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Hello everyone and welcome back. Today we're finally in the market square. We're most likely gonna be here for a while. This place is huge and extremely content dense. I feel pretty safe calling it one of the largest maps in the game.
This is my third attempt at recording. So bear with past-me while I make sure things are still set up. In case you're wondering, the previous attempts at recording ended because LichFix prevented the game from starting. And then also because Enhanced Inventory had not been updated since March, two full patches ago. It's, uh, quite a 
moment when you go open your inventory and it's just an empty page. Not an empty inventory. An empty page. As in the inventory had ceased to exist. Thankfully there's a sketchy discord link in the Enhanced Inventory Nexus discussions page that has a version that works for 1.4.4.
As of the time of writing, the Enhanced Edition is going to come out at the end of the month - 11 days from now. I look forward to similar teething issues at that time. As a double fun bonus, the "extra spells" mods I'm using get attached to your save file. So you can't remove them mid-playthrough without starting over. Those mods have not updated since July. There is a very good chance that I will have to completely restart the playthrough before we get to act 2.
Anyway, going forward a few steps, we meet this lovely fellow. The term "toerag" keeps coming up here and each time I read it, I can't help but laugh. It's such an archaic turn of phrase and, taken literally, it's this thiefling calling his fellows a bunch of socks.
Thiefling: "But I had nothin' to do with it, I swear!"
"Brother Gort, is that you?"
Thiefling: "Brother Woljif? I thought you'd pegged it in Irabeth's jail."
"Who are you?"
Thiefling: "An honest guy who's fallen in with some bad folks! The Thieflings, the local thieves around here, they forced me to join their gang. But I didn't want to! Just don't hand me over to Irabeth, valiant crusaders! Please, in the name of all the gods there ever were!"
"Gort here is a new addition to the Thieflings. So far he's swiped around five thousand gold. He's got a long way to go before he catches up with me, mind."
Thiefling: "They made me do it."
Gort here is scared shitless of something. But he is offering information we need, so...
"An underground passage to the Gray Garrison? Tell me more."
Thiefling: "Right, so the temple round here — the temple of Iomedae — has a cellar, and a passage leads from it right to the Gray Garrison. The Thieflings, my pals, damn the lot of 'em, have been using this passage on and off to sell all sorts of stuff to the soldiers in the Gray Garrison."
Thiefling: "So when the demons burst into the city, we thought we'd check up on the Gray Garrison to... uh... see how the soldiers were faring. And to offer our assistance."
"Don't gimme that look. This is the first I'm hearin' of this. Thieflings keep secrets from each other too, y'know."
Suppressing the sudden desire to roll your eyes, you ask, "why are you so afraid of me?"
Thiefling: "You're one of them crusaders, ain't you? You lot hate our guts — the Thieflings, I mean. You lock us up and do worse to us." The tiefling gulps loudly. "But I'm not a Thiefling. Not really."
You pinch the bridge of your nose and sigh. "Can I help you somehow?"
Thiefling: "Yeah! Let me go, please!"
"Fine, whatever. Go. Get out of here."
Thiefling: "Cheers for lettin' me go like this, I'll remember you a hundred years, I will. I'll name my firstborn after you..." Under your stare, the tiefling falls silent and then runs off."
We could shake him down for whatever he's got on him, but that's not the sort of woman Lisbeth is. Ninjas are spies and contract killers, not petty thieves. That's more the style of samurai.
I'm wracking my brain trying to remember if I've come across that guy in the past. I don't believe I have. I've done Act 1 many times and if I'm gonna be honest, I barely pay attention to market square.
Demons and their cultists are gonna be our bread and butter enemy for the remaining vast majority of the game. So expect to see a lot of dretch going forward. These little bastards will always be priority one targets because of their disabling abilities.
Anyway, like I said up above, this is a big map. So I'm gonna try to tackle it systematically.
The first major set piece we come across is a couple of crusaders clustered around a young girl.
All three are labeled "crusader" in the script, so I'm gonna call this guy Crusader 1.
Crusader 2: "I don't know... Can we really do this?"
Crusader 3: "Listen, we don't have a choice. There are demons everywhere, what else would you have us do?"
A group of knights surrounds a young elven girl. She is dressed in rags that barely cover the hideous scars on her body. The beggar girl is on her knees, watching placidly as the people argue heatedly around her. It is as if she doesn't sense the looming threat at all. A black crow flies in agitated circles above her head.
Crusader 1: "In Iomedae's name, we're sorry, girl, but it is our duty. We have to do this — not for our own sake, but for the sake of everyone who can still be saved from the demons. If we don't win this battle, you won't have long to live anyway!" The knight brings his sword up above the girl's head.
"They're insane!" Seelah looks at you, terror in her eyes. "We've got to do something!"
"I understand. You're scared. You feel powerless. You think this will help. You don't have to justify yourselves to me — just do what you've decided to do." The girl smiles serenely, as though she isn't at risk of imminent death.
Meet Ember. She's about to become our newest party member.
"What's going on here?"
Crusader 2: "We, we..." The knight's hands are shaking.
Crusader 1: "Our weapons barely scratch the demons' hides! We're sacrificing this girl to Iomedae so we can consecrate our weapons with her innocent blood and gain the power to destroy the spawn of the Abyss!"
Crusader 3: "It's extreme, but we have no other choice. We have to defend this city somehow, or else we'll all perish — including her!"
[Lore (Religion) 16] "That's ridiculous! The teachings of Iomedae directly prohibit the killing of innocents. The goddess will curse you for making this so-called sacrifice!"
Crusader 1: [Failed a Lore (Religion) check] "How do you know what the goddess wants or doesn't want? Who are you, her herald?"
"I am Iomedae's paladin!" Seelah raises the sacred symbol above her head. "If I lie, may the goddess strike me down: what you intend to do is a repugnant crime and heinous blasphemy!"
Seelah was giving me a bonus on that roll. Then I failed because apparently today is not a good roll luck day. Then she came in with the save anyway.
Crusader 3: "Exactly! What were you thinking? The goddess would never allow this!"
Crusader 2: "Whose idea was this anyway?" The knight looks at his comrades in suspicion. "I think it was yours!"
Crusader 3: "My idea? I was against the whole thing right from the start! Who said we needed to make a sacrifice — wasn't it you? You can't blame anyone else for that!"
"Please, don't fight! All of you are good people, defenders of the city. You just made a mistake." The girl turns to you. "Please, don't hurt them!"
"Hey, I know her! I see her all the time on the street — she's a couple cards short of a full deck, if you know what I mean."
See why I leave the "distant companions can talk" option enabled? This game has so many interactions that you would otherwise never see.
"Hi!" The girl waves at Woljif with a bright smile. "Remember how we used to play together when we were little? But then you went and got all big, and I stayed the same for some reason..."
"Huh? I played with you? Ha! Pull the other one!"
"You did! We played tag, and hide and seek... Then you and the bigger boys came up with the game where you all threw stones at me. You laughed so hard, it made me happy too... But then you grew up and went away to do grown-up things. Want to play with me now?"
The tiefling turns away, covering his reddened face with his hand. "For the love of... Kenabres is too damn small..."
"Go to the Defender's Heart tavern, that's where the survivors are gathering. And don't even think of doing something so disgusting ever again!"
Crusader 1: "Thank you!" The knights hurry away before you can change your mind.
Wrath of the Righteous is a very reactive game. Ember preaches forgiveness and kindness, and despite how cynical this game can get, things will work out if you follow her example. It would be very easy for the game to go "these guys ran off, grabbed an orphan, sacrificed them, and became Abyss corrupted" but instead, your mercy and Ember's shaming-by-forgiveness inspires them to do better. That reactivity is what allows the mythic paths to work so well.
The elf girl smiles at you. The crow alights on her shoulder and looks at you with eyes that are much too intelligent for an ordinary bird. "They're gone. And they all lived. I was sure that someone would die today! So many people have died here already — but we're still alive for some reason... Strange, isn't it?"
The girl shrugs, smiling serenely. "But... You shouldn't listen to me. I don't know what I'm talking about. I'm just a silly girl, really."
I don't trust her. She isn't what she seems. What she would have us believe she is," Wenduag says quietly, but you see the tension coiled in her — she is poised to fight or flee at any moment. "That is no simple-minded child before us."
"Agreed. I don't think you're an ordinary girl. And that crow with you there — it's not ordinary either."
The elf girl strokes the crow's beak: its eyes narrow in satisfaction and it makes a cooing sound. "No, don't be silly, I'm very ordinary. Well, I know different types of tricks, but Soot taught me those."
"Now Soot here — she truly is unusual! She's clever and she can talk, but only to me. She teaches me magic tricks, and lots of other stuff... I don't know what I'd do without her!"
"Who are you?"
"Call me Ember. I live here, on the streets. For many years now... But there's nothing to say about me!"
"Magic tricks you say? You could be useful when fighting the demons, and I'll be able to protect you from insane soldiers on the streets. Come with me!"
"I must have misheard — this girl, join our party? What could we possibly want with this dirty little beggar?"
"Wenduag is right. There's something about her. She's more than she seems. Whatever is going on, I want to be there when it happens, for good or for bad."
The girl gives you a smile, joyous and untroubled, like a child's. "Sure! Let's go!"
Cam goes out, Ember comes in. Ember is a "Stigmatized Witch" which means she gets access to arcane spells and shaman hexes. Indeed, you can turn Ember into a pretty powerful offensive caster with a couple of items you can get in act 3. That's pretty much gonna be the path I have her walk.
Also this was mentioned in the thread and I wanted to point it out. Marching Terror, a weapon we got from Hosilla, is really good. So we're gonna slap this on Seelah for a while and see how she likes it. I'm also going to give Ember our Gloves of the Neophyte, the gloves that give bonuses to cantrips, and set her to cast those by default. She probably will not need any other gloves for the rest of the game!
Ember is level 3, and so her cantrip here deals 2d3 points of damage. That's not terrible for a spell that's completely free to cast as much as she wants! And that bonus should only grow once she gets the "cantrips scale with CHA" perk.
Anyway, there's a house nearby. So let's barge in.
Swarms! These bastards, I'm given to understand, are the source of much frustration with first time Kingmaker players. You need to hit them with spell or elemental damage to reliably cause damage. Luckily we have a grenadier in the party with a lot of grenades on her belt.
Oh hey, a new recipe! Seasoned wings sound really good, I'm not gonna lie. It's such a pity they're (chicken wings) so freaking expensive anymore. It's hard to justify spending $15 for like 2 pounds of wings that haven't been properly plucked.
Demonology? What could possibly go wrong?
This is our first proper look at a vrock. These guys are huge pains in the ass to fight because of their spores ability.
The vrock runs away to go make mischief on the map. We'll meet up with him later. This might sound like an incomprehensibly dumb idea, but doing this will get us a quite nice reward eventually!
Moving on, there's a group of opportunists nearby, looting the burning houses for valuables. There's always some in a crisis. (I say this like that isn't my MO whenever I play CDDA.)
The petty bastards were only interested in material wealth.
Past some nearby cultists, we find a path going off to the side...
And the woman we were warned to keep an eye out for!
[Knowledge (World) 21] [Take a closer look at her strange appearance.]
[Failed a Knowledge (World) check] This elf may have fallen victim to some wicked magic. A curse, maybe? Or did her long service to the forces of darkness twist her appearance in such a gruesome way?
"Who are you?"
Kaylessa: Giving you a scrutinizing look, she says harshly, "There's no point in you knowing, soldier. Trust me, the answer would only bring you misfortune, and it still wouldn't be of any use to you. I'm a wanderer you won't ever meet again."
"Who wounded you?"
Kaylessa: With a resolute shake of her head, she barks, "Don't. I can handle it myself. I don't like it when strangers cast spells on me."
"As you wish."
Kaylessa: The elf nods stiffly.
We can go against her wishes and heal her. This is, somehow, a good action.
"Who wounded you?"
Kaylessa: She responds with a razor-sharp smile. "Haven't you noticed? The city is burning, there's a battle going on. I was wounded by... a cultist."
Ember is looking her over thoughtfully. "Her wounds are so strange... not at all like mine. They burned me from the outside, but you were burned from within, I think. It hurt, didn't it?" Unperturbed by her cold silence, Ember continues, "Yes, I can see that it hurt. I'm sorry that happened to you."
"Wait. I know who you are. You're Kaylessa, a cultist of Deskari."
Kaylessa: "That's a lie!" Her crimson eyes flash, and she says firmly, "I loathe demons and I'll kill any I come across!"
[Perception 16] [Take a closer look at the elf]
She's clearly holding something back, but... she doesn't appear to be lying either. Whatever it is she's hiding, her claim that she hates demons sounds quite convincing.
"You're not lying, but you're not telling me the whole truth."
Kaylessa: "What, was I supposed to pour my heart out?" She looks at you defiantly. "You have your war, soldier. I have mine. You're fighting chaos and madness, and I... I'm fighting lies and hypocrisy. But we are both willing to die for our cause, aren't we?"
"Why would Forn slander you?"
Kaylessa: Kaylessa's grim expression hardens further, as bleak and unflinching as the words on a tombstone. "You're asking questions that are dangerous in and of themselves. I urge you to stop. The more you know about me, the higher the chances that a traitor's dagger will find its way into your back."
"I believe you. Forn is at the Defender's Heart, you should keep clear of the place."
Kaylessa: "It was never my intention to set foot in there. Farewell, soldier, and... thank you for believing me."
Gained 184 Experience
She leaves. And we're left with more questions than answers. For what it's worth, if we did attack and kill her, we'd get a nice +3 longbow for our trouble.
Continuing down from where we met Kaylessa, we pretty quickly find this.
As well as some of Irabeth's men.
Building a makeshift bridge is the only thing that's preventing us from exploring the other half of the Kenabres world map. So in theory we're done here. But there's still a lot of unexplored map to go, and some interesting folks to meet. We can't very well leave matters half finished!
Jumping across the rubble took a couple tries. If you squint at the bar at the bottom, you can actually see that Kiyomi has the fatigued debuff. But it's way too early in the map to stop and rest up, so she'll just have to suck it up for the time being.
We can actually get over here without having to do an athletics check, but it involves going another way around entirely. And I don't like doing that.
Past the giant insects we find a cellar we can interact with...
Next Door Theater
Rubbledum the Actor: Even the huge pile of junk isn't enough to block out the exclamations coming from beneath it. "Reveal oh dearest darling beauty mine, why didst thou turn thy gaze on me, pray tell? Thy husband I called friend a time, but love 'tis like an ocean, friendship — a well!"
Kemh the Sound Master: "But Willas, how are we to live, my sweet?" booms a deep masculine voice in response from beneath the same pile. Indistinct rustling follows. "Pass me the ale, will you?"
"Hey! Who's there?"
Rubbledum the Actor: The pile of junk seems to shake. A stage whisper drifts up from below: "Granny, let's not answer! Methinks those be demons calling down and trying to trick us!"
Grandma Gretlen the Director: "In that case, there is nothing for us to do but accept our fate! Madam, demon or not, we are actors from the finest theater in Kenabres — the Next-Door Theater! We were trapped in this cellar during our rehearsal..."
Kemh the Sound Master: "Wait, what? We're trapped in here? I thought we'd barricaded ourselves in here away from the demons! Deliberately!"
Grandma Gretlen the Director: "If you didn't nap through the start of every rehearsal, Master Kemh, you would be better informed!" The ensuing exchange degenerates into a stream of unintelligible bickering.
[Athletics 13] [Move the pile of junk]
The pile shifts easily, revealing an entrance to some kind of cellar. There is an interesting-looking chest among the items.
Items received: Silver Ring, Jade, Green Quarts, Port x2
Gained 80 Experience
Kemh the Sound Master: "Look, the door is open, and now we are completely at the mercy of whatever's up there. If it really is a demon..."
Grandma Gretlen the Director: "We have nothing to fear — we have the power of inspiration, after all! But hand me over my ladle. And that rolling pin."
The Path Not Taken posted:
[Failed an Athletics check] The pile moves, but a crack sounds somewhere below. Instead of sliding to the side, the whole lot tumbles to the ground. You hear what sounds like a heavy object crashing through the cellar door!
Grandma Gretlen the Director: "My darlings! Are you all alive?"
Rubbledum the Actor:": "Yes... But that thing crushed our only skull prop! And I went to so much trouble to get it off that anatomy professor who gave the lecture at the town hall..."
Not Sure. Maybe Kemh?: "Ah ha ha, so that's why the professor was explaining the structure of the skull using a sloppily carved pumpkin..."
Rubbledum the Actor: "I'm an actor, not a thief! I couldn't leave him without a visual aid for his audience!"
Rubbledum the Actor: "Granny! That's not a ladle! That's one of the props for the Malevolent Lich performance, the one Tinna made! It's a scepter or something..."
Grandma Gretlen the Director: "She made it out of my ladle. She wanted to use a broom handle, but I put paid to that daft idea," says the dwarf with dignity.
"Oh, I've seen your show! You are very funny! Especially your play where the woman slowly climbs onto the chair while singing, and then falls off again." Ember claps her hands in delight.
Grandma Gretlen the Director: "Well, it is actually a great tragedy about unrequited love. The chair, you see, it represents a tower of rock rising up above the raging sea like the finger of a giant. And the woman, she isn't supposed to fall, but rather gracefully cascade into the swirling abyss below, just like I showed her a hundred times... But I'm glad you liked it."
"What were you doing down there?"
Grandma Gretlen the Director: "We were rehearsing. Our art distracts us from our fear and panic." The dwarf waves her ladle emphatically, doing a fair impression of a conductor.
"Really? When I'm scared, I eat."
Grandma Gretlen the Director: "We tried that too, but our supplies ran out. But art — oh! Art is eternal!"
"Can you get somewhere safe?"
Grandma Gretlen the Director: "Oh, don't worry on our account! We'll be going to our basement in the next street, that's where our Lambkin is! We're not afraid of demons with Lambkin around!"
"...Lambkin?"
Grandma Gretlen the Director: "Lambkin," says the dwarf readily. "Our male lead. He'll protect us. Don't worry, we know what we're doing!"
"Okay then. I have to go."
Grandma Gretlen the Director: "Thank you again for rescuing us, stranger! Today you did a great service for Mendevian culture, and perhaps the culture of all Golarion. You will certainly be remembered in future eras as the one who saved the critically and publicly acclaimed Next-Door Theater!"
I think that's a good stopping point.
NEXT TIME: More of the Market Square!