Next Stop Nashkel

After leaving the Friendly Arm Inn, our group headed south to Nashkel. Xzar and Montaron had some business down there due to the mining troubles, and now Jaheira and Khalid are looking to head there, too. It's only been a week or so after Gorion's murder, so I'm still careful to stay clear of the major roads...I've heard too many stories of bandits, and the murderers may still be close by waiting. Of course, from recent experience I should have know that the wilderness is really no better, as we generally just have to run for our lives until we're too far out of sight from the skeletons, tasloi, ogres, what have you.

It's a whirlwind right now for Idaen, the PC. Left home a little over a week ago, and now just seems to be stumbling down south looking for trouble. Just going where the tide takes him right now. We finally arrived at the carnival in the middle of the night. Quiet, kind of creepy. Saw the stone maiden, and got into a altercation having to do with a mage and a witch. This was the first big battle since Tarnesh, and the group painstakingly emerged victoriously. Really, not bad for a group so fresh.

Headed into town to get the official lowdown from the mayor. Heard some talk about this Brage, but that's so far off the radar right now it doesn't seem how it can ever get on it. But who knows at this point. Oh yeah, I find some Ankheg armor in a tree...not bad at all. Most interestingly, though, is when I run into Minsc. There's not room for another member in the group, especially for a seeming psychopath. Apparently this triggers a lethal reaction, and he starts attacking. Had to kill him, unfortunately (scratch the first NPC off the list).

We talked to the mayor of the Amnish town, as well as to various locals. Something is going wrong in the mines...we know this. I guess that we have to look into it? Idaen is the leader of the group, of course, being accompanied by the rest...but it really seems at this point that the group is leading him around. They were all headed to Nashkel anyway, and now the PC happens to be along for the ride. Imoen seems to be the only one who's really listening to what he has to say. But with his foster father dead, he doesn't know what else to do...and it does seem like this is the only path that he can take, so let's put the head down and keep trudging through. Living in the insular Candlekeep for his entire life, the past week and a half must have come as a shock. He murdered two would-be assassins who might have been able to kill him in his sleep had their timing been only a little better...he watched Gorion die right in front of him...right before two new companions were slaughtered by the evils of the wilderness (at least Montaron and Xzar were resurrected)...he killed another assassin at the FAI...entered a carnival tent and came out a short time later with the blood of two more mages on his hands...then killed Minsc. No one's going to be keeping count pretty soon, but it's rapidly been getting easier to face death.

So maybe this lifestyle isn't wrong path at all...and it doesn't end. We entered the inn there, and got attacked by another assassin. Luckily I had enough experience with mages (from the carnival and Tarnesh) that I had Jaheira cast her resist fear spell on the party immediately. A few of us got held but we were able to finish off the bounty hunter without losing anyone.

We wandered around the rest of the town (ran into Edwin) before resting for most of the day. We made the trip to the mines, and arrived there in the crickety silence of night (and Xzar begins complaining of the incessant noise...weird guy). I took the group around the whole map, to make sure there wasn't anything strange going on on the surface that might be causing some of the problems. Met a sculptor who wanted us to protect him from another bounty hunter. What? Again, real far off the radar at this point. No thanks buddy, no time.

So we head down into the mines. Let's find out what's going on here...that's the only tangible plan right now. There will be time to reflect on everything later. Right now, the inexplicable problem in the mines is just a microcosmal substitute.

I have Montaron scout ahead, hiding in the shadows when possible. He's not the best at it and fails a majority of the time, but that will change in time. Imoen is better at detecting traps, so her role is to stay a step behind and make sure Montaron doesn't trigger any. As a gamer, I know that there aren't any traps on the first level of the mines....but my characters don't know that, and futhermore I need to train myself to treat every dungeon like this. I will NOT have any trap deaths this playthrough (yeah right...).

So here is the party currently (not much has changed):

Idaen, lvl 1 cleric/lvl 1 ranger

Khalid, lvl 1 fighter

Montaron, lvl 1 fighter/lvl 1 thief

Jaheira, lvl 2 fighter/lvl 2 druid

Imoen, lvl 1 thief

Xzar, lvl 1 necromancer