Baldur's Gate 002

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[Video: Chapter One Intro]

Again, the intro "cutscene" is scrolling text with voiceover. Here's the text:

The dawn is especially cruel this morning. 

You awake with the realization that you have not been living some horrible dream. Ambushed, you saw Gorion cut down before your eyes, and even his powerful magic could not stop the onslaught. It was his wish that you flee, but that does not remove the feeling of helplessness that now overwhelms you. 

"Hand over your ward," the armored fiend had said. He was after you and you alone, but why? If only Gorion had given some clue, but now you are alone and lost. Candlekeep is near, but you will find no quarter there. The readers pay for their serenity with rather draconian entry rules, and without Gorion's influence, their doors will remain closed.

You will not last long on your own with your meager equipment. Perhaps you can get some help from the friends Gorion mentioned, the ones at the Friendly Arm.

We come to our senses, totally alone in the woods.

Well, not totally alone...

Imoen: I... accidentally... read a letter on his desk the other day. Can't remember exactly what it said, but he might still have... It might be on his... his body. Anyway, I'm not gonna let you wander around out here all alone. Never let a friend down, no, sir! Stick with you until you say otherwise, I will!

Imoen joins our merry band. She's a pure thief. And, conveniently, she comes with a bow! Pretty great stats too, though her low strength means she should stick with ranged attacks.

It is essential to have a thief in this game. They can detect traps, of which there are a lot, and unlock chests and doors, sneak around, and even pilfer items from stores. What's new to me in the Enhanced Edition is that Imoen's AI is set to automatically always be detecting traps, so I don't have to manually toggle it on. It's nice.

Here's Imoen's biography page, for your information.

When asked about her past, IMOEN slaps your shoulder playfully. She says that you of all people should know, seeing as how you grew up together.

Indeed, some of your fondest memories are of meeting this sprightly young lass. She apparently came to Candlekeep much as you did, though ten years later in life, and she spent much more time with the gruff Winthrop than Gorion. "Puffguts," she would call him, much to the old innkeep's dismay.

She seems the eternal child, and is quite content to play the part of little sister, though you are both of comparable ages. You can tell by her hearty smile that she will always be willing to travel with you, no matter what path you take.

So she's been in Candlekeep since she was 10. I assume she learned her thieving ways on the street before she was taken in.

She is voiced by Melissa Disney, who voiced Elora the faun in Spyro 2. I knew her voice sounded familiar!

Here's the map for this area. Candlekeep's map showed us the whole area and all the points of interest, I believe it's because it was a tutorial area and also where Soma lived, so he should kinda know his way around already. For most other maps, what we haven't seen will be shrouded in this black "fog of war" until we clear it by exploring.

The zone maps in BG1 are all similarly-sized squares. We can exit the map by reaching any of the edges. We're the 2 tiny green circles in the green box (the green box indicates our field of view when we're not on the map screen). So, we're right at the bottom edge, we could straight up leave this map by going south. 

Not so fast, though! The diamond mark in the upper-middle of the map is the "Ambush Site." Since Imoen mentioned looting Gorion's corpse (like a true thief), we might as well?

But first we find a merchant not far up the road.

Kolssed: I doubt these are the ones you seek. They do not seem the friendly type, and are far afield of the inn. If you wish to meet them, I left them not a moment ago just up the road. You will have to pass them anyway if you wish to go to the Friendly Arm. There is a crossroads a ways to the east and the Inn is north of that.

Soma: Could you help me? My foster father and I were attacked last eve, and now I'm not sure where to go.

Kolssed: I have little to give besides advice and goodwill. Make friends where you can, as traveling alone is almost certain death. You will want to surround yourself with like-minded companions lest you risk making enemies in your own party. Aside from this little tidbit of wisdom, I'd say you're on your own. Luck be with you.

I just want to point out that one of the options to end the dialogue is snarky. Also, playing solo without any other party members is a known challenge mode. IIRC it's really only viable with the protagonist as a mage or a cheesy thief.

Also, curiously, this merchant's name in the Game Files(™) is Desslo. I wonder what the story behind that is.

There's Gorion, may he rest in peace. From his body, we score an unidentified belt and a note.

My friend Gorion,

Please forgive the abruptness with which I now write, but time is short and there is much to be done. What we have long feared may soon come to pass, though not in the manner foretold, and certainly not in the proper time frame. As we both know, forecasting these events has proved increasingly difficult, leaving little option other than a leap of faith. We have done what we can for those in thy care, but the time nears when we must step back and let matters take what course they will. We have, perhaps, been a touch too sheltering to this point.

Despite my desire to remain neutral in this matter, I could not, in good conscience, let events proceed without some measure of warning. The other side will move very soon, and I urge thee to leave Candlekeep this very night, if possible. The darkness may seem equally threatening, but a moving target is much harder to hit, regardless of how sparse the cover. A fighting chance is all that can be asked for at this point.

Should anything go awry, do not hesitate to seek aid from travelers along the way. I do not need to remind thee that it is a dangerous land, even without our current concerns, and a party is stronger than an individual in all respects. Should additional assistance be required, I understand that Jaheira and Khalid are currently at the Friendly Arm Inn. They know little of what has passed, but they are ever thy friends and will no doubt help however they can.

Luck be with us all.

I'm getting too old for this.

E

Let's get off topic a bit and discuss mods. The Baldur's Gate fandom was quite big back in the day, and they've come up with a lot of game modifications that you can apply to the game to improve and alter the game experience. Like adding new items, new monsters, new spells, new classes and kits to the game. The EET mod I used to combine the games and DLCs into one experience, for example, came from these fans' hard work.

Now, BG1 on its own, without mods, is rather sparse on character development for the characters (called "NPCs") that join your party. NPCs sometimes comment on quests and events, but not often, and they don't talk to each other much either. This was heavily changed in BG2, which is another reason that game is superior so fun. The characters feel so much more alive when they give their opinion on whether to protect someone being attacked or not, or whether we should allow a new NPC we met to join the group, or whether to take a quest or ignore it, etc.

To improve the BG1 experience, fans of the series decided to write new dialogue for them in a compilation known as the BG1 NPC Project mod. For the most part, the creators have done a great job in fleshing out the characters' personalities, letting them comment on events and converse with each other in ways that feel almost canon. 

"For the most part", I emphasize. Since it is fan fiction, it's ymmv. Some of the extra dialogue is obviously out of place and some is even 4th wall breaking. Sometimes you can tell it's not supposed to be there and you get that "cringe" feel when you see it. And sometimes there's just way too much of it and it breaks the flow.

Despite this, we're going to have this mod on because I think the good outweighs the bad. 

I mention all this because when we loot Gorion's body, Imoen suddenly talks to us. This is dialogue added from the mod and would not happen in vanilla.

Imoen: I see. Hmm... so he wasn't after Gorion, but you.

Imoen: I don't like this, Somaliendiel, don't like it at all.

Soma: I don't either, but what's done is done. Gorion's spirit won't come back now. I doubt even a High Cleric of Helm could restore him to life with a body this torn up. No, we'd best move on now, Imoen.

Imoen: Are you sure? At least we could give him a proper burial, y'know. It's not like I like doin' it, but I know I'd like someone to bury me, as well.

Soma: I suppose you are right.

Imoen: Well, why are we standin' about? Let's just... dig. Maybe one day we can return and add a small gravestone or somethin'...

Imoen: I don't want to have to bury someone ever again. Don't you go and die on me now, Somaliendiel. I-I don't think I could handle it if I had to bury you, as well.

Soma: Don't worry, Imoen, I won't. Let's go now, and let Gorion rest in peace.

With that done, we loot the bodies of the baddies that Gorion took down with him. They had some money and, conveniently, a bow. Which I totally forget to equip Soma with. 

Note: He has a bow in some images because I had to restart the game after installing the mod to get the mod dialogue.

A wolf appears! Command?

Turns out, dual daggers was NOT a good idea as the wolf quickly, well, eventually bites Soma. Time to get the bow out. But Imoen is using a bow too, we have no tank...

[Video: Epic Wolf Fight]

Cue a ridiculous fight in which Imoen runs around in circles while Soma shoots it until it finally dies. And now we're basically out of arrows. Love this game.

I also love how this messenger was watching the fight the whole time. Please be sure to include my epic victory in your report to the Grand Dukes!

On the far west side of the map, we find this guy.

Soma: Okay.

Excuse me?

Note: Imoen says this because the NPC Project mod. I personally hate it, because "you're a queer fellow" is one of the random little things she'll voice when you click to move her around. Seeing her use that in game text is immersion-breaking to me. Like I said, ymmv. 

While we're exploring the map, Imoen suddenly interrupts. More mod dialogue.

Imoen: *sadly* Me too.

Imoen: Is that why you don't talk much lately? All quiet and stuff...

Soma: Gorion is dead, mysterious assassins are after me, and I can't even start imagining how to survive another day. It all happened so suddenly!

Imoen: I'd hate to see this eat away at ya. We'll get him, ya know. That guy, whoever he was, who killed your dad. We'll find out who he is, and pay him back good!

Imoen: And don't even think of ditching me, either. I know what I'm doing, and I'm in this as much as you. I liked Gorion, and you're my best friend.

Soma: What brings this on, Imoen? I don't think I've ever seen you act this way!

Imoen: I'm just mad, that's all... mad, sad and a little worried, I guess. I'll get over it. Heh. I was trying to make you feel better, and now I'm all worked up.

Imoen: Come on, let's go find an evil dragon's lair or something to loot. Um, on second thought, a hobgoblin cave is more your speed. Or maybe a xvart village? Hmmm. I'll have to think about this one...

Anyway, on the east side of the map, we find these two. That merchant earlier had mentioned some other travelers on the road. It must be them.

Imoen: Psst, Somaliendiel, the mage speaks like he's layin' honey on bread, but I dunno... I don't like his eyes a single bit!

Soma: I'd be grateful for any assistance.

Xzar: Nothing to fear from these simple potions, and I'll not even hold you in debt, though your conscience knows otherwise.

Montaron: Just like all good people.

Xzar: Perhaps as payment you would go with us to Nashkel. It is a troubled area and we mean to investigate some disturbing rumors surrounding the local mines. Some acquaintances are very concerned about the iron shortage. Specifically, where to lay blame in the matter. You would be useful, though I'll not hold you to it. We are to meet the mayor of the town, a man named Berrun Ghastkill, I believe.

Xzar: We've precious little time, but it's best to travel accompanied.

Montaron: Aye, we'll go wit' ye. Ye owe us fer our time though.

Imoen: I don't like the looks of these two jokers, Somaliendiel. Nope. I don't. Not at all.

Imoen: Let's get to the Friendly Arm Inn soon, huh? I'd like to have some people I can trust travelling with us.

Montaron is a multi-class fighter/thief and will gain levels in both classes. However, the exp has to be divided between the two classes.  As a result, he'll level more slowly. We're all level 1 right now so it's not a big deal. And fighter/thief is a pretty good multiclass option since the two classes share weapon proficiencies. It is, in fact, the only multiclass option available to halflings.

Biography:

When asked about his past, MONTARON openly threatens you with bodily harm. He seems quite dangerous, and more than willing to engage in gratuitous violence. It would appear that he cares little for life, including his own.

He works grudgingly with Xzar, even though he obviously despises the man. Whoever their employers are, they must be powerful indeed. These two would likely kill each other without a presence over their heads preventing it. Montaron might be willing to discuss the whole matter with you, but you get the feeling that you probably would not wake up the next morning.

Montaron is voiced by Earl Boen, who played Dr. Peter Silberman in the Terminator movies. He also voiced LeChuck in the Monkey Island series, among, like, a million other roles.

Xzar is... Uh... sorry, that portrait is freaking me out. What is he even doing?

Anyway, he's a necromancer. Sadly they didn't give him that nice, round, 18 intelligence. As a specialist mage, he gets +1 spell slots per spell level, so that's cool. But as a necromancer, he can't use any illusion spells like mass invisibility or simulacrum. Fortunately none of that matters at level 1.

Biography: 

When asked about his past, XZAR has very few coherent things to say. His desire to determine the cause of the iron shortage seems benevolent enough, but his motives remain unclear. His ramblings seem disjointed, but his faculties are obviously in good enough order for him to be adept at magic.

He mutters something about how he and his associate Montaron are in the employ of a powerful group, but when pressed for details he gets extremely agitated and does not speak for some time. He is obviously at least partially insane, and the network that would hire him must be dark indeed.

He is voiced by Frank Welker, yet another man of a million voices.

He has two spells. Chill Touch, which requires him to get into melee range, which is extremely risky with his all of 4 hit points. And Larloch's Minor Drain, which is a small life leech skill that he shouldn't need since he shouldn't be getting hurt.

Anyway, poor Soma... It seems he's fallen in with the wrong crowd. These two are both whack. Hopefully they won't stab us in the back before we find those others Gorion told us about.

We reach the edge of the map (the icon changes to this wheel when you mouse over a place to switch maps).

But then I think to myself, well, actually Soma is half-dead from that wolf bite, maybe we should rest.

And then I regret my poor decisions as we're ambushed by diseased gibberlings upon trying to rest.

See, this is one of the reasons this game is considered difficult. Your chance to rest in the wilderness uninterrupted is like... maybe 50%? But it feels like 30. And you don't recover HP or spells when the rest is interrupted. 

Fortunately, we make short work of them with a couple of arrows, much easier than the wolf, and give up on resting for now.

The world map pops up. We're the sword and shield symbol on Lion's Way. We can't reach the "Unreachable" locations yet. We have to discover them first. We do this by exploring maps until we get to them. It's difficult to explain but clicking the edge of a map will "unlock" the adjacent map in that cardinal direction. I had clicked the south exit of the current map earlier, which unlocked High Hedge (highlighted in blue since we've never traveled there yet), and I just now clicked the right exit, which unlocked Coast Way by the mouse cursor. Since that's closer to the Friendly Arm Inn, let's go there. Also note, the map is pretty and green since the EET mod is using the BG2 map background. In vanilla BG1, it's tan and arguably more PnP map-like. Like below:

[Music: Night in Cloakwood]

Upon traveling to this zone, we are immediately accosted by this old man. Imoen immediately interrupts, but I just can't, so I cut her dialogue out. This is the story of Soma, not Imoen.

Anyway, options 1 and 3 are so funny... but let's not antagonize a guy who's quite obviously a wizard. 

Old Man: That I would. The inn is but a short distance to the north, and its doors are open to all. I have no doubt that thy friends shall be there, waiting with open arms. My sympathies for any hardships the road may have inflicted upon thee, though I am certain everything shall turn out for the best. My, but I have wasted too much of thy time and said too much already. I shall take my leave and wish thee all the best.

He wanders off. And barely 10 feet behind that wizard was another gibberling.

Let's stick to the road from here on out.

Aoln: The most dangerous thing I intentionally went after? Stalked an ogre mage for a few days once. Had a party of me own back then. Killed the ogre, lost the party. Not really worth the trade, if you ask me. I've seen more dangerous beasties, but usually over my shoulder as I'm making tracks as fast as I can. No shame in running when your life is on the line. Off with you now, I've meat to catch.

Diseased Gibberling meat? Yum.

Huh, well, that was easy. I was expecting at least 5 more gibberlings along the way. But we make the 8 hour journey without incident.

[Video: Friendly Arm Inn cutscene.]

Guard: Good then. Enjoy your stay.

There are a lot of people around. Let's get some information.

Commoner: Word around here is that the west road is the safest, at least for now. The road south to Beregost is dangerous but there's still been some traffic. Farther south to Nashkel is supposed to be some rough traveling. No more caravans are making it through from the iron mine down there but it's probably just as well. Their iron's been weak as tin of late. As for the road north, well... we haven't had a shipment from Baldur's Gate for more than a month. For all we know, it's been sacked and burnt.

The west road just leads back to Candlekeep. We can get our bearings now, anyway. Both Beregost and Nashkel are to the south of us. Down that way is where Xzar and Montaron want us to go. And Baldur's Gate is somewhere to the north.

Even farm implements are being affected by this iron crisis.

Monsters in a mine? I sense our future...

Ok this one hits a little too close to home!

Commoner: Gellana and Bentley are husband and wife. They've run the Friendly Arm for as long as anyone can remember. Bentley likes to tend the bar in the inn, while his wife Gellana is the high priestess at the temple to Garl Glittergold. They're real good people.

Garl Glittergold is a gnome deity, apparently a bit of a trickster but good overall. More than likely these two are a gnome couple. 

"Frontier law" has that ring to it that suggests we'll be taken out back and shot like Old Yeller.

When we go near the stairs, this guy comes up to us and forces a dialogue.

Please... we NEED to rest. Soma and Imoen have been walking for over 16 hours straight now.

I don't like where this is going.

Tarnesh: Really? I would beg to differ. You fit the description, so I think it would be safe to assume you are the one I seek. Don't move. I have something for you.

He aggros us and immediately dies.  Honestly, the party AI reacted faster than me, it was over in seconds. Normally, this guy casts Mirror Image and becomes a pain to defeat, since that spell greatly lowers our chance to hit. Something funny is that the guard who told us NO FIGHTING can actually help us in the fight if he notices it's happening.

He had some spells on him, which we could give to Xzar... More importantly, he has a note.

Straight up "We're evil and we know it and we want this kid dead."

Let's, uh, make sure Montaron and Xzar don't read this.

When we loot the body, Imoen has something to say (via the NPC Project mod... of course...).

For real, this dialogue bothers me because the "manos potentis pah" is one of the sound effects that play when spellcasters use magic. It's just weird to see it written in text since it's a sound effect.

Imoen: Aw, don't worry about me. I was only kiddin'. Those 'spells' or whatever, the things in the back? They look kinda important. I won't mess with those. But these lil' old things in the front... Betcha even I could learn some of them. I'm gonna try, anyway.

Soma: Well, I suppose it will be all right. Just be careful, okay?

Imoen: Hey! I told ya! Dontcha worry 'bout me. I'm no dummy. I know what I'm doin'.

Pressing X to doubt. 

But! Imoen does have a high Intelligence stat, so dual-classing her into a mage later on is a viable option. However, thief/mage is a really common dual/multi class to see in the series. We'll be drowning in them by BG2. 

Let's finally enter this inn. And finally get some rest!

[Music: Tavern Theme]

We barely get in and yet another person starts talking to us. We're so popular. At least he doesn't attack.

Jopi:  'E's a mage and a crotchety ol' one at that. Goes by the name of Ragefast, though as kids we always called him Grumpleskin! Har, if he ever caught us at it, he'd cast barkskin on us so we'd wander around all brown-skinned and green-haired and funny-lookin' for a few hours.

This guy is new in the Enhanced Edition. I don't know how he'll hold his ale when he's already holding a 2-handed sword.

Dorn: Then why do you bother me? Begone.

Nessie: My name is Nessie. The Mirrorshades hired me to work at the inn almost five years ago and now I wouldn't leave it for the life of me. It's wonderful here, with new faces passing through every day.

Soma: Who are the Mirrorshades?

Nessie:  Oh, Bentley and Gellana. They run the place. Bentley's behind the bar, there, and you can usually find Gellana in the temple. I'm usually here, waiting tables and making sure everything stays nice and clean.

Soma: So who are the new faces here now?

Nessie: With the roads being what they are right now, there aren't too many faces around here that are new anymore. Unshey's been taking this time to write a new book, and Khalid and Jaheira have been waiting anxiously in the corner over there, sleeping in shifts to make sure they don't miss whoever it is they're waiting for... Dorn's over there in the opposite corner, as far from Khalid and Jaheira as possible. I'd steer clear of him if I had a choice... Who else? Let's see, Landrin's on the top floor, drinking up a storm, and then there was... well, Tarnesh... I'm really sorry he caused you trouble—he was all wit and charm until he heard that there were visitors at the gate... We don't allow any fighting here. We have very strict rules about that sort of thing but the guards say he jumped out of the shadows at you and there was nothing you could do... That's really about it. Everyone else has been here for the past two months, at least. We're so full that there's even been talk of letting people throw down their bedrolls in the temple.

We literally killed Tarnesh under a minute ago, news travels fast!  But hey, Khalid and Jaheira are actually here just like we were told. 

Jaheira: We are old friends of your adopted father. He is not with you? I must assume the worst. He would not permit his only child to wander without his accompaniment.

Khalid: If... if he has passed, we share your loss.

Jaheira: Gorion often said that he worried for your safety, even at the expense of his own. He also wished that Khalid and I would become your guardians, if he should ever meet an untimely end. However, you are much older now, and the choice of your companions should be your own.

Khalid: We could t-travel with you until you get settled, help you find your l-lot in life.

Jaheira: It would be a fitting last service to Gorion, though we should first go to Nashkel. Khalid and I look into local concerns, and there are rumors of strange things happening at the mines. No doubt you have heard of the iron shortage? You would do well to help us. It affects everyone, including you. We are to meet the mayor of the town, Berrun Ghastkill.

Imoen: Hey, Auntie Jaheira, I am Imoen! A friend of Somaliendiel's... Actually, more like a guardian than a friend, ya know? Lookin' after him, and all that.

Jaheira: Adventurers generally do not call each other 'auntie', Imoen. But enough distractions. Gorion had mentioned you in his correspondence, praising your fast friendship with his ward. You are welcome to come along.

Soma: I'm already going to Nashkel. My current companions wish to visit there as well.

Jaheira: Indeed? Interesting. In that case I think we should definitely travel as one. You can never be too careful about the dangers of the open road. Wherever they may spring from.

Jaheira is a multi-class Fighter/Druid, which means as a fighter she's limited to clubs and quarterstaffs and nonmetal gear. Her stats are a bit random, but workable. As a druid she has druidic magic, and can eventually transform into a wolf or a bear, so perhaps her stats don't matter much. Overall, it's an interesting set up.

Druid spells are accessed in the priest spell menu. I'll go over what these all do if/when we use them. Currently she has two Cure Light Wounds and one Entangle ready to cast (currently memorized spells shown in the boxes at the bottom). Cure Light Wounds is the important one as it is currently our only way to heal outside of potions and resting. Entangle will call up vines to constrict enemies (and allies) from moving in the affected area. It'll be useful for Soma and Imoen to pick off enemies with their bows.

Biography:

When asked about her past, JAHEIRA glares as she speaks. She says that she was born in the Tethyr region to a loyalist of the King Alemander regime, unfortunately during the Tethyrian civil war. Her family was among the nobles targeted by the angry mobs of peasants, and she was only spared because a servant girl took her from their castle before it fell. An enclave of druids in the Forest of Tethir was willing to grant shelter, and Jaheira grew up headstrong in their care. She believes the only way to protect nature is to have an active role in the world, but the cost of this dedication seems to weigh heavily on her mind these days.

She grows quiet when you ask about recent events, and while she gives the appearance of her normal, strong-willed self, there is a look of doubt in her eyes. It would seem that she has seen too many friends fall to remain unaffected. She does not like the subject, and lets it drop.

Khalid is a pure Fighter. And apparently, ugly. Look at that 9 charisma, ouch, it's the same as Montaron. Overall, nothing special here, but a serviceable character. His high constitution might seem like a lie since he will die often and quickly, but that's mostly the level 1 life in action. He comes with a longsword and a shield. 

Biography: 

When asked about his past, Khalid nervously reveals that he was born and raised in the nation of Calimshan. He does not say much of his parents, but you get the feeling that his merchant father thought little of him, devoting much more attention to Khalid's half brothers. Khalid thus threw himself into the martial pursuits, studying under members of the city militia. He doesn't go into detail on how he met Jaheira , but his adoration of her is obvious. When asked about how he knew Gorion, he will only say that they had long been friends, and that many shared acquaintances will mourn his loss with harpsong.

A few things to note: it's pretty rare to see a husband and wife team joining the party in a game like this. Also, Jaheira is really close to level 2 while Khalid has barely 42 exp to his name. What's up with that?

Jaheira's voice actor appears to be mostly known for playing Jaheira, but Khalid is voiced by Jim Meskimen. Again, a man with many roles, although none stand out to me as "oh yeah that guy!" He seems to play a lot of presidents in super hero media.

Regardless, we now have a full party, yay. 

I really thought Bentley would have a full tree of dialogue to go through since more than one person here talked him up, but he is simply a functional inn and shop.

I never did show the inn menu. There are 4 "grades" of rooms to rent. The grade increases in cost and in the amount of HP healed. Unless you're under a time constraint, it's really no big deal to rest at the cheapest room multiple times to heal up. 

We rest and also buy a bunch of arrows.

Next to the inn is the temple, we pay a visit just to check it out.

I have her identify that belt we found with Gorion.

This belt is honestly not all that useful in this game. There's so many fire spells out there. There is maybe one (1) Winter Wolf that I can remember encountering. This isn't Icewind Dale, after all.

There's a door here by the entrance gate that you can enter. 

Don't know why the only decent dialogue option is overly polite. 

Joia: Such manners! Well, I need a gruff hand for this task, so keep your "please and thank you" garbage for the nobles. I was robbed blind by some hobgoblins within sight of this very inn's walls and I need you to return the favor. They took my ring, and that's all I want back. Will you do it?

Imoen: *pushes you in the ribs* Our finesse is unappreciated here, my good lord.

Soma: I will help you.

Hobgoblins are our racial enemy, after all!

Joia: I thank you. The creatures were just north of the inn. I swear I could almost see them from the upper rooms. Bring my ring back here when you get it. You'll know it when you see it. It's a flamedance ring, and very striking.

The Friendly Arm is actually a keep, kind of like Candlekeep, so we go around the outside of the stone wall and then north to where some hobgoblins are.

We turn them into pincushions and don't take any damage at all.

One of them dropped this ring, which has a unique name (Joia's Flamedance Ring) but a generic ring description. 

We return the ring and are rewarded with a Reputation increase. This is a blessing and a curse, as we may see in the future. Reputation affects item shop prices, the higher the reputation, the lower the price. And since Soma is a Ranger, he needs reputation 8 or above else he'll become Fallen. Reputation rises by doing quests like this one and through the main story, and by donating at temples. It is dropped by stealing, hurting or killing innocents, and making evil choices. High reputation can make Evil-aligned characters angry and leave the party, and low reputation can do the same for Good-aligned.

Usually, your reputation ends up too high, making it hard to keep Evil-aligned party members around. In fact, there is a mod out there that adds bards to the game, whom you can pay to spread rumors to lower your reputation for you.

The party members will comment on reputation when it goes up/down. Since these two are Good-aligned they were happy to see the increase. I was expecting Montaron and Xzar to say something negative, but they remained silent.

I went back to the inn to seek more quests.

If this ogre isn't named Tetsuya Nomura--

She gave me one antidote per person. Better not get poisoned twice.

And that's all. Well, there is this guy, but the less said about it, the better.

Next up: Death by Belt Fetish Ogre.