The Cursed: Durlag's Guardians

[Part of the Cursed story line]

Despite knowing there is a demon knight lurking about, the party descends into Durlag's basement and finds the locked doors that stopped them before to still be an obstacle as both Tiax and knock spells have no effect on them! Instead Quayle finds hidden levers that manipulate the portals and let the party deeper into this floor.

While the traps are still deadly and numerous, so are the guardians this time around - with greater doppelgangers and spirits of Durlag's past haunting the halls. Tiax rejoices when one such spirit drains all the life from Quayle, but isn't laughing for long when he steps on a trap that makes a hallway literally crush him to death. Ew.

It's pretty dark but that area used to be a hallway.

A circle of inward facing, lightning shooting wyvern statues is used against some of the defenders but upon reaching a guard chamber with four doom guards the team is just too demoralized (and too weak) to continue. Once more, they abandon the tower for other pursuits.

Insight: If it wasn't obvious yet, Durlag's tower is hands down the hardest adventure zone in the game.

The Cursed: Unfinished Business

[Part of the Cursed story line]

After much searching through the city, the team finally finds Catharina's poisoner at a tavern and slays him for the antidote he carries around with him. What an odd assassin. The party then has to do some "evil" aligned stuff to placate Tiax, such as stealing a telescope from a museum and stealing some sea charts from a shipping company.

Pleased that they aren't "goody-two-shoes" Tiax agrees to accompany them back to the Cloakwood mines and with his skills, and the knock spell Catharina learned at the city, they free the slaves of the lower levels and finally flood the mine.

Evil parties can do this much earlier and just drown everyone!

One of the freed prisoners, a dwarven cleric named Yeslick, offers to join the party. They accept as healers are in big demand where they are heading next... back to Durlag's tower. A tourist group from Ulgoth's beard is present this time around in the main entry but they are slaughtered when a demon knight appears out of nowhere, declares the tower his own, and fireballs the room before vanishing again.

Only the party, and one tourist who somehow avoided the blast, survives.

Insight: If you gain too much reputation by doing good things, evil party members will complain and ultimately leave. The same is true the other way around.

The Cursed: Faceless City

[Part of the Cursed story line]

Only now do we finally reach the titular city.

Having lost yet another party member, the team heads to Baldur's Gate proper to look for new blood - but despite finding numerous thieves in random houses none are willing to join the group. Indeed, all they find is trouble when they find out an assassin has poisoned Catharina and she now only has 10 days to live! Good thing it wasn't one of those instant death poisons huh?

Knowing that timed-quests are a thing, the party focuses on city exploration and soon run into the Iron Throne head quarters where without hesitation, they launch a full assault. Instead of finding a cure, they find that most of the Iron Throne leadership has been replaced by doppelgangers and a greater one incinerates Faldorn before they are all slain. The druid barely survives and abandons the party to recover back in the Cloakwood.

This goes for the other merchant leagues in the city as well and it seems someone named Sarevok is to blame. Needing a drink from all this knowledge the party gets into a bar fight against a competing adventuring party whom they slay, which attracts the attention of the murderous Tiax - who asks to join. Since they've been looking for someone with his skills, they accept - much to Khalid and Quayle's disapproval.

Insight: Baldur's Gate is a huge city and some districts are divided by walls. The direction you take to enter those areas dictates which side of those walls you will appear.

The Cursed: Is this Azkaban?

[Part of the Cursed story line]

Down the well the party runs into a dead end by way of locked doors and without a thief or knock spell, they have no choice but to leave Durlag's tower for now. Instead they head North across the previously closed bridge at meet Flaming Fist captain Scar who asks them to investigate the Merchant's League at Baldur's Gate.

The smarty pants gnome cleric Quayle joins them for this task, but Catharina decides to detour to the unexplored Northern lands first - helping a farmer against a zombie horde and discovering the small settlement of Ulgoth's Beard. This quaint village is curious due to its fascination with Durlag and his tower. They even have regular tours to the place!

An arch-mage runs the town and he asks for aid in recovering his cloak. A simple task on the surface, but when Catharina accepts she her team are teleported to a wizard island prison where most of the inmates equal parts powerful and crazy. Shar-Teel is immolated by a flame strike early on, but the team manages to clear all the scum and recover the cloak, which earns them a return trip to the village.

Flaaaaamestriiiike!

Insight: Damage over time attacks such as Melf's acid arrow or poison works well against spell casters as it increases the odds of having their spells interrupted - basically wasting their move.