Part 2: , Part 1. The Long and Winding Road

Chapter 2, Part 1. The Long and Winding Road


This is the path we are taking for this update.





Hey-a! It's me! Imoen!


I wake up, hoping to find myself in Candlekeep, but am met with a harsh reality. I'm up to my neck in hot water. However annoying the immature brat may be: I was greatful to see a familiar face out in this wilderness.



Well...At least it's somebody I know. Plus, Imoen is a rather good thief for her age. That may be incredibly useful if I find myself in a pinch...or need something to be pinched. She's also as good with that bow of hers as I am with my sling. Hopefully we'll be able to kill anything before it comes near us



We head north, back to the site of the ambush, hoping to find some clue as to who this Armoured Fiend was and why he wanted me dead. We loot the corpses of the foes he did manage to slay before Imoen (rather tactlessly) checked Gorion's pockets.



She found this note. But all it does is leave us with more unanswered questions.
- Who is the note's author, "E"?
- What events is he talking about?
- What destiny is it referring to?
- Is that note actually talking about me?

Imoen pockets it, just in case we need it later. We head back to the road and follow it to the East.



Along the way, we meet a commoner out for his midday stroll. His help was rather useless, he only wished us luck. Fat lot of good that's done me. Still, he did mention that there was another pair of travelers up the road. I hope they're not more Bounty Hunters.



We meet Xzar, a psychotic Necromancer and his companion, Montaron: A dwarvish Fighter\Thief. They give us healing potions as a gesture of good will. These will come in handy.



They offer to travel with us as fellow companions. At the moment: I couldn't care less who they are or where they come from. 2 People on the road isn't nearly enough. They were on the way to Nashkell to look into the Iron shortage, but first they agree to travel to the Friendly Arm Inn to meet with the friends Gorion mentioned. They didn't seem to happy about it, but then again: They dont really seem to be happy about anything.



That was, until this wolf tried to make a good snack out of the 4 of us. Xzar threw spells, laughing with glee and Montaron charged head-first into the battle. Meanwhile, Imoen frantically fired arrows at the canine.



I retreat to a safe distance and lob a magic missile at it, downing the wolf. Montaron took a nasty bite from the wolf, but he says he's alright. Meanwhile: Xzar giggles with joy and gnaws on his fingernails.

...Perhaps I'd be best travelling with Imoen alone than with a psychotic Necromancer.



Regardless: We head east along Lion's Way to the Inn.
Note: I'm including this for continuity and I think it might get confusing to follow if I didn't include these bits. If you think having a screenshot of me travelling to the next area is unnecessary: say so



Just when we were about to head North, we encountered this old wizard. I have no idea who he is, but he seemed to know who I am. Just as he walked past, I turned around to question him some more, but he had disapeared into the dark night.



Along the road we encountered some Gibberlings. Xzar dove straight in with his knife, since he was out of spells. Montaron fortunately finished them off before Xzar could come close, but Montaron did cop a swipe across the face. We stop to have a rest so that Montaron can heal his wounds.



Montaron didn't quite heal as well as he had hoped. The thief pick-pocketed me and stole the healing potion he gave us. He may be small, but I'm keeping my eye on the halfwi-uh...ling.



We continue north when a glint in this rock catches my eye. Upon closer examination, somebody had tried to hide a ring in this rock. Oh well. Finders Keepers.



This ring gives me a +1 bonus to my Armour Class. It means I'm harder to hit. This is a good thing



Further up the road, I find a ranger who gave some rather helpful advice as to what creatures are in the area. I like how he uses the word "once" when talking about the Ogre Mage. Hopefully that means there aren't too many of them around.



We continue north and find our way to...




The Friendly Arm Inn. Apparantly that fortress is regarded as an Inn. I'd hate to see what they call a city.

Still, we should be safe here for a while.



A suspicious looking individual waits at the top of the stairs. Montaron says he wants to check it out first. I considered arguing, but then I remembered that piker swiped my healing potion.



Another Bounty Hunter? These attacks are getting tiresome.



But this guy means business. He's a mage, much stronger than Xzar or I. He manages to cast Mirror Image. I cant tell which one he is and who the reflection is. Montaron curses and swipes frantically at all 3, hoping to disperse one or two.



Xzar and I manage to get a spell off each and we destroy his illusion. A nearby guard comes to assist.


The illusion gone, Imoen now has a clear shot. She takes him out with one arrow. While Mages can cause some serious damage: Without spells, they are useless.


Montaron searched the corpse and found this note. Apparantly we're only worth 200 gold. Let's see if we can raise that a bit shall we? Unfortunately, the note doesn't reveal any information about who is trying to kill me. However, it does indicate that I can expect a lot more attacks in the near future.



This local usefully informs us of what's been happening in the world outside Candlekeep. I had heard rumours of an Iron Shortage, but I never knew it was quite that bad. Sounds like it'd be a good idea to avoid Baldur's Gate for the time being.



I approach the only two armed people in the entire inn. Thankfully, these well equipped people are Jaheira, the Fighter\Druid and Khalid the Fighter. Both are the friends who Gorion mentioned. Things are starting to go my way a bit here. That's a nice change.



They offer to travel with me and I accept. Coincidentally: They're going to Nashkell, the same as Xzar and Montaron. Mind you: If we're going to meet the Mayor, I might leave Xzar to talk to a corpse somewhere until we're done dealing with dignitaries.



After stocking up on supplies, I decide to wander around and chat to the locals and see if anything needs fixing. Unshey asks us to defeat an Ogre that's been wandering around nearby. Sounds like a bit of fun.

We also met Landrin. He had a spider infestation and wanted us to clear them out, and return with the corpse of the queen, his old boots and his home-brewed wine. I asked if the bottle would suffice without the wine, but he threatened to shove the empty bottle where the sun doesn't shine and try to "milk" the wine out of me.

In light of that threat: I've decided NOT to drink the wine.
Note: I was a nuffy and saved over the Screenshot of me talking to Landrin. Sorry about that folks, just use your imagination


Meanwhile: Imoen does what she does best. She manages to swipe a few gold coins and trinkets which we sell back to the Innkeeper.



Right, enough of the Inn. We're stocked up, well-rested and ready for a good fight. Gorion wouldn't want us sitting still doing nothing, so let's see what we can get up to. Just as a bit of a warm-up for Nashkell?

Wait...what's that over there?



Looks like the Ring-Fairy has left us another present. Let's see what this one does.



I've heard about this ring. This doubles the amount of First-Level spells that I can cast. It worries me to think what Xzar might do with double his spells so I've decided to...restrict him a little. I'll be using this for now.

NOW we're ready to hunt some Ogres.