The Chronicles of Faldorn

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

And here we are! The Chronicles of Faldorn, the Avenger druid, walking alone, doing her own thing, and me guiding her. There are a few ground rules I have set for myself.
First and foremost, this thread WILL contain spoilers. This can serve as a perpetual disclaimer. Read this, you better have beaten the game, because I'm going to describe some things in detail... and gloss over some others, as the muse strikes me.
I will play in character as a true-neutral, Avenger (Most likely Shadow) druid. If you don't think I act in alignment... well, bugger off. I'm using my own judgement here. If you think I committed a serious offense, call me on it. I'm just a simple elf, and I make mistakes too.
And here are Faldorn's stats as of character creation:
Faldorn. Half-elf. True neutral, female, Avenger druid.
STR 10, DEX 17, CON 16, INT 10, WIS 18, CHA 15.
71 HP. Slots in Club, Spear, Quarterstaff, Dart.
And what abilities did I draw? Vampiric Touch, Larloch's Minor Drain, Horror, Slow Poison, and Draw Upon Holy Might (2).

[SixOfSpades]

Those abilities sound buggy--you're 1 short on the Tier 1 abilities (Cure Light Wounds, Larloch's), and you've got 1 extra on Tier 3 (Vampiric Touch, Draw Upon Holy Might). Are you sure you read those right?

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

SixOfSpades: Yes, I'm quite certain I read that right. I didn't give it much thought. Ah well. What do you suggest I do about it?
And while you mull that over, for everyone's pleasure and entertainment, I give you the latest installment: Chapter One, the Promenade, and the Early Slums.

Much of our journey through the dungeon was uneventful and spent as a sword spider. Uneventful, except getting nailed by Color Spray not one, or two, but THREE times. Damn you Radiant Mephits! Get it all while you can, boys, this is the only time of the game I'll be affected by THAT.
Faldorn's Thoughts:
"II do believe our vastly differing beliefs will eventually put us at odds, Jahiera. It is best we go our separate ways.. ::pauses until she is out of earshot:: ... you filthy infidel."
"You'd think someone with enough resources to kidnap me and build this complex would be able to afford some better golems."
"What's this...? What on earth is a goblin doing with a scroll of Fire Shield: Red?.... Or True Sight?!"
The duergar mage fired a Scorcher her way, so she walked to get it to nail two other dwarves. They promptly attacked the mage. Ha ha.
Slow Poison was cast in an attempt to cure her nausea. No dice. She then opened a chest and was poisoned. As she said "Ah! Ah! Ah!" One damage.. One damage.. One damage.. A thought crept into my head: "This is bad." I gulped down a few potions of healing and went on my merry way.
Going into the Mistress's room, I protect myself from fire and electricity. I manage to only trigger traps on or in front of containers... and on the way out, in my clumsiness, I walk right over the giant blob of acid trap and it almost takes me out.
The second floor involves me rushing through, pausing only to get the pearl necklace from the clone room, protecting myself from electricity and elements, take a deep breath, run across the traps, grab the ring, run back across, and get OUT!
And my final haul consists of...
Equipped:
Leather Armor
Bracers of Defense AC 8 (I THINK... They're not identified)
Quarterstaff +1
Dagger +1
Potion of Extra Healing (5)
Potion of Mind Focusing
Oil of Speed (2)
Ring of Protection +1
Gold Ring
Helm of Balduran
Pearl Necklace

Inventory:
Pommel Jewel of the Equalizer
Sarevok's Sword of Chaos
Mail of the Dead +2
Helm of Infravision
Long Sword +1
Bastard Sword +1
Acorns
Portal Key
Arrow of Biting (5)
Scrolls: True Sight, Fire Shield: Red, Dispel Magic, Flame Arrow, Dire Charm, Fireball, Summon Air Elemental.

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

At this point I'm level 11. I wander about the Promenade and take care of Kalah. He's very easy... I find my way to him, begin casting Lightning Bolt before he starts talking... I try to get a second one off but it's disrupted. I end up casting Chromatic Orb which got him but good.
In the Slums, I buy the glasses of identification. I also encounter Cohrvale and Bregg. I cast Call Lightning on Cohrvale, and then get him with an Orb. Meanwhile, the lightning then strikes Bregg, and get HIM with an Orb. Both of them are petrified. I use attacks to get rid of those ugly statues... and it takes me FOUR MISSES to hit the Cohrvale statue. That's sad. But they bump me up to level 12!
I take a slot in Dagger either now or at level 11. I forgot to document it at the time, so I forget which level it was.
Now I head back to the Adventurer's Mart and then the Den of the Seven Vales. I don't know why people say mean things about that darling Missus Patricia. I go upstairs and meet the people I'm sharing the Inn with. And these are the spells I have memorized at the time:
Armor of Faith, Doom, Cure Light Wounds, Chromatic Orb (5)
Charm Person Or Animal (7)
Dispel Magic, Strength of One, Lightning Bolt (4)
Cure Serious Wounds (2), Cloak of Fear (2)
Iron Skins (2)
"Run off like the cowardly dog that you are!" "::eerily calm:: All right..."
::She refused to book such insolence from brutes like those. These damnable infidels had underestimated nature's fury for the last time. Quietly quietly QUIETLY she summoned a Fire Elemental in the adjacent room, then sauntered in and threw her arms around the large barbarian, locking eyes with him and using fey magic to charm him. Nobody else seemed to mind.::
Charmed Smelly on the second try. Attempt to do Amon and Pooky, no dice. Oh well. The elemental is 16 HD.
This fight is MUCH easier than it was last time I tried it with a solo avenger. Brennan falls within seconds, I have the elemental and Smelly dice him. I'm in spider form and cast Horror, but only Pooky starts running. I cut Amon to pieces with my fangs. I morph out and move into Lightning Bolt position. Mencar and Smelly are fighting each other, even though the charm wore off. Idiots. They turn on me as I hit both of them, and I move the elemental to intercept. I laugh as Mencar's weapon has no effect on the elemental. I bein casting Chain Lightning and Pooky, in his mad running, is kind enough to scamper within range.
Finally, I am victorious! That'll teach brutes to underestimate nature's wrath.
Then it hits me: How the HELL am I gonna carry all of this?! I have to cast Strength of One and make several trips to the Adventurer's Mart... and am saddened when, even with Holy Might and a bear form, I can't force the locks open. What I wouldn't do for a Chime of Opening. In all of Amn, there isn't a single Chime of Opening! Not legit, at least.
I sell, sell, sell. I buy, and ponder why a Staff-Mace, far superior to a Quarterstaff +2, costs less than the latter. Well, here's my inventory as of now...
Equipped:
Staff-Mace
Potion of Extra Healing (5)
Leather Armor
Bracers of AC 3
Helm of Balduran
Ring of Protection +1
Ring of Human Influence
Girdle of Piercing
Buckler (Wonder who I have to sleep with to get a Buckler +1 or maybe even +2. Did Irenicus sell Kiel's Buckler to some damn collector? It's not for sale anywhere...

Inventory:
Glasses of Identification
Gem Bag
Scroll Case
Acorns
Pommel Jewel of the Equalizer

So ends this chapter.

My thoughts:
I'm going to head over to the Temple district and stash my goods there before going to the Docks. I also like to begin the Cult of the Eyeless quest before going to the Docks... that way I can say to the mad cleric of Cyric, "I won't have to pluck my eyes out, will I?"
I'm also going to have to go to Watcher's Keep and dash through it, picking up the Ammo Belt, and buying the Potion Case. Tune in next time!

Edit- Finishing the post. I accidentally posted it when it was incomplete.

[ 01-07-2004, 01:39 PM: Message edited by: Illumina Drathiran'ar ]

[Nerull]

If you don't mind a mod, try downloading the Neutral alternatives for the end game (trying not to spoil; just see the sticky thread for mods). It gives some neutral methods to get through the end (instead of having to do the "good" way going through it).

Good job on the solo Avenger. Keep up the good work!

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

..................................? What's this got to do with Faldorn?

[Pirengle]

Originally posted by Illumina Drathiran'ar: ..................................? What's this got to do with Faldorn?

You're playing a TN druid, and the game sometimes forces the PC to choose a definite "good" way or a definite "evil" way to solve problems. If you're staying true to your alignment, you're going to gnash your Ingress teeth when you find one of those problems. Unfortunately, there's only one mod that fixes this, and it's for late-game events. If you've played the game through before (which I think you have) and/or don't mind getting spoiled, PM Nerull and get him to tell you about the mod. (PS: Nerull, PM me too about it. I've heard of the mod, and I can't find it anywhere, not even on Icelus' list.)

[Armen]

nice one Illumina [img]smile.gif[/img]

hope you manage to get back to nature soon . . .

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

I'm sticking to the game straight this run, perhaps I'll try it out at some point in the future.

Notes:
I'm not making a looong post because nothing really noteworthy happened. I fought Suna Sei and her bandits. the "Slaver And Orog" battle, and I ran over to Watcher's Keep. Now, THAT was fun. Even if I couldn't get some of the locks open, I looted some of the containers and got the ammo belt, and bought the potion case. I started Mae'Var's quest and got the amulet from the Weathermistress... In the middle of the Harper quest.. Got the Staff of Curing from the graveyard, and killed the Crypt King.. After ALL of that, I went to the Sea's Bounty and got killed by the pirates. I considered this, then realized I could be casting a spell I almost never use: Physical Mirror. It was beautiful. The pirates killed themselves. After the Copper Coronet and Slaver quest/s, I plan to head on over to Trademeet, for one simple reason: Faldorn got into a drunken barfight and I'm not proud of her.
"I GET A TITLE AT LEVEL 14, YOU IDIOT! JUST BECAUSE I'M LEVEL 12 DOES *NOT* MEAN YOU CAN CALL ME 'FALDORN, THE PRETTY GOOD DRUID'!"

P.S. I finally found a Buckler +1... I can't believe I forgot about it! I was on the second floor in Mae'Var's compound, I walked into the room with the false doors and safes, and I realized that it was in that one all the way at the end. I prayed I could get it open, and, in salamander form and with Holy Might blazing, I did. All was right with the world.

Edit- for syntax and clarity.

[ 01-08-2004, 12:07 PM: Message edited by: Illumina Drathiran'ar ]

[Jerr Conner]

Good adventure! Can't wait to read more.

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If you cast Heal on Yakman, he goes sane. You get exp.

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