#and dir still has not found a full-time replacement for everburn so i think that's just. his sword forever lmao

[soulventure91]

Diric has at LAST finished Act 2! One PC death and a remake later. [His choices, impressions, etc under the cut]

Entering the Shadow-Cursed Lands from the Underdark was different from his first go (emerging from the pass and lying to summon Kar'niss before siding with the Harpers at the ambush site), especially given the curse itself! But he saved the Harpers that initially appeared and gladly went to Last Light to meet Jaheira (and hearing Karlach squeal in fangirlish delight) and Isobel (protecting her from Marcus's ambush!), as well as reunite with the surviving tieflings from the Grove!

Speaking of re-meeting the survivors, Diric of course checked on Dammon and provided the second piece of infernal iron to help stabilize Karlach's engine! Diric gave her her first hug in ten years like the softie he is.

However, it was Wyll that fully captured Diric's heart as they danced one evening - this time Dir inviting Wyll to kiss him after stealing one off of him at the end of Act 1. This did mean Karlach had to have her heart broken because of her intense feelings for Dir (which he shares!!!) and was not going to share him with Wyll (but this is what post-game fic is for).

Getting into Moonrise was fairly straightforward thanks to the tadpoles - though witnessing Ketheric Thorm's immortality gave Diric huge pause. He avoided all conversation regarding the Prism and its contents (as far as he knew at the time) and instead slid out to clean out Reithwin of Thorm's twisted relations. In so doing, Dir then found Art Cullagh's lute and helped Halsin rescue Thaniel and Oliver in preparation of undoing Thorm's curse!

Definitely had to savescum a few times on entering the Gauntlet and meeting Balthazar - and deciding to off him right there in his office. [Pictured above: a failed attempt prior to reloading] But we got him down, and completed all of Shar's challenges successfully to enter the Shadowfell and come face to face with the Nightsong. SOMEHOW, Diric got a natural 20 against the initial DC 30 persuasion check to keep Shadowheart from killing Aylin! She was then freed and helped tremendously in battling Thorm at the top of Moonrise Towers - she practically soloed Thorm to drive him to the colony underground while Diric and friends clobbered the skeleton wizards, bone doggy, and True Soul necromancer. Of course Diric's military time came to the fore in the colony - save who you can, kill all else. So Zevlor and the two captured Flaming Fists were successfully saved, as well as Mizora.

Fighting Thorm himself was actually quite straightforward - after all, when you hit level 9 just prior to the descent, this saves a lot of rough HP gaps - even more so when you boost your CON! No need to reload as Shadowheart and Wyll dropped Flame Strikes and Gale unleashed an Ice Storm to buy Diric the necessary space to get to Aylin (even if he did try to hit Thorm a couple of times on the way and realized the immortality was back in effect). Even though I was ready for Shadowheart to pocket-heals for Aylin, that moonlight deva absolutely wrecked Thorm - even if Gale did finish him off with a well-placed Fire Bolt.

At least, until Myrkul decided to show up.

And yet! The party plus Aylin were speedy enough to take down the avatar in two rounds, with Diric finishing him off! Thus the Chosen of Myrkul got his ass beat. Diric tore off Thorm's Netherstone and heaved an exhausted sigh of relief. Even if there's an elder brain controlled by Chosen of two-thirds of the Dead Three running amok, plus an army of mind-controlled thralls with tadpoled lieutenants ready to transform into mind flayers on command.

But despite it all, the curse is lifted. And now Diric and friends head for Baldur's Gate...

...though waylaid by the revelation they're carrying a renegade mind flayer that likes to be called The Emperor as well as gith prince Orpheus inside the Astral Prism. And Diric has absolutely no intention, whatsoever, of evolving into a mindflayer.

But that's all farther down, deep in the streets of Baldur's Gate itself.