Part 166: Chapter CLXII - There must be anti-climax before there can be catharsis.
Chapter CLXII - There must be anti-climax before there can be catharsis.![](1-Cyric_chapter.png)
After a time-skip we're right back at it, Midnight sure knows how to pick 'em.
![](2-Cyric_good_morning.png)
Oh boy, a surprise! Time to head downstairs.
![](3-Elminster_intro.png)
![:suicide: :suicide:](../Smilies/emot-suicide.gif)
We run into our son on the way. Please keep in mind that Elminster, Vichan and Sarevok are the same age according to Roxanne.
![](4-Elminster_transforms.png)
I've run out of things to say. It's just bad.
![](5-Elminster_leaves.png)
Gee, I wonder what Roxanne is trying to hint at here.
![](6-Reunited.png)
Surprise!
![](7-Reunion_meeting.png)
Looks like we're back at it, there's still a tablet to hunt down.
![](8-Midnight_house.png)
Midnight's living large.
![](9-Pelligram_Elminster_father.png)
Pelligram helps Midnight catch on.
![](10-Liriel_sixth_member.png)
Liriel suggests filling our empty party slot with everyone's favorite drow.
![](11-Mystra_temple.png)
He's still hanging out in Mystra's temple.
![](12-Drizzt_joins.png)
![](13-Drizzt_bio.png)
Not sure if his bio's different from the last time but I thought I'd post it nonetheless.
![](14-Liriel_Drizzt.png)
Don't expect him to talk too much. This is one of the few banters he has.
![](15-Mornbryn_s_Shield.png)
Anyway, we can go to Tantras by boat in Mornbryn's Shield.
![](16-Looking_for_captain.png)
We have to track down the captain first though.
![](17-Inn.png)
The Troll in Flames seems like a good place to start.
![](18-Drizzt_Midnight.png)
The start of a very complicated and extremely problematic friendship.
![](19-Resach_intro.png)
We met this guy waaaaay back in BG1 where he claimed to have met Midnight.
![](20-Good_God.png)
![:shepicide: :shepicide:](../Smilies/shepicide2.gif)
![](21-Rarnott.png)
Not only is the captain's son missing but Sandrah's mother is with him. Looks like we have no choice but to track them down.
![](22-Cyric_I_begun_to_love.png)
Nope, this still feels creepy.
![](23-Slime.png)
On the way to Cerameon's Grave we run into a slime.
![](24-Slime_2.png)
It keeps dividing.
![](25-Slime_3.png)
I might have to ctrl-y instakill them, this is getting annoying.
![](26-Slime_4.png)
Oh God I'm not hitting the buttons fast enough.
![](27-Slime_5.png)
...I ended up having to reload, this time the slimes only split once. There's probably a really obvious trick here but I can barely be bothered to play the actual game by this point.
![](28-Lir.png)
Almost nothing's changed here.
![](29-Olive_intro.png)
Oh, look. It's another Forgotten Realms celebrity!
![](30-Olive.png)
![](31-Slime_tower.png)
Thank God it's just an ordinary slime and easily dispatched.
![](32-Olive_runs_off.png)
Finder goes on ahead and we follow.
![](33-Tower_no_door.png)
You can just walk through the door and don't have to open it, an oversight that's been pretty rare so far.
![](34-Narthil.png)
One more god to fight, why not?
![](35-Slime_king.png)
One of these enemies is called a slime king and 'spongey' doesn't begin to cover how annoying it is to take down.
![](36-Shambling_mounds.png)
We delve deeper and face some shambling mounds.
![](37-Slime_kings.png)
As well as multiple slime kings...
![:cripes: :cripes:](38-cripes.001.gif)
![](39-Pathfinding.png)
I can excuse wonky pathfinding at times but we actually have to take this path to progress.
![](40-Glarasteer.png)
We've rescued Khalindra's father but still need to find his daughter. It'd probably be better for the realms if I didn't but oh well...
![](41-Lizards.png)
After backtracking a bit and finding a different route I come face to face with the god of decay.
![](42-Moander.png)
We'll see about that.
![](43-Moander_fight.png)
Moander is actually easier than the shambling mounds we've already fought.
![](44-Khalindra_intro.png)
That portrait scared me for a bit there.
![](45-Khalindra_Finder.png)
Khalindra and Finder Wyvernspur leave and our work here is done.
![](46-Moander_items.png)
After we loot Moander's corpse that is.
![](47-Moander_map.png)
The area we just explored.
![](48-Narthil_freed.png)
Narthil is freed before I even get the chance to open the cage.
![:cripes: :cripes:](38-cripes.001.gif)
![](49-Olive_goodbye.png)
Finder takes the spark and leaves with Olive.
![](50-Glarasteer_goodbye.png)
We also send Khalindra and her father to Elminster. The timeline must be kept intact.
![](51-Resach.png)
Resach thanks us and sends us to...
![](52-To_Tantras.png)
Tantras, where a battle is currently taking place.
![](53-Oh_dear.png)
![:ohdear: :ohdear:](../Smilies/emot-ohdear.png)
![](54-Skeleton_warrior.png)
The battle starts off easy enough.
![](55-Battle.png)
It gets progressively harder as we make our way south.
![](56-Teleport.png)
![](57-Torm_martyr.png)
Some Martyrs teleport in to help out.
![](58-Battle_2.png)
![](59-More_martyrs.png)
More martyrs and enemies as we get closer to the southern edge of this map.
![](60-Bane_Bhaal_intro.png)
When we finally reach the end Bane and Bhaal are waiting for us.
![](61-Bane_Bhaal.png)
They quickly move to secure the tablet and we follow them to the next area.
![](62-Tantras_battlefield.png)
The area we just traversed.
![](63-Serene.png)
No enemies in the next area so we can take a breather.
![](64-Torm_intro.png)
High praise coming from the god of righteousness.
![](65-Torm.png)
He storms off to face Bhaal and Bane, we'd better not let him do that alone.
![](66-Even_more_martyrs.png)
More martyrs teleport in even though this area is free of encounters.
![](67-Serene_map.jpg)
I like this map.
![:) :)](../Smilies/smile.gif)
![](68-Follow_torm.png)
In the next area we follow Torm up a mountain.
![](69-Necromancer_golems.png)
He bypasses these enemies leaving us to fight them.
![](70-Bhaal_flees.png)
Bhaal flees while Torm faces off against Bane. Bane on the other hand is more interested in attacking our party. I played through this part multiple times and the scene didn't want to progress.
![](71-Torm_Bane_death.png)
Turns out the answer was to lounge offscreen until they both die in a cutscene, because the area was still unexplored I can only show the aftermath.
![](72-Cyric_succession.png)
Cyric is up to his old tricks again.
![](73-Bane_area.jpg)
Nothing to do but head back. We didn't even get the tablet.
![:negative: :negative:](../Smilies/negativeman-55f.png)
![](74-Martyr_intro.png)
You might want to sit down...
![](75-Martyr_s_progeny.png)
From the mouth of babes...
![](76-Martyr.png)
Oh dear, Bhaal has his sights set on Khalindra.
![:ohdear: :ohdear:](../Smilies/emot-ohdear.png)
Let's strike one of his temples, that'll show him!
![](77-Familiar_face.png)
On our way out of Morbryn's Shield we arrive in Wyvern's Crossing where a familiar face is waiting for us.
![](78-Gorion_intro.png)
No portrait? Disappointing.
![](79-Gorion.png)
I can try but I really don't feel like it.
![](80-Gorion_2.png)
Elminster seems to have bought his house in Waterdeep already.
![](81-Forest_theme.png)
The temple in the Forest of Mir has to be dealt with first, though.
![](82-Fire_Giants.png)
Some fire giants guard this place but by this point they're a piece of cake.
![](83-Nyalee_intro.png)
![:suicide: :suicide:](../Smilies/emot-suicide.gif)
![](84-Nyalee.png)
I'm actually going to take Midnight's last line to heart and end things as anti-climactically as possible.
Some good news though, the next chapter will be the absolute last. We're almost done!
![:woop: :woop:](../Smilies/emot-woop.gif)