet: "Er... ...and I really missed talking to--"
Montaron: "Kid, I. Don't Care. My COMPANION has something to say to ya. I don't. Now leave me be, lest your head leave yer neck."

(that last part is actually one of Montaron's voicelines)

Xzar: "Montaron! You're so AGGRAVATING! 'tis disturbing to my demeanor!"

Xzar: "Now do as you're told, Monty. Smiles, friend!"

Montaron: "*sigh*  And ye look a bit scuffed, too. A fine pair of troubles all your own."
Xzar: "Indeed. I can offer you healing potions, if you wish, as a token of goodwill."
Weeblet: "I'd... be grateful for any assistance.  I think.

Xzar: "Nothing to fear from these simple potions, and I'll not even hold you in debt, though your conscience knows otherwise.
Montaron: "Just like all good people."
Xzar: "Perhaps as payment you would go with us to Nashkel. It is a troubled area and we mean to investigate some disturbing rumors surrounding the local mines. Some acquaintances are very concerned about the iron shortage. Specifically, where to lay blame in the matter. You would be useful, though I'll not hold you to it. We are to meet the mayor of the town, a man named Berrun Ghastkill, I believe."
Montaron: "Your conscience be your guide."

Weeblet: "There is little else for us to do. (looking at Imoen) Maybe this could be a first adventure for us?"
Imoen: "I don't know--"
Xzar: "Goody good good! We should make haste to Nashkel, just a short ways south of here. Onward, intrepid friends."
Imoen: "Just wait one second--"
Weeblet: "But there is safety in numbers. I am told that two good friends of my father wait for me in the Friendly Arms Inn. If they agree to travel with us, I'm sure we shall not fear anything coming our way."
Xzar: "Eh...? Oh yes, that might work. *ahem* My dearest friend, there is little time to waste. But if we were to detour to the north, maybe there's one tiny little errand before we go on our great adventure. For you see, there's a pair of Harpies, disgusting creatures, that requires our attention. And with your invaluable help, maybe that attention could be more... intimate."
Imoen: "Harpies? In Faerûn?"
Weeblet: "'Intimate'?"
Montaron: "Oh, hells... Wizard, keep the flowery language for the bards. Two Half-Elves, not 'Harpies'. Jaheira and Khalid be their names. And this blade, I shall put 'intimately' in their guts"
Xzar: "Montaron, must you be so... moody all the time? We're on a great adventure! Lighten up!"
Imoen: "...you want us to murder two Half-Elves we've never met before?! Why would we ever agree to this?"
Xzar: "Ahh, have we found a connaisseur to travel with? We will find some full Elves for you, I am certain. Aren't their screams just the most beautiful symphony you've ever heard?"
Imoen: "Aren't you just the creepiest bastard I've ever seen? Let us leave, Weeblet. Quickly."

And off they go.

(Well, not really, NPCs that you dismiss just wait in place, although I have a mod installed that allows me to send them to one of a few spots for my convenience)

Note that I only dismissed Xzar, but he took Montaron with him. Baldur's Gate has a few of those "NPC couples" that you can't separate, although there's a few ways around that (and only some of them end up with one half of the pair dead).

Behold! The psychotic thief that Imoen is meant to be an alternative for! Mechanically, Montaron is basically Weeblet with worse stats (and different weapon proficiencies) - although that's not to say he's bad at all. NPCs just tend to have worse stats than an optimised CHARNAME.

During character creation, you can re-roll your stats indefinitely until you roll a high total (Weeblet has 89; Montaron has 82), and then min-max those numbers at your heart's content, something that NPCs don't do nearly as much as CHARNAME can and should do.

Montaron is fairly decent, as far as NPCs go. His physical stats are about what we can expect from fighter-y characters in general, and he's the only Fighter/Thief you can recruit (although there's a human Fighter that can dual into Thief). Not the greatest companion, but far from the weakest, too.

Stats actually don't have any impact spellcasting at all, but Xzar's low Constitution does mean that he only starts with 4 HP, so you really don't want any enemy to target him.

"Necromancer" doesn't actually mean that Xzar has any special Raise-the-Dead abilities. It's just one of eight specialisations that a Mage can choose. All of those have very similar effects, most importantly:

• More spells per day / rest, compared to a regular Mage.
• Lose access to their school's "opposing disciplin" - in Xzar's case, he can't use any Illusion spell. This includes a couple basic defensive spells (most notably Mirror Image, which we saw Gorion use earlier), so this really doesn't help alleviate Xzar's frailty.
• Hostile spells usually allow the target a "Saving Throw" to weaken, or even negate, the spell's effect. Xzar, for example, would have to roll 12 or higher on a D20 to resist the effects of a Blindness spell. However, a Specialist Mage hit by a spell from their own school get a -2 bonus to that roll (so Xzar only needs to roll 10+ to resist a Horror spell).
• And in the opposite direction - if Xzar casts Horror himself, any target gets a +2 penalty to their Saving Throw.

Anyway, Mage = Good. Xzar = Mage, so Xzar = Good.

Well, not "good" by alignment, though. He and Monty are evil, which does have gameplay implications: If your reputation grows too high, they will start complaining that "Ye goody goodies make [them] sick" (Montaron), until they will finally leave the party once you hit 19 Rep.

As I mentioned before, a completionist playthrough will have you hit 20 Rep more or less automatically. There's two ways around this - one, you can be a total douche when turning in quests (which consistently gives you worse rewards than being nice) or two, you can be the nicest adventurer in the world, get the better rewards... and occasionally stab a random bystander when your reputation becomes too good.

The Rep system is very rudimentary (and unfortunately, it doesn't change between BG1 and BG2), not really distinguishing between morality and fame. If you murderise an old lady, but you've also been polite with everybody else... that makes you an overall decent person, as far as BG1 mechanics are concerned.

Before kicking the two psychopaths, we do what heroes do and steal their shit. Xzar has the scrolls for two Mage spells...

...and Montaron wears some Studded Leather Armor that happens to be Weeblet's size. As a reminder, "naked AC" is 10, which means that this improves "avoid" by 15-25%, depending on what the enemy is hitting you with.

(No, armor size isn't actually a thing. Imoen can wear this, too, but Weeblet is the melee guy between the two, so he gets armour first)

A bit further down the road, there's another guy to talk to, but we are attacked by a wolf before we have a chance to do so. Weeblet thows a dagger and misses before he has to swap to the Ninjato to go into melee, but Imoen lands a max-roll crit to make up for that.

These fuckers can actually be really dangerous for a duo of Lv.1 adventurers - they hit for 3-6 Dmg (I think - you can't really find enemy stats anywhere and I'm not really familiar with the program to read the ingame files) and they have 24 HP, which is twice as much as Weeblet has. If RNG isn't on your side (and/or you're playing a more squishy CHARNAME), it's very easy to just die to a wolf on this map.

Weeblet: "Ha! These wretched creatures are no match for my superior skills!"
Imoen: "Gosh, do you see that arrow in the wolf's eye? Or that one in its flank? I wonder if those small details had any impact on the fight..."
Weeblet: "Yes, OK, fine, our superior skills. But did you see that lunge? So cool!"

The second of... I believe five hidden treasures you can find before the first dungeon. First of four if you don't count Firebead Elvenhair's 300 gold. This diamond even sells for 500 gold.

In the old BG1, this gemstone is basically impossible to find, unless you either know where it is or you pixel-hunt literally the entire map. The Enhanced Edition makes this a lot easier - you can hold TAB to highlight containers (and have every PC and NPC's names displayed).

Imoen: "Weeblet, we're just east of where the ambush happened. Are you alright? I... I can look for leads on my own, and for the letter I saw."
Weeblet: "N-no, I can do this. Besides, we need to keep our eyes open. You shouldn't go onto the clearing without me watching your back."
Imoen: "Right back atcha. Never let a friend down, remember?"

Imoen: "...We should bury him. He deserves better, but it's all we can do."
Weeblet: "..."

Imoen: "I found the letter that I saw yesterday. But... I don't get it. Anything. Did Gorion ever mention any 'E'?"
Weeblet: "I don't think so. Did Winthrop? He and Gorion have known each other forever, I know that much."
Imoen: "Well, he sometimes gushed about his old lover Eilistraee..."
Weeblet: "I guess that's a start..."
Imoen: "...but the one nice Drow goddess wouldn't sit down and write a letter if she wanted to talk."
Weeblet: "..."
Imoen: "And you know Puffguts and his stories. Remember when he told us how he stole Asmodeus's scepter and how he smuggled... Oh, I'm sorry. But you do know him. He probably told stories about a hundred 'E's and ninety-nine of them were just fairytales."

At the ambush site, we find a piece of Leather Armor for Imoen - the weakest armor in the game, but it's better than nothing. Except against ranged attacks, against which it is equal to nothing.

We also find an enchanted belt on Gorion's body (*sigh* and RNG logic dictates that we take it), but Imoen doesn't have the necessary Lore to identify it.

The only enemy type on this map other than wolves are Diseased Gibberlings, which are mostly harmless. 4 HP and they only deal 1-2 damage per hit.

Imoen: "Whoa, stop!"
Weeblet: "Huh?"
Imoen: "Bear at eleven. Don't get any closer!"
Weeblet: "Oh come on, we had zero problems fighting a wolf. How much tougher can it be?"
Imoen: "That thing is like ten times bigger, Weeblet. Let's not push our luck. 'sides, it spotted us and it's not trying to kill us. Let's not be cruel."

Most types of bears are peaceful by default, but become aggressive if you step on their toes. And they'd most likely kick our butts pretty badly: 3 attacks per round, dealing 7-12 damage (!!!). Not sure about their hit rate because I don't know if their Strength stat is already factored into the Thac0 that the file-reading program finds, but it's either a 35% or a 50% chance to hit Weeblet.

Chase: "Okay...? You aren't going to do a thing? Wow. You... must have incredible faith in my will to live. No one has ever shown such trust in me, not ever! Not even mumsey! Thank you so much for your quiet faith! I choose to live! I CHOOSE TO LIVE! Oh, no! I hae to get home before mumsey finds the note! She has no stomach for such things. I'll have Jeeves double her usual cocktails and tell her of my new resolve! Thank you so much. Tra la! Life is grand once again!"
Weeblet: "What a tool."

No matter what answer you pick here, Chase will always walk away unharmed: If you show compassion, he'll muse that it's "such a long walk" to threaten to jump from this cliff and he should have "mumsey construct a cliff closer to town". And if you decide to be callous, he'll decide that because nobody would be sad if he died, he'll stay alive out of spite.

With that slightly offensive depiction of depression, we've found everything of note on this map.

You unlock new maps by reaching and clicking on the edges of the map, which is also how you leave the current map. From the current map, we can unlock High Hedge to the south (which we'll probably visit after reaching the town of Beregost) and another unnamed map to the east (which is where we need to go to reach the Friendly Arm Inn, because there's nothing to our north).

Directly after entering the next map, we run into an unnamed wizard...

Weeblet: "1: Not to imply anything, [...]"
Inconspicuous Old Man: "Point well taken, and thou hast answered my query most adequately. I shall think of thee as determined instead. I shall trouble thee no more, as thou art more than capable of the task at hand. North is the Friendly Arm Inn, where I am certain thou shalt find trustworthy friends awaiting. I have said too much and taken too much time from thee. Fare thee well."

Weeblet: "Well, that was... odd. People really talk like this?"
Imoen: "Not if they're younger than 300 years, they don't. Even old Firebead doesn't go 'thee' and 'thou' and 'hast'."
Weeblet: "And... why did he think he 'said too much'? He gave us directions, not some ancient lost knowledge."
Imoen: "Hmm... You didn't mention Jaheira or Khalid or the Friendly Arm Inn, did you?"
Weeblet: "Maybe he's a friend of theirs?"
Imoen: "Yeah, maybe. But why wouldn't he just say so? We should ask Jaheira and Khalid about him. And about those weirdos from earlier."

We're going to pass through this map again after visiting Friendly Arm. And since there's one fairly dangerous encounter here, we go directly north instead of exploring the map. We still run into the third hidden treasure, though: a magic ring, not identifiable by Imoen (at least not yet).

Weeblet: "Oo, precious."
Imoen: "Hey, no fair! Who said you have first pick?"

Me knowing that this is a Ring of Protection, which improves Armor Class and Saving Throws by -1 each. Sorry, Imoen.

Guard: "Perhaps 'rule' is a touch too formal. It is unwritten, but accepted, that while herein you will act with the utmost of civility to all other guests. This is neutral ground, and all grievances are left at the gates. If the grievances come in, then you will go out. Enjoy your stay"

Weeblet: "I understand. You won't have any trouble from us."

Following RPG logic (and despite it being past midnight), the first thing we do is bother some local in their home.

Joia: "Such manners! Well, I need a gruff hand for this task, so keep you 'please and thank you' garbage for the nobles. I was robbed blind by some hobgoblins within sight of this very inn's walls and I need you to return the favor. They took my ring, and that's all I want back. Will you do it?"
Weeblet: "Far be it from me to let such injustice befall..."
Joia: "..."
Weeblet: "I will help you."
Joia: "I thank you. The creatures were just north of the inn. I swear I could almost see them from the upper rooms. Bring my ring back here when you get it. You'll know it when you see it. It's a flamedance ring, and very striking."

Weeblet: "You heard that, Imoen? Our first real quest! Let's do this!"
Imoen: "*yawn* Or maybe let's have some sleep first?"
Weeblet: "No! The cover of the night shall protect me and I shall strike from the shadows like the passing wind... What?"
Imoen: "*snrk* Nothing... I guess that oldtimer's speech wasn't that weird, after all. But you have a point. You can pass your wind more easily in the dark."
Weeblet: "...oh."
Imoen: "And then you can work on your heroic speeches once we're done. Although I doubt that 'm'Lady' will be too impressed."
Weeblet: "Alright, lay it off. Let's just go."

Weeblet actually isn't all that great at the whole "stealth" business, at least not yet. His 35s in "Move Silently" and "Hide In Shadows" both fully come from him being a Halfling with max Dexterity, while he put all the freely distributable points into Open Locks.

The chance to successfully stealth is the average between Move Silently and Hide In Shadows in %, with no actual distinction between the two stats. There's a penalty during the day (chance halved) and indoors (chance reduced by one third, as far as my googling tells me)...

...although you can apparently avoid the former by standing standing in a shadow. Indoors, everything is decently lit, as far as BG mechanics are concerned.

If you fail to stealth, you can't try again for another round (= 6 seconds). If you succeed, there's a roll every round to see if you remain hidden, although there's a two-second warning before enemies will spot you.

There's a bunch of actions that also end stealth - casting a spell, looking for traps, grabbing any loot, but most importantly, any kind of attack (note that Weeblet's portrait has the Ninjato displayed, to show that I told him to attack something). However, if a thief attacks an enemy from behind, while stealthed, with any melee weapon that a single-class thief can use...

...they perform a backstab, multiplying the damage dealt. It's still comparatively tame this early in the game, but the multiplier goes up with your thief level...

...and things can get pretty silly at later stages of the game. Now, twenty internet points for anybody spotting something odd with those damage rolls!

Spoiler

*ding* That's right, doubled damage should't result in 7 dmg, nor should a x10 multiplier (crit and backstab) give you 164 damage.

For whatever reason, Strength bonuses to your damage are not multiplied by a backstab. Weeblet gets +1 damage from his Str, so that's why he ended up with an odd damage roll.

Mahiir, during that fight in BG2, had a +7 Dmg bonus from his strength. So he rolled 22 base damage, or 15 without the Str bonus. 15*5 = 75. Then his strength bonus was applied, which brought him to 82, which was then doubled by the crit, to get him to 164 damage.

Old DnD rules and maths, easy and intuitive!

Anyway, we still have two Hobgoblins to slay! Imoen running into sight of one of them is a bit of a blunder - she hit him with two arrows, but now has to run to avoid his melee attacks. The backstabbed Hobgoblin failed a morale check and is about to run in panic, as indicated by the yellow circle.

Weeblet can't re-stealth at this point: This is only possible when there's no enemies in sight, unless you're playing the specialised Thief kit "Shadowdancer".

You can cheese this restriction very heavily with the "Ostrich Strategy": If your thief is blind, there's never an enemy in sight. And while this sounds like a technicality that the world's worst rule lawyer would torment their dungeon master with, this is actually how line of sight is implemented in Baldur's Gate.

*stab*

Imoen: "Found anything?"
Weeblet: "No ring, just some gemstone... and I think this is a spell scroll? What would a Hobgoblin raider do with that?"
Imoen: "Oo, I'll take that. Should come in handy some time soon."
Weeblet: "So, we're even on treasure now?"
Imoen: "Guess."
Weeblet: "Worth a try. C'mon, let's keep looking."
Imoen: "Fine. Looking... looking... Hey! I can see a window up there and I know there's a warm bed behind it."
Weeblet: "I'm so sorry, I thought we be adventurers? You know? People who adventure?
Imoen: "I'd settle for adventurer by day and asleep by night. *sigh*"

Hobgoblin: "FORWARD MARCH!" - *snarl*

Next, three more Hobgoblins. They're not a particularly dangerous enemy type, with only 8 HP and no Str bonuses to their Thac0 or damage. They wield Bastard Swords, which hit reasonably hard (2D4, or 2-8 dmg), but I believe they only hit Weeblet if they roll a 20.

Weeblet: "There it is! That's a Flamedance Ring!"
Imoen: "Our Smiling Lady, thank you..."
Weeblet: "But I didn't manage to sneak on them! I need to practice! Let's get all around the fortress and see if there's any more Hobgoblin bandits trying to prey on innocent merchants! I'll go scout ahead!"
Imoen: "Tomorrow is a great day to improve your sneaking, Weeblet."
Weeblet: "Hey, if you want to invoke Tymora, then Fortune Favours The Bold. Don't fall too far behind!"

By the way, Hobgoblins will drop their equipment (which is generally not worth picking up, most non-magical gear doesn't sell for a lot) plus one random piece of loot (gem, some money, Lv.1 spell scroll). I don't really know how drop tables work exactly, but these clearly draw from a low-level pool.

Better! This time, Imoen stays far enough back to avoid line of sight until Weeblet strikes, so the remaining Hobgoblin aggros on Weeblet, too, while Imoen shoots arrows from afar.

There's two more locations to unlock from the Friendly Arms Inn, both of them still outside of our comfort zone, especially Peldvale to the east.

That said, those areas have one recruitable NPCs each, an overzealous paladin to the north and an evil cleric to the east, who both can be reached without running into any enemies. They're both pretty good, as long as they don't conflict with your team, but I'm not planning to recruit either of them for this playthrough.

Fourth out of five hidden treasures! This one's arguably the most powerful, but...

Imoen: "Ha! This one's mine!"
Weeblet: "Well, yeah. Makes us even."
Imoen: "Sure.. I... (blast) guess...."
Weeblet: "Huh? What's wrong?"
Imoen: "Can't get... this thing over... my finger."
Weeblet: "Elven ring? Some of them have really thin fingers."
Imoen: "No, not like that! Here, look, I can't even bring it close to my fingertip."
Weeblet: "Oo, a magic ring then? We'll have to ask a mage to see what the deal is. This is strange."
Imoen: "Here, you try it. Do Halflings make any special enchanted rings?"
Weeblet: "Gee, good question. Maybe somebody who grew up in Halfling society might be able to answer it?"
Imoen: "They don't. At least there was no Halfling in the books about famous magic rings. More a dwarf and elf thing, I think."
Weeblet: "Yes, you followed our lessons more diligently than me. Good job. Proud of you. Now if only you would learn how not to be such a know-it-all..."
Imoen: "Oh, sorry, I get a little cranky when I don't get enough sleep. Can we get to the inn already?"

Imoen: "Good on you if you save the day. I care not, for I am sleepy."

And because Joia leaves after you complete the quest, the cold logic of RPGs dictates that we plunder her now unguarded chest... (well, more like "pong's completionism dictates". There's just a minor gem and a few coins in that chest)

By the way, 400 XP is still a decent amount at this early stage. The enemies we've encountered so far give far less than that, wolves with 65 being the most rewarding.

Commoner: "Glad to meet you, friend."

There's actually a number of unnamed commoners giving some small bits of background information, and a number of commoners just telling you to piss off.

Commoner: "You said something?"
Commoner: "You don't go believing every little thing being bandied about. A lot of it is just people getting worried 'bout nothing. Those gossips in Beregost are always coming up with new rumors to tell travelers. Us here at the Friendly Arm, we should have more sense."

Commoner: "Wife's been gettin' prickly on me arse..."
Commoner: "The iron crisis has taken everybody off guard. Why plan for a shortage when the resource is nearly unlimited? I guess we're paying for it now. I guarantee that if we survive through this it will never happen again. People will be hoarding metal for months."

Commoner: "Gellana and Bentley are husband and wife. They've run the Friendly Arm for as long as anyone can remember. Bentley likes to run tend the bar in the inn, while his wife Gellana is the high priestess at the temple to Garl Glittergold. They're real good people.

Guard: "There is to be no fighting or stealing within sight of the walls of the Friendly Arm Inn! Aggressors will be punished to the full extent of frontier law!"
Weeblet: "No stealing, no... fighting, got it..."
Guard: "Oh, don't worry. We've seen you move against those Hobgoblins just north. We're better off with them gone, that's for sure. But do not pick a fight with any civilised folks, is that clear?"

Tarnesh: "Oh, you must be whom I am to meet then. I will take you to your friends, but first I should be sure you are the correct person. Is your name Weeblet?"
Weeblet: "Why, yes it is."
Tarnesh: "Perfect. You are indeed the person I seek. Hold still a moment, won't you?"

Journal: "Another stranger tried to kill me today, this time at the Friendly Arm Inn. Who keeps sending these assassins?"

Guard: "Oh no you don't!"

Tarnesh opens the fight with a Mirror Image spell, creating three illusionary copies of himself. The Guard hitting him actually connected with an illusion and so did Imoen earlier, "killing" them. As you'd expect, they had a 1/3 and 1/4 chance, respectively, to hit the real Tarnesh. Imoen missing her second attack means that she missed all Tarneshs altogether.

Next up: Horror, which is a genuinely dangerous spell. Everybody in its area of effect must make a Saving Throw or run in panic like a headless chicken for an entire minute. Luckily, Weeblet resists, Imoen is out of range, and allied NPCs don't seem to be affected by the spell.

Weeblet being a Halfling comes in play here: All "shorties" (Dwarves, Gnomes, and Halflings) get bonuses to some of their saving throws: Spells and Wands for all three, plus Poison and insta-death effects for Dwarves and Halflings. The bonus scales with Constitution, and Weeblet with his 18 Con gets a massive -5 bonus, or +25% chance to succeed. Combined with his new Ring of Protection, it gets him from a 15 to a 9, so I guess it technically wasn't needed in this case. Still, "Shorty Saves" are a great feature for those three races.

And while he's trying to cast a Magic Missile (you're seeing the lingering magic animation), Tarnesh gets hit by an arrow and then Weeblet's Ninjato.

This looked (and was) all very smooth, but Tarnesh is another big early roadblock. He has three Magic Missile charges prepared, which is likely to kill even the most tanky CHARNAME you can create, since unless you're wandering all over the world before getting to the Friendly Arms, you're still at Lv. 1. If Horror had gone through Weeblet's saving throw (and it had a 40% to do so), this could easily have been a reset.

Guard: "I'll take this. (...) Mr Weeblet, it seems like you've made some dangerous enemies somewhere. I'd like to say that you're save at the Friendly Arms, but... Well, this here bounty hunter is the only guest that arrived within the past week and is still around, so I don' think you're in immediate danger anymore. Still, keep an eye open, and I'd recommend against a bed in the dormitory, should you decide to spend the night."

Imoen: "Weeblet, you're my best friend, you're great, but you really need to stop telling every scary-looking stranger your life story."

In the smaller building next to the big-ass inn, you can buy some potions from Gellana - rather expensive for now, but we might want to take a look at her stock at a later point.

*title drop, credits roll*

You have to have your party together to move between major areas - the Friendly Arms Inn is one of the few buildings that count as such. The "You must gather your party" voiceclip that plays when you have some stragglers is rather infamous.

Jopi: "Hey, friend! Good to see such a fine sod such as yourself!"

Jopi: "'E's a mage and a crotchety ol' one at that. Goes by the name of Ragefast, though as kids we always called him Grumpleskin! Har, if he ever caught us at it, he'd cast barkskin on us so we'd wander around all brown-skinned and green-haired and funny-lookin' for a few hours."

Barkskin is a Druid/Cleric spell and its duration is really short. IMMERSION RUINED!

Anyway, there's a ton of unnamed and named-but-not-important NPCs running around in the inn. More than I want to include in this LP, but there's actually a number of interesting ones.

Commoner: "You're a long-tongued lout, ain't ya?"
Commoner: "Travelers, huh? You're the first group to come into town all day. Not many have braved the roads since the trouble started up. We've seen only ten new faces in the last month. Found a lot of bodies, unfortunately."

Commoner: "Pleasure to meet you."

Commoner: "Excuse me, but I think I recognize you from some descriptions I've been given. Is your name Weeblet?"
Weeblet: "Yes, that would be my name."
Imoen: "Lord Oghma, send wisdom..."
Commoner: "Well, I think you should know that there's been a lot of people asking about you. There were a man and a woman who were asking about someone named Weeblet, and then there was this spooky fellow who was doing the same. A few days ago there was a big man who was looking for someone with your name. I don't know why ye're so popular, but I'd watch it: Some of these people didn't look too sociable."

Whelp: "I need some ale! *burp*"
Whelp: "Aargh, look at these forks and tankards! This iron shortage shows no mercy on us drunkards and gormands!"
Weeblet: "Whatever could be wrong with your fork and tankard?"
Whelp: "They be made of iron yet they bend under the weight of this inn's meager offerings and the handle breaks on me tankard to spill this rat spit of an ale into my lap! Aarrr, Nessie, get me another!"

Commoner: "Lots of work in Nashkel I heas, but I says no 'cause I ain't going down no mine. You gotta be a fool to work underground at the best of times, but you would be completely crazy to do it now."

Commoner: "You aren't from Nashkel are you? I hope not, because we don't trade with them at all anymore. All the iron we get from the mines there is tainted. Weak as tissue it is.

Surrey: "I was an apprentice blacksmith under Taerom Fuiruim in Beregost. With the iron situation being what it is, however, I thought I'd better head somewhere else. Waterdeep, maybe. Taerom's having enough trouble making a go of it as it is..."

You can see Khalid and Jaheira standing there to the left, but we'll keep ignoring them for another short while.

Dorn: "Then why do you bother me? Begone."
Weeblet: "Nothing would please me more."

Dorn's portrait betrays him as another recruitable NPC, and both of his lines being fully voiceacted betray him as an Enhanced Edition addition. He doesn't join you just yet, but you have to talk to him here to trigger another encounter a bit later.

Commoner: "That I was, and I ain't afraid to say it neither. But those bandits out there now, they're different, I tell ya. They've got a mean streak in 'em and their minds set on taking over the whole area... Most of my old pals have gone missin', and I don't like it one bit. That's why I'm holed up here. I've been good to Bentley and Gellana in the past, so now it's their turn to look after me."

Nessie: "I hope our establishment is to your liking?"

Nessie: "Bentley wanted the inn to be a safe haven for all sorts of travelers. Anyone can stay here but we don't tolerate any troublemaking within these walls."
Weeblet: "Did Bentley build this place? It's so solid, it looks like it's been here forever!"
Nessie: "Oh no, Bentley and Gellana didn't build the inn! They found it... They were part of an adventuring party, not unlike your own. In the first few years following the Time of Troubles, when all the gods were walking the surface of our world, the inn was actually the hold of a powerful, undead priest of Bhaal, god of murder. With the evil cleric weakened by the death of his god, Bentley and Gellana were able to destroy him once and for all, thus laying claim to his troubled fortress."
Weeblet: "There's more to this place than I would have guessed."
Nessie: "The present is always a thin veneer over the past. Look closely at any building in the Sword Coast region and you can be sure that its stones are held in place by history's mortar."

The Forgotten Realms' timeline has since moved on (BG3, which is currently in early access, is set 126 years after this game), but at this point, the Time of Troubles has only been 10 years ago and it was kind of a big deal. On a meta level, the ToT "explained" changes between DnD's first and second edition.

In-universe, it had the uber-god Ao force the regular gods to walk the earth as mortals because they had been naughty. And yes, god died, and mortals raised to godhood. As Nessie mentioned, Bhaal died, slain by Cyric, then mortal, now god of lies. Mystra, goddess of magic, tried to circumvent Ao's verdict and was killed by Helm, the Vigilant One, tasked by Ao to prevent that sort of thing. Tiamat, three-headed queen of evil dragons, was slain and her essence transferred into three powerful dragons, then resurrected as the five-headed queen of evil dragons when the strongest of those three 'nommed the other two.

All in all, it was a rather unpleasant four months, and we'll occasional run into its fallout - hard to avoid that so soon after the big bang.

Anyway, back to the mundane: Upstairs, there's a number of personal possessions to loot. Yoink!

Nobleman: "A man shouldn't speak to his betters, unless spoken to first."

Nobleman: "My business is just that: MY business. If this answer is not good enough, I suggest you complain to Bentley at the bar. Tell him that you broke into my room and demanded to know my personal affairs. I'm sure he will express sympathy for you as he has the guards 'escort' you off the property. I trust you will be leaving now? Good day to you."

Weeblet: "Fine, I'll bother the guest next door..."

Unshey: "You cannae get better than the stability stone walls provide."

Weeblet: "I smell another quest!"
Imoen: "Girdle of piercing, huh...? We don't have to return that immediately, do we...?"

Yeahh, this quest's reward is not as valuable as the item we're supposed to deliver, honestly. It's not the first time that this is the case (the Antidote we brought Dreppin back in Candlekeep is arguably worth more than the 50 XP reward, for example), but this magical item stands out even more in that regard.

Landrin: "A pleasure it is to meet you!" - "A stout hammer will fix most any bandit!"

Aaand the third and final floor, with more stolen goods and another quest. Landrin only gives Weeblet those six antidotes because he's just so darn charming - with less than 18 Charisma (well, good Cha and good Reputation might do the trick) you don't get anything. Anyway, this time, the reward is actually more than the items she wants fetched are worth.

Now, to the most important quest of them all...

Nobleman: "No time to chit-chat!"

Nobleman: "Service with a smile and a snap in your step. That's what we like to see. Now get going damn you! Not a coin for a tip if there's even ONE tear!"

(whoops, I forgot that he requires 18 Cha for a tiny extra reward. *reload*)

Nobleman: "Here's an extra couple of coins... put in a pleat that would make Daddy proud, if you know what I mean. Now get!"
(2 gold received)

Weeblet: "Imoen, what does he mean?"
Imoen: "I'll explain when you're grown up."
Weeblet: "Oh ha-ha, very funny... oh. Ah. Ahhh."

The Golden Pantaloons are an item of utmost importance. We shall carry them around for all of BG1 with literally zero effect. Now, back to the ground floor...

Khalid: "C-c-calm yourself, dear, we must proceed c-c-carefully."

Khalid: "Jaheira! M-mind your m-m-manners! This must be the child that Gorion wrote of so often."
Jaheira: "We are old friends of your adopted father. He is not with you? I must assume the worst. He would not permit his only child to wander without his accompaniment."
Khalid: "If... if he has passed, we share your loss."
Jaheira: "Gorion often said that he worried for your safety, even at the expense of his own. He also wished that Khalid and I would become your guardians, if he should ever meet an untimely end. However, you are much older now, and the choice of your companions should be your own."
Khalid: "We could t-travel with you until you get settled, help you find your l-lot in life."
Jaheira: "It would be a fitting last service to Gorion, though we should first go to Nashkel. Khalid and I look into local concerns, and there are rumors of strange things happening at the mines. No doubt you have heard of the iron shortage? You would do well to help us. It affects everyone, including you. We are to meet the mayor of the town, Berrun Ghastkill."
Weeblet: "Your company would be welcome."
Jaheira: "Well, good! We'll leave as soon as you're ready, though it should be soon."

Imoen: "'In the morning' soon, please? We haven't had rest since we left Candlekeep, and I am sooo tired."
Khalid: "O-of course. You can ask B-b-bentley for rooms and see that you are well equipped, s-so that we can leave early."

Jaheira: "How long must we wait here? Things stir to the south as we sit!"

(Speaking to Jaheira instead of Khalid only changes the opening dialogue a little bit. No difference past these two lines)

New characters! First, Jaheira, who like Weeblet is a multi-class character, splitting her XP between Fighter and Druid. I generally like Fighter multis, because they can do whatever their other class does while also being good at fighting, but this very specific case of "F/D in BG1" is a bit of an exception.

The Druid class has a really bad spell selection at low levels - Jaheira can use healing spells, which is nice, but her other low-level spells are much worse than those of the other healer class, the Cleric. Jaheira still gets a couple nice tools somewhere in the midgame, but at BG1's XP cap, the F/D multi is a frustratingly small amount of XP away from gaining access to the big guns in the Druid's arsenal.

That said, I have installed a mod that adds Druid and Cleric spells from BG's sister series Icewind Dale to the game, which genuinely helps Jaheria out quite a bit. And besides, she is still competent as a Fighter. High Dex and Con make her a competent tank.

Khalid is a single-class Fighter, and despite his physical stats being a tiny bit worse than Jaheira's (-1 Dex...), this does make him better at raw combat, although it'll take a few levels.

A big advantage of a single- or human dual-class Fighter is that they can specialise in a weapon type even harder. Jaheira and Weeblet are stuck with two pips, Imoen even with just a single one, while Khalid can put a third and eventually fourth pip into his Longsword proficiency. Reaching grandmastery during BG1 requires a specific dual-class set-up, so it's not available for Khalid. Two points to both Thac0 and damage isn't huge, but definitely significant.

And a very obvious advantage: Since Khalid doesn't split his XP, he levels faster than Jaheira or Weeblet, once their XP head starts aren't as significant anymore. As a result, he gains more HP more quickly, also helped by multi-classes using the average HP of their classes. It's not quite as drastic as you'd expect - early level curves are almost logarithmic (Fighters, for example, need 2000 XP for Lv.2, 4000 for Lv.3, 8000 for Lv.4), so Khalid is generally just one level ahead - but that still makes a difference.

A very valid alternative is to specialise Khalid in Longbows, which he starts with only one pip in, which means that he can only reach Mastery before the XP cap. However, the third pip is much more impactful than the fourth, and Longbows are inarguably the best weapon type in the game. Khalid ends up as the 2nd-best archer in the game, and his only better joins fairly late.

One thing I need to mention: Jaheira and Khalid are both exactly as strong as Imoen.

No, really, old DnD is weird like that. Now, it technically isn't correct - Jaheira and Khalid have a much higher weight tolerance, and you do need 15 Str to equip the heaviest (and best) armour in the game. But as far as pure combat bonuses go, there is literally no difference between 9 Str and 15 Str.

This means that Khalid and Jaheira both effectively have terrible Strength, even if it doesn't look like it. However, there's a bunch of ways (potions, magic spells, lategame equipment) to boost your Str to (not by) a higher value, which means that they still have quite good physical stats overall.

Bentley: "It's been dreadful slow business lately." - "My inn is open to all those who behave themselves!"

Bentley has some pieces of nice, but also fairly expensive, stuff to offer. I generally avoid big purchases until my Reputation is maxed, or close to, so Khalid and Jaheira will have to make do with slightly worse armour. And I think that AC vs. missile and piercing attacks from larger shields is more valuable than the +1 HP/Lv. that Buckley's Buckler would grant to our three Fighters, anyway.

And while a Bag of Holding for gemstones and (magic or mundane) jewelry is really, really handy for inventory management, I know that we get one for free quite soon.

In the end, Jaheira gets a Chain Mail that Weeblet found "ownerless" upstairs in the inn. Clubs are the only weapon that Jaheira has two pips in (she got one each in Sling and Quarterstaff) and Club+Shield is a surprisingly solid weapon choice to begin with.

Her ranged combat isn't terrible, either, thanks to her good Dex - but Slings work a bit differently, to her disadvantage: Unlike bows, they only have one attack per round, but they get bonus damage from high Strength. Since Jaheira doesn't get that, she really wishes that Druids would be able to use bows.

Khalid goes with Splint Mail, one of the few armour types that has a better AC against crushing attacks. He's not too different from Jaheira (or Weeblet, outside of backstabbery) at this early stage, all things considered.

One thing to note: While Weeblet is also able to wear these types of heavier armour thanks to his fighter "half-class", these also disable his thieving abilities including stealth. For Khalid and Jaheira, the only downside to heavy armour is their bigger tax on their weight capacity. They don't impede their combat at all.

With that, I think I'll end the update. We haven't gone too far from Candlekeep, but many tongues were wagged, another assassin thwarted, and our first main quest location has been revealed: Nashkel, the northernmost outpost of Amn, a nation that's been a long-standing rival to the city of Baldur's Gate. But on our way, we'll pass through the town of Beregost, where we're sure to pick up some new rumors, as well as a sidequest or ten.

 

Edited July 23, 2022 by ping

[ping]

  Note: This isn't a new update. I just messed up some formatting when I posted this one three months ago, and for some reason, even though I can edit the previous posts, this last one is locked for whatever reason. So instead, I copied my correction into this new post and will then report the old one so that a friendly moderator might delete it. Sorry for the inconvenience - I hope that I'll be able to post the 4th update later today or tomorrow. It's mostly done, I just need to proofread and upload the images.

Update 3: To Beregost

Spoiler

Jaheira: "Everybody ready? Good. Beregost is a good twelve hours away on foot, so I don't want any delays."
Imoen: "My legs are still sore... But unless we rest for another three days, I'm as ready as I'll be."
Khalid: "Y-you're not used to long marches, s-s-so don't feel embarrassed if you n-need a break. I would prefer to reach B-beregost today, but we have the supplies to set up camp if n-necessary. And between the four of us, holding watch isn't as b-bad as while traveling as a pair."
Weeblet: "Umm... A dwarf upstairs said that there's an ogre near the road south who robbed her..."
Jaheira: "Yes, Unshey. She warned us, too. Don't leave the road, and we should be able to avoid it."
Weeblet: "A-actually, I think we should fight it. The ogre is threatening poor citizens, so it would be the heroic thing to do."
Jaheira: "Heroic? Before you play hero, you first need to learn to be an adventurer, Weeblet."
Weeblet: "But it would be a fight four on one! We should be able to win that!"
Jaheira: "Win the fight? Probably. Win without any of our own heads smashed in? Maybe. If you charge into every battle that you might win, your career as an adventurer will be a short one."
Khalid: "I-if I may, dear, I believe it is a f-fight we can take."
Jaheira: "Hm?"
Khalid: "All f-four of us are adept with some form of ranged weapons. If we s-spread out, nobody needs to expose themselves to the ogre. Whoever it t-targets draws back, staying just outside of the reach of its weapon, while the other three keep attacking."
Jaheira: "You're right, that would work. But it would need four disciplined fighters to pull it off."
Khalid: "Y-yes. Jaheira speaks the truth, Weeblet. An ogre is a dangerous foe even for a full group of adventurers."

With that lecture, we get back to the Coast Way, the part of it that we mostly skipped on our way to the Friendly Arm Inn. We're once again greeted by an NPC:

Aoln: "The most dangerous thing I intentionally went after? Stalked an ogre mage for a few days once. Had a party of me own back then. Killed the ogre, lost the party. Not really worth the trade, if you ask me. I've seen more dangerous beasties, but usually over my shoulder as I'm making tracks as fast as I can. No shame in running when your life is on the line. Off with you now, I've meat to catch.

Jaheira: "If you weren't going to listen to me, I hope you've been listening to this man."
Weeblet: "Actually, what most Faerûnians call 'ogre mages' are in truth 'oni', spirit creatures originating in the far east. While some scholars argue that they are distantly related to the brutish ogres of Faerûn, I think that their magical talent and their disposition to far more sophisticated weapons..."
Imoen: "Not the point, Weeblet."

Most enemies on this map really aren't any threat to our group...

... but there is indeed an ogre waiting in the eastern part of the map.

Jaheira opens the fight with an Entangle spell - mostly because I didn't remember to change her memorised spells before we rested at the Friendly Arm. This spell honestly kinda sucks. It creates an area in which everybody has to roll a saving throw every round (6 sec) to avoid being immobilised for a round. However, it's not party-friendly and the saving throw is done at a +3 advantage.

Still, it holds the ogre in place...

...for a very short while.

Weeblet: "Alright, it's weakened! I got this!"
Jaheira: "No! Get out of there!"

Khalid: "R-run! T-that way!"

The +1 damage bonus comes from the difficulty setting. However, the fact that it's only +1 instead of the advertised +25% boost comes from a small anti-frustration feature, which prevents Lv. 1 characters to be one-shot from full health (although I swear I've seen this failsafe fail...).

The "Critical Hit Averted" is courtesy of the Helmet Weeblet is wearing - the ability to do so is a very important feature of the Fighter class, since every incoming attack has a 5% chance to roll a natural 20.

(Healing Potion)

It doesn't heal Weeblet to full, which means that the ogre would potentially kill him with a second attack. And while drinking a potion happens immediately, there's a rule to prevent you from spamming them: During a round, a character can only drink one potion, or cast one spell, or use one innate ability. So after drinking the potion, Weeblet still has to turn around and run. Luckily, Baldur's Gate doesn't have any "Zone of Control" or "Attack of Opportunity" mechanisms to punish this simple form of kiting.

And the ogre is felled.

In a fair fight, ogres still outclass our party pretty hard. 30 HP, 14 Thac0(*) (40% chance to hit Weeblet), 7-16 damage before the difficulty bonus. Even their Armor Class (5) isn't too bad.

(*) Base 17, -3 Strength bonus. Judging from the +6 bonus displayed when it whacked Weeblet, I think it's very likely that NearInfinity (the file reading program I'm using) displays the base Thac0 without that bonus. If I'm wrong, it's just a 25% chance to hit.

Jaheira: "I really hope you learned something today. Consider yourself lucky that the lesson didn't come at a higher price."
Imoen: "Ah, this should the belt that Unshey is looking for. I wonder if the effect is something you can feel..."
Jaheira: "NO!"
Imoen: "Wow, I do feel different... Wait... What's wrong with my voice?"

Weeblet: "What in the nine hells?!"
Imoen: "What? No! That's not... No!"
Jaheira: *sigh*
Imoen: "I can't take it off! What is happening?"
Khalid: "P-p-please, c-calm yourself, everyone. Imoen, do not worry. There is a temple of Lathander near B-beregost. Most Radiant Kelddath Ormlyr w-will be able to lift the spell."
Imoen: "Oh thank goodness... Let's hurry, then! Come on, I really didn't need this to happen..."
Jaheira: "Then tell me, what curse did you need to happen, child? One that would turn you into stone?"
Imoen: "I'm sorry, Jaheira! But... I couldn't have expected this!"
Jaheira: *sigh* "I guess not. Life hopefully taught both of you today: A fight is not a game, and magic artifacts aren't just toys. Heed those lessons, and we need not speak of this again."
Khalid: "We will only reach Beregost past midnight, e-even if we don't run into any more distractions along the way. Th-that means that we can't see Kelddath b-before next morning. Will you b-be alright, Imoen?"
Imoen: "I'll manage. But drat, my clothes are really tight around my shoulders... I guess I shifted weight..? Say, Khalid, d'you think I can borrow some of your clothes until tomorrow?"
Khalid: "I d-doubt that they would fit any better, I'm afraid. You're c-currently a lot, er, b-broader than a Half-Elf."
Imoen: "...I am pretty buff, aren't I? Oh my..."

I quite like that this girdle is the first cursed item that you run into. In general, cursed equipment makes it so that you can't blindly equip magical items and see what they do that way (unless you save-scum, of course), and the sex swap is a way to warn the player through an effect that, as far as game mechanics are concerned, doesn't actually hurt them.

The rogue ogre is the only really dangerous enemy on this map. Some gibberlings are not diseased anymore, which means that they have 8 HP and hit for 1-8 damage now. Their Thac0 is 20, though, so they're really unlikely to land a hit.

Xvarts wield Short Swords (1-6 dmg) with slightly better Thac0. Nothing to worry about, either.

To give a tiny bit of lore, just from what the Forgotten Realms wiki provides: Both xvarts (left) and gibberlings originated in the Underdark, a giant system of caverns (or systems, plural, since they aren't all interconnected) beneath the entire world of Toril, and home to a lot of nasty creatures: Drow (or dark elves), Mind Flayers, Kuo-toa (fish-humans of sorts, driven mad during enslavement by the Mind Flayers) and Beholders, just to name a few.

Gibberlings seem to usually appear as a ravenous swarm despite their vaguely humanoid appearance, with no language or culture. Xvarts, however, descent from gnomes that were enslaved and magically warped by evil Underdark giants, until one day they managed to escape. They live in tribal societies that sustain themselves through hunting and pillaging, but they've also been given the Always Chaotic Evil stick, making them morally acceptable sword fodder for low-level adventurers.

The Xvart did get a lucky hit against Weeblet, so Jaheira patches him up after the fight.

Jaheira: "Vita... Mortis... Careo... What is it?"
Weeblet: "Oh, nothing. ...Well, I was worried you'd be angry. You know, that I let myself get injured again."
Jaheira: "I'm not going to lose patience over that, Weeblet. Injuries like this are, unfortunately, part of our profession. Earlier, you and Imoen carelessly invited danger for no reason. Now come, Khalid and Imoen are getting impatient."

All spells that anybody casts are accompanied by three Latin words, depending on the spell's school. Apparently, compromises had to be made in terms of grammar, but there is meaning behind the short phrases - I found this forum post a while ago.
Healing spells count as Necromancy in old DnD, so Jaheira is chanting "I separate life from death" while treating Weeblet's wound.

A general note about healing spells: The simple HP regeneration spells are mostly not very well-suited to be cast during combat. They take a bit longer than half a round (i.e. 3.5-ish seconds) to cast and this first one's effect isn't even as strong as a healing potion (8 vs 9 HP), which can be used instantaneously.

Khalid: "Another raid..."
Imoen: "Another?"
Jaheira: "Word of a raided caravan reached the Friendly Arm about a week ago. But this ambush must have happened maybe a day ago... We should hurry and get back to the main road, quickly."

Towards the west of the map, not far from where an inconspicuous old man approached Imoen and Weeblet in the previous update, we run into a named character:

Eldoth: "Gentlemen, Gentlewomen, may I introduce myself - I am Eldoth Kron."
Eldoth: "It is a surprise to find such beatiful people wandering these woods. All of you look rather weary, down on your times I might say. Why don't we all rest and I'll treat you to some refreshments, perhaps some Berduskan amber wine?"
Weeblet: "Yes, we're sort of thirsty right now."

Jaheira: "Are you always this slimy, or is this one of your better days? Go find someone else to help in your worthless schemes."

Jaheira: "I apologise for speaking for the group there, but I am not traveling with that sort of sleazeball."
Imoen: "Yeah, no. Ew."
Weeblet: "Agreed."

Had we not been so judgemental, we would've welcomed a bard into our ranks. In the base game, Eldoth joins a fair bit later than this, which is why he starts at Lv.3. Not joining at Lv.1 is partly a disadvantage: Instead of the 21 HP that he could have had, Eldoth starts with a meager 15.

This is because he didn't use an Enhanced Edition feature when he rolled his level-ups before the start of the game: Max HP Upon Leveling Up. Normally, every class has a "hit die" - D4 for mages, D6 for thieves and bards, D8 for Druids, D10 for Fighters - but since this encourages save-scumming, the Enhanced Editions just give you the option to always get the best roll, which I am gladly taking.

But back to Eldoth, and a quick rundown of the Bard class. As far as combat goes, they don't start all that great - basically the same as a pure thief, but without the ability to backstab. Their main feature is their ability to cast mage spells, which unlocks at Lv.2. Over time, as they reach higher spell circles, bards (and mages) gain access to a number of defensive spells, until they eventually become better at tanking than a fighter.

Compared to mages, bards have the advantage of higher HP and lower Thac0, but they reach more advanced spells later and can generally not cast as many spells per day. Because they level up faster than mages (but not fast enough to make up for the slower spell progression), their spells are actually more powerful than the same spell cast by a mage: If a spell scales at all, be it in duration, power, or both, it scales with character level and nothing else. However, this isn't as much of a factor in BG1, where a Bard's basically ahead by only one level throughout the game.

Basically, even though I'm not a huge fan of the class in BG1, bards can cast spells, and thus they are good. They also have some utility on top: They can pickpocket, they have an excellent Lore stat (at BG1's max level, Bards can auto-identify literally everything), and of course they have a "Bard Song" ability. Used in combat, it makes the party immune to any fear effects, and it also makes them a little more lucky. As a very short summary, it manipulates a lot of dice rolls by one in the players's favour - for example, a weapon dealing 1D6 damage can roll [2|3|4|5|6|6], while an incoming Fireball will use [1|1|2|3|4|5] dice instead of the regular D6.

About Eldoth specifically: His stats lean more towards melee combat, which is a bit of a shame: His unique ability is to produce poisoned arrows that only he can use, and those are very powerful against enemy Mages, because the poison damage keeps interrupting their spellcasting. Ideally, you want to fix his Dex and have him use a Longbow, which is already an amazing weapon type to begin with.

But since Eldoth is such a slimeball (and of evil alignment), we remain a group of four.

With that, the map is pretty much cleared. In the south, Andout gives us a little foreshadowing of things that may or may not come to pass, and we find the raided caravan that (my version of) Jaheira mentioned earlier.

So, on to Beregost. Immediately upon reaching the town, we're greeted by a guy who seems to be ready 24/7 to welcome any visitor from the north:

Golin Vend: "We have many inns for the frugal adventurer. The Red Sheaf has basic rooms, though the clientele is a touch rowdy. There are also the Burning Wizard and the Jovial Juggler, which also have finer suites. The Red Sheaf is near the center of the town, as is the Burning Wizard. The Jovial Juggler is a bit further along, and sits on the southern edge of the city."
Weeblet: "I need some well-made weapons and armor. Do you have a good smithy?"
Golin Vend: "We have the best smithy in all the realms. Taerom 'Thunderhammer' Fuiruim runs the Thunderhammer Smithy in the eastern side of town. He has a few exceptional items as well, though you could also check Feldepost's Inn. They carry trophy items, though you had best be rich as kings. Feldepost's Inn is in the west, closer to the south edge of town.
Weeblet: "Thanks for your help."
Golin Vend: "No problem, friend. Enjoy your stay."

Beregost is a town with around 3000 inhabitants, one of the more important trading centres of the region. For us, this means that there's a lot of very minor treasure to loot, with the 86 gold in the chest at the top of the picture being one of the greater rewards you can find. The boy isn't very good at watching over the place, and won't call the watch on us.

Boy: "Mother said not to talk with strangers!"
Boy: "Nice house, huh? My buddy is Dason Greycart, and he says his daddy makes good money as a merchant. Not so much nowadays, I guess. Especially if he don't come back soon. He's got customers here waitin' for him. I'll wait right here and help him unload, like I always do."

Boy: "Loser-loser-loser!"

There isn't quite 3000 people to talk to, but still more than I think I should show here. I'll go over some, in a more thematical than temporal ordering. First: The iron crisis.

Commoner: "My damn shovel broke today, then my hoe, and then, to top it all off, my scythe. They're all new tools too, bought from that flam, Taerom. He's gettign a piece of my mind."

Commoner: "All the iron that comes from Nashkel has been tainted. It's those Amnian, up to their bottle-headed tricks I bet. We should just march over that little mine of theirs. I bet they are just faking all the trouble so as to weaken our guards and soldiers. Well, we will be ready when they come.

Commoner: "The shortage of iron has been gradually building for some time now. People have had plenty of opportunity to get paranoid. Not me though, no, sir. Nope. Eh, could you stand a little back from me, please?"

Commoner: "Tensions are high all across the coast. Many a person's livelihood depends on the iron that is now in such short supply. I sure wish I could get my hands on whoever is behind it all. So do a lot of folks around here. Heh, nothing like a common enemy to bring people together."

Intertwined in all the rumors are plenty of distrust against the neighboring nation of Amn, and how they might be behind the entire thing.

On our great sightseeing tour, we do happen upon a handful of noteworthy items. In a large estate in the northern part of the town, we find a Wand Of Giving Ping 'Nam Flashbacks, although we'll have to wait and see what exactly I'm flashing back to until we identify it. We also find a Potion of Invisibility, which Weeblet certainly can make use of (...unless I do my usual stunt and hoard all of them until the game is over).

The two guards at the mansion's entrance aren't too inviting, but don't do anything about it...

...because their boss is actually quite welcoming, considering we just picked the lock to his front door.

Gerard Travenhurst: "Away with you, beggar!"

Voiced line nonewithstanding.

Gerard Travenhurst: "That is an unfortunate possibility. They do seem to take a touch too much pleasure from their positions, but I'd sooner have them than not. I doubt I should feel safe without them, what with the banditry rampant about the countryside. Mayhaps when things have settled I can maintain a more open house. Leave me please, as a member of the town council there is much that weighs on my mind."

The aforementioned Thunderhammer Smithy isn't manned during the night, which allows access to some locked chests in the back. The only loot of note is this magical bastard sword. These are their own proficiency class, and we probably won't be recruiting the only NPC using them, so this'll go right into our traveling funds. And no, Thunderhammer doesn't notice if you try to sell him his own stolen sword.

In the sleeping rooms upstairs in the Burning Wizard (we'll come to who/what's on the ground floor later), there's a magical mace. I do have someone in mind for this one, so we'll hold on to it.

Algernon is lodging in Feldepost's Inn. His model doesn't show it, but he's wearing a really swanky cape. Alas, neither Imoen nor Weeblet have the Pickpocketing skills to nab it from him, but I absolutely want it at some point.

We also hear some rumors about some mages, one of them more sinister than the other. But speaking of mages - who is that mage clothed in a red robe following us around? Maybe I should go back to when we arrived in Beregost and fill in the gaps...

Going east from where we entered Beregost, we run into a mage clothed in a red robe, although it's hard to tell while it's night and she's standing in the shadow. Like with Dorn, the half-orc we briefly met in the Friendly Arm Inn, this entire scene is fully voiced (and I'll refrain to write it all out in bold), which marks her as one of the Enhanced Edition's added characters.

Neera: "There's Bandits! Vicious, magic bandits! And they must have gone to advanced bandit school or something. They're trying to capture me!"
Jaheira: "A group of spellcasting bandits? This sounds like a tall tale."
Neera: "Listen, I'd love to give you a really long and detailed explanation of what's going on but--oh look! WE'RE OUT OF TIME."

Our party gets into formation closer to Neera, and a mage clothed in even redder robes approaches from the east.

Neera: "You're the one trying to capture me! And I still don't know what you want, so I'd rather not let it happen. Get out of here before me and my new friends decide to inject a fist into your mouth!"
Imoen: "Goodness, she's even less intimidating than Weeblet..."
Ekandor: "You there! Stand aside and give me the girl. Surely you won't risk your life for a stranger?"
Weeblet: "I won't let you harm her. By what right do you hunt this woman?"
Ekandor: "By my right as a wizard of Thay, we must study her anomalous powers... whether or not she comes willingly."
Weeblet: "Back off before I see whether you're as red on the inside as on the outside."
Imoen: "See, that woulda been a decent threat if it'd come from a mouth higher up'n three foot."
Ekandor: "If you wish to die for this wild mageling, so be it!"

(That's Neera talking)
Both Ekandor and Neera start casting spells...

...and Neera's goes off first, shuffling everybody's positions around and teleporting Ekandor out of the fight entirely.

Undeterred, the unnamed Wizard from Ekandor's entourage starts a fight.

Neera apparently didn't get the message, but everybody else knows: "Kill the one in the dress first!"

Well, a bit of tactical deliberation is still necessary. Khalid swaps to his longsword and attacks one of the bodyguards, to keep him away from Imoen, who uses her Wand of Magic Missiles for a guaranteed hit against the wizard. Unfortunately, he gets his Mirror Image spell up first, though - it's a pretty quick spell to cast.

Neera: "Incertus... Pulchra... Imperio..." (according to the forum post, this might mean "I control beautiful mysteries")
Neera then casts Chromatic Orb on the bodyguard facing Khalid. This spell deals a bit of damage and inflicts a secondary effect based on the caster's level - her target being blinded means that Neera is a Lv.1 mage. And that she got lucky, since Chromatic Orb allows for a saving throw with a +6 bonus to avoid the secondary effect.

The effect is very short-lived though - only one round, and both bodyguards are fully ready to fight again. You can also see the wizard running southeast - his AI is a bit smarter than that of OG BG1 enemies and he tries to gain some ground while his ability to cast spells is on cooldown.

That went well. Before the wizard can use another spell, Jaheira rolls a crit, targeting the real wizard and not one of his mirrored images. The bodyguards are still there, with one of them going after the squishy Neera...

...but they're not particularly dangerous on their own. Imoen gets the one targeting Neera with an arrow, and Jaheira finishes the other one soon after.

Neera: "Since you were kind enough to save me from those wizardly thugs, I was wondering if I could stay with you for a while. For your protection as well as mine. I swear, I'm quite a skilled spellcaster. I can hurl a fireball like you wouldn't believe!
Weeblet: "Very well, your company would be appreciated."

Lies! Mages can only use Fireball once they reach Lv.5! ...wait, no, Neera is actually an exception to the rule, kinda. But she doesn't have Fireball in her spell book yet, so still: Lies! Lies!

Neera: "Fantastic! Let me just get my... well, nothing. I'm ready go go now!"

Jaheira: "Say, Neera... that teleportation spell you used earlier was unlike anything I've ever seen. I'm curious, where did you learn that?"
Neera: "Welllll... I didn't LEARN it, as such. It's more like I willed for something to be done about that creep, and then I let my magic flow, and POOF! Just like that!"
Jaheira: "...come again?"
Neera: "I'm a wild mage! I can cast spells that would make Elminster green with envy! Sometimes. When I'm lucky. When I'm not, I can set my own hair on fire. But that hasn't happened for at least a week!"

Our fifth hero on the team: Neera, the Wild Mage. This is another mage kit similar to Xzar's necromancer class, giving Neera more spells per day, but not a preferred school of magic, nor a banned one. Instead...

• Every spell she casts has a 1/20 chance to result in a "Wild Surge", with effects that range from beneficial effects (e.g. the caster gets a Haste effect) over inconsequential (caster becomes shiny and golden for a while) and kinda bad (caster gets polymorphed into a squirrel for 40 seconds) to really fucking bad (caster summons a horrible Pit Fiend). Most effects replace the intended spell, so even good/inconsequential effects can be pretty annoying.
• Caster level, and thus the power and duration of many spells, is variable.
• Wild Mages can cast the spell Nahal's Reckless Dweomer.

This spell is potentially incredibly powerful - if we pick up a Lv.5 spell scroll somewhere (the highest it goes in BG1) and Neera learns its spell, she can use Nahal's to then unleash that spell. Or try to, because it's very likely that the Wild Surge caused by this will just override it. I'm personally not a fan of this, simply because of the low chance of success.

I will say one thing in this spell's (and the Wild Mage's) favour: At very high levels, this becomes a reasonably risky, very powerful tool. Even if Neera has access to all the most powerful spells anyway, the Dweomer does not follow the "One Spell Per Round" rule I mentioned earlier, and in the endgame of this game's sequel's expansion, she can get up to a 77% chance to cast the right spell. This means that she can reasonably pump out a bunch of Abu-Dalzim's Horrid Wiltings, hope that the majority of them actually happen, and that the ones that don't won't screw her over. But this is still lightyears away - we're talking "BG2 expansion mid- to lategame" to get beyond 70% chance of success.

For now, let's get back to exploring the city.

Sidequest!

Toxic Relationship!

...sneaky Weeblet?
(Silke is the bard with the Quarterstaff standing in the foreground. We'll interact more with her later)

Apologies, but I can't help but metagame a little from time to time. When entering the Red Sheaf Inn near the center of Beregost, we're approached by a dwarven fighter named Karlat...

Karlat: "You're at the end of your rope, I'll wager."

...and he doesn't sound friendly.

Karlat: "Aye, that I do. The will AND the way. Shall we get to business then?"

Because of that, Weeblet sneaks behind him while Jaheira does the talking...

...and the fight ends very quickly.

Not gonna lie, this is very cathartic. Karlat is usually another tough fight for a Lv.1 party, thanks to his impressive staying power: 35 HP and 0-4 AC (depending on your weapon's damage type).

Weeblet: "This is almost getting silly at this point. Should I be proud or concerned that the bounty went up since yesterday?"
Jaheira: "I vote 'concerned'. With any luck, this hasn't reached outside of Baldur's Gate's sphere of influence yet and we won't run into trouble in Nashkel, but I wouldn't count on it."
Neera: "Wait, this is a daily occurance for you?"
Weeblet: "Well, two days ago, two assassins somehow managed to breach the defenses of Candlekeep. When my foster father and I left to try and find a safe spot, we were ambushed by a group around a towering man, who killed my foster father. And when we reached the Friendly Arm Inn yesterday, some mage tried to kill us. 'Daily' is shaping up to be good word, yes."
Neera: "Maybe I should look for another group of nice people that are willing to save my brain from being probed by those red-robed freaks. ...kidding! I think!"

Lachluger: "Hahahahaha! Ahahahah! *burp*"

♫ I cut down trees, I shkip an' jump, I like to pressh wild flowersh ♫
♫ I put on women'sh clothin' an' hang aroun' in barsh ♫

♫ He's a lumberjack and he's ok, he sleeps all night and he works all day ♫

Apart from a singalong, there's also a sidequest to pick up in the Red Sheaf Inn:

Perdue: "You 'eard me. A dog's 'ead. And breath that could peel paint, too."
Imoen: "Oh, a gnoll!"
Perdue: "Yeah, a gnoll. There's one 'oled up in the hills due west of 'ere, close to the High Hedge. Damn thievin' ball-o-fur stole my short sword two days back."
Imoen: "Never liked them myself. How much would that blade be worth to a runty guy like you?"
Perdue: "Yeah, yeah. Lay off the short-guy jokes, they're older than your grandmother's uncle. The damn blade ain't worth nothing. It's a pride thing. I'll give ya 50 gold pieces if ya wipe 'is arse with it."
Imoen: "You've got yourself a deal."
Perdue: "Yeah, yeah."

Upstairs, a friendly fella is around to give some exposition about the iron crisis, as well as point us towards some opportunities to go adventuring. He tells us about Mirianne, who we already visited, and also about two magic locations that some commoners mentioned earlier:

Raleo: "If you're up to the task, I hear there are strange things in the Ulcaster School ruins southeast of town. I would nae go down there unless you are quite sure of your abilities though. Many a well-meaning fellow has gone and not come back. Only for those adept in battle. Anything else you would like to know of?"
Neera: "Nothing in particular. Just intereted in the sights. Perhaps shopping."
Raleo: "Shopping? [...] If you really have coins to spare, I'd suggest going west of the city and seeking out Thalantyr. He has a shop in his keep, though he does not welcome visitors. Trust me, you will want to speak with him immediately if you go there. Wandering about his shop without permission is downright deadly. I think he likes scaring folks a bit."

Jaheira: "I doubt that we have the budget for any magical artifacts, but with a Mage in our group, it might be a good idea to still pay Thalantyr a visit. Maybe she can learn to summon magic effects that are actually intended."
Neera: "Oh, ha ha. I can already do that just fine. Most of the time."

There's a bunch of locked and unguarded chests in the sleeping rooms, too, although none of them have any noteworthy loot in them.

Just west of the Red Sheaf, in front of the Burning Wizard, we run into another portrayed (and thus recruitable) character.

Garrick: "Hello there! I have a pretty proposal for you."

Garrick: "I'm Garrick, and I work for Silke Rosena. She's the most skilled musician and actor along the Sword Coast. In fact, she's to play at the Ducal Palace before the month's done. However, she's been having some problems of late. Some thugs have been hired by Feldepost to hurt her bad because she didn't perform at his inn when she was supposed to. You can't blame her for not showing up, what with a villain like Feldepost running the place. She needs mercenaries to protect her until she's ready to go to Baldur's Gate. She's willing to pay about 300 gold. What do you say?"
Weeblet: "That sounds fair. I think we saw her just a while ago just down the road, so shall we go meet your mistress immediately?"
Garrick: "I think you've made a good decision. Now just meet me outside of the Red Sheaf Inn."

Garrick actually just cutscene-walks the group back toward Silke, although things only pick up again once you actively talk to her...

...which gives Weeblet opportunity to go into stealth. Y'know, just for the unlikely case that a fight breaks out in the near future.

Silke: "Greetings, mercenaries! I am Silke, thespian extraordinaire!"

Garrick: "I offered them 300 gold, just like you told me."
Silke: "Well then, I assume that Garrick has explained what your duties are. You must simply dispose of the ruffians when they come to threaten me. They shouldn't be too hard to deal with, but I would advise you to strike fast. Whatever you do, don't speak with them. One of them is a mage whose mystic words can sway even the most wise of men."
Neera. "Well, that's not suspicious at all, is it?"

Like with Karlat, Jaheira does the talking. If Weeblet with his higher Charisma had done so, then Silke would've offered an extra 100 gold because she's just so nice. But it should be abundantly clear that things aren't quite as they seemed...

Silke: "Here they are now: Feldepost's thugs. Strike when I tell you to."

Silke: "Don't try to threaten me! I won't be easy prey for you to beat on, I've brought friends!"
Faltis: "What are you talking about? We're here with the gems that..."
Silke: "Shut up! There'll be no weaseling out of this one. STRIKE NOW! Kill them all! Don't let a single one escape!"
Jaheira: "Stop this madness. We won't murder those who are obviously innocent men."
Silke: "Our deal is off! In any case, you're probably too cowardly to be any good in a fight. I'll deal with them myself, after I deal with you!"

Excellent! Neera hits Silke with a Magic Missile before she can protect herself with an Improved Invibility spell, which is an advanced illusionary protection spell: Unlike regular Invisibility, the Improved version doesn't fully break when you attack or cast a spell, making sure that the caster can't be targeted by spells, and giving them a +4 bonus to their AC (and saving throws).

And because Silke doesn't wear any armour (doing so would disable her spellcasting abilities), she is now pretty easy to hit...

...and goes down before she can even start casting another spell.

That was easy - but let's see how this fight can go if you don't get that good start:

Not as well, to say the least. Don't take the "damage resisted" messages too seriously - Weeblet definitely took the full 33 damage here, while everybody else is protected by the "can't be one-shot at Lv.1" clause. Not sure why Neera only took a single point of damage, though - maybe a strange interaction between that clause and her successful saving throw (which halves Lightning Bolt's damage).

Silke is a Lv.10 Bard, and although her 29 HP is a bit low, considering, this also means that she shoots out Lightning Bolts at full power, dealing 10D6 damage to everything in its path - friends, foes, innocent bystanders.

Little tip for any munchkin players out there: Instead of talking to Faltis after killing Silke, you can also just murder the three of them anyway and take three tokens of appreciation from their dead bodies, plus the gems that Silke was after, with zero repercussion. The reason being that while you get a -2 hit to your reputation, you're not supposed to walk away with your rep completely down the drain, which is what would normally happen if you kill three innocent bystanders. So instead, the -2 rep hit happens through dialogue, and the three gem merchants are coded to not be "innocent".

But of course, we're good people who don't murder people just because the game engine isn't watching. The quest still gives pretty good rewards:

A Potion of Defense from Faltis. Pretty good for Weeblet, since the base AC of his body armour is only 7 and he tends to be in the thick of things.

Silke drops an even better version of it, even though she wouldn't have been able to use this version herself. In addition, she drops her magical Quarterstaff, which Jaheira can use (although I prefer the defensive bonus from the Large Shield she wouldn't be able to wield alongside it), and the 400 gold she would've promised Weeblet if he had done the talking.

And finally, Silke is worth a whopping 900 XP, which is quite a lot this early in the game.

I should mention that XP is shared between party members, which means that each character only gains 180 XP from this. You don't gain levels particularly fast in this game...

...although Jaheira does so right now, reaching Lv.2 in both her Fighter and her Druid class. The most exciting reward is that she literally doubles her HP, with the reminder that this would normally be a dice roll - D10 for her Fighter class, D8 for Druid, both halved because she's a multi-class, and then a fixed +3 from her Constitution stat.

Otherwise, +5% hit chance with any weapon and an additional Lv.1 spell are both much more incremental.

Still, going from three spells per day to four isn't too bad, and Jaheira fills her memorisation for the next rest with another Cure Light Wounds. In the fourth slot, she replaces Entangle with Sunscorch, which is a spell added by my Icewind Dale-ification mod.

Jaheira: "Boy, you just helped her set up a trap to murder three innocent men just to steal a few gems. And now you expect us to trust you enough to let you come with us? Run along."
Garrick: "Ahh... fair, fair."

To be fair, despite this first impression, Garrick doesn't seem to be a bad egg, as far as BG1's very limited dialogue builds his character. I just don't really have room for another pseudo-mage on the team, with Neera and (eventually) Imoen covering that well enough already.

Mechanically, what I said about Eldoth earlier still applies to Garrick. The Bard class doesn't fully "unlock" until maybe the lategame of BG1, but they're still competent enough at slinging spells. So even though Garrick has the most underwhelming stats (his Dex is decent, at least, so he isn't terrible with a crossbow), he's still far from useless.

In the Burning Wizard inn, we run into Zhurlong the halfling thief, who nabs 15 gold from Weeblet and still thinks that we will return his Boots of Stealth. You know, the Boots of the Thing That Weeblet Is Going For.

Upstairs (where we also find the magical mace), we hear some new rumors:

Spen: "Firewine Bridge ruins is what I mean. She be pretty far to the south and east, but a strong pair o' legs will get ye there just fine. I would make sure that they are strong enough to bring ye BACK too though. The Firewine ruins might be quite the deathtrap for the inexperienced adventurer. Mind ye remember that, and don't blame old Spen if ye lose a few of yer fellows stumbling about within.
Weeblet: "What else can you tell me of it?"
Spen: "What? Do I look loke I be fool enough to go tromping about in such a place? Not likely. Ye want more info, ye go talk to them halflings in Gullykin. They be curious about such things, and will probably help ye. I warn ye again though, it ain't no place fer a young 'un! Ye go there and ye're just looking for tough trouble. Best ye cut yer teeth somewhere else before ye throw yer lives down that hole."
Weeblet: "And what of Beregost? Anything interesting here?"
Spen: "Hereabouts? the temple to the east be an interesting view, if ye like that sort of thing. I don't! Don't like much, actually. Don't think I like you, either. Ehh, leave me to my readin'."

At this point, I decide to go ahead and spend the night - no particular reason to pick this inn or any other.

Neera: "So, now that we have the opportunity to talk... I don't think I even caught your name yet."
Imoen: "Oh, er, hiya! I'm Imoen!"
Neera: "Imoen? Isn't... No, sorry, that's a beautiful name. Say..."
Imoen: "Hold up, just in case this steers towards awkward: Yes, Imoen is a girl's name. I just had an accident involving this belt..."
Jaheira: "...and your recklessness..."
Imoen: "...and I thought you didn't need to bring that up again, thankyouverymuch Jaheira."
Neera: "And thank you very much for not eavesdropping!"
Imoen: "Anyway, we're going to see the local priest of Lathander. Jaheira says that he can lift this curse. But I am quite the hunk, huh?"
Neera: "Man, this could've been useful three months ago..."
Imoen: "Huh? Wait, you mean..."
Neera: "Oh, no. Nonononono. I'm a woman. Always have been. Except for maybe... four hours, as a less awesome result of my otherwise awesome magic. Wore off on its own, thank Tymora. I would not have had the money to pay anyone to fix that."

Resting allows Neera to memorise two Identify spells, which she then uses the next morning:

First on the ring that we found just outside the Friendly Arm, which neither Weeblet nor Imoen were able to use. It's mage only (another blow against bards as pure spellcasters) and it's really good. Lv.1 spells are obviously the weakest of them all, but it's also all that Neera can cast right now. And even at the end of the game, there's always something useful in the first circle of spells. Magic Missile isn't an iconic spell without reason.

The bastard sword we stole from the Smithy is "just" a +1 weapon, although that's still a pretty good find for anybody using this weapon type.

Weeblet: "Yeah, aren't they the worst?"
Commoner: "Very funny. Keep your distance, I'm not about to lose my hard-earned money to some scoundrel."

Imoen: "Five thousand gold?!"
Jaheira: "We'll go meet Kelddath shortly anyway, so we might as well ask him about this. We have a mission to fulfill before we should run around looking for the next one, though."

Kagain: "I run an escort business. I hire mercenaries to escort caravans on route from Amn to Baldur's Gate. Right now I'm lookin' for some strong sword arms, and I'm willing to pay high. It seems that one of the caravans under my protection never arrived at Baldur's Gate, and I need ta know what happened. You look like a strong group of warriors. Interested in a job."
Jaheira: "Sorry, we need to move southward. But we came here yesterday from the Friendly Arms and we saw a caravan that had been raided recently. A Fighter and a Mage seemed to be the guards."
Kagain: "For the love of money... Did you see any survivors, or other bodies?"
Jaheira: "There was a body of a human boy, maybe fifteen years old? Very expensive clothes, as far as I could tell."
Kagain: "You moron, that was Duke Silvershield's kid! Oh, this isn't worth dying over. Piss off, I need to pack my things and get away from here before Silvershield hears from this... Why are you assholes still staring? You like watching a dead dwarf? Get the hell out of here!"

If you take Kagain's job offer, finding the caravan in the east of the previous map is his very short "companion quest". He'd be willing to keep traveling with you both to lay low and to take revenge against the bandits who did the raid. And if you let him come, he's probably the best NPC tank in the game, as long as you're willing to keep your reputation low(-ish).

Between shorty saves and his illegally high Con, Kagain is pretty hard to kill, but he suffers from his bad Dex and, as a result, no bonuses to his AC. However (small spoiler, I guess), you can pick up some magical gauntlets that raise a character's Dex to 18 pretty early in the game, at which point he's just the ultimate tank.

As a small side note, the difference between 19 (which is the normal maximum for a dwarf) and 20 Con isn't that big, because it doesn't result in any additional hitpoints. However, 20 Con gives a character passive regeneration - way too slow to be useful in battle, but it helps when you don't have enough healing spells to top everybody up before resting, or when you're traveling to a new map.

He also has a very swanky helmet. Or had, because it's Weeblet's now. It doesn't have any additional traits to the normal protection against crits, but it is very swanky.

Even though Kagain doesn't actually leave his shop, he doesn't mind if you grab all his money. He didn't put it into any locked container, and almost all of the time, BG1 NPCs do not care if you rummage through everything without a lock. You can loot around 250 gold, including the selling price for the gems.

Dunkin: "Heh! You tell 'em, Marl."

In Feldepost's Inn, near the western edge of the map, we immediately get antagonised by one of the patrons. It's very easy to start a fight when talking to him, but...

Marl: "...are you talking to me? Are you talking to me?!"

Marl: "Hey! I told you to get lost! Ain't no room here for ye troublemakin' strangers!"
Weeblet: "No need to get all bent out of shape. There's plenty of bar for us all."
Marl: "Hey, I take whatever shape I want! I'm sick of you freakish adventurers going out, consorting with gods know what, and dragging your trouble back into my hometown! What do you say to that?!"
Weeblet: "I just do what I think is right. We solve a lot more trouble than we cause. Well, very nearly anyways. Heh heh."
Marl: "Oh you think it's funny, do you?! You mess up the local economy with your treasure, you upset the balance of nature, you flash your magic around, and because of it maybe somebody's son thinks it's fun and goes out and gets himself killed! It's a bad example and somebody ought to kick your ass for it!"
Weeblet: "Hold on! Everybody goes their own path, and I'll not be held accountable for what the Fates deal."
Marl: "He was a good boy till your kind came through town! Filled his head with nonsense they did, and because of it he's dead! Now why shouldn't I take THAT out of your hide?!"
Weeblet: "If you knew him like you think, then ask yourself if he wouldn't have gone anyway. It's a calling you're born with. Nobody gives it to you."
Marl: "Tain't true! He was going to take over the farm and settle down. Maybe apprentice with Thunderhammer during the winter. He never wanted to adventure."

Marl: "No! He was settling down! He wanted... he wanted..."
Dunkin: "That new plow ye bought last year, he got the gold by helping clear kobolds near Ulgoth's Beard. He wanted to make a difference, make the realms a bit safer. Just like these folks most likely."
Marl: "By Chauntea, why couldn't he just stay home?!"
Weeblet: "The realms call, and you go. He sounds like a fine lad taken too soon, but doing what he was meant. If you'll suffer my company, I'll buy a round and toast his memory with you."
Marl: "'Twould be fitting, I suppose. To Kennair Nethalin! Rest ye well! I... I would be alone awhile."

...if you pick the right dialogue prompts, you can calm down Marl, which even yields more XP than murderhoboing your way through the encounter. I quite like this little "quiz" - the correct answers aren't too obvious (you can't be too confrontational nor too evasive) and it's a nice change of pace that the best solution to this little quest isn't violence for once.

(that said, the life of adventuring was kinda sorta "given" to Weeblet and Imoen, wasn't it?)

Dunkin: "Hey, don't click me! I don't want any trouble!"

The XP for talking down Marl is enough for Imoen to reach Lv.2, as well. Thieves gain 25 skill points per level, which Imoen entirely puts into Find Traps. Traps have two "challenge levels", one to spot them and one to disarm them, and 60 is enough to deal with any trap that we'll encounter for a long while. The plan is to get Imoen two additional Thief levels so that she can reach 100 Find Traps (which is enough for the entire game) before dual-classing her.

Having a (half-)thief CHARNAME is honestly quite convenient for dual-classing Imoen. If you don't want a second thief on your team, she needs five or six thief levels (five is enough for like 95% of the game and you can use potions for the remaining 5%) to get the necessary trap-finding and lock-opening utility that you'd want. And while she still reaches the same mage level as a single-class mage that way, the downtime becomes quite annoying, and you probably will need a temporary thief to pick up Imoen's duty for a decent chunk of the game.

Apart from the usual snippets about iron crises and those pesky Amnians, and a lady enjoying herself ("I do enjoy my daily tipple, I do! (hic) Is it time for scones yet?"), we also find Tiax, who rules.

Tiax: "You! Tiax would speak at you, for 'tis destined to be so..."

He's a cleric/thief, which is a pretty neat utility class combination. Cleric to heal and buff the party, thief to deal with locks and traps. His physical stats are actually quite decent, once you find ways to boost his strength, at which point he's an Invisibility spell plus a cleric self-buff away from opening a fight with a very nasty backstab (or rather backwhack, since clerics can never use bladed weapons).

On top of that, Tiax has the unique ability to summon a Ghast, a mid-tier undead monster (i.e. quite strong this early) that can stun its targets.

Tiax is another NPC that was mod-moved to an earlier location, which is why he starts at Lv. 2/2. Normally, you meet him in Baldur's Gate, potentially as the very last recruitable NPC you run across, depending on the order in which you explore the city. At that point, you're likely to have a fully staffed team already, but joining this early, he's a really good (and entertaining) pick for any evil-accepting team.

Feldepost is one of the two shops in Beregost, and while their stock is less varied than the smithy's, they have some good stuff for sale.

Namely, a bunch of "+1" enchanted equipment, although even the items we can affort aren't really worth the price at this point.

What would be a pretty good purchase, if we had a) the money and b) an archer with 18 Str, is the Composite Longbow, which is one of the two best bows in the game.

There is actually a little cheese that would allow Khalid to use this all the time, once Neera learns a spell to buff his Strength: If he equips the bow while at 18+ Str, the game won't check for that again when the buff expires.

Bracers of Defense are generally quite good for Mages and Bards, but AC8 is the weakest one out there, only boosting AC by 2 points (= +10 avoid). Not worth 3810 gold.

(Narrator's voice: They would, in fact, bother Mr. Colquetle.)

Mr. Colquetle: "Strangers tramping about my home? Bah, what does it matter? I have heard nothing from my son and his wife for nigh unto a week now, and all else pales in importance until I do. I should have known better than to allow his travel in these dangerous times. Leave me to my sorrows."

Commoner #324 is telling the truth here, and it makes navigating the ruins a giant pain, because your pathfinding keeps getting screwed up by your characters blocking one another.

As we promised back in Candlekeep, we pay old Elvenhair a visit. A nice touch is that he initiates dialogue if he can see either Imoen or your CHARNAME, but won't even give out his little fetch quest to anybody else if they talk to him.

You can either buy the book he's looking for at Feldepost's or, if 2 gold is too expensive for you, yoink it from Elvenhair's next door neighbors.

,

Gaining +1 Rep for this very simple fetch quest is nice, but the real reward is the Scroll Case, which like the Gem Bag that Neera came with is a "specialised Bag of Holding" and helps quite a bit with inventory management.

Elvenhair's reading material isn't only a "touch darker", but also a touch longer than most other books that you can find. Although the fact that Bane, Bhaal, and Myrkul initially tried to settle their deal by bowling with the skulls of liches is also a morbidly funny picture.

In case you're wondering why they're called the "Dead Three": That's another story. You might remember me mentioning the Times of Troubles in the previous update - these were kickstarted by Bane and Myrkul stealing the Tablets of Fate from Godfather Ao, and both they and Bhaal, then still called the "Dark Three", were killed while all the gods were forced to walk the earth as (very powerful, but still) mortals.

Jaheira: "Alright, strategy talk."
Weeblet: "Hm?"
Jaheira: "That's Landrin's house over here, I think. The one with the spider infestion."
Weeblet: "Oh, yes. Well, there might be a central spider's nest somewhere, right? I thought that maybe Neera knows a fire cantrip to smoke them out."
Jaheira: "If this was the kind of infestation that could be dealt with that easily, I doubt that Landrin would have tasked a group of adventurers with it. No, these are going to be Giant Spiders, and we should act accordingly."
Khalid: "We sh-should avoid fighting them ins-side, I think. We could easily be surrounded coming through the door. I-if we can lure the spiders outside, the fence and the b-barrels would form a chokepoint that one of us could block while everybody else shoots them from afar."
Jaheira: "Weeblet, do you think that you're up for the task? Halflings are more resiliant against spider poisons, so I believe you would be in less danger than any of the rest of us."
Weeblet: "Err... how "giant" are we talking here?"
Jaheira: "Oh, maybe about up to your shoulders, I would guess. Spiders larger than that are very rare."
Weeblet: *gulp* "O-ok, I got this."

Commoner: "OH WHAT IN THE NINE HELLS?!"
Khalid: "Y-yes, that's the right position! U-use your shield to keep their fangs away from you!"
Weeblet: "Ew! Ew! Ew! Ew!"

(Critical Miss doesn't do anything other than guaranteeing a miss regardless of AC and Thac0. Chance to hit is capped at 95%, just like Kaga intended)

This little strategy does work pretty well, preventing more than one spider to attack your designated tank.

They're fairly dangerous to our low-level party - 18 HP and 6 AC (which means a 40-ish chance for our characters to hit them) on the defense, and 16 Thac0 and 1-6 damage on the offense. On top of that, a successful attack also carries a poison effect, dealing 10 additional damage over the course of 30 seconds.

However, Weeblet is very well-equipped for this fight. He's still wearing the (still officially unidentified...) Girdle of Piercing that we're supposed to deliver to Unshey at the Friendly Arm, which puts his AC against the spiders to -3, and their chance to hit him to 10%. He ends up not taking any damage, and would've had the antidotes that Landrin gave us ready if he would've gotten hit and failed his saving throw.

Imoen: "If you thought this was gross and scary, just wait 'til we get to the spiders that jump at you tryin' to impale you with their sword legs."
Weeblet: "...what."
Neera: "Ooh, or the teleporting spiders. Those things are nasty. I heard that their poison kills a horse in two minutes."
Weeblet: "OK, now I know that you're making fun of me."

Laudrin asked us to pick up three items for her - the spider body from the previous picture, plus the boots and the wine from this one. Since we're going to Nashkel first, they'll clog up our inventory for a while - we could just leave them here for the time being, but I know that I would forget about them when we're ready to pay the Friendly Arms another visit.

In the southeast of the town, we find the Jovial Juggler tavern (and I'm sure Jaheira is thrilled that we're wasting our time here) and another sidequest. Kill multiple half-ogres? Sounds easy and fun and morally acceptable!

Well, since Bjornin is a paladin, he's intrinsically good, so a quest given by him should also be good by extension, right...?

Upstairs we find somebody who might disagree:

Oogie Wisham: "That... that Bjornin. I can feel his eyes  looking at me. He's a paladin, you know. They ain't right in the head. They... they just look at you and you've been judged. What right do they have to do that?"
Weeblet: "Why? What have you done to deserve their stares?"
Oogie: "What... nothing! Nothing at all! He just... they just... LOOK at you, and you know they are thinking that you deserve to be punished. I can't stand 'em. They're worse than the guards.
Weeblet: "Has he threatened you in some way?"
Oogie: "Well, no, but I KNOW he's looking for me. Why else would he be down there? Sure, he SAYS he's resting and chatting up the locals. but I just KNOW he's here for me. Well, I'm just gonna stay up here till he's gone.
Weeblet: "Why doesn't he just come upstairs and get you if he is so interested in you?"
Oogie: "Well, that would just be too easy, wouldn't it?! No, he wants me to sit up here wondering if he knows that I know that he knows that I know that he knows I'm up here knowing what he knows! I just know it!"
Weeblet: "Have you... talked to someone about this? You seem... agitated."
Oogie: "Recent evidence suggests that a barrel full of monkeys is not half as much fun as previously claimed, and is, in fact, rather horrifying!"
Weeblet: "Oooooooohkaaaaaay. Goodbye now."

But he's crazy, so that proves the hypothesis that everything Paladins do or task you with is holy and righteous.

Gurke: "Me temper's bad enough without ye botherin' me!"

The second of the (iirc) three "I'm a dwarfly dwarf" voice lines. The Cloakwood is west of the Friendly Arms, but doesn't unlock before we've progressed though a couple story quests, so Gurke has to have a little patience.

Taerom: "I can make whatever you wish for a wee little bit more than me competition. "

The final visit we do before leaving the map is at Taerom's smithy...

...to sell him a sword that really should look quite familiar to him.

We don't buy a whole lot from him just yet, because his good stuff is pretty darn expensive - just a Sling +1 for Jaheira and an Ammo Belt, which is yet another specialised Bag of Holding. Still, I'll show off what Taerom has in store for us later:

The description doesn't lie, full plate is indeed the best armor in the game. As a point of reference, studded leather has an AC of 5-7 (depending on damage type), and regular plate mail, the second-best regular armour in the game, has AC 3 (0 vs. Slashing).

The Shadow Armor is what Weeblet wants to wear eventually, with a neat little bonus to his stealth on top of the -3 AC in comparison to non-magical studded leather.

I don't think we'll use it in this playthrough, but the Army Scythe is what makes crossbows competitive with longbows and shortbows in BG1. Normally, bows have two attacks per round at base, which is an immense advantage that crossbows other than this one lack.

And this is the best dagger in the game, and potentially the weapon with the highest damage output, too. Realistically, fights rarely last long enough to get full value of the poison, but this is still a darn good weapon.

But with that, we're done with Beregost for now...

...and it's finally time to lift Imoen's curse.

We're not going to explore the entire map just yet - there's a group of enemies further east that's quite outside of our league for the time being. Luckily, the temple itself is very close to the western edge of the map.

Weeblet: "..."
Imoen: *nudge* "Stop staring!"

Kelddath, high priest of Lathander and governor of Beregost, is surrounded by four Sirens in his temple. Normally, these are hostile and quite dangerous.

Kelddath: "Welcome! The traveling adventurer is never turned away from a house of Lothander!"
Kelddath: "Don't touch me - I'm super important."

Imoen: "Hiya, I'm Imoen! And I have a big little problem..."
Kelddath: "Ah, I think I can see what is wrong... That belt you're wearing was given to us for savekeeping, but an ogre smashed open the room we kept it in and stole it. I assume that you managed to kill that ogre and I commend you for that, but young lady, you must be quite reckless to just put on a magic belt you just found."
Imoen: "Yes, I heard this lecture already. Please, can you just tell me if you can cure this? I've barely been in this shape for a day, but I'm already dead sick of this."
Kelddath: "Yes, of course. I do have the necessary spell prepared. If I may just ask for a small donation to our cause..."

Well, "small" is relative. 500 gold is what merchants pay for a diamond.

But with this, Imoen is back to her old self. Mechanically, all this didn't actually make a difference, except that her Belt inventory slot has been blocked, but let's not be cruel to poor ol' Imoen.

I also buy two Stone to Flesh scolls, mostly so that I don't forget later. We (hopefully) won't see them used for a couple updates.

Jaheira: "One more thing, Most Randiant Ormlyr. We heard about the mad priest Bassilus, and I would like to ask what is known about him. We might be willing to pursue him, but we would rather not do so when unprepared."
Kelddath: "Certainly. Bassilus is a priest of Cyric, and mad even compared to that sorry lot. From what we know, he hails from Zhentil Keep, but was driven out alongside all the other Cyricists during the recent siege of the city. I cannot say why he ended up here, but he has killed several of our citizens and raised them as undead. For what purpose, or if for any purpose at all, I do not know. But we would really be quite indebted to you should you be able to take care of that problem."

Drunk: "Wrongs answer, boys. *hic* You shoulda givens me the moneys when I ahsked ya. Ya know what I am! I'll lets ya into a little shecret... I'm a LICH. Yessh I am, powerful magicsh I wields, and now you've made me mad. You've gots one last chancesh, give me alls your money *hic*!"
Jaheira: "Look, guy, we're not gonna give you any money. Now bug off."
Drunk: "Wha, ya guys jusht don't get it, do ya. I'm gonna killsh you with my alls mighty magical powers. So nows what's it gonna be, death or... or... or somethin'."
Jaheira: "We're leaving now. Bye."
Drunk: "Hey! Whats are you, uhhh..."

(Yes I know that Weeblet technically did the talking, but Jaheira seems more fitting to be the one dismissing the guy)

Next to the main temple, there's a smaller building with two priests sweeing the floors. Nothing important to see here, but for this LP, it's canon that the rogue ogre stole the girdle from here.

Ashen: "A man shouldn't speak to his betters, unless spoken to first."

Ashen: "What do I NOT find displeasing?! Aesthetically, the air is absolutely THICK with manual labor. If this is what the land is like with most of its miners out of work, I could not imagine it in full swing. I simply MUST get out of here. If not for the bandits, I would be on the FIRST caravan out of town. Curse this merchants' trade! Father must wish me dead to inflict this upon me! Away from me! I need my air."

Well, that's that for now. Next, a short trip to the other direction from Beregost...

Near the High Hedge estate, you run into another recruitable NPC. However, he has a companion quest with a timer that I don't want to set off just yet, so I just walk past him for now. We will get him on our team for a short while at some point, though.

If you don't mind going through the early story missions without much sidequesting, Kivan is a pretty good companion. Better archer than Khalid is right now (and it takes a while until Khalid can overtake him), and still decent as a melee fighter.

Permidion: "Okay, okay, here's the plan: There's a big-time mage living just over that rise. Magic items scattered all over the place, I'm betting... Trouble is, he's got those two hideous flesh monsters guarding him and no shadows where I can lurk! Brute force is useless against the monster, everything is useless. There must be a way to outwit the witless, but damned if I know how... Ah hell, I guess I'd be better off just finding a halfling village somewhere to pick on. This dive is all yours."
Weeblet: "Um, excuse you...?"

Inside the estate, it's a bad idea to wander around before talking to the master of the house - this Flesh Golem is way too strong for us to deal with, and if this screenshot hadn't been taken after meeting Thalantyr, it would've been trying to kill us.

Thalantyr: "I be Thalantyr, mighty mage of Beregost!" - "Why do I live in such a pissant town...?"

To actually trade with Thalantyr, you have to talk to him again:

Thalantyr: "I sincerely hope you have some reason for bothering me. I've already stated that I wish you to leave."
Weeblet: "Rumors talk of a powerful mage that lives out here. If it is you, I would like to speak with you."
Thalantyr: "Rumors? Bah! There is no mage here that wishes to speak or be spoken of. Unless, of course, if you have magic that you wish to sell."
Weeblet: "We're interested in selling or even buying magical items. What do you have?"

The answer to that last question is "quite a lot", with magical ammunition being one of the main goodies to get here.

Specifically, the Acid Arrows are a big reason why bows are really bonkers in BG1: Using these with the Comp. Bow +1 from Feldepost's Inn, an archer can deal 7-22 damage per shot, before factoring in weapon proficiency, with higher attack rates than most other weapon types.

Crossbows aren't too much worse, either, as long as you get the Army Scythe from Thunderhand.

Thalantyr has a few very strong equips for sale, too, most expensively the Robe of the Good Archmagi and one for the Neutral Archmagi with identical stats. They're easily the best "armour" that a mage can equip, but they cost 26000 gold apiece, which we don't quite have the budget for right now.

The other big one is the Claw of Kazgaroth - a cursed item worn as a "ring" that's overall beneficial for many wearers. Because there's a wide range in which constitution doesn't have an effect on a character's HP, many NPCs (including Neera) can use this at very low cost. "Save vs. Death" also includes poison effects, so even though BG1 doesn't really throw insta-kill effects at you, you still don't want whoever is wearing the Claw getting bitten by, say, a teleporting huge spider with a deadly venomous bite.

Still, once we can spare the 12700 gold to buy this (well, a bit less with our growing Reputation), this is a pretty strong item, too. The extra +5 AC (or rather -5, because this is a bonus and low AC = good AC...) against missile attacks is really nice on a spellcaster.

For now, we have to be content with some smaller purchases. First, yet another specialised Bag of Holding, this time for potions. In addition, Neera gets a couple spells:

...oh god, I need to explain "percentile Strength" now, don't I?

("Bashing" means "Open Lock Like An Ogre")

Behold: The reason why halflings do suck as melee characters. Basically, if a Fighter, Ranger, or Paladin starts with 18 Str, they also roll for "percentile", or "exceptional" Strength. This functions as another five "stages" of a character's Str, so even though in theory, Weeblet only had a -1 Str penalty during character creation, he's effectively three or four "stages" below what a non-hobbit could realistically re-roll stats for.

Since the Strength spell only sets your Str into the lowest percentile category unless your character already has 18.xx Str, it's not as powerful as it seems at first glance, but it's still very nice for characters like Khalid or Jaheira or any halfling CHARNAME you might create.

The Invisibility spell has some nice advantages over a Thief's mundane hiding ability - the one I use the most is that an invisible thief can still look for and disarm traps without breaking the spell.

Skull Trap is effectively a slightly better, if more clunky version of the classic Fireball spell: Same explosion radius, same damage, but fewer enemies are resistant to the raw magical damage it deals. The flip side is that you have less freedom where to throw the center of explosion, or you risk that it doesn't trigger.

With that, we're done with shopping. Back to Beregost!

But first, we have to deal with some enemies on the way. South of the High Hedge estate, we run into a lonesome flind, which, in lore, is a particularly dangerous kind of gnoll.

Gnoll-like enemies in general are very willing to change their target during combat, running past your tank(s) and going after your ranged fighters.
Khalid: "S-split! Make sure he can only go after one of us at a time!"

Flinds are reasonably tough for a (mostly) Lv.1 party to handle, but a single one isn't too bad. They're also a bit weird: They drop a Two-Handed Sword, but it seems that their weapon is coded as a Bastard Sword, but it deals 1D4 crushing damage instead of 2D4 slashing damage as it should.

This might be because they used to be supposed to wield nunchaku in lore, which aren't implemented in the game in any form. It would explain why they use a "false" Bastard Sword, although them dropping a Two-Hander is still strange.

(And it appears that the lore changed at some point, and now flinds use flails imbued by the magic of Yeenoghu, the demonic prince of all gnolls, and the status as a "flind" can be inherited by a gnoll killing a flind. Interesting.)

Weeblet: "Whoa! Stay back, more of these gnoll creatures! I don't think they spotted me."
Neera: "Leave it to me! I might not have a Fireball in store for them but..."

Neera: "Cupio... Virtus... Licet..." (I desire bravery; let it be permitted")

Neera: "Aw shoot, bad aim. You do the rest, yeah?"

So... Sleep is, without a doubt, the best spell in all of BG1. Area of Effect, party-friendly spell that completely takes out any enemy that doesn't make a -3 Saving Throw? Hot damn. Sleeping enemies do not wake up upon taking damage and even the initial 5 rounds (30 seconds) duration is generally enough to last for an entire fight.

Of course, this doesn't affect enemies with 5+ Hit Dice (roughly the equivalent to a character's level), but outside of fights against named enemies, those are exeedingly rare in BG1, and even the most dangerous trash mobs can be disabled (or at least severely weakened) by this spell.

In this case, it didn't quite have the effect I was looking for - the regular Gnoll was probably hiding behind that tower and the Veteran still made a successful save, so only the Gnoll Slasher was disabled.

It's a bit backward that we ran into a "special" gnoll before these regular ones. Hyana-men, very tall (7'0'' and more, with flinds being a bit shorter but heavier), tribal society. Most of them evil (they generally worship the aforementioned demon prince), with a penchant for excessive violence.

While the Forgotten Realms wiki mentions that there are some less over-the-top capital-E Evil gnoll clans, it seems that like the Xvarts, they have been created as a target for adventurers to attack on sight without any pesky concerns about morality.

Gnolls use Halberds, proper ones even, which deal 1-10 damage at base. But while that makes them fairly hard-hitting, their Thac0s aren't too spectacular (19 on the regular Gnoll, 17 on the Vetaran and Slasher). They do have a decent AC 5, and 15 (regular, Slasher) or 22 (Veteran) hitpoints.

A small demonstration of the modded-in Sunscorch spell: A little bit of fire damage (1D6 + caster level), a bit extra against undead (caster level is doubled), and it blinds the enemy for a little while (3 rounds). A successful saving throw halves the damage and prevents the blindness effect. It's a decent little spell, about what you'd expect from a Lv.1 spell.

One of the trio carried Perdue's sword with him, which means that we could turn in that little sidequest if we wanted (and if the person playing the game didn't forget). Most of the Beregost sidequests are resolved in the areas surrounding the town.

And another one had a scroll for one of the most useless spells on his body, as a random piece of loot. I can imagine that this is a useful spell in pen-and-paper, but in the game... well if they attack you, they're likely evil.

Now we're finally done with this area, until we go explore the lands around Beregost and look for the other sidequests we picked up. Before going south towards Nashkel, we still make a little detour to Beregost proper, just to talk to some respectable ladies that are only around during nighttime:

Courtesan 1: "I'm a fine-looking strumpet, ain't I...?"
Courtesan 2: "Are you interested in some thrills, darling?"

"I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it."
"Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly."
"It is better to be looked over than overlooked."

"Ooo love. You're a cheeky monkey, aren't you?"
"Too many girls follow the line of least resistance, but a good line is hard to resist."

But with that, it's time to leave for Nashkel, if only to keep Jaheira happy.

 

[ping]

Update 4: Heya! Welcome to Nashkel. Heya. Heya. Heya Heya. Heya. Heya. Heya.

Spoiler

Right after taking the road south of Beregost, Neera has something to discuss:

Neera: "Oh, well, yes, there's obviously that. I just meant that ordinary things are easier. I'm not constantly worried where my next meal is coming from or whether a kobold will sneak up and slit my throat as I sleep."
Weeblet: "And that was your life before you met?"
Neera: "Yes. Rocks for a pillow, eating clay, all that and more. My fortune seems to have come in waves. Has ever since High Forest."
Weeblet: "High Forest? Is that where you come from?"
Neera: "That's me, born and raised in the thicket. At least until my mistakes piled up high enough to come crashing down on me."
Weeblet: "What drove you out of your home?"
Neera: "You know, this and that. I was never a very good student of magic, and part of that could be attributed to never studying. I ended up flubbing a few spells, and, uh... here I am!"
Weeblet: "It would appear that you glossed over some of the finer details."
Neera: "A maiming or two, if you don't count the second-degree burns. Completely accidental, and everybody lived. At least, I'm pretty sure everybody lived."
Weeblet: "Surely it wasn't your fault. What happened?"
Neera: "During our magical training, we were supposed to summon a sphere of fire, and mine got away from me somehow. One moment I was concentrating, the next moment my classmates were rolling on the floor screaming."
Weeblet: "A terrible turn of events, but you can't blame yourself."
Neera: "Of course I can blame myself! Accident or not, I should have been more careful. I could have taken responsibility or at least fetched a bucket of water. Instead, I ran away, terrified of what I'd done."
Weeblet: "I can understand why you might panic in that situation."
Neera: "It's kind of you to put it that way. There are times when I've wanted to think that way. It was confusing, and I didn't mean to hurt anyone. Still... Afterwards, I ran into the woods and couldn't bear to go back to face the consequences. I snuck back into the village now and then for food, and once to leave a note for my parents, but eventually, I had to leave. I took to wandering High Forest, but I kept running into the wrong people and doing the wrong thing. Eventually, Turlang the treant grabbed me and said, 'Take a hike.' Well maybe not in those words exactly."
Weeblet: "An interesting tale. I would like to hear more sometime."
Neera: "All right. Then I'll yank on your ear when I'm ready to gab some more."

There we go. The original BG1 characters are all pretty silent once they've joined the party, just offering some short snippets of banter between NPCs and their generic voicelines (selection, action, combat, taking damage...). The Enhanced Edition characters, on the other hand, all have a couple of long conversations, which really makes them stand out quite a bit.

Weeblet: "Two brutes ahead! Brigands, I'd wager."
(...)
Khalid: "Those are O-ogrillons. Orcs and ogres in their ance-cestry. It s-seems that these two managed to ambush a traveler."
Jaheira: "So, how heroic do you feel, Weeblet?"
Weeblet: "Yes, I know... Stay cautious, don't take unnecessary risks."
Jaheira: "Well, I think this might be a good time for some calculated heroism. While it's dark, do you think you can get close to them unnoticed?"
Weeblet: "I think so..."
Jaheira: "They seem to be watching the other direction right now. So if you could open the fight with a swift strike..."
Khalid: "...and then back off towards us so that we can join the f-fight... Y-yes, that would grant us a big advantage."

Twig: *crunch*
Ogrillon: "Huh?"
Weeblet: "Oh, er... hi?"
Ogrillon: "Die, pipsqueak!"
Weeblet: "Eep"

I cut the textbox off while cropping the image because I'm very smart, but Weeblet rolled a 2 to hit. Even with the -4 bonus to Thac0 that any invisible attacker (including non-thieves) gets, that's not enough to hit an Ogrillon.

Weeblet: "I messed up! Support! Support!"

Ow... Thank god for the insta-gib protection for Lv.1 characters.

This has been a unlucky start to the fight - Ogrillons are tough, but this was still a high damage roll. They deal 4-11 damage (before the 25% increase from difficulty) and have 17 Thac0, or a 25% chance to hit Weeblet.

See, that's more like it.

Imoen: "At least that is good news. I mean, for Mirianne. Not so much for the messenger... Once we've done our thing in Nashkel, we can get back to Beregost and bring this to Mirianne."

Jaheira: "An odd place to build a home, right in the middle between two towns. Nature reclaims what is hers, but I wonder what became of the owner."

We'll actually find out, although it'll probably take a while until we get there. First, we find the first undead enemy of the game, just south of the house:

Ghoul: "Uhghhhh..."
Jaheira: "Foul creature, fall and taint Mother Earth no longer! Quick--"

Jaheira: "---"
Khalid: "J-jaheira! No! Strike this thing d-down before..."
Hobgoblin: "Forward march!"
Khalid: "Oh no!"

So yeah, ghouls and ghasts (including the summon of Tiax, the crazy Cleric/Thief we met in Beregost) cause paralysation with their standard attack, unless a struck target succeeds a saving throw against death. The effect is effectively the same as the Sleep spell, which is to say absolutely devestating. Not only is the victim disabled, but they will be hit by every incoming attack. And keep in mind that hitrates in early BG1 are often well below 50%, so this is a very big deal.

This means that fights against ghouls tend to go one of twi ways: You either don't get hit, or at least make your saving throw, and you don't have any problems winning the fight - or you get paralysed, and everything goes to shit very quickly. For some reason, ghouls attack three times per round, dealing 2-7 damage per hit, so they munch through your HP really very if they hit every attack.

Luckily, the ghoul goes down just before he can kill Jaheira, and the Hobgoblin who was lured in by the nearby fight attacks Weeblet instead of her...

...so this little encounter ends without casualties.

Jaheira: "--strike it down before it can use its... oh..."
Khalid: "J-jaheira, thank the gods you're alright!"
Jaheira: "W-well, not entirely alright. I am rather lightheaded... It seems that this time I was the reckless one, wasn't I?"
Imoen: "That's right. And guess who slew that stinking thing? Huh?"

Because Jaheira doesn't even have enough healing spells left to restore herself to full, it's time to rest. Every time you set up camp in the wilderness, there's a chance that you're ambushed by a bunch of monsters of bandits - and if you are, you then have to try resting again, potentially being ambushed again, and so on. It can get pretty obnoxious if RNG doesn't go your way, but this time, we're good.

After running through one single Gibberling, we run into...

Weeblet: "You seem pretty good at what you do."
Bub Snikt: "You could say that. Ain't pretty though."

...this Wolverine reference. I'm not really an expert on superhero comics, but I believe "Bub" is what Wolverine tends to call people, "Snikt" is onomatopoeia for his extending claws, and I think his dialogue is somewhat Wolverine-like, as well.

Weeblet: "Well, somebody didn't try too hard to keep their stache secret..."

At the south end of the road, we're stopped by a trio of mercenaries:

Mercenary: "AH SERVE THE FLAMING FIST!!"
Jaheira: "They seem like they're looking to stir up trouble. You stay back and let me do the talking."

Mercenary: "Really now, why should we believe you?"
Jaheira: "Look sir, we really don't want any trouble. Like you, we're hunting down bandits in the region."
Mercenary: "So you're hunting the bandits. Well, who hired you to take on the bandits? Or are you doing it out of the goodness of your heart?"
Jaheira: "No one hired us. We're adventurers who are just trying to help out the people of the Sword Coast."
Mercenary: "All right, maybe I was wrong about the bunch of you. You're free to go."

Imoen: "Well, technically, we're hired by the city of Nashkel to look into... things, aren't we?"
Jaheira: "Technically, we're traveling to Nashkel so that we can be hired once we get there. Right now, we're just adventurers. Besides, given how relations between Baldur's Gate and Amn have deteriorated, we really don't want to give the Gate's Flaming Fist any ideas that we might be agents for Amn."

The Flaming Fist is a very powerful group of mercenaries based in Baldur's Gate. Their founder is one of the city's ruling Council of Four and they act as the de facto police and military force of the city, although they officially still seem to be be "just a mercenary troop", as unrealistic as that claim may be.

This specific encounter is interesting in that it's one of very few opportunities to kill Fists without a heavy hit to your reputation. They give hardly any XP and the fight can be quite tough unless you picked up a spellcaster who can disable them, but they also drop their Plate Mails, which is pretty good (and expensive) armour at this state of the game.

There's one more encounter of note on this map: This group of Hobgoblins that Neera's Sleep spell doesn't do nearly as well against as I had hoped. The spell still is OP, I swear!

The fight itself isn't really noteworthy, but one of the Hobgoblins drops a magical set of boots.
Weeblet: "Hey, those fit the description that no-good thief in Beregost gave us! He said those were Boots of Sneaking or something..."
Jaheira: "..."
Weeblet: "...so, er, Neera, could you take a closer look?"

Weeblet: "Very nice... Now, wouldn't it be a good adventurer's duty to keep these out of the wrong hands?"
Imoen: "Like yours?"
Weeblet: "I'm going to use them for the cause of good. It's quite different."
Imoen: "Yeah, right. And at worst, they're at the wrong feet, so I'm sure there's nothing sinister about avoiding the Burning Wizard next time we pass through Beregost."

An effective +17.5% to Weeblet's overall sneaking ability is pretty good, really. It's the equivalent of almost 1.5 thief levels worth of skill points.

While Neera is at it, she also identifies the belt that Gorion was wearing. It's... technically situationally useful - there are a few enemies with ice-based attacks - but it rarely comes up. I usually just sell this.

But that's about it for this map. The random spawns are just Hobgoblins and Gibberlings, not very threatening at all.

But since Hobgoblins are a fairly common enemy in this game, here's what the group has been facing. They're the "middle brother" of the three goblinoid folks that I'm aware of - bigger and stronger than Goblins, but smaller and weaker than Bugbears. The fan wiki describes them as "aggressive, cruel, physically durable and disciplined", stating that their communities were generally the most advanced between the three goblinoids, but still quite violent and cruel.

There we go! Two sidequest-related encounters, two encounters not really connected to anything else, and some minor treasure hidden in a cave. Fairly regular stuff for a wilderness map.

And before reaching Nashkel, there's another one of these to cross.

This one is honestly pretty barren, even by "wilderness map" standards. You do run into a group of hobgoblins near the starting location, though...

...very, very stupid hobgoblins that you can easily lure in one by one. Just keep position and let them come towards you.

Well, OK, eventually you probably want to approach the two archers in the back. Weeblet, with his large shield and Girdle of Piercing, doesn't have to fear them very much, as an 18-roll missing demonstrates. What makes the encounter worth recounting is a sad find between the trees west of the Hobgoblins:

Weeblet: "Gods, I did not expect the road to be this deadly... We have hardly traveled an hour without finding the remnants of a raid."
Jaheira: "It's never been safe to travel, but the iron crisis has made life hell for any kind of traveling merchant. Bandits seem to be either more desperate to find loot, or more confident that they won't be caught than they've ever been. The Flaming Fist really doesn't seem to have a handle on the regions even just a day's travel away from the city."
Imoen: "If they're all like those buffleheads we met earlier, then I'm not surprised. These poor sods..."

We met Mr Colquetle back when we were exploring Beregost. He was expecting his son to visit him, so we'll have to bring him the sad news once we travel back north.

New enemy type!

Kobolds are lizardfolks, distantly related to dragons, albeit much more puny. 75 cm tall at most and physically weak, they try to win fights through traps, ambushes, and (if the deceptive approach fails) sheer numbers. They're quite intelligent, but still often find themselves in the role of the minions of some evil lord or a dragon.

In Baldur's Gate, they might be the weakest enemy in the game. Only 4 HP and very unimpressive stats with their short swords or bows, and they're only worth 7 XP when killed. The only reason they might pose a threat is when they manage to gang up on a single, squishy party member.

Portalbendarwinden: *cough* *hack* "My lung! It's flopping all over the dirt!" *erk*

Towards the southeast of the map, we find the wise and insightful Portalbendarwinden, who is about to explain the entire plot to us...:

He just needs a bit of persuation.

Portalbenderwinden: "Well... someone certainly woke up on the wrong side of the realms this morning. So be it, I shall say my piece and nothing more. You have an exceptionally unstable aura because you're literally at odds with yourself. I have not seen your like before, but I get the feeling that is because your type does not survive exceptionally long. Your battles to come are both physical and otherworldly, but I cannot discern the outcome. Your coin is on its edge. If that means nothing to you, then I cannot help. Leave me now."

Neera: "Note to self: Don't throw puns or hurl insults when asking for a favour..."
Imoen: "Coin on its edge? I could swear I've heard that before..."
Weeblet: "Can we just move on? I'm getting a headache..."

Shar-Teel: "Hold, travelers! I challenge your best warrior to a duel."

This map is a little bit more populated in my modded version: Shar-Teel is another character (like Tiax the crazy Gnome in Beregost) that was moved to a different spot. Normally, Shar-Teel waits in an area that, while already available this early in the game, is quite tough to get to without getting killed horribly.

Shar-Teel: "I win, and you give me 20 gold. In the unlikely event that one of you bests me, I'll pledge my sword to your cause."
Jaheira: "You can not be serious. 20 gold against indefinite service as a mercenary? Eyes open everybody, this may as well be a set-up for a trap."
Shar-Teel: "No trap, and no catch. I'm not here to get rich, I'm here to kick some males into the ground."
Weeblet: "I don't think we have need of another fighter, but I'm not one to leave a challenge unanswered. 20 gold if you beat me, and we'll just move along if I win. En garde!"
Shar-Teel: "How very like a man to not recognise his better when she stands before him. But don't worry, I'm sure that tree-hugger can patch you up after I run you through with my blade."

As long as you abide by her conditions (attack her with one male character, and one only), Shar-Teel will retaliate but not turn entirely hostile. As you can see by the rolls, this fight is a bit of a miss-fest, as fights between low-level characters wearing good armour tends to be.

Shar-Teel draws first blood with a (mitigated by Weeblet's helmet) crit - luckily, she doesn't seem to mind if you use potions to survive...

...and eventually, Weeblet gets a high enough roll, as well.

If we had picked up Shar-Teel, we'd gained a very powerful companion, but alas, she's Chaotic Evil and we don't those things in this playthrough. Her low Constitution leaves her less durable than other fighters, but her other physical stats are both quite good.

Her great Dex not only gives her a bonus to her Armour Class (and to her Thac0 if she uses throwing daggers), but it's also high enough for her to swap into the Thief class. If you go that route, Shar-Teel eventually becomes the best backstabber in the game. Unlike non-human multi-classes, Fighter duals can reach Grandmastery in a weapon type, with all the combat bonuses that comes with.

However, Shar-Teel does have to jump through some hoops to get that coveted fifth pip in either Long Swords or Daggers. Because she split those proficiencies, she has to dual relatively late at Lv. 6 or 7 (the latter does yield the strongest endresult for any BG1 Fighter dual-class anyway, but there isn't as much game left when it does) and remain a Lv.3 thief for a long time - thieves get weapon pips every four levels, and Shar-Teel needs to save the first one up until she regains her Fighter levels. Before that, she's limited to a single pip per weapon type like any regular thief.

She's perfectly fine as a regular fighter, too, although she doesn't stand out from her competition as much. Still, her good strength, plus the abilities to dual-wield and (eventually) have three pips in one weapon type allow her to kick some serious butt.

A few meters down the road from Shar-Teel, we run into a couple bandits - just a random encounter, but I though I'd mention it...

...because we're going to fucking scalp them and I have absolutely no roleplay justification for that, so I'll just ignore it for now. Totally didn't happen. But we'll sell some human scalps to a copper in a while, which is perfectly natural and not at all fucked up.

Khalid: "Gorion would be proud of your actions!"

Lord Foreshadow: "Perhaps not yet, but soon."

Lord Foreshadow: "Don't touch me! ...I might catch something."

Buy Neverwinter Nights! It's good! Maybe. I only played a few hours of NWN2 at a friend's place, and that was a long-ass fucking time ago.

But yeah... that's the map. Quite empty, even with Shar-Teel moving over here.

(And whoops, I forgot to mark Portalbenderwinden. He was just left of where the group is standing right now.)

And with that, we've reached Nashkel. Chapter 1 done!

No really, it's that short. Of course, we basically ignored any sidequest that we didn't run into on our beeline to Nashkel (don't worry, they won't expire), but I still always felt that there didn't really have to be a chapter break here. We haven't actually done anything, we literally just got to the town where we're to receive our first main quest!

Khalid: "R-remember, we're outside of the Cit-y's sphere of i-influence now. We're not a-aligned with B-baldur's Gate, but the A-amnians will be very ready t-to assume that we are if we a-act sus-spicious."

Bardolan: "Stand away, citizen!"

Bardolan: "If you're seeking to resolve troubles, welcome. If you're seeking to cause them, kindly take it elsewhere... Things are not good here, Weeblet.
Weeblet: "What things aren't good? All I have heard are rumors and vague suspicions.
Bardolan: "Aye, what IS good around here anymore? Our iron is rotten and there is talk of demons in the mines. The lower levels have been all but abandoned until this crisis passes. And then there is the question of Commander Brage... Ack, they have stripped him of that title, but I use it yet... He killed his wife and children in a rage one night and all who saw him. Then he tore himself away and headed for the hills. He is out there still and still we mourn, as much for him as for those he's taken... Fie on you, now! You have brought tears to the eyes of a soldier!"

Jaheira: "Not bad. You carried yourself well there. One small thing - don't mention hearing rumors unless you're ready to answer *where* you heard them. Now, I doubt that the Friendly Arms is a name that would spark any ire, but one can't tell how far the tensions will go."

Close to the bridge leading into Nashkel, we spot somebody with a name...:

Rasaad: "I will show you justice!"

You might notice that Rasaad's dialogues have a lot of smartass and dismissive options, for whatever reason. But nobody likes a bully... Also: the dialogue is fully voiced, so Rasaad is the third companion added in the Enhanced Edition.

Rasaad: "Thank you for asking. My name is Rasaad. I am merely demonstrating some of the ways in which we Sun Sould monks reflect our spiritual light through physical activity. May I tell you more about the Order of the Sun Soul?"
Weeblet: "Please do."
Rasaad: "The Order of the Sun Soul was founded during the time of--"
Commoner: "Hey, what are you supposed to be then? Some sort of kickpuncher? Come on, take a poke at me. I dares ya!"
Rasaad: "I have come not to fight but to demonstrate a few--"
Commoner: Oh, so that's how it is, eh? You prance about, pretendin' to be some sort o' hard man, but you're just a coward, right?"
Rasaad: "I am not afraid to defend myself, but I do not seek out conflict without purpose. Instead, I wish to share the light of the Moonmaiden."
Commoner: "Oh, I get it. You're some kind o' simpering priest, just pretendin' you knows how to fight but really just beggin' for coins, yeah?"
Rasaad: "A Sun Soul monk uses mind, body, and spirit in equal portions, but not to prove his martioal superiority. Rather, he seeks to better the lives of those around him."

See? One "nice" option, two "be a little shit" options.

Rasaad: "I thank you. It is not always easy. In truth, I enjoy a good fight if it is to improve my skills or to defend a just cause. Fighting that man would have enlightened no one."
Rasaad: "You seem like someone who would appreciate the tenets of my order. May I tell you more about Selûne and the Sun Soul monks?"
Weeblet: "Tell me why you worship Selûne."
Rasaad: "Of the inheritors of Amaunator's power, Selûne is the most ardent foe of spiritual darkness. After all, she is the bright opposite of Shar, the Mistress of the Night. The Moonmaiden's reflected radiance inspires us to shine our inner light upon those in need. In the face of lies, we offer truth. In the face of hatred, we offer compassion."
Weeblet: "That sounds like a good philosophy."
Rasaad: "What more would you like to know?"
Weeblet: "Tell me more about the Order of the Sun Soul."
Rasaad: "The Order of the Sun Soul was founded in the days of ancient Natheril. Then it was called the Brotherhood of the Sun, and its members dedicated themselves to the sun-god Amaunator. With the fall of Netheril, Amaunator vanished. Some belive his power now resides in other gods. Different factions of my order turned to them: Most to Lathander, some to Selûne, and a very few to Sune. My sect of the order reveres Selûne, the Moonmaiden."

And boy, are the EE characters wordy! It really stands out in BG1, where other companions generally don't have a whole lot to say.

...wait, do I? Let's have a look.

The short answer: Nope. Rasaad is bad. Really, really bad.

The long answer requires a little history lesson. The Monk class (to overstrain an analogon) was introduced as a "Karpador" class that starts kinda shitty, but then gains a bunch of cool ability as it progresses in levels. Uuuuuunfortunately, it was introduced as such in Baldur's Gate **2**. Monks are "kinda shitty" at their starting level in BG2. Which is the same as the level they end up on at the end of BG1. Which means that "kinda shitty" is the peak of a Monk's career in BG1. Which is the game that we're currently playing.

To try and narrow it down a little: Monks fight Son Goku-style, so they don't use weapons and don't wear armour. Instead, their fists become stronger and their skin thicker, I suppose. But in BG1, weapons and armour simply scale much, much better. For reference - the so-so suits of armour that Jaheira and Khalid are wearing right now are still a little better than what Rasaad can reach at the level cap.

To make things worse, monk's HP is rather bad, considering that they're supposed to walk up to an enemy and punch them in the face. Add their inability to wear armour extending to their heads, so they're constantly at risk of eating a critical hit, and you have a frontline fighter that cannot frontline fight.

Cometh BG2, Rasaad might have something to offer to a party. But for now, out he goes. That said, we're still going to pick him up for approximately 15 seconds every time we pass through Nashkel. It might be a bit cheesy, but the timer for Rasaad's conversations keeps ticking even if you kick him immediately after letting him join, which will allow us to check out his companion quest way, waaaay down the line.

As in Beregost, the locals have a lot of small things to say that may or may not relate to the overall plot of the game. However, one of them has (a) a name and (b) fully voiced lines, which again marks her as an Enhanced Edition addition. Unfortunately, we're not going to be able to help her, since she's part of a Capital E Evil character's personal quest that we're not going to do.

Instead, we enter the inn that Taris is standing right next to. Immediately, we're approached by another lady with a name...

Neira: "It may be a touch unladylike, but I'm going to slit your throat, I am!"

Neira: "To put it as succinctly as possible, no."

I think I like her. That said, she's a cleric, which means that she's unable to use bladed weapons, which means that she's physically incapable of slitting anybody's throat. IMMERSION RUINED!!!

As you can see (or not, harhar), I did the thing again where Weeblet goes in to stealth before entering the inn. It makes the dialogue a little unfitting, but sneaking is most of the fun of playing a thief, sooo....

First order of business: Neera makes sure that Neira doesn't get a spell in, at least not immediately, by firing a Magic Missile at her. Magic Missile is very quick to cast, which makes it very useful for this exact purpose.. Once Neira starts another casting attempt on the next round, Imoen does the same thing with her Wand of Magic Missiles.

Weeblet is less successful going into this fight, unfortunately. He misses his backstab attempt (Neira does wear fairly decent armour), then runs into a nearby bedroom to try and re-stealth out of Neira's sight, but fails that roll, as well.

In another attempt of shutting down Neira's spells, Jaheira pulls out a Sunscorch out of my "Icewind Dale spells" mod, trying and failing to blind her. But as her HP bar suggests, Neira has been hit by a couple standard attacks in the meanwhile...

...so even though she manages to inflict the devestatingly dangerous Held status on Weeblet...

...Neira isn't able to follow that up before Khalid lands the lethal shot.

Neera: *poke* "He'll be fine, right?"
Jaheira: "Give it a minute or two. No need to worry."
Innkeeper: "I'd rather ya worry a bit more where ya pick yer fights. There's plenty room outside the door to swing your sword where there's no innocent body that may get in its way."
Imoen: "Might help if you didn't just let any murderer set up shop in here! We did not look for that fight!"
Innkeeper: "Hey now. How should I have known what that lady was all about? Said she'd be here to investigate the mines, and waiting for her pals. Nothing suspicious 'bout that, with everything going on, and I expect you're going to tell me the same tale."
Jaheira: "Indeed we are. I am Jaheira and this is Khalid - we were contacted by Mayor Ghastkill to investigate and hopefully find a way to solve the Iron Crisis. These three are our companions, who will help us to explore the mines in safety. We would appreciate if you could send him a message that we'll meet him tomorrow, once we've rested."

The fight against Neira gave enough XP for Weeblet to reach his second Thief level. He gains 5 HP from it (thieves get 6 HP/level, plus 4 from his Constitution, divided by two because he's a multi-class), as well as 25 skill points, which wholly go into Move Silently. With his Boots of Stealth, that brings him to about a 2/3 chance to sneak successfully during the night.

Amnian Soldiers: "Stand away, citizen!" - "Move along."

The next day, we go a-talkin' to the folks in town. Nashkel is significantly smaller than Beregost, but there's still a fair number of generic NPCs giving small bites of information.

Soldier: "We don't have the manpower to patrol the mines, what with the problem of bandits up north."
Soldier: "The reward for the commander's head is a king's ransom, but I'll not be lifting MY sword against a brother soldier."
Soldier: "An entire unit went west after Brage to try to talk some sense to him. It's been a week, and none have returned."
Soldier: "Even if we find the captain, a court would surely have his head for his crimes. Such a waste!"
Soldier: "I am sorry for my mood. All the guard are still grieving the loss of Commander Brage."
Soldier: "Why are you not at the fair, citizen? 'Tis but a moment's walk east of Nashkel."
Soldier: "Travel lightly, wanderer. The woods harbor strange things."

At this point, I realised that not every generic has a single, individual line. Different groups share different pools of lines of dialogue, so it's honestly more handy to just bother a single NPC for a while.

Gee, you'd think somebody would take care of that assassin's body...

Commoner: "Me young 'uns are waiting."

Commoner: "I hear they have the softest silks and rare textiles in Baldur's Gate. It must be quite the trading port to have such finery. You can purchase most anything there, I have been told."

Commoner: "Hello there, lovey. The way ye're all decked out, it looks as if ye're the adventurin' type. That's good, we need some brave folk, considerin' what's been going on at the mine site."
Weeblet: "What's been the trouble at the mine site, lady?"
Commoner: "There's something evil in the mines, I tell ya. Several girls here in town have lost good husbands to that evil place, yet they keep sending new men to work there. I don't know what's going on, but I think it'd be really good if the bunch of you went down and took a look see."
Neera: "Anybody else think that staying *away* from the mysterious mass murdering mine? ...nobody?"

Different Commoner in the inn: "Hey there, friend. Looks like you and yer group are a traveling band. Well, if ye're lookin' to have some fun or maybe restock on your traveling equipment, the place to go is the fair. It's just east of town. The fair ain't too lively, with what's been going on in the mines, but you'll find what ya need."
Jaheira: "The store next door should do just fine. I want to speak to the mayor as quickly as possible, and then start our mission right away. Maybe there's time to see the fair when we return, although I personally don't see the appeal."

Neera: "Yes, I'm perfectly certain that this girdle is perfectly safe, Imoen. No, I've never had a surge when casting an Identify spell and yes, I'd notice if I did."

Weeblet has been wearing the unidentified Girdle for a while now, since +15% avoid against projectiles and some melee attackers (like the giant spiders we fought back in Beregost) is really quite useful. In contrast, infravision is practically not implemented at all (*), which makes the Helm exactly as useful as a non-magical one, which means that it's vendor's trash.

(*) At night, when you select a character with infravision like an elf or a dwarf, creatures show a bit of a red glow to indicate this ability. This is literally all it does, although there's one or two instances in the recent-ish DLC Siege of Dragonspear where you actually need one character with infravision to spot a thing in the dark.

Storekeep: "Welcome to my humble establishment." - "Business has been poor, what with the iron shortage and all."

At the store, we just sell some stuff we won't need anymore. There's nothing interesting to buy - just mundane weapons and armour, which we don't need. Neera just gets some ammunition for her sling, which is dirt cheap to get.

The journal is actually very interested in that Brage fella, making note of most of the little dialogue snippets that we gathered. But for now, time to officially get our main mission:

Berrun Ghastkill: "For the glory of Amn!"

Berrun Ghastkill: "I can't believe you haven't guessed. Have you heard of the iron shortage? Well, Nashkel is in the thick of it. Our mines are all but shut down becaus the workers continually go missing, and what ore we do get is tainted somehow. I would send in the town guards, but we need them to protect our citizens from the bandits that raid our caravans. We need you to find out what is wrong in the mines southeast of town.
Weeblet: "We will do what we can."
Berrun Ghastkill: "Thank you. You will be the toast of the town if you can help."

Honestly, I don' think it's so unreasonable to ask the guy if he has any further information on the whole situation. But hey, I'm sure we'll be fine. (Genuinely. It's only the first dungeon, after all)

The journal is a bit more Weeblet-centric (and he technically said that 'I will do what I can') to accomodate players who don't recruit Jaheira and Khalid, but honestly - this is still rather their mission with Weeblet, Imoen, and Neera tagging along.

In front of a large temple, there's a bunch of gravestones - and they all have some quip when you click on them. And no, I'm not going to show every last one of them. However, one of them is has some strings attached...

...as it summons... some guy?

And if you click this specific grave again, you're thrust into a battle...

...or rather 'slaughter'.

For overkill points, killed Phoenix Guards 'splode in a fireball (well, there's a bit more to it, but we'll get to that wayyyy later). This really isn't a fight for a Lv.1-2 party to take.

...ominous. But I'm sure this is purely symbolic and the fact that the main character can't be resurrected like everybody else is just a strange mechanical choice, like in Persona.

ANYWAY, I died. Reload? Yes, please. That whole graveyard thingie is actually just some random easter egg with zero connection to any main or side quest. We'll see if I remember coming back when we have the means to take that fight.

Nalin: "Ah, intrepid adventurers at our door."

Nalin: "Helm watches over you and our poor lost brother, Brage. A finer captain of the guard could nary be found this side of Amn. Such a strange change for one so devout as he. One does not usually change so drastically without nefarious help. If there be an evil influence on him, perhaps the harsh justice of the military should be stayed. He'll find no quarter at the garrison, but if he came to the temple... Well, his restitution need not be his life. Is there anything I can help you with?
Weeblet: "Nothing at the moment."

Helm: The Lawful Neutral god of guardians, protection, and protectors. He had a very unique role in the recent Times of Trouble, being the only god not forced to walk Faerûn as a mortal, tasked to prevent his brethren to return to the heavenly realms without fulfilling the overgod Ao's orders. In the process, he killed Mystra, goddess of magic, which (among a ton of other things, I'm sure) caused Wild Magic to first appear.

For now, we already got everything sacral we need back in Beregost, so we'll just keep in the back of our heads that there might be a non-violent solution if we run into that Brage guy.

Oublek: "Oh, you have returned! And so soon!"

Imoen: "Uhhh,--"
Jaheira: "You must have made some mistake, nobody among us is this Greywolf. Keep your money, it's not ours to take."
Oublek: "You are not Greywolf the bounty hunter? Oh, sweet Helm, I almost gave 200 gold pieces to a complete stranger?! The captain best not hear of this, he'd have my hide. Thanks be for your honesty, stranger. There are those who would not have done as such."

Jaheira: "They say you always meet twice in life. No sense in conning the man who might look for adventurers for hire next month."
Neera: "Fancy shmancy, planning ahead a whole month!"

Given that you can hit the rep cap pretty early, and looking at the quests Oublek is involved in later, I think that conning him might actually be the more "optimal" choice. But what would Jaheira and Khalid say? Would Gorion be proud of our actions?!

For an evil playthrough, Oublek is a good murder target, as long as you manage to stab him without anybody in sight, because he carries a fair bit of gold with him.

Boy: "You're funny-lookin'!"
Boy: "You wanna fight me...? Come on! You wanna fight?"

Boy: "Captain Brage went missing a few days ago. Ma and Pa told me that he's crazy. Sometimes at night I'm pretty sure that he's roaming around the woods just outside our house but I'm too afraid to go outside."
Boy: "I was good for days 'n days and now I can go to the fair!"

Amnian Soldier: "Good, run off with yer tail between your legs. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have important business. Get outta my way!"

The soldier actually backs down if you talk back, but that doesn't seem like something Weeblet would try.

In the northeast of town, there's a big mansion that just screams, "plunder me!". Now, Jaheira would insist that everybody please hurry the fuck up, so... let's just pretend that Weeblet and Imoen went... sight-seeing during the previous night, shall we?

Noblewoman: "Who in the Seven Heavens are all of you?! Why, you didn't even have the common decency to remove your footwear. Look at all the mud you've tracked over the house! Get out! Leave! Begone!"

Weeblet (presumably): "Sure, let me just rummage through your stuff real quick..."

The Shield spell is actually pretty neat, a stronger version of the Armor spell, but with a shorter duration. Its numbers are comparable to Splint Mail (and a little worse than Plate), and the Magic Missile immunity is situationally useful. The other spells are Magic Missile (straightforward damage, scales quite nicely with caster level) and Chill Touch (trash).

Upstairs, there's another NPC, this time with a little more dialogue:

Samantha: "Leave me be! Or the guard'll have you..."

Samantha: "Adventurers! Wow, have you come to clear out the mines at Nashkel? I hear there's all sorts of monsters there."
Imoen: "We're not here to talk about monsters, we're here to see you. What's your name?"
Samantha: "Well, my name's Samantha. I, uh... I wander why you would want to see me: I'm nothing special."
Imoen: "You're a very pretty woman, Samantha. We've heard talk about you all over town. We just wanted to come up here and see if it was true."

I like to imagine that Imoen bumped into the girl while sneaking around, and this is the best excuse she could come up with for why she'd be sneaking into Samantha's bedroom. It doesn't work out that well, though:

Samantha: "That's really nice of you to say, but I know why you're really up here, and you won't get away with it! JAMIE! Get out of the closet. It's not Mom and Dad, it's a bunch of brigands. They're gonna hurt me. Haaaalp!"

Jamie: "Are you lookin' at me? ARE YOU LOOKIN' AT ME?!"

Jamie: "What are you guys up to?! You step away from my girl. Lecherous brigands, if you think you can lay a hand on Samantha and live, you don't know who you're dealing with. I've trained with the guard for a good two years, and I think I'm a little more than a match for the likes of you. (...) Hmm, I might have spoken too soon. Your thrashing must come another time, when I am not naked and weaponless."
Samantha: "My dear, even naked, you aren't entirely 'weaponless'..."
Jamie: "Ahem! Samantah, my sweet, we really must do something about that dirty mind of yours. More urgently, however, we must run!"

And then they run. In the original Baldur's Gate, the eyes of Jame were not opened, and he didn't know that he was naked, and he would turn hostile, and killing him would result in a severe reputation loss.

Which means that this room wasn't really lootable like it is now, although the treasure isn't too incredibly anyway. The most valuable is a potion of invisibility, and the most interesting...

...an "oddly murky" potion of healing. This is a fake potion, easily recognisable from the wrong colour of its symbol - instead of healing, it makes the drinker wicked drunk (why yes, this is a mechanic).

Weeblet: "Any problems?"
Imoen: "What? Er, no, everything fine!"
Weeblet: "No naked men who for some reason seem to run away from something or somebody in this room?"
Imoen: "What a silly thing to suggest. Why do you think of naked men while scooping though that closet?"
Weeblet: "..."
Imoen: "..."

This is everything of interest in the mansion, but there's still some locations to check out, or rather locations that Weeblet and Imoen totally checked out last evening.

Commoner: "All I know about the mines are that men keep on disappearing in their hellish depths. My husband is one of the miners, but he hasn't been home for weeks."
Weeblet: "Maybe we could help you. We're thinking of exploring the mines. Describe your husband for us. Maybe we'll see
Commoner: "He's got black hair, blue eyes... Oh, damn, you'll never find him from that description. His name is Joseph, and he wears his wedding ring on his left hand. It's a greenstone ring."

Beggar: "Alms... Alms for the poor..."

Yeah, Jaheira would definitely not be fine with us checking out the Belching Dragon Tavern... But we do find a neat little cameo in there:

Volo: "Ah, yes, the, ah... a tab! Um... another ale, young miss. I'll be sure to have your funds ready."
"'Tis surprising what one could learn at a simple country fair, hm?"
"I've traveled the length and breadth of Faerûn, and there's always something new."
"Awfully familiar with that pointer, aren't you? And after only one drink, too."
"I have a story for every man, woman and child in Faerûn! However, copyright laws forbid me the telling."

Volo: "The word is that all across the expansive Sword Coast, from the Cloud Peaks to Baldur's Gate, an ore shortage is severely crippling local trade. Bandit--purportedly both human AND demihuman--raid caravans, whilst ore reaching its destination becomes brittle and useless following smelting, strangely affected by an odd, iron-weakening plague. As though this were not cause for alarm in itself, production at the mines outside of Nashkel has fallen, with the substantially lower yields being blamed on nervous workers. Mysterious disappearances of several miners have set the whole area on edge, where something must shift the balance to one side or the other."
Weeblet: Would you consent to another tale? I also have an interest in the story of the captain of the guard."
Volo: "Just let me finish my drink, and then we can carry on through the wee hours with our tales."
(...)
Volo: "Well, hello again, my inquisitive friend, I trust you are enjoying the local color. I wonder, have you come to hear more about my journeys?"
Weeblet: "The story about the captain of the guard sounds compelling. Might I hear it?"
Volo: "I hea that Commander Brage, of the Amnian guard, has been missing for some weeks now, following a strange alteration in his behavior. Where once he was a well-though-of family man, he has turned to senseless mayhem, effecting a rampage the likes of which I have never heard. His fellow soldiers noted nothing out of sorts that could trigger such a transformation, but one notable item seems relevant. If not for the iron shortage it would have gone unnoticed, but, prior to his mad rage, the commander procured a new sword. The importance of this information, I have no way of verifying."
Weeblet: "An interesting story, to be sure. Well met, Volo, and good luck on your journeys."
Volo: And you as well. I am quite certain our paths will cross again."

Volothorp Geddarm is one of the most famous characters of the forgotten realms. A human wizard (not a bard, strangely) who travels the realms gathering and writing down information about basically everything he comes across. Many of Ed Greenwood's lore-books are written as "Volo's Guide to XYZ", including a guide to the city of Baldur's Gate. He and his friend Elminster (a legendary wizard and chosen of Mystra) also add a bunch of quips to the official guidebooks of the game of Baldur's gate:

See? It's a Thing, although hangovers apparently are not.

But because it's not really an advantagous Thing, I normally don't even open the "buy alcohol" tab that most innkeepers have.

Farmer: "Ahhh've no time fer to talk to you now."

Karp: "Aye, we could have a crop, for starters. See those crusted mounds of earth? They're all left over from last year's harvest. The sun's baked them firm and hard and the plow breaks at the very thought of trying to turn that tortured soil. My son tried pushing the new seeds in between the cracks but I doubt anything will come of it. Come this time next year, we'll all be living in the endless slums of Athkatla. So yes, I wish things were better in this here pristine and pastoral setting!"

Karp: "What's your tale?"

Along the western edge of the map, there's a couple fields. No sidequests or anything, despite the named farming woman, but another hidden piece of treasure:

Basically impossible to find in the original game unless you know exactly where to look, since this "highlighting" feature was only added in the Enhanced Edition, this spot holds a pearl and an Ankheg Plate Mail. Pearls sell for 100 bucks, so that's nice, but the armour is easily the greater find:

It's almost as good as Full Plate (same base AC, but Full Plate is even better vs. slashing/piercing/missile), but is incredibly light in comparison (Full Plate weighs 70 lb and requires 15 Strength to wear). This makes it the best armour for a couple low-Str NPCs to wear, and right now it's the best armour we have access to, period, since we didn't buy the Full Plate available at Taerom Fuiruim's smithy.

It's also green. (And I'm not sure how Weeblet and Imoen would explain to Jaheira where and when they got access to this really very valuable piece of armour overnight. But Jaheira will still wear it, because it brings her AC down to an excellent -3, and even lower against slashing/piercing/missile attacks.

But now we can stop our "please pretend this all had happened earlier" routine, as our group walks towards the southern edge of the map. On the bridge leading out of Nashkel, we run into a wizard even redder than Neira:

Edwin: "Go no further! I require the service of your group. (Yes, they will do nicely...)"

Edwin: "Frankly, yes. It is no concern of yours. You need but perform the act with no questions. What is your answer?"
Weeblet: "I will not act without knowing the facts. I refuse."
Edwin: "Hmmm. Seems I shall have to find others more... accustomed to confidential work. Begone! I have not time for this!"

Neera: "Another Thayan?! Nine Hells, I don't want to see any of those freaks ever again! I like my brain inside my head."
Weeblet: "He was? Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't even..."
Neera: "Redder robes than me? Bad news. Simple as that."
Weeblet: "I'll keep that in mind. But really, what a weird man... 'Oh hello, please kill a witch for me, no I won't say why'... and he thinks he'll find help that way?"
Imoen: "D'you think all those assassins asked questions when they were sent after you? I say we look into this once we return from the mines. Probably a good call to protect anyone that weirdo is trying to kill."

If you agree with Edwin's polite request, he'll travel with you until you find the witch Dynaheir (and then he'll keep traveling with you as payment, because he turns out to be broke as a joke). His stats are very underwhelming (a total of 74 is actually one point lower than the worst possible roll for CHARNAME), but wizards don't really need stats. And make no mistake, Edwin is one of the two contenders for "best spellcaster in the game".

The simple reason: More spells. Since all mages suck at physical combat, it's the main distinguishing factor between them, and more spells are better than less spells.

His specialisation, Conjuration, is also generally seen as an advantage, mostly because Edwin doesn't *lose* too much from his barred school. He loses access to Divination, which can easily be covered by any secondary caster, although losing the simple Identify spell can become a bit pricey if you have Edwin as your only mage.

The advantage of enemies having a -2 penalty to their saving throws against Edwin's Conjuration spells isn't game-breaking, although it's neat for the Lv.2 spell Glitterdust, which is a nice little AoE blindness spell.

Weeblet: "Huh? Er, yeah, sure. Now, terribly sorry, but--"
Noober: "So, killed any monsters yet?"
Weeblet: "Well, we fought a veritable Ogre on our--"
Noober: "Ever been to Baldur's Gate? I've been to Baldur's Gate."
Weeblet: "Not yet but I'm sure I--"
Noober: "Ugh, I think I stepped in something."
Weeblet: "Umm..."
Noober: "Everyone in town used to throw rocks at me and tell me I was annoying."
Imoen: "Wow that's horrible and also increasingly likely to happen again."
Noober: "I haven't had a conversation this long, well... ever!"
Khalid: "C-c-conversation implies th-that both sides get a wwword--"
Noober: "What time is it?"
Jaheira: "High time that we leave already."
Noober: "What's that big weapon for?"
Weeblet: "That's something you maybe shouldn't ask an increasingly annoyed group--"
Noober: "Those colors look pretty stoopid on you..."
Weeblet: "That too."
Noober: "I once knew this guy named Dilby. He threw rocks at me, too. Are you gonna throw rocks at me?"
Imoen: "Gimme a second to pick up a few. Ugh..."
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"
Noober: "What about now?"

Noober: "Heya." "Heya." Heya." "Heya." "Heya." Heya." "Heya." "Heya." Heya."

Normally, Noober will follow you around Nashkel once he spots you, initiating dialogue every ten seconds or so. To reduce the annoyance, you can either murder him in cold blood (which does not even reduce your reputation), or you actively talk to him so that you get through his 32 lines of dialogue much more quickly. The latter counts as an achievement worthy of more XP than slaying an ogre.

And that encounter (which I failed to include on the map - he's a bit to the south from Edwin) is the last bit we have to do in Nashkel for now. If you spot the one important thing I skipped, you're allowed to eat ten cookies, provided that you have at least ten cookies available to you - there's a quest with a timer involved, which I'd rather start after going through the mines. I'd normally do that quest before the mines, since Jaheira actually won't complain as long as you reach the city of Nashkel, but if we're making an attempt to RP a little - I don't think she'd appreciate Weeblet ignoring her request to go on a weeklong trip to the Gnoll Stronghold.

So, whenever the next update may arrive, it's time to head for the mines. Until then, thanks for reading!

 

[ping]

Update 5: The Breaking of the Fellowship

Spoiler

And to the mines we go. A bit earlier than I usually do, and a bit underleveled as a result (heck, Neera is still Lv.1), but I'm confident about most things that we'll encounter. But first:

Narrator: "You have been waylaid and must defend yourself."

Getting into an ambush can randomly happen any time you travel between two locations on the world map, but this one is way too choreographed to be a random encounter, with Weeblet automatically stepping forward to talk to the ambushers. Plus, like Neera's introductory encounter, most of the dialogue is voiced, which means that it's an Enhanced Edition addition.

Senjak: "Traveler! Heh... why that's the nicest thing anyone has called me in weeks."
Dorotea: "We should kill that one last, Senjak. Such good manners."
Weeblet: "What treachery is this?"
Senjak: "Now, now, there's no reason for this to turn violent. Hand over your belongings, and you may yet live."
Jaheira: "You'll need to be more convincing than that, brigand. Five against our party? The odds don't seem to favor you."
Dorotea: "You should listen to Senjak, friend. Perhaps you've noticed our associates, who are even now aiming their arrows at your hearts. Raise a hand against us, and they'll cut you down."
Weeblet: "If I die, I will at least take you with me."

There are a few different options how to respond to Senjak and Dorotea, but they're even less impactful than Awakening choices, not even changing the immediate response you get. Most certainly, a fight is unavoidable. But first...

Senjak: "This... this is impossible!"

Weeblet: "Wait, didn't I see that guy at the Friendly Arms?"
Khalid: "Yes, he a-arrived there shortly after Jaheira a-and I did. B-broody fellow. Never s-seemed to t-talk to anybody."

Senjak: "Dorn! You should be dead or rotting in a Luskan (*) prison. How did you find us?"
Dorotea: "I'm happy to see you, Dorn. Leaving you behind to take the blame was all Simmeon's idea--he's the one you want, not us."
Dorn: "'Just following orders' is a coward's excuse, Dorotea. And I haven't forgotten what you said when I refused your advances."
Senjak: "What advances? She would never consort with a half-orc, especially when she has me. You haven't changed, Dorn. You're as stupid as you are ugly. Tell him, Dorotea."
Dorotea: "Senjak was the first to agree with Simmeon--he always hated you... but you know I didn't feel the same way."
Senjak: "Dorotea, what are you saying...? Ah! A ruse, of course. But the half-breed brute is too stupid for that to work. Men! Rush them!"
Dorn: "You are both mewling cowards, turning on each other as easily as you turned on me. Half your men are already dead. You'll join them soon."
Dorotea: "It didn't have to be this way. We've beaten you before, Dorn. We'll do it again. Attack!"

(*) Luskan, the City of Sails, is a large city (about 15'000 inhabitants) in the far north of the Sword Coast. Considered by many to be the northernmost reach of civlisation, although there's still a few frontier towns in the frozen landscape north of it.

As the fight starts, Weeblet branches off to confront the two generic bandits to the northeast. They aren't terribly dangerous, but since they use bows, they attack twice per round and are bound to get a lucky hit eventually if you leave them alone.

The fight is honestly trivial, even though Dorotea in particular is quite difficult to hit. However, both she and Senjak seem to always attack Dorn, who is hard-coded to not die during this fight, which means that even the most rotten RNG luck will eventually lead to a victory.

In this particular case, they don't even manage to hit Dorn before he murders the two of them. Politely enough, Dorn actually lets your party get the XP for his kills, which is 700 XP for the two named bandits (plus 2x65 for the two Weeblet took care of).

Dorn: "My name is Dorn Il-Khan, and I was settling an old score. I've been hunting those two for almost a year now. That's two down and two to go."
Weeblet: "When you struck them down, what happened? I saw some ghostly apparition appear."

(I honestly didn't see any ghosts, but this is probably referring to Dorn getting an accuracy bonus when killing somebody)

Dorn: "Wait, are you Weeblet?"
Weeblet: "Yes, I am he."
Imoen: "Oh for the love of...."
Dorn: "Hrmm. I've heard of your... prowess. Traveling with you might help my vendetta, and my powers could certainly help you."

Jaheira: "Then explain your powers first, if you want to make them part of a deal. We will not buy a cat in a bag, and your abilities don't seem to be natural at all."
Dorn: "Where my powers come from doesn't need to concern you. Only that I command them."
Khalid: "Th-that's not enough. T-traveling with you appears to be m-more dangerous than y-your help could m-make up for."
Dorn: "Trust me, it's more dangerous to be my enemy than my ally. But I didn't ask you, coward. My offer was to Weeblet."
Weeblet: "A-and I refuse. I agree with my friends. I see no benefit in making a deal with you."

Bye, Dorn!

This little encounter will always trigger the first time you travel to the Nashkel mines, as long as you've talked to Dorn in the Friendly Arms Inn.

Even if you don't plan to recruit Dorn, it's worth doing so - Senjak and Dorotea drop, among some less impressive loot, a piece of Plate Mail, a magical Wakizashi, and a magical Small Shield. But right now, Neera doesn't have an Identify spell ready, so we'll have to wait until we can use them. OK, well, we don't have to, but Jaheira would be very cross with us if we equipped unidentified objects again.

At least the Plate Mail is a nice upgrade for Khalid, who was wearing Splint Mail (AC between 2 and 4) before.

Dorn does wait to be recruited at the Friendly Arm, randomly accompanied by a depressed elf with a flamesword. We might get to that later this update.
(I ran up to the FAI after the mines to get pictures of Dorn's stats, so everybody being here at this point is highly non-canon for this run)

Dorn (non-canonically): "Well met, Weeblet. My blade is wasted in this place. Do you have need of it?"
Weeblet: "Indeed, I've come to recruit you."

Picking up Dorn results in an immediate hit to your reputation, presumably because of Dorn's class. He's a Blackguard, which means that he made a deal with a devil or a demon (which, yeah, means that the source of his powers is more or less spoiled by game mechanics), so everybody knows that he's pretty darn nasty evil.

Blackguards are also known as "Anti-Paladins" and in Baldur's Gate, they indeed perform as, well, Paladins but Anti. Which is to say 'evil'. This means that they're basically a variation of a regular Fighter, who get some special abilities to compensate for a slightly slower level curve and the inability to specialise harder in a weapon type than two pips, which will eventually allow Fighters to reach higher DPS. For Blackguards, the abilities they get in exchange are...:

• Immunity to fear and any level-draining effects.
• Turn Undead, which repels or, if they're weak enough, controls undead creatures depending on Dorn's level.
• Absorb Health from an enemy once per day
• Poison his weapons, with a damage over time effect scaling with character level
• Debuff surrounding enemies with an Aura of Despair, again scaling with level
• Eventually the ability to cast Cleric spells, although only starting in BG2 and with a reduced caster level compared to an actual Cleric

Pretty good overall, I find. Paladin is a pretty decent base class, and the Blackguard kit adds a couple neat abilities on top.

Dorn himself is technically breaking cosmic laws here, since the Paladin class and its kits are limited to humans in this old iteration of DnD. He makes full use of that transgression by pushing his Strength score to the Half-Orc maximum of 19, which thanks to the oddity of percentile Strength (refer to the Beregost update for further details) boosts Thac0 and damage by -3 and +7, respectively, which is rather monstrous compared to Khalid and Jaheira's Nothing At All, Weeblet's -1/+1, and even Shar-Teel's -2/+3, if you remember her from the Nashkel update.

His other physical stats aren't nearly as good, although his Dexterity still provides him with a decent -2 bonus to Armour Class. But 14 Constitution means no bonus hitpoints, which makes him a bit frail compared to the likes of Khalid and Jaheira. Still, he's in a good class and can dish out monstrous damage, which makes him a very useful companion to have.

That said, he does fall off a little bit towards the end. I think I've mentioned before that Strength is the most easily "fixed" stat, which means that Dorn's biggest advantage does diminish a little towards the later parts of the game.

Jaheira: "Alright, the entrance to the mine should be close now. We should check that building, to see if there's somebody with any authority over the mine nearby."

War Dog: "Grrr...."
Weeblet: "Nope, seems to be just a warehouse."
War Dog: "GRRR...."
Weeblet: "Whoa, hey, look, we're leaving already!"

War Dogs yield the same 65 XP that Wolves do, but they're not nearly as dangerous as the wolves you run into on the first map outside of Candlekeep. Fewer hitpoints (17 vs 24), worse Thac0 (19 vs. 17), comparable damage (1-8 vs. 3-5), and of course our group is more powerful than just Weeblet and Imoen were back then.

For this fight, Jaheira makes sure that the single War Dog to the right doesn't aggro on a squishy target, while everybody else focuses on the other two. No problem, no damage taken.

Imoen: "Well, now I'm going to nab me a little something just out of spite."
Jaheira: *sigh* "So what do you think this spi--"
Weeblet: "Um, so, do you think it's worthwhile to check the surroundings a bit before we go inside the mines? Whatever is killing the miners ought to have gotten there somehow, and it's probably not through the main entrance. Maybe we can find something."
Khalid: "O-or maybe it's b-been there all along a-and the miners dug too d-deep..."
Jaheira: "Gods, I hope not. I wouldn't want to deal with any Drow, or anything else that comes from the Underdark, for that matter. But yes, looking around first seems like a decent idea."

*looking around*
Weeblet: "Psst... hey Neera... I found this wand in a tree over there and it looks like one Gorion owned. Can you take a look?"
Neera: "Sorry, not right now. I used up all my Identify spells for the day. Also, why are we whispering?"
Weeblet: "Well, Jaheira might not be too happy about me just taking something that somebody must have hidden there. So if you could keep quiet about this..."
Imoen: "Hey lovebirds, get your butts moving!"
Weeblet: "What? Hey, we--"
Neera: "Coming! ...what, you want to tell everybody what we were really talking about after all?"

Ghoul: *raaaaggghh* "Mmmmm, me like flesh, heh heh."

Khalid: "N-not another one of th-those! Hit h-hard and fast, everyb-body!"

I very recently learned that you can right-click NPCs and enemies to get some voicelines out of them. A lot of the time, it's just what they say anyway when you talk to / fight against them (which is useful enough to actually figure out what some of them are saying exactly), but sometimes, you get some hidden voice lines like this out of it.

Also, wait, who's Dandal?

Weeblet: "I'M SORRY, I'M KINDA IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING"
Dendal: "Sorry to bother you, but you should be aware of the danger you're in right now. There's monsters about, dog-headed ones. I'd advise you return to Nashkel where it's safe."
Jaheira: "Actually, we're adventurers. We're here to help out. Perhaps you could tell us about what's been boing on in the region."
Dandal: "We could sure use some more fighting men. If you want to know where to go, just go to the northwest. Up there is the mines. Emerson may tell you that he don't need any adventurers, but you don't listem to him. We need as many men as we can get."
Jaheira: "Anything else?"
Dandal: "Well, ya, there's this crazy guy. I think he calls himself Prism. He's been making a sculpture in a cliff side. Kind of a kook if you ask me. I'll see you later then."
Weeblet: "Would you MAYBE consider lending us a hand here, sir?!"
Dandal: "Hm? Nah, you got this. Have fun adventuring, sirs and ma'ams."

The reason Weeblet is standing his ground while everybody else is using their ranged weapons is his Shorty Save bonus vs. Death. No held hero this time, punk!

Weeblet: "There really are a lot of Kobolds around, huh?"
Khalid: "W-we are in the mountains, so that's d-doesn't *have* to say a-anything. B-but they usually stay c-clear of human outposts apart from s-some scavenging thieves."

I was kinda hoping to find some Winter Wolves, which are in the random encounter list on the maps in/near the Cloudpeak mountains. They give a good amount of XP without being too dangerous, and the vendor in Nashkel buys their pelt for a good price. But alas, it's Kobolds and regular wolves all the way. This might be because we're still so low-leveled - I don't really know how the encounter tables work exactly, but I know that random encounters do scale at least a little with level and party size.

Prism: "Ahh, beauteous creature! You are my masterpiece!"

Prism: "Thank Deneir, I thought I was done in. I am not cut out for a life on the run. Mayhaps you could help a foolish sculptor finish this epiphany? Please, guard this place, for surely Greywolf will come seeking the bounty on the gems. I will pay with my last possessions if you would do this one service for me."
Weeblet: "If it is so important, than I shall guard you as best I can. Yes."
Jaheira: "Wait, what? Did you forget about--"
Prism: "I thank you, for I cannot run from this place until my task is done. I have been using potions of speed to aid my work, and have not slept for days. She is beautiful, is she not? 'Tis a monument to my foolishness. I saw her but once, on the outskirts of Evereska, and said nothing. I let thee pass from mine eyes, and mine heart hath cursed me for it!"

The screen fades to black after this, your party (annoyingly) shuffles about a little, and then a guy with a sword appears.

Greywolf: "None cross Greywolf and live!"
Greywolf: "I have come for you, Prism."
Prism: "No! Not yet! My work is nearly done! Please, I implore you!"

Greywolf: "You should be more worried 'bout the harm I can do! Never have I taken a bounty and not delivered! Now stand aside that I might dispense with this fool and claim my prize. Or would you rather I go through you to get to him? Consider well if he be worth your lives!"

Greywolf doesn't immediately turn hostile, which is nice because it allows Weeblet to quickly stealth before everybody starts attacking him. With that advantage, how tough can it be?"

Hahaha! Take this! ...wait, he's still at 3/5 health bars?

...wait, he's still at 3/5 health bars?!

OK WHAT THE HELL

Jaheira: *gulp*

So, uh, that didn't go too well.

You might have noticed, but Greywolf is really tough for how early you can run into him. He's a Lv.7 Fighter, with 80 hitpoints, has a Thac0 of 9 (which means that his accuracy is at least 30% higher than of anybody in our group) and an AC of around zero (depending on the incoming damage type). And while he initially hit Jaheira with his highest possible damage, a range of 8-15, times 1.5 from our difficulty setting, +1 cold damage from his magical sword... that's still pretty brutal.

This technically isn't a game over and we could go have Jaheira be raised at the Nashkel temple but... Let's try again, shall we?

Again.

AGAIN.

You might wonder what our magic users have been doing all this time, and the answer is "not much". Neera just has a single Magic Missile spell left in her spell book (and Greywolf is too high-level to succumb to a Sleep spell anyway) and Greywolf always resisted Jaheira's attempt to blind him with her Sunscorch spell.

However, this time, I decide to do something that I don't do nearly as often as I should...

...and have Weeblet drink a potion of invisibility to get a second backstab in. THOSE ARE LIMITED IN SUPPLY, I MUST HOARD THEM, OKAY?

He then goes down to "near death", aka 1/5 health bars, then gets hit for a max damage crit by Khalid and still stands at "near death"...

...but then finally falls to another of Khalid's arrows. Oof.

Jaheira: "How about you stop dragging us into needless danger all the time? You're not going to last another week of adventuring if you keep this up!"
Weeblet: "Needless? He was going to kill that poor man!"

Prism: "Soon... my work here will be done..."

Journal: "Prism's tale turned out to be a sad one, but at least he finished what he felt he must."

Jaheira: "Would you look at that, the poor man already had killed himself with his foolishness. Now what we are going to do is take those emeralds..."
Imoen: "But his final wish was that we don't do that!"
Jaheira: "And somebody else's wish will be to receive back what has been stolen from them. Seriously, you need to keep those romantic notions of a poor noble artist out of your head. He stole those gems, we bring them back. That Oublek fellow in Nashkel mentioned Greywolf, so we can assume that he has been looking for them. And now we will finish scouting around and then we will enter the mine without getting distracted by every little thing we come across."

Imoen: *sigh* "What a shame."

The experience for beating Greywolf and saving Prism allows Khalid...

...and Imoen level up, to Lv.2 and 3, respectively. Khalid gets the same HP doubling that Jaheira got earlier, immediately turning him into a much more decent tank. Imoen also goes up to 24 HP (which is the same as Jaheira's as a Lv. 2/2 Fighter/Druid), although her lack of a helmet means that she's still not very safe as a melee fighter.

Imoen also puts another 25 points into Find Traps, getting her to the good-enough-95%-of-the-time value of 85. Looking at it now, this is probably good enough and she's ready to dual-class already, but I think I'll still wait until Lv.4 and put some points into Pick Pockets instead. Besides, I wouldn't want her to lose access to her thieving skills right before entering the first dungeon.

While exploring the rest of the map, apart from randomly encountered Kobolds, we also run into a gnome:

Galtok: "Who you are, know not I."

Galtok: "They're kobolds, dozens of them. They captured me and stripped me down. The dirty imps tortured me for no other reason than to hear me scream, but I got away. They'lle be here soon. We have to run, get out of here. (...) Oh, no, it's too late. They're here!"

This causes a handful of non-random Kobolds to spawn, but they're no different from the regular ones.

They do reinforce the point that a million Kobolds would eventually roll enough nat 20s to kill a Lv.30 Fighter in the most awesome magical armour you could find, especially because they do it again right after Weeblet drinks a healing potion.

It's not a million Kobolds though, so Weeblet gets to survive. So does Galtok, but he just runs away immediately when the Kobolds spawn, which means that there's no reward outside of the (meager) XP and treasure from the Kobolds.

Galtok is also the last remaining encounter on the map, so it's time to get on with the main quest.
(Ignore the part where it's dark now, I made the screenshots for this map at a later point)

Miner: "Oh, I'm so tired..."

Miner: "I got no time for chatter. We're working double shifts, but we don't produce no more usable ore. Miners don't go below unless forced, and what we do bring up is... tainted.

The Amnian soldier earlier mentioned an "Emerson", and he's waiting a few steps south of the gate:

Emerson: "So you want to take a look at me mine, do you..."

A-movin? So it's a Protoss player?!

Silly references aside, I believe that Emerson is less polite if you talk to him with a less charismatic character, but I didn't remember to check.

Anyway, once you get his OK, one of the soldiers guarding the mine makes way for you to enter.

(Also pictured: Me checking for any hidden voice clips on Emerson or the soldiers)

Entering the mines, you immediately run into two named NPCs. Gord will walk up to you and initiate dialogue:

Miner Gord: "Well, my friend Ruffie barely escaped with his life he did. Little demons jumped out of the very walls and chased him down. He'd be dead now if it weren't for the guards that came running. 'Course, them guards are dead now. Old Ruffie's around here somewhere. You ask him what he saw and he'll tell ya."

Well, Ruffie is literally five steps away, so...

Miner Ruffie: Leave us be... 'tis much work to be done.

Miner Ruffie: "Demons! The little devils are everywhere, I tell ya! From the walls they're coming! They're going to kill us all."

Khalid: "That d-does sound like Kobolds, r-really. They are accustomed to the d-dark and will a-ambush their foes in l-large swarms."
Jaheira: "They also like using mechanical traps. I believe that's your expertise, Imoen, so keep your eyes open. Especially once we're getting deeper into the mines."
Imoen: "Leave it to me."

There's a bunch of containers in the mines, but they generally don't have anything of value in them. Non-magical weapons aren't really worth picking up...

...and the iron (ore, I presume) that you find in most of the mining carts is just completely worthless.

Miner Dink: *cough* *cough* *cough* "...I think I'm coughing up blood..."

Miner Dink: "Thank you so much. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."
Weeblet: "Surely, it's no unseemly distraction to go where we were planning to go anyway..."

There are quite a few side paths in these mines, but most of the time, there isn't anything to find in them. So if you know where to go (and I do), it's best to just beeline to the exit.

The first map in particular is very straightforward. Go south, then southeast, and you first run into every named miner, then into the exit to the next level.

Beldin: "But I-- There they are! There they--"

Right after descending to the second level, we're approached by another miner. A great opportunity to be a hero once more!

...or not. I believe the Kobolds will always attack Beldin, even if there's a closer target, and as you can see, it's very likely  that at least one of them hits.

Khalid: "B-blast! They seem to have t-taken over the entire l-lower areas. B-be careful - they're more f-familiar with this environment than we a-are, so they're more d-dangerous than those we f-fought outside."

Well, not really, these are just the same Kobolds as everywhere else, but I'm sure this would've been good advice in a pen-and-paper version of this game.

A few miners and soldiers are holed up at the western end of the map, including Kylee, whose dagger we're supposed to deliver.

Miner Kylee: "So dark down here."

Miner Kylee: "Kobolds! They're overrunning the place piece by piece. We used to see them occasionally but now you can't go more than a few feet without kicking one of them on the lower levels. It's not so bad up here with the guards around. Still, I wouldn't get caught in the dark if I were you."

Doing this little delivery also yields 200 XP, which... well it's an appropriate amount for a simple fetch quest, really.

Amnian Soldier: "Don't know what's been happening to the ore, and I don't rightly care. I'm here to protect the miners, and that DON'T include poking around in the depths."
Amnian Soldier: "I should watch your step amidst the mine guards. They're just itchin' for an enemy they can see. Tired o' this accursed cat 'n moust with whoever is below."
Amnian Soldier: "I canna believe I'm reduced to wearing this shoddy armor. Between you and me, I smuggled out some ore for a backsmith friend to use. Even that was plagued like the rest."
Amnian Soldier: "Smelled a kobold the other day and chased him down as far as I dared. Let 'em have their dank holes if they want. Nothin' but a nuisance on their own, anyway. Too stupid to be behind what's going on."

Miner: "I'm here breakin' my back to feed my family. What's your excuse? Lookin' for 'adventure'? You'll find it below if you're fool enough. The dead walk beneath the earth."

Other than that, there's not much to explore on this level, either, although you stumble upon more victims of the "nuisance", as the soldiers seem to view them.

And near the exit to the next level, two Kobolds drop these mysterious vials.

Unlike the contaminated iron you find all over the mine, this is actually worth picking up (well, kinda. The reward won't be exactly mind-blowing).

The "Not usable by" part is a bit funny, but probably there for consistency. Wizard Slayers can't use any potions except healing potions, so they're also forbidden to poison themselves with this strange liquid. Because of course it isn't healthy to drink this: It poisons the drinker (i.e. damage over time) and *permanently* lowers their constitution.

Well then, next level!

Weeblet: "Wait, stay back! Is that a piece of string spanned across the tunnel?"
Imoen: "Hey, finding traps is my job! (...) Alright, should be safe now.

Detecting traps can be a bit of a frustrating exercise. The skill doesn't automatically proc when a Thief gets close to a trap - it ticks once every round (that is, six seconds) and reveals traps that the Thief is skilful enough to spot. Going blindly through a dungeon can take a while, as you keep waiting to advance another couple steps.

Imoen: "Oh no..."
Weeblet: "What is it?"
Imoen: "Look, there's a Greenstone ring lying on the ground. And that man has... had... black hair, so that must be Joseph."
Neera: "Who?"
Weeblet: "Oh, er, we met his wife in Nashkel yesterday. She asked us to look for him while we're exploring the mines, but it seems that we can only bring her back the ring and the bad news."

Imoen: "Stop! Another trap! ...Man these Kobolds really need to step up their-- fudge! Two Kobolds with bows ahead! No, three of them!"

This is somewhat of a clever set-up by the Kobolds - if you send your thief ahead to disarm the traps, they will attack him or her.

And while I didn't make a proper screenshot of it, there's two traps on that bridge. They're only simple arrow traps, but for a Lv.1-2 character, that's still a decent amount of damage to eat (although I don't know the exact range), especially with the Kobolds attacking at the same time.

This floor also has some enemies other than Kobolds: Another Ghoul towards the west...

...and two spiders towards the south. (missmissmissmissmissmissmiss...) They're both avoidable, but the spiders in particular give a decent amount of XP, 540 in total.

Finally, east of the spiders, there's a Kobold Commando added to a group of the little buggers. These have somewhat better stats than the regular variant and use Arrows of Fire, which makes groups of these fairly dangerous to low-level Fighters (and squishies in general)...

...but a single one isn't as much of a threat, especially when a scouting Fighter/Thief takes them out of the equation immediately. As a bonus, Weeblet also engages three bow-and-arrow Kobolds in melee, which makes things nice and safe for our backline.

The two arrows they drop are some of the Arrows of Fire that they use, but I can't officially identify them just yet.

Imoen: "Whoa, three traps? If you can't make them good, make them plenty, I guess"

Again, there's some tunnels that I didn't check, but there isn't anything of interest in them. Just some more (non-Commando) Kobolds here and there and everywhere.

Next level and, you guessed it, more Kobolds! One small group features another Commando - cleverly placed because you have to cross that bridge to get to them, which gives them more time to shoot arrows at you, but a stealthed thief circumvents that issue quite nicely. East from there is another Ghoul, but more importantly, there's a big cavern ahead, in which...

...oh goddamnit.

Weeblet: "Half-Orc ahead. Cleric, I think, seems to be alone."
Khalid: "I d-don't trust that. D-dear, I suggest you confront him, while I w-watch our rear. If he is h-hostile and indeed a-alone, I can use my bow. W-weeblet, stay hidden. N-neera and Imoen, stay between Jaheira and me."

Mulahey: "What?! How did YOU get here?"

Mulahey: "Tazok did not send thee? Then thou art dead. Help, my minions, HEEELLLPPP!"

Imoen: "Oh no you don't!"

Khalid: "G-goodness... I w-will hold everything b-back for now! You f-focus on the cleric!"

Of course, Mulahey doesn't actually surrender if given the opportunity here. If I recall, he heals himself and summons even more Kobolds and Skeletons, but I don't quite remember the details.

He then goes down rather quickly, dropping two items with the nice blue shine of magic enhancement.

As for his minions: FINALLY, a good Sleep spell! Skeletons are immune, of course, but this mostly takes the pressure off of Khalid...

...and the rest of the fight proceeds smoothly.

Jaheira: "Well then, that was a very successful expedition. We found and eliminated the cause of the contamination, and we got the name of that Half-Orc's boss. I can't say I have heard the name "Tazok" before, though."
Imoen: "He also carried two letters with him. They might help..."

Jaheira: "I do know of the Blacktalons. An unscrupulous bunch. A group of bandits that grew into a mercenary band, based a few hundred miles further inland. They find contracts around here quite often because they're said to never ask questions. I don't think I've heard of the 'Chill', however."
Imoen: "Yeah, but we've got the name and address of another goon. We have some messages to deliver to Beregost anyway, so I say we give him a piece of our mind until he points us to that Tazok's direction."
Jaheira: "I don't think so, at least not immediately. I will have to talk with some friends before deciding how to proceed."
Imoen: "Oh? Who're they?"
Jaheira: "Nobody you need to concern yourself with. For now, we return to Nashkel and inform the mayor."

Weeblet: "'scuse me, but I've checked the chest over here. A few potions, couple spell scrolls, a sword that I think might be enchanted..."

Weeblet: "...and a sword that I'm absolutely positive is enchanted. It's just laying there, but I can't even seem to lift it."
Xan: "That would be because the blade is bound to me and I'm bound to it. ...whatever good that has been doing for me."

(this room is right above Mulahey's lair)

Xan: "I thank you for my freedom, friends, for I have languished in these dismal vaults too long."
Xan: "It was unbearable, waking each morn to the mud and rock instead of the rising sun. I am Xan, a Greycloak for Evereska, and as proficient in the ways of magic as any man can be. If you be enemies of Mulahey, I would join your cause, hopeless though it is."

Imoen: "It seems that whatever our cause is is a bit of an open question right now. But how 'bout you come with us back to Nashkel and we figure everything out once we're there."
Xan: "Would that we could figure out everything. I guess it's the best I can do."

So, new companion! But first, a bit of housekeeping: Neera gained enough XP from the fight against Mulahey to reach Lv. 2. No new spells yet, but getting (thanks to her Evermemory ring) two extra spell slots and doubling her hitpoints is still nice.

For now, she adds a second Sleep spell and a third Identify. She also swaps out Magic Missile for Larloch's Minor Drain, which is a better spell for now. Magic Missiles deal 2-5 points of damage (i.e. 3.5 on average) and doesn't have that nice little extra HP for the caster. However, once Neera reaches Lv.3, the Magic Missile spell fires two projectiles, from which point on it'll be the best Lv.1 damage spell.

Weeblet: "Whoa, that's so cool!"
Xan: "Eh, whatever."

But back to our new party member. His personal weapon is genuinely one of the best weapons in the entire game, granting a -1 bonus to Armour Class and a 50% resistance to fire damage, on top of being a freaking +3 weapon.

Uuuunfortunately, it comes in the hands of a single-class Mage, or more specifically an Enchanter. In either case, not a class that you want to go into melee combat, not only because Xan is even more frail than Neera (he joins at Lv.2 with 7 HP), but he's also stuck at one attack per round and his Thac0 will hardly improve as he levels up.

However, Enchantment magic is a powerful specialisation to have. It does mean that Xan loses access to Evocation spells, which include the excellent Magic Missile. But in exchange, he can cast Sleep (and later Confusion and Chaos, two excellent crowd control spells) with an additional +2 penalty to every target's saving throw, so a +10% chance for the effect to go through.

Xan won't stay on our team for very long, but that's mostly because Neera and, once she dual-classes, Imoen should have our arcane needs covered. But that's not to say that Xan is bad by any means. Frail, yes, but I actually think that "better Sleep spell" is the best pitch any spellcaster we've met thus far has made. But unfortunately, he doesn't have any involvement with any main or side plot, which is why Neera is getting the nod.

With that, we've officially reached Chapter 3, getting a little narration and some new journal entries as we go.

Little detour to the north, where we run into the most fearful of enemies: The OOZE.

Well, there's genuinely at least one genuinely threatening type of ooze in this game, but it's not this one. Gray Ooze has OK-ish combat stats (17 Thac0, 8 AC, 25 HP) and its most interesting feature is a complete immunity to any magic effect, something that most (if not all, I'm not sure) oozes share.

Jaheira: "There's light coming from above. This is probably from where the kobolds have gotten into the mines. We could probably climb up there and see where it leads us..."
Weeblet: "...but we should return to Nashkel first. Right, right."
Jaheira: "Exactly."

The cursor is taking the "you can move to another area from here" shape there.

That's that! Mines: officially explored. We'll get to wherever the exit leads later - the area in question doesn't really relate to the mines in any meaningful way and I think it's honestly a fairly dangerous map to explore for us right now, after beelining to the mines without any previous sidequesting.

So instead, we take the long way back up. Emerson is a stingy prick, so there's nothing to be gotten from here. Back to Nashkel it is, then...

Imoen: *yawn* "I'm getting a little sleepy... We can look for the Ghoulkiller guy tomorrow, right? It's the middle of the night."
Jaheira: "Mayor Ghastkill. But yes. I doubt that he'll be waiting for us at this time of day."
Imoen: "Awesome. I need some hot stew right now and a warm bed right after that. ...Hey, is that weirdo staring at us?"

Nimbul: "Struggle if you must, dead one, I do not mind working for my money. Why NIMBUL has been hired to deal with the likes of you, I'll never know."

Nimbul waits for you in front of the Nashkel inn once you've beaten Mulahay. He's a human Mage/Thief, Lv.7 in both classes (which shouldn't be possible for a dual-class, since the initial class only reactivates when the new class has a higher level... but whatever), as well as a bit of an edgelord.

As mages like to do, he opens the fight with a Mirror Image...

...followed up with a Horror spell, also as mages like to do.
Weeblet: "AAAAAAHHH!"
Jaheira: "AAAAAAAHH!"

After that, Nimbul will spam Magic Missile, which can be quite dangerous if he can keep it up. At Lv.7, he summons four missiles at once, for a total of 8-20 damage, and he has 6 charges to throw at you.

In this fight, Imoen gets a lucky hit (seeing as Khalid is missing with a 17) with a lucky timing. Magic Missile is a very quick spell, so it doesn't get interrupted easily.

Amnian Soldier: "Take that, scum!! ...And that's that taken care of. Are you quite alright?"
Weeblet: "AAAAAAAHHH!"
Amnian Soldier: "Right, Horror spell. Can I leave the rest to you, citizen?"
Khalid: "Y-yes, and thank you f-for your inv-valuable h-help."
Amnian Soldier: "All in a day's work."

You might have noticed that Rasaad was also helping out. He always does if he isn't in your team, and if you didn't talk to him before going to the mines, he'll introduce himself after the fight is over.

Unfortunately, the kill steal does rob us of the 650 XP that Nimbul is worth. Not the biggest deal in the greater scheme of things, but still!

Nimbul drops the scroll for the Find Familiar spell, which is quite nice if you're playing a mage or sorcerer. Because familiars are quite frail and because of the CON penalty should they die, I never ever use them as combat units, but you can just keep them safe in your backpack for the HP bonus. Apart from the Imp (the familiar for Lawful Evil CHARNAMES), all familiars have 12 HP, so they give a nice +6 HP for the caster.

The best one, in my opinion, is the Ferret for Lawful neutral CHARNAMES, ironically because you can use it to pickpocket some schmucks. It has the skill value of 50 that's required to even attempt to nab most available loot, although the success chance definitely warrants some savescumming.

Weeblet: "The same names again, Tranzig and Tazok. I have some questions for that Tranzig guy."
Jaheira: "I will say this again - Khalid and I need to confirm the situation first."
Weeblet: "..."

This dream sequence, narrated by Kevin Michael Richardson, can happen during any rest once you've reached Nashkel. There's two versions of it - while in this "good boy" version for CHARNAMEs with a reputation of at least 10 (which is the neutral value), Gorion's spirit offers guidance that Weeblet follows, a more naughty CHARNAME (Weevilet?) would dream of Gorion's death over and over and over again and feel more and more intrigued by the strength of the armoured figure striking him down.

The "good" dream rewards Weeblet with a basic healing spell - the same effect as the one Jaheira has been using, but much more useful in a fight because it has a very short cast duration. Weevilet would have gotten Larloch's Minor Drain instead (same as the spell Neera just started memorising, draining 4 HP from an enemy).

Anyway, it is time for some restructuring...

Weeblet: "Jaheira, can we have a talk?"
Jaheira: "If it's important... We should be seeing Mayor Ghastkill quickly."
Weeblet: "About that... I don't think that we should keep traveling together."
Jaheira: "What?"
Imoen: "Yes, Weeblet and I talked yesterday. I'm sorry, Jaheira, but you keep treating us like children..."
Jaheira: "Have you two lost your minds? If you want to be treated like adults, maybe you--"
Imoen: "...and you keep blowing up on us. Weeblet and me are 20 years old, even if he doesn't look like it. I know Gorion wanted you to look after us, but we need to find our own path."

Jaheira: "You will need some money to stay afloat for a while, so go ahead and inform Mayor Ghastkill of what has happened. He will give you a due reward. Should you reconsider, seek us at the Friendly Arm Inn or leave a message with Bentley Mirrorshade. For now, good luck on your adventures."
Xan: "I will accompany you north, if you allow it. I, too, must inform my employer."

Normally, dismissed NPCs will just wait wherever you dropped them, with the exception of the Enhanced Edition additions. The mod pack I'm using allows to send them to one of a handful of inns - #5 would ask Jaheira to go to the Jovial Juggler in Beregost. For the narrative, she and Khalid just happen to be there, should we want them on the team again, and not wait meekly until Weeblet might graciously decide to allow them in his presence again.

Neera: "Umm... what about me? Not gonna lie, it's been nice to have somebody on my side for a change."
Imoen: "Hey, set the next assassin on fire and we'll shoo away any red robes running across our way. We were just a bit tired of being bossed around, you know?"
Neera: "Great! So, where do we go now?"
Weeblet: "..."
Imoen: "..."
Neera: "..."
Imoen: "Well, right now, we go talk to the Mayor. After that, I say we check out the carnival outside the town."
Weeblet: "And I still want to confront that Tranzig guy. Setting assassins on fire sounds great, but I wouldn't mind if nobody was trying to kill me."

And that's where we leave Weeblet for now. Next time, we will pick up who I think will probably be the fourth permanent party member, before rescuing the obligatory Damsel in Distress from certain death, kicking evil butts liberally along the way. Although I might do a (slightly) shorter "Rasaad Tells A Story" interlude, since my word, the Enhanced Edition characters can be wordy. In any case - thanks for reading!

 

[ping]

Update 6: The Deeds of Minsc and Boo... and Friends

Spoiler

Rasaad: "It seems so long ago that I first joined the order. Thinking of those days revives fond memories, even as it reminds me of those precious things I have lost. My mother gave up her own life to give life to me. Without her help, my father struggled to raise me and my older brother, Gamaz. Life in Calimport is hard for those not born into wealth and privilege. When he could no longer pay his rising depts, my father was condemned to the Arena Efreetum, where he fought and died for the entertainment of the people.

Rasaad: "His death left Gamaz and me to scratch out a life upon the streets. We helped each other as best we could, begging, serving, and yes... sometimes stealing. One day, Gamaz was caught with his hand upon the purse of a Sun Soul monk. Rather than punish us, the monk brought us to the monastary, where we were bathed, fed, and clothed as initiates.

[obligatory snarky response in Rasaad's dialogue]
Rasaad had mentioned Selûne when we first recruited him after our first arrival in Nashkel. She's Faerûn's moon goddess, one of the oldest deities of the pantheon, and decidedly a force of good.

Rasaad: "Indeed. Selûne blessed Gamaz and me the day we met that monk. From that day forward, the light of the goddess brightened our existence."

Rasaad: "While divided by distance and allegiance to three different gods, the various sects of the Order of the Sun Soul cooperate across Faerûn."

Also something he mentioned prior: The Sun Soul monks were initially worshipping the sun god Amaunator, who for some reason disappeared 700-odd years ago, which caused the Sun Soul order to split between Lathander the Morninglord, Selûne, and (only with a small minority) the love goddess Sune.

Rasaad: "When the sect in Athkatla ceased responding to messages, my masters in Calimport sent ten monks to investigate. Gamaz and I were among those chosen to set sail for Amn. We found the monastery abandoned. The nearby residents we questioned about the mystery changed the subject or fled. For weeks, we continued to investigate. At last, through stealth, subterfuge, and patience, we began to overhear rumors that agents of Shar, the Mistress of the Night, had murdered all the Sun Soul monks in Athkatla."

[polite follow-up question]
[snark]
[snark]

Rasaad: "Who he is, what he did to the monks in Athkatla, or where he has gone, I cannot say. The trail is lost, unless I stumble across the name Alorgoth again one day."

OK, not as much as I thought. Maybe this doesn't warrant its own post, after all. So, let's tie up a couple loose ends and then go back to adventuring!

Berrun Ghastkill: "Hmm, I'm no master of the metals, but you might want to show that to Thunderhammer, up in Beregost. He might know a little more."
Weeblet: "That suits us just fine. Our steps were leading us into that direction anyway."

Journal: "I successfully cleared the Nashkel mines and was rewarded handsomely for my efforts: 900 gold from Berrun Ghastkill and the thanks of the entire town. Iron will slowly filter back to the coast now, though transporting it is still a treacherous business. The bandits on the roads will have to be dealt with."

Level up! Reaching Fighter(2) isn't the most exciting advancement for Weeblet, but +7 HP and a point of Thac0 is a good little bonus to get.

One incentive to drop Xan, Jaheira, and Khalid before turning in the rewards in Nashkel is the XP split between party members. 333 XP for everybody sounds a lot better than 167.

Oublek: "Dealing with criminals jades a man so."

Oublek: "A 300 gold bounty for the emeralds! Well, you'll make quite a name for yourself among the bounty hunters if you keep this up. Whether it is for better or worse, I do not know."

You get 200 XP alongside the bounty, but this is honestly not a good trade for the 1500 gold that selling the emeralds to a merchant would've gotten.

If you're playing an evil or evil-accepting run, this is a great time to stab Oublek to keep your reputation low or low-ish. If I remember correctly, he'll drop the emeralds, so this is a free 200 XP for turning in the quest, although I think the 300 gold reward will be subtracted from the gold that Oublek drops. Just make sure that there's nobody nearby to see you - you don't really want half of Nashkel to turn hostile.

Commoner: "Thank you. Thank you for bringing me the news."

You understandably don't get a physical reward for this quest, but it's worth another 800 XP. I don't know what you get for clicking the first option there, because come on.

Moving on the carnival, right next to Nashkel (even with zero travel time)...

Performer: "My muse shall not speak such as thee!"

Performer:
"...'midst coffers full and coffins bare,
there came the fearful devil-bat!
Red blood, red eyes, and ruddy hair
but none more red
than two sharp teeth that glistened there..."

Performer: "There ends Galahynne's last and best-loved work, "Nosferatu". Enjoy the rest of carnival, ladies and gentlehalfling. A finer one I have not seen in years."
Weeblet: "Gosh, thanks! (...) I don't want to be rude, but that was... a bit boring, wasn't it?"
Imoen: "Figures that you don't like the story that isn't about samu-ninja-sama-kuns. But yeah... Maybe we missed the good part."

Performer: "Come see me swallowing flaming knives!"

Imoen: "Oh great, now I'm feeling sad."

Imoen: "Oo, that's more like it!"
Weeblet: "Um, I don't know. I feel reminded of a flail carving my head in, and I don't think either of you would be able to patch me up if that happened again."
Neera: "Did I miss something? You would think that missing an angry ogre waving his flail around would be difficult to... Oh, before we met? Before we met. Makes sense. Shutting up now."
Imoen: "Oh come now, chicklet. He wouldn't do this if it was dangerous, right?"

Imoen: "That. Is. Amazing. How did you do that? Can you do it again? I want to see how that works!"

The Great Gazib: "Fun for the whole family! Now, let's try that crowd pleaser one more time."

Imoen: "Wait, I think I saw a flash of light over there. Is it an Invisibility spell? And those meaty bits an illusion? But I also heard a scream. Did you teach him to do that? Or is that also an illusion spell?"

The Great Gazib: "You're either a die-hard fan or a sadist, friend... (No, Oopah, just one more, one last one, then you can go back to the tent... Oopah, put the weapon down-- Oopah?) Aaaeee!"

Oopah: "Me will smash your face. I WILL CRUSH!"

Weeblet: "So the showman isn't quite as responsible as you thought. What do you know?!"
Imoen: "Um... You got this, shorty?"

Surprisingly, Weeblet does, in fact, got this. Luckily, everybody got very good attack rolls right from the start (even Neera with her awful Thac0), Oopah panicked before crushing anything, and Weeblet then got him with a throwing dagger.

(Oopah would've eventually regained his morale and come back to crush again, so this isn't just senseless brutality. BG doesn't really have enemies calming down once they've turned hostile at any point.)

Imoen: "See? Not dangerous. Um, but also whoops..."
Neera: "Hey, not our fault that the guy is bringing a wild ogre to a family-friendly carnival. C'mon, let's see what's in those big tents over there."

Lord Binky the Buffoon: "You need a new tailor, your clothes are absolutely dreadful!"

(Yes, his clothes are oscillating in colour)

Lord Binky the Buffoon: "Oh, how dreadfully unposh you all are! I mean, honestly, this is a carnival, not a gladiator's ring..."
Weeblet: "My name's Weeblet, what's yours?"
Lord Binky the Buffoon: "Mon namen est Weeblet, vott iss yorse?"
Weeblet: "Are you mocking me?"
Lord Binky the Buffoon: "Dost thou mockest me? Away with you, beggar!"

You can keep up this dialogue for a bit longer by being less confrontational, with Lord Binky always giving that type of copycat response. It's of no lasting consequence, though. Inside the tent...

...we are being robbed. ROBBED!

He can't get away with this!

...he got away with this. OR DID HE?! Power Word: Reload!

So here's the deal: After Vitiare talks to and steals from you, he will always run for the exit and, if he reaches it, disappear from the game. The solution: Attack him before he gets to you. That way, he'll run away from you (and therefore from the exit)...

...which makes him easy pickings with ranged weapons. Bit cheesy, but he drops a potion that's otherwise quite tough to get for a while:

Quite nice, and we're going to make use of it when we get back to Beregost in the future.

Dead pickpockets out of the way, this is a gambling tent, unfortunately (?) without any fun and exciting minigames.

You just bet a small amount of gold (up to 10, which really isn't a lot) and then you probably lose it. I never bother with this because...

Weeblet: "This isn't very fun, is it?"
Gamesman: "Kiddo, if you want to bring the mood down, do it elsewhere."

There's some more excitement in a smaller tent next door:

Zordral: "She's a witch. She'll use her magics to poison the children of this town. She'll butcher the livestock and she'll seduce the young men, make them her puppets. She must be killed!"
Imoen: "What are you talking about? Why the prejudice against a magic user? You said it yourself that you're a mage. After all, aren't you going to kill her with your 'magic word'? Get a hold of yourself, you idiot."

Zordral isn't kidding, by the way. If you pick any other dialogue options, he will insta-kill the witch. In any case, he'll turn hostile.

The fight starts pretty well - Neera interrupts his spell (it's Mirror Image. Almost every mage on the sword coast casts Mirror Image.), Weeblet sneaks up behind him...

...but he rolls very low, which allows Zordral to finish his second spell (it's Horror. Almost every mage on the sword coast casts Horror.). With only Neera and her pathetic damage output keeping her senses, this is a reload.

The second attempt is... overall better. Zordral's Mirror Image gets through (it's a very fast spell, so it ususally does) and he manages to panic two thirds of our group again. However, this time it's Weeblet keeping calm, and he also gets lucky hitting through the Mirror Image (a Backstab for 21 damage, plus now those 7 points).

Zordral gets his third spell off: Melf's Acid Arrow, a Lv.2 damaging spell. This inflicts 2D4 damage (x1.5 because of our difficulty setting)...

...but it also lingers for one extra round per 3 caster levels, dealing another 2D4 damage every round, even though Weeblet strikes Zordral down immediately after he cast that spell. Zordral was a Lv.6 mage, so Weeblet takes 3x 2D4 damage in total.

If kept alive, Zordral will cast this spell three times, followed by five Larloch's Minor Drains - so that should explain why I didn't even bother playing out the 1v1 fight between Neera With No Useful Spells Available and him.

Bentha: "Why, that's very kind of you. But I couldn't let you leave without a small parting gift. Here, take this. It's a potion that will help in any heroic endeavors."

The Potion of Heroism is indeed not too bad. The Thac0 bonus isn't overwhelming (I'm not sure how the rounding works, so if it's a -1 or -2 bonus), but the HP bonus only gets better as the game progresses.

Murderhobo advice: While Bentha will give you less useful rewards if you ask for anything, an even more profitable course of action is to let Zordral kill her and then pick up the rewards plus her magic robe.

Back outside...

Lestor: "Glad to meet you, friend."

Lestor: "My wife's a fan of the guy performing Galahynne's 'Nosferatu', but I'll take the Great Gazib's exploding ogre any day..."
Imoen: "Yeah, uh, I agree..."

Farmer: "Weather's been lousy lately..."
Imoen: "I think some grump in Beregost mentioned Firewine... Said it'd be too dangerous for a novice adventurer, so let's maybe save this for later?"

Apart from all the fantastic attractions which ought to be somewhere, there's also a couple merchant tents. Some of them just sell basic equipment (which is still welcome, since the shop in Nashkel proper has a somewhat limited collection), but there's a few interesting exceptions to that.

Merchant: "Already you must feel stronger just holding it in your hand. Yes, your packs weigh lightly upon your shoulders. Will you convince me of your satisfaction by purchasing the red elixir?"
Weeblet: "Your first potion seems genuine enough. I'll take the second as well!"
Merchant: "Your eyes grow wide with the light of knowledge. Go forth now and I will enjoy the satisfaction of future great deeds done with my assistance. Ample compensation for practically giving merchandise away. Out, everyone out! You have picked me clean! I can afford no more good deeds this day!"

Imoen: "Now let wise sister Imoen use her mystical rogue powers to unveil what you just blew 100 gold pieces on... Huh. Guess those really do what the guy said..."

Imoen: "...but we should be *really* careful about adverse effects."
Weeblet: "How do you know that?"
Imoen: "I said 'mystical rogue powers', didn't I? Plus, Gorion taught us some alchemy, didn't he? Well, he taught me and tried to teach you, I guess. I'm pretty sure I recognise the recipe."

The merchant was a bit dishonest in another way too - he still has some potions to, ahem, 'give away'. There's two chests in the back, and he won't mind if you rummage through the one to the right.

He will call the guards if you touch the left one - but by pausing the game, you can easily grap whatever's in the chest and then run away. There's a fair number of locked containers that you can rob in plain sight this way, but I don't think I've made use of it in Beregost or Nashkel.

The Potion of Fire Giant Strength is probably the most interesting loot we get, as it can fix the low Strength of a Halfling CHARNAME such as Weeblet, or NPCs like Khalid or Jaheira, for a tough fight. There's a number of 'Potions of [X] Strength', boosting the stat to somewhere between 19 and 24, and there's a decent amount of them available in total, which is part of why I consider Strength to be the most easily fixable stat.

Fire Giant Strength specifically boosts Thac0 by -4 and damage by +10, which is honestly really good. Dorn with his 19 Str only manages a -3 / +7.

We also get a Potion of Fire Resistance which I'm not sure we've seen before. It does what you'd think it does - increase incoming fire damage by 50%.

There's one other merchant with interesting, magical ware to sell. No bonus points for guessing what the protection scolls do, but...

...The One Gift Lost (of which there are for whatever reason multiple copies) makes a big boom.

...The Protector is basically the necklace equivalent of something we already have twice in Ring form. Note that you can only wear one of these protection trinkets at a time, but this can be quite useful if there's other rings that a character wants to wear.

...The Shield Amulet allows non-mages to basically cast the Shield spell on themselves. This is a godsent if you want to try and make Rasaad (or a CHARNAME monk) work, but the immunity vs. Magic Missile can be quite useful even for fighters who already wear better armour than the spell otherwise provides.

...The Topsider's Crutch is fucking useless. I've said it before when we picked up a helmet with the same effect, but infravision has practically zero value in this game. If you play the Siege of Dragonspear expansion and don't have an elf, half-elf, dwarf, or gnome on your team, I guess it's useful in two minor instances.

For now, we get the Shield Amulet, since the Magic Missile immunity might possibly come up in the near future.

Another tent has a couple folks doing drugs. No story involvement, so let's leave them be.

Finally, it's time to check out two recruitable characters on the map. One of them is visible on this picture, and it's not Zeke.

Zeke: "Come one, come all! Take a look at the stone warrior maiden. How long has she been trapped in this petrified form, no one knows! Be the first to learn, for the mere price of 500 gold. For that small amount of money, I shall give you a magic scroll, and with that scoll you can release the maiden from her stone prison. Think of the gratitude she would feel to her saviors. Perhaps she's a princess from some far-off land, or maybe a powerful sorceress in search of a concubine. You can't afford not to know! Buy the scroll!"

Weeblet: "Wait, this statue is a living, petrified woman?"
Zeke: "You got it! And I'm selling you the means to save her!"
Imoen: "So what you're saying is that you *have* the means to save her and *choose* not to do so?"
Zeke: "Hey, I gotta eat somehow!"
Imoen: "And you don't know that the Temple of Helm, five minutes from here, sells Stone to Flesh scrolls for less than half of what you're asking?"
Zeke: "Uhhhh..."
Imoen: "So how you walk away very quicky, in case the 'powerful sorceress' is looking for revenge instead of a concubine?"
Weeblet: "Man, that's the third Halfling I've met, and they've all been jerks... Are we all jerks?"

Powerful Sorceress in Search of a Concubine: "By the ice breath of Auril! 'Tis good to see new faces and taste freedom again!"

Branwen: "I am glad to be part of your war party. I will not make you regret your decision. A word of caution though: Beware of the dog that entrapped me in stone. Tranzig, he calls himself. He was in the employ of a mercenary group, but I do not know the name. I shall see him dead before I see the shores of home again!"
Weeblet: "Tranzig, you say?"
Branwen: "You know the bastard?!"
Weeblet: "Of him. This is a wild coincidence. We're looking into the iron crisis and found the names of the Blacktalon mercenaries and the Chill connected to it, as well as that Tranzig guy working as a contact. We know that he has set up at Feldepost's Inn in Beregost, so we can set out to exact some vengance literally right now."

After the mad Cleric/Thief Tiax that we met in Beregost, Branwen is the first single-class Cleric we run into (...that isn't trying to kill us). It's primarily a spellcasting class, but unlike Mages, Clerics can also tank decently well at low levels. They gain 8-10 HP per level, depending on their Con (compared to a Mage's 4-6, a Thief's 6-8, and a Fighter's 10-14), and they can wear any type of armour without losing their ability to cast spells.

Offensively, Clerics are, in theory, a little better than Thieves and (especially) Mages, thanks to their Thac0 improving with level a little faster. However, they share the very impactful limitation to one attack per round, which means that any kind of actual Fighter-y character will outscale them pretty hard. This means that Branwen's mediocre physical stats don't really matter as much - yes, 18 Dex and 16 Con like Imoen would've been nice, but you generally want them in the back anyway, casting spells and shoot their sling at the enemy to get a little bit of extra damage in.

Oh, I completely forgot to mention... Newly recruited NPCs scale in XP, if rather clunkily. When the main character surpasses [2000 | 4000 | 8000 | 16k | 32k] XP, any new companion will start at that breakpoint. So because Weeblet has around 4300 XP right now, Branwen joins with 4000 XP, enough to get her from Lv.2 to Lv.3, which means that she's the first spellcaster with access to Lv. 2 spells. Woo!

But before we get into her spell list, we need to get Branwen equipped. And before we do that, Neera has to cast a couple Identify spells.

Mulahey was wearing this ring, despite Sune being a good-aligned goddess of love, and it's really good for any Druid or Cleric (who both cast divine magic).

And Dorotea (from the Dorn encounter en route to the mines) carried a Small Shield +1.

Add a helmet, the Ankheg Plate Jaheira was wearing, as well as her Sling +1, and Branwen is ready for battle. I later remember to buy her a War Hammer (her other proficiency), in case she has to go into melee.

With that, we can take a look at Branwen's spells. She shares a bunch of her selection with Jaheira, including the basic Cure Light Wounds spell, but Clerics have a couple really valuable low-level spells. Item #1: Command. Knocking out an enemy even for a single round, or 6 seconds (during which they will be hit by every incoming attack), is really, really good. A surprising amount of generic enemies are below Lv.6, so they won't even get a chance to resist the effect.

And remember how approximately every single enemy Mage casts Horror? Behold, the hard counter to that. The name of the spell is a bit misleading, since it not only calms down panicking party members, but also protects everybody from (magic or mundane) fear for an hour (which, in Baldur's Gate time, lasts 5 minutes).

For Lv.2 spells, Silence is another hard hitter. It completely shuts down any caster who fails their Saving Throw - and even though mages and clerics tend to have pretty good Saving Throws vs. spells, a -5 penalty makes this go through somewhat reliably.

This spell works like an Antidote, completely removing any poison effect. Another misnomer. The very low casting time is nice, so this is useful to conserve Antidotes, which are somewhat expensive.

An awesome spell that Branwen won't take is DUHM. I only show it because it's S+ tier for any Fighter/Cleric multiclass.

Instead, she goes for Chant - the effect is quite decent, especially because it both buffs friends and weakens foes, although the long casting time makes it a bit unwieldy to use. Lastly, she gets one Cure Moderate Wounds, which heals 11 HP compared to the Lv.1 spell's 8 HP. Still not a good spell to cast during combat, since it's still much slower than using a potion, but it's nice to have some more potential HP regenration to match the growing HP pools.

TL;DR: Clerics good. Branwen doesn't have the same fighting abilities as Jaheira with her multi-class, but I find that she's a lot better as a supporting spellcaster.

Finally - and I initially forgot about him, which is why you're seeing some unknown dude with two maces next to Weeblet - there's another potential companion lingering near the edge of the map. Quayle normally appears much later, at the outskirts of the city of Baldur's Gate, but he was moved over here in my mod setup.

Quayle: "Walking alone on the Coastway road! How smart is this?"

Quayle: "It is the same for me! Surely this lends us a familiar bond of sort. The smart move would be to travel as one, especially with the number of bandits in the area. You probably need the counterbalance of my intelligence as well."
Weeblet: "No, and don't call me Shirley."
Quayle: "I should have guessed by your knuckle-dragging gail and minuscule nose, you're a complete and utter moron, aren't ya?"

Weeblet: "I'm not the one walking alone on the Coastway road. You tell me."

Befitting his smartassery, Quayle has picked the most spellslinger-y multiclass possible. Not only is he a Cleric/Mage, but as a Gnome, he even gets the Illusionist specialisation normally not available for multi-classes, giving him an extra spell per day for every spell circle. As pay-off, he loses Necromancy spells, which in my opinion isn't too rough in BG1.

This makes him a pretty decent secondary spellcaster, memorising spells that your primary Mage and Cleric don't have the room for. However, since XP is split between his two classes, he reaches new spell circles far slower than (in our case) Branwen and Neera do, so I wouldn't recommend using him alongside another multiclass caster (like Jaheira), let alone as your only Cleric or Mage.

His role as a Cleric is even more compromised by his terrible Wisdom. Jaheira (+2 Lv.1 spells) and Branwen (+2 Lv.2 spells on top of that) both get a handful of extra spells per day, while Quayle gets nothing.

So yeah, Quayle is in that "not great, not terrible" region of companions. Unfortunately, Cleric/Mage doesn't have a whole lot of synergy going on in BG1 - literally nothing right now, and as far as I know only one fancy trick later in BG1 that Quayle can do and Branwen cannot.

And that's for the Carnival. Wasn't this fun?

And whoops, I was a bit forgetful with marking the attractions... The unlabeled markers are all the merchant tents, I just didn't want to clutter the map too much, but I just didn't remember to make a marker for Oompah (and completely forgot about Quayle at first).

I obviously left a lot of the map unexplored, since there's just not a lot to unveil. Mostly just random Kobold encounters, so back to Nashkel we go.

Branwen: "I am ashamed that I already needed to ask for rest, but the petrification left me very weak and without any spells ready..."
Imoen: "That's alright. That Tazok guy wrote in a letter that Tranzig can be found in Beregost, so unless he was using a mail teleporting spell, that means that Tranzig should be there for the forseeable future."

Minsc: "Stand and deliver, that my hamster might have a better look at you!"

Imoen: "Hm?"

Minsc: "Boo is my faithful animal companion, and more than he seems."
Weeblet: "Um... change of plans? I know that you're eager to..."
Branwen: "No, as Imoen said, we will probably still find Tranzig in another week. And if we won't, I will find him elsewhere. This is far more pressing."
Weeblet: "Thank you! And we will find him with you, should it come to that. But now..."
Weeblet: "The classic dilemma of the damsel in distress! How could anyone decline?"
Minsc: "Take heart, fellow adventurers, for you have curried the favor of Boo, the only miniture giant space hamster of the realm! My friend and companion ever since my h-h-head wound, he will lead us to victory! Onward to the gnoll stronghold to the west! Tarry not! We must go soon!"

Neera: "We really do! Remember that red-robed muttering freak we met before going to the mines? He wanted to kill 'the witch Dynaheir', I'm sure I recognise the name!"
Minsc: "Kill fair Dynaheir?! His butt will be kicked with righteous vigor if he laid but a finger on her!"

Edwin won't make another appearance, but it's interesting to note that you can actually take both him and Minsc to the Gnoll Stronghold at the same time without them noticing that their goals are somewhat misaligned. You will have to pick between either fighting Minsc or kicking Edwin out of your party eventually.

So, new companion! Minsc would've been available when we first got to Nashkel, but I wanted to do the mines before his quest, and Minsc will complain, eventually violently, if you drag your feet about Dynaheir.

In gameplay, Minsc is a victim of OG BG1's much more rudimentary class selection. He is, in story, a *Berserker*. The 'Berserker' is an excellent kit for the Fighter class... but it didn't exist before BG2 was released. So instead, Minsc is stuck in the far more mediocre Ranger class.

That said, being a Ranger does have its advantages. While the biggest one, the ability to cast low-level Druid spells, only comes into play in late BG1 (and, really, doesn't become relevant before well into BG2), Rangers get two pips in Two-Weapon Style for free, which gives Minsc more flexibility in his weapon choices. This is in part a recontextualisation of a disadvantage: Minsc can't put more than two pips into a weapon type, unlike a proper Berserker, so he is forced to branch out instead of getting really good with one weapon.

However, this genuinely has its perks. When dual-wielding maces, Minsc's damage output is pretty awesome, thanks to his excellent Strength. Two-Handed swords have some specific uses, although they won't deal as much damage as two maces, and the ability to use a Longbow is always appreciated. With the two pips that Fighters and Fighter-adjacent classes get during BG1, Minsc can be competent at all three of those things.

16s in both Dex and Con isn't too shabby, either, so Minsc doesn't mind drawing aggro either. Although, I think I'll do a little spoiler here and reveal that Minsc, being one of the most popular and recognisable characters of the game, is playable in BG2 and one of the characters that receive a little stat boost there - which one of my mod options then replanted into this game, as well. In vanilla BG1, Minsc only has 15 Dex and Con, which makes him somewhat less durable.

I do have to bring up once again that Strength is the most easily fixed stat, so Minsc doesn't scale quite as well into the later stages as, say, Khalid does. But he's absolutely a fine combattant for the entire game.

Minsc also has a unique Berserk ability. The most important feature in that description, which it shares with the otherwise slightly different rages of the Berserker and Barbarian kits introduced in BG2, is the immunity against just about every crowd control effect in the game. That's really good.

The most important feature not in that description is that Minsc actually does go berserk, unlike the 'serker/Barb, who remain fully controllable. Minsc will attack whatever enemy he deems has the most kickable butt, and then he *will* attack his party members. That's really bad.

So, TL;DR: Minsc is quite good. Minsc as an actual 'serker would've been even better.

This reminds me: Unlike Minsc, Branwen did get a class change between OG BG1 and the Enhanced Edition, although admittedly a far smaller one than swapping from Ranger to Berserker. But the Cleric class also got a few kits introduced in BG2, including the Priest of Tempest, which Branwen lore-wise is. It's really not a huge deal that she now is one gameplay-wise, as well, but it gives her two special abilities:

Chaos of Battle, which is kind of a more random (and thus worse) version of the Chant spell.

Holy Power, which is actually just a Lv.4 Cleric spell. However, Branwen can cast it as a special ability, which means that (a) she can already cast it despite being far away from that spell circle otherwise and (b) she doesn't need to spend a spell slot on it.

The spell itself isn't actually that amazing because it does not fix the Cleric's issue of only having one attack per round. Still good, but it won't let Branwen out-DPS Weeblet or Minsc.

And unrelated to the Priest of Tempest kit, Branwen always had the ability to use the Lv.2 spell Spiritual Hammer as a special ability. Kinda nice until we find a physical magic weapon for her, at which point this spell doesn't have much of a purpose.

As a final bit of housekeeping, Neera still has some Identify charges left that we can and should use.

Imoen: "I thought that that Nimbul edgelord guy was difficult to hit! Glad that it wasn't just me..."

Neera: "Oh, that wand you found near the mines, Weeblet? It's really cool. Ha, get it? Cool!"

8D6, 28 on average, is actually quite good damage, even towards the end of the game. The only downside: If you land a killing blow with this, the target will actually freeze and, if you then tap it lightly, shatter, which destroys all loot that isn't essential to the story.

Neera: "Where did you find this mace, anyway?"
Imoen: "Oh, er, somewhere? I, ah, can't remember..."

I've never played that version of the game, but I heard that when the Stupefier was first added to the Enhanced Edition (in a chest in a Beregost inn), it was ridiculously OP with a 25% chance to stun with no saving throw against it. The current version is a lot more reasonable.

With that, Minsc got his equipment for now, too. With two pips in Two-Weapon style, Minsc can dual-wield without penalty to his main weapon - but the off-hand receives a +4 Thac0 (-20% Acc) penalty, seemingly +5 because only the Stupefier in the main hand has a +1 magic bonus.

Between having two pips in Two-Handed Swords and the higher base damage of that weapon type, Minsc might actually be better off using a simple Zweihänder, at least until he gets a second pip in Maces, too. 21 Thac0 isn't exactly reliable.

But I think that's it for this update. We didn't really advance the plot too much, but we have two new companions and a new sidequest that involves a little more than just picking up some random item. This time, we try to pick up a random witch! Let's see how successful we're going to be with that...

 

[ping]

Update 7: The classic dajemma of the damsel in distress

Spoiler

Minsc: "Watch out, evil! Minsc is on his way, sword in hand and hamster in his pocket!"

Minsc: "Show yourself, evil! I know you're here: Boo's tiny nose is twitching!"

Ogre Mage: "Mwahahahahaha!"

Minsc: "Your dirty tricks won't work on me, no matter how smelly they are! CHAAAAAARGE!"

Stinking Cloud is a Lv.2 Evocation spell. Its effect lingers for a minute ( = 1 turn) and everybody caught in the stink has to make a save vs. death with a +2 bonus every 6 seconds ( = 1 round) to avoid being knocked out for 9 seconds. Since it is cast as a projectile, it is possible to minimise its effect by moving everybody away from the target.

The fight starts fortuitous, with Branwen resisting the smell and everybody else dodging it entirely. The next turn is a bit less lucky, with the Ogre Mage hitting Weeblet with an Acid Arrow just barely before Neera can interrupt him with Larloch's Minor Drain. That white thingie about to hit the Ogre Mage is that spell's projectile.

Branwen then tries to shut him down, but to no avail. Looking at the Ogre Mage's stats, this is quite unlucky: The Ogre Mage rolled a 19, with the Silence spell carrying a -5 penalty to the saving throw, which is just barely enough to resist the effect.

So instead, the Ogre Mage gets a hit in against Minsc (who has 24 max HP, so this is more than half of that)...

...but Branwen then gets a successful Command spell in, knocking him out for a round. Six seconds can be quite a lot if it allows five people to connect all their attacks!

Looking at the stats again, just opening with Command would've been the "correct" play here. Ogre Magi are Lv.5, which means that Command will *always* knock them down, turning a genuinely quite tough encounter into a freebie.

Neera: "So is this one of those swords Weeblet keeps talking about?"
Weeblet: "....! ..!....!"
Neera: "You know, when he isn't silenced? I think he said that Ogre Mages..."
Weeblet: "...!"
Neera: "Oni Mages, yeah, yeah, use very sophisticated weapons or something."
Imoen: "Nah, I don't think so. This looks like Calishite sophistication, not Kara-Turan. Doesn't seem magical either. But if you could take a look at this scroll..."
Neera: "Fine. But we're up to like a dozen trinkets and weapons and whatnot that may or may not be magical, so excuse me for prioritising the heavier ones."

With that random ambush out of the way, we reach the next proper map. First thing we see:

Xvart: "Eeeeeeeeeee!"
Minsc: "Fear not, tiny one! Minsc's berserker wrath with be brought upon the Gnolls who captured Dynaheir, not you..."
Xvart: "Attaaaaaack! Eeeeeeeeee! Eeeeeeeeee! Attaaaaaack!"
Minsc: "...but if you stand between a proud Rasheman Berserker and his charge, your butts shall be thoroughly kicked!"

And there are indeed many, many kickable butts in this little settlement.

Minsc: "Go for the eyes, Boo. GO FOR THE EYES! RrraaaAAGHGHH!"

Minsc: "What is this? Did my battlecry scare them to death?"

Nexlit the Xvart: "You monster! You kill us when we do nothin' to you. Well, Ursa kill you. Ursa protect us because Ursa kind."
Weeblet: "What?! Your guards attacked us on sight! We were just passing through!"
Nexlit: "Can hear not. Eeeeeeeeee!"

Nexlit does summon a Cave Bear, which is, I believe, the 3rd tier of bears and still fairly dangerous to our group: 50 HP, 2-11 damage (3-16 with difficulty adjustments) with 13 Thac0 and three attacks per round. However...

...she doesn't take quite as kindly to the Xvarts as Nexlit expects.

As long as Nexlit is alive, Ursa will home in on him, ignoring your group even if you attack her, making the whole encounter far less dangerous than it could have been.

Note Branwen's swanky glowy hammer, by the way - this is most likely the only time in this playthrough that she's going to use her Spiritual Hammer personal abilty.

North of the village, we run into even more Xvarts...

...and a large, ominous cave.

It contains another Cave Bear - same stats as Ursa, I believe, but without a handy distraction nearby. As a result, this fight is somewhat dangerous, especially because there's not much room to kite in this cave.

Still, it's doable, despite Minsc getting mauled pretty hard right at the start of the fight. The XP then brings Imoen to an important point in her adventuring career: She will now forget everything she's ever learned.

But first, she learns a little bit extra to then forget, as well. I decided to go with a bit of Pickpocketing instead of bringing Find Traps to 100. 85 for the latter is still good enough for almost the entire game, and bringing the former to 50 should allow Imoen to nick some trinkets without the need of a potion. Although not right now, since she's about to forget everything she's ever learned.

Oh, and thieves also get a weapon pip when they reach Lv.4, which Imoen puts into Long Swords. Since Imoen isn't a melee character at all and she already has her best ranged option (Shortbows) unlocked, this additional pip isn't particularly important, but it is a stonger option if she wants to attempt a backstab one of these days.

But with that, it's time to swap her over into the Mage class. This will initially make her indistinguishable from a regular Lv.1 Mage, except that she keeps her increased HP pool from the four Thief levels. But otherwise, she really does forget all her abilities - weapon proficiencies, thieving skills, base Thac0 - until she reaches Mage Lv.5, at which point she will instantly remember it all again.

As a temporarily single-classed Mage, Imoen's weapon choices are very limited. The only bad option here, in my opinion, is Quarterstaff, since Mage!Imoen obviously still doesn't want to go into melee - in this playthrough, I go for (throwing) daggers, but since Imoen will go back to Shortbows eventually, this doesn't matter in the longterm.

A fresh Mage starts with two spells in their spellbook. Since Imoen will just learn every spell we've found a scroll for immediately, this isn't terribly important, either -

- although picking Protection from Petrification is a small mistake. I forgot that we did have a scroll of this spell available. But there really isn't some mega-useful Lv.1 spell that Imoen should've taken instead.

For now, Imoen fills her one spell slot with a Sleep spell, on the basis that this never hurts. And yes, a Lv.1 Mage with no specialisation is limited to a single spell per day (or, more accurately, rest). Neera had four: Plus one for her Wild Mage kit, then times two for the Evermemory ring. Imoen would be able to use that ring, too, but that would result in fewer spells in total for the group.

Imoen will be a bit underwhelming until she gains a handful of levels. "Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards" is quite true for this game.

Minsc also gained enough XP to gain a level - Lv.3, in his case. Rangers gain levels a bit slower than Thieves. This gives him an additional weapon pip, too, and he can make very good use of it.

Getting the second Mace pip means that the magic Mace is now a better weapon for him than the mundane Zweihänder. Minsc is still not very accurate with his off-hand and you could probably make a case for using a shield instead until it gets better, but he will get some extra damage in even with that extra attack despite its bad Thac0.

Oh, and also: Minsc and Branwen swap armours, with Minsc taking the better Ankheg Armour from her. Makes more sense this way, he's in melee and Branwen typically is not. Now Minsc is the green figure on the screenshots.

And that's all the level-upping for now.

The Cave Bear was guarding a crate with a useful little potion plus some magic equipment that goes right on Neera's pile of items that need identification.

More exploration reveals more angry Xvarts...

...and more Xvarts and more Xvarts.

This little explosion comes from Minsc's magical Stupifier mace applying its stun effect, although against Xvarts, he's likely to one-shot them anyway.

But once we're out of the village, there's a little encounter that might require a little bit of Gouda, in the form of pre-buffing. Branwen casts Remove Fear on the entire party, and Minsc uses the Shield Amulet that we bought at the Nashkel Carnival to protect himself from missiles that might be of magical nature.

And to add some Camembert, let me provide some reasoning why this is totally not murderhoboing...

Imoen: "Wait a second, that potion looks very much like when I mixed up the tumbleweed decoction with the foxglove extract during alchemy lessons..."
Neera: "And that's most definitely not a Protection from Magic scroll there. Here, lemme finish my Identify spell..."
Minsc: "What? This merchant wishes us to perish from misused magic? We must disperse hamster justice!"

Borda does indeed only sell faulty and cursed items: The healing potion is just some strong liquor and the scrolls are a Cursed Scroll of Weakness and, even more maliciously, a Cursed Scroll of Petrification. So even though the "canon" dialogue doesn't have us seeing through his con, attacking Borda might be the heroic thing to do in this encounter.

Borda is a Mage/Thief Lv.8/9, which makes him a pretty dangerous foe. He opens with the classic Mirror Image into Horror combo that's so popular around the sword coast.

He then follows up by casting Magic Missile... four times in a row, creating four missiles with every cast. This is why only Minsc, protected by the amulet, walks up to him - everybody without that protection would be in deep trouble if Borda decided to send two or three volleys in a row against them. Well, except Neera, who would just die to a single cast.

Once Borda is out of spells, he will attack regularly, which is the sign for everybody else to join the fight. Weeblet, of course, does the Thief thing and stealths beforehand...

...but no no avail.

Borda is pretty difficult to kill, between a good armour class, 55 HP, and a complete immunity to any form of magic. I guess he did have a genuine Scroll of Protection from Magic after all...? This is also the reason why I generally cheese this fight - against other magic users, you at least have a chance of interrupting their spells with, for example, a Magic Missile of your own.

But offensively, he's not too dangerous once he's out of spells. So eventually, you will get enough good rolls to bring him down.

Apart from the stuff he tries to sell, Borda also drops a magic Short Sword, some cash, and two spell scrolls: One is Color Spray (worse Sleep spell, basically), the other is the much more potent Web spell:

...vs. Spell with a -2 penalty. If the Saving Throw is successful, then the creature is free to move out of the area. A failed Saving Throw means the creature is stuck in the webs unable to move. Each round that a creature remains in the web, it must make a Saving Throw or be unable to move.

A very similar spell to the Stinking Cloud that the Ogre Mage used against us earler: A lingering disable spell that requires a saving throw every round. The main difference is that Web allows a ST against Spell at a penalty, while Stinking Clould allows a ST against Death with a +2 bonus. This means that while I'm sure there's a buch of enemies that would have a lower chance resisting Stinking Cloud than Web (particularly mages), the latter is the better default option to memorise.

But that's all there is to find on this map. We only run into another random encounter in the form of two Dire Wolves, but they don't pose much of a problem despite Weeblet and Minsc lagging behind a little bit.

Branwen takes the opportunity to try out her Holy Power spell(-like special ability): -5 Thac0 (= +25% accuracy) and +6 damage compared to her normal performance with a War Hammer is very impressive. It's unfortunate that it only lasts for, at best, three swings at this early time.

As you can see, there's a still unexplored terrain to the south (and I even cut off a bit more). There's nothing there, but you can go that way to avoid murderising an entire village of Xvarts, if you want. The next map on the way gets unlocked by reaching the western edge of this map, so it's not necessary to go north to rescue Dynaheir.

It does unlock the map to our northwest, but you can do that from a different direction, too.

Minsc: "No dilly-dallying! Fair Dynaheir awaits *yawn* rescue!"

Minsc: "Maybe a little dilly is in order for Minsc to regain his berserker strength..."

But first...

I think we've been lucky with this when we previously rested in the wilderness, but getting ambushed during camp can be really annoying, especially because it can happen multiple times before you finally "successfully" rest.

Luckily, the RNG gods were on our side for the fight itself and the Ogre failed a morale check before crushing any skulls. (not sure why I didn't tell Weeblet and Branwen to chase the Ogre here, to be honest)

The second attempt to rest is successful, and Neera then starts working at her Identify backlog. First: A pretty underwhelming Robe, but since it's better than nothing, Imoen equips it.

Next: The Want of Giving Ping 'Nam Flashbacks. Not because Silke (the evil Bard in Beregost) tends to fry my parties with this spells, but because I managed to successfully use the Lightning Bolt spell without killing half of my own party exactly once.

(Against Silke, ironically. I was playing a Priest of Talos, a Cleric kit that has a special ability to protect itself against elemental damage, and the Lightning Bolt as a special ability, as well. I managed to find an angle in which I hit Silke multiple times with one Lightning Bolt bouncing between walls, which was very, very satisfying)

And finally for the day, the magic sword we 'aquired' from Greywolf the bounty hunter. The best Long Sword in the entire game, other than some specific "effective against specific enemy type" weapons. Khalid will make very good use of it if he remains on one's team, and in this run, Imoen might eventually attempt to stab some backs with it.

With that, let's go back to adventuring! First heading south, we run into a posh who seems to be in a spot of bother...

Jared: "Oh, thank goodness someone came by. There's a bear on the other side of that bridge, and it's coming this way! Please hold it off--I'll give you anything!"

(and while we're here - the Gnoll Stronghold is to the south, so we could go there right away after reaching the bottom of the map. Don't tell Minsc though, we still want to explore the rest of the map)

As advertised, we run into a bear after crossing the bridge, this time of the polar variety. These are pretty rare to find and pretty dangerous as well, ranging above the Cave Bear on the power level scale, with the usual three attacks per round and all-around slightly better stats than the lesser variants.

Without healing potions, Minsc wouldn't even have survived as many attacks, and Branwen exhausts her healing spells trying to patch him up. Normally, I'd go for another rest at this point, but roleplay forbids it. Dynaheir must be saved!

Meanwhile, Weeblet strolls back eastwards to talk to Jared about the "anything" he promised...

Weeblet: "Not sure how I feel about giving a Halfling boots as a reward. But I think these might be magical? Neera..."
Neera: "Yes, yes, I'll add them to my to-do list."

Fun fact: If Jared doesn't like whoever is collecting the reward, he'll just give them 50 bucks, or even nothing at all. That's why Weeblet with his 18 Charisma is doing the talking here.

The random encounters on this map can be fairly tough: Regular Ogres...

...and STRONGER Ogres, too. These Berserkers are a very significant upgrade: two attacks per round instead of one, +25% accuracy, 50 instead of 30 hit points... But they share one very significant weakness, as well:

They still only count as Lv.4 monsters, which is honestly really low given their combat prowess, and it leaves them vulnerable to the Sleep spell (and makes Branwen's Command spell a guaranteed success). They do have a really good Save vs. Death value of 7, which normally translates to a 70% chance of succeeding a save, although Sleep's penalty to the roll reduces that to 55%. Still lucky!

With all the incoming XP - 900 from the Polar Bear, 270 from the Ogre, 650 from the Ogre Berserker, all divided by 5 - Neera finally reaches Lv.3, giving her access to the 2nd spell circle.

For now, she fills those slots with Web spells - no surprise, given how much I advertised that spell previously. That said, Invisibility and Strength are good picks, as well.

North of all this, we run into the Paladin Laurel, offering another small sidequest. Her reaction to the group depends on your reputation: We got the most cordial one, the one below that is a bit more matter-of-fact, and if you talk to her with very low reputation, she'll actually attack you.

Laurel: "Wonderful. You should prepare yourselves. Fire magics work well against the gibberlings, so if you have such spells, use them."

This suggestion isn't really backed by any specific mechanics - Gibberlings don't have any particular weaknesses or resistances; plus you do not get the time to rest and memorise new spells afte talking to her. Although I guess that given their low HP, a well-aimed Fireball would just roast everything in its range.

For Weeblet's group, talking to her quickly spawns two groups of six Gibberlings each...

...which I deemed sufficiently many to warrant a Chant from Branwen...

...but Gibberlings weren't even that threatening when Weeblet and Imoen first set out of Candlekeep. The quest yields another 250 XP on top of the combat XP (420 XP), so... eh, the fight is less dangerous than an Ogre Berserker and the total reward is a little bit higher. Fair enough.

Speaking of Ogres, there's a peaceful one just north of Laurel. Now that's weird...
Ogre: "I WILL CRUSH!"

Oh, he's just hungry.

Minsc: "Enjoy your meal why you can, evil! Minsc is always ready to fight!"
Ogre: "Me fight now then! Make you dessert! Pound you to pudding! Mmm, pudding."

The fight itself isn't any different than against a regular Ogre. Weeblet has an easier time stealthing before opening hostilities, but well...

Weeblet: "There's another bridge over the river over there... heavily guarded! At the very least one Ogre and two mean-looking Hobgoblins!"
Neera: "Oh? Well, just leave things to me!"

Neera: "Hey, that's not bad! Right?"
Weeblet: "That's perfect! Now, step two of the plan... Wait, no, there's more enemies!

So yeah, the bridge is guarded by a pretty intimidating force.

Luckily, they're about as stupid as they are intimidating: Only the stabbed Ogre 'zerker pursues Weeblet back across the bridge to the rest of our group, and he's easily beaten by a Command spell by Branwen.

And, well, if it ain't broke...

Weeblet: "Hahaha! I can't believe we had so much trouble with a single Ogre only a few days ago!"
Minsc: "You are a courageous one, for somebody that tiny. But Minsc cannot quite enjoy these magical entrapments. Let evil feel the sting of Minsc's boot kicking their essentials!"

One of these enemies dropped another new spell scroll. Agannazar's Scorcher is an interesting one, since caster or target moving will actually move the ends of the flame jet with them. I don't use it a lot, since this spell is a bit outclassed by other sources of scorching hot flame jets, but I'm sure we'll see some scorching during this LP.

Neville: "Did you find all five of them, then? Pity, I shall have to train them better. Anyhow, I'm afraid that I can't abide by your wishes: My men would think me a coward to surrender in the face of such a paltry force. Truly, I see no other choice than to order them to fire at will and rob your sad corpses of any iron they may carry. Come men, I believe the choice before us is clear."
Imoen: "Ha! Good luck, chump! Let's see how you like my new trick..."

These are the really satisfying Sleep spells to hit. Those five Hobgoblins all carry bows, so they can pelt you with quite a lot of attacks. Simply removing them from the fight immediately is very nice.

Neville on his own is kind of a chump, so he goes down without too much resistance. He drops a magic Longsword (although, spoiler warning, it won't be as strong as Greywolf's Varsona) and another new spell:

In theory, this is an incredibly powerful spell, able to remove all magic protections from an enemy magic user. In practice, it has two very important flaws: (1) it's not party-friendly, and (2) enemies, especially dangerous ones, tend to have a higher level than your own party members.

So a lot of the time, what this spell will do is kill your own buffs while leaving the enemy untouched. There's a couple variations of this spell (and I think it's literally two) that are more useful, but I don't think this specific spell is actually that great.

Neville was the last scripted encounter on this map. While revealing the last bits of the map, we just run into a Brown Bear (between Black Bear and Cave Bear on the power level curve, but also peaceful unless you step on its toes) and some more gibberlings.

There we go: We leave the map where roughly where we arrived, after taking the clockwise route around the map. With that, it's high time to rescue a witch!

Well, after another rest. We've run out of healing spells a long time ago, and Weeblet also took some damage during the later fights on the previous map. The first attempt is interrupted, but everybody gets their eight hours of sleep afterwards. Except maybe Weeblet...:

...uh oh. Somebody - or something - is angry at Weeblet.

Like for the first dream sequence, in which a naughty CHARNAME would cast aside Gorion's teachings, there is an "evil" version of this dream as well, in which CHARNAME will go through with double-killing Mulahey, to the approval of the ghastly voice.

But hey, it's just a dream, right? ...I mean, it gives Weeblet a second cast-per-day of Cure Light Wounds, but he probably just picked up some cleric abilities along the way, right?

For a third time in a row, there's a scripted encounter when crossing a bridge; this time unavoidable if we want to get to the Gnoll Stronghold proper. Gnarl and Hairtooth are two Ogrillions, descendents of orcs and ogres, and they're looking for some buck:

Gnarl: "Stop! You go nowhere! This our bridge. You pay to walk it!"

(In the ever-growing list of small cheeses: Gnarl will approach your group and Hairtooth won't, so you can separate the two very easily, just in case things get dicey...)

Hairtooth: "Okay, maybe 200 gold too much. Maybe you pay... 100 gold!"
Gnarl: "100 gold for all heads, or lose heads! Pretty good deal!"
Weeblet: "Still to much, I think. I'd rather just take a long route around."
Gnarl: "Your head so dumb you not miss it!"
Hairtooth: "Yeah! We kill you, take stuff, and get gold anyway! Dumb head!"

I'm sure this will end well for them. Fun fact, that I just learned when checking their stats: If you just pay up 200 gold, the twosome will suspect that you're rich (and/or weak) and try to kill you anyway. The only way to avoid a fight is to haggle them down and then accept the 100 gold payment.

Not that you'd want to, honestly. ...is this the first *chunk*ed enemy on screen? I believe this happens when an enemy is overkilled by at least 10 points of damage, including a satisfying sound effect, but it has no mechanic impact.

However, this can also happen to your own party members, in which case the mechanic impact is huge: Normally a killed companion will still remain in the party, just... unavailable and with a greyed out portrait to the right of the screen, until you pay a priest to rez them (or do it yourself, eventually). Meanwhile, a *chunk*ed party member is just permanently killed, unless you reload a previous save.

Gnarl and Hairtooth are both roughly as strong as generic Ogrillons (2 attack per round with decent damage, but only 20 HP and no particularly good AC). They have some very decent drops:

A potion that's very good for Weeblet...

...a potion that's rather situational...

Weeblet: "Neera...?"
Neera: "Yes, yes, yes. Am I here to adventure or am I just a walking identify service?"
Imoen: "Both?"

...and a truly excellent pair of gauntlets. Very few companions don't benefit from these - Imoen's the only one we've met so far that doesn't - and literally everybody likes the advantages from 18 Dex: +10% ranged accuracy and, even more impactful, +20% avoid.

In our team, the choice is easy, even though Branwen technically gets the same AC bonus plus an extra point of Thac0 out of them. But Minsc is a frontliner, so stacking AC on him is the best play. He has 16 Dex innately, which already improves AC by -2, which is why he "only" gets a 10% bonus to his avoid.

But speaking of Branwen, she reached Lv.4, which gives her a couple extra spell slots, as well as a third weapon pip. She goes with Flails / Morning Stars (and don't ask me why those two are combined in one proficiency), both because those have fairly good base damage and because...

Neera: "Actually, I wouldn't mind at all if you'd finally take this off of me..."

...we found a magic flail not too long ago. As a whole, this is a pretty significant boost to Branwen's melee combat stats - Clerics gain two points of Thac0 every three levels, so she effectively gained 15% accuracy in one level-up, and the damage increase isn't too shabby, either. She's still limited by only attacking once per round, of course.

To fill her extra spell slots, she goes with a third Cure Light Wounds and a second Chant. The third spell circle only opens once she reaches Lv.5...

...which unfortunately will take a while. Clerics have a bit of a wacky XP curve in BG1, reaching Lv.4 quite soon (only rogues do so faster), but then becoming one of the more slowly leveling classes, before going back to leveling relatively fast in BG2.

Minsc: "There! This is where fair Dynaheir is held prisoner. We must charge ahead and relieve her of her chains!"
Imoen: "Whoa, one second there, big guy. What if the gnolls threaten to kill her when they see us? We should see if we can sneak in somewhere. Maybe there's a secret tunnel somewhere down the cliff?"
Minsc: "Minsc would just charge ahead more quickly if Dynaheir was threatened! But Boo says there is wisdom in your words. I will bottle up my rage and then unleash it tenfold upon the evil cowering behind these walls!"

The paths down here have Xvarts as random spawns. Not too difficult, obviously.

And there are indeed three caves to explore. One:

Xvarts: "Eeeeeeeee! Attaaaaaack!"

Imoen: "Nuts, it's a dead end. But that Xvart had some magic scrolls, so..."
Neera: "Sure, I'll identify it. Once I've gone through the five thousand trinkets that are heavier than this."

Two:

Minsc: "I see a path deeper into the stone. This must be the way to save Dynaheir!"

It isn't. It's just a second part of the cave, with a Carrion Crawler lurking. These aren't too dangerous on their own, but can be deadly in a group of when there's some different enemies nearby: Their attack only deals 1-2 points of damage (well, 1 or 3 on our settings), but they attack four times per round and their attack carries a paralyse effect if the targets fails a Saving Throw vs. Death.

They're susceptible to Branwen's Command spell, though, which makes this single Carrion Crawler a non-issue.

Three:

Some more Xvarts, but also a crate with some treasure.

Neera: "Let's see, some money, healing potions, spells that I already know... and a book?"

Neera: "What the hells, how is it this heavy? That's it, top priority and then somebody else can carry this around if it's worth anything."

Why yes, it is worth something. Can you see it at the bottom?

Weeblet is even more handsome now! Just look at that sexy Moe Howard 'do.

Imoen: "Well, that was a failure. Time for plan b, I guess?"
Minsc: "Charge blindly ahead?!"
Imoen: "..."

Imoen: "Alright, plan c. Minsc?"
Minsc: "Run away while you can, evil! RaaaaaAAAGH!"

Unfortunately, there is no sneaky option here. The only reason to explore the bottom of the map is the Charisma tome, while the top of the map features nothing but random enemy spawns.

So, charging ahead it is. That said, there is some positional play possible here. Gnolls are probably the enemy type the most likely to ignore your tanks and go for your ranged and magic-using characters instead, so it's very helpful if you can manage to find a choke point and DOGA it up. Didn't quite work here, but the Gnoll coming through was already quite bruised.

(Neera is using Larloch's Minor Drain because I forgot to switch over to the now superior Magic Missile before the last rest. Whoops!)

Minsc is very strong on this map thanks to an unfortunately-named feature of the Ranger class (quick googling says that it's named 'favored enemy' or 'foe' in DnD 5e). He gets a 4-point bonus to Thac0 (i.e. +20% accuracy) and damage, so he kicks some serious Gnoll butt.

A Ranger CHARNAME would probably choose another enemy. Gnolls are neither that omnipresent nor that dangerous to make them a good pick, but it's very thematically fitting for Minsc, of course.

The whole fortress has a bunch of chokeable points, all working entirely in our favour because Gnolls don't use ranged weapons. One on the top of these stairs...

...and one created by these I-don't-know-what-they're-for holes.

I guess for holding prisoners?

Unfortunately, even though I think the map looks really cool, there isn't much to it. Mostly Gnolls. Lots and lots of Gnolls, until you find Dynaheir in the second prison hole, and then more and more Gnolls as you make your way back to the only entrance/exit that the map has.

Dynaheir: "Thy decency is refreshing, when so many we meet are... lacking."

Dynaheir: "Alas, we were ambushed in the night. Minsc was overcome by yet another blow to the head, and I was spirited away before he could recover. With but two eyes apiece there is naught more we could have done. Certainly 'twill be safer for all of us if we join together. What sayest thou?"
Weeblet: "Who are you that you warrant a bodyguard?"
Dynaheir: "I am Dynaheir of Rashemen. 'Tis not a title, 'tis just where I am from. We two are indeed far afield of our home, but 'tis a necessary rite of passage. Minsc must make his dajemma by seeking adventure, while I must prove my worth to my... sisters in much the same manner. 'Tis an interesting time for the realms, with great things foretold for the Sword Coast. 'Tis therefore a likely place to look for what we need. What dost thou seek on this adventurous road? Mayhaps we can all find what we need together?"
Weeblet: "You are welcome in my company. One cannot have too many friends."

Weeblet: "Right now, we are bound for Beregost, where we seek a mage named Tranzig to gather information on the iron crisis, and to administer revenge for our friend Branwen."
Branwen: "He turned me into a statue! ...I got better, thanks to the intervention of this fine group of warriors. I suggest we return to Nashkel together. There, we can see if our battles shall be the same."

Dynaheir: "I have no doubt thou shalt make an interesting traveling companion."

Dynaheir is an Invoker specialist mage, which is the counterpart to Xan's Enchanter kit that we discussed earlier. It's a bit of a mixed bag - Dynaheir loses the insanely powerful Sleep spell, but once she reaches Lv.3 after gaining another 1000 XP, she will have access to an extra-powerful Web spell.

On higher spell levels, Evocation tends to have lots of direct damage spells, including good ol' Fireball, many of which have a Save-to-take-half-damage roll for the targets. The 2-point penalty that an Invoker-cast Fireball gives to those Saving Throws does make those hit a bit harder on average, too.

Stat-wise, Dynaheir has terrible Dex, but gets +2 HP/Lv. from her Con, the maximum a non-Fighter/Ranger/Paladin can get. It's a more reliable protection against death by stray arrows compared to, say, Neera's good Dex and terrible Con, and it also makes Dynaheir a reasonable candidate for the Gloves of Dexterity, if your frontliners don't need it or have better options for the 'glove/bracer' slot available.

I forgot to bring a weapon for Dynaheir, so she takes Neera's sling for now, since that's what she's proficient in (although still not very good with).

It's overall a bit better this way around, since Neera's proficiency is Quarterstaff. She doesn't want to use it in a fair fight, of course, not with her awful AC and HP, but she can use it to whack unconscious foes. I just have to be careful to tell her to fall back every time after I click an enemy while having the whole party selected (...as one usually has when moving around).

For spells... Well, we already have Neera and Imoen as arcane spellcasters, and I already mentioned that I'm not really planning to replace them, so I don't think I'll be keeping Minsc and Dynaheir around. This means that Dynaheir will have to make do with the spells she comes with, even though Magic Missile really isn't all that great while it only creates a single projectile.

For our way back, we take the southern route between the Stronghold and Nashkel. I think it's roughly the same travel time (not that a delay would actually matter), so while we're in the area...

During our travel, we get ambushed by a Cave Bear. Hardly worth mentioning, but...

...the XP is enough to elevate Weeblet to his third Fighter level. Finally, he has taken the first step towards mastering the Katana! Soon the second - and final, since Weeblet's a Multi-Class - step shall follow!

However, for now, the Katana we bought from Winthrop way back in Candlekeep would be a straight downgrade, compared to the Wakizashi with a +1 enchantment and a second proficiency pip.

The level-up still comes with +7 HP and a point of Thac0, though, so it's still an incremental improvement to Weeblet's abilities.

The second thing we run into on our way back to Nashkel is another Gnoll, in fact one of the very few named ones. If you meet him before rescuing Dynaheir, you can avoid fighting him: He'll tell you to "go to conquerrrrr!" the Gnoll Fortress because he has been exiled by his brethren... because he insisted on roasting and eating Dynaheir instead of keeping her captive.

He's actually kind of tough compared to generic Gnolls, including Elites and Veterans, with more HP and wielding a magic Halberd.

Neera: "Look, you guys know that any shopkeeper will identify whatever you need identified for a small fee, right?"
Weeblet: "Yeah, but Gorion always said that you should always first try to do something yourself before asking for help."
Imoen: "Plus, I think they charge a hundred bucks per item. That'll add up quickly, given how many artifacts we're picking up!"

Neera: "Oof! Why do we keep finding unreasonably heavy stuff?! Abra kadabra, hex hex, here Minsc, you carry this, OK?"

I keep on harping on Branwen being limited to one attack per round, so this is not a particularly good weapon for your Fighter-y characters (and unfortunately, Clerics can't use any slashing or piercing weapon types). I believe Bards are the only class that's (generally) limited to one attack per round and also able to use Halberds, although they're generally better off using some kind of ranged weapon, at least in BG1.

Nice TNG reference, by the way.

The XP from killing Ingot and then another group of generic Gnolls is enough to get Imoen her first level-up as a Mage.

Because she already got extra HP from her 2nd Thief level, this really doesn't do that much for her, even though "doubling her spell capacity" certainly sounds very impressive on paper.

She goes with Blindness as her second pip. It's neither as overpowered as Sleep nor as reliable as Command against low-level targets, but it's still effectively a "save or die" spell and it can work against almost every enemy.

Drienne: *sob* "I want my mommy."

Weeblet: "Oh, I'm so sorry..."

Drienne: "It's all right, she's done this before. I guess Daddy will just have to raise her again. Here, you can this scroll Daddy gave me. I can't read the words yet anyways."

...huh.

This is another quest with variable rewards: If Drienne only likes you a little, she'll forget that her dad's a necromancer (and you'll only get a small amount of money instead of the scroll and reputation point). If she dislikes you, she'll think that you killed her kitty.

Walking further along the southern edge of the map, we run into a Dire Wolf, which is a Wolf, but more Dire. (really, I always found the "dire [animal]" type of monster a little silly)

Wolves aren't as likely to attack your backline - they will often change targets, but most of the time, they will then re-aggro on your tank just as quickly. But if your backline is standing too close, well... It's a demonstration why Imoen's big HP pool really is an advantage over other mages, unless you're microing your mages away from danger flawlessly.

The Dire Wolf guarded a cave inhabited by another Wolf that is also Dire. And to put a little bit of substance to these paragraphs - there isn't anything special about Dire Wolves. They're just a bit stronger and tougher than the regular kind.

In a crate in the back of the cave, we find another magic halberd...

...but this one is a regular +1 variant. Well, "regular" - in-universe, these are still very rare and valuable.

Neera: "It's still really heavy for a delicate flower such as myself, okay?"

Towards the northeast of the map, there's another quest waiting:

Dryad of the Cloud Peaks: "I thank you, for although they seem dim of wit, they still could do much damage. This way."

Fun fact: Refusing her request will turn the Dryad hostile, and killing her will result in a major reputation loss.

Caldo: "Hey dere, I'm Caldo and dis is my brother Krumm." - "Me's gonna be rich!"
Krumm: "Duhhhhhhh..."

Caldo: "Well, if ye're not gonna help, I'm not gonna let you sit and watch us do it! Yous were probably bonna rob us when we're done, weren't cha? Me an' Krumm don't cotton to bandits one bit! Do we, Krumm?"
Krumm: "What?"

Well, diplomacy wasn't an option (it really wasn't, you can't get out of this without fighting either the brothers or the dryad), so butt-kicking it is.

Between the two, Krumm's a little stronger and more durable, but they're still both regular, low-level Fighters. Not a problem at all for any full group of adventurers...

...despite Krumm carrying a few magic items, lengthening Neera's to-identify list even further.

Once again, the nice choices prove to be the most lucrative!

Not too far from the Dryad, we encounter a couple non-hostile Gnolls:

Ludrug: "Stop! You have trespassed on our territory. You shall not be allowed to leave until you have paid tribute. We demand 50 gold in tribute!"
Weeblet: "We have no money. Sorry?"
Ludrug: "No money? That is too bad for you. We let you go only if you win fight. Your best champion versus our best champion."
Branwen: "Come on! Let's do it then!"
Ludrug: "Our best champion is Ludrug. Ludrug is me. Are you ready for fight? No matter, we fight now!"

Minsc: "What? But Minsc is our best champion!"
Imoen: "But you'd probably just punch him stone dead if you fought him. Maybe Branwen can make him submit. Would be nice to solve a conflict without killing anybody for a change..."

Branwen: "Tempest! Give us victoryyyy!"

Pow!

Ker-splat!

Imoen: "Aww...."

The other Gnolls actually respect this outcome of the fight and will just leave the scene. Still, this is very unlucky - Ludrug would've surrendered if Branwen had dealt 10 damage without depleting his total of 30 HP, which would've rewarded us with 500 XP instead of the 35 XP (and 135 gold) we get for killing him.

And whoops, I forgot to prepare a map of the area.
[...]

There we go!

The last map before returning to Nashkel begins with the traditional interrupting of the rest...

...followed by the equally traditional inconspicuous stealthing before talking to some NPCs. Although, to be fair, if you've played BG2 before BG1, you're going to be very cautious around women named Sendai...

Sendai: "Travelers from the north, halt! You trespass quite deep into Amnian territory. Perhaps you have come to spy upon our supposed troop buildup. It's quite funny, the stupid notions you northern barbarians can get stuck in your heads."
Imoen (I suppose, given that Weeblet is sneaky at the time): "Are you saying that Amn does not threaten Baldur's Gate?"
Sendai: "Of course not. Our mighty nation has better things to do than attack some self-important barbarian city. Anyhow, take our advice, and go back from whence you came."
Imoen: "Before you go, who ae you that you would roam about the Cloud Peaks? It is a very dangerous place at this time of year."
Sendai: "I am Sendai, of the noble merchant house of Argrims, foremost family in Amn. Delgod, Alexander and I have come out here to hunt game. Though perhaps you would make for better sport. I assume you would have no problem with this?"
Minsc: "What kind of monster would hunt his fellow human like a wild animal?"
Sendai: "Of course I was not serious. What I said, I did in jest. You with your barbarian mentality would of course misconstrue my meaning."
Minsc: "Well, perhaps you won't misconstrue this. Draw steel!"
Sendai: "Why, it seems that we have stumbled upon some berserkers. I had suspected as much when I caught your scent a few moments ago, but your behavior clinches it. Delgod! Alexander! Let us make short work of these peasants."

Darn! I almost managed to navigate this dialogue without triggering a fight! How very unfortunate!

It's really quite obvious what dialogue options avoid a confrontation - just don't rise to any of Sendai's numerous insults or threats - but, well, you don't get any XP nor treasure for playing nice here.

This fight can actually be quite challenging, despite all three enemies being regular fighters. However, they all have decent accuracy, Alexander and Delgod both use bows (which means that they get that extra attack per round), and they're immune to ol' reliable Sleep. I tend to do the trip to Dynaheir the way I do (go to the Stronghold the other way, then come here on the way back) specifically because of these three.

However, this (first! ) attempt went very well: Sendai goes down quite quickly, Alexander is forced into melee by Weeblet standing so close to him, and Delgod immediately gets disabled by Imoen's Blindness spell.

Yes, Weeblet still took some damage, but it's not too unusual for me to have somebody die in this encounter. Now, as for the loot...

Weeblet: "Neera, I swear we really appreciate what a great mage you are and how much you help us during all our fights..."
Neera: "Weeblet, it's fine. Annoying? Yes, absolutely. But fine. It's fine. Here, lemme see that armour..."

Oo, it's the second-best armour for a Fighter/Thief! (the best one being expensive merchandise at Thunderhammer in Beregost) It's simply two points ( = 10 avoid) better than regular Studded Leather in all regards with no funky side effects.

This one's from Krumm on the previous map and it's very good in specific fights. I tend to underutilise this by just slapping it on whoever has a free Girdle slot, in this case Minsc, but it's really nice to use to stack AC on your main tank if the bonus is applicable in a specific fight.

Going west (and saving Neera's third Identify spell for now), we find another hidden cache. It's been a while - I think the last one was in Nashkel before going to the mines? Wait, no, the Wand of Frost just outside the mines themselves.

One of the scrolls isn't too exciting - Chromatic Orb, a Lv.1 spell that, while potentially having devestating effects, allows the target a Saving Throw at a +6 bonus. I guess it's a bit better on Dynaheir, since it's an Evocation spell... However, the real price (albeit one that won't come into effect for a good while) is the other spell:

So: Insta-kill against weak enemies, Save-with-a-penalty or die against semi-powerful enemies, and poison damage over time on strong enemies. However, it's not party-friendly and it'll take a while until our mages reach Lv.9 to access the fifth spell circle. Still, it's a powerful spell even then, and I'm pretty sure scrolls for it are very limited in BG1.

Next, we run into a... well, I was going to say "surprising encounter", but we did meet Drienne just on the previous map...

Albert: "You funny-lookin'."

Albert: "'Scuse me. I ever so sowwy to bother, but could you help me? I've lost my little dog and I can't find him. He's probably ever so scared wight now."
Dynaheir: "Have you no parents here to help thee? 'Tis dangerous to be out alone."
Albert: "Parents? Yes, I'm here with some relatives, but they're away for a moment and I'm lost. We are thinking of moving here some day, but I don't know my way around yet. I can get home okay, but I just gotta get Rufie back. Please, could you help?"
Dynaheir: "Certainly, little one, I would be glad to aid thee. How wouldst I recognize him?"
Albert: "You will? Oh thank you so vewy much! I just know he'll be all right now! Poo Rufie isn't used to strange places an' people. You're sure to know him when you see him, 'cuz he's just the cutest little thing. Here, take this as well. His favorite chew toy, it is. He'll know you're a friend if you have it in your hands. Thank you so much again!"

Imoen: "Doesn't something about this feel... off?"
Weeblet: "You mean compared to the sweet little girl with a necromancer dad, or just in general?"

After fighting a couple random Xvarts, the next encounter is another pair of bandits.

Vax: "HEAR THAT, ZAL? Seems they don't take you seriously. Guess it's time to show what for, huh? Sorry, guys, but you're in for a world of hurt."

This encounter is a bit tougher than the silly set-up might suggest, but not on the same level as Sendai and her buddies earlier.

The "dart build" is actually a thing, kind of...? Nothing special - Zal is simply a Grandmaster at throwing darts, which adds 5 to his damage, which is how he gets from 1-3 base damage to 8 (times 1.5). What makes this somewhat of a specific "build" is that darts have the most attacks per round (3) of any weapon type, so the +5 damage from grandmastery is applied to a lot of rolls. It's not the best option for ranged damage at any point of the series, but it's a funny meme option.

Zal then adds a bit of magical help to the mix (and yes, we beat them pretty easily. It helps to have somebody go after Zal immediately), so his accuracy is genuinely very good.

Unfortunately, the Dale's Protector is quite restricted in what classes can use it. Thieves and their duals/multis can, so once Imoen regains her Thief levels, she will make good use of it, but for now, we'll have to hold on to it.

There has been some criticism levied against the relatively recent Siege of Dragonspear DLC that it includes some pop-cultural references that feel out of place in Baldur's Gate content. Anyway, here's a pop-cultural reference that had already been dated when the original Baldur's Gate had released.

(This is not to say that the SoD DLC is perfect, far from it, but let's not get ahead of ourselves)

Larry: "Hey, Darryl, come quick! These folks want us to sign an ee-lek-tronik autograph for 'em..." *scribble scribble scribble*

How nice.

One enemy type on this map are inexplicable skeletons, with no reference to who might have raised them. They aren't terribly powerful nor durable, but the damage they take from piercing, slashing, and (especially) missile damage is greatly reduced.

They're also noteable for having varying weapon types - some on this map spawned with darts, these ones with Composite Longbows, a weapon that I maybe should've gotten for Minsc before setting out to save Dynaheir. Ranged combat good. He still gets one now, but, well, he won't stay around that much longer.

And another random monster on this map are Winter Wolves, which I've been hoping to encounter since traveling to the Nashkel Mines. These are supposedly some of the most powerful wolves in the game, giving a whopping 975 XP on defeat, but I don't think they're actually that dangerous. That their damage can be reduced with a Saving Throw doesn't help their case, but they're also only as accurate as the 175-XP Dire Scrubs.

They're automatically skinned upon defeat, and the merchant in Nashkel will buy their pelts for 500 gold apiece, without that price degrading as it normally does for anything that isn't a gem or jewelry of some sort.

Dynaheir reaches Lv.3 after this battle, but, well, she won't stay around that much longer and I don't think we even have any Lv.2 scrolls available right now, so she won't be making use of her newly available second spell circle.

Speaking of wolves...

Rufie: "Grrr...."
Weeblet: "Umm..... good... boy...?"
Rufie: "GRRRRRR...."
Weeblet: "L-let's find the Albert boy quickly, yes?"
Rufie: "Woof."

Weeblet: "..."
Dynaheir: "..."
Imoen: "So... did we do a good thing there?"
Weeblet: "I guess it, er, exorcised the demon..."
Dynaheir: "Devil."
Weeblet: "...devil from our plane, so... maybe?"
Neera: "We also didn't give that thing a reason to come back and gouge our eyes out. That's a plus. I like seeing things. Most things."

We get a semi-valuable gem as a reward from Albert, as well as a whopping 1000 XP, so I guess helping a literal devil out really was a good deed?

And that's that! One trip to the Gnoll Fortress, one daring rescue, one trip back.

Time to sit back, enjoy an ale, and have Volothorp unknowingly sing our praises.

Imoen: "I don't know, I've heard that one of them can barely look over a table and has the the most ridiculous haircut."

We can also sell some of the loot we've picked up, including the Winter Wolf pelt...

...and the autograph from Larryl, Darryl & Darryl, who apparently have some fans along the Sword Coast. After a good night's sleep, Neera can also further work on her backlog:

Two pairs of boots, with similar effects, and both kinda situational, although the Boots of the North would've been useful against that Winter Wolf.

But now, it's time to say goodbye to Minsc and Dynaheir (...after taking the more valuable pieces of equipment from them, naturally).

Imoen: "So, how does it look? You want to stick around?"
Dynaheir: "Thou hast proven to be quite the group of adventurers. No doubt shall our paths cross again and I would proudly call thee mine ally again, but I must stay in Amn for a while."
Weeblet: "Out of curiosity, what are you looking for, anyway?"
Dynaheir: "We wish to learn about the wise Alaundo's prophecies..."
Weeblet: "Oh, ♫ The Lord of Murder shall perish ♫ and so on?"
Dynaheir: "Precisely. And Bhaal hath perished indeed. But what do the next parts foretell? Our plan is to travel to Athkatla, to study what hath been taking place in Amn these last years."

...I believe that accounts for everything. Next time: Revenge shall be had. Also some side questing? I haven't quite decided where to go from here. Until I have - thanks for reading!

 

[ping]

Update 8: Revenge! And sidequests. Mostly sidequests.

Spoiler

Branwen: "We can rest later. I shall not suffer that bastard Tranzig to live a moment longer!"

Tranzig: "Seems to me that these men want some trouble. I'll give them trouble." - "Tranzig's not afraid of rabble such as you."

Tranzig's voice acting is of noticeably lower quality than everybody else's. I have no idea why. Apparently, the original game reduced his volume as if to mask it, but it's audible loud and clear the Enhanced Editions that he's probably not voiced by a professional actor.

Anyway, stab time!

Weeblet does the usual little "go into the encounter stealthed" cheese, Branwen boosts herself with Holy Power, and Neera manages to interrupt Tranzig's spell. Notice how she conjured three missiles instead of two: A feature of the Wild Mage kit is that their caster level will randomly fluctuate. In this instance, Neera got quite lucky with a +2 increase.

Tranzig: "I give up! Please let me live. I'll tell ya anything ya wanna know."

Unlike Mulahey in the mines, Tranzig genuinely tries to surrender here. But Branwen is rightfully in a murderous mood here, so...

Tranzig: "I'm not gonna go down without a fight!"

Narrator's voice (that's Kevin Michael Richardson): "He did, in fact, go down without a fight."

The Tranzig fight can go wrong if you're unlucky - the spell Neera interrupted was Ghost Armor, which provides him with a very respectable AC, so it's quite possible that he's able to follow up with some of his many direct damage spells like Melf's Acid Arrow or good ol' Magic Missile. But in general, this is not a terribly dangerous or difficult fight.

Weeblet: "That's convenient."

Next main quest location: received.

Tranzig also drops another Ring of the Princes, which improves AC and all Saving Throws by one. With Minsc's leaving, Branwen is actually the tankiest character we have right now, since the Ankheg Armour would disable Weeblet's stealth abilities, so improving her survivability even further seems like the best play.

The spell scroll he carried contains a pretty decent Lv.2 spell - party friendly AoE Blindness is very nice, but the duration is fairly short and there is no penalty to the Saving Throw. The invis/stealth detection part doesn't come up very often in BG1 and direct detection spells are preferred when it does, since that part of the Glitterdust spell also gets negated by a successful Saving Throw.

Now, while we're here, there's something, or someone, right next door...

Darn! *reload*

There, got Algernon's cloak!

Yes, I invested into Imoen's Pickpocket ability specifically to be able to nick some items like this without needing the Potion of Master Thievery, but I'm also impatient.

Plus, there's a chest with a valuable gem that Weeblet wouldn't be able to rob without the help of a potion, so we're getting two for one here.

There's also a couple of side quest that we can turn in while we're in Beregost...:

Perdue: "Queer things have been afoot lately."

Neera: "To be fair, you said that you made a bunch of shorty jokes when you talked to him."

(500 XP for this quest - not a ton, but fairly generous given that we effectively just killed a few Gnolls to retrieve the sword)

Another 300 XP for this one - we found Roe's note just south of Beregost on a messenger that was killed by two Ogrillons. The ring Mirianne gives us is visibly another Ring of the Princes, but Jaheira will probably yell at us all the way from the Friendly Arm Inn if we equip it without an Identify spell.

Mr. Colquetle: "It is... it was my son's. Please, might I have it?
Weeblet: "Of course, sir. It is regretful that I could not have arrived sooner and prevented their deaths."
Mr. Colquetle: "I thank you. Funny, isn't it? How a simple piece of cut glass takes on so much mor worth? Please, leave me."

This is one of the instances where you can choose to be a complete prick and either demand a reward or even tell Mr. Colquetle that you're going to sell the amulet. In both cases, you get a hit to your reputation...

...while being a decent hobbit being rewards you with an extra point of rep. With that, we've hit the cap of 20 (and any evil companion would've run away in a hissy fit at this point), making everybody like us a little more.

In more main story related news..:

Chloe: "Ooh, you smell!"

Chloe: "Why everybody here is talking about you. You're the ones who saved the Nashkel mines! My momma says that even though we don't like those folks from Amn, there's no reason anyone should have to suffer so..."
Weeblet: "Well, that's us, I guess. You've got a good eye. Now who is this person that wants so much to see us?"
Chloe: "Her name's Officer Vai and she's with the Flaming Fist. And you needn't worry, she's real nice!"
Weeblet: "Thank you, child. You have earned your gold piece. I will go to the Jovial Juggler and meet with Officer Vai shortly."
Chloe: "Good! You folks are real nice. Momma says the Sword Coast needs some real heroes, these days... Tymora be with you, okay?"

Weeblet: "I'm guessing if this is about any missing objects, she wouldn't have sent a little kid with a message, would she?"
Imoen: "Unless she thinks that we would think that, of course. But yeah, this should be save. Better not make ourselves look suspicious by not showing up."

Mysterious Old Man: "Ho there, wanderers. Stay thy course and indulge an old man."

Elminster: "Perhaps not common knowledge, but everything is plain for those that know where to look. As it is, I am aware of thine efforts and accompishments. Thou art quite adept, as Gorion predicted. All that remains is to determine motive."
Weeblet: "Gorion? You knew him? But you said nothing before."
Elminster: "'Twas neither the place nor the time for such things. As painful as the circumstances may have been, it was time for thee to forge thine own path. One of the most valuable lessons that life has taught me is when NOT to go sticking my pipe in other people's affairs. Such is the case now as well."
Weeblet: "But you could tell me so much more, about Gorion and myself alike. Please, stay a while."
Elminster: "I fear I cannot. Self discovery is best left to the self, and all thy questions will be answered in time. I will offer a small tidbit of information, though thou hast likely heard the same from another source already. The bandits that thou dost seek make a habit of traveling in the northeast. A search in that direction will no doubt yield fruitful results. With this, I shall take my leave."

Journal: "I met that strange man again, though he now identifies himself as Elminster! All who walk the realms know of this man, though what he should find of interest in me I do not know. He said that the bandits I seek make a habit of traveling in the northeast. Again, I must wonder why my concerns are worth his attention."

One must also wonder why an old man and a little girl roam the streets in the wee hours of the day. We at least have the excuse of being thieving scoundrels.

Elminster is indeed a Big Deal in the Forgotten Realms, to the point that he has his own Wikipedia article. He's the most powerful wizard in the world, personally trained by the goddess of magic Mystra, so him keeping an eye out for Weeblet can only mean...

Imoen: "Elminster himself, huh? I guess that confirms who Jaheira's mysterious contacts are."
Weeblet: "Wait, what? That's not what I was even thinking of."
Imoen: "No, I don't mean Elminster himself. But look: Elminster is a big dog with the Harpers, so if he knew Gorion well, well, then chances are that Gorion was one of them, too. And then why do you think he would trust Jaheira and Khalid that implicitly?"
Weeblet: "I admit that sounds *plausible*, but..."
Imoen: "Plus that weirdo we ran into right after... you know... Well, he wanted to kill 'Harpies', and he meant Jaheira and Khalid with that. I never had a good opportunity to ask Jaheira about that, but considering everything else..."
Weeblet: "But Gorion never even mentioned the Harpers! I know hardly anything about them but the name. You'd think he'd tell me about something this important!"
Imoen: "Oh, please. Gorion told us basically nothing about himself, so why would he talk about this semi-secret circle? Puffguts mentioned them sometimes, but only called them a meddlesome bunch and never elaborated. I managed to read a little about them in secret... They like to be the power behind the power, I think, but they mean well. Usually."

The Harpers will make a bit of an appearance in the sequel - for now, the takeaway only has to be that Jaheira and Khalid are in some sort of good-aligned secret society. But we were about to meet a copper before we were interrupted by Big E, so let's get to the Jovial Juggler in the southeast corner of the map:

Officer Vai: "My contingent and I are cut off from Baldur's Gate. We haven't received new orders for close to a week and, to be honest, I don't like the feel of this at all. The bandit raids have been getting worse since you returned from Nashkel. I used to think that they were just your usual brigands out to make a quick buck in troubled times, but not anymore. They're working for someone... One way or another, I've got to get my troops back to the Gate. I'll pay 50 gold pieces for every bandit scalp you can bring me--and spread the news. I want this whole region cleared before winter comes."

You might remember that we already picked up a few bandit scalps previously with me not finding any good RP reasoning why the heck we would do that. Well, here we go - the nice police lady asks us to bring her the scalps of wrongdoers. There, nothing sinister at all. At all.

Since the Thunderhammer smithy is unmanned at night, everybody then takes a quick nap. That's also an opportunity for Neera to lighten her load a bit more: First, what's so special about Algernon's Cloak?

There ya go - it brings Weeblet's Charisma up to 21. There's no real benefit going past 20, but reaching that benchmark means that we get the highest possible discount at shops: 25%. Our maxed reputation adds another 30% to that discount, which means that we now go shopping for less than half the price that a semi-charismatic no-name would have to pay. Quite substantial, I would say.

The charm ability is very strong too - Save vs. Breath tends to be relatively bad on most things that aren't a high-level Fighter, so you generally get good odds for it, too. Personally, I don't like mind control abilities too much, though, so I don't use it very often at all.

We also picked up the weakest kind of AC bracers somewhere between Nashkel and the Gnoll Stronghold (in the cave at the Xvart village, I believe). Imoen equips them for a little 10% avoid boost, but they should become obsolete before too long.

The now officially identified Ring of the Princes from Mirianne goes to Neera, which gives us an opportunity to check her current backlog, too.

Now, to pay a visit to Taerom Thunderhammer:

Taerom Fuiruim: "You found it, just like that? Well that certainly does 'illuminate' things, doesn't it?"
Weeblet: "I thought maybe you could use it to find a way to reverse the effects?"
Taerom: "I couldn't, no. But I know someone who can. Give me a few days, and I should have some results."

We'll pass through Beregost again sooner or later, so we'll see what this'll do for us at some point in the future.

We also get some supplies and equipment while we're here - a buch of throwing daggers for Weeblet and (especially) Imoen...

...as well as the armour that I mentioned when we picked up the second-best armour for Weeblet in the previous update. Here's another point of AC, as well as 60% of a level-up worth of stealth skills.

Something I think I have forgotten to mention: Normally, you can't wear magic armour and a Ring of the Princes (or equivalent trinket in another slot) at the same time. I dislike the restriction, so I'm using an option from my mod pack to allow magic armour and one additional AC trinket. It makes the game easier just a little bit, but magic armour (maybe with the  exception of this specific one) is kinda useless in BG1 without that little tweak, which I think is a bit of a shame.

We're done in Beregost for now, and while we could go north to the Friendly Arm to turn in another quest (and not turn in the one that involves handing over the Girdle of Piercing), the general plan for now is to wander back and forth through the wilderness close-ish to the road between Beregost and Nashkel.

Imoen: "Hey Weeblet, I can't help notice that you're still wearing the Boots of Stealth that that Halfling who stole our gold wanted us to return."
Weeblet: "Gosh, I totally forgot! I'm so absent-minded!"

First thing on the first map that we encounter: One ordinary wolf! ...which obviously wouldn't be worth mentioning...

...if it wasn't for the talking chicken following it (and if we hadn't killed the wolf quickly, it would've just screamed for help at first).

Melicamp: "Thank you. Yes, *cluck*, that was just what I needed in my *cluck* hour of need. You laught it up while I *cluck* learn to cope with passing eggs."
Weeblet: "My apologies, good... um... chicken. What has caused your current accursed state?"
Melicamp: "Thank the *cluck* Mother of All Magic, mayhaps now I might end this *cluck* nightmare. I am Melicamp of Beregost, a *cluck* mage adept in the mystical arts. A... misread... incantation seems to be *cluck* the source of my troubling form. 'Tis been over a month since I *cluck* uttered a polymorph spell, and I simply cannot return to my normal *cluck* form!"

Neera: "You wouldn't happen to be a Wild Mage, would you? I'd... rather not learn that this is something that might happen to me. Three hours as a squirrel has been plenty."
Melicamp: "Goodness, no! My sorry state comes from an honest mistake, not from messing with the weave and hoping for the *cluck* best."

Weeblet: "Is there anyone that might be able to assist you? I fear I have little in the way of magical power myself."
Melicamp: "Blast it all! Well, there is nothing else I *cluck* can do except my most hated option. There is a tower directly to the west of *cluck* Beregost, about which can be found the mage Thalantyr. I am his apprentice, and I am certain he will *cluck* aid me."
Imoen: "For being his apprentice, you seem unsure of his willingness to help you."
Melicamp: "Oh, 'tis nothing *cluck* ... REALLY! Um, often the relationship between *cluck* apprentice and master is... strained. He will help, I am certain."
Weeblet: "Then to his abode we shall go. I will escort you."

Weeblet: "In a while. We were just heading towards the south to explore the surroundings, which means away from Beregost. If you've been a chicken for a month, I'm sure you can handle another few days?"
Melicamp: "Spoken like somebody who has never been *cluck* chickenated. But I am aware that beggars can't be choosers. I only ask that you won't delay my request for too long."

Random encounters are generally not very difficult on this map (oh look, another wolf in the log!), so it sure has some interesting encounters. Let's set up the next one:

Footy: "Sssh! I'm spyin' on Bassilus an' his spooks. They're funny."
Branwen: "I've never heard of a funny spook before... Why are they so funny?"
Footy: "Bassilus keeps on tellin' these stories about how happy he was as a kid, but all the spooks just kinda moan and mumble and stuff, like they're not really listening. That's what my brother used to do before he disappeared, mumble like that when he weren't really listening... You stay here. I'm gonna go tell my friend Netty 'bout this place. She'll think it's really funny, what with her daddy gone and all."

Imoen: "Can't wait to finally meet a kid that's both happy *and* well-adjusted. Preferably with both parents still alive. But hey, Branwen, you weren't around when we talked to the Lathander guy in Beregost. That Bassilus is a priest of Cyric and a murderer and there's a biiig bounty on his head. I was hoping we would find him."

And find him we do, surrounded by a bunch of low-level undead.

Imoen: "Any advise as a cleric of a less crazy god, Branwen?"
Branwen: "'Tis likely that the undead will fall once Bassilus is dead. If we can get near him without them attacking, maybe we can defeat him quickly."
Imoen: "Well, Weeblet can do his silent-like-the-wind thing. And I have an idea..."

Bassilus: "Heh heh heh heh heh heh... Oh, brother Thurm, why not grace our ears with a ripping tale of the old days? Heh heh. Always a delight!"
Zombie: "Uuuuuuuuuhhhh..."
Bassilus: "Oh, don't hesitate on my account! Some of the others may not have heard them.
Zombie: "Hhhhhhhhhhh..."
Bassilus: "Hold your peace then, though I remember a time back at Zhentil Keep when you would sooner die than be quiet. You... would sooner... um... I'll wait till you feel like telling them yourself, I don't remember the old days so well."
Branwen: "You there, what is the meaning of this...?"

Imoen: "No, hush, play along!"

Bassilus: "About as well as can be expected, I guess. It has been difficult but I've got most of the family back together. Some did not seem to recognize me at first, but I helped them recall."
Branwen: "No matter. I've not seen you since, um, Zhentil Keep. Thank the gods we all got out safely."
Bassilus: "Yes, though it was frightening for a time because I thought I was the only one of us that survived. I thought I was the only one who... the only one. You lie. YOU LIE! YOu cannot be my mother because she died when I left the... when I..."
Branwen: "It's not I who lies but you to yourself! You rob others of THEIR loved ones to replace those you betrayed long ago!"
Bassilus: "No! They lived, all of them! I saved them and they live! I... I ran. Dead... all dead. It isn't tru! It cannot be! You lie! You will die for slighting my memory!"

Taking this exact dialogue path will kill the undead surrounding Bassilus (and waste their XP! Oh no!), making this fight a lot less crowded...

...and while Bassilus is quite strong and, being a Cleric, has decent AC and HP, he's still a lone spellcaster against a party of four.

As a quick shut-down, Imoen manages to blind Bassilus...

...which means that everybody can just keep their distance and pelt him with knives and rocks.

Branwen: "Your tactics may be cunning, but I find myself agreeing with our simple-minded friend Minsc: They are lacking in valour."
Imoen: "Gosh, I'd love to hear what Jaheira would have to say about that"

Bassilus is worth 975 XP, which is enough for Weeblet to get another Thief level. He keeps putting all of his skill points into the stealth skills, which, as a reminder, are entirely interchangeable. Their average is the success percentage, reduced if it isn't night or Weeblet has a shadow to hide in. With his boots and armour helping, he's now up to 95 and 100, respectively, so his stalking through the night is almost impeccable at this point.

Apart from his mundane chain mail and shield, Bassilus also drops his Holy Symbol for us to turn in for a bounty, as well as magic gauntlets and a war hammer. The skeletons that Branwen talked to death also leave behind their two-handed swords and heavy crossbows, which in total would sell for a decent amount of money, but without Minsc, we simply don't have the weight capacity to carry that many with us.

We'll put the magic items into the queue, Neera has something else on her mind right now:

Neera: "Even though I first ran away because I was scared, I've begun to think I should find a way to reduce the unfortunate side effects of my otherwise awesome spells."
Weeblet: "Aren't 'unfortunate side-effects' the main feature of wild magic?"
Neera: "It only seems that way because everyone forgets all the times my untamed magic made my spells more powerful. All anyone remembers is when I accidentally incinerated a classmate."

I kinda like the analogy, not going to lie, although I believe that this isn't quite how wild magic 'canonically' works in the Forgotten Realms. As far as I know, it's not a quirk innate to a magic user as portrayed with Neera, but a concious decision to cast spells with less safety precautions to achieve greater effects. But hey, 'canon' is overrated and it works within the Baldur's Gate games.

Neera: "Also, the flute sometimes turns me into a hamster. Anyway, wild mages tend to keep to themselves for obvious reasons, but I've heard about one nearby. They say he's very old and wise."
Weeblet: "What would a young half-elf like you want with an old man?"
Neera: "What a dirty mind you have! It's nothing like that. I just want to know more about how to handle my wild magic."
Weeblet: "Who is this wild mage, and where can we find him?"
Neera: "His name is Adoy, and he was last spotted to the east of Firewine Brige."
Weeblet: "Then we'll look for him there at once."
Neera: "Thanks, Weeblet. You're more than a convenient escape from vicious Red Wizards. You're a real pal."

Melicamp: "Look, I understand that you wish to *cluck* impress the young lady, but..."
Weeblet: "Oh, hush. This must be really important to her. Plus, if that Adoy guy can teach her some tricks, maybe she can do something about your--"
Melicamp: "I *cluck* rather doubt that. But I can see that you've made up your *cluck* mind and I cannot do anything about that except *cluck* disapprove."

Zargal: "Zargal want all of your money. Give Zargal your money and Zargal will let you live."
Weeblet: "You have to be joking. Our money is very important to us. If we just gave it to every foul-smelling hobgoblin who happened by... well, we wouldn't get far in life, now would we?"
Zargal: "You very stupid for city folk. You die screaming. ZARGAL STRONGEST ONE THERE IS!"

This fight seems like a great opportunity to try out Neera's new-ish Web spell:

Boom. They're dead.

Well, slight exaggeration. They can succeed a subsequent saving throw and potentially shoot an arrow or three, but against many, many groups of enemies, the Web spell can serve as an easy "I win" button. This is especially true because the AI won't try to get out of the web if somebody regains or keeps their mobility - melee fighters will try to engage your party (who's hopefully standing out of the area of effect), but that's about it.

The obvious downside is that it's not party-friendly and that we don't have any means to protect ourselves from the Web effect just yet. But if you center the Web spell on or near the furthest enemy, it's generally not too difficult to attack the webbed enemies with projectiles without getting yourself stuck in the process (...which is not to say that I won't walk into my webs at some point in this LP).

Even without the Web spell, Zargal's group wouldn't have been too dangerous for us at this point. They're doable (if somewhat tough) for a Lv.1-2 group just heading towards Nashkel, which we've kinda outgrown at this point.

Kissiq: "I have been a rural merchant all my life and am thereby no stranger to poultry of any shade or color... But there be a fiendish hen to the east that, when I picked her up, spoke to me in a voice most human. Either I am in the chill grips of the deepest fever or that chicken be possessed by a spirit from the very depths of the ninth and final hell!"

Melikamp: "I assure you, good sir, that *cluck* I am but a human involutarily shifted into this *cluck* accursed form. If I may ask a boon of you..."
Kissiq: "There it is again! Stay away from me, fowl beast!"
Neera: *snrk*
Imoen: "Oh, I see how it is. We aren't good enough to help your noble self, are we?"
Melikamp: "Good enough? Yes. Fast enough? *cluck* No. No, you are not."

Somewhere across this map, Imoen reaches Mage Lv.3, giving her one Lv.2 spell (and not much else). If only for the sake of variety, she goes with the Glitterdust spell for now.

The last named encounter is Roger, who is awfully calm about those four gibberlings currently trying to eat his face. (Well, no, they don't, since enemies generally ignore neutral NPCs. Still!)

Whoops, in my eternal wisdom, I forgot to screenshot the annotations for the map. I could go back ingame and fix that, or...

I was also not sure if it was possible and I just forgot to unlock the map right below Candlekeep from here (nope), which is why I was going to the northern edge of the map on that previous screenshot. We do unlock the other coastal map, but we're going to save the Seawatcher (and the yet to be unveiled map to the north) for a later time.

Instead, we move towards Nashkel, and (as we tend to do) try to rest after arriving. And (as we tend to do) we're interrupted in our attempt, twice this time. First by a few Gnolls, then by an Ogre Berserker, indicating that the random encounters on this map can be a bit tougher than on the previous map.

It's all good though, Imoen still had a Sleep left and RNGeesus is on our side.

Third attempt to sleep works, though. As things works out, it's nighttime after the rest, which honestly suits us just fine. It allows Weeblet to scout ahead with very low risk of failing to stealth.

This map is overall not very densely filled with non-random encounters, but there is still a couple. First: Another group of bandits.

Teyngan: "My name is Teyngan, this is my girl Jemby. The ugly one is Zekar. What we want is your money. Hand over all your cash, and you'll be unharmed. Before you do anything rash, think it over awhile. I'm sure your life is worth more than the little gold you might possess."
Branwen: "Greedy bandits. You infest our roads with your stink. Draw steel!"
Teyngan: Stupid, STUPID! Now you die!"

Well, let's see about that. Jemby is not particularly tanky and she goes down in one hit, even though Weeblet didn't attack from the right angle to get the backstab multiplier. As almost every mage, she can be a pain in the bum with the good ol' Mirror Image -> Horror opener, so it's nice that Weeblet gets the stab in before she manages to cast the former.

Imoen also has a very successful Glitterdust debut. This isn't the same "I win" as Blindness was vs. Bassilus, thanks to the shorter duration, but it allows us to focus on Teyngan and leave Zekar (who otherwise shoots poisoned arrows at you) be.

Neera: "Ooh, did you see that? Man, I'm good!"

The trio drops a couple of valuables, including the Mage version of the Remove Fear spell. I believe the effects are completely identical, but because Clerics get it as a Lv.1 spell, it's not really worth using this one unless you don't have a Cleric with you.

Jemby was wearing a Robe of Fire Resistance, which is... OK, I guess. Better than the Knave's Robe that Imoen is currently wearing, which gives one point of AC vs. Slashing, which Imoen should hardly ever face, so Imoen equips this one for now.

While Neera is at it, she also takes a look at Bassilus's weapon, which is the strongest War Hammer in the game - basically that weapon type's equivalent of Greywolf's Varscona, dealing electric instead of cold damage.

It pretty much renders Branwen's Flail/Morningstar pip obsolete. The interface doesn't register the +1 electric damage, so Ashideena is an improvement in every way over the Flail +1.

The Hobgoblin brigands on the previous map somehow got their hands on a +2 weapon, as well, although this one is lacking the elemental bonus damage. It's still not a bad weapon for anybody using Short Swords as their main or (like Imoen) side weapon.

The next encounter is a very, let's say confident Hobgoblin.

Hobgoblin: "I'm a member of the Chill, the mercenary band. If you want all my friends breathing down your neck, then just keep on pissing me off."
Weeblet: "You're threatening us?! I think you've got things mixed up, you degenerate, foul-smelling beast. Before we end you miserable life you should do some begging, and maybe throw in some information about these Chills."

Branwen: "Not that I don't appreciate the fighting words, but this seems a little out-of-character for him, doesn't it?"
Imoen: "Oh, he probably read that speech in one of his books."

Hobgoblin: "Wait! Hey, I'm sorry, just don't kill me, please. I'll tell you about the Chill."
Weeblet: "Go on."
Hobgoblin: "The Chill are a group of mercenaries, they're part of the group who's been raiding the merchant caravans. I just got lost in a raid a couple days back, some of the Flaming Fist had been doggin' my steps. There, I've told you what ya wanted to hear."

We've seen the Chill mentioned in a letter sent to Mulahey in the Nashkel mines, so this dude just confirms what we already know, that they're working for Mulahey's boss Tazok and whoever his bosses are.

A random Gnoll randomly drops another spell scroll, one that would be more interesting if Weeblet wasn't so gosh darn handsome already. The +6 Cha gets some NPC spellcasters (Imoen, the Bards that we didn't recruit, Dynaheir when she's wearing Algernon's Cloak) to 20 Charisma, which allows you to get max discount at stores very easily.

Next, some less random Gnolls, besetting a not exactly helpless traveler:

Drizzt: "The fight is joined, and I welcome your aid. Tiresome beasts these gnolls are, and I'll be glad to be done with them!"

Drizzt is probably the most famous DnD character there has ever been. But just for reference - he's a Chaotic Good Drow (Dark Elf), a people that is otherwise almost uniformly evil. He has spawned expys in countless DnD groups, similar to Human Rangers named 'Aregorn' and Elven Archers named 'Ligolas', which made him very infamous in pen-and-paper RPG circles. I haven't read any DnD novels, though, so I can't say how much of his Mary Sue reputation is actually deserved in his stories.

Needless to say, he is in absolutely no danger here. He has 92 HP, an absurd AC of -16 (so everybody and everything needs to roll a 20 to hit him), 30% damage reduction against physical attacks... Sure, given an infinite amount of time, the Gnolls will eventually roll enough 20s to kill him, but Drizzt will very quickly run through them with five attacks per round (the maximum a non-hasted character can have) using his two +3 Scimitars.

It's actually still possible to kill Drizzt with some cheesy strats, although I've never done it. There's also a RP dilemma: His scimitars can only be wielded by a good-aligned character... but would a good character try to murder a legendary hero for his stuff?

Drizzt: "Noble goals indeed, and ones I would hold dear myself. Your struggle will be difficult, for the bandits that I have encountered--being beset at every turn as I am--are no mere vagabonds with blades. The humans bear the style of the Blacktalons, and the hobgoblins that of the Chill. Mercenary groups both of them, and as such it is unlikely they are the architects of this endeavor. You would do well to insinuate yourself into their ranks and determine their true masters. Difficult, but not impossible, and potentially the most fruitful course."
Weeblet: "This is sage advice which I will heed. Know that I think well of you on your journey."
Drizzt: "Wel met, friend. Luck be on your side."

Unlike Elminster, who appears to have some personal interest in our story, Drizzt is pretty much just here for the fanboys and -girls to drool over. He gives some hints about a less violent approach to the next part of the main quest, but he doesn't make a reappearance.

More random encounters, plus some bad backstabbing attempts...

...and Neera eventually earns enough XP to reach Lv.4, giving her three (thanks to the the Evermemory ring) additional spells.

Level 1 gets filled with further Identify spells...

...and level 2 with an Invisibility spell. Despite what the description says, you can look for and disarm traps while magically stealthed (but not open locks), which is a big advantage over hiding in the shadow.

Further to the north, we run into two interesting fellas:

Torlo: "Nay, I have not. Used to be a miner, I did. I've sunk to this to feed my family. Not that it's a bad way to make a living, mind you. I just prefer having a good solid pick in my hands and sweating while I work. Tgere's too much standing about waiting for the fish to bite. Ah well, we do what we must."

Chelan: "You are entitled to your interpretation, though I prefer tothink of myself as optimistic. I've been put out of work because of the iron shortage too, blah blah blah and all that rot. I have simply chosen to not let it get me down. So I'm out of the mine, so what? I'll fish for food, and look decidedly less pale at the end of the day because I got some sun for a change. Now if you don't mind, I've some SINGING to do!"

They're just here for fluff.

A bit further to the east we run into four Half Ogres...

...three Half Ogres...

...well, nobody at all, actually. The fight wasn't particularly epic, but this was actually a side quest from Beregost: The Paladin Bjornin had been beaten up by this group of bandits and had asked us to take them out.

And that's it. Bit of a filler map, despite the celebrity cameo.

Next, we take a shortcut to Nashkel.

As usual, we rest after reaching the new map, once Neera has spent her last Identify spell. Bassilus was carrying these gauntlets, although I don't know if he actually had them equipped. In any case, I keep them around in case they sell for a few gold pieces (which, as it will turn out, they don't. They sell for a gold piece).

Today's Ambush of the Day is a group of Tasloi, another type of weak monster.

The elevator pitch for them seems to be "Jungle Goblins", as they even worship the same god as Goblins do. They seem to be another of those tribal humanoids that were introduced to DnD as foes intelligent enough to fight strategically that player murderhobos can still murder without suffering from a bad conscience.

In this game, they're honestly just the same as Gibberlings or Xvarts: an enemy that even a party of Lv.1 heroes would have little trouble beating. They use spears as their weapons, which even deal the same damage (1D6 piercing) as the Xvarts' short swords.

As for scripted encounters, there's again a handful. First one is just a large group of Gnolls, including some stronger variants, but without any dialogue or attached sidequest whatsoever.

Because I'm being a bit greedy ("surely, one Sleep spell will knock out enough enemies to make this encounter safe") and because even the Studded Leather +3 that Weeblet is wearing isn't quite as good as proper (full) plate, Weeblet takes more damage than is comfortable, but we get through the fight without having to reload.

One of the Gnolls (a G. Chieftain, I believe) drops three spell scrolls: One 99% useless (if they try to stab us, they're probably evil, and if not, they're still trying to stab us)...

...the second one, of which he dropped two, is potentially useful for a different party set-up than ours. There are no locks that can't be opened by a thief, but can by this spell, so it's not something we need to memorise, but if Weeblet and Imoen had swapped their thief duties, this spell could've helped bridge the period while Imoen's thief levels are inactive.

Near the upper middle of the map, we run into a archaelogical dig:

Charleston Nib: "Put yer backs to those shovels, men! If she's not out tonight, we'll lose 'er to the bandito scum!"

Charleston Nib: "Have we? Aye, and plenty of it. Nary an eve goes by without us losing another hand to the night. I sewar, if we could just get a few moments of uninterrupted digging done... say, you wouldn't be willing to do a little service for me, would you? You could doa lot worse than working for ol' Charleston Nib."
Weeblet: "I would like to know just what I would be protecting. What are you doing here? Looks to be glorified grave robbing in nothing but a decrepit tomb."
Charleston Nib: "You are partially right, though it't not a tomb, but an ancient settlement. It is also all that remains of a primitive race long since extinct, and we know little about their culture save that they seem to have destroyed themselves in war. Perhaps today we will learn something more. We are just about to break through an inner chamber, perhaps the dwelling of the village shaman himself. Mayhaps you could be of assistance to us? We need but keep the camp secure a short while longer. Your very presence would probably dissuade anyone from attacking us, though I do not know the force behind our misfortune. They seem to take great pleasure in minor sabotage and kidnapping, though some of the missing men may have just run off from fear. Nothing is ever stolen, which is odd for bandits, but they must still be the cause. Will you help us?"
Weeblet: "It would be an honor to help you learned people in your quest for knowledge."
Charleston Nib: "Gracious we are! Now we stand a chance of completing the most important day of our dig! We're going to try for an entire new room today, possibly the shaman or chieftain quarters! We could find any number of relics within. Move amongst the men as you will, as your presence will no doubt reassure them."

As soon as Charleston has convinced Weeblet (who grew up in Candlekeep, so the value of knowledge would've been hammered into him for his entire childhood) to help, Weeblet is approached by another man.

Gallor: "First, my name is Gallor. Second, we never had this conversation. I'm the 'partner' of that old mister Charleston you met, except I'm none too thrilled about the non-profit aspect of the whole thing. The old man seems to think we should donate all our findings to some museum, whereas I am ever so much more practical. I should think certain people would pay dearly for the magical treasure we are about to unearth, and if they would be so eager, who are we to stand in their way? I would like you to steal the item and 'remove' Mr. Nib from my little equation. You up to the task?"
Weeblet: "I would have to kill many of the working men if I attacked Charleston. It would be a veritable slaughter, and I want no part of it."
Gallor: "Blast you! You are playing as safe as the old man! So be it, I will find other means to aquire a fair measure of profit from this fiasco! best you continue on whatever errand you be on."

Charleston leads us through a series of caves...

Digger: "Hey, boss man, I don't feel so good. how old is the air in this place?"
Charleston Nib: "A good question, young man. I would guess that we are the first people to walk this room in nearly five thousand years. The very gods of Netheril would have been young at that time."
Digger: "Is so... is so cold in here... I feel... strange. I hear... I hear a voice in my head..."
(...)
Digger: "I hear the hollow voice but it is but a mumble! Speak up! Speak up and guide mine hands! RAAAAAAAGH! You... I see what you are! There is power to be had from your death! Your blood will quiet the voice! BLOOD WILL QUIET!"

The diggers, but not Charleston, then turn hostile. They're very weak (and don't even start with full HP), so they aren't dangerous even in this cramped space. There is no choice but to kill them...

Charleston Nib: "It's sad, really. I had sought to bring a little life back to a long extinct people, and look what I wrought. Certanly some things are better off remaining dead. Here is your pay for the time you have spent here. Your services are no longer required. Everyone pack up! We are leaving this accursed place!"
Weeblet: "Yes, we should leave. You should watch out for your partner, Gallor. He wanted me to kill you so he could profit from your find. Tread carefully."

Warning Charleston yields 1000 XP and a point of reputation, although we are capped on the latter. We don't actually gain any money from this, presumably because Weeblet didn't ask for any earlier.

Imoen: "That idol might be cursed, but I bet we will find somebody who would buy it despite, or even because of that. Melicamp's old master seems the type who would like the thrill. Hey Melicamp, what do you think?"
Melicamp: "I think you're *cluck* crazy and you should leave your backpack slightly open so that I can escape from your bodies."
Imoen: "It's a plan, then!"

It's very much telegraphed that nicking the idol is a very dangerous idea, so it should come as no surprise that there's a Dooooooomsayer waiting for us:

Doomsayer: "IthNal cOR dan osa KOZAH! Rrrackne dall'a osa KOZAH!"
Branwen: "Speak your gibberish as you will: the end will be the same. Die, you unnatural beast!"
Doomsayer: "Sssstormss shall bring doom to theeee... Idollll so commandsssss... Echtah tuln no osa KOZAH!"

The doomsayer is actually an insanely strong enemy for this point in the game. It has 78 HP and an AC of -8 - not quite Drizzt levels of evasive, but still pretty crazy. It's also immune to missile damage, so the "kite and shoot" tactic that we employed against the first Ogre we ran into way back doesn't work here.

It also hits quite hard and accurate, with a Thac0 of 7 and three attacks per round.

So, it's time to bring out the big guns. The Doomsayer isn't immune to magic, although he does have a laundry list of specific immunities vs. sleep, paralysation, charm, and the likes. But he's only resistant against fire and ice damage, not immune. Imoen was still firing her old Wand of Magic Missiles in the previous screenshot, but eventually, she and Branwen pass the Wand of Frost back and forth so that they can each use one charge per round.

Cheesy? Maybe, I guess. Necessary to beat the Doomsayer? I think so. As you can see, Weeblet and Branwen are still both rather close to dying anyway, so we do need to take another rest here to regain some healing spells.

This also means that Neera should use her Identify spells - she uses it on two Long Swords +1 and one Quarterstaff +1 (both with no special bonuses, just a 1-point bonus to Thac0 and damage), as well as another Wand of Magic Missiles, this one with a whole 31 charges. It's... honestly mostly obsolete at this point already, although it might still interrupt an enemy mage when everybody on our side is out of spells.

West of the dig site, we run into another Hobgoblin brigand:

Ba'ruk: "Me be Ba'ruk and you make me angry! Attack them!"

He then summons five Kobold Commandos, which can be somewhat dangerous if they can pelt you with their fire arrows unimpeded, but, well...

Nothing really to say about the fight, but it lets us pick up 10 more fire arrows (although they're still officially unidentified).

Finally, to the east:

Imoen: "We have heard about Captain Brage from Nalin in Nashkel. I promise, we will do everything we can to keep him alive."

It's honestly a bit of an oversight that there is no dialogue option to the effect of what I put into Imoen's mouth. If you don't feign ignorance to Laryssa, she will attack you to protect Brage...

...who's actually just behind her.

Brage: "Greetings, playthings. Thou hast found me, where I alone could not."

Brage: "The end of night, where the light shines unto mine eyes and I can see clearly once again! What hath I wrought?! 'This horrible, HORRIBLE! I will welcome the block that must await me at Nashkel! How could I live with what I've done?! Please, thou must guid me to the town that I might pay for my crimes! I fear I can keep my senses for only so long, and I must not allowed to do this again! Too many good peope have lost their lives to me! Please...
Imoen: "We'll see you back safe as we can, though I don't see how killing you will help those that have died. We shall take you to the temple of Helm in hopes that you may be healed."
Brage: "I fear I can do nothing for those I've wronged, whether I live or die, and I still know not what led me to this. It's like a foul presence in my mind! I can only imagine that I have finally succumbed to battle fatigue. Take my weapon that I might not harm another! use it if thou wish, though I'd rather it be destroyed. Innocent blood on everything! I'd only just acquired the sword. Such a waste this has been. Take me to Nashkel, I can bear this no longer.

This 'good outcome' of the encounter then teleports you into the temple of Nashkel, which is why I called this map a shortcut - I believe it's actually used in the BG1 speedrun to that effect.

Nalin: "Calm yourself, Brage. Helm sees all that he wishes and knows much of what you do not. It was your hands indeed that did many a foul deed, but it was not your will alone. Intent is vital, and yours was influenced without your knowledge. Justice will be done, but with atonement, not punishment."
Brage: "But my crimes... my family... I don't want to go on!"
Nalin: If you are returned to the garrison, yours will be the only willful killing that has occurred about this matter. It would be a waste of your life which, fractured though it is, can still contribute much. Helm will see you through. As for our intrepid friends here, I shall exceed the reward offered by Oublek. After all, it was the same task of bringing Brage to justice. The temple is in your debt for the return of its lost son."

You actually get most of the reward (Nalin adds 1000 gold to it) when still on the map where you find Brage. If your inventory is full, well... *cluck* that.

I hadn't made the screenshots of the map anyway.

The part of the map that we didn't reveal doesn't have any non-random encounters in it.

The XP for Brage's quest is enough for Branwen to reach Lv.5, quicker than I would've thought. It's a big one, because it gives her access to the next spell circle.

And the third circle has a number of very good spells, so it's nice that Branwen gets a bonus spell slot from her decent Wisdom score. For the first slot, she goes with Animate Dead, which is an excellent summoning spell. Even though the basic skeleton doesn't nearly have the tanking abilities of the advanced forms, it's already quite useful thanks to a bunch of status immunities.

The second one goes to Prayer, a spell from the Icewind Dale-ification mod I'm using, which has a similar effect to the Chant spell that Branwen has been using. It's not too incredible on its own, but it's very nice to stack this with Chant and/or Bless (similar effect, but doesn't weaken foes). I find that having two Clerics (or a Cleric and a Druid, although the latter can only use Bless) just to get those spells out more quickly can be quite strong it in bigger fights.

While we're able to sleep without monsters interrupting us, we do exactly that before leaving Nashkel again.

Neera: "I doubt that anybody is surprised by this, but..."
Imoen: "...Brage's insanity..."
Branwen: "...was caused by..."
Weeblet: "...the sword he had bought."
Neera: "It would be a really powerful sword, too, if it wasn't for, you know, that."

Neera also identifies the club that one of the dumb-dumbs from the Dryad's quest was using (simple +1 weapon), as well as the magnificent Golden Pantaloons. They're really important! And comfy!

Oh, and I forgot to mention that at some point, she also identified three identical Short Swords as even more +1 weapons with no side effect. With the Whistling Sword available so early, they're not particularly useful for any group, but they sell for a decent price, alongside all the other magic weapons that we're not going to use. We're rich again!

(Just selling the cursed sword feels rather wrong, I know. Let's pretend that the 500 bucks is a bonus from Nalin for solving this incredible mystery)

To close this update, some more words, words, and more words. Of wisdom. Maybe.

Rasaad: "After discovering our fellow Sun Soul monks had vanished from their monastery, we felt the truth must lie behind the name Alorgoth. We spread out in pairs to investigate further. Gamaz and I, used to life on Calimport streets, searched for rumors on the streets of Athkatla. Much of our investigation took place at night, under the benign gaze of Selûne. You see, although the sun shines more brightly, it is the moon that reveals the truths hidden in darkness. One night, we witnessed several shadowy figures assaulting a lone man on the street. We raced to his defense. The Moonmaiden blessed us, and we drove off the attackers. Despite our intervention, the man was gravely wounded. I remained with him, tending his wounds as best I could while calling for help. Gamaz, however, pursued the attackers."

Only one rather snarky dialogue option here. ...I don't know why I find this interesting.

Rasaad: "I suppose it might have been worse had I gone with him. Still, I wish taht night I could have been two men, one to remain with the injured man, another to go with my brother. When help finally arrived, I ran after Gamaz. I found him only a few streets away. My brother had fought bravely, slaying three of his attackers before he was brought down. Once more, I cried out for help. Men came soon, but not to aid me. Instead they arrested me for fighting in the streets, leaving Gamaz to die in a pool of his own blood."

Rasaad: "Thank you for your kindness. Disheartened by the tragedy, my fellow monks returned to Calimport. Gamaz and I had entered the monastery together, as brothers. I could not return without him. Neither could I remain in Athkatla, a city that forever holds evil memories for me. I traveled north. At first, I though I might visit the Monestary of the Sun in Waterdeep, which they call the City of Splendors. Yet I was in no hurry to arrive. Every day since entering the Order of the Sun Soul, I had striven to fill my heart with radiance that I may share it with others. After Gamaz's death, I felt only the shadows of grief and despair. But perhaps I have dwelt too long on such memories. I wished to share my inner light with you, not my inner darkness."

Rasaad: "My training at the Sun Soul monastery began the moment the kindly monk brought Gamaz and me inside its walls. As you might imagine, there was a great deal of physical training. At first, we were assigned chores and exercises. We looked with envy upon the older initiates, who practiced combat techniques while we swept the stones and prepared meals for our seniors. The monks taught us to read and write, and why it is important to do both with careful thought. We practiced debate, studied history, and answered endless quizzes about the nine thousand mysteries of Selûne. We learned to meditate upon the moon, the shards, and the stars. We also learned to meditate on the darkness between them. For it falls to us to battle the servants of Selûne's dark sister, Shar."

Rasaad: "We all strove hard, but Gamaz was the best among us. None of the other monks could defeat him in combat. Only I could come close, but each time victory was within my grasp, he swept it away with some spectacular strike. Even among the elder students, Gamaz stood as a pillar of tradition and excellence. His death is a great loss, not only to me as his brother, but also to the entire Order of the Sun Soul."
Weeblet: "I'm sorry to bring up such a sad subject. Thank you for sharing it."
Rasaad: "I thought it best that you should know my past, since we travel together."

I do believe that this is all of what Rasaad will tell us about his backstory. If I'm correct, we just have to pick him up one more time and bring him to the Gate once we can go there, in order to unlock his companion quest.

For now, we will move southeast of Nashkel, to the areas that we would've reached by crawling through the second exit of the Nashkel Mines in the back. But we'll see what we can find in the next update - I believe this one has been long enough at this point. Until then, thanks for reading!

Happy new year!

[ping]

Update 9: Bargrivyek, God of Stuff

Spoiler

CHANGE OF PLANS: Instead of heading to the bottom right of the map first, we move to the wilderness north of the Carnival and then move clockwise around this general area. There's some reasoning behind this reroute, mostly related to my general attempt not to travel up and down the Sword Coast too, too often, but I'll point it out when we get there, most likely in the next update.

This means that we start with a map close to the road between Nashkel and Beregost, so hopefully, the enemies here won't be too strong. First impression: No, they won't.

Hulrik: "Raaagh! Help!"

But this group of Xvarts are part of a little sidequest, which makes it worth to spend a Sleep spell (or two, they were very lucky with their first Saving Throws) to knock them out.

Without Sleep, it's quite possible that the Xvarts kill the poor cow before you can kill them, especially since our team currently doesn't have the greatest DPS, but the spell once again makes things quite a bit less difficult for us.

Journal: "It appears that xvarts have been making regular raids on the livestock around Nashkel. They must be operating from a base nearby, but where, exactly, I cannot be sure."

You don't get any money from Hulrik, but if you do save Arabelle, you get a decent 350 XP and a point of reputation.

...well, so much for random encounters not being too strong.

Luckily, Branwen has really good AC, so as long as she's tanking...

...well fuck. I guess my inner Fire Emblem player is showing here, assuming that two 15% connecting in a row is literally impossible.

To avoid a trip to the temple, I reload, lazy as I am...

...although I didn't press the Quicksave button often enough, it seems. Whoops! Instant Karma.

And this time, the very same Ogre Berserker aggroes on Imoen while we're still mopping up the Xvarts. Double whoops!

But with a bit of panicked retreat by Imoen and brave walking-over-her-own-grave by Branwen (and more friendly RNG rolls), nobody has to die in this attempt.

Imoen: "Come to think of it, why do we find all these messengers away from the road?"

--

Arghain: "Me hungry."

Arghain: "Ours no good! Crumble like elf-bones and make our clan into laughing stock! Ha ha, big joke... We kill you quick, no pain. Just take iron."

Imoen: "See, random brigands? That makes way more sense."

I'm honestly confused why Bjornin's quest back in Beregost was referring to four random Half Ogres to the west, when a named Half Ogre, leading a group of three other Half Ogres, clearly involved in banditry, is right here.

Arghain himself is quite a bit stronger than his flunkies: better Str, better AC, more than twice their hitpoints, high enough internal level to be immune to the Sleep spell.

But this is still not the most difficult of fights, with a bit of magic support.

This is interesting to note if you want to keep Minsc around, since Arghain, in addition to some minor valuables and a scalp that looks sufficiently bandit-y for Officer Vai, also drops a magic Two-handed Sword. Neera doesn't identify it right away, but (spoiler warning) it's a simple +1 variant. Nothing special, but a nice, unbreakable upgrade to a non-magical Zweihänder.

Nearby, there's another little hidden cache (with just a fairly unremarkable gemstone, this time) and a cave.

There's only one monster hiding in the cave, but this can still be really dangerous if you don't know what's to come..:

And that's a Web trap, that I believe is functionally identical to the spell. The trap is right on top of the entrance, so if you make a step inside the cave, you will trigger it, and since the Ettercap is immune, bad Saving Throw rolls can be very punishing.

However, since the Web trab, like the spell, triggers as a projectile, you can just... leave before it hits you.

The Ettercap will follow, so you can do some preparation for the fight, too.

Ettercaps are spider-y humanoid creatures, including the web-shooting abilities and a venomous bite. They have their own language and can learn to understand (but for physiological reasons not speak) other tongues, but they're described as purely instinct-driven.

In this game, they're actually a pretty nasty enemy, compared to other generics. Their Spiderman skills are only represented as an immunity to Web effects (and there tend to be Web traps wherever they appear), but they do have a venomous attack - although I believe only one of their three attacks per round carries poison and the other two don't deal a lot of damage. But they have decent accuracy, HP and AC, and surprisingly good Saving Throws, making them impossible to crowd-control reliably.

That said, a single Ettercap isn't too bad on its own. So, Branwen goes back inside the cave (AoE effects don't seem to linger if you leave a sub-area) and check the crate in the back: Some trinket to sell, a Potion of Fire Resistance, and an 'oddly murky' Oil of Speed in the middle.

Like the murky Potion of Healing, this is poison - but a bit more dangerous than the Potion of Healing just making a character drunk: This one would cause Feeblemindedness (another full disable effect, although I think this one doesn't make incoming attacks auto-connect) for a whole five real-life minutes.

Weeblet: "Three guys ahead! I'll keep hidden, just in case."

Ioin Gallchobhair: "There is a toll passing this way, friends, and it happens to be your life. Are you willing to part with it?"
Branwen: "Take my life if you will, but I warn you now: Make one move and your own is forfeit."
Ioin Gallchobhair: "Then let these games begin! Fire, comrades, and let us be richer for their folly!"

Yeah, you don't meet too many friendly fellow adventurers in this game. So, time to... Neera? What are you doing? Neera?!

Why, evaporate 80% of our gold, of course! I was wondering when we would get a Wild Surge, since Neera has been happily a-casting all this time. This one's honestly a pretty bad one, too.

Neera: "Whoops! Good thing I wasn't carrying all our money... it got your purse too, didn't it? But, er, hey, that's all the more reason why we should seek out Adoy!"

At least Imoen's Glitterdust is somewhat successful. Both Billy and Dribben use bows, so getting one of them out of the picture for a little while is quite nice.

Unfortunately, Weeblet continues his string of really bad backstab rolls (a 3, this time) and Ioin punishes him for it. However, this also eliminates Ioin from the fight in a somewhat unusual fashion - I like the little touch that even enemies are subject to the iron crisis if they don't carry enchanted weapons.

This trio doesn't drop too exciting loot - the only magic items are a few magic arrows, even fewer because they shot some of them at Branwen.

Finally, after running into a couple random wolves, (non-'zerker) Ogres, Ogrillons, and Xvarts, a very deep and emotional sidequest:

Kill this unfriendly band of evil-doers (they're ogres and hobgoblins, so it's save to assume that they do evil things).

As usual, the plan involves one Sleep spell, cast from just outside their vision range...

...and then a backstab, followed by a hasty retreat since Weeblet isn't that durable.

After that, RNG is friendly enough to make the fight go smoothly.

So... emotional...

Between the fight and the (small) XP bonus from Sarhedra, we get two level-ups:

Imoen catches up to Neera's Mage Lv.4 and is now half the way to regain her thief skills.

And Weeblet reaches Fighter Lv.4, just giving some generic boosts to his combat abilities.

And there's that. Nothing too impactful to find on this map - the +1 Two-handed Sword is vendor's trash without Minsc (and even for him, two Maces are generally better), and everything else is basically just money and XP to begin with.

Neera: "There! That's Firewine and from there, it's not too far from where Adoy is supposed to be. Let's go there, yes? Yes? Let's go!"

Arriving at Firewine Bridge, night camp is once again interrupted by monsters - some Skeletons, this time. They're armed with Composite Longbows, so because they spawn almost on top of the group, Neera eats an arrow immediately.

No deaths, though, and Branwen patches Neera up after a successful second attempt to rest.

The new Identify spell charges are spent on the +1 Zweihänder so that we can sell it at the next vendor we happen across...

...and some protection scrolls. A character below 9 Int is considered illiterate, so that's where that requirement comes from, but since they can be used on any party member that restriction isn't terribly impactful. The Protection From Undead scroll is actually very very strong because I believe it does prevent undead spellcasters from targeting a character, although that part only comes into play in BG2.

At the northern end of the bridge, we run into Bentan the missionary. A more savvy person than Weeblet would probably pick #4 here, but alas:

Bentan: "So none of you venerate Ilmater. Well then, we must rectify this at once. Listen closely while I tell you the wonders that will come once you have converted to Ilmater's faith. Now as you've probably heard, Ilmater is the god of suffering. Most people immediately perceive this as the suffering one must endure themselves, but trust me, the stories you have heard are most likely wild and unrealistic. Suffering in the service of Ilmater does eventually come, but lo! It is the most joyful of sensations, and opens your eyes to wisdom. Once you have suffered in the service of Ilmater, you will have your eyes opened to the evils of the world. Evils such as avarice, greed, lust, perversity, and most especially magic! By magic, I mean not the holy power granted by Ilmater, but rather the wicked powers wielded by sorcerers!"
Weeblet: "Excuse us, but some of us are sorcerers."
Bentan: Some of you are sorcerers! By all that's good and holy, you must stop your evil ways. Magic only leads to pain and misery, it is a wicked art I tell you... a wicked art. Though I find it painful to stand in the presence of such vile necromancers, I will continue my sermon."

Bentan: "I am sorry that you feel that way. I tried, Ilmater knows I tried! I hope that your young and gullible minds aren't perverted by the evil forces that roam the world. Goodbye."

Neera: "*yawn* I didn't pay attention, what did I miss?"
Weeblet: "Nothing much. You're irredeemably evil and going to pervert us, is all."
Neera: "Really? Well, I can but try."

We also find a group of random zombies (and I don't think there's any Bassiluses nearby to explain all the undead around here)...

...and the path north leads to the Halfling village of Gullykin, which we're going to visit eventually.

Poe: "Wonderful! Stand relaxed and I shall relate it to you! It is a poetic treatise I sould like to call 'The Knights of Days Hence.' Ehh, I know the title needs work, but the soul of the piece is right and true!"

I've a tale, a tale to tell
of knights so bold and dungeon hell and slumber broke upon the shore
of nightmare's reet when dawn no more.

A story true of courage lack,
and footing lost on virtue's track and trailing far but near to fear
a vengeance scream through night to ear.

The swordsmen came by two and four
to take their fight to evil's core with confidence in might and right
went bravely forward spreading light.

But light alone canst clear the path
when suffers all a hellish wrath from deep below whence fires came,
still none above dare speak the name.

Together fought, together fell
till good had won, though stories tell the cursed tale of treachery
when evil stole the victory.

Heroes bold betrayed behind
from friend made foe with gold in mind to take and plunder riches won.
'Twas evil new, though old undone.

In glory slept the hero knights
but knife to throat did snuff the lights behind their eyes, a simple deed.
'Twas honor dead as killed by greed.

Strong enough to break a vow,
alone with gold he struggled now to leave his dungeon deed and hide.
Alne he fell, alone he died.

Widows weep and orphans cry
and bards oft sing as maidens sigh for want of heroes lost below
that haunt in sleep with ghostly glow.

On guard the guard eternal stand
though neither see nor sense the land before their eyes beyond their age
they wait with unbelieving rage.

When one for all turns all for one
the injured souls take solace none in death's release so stand they will,
'til honor's need someone dost fill.

Together enter, together fall.
'Tis as the vow agreed by all and all must stand and wait in time
for one that ran to face the crime.

Poe: "Ahh, but there is some truth in everything, is there not? I cannot attest to the validity of the tale itself, as I have only culled from hearsay. I only know for certain that it makes good patronage when I pass my hat. Strikes a cord with many, it does.
Branwen: "A rousing tale! Please, take this 10 gold that I might finance your further travels."
Poe: You are certainly too kind. A VERY good day to you on your travels!"

The poem is worth a journal entry, so we can assume that it'll have a follow-up at some point.

At the other side of the bridge, a small, but very rewarding encounter ensues:

Meilum: "Are you insulting me?! You had better not dare to insult me, or I'll show you the metal of my blade. Once I've drawn my sword, I'm honor bound to wet the blade."
Weeblet: "Well, why don't you draw your sword then, so that we can see who the better swordsman is: you or our party."
Meilum: "Now you've done it. You'll be sorry for doubting my skill. So very sorry..."

I had hoped to make this fight a 1v1 between Meilum and Weeblet, but...

...Weeblet actually gets his butt thoroughly kicked. Meilum has better Thac0 (7), deals incredible damage (19-30 on our difficulty), and has good AC (0-2, depending on damage type) and HP (55), so Weeblet doesn't stand much of a chance on his own.

So unfortunately, this fight ends up a highly dishonorable 4vs1, and even so, Branwen takes heavy damage in the process.

Discouraged by that, I decide that the other parts of Firewine might be beyond our abilities for now. We'll be back later to help a lady open her marmalade jar, though. In-universe, I guess Neera has been increasingly annoying persistent about finally meeting Adoy...?

Arriving at his Enclave, we're immediately greeted by...

Neera: "I think that means we're getting close. Unless that squirrel had a crow for a father, I'd say it was recently polymorphed."
Imoen: "Why would he turn a crow into a squirrel? Maybe he hasn't learned how to control his magic after all."
Neera: "Maybe the squirrel was annoying him with questions about his magical talents."

Imoen: "Message taken. Let's just find the definitely very wise and capable man."

Goblin: "Bargrivyek is goblin god of setting territory and ker-opa... ko-upper..."
Weeblet: "Coordination?"
Goblin: "No, that not right. It be... caw-pre... cow-opera..."
Neera: "Cooperation?"
Goblin: "Cooperation! That be it. Territory and cooperation, Bargrivyek be god of that stuff."
Neera: "In that case, we should probably go see Bargrivyek. We've come to talk about cooperating. And territory. And stuff."
Goblin: "Nobody gets to see Bargrivyek anymore. King Rogdok keep him safe from outsiders."
Neera: "All right, take me to Rogdok."
Goblin: "Rogdok be inside cave, guarding Bargrivyek from other tribes. I lead you there now, so you not mess up our stuff!"
Weeblet: "Thanks for your help."
Goblin: "East! We go east now. Not go north. Crazy live up north."

Imoen: "Crazy? Now, if I was a betting girl..."

I probably don't have to explain what Goblins are. Interestingly, Gobbos were absent in the original BG1, where their "classic" RPG role as low-level sword fodder is filled by Xvarts, Gibberlings and suchlike. Beamdog put some of them into Neera's quest as well as the Siege of Dragonspear expansion, with a bit more character than the "EeEeeeEEEEee"-screaming Xvarts, although much of the character is just "funny dumb-dumb" with a broad streak of violence on top.

These ones seem to be nice enough, though, although I wouldn't be surprised if a less charismatic CHARNAME than Weeblet wouldn't be able to talk their way out of a fight.

Naturally, Imoen takes an inconspicuous stroll northwards, but she finds a Ranger instead of an old mage:

Magreb: "Look out! They're coming through the trees. There, behind that rock! No, wait--that was just the shadow of a cloud. You have to be on your guard. They came out of nowhere, but now they're everywhere!"
Imoen: "Calm yourself, man. Take a deep breath and tell me what you've seen."
Magreb: "Goblins! They fell out of the sky or leaped up full grown out of the grass. I don't know! All I know is they killed Rilsa when she tried to talk to them, and I can't face them by myself."
Imoen: "Slow down. You've obviously been through a lot, but you are safe now. Tell me what happened."
Magreb: "Forgive me. My name is Magreb. Rilsa and I have watched over this area for years, and we never had any trouble with goblins before. Since they killed her, I've been half out of my mind with grief."
Imoen: "I can understand your pain, Magreb. It's hard to lose a loved one."
Magreb: "Just a few months ago, poof! Goblins as far as the eye can see. At first, they appeared around the house of an old mage, but soon they moved into a set of caves to the northeast, taking him with them. Not long after that, a big hobgoblin arrived and made himself king of the tribe."
Imoen: "What do you know of this old mage?"
Magreb: "The mage's name was Adoy. He always kept his distance, he said, because he didn't want to hurt us with his magic. I thought it was some kind of threat, but Rilsa said he was just peculiar."

Weeblet: "Neera, who on earth are you talking to?"
Neera: "Imoen, of course. Now--"
Weeblet: "How? She needed to, you know, and I'm pretty sure she isn't back yet. I think I would've heard her."
Neera: "Magic. I'm talking through big awesome magicky channels. Now hush, this might be important."

The Beamdog NPCs will interject when you visit their quest locations, even if you didn't bring them along, so obviously, Neera will chime in here from about three screens away no problem.

Magreb: "The goblins call their new king Rogdok. Apparently he's set himself up as a high priest of their gods. Hm, that's wierd. Rod-dok... god-rock. Maybe the goblins sprang up out of the rocks. Look out, there's one at your feet!"
Imoen: "Don't worry, it's just a rock. I'll get to the bottom of all this."

Goblin: "Come! Cross bridge! We build all by selves... well, we get help. Help from Bargrivyek!"

Before following Gobbo, completionism demands that we explore down the stream that the bridge is crossing. We find a couple Dire Wolves...

...and a talking moose summoning an Ogre. You know, normal stuff.

Goblin: "Almost there now! Watch out for falling rocks... Grub Grub got smooshed the other day. We rescued him, but he just Grub now. Hey! Maybe we feed Grub to bear, and bear not get angry!"

Goblin: "Okay! Here now!"

Inside the cave...

Well, it would've been very surprising if this entire endeavour didn't have any unavoidable combat. For starters, a handful of bow-wielding goblins; not particularly dangerous, even though it's impressive that the little goblins use Composite Longbows, which require 18 Strength to use.

A bit further in, with apologies for the lack of a proper screenshot...

And finally, we run into Rogdok himself. He's... still not very dangerous, even though he's a fair bit stronger than your average hobgoblin. But Weeblet's group has become a bit stronger than it was back at the Friendly Arms, too, so...

...down he goes without too much issue. He drops a magic shortbow and bastard sword - both just +1 weapons, but that's still not too bad. But that reminds me, the Sword Coast's "most skilled swordsman" dropped some magic equipment, as well...

...and at the very least, his gloves are really, really good.

Now, you might think that, given how easy this map has been thus far, this entire sidequest is just a stroll in the goblin-infested park. And you would be quite wrong. Tapping into the pool of meta knowledge, Weeblet drinks a magic potion, increasing his Strength bonuses from -1 Thac0 / +1 Damage to -3 / +7.

Combined with the Legacy of the Masters, it's a rather significant (and needed) power spike.

And while we're metagaming...

...let's give ourselves as much help as reasonably possible before advancing the plot.

Adoy: "Adoy is me, and I am Adoy. Why have you sought me out?"
Branwen: "Neera is a wild mage, too. She hoped you could teach her to control her magic."
Neera: "It's true. I hoped you could... teach me how to control my magic."

(Note: Yeah, dialogue was a bit clumsy there. Some editor didn't pay enough attention, I guess)

Adoy: "Is that so? Well, I'm afraid I'm not the best example of learning to control wild magic. I'm not sure anyone can do that. Well, you can't govern chaos! Otherwise, it wouldn't be chaos, wouldn't it?"
Neera: "Don't tell me we've come all this way for nothing!"
Adoy: "Of course not for nothing. You have just experienced the honor of meetin Bargrivyek, the goblin god of cooperation and territory."
Branwen: "You convinced the goblins you are their god?!"
Adoy: "Not intentionally, I assure you. It was all a great misunderstanding. It all started when I was trying to make a nice pot of pease porridge. It's all the wonder of wild magic. You have to be ready for a little unexpected excitement at any moment."
Neera: "He's not joking, let me tell you."
Adoy: "The real trouble began when Rogdok came to find out where all the new goblins had come  from. He didn't believe for a second that I was a god, but becaus the goblins did, he dared not attack me. Instead, he locked me up. As long as I remained in his care, he could control the goblins."

At this point, Adoy is interrupted by something that is not any wild mage's fault for a change:

Neera: "Half-elf! What is wrong with you?"
Ekandor: "Half-elf! You'll regret spoiling my grand entrance once we subdue you for examination. And what is this? Another wild mage? Perhaps I should thank you for leading us to yet another test subject."
Adoy: "You will find that I do not submit meekly to tests, especially tests from Red Wizards."

Ekandor: "Then prepare to die!"
Adoy: "Not if I can help it. Behold, the power of untamed magic!"

...Well then. I'm sure Bunny-doy will be of great help.

You might remember Ekandor from back in the third update, where he had cornered Neera with a couple of goons but was teleported away by convenient cutscene wild surge. This time, that inconveniently does not happen.

And this fight is actually quite tough. It's only five enemies, but...

• Two of them are wizards
• Who protect themselves with Stoneskin and Mirror Image, respectively
• And the Bodyguards don't follow the official rulebook, by which enemies are bloody stupid. They will ignore your tanky characters and go straight for your magic users.

And what can I say, Neera is not tanky. Like, at all. This is a clean one-shot, thanks to the increased damage from our difficulty setting.

OK, let's try this again... Imoen goes for Agannazar's Scorcher to dish out some damage, while Branwen gets lucky with her Silence spell: That's both mages basically out of the fight almost immediately. ...and also Branwen and Imoen, but it'll be fiiiiine.

Narrator's voice: It was, in fact, not fiiiiine.

This still shows what the Scorcher can do, though: it stays up for a round, connecting caster and target, and hurting anything that it touches. The damage isn't immense, but if Imoen had been able to walk towards the lower right here, it would've hit all enemies except for the one wizard, twice.

POWER WORD: RELOAD! ...again.

This time, the Silence spell is only half as effective and Branwen still aims it too close to her own positions.

But the generic wizard seems to be taken out very quickly by our own mages! Yay!

...or not. Both of Neera's Magic Missiles connect with the Mirror Images, but Weeblet gets him quickly thereafter with a throwing dagger.

And this time, Imoen doesn't get crit, and both she and Neera are decently far away from any danger. Hope!

But as you can see, the Bodyguards are really very single-minded about running after your mages. Run, Imoen, run!

Running away: Successful. Also, look at that accuracy on Weeblet - hitting with a three? That's pretty incredible.

Ekandor still lasts for a little while, thanks to his Stoneskin spell. Stoneskin... well, we'll get to that shortly. Eventually, the Skeleton Warrior literally breaks its sword over Ekandor's skull. Victory!

Adoy: "Whew! What an inconvenient mix up."
Imoen: "It conveniently kept you out of combat wit those Red Wizards, I noticed."
Adoy: "Oh, I would have preferred to fight beside you. Alas, as a practitioner of wild magic, I cannot always predect the outcome of my spells. The Red Wizards pursue your friend Neera and me to study us--or perhaps just our brains--to learn why we can wield the power of arcane chaos and they can't."
Neera: "Can we not talk about having our brains studied, please? Pretty please?"
Adoy: "Of course, my dear. Now, as I was saying before we were so rudely interrupted... Wait, where was I?"
Weeblet: "Summoned goblins, worshipped as a god, captured by a hobgoblin."
Neera: "No, you were about to teach me how to control my magic!"

Adoy: "That's the problem, you see. After all my years of casting wild magic, I still summon a tribe of goblins instead of pease porridge. No one can control wild magic. The best you can do is prepare yourself for the worst, because sooner or later, it will happen."
Neera: "Come on, old man. Make with the wisdom. No one gets to be your age without learning a few things. You must know how to avoid the crazy surges of power. You're holding out on me!"
Adoy: "Not at all, my dear. The only secret is to accept that bad with the good. You don't complain when your fireball incinerates an entire tribe of trolls, do you? You just have to be ready to improvise when it showers them in flower petals instead. Half the fun of our profession is that you never know what will happen next. Why, I'd have never discovered the joy of being a woman if that spell hadn't turned on me last summer!"
Neera: "That can't be all there is. You'd never have survived to be so very, very old without something up your sleeve."
Adoy: "Since you put it that way, there is one thing I can give you. It isn't up my sleeve but around my waist. I constructed this belt for my occasional trips into town. Accidentally shocking those who shake my hand can be chalked up to carelessness, but a giant spider with the voice of an old man running through town? Ugh! Forget about it!"

Adoy: "Oh, don't think I've forgotten you, Weeblet. Watch as I conjure my fabulous treasure tove, all for you!"
Weeblet: "Wait, is that such a good idea for you to conjure--?"

Neera: "No! It's not fair! I've traveled so far and overcome so many obstacles, all on my own, and he just disappears!
Weeblet: "Excuse me, but--"

I'll admit that I'm not the biggest Neera fan, but I do like this line.

And frankly, Neera has every reason to be disappointed. Adoy's Belt sucks.

A +5 bonus to a Saving Throw might sound great - a +25% chance to resist an adverse effect - but chances are that you won't roll a single ST vs. these two effects for the entire game. While yes, there are some enemies with petrifying attacks around, there's this little basic Lv.1 spell called "Protection from Petrification". It protects from petrification. 100% of the time. And as far as Polymorph spells are concerned, I'm not sure if any enemy mage ever uses those. Which is to say, I am pretty sure that nobody in BG1 does, but I might forget about somebody in the sequel.

The real prize of this side quest is the little scroll that Ekandor dropped. With its extremely quick casting time, extremely long duration (you can literally cast it before rest and it'll still be active the next day) and complete negation of physical damage, it's an incredible defensive tool for any mage. It pairs very well with Mirror Image, too, protecting from the random aspect of that spell.

Oh, and this is one of only two Stoneskin scrolls that you can get in this game. So even if you don't care about her as a companion, it might be worthwhile to put up with her until she opens this quest.

But that's Neera's quest done. Effectively just one "real" fight, although that one does pack a punch. On the way back to the world map, we inform Magreb about what we found out:

Magreb: "I hope you haven't had too much trouble from the local goblins. That's such a strange thing to say: "local goblins." We never had any until a few months ago.

Oh, come on, game...

Imoen: "It's a long story. It seems that the goblins were brought here by a magic-related accident, they then thought the responsible mage to be that Bargri-something god, which then lured in that Rogdok guy, who's probably responsible for the tribe become as hostile as it was. We have killed Rogdok, but the mage teleported away, probably also by accident. Maybe by accident. He's the key to keep the goblins under control."

You get 500 XP for finding and burying Rilsa, and then reporting that to Magreb. Not a ton, but hey, it's basically for free.

And that should be enough for now. The Enhanced Edition additions are always so wordy... Next time, we'll check out the remaining areas around Nashkel, before probably continuing the main story a bit. Until then - thanks for reading!

 

 

[ping]

Update 10: I swear, we continue the plot next time

Spoiler

Coming to this area east of Nashkel, we finally get around doing stuff that the game gently suggested we do five episodes ago.

If you recall, there was a second exit at the very end of the Nashkel Mines - but instead of bringing us to the entrance, it would've given us a one-way trip to where we are right now.

Back then, I didn't think our team to be strong enough to handle some of the encounters here (and in-universe, Jaheira didn't want us to blindly climb to the surface), but we've all gained a couple levels since then.

The first encounter, just north of where we would've exited the mines, is a group of four women. It's a  bit of an odd party composition - Lamalha and Zeela are clerics, Telka and maneira thieves.

Lamalha: "You lie! Remember what I told you about lying. You were foolish to even try, as my god Cyric allows me to see through all falsehoods. You shall now die, Weeblet. You will never interfere with the Iron Throne ever again."

Imoen: "I was wondering why she thought me to be a Halfling boy, but I guess that still doesn't make her the craziest priest of Cyric that we've encountered."

As he tends to do, Weeblet has been hiding in the shadows during this exchange, ready to bravely backstab the second hostilities commence. Unfortunately, his streak of really bad luck with backstabs continues...

However, Branwen is far more successful with her opener for this fight. Completely taking out any spellcasting? Yes please! Lamalha and Zeela can actually throw out some nasty AoE damage if you let them.

Next step: Fire and Brimstone. Imoen had made a feeble attempt to use Agannazar's Scorcher during the fight against the Red Wizards hunting Neera and Adoy, but this time, she is very successful. Not only does she hit three of the four assassins...

...she hits them twice. And on top of that, she doesn't accidentally fry Weeblet or Branwen, which can happen very easily with this spell. Very nice.

After that, the rest of the fight is no problem at all.

The assassins drop a nice collection of magic items (which Neera will identify later), as well as a couple potions, of which the Potion of Magic Blocking and the Potion of Power probably are the most interesting, especially considering that Lv.6 spells simply aren't at thing in BG1.

In the western part of the map, we run into a... cave? The entrance clearly seems to be human-made. Or humanoid-made, given that this is a DnD setting.

Inside, there's a single Ghoul (not very dangerous at this point) and a sarcophagus...

Branwen: "Be on your guard - if the dead rise to defend their grave..."
Weeblet: *rummage* "Hm?"
Branwen: "...then it is possible that they have set up other protections while they have been alive. But I suppose these have not."

...containing a little bit of money.

A bit further south, a man seems to be ambushed by... a giant bug thing?

Yeah, I think I would panic, too.

Hentold: "Wha... my problem? My problem is the horrible death replaying in my mind! I canna concentrate, my mind is... my mind... I didn't mean it! I'll give it back! You! You can take it to him! Here! Give it back!"
Weeblet: "I will help thee, but what must I return? Who should I return it to?"
Hentold: "A cave! It's but a short way's east... there was a grave... I opened... Oh, by all that's good, I disturbed its lonely slumber with my foolishness! It haunts me, and I get no rest in sleep! Please! I shall go mad if it is not returned! Take this dagger to the tomb..."

Huh, I guess the giant bug monster wasn't bothering him.

I didn't remember that ankhegs could spawn on this map - they're mostly associated with a specific area further to the north of the world map, but I guess they're part of the random encounter table of this map, too.

Ankhegs can be quite dangerous because they spit acid for potentially a lot of damage, although they aren't terribly accurate at 13 Thac0. This one does live through the Command spell's effect, but doesn't manage to land a hit afterwards.

Ankhegs will always "drop" their shells when killed - very heavy (especially considering that we don't have a full party and nobody with a great Str stat), but still worthwhile to take with you...

...and to deliver to the Thunderhammer Smithy in Beregost, as the description of the Ankheg Armour that Branwen is wearing suggests.

But let's not forget that we have a small task to accomplish. The cave Hentold stole the dagger from is just a few steps to the east and we find what might be Takumi's mortal remains in there.

But clearly, a cleric of Foehammer Tempus will not just cave to a random zombie!

Revenant: "You... will not... give dagger. If you not give dagger... you die..."

However, the glorious battle shall take place in the sunlight! ...where Weeblet has prepared a little bit of Gouda, since the Revenant is honestly quite a tough opponent without that.

See, a thief can't stealth while an enemy is in sight range. However, since the cave is right there, Weeblet can just walk in, re-stealth...

...and backstab again, only limited by the once-every-six-seconds cooldown of the Hide in Shadows button.

And again. The power of cheese outstinks the curse of bad backstab rolls!

With the Revenant double-dead, we can just keep the dagger and Neera quickly does an Identify. It's not exactly the greatest of weapons, since daggers only have 1d4 base damage, but it's a nice melee swap for Imoen while her Thief levels are inactive, since she picked daggers as her weapon talent when reclassing.

Still, the main reward for not complying with the revenant is the XP: A whopping 3000, which might be the highest that we've gotten thus far for a single kill. Oh, and a few potions in two sarcophagi in the back of the burial mound.

Unfortunately, I didn't press the screenshot button in time, but Branwen got hit by a frigging lightning bolt. No, really, she just healed herself to almost full HP after the fight and then she got hit by lightning, losing half of her (max) HP, which is a thing that can happen when the weather is rainy. Don't go out during a thunderstorm, kids.

So I guess it's time to rest and refresh our spells. Neera spends her remaining two Identify spells first - one on a generic Studded Leather Armour +1, one on a Leather Armour +2 with a backstory. Both are entirely obsolete at this point, but they should sell for decent coin now that they're identified.

To the east of the map is a third (and last) burial mound, this one protected by three ghasts. These are basically stronger ghouls, so this fight can actually go south very easily if one of your party members gets paralysed.

Like this, exactly. Whoops. Weeblet has been doing the stealth gouda again, and I guess I didn't pay enough attention to the rest.

Luckily, the ghast immediately chooses to attack Branwen and Weeblet when they engage it - Neera would likely not have survived a second hit, and being immobilised, she would 100% have been hit by the ghast.

But as is, nobody has to die except the already dead, and Weeblet can plunder their graves.

...we are getting rather overloaded at this point, although some reshuffling still allows to continue the journey unimpeded.

A few steps to the west, we run into an elven mage with silly name:

Narcillicus Harwilliger Neen: "Come quickly, you are just in time for my experiment!"
Weeblet: "What kind of experiment are you attempting?"

N.H.N: "I have worked years for this and you seek its benefits in mere seconds? Nay, you not only seek them, you expect them! The spell is mine and you'll not take it from me! Come jellies, let us make our mark upon the world!"

Weeblet: "W-wha...? I just wanted to be polite! I'm not even a mage!"

Too late! This is another fight that can turn surprisingly nasty.

Not so much because of Narcillicus, who can be focused down without too much trouble, but Mustard Jellies are actually quite nasty.

For starters, they are immune to all kinds of ranged and pierced weapons (which includes Weeblet's Wakizashi), as well as any non-magical weapons (which includes the Katana he bought from Winthrop way back in Candlekeep). So he has to violate the rule that Jaheira set up for him and equip an unidentified bastard sword that he isn't even proficient in. Luckily, as a (half-)fighter, the penalty to his Thac0 is very modest, and the sword happens to be (spoiler alert!) a simple +1 variant.

To make things a little easier, Neera casts Strength on him, although looking at the numbers now, it's just a +2 bonus to Weeblet's damage compared to his regular Str stat.

Fortunately for Weeblet and his group, and unfortunately for those who are curious why these goops are so dangerous, neither of the jellies manages to get a hit in. So, er, take my word for it, yes? I suppose the "Magic Resistance" message is part of it - in addition to the weapon immunities I mentioned, mustard jellies are also completely immune to any form of magic (well, except magic weapons, obviously), which means that they can't be disabled by any means.

Like with the revenant before, the main reward for fighting Narcillicus is the XP you get - 2000 for each jelly, plus a couple more for the mage himself. Narcillicus does drop a couple spell scrolls, although none of them summon any jellies, and the only new spell is the extremely party-unfriendly Lightning Bolt.

Narcillicus was the last scripted encounter on the map, but it's not actually the last noteworthy event...:

Neera: "Whoops! Not entirely awesome magic inco--"

Neera: "--squeak!"

Imoen: "Soo.... what now?"
Weeblet: "I have absolutely no idea. I guess we could wait a little while? Neera mentioned that these transformations will wear off after a time."
Imoen: "How long of a time?"

Crickets: *chirp*

Holy inappropriate banter timing, batman!

Weeblet: "Good thoughts, I hope."
Neera: "Not bad ones, anyway, Mostly I can't figure you out. For example, why did you help me escape the Red Wizards?"
Weeblet: "Rescuing damsels in distress is all part of the hero job."
Neera: "You like to think of yourself as a hero, don't you?"

Imoen: "You're picking up on that now?"

Weeblet: "The hero act got your attention, didn't it?"
Neera: "That's true, I suppose. I was hoping you'd taken more of a personal interest, but that last spell mishap must have left me confused."
Weeblet: "If you need a cleric to check..."

Branwen: "I do have a Dispel Magic spell in my repertoire. Thank you for reminding me Weeblet, but I'm afraid it'll take a while to prepare it."
(That's me shifting the blame for having to double-rest to a defenceless NPC, of course)

Neera: "I don't need a cleric!"
Weeblet: "Are you sure?"
Neera: "Yes."
Weeblet: "Good."
Neera: "Fine."
Weeblet: "Fine."
Neera: "Fine."
Weeblet: "..."

Imoen: "That's very romantic and all, but can you please come help me set up camp again? We're wasting enough time on this as is."
Melicamp: "I agree. I don't wish to appear *cluck* impatient, but I believe we have been moving away from Bere*cluck* for days now."

To make things worse, Dispel Magic is not a guaranteed success. With Branwen being one level above Neera's, the chance to dispel the polymorph effect should be 55%, although it requires three reloads for me until it lands.

Branwen: "Very well. Does the lady plan further disruptions of the weave or can I replace this spell with a more useful one for future preparations?"
Neera: "Oh come on, it's not like I'm doing this on purpose! Do you think I like being a squirrel?"
Branwen: "You evidently do not dislike it enough to deter you from these antics. Now let us not waste more time on this when there are battles to be fought."

Now we're done! Normally, I would've just kept Neera as a squirrel for a while until I would've rested "naturally" to refill healing spells etcetera, but because we've already been so close to the weight limit for all four party members, I couldn't really deal with Neera losing basically all of her capacity here.

Not that it actually matters, since we don't have any time-sensitive quests going on right now. But I still like to play without needlessly "wasting" in-game time, just to pretend that my CHARNAME isn't a complete sloth. So, onward to the last remaining map in the general vicinity of Nashkel...

This area is a fair bit more empty than the last one, but, as always, there's still a couple of named encounters. First, the Gnome Hafiz:

Hafiz: "Useful gadgets I have, yes I do!"

Hafiz: "Please, wait a moment. I must talk with you. It is very important."
Weeblet: "Sure, what do you have to tell us, gnome?"
Hafiz: "Thank you... just let an old man catch his breath... now then, let me introduce myself, I am Hafiz bin Watat, astrologer, scientist, and mage. Please, tell me your name."
Weeblet: "Sure, my name is Weeblet."

Imoen: "Dangit, Weeblet, not again!"
Weeblet: "Oh hush, do you think this old fella is going to be a most powerful assassin coming after us?"
Imoen: "I mean, if your picture books are anything to go by, that doesn't seem too unlikely..."

Hafiz: "I am sorry to bring back such painful memories. I wish to help you, and in doing so, end these dreams that plague me. Here, take this. When you do battle against the six who serve your father's killer, read this scroll and it will protect you from their wrath. Goodbye now. Perhaps we shall meet again."

Why yes, the "six who serve your father's killer" is referring to a specific fight later in the game. Given the pace that this LP has been going at, I expect to get there around September 2026.

South of Hafiz, we run into a more... loud fella:

Flaming Fist Mercenary: "AH SERVE THE FLAMING FIST!!!"

FF Mercenary: "Adventurers, huh? Well, you should keep a look out, there's been quite a few reports about bandits causing trouble 'round these parts. Also, I've been searching for a deserter. His name is Samuel, and he should be traveling with a woman. There's a bounty of 50 gold for his capture. All right then, perhaps we'll meet again. Goodbye."

Branwen: "Quite outside of his jurisdiction, now, is he? These lands are miles beyond the Amnian border, I am certain."

This area has another hidden treasure cache - not as impactful as the Evermemory at the Friendly Arms or the Ankheg Armour in Nashkel, but Star Sappires sell for a fair bit of money and the magic ring (once we identify it) has some interesting applications.

Neera: "That's a lot of blood. Please excuse me while I get sick..."

Had we picked up Dorn the Blackguard (whom we met at the Friendly Arms and then on our way to the Nashkel Mines) and then talked to a women in Nashkel, this would've been where the first half of his companion quest would've taken place. It's nothing particularly involved - Dorn in BG1 is looking for revenge against his backstabbing adventure party, and we would've met one (a necromancer) here.

But although the setting is appropriate for Dorn's quest, it's been there long before Dorn has been concocted. Originally, it seems that these gory implications were associated with Gibberlings - they're a common trash mob on this map and we'll find another example of this soon.

(Having low-level enemies such as Gibberlings as a common spawn here is also in indication that this is an area that the developers somewhat expected players to visit quite early in the game)

Lena: "This is him right here on the ground. This is Samuel. He's so sick right now. *sob* I don't know how much longer he has to live. Could you take him to the Friendly Arm Inn? If you were to take him to Gellana Mirrorshade at the Temple of Wisdom, she'd help him. Please, can you do this?"
Weeblet: "Okay, okay! We'll take Samuel to the Temple of Wisdom at the Friendly Arm Inn."

Imoen: "Maybe we should repeat it once more. We will take SAMUEL to the TEMPLE OF WISDOM at the FRIENDLY ARM INN."
Branwen: "I will follow your lead, Weeblet, but I must let you know that I do not condone shielding a coward from a fate he deserves."
Lena: "W-what?"
Imoen: "Come on, Branwen. Helping those in need is what we do and it's not like that has been to anybody's disadvantage."
Weeblet: "ANYWAY, Lena, you should be careful. There's a Flaming Fist around that direction and we should all try and avoid him when leaving this area. Do you know where you will be going? Samuel might want to find you if... when he recovers."
Lena: "O-oh. Yes. I will try to reach Nashkel, where there should be no Flaming Fists and nobody who would recognise Samuel as one. Maybe I can reach Athkatla from there, but I would leave a message with the innkeeper in that case."

Lena: "Thank you, thank you so much. When you pick him up, be sure to be gentle. Please take him to the temple right away. I don't know how much longer he'll live."

I can answer that: Samuel will die if you don't reach the Friendly Arm Inn within three days. The direct travel time is 40 hours, so you have some spiel with this, but it's a good thing that Neera's little squirrely mishap happened before and not after this.

Speaking of - I've been going on about our limited weight capacity, so you might wonder where Samuel fits in. 115 pounds suggests that he's just skin and bones, but it's still rather heavy to carry around.

The answer is a mix of legitimate magic and a little cheese. Neera still has the Strength spell which sets a character's Str score to 18/50 and is thus the most effective on the wimpiest character on the team. And while its duration is measured in minutes (well, "turns") and not days, spell effects don't expire during overworld travel.

But first, we must reach the edge of the map to access the world map. And...

...whoops!

Mercenary: "Don't try to lie to me. You have Samuel there, don't you? Hand him over or we'll have to take him by force."
Weeblet: "You'll have to take him by force. Sorry."

Weeblet: "RUN AWAY!!!"
Branwen: "You really need to work on your courage, oh wise leader."

It's incredibly unneccessary to run into the Flaming Fist merc, even though he does move around a little, especially since you can just leave the map to the north or east. But hey, content!

And as to why we're running instead of fighting an extremely easy fight: Killing policemen is, outside of specific circles, not good for your standing. There's only a handful of cops that are killable without reputation loss, and this isn't one of them.

Instead of going directly to the Friendly Arms, we stop by in Beregost, since we can get rid of the almost-as-heavy-as-Samuel Ankheg shell here. Of course, the Strength spell expires the moment we reach the city, but this is where a little more cheese comes into play:

Drop Samuel to the ground, then walk ahead so that you can just barely pick him back up with the easy loot interface. Rinse and repeat until you reach your target - luckily, the smithy isn't too far from where you enter Beregost from the south.

Taerom Fuiruim: "Ah, Weeblet, there you are! We found a way to counteract the contaminant, and I've tested it out on my stock. Once we're certain it works I'll send our results down to Nashkel, but in the mean-time go ahead and take a look at what I've got; I think you'll find it's a bit better than it was before."

You might remember that we brought Taerom a bottle of a mysterious liquid we found in the Nashkel mines, which this is the result of. It's honestly... incredibly underwhelming and hardly worth the effort of picking up the bottle: No monetary or XP reward, and since everybody on the team is already using magic unbreakable weapons, these "Quality" (i.e. unbreakable, but without improved stats) weapons are basically worthless to us.

Taerom: "A shame it is. It could bring quite a bit once finished. How about this? For 4,000 gold I'll make it into plate for you instead. It's half my normal rate for working on an exotic, but, as I mentioned, business is slow."
Weeblet: "A fair price for the workmanship of Taerom Thunderhammer. 4,000 gold it is."
Taerom Fuiruim: "Good on you. Now it will take me a while to finish, but you will soon have the finest armor in Beregost, if not the entire Sword Coast. Come back in three days, and I'll have it ready for you."

And this is why we brought the Ankheg shell with us. To be honest, it's arguable if it's worth spending money on a second Ankheg plate - Weeblet doesn't want to wear it because it would disable his thieving skills, and neither Imoen nor Neera can wear it at all - but hey, completionism.

For now, we get rid of some magic, but not useful to us, equipment. Looking at this screenshot, maybe the Stupefier would've been worth keeping around just in case a future party member might want it, but it's not too much of a problem. ...actually, looking at this screenshot, selling Telbar's Studded Leather was a mistake. Oh well.

On the buying side of things, we stock up on ammunition (throwing knives in particular, since Imoen is going through those kinda quickly, although this also turns out to be a - smaller - mistake) and we get the Army Scythe, a.k.a. the only crossbow that's about as good as a regular bow (which all get +1 ApR by default), which might tell on me making some plans to refill and/or rearrange our group.

While we're here, we also make a quick trip to the temple to the east (separate map, but with zero travel time from the city) to turn in the bounty for Bassilus, the crazy priest of Cyric, and his zombie "family". 1000 XP and 5000 gold - not bad at all.

The XP is enough to get Neera to Lv.5, which is enough to get access to the third spell circle:

Her spell book is still rather empty in that section, but Skull Trap is a very strong, if difficult to cast without friendly fire, spell.

From here, with no rest, we continue right to the Friendly Arm, to hopefully save Samuel...

Gellana Mirrorshade: "Glittergold guide your eye on your travels."

Gellana: "Oh dear! It is Samuel, and what bad shape he is in. I am glad you brought him to me. Such a fine young man; it's a pity that he let himself be persuaded by Lena to desert the Fist. Well, nothing can be done about that, but something can be done about his health. For the service that you have provided, I want you to have some potions as a show of my gratitude."

Weeblet: "Umm, this Lena also told us that she'll be heading to Nashkel to avoid the Fist's reach, and maybe to Athkatla from there..."
Branwen: "...and we shall leave it at your discretion whether you want to tell Samuel this or not. If a fine man he is, maybe he deserves finer influence than that which made him a coward and a fugitive."
Neera: "...harsh."
Branwen: "And yet more kind than to just let things happen. I will pray that the young man will find both courage from within and mercy from without."

The main reward here are the potions - the Potion of Heroism buffs both HP and Thac0; the Elixir of Health works as a combined health potion (slightly stronger than the basic ones) and antidote. Very useful when fighting giant spiders.

After a night of rest...:

Weeblet: *yawn* "Morning. So, back to Beregost today, yeah? We can finally get Melicamp to his sensei."
Melicamp: "Why yes, I would *cluck* appreciate if you would *finally* stop running circles *around* Master Thalantyr's estate."
Weeblet: "Oh come now. Samuel might have died if he hadn't hurried past Beregost. You might lay another egg."
Melicamp: "Thank you so much for reminding me of that *cluck* uncomfortable experi--"
Imoen: "Hey, have you seen Neera?"
Weeblet: "Huh? Well, last evening. Why?"
Imoen: "Well, guess. She isn't in our room, and neither is her pack. Bentham Mirrorshade says that somebody left the inn in the small hours but he didn't see who it was, but I suppose that mystery has been solved."
Weeblet: "W-what? But I thought that..."
Imoen: "That she likes you? Yeah, probably, although I have to question why."
Weeblet: "But then..."
Imoen: "...look, I grew up about as isolated as you did. I won't pretend that I'm an expert on this. But, maybe... Look at it that way. Neera isn't exactly the most accustomed to socialising, either. Maybe she's scared of, well, commiting to something. Or she's scared that she would hurt you."
Weeblet: "And then she thinks that her running away wouldn't hurt?"
Imoen: "She might not be the most accustomed to logical thinking either. Especially when she's in a state like this. Look, I'll say it again, I don't *know* what she's thinking. But... this doesn't have to be forever. Hey, give it a year and you'll be the semi-famous sidekick of the bold and beautiful Heroine of Faêrun. I have a feeling that if Neera will want to find you, she'll be able to."

A bit of party reshuffling, in-universe forced by Neera getting cold feet.

Of course, Neera politely leaves behind most of her equipment, which allows Imoen to grab the Evermemory ring for herself, doubling her Lv.1 spell slots. She fills them with some more Sleep spells, but no Identify at all, which might hint at who is going to fill Neera's spot. But for now, we have some quests to turn in:

Landrin: "Ahhh, I see you have the largest of those pesky spiders in my house. With this one gone, I'm sure the others will have run away. You are too kind to an old gnome like myself. Thank you so much. If you have any of my other possessions, come talk to me again."
Landrin: "You've done everything that I asked. Thnk you kindly for helping me dear, you've earned every copper."

It's a bit silly, but you have to talk to Landrin three times to give her the items we found in her spider-infested house back in Beregost, which makes her dialogue as a whole fell rather stilted. In total, you gain 800 XP and 295 gold from this quest, in addition to the 1080 XP that the Huge Spiders in Landrin's house were worth.

...well, OK, we had one quest to turn in. Technically two, but the other one would mean giving away the Girdle of Piercing that we took from an Ogre alongside the Girdle of Masculinity/Femininitiy, and I'd rather keep that one.

Instead, we head back south to Beregost and say hi to Garrick the Bard. Oddly enough, he forgot all about what happened during our first visit to Beregost...

...specifically that his employer Silke tried to trick us into killing a bunch of innocent people, attacked us when we refused, and got herself killed in the process. Right in front of Garrick, too - seems like something one would remember for a while. So let's just pretend that this is where the conversation starts.

Garrick: "Oh, thank goodness. I have been earning some coin playing my lute at the Jovial Juggler inn, but one night, a customer recognised me as Mistress Silke's companion and made a big ruckus about it. Not that I can blame him, what with Silke trying to get you to kill him, but I still didn't like the part where the barkeeper threw me out because of it. I've been playing at the Burning Wizard since, but somebody must have stolen all my money, so I'm completely broke now..."
Imoen: "Oo, you're playing the lute? Can you teach me? I always wanted to learn to play an instrument, but there's never been a bard at Candlekeep to teach me. Strange, actually, you'd think that they would want to visit the library."
Garrick: "You would think so, but alas, it would take a rich bard to aquire a tome valuable enough to be allowed entry, and those are a rare breed."

I didn't really plan this, but picking up Garrick now is actually not terrible. Because I didn't recruit him before (or rather, I guess I loaded an older save after showing his stats), he now joins with 16000 XP, instantly bringing him to Lv.5.

This lets him start with three Lv.1 spells and one Lv.2 spell per day - not as much as a mage with 16k XP, especially not a specialist with their additional spell per day, but certainly better than the zero spells that bards can cast at Lv.1.

For starters, Garrick memorises two Magic Missiles (which are becoming quite good at his level), one Sleep (which is still an extremely good spell, period), and one Mirror Image to give him a nice panic button should an enemy attack him over Branwen or Weeblet.

He also gains a weapon pip for reaching/passing Lv.4, which he spends on Bastard Swords - partly because they have respectable base damage and partly because I happen to have a magic one available.

Speaking of - since Bards have an excellent lore value of 10/Lv. (with 100 lore being able to insta-identify literally everything), Garrick is able to go through a lot of what had been Neera's Identify backlog, including this sword..:

Garrick: "A tragic tale, one that teaches us that even the most powerful wizard can fall prey to the weakness of the body."

The ring we found on the map where we picked up Samuel. Stacking Fire Resistance is both powerful and fun, so this is a very nice item to get.

Garrick: "Well, you can communicate to them, at least. I wouldn't expect an Ogre or Hobgoblin or Gnoll to provide you with any valuable insight, let alone a Dire Wolf."

Also very powerful. Not that the summoned beasts are particularly good, but it's always nice when enemies attack something that isn't you.

Garrick: "Apologies, I don't think I have an educational or entertaining story about this one. But it's still a very good piece of armour. ...just not as good as the one Mistress Branwen is wearing already, though."

Garrick: "...and then the third son tricked both his older brothers into thinking that the other one was plotting to kill them! It's not entirely known what happened next, but it's clear that his intrigue must have worked, because next thing we know is that King Bhelen succeeded his father when..."
Imoen: "Yeah, I thought it was another of those. Weird how we've been finding multiple of these rings within a few weeks."

Garrick: "That's a nasty poison. Make sure to keep those well separated from our rations."

Garrick: "What, are you trying to make me regret choosing the Crossbow over the old-fashioned regular bow?"

Garrick: "...no, sorry, can't decipher that. Only the most experienced bards can do that, I'm afraid."

For some reason, protection scrolls require the full 100 lore to be identified without spell - which Garrick can reach before the end of BG1, actually, but it'll take a while to get there.

While we're here, we sell some stuff at Taerom's, get some ammunition for Garrick's trusty crossbow (which is to say the Army Scythe that we bought during our previous visit)...

Melicamp: "*cluck* Thank the GODS, FINALLY!"

...and move to High Hedge to hopefully un-chickenify the chicken.

On the way, we run into a group of Skeletons, which Weeblet and Branwen easily dispatch of. Skeletons on this map use Throwing Daggers and drop them too, so we can save a bit of money by farming them for Weeblet. Unlike any skeletons we've met thus far, they also drop their skulls as loot. Ominous, so we naturally pick one up.

Garrick: "Alas, poor Silke! I knew her, Weeblet-io."

Sorry, I had to. Garrick's voice lines are filled with references, of course including Shakespeare: "Once more unto the breach, dear friends!" is his battlecry.

While we're here, we also unlock another map at the coast by moving to the western edge of this one. Melicamp must be delighted by Weeblet's dedication to delay his cure even now...

...for example to enter a house that seems to be abandoned and grab a little bit of extra treasure. But eventually, after killing a bunch of random skeletons and wild dogs...

Thalantyr: "Chickens do not talk, so quite obviously it is a polymorphed being of some kind. Spells such as that wear off in time or can be dispelled. 'Tis a simple matter and one not worth the waste of my day. Keep moving."
Weeblet: "I am quite aware of the mute status of chickens, thank you very much! Yes, this is a transformed man, but it is also a man who claims to be your apprentice. That is why I brought him here."
Thalantyr: "Apprentice?! I have had no apprentice! I teach no one about what I... wait... Melicamp? MELICAMP, is that you?!"
Melicamp: "Yes, Master Thalantyr, it is *cluck* I."

You actually "lose" the quest if you suggest at any point to leave Thalantyr and Melicamp on their own.

Thalantyr: "A student wishes to LEARN, while this fool wishes only to have knowledge. I will tutor no one who does not understand the ramifications of what I have to teach! Not getting the quick gratification he wished, he instead chose to steal from me!"
Melicamp: "You speak of so much, but show so little! I only wished to *cluck* learn a fraction of the power you possess!"
Thalantyr: "It has taken me some fifty-odd years of life to gain the power I wield, and the will not to use it. You are but a baby in comparison. Frankly, I'm surprised you changed into such an OLD chicken! How DID you manage that, by the by? You were muddling the simplest cantrip last I observed you."
Melicamp: "I have progressed much since then... and I *cluck* 'borrowed' a few items to speed the process."
Thalantyr: "As I thought. Well, it's obvious you an steal my tools, but not my understanding of them. Hold still while I dispel this foolish facade. Can't very well get my property back while it's polymorphed into y-- Wait a moment. I did not possess any items that allow the casting of that enchantment. Wait. Oh, dear. Melicamp, listen very carefully. What did you take?"
Melicamp: "Nothing too valuable, I swear! Just some *cluck* components, a few scrolls, a beat-up pair of bracers, a blank spellbook, some parchment..."
Thalantyr: "A pair of--? Oh, no. You little FOOL! The brackers in my locked and trapped safe?! I certainly hope you can develop a taste for chicken feed, because you are going to be stuck the way you are for a very long time!"
Melicamp: "I know I stole from you, but you can't leave me like this! Pleas Master Thalantyr, please... *cluck*"

Thalantyr: "If you are willing, then I will do what must be done. We will need a component that I do not have on hand, and it will be your job to get it. I will require the head of an undead creature, and a simple skeleton skull will do. Bring it back here and I will try to bend a few magical rules to reincarnate this foolish boy."
Melicamp: "Reincarnate? But does that spell not require *cluck* the reipient to be dead?"
Thalantyr: "There must be a dead element, yes. That is what the skull is for. I cannot fully explain what I am to try, but it's something ofa reversal on the reincarnation scheme. The age of the enchantment that changed you may allow for a loophole in the laws of magic. Of couse it may just kill us both in the casting. Such is life. Off you go to some dungeon or another. Return with the skull. Go."

Well, that explains the drop on the skeletons, at least.

Thalantyr starts casting - the visual effect comes from a mod and it doesn't quite agree with this map, it seems...

...annnnnd...

...oh.

Thalantyr: "And that, as they say, is that. I fear our young friend did not survive the casting, and I feel a touch weary myself. Such are the ways of magic: unpredictable at the best of times. Do not feel responsible for his death, there was little more we could have done. His body simply couldn't withstand the change once again. A lesson, I suppose, for the rest of us. Take good care to treat "found" items with respect. If you will excuse me, I have some work to do. I imagine you've a dungeon to storm somewhere. I wish you 'intelligence,' because 'luck' runs out."

Well, that just won't do.

POWER WORD: RELOAD

Thalantyr: "Yes, yes, boy, now be quiet a moment. Blast it. The bracers are no longer on him. It is as I feared. Likely they either spent what magic they had in a single charge, or it is their wont to be whisked away after inflicting the damage they do. I had hoped to seal them away, but now it's certain they will fall into the hands of some other unfortunate fool. Tell me, Melicamp, do you quite feel yourself again?"
Melicamp: "I... I think so."
Thalantyr: "Good, though it was the greatest of luck you did not retain a wing for a limb. You always were a bit cockeyed, but I suppose that doesn't count. I suggest you remain here, however, so that I might keep an eye on you. If you insist on playing with the forces of magic, at least I should see that you understand them. Perhaps you will be a touch more cautious now that you have experienced what can go wrong."
Melicamp: "Yes, Master Thalantyr."
Thalantyr: "*sigh* I suppose your master I must be. And you, Weeblet. I trust you will be cautious in your travels as well? I wish you 'intelligence' on your journeys. I would wish you 'luck', but it runs out much quicker than you would think. Good day."

So that was that - quite a lot of story for a very simple fetch quest, and another nice lesson of "don't just equip any magic item you find, dumbass".

I believe it's a coin toss whether or not Melicamp survives the Antichickenator spell (and yes, that's what it's called) and you only get the XP+Rep rewards when he does.

Imoen: "I appreciate your restraint to not mention any ogres or girdles, by the by."

We also sell some stuff while we're here - Taerom mostly just buys weapons and armour while Thalantyr will buy almost anything, including the idol of the evil god Kozah that we picked up two updates ago. We do keep a bunch of gems on our hand because I've read the script - some that might come in handy and some that are just worth a decent price.

We also buy a couple spell scrolls as well as the Claw of Kazgaroth for 6700 gold. The penalties make it so that it's only good for some characters - a frontliner won't appreciate the penalty to Save vs. Death (which includes poison), somebody with good Constitution like Imoen or Weeblet would lose two HP per level, but Garrick will stand in the back most of the time and his Con is within the bracket where it doesn't change his HP, and high enough that it stays there with a -2 penalty. And he definitely appreciates the +5 bonus to AC vs. ranged attacks - bards can wear armour, but lose their spellcasting ability when they do, so Garrick is quite susceptible to enemy archers.

With all that said and done, it's time to finally move towards the next main quest location. But before we leave the High Hedge map, there's somebody to the northeast of the citadel:

Kivan: "Hail! It is not often that I come across strangers in this part of the world."

Kivan: "A strange coincidence! I have a quest similar to your own. I have been hunting the bandits in the region for the past few months. Perhaps if we worked together we would fare better. What say you to that?"
Imoen: "We'll help you against the bandits, but only if you tell us why you've spent months hunting them."
Kivan: "Their leader, an ogre named Tazok, took the life of someone very dear to me."

Branwen: "Tazok?! Certainly our meeting must have been fated. We killed one of his servants and found a letter that locates him around the forests in the northeast, which has already been our next destination.

Weeblet: "Thanks for being honest. You can join our party.
Kivan: "I hope that we will work well together."

Kivan is quite single-minded about finding Tazok, which is why I'm only picking him up now. If you take too much time a-sidequestin' after recruiting him, he will complain and eventually leave the party. His patience depends on what chapter you recruit him in: If he joins before you even reach Nashkel, he'll give you 20 days; if you pick him up between reachinig Nashkel and finishing the mines, that time goes down to two weeks - and recruiting him after that reduces it further to three days, so we do need to hurry along now.

After Minsc, Kivan is the second Ranger that we recruit and he actually shares a lot of his features. As melee characters, they both come with high strength, but low durability and somewhat unfortunate weapon pips - as Rangers, they're automatically proficient in dual-wielding, but they both specialise in a two-handed weapon type. Minsc has the upper hand in this regard, thanks to his even better strength and because he does come with one pip in Maces, which allow him to be perfectly fine as a dual-wielding damage dealer once he reaches Lv.3 to get another pip.

However, Kivan is not only the better archer between the two, he's the best out-of-the-box bow user that we've met thus far. His 17 Dex is very good, and as an Elf, he gets an additional -1 Thac0 bonus when using Long- or Shortbows. Khalid can overtake him eventually because as a pure Fighter, he can put a third pip into Longbows if you decide to go that route, but until then, Kivan has the advantage.

Helping him is that the Feldepost Inn in Beregost sells what is literally the best weapon in the game (roughly tied with another Longbow, but still), Kivan has the strength to use it, and it's actually pretty cheap at 1675 gold. Obviously, we pick it up before continuing - Beregost is on the way, anyway.

For his side weapon, I decide to put the proficiency point he gets from leveling up into Longswords - Elves get a small Thac0 bonus for these, too, and we happen to have the excellent Varscona available, too.

But with Kivan bolstering our DPS quite substantially, we should be ready to make kick some bandit arse - next time because I think this update is long enough already. Until then, thanks for reading!

 

[ping]

Update 11: Plot! Really?! Let's hunt some bandits, Fire Emblem style.

Spoiler

Before we leave Beregost, one quick visit to Taerom to see if the Ankheg armour is ready. It's not, so into the forests we go..:

Both the Larswood and Peltvale maps are relatively empty, with only a couple scripted encounters on top of the usual random ones.

Most of the random enemies aren't terribly dangerous to a group of our level: Wild Dogs, Dire Wolves, that sort of thing. Gibberlings, too, although I think these specific groups might be predetermined - note the bloody stone to left of the screen, echoing what we saw last update near Nashkel.

You might also have noticed that Garrick is looking a little... strange. This is the visual effect of the Claw of Kazgaroth that we bought from Thalantyr.

After all the Gibberlings in the vicinity are killed, a cutscene starts to play:

Fully voiced on the NPC's part, too, indicating that it's an Enhanced Edition thing, but I'll once again not bold it for better readability.

Perspicacity - an ability to notice and understand things that are difficult and not obvious. Thank you, Merriam-Webster.

Baeloth: "Najim? Are you even LISTENING? My most obedient serv--friend! WHERE ARE YOU?! Surely you aren't leaving me UP HERE! Argh! YOU CONNIVING CUR! I will crack your realm wide open and DRAG YOU INTO THIS PLANE OF-- Oh, hello. Well, this is awkward."
Weeblet: "Well met, I am Weeblet."

Imoen: "Who is still refusing to learn discreetness. I thought ninniyas were supposed to be good at that sort of thing."

You regularly get the option to just attack Baeloth, but I don't think you get anything out of doing so.

Baeloth: "From the underdark. Was that not clear? Goodness, are you blind? Eugh, I hadn't realized how sickly you surfacer sort are."
Weeblet: "As pleasant as you are, I'm afraid I don't know where an Underdark entrance can be located."
Baeloth: "No, I suppose you wouldn't. This is particularly problematic for a popular power player such as myself!"
Weeblet: "And who might, ah, yourself be?"
Baeloth: "How could I forget?! Allow me to introduce myself. I am Baeloth Barrityl, more commonly known as BAELOTH THE ENTERTAINER! Yes, I know. THAT Baeloth. Fall to your knees and beg for mercy, I'm sure you know the drill."
Weeblet: "The thing about that is... I left my kneepads at home, and well, you know how these things go."
Baeloth: "Hmm. Perhaps you aren't as cultured as I had assumed. In any case, it seems that I am in a bit of a bind. I am unable to return to my home, left bare to the boundless barbarism of the surface world!"
Weeblet: That's a shame. How could such a nice guy like you get mixed up in a situation like this?"
Baeloth: "You must be crawling with questions, but first let me elucidace recent events. Perhaps many of your petty ponderances will be answered."
Weeblet: "Perhaps they will be. Carry on, then."

The Black Pits are an Enhanced Edition, basically a series of set-piece battles with a modicum of story surrounding them. Baeloth is the guy setting up the death matches that you have to beat with (I believe) a fully customised team, so no pregenerated NPCs.

Baeloth: "You must be out of the loop. It was a marvelous sight! The roaring crowd, my obedient djinn slave keeping the prisoners in line, the sound of hammer crushing bone--ah, such fond memories!"
Weeblet: "How did you GET the djinni in the first place?"
Baeloth: "A favor here, a clever spell there, a geas or two. It's not so hard."
Weeblet: "And it worked out so well for you!"

Oh, and Baeloth is also the final boss of the Black Pits, so had I been playing that, this would've been a neat reference to past achievements.

Baeloth: "But I am nothing if not calculatingly cautious, and so I instructed that djinn jerk Najim to grant me a final wish: that I would be protected from death. Oh, he granted that one, all right. As you can see, I live again. No Demonweb Pits for me! But I am bereft of my previous power, forced to converse with a pack of mouth-brea-- OH, I apologize. I'm beginning to ramble!"
Weeblet: "Did he also rob you of your manners?"
Baeloth: "I do not make it a habit to beg others for aid, and I prefer to lend favors rather than request them."
Weeblet: "Now I definitely feel a request coming."
Baeloth: "Clearly, I still command SOME of my powers. Even in this diminished state, I must remain one of the top five spellcasters in all of the realms. If someone were to offer me martial protection, I'm sure I could be of great help to... whatever it is you're doing."

Should we accept Baeloth as a companion, this is what we'd get - and he's not kidding, he's a genuine contender for the Best Spellcaster trophy, depending on your preferences. His stats are largely irrelevant outside of his 16 Con, so let's just talk about his class:

Sorcerers are "spontaneous" casters, which means that they don't have to prepare spells: A Mage with 6 Lv.1 spell slots has to decide before resting what spells he wants to fill them with, while a Sorcerer can just cast whatever six Lv.1 spells he wants, as long as they're in his spell book.

This is balance out by the fact that Baeloth can't learn spells from scrolls. A Mage can eventually learn every single spell in the game, a Sorcerer can only add a few spells every time he levels up.

However, not needing scrolls is also an advantage. Some low(-ish)-level spells aren't available in BG1, or only appear as a rare random drop, which means that Baeloth (or a Sorcerer CHARNAME) usually have exclusive access to those. A big one that comes to mind is Invisibility, 10' Radius (...so basically Group Invis) - just a Lv.3 spell, but you only find the first guaranteed scroll of it near the start of the Siege of Dragonspear expansion.

In total, regular Mages are probably better in a point-shaped game surrounded by a vacuum, which is to say "if you perfectly predict what spells you're going to need the following day". They reach Lv.5 spells which Sorcerers don't, and you technically have more flexibility since they can learn more spells. But realistically, I find that a Sorcerer is far more consistently useful because you're never going to not have memorised that awesome spell that you'd really love to cast right now.

We're not going to take Baeloth with us, though. I think I read somewhere that he won't leave the party at high reputation despite his Chaotic Evil alignment, but we're still Good Guys Doing Good Things, right?

Branwen approves. This, and her previous annoyance, happens because recruiting Baeloth will reduce your reputation by two points, simply because Everybody knows that Drow are bad news. (Which, to be fair to Everybody, they usually really are. Being micromanaged by an evil spider deity will do that to a people.)

Osmadi: "It would be good for you to watch your actions while in this wood."

Honestly, I generally dislike playing as an arsehole in RPGs, but that second option is quite tempting because of just how over-the-top it is. But I don't think that it would be Weeblet's type of humour...

Osmadi: "You think your excuses can work on me! I know what you are, what all of you are! Let the wrath of Malar destroy you and your faithless companions."

Once the (unavoidable) fight starts, a couple hostile Cave Bears will spawn nearby (although we only see the one for now), as well as Corsone, who will fight on our side.

The fight isn't particularly difficult, but I would like to point out the neat little detail that Weeblet can break line of sight by hiding behind a megalith in order to re-stealth...

...and stab a bear in the butt. Now, let's hear what that Corsone is all about...

Corsone: "It's true, we knew each other very well. But there was nothing that could be done. He had lost his mind. I think you can understand that. Sometimes one doesn't have a choice."
Branwen: "It's rather hard to believe that you would write off a life so readily. Come now, there must have been some other choice."
Corsone: "There was no other choice! Do I have to explain myself over and over? Please leave me be, so that I can bury my companion."
Branwen: "So now he's your companion. That's very strange indeed. I don't know of too many people who would go about murdering their 'companions.'"
Corsone: "I murdered NO ONE! I did what had to be done! All of you might be dead if it weren't for my help! Leave me be."
Branwen: "I think you're lying! I think you wanted our help to kill him. You're just a common killer!"

*stab*

Imoen: "Shadow Druids? If we run into Jaheira, I'd like to ask her what that's about."

Osmadi also dropped a magic Spear, but Garrick doesn't quite have the lore to figure that one out just yet.

There's only one scripted encounter left on this map, but I also want to point out this random one. Blacktalon Elites are quite nasty enemies - they use Longbows with Ice Arrows, which is a very high-DPS combination. However, this one is on his own, which is surprising to me. I think I've only seen them spawn in groups of three or even five. I guess it's because we're still relatively low-level because of the character swapping?

Against groups of Blacktalons, Sleep is the weapon of choice, since despite what danger they pose, they're only Lv.4 enemies and thus vulnerable to the spell. Against a single one, well...

They drop a bunch of items, including a reminder that projectiles could only be carried in stacks of 20 in the original Baldur's Gate, as well as magical Ice Arrows and regular Arrows +1.

There's also a couple regular bandits, which the Blacktalons are effectively the "tier two" version of. With Weeblet scouting ahead stealthily (which he can do quite safely during the night), they're not much of a challenge.

The remaining scripted encounter is also a bunch of bandits, led by the melee Fighter Teven. I like to imagine that this is Branwen speaking. Or yelling. Probably yelling.

Branwen: "Not quite the glorious fight I was anticipating..."
Imoen: "But it got results! But, hey, quick strategy meeting. Attacking these small groups is fine and all... but we're after the head of the snake, right?"
Kivan: "I agree. Tazok is my target, not some unfortunate fools in his entourage."
Imoen: "So next time we run into a group of bandits, let's try to get 'recruited'. It can't be too hard to trick a bunch of goons, now can it?"

As the last thing for this map, we run into a pair of Dread Wolves. In lore, these are very dangerous undead wolves, but in gameplay, this is only represented in an immunity to cold damage. Otherwise, they're not very remarkable in any way, except that they give a whopping 650 XP when killed.

Now then, time to head north the the Peldvale.

This map is infested by bandits, as well, with another single Blacktalon Elite marking the start. We later run into a trio of them (I guess we gained enough XP to go into a higher encounter bracket?); otherwise the only remarkable random monsters are some Huge Spiders.

People are starting to get fatigued while exploring the map - no wonder, since simply traveling between maps has taken 32 ingame hours. But before we rest...

Viconia: "My name is Viconia. I-- I'm not from around here. Thank you so much for helping."

Flaming Fist Merc: "EVERY CRAAAHM MUST BE PUNISHED!!!"

This is a bit awkward - Weeblet was scouting ahead, but failed a stealth check, which allowed Viconia to initiate dialogue, which then spawned a Flaming Fist, but he appeared out of Viconia's sight range. Not quite as intended, although it's not too weird to assume that Viconia keeps out of sight deliberately. And yeah, she's the second drow that we run into in these woods, even though her portrait doesn't really display that all that well.

Viconia: "They lie. I've done nothing wrong."
Branwen: "What do you intend to do once you have her?"
FF Merc: "Kill her, of course."
Branwen: "We can't allow that. You'll have to go through us to get her."
FF Merc: "A stupid decision! For harboring a murderer I sentence all of you to death!"

...People at the Sword Coast tend towards delusion about their abilities, it seems. This specific copper is actually killable without repercussions.

Viconia is telling us a truth that's very distinctly technically true. Yes, Shar is a surface deity, but she also happens to be dang nasty evil. I'm not an expert on Forgotten Realms lore, but I believe that worshipping Shar is outright forbidden in most cities because her cults tend to be of the murderous, conspiratory kind, unlike evil deitys like the thunder god Talos or the Bitch Queen Umberlee, who good people still feel the need to appease.

And while we're on the subject of Viconia being not entirely honest: She did actually commit "murder of the foulest sort". Probably. The timeline is a little fucky. Basically, although the Flaming Fist only gives you "She Drow, ergo she guilty" as proof - if you cast a Charm spell on him, he'll go a bit more into detail (his explicit mission was to hunt down a drow who killed a farmer and his family), albeit still not really providing any proof.

However, if you pursue Viconia as a romance in BG2 (which Weeblet won't do, which is why I'm fine with spoiling it here), she'll tell you about how she befriended a farmer and his (adult) sons near Beregost and grew to trust them enough to reveal herself as Drow to them. I don't remember how she hid that fact before - probably by only meeting them during the night and/or wearing clothing covering her entire body. Anyway, when they found out, they then proceeded to "abuse and torture" her and then buried her alive. Whereupon she dug her way out of the grave and proceeded to brutally murder everybody. I don't remember the details, but I'm pretty sure it included at least one case of "burned alive".

So, er, Viconia. Not a nice character. Some would say a little edgy. When she caught her sister sleeping with her fourth husband (probably forcing him to, given the gender roles in Drow society), she set them both on fire. The previous three husbands she just killed for fun. Anyway, I say that the timeline is a bit fucky because when Vicky is telling you all this, she explicitly says that it took place after the end of BG1. I personally assume that it's a small retcon, although it wouldn't be entirely out of character for Viconia to kill two families in her spare time.

All that said, I don't actually dislike Viconia as a character. Her cruelty in BG2 can be a little over-the-top sometimes (and I didn't particularly like her *romance* in BG2), but I appreciate a Drow outcast that instead of going full Chaotic Good Gruff-but-Nice Drizzt-style says, 'Nah, I'm still totally evil and selfish'.

With all those words out of the way, this is Viconia's character sheet. For all intents and purposes, she's very similar to the other single-class Cleric in the game, Branwen - a spellcaster with limited damage output, but decent enough survivability. Viconia outperforms Branwen in that regard - 19 Dex means that she gets a -4 bonus to her AC, and as a Drow, she has a chance to completely no-sell any hostile magic effect thrown at her. She benefits a bit from the "BG2 stats in BG1" mod that I'm using, which raises that magic resistance from 50% to 65% and her Wisdom score from 15 to 18, giving her a few additional spell slots.

That said, while Branwen's own advantages (slightly higher HP, the Priest of Tempus kit) are smaller in comparision, the difference between the two really isn't too dramatic.

One last neat thing about Viconia for an evil-accepting CHARNAME: This map is available very early by going east from the Friendly Arm Inn. And while the enemies will probably eat a Lv.1 party alive (in some cases literally), Viconia can be safely reached by just going north from the where you enter the map. She will help you fight the Fist by knocking him out via Command spell, twice if needed, so that part of recruiting her is quite doable, too.

But, well, still no evil characters for us. We could actually just unlock the Bandit Camp from here by going north, but we do want to try the ~sneaky~ approach...

After saving Viconia, we do set up camp. This also helps with further exploration because it's nighttime when we continue, allowing Weeblet to stealth very reliably.

Kivan hits Lv.5 during this sequence. No additional proficiency points, but 10 extra HP, a little more accuracy, and also two or three points on every saving throw.

Due east from where we met Viconia, we run into a hunter:

Ted: "Ye're adventurers? I used to have an uncle who thought himself as some kind a hero. He had the sword, shield, the whole bit. But he got himself killed, see? He was going off ta kill some sort of beastie with all of his buddies, but something went terribly wrong. I guess this beastie figured out he was coming and set up a trap for him and his friends. So anyhow, there are him and his buddies, trudging through the wilderness on their way to the monster's lair. Then all of a sudden, BAM! SMACK! The monster leaps out and starts ripping off arms and legs. When my pops found his brother, there was nothing left but a big pile of rotting meat."
Weeblet: "That... was a real cool story. You wouldn't by any chance have any advice for us? Some sort of adventuring advice?"
Ted: "Oh, yeah! I have lots of advice about adventurin'. If ya wants to get rich, the best place to go would probably be the ruins at Firewine Bridge. If you want some action, why don't you give back some of that trouble those bandits have been dishin' out on the Coast Way?"

Just a little bit of fluff. However, he happens to be very close to somebody more important:

Raiken: "Now there's a laugh! Why, pray tell, should we take you rattle-pates?"
Imoen: "You're too good at your job! We can see which way the wind is blowing, and whatever you're doing, we want in. It's the only real profit on the Sword Coast today."
Raiken: "Ha ha! I like you. You make me laugh! We'll take you back to the boss and see if he likes you, too. Then maybe you're in. If not, you die. Follow me and try to keep up."

Well, that worked out quite well.

As I said, not a whole lot happening on these maps.

Raiken: "Pick up the pace, else you die slow as well!"

After we're brought to a new map, a generic bandit approaches us and Raiken, followed by a bigger fella.

Raiken: "It's a risk, I know, but we must think about keeping our numbers up! We'll not have the time to bring more from Iriaebor. Better that we recruit here. They've already proved themselves to me."
Bandit: "Fine, just keep 'em out o' trouble till Tazok gets here, and he can make sure they're on the up an' up. An ogre up yer face will show yer true colors right quick!"

This whole dialogue seems a little strange given that, of course, that big fella three meters behind the bandit is the ogre we've been looking for..:

Kivan: "I have waited a long time for this moment, Tazok."
Tazok: "Huh? Who you?"
Kivan: "You killed my wife."
Tazok: "Eh, I kill many. What was her name?"
Kivan: "You do not even remember her name? You tortured her, and laughed as life left her beautiful grey eyes!"
Tazok: "Ahh... I remember now. You look not so good without the cuts and bruises, I think! Come back for more?"
Kivan: "I've come back to avenge my Deheriana, beast, that her spirit may rest in peace!"
Tazok: "Hah! Good luck, puny elf! Perhaps you will be seeing your precious wife soon!"

Interestingly, at first only Tazok himself turns hostile, which I did not remember being the case...

...which is why Garrick uses the Wand Of Meat Shields in the wrong spot...

...and Tazok punches a dent into Weeblet's skull instead of attacking a summon. Yes, punches with a slashing weapon. Shut up.

However, once he's sufficiently injured, Tazok will bail and everybody else turns hostile instead.

Kivan: "Flee then, but do not think this is over, Tazok! I WILL have my revenge!"

The following fight against Raiken and the generics isn't too dangerous anymore, even though it pulls in a couple additional enemies from nearby. But Chill Hobgoblins don't seem to be too different from regular Hobgoblins, which is to say not very strong.

Branwen patches up Weeblet and we go on our way exploring the camp. The magic Warhammer in the loot bar was dropped by Raiken - it's just a standard +1, as Garrick will soon find out for us.

This fight also gives Imoen a very important level-up: Since her Mage level (5) now exeeds her Thief level (4), she regains the ability from the latter. Most importantly, this means that she can now use her Find Traps skill again (which Weeblet rather sucks at)...

...but she can also swap from Throwing Knives back to her Shortbow +1, almost doubling her damage output from 1-4 to 2-7. In theory, she can also wear light armour again, but like with Garrick, that would disable her spellcasting abilities.

She also gains a single Lv.3 spell slot, although her options are still very limited. Flame Arrow will be a great spell eventually, but only after its damage scales up with the caster's level. We'll fix that problem soon, though.

Weeblet scouts ahead and finds two generic Chill Hobgoblins, but also Ardenor Crush - not a name that you need to remember for the purpose of this game, but apparently, the guy is a Human that, after his death, was reincarnated by his wizard friend into a Hobgoblin body.

He is considerably more powerful than the generics surrounding him, but still falls prey to a backstab and an arrow from Kivan.

Exploring the bandit camp, you run into a bunch of lone bandits, but all within sight of the next one. So if you're running in with a melee weapon to engage the first, you'll be shot at by the second, and so on. During some past playthough, I figured that it's far easier to just shoot (or throw, in Weeblet's case) back at them from a distance. The fight will still draw in the next bandit, but even so, you'll fight the bandits one by one.

Although it also works to send a stealthed Weeblet in, chunk a bandit, and retreat. Because stealth checks are only done every six seconds or so, you can just hide while in the shadow of a tent to avoid a penalty, then run into the sunlight without issue.

Further to the east, we run into another named bandit. Taurgosz "Tenhammer" Khosann, said to have killed ten people with a single swing with his hammer, is another character that existed in the Forgotten Realms before this game was developed. He's the leader of the Blacktalon mercenaries...

...but he's still unceremoniously killed in this fight. He is a pretty strong fighter, with 18.43 Str on the offence and 56 HP on the defense...

...as well as wearing (and dropping!) the best type of armour that you can find. Ankheg Plate comes close, sharing the base 1 AC, but Full Plate has a bit of an advantage against slashing/piercing/missile. Kivan immediately equips this - he had upgraded from the Studded Leather he comes with to regular Plate Armour that we got from the Flaming Fist hunting Viconia, but this is yet another improvement. Branwen unfortunately doesn't have the strength necessary to use it, so now our archer is wearing the best armour we got.

Garrick also gains another level after this fight, reaching Lv.6.

It allows him to recognise the spear that Osmandi was using - quite powerful, but still not worth the drawback. Spears in general aren't a very good weapon, with only 1D6 base damage as a two-handed weapon that deals oft-resisted piercing damage.

Also from Taurgosz, we find another rather useful potion, one that I believe is quite rare. This one is really nice for all the low-Con Fighters and Fighter-adjacent characters such as Kivan, who would gain a whopping 20 HP from this potion, four for every character level.

The last named character running around is Credus, although I think he's hardly any stronger than a generic bandit. Don't think he's a previously established character, either.

Imoen: "Well, that's clearly the biggest tent around, so I assume it's Tazok's. Although I doubt that Tazok is still here. What did he say--"
Kivan: "To a mine. Not much of a clue, but maybe we can find one here."

Can you find Wal-- I mean Weeblet? Those guys certainly can't!

The rest of the party partakes in some minor pre-buffing outside the tent - I don't have too much available, but Branwen casts Remove Fear on the party because what are the odds that that mage in the tent won't try to cast Horror, while Garrick gives himself some longevity with Mirror Image.

You tell 'im, Branwen!

Raemon: "Ye're dead, little worms!"

Aw, I thought Weeblet had gotten over the back luck with backstabs...

That one's a bit annoying, too, since it allows Venkt to get up his own Mirror Image. Still, Kivan manages to prevent him to cast what I'm pretty sure is supposed to be the expected Horror spell.

The four enemies aren't incredibly strong, though. The fight gets a little more difficult because Hakt the Hobgoblin shoots poison arrows from behind a barrier...

...but luckily, we have a cure ready and the "barrier" only makes the way to engage him a little longer. Our ranged attackers start shooting Venkt, hoping to prevent any follow-up spells...

...but he manages to shoot an Acid Arrow at Weeblet.

After that, the fight finishes very quickly, though, so nobody actually came any close to death. Victory!

You might have noticed that somebody in the back didn't participate in the fight:

Ender Sai: "My execution, what do you think? You're not with him, are you, though? No, I'd smell his rancid breath on you if you were."
Weeblet: "You're right, we're not Tazok's lackeys. What's going on here?"
Ender Sai: "Aye, you're not... Well, this whole place is dirty to the core, that's what's going on. These aren't your ordinary bandits. They're part Blacktalons and part Chill, Chill being a demihuman band, mostly hobgoblins, and led by that creepy smart one, Ardenor Crush. There be others elsewhere, like that priest Mulahey sent to poison the mines of Nashkel. Set himself up as a kobold god returned and legions of the brainless barking fools believed him, ready to do his bidding till death do they part..."
Weeblet: "Mulahey's dead. He was working for Tazok, I understand. Question is, who's Tazok working for?"
Ender Sai: "That's the trick, see? Crush and Taurgosz Khosann, leader of the Blacktalons, both think he's getting orders from the Zhents, and Tazok doesn't do much to discourage that particular line of thinking. But the Blacktalons and Chill are bandit people, see? They ply the trade routes, avoid the cities, and that's where they go wrong. I'm from the Gate, and I can tell you dead as leather that the Zhentarim aren't behind this."
Weeblet: "How can you be so sure?"
Ender Sai: "A desire for silence isn't the only reason I wear soft-soled boots. I wear 'em so I can tell whose toes I'm treading on. I didn't mess with no Zhentarim. I picked my enemies and I messed with one group and one group only--the Iron Throne. And, right as rain, here I am as Tazok's personal prisoner. You do the math."
Weeblet: "The Iron Throne. Where can I find them?"
Ender Sai: "Tazok's been making regular visits to the Cloakwood, so that's where I'd start if I were you. There are some documents in that chest that might be worth taking a look at, too. Now go step on some toes, all right? And you can tell them Ender Sai sent you."

Weeblet: "Iron Throne?"
Imoen: "No idea. You might remember the Zhentarim?"
Weeblet: "Errrr..."
Imoen: "Yeah, to be fair, I don't think Gorion talked about them very often. Mercenaries, smugglers, all around bad news."
Kivan: "But that does not help us here. Let us see if we can find anything here."
Imoen: "Yeahhhhh.... Treasure."

There are indeed a bunch of valuables to be had here. Around the tent, there's some containers with 750 gold in total, plus a potion or two...

...and the guardsmen drop a couple of interesting stuff, too, starting with an anti-anti-magic spell. Situational, at least during BG1, but already very useful when it comes up.

We also get the other candidate for the best weapon in the game, competing with the Composite Bow +1 Kivan is using. The Dead Shot swaps the bonuses to Thac0 and damage compared to Kivan's bow, which is probably a bit worse overall, but it also doesn't have a Str requirement that is worth mentioning, making it the best bow that for example Khalid can use.

Imoen: "That's really smart. Mostly messed up, but still really smart."
Garrick: "That story gave me nightmares for months when I learned it as a boy, I don't mind telling you."

The chest behind Ender Sai is trapped (ignore that he's still standing there, this screenshot is from before we talked to him, after which he leaves) and contains even more stuff:

Imoen: "Nimbul was that weirdo that tried to kill us in Nashkel, I'm pretty sure. But the other two names are new, aren't they?"
Weeblet: "I think so. It sounds like we've learned about two rungs of the hierarchy at once. If that Davaeorn invokes the name Sarevok to scare Tazok, that guy might be the boss of the whole thing. Davaeorn might be some higher-up in the Iron Throne..."
Kivan: "In any case, we know where to look next, I for that bastard Tazok and you for somebody sending assassins after you. The Cloakwood is just west of the Friendly Arm Inn. I suggest we go there as soon as possible."

Indeed, that is what we're going to do. Unless I change my mind, we'll head to Cloakwood immediately. Well, immediately after we clear the bandit camp of all the treasure we can find, of course.

Picking up Davaeorn's letters advances us to chapter 4 and unveils the Cloakwood map... or rather the first Cloakwood map. We might be there for a while.

The last remaining big prize in Tazok's tent are these gauntlets, although we don't know that yet because Garrick can't auto-identify them. Imoen shall memorise an Identify spell or two, after all.

Outside the tent, we've been ignoring a bunch of chests and barrels and sacks both in the open...

...and inside the smaller tents. There's still a handful of stragglers inside the tents, but honestly, nothing that's really worth mentioning. A bandit here, a couple gnolls there...

...OK, and a bunch of gnolls in a cave in the back of the camp.

Garclax: "You come to mock Garclax! Garclax's clan been in cave long enough. Let us out now, or die!"
Imoen: "Why are you in here, anyway?"
Garclax: "We in here because of trouble we cause in camp! Big brawl two nights back. You should know that... unless you not Blacktalon. You not smell right. You die!"

But to sum it all up: We find a lot of small treasures, which adds up to a decent amount.

The one highlight I want to mention is the Fireball spell. Nice, simple, painful. I did mention something about stacking fire resistance being fun, didn't I...?

To finish the update - there's a fair bit of map outside of the camp itself, but there isn't anything going on there. South of the camp are some old ruins populated by Skeletons and Zombies, which suggests that there should be something of interest there, but, well, there isn't.

So, with one last look at the map, I'll end the update. Next time: Cloakwood! Spiders! Wyverns! Bandits! ...well, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's see how far into the woods we will get. Until then: Thanks for reading!

Two updates on consecutive days?! Wow!

[ping]

Update 12: Cloakwood

Spoiler

To start, two small details that I forgot to mention in the last update. First:

Tazok's voice lines when you right-click him. He evil.

And some banter between our companions!

This may seem small... no, actually, it is quite small, but these short, usually generic insults or (as in this case) compliments and responses are the secondary source of characterisation that BG1 companions get. Obviously, this is still very vague and more like little nudges to the player's imagination what the characters behind the little quips are, but... honestly, I kinda like them.

Somebody on Reddit (link is spoiler-free apart from some companion names that we're yet to recruit) has made the effort to go through the insult/compliments/other tables, which I found to be an interesting read. For example, Viconia is the most insulting companion (helped by telling every male to make her a sandwich, I'm pretty sure) as well as the one the least interacted with - quite fitting, I find.

With the housekeeping out of the way, we make a small stop at the Friendly Arms, mostly to have a good night's rest and to sell some loot...

...but we also buy a good supply of Elixirs of Health and regular Health Potions from Gellana Mirrorshade at the temple. Inside the fortress, in front of the entrance to the inn proper, we also run into a known face:

Elminster: "That would depend on whom thou would ask, now wouldn't it? For the most part it would appear that thine actions are well-intentioned, and are therefore received as such. Much is as I would have done, though perhaps not using the same method. Likely the clues also point thee in the same direction I would go."
Weeblet: "I am certain of where I must go... But perhaps I should confer with you, just to be sure."
Elminster: "As thou hast no doubt determined, the clues seem to point towards the Cloakwood forest. 'Tis likely that the scoundrels behind the bandits have some sort of base within the woods. Of course, I am only telling thee things that thou dost already know. Good luck on thy travels, young one. Be wary as well, for thou art making powerful enemies, both here... and within thyself. I am sorry I cannot speak more plainly on this matter, but events must unfold as they will without any meddling from this old man."

Weeblet: "...not sure what to make of that, but I suppose all we can do is focus on the task at hand."
Imoen: "Wizards, am I right? No surprise that Elminster is the wizardest of them all."
Garrick: "Elminster? That was Elminster?! You're friends with ELMINSTER!?! And don't tell me, next week you're having a cup of tea with Volo?"
Imoen: "Not friends, not really. He just... appears to think that Weeblet is somehow important, I guess? It can't be coincidence that he keeps running into us. Especially since he seems oddly familiar with our plans."
Weeblet: "And I pegged Volo as more of a beer-and-wine guy. But we can see if he's still in Nashkel when we're done with this."
Garrick: "...surely the mines are still there in a week's time? Maybe Volo can give us--"
Kivan: "No."
Garrick: "Okay, fine, fine, I didn't say anthing."

While resting in the Royal lodgings of the inn (hey, we can afford it) (we always could, inns are very cheap in this game), Kevin Michael Richardson narrates us another dream sequence, at a very fitting point in time, I would say.

As with the previous two dreams, Weeblet gains a special ability when he wakes up. Slow Poison (after getting two charges of Cure Light Wounds before), identical to the Lv.2 Cleric/Druid spell, isn't the most flashy spell, but it's quite useful. Although to be honest, we now have a decent stock of Antidotes and Elixirs of Health, which diminishes that usefulness somewhat.

Also as with the previous dreams, there's a "bad boy" version for this one for a CHARNAME with less than 10 Rep. The content is less different than before - it's mostly that CHARNAME views themselves more as a conqueror than a hero, but the threat is made in an identical fashion. Nega-Weeblet would've received the Horror spell as a special ability, with a shorter duration (18 seconds instead of a minute), but otherwise identical to the Lv. 2 Mage spell.

Imoen has filled the two addional Lv.1 spell slots she got from her last level-up with Identify spells - she uses one on a very powerful scroll...

...and one on a second copy of the Legacy of the Masters gauntlets. You might remember us, ah, aquiring the first one at Firewine Bridge, and these two are the only ones you can get until quite late in the Siege of Dragonspear campaign.

Unlike what the item description suggest, these are especially good on expert warriors because they add +2 damage to every hit and better fighters hit more often, so they go to Kivan. Going from 8.5 average damage to 10.5 is still pretty significant, too.

We also pick up the only unique item that the innkeeper sells, his buckler. No particular reason for it - everybody on our team that would enjoy an extra point of Con would (or does) enjoy a regular-sized shield's AC bonus against all kinds of attacks even more. But it might come in handy at some point, and it's only 534 gold.

I also partake in some small ~shenanigans~, but we'll come back to that later.

For now: To Cloakwood we go.

You have been waylaid by enemies and must defend yourself!

...right after these commercials. This four-Ettercap ambush can be very nasty because two of the monsters will spawn directly on top of you, and if you then tell your non-melee characters to skedaddle in the wrong direction...

...they're going to run right into this Web trap. Bonus points because the other to your right, which even encourages you to run right into the trap. And because Ettercaps are immune to the Web spell, this ambush can easily TPK an unsuspecting player.

Beginning to explore the Cloakwood, we run into Aldeth Sashenstar, who appears to be just the nicest man in Faêrun.

Aldeth: "You there! Identify yourself!"

Unfortunately, NPCs will sometimes use different lines to right-clicking than they use when you actually talk to them, which makes keeping note of them a bit annoying.

Aldeth: "Oh, I apologize for my rudeness. I mistook you for someone else. Let me introduce myself. I am Aldeth Sashenstar. You must understand that at the moment, I'm under a terrible amount of stress. You see, my dear sir, there is a group of uncouth savages that has declared their intention of killing my friends and me. I've been holed up in this cabin for several days and have lacked the wherewithal to try to ake an escape. Perhaps you kind folks would help a fellow in trouble?"
Weeblet: "Yes, we would."
Aldeth: "Good! I'm glad you had the sense of decency to help a man in my situation. Let me explain my predicament. My friends and I come here every year to do some sport hunting. This year however, a group of woodland savages threatened us with bodily harm if we did not stop our hunting trip. Being civilized men, we realizd that it's well within our rights to hunt where we damn well please. After a few more days of hunting, the crass woodmen lost all pretense of humanity and murdered Elban, one of my oldest friends. I'm sure that they plan to attack our cottage here, so we had best be prepared."

Indeed, a group of savages Druids approaches afterwards:

Aldeth: "Do not listen to these slavering wild men, my dear friends. They lie as befits the uncultured barbarians that they are."

Seniyad: "Jaheira! You are welcome among us. The trees have missed your gentle care. Will you aid us against these barbaric interlopers?"

Jaheira: "I could do no less. Well met, Weeblet. Will you join our fight?

Weeblet: "Don't you think you're being rather harsh, Seniyad? We can't just let you murder Aldeth. Come now, why don't we come to a peaceful solution?"
Seniyad: "You have made your choice fools, now you will suffer together with your hunter friends."

Pretty sure there's a comma missing, right?

Jaheira: "No! Weeblet, you cannot make me do this!"

Weeblet: "There must be a way to solve this without bloodshed!"
Seniyad: "They should be stamped out before they cause further harm to the forest... but I wish not to burden my friend..."

Seniyad: "You will not consider staying, Jaheira?"

Jaheira: "I will, but only for a short time, my friend. I have an important favour to ask of you. But will you allow me to speak with Gorion's child first?"
Seniyad: "So this is..? I see. I offer my condolences for Gorion's death, young Halfling. Know that I hold him in high regard, and it gladdens me to see his ward grow up to value life. If you plan to venture deeper into the woods, I must warn you - you might consider me a harsh protector of balance, but you will find that not all Druids will provide intruders with a warning. There are rumors that a group of Shadow Druids have established a base deeper in the forest, and they might see just your being here as a crime worthy of death. Tread carefully, and may luck be with you."

Jaheira: "So, Imoen and Weeblet. I see that our paths have led us to the same destination. I take it that you are looking for the Iron Throne?"
Imoen: "That we do, Jaheira. We raided an encampment of the bandits hounding the coast and freed an agent from Baldur's Gate in order to learn of the name and this location. I take it you gathered information from the Harpers?"
Jaheira: "Oh? It's not entirely a secret that Khalid and I are associated with Those Who Harp. Still, I'm curious how you found out."
Imoen: "Lucky guess. ...Okay, okay, look, some creep on the road referred to Khalid and you as 'Harpies'. Honestly, I thought it was just a madman rambling, but when you were talking about asking some mysterious friends for guidance back in the Nashkel mines... Well, it still was a lucky guess, I'd say."
Jaheira: "I see. You should know then that Gorion was one of the Harpers, as well, if you haven't already figured that out, too. This does not have to hold any imporance for you though - you do not inherit any connections to the Harpers, and maybe it is for the better that you keep a distance from them.
Weeblet: "Um, if I can ask something... Who is the Iron Throne anyway? The agent we freed really just dropped the name and then ran away. Do you know more about them?"
Jaheira: "They are a merchant organisation from Baldur's Gate. On the front, anyway - we know that they also make money with smuggling, protection rackets and the like. Quite rich and powerful, so you need not wonder who was hiring all those assassins, although I do not know why they did. But I must go after Seniyad now so that I can link up with Khalid soon. I'm sure we will meet again. ...if you don't get yourself killed."
Imoen: "That's some vote of confidence..."

So I'm throwing some information out here that's technically available in BG1, but only in specific scenarios that we're probably not going to run into: Jaheira and Khalid are members of the Harpers, which is some secret organisation of adventurers fighting for the Greater Good (TM). Interestingly, Elminster is a leading member of the Harpers, which might explain his interest in his fellow Harper Gorion's ward.

However, I believe that this only ever comes up if you have both Jaheira and Khalid, and Xzar and Montaron (the crazy evil duo we met right at the start of the adventure) in your group. The latter are part of the Zhentarim, which is an evil organisation rivalled with the Harpers. They will recognise Jaheira and Khalid as Harpers and eventually a fight will break out between them. But if this doesn't happen, the Harpers are just not mentioned until Baldur's Gate... and even then, you have to have Jaheira and/or Khalid present when running into a specific NPC for that to happen. But BG2, if I recall doesn't treat Khalid and Jaheira being part of the Harpers as any surprise at all, so I wanted to at least bring it up once.

And I picked this encounter because it has this additional option if Jaheira is in your party, although I obviously had to rewrite a little bit to pretend that Jaheira wasn't traveling with Weeblet all along. Because I didn't have room for both her and Khalid, I had to do the aforementioned ~shenanigans~: Kick Garrick for a little while to invide Jaheira and Khalid, then send Khalid to the second floor or the Friendly Arm before kicking him so that he can't walk up to Weeblet to initiate dialogue and take Jaheira with him.

If you don't bring Jaheira, you have to choose between killing either Seniyad or Aldeth, with the more "evil" option to kill Seniyad being the better metagame option for once. Killing Aldeth will block you out of one of the more interesting side quests once you reach the city of Baldur's Gate.

No matter how you decide, robbing his cabin afterwards is always a possibility.

Now then, back to our five-man group.
Like the previous forest maps, Cloakwood isn't exactly densely filled with content, so exploring the map mostly involves fighting random groups of enemies, Tasloi (jungle goblins, very weak, you might remember them from before) being a very common enemy type. However, this group in the southeast region of the map is actually predetermined...

...and one of them drops a magic cloak.

Garrick: "Oh! Haha!"
Weeblet: "Hm?"
Garrick: "I know whose cloak that is. Did you meet Gurke? Grumpy dwarf, likes to spend his time in the Jovial Juggler, lost his cloak in the *Cloak*wood..?"
Weeblet: "Ohhh, yeah, I think I remember him."
Garrick: "I didn't know that he lost an enchanted cloak. It... might actually be of interest to you, Weeblet, in case, you know..."

As far as I remember, Non-Detection isn't too important in BG1. Not many enemy spellcasters use divination spells.

After killing a Cave Bear, Branwen reaches Lv.6, giving her a third Lv.3 spell slot, which she fills with the Strength of One spell. 18/75 Str gives -2 Thac0 and +3 Dmg, which is a nice little bonus for everybody. Although in retrospect, with a lot of our Dps coming from ranged attackers, maybe this isn't the most impactful spell available. Speaking of a lot of Dps from ranged attackers..:

Coran: "Ho, travelers! Hold a moment."

Coran: "Good, I'm glad you're smart enough to recognize opportunity when it comes knocking. The deal is this: I've been hired out by the mayor of Beregost to hunt down a great winged dragon that's been plaguing the caravan routes. He's offered 2,000 gold for its head. Now before you get cold feet, let me allay your fears. The only descriptions of the beast have always mentioned its deadly barbed tail. From what I know about dragons they don't have barbs on their tails--that's something unique to wyverns. So all we have to do is find this wyvern's nest and kill it. Our only worries are if it has friends over to dinner! So what is your decision, yea or nay?"
Weeblet: "Yea."
Coran: "Very well then. We shouldn't tarry any longer, let's collect the heads of those soon-to-be sorry wyverns."

Imoen: "In case you're interested in our mission, Coran..."
Coran: "Hm..? Oh, I'm all ears."
Imoen: "We've been looking into the iron crisis paralysing the Sword Coast and we have reason to believe that there is an iron mine in these woods operated by a criminal syndicate. We're trying to find the mind and... actually, we're not entirely sure what happens then, but I expect it'll involve fighting, considering that we've had several assassins sent after us in these past few weeks."
Coran: "My, it seems that hunting wyverns will be the easiest task on this adventure for you, then. Maybe I'm lucky that you didn't ask *me* for help. I could never say no to a pretty face."
Imoen: "Oh, Coran, would you please help us? A thief and archer would be *so* useful for us!"
Coran: "My dear, I could never say no to a pretty face. I'll lead the way towards where the wyvern's lair is thought to be. Maybe we'll find a big hole in the ground on our way there."

So two updates back, I discussed a bit who between Kivan and Khalid is the better archer. Coran joining us somewhat obsoletes that question, because he kinda blows both of them out of the water. Not only does he come with the Thac0 bonuses from 20 Dex and being an Elf using Longbows...

...he also starts with three pips in the weapon talent, something that is literally impossible for any other Fighter/Thief multi-class to achieve. Three pips is also the best any BG1 NPC can do, outside of some very specific fuckery with Shar-Teel dual-classing from Fighter to Thief and saving up levels, so between that and his 20 Dex, he's just... better at shooting enemies than anybody else that isn't a CHARNAME with a dedicated archer build.

Case in point: A direct comparison to Kivan, both with one of the two S-tier Longbows and otherwise identical equipment. Coran equalises the better damage of the Comp. Bow +1 with his third proficiency point and then simply beats Kivan's accuracy by 15% despite his lower character level thanks to his multi-class.

Personally, I don't think that there's an objectively "best" companion in the game, since there's a handful of characters that are "the best" at their respective roles. But subjectively, I would probably point at Coran: Not only is he the best archer, which is already a really powerful fighting style in BG1 - he's also a completely functional thief on top of that. You can pump all his skill points into Find Traps if you want to use him as your only thief, or you can focus on his stealth skills (which I'm going to do) and make him into a reasonably good backstabber on top of his ranged combat expertise.
Coran being the best in one field and then perfectly competent in another is, I think, unique in this game.

And that's pretty much the map. Time to leave Cloakwood...

...and travel to Cloakwood. Something that's a bit strange (and maybe supposed to represent that we're searching for an unknown location in a rather difficult terrain to search) is that traveling time between the Cloakwood maps is quite long, considering how close they are on the world map.

On the second map, we immediately run into a side quest..:

Tiber: "Excuse me... please let me speak before you attack."

Tiber: "Thank you! Thank... you. It's my brother, you see. He and I went into the Cloakwood to clear the woods of the spider colony that infests it. I know it sounds foolish... but my brother had found the sword "Spider's Bane"! The sword was created to kill spiders... and we thought we could become famous... the heroes of Cloakwood, and all that. But my brother hasn't returned yet... and it's been more than a week. Please, could you go into the woods and find him for me? My mother would be so shattered if Chelak were to be dead."
Weeblet: "We'll find your brother for you, don't worry."
Tiber: "Oh, yes! Please search quickly. His name's Chelak. Be careful."

Coran: "...a week, he says. I'm afraid we can hardly hope for anything better than finding the boy's body. And the brother's right - there's a lot of spiders in these parts of the woods, more numerous and more dangerous than in the area where we met. We'll have to be careful not to walk into their webs, too. I can scout ahead, if need be, although I have to admit that life in the city has taught me... different skills."
Imoen: "You can leave that to me, no worries. Candlekeep didn't teach me ranging through the forest, either, but I'm a fast learner."
Coran: "I can see that you have many talents."
Imoen: "Sure do. For example, I can spot pick-up lines from miles away."

So, for this map, Imoen is going to be our scout. She hardly has any points in stealth, but that doesn't matter - for some reason, you cannot be sneaky and look for traps at the same time, which I always found to be an annoying limitation on thieves. Instead, Garrick casts Invisibility on her...

...and I deactivate her auto-attack so that she doesn't break that invis.

This is what you have to expect on this map: a bunch of web traps and, if you run into them, nearby spiders ready to lay down the hurt on immobilised party members.

There isn't as much enemy variety either - different types of spiders, with Giant ones being a bit stronger than the Huge ones we've encountered thus far. It seems that they've eaten all other kinds of enemies.

An easy mistake to make with an invisible scout is to pick stuff up. You can spot and disarm traps without breaking the spell, no problem, but picking up a quarter? Poof. Luckily, I don't make that mistake this time or on this map at all, which is good since I only had Garrick memorise that one Invisibilty spell.

Garrick: "It is said that Prince Rashad was a true dervish in combat, wielding his two Scimitars with frightening speed and accuracy. And, um, you might not like to hear this, Weeblet, but I think this weapon is of higher quality than the Kara-Turan blade you're currently wielding."

Weeblet: "Aw man..."

It doesn't show up in the stat comparison, but going from the old Wakizashi's piercing damage to a Scimitar's slashing damage is a bit of an upgrade, too. Armour tends to offer better AC against piercing weapons, and monsters are more likely to resist that damage type too - you might remember the Mustard Jellies from a few updates back, which were immune to piercing and missile damage.

Garrick: "We should maybe just throw that one into the sea. Or maybe I can trick Mistress Silke in wearing it. Ha, that would serve her right!"
Imoen: "Silke's dead."
Garrick: "Really..? You'd think I would remember something like that."

Oh, I have to take back what I said about enemies on this map. It's not only spiders, it's spiders and spider-y humanoids. My mistake.

Imoen: "Psst! Teleporting super-poisonous spiders ahead! Three of them, I think."
Weeblet: "Oh, har har."
Imoen: "No, I'm serious! I recognise the colours, I'm pretty sure. Everybody keep an antidote ready!"

So yeah, teleporting super-poisonous spiders. Nasty creatures, those, although not terribly durable. They might teleport between your party members several times, so being fast on the pause button in order to pull your spellcasters and bow users away from them is quite important. If you come here without bringing enough Antidotes and Elixirs of Health, their poison is extremely dangerous, dealing a total of 40 damage over the course of 20 seconds.

Imoen: "Psst! Spider with swords for legs ahead! Only one, though."
Weeblet: "WHAT?!"
Imoen: "You heard me. Spider. Swords. Legs."
Weeblet: "...I don't want to be here anymore."

Weeblet: "OH GODS IT'S SO FAST TOO!"

So yeah, Spiders with swords for legs. My apologies to any arachnophobe reading this. Sword Spiders luckily don't teleport and they aren't venomous, either, but they're still very dangerous in a more straightforward way. They deal more direct damage than other types of spiders (2d6 instead of 1d6), but more importantly, they move really fast (a bit faster than even a character under the Haste spell, I think) and they attack five times per round.

Luckily, we've come with a lot of firepower of our own.

The Sword Spider was waiting for us in front of a cave. Inside...

Weeblet: "I'm not even going to whine that we'll have to fight two daddy sword-legs. All the spiders and spider-men are surrounding some fat... almost-human?"

Weeblet: "I think we'll able to give cover to our archers, though. But let me get this out of my system: Ew. Ew. Ew! EW!"

Honestly, although I usually don't show the "show walkable terrain" option for the map, it's really quite useful once in a while.

Centeol: "Kill the meat, my pets."
Weeblet: "Hey, wait, We've come here... to... to benefit from your divine wisdom. Let us speak."

Centeol: "I am cursssed. The archmage, Jon Irenicus, cursed me for indignities done to him and his wife by me. I loved Jon, but now I hate him, as I hate you and everything. Spiderssss... kill them all."

Well, I'm sure we'll never hear the name "Jon Irenicus" ever again. Jokes aside - Irenicus will play a role in BG2 and this encounter has always been meant to be a call forward to it, but it's pretty clear that the writers didn't really know yet what role Irenicus was going to play. Not only is Centeol's story not quite congruent with the Irenicus we meet in BG2, in the original BG1, she talks about Jon Icarus because that was the name they were originally going with.

Centeol summons another two Giant Spiders at the end of her dialogue (which will always end with her turning hostile, of course), but I don't think she has any other abilities.

The fight can be dangerous because your party will be rather clumped up and spiders might just aggro on your squishy units, but you do have some things going for you. Not only is there the invisible barrier to your northeast, you can also avoid stepping into vision of the enemies in the back of the cave as long as you stay near the entrance with everybody.

So basically, you can kill the first two dangerous enemies, the Sword Spiders, before you have to deal with the Ettercaps.

Weeblet: "I guess you were right, Coran. Maybe it's a small mercy that there still is a body for a proper burial..."

Chelak's body is quite heavy at 185 pounds. Kivan can still carry him, but he has to drop his Full Plate while doing so.

Weeblet gained enough XP during the fight to reach Fighter Lv.5 - some extra HP, Thac0, and saving throws, but not the most exciting level to reach.

On the way east back to Tiber, there's another predetermined, dangerous group of enemies. I didn't make a proper screenshot showing all the traps (...because I had Imoen disarm them after spotting them)...

...but it's five Ettercaps with four traps surrounding their location. A nod towards Ettercaps having some rudimentary intelligence, I assume.

The fight goes without a problem, though. Weeblet's "backstab and then run towards his companions" strategy, even if it didn't kill that first Ettercap right away, is a pretty good opener for most fights.

Garrick: "That's the Spider's Bane alright. Unfortunately, it only protects from a spider's web and not from its poison..."
Imoen: "I didn't know there was a Dwarven clan in the Cloakwood."
Garrick: "Yes, well, I didn't make the connection until now, but we are searching for a mine unfamiliar to humans. I wouldn't be surprised to find that it's an old dwarven mine that the Iron Throne somehow found out about."

Garrick: "I do not recognise the ring, but this is a Wand of Frost that we found in the lair.

Imoen: "That's handy. We found one when we were exploring the Nashkel mines, but it's almost out of power."

So, the Walkable Terrain mapmode I mentioned? Handy again...

...because I don't think it's very obvious that there is a path behind the ruined forest on top of Centeol's lair. There isn't anything unique hidden behind it, though -

- but two more Phase Spiders that together yield another 2800 XP, which isn't too bad.

It's enough for Coran to reach Thief Lv.5, bringing, among other things, his backstab multiplier from x2 to x3.

With that, it's time to leave Cloakwood...

...and head for Cloakwood. This next part of the forest has some more dialogue, though!

But first thing we do is rest.

We've had our less enduring companions complain about fatigue on the previous map already, but the rest also allows us to explore the map during night time, greatly helping Weeblet's sneakiness. It's honestly an interesting aspect of playing with a stealth-focused CHARNAME that the time of day tends to be of much more importance than usual.

As a side note - had I not installed a mod moving some companions around, this is where we would've met Eldoth, the sleazy bard looking to ransom a Grand Duke's daughter. It's... honestly such a random location for a bard from a city, and I wonder why Bioware picked it.

Across a bridge we encounter a Druid:

Laskal: "Civilization seems far, city-dweller."

Laskal: "My name is Laskal, and I am the protector of the Cloakwood. I would ask you a question before I take my leave of you. I have a message for those that serve the Iron Throne. Would you be a representative of that organization?"
Weeblet: "Um, er... Why, yes we are. Hand over the message."
Laskal: "You are mistaken, I did not mean to give you a written message, but rather a verbal one. Know that the Iron Throne's time within this wood is ending. The Shadow Druids will no longer sit about and let them pollute this forest. You will be our first example of what happens to those who defile nature!"

*stab*

Coran: "Gotta say I'm glad I ran into you more than ever. I pride myself in how I can talk myself out of situations (and you might want me to give you some pointers), but with Shadow Druids, a silver tongue will only get you this far."

Laskal's staff is, very straightforward, a Quarterstaff +2. If anything, it's unusual that a +2 weapon does not have a unique name and a small backstory.

Faldorn: "I am Faldorn. I have been looking for those who would fight for the sanctity of this forest."

Weeblet: "I'm sorry, but on a mission that might require stealth and subterfuge, our group is already plenty large. But I assure you that we won't linger overlong. We only wish to confront the owners of that mine."
(...)
Coran: "See, that's better. Not mentioning my little hunt was probably for the better, too. Wyverns attacking caravans is likely what these folks consider the natural state of being."
Imoen: "And good on you for not mentioning that we're not really sure what to do about the mine, too... I mean, it might be the only source of iron the Sword Coast has right now. Who knows what we'll have to decide to do."

Faldorn's a single-class Druid with painfully unimpressive stats (16 Wisdon is nice, I guess), but a very interesting companion nevertheless. She and Jaheira are the only Druids you can pick up, and because Jaheira is a multi-class, Faldorn is the only one that can reach Lv.5 spells. I'll give a demonstration later, but I'll say it right now: Lv.5 spells is where Druids become truly terrifying.

Before that point, though, she's bad. Not useless at all, mind, but as far as Lv.1-4 spells are concerned, I'd take a Cleric over a Druid any day. Faldorn will gain Lv.5 spells at 90k XP, which is still kinda far away - Weeblet just recently hit 32k, although XP gain does accelerate at later stages of the game.

Apart from Faldorn and the recently deceased Laskal, there's two more Shadow Druids running around:

Takiyah: "A wistful traveler? Yet another fool that lurches about in the woods 'appreciating' nature while remaining blind to the problems caused by their kind. Such blatant naivete! Give me one good reason why I should not purge the woods of your presence!"
Branwen: "We hunt those that would defile these woods! Bandits are my quarry!"
Takiyah: "Hmm... a noble goal, and one that my fellow Shadow Druids will no doubt support. You should have an escort, however, just to make sure you do more good than harm. I recommend you speak with Faldorn. She will gladly share your fervor in exterminating those that poison these woods to the east. Go now, and seek her aid."

Branwen: "I don't think these Druids are the types to frolic around the forests in the nude, Weeblet."
Weeblet: "You say that, but it can't hurt to assure them that we respect nature, can it?"

Izefia: "It is fools like you who do the most harm! The trees were not placed for your enjoyment, and to treat them as mere entertainment is to demean them in ways I cannot stand! No Shadow Druid would ever condone such flagrant squandering of the gifts of the earth! I shall avenge each flower you might have trod on, and every leaf you might have shaken loose in your passing!"

Weeblet: "OK, I was wrong. In my defense, these Druids are crazy."

The screenshot isn't the best, but a short distance north of Faldorn, we come across a gigantic tree stump with a door...

...and a cozy interior...

...and a couple lootable potions. This one actually has the same effect as the Spider's Bane sword, but spelled out a little better. The important part is that the immunity isn't restricted to negative effects - the Free Action status also prevents a character from benefitting from the Haste spell, which actually makes a bit situational once we get a scroll for it.

Amarande: "Ignorance is never to be pardoned! Lessons hard learned are the ones best remembered. I shall enlighten you and then pose my question again. I am an Archdruid of the Shadow Druids, one of the few with my level of experience, and it is our duty to purge nature of outsiders. Druidic orders that think people can exist alongside nature are doomed do fail. We shall restore nature to its former glory the only way possible: active aggression! So again I put it to you: Who are you to dare trespass in nature's territory?"
Weeblet: "Enough of your lectures! It wasn't our intention to antagonise anybody but our target on our mission, but no longer. It seems you aren't only enemy to intruders, but also to our friend Jaheira, so prepare yourself!"

Amarande: "You have the gall of one with no respect for the wild areas! You will learn the proper response when confronted by a Shadow Druid: fear and obedience!"

It seems that the ensuing fight is an easy one...

...PSYCHE! This is the spell that I was hyping up when talking about Faldorn. Insect Plague sends a swarm of, well, insects against one enemy, from which it'll just over to up to five additional targets. It lasts for 6 rounds / 36 seconds, completely shuts down spellcasting, can hit invisible targets (as long as there's a visible target near them), deals 18 damage to everybody, and victims must roll a save vs. Breath every round or to avoid panicking. Oh, and it's party-friendly. This is easily the most devestating spell in BG1 and, honestly, it doesn't really slow down in BG2, either. Utterly ridiculous.

Of course, since Amarande made the very smart decision to face us on his own, it's not really lethal damage, but this one cast still outdamages our healing capacities quite easily.

Garrick: "Wow! This is one impressive stick! ...what? It is! Highly magical!"

Finally, we run into a porn reference. No, really, I'm not kidding, but I'm not going to elaborate, either. Research at your own peril. For our intents and purposes, it's a man and two baby wyverns that we run into.

Peter of the North: "You just don't know the subtleties of wood and wood-related activities. These creatures are docile and... and it is worth the risk. Um... even the darkest of caves can be a rewarding experience for the woodsman that knows how to handle himself. Why, um... subterranean trees can yield the best material for carving... ah, ornamental... things."
Branwen: "Subterranean trees? Are you quite sure you know what you're talking about?"
Peter of the North: "Certainly! Have I given cause for you to doubt me? Of course not! Everything is just as it should be. There is nothing untoward about me or my wyver... I mean, there is nothing untoward about THESE wyerns. Are you implying something?"
Branwen: "Do your actions not seem odd to you?"

Imoen: "I can't believe there's people that are even worse at lying than you, Weeblet."

Weeblet: "Can't hear you, busy pulling my weight."
Garrick: "I don't expect these were the wyverns you were hunting, Coran?"
Coran: "No, I doubt that these two would be able to terrorise any caravans just yet. They wouldn't have hired an expert if it was just about these."

Peter drops a Splint Mail which Coran grabs because he starts with the most shittiest of armours (leather) and I didn't sufficiently plan ahead for his equipment. This disables his stealth, but the AC difference is easily large enough to be worth it, especially because Leather Armour is even worse against piercing and missile weapons than displayed.

And there we go. Third Cloakwood map done.

On the fourth one, we're almost immediately greeted by what I believe is the only Hamadryad in the game. She's a bit annoying to be sure, teleporting around and trying to Dire Charm your party members.

She manages to get Weeblet with her second attempt, despite his shorty saving throw bonuses, but Branwen's Command spell is actually a perfect counterplay. Because Weeblet is still Lv.5/5 in his two classes, he can't even attempt a saving throw here (come to think of it, I'm not sure how it works for a multiclass that's Lv.5/6)...

...and even though the duration is only 6 seconds, that's enough for everybody to run out of his sight range. So even though the Dire Charm sticks around despite technically nobody being around to tell Weeblet to stab his friends, Weeblet simply has no target to attack and he won't wander around to try and find one.

I mention this fight partly because it's a unique enemy, partly because I think the Command strat is neat, and partly because there isn't too much happening otherwise on this map...

Before I forget, Imoen uses her two Identify spells on protection scrolls that Garrick can't identify until very late into the game. One is quite good...

...the other is not, although I've heard that some players use these to remove an unwanted half of a character pair from the party.

There's also a few Baby Wyverns spread across the map which I think is predetermined. At least I'm pretty sure that I always run into a pair of them just west of the one spot on the map that's actually important...

...which is this large cave with a blood trail leading to it that seems ominous enough to warrant a bit of pre-buffing.

Coran: "This should be it. The area seems about right and I would be a bit worried if there was another monster around big enough to drag victims with that much blood into its lair."

And indeed, this is it. Weeblet and Coran, the latter made invisible by Garrick's spell and both blessed with boosted strength, sneak in in front of the others...

...and manage to take out one of the adult wyverns before the fight even begins. Very nice! According to the wiki, Wyverns have 63 HP, so Weeblet's critical backstab wouldn't even have been enough on its own, although "critical backstab plus an arrow from Kivan plus Coran backstabs another enemy" would've been better had we known about the crit beforehand. But we don't play GBA FE here, so this is simply an excellent opening to the fight.

Everybody then unloads their arsenals - Garrick and Imoen fire Magic Missiles, Branwen distributes a buff/debuff with Prayer, and the physical characters kick butt.

We get pretty good rolls overall, despite the nat 20 against Branwen here - her resisting the Wyvern's poison is very nice, since that can stack up damage very quickly. It's not a problem if you immediately use an antidote, but the "only one spell/potion/scroll" restriction can easily make it a problem if you're hit twice in a row.

We come out of the fight with very little HP lost - Weeblet got hit for 10 damage, Branwen got hit a little bit, but most of the damage you see on the characters is still residue from the fight against the Shadow Archdruid.

(small note that the Wand of Frost, despite the animation, does not have an Area of Effect)

(another small note that this little map is pretty metal)

I know that Coran has a timer on his quest, and I think that beating these wyverns is enough to satisfy it. It's possible that he will complain if you take an unreasonably long time to get to Beregost, but I haven't seen it happen.

Both the adult wyverns drop their heads as loot. You only need one to eventually get Coran's bounty, but Thalantyr actually buys them for a decent price as well, so as long as you have the weight capacity free, it's not a bad thing to take more of them with you.

In addition, you can loot the body of a less fortunate adventurer.

I wanted to point out that "Plate Mail + Magic Wand" seems like an unlikely combination - maybe a Fighter/Mage not making use of their innate spellcasting ability - but actually, these are also usable by Clerics. Mystery (that has no further implications) solved (probably)!

Coran immediately equips the Plate Mail - since he's disabling his stealth ability anyway, might as well go for the best available armour. Well, second best, but Branwen makes better use of the Ankheg Plate. Maybe I should've stuck around in Beregost for a little while until Taerom was done making a second copy...

And... that's that for this map, as far as non-random encounters go. However, Guards being one of the potential random ones might indicate that we're getting closer...

...and indeed it does. Next time, we shall see if we can find Tazok, or his boss Davaeorn, or maybe Davaeorn's boss...

...but for now, we're do--

"You have been waylaid by enemies and must defend yourself!"

--oohkay, almost done. We've been a bit lucky mostly avoiding ambushes between the Cloakwood maps because they can be pretty nasty. We got a group of Ettercaps when we first entered the woods, and now another pair of Wyverns. No traps in this encounter, luckily, but Wyverns are still a rather nasty pack of stats to take on head-on.

Five (times 1.5) damage per poison really is quite nasty, especially with the first tick coming very very fast.

But we percevere and come out of it with another two wyvern heads, which Kivan can keep in his backpack for the time being. Having one or two characters with 18+ Str is really quite useful if only for their capabilities as a pack mule.

But that's actually it. Next time: A last small bit of spelunking in the forest, and then it's time for the second "dungeon" of this playthough. Until then, thanks for reading!

 

[ping]

Update 13: Davaeorn

Spoiler

Last time, we arrived at the hidden mine's location. This time, we start by checking out its surroundings, if mostly for completionism's sake, since there isn't much to find. Most random enemies are quite weak like this small group of Wolves (who really don't carry the same threat as they did back when it was just Lv.1 Weeblet and Imoen).

The only truly dangerous group we run into are four Blacktalons, but we do have the tools to deal with those, too.
(The Sleep spell. I'm talking about the Sleep spell)

There's one last encounter away from where the mine itself is:

Lakadaar: "What is your purpose here?"
Weeblet: "We have heard rumors of wyverns hereabout."
Lakadaar: "Wyverns?"
Coran: "Yes. With fearsome fangs and enough poison in its tail to kill a horse ten times over."
Lakadaar: "Uh, excuse me, I have some pressing business to attend to elsewhere."

If you don't bring up wyverns in this dialogue, Lakadaar will reveal himself as an Iron Throne associate and summon four mooks to attack you. Lakadaar himself has similar (if not the same) combat stats as the regular guards he summons, so basically, we talked ourself out of an easy fight and 600 XP in total, but it's funnier this way.

Before approaching the mining encampment, we do a little more cheesing. Coran takes off his armour...

...then goes into stealth, and then re-equips the Plate Mail. This is a bit of a mechanical oversight - you can't go into stealth while wearing heavy armour, but if you equip it after clicking the Hide in Shadows button, it won't un-stealth you. You can't fully abuse this during combat since you can't change your armour while a fight is going on (although you can freely swap helmets and even boots, if it's to your advantage...), but it's obviously a big help to get a good opening for a fight. Once we get back to Beregost, I'll probably buy back the Studded Leather +2 that we sold to (probably) Taerom earlier to make Coran's backstabs less cheesy, but I'm going to make use of this little exploit while in Cloakwood.

As a bit of karma, I guess, the double backstab didn't quite kill the two guards that are stationed at the entrance to the mining encampment. First Weeblet gets a low roll, then Coran bugs out a bit because his target moves towards Weeblet which, I think, interrupts Coran's attack animation.

But these are just generic guards that aren't much of a problem either way. The real guardians are coming up shortly behind them...

...and they warrant the little bit of pre-buffing that we can do. (pictured: Strength of One)

In fact, Branwen follows up with a Chant - this wastes the penalty that the spell would inflict on nearby enemies, but Branwen doesn't have infinite time to cast spells, anyway.

Coran: "You get into position to attack the mage to the right if necessary. I take the other one."

Drasus: "I'd rather we just skip the small talk and get right to the killin'."

Drasus: "HAW" A good saying! I will use you head for a puppet and make it say it over and over while we drink large amounts of mead! Life is pretty good, you know?"

Kivan is who Drasus spotted first, so the "kill the mouthy one" response is officially his. Not entirely out-of-character.

We don't follow through with that, though, thanks to Weeblet immediately chunking "his" mage. Meanwhile, Coran is too slow with his own attack, which allows Rezdan to get Mirror Image up. Not sure why Coran has been slower to attack twice here - in theory, his Varscona longsword has the same speed factor as the Rashad's Talon Weeblet is using, which determines how early in a round a character's attacks come out.

Imoen and Garrick counteract that by throwing their Magic Missiles at him to either destroy the images or damage Rezdan.

Coran immediately backed off after backstabing one of the images and he ends up getting the kill he was trying to get earlier. The magic visual effect is Branwen's Prayer spell, giving another advantage for the remaining fight...

...which then ends fairly quickly and without very much damage taken on our side. Only Branwen got hit by Drasus once, albeit for a respectable 19 damage.

Weeblet: "That Rieltar seems to be getting nervous. Double the normal pay?"
Imoen: "Yeah... I wonder what the 'more of the same' means, though. Jaheira and Khalid's group? Or is there somebody else going after the Iron Throne?"

The mercenaries also drop a number of magic items as well as one new spell scroll. Fireshield is a cool spell that I rarely use. It's probably better in BG2 when mages (and bards) become much more adept at tanking. A Fighter/Mage can probably make good use of it in BG1, too, although those take a long time until they can cast Lv.4 spells. Even Imoen, who hasn't exactly put a lot of XP into her Thief class, hasn't reached those yet.

A lot of the magic items we'll just sell once we get to a shop, including this one, because Plate Mail +1 is still worse than Full Plate or even Ankheg Armour. But it's a small upgrade for Coran until we get back to Beregost (and stop cheesing the stealth mechanics), with the added bonus of being 30 pounds lighter than the non-magical Plate that he has been wearing.

The big price, however, are these boots. Movement speed is excellent on any character, but it's especially powerful on a backstabber. It makes the "backstab and run towards your friends" strat that Weeblet has been employing less risky, and it also makes it more worthwhile to run out of combat for a while in order to re-stealth and get multiple backstabs in. And outside of combat, it makes it far more convenient to scout ahead with a stealthed Weeblet, too.

The building in the north has a few more guards waiting for us...

...as well as a coward upstairs.

Imoen: "The mines are in the one direction we can go? Gosh, thank you so much."

There's a bunch of locked chests in these barracks, but they mostly contain minor loot, a bit of money, and/or non-magical weapons. The one valuable item is this very powerful potion - the damage reduction works against all kinds of elemental damage, so it's a great help to reach, or at least approach, immunity to them. The automatic Saving Throw success (mechanically a +20 bonus to the roll, according to the wiki) is also very strong.

A little easter egg that I only found out about fairly recently: This smaller house does have an entrance, hidden by perspective...

...but inside, you only find a single guard doing the drugs and nothing else.

I would have loved, just from a narrative perspective, to have rested in the barracks before entering the mine proper, but you generally can't rest inside houses or caves.

So, alas, we sleep in the open.

For the sake of completion, the area map - normally, there isn't much reason to explore much of anything of out outside of the encampment, and you arrive on this map very close to the entrance, too. In general, you can skip much of the Cloakwood by just heading straight from the starting location to another edge of the map, but you lose a bunch of XP, two or three potential companions, and a sidequest later in Baldur's Gate if you do that for the previous maps.

Inside the building another two guards attack...

...and downstairs, there's a lift bringing us to the mines proper.

On the uppermost level, you encounter a few suicidal guards - "Yeah, I can totally take this group of adventurers that have disposed of several experienced mercenary bands and assassins already, completely on my own. I'm a real badass!"

I'll just get the others out of the way immediately..:

Guard: "Hey, wait a second, I recognize the bunch of you now. You're the guys who've been causing all the trouble lately. Surrender right now!"

Wasn't that nice. What's not so nice is who is working in these mines:

Andarsson: "There are two reasons I pound this pick against these rocks. Do you wish to hear them?"
Weeblet: "Yes, I would."
Andarsson: "First, because I imagine this rock to be my captor's skull. Second, because the meager spark that leaps from my attempt is all the light I'll ever know again. If you be a new slave like I once was, you shall learn these simple truths soon enough."

Imoen: "Oh... oh gods. No, scratch my previous thoughts that it might be necessary to keep this mine running..."

A lot of the Miners use generic models and voice lines, but this one has a red colour scheme marking him as more important:

Miner: "If you set me free, sir, I can tell you how to bring this mine crashing down around the heads of these fat-headed slavers."
Weeblet: "We'll set you free. Now tell us what you know."
Miner: "Well, see, here's how it is. The way to bamboozle these ninnies is real easy. Right here beside me is a steel plug that stoppers up the river on the surface. If you were to release that, then the whole mine would be drowned. Only the master of the mine has the key to open the plug, and he's a real mean cuss. If you were to bring the key to me, I could use it to flood the mine."
Weeblet: "How do you know how to operate this key?"
Miner: "There's a dwarf on the second level of the mine. His name's Yeslick, and he's the last surviving dwarf of the clan that used to live here. Under threat of death, he designed the plug for the master of the mine. I talked with him last time I was in the cells for bad behavior."
Weeblet: "Okay, we'll try to find this key."
Miner: "Good! If you haven't already been down to the lower levels, try to find a man named Rill. He's a good friend of mine, and should be able to come up with a plan on how to get all of the slaves to safety. I'll see you later then, and try not to get killed."

Imoen: "My first instinct was to burn everything down, but yeah, this will probably work even better."

Tipian: "Davaeorn the mage. He has enslaved us here and forced us to live like rats in these filthy dens and warrens. And for what? To mine iron as if it were the last thing left in the bowels of the realms. I would tear his very head from his shoulders had I the power."

Phaersis: "I know not, only that Davaeorn is said to have the key upon his person at all times."

Like back in Nashkel, there isn't much to do on this first level, other than killing some guards and learning what we're to look for on the lower levels. And whoops, I still managed to mark the wrong spot for the exit... It's obviously to the left; you can even see the lift clearly...

There's a bit more on the second level, even though the first thing we see is just another two generic guards.

To the southwest are the slave's quarters; southeast, we run into another two guards. However, there's two traps in one of the the hallways leading away from this room...

...and a bunch of enemies in the room it leads to. Mostly more generic guards, but there's two Blacktalon Elites in the back and the Mage Hareishan amidst of the guards.

Weeblet goes for a backstab against the mage while Coran hits one of the Blacktalons - unfortunately, once again after Weeblet gets his stab in, which caused the Blacktalon to turn towards him, which means that Coran sidestabbed him for no additional damage.

But the fight still works out just fine. Imoen's Sleep spell disables a good amount of enemies, and Garrick manages to crossbow Hareishan before she gets a spell off. Which is very important, because Hareishan would otherwise open with an Improved Invisibility spell followed by a Lightning Bolt, which in these narrow hallways is likely to hit at least half of your party.

(imagine the lowest row of loot twice again)

Without that happening, the fight isn't half as dangerous, and I believe only Kivan got hit by one of the guards.

The most notable loot is a Fireball anyone could throw at a group of enemies (except Wizard Slayers and I have to wonder why they're unable to throw a vial) and two spell scrolls.

Between those, the Haste spell is easily the more valuable prize. +1 attacks per round for the entire party is very strong and the added movement speed actually doesn't hurt, either. What does hurt a bit is that once the spell duration is over, everybody affected by it will fatigued as if they have been up and running for 16 hours (which is a bit more than half of what an average character can endure before suffering penalties). Still, one of the most potent offensive buffs in the game, especially if you run a party heavy on physical damage.

The other spell is Ghoul Touch, which... honestly doesn't seem too bad on a Fighter/Mage who has the base Thac0 necessary to actually punch an enemy. I always thought that you would only punch an enemy before the effect dissipates, but according to the wikia, your FELL HAND remains unstilled for a full 5 rounds. And since paralysation is, for all intents and purposes, a save-or-die effect, this is genuinely amazing on a melee-capable spellcaster.

But back to the dungeoneering. Past this room, we already find the stairs to the next level, but there's still a bit to explore here, namely behind the door to the southeast:

Those are two names that we were told about by some of the slaves upstairs. Rill will walk up and talk to you once you open the door:

Rill: "You there, wait! Tell me I'm right. Aren't you the mercenaries who've been causing the Iron Throne so much trouble?"
Weeblet: "Yes we are, though I prefer to think of myself as an adventurer, not a sellsword. How did you come by this information, you look to be one of the Throne's slaves?"

Rill: "Thank you! Thank you so much. I wish you well, and hope that you can bring an end to theis stinking operation."

This is one of the instances where the evil option is somewhere between incredibly petty and comically evil. "Nah, I can't be arsed to spend what at this point is the equivalent to like five bucks for me in order to save dozens of lives."

Yeslick does require you to talk to him manually:

Yeslick: "Aye, who's there now? More smithing... or did ye burrow into another river?"

Garrick: "I'm sorry, but we don't have any equipment available for you. And forgive me for saying this, but... I don't know if you're in a state to fight, good dwarf."
Yeslick: "Ha! I will forgive ye the folly of yer youth, but this old dwarf still has some fight left in his bones! But my time in this dark hole has made me a little stiff... Tell you what, lads and lasses, I will go with Rill and escape to the surface. But if you are enemies of the Throne, come see me at the Friendly Arms Inn once you've brought all nine hells down on the slavers defiling my mine..."

Unfortunately, our team is already full, so Yeslick will have to wait a bit before we properly recruit him, but he will find a place on the team later. Thank god for the "send companions to [location] after dismissing them" mod.

That's mostly it for the second level - there's two random, never commented upon Ghasts in a hallway leading nowhere, but that's all she wrote.

Actually, not the most packed map, either, but what does happen is either a potentially tough fight or rather plot-relevant.

The entrance to the next level is again guarded by some guards - a decent number, but just generic enemies. The archers in the back are Hobgoblins, which is kinda new, but of course we know that the Chill mercenaries working for the Throne have a bunch of them employed.

To the northeast, there's three bedrooms for, presumably more importantant, guardsmen. The two that are present are just generic as far as stats are concerned, though.

And on the opposite side of the same hallway, there's a communal bedroom used by more Hobgoblins, connected to a second one of the same.

All these rooms have chests in them, some of them locked, most of them containing some low-level loot. These two potions are interesting, though.

And then there's this one that's very important for one very specific fight. (And it's not actually against Basilisks)

Finally, we also find another new spell - well, not new new because Branwen knows and already has cast it, but this is the arcane version of the Dispel Magic spell, identical to the divine version, as far as I can tell.

An armoury, mostly containing mundane equipment, but also a Small Shield +1 and a Studded Leather +1 - both vendor's trash at this point.

Finally, a named enemy! ...although Natasha is completely identical to Hareishan who we fought on the previous floor, except that she doesn't have as many mooks joining her fight.

She drops a few new spells, too. First, Hold Person, which very similar, but not identical to the Cleric spell of the same name. It casts a bit faster and applies a penalty to the Saving Throw against it, but it's also a Lv.3 spell instead of Lv.2.

Slow is a very strong crowd control spell, thanks to a massive -4 penalty to its ST, and it's party-friendly on top of that, too.

And with those additions, the Lv.3 page of Imoen's spellbook suddenly looks a lot better. ...except for the little detail that she can still only memorise a single spell.

Ogre Mage: "Take your best shot."

Well, if he insists...

The Ogre Mage starts invisible, but that gets cancelled once he starts casting a spell. Plus, two can play at that game... This is another fight that can go quite wrong if you're unprepared or unlucky, since he'll open with a Confusion spell, which can hit your entire party if it's clumped.

The scroll he drops is another Slow spell, but the weapon...

Garrick: "Would you look at that. An enchanted Katana."
Weeblet: "Oh... my..."
Garrick: "Still not as impressive as the non-Kara-Tur blade you're using right now. Sorry."
Weeblet: "Whaaaaat... look at the craftsmanship! They say it takes a smith at least three years to--"
Garrick: "Yeahhh, but no, sorry, whoever enchanted the Scimitar was simply the better mage."

Plus, Weeblet still only has a single point in Katana proficiency, which makes the Katana +1 a fairly significant downgrade. The second pip will add -1 Thac0 and +2 damage, which will make the difference much smaller since Katanas use a better damage die (d10 instead of d8).

Guard: "We'll see who'll be doing the dying today!"

Imoen: "Yeah no, not in the mood to play nice at this point."

And there we go. Actually not a whole lot of story on this level, apart from some confirmation that yup, these guys are still dang nasty evil.

The fourth level continues the trend of putting some guards right at the entrance. Well, guard, singular, but this one is actually tougher than the ones we encountered before. Nothing outrageous, simply better stats and a better armour, and he's also worth about five times as much XP.

Which is enough for Weeblet to reach Thief Lv.6. No particular power spike in any area, but with Weeblet swapping the Worn Whispers for Boots of Speed, it's nice to improve his inherent sneakiness further.

In the hallway, Imoen finds and disarms a bunch of traps... but not all traps. I know that there's one very difficult to detect trap here and I also remember what type of trap it is...

...so Imoen grabs the Boots of Electric Resistance and bravely steps forward. This is a Glyph of Warding trap, which is a Cleric spell that we could've seen before but didn't because we managed to silence (literally and then figuratively) the casters. Two of the "amazons" east of Nashkel would've used that spell against us.

The spell deals respectable AoE lightning damage - not as strong as a Fireball, but still - but it also allows a saving throw to completely negate the damage. Imoen is lucky here, which means that she didn't need those boots, after all.

Unfortunately, while I remembered the trap, I did not remember that it's in full vision of some irate evil mage. Surprise boss fight!!

Davaeorn: "So... The stoic adventurers have found their way down to my lair..."

And yes, he evil, classically so.

He also starts the fight with two protective spells active: Mirror Image and Protection from Normal Missile. The latter completely shields him from non-magical projectiles, but is useless against magical ones, so our three bow users swap to Arrows +1 for this fight.

Davaeorn is actually a very unique fight. He repeatedly casts Dimension Door to teleport around, which luckily doesn't feature any traps outside the initial hallway.

And between his jumps across the maps, he fires rather powerful spells at the party. This is not how you want this fight to start, even though Branwen somehow isn't standing in that Lightning Bolt's path and it luckily doesn't bounce back to hit anybody on its way back.

I'm also rather confused how the damage numbers against Garrick add up. The damage increase from difficulty is 50% that's precisely what Imoen gets hit with. Maybe Garrick succeeded his Saving Throw to half the damage (otherwise, 8 damage would be impossibly low because Davaeorn deals 10d6) and the message text can't handle that plus the damage increase at the same time? But that's just a wild guess.

The AI definitely has some trouble keeping up with Davaeorn, including his own script. When he teleports away, player characters will often keep targeted and they will run towards his location despite technically not knowing where he is. In this situation, Davaeorn does the same thing, running into the party instead of laying in ambush.

Another funky detail is that magic projectiles will follow Davaeorn around even if he teleports, which can also sometimes give away where he teleports to. Unfortunately, Branwen's Silence spell does not follow suit (or maybe I targeted the ground, not Davaeorn himself), so Davaeorn manages to dodge the area of effect here.

Davaoern's next spell is Dire Charm which, accoriding to the wiki, means that I managed to interrupt a Fireball spell that would almost certainly have killed at the very least Imoen and/or Garrick. However, a charmed Weeblet running after his friends, while wearing his boots of speed might very well do the same thing.

But first - those two successful attacks by Imoen and Kivan?

Enough to kill Davaeorn, which very abruptly plays the narration leading into chapter five. But what about Weeblet?

Well, he's going to be hostile for another short while, which is not very nice when two of your characters are one hit away from dying. Unfortunately, Branwen doesn't have a Command spell ready (which also could have doubled as scientific experiment how that spell interacts with a Lv. 5/6 multi-class) to allow anybody to escape.

Instead, she summons a skeleton for Weeblet to fight and, after stabbing Coran another time, he does switch his attention to it. Phew! Your own summons will endure being attacked without fighting back, so Weeblet is perfectly save here, too.

After that crisis has been overcome, the team first checks out the areas that Davaeorn didn't teleport to... and runs right into a Mustard Jelly. As a reminder - surprisingly dangerous, immune to both non-magical weapons as well as all missile and piercing weapons, but I still can't show what exactly its attack does because Weeblet and Branwen are just too good to get hit by it.

The chests in this room contain quite a lot of valuables, including 1000 gold in cash and the most valuable piece of jewelry in the game: Laeral's Tear Necklaces sell for a whopping 3000 gold. The spell is Melf's Acid Arrow, which we've seen used against us a couple times already. There's also a couple protection spells...

...as well as the Knock spell. Imoen already knows this one thanks to a random drop at some point - this scroll is the first guaranteed spot to get this spell, I believe.

It's still nice to find this scroll, since one of the chests is too difficult for Weeblet to open, so Garrick casts Knock at it directly from the scroll. Which may or may not be worth it because there's only a Wand of Fear in that chest, which I generally never use.

In what I assume is Davaeorn's study, we find a snivelling coward:

Stephan: "I told you, I'm just Davaeorn's apprentice! I studied under him, and that's it! I didn't know anything about anything! Well, I know a little, but just ask and I'll tell you!"
Weeblet: "What was the purpose of this installation?"
Stephan: "The mine? Um, I... I think they were going to try to look like the saviors of the day, riding in with their stores of iron to equip the troops or something like that. With the bandit raids and the rumors about Amn, the Iron Throne figured that the dukes of Baldur's Gate would think they needed arms and ore quickly in case of Amnian attack. They... they figured they could get exorbitant prices or better yet, sanctions against competitors and an easing of trade laws for themselves only. A quick way to install themselves as an underground power on the coast. That's all I know about it, I swear!"
Weeblet: "Who was Davaeorn's superior? Who really gives the orders around here?"
Stephan: "I don't know! I swear it! All I can say is that the regional leaders of the Iron Throne placed Davaeorn here! There are three of them, I think, but I don't know their names! Davaeorn was getting orders from someone else, too, he complained about it a lot, but he never said a name or anything to me! Honest! The main building for the Iron Throne is in Baldur's Gate, somewhere in the southwest of the city, but I have never been there! I tell you true! Can I please go?"
Weeblet: "The iron shortage! Who is behind it?!"
Stephan: "Who is behind it? Um... well... the Iron Throne, I guess. Davaeorn ran this place for the regional bosses in Baldur's Gate. They used some strange potion to taint iron already stored, used Mulahey to keep new ore from being mined, and had the bandits raid any incoming trading caravans. It doesn't take long for perceived shortages to embellish real threats. You know all of this if you are the one who killed Mulahey. Can I go now?"
Weeblet: "Get out you cowardly weasel!"

Imoen: "That confirms what the spy at the bandit camp was saying... No hard proof, though. Did Davaeorn carry anything with him? Actually, he should at the very least have the key to the plug..."

Yes he does. Also three letters:

Garrick: "Several bags of holding? You said you killed Tranzig, but you missed several bags of holding? That would have been quite the prize, friends."
Weeblet: "I could swear that he didn't carry anything like that with him!"
Imoen: "Can't do anything about that now, can we? But these letters should be useful when we go to the Gate. Couldn't make it much clearer that the Throne is behind the crisis."
Weeblet: "Say, I didn't forget hearing or reading the name Sarevok, did I? If he's Tazok's boss, he ought to be important, but the letters don't actually say anything about him."
Imoen: "Someone on the same rank as Davaeorn, if I had to guess. Rieltar is clearly one of the 'regional leaders' of the throne who were ordering Davaeorn around and he seems to give that Sarevok fellow orders, too."

Now before we drown the entire place, we obviously have to save whatever loot we can find around here. Davaeorn somehow drops two robes and some bracers. One of the robes is just a simple Traveler's Robe...

...but the other one (that Imoen needs to identify with a spell) is a very powerful one that we unfortunately are unable to use. It's the only one from the set that you get as a drop, with the Good and Neutral versions being sold by Thalantyr for a pretty penny.

The bracers are the best AC bracers that you get until the Siege expansion, which makes them quite interesting for Imoen and Garrick, although the former won't need them anymore once we find the funds to buy her the Good Archmage robes.

New spell scrolls include Detect Invisibility (very useful when it comes up)...

...and the neat defensive spell Blur, although I don't remember if Neera already had that one memorised or even cast when she was in the party.

And that does it for the Cloakwood mines. To make this a small point of no return...

...we take the shortcut back to the first level of the mines and go find the miner who first told us about the plug and the key in the first place.

Miner: "Well, then I guess that's it then. As soon as I open the plug, we're going to have to run for our lives, 'cause otherwise we'll be washed away just like the Orothiar dwarves. Ready then? Here we go!"

Yahoo!

Next step: Beregost. Miraculously, we don't get waylaid on the three-day march - I was absolutely ready to run the heck away from all the Wyverns or Ettercaps I was expecting to lay in wait. (no, really, I think it's pretty unlikely to make the trip back from Cloakwood without running into an ambush)

We can turn in all the Bandit Scalps we, er, harvested mostly back at the cap at the Jovial Juggler: 54 scalps for 2700 gold.

Bringing Gurke his cloak back has a happy ending for us: we get a little bit of XP (300, hardly worth mentioning, really) and we get to keep the cloak.

Obviously, everybody is a bit tired after marching for three days straight (not to mention that Garrick and Imoen are still rather heavily injured), so it's time to rest...

This immediately results in another dream sequence. Like with the last dream, the EVIL version of this one is quite similar to this one - however, Darth Weeblet would not have been attributed a "driving will" and instead of steering a ship through the bloody ocean, he would have had to fight against its tide.

It gives Weeblet a second Slow Poison as an innate ability, which is still in the "useful, but not game-changing" category as far as special abilities go.

And with this feeling of punishment, we close the update. After advancing two chapters in two updates, we'll lay back a bit again and explore the western and eastern edges of the map. We might also make our last adjustments to our adventuring party, but that depends on how far we come, and whether or not I'll change my mind about who I want to bring to the endgame.

This ring, by the way, we found on the second Cloakwood map alongside with the Scimitar +2 that Weeblet is currently using. Imoen just spent an Identify on it. It might explain why another guy made the terrible decision to come to the spider-y parts of the woods. For us, there's obviously no benefit to the ring, although I don't think that equipping it with a Fighter or Thief or Fighter/Thief would actually have a negative mechanical impact, either, apart from occupying a Ring slot.

Thanks for reading!

 

[ping]

Update 14: Sirine's Song

Spoiler

Before anything else, it's time for a bit of a selling spree. Thalantyr will buy just almost every item you can find, including the Discipliner ring (which worries me a bit for Melicamp's sake) and we earn roughly 20k from our loot, half of which comes from Davaeorn's Robe of the Evil Archmage.

On the buying front, we get another spell for Imoen. Spook is an interesting one because it's one of the few Lv.1 spells that scale enough with character level to remain useful until the end of BG1 and beyond. The effect (which lasts 3 rounds / 18 seconds) is much weaker than that of fellow Lv.1 spell Blindness, which practically disables for a whole ingame hour (which is 5 minutes of real time), but the penalty on the Saving Throw against it means that Spook is far more likely to actually land once you face enemies with better ST against spells.

However, more important is that we have the funds to get both of the other Archmagi robes. The Neutral one I buy with both eyes on the Siege of Dragonspear expansion because unfortunately, Bards can't wear mage robes...

...but the good one is a nice +25% avoid bonus for Imoen (and a +1 bonus to all saving throws and a 5% chance to fully resist a hostile spell).

Next stop: Friendly Arms, with five Hobgoblins laying an ambush that maybe would've been threatening had it happened in the second or third update of the LP.

There, we find Yeslick, who hangs out with the Blackguard Dorn. An odd choice for the Lawful Good dwarf who will actually demand that you kick Dorn from your party if you're traveling with them both.

But first:

Kivan: "Our combined efforts have been fruitful, but I believe we new must part ways. Your mission leads you to the Gate, but I doubt that that is where Tazok has gone. I will return to the forests to the east and see if Tazok will make an attempt to reestablish his base."
Branwen: "And I would join him, if you allow it. I am still in your debt, but... Your way of fighting is not mine. 'Tis not the way of Tempus to lay in ambush instead of meeting the enemy head-on. Nevertheless, I would not want you to travel without the aid of a healer, but if the old dwarf Yeslick wishes to travel with you, that would not be a concern."

Yeslick: "A wise move. Together we can't possibly fail."

Yeslick: "So how did matters end up at the mine? Rill and I led the slaves away from the Cloakwood as fast we could, so I have been without news ever since you have freed me. But if you're standing here alive, you must have been successful. Is the fiend Davaeorn dead?"
Imoen: "Dead as a doornail. As a drowned doornail, even. Not to pat our own backs, but I think we were rather successful."
Weeblet: "The fight against Davaeorn was rough, though. I think we were lucky to have beaten him without having to raise anybody at the temple..."
Yeslick: "Why, that's wizards for you. You never know what dark arts they will throw at you. It's good to see all of you have been unharmed, though."

So here's Yeslick: a very solid companion who is mostly held back by his rather late joining time. I don't think we're particularly high-leveled for this stage of the game, but Yeslick is still about 10k XP behind Weeblet, and the 32k XP that he's joining with is actually the highest that it goes. That said, he's still going to reach the level cap for a Fighter/Cleric since we're going to do all the side content.

His physical stats aren't terribly exciting, but they do make him a pretty decent tank. He obviously wants the Gloves of Dexterity (which Branwen has been wearing thus far), but his Con is tied for second-best in the game and his Str, while not giving bonus Thac0/damage, is still high enough to allow him to wear Full Plate. On the mental side, 16 Wis give him two extra Lv.1 and Lv.2 spells each, which is quite decent. His Cha doesn't matter, but his awful Int is actually a bit of a problem since it's too low for him to use magic wands and scrolls.

Yeslick starts with two pips each for War Hammers and Slings, which in my opinion is all he really needs. War Hammers don't have the greatest base damage (1d4+1), but Ashideena with its +1 electric damage on top of the +2 enchantment is a fairly good weapon to use. For that reason, I put the proficiency point he gets from leveling up into Sword and Shield, even though it's honestly a very underpowered specialisation despite shields being quite good in BG1. I was considering Two-Weapon Style, which would work just fine once Yeslick would get his second additional weapon pip, but decided that I would rather go full tank with Yeslick.

And that's Yeslick with nice tanking equipment: Full Plate, Gloves of Dex, a Shield +1, boots that give him bonus AC vs. missiles, and a girdle that gives bonus AC vs. crushing weapons. It makes him pretty darn difficult to hit for most enemies you encounter.

On the magic front, I actually like the Fighter/Cleric multi quite a lot, to no small part because of this little spell. It doesn't seem like much - it's a +1 bonus now and it only goes up to +2 in BG1 - but I've mentioned before that the difference between 18 Str and 19 Str in particular is huge. Of course, Yeslick only comes with 15 Str, but if you use a "Str to 18" spell before casting DUHM...

Yeslick suddenly becomes an avatar of physical perfection. The difference between the 18/75 Str that the spell Strength of One gives and 19 Str is still significant, giving Yeslick an extra -1 Thaco and +4 damage bonus.

While we're here, we should also free Khalid from the limbo of being kicked out of the group without being able to say his piece...

...before returning to Beregost to get the Ankheg Armour from Taerom (which I'm pretty sure we're never going to use)...

...as well as some equipment that we will be using shortly. Both the armours I have sold to Taerom previously, so that's a bit of wasted money, but it's not actually that much with 20 rep and 20 charisma on Weeblet reducing all prices at every shop.

Finally, we get some magic ammunition for all our ranged weapons (except for Weeblet because there's no magic throwing daggers in BG1). We'll eventually use +1 projectiles as our default, but for now, I'm still being a little stingy outside of big tough fights.

Yeslick: "Now then, what are your plans, Weeblet? Do you wish to head for the Gate?"
Weeblet: "If it's alright with everybody, I think I would like to explore the surroundings first. I heard that there's the Halfling village of Gullykin near Beregost and it would be nice to meet Halflings that aren't kleptomaniacs or crazy murderers..."
Yeslick: "If there's one thing you can count on a dwarf to have, it's patience. Go ahead, lad. I *know* I will have my revenge against Rieltal eventually. I can wait another few weeks, if I must."

After being waylaid once more...

Gandolar Luckyfoot: "By all the means you have. We welcome visitors with tales to tell, and extend our hospitality."

When talking with Gandolar a second time, he will have a request:

Gandolar: "If I might pull on your coattails a moment more, I have a proposition for you. It's usually nature-quite by the Fire wine ruins, even with its violent bygone. Those who died and did not sleep have mostly found their rest over time. It's a live threat that comes now, with a band of kobolds that moved in. Perhaps we could prevail upon you to rid us of this menace, and in return, a gift from us you shall receive. Keep whatever you find as well."
Weeblet: "Have you no brave halflings up to the task? It cannot be so."
Gandolar: "We've a number of hearty tunnel rats, but they're off hunting with a band of goblinstickers and not due back for a time or two. It's better if the creatures in the ruin are expelled before they dig in light and deep. Help us will you?"
Weeblet: "I'll gladly aid my folk as best I can. Lead on."
Gandolar: "Aye, I can point the way to you, and gladly so, but I must warn you as well. There be many an odd thing that roam through here, and I hear tell they be a touch more organized than your normal critters, but I hear many things. Just go to the basement of the winery, there you will find a secret door."

Aside from Gandolar, most inhabitants of Gullykin are unnamed NPCs that will give you some small pieces of lore and worldbuilding when talked to.

Halfling Man: "I wish I had my old tobacco pipe."

Halfling Man: "Firewine be an elven trading town destroyed in a fool's duel some two hundred odd winters bygone. Ask the rubble if it cares who the winner was."
Halfling Man: "We've stuck a few kobolds before, but in Firewine they seem more organized, not like their kind at all. Still stink like kobolds, though."
Halfling Man: "It's your neck, and if you be wanting to stick it into dungeons, it be your loss as well."
Halfling Man: "Aye, we choose to leave the ruins be. Who is more the fool, the man who sits idle in his old chair enjoying the sunshine, or the man who labors long for a fine new chair that he might sit in someday?"

Halfling Woman: "May you know the happiness of a warm hearth and home."

Halfling Woman: "Oh no, we get quite the traffic as far as merchants and caravans go. It's just the wandering adventurer that raises the eyebrows. No doubt you shall feel like quite the spectacle during your stay, but it's only because the small folk admire the spirit of Littleman that you possess. He was our greatest wanderer in all of halfling history. You are an oddity, but also to be admired. Welcome to you, and enjoy your stay."

Looking up on the Forgotten Realms wiki, it seems that Littleman was the mythical hero of the halflings, although true to their nature, more of a trickster than a fighter. Apparently, different stories might portray him as the very first halfling, crafted from the essence of Humans, Gnomes, Dwarves, and Elves, or as the champion of the Halfling pantheon's matriarch goddess.

Courtesy of the "Move NPCs Around" mod I'm using, there's one more named character in Gullykin than usual.

Alora: "Blast and bother! These locks have always given me trouble! Trouble, they are!"

Alora: "Double good and done! Oh, it's great fun having someone from the trade to talk to! I'm here stayin' with my aunt, to mend my ways and all, but I'm growin' just a little bored. Maybe we should work together. I know this place pretty good, know a few secrets, how to pick a lock or find a booby trap. Could be fun. What say you?"
Weeblet: "A splendid idea! Welcome aboard!"
Alora: "Friends we are, and nice ones, too! One for all and things like that! Fun for all of us, I just *know* it!"

Sixth party member? Sixth party member!

In the unmodded games, Alora is one of the last companions you run into, in Baldur's Gate where she is looking to raid a museum. This is part of why she has very high numbers in her thieving skills already, with the other contributing factors being her being a Hobbit, having 19 Dexterity...

...and her wearing one of the most powerful pieces of equipment in the game. A +2 for AC and ST alone would make for an excellent item (especially because this item can used alongside Rings of Protection for another +1 in both those stats), +10 in all thieving skills would be quite good on its own, but the biggest price is probably the +2 Luck bonus.

We've already been using this status effect in the form of the Chant spell and Garrick's Bard Song, both giving +1 Luck to the entire party. As reminder, Luck modifies a lot of dice rolls in favour of the lucky bastard, but not beyond what the die in question can normally roll. So when Alora shoots an enemy with her Short Bow (1d6 damage), she can roll for [3|4|5|6|6|6] damage.

With Chant and Garrick available, Alora's additional luck does have a bit of diminishing returns - in the 1d6 example above, the next point of Luck will "replace" a possible 3-roll with another 6-roll, which is less impactful than the first point of Luck turning a potential 1 into a 6 - but it's still not too bad, especially because it also works on To Hit rolls, which means that Alora has a permanent +10% hit rate effect on her.

Alora taking the remaining spot on the team also happens to show that I changed my plans for our final team a bit - in particular, I would not have had put points into Imoen's Pick Pockets skill with her last Thief level. Realistically, Alora is a bit redundant with our other thieves and replacing Kivan with her is mostly a downgrade from a purely minmax-y perspective.

However, I do like the thought of having three-and-a-half competent backstabbers on the team. Alora's extra luck does compensate for her awful Str stat in that regard, since it protects from low rolls for the multiplied damage. She's still terrible in open melee fight with her awful Str and Con/HP, of course, so she's going to use a Shortbow most of the time.

The main reason to pick her up, however, is that I like the idea of ol' dwarf Yeslick playing babysitter for five rogue (or rogue-ish, in Garrick's case) characters.

To close this with a Fun Fact(tm): Mike Sass, the portrait artist for both Baldur's Gate games, used a photo of his wife as reference for Alora's portrait.

Now then: Time to solve a mystery. Gullykin houses all have the same base layout, I believe, one room with stairs to a basement. There's some minor treasure you can steal while you're here, but I was too lazy to get it. However, the basement beneath the westernmost house has a grumpy inhabitant:

Jenkal: "Oh, no. You've found me out. Yes, I'm the one who has been letting the kobolds into our quaint little town. It's just too bad that you won't be alive to tell anyone about it."

All three dialogue options will lead to Jenkal attacking you, out of indignation for the first two, which sure is a choice on Jenkal's part. He's a Fighter/Thief multiclass like Weeblet, but he doesn't do anything sneaky to help himself.

The magenta-coloured bookshelf is a secret door - the first we've seen thus far, I believe? Every character has a chance to spot them if they're close enough, although thieves are more likely to do so. However, the chance to spot them is rolled once per round, which makes secret doors not particularly secretive in practice.

Behind this particular secret door are stairs downstairs, leading to...

Ogre Mage: "Of course me do! Me just pester half-people so fools like you come racing in! You powerful? Good! Powerful fools have best treasure! Now you die like all else!"

Weeblet: "No Katana. Nuts."

The fight against this Ogre Mage is a bit odd. It's not particularly difficult unless you're really low-leveled coming to Gullykin, but if one of your characters happen to stray south towards the hallway, for example if you have multiple melee fighters in your team, you're in for a rough surprise:

A bunch of enemies, just south of the Ogre Mage: a Mage named Lendarn and a handful of Kobold Commandos (the ones with Fire Arrows) further down the hallways.

Oh, and a handful of Ogrillons, two of them very close to Lendarn. Turns out that low HP plus the inability to wear helmets to prevent crits is a risky combination. Remember, Alora has twenty-six max HP.

...let's try that again without exposing Alora to those brutes, right?

Much better.

OK, a *little* better. Enough for Coran to not die, at the very least.

Lendarn's most important loot is four spell scrolls, mostly Evocations (Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Cloudkill). Imoen actually knows all of them already, though, she's just too low-leveled to actually cast Cloudkill.

This is the labyrinth below the Firewine bridge which we've visited but not wholly explored before. We'll do the same thing now - navigating the narrow hallways can be very annoying because pathfinding AI is not particularly great in this game and I believe it's more convenient to get to the interesting parts if we take the entrance at the bridge. There's something left to do above the ground there, anyway.

This is all we can do inside the village, but there's a bunch of map outside its walls, too. There's a variety of random enemy encounters (kobolds, wolves and their variations, ghasts...) and one scripted encounter:

Molkar: "You'll be a feisty kill, little one. When you die, know that it was Molkar who killed you."

Morvin's group is somewhat tough, but not a terrible threat to us anymore. Weeblet does take some damage (he's down to 18/65 at the end of the fight), but Coran shoots the last remaining opponent dead immediately afterwards.

Halacan the Mage drops a new spell, a pretty useless one in my opinion. You can generally get rid of Mirror Image (Reflected Image being the Lv.1 version of the spell, only creating a single MI) by firing Magic Missiles at the target and there's a Lv.2 spell that specifically dispels Invisibility, so why would I spend a Lv.3 spell slot on this?

Molkar's Mail of the Dead isn't much more useful, either. It's technically the best armour that a Bard can equip, but since it still disables his spellcasting, there's little reason why Garrick would want to do so. For other companions too weak to equip (Full) Plate, the Ankheg Armour is 100% better than this one.

Other than that, Molkar's group drops a bit of +1 equipment and a few potions.

And that's Gullykin. I like the map for its aesthetics, but I have to admit that there isn't much happening here. The quest with the kobolds and Ogre Mage feels a bit half-baked, to be honest, especially with a second mage just hanging out with a bunch of monstrous creatures right next to the Ogre Mage. I suspect that there might have been plans for a more elaborate questline that had to be canned because of time restraints.

Next stop: Ulcaster School, which is another map that hasn't a lot going on but looks nice.

It can be a bit obnoxious to navigate at times, at least when you're trying to unveil most of the map, with narrow paths (which are bad for pathfinding) leading up to several plateaus. Enemies are generally pretty weak - Hobgoblins, Skeletons, Kobold Commandos...

Little detail: You can see that some of the Kobolds get an extra 8-point penalty to their attack roll in the battle log, because they're using a ranged weapon in melee. Enemies are generally smart enough to swap over, but evidently, it might take them a few seconds.

One named, but inconsequential encounter is Wilco. I still wonder why there's so many messengers away from the main roads, or any road at all...

Icharyd: "...yes, I shall... taste... your flesh and... cover these old... bones..."

On top of another plateau, we run into a named monster. Obviously, both dialogue options lead to a fight...

...which is actually fairly tough considering it's only the one enemy. Icharyd is immune to non-magical weapons, hits three times per round, and he hits pretty hard, too. Apart from some minor treasure, he drops a Flail +1, although nobody on our team is particularly interested in that weapon.

On the same plateau, you find a bunch of old ruins - the School that the map is named after - and a few groups of undead roaming them. One particular undead is notably absent, though...

...and we have to wait for a while for him to turn up.

Ulcaster: "...a storehouse of arcane knowledge..."
Ulcaster: "...lost, all lost... a common dungeon now..."

The ghost of Ulcaster himself has an odd schedule. He doesn't just appear at night - he'll be there for an hour or two before disappearing and coming back another hour later, which makes him very easy to miss.

If you talk to him a few times, he'll give you a little side quest...

...which requires you to explore the dungeons beneath his old magic school.

Going through dungeons like this is honestly one of the least enjoyable parts of the game for me, since you constantly have to be careful about some of your characters wandering off into random directions because the path to where you sent them is blocked by your other characters.

Ulcaster (like most other dungeons) also adds traps to the mix, so Imoen has her work cut out for her.

The monsters in the dungeon are relatively powerful, although not as much of a threat to our group anymore. You've seen Weeblet backstab a Mustard Jelly (which I didn't think was possible, to be honest), and there's a couple of wolves and giant spiders around, as well.

By far the most dangerous enemy we run into is this Vampiric Wolf, which can easily ruin an unprepared party's day. Not only is it immune to non-magical weapons, it also drains HP with its attacks and it may paralyse its targets.

On the plus side, the enemies in this dungeon all give quite a lot of XP. It's enough for Coran to reach his 5th Fighter level...

...and Imoen her 6th Mage level.

This gives her her last proficiency pip for the game (Mages get one every 6 levels and they cap at Lv. 9), which she spends on Single-Weapon combat mostly because there isn't any weapon type that she really needs. The logic is "maybe she'll do a backstab at some point", but Imoen has pretty exclusively been using ranged weapons this run.

You also find a bunch of potions and a handful of magic items, of which the Wand of Fire is the most noteworthy. The Fireball ability is great because it allows you to use your limited Lv.3 spell slots on other things. The "proper" spell will soon deal more damage than the wand (1d6 per level), but Imoen only got her second Lv.3 spell slot with her level-up.

The Scorcher ability, on the other hand, is strictly better than the spell version, which only deals 3d6 points of damage. Sure, the spell doesn't allow for a saving throw, but the wand deals more damage even when resisted, which sure is a game design choice.

Needless to say, this wand, of which we'll find more copies later, is a large reason why stacking fire resist on your main tank is very fun and very strong.

The Vampiric Wolf guards the book that Ulcaster wanted us to retrieve. There's a few more copies of this book around the world map and in OG BG1, it was possible to use one of those to satisfy Ulcaster's quest. The Enhanced Edition made the one in these ruins unique to avoid that.

The wall of text contains some interesting lore about the Forgotten Realms, but it has no immediate relevance for the story of the game. Just as a small note: Selûne is who Rasaad (the Monk added by the Enhanced Edition) reveres, while Viconia (the Drow that we recently rescued) is a Cleric of Shar. Also, Mystra was killed in an attempt to go against the Übergod Ao's orders during the Times of Trouble ten years ago. I believe that the "new" Mystra is the adventurer Midnight undergoing theogenesis, but don't ask for details.

With that, we're basically done with the Ulcaster map, both underground...

...and above.

Returning the book to Ulcaster yields 1000 XP, which isn't that much compared to what you earn from the monsters in the dungeon, honestly, with every Dread Wolf giving 650 XP and the Vampiric Wolf giving 2000.

Next, we visit the temple east of Beregost to turn in one wyvern head - Kelddath doesn't care about any additional ones, so we sold the other three that we collected to Thalantyr. Coran doesn't have anything to say here, so I'm guessing that he considers his quest done once you kill the wyverns in Cloakwood IV.

We've been in this area before, the first time to undo an unfortunate accident involving Imoen and a certain Girdle, but we didn't explore the eastern half of the map back then. At this point, we're strong enough that to do so without too much trouble.

Galileus: "Oh, I couldn't possibly tell you all that I see. There is so much raw data that must be interpreted and examined thrice over. It is a wonder that even I can assimilate all that information with no ill effects. Still, the long and the short of it reveals interesting times ahead. If I did not know better, I would say that the heavens themselves look on with interest. Conflicts of great significance are on the horizon."

A fight against three Dread Wolves gives Garrick enough XP to reach Lv.7, which allows him to cast Lv.3 spells, too. I go with Fireball at first, since Garrick will outdamage the Wand of Fire version by 1d6 points already, although it's quite possible that I'm going to change my mind about this later.

Cattack: "Your hearts are brave! We rip them out and show you! Chill, attack!"

Cattack is not the reason why we avoided exploring this map earlier. He's only accompanied by a bunch of generic Hobgoblins, and he isn't much stronger himself, either. He's really only remarkable because he mentions the Chill potentially long before you get to that part of the game, and because half of his initial dialogue is voiced, which is rare for a villain this minor.

The reason why the eastern half of this map is deadly in the earlygame is this group of wolves, which also includes two Dread Wolves that I managed to lure away from the main pack. Two Vampiric Wolves are genuinely very dangerous, especially if you haven't gotten magic weapons for everybody yet.

Imoen: "Oh gosh, I'm so sorry, Yeslick! I didn't mean to..."
Yeslick: "Ow! ...'Tis fine. I should've watched where I walk."
Weeblet: "And sorry...?"
Imoen: "You should've watched where you walk."

Weeblet is wearing the Ring of Fire Resistance we found earlier, which is why he didn't take increased damage here. The -40% from the ring and the +50% must've cancelled each other out with how rounding works in this game.

This was Imoen casting the "real" spell, by the way, which is why the damage on Weeblet can be so low despite no successful Saving Throw. I probably should replace it with something else if I haven't done so already...

And that's it for this map. We ran into Ashen and the LICH!?! earlier, but they both were just fluff encounters.

Reaching the eastern end of the Temple map unlocks a map that's actually very interesting for minmax-y players, but we're going to go westwards for the last part of this update, after a brief stop in Beregost to rest up and sell some gear. Imoen uses another two Identify spells on the scrolls that Garrick can't auto-identify. One is cursed (it lowers Int by 30% and Cha to 3), the other one is a regular Protection From Poison scroll (it protects from poison).

Our next stop is all the way to the coast, which is a 20-hour walk away from Beregost, in order to tick off the remaining two maps in that part of the world map. The first thing we find is a Nereid, a fey creature similar to Dryads or Nymphs, but connected to the ocean instead of forests or fresh water springs.

Shoal: "I dream of wind-swept shores, even while there."

(If I recall, this line of her is voiced, too)

Shoal: "Wonderful! Perhaps a kiss to show my appreciation?"
Weeblet: "It is not my place to do so. I hardly know you."
Shoal: "I am truly sorry, but I must insist!"

*mwah*

As soon as she takes damage in the ensuing fight, Shoal will initiate dialogue again:

Shoal: "No! This is no longer fun! I cannot die for this! They are my actions, but not my intent! I can but do as I am bid by my master!"
Yeslick: "Explain yourself lest I fertilize my garden with you."
Shoal: "I would not be here at all, but my shawl is held by Ogre-Droth. It is my essence he commands, so to him I listen. It was a lark for a while, but no longer. I do not want to harm you further, but if he so wills, then I must. It is all I can do."
Yeslick: "Then I shall fight as best I can to release you from his grasp."
Shoal: "Oh. That could be interesting... Yes, do that."

(Voiced until 'small-pinks', I think)

Shoal: "It is not my fault, Ogre-Droth. They are stronger than I."
Droth: "Pah! They are meat for larder and gold for purse! Kill them we shall!"
Shoal: "As you say, so it shall be."
Yeslick: "By what right do you keep this creature captive, Ogre? Return what is rightfully hers."
Droth: "She told you this? You struck her soundly to addle her mind so. 'Tis true that I possess her shawl, but water-child my mate. Envy of all others I am! I am Ogre-Mage Droth! I kill and kill WELL!"

(no he doesn't)

Shoal remains neutral during the fight, and once Droth is dead and you talk to her again...

...she'll leave in a poof of magic. If you kill her instead, she's worth 5000 XP, so please appreciate my restraint here.

Weeblet: "Oooh, a katana! Is it..."
Garrick: "Nah, nothing magic about it, sorry. The helmet, though..."

Yeah, the helmet is pretty darn good, giving some nice resistances on top of the usual protection from crits.

Fun fact: In the original BG1, Shoal's kiss would've just killed Weeblet unless he would've succeeded a Saving Throw vs. Breath with a small penalty, causing an instant game over. For companions, this is still true (minus the game over part), with Shoal reviving them afterwards, but the Enhanced Edition added this little anti-frustration mechanic for the main character.

To the south, you have to fight a large group of Ogres, Ogrillons, and Ogre Berserkers. These can still hit very hard, but I'm overall lucky with Sleep spells and Yeslick's Command takes care of the rest. You'll always find this particular group of enemies, but these Ogre-like enemies are also part of the random spawns.

The same is true for a pair of Carrion Crawler, a monster we've previous seen near the Gnoll Stronghold, with a weak attack, but very fast attack speed and a paralyse effect. But wait, Mad Arcand..?

He's kinda interesting - if he doesn't like the person talking to him (like Yeslick with his 10 Cha), he'll just spout a bunch of nonsense.

But Weeblet with his hobbity charms will get a small fetch quest from him - very small, because the pirate ship is literally just a few steps away.

Imoen: "Yeah, really don't wear that. It looks just like that cursed ring we found in Cloakwood."

Coran: "Well, that happened..."

The Surgeon: "If you desire, I have the skills necessary to heal you."
Weeblet: "Certainly, we do need your healing. But first, could you tell us who you are?"
The Surgeon: "You may call me the Surgeon. I heal others in penance for what I have done in my past. Many have died because of a foolish act of charity on my part. I have a brother, an evil man by the man of Davaeorn. He lives because I was too weak-hearted to kill him when I had the chance. Many have died at his hands, including... including our own father. I have heard that he has come to this region, and I hope to meet him one day, to rectify my previous mistake. Your group seem to be composed of adventurers. Perhaps you might come to fight my brother. This may be wishful thinking on my part, but take this. It would help you in any fight against magic users."

Yeslick: "Indeed, your brother has done evil in this region, enslaving and killing many seeking to exploit the iron crisis for power and wealth. However, these fine young folks managed to overcome Davaeorn, setting free the slaves working his mine, including this humble dwarf."
The Surgeon: "I... see. Then take this potion as a small token of my appreciation instead. The fight cannot have been easy, but you can be assured that you saved even more lives than you have thought on that day."

The Surgeon: "Lie still and allow me to do my work."

The Surgeon then casts Cure Light Wounds up to six times on your party and leaves. The potion he gives us for asking about his background is one of Magic Protection, which increases Magic Resistance (of the "chance to no-sell" variety) by 50%.

He's the last named character on the map, but there's one group of notable enemies in the southwest corner of the map..:

Weeblet: "Three women ahead! ...really pretty women, with light blue skin."
Coran: "Sirines, probably. You're lucky to have seen them in the wild, boy, and even luckier that they didn't see you. Sirines here at the Sword Coast seem far more likely to kill you dead than to have a nice walk in the sunshine with you. Trust me. It's like Kelddath managed to find every single nice one and bring them to Beregost, the lucky bastard."

Sirenes are an interesting enemy type: Very deadly if you're unprepared, but quite managable if you have some tool to deal with their bullshit. They will always open a fight by casting Improved Invisibility, which will make them more difficult to hit even after they (half-)break invis with their follow-up spells: two or three casts of Dire Charm, which can easily turn one half of your group against the other.

The easiest way to deal with that is summoned creatures, which I believe tend to be immune to Charm effects. Skeletons definitely are, so you just have to wait until the Sirines start using their regular attacks before sending in your group. Those regular attacks are still dangerous - they shoot (and drop) poisoned arrows and their melee attack may cause Feeblemindedness (another disable status effect) if they connect. But they aren't terribly accurate, so it's unlikely that they'll pose much of a problem without their Dire Charm spells.

As a less elegant solution - Elves have a 90% chance to resist any Charm effect in addition to the normal Save vs. Spell roll, so sending Coran or Kivan or a pointy-eared Charname ahead has a resonable chance of success, too.

If you're prepared, the Sirenes you find at the coast are a good source of XP, giving 2000 XP each. It's enough for Alora to reach Lv.7, which she uses to increase her stealth scores by another 25 points.

That's it for the first coast map -

- time to take a loooong walk south to the local lighthouse. We do get an ambush on the way, but it's only four Wild Dogs, which don't pose any threat to us at this point.

There's a lot of low- to mid-tier enemies on this map: Hobgoblins (plus Elites), Dire Wolves, Dread Wolves, Taslois...

...but there's also two fixed Sirine encounters. The first one is made more difficult by its location - it's easy to walk into their sight while fighting those Hobgoblins and allow them to cast their Dire Charm spells unhindered that way. But if you know about that little trap and fight the Hobgoblins with ranged weapons, that is easy enough to avoid.

The second group is unique in that it has a named "boss", but Sil is completely identical to the two generic Sirines accompanying her, as far as I can tell.

As far as named encounters go, there's a very frustrated fortune teller:

Pallonia: "What purpose? The Sword Coast is by no means the center of the universe. Lies and dramas are lived out across the realms. There are lands closer than you would think that neither know nor care about our little problems."
Weeblet: "And what of these lands? What intrigues lay beyond our borders? Do you know anything about Kara Tur?"
Pallonia: "Well, just across the southern mountains there are troubles brewing in great Amn that will make our current concerns seem small by comparison. To the far north there is a city where winter never rears its ugly head: a city that has not been seen nor heard from for many a year, but will soon welcome the return of a multitude of citizens. Both of these events will unfold regardless of oru current troubles. Great may be our concerns, but much more is on the horizon. Leave me be, I have much to think upon."

BUY NEVERWINTER NIGHTS!

The most interesting location in terms of game mechanics is a cave right behind Sil's group of Sirenes.

Inside, you have to deal with traps...

...and a total of three Flesh Golems, luckily separated from each other, since these are quite dangerous foes. Completely immune to magic spells and non-magical weapons, decent HP, and very strong Thac0 and damage. For good measure, they're also the first enemy type that can't be backstabbed (...I think, given that Slimes apparently do have a back that can be stabbed). I could've sworn that they're also immune to missiles, but it seems that I just never used magical arrows against them, according to the wiki.

They also feature in the famous novel "Sins of the Flesh Golem", very popular with Paladins' spouses.

Flesh Golems are worth 2000 XP, which brings Coran's Thief level to 6. He, too, puts more points into his stealth abilities.

Deeper into the cave, there's a stash with some very nice treasure:

The Manual of Bodily Health, which Weeblet immediately uses to increase his Con from 18 to 19, which in turn increases his HP by +1/Lv. (+5 at this point).

Ten Darts of Wounding - nobody here uses Darts, so these are just nice in theory...

...the very, very, VERY powerful Wand of Paralyzation...

...and a cloak that I honestly hardly use myself, but I heard very good things about. The wolf form has fairly good stats (18 Str, 17 Dex, unchanged Con/HP, two attacks per round) and there's some shenanigans you can do with re-equipping your armour and using an off-hand weapon.

At the southern edge of the map, you run into Ardrouine, who has a small side quest for you...

...which is very easily done and rewards us with 500 XP, 60 gold, and +1 Reputation.

Ardrouine: "Thank you so much. You've probably scared him as much as the worgs. I'll coax him down once you've left. Here, this money is all my husband brought back from market this past week but take it. My son's life is woth this and so much more."

Next, another fortune teller:

Arkushule: "Let's have a look now. Interesting. Though you live the hard life now, your hand tells of a softer existence not long ago. I assume that you have just recently taken the road?"
Weeblet: "That much is true, yes. Do go on."
Arkushule: "I thought as much. Let's have a little closer look now. Back down your life line. I see a scholarly influence, and you are well educated. You had a mentor who was a great sage? Perhaps of considerable power as well?"
Weeblet: "My foster father Gorion was a sage, and a bit of a mage as well. Go on."
Arkushule: "You had a reasonably happy childhood with him, aside from being a little difficult. My my, but you were quite the little hellion. Wonder where that comes from? Let's see what we can't learn about you back before this Gorion. Further back I see... I see... Merciful gods! I-see-a-ong-and-happy-life-for-you-and-yours. 10 gold, please, and I'll be on my way."
Weeblet: "What? What is it that you saw?"
Arkushule: "I saw nothing! You will live long and enjoy life, and I will be going now! Back from me!"
Weeblet: "You must tell me. Please, dear lady."
Arkushule: "I have told you all I am going to. Stay back from me! Your life is none of my affair!"
Weeblet: "As you would have it. Here is the gold you asked for."
Arkushule: "I change my mind--I shan't touch it! I take nothing from you! Leave me!"

Weeblet: "That was... slightly disturbing, to say the least."
Alora: "Oh, don't worry, you little grump! As if she could tell the future from your little hand. Just smile and be happy and everything will work out fine!"
Weeblet: "Yeah, but she was looking into my past... and she was correct with what she did tell me."
Alora: "She probably was just playing a prank on you. I've done that too, in Baldur's Gate, only that I would have kept the gold."

In Arkushule's dialogue, you constantly have the option to either end the dialogue or ask for more. If Weeblet had pushed her any further, she actually would've attacked him.

Finally, there's a recruitable character on this map:

Safana: "Well, good sirs, you may call me Safana. You'll have to excuse me if I sound startled, but in the south where I come from they don't grow their men as big as any of you."

Imoen: *snrk*
Safana: "Oh, believe me, the Halflings in Calimshin stand half a foot smaller than your handsome friend here."

Safana: "Anyhow, if you want, I have a way to make you all fabulously wealthy. In my possession I have a map that gives the location of an old pirate treasure trove. According to the writing on the map, it's where the legendary Black Alaric dumped his treasure before being captured by the Amnian fleets! You interested in hearing more?"
Imoen: "The cave to the west? It's been plundered."
Safana: "Well, that was unexpected. Perhaps I could join you anyway, that is, if you'll have me. My skills are of a thieving nature, among... other things."
Weeblet: "We don't need another thief, not even an incredibly gorgeous one (Wait! what are we saying?)"

Had we needed an incredibly gorgeous thief..:

This would've been her. Safana's stats are unfortunately extremely underwhelming, especially if you compare her with Imoen (or Alora, although Safana is available much more early than her in vanilla BG1). Safana is less dexterous than Imoen (18), has less HP than her (6/Lv, compared to Thief!Imoen's 8/Lv.) and while Safana is able to dual-class into Mage like Imoen, she'll need the Tome of Intelligence to bring her to 17 Int in order to do so, which painfully delays the whole process even if your Charname doesn't care for a +1 Int bonus themselves.

Since Safana's higher Str only nets her more weight capacity compared to Imoen, her only real stat advantage is her high Charisma. If your main character is butt-ugly, Safana with the Tome of Charisma and Algernon's Cloak will reach 20 Cha, which is enough to get the max discount when shopping.

She does have a special ability, but it's mostly just the same as the Lv.1 spell Charm Person, i.e. nothing a regular Mage (like, say, a dual-classed Imoen) couldn't do, too.

To be honest, I only ever use Safana as a temporary Thief if I'm using Imoen as my only permanent Thief and still want to swap her over to Mage. Imoen needs to reach Thief Lv.5 to reasonably cover both lockpicking and trap-finding, which comes with a fairly long downtime, which Safana can help to overcome. However, in this playthrough... Well, we'll see Safana again, actually, assuming that I'll continue the LP to that point of the trilogy, but she'd be pretty weak if we brought her along here.

With all that said, this map has been dealt with, too. All that's left is to throw a Fireball at some unsuspecting victims - the tried and tested "throw AoE from just outside of vision" strategy, which is especially effective with an invisible scout leading the way. You do have to be careful, of couse - the Fireball spell has a bigger radius than this screenshot suggests, so I fully expect to fry Weeblet at some point in the future.

And with that little bit of pyromania, I'll close the update. It'll probably take another update or two... or three, we'll see... until we finally enter Baldur's Gate. I'm definitely going to explore most of the remaining wilderness maps first, which is probably doable in one additional post. But I might do some of the content from the Tales of the Sword Coast expansion before the Gate, too. We'll see - next time, I expect that we're going to be squashing bugs and/or lizards. Very big bugs and very nasty lizards. Until then - thanks for reading!

 

[ping]

Update 15: Ulgoth's Beard

Spoiler

Despite not entering the city just yet, we are going into its direction next, north from the Friendly Arm Inn.

First thing we encounter, west from the starting location, is a trio of fishermen:

Jebadoh: "I'm sorry, but we've no fish today. Perhaps in... less troubling times."
Sonner: "Wait, Jebadoh, maybe they're the answer to the problem. They look pretty trustworthy."
Jebadoh: "Oh, yeah, the problem. Sorry for my manner, but we're a poor folk not accustomed to trouble, and it's hard times now. We can't but get a boat into the water before she's swamped by the rains."
Telman: "It's that bitch of Umberlee! She's the one!"
Sonner: "Steady, Telman. What he means is, we're being harassed by a priest of the Bitch Queen Umberlee. We don't even know why, but whenever we attempt to fish she turns the weather sour. Two of us were washed away just walking to the docks, but we cannot prove to the guard it was her. We be needin' someone to stron-arm her into leaving us alone. We've not much money, but I'll gladly give you a... magical weapon from my grandfather's adventuring days. It's a meager amount for your trouble, but it would be a great service to use. Will you help a group of poor fishermen?"
Weeblet: "Your offer is fair. Consider it done."
Sonner: "Ah, I know we could depend on you to do what's right. She hides out near a small shack to the north. Watch yer backs and act quickly, she's tricky. Good luck, brave friends."

Being the scoundrel that he is, Weeblet yoinks a bit of treasure from chests in the two nearby houses. Thievery can actually shortcut this quest a little, but let's go through the whole of it properly.

Following the road to the northeast, we encounter another potential companion:

Ajantis: "I am Ajantis, squire paladin of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart, servant to Helm, son of the noble family of Ilvastarr. I am here to hunt down the vile brigands who assault those traveling these roads. What of you?"
Weeblet: "We share a similar goal. We too are after the bandits who have been raiding along the Coast Way. Why do you fight against these brigands, Ajantis?"
Ajantis: "When I introduced myself, you perhaps heard when I referred to myself as a squire knight. I am on a quest to earn my right to be a full-fledged member of the Most Noble Order of the Radiant Heart. Perhaps we could join forces, for we both wish to see the end of this bandit threat."
Weeblet: "Sorry, but we're not interested. Six companions seems to be the magic number and we're already traveling as a sextett."

Ajantis was the only Paladin companion in BG1 until Dorn the EVIL Paladin showed up. Similar to the Ranger class, the main strength of "vanilla" Paladins is that they will eventually be able to cast Divine magic (Cleric spells, which is an advantage over Rangers who use Druid spells), but that only unlucks in BG2.

They do have some perks in BG1, too though: a -2 bonus to all Saving Throws, a Protection From Evil ability (-2 AC and another -2 ST bonus against evil opponents) and a Lay on Hands healing ability. That last one might be the most useful - it heals for 2 HP per character level, which means that it scales to a respectable 16 HP, and unlike regular healing spells, it is cast almost immediately.

However, this is payed for by slightly slower leveling and, more importantly, the inability to put more than two pips into a weapon proficiency.

Ajantis himself has decent enough stats, provided that you can spare the Gloves of Dexterity for him. With them, he makes for a good tank, especially when he can use Protection From Evil to further improve his defenses. His Strength is also high enough to get modest -1/+1 bonuses to Thac0/damage. Like Safana from the previous update, he also comes with 17 Charisma, which can be very useful with a low-Cha Charname.

He also has the advantage of being available very early. Similar to Viconia east from the Friendly Arm Inn, you can easily grab Ajantis immediately after reaching the FAI without exploring the (also quite dangerous for Lv.1 heroes) map he's in. A downside, although it wouldn't have mattered for Weeblet, is that like every good Paladin played by a 13-years-old, Ajantis will sooner or later attack every evil companion that you might travel with. Apparently, the only way to avoid that is to also have the depressed Enchanter Xan from the Nashkel mines around, who will talk Ajantis down, but I've never tested if that really works.

But enough of that. We have a priestess of Umberlee to intimidate, so we follow the road further north. On the way, we encounter the enemy type that this map is known for. Can you spot it?

Indeed, it was those two little antennae poking through the ground. Almost all random enemies spawning here are Ankhegs, and almost all Ankhegs you'll fight are found on this map, which makes it so dangerous if you come here early.

Weeblet and especially Yeslick aren't very likely to be hit by the Ankhegs, but they will feel it when an attack does go through. Even moreso if they don't succeed that ST vs. Death.

Further north, we run into Gerde, who we absolutely aren't going to listen to. Not when Ankhegs are worth 975 XP apiece.

But for now, we leave the map mostly unexplored to go find the Umberlee cleric on the map to the north. We'll be back very soon.

The new map is also the path inside Baldur's Gate, across the Wyrm's Crossing bridge. If you come here before killing Davaeorn, there will be a raised drawbridge blocking your path, but now, we could just go through that gate and into the city.

However, the priestess we're looking for is on this side of the bridge, towards the northern end of the map:

Tenya: "What goes on is none of your business! Leave now, lest you earn the same fate that they have!"

Coran: "I mean, come on, you look like you're twelve and those three hire a whole group of adventurers to roughen you up? Something does not add up here."

Tenya: "As cowardly as they are treacherous, hiring others to do what they could not! Tonight I shall put an end to all of this! The seas cry for vengeance!"

You actually have to be a bit careful here, since like Shoal the Nereid, Tenya does not want to fight to the death and you don't want any arrows flying her way when she's ready to surrender:

Tenya: Oh, thank you! The Sea Queen may yet be satisfied with the return of the bowl, but one way or another Sonner's group must no longer profit at her expense. It is probably being hidden in a shrine to another god. I don't know where the shrine is and couldn't go near even if I did, but Sonner may tell you... if you ask him with a blade. Go now, for Umberlee is seldom patient, and you are not yet on her good side."

(The light effects are just effects from a Command spell she cast at Weeblet, which remain in place because time freezes during dialogue)

So, back to the *evil* Fishermen! ...after going all the way north in order to unlock two more maps.

Right at the edge of the map, there's another Ankheg to fight - the only enemy on the map, unless you count the time that Tenya was hostile. It drops a completely mundane dagger with a unique name, which screams "QUEST ITEM".

We do not have a lot of weight capacity between our heroes, but Weeblet can make room to also pick up the Ankheg Shell to bring it to Taerom in Beregost. We had to leave the ones on the previous map behind, for now.

On the way back, we run into what can be an instant Game Over if it happens to you earlier than this. I believe you can run into this ambush before on your way to the Friendly Arms right at the start of the game, and you do not have good odds of surviving it that early.

For us, it's... actually still somewhat dangerous, since Alora, Imoen, and Garrick are just as exposed as our more tanky characters, but luckily, we get away with only one arrow hitting (and even critting) Imoen for 15 points of damage.

Back on the previous map, we talk to Gerde for a small reward. No XP, so this is really almost entirely inconsequential.

In the center of the map, there's a little farm with a rather desperate farmer:

Brun: "Oh, by the Great Mother, thank you! My son Nathan and his friends went looking for our missing cattle, then they just up and disappeared! Been gone for days now and, with all the bandits around, who knows what's happened. I don't know where they were heading, but I saw some sort o' tracks to the west. Please find Nathan. I can't afford to keep the farm without my son."

Before we get to that, let's confront Sonner and his pals:

Sonner: "Back, I see."

Telman: "She knows we sent you? Damn it, she'll kill us all for it..."
Sonner: "Hold your tongue, Telman. Now I warned ya she was treacherous. You've gone and believed her lies, haven't you? What did she say, that we stole some bowl or something? Seems a pretty shallow excuse to kill us over, doesn't it? Now as I said before, we are but poor fishermen, but what if we toss in another, oh, 100 gold. Will that change your mind?"
Coran: "The child has said that you killed her mother and have been taking far too much from the seas. I don't like being used, Sonner. It makes me... angry."

Imoen: "Also, the child has said that. The *child*."

Telman: "Well, that's it then! The jig's up, isn't it?"
Jebadoh: "That bitch priestess was taking tribute from us for years! The price just kept climbing, and you can't sail without appeasing Umberlee! The cleric of Talos in Baldur's Gate said..."
Sonner: "Suffice to say, we made other arrangements for our safe passage at sea. Part of that deal was a little payback as well. So you see, we are all pawns within the "friendly" rivalries of the gods. You had best tread carefully, lest you step on some pretty powerful toes."
Coran: "Give me the bowl, Sonner. I'll not ask so nicely a second time!"
Sonner: "I suppose I have little choice then. I've had it on me the entire time; we felt it was safest that way. Take it, but know that the Storm Lord knows who it is that opposes him."

I'm sure it'll be fiiiine.
(it will, this is an almost entirely self-contained side quest)

As I said earlier, you can skip one trip back and forth if you just pickpocket the bowl from Sonner immediately. But of course, that would be metagaming and we don't do that here. ...OK, we do it here all the time, but not in this case.

Unfortunately, I seem to have forgotten to make a screenshot of a big hole in the ground, just west of Farmer Brun - sorry about that. Inside, there's a pretty extensive cave system...

...filled with a whole bunch of Ankhegs. Unlike the ones above ground, the Ankhegs here only appear one at a time, and they also never respawn, which makes them fairly easy to dispatch: Weeblet runs ahead stealthed with the Boots of Speed, positions himself behind the antennae of the Ankheg, and gives them a good backstab once they come out when they see the others approach.

In the upper right part of the map, you find a pile of treasure. The wand is the second Wand of Fire that we've found, but the other magic items aren't as interesting...

...apart from the Darts of Stunning, but even those are only interesting for other playthroughs in which somebody uses Darts. Pretty neat, though! Darts have a pretty low rep in the Baldur's Gate community, but Darts of Stunning or Wounding are genuinely very strong in BG1.

Personally, I don't really use either of the two new spells that we find here. Charm spells I don't like using as a personal choice, but Ghost Armor is just not that great a spell. AC 2 sounds good, but then you remember that the Lv.1 spell Shield gives AC 4 with a -2 bonus against missiles, making it just as good for spellcasters that don't want to fight in melee.

Weeblet: "...oh. I half expected this, but it's not a good feeling to be right about that."

Now, you might wonder: How will we get all the Ankheg shells to Beregost? The answer is surprisingly simple:

Alora zips across the map wearing the Boots of Speed and picks them all up.

With a weight capacity of about 800 kg, it's an easy task for her. ...wait what?

Well, a long time ago, we bought this Violet Potion from a merchant at the Nashkel carnival. It's very risky to use for combat purposes since it tanks both your AC and your HP (Alora's went down from 32 to 18), but it's really useful when you want to carry a lot of heavy items without abusing the "drop and pick up from a distance" cheese, which is also quite slow if you have to go longer distances.

Alora will grab the Ankheg shells above ground, too, but first, we'll have to deliver the sad news to Brun:

Brun: "No, my only son... It is a black day. He died for the farm, but I am too old to work it and too poor to hire someone else. I've lost him AND the land. At least new I know. Thank you for your help but... I wish to be alone now."

Alora: "No, that is definitely not how we will let this story end!"

Brun: "Well, if it's causin' you strife to hand on to it, I suppose I could... hold it for ya. Thank you, strangers. I don't believe I'll see the likes of you again.

It's not "optimal" to give Brun the Ruby Ring in addition to the 100 gold that you give him with the second dialogue option. It sells for 800 gold and you only get 100 extra XP for giving him the ring, too, but... come on.

The NW quadrant of the map is all water, so that's all there was to explore here.

We're going back to Beregost with at total of 16 Ankheg shells (one's in Weeblet's pack), slightly above the quota that Gerde was asking for.

We arrive at 22 o'clock, which means that Taerom and his collegues already left the smithy for the day. So we just drop the shells before the potion's effect runs out...

...and go to the Jovial Juggler to rest, and also to make a final visit to Officer Vai. You will trigger this dialogue when you talk to her without any Bandit Scalps in the inventory, so it's not necessary to do so (especially because the only additional reward for this is a +1 bonus to our already capped reputation), but it neatly marks her quest in the journal as done, which is important in its own right.

Taerom: "Ah, I shouldn't be surprised that it was you who left us *sixteen* whole Ankheg shells on our door step. Not a lot of adventurers in these parts who could pull off that kind of hunt, I don't think. I can give you 8000 gold for the lot of them - a very good profit margin for me, yes, but only if I find sixteen buyers for the suits of armour that I'll be able to make from these."

In reality, you have to talk to Taerom sixteen times to sell all the shells. It's clumsy, but I believe it's actually an improvement made in the Enhanced Editions - if I recall, Taerom in the original game would always give you 500 gold for all shells in your inventory, so you had to first drop them on the ground and pick them up one by one between talking to him in order to get the most money out of him.

I'm also being an idiot and sell the Studded Leather +1 that Coran was keeping around for sneaking purposes. Whoops! This will actually be a bit annoying later in the update.

But first, we go back north and bring the bowl we forced Sonner to return.

Tenya: "Umberlee is mother now, and she is well pleased. She will deal with Sonner's group in time, and Talos will no doubt abandon them for their failure. If they are wise they will never set sail again, for the sea will take their worthless lives. I have no reward for you, but the Sea Queen remembers those that serve her well. You will be paid... in time."

You do get 2500 XP for finishing the quest in this facon, but we won't get paid... in gold for it. There's another quest where you can call in this favour, but... we won't. I'll point it out when we get there, once we're in Baldur's Gate.

Our next stop is a map one more step to the north. It's infected by a bunch of zombies. Twenty of them, in fact.

I didn't count, but I choose to trust the only NPC on this map...

...although Weeblet still robs his house.

The magic cloak is the equivalent of the Rings of Protection that we're already using, just for another inventory slot. You can only wear one "___ of Protection" item at a time, but the Cloak can be useful if you want to use the Ring slots for other effects.

But, well, that was the map.

Seriously, I don't know what the point is. Maybe they had their artist draw the map and then the writers forgot to fill it with sidequests until it was almost too late?

From there, we move on to the village of Ulgoth's Beard, which has more going on...

...because it's the hub for the Tales of the Sword Coast expansion content. Unlike the Siege of Dragonspear expansion, which takes place between BG1 and BG2, or Throne of Bhaal, which happens after the conclusion to BG2, the TotSC expansion is to be played during your BG1 campaign.

I think I'll be a bit lazy and skip the generic villagefolk dialogue...

...but I shall include this generic dialogue of a named, but completely unimportant character...

...because you can steal a Web scroll (not important anymore, Imoen knows the spell) and this ring (much more important) from her. You don't want to have this ring permanently equipped because it also negates Haste, but since you can swap any non-armour equipment freely during a fight, this ring makes the Web spell so, so much more easy to use. Equip it on your tank, swap everybody else to ranged weapons, and Web away - not that many enemies are immune to that, so this can trivialise a lot of otherwise difficult fights.

In front of the village inn, we find a very trustworthy fella:

Ike: "There's a sucker born every minute, and you are right on time." - "Step right up, step right up!"

Ike: "Ahh, good people of noble blood who would throw down the gauntlet in the face of chance! Come see the lengths a man must go to protect what's his. A special package deal of 60 gold for your entire group, not that you would need a discount."
Weeblet: "You have a deal, sir! When are we to leave?"
Ike: "That will fill my quota for this trip. We leave forthwith! Remember to kiss your loved ones goodbye, for your may never... see them... AGAIN! Meet me at the bast of the tower! You would surely be KILLED without me, but fear not! Only I can enter where others FEAR to TREAD!"

Alora: "That tower really sounds like a spooky place. But I'm not worried! I know we can do it if we work together!"

Going into the inn, we're immediately approached by an old dwarf.

Hurgan: "A glorious adventure indeed. Ye have heard of Durlag's Tower, mayhaps?"
Weeblet: "I've heard of it, yes. It's a haunted tower to the south of here, is it not?"
Hurgan: "It was haunted by me granda's friend for a time. He went mad ye see. Durlag Trollkiller was a dwarven hero of great renown. Single-handedly slew many a dragon, he did. Me granda' was a good friend of Durlag's. They adventured together until me granda's untimely death several centuries ago."
Weeblet: "Go on."
Hurgan: "Me granda' was slain by an evil demon but Durlag survived. Durlag kept 'Soultaker' that had been me granda's. He was going to send it to me mother, but he was betrayed. A sad tale, that. After Durlag built the tower his family was replaced by doppelgangers. Durlag killed them all but was driven mad by the act. He entrapped his tower heavily and forgot about me granda's dagger. When I heard the story as a youth, I went to retrieve the dagger meself but was driven back by Durlag's devious traps. If ye be interested, I wish to hire ye to retrieve me granda's dagger, 'Soultaker', me birthright. The tower has been penetrated somewhat by previous adventurers. I would think that the edge has been taken off of the danger. What say you?"
Coran: "Perhaps we should speak of compensation."
Hurgan: "Of course. I have an enchanted hammer. 'Tis a powerful weapon in its own right. Should ye have no use for it then I reckon it'll bring an excellent price. What say ye?"
Weeblet: "It is a fair price. We will find your dagger. Well, it depends on how powerful the hammer is, really, but we were hoping to check out Durlag's Tower anyway, so we might as well keep an eye out of the dagger."
Hurgan: "Good fortune to ye then. I shall await your return here."

Galken: "Ah, you've an adventurer's spirit in ye. No doubt you've heard of the labyrinth at Durlag's Tower, eh? And how she's been pillaged so often that fat nobles go there for picnics? Well, the TOWER has, but BELOW are dungeons untouched! I've a token, a ward token to be sure, that gives entry to them. 'Tis yours if you'll but settle my tab so I can leave this fine place... with all my limbs intact.
Coran: "Where did the likes of you get this?"
Galken: "Like all things, it had an owner before me who does not have it now. 'Tis none of your affair what occurred in between. Shall you own it next, or no?"
Coran: "How much of a tab is the stake?"
Galken: "Oh, 'tis but a meager sum. I'm embarrassed I cannot cover it myself. 900 gold and I'm off the hook. What say, chum?"
Coran: "'Tis hardly a small amount! I won't pay it!"
Galken: "Bah! Cowards all! Still, I'll be here beggin' for mor time if you change your mind."

Finally, the Bartender has a pretty neat selection of items alongside the usual rooms to rest:

He has three Cleric scrolls for sale, which are a lot more restrictive in who can use them than the protection scrolls that Imoen has been slowly identifying over time. This is one instance where Yeslick's low intelligence is an actual disadvantage, since it disallows him from using any scrolls at all.

There's also some new spells for Imoen (and Garrick, but mostly Imoen) for sale. Emotion: Hopelessness is an higher-tier Sleep spell that isn't ignored by enemies above a certain level, although it also doesn't give a penalty to the Saving Throw against it. Still a very powerful spell, just less reliable than Sleep was (and occasionally still is).

Speaking of reliable, Greater Malison is a great tool to make other spells (and other effects that go against a ST) more likely to go through.

Finally, Improved Invisibility, which we've most recently seen used by the Sirines on the coastal maps. It's an incredible defensive spell because, in addition to the -4 bonuses to AC and all STs, a character with improved invisibility cannot be targeted by single-target spells at all, even after breaking the initial "total" invisibility with an attack or by casting a spell.

The Cloak of Displacement (sold for 2345 gold) grants a ST bonus against wands, but not against spells, but aside from that little quirk, it's a really good item. +20% avoid against ranged attacks is nothing to sneeze at.

(The plusses are all bonuses and reduce the values in question. Sigh.)

Next, Aule's Staff is the second +3 weapon we find after Brage's cursed Two-Hander. It's not the most amazing weapon, though, since Quarterstaves only have a base damage of 1d6. Varscona, the Longsword +2 we "found" all the way back at the Nashkel mines, actually deals more damage than Aule's Staff: 3-10 vs. Aule's 4-9, but Varscona adds a point of ice damage on top.

Still, it's a good weapon and not that expensive at 3685 gold. Alora will use it as her backwhack weapon.

Garrick would be able to make use of the 20 charges of the Captive Audience, but I'll say again that I don't really like using Charm spells.

And another tool that a smarter Yeslick would have been able to use. As is, nobody on our team can, which is too bad. The Flame Strike is as strong as the Wands of Frost that we've been using occasionally, just with a different damage type (duh) and no risk to freeze and shatter an enemy alongside their potential drops.

What we certainly can use is the Sandthief's Ring. It's very expensive (11725 gold for only 7 charges...), but since you can sell and rebuy it (costing even more money...), it's the only infinite source of Invis-during-combat that we can use outside of Imoen and Garrick's magic.

And finally finally (no, really, we're out of money), the Greenstone Amulet, one of the most useful items in the game (and, honestly, in itself a good reason to visit Ulgoth's Beard earlier than we did). It's not even particularly expensive at 1340 gold for 10 charges, which means that it can be recharged relatively cheaply, too.

Now then, it's time to explore the rest of the village... except that somebody might not want us to:

Shandalar: "I am Shandalar, and I am the default benefactor of this place. My home is here, as are my major interests. I take interest in whoever comes this way, and you are very interesting indeed. I should like you to perform a task for me. A small thing, really, but something I do not have time for myself. I need for you to go to... another place and retrieve an item of mine. Very simple, and if you succeed, I will think all the better of you. What say you to this?"
Weeblet: "Why do you need me for this task when you seem more than capable?"
Shandalar: "I have other things that call my attentions, so it is more convenient that you go. Besides, I know you not and this serves as a good measure of you. Already I know you are more interested in the 'why' and not so much the profit. Will you do this?"
Weeblet: "Yes, I will. I'm ready now."
Shandalar: "You are on your way, then. When you have located my cloak, return to where you arrived and this ward token will effect your release... er... your passage back. Off you go now."

Imoen: "Wait, off we go wh--"

Imoen: "--ere? ...Weeblet, for the love of-- why would you just go along with such a weird request?"
Weeblet: "I-- I don't know! Honestly! I just... felt like I had no other choice!
Coran: "Yeah, actually, I don't blame you for this one. Shandalar has a bit of a... reputation at the Gate as somebody who won't take no for an answer. And as a mage, he can make sure that he doesn't have to."
Alora: "What a meanie! But... as long as we find his cloak, he'll bring us back, right? That can't be too difficult, now can it..?"

Initially, that seems to be the case - there's some dangerous animals both on the island...

...and inside the cave. Neither of them worse than what we've already beaten a few character levels ago. But... well, the interface kinda gives away that it's not just animals that we're going to face.

Coran: "Well, let's see what we find."

This is where me selling Coran's second armour is a bit annoying: in order to stealth, he has to unequip his Ankheg Armour.

First thing: Three mages, two of them pre-buffed with defensive spells. Luckily, they don't seem to be hostile, so Yeslick walks up to talk to them:

Andris: "Shandalar! Well, there is a name I have not heard in a while. Aye, he was here. The bastard managed to escape, though I know not how. This isle is much like a prison, and is uncharted on any map I have seen. The stars indicate we are far to the south, but I cannot seem to get more precise than this. This place seems to ensnare magical energy, pulling it from the air. If you are a mage in transport, it pulls you as well. Plucks you from the ether and deposits you here. Leaving the island by magical means semms entirely impossible."
Yeslick: "What is the purpose of this place? Who constructed it?"
Andris: "I don't know an answer to either question. It could be a joke of the gods or a test... or both. It is hard to tell with gods. It could be a natural phenomenon, though these tunnels certainly are not. Trapped mages may have fashioned them for shelter however. There is little else to do here except plot, study, or go mad. I prefer to plot. On that note, if you would be so kind as to strip down and give me what you are carrying I would be ever so grateful."
Yeslick: "What? But why? Certainly we can come to some agreement?"
Andris: "But why? I think I can overpower the pull of this place if I have enough magical energy. You may have items, or your very being may yield fuel. I care not which, and I am through talking!"

Well then, battle it is. Every mage that you encounter in this little dungeon will turn attack you after a brief chat, so diplomatic dialogue options aren't exactly rewarded here.

We start the fight strong, with all three backstabs landing on the two mages that don't have Mirror Images potentially ruining the fun. Andris himself starts the fight by teleporting to the room where our visible party members are still standing...

...from where he casts Confusion, through the wall, on Weeblet before jumping back his starting room. I was trying to move Coran and Alora far enough away from Weeblet that they wouldn't be caught in the AoE of the spell, but only Coran got far enough - luckily, both the Hobbits managed to resist the spell. Well, Weeblet also used the Greenstone Amulet, so his saving throw didn't actually matter.

Uuunfortunately, Andris follows up the Confusion spell with Fireball, which is a clean one-shot against Garrick. Let's try that again...

...hm. I spent a few more reloads trying to headbutt my way through the fight without unreasonable pre-buffing, but to no avail...

...until I kinda lost patience and started backstabbing before talking to Andris. Rude, I know, but desperate times etc...

Ironically, this made the opening worse, arguably, because it made Marcellus turn before Weeblet could stab his back, survive the stab in the side, and cast Horror (because of course there's a Horror casing mage in this fight) - but Garrick's Bard Song completely counters that spell, so that's good for us.

However, the game winner is this: Unlike in previous attempts, this time Andris loses his Fireball spell after being hit by Garrick's Magic Missiles. I'm honestly not sure how this works or if it's just a random chance (with very high odds for non-boss mages) if a spell is interrupted when taking damage, but I definitely take this.

So, Garrick MVP?

Between the three mages, there's only one new spell (and no new equipment) in the loot. It's an interesting one, although not necessarily in the way you think: Instead of using it as a combat/healing spell, people use this as a pre-buff, by draining HP from summoned monsters or even party members who (unlike summons) take increased damage from this spell, which also results in more HP increase for the caster. After that, you patch up the victim, if needed, and go into a fight with a much more durable Mage.

Alora: "I almost pity him... Trying to kill us wasn't very nice, of course, but trapped on a tiny rock... That is sad."

Now, me struggling so much with the very first "real" fight of this dungeon might not make this look very helpful. However, that first fight also happens to be the most difficult, I'm pretty sure, so I'm confident enough going forward. Not that there's a choice in the matter...

But first, Imoen does her Thief thing and spots/disarms a few traps, because of course you can't have a dungeon without traps.

After fighting a few more Winter Wolves (how do those survive on this tiny island, anyway?), we find another mage - one mage, which is the very straightforward reason why all the upcoming fights are easier than the first, even though Garan has a trick up his sleeve.

So let's try to be more "legit" and not start stabbing before it's confirmed that he wants us dead. He has Mirror Image up, anyway, which would make those stabs very unreliable.

Garan: "You have come to take Shandalar's cloak, eh? Well, he must have given you something to get off of the island, something that I intend to have. Prepare to die, fools!"

Well, that was quick.

And this is what Garan has in his sleeve: Four Ankhegs spread across the room.

However, he himself is a bit of a chump - Imoen and Garrick both use Magic Missile to at least get rid of (most of) his Mirror Images, before Alora and Coran make short work of him.

Alora and Coran then quickly back off, leaving Yeslick and Weeblet on the front lines. A Sleep spell by Imoen unfortunately only gets one of the Ankhegs, but luckily, this hit against Yeslick ends up the only damage they end up doing. And, on the plus side, this is a great demonstration why Ankhegs are a threat - 30+ damage if you don't manage to save against the acid damage is no laughing matter, even at this point of the game.

Garan drops another two new spells. Know Alignment is virtually useless (although a blind player might use it to help figure out if they can trust an NPC or questgiver), Protection From Normal Missiles is... not bad, obviously, in the right circumstances, but I tend to use other Lv.3 spells over it, like Fireball, Haste, or Slow.

The next mage is rather cunningly placed, right in sight range of a trap. Imoen gets around it by casting Invisibility on herself, and our backstabby trio gets into position afterwards.

Cuchol: "Why are you here? You weren't sent to kill poor Cuchol?"
Weeblet: "We're merely here to retrieve an item. We'll be on our way as soon as we can find it."
Cuchol: "Are you not trapped here? I, Cuchol, the Scourge of Lachom! The Ravisher of Surkh! Even with my fell powers, I cannot escape."
Weeblet: "We have our ways, Cuchol. Have you seen a cloak, perhaps?"
Cuchol: "A ward! Of course! My friends, I have been trapped here for too long. Think of my reputation! "Cuchol," they'll say, "what kind of mystical magic man are you?" Then I'll say, "It's not my fault! It's that stupid ice!" Then they'll say, "You're a loser, Cuchol. A real fool, if you catch my drift." Can't you see? My reputation! I must have that ward! I must escape!"
Weeblet: "We can't help you, Cuchol. We need to leave this place ourselves."
Cuchol: "But it's so cold! Don't you see? It's cold! Why does Cuchol bother with these wretches? Very well, I MUST have the ward!"

Single mage, yadda yadda yadda.

It's worth pointing out that he drops another Wand of Paralyzation, though.

The next enemy is pathfinding. This way, if you please, Imoen.

The next visible enemy is a Gnomish mage, or Illusionist, since all Gnome mages have that specialisation.

Tellan: "Heahee-he-heeee... Been here long?"
Weeblet: "No, and I don't intend to stay here long, either."
Tellan: "No, no, none of us do, none of us do... Did you think I wanted this plac?! Did you think I wanted to languish here for years, Tellan Altru'ar, once the shining light of Tethyr?! No, no, hehahee-he-heeee, not I, not I. Now give me that wardstone, Buttercup, or I shall pluck your petals and watch ye rot!"

Single mage, etc.

Tellan drops a bunch of Darts +1 - still not particularly strong, but these are not too bad as a weapon for a single-class mage (but not Imoen, who does way better with Shortbows which she can use thanks to her Thief levels).

The second-to-last fight in this dungeon is against Winter Wolf #6, #7, and #8, which is mostly interesting because that's a total of almost 8000 XP that you get just from the wolves.

And for the last fight, recognisable as such by the stairs right next to the foe:

Dezkiel: "Ha! The commonsense answer, in a place uncommon where sense does not rule the day. You are looking for something here: something of power and value. I am sure I know just what it is, and for whom you seek it. I do not wish to relinquish it. What do you have to say about that?"
Weeblet: "How do you know these things of me?"
Dezkiel: "The others here are like me, in that they do not understand this place. I doubt the place itself could tell its own purpose were it able to answer questions. Suffice it that I am not so quick to turn to desperation as the others, and I do not fear the unknown quite as much. If this place draws magical energies to it, and I am here at the center, then it draws magical energy to me by default. In time I will harness it, and in time I will leave. Already I know more of things here than any other. I can see things... things others cannot."
Weeblet: "You have many answers. Can you tell me where to find Shandalar's cloak? I have to find it."
Dezkiel: "Do you now? And he did not come for it himself? Of course not. He left this place only by shedding his most powerful dweomers. More sensible to send you, who are of lesser power. No doubt he will extricate you using some sort of focus, drawing you away with magic centered elsewhere once you have completed your task. Have I guessed your means of travel? Do you even know?"
Weeblet: "You have said more than I need to know. I must deal with you to complete my task."
Dezkiel: "Our conversation is to be a short one, then. Launch your spells and wield your weapons, for one of us will cease breathing this day. It matters little. I see things here that others cannot, and I have an understanding of what comes. Take what you need and finish your taskt, and be released with the power of another in a different place. He will thank you in his fashion, I am sure. Attack as you will, and one of us will go to join the others."

Single Mage. You know the drill.

Of course, Dezkiel was carrying what we were sent here to retrieve. Shandalar's Cloak doesn't seem to have any game-mechanical features, but that doesn't matter because nobody can wear it, anyway.

The real prize of this side quest is the scroll that Dezkiel drops: The second and last copy of the Stoneskin spell that you can get in BG1, the first being the reward for Neera's companion quest. Imoen already knows the spell, so this one goes to Garrick, who will eventually be able to cast Lv.4 spells, as well.

And finally, he also drops his Rage against the Ma-- I mean, Heavens diary.

And there we go. Cuchol and Garan would've been skippable, but, well, XP is XP.

The stairs are a shortcut to the surface, and once you go there, Shandalar will bring you back to Ulgoth's Beard.

Shandalar: "You return! Excellent! And you ae little the worse for wear, in a relative sense. An excellent measure of your worth, I think. You have proven yourself quite capable. I will just relieve you of that item and be on my way."
Weeblet: "What was this place? There are people still trapped on that island."
Imoen: "Were. Were trapped. Unless somebody was smart enough not to try and kill us."
Shandalar: "It is an odd place, to be sure. Teleportations are affected most drastically, in effect trapping the occasional passing mage. Those that are there will find their way off in time. Those that are not there any more have found their own way off. I think you will agree that the ones that you met were not inclined to work together and effect their own release. An excellent judge of character in a supposedly natural phenomenon, wouldn't you say? I must be off. Fare ye well."

And off he goes. With that, we've beaten the first of the three adventures of the TotSC expansion - the weakest among them, in my opinion. There's no real resolution and you get no reward whatsoever from Shandalar, although you admittedly are plenty rewarded with XP from the fights (almost 25000!), the Stoneskin scroll (which was the only one available before the Enhanced Edition, too), and some more item drops from the mages.

You've seen Weeblet's level-up - it's to Fighter (6), which unlocks his second (and, until Siege of Dragonspear, last) proficiency pip. I decide to have Weeblet take a break from learning the way of the Katana and instead get a second point into Two-Weapon Style. That second pip is where dual wielding generally becomes worth it...

...so dual wielding Weeblet shall. Doesn't he look a lot more ninja-y now that he dropped that silly shield?

Because he still only has one pip in Katanas, the Wakizashi +1 is the best option for the off-hand. With 25% less accuracy for his additional attack, the damage increase won't be quite as big on average as going from 2.5 to 3.5 attacks per round would suggest, but it should still be quite significant.

With Shandalar having started his quest immediately on sight, there's still a bit of village to explore. One of the houses has a side quest related to another TotSC adventure:

Therella: "Unless you wish to search for my errant son, then no."
Weeblet: "Tell us the tale and we might be able to help."
Therella: "I have, or perhaps i should say had, a son named Dalton. He fell in with a crew of adventurers from Waterdeep. Dalton was always obsessed with the idea of being a hero. Alas, he has neither the brains nor the ability. Such is a mother's lot in life, however, to watch her children perform acts of idiocy despite her warnings or concerns. My poor boy took those acts of idiocy to the extreme. He and his thick-skulled cohorts took it upon themselves to plumb the depths of Durlag's Tower. They bought a ward token from that shyster, Galken, and made ready to leave. Though I begged and cried, Dalton still insisted on going. The band never returned. I fear that they were destroyed by the mad dwarf's machinations. That is the tale, sad but true."
Weeblet: "Rest easy, woman. We will find your son if he still lives."
Therella: "Thank you so much. Such kindness from strangers is unheard of in this harsh life. I will await Dalton's return with breathless anticipation."

Coran: "Not to be that guy, but... we kinda know where these stories go."
Alora: "Don't say that! The smart adventurer doesn't just rush into adventure. Their group might just be slow and methodical."

Further to the south, there's a Gnome merchant:

Delsvirftanyon: "Yeah, you all nice nice now, but no gold, right? 'Tis same all day every day, night too sometimes! Nice nice people come look and look and say nice nice and leave! I lose patience forthe nice to look at pretty to hold but don't buy a suffering thing! You here to buy or you just say nice and leave?"
Weeblet: "I might be interested. Tell me, what exactly do you deal in?"
Delsvirftanyon: "I sell the small and shinies for the tourists in the Durlag's Tower but there are none now there! Bandits on the roads keep the people off and away so I'm stuck with all this stock I am. Ward tokens I have of all shapes and size. Some I found by elven ruin and some I made myself I made. Maybe some good or maybe all bad but don't they all look pretty? I tell you what I will. I'll sell you everything I have you buy for low low price of 500 gold is all. Then I go home where they appreciate a bauble shine. Buy or no and walk the walk?
Weeblet: "You have a deal and done! Oh hell, now I'm doing it."
Delsvirftanyon: "Good and done. Now take it all and get out so I can pack and go. 'Tis enough of my time in this place gone and lost from me."

Delsvirftanyon sells a mix of equipment, rings of the vendor's trash variety, and two wardstones. The stones are worthless - not even Thalantyr will buy them and they serve no gameplay purpose - but the rest of his stuff actually sells for slightly more than 500 gold, so you make a tiny profit here.

The armour he sells is magical, but... it's also not very good at all.

Lastly, there's a house in the southwest where we can start the third adventure after Shandalar's request and Durlag's Tower. In front of it, there's a nob that we can ask about Durlag, though:

Fenrus: "Indeed, I have. 'Twas a wonderful tour although somewhat steep in price. Why do you ask? Perhaps you are entertaining thoughts of following in my footsteps?"
Weeblet: "We thought that you might find the time to share some of your knowledge of the tower and of the tour."
Fenrus: "The tale of that ill-fated tower is a fascinating one. Durlag Trollkiller, a great dwarven hero, built the tower. Over a long and successful career, Durlag amassed a great hoard of treasure. Rumors spoke of rooms full of gems and a great hall strewn with dusty heaps of gold coins. With the aid of hired dwarves, Durlag dug many chambers and passages in the tor and raised the lone tower above it, planning it as a seat where he could found a dwarven community and grow old in peace, surrounded by happy, prosperous kin. Instead, Doppelgangers, organized and aided by foul mind flayers, slew and impersonated Durlag's companions. After the shocked dwarf discovered the first impersonation, he was attacked by all the others and spent a terror-filled tenday frantically fighting through his own fortress, chased by monsters who wore familiar forms but sought his death. In the end, alone and victorious, he was powerless to stop the fleeing illithids. Fearful they'd return, Durlag hired the finest craftfolk he could find and began to rebuild his tower and the tor beneath as an elaborate succession of traps, magical wards, secret passages, sliding prison chambers, and triggered weapons. For several centuries things went on like this, as the increasingly eccentric Durlag lived on fungi and, it is cruelly whispered, the bodies of intruders. At length he died, and presumably his bones still lie in some inner room, guarded by thousands of deadly traps. After having seen the first few rooms of the tower myself, I can say that it must be as dangerous as the legends portend. It is a fascinating place to visit and I strongly recommmend that you take a tour. I must be off now. Farewell and enjoy the tour."

You might not be surprised when I tell you that Durlag's Tower is the main attraction of TotSC. And, by the way, fighting off mind flayers all alone is a really impressive feat - I believe those are quite high up in the pecking order of Faerûn's list of monsters.

Inside the house, you find a lone scholar:

Mendas: "Tragic things are happening in this unfair, uh, how you say... world. The men with power, they hurt the men with none. They destroy things that teach us better life. I tell you true, it would be better if these men are not born! This Merchants' League, these bad men, they find the island to the west. The island has a broken ship, an, uh, shipwreck. Very old shipwreck, they say."
Weeblet: "How did the Merchants' League discover the island?"
Mendas: "They sail to New World and big storm blow them north. The sailors can't control boat and it almost crash on island rocks. It is very stormy but they can see the old wrecked ship. They come back to Baldur's Gate and sell sea charts to Merchants' League Counting House. A pox upon them!"
Coran: "Why is the Merchants' League interested in an island in the middle of nowhere? What does it boast besides dangerous shores and a rotting ship?"
Mendas: "These merchant men are greedy. They want island and ship. May their bones rot in Nine Hells! The merchants want tresures from the New World. The Trackless Sea is very wide, so Merchants' League ships must stop for supplies. They would stop at Evermeet but elf place is north, too much. Only place to stop is Sundrah on Lantan but fees are very expensive. Merchant men lose money too much in Sundrah. The Merchant sailors see more than shipwreck on island. They see big harbor, also. They want to turn this harbor into new stop for ships from Waterdeep and Baldur's Gate."
Weeblet: "What about the shipwreck?"
Mendas: "The Merchants' League sailors see markings on the ship. The shipwreck, hero, is Balduran's. These men they think that Balduran had much treasure on his final voyage. Maybe this true, but ship also has many artifacts. These things hold knowledge of Balduran's fate. I wish to recover the ship's logbook. I will solve mystery of Balduran's final voyage. Merchants' League will destroy my artifacts to get treasure. This must not happen! If you help me, I get things precious to me, you get treasure, merchant men get nothing. You will help, yes?"
Weeblet: "Mendas, you are clearly working towards a noble end. I will help you."

Goodness, all this text...

Mendas: "I can spare 2,000 gold pieces for the charts."
Weeblet: "I am on my way."
Mendas: "Please hurry friends, I need charts soon. Merchants prepare ships as we speak."

...and we aren't quite finished yet. Speaking with Mendas will spawn another NPC outside his house:

Calahan: "Mendas, eh? 'E's a grim sort. Ne'er a kind word or a 'ow's-yur-auntie?"
Weeblet: "I assume that you know him. Perhaps you could share your perceptions of the fellow."
Calahan: "Aye, I've known 'im fer as long as he been in th' Beard. But I 'member better wi' a l'il gold in me palm."
Weeblet: "I see... will 20 gold suffice?"
Calahan: "Aye, it will."
Weeblet: "Go ahead, then."
Calahan: "Mendas came t' th' Beard this season past. Bought ol' Svenson's place, he did. He claimt t' be from Waterdeep, but I known fellers fr' th' City o' Splendors an' they can speak th' common tongue as good as I done."
Weeblet: "...as well as I do," you mean."
Calahan: "Nay, better. Wherever 'e's from, Mendas darn'ta like t' mix with us common folk. 'E keeps to 'imself in his house, for th' most part. 'E leaves for a few days every month, is all. 'Tis all I be knowin', I'm afraid."
Weeblet: "My thanks, Calahan. You've been very helpful. May the fish always bite for you."
Calahad: "'This th' least a lad could do. G'day to ye all."

Imoen: "So, long story short, we don't trust the guy?"
Coran: "Agreed. But 2000 gold can buy a lot of question to not be asked."

And with those long dialogues, I'll close the update. Next time, we'll head due south to Durlag's Tower, checking the two remaining wilderness maps north of it on our way. I don't think we'll want to tackle the entirety of the tower just yet, but we might be able to at least explore the parts above ground. Until then - thanks for reading!

 

[ping]

Update 16: Durlag's Tower, pt.1

Spoiler

Our first stop on the way to Durlag's Tower is often called Spider Forest in Baldur's Gate communities, which combined with Fahrington's little quest neatly summarises the nature of most of the enemies on the map.

True enough, you'll find a single Ettercap east of Fahrington, that drops a scroll..:

Imoen: "I mean, unless it's commonplace for Ettercaps to carry magic scrolls with them, this should be the one, but why would that guy want to have it back? We should probably warn him."

Imoen: "...I'm not going to say thank you."

Random little quest, with a modest 300 XP as its reward.

Weeblet: "Neera told us that, and I quote, 'Redder robes than hers? Bad news.' We should be careful."
Alora: "Oo, who's that Neera? Is she nice? Have you traveled with her? She sounds nice."
Weeblet: "Er, um... anyway, let's report back."

These four mages do indeed not have good intentions:

Denak: "Sorry, but the Red Wizards of Thay are not known for their magnanimous nature. We're going to have to kill you."

We're honstly a bit overleveled for this encounter. I immediately have Yeslick start cast Silence on the group, but it's actually down to only one enemy when he finishes the spell.

One of the Red Wizards drops a new magic ring, one with a pretty funny description, in my opinion. 2d6 damage isn't a ton, but there's no Saving Throw allowed to reduce it, and just like Aganazzor's Scorcher, the ring creates a beam that can hit multiple enemies, twice if they stay in it. As long as the enemies don't resist fire damage, the Scorcher from the Wand of Fire is better, of course, but this ring can be used by anybody, so you don't necessarily have to choose between the two.

Other than that, we find a Remove Magic scroll (Dispel Magic, but party-friendly) and four Mage Robes of ____ Resistance, which are just vendor's trash at this point.

Finally (the map is once again fairly empty), there's one small area of the map surrounded by three Web traps...

...with a bunch of spiders in the middle. You can bait them in small groups if you're careful, and if you don't, you'll get swarmed by Giant Spiders, a Phase Spider, a Sword Spider...

...and a Wraith Spider, which is the third top tier spider enemy next to the Sword and Phase spiders. They're more defensively-minded than those other two, with better AC, a ton of immunities (against most status effects, but also against non-magical weapons) and a Str-draining attack instead of many attacks per round (like Sword Spiders) or powerful poison (like Phase spiders). As a result, they're the least dangerous out of the three, as long as you have some magic weapons to hit them with.

The XP from that fight brings Yeslick's Cleric level to 6, giving him his third Lv.3 spell slot, which he fills with Prayer (small bonus to allies and penalty to enemies).

And that's the map. Not a ton you can get here, but hey, unique ring and the spider fight is worth a fair bit of XP. However, that XP pales in comparison to the next map...

Weeblet: "Is that a statue in the middle of nowhere? An... incredibly lifelike statue in the middle of nowhere?"
Coran: "That's a clear sign of basilisks if I've ever seen one. I propose we make a big loop around these parts..."
Imoen: "What's the matter, Coran? And here I thought you'd jump at the opportunity to impress Alora and me."
Coran: "I have done some very stupid things to impress the ladies. But risking to be petrified because my eyes are wandering? Pass."
Imoen: "Don't worry, my butt isn't going to turn you into stone. But it's not problem if you don't have the courage, I'm sure Weeblet and Yeslick--"
Weeblet: "Yeah, how about no?"
Imoen: "--will be happy to hear that I happen to know just the spell for this occasion."

Weeblet: "And you are absolutely sure that this works?"
Imoen: "Naturally. Plus, we still have one of the Stone To Flesh scrolls we rescued Branwen with."
Alora: "Branwen? Who's that? Have you traveled with her? Is she nice?"
Coran: "*Very* nice."

Weeblet: "Oh goodie... Well, let's put Imoen's confidence to the test."

And hey, it works! Weeblet still starts sneaking about a bit, because a little bird told me that there might be a crazy gnome nearby that might have some abilities other than turning people to stone. Once Yeslick walks into his sight...

Mutamin: "You will go nowhere! You will join the beautiful work of art that standssss before you. You will become a piece of the art... forever."

...Mutamin and the Greater Basilisk next to him go hostile. Now, Mutamin is one of the many "Mirror Image into Horror" mages, which means that he is not only a psychopath, but also a dirty cheater: All Gnome mages use the Illusionist kit, which means that Mutamin shouldn't be able to use Necromancy spells such as Horror.

He gets quite thoroughly merced by a quick backstab, though.

Mutamin and the basilisk drop a bit of loot, but the real prize on this map is the XP that you get for killing the Greater Basilisk. This is why more minmax-y players often run almost straight to Mutamin's Garden after getting out of Candlekeep: Enemies that give tons of XP (Lesser Basilisk still yield 1400) despite being easily counterable by a Lv.1 spell.

Basically, recruit a mage if necessary (Xzar, who you meet on the very first map, is the most convenient choice), buy a Protection From Petrification scroll from Thalantyr, come to this map, have Xzar cast PFP on you, kick him (and Montaron) from your party so that all XP goes to the main character, kill basilisk, get a ton of XP very quickly. The neat part about that is that because newly recruited companions scale with CHARNAME to up to 32k XP, which means that you can have a full team of mid-level characters right out the gate.

Mutamin is a bit of a spanner in the works for that, actually, but we'll find a tool to help against him later.

There's a total of five Lesser Basilisks in addition to Mutamin and his Greater pet in the northern half of the map. This number is fixed and the only randomly spawning enemies are far less dangerous, so this map is quite safe if you know what's coming for you. Respawning enemies are not much of a threat.

One statue west of Mutamin looks less... permanently dead, which is to say that it's the only statue on the map that you can click on. So, Imoen makes use of the second Stone to Flesh scroll that we bought (much) earlier:

Tamah: "What... who are... what has happened?"
Imoen: "Rest yourself, you have likely been petrified for some time now."
Tamah: "Petri...? How... I remember fighting some gnolls and... and one turned to stone right before my eyes! I turned around and there was this lizard-thing... and then... and then you. I was turned to stone? For how long?"
Imoen: "I do not know. All that is important is that you are free now."
Tamah: "I... I thank you! You have rescued a perfect stranger and... and asked for nothing in return. Certainly a selfless act if ever I have heard of one. I shall speak well of you to anyone that asks. Thank you once again!"

There is actually some evidence that Tamah has been here for a while now. Imoen was very nice, which nets us 300 XP and a point to our (still already capped) reputation. If you press Tamah for some form of reward, she will offer you her house "next to a small lake just south of Beregost".

We passed this house long ago, when we were still traveling with Jaheira, Khalid, and Neera and... it seems to have stood empty for a while. If you're being that kind of prick, you'll lose, instead of gain, a point of reputation(and I believe if you ask for a reward but then reconsider, you just get nothing).

All the Basilisk XP has been enough for Imoen to reach Lv.7, which is a big one because it unlocks her first Lv.4 spell slot. She has some nice options, but I think Stoneskin is still a no-brainer. It almost completely removes the worries of a random enemy randomly shanking her.

Further to the south, we run into a group of four adventurers:

Kirian: "Hey, Lindin, look over here, we've run across some travelers."

Kirian: "That sounds like a challenge! Hey, Baerin, Peter, Lindin! I think these little pipsqueaks think they can tak us. Boy oh boy, you just moved into the big time. We're not some small-town hick adventurers, we're Waterdhavians, born and bred. Maybe you want to rethink your earlier statements?"
Coran: "I think you psychopaths need a good lesson, and we'll be the ones to administer it to you."
Kirian: "Ohh, and what kind of lesson is that going to be? Are you going to paddle my rump with a big bad sword? HEY GUYS! Let's take these chimps out."

Coran: "I mean, if that's what... no? Arrows it is, then."

In a PnP environment, this sort of encounter might end with one side eventually yielding before somebody takes too much permanent damage. But it's a video game...

...so fight to the(ir) death it is.

Kirian's group has actually a decent composision for adventuring, except that they're lacking a Thief. Kirian herself is a Fighter/Mage, Peter is a Fighter/Cleric, and Lindin and Baerin are pure Fighters, one melee, one ranged. Very Fighter-heavy, but that's not a bad thing. Make one of the pure fighters a Fighter/Thief and you'd have an excellent team to beat BG1 with.

The most interesting piece of loot from the group is this girdle. We have the equivalents against missile/piercing and crushing damage already, so this completes the set. A lot of dangerous enemies do use slashing weapons, so this is a pretty useful item.

Imoen: "One second. I think we can all agree that my magic works just wonderfully, but it doesn't work indefinitely. I think the protection spell might run out any minute now and I only had the two memorised, so we should find a hidden spot to set up camp."

There's indeed one Greater and three Lesser Basilisks amidst a bunch of big-ass (inanimate) skeletons in the southern half of the map. This time, Yeslick and Coran do the manual labour.

Korax the Ghoul: "Me will be good boy, me promise. Me will help you with anything you need."

Korax, who you can find at the western edge of the map, is the second piece next to the Protection From Petrification spell that makes this map very doable even for a single Lv.1 CHARNAME. Being undead, he's immune to petrification by default, as well as to poison, which Greater Basilisks might distribute when their gaze keeps not working. As a Ghoul, he also has a melee attack with paralysation effect, which is how he helps defeat Mutamin, too.

However, he'll eventually be overcome by hunger and will try to snack on the party. Luckily, we can avoid that tragic fight against man's best friend...

...because we're already done with the map and are about to leave.

Experienced BG1 players who don't quite remember previous updates might miss one name: Normally, Shar-Teel, the violent misandrist, hangs out north of Korax, but she's been moved to the road north of Nashkel by one of my mods. In vanilla, it is possible to recruit her safely by hugging the western edge of the map, similar to Viconia or Ajantis, except that this map is a bit more out of the way then theirs are.

Durlag's Tower can be unlocked from this map, too, so there was reason for us to come here other than the XP. Not that it was needed...

On that map, you immediately meet a conveniently placed merchant:

Erdane: "Aye, selfish one, ye ask it right and true, no false piety hidden in your bloated soul... Well, if you be asking, a seller of cynicism and a merchant of mischief I be. If you are so dead set on losing yourself in that toad-like tor, I can assist in assuring that you don't take all your pretty gold with you."

Weeblet: "Actually, we have some rare trinkets to sell to YOU first. But feel free to show us your wares, too."

The most important good Erdane sells are the Potions of Perception. Imoen's Find Trap ability is 85, which is only good enough for almost every trap in the game. Once we start exploring the dungeons beneath the tower, we'll need a few of these potions - which won't be just yet, but it doesn't hurt to be prepared.

Erdane also sells another Wand of Fire, which also never hurts to have around. Unless you throw it at an unprotected party member, of course. Other than that, we stock up on Arrows +1 - we have three bow users on the team, so we'll go through these pretty quickly once we swap away from non-magical ammunition.

Before crossing a narrow bridge, some pre-buffing takes place: A summoned skeleton, Strength of One on everybody (including the Skeleton), and Imoen casts Stoneskin. That last one won't be immediately necessary, but the spell has a hilariously long duration of 12 hours (...which is one hour in real time, but that's still amazing), which means that your mages should honestly never not have Stoneskin up once they're able to cast the spell.

The reason for the pre-buffs in general are two Battle Horrors, which serve as literal and figurative gate keepers: If these to prove to be a nigh-impossible hurdle for you, you probably shouldn't continue to the tower even if you manage scrape by a win.

Battle Horrors are animated suits of armour, complete with shields and flaming swords. They're immune to missiles and have very good AC against melee attacks (-5, -8 vs. slashing), so they're pretty hard to kill. Offensively, they're not as impressive, but they still boast three attacks per round and fairly decent damage and Thac0.

(note Weeblet's miss. It's his off-hand, but still! That's an 18!)

Their Achilles heel is magic - they have no resistances against it at all, neither the chance to block a spell nor any damage reduction. The Wand of Frost in particular is a very simple and effective way to deal big damage to them...

...but I don't need to bring those out for this fight.

(OK, at least Weeblet has more than 10% hit with his main hand...)

Doppelgänger: "YOUR TIME IS DONE, PRIMATES!"

Yeslick: "Aye, those are some of the monsters that have haunted old Durlag. Didn't expect to find 'em outside of the tower, no I didn't..."
Imoen: "Wait, really? I would've thought that they would look like, you know, somebody."

Yeslick: "They're devious, but they're not very smart. A Doppelgänger will have to survey its victim for a while before it can properly impersonate them. These two probably had nothing ready to try to fool us."
Weeblet: "When you say they're stupid..."
Yeslick: "Once a Doppelgänger has learned to take somebody's form, it's very good at the anatomy part. But 'tis difficult for them to act like a human or halfling or dwarf."
Coran: "Or elf."
Yeslick: "Oh, it would only have to learn how to stare at buttocks to mimic you, boy. But if you're ever suspicious that somebody you're talking to might be a Doppelgänger... keep talking to them, or it. They'll run out of phrases they've memorised very quickly and often just attack you in anger and frustration."

Further down the path, we run into Ike, the tour guide we met in Ulgoth's Beard:

Ike: "The tower and labyrinth below were built ages ago by the dwarven hero Durlag "Thunderaxe," for no less worthy a purpose than to be a home for him and his kin. His enourmous fortune occupied ENTIRE rooms, rumored WAIST-DEEP on a man. The wealth he had accumulated was to be the BACKBONE of his clan, but it was ultimately their DOWNFALL."

Before following Ike into the tower proper, we check out the parameters. To the left, after fighting another two Doppelgängers...

...there's a staircase leading up the fortifications, and into a bunch of Skeletons with another Battle Horror between them.

See? Good damage.

To the right, a flight of stairs leading to more Skeletons, this time accompanied by a Doom Guard. It's... also an animated suit of armour, pretty much the same concept as the Battle Horrors. In terms of stats, Doom Guards have weaker offenses than Battle Horrors, but defensively, they do have a few more resistances (namely, they only take half damage from Cold and Fire).

Don't confuse them with Doomguards, though, those are a philosophical faction in Sigil, the City of Doors, the centre of the multiverse, who embrace the heat death of the universe (or universes) as not only inevitable, but as something to celebrate. We'll meet one of those weirdos in BG2.

But all those are really just distractions. Let's get inside.

(I'm holding off on showing the map because you can explore some parts only from inside the tower)

Only Yeslick continues into the main room for now, because of... reasons. Ike will walk around a bit and you have to talk to him repeatedly to continue his tour.

Ike: "Durlag installed magical locks on the entrances to his inner sanctum, requiring ward tokens to pass. No doubt you have ALL been approached by unscrupulous merchants selling 'genuine' tokens to the tower. Ineed, I MYSELF have SEVERAL, but they are mere souvenirs for the mantle. There are but a few AUTHENTIC tokens, and they are rare and EXPENSIVE."

Ike: This chair, once sat in, would deliver an UNHOLY spike to your nether regions. IMAGINE the EXCRUTIATING SURPRISE of the UNWARY! Durlag went to lengths heretofore UNKNOWN to keep out intruders! We'll take a small break before moving on, good people. Please, for your own safety, TOUCH NOTHING! TOUCH NOTHING! and NO REFUNDS!"

Tourist: "Oh my god! What sort of hellish place is this? Francis was roasted like a stuck pig over the fire!"

Ike: "Be VERY careful about this tower, otherwise you'll end up burnt alive like the other unfortunate tourist. I would speak with you a moment, because there's something different about you. I can tell you#re not buying the hyped-up crap I feed to most people. You've got a look in your eyesthat says "I don't believe in danger, I don't know what fear means, and I will go where no sane person ever would!" I think you're just what I need. I have one of the true tokens to the dungeons below, but I am not half the fool I once was. 'Tis yours for a measly 300 gold, on the condition that if you do not succeed, you return it to me."

Yeslick: "Yes, sure, just stop screaming in my ear if you would."

Ike: "'Tis good news for both of us! I'm not sure how far the token allows access, but it should be at least as far as the third floor down. Good luck eh, and remember our deal. You'd best go get stocked up, while I get back to my job. What in the name of the gods is that?!"

Yeslick: "Is what..?"

Yeslick: "By Clangeddin's beard! Everybody get away from that!"

Demon Knight: "DEATH... WELCOMES... YOU!"

Demon Knight: "Hello, mortals. Death welcomes you. Here is now the property of I, and all others will fall or flee. Tour is over and tower is closed! All who enter will perish; all who enter will suffer pain. So speak I, and listen well you will. Tour is over!

The Demon Knight throws a few Fireballs across the main hall, killing whatever might not run for the side chambers in time (although he wouldn't one-shot anyone on our team. ...I think.) and teleports back out.

We're going to leave that thread dangling for a while. Of course, this isn't the last we'll see of the Demon Knight, but since we'll keep explorations above ground level for now, it is the last we'll see of him for now. I'd rather get some more power-ups from Baldur's Gate before tackling what's the most difficult part of the game.

However, the upper floors are relatively tame by comparison. The ground floor is even basically devoid of enemies, traps, or treasure, so up the stairs we go..:

The second floor is already more of a "proper dungeon, with a bunch of hungry Ghasts waiting for some tourists to munch on.

(I really like the little tourist side story, by the way. Of course the scene of a psychological horror story, orchestrated by incredibly powerful squidfaces that will literally eat your brain, will still be subjected to the wonders of CAPITALISM a few years or decades after the dust has settled.)

This floor also introduces the basic priciple of traps in Durlag's Tower:

(1) ALWAYS look for traps.
(2a) If you found a trap, disarm the trap.
(2b) If you didn't find a trap, return to (1), but look harder.

Seriously, most of the tresure chests are trapped, and you'll find floor traps basically everywhere.

Yeslick gets another level-up, this one bringing his Fighter level to 6, which gives him his last remaining proficiency pip. He wastes that one on Sword and Shield Style, too.

(-4 bonus isn't bad, really, but I think most people would say that it's absolutely not worth two pips. I just also think that Yeslick doesn't really need another weapon type to specialise in.)

Before we continue, we need to rest again - we haven't since the rest at Mutamin's Garden and we absolutely need to refresh Imoen's spells...

...because there's an exit leading to the rooftop of the tower and there's some Basilisks up there. On Lesser directly outside the door...

...and three Greater up another flight of stairs.

Also up there: some treasure, naturally protected by a trap.

With the roof, we also have most of the tower's outside explored.

And with the XP from the Basilisks, Coran joins the "Lv.6 Fighter" club. He puts his proficiency point into Single-Weapon Style - like Sword and Shield, this isn't exactly amazing, but there's not a lot of value that Coran can get from putting a single point into any proficiency, so +5% crit and +5% avoid while backstabbing (or fighting an enemy immune to missiles) it is.

Garrick also gains a level, reaching Lv.8 already. He also puts a point into Single-Weapon Style (Rogues get a pip every four levels) and memorises a second Mirror Image spell for now.

Back inside, there's more treasure with, you guessed it, more traps.

Still nothing story-related going on on the second floor, though. The third, however...

Daital: "You are uncharacteristically civil this day, Durlag... and I think you are... taller... than I recall. Time changes us all, I guess, though it has not erased my debt. I will serve here until you wish otherwise, to repay... repay... I barely remember what I owe, but it matters not."
Coran: "You need not have waited so long. Perhaps if you paid through some other means you might rest easy. Have you anything else I may take as payment? Anything... valuable?"
Daital: "It is not gold I owe, but honor! Your clan was a refuge to me, to my family until... you fought them off when I could not strike my... my children changed to doubles... you... you have no need of wealth. We waded through dragon hoards and left with empty pockets, you and I. You have changed much since you... since I... death... death took us both! You are not Durlag! He valued family over all! You are invaders! I will repel you and he will rest easy! I will repay!"

Coran: "Well, that didn't quite work out as I hoped..."

Contingency is a spell that allows a mage to "pre-cast" a spell in order to release it when certain conditions are met: seeing an enemy, or dropping below a certain HP threshold.

A Contingency firing does not count as the mage casting a spell, so Daital can immediately follow up with a normally cast spell. He starts with Shadow Door (which is basically the same as Improved Invisibility, but with a shorter cast time, but also a Lv.5 instead of Lv.4 spell, which is a terrible deal for one of your own mages) before teleporting into the room with the main stairs.

She didn't have a memorised, so Imoen casts Detect Invisibility directly from a scroll to get rid of the defensive bonuses that Imp. Invis provides. She also gets the killing blow soon thereafter.

I believe the first offensive spell that Daital uses is Chaos, an improved version of the Confusion spell with a 4-point penalty to the Saving Throw against it. Because of that, this is another fight that can go south immediately if you're unlucky - but if you manage to interrupt Daital's spell, it can also just go down without a problem.

In one of the rooms to the side, you run into a fellow adventurer:

Riggilo: "Not another step! State yer name and what ye are doing in this place!"
Coran: "My name is not your concern. Do you intend me harm? I should hate to have to kill you having just met."
Riggilo: "Oh, you would? Well, I would hate to have to kill you just for saying that alone. Why don't you try to rattle me further so I've really got a reason to put you out of my misery?"
Coran: "I am here to conquer this place, and I will not be stopped by the likes of you. If you get in my way, it will not end well for you."
Riggilo: "Oh, I'll not get in your way if you don't get in mine. Just don't think me a pushover. Go where ye wish, but I doubt I'll be seeing your face again in a friendly fashion. Leave me."

Talking to Riggilo means walking a thin line: If you're too friendly, he'll be disappointed that you're such a wimp (which has no actual concequences, but the humiliation!!!), but if you're too aggressive, he will attack you.

Apart from Daital and Riggilo, there's just more traps and treasure to find. One is unusual, though: The altar of this little chapel has a Dire Charm trap that is literally impossible to disarm, which is why instead of Imoen, Weeblet with his excellent Saving Throws grabs the loot (a tome) from it. As long as you're only sending a single character into the room, getting charmed isn't much of a problem, anyway, you just have to wait until the effect runs out.

There's that. I'll go over the loot all at once when we're done with this place.

The fourth and last floor brings back the Ghasts we already fought on the second floor. They're positioned in a narrow hallway, which makes hard to backstab them (if it's even possible, I'm actually not sure). It also makes their pathfinding bug out a bit, and they will often try to loop all the way around the map because the direct path to their target is (like on this screenshot) blocked by another Ghast.

There's only one unique character on this floor, but she's a great opportunity for Coran to be a horndog.

Kirinhale: "Excellent, though 'a little while' is not quite what I had in mind. You see, there's a matter of a teeny weeny curse that that mean ol' Durlag put on me. A tiny thing, really, but I need your help. You want to help me, don't you? Hmm? I need someone brave and strong to do something for me. I need you to stay here instead of me. Will you do this? Will you do this for me?"
Coran: "I don't suppose there's any harm in that. How long would I have to wait here?"
Kirinhale: "Oh, a short amount of time... relatively speaking. A mere drop in the bucket compared to the lives of elves or dragons... or gods. I figure I have about another four hundred years to go before the dweomers weaken enough to simply walk out. You're lucky. You'll die of starvation long before then."
Coran: "That's a rather different proposition that you were saying earlier. I think I'll be going now."
Kirinhale: "Such insolence! I tire of placating fools trying to entice them! As if imprisonment is not enough, I must also play games with such as you? Such indignity that I have been trapped here since that fool Durlag disappeared, and now I have to deal with your rejection as well? Durlag may have taken my wings and cursed me to remain here, but I've still a few powers his traps couldn't strip! If I cannot leave, neither will you!"
Coran: "Wait! What if I could get someone else to take your place? What would that be worth to you?"

Kirinhale: "We shall see, mortal. It is within my power to give you delights unearthly. Do not fail me."

Coran: "If you'd excuse me for a second, I think I, er, dropped a gemstone somewhere on the previous floor."
Weeblet: "Sure. I can help you look."
Coran: "No, no, it's fine. I think I know where to look..."

Riggilo: "What are you up to?! Ain't no way you'd give up something like that for no reason! I don't trust you at all!"
Coran: "Don't you get it? I'm trying to buy you off so I don't get a dagger in my backside while I'm resting. Something you would do if given half the chance, right?"
Riggilo: "Wha... what? You're giving me... I guess I was wrong about you. I guess you're a pretty decent person after all. Here, friend, here's a little toy I found myself. Fair trade for an honest person. Riggilo will speak well of your name to anyone who asks."

Coran: "...great, now I feel bad and blueballed. Just not my day..."

Now, I'm almost certainly doing Coran dirty by making him do all this. He's a horndog, but he's also officially "Chaotic Good". It says so on his character sheet.

However, I wanted to show this off because it's one of the few little quests in the game with a convincing evil option. It's still petty, of course, to doom Riggilo in order to save one's one hide (and in order to get some), but it's less Stupid Evil than the "Har har, I found what you were looking for and now I shall taunt you and not give it to you" options that a lot of the other sidequests have as their evil option.

Also, it's one of the few quests where the evil option actually pays better. Kirinhale does drop a unique weapon (a Staff Spear +2, a, well, spear that you can use with the Quarterstaff proficiency, although it's pretty much just worse than the Quarterstaff +3 that you can buy at Ulgoth's), but she's only worth 3000 XP compared to the 4000 XP that we got this way...

Weeblet: "What on Toril are you talking about? Who even are you?!"

...plus the 1400 XP that you get from killing an understandably enraged Riggilo.

Weeblet (Thief lv.7) and Alora (lv.8) both gain a level-up from Coran's Horny Adventures. Weeblet actually branches into Finding Traps, with an eye on what's beyond BG1.

Alora keeps investing into stealth, with her weapon pip (Thieves get one every 4 levels) going into Quarterstaves - she's been using Aule's Staff to backwhack already, so this is an obvious pick.

Next stop: Firewine Bridge, which we left partially unexplored when we first visited it and later Gullykin.

If you recall, we entered the ruins beneath Firewine from a hidden entrance in Gullykin and killed an Ogre Mage who was leading bands of Kobolds into the village, but then didn't push deeper into the dungeon. This time, we enter from the opposite site.

The main features of the Firewine Ruins are Kobold Commandos...

...and traps. Lots of traps.

But Imoen has her ways to get past both.

Behind one corner, an Undead Knight approaches with an unusual request which involves him attacking the party. He's not terribly difficult to beat and when he goes down...

...he does drop his armour.

Weeblet: "Wait, where--"
Alora: "The cellar beneath Gullykin's temple. I always wanted to explore the ruins from here out, but auntie wouldn't let me. Said I should learn a proper trade. Am I glad that I'm traveling with YOU instead!"

As the last point of interest, you find six Ghost Knights just standing about. They take the Ancient Armour and leave behind 1500 XP.

Now, this little fetch quest isn't quite as random as it may appear. There was this bard in the middle of the bridge above us telling us about these knights:

Spoiler

I've a tale, a tale to tell
of knights so bold and dungeon hell and slumber broke upon the shore
of nightmare's reet when dawn no more.

A story true of courage lack,
and footing lost on virtue's track and trailing far but near to fear
a vengeance scream through night to ear.

The swordsmen came by two and four
to take their fight to evil's core with confidence in might and right
went bravely forward spreading light.

But light alone canst clear the path
when suffers all a hellish wrath from deep below whence fires came,
still none above dare speak the name.

Together fought, together fell
till good had won, though stories tell the cursed tale of treachery
when evil stole the victory.

Heroes bold betrayed behind
from friend made foe with gold in mind to take and plunder riches won.
'Twas evil new, though old undone.

In glory slept the hero knights
but knife to throat did snuff the lights behind their eyes, a simple deed.
'Twas honor dead as killed by greed.

Strong enough to break a vow,
alone with gold he struggled now to leave his dungeon deed and hide.
Alne he fell, alone he died.

Widows weep and orphans cry
and bards oft sing as maidens sigh for want of heroes lost below
that haunt in sleep with ghostly glow.

On guard the guard eternal stand
though neither see nor sense the land before their eyes beyond their age
they wait with unbelieving rage.

When one for all turns all for one
the injured souls take solace none in death's release so stand they will,
'til honor's need someone dost fill.

Together enter, together fall.
'Tis as the vow agreed by all and all must stand and wait in time
for one that ran to face the crime.

And there we go. Evidently, I misremembered the part about the quest with the Ghost Knights being more convenient to do from the Bridge entrance. It doesn't make much of a difference either way.

Above ground, there's also one encounter left that I deemed too difficult when we were passing this area with only Weeblet, Imoen, Branwen, and Neera. Once somebody visible steps into the Mage Carsa's vision, she'll initiate dialogue:

Carsa: "He... it's in my head. It won't be quiet, just keeps on whispering, and whispering. You see this jar. Do you SEE it?!"
Yeslick: "We see the jar, lady. Now just calm down and tell us what's happening."
Carsa: "My companions and I... we explored the Firewine ruinis... and we found... we found, this jar. It... it drove them all mad. They hacked and they cut, and... the blood, so much blood. They're all dead now, and only I'm left. The voice... it tells me to say the name. If I say the name, it promises great rewards. But... I won't... I won't."
Yeslick: "Give us the jar, we'll know what to do with it."
Carsa: "NO! Carsa will not give you the jar. The jar is Carsa's and hers alone. Get away! Get away or Carsa will say the name, and we will all die."
Yeslick: "Give us the jar, Carsa. Give it to us now!"
Carsa: "You not take the jar from Carsa. It's mine. MINE! Stay away, or I say the name. Stay away."
Yeslick: "We're taking the jar from you, whether you like it or not."

Kahrk: "Mwahahahahahaa!"

Kahrk: "I am free... at last. Mortals, before you die, know that you have pleased KAHRK, mightiest of the ogre magi. Your deaths shall feed my power, for now I am weak."

The Minor Globe of Invulnerability that Kahrk starts with is why I didn't want to do this encounter earlier. It blocks any spell up to Lv.3 from doing any harm to him.

However, we have since found the countermeasure: Spell Thrust, which we found in the Bandit Camp. A small preview of the "mage tennis" game that often takes place in BG2.

And without his protection, the fight is a lot easier than I remember. Huh. I did prebuff (Haste, Strength of One, Draw Upon Holy Might on Yeslick), but Kahrk is an encounter that I specifically remember as a tough one.

If he gets the time, he'll throw out two Lightning Bolt spells (you might notice that Yeslick, Weeblet, and the Skeleton are spread out, and positioned so that none of them are standing between Kahrk and the ranged fighters), three Acid Arrows, and five Magic Missiles (or rather twenty-five, since he summons five missiles per cast). If he gets to cast all that, somebody will die.

And with that... we've pretty much done everything you can do before reaching Baldur's Gate, except for the lower levels of Durlag's Tower.

So... time to see what we got from the upper levels of Durlag's!

First, up on the roof between the Basilisks: Rashad's second Talon, which is worth an extra point of Thac0 and damage (and a better damage type) for Weeblet's off-hand. (Note: The stats are still with the Strength of One buff)

This used to be the only copy of this weapon before the Enhanced Edition, actually, which added the first one we found back in Cloakwood. Not sure why the devolopers decided to add a second copy of a weapon whose description doesn't really suggest that there's more than one of it.

Next, the third stat boosting tome, after Charisma and Constitution. Realistically, Weeblet gets literally zero use out of this, so the correct play would be to give this to Yeslick, who would get an additional Lv.3 spell slot out of the extra point of Wisdom.

However, only Weeblet's stats transfer to BG2, and Big Numbers Good, so he uses it to uselessly increase his Wisdom from an awful 6 to a terrible 7.

Garrick: "This was in, what's-his-name's bag, the guy who attacked you in the tower. I wonder where he would have found this. I don't think anything from the Abyss took part in Durlag's demise, right, Yeslick?"
Yeslick: "Aye, it was all Illithids and Doppelgängers, as far as I know."
Coran: "Yeah, that's... strange."

Kirinhale's hair doesn't have any special properties anymore, but it can be sold for a decent 250 gold to Thalantyr.

And that's it, more or less. There's some +1 equipment and some mage robes, but nothing that we'd be inclined to use over what we already have equipped.

Before heading to Baldur's Gate, we make a bit of a detour to Nashkel first, to hear Volo sing our praises...

Garrick: "Oh my god, you really do know Volo, Master Volo, sir, I'm a huge fan, would you please sign this book, it's my favourite book you've written, maybe the second favourite but I left Volo's Guide to Waterdeep at my parent's place..."

...but mostly to drop the eight Winter Wolf pelts that we got while following Shandalar's, er, polite request.

I also notice that I have been forgetting to turn in this little side quest for a long time. The other three open quests we won't do (A Rogue Ogre would involve giving away a nice magic belt, Kagain isn't on our team, and Zhurlong's Missing Boots have been very useful to our thieves)...

...but to turn in Bjornin's quest, we don't need to give him the awesome magic sword the Half-Ogres stole from him or anything like that. Just talk to him to get a Medium Shield +1, 400 XP, and another useless point of Reputation.

Finally, we swing by Thalantyr to for some more selling...

...and to buy a handful of spells for Imoen. Minor Spell Deflection is a decent anti-magic spell, although maybe more powerful on a Fighter/Mage who is more likely to be at the front of things and therefore be targeted by enemy spellcasters. Unfortunately, enemy mages do love their AoE spells, but MSD can still counter classics like Magic Missile or Melf's Acid Arrow.

For some reason, the Mage versions of these spells have a far longer duration than the Cleric/Druid versions - almost ten times as long, and I'm not exaggerating. With the Gift of Piece helmet (20% elemental resistances), the Ring of Fire Resistance (40%) and the Protection From Fire spell, you can make a character completely immune to fire damage, which fully enables the "Throw Fireballs and Scorchers at your tank" strategy against large groups of enemies.

I believe Neera already knew this one..? Pretty sure we haven't used it yet, though. Skull Trap mostly works as a Fireball spell with a different, more rarely resisted damage type. As the previous entry might suggest, that's a bit of a mixed blessing.

But that's all the housekeeping for now. Next destination: Baldur's Gate!

 

 

 

[ping]

Update 17: To the Gate

Spoiler

Here we are at Wyrm's Crossing - this drawbridge is what hinders you from entering the Gate before finishing Cloakwood. Now, once we pass it, we're approached by a Flaming Fist:

FF Mercenary: "You'll have to wait here, my commander wishes to have a word with you."

Scar: "I am a man of my word!"

Scar: "Well, I have to say you've made quite the commotion up here in Baldur's Gate. I can't really put myfinger on a single source, but there have been many strange happenings going on within the city. It's been getting harder and harder for me to put trust in someone. I need outsiders to do some investigations, people with no connections to anyone within the city. Would you be interested in working with me in such a capacity?"
Weeblet: "Yes, we're interested."
Scar: "All right then. What I'm about to tell you must be held in the strictest confidence. Do you understand? I need you to begin an investigation of the Seven Suns trading coster. The Seven Suns leadership has been acting strangely of late. They've been selling off valuable assets and neglecting many of their more profitable trading ventures. Considering the importance that the trading coster holds over the economy of the city, the Grand Dukes are noticeably upset. I've gone to talk to the coster's head, Jhasso. He rudely rebuffed me, telling me to mind my own business. I've known Jhasso for many years, and this isn't his usual behavior. I can't start up an official investigation, as there is no real reason for doing so. That's why I need you."
Weeblet: "We're ready to go for it, but there's something you need to know first: We think that the Iron Throne may be behind recent events along the coast. At the mines in Nashkel and Cloakwood, we've learned much about the goals and methods of the Iron Throne, and it doesn't bode well for the future of this region."
Scar: "Well, that sheds new light on things. There's nothing I can really do about it now, but I'll make sure to look into it.
"I want you to break into the Seven Suns compound and find out what's wrong. Use stealth in your investigations. I don't want this operation to cause too much fuss. The most important person to watch for is Jhasso. Once you've found out as much as possible, report back to me at the Flaming Fist compound. I'll pay you 2,000 gold for this favor.
Scar: "The estate is located on the southwest side of town. I wish all of you the best of luck. Remember, once you're done at the Seven Sun's estate, it's imperative that you meet me at the Flaming Fist barracks, which are just west of the Seven Suns."

(We found those letters on the overseer of Cloakwood Mine, back in Update 13)

Imoen: "I thought I've heard the name 'Seven Suns' before! I say we still take a look at the compound first, but we should show this to Scar when we report to him."

Which won't be in this episode. Baldur's Gate is pretty big with a fair number of quests, and we're probably going to run through all the other parts of the city before we take a look at Scar's request.

The city map is divided into nine quadrants that you actually have to unlock just like every other area map: For example, unluck the central map by reaching the western edge of the eastern map.

Elminster: "Oh, all citizens of Sword Cost eventually pass through Baldur's Gate, and I knew you thou wouldst as well. Forgive my continued meddling but I believe it is warranted, especially considering the pressures thou art no doubt confronting. My pestering of thee certainly pales in comparison to the influenc thou hast felt from others, including thine own self. Gorion raised thee as best he could, but 'tis hard indeed to overcome what is bred in the bone. Much more so in this case, I would imagine."
Weeblet: "What do you know of Gorion?"
Elminster: "He was long my friend and we talked often, though less after he settled down with thee. He was quite the traveler in his day, though he never regretted his new role as foster father. He felt a stable childhood would better prepare thee for, well, the problems that would eventually come. He cared deeply for thee. I hope this was not lost on you."
Weeblet: "He was a good man, though I would prefer to walk my own path."
Elminster: "I was not suggesting that thou should do otherwise. Whatever the motives, independence is always a wise course to follow. My worry is that thy lineage is harder to escape than most. Thou hast bad blood in thee, though Gorion did what he could to teach thee well and true. Thou hast hungry blood within thee as well, and it will not let thee go without a fight. For better or worse, what's bred in the bone will be dealt with in time. I trust thou hast the will to face what is within thee?"
Weeblet: "I know little of what is to come, but I will do what is best. Maybe it would be helpful if you actually told me what you mean instead of suggesting... something."
Elminster: "I am sure the future will be kind to thee. For now I will give thee my best wishes, and a few names that will serve thee well. Scar of the Flaming Fist is a good man, and well worth trusting. His superior, Duke Eltan, is also a good sort. Both are to be believed when they speak. I take my leave, and wish thee well."

Imoen: "I'm surprised you didn't start gushing over the old wizard, Garrick."
Garrick: "Huh... wha-- Oh. Sorry. Still processing how we're apparently able to just have little chat with Elminster."
Imoen: "Well, only when he wants to have one. He didn't really leave us a mail address."
Weeblet: "That's nice and all, but can I be just a little concerned about *what* Elminster was chatting about? Hungry blood? What's bred in the bone?"
Imoen: "Yeah, you're right. It's strange, he seems to want you to know that *something* is wrong, but now *what* that something may be..."
Alora: "Then we shouldn't think too much about it, right? Elminster is, like, really really smart, so if he thinks it's better if we don't understand everything, he's probably right. So let's just do our best and try to keep a smile on our faces. And *yawn* maybe find an inn. The Elfsong Tavern is really close. I need a nap..."

Alora has the right idea, but we still make a little loop around the map first. I'm not going to show off most of the shops in the city, but some of them are interesting in some way, including Lucky Aello...

...who I belive is the only store in the city that sells unidentified items. They're all cursed, naturally, and all his potions are spoiled. The one exception are the Potions of Perception, which are completely genuine.

The two highlights from his selection (not shown because I don't have the Identify spells ready to do so) are a cursed Quarterstaff that will cast Barkskin (i.e. a buff) on whatever you whack with it, and a Two-Handed Sword named the Gold Digger, which will burn 10 gold every time it hits an enemy. That second one is actually not terrible because it also has a big +4 damage bonus compared to a non-magical Zweihänder, and 10 gold per swing is fairly affordable at this stage of the game. Unfortunately, it's also the only magical weapon in the game that has a chance to break...

Between three large buildings, there's a named NPC who has a bit of money to give away:

Niklos: "Aye, you're a fine group o' mercenaries are you? Leastwise that's the word on the street, that you do the odd job here 'n there? I've a boss who'd like to have a word wit' you if you can spare the time. He don't ask fer free though, and here be 50 gold just to hear him out."
Weeblet: "50 gold just to listen? A fair deal, lead on."
Niklos: "A wise choice o' action. Now just follow me, an' I'll show ya the way ta the guild. If ye're asked the password, it's 'Fafhrd.' Wen ye're in the guild, just look fer the man named Alato 'Ravenscar' Thuibuld.

Coran: "Ravenscar, eh? There would be a certain irony in working both for him and the Fist at the same time. A dangerous irony, maybe, so I'm all for it."
Alora: "Did you work with the guild before, Coran?"
Coran: "Not really work with, no. More like, 'pay the fee they demand so they won't break my kneecaps'. What about you?"
Alora: "Oh, I'm much too sweet to have my anything broken."

We'll check out the Thieves' Guild after we rest. There's a timer once you take Ravenscar's quest, a very generous one at that, but there's no need to take off eight hours of it. For now, we check out Sorcerous Sundries, the magical shop of the city. There's also a small quest to be found:

Seems easy enough.

Halbazzer Drin: "And who might you be then? Hmmph? Come to check out the wares of ol' Halbazzer? Well, be quick about it! And mind you don't get fidgety when we talk payment. You knew when you came in the door that my wares were magical, premium items demand a premium price.
Weeblet: "Let's see what you have, then."

Halbazzer does indeed have a huge selection of magical everything - equipment, ammunition, spell scrolls... A few highlights, although we don't have the funds to really splurge just yet:

Another method to throw fireballs at your enemies! Quite expensive (201 gold per arrow, and Halbazzer only has 60 of them for sale), but it adds to the fun of having a fire-immune tank.

More specialised, but very powerful in appropriate situations. As long as a target can be hit by these arrows, these *will* dispel any magic effects on it - positive or negative, so these can also be used to cure a party member from a crowd control spell. You still have to hit, though, so curing Yeslick with his excellent AC against missile attacks this way isn't an easy task.

Melf's is a pretty good way for a magic user to deal good ranged damage, including against enemies that are immune to direct spells. The meteors will never expire until used, so this spell can easily be used as a pre-buff for a difficult fight, and 5x 7-10 damage in a single round is actually very good.

The meteors do require a To Hit roll like a regular ranged weapon (with the Thac0 being uneffected by any proficiencies), which makes them better in the hands of Fighter/Mages and Bards with their better Thac0 progression. Bards in particular also benefit from their faster leveling speed (not super significant in BG1, but still). So basically, Garrick gets to learn this spell over Imoen, although he's probably going to wait for a second Lv.3 spell slot until he will memorise it.

Confusion and Chaos are among the best crowd control spells in the game once enemies become too high-leveled for the ol' reliable Sleep spell to work. I don't think the "move away from caster" or "retaliate against attackers" parts of the description are actually implemented in the game - I might be wrong about that, but I always found the behavior of a confused character to be entirely random.

Secret Word is the upgrade to Spell Thrust, which Imoen used against Kahrk the Ogre Mage in the previous update, and it's able to dispel higher-level protection spells. Not important in BG1, I think.

The AC you get from Spirit Armor is only one point better than from the Lv. 3 spell Ghost Armor, but this is still a fairly big upgrade to that spell despite the damage its target will take (if they fail a ST, that is). First, the bonus to Save vs. Spell is very nice, especially if you stack it with other sources. And second, Spirit Armor can be used on another character, making it a must-have if you have a Monk or Kensai (who both can't wear armour) on your team.

...double-headed? I don't see it. Anyway, this is another purchase with the Siege of Dragonspear expansion in mind, since nobody on our current team uses flails.

Finally, we can also get a Bag of Holding, thanks to another mod pack component, which is very welcome.

It's especially welcome because Weeblet is not going to get rid of any Katana that he has found (nor of his Wakizashi +1), but the simplification of inventory management would have been much appreciated even without that little additional restriction.

Halbazzer's shop has stairs to the second floor in the back and there might be somebody up there. Just a hunch.

Niemain: "Thank you for that wonderful display of simian logic. Now scram."
Weeblet: "For your information, a number of important sociologial and psychological theorists have posited that stores exist in an intermediate space, neither private nor public in nature but combining elements of both. Displays in store windows, for instance, can best be viewed as mental constructs projected onto the public consciousness as a means of engendering mass conformity derived solely from the supposedly private domain of consumer choice."
Niemain: "Ack! It's enough to drive one mad... Make it stop, make it stop!"

There's a total of four mages aggravated by Weeblet's show of interlect...

...were. There were four mages.

These were a group of Zhentarim, which you learn if you have Xzar and/or Montaron (the Mage and Fighter/Thief that you can recruit right after you leave Candlekeep) in your party.

Of course, it's a bit rude to disturb their ritual even if they're part of an evil crime syndicate, but unfortunately for them, they drop a very rare spell scroll (with the wiki even listing this as the only opportunity to get it). The spiders aren't the most powerful summons in the world, but they synergise very well with the Web spell that they're immune against.

Less helpful, but kinda funny is the cursed ring that Niemain has equipped.

Now, time to actually have a rest. The tavern of choice is the Elfsong, where we're approached by a patron:

Cauternus: "The roads be lined with bandits of every ilk and description but the most fearsome be them monstrous hobgoblins! Do us all a favor and place a blade into their gut!"

Just some fluff. More important is another guy:

Brevlik: "Ah yes, well, um, you... you, ah... Oh, how do I approach this? You are, ah, for hire? I mean, ah... I need a... job done. Get my intent? A... JOB done. Strictly hush hush, I believe you would say."
Weeblet: "Am I to understand that you intend me to do something I would not be proud to speak of?"
Brevlik: "All I want is the acquisition of an item currently in the possession of someone else. It's not as though it's stealing. Well, actually it's a lot like stealing. Okay, it's stealing, but it's only the one item, and I don't want anybody hurt."
Weeblet: "Illegal, eh? What's in it for me to take such a risk?"
Brevlik: "Straight to the point and as serious as the subject demands. Certainly you are the cream of the larcenous crop. For retrieving but one object, I will give you 500 gold. No killing, and only the one item is to be taken. Dashing banditry just like in the songs of bards!"
Weeblet: "You can stop trying to sell me, I'm interested. Just tell me what the actual job is, and why you are willing to take such a risk."

(Gnomes sure can be wordy...)

Brevlik: "It's a risky venture, I'll grant you that. Perhaps I can sweeten the prospect a little. I will add a magical item from my personal collection. It will be difficult to part with one of my tresures, but definitely worth it."
Weeblet: "It is certainly a difficult task you've set before me, you windy little man, but I will accept the challenge."
Brevlik: "Wonderful! Oh, this is SO bad of me! Ahem. Well, I shall leave you to your preparations. It will certainly be a test of your mettle entering the Hall. I imagine an experienced roustabout such as yourself will "case the joint" thoroughly, eh? Get the guards' schedule down and all that? Oh, if only I could be a part of it. It's thrilling, like the songs of legend. I'll meet you back here once the burglary is announced. Hee hee, it's too much fun."

Taking our well-deserved 8-hour rest brings us to the wee hours - a bit awkwardly so, because we won't have time to... visit the Hall of Wonders before sunrise. There's some stuff to do before we visit that area of the city.

Silence: "Be ye friend or be ye dead?"

One store worth pointing out is the Shop of Silence...

...mostly because she sells Potions of Master Thievery, in addition to some mundane and +1-enchanted equipment. A thief at the Nashkel carnival dropped one of these, but I believe you can only get the one before you reach Baldur's Gate. Although, to be honest, with Alora already being very good at the two things these potions boost, these aren't actually all that important in this playthrough.

In a locked house near the southern edge of the map (and yes, we'll be breaking and entering a lot, and no, most people don't mind) (although the folks that do mind can be very insistent), we find Arkion, one of the necromancers that Ordulinian in Sorcerous Sundries told us about.

Alora immediately yoinks his Bloodstone Amulet as Ordulinian asked us to do, but Arkion also has a little, not-at-all suspcious quest for us.

Which he won't give if the guy talking to him is *too* likeable. If your reputation is very good, you need somebody in your party with bad to mediocre charisma to get him to trust you:

Arkion: "I've got a dirty deed fer ya. How 'bout you go down into the sewers and bring me up a body. Now, I don't ask questons 'bout how you com 'bout them and I don't want any questions 'bout what I use 'em fer. Bring 'em to me when ya find 'em."

Not suspcious at all. Our last stop in this part of the city is the Thieves Guild. It has multiple entrances...

...all of which are guarded by a single rogue.

Rogue: "Well, if you know the password, then spill it."
Weeblet: "Fafhrd."
Rogue: "That's right, pal. Ya all can go in now."

Taking the rightmost entrance will lead you directly to another shop:

Black Lily: "What well ye need today? Remember, cash or hit the bricks. I extend no credit, especially to new recruits."

Lily actually sells her wares more expensively than other shops and her one unique item is pretty underwhelming (it's a sidegrade to Slings +1, which have been available since Beregost), so she's not a very interesting merchant...

...but the barrel behind her contains a very interesting item and nobody has any problem with us grabbing it.

Obviously, protagonist priviledge demands that Weeblet grabs that +1 Dex for himself. Going from 19 to 20 has no impact on either AC or (ranged) Thac0, but it does provide some extra points in almost all thief skills.

Before we can reach Ravenscar, we are approached by another thief:

Narlen Darkwalk: "Swiped the Duchess's knickers once, if ya know what I mean..."

(I'm not good with accents, so I can't really make out his second voice line... I think it's along the lines of "So I said daggers drawn with him, and he drops a swag and runs!")

Narlen: "We'll spy yer talent soon enough. Ye but need to keep an eye this first night. I and Rededge will command the taking. The mark be a noble house, aside the Splurging Sturgeon. Gold to split thrist amongst, followed soon by new mark if ye please. Up to the deed?"
Alora: "A better way to drop the night I'll not think in this life, me fellows! Where do we link afore the deed?"
Narlen: "There's the larcenous fire burnin'! We meet at dusk astride the Sturgeon, and bring only yerself in darks. Yer group will naught but get the watch nervous."

Narlen will only talk to a Thief, but that shouldn't be a problem at this stage of the game. Dual- or multi-class is fine, too, he just happened to spot Alora first. Again, we'll have to wait until next sundown to meet up with him, since it's about to dawn now.

In the next room, we find Ravenscar and some other guy.

Ravenscar: "Welcome, my little friends!"

Weeblet: "Did you send after us so that you can make Halfling jokes? We're a little busy to be humouring..."

Ravenscar: "Please relax, and keep your weapons at your sides. No need for hostility. I simply must apologize for the manner of my thieves. I suppose a thieves' guild must keep a measure of malice about it, but it does tend to put a cloud over introductions. I am Alatos Thuibuld, though I thank you not to mention that too often. You are Weeblet, of course. Be not surprised, there are very few people in Baldur's Gate I cannot name. You have been here for only a few days, and have already made quite a stir."
Weeblet: "Your interest in me is flattering, though I question your intent. Also, we arrived like ten hours ago."
Ravenscar: "Oh, I don't intent to flatter, merely to assure you that you have been watched since you entered the city. As for my intent, I do have a proposition for your group to consider. A small task really, best suited to someone unknown here."
Weeblet: "I am quite sure that the membership of a thieves' guild would include several people capable of whatever you ask. Danger of being recongnized seems a minor concern if one is able to not be seen at all. Why do you need me?"
Ravenscar: "Shrewd, very shrewd. I do indeed have many fine individuals of exceptional skill, but a large number of them are vacationing at the garrison this season. The guard have been exceptionally vigilant, what with the banditry on the roads, and to their credit they have captured several of my best people. I am sure that in the history of guilds, we are the first to experience a shortage of thieves."
Weeblet: "What exactly is it you would have me do? And what would be my reward for this service? How well can you afford to pay?"

Imoen: "Aw, but 'skyship' sounds incredible..."
Weeblet: "Maybe, but so does the chance to get back at that Shandalar guy."

Ravenscar: "As it should be! Now that you have agreed, the facilities of the guild are at your disposal. Feel free to make use of them, and make your presence known to the other members. You have my permission, so they will be less likely to kill you on sight. As for your mission, you have a tenday to complete it. Informants have told me that the Duchess intends to take possession of the components that tenth day, and the exchange will be hosted by Oberan at his estate. As I see it, you have several options. Directly 'persuade' any of the involved parties to hand over the items, or burgle them out from under their noses. Good luck."

Sounds good...

...especially with the mage standing besides Ravenscar offering these words of encouragement. It's nice to be among friends.

Next, we're going to the northeast segment of the map, where we're immediately approached by two gentlemen:

Marek: "Could we have a moment of your time?"

Weeblet: "What is it?"

Weeblet: "What is up with people picking a fight alone or in a pair? You'd think that they would learn at some point."
Imoen: "Honestly, I won't mind if they don't."

This area is the first example of the difficulty navigating Baldur's Gate. If you enter from the south, you arrive in a small district cut off of the main area by an inner city wall. We'll have to get past that inner wall in another part of the town before we can explore the rest of this map.

We can, however, check out the Counting House to advance one of the quests from Ulgoth's Beard. The shop doesn't hold anything much of interest.

Ulf: "As you will, but I urge you to conduct your business swiftly as I have little patience for your tone."

Fun fact: If you enter the building without having spoken to Mendas in Ulgoth's Beard before, you'll be greeted by another guard, who will always attack you (fair enough, you *are* breaking and entering) together with his teleporting Blink Dogs. Which are a thing in the Forgotten Realms, apparently - a Lawful Good type of Fey, intelligent and with their own language.

Upstairs, we find who we need for the quest:

Captain Tollar Kieres: "The cabin boy, the cabin boy, that dirty little nipper... Ahh, the sea, she calls me."

Tollar: "Aye, ye be wit' the League, then... A jug o' this town's hardest liquor would make for a fine departure, if ye'd be so kind. Old De'Tranion brews a vile swill at'll do the trick. Ye can find the old coot at the Blushing Mermaid."

The third dialogue option gives away that Tollar has the sea charts that Mendas wants. I'm pretty sure that Alora could just pickpocket them right here and now, but let's play along with this little quest...

Next stop: Southeast Baldur's Gate, where we can rob the second necromancer of her jewelry. I didn't talk to Nemphre because she would ask to bring her her rival's Bloodstone Amulet, which obviously doesn't go together with the original quest. Well, I think if you murder Nemphre, she'll then drop the amulet, but that would rather go against the spirit of the quest and I don't think you can just pickpocket the amulet back from her.

Nemphre also has Cloak of Protection +1 in a shelf next door, which you can grab without her noticing. Speaking of stealing shit, in another house...

Taxek: "Double standards, huh? You can break into the house, but we thieves can't! Well, I don't think that's the way it's gonna be. Let's have at 'em, Michael."

...yeah, to be perfectly honest, it's a bit illogical to go murderhobo here, not with us trying to make nice with the guild at the same time. I guess I autopiloted a bit, picking the option that gives the most XP and loot, since this little encounter doesn't actually interact with your relationship with the thieves' guild at all.

Well, too late now. The most interesting loot from these two thieves are the Bolts of Lightning - they deal 10 point of electrical damage on average, which is pretty darn strong despite the Saving Throw that the target is allowed to do.

In the northwest corner of the map is the Blade and Stars inn - not that we need to rest this soon again, but there's a few... interesting characters to be found here.

G'axir the Seer: "You... are a light entering darkness. You... are a seeker of truths. You... are more than you realize. The Seer has spoken it because the Seer knows the fear you harbor, the fear you shall yet become. In the lair of the basilisk, you will find a sphene gem... You would do well to bring it to me."

Weeblet: "I believe we do have a sphene gem somewhere in this bag... There! I can't remember if we found it on that crazy gnome or one of his 'pets'."

G'axir the Seer: "The sphene gem! Indeed, then... you are more than you appear. Someday, you must journey further through the muck and mire of this place for it will tell you as much of more than all of Candlekeep... Like yourself, this city is more than it appears. There are cities below cities, dreams beneath dreams, the past laying buried beneath the crushing weight of the present... Go now, wanderer, for the time will come when you must walk though the darkness to find the light."

With the power of foreknowledge, G'axir's ramblings are... well, still very vague, of course, but not entirely nonsensical. The sphene gem business refers to another little quest that we may or may not get to later this update, but he'll accept any sphene gem and I have a hard time resisting the urge to get sidequests out of the way quickly.

Elkart seems to be just a random jerk, but he's actually part of a companion quest that we won't be able to do. Had we recruited Eldoth, the slimy bard way back before we even reached Beregost, he would have left us quickly because evil companions can't abide with people with high reputation.

But had we recruited Eldoth, kept our reputation below 18, and then used him to recruit Skie, daughter of Duke Silvershield, Eldoth would then blackmail the duke, and Elkart would be the one you'd talk to to get the money: 1000 gold per day, up to 8 times.

Shaella: "It is Shaella, Most High Middling Priestess of the Mistshadow, who is here before you, speaking through the mists of Leira."
Weeblet: "Leira? Who's that?"
Shaella: "Leira, Lady of Mists, Mother of All Illusion, the Guardian of Deception, the Mistshadow. Some say she died in the Times of Troubles, killed by Cyric, betrayed by Mask. Some say she loved Mask and loves him still. Some say gods can die. Some say gods can be born. Some say gods can live. Some say gods are an illusion we crate for our own contentment. Some say gods are an illusion we create to disguise our fear of living, our fear of dying, our fear of being. If gods are a disguise, if gods are an illusion, then perhaps Leira is the only beacon of truth in our entire pantheon of lies. But if gods are real and true and all-knowing, then Leira cannot be a god and must be dead if indeed she ever lived at all."
Weeblet: "But how can you worship what you cannot know?"
Shaella: "More or less precisely my point."
Weeblet: "But I don't understand."
Shaella: "Ah, then you are truly one of us, you are truly with Shaella in the Mists of Leira. May Shaella grace you with a quest from the lady?"
Weeblet: "I'm not sure."
Shaella: "Ah, indeed. You walk well with Shaella in the mists of Leira. Forgotten deep in the library of Candlekeep lies the Great Book of the Unknowing. Bound with the chameleon's hide, it too walks in the mists of Leira, changing always, as does Shaella. Ask no one there of it for all who have touched it are blessed with the ignorance it grants. But you can always find it somewhere in the inner rooms, wreathed in the mists of Leira. Go for it, make your pilgramage, and you too may be blessed with unknowing."
Weeblet: "Thank you, Shaella, for this gift of the Unknowing. Perhaps, as you suggest, I shall seek it out and, in finding it, shall lose it for all time. Walk well in the mists of Leira."
Shaella: "Walk well in the mists of Leira."

I'm almost certain, as unfitting as that sentiment may be, that this quest goes nowhere.

Upstairs, we find the unfortunately named Maple Willow Aspen:

Maple Willow Aspen: "Um... perhaps you should... relax a little? G'bye."

If you pick the third option there, it's Maple who explodes...

...albeit a bit more literal than Weeblet.

Maple Willow Aspen: "Eeep."

Finally, on the third floor:

Reginald "Longtooth" Worthington III: "Adventuring! A fine and glorious pastime that passes time like no other! To seek the highs and lows of the depths and heights, to follow in the footsteps leading down paths never trod upon, to plumb the furthest reaches of oneself while exploring the very world just outside your door. Such a life is a grand one indeed, though simple in its complexity!"
Weeblet: "A stunning display. You talked for hours and yet said absolutely nothing."
Reginald "Longtooth" Worthington III: "Well, I suppose on some levels what I said could be constructed as... as nothing."
Weeblet: "You have absolutely no valuable information at all, do you?"
Reginald "Longtooth" Worthington III: "If indeed you are asking whether my discourse has validity derived from dispensing useful tidbits of otherwise stratagem and statistics... then... ahh... no."
Weeblet: "I thought not."
Reginald "Longtooth" Worthington III: "All righty then."
Weeblet: "Yep."
Reginald "Longtooth" Worthington III: "I'll be off then."
Weeblet: "Indeed."
Reginald "Longtooth" Worthington III: "Righty O."

I tend to skip these silly, inconsequencial dialogues after seeing them once, but I do like that they're there. It adds to the charm of the game that you can go anywere and find... something, even if it's just Reginal "Longtooth" Worthington III.

For now, there's only one more spot to check out in this part of the town:

A grumpy dwarf in a warehouse with a quest that's technically dangerous, but very easy in actuality. After this, we move along to the central segment of the map.

This is where you pass the inner city wall, which blocked us from exploring most of northeastern map before. On this map, there's a couple buildings on the south side of the wall that a more diligent rogue could plunder for some decent items, but no sidequests or suchlike.

Lady Hannah: "Ragefast! Oh, he makes me seethe! He's a mage on a power trip and what does he do? He acquires his own personal nymph and enslaves her in his quarters! Men are callous brutes and, personally, I wish the world were rid of them."
Weeblet: "If the world were rid of men, how would we survive as a species?"
Lady Hannah: "Trust me, we'd make do... Oh, I'm in no mood to talk."

Lady Hannah, who will approach the party near the western edge of the map, also doesn't give us any quests, but she foreshadows one that we'll run into at a later point.

To her north is a house with a bunch of Rabid Chickens.

 

...that's it. That's all there is to it.

Our first destination that actually matters is Oberon's Estate near the northeast corner of the map, which is where Ravenscar sent us to acquire the parts from Shandalar's airship.

Here, Alora is going to perform a great, pointless heist. In order to do it "properly", she has to unequip all her weapons (arrows don't count) before talking to Oberon's housekeeper inside:

Glanmarie: "The position? Ah, yes, we are indeed looking for a servant to help clean. It is ever so large an estate, and she does tend to get away on you if you're not careful. Have you any experience in such an expansive building?"
Alora: "Not as such, but I ask only that I be given the chance to prove myself."
Glanmarie: "Well, I would have wished for someone with a touch more credentials, but I am run right ragged without help. You're hired, but watch your step. We've important guests at the moment, so you had best stay in the background. Clean the rooms in the east wing, and leave the west for me."

Upstairs, you can also talk to Oberan himself:

Both he and Glanmarie will be suspicious if you talk to them with a weapon equipped, although I don't remember if both of them will summon the guards if you try it. However - and this is the pointless part of this great heist - neither Oberan nor Glanmarie will initiate dialogue on their own, so you can just have your entire group walk in swords in hand and... walk past them.

However, this is different for Delorna, Helshara, and Ithmeera, Shandalar's daughters tasked with guarding the components. They will talk to a character that isn't stealthed or invisible, and that dialogue will invariably end in all three of them turning hostile. They won't believe that you're just some servant(s), they won't be intimidated if you try to threaten them, and they will be insulted if you try to bribe them.

They're not very good at the whole "guarding" thing, though, with the cupboard containing what we came for being out of all their sights. Fetch quest: Done!, although we're going to wait a little before we turn it in for the sake of content.

In a house to the east of the map, there's a bring quest for a change. The amulet that Nadine wants delivered is actually an Amulet of Protection +1, so a less benevolent party might not try too hard to find Euric.

Finally, there's a little carnival on this map, where we can also pick up the plot threat again:

Lothander: "My partner, Marek, has poisoned you. While you slept, he slipped a slow-acting magical poison into your rations. You have about ten days to live. Common priest spells won't help you. Only on thing can, and that's the antidote. I can help you find it, if you help me first."
Coran: "Why don't we just kill you and take the antidote ourselves? No offense, but working *with* somebody who tried to kill us would be rather unusual."
Lothander: "Do you take me for an idiot? I don't have the antidote, I only know where it can be found."
Weeblet: "Okay, we'll help you."
Lothander: "My problem is this: I don't work for the Iron Throne because I wish to but rather because I have been forced. I have been enspelled with a geas. If I do not obey everything that Marek orders of me the spell will take effect and I shall waste away. I need a way to rid myself of the spell. I know of a diviner at the market square who may have the answers I seek, but I don't have the money to pay him. Will you help me?"
Weebjet: "We'll help you. Take us to this diviner."
(...)
Lothander: "Step in here to the diviner's tent."

(It's literally ten steps from where he approached us)

Diviner: "I am for real. Now what is it that you wish to know? I must tell you, I only have the strength to answer a single question in a day, so be careful what you ask."
Weeblet: "Who has the ability to release Lothander of his geas?"
Diviner: "Only the high priestess Jalantha Mistmyr of Umberlee has the power to remove Lothander's geas.She can be found at the Water Queen's House. It is difficult to see whether or not she will help you. I cannot answer any more questions. You must leave now."

Lothander: "My life is in shambles..."

Lothander is not kidding, by the way. There's a ten-day timer (starting now, not when he and Marek first talk to you) and if it runs out, you die, game over. As long as you remain inside the Gate, this is not much of a problem, since there's no travel time to go from one part of the city to another, but if you don't take Lothander seriously and leave, that's a game over waiting to happen.

That is all for this map for now. We'll pay Felonius Gist a visit during a quest, Drakon Tavern isn't of any significance, and Dabron Sashenstar won't bother us in this playthough. He is the brother of Aldeth, the snobby noble that was almost killed by the druids in Cloakwood. If you let Aldeth die in that encounter, Dabron will appear here seeking revenge - alone, which goes about as well for him as you would expect.

Next, the rest of the northeast part of the city. To make sure that we arrive in the correct part of the map, I tend to go to the northern map and then to the northeast from there. Probably not necessary when you leave the center map from north of the inner wall, but old habits die hard.

And hey, it still works.

First, we check out the nearby tavern, the Blushing Mermaid. Half of the team enters the building stealthed, because that Ogre doesn't look very nice..:

Larze: "Huurm. I be Larze. You be Weeblet. Don't try deny it. You should not have come to Baldur's Gate. You given many warnings before, but you ignore them. Now you must pay. Sorry, but Larze must kill."
Weeblet: "How about you just let us go? I'll be walking out that door right now... okay?"
Larze: "NO! Larze must kill you, and take heads. Heads important, 'cause they are how Larze prove he kill you. Must not forget heads."

It's possible to talk your way out of this fight, by insisting that you're not CHARNAME and Larze should take another look at the wanted poster with your picture and come back afterwards. Buuuuut that would mean earning less XP and no loot whatsover, so a fight it is.

And a pretty tough fight it is, too. Larze's stats are pretty impressive - with 141 hitpoints, he can take a lot of hits, and with a Thac0 of -3, three attacks per round, and 21 Strength (giving him a +9 bonus to damage, not counting the damage increase from difficulty), he'll dish out a lot of pain very quickly, too.

But with three thieves landing their backstabs, our own damage output isn't too shabby, either, so Larze goes down before he can mash Yeslick into paste. As you can see, he drops a fair bit of loot - eight random pieces, according to the wiki (and I don't think the two spell scrolls are anything new), plus a pair of magic gauntlets:

Garrick: "A rare find, but... I don't think the enchantment is nearly as strong as that of those that you and Coran are already using."
Alora: "Well, I'd be happy to use them. But maybe I should draw some hearts and pretty flowers on them..."

There's a lot of dialogue in this update, but you might remember Captain Kieres from the Merchants' League, who we were supposed to steal some sea charts from. De'Tranion is the next stop of that little side quest:

De'Tranion: "My foulest swill, is it? Hmph, he always asks for more but he'll never thank you for what he's had... His crew drowned themselves in a dozen kegs of that foulest swill and I've seen nary a coin for the brewing of it yet."
Weeblet: "So it comes as no surprise that he has sent me to get him one last bottle rather than come himself, hmm?"
De'Tranion: "Oy, the only surprise is that a good soul such as you has been fool enough to do it. Well, he'll get no more swill from me until his debt is paid!"
Weeblet: "And how much does he owe you?"
De'Tranion: "900 gold at last count..."
Weeblet: "Ouch..."
De'Tranion: "If you don't mind the proposal, I'll trade you a jug of my finest if you would be so kind as to relieve me of his debt."
Weeblet: "You mean pay you 900 gold for a bottle of screech? That's rather steep, don't you think?"
De'Tranion: "You're right, 'tis madness to even ask. Perhaps I can still convince the Merchants' League to cover it."
Weeblet: "You have too much faith in the League, my friend. Here, allow me to pay you the Captain's 900 gold and be done with it."
De'Tranion: "You are a godsend! Allow me to give you a jug of De'Tranion's Baalor Ale in gratitude. I brew it with pimentos shipped from Calimshan, to give it that little extra kick."

Imoen: "You know, you could've just asked Alora to steal the ale, right? I'm pretty sure she's quicker than some old barkeep."
Alora: "Oh, you know I am. But that was a really nice thing to do, making people happy. It's great!"

We'll bring Kieres his booze later. For now, we leave the tavern and check out more of this part of the city. We soon run into some... consequences of one horny elf's actions:

Coran: "I have a daughter? That's ... that's ahhhhh... wonderful."
Brielbara: "Surprised that your fling had its consequences? My husband was none too pleased when my daughter turned out to be a half-elf. Yago went into a fury, nearly killed me in fact. If you care to remember, Yago was a mage of some power, power enough to curse our child to an early death. Little Namara won't live to see her first birthday. He gloated to me that he possesses the reverse to the spell, but he won't give it to me. Since you're her father, Coran, you're going to find Yago and YOU ARE going to get the reverse of the spell from him."
Coran: "Her name's Namara. Curse, what curse? Slow down and let me..."
Brielbara: "Yago has been spending his nights at the Low Lantern. It's just another despicable whorehouse disguised as something classier. Yago has been spending all of his time there since he left me. He's rented out a room somewhere on the ship. Just find his spellbook and bring it to me. I should be able to reverse the curse if I had the formula."

(You can see by her sprite that Brielbara is a Mage, as well)

Brielbara: "When you're finished, come meet me at the Splurging Sturgeon Inn. I'll be there for the next few days."

Well then, before we explore the rest of this map, including the Splurging Sturgeon, which is just south of where we met Brielbara, let's save a little baby. Despite this looking like Coran's companion quest (and it kinda is, he will disappear from the game if you don't help him), Brielbara will ask for you help if Coran isn't in your group, too, just without the direct appeal that it's your companion's daughter you're saving.

But I think I'll leave the baby-saving for the next update. I'm only about halfway through the screenshots of this playing session (#306 of 519, to be precise), but I think with all the talking, this has been enough for one post. So, for now: Thanks for reading!

 

[ping]

Update 18: In the Gate

Spoiler

With a quick visit to a temple of the Crying God, Ilmater, we continue exploring the city of Baldur's Gate. There's only the one beggar inside it now, but I hope that it will come up later with more significance. If not, that means that I will have kept forgetting to talk to some other guy.

But since this is the second part of a long past playing session, there's nothing to do but to watch Past Me travel to the southern part of the city, running into... somebody:

Entilis: "Tedious old fellow, isn't he? I suppose I would be, too, if I lived to see as many centuries as he has. But enough talk of the good, Weeblet. I have come to tell of the dark. You have a very special heritage, child, one that graces you with more enemies than friends, I fear. This city holds many secrets and dangers and, as you have rightly come to suspect, the Iron Throne lies somehow at the core of it all. Your investigations will not go unnoticed nor, like as not, unpunished. I urge you to curry the favor of Scar and Duke Eltan, both of the Flaming Fist, as they are good men at heart and capable of providing you with some guidance and protection in this urban vast... But I tarry here too long. It is best we not be seen together."

I mentioned a while back that you'd have to bring Khalid and Jaheira to a specific NPC interaction to figure out that they're Harpers, and this is the NPC I meant back then. I don't entirely remember how the conversation goes when the two are around, but Entillis will introduce himself as their friend and as a Harper, leaving you to draw the conclusion. He will also attack an evil CHARNAME - evil by deed, not by "official" alignment, which is to say a CHARNAME with low reputation.

Along the eastern side of the map is a string of buildings of varying importance. The first three: A tavern, a quest-giver only for those of questionable reputation, and a warehouse that a quest from last update sent us to.

If you don't know about the dangers of this here warehouse, the game is nice enough to not drop instant stony death on you as soon as you enter the building:

Nivek: "Gorpel Hind and his adventuring band, the Merry Fools, captured the beast a few weeks back. It was to be transported to Waterdeep to be shown at a carnival but the thing woke up from its magical slumber before it was supposed to! But enough talk... Ruuunnn...!"

And indeed there's a Greater Basilisk in the back of the room, or a free 7000 XP if you come prepared. If you really payed attention last update, you might also remember G'axir the Seer asking for the Sphene Gem from the lair of the basilisk, but being perfectly content with a random Sphene Gem that Weeblet picked up somewhere else.

In front of the fourth building, another random NPC approaches the party:

Kesheel: "Not yet. HAW! Not yet, I says! You asked if I had lived here all my life, and I says not yet! I can still make 'em laugh, by gum. That joke used to have the boys on deck rolling around like flounders flopping on the poop deck. Of course they stopped laughing so much a few years back after they had heard it for the thousandth time. Come to think of it, you're not laughing all that much either. Ehh, I'll just go stand over here a while."

Alora: "Aw, don't be sad... It's a great joke! You're very clever!"

And inside the building, another small fetch quest:

Like with the Sphene Gem, this is a quest that you might able to shortcut - in this case, because Larze, the big Ogre trying to smash us in the last update dropped a pair of gauntlets identical to those that Noralee lost.

Noralee: "You found my gauntlets! I was beginning to think they'd never show up. Here, take these infravision potions as your reward. I'm sure you'll have use for it sometime."

We won't, for the record, this is another quest where the reward is worth far less than the item you're handing over. But the -1 Thac0 on Noralee's gauntlets isn't the most exciting bonus ever, so we might as well give it up in exchange for 1000 XP, a (useless for us) point of rep, and a bit of vendor's trash.

Next house, next little story:

Larriaz: "Fools to cross my path."

Larriaz: "You say right. I am not meant to be here. But that not matter. Get out now. Leave!"
Weeblet: "How did you get here? Maybe there's something we can do to help."
Larriaz: "There is nothing you can do to help! Larriaz was caught by landhome fishermen, then brought to their dirt land as prize. They try to take advantage of Larriaz, and they all die! You die too, unless you leave, NOW!"
Weeblet: "Calm down, Larriaz. We can help."
Larriaz: "Can't help Larriaz. She been away from water too long. Larriaz dying now. She wish to die alone! Get out! GET OUT! Larriaz no want stupid dirt men watch her die."
Weeblet: "But we might be able to do something to help you. At least let us try."
Larriaz: "There is nothing you can do! Leae Larriaz alone! She say it for last time! Let her die in peace!"
Weeblet: "Okay, Okay, we're out of here."
Larriaz: "Thank you for letting Lariaz die in peace."

This is another dialogue where you have to take specific responses to avoid a fight, similar to for example Marl way, way back in Beregost, although there is no XP reward in this case. If you're rude, take offense to the dead bodies behind Larriaz, are a sadistic freak, or be too insistent on helping her (in that order), she'll attack you and probably die immediately because her HP is appropriately very low.

Next house, next little story again:

Ghorak: "No, your potions and magics are of little use. The only way to cure this sickness is to right the wrongs of the past. Behind a painting at the Three Old Kegs, you will find the skull of my brother, Kereph. Take it to Agnasia in The Lady's Hall. She will know what to do with it."

We haven't been to either of those locations, but they're both within the Gate, so we'll come across them sooner or later.

Imoen: "Gods, I hope all the zombies we fought at that farmstead weren't concious, too..."

Finally, in the southeast corner of the map, is the Low Lantern, the whorehouse (or whoreship, I guess) that Coran's old flame Brielbara pointed us to. But before we confront her murderously mad husband, there's a pair of, I dunno, do they work here?, girls to deal with below deck.

Desreta: "Your life means nothing to me."

Desreta: "I am Desreta. She is Vay-ya. We are one with void. We know life has no meaning. Let us show you entropic pleasure... Mm. It will delight you with its icy touch."
Coran: "Yes, show us this pleasure you speak of. I'm sure it could be quite interesting, especially if you show it to us in the privacy of your bedroom."
Desreta: "No need to go to bedroom. We can show you... here. Not many agree to go to great void. They afraid. But what there be to be afraid of? Life is hollow. Better end it soon, than endure its pain."

Weeblet: "I hope Xan is doing alright."

He should have his mind somewhere else right now, but I can't help but assume that it's Coran talking whenever there's a horny dialogue option to pick.

Anyway, time for sex and violence. Or maybe just violence.

Yay, violence.

I'm being a bit cheesy here - instead of fighting Desreta and Vay-ya at the same time (insert 'threesome' joke here), I lured Desreta away from her friend (lover? Partner in manslaughter?). She can hit really hard, but in this fight she doesn't hit anybody at all...

...and we can pick the cheese back up, re-stealth...

...and quickly dispose of Vay-ya, as well. You might recognise the Wand of Fire that she drops in addition to some minor treasure (the dagger is just a +1 weapon), but the real prize of this fight comes from Desreta's loot:

These gloves are really, really powerful. 18/00 is the highest strength percentile, so even the mighty Minsc would benefit from these.

For us, it's going to be Weeblet who's going to replace his Legacy of the Masters gauntlets (+2 Dmg, -1 Thac0) with the Hands of Takkok. It's technically not ideal to give these to a backstabber, since the Str bonus to damage doesn't get multiplied, but since our other melee dude is heavily reliant on the Gloves of Dexterity, Weeblet is easily the best pick available. The Legacy of the Masters goes to Alora instead, since Coran is already using our second pair.

In the... I 'unno, I'm not very familiar with nautical term, let alone in English... bottom part of the ship we find our initial target.

Yago: "So the bitch hired some adventurers to get a cure for her precious daughter. She should have sent someone who was up for the task, instead of you rabble."

Yago is being very rude here and *turns around*, which means that Alora doesn't get to backwhack him. Still, single Mage etc. pp.

He drops some minorly enchanted robes and Yago's Book of Curses (which is Yago's Book of Curses (Yago's Book of Curses)). Success!

With that out of the way, we can move on to the western parts of this area, which is where the Bitch Queen Umberlee's temple is located. On the way, another NPC offers a little bit of dialogue:

Kerrachus: "True, but they say Waterdeep in the north is even ten times the size. I hope to sail there someday and rest awhile in its bustling port."

Pretty inconsequential. More interesting is this random, locked house, which might require a careful approach...

...because unlike the last little kerfuffle, we're up against five (Ogre) Mages here, two of them initially invisible.

The fight tends to become quite chaotic, since the Ogre Mages love using crowd control spells in addition to more straight-forward damage spells...

...like Magic Missile and Melf's Acid Arrow. On the plus side, we managed to avoid the Lightning Bolt and Fireball spells that these enemies like to cast as well...

...but the fight still ends up pretty rough, because both Weeblet and Alora fell prey to the Confusion spell despite their Shorty Saves. But luckily, the spell runs out before they manage to murderise each other.

The most important reward from this fight is, of course, the Katana one of the Ogre Mages drops.

Weeblet: "Eeeeee!"

But the loot is pretty high-quality in general, including two Laeral's Tear Necklaces which sell for 3000 gold each.

We also find a couple new spells, starting with one whose strongest application feels a bit cheesy to me. With its short range, Vampiric Touch isn't as much a combat spell as it's a pre-buff - you can either cast it on a summoned creature or even on a companion (in which case the difficulty damage works in your favour) if you have enough regular healing to get them back to full HP afterwards. The effect caps out at 4d6 HP, 14 on average, which is a very significant boost to survivability for a regular single-class Mage in particular.

The Lv.1 version, Charm Person, allows a +3 bonus to the Saving Throw against it, so this upgraded version adds 15% to the chance of success. Otherwise, it's mostly the same, although the Casting Time is a bit longer for the Dire one.

This spell used to be massively overpowered in the original BG1 where you could flood the map with tons of summoned creatures. In the Enhanced Edition, there's a limit on how many summons can be on the map at the same time, which makes it much more tame. It's still potentially quite good to soak up damage, but the creatures it summons (Kobold Commandos, Ogrillions, Worgs, Wild Dogs) aren't amazing at dishing it out. That said, a Cleric can help them out in that regard with their party-wide buffs.

Further along, close to the temple of Umberlee, we find the gauntlets that Noralee was looking for. Now somebody can get that sweet -1 bonus to Thac0! ...except that everybody is already using something better in that equipment slot. Str and Dex gloves on Weeblet and Yeslick, respectively, the Legacy of the Masters on Coran and Alora, the Dale's Protector (-2 ranged Thac0) on Imoen, and some AC bracer on Garrick.

Now then, to the evil temple!

Priestess of Umberlee: "The storm shall take those who are unfaithful."

Priestess: "The High Priestess does not have time to see commoners. Why should I allow you to waste her time?"
Weeblet: "Would a donation of 50 gold allow us entry?"
Priestess: "That offer is adequate. Wait here and I will return with the High Priestess."

Mechanically speaking, this dialogue ends with the nameless Priestess not moving at all and Jalantha Mistmyr spawning a few steps further into the temple.

Jalantha: "The Bitch Queen brooks no insolence."

Jalantha: "I do not offer the power of my goddess to anyone. If you wish this favor you will first have to do a favor for Umberlee."
Jalantha: "The favor I ask of you is a simple one. The holy day Storm Call approachese. It will be the first time I have overseen this ceremony. To ensure that my first ceremony is flawless, I need an item of power. It is called the Book of Wisdom, and it is possessed by the clergy of Tymora at the Temple of Tymora, called the Lady's Hall by those who venerate the frivolous goddess. If you can get this book for me, I will do what you ask. What is your decision?"
Weeblet: "It looks as if we have no other choise; we're in."
Jalantha: "I don't care how you get the book. Once you have it, come to the temple and meet with me."

And there you have it - map clear, as far as we want to clear it for now, and yet another fetch quest aquired, although it might take a bit of a different turn. The Harbor Master will be relevant at a (much) later point and...

Weeblet: "So this is where the Iron Thone is working from. Should we..."
Coran: "Actually, not quite yet, I would suggest. I have the nagging suspicion that barging in might risk a lot of bloodshed, so we should make sure that our standing with the Fist is as good as it can be before making a move. Scar opened us a door to do so, and we'd be fools not to walk through it."

So, next stop: the western part of the city, where the Lady's Hall is located.

...except that if you go there from the southern city map, you end up in an isolated corner.

So, back to the central area, a few steps northward (which I think are required, but I'm not entirely sure), and back to the west.

There, better.

Once again, we're approached by a random citizen who's mostly there for fluff. However, this time, the fluff is a bit more relevant to our own quests:

Dun: "I love money, yes I do."

Dun: "There are no good shops in this city. Nope. None. Don't even think about it. Especially the ones run by the even Suns or the Merchants' League."
Weeblet: "What's wrong with the Seven Suns and the Merchants' League?"
Dun: "I used to gamble with those fellows but something's not right. I'm in debt to them up to my ears but nothin's happening. No big guys with clubs knocking on my door in the middle of the night, no poison in my ale, nothing. It's like they've forgotten the whole thing. I saw my old buddy Al in the street the other day, looked him right in the eye, and he didn't even cuff me about the ears. Just started looking real nearvous like he had forgotten his best friend's name at a party or something. Strange, I tell you."

Yeslick: "Now, I don't want to jump to conclusions, what with Durlag's fate still fresh on me mind, but that sounds awfully familiar..."

Coran: "And this here is the beautiful Hall of Wonders. We're too, ah, busy right now to visit, of course, but I'm sure we can come back when things are more quiet. And maybe we shouldn't come with the whole group trampling about the perimeters. Maybe just one or two people with a sense for beauty... Imoen?"
Imoen: "Aren't you smooth. But you don't really think that for a visit that requires such subtlety, you might not want a big clumsy human behind you? Especially when there's two soft-footed Halflings right there?"
Alora: "...that sounds... great, but I think I would love to go with you, Imoen! You have just the right spells for an adventure such as this, and you're better with mechanics than all of us combined, in case there's some nastier protections around. Yeah, I think it would be a lot of fun if we went together. Without Coran, if you don't mind."

(As a reminder, we were hired by a gnome to steal something from here. It's possible to do so during the day without getting caught, through the power of running really fast, but it's easier and more appropriate to get back here during the night)

The Lady's Hall that Jalantha sent us to is right next to the (much more impressive) Hall of Wonders...

...and Alora immediately yoinks what Jalantha sent us to get. Without a thief, you can also buy it from the priest for 500 gold, since he'll figure that you must be really desperate if you're offering that much money. It's easy to forget that 500 gold, basically a little change money for us at this point, is actually a fortune in the regular everyday economy of Faerûn...

You might also have noticed that this is a stat boosting tome, the second one for Wisdom that we've found (the first one being in Durlag's). Of course, another point of Wisdom is literally useless for Weeblet, but, well, it's a number that go up so... maybe there's some alternative way to not get killed by Marek and Lothander's poison..?

As fortune wills it, one good reason to make some adjustments to our strategy presents itself just above the Lady's Hall:

Varci Roaringhorn: "Please help. 'Tis a wasted life at stake."

Varci: P-please, might I have your ear a moment?"

Varci: "Oh, excellent! I may yet repair the damage I have caused. This way. I'll show you to the house where my master is staying."

(the house is literally just there, northwest of Varci)

Tremain Belde'ar: "There is nothing I can do, but I must do something. It's a risk, and risk is everything."

Varci: "Your thoughts know as I do, and there be no denying it. We need outside help to fix what's done, and talk among the alleys say this group may be as effective as any we could hope for."
Tremain: "You'll tell me later how you know in what alleys to learn such things. For now, however, you are correct. We are in need of assistance and none in the clergy must know. Grettings to you all. I am Lord Priest Tremain Belde'ar, a humble servant of Our Smiling Lady Tymora. my request of you is an odd and very dangerous one. I will not hold you to it if you deem it too extreme. I would have you enter the Water Queen's House and retrieve my son's body. He and Varcy sought to indulge their restless nature by sneaking about the place, and a high price was paid."
Varci: "We thought it would be exciting, causing a little mischief amids Umberlee's underlings, only it wasn't that much fun when we were caught. We both ran. I got away. Casson didn't. They killed him as we sought to escape."
Tremain: "A harsh sentence for a simple prank, but trespassing on holy ground, whatever the faith, is not a small crime. You must bring the body to me, that I may restore his life to him. If you can retrieve him, I will reward you whether I am able to revive him or not. What say you?"
Weeblet: "Luck or no, it would be a shame to lose your life because of the foolishness of youth. I'll help as best I can."
Tremain: "There is hope for my son yet. I cannot tell you where in the Umberlant temple Casson would be kept, but I would advise you to be careful. They seem a right unfriendly group, but once you get to know them they seem out and out heartless. Please hurry!"

Weeblet: "So the priestesses are a bunch of child murderers? I honestly don't feel too inclined to play by their tune anymore..."
Alora: "But what of the poison? We need to help Lothander! I don't want to die..."
Weeblet: "Maybe the head priestess has the artifact to release him from his geas on her body. Otherwise, we have ten days to find another solution. If everything else fails, we might be able to pay somebody to raise all of us again. We are very rich. In any case, what better time to hope for Tymora's favour?"

(Tymora being Lady Luck, of course)

This is one of the few quests where the murderhobo way doesn't feel too inappropriate even for the nicest CHARNAME you might roleplay.

Of course, the other priestesses don't particularly agree with that assessment, but the game mechanics do - not only do you not get any reputation penalty or any other repercussions for this...

...you also find Casson's body and a Geas Removal Scroll (Description: "Geas Removal Scroll") on Jalantha. So, main quest advanced, side quest fulfilled (as soon as we get back to Tremain) AND stat booster retained. Great success!

My personal head canon, by the way, is that Jalantha is the one who put Lothander under the geas, which is why she's the only one able to relieve it and why it's so easy to remove when she is killed. The part where you can also just pickpocket the scroll from her I ignore.

Anyway - that covers the three ways to do this part of the quest - compliance, theft, or bloody murder. For Tremain's son, the same three options apply ("compliance" consisting of a 2000 gold payment in this case), plus an alternative friendly path: Since earlier, we helped a child priestess of Umberlee, Tenya, by retrieving a stolen artifact, we could've asked to see her and she would've handed over the body without a fee. Probably the most reasonable option, but, hey, bloody murder works and is more justifiable than it is most of the time.

Now then - let's find Lothander, who is waiting upstairs in the Blade and Stars inn (you may or may not remember the less important NPCs like Maple Willow Aspen and Reginald "Longtooth" Worthington III) in the southeast of the city.

Lothander: "All right then, here's my half of the antidote. Marek, my partner, possesses the other half of the antidote. You'll find him at the Blushing Mermaid inn. I can't help you other than that."

The Blushing Mermaid is in the northeast of the town, where Larze the Ogre tried to beat us into mush in the previous update. Before we go there, there's a bit of sidequesting to do in these parts...

Nadarin the grumpy dwarf wanted us to kill the Basilisk in another warehouse.

And in another tavern near the bottom of the map we find young Euric:

Euric: "Hey, what do you want? I didn't do nothin'. Hey, what's that amulet you have there?"
Euric: "Mom set you up to this, didn't she? All right, all right, it looks dumb, but I'll wear it. Tell my mom, Nadine, that I miss her, but I'm not comin' back. tell her that I'll be safe. Bye-bye now."

(Nadine is a gnome who asked us to bring an Amulet of Protection to her kid)

Upstairs in that inn, there's another piece of fluff:

Sanadal: "I fear the worst for my brother and cousin, they have been missing some months now, and I know of no one that can find them."
Weeblet: "Your brother and cousin? Perhaps if I knew their names I could help you."
Sanadal: "I thank you. Whatever you can do, I would appreciate. Their names are Shank and Carbos. Not the brightest of boys, but pure of heart. They may have fallen in with a bad lot, but I know they would never do anything wrong."
Weeblet: "Shank and... and Carbos? Um, Shank and Carbos. There is not as much I could do as I thought."
Sanadal: "What do you mean? Organize a search! Set out upon the land! Look high and low! Surely you can find my gentle family members!"
Weeblet: "Gentle? They weren't so gentle when they tried to kill me in Candlekeep!"
Sanadal: "What? They would never do such a-- Oh, forget it. If they attacked you, then you know full well what morons they are. Did they have any gold on them? No, I doubt it. Spent it all on booze and fast times, most likely. Good on you if you knocked them around. I certainly will not mourn their loss. Carbos and Shank, what a couple of moronic goons."

Well, that was... something. Carbos and Shank were indeed the two first assassins sent against Weeblet, although I don't think they actually told him their names. Eh, let's not sweat the details.

With that, we're... actually not quite done with this map, but we'll come back to Gantolandan's house later. Nemphre and the thieves we dealt with in the previous update.

But now, it is time to not die a slow and horrible death to poison. Marek waits upstairs in the Blushing Mermaid, where there's a bunch of gamesmen with whom you can gamble for (insignificantly small amounts of) gold.

Marek: "Stupid saps. They'll never know what hit 'em."

Marek is a Mage/Thief and tries to open with a Confusion spell, so this fight can technically go south, but... it really never has for me. Single opponent, and you can get in position before initiating the fight, and we're sufficiently high-level and well-equiped at this point that it's not very likely that we don't hit him and interrupt his spellcasting.

And that's this quest done! As I think I said earlier, this quest's deadline of 10 days is really generous as long as you stay within the city, and completely trivial if you know where to go.

In terms of game mechanics, Marek's antidote alone cures the poison, and I wonder how much one can read into it - has Lothander been lying to us in order to get us to cooperate, or did Weeblet just drink his half of the antidote "offscreen"?

Marek also drops two magic weapons, both of them quite good. The Heart of the Golem less so - we've found one of these all the way back when we were exploring the surroundings of Nashkel (Update 10, to be precise) and because of the low base damage of daggers, it's not a particularly noteworthy weapon.

His Shortbow +2, however, is the best exemplary of that weapon type until we get to the Siege of Dragonspear expansion. It's slightly worse than the best *Long*bows in the game, but not by a lot and some classes (thieves in particular) cannot use those. For us, both Alora and Imoen would like to use this, with Alora getting the nod because of her generally better combat stats.

While we're in the area, we can also wrap up another child rescue - specifically Coran's, although how much of a father he's going to be remains to be seen. Brielbara, the mom waits in the more respectable Splurging Sturgeon inn south of the Blushing Mermaid. When entering, we're first approached by a magic woman:

Lantanara: "You were a god, made of iron, and I watched you from below, so far below. You were stolid, still, unmoving, a bulwark against some raging storm and then you--and then you shattered and... and broke... Your iron flesh, it tore itself asunder and--and--and you fell to your knees, a weakened being. It was horrible, a true horror, and I woke up weeping with my husband shaking me, desperate to rouse me from my reckles slumber... Whoever you be and whatever you hae come here for, beware the fates for they... they be arrayed against you."

Weeblet: "Thank you, dear lady, but... gods, I wish I could find solid answers on my nature instead of the cryptic warnings I keep receiving."

(...)

Brielbara: "Tell me, did you get the reversal for the curse?"
Weeblet: "Yes, we have it right here."

Brielbara: "What about you, Coran? Are you planning on leaving again? Not even trying to be a father..."
Coran: "I'm sorry, Briel, but I just don't have the time or inclination to care for your... I mean our child."
Brielbara: "Maybe someday you'll grow a spine, elf!"

Well, that answers my previous question.

Finally, there's a tiny little quest available by repeatedly bothering one of the patrons..:

Lusselyn: "...and then I said, 'You ain't no tasloi! You're my wife!' Har, har, har... *belch* Here, have another drink."
Lusselyn: "They artifishally age shish shtuff, you know... Sure, with shlimes and oozshes and shtuff... I betsha 100 gold pieshesh thatsha wooden go find 'em andsh kill 'em all offsh! *belch* Har, har, har..."
Weeblet: "100 gold pieshesh it ish, Lushelyn my owld paaaal! *hic*"

Yeslick: "That boy really can't handle his liqueur, can he..."
Weeblet: "Y'shddup, ol' man! I knowsh clear ash, ash, ash day that we can taaake shome oozsh wish our armsh tied b'hind our backsh!"
Coran: "Well, he's drunk, but he isn't wrong..."

And indeed, there's a Mustard Jelly in one of the small rooms upstairs. And I still wasn't able to show off their attack's unique properties...

Tiny little quest indeed. The most important reward is the 2000 XP that the Mustard Jelly is worth.

Despite not having uncovered more than half of the map, that's about all we can find in this area. But this reminds me, we have some business at the Merchants' League, so after a little loop around the eastern part of the Gate...

...we bring the good Captain the most expensive mug of ale in the world.

Cap'n Kieres: "Aye, that's the stuff! Be a good boy and hold these sea charts fer me. I'm feeling a bit woozy..."

Weeblet: "Huh, guess we don't need your abilities right now after all, Alora."
Alora: "Darn. You better not think that you'll get by without my sunny disposition brightening your days, though!"

As the last action for this update, we return to the Sorcerous Sundries to sell some stuff and to turn in another sidequest.

The trinkets are actually not sellable until you present them to Ordulinian, although I don't think either of them is particularly valuable. And to be perfectly honest, neither is the cloak, since we already found one of these in Cloakwood - Gurke's cloak, if you remember that grumpy dwarf.

Well, not the most dramatic finish to this episode, but this happens to be where my playing session came to an end. I'm not sure how long it'll take to wrap up the Gate - hopefully one or two episodes, I guess, but we'll see. Until then - thanks for reading!

 

 

[ping]

Update 19: Around the Gate

Spoiler

To follow up a not very dramatic end to the last update with a not very dramatic start to this one - a quick wrap on one of the many small quests inside the city.

The necklace we get for this errant is actually quite powerful - basically a Wand of Fire that can be used by any class, and yet another incentive to stack fire resistance on your primary tank.

Next, we explore the northern part of the Gate, which is where the palace of the city's dukes is located...

...although we are not allowed inside at this time.

As a bit of background, the four Grand Dukes of the city aren't actually blood nobles. The institution of the "Council of Four" was founded by a group of sea-captains who took over the city some time in the past, and they jokingly called those four councillors "dukes", which then stuck. The Grand Dukes are elected, for life, I believe, but I don't know the specifics - in particular, how inclusive voting rights are. With there being a class of "nobles", as evidenced by a lot of unnamed NPCs classified as such running around the city, I would guess that it's an oligarchy, though.

Rinnie: "I much prefer wooded regions, but one must be flexible in these times."

So for now, this area of the map is quite like the others, with a bunch of sidequests of varying size and importance. This one is pretty small.

And so is this one, right next door to Rinnie's house.

You just have to enter the house she's standing in front of, ignore the mean Uncle Bheren, and grab Angel the Cat's Angel Skin Ring from that cupboard.

If you're a real piece of garbage, Bheren will ask you to kill the cat instead if you talk to him, although I think you have to be at low reputation for that.

From here, we loop around the western edge of the map to get to the northern part of the map. On the way we're approached by another NPC:

Tick: "Hey, no offense, folks. Sewers are just the urban man's dungeon, you get it? And you folks don't look like you're here on no fancy-dancy shopping trip.
Coran: "Who do you think you're calling fancy-dancy?"
Tick: "I didn't call no one fancy-dancy, man! It's just the way I talk! I mean you guys are so cool, you swish when you wak, man-- Oh no! I didn't call you no... errr... forget about it, please? I didn't mean no harm by it. Aw hell, I gotta get me one of them dictionaries and learn me some Common, man..."

At the top of the map, there's a Temple of Helm - no story significance, but I pay 200 gold to (mostly) top off Weeblet, since we're all out of healing spells.

East of that, we once again break and enter, which in this case is worth mentioning because...

Drelik: "Awayyy with you, beggar!"

Drelik: "Jardak will not see anyone, especially not a bunch of hooligans. Well, lest I seem rude, I had better introduce myself. My name is Drelik. Now that you know my name, I can go about the task of cleaning up the mess you've made, which incidentally includes removing you from the premises."

...this time, the residents actually care.

Unfortunately, Drelik's AI does not include the realisation when he's outnumbered and outclassed.

Of course, this whole breaking and entering and murdering doesn't entirely gel with the narrative that we're trying to play nice with the Flaming Fist, but... well, the game doesn't really register this particular case of murderhoboing and while Drelik doesn't drop anything of interest (we already have the two spells, and that sword is just a Shortsword +1), his boss certainly does.

Jardak: "Fear my wrath, for it is great indeed."

Jardak: "You don't understand the gravity of your situation. Stinking brigands, draw steel so that we may fight to the death!"

I mean, if he insists...

Unlike his butler, who's a Mage/Thief multiclass, Jardak is just a regular ol' Fighter. Which isn't to say that he's weak at all, he'd probably be a match for Weeblet or Yeslick in a 1v1 fight, but, well, this isn't one of those.

The reason why I'm ignoring my own narrative here is this helm. With only Yeslick already wearing a magic helmet (the Gift of Peace, which gives some elemental resistances), this is actually a nice upgrade for Weeblet. Another +5% avoid is a neat little bonus on its own...

...but this also frees up Weeblet's cloak slot, which should be useful down the line. He's currently wearing Algernon's Cloak, which only provides +2 Charisma (and a Charm spell that I never use), and since the effects of Charisma cap out at 20, he doesn't need that anymore.

Near the northeast corner of the map, there has been erected a large phallic structure and its owner has something to say to us:

Ramazith: "Good eve to you and yours, my friend!" - "My secrets are mine alone. You know enough of me already."

Ramazith: "I've a been watching you, but rest assured it no be in the bad evil eye way. You and your compatriots be so obviously... Well, I just sayyou no look like farmers or merchants. I've a service needing completion, and it require that which I think you have. I reward well, but the mission is dangerous and beyond what the law would technically allow. Interested, yes?"
Weeblet: "What is it I will be expected to do?"
Ramazith: "My proposition is thus: I would have you enter into the home of a colleague of mine and effect the release of a creature he has imprisoned there. Ragefast be his name, and he has in his possession one of the most beautiful and useful creatures in all of Faerûn. It's a nymph he captured some time ago, and I know not what laughable plans he has for her, but I am sure she be more... productive in my care. I not so rich as to be able to offer huge gold, but as competent wizard I do have the odd magical item of worth. Perhaps an enchanted item will serve your needs, no?"
Coran: "Why not do this yourself? You do not seem as powerless as your plea makes you sound."
Ramazith: "Indeed, I be proficient in that which is magical, but so is Ragefast. None know better how to defend against a wizard than another wizard. This require stealth and guile, or quick blade with muscle behind. You have, I lack. Simple, no?"
Weeblet: "Your terms are acceptable. I agree."
Ramazith: Most agreeable! Already you show intelligence needed to succeed! I give you directions to Ragefast's abode, and you take it from there, yes? You will find Ragefast's home northeast of the Hall of Wonders. We meet at my home when you complete your mission. Do not tarry, for I have many plans. Let not the guard see you with the nymph. They will surely question her presence. I will expect you soon."

Weeblet: "So we're obviously not going to hand the nymph over to that creep, right? Considering that we just met a nymph that was literally dying because she was locked away from the sea..."
Coran: "That was a sirine, but same difference. I'd rather have the gratefulness of a beautiful fae than that of a bearded old mage."

Tartusse: "An extra ten? For metal? Why, this entire region will be cursed for generations!"

The last place of interest on this map is another inn, the Three Old Kegs, east of the Ducal Palace. Tartusse approaches Weeblet on the way there.

Shep: "Sweetness is best judged by those around ye. My cows and horses know my scent and snuggle close to share it. But ye surround yerself wit' monsters and they crowd close only to extinguish yer fetid wafts and purge them wit' a slow turn on the spit! Aye, then, there be firm proof that between our two stenches, mine be far more tolerable!"

We're semi-welcome here.

And we've been running around the city for long enough at this point that, after another rest, it's close to nighttime and thus our larcenous intents may come to fruition soon.

Ithtyl Calantryn: "And your patronage will be most welcome. Business has unfortunately dwindled along with the traffic on the roads. We welcome new customers, especially when old ones cannot make the trek and leave the rooms vacant."

But before that, there's a bit more to do on the upper floors. Ithtyl doesn't have anything for us to do...

...but behind a picture on the wall (which nobody minds us checking), we find a human skull. You might remember the zombieficated Ghorak from earler - this is the first half of his fetch quest.

In the luxurious bedrooms on the third floor, there's another quest giver:

Areana: "Wait! Perhaps... perhaps you are the type of people who can help me. I am in need of someone to... perform a service for me. I need someone... removed."
Weeblet: "You wish someone disposed of? I'll not have a part in the killing of innocents. Why should he deserve death?"
Areana: "This scoundrel is no innocent! He threatens to ruin my life with... with the spreading of... accusations. He threatens to ruin my reputation and standing unless I pay him an exorbitant sum almost weekly! I beg of thee... you must help me."
Weeblet: "The fiend! He'll be a day's journey down before he knows he's dead! Where can he be found?"
Areana: "Thank you indeed! His name is Cyrdemac and he frequents the Elfsong Tavern. I have not been there myself, but I hear it is quite a rough place. You could do the deed in the main bar itself and likely none would call the guards. I know not if he will have friends with him though. Thank you for this. Upon your return I shall pay you 500 gold. A small price to hae this embarressment removed."

Coran: "I'm not sure if I like the precedent we're setting here. Apart from the whole killing a man because he inconveniences a noble... From what I know about the fella and how the lady sounded, I'm pretty sure the two had a night of fun and now he's just... adding some benefits. You can't blame a man for that, and it's not like a knob is going to hurt for cash."
Imoen: "I mean, we were obviously going to talk first, right? If nothing else, we should tell him how much the stakes have been raised and that maybe he should follow *your* precedent and bugger off from the city for a while and only return after a good shave, or no shave for a few weeks, or however he isn't looking right now. And then we can still grab the money from that silly woman."

There we go. Meklin is an encounter that only happens with Neera in the party - the TL;DR: she stole some money from him at some point in the past, he's VERY angry, if you don't pay him back, he'll threaten violence, Neera will accidentally turn him into some big green monster with a wild surge, you kill the monster. Whoops. It's actually quite profitable to go through the encounter the bloodthirsty way, since Meklin will drop a second pair of 'Boots of Avoidance', which boost AC vs. missile attacks by five points.

But speaking of stealing, we can now do some larcency with Narlen Darkwalk, who approached us when we visited the Thieves' Guild earlier. He and his accomplice wait in front of the Splurging Sturgeon, where we brought Brielbara the magic book to lift the curse from her and Coran's daughter..:

Narlen: "Swiped the Duchess's knickers once, if ye know what I mean..."

Narlen: "Now we're up to the buisness! Keep to the shadows and the watch will be blind to our sneak. You will spy th road while Rededge an' I plunder within. Be on yer cautions and yell the warnin' if ye see the soldierman. I'd no fight 'em if I was you, just call the call and make for the dark. If they give chase, ye fade to black an' keep quiet. Never known a guard to spot a thief scared to hiding. Stand from here while we two are off and in. We'll be back before the gold knows it's ours."

Narlen and Rededge then cutscene-walk Weeblet north to this house, where they disappear.

And wouldn't you know it, a few seconds after that, a Flaming Fist spawns and talks to Weeblet.

...except he doesn't because he's stuck behind the wagon and the courtesan, which means that the whole scene cannot continue. One of the dumber restarts I've ever seen.

There, better.

FF Mercenary: "It's awful late to be out and about, citizen. Why are you not at rest?"
Weeblet: "'Ere, boys! The jig is up! Make fer the dark!"
FF Mercenary: "What?! Stand your ground, you thief! To arms! To arms!"

He'll indeed then attack you and like Narlen says, it's a bad idea to take the fight. Killing guardsmen gives a really heavy penalty to your reputation. But unlike Narlen says, the solution isn't to hide, it's to run...

...and leave for another map. Enemies can and will follow you into and out of buildings, but they can't chase you to an entirely new area.

Narlen: "'Tis so for me an' Rededge. The mark tonight is a ripe plum for plucking, and a mite more dangerous. No petty gold, 'cause you passed that intro. This dark holds a jewel fence, with pretties brought stolen from Waterdeep. A mage of meager power called for a component gem called a rogue stone, and Gantolandan answered. His home be our target, but he be a side more cagey than last. We join at dusk by the Blade and Stars to sort the deed."

Alora: "You've had your turn, Weeblet, OK? I want to have fun, too! Ohhh, this is exciting!"

We've seen Gantolandan's house earlier on a map because it has a pre-set marker, but we've ignored it for the time being. Now it's time to rob it...

Gantolandan: *grumble* "Blasted cat. Hrmph. *snork* Zzzzzz..."

The cabinet with the Rogue Stone is both locked and trapped - Alora isn't goot at dealing with the latter part, but it's a pretty harmless trap.

If you keep rummaging about, Gantolandan will remember that he doesn't actually have a cat, which you can still defuse by telling him that you're a stray. After that, he will finally fully wake up and attack - dangerous for a lone thief, but if you don't care about roleplay, you can also just have your entire party walk in and murder the poor bugger.

Your share, after delivering the Rogue Stone, is three Pearls, which is frankly a bit of a rip-off, worth only 300 gold compared to the Rogue Stone's 2500. Not quite a third of the loot you're giving us here, Narlen.

With Narlen now being our pal, it's also time to turn in the airship components that we stole from Shandalar's daughters. Doing so yields 4000 XP, but...

Resar: "Alatos was most assuring in his description of your abilities. Right he was, and it is unfortunate I must close all loose ends. This includes potential loose tongues, and, though talented, you are also expendable. I offer my sorrows, but you must die!"

If you don't sneak past Shandalar's daughters, who will always pick a fight if they spot you, Resar will use that as pretext for why he needs you dead, but this path through the quest shows that he's just making excuses. However, if you finish Narlen's quest before this one...

Resar: "Wha... *GURK*!"

...Narlen comes and steals your kill. Which is worth 4000 XP! So, from a min-max perspective, I've been doing this quest as badly as possible - no XP from killing Shandalar's daughters, and now no XP from killing Resar.

Ravenscar: "Narlen! What, by all the gods, are you doing?!"
Narlen: "To ye I put the same query, ye traiterous fool! Ye set up one o' yer own!"
Ravenscar: "Explain yourself, lest you take an earth bath by next mourn!"
Narlen: "Ye hired them to do yer dirty deeds 'cause they be expendable, but they be as good a sneak as any we be! A brethren in burglary, who should die 'cause they no in the guild? Nay say I, and many more! They stump down our halls, they work the work, and they flee the flee. They with US, and you set US up!"
Ravenscar: "Seems ye made quite the impression on the guild, ye did. It would also seem that I erred aligning with Resar. Blasted politics addles the brains, and time and again I should stay out! Still, we've got his coin, and the story of his demise is ours to construct. Never a total loss to be had! Ye hae earned a place in the guild, a tie that never breaks."
Narlen: "'Ere's the respect ye ran from the guard for! A round-the-world way to get it, to be sure, but worth it none the less! The doors here will always be open, excepting when pickably locked."

From a RP perspective, however, I find this more satisfying than the alternative "Well, I guess if you can just kill that powerful mage, it's not like the rest of us can touch you, so... frieeends?" reaction from Alatos after you shank Resar yourself.

We do still get Resar's loot - another Wand of Paralysation, an unremarkable magic robe, and a new spell. We've had the (Red) version in Imoen's spellbook for a while already, with this one being less valuable for our particular set-up. Cold Resistance is seldom important, and we don't have a Fighter/Mage who would want to make use of the offensive application of the spell.

As our last larcenous act (and the last daytime-dependent quest, too, I think), we return to the western part of the city.

Alora: "You're coming with me, right, Imoen? These big temples can be really spooooky at night, so I don't want to go alone. Or with Coran. And I also don't want to be hit by a trap again..."
Imoen: "Sure! Let's see what we can find."

Alora: "Ooo, this is so exciting! Did you know that there's supposed to be a secret vault under the temple? With the most crazy artifacts you could think of! I tried finding it a few months ago, but well... I was the one being found. I managed to talk my way out of prison, but my family sent me to Gullykin after I got home, to 'set me straight'. Boy am I glad that didn't work out!"

In the unmodded game, this is where you can recruit Alora - you'll stumble into her if you come here at night, so likely while you're here to steal the telescope.

Imoen: "Well, while we're here, it would be a shame to leave with only the one piece of loot..."

In this case, there is no reason not to deliver the loot to our... contractor. Well, I never tried if it sells for a significant price, but it can't be used or equipped in any way.

Since it's thematically appropriate (if really stupid, right after the heist), let's also check out the *High* House of Wonders. I assume that this is the "real" temple while the other one is just a museum, but I'm not sure. There isn't really anything to do here though, just regular priest services and one named NPC.

Forthel August: "Hello! Nice to make the acquaintance of such a cultured personage."

Forthel: "Well, I'll tell you. I am a bard, and a soon-to-be-great bard, I might add. All I really need is some good material for a song or two, and I'll be playing the big rooms. Seeing as how the masses always like tales of derring-do, I need to purchase a few details off of you. I could always make something up, but such things never ring true. Are you interested?"
Garrick: "The lot of a bard is to travel and learn. Why don't you go out and find your own stories?"
Forthel: "Why? Because it's DANGEROUS out there. I became a bard for the easy work and prestige among certain female members of my social set, not because I wanted to chase vermin down dungeon holes. Do you wish to help or not?"
Weeblet: "Surely. What type of tales do you require?"

Forthel: "That sounds like such a load of poppycock. The Iron Throne is a merchant consortium, and not likely to promote such a bloodbath as war with Amn would bring. Killing all the customers is generally bad for business and makes no sense. If you're not going to be serious with me, I'll take my leave.

Forthel will be dismissive of you no matter what story to decide to tell him, although he'll find the other ones trite and boring instead of 'poppycock'. I think you can get like 50 gold out of him with another story, though, for all the miniscule worth that has at this point in time.

An... odd resolution to this quest. I assume Ghorak killed his brother, else why would he have been cursed, but why does Agnasia figure that out without the name being mentioned? Or is it implied that Weeblet tells her everything we know, including who told us to begin with?

Anyway, we'll check on Ghorak later this update, but you get the quest reward (1000 XP, +1 Rep) from this conversation already. To finish up another quest, we bring the dead child we... found in Umberlee's temple to his father:

Tremain Belde'ar: "You roll your dice, and you take your chances."

Tremain: "Now the moment I have yearned for. Please all, no noise. I must concentrate."

Casson: *cough* "...wha...?"
Tremain: "Blessed be Our Smiling Lady! He lives! Son, can you hear me?"
Casson: "Father, I... what's going on?"
Tremain: "Oh, my dear, dear boy. You are IN SUCH TROUBLE! What in all the planes were you thinking, child?! Gallivanting through an Umberlant temple like that?! So help me, if turning you over my knee wouldn't kill you outright, you'd jump black to go right to blue!"
Cassonr: "What... but... but it wasn't my faul..."
Tremain: "Oh no, you don't! If you want to play the odds, you had best be sure you take responsibility for yourself! The goddess of luck and adventure does not endorse DUMB luck or foolish risks! I swear, if your mother were alive to hear about this she'd drop dead where she stood, and THEN I'd have to raise her TOO! Do you have any idea what this spell takes out of a person?!"
Casson: "But I... we... I'm sorr..."
Tremain: "Not another word past your lips young man! You're off to your room and see if I let you out before you're four score and twenty! March!"
Casson: "But... I... awe..."

(Casson and Tremain off)

Varci: "I've your payment here. Tsk, it will be some time before Casson and I get a night out again. It is good to have him back among the living, though I take some small pleasure in the trouble he's in for what we did. You'll notice I've not sat down since you've known me. Sometimes 'Our Lady Who Smiles' downright laughs out loud. Look to us if you need aid in the future. Many a Tymoran will look favorably on you now. Good day."

I, too, think that beating them up is the best way to help a child through the traumatic experience of having their best friend killed by the priestesses of an evil goddess.

Garrick: "Oh, goodness, that is quite the kingly reward for our work. You could take an entire army of archers while carrying this shield."

Well, not quite, because nat 20s will still hit, but this is still a really, really good shield. An AC of -18, reached with the help of Yeslick Sword and Shield fighting style, is pretty absurd. It's also a point to why that fighting style isn't really worth investing into, since -18 is admittedly pretty overkill.

To the east of Tremain's house is the Mage Ragefast's abode, which we were sent to by his collegue Ramazith:

Abela: "Destiny or no... I am not long for this place."
Ragefast: "What?! What bandit dares enter the home of Ragefast?! Identify your purpose here, that I might know what to put on thy tombstone!"
Weeblet: "Dare you speak of me as bandit, when you commit such crimes as you do?!"
Ragefast: "What nonsense is this?! Explain yourself before I dispense with you!"
Weeblet: "You hold this beauteous creature captive and still claim the moral high ground? It's a contradiction!"
Ragefast: "No! This wondrous being is my love and life! I would e hers as well, but it takes time! She will grow to care for me, as I care for her!"
Weeblet: "One does not cage those he cares for! You may break her spirit and she will serve you, but this is not love! Listen to her!"
Ragefast: "She will learn to be happy here! We shall grow old together."
Abela: "Look unto me, Ragefast. My beauty fades even now."
Ragefast: "Abela, thy beauty is as brilliant now as the day I found you. Say not such things."
Abela: "'Tis flattering, but you are blinded by your passion. Truly see what is become of me. I should not age, but my spirit fades in this ugly place. Yours does as well, but from obsession over me."
Ragefast: "But we were meant for each other! Thy very words had said so!"
Abela: "In my glade amidst the stars and moon. 'Twas beauty in that, but I cannot be confined with thee. I am not human, and this is not my home."

In order to keep all this without Ragefast attacking you, you have to constantly pick the correct dialogue option out of three choices. It's not very difficult, though - don't mention Ramazith (who very obviously is an evil prick who isn't asking you to do this out of the goodness of his heart), don't threaten Ragefast, and you're golden.

Ragefast: "I... it is so. Forgive me, Abela, I have been a fool. I release you from my enchantments, and you are free to leave. Please do not think too harshly of me. I am but a foolish old man."
Abela: "I am not without fault, but 'tis my nature to breed obsession in people. A hazard of just being who and what I am. As for my impromptu saviors, my gratitude is boundless! Please, take a lock of hair to remember me my. I doubt I shall seek the company of man for some time. Goodbye."

Imoen: "Impressive speech there, Weeblet. Be honest, how much of it comes from your favourite picture story?"
Weeblet: "Oh, come on! Give me some credit! ...half, at most. Maybe two thirds."

Saving Abela gives us 2000 XP, which is enough for Coran to gain another Thief level. No real reason not to put all his skill points into stealth.

And Abela's lock of hair is an actual item, too. No use on its own, but we'll look into that fable very soon.

With this good deed done (which I'm sure Ramazith will be eternally greatful for), I believe we're done for good with this part of Baldur's Gate.

Halbazzer: "Suit yourself, though I can't say as I blame ya. Very useful stuff, that. Say, how about I have a seamstress weave it within a cloak for ye? It is said that the wearer of such an item is magically more beautiful. It would not cost much, perhaps 100 gold. Delicate stuff, it is."
Weeblet: "An excellent suggestion! You have a deal!"
Halbazzer: "You won't regret this! I already have one cloak made. I'll give it to ye, now that I can make several others. Here ye go."

Turns out that "very soon" was going to be "immediately". Honestly, it feels a bit cheap that the conclusion of this quest gives you a cloak made of *another* Nymph's hair, but that's how it goes.

The cloak we get is virtually identical to Algernon's Cloak which we stole way back in Beregost, so players who don't know that there's a very useful magic item on that random dude in the inn will have a second chance of getting themselves this Charisma boost. There's some small differences between the cloaks with how the Charm Creature abilities work - the Nymph Cloak has 40 charges in total that can be recharged by selling and rebuying it, Algernon's Cloak has one charge per day and can charm at range.

For this playthough specifically, getting this really isn't very important. For other CHARNAMES, there can be a (very small) benefit of replacing Algernon's with this, but since Weeblet already hit 20 Cha with the Helm of the Noble, we don't actually need either cloak.

For stealing the telescope, we're rewarded with a bit of gold, a Wand of Lightning (i.e. more gold because I'm not going to use that), and 5500 XP.

Brevlik: "All that glitters is not gold, but all that's gold most certainly glitters."

Brevlik was waiting for us in the Elfsong tavern, which is also where the Lady Areana wanted us to go and murderise her blackmailer:

Cyrdemac: "A mutual friend? Areana? She hired you to come and talk to me? No, you are too heavily armed for mere chitchat. Let me guess, you were to kill me but you want a peaceful solution. You would rather end this diplomatically and save your conscience the trouble of killing someone over a mere tryst in the Undercellar. Let me save you from your dilemma... and get in the first shot!"

...I mean, how do these people think those 1v6 fights are going to go?

OK, technically, this is a 3v6 fight, since there's some generic ruffians in an adjacent room that will join the fight, but the point still stands.

Cyrdemac's sword is just a Bastard Sword +1, so nothing anybody on our team would want to use.

(...)

Areana: "Have you... have you done it? Is he...?
Weeblet: "The fool is dead, milady. He will trouble you no more."

(I forgot to make a screenshot, but I believe Areana then kicks you out because a lady can't be seen with a bunch of killers!)

Also, this is one of the more satisfying "evil" resolutions to a quest. Areana not realising that hiring a bunch of hitmen *might* be something even more worth blackmailing her over than having banged a dude is kinda funny, although you don't tend to get a whole lot out of it. You just don't spend that much ingame time in Baldur's Gate, since there's zero travel time between the areas.

That said, the "not realising" part might go both ways, because, well, Areana is willing to hire hitmen to get out of monetary commitments. I don't think I've seen it myself, but according to the wiki, if you try to collect your fee for a fifth time, there will be another goon waiting for you instead. Who follows the old rule of NPCs drastically overestimating their ability to fight a full group of adventurers, of course.

Lastly, we do want to confront Ramazith over the whole Nymph business. If you actually do what you're told and bring Abela to him, he will reveal that he's just going to murder her to harvest her for some spell ingredients, at which point you at least have the option to go after them (also to the top of the tower) in order to save her. Abela will be understandably miffed if you take this route, though, so no Nymph's Cloak for you then.

The floors between the ground floor and where Ramazith waits for you all have a handful of monsters waiting for you. None of them are actually dangerous (these Mustard Jellies are the strongest one, although I *still* can't show you the effect of their attack), but the tight space can make this dangerous for your squishy characters. But if you just send in your tankier characters first (or, in our case, three stealthed thieves), nothing here should pose too much of a problem. The monsters are, in this order:

• Two Mustard Jellies
• Five Ghasts
• Six Hobgoblin Elites
• Six Kobold Commandos

While going through those, Imoen reaches Mage Lv.8. No new spell circle, but getting a third Lv.3 spell and a second Lv.4 spell is both quite nice. For now, she goes with Slow (a pretty nice AoE, party-friendly debuff) and Improved Invisibility, respectively.

Ramazith doesn't have anything else to say to you when you reach him at the top of his tower. The most impressive thing that can be said about him is that he positions himself with his back at the wall, so you can't backstab him, but he still goes down very easily.

The real reward for this whole quest is actually the loot you can get from Ramazith, starting with the Guard's Ring, a straightforward upgrade to the Rings of Protection +1 that we've been picking up over the course of the game. Yeslick is using a cloak for his ___ of Protection (of which, remember, you can only use one at a time), so this goes to Weeblet.

Ramazith's Bracers (of Defence, AC 7) and (Knave's) Robe both aren't useful to us, but is amulet is - free spell slot is a free spell slot.

He also has a few more valuables in his cupboards and his desk, startin with another Wand of Paralysation and a few protection scrolls that we'll identify at some point in the future...

...and the next statboosting tome. Nobody in our group really needs Intelligence (...because I modded out the chance to fail to learn spells from scrolls, to be perfectly honest), so this just goes to Weeblet, bringing his Int to 12.

There's also a bunch of low-level spells and a few books. The latter generally don't serve a purpose, but we got a fetch quest for this one in particular.

*one trip across the map later*

It's not a unique book, so you don't *have* to murder Ramazith in order to do Rinnie's quest, but because both of them are in the northern area of the map, it's the most convenient one (and, to be honest, the only one that I know the location of). Rinnie rewards us with 900 XP and another protection scroll, also unidentified for the time being.

As a final act for this update, just to get it out of the quest log, we pay Ghorak a quick visit. We got the reward earlier, but for some reason, Ghorak is only "officially" cured when you speak to him again.

(Looking at the picture now, I really should've put the picture of Human!Ghorak walking away on the correct spot of the main picture. Too late now, I guess...)

Next time: Desperate fights! (probably, I remember it being pretty tough) Plot progression! (I'm pretty certain about that one) Until then: Thanks for reading!

 

[ping]

Update 20: The Gate: Reloaded

Spoiler

There's two more maps of the Gate left to explore, plus a bit of back and fro for good measure, but we're getting to the point where we should be able to pick up the main thread again. Y'know, about the whole "Iron Throne" thing..? People trying to kill us? OK, to be fair, we've met plenty of the latter that weren't related to the main plot.

Not trying to kill us, nor part of the main quest, is Quinn. The "bitch priestess" is Tenya, although it seems rather harsh to call a, what, 12-years-old girl such, and we did find the Ankheg in question while exploring that area right outside of the city.

Quinn: "'At's Nester's dagger you got there! I saw 'im drive it between the plates of 'at ankheg afore it pulled 'im under. 'Ere, take this gem of mine. We 'ad come to the city to pawn it afore things all went wrong. *sniff* 'Is momma's gonna be real grateful to ya."

In a larger mansion in the center of the map, you find the twins Laerta and Louise with a story that should be just as spooky to any parent as it is to them.

Louise will only ask if you believe their story, but talking to Laerta will spawn this very trustworthy mage near the entrance. He'll initiate dialogue, which in turn...

...will spawn the equally trustworthy Druid Voltine in the back.

Weeblet: "Excuse you?"

Voltine: "There is a dirty old mage in these parts. His name's Gervisse and he lurks around at night, peering in through people's windows. As it is a 'hobby' you seem to share, may I presume that you are close acquaintances?"

Weeblet: "You may not, and why are you, a Druid, generally considered a forest-dwelling profession, changing in the living room of these to girls?"
Voltine: "Counterquestion: What are *you* doing here?"
Weeblet: "Looking for quests, but point taken."

Imoen: "Here, let me solve this conundrum. Scio... didici... pecto..."

Imoen: "There. Evil guy, not-evil-just-weird woman. Stab, please."

Imoen: "Shooting is acceptable, too."

Voltine: "So, you have proved yourself to be of some use after all. As I told you, Gervisse was a dirty old man and this city is safer without him. Here, allow me to give you this wand as a... thank you for services rendered."

Duration: Permanent (until dispelled)

Very strong, very cheesy. I know of at least one dragon (in BG2) that is not immune to this, although you probably need to debuff its saving throws to allow this to stick.

To fully close the quest, you need to speak to Laerta again. This item reward is fairly modest (it's just the spell scroll for the low-level mage spell), but hey, Voltine's wand is the real prize.

Ocellis: "The dukes are too set in their ways, too comfortable there. This is all just part of their cat-and-mouse game with Amn to negotiate a better deal on the iron trade... Still, the suggestion of war has only been that until now: a suggestion, not an eventuality brought to the table to be considered..."

Honestly, real world history shows that mutual threats of war are an excellent way to actually start one, even if the threats were supposed to be hollow.

A good part of this map is taken by Duke Silvershield's estate, although it won't actually be the scene of any major events. We'll just plunder it a little (but not wholly) and not talk to a recruitable character.

To start the plunderin', you find this in a crate in the estate's garden. It's more novelty than anything else, since you can find a proper +2 Club in the Cloakwood. There's some small utility because the nighttime Thac0 boost is applied to both your weapons if you're dual-wielding, but that's highly situational and not even that powerful of an effect. +5% hit is nice, sure, but not game-changing.

To properly plunder the inside of the estate, you have to be a bit creative. These three containers are in vision of that guard, but he will walk up to you in order to start dialogue, which means that he can be lured outside the room.

Guard: "You there! What are you doing in the estate of Entar Silvershield?"
Weeblet: "We're here because we have dealings to discuss with Entar Silvershield. My associates and I have come all the way from Waterdeep. Perhaps you could leave us to our business now?"
Guard: "All right then, carry on."

I'm not sure what the necessary stat is to convince the guard - just charisma or "reaction", which includes both charisma and reputation, but Weeblet has plenty of both. There's no unique items to be looted here, but you do get some nice value out of it.

It doesn't work on Entar himself, though, who will just summon a bunch of hostile guards. Not dangerous to our health, but very harmful to our reputation. *reload*

You probably don't remember it, but we heard of Entar way back in Beregost. Kagain, the greedy evil dwarf running a mercenary company, was commitioned to guard a caravan that Entar's son was traveling with. Kagain's guards failed, Entar's son is dead, and if we were an evil party, that would've prompted Kagain to travel with us as a means to lay low and avoid Entar's wrath.

His other child is in a smaller nearby room, but Skie will also just call the guards.

Skie: "C-can I help you?!"

Skie: "Help! The estate is under attack! Help!"

*reload* Weeblet can use his stealth to grab a bit of the treasure from her room, but you'd have to recruit her to savely get all of it, which we cannot do.

If you remember even wayer back, on the road between Beregost and the Friendly Arm Inn, we ran into a slimy bard named Eldoth. He had been sweet-talking Skie and wanted us to pick her up (and then use her as a willing hostage to extract gold from Entar), and you can only recruit Skie if Eldoth is, in fact, in your party. But that's not possible for us, since Eldoth is evil and would leave our goody-goody party right away. So, instead of the nice beautiful ingame character sheet...

...you'll have to make do with this very professionally made replacement.

There honestly aren't many good things to say about Skie as a bunch-o'-numbers, even I enjoy the spoiled-brat personality in her voice lines ("Aww, I broke a nail." - "I have a cold." - "Oh, my feet hurt."). But unfortunately, she can be quickly summarised as a Worse Imoen, without the option to dual-class into Mage (unlike Safana, who can at least do that with the Int tome), who comes way past the point where you're thinking of adding another thief to your party. As a pure thief, she's at least better than Safana, I guess? Her defensive stats, Dex and Con, are actually quite decent. But her class is just not very good outside of the utility, and you can easily get that from other characters that have some additional features on top of that.

Moving on and back out of the estate - this is the tiny reason to replace Algernon's Cloak with the Nymph Cloak that I alluded to last update: pathological completionism. You only get 200 gold and 300 XP from turning in this quest, which is very much not worth giving up a cloak with one Domination spell per day, but since the Nymph Cloak is basically an equal replacement, it's not a big deal to still follow Pheirkas's request.

The most important building in this area of the map is this one, marked on the map as "Degrodel's House". Well, most 'important' can be argued, you can actually skip the quest starting here while still getting all the rewards, but it's certainly the most *dangerous* building in this area.

The reason is quite straightforward.

There's a total of two Doom Guards, two Helmed Horrors, and three Invisible Stalkers inside, all of which are just... very strong. They all have Armour Classes around -5, which is quite hard to hit for everyone of our team, and only one of those three monster types is susceptible to missile attacks - the Invisible Stalker, weirdly enough, which still has a 80% damage reduction against arrows and suchlike.

And they do hit rather hard.

Taking the battle outside does help, though. It helps that you can summon meat shields (although that's not the most accurate description of the skeleton Yeslick summoned) that would refuse to go to another area, even if it's just a building, but it's even more important that not all monsters will follow your bait, splitting the enemies in two.

...still can't quite get over Invisible Stalkers not being invisible. Not only can you shoot them with arrows, you can also use wands and spells against them, something that "true" invisibility would protect against. They do *start* as invisible, at least, and will only reveal themselves by attacking a party member.

Anyway, once you've fought your way through the welcome committee, it's time to see what all this fuss is about...

Degrodel: "First of all, my name is Degrodel. I can only assume that you're Weeblet, the adventurer who has been stirring up so much trouble in the recent past. Now that introductions are done, let us get down to business. My task is very simple. Some years ago, an evil band of mercenaries were all petrified while trying to break into the home of Ramazith. For those of you with a limited vocabulary, petrified means 'turned to stone.' Anyhow, one of those adventurers had in his possession an item of power: the Helm of Balduran. Ramazith didn't know this at the time and so, after turning them all to stone, he simply sold their bodies to an art collector living inthe heart of Baldur's Gate. What I would like you to do is find these statues, turn them back to flesh, and take the item."
Weeblet: "How do we turn them from stone back to flesh?"
Degrodel: "Very simple, really. I will give you these six scrolls of stone to flesh. Use them on the statues when you find them. The estate can be found just west of the fairgrounds in the center of town. Good luck, and don't entertain any thoughts about betraying me. It could be very hazardous to your health."

Imoen: "Sooo, that creep Ramazith could've turned us all into stone? Good thing he didn't have the brains to tell his bodyguards to actually guard his body."
Garrick: "I don't like dealing with all these crazy wizards, but this could be a huge discovery. The helmet of the Gate's founder? I'd rather not hand that over to anyone, let alone somebody who is probably just going to lock it in their cellars."
Coran: "We should still cooperate. For now. I'm pretty sure we have the skills necessary to... discreetly check how secure his estate really is."
Alora: "But first, we must find the helm. Oooo, that's so exciting! A real mystery!"
Yeslick: "Aye, but even before that, we'll have to take a rest. I'm all out of healing spells, and I don't think Imoen and Garrick fare any better with their spells. That old mage welcomed us with a fight, not that he didn't have the right to, given that you broke into his house, mind you, but we need to be prepared for a similar good-bye."

So, to the Helm and Cloak inn we go, where, after the rest, we run into some collegues:

Gorpel Hind: "Iron mines in the Cloakwood? Your tales are tall, indeed, and we are richer for the telling. Consider yourself honorary members of the Merry Fools and may ale and friendship always flow within these hallowed halls! A toast, you drunkards, to Weeblet and the winsome souls that surround us now!"

How nice. We've heard Gorpel's name before, actually - his group were the adventurers who captured the Greater Basilisk running rampant in a warehouse. Now, speaking with him will cause a less jolly group of adventurers to also arrive at the inn:

Gretek: "I'll crush your face, I will! Make you dead and done!"

Gretek: "No one stands between the Maulers and their ale! ready your weapons, men. We have some garbage to pick up!"

The Maulers are a full party of six - two warriors, a thief, a cleric, and two arcane magic users - which makes the ensuing fight actually kinda tough, even though the Merry Fools will lend their support.

In particular, it's not advisable to let Pargus fire his lazors. Lightning Bolt is *very* dangerous in a closed room, including for the caster, of course. Let's try this again...

There, better.

This is always going to be a bit of a messy fight, but as long as you follow the old rule of "shoot the guy in the dress first", you can generally just out-muscle the Maulers.

It must be quite "fun" for the people in Faerûn that a bar brawl can escalate into lightning bolts and fireballs obliterating any unlucky bystander.

The reason to choose violence here, apart from the ~5000 XP from the fight (and, according to the wiki, that the Maulers will actually attack you regardless of your answer), is once again the loot...

...and specifically the first +2 Axe you can get. It's less interesting than other +2 weapons we've come across, that at least deal another extra point of elemental damage like Yeslick's hammer, and nobody on our team actually uses axes, but hey, +2 Axe. That's neat. Other than that, one of the Maulers drops some magic arrows. The rest of the loot is just basic, at most weakly enchanted, stuff.

But back to Degrodel's quest, continuing in the center of the city.

...well, OK, let's maybe not tell the guy that we're here. *reload*

(Being smug is actually the only dialogue option that will cause Gist to call the guards, but there's not really a reason to interact with him, either)

Faizah Tin: "If I had such a thing, I would not think your offer a worthwhile trade. My life for such a powerful item? You will not find many that peaceably accept such terms. Feel free to examine my fellows though. They might respond otherwise."

Most of the (now former) statues respond in the same way: "Nah, sorry, don't got that." Rance is giving us a hint that - surpise, surprise - Degrodel might not have been entirely honest with us, although a hypothetical Know Alignment spell would show us that these adventurers are indeed located in the Evil / Chaotic Neutral corner of the alignment chart as Degrodel insinuated.

A min-maxer would just kill them one by one for the XP and loot after de-stoning them, since there's no reputation penalty for it and they're revived with very low HP. But, of course, we don't do evil and stuff around here.

The adventurer we were looking for is Vail, their leader:

Veil: "Sorry, but I have no reward for you, and I must e on my way immediately. There are many things that might have been happening while I was trapped in this stone form."

...but you have to be very direct so that he doesn't just leave. *reload* Let's try the first option instead...

Vail: "That is what he said? Well, he was wrong. As much as I am grateful for your help, the item you seek is very important to me. I earned it through hard work, and take good care of it. Am I to relinquish such a historical curiosity that means so much to me? I ask you reconsider. We are both adventuring sorts, whether hired or driven by spirit. Leave me my prize, you know I well deserve it."
Weeblet: "You words ring true. I will not take this item from you."
Vail: "I am... relieved. Do not think you will go away empty handed for your compassion. I... I will give up another item nearly as dear to me. Perhaps the two should not be separated, but you have done well by me. The Cloak of Balduran is with a favored consort of mine in the Undercellar. Quenash is her name. Go there and she will give it to you. She will know I sent you. Now please leave me."

Vail out. "But wait!", you might say, "are you really going to let an item slip that has been hyped up so much?"

No. No, I will not. Having Alora and her pickpocket skills around does prove useful.

Imoen: "Your 'guile'. Right. Gosh, you're so clever. 'Named for the purpose?' I'm sure we will *never* figure out your code."    

But before we will callously go back on the word we've given, we should pay Quenash a visit. You can easily reach the Undercellar through the Blushing Mermaid bar.

Vivienne: "Why must evil always be so fleet of foot, while good loiters behind, holding back like an embarrassed younger brother? I pray that the gods may someday grant us swifter heroes!"

You can kinda see the doorway leading to the Undercellar on the other side of the table Coran's standing at.

There we go. The Undercellar is basically just a hidden brothel...

...frequented by the upper echelons of society. Quenash is easy enough to find:

Quenash: "I'm a fine-lookin' strumpet, ain't I?"

Weeblet: "Also, har har, never heard that one before."

Quenash: "HA! You think me a fool? Vail would not give such a thing to a lout like you. I do not know how you came upon his name, but you obviously don't know a thing about him. Can you tell me his favorite dish? Or his mother's maiden name? I doubt you have even laid eyes on him. What was the color of his hair? Can you even name his race?"
Weeblet: "An elf he was, and his hair blond as the sunlight."
Quenash: "Hmm... perhaps you do know of him. Still, I cannot believe he would relinquish such a thing to you. He can be a touch flighty at times though. Ah, it's been some time since he paid me a visit. Who knows how he may have changed? Here you are then. Take it and leave me. I've better things to be doing."

Coran: "Well, speaking of 'doi--"
Imoen: "How about you don't, right now, for, like, five minutes?"

Weeblet: "Thank you. I will trouble you no more."
Quenash: "Just move along."

So then, part one of this quest's main rewards. It's really good, even though 25% isn't really a chance you'd want to rely on. It's better if you can stack it with other sources (Viconia being a drow, or a potion, or even the extra +5% from the Robes of the Archmagi), but even just the AC and ST bonuses are quite nice, since you can actually use this cloak on top of the rings or amulets providing the same bonus.

Before continuing, we spend some money to have our HP restored. You know, just in case.

(Robert Oppenheimer was the "father of the atom bomb", so, er, nuclear annihilation is cool! Yay!)

Imoen: "He was talking about the Helm and Cloak? As the 'appropriate' place to hide the Helm? Which goes so splendidly with the Cloak? I never would've guessed!"

Imoen: "And the treacherous mage betrayed us. Golly gee."

Killing Degrodel can actually be a bit tricky, since he doesn't turn hostile, immediately tries to bail, has pretty good HP for a mage, and will despawn after a short while. But this time, Weeblet got a backstab against a moving target (something that doesn't always work out), making the kill look easy.

And the rest of the fight works out nicely, too...

...stupid pathing notwithstanding. Now then, to the main price:

Also really good! It doesn't have a flashy +25% of anything, but all those small bonuses, also compatible with other sources of the same, do help greatly to reduce enemies' chances to hit you or get a crowd control effect through.

With that, only one district remains. Took us long enough! There, we run into Aldeth, who we saved from a group of (probably rightfully) angry Druids in the Cloakwoods.

Aldeth: "You there! Identify yourself!"

Aldeth: "It is so pleasant to see your faces once again. Don't you recognize me? It is I, Aldeth Sashenstar. I am so glad to have met you, especially at a time like this. I need to speak with you privately. Will you listen to what I have to say?"
Weeblet: "Of course we'll listen. What is it that you have to say?"
Aldeth: "Thank you so much, my friends. This should suffice for privacy. I'm sorry for all of this hiding and skulking, but there are dire events afoot. You know that I am one of the principal shareholders of the Merchants' League. Well, I share ownership with two others: Irlentree and Zorl Miyar, two very distinguished gentlemen. When I returned from my hunting trip--thanks to you, I might add--I found that my two partners had undergone some profound changes, nothing physical or overt, but something far more sinister."
Weeblet: "Well, go on. What's so sinister?"
Aldeth: "It's as if my partners had become wholly different people while I was gone. They almost take an active interest in squandering our company's resources on frivolous and stupid ideas. If they continiue on this course, the company will be in shambles in but a few weeks. I know you have already helped me once, but I ask for your assistance again. I have no other recourse."
Weeblet: "What do you want us to do?"
Aldeth: "Come into the Merchants' League Estate with me. I will explain that you are old friends of mine and will quarter all of you in the guest chambers. From there, please investigate my partners, perhaps using magic or any of the other skills you possess. Learn as much as you can during your visit and then report back to me after you're done. It should only take a couple of days."
Weeblet: "Sounds like an easy job. We'll do it."
Aldeth: "Then just follow me into the Merchants' League Estate. You may begin the investigation as soon as you get inside. I shall be waiting for any reports of your progress on the second floor."

Guard: "If I've guessed correctly, you're here to investigate Zorl and Irlentree. I think you should contact my superior, Brandilar. He might be able to help you."

Merchant: "Irlentree and Zorl have been acting rather strange of late. I don't know what it is about them, but they don't seem to be their usual selves."
Weeblet: "If the truth be known, Aldeth hired us to investigate his partners. Is there anything you know that could help us?"
Merchant: "If you search Zorl's office on the second floor, you might turn something up."

Irlentree: So, these are the guests you have been talking about, Aldeth."

Irlentree: "The party is set to take place on the third floor. If you go up there, I'll meet you soon after."

Zorl: Hello! Nice to make the acquaintance of such a cultured personage."

Zorl: "So, were you good friends with Dabron as well?"
Weeblet: "Oh, yeah. Dabron. Sure we were."

Brandilar: "I'm glad you've been honest with me. To tell you the truth, I've been somewhat suspicious of my other employers as well. They haven't been themselves, and they seem to have a completely callous outlook on the future of their business. I'd almost have to say that Irlentree and Zorl aren't who they say they are, or they've had their minds taken over, or some other rot. Unfortunately, there's nothing I can do because they're my employers. I might be able to turn a blind eye if you were to investigate what they've ben doing. If you can find some hard proof that exposes what's been happening, I might be able to do something about this whole mess. What do you say?"
Weeblet: "Sure, we might as well work together."
Brandilar: "If you find anything, come back and see me immediately."

You probably have an idea at this point what's been going on. Aldeth's quest isn't part of the main story, but it does tie in with it very nicely.

Of course, we're not going to spend days infiltrating the League - to continue the quest, you basically just have to walk past the bartender into Zorl's office and lockpick his desk to find three letters:

There we go, hard proof that exposes what's been happening.

Brandilar: "How has your investigation fared? Have you found anything that may be of use?"
Weeblet: "We found some documents that you might find very interesting."
Brandilar: "Show me what you've found."
Weeblet: "Here, take a look."
Brandilar: "This is exactly what I need. Irlentree and Zorl are obviously doppelgangers! I want you to track down and kill every one of those monstrous shapeshifters."

And indeed, "Zorl" transforms into his (its?) original form once he's been found out.

On the third floor, you'll find a whole slew of Doppelgangers, that were to pose as guests to the party in Aldeth's honour.

I forgot to talk to Aldeth at the right time to get that dialogue, but he's very surprised if you tell him about the party before finding the letters. Not only did nobody tell him about it, the anniversary it's supposed to celebrate is entirely made up, too.

After cleaning up a few more Doppelgangers on the ground floor with the not-really-needed assistance of the guard, we can finish the quest.

Brandilar: "You've done very well! I'm glad to have worked with such as you. Aldeth should have your reward, if he hasn't already given it to you."

Aldeth's reward is... actually going to be useful, despite nobody having a Bastard Sword proficiency. Probably. I haven't done the fight in question in a while. Against regular ol' Doppelgängers, the extra Thac0 and damage doesn't make up for the lack of proficiency.

Going back to exploring the map, there's one seemingly generic shop with an interesting item for sale. This is the second (and last) Girdle of Bluntness that we get, the first having been dropped by a stupid man punching a tree back somewhere around Nashkel.

On of the houses is home to another unreasonable inhabitant, who just won't accept our right to walk in and take his shit:

Sunin: "Your feeble skills are not match for MY MAGIC!"

Sunin: "Of course, I'll not be killing you alone. I have my servants to aid in the killing. They are but a teleport spell away."

The ensuing fight is, once again, not too difficult. Sunin is pretty generic, as far as spells go, and his lackeys are just regular ol' fighters.

The reason to pick this fight (which can only be avoided by not entering the house to begin with) is this ring - again our second copy of an item, with the first one being a well-hidden treasure outside the Friendly Arm Inn. Unfortunately, this won't do anything for us right now, because BG1 Bards can't have nice things and are unable to wear this, and we don't have any Mages or Sorcerors other than Imoen.

In an inn next door to Sunin, we're approached by a Paladin of the KILL THEM ALL, LET {insert god here} SORT THEM OUT variety. If anybody in your party is evil, he will attack you, and cause a hit to your reputation if, or when, you kill him.

And yet another inn is overrun by big green slimes. Ew!

Imoen: "Gods, I do not regret that we killed that bastard."

Green Slimes are actually very dangerous, although I don't think I've fallen prey to their ability. Basically, they can not only poison their target, but that poison also carries an instant-death effect unless the victim makes a successful saving throw. You were able to see the effect on the bartender, whose green skin marked him as dead within seconds.

However, the slimes are also very squishy (16 HP...) and their Thac0 of 17 means that they only hit our melee guys with a natural 20 at this point, so it's unlikely that they will actually apply their poison.

Wiven will ambush you in another house which I assume she happens to be plundering. Despite our own standing with the guild, there's no amicable outcome to this little encounter - either fight, or give her all your cash.

Wiven: "Don't you fret, I'm not a one-woman ambush, there are three more of my friends hidden among the shadows. We're the best the Thieves' Guild's got. If you want to give us trouble, then don't think you'll be walking out of here in one piece.
Weeblet: "I'm sure you have lots of invisible friends, lady, but they don't scare us. Draw steel so that we can settle this little dilemma."
Wiven: "It's too bad it comes to this. All right, boys, take 'em out!"

We obviously choose to fight, which will spawn Wiven's three friends further in the back. Unfortunately for them, the group of thieves doesn't quite have the best party balace - Wiven, despite playing front-liner, is a Mage/Thief, while the other three are bow-using Fighters.

As far as loot goes, you get a few mid-level spell scrolls (Protection from Normal Missiles and Ghost Armor) and some enchanted arrows. Nothing spectacular, but nice to get.

Now - it took a while, but it is time to *finally* follow Scar's request (remember him? The Flaming Fist officer that approached us when we first entered the city?) and check out the Seven Suns merchant guild.

Merchant: "I'm sorry, but I'm in a real hurry, please don't bother me."
Weeblet: "Not until you answer some questions."
Merchant: "Listen here. There have been some strange things happening about the Seven Suns, but I'd rather not talk about it. Everybody I know has been acting really strange of late. I've seen some of the other merchants change faces when they thought I wasn't looking. Yes, you heard me right, they changed faces! Some sort of shapeshifters have infiltrated the Seven Suns. If I were you, I'd get out of here while there's still time. That's what I'm planning to do."

Yeslick: "You go on a bit of a vacation, lad. We'll figure things out in the meanwhile."
Coran: "But we should have a quick chat with Scar ourselves first. It's clear that we're dealing with doppelgängers, so it's likely that there will be a bunch of dead bodies in the building when we're done. There's witnesses in the Merchants' League that can confirm what really happened, but who knows if there's any real people left here now that that fatso is gone."

Scar: "This is very serious news. I must ask you another favor. If you were to return to the compound and destroy this infestation of monsters, I would be willing to double your wage."
Weeblet: "Yes, of course. We'll get to it. We just wanted to get your confirmation on that."
Scar: "I must thank you once again, you're doing a great service to this city."

The non-RP reason why we had this little chat with Scar is this additional XP and gold reward, which you only get if you talk to him mid-mission. Now, back to the Seven Suns...

Merchant: "Yes, indeed, how... interesting. And what of these people about you? Do they know you well?"
Weeblet: "To tell you true, we are but strangers traveling together this brief while out of mere convenience."
Merchant: "Ah, I have dreamed of loners such as yourself and each time woken with a groaning belly."
Weeblet: "Pray tell me what about my lowly persona could make a merchant and his many purses dream?"
Merchant: "Come, my brothers. It seems that a feast has been set before us. Let us eat before it cools."

Yeslick: "Clever, lad. More cleverness than these simpletons might deserve."

There's some more simpletons upstairs, but our objective is in the cellar:

No, not this additional simpleton...

Back when Scar gave us this quest, he name-dropped this Jhasso, so let's do the same the other way around...

Jhasso: "You know Scar? I'm Jhasso, a friend of his and the owner of the Seven Suns. You have to help me get out of here!"
Weeblet: "It's good that we found you. Now we can find out what's been going on here. Before we take you anywhere, could you tell us what has been going on?"
Jhasso: "Those creatures, the shapeshifters, started infiltrating the Seven Suns some months ago. THey must have started with some less important members of my coster. Eventually they captured me, and their leader took my face. They've been keeping me alive in order to gain information that they need through torture. I don't know what their purpose is, but they have been running my business very poorly. All of you will be well rewarded for rescuing me. When you meet Scar again, he will give you my reward. I must be off now, as there is much of the monsters' work to be undone. I assume you've dealt with the other monsters upstairs. If you haven't, I'll get the Flaming Fist to clear out the rest. It'll probably be weeks before we can clean out their stench."

Well, that was easy. To be honest, I find Aldeth's quest to be more or less a better version of this, so I don't think it was a good decision to lock that one behind the decision to side against the druids (or have Jaheira with you) in the Cloakwood.

Before we leave, there's some minor treasure to be had. Mostly gold, gems, and sellable magic items, although we also find a protection scroll that Imoen will identify at some later point.

Scar: "I'm impressed! You are as good as your word and obviously very deadly in your work. I'll give you the wage you deserve, triple our original agreement. I want to keep in touch with you, especially if the Iron Throne is up to what you say it is."

Scar: "The problem is this: Every night people have been disappearing from the streets of the city. My men have been scouring the city trying to find the culprit, but so far to no avail. People have begun to get scared, and very few are willing to leave their homes at night. Something has to be done, and quickly. Would you be willing to take the job? I'd pay you 300 gold in advance with a 1,000 gold bonus if you discover what's been happening to the disappearing citizens. What do you say?"
Weeblet: "We agree to your terms."
Scar: "Your job is really simple. All I want you to do is patrol the east of the city and find an entrance to the sewers. Perhaps you'll get lucky and find out what's been happening. If you do find out what's been happening, come to see me at the Flaming Fist barracks. Our only clue so far has led us to the sewers, so if you want to explore them first, it would probably be a good idea. Also, we've found tracks of some many-legged creature, perhaps a centipede-like monster."

Further back in the Fist HQ are two more named characters. Dilos just tells you where Scar is if you managed to walk right past him, I guess, and Fergus gives us a small fetch quest.

Fergus: "I've gotta admit, I ain't never been happier. Got a letter from my lady and she's gonna be home reeeal soon... Just gotta find me a pretty little ring for her pretty little finger and all's gonna be fine, just fine. But my lady, she transcends gold or silver or fancy stones. She'll have nothing less than an angel skin ring from me."

Aaand done. I'm not sure where in the Gate you would find an Angel Skin Ring if you didn't know about this quest beforehand, but it's a fairly common random drop, so chances are that you'll get one somewhere.

Now, to Scar's second request. I have been ignoring the sewers thus far and apart from jumping into them at this entrance behind the Sorcerous Sundries, that won't change, at least for now. They might come in handy if, for whatever reason, we need to navigate the city out of anybody's sight. We'll see.

There *are* some encounters down there, so I might not be entirely completionist here, but none of them are of real consequence. The most interesting aspect might just be that the Undercellar is connected to the sewers, so you might just randomly find a big whorehouse while stomping through the human waste of the city.

(whoops, excuse the overzealous cropping, but I already overwrote the original picture. You can probably still get the gist of things.)

Going down this specific entrance, you immediately run into an Ogre Mage surrounded by a handful of Carrion Crawlers (weak, but very fast attacks with a chance to stun, in case you don't remember). Because the Crawlers are hostile to begin with, the game auto-pauses immediately when you enter the sewers, which is convenient because it allows you to attack the Ogre Mage before he gives his little speech that turns *him* hostile, too. You can see the blood and half-empty, not-red HP bar in the picture.

One very quick fight later, we find a magic Scimitar (nothing special, just a +1 weapon) and a unique Ruby Ring on the dead Ogre. Or Oni, as Weeblet would point out. "Sashenstar" is Aldeth's family name, which has not very nice implications, but he himself is fine (and I don't think he'll react if you talk to him with the ring in your inventory). Scar will give us the story when we turn in the quest.

In a cul-de-sac to the west, you can find the bodies of the Ogre Mage's victims alongside his loot - actually some pretty valuable stuff, like a generic Ruby Ring, a Potion of Magic Protection, or a Ninjato +1.

These bodies are also the most convenient way to finish a quest we got right after getting to the Gate. I was worried that Arkion might have noticed that we stole both Nemphre's ring *and* his own amulet already, but the quest can still be turned in without any problem.

So, back to Scar...

Scar: "You've done a good job and earned your bonus in full. Do you have any of the items possessed by the ogre's victims? I'm sure their families would like to have something to remember of their loved ones. We know for a fact that the Sashenstar family lost a daughter to those creatures. She had a signet ring, a ring inset with a ruby.
Webblet: "Yes, we did. We'll happily return it."
Scar: "I thank you for your honesty. I'll throw in a 3,000 gold bonus for the return of the items. Anyway, I'm going to need some people to do some investigating of the Iron Throne. I'm just going to finish up some paperwork, then I'll be just outside the main doors of the Flaming Fist compound. If you wish to discuss the Iron Throne, just come talk to me there."

I don't think giving back the ring adds any XP (you get 3000 for this quest), but the extra 3000 gold is a nice bonus considering that selling the ring only yields... I think 800 gold.

You hardly have to wait at all to get Scar's third and final quest - just go outside and he'll follow you almost immediately.

Scar: "Hello, Weeblet. I have another job for you. This one involves a group you have dealt with in the past--the Iron Throne. Duke Eltan himself wishes to speak to you about this. Will you come with me?"
Weeblet: "Of course we'll come, especially if we have an audience with the Grand Duke."
Scar: "Just follow me, I'll take you to the Flaming Fist compound. The Grand Duke is waiting for us."

These small extra steps until we get the quest feel a bit like something a pen-and-paper dungeon master would do to give the players a bit of room to go sell loot and buy equipment, which doesn't translate all that well to the video game medium, where the world literally moves and stops moving according to the player's needs. Oh well - time to meet one of the four Grand Dukes: Eltan, the leader of the Fist. We've heard the name before, from Elminster and I believe from another random Harper we ran into, both naming him as somebody in the city we can trust.

Scar: "Let me introduce you to Grand Duke Eltan, one of the lords of the city, commander of the Flaming Fist, and member of the Lord's Alliance."

(no idea what that last thing is, though)

Eltan: "From what I have been told, you have been quite a thorn in the side of the Iron Throne. I'm interested in you because of the obvious hatred that they hold for you. Their recent activities have been brought to my attention, and I am very dubious about the intent of the Throne. I think it is far too easy to blame the recent caravan raids and iron shortages on the Zhentarim. Though the evidence does point to them, they do not have much to profit, while the Iron Throne has everything to gain. I have much to concern me right now, especially with tension rising between our city and the nation of Amn. Unfortunately, my hands are tied; I can't act against the Iron Throne until I have hard evidence of their wrongdoing. That's, of course, where you come in. I need a small group of spies to break into the Iron Throne headquarters and see if they can find any proof of the Throne's involvement with the caravan raids. If you do this for me, you'll be paid extremely well: 2,000 gold to divide between yourselves. What is your answer?"
Weeblet: "2,000 gold?! Consider us hired!"
Eltan: "You have made a wise decision. It is a difficult mission that I give you, but I am sure that you have the wherewithal to make it through. Return and report to me once you feel you have enough information to use against the Iron Throne."
Weeblet: "We'll be back as soon as possible."

(Weeblet tells a lie, we'll waste a few days of ingame time before getting back to this)

Anyway, this is one of the few majorly railroaded conversations in the game. Most of the time, you don't have to play nice as Weeblet tends to do - you can be rude to Elminster, let all the slaves at the Cloakwood Mines drown, or just murderhobo your way through the plot without talking to anybody at all. But if you don't cooperate with Eltan in this dialogue, you get cutscene-murdered for an instant Game Over, which is rather jarring in comparison to the rest of the game.

Also, 2000 gold, while realistically a fortune, is only half of what we got for the previous quest from Scar. Not that it matters, it's just a small inconsistency at worst.

What we will waste our time with is a quick trip to Nashkel and back, because once you've reached Baldur's Gate, Rasaad's companion quest is open to be finished. We have listened to all of Rasaad's party dialogue beforehand, which is another requirement to trigger the next part, so we can just return back north immediately.

Alora will have to move to the bench in the meanwhile, with the power of modding allowing me to conveniently send her to the Gate ahead of time.

Alora: "Awww... do I have to? I don't wanna go there... but I suppose I'll do what ya say. I'll sulk till you return though!"

So, that's three days and a bit, including a rest at some Baldur's Gate inn...

...and then another 23 hours because of the way the encounter works.

I believe that when the Enhanced Edition initially came out, you had to enter the southern part of the Gate *during nighttime* in order to trigger this encounter. But to make it less easy to miss, the developers changed this to *making it nighttime*, specifically midnight, if you enter the map with Rasaad and all of Rasaad's banter bantered.
So because we entered the map at 1 AM, the clock advanced for 23 hours - which actually isn't just cosmetic since this *will* increase your characters' fatigue, which is why we rested beforehand despite nobody complaining about fatigue just yet.

But, ahem, back to the game...

Dark Moon Monk: "There he is, just as Sorrem described. A slave of the hated one!"
Other Dark Moon Monk: "Our Mistress shall be pleased, and Sorrem shall have his robe."
Yet Another Dark Moon Monk: "Slay the Sun Soul and those who stand with him!"
Rasaad: "Be careful, friend. Some of these people are the same who attacked Gamaz and me in Athkatla."

*bonk*

Well, *slash*, I guess, given Weeblet's choice of weapon. Super quick reminder: Rasaad's Sun Soul order revers the Moon Maiden Selûne, while the eeeevil Dark Moon Monks rever her eeeevil twin Shar. They killed Rasaad's brother Gamaz, which obviously causes Rasaad much grief and survivor's guilt.

Conveniently, one of the DMMs drops a note giving us directions to the "Sorrem" they mentioned. But who might this "A" be? Find out - in Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn!

(I think. I don't remember "A" being name-dropped in BG1)

(1. serious, 2. snarky, 3. callous. The usual three choices when talking with Rasaad)

Rasaad: "One of the cult's principal goals is the eradication of the Sun Soul monks and all worshippers of Selûne. They will not rest until their dark purposes eclipse our efforts. We must stop them."
Rasaad: "We must prepare ourselves for another attack when we least expect it. The Dark Moon watch, wait, and strike from the shadows. They said someone named 'Sorrem' directed them to me."

In case you're too lazy to read the note, I guess. Or maybe the note is there in case you forget that Rasaad mentions the Blade and Stars.

But I think this update is plenty long at this point. So we'll continue Rasaad's quest in the next one, in which we'll probably also be done with the Gate, at least for a while. A long while, probably, come to think of it. But until then - thanks for reading!

 

 

[ping]

Update 21: Out of the Gate

With 20 updates, there's a lot of images to load at this point - 1500+, if I had to guess - so I thought I'd move the commentary to imgur itself. I'm not sure why the album is automatically flagged as "mature" - maybe because it's "hidden", but I can assure you that there's nothing behind the link above that you would have to explain to anybody walking in on you.