BG3: A fun trip to the homeland
Sep. 21st, 2023 06:49 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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I guess I should have expected the people who have enslaved a bunch of Dark Gnomes to constantly be fantasy racist to my Dark Gnome character, but it was a Lot!
I ducked out of the Underdark to finish off some quests.
It's fun following a guide more thoroughly, last time I wanted to organically explore, which I don't regret, but it did mean missing a bunch of stuff I'm getting to have fun with this time.
I properly did the Ethel quest, and oof. There's a drow who is cursed to see the future who just shrank in terror from the much smaller Stav, babbling about how they were a mindflayer. After defeating Ethel he's more coherent but says his visions are always true and while he's grateful that Stav rescued them he's going to get as far away as soon as possible before Stav starts murdering everyone around them. Fun!
After accidentally letting the imprisoned Mirena die last time because I had no way to put out the fire on her cage, this time I prepared SO MANY FORMS OF WATER. So I successfully rescued her, but she was just pissed off that Ethel was dead, because she'd had a deal to bring back her dead husband. In Ethel's chambers were a bunch of very creepily described potions and magical items, including a creepy looking wand with Mirena's husband's name engraved on it, with the name "bitter divorce".
So obviously using it was a TERRIBLE idea but I was curious. Sure enough her very decayed husband 'comes back' as a mindless walking corpse. Mirena's sad but willing to make a go of it??
I went back to an earlier save and kept the wand.
Also got treasure from a grateful frog, yay.
I got Gale a little familiar, a tiny bloodthirsty monster called Shovel who gleefully tried to get the party murdered. Shovel's deliberately bad advice meant we didn't get an evil necromancy tome that Astarion would probably have wheedled out of Stav, so, probably for the best. Thanks little friend!
Once we got far enough into the Underdark, Shadowheart felt obliged to explain that she is a Shar worshipper without much prompting. Stav felt a little sorry for her, and generally tries not to judge people's religious beliefs, but didn't care enough not to say her religion is evil because goddamn is it evil. So they're still just on middling terms, and she refused the mushroom that might return some of her memories.
See there's a mushroom gatherer who gets stuck in a field of exploding mushrooms. Last time I just threw him a teleport scroll and left, but this time I actually moused over the area and noticed the Super Special Mushroom he'd been looking for at the back.
Aha, thinks I. If I set them all off from a distance once the mushroom gatherer is clear I can wait until the dust settles then get the mushroom!
Turns out, mushrooms are flammable. Who knew!
So I reloaded and sent Gale, with his misty step teleport spell. But turns out the exploding mushrooms are very sensitive, and the teleport spell finicky, so he ended up running through a field of exploding mushrooms getting Very On Fire. But the mushroom was safe. And he's fine now!
Since Shadowheart wouldn't take it, Stav gave it to the mushroom gatherer's wife. There's a whole fucked up thing going on with that couple but Stav decided it was Not Their Business. The important thing is that she said she'll give us a reward in Baldur's Gate.
There's been some really lovely scenes with Astarion. He's a weird mix of prickly and smarmy, wanting Stav to like him but not wanting to express anything too sincere or vulnerable. So the little moments when he cares enough about something to feel uncomfortable asking for help, but awkwardly asks anyway, are really charming. Like when he got Stav to translate his scars, or tell him what he looks like since he can't use a mirror.
Stav was initially onboard with Astarion's attitude that this was just a fun fling with a charming asshole, and isn't THE MOST supportive partner, but does try to do right by Astarion. And the more Stav supports Astarion, in a snarky sort of way, the more Astarion opens up, and the more Stav wants to be supportive!
They had a conversation that was like...
Astarion: *refers to Stav as a little treat*
Stav: Little treat? You can do better than that.
Astarion: *poetic flirty line*
Stav: Not bad. But try again.
Astarion: Very well then, the little words everyone wants to hear: *in a sugary tone* I love you.
Stav: Ha, did that routine work for you before?
Astarion: It worked on you didn't it?
Stav: I guess so :)
Like... Stav knows Astarion is a manipulative liar, and likes him anyway and if anything is kinda into it while also encouraging him to be a little less amoral. And Astarion knows that's where they stand. Which feels like a better place to start from than trusting him 100%.
Though Stav is definitely getting a little gone on him. They couldn't resist when Astarion made puppy-dog eyes about being able to eat a tadpole. I'm sure it will be fine.
Astarion's approval is only at Good, though, I hope everything works out later in the game.
You don't actually get to decide much about your character's backstory, but I've chosen a lot of "I'm from the Underdark"/"I feel solidarity with other Deep Gnomes" options.
I was planning on saving all the enslaved gnomes anyway, but the slavers were SO fantasy racist that Stav was just BURNING WITH RIGHTEOUS MURDEROUS FURY. I enjoyed persuading some of the slavers to turn against each other, but didn't feel able to then murder the survivors in case some gnomes got hurt in the crossfire. I'm basically done with that area now, and the gnomes have left, so I kinda feel like murdering all the slavers that are left just on principle.
It was VERY satisfying rescuing the gnomes. There's a separated married m/m couple who are REALLY sweet. Also you can invite the endearingly grumpy Barcus Wroot back to your camp: you first meet him being harassed by goblins on the surface, then he got enslaved while trying to rescue his friend Wulfrun, leader of the Ironhands gnome freedom fighters. Barcus says Wulbrun is the only decent Ironhands and just needs to see reason, but I know from my previous playthrough that Wulbrun is a gnome-racist asshole, and I've seen other people say he is a jerk to Barcus in Act 3 >:( (I didn't see that last time because Barcus was dead ;_;)
What else happened... oh! THE OWLBEAR CUB ARRIVED :D :D It ran away again but I hear that's normal and it'll be back.
I talked to a collection of drow Explorers searching for an ancient hidden forge, I encountered them in my last game but didn't get the whole story. Drow society sounds so awful, I am leaning towards playing one next time, apparently everyone assumes you're evil on sight.
Owlbear came back! There was a really cute conversation where it talked about liking it in Stav's camp, and the much smaller Scratch the dog was very older brother protective. Including when the little cub had bad dreams :( Now they chase each other around the camp, it's adorable.
I finally finished the Adamantine Forge quest, it's the whole long questline I got most of the way through last time but then I couldn't find the right sort of metal. Turns out it was just around the corner, oh well! Now I have a nice sword.
The slavers all left when I wasn't looking so I can't kill them >:(
Having finally done everything in the Underdark, I FINALLY went into the mountain pass for the first time ever!! A whole new area I've never seen before! It looks basically the same as the area on the other side of the bridge, but further in there's GITHYANKI.
And I will stop this post there, since I want to take that section slowly.
I guess I should have expected the people who have enslaved a bunch of Dark Gnomes to constantly be fantasy racist to my Dark Gnome character, but it was a Lot!
I ducked out of the Underdark to finish off some quests.
It's fun following a guide more thoroughly, last time I wanted to organically explore, which I don't regret, but it did mean missing a bunch of stuff I'm getting to have fun with this time.
I properly did the Ethel quest, and oof. There's a drow who is cursed to see the future who just shrank in terror from the much smaller Stav, babbling about how they were a mindflayer. After defeating Ethel he's more coherent but says his visions are always true and while he's grateful that Stav rescued them he's going to get as far away as soon as possible before Stav starts murdering everyone around them. Fun!
After accidentally letting the imprisoned Mirena die last time because I had no way to put out the fire on her cage, this time I prepared SO MANY FORMS OF WATER. So I successfully rescued her, but she was just pissed off that Ethel was dead, because she'd had a deal to bring back her dead husband. In Ethel's chambers were a bunch of very creepily described potions and magical items, including a creepy looking wand with Mirena's husband's name engraved on it, with the name "bitter divorce".
So obviously using it was a TERRIBLE idea but I was curious. Sure enough her very decayed husband 'comes back' as a mindless walking corpse. Mirena's sad but willing to make a go of it??
I went back to an earlier save and kept the wand.
Also got treasure from a grateful frog, yay.
I got Gale a little familiar, a tiny bloodthirsty monster called Shovel who gleefully tried to get the party murdered. Shovel's deliberately bad advice meant we didn't get an evil necromancy tome that Astarion would probably have wheedled out of Stav, so, probably for the best. Thanks little friend!
Once we got far enough into the Underdark, Shadowheart felt obliged to explain that she is a Shar worshipper without much prompting. Stav felt a little sorry for her, and generally tries not to judge people's religious beliefs, but didn't care enough not to say her religion is evil because goddamn is it evil. So they're still just on middling terms, and she refused the mushroom that might return some of her memories.
See there's a mushroom gatherer who gets stuck in a field of exploding mushrooms. Last time I just threw him a teleport scroll and left, but this time I actually moused over the area and noticed the Super Special Mushroom he'd been looking for at the back.
Aha, thinks I. If I set them all off from a distance once the mushroom gatherer is clear I can wait until the dust settles then get the mushroom!
Turns out, mushrooms are flammable. Who knew!
So I reloaded and sent Gale, with his misty step teleport spell. But turns out the exploding mushrooms are very sensitive, and the teleport spell finicky, so he ended up running through a field of exploding mushrooms getting Very On Fire. But the mushroom was safe. And he's fine now!
Since Shadowheart wouldn't take it, Stav gave it to the mushroom gatherer's wife. There's a whole fucked up thing going on with that couple but Stav decided it was Not Their Business. The important thing is that she said she'll give us a reward in Baldur's Gate.
There's been some really lovely scenes with Astarion. He's a weird mix of prickly and smarmy, wanting Stav to like him but not wanting to express anything too sincere or vulnerable. So the little moments when he cares enough about something to feel uncomfortable asking for help, but awkwardly asks anyway, are really charming. Like when he got Stav to translate his scars, or tell him what he looks like since he can't use a mirror.
Stav was initially onboard with Astarion's attitude that this was just a fun fling with a charming asshole, and isn't THE MOST supportive partner, but does try to do right by Astarion. And the more Stav supports Astarion, in a snarky sort of way, the more Astarion opens up, and the more Stav wants to be supportive!
They had a conversation that was like...
Astarion: *refers to Stav as a little treat*
Stav: Little treat? You can do better than that.
Astarion: *poetic flirty line*
Stav: Not bad. But try again.
Astarion: Very well then, the little words everyone wants to hear: *in a sugary tone* I love you.
Stav: Ha, did that routine work for you before?
Astarion: It worked on you didn't it?
Stav: I guess so :)
Like... Stav knows Astarion is a manipulative liar, and likes him anyway and if anything is kinda into it while also encouraging him to be a little less amoral. And Astarion knows that's where they stand. Which feels like a better place to start from than trusting him 100%.
Though Stav is definitely getting a little gone on him. They couldn't resist when Astarion made puppy-dog eyes about being able to eat a tadpole. I'm sure it will be fine.
Astarion's approval is only at Good, though, I hope everything works out later in the game.
You don't actually get to decide much about your character's backstory, but I've chosen a lot of "I'm from the Underdark"/"I feel solidarity with other Deep Gnomes" options.
I was planning on saving all the enslaved gnomes anyway, but the slavers were SO fantasy racist that Stav was just BURNING WITH RIGHTEOUS MURDEROUS FURY. I enjoyed persuading some of the slavers to turn against each other, but didn't feel able to then murder the survivors in case some gnomes got hurt in the crossfire. I'm basically done with that area now, and the gnomes have left, so I kinda feel like murdering all the slavers that are left just on principle.
It was VERY satisfying rescuing the gnomes. There's a separated married m/m couple who are REALLY sweet. Also you can invite the endearingly grumpy Barcus Wroot back to your camp: you first meet him being harassed by goblins on the surface, then he got enslaved while trying to rescue his friend Wulfrun, leader of the Ironhands gnome freedom fighters. Barcus says Wulbrun is the only decent Ironhands and just needs to see reason, but I know from my previous playthrough that Wulbrun is a gnome-racist asshole, and I've seen other people say he is a jerk to Barcus in Act 3 >:( (I didn't see that last time because Barcus was dead ;_;)
What else happened... oh! THE OWLBEAR CUB ARRIVED :D :D It ran away again but I hear that's normal and it'll be back.
I talked to a collection of drow Explorers searching for an ancient hidden forge, I encountered them in my last game but didn't get the whole story. Drow society sounds so awful, I am leaning towards playing one next time, apparently everyone assumes you're evil on sight.
Owlbear came back! There was a really cute conversation where it talked about liking it in Stav's camp, and the much smaller Scratch the dog was very older brother protective. Including when the little cub had bad dreams :( Now they chase each other around the camp, it's adorable.
I finally finished the Adamantine Forge quest, it's the whole long questline I got most of the way through last time but then I couldn't find the right sort of metal. Turns out it was just around the corner, oh well! Now I have a nice sword.
The slavers all left when I wasn't looking so I can't kill them >:(
Having finally done everything in the Underdark, I FINALLY went into the mountain pass for the first time ever!! A whole new area I've never seen before! It looks basically the same as the area on the other side of the bridge, but further in there's GITHYANKI.
And I will stop this post there, since I want to take that section slowly.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-22 08:08 pm (UTC)Awww, Stav and Astarion are great - what a good dynamic. I heard that fake-sugary "I love you" so clearly in Astarion's voice, haha.
I'm doing the bit with the duergar slavers right now and was just thinking about how much worse it must be as a deep gnome (fighting the ones on the docks after dropping a one-liner was VERY satisfying). Enjoy the mountain pass - I think it's still my favourite area of the game so far, though I am enjoying the Underdark's giant fungi and eerie bioluminescence.