Let's Read & Play: Baldur’s Gate II - Bhaal is Dead!

[Kail11]

Such an amazing series one cannot even comprehend.

[Khay]

Aww yeah, we made it to the second page before the end of 2017. (It's still 2017 here, shush.) Chapter Four consists of three entirely distinct parts, which seem to have been grouped together for no real reason. I'll be honest: I do not understand what qualifies as a chapter in the Athansverse.

Spoiler: The book

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In part one, we take a moment to check in on Jaheira and Imoen. Bodhi is currently dragging them through a rough stone tunnel by their hair. Jaheira is conscious.

"Good," the pale woman said quietly as she dragged Jaheira and the other woman through the storm drain, "he likes long hair." (...) Jaheira tried to trip her on more than one occasion, but the woman avoided her feet easily, not even seeming to notice the attempts.

As a seasoned warrior with spellcasting ability, Jaheira can of course do nothing but feebly struggle against Bodhi's grip. (Her hands are tied together with rope, to be fair, which rules out most spells.) Imoen, meanwhile, is still unconscious.

The other prisoner was a pretty young woman, maybe not even twenty years old. Her face was stained with dust and tears, and her eyes were sunken and exhausted.

For some reason all the female characters in these books are really young. I'm just going to assume that Jaheira is getting it slightly wrong and that Imoen is in her early twenties.

Bodhi stops abruptly and smacks Jaheira in the face, causing her to stumble and fall into one of the thralls following her. The thrall bares his fangs, but Bodhi tells him to stop.

Jaheira gasped and looked at the woman, who caught her eyes and smiled in a way that made Jaheira blush. (...)
"I need her for more than blood ... for now."
"Will I have her then?" the man asked eagerly.
"No," the woman said, letting her eyes trail up and down Jaheira's body, "I'll want her for myself, I think." (...)
"Where are you taking us?" Jaheira heard herself ask. She'd never felt this powerless but couldn't make herself submit.

Oh yeah, when you're putting your damsel into distress, you definitely want to include some weird sexual assault overtones. That's a really important trope to hit. I mean, sure, sexuality is often associated with vampires, but... ew.

Jaheira then mentions Abdel, causing Bodhi to gasp. (A heaving bosom is mentioned.) The half-elf insists that Abdel will come to rescue her.

Jaheira (...) breathed in sharply when the man grabbed her tighter, hurting her, arching her back against him.
The vampire woman hit her again with the back of her hand, and the sound of the blow rang through Jaheira's head with a snap that warned of a broken jaw. The half-elf's eyes blurred, and she felt as if she was falling, though the cold man was still holding her firmly.
As she lost consciousness again, she heard the vampire say, "I will drain you slowly, bitch."

Jaheira really shouldn't be this helpless. I can see how she wouldn't be able to win this particular encounter, but this is terrible. She's an experienced warrior, on paper, but she never gets to do any warrior stuff; instead, it's all gasping and name-dropping Abdel.

Speaking of Abdel: Part two of this chapter returns us to our hero protagonist.

It was called the Copper Coronet, and it looked as bad, and smelled as bad, as Abdel remembered. He'd been there several times but had made no friends.

I have a feeling that Abdel would describe a lot of places like that.

The bartender informs him that this isn't that kind of establishment. Yoshimo, being the only one with social skills, attempts to smooth things over.

"Alas," Yoshimo broke in, speaking first to the old drunk, then to the dark, swarthy barkeep, "our enemies had muscles too, and the aid of more than one wu-jen."
"I need clothes," Abdel said, clearing his throat uncomfortably. "I need clothes, maybe something to eat, and some water, and I need to speak with Captain Belars Orhotek as soon as one of your boys can fetch him here."

The dusky, tan bartender completely loses it at this point, laughing to the point of tears. Abdel and Yoshimo awkwardly stand around for a moment, waiting for him to catch his breath. Minsc is also here.

This did not make Abdel happy, but short of strangling or pummeling the bartender, he had no idea what to do.
"Indeed," Yoshimo started to say, "it is amusing, but—"
"Easy there, stranger," the barkeep said, glancing back and forth between Yoshimo and
Abdel. "Word travels faster in Athkatla than you do, boys, and the three of you are hard to miss. Her name's Imogen, right?"
Abdel's jaw fell open, and without thinking he said, "Imoen."
"Imoen, then," the barkeep said. "Anyway, I know where she is and who's holding her, but information costs in Athkatla."

This makes perfect sense, of course. Being a bartender, our sable friend with the inklike skin receives immediate updates on all local plot hooks. (There is an explanation, but... I really hope Abdel was out for a few hours during the last chapter, or something.)

Yoshy-boy steps in before Abdel can kill the man of bistered and adumbral complexion. He explains that this is Gaelan Bayle, a locally-known information broker. This is good because I'm running out of words with which to mock the "dark and swarthy" descriptor.

Abdel glowered at Yoshimo and said, "I'm no fool, Kozakuran. What's going on here?"
"Yoshy-boy brought you here because he knows I know what's going on around here, Abdel
Adrian, Son of Bhaal, Savior of Baldur's Gate, friend of the missing Imoen who was taken by Shadow Thieves who were none too happy about your late half-brother's bandying their not-so-good name about the Gate ... oh," he said, "does that sound like I might know what I'm—"
Abdel was over the bar and standing in front of the barkeep in less than the time it took for Yoshimo to blink.

Yeah, actually, I'm pretty sure that a lot of people in Amn would be hearing about Abdel and Sarevok right now. Remember, Amn and Baldur's Gate were on the brink of war like half a week ago. This should be big news.

Anyway, Abdel is suitably impressed. As such, he stops just short of actually punching Gaelan, and instead goes for an Intimidate roll.

"You can tell me who you are now and what you want from me," Abdel snarled, "or I'll do something I've been trying not to do so much of lately."
Gaelan just nodded. "Listen," he said, "I'm just a guy who keeps his ears open and knows people who know people who know people. I can tell you where she is, not because I'm a swell guy but because you're going to pay me ten trade bars—fifty thousand gold pieces—for the information."

Fifty thousand gold pieces is a completely absurd sum. Abdel points out that you could buy a ship for that amount of money, and Gaelan explains that yeah, actually, he's in the market for a ship. Gaelan and Yoshimo bicker for a while, until...

"Holy snakes and eggs!" a woman's voice exclaimed.
Before Abdel could even glance at her, he blushed and tried to turn around and cover himself.

"Snakes and eggs." The hits just keep on coming. Gaelan completely loses it again. Yoshimo takes his leave at this point.

"Boy says he was robbed, Bodhi," the bartender said, rubbing his pink, watering eyes.
"Were you now?" she asked Abdel's back.
"Yes, ma'am," Abdel answered quickly. "I need clothes, food and water, and word sent to Captain Orhotek. Please."
"I'll give you some of Gaelan's clothes," the woman said[.]

Oh yeah, you read that right: Bodhi. And yes, that's vampire Bodhi. For some reason, Bodhi moonlights as a waitress in the Copper Coronet. I'll be honest: This whole chapter has kind of a weird dreamlike feeling to it. You know, like when you dream you're at work, but it's a weird cross between the office and your old apartment? And for some reason you just know that half the people there are actually your old high school friends? Yeah.

Gaelan heads to the back to round up some trousers. Continuing the strange and dreamlike nature of this chapter, Minsc figures that this is the perfect opportunity to drop off his resumé.

"This is Boo," Minsc told her. "He helps me."
"Does he now," she cooed, humoring him. "Is he a mouse?"
"Boo is a hamster," Minsc said. Abdel sighed at having at least one question answered.
"Where did you find him?" Bodhi asked.
"Oh, Boo found me. Didn't you, Boo?" Minsc answered. "He comes from space. His kind are actually quite large, but he is smaller than most."
"Space?" the woman asked, obviously never having heard the word before.
"The place of the crystal spheres," Minsc explained conversationally, "up in the air beyond the heavens."
Bodhi laughed lightly and said, "Well, Boo, so you're a miniature giant space . . . ?"
"Hamster," Minsc provided.
"A miniature giant space hamster," she said, "and a cute one at that."
"Boo likes you," Minsc said dully. "Can we work here for food and stuff?" (...)
"We could use a busboy," Bodhi said.

Kids these days, always complaining that you can't find a job. Back in my day, you'd just walk in the door with your hamster, your Asian friend and your naked friend and the bartender would hire you on the spot. #employment

The bit about Boo does ring true. This is the one time Minsc actually resembles his counterpart from the games. While Minsc's claims always look ridiculous, Boo's nature is actually highly ambiguous. Giant space hamsters exist in D&D canon, and Book!Minsc's description of the heavens is completely accurate. We have very little information about Boo, and what we do have came after the games or is found in very dubious sources.

That said, this is still horribly wrong.

There is, however, one more character Athans has yet to ruin, so part three introduces us to Irenicus.

Irenicus shuffled along with the rest of them and kept silent. He didn't give the guards an excuse to strike him. If he had given them an excuse, and they had struck him, he would have had no choice but to destroy them in a blaze of power and indignation that would have revealed him too early and thrown his plan, at least temporarily, awry.

Irenicus is being transported... somewhere. It seems he allowed himself to be captured, so I'm guessing he was able to restrain himself from entering blaze-of-indigation mode then. It happened offscreen, anyway.

He doesn't really care much for the other prisoners - or the guards, for that matter - and instead amuses himself by observing the environment. The decor suggests a prison, or perhaps a dungeon, but Irenicus mentally calls it an asylum.

He noted the way the bricks were mortared together, the iron banding on
the doors that occasionally led off from the wide corridor. He noticed the straw scattered on the floor and the stains on the flagstones that might have been blood, or food.
(...)
[O]ne of the guards noticed his expression. He looked at Irenicus curiously, his body tensing in blind anticipation, like a squirrel caught in the middle of a yard by the neighbor's cat.
Irenicus smiled and said, "Three buckets of hot water, Momma. Three buckets of hot water," just so the man would think he was an idiot.

The guard decides he's not being paid enough to deal with this. Eventually, the group of prisoners(?) is poked and prodded into a meeting hall, where a small and round man is holding a speech of sorts.

"Welcome, tortured souls," the man standing in the middle of the otherwise empty room said in a voice of practiced calm. "This will be your home for a very long time. You will be treated well. You will not be allowed to harm yourselves or others. You will rest, you will meditate, you will heal, or you will not. (...)
I am the coordinator here," the man continued. "You will refer to me simply as 'Sir.' Is that understood?"
None of the prisoners responded except one, who said, "This is madness," in a voice full of insult. The coordinator smiled in a condescending, fatherly way, and said, "Quite."

I bet he works as coordinator just so he can drop that sick burn.

Irenicus stares directly at the coordinator until he makes eye contact, then uses a Jedi mind trick on him.

"I want us to talk," Irenicus told him, "you and me."
The coordinator smiled feebly, and a drop of sweat started a slow crawl down the side of one high, bald temple. (...) "We can," the coordinator said, matching Irenicus's cadence and tone. "We will."

Your homework assignment for today is to write an essay that critically discusses the following statement: "The best way to explain this section is that Irenicus is a psion. Casting a Charm spell of some kind would require somatic and verbal components. This must be Psionic Dominate."

An unusually perceptive guard asks the coordinator if he's well. Irenicus says that he's fine, and the coordinator repeats the words, matching Irenicus in tone.

Irenicus smiled and said, "Everything is going to be just fine here."

At least this is a nice and creepy line to end the chapter on.

Spoiler: The game

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Having escaped Chateau Irenicus, we find ourselves in the city of Amn - specifically, Waukeen's Promenade.


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For some reason, I'm having a real devil of a time getting the mouse cursor to record properly. I'm either getting two or none. I'll figure it out one of those weeks.

Once the Cowled Mages disappear, you are just kind of... thrown out there. There are plenty of things to do in Waukeen's Promenade, places to visit and even a few sidequests you can do. The plot doesn't continue until you try to leave the map.


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The world map starts out mostly blank, as in the first game. Athkatla itself is marked (with named locations this time) but you can't actually go anywhere except for the Slums district. There's no in-universe reason for this. The plot needs you to go to the slums next, so you can only go to the Slums district.

A man named Gaelan Bayle stops us as soon as we get there. The conversation goes essentially the same no matter how you answer him, so feel free to get a little snarky.


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GAELAN: Coo! You'd be the one I be looking for, if I not be mistaken. <CHARNAME> be yer name, aye?
CHARNAME: Yes, I am <HESHE>. What is it that you want?
GAELAN: 'Tis not what I want, but what I can be doing for ye. You might be wanting information about a young lass arrested by the wizards on your arrival here, aye?
I'd rather know who you are, first, before I deal with you.
GAELAN: Well, bless me for bein' an idiot if I haven't gone and forgotten me manners. My name be Gaelan Bayle. Ye needn't stretch your brain thinkin', I be sure it's a name ye haven't heard.
YOSHIMO: I've heard of him, <CHARNAME>... at least a little. He is a man with many connections amongst the underworld in this city. A man of his word, too, as far as that is worth.
GAELAN: You be a different matter... You be renown enough that someone might be willin' to find this Imoen for ye, or maybe this wizard who held ye. Either way, they both went to the same place.
CHARNAME: How do you know all of this?
GAELAN: Coo! I knows very little meself, me <LADYLORD>. I can, however, link ye up with a group that knows. Or can be findin' out. But this be not the best place to hold such a dialogue. I be having a place that would suit far better. It be just a short walk from here. Why don't I take you there right now? Unless you have some reason for not wanting to come along?
CHARNAME: How do I know that this isn't some kind of trap?
GAELAN: Hah! I have no interest in settin' up a trap. It be more profitable to serve. I will speak no more...come with me and you can decide whether to enter me house.

Journal entry:
Collect the fee for Gaelan Bayle.
I met Gaelan Bayle in the Athkatla Slums who seemed to know something about Imoen's capture. He has led me to his home in the far eastern side of the Slums District and bade me to enter, where we might discuss an offer of aid.

The screen fades to black, and we are transported to Gaelan's house.


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GAELAN: Coo! It's good to be seeing ye once again, me <LADYLORD>! I see that ye were able to keep up with me alright, eh? I was afraid I'd lost ye there, heh...
CHARNAME: I kept up just fine. Now tell me what all this is about.
GAELAN: Aye, I'll be doing that quick as ye blink. I tell ye straight that I know a powerful group that can be helping ye. They can be findin' the wizard and the young woman both, they can. But they can be doing far better than the tellin', my friend. They can also affect the rescue of your lass, or the capture of the mage, to boot.
CHARNAME: Just what is this organization, anyway?
GAELAN: This I cannot tell ye. Rest ye fine that they be willin' to help... and havin' enough power to challenge the Cowled Wizards. That all ye be needin' to know.
CHARNAME: All I need is to know where Imoen is. I can handle the rest myself.
GAELAN: Ye might think this, but I be tellin' it isn't true. Without my organization there be nothing ye could do. Choose, then, if ye be wanting their help or nay.
CHARNAME: Very well. I do want their help in rescuing Imoen, then.
GAELAN: Ye has the 20,000 gold pieces as a payment for it, then?
20,000 gold pieces! That's an outrageous sum!!
GAELAN: Outrageous, is it? 'Tis a lot, but ye ask me friends to go against the wishes of th' Cowled Wizards. I told ye it not be a thing to be done lightly.
CHARNAME: I do not have that much money... how am I supposed to raise it?
GAELAN: I am sure ye have spent as much in the past and will again. Surely there be work in the city for ye. Or perhaps some of yer expensive goods to sell?
CHARNAME: Very well, I'll be back with the money.
GAELAN: Aye, I'll wait for it. Brus 'll be waiting for ye outside. He's me nephew, an' he'll show you to the Copper Coronet. Ye'll find work easily enough there, ye will. There was a girl in the Copper Coronet by the name of Nalia. She might have some work for a fighting <PRO_MANWOMAN> like yourself. Fare ye well, then... an' give me greetings to Lehtinan if ye happens by 'im, heh...

Journal entry:
Collect the fee for Gaelan Bayle.
Gaelan Bayle will connect me with a group who will aid in finding Imoen, but the price is 20,000 gp! A steep cost, but he did mention that it entailed crossing the Cowled Wizards, not something to be done lightly. Once I have the 20,000 gp, I am to speak to him again.

The deal is struck. We are now officially in CHAPTER II. (Fun fact: Some inaccessible dialogue suggest that Bayle's price may have originally been 50k, which is just silly.)


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CHARNAME takes a moment to summarize the events thus far.

Journal entry:
Chapter 2

I escaped from the mad maze that was Irenicus' dungeon only to encounter the wizard, himself, in a battle with assassins in black leather. Perhaps that was why I was able to escape as easily as I did... I do not know. The assassins seemed to be blaming the mage for something, to which Irenicus responded with anger and powerful magic. Indeed, part of the structure which surrounded him had collapsed from the might of his spells.
As the battle ended, however, Imoen attacked Irenicus, herself... and when strange wizards appeared to put an end to the magical conflict, they took both Imoen and Irenicus away.

I am left in the city of Athkatla in Amn with few allies and enemies that I know nothing about. Imoen is missing... and the only place I can go to achieve answers is likely the same place she has been taken.

I have encountered a man named Gaelan Bayle who mysteriously seems to know who I am and sought me out. He has an offer of aid from an equally mysterious source. And one which comes with a very high price, indeed...

It's popular to treat CHARNAME as kind of a blank slate character. That's true to some extent, since you choose their class, gender and alignment, make their choices for them and choose what they say. However, CHARNAME has a personality that's very clearly expressed through their obsessive journaling, and it is the kind of personality that writes chapter headings and dramatic pauses into their journal. "Dear diary, I woke up in a murder dungeon twenty seconds ago."

I'm still upset that Abdel isn't like that.

Anyway. Before we can start on our quest, we need to check in with Imoen real quick. The game fades to black, then:


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MAGE 1: These are the prisoners from the disturbance at Waukeen's Promenade.
MAGE 2: What is known?
MAGE 1: Naught but their names. The mage is Jon Irenicus. The girl is Imoen.
IMOEN: I didn't do anything; he did it all, I had...
IRENICUS: Silence, child. Allow the fool to make his judgement.
MAGE 2: Why was this man not gagged? Did he not slay four of you?
MAGE 1: We dared not approach.
MAGE 3: Regardless, in the end he came willingly.
MAGE 4: What should be done with them sir?
MAGE 2: They are deviants. Let them rot in Spellhold.

<All mages except 1 and 2 teleport away, taking Imoen and Irenicus along.>

Well, it's not exactly trial-of-the-century material... I'm sure Spellhold is a nice place, though.

This scene is interesting because it is, I think, the first time the games have shown us something that CHARNAME didn't witness. BG 1 keeps strictly to CHARNAME's perspective, but the second game breaks with that. We are officially granted some out-of-character knowledge here.

Anyway, the screen fades out and back in. Control is returned to us, and we are now free to go about our quest. This chapter basically tells you to go sidequesting for a bit. You have a goal - i. e. raising 20,000 gold - but how you do it is entirely up to you. The cutscene showed us that Imoen needs to be rescued but isn't in immediate peril, so you don't have to feel guilty about dragging your feet a little.

The game does point you in a direction. The exact quest hook you receive depends on CHARNAME's class. Warriors are told to go to the Copper Coronet and talk to Nalia:


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However, you are free to completely ignore that and go look for plot hooks elsewhere in the city. The game opens up here. It's true that the world is much smaller than it was in BG 1, and the wilderness areas are gone, so you can't just pick a direction and walk - but there's a lot more content in the areas you can visit. No matter where you go in Athkatla, you'll trip over something interesting within five minutes.

We'll take Brus' advice and check out the Copper Coronet for now. Before we can enter, Jaheira interjects.

JAHEIRA: So, where to now, fearless leader?
CHARNAME: Hmm, I don't rightly know. I'm taking suggestions.
JAHEIRA: I would suggest you get moving and decide on a plan. And never again say something like "don't rightly know." You sound like you were dropped as a child.
JAHEIRA: Or kicked.
JAHEIRA: I'm...I'm sorry, <CHARNAME>. I do not wish to cause undue strain in our party. I am merely a bit stressed, and no doubt you are as well.
CHARNAME: Think nothing of it, Jaheira. It is understandable.
JAHEIRA: Yes, but not acceptable. We are friends, and should act as such. I...I apologize.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure that the violent murder of your husband is going to, ahh, set you on edge for a bit? Take all the time you need, Jaheira.

We enter the Copper Coronet. The tavern is huge, probably on par with the ground floor of the Friendly Arm Inn.


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There's a lot to do and see here. Several recruitable characters, a couple of quest hooks, some free XP... one NPC at a time, though.

First up is Nalia, the woman Gaelan mentioned. (Technically, you encounter Anomen first, but Anomen can go screw himself.)


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NALIA: Is anyone willing to hear my plea? Anyone? You all know me, I've helped some of you! Is this the thanks I get? I've helped lots of your kind!
NALIA: You! Are you for hire? As a mercenary, I mean? You look capable and hearty, like you've had formal training.
CHARNAME: I may be able to help you. But I need to gather a large amount of gold to rescue a friend, so I'd be interested in knowing what you offer as payment.
NALIA: You don't even know what I ask but you wish to know the payment? I will reward you, but we must hurry. I cannot guarantee it if my land is looted. Will you help?
CHARNAME: I will help, but I will need to know exactly what is going on. Who are we fighting and why?
NALIA: There is no time! I only hope that the attackers have not made it inside. If they have...if they have breached the inner courtyard they will be hard to rout.
NALIA: I will tell you what secrets I can. Perhaps you will be able to sneak in and attack from a more vulnerable spot. I hope Father is all right. He...would not leave.
NALIA: Should I travel with you? I've spent a few weeks slumming, and I am quite capable of opening the odd lock. I had to pick three just to get out of the main keep.
NALIA: Aunty doesn't like me leaving at night, but how else can I donate to the poor and not be noticed? They have pride too, and... I really shouldn't be seen with them.
CHARNAME: You can travel in the party with me. I'm sure you will be a useful addition.
NALIA: Wonderful! Do you help people often? I have often wanted to get away from the keep and Aunty's rules. She doesn't understand that I just want to help people.
MINSC: Helping others is good! What a nice little girl you are. Would you like to see my Boo? I think he approves of you, too.
[JAHEIRA: You speak as if unaware of class distinction, and yet your manner exudes it. A sign of immaturity... perhaps adventuring is not the place for you.]
NALIA: Here...I'll mark the location on your map. We should head there immediately. Be careful not to be spotted. I hope everything is all right!
CHARNAME: Alright, I'll do as I've agreed, but you should know that my ultimate goal is to rescue an old friend of mine, above and beyond anything else.
NALIA: An old friend? Who's that?
CHARNAME: Her name is Imoen, and she's been taken prisoner by the Cowled Wizards... and I'm not about to leave her to their mercy.
NALIA: If she needs help then of course I'm willing to help you find her, if you want me to. But we have to take care of my family's situation first, that's all I ask!
<JoinParty()>

Journal entry:
The de'Arnise Keep has been invaded.

I have met a young woman by the name of Nalia who is desperate to find help for her family's keep, which is under siege by some force that she hasn't yet explained. I have agreed to take her into my party, but we are to travel to this keep (she has marked the area on my map) as soon as possible to assist.

Nalia joins our party. The best way to describe her is that she's Diet Imoen - a Thief dual-classed to a Mage, but at a lower level and with the exact same DEX/CON/INT scores. Also, she's a rich kid who likes to slum it with the underclasses. She's an ALLY OF THE POOR, deliberately written to come across as tone-deaf, which you may or may not appreciate. I find that there's very little reason to use her when Imoen is available, but... we can take her along for now.

We'll handle the situation at de'Arnise Keep soon, but let's finish exploring the Copper Coronet first.


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The owner of the Copper Coronet is a complete douchebag. Chat to him a little, and it turns out he also offers some less-than-legal services in addition to good wholesome booze.

This turns out to be an underground slave fighting ring. Not cool, Lehtinan.

We free Hendak and company and place the Copper Coronet under new management.


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A grateful Hendak offers us a significant discount on the Coronet's services, as well as another plot hook related to the Amnian slave trade.

We've done our good deed for the day, and we've secured a safe base of operations in Athkatla, run by our close personal friend Hendak. Let's take a break here, and tackle de'Arnise keep next week.

Spoiler: Comparison and commentary

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The most striking thing about the early chapters of this book is probably how compressed the plot is, compared to the game. The starter dungeon consists of two rooms. Irenicus and Bodhi are subcontractors to the Shadow Thieves, rather than rivals. Gaelan Bayle and Bodhi work together, and everyone of importance is moved into the Copper Coronet. We know that Bodhi is working with Irenicus, so she can make sure that Abdel does exactly what he needs to do without having to think about it. The Cowled Wizards are cut entirely, though the city watch takes over their role. (Another Conan-ism, perhaps?) Thus, the story is both shortened and simplified. This helps to keep things moving, but also flattens the plot. (And it leaves us, once again, in a situation where the protagonist is following the orders of a blatantly untrustworthy character.)

There seems to be little rhyme or reason to what was kept and what was cut. Frankly, I have no idea why Minsc is even in this book. Remember that the Minsc of the games is traveling the world as part of his dajemma, a rite of passage. He was originally accompanied by the witch Dynaheir, and he hoped to achieve membership in the Ice Dragon Berserker Lodge by serving as her bodyguard. Hidden agendas were involved. The two traveled with CHARNAME's group for a while and were captured with the rest of the group. Dynaheir was killed by Irenicus, so Minsc's current goals are avenging Dynaheir, kicking butts for goodness, and finding a way to salvage his dajemma.

None of those goals are served by working as a busboy for a vampire bartender.

Of course, the Minsc of the books doesn't have that backstory. He's just a weirdo with a hamster. He was in the dungeon for no reason, at least none we ever learn, and he has nothing to do and nowhere to be. Minsc basically vanishes from the narrative here, having contributed nothing to the plot. So why was he in here at all? The only explanation I can think of is "fanservice," in which case... wow, that backfired horribly.

Irenicus is a little better, I think. We didn't get the scene where he takes a stand against the Cowled Wizards, but we do still see him adjust to captivity. In the game, even after his surrender, the wizards don't dare go near him. He may be trapped in an Otiluke's Resilient Sphere, but he keeps his cold, aloof attitude. He doesn't seem to think he's actually in trouble, and I can't help but fear for Imoen - she'll be trapped with this guy?

The novel handles things differently, but with a similar result. It's a little more... low-key, I guess? Irenicus surrenders to the guard and is taken to an ill-defined prison or asylum of some kind, but it doesn't really bother him. He's mildly annoyed, yes, but not afraid. The game only hints that Irenicus is probably planning something, but the book keeps the camera rolling a little longer, and we see him use Psionic Dominate on the coordinator. We can infer what happens after that. I don't think that Irenicus is the sort of antagonist who benefits from a subtle portrayal, but this could be worse.

That said, Athans forgets to actually explain what this place is or why Irenicus went to an asylum rather than... you know... prison. In the game, there's a very good reason. Spellhold is roughly equivalent to Arkham Asylum - a place where mages go who are simply too dangerous (and/or too deranged) for a regular prison. Of course, as befits a secret society, the Cowled Wizards also toss their political enemies in there, but it's mostly Alcatraz for wizards.

But really, the most notable thing is the plot compression. We'll see more of this in the coming chapters, but Athans has absolutely zero patience for Athkatla. I have no idea how I'm going to match this up with the game content. I'll have to think of something

I hope you'll all have a good start to 2018. All my best wishes for the new year to you and your loved ones.

[Keltest]

Sigh. The really tragic thing is that Minsc would be great for a conan-esque story. He has no magic to speak of and likes to sword things, he's huge but with a somewhat versatile skillset, and he's interesting as all heck. And he has Boo, who even Athans managed to avoid completely screwing up.

[The Glyphstone]

How would you screw up Boo? Literally his only defining trait is being a hamster. If you made him a ferret or something it just wouldn't even be justifiable to call him Boo anymore.

[Keltest]

How would you screw up Boo? Literally his only defining trait is being a hamster. If you made him a ferret or something it just wouldn't even be justifiable to call him Boo anymore.

They could have made him a mouse or something. Or even just a regular sized terrestrial hamster instead of a Miniature Giant Space Hamster.

[Cazero]

They could have him talk in common, use psionic powers, and ditch Minsc because Abdel is better.

[Khay]

Sigh. The really tragic thing is that Minsc would be great for a conan-esque story. He has no magic to speak of and likes to sword things, he's huge but with a somewhat versatile skillset, and he's interesting as all heck. And he has Boo, who even Athans managed to avoid completely screwing up.

Yeah, no kidding. It's a shame that Athans had to ruin Minsc of all characters. I don't think anyone would've complained about him screwing up, say, Anomen.

I really need to read those comics sometime. Are they any good?

They could have him talk in common, use psionic powers, and ditch Minsc because Abdel is better.

I just had a vision of a live action adaptation of the books, featuring a wacky Minions-esque Boo. Please excuse me while I shiver in dread.

[Spore]

I just had a vision of a live action adaptation of the books, featuring a wacky Minions-esque Boo. Please excuse me while I shiver in dread.

Aww come on. Did your fear induced coma delay the new post? Just tell the asylum you need to keep your audience entertained. Not that we will pay you or something...just consider this.

Disney Princess Minsc and his funny animal companion Boo - ala Mulan and Mushu. Abdel can be the hunky love interest. Yoshimo, Jaheira and Imoen can be the wacky side character trio...you know...sexual tension comedy relief...

Spoiler

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I have put far too much thought into this...too much to let this go to waste, not enough to make a fully book/disney movie parallel...

They could have him talk in common, use psionic powers, and ditch Minsc because Abdel is better.

Don't be silly. Everyone knows hamsters cannot use psionics. Space hamsters use advanced technology for their exploits. Nanobots that control the host body. Pheromone sprays to reduce the human's resistance towards their commands. Light diffraction to reduce the perceived size of the hamster body.

[Khay]

Patience, patience. But don't worry, Spellhold has wifi nowadays.

I do have to admit that these chapters are giving me some trouble, because it's difficult to keep book and game synchronized. I may have to rethink this format after all.

For now, Chapter Five gives us one of the stranger animal metaphors I've seen.

Spoiler: The book

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We find our hero in a back room of the Copper Coronet, listlessly watching Minsc work. The author is entirely serious about this - Minsc will be working as a maid for the remainder of this novel.

Abdel is currently trying to order his thoughts- Thus, the chapter begins with a summary of The Plot So Far.

Abdel had found pity at the Copper Coronet—clothes, food, and a place to part ways with Minsc[.] (...) Abdel looked mad and told stories that were difficult to believe at best. He knew he'd left Jaheira behind, and he wasn't even sure if she was alive or dead, but he wasn't so sure anymore that Imoen had been there too.

Abdel takes stock and doesn't come up with much. He has no idea where his equipment is, leaving him with a crappy stolen sword, some borrowed clothes, a 50,000 GP debt and a terrible headache. Deciding he can at least do something about that last one, he heads out back and starts splashing water on his face. The night is warm, so he takes off his shirt and gives his upper body a good scrub.

Bodhi shows up to watch the show.

"You should sleep," a voice behind him said, and he didn't bother spinning. He turned slowly and saw Bodhi standing in the doorway, leaning casually against the doorframe.
"I have to go back there," he told her and turned back to the barrel.
"To find your wife?" she asked. He heard her light footsteps approaching him from behind.
"She's not my wife," Abdel told her simply. "I don't care if you don't believe me."

The emphasis here is strange. Abdel and Jaheira aren't married, but they are in a committed relationship, so it's strange that- oh wait, we're arguing about word choice, never mind, this isn't strange for this book.

Bodhi, not to be outdone, enters the improptu wet t-shirt contest.

She dunked her head into the water and came back up quickly, letting it cascade over her shoulders and onto the light fabric of her dress.
(...)
The wet dress began to stick to her, outlining small details of her body that drew Abdel's eyes as they would any man's. She noticed him noticing her and glanced down. Abdel was too tired and too worried about Jaheira but most of all too disappointed in himself to blush.
"You can touch me," she said. "I want you to."
He sighed and took one step back. "I have to go."
(...)
"I love her," he told [Bodhi].
"She could be dead," Bodhi said too bluntly, and Abdel restrained himself from backhanding her across the alley.

This is where I should mention that, canonically, Abdel has an abysmal CHA score. We're talking about a -2 penalty here. But... hey, I guess Bodhi is into that. No accounting for taste, I suppose.

Seduction doesn't work, so Bodhi tries her other hobby: Murder. She suggests that Abdel could try to raise the money via bounty hunting. Bodhi knows a guy who knows a guy, and there's a 30,000 GP bounty on the head of a criminal by the name of Aran Linvail.

He stopped, gave up on the shirt, and looked at her sternly. "You want me to kill for gold?"
She smiled again, and Abdel was struck by how pretty she was. Her dress was still wet, and she wasn't making any attempt to hide herself from him.
He turned away, moving to the door, as she said, "Can you afford not to? You've got a pair of my brother's old pants and a stolen sword, Abdel, and that's all. By your own account, you're not even from here. I like you, but not everyone will."
He sighed and turned away. If he hadn't been so tired, and didn't have somewhere to go, he might have hit her after all.

I'm quoting this paragraph because it contains a line I really like, and I like to point out positive things when I can. The bit about her brother's old pants is a neat little bit of misdirection if you haven't played the game. Abdel mulls the suggestion over for a while.

And now for something completely different! A section with Jaheira and Imoen is spliced into the middle of this chapter for some reason.

Jaheira had a vague memory of the sound of water, and there was the motion that made her think she'd been on a boat. She was outside—or had been—and it had been night, but she couldn't see any stars.

This kind of thought process is closer to what I'd like to see from Jaheira. Remember, she's a druid - environmental awareness is like 40% of what her class is about.

(And yes, the transition is exactly this sudden in the novel.)

Where am I?" Jaheira asked, her voice scratchy and uneven.
"A cave," the voice replied.
This time Jaheira opened her eyes and saw the girl who had been dragged with her through the storm drain by the vampire woman. The girl was chained to the wall by a wide leather collar fastened tightly around her neck. The pain in Jaheira's own neck came from an identical strap. The half-elf tugged at her bonds, but they held fast, anchored firmly into the wall.

This cave contains a thief and a druid. Their hands are free and no gag is in place. I'm pretty sure that breaking free shouldn't be too difficult for them.

First, we have to get our description of Imoen, though.

Shoulder-length auburn hair framed a smooth-skinned face with a high forehead and full lips. Her dark eyes sparkled with intelligence even as red with exhaustion as they were. Her body was slender and tightly well-proportioned. Her tattered blouse covered modest breasts and narrow hips. There was something about her that looked fast, like a gazelle, but somehow more dangerous.

If only there was an animal that's fast and dangerous. Alas, there is no such creature. The only thing that's both dangerous and fast is, I don't know, a gazelle with a knife?

I'm trying to remember if there's a single female character in this book who isn't described in sexualized terms. I've flipped ahead a little, and... yeah, no, everyone in this book has well-described breasts and most are under 20. In case you're wondering: Yes, this includes Adalon. We'll get there.

Jaheira and Imoen introduces themselves and start trying to think of an escape plan. This book is just obliterating the Bechdel test right now. Before the conversation can get too interesting, though, we cut back to Abdel and Bodhi.

Abdel tried to think of Jaheira, but this woman's presence was overpowering. He closed his eyes and turned his head sharply to one side. She seemed sad but confident at the same time, hopeful and consumed with sorrow.
(...)
"I can get you weapons," she said quietly, "armor maybe, too, but you'll have to kill him. You just have no choice."

Bodhi keeps repeating that Abdel has no choice about this. (The nobles of both cities owe him a huge favour for resolving the whole Sarevok situation - why doesn't he ever think to call on them? I bet he could get a loan from Grand Duke Angelo. Anyway.)

Abdel insists he doesn't do this kind of work anymore. This is the first hint of character development we're seeing from Abdel. He used to be defined entirely by impulsive violence, but he made an eleventh-hour resolution that Sarevok would be his last murder, that he was done killing. This would be fascinating to see - can someone like Abdel make the transition to at least a technical pacifist? How does Abdel respond when his conviction is tested for the first time?

By giving up after two minutes of badgering, of course.

Abdel knew he was fooling himself, but he had no choice. He could beat the information out of Gaelan Bayle, but would that be better than killing a Shadow Thief assassin?

Eventually, Bodhi mentions that Aran Linvail works for the Shadow Thieves. That, at last, gets him to agree.

If he knew where Jaheira was, wouldn't he gladly kill any number of Shadow Thieves to rescue her? So, Aran Linvail would be one of those.
"I'll need a broadsword," he said quietly to Bodhi, "and chain mail, but nothing fancy."
She smiled. "You're doing the right thing, Abdel," she said reassuringly.

Bodhi continues like that for a while. Abdel just grunts. And thus ends Chapter Five.

Spoiler: The game (warning: ridiculously long)

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We have a castle to liberate, but we should rest first. We sleep.


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We dream.


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Our dreams have significantly increased their production values. The first game just had text scrolls. This time, a fully voiced phantasm of Imoen takes us for a tour of our old home, Candlekeep. The light is strange, and we can see the void through holes in the ground.


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Imoen is digging through her memories, trying to find something meaningful to cling to.


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It's not working. (Note that the map trails off into nothingness just outside the keep.)


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Something is... going to happen. We can feel it.


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We won't be able to stop it, they tell us.


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What is going on?, we ask.


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The phantasms can't tell us. Of course they can't; it's just a dream. They know no more than we do.

How strange.

Journal entry: Last Night I had a Dream.

I had a dream about Imoen and Irenicus. At least, I think it was them. Imoen was acting very strange, and spoke of how she seemed to be losing sight of her own identity. Irenicus said that she would learn, and then he asked if I clung to the past or if I could "see through the pain." I think the dream was referring to the experiments Irenicus was doing on me. Something about my potential and what I could "take for my own" if I wanted. Obviously I shall have to seek answers from Irenicus himself. The shade in the dream was of no real help.

One problem that SoA faces is that the player may not actually care about Imoen. The writers do what they can to make you feel attached to her, but if you didn't play BG 1 (or if you did play it but didn't take Imoen along) then it's possible you don't really care about her. If CHARNAME doesn't storm Spellhold, though, the plot doesn't work. The game keeps bringing up the idea that Irenicus could help you "unlock your potential" as a somewhat plausible alternate motivation for an evil CHARNAME (or just a less social one), with limited success.

Anyway! It's a brand new day, and we have a lot of work to do, so let's get right on that.


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We'll make our way to the de'Arnise keep, where we--


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You have been waylaid by enemies and must defend yourselves.

Fffffine. We dispatch the bandits with little trouble. Their victim is still alive, if barely, and begs us to take him to his friend Rylock in the Docks district of Athkatla.


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Well, at least it wasn't a big detour. Maybe now we can get this back on tr--


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XZAR: You there! Unwashed one! I would have a word with you!
JAHEIRA: I was wondering when you would turn up, Zhent. I had suspected our parting would not be permanent when last we met, and it appears my suspicions were correct.
XZAR: I am not here to address you, heartless Harper wench. I am here to appeal to your erstwhile companion, <CHARNAME>.
CHARNAME: Aren't you supposed to be dead, Xzar?
XZAR: I may have been. It happens when you are forced to deal with buffoons. If Monty were here, he would be able to tell for certain. Bah! It matters not! I saw you dealing with those Harpers ...but it is obvious you are not a Harper yourself. You would be willing, then, to render me a service regarding them.
CHARNAME: What Harpers? What are you talking about?
XZAR: The Harpers you delivered the poisoned man to. Or were you too idiotic to know they were Harpers? I require your inadequate services for a job.
JAHEIRA: Be wary, <CHARNAME>, the Harpers will not brook interference lightly, and this Zhentarim likely holds only the worst of intentions in his heart.
XZAR: Yes, yes, I am not asking you to walk in and slaughter them, now, am I? Tempting as that may be, I am not such a blundering fool as your friends might suppose.
CHARNAME: Exactly what is it you want me to do, then?
XZAR: My friend Montaron has been taken captive by those irksome Harpers. I would have you enter their building and find Monty for me.
CHARNAME: I see. And what is in it for me?
XZAR: A reward? It is not enough to save a fellow being in need? Bah! Very well... you shall have a reward in gold for your efforts and something else, as well... I know certain information...the mage who captured you, Irenicus; I know where he is. Do my task and I shall tell you... heh, heh.
CHARNAME: You know where Irenicus is?! I demand that you tell me now!
XZAR: Never! I will take the secret with me to the grave! Give me my Monty and you can have your irritating little thief back, 'friend'!
CHARNAME: Very well... I will do as you wish.
XZAR: Excellent. Go to their building and return once you have found him. Short...halfling...thief... even one of your intellectual capacity can't miss him.
JAHEIRA: Well, if you wish to investigate what has happened to the spy, that is up to you, <CHARNAME>. I suggest caution and perhaps some common sense. If the Harpers will even speak to us, which I doubt, they certainly will not reveal what they did with the halfling. Best not to ask about him directly.

Journal entry:
Find out what happened to Montaron.

I've run into none other than Xzar, who tells me that not only is the place I just delivered the poisoned man to a Harper stronghold, but that his companion Montaron sneaked in several days before and has not come out. I have agreed to approach these Harpers and see if I can find out what has become of the annoying halfling thief.

We just got roped into a while thing, didn't we. Sigh.

In case you don't recognise that mage: Xzar and Montaron are a pair of Zhentarim agents who (possibly) worked with CHARNAME back in the first game. Sarevok was pinning his own crimes on the Zhent, so the Zhent were returning the favour by backing whichever group happened to oppose the Iron Throne, i. e. us. Xzar is a bit loopy, but he clearly holds rank in the Zhentarim - he could plausibly have information on Irenicus.

Let's go back to Rylock. What're the odds he'll let us in without causing a fuss?


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Naturally.

We argue with Rylock for a while, and he eventually agrees to let us in if we do something for him.

Journal entry:
Find out what happened to Montaron.

In return for allowing me within their base, I am required to perform a small task for the Harpers. There is a small house in the center of the district, the home of a mage named Prebek. Within are supposed to be creatures of some kind...the result of someone's experiments. I am to kill these creatures and return.

This is going to take all day, isn't it.

Prebek's house is in the same part of town, thankfully. It's marked on your map, so it's not difficult to find.


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Inside, we find two low-level mages named Prebek and Sanasha, who shout some nonsense about "the master" and his "cruel little tests" before attacking. We are approaching the part of the series where any mage is dangerous, full stop, but those two are pretty wimpy.


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Rylock is appropriately grateful. Jaheira continues throwing shade at the local Harpers, because this is, apparently, very strange behavior for them.

Now, remember that he Harpers are a secret society. Having a permanent headquarters at all is unusual for them, so I imagine this one will be inconspicuous and easily vacated in an emergen


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whoah okay.

Harper HQ is impossibly ostentatious and mostly empty. There are a few people you can talk to, though. Meronia in particular is happy to provide a lot of exposition.

(Pastebin'd to avoid getting over the length limit)

Did you catch all that? There's some interesting information here. The Cowled Wizards are having trouble with Irenicus, so there is an opportunity for us to strike before they manage to subdue him. The Shadow Thieves are currently embroiled in a turf war with a rival gang. The Harpers are content to let their enemies fight it out for a bit, and they have no real conflict with the Cowled Wizards anyway, so we can expect no help from them. (You could argue that they owe us for saving everyone back in Baldur's Gate, but... well, the Harpers are douchebags, even if they are mostly on the side of good.)

Also: Only Harpers are allowed on the second floor, but the local Harpers identify themselves through amulets. I bet we can find something if we poke around a little...


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Yoink!


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So much for Harper subterfuge, eh.

SPECH1: You bear the mark of one and the same. Here you are welcome and may rest in safety. Ask as you will what you wish to know, and the guardians will answer as best as can be. We have seen much and know the old songs, though the first singing be forgotten.
CHARNAME: What is this place?
SPECH1: Here is where we guard the meeting. Here is where the membership may rest and be safe. Here is a Hold of the Harpers, one of many, one of few.
CHARNAME: There was a thief captured here not long ago. What happened to him?
SPECH1: A thief? A thief that despoils Harper soil is forbade from touching it again until penance given. They are above the soil, that they might see it and know loss.
CHARNAME: As they take flight from the law, so we have given flight but nowhere to flee. A gilded cage for a form free to soar, that they might know loss in confinement. No possessions held or worn, a form that carries its own feathered coat. To show that material things come and go, and that some do not need them at all.
CHARNAME: I will leave you alone to your musings.
SPECH1: Solitary, but never alone. The songs of the past serve to shorten the years for the ears that dare listen, and bring memory back of the friends departed.

Journal entry:
Find out what happened to Montaron.

The guardians on the second floor do not seem to attack those who are wearing the harper pins. I asked about Montaron, but all I got as a response was that 'those who defile Harper soil are forbidden to touch it. They are above the soil, that they might see it and know loss.' ...whatever that means.

I should note that you can hear birdsong in the background. Solving the extremely obvious puzzle here...


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... we find a feathered friend for Xzar.


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He's pretty grateful! Man, weird coincidence with the lab.

Xzar dispels the polymorph. The bird indeed turns out to be not actually a bird, but...


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... it's not Montaron either.

LUSETTE: And death will come on wings of song, / a song of long and winding guile, / and in the end your end I wend, / and in the end, a harp will smile!
CHARNAME: What in blazes is going on here!? Are you not his spy?
LUSETTE: My blade in his hide should answer you well enough. Here I did strike at his defenseless heart with a poison magical! I have no quarrel with you. We made the path difficult, but not unknowable, and in the end this fool did perish, as well he should.
CHARNAME: What was his crime? What is the reasoning for this murder?
LUSETTE: Did you not think him strange? He was spying on the Harpers, an act that should make you question his alliances. You may not have known what he was, but we did. A necromancer in the service of the Zhentarim, creating abominations for sale to the highest bidder. Far from their normal range, but not an unexpected enemy. He could not lay low with such a flamboyant manner, and we knew of him quickly. You merely helped in the inevitable, and so you are free. You served well, if unknowingly, and your agreement to help him is forgotten. The amulet is worthless... the blessed bear only Harper pins. Begone, and hopefully your next dealings with the Harpers will be more pleasant.
JAHEIRA: My own Harpers have used us. I should have suspected... the gaudy necklaces, the invitation. Ah, well. If Xzar was doing as she said, he deserved his fate.

Journal entry:
Find out what happened to Montaron.

The guile of the Harpers has lived up to their reputation. Xzar and I were tricked into believing that the bird I retrieved from the Harper base would be Montaron. It was actually a Harper assassin. Xzar's Zhentarim background made him a target, and I have been led the entire way, a dupe. I don't know what actually became of Montaron, although it seems likely that the evil thief is dead.

Ah. It looks like the Harpers outplayed us. There's a reason nobody likes them.

Well, that was fun and all, but it's time to get back on track.


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What. What is it now.


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Not now, Yoshimo. Saving the de'Arnise family is a little more important right now, so we'll head straight over!

... but first, we're going to head over to Waukeen's Promenade to do some shopping at the Adventurers' Mart. We'll sell all the shortswords +1 we took off those bandits, upgrade our equipment a little... that sort of thing.


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Jaheira is feeling a little nostalgic.

JAHEIRA: It has been some time since I have been this far south. I recall seeing Gorion here some years ago. He was a bit out of place away from his books but...
JAHEIRA: Hmm...seems I cannot help but speak of the dead lately. I did not wish to cause you any distress if I have.
CHARNAME: Not at all. Memories serve us well.
JAHEIRA: They do at that. Do you... recall his tales? They could last for days, a snippet at a time here and there. He built a history, so you felt like you were there.
CHARNAME: Yes, and when it was over you felt like it was yours.
JAHEIRA: Yes. His story became yours, and you took it with you. You are not of his blood, but there is much of him in you.
CHARNAME: And much of Khalid's manner in you, despite your differences.
JAHEIRA: True...true enough. You are wise to see as such. Well...enough of this for now. Talk such as this can get maudlin if indulged too often. I have a...a good feeling from this though.

Jaheira is clearly trying to work through her feelings on... something. It's understandable; she has been rather thoroughly uprooted.

SoA is the game that invented the Bioware romance, where you trade compliments with a character until they tell you they love you right before the final boss. These little dialogues we've been seeing are part of Jaheira's romance arc.
Male characters have three dating options (Jaheira, Viconia, Aerie) while female characters have one (and unfortunately it's Anomen.) At various intervals, if you've tripped the "romance" flag for the appropriate character, you get a little intermission like this. The pacing can be erratic, and it's easy to accidentally maneuver yourself into a love triangle, but it's hardly the worst romance writing I've seen in a videogame.

Anyway, now it's time to head to de'Arnise keep. No more detours, no more stopping for anyone or anything!


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No more... uhm.


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Okay fine geez.


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The city guard is... not quite sure what's going on, but they want no part of it. Something went wrong during the morning show, and the tent has been sealed off until the Cowled Wizards arrive. The guard will let us in if we insist, though. Let's see if we can help, maybe it'll earn us some points with the Cowled Wizards.


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Stepping into the tent, we somehow find ourselves in... a large open space? In the distance, we can see a structure that wouldn't fit into Waukeen's Promenade, let alone the tent. I can see why the city guard is refusing to deal with this.


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A genie is waiting for us, befitting the strange and otherworldly nature of this place.

KGENIE1: Aha! I see a wayfarer has come to amuse Kalah! You must answer a riddle, naturally, ere I will allow you to pass this bridge. Are you ready to hear it?
CHARNAME: And why would I want to pass over this bridge?
KGENIE1: Because it is symbolic of your progression to enlightenment and understanding, fool. Are you ready to proceed?
CHARNAME: I'd prefer to know who this Kalah is before I play any of your games.
KGENIE1: Kalah does not reveal himself to those who are not worthy. Are you ready to begin?
CHARNAME: Very well, I am ready.
KGENIE1: Excellent! A princess is as old as the prince will be when the princess is twice as old as the prince was when the princess' age was half the sum of their present age. Which of the following, then, could be true?
CHARNAME: The prince is 30 and the princess is 40.
KGENIE1: Ah, you are correct. The mighty Kalah respects those with a most agile and quick mind. Proceed across with my blessing.

I still remember the sense of betrayal I felt as a child when this game about swords and sorcery suddenly asked me to do algebra. If you don't feel like doing math (or looking up the answer): The genie gives you a much easier riddle if you answer incorrectly. Give a second incorrect answer, and the genie attacks you, so you can fight your way in too. Both these options yield less XP, though.

We enter the impossibly large structure.


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Inside, we find an ogre with a rather sweet voice. You know, even sweeter than the average ogre. The pitch is a bit higher, at least. This place is strange enough that we'll just... roll with it for now.

AERIE: Who are you? Oh, whoever you are, you must flee this place at once! He...he's killed everyone else who has come into this place, almost! Oh, please run!
CHARNAME: Who are you talking about? Who's killed everyone?
AERIE: Kalah! Oh, I don't know what he's done, exactly, or how...but everything here is an illusion! But it's magic that can hurt you, if you believe in it... Oh, you probably don't understand, do you? I...I don't know what he's done to the tent or with the others who have come in, but their deaths are real! You must run!
CHARNAME: Just who are you? How is it a monster has the voice of a young woman?
AERIE: I...I'm not a monster! I'm an elf, a winged elf...or at least I was... This...this covering you see is some kind of illusion, but if you believe in it then it becomes real! P-please believe me! Now go before something happens to you, I beg of you!
CHARNAME: I demand some kind of explanation before I go anywhere!
AERIE: Oh, I hope you don't end up like...like the others! But, alright...m-my name is Aerie. I...work in the circus with my uncle, Quayle... I don't know exactly what happened, but everything changed a few days ago...everything became chaos and turned into what you see here. Although it all isn't real, it's an illusion... The minions...they all say they serve Kalah, so I know he's behind all of this...he's an illusionist in the circus, but I don't understand how he was able to do all of this! He must be stopped! Before he hurts any more people! Please...if...if you release me from my chains, I can help you stop him!
CHARNAME: Chains? I don't see any chains on you.
AERIE: The chains are invisible...covered by the illusion. And...and they are magical...they prevent me from casting my own spells and they maintain the illusion which is placed on me...
CHARNAME: Very well, how do I release you from them?
AERIE: You...you need the key to these chains. But...but it won't look like a key! There are a couple of...commoners...in the north side of this chamber... Don't be fooled by the illusion, though...they are monsters! They have a sword which is actually my key...if you get it from them, I can remove the chain and regain my normal form! But please be careful! You...you can't trust anything you see, here!

Journal entry:
Investigate the circus tent.

I have agreed to acquire a sword...from dangerous illusionary peasants...in order to free a winged elf from the illusion that binds her.

It takes a lot to render Journal!CHARNAME speechless. This, though, does the job.

Let's see how much stranger this place can get, shall we?


Screenshot

Talking spider. That's a good start. Hi, spider!

KFTOWN01: P-please don't hurt me! Oh, what am I to do?!
CHARNAME: You...don't seem like any creature I've encountered before.
KFTOWN01: I'm NOT a creature! Or, at least, I never used to be! Not until the circus and everything changed!
CHARNAME: Well, who are you then?
KFTOWN01: My...my name's Hannah. I came to the circus with my son, although he didn't come into the tent with me. Oh, please help me!
CHARNAME: What exactly is going on, here?
KFTOWN01: Oh, I don't know! All I know is that I came into the tent to watch the performance. A gnome came on the stage and began to perform some kind of magical act. It was quite silly...it was obvious that whatever the gnome was trying to do wasn't working. His magic fizzled and everyone started laughing! I thought it was part of the act, so I laughed too! And then everything began changing! People started transforming into creatures and then back into themselves. The world shifted somehow and I felt so sick and horrified... ...I think I passed out. When I woke up, I had been turned into this...into this...monstrosity! I...I don't know what to do! My son didn't come into the tent with me and I'm frightened to think what may have happened to him!
CHARNAME: Who are these peasants here?
KFTOWN01: They...they're not people! They're vicious and dangerous! I've seen them kill people...you must stop them!
CHARNAME: I think your son is still outside. Wait here.
KFTOWN01: He is? Oh, I will! Oh, thank you!

Journal entry:
Find the boy's mother inside the circus tent.

I have found the mother of the boy outside the tent. Now I must see if I can restore her to her original form...along with the rest of this mad circus.

This is starting to make a little more sense... not much, but a little.


Screenshot

The "peasants" turn out to be disguised orcs. As powerful as this illusion magic is, swords still work. We recover the sword-key and take it back to the ogre.

AERIE: You...you have the key! Or, rather...the sword! Please...please give it to me and I can be rid of this illusionary form at last!
CHARNAME: Aye, as you wish.
AERIE: I thank you for your trust. This sword...it is actually a key that unlocks the chain that powers my horrible illusion.

<Polymorph(MAGE_FEMALE_ELF)>
<ApplySpell(Myself,AERIE_PORTRAIT)>

AERIE: My... My hands...my skin, it's real again! Thank Baervar! Oh, we must find Quayle...and stop Kalah before he does any more harm!
CHARNAME: Join with us and we will search for him together in this place.
AERIE: You would let me join you? Al-alright...come, let's find Quayle. Who knows what they've done to him...
CHARNAME: I think you should know, Aerie, that my ultimate goal is to rescue a friend of mine... Imoen... who has been captured by the Cowled Wizards. It could be dangerous.
AERIE: Oh, I would be glad to help you, truly I would... but we simply must help Uncle Quayle, first! We must!

Aerie joins the party! As a cleric / mage with vaguely acceptable stats, Aerie can do a lot of different things but none of them particularly well. She's a good support character, though. Her personality is... ah... is a matter of some contention.

We make our way deeper into the structure, learning a little too much about Kalah's preferences along the way.


Screenshot

The interior decoration is quite striking, though. It's all marble and stained glass windows and ethereal light.

As the locals hinted, the rooms here are full of monsters, but not all of them are actually there. The werewolves are illusions. If you attack them, you'll have acknowledged them, and then their damage will become real to you, but if you don't attack them back, they won't damage you. The shadows are real, though. That said, nothing here can give us any trouble.


Screenshot

The genie reappears one more time to talk up Kalah a bit.


Screenshot

Upstairs, we finally encounter Kalah himself. He is an ogre mage with a very deep voice, apparently. He also has a very high opinion of himself, but I guess that's understandable when you've been Master of Reality for half a day or so.

KALAH: Ah, my beast, you have led them here nicely...
AERIE: What? I'm not-
KALAH: You're not what? You're not my beast? Oh, but you are, all of you are, don't you see?
AERIE: Wha--What have you done to my Uncle Quayle?
QUAYLE, played by AN OOZE: Little Aerie, is that you? I have no eyes, no eyes!
AERIE: Be careful, <CHARNAME>. Some of these beasts are real and some are illusions. There's no way to tell until they hit you.
KALAH: Yes, it's a regular three-ring circus, isn't it, my beasts... Now go ahead and tear each other apart!

The fight is on!

It's... not a particularly difficult fight. The werewolves are still fake and thus safe to ignore. Kalah is a spellcaster, but a surprisingly weak one. Having no defensive spells to speak of, he dies really quickly. (Also, he spends most of his turns throwing Magic Missiles at Quayle.)


Screenshot

Inflicting enough damage on Kalah causes his world to collapse...


Screenshot

... and the circus returns.

KALAH: No! (cough) This isn't what was supposed to happen! This isn't what was promised to me! I have...planned this for...too long only to have my plans shattered by some inbred, northern adventurers! I...I just wanted to be respected... (cough) You've...you've killed me... destroyed Kalah with your misplaced morals and beastly greed for adventure...
CHARNAME: What has passed here, gnome? You replaced the circus with your personal playground?
KALAH: You fool! You... you truly know nothing... I am Kalah, an illusionist. I was made a clown-mage for the pleasure of the tall folk...but I bided my time...and I was...promised a world I could rule... In Amn...a mage is a criminal and a gnome is a spectacle. In this tent...in my world...Kalah was the master, where none would dare to laugh...
CHARNAME: What of the circus employees, Kalah? What have you done with all those that have disappeared into this tent?
KALAH: Indifference killed those fools from the circus. I treat them in death as they were to me in life. A gnome gets no respect...I just wanted people to look up...to me. All that I have done...
AERIE: What...what a pitiful little man. Everyone did laugh at him...but they didn't deserve to die. I...I just can't hate him, despite all he's done.
JAHEIRA: The gnome is dead. How he was able to perform these great feats of illusion will have to remain a mystery, it seems.

Journal entry:
Investigate the circus tent.

The gnome illusionist who converted the circus into his own personal domain has been killed, and the tent has reverted back to normal.

Kalah dies. Jaheira is right - we never learn how he was able to construct this crazy-ass epic-level Final Boss Illusion. It seems likely that he had external help, since he was barely competent as a mage. There is some not-quite-official-but-on-the-wiki content on the topic, but it wasn't elevated to canon status by the Enhanced Edition. Certainly nothing is found in the original game. He does carry a Ring of Human Influence, though, an item which basically invalidates Charisma as a stat.

QUAYLE: Ha! I knew Kalah would trip over himself, eventually. I'm just pleased he despised me enough to play with me rather than dispose of me like some of the others!
AERIE: What would I ever do without you?
QUAYLE: I... I think you need to find out, my dear. I've taught you everything I can. It's time, Aerie... time for you to learn the rest on your own.
AERIE: You're the wisest and the smartest and the kindest man I'll ever know.
QUAYLE: I wasn't always, my dear. You changed that. But I can't keep you here. <CHARNAME>... you can provide for her better than I. Perhaps you will take her with you?
CHARNAME: Aerie, should you be willing, we would appreciate a cleric/mage with your heart and stature.
AERIE: You would... You would have me travel with you? I would love to but... Oh Quayle, I would miss you!
QUAYLE: Then you shall have to come and visit me from time to time and tell me what you've learned. Go... go with my blessing, girl.
AERIE: ...Alright. Take--Take care of the circus while I'm away.
QUAYLE: Oh, don't worry about me. If you find happiness, maybe the pain of losing your wings will be lessened... nothing would please me more. Be well, my Aerie.
CHARNAME: You should know, Aerie, that my goal is to rescue a friend of mine... Imoen... who has been captured by the Cowled Wizards. It could be dangerous.
AERIE: If this friend of yours... if she's in danger, then I'd be glad to help you look for her. It's the least that I owe you, no matter what the danger is!

Quayle gives his blessing, and Aerie joins our party for good. (I think this is the right dialogue dump, anyway. The script is a little fickle and it didn't actually trigger in my playthrough. There's a lot of duplicates and placeholder stuff in the game assets, I hope I grabbed the right one.)

There's only one thing left to do at the circus:


Screenshot


Screenshot

Aww. Okay, that's adorable. I guess the detour was worth it after all. (Though I imagine the Cowled Wizards would've been able to handle Kalah with little trouble, given how weak he turned out to be.)

Right! We went on kind of a detour there, but now it's time to tackle Nalia's thing.

... next time, that is, because this update is already unreasonably long. Sorry!

Spoiler: Comparison and commentary

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You may have noticed that the game update section is an extremely long detour. (Or rather, a nested set of detours.) A lot of Chapter II is like this: You pick up a quest which takes you to a place, but once you get there, you pick up leads for another four or five quests and the whole thing just starts to snowball. Normally, one thinks of sidequests as diversions, things you do when you don't feel like progressing the main story. But, thanks to the way this chapter is set up, the diversions are the entire point. You're working on raising money for Gaelan, after all.
This is an elegant solution to a problem that "open world" games often struggle with. "You are the only one who can save Skyrim from the dragons... but if you insist you can go to magic school first" is a strange story to tell, when you think about it. "You need to save your friend... but you can go to Trademeet first because they need an animal control guy" would also be a bit strange, but not if you add in "... and they'll give you the money you need to rescue your friend."

I can't really give Chapter II the presentation it deserves, because that would take at least a month of updates, but I wanted to provide at least a small impression of what the experience is like. We'll get back on track next week, and de'Arnise Keep will bring us up to 20,000 GP.

SoA isn't a traditional "open world" RPG, but it retains certain elements of the genre. Athkatla has quest hooks that involve a supernatural murder mystery, a group of dimension-hopping bards, a religious horror sidequest and a a crashed spaceship, and those are just the major ones. Beyond that, the city itself is full of kidnappers, slavers, conspirators and pranksters for you to deal with. (Don't click that last link if you want to play the game yourself, this one's best experienced blind.) There are other locations, like Trademeet or Imnesvale, that function like self-contained little adventure modules. You don't have to do any specific quest or set of quests. Just do the ones you like, and you'll be able to raise the money and continue when you're ready.

(AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: Which Chapter II sidequest is your personal favourite? Mine's probably the Planar Sphere, but Imnesvale also ranks up there.)

This makes for great gameplay but awful pacing. "Go sidequesting for a bit" really doesn't survive the transition to a non-interactive medium. The novel, which doesn't do half-measures, just cuts the whole thing.

The game has a lllllot more content than the book, but it must be mentioned that we lost more than just sidequests in the transition. For example: As a visual medium, videogames can actually show you places. Part of the story can be told simply through how the environments look, and SoA does a great job with its incidental worldbuilding. You also learn a lot about the other members of your party, both through gameplay and through the occasional banter that happens while you're out adventuring.
In the book, we never get a sense of Athkatla as a place, let alone Amn as a whole. We really only see the Copper Coronet (and Aran Linvail's house in the next chapter), and then it's off to Spellhold. It's a shame, really, because the Forgotten Realms are quite a rich setting. The world of the novels is flatter and emptier than the world of the games, and this means the characters and plot have to carry the whole thing.

Spoiler alert: They can't and don't. Abdel, as a character, lacks introspection. His motivation is mostly external, including the small bit of character development he's experiencing here. (He wants to kill less because Jaheira would disapprove, not because he thinks killing is actually wrong.) That's fine, you can write that sort of character, but he really needs someone he can interact with and perhaps be contrasted against. Minsc might've been a fine choice, since Minsc actively fights for something, which is a foreign concept to Abdel. You could've set up a neat opportunism-vs.-principles conflict between Yoshimo and Minsc, too. I've said before that Abdel's character development only seems to exist while he has line-of-sight to Jaheira. You could have at least examined that, maybe? Alas. (Also, Abdel just isn't interesting enough to carry the narrative by himself, but the frequent cuts to other viewpoint characters help with that.)

For better or for worse, the plot is going to continue moving at a steady clip until we get to Spellhold, where Athans will suddenly stomp on the brakes. This has various consequences we'll start to see in the next chapters.

[Mordokai]

Enjoying this so far and looking forward to the continuation

Also, you're making me want to play the game again.

[Spore]

Minsc will be working as a maid for the remainder of this novel.

It is not often when I shout an audible: "What?" at my screen. And that is not only because I am not actually English speaking.

"You can touch me," she said. "I want you to."

I have read books with less reason for two characters to engage sexually even though the reasoning behind Abdel's abstinence are somewhat hazy.

How EXACTLY does Bodhi convince him to murder again? Also there was enough material to hold Abdel on the: "I won't kill unless I am forced to." statement. Then have a good chunk of the story of Abdel not killing. In the end Irenicus could manipulate Abdel into killing to save Jaheira, ultimatively breaking out the Butcher personality.

well, the Harpers are douchebags, even if they are mostly on the side of good.

Honestly, 12 year old me thought the Harpers were the coolest organisation ingame by far. Then again I was partially immersed into fantasy by then to see the good/evil trope is done to death. Their neutrality and balance was actually refreshing.

I wasn't above playing my two main runs as Cavalier and evil Sorcerer though - and I enjoyed my walking villain trope of a sorcerer.

he game keeps bringing up the idea that Irenicus could help you "unlock your potential" as a somewhat plausible alternate motivation for an evil CHARNAME (or just a less social one), with limited success.

Honestly, killing the man that tortured me, mocked my abilities several times and might get a hold of how to defeat me by experimenting on my worthless half-sister is reason enough to rush in there. I am not foolish to think I am undefeatable. I might have the blood of a god but I am not divine. Yet. I have to cover my bases.

(AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: Which Chapter II sidequest is your personal favourite? Mine's probably the Planar Sphere, but Imnesvale also ranks up there.)

Yay, I love these. Especially in a format where you can actually read responses instead of drowning your answer in a sea of responses (QotD on Youtube videos). Cult of the Unseeing and its extension, the Ruined Temple of Amaunator. The traps, the general vibe and a dragon as a boss fight.

[Mordokai]

Yeah, the first time I played the game I was really impressed and enjoyed to see how much fun the game was. All the puzzles, the NPCs and everything... the game just felt alive.

The romances were a nice touch as well, personally speaking Jaheira was the first one for me and I still hold a soft spot for her, though nowadays, I can't resist going after Imoen.

Yeah, I'm one of those guys who actually likes Imoen Romance mod.

[Brance_a_Lot]

I bet there are a few reasons why Minsc got side-tracked in the book. First of all the author either didn't like his BG character enough to put him in the first book or was like Imoen and wasn't there at first either.

Anyways adding a new character that steps on Abdel's toes (Big, strong sword fighter who isn't that bright) was probably a major reason why he was side-tracked so hard. Plus comical relief doesn't really seem to match what the author was going for, even though it probably would of only helped.

[Guancyto]

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION: Which Chapter II sidequest is your personal favourite? Mine's probably the Planar Sphere, but Imnesvale also ranks up there.

Gotta be the Umar Hills questline. Particularly because it lets you pick up Mazzy, who is the Best Paladin.

[Spore]

Anyways adding a new character that steps on Abdel's toes (Big, strong sword fighter who isn't that bright) was probably a major reason why he was side-tracked so hard. Plus comical relief doesn't really seem to match what the author was going for, even though it probably would of only helped.

I don't even think that. He could be the example why Abdel is just so much better at being a "big stupid sword guy" (Treantmonk calls this BSF - big stupid fighter, should we adopt this nomenclature?). It's that the Bodhi romance doesn't work next to him because weirdly enough Game!Minsc always has his eyes on the real goal that matters. So in a way he is the wisest character.No side tracking but kicking evil's butt. No romancing the evil vampire lady. No morally grey assassination attempts.

Minsc is simply too good-hearted. But yeah, maybe he dislikes comedy relief. There was plenty of opportunity in the first book where he simply didn't pick up on it due to time constraints. But the ghoul was pretty funny if morbid at times.

[GungHo]

Gotta be the Umar Hills questline. Particularly because it lets you pick up Mazzy, who is the Best Paladin.

I used ShadowKeeper (now EEKeeper) every time.

[Honest Tiefling]

And please tell me the second book didn't ruin Irenicus. Also I never had David Warner but the German voice is far more nuanced I find: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJBuPVaHtJc

Spoiler

Show

I actually like the English version better, but I don't speak German.He sounds great, but far too amused at what's going on to make sense for Irenicus. Admittedly, Irenicus could just be a really good liar and keeps going through the motions even when he doesn't have to just because he's far too used to it.

This is where I should mention that, canonically, Abdel has an abysmal CHA score. We're talking about a -2 penalty here. But... hey, I guess Bodhi is into that. No accounting for taste, I suppose.

Hey, some women don't mind if your face looks like you headbutted a brick wall repeatedly and you have the manners of a ornery goat that's peed on itself as long as your butt is so chiseled it could grate cheese. Presumably. Somewhere. Maybe.

As for Minsc, I forget what the EE gave him when I played (I plopped a helmet onto his head as soon as possible), but unless second edition changed something, Minsc isn't from a people where red hair was common. Those people are across the continent from his people...Such as Dynaheir, who really isn't a pale redhead. Maybe if you squinted.

Through I do feel like Game Minsc would gladly put on a maid's costume if it meant rescuing his friends, ala Thor. Minsc's heart burns bright with righteousness, and he will rip asunder dirt if it means returning his companions! Come, Boo, let us clean like no one has cleaned before! Speaking of Thor, did Athans think Minsc was a Not-Viking due to accompanying a female spellcaster and being a berseker? That might explain the red hair.

Favorite sidequest...Hard to pick, but I'm going to nominate the docks murder side quest. It's nice and grounded and I appreciate it later on gets weaved into the lore of the setting.

[Kish]

David Warner doesn't sound nuanced. He doesn't sound like he's trying to sound nuanced. He sounds exactly like he's voicing a solipsistic monster who finds it a grave injustice that he was prevented from becoming a god over the dead bodies of innocent people--twice. He infuses Irenicus' voice with emotion extremely well; you can really feel just how outraged Irenicus is at having his entitlement denied. But nuanced? If the German voice actor makes him sound nuanced, that sounds...bad.

[Spore]

Maybe it is in character but I want a bit of emotion - even in my cold and calculating villain - because everything else seems just ...inhuman. Yes yes, I know that is EXACTLY Irenicus to a T but seemingly inhuman translates to unbelievable for me.

[Lector87]

...is this the time and place to point out that I just realized Irenicus looks like a Mortal Kombat character?

I've always loved how distinctive he is, but maybe he stands out because the designers stole his look from an entirely different game. Seriously, who else in the Forgotten Realms dresses like this guy? Pointy shoulderpads, exposed pecs, dangly skirt thing in the back. Heck, even his sprite animations look like he's in some kinda martial arts stance.

[Keltest]

Maybe it is in character but I want a bit of emotion - even in my cold and calculating villain - because everything else seems just ...inhuman. Yes yes, I know that is EXACTLY Irenicus to a T but seemingly inhuman translates to unbelievable for me.

But... he's not a human. He's and elf, and an elf who had their soul ripped out at that. Of course he's going to be inhuman, that was the whole point!

[Honest Tiefling]

Seriously, who else in the Forgotten Realms dresses like this guy? Pointy shoulderpads,...

Gondegal.

Seriously...exposed pecs...

According to the third edition campaign setting, the followers of Kossuth might be rocking this look as well as possibly some Vhaerunites. I am also betting that most monk pictures, regardless of edition, will have very questionable shirt-wearing abilities on display. Several pictures of the races also have shirtless men for no apparent reason.

And technically, Eilistraee exposes her pecs, she just has weird mounds of fat and stuff on top of them. Szass Tam might be, or he might just be flashing his ribcage, how coy. It's surprisingly common in the art.

dangly skirt thing in the back

...This one...I just can't find. I think a lot of characters aren't shown from the back and might have the butt flap, maybe, maybe not.

[Lector87]

...This one...I just can't find. I think a lot of characters aren't shown from the back and might have the butt flap, maybe, maybe not.

I will be interested in a formal report on your butt flap research, including time and resources spent on said research.

[Honest Tiefling]

I will be interested in a formal report on your butt flap research, including time and resources spent on said research.

Well, considering that the release date of Baldur's Gate II is VERY close to the release date of third edition I'm starting to think that some of the design of that spilled over, either due to influence of WOTC or just by the fact that fantasy art in general of that time shifted to more 'fantasy' styles of clothing. From a google search of Faiths and Avatars, many of their outfits do seem to be obviously historically influence, even if they're not entirely accurate. Third edition saw the rise of such wonderful warobe choices as the third edition Hexblade and Warlock and all of their fancy-dancy metal studs.

It could very well be that Irenicus is not from a different game, but a different edition.

EDIT: Also, are miniatures considered canon? A preliminary search of art across editions is leading me to believe that 4th/5th are more heavily focused on full page action/battle scenes with poses, while third was more focused on character art in the middle of the page. I can't see anyone's backside.

[Khay]

For some reason, Baldur's Gate villains tend to overdress. Bodhi has a black leather lingerie thing going, which I guess isn't too outlandish by vampire standards, but Irenicus' butt flap is pretty odd. Sarevok's overengineered armor must be mentioned (described by Athans as a "clockwork raptor"), and you-know-who has some needlessly oversized gloves going. My favourite is still Illasera with her leather jacket, raccoon makeup and Prince Valiant haircut.

Enjoying this so far and looking forward to the continuation

Also, you're making me want to play the game again.

Glad you're enjoying it! In a way, this thread is my revenge for all those times I saw someone else do a Let's Play and had the same thing happen. The game really is something special. I think one of the reasons I find the novels so frustrating is that... well, they just don't feel alive, not in the way SoA does.

Yay, I love these. Especially in a format where you can actually read responses instead of drowning your answer in a sea of responses (QotD on Youtube videos). Cult of the Unseeing and its extension, the Ruined Temple of Amaunator. The traps, the general vibe and a dragon as a boss fight.

Ooh, the Cult is a good choice. I like the ruined temple one under Amn too. It has a certain desolate glory. And yeah, I want to do a little more audience participation, and I definitely won't have to fall back on that this week as a cop-out in lieu of a real update... *cough*

[Honest Tiefling]

Oh, I should mention: Bioware had butt-flaps return for Neverwinter nights, but I think only for dudes. There were plated butt-flaps, so it wasn't an issue with tights and not wanting to see dude-butt.

And women in ridiculous lingerie posing as armor is a trope as old as the hobby, so I'm refusing to bother with that. Still stupid. I think her leather underwear makes me appreciate her slightly less.

[Mordokai]

Glad you're enjoying it! In a way, this thread is my revenge for all those times I saw someone else do a Let's Play and had the same thing happen. The game really is something special. I think one of the reasons I find the novels so frustrating is that... well, they just don't feel alive, not in the way SoA does.

I've never read the thing, but I've heard many... less than flattering things about it. By the looks of it(as in, what you've shown us so far), they haven't exaggerated much.

But what you said is a good description. The game just feels alive. Granted, it was one of my first forays into the cRPGs(Icewind Dale came before it, but whale that game is good on its own terms, it just doesn't compare). some ten, fifteen years ago. I was just... enraptured by how much the world of the Realms felt... there. I loved the characters, the setting, the puzzles... granted, it was often times too hard for a scrub I was back then, but somehow, we hammered through.

I daresay BG:SoA was the first time I actually realized that yes, games can be art. And for that, it will always hold a special place in my heart. And while I can't presume to speak for anybody else, maybe this is why Athans' book raises so many heckles... it just hits so far off what made game great.

[Spore]

But... he's not a human. He's and elf, and an elf who had their soul ripped out at that. Of course he's going to be inhuman, that was the whole point!

I get that. But where does it state that loosing your soul means you are emotionless?

@Buttflaps/shirtless men

I for one welcome our beefcakey abs showing, male butt holders. Also come on. Like you have never fallen in love with a human whose looks far outweigh their manners and vocal charisma? Maybe his physique gives a +5 bonus to shallow personalities (and by the book standard Jaheira is almost as shallow)?

Spoiler: Own experience

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If one doesn't fall in love with the one uncharismatic dude in his or her love life, certain physical attributes are attractive. When you can play bongo on the pecs one reconsiders almost any evaluation system currently in place if only to justify that one infatuation. Of course that falls off after a quick purely physical romance. This reduces the Abdel Charisma Paradoxon to just Jaheira.

[Keltest]

I get that. But where does it state that loosing your soul means you are emotionless?

In the game actually, when youre talking with the elves. It wasn't something they entirely expected, because they don't do this too often, but they specifically removed his soul to take away his elf-ness, and it worked extremely well. That's why he has all those clones in his secret lair, and the fancy room. He knows that he should desire these things and be made happy by them, but he had that ability literally removed.

[Kish]

I get that. But where does it state that loosing your soul means you are emotionless?

Again, he's not emotionless. He has quite strong emotions; it's just that his primary emotion is outraged entitlement rather than anything nuanced.