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Demetrios1453 Plays the Gold Box Games
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<blockquote data-quote="Demetrios1453" data-source="post: 9323932" data-attributes="member: 6801060"><p><strong><em>Pool of Radiance </em>(Part 45): Outpost of Zhentil Keep (Part 1)</strong></p><p></p><p>Time to go rest before we visit the Zhent Outpost.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359228[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Now at 6th level in cleric, Brother Baltor's memorized spell list is now quite impressive.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359229[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>All rested up and spells memorized, time to head out to meet our new Zhent neighbors.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359230[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Off we go to the west once again.</p><p></p><p>(Something that could have been done a bit better, in my opinion. Our earlier overland expeditions were mixed between the east and central regions, while these last two, indeed literally the last two, are both to the west. You'd think they'd have mixed in the west a bit better with the other regions).</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359231[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]359232[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>We leave the boat and head west, past the ruins of the buccaneers' base, and on across the grasslands, until the Zhent Outpost is nearly within sight. Then, suddenly...</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359234[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Ooooh, quicklings! Definitely something different for an encounter this time...</p><p></p><p>By the time I'm even able to take a screenshot, several quicklings have zipped across the map towards the group. While the maximum normal movement rate for PC races is 12, quicklings get a movement of <em>96</em>!</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359235[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>They also have an impressive AC of -3, which will make them especially hard to hit. But, with only 7 HP, they'll almost certainly go down in one shot once the characters land a hit.</p><p></p><p>There's no need to move towards them at all, I'll just set my melee on Guard and let them come to me.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359236[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Bragir is getting flanked by a couple, and takes a small bit of damage (they get several attacks per round, but even when they do hit, it's for pretty minimal damage). He pulls out his two-handed sword, and he and the others rapidly dispose of them.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359237[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>The rest have moved forward, and we've quickly thinned their ranks. Soon the battle is over.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359238[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Even with no real treasure, they give nice XP.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359239[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>(I'm quite happy to have encountered them - quicklings have always been a favorite of mine, probably due to first encountering them in this very game. Since they're just a random overland encounter, most POR games go by without bumping into them, and they aren't featured in any of the other Gold Box games).</p><p></p><p>We continue towards the Zhent Outpost, until we spy it off to the south...</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359240[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>We go up to the fort.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359241[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>We say that we are, and are allowed into the fortress.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359242[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Once inside, we're given a quick tour.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359243[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]359244[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]359245[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Hmm... looks like we got stuck with a rejected Bond/Indiana Jones villain in this section. He no doubt speaks with a hammy German accent.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359246[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>"No, Bond, I expect you to <em>DINE</em>!"</p><p></p><p>Well, sure, tour part 2 it is!</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359247[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Note that he says they "can" hold, not that they "do" hold...</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359248[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Is he getting paid for each use of the word "fine" and variants thereof?</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359249[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>I'm a bit skeptical. Surely the dragon would have just flown <em>over</em> the walls?</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359250[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]359251[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Well, they look very spartan. Just like every other room in the game.</p><p></p><p>We freshen up for dinner, including doing a quick Fix for the damage taken from the quicklings. It wasn't much, but it's always a good idea to go up to max in these situations. Plus, the commandant would probably think it uncouth if we bled all over his dinner.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359252[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p> We set up a rest for a few hours to pass the time until we're summoned to eat.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359253[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]359254[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]359255[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Sounds tasty!</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359256[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>We'll talk about magic for a bit.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359257[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>"I'm curious if you have any insights about the object that gives its name to the game we're all in?'</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359258[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]359259[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Yet another intriguing story about the Pool and its resident fiend.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359260[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>We decide to talk a bit about Phlan this time. He's obviously trying to pry information from us about the town, so we should best be on our guard.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359261[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Old.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359262[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Intriguing theory. Especially as we've never heard of this "Tirantikus" before.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359263[/ATTACH]</p><p> </p><p>We'll say there's been some trouble. That can hardly be news to even the Zhents by now.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359264[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Oh, quite strong! Quite strong indeed! So much so that a neighboring city-state well known for being expansionist and a haven for the worship of evil deities should never, ever think about attacking it.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359265[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>We'll do our best in taking care of that, in the relatively near future.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359266[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>At this point, it's probably for the best that we don't give out too much more info to the Zhents about Phlan. So we decide to go quiet.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359267[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>I mean... surely we could have come up with other topics of conversation...</p><p></p><p>Oh well, back to our quarters for what should surely be a good night of uninterrupted, peaceful sleep!</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359268[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Yeah, if it's suddenly giving us a choice to "sleep with a watch", we should probably take the game up on that offer...</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359269[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Gasp! So unexpected! Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal!</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359270[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>With only four of them, this should go quick. They were obviously planning on taking us by surprise.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359271[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]359272[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Unfortunately, they had a back-up in case we <em>weren't </em>surprised.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359273[/ATTACH]</p><p>[ATTACH=full]359274[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>That's a bit more impressive, but still not too much of a challenge at this level. We don't even waste spells on them (not just because they aren't worth it, but because we're about to go through a gauntlet of even tougher fights).</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359275[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>It doesn't take us long at all to start thinning their ranks...</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359276[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>And soon they are completely taken care of.</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359277[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>But these fights haven't gone unnoticed...</p><p></p><p>[ATTACH=full]359278[/ATTACH]</p><p></p><p>Time for our second break-out attempt in a row from a heavily manned fortress. We'll pick up at this point in the next post!</p><p></p><p>(And as for why we were treated cordially and then suddenly attacked, the game doesn't tell you outright, but the cluebook does: Cadorna had slipped in a note at the very end of the diplomatic correspondence proposing an alliance between himself and the Zhents, and to kill the party as a sign of their approval. So the Zhents didn't discover that until they had read through everything thoroughly, after they had treated us to dinner).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Demetrios1453, post: 9323932, member: 6801060"] [B][I]Pool of Radiance [/I](Part 45): Outpost of Zhentil Keep (Part 1)[/B] Time to go rest before we visit the Zhent Outpost. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-14 173506.png"]359228[/ATTACH] Now at 6th level in cleric, Brother Baltor's memorized spell list is now quite impressive. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-14 173739.png"]359229[/ATTACH] All rested up and spells memorized, time to head out to meet our new Zhent neighbors. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 161419.png"]359230[/ATTACH] Off we go to the west once again. (Something that could have been done a bit better, in my opinion. Our earlier overland expeditions were mixed between the east and central regions, while these last two, indeed literally the last two, are both to the west. You'd think they'd have mixed in the west a bit better with the other regions). [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 161444.png"]359231[/ATTACH] [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 161503.png"]359232[/ATTACH] We leave the boat and head west, past the ruins of the buccaneers' base, and on across the grasslands, until the Zhent Outpost is nearly within sight. Then, suddenly... [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 161604.png"]359234[/ATTACH] Ooooh, quicklings! Definitely something different for an encounter this time... By the time I'm even able to take a screenshot, several quicklings have zipped across the map towards the group. While the maximum normal movement rate for PC races is 12, quicklings get a movement of [I]96[/I]! [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 161628.png"]359235[/ATTACH] They also have an impressive AC of -3, which will make them especially hard to hit. But, with only 7 HP, they'll almost certainly go down in one shot once the characters land a hit. There's no need to move towards them at all, I'll just set my melee on Guard and let them come to me. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 161748.png"]359236[/ATTACH] Bragir is getting flanked by a couple, and takes a small bit of damage (they get several attacks per round, but even when they do hit, it's for pretty minimal damage). He pulls out his two-handed sword, and he and the others rapidly dispose of them. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 161841.png"]359237[/ATTACH] The rest have moved forward, and we've quickly thinned their ranks. Soon the battle is over. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 161947.png"]359238[/ATTACH] Even with no real treasure, they give nice XP. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 161957.png"]359239[/ATTACH] (I'm quite happy to have encountered them - quicklings have always been a favorite of mine, probably due to first encountering them in this very game. Since they're just a random overland encounter, most POR games go by without bumping into them, and they aren't featured in any of the other Gold Box games). We continue towards the Zhent Outpost, until we spy it off to the south... [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162038.png"]359240[/ATTACH] We go up to the fort. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162058.png"]359241[/ATTACH] We say that we are, and are allowed into the fortress. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162119.png"]359242[/ATTACH] Once inside, we're given a quick tour. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162134.png"]359243[/ATTACH] [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162147.png"]359244[/ATTACH] [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162207.png"]359245[/ATTACH] Hmm... looks like we got stuck with a rejected Bond/Indiana Jones villain in this section. He no doubt speaks with a hammy German accent. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162230.png"]359246[/ATTACH] "No, Bond, I expect you to [I]DINE[/I]!" Well, sure, tour part 2 it is! [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162257.png"]359247[/ATTACH] Note that he says they "can" hold, not that they "do" hold... [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162316.png"]359248[/ATTACH] Is he getting paid for each use of the word "fine" and variants thereof? [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162328.png"]359249[/ATTACH] I'm a bit skeptical. Surely the dragon would have just flown [I]over[/I] the walls? [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162339.png"]359250[/ATTACH] [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162409.png"]359251[/ATTACH] Well, they look very spartan. Just like every other room in the game. We freshen up for dinner, including doing a quick Fix for the damage taken from the quicklings. It wasn't much, but it's always a good idea to go up to max in these situations. Plus, the commandant would probably think it uncouth if we bled all over his dinner. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162424.png"]359252[/ATTACH] We set up a rest for a few hours to pass the time until we're summoned to eat. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162631.png"]359253[/ATTACH] [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162642.png"]359254[/ATTACH] [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162708.png"]359255[/ATTACH] Sounds tasty! [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162721.png"]359256[/ATTACH] We'll talk about magic for a bit. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162732.png"]359257[/ATTACH] "I'm curious if you have any insights about the object that gives its name to the game we're all in?' [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162823.png"]359258[/ATTACH] [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162932.png"]359259[/ATTACH] Yet another intriguing story about the Pool and its resident fiend. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 162954.png"]359260[/ATTACH] We decide to talk a bit about Phlan this time. He's obviously trying to pry information from us about the town, so we should best be on our guard. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163001.png"]359261[/ATTACH] Old. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163011.png"]359262[/ATTACH] Intriguing theory. Especially as we've never heard of this "Tirantikus" before. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163019.png"]359263[/ATTACH] We'll say there's been some trouble. That can hardly be news to even the Zhents by now. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163035.png"]359264[/ATTACH] Oh, quite strong! Quite strong indeed! So much so that a neighboring city-state well known for being expansionist and a haven for the worship of evil deities should never, ever think about attacking it. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163050.png"]359265[/ATTACH] We'll do our best in taking care of that, in the relatively near future. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163112.png"]359266[/ATTACH] At this point, it's probably for the best that we don't give out too much more info to the Zhents about Phlan. So we decide to go quiet. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163123.png"]359267[/ATTACH] I mean... surely we could have come up with other topics of conversation... Oh well, back to our quarters for what should surely be a good night of uninterrupted, peaceful sleep! [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163229.png"]359268[/ATTACH] Yeah, if it's suddenly giving us a choice to "sleep with a watch", we should probably take the game up on that offer... [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163253.png"]359269[/ATTACH] Gasp! So unexpected! Curse your sudden but inevitable betrayal! [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163309.png"]359270[/ATTACH] With only four of them, this should go quick. They were obviously planning on taking us by surprise. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163325.png"]359271[/ATTACH] [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163406.png"]359272[/ATTACH] Unfortunately, they had a back-up in case we [I]weren't [/I]surprised. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163544.png"]359273[/ATTACH] [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163558.png"]359274[/ATTACH] That's a bit more impressive, but still not too much of a challenge at this level. We don't even waste spells on them (not just because they aren't worth it, but because we're about to go through a gauntlet of even tougher fights). [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163617.png"]359275[/ATTACH] It doesn't take us long at all to start thinning their ranks... [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163749.png"]359276[/ATTACH] And soon they are completely taken care of. [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163833.png"]359277[/ATTACH] But these fights haven't gone unnoticed... [ATTACH type="full" alt="Screenshot 2024-04-21 163901.png"]359278[/ATTACH] Time for our second break-out attempt in a row from a heavily manned fortress. We'll pick up at this point in the next post! (And as for why we were treated cordially and then suddenly attacked, the game doesn't tell you outright, but the cluebook does: Cadorna had slipped in a note at the very end of the diplomatic correspondence proposing an alliance between himself and the Zhents, and to kill the party as a sign of their approval. So the Zhents didn't discover that until they had read through everything thoroughly, after they had treated us to dinner). [/QUOTE]
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