Recruiting Minsc and the Planar Sphere

So what's the plan?  Well, here's where I'm at:  I still need to find Imoen.  I don't have the cash to pay Gaelan Bayle, and any plan I had to warm up with the Cowled Wizards seems like it's gone, since Tolgerias was incensed I wouldn't strictly comply with his directives during the whole Valygar/planar sphere situation.  Seems like a standoff with the magic police is looming, so I'm concurrently trying to raise some funds and gain favor from other factions in Athkatla...

So to the Bridge District first.  When I first busted out of Irenicus's prison, I heard of some murders in this area of town by the local Amnish guard.  What better way to get the guards to trust me than help solve one of their murders?  They're still not solved days later, so I search out some of the locals who may have some knowledge about this.  A leads to B, and I'm pointed to the tanner's building.  I get mixed up in a wild confrontation that hints at some greater, cultish-type plot.  The murderer and his wizard friend make an escape, and Yoshimo gets backstabbed into the next world.  Eghh...I feel like this is my first real character death since I've been in Amn...could be mistaken though.  I find some documents, too, that point toward the Umar Hills.  Oooh, I don't like that, I'm the ranger-protector over there, remember?  Heading back east needs to be put on the priority list.  So long story short, the captain (don't know his real title) loves it, and I resurrect Yoshimo at the nearby Temple of Helm.

My next move?  Last post I "incepted" the idea into my mind that Mazzy should get replaced with Minsc.  I can't stop thinking about now, so it just needs to be done.  He's still hanging around the Copper Coronet, and I pick him up.  I want a tank that can be on the front lines with Korgan and Idaen...this could provide relief to Idaen, so he can step back and cast divine during larger battles.  I don't want a *3rd* archer (Yoshimo and Nalia are my other ones...just too many arrows all around).  Besides, I've already bumped into two or three Athkatlans that know and love her in the short time I've been back...I have too much hubris to have my Bhaalspawn reputation outshined by this halfling knight, as pleasant as she is.  So Minsc gets some armor, starts dual wielding maces, and Mazzy heads back to Trademeet.

So I decide that I'll head to the Temple District.  I haven't even stepped foot over there since I've been in Amn.  I'm a "warrior superpriest," so it's really my duty to check out what's happening over here.  The local priests are always an influential organization in big cities, so it wouldn't hurt to try to gain favor with them.  Before I can really dig in, we get word of Nalia's father's funeral, so we head to the Graveyard District to attend.  Same old, same old here...Isaea Roenal seems like a d**k.

So yeah...return to the temple area.  I visit each of the major three, plus the paladin headquarters.  I don't agree to really do any favors for any of them, OTHER than check out the Cult of the Unseeing Eye.  This cult is apparently just causing chaos and dissension among the people.  Now I'm definitely not a priest of Lathander, but I'm going to help out that temple in this matter.  The gods are real, and I believe that the city needs organized religion to function normally.  If anything, my character is a cleric to all of the deities, or even just "Holy Divinity" in general.  Hmm, I may even be more of a cleric of Bhaal when I think about it...well, the point is I'm on the side of the temples, so I'm going to look into this new cult.

I head down to the sewers almost immediately.  Why the rush?  I don't know...but very soon, I encounter an *extremely* tough contingent of six, hiding out in the sewers and demanding money of my party.  It was a hard, hard battle.  Possibly the hardest battle I've experienced ever, since I left Candlekeep.  Mages and spell protections...wow.  I said a few posts ago I'm not really prepared for any of this chess-move-type spellcasting strategy that's so prevalent in Amn and BG2.  But...gotta learn at some point.  Invisibility Purge, Breach, Chaos...yeah, I'm learning to use all of these and more.  Eventually, we win, and with no fatalities.  But it shows me that I need to take a step back before I go any deeper below the city....this quest can wait.

So I rest at Mithrest and debate my next move.  This Tolgerias-Sphere situation is weighing heavily on my mind, and Valygar's body is literally weighing heavily on our shoulders...so let's just head to the sphere, alright?

And that's what we do.  What an adventure it ended up being.  I think I was in there for four days or so, total.  Resting and rememorizing and healing and hiding.  Between the halfling cannibal mages, the golems, and the various planar monsters, I emerged from the sphere feeling like I might actually be ready to take on the rest of Amn.  Several battles in here were as hard or harder than the sewer battle, but we kept improving our tactics.  With Nalia and Aerie, I have a good amount of arcane firepower to complement my clerical/druidic side.

In our first encounter with Lavok, Minsc and Yoshimo were both killed.  After we disabled the necromancer, I rested for 16 hours to resurrect and heal them.  Of course we then run into Tolgerias, and he manages to kill Minsc and Yoshimo, too.  I just rest for 8 hours this time...don't know how much juice Lavok has left in him.  We take on the rest of the sphere, and hunt down a Tanar'ri to return to Faerun.  I let the necromancer die right there, instead of letting him see the sun.  Could have been a trick, you know?  I actually felt a little bad [then I thought, wait, this is just a computer game].

As soon as we emerge, bloodied and exhausted, Nalia's boyfriend shows up to arrest and abduct her.  I guess they were waiting for us to come out....  This is awful.  I like Nalia.  I'm not too annoyed by her, and I desperately need her various mageries.  Luckily someone gives me some hints on how to get her back and punish this loser noble Isaea.

So I stay at the Mithrest Inn for the better part of a day, and make a visit to various storekeeps in the promenade.  I have about 33kgp at this point...Valygar was not lying about the amount of treasure that was in the sphere.  So with my part being rested up, equipped nicely, and missing Nalia, I'm being pulled in multiple directions:

1.)  I have more than enough money for Gaelan Bayle.  I need to find Imoen.  Done first, right?
2.)  Well, if I know where Imoen is, I won't want to attempt to rescue her until I have my mage back.  I need to find one thief>mage before I find another.
3.)  The brutal serial killer from the Bridge District has probably headed to the Umar Hills.  I'm the sworn protector of that area, I can't just ignore that.  I feel like if Imoen has been in captivity for two and a half weeks, she could stand one more, right?  I'm compelled to check this out.
4.)  Oh yeah...solidifying my relationship with the city priests.  Need to investigate the blaspheming cult in the sewers.  Bleck...this can wait.

Party right now!:

Idaen, lvl 9 cleric/lvl 9 ranger
Korgan, lvl 10 berserker
Minsc, lvl 8 ranger
Yoshimo, lvl 12 bounty hunter
Aerie, lvl 9 cleric/lvl 10 mage