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Hello everyone and welcome back. Obviously the game wasn't going to end last time, so we wake up a good couple of days later in a random bed in a tavern.
Lisbeth, Irabeth, and Staunton were the only three left standing at the end of the previous update. So Liz's tenacity alone has to get a nod of approval from Irabeth.
Also I should warn you all right now, all the gameplay in this update and probably the next one are gonna be talking. Like any good modern CRPG, every major NPC has a lot on their mind when we get to the hub location. And while this tavern isn't the hub, it's a hub nonetheless.
"What happened?"
"We couldn't stand up to the demoness. Her spells were too strong!" Irabeth punches her fist into her palm. "It's all right, we'll handle it somehow... You blacked out, but Staunton and I managed to get you here, to the Defender's Heart. It used to be a tavern, but now it's our headquarters. We're gathering our forces here, and we're preparing to strike back!"
Not all of these topics are necessarily in-depth, but Irabeth has a lot on her mind. So starting from the top...
"I found a cultist dispatch. It seems they are holed up in the Tower of Estrod."
"Demons have been filling Kenabres with their spies and infiltrators for a long time. Unfortunately, I don't have enough people to attack the place right now. At least not blindly. I'd be grateful if you snuck in there and scouted out the situation. But just scouting. Don't be a hero."
Oh we are totally gonna be a hero here. You see, from the second we wake up in that bed, there's a Sword of Damocles dangling overhead - a timer. Nobody can quite agree on how long the timer is, however. Reddit seems to think it's 3 days. I've also seen people claim that it's a certain number of rests, or visiting a certain location on the map. Because the game only lets you rest once per 24 hour time block, I can see where people might think the "certain number of rests" thing comes from.
"What's the situation in the city?"
"Bad, but not hopeless. We're constantly getting news — and new sources of resistance keep springing up in the districts where everyone seemed to be dead. The survivors are gathering here — you should see them! Their faces, their eyes, burning with determination! The city is destroyed, but our resistance is not broken. We will keep fighting!"
"What do you plan to do next?
"You heard what that demon said. They're going to desecrate the Wardstone and blow up the whole barrier around the Worldwound. That would be an even worse disaster than the Worldwound's expansion before the Second Crusade. Not only Kenabres, but every city with a Wardstone will be destroyed, including the capital! We can't allow that, no matter what. We will retake it, even destroy it if we must. Iomedae's gift must not become a weapon of the Abyss!"
"Tell me about the Wardstone. Why is it so important?"
"The Wardstones are a gift of Iomedae, created personally by her herald, a mighty angel, and a general of the celestial armies. The Wardstones keep the Worldwound from expanding. They stand along the border of the territory controlled by the demons, creating a barrier to keep them inside. The Kenabres obelisk was the first to be placed, it is the key to the whole barrier. We cannot leave it in the hands of those monsters from the Abyss!"
"Can I help you in any way?"
"First of all, we need to decide what to do with the stone once we get to it..." Irabeth lowers her voice almost to a whisper. "What I'm about to say is classified: a traveler came to the city recently — a blind elf calling himself the Storyteller. He insisted he be allowed to examine the Wardstone, and he raised the alarm when his study was finished. Even before the demon attack, he had found some damage or flaw in the stone..."
"Prelate Hulrun dismissed his words as nonsense — borderline blasphemy. But between you and me, the Prelate's opinion isn't worth much. I think the Storyteller knew what he was talking about. We could use his advice right now — if only we knew where he was! Hmm... I remember the Storyteller spent a lot of time talking to Staunton, a dwarf from my unit. You saw him during the demon attack. The elf asked him about the history of the crusades. Maybe the Storyteller told Staunton something about where we could find him if anything happened."
"There's another problem — after the attack, the demons began to gather their forces at the Gray Garrison. It will be even harder to take them with a head-on assault — but I once heard soldiers talking about a secret entrance to the garrison. Trouble is, I have no idea where to look for it. While you explore the city, please keep your eyes open — in case you find something we can use." The half-orc smiles at you encouragingly.
"And one last thing. The Eagle Watch has lost a lot of soldiers recently — some were killed, but others simply haven't been seen since the attack. In the chaos that is now Kenabres, it's next to impossible to confirm anything for sure." Irabeth clears her throat. "One of the missing fighters is Jannah Aldori, a new recruit in the Watch. She got along well with Seelah and she often went drinking with her. I honestly thought Seelah and Jannah had died together. But now Seelah's returned with you and there's no sign of Jannah. If you learn anything of her whereabouts when you're out in the city, please report back."
"Everything is clear."
"May the goddess help you. We're still fighting, which means that Kenabres still hasn't fallen. If you come across any groups in the city that can fight, send them here to the Defender's Heart. We'll need every fighter we can muster for the final assault."
"Yes, one more thing. If you're in the area, check out this address. It's our house, mine and Anevia's... Well, it was our house. If the building is still standing, open the hidden compartment in the kitchen. It's filled with supplies for a rainy day. You can take whatever you find. You have more need of it."
Tirabade Residence has been revealed!
That's quite a laundry list of errands for Irabeth alone. Thankfully the screenshots will make it easy to follow. Also pay attention to the markers next to the quests below: the red hourglass means that if we don't finish them before we assault the Gray Garrison, they will automatically fail.
Find any survivors and direct them to the Defender's Heart tavern.
Horgus owes us money.
Scout out the Tower of Estrod
Find the Storyteller
>Talk to Staunton
Find the secret entrance to the Gray Garrison
Jannah Aldori is missing. See if Seelah knows anything. Also this is Seelah's companion quest, so we generally want to do this as soon as we can.
There's some optional DLC packs that give you starter equipment. If I owned any of them, they would be in this chest.
We no sooner step outside the room than Anevia is pulling us aside for a chat.
"So, here's the first, and most important thing. Beth gave you a crucial mission, I get that, and I know you'll get the job done — I saw you in action. But here's the rub: by sending you out on an errand, we're weakening our defenses here. If they come at us while you're gone, I dunno if we'll be able to fight 'em off."
"Do you want me to stay here and guard the tavern?"
"You what? No! Your task is far too important. You can't just hole up here all cozy like, waiting for the demons to knock on the door: we need to take the fight to them! But if those freaks try to make a move on this place, Beth will send a runner to get you. If that happens, you leg it back here, all right? 'Cause if you don't, you'll be coming back to an ash pile. Got it?"
"When do you think the demons will attack next?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. It might not be here, they could attack the whole damn city. Those vermin know they've lost the upper hand and that we're going to push back hard. If things kick off here, you should know: after they attack, some things could be changed beyond recognition. So if you've got any business that needs taking care of, you'd better do it soon!"
"Everything seems clear so far. What else do you wish to discuss?"
"So, the rift that damned beetle left with its scythe? Yeah, well it cut the city into two, and it's kinda difficult to get across. My scouts tell me there's a halfway decent place to set up a crossing in Market Square, not that any of them tried it to make sure! But if you've got a mind to go across, and I think you're gonna have to eventually, you might wanna give the square a once-over."
"Thanks for the warning. See you later."
"Later. Watch yourself out there."
So this is the Sword of Damocles I mentioned. I'm going to assume Reddit is correct here for the sake of simplicity. From the time we wake up in the tavern, we have three in-game days before the demons will besiege the Defender's Heart. If we visit the Tower of Estrod and "act like heroes" then we will increase that timer to six days. The siege event sucks. On low difficulty levels, it's not hard enough to be interesting, and it's just exhausting to play through. On turn based mode, my first time through, it took a goddamned hour real-time to complete.
Because it's Content, I'm probably gonna wind up showing it off at some point. I really doubt we'll spend six days before finishing Act 1, so we'll probably see it as a bonus update between acts 1 and 2.
Before we continue, let's level up real quick. After I recorded this, I realized that the GreatRadiance mod doesn't support kama for some reason. So rather than spend the time, effort, and energy learning how to make a kama version of the mod, I'm just going to respec Lisbeth to remove her Kama Finesse Training and give her kukri training instead. On the upside, she's gonna become a crit machine with dual wielded kukri!
Which also means that instead of Combat Reflexes, she will get Martial Weapon Training so she can wield the damn things.
Combat Reflexes is a really good feat that goes well with my AOO party build, but we can wait until 5 to pick it up. (It lets you make multiple attacks of opportunity per round, up to your dex bonus. So that's currently 4 AOOs per round with it. Further improvements will let Lisbeth eventually take all those AOOs simultaneously. Yes, stuff tends to explode when that happens.)
This bonus is gonna get quiiiite nice.
Wendy picks up TWF, which will let her dual wield at a much reduced penalty. A second axe gives her more attacks!
Camellia gets rapier focus and a bunch of new spells she can memorize.
Seelah picks up Lay on Hands, Divine Grace, and Boon Companion. Lay on Hands is spot healing, Divine Grace gives Seelah her CHA bonus on saving throws. But then there's Boon Companion.
The functional upshot of this is that OSHA will now be treated as Seelah's level.
Speaking of which... OSHA (soon to be renamed) gets the ability to wear light barding. He's gonna be on the front lines, so he needs some armor.
He also gets this, which sounds pretty handy!
Staunton is hanging out off to the side. Let's chat him up.
"I need to talk to the elf who calls himself the Storyteller. Do you know where I can find him?"
"The Storyteller? Hmm..." Staunton strokes his beard in thought. "A strange old fellow, that one. He used to sit with me for hours, asking about all sorts of things... He never offered judgment or comfort, he just listened. At first, I wanted him and his questions as far away from me as possible, but later I realized that talking to him did ease my burden a little. I hope he is alive and well. He's completely blind, and feeble too, so if he's alone in the city... well, you probably know what that means."
"I do know one place he might be. Look for him in the Blackwing. It's a library — here, I'll show you where it is on the map. I don't know what use a library is to a blind elf, but he loved the place. He would sit there day and night."
Blackwing Library has been revealed!
Blackwing Library features one of the very few time critical things in act 1. If we get there before the siege, then the events that play out are marginally different.
"What do people say about you?"
"They say I'm a traitor, as bad as Areelu Vorlesh. That I'm a disgrace, even among the ranks of the Condemned. That Queen Galfrey should never have spared me. That I belong on the gallows."
The gnome I'm sure none of you remember from the first update, the guy getting drunk at the bar, was a member of the Condemned. However, the other two topics are a lot more important, so let's discuss them for a minute. You can still click on the entries below, but let me give you the dime store version.
Areelu Vorlesh used to be a mortal woman who, for some reason, created the Worldwound at the tower of Threshold, near the city of Iz. That's a lot of proper nouns, but the important takeaway so far is that she's the reason there's even a demon invasion going on in the first place. After she created the Worldwound, she somehow ascended to become at least some part demon, and she's an incredibly powerful one too. She is widely known as one of the greatest traitors of mankind, and one of its most dangerous foes.
Queen Galfrey is the nigh-immortal ruler of the nation this all takes place in, Mendev. She still has her youthful looks as well thanks to the method she uses to stay alive well past her natural lifespan.
You get no bonus points for guessing that we're gonna be meeting both of these woman across the course of the game. It's not even a spoiler to mention it, because Areelu Vorlesh is on the game's box art.
See? That's Madame Vorlesh. Also don't judge my taste in games. La Mulana randomizer is a lot of fun.
"Why do they hate you so much?"
"You really don't know?" Staunton gives you a long, morose look, then sighs. "I'm the reason why the crusade forces are holed up in fortresses on the edge of the Worldwound, instead of bringing the fight to the demons. We used to have a foothold in the Wound — the mighty, unassailable city of Drezen. We used to have it, until it fell — and all because of my stupidity. I gave the enemy our main citadel."
"I was tried. They wanted to execute me, and rightly so, but the Queen intervened. She said that I should live and fight in order to undo what I had done. So that's how I live... Decade after decade, fighting in the Condemned." The dwarf shrugs. "As you can see, I have fixed nothing, and I have earned no one's forgiveness. Are you going to spit in my face too? It wouldn't surprise me."
None of these options are very good. Staunton doesn't want pity, he doesn't want proselytizing, or even a friend. He wants to be left alone. He's so long past the point of wishing for death that he's just numb in a very bad way.
"It's not my place to judge you. Who knows what I would have done in your shoes."
"Really? Well, that's something I suppose."
"So many years in the Condemned... Surely you have paid your penance by now?"
"That's not up to me to decide. My life is in the Queen's hands." He falls silent for a moment, and then in a trembling voice, he adds: "The Condemned isn't the worst part. All these years I have prayed to Torag for forgiveness. Countless times I've gone to his priests, countless times I've kneeled before his altar. If only the Father of Dwarvenkind would answer my prayers just once... Not to restore what I've lost, but just to tell me that I am still one of his children... But it seems he doesn't give a damn about me. What can I expect from mere mortals when my own god doesn't think I deserve redemption?"
"Forget about Torag, you're just rubbing salt in the wound. The gods don't care about us. They don't deserve our prayers, let alone our suffering."
"I can't. An atheist can't understand how it feels when your god renounces you. Just as one who's never loved can never understand how it feels when your beloved betrays you."
"You really don't have any friends?"
"I couldn't have survived this long if I were completely alone. Joran, my little brother, he keeps me going. He's never abandoned me. Everyone else shies away from me like they might catch what I've got. Even fighters in the Condemned console themselves by thinking: 'I got stripped of my rank, but at least I'm not Staunton.'"
"Commander Tirabade seems to be the only person in the whole army who remembers that I'm a soldier and not a drudge. She has no qualms about taking me into battle. She's had some mud flung at her in the past, or so I hear, that's why she tries to keep an open mind about people. It's no surprise that she's the only one to hold onto her sense of reason in this farce!"
"A whole city fell because of you? How is that possible?"
"What do you mean, 'how'?" The knight glares at you from beneath his furrowed brows. "If you don't trust the word of a Condemned, go ask somebody else. Like my little brother, Joran. And if you still don't believe it, what's it to me? But if you're about to ask me to recount the story of my disgrace for the thousandth time — don't."
"Ah - I have to go."
"Go on then. Maybe we'll see each other again."
Well that went pretty badly. Let's go two-for-two!
Camellia looks you over pensively, toying with the snake-shaped bone amulet that dangles from her pale neck. Noticing your glance, she flashes you a cold, barely-there smile. "Greetings." It seems for a moment that she wants to say something else, but the pause grows too long, and she slips back into cautious silence.
"Your amulet is quite unusual. Where did you get it?"
"Ah, my little trinket. It's so nice of you to notice. But I assure you, this amulet is nothing but a bauble. Can a lady not be drawn to beautiful, useless things?"
"Your speech tells me you are of noble birth."
Camellia laughs her practiced, musical laugh, as she watches you from under lowered lashes. "You're most insightful. A fine quality to have..." Camellia's laughter ends, and unspoken words hang in the silence.
Lisbeth is a type of rogue, so she's probably not all that into nobility being better stuff. Nor is she particularly interested in getting into Cam's pants. So let's continue being Little Miss 
"Well. I suppose we all have our good and bad qualities."
"I wouldn't have pegged you as a philosopher."
"Where did you learn to wield a rapier so well?"
"I had good teachers. Although they don't get all the credit. I am a most diligent student." Camellia licks her parched lips.
"Okay then, why don't you tell me about yourself?"
"You want to know more about me than you already do? Why?" Camellia arches a dainty brow. "I talk to the spirits of this tormented land, and they guide me in battle. I'll help you fight the demons — and I swear that you can rely on me in this matter. Isn't that sufficient?"
"Anyway, as much as I enjoy our delightful conversations, the spirits are calling me — and I must respond. Please excuse me." Camellia turns away, watching you out of the corner of her eye.
Did you enjoy that conversation with Camellia? Wasn't it... short? Yeah, that's about all we're ever getting out of her as a character. She has a tiny bit to do with Horgus's quest, she'll say like three lines altogether during act 2, and then she'll just keep to herself and basically never say another word to us until most of the way through Act 3.
Act 3 is where most of the characters come into their own, and everyone gets a bunch of chances to shine outside of the party. They get to banter with each other in unique circumstances. Camellia participates in none of that.
She's a very strong character in combat terms, but in terms of being an actual character in a presumably living game world, she may as well not even exist. I could create a merc with her exact stats and build and arguably get more out of them because at least with the merc I don't expect them to behave like a companion in a CRPG. Camellia is a shit character and I hate her. A lot.
Horgus Gwerm is hanging out next to Camellia. So let's see what he wants.
Horgus looks at you with unvarnished disapproval, his arms folded across his chest, his foot tapping impatiently. "I have a job that would be perfect for someone like you. Naturally, I'll pay generously for your services."
"So what does the job involve?"
"You shall be my bodyguard. You see, I have good reason to return to my mansion here in Kenabres. I still have... Well, it doesn't matter, it's none of your business. My mansion is a breathtaking building with a large garden in the wealthy part of the city. Even before the demons attacked, every thief and fraudster in the city had tried to get inside, one way or another. I shudder to imagine the state it's in now."
"I have little hope that my guards were able to hold the mansion during the attack, and I expect that the servants fled when they saw the demons. Only Abadar knows what's happened there since. Therefore, I would ask that you meet me at my mansion and guard me there until I complete my business.",
"I already asked the local paladins for help, but they've no desire to set foot outside this tavern. Damn cowards and traitors — that's what they are! Also, please, do take Camellia with you. I trust that girl more than the rest of your gang. She is of noble birth, after all."
"What kind of reward are we talking about?"
"A thousand gold coins," Horgus replies without hesitation.
We could haggle, or quibble over what he means by 'someone like you' but Liz is more mercenary than that. Horgus wants to talk business, she can talk business all day long. Also I don't trust the dice enough to make a DC23 with only a +10 to up the reward amount.
"Deal."
"Marvelous! Most excellent!" Horgus's face relaxes, smoothing a few of the tense lines. "I'll proceed to my mansion at once and wait for you there. Meanwhile you needn't worry — I know the city like the back of my hand. But do hurry, unless you want me to lower your reward."
Gwerm's Mansion has been revealed!
We can't reach Horgus's manor easily from where we are, so this quest will have to wait until we can cross the great rift made by Deskari.
Likewise with the Blackwing Library. A lot of quests in act 1 can't be completed until we literally bridge the gap. It's the game's way of ensuring we visit the market square.
Moving on, this guy has an entire conversation tree. He's such a minor character that he will cease to exist as soon as we leave act 1. He worships Cayden Cailean because the poor saps who picked the Accidental God as their patron god need a tiny shout out.
He does tell you about an optional map location we'll eventually visit. And he has a couple new entries for the encyclopedia. And also the following exchange that's pretty funny, admittedly:
"Who are you?"
Gemyl Hawkes: The albino slowly takes your measure with his red eyes, and finally with a gentle sigh, says: "Gemyl Hawkes. Vampire."
"Are you really a vampire?"
Gemyl Hawkes: Gemyl gives you a long look of reproach, and then grudgingly answers: "No."
A friend of mine has informed me of the following exchange if you're a Dhampir yourself:
He has a couple pretty nice items for sale. We sell all our crap and buy the Gloves of the Neophyte, because with the mod I'm using that lets cantrips scale, that's suddenly pretty good! Dark Omen is also really nice, but 13 grand is way out of our range currently.
Over here, south of Staunton, we find more people to talk to. So much talking. It's gonna be like this every time we get to a new act.
Vissaliy Rathimus: A stout old man with a fuzzy gray beard mumbles a prayer. He looks as tired as everyone else in the tavern, but determination is stamped upon his haggard face. "What can I do for you?"
"Who are you?"
Vissaliy Rathimus: "Vissaliy Rathimus, rector of the local temple of Abadar. The temple is gone, though. And if we snooze here for much longer, the city will be lost as well!"
"Who is that boy with you?"
Vissaliy Rathimus: This one? Kyado the shepherd, my apprentice. He's a smart boy, and his faith is strong. He serves Erastil, though, but there's still something he can learn from an old servant of Abadar. He'll be a great cleric when he gets a little older!"
"What kind of help can I expect from you?"
Vissaliy Rathimus: "First, I sell scrolls. I have a lot of them, something for every emergency. Second, while you're here in the tavern, I can read one for you. Guaranteed, no surprises. But you'd better not go into the city without a cleric. I won't be going there myself. I'm too old, and my powers are needed here."
Vissaliy sells, among a bunch of scrolls of all sorts of spells, kits to let you make your own potions and write your own magic scrolls. We'll grab some of these later when money isn't quite as tight. Also we don't have anyone with us currently who can brew potions or scribe scrolls.
Moving on, Wendy is gonna be our last stop of the update. There's still so much ground to cover, and I don't want to shove it all into a single mega-sized update.
"Please stop groveling."
Wenduag shakes her head. "I'm not groveling! I'm showing respect for your power! This is exactly how the weak should behave in the presence of the strong!"
"I want to know more about you."
"What do you think of life on the surface?"
Wenduag scoffs arrogantly. "Life among the uplanders, you mean? Your customs are strange..." The huntress casts a glance at you and corrects herself quickly, "I mean theirs, not yours, mistress. You are strong and clever, but I look at other uplanders and wonder."
"Have you seen how proud they are of their weakness? 'Look, my hands are so soft, I've never done anything with them in my entire life, because noble blood runs through my veins!' What does it matter who someone's parents are? I'm the daughter of a former chief of the tribe, so what? Is this what they respect and fear me for? Sull became the chief because he was old, experienced, and smart. After him, I might become the chief, because I'm strong and even smarter. But these weaklings wouldn't have lasted a day in our caves..."
Wenduag's eyes narrow wearily. "Everything is strange here. But it's all right, mistress, we'll put things right, won't we?"
"Tell me about your life in the caves."
"Life was better than an uplander might think. You're surrounded by rock on all sides — it's sturdy, dependable. When you hide in a crack, you know for sure you're safe... Not like here — all this empty space around you — you always have to be on guard, in case an arrow flies from any direction and hits you. Life underground is calmer somehow..."
"Sure, there is less food in the caves than here. But... the amount of food the uplanders have — it's too much. Don't you see, mistress, how many fat uplanders there are? Why do they eat so much? Like cattle fattened up to make for tastier meat... We only had one fat person in our tribe, and that was Sull, and he was only fat because he was old. But up here..."
"Everything just seems fairer in the caves — when there isn't enough food for the weak, they die. The lazy die. The sick — in the head and the body — die. Only the strong and the skilled survive, and the blood becomes thicker, tougher."
"What happened between you and Lann?"
Wenduag shrugs disdainfully. "He is a good hunter, but not too clever. A bit of an idiot, really... He was the strongest in the tribe after me, that's why I kept him close. His heart is soft... unlike his body." The huntress smiles shamelessly. "But then I met you and I didn't need Lann anymore! Now I only want to hunt with you!"
"I can tell you're proud of your strength."
Wenduag throws her shoulders back proudly. "Of course! Let everyone see who is standing before them! The weak must obey the strong if they don't want to be reminded of their place. Even when I was a snot-nosed little cave rat, I could bring neathers twice my age to heel, because I fear nothing and no one, pain least of all."
"I was showered with praise and compliments, the best hunters of the other tribes wanted me — but what did that matter to me? The moment you start listening to flattery is the moment you get soft and you die. No, I always pushed myself further, challenging myself, taking myself to the very edge. Many times, I almost died, but I always came back stronger. I earned all my strength on my own, and if anyone didn't respect that, I just grabbed my knife! That's why I became the best hunter in the tribe."
"On the surface, your people are called mongrels, but I take it you don't like that term?"
The huntress shrugs her shoulders. "Let the uplanders call us whatever they want, it doesn't matter. I know what they're trying to do — by giving us that stupid nickname, they are asserting their status and superiority over us. But it's normal to try and dominate a stranger you just met. That's expected. When my kin conquer the lands on the surface, people will call us by whatever name we choose."
"Why do you serve me?"
Wenduag gives you a bland smile. "Because you are winning, and I want to be with the winner. I don't like sharing food and fire with weaklings — I prefer people like you."
"And also because being close to you is a good way to live. I love life, I'm young and strong. It makes sense to eat, drink, screw, and kill enemies while you are young, not when you are thirty thousand gongs old and shriveled up like Sull. As long as I'm your servant, I can have fun as I like and order around anyone I want. Who will dare defy me? No one!" Her eyes drift half-closed in smug satisfaction.
(Chaotic) "I can guarantee you fun and entertainment!"
Wenduag shoots you a feral grin. "It's good we understand each other, mistress. As we neathers say, we hunt in the same cave."
"Everything is clear to me now."
Wenduag lowers her head, bowing much lower than is customary. "Your interest gratifies me, mistress."
"Let's talk about you serving Hosilla."
Uncertainty sparks in Wenduag's eyes, and she curls her spider legs on her back closer to her body. "Of course, mistress. But now I only serve you! Has someone said something about me?"
"What did you do for the demons?"
"I brought my kin to their lair, so they could join the demon army and accept the power given to them. I made my tribe stronger! Later, once we no longer needed the demons, my powerful kin would have fought for me." The huntress shoots you a grim and bloodthirsty grin.
"Why did you decide to switch allegiance?"
"I was only serving the demons because they promised me power — and only for as long as they had something to offer me." Wenduag chuckles, revealing her sharp teeth. "But Hosilla can't offer me anything now she's dead, and I was never going to risk my life for her. You are a true leader, one worth following!" the huntress says in a fawning tone.
"How can I trust you?"
Wenduag's voice gains a fervent edge: "Why would I betray you, mistress? You are the strongest! It would be stupid to defect to your enemies and die along with them! No, I am not that dumb!"
"Aren't you ashamed of betraying your kin?"
Wenduag replies respectfully but defiantly, "I know that Sull would have called me a traitor, but for one reason only — he grew old and cowardly. I accepted the same fate as my fellow tribesmen. I ate the flesh too, and for many gongs I thrashed with fever, growling like an animal, lunging at anyone and everyone, my body burning from the inside..."
"But I handled it because I was the strongest of them all! Not a single day have I regretted the power I gained, and that's why I am not ashamed of sharing that power with my tribe."
"I have no more questions."
"It's good that our paths crossed. You could need a good servant, and I need a strong mistress."
We could ask about the promised army of mongrels, but that feels like a bad manager going "I gave you this task that takes weeks to do, why isn't it done after only 2 hours?"
"That's it for now."
The huntress gazes at you with devotion. "Thank you for talking to me, mistress."
Lisbeth's words were pretty apt there. That is it for now because we still have half the damn tavern to go. Next time we'll meet a new party member benchwarmer party member and get our mercs. Then after that we'll finally be turned loose on act 1 proper.
Encyclopedia Golarionnica
Areelu Vorlesh
Condemned
Queen Galfrey
Torag
Abadar
Pitax
Numeria