Members of the elite Golden Company, a select band of adventurers and problem-solvers who travel with the beautiful and terrible Syvishtar(a), Last Student of the Fallen Magical School of Ulcaster, Golden Avatar of the Wild Will of the Weave, and Lover of Many Persons!
Alora: A level 11 halfling
Burglar with 110 in Open Locks and Find Traps, 135 in pick Pockets, and 100 in Detect Illusion. She is a specialist in Clubs, Maces, and Slings. She is also a specialist in Single Weapon Style.
Imoen met Alora first in the Hall of Wonders at night, as Imoen was inside trying to steal the telescope. She at first almost had a heart attack, thinking Imoen was a guard, but then recognized her as a fellow thief. She offered to join us, and we accepted, temporarily sending Edwin back to the Elfsong. She and Imoen had a grand old time stealing Entar Silverhshield's entire fortune right out from under his nose. As we were all tearing through the streets they were laughing uproariously. Alora demanded that we have a party as soon as we got back to the Elfsong, and Imoen started begging right along with her. How could I say no? We had a great time, of course, and chose to keep Alora with us rather than Jaheira. She is always a source of joy and happiness, actually saying things like "Happy happy joy joy!" while thieving. I didn't know it was possible to have a thief more bubbly than Imoen, but Alora may be it!
Bjornin: A level 7 human
Dragonslayer. He is a Specialist in Spears, Halberds, and Two Handed Weapon Style.
A paladin we first met resting up in the Jovial Juggler in Beregost. He told us he had been recently defeated by a band of half-ogres southwest of Beregost. Asked us to get his vengeance. We said we'd keep an eye out. We found the half-ogres at Fisherman's Lake and the party of Bub Snikt, Finch, Imoen, Gavin, Viconia, and I took them out without any injuries. He was very grateful to us and offered us a magical shield. We accepted. We eventually won him over with gifts of gold and jewelry, and he joined up with us!
Besides Ajantis, he is the only other paladin we have met. He did well in battle, killing steadily with his spear, until I got him and everyone else killed in the Valley of the Tombs trying to defend ourselves against some amazonian mercenaries. We sent him back to rest in the Jovial Juggler again, which is ironic, because he was the inspiration for us sending people to rest in the Jovial Juggler to recuperate from their wounds in the first place.
Much, much later, after we had flooded the Cloakwood Mines, we heard of a dragon threatening the area around Nashkel from Morninglord Jarent of Lathander. We immediately went back to the Jovial Juggler and picked up Bjornin for his expertise. The man was made for this day - I would not deny him his first dragon kill! When we finally met the dragon, the party of myself, Conchobhair Strongblade, Bjornin, Jet'laya, Imoen, and Bardo Furfoot slew the dragon and plundered its hoard.
Shortly after that, though, we met an elf ranger named CuChoinneach, and opted to have him take Bjornin's place. The old knight went back to rest in the Jovial Juggler once again.
Black Bear: A level 4 bear
Monk.
With the help of Kivan, we found and tamed Black Bear in the Coast Way, just before heading to Baldur's Gate. He's the happiest bear we've ever known. We took him with us on our first attempt to get to Baldur's Gate, but we were ambushed by Section Operatives. We found a key on their corpses and a note that their secret base was in Beregost, right next to the Thunderhammer Smithy. We decided to go after them right then, and Black Bear was fearless against the hordes of Operatives and Elites down in their insanely-big base. But halfway through, Black Bear was taken out by a random Section Elite. He seems to have learned a lot from this experience, and is now wise in the ways of the world as a monk. He is also resting in the Elfsong tavern in Beregost, quite close to Faldorn.
Branwen: A level 5 human
Battleguard of Tempus who knows
level 1,
level 2, and
level 3 cleric spells. She is a Specialist in War Hammers and proficient in Slings as well.
She was a statue in the middle of the Nashkel Carnival. We bought a Stone to Flesh scroll from a nearby gnome and turned her back to normal. She was grateful and agreed to join our battle party, and she didn't care what we were fighting. I liked her right away! She told Viconia she thought drow battle tactics were cowardly. She also asked me once if I ever doubted myself. She seemed both shocked and relieved when I said I doubted myself all the time. When we got to Bear River an Ogre Berseker killed her in the middle of combat, and we let her rest in favor of using Kagain.
We picked her up again after we exited the Nashkel Mines, because Minsc had to be let go and Finch was dead. She and I talked a lot about our childhoods and I started to notice how enticingly she filled out a set of platemail armor. But then she died along with the rest of my party to some amazonian mercenaries in the Valley of the Tombs and I let her rest at the Jovial Juggler for a while.
After our first failed raid on the bandit camp, we returned and added her to the party again. By this time I was a woman. She began to take an almost motherly interest in Kivan, trying to make sure he slept well by offering him potions despite his objections. Then, she and I started to have a... thing together. She called it love, but I wasn't sure at first. She didn't seem to mind that I was a woman; in fact I think she relished it. She demanded that I kiss her once, right in front of everyone, in a warehouse in Restenford. It was our first time. She then invited me to share the fireside with her, and then her bed, that night at the Inn.
At first she was quite frank and joyful about her new love towards me, and I found it flattering, uncomplicated, and most importantly, tasteful. She also looked triumphantly awesome in her blue crystal platemail we got from those bastards we killed who were sieging the Song of the Morning Temple.
Over time, though, she became increasingly distraught about something. She said she cared for me too much, and that she no longer loved battle. Instead she worried about me getting hurt and only wanted to have lazy days of love with us together, rather than a lifetime of conflict, as her god dictated. Our romance had given her a crisis of faith! I told her that we could work through it together, but she eventually told me that it couldn't work between us, and that we were through. She stopped sleeping in my bed. She still strode forth on the battlefield and smote all our enemies, though. I did not know what to think. She also started flirting with other people - Kivan, Safana, and even random dudes on the street. She was killing me.
But Imoen caught her brushing her hair in a flirtatious way in my presence when we were in the Bone Hill castle ruins, and accused Branwen of still caring for me. Imoen wouldn't let her go until she admitted it, and she finally did. She still had feelings for me, even though she was trying to hide them! I was almost overwhelmed with emotions: relief at Branwen's feelings, and gratitude towards my best friend Imoen. Later on, she approached Kivan with a question about going into battle with his wife. He set her straight about love - it does not diminish a person's battle prowess, but makes them more valiant. She took his words to ponder.
Unfortunately, the other problem with our relationship in Restenford was that she kept dying. Once I even killed her myself with a random spell-casted Cloudkill! I felt terrible about that, and dropped her off at the Jovial Juggler again as soon as we got back. We picked up Finch to take her place.
Bub Snikt: A level 4 human
Berserker. He is a Master of Daggers and Proficient in Two Weapon Style.
Met him in the woods of the Northern Coast Way. Told us to keep low and quiet, that he could smell ogres on the breeze. We offered to let him join the party, and he said okay. Sounded southern, as in southern hemisphere. Didn't talk much though. After clearing the road between Beregost and Nashkel of bandits, we let him have some R&R at the Jovial Juggler and took Rose back under our wing.
We didn't really talk to him much until Shar-Teel died to one of my Cones of Cold from a random spell in the Cloakwood, and we decided to give him a second chance. He held his own with a dagger and tower shield, a silent but dependable member of the party. He lasted until the Cloakwood Crossing, when an ill-cast Web by Coran trapped him to be gangbanged by 4 baby wyverns, killing him in a moment. We let him get some R&R at the JJ again, and replaced him with Minsc.
Conchobhair Strongblade: A level 7 human
Holy Swordsman who is a High Master of Two Handed Swords and is Proficient in Two Handed Weapon Style. He also carries around his own magical two-handed sword,
Conchobhair's Dragonslayer.
He first approached us at the Nashkel Inn. We had been sent down to Nashkel by Morninglord Jarent of Lathander in order to slay a dragon that was said to be approaching the hamlet. Conchobhair offered his services to us as a professional dragon slayer, and we accepted. He was the third paladin we met, and seemed to be much less prissy than Ajantis was. He was in fact a quiet, cocky, competent fighter that practically slew the Green Forest Dragon all by himself, along with the party of myself, Bjornin, Jet'laya, Imoen, and Bardo.
He held his own against most of the undead in Castle Daerthmac, too, except when two Skeleton Lords both hit him with lightning bolts and then immediately got lucky with a sword strike. He went down too fast to heal. We had to kill Lord Daerthmac without him. We resurrected him at the Temple of Helm in Nashkel with our apologies and replaced him with Safana.
Coran: A level 7 elf
Huntsman with 80 in Open Locks, 98 in Move Silently, and 100 in Set Traps. His Backstab Damage is x3. He can create stun arrows and cast Web. He is also proficient in Long Swords and a Specialist in Long Bows.
We met him near the Cloakwood Lodge. We allowed him into the party and he immediately went off on a diatribe about orcs and how much he hates them. He went on to make fun of dwarves, humans, and halflings too. Funny guy. He and I seem to getting along great. Even though he is a little crass, he is a whole lot of fun! He has told us stories of other people he's met, bets won, adventures had. And he also suggested that we just drop everything and take off to go hunting somewhere else. We were sorely tempted, but ended up staying on target. He regaled us with tale after tale of his various adventures around the world. The elf seemed to never stop talking.
He said once that he would always be true to me, because there is never a dull moment around me. I laughed and said it would be the first time he'd ever be true to a woman if so. He said that women come and go, but true friends are forever, and that I was his true friend. How sweet. Too bad he was struck down by an ogre berserker when we assaulted the motte and bailey of the Cloakwood Mines a few minutes later. My strategy of surrounding myself with strangers fit to be killed instead of me isn't going to work out if they all turn out to be charming and interesting folk!
I was forced to switch him out for Kagain for a while, but then I brought him back in to replace Xzar when it was time to go to the Firewine. He seemed extremely interested in finding out what was at the Firewine. When we got there, he saw a ghost of a beautiful woman, and roped us into helping her restore some red roses. It turns out that she was a succubus, and took over his mind, and that of another thief nearby, via those roses. We were duped pretty badly by the whole experience but we managed to come out with a sweet spellcasting amulet. We unfortunately set loose a succubus on the planes, with powders that would let her travel freely between all the planes. Oops I guess?
When we got to Gullykin Coran was eviscerated in one blow by a bear, a freak accident. We let him have some rest and picked up Kivan.
Dynaheir: A level 2 human
sorceress who knows a couple of
level 1 spells. She is proficient in Darts.
She had been captured by gnolls and was being held at the Gnoll Stronghold being forced to do gods-know-what in their fighting pits. Minsc recruited the party of myself, Imoen, Shar-Teel, Viconia, and Gavin to aid him in rescuing her. In the same village we met Edwin, who hired us to aid him in killing her. We also took him on but didn't promise anything.
When we finally rescued her, 22 days later, we told her and Edwin to keep their personal disagreements to themselves, and considered the matter closed. She immediately asked us if we had seen her journal, which we had not. We stopped by the Dryad Falls on our way back to Beregost, and met up again with Drizzt, who asked us about a parchment he had found on some gnolls. It turned out to be one page of Dynaheir's journal. We agreed to split up and search the area for one day, then meet back up and see what we had found. Soon after Drizzt left, we were found by some gnolls that looked peaceful. They gave us a warning that the Old One had ordered many gnolls to find Dynaheir, and each had a piece of her journal with them. We accepted their warning, searched for the journal, but we needn't have bothered. Drizzt found it, and us, several days later.
During that time Dynaheir mysteriously died for no discernible reason, except that we all know it was Edwin, because he shouted out "Checkmate!" when we discovered her dead body in the morning. We resurrected her, of course. Also, Edwin later tried to steal Dynaheir's journal, but was thwarted by its ward and cryptographic scribblings.
When it was time to go to the Nashkel Mines, we chose to let Dynaheir rest at the Jovial Juggler. She's been there ever since.
Edwin: A level 5 human
Conjurer who knows
level 1,
level 2, and
level 3 spells. He is proficient in the Quarter Staff. By virtue of an heirloom amulet he is the most powerful mage in existence, able to cast 2 extra spells per level.
We met him on the bridge over the river in Nashkel where he said he wanted to kill the witch Dynaheir. We told him he could travel with us but we would not promise anything about killing. Minsc also said he would keep an eye on him.
He tried to position himself as the superior mage in the party, but I kept putting him back in his place. When we finally found Dynaheir, he became quite upset that I didn't kill her. He must have poisoned her or something himself because she dropped dead a few days later and I had to resurrect her. He also tried to steal her journal when she got it back, but she had warded it and he sheepishly gave it back to her. The man was getting on my ever-loving nerves, so I left him at the Jovial Juggler to relax. I hoped it would mellow him out, but it didn't.
We picked him up again when I got Thorfinn Hauskluniff killed by lightning in Feldepost's Inn. He lasted until the Valley of the Tombs, when he and everyone else in my group died to amazon mercenary bounty hunters from hell. I dropped him off again at the Jovial Juggler, a mite sheepishly.
He stayed there for many months while we ran to Restenford, and the Cloakwood, and flooded the mines there. We didn't talk to him again until after we got back from all those adventures, brought in the new year of 1370, and decided to explore the cave behind the Song of the Morning Temple. I decided to bring him along as expendable cannon fodder. He learned quite a few spells at the feet of Firebead Elvenhair after we recruited that mage, and became a dependable second-tier mageling. He was the go-to mage for just one more Magic Missile. But a freak accident with ogres led to his untimely demise in the Lonely Peaks, so I resurrected him and switched him out for Xzar.
After we were ambushed by Section Operatives on the way to Baldur's Gate, Imoen and Black Bear fell, so we picked up Edwin to take their place. He was with us when we killed the elves from Evermeet who were trying to keep us from Wyrm's Crossing, and took up one of the Elven Chainmails that are now the signature of the Golden Company of Syvishtar. He is becoming a pretty powerful mage in his own right, although much less so than myself.
Lately, Yeslick has been complaining a lot about him. The dwarf seems to especially dislike the mage. I can understand why, but I hope they don't come to blows. Quite frankly I don't think Edwin would survive the attempt.
Faldorn: A level 7
Shadow Druid who we met in the Cloakwood Grove who can cast
level 1,
level 2,
level 3, and
level 4 druid spells. She is proficient in Clubs, Maces, and Two Weapon Style.
We met druids who were hostile in the Cloakwood, and some who were not. One of those directed us to Faldorn, who was also burning with hatred for the Iron Throne, our chosen enemy in the wood, and promised to escort us to their lair. So we picked her up.
After a very dangerous fight in which we all almost died, I teleported us all to Shaundakul's sanctuary and tried to calm down and rest the night away. I tried to ask Faldorn lots of personal questions, and she ended up telling me that my inner animal was a magpie. I'm not quite sure what to make of that.
When we found a giant house inside of a tree in Cloakwood Grove, we also found Amarande the Shadow Archdruid at the top of it. He at first threatened to kill us, but Faldorn's presence stayed his hand. He said he might trust us if we helped Faldorn kill the Iron Throne minions in the old dwarven iron mine. Faldorn promised to guide us there.
She did guide us, but by cutting a bloody swath through the forest, killing nymphs, wyverns, and even a shadow arch druid! She took his equipment for her own, which turned her into a formidable warrior. She also confessed something strange one night - she believes she holds the spirit of Kador the Burner within her, and is only looking for his lost scimitar to prove it.
At the mines proper we were met by a handful of powerful enemies, including two powerful mages. Her dire wolves, nymph, and herself were instrumental in tearing the place apart, and we only suffered three casualties. Unfortunately, she was one of them, dying to two Black Talon Elite while distracting them from shooting Arrows of Detonation at the rest of the party. Her sacrifice was not in vain, for we were able to slay Davaeorn and the rest of his flunkies and flood the mines. We resurrected her after it was all over and asked her to rest in the Jovial Juggler for a while.
Ferthgil Trollslayer: A level 8 dwarf
Troll Slayer. He is a High Master in Axes and a Specialist in Sword and Shield Style. He also has his own weapon, armor, and helm:
Ferthgil Trollslayer's Battle Axe +3,
Ferthgil's Dwarven Mithril Plate Battle Armor, and
Ferthgil's Helmet.
We first met him as he was charging into a crowd of at least 50 duergar deep under the earth. He might have died if we hadn't intervened, but he didn't care. He was the best friend of Tearlac Truehammer, who we were searching for. He broke the bad news to us that Tearlac had died, and was carrying his hammer back to the surface to put it in a place of honor. When we suggested to just turn around and go back to the surface right then, though, he called us cowards and said he needed to figure out what was going on down here.
We agreed to help him, and fought our way through tons of spiders, drow, duergar, and more drow to figure out that the Bregan D'aerthe was partly responsible for the poisoning of the iron along the Sword Coast. He helped us kill everybody involved, and when we got back to the surface he gave Tearlac's hammer to Otho Truehammer, boasting of his fallen comrade's deeds.
Then, when it was time to go to Baldur's Gate, we chose others to be part of the advance party, and let him come on later.
Finch: A level 5 gnome
Priest of Deneir who knows
level 1,
level 2, and
level 3 cleric spells. She is proficient in the Flail, Sling, and Sword and Shield Style.
An extremely happy miniature librarian stereotype. Confirmed that unfortunately she does not come with a stand mount. Met briefly in Candlekeep gardens. Actually said "anyhoo" in conversation. Met her again at the Red Sheaf Inn in Beregost where she helped us kill Karlat, a dwarf mercenary trying to collect on the bounty on my head. Joined up with us after the fight.
Apparently she and Imoen had some history from Candlekeep, when she had punched Imoen in the head after Imoen glued a book together that she was reading. At level 1 she was also the juggernaut of destruction against Bassilus in the Red Canyons, destroying his undead with dialogue and Dooming him to succumb to the party's assault. She tried her hand out at co-tanking with Shar-Teel and then Ajantis mostly against ankhegs, resulting in several deaths for her.
It turns out that she recognizes Ajantis from Waterdeep, where they both grew up, although in very different circles. She was the ninth of seventeen gnomish children in a house much too small. She and Ajantis had a nice conversation about home nevertheless. She served us faithfully until she died against Rhialto while wielding the Flame of the North. We gave her some R&R at the Jovial Juggler and picked up Jaheira in her place.
When it was time to go to the Nashkel Mines, we bribed her to come with us and, with Viconia, she backed us up with healing. We had to bribe her, though, because she didn't want to come. She became the lone healer when we switched Viconia out for Mur'neth. Deep in the mines I overheard her expressing distrust for Boo, Minsc's animal companion, because she thought his rodent instincts would take over and he'd start chewing on her books. Minsc assured her that this would not happen, and I suppose she believed him.
Unfortunately, during the ultimate battle at the bottom of the mines she tried to heal Minsc while he was in a berserker rage and he cleft her in twain with one blow of the Flame of the North. We resurrected her and dropped her and Minsc both off at the Jovial Juggler.
Her death didn't put her completely off of adventuring, but we did have to bribe her to come back and party with us again when we got back from Restenford. We needed her to take over because Branwen needed a break from all that dying on the Isle of Lendore. Finch healed us all during our second assault on the bandit camp, and managed to survive the entire encounter, even though the Black Talon Elite mercenaries seemed to always target her first. She even found a rare book there, Fenedriel Boscoe's primer for children, titled the Primer of Faerun. She got extremly excited and said it would be perfect for the Nashkel library. Of course we let her keep it.
After we cleared out the bandit camp, we went back to the Jovial Juggler and picked a new team to infiltrate the Cloakwood. We decided to leave her back at the base to guard it, and took Viconia as our cleric. But we picked her up again when Firebead Elvenhair was slain underneath the ruins of Ulcaster. She came along, timid as ever, until she had a talk with Yeslick. She asked him why he was so brave all the time. He threatened to burn her books, and when she said she'd make him stop, he showed her that she did have a core of fierceness in her when things that were important to her were threatened. Since then she has been much more confident and happy-sounding in battle.
We eventually managed to find all the books she needed in order to start up the library in Nashkel, and after speaking briefly with the nobles at the manor house in Nashkel, we actually set it up! Woohoo! Nashkel actually has a library now thanks to our tiny, fierce gnomish librarian.
She was with us when we killed Ferium the banshee in the Forest of Forgotten Souls, and was also right there when we went up against the lich known only as the Dark One. She got some good hits in, and wasn't frightened once.
But when we got back to civilization and heard from Morninglord Jarent of Lathander that a dragon had been sighted heading towards Nashkel, she became a little nervous. And then when Conchobhair Strongblade approached us in the Nashkel Inn and offered his services as a professional dragon slayer, she quickly bowed out and let him take her place. She went back to the Jovial Juggler to catch up on her reading.
Firebead Elvenhair: A level 11 human
Enchanter who can cast
level 1,
level 2,
level 3, and
level 4 spells. He is specialized in Daggers.
He was often a frequenter of Candlekeep, and Imoen and I often saw him in the Candlekeep Inn. We saw him again in Beregost, where he said something about us being a bookworm and that we should speak later on about history and literature.
Many months later, in a vision of Syvishtar of alternate realities and paths-not-taken, Firebead paid a very young Imoen and Syvishtar to buy him a book, the History of the Fateful Coin, at a nearby Inn. There is some doubt as to whether this really happened or not.
Whenever we visited him after that, he told us to try to read the History of the Bell in the Depths, but we can never find this book. He was like some kind of broken record about it, though.
Eventually we were able to talk to him enough and give him enough treasure that he agreed to join us in our quests. He knows how to scribe scrolls, and he has been extremely helpful to us, scribing scrolls so that everyone in the party knows as many spells as he does. He's also been tutoring us in advanced magical techniques.
Unfortunately, he lost a mage duel against the shade of Anton Valor underneath the ruins of the Ulcaster School. When we resurrected him, we decided to keep him in the Refuge pocket plane so that he could continue to scribe scrolls for us when we found new copies.
Garrick: A level 5 human
Singer who doesn't know any spells yet, but could cast level 1 or level 2 spells if he was taught any. His Pick Pockets is 65. He is proficient in Daggers, Cross Bows, and Single Weapon Style.
Originally, Garrick approached us outside of the Burning Wizard Inn and propositioned us for a job for his mistress, Silke. But in the ensuing fight, he became scared when a wild surge from one of my spells cast Horror upon everyone.
We didn't see him for months and expected to never see him again, until Imoen got killed and took a vacation in the Jovial Juggler. When we got back from our adventures and added her back to the party, Imoen re-introduced us to Garrick, who had presumably just walked in off the street.
She had taken quite a fancy to him and he to us. He said he wanted to write a story about me. I was flattered, of course, and said maybe some day he could travel with us and get some first-hand experiences. He made a first impression of being a little needy, though, when he immediately performed a song for us and then asked me how his singing was. I told him it was fine. We haven't picked him up yet.
Gavin: A level 5 human
Morninglord of Lathander who knows
level 1,
level 2, and
level 3 cleric spells. He is proficient in War Hammers, Maces, and Slings.
We met him outside of the Song of the Morning Temple in Beregost. Very devout, and good in a fight. Older guy, and liked to talk. Very scared of giant spiders. Hinted that he was trying to raise money for someone by adventuring, but didn't go into details right away.
When we let him go for a while, he stood guard in front of the Song of the Morning Temple waiting for us to pick him up again. And after Ajantis was one-shot killed by a Kobold Captain in the Trade Way South which led to him deserting the party, we decided to pick up Gavin again and travel with him for a while longer.
He wasted no time in asking me about my childhood and my hobbies, and seemed very earnestly thankful that I told him about that stuff. Weird. We ended up talking about such subjects as the ultimate consequences of our actions and the possibilities of world peace. He seemed like quite a thoughtful guy, if a little chatty.
He eventually confessed to his secret sin, which was being married to a complete bitch who tricked him into raising a daughter not his own and cheated on him with any rich guy whenever he was away. He seemed to think we would want him out of the party after his confession, but we said that as long as it didn't interfere with party business it didn't matter. He seemed incredibly relieved.
His good relationship with Keldath Ormlyr at the Song of the Morning Temple led to Keldath giving us a quest to stop the mad mage Mutamin who was trying to tame basilisks to the east. We agreed to take care of it right away. We killed Mutamin and got 1,000 gold from Keldath. When we un-stoned Branwen at the Nashkel Carnival we decided to give Gavin some time to see his family and let him go back to Beregost.
In an alternate-reality flashback that I experienced while in the Nashkel mines, I saw myself and Gavin meeting with a temple messenger who had yet another job for us to do. I saw myself agreeing to go with him to the temple to find out the problem. I was the same color in the flashback as I am now, so perhaps it was real? We didn't get around to him, however, until a total party slaughter at the Valley of the Tombs left us with no other choice, due to shame, a need to rest, and some other problems.
We had to sneak our way around some mercenaries who were sieging the Song of the Morning Temple to even talk to Gavin again. We approached from the east, but were chased off by worgs and dread wolves. Then we approached from the south, and I was barely able to run in and yell at him to follow us before we had to both run into the west entrance of the temple and then out its south exit to get away from the mercs tailing us.
He was instrumental in the fight against Corsone, the shadow druid who helped us to kill his fellow grief-stricken druid Ozmadi in Larswood. He also saw me changed into a woman during that fight, but didn't say anything.
When I started asking him some questions about how he liked adventuring, he said he would probably like it better in retrospect. I also asked him why he uses a hammer when most clerics use a mace. He said that the hammer can be used as a tool as well, and that possibility reminds him to always be aware of the consequences of his actions.
He was great in the first raid on the bandit camp, casting Entangles to go along with my webs and healing everything in sight. But when it was time to reorganize the party for our rampage of vengeance against all who had killed us before, we favored Branwen as our cleric of choice and let him go back to guarding the Song of the Morning Temple.
We didn't get him back into the party until much later, when the fighter/mage Indira had died and we had an empty spot. We picked him up and he reminded us that he had a quest to find out what was making citizens of Beregost disappear. We tracked down the disappearances to a certain house in the town, and found out that a crazed, joyless mage Valeria had been capturing and experimenting on Beregost's citizens. She had been trying to find the alchemical basis for joy so that she could finally feel some of that emotion. Gavin called her monstrous, and we agreed. We destroyed her and reported back to Keldath Ormlyr, raising our reputation and scoring 1,000 gold in reward!
He ventured with us into the Forest of Forgotten Souls to save Jet'laya's sister, and faced a banshee and a glabrezu right there with us. He was also there in the fight against the Dark One, although he spent most of it running scared. When we got back to civilization and heard about the dragon from Morninglord Jarent of Lathander, we decided to give him some R&R and pick up Bjornin instead. After all, dragons are Bjornin's speciality!
Imoen: A dual-classed level 7 human
Charming Rogue / level 8
Mage who can cast some
level 1,
level 2,
level 3, and
level 4 mage spells. She is proficient in the Quarterstaff and Two Handed Weapon Style.
My childhood friend, partner in crime, and a general troublemaker. She reads letters that she's not supposed to. She also followed me out of Candlekeep and pledged to keep me company until I got tired of her. Nice girl, her.
When we killed Tarnesh on the steps of the Friendly Arm Inn, she picked up his spellbook and started studying it. She manged to create a strange book-like artifact that makes her more dexterous once a day.
Meanwhile, she became a pretty good thief, as evidenced by the Great Beregost Caper, when she went into every single house and building in the city and brought back everything, leaving them weaponless, potionless, bookless, and penniless.
Xzar seems to enjoy freaking her out. He asked her how many deaths were contained in her body, and she dubiously answered just one. But then he talked about how many children she would have, and how many they would have, and on and on in an unbroken line of death. I think he may have put her off of having children at all.
In a conversation with Gavin, I confessed to him that one of my favorite hobbies was getting drunk in the taverns with Imoen. She's a great drinking buddy.
When we got to Nashkel and killed the assassin waiting for us at the Nashkel Inn, I finally let it slip that I had been attacked by assassins within Candlekeep. She was shocked, and wanted to know why I hadn't told her. I said that I wanted to spare her the worry and prevent her from getting mixed up in all this, which she did anyways.
She used Minsc to semi-blackmail Dynaheir into teaching her how to cast Burning Hands, and yet we still all love her. She has been in my party and my presence since I left Candlekeep, and never even died until amazons hunted us down in the Valley of the Tombs and killed the entire party. I barely had time to get our equipment and get out of there. I sadly gave her some time to rest at the Jovial Juggler.
After I got turned into a woman, failed the first raid on the bandit camp, and came back to the Jovial Juggler, we became better friends than ever! I of course invited her back onto the road with me and she accepted while calling me a rumjake fool. I love this girl.
Safana took a liking to her, too, and they quickly became best thief buddies forever. Safana even showed her how to lockpick more effectively, and said that Imoen reminded her of another pretty young thing she once knew. Imoen once asked Safana how she remained looking so good even during combat. She replied that one has to think beyond the immediate future and plan for the long-term, and always looking good is part of that.
After Branwen broke up with me in Restenford, Imoen cornered her and forced her to admit that she still had feelings for me. It was just what I needed to hear and set my heart more at ease.
When we were in the midst of cleaning out the Cloakwood, she took the final step to cement our friendship forever. She gave up her training as a rogue, charming as she was, and dual-classed to a mage! Now we will be able to share everything forever! I wish she was my sister.
She was Dire Charmed in the assault on the Cloakwood Mines while at low health, preventing me from casting Fireballs into the crowd of enemies for most of the battle. After she returned to our side, she killed the mage that had charmed her with a well-placed Arrow of Ice from her bow. Unfortunately the mage's ally felled her in the next moment with a conjured Flame Arrow of his own. I mourned her loss; we all mourned her loss. And I also mourned the interruption to her studies. We had to drop her off and pick up Skeezer Lumpkin VI in her place.
But after we successfully flooded the Cloakwood Mines and then brought in the new year in the Jovial Juggler, Imoen infected us with the exploration bug again, and of course we took her with us to explore the cave behind the Song of the Morning Temple. When we were able to recruit Firebead Elvenhair into our party, she was able to learn quite a few spells at his feet, and like the rest of us she was very sad to see him fall in battle. She became a much more effective mage because of him.
Coran complimented her grace and poise at thieving once, but she said she really wasn't into it. She reconfirmed her commitment to magic.
She learns quickly. When she learned to cast Dispel Magic and Haste, I found her to be even more indispensable than before. I don't know what I'd ever do without her. She was with me, Conchobhair Strongblade, Bjornin, Jet'laya, and Bardo when we killed the Green Forest Dragon. And she was right there beside me all throughout Castle Daerthmac, ultimately witnessing CuChoinneach's defeat at the hands of Lord Daerthmac and my defeat, in turn, of him. She was also with us when we descended deep into the Underdark, killing duergar, drow, and spiders by the score. She backed me up on many a Fireball cast, adding her own to the mix.
She has been the best apprentice ever, so of course we took her with us when we decided to clear the way to Baldur's Gate. However, when we were ambushed by Section Operatives and went back to Beregost to wreak mighty vengeance against their secret base underneath the town, Imoen ended up dying after a wild surge exploded into a Fireball right at my feet. I was devastated. I still am. I could hardly look at her in the face for many a day after.
But she didn't seem to mind, because when I escorted her to the Elfsong Tavern in Baldur's Gate, she immediately threw a birthday party for me when we arrived. And she gave me what may be the most meaningful present I'd ever received - a necklace made from the shattered pieces of Gorion's necklace that she had picked up from his corpse on that fateful night so long ago. I was choked up and couldn't speak, but I knew she forgave me. That was enough.
Also when we got to Baldur's Gate, she used its cosmetic resources to give Xan a makeover. She dyed his hair pink and gave him even more garish clothing. He only tolerated it because I pretended that it was awesome, and I pretended that it was awesome because I wanted to see him keep dressing that way. I love this girl!
After we found the Baldur's Gate thieves' guild, we temporarily added in Imoen so that we could gain membership. She enthusiastically started speaking "the cant" to Narlen Darkwalk, even though we had never heard her speak like that before. She started using words like "clapperdudgeon" and phrases like "cloyin' babycandy." Narlen took to her like water to a duck. She led us on a string of increasingly grandiose thieving capers all over the city, culminating in the thieving of Entar Silvershield's entire personal fortune from his own bedroom of his estate. She also ran into Alora, another cute and bubbly Burglar, while stealing the telescope from the Hall of Wonders. They've latched onto each other, feeding on each other's bright and happy demeanors. I think that if they stay together too long, they may explode. We decided to keep Alora and let Imoen spend some time in the theives' guild after Narlen Darkwalk took our side when Resar, a visiting mage from Halruaa, tried to kill us. Narlen backstabbed the hell out of him, saving us the trouble. All thanks to Imoen.
Indira: A level 6/6 half-elf
Fighter/Mage who can cast some
level 1,
level 2, and
level 3 mage spells. She is Specialized in Long Swords and Short Bows. She is also proficient in Spears and Two Weapon Style.
We found her in the Firewine Ruins, almost out of spells, with a broken sword, lamenting her lost party. She said that the kobolds had killed them all, and that only she was left. We expressed some doubts that she was a good fighter if she had let her entire party die, but she swore to prove to us that she was capable.
We let her join and take up Kagain's mantle as main tank, because he definitely needed a rest. She was doing well, dual-wielding swords of fire and ice and confusing our enemies with Mirror Image, until a paladin and cleric combo ambushed us outside of the Friendly Arm Inn. The cleric Flamestriked her to death in one hit, a shocking and cruel opening to a desperate battle. We let her go rest for a bit at the Jovial Juggler after her resurrection.
After we had been ambushed and decimated by Section 1, we picked her up to replace the fallen Black Bear. With the equipment we found down in Section 1 headquarters and the tutelage of Firebead, she has become a formidable fighter.
She has revealed herself to be a slightly awkward person, personality-wise, but also very bright with a strong conscience. When we toured the Hall of Wonders, she latched onto the idea that the items in there could all be used together. The steam engine, the pump, and the automatic lamp fillers could be combined into a city-wide automatic lamp oil delivery system. Also, when things went terribly wrong in the Blushing Mermaid, she along with Yeslick started protesting that it was all horribly wrong. She was not mollified until we had donated quite a few coins to the Lady Luck temple.
Jaheira: A level 5/5 half-elf
fighter/Priest of Sylvanus who can cast some
level 1,
level 2, and
level 3 cleric spells. She is a Specialist in the Quarterstaff and the Cross Bow.
A very pushy woman. She says that she and Khalid often "look into" local concerns, and she wanted us to all look into what was going down in Nashkel. Lets Khalid follow her around like a lost puppy.
She disapproved of us working for Silke, and reprimanded me for doing that. After some time together we decided to trade her and Khalid for Finch and Shar-Teel. She took Khalid and left for the Friendly Arm Inn without so much as a goodbye.
After Finch died for the 4th time, we approached Jaheira again to join our party, and convinced her to join without being accompanied by Khalid. She immediately tried to call out Gavin for not pulling his weight in the group and not telling the party about his wife and child, even though he already had told us while she was not around. She came out of the talk looking like a complete nosy bitch.
She later died to a surprise Astral Phase Spider hiding out in a cave near the Song of the Morning Temple, cut down in one round. We resurrected her, dropped her off at the Jovial Juggler, and picked up Shar-Teel instead.
We picked her up again after Thorfinn Hauskluniff and Dynaheir died taking out Tazok's lackey Tranzig in Feldepost's Inn. She lasted until we went to the Valley of the Tombs, where she and everyone else was slaughtered by some amazonian merceneries sent out to kill us for the Iron Throne. I dropped her back off at the Jovial Juggler and picked up Khalid instead.
Much, much later, after we had liberated the Cloakwood Mines, killed some vampires in Castle Daerthmac, and made ready to go to Baldur's Gate, we picked her up again to take with us to Baldur's Gate for the first time. She was with us when we were ambushed by Section Operatives and fought by our side all the way down into their secret base and to the surface again. She gained power and knowledge quickly, and she is now on par with any other cleric or fighter in the Golden Company.
When we heard of the murder of Tremain Belde'ar's son by the priestess of the Water Queen Umberlee, Jaheira seemed to experience some sort of crisis of conscience. She seemed to think that resurrecting the dead child would interrupt the cycle of nature, and would therefore be wrong. But she couldn't really bring herself to support that position, and said she would make an exception for this child. So, what, Jaheira doesn't believe in resurrection? Maybe I should just leave her dead the next time she dies.
She also cost us a pretty penny while under the effects of a Confusion spell. She was the one who executed a civilian while Confused. There were others of our party who were also Confused, but she is the only one who took it out on a bystander. The lady is starting to give me the creeps.
Jet'laya: A level 8
Feywarden of Corellon who can cast
level 1,
level 2,
level 3, and
level 4 cleric spells. She is also a Specialist in Maces and Sword and Shield Style. She has her own weapon, shield, and armor: the
Mace of Contrition, a
Small Shield +2, and
Jet'laya's Chainmail.
We first ran into Jet'laya when she approached us outside the Friendly Arm Inn. She told us that she was from Cormanthor, and that she was on the trail of her sister, Ferium, who had run away from home when her lover spurned her. She had tracked her to the forest near the Wood of Sharp Teeth to the east, but needed help to penetrate the forest and rescue her sister. We of course agreed to help.
We fought our way through literal hordes of undead deep within the Forest of Forgotten Souls. When we finally found Ferium, though, she had turned into a banshee! We feared her deathly wail, so I reached further into the Weave than I had ever before, and summoned a demon from the depths of hell to destroy Jet'laya's banshee sister. It worked, but after we had successfully escaped the demon's clutches Jet'laya didn't seem too happy. I can't imagine why. She keeps killing things beside us, though, so no harm done I guess?
She cast Protection from Acid and Corrosion on the entire party before we defeated the Green Forest Dragon, and she was killing undead right beside CuChoinneach throughout the whole of Castle Daerthmac. She witnessed CuChoinneach's ultimate defeat at the hands of Lord Daerthmac, and aided me in my victory against him, along with Bardo, Imoen, and myself.
She always heals, always kills, always throws the Divine Hammers when need be. She is a steady companion, someone to count on. She doesn't talk much though, and when she does she's a bit snippy.
She was with us when we went down deep into the Underdark and killed a thousand duergar, drow, and spiders. And she made it out just fine along with the rest of us. But we decided to give her a rest when we set off for Baldur's Gate, and she took it gladly. I think she still has to deal with the loss of her sister. I can't imagine what I would do if I lost Imoen.
Kagain: A level 6 dwarf
Gladiator. He is a Master of Axes and Specialized in Sword and Shield Style.
Was working as a mercenary in Beregost when we walked into his office. He wanted us to look for a lost caravan, but we had already found the remains of it, and showed him Silvershield's fibula. He quickly realized he was in a heap of trouble and offered to join up with us. Wonder if he will bring that trouble with him?
Spent a whole lot of time in the Jovial Juggler, but when Branwen was killed at Bear River we picked him up to replace her.
Boo seemed to not like him. When we assaulted the Gnoll Stronghold, Kagain did well in combat, but eventually fell to some Dire Wolves while Held near the pinnacle of the fortress. We were so close to completely destroying the gnolls we didn't give him a break, just resurrected him and threw him back into the fight. He only left our party after we rescued Dynaheir, and was completely happy to get a break to relax at the Jovial Juggler.
After a total party slaughter in the Valley of the Tombs, he was one of the most well rested, so we picked him up again. He put up a strong showing against the bandits, flinds, and giant spiders we encountered. He also seemed to admire Kivan, because Kivan didn't steal things, stayed quiet, and was deadly with a bow. Kivan didn't return the sentiment, though.
He was part of the party when we went to Larswood and fought Ozmadi, the druid crazed with grief. Kagain was there when I changed into a woman. He hasn't yet said anything, though.
When I tried to talk to him at the Friendly Arm common room, trying to get him to tell me more about himself, he said these were dangerous times we lived in. He also said he had no friends, and didn't understand why we all had suddenly come into his life. Then he said that if he had something to tell us, he would, but he doesn't, so he won't. He's a gruff old bugger.
He did pretty well in the first raid against the bandit camp, killing mercs and eating lightning bolts like it was nothing. Too bad he died to a spider after we ran away and got lost. We resurrected him and sent him back to his favorite haunt - the good old Jovial Juggler, where he stayed until Coran, Minsc, and Imoen died in the assault on the Cloakwood Mines.
We picked him up as a replacement meat shield before going into the mines proper. He kicked some ass and took some names beside his fellow shorty Yeslick there for a while, until he ate a lightning bolt to the face from one Natasha, the man-bitch. We went on to kill the man in charge of the mines, Davaeron, flood the mines, and get back to civilization with his corpse. We resurrected him, and we all took a two week vacation.
After the next year began we decided to keep him with us, since he was such a staunch ally. He has poked at Edwin a few times, and saw through his bullshit with great insight. He became a one-dwarf wall and an engine of destruction in the Ulcaster School, holding off entire waves of undead by himself with a cursed axe. He only attacked party members a few times, and we were able to survive it.
We were abe to find a new axe for him, Frostreaver, and he stopped berserking on us, and became even more of an extremely dependable tank in the Firewine Ruins. We decided to give him a bit of a vacation, however, when we found Indira in there. He deserved a rest.
Keiria Silverstring: A level 6 half-elf
Spellsinger who can cast quite a few
level 1 and
level 2 spells. Her Pick Pockets is 77. She is proficient in Long Swords, Cross Bows, and Single Weapon Style. She has her own crossbow,
Keiria Silverstring's Light Crossbow of Speed, and her own armor,
Keiria Silverstring's Studded Leather Bard Armor +1.
We met her at the Nashkel Carnival after clearing out the bandit camp. She volunteered to join us, and we said ok. We didn't really know anything about her yet except that she was quite beautiful and talented and heavily favored the elven side of her heritage. She was a steady help in the Cloakwood, using her vast array of low-level spells to great advantage. She was a stalwart and beautiful companion, if a little quiet for a bard. A little too quiet, actually, because when we encountered Faldorn we decided to replace Keiria with the rabid druid.
Khalid: A level 1 half-elf
Duskblade. He is a Specialist in Long Swords and Sword and Shield Style.
A nerdy fighter who has read up on ancient elven spellcasting techniques, and Jaheira's companion. Stutters. Gets scared a lot. Apparently a long-time friend of Gorion and interested in what's going on down in Nashkel. But mostly he's interested in everything that Jaheira is, because it's just like that. Followed Jaheira to the Friendly Arm Inn when we replaced them with Finch and Shar-Teel. He can and does rejoin us without Jaheira, though, if we ask.
We didn't party with him for a long time, until the entire party was slaughtered by amazonian mercenaries in the Valley of the Tombs. He was part of the relief party that took over from those poor dead ones. When he joined, he immediately asked me if I would continue on in my quest to rid the land of the bandits. When I said I would, he said he hoped it wasn't just for bloody-minded vengeance. But when I said vengeance was enough, he surprisingly said he would have to stay by my side even so then. I guess even though he didn't say it he also wants revenge on Gorion's killer.
He did a pretty good job during his second time in the group, fighting side-by-side with Kagain and killing more than his fair share of bandits, gnolls, and spiders. Unfortunately in his last spider fight he got poisoned trying to protect a paralyzed Gavin from getting poisoned as well, and we were out of antidotes. Despite drinking all the healing potions and eating all the Goodberries he could, he couldn't overcome the poison and died in the Peldvale. It was excruciatingly frustrating watching him go without being able to help. We dropped him off back at the Jovial Juggler in shame.
Kivan: A level 6 elf
murder machine Archer. His Stealth is 67. He is a Grand Master of the Long Bow, proficient in Spears, and Specialized in Two Weapon Style. He also carries around his own bow,
Kivan's Bow.
We met outside of High Hedge. Said he had been hunting bandits for the past several months and that he would be happy to join with us if we were doing the same. When pressed, said that the bandit leader Tazok had killed someone dear to him. We took him in. But he kept going on and on about his loneliness and grief at losing his wife, Deheriana, and dragging down the group, so we started to tell him to shut up.
He and Shar-Teel didn't get along at all. Shar-Teel would take training too seriously, and also let her anger at all men show when sparring with Kivan, so he gave up sparring with her.
When we killed Bassilus he considered the cleric to be like himself, caught up with the spirits of the dead. Hinted that he will commit suicide after killing Tazok. We decided to give him a break at the Jovial Juggler after killing Bassilus, picking up Xzar instead.
Kivan stayed out of our party for many weeks, until a total slaughter of the party in the Valley of the Tombs set us back severely. Not willing to risk anyone else, I picked him up as one of the pinch-hitters. He was a murder machine, killing lots of monsters before anyone else even got to them.
When we got to Larswood, we ran into a bandit leader named Teven. He recognized Kivan and said that if the bandits brought his head to Tazok, they'd be rich. Kivan killed him and every single other bandit in that group.
Later, after killing the druids Ozmadi and Corsone, the elf made out like a bandit himself, getting a ton of nature-loving equipment for his own. He also saw me changed into a woman, but didn't say anything.
When I tried to get him into a conversation about it he cut me off curtly, saying that we should quicken our search for the bandits and their camp, or he would leave us to find help elsewhere. We of course did track the bandits back to their camp, and he slayed them left and right, most notably the hobgoblin Ardenor Crush with an arrow to the face on the first raid of the bandit camp proper.
When we went back to the Jovial Juggler and picked up Branwen, she took an almost motherly interest in Kivan. She was concerned that he moaned when he slept. He tried to discourage her potions and advice by telling her how much less elves sleep, but she would not be discouraged.
He was an engine of destruction everywhere we went. He doesn't even talk about his dead wife anymore - it's just killshot, killshot, killshot from him. I think I like him better this way. He did show some life when we picked up Safana, listening intently to her stories and looking marginally alive, but other than that he's been quiet.
He was a silent angel of death in Restenford, not reacting much to anything. Branwen offered him the comfort of her bosom in a friendly flirtation, but he politely declined, saying that he only wanted vengeance for the death of his wife.
Imoen later commented that Deheriana was lucky to have someone who loved her that much, and Kivan almost flew into a rage, saying that it was his love that doomed Deheriana to death, because he had convinced her to go adventuring in the first place. He blames himself for her torture and death at the hands of Tazok and company!
When Branwen approached him about her doubts regarding our love, he told her straight out that someone in love is not weaker or more cowardly in battle, but that they are inspired to fight better for the one they love. He should know, he is the expert. I hoped his words bring Branwen around again.
Kivan was a steady stream of damage with the Strong Arm +2 when we assaulted the bandit camp the second time, personally kicking many of Tazok's lieutenants' asses and taking many of their names. He also found his own personal bow when we finally entered Tazok's tent. But since Tazok himself was not there, his vengeance was still unfulfilled. When we met Coran in the Cloakwood, we decided to let Kivan have a bit of a rest in the Jovial Juggler, since he had been dispensing death for months now with no break.
After we finished flooding the Cloakwood Mines and brought in the new year of 1370 with everyone at the Jovial Juggler, we decided to take him with us on a small trip to the cave behind the Song of the Morning Temple. That trip led to the Ulcaster school, and to his death. He died to a Mist Horror, after trying to kill it with a spear, instead of his bow. I considered it to be my fault, and almost ended my adventures right then and there.
Kivan's adventures ended, of course, for we sent him back to the Jovial Juggler for a while, until Coran died later on to a bear. We picked Kivan back up because he said he wanted to take a trip to the Shipwreck Coast and didn't want to go alone.
When we got there, he found one of his distant cousins, a sea elf, who was in some sort of trouble. We followed her back to a shipwreck where we found another sea elf being coerced by some sahuagin to reveal a treasure trove. We defended them both and killed the smelly fish-monsters, but then the male elf, Keth'sim Dwin'anea, revealed that the woman was not a sea elf but a malenti, a tool of the sahuagin, and that she had tricked him into killing 10 of his comrades in order to save her life.
She said she loved him, but he would have none of it. He walked away from the sea forever in disgust, while she dove to what she said was her doom. The sea sounds like a cruel, cold place.
Kivan was with us when we established Finch's library and hung around for a few days. It was an unfortunate decision for him, though, because when I disturbed Daer'Ragh's grave and he summoned some Phoenix Guards to take me out, it was Kivan that ended up dying. He shot an arrow straight and true and killed a Phoenix Guard all by himself. But the guard's explosive death also killed Kivan. A Pyrrhic victory. We let him rest and didn't take anybody into the party until we met Jet'laya.
Later, when we were moving everyone in the Golden Company to Baldur's Gate, an evil rangerish elf named Imanel Silversword who was waiting at Wyrm's Crossing accosted us, asking us to kill Kivan for her, or trying to get Kivan to join her, or something. She said she was Tazok's associate, and she had Kivan's bow on her.
She was a real bitch, taunting Kivan about his wife's death, so I killed her and her stupid wolves. This cemented our eternal relationship as far as Kivan was concerned. He said, "Syvishtar, goth en gothamin ar' mellon en mellonamin - foe of my foe and friend of my friend - by the first sapling that rose where Shilmista now stands and by the last shadow it will cast before all things will end, I swear to give my blood for you." What can I say in return? I will probably just get him killed again.
Edited by Usurper, 08 December 2012 - 01:26 PM.
when I'm usually around 
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