Let's Romance Baldur's Gate: Introducing Baldur's Gate's Very Own Power Couple

Character sheets! This is Jaheira. She's got her BGII stats because they're better and I'm a cheesy cheater. Another thing you might notice is her alignment. Druids are supposed to be true neutral, and Jaheira will go on at length about "the balance" but the creators of the Baldur's Gate Tweak Pack felt that neutral good suited her true morality better.

When asked about her past, Jaheira glares as she speaks. She says that she was born in the Tethyr region to a loyalist of the King Alemander regime, unfortunately during the Thethyrian civil war. Her family was among the nobles targetted by the angry mobs of peasants, and she was only spared because a servant girl took her from their castle before it fell. They fled into the forest of Thethyr and stumbled across an enclave of Druids willing to take the child. Jaheira grew up a very headstrong girl, believing that the only way to protect was to have an active role in the world. She has little in common with Khalid, but even though her manner is often confrontational she apparently cares deeply for him. Her admiration of Gorion is obvious, and she plainly states that whomever was responsible for his death will suffer an equal fate.

And damn, Khalid is lookin' fine. This is the interpretation of the portrait mod I'm using, and I like it because the original portrait makes him look shifty and unreliable, and Jaheira never would have married him if he was either of those things. Khalid may not be the bravest guy around, but he'd never let down a friend in need.

I could have used the tweakpack to make him a fighter/mage, but I didn't because we already have a mage and I didn't want to spread the early game experience further around.

When asked about his past, Khalid nervously reveals that he was born and raised in the nation of Calimshan. He does not say much of his parents, but you get the feeling that his merchant father thought little of him, devoting much more attention to Khalid's half brothers. Khalid thus threw himself into the martial pursuits, studying under members of the city militia. He doesn't go into detail on how he met Jaheira , but his adoration of her is obvious. When asked about how he knew Gorion, he will only say that they had long been friends, and that many shared acquaintances will mourn his loss with harpsong.

Jaheira expresses her condolences:



Oh, they shall let us in eventually. I wish that we had a tome of leather parchments made from the hides of the bandits who attacked you, to pay for our entry. That of the one who had slain him shall be saved for the cover. I am sorry, Jimothy, for sharing such a grim thought, but Khalid and myself... we loved Gorion dearly. It is not easy to speak of burial, when his murderers still walk unpunished.

Wow. Maybe True Neutral is the better alignment after all. Jaheira's... pretty brutal when she's pissed.

We do a little bit of shopping.



The goons Gorion killed will drop maces and random valuables when they die, and we were lucky and looted some pretty fancy gems and jewelry from them, so we sold them for a tidy profit. We have enough to buy this gem bag, which will be useful for carrying all sorts of non-magical valuables that we can then sell to merchants for cash. The gem bag I believe is part of a component called 'bags of holding' which adds containers to various merchant's inventories. Bentley only has the gem bag for sale, but later we'll find a scroll case, an ammo case, a potion case, and probably some others along the way, which will make inventory management a lot less of a hassle.

There are a couple of small quests that start in this Inn, and I won't bore you with all of them, but this one will be important.



Also this happened.



I... guess I can find a buyer for these? Why the hell did I even nick them? What do you want me to do with Golden *Pantaloons*?

If you hang onto them for the entire game, and carry your save over into the sequel, you'll eventually find a use for them. Come on, they're the famous Golden Pantaloons!

This is so weird.

So while Jim is upstairs talking to quest givers and robbing from the rich, in an attempt to distract herself from the embarrassment of realizing she just hit on her godfather, Jaheira takes the opportunity to ask Imoen some things:



Huh? Did I say something wrong, Jaheira?

I am sorry, Imoen, but I need to know. I don't know how to ask this delicately, so let me put it straight. You are the only person besides Gorion who knows Jimothy well. Have you ever noticed anything especially different about her?

Eh? What do you mean?

I am interested in certain aspects or behaviours that seem... out of balance, or haunted.

Yes, sirree, definitely! Jimmie has this annoying habit of leaving her clothes all over the place! That's just so rude, and... haunted! Plus she has this irrational fear of partridges. Won't even eat 'em. But I bet you'll find out other weird stuff about her as we go along.

You are right, Imoen. There is plenty of time and opportunity for us to get to know Jimothy. If only Khalid and I could have visited with Gorion more often... But what's done is done. We will acquaint ourselves with Jimothy now.

NEXT: Oh Baby, You Can Lay Your Hands On Me Any Day