Before I can even cross the bridge, I'm approached by Scar of the Flaming Fist. He wants me to look into the strange behavior of the Seven Suns trading roster. Since this almost definitely has something to do with the Iron Throne (based on one of Davaeorn's letters), it's instantly intriguing. Maybe if I have time.
So, what happened? A lot. I want to say I spent about a week and a half there (game-time). I'm assuming the large majority of the readers of this blog have played through BG1 before, so I won't go into every detail of all the subquests. I'll just add the motivations and justifications of my party as they navigated the winding streets of this large city. Please note that the completion of all these quests were interwoven with each other, with some being put on hold and some taking priority depending on their timing. It was all happening at the same time, but at this point I have no chance of really remembering the actual sequence of events.
- We got attacked upon entering the Merchant League's Counting House...obviously no one was buying the weak lie that Montaron was trying to sell. However, once we got to the 2nd floor, we were able to convince the captain to give us the sea charts, as soon as we were able to get him some of the ale he liked. Several days, multiple subquests, and 900gp later, we returned to the captain with his drug of choice, and he had the sea charts.
- We were also led to the Thieves Guild within a few hours of entering the city. The leader Alatos had a tasks to ask of me, seeing how we seemed like a competent enough group of adventurers. Normally I wouldn't have taken part of it (remember the plan...in and out), but he mentioned Shandalar. Oh yeah, that mage in Ulgoth's Beard that teleported me to that island prison, where I almost got stranded and killed. You know, if this quest to steal flying ship artifacts is going to destroy some of his plans, then good. He's got it coming to him...I'm just grateful I can be part of ruining his day. I agreed to do it. So, eventually during my week and a half in the city, I find Oberan's estate, and Shandalar's three daughters. Montaron flawlessly pulls this quest off, almost single-handedly. After Imoen picked the outside lock for him (she hit level 7 mage so she has her thief skills back now), Montaron sneaked in, explored the entire premises, climbed to the third floor, and stole the three artifacts while no one was the wiser. We returned to Alatos, but his Halruaan friend still felt the need to kill us so we couldn't go spreading around the secrets of his stupid flying ship. Unfortunately for him, when a lonely mage is ~3 feet away from my party, he's usually dead before he can fail casting a second spell. The guildmaster was apologetic, telling me I still have the run of the guild if I want.
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| Fighting in the streets |
- While looking for Oberan's estate to find the Halruuan skyship artifacts, we stumbled into a different estate (I was entering all nice-looking estates since there's no sign on the Oberlan one). Doom Guards, Invisible Stalkers, Helmed Horrors...wow. This was a long, multi-phase, bloody battle that spilled out onto the streets on a nice afternoon in the richest neighborhood of Baldur's Gate. Xzar was struck down pretty early on...when the monsters came busting out into the streets the first time and caught him by surprise...they were chasing a recently exposed Montaron. After that, we managed to keep it together to an extent. Imoen's Wand of Paralyzation was VERY useful during this battle as the stalkers and horrors seemed surprisingly susceptible...good thing we have two or three more for the future. After clearing out the first wave, we traveled back in the house to take out the rest that were standing guard. This second battle took place mostly inside, but Ajantis and Yeslick started hurting. I thought we had it sewn up by then, but when we reached Degrodel and refused to complete whatever task he wanted, he summoned three or four more enemies. I was really thinking about running, but I decided to stay there and fight...for a time. After we killed the mage (rather swiftly with help from the classic halfling backstab and a hit or two from Yeslick's warhammer), the fight was slipping out of control, so we retreated to the streets to get our bearings, maybe lose one or two of the horrors. And somehow it worked, with some five-on-one cleanup once or twice afterwards. We ended with almost no healing potions left, and no real useful spells (other than those that didn't fit the situation). Phew...I brought the mad wizard back to life and rested 24 hours straight to heal, relax, and have Xzar identify the dozen or so magical items that I didn't want to bring to a shop or temple (out of principle).
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| In rough shape by the end of it |
- Marek and Lothander. Bumped into them very soon after entering the city. Didn't take them seriously at all...uh-oh, but apparently I was poisoned when I was asleep. They must have got me at some point when I was traveling down from Ulgoth's Beard, because I hadn't yet stayed at an inn in the city. Luckily for me, Lothander was willing to risk activating his geas for the chance to be rid of it. I went to the fortune teller, who told me to see out the Temple of Umberlee. I knew where it was because I entered there previously to merely check it out...and was greeted rather coldly, may I add. The head priestess (can't remember her name) wanted a tome of wisdom from the Lady's Hall. Headed there. Between then and some other time, I had run into Ghorak, who had asked me to retrieve a skull to bring to the Lady's Hall as well. I figured I might be able to buy some good will to ease up the job of getting the tome...well, Ghorak was cured (never really got any of the backstory having to do with that?), but I still had to pay a large sum of gold for the tome. Fine. I headed back to the Umberlants, and got the geas removal scroll. Got Lothander's half of the antidote, then got Mareks. Cured. The Iron Throne's going to have to step their game up.
- Brielbara's child was being poisoned. I at first told her I didn't have time (remember...in and out!) but she seemed so helpless and with no other option, so I decided to help her get Yago's spellbook. And poisoning a child is really just a low class thing to do. Plus, I had met Yago previously in the Low Lantern and he seemed like a d#@$. Done and done.
- Speaking of misfortunate children, I was also tasked with (and accepted) retrieving the body of a small boy who was killed by the Umberlants. Yup, those b!#@&e$ again. I had about enough of them, so this time I went it, very quickly realized they weren't going to give up the body easily, then slaughtered all of them. Too bad for them, but people really need to start showing some respect here.
- Found the Helm of Balduran at the Helm and Cloak. Not bad at all.
- Heard some talk of a Ragefast keeping a nymph as a sex slave. Real weird...so I had to investigate. After dispatching the mage and freeing the nymph, I paid a visit to Ramazith, to confront that perv as well. Well, he knew where I was going with that, so we plunged into another battle. Montaron was killed during the climb up the tower (by hobgoblin elites of all things...I was pretty angry), but it ended up being not so much of a challenge in the long run. My group is formidable now.
- I told a noblewoman that we would take care of a thug spreading rumors about her. I'm not sure why exactly I took on this quest...it just seemed like the right thing to do. Although at the end of it, I felt guilty. I guess it was indeed a mere contract killing. Am I Idaen the Warrior Superpriest, or a run-of-the-mill mercenary? Ehh...moving on...
- Took care of the escaped basilik. Heard some shouting about it, so we rested in order for Xzar to memorize Protection from Petrification. Headed back about 8 or 9 hours later...the thing is still causing chaos. Dispatched it without too much of a problem...and by the way, this is the very first basilik we've run into on the Sword Coast so far.
- I bump into Aldeth Sashenstar. I think I saw him my first day in the city, but told him I wouldn't help him then. Now that I'm putting the pieces together and see the Merchant League might be going through the same exact problem as the Seven Suns, I tell the guy I'll pose as his guests and do some investigating. What do you know, dopplegangers posing as merchants and trying to destroy Iron Throne competition. This whole plot is readily apparent to me. I dispatch all the shapeshifters then head immediately to the Seven Suns. Same thing's happening here. I go to Scar bearing the bad news, and a lot of his suspicions are confirmed. He wants me to head back there and kill all the dopplegangers, but I really don't want to be running any errands for him. Of course he respects this, and soon after brings me up to Duke Eltan, who wants me to find proof that the Iron Throne is behind all of the political troubles in the region in the past several months. Done and done, guy. After I leave the Flaming Fist headquarters, I do indeed go back to the Seven Suns to destroy the dopplegangers...quite handily, may I add.
- The last thing I did: confronting Phandalyn the Paladin. Pretty early on, a halfling warned me that a paladin by that name is looking for me. He told me that he stays by one of the taverns by the docks. Whenever I had a chance, I would search through buildings that I thought could be taverns (this is how I found the basilik, among other things). After wrapping things up with Scar and Eltan and the trading leagues, this was the one loose end I had to tie up before leaving the city and finally returning to Mendas up north. Normally I wouldn't really care about something like this, but after all I had been through in the city in the past 9 or 10 days, I don't need some snob paladin looking down on a powerful band of adventurers who can most accurately be described as movers and shakers. Pretty quickly, actually, I find him in a bar. He starts attacking the Zhentish members of the group (oh by the way, may I add, I ran into Xzar's superior in the Zhentarim in Sorcerous Sundries). Well, Xzar and Montaron have stood by me since almost the very beginning, so this paladin has some learning to do (forcefully). But killing a good, lawful, holy paladin in front of a dozen or so citizens will not help the reputation. I'd be lying if I said I knew an outcome like this wasn't possible when I started looking for the guy...but I'm a chaotic type, alright? I'm not alway going to be in sync with the rest of society. I leave the city with a 9 rep.
Alright, so that's Baldur's Gate. I rested, sold my wares, then got out of there. The scholar Mendas has been waiting patiently for several weeks now, and I'm beginning to feel a little bad. With the Cloakwood mines flooded, the trading roster plot exposed, the dopplegangers decimated, and the authorities gaining suspicion about the Iron Throne, I feel I can, and should, leave the city for a while. Their plans are in shambles for the time being, so there's no rush to save the coast right now. And no doubt my party's been spied on, watched in action, and evaluated on several levels in such a public forum as the streets of Baldur's Gate. My enemies know what to expect if I'm going to face them right now...better I leave for a while, gain new items, new tactics, new weapons, etc., then come back when they're hardly expecting it.
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| What a week-and-a-half |
This is my party ~110 days in:
Idaen, lvl 6 cleric/lvl 6 ranger
Yeslick, lvl 5 fighter/lvl 6 cleric
Ajantis, lvl 7 paladin
Montaron, lvl 6 fighter/lvl 7 thief
Imoen, lvl 6 thief>lvl 7 mage
Xzar, lvl 7 necromancer
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