[Thadius]

I will be doing Durlag's Tor in multiple short updates because I cannot bring myself to spend any more time in it than absolutely necessary to finish off one floor. Multiple floors in one day is just too much to ask of me. Anywho, let's clear out the last floor without horrible death on it!







It appears we've found the only smart man of the last adventuring party to come down here. Ah well, let the pain begin.



Welcome to level one of Durlag's Tor! I'm not going to bother putting up specific screenshots except for the notable things. Just assume every square inch is trapped and if you so much as sneeze you'll set something off. Which posed an interesting dilemma for Imoen: was something trapped or not? Will you live if you open it? (hint: sometimes she didn't!)









Ah, the warders. These guys and their riddles tripped me up so many times. And you'll see why soon! The riddles themselves are not that bad, once you find the components. It's the whole 'doing the riddle' bit that tends to be...annoying.



The library on the western side has tales of Durlag's exploits.





Reading all of them...



Solves one of the riddles! 1/4



This is something of note for one reason: That trap there? Fireball trap. Might have other effects too, but the fireball is the important bit. It's also completely incapable of being disarmed. I don't blame Imoen for this one, even on an optimally built thief, you cannot disarm that trap. Durlag was serious about protecting his bedroom.





This has the same armor class as what Jaheria has on right now, but for some reason it is slightly better than the Ankheg stuff. Go figure. Kahlid gets the upgrade, once again becoming impossible to hit. Another thing we find in Durlag's room is a bunch of grapes. That could be useful...



I can only assume due to the money everywhere and the proximity of this room to Durlag's pad that this is his own personal stash. Can't fault the guy, really. In one of the piles of loot, we find a Lapus Lazuli gem. 2/4



Oh. We also found the key to Durlag's strongbox, which had a lever in it. We fix up this machine while looking for more riddles. Getting closer...



In another room, we find a mallet head. It took me a minute to remember where the handle was, but when I found it I brought Minsc over here to get the mallet fixed up. Very close now...



I send Minsc over to use the mallet when he runs into GRADE A BULLSHIT. EVERY monster in this place can respawn except the skeletons or the flesh golems. Not watching the spider room? Too bad! Phase spider up in your face now!

Fortunately he put these zombies down for the third time with no trouble.



Striking the gong causes a chill to run up our spine because we know we should have heard something, but didn't. 3/4



Because we fixed that earlier engine, the wine-press works now. Using our grapes, we make some lovely red wine. 4/4!









After you turn in all the answers to the warders, they attack you. Let me repeat that. Four warders, two of which are made of one of Durlag's sins, ATTACK YOU. Fear isn't so bad. He's sort of a blurred, slightly-faster doppleganger. Avarice is painful, he releases a cloudkill upon sighting you, and can turn invisible at will. Love is easy if you get rid of his protective shield, can take a Skull Trap to the face, and can resist being Dire Charmed. The murderer is Pride. The first thing he does is Draw Upon Holy Might, and I think he has a Haste effect. So what do you do?

You send in someone who can turn invisible to turn in the rewards, then you make them turn invisible. After which, you trigger Avarice. His cloudkill will make Pride attack him. Yes, you read that right, they will attack each other, but only if you're not there, so you need multiple instances of invisibility. Pride will attack Avarice for no effect, while Avarice can plink away at Pride until all his health is gone. Wait for the cloudkill effect to wear off, then get Fear to follow you back up to the rest of your party, where he can be murdered. Do the same for Avarice once you put Fear down, but be warned, he will turn invisible once every other round or so, after which he will backstab someone for double his usual damage. Then just bum-rush Love and win!



I make it sound easy. It isn't. Getting this screenshot was the hard part. Next time we explore the next circle of my personal hell. But wait, I promised you lot a contest. It is as follows:

ATTENTION ALL MINECRAFTIANS. ATTENTION ALL DWARF-FORTRESS PLAYERS. THE CONTEST IS FOR YOU.

Whoever can make the most accurate reproduction of Durlags Tor in either game will win a prize. I will not favor one game over another, though if you do it in Minecraft, I may need you to make a video of it since I am sadly crippled by my incapability to play it. Monsters are not needed in your reproduction, though they will add bonus points. What I am looking for:

- Lava
- Mechanisms eerily similar to the things I will encounter/have encountered
- General shape and color of Tor, both above- and below-ground.

What is that prize? Well, let's see...

1st place: When book two starts, and yes, I have resigned myself to doing book two, the winner of first place will determine the order of things in the first few chapters. This also means I might hate you more if you tell me to do things in a way I do not appreciate, but then again, that's something you're all used to by now anyways.

2nd place: Will determine some of the more interesting moral choices towards the middle of book two.

3rd place: Will determine the order we do things in book 2.5 And yes, there is a choice factor in there.

You have until I begin book two properly. Which at this rate, might only two, three weeks. Though knowing this Tor like I do, might be MONTHS.

LET US BEGIN!