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BONEGNASHER APPROACH
Orc Alliance
I switch out Elanee for Qara so that the party configuration includes Khelgar, Neeshka, and Qara. Khelgar provides the muscle. Qara will have fun blasting away large groups of Orcs. Neeshka will be good for sneak attacks. The additional reason I bring Neeshka along is that the Bonegnasher Lair will contain a pair of Bracers that I want for her, so I may as well equip her with them the moment I find them.
The video starts with a cutscene that shows an uneasy alliance between Black Garius and the Orcs. Valeria and her companions arrive at #1 on the Bonegnasher Approach map.
At #2 are some Orcs. Valeria, Khelgar and Neeshka hack away at the two that come forward. Qara blows away several that are hanging back. It is really in this kind of situation, with the opportunity to blow many foes away with mass damaging spells, that Qara is truly in her element.
Rockslide
At #4 is a fight against a very large number of Orcs. Qara uses Fireball after Fireball on any distant Orcs that are clustered together. The other party members go to work flanking the other Orcs and setting up back stabs. Valeria always keeps herself protected with Mirror Image as well.
There will be another fight a little east. Valeria leads them back to the rest of the party, where she, Khelgar and Neeshka cut them down. Qara takes out the two archers one at a time with spells like Fireball and Magic Missles.
At #5 is a rockslide that I can't get past for the time being.
Trolls
I first head west to #3, where I encounter a Troll that has partially devoured an Orc. In the off-hand chance that anyone reading this is a member of the uninitiated, you can always bring a Troll down to zero health but by itself that won't be enough. The Troll will slouch on the ground in an effort to recuperate its health. You must inflict either acid or fire damage on it while it's in this recuperative state in order to finish it off for good. The Bone Phoenix that Khelgar is using happens to be perfect for the occasion. Spells like Flame Arrow or Melf's Acid Arrow or even the arcane cantrip Acid Splash will suffice as well.
I then wind my way east, north, west and then north some more. At #6 will be several Orcs who are at once awaiting the return of one of their scouts, but also apprehensive about getting attacked by Trolls. I have more than one option. I could try to Intimidate them into leaving, although Valeria is unlikely to succeed at the skill check. And besides, I wouldn't get much xp for it. I could wait it out, whereupon a Troll chasing an Orc soon show up. The rest of the Orcs scatter. I would only get 54xp for killing the Troll, and a very slim chance of killing at most one of the Orcs for an additional 39xp. I instead prefer to kill off the Orcs immediately. All but one of them are worth 39xp each.
I follow the tunnel eastwards to its natural end, killing several Trolls along the way. The way into the Troll Cave is at #7.
Troll Cave
There will be more Trolls to fight throughout the cave. There will also be the occasional dead Orc lying about with items to be looted. The dead Orcs at #2 yield a Light Hammer +1 and a Tower Shield +1, the latter item becoming an upgrade for Khelgar.
There is a particularly powerful Troll at #3, which I still manage to wear down and kill. It leaves behind a Swordsman's Girdle (+5 slashing resistance) which I'll have Casavir use in the interim when he joins, as well as Troll Blood. The Troll Blood can be distilled into a Weak Water Essence and a Weak Power Essence. A nearby chest has a Scabbard of Blessing (Aid (3) 3/day, Bless (2) 3/day).
Box of Unstable Blastglobes
At #5 is another ore deposit that will yield ingots when I take over Crossroad Keep, as well as 50xp. A crate has several Blastglobes (that I will just sell off), as well as some Unstable Blastglobes. I then backtrack and place the box of Unstable Blastglobes near the rockslide at #5 on the Bonegnasher Approach map. Qara uses her powers of fire to detonate the Unstable Blastglobes and blow away the rockslide. The way is now open.
Approaching the Bonegnasher Lair
Now I make a sweep of the eastern portions of the Approach, killing all of the Orcs that I can find. It goes without saying that Qara has a lot of fun whenever she can catch as many Orcs in a cluster as she can with her Fireballs.
At #9 is the first time I find the Halfling who calls himself Guyven of the Road. He will have a role to play much later on in Crossroad Keep if I speak to him enough times during Act I.
10th Level
Now everyone advances to their 10th level, and there are several highlights.
One highlight is Neeshka hitting her 9th level, and acquiring her Two-Weapon Fighting feat.
Elanee is now beginning to acquire multiple instances of Call Lightning Storm, so she phases out her Call Lightning spells and replaces them with Extended Flame Weapon spells.
Qara acquire the Firebrand spell, her first spell that allows her to inflict fire damage on her enemies in a large area of effect, but without hurting any of her comrades should they be within the same area of effect.
Qara, having reached her 10th level, can now can add the acidic enchantment to a weapon. Valeria places two Faint Earth Essences into the Alchemist's Workbench. She uses her Mortar & Pestle on the Workbench to create a Weak Earth Essence. She then places her Rapier into the Magician's Workbench along with the Weak Earth Essence and an Emerald. Qara now casts a Melf's Acid Arrow on the Workbench to add +1d6 acid damage to the Rapier.
Valeria acquires the Craft Wondrous Items feat as a bonus feat upon taking her 5th Wizard level. This allows her to craft Headbands of Intellect and Boots of Striding and the like.
She is now also able to inscribe several 3rd-level spell scrolls that she had either purchased from Sand or had found as random loot: Weapon of Impact, Vampiric Touch, Improved Mage Armor, Flame Weapon, Haste, and Keen Weapon.
The entrance to the Bonegnasher Lair is at #7.
