So I am a bit miffed to learn that although I've reached Level 30, and plus, even though I'm earning levels, I won't get my skill points until I hit level 35. Sheesh. What a thing to spring on an unsuspecting player right at the endgame. I've pumped Mycroft, my mage, as full of wisdom crystals as I can. I hope I can get him up to the priest Return Life spell. He's on level 34, so when we get Hawthorne, or maybe during the fight, he should level up and I might be able to get that spell going in both my spellcasters. Next playthrough I'll know to concentrate on wisdom crystals. It seems you indeed can get to level 61, but that's only achievable with wisdom crystals.
I succumbed to one of Jeff's moral dilemmas: I tried wiping out the Kyass Freehold. This is a new town to this game (it was in Avernum 6) of people who just wanna be free from the Empire and from Avernum. It's a quest from our commander in the Castle though. Also, the Empire spy under Formello wants us to help Kyass. Now, maybe she only wants to keep a thorn in the side of Avernum (although it really isn't hurting Avernum at all), or maybe Kyass also is an Empire spy, I dunno. Kyass does have us recruit two veeerrrry dubious mages to join him. But the people there are just innocent folks. So I tried wiping them out just to see what happened, and I'd put it right if it turned out to be a bad thing. But I got 1,000 coins, and a Hero's Necklace as a reward! That is a huge reward. I kept it, and I'll bet I was able to slay the demon more easily because of it.
But wow. I had forgotten stuff. I had forgotten to always hit my Protection, and War Blessing, and Haste spells along with the cloaks and wards. And those things were right there in my quick spell slots. That's what comes from not playing for two months.
Anyway, I managed to slay Grah-Hoth, the great demon. This is one of the three major endgame quests. Also, it was quite funny. You meet these little imps who help you get in to kill the demon. He's enslaved them and they don't like him. Best dialogue in the game.
At first, of course, I ran all my flock into a nest of demons and got slaughtered. However, picking these guys off one by one is a cinch if you just hide behind the wall. You are, of course, meant to do exactly that--that's why Jeff gave us that nice wall.
Once you get in with the actual demon boss, however, there is no place to hide. He summons lots of helpers, but these go down with ranged spells pretty quickly.
Still, it got down to Aldous, my tank, and Cordelia, my priest, both with invulnerability potions. I let the other fighter and my mage go at the very last, once I'd slain the actual demon. Problem is, you have to get rid of all the little helpers he's summoned. Once I found that the eyebeasts went down with Divine Fire, I was able to finish.
Nice treasure too.
Now I'm after Emperor Hawthorne. I have reached Hawthorne himself, but am having trouble keeping my spellcasters alive. I have to keep the priest alive because she's the only one who can do Return Life. So she gets invulnerability elixir. (On my second try, I gave her the elixir and everybody else got killed, but she did too, even though she was still "invulnerable," because she got stunned so I couldn't get to her return life spell before they swarmed her completely.) I think I'm gonna back Cordelia and Mycroft into a corner, shield them with my fighters, and just go after the golems with ranged weapons and spells. I've got a buncha rods of succor. I'll distribute those amongst the whole party so I can keep everybody alive. From reading the Spiderweb Forum, apparently I only have to get the golems, and then I can get Hawthorne. I'll take care of the dervishes and mere sorcerers later.
Anyway, I'm off for another try!
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