Brother None
inXile Entertainment
- Joined
- Jul 11, 2004
- Messages
- 5,673
Right, adopting ghostdog's advice. Also trying to make updates a bit smaller overall, they might be slightly too big for a steady LP rate otherwise.
The moment Sayyid steps out of the tower, a man runs up.
What the... it's the inconspicuous man we've seen around town.
Sayyid ibn Nasreddin, stop... a word with you.
I can't think of any reason why I'd talk to someone like you. Good day.
Now, now! Not so hasty! I didn't mean to barge into this. First of all, let me explain how you came to my notice. How you mastered the last stages of your apprenticeship with old Brookbeard... that was just superb. And how you outwitted that Boron Deont... I must say, that was very cunning indeed.
Spare yourself the charade, good sir, and get to the point. What is this all about?!
I'll get to that in a moment. But the most revealing part was the story about that... Blood Wolf. Pity it didn't spare any of the smugglers. They could probably have given us lots of information.
Blood Wolf? Smugglers? Right, I've had it! I want to know what's going on here. At once!
My name is Gerlin and my... 'office' requires me to see to it that I am always well informed about things. To put it bluntly, I ... stumbled across you ... so to speak ... during my investigation of the pirate attacks.
Man, why can't we ever meet non-shady people out there?
You're on the trail of the river pirates?! What were you able to find out, and what do these ... these smugglers have to do with it?!
I don't know that myself yet, but I'm sure we'll find out soon. However, that is something we should discuss in a somewhat quieter location.
You still haven't told me who you're working for.
When you get your teeth into something you just don't let go, do you? Heh heh... I like that about you. However, I regret that I must keep this information from you... for now. We really should discuss this in a quieter location.
Man, he even chuckles? And look at that mustache! The only thing missing is a little "admiral Ackbar" medallion, and the "it's a trap" signal series would be complete.
Blast his eyes, I'm not about to be intimidated by some fat, overdressed heathen dandy.
Hm. All right, agreed. After you.
Alright then. Follow me.
Different spellings of "alright" in back to back phrases. Sloppy? Nah.
Oh yeah, here we go, back alley and everything.
Liegemen, eh? I'M ON TO YOUR TRICKS!
Aha! Now the...wait, cooperation?
Cooperation? Isn't that rushing it a bit?
I was only talking about exchanging information, nothing more.
*sneers* Oh good, an elf. No doubt her fairy magic and "senses" will be of great value to us all.
Gerlin has always had the right instincts so far. It...
It's not up to us alone to make any decisions about a mutual plan, anyway.
For a moment there I thought the game was just going to cutscene me into the next quest.
So, what say you? Do we want to work together on this?
No.
But thou must!
I don't trust you.
So? A healthy dose of mistrust may be good, perhaps even essential! But mistrust us? No, that's completely uncalled for.
You make me laugh: 'completely uncalled for'. How do I know you're telling the truth?
You can't know that. You can't ever know that, not with anyone. You can only put my word to the test if you follow me. At least we didn't strike you down from behind like these river pirates.
Wow. Way to alleviate my concerns. Anyway, there's two dialog options here, and both of them say "ok I'll work with you" in different wording.
Hm. If there's a chance of nabbing the pirates, I'm in. But remember: I'll be keeping an eye on you. Now tell me what you've found out.
My sources tell me that a ship will dock in the harbor tonight, after the curfew. It's possible that stolen merchandise from the pirate attacks will be on board. Anyway, we'll take a close look at this situation.
After the curfew? Isn't that too risky? The harbor will surely be monitored by patrols.
Normally you would be right about that. However, according to everything we were able to learn, there won't be any patrols tonight.
A tricky matter. The influence of the men behind this must reach farther than we supposed. The question now is... How far?
It's no good. We'll only find out once we see the situation for ourselves. How do we want to proceed?
As soon as you are ready, Jaakon will take you to our meeting place when darkness falls. We'll discuss the last details there and leave together.
Ach, if that's all there is to it. That'll be child's play.
Don't get your hopes up, Sayyid ibn Nasreddin. This will be anything but a walk in the park. Make sure you are really well-prepared for our mission... then meet me behind the tavern at the marketplace.
This Jaakon is level-headed and smart. From his dress I would gather he is a mage like I am. His presence does help alleviate some of my concerns of this group.
Of course. I'll prepare myself and then go to the tavern.
Well then, that's everything... right? Please excuse me. I also have some preparations to make. Oh, and... keep a low profile... not one word to anyone about our mission.
There's not much for me to do, preparation-wise. I clear out my inventory by selling some useless goods and head to the meeting point, where Jaakon is waiting.
Excellent, you're here. Everything has been arranged. I'm pleased to meet someone from the magic workers' faction. I heard that your last teacher's methods were somewhat ... unorthodox?
They certainly were. But I probably learned more in my short time there than I could have ever hoped to learn elsewhere.
Heh heh. I think I know what you mean. I was at a rather orthodox and straightforward - not to mention boring - academy. I also learned a lot there. But let's drop this topic. Are you ready for our mission?
I am, but first I'd like to know a bit more of this Jaakon Zagor fellow.
Can I ask you a personal question?
Oh, I ... of course. You may.
Your name sounds Fountlandish. May I ask where you learned the arcane arts?
No, I don't come from Fountland originally, even if a large part of my family feels very at home there. I studied at the Hall of Mercury in Festum. I didn't stick with it very long there.
Fountland seems like a touchy subject, for whatever reason. Best no to pry.
What made you leave?
Too little practical work, too much theory. I actually had looked forward to studying there. After all, the academy had a reputation for undertaking frequent expeditions to magical phenomena.
How about Gerlin? He hasn't let much slip so far. I still don't know who he is working for. Or you for that matter.
And you won't get that information from me, either. Sorry. All I can tell you is that he is an outstanding friend and mentor, and that he never leaves any of his people in the lurch. He thinks very highly of you for some reason. I guarantee you that you can trust him completely. I even surmise that ultimately we are pursuing the same goals. That's all I can tell you about him.
That Elf ... what was her name again? Fayris! How long have you known her?
Fayris Lynxeye, she is a Half-Elf, to be exact. Why do you ask?
I'm just curious. After all, you know more about me by now than I know about you. Well?
Actually I began my service with Gerlin at just about the same time as she did. We met for the first time there. At first the teamwork wasn't as successful as Gerlin had hoped. But over the years we've overcome our differences to have a viable working relationship, as Master Gerlin likes to say. I think very highly of her. You won't find a better scout anywhere.
Oh, I see. You think very highly of her, eh? A working relationship, nudge nudge. I bet she randomly bursts into elvish song by the campfire, the ultimate sign of blooming love.
About our mission ...
Of course, the mission. Are you ready now?
Yes. Let's get started, Jaakon.
Now we're getting to the deadly serious side of things. We'll meet up with the others behind the Praios Temple after darkness falls. Let's go!
Sayyid and Jaakon discuss magic theory while the hours pass, as they wait behind the Praios Temple for Fayris and Gerlin to arrive.
But they don't...
Perhaps the harbor watch is on patrol after all and held them up.
Out of the question. We would have seen them in that case. No, it must ... psst ... someone's coming!
Fayris!
By Rastullah, woman, put on some pants. This is an outrage!
Sayyid ibn Nasreddin, Jaakon! We ... Gerlin, he ...
What's the matter with Gerlin? What happened?!
We were ... he wanted to check on something. The smugglers captured him, I ... I couldn't intervene.
Curses! How could he be so careless?! Something ... must have rattled him. Could you see where they took him?
No, I ... I didn't want to endanger Gerlin in any way. One of them muttered something about 'the two big warehouses' and 'the only way into the harbor district'.
Ah, mutterers, the boon to RPG gamers everywhere.
Hmm ... if we want to rescue Gerlin, we'll have to sneak through those warehouses whether we want to or not. Hurry! Who knows what they're planning to do with him!
Hang on a moment. Not so fast. I don't like this.
This is not a good time to dwell on feelings, don't you think?
Sayyid ibn Nasreddin, please. I sense that Gerlin is in great danger. If we still want to rescue him, we have to act now.
Oh right, I'm sorry, if the elf senses something I guess we have to go along.
I warned you. Alright then: It's your mentor, so it's your plan.
And thus Fayris and Jaakon join the party (which means it's finally a party). Other followers so far were temporary and thus I could not access their stats or inventory. Not so for these two.
The outrageously pantsless woman is a basic Elven ranger. Very skilled at healing, good with a bow, a natural for setting and disarming traps.
Jaakon is a battle mage. Good store of AE, not a bad selection of spells, including the elven heritage spell Sleep of a Thousand Sleep.
We immediately run into resistance.
Oh, no! Members of the smugglers? gang. How could they have followed me?
We can speculate about that later. Hm, they haven't noticed us. Maybe they're only supposed to be lookouts while the ship is being unloaded.
We can speculate about that later = momma gung get spanked
I have an idea! What about if I set up a trap in the passageway, and then we lure them in there?
A woman forwarding an idea? Hah! No wonder it is so useless.
We can deal with them easily enough. Come on!
These guys aren't worth wasting traps on. Traps in general aren't necessary but do come in handy a couple of times. I guess this instance is just supposed to act like a tutorial of sorts.
Sending out a thunderbolt welcome wagon.
When adventure points dawn, they dawn...IN FIRE.
Wow, it really does work on anything.
More of them near the marketplace.
We'll have to get rid of him first... Jaakon, knock him out with a 'Somnigravis' sleep spell!
Even though it's called Sleep of a Thousand Sleep in the spellbook, the translator stuck with the original name.
Anyway, another tutorial-esque remark. It's almost quicker to just kill him.
Double rape flames.
A whole troop of them here. Using traps here might be more sensible, but eh, charge!
Hah, he didn't even get close before being fried by a culminatio.
The usual burning and maiming ensues. Picked out this screenshot as it shows Jaakon with "slight gangrene", a common poison effect early in the game. Any poison can be cured by Clarum Purum, which Fayris is casting, meaning treat poisons becomes effectively useless (treat wounds is similarly replaceable by a combination of Calm Body and Balm of Healing, but I never bothered, it's a bigger investment).
However, they locked that gate after passing through it.
A dead end, great!
The gate was open earlier...
... they're trying to cut us off! Quick, try another one!
It wouldn't have been worth it. You'd only have risked them harming Gerlin. He would have been proud of your discretion.
You're right, Jaakon. But I can't get it out of my mind. I should have at least found out where they were taking him.
Then they might have caught you too. No, no... Don't worry, Fayris, we'll find Gerlin and rescue him.
It is a quiet night, even for this sleepy town. Only the cats still prowl around, curiously witnessing the humans from their rooftop perches.
And us, three comrade-in-arms. United to find our missing compatriot, indivisible in our goal.
What?
Well.
Fine then.
Because splitting up always works out well, right?
The moment Sayyid steps out of the tower, a man runs up.
What the... it's the inconspicuous man we've seen around town.
Man, why can't we ever meet non-shady people out there?
Man, he even chuckles? And look at that mustache! The only thing missing is a little "admiral Ackbar" medallion, and the "it's a trap" signal series would be complete.
Different spellings of "alright" in back to back phrases. Sloppy? Nah.
Oh yeah, here we go, back alley and everything.
Liegemen, eh? I'M ON TO YOUR TRICKS!
Aha! Now the...wait, cooperation?
For a moment there I thought the game was just going to cutscene me into the next quest.
Wow. Way to alleviate my concerns. Anyway, there's two dialog options here, and both of them say "ok I'll work with you" in different wording.
There's not much for me to do, preparation-wise. I clear out my inventory by selling some useless goods and head to the meeting point, where Jaakon is waiting.
I am, but first I'd like to know a bit more of this Jaakon Zagor fellow.
Oh, I see. You think very highly of her, eh? A working relationship, nudge nudge. I bet she randomly bursts into elvish song by the campfire, the ultimate sign of blooming love.
Sayyid and Jaakon discuss magic theory while the hours pass, as they wait behind the Praios Temple for Fayris and Gerlin to arrive.
But they don't...
Fayris!
Ah, mutterers, the boon to RPG gamers everywhere.
Oh right, I'm sorry, if the elf senses something I guess we have to go along.
And thus Fayris and Jaakon join the party (which means it's finally a party). Other followers so far were temporary and thus I could not access their stats or inventory. Not so for these two.
The outrageously pantsless woman is a basic Elven ranger. Very skilled at healing, good with a bow, a natural for setting and disarming traps.
Jaakon is a battle mage. Good store of AE, not a bad selection of spells, including the elven heritage spell Sleep of a Thousand Sleep.
We immediately run into resistance.
We can speculate about that later = momma gung get spanked
These guys aren't worth wasting traps on. Traps in general aren't necessary but do come in handy a couple of times. I guess this instance is just supposed to act like a tutorial of sorts.
Sending out a thunderbolt welcome wagon.
When adventure points dawn, they dawn...IN FIRE.
Wow, it really does work on anything.
More of them near the marketplace.
Even though it's called Sleep of a Thousand Sleep in the spellbook, the translator stuck with the original name.
Anyway, another tutorial-esque remark. It's almost quicker to just kill him.
Double rape flames.
A whole troop of them here. Using traps here might be more sensible, but eh, charge!
Hah, he didn't even get close before being fried by a culminatio.
The usual burning and maiming ensues. Picked out this screenshot as it shows Jaakon with "slight gangrene", a common poison effect early in the game. Any poison can be cured by Clarum Purum, which Fayris is casting, meaning treat poisons becomes effectively useless (treat wounds is similarly replaceable by a combination of Calm Body and Balm of Healing, but I never bothered, it's a bigger investment).
However, they locked that gate after passing through it.
It is a quiet night, even for this sleepy town. Only the cats still prowl around, curiously witnessing the humans from their rooftop perches.
And us, three comrade-in-arms. United to find our missing compatriot, indivisible in our goal.
What?
Well.
Fine then.
Because splitting up always works out well, right?