Completed Let's become daemon cops in Unavowed (Finished)

[lightbane]

You know, Bestowers have it very hard when even a random nature elemental stops her tirade against "EVIL HUMANITY!" to pity them. In fact, Kaykay has been sentenced to a fate worse than death, as she'll never pass on without a greater sacrifice and doing so will merely give the job to someone else. This also means that your actions did in the Blackwell Pentalogy are kinda meaningless, as there will be always more ghosts around, so Rose died for naught.

Oops.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Let him leave.

 

[Darth Roxor]

A moment of laxity can spawn a lifetime of heresy.

Spoiler

Just leave him!

Leave him? Sure, for now. You DO know that I am descended from Aldin himself, right? And so is Elijah here?

...

Remember what Aldin did to humans and fey alike? Think about that the next time you consider crossing us. Now go. And remember our favor.

Byeeeeee

And I'll be watching you. From a distance. If you ever need me... I'll be there, okay?

*Groan*

And... you watch over your mom and dad too. Don't set their building on fire. Deal? Let's get both of you home.

if only it were a fey deal

What do you think?

Well. That's crazy, isn't it?

Sure sounds like it.

Then... no, I don't think he did.

Eli mind trix doing their work again.

Win?

But how...?

It doesn't matter. Elijah wants to come home. And... so do I? Is... that okay? Can I come home too?

Don't be an idiot. Get over here.

Exeunt.

I think... I HOPE...

They're gonna be okay. Just this once, I think it's all gonna be okay.

Famous last words.

Fade to black.

And we're back at the ranch!

I don't see what the big deal is.

I can't shoot the target with KayKay in front of it. I might hit her.

You know bullets just go through her, right?

Yeah, but it's still weird.

If it doesn't bother her, I don't see why it should bother you.

Why's she so keen to be shot at, anyway?

She says it's fun.

Fun.

Different things are fun when you're dead.



Logan's eyes shift from Vicki to KayKay. A faint smile betrays his thoughts.

Can I ask you about KayKay?

She says it's okay, so go ahead.

Is she with you ALL the time?

Yep, pretty much all the time. She can't travel very far from me. Maybe a few hundred feet? Half a block at most.

So I couldn't shake her company even if I wanted to. Not that I WOULD, she's good company.

So it's not awkward having her around all the time?

Nah, like I said. KayKay's good company. See? She just made a farting noise with her mouth. Quality entertainment, free of charge.

Guffaw!

What about when you have, you know, company over?

You don't mince words with the personal questions, do you?

Codexia the electric eye.

I'll tell you this, though. Since I got sober? "Company" hasn't been much of an issue for me. I just... haven't wanted to? I couldn't tell you why that is, anymore than I could tell you why I hooked up so many times when I was drinking. So having KayKay around? It hasn't cramped my style. At least... not in that way.

Remember, kids, don't stay sober.

What's going on in here?

Oh, KayKay's just messing with Vicki, that's all. I'd stop her, but it's not like I can make KayKay do anything.

Plus, it's nice to see KayKay mess with someone ELSE for a change.

Any thoughts on that last mission?

How the hell am I supposed to talk to my sponsor about this stuff, huh? If I tell her, "I took a trip to fairyland," she'd take away my five-year chip. Good job holding Eli back, though. I can only imagine what must have been going through his head. Killing someone in anger is not something you can ever take back.

For who has died, he stays dead.

See you around, Logan. You too, KayKay.

Sure, we'll chat later.

Vicki glares at KayKay from across the room.

Heck, some day I might have to go toe-to-toe with another one. I see why Mandana was always training so hard.

Speaking of Mandana, she's... kinda taking a break today. She's in the study, so we're giving her some space. Anyway, what's going on?

What's going on here?

Oh, Mandana said I could use that target for practice. I was thinking of all the bad guys we've seen so far and figured I should brush up. Training here would be... easier than the ranges I usually go to. Too many cops asking me awkward questions.

Course they also have fewer ghost kids trying to psych me out. So, you know, six of one.

Any thoughts on that last mission?

I'd be annoyed about letting Goodfellow go, but it isn't the first time a bad guy has owed a "favor" to get out of being punished. Making a deal like that can make a cop feel dirty, but sometimes it's necessary. Let's hope that turns out to be true.

One example of such scoundrel who cut a deal with the authorities to escape the consequences of blackguardly activity is AwesomeButton. Truly appalling.

We'll chat later.

Right, catch ya later, partner.

Moving on.

'Sup.

Good thing too. It's all I can do to stop myself from racing down to Wall Street to check on the kid.

What if they're already back in Florida?

Is Mandana doing okay?

Yeah, she's hanging in there, just as I am.

Any thoughts on our last mission?

I'm a GREAT-GRANDFATHER, isn't that crazy?

And it terrifies me to think how close we came to losing that kid. Terrifies me to the bone. The nerve of that Robin Goodfellow. Threatening Elijah with the Hunters. Good thing favors are binding, Robin won't be blabbing. Not as long as he lives.



well okay

Won't the hunters be after Elijah eventually anyway?

That's... true. If Elijah keeps using his powers, the Hunters will come. And when that happens, I'll be there for him. And if I'm not around by then? He'll have all this. My workshop, my notes. A legacy to inherit. It feels good, knowing that. It feels real good.

I'll leave you to it.

Right! See you around.

Moving on.

Und hallo.

We have had enough family taken from us.

So how are you... holding up?

I admit that it has been... difficult, but I am managing. Hunting this demon helps. Eli told me that it gets easier, but never quite gets better. Perhaps he thought that was reassuring.

Any thoughts on that last mission?

So a fae of the Winter Court now owes us a favor. That is... rare. Rare beyond measure. Be sure not to waste it, when the time comes.

ominous foreshadowing!

Should we start a meeting?

Yes. Eli said he had some information to share. It is time he did so.

The time has come!

Unavowed, assemble!

You look... kinda tired, Eli. You okay?

I'm fine. Too much fire reading. Takes a lot out of you. Anyway, information about Melkhiresa was carefully guarded. Even with fire reading, all I found were fragments. But I did... learn a few things.

You know, regarding "reading" and the demon and everything, how come nobody yet had the idea to pursue the Evil Book (tm) that started it all? Sounds like Evil Book with bound Demon of Knowledge would yield many answers.

It's about time.

Yeah, what are we dealing with here? You said yesterday that it had something to do with knowledge?

Yes, quite literally. From the bits I was able to pick up, the name "Melkhiresa" is synonymous with knowledge.

What does that mean? It... knows things? What kind of things?

[Intelligence] It knew about Galene, and how to free her.

Indeed, it knew just where to strike, and who to strike against. Again and again. Only a creature with immense reserves of knowledge could achieve this.

Demon wikipedia.

So Melkhiresa literally knows... everything?

It appears to know more than WE do for certain. It has a... decisive advantage.

"Knowledge is power"? My dad used to say that all the time.

Vicki is a true daughter of the Emprah it seems.

A trite phrase, but in this instance? Quite true.

If Melkhiresa is so smart, how did it let itself be exorcised?

You're right. It should have known we were there. It should have known how to avoid us, or stop us.

~ominous foreshadowing~

You really think so? I mean, I've taken a few boxing lessons at the gym, but I wouldn't last two seconds in a real ring. Knowing things isn't the same as UNDERSTANDING them.

Truly spoken. This Melkhiresa is not all-knowing. Nor all-powerful. It is... important to remember this.

What would a spirit of knowledge need with a pocket realm?

I... don't know. I only found accounts of people who used Melkhiresa for information. Nothing about Melkhiresa itself.

I guess when we find it, we can ask it.

So how do we stop it?

I... don't really know. In the texts I read, nobody ever mentioned being possessed by Melkhiresa. They just... talked to it.

Talked to it.

Yeah, they'd summon it, then ask it questions. Usually about dark magic or how to defeat an enemy. And... they had to pay in blood. Lots of it. People would die, every single time. But... Melkhiresa was always correct, every single time.

BLOOD FOR THE BLOOD GOD

Nobody was ever possessed by Melkhiresa before me?

I didn't say that. I said there was no RECORD of it. So... maybe you're not the first?

Time's wasting, we have two more neighborhoods to deal with.

Yes, we have a path to follow. We shouldn't tarry any longer. We are ready to leave when you are.

Codexia was born ready.

No, not now. Maybe later.

Eh?

Not you. KayKay keeps asking to see that movie, "Squirrel Team 13: Squirrels in London".

They're still making those? I saw the first with my brother Mitch when I was, like, ten. We made our dad play the theme song in the car for months.

Great. You HAD to mention the theme song. Now she's gonna be singing it all day.

Heh. Sorry.

You know the drill.

Where to... and with whom?

*drumroll*

 

[Reinhardt]

Chinatown. Women are useless even by women standarts so Eli and Logan. And KayKay. Party of 4.

 

[lightbane]

And I'll be watching you. From a distance. If you ever need me... I'll be there, okay?

At first he says this...

And... you watch over your mom and dad too. Don't set their building on fire. Deal? Let's get both of you home.

They're gonna be okay. Just this once, I think it's all gonna be okay.

Famous last words.

Then he quickly turns around. I hope he won't mind too much when the BABY WITH FIRE POWERS!! repeatedly set their home on fire. Or accidentally set his parents on fire.

'll tell you this, though. Since I got sober? "Company" hasn't been much of an issue for me. I just... haven't wanted to? I couldn't tell you why that is, anymore than I could tell you why I hooked up so many times when I was drinking. So having KayKay around? It hasn't cramped my style. At least... not in that way.

Poor Logan got a kid with none of the benefits and all of the drawbacks plus then some extra, as it is not known if Kaykay can grow older mentally or if she'll stay childish FOREVER.

Speaking of Mandana, she's... kinda taking a break today. She's in the study, so we're giving her some space. Anyway, what's going on?

We have a study? If it wasn't for the pic of the building outside, one would thing their HQ was quite small.

You know, regarding "reading" and the demon and everything, how come nobody yet had the idea to pursue the Evil Book (tm) that started it all? Sounds like Evil Book with bound Demon of Knowledge would yield many answers.

Writer is lazy, or they're self-aware enough that this would end poorly. Choose one.

~ominous foreshadowing~

Yep, totally not a trap, that portal will be.

Yeah, they'd summon it, then ask it questions. Usually about dark magic or how to defeat an enemy. And... they had to pay in blood. Lots of it. People would die, every single time. But... Melkhiresa was always correct, every single time.

I suppose that no-one was smart enough to offer sheep blood or something.

You know the drill.

Where to... and with whom?

Let's go with Womandana and the cop to Chinatown! Perhaps this time they'll be of use.

 

[ERYFKRAD]

Perhaps this time they'll be of use.

 

[MRY]

So, I’m trying to avoid following too closely in case someday I have time to play. But I had a question—are all the major choices, “You’ve beaten a creepy magic creature. Kill it?”

 

[Erebus]

Chinatown with Mandana and Logan.

 

[Alpan]

So, I’m trying to avoid following too closely in case someday I have time to play. But I had a question—are all the major choices, “You’ve beaten a creepy magic creature. Kill it?”

With one exception, yes.

 

[Major_Blackhart]

Chinatown. Logan and Eli.

 

[Storyfag]

Chinatown. Logan and Eli.

 

[Koschey]

Brooklyn, Mandicki

 

[orcinator]

You know, I'm not even going to start wondering why this golem made by and belonging to Fellows would accept orders from just about... anyone.

It's a VALID interpretation of its laws.
Why a creature whose existence seems to revolve around deals and one that also runs a large corporation can't think of a less vague lawset is a different question.

Also, chinatown; Mananachio and the other one.

 

[MRY]

Maybe it's a thematic contrast between intensely legalistic fire djinni and loosey-goosey ice golems?

 

[lightbane]

You know, that reminds me that it's a shame that Mandana is so boring, despite being a somewhat novel concept. You would think that a half-genie would be capable of altering her body to an extent or something like she does whenever she gets into her lamp, but it doesn't seem to happen.

Maybe it's a thematic contrast between intensely legalistic fire djinni and loosey-goosey ice golems?

Or lazy writing. I mean, a common thing in fairies everywhere that kidnap children is to leave changelings/fetches to avoid that kind of messes shown in the update, yet this fairy didn't for no obvious reason (other than making it easier to confront him, of course).

 

[EruDaan]

So, just to be clear - this baby has fire powers. Which it somehow can use or uses if... agitated? Like when the fae hold it more or less as an hostage? What, if this baby grows some years and throws a tantrum that will burn a whole city block down? Just because dad says "Eat your vegetables!" What if the parents do something the baby do not like? Throw fire balls? This whole "Fire Mage baby" stuff is completely bonkers if anybode asks me. And letting it go without informing the parents is absolutely stupid.

 

[lightbane]

Just because dad says "Eat your vegetables!" What if the parents do something the baby do not like? Throw fire balls? This whole "Fire Mage baby" stuff is completely bonkers if anybode asks me. And letting it go without informing the parents is absolutely stupid.

It's exactly what I was making fun of. Fortunately Eli will be paying attention. Supposedly.

So it will totally be okay, just like when in the last chapter of Blackwell everyone fell unconscious due sorcery. What could go wrong?

 

[Darth Roxor]

Just because dad says "Eat your vegetables!" What if the parents do something the baby do not like? Throw fire balls? This whole "Fire Mage baby" stuff is completely bonkers if anybode asks me. And letting it go without informing the parents is absolutely stupid.

It's exactly what I was making fun of. Fortunately Eli will be paying attention. Supposedly.

So it will totally be okay, just like when in the last chapter of Blackwell everyone fell unconscious due sorcery. What could go wrong?

and let's not forget the convo when vicki joins up and asks what do the unavowed do in case of an emergency, and they reply 'take the subway'

 

[MRY]

The scene is just a nice Incredibles reference. I feel like you’re freighting it with too much meaning. It was funny when Jack-Jack did the same thing to Syndrome, and hear the gag has the add pleasure of referencing a now-classic children’s movie.

 

[lightbane]

It's not the scene itself which has issues, but the aftermath, where's not very clear whether Eli will do pay attention to his relatives to prevent a city-destroying disaster or at least inform the parents. I know it's probably meant to be played for laughs, but seeing the organization's record so far, one cannot be completely sure.

 

[MRY]

It's hard for me to gauge the game, but it seemed ilke there was a fair amount of slapstick/physical humor, like with the merman chasing you on the boat and the way people faceplant, so I think it's safe to assume that part of the lore of fire magi is that their juvenile power is comedic but not dangerous -- obviously the parents will have some funny moments where like the kid is trying to roast a marshmallow and accidentally burns his dad's eyebrows off, but I don't think the power can cause non-humorous injuries until adulthood? Otherwise, wouldn't Robin Goodfellow have been hurt, rather than just comically flustered? I mean, his suit's not even sooty (let alone singed!) and his tie-stay is still in place.

[EDIT: In response to Roxor's prosper rating, it just seems to me that when you play an interactive-story-style game written by an acclaimed author, you should assume the story has a coherence and logic to it. Here, there's an easy way to harmonize the baby's powers with the rest of the story (that juvenile fire magic is useful only for juvenilia, and can't harm anyone), which is actually exactly what we see on screen -- the baby explodes in fire but doesn't burn a single thread on Puck's suit. It's also consistent with Eli's character, which is that of a highly protective parent with a wry sense of humor. The alternative explanation -- that a child that can shoot fire everywhere whenever it gets angry would be dangerous to leave untended -- has no support in the game at all: the baby's fire doesn't damage anything, Eli wouldn't put his family at risk, the Unavowed are charged with keeping errant magic from becoming dangerous. So it can't be a valid interpretation.

Honestly, the more I think about it, the same is true of how the genie pulls an Obi-Wan. He makes a theatrical point of letting his enemy stab him in the back repeatedly; he cannot possibly be trying to win the fight. We know he lies about having the power to kill the dryad. The game makes a theatrical point of showing you that the contract was meant to be sloppy -- it's got grammar and punctuation errors, for instance -- so the idea that the loophole was in there by happenstance is obviously ridiculous. Like Aslan or Obi-Wan, the genie went to his death knowing that it was a moral necessity in order to bring about the greater victory. Again, the alternative explanation, that an ancient, wise, and powerful being would screw up a ritual document, would keep making the same blunder of turning his back seventeen times, would have nothing to defend himself other than a folding axe, would be confused about his own powers, etc. simply doesn't accord with anything the game has told you about him or the setting.

I know Dave has written about how engaging with the story is meant to take the place of engaging with puzzles, so I doubt he would leave plot holes, but I'm pretty sure he would leave story-puzzles to grapple with. I bet the thing with everyone thinking you're still the demon is going to be an example of that, too.]

 

[Alpan]

MRY : DR;TL (Did read; too long). I have great respect for you, and your post is as well-meaning as always, but you spare too much thought for Gilbert's mediocre writing, and you're being too cerebral precisely because you haven't yet played the game.

Even if we were to charitably assume that Gilbert has left all sorts of story-puzzles for players to interpret, the game does a terrible job of evoking any sense of ambiguity or even mystery; to give some counter-examples, Kalash never comes across as an immeasurably old and wise being, and if Robin Goodfellow is unharmed by the fire the game isn't really interested in letting the player know about it, and the guy so obviously panics -- you'd think an ice-attuned creature would have an easier time of extinguishing a harmless fire -- that such an interpretation is undermined. If there's an interpretation for these, it's the same, almost-likable Wadjet Eye jankiness that's been there since, say, Blackwell Legacy.

It's simply hard to read Unavowed as anything other than a straightforward tale of urban fantasy. If the player has to perform evaluations of Gilbert's own tendencies, previous games, and past writings to "mine" engaging story beats out of a game (as you have done), then he has already failed.

 

[MRY]

Well, I'm pretty sure I've only played the first (unenhanced) Blackwell game and the unenhanced version of The Shivah, so I can't speak to his work from first-hand confidence. (I certainly liked the writing in both those games.) What is driving me is a basic tenet I try to stick to: if the market and commentariat says "X is amazing" and yet X seems absurd to me, I assume it's not because I know better than everyone else, but that I'm missing something. Here, the most well-regarded adventure game critics consistently describe the writing in this game as sublime, it has 96% positive ratings on Steam (with most players describing the writing as sublime), and for years Dave has been singled out as a phenomenal writer by almost every gaming site I can think of. He travels the world delivering lectures on adventure game story-telling to standing-room-only crowds. There has to be something to that. To give it no weight at all would be hubristic.

Since I don't have time (or patience) to play many games any more, I have to rely on second-hand impressions. From the LP thread, the Kalash sequence looked ridiculous to me and the criticism here sounded persuasive; but on considering the nigh-universal praise the game's story-telling has gotten, I figured that there is some kind of deeper meaning I missed at first blush. I looked for it, and there was something to be found, so...

Also, I like Dave and I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

Another possible answer, perhaps, is that "logic" and "psychological realism" and other things that people are looking for in this game aren't components of a story that will connect with Dave's market. It may be that he just wanted to write a fun story, and it's much more fun the way he handled the baby sequence than it would've been if there was some persistent worry about how the family would go. Sometimes people just want junk food, and perhaps with a certain mindset it is fun to satisfying them what they want.

 

[baud]

You know, regarding "reading" and the demon and everything, how come nobody yet had the idea to pursue the Evil Book (tm) that started it all? Sounds like Evil Book with bound Demon of Knowledge would yield many answers.

Because it only works with burned book and it is possible that the book hasn't been burned (yet)?

You know the drill.

Where to... and with whom?

Let's go with Womandana and the cop to Chinatown! Perhaps this time they'll be of use.

 

[Alpan]

Another possible answer, perhaps, is that "logic" and "psychological realism" and other things that people are looking for in this game aren't components of a story that will connect with Dave's market. It may be that he just wanted to write a fun story, and it's much more fun the way he handled the baby sequence than it would've been if there was some persistent worry about how the family would go. Sometimes people just want junk food, and perhaps with a certain mindset it is fun to satisfying them what they want.

I'd be happier calling it comfort food rather than junk food, but yes, this is agreeable. I have purchased and played, and more or less enjoyed Gilbert's every game; I would also rate them positively. "Fun story" is how I'd characterize his entire work; it's good entertainment, but being so easy to consume, has never made a lasting impression on me. Most game stories don't, which makes the experience even more jarring when a true exception shows up; In the Primordia thread I think I mentioned to you how it rather dovetailed with the readings I'd been doing at the time, and if you'd like to take a chance on a stranger's suggestion, I recommend Kentucky Route Zero.