Wow! Well that was quite a time in the Vahnatai lands! Whew!
I did all three of the tests and got almost all of the goodies. I had to leave a couple of minor items behind in the speed test, because quickfire chases you through that one.
I also got lotsa points by tackling ALL the hellhounds and ice lizards in the cave where you try to awaken more Vahnatai. Naturally, after I finished it, I found the way to avoid that fight. However, I did it and got lotsa loot.
I started to go west, but it looked too tough. I talked to the Council and now have access to the portal to take me back to the Avernum caves, but I decided to do some more exploring in the Vahnatai area before I did that.
And whew! I tried to go north through the maze of cliffs to get to the lava dome, but that clearly was going to be too tough (the game does warn you about that). I kept saving to be sure I didn't get myself in too deep. Decided not to do the lava dome just yet (although I do have the similaricum spell and it would be nice to grab a demon for it). Then I tried the Vahnatai bandits and managed to do about half of that. But by the time I met the leader of the pack, I was pretty sure I didn't have quite enough oomph left to truly tackle that fight.
So I sneaked back around the way I came, but on the way I found evidence of who really took the crystal souls, and also a nifty spell that added to my resistance. Thought I could just sneak back out the way I snuck in, but met a band of warriors and a mage, and had to fight them to get out. I was in a good spot to just put poor Aldous in the forward position. They only attacked him, allowing me to use range attacks on the pack of enemies while I kept healing Aldous. Managed to get by them that way, and it wasn't really even that tough.
I've had to use up my return life scrolls. No doubt I will find more, but sheesh! Some of those fights were tough. And of course, that's the way it should be. Doable, but tough, therefore fun. And I know enough about these games that I know I can return to the bandit fort and clean it out when I'm stronger.
I'm really enjoying the Vahnatai lands. I remember lots of it, but some of it has to be new. The best thing about it is that Jeff has just poured lots of humor into these alien types. When you first meet them they struggle to speak English, but later on they get fluent and wry. Lots of hilarity.
For tomorrow, I think I'll go see what that western area has to offer, and if it's too tough for now, I'll go present the damning evidence to the Vahnatai council and portal up back to Avernum. There should be plenty to do because the Vahnatai took down the barriers, so I have access to the rest of the game area (including the main cave, with the Castle and the Tower of Magi and Patrick's Tower. Those things never change--well, one does, but I'm not gonna spoil it!)
But that was a truly productive playing session! W00T!
No comments:
Post a Comment