White Cyclosa (Day 14)

I haven't been playing Baldur's Gate II nearly as often as I'd like. It's not due to a lack of free time either. I tend to procrastinate, even when it involves something I enjoy...and I can't really explain that, either. It's a big part of why I have such a massive backlog of games left to complete. Sure, sometimes I just decide I don't enjoy the game enough to finish it, but in many cases I really like the game I'm playing and just lose focus for some reason. This was the case for Persona 4, a JRPG that I could count among my favorites. I loved the game, but it took me over two years to finish due to a combination of a short attention span and an insanely frustrating dungeon--and I actually discussed this on this blog for one of my first entries, before the whole LoL ranked game documentation thing.

So it is that I'm playing BGII at 4 in the morning before I have to go into work at 11. It seems like it's the only time I have the motivation to do so! I just completed a quest to stamp out a dangerous underground cult worshiping a blind beholder. I grabbed Anomen and Keldorn to help me complete it and thereafter tackled some of their personal quests. Keldorn's wife has been unfaithful and he required my advice (because apparently that was completely my business) whereas Anomen's sister was allegedly murdered. I was responsible for mediating a dispute between him and his father--again, completely my business. I'll have to hang on to Anomen for quite awhile since his final quest requires that he be level 15. After that I'll most likely ditch him since he doesn't really fit my plan.

I encountered a shady wizard in the sewers who sent me on a quest to retrieve a mirror from his escaped imp. After doing so, he entrusted to me his slave, a mysterious Tiefling (whatever that is) by the name of Haer'Dalis. I sent him on his way to his theater company, but he requested that I grab a gem that was important to him--located in the wizard's abode. After I deliver the gem to him and complete the quest that follows, I'll probably keep Haer'Dalis in my party for awhile. Since I'm done with Keldorn, he seems the obvious one to replace. Even though Keldorn is powerful, he'd come into heavy conflict with some of the other party members I want to experiment with--such as Korgan, Viconia, and Edwin.

I'm actually starting to wonder if I should keep Aerie around. Initially I chose her as the protagonist's romantic interest, but after reading about how long and complex the Jaheira romance is, I wonder if that might be the better option. That would solve my dilemma on which of the two druids in the game to use as well. Furthermore, Aerie is extremely frail, with about 1/3rd the hit points of my other characters. Since I'll have Anomen for awhile and Jaheira possibly permanently, I have plenty of divine spells at my disposal. Jan, Imoen, and/or Edwin could provide me with wizard spells.

I really enjoy games that force you to make a lot of decisions and have optional content. I've spent a great deal of time exploring the city of Athkatla and tackling optional quests and there are honestly a lot more left to do. I'm sure Imoen is starting to wonder if I'll be coming to rescue her. She'll have to wait quite a bit longer, I feel.