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Hello everyone and welcome back. We're going to be picking up with a bunch of talking in this update. But for those of you who don't read the thread between updates, or are reading this on the archive, let me catch you up...
Lisbeth the Ninja is no more as of the EE launch at the end of September. While there is some fuckery I can do to make the class work, a lot of mods have been broken and I'd rather not be beholden to them. The dangers of LPing a game in active development is that an expansion or major patch will release and break everything horribly.
That's fine. That's okay. We can persevere. I have everything recorded for the remainder of the first act. So while I'm catching up offscreen, let's see Liz 1.0 to the end of her journey. Just understand that after the conclusion of act 1, it will be a different Liz who emerges on the other side.
I'll stick the Morrowind Warning up at the top of every update with old Liz. So wit that out of the way...
We're back in the middle of market square after having met the Aeon and retained its power. The Aeon and the Trickster are diametrically opposed, so this is a situation that will not last for very long.
We've actually covered a majority of the map by now! But what's left is very content dense. I mentioned a lot of talking above, and I don't want you all to think I'm exaggerating when I say this, but these guys have Opinions and boy howdy are they keen to share them.
Just down the road is a man named Ramien and next to him is our old pal from the first update, Inquisitor Hulrun.
Ramien: "My beloved brother! I admire your zeal, of course, but would you not agree this is hardly the time to be standing guard over a hole that no one will ever emerge from? Or perhaps you're concerned that someone will decide to go for a nighttime stroll and will accidentally fall into it? Such foresight is laudable, but do you really need so many soldiers for such a task? Can't your warriors be put to better use, for instance, fighting demons, or clearing rubble, while the people trapped beneath it might still be alive?" The face of this golden-curled aasimar is beautiful even by the standards of his kind, in whose veins runs the blood of angels. His melodious voice sounds cheerful, but bitter reproach simmers in his gaze.
The word "still" in the above paragraph was highlighted. This is what that means. If we fuck around long enough to get the tavern defense I've mentioned before, then that progresses to make things worse for everyone.
"Don't you dare call me 'brother,' heretic!" The signs of recent, hard fighting are obvious in this stern old man. His armor is dented and covered in blood, and his unnatural pallor suggests something more dangerous than wounds inflicted by claws and fangs. Nevertheless, his gaze is stony and his voice, accustomed to barking orders, is harsh and clipped. "How dare you accuse me of doing nothing to protect this city! Especially now, when followers of your temple were caught committing treason! To my mind, you are no different than the demon worshipers — those miscreants, those beasts that are digging under the city walls!"
Ramien: "Everyone knows, my dearest prelate, that in your zealous pursuit of order in the city, you have long since forgotten how to tell friend from foe, and good from evil. That's what happened with my adepts, whose act of 'treason' was a genuine attempt to save the city! And yet again, I am forced to repeat myself: while we are wasting time on pointless quarrels, people are dying under the rubble in our city. People whom we could have saved if you had only set your soldiers to the task, and not kept them here, surrounding a useless and utterly harmless hole in the ground."
"Harmless? Well, if it's on your say-so, then that must mean there is someone down there! Your associates, no doubt! And they're just waiting for us to abandon our posts before they slink out and try again to..." The old man notices your approach. "And you... I remember you! You appeared in my city the day the demons attacked and Terendelev died! What are you doing here? Answer at once, or I'll have you strung up by your ankles before you know it! Don't think that the demons have wounded me — I still have enough strength to take on a hundred of your sort!"
"And what is this hideous creature?" Hulrun peers at Wenduag with suspicion.
The huntress shoots him an icy glare. "We call ourselves the neathers. Our forebears bore the brunt of the demons' first strike. In thanks for their sacrifice, you sent them into the catacombs. But now that the demons are mauling you in the streets, you need allies — even hideous ones like us." Wenduag pointedly spits on the floor.
"Mongrels? Descendants of the crusaders? Hmph. A feral specimen, no doubt, you obviously know human speech — surprisingly well, in fact. All right, let's be off with you." The prelate looks at you. "If she causes any trouble, I shall hold you responsible... Come to think of it, you still haven't told me who you are!"
Hulrun is an inquisitor to the tee. He sees enemies around every corner and thinks anything less than total devotion to the gods is heresy.
"I'm a crusader. I'm fighting to liberate Kenabres from the demons."
"A crusader, you say? Hmph! I'll be looking into that. You obviously don't know to whom you are speaking. I'm the one who decides who's a crusader and who's a traitor in this city. Hulrun Shappok, prelate of Kenabres by the grace of Her Majesty Queen Galfrey, and the city's defender against threats from within and without!"
Ramien: "And, as we can see, you've done a sterling job protecting the city." The golden-curled aasimar flashes a flinty smile. "I am Ramien of Edme, Prior of the temple of Desna, which, alas, currently lies in ruins. Wise Hulrun here believes it is vital to guard this hole in the ground, from which he is certain demons will emerge at any moment. I have been trying to convince him that the city has far more urgent matters to deal with. For instance, rescuing those currently dying under the rubble!"
"You know what? There may in fact be one matter that is more important than guarding this hole. I've put it off and put it off, and look where it's led us. I should have had you hung from the gates back when you dared to defend your gang of delinquent demon collaborators. If the Sarkorians had hanged Areelu Vorlesh while they had the chance, there never would have even been a war. I won't repeat their mistake, I won't hesitate any longer. Soldiers, seize this scum!"
In most cases, you don't probably aren't going to leave Hulrun alive in your first play through. I certainly didn't. The dude all but hands you his death on a silver platter by being aggressive, paranoid, and just generally unpleasant. The game gives you an option in basically every dialogue with him to cut him down. While that's true of almost every character in the game, I want to put a pin in that for now. We'll come back to it shortly.
"Prelate, see reason. These are frightening times, but threatening to hang someone without trial — that is unworthy of a servant of Iomedae."
The old man fixes his eyes on Seelah. "Lest you forget, girl: we may serve the same goddess, but you are not an inquisitor. Don't question the way I choose to serve Iomedae, and I won't question yours."
[Reveal the Light of Heaven] "Behold, inquisitor - I bear the gift of an angel who died in the caves beneath Kenabres. I am no enemy of yours."
The old man frowns and whispers something — a prayer or a spell? With each word, his face relaxes. "You are telling the truth. The light in your hand was wrought by the power of Heaven. I... will keep an open mind with regard to you, stranger. And later, under less fractious circumstances, I would like to ask you about how you came to receive this gift."
"But that can wait. Now I must deal with this filth once and for all."
"What precisely are you accusing Ramien of, inquisitor?"
"Treason. Not long before the city was attacked, several followers from his temple tried to secretly access the Wardstone and perform an unknown ritual over it." Hulrun is trembling with fury. "The Wardstone of Kenabres — the gift from Iomedae the bringer of light, wrought by the hands of her herald, the first in the chain. And followers of that crazy runt of a goddess try to meddle with it using their magic, after hearing a 'voice in their dreams!' My soldiers almost had them caught, when Ramien got in the way, allowing the traitors to go to ground. I made a mistake: I didn't have him locked in a cell and interrogated to within an inch of his life. And now the city lies in ruins. It's time to rectify that mistake!"
Ramien: "I've told you before and I'll tell you again: my people foresaw the attack on the city, they knew the Wardstone already carried the seed of corruption within itself, and they were simply trying to heal it!"
"I've heard similar claims before, now where was it? Ah yes, from Staunton Vhane, the traitor who brought down Drezen. The lessons of the past have taught us a great deal, and that is why I never believed you or your mob's lies even for a second — and I was right."
"Don't lay a finger on him, or you'll have to answer to me!"
Ramien: The aasimar holds up his hands in a placating gesture. "Stop! You are the defenders of what remains of Kenabres. Can't you think of anything better to do than be at each other's throats in the ruins of the city?"
Ramien: Ramien looks at the prelate. "You're a fool, Hulrun. You're a zealot and a murderer, but you're a fool first and foremost. I told you that the Wardstone was weakened. You wouldn't listen. I warned you that the city was going to be attacked. You shooed me away. The truth is that my young adepts were trying to save the Wardstone — and you stopped them. Of course, those truly responsible for this tragedy are the demons — but you have done nothing to prevent it. And now you would still rather kill an innocent person and perish yourself than admit that you were wrong. As always." With a wave of his wand, the aasimar vanishes.
Ramien walks off under the effects of invisibility.
"He fled, the heretic! He's no doubt expecting me to rush off in pursuit. But that won't work on me." Hulrun turns his attention to you. "What about you? If you truly have been marked out for a gift from Heaven, this is your chance to save the city — go and bring back that filthy traitor. I am almost certain that he and his cronies were helping the demons — either knowingly or unknowingly. Their attempt to bewitch the Wardstone is clear proof! Ramien must be captured!"
The right thing to do, the just thing to do, would be to end Hulrun's life for his many, many crimes. But, believe it or not, there's actually a reward of sorts much, much later in the game for not dispensing much-deserved justice here and now. So for the sake of showing that off, we have to grin and bear it and work with this madman.
"I see you suffered greatly in battle."
"Nonsense. I had to deal with a brood of nabasus... It was nothing, I've taken on worse enemies with the goddess's help!"
[Succeeded at a Knowledge (Arcana) check] Nabasus, also known as death demons, have the ability to drain their victims' life force — judging by Hulrun's pallor, he has lost a significant amount of his energy. The inquisitor can bluster as much as he wants, but right now he's far from the peak of his abilities.
"Nabasus? This prelate is mighty, sure enough... But a strong predator is tired and spent after defeating a rival, and he becomes tempting prey for smaller hunters."
"But smaller predators, in turn, should ensure that they do not choose a target that is far superior to them. Weakness can be deceiving."
"What would a city girl know about wild predators?"
"I was educated at home. My studies were most rigorous."
Go get some snacks for this next bit. It's a long one.
"Why are you so obsessed with finding enemies everywhere you look?"
"'Why?' 'Why?' You must not be from these parts, or you wouldn't have asked such a question! I look for enemies everywhere because our enemies ARE everywhere. Who are we at war with? Demons. Demons and cultists. They are masters of deception, they worm their way into your favor and masquerade in all manner of false guises... Do you think Drezen was taken by force? No! By trickery! Were it not for me, Kenabres would have gone the same way long ago — captured out from under our noses."
"Now listen to what I'm about to tell you. This was a long time ago, I was very young then and I had just joined the crusade. Back then, Kenabres didn't have a garrison so much as a public thoroughfare, anyone who wanted could just stroll into the city. One day at dawn, a group of refugees came up to the city gates, bold as brass. The guards let them in — and why not, for no one was ever turned away, 'twas no matter! Everyone was welcome in our city: if you came from Mendev, or if you'd hauled yourself here from across the seas — the crusade accepted all and sundry. But on this occasion, we paid dearly for our laxity."
"Just as soon as those innocent lambs entered the city, they transformed into demons and rushed toward the Wardstone, slaughtering everyone who tried to stop them. Sixty-two people died in less than a minute. The demons used their mutilated corpses to desecrate the obelisk. None of them dared to go near it, the light of the goddess burned them all — so they threw the blood from afar, spattering the Wardstone from every direction! And the lead demon — an eyeless beast, Minagho is her name — jeered and gloated, saying we mortals had been sitting ducks. And the creature was right, too! We let our guard down, and we got what we deserved."
"That bloodbath came to be known as the Red Morning Massacre, and it was burned into the townsfolk's memories. Since then, Kenabres has adopted different practices. Heretics, cultists, spies, all the rabble who coveted Areelu's glory, we drove them all out of the city. We haven't had any trouble here since. Many have come here — even the balor Khorramzadeh — and they have all been sent straight back to where they came from, or else they were killed for their trouble. You see, Deskari himself had to crawl out of the Abyss and come here, the goddess curse him, in order to break through our defenses... And what did he do? He left again! And we're still fighting! Now that is what vigilance and discipline can do!"
"Ramien really warned you about the attack?"
"Those crazed Desnans were always bursting into my study with their incoherent prophecies that came to them in their dreams. I won't lie, sometimes what they said did come to pass, but can we really rely on the wooly dreams of heretics over the cold hard facts of intelligence reports? Plenty of demons could have easily fooled them and whispered a treasonous plan in their dreams, and those lunatics would have been only too happy to listen."
"This time, mister curls-for-brains came to me and declared that demons were about to attack the city and that the Wardstone's power was diminished by some kind of contamination or taint — Iomedae forgive me for even repeating the words! After uttering such blasphemy, he should have been locked up along with his followers and interrogated. But instead, I simply increased the surveillance on them. And what next? My people caught them red-handed trying to attack the Wardstone with unknown magic! And not three days later, the demons attacked the city. There's an obvious connection between these events! Whether deliberately or under demonic influence, the Desnans played right into the hands of Deskari's hordes, and they almost left the city completely defenseless. Ramien covered for his people the whole time and helped them escape my guards. After that, what else can he be but a traitor and a heretic?"
"It never occurred to you that he was actually correct? That there is a malign force corrupting the Wardstone and that the demons intend to use it to turn the River City into a smoking crater?"
"Nonsense. If there was corruption in the Wardstone, I would have sensed it."
"There's nothing dangerous in this hole. You have no reason to guard it."
"You told me yourself that you received a light-bringing gift from an angel who perished in the caves below our feet. It is no secret that those passages are teeming with dangerous creatures that could kill anyone, even a warrior of Heaven! Demons and demonic offspring love roaming about underground. That's why I will be keeping an eye on this hole — if the beasts decide to attack from here, we'll be ready for them!"
"The city is literally burning around you! The air is filled with the screams of the dying and soon-to-be-dead. Demons stalk every street. The blood of those you swore to protect flows freely like a river. And in spite of all this, you've decided the best course of action is to guard a barren hole in the ground?"
The inquisitor fixes you with an even gaze, his will bearing down upon you with all of its ironclad might. "Yes. By my will, no more foul demon spawn will join the hunt from this hole."
I'm putting this picture here for the sake of reference. That's a (Chaotic) action to attack Hulrun.
"You know what, I have to go."
"Go on then, if you have to! It would be good if you could return with the head of that scum."
Ember peers intently at Hulrun. "I remember you! When father and I arrived in this city, you met us!"
"What is this gibberish? As if I have nothing better to do than to arrange meetings with vagrants!"
"But it's true! You and the other knights tied us to stakes and started lighting the bonfire. Father died, and then one of your knights changed his mind and pulled me from the flames, but then he died too... Don't you remember?"
"If you were burned, then it was with good reason. You say some traitor helped you escape from the fire? That is a crime in itself, which means that you have been evading justice all these years. If it weren't for the invasion, I would review your case and see that your sentence was finally fulfilled. You're lucky that we have more important matters to deal with right now."
"He didn't look the way he does now — all wrinkled and gray — he was young with a big mustache..." Ember smiles broadly and draws a large bushy mustache in the air with her finger. "He probably forgot all about me, it was a long time ago... But I do want to say one thing: I'm not cross with him. This knight is a true hero. He just really, really wanted to protect his city, only he got all mixed up about who was good and who was evil."
"You forgive him? After what he did to you?"
"He thought he was doing what was right. How do you know — maybe you've done something, thinking it was a good thing, but you were really doing a bad thing that hurt someone? But what if... what if I've done the same thing? You can't get angry at people for making mistakes when you might be no better than them."
"Ember, he literally tried to kill you. He's the reason you're burnt over most of your body. The reason your father died. Nothing you have done in life is as monstrous as that."
"But what--"
"Nothing, Ember. Believing in forgiveness is one thing, but this is a man who mangled your body because he was drunk off his own zealotry. I can promise you, nothing you do will ever be as inhuman and cruel as what he did."
"Hulrun, you sent an innocent child to be burned at the stake! Don't you want to ask for forgiveness?"
"Pah! Hardly! Anyone can 'look' innocent. How did this girl manage to survive the fire? And what about that crow that's always flying around her? I advise you to take a closer look at this innocent little lamb of yours — if you ask me, she 'looks' highly suspicious indeed!"
Look carefully at the attack option. It's lost its alignment. It's no longer chaotic or evil. It's just a neutral option. Hulrun is a monster.
"Let's go, Ember. It's better we leave now before I decide to do something he's going to regret."
"Yes, let's go. Bye-bye, kind knight!" She waves to Hulrun with a carefree smile. Hulrun grimaces and turns away.
We've got a little time left before I end this, so let's tie up a sort-of loose end from last time.
This Vrock is the demon we summoned. He starts the fight off by casting mirror image. So we have to hit him a bunch of times to burn off his duplicates before we can even damage him.
This makes him the biggest threat so far because it takes the longest amount of time to kill him. This is a regular enemy we'll be killing in groups of 3-4 by the end of the next act.
The actual reward is on one of the nearby bodies. One of the crusaders has a +1 shield, which is pretty nice this early on.
To the south is a small optional encounter.
Uh... not this.
Down here! This somehow completes the secret passage errand.
Scrawny Tiefling: "Watch it, watch it... What are you goons doing? You'll bloody crush me!" A young tiefling lies trapped in a collapsed section of tunnel. Another two tieflings scramble around, trying in vain to free him from the rubble.
Antsy Tiefling: "Quit whining... Hey! Alarm! Someone's coming!"
Energetic Tiefling: "Maybe she will help us?"
Antsy Tiefling: "Wise up, would you, before you get us killed. Let's make a run for it while we still can!"
Scrawny Tiefling: "No! Come on! Don't leave me! I'll die here!"
"Some family, Woljif."
"Like a crushed louse." Wenduag wrinkles her nose. "Let us leave this place, mistress. This pathetic creature is not even worth spitting on."
"Hey guys! I see you're in a bit of a jam!"
Scrawny Tiefling: "Get a load of this lot, and no escort neither! Woljif, you little shit, how're you not dead yet? And who's that with you?"
"They... They're friends of mine, great guys!" Woljif turns to you and, out of the corner of his mouth, says: "Listen, do me a solid — help them drag his sorry carcass free. They'll repay you, cross my heart!"
"Who are you?"
Antsy Tiefling: "Who, us? We're nobody, just simple citizens. We used to live here, but now..."
Energetic Tiefling: "Yeah, we just lived our lives... Didn't do nobody any harm, and then kaboom — the place falls about our ears!"
[Succeeded at a Perception check] The tieflings are antsy. They're hiding something.
"Don't lie to me. Tell me who you are and what you're doing here."
Antsy Tiefling: "All right, all right, don't hurt us! People call us the Thieflings. We, well... We..."
Energetic Tiefling: "We kinda skirt around the edges of the law, that's how we make our living. Say some tyrant bans books that show stuff he don't like, or fancy Kyonin wine he don't drink — is it wrong if we step in to fill the gap in the market? If there's a demand for it, someone's got to sell it!"
Energetic Tiefling: "Don't go thinking we're gangsters or anything. Our only concern is making the lives of citizens easier, for a little coin. People in this city can't even breathe without breaking some stupid regulation or restriction! Take this tunnel that collapsed on top of our friend, for instance. It leads straight to the Gray Garrison. Thanks to it, any soldier whose throat's feeling a little dry, or who's needing some nighttime reading material, we can get all the things for him that his heartless superiors refuse to. We're providing a public service!"
Scrawny Tiefling: "Enough talking, get these rocks off of me! You sent me down here for a goddamn crate of cognac, you idiots — now get me out!"
[Athletics 16] "I'll help you pull him out from under the rubble."
Scrawny Tiefling: "Whew... I'm alive. And all in one piece, give or take. Thank you, I'll remember your kindness for the rest of my life!" The freed tiefling turns to his companions. "And you two clowns, I don't want to hear a word out of you. Get into the tunnel now! One trip, just to the Gray Garrison and back! Don't be a coward, it's not going to collapse! Go, or else we came all this way for nothin'! That ended well, didn't it?"
"I helped you -- now you can help me and Commander Tirabade to save Kenabres. The militia needs people with various skills, even ones as... unusual as yours."
Antsy Tiefling: "You what? Are you blind or something?" The tiefling points at his horns and his tail. "Know what people call us? Areelu's spawn, and that's one of the nicer nicknames. Crusaders and tieflings don't mix. We'll be torched on sight!"
Energetic Tiefling: "Woah, woah... Tirabade? Irabeth Tirabade from the Eagle Watch? Lads, we have to help her. She's one of the only big shots in this town that actually treat us with any decency."
Scrawny Tiefling: "Why should we risk our necks for the crusaders?"
Energetic Tiefling: "Because Irabeth risked her neck for ours. She saved me from that creep Hulrun, yanked me straight outta his torture chamber. Only a worthless toerag would refuse to help her out after that."
Scrawny Tiefling: "Nah. Nuh-uh. I'm not listening to any more of this!" The tiefling makes a show of covering his ears. "You do what you want, I'm heading for the River Kingdoms!"
Energetic Tiefling: "Go on then! I'm going with the crusaders. And I'm going to round up the others to help." The tiefling smirks. "We've made some good money in the city — it'd be a shame to surrender our meal ticket to the demons! But enough yammering. So long!"
That's enough of that for now. Next time we'll fill in the last of the gaps and see if we can't straighten things out between Hulrun and Ramien.
Encyclopedia Golarionnica
Korramzadeh
Kyonin
River Kingdoms