Right on to Cloakwood, plus an NPC Update

I'll be up front right off the bat: not much has happened since last post.  I traversed the north-south road, but there wasn't anything too dangerous that we ran into.  Gibberlings, kobolds, the like.  We DID run into a few units of bandits, but they were easily dispatched, and too low-level to really have any information that I could use.  But at least we were able to clear the road as best as possible, before spending some time investigating Cloakwood.


We never really finished with the Nashkel carnival...couldn't believe it was actually still going on, to be honest.  But saw some black lotus users, the Amazing Oopah, and some kobolds on the outskirts.  I guess it's good to take it low-key a little bit before diving back into the major problems that are plaguing the area, and my group.  Oh yeah: now that I have some more money, I decided it was worth it to unpetrify the "stone maiden."  Surprise, it's Branwen.  There's nothing she really could have done for me...I couldn't lose any group members for a priest right now.  The two closest options for replacement would have been my two mages, Imoen or Xzar, but I'd rather have an excess of arcane over divine.  So I refused her services...she'll be waiting there, though.


I visited Durlag's Tower briefly before heading back up north.  Heard a lot of talk about it up in Ulgoth's Beard, which I guess is the economic center of the tower's tourism business.  Strange, it would seem to me it makes more sense to focus the tourism business in Beregost...more people, closer proximity...but what do I know?  I'm just an adventurer from Candlekeep.


So, either way, we try to get a look at it, just for the sake of it.  We run into the two battle horrors almost immediately.  Montaron got a nice backstab in, but my three tanks had lost more than half their health by the end of the conflict.  I feel like I could have operated better, but how?  I used a lot of spells, buffs, whatever.  Maybe they are just that difficult, but I feel like I need to come out of these tough battles ready for another one...this wasn't the case.  We rested and decided it wasn't worth it to pursue this any further, especially with everything else going on.  It's an intriguing place, to be sure...we can return here at some unknown point down the road.


So, to the Cloakwood forest.  A large Iron Throne base of operations is almost assuredly in here somewhere, and we just need to find it.  If we go straight to the Iron Throne with swords blazing, we will find something out.  What is their plot?  Why is iron such a concern to them?  What's their endgame?  And really, most importantly, what does it have to do with me and my band of adventurers?


The first area: I meet Coran.  I invite him to the group for a short amount of time to get more information about him.  He has +++ in long bows, and ++ in two-handed Swords.  His dexterity is very high...he's the dexterous, non-constituted version of Kagain.  However, he wouldn't fit into my group well.  Kagain has high mastery in axes, now, and is pretty damn good with them.  Sure, Coran's a little better than Montaron with the bow, but Montaron can detect traps and stealth around like no one's business.  Coran can pick locks better than him, but not better than Imoen will be able to, once she stops focusing on magery exclusively.  I forgot how many hit points he had, but his main role would be to tank...and if he doesn't have any proficiency in a melee fighting style, he's not going to be of great use.  So, as it turns out, I leave Coran on the bridge.  I may or may not try to make money with wyvern heads eventually, though.


What else?  I meet Aldeth Sashenstar.  I tell him I'll help defend him from the band of ruffians coming to kill him, because damnit, that sounds like he could be talking about chumps related to the Iron Throne.  In fact, it turned out to be a pack of druids.  I went for a peaceful resolution, but they weren't hearing it...and unfortunately we had to kill them all.  So it seems like this Sashenstar will owe me a favor now out of the Merchant League.  I should have asked him about the ship they were sending out to Mendas's island, but....it wasn't a dialog option?  I have been wondering about that ship.  Will it have set sail already by the time I'm able to get inside Baldur's Gate?  If that's the case, then it is what it is.  But like I said, I doubt the ports are open if the gate is closed.  Either way, I think I'm going to have to make that a priority after we emerge from Cloakwood, assuming something more important doesn't come up.


And that's it, more or less.  Now, before I go deeper into Cloakwood, I want to give an update on all of the NPCs I've encountered or not encountered so far.  So here's my party currently:


Idaen, lvl 6 cleric/lvl 5 ranger
Ajantis, lvl 6 paladin
Kagain, lvl 6 fighter
Montaron, lvl 5 fighter/lvl 6 thief
Imoen, lvl 6 thief>lvl 6 mage
Xzar, lvl 6 necromancer


Permanently Dead:


Minsc.  He attacked us in Nashkel after we wouldn't let him join the group...
Safana.  Idaen was confused or charmed or something by a siren, and killed the innocent bystander Safana before anyone was able to talk to her.
Viconia.  We wouldn't help her, and she attached us.


Encountered/Gone:


Dynaheir.  We did not want to join with her at the gnoll stronghold, and she stormed off.
Edwin.  We didn't want to join with him either in Nashkel.  I think he said he would still be there, but I never saw him again.
Garrick.  We weren't going to be bodyguards for 50gp a piece, so he politely apologized and walked off.
Xan.  He returned to Evereska after being freed in the Nashkel mines.


Encountered/Still There:


Branwen.  Should still be hanging around the Nashkel carnival.
Coran.  Still hunting wyverns in Cloakwood.  I should be able to meet him on that bridge.
Jaheira.  I let her go when I realized she and Khalid weren't doing it for me...they should be resting still, at the Beregost temple.
Khalid.  See above.


Not Encountered:


Alora
Eldoth
Faldorn
Kivan
Quayle
Shar Teel
Skie
Tiax
Yeslick

Welp...