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[jastey]

21 minutes ago, Oloriniel said:

Turns out it was simply rescheduled, and the ask comes after the parley. 

You mean the parley with Caelar at Dead Man's Pass? De Lancie not calling the hero to Phossey before that does sound like a bug to me.

[Oloriniel]

Went back to a recent save to take a closer look.

After unmasking Hephernaan, fleeing from the basement, and returning to camp, a Waterdhavian guard tells me to find the officers at the Dead Man's Pass parley.  Phossey is present, but says we have to wait for the 3rd participant.

So, off I go to the parlay, in progress on arrival.  Just in case, spoiler tag:

 

Spoiler

de Lancie: If I understand you correctly, you're willing to surrender your troops and abandon Dragonspear Castle.  All we have to do is give you the Bhaalspawn.
Stonehand:  You'd better not be considering this offer, de Lancie.  We all know you're a coward; don't be a traitor too.
Argent:  You understand my position, then.  I need the child of Bhaal, but only for a short time.  I shall return them safe, unharmed, within the week and disperse my troops from Dragonspear Castle.
Imoen:  Unharmed!  Suuure, that makes so much sense after sending assassins earlier.
de Lancie: I only intended to clarify the offer, Stonehand.  No need for accusations.  Ah, Celebrindal, there you are.  We've only just started negotiations.
de Lancie:  By no means will we agree to this!  We know about your treacherous plan, Caelar.  marching into Avernus?!  Repeating the unspeakable evil that lead (sic) to Dragonspear being overrun by fiends in the first place?
Nedelok:  Plus, we know that you aren't master of your minions yourself. Whatever you were planning on achieving, it will fail, Caelar!
Argent:  Listen to me, Celebrindal.  The lost souls of the Dragonspear dead need a hero.  That hero is you.  Join me, and together we shall liberate the souls trapped in the Nine Hells.
Me:  You're up to something, Caelar.  If it were that simple you would have just asked for my help instead of drumming up an army and sending assassins after me.
Argent:  You know nothing of me, godling.  You have no idea of the compromises I've made, the people I lost, to stand here today.  If you did, you would not be so quick to condemn me.
Ashatiel:  I told you, my lady.  Boareskyr Bridge was an omen. This--this person cannot be trusted. You cannot rely on them to do the right thing.
de Lancie:  Please!  Ther's no need for such inflammatory language.  We're all working toward the same end here.
de Lancie:  Unpalatable compromises must sometimes be made, for the greater good.
de Lancie:  But not in this case.  We will not hand over our greatest asset in this fight against you, Caelar!
de Lancie:  As much as it aches me that there will be no easy way to prevent war, having Celebrindal go with you would be madness!  We will do anything in our power to stop you!  This meeting was pointless, to say the least.
Argent:  Time is now our enemy.  If someone else seeks the Bhaalspawn...I cannot wait any longer for you to see the light.  What will not be given freely must be taken.
Emily:  I can't believe this.  She really thinks she is right.
Argent:  I can see you and I are similar.  How can you not see the light of my cause, in my call for liberation of innocent souls?
Emily:  I am with Celebrindal.  As tempting as it is to liberate lost souls...you have shown nothing of merit to any of us.
Argent:  If there were time I would take the time to convince you.  But time runs out, and we must march.
Hephernaan:  As you command, my lady.
Argent:  When next you see my banner, it will be at the head of the army that marches on you.  For righteousness.  For justice.
Stonehand:  RIghetousness?  Justice?  Woman, you have lost your mind.
Nederlok:  So be it.  Everyone, back to camp.  Prepare for an attack.
de Lancie:  May Tymora favor us.
*** Caelar & co march offscreen ***
de Lancie:  The audacity of that madwoman!  To ask for the Bhaal child to be handed over, making it sound as if that would bring a peaceful ending to the crusade's doing!
de Lancie:  I am very glad we already knew what she is planning in the end, Celebrindal.  It spared us the temptation to explore her offer.
de Lancie:  Well, I sincerely hope you're worth what you just cost us, Celebrindal.
Stonehand:  Guess it's war, whether we like it or not.
Nederlok:  Let's get you hack to the camp, Celebrindal. You're not safe here.
Me:  I have more information concerning Caelar's plans we need to discuss right now.
de Lancie: Do you have anything else you want to share?
Me:  There is a portal to Avernus beneath Dragonspear Castle which can be opened with my Bhaal child blood, and I know that this is what Caelar is planning.
de Lancie:  A functioning portal to Avernus, right beneath the castle--and it will pop right open with just your blod?!  This is grave news.  This is very grave, indeed!
de Lancie:  You tell us this *now*?  After we just parleyed with the ones who need you alive and asked for you to join them?!
Stonehand:  Am I glad we didn't agree to this seemingly easy way to end this war...we'd have open (sic) a hell hole instead - literally.
de Lancie:  If the crusaders get their hands on you...it was madness, letting you come here!  We need to keep you in the camp, away from people's eyes...or send you far away!
Me:  Caelar might just find another Bhaal spawn when I'm not around.  Maybe she already has, and that's the reason there were no further attacks on me
Stonehand:  I will not let Celebrindal sit in camp so my soldiers will have to babysit her!
Nederlok:  We need to stay calm.  We will not send Celebrindal away or make her a sitting duck when there is so much work to be done here.
Nederlok:  Celebrindal faced - and fought off - Caelar's assassins before.  Accompanying the Flaming Fist up to here, she faced crusaders and almost Caelar herself.  Tere was no visible attempt of any crusaders to get a hold of her so far.  I know that you agree - she is our greatest asset, and we will make good use of her strength to bring down Caelar.
de Lancie:  You better make sure your hero doesn't get caught, Nedelok. It would be more than a disaster.  It would mean hell breaking lose (sic) - literally!
Nederlok:  I am aware.  De Lancie - neither you nor General Stonehand knew who Celebrindal was when you saw her first!  We can assume this is even more the case in the crusaders' ranks, and bounty notes will only get them so far.
Nederlok:  Celebrindal, I am your commanding general, and I need you in this fight.  Having you run investigations will be what will draw attention from you - hte less you are seen with us officers, the less you will be recognized by our foes. I trust in your capabilities to stay low and out of the enemies' hands.  We have no other choice - the enmy's plans are horrifying.
 de Lancie:  The reinforcements you've brought are a welcome and much-needed asset, Celebrindal.  YOUR presence is problematic.  Many are...disturbed...by tales of Boareskyr Bridge.  It would be best if you were away from the camp for a time.
me:  Considering what I endured to reach this place, this isn't exactly the welcome I'd hoped for.
Nederlok:  Everyone has a part to play here.  The hero vanquished Sarevok.  If they can do the same to Caelar, it's to everyone's advantage.
de Lancie:  If we've any hope of defeating the crusade, troop morale must be maintained.  Your presence works against that.
de Lancie:  As it happens there is a matter that requires attention a ways from here.  Words has gotten 'round that Caelar's forces are receiving supplies via caverns beneath Dragonspear Castle.  We have a rough idea where the entrance is--beyond Dead Man's Pass, as the locals like to call it.
Nederlok.  That's assuming the information we have is accurate.  Torture usually gets you answers, but it doesn't always get you the truth.
Me:  Torture?  Tell me this isn't true.  Are we so afraid of Caelar Argent, are our principles truly so weak that we stoop to such vile deeds?
de Lancie:  I'd stoop lower than that if it meant saving the life of a single soldier under my command.
me:  Does this sort of talk make anyone else uncomfortable?  Because my skin is crawling right now.
de Lancie:  Judge me if you must, Celebrindal, but for the Sword Coast's sake do it after the Shining Lady's been dealt with.
me:  Fine.  Let's pretend we haven't flung ourselves from the moral high ground and be about our business then.
Nederlok:  We have reaosn to believe Caelar Argent's top advisor, a priest named Hephernaan, is quartered in Dragonspear's basement.  We know very little of Hephernaan, other than he apparently has Caelar's ear.
Nederlok:  Of course we know what you already found out about him - that he is a traitor to whatever "righteous" cause Caelar is planning with her crusade.
Nederlok:  He is working for a fiend - if there is a person with dark plans, these couldn't get any darker.
Nederlok:  But we do not *know* anything about Hephernaan.  Who is he?  How powerful is he?  Are there other fores at his disposal, waiting to attack?
Nederlok:  Which neaves the raised points.
Nederlok:  We have to stop Caelar and her mad crusade, one way of (sic) the other, and we will need your help for this, Celebrindal.
Nederlok:  We already know about the portal beneath the castle and her options to open it.
Nederlok:  How does she think she will succeed in this undertaking, how in the nine hells can she be so sure about succeeding.  If there is any divine power helping her, we have to know!
de Lancie:  Focus on stopping Caelar and the crusade, Celebrindal. This is all that matters.  They are not to open that portal!
de Lancie:  We do know that a series of caverns runs beneath the castle.  We believe Caelar is channeling supplies through the tunnels rather than attempting to break our perimeter.  So there is a way into the castle from below.
me:  You want me to use the caverns beneath Dragonspear Castle--our enemy's stronghold--to break into the castle--again, the stronghold of our enemy--to try and gather intelligence about this Hephernaan?
Nederlok:  That is what needs doing.  Will you do it?
Me:  I'd be lying if I told you I wasn't...unsettled, knowing how you cae by your intelligence.  But the Shining Lady is the greater danger.  She must be dealt with.  I will do as you ask.
Stonehand:  Good.  Well, be about your business, then.
de LancieL  We must prevent the portal to Avernus being opened at all cost.  Knowing what it would mean if Caelar captured you... This has to be prevented at all cost, do you hear?  Do not reveal yourself, ever, to the crusaders, and be ready for attacks from their assassins.  Flee here into the safety of our soldiers if any trouble arises!
de Lancie:  Just so we're clear, Celebrindal, our resources are limited and our focus must be on containing the castle.  We simply don't have the personnel for a rescue party.  If you should get into trouble outside this camp - it would be really bad if that would happen, knowing what Caelar needs your blood for!  So live up to your reputation as hero of your city and do not get caught!
de Lancie!  Before you leave, there's a tent near the camp entrance that belongs to a dwarf named Phossey Dugdeep.  Go see her: she's been working on something you might find useful as you explore the underground river beneath Dragonspear.
Drake:  You know, I never thought I'd miss the feeling of being ordered around again like some common soldier.

*** end ***

When I return to camp, Phossey is missing and the crusade is attacking.


Note:  Before I enter the Dragonspear basement, de Lancie is standing near Phossey.  Phossey is unresponsive to a click.  Clicking DeLancie I get:

de Lancie:  What are you still doing here?  Make yourself useful--go take care of the caverns 'neath Dragonspear.
me:  I plan to.  But before I do, I would know everything there is to know about Caelar.
de Lancie: Intelligence collection is a continuing effort.  We know she is an Argent, and that her family was held in great esteem within the Order of the Aster.  It took some digging, but we've learned Caelar was raised at one of the Aster's compounds.
me:  I've heard of the Order of the Aster.  They are holy warriors in service to Lathander.  You say Caelar belongs to this group?
de Lancie:  She no longer has any association with the order.  As far as we can determine, there was an incidend of some sort.  Caelar was little more than a child at the time, but her name was struck from the Order's records, and she was cast out.
me:  So she's no friend to her former order. Do you know who she came to develop the belief system she espouses now?
de Lancie?  I suspect it involves her advisor, the so-called "Revered Brother" Hephernaan.  As you are already aware, we know little of him.
me:  Thanks.  You've been very informatie.
de Lancie:  Well, think nothing of it.  It's not like I have a siege to run or anything.  Now go.  The sooner you get out of camp, the happier I'll be.





















 

 

[jastey]

Thank you for the detailed dialogue quotation. The dialogue takes a wrong turn, i.e. there is a wrong variable check in RtD's code. The whole "we want you to check out the caverns" shouldn't run any more - it's too late at this point. Disclaimer: I need to see whether the game itself considers this properly. Doing all the areas and triggering the Dead Man's Pass parley without talking to the officers beforehand is not intended game flow. - Do I assume correctly that you didn't talk to the officers in the tent before going on investigating the caverns etc for this case?

14 minutes ago, Oloriniel said:

Note:  Before I enter the Dragonspear basement, de Lancie is standing near Phossey.  Phossey is unresponsive to a click.  Clicking DeLancie I get:

So you did talk to the officers in their tent after reaching the camp before going to the caverns? Was this in all cases? There is a variable missing here for Phossey's dialogue. It is well possible RtD was blocking this. The whole "please take the barrel of Bwoosh! and place it in teh caverns" should run before the hero heads out to investigate the other areas + caverns. Once the palace was visited, I think Caelar's parley is triggered and the story goes on.

In any case, please hold on to a savegame before leaving the camp and also before going to the parley, in case I'd need to have a closer look at them.

 

[Oloriniel]

I did talk to the officers in the camp before I left at the beginning of Chapter 10.  I'm not sure what I did, that most of what I transcribed above didn't happen there/then, or why de Lancie was near Phossey but not going through his expected dialogue.  This is why I thought the plot might have been restructured, when I encountered this bug.

In testing this morning, I first left the basement without talking to Daeros.  In this case, I could not replicate the above--the option to disclose the presence of the gate and utility of my blood did not come up.  Having talked to and freed Daeros, it did.  So that might be one place to check.

[Oloriniel]

Okay...death of Skie, return to Baldur's Gate...hailed as a hero, accused of murder....

In private with the Dukes, I am asked to go to Athkatla, talk to the Incantatrices, find a way to seal the Dragonspear Portal forever, and to find the Soultaker Dagger....

And there's no exits from the room, and none of the Dukes are responsive to clicks....

Not sure how to proceed from here.

[jastey]

2 hours ago, Oloriniel said:

In this case, I could not replicate the above--the option to disclose the presence of the gate and utility of my blood did not come up.  Having talked to and freed Daeros, it did.

Yes, the option should only be available if the PC actually knows about it. But, the bug with Phossey and De Lancie not talking about the barrel already happened. Would you send me a savegame with De Lancie at Phosseys without his correct dialogue to my email (my username at web.de)? Then I could check the variables. Do you remember whether you had any new reply options at the officers' meeting in their tent?

[Oloriniel]

** Beginning of Chapter 10  - Charname goes Directly to Officer's Tent **

Stonehand:  You gutless worm!  What give you the right to tell me what to do with my men?
de Lancie:  You mean your 50 men?  Why, my 350 men, of course.
Stonehand:  A tenth of Daggerford's population, de Lancie!  One in ten!  that's what I'VE brought to this effort!
de Lancie:  And it is appreciated.  But Baldur's Gate and especially Waterdeep have provided the majority of troops here.  I'll not risk them needlessly.
Celebrindal:  Can I be of assistance here?
de Lancie:  And who, pray tell, are you?
Nederlok:  General Haither Stonehand, Torsin Cedric de Lancie, allow me to present the hero of Baldur's Gate.
de Lancie:  Who released some super magic surge at Boareskyr Bridge because she is a child of Bhaal, apparently!  Why does the hero of Baldur's Gate have to be a Bhaalchild self!
Nederlok: We were all shocked when we eard about the incident at the bridge.  I have to admit that.  But let's keep in mind that Celebrindal has proven her worth in the fight against Sarevok, let us not forget that.
Stonehand:  Oh, aye?  So what was that business on Boareskyr Bridge about? You know how many of our people worship Lathander?  Tempus?  And you burn the dead Lord of Bloody Murder Bhaal's symbol into the ground where he died?  Great, that's SURE to boost morale....
de Lancie:  Haither, please, show a LITTLE decorum....
de Lancie:  Now that you are here, we need to stop Caelar - now more than ever.
de Lancie:  Let us gather what we now, the crusade's main purpose is to free souls from Avernus.
de Lancie:  And for this, she will do no less than open a portal and march her crusade into Avernus.
de Lancie:  The followers believe to be protected by "the gods" - Caelar herself proclaiming to be blessed not by one got, but the whole pantheon.  We already know this is a scam.
Nederlok:  This might be information of no great relevance to you, but we assure you that it strengthened our soldiers' morale to know that we are not going against a second Sarevok here.
Stonehand:  Maybe if she were, troop's morale wouldn't be so shaken by the Bhaal signs appearing around your city's hero.
Nederlok:  General Stonehand - please.
de Lancie:  This might be a clue as to why Caelar has such an interest in getting her hands onto you - alive.
de Lancie:  Is there anything you want to add to our status of information regarding Caelar's plans?
me:  Regarding the hooded man I mentioned earlier - he visited me more than once now.
de Lancie:  Well, I surely hope this intruder won't get in our way.
de Lancie:  Do you have anything else you want to share?
me:  I have no more information to share right now.
de Lancie:  God.  Off with you, then.

** end of conversation **

If I go directly to Phossey, de Lancie follows, if I take my time he's already there.  His conversation when clicked it the same as I quoted above.

Note:  Where I said, "I have no more information to share right now," that dialogue option occurred twice.  The response above is if I select the first instance.  If I select the second instance,  de Lancie says, "Now let us talk about how you can be of use."    And then, "the reinforcements you've brought are a welcome and much needed asset, Celebrindal.  YOUR presence is problematic.  Many are...disturbed...by tales of Boareskyr Bridge.  It would be best if you were away from this camp for a time."  And continues from there as outlined in my previous post.

Savegame sent.  Hope this is helpful.

Any suggestions for progressing, where I've gotten stuck with "Another Fine Hell"?  If there are any exits that are supposed to be present--back out to the city, or upstairs to my apartments - they're not working / not present in area C#AFH2.

[jastey]

Thank you for savegame an dthe dialogue quotation, very appreciated.

1 hour ago, Oloriniel said:

Any suggestions for progressing, where I've gotten stuck with "Another Fine Hell"?  If there are any exits that are supposed to be present--back out to the city, or upstairs to my apartments - they're not working / not present in area C#AFH2.

Would you point me to the details again? I seem to have missed it.

[Oloriniel]

After I agree to go to Athkatla with the letter for the Cowled Wizards, and promising Duke Silvershield that I'll try to find Skie's murder and the soultaker dagger, Belt says
"We will use the rest of the day to make preparations for your departure.  "You will neither have to leave without equipment nor without support."

Then Imoen says, "You just rest here, Celebrindal, okay?  I'll go and have a look around who of our old friends might still be around.  This is important things we have to do!"

Then Drake says his farewells, and Emily talks about missing painting, and then...that's it.  There are no exits from the area, the 4 dukes are the only non-party members present and none of them have anything to say to me.  If the dialogue was supposed to signify Imoen (or Drake) leaving the party, they didn't do so.

So I'm at a complete standstill, with nowhere to go, nothing to do, no one to talk to, in C#AFH2.
 

[Oloriniel]

Swapping party members around doesn't appear to have changed anything.

(I didn't actually have the option to recruit Jaheira, Khalid, Minsc, Dynaheir, or anyone else I tried, through dialogue--I had to use CTRL-Q)

So now Jaheira says she'll be watching me instead of watching out for me, Khalid reiterates that Gorion would be proud and volunteers to help with the new quests, and Imoen says her piece.  And then we're back to square 1. 

[Oloriniel]

Belt's other dialogue chain requires global ("C#AjFH_jail_visitors","c#afh3",14).  so I am assuming that there's a missing command to move me to C#afh3.are, where I'm to have my conversation with the Hooded Man and perhaps others.

[Oloriniel]

Moving myself to C#AFH3 moved things forward.

[Oloriniel]

Endless cutscene in Chateau Irenicus - Imoen never comes to talk to me and start us off.

[jastey]

4 hours ago, Oloriniel said:

After I agree to go to Athkatla with the letter for the Cowled Wizards, and promising Duke Silvershield that I'll try to find Skie's murder and the soultaker dagger, Belt says
"We will use the rest of the day to make preparations for your departure.  "You will neither have to leave without equipment nor without support."

Then Imoen says, "You just rest here, Celebrindal, okay?  I'll go and have a look around who of our old friends might still be around.  This is important things we have to do!"

Then Drake says his farewells, and Emily talks about missing painting, and then...that's it.  There are no exits from the area, the 4 dukes are the only non-party members present and none of them have anything to say to me.  If the dialogue was supposed to signify Imoen (or Drake) leaving the party, they didn't do so.

So I'm at a complete standstill, with nowhere to go, nothing to do, no one to talk to, in C#AFH2.
 

I answered exactly that not too long ago, I didn't rmember it was not for you, apologies. Look here. In short: stay in the area where the Dukes gave their speech and the NPCs their farewell and set

C:SetGlobal("C#AfHSoD_RevisedEnd","GLOBAL",8)

to get the cutscene that moves the scene forward.

[Oloriniel]

Thanks.  Totally missed that note to the other person experiencing this.

In any event, I moved myself to C#AFH3, and things proceeded as they should have.  Except, the first time I didn't kick everyone out of my group, so at one point there were two Imoens etc.  And then when we got to Chateau Irenicus, the cutscene never ended so Imoen could let me out.

Trying again, this time booting everyone, did the trick, though I experienced the same "I'm looking at the crowd around the Sorcerous Sundries while Irenicus is torturing me" bit @Trouveur80 reported.  T

The Sewage Golem was spamming "spell ineffective" about once per second.

Picked up Wulfgar and Breagar.  Sent Yoshimo away.  Dropped Breagar for Adrian, then Minsc for Driz'zt.  I still had one RoT cutscene, but the others were blocked by the Klatu component.

I thought NPC management in BG1 got challenging...there are SOOO many in BG2, and I haven't played most of them, so I don't know if/where their quests and content are.  Well, that's what makes the game replayable...:)

Anyhow.  The post-Chateau check-in:
XP 704,982 / class (12/11/12)
Body Count: 7,234
Gold: 2,625
Party:  Me, Jaheira, Wulfgar, Driz'zt, Adrian, Kivan, Grey, Haiass.

So many choices, not sure where to go first!