In Beregost, I had been storing some items in Landrin's house. Golden Pantaloons, Spider's Bane, Kondar +1 (+3 vs shapeshifters). I added the Heavy Crossbow of Accuracy donated to us by Dabron Sashenstar to the pile in the chest. As an afterthought, I also bought a heavy-duty lock for the house and chest both from Thunderhammer's. While I was there I also bought the Dagger of Venom +2 for 6700 gold. This dagger poisons for 1 damage per second for 15 seconds if the target fails a save vs poison. Very effective vs mages and priests for interrupting magic. I'm not entirely sure I'll get to use it much seeing as how I was mostly specced for quarterstaves, but whatever.
At High Hedge, we sold the Bracers to the Death (AC6) and robes Imoen was wearing so we could afford the Robe of Good Archemagi for Imoen for 13735 gold. That left us with 451 gold in cash.
"Is it really a good idea to drain out all our money?" Jaheira asked, her voice concerned.
"We still had plenty of expensive gems and jewelry in my gem pouch, so we weren't exactly poor," I replied. "Just a little assurance in case SOMEONE magics away all our money."
Behind me, Neera was kicking sand and muttering under her breath.
---
We were now scouring the lands for Commander Brage, Bassilus, and Bjornin's half-ogres.
Well, that's what I told the party anyway. Right now, we had headed to a beach on the far west of Beregost.
"You've adjusted our spell preparation quite thoroughly," Branwen noted. "Prepared for a particular type of trouble?"
"Indeed. My informants at the Thieves' Guild says these parts are filled with savage sirines who attack anyone on sight."
Rumors from taverns or info from Thieves' Guild was going to be my excuse from now on.
"Savage sirines? Yeah, right," Neera said, rolling her eyes.
"Well, looks like SOMEONE has volunteered to attempt diplomacy," I said. "Show us how it's done, Neera."
"Wha-… but, I…"
"Next time, save the snark if you're not willing to put your money where your mouth is," I chided her.
---
The first thing we encountered were a pack of four Dire Wolves. Normally these would be quite a scary fight for mundane adventurers, but the Dire Wolves had a fright when we surrounded them with five Skeleton Warriors, uh Skeleton Bulls. Yes, five.
Khalid pulled out the Ring of Animal Friendship and charmed one of the Dire Wolves, and Jaheira cast Charm Person or Mammal on another. The first Dire Wolf joined our side, the other resisted the spell. We went ahead and killed the three remaining Dire Wolves with our large army.
---
The first sirine we met made no hostile moves. In fact, she actually beckoned us forward.
…sirine? Uh, is that Shoal the Nereid. It's tough to tell sirines and nereids apart.
"Well, here's your chance. Go ahead, try and talk to her," I said to Neera.
Neera considered the nereid before her. Skinny, blue skinned, scantily clad. Not exactly threatening looking. "Fine. I think I will."
The manly thing to do would be to talk to the sirine oneself, sure. But for this particular sirine it was critically important that the person who talks to her is NOT the main character. Also, it's generally better to pick someone with lower hit points.
"Please help me, will you? I am alone on this desolate dry-land and who knows what lurks in these woods," Shoal said to Neera while gyrating suggestively.
"Suuuuure?" Neera said uncertainly while squirming before the, uh, bouncing assets.
"Wonderful! Perhaps a kiss to show my appreciation?"
"Whaaaaaaat? Nonono, I, uh, I don't swing that way!" Neera cried out, backing off.
Shoal looked nervously at the literal army surrounding her. Six armed adventurers, five Skeleton Bulls, a Dire Wolf. "I am truly sorry, but I must insist."
She lunged forward and pulled Neera into a long kiss right on the pecker.
Shoal the nereid's kiss has one of TWO scripted events. Either it kills the character in question outright, allowing a save vs breath with -2 penalty or die, or it reduces the character to 1 hitpoint and knocks them unconscious.
In this case, Neera outright died.
"Bad choice," I said to her while we all drew our weapons around her, "Any last words?"
(In the game, it is important to hurt Shoal but not TOO much. Turn of AI and shoot her with a Wand of Missiles ONCE.)
Completely surrounded, Shoal cried out, "No! This is no longer fun! I cannot die for this! They are my actions, but not my intent! I can but do as I am bid by the master!"
I held up a hand to stop my party and bid her explain herself.
Shoal claimed she was under control of an Ogre named Droth who held her shawl. She had enjoyed the game for a time, but she didn't want to die for the ogre's bidding. Yet she cannot disobey his will. As a token of her good will, Shoal raised Neera from the dead. Then it would be up to us to kill her tormentor.
After being raised from the deed, Neera was giving me a dirty look. Erm, that's a problem to be solved later. Meanwhile, we were waiting for Droth the Ogre mage to make an appearance.
We didn't need to wait long. On cue, a particularly well-built Ogre Mage teleported in.
…eh? Droth was oddly hunky looking for an Ogre Mage. Long, flowing hair, smooth skin, well-built, handsome face, Droth was practically a model. The beautiful shawl it wore around its neck only cemented the image of an ogre mage model in my mind further.
"What be this trouble Shoal? Why you have not destroyed these small-pinks? You're not to make me angry, water-child!" Droth said.
"It is not my fault, Ogre-Droth. Thy are stronger than I," Shoal cried out while doing that gyrating movement again. Hrm.
"Pah! They are meat for larder and gold for purse! Kill them we shall!"
"As you say, so it shall be," she replied.
"Keeping a nereid captive is an afront to nature," Jaheira said. "Are you ready for your reckoning, foolish ogre mage?"
"She told you this? You stuck soundly to addle her mind so. 'Tis true that I possess her shawl, but water-child my mate. Envy of all others I am! I am Ogre-Mage Droth! I kill and kill WELL!"
Eh, one Command spell brought Droth down and we cut him down in his sleep. The end.
After the battle, something crossed my mind. How did Shoal lose her shawl in the first place?
"Were you really his mate?" I asked Shoal, "You did say you enjoyed the game-"
"What? Uh… No, of course not! What type of woman do you take me for?" Shoal said while stamping her foot in an overdramatic fashion and then snatching up the shawl wrapped around the ogre mage. "Time to go now. Byeeeeee!"
She disappeared in a puff of water vapour, leaving behind the smell of sea spray. Which was saying a lot seeing as how we were positively surrounded by the smell of sea spray.
Damn it, even ogres are getting more action than me!
Loot from Droth: Helm of Defence! This baby gives +1 to saving throws and 20% Cold, Fire and Electricity resistance. Fabulous! I'm wearing this myself since unlike the Helm of Glory or Helm of the Balduran it doesn't improve AC. I suppose there was an argument to put it on Branwen since she's has Dispel Magic memorised, but I intended to get fire-bombed more often by my own team.
That's one more item off my checklist.
---
Moving south, we bumped into a rather large band of ogres. 3 Ogrillons, 2 half-ogres, 1 ogre and 2 ogre berserkers. A Sleep spell put half of them to sleep, while a Grease spell and volley fire assured the rest wouldn't do much damage to our small army of summons.
Nearby, a man who called himself the Surgeon hailed us. "It is not often that I meet travelers in these parts of the wilderness. If you desire, I have the skills necessary to heal you."
We allowed him to take a look at Neera, who was recovering from literal death. Being raised was a harrowing experience, after all.
As he worked, he told us a little about himself. "You may call me the Surgeon. I heal others in penance for what I have done in my past. Many have died because of a foolish act of charity on my part. I have a brother, an evil man by the name of Davaeron. He lives because I was too weak hearted to kill him when I had the chance. Many have died at his hands, including... including our own father."
…Davaeron? This guys was his brother? I cleared my throat. "I don't think it was your place murder your own brother to stop whatever crimes he may or may not commit in the future. But rest assured, your mistake, if it can be called as such, has been rectified. Your brother had gotten caught up in a terrible scheme where many innocents were enslaved, and he was killed defending his terrible lair."
We told him about the Cloakwood Mines and Davaeron's role in it. By the end, the Surgeon was looking down with a despondent look on his face. " I have heard that he has come to this region, and I hope to meet him one day, to rectify my previous mistake. Yet, hearing of his demise brings me no joy. Thank you, and take this for your troubles."
He passed to us a Potion of Magic Protection.
With all the healing the Surgeon had provided, Neera was as good as new. At our levels, Neera was the only one the Surgeon could have healed back up to maximum hit points.
"And that's why you allowed me to get the kiss of death instead of yourself?" Neera asked. She had been demanding answers from me personally.
"That and the fact that unlike you, I cannot be raised from the dead," I whispered to her.
She blinked once, twice. "Wait, what?"
"It's part of the main plot of the game. If I were ever to be the subjected to death, the bad guys win. You notice the Harpers keep hinting that something is terrible about my true lineage? They were not kidding."
"It's a lineage that makes you stay dead?"
"Not exactly. It's a lineage that draws me to death."
"Mmmhm. Like now," Neera said as she put her hands around my neck.
"Wha-what?"
"You let me be killed, REMEMBER?" Neera said with a sinister look in her eyes. "Time to return the favour!"
"Point taken -ack- I apologise. Neera, you can let stop squeezing now. I said I'm sorry. -gah- Haaaaalp!"