Baldur's Gate II (5e campaign log)

[J-H]

Session 30: 4/21/2024
This was a shorter session due to an event at the religious organization most of us participate in. I’d say around an hour and 45 minutes plus leveling up and shopping.

The group collects the loot (some gold, +1 greatsword, +1 full plate, +1 half plate). They can interact with Melinda through the pink forcefield, but only visually and not with much detail due to the distortion. Analyzing it, they determine that it probably requires a specific pass-phrase or wardstone.

Heading down the tunnel, it curves, descends, and then starts to expand into a larger area with staircases. There’s a black wall of magic in front of them, which functions similar to a one-way mirror for Firkraag (nobody can see him, but he can see them). They check it out a bit, and Cormak pops Spirit Guardians. Ludwig’s player comments that it reminds him of some kind of barrier from dragon fights in Dark Souls or something.
Eventually they move through it, and I get to draw out the room and plop down a dragon figure borrowed from my 7 year old. He’s big.
Firkraag also has a barrel at each edge of the shadow wall, just inside it. When Mergand goes over to one, it smells of oil or tar.

I was able to stick mostly with his lines from the game, which I had copied over for reference. “Welcome. You have come as I wanted. It has been an interesting game, but to tell the truth, I tire of it.”
Ludwig mentions they’re looking for a man named Jierdan Firkraag. The dragon just laughs, and he realizes that the dragon is Firkraag. The party briefly considers whether or not the wizard standing near the dragon is the real Firkraag controlling an illusion. Investigation checks reveal nothing. Eventually they ask what the point of the "game" was.

"For my amusement, for my curiosity, and for my memory of transgressions long since past. All of this spurred me on, but I grow bored with you.

Very well, an indepth response. Your fathers are my interest. Your lineage crosses the mortal and spiritual, and both concern me somewhat.

Gorion raised you. I know this from my spies and followers. They are subtle when I wish it. Gorion was as much your father as anyone.
He was also an adventurer in his day, and crossed my path long ago. Him and his Harper friends. I bear the scars of that meeting.
He is beyond my revenge, being dead as he is, so I settled for the next best thing. I can torment his spirit by destroying you. Wherever he is, he is seething.
I had toyed with forgetting the transgession, though it has not been that long in dragon terms. It was your other father that made me curious however.

You are a child of Bhaal. What an interesting subject to study, or so I thought. Really, you are not so different, despite your little personal struggles.

For now, you bore me. I will taunt you no more. This has been such sport that I bear you no ill will. You may go."


They mention rescuing Melinda.

"The child has proven no more interesting than its father. I had finished taunting him some years ago really. It was only your arrival that brought her into this. I think he is actually happier now that the burden of leadership has been lifted. Such resilience took all the fun out of his downfall. All that is left for me to do is kill him and take the deed to the land.

Here, rescue the child from my servant and feel fulfilled. Do not think it will be easy. I test my subjects thusly all the time, and they know that failure is death.
Conster! Go to the child! If they fail to take it from you, kill it. "

Conster, the wizard, dimension doors out. They head back up the stairs. "Now walk away, and see to your little rescue efforts. Take your time. Enjoy life. You have much to face."

I ask if they want to do anything before heading upstairs like drink healing potions or pre-buff. A couple of them do, and Ludwig drinks the party’s only potion of Haste. Initiative is rolled, and Conster, who already has Mirror Image up, gets a nat20, enabling him to go first, blasting the party with Synaptic Static. Cormak fails and drops to 0. Mergand fails as well, while Nalia and Ludwig save. Ludwig uses his hasted action to drop a potion on Cormak, then runs up and chops at Conster, damaging him. Nalia uses the Wand of Frost from her keep; Conster fails his save but uses Absorb Elements. Mergand casts Scorching Ray (from a scroll), and Cormak uses Toll the Dead. One or two mirror images get popped, but Conster takes a couple of hits.

The next round, he casts Protection from Magic Weapons (lasts 3 rounds, BA), and then Shocking Grasps Ludwig before moving away. Ludwig fires his bow, but the +2 arrows does nothing! Mergand casts Scorching Ray from a spell slot. At this point, Mirror Image has soaked TWO critical-hit Scorching Rays. I don’t recall what the others did, but it didn’t do much. Maybe a Fire Bolt? Arcana checks are rolled, but nobody gets higher than a 14, and PFMW is a 6th level spell.

The following round, Conster uses Mental Prison on Mergand, reducing him to 1 hp. Ludwig fires another arrow, which does nothing, and decides to toss a non-magical dagger. It hits for minimum damage (3), and Conster fails his save, losing Concentration on Mental Prison. Nalia upcasts Chromatic Orb… Conster is at below 30hp, but it’s just Chromatic orb. I roll, and roll low, so he decides the first level spell that may hit his last mirror image isn’t worth worrying about. Hit. 27 damage out of 4d8. Boom, he’s dead.

They retrieve the wardstone. Melinda nearly bowls Ludwig over with a hug, glad to be rescued. They exit and find Garen Windspear having just returned home a few hours ago. Everything is OK with the Paladins… one has already been raised from the dead and has verified the party’s story. They rest overnight, and discuss Firkraag’s true nature. Garen considers leaving, or finding someone to kill the dragon. They say they may be back soon, and that dragons are surprisingly petty and hold long grudges.

Long resting again on the way back to Athkalta, Cormak’s exhaustion from going down gets cleared up. They go through the gate, and one of the guards seems to take note of their name, and goes to talk to someone else. As they approach Waukeen’s Promenade, a squad of guards led by a well-dressed man in a breastplate approaches.
Nalia: “Oh no, it’s Isaea.”
There’s some back and forth, but he’s determined to put Nalia into protective custody. Her father was just killed, her keep is without a family member to rule it (aside from her Aunt), and she’s gallivanting around with a bunch of adventurers carrying dead body parts as trophies (true) and risking her life instead of doing something sane or stable. And who’s to say that these adventurers, the ones to “find her father’s body,” weren’t doing something to her anyway?
Nobody wants to start a fight with the guard in the middle of the city, and Nalia says that she’ll be okay. Mergand mentions Terry (former guard member), and one of the guardsmen motions back an “I’ll find you later.”

The party goes to the Adventurer’s Mart. Their Bag of Holding has arrived! After that and some healing potions, they sell some extra +1 gear and have around 17,000gp. Everyone levels up to 8.
Mergand bumps his Charisma to 18, letting him drop the Ring of Human Influence in favor of the Metaspell Influence Amulet (+1 1st & 2nd level slots). Ludwig will level up later. Cormak boosts his Wisdom to 18, picks up Divine Strike, and rolls on the Tainted Mind table. He rolls a 19, plus his PB… 22… high rolls are good.
He can now cast Disintegrate once per day, keying off of his intelligence.
It’s really too bad the party has completely avoided going anywhere near any place with mind flayers.

They spend some time considering, but even +2 to a strength modifier (Girdle of Hill Giant Strength) isn’t super appealing to them.
Next time, they’ll probably pursue Nalia, which will put a Harper into the tavern with Baron Ployer…. 
I also reminded them about the offer for the cheaper pursuit of Irenicus.
I think it’s about time to steer them that way…. But side quests and party choice takes precedent. If they are 12 when they hit Bodhi and 19 at Suldanesselar, that’s fine.
I'm not sure who they'll pick up as an NPC now. They have Korgan, Reynald, and Hendak as options. I think Korgan is most likely because they've worked with him before.