Sleeping and leaving for Baldur's Road: long cutscene with companions, Gortash; I arrive at the next camp and am basically forced to have another long rest (interrupted by Githyanki attack), presumably to flush out the last of Act II, after which non-party members have disappeared until long rest, and Jaheira has permanently disappeared from camp. Also, raspberries, raspberries everywhere. It's the only night spent in that camp, so pick 'em all.
And after another longrest and going out of and back into camp, Jaheira is back.
Rivington: Horus Crysst (civilian by barricade) has Raphael's face! (This was changed in a later patch.) Rhol, the dancer in Sharess' Caress, has his horns. Gortash's posters look worse than his actual face, although the broadsheet picture of him is accurate.
Don't bother donating, the Fists are skimming it.
When I said Asty needed a friend, not a lover, he took me up on that, and was surprised when I asked him up before Zethino's at the circus. We're in Act 3, so is it too late to start a romance now? My char does say "Maybe this will bring us closer" when told to speak to Ast (nope, this is general, he's said it about Wyll), but Ast only uses "friend" greetings. (I did take him to the Orlith twins, he complained we hadn't slept together yet.)
It's SO annoying when a character makes a successful Perception check and I have no idea what they've seen. At least traps light up. (Especially annoying: that impossible haystack near the mill in Rivington. Looked it up and it's one acid arrow.)
I sacrifice the Iron Flask to save Rugan, only to read that Roah swiped it!!! The Guild are thugs, but the Zhentarim are worse. Also, if I return the letters from Scratch/Gomwick or from Tara's nest, Danzo takes one and ignores the others, which he should also take off my hands! Correction, he doesn't take Gomwick's letters at all.
Heh - Mamzell Amira thinks Raphael ("Devil's Den") is working as an escort. So does Hoots Hooligan, who is apparently trying to pry details about Raphael's sex life from Korrilla, who ominously says "You do not want to know." (Added in patch 7? Korrilla says something about not being his taste and Hoots says that "our Nym" is rather refined. Also if approaching Korrilla for the first time, she says she's not for sale and here on business, until she recognizes the speaker.) Korrilla also says (if spoken to after taking the deal) that Raphael is always right although he is so wrong. (And in the House of Hope, will say that everyone is mad.) Hello cognitive dissonance.
The drow twins have taken a vow to protect each other. That is soooo sweet.
Naoise Nallinto - with the mindflayer kink - imparts bliss (and a big buff) purely through words, which would work rather well for a sexless, cerebral illithid. Also, not only Ery but the whole party closes their eyes for her buff (but it only works on Ery).
Korrilla wanting to know why we didn't accept Raphael's deal is like these newsletters that pop up a "why don't you want to receive this newsletter" dialog when you unsubscribe.
Remember how I friendzoned Astarion, then brought him to Zethino? Well, when dating the drow twins - who insist on including Astarion - he says that I have made the grave error of not sleeping with him, which a double date with the twins will correct, and that gets me an "Astarion approves". I leave Wyll and his raven on a chair and join the twins with Astarion and Halsin.
The Underdark Pleasures room is past the Devil's Den, the door is unmarked and usually locked. It is beautiful on the inside with its Underdark vegetation and even has a Sussur Tree (flowers not functional or harvestable). I had to make the walk towards the room turn-based because I kept losing the twins. Once we were in the room and I addressed them, they initiated combat. I had to unwield Nyrulna and then dismiss Astarion's mage hand (the second is probably more important) to start a conversation with them. I tried having Halsin talk to them; if addressed by a not-main character, Nym says she's feeling frazzled and Sorn says he's busy with someone else.
During the act, Astarion steals the show, so Halsin doesn't turn into a bear. Still the happy scene of them jumbled on the bed afterwards.
After the act, we're all in underwear (armour non-visible, not-underwear camp clothes taken off) and Nym wears Haarlep's gear while Sorn wears githyanki undies?? Halsin is ready to reminisce about his Underdark captivity and hopeful we'll become a polycule. (One option is to say that must be why he was harsh about drow earlier, I assume a Minthara-related change made by a patch as he has not been harsh about any drow before.) Astarion has nothing to say both in the room and back in camp, still using the friend greetings. (Although he progressed from "favourite travelling companion" to literally "friend".)
I just checked: apart from horns, black sclera, cheekbone ridges and neck ridges that might be scars, Wyll doesn't look devilish. His body hasn't changed and he has no tail. (Also, underwear, especially for males, rides really high up the bumcrack. They look permanently wedgied.)
Sorcerous Sundries: a couple have named their cat Lord Pawtash.
Some kids near the Blushing Mermaid are imitating Steel Watchers in play, one pretends to be an Absolutist spy.
A racist yellow elf Saer (title, not first name) Manzarde (near Printinghouse) has Astarion's hair.
If I give the noblestalk to Derryth rather than Shadowheart in Act I and buy some in Derryth's shop later, Shadowheart no longer accepts it. (Noblestalk doesn't cure memory when bought.) But at least I can keep buying noblestalk (does she grow it?) and it's a handy cure-all.
In Bloomridge Park, which lures me towards the fountain through harvestable plants and two children arguing over a ball that they don't want to fetch, my party is attacked by Orin's followers. I tried to save all bystanders and Fists, but after being saved, Manip Edenosa was possessed by the Elder Brain which told me to kill the two Chosen and that I had a place in the Grand Design, then she died from the strain. Maybe I should have let the Bhaalists kill her. When Wyll and Asty and me visit the park for the first time, Wyll loves it and Ast hates it by daylight (it's close to Cazador's palace).
Welp, had the Halsin (non-bear) love scene. Ast now calls me "dear friend", it seems I've been friend-zoned even after our fivesome. Halsin, however, lets me kiss him all the time.
Roah Moonglow, who'd stolen the Iron Flask, tried to frame Rugan for it, as evidenced from a note on one of the Zhents in the Guildhall, who also carried the chest containing said Iron Flask. It is now recovered, without having to kill Rugan. (I kill Roah in the fight to get Minsc back.)
In Wyrmrock Prison in one of the cells, where a talking skull appears if you've been imprisoned, a skeleton contains an outline for Gortash's inglorious true biography.
Old Troutman (Heapside Strand) is useful for getting fish for Tara.
Finally knocked out Minsc after accidentally killing him, then reloading a save. Killed Roah too, so Thieves Guild are allies and I don't even have to return to the Guildhall (as I've already killed Roah's accomplices) to finish this quest. (Apparently Minsc still needs to talk to Nine-Fingers or he will be a captive of the Zhents in the Epilogue.)
Minsc is sorta funny, including crude humour, and sorta loud. He plays drum in camp (Elfsong tavern) despite not naturally having musical ability. When he goes to be reclassed by Withers, he gets main-character dialogue options, like asking where Arabella is and Withers asking him why he is alone. Jaheira is constantly talking to a rat under her couch (one of the "messenger rats" found around her house?). Karlach seems to have lost her teddy bear.
When I open an owned cupboard in Derryth's bedroom, I'm warned by a Steel Watcher outside; apparently they can see me through a first-floor window.
I finally took on two hirelings as camp casters: a transmutation wizard for Longstrider, Mage Armour (Gale/Karlach), Darkvision (Gale/Minsc/Lae) and crafting double potions, and a cleric of light for Poison Resistance. I wish I'd done so much earlier, as the base material for lightning resistance elixirs - broken machinery - is limited to what's found in Lenore's tower. But Oliver Tefoco sold me a lightning resistance potion, and Araj Oblodra, a radiant resistance potion. Vicar Humbletoes sells psychic/universal ones and holy water.
When the camp caster casts Longstrider, Freedom of Movement, Mage Armour and Poison Resistance on Scratch in camp, Scratch still has these buffs after a long rest. Does summoned Scratch have these buffs? Don't know, I rarely summon him as his habit of running straight into traps makes him more trouble than he's worth. Casting Darkvision on Scratch in camp won't work because, unlike summoned Scratch, he's not an "ally".
Transmutation wizards can bestow one transmutation stone (resistance to an element) per long rest for one person. They may make a second or more stones within that long rest, but making a new one cancels the old one, as does the wizard leaving the party. Also, companions, once they sacrificed and prayed to a god, keep the blessing permanently; only the main character needs to pray daily (I discovered the main char keeps it permanently too). So it's a shame I can't let Minsc and Lae (who weren't there when we picked our gods) join due to a donation-related bug.
The two-turn invisibility of the Menzoberranzan cowl was enough for Astarion to (in turnbased mode) run to Sarin's coffin behind Aelis's back and attach her skull. Ast turned visible while being given the reward, and was visible while he lockpicked the gate behind her coffin and emptied the chest, but remained unnoticed, and fast-travelled from there to camp. (Returning from camp starts a battle.)
Going back to Nine-Fingers after killing Roah and recruiting Minsc: turns out there was a Zhent in the Guildhall (Trinoda). She initiated combat but was instantly shot by a Guild member. She carried two carrion crawler tentacles.
There is supposed to be a quest in the Guildhall between Severn and Cheeky Nora, but the latter is nowhere to be found. (Wiki: she's only present if you don't free Oscar Fevras from the Zhentharim.)
On my travels I found a regular Harper's pin, and one that is engraved. After combining the second one with the desk in Jaheira's house, I now have two regular ones.
Droona Shveitz, in the graveyard when I enter a kobold battle after digging up the grave of M. Kurwin, is an unarmed, unarmoured, suicidal level 1 dwarf who runs at the kobolds, and is killed by them unless I kill all kobolds before she reaches them.
On the shore near the Blushing Mermaid: two crabs contain carrion crawler tentacles. In a pile of rotting fish, (perception check) I find a reeking bag with a treasure map. I also find a loose board near where Flaming Fists are confiscating liquor for the pub, but can't do anything without being spotted, as it's in plain sight.
After giving the "brave" response to Golbraith to get his sword, I pillage his cellar (especially the alchemy ingredients). Sorry, it's all for a good cause. That dumb dog Scratch, spotting something, will happily traipse across a trap, causing Cloudkill and getting killed. Reload from save! (Was not needed, he only perma-dies in camp.)
Us and the cat disguise: when Us, Grub and Yenna are listening to the main player play the spider lyre (playing the spider lyre is the same as performing The Power, except with cheering noises) Yenna keeps calling to the "kitty" which I assume is Grub, but when she says "I don't see a collar. Can I keep it?", it's plain she's talking about Us.
At least since patch 7, any key needed for a locked door is pulled out of the Travel Chest. No more lugging keys around!
I saw in a Youtube vid that vendors' inventories refresh, not only after long rests, but also after a character levels up, so I should have levelled up charas one by one to buy the maximum of Angel's Slumber potions from the circus. Oh well. That's for next playthrough.
In Auntie's lair in the Blushing Mermaid basement, where her four victims were sleep-talking about their delusions, I put one Surprise Teddybear by each Pearlspore Bell, though that wasn't enough to one-shot them. (Us could not jump on the large keg leading to the hidden door in the basement, and stayed behind. Scratch died to a trap again.) The plan: after abducting all Tipplesome Patrons (to the city sewers), three party members stay in the basement near the haste spore shroom to dispatch the sonorous Pearlspore Bells, while the fourth throws hagsbane at Ethel/Grisly and runs to the basement after Vanra is freed; the real Grisly has Tasha's Hideous Laughter cast on her. After that, the party was praised for fighting the redcaps, even though they had been transported to the city sewer. Returning to the sewer after the fight, the redcaps were dead as if burned to ash. This meant their shrapnel bombs did not go to waste.
Due to cashflow problems, I've made Astarion pickpocket vendors (especially Araj) with mixed success; I detached him from the group, so when found out I was always "innocent", but he did always get discovered after a number of (successful) attempts.
Oops, returned to Rivington with Shadowheart and now Ferg Drogher called out to her. Dissed her. We killed him. No one reacted. We got the gem for the gemless ring, and combined it into a tarnished ring. Also Mattis acted as if he saw us for the first time, but since we last left Rivington, patches 6 and 7 have happened, and may have reset something.
Dammon seems hardly aware of the goings-on in his basement with lolling-tongue-devilheads (not directly reachable from his living room, we had to walk around his house), especially not the part behind the breakable wall, with blood banks, devil horns and some infernal marble in a pot. This part has its own stairs that deposit me inside the Devil's Fee. Also, it's too late to have him change devilfoil masks into orthonic bombs, I should have done that in Act II.
Lodge: doctor Moorcomb, "spore expert", has become addicted to myconid spores and had to quit cold turkey when he ran out. Blurg still has all the things we sold him in the Underdark.
By Foundry gate: rescued Volo by having main char dash to him, pick up all smokepowder barrels and send them to camp; someone cried thief but nothing more happened, probably because we were in combat. Ast summoned ghouls. We had nonlethal on, but Shart Sacred-Flaming the cultists made them burn, or maybe it was her Divine Strike:Poison (no, it was Karlach's Ichorous Gloves and Caustic Band). Continuing past the shore, we intercepted a shipment of 2 boxes for the guild by pretending to be Guild, and even paid (Nine-Fingers owes us!) for the shipment (drugs, weapons) rather than killing and looting the shippers. We climbed to the bit of pier near the Blushing Mermaid, Ast used Cowl of Menzoberranzan to lift the loose plank while invisible: nothing but a key (for the Sailor's Chest nearby) and a wine bottle.
After short rest: Asty's ghouls did not recover lost hit points.
And now we have Volo in our camp. I can finally trade for his Ring of Whispering Promise.
The waveservants are religious loons. The temple of Umberlee appears open, but I'm not allowed on its second floor. There is a secret space under the building as well, but entering gets me attacked for trespassing. Once I've committed to avenging waveservant Holli's death, I'm allowed to question and even loot her body. The main char, after Speaking with Dead, drops the body with a sad grimace. The oil from the sub has polluted the whole harbour; I may not regret killing the pilot.
Refugees are complaining that they don't have enough money to pay for an escape by boat, and wahey, the game lets me interfere and offer to pay the difference! I thought this would be one of those unalterable complain-loops. Karlach likes me for this. Good thing Asty wasn't there, he'd hate that. Although I could only afford it because of his pickpocketing.
Taking the ghouls to the spot nearest the Upper City, where I can hear the brain whisper, I give a concert for which even Fists gather, and Steel Watchers stand still rather than patrolling. Then it's off to the cursed boat (instant disease when setting a foot on board, except for Ast's ghouls who are immune) to shove an imp overboard (after getting acid resistance). This boat is close to the patrolled area behind the Counting house.
Inside Flymm Cargo: "Ghoul has taken Key from Erynios using magic pocket", this is a thing that Danse Macabre ghouls can do?? The key is visible in the ghoul's inventory but I can't transfer it. Ast touches the locked ground floor door, this automatically passes key from the ghoul to him.
Bug: offed Redhammer, can't turn in the quest to Allandra because main char doesn't reply to her question. Update hotfix #28 happened; bug persists. Filed bug report. Maybe I should go back to the save just before talking to Allandra, get the quest, and do the Steel Foundry first. For now, I save at finding the sub but not talking to Redhammer, and go off to kill Sarevok at Candulhollow's.
I wasted cleric spell slots warding everyone against poison when Hero's Feast gives immunity to poison, disease and fear. (Could Hero's Feast be cast by a cleric who then leaves the party? Does everyone have to stay close to the cleric for the effect? Both: no, and if the cleric removes the spell from the spellbook after casting it, the effect is removed from everyone.)
Plan for Sarevok:
In the prisons, I found one dead Flaming Fist (with an unfinished love letter to Quil), many buckets, and worg dung, ew. Together with the bones from the urns, I'll be selling that to Helsik.
The dead Death Knights' bodies are surrounded by fancy food and drink because Hero's Feast was cast at the entrance.
Did Stop the Presses. Good replacement articles: one near printing press, one upstairs in wastebasket in a corner behind Ettvard Needle. Party was ungrouped; Astarion used ring with Pass Without Trace for stealth boost and therefore could not cast Invisibility (because that would break concentration), so had to waste in total 3 invis potions and 1 speed potion getting the article and sneaking past the Steel Watchers.
Attempt 1: tried to have Astarion's mage hand throw a wastebasket, which destroyed it, but did not cause a fight. While others were busking at the entrance, made Astarion sneak to room door behind Ettvard, which unlike the basement and elevator doors, is not guarded. In this room is some treasure and notes, but there is no direct way to the elevator or basement. After looting two locked chests, he took a key and was discovered. Tav spoke to Ettvard and was sent out. Focusing back on other party members: Shart was inside and suddenly felt she had to leave. Ast and Karlach had jumped on the roof (has its own cache), broken through to the elevator and jumped down, and were unharassed, although seen, and Ast shooting an arrow at the lever (which could not be moved by the mage hand) started a fight. Reload save.
Attempt 2: Ast sneaked to door/room behind Ettvard, pillaged books and chests, tried to rifle wastebasket but was seen, went invisible and hid, lost invisibility when snagging article, but at least theft was not detected. While others busked again, Karlach and Ast jumped up the roof and down to the elevator, Karlach threw potion to make both invisible, but Ast became visible through getting hurt when jumping down. He must have used the lever, as he was downstairs with ghouls and mage hand. There's plenty of sellable cruft in the halls where the Steel Watchers patrol, but it must wait until after the destruction of the Steel Foundry. He sent mage hand to open a door to the north, which was detected by the Steel Watchers: they both went after the hand, opening the door between the two halls. Ast took an invis and speed potion to sneak past both watchers and through the gate in one turn, then opened the door to the printing press in the next turn when the Watchers stood with their back to him. (The mage hand was destroyed.) Then Ast pillaged the printing room and put a new article in the press. Due to no fast travel, he had to sneak all the way out again - fourth invis potion! - and go up with the elevator, after which all except Tav went to camp and Tav had the option to tell Ettvard that a new story had been loaded into the press, which Ettvard didn't believe.
Elevator lever: if the party is ungrouped, no matter how many people are in the elevator, only the one using the lever is transported to the basement.
Minsc usually beats his drum or shaves his head, but also does balancing exercises in a tottering way, with Boo on his head, until he stumbles and Boo falls off.
The fire explosive is a dud and can be sold. It's also like a ball; if thrown near Scratch, he will fetch it and give it back. Of the drugs, the dream mist bottle can be thrown for a bad effect (it sent Mizora off); terazul gives haste and stacks with speed potions. Miscellaneous sleep and poison bottles can be thrown, but near and not at characters. (Throwing the empty wine bottle of paralytic poison at Volo caused the non-party characters to start combat with the party members.)
Spiked bulb (can't be bought in Act III) is interchangable with scrap and shrapnel grenade (Ethel's redcaps). Caustic bulb is smaller version of caustic brine barrels and tanks. Void bulbs have no late-game equivalent and should be bought whenever available.
If wearing the gloves that summon Quothe the Raven, will removing the gloves after summoning unsummon it? - Yes.
For Orin's quest, I'm using Halsin, Jaheira and Minsc because they haven't been in my party up to now (I favour Shart for Spirit Guardians, Ast for lockpicking/sneaking, Karlach for carrying/throwing and Gale for spellslinging). Minsc is decked out in items by Yrre the Sparkstruck, Halsin gets the poisoner items and Lae'Zel will get the acid items.
To find Bhaal temple, "blood the skull" to make the door open, then ungroup all, wildshape Jaheira to panther, make invisible, sneak to Temple of Bhaal waypoint, all go to camp, regroup, go to waypoint and later attack cultists outside temple from there (so they can't blast us off the walkway). Do NOT enter the room to the left of the walkway's end, it alerts the Power Word Kill dude. On the passages to the waypoint, various statues flare up and say things about Alaundo, but that doesn't break Prowl mode. However, this leaves Quothe stranded at the entrance as it was left behind by Jaheira and can't independently go to the waypoint or return to camp for regrouping. I switch out Halsin for Astarion to deal with the traps, to unlock the chains on Orin's victim, and because Ast wears the Bhaalist amulet.
I brought Jaheira and Minsc for their comments on Orin's "art", and they said nothing, but at finding the clown's head, Ast laughs and says something like "not so funny now, eh, Dribbles?" We do a search for loot. A path branches off towards the Morphic Pool, it crawls with cranium rats, and Emps warns us to turn back. I interrupt the Bhaal temple quest to return Dribbles' parts. Moving to Rivington reunites Jaheira and Quothe, who, I hear back in the Lower City, has "pretty feathers". Passersby say nice things to us. And at Beehive General Goods (no lightning resistance potions this time, bad luck), the narrator says the merchant is now inclined to be generous; I should have done the printing press quest as soon as I set foot in the city.
Before the fight: quick test how haste and terazul stack. They add up for a total of 3 actions. In combat, they can be combined by tossing a Haste grenade (action, only hastens for 1 turn, cloud of spores remains 3 turns), then consuming terazul (bonus action?). Also, test if Sleet Storm and Spike Growth cancel each other. Spike Growth does cancel the ice of Sleet Storm, but has a smaller area and so is surrounded by a ring of ice; sleet continues to fall. It is possible to cast Insect Plague on top of that.
Get scrolls from Gale. Bring for Lae'Zel: Barkskin Elixir, Balduran's Giantslayer, Ichorous Gloves, Fleshmelter, maybe Caustic Band and Githyanki Boots; she doesn't have many turns to equip them. (This turned out unnecessary, she had the gear she was wearing when abducted and I couldn't give her more stuff.)
Concentration spells/summons available:
Consulted Reddit. Crybabies on Reddit: waah this fight is so poorly designed and unfun because I don't wanna figure out how to win it (when the whole thread offers all kinds of solutions).
Main chara opens door with Bhaal amulet that Astarion wears and continues wearing, it is not passed to opener's inventory. Opening battle: knock out three guards patrolling entrance, for use with Spellthief (Orin doesn't seem to notice): start with Astarion sneak-attacking while dual-wielding, that removes the two charges of unstoppable on the closest one. Asty's next attack is a bite to grant him Happy status.
After tackling this trio, we move to the left and right passages where the corpses of Orin's victims are guarded (the guards don't become hostile if a bottle of water is broken near them so that they and Minsc, wearing the Watersparkers, are standing in it), then to a high ledge above Orin's bedroom from where Astarion can pick off the guards with arrows, after which Ery, with extra jump/fall power due to Nyrulna, jumps down to her bedroom for a chat with her impaled mother. When all is looted, the party returns to the entrance for a short rest.
Beating Orin:
Killing the chanting cultists took too long! I should have used less concentration spells and more throwables. After Orin's death, two dead cultists rose as Bloodmarrow Skeletons, leaving their bodies a pile of viscera.
Don't bother taking anything for Lae'Zel, she acts like a summons and you can't give her stuff, and after the fight, she just goes straight to camp. Fortunately, she still had everything she'd equipped before being kidnapped. However, she was constantly either scared or dazed from Orin's attacks, and so, only tanked and did not fight.
I can't talk to Scratch outside camp. He just stretched his hind leg, that's so cute. Us stretched its legs too.
Since we snuck past the cultist ambush to the temple waypoint, we will now tackle the cultists from a less precarious position. But first: respec Erynios into Storm Sorceror, which makes him resistant to thunder and lightning, since he no longer has enough sorcery points for Bend Luck anyway; he can now get more high-level spells, as Sleet Storm and a lightning spell are part of the class, and Dimension Door scrolls are common. There's no point in respeccing Minsc to raise his hitpoints, they will never go above 100. (Have Ast pickpocket Withers later.)
Returning from temple to kill Farslayer, cultists: group shares elixir of see invisible. Jaheira, invisible panther, summons air myrmidon, dryad who summons wood woad (all invisible); Astarion summons mummy, Minsc Boo, Erynios Us, Scratch. Erynios is invisible. The wood woad and dryad climb two ladders up the structure to the right of the end of the narrow bridge. If the wood woad hits Farslayer Ghislev, it becomes visible, and Ghislev teleports to the spot where you go through a triangular opening to the temple, and through the left opening to enter the building with archers.
I can't find the smokepowder barrel (near invisible archers - turns out I stole it earlier) any more, so I look that up in the wiki. Luke, six archers and three dagger throwers should be on the roof, upper floor (smokepowder barrel) and lower floor of the building to the left. Why can't I see them? I can only see Ghislev, and that only when Minsc gets close.
When Jaheira is in panther form and prowling (invisible) she stops being invisible when she uses Dash. Her wood woad and dryad turn invisible when they Dash. For Erynios, when invisible, it makes no difference.
Erynios, after Misty Step to roof which costs invisibility, is at exact location where Strangler Luke is, fails a perception check, sees nothing. Wood woad hits Ghislev who teleports down; it, dryad, mummy and Boo lost Invisible because Ghislev spotted them, but only the wood woad is in combat. The ghouls, who were too far away, have joined combat. Minsc shoots an arrow of arcane interference to stop Powerword:Kill and thereby enters combat; Ghislev is silenced for one turn. The others do NOT show up, even though my party, mostly visible, is at the spots where they should be. Should I have let at least one party member go to the start of the bridge? Should I not have attacked Ghislev or killed Orin first? It's strange how See Invis only spots Ghislev. Reload from save.
Consulted Reddit again:
This method works because it seems that the adds only spawn in if he has the initial turn to summon/call them in. NO OTHER ADDS SPAWN. He also DOES NOT cast his 5 turn one shot spell. This method completely bricks the encounter and makes it so that he only teleport away, runs, and stands still not knowing what to do. You can then proceed to take down his unstoppable stacks quickly and then finish him off.
Strangler Luke spawns during the Ambush on the way down from the bloodthirsty door (Act 3, Undercity Ruins) to Bhaals temple. The first attempts to get through the ambush I mistystepped all of my party to the right from the path to where the Kill Word Challenge Caster is. The problem is that Strangler Luke only spawns if you go down the path to the left.
In my case Ghislev does say his line and start the ritual, so the adds don't spawn anyway. New plan: either we restart from before fight (natch) or someone (Astarion with his double dash?) goes to other end of bridge to hopefully detect ambush. Also, detach Jaheira's dryad so it doesn't pop up back at her side when combat starts. And turn off non-lethal. THIS DOES NOT WORK. Astarion is surprised when he enters Ghislev's sight cone while visible, but no other adds appear, although they did appear before killing Orin. Okay, join together to kill Ghislev (Spike Growth and arrows work well) for his lousy spear and loot the place. No Bonespike Gloves for Karlach.
The suggestion that the cultists are summoned ghosts implies that they were killed in service of Bhaal, and the food and notes they left are old. Maybe the skeletons near the bedrolls are theirs. Maybe they were killed because Strangler Luke tried to depose Orin. Hanging over the ground floor is a corpse called Unholy Diversions, the narrator lets me know it was used for target practice. Two cultists have co-written a diary boasting of their bloodiest kills (was this Orin and Dark Urge?).
Back at the Elfsong, dismissed wood woad, dryad, mummy; one of the first two cast Twisting Vines on leaving (that are still there the next morning). Danse Macabre ghouls couldn't be dismissed, so had to ungroup Astarion when going to sell Bhaalist loot, although ghouls didn't scare civilians when the party busked near the entrance to the Upper City. At camp, Jenna still can't actually prepare food. When going to talk to Astarion, despite having friendzoned him, Ery says "First in my heart".
Lae'Zel actually missed two levelups! This should reset vendor stock, so I go to the circus in Rivington, and everyone is gone. Going from Rivington back to Baldur's Gate to deal with Ghislev probably did it, this is still the same day that Dribbles' parts were returned. There is red-outlined loot lying around, for which I should bring Astarion along sometime.
Attempting religion: Lae'Zel chooses Bahamut, Minsc chooses Mielikki. Each offers all of Erynios' money, and gets the line about being allowed to pray once per day, but no money is taken and they can't pray and don't get Anointed in Splendour.
Not being able to donate to gods (so I can't get Lae and Minsc to join) may be a bug caused by Patch 7. https://www.reddit.com/r/BaldursGate3/comments/1fa6ak2/ stormshore_tabernacle_ui_bug_patch_7/ says put gold in pouch, donate pouch.
Busked near Augur Harxkellan to interrupt his praises of Gortash. Got no coin, but a passerby commented on us being the heroes from the gazette, and that obsequious woman, Sadar Illanov has changed her tune to Ettvard Needle being a hero for telling our story - so I guess he won't be mad that we changed it - but is disheartened that heroes get so much attention in the gazette, as she feels it drowns out her own story. News Hawker Jason runs towards us as we approach. So does News Hawker Jonah, but he doesn't care about us. (Each News Hawker can sell us one issue a day.) Pritt Yellowbreath complains our story is taking up too many pages.
When buying scrolls at Sorcerous Sundries, I see, in Rolan's inventory, one Otiluke's Freezing Sphere scroll for free. It can't be bought.
Is this a bug? When I pick an item up and mark it as wares, then put it in a backpack, it is no longer marked.
Figaro's has two pouches on the floor that I forgot when I rescued him. Did they belong to the shapeshifters we killed? Sending the weapons in the pouches to camp makes the pouches go poof. Turns out that when/IF bodies disappear after a few days, they leave pouches of belongings behind. Which are belongings that I could not loot from the bodies, so they're extras.
Swapped out Lae for Ast, who still has four ghoul pictures attached to his own, but they are "dead". Looting Figaro: I stole all his paintings upstairs (he's got quite the atelier) then unlocked the hatch next to the upstairs and snuck into the basement. Ast detected a blastmine trap behind the wall (Ery's magic missile wasn't strong enough, so Minsc drank potion of cloud giant strength and bashed it with a staff). Not much loot.
Then looted deserted circus. All the weapons/armour/jewellery/book on the djinni's display can't be picked up (attempting to do so will push worn/wielded armour, weapons, jewellery out of their slots), although the potions might be drunk and the scrolls read. The performers left their food, liquor and musical instruments. A chest contains a performance-enhancing pointy hat. Going inside the area backstage, we find the rusty axe used to dismember Dribbles, and circus music plays.
Then found hidden chest behind Sorcerous Sundries, near angry cabbage salesman.
When busking, if the main chara fails the performance check and the other performers don't, listeners still don't throw gold.
A Wine Goblet, though empty, can still be consumed to become Drunk for two turns, so bottles of liquor can be reserved for camp supplies.
Back at Wyrm Rock to present Orin's stone to Gortash. As foretold, the inauguration room is full of Iron Consuls (Banites) and dead patriar/servant bodies, those near the incinerators burned, most of them empty, but the bodyguards have armour, weapons and food; all bodies can be freely looted. I plan to kill the Banites after destroying the Steel Watch. Most food and wine on the table is red-outlined, I stole some white-outlined dishes. Now to find the way up to his office. The only white-outlined door leads outside where steel watchers patrol, wall repairs are going on, and there are stun traps; but all containers are freely lootable. From a vantage point where a chest is disguised as an illusion, I spot a noble who managed to get outside before dying. Minsc, with his superior perception, is sent ahead, travelling around in a big U-turn, to spot all the traps, climb a ladder and jump to the platform on the next floor, where most is lootable, but not the three Bhaal cultist corpses (sent by Orin to assassinate Gortash, and killed by the Steel Watch or the stun traps?).
When Boo dashes or jumps, his animation - rearing up on his hind legs, then sticking his butt in the air - is unbelievably cute. Neither Jaheira nor Boo and Us can jump across to the platform on their own strength, so she shatters a potion of glorious vaulting on all three. Beyond the Bhaalist corpses lies a locked door, but Minsc has enough dexterity to open it with the thieves tools he found, hallelujah. Not so the locked opulent chest, so he sent it to camp. Behind the door, there is a ladder up to the top of the fortress, ballistas round the edge, and a chest with two arrows of transposition, should we need to get around; also a lever that positions a ladder downward, to a room full of busts, which I could also have entered through an outside door one floor lower. Behind the busts space is a drinks and rosewood cabinets space. Behind that, the office with a bed in the corner; I should loot all of Wyrmrock Fortress again once the Steel Watch are destroyed, because doing it now causes a fight.
It's made clear here that Bane appeared to Gortash in his dream (first Bane and then the artefact, Gortash is clearly susceptible to dream imagery) and Gortash commissioned a portrait of Bane to make him "doubly immortal". A plan by Gortash reveals that Lord Jannath had an affair with a "rent goblin" that he can be blackmailed with (Gortash should know all about the Jannath family and romantic affairs). If Karlach comes along, she WILL start a fight if not told to calm down, and threaten him otherwise (his look of alarm is very satisfying). Then I have to talk to Gortash again, who insults Karlach, plays the "gimme the stones" game (any answer not ending in a fight gets disapproval from Karlach, Jaheira, and Minsc, who also threatens Gortash) and stands there, saying we will meet at the Morphic pool. Reload save, and this time I ungroup and approach Gortash alone. We make a deal without angering anyone, except the Netherbrain who rants at me for not killing Gortash as soon as I fast-travel to the city.
I go to camp to stash some loot. This is the Rivington camp, and suddenly Wizards and Clerics (Gale, Shart and two hirelings) are incompletely rendered in inventory screen - bug? Then I sell loot at Bonecloak's and go to Elfsong, all is well-rendered again. Time to sleep. Next morning, there's a small earthquake.
This is getting a bit long. To be continued in part 2.