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I've been meaning to play this game and I didn't see it on the list--may as well share my adventures. Being that we're on the Codex I'm gonna assume everyone is familiar with Gold Box, and spare the context. Reading the credits, I have to wonder why there are so many tranny coders in the game industry, even as far back as the 80s. MULE, Bard's Tale 3, Gorf, and... Gateway to the Savage Frontier! What strangeness. Well let's get on with it.
I have in my possession two very ghetto booklets. The clue book is for emergencies, in case the game exceeds my frustration limit. I'm going into this blind, so the chance of meandering confusion is definitely in the cards.
Now let's meet the party.
In the front line we've got a paladin, ranger/cleric, and fighter/thief. And in the back a cleric, fighter/mage, and mage. I had to use a hex editor to lower the age of the wizard's apprentice, but that's all the fiddling I care to do. Their stats were rolled. Nobody's evil, on account of the paladin. The party leans neutral, so we'll probably make pragmatic choices when given the option.
I forgot to record the stat sheets until after a few hours of play, but this is more or less the starting point.
I'll stick a table of contents here as we move things along. The first real post will come later today, after the uploading and the yadda yadda. Boat rides, barbarians and betrayal inbound shortly.
Right off the bat we're confronted with a journal entry. Good thing I printed a copy. Trust me, you don't want to be alt-tabbing to read these things, as there are a lot of them. Might be okay if you're on dual monitors. The only thing missing from the game's summary about the caravan is some foreshadowing about orc raiding parties, dark clouds, an ancient evil awakening, etc. The usual. I have no idea whether they left this stuff out because of floppy size limitations, or copy protection. Either way, it's nice to look away from the screen for a change.
Can Geena really eat five big steaks? Does an owlbear shit in the woods?
Okay, so your dudes start at level 2 in this game. They're seasoned. The story begins after excessive libations leaves the party robbed, and totally devoid of equipment. Yay.
The party tries stumbling their way out of town, only to be confronted by a guard. They're on alert because "reasons." The reason is because we need to buy equipment (shh, that's metagaming.) Thankfully the shop is nearby, and double thankfully we had platinum stashed away that the robbers didn't notice. Not enough for longbows, good armor, or secondary weapons--just the essentials. But now that we're kitted out we can poke around town.
Oh dip, moral quandary. The game wastes no time Voight-Kampffing me. Sorry thugs, this is a no-bully zone.
As this is the first battle of the game, let me explain who's who, whose is whose, and for whom the bell tolls. We've got the boy wizard Elias in fuchsia, gish Kyveli in yellow, Geena the steak obliterator with the hammer, paladin Valerie in blue, ranger Lyle with the bow, cleric Jovian with flail and shield, and finally, some future fertilizer who picked a fight with the wrong "small, terrified man."
Cutie patootie pocket man tells us he knows a guy, and can maybe get us a job. That's the first good news so far, because we're flat broke.
Said guy is skeptical, but informs us that an evil cleric of Bane is in a town up the river north from here, and that we should stop him because reasons (noticing a trend here.) No mention of pay, but exposure is kind of like pay... right?
The unnamed friend of Krevish has a crystal clear picture of the cleric of Bane in his possession, which is weird because they don't have one-hour photo shops in Faerun. Come to think of it, why are we in a secret lair? Whatever. Evil guy is objectively evil. I'm not gonna over-think this.
The little guy asks to join the party. Seeing as we're missing half our attacks at this stage of the game, that's gonna be a big fat yes, Krevish.
Now let's find some transportation...
Moradin's beard! What the hell was that about? The townspeople are afraid of these guys, and the guards let them pass. We were stopped earlier for reasons, and these Nazgul knockoffs get to ride out of the city like they own the place? No respect.
We stumble upon a shop that sells unusual things. Jovian picks up a vial of holy water. You never know!
The ruler of Yartar tells us the guards haven't recovered our items, and that he doesn't have work for us. How wonderfully helpful and informative. Real nice place you've got here. Updated my text. Recorded my journal. Inscribed my diary. Chiseled my epitaph. Asshole.
Some eye candy, for my patient readers.
In Gold Box games you can only memorize spells while encamping, and you can only encamp safely in places like inns. Seemed like a good idea before heading out.
The guy who runs the boat rental joint is a tad overdressed, but whatever. Valerie slams 25 gold on the table. She's itching to smite the ugly bastard in Nesme.
Aaand we're back. The party successfully fled the anhkegs, reached Nesme, and got their deposit back from the boatkeeper. You wanted less exposition? Well you're in luck... kinda. There are more threats in this city than cases of mummy rot at your local brothel. I haven't yet focused on the minutiae of battle, if only because it isn't very interesting yet. Rest assured that I will as the LP progresses.
Valerie finds a secret passage, making fools of the elves in the party. What's behind this passage you ask? Cultists, of course! We're here for Banites, if you recall, but apparently Nesme is a hotbed of cultist activity. These Kraken guys aren't too happy about us crashing their party. They immediately attack, and we wipe the floor with them.
The party bumps into the Captain of the Riders of Nesme (you find out later his name is G. Minaus,) who tells us that trolls have gathered to the east and infest the ruins of the city. They can't do anything about it because somebody named Longtresses has taken over, and to cross her would invoke the ire of barbarians. I'm guessing she's a short-sighted politician, rather than a barbarian queen. But wouldn't that be cool?
Exploring the streets of Nesme, we're assaulted by said barbarians several times. You really can't count on the city guard for anything, can you. Geena takes the opportunity to stockpile barbarian hammers, which are awesome because you can throw them at people. Highly recommended.
In the city center we find another secret--a back passage into the temple of Waukeen. Fighting through more Kraken, we surprise the priestess there. She had no idea of its existence, and tells us the Kraken were surely there to kill her, and that they were likely sent by Longtresses. This bitch is ruthless.
The harbormaster informs us that shipping companies won't stop in Nesme for fear of lizardmen east of the river. I thought there were trolls, too? Maybe we ought to head west.
Third secret door of the evening. Pays to be thorough. I wonder what's behind this one?
Lovely. I guess we're gonna paint the place red and green. Except they're WAY tougher than the Kraken, or the barbarians. Geena goes down, but we're able to heal her after battle. After looking around, Kyveli realizes we're in the Banite shrine. Hey hey! we're on the right track.
And the front line gets cursed by evil clerics and whiffs like they're trying to throw the game. How about a quick rest before heading in further?
Napping intensifies, and later we find kick ass Banite murals. These guys are evil, but they're way into interior decoration. Uh... except the game doesn't actually show us said murals, so use your imagination folks.
Finally, the object of Krevish's associate's desire! THE Banite cleric. An elegant man. So smug. So debonair.
...Let's kill him.
The moment you've been waiting for, a battle that genuinely scared the shit out of me. Geena goes down again. We're gonna need better armor after this. Her failure opens a path for the enemies, and they get to Krevish. He goes down. Elias runs out of darts and starts running around like an idiot. Kyveli gets sick of everyone's incompetence and breaks out the sleep spell--to amazing effect. The Banite clerics are zonked, presumably dreaming of upholstered furniture embroidered with the symbol of Bane. With 1/3 of their team out of the fight, the front line slash through their minions, and Kyveli's arrows tear through the prone clerics like a hot metaphor through butter. Elf 1, dwarf 0.
The man we were here to kill conspicuously sets fire to some papers. Valerie rushes to grab them and manages to save one page.
The exposition dump here is enormous, so I'm just gonna include the journal entry as-is.
"...that you found the explanation for the gatherings of trolls and orcish armies in the north. I had suspected it was the work of the Zhentarium, and if we had not discovered it in time they might have conquered this entire region."
"The fools believe that it is their cunning and their might that brings them such awesome power. Have they forgotten so quickly about the temples of Bane, and the power that even our own leaders cannot abdicate? That we, the clerics who carry out Bane's will, are the ones who have made the name of the Zhentarium feared throughout the Realms?"
"I agree with your letter, and although we have never met I feel closely bound to you. By destroying this plan before it starts we shall ensure that never again will the Banite clerics be taken for granted in Zhentil Keep!"
"I will meet you during the festival of Mielikki in the hidden temple behind your shop in Silverymoon. We shall find the magic-user from the south who can turn the power of the Zhentarim against itself. Then we shall see how brilliant the Zhentarim prove to be!"
"We must not think that because we know about their plans to cross the desert it will be simple to stop them. I am confident we will be successful within days only because..."
The party is all kinds of fucked up, but nobody died. This is why we bring healers, folks. Poking around, the party finds and releases some prisoners. But apparently nobody is innocent around here. We have made a horrible mistake.
Three men rushed from the tiny cell, their clothes in tatters, eyes drawn from lack of food and sleep.
One stopped to look down at the dead Banite, and a broad smile spread across his hollow face. "Looks like you've done the job we were sent to do!" he said laughing unnaturally. "Now we can go home and take the credit! We of the Zhentarim salute you!"
His companions blanched as he said the forbidden word--only others dare to use that name, never the Zhentarim themselves. They cursed in hushed voices, pulled him from the room, and were instantly out of sight.
We looked at each other helplessly. Because we knew the Banite to be evil we had slain him--the one man who could stop Zhentarim's planfor the conquest of the Savage Frontier. There was no choice. We had been searching for a mission. Now, by accident, we had found one. We would have to save the Northern Realms ourselves.
Exiting the Banite hideout, barbarians intercept the fleeing Zhentarim spies. Lesson learned: never help people being bullied in an alleyway. Krevish has some explaining to do.
After wrapping things up with the Banites, and the Zhentarim, and the Kraken, and the barbarians, and Longtresses' handiwork, and and and... the ever purse-poor party decides to fight trolls--for glory, but mostly for treasure! They drop platinum, and you have to pay to level up in this game. After a short trip back to Yartar for training, the party heads east from Nesme, because they're insane. Silverymoon is our ultimate destination, but Everlund is along the way. So to Everlund we go. Tune in next post for spooky skeletons.
Boy, these games really make you put your imagination to work. Here we are at the gates.
There isn't a whole lot going on in Everlund, because reasons. The guard warns of undead. I don't know if that's worse than trolls, but I guess we'll find out. Our righteous clerics demand skeletal blood.
The tiles in this game are nice sometimes. No Banite murals or details like that, but the sky reflects the time of day, and there are areas like this bridge over the river Rauvin. It's not just a boxy underground dungeon. And so far, we've spent most of our time adventuring in settlements, derelict as they may be.
If you planned on doing anything in town you're SOL. Exploring Everlund, we find many abandoned, and looted storehouses. The place has been sacked--only the inn and boat rental joint are open. A merchant suggests that the caravans and their suppliers will soon be out of business. Welcome to the Savage Frontier™. All throughout our shopping trip gone horribly wrong, we're attacked by stirges. These guys are the cliff racers of Everlund. Every two god damned steps with the stirges. STIRGES. The front line are tanky af, so they're just an annoyance. The ultimate fate of all mosquitoes is to be smacked into the negative energy plane, like the mistakes they are.
A councilman invites us in to chat, complaining of stirges. No joke. That's what the journal entry is.
Indoors, the party encounters a few groups of gnolls picking through the scraps. They don't pose much of a threat either. The sleep spell proves to be massively effective, again. If it weren't for that, we'd essentially be babysitting Elias. Can't wait till this kid learns fireball.
The stirge purge and gnollocaust may have instilled a bit too much confidence.
Val gets her shit pushed in by owlbears. They're not easy to hit, so the fight is protracted. We're scrambling to keep everyone healed. After a trip to the inn, the party takes a detour to the spoopy part of town. It's never the new part of town infested by trolls, or undead. You notice that?
Gee, I wonder what we'll find.
Lyle and Jovian devastate the opposition. Next time I play a Gold Box game, I'm just gonna roll 6 clerics. The party wanders through the old part of town unscathed. But sadly, despite our triumph, there's absolutely nothing of interest or value here.
After a more thorough sweep of town, the party stumbles upon a dank basement. Owlbears show us some love. They can grapple and immobilize, which is adorably referred to as hugging. As if that weren't bad enough, Zhentil fighters join the fray... who are better armored, with twice the HP of our front line. It takes some careful positioning to survive, and we're bruised, so we head straight back to the inn. The good news is that they dropped a few sets of plate.
Dank basement part 2: the huggening. We head further in, only to encounter an even larger group of enemies. This fight takes the party to the absolute limit of their abilities. The owlbears block our advance, and the Zhentil fighters use that to their advantage, sinking arrows into just about everybody. The clerics break out bless and curse for an edge against the Zhentarim's furry feathered meat shields. By the time we finish with the owlbears, the party is looking haggard. Jovian and Krevish are down. Victory is slim. But Geena and Lyle manage to flank one of the fighters and make quick work of him. Whoever they chained up down here had better be worth the trouble.
This guy drops TWO PAGES of exposition. The basic gestalt: we have to find the 4 macguffins before the bad guy, or the Zhentarim will invade the Savage Frontier™. Uh... which is technically our fault, so we kinda have to. I still blame Krevish.
We quickly summarized for Amanitas what we had learned thus far. We also told how some Banites believed that only he could stop the forces of Zhentil Keep from conquering the lands of the Savage Frontier.
"What was revealed to you by the Banites is correct," he said when we'd finished. "I learned much of the tale from an escaped slave who had been a servant to the Zhentarim general Vaalgamon, and my investigators since have only served to confirm how great the danger truly is.
"Although most of their story has been lost in time, I know now that four statuettes were created in ancient Ascore. They were powerful magical items used in the defense of the city, although precisely how they worked is still a mystery. One was crafted to focus on each direction of the compass, protecting Ascore from the enemies to the North, East, West and South.
"When the city fell into ruins the statuettes passed from owner to owner throughout the Savage Frontier for many centuries. They travelled in directions very different from their names. For example the statuette of the East has for many years been hidden somewhere in the west.
"Now the Zhentarium have dispatched Vaalgamon to collect the statuettes. They believe that by returning the statuettes to Ascore they can open a safe path through the great desert. Through that path they intend to send armies to conquer the entire Savage Frontier.
"We must find and seize the statuettes before Vaalgamon can collect them, or a pall of darkness will fall across the north.
"My magical investigations cannot tell me exactly where they are located, but I have a sense of the place where each statuette now lies. To find them you cannot follow a map of the road beneath your feet--I can lead you to your goals only by revealing the pathways you must trace within your own souls.
"First you must lift your eyes with hope, even if the vision which fills them is one of evil. The statuette of the east is located in a great tower, and when you look up at its many spires you shall know that you have found it.
"Next you must seek the small truths within the large, unfathomable world, for these are the only truths you will ever truly know. The statuette of the west lies in a small chest carved from the pearl of a great oyster, in a small room carved from the rock of a great mountain, which is itself made small by the greatness of the sea.
"You must then travel to the place to which people do not wish to go, because we never truly covet that which we can easily attain. The Statuette of the North lies nowhere close by, but on the long way that many travellers nonetheless must pass.
"Then you must soar where even the birds cannot fly, and have faith that even without wings you can reach great heights. The Statuette of the South lies both high and above and far below the surface of the land.
"If you gain the four statuettes, take them to Ascore. I have created one more special item, which when combined with the four ancient images, will turn the Zhentarim's planned triumph into total and irreversible defeat. But this can only be accomplished in the ancient plaza at Ascore."
He reached into his robes and drew out a small, square card that looked like it was made of a thin layer of metal. Runes were embossed upon it.
"This isn't it!" He exclaimed, annoyed. "But I suppose you should take it anyway. It's one of my latest inventions. I call it the Card of Counting. If you carry it to the vaults in Yartar, Neverwinter and silverymoon will all save and exchange your valuables as if they were really just one place. Could be quite handy, yes quite handy. Don't leave here without it."
"Well that's it! Good luck to you, and may you find the path easy to follow. You can come and visit me any time at my house in Secomber, and if I've learned more about any of the statuettes, I'll be happy to share the information with you. Good bye!"
"The magic item?" we asked. "There was an important magic item you were going to give us?"
"Oh yes, yes, yes. Musn't forget it. Very important." He searched through his robes once more...
Amanitas gives us a magic item that allows the instant transfer of items between banks. And a ring that, in conjunction with the statuettes, will thwart the Zhentarim's plans. He doesn't know exactly where the statuettes are located, but he does provide overly cryptic hints. He recommends we revisit Yartar, but Silverymoon is the nearest destination. In any case, we have a whole bunch of leads.
You may have noticed that everyone needs to level. There's nowhere to do so in Everlund, so we'll have to see what services are offered in Silverymoon.
I don't think the games let you pick more than 3 PCs with the same class.
Anyway, from what I've observed in Dark Queen of Krynn, clerics aren't very good in combat in high-level Gold Box games : they don't have the multiple attacks of warriors or the destructive spells of wizards, and spells like Hold Person no longer work very well because enemies have good saving throws.
Clerics are still essential because of their healing powers, of course.
Sorry for the delay. The party has made it safely to Silverymoon. Everyone needs to level, so the first thing is to seek out a trainer. Luckily there's one very close to the boat entrance. Only problem is it costs buckets and buckets of platinum. We found a few gems in our encounter with the Zhentarim. Those need to be appraised by a priest. In Silverymoon the patron deity is Mielikki, aka the Forest Queen, aka the Supreme Ranger. And as we head into the temple, it turns out we're just in time for a festival. Oh goodie! Five days to poke around.
Silverymoon has a badass invisible magic bridge that appears beneath your feet as you walk over it.
The dean of the Lady's College warns that the docks are overrun with lizardmen, which she thinks is part of a plot to keep people away from the river--that maybe orcs are planning to cut off supplies to the city in preparation for an attack.
We find a library, the Vault of the Sages. Sounds cool, right? And we're instructed to leave.
Orcs attack. They must be a scouting party. Not much of a threat now that we're fully equipped with plate mail.
What happens when you spend all your money leveling? You run into a stupid expensive magic shop with awesome stuff you can't afford! Elias fawns over a dagger he'll never have, and we leave empty handed. Although... I have a sneaking suspicion we'll have cause to return to Silverymoon.
There's a wooded area, presumably where the festival is taking place. Still a few days to go. Nearby we find a blacksmith's shop, but it's closed until the festival. None of the other shops in town are closed. Odd! We'll have to check it out (it's where the burned letter of the Banite cleric said they'd hold their secret meeting.)
Several groups of lizardmen attack. It's just as the dean warned. Elias breaks out the sleep spell. That makes quick work of the first group, but there are a lot of them. After that it's a real slog. We end up fleeing from a few battles.
Jovian finds a secret door. What could be behind it? Krakens! Turns out they have a hideout in Silverymoon. The underlings aren't bad, but the Kraken captains are a different story. The easiest way to deal with them at the moment is to curse everyone. The party finds a map. No idea what it's a map of. Near the hideout there's a place to rest.
On our way out we're attacked by frogs. Frogs, really?
As we head into the market, a banner proclaims that the festival is nearing close. Looking around, we stumble upon bandits looting one of the shops. Tsk tsk.
Near the inn is a gate to Sundabar--something to keep in mind. Due to the festival, the inn is offering special rates. Having seen everything the city has to offer, the party decides to wait here for a few days.
On the day of the festival we head out to Meilikki's Glade.
I'm not one to turn down a free concert, but we're kinda in the middle of saving the world.
All around us there was activity, with music of many lutes and the snap of a hundred banners flapping in the breeze.
In the heart of the glade a chorus of young girls sang a blessing of the trees, and the birds seemed to echo back a happy, chirping refrain.
People everywhere were walking hand-in-hand, talking softly and revelling in the beauty around them. It was almost enough to make us forget the worries and dangers that had brought us here to Silverymoon.
Now for the interesting bit. The smith's shop is open. There's special dialogue here. We can tell him we were sent from Nesme.
Turns out he's a Banite. He drops a massive exposition dump, telling us to speak with Amanitas at the Vault of the Sages, but we know Amanitas was intercepted by Zhentarim. So the guy there who told us to leave must have been a plant.
Broadhand led us into a small, hidden room decorated with images and statues of Bane. He obviously believed us to be fellow Banites from the temple at Nesme.
"I was worried when I sent my letter and no messenger came bearing a reply. I'm glad to see you've arrived during the Festival as I suggested."
"Once the Zhentarim would have been content with having found a way to open this safe caravan route through the Great Desert. They would have let time pass, allowing towns and villages to become dependent on a supply route that only the Zhentarim controlled. Then, quietly but inexorably, the hidden reins of power would be pulled into their grasp."
"Now their greed to seize the northern Realms is unbounded and impatient. Sending armies across the Great Desert! Who would ever have believed it?! They have forgotten that a single dagger at midnight may sow a greater terror than 10,000 swords at dawn!"
"Even now they are completing their complex on the eastern edge of the desert, and are reclaiming the dead city of Ascore on the Western edge as well. They have forged alliances with the Krakens and with other forces in the north. I also hear tales that something big is going on in Llorkh. Magic items of great power are being collected for the task, and I have been assured that they do indeed have the power to allow the safe crossing of the desert!"
"We must strike now! Controlling the Realms from the Moonsea to the Sea of Swords will greatly strengthen the Zhentarim and the Banites will be lost!"
"Visiting here in Silverymoon at the Vault of the Sages is the wizard I wrote you about, Amelior Amanitas from Secomber. He learned much of this plot from a slave who had escaped from a Zhentarium caravan, and is convinced he can stop it with his magical powers."
"He sent a message to a fellow wizard here in Silverymoon, but one of my acolytes waylaid the courier and we learned the plan. Since Amanitas has now come here himself, he must have received word of the messenger's death and is willing to take great risks to defeat the Zhentarim."
"You must find Amanitas quickly, help him on his task, but do not tell him you are Banites or he will never listen to you. For all his brilliance he refuses to accept the beauty of pure Evil, and will never know the joy we find in Bane."
"Hurry now! As we speak our enemies make progress on their path!"
He slipped out of the room, motioning for us the wait a short time before leaving to complete our "mission".
That concludes our business in Silverymoon. Unfortunately, we didn't learn anything we didn't already know. We could head east to Sundabar, but we'll save that for later. Now it's time to take Amanitas' advice and head back to Yartar. If you thought this update was lacking in combat, don't you fuss. Shit is about to hit the fan.
I've always enjoyed that exposition dump from Broadhand. There are some nice turns of phrasing (a single dagger at midnight may sow a greater terror than 10,000 swords at dawn!), and it is interesting the way that it is presented from the point of view of a Banite, played straight up thinking the party of characters are "allies". More evidence that the quality of writing in the Gold Box games can be found the myriad journal entries.
Now let's meet the party.
In the front line we've got a paladin, ranger/cleric, and fighter/thief. And in the back a cleric, fighter/mage, and mage. I had to use a hex editor to lower the age of the wizard's apprentice, but that's all the fiddling I care to do. Their stats were rolled. Nobody's evil, on account of the paladin. The party leans neutral, so we'll probably make pragmatic choices when given the option.
I'll stick a table of contents here as we move things along. The first real post will come later today, after the uploading and the yadda yadda. Boat rides, barbarians and betrayal inbound shortly.
