The Saga of Learning Imoen's Story (SoA)

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Naw man. Don't dink around. Take a chance - if they die, they die. You have played that way before, why coddle these dwarves? And if they die in glorious battle, tehn just write it up well!

 

I don't know how effective this is, but I would probably let the skalds sing more or less constantly, and occasionally flinging a spell or two at the enemies, while the others engage the enemies in melee or pepper them with arrows and stuff.

Anyway, keep up the good work!

 

Player note - I decided to implement drm's advice and just go for it. No point in pussyfooting around like these are fragile children. So, I sat down to think about how bards, who are lore-oriented, would go about solving their problem My immediate role-playing and story solution is detailed below.


Taking advice from the (drm) Peanut Gallery

Kylene consulted with the others and decided that they really needed to assemble all of their fragments and rumors into a compositie picture so that they had a better idea of what they were confronting here in Athkala. Books were exhumed from stashes and nooks. A few more were pilfered from local houses and stores. Performances by other bards and tale tellers in town were attended and recalled. For two full weeks, all the bards did was walk around town play historians and garbage collectors of rumors. They learned of a new religious faith which caused blindness in its followers, that vampirism had recently raised its ugly head in the city and was causing significant troubles with the lcoal Shadow Thieves guild, that an object had fallen from the sky and even the Cowled Wizards couldn't determine its use/purpose - and more and more and more.

One of the tomes that the crew had stumbled across was a story of a wizard called Elmonster. His brilliant use of brains where brawn would not suffice provided inspiration despite the differences between his near-Godlike abilities and our poor bards more dwarven norms. Of course, every self-respecting dwarven skald knew of the legendary exploits of Gloin Bonehead. Noting the horror stories of the great assassins of the past, especially Morgan, also provided some ideas of new tactics that the group could attempt, though stabbing someone in the back or using poison just wasn't something anyone in the group (except Thuogyrd and he wasn't publicly admitting it) would do. Then, of course, the legend of Retsnimle the Wizard Slayer was agreed to be a must-read by eveyrone in the group. Finally, the infamously incestuous liason of Earl Grey and Sarah Stubbletoe gave just a bit extra inspiration to our vertically challenged group. Piece by piece they played with the puzzle of information available to them...and developed a plan.

Rumor had it that certain parts of the city were literally exuding more evil than ever before, enough so that even some clerics avoided these areas or buildings. This suggested that either extra-planar demons had invaded the neighborhood, or that powerful magic had somehow been localized to this area - the kind of powerful magic that was centuries old, the kind of magic where it sapped the life essence of those who would try to control it. YES, that was it. Liches. There must be liches nearby. (gulping down an ale - drink up my friends. You'll need it)

So, the bards, having made the acquaintance of numerous ladies of the evening and nobelpersons alike, became like insects, looking in all the corners of the town. Peering at walls, looking for cracks, searching for clues of hidden entryways where such things might be hidden. And they found what they sought... Traces of at least four liches or lich-like activity were evident in various parts of town.

Haer Dealis' did his usual complaining about not rushing off to some old acting troupe in the Five Flagons Inn, but he hadn't departed the group here yet. So, Kylene and Kwyrin convinced the tiefling that they had a plan to take down one of these near-death mega-mages and it would most likely succeed if Haer Daelis' was at its center - I mean, he was THE Blade, after all, wasn't he? (So he always seemed to be bragging, they whispered amongst themselves.)

The plan required purchasing particular scrolls and potions to speed up and protect a single hero. For the plan was to take on a lich mano-a-mano, providing the lich few targets. Also, special weapons needed to be purchased. So, the crew pooled their equipment and trudged over to the Adventurer's Mart yet again to sell what they must in order to purchase what was required. Friends was cast on Ribald, the proprietor, and a Ring of Human Influence (from the cirucs gnome) caused the prices of certain items to reach new lows. Likewise, a woman on the upper level of the Mart was similarly influenced and signiificant purchases were made for our hero (soflty - or fool if you prefer).

Finally, the group returned to the Coronet and charmed Joulov into parting with a really special sling for a mere pittance. Little of the dwarves' gold remained by this time, so Hendak sprang for a round for all before they headed off to the Bridge District - where all sensed they had the best chance for early success.

Sure enough, their study was rewarded with the revelation of a hidden door in a cheap inn. Numerous spells were cast on Haer Daelis' the Fool (er, umm, the Hero) and he hasted himself through the door. Grindlmaus (the also stupid) insisted on accompanying the tiefling and was made invisible though his strumming a harp sort of negated that effect as he walked followed Haer through the door. To the astonishment of both, the Lich was there... but he just stood unmoving. Haer's invisibility was so effective that the Blade never even had to move towards the Lich - he just kept slinging rocks at the nasty collection of bones. After the Lich finally realized that he was being damaged, he tried to protect himself with various spells. But, Haer then read a scroll that summoned a few mini-monsters as cannon fooder and the Lich bit at this ruse (incredulously - stopping time was a bit of overkill to take out koblods, don't you think?).

Eventually, the protections surrounding the Lich ended and Haer's reading another scroll caused meteors to pelt down, smashing the bones to pieces repeatedly despite their attempts to reform and reattach themselves. The fight was less fantastic than it sounded - it was simply a fine execution of a well-thought out plan (conspiratorially - compiled from various tactics related by others at the sorceror's guildhall in cyberspace).

The group was led back into the lich's chambers and looting ensued. Haer Daelis' insisted that all five dwarves owed him - so much so that they would ensure that he never bought another beer while in their presence anytime in the future. He insisted on that even through his still chattering teeth. The loot went a long way to restoring the group's confidence in their ability to survive and to recover Imoen....

Time to seek out those slavers!

--------more to come -------------

[This message has been edited by Kailynne Johanne (edited October 06, 2001).]

 

I've read your Duharrel story.. and this tops it! Great roleplaying. This story has been a pretty good inspiration for me, as I may be launching a similar experiment soon (four thieves and a bard).

You read the Elmonster story I assume.. I LOVED that read.

Nice writing.

 

Weapon hunting amidst trolls

Hendak served the crew some of his private stash of darkest ale as the dwarves discussed how to assault the slavers. Flush with the success of their recent raid on the lich in the Gate District, they decided that their immediate need for other decent weapons took priority (hey, no one ever said that bards were really big on long-term concentration).

While they were talking, a young girl in rich robes came up and told them of her familial castle being infested with some trolls. She was looking for some extermination assistance and offered the crew a really great flail, an awesome axe and a cool bow as rewards. Well, axes are to dwarves as bows are to elves, so they agreed to help out. Having learned that prior planning can really make a difference in outcomes, the dwarves got the girl to draw a map of the castle detailing the locations of the potential rewards as well as likely hideouts for civilians who might have been trapped inside.

Hendak pressed the group to take out the slave traders first, but Haer Daelis’ retorted that Hendak ought to simply be thankful that HE was free and began whistling some silly birdcall as the group headed out to the DeArnise hold. Despite being waylaid en route, the trip was uneventful.

Outside the castle, the crew was greeted by the inept Captain of the Guard, his equally quaking castle guards and Nalia (again). Information updates were provided and the assault plan was finalized. The goal – scouting for/rescuing lost/trapped souls, retrieving the rewards and coming out intact as a group. Also, lowering the drawbridge to provide an opportunity to the local guard to regain their self-respect and backbone – as well as provide a distraction while the dwarves went after those reward-weapons! (Confidentially - Just between themselves, the dwarves agreed that if they saved even one of Nalia’s family, they deserved the rewards.)

Into the castle the group snuck under cover of darkness, immediately saving two trapped servants from a green monster that regenerated nearly as fast as the damage they inflicted. In desperation, Kylene doused the green beast with an oil-filled lantern and torched the oil – voila, flambe'd troll. With an effective tactic in hand, the crew immediately headed for the drawbridge release. (Snickering - Oh, did I forget to mention that the crew helped themselves to some new weaponry from the castle armory? Well, they did.) In the courtyard, a floating blob was quickly dispatched Lothgwir’s now-favorite tactic – meteors from above. Boom, boom, boom and the formerly floating blob lay on the ground. Unfortunately, the family dogs (Whispered - mangy curs if you asked any of the dwarves) panicked at the ferocity of the assault and had to be put down by the dwarves. The drawbridge was lowered without incident and, wonder of wonders, the guard actually came to reclaim their lost honor.

Back into the castle and up the stairs, the dwarves hustled. A short, intense skirmish in the library ended when Thuogyrd found that meteors took down globes of invulnerability as well as they smashed Yuan-Ti heads. The Lady of the house was extremely snide when rescued, barely acknowledging the effort to save her – however, the dwarves now felt justified in concentrating on retrieving Nalia’s promised rewards. So, around and through the hall’s they went, taking out a troll here, saving a guard or servant there. Glacias, once his charm curse was removed, even willingly provided one of the reward flail heads.

Still, the most difficult reward lay in the chapel – huge golems stood protectively guarding the axe, bow and another flail head. After a quick huddle, the group retreated to a room next to the stairs, drew straws and began unloading and redistributing Haer Daelis’ gear. (Grindlmaus’s sleight of hand skills easily selected the non-dwarf as the “volunteer.”) He was handed potions of quickness, a couple scrolls of floor slipperiness, and two scrolls of magic meteors. Kwyrin blessed him once and off he went – alone. (Kylene had to scold Thuogryd when he pulled out a deck of cards to while away the time until Haer’s return.)

Haer Daelis’ followed the plan perfectly, quaffing that “fast feet” potion and making the floor in front of the golem slippery Just before raiding the secret stashes behind the three guarded statues, he read aloud a scroll that called forth a few kobolds for distractions. As expected, the golems sprang to life as Haer removed the rewards and he quaffed another potion that made him disappear. But, the golems still came at him as if they knew exactly where he was! Oh well, time to beat feet and he did, avoiding the grease spot while evading the golems. Out of the chapel and down the hall he fled, toward the ambush he knew was waiting to save him.

Right – sure it was. Kylene was eating some beef jerky and three dwarves were snoozing as Haer came bursting back into the room (Lothgwir had decided to explore another hallway on her own instead of doing her job as lookout.) Haer had been lucky, only a single golem had managed to keep up and meteors took him down once the dwarves recovered and concentrated on what they were doing. Luckily, Haer had also stoneskinned himself and somewhat mislead the golem’s attack with his mirrored image. He escaped the entire encounter with mere scratches, though he was a bit frustrated with the dwarves attitude.

Down the stairs they fled, to the castle smithy’s room. While Kylene was trying to attach the two flail heads to each other, Lothgwir managed to stumbled across a secret door that Nalia had failed to tell them about. Behind it was the family crypt and yet a third head! The dwarves felt justified in snapping up and attaching this head to the other two – Nalia had not been completely forthcoming now had she? So, having accomplished their goal, they head back outside to Nalia, her mother and the Captain, told them that that was all that could be done for now, and headed back to Athkala.

The slavers provided little challenge after that – straight in the front door, pick them off one at a time coming through doorways and down stairs and using fireballs in large open areas. It was a walk in the park. But, of course, they didn’t tell Hendak that. Even Kwyrin knew enough to claim that the slavers had all but killed them – hey, that little white lie meant more free brews!

(And that ladies and gents, was how the crew acquired the Flail of the Ages.)
-------more to come---------

[This message has been edited by Kailynne Johanne (edited October 07, 2001).]

 

Thiss is my favorite bedtime tale. I love the way the dwarves take advantage of Haer'Dalis and the way you make Hendak seem like a semi scoundrel is just a pearl. Great! Right now I am sad that this thread can't go on forever. But I am happy that BG2 is so big

 

What a tale.

I love the adventuring party's motives. "Let's kill a big baddie. Let's find the legendary Flail of Ages. etc" This kinda stuff fits in very well with their bardic background.

Character description, grammar and spelling are all top notch. Nothing negative to point out so far. Good luck with your party.

 

Sorta a repeat of another thread - for those following this story only...

Took a major power failure and the whole hard disk, not just the game install, is gone and unrecoverable... Need to rebuild the disk. Won't restart this ame immediately afterwards... With no save on another disk, can't get ack to where I was easily or quickly. Sorry guys.

Did restart the other thread - solo Human fighter, stats all 6's except for STR-9. Try that one.

Thanks for all the support though. I will eventually try this game again. It just requires playing it differently with this group than with any other I have had.

For those of you who made such nice comments, thanks. I appreciated the encouragement. You guys are the inspiration for trying the game a way I wouldn't have tried otherwise. The writing of the stories is simply a reflection of that. Thanks for adding to my game.

(This was sent on the backup computer.)

[This message has been edited by Kailynne Johanne (edited October 08, 2001).]

 

I hope you will continue this story one day. *sniffs* I'll miss those dwarfs. *cries some silent tears* Bye bye !

 

I hope you continue it as well.

Or a new concept.. solo Bard?

 

Solo bard has been done. I have no interest in doing the bard thing solo. Part of the fun of this gae was my "in head" interaction between the characters - sort of like screen/script writers behind the scenes arguing over how to make the story work each week in a series or film. In this story, there was a lot of unwritten bickering going on between the characters that you guys never got to see because: a, I am not a great dialogue writer and b, this was already more wordy than I wanted it to be.

Anyway, thanks again for the good comments. I WILL try this again, but I think I won't have half as much trouble next time as this time as I learned that my "normal"/preferred tactics were useless and I had to develop new ones. So, I'll probably wind up less nervous and frustrated - or conversely, more confident in my ability to keep them alive.

 

*snif* Snif* the best bedtime story ever is over. Cheers to the bards lost in cyberspace.