[Let's Play] Baldur's Gate 3 - part five

9 months ago

Ellu'kha and her group were still afflicted with mindflayer parasites. They were searching for Halsin, a druid healer who could hopefully remove the horrid things from their brains before it was too late.

While searching for Halsin they had been accosted by a devil, Raphael, who wanted to bargain with them, who Ellu'kha swiftly denied, and they had met some people who worshipped the Absolute... and they had believed Ellu'kha to be a 'True Soul' blessed by the Absolute. It had been a most disconcerting encounter that Ellu'kha wished to forget.

They travelled onward and were soon greeted by several corpses laying in the middle of the path just outside of a ruin. One of the corpses was a goblin.

Suddenly on alert, they crept forward towards the ruin and peered inside.

A goblin guard accosted them. The goblin had a symbol glow across his face just as the woman they had met — and fought — earlier. This was another being who worshipped the so-called Absolute.

Her parasite stirred once more, and this time she thought it best she allow it proper access to her mind. There were scores of goblins here. She did not like their chances of battling this many with just the four of them.

With the parasite's influence, she demanded the goblins to allow them entry... and then felt dismayed that she had done such a thing. Hopefully Halsin was here. This parasite needed to leave. Now.

They continued on through goblin territory and found a more fortified encampment up ahead.

Feeling bold as she had just connived her way past the outlying goblins, Ellu'kha strode straight up to the goblins guarding the entrance.

The goblin would not let them pass. He had the same mark on his face as the others who worshipped this Absolute, but she lacked the strength to summon the worm's influence again.

She instead tried to chat with the goblin about his beasts. Being a ranger, she knew much about them after all. He was impressed with her knowledge and wanted to invite her inside the encampment to meet his beast's litter, but he couldn't, not unless she was painted in their war colours.

He gestured to a pile of droppings on the ground.

Ellu'kha wrinkled her nose. She would do no such thing. Leaning down, she grabbed the shit and flung it in the goblin's face.

Battle ensued.

Utilising her arrows, Lae'zel's sword, Gale's magic and Wyll's magic, they strategised as one. Gale magicked several of the goblins to sleep, Lae'zel charged in and dealt with the archers, while Ellu'kha jumped up high and rained arrows down below.

Then, Wyll ended the battle with a great whoosh of fire from his hands, before the final goblin could raise the alarm.

It was finished. There would be more goblins inside. They had to be careful.

They stepped further into the goblin encampment... when a wave of pain washed over them all.

A voice swirled through Ellu'kha's mind and interacted with the parasite. It called for them to heed it's command, to obey. An image of three figures appeared in her mind: an elf, a man, and a woman. If Ellu'kha obeyed the voice she, too, could be Chosen like these three.

Suddenly, Shadowheart's artifact flew out of nowhere, burst into life and repelled the voice and vision. All returned to normal.

Ellu'kha wished that Shadowheart was with them, so she could further question the woman as to what this artifact was, so she quickly set up camp and barged over to her.

Shadowheart wasn't surprised that the artifact had taken Ellu'kha as its new owner, though that would be problematic... she needed it. Ellu'kha asked what it was and why it was so important and finally Shadowheart lowered her shield.

She had been tasked with retrieving the artifact for her Goddess, Shar, and to deliver it to a secret enclave in Baldur's Gate. She didn't know just what the artifact was, but that it was powerful. Ellu'kha needed to keep it close and it would assist her when necessary, but just know, Shadowheart would find a way to take it back once these parasites were gone.

That was fair enough. Ellu'kha grabbed her party and together they returned to the goblin encampment and their search for Halsin.

Inside, it appeared that the goblins had captured a bard. He was singing made-up on-the-spot songs about the Absolute and a terrified aura radiated out from him.

There wasn't much they could do to help this man amidst hundreds of goblins, so they walked past him and entered the main ruin where she imagined the goblin leader was. Once he was taken care of, the goblins would surely be in disarray and it would be easier to escort the tieflings away from the druids.

When they entered the ruin, Gale suddenly keeled over. He needed a magical artefact to consume. Now.

Ellu'kha was loathe to get rid of one of her few magical items they had, but he clearly needed it. She quickly gave him a magical necklace then watched, mildly disturbed as it absorbed into his body with a purple glow.

And with that, Gale's pain was gone.

That was most disconcerting. She would definitely need to keep a few 'throwaway' magical items at the ready for the next time that happened.

Further into the ruins, she was accosted by guards who refused her entry. She couldn't persuade them and she was incapable of summoning her worm's power at the moment. So she tried to read the goblin's mind and use her own thoughts against her.

It worked!

The goblin allowed them passage to go inside and speak with their leader... only, there were three leaders. Which one did she want to speak with?

Three leaders? This was going to be more difficult than she had first thought. They were going to have to kill three leaders, and likely their lackeys too.

In the next chamber, one of the leaders was interrogating the corpse of a mindflayer. The leader stopped his interrogation and looked up at Ellu'kha and her group, sensing their parasites. He welcomed the 'True Souls' to the ceremony and bade them stay and watch.

Ellu'kha stared at the mindflayer and watched as the hobgoblin interrogated it. Was this one of the mindflayers she had killed? What secrets was this man trying to get from the creature?

"Who killed you?" his voice boomed. A sudden sharp pain stabbed through her mind as the mindflayer's memories were split open revealing an image to all of those connected by the parasite — an image of herself.

The hobgoblin turned to her and questioned her, but she managed to persuade him otherwise. The interrogation of this mindflayer had failed.

The hobgoblin was easily persuaded and told her where she could find another of the 'True Souls'. It seemed that this other True Soul was located at the back of the ruin. Ellu'kha decided that they could take this leader out first then make their way back to the front. Slowly, methodically, taking out the goblin leaders one at a time.

This True Soul was a drow... who was disgusted that Ellu'kha, a wood elf, a faerie, had been chosen by the Absolute to be a True Soul.

Ellu'kha ignored the racist comments against her and demanded the location of the druid Halsin, she had been sent to retrieve him. The drow was surprised she knew about the druid and refused to give up his location.

They would have to find him the hard way, though it was gratifying to know that he was located in these ruins by the sounds of things. With that knowledge secured, they could now take out this leadership.

Ellu'kha jumped up on a ledge and instigated battle.

This leader and her goblins had high defence and it was difficult to pierce their armour, but finally, they succeeded winning this battle... after several close calls. Two of the goblins had to be shoved off the cliff. Which was fine, but it would've been nice to have looted their cold, dead bodies.

The leader was wearing some fine armour that Gale could make use of — to wear, not to consume. And she also had some nice boots that Ellu'kha claimed.

There were still two more leaders to take down, and after that battle they were so tired. It wasn't the most opportune moment but they desperately needed to rest.