Part 1: Discovering Westgate
Since we're still at the tavern, let's chat a bit with our new party members and other patrons.
Mantides, what did the Night Masks do to you?
They took the one person I cherished more than anything else in this mortal realm: Tasheni, my lover and partner. She was more secure in her faith of her deity, more capable of compromise... I was young and too impetuous.
Tasheni was the better half of our partnership, which is why they targeted her instead of me.
Alas, our differing faiths meant we could never be with each other all the time. Tasheni was on a mission for the church of Mielikki when she disappeared. I never found out what was done to her, but it can be none other than the Night Masks who were responsible.
Tell me more about Sword Lane.
You won't let this lie, will you? I was sent to Sword Lane on church business, to investigate rumors that a group of Night Masks were using an abandoned warehouse there as a safe house.
There were nine of them. But I was fully armored and my sword cut through three of them while the door was still clattering to the floor. I slaughtered them all. All but one.
And I guess we should all be grateful for that. you were so preoccupied with sating your rage that it would have been easy enough to skip a dagger in your back. Still, why risk my own hide? I wanted out anyway. From the room, and the organization.
You did me no favors by staying your hand, Rinara. I've come to realize that my actions that day were no better than those of an orc savage pillaging and murdering from the Spine of the World. You should have stopped me.
Have you attempted to reclaim your paladinhood?
I've thought about starting again, but how? What I did can never be forgiven. The Night Masks at Sword Lane were young and yet to be sullied by evil deeds. One of them was only seventeen. Lathander could never forgive what I've done.
So, Mantides is a whining pussy. We'll have to turn him into a real man is he's going to stay with us.
Maybe Rinara has more useful things to say.
What can you tell me about the Night Masks?
They do the usual criminal stuff - theft, smuggling, extortion - plus a lot of political maneuvering to make sure no one stands in their way. I've heard that they've even expanded their operations to other cities on the Dragon Coast.
Who leads them?
Someone called "the Faceless"... or at least, that was the rumor. None of us street-level operatives ever saw the Faceless. In fact, he was never spoken of except in whispers.
But hey, someone had to be running the Night Masks, right? Whoever he was, he was good at hiding his identity, even from his own people. "The Faceless" was an apt name, if not the correct one.
Why did you leave the Night Masks?
Because if I didn't disappear, the Night Masks were going to make me disappear. A group of new bosses took over and decided to cut ties with a lot of us street-level operatives. I guess they saw us as liabilities.
Unfortunately, I never learned much about the new bosses, the ones that are apparently still in charge today. I was too busy running for my life.
What made you think you were going to be killed?
(Influence - Success) My partner Viglor tipped me off. This was a very nice thing to do, especially for a vicious thug like him. I could tell he was trying to...
Well, there's no point in getting into this now. You'll learn all about it soon enough. It involves some business I left unfinished when I fled the city. I think you can help me with it... when the time comes.
What was your job with the Night Masks?
I was a collector. I picked up protection money from business owners and the like and dropped it off with my superiors. For the most part, it was a straightforward job. Not many tried to resist the Night Masks.
And if they did?
(Influence - Success) Then I started removing body parts, starting with the nonessential ones. I didn't enjoy it, not the way my partner Viglor did, but I had to be ruthless to survive. After all, the Night Masks aren't any less ruthless with collectors who don't deliver their quotas.
Why did you decide to return to Westgate?
(Influence - Success) Hmm, let's just say that I have unfinished business... very lucrative unifnished business.
Now that I've gotten to know you better, I'm thinking you can help me. But not now.
OK, moving on... Let's talk to the bartender a bit.
We go talk to Marv, who is at the entrance.
So, a bouncer called Marv is looking for his girlfriend, who is a dancer in a bar... This sounds oddly familiar... Anyway, we agree to take the job, as there's a reward involved.
We go outside the tavern and run into a drunken old sailor. After some nonsense, it seems he actually knows something of value to us.
There's not much more to do in this area at this point, except to check out an exotic shop.
Looks like a bigger merchant house is trying to buy her shop.
We agree to take the shop under our protection, with some benefits, of course (discount at the shop).
With that said and done, time to move on to the next area. Here's the city map.A nice thing about Mow is that it allows direct transport to various locations in a certain area. Just click a marker on the map and you are taken directly there.
As soon as we enter the market area, a beggar starts asking for gold.
But...
We go near the house to check this out.
We can't enter the house now, so we'll have to come back later.
Just near the house on fire, we find the Urdo residence, so let's have a talk with that Dalia bitch.
We deliver Okuzo's message, but Dalia doesn't back down. We return to Okuzo to inform her of the situation.
This closes this matter for now...
Back to the market triangle, as we walk by one of the houses, something interesting happens.
This is worth investigating, but right now we have more pressing matters, to find a lead on the mask.
There isn't much to do either in the market, since we hardly have any money, and stuff doesn't come too cheap. We had on to the Arena district, which is where the church of Lathander is located.
As we enter the district, we find two idiots activating a portal
Rinara has an explanation:
Hmm, that sounds like a great place to check out, full of opportunities. We'll check that soon enough.
Here's the map of the arena district. The church is located at the upper west side.
As we enter a church, someone is rushing towards the exit.
Looks like she doesn't have a good impression of the local priest...
this line reminded me of the Practical Incarnation 
Charissa is not too fond of that answer, though.
Cool, another party member, and a useful one. But she seems too fanatical with justice and fighting evil and all... We'll have to watch our back with that one.
We proceed to meet the local priest.
Great, another incompetent, opportunistic asshole. I'm beginning to like this city more and more...
I need help ridding myself of a cursed mask.
This mask holds a terrible curse, that much is true. While it once belonged to a Night Mask, the power held within is of a much different variety. A spirit is tied to this mask, and her need for vengeance is terrible. She resists even my formidable attempts to sever the link.
Do you have any suggestions?
I believe your only hope of removing this curse it to discover the true nature of the spirit. She would seem linked somehow to the Night Masks. I suggest you investigate this organization, find out what you can.
I do have a possible lead for you. A young pries named Jeswick Salem has recently gone missing. He had complained of being watched, and I suspect the Night Masks may be involved in his disappearance.
Your "lead" involves doing the church a favor? I'm not surprised.
Forget it, I'll investigate myself.
If you change your mind. I'll be waiting.
We're not too happy about doing anything for that guy, let's check out also the second lead, with the Ebon Claws.
Right near the church we see the City Watch barracks. Inside, we find a female officer dancing and matching a certain description.
Using a healing kit, we heal her broken ankle.
We tell her to drop the City Watch and return to the bar.
Marv will be happy when we tell him. For this we get several potions, which will come in handy.
Back on the street, we run into another bum who is selling hamsters. We look at the cage and notice one hamster looking different than the others and gazing us.
Let's see what this guy says.
This is not really an important quest, but it's one of the funnies I've seen in all NWN games, so I'll post it in more detail
Minx?! That's not right...
Anyway, he tells a story and the great warrior Minx and his hamster Bloo and then offers to sell us a hamster as a souvenir.
Genuine Rashemi hamster my ass...
Anyway, we buy the hamster. Yay!
She (it's a female) looks agitated and it seems to want to go somewhere.
Following the rodent's directions, we find a pile of garbage. Great...
On a closer look, the garbage hides the entrance to a small cave.
After killing the ferrets that attack us, the hamster points to the tree in the cave. Wtf?
We eat a fruit from the tree and pass out...
WTF???
OK. that is some fucked up shit. That berry I ate just gave me the biggest trip ever.
...or did it?
For the sake of it, we buy some black robes and go to the location on the map.
We are asked for a password... Here the game does a little pun on such situations in RPGs.
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OK, after that weird conversation, we enter the building, to walk in during some preparations for a ritual.
Again with the trip inducing berries.. Oh well, here goes nothing.
A giant ferret appears and realizes we are not supposed to be here.
The hamster kills all of them, thanks us and dissappears.
That the hell was in that berry? Anyway, the cult leader did drop some loot, including a Ring of Protection +3, which is our best item so far.
OK, back to serious business. To find the Ebon Claws, we go to the sewer that drunk mentioned. After killing some rats, we find a locked door.
Trying again my maxed Bluff skill + Beguiling Influence this time. They will surely fall for it!
Or not...
But the mask story seems to do the trick.
We are allowed inside and a ...person "welcomes" us.
What the fuck is with the giant rats in this place?
The woman has the gestures of a rat also. The Ebon Claws are a bunch of wererats!?
If we're going to talk, I suppose introductions are needed, yes? My name is Altama. As you might have guessed, I am the leader of the Ebon Claws.
I am called Code'Xia.
You're lucky my chief advisor is a sorceress with a talent for divination, Code'Xia. She tells me that you have spoken true. You are no Night Mask but rather one who suffers by their hand.
This is Altama's chief advisor.
The intruder will show us the mask now, yes?
Yes, yes. The Night Masks leave masks such as this on the bodies of their prey in order to mark their kills. You're a different sort of prey but I doubt your fate will be any happier... not without the help of the Ebon Claws.
What are you proposing?
We of the Ebon Claws know more about the Night Masks than they suspect. We could help you with that cursed mask of yours in exchange for... certain services.
I could always sic my minions on you and put the Ebon blood in your veins, but I have enough wererats under my control... for now. What I need is someone who's comfortable above ground, in the places that lie just beyond our grasp.
Just try to touch me, bitch.
~~~~~~~~~~
Well. this is where this update ends and it's time for the first major decision.
Do we side with the opportunistic, greedy, power-hungry priest, Obid?
Or do we ally with Altama and her gang of filthy wererats?
You decide!
