mishisings | Entries tagged with khalid

There's a lady living in one of the houses in the courtyard of the Friendly Arm, wants us to do something. I let Khalid handle it because Jim's turning out to be quite the potty mouth.

[IMG]

This isn't a bug. NPCs coming up to talk to us will talk to whoever's nearest, and you can have any of the NPCs in your party handle the talking. It's usually better to leave that kind of stuff to characters with high charisma, like Jim, but in this specific case it doesn't matter, I think. This arrangement can, however, lead to some pretty out-of-character responses, like, say, Viconia agreeing to help a lost urchin find her cat.

So maybe I should do the talking after all?

Last time you did that you ended up flirting with a married man, remember?

That wasn't on purpose! Let's just go!

[IMG]

Uhh... Jimmie? Pretty sure south is the other way.

S-shut up!

[IMG]

Okay, fine. I know I'm not ready for ankhegs, let's turn around and -

[IMG]

Wait! Perhaps it would be better if we traveled together.

In that case, why do we not join forces against these contemptible lawbreakers?

Sounds good to us, we're always on the lookout for another sword arm.

Wait, what? He's a paladin, me and Imoen are thieves. Is this really a good idea?

Calm down, Jimothy. I have a feeling the increase in bandit activity may have something to do with the iron crisis. He will be useful.

[IMG]

Here's Ajantis! He's a paladin, which means he's obligated to have a stick up his butt, on pain of losing his paladin abilities. Also, he's stats-wise the best-looking of our male suitors, with 17 Charisma to Xan and Coran's 16. Jim is still the prettiest, though.

There's a joke in there somewhere about his 'lay on hands' ability, but I'm not smart enough to come up with it.

We pass by the Friendly Arm again to deliver the ring to Joia and Jaheira decides to address Jim directly.

[IMG]

Like in Starship?

That is one of the silliest things I have ever heard. But I'll wager that has become a popular myth in more than one realm, imaginary or not. Be serious.

Forest lore, hmmm... How did you and Khalid first meet?

And how is that forest lore?

Well, you're a lady of the forest, and Khalid is a man of the woods... uh. Nevermind. It was a huge stretch and a bad joke but I was curious.

I'll indulge your curiosity, Jimothy. The first time I saw Khalid was at a ball. We both were... we both had to attend on business, but neither of us knew the other. I had done what I had to and was about to leave, when I saw him standing all by himself. He looked so awkward and shy that I felt sorry for him and came over to talk. I found him surprisingly charming, and we got to know each other better...

Huh, that's funny. I heard the same story from Khalid, only in his version, you were the one who was standing all by yourself.

Oh? That's an interesting... piece of lore.

Ahem! A-actually, we were both standing by ourselves... but getting back to wood lore - did you know that grubs can be quite tasty?... No one can cook them like Jaheira!

Smooth, Khalid.

I, however, am not so smooth. I forgot to screenshot the opening lines of the next banter, which triggered after we delivered the ring:

Here we are, traveling the good road. Some grand 'adventure' we're having, huh? not exactly what we used to daydream about, but still, kinda exciting, I guess. I'd rather be out here, going places and doing things, than be stuck in Candlekeep, cleaning out stables and turning down beds.

I have to admit, you're right. It's been interesting. Not exactly what I had in mind, but it's not like I have a choice.

That's 'we', remember? And yeah, 'spose we don't have much choice at that. Still, we can do a lot of good, I think. Wonder if they'll make a tale of our adventures? Just think, one day folks will be in the common room of some inn, maybe even the Candlekeep Inn, and ask a bard to tell 'em a tale of 'Imoen the Quick and her trusty sidekick, Jim!'

Hey, I'm no one's 'sidekick'!

Oh, okay. We'll be partners, I 'spose. What ya think? 'Imoen the Quick' sound good to you? Quick with the blade and wit! All the best heroes and heroines have handles. Hmmm, maybe 'Imoen the Terrible'? Nah, too dark. 'Imoen the Bold'? 'Imoen the Sly'? 'Imoen the Magnificent'? Hey, that sounds pretty good!

You already came up with 'the Magnificent', remember? Though actually I think 'the Terrible' suits you better. Or maybe 'Imoen the Annoying'?

Well! You're being rude today! Guess I'll just keep quiet and wait for ya to come beggin' for something from little old Imoen.

I can't believe it's already been forty-five minutes since I've had Ajantis in the party, but I managed to trigger his first lovetalk. I dunno if you've noticed, but I've been cheating with these and editing responses to multiple dialogue options together into longer conversations. If you'd rather just the straight conversation from whichever options I pick first, let me know, otherwise I'll continue jazzing these up.

[IMG]

My lady, we formed our alliance to fight the bandits threatening travelers in this area. May I ask your motivation for pursuing such a tedious and dangerous task?

Who, me? We have an alliance? Just put away the handcuffs and we'll get along just fine.

My lady?

I mean. I'm a mage with phenomenal cosmic power. Or I would be if I could cast more than two spells per day. And I have nothing else to do, so I might as well make life less shitty for other people? It's definitely not because everyone here is dirt-poor and I'm shit at pickpocketing.

My lady, I do not have the authority to arrest you. And I can see you are indeed doing good. But you could do good at many other places. Why the bandits of the Sword Coast? Is there any specific reason you need to be here?

These bandits might have something to do with the murder of my foster father, Gorion.

By Helm! This is very sad news, my lady. Let me express my deepest condolences for your loss.

Gorion died defending me. It pisses me off that they were after me and not him.

You mean, our unknown enemy might have an interest in you?

Well... "Hand over your ward and no one will be hurt. If you resist it shall be a waste of your life." That's what the spiky asshole said when we were attacked. That sure sounds like interest to me, Ajantis.

That is very strange indeed, my lady.

Gorion was the closest thing I had to family. I'm gonna make that guy pay for taking him away from me.

My lady, I fully understand your grief and pain. But do not let yourself be overwhelmed by vengeance and hatred. You can only hope to hunt down these murderers if you are not blinded by hate, and if you do not let your thirst for vengeance affect your fighting prowess. Be assured: I will fight at your side against these criminals with all my might. Let's continue our search and bring justice to the Sword Coast.

Well, I wasn't planning on making a creepy little book out of the skins of my enemies like Jaheira said, but I see what you mean. Thanks, Ajantis. That's actually pretty sweet of you.

NEXT: Candlekeep Hates Jimothy

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.

Jaheira expresses her condolences:

[IMG]

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.

[IMG]

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.

[IMG]

Also this happened.

[IMG]

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:

[IMG]

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

"Baldur's Gate - Friendly Arm Inn" (Watch on YouTube)

The Friendly Arm Inn isn't so much an inn as it is a castle town roughly the size of Candlekeep. The biggest thing there is the actual inn, but there's also a temple and two residences.

I forget which NPC tells you this, but the story behind this inn is kind of interesting. It was established by Bentley and Gellana, a couple of retired adventurers who liberated the fortress from an undead priest of Bhaal and turned it into the best damn hangout for adventurers on the Sword Coast. It's a pretty sweet retirement plan, if you ask me.

[IMG]

The big crisis on the Sword Coast is the iron shortage. Iron weapons and tools are turning brittle and breaking, and we'll eventually find out why.

[IMG]

Candlekeep? Never heard of it.

Tarnesh: Really? I would beg to differ. You fit the description, so I think it would be safe to assume you are the one I seek. Don't me. I have something for you.

And then he attacks. Tarnesh is a pushover and he's pretty much dead after a few shots from a shortbow from both Jim and Imoen, but I decided to switch it up with wild magic and nearly died. Yes, I'm playing this on Novice mode with a bunch of anti-difficulty tweaks installed, why do you ask?

In the base game, Tarnesh is inconsequential, but he's a little more significant in an NPC Project game. Here's why:

[IMG]

Yeesh, some sense of humour YOU have! Those 'spells' or whatever, the things in the back? they look kinda important. I won't mess with those. But these lil' old things in the frong... Betcha even I could learn some of them. I'm gonna try, anyway.

Well, I suppose it will be all right. Just be careful, okay?

Pshh, this coming from the girl who tried casting a magic missile and ended up making a poison cloud? Dontcha worry 'bout me. I'm no dummy. I know what I'm doin'. I'll be 'slingin' spells' in no time. Haha!

Imoen's thing in the NPC mod is sort of a set-up for her class-change in the sequel. This won't be the last we hear of her trying to do magic.

Aside from a spellbook that Imoen apparently found before we did, Tarnesh was carrying one other item of note. This bounty notice.

[IMG]

"To all those of evil intent..." Is there like, an "Evil Newsletter" or something that all these nobody assassins subscribe to? I mean, who actually calls themselves 'evil'?

[IMG]

Mishi's Modded Miscellany: See that big guy in the black and white outfit? He's a bard, and if we were planning on having any evil people in our party while not being evil ourselves, he'd be the best thing that every happened to us. See, in the base game, no matter how many guards you killed and puppies you kicked, you could always go to a temple and donate some gold and you could keep your reputation flying high and your good party members happy, or at least unhappy, but not so much that they would leave. But there was no such equivalent for good-aligned parties that wanted to blacken their reputations. So the NPC Project adds these bards, one in each major settlement, that will blacken your reputation for a price. I've lost count of the amount of gold I've spent on them to keep Viconia in my party.

But we came here to find someone specific, right Jim?

Wow, that guy's pretty cute... Hey, handsome, what's your name?

Wh-wh-who m-me?

I'll thank you not to flirt with my husband, girl.

[IMG]

If... if he has passed, we share your loss.

Gorion often said that he worried for your safety, even at the expense of his own. He also wished that Khalid and I would become your guardians, if he should ever meet an untimely end. However, you are much older now, and the choice of your companions should be your own.

We could t-travel with you until you get settled, help you find your l-lot in life.

It would be a fitting last service to Gorion, though we should first go to Nashkel. Khalid and I... look into local concerns, and there are rumours of strange things happening at the mine. No doubt you have heard of the iron shortage? You would do well to help us. It affects everyone, including you. We are to meet the mayor of the town, Berrun Ghastkill.

Isn't it great, Jimmie? We made it through the forest full of gibberlings and wolves, and now we are meeting *real* adventurers! Things are lookin' up! Hey, Auntie Jaheira, I am Imoen. A friend of Jimothy's... Actually, more like a guardian than a friend, ya know? Lookin' after her, and all that.

Try the other way around, squirt. I'm the one always getting you out of trouble.

Adventurers generally do not call each other 'auntie', Imoen. But enough distractions. Gorion had mentioned you in his correspondence, praising your fast friendship with his ward. You are welcome to come along.

Your company would be welcome.

Well good! We'll leave as soon as you're ready, though it should be soon.

Yeah! Uncle Khalid and Auntie Jaheira are coming with us! This is going to be a great adventure, after all!

*sigh*

NEXT: Everyone Loves Character Sheets