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Fourteen - I am alive, by force of habit.
Yay more ruins
Music - Ruins
Just moving around, enjoying the sights. I do like the implication that there used to be a huge civilization even this far north.
On this screen, the wandering comes to an end, and battle is joined.
Darkness: Nothing is living. It's the rule here. Here, everything is like me, naked, isolated, windswept; everything without a reason to be - violated and then abruptly uninhabited; everything is immutable and sad. Everything is the same as me.
Due to the recurrence of Time enemies (which target whatever is closest to them), now is a good time to have picked that Song ability. This time we only get three to appear, but that's not bad. Even 1 Energy will absorb an attack.
Of course they don't last long.
This icon reflecting our path choice shows up in every battle from now on.
This encounter is straightforward enough as long as we distract the Time enemies.
Why is Deadlands II before Deadlands I? Maybe it's a prequel. 
Music - Soma
Darkness: But where are the limits of my memories? When, in spite of myself, did I pass over to this side of things? Is it not older? Is this wound not older? Have I not been torn apart without remembering it?
Ooo, four Echoes this time. Haþuwīgą's singing is improving!
Damn, I should have let Frida keep sitting out these battles... Here she is poofing out of existence.
But we made it through, and that's the important part.
Frida Death Count: 20
Sorry in advance for taking this skill, Frida and all other summoned allies.
Pft, you don't know that. We made it this far not being certain of what we were hearing and seeing.
Oh well, to sleep we must go.
Darkness: They seep between the ruins, they whisper, they observe me, I am obsessed. The inhabitants of a country of which I am only the heir or the passenger, they watch me, starving.
So, this encounter sucks.
We have to lead these chumps...
To this tile...
Before those ghostly Time orbs kill them.
If a single one of the Shards loses their measly 200 EP, we have to start over.
And we can only guide the shards once we have stepped on the orange tile and gained the Shadows' Friend buff, which only lasts for five turns.
We also have to do it by teleporting around with the yellow tiles. If time runs out on the transformation before we're done, we have to spend several turns going back to the transformation tile.
But we do get some dialogue once we finally manage to get a Shard to its destination.
Darkness: Nothing is left. My life at present resembles this heavy, grey cloud, these dark, cavernous eyes, this walk without end through Nowhere. My life at present resembles a long walk under a heavy, grey, December sky.
Is it gray or grey??
Darkness: Without any objective, without any goal to achieve, without understanding why I am here, I walk, by force of habit, between the ruins. My legs are moving of their own accord, my head, full of mists, no longer recognizes the reference points. I navigate blind. It is dull, the sky is overcast. I walk. By force of habit. I am alive, by force of habit.
Getting the Shards in the top part here is a bit trickier, though we do only have to get them to that faint clear blue tile, which automatically shoves them over to the Reconstruction.
Just as the Shadow form wears off.
Darkness: Yes, it only remains for me to sit down, punished, in the cold corner of a room. As though scolded by an old woman, I can only cry a little, in the corner, and allow myself to die.
While the mechanics of the battle are disappointing, I continue to love the writing around the Darkness. It can apply to something as large as the civilization that used to exist here, and something as small as our one single character.
Darkness: Can I stay here forever, and never come back? Can I stay here, here where everything resembles me? Answer me; can I let myself die?
Darkness: What is left from you, Daddy, I must carry far, further from here, where everything looks the same. I must settle this debt that I have not been able to pay in your lifetime; it is this fundamental thing, this is the thing that makes me your daughter. This is the reason I walk now.
For lack of anything better, I want to be your daughter, I want to remain your daughter. This makes sense to me. If I deserve you one day, if I deserve myself one day, maybe I will try to return. For the moment, waiting or dead, I am the princess with the crown of thorns and embers. I am the one who lives with a grey fire which nothing will extinguish, a grey fire which consumes me and vindicates me. I am the princess with the crown of thorns and embers. I am the princess of the stake.
At least the game rewards us suitably well for accomplishing this.
Oh, and I summoned Frida. Had to, to keep one of the Shards from dying.
Frida Death Count: 21
Probably not much more though, there literally isn't even a roof.
If we had taken any other path, but the north, a potential party member would be here. On the one hand he's alright, but on the other hand it's nice to see what things are like without any companions. Except our own creations, of course.
We made it, despite being huge boneheads.
Music - Village theme
How do we have a map of the place already?
Don't worry about it.
The important thing is that we we are rewarded with...
REINDEER! 
I guess also people, or whatever. Let's finally get in from the cold and into a place with a real roof.
Are you a lumberjack? The houses are made of wood. That's impressive.
Kaj Keisari: Indeed! Klaus and I have cut the wood for almost all the houses in this village. And there are a lot! You have to change it every few years... We're not lacking for work. Oh, but you must come from one of those stone villages in the mountains.
Indeed. In my village, wood is almost only ever used for funeral pyres.
Kaj Keisari: (He grimaces) Ah, yes. We do that too... Unfortunately. It's a big village and barely a year goes by without someone dying. Fortunately, our elderly are well and, once they reach four, our children generally survive.
Oh? You are lucky. In my village the cold claims one or two youngsters per year...
Man, this journey has made you a bit grim Haþuwīgą.
Kaj Keisari: That must not be easy. Life is not easy in the mountain villages... Well... Anyway. I'll get back to work, if you'll excuse me.
Sorry to have disturbed you.
Let's see if we can depress this guy's work partner too.
What are you doing?
Klaus Nikolai Gzny: Oh, well you see, I was wondering whether, by taking boards that were sufficiently polished, we could make them slide on snow if it wasn't too sparse. In fact, I've already tried it. And I was thinking to myself that maybe by assembling them we could... Perhaps... I don't know, attached to reindeer maybe they could... I don't know. I'm still thinking about it.
Kaj Keisari: (teasing) To reindeer, Klaus? I thought you preferred grizzlies!
Is he always like this?
Kaj Keisari: (he sighs) Yes. He loves everything that is small and sweet. But also all that is big and sweet. Actually, he loves everything that is sweet. One year, he made a wooden toy for every child in the village. It took him twenty days. During that time a hole had opened up in the volva's roof and he didn't repair it. She was furious.
Impressive. A little worrying, even.
Kaj Keisari: He's going to drive me crazy. Come on Klaus, say goodbye to the young woman, we need to get back to work.
Klaus Nikolai Gzny: (dreaming) You know, you'd just have to change the coefficient of...
Kaj Keisari: (dryly) No. (He turns towards you) Go now, good luck.
Thank you!
Hello. I'm Haþuwīgą, and yes, I've just arrived. Delighted to receive such a welcome - it's been a long time since I saw such a smile.
Katri Pakkasta: It wasn't a proposition! You are welcome among us and, above all, don't let that tramp Essi turn your head...
Well okay then.
Proceeding onto the market, we see that business is booming.
Yep! Too bad he didn't think about tying me up before!
Venla Sininen: (laugh) Well said! Never let yourself be tied down by a man, even if he is your father. Goodbye young girl.
Hmm. Something tells me that you're the poet of the village.
Olai Sininen: Alas, I am but a hunter like many others. Actually, I need to prepare for my next expedition. Good luck!
Damn, not even smart enough to recognize our sick burn.
To tell the truth, I'm looking above all for a place to rest. It was a grueling journey.
Aleksi Kaikkonen: I can imagine. You seem to have come from far away. But I think you will enjoy our little community.
Meeting people is already enjoyable in itself... At this point.
Well, anyway, thanks for your help. I'll go find her right away.
As usual, "right away" obviously means "after doing everything else."
We did, he sucks.
Oh! I'd be delighted!
Norns? Show me!
Mikka Sadekki: One represents the past, the other the present and the third one the future. That is why I depicted them hierarchically, rising towards the sky like the tree behind them. Yggdrasil, of course, but it's even more than that. The branches that bend towards the soil indicate its future death, which is simply the beginning of a new tree, a new cycle. You can, therefore, hang the tapestry one way or the other, depending on whether you want to celebrate a summer or a winter, a birth or a death.
That is magnificent. I hope to one day achieve such a level of mastery. In passing I notice that you paid particular attention to Verdandi's expression. She radiates a kind of infinitely naive grace that I have never seen elsewhere.
A special line for being a Weaver!
Mikka Sadekki: Isn't she the one who accompanies us in our work, so no big surprise. I gave her the traits of my wife, at least... those that she had before... That's life, we can't do much about it, right?
A nice steady influx of xp for talking to all these people too!
What did... (biting one's lip) What do you have there?
Not nice to stare, Haþuwīgą.
Maia Sadekki: Oh, that? That's just my bow, I'm a hunter. That's how I can support my husband and daughter. In the end, that's what's important in life, right?
Yes, you're probably right... Isn't hunting too dangerous in these parts?
Maia Sadekki: Not as long as you pay attention. My life is split between hunting and my family, it's always been that way and it always will be. I'm pretty happy, there's much worse elsewhere, right?
Ha. Not exactly. My village is barely any bigger than this one.
Eveline Sadekki: Oh. But you're a traveller after all. One day, I too will leave. If my father doesn't need me at the shop, of course. And as long as the volva agrees. Hmm. Well, I guess we'll discuss it when the time comes.
I love all the implied family dynamics just from listing characters' last names.
Anyway, that's everyone in the market, so we can take the path up.
Haþuwīgą. You are Katri's sister, isn't that so? You both look a lot alike.
Lyyli Pakkasta: Oh, you already spoke to her? Watch out, she's a little... well, it's not important. Anyway, welcome to the village!
A little what? :thunk:
Hmph, rude.
Hey buddy.
With pleasure! We're exhausted!
Yeah, we are!
The Old Pakkasta: This here is the communal house. I've been keeping it clean for forty years at least. You can stay to sleep as long as you want. Think about going to see the volva tomorrow... Or before resting. Our new volva is... (he grumbles) She is enthusiastic. Oh, and if you're hungry, go to the hunter's lodge. They'll find something for you to do. Right then, I'll leave you to rest. Call me if you need anything.
This house is where we can press the sleep button and complete the resting part of our current objectives, but there are more people to meet first!
It's the "tramp"! We will have to finally meet another Volva next time though, since this update is getting pretty long. Plus we have other villagers to meet, some of which may or may not be shadow people!