[Day 72 Continued]
With Sarevok gone, we continued to travel through the rest of Abazigal’s lair. I had already defeated most of the hostile creatures outside Abazigal’s den with a final battle against some Beholders and Elder Orbs in which Edwin needed resurrection shortly after. I also ended up freeing some other adventurers from a fate of entrapped stone form. I didn’t quite trust them–any moving thing down here has a good chance to be an enemy trap, after all. But I staid my warhammer as the whelps didn’t seem exactly threatening, and I had the artifacts I wanted already.
With the wardstone and the scroll of reversal, we were able to enter the dragon’s lair freely–however, some magic prevented us from leaving the same way, as the beast presumably lurked nearby. So I teleported to my Pocket Plane. There, to replace the Bhaalspawn I just lost, I recruited another: Imoen. She’s a thief, so she’ll be able to detect traps and open locks if I need those skills–filling that portion of Sarevok’s role, at least. And I’ve known the girl my entire life. She is prone to running away and abandoning me if the current conflict doesn’t suit her, so I can’t really trust her for long. But for the time being, she seems like she’ll stay in the group to support our cause–it’s better than wasting her days away in my abyssal realm, where I’ve had her stay put for almost a fortnight now.
By the time Imoen was equipped in our party’s gear, it was already the later evening. We made camp, eager to face Abazigal tomorrow.
[Day 73]
In the early morning, we returned to the Bhaalwyrm’s lair and slew the power-hungry fool. He was strong–but no match for me.
[RELOAD #?: Abazigal killed me. The problem I think was he turned into his dragon form too close to the entrance where my party was. The dragon would cast that AOE lightning skill and I couldn’t get any spells off–Protection from Electricity, Heal, Time Stop, all kept getting interrupted. Imoen got fried into unresurrectability, but my PC eventually got killed as well.]
Following my killing of another Bhaalspawn, the Solar transported me to my Plane away from time. These southern fools–”the Five”, including Balthazar–were conspiring all along to resurrect Bhaal himself and take his power, killing all the other Bhaalspawn in the process. These bastards have already tried to kill me, so I can’t just turn back north and run away from them. My role in the so-called prophecy, supposedly, is to kill THEM first, and Bhaal too if need be. Fine. The Solar may even be helping me get there, as frustrating as she is.
On the way out of the dungeon, I ran into the old fool Elminster, stalking me as always. He told me that Saemon Havarian has the means to get into Balthazar’s stronghold. We’re going to head back west to Amkethran immediately.
When we finally returned there by the evening, the entire mercenary army and monk contingent were openly hostile–yes, it looks like Balthazar, the Solar, Bhaal himself–all are giving me no choice but to slay and slaughter. I found Saemon Havarian in the Smuggler’s Cave, and he led me to Faheed, who had a key to sneak into Balthazar’s fortress. While fighting this “Battle of Amkethran” in the streets, however, one of the monks must have dropped the key to the front gate. I found it, and decided to barge in the front entrance instead.
[RELOAD #?: One of the Monks got my PC with a deathblow of some kind during the Battle of Amkethran. Must have failed the save or something, because it was like an unexpected insta-death. It was my own fault, though. I was using weird tactics (Grease for some reason…), not really paying attention, and should have been Enraged and using summons, both of which I imagine would have helped.]
When the battle eventually died down, the bodies of Balthazar’s forces lined the streets. But, my spellcasters were spent, and the night was rolling in. Balthazar wants to face me–wants to kill me–so he’ll wait, bunkered in his little temple. I’m going to teleport to my Pocket Plane and make camp for the night.
[Day 74]
In the early morning hours, I stormed Balthazar’s stronghold and killed him. Swiftly and brutally. Another Bhaalspawn, another plot to have me killed. He learned the lesson everyone else before him did…and with that, the Five that plotted against me have now been utterly destroyed.
I realize now Melissan the witch was controlling these machinations from the beginning–the very beginning, when Bhaal was struck down all those years ago. Her plot was always to kill all the Bhaalspawns roaming Faerun, to concentrate the god’s power and steal it for herself. Seems that only me and Imoen are left. So yes, she means to kill me–so it looks like I’ll have to kill her first.
It looks as though the only way to face her will be through my abyssal plane, so I first had to overcome all of the Solar’s various challenges. I fought the Slayer, then servants of Cyric, then the Ravager, and defeated all of them. The Ravager killed both Viconia and Imoen, but I resurrected the women before the morning was through.
We rested into the early evening, allowing the spellcasters to sleep to regain their spells and for myself to heal fully. But by that point, we were itching for action. This Pocket Plane has run its course, and I could think of nothing more I wanted to do than to crush this final enemy and put this Bhaal nonsense behind me, one way or the other. My “father” and his cultists have done nothing but antagonize me for longer than I care to remember, and their defeat has been long coming. Melissan will be destroyed.
Current party:
Ethal Jo, Level 36 Berserker (Crom Faeyr and Runehammer)
Viconia, Level 36 Cleric
Imoen, Level 7 Thief>Level 17 Mage
Edwin, Level 27 Conjurer
Reputation: Disliked (7)
