The journal of Detheriel (full of spoilers)

[shamrock_uk]

This is my attempt to write about a game of BG2 following my ranger, Detheriel in his travels. To hopefully provide something fresh from the normal walkthrough for you, dear readers, I shall be writing it from a very personal angle in a journal format.

Hopefully this will not turn into a "we went to A, then we went to B" story, but my aim is both to develop my character (showing his 'human side') and to improve my very fledgling roleplaying abilities.

I'm playing with most of the usual mods installed, no 'cheating' components though. All of tactics is installed, bar a couple of annoying ones and I'm playing on core difficulty. I shall be steering clear of reloads where possible (bar those where I die of course!) and trying to avoid reload knowledge. The only time I've allowed an exception for this is heading for the sewers first - running into Ilyich by accident (now that doors cannot be closed) would likely be fatal for my party.

For those of you who are interested in stats, Detheriel is a chaotic good ranger with nice but not godlike stats - I like them all to be 16 or below. A very nice roll of 88 (second try!) allowed me to have

Str 16
Dex 16
Con 16
Int 10
Wis 14
Cha 16

And my proficiency points are:

Two-weapon fighting: 3*
Long sword: 2*
Short sword: 1*
Scimitar 2*

So, without further ado, installment one. This will be updated slowly due to other commitments and also depending on demand. I won't abuse resting (ie resting before every battle), so will generally make notes in my journal around the campfire. Usually they will be much shorter than this, but it's been a long, long day for my party.

Oh yes, questions/comments and suggestions are of course welcome [img]smile.gif[/img]

[ 04-22-2005, 03:53 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

[shamrock_uk]

Date - unknown

This may be the first and last entry in this makeshift journal, but I feel the need to write down something of the horror so that our story might be known and my dear friend remembered. After what seem like weeks of endless pain at the hands of the monster I now know is called Irenicus, release came suddenly with the appearance of my childhood friend Imoen. The feeling of relief as I fell out of the cage was incredible - yet another debt I owe to her. Our spirits were lifted when we were reunited with Minsc, Boo and Jaheira and we quickly made good our escape. How soon our hopes would be dashed.

Bands of grey dwarves roam this hellhole and they are truly terrible opponents. We must not have been free for more than two or three hours when the first patrol found us, running towards us with warhammers drawn. Dearest brave Jaheira, ever my protector, strode out to meet them, armed with just a shield and club scavenged from the dungeon. They cut her down in seconds. I can still see it like it was moments ago. Countless deaths have I witnessed in my life, yet the sound of hammer on bone and flesh is something that will haunt me to my grave. That such a courageous defender of nature could fall in this place surely bodes ill for ourselves. We were not even allowed time to grieve as these evil creatures came at Minsc and I - we were victorious, but only barely as both of us could hardly stand.

As we continued through the dungeons we stumbled across horrors that could drive you mad - pickled men kept in jars, some still alive! Yet so numb were we with shock that we could not afford to dwell. Thankfully though we were able to give one the release that he craved. We had to fight out way through two more bands of duergar before we saw something that could be an exit - using a golem to force a passage into the sewers. Poor Imoen took a crushing blow to the ribs in that fight which pains her greatly whilst I can barely hold a sword, let alone swing it. Only Minsc seems ever cheerful despite his injuries. It was at this point that Imoen exhausted her spells and our last potions were drunk.

We stumbled on into the sewers, supporting each other and ran into some creature fresh from a nightmare - a great tentacled beast that reeked of carrion. Minsc and I managed to overcome it barely, but it spat some vile poison at Imoen and in her already weakened state she has become severely ill. We limped onwards and finally found some beauty in this place - some fair driads were also held captive here. I gladly agreed to help, but I find myself wondering if I have given them false hope, for it seems like we shall never be free of this place. An ornate bedroom we also stumbled across, yet we dared not tarry for an alarm sounded upon our entry. We were set upon by one final group of cursed duergar with a pack of dogs and we had no choice but to run, half stumbling and half running back to the driads in the hope they would help us. They dared not help whilst still kept prisoner, but our flight had strung our attackers out in a line giving us a slim chance of fighting back.

Minsc went crazy and attacked, completely impervious to his wounds. I'm ashamed to say that I faltered and, weak with loss of blood, was kicked to the floor by a duergar boot. I thought my time had come, parrying his heavy hammer blows desperately with a sword held by my broken arm but the gods had decided otherwise and an incredible bow shot from Imoen saved me, impaling him through the eye. Drinking down a potion looted from a container in the next room I struggled to my feet and we headed for the magical portal, hoping beyond hope that it would lead us away from this place.

Instead we were confronted by Yoshimo who claimed to be seeking a way out also. Thankful to meet a friendly face, we slumped onto the floor and prepared to rest. I must admit to reservations about sleeping next to a virtual unknown, yet Mielikki knows that we could not stop him anyway if he was of hostile intent. I find myself unable to rest in this place so I put my thoughts to paper instead. Minsc seems untroubled by what has occurred, snoring soundly with Boo nestled in his arm, but poor Imoen tosses and turns fitfully. Whatever that creature infected her with it is taking its toll on her health - her skin is covered with sores and patches of rotting flesh and itches terribly - we had to restrain her when she started to draw blood with her frantic scratching. Luckily it seems like exhaustion has taken its toll and she sleeps, if lightly. Twice already she has woken screaming. I try to comfort her in vain, but my meaningless words of optimism sound hollow after what we have been through. I have covered her with our only blanket - a coarse leather jerkin slit up the side. If Jaheira were here, she might have been able to ease Imoen's disease yet there is no potion that can cure a troubled mind.

I feel sleep coming in waves now - we have been running for what seems like endless days and I can stay awake no longer. If we are ambushed by another patrol we must rely on our new-found companion Yoshimo to raise the alarm. If he fails, well we are practically dead anyway. A part of me died with Jaheira today - ever since I fled the scene of Gorion's death she has been my counsel and my guide; the rock upon which I stood. I worry for Imoen too - what if I cannot protect her as Jaheira once did? I know I must steel myself to my duty and cast these doubts from my mind. Yet such a thing is far easier said than done: as I listen to the slow and steady drip of water from the damp ceiling I find myself thinking I have never felt so truly alone and afraid.

[ 04-21-2005, 07:18 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

[shamrock_uk]

Date - unknown.

Well, it's been another terrible few days but at last the immediate nightmare is over - fresh air at last! Well, these things are all relative of course.

Where to begin...

Well, we finally fought our way out of that hellish dungeon. We were actually able to camp for several days after I wrote my first entry and were able to heal the worst of our injuries. Yoshimo proved a faithful ally and roused us on the fifth night when a patrol stumbled across us. Thanks to some quick magery by Imoen we were easily victorious.

We tracked down the leaders of the cursed Duergar and did battle. Another golem creature patrolling was easily disposed of by Minsc with an enchanted staff we found. Their leader was foolish and flew into a rage at the sight of us, abandoning his companions. Once again, Imoen probably saved our lives with her wands and acid spells. We found the acorns on his body and were able to use them as the Driads instructed to summon woodland creatures to aid us. Armed with these new allies we strode forth to tackle the remaining members and it was here that tragedy struck.

We had the upper hand in the battle, despite the fact they were too strong-willed for Imoen or our nymphs to dominate. Imoen used her last lightning spell to strike a killing blow to the damnable crossbowman but it rebounded off the wall and engulfed Minsc too! He was already gravely wounded from the battle and he fell at that moment. Luckily Imoen forced herself to aid the rest of us in finishing the battle as we were hard-pressed but she has taken it pretty badly.

This gentle giant has travelled faithfully with us for so long and will be sorely sorely missed. I can hardly believe that two of my closest companions have died in the space of a week. And just when we had stumbled outside of that cursed place into the fresh air then Imoen was spirited away after a confrontation with our captor. I hate to sound selfish, but it sounds like the fates are stripping my closest friends from me as part of a cruel joke.

I can't stop thinking about her though - will she be ok? She's never been on her own like this, ever since we both fled Candlekeep. I know she can take care of herself and all, but really, she needs me now more than ever after the events of the last week. Who are these cowled figures too - they looked very grim. So many puzzles await me, but one thing is clear: I need to track Immy down as soon as possible before something happens to her.

Yoshi and I were exhausted and in no condition to go tracking her down though so we tried an inn in the big ampitheater staffed by this obnoxious woman - at her suggestion we took a room at the one next door instead. After sleeping on a cold damp floor I splashed out for the best suite the place had to offer. I'm writing this perched on the edge of the bed, for I know that should my head hit the soft pillow I shall fall instantly asleep and I want to record these events whilst they are still fresh in my mind. Despite the terrible events of the last few days, at least we no longer need fear being discovered by patrols or stepping on deadly traps in that accursed hole. Imoen must be somewhere in this city so at least we have a goal to follow, no matter how distant.

[ 04-21-2005, 06:47 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

[Dragonshadow]

Very nice. THankyou for sharing.

[Demonheart]

so this is tactics mod game am i right? really good read anyway keep it up [img]smile.gif[/img] p.s hello everyone

[shamrock_uk]

Welcome to the forums Demonheart [img]graemlins/happywave.gif[/img] And thank-you both for your comments [img]smile.gif[/img]

Yep, tactics it is (and my first time through Improved Ilyich too ). I've left out a couple of select components: I'm fairly sure that the Sahaguin City was one - I love the upgraded fight with the Minor Avatar and the Priestess, but the rest of it is a bit too cheesy for my liking. I usually end up cutting through two or three patrols, realising there's about twenty more and just sending someone under invisibility to finish the quest. Sort of defeats the object of installing it really so I didn't bother this time.

I also left out Improved Undead because they do the job too well! I thoroughly agree with the rationale behind the upgrades as they weren't scary before, but I just find them too scary afterwards! I never seem to make my saves against their new abilities and it tends to turn my games into a bit of a reload fest, so I'm leaving them out this time.

Apart from that, I think every component is installed.

Nice to know that some people are enjoying it though - I'm aware it's still a bit 'A went to B' but its a hard balance to strike. Once the game gets going and we start having some relationships building up between the NPCs it should be easier to concentrate more on that side of things. Plus I'll hopefully get better at writing it as I continue

Oh yes, and would occasional screenshots be welcome or not?

[ 04-20-2005, 02:25 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

[Leslie]

Yeah, go ahead with screenshots! Although your storytelling is very good.

[shamrock_uk]

28 Mirtul 1369

Well, the last couple of days have been very relaxed. Yoshi seems to have an amazing capacity to sleep for nearly unlimited periods of time so I left him snoring and sold some of our loot at this Mart I found run by a fellow called Ribald. Seemed like a nice chap with a large collection of items - I'll have to remember to revisit him in the future.

The innkeep has been wonderful; making sure we have hot water sent to our rooms, good honest food too. Of course no doubt the bill will be a rather handsome one when we leave! Money is the only thing that seems to make this city go around, although we are not short of it now ourselves. I realised last night that we've been so lazy and relaxed that I have been letting our goal slip from our minds - it is incredible how easy-living and wealth can addle the mind by removing any sense of urgency. Well no more! It's time to rouse the slumbering Yoshimo and set about finding Imoen.

By the Gods, the sooner we find her the sooner I can return to the countryside away from the money, the bad air and the laziness. This easy-living is insidious, corrupting you without you even realising it! I see now that I have a real need to get my feet back on the ground and to do this I need to leave the city. We'll find Imoen today or tomorrow, break her out of whatever prison and make good our departure. Perhaps Yoshimo would know where the jail is, or perhaps we could try the temple district and see if a priest would be willing to aid us in our search. I can't wait! This time tomorrow we shall be in the countryside and re-united, just like old times. Athkatla seems to have been the bringer of much pain into my life - it will be very nice indeed to put it behind me forever.

[ 04-21-2005, 08:15 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]

[Keldin]

Originally posted by shamrock_uk: Welcome to the forums Demonheart [img]graemlins/happywave.gif[/img] And thank-you both for your comments [img]smile.gif[/img] I also left out Improved Undead because they do the job too well! I thoroughly agree with the rationale behind the upgrades as they weren't scary before, but I just find them too scary afterwards! I never seem to make my saves against their new abilities and it tends to turn my games into a bit of a reload fest, so I'm leaving them out this time. Oh yes, and would occasional screenshots be welcome or not?

The Improved Undead are cake with a good cleric in your group. The main things I see them cast are Spook and Horror which are countered by Resist Fear. The other thing they cast a lot is Charm and Domination which Chaotic Commands and items cover. Once your cleric has the levels to insta kill with Turn Undead it's even easier [img]smile.gif[/img]

[shamrock_uk]

Thanks for the advice Keldin [img]smile.gif[/img] Unfortunately I think my party will be a bit short on the cleric front! Now that Jaheira was killed I was counting on Saerileth being able to fill in but just realised she's a Cavalier so not heavily endowed in the spell department.

At the moment it's going to be a very weak party so I may have to make it larger than I was hoping in order to progress. I was planning on myself, Yoshimo, Saerileth and Keto but that leaves me without decent magic cover from either spellbooks. I could ditch Keto in favour of maybe Kelsey but Keto fitted in quite well to my idea - as a bard, she would naturally keep some record of events and extracts from her journal might prove a welcome relief from Detheriel's ramblings.

Still, I'm trying to keep it as spontaneous as possible so we'll have to see. It's looking likely that Yoshi and Detheriel will have to do the Umar Hills on their own as they'll get the quest almost as soon as stepping outside Waukeen's promenade.

I've got no reason to visit the Bridge district yet to pick up Keto and as they're about to discover the truth about Imoen's locality, a trip to the temple district as they planned (where I could get Saerileth) would no longer be needed.

Ah well, we'll see who they run into. I might grab Aerie but I think Detheriel would find someone as insecure as she is quite trying.

Edit: Damn. I was playing slightly ahead of my writing and just discovered I can't boot Saerileth from the party without her leaving forever - I hate it when they're written like that. Looks like they'll be going via the temple district after all

[ 04-21-2005, 12:43 PM: Message edited by: shamrock_uk ]