Urza (NG Half-Orc Kensai: Narrative Minimal Reload Run)

[ZaramMaldovar]

Hello everyone, I'm putting my No-Reload Thread on hold for a minute so I can fully take in some of the great mods I've downloaded with a less restrictive Minimal Reload run in which I will reload if I die but not under any other circumstances so permakilled party members will unfortunately not be permitted to continue.

In this spirit I shall be telling the story through the eyes of Urza with occasional AN (Author's Notes) from myself to add a quip or two to the proceedings. The events of the story and the decisions I make will affect how I tell the story moving forward and how Urza's character develops over time.

A few notes before we proceed

1. I'm playing on Hard Difficulty as I have beaten the game before on Core Rules. If this proves too difficult I will move the slider back down to Core Rules but I will try to beat BG1 at the very least under Hard Difficulty
2. I am going in Blind for some of this modded content particularly in BG2 so keep this in mind when I encounter things not seen in Vanilla

My name Is Urza and my journey begins here. No sooner had I started a new journal than my once simple and disciplined life was turned upside on it's head. Day after day after meditation, combat drills and dish washing was unceremoniously uprooted when Gorion came in making some sort of ruckus about Candlekeep being unsafe for us. Surely this must be some mistake. We are protected by magical wards and the rather snooty Gatekeeper who insists on each guest supplying an ancient tome of knowledge before they are allowed entry. Surely there are few places safer than Candlekeep; what could harm us here?

Spoiler

Gorion's words ring true, whilst searching for poor Phyldia's lost tome I was indeed attacked by an upstart brigand who called himself "Shank" I made quick work of him as well as his equally pathetic compatriot who attempted to ambush me near the barracks. These men are too unintelligent to have been working alone, I had best move quickly

Spoiler

Gorion is dead and my heart breaks, not half a day's journey from Candlekeep we found ourselves ambushed by a monstrous figure in armor black as night who slaughtered Gorion in one slash after he had put up a brave stand against our terrifying foe's companions. No sooner had I fled than I ran into my childhood friend Imoen who had apparently been following us since we left Candlekeep. We won't last long with such weak equipment and only a day's worth of rations each. Best we make our way quickly to the Friendly Arm Inn, Gorion's last words before we departed were that he had friends there that may be to help us.

Spoiler

On our way north we met two unsavory fellows by the names of Xzar and Montaron who offered us first some much needed healing potions and secondly an opportunity for work investigating problems in the nearby mining town of Nashkel. I don't trust these men in the slightest but there is safety in numbers and perhaps their mere appearance will scare off any potential threats on our way to meet with Khalid and Jaheria

Spoiler

A few hours south of our destination we ran across an elderly man who bore a striking resemblance to Elminster (though why Elminster would take an interest in such an unimportant group of new adventurers I am uncertain) who helped point us in the right direction. We also ran across a hunter by the name of Aoln who warned us of Ogres in the area. Perhaps it is best to find a mage we can trust before attempting to explore further.

Spoiler

When we finally reached the steps of the Friendly Arm we found ourselves attacked once again by a mage who called himself Tarnesh, an encounter in which Montaron's skills as a rogue came into play when he struck the mage in the chest with a poisoned blade preventing him from casting any spells and allowing myself to score an uninterrupted hit on our assailant. I met with Khalid and Jaheria who informed they too were seeking to investigate the mines of Nashkel and that I should be wary of Xzar and Montaron but they would not elaborate further.

Nevertheless, I trust the judgement of any friend of Gorion and chose to leave the two of them at the Friendly Arm. I'm also beginning to get uncomfortable at the idea of such an innocent child as Imoen traveling this dangerous path with me but until such time as I can find another rogue I have no choice but to allow her to continue traveling with me. Gods give me strength I don't want to lose my father and my best friend in such quick succession.

Spoiler

AN: These lightning bolts make him real glad I'm not doing a No-Reload run rn, but I swear if one of my party members get chunked because Talos got a little cranky I'm going to war!

It's going to take me a while to develop a personality for this character, but this is what I rolled and I want to stay true to that rather than keep rolling until I'm sastified with the result. A whole run of the series will give me plenty of time to develop a great story.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Best wishes to Ursa! I look forward to following her adventure!

Cheers,

A.

 

[ZaramMaldovar]

Spoiler

Soon after arriving in Beregost we did indeed find another rogue so with a heavy heart I left Imoen with her share of the gold and instructions to finish her training under the tutelage of Firebead Elvenhair. Perhaps he shall hone her magic skills as well? I can only hope the citizens of Beregost do not find their coffers too dry as a result of my dear friend.

The rogue we recruited was a drow by the name of Vynd who pointed us in the direction of a "promising business venture" offered by a local bard named Garrick. Garrick worked for a well-spoken woman named Silke who offered us 300 gold to dispatch of a band of rogues only for us to discover that she was attempting to have us murder innocent men! Our new companion seemed to have no issue with this but he also harbored no complaints against our refusal which ultimately netted us 400 gold instead of 300 when the unfortunate Silke was dispatched by Khalid with such force that his long sword shattered on impact.

I am unsure how much I can trust Vynd, but he doesn't strike me as the bloodthirsty lunatic and I suspect he will continue under our leadership so long as our travels remain profitable. The promise of reward to the south in Nashkel was more than enough to make the drow stop asking any further questions.

Spoiler

Entering the Red Sheaf Inn for a few drinks and a decent night's sleep, we found ourselves once again accosted by an assassin who proved too much for poor Khalid. Our strait appeared dire indeed were it not for the timely intervention of a dwarven warrior calling her Moidre. Moidre is rather blunt but she seems to be an honorable warrior and offered to travel with us for free in exchange for investigating the mines of Nashkel. I chose not to explain to her that we already planned to travel there as our new warrior friend has the social capacity of a stone.

Spoiler

Taking Khalid to the local temple to have him resurrected, we were informed of quite the substantial bounty on the head of a Priest of Cyric named Bassilus. 5000 gold coins for his capture dead or alive so long as we brought his holy symbol to Morninglord Ormlyr. Vynd informed us we'd have to have "kobold dung for brains" if we thought not to accept this offer but I don't need to be told twice to wipe out any follower of the Mad God.

Spoiler

Whilst leaving town we managed to find ourselves another companion, this time an ̶e̶l̶v̶e̶n̶ ("*HALF* elf"- Neera) wild mage named Neera who found herself chased by some low ranking mercenaries under the employ of the Red Wizards of Thay. How such an unaccomplished and undiscipled mage came under the radar of such as powerful organization as the Red Wizards is a mystery I hope I never have to unfold but it would be a slight on my honor not to take this woman under my protection at least for the time being.

Spoiler

Is what Vynd suspects true? Are Khalid and Jaheria Harpers? It certainly seems plausible and would explain their long standing connection to Gorion and presumably others at Candlekeep. I know little about the organization except that they operate mostly for the good of the realm though they can be somewhat secretive. Perhaps time will reveal more answers.

Spoiler

AN: *Incoherent screams of rage* FLIINNNNNNNNDS!

It's still a struggle figuring out exactly how to build the personality for Urza but I feel as if it's beginning to show. This isn't one of the final parties I have in mind but not to worry I will have a storyline reason for swapping Urza's traveling companions for new ones as we move into Chapter 3

 

[ZaramMaldovar]

Spoiler

It would seem the Iron Crisis is worse than we imagined, Moidre's war hammer broke in a simple encounter with some Hobgoblins (AN: I don't actually remember why, this is just what I'm going with) if this isn't resolved soon, the entire Sword Coast may fall apart

Spoiler

AN: Nope, Nope, NOPE! Keep that far away from me!

Spoiler

While searching for the mad cleric we stumbled upon a mage named Melicamp who had somehow turned himself into a chicken, he instructed us to take him to Thalantyr in High Hedge just west of Beregost but there was little even the learned scholar could do. A shame but an important lesson for us all to not mess with forces we do not understand

Spoiler

AN: Vynd has the best banter I swear

Spoiler

We arrived in Nashkel and the guard seemed suspcious of our approach (no doubt due to the presence of Vynd in our group) but after a brief conversation he seemed to trust us not to cause too much trouble. Hearing the townsfolk discuss the true scope of the Iron Crisis gives me a sinking feeling. I doubt very much that any actual demons are involved but something unnatural is certainly afoot

Spoiler

Worn from the road we rested at the Nashkel Inn and found ourselves once again attacked, and the bounty on our heads continues to grow. Who wants me dead and how do they know so much about me? These thoughts disturb me greatly

Spoiler

After resting, we spoke with the town mayor who was already expecting Khalid and Jaheria, he informed us that the Iron Crisis is only the tip of the iceberg for local worries as bandits seem to be raiding caravans for any shipments of iron that manage to leave town intact

Spoiler

Making our way through town we encounter a Red Wizard named Edwin who at first seemed eager to recruit us in an assassination attempt against a witch named Dynaheir who was last seen traveling west. When we declined he took notice of Neera within our group and chose to attack, a mistake that Vynd and Moidre were sure to inform him would prove fatal

Spoiler

Despite the mayor's approval, the master of the mines was not nearly as welcoming of our arrival. We were given entry of the mines but only a single day to uncover the truth before he would force his workers to continue at an even harsher pace.

Spoiler

Poison! Delving deep into the mines we discovered that the source of the coast's iron crisis was a horde of kobolds pouring corrosive oil onto the ore and killing any miners who were unfortunate enough to come across their path. The ringleader was a fellow Half-Orc named Mulahey who fell easily to the war hammer Moidre acquired from Bassilus (AN: I forgot to take screenshots of my victory over Bassilus sorry)

Vynd and Moidre in particular were elated to finally know the truth behind this though Vynd expressed irration that the plot thickens and leads us back to Beregost where Mulahey's contact awaits.

Spoiler

After defeating Mulahey we discovered a malnourished and badly bruised Greycloak named Xan who offered his services as thanks for rescuing him. Uncertain of the affect her wild magic could have on another mage, I opted to part ways with Neera and left her under the protection of Khalid and Jaheria. The trio shouldn't have too much trouble returning to the Friendly Arm Inn if we should require their services again. I trust those two with my life and I know they will do the best they can to keep Neera safe. I wish them luck

Spoiler

Perhaps delirious from weeks in captivity or perhaps simply a natural cynic, Xan seemed pleased to be reunited with his attuned Moonblade but rather bluntly reminded us that he is not invincible. I suspect he may get along swimmingly with Moidre



I've actually got a little further but I don't like converting too many files at once so I may post additional screenshots today or likely tomorrow

 

[Antimatter]

I think you can actually leave the text without spoilers and then put images into spoilers. Similar to how @Alesia_BH posts. Who are these NPC characters, and what are their stats and races/classes?

 

[ZaramMaldovar]

@Antimatter

I'm not sure if I'm comfortable putting each individual photo in a bracket

I've gotten so used to doing it the way I was doing it that it just seems wrong. Autism/OCD makes things more difficult than it needs to be some times.

 

[Urdnot_Wrex]

@Antimatter

I'm not sure if I'm comfortable putting each individual photo in a bracket

I've gotten so used to doing it the way I was doing it that it just seems wrong. Autism/OCD makes things more difficult than it needs to be some times.

Maybe in that case it would be better to go back to skipping the spoiler tag entirely, because while it affects loading times for some people, it's also a pity if the whole post is hidden away, it makes the thread look so empty, and if it's opened they still load all at the same time.

 

[Alesia_BH]

You may also want to consider converting your PNGs to JPEG format. That will reduce the file size dramatically without too much loss of quality, allowing you to keep your screenshots inline, without spoiler tags, while maintaining reasonable load times. For example, one of the files below is ten times larger than the other. You can tell the difference, but they're pretty close.

Spoiler

Spoiler

 

[Urdnot_Wrex]

Also, @ZaramMaldovar , please don't understand this as if we were placing demands on you. Sometimes we ask if things might be possible to adjust because they make it easier to read a thread or because they look better, sometimes we give advice on what works for ourselves and what's possible to adjust and how, in case you didn't consider it or thought it's too complicated, but in the end it's you who decides what you feel comfortable with.
Some adjustments are easier to make than they first seem and can greatly improve readability of your posts and attract more readers that way, but if it's overwhelming and makes you hesitant to continue posting, please just ignore it all and post however you want.

I would also like to add that if you have such difficulties adjusting to change, I'm happy you felt comfortable making the step to move over and post in our tavern.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Some adjustments are easier to make than they first seem and can greatly improve readability of your posts and attract more readers that way, but if it's overwhelming and makes you hesitant to continue posting, please just ignore it all and post however you want.

Agreed. We want you to enjoy sharing, ZaramMaldovar. That's the most important thing

 

[ZaramMaldovar]

@Urdnot_Wrex
Sorry I didn't realize I wasn't fixing the problem. I will do this later as I have to go to work now but the spoiler tags will be proper later tonight

 

[ZaramMaldovar]

Guys I'm actually considering doing a different Narrative Run with a character whose personality I'm able to flesh out a little more as I haven't felt much motivation for this one. But I'm not giving up entirely on this run. Simply shelfing it for now and starting a new run on this same thread so I don't have to create a new one.

I'll post again later tonight and I'll be slowly editing my old posts so they fit a format everyone is more comfortable with while making sure future posts follow that format moving forward.

 

[ZaramMaldovar]

I've changed my mind. I'm committed to Urza. We can find her personality together

 

[Alesia_BH]

Best of luck, ZaramMaldovar! I identify with the challenge. Sometimes it's difficult to find a character's personality, especially with half-orcs. They can be hard to relate to.

She looks pained to me, misunderstood- struggling to define herself in a world that doesn't see her as she is.

 

[ZaramMaldovar]

@Alesia_BH
Thanks, that's very helpful actually

I haven't forgotten about Ursa guys, in fact I've been playing a little bit every day. It's just that I haven't had the energy to post the screenshots and write for them. I will do that soon, I promise

 

[Alesia_BH]

I'm glad to hear it! I look forward to seeing what you come up with!

 

[ZaramMaldovar]

When I get the mood to write I think you'll enjoy the next few posts. My run hit a few snags and had some unexpected developments which I think will flesh out my character a little more. My next day off is Saturday so hopefully I'll have the energy then. I will however keep playing.

 

[Antimatter]

To both @ZaramMaldovar and @Alesia_BH (and others who have similar doubts/concerns): sometimes, it's totally fine to just play any game without any reporting. Starting a dedicated series of posts about this or that playthrough is very demanding and fulfilling it until the end is basically work. It might be fun, and excellent to read for others, but it's not an easy thing to do. So please know that whatever you post, from a small snippet to an off-hand opinion, is still worth it and very much appreciated.

 

[Alesia_BH]

Of course

Sorry for spamming aborted runs, if that's how it seems, lol.

I have a long history of posting on runs. It's something I did routinely prior to my break. @Serg_BlackStrider , among others, can vouch for that.

I'm just getting back in the flow after a break, while simultaneously developing a new posting style. It's a process, but it will be worth it in the end. We'll end up with some worthy runs in the Annex thread. We can be sure of that, if history is a guide.

Best,

A.

 

[ZaramMaldovar]

Update: I'm still taking Screenshots, I've done a lot of map exploring and level grinding that I wasn't going to screenshot anyway. I'm in Chapter 4 now heading towards the Cloakwood Mines. When I'm in the right mindset, I'll make more posts.