Senjak and Dorotea turned to face the half-orc, and so did the two archers.
"Dorn? That's impossible. You should be dead or in a Luskan-"
Did they really expect me to wait for them to have a conversation? Senjak was cut off by me signalling my party as soon as the heads of our adversaries were turned. The two archers went down immediately to our bullets and arrows.
Dorn rushed down Senjak and Dorotea. His movements were amateurish at best, and Senjak and Dorotea were able to land deadly blows on him almost immediately. Dorn staggered back, injured.
On our part, Khalid and Jaheira were already rushing forward to support him. Too late, because a wakazahi found its way to Dorn's neck…
…and missed at the last moment! Khalid and Jaheira were there, but they could not stop the flail heading right for Dorn's head…
…which missed at the last moment?
The twirling of my sling slowed as I gawked at the ongoing battle.
"Sonny, what are you doing?" Imoen yelled at me. "The half-orc's getting killed!"
"Yeah. I'd better step it up. Uh huh," I said dryly.
Surely Khalid and Jaheira could see a world of difference between the prowess Dorn and that of Senjak and Dorotea (not a cleric, apparently)? Dorn was initially getting creamed, but now he was nigh invincible.
Because he was. He's going to survive for PLOT reasons. Super awkward looking in-person, I gotta tell you.
"What the heck is happening there?" Neera asked, twirling her sling unenthusiastic-ally.
"Uh, I think he has it under control. Don't waste spells and resources, folks," I replied. "Isn't that right Dorn? You can take these two fools?"
"Of course!" Dorn said as he avoided yet another killing blow through no skill of his own. Must have been extremely harrowing from his point of view. "Though I'm not foolish enough to reject help when outnumbered!"
I nodded and we helped put down Senjak and Dorotea as they focused on Dorn.
After the battle, Dorn looked like he was trying his best not to smile at his victory and the ridiculous way it was achieved, and instead, uh, project aura.
"Hrmm. You handled yourself quite well," he said with his arms crossed. Stoic. Understated. Cool.
"Glad you didn't break out laughing back there. Would have broken the surprise," I said, smiling like a fool.
"I do not laugh. Except when I want to," Dorn insisted, a slight frown forming on his forehead. Controlled. Understated.
Except when it's cool to do so, you mean. Gotta farm that aura. I nodded in appreciation. "Yes, of course. My mistake. Well, goodbye Dorn."
"Wait!" Dorn said hurriedly. "Are you Sonny!"
Uh oh. "That would be me, yes."
"I've heard of your… prowess. Seen you in action. Your skills in trickery could aid me in my vendetta, and my powers could certainly help you," Dorn said. "Allow me to join your party!"
Skills in trickery? Was that dialogue part of the original game? I'm beginning to build my renown in the Sword Coast, but surely not like that.
Behind Dorn, I could see Jaheira, Imoen, Khalid, and Neera shaking their heads and mouthing 'NO', while Branwen looked on confused.
Dorn was a Blackguard. That meant literal evil paladin, with a capital E. They had a bad reputation, and shared it with any party which had them in it. Understandably, quite a few members of my current party were not too enthusiastic about Dorn joining us.
"I'll consider it," I said. "Thanks for the offer, Dorn."
And that was that with Dorn the Blackguard. He chastised me for not taking up his offer and said he would wait at the Friendly Arm Inn in case I changed my mind. Thankfully, no grovelling or begging. Amongst the stuff Senjak and Dorotea carried included a set of plate mail, a regular and unidentified wakazahi, and a small shield which Imoen identified as a Small Shield+1. We u-turned back to town to sell the stuff we didn't need then headed back towards the mines.
At the main site of the mines we immediately came upon the warehouse filled with wild dogs. It had a healing potion in it.
Well, we assumed they were wild dogs even though they were inside the warehouse and guarding some valuables. Okay I'm not making a very good case for myself here. Moving on.
At the cost of raising Imoens eyebrows, I made an amazingly lucky find (x=168, y=175), an unidentified wand!
"Still waiting for that Staff of Power!" Imoen said cheekily.
"Ha, I wish," I said hurriedly as I tossed it to Neera.
Yeah. Moving on.
South of the mines, a sculptor worked on his masterpiece. He was chiselling a face onto the large stone outcropping. Day and night he worked without rest, smoothing the stone to give it a skin-like quality. Every wave of hair, the pointed ears, the green eyes, he had to capture it all. All before he was caught…
"It's beautiful," he heard a woman's voice say.
Prism the sculptor turned down to realize he was surrounded by four women, a man and a child. No, a halfling. The fuzzy feet were the big giveaway.
Were they admirers of his work? But Prism's joy turned to fear. These woman and men, they were all armed.
Prism gulped. "You're not bounty hunters, are you?"
I looked was transfixed by the face carved into stone before me when Prism had asked. Seeing the real thing in-person was really different.
"Well, about that-"
Imoen gently put a hand on my back. I looked up at her to see pleading eyes.
I looked to the rest. Neera, Khalid, even Branwen and Jaheira were transfixed by the beauty of the statue.
"I don't think I need to ask your opinions, do I?" I said quietly.
They looked at me with the same look as Imoen.
I sighed. I'm not completely heartless, you know.
To Prism, I said. "Okay, depends who's asking. We could be your bounty hunters for the right cause. Or the right price."
"Sadly, I have nothing to give," Prism said to me, trembling.
I eyed the two stolen emeralds he had been placing in the eyes of the statue. Yes, the gems completed the masterpiece. But the statue was already a grand masterpiece without them. Even I knew that much just by looking at it.
"You'll make a sculpture of us once we're famous if we guard you 'til you're done," I offered. "A small one will do."
Prism gulped. "I'm afraid, I may not survive 'til then. I can feel my body weakening from the exhaustion. This may in fact be my final-"
"Work with me here!" I cried in frustration. "Fine! Let us view the final product and spread word of it far and wide."
My party smiled at me kindly. I'm not sure what I was saying, frankly.
Prism continued to work on his masterpiece, until the reckoning inevitably came for him.
The reckoning came in the form of a man with grey streaks in his hair. He was clad in simple studded leather, but his blade flashed with rime and frost.
"I am Greywolf, and I have come for you, Prism," he said.
This was the same Greywolf that Oublek mistook us for. He was experienced and NOT to be trifled with.
Prism whimpered, up in the scaffolding, "Just a while longer, my work is nearly done!"
Greywolf shook his head, and pointed his blade at Prism. "Your sentiment is wasted on me, fool. You are but gold in my purse."
We moved in between Greywolf and his prey.
I put up my hand. "Just stop there. We forbid you to hurt him or stop his work."
Greywolf's eyes flashed with cold fury. "None cross Greywolf and live!"
This could be bad. I remember Greywolf being incredibly deadly with that enchanted blade of his. Fortunately, I had made some preparations. As Khalid moved in to intercept Greywolf, I commanded, "Potion of Agility, Doom and Bless, now!"
Khalid gulped down his Potion of Agility. Earlier I had temporarily moved the small shield+1 and Ring of Princes +1 to him, so he now had AC-6 or -12 vs slashing thanks to the Ankheg armour and Golden Girdle.
Branwen's Doom would take some time to connect. Until then, Khalid would have to try to survive the onslaught of Greywolf's attacks. Again and again, Greywolf's powerful magical blade flashed with lethal accuracy and deadly force. Again and again, Khalid blocked and defended against the onslaught and gave back equal measure with his own longsword in return.
Actually, Khalid was coping quite well? Uh…
Branwen's Doom connected with Greywolf, reducing his THAC0 and saving throws further.
"Sonny, I'm waiting to cast Blind," Neera said hurriedly.
Was it necessary at this point? "Uh, yeah. Go ahead."
As the party fought Greywolf tooth and nail, I was trying to also do math in my head. In the end, Greywolf was slain with nary a scratch on our side.
"Huh. Greywolf may not have been as big a threat as I thought," I said sluggishly.
Greywolf was in fact very tough. At level freaking 7, he had two attacks per round, a Thac0 of 9 and had 80hp! With the weapon Greywolf was using, he would hit for 1d8+4 damage. His only weakness, relatively speaking, was his AC1 which while decent wasn't nearly so dominating at this point in the game.
Even so, I kind of overcompensated. THAC0 9 is incredible this early in the game, yes. But at Khalid's AC-12 to slashing, Greywolf needed a 9+12=21 which meant only a natural 20 to hit. Nailing Greywolf with both Doom and Blind ensured we took Greywolf out before Khalid took a lucky hit. So I guess everything worked out!
His work done, Prism climbed down the scaffolding and took a good look at his masterpiece. The green emeralds completed his work perfectly. He let out a satisfied sigh. "My work is finally complete. O sweet creature, my effigy to thee is done. Perhaps our paths shall cross in distant realms, and I shall find the courage to call they name: Ellesime!"
And he fell over, dead from exhaustion.
Imoen, Neera, Branwen and Jaheira were all tearing up. Khalid held his wife gently.
Meanwhile, I was also flabbergasted but significantly less impressed.
Did he say Ellesime?!? That BITCH who caused the entire events of Baldur's Gate 2 to set into motion? I fumed. Ohhhh, my boy Prism. If only you had the pleasure of meeting that woman's beau. Why, his skill at torture in the name of experimentation was a thing to behold!
"It's so romantic," Imoen lamented, and sniffed. "Bwaaaaaah, I want someone to sculpt me then die too!"
Imoen's last comment sent a serious twitch from my eyebrow right into a vein in my head.
"Alright, I've heard enough," I said, and climbed up the scaffolding.
"Sonny, you don't mean to-"
"Take them emeralds? Yes, I do," I said aloud. "He did all this – stole emeralds, worked himself to exhaustion, made total strangers put their lives on the line and KILL a man- all to make an effigy for woman who didn't even know him?!? You know what that's called, folks?"
"It's called romantic!" Imoen and Neera cried out.
"Bullshit! It's called creepy, that's what," I yelled and snatched out the emeralds from the eye sockets. "Stalking! Obsessive! Totally inappropriate! Hey creep, she doesn't even know you! Deal with it and move on like a normal person!"
"Nooooooooo!" the two pink irritations screeched together. "I hate you Sonny! I'm never speaking to you again!"
Jaheira, unbelievably, laughed to herself and shook her head as Khalid held her, himself bemused at his wife's reaction.
Branwen continued to take in the masterpiece before her, and tried her best to ignore the sounds of screeching women. "Ah, my homeland. Suddenly, I miss you."
Word of Prism's masterpiece spread throughout the land, as well as that of the adventuring band which protected him while he completed it (Reputation +1). Best of all, we scored one of the best longswords in the game, Varscona +2 (+1 cold damage), currently unidentified.
Also, two emeralds.
Serves you right, Prism!
Long after the iron crisis was over, Prism's flawed masterpiece would continue to stand tall, the visage of the mysterious beauty watching over the Sword Coast. Visitors would flock to see the statue, the visage as famous for its supposed flaw as the tragic story of its doomed creator. The identity of the subject whose likeness was captured by the statue was itself the subject of much speculation, but never confirmed.
Different crisis would come and go, from armies claiming the heritage of dead gods, to the forces of the Absolute coming to power and being laid low. But the monument to one artist's passion kept its constant vigil over the Sword Coast, keeping watch.
Sometime not so far into the future, somewhere in Suldanessellar in the branches of the Tree of Life, a group of heroes stood ready for a final confrontation with an evil mage of great power. It was at this dramatic moment, a halfling spoke thus, "Hey Elliseme, Irenicus? Have both of you seen the statue of Ellesime's face by Prism-"
"SONNY! Don't you dare bring that up NOW!" the pink irritations screamed.