Let's Romance Baldur's Gate: Get Your Badly Drawn Tree Now and Get Floating Heads Absolutely Free!

[mishisings]

When we last left our hero, she was... Oh dear.



Well, perhaps we should leave her alone, it's not every night one's foster-father is killed protecting one from nefarious villai-

Heya, it's me, Imoen!



Really?

You're really gonna do this? We just had that conversation yesterday and after the night I've had I am in no fucking moo-



Sorry I followed ya, but I never get out of Candlekeep and those monks are such a bore. Never any decent coin in their pockets neither.

You're really not doing much to help your case, you know.

I... I saw Gorion, and I am SO sorry! Kinda figured something bad might happen to you out here.

How could you have known? Gorion didn't even tell me.

I... accidentally... read a letter on his desk the other day. Can't remember exactly what it said, but he might still have... it might be on his... his body. Anyway, I'm not gonna let you wander around out here all alone. Never let a friend down, no sir! Stick with you until you say otherwise, I will!

Aaaaah, engine limitations. In the first Baldur's Gate, there wasn't much in the way of party interaction, so for any NPC that wasn't HUGELY IMPORTANT PLOT NPC, they didn't usually get anything but their greeting, and for joinable NPCs, a soundset that consisted of variations on the theme of "Stop clicking on me, jeez you're so demanding!" Imoen's greeting doesn't make much sense from a roleplaying perspective the first time you hear it, since she's the player character's childhood friend, and the second time you hear it, it's incredibly, inappropriately hilarious. In Baldur's Gate II they fixed that somewhat, in that the first lines of most banters were voiced, so you didn't keep hearing the same greeting whenever they decided to talk to you.

Since Imoen is our first party member, here is her character sheet, and bio.

When asked about her past, Imoen slaps your shoulder playfully. She says that you of all people should know, seeing as how you grew up together. Indeed, some of your fondest memories are of meeting this sprightly young lass. She apparently came to Candlekeep much as you did, though 10 years later in life, and she spent much more time with the gruff Winthrop than Gorion, "Puffguts" she would call him, much to the old innkeep's dismay. She seems the eternal child, and is quite content to play the part of little sister, though you are both of comparative ages. You can tell by her hearty smile that she will always be willing to travel with you, no matter what path you take.

Imoen starts as a trueclass thief in this game, and she's probably the best thief for a good-aligned party. She's not as useful to us since we're already a thief, and we'll be getting another one later, but she's still good to have in the party. A lot of people like to dual-class her into a mage later on, since her intelligence stat is so high, and it's even canon, as she does turn up as a thief/mage in the sequel.

I know what you're thinking. "Childhood friend path, GET!" Except there isn't one. At least not in this game. There's a mod for Baldur's Gate II, but it's had mixed reviews. Personally, I think if she wants to act like the player character's little sister, it suits me just fine to consider her such. Imoen's a fun character with lots of entertaining banters, so we'll be keeping her around for a while until we can start building our lovelove party.

That and the chapter one narration really wasn't kidding when it said we wouldn't last long on our own. When I was testing this set-up for bugs, I kept getting killed by wolves. It's best if we can assemble a full party as quickly as possible, regardless of who's in it.

But first, maybe that letter of Gorion's Imoen mentioned might hold a clue as to what's going on.



In the time-honored tradition of RPGs, our first action upon the game opening up is to loot the corpse of our beloved mentor. Let's see what he's got in his pocketses.

My friend Gorion,

Please forgive the abruptness with which I now write, but time is short and there is much to be done. What we have long feared may soon come to pass, though not in the manner foretold, and certainly not in the proper time frame. As we both know, forecasting these events has proved increasingly difficult, leaving little option other than a leap of faith. We have done what we can for those in thy care, but the time nears when we must step back and let matters take what course they will. We have, perhaps, been a touch too sheltering to this point.

Despite my desire to remain neutral in this matter, I could not, in good conscience, let events proceed without some measure of warning. The other side will move very soon, and I urge thee to leave Candlekeep this very night, if possible. The darkness may seem equally threatening, but a moving target is much harder to hit, regardless of how sparse the cover. A fighting chance is all that can be asked for at this point.

Should anything go awry, do not hesitate to seek aid from travelers along the way. I do not need to remind thee that it is a dangerous land, even without our current concerns, and a party is stronger than an individual in all respects. Should additional assistance be required, I understand that Jaheira and Khalid are currently at the Friendly Arm Inn. They know little of what has passed, but they are ever thy friends and will no doubt help however they can.

Luck be with us all.
I'm getting too old for this.

E

There's not much in this letter that we don't already know, except Gorion and this E guy have apparently been expecting something like this for a while now. Now that we're done with the letter, Imoen has something to say.



Hey! You were hiding your butt under a bush while he was fighting all these monsters, weren't ya?

I know! I just. I never thought he'd die. Especially not against a big dumb thug like that.

Don'tcha even know who attacked you? Whoever it was, looks like it was vicious.

Some big jerk in spiky armor. He said...

So ya remember what he said?

Well, he didn't say much... besides, obviously, wanting my corpse to be where Gorion's is now, or at least alonside it, he mentioned he had been looking for me.

Well, aren't ya the popular one? Sorry, just tryin' to liven things up here. Anyways, if that guy was lookin' for ya, he'll come for ya 'gain.

How reassuring.

Don'tcha worry, though! This time, with Imoen the Magnificent at your side, you can't lose!

Imoen the Magnificent?

'Course! It's the perfect name for me, someone who has so many talents!

Look, as magnificent as you are, I don't want to drag you into this mess. This is going to be dangerous, and I don't want to lose the last family I have left. You should go back to Candlekeep.

Leave? And if I did, who would keep ya entertained? Who would keep your spirits lifted in the darkest hour? And who would keep up the practical jokes?

I could do without the practical-

Leave! Hah! You'll have ta force me ta leave ya now!

Well, now that that's settled, let's be on our way, shall we-



Okay, cards on the table, Imoen's really chatty in this early portion of the game. But she's a sweetheart, so I can't really hold it against her.

I'd hate to see this eat away at ya. We'll get him, ya know. That guy, whoever he was, who killed your dad. We'll find out who he is, and pay him back good! And don't you even think of ditching me, either. I know what I'm doing, and I'm in this as much as you. I liked Gorion, and you're my best friend. I'm your best friend too, whether you know it or not. you can count on me, and don't you forget it.

Jeez, Imoen, you already made it clear you won't let me ditch you. What's with you?

I'm just mad, that's all... mad, sad and a little worried, I guess. I'll get over it. Heh. I was trying to make you feel better, and now I'm all worked up. Come on, let's go find an evil dragon's lair or something to loot. Um, on second thought, a hobgoblin cave is more your speed. Or maybe a xvart village?

Way to shoot for the stars, kid.

Hmm. I'll have to think about this one...

NEXT: Beware of Strangers Bearing Potions