Onwards to disease and death!Pussycat669 said:
Pussy detected.
Pussycat669 said:
Bah!
-
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Inactive Let's break some boots in the RoA! (Escape from Castle Orkenstein)
- Thread starter Pussycat669
- Start date
Onwards to disease and death!Pussy detected.
Bah!
Pussycat669
Liturgist
SCO said:
Dang, I thought that would first start in Riva. I'm not good with faces though, was only able to spot Steven Seagal so far.
golgepapaz
Augur
Crooked Bee said:
Hah the silver-tongued master of deceit,the evil incarnate bee ,outwitted and outclassed...
Fire her and hire the woman
I am assuming you don't get that encounter after leaving the first town because you imported the party from the first game? Beause I've won 2 levels worth of xp from that encounter...
Pussycat669
Liturgist
@lightbane
Nope, being pro KKK doesn't make you fair game by default. I really liked the scene with the lynch mob though. I mean, there you are, wandering around slaying dragons n' shit and it still only needs a bunch of angry people with pitchforks to bring you down. It's one of those true P&P experiences and I just wish there would be more of those nowadays.
Yeah, come to think of it, choosing a highly superstitious gal to be our convert expert was probably not the best idea.
Why I would never... (waste the NPC slot for a diplomat)
No, it's for fresh meat only.
Nope, being pro KKK doesn't make you fair game by default. I really liked the scene with the lynch mob though. I mean, there you are, wandering around slaying dragons n' shit and it still only needs a bunch of angry people with pitchforks to bring you down. It's one of those true P&P experiences and I just wish there would be more of those nowadays.
golgepapaz said:
Yeah, come to think of it, choosing a highly superstitious gal to be our convert expert was probably not the best idea.
golgepapaz said:
Why I would never... (waste the NPC slot for a diplomat
)golgepapaz said:
No, it's for fresh meat only.
Edward_R_Murrow
Arcane
Seems to be taking a lot of abuse. At least he hasn't gotten some horrible disease...yet
.
Pussycat669
Liturgist
He got Tetanus from a zombie bite so I wouldn't start to brag if I were you.
It's impossible to totally avoid diseases in RoA 2. (No, seriously)
It's impossible to totally avoid diseases in RoA 2. (No, seriously)
Pussycat669 said:
You should give Devil Whiskey a try
golgepapaz said:Hah the silver-tongued master of deceit,the evil incarnate bee ,outwitted and outclassed...
Fire her and hire the woman
Sup, cat.
Pussycat669
Liturgist
You dying on me, a lot 
Tiefhusen is done, but there's something I got to get out of my system first.
Tiefhusen is done, but there's something I got to get out of my system first.
golgepapaz
Augur
cant't follow codex nowadays because of RL work and also not much hapening on codex too. Summer slumber perhaps.
Pussycat669
Liturgist
Looks like we’ve found the swamps after all.
Everyone makes a sacrifice. We lose a lot of ducats that way but hopefully it will pay off in the long run.
Since she's one of the more capable swimmers, we split Holga from the rest of the party and let her do the legwork to reach that intriguing looking tower. The rest can teleport.
Darn.
Next point of interest is a house in the middle of nowhere.
It spawns zombies whenever we try to enter. Holga uses the opportunity for a little XP boost but that's not the only thing we find nearby.
Swamp gorillas? Now we've really seen everything.
A chance to stock up on supplies. Nothing of real value.
Still no luck but while nobody is there...
We finally have our first contact with the locals.
We are on the job!
No exploits allowed in this game
We'll have to walk the walk until we come face to face with the beast.
The Engulfer can bite off large chunks of HPs but has great difficulties when he tries to maneuver. I also come to notice that the Master of Animal spell is bugged. Not only will it not work, it will also suck out every single MP out of Korenzel for some reason.
There is not much else to mention about the swamps except for a couple of more skirmishes with gorillas and a few orcs and goblins but they are starting to wear our heroes down. Only other thing of note we discover is a shortcut to one of the abandoned huts.
The party status after everything is hit and done:
It doesn't look like they were of much help anyways.
The danger is not over though.
Korenzel starts to lose strength pretty quickly. We'll have to act fast before it can end badly for him.
Things are just starting to get dramatic.
Apparently, everyone wants to make us feel miserable
What better time for random encounters to constantly pop up but now?
If anyone asks, I so totally blame toastboy for all of this. Fortunately, the bandit archers all aim for Murrow, so Korenzel has a chance to snail crawl into safety.
We'll have to turn back, that's just dandy.
Bee!
Those things sure ain't pussycats.
Know what? I'm really not in the mood today *reboot*
Turns out this town has a temple of healing so all the backtracking could have probably been avoided.
We try our chances with prayers and get a fancy yet painfully long lasting animation.
That's all?
Better.
We come across another swamp area on our way back to Arsingen.
What follows is our second attempt to reach Tiefhusen by boat, this time more successfully.
Again the orcs have beat us to it.
This is starting to feel rather linear. Somewhere around this point I realize that I've forgotten to return to the lizard men to collect the reward, so I decide to go back to the swamps, right after someone has taken care of Korenzel's cold and we therefore had another chance to waste our shrinking treasury.
There is no way around another marsh, sadly. Alas, all the walking claims its first victim.
The woman's hut is still abandoned when we visit so we leave. It's Tiefhusen for real this time.
Rumours Corner
So much for that.
Events Corner
We bump into that fellow a couple of times so we get enough chances to try out the other options.
That was incredible satisfying.
There are different versions of that guy hanging around but they still all cost money.
No more unicorns for Korenzel. At least he remembered to bring a souvenir.
That's not how it really happened, of course.
Other sights we find while lurking around are the castle,
temple of a male god,
pubs,
a herbalist,
the temple of Phex,
a general store,
and a weapon smith.
It's a binary choice leading to the same long winded conclusion.
Mysterious stranger unlocked!
We already have the money although just barely.
Our budget is already way below ten ducats but it'll suffice for some much needed preparations.
There, all set.
There hasn't been a dungeon for such a long time that some things almost appear alien now, like locked doors.
Hidden doors are now easy to spot since their texture is a lot brighter than for the rest of the walls.
It doesn't take long before we have our first encounter with a treasure chest.
Some rather upset priests too.
Could it be...
...yay?
A place with some nice decor, that's for sure.
Been there, done that.
Bee!
(Ok, ok, Korenzel dies too on the first try. Auto combat be damned)
The door is still shut tight. We're stuck here.
Door is open again. We're in for some more Scooby Doo moments.
My eyes are filled with dread, it's a puzzle.
Darkness is definitely not the correct answer.
Bee!
Alright, next time for sure.
There is another treasure chest nearby, containing a goofy looking helmet and a shield.
What Murrow is trying to say is that these two items can be equipped by every archetype, just like the golden shield. Very useful.
And here I though that Korenzel would never get his ten seconds of fame.
We only got about ten silver coins left. We throw everything in.
Either because of that or because of the riddle we solved earlier, the last remaining doors that were hidden are now ready to be opened.
Oh, bloody hell!
Thankfully, it turns out to be an easy and quiet unfitting memory mini game.
Beats me, but there is only one hidden door left and I'm just glad when this is over.
An high priest and his cohort are the final obstacle between us and freedom. Their spells break our weapons but not our determination to break their necks in return.
Just a bit of trivial informations before the grand finale.
We do just that.
I was just waiting for that option.
They flee before we can even do anything but that's not the nasty surprise here.
Bee!
We're pretty much forced to leave nicely, if we still want to sleep safely in Tiefhusen. I can't wait to get this cesspool of money grabbing bastards behind me but before that...
And since we're broke anyways:
This may still take a while. Fortunately, we have our journal to offer us comfort during times like these, with all the memories of our great achievement.
Quest complete
Just need to wrap up the side-quest and we should be done with this piece of work.
Poor Bee!
Why complain about Bee all the time, then?
Pussycat669 said:
Why complain about Bee all the time, then?
Pussycat669
Liturgist
Bee said:
Mostly because she's usually the first (and last) to die when I choose the auto combat option, which forces me to do battle by hand and who has the time + nerves nowadays for turn based combat I ask you. Maybe I should just give her her helmet back for better protection.
Pussycat669
Liturgist
Aye, my shame knows no bounds
Pussycat669
Liturgist
*Cough* *cough* Gosh that dust!
Never thought I would come back to this but seeing that my Dosbox capture folder is still filled with screenshots of adventures and hardship (especially the later), it would be a damn shame to jut put them in the trash bin. Double shame, actually, seeing as they also tell from our heroes greatest challenge thus far. So I'll put in this one last ueber-long update before I leave this LP again in its slumber.
As you certainly remember, last update we successfully uncovered that the mystical axe Star Trail was nothing but a red herring to distract us from our main objective. What this objective may be, however, is yet unknown, as the game is way too old-school as to give you a hint what the heck you're supposed to be doing.
What are you staring at?
Anyway, since we're freshly out of pointers, we settle with our self-imposed duty to explore all the northern routes into the mountains. The locals are obviously thrilled.
Following a nearby river towards the mountain, we reach the only village in this area.
No safe haven for us then. We'll have to rely on toastboy's hunting skills to keep us from starving in this harsh environment.
Travelling is even slower around here and the game doesn't fail to throw events at us at every inconvenient situation. Some of them are pretty neutral in their outcome. Most of them though are quiet unpleasant.
(Thankfully, this fake instant death moment only translate into a negligible loss of HP. If they would have included crippling damage to all the disease stuff, I probably would have had to scream)
The archers are quiet easy to handle in the ensuing battle. The elite orc warrior and his attack dogs which suddenly spawn in mid-fight, not so much
We encounter quiet a lot of orc patrols in this area. They are gnawing at the parties health and at my sanity quiet significantly.
It is about that time when we cross paths with the 10th or 11th orc patrol in a row, almost driving me over the edge if not for Golgepapaz voice of reason.
Having explored the mountains, finding nothing even remotely of interest (if you ignore the tons and tons of rusty orc sabres we left in our wake + some ducats), our next destination will be a town called Tjolmar. It is the only other bigger town in closer reach and still a few days of travel away. Maybe this friendly fellow can give us some advise how to get there.
Oh game, why do you hate me so?
Not much to do here than going around and asking people mundane questions.
Rumours Corner
And that is all from the helpful people of Tjolmar.
One of the few things of note in this town is another house which is apparently locked by quest convenience. There are definitely too much of those around.
There is also a warehouse where you can store your junk for a small fee. Seemed unnecessary at the time but in hindsight, I really should have made use of that service.
Anyhow, onwards to the next two towns and some more of more or less useful NPC banter!
Having explored all the northern routes by now, there is only the orc lands left to explore to the west. Since the party easily butchered their way through those orc patrols earlier, I'm not too worried.
I wonder if it is actually even possible to shot the deer. Almost all the events which include hunting animals seems to be geared towards failure for some reasons.
Seriously, is there ever anything positive going to happen in these events?
Can't pretend that there weren't any warning signs this time around though. Ignoring the obvious death trap, we press on further to the west into orc country.
Phew, finally some luck for once.
We chose a hero's death. Or do we?
Things indeed look grim for the heroes. The orcs have stripped them of pretty much everything, save some pants, footwear and Murrow's staff. Only the women get free shirts too. A surprisingly civic gesture from them orcs.
Here is the thing though: what is supposed to be happening is that you manage to escape, find your equipment, which is scattered among some chests and finally escape. However, turns out said chests are bugged or their coding was never finished, meaning that they will always be empty when you find them. So in short, you loose all your stuff for good.
This would usually be the point where I reload and forget all about it but, seeing how easily our heroes auto-fought their way through the game for the most part thus far, I actually am curious if they're up for this challenge. Continuing on it is then.
Start!
As already mentioned, the murdered guard didn't leave us much to fight with. The axe goes to Holga (naturally) and the dagger actually turns out to be a pointed weapon so that one goes to Bee. Therefore we got at least two characters that can parry now. This is not a trivial factor, seeing as we lack the armour to absorb incoming damage.
We exit to a long hallway which leads to other neighbouring prison cells, a kitchen, a storage area with some more orcs to fight, and a locked door. There are also orc patrols which we come across from time to time. It doesn't take long for everyone to realize that the lack of equipment has ramped up the difficulty somewhat (again especially because of the lack of protection). While dominations spells like Horriphobus can even things out most of the time, our spellcasters will run out of MP eventually. If we want a fighting chance, we'll need weapons. The kitchen seems like our best bet to find some.
It's still better than nothing at this point.
Thus armed with some kitchen knifes and courage, we dare to explore those prison cells.
There is some graffiti on the walls here. Some snippets:
Next cell we find out that we're actually not the only prisoners in this place.
Praiodan is a level 12 fighter and a real powerhouse, judging from his character sheet (with even some zeroes in his negative attribute table!). But the fact that he comes from Tiefhusen makes me suspicious though, so I let Murrow take a look inside his head via magic. Seeing what he finds in there, I'm starting to think Praiodan might be after more than just our purse.
This leaves the party with only one reasonable option.
His portrait gets through several transformations in quick succession. I managed to get some snapshots:
He leaves Bee with about 2 HP left. Korenzel manages to get some of them back but the damage is done. Moving on to the next cell, we encounter our very first trap in this dungeon.
Those never ever triggered for me, thankfully. Continue, please.
As we are up against orcs, who quiet obviously despise magic, this item won't help us much here. Still, beggars can't be chooser and all that.
There is now that one locked door which seems to lead further into the compound. Since she lacks any appropriate tools to unlock it, Holga tries the direct approach.
This ain't getting us anywhere. Magic doesn't seem to work either. Hopefully, some of the other cells will provide an escape route.
Thurazz is not as impressive stat wise as Praiodan was, but he should still make an ok meat shield for our more vulnerable heroes. He is also the only character who can equip all those pieces of orc armour which you can find around here.
That's it for the prison cells. Only the storage area is left. The orcs there don't drop any key either. Our only hope now is that chest they were guarding.
This is where our little adventure almost would have ended if I hadn't discovered that one little bug: you can actually teleport through doors in this dungeon. And whaddaya know, first orcs we run into after making use of that dirty trick:
Some great level design right there
Still, no time to complain when there is more exploring to do.
Ok, so maybe we don't really have to explore everything but...
Looks like we'll need something to increase our reach. As a dwarf, Holga takes offence in such obvious attempts to belittle small people.
We are still able dig up a new helmet for Golgepapaz.
Feeling safer already.
There are several of these hiding spots scattered around this level. Good places to rest up and restore MP, if you got the food to spare. We'll make use of them quiet frequently.
Exploring has been pretty safe so far but trouble is waiting in the north.
The door leads to some kind of arena with several more orcs waiting for a beating. Nothing to worry about as it turns out, thanks to some good damage rolls from Holga and Bee.
There are some doors here too.
Orcs. Don't. Use. Magic
(Still pretty neat for later though)
After killing some more orcs, we also find the key for that one chest we couldn't open earlier
It contains various flasks of poisons, healing potions (desperately needed) and three bottles of black goo which purpose is unknown. With those items collected, we can finally head down.
I mean we can finally head up.
Not careful enough it seems.
Ogres now deal a ridiculous amount of damage. Thankfully, we still got quiet a lot of MP left so we can makes those dance in our amusement instead.
There is another door in sight.
I got a suspicion.
The risk is well worth the reward.
Moving on.
Poor Holga took quiet a beating from that. There is hope the next few rooms won't be as hazardous.
We are closing in on a large hallway. There is some text box popping up while we approach but I accidentally click it away. Couldn't have been too important, I guess.
Whoopsie...
Well then, time for plan B.
There is enough junk in our inventory now that we should be able to find out what was hidden behind those shelves.
Truer words have never been spoken.
Let's ignore the creepy spider webs for now and see what else this cave has to offer.
The tough bug creatures we already encountered in RoA 1 make their triumphant return. Thankfully, this time around we get more space to manoeuvre and there are only a few of them, so it's all cool.
Looks like we can approach the upper level from here as well. We'll try that later when we're done here.
Now there is nothing left but to enter the spider layer.
There are a couple of those webs around. Cutting them down sometimes triggers fights with spiders, which are fairly dangerous yet beatable. A more dreadful opponent is the cave itself.
The phrase 'Rock falls, everybody dies' comes to mind, considering the fuckton of damage these rocks deal to the party. Yet we boldly soldier on.
Of course, nothing in this game comes for free.
We somehow survive this. Don't ask me how. Let's take a look at that sword.
Translation: Walking speed and sneaking is reduced by 1. Mean, but we still don't really have the option to be picky about the equipment.
A'right, boss battle time!
...Or you can do just that, of course.
No way from here but up then.
We still can't get passed those horde of orcs in the large hallway but I at least get the chance to show the text-box I've skipped earlier.
Looks like we won't escape this way either. The party decides to rest and ponder how to proceed when
Korenzel can't do anything for the orc without herbs and the poor sod is starting to die on us pretty rapidly. The only thing that could save him now is to find an exit and hope that all his ills will be cured thanks to the magic of quest completion. A dire race against time begins.
I know, right?
Anyway, there is no way we are going to cut down all these orcs on the upper floor and the way down is still blocked by an unyielding door. I once again make unfair use of the teleportation spell here in hopes that it might save our companion's life. There's gotta be an exit around here somewhere.
Still no escape route in sight, might as well take a look around.
There are secrets to be found as well.
Good thing those only trigger when going the opposite direction.
Jackpot! This armoury has pretty much everything. Even a bow and arrows for toastboy so he can again get his moments to shine. All that stuff might be of rather dubious quality but it is still a huge step up from walking around basically naked.
[Insert lame animal armour DLC joke here]
We fight those dogs with honour. Well, except for Korenzel who is too busy getting mauled. Rondra should be pleased.
There are more barrels standing around to arouse the palate.
These are actually more of a concern if you are trying to get in, not out. Speaking of which:
Thurazz leaves us without much of a hassle. Only an unremarkable sentence in our journal tells from his departure. Hopefully, the orc will be able to survive but we've fulfilled our sworn duty to not let any NPC in our care die while we're looking. The heroes on the other hand won't get off the hook that easily.
Back into the fray!
More barrels!
Ok, fine then.
Still nothing dangerous, thankfully. I wonder if you have to trigger an alarm to activate them or somesuch. There is another cave section nearby with even more rocks falling down on our collective heads and a grim discovery.
And there is another helmet lying around for our protection.
Leaving the cave, we find what appears to be the main smithery with another heathen altar.
Living Quarters:
And of course:
Examining the holes suddenly triggers a fight with a single orc. He doesn't stand the chance.
You heard it here first folks: the Hitman series originated from RPGs, true story.
Close to the living quarters is another kitchen with all sorts of exotic food and spice but also of course: beer!
Fun fact: Holga is going to fight drunk for the rest of this escapade (and quiet well too, if I might add).
Nothing of interest to be done here.
Oh har, har.
With this we're finished with the lower level and only one last place to explore. Hopefully, our new gear will make a difference this time around.
What ensues is a battle worth of legends, where our heroes pull no punches. Sadly, Korenzel is soon to fall as he gets swarmed by incoming orc thugs (+ one elite fighter) and no chance to escape, leaving us with only two spellcasters. Murrow is already almost sucked dry of MP from the start, yet he actually holds his ground fairly well even without much magical assistance. Many action packed rounds later, almost everybody's weapon is broken and we've suffered quiet a few crippling hits but most of the orcs have fled the battlefield in face of our enduring tenaciousness. This fight seems almost over when, alas, Bee, in a valiant attempt to protect Murrow, accidentally kills herself with a self inflicted critical.
The sacrifices of the fallen shall not be forgotten
Having finally dealt with the horde, we now have full access to the rest of the level although searching through it I'm starting to wonder if it was worth it.
Traps are still not much of a problem. The battle ogres we find in the next room (which pretty much wipe out the diminishing rest of our party except for ever enduring Holga and Golgepapaz) though are pretty much the final nail in the coffin for me.
Before doing the inevitable reboot though, I succumb to my curiosity and look up what it takes to deal with the instant death spider queen from earlier. Turns out, all I would have had to do would have been to actually take a closer look at the stuff we're collecting everywhere.
Let's go for another round.
You instant-kill me, I instant-kill you. It's only fair. Although the characters will also lose a big chunk of HP in the process too.
I kinda remember that that's the key for the lower level so no more teleporting required. We take the exit in the upper floor this time around though.
Or at least some of us, thank you very much. What has the journal to say about our endeavour?
That's pretty much it, next to that one sentence which comments Thurazz leaving the party. I'm starting to suspect that not much effort was put into the journal at all.
All in all, I had quiet a blast fighting through an orc fortress with our ill equipped party. Combat was a lot more tense and the constant fear of catching a disease without the necessary herbs to cure them was something to keep me on the edge throughout the whole thing (and also a good reason to use the cure wounds skill more than usual). Good times, good times *reboot*
So anyways, returning to the fortress with all our stuff, auto-battling our way from top to bottom, while not trying to die of boredom. We actually find another hidden passage this time around since toastboy is no longer distracted from being dead.
Time for Holga to buckle up with that belt of extra strength.
Another fun fact: even in death dwarves really, really hate elves.
With that done we're finally finished with the fortress. Back to the world map it is.
Curious that someone would be looking for us. We continue on southwards over another mountain and where the orc fortress is also located.
One more stranger joins our camp fire.
We've pretty much covered all the routes to the west and south-west by now. Heading back inland, ready to face anything this country has yet to throw at us.
Both options seem to end in the same outcome.
Still not counting as a positive event, if you ask me.
I'm curious about that inviting big red dot that we're approaching though.
No way I'm going through this again so soon.
The river leads us to a small town further north.
We again try to approach the big red dot on the map, now identified as the city Lowangen.
Sure seems like a nice fellow, although Murrow gets a different picture.
If this games wants me to walk big circles around any join-able NPCs I come across then I say mission accomplished
Almost reached Lowangen by now. i just hope this alternative path will get us around the orcs as Antharon implied.
Oh, you mother...
So here we are again, stripped from most of our equipment (although at least we get to keep the magic stuff this time around) and apparently no chance of escaping. Then again, at least we can now rightfully claim that we've been through worse.
That's it from me. Happy new year everybody!
Never thought I would come back to this but seeing that my Dosbox capture folder is still filled with screenshots of adventures and hardship (especially the later), it would be a damn shame to jut put them in the trash bin. Double shame, actually, seeing as they also tell from our heroes greatest challenge thus far. So I'll put in this one last ueber-long update before I leave this LP again in its slumber.
As you certainly remember, last update we successfully uncovered that the mystical axe Star Trail was nothing but a red herring to distract us from our main objective. What this objective may be, however, is yet unknown, as the game is way too old-school as to give you a hint what the heck you're supposed to be doing.
What are you staring at?
Anyway, since we're freshly out of pointers, we settle with our self-imposed duty to explore all the northern routes into the mountains. The locals are obviously thrilled.
Following a nearby river towards the mountain, we reach the only village in this area.
No safe haven for us then. We'll have to rely on toastboy's hunting skills to keep us from starving in this harsh environment.
Travelling is even slower around here and the game doesn't fail to throw events at us at every inconvenient situation. Some of them are pretty neutral in their outcome. Most of them though are quiet unpleasant.
(Thankfully, this fake instant death moment only translate into a negligible loss of HP. If they would have included crippling damage to all the disease stuff, I probably would have had to scream)
The archers are quiet easy to handle in the ensuing battle. The elite orc warrior and his attack dogs which suddenly spawn in mid-fight, not so much
We encounter quiet a lot of orc patrols in this area. They are gnawing at the parties health and at my sanity quiet significantly.
It is about that time when we cross paths with the 10th or 11th orc patrol in a row, almost driving me over the edge if not for Golgepapaz voice of reason.
Having explored the mountains, finding nothing even remotely of interest (if you ignore the tons and tons of rusty orc sabres we left in our wake + some ducats), our next destination will be a town called Tjolmar. It is the only other bigger town in closer reach and still a few days of travel away. Maybe this friendly fellow can give us some advise how to get there.
Oh game, why do you hate me so?
Not much to do here than going around and asking people mundane questions.
Rumours Corner
And that is all from the helpful people of Tjolmar.
One of the few things of note in this town is another house which is apparently locked by quest convenience. There are definitely too much of those around.
There is also a warehouse where you can store your junk for a small fee. Seemed unnecessary at the time but in hindsight, I really should have made use of that service.
Anyhow, onwards to the next two towns and some more of more or less useful NPC banter!
Having explored all the northern routes by now, there is only the orc lands left to explore to the west. Since the party easily butchered their way through those orc patrols earlier, I'm not too worried.
I wonder if it is actually even possible to shot the deer. Almost all the events which include hunting animals seems to be geared towards failure for some reasons.
Seriously, is there ever anything positive going to happen in these events?
Can't pretend that there weren't any warning signs this time around though. Ignoring the obvious death trap, we press on further to the west into orc country.
Phew, finally some luck for once.
We chose a hero's death. Or do we?
Things indeed look grim for the heroes. The orcs have stripped them of pretty much everything, save some pants, footwear and Murrow's staff. Only the women get free shirts too. A surprisingly civic gesture from them orcs.
Here is the thing though: what is supposed to be happening is that you manage to escape, find your equipment, which is scattered among some chests and finally escape. However, turns out said chests are bugged or their coding was never finished, meaning that they will always be empty when you find them. So in short, you loose all your stuff for good.
This would usually be the point where I reload and forget all about it but, seeing how easily our heroes auto-fought their way through the game for the most part thus far, I actually am curious if they're up for this challenge. Continuing on it is then.
Start!
As already mentioned, the murdered guard didn't leave us much to fight with. The axe goes to Holga (naturally) and the dagger actually turns out to be a pointed weapon so that one goes to Bee. Therefore we got at least two characters that can parry now. This is not a trivial factor, seeing as we lack the armour to absorb incoming damage.
We exit to a long hallway which leads to other neighbouring prison cells, a kitchen, a storage area with some more orcs to fight, and a locked door. There are also orc patrols which we come across from time to time. It doesn't take long for everyone to realize that the lack of equipment has ramped up the difficulty somewhat (again especially because of the lack of protection). While dominations spells like Horriphobus can even things out most of the time, our spellcasters will run out of MP eventually. If we want a fighting chance, we'll need weapons. The kitchen seems like our best bet to find some.
It's still better than nothing at this point.
Thus armed with some kitchen knifes and courage, we dare to explore those prison cells.
There is some graffiti on the walls here. Some snippets:
Next cell we find out that we're actually not the only prisoners in this place.
Praiodan is a level 12 fighter and a real powerhouse, judging from his character sheet (with even some zeroes in his negative attribute table!). But the fact that he comes from Tiefhusen makes me suspicious though, so I let Murrow take a look inside his head via magic. Seeing what he finds in there, I'm starting to think Praiodan might be after more than just our purse.
This leaves the party with only one reasonable option.
His portrait gets through several transformations in quick succession. I managed to get some snapshots:
He leaves Bee with about 2 HP left. Korenzel manages to get some of them back but the damage is done. Moving on to the next cell, we encounter our very first trap in this dungeon.
Those never ever triggered for me, thankfully. Continue, please.
As we are up against orcs, who quiet obviously despise magic, this item won't help us much here. Still, beggars can't be chooser and all that.
There is now that one locked door which seems to lead further into the compound. Since she lacks any appropriate tools to unlock it, Holga tries the direct approach.
This ain't getting us anywhere. Magic doesn't seem to work either. Hopefully, some of the other cells will provide an escape route.
Thurazz is not as impressive stat wise as Praiodan was, but he should still make an ok meat shield for our more vulnerable heroes. He is also the only character who can equip all those pieces of orc armour which you can find around here.
That's it for the prison cells. Only the storage area is left. The orcs there don't drop any key either. Our only hope now is that chest they were guarding.
This is where our little adventure almost would have ended if I hadn't discovered that one little bug: you can actually teleport through doors in this dungeon. And whaddaya know, first orcs we run into after making use of that dirty trick:
Some great level design right there
Still, no time to complain when there is more exploring to do.
Ok, so maybe we don't really have to explore everything but...
Looks like we'll need something to increase our reach. As a dwarf, Holga takes offence in such obvious attempts to belittle small people.
We are still able dig up a new helmet for Golgepapaz.
Feeling safer already.
There are several of these hiding spots scattered around this level. Good places to rest up and restore MP, if you got the food to spare. We'll make use of them quiet frequently.
Exploring has been pretty safe so far but trouble is waiting in the north.
The door leads to some kind of arena with several more orcs waiting for a beating. Nothing to worry about as it turns out, thanks to some good damage rolls from Holga and Bee.
There are some doors here too.
Orcs. Don't. Use. Magic
(Still pretty neat for later though)
After killing some more orcs, we also find the key for that one chest we couldn't open earlier
It contains various flasks of poisons, healing potions (desperately needed) and three bottles of black goo which purpose is unknown. With those items collected, we can finally head down.
I mean we can finally head up.
Not careful enough it seems.
Ogres now deal a ridiculous amount of damage. Thankfully, we still got quiet a lot of MP left so we can makes those dance in our amusement instead.
There is another door in sight.
I got a suspicion.
The risk is well worth the reward.
Moving on.
Poor Holga took quiet a beating from that. There is hope the next few rooms won't be as hazardous.
We are closing in on a large hallway. There is some text box popping up while we approach but I accidentally click it away. Couldn't have been too important, I guess.
Whoopsie...
Well then, time for plan B.
There is enough junk in our inventory now that we should be able to find out what was hidden behind those shelves.
Truer words have never been spoken.
Let's ignore the creepy spider webs for now and see what else this cave has to offer.
The tough bug creatures we already encountered in RoA 1 make their triumphant return. Thankfully, this time around we get more space to manoeuvre and there are only a few of them, so it's all cool.
Looks like we can approach the upper level from here as well. We'll try that later when we're done here.
Now there is nothing left but to enter the spider layer.
There are a couple of those webs around. Cutting them down sometimes triggers fights with spiders, which are fairly dangerous yet beatable. A more dreadful opponent is the cave itself.
The phrase 'Rock falls, everybody dies' comes to mind, considering the fuckton of damage these rocks deal to the party. Yet we boldly soldier on.
Of course, nothing in this game comes for free.
We somehow survive this. Don't ask me how. Let's take a look at that sword.
Translation: Walking speed and sneaking is reduced by 1. Mean, but we still don't really have the option to be picky about the equipment.
A'right, boss battle time!
...Or you can do just that, of course.
No way from here but up then.
We still can't get passed those horde of orcs in the large hallway but I at least get the chance to show the text-box I've skipped earlier.
Looks like we won't escape this way either. The party decides to rest and ponder how to proceed when
Korenzel can't do anything for the orc without herbs and the poor sod is starting to die on us pretty rapidly. The only thing that could save him now is to find an exit and hope that all his ills will be cured thanks to the magic of quest completion. A dire race against time begins.
I know, right?
Anyway, there is no way we are going to cut down all these orcs on the upper floor and the way down is still blocked by an unyielding door. I once again make unfair use of the teleportation spell here in hopes that it might save our companion's life. There's gotta be an exit around here somewhere.
Still no escape route in sight, might as well take a look around.
There are secrets to be found as well.
Good thing those only trigger when going the opposite direction.
Jackpot! This armoury has pretty much everything. Even a bow and arrows for toastboy so he can again get his moments to shine. All that stuff might be of rather dubious quality but it is still a huge step up from walking around basically naked.
[Insert lame animal armour DLC joke here]
We fight those dogs with honour. Well, except for Korenzel who is too busy getting mauled. Rondra should be pleased.
There are more barrels standing around to arouse the palate.
These are actually more of a concern if you are trying to get in, not out. Speaking of which:
Thurazz leaves us without much of a hassle. Only an unremarkable sentence in our journal tells from his departure. Hopefully, the orc will be able to survive but we've fulfilled our sworn duty to not let any NPC in our care die while we're looking. The heroes on the other hand won't get off the hook that easily.
Back into the fray!
More barrels!
Ok, fine then.
Still nothing dangerous, thankfully. I wonder if you have to trigger an alarm to activate them or somesuch. There is another cave section nearby with even more rocks falling down on our collective heads and a grim discovery.
And there is another helmet lying around for our protection.
Leaving the cave, we find what appears to be the main smithery with another heathen altar.
Living Quarters:
And of course:
Examining the holes suddenly triggers a fight with a single orc. He doesn't stand the chance.
You heard it here first folks: the Hitman series originated from RPGs, true story.
Close to the living quarters is another kitchen with all sorts of exotic food and spice but also of course: beer!
Fun fact: Holga is going to fight drunk for the rest of this escapade (and quiet well too, if I might add).
Nothing of interest to be done here.
Oh har, har.
With this we're finished with the lower level and only one last place to explore. Hopefully, our new gear will make a difference this time around.
What ensues is a battle worth of legends, where our heroes pull no punches. Sadly, Korenzel is soon to fall as he gets swarmed by incoming orc thugs (+ one elite fighter) and no chance to escape, leaving us with only two spellcasters. Murrow is already almost sucked dry of MP from the start, yet he actually holds his ground fairly well even without much magical assistance. Many action packed rounds later, almost everybody's weapon is broken and we've suffered quiet a few crippling hits but most of the orcs have fled the battlefield in face of our enduring tenaciousness. This fight seems almost over when, alas, Bee, in a valiant attempt to protect Murrow, accidentally kills herself with a self inflicted critical.
The sacrifices of the fallen shall not be forgotten
Having finally dealt with the horde, we now have full access to the rest of the level although searching through it I'm starting to wonder if it was worth it.
Traps are still not much of a problem. The battle ogres we find in the next room (which pretty much wipe out the diminishing rest of our party except for ever enduring Holga and Golgepapaz) though are pretty much the final nail in the coffin for me.
Before doing the inevitable reboot though, I succumb to my curiosity and look up what it takes to deal with the instant death spider queen from earlier. Turns out, all I would have had to do would have been to actually take a closer look at the stuff we're collecting everywhere.
Let's go for another round.
You instant-kill me, I instant-kill you. It's only fair. Although the characters will also lose a big chunk of HP in the process too.
I kinda remember that that's the key for the lower level so no more teleporting required. We take the exit in the upper floor this time around though.
Or at least some of us, thank you very much. What has the journal to say about our endeavour?
That's pretty much it, next to that one sentence which comments Thurazz leaving the party. I'm starting to suspect that not much effort was put into the journal at all.
All in all, I had quiet a blast fighting through an orc fortress with our ill equipped party. Combat was a lot more tense and the constant fear of catching a disease without the necessary herbs to cure them was something to keep me on the edge throughout the whole thing (and also a good reason to use the cure wounds skill more than usual). Good times, good times *reboot*
So anyways, returning to the fortress with all our stuff, auto-battling our way from top to bottom, while not trying to die of boredom. We actually find another hidden passage this time around since toastboy is no longer distracted from being dead.
Time for Holga to buckle up with that belt of extra strength.
Another fun fact: even in death dwarves really, really hate elves.
With that done we're finally finished with the fortress. Back to the world map it is.
Curious that someone would be looking for us. We continue on southwards over another mountain and where the orc fortress is also located.
One more stranger joins our camp fire.
We've pretty much covered all the routes to the west and south-west by now. Heading back inland, ready to face anything this country has yet to throw at us.
Both options seem to end in the same outcome.
Still not counting as a positive event, if you ask me.
I'm curious about that inviting big red dot that we're approaching though.
No way I'm going through this again so soon.
The river leads us to a small town further north.
We again try to approach the big red dot on the map, now identified as the city Lowangen.
Sure seems like a nice fellow, although Murrow gets a different picture.
If this games wants me to walk big circles around any join-able NPCs I come across then I say mission accomplished
Almost reached Lowangen by now. i just hope this alternative path will get us around the orcs as Antharon implied.
Oh, you mother...
So here we are again, stripped from most of our equipment (although at least we get to keep the magic stuff this time around) and apparently no chance of escaping. Then again, at least we can now rightfully claim that we've been through worse.
That's it from me. Happy new year everybody!
Pussycat669
Liturgist
Nah, just cleaning up my hard drive.
I still got all the old savegames safely stored away though and that MIDI soundtrack is really awfully catchy, I dunno
I still got all the old savegames safely stored away though and that MIDI soundtrack is really awfully catchy, I dunno
Baron Dupek
Arcane
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2013
- Messages
- 1,870,829
Do eet.
Oh my god, itz alive!
Long time no see, Pussycat669.
Do continue, of course.
Long time no see, Pussycat669.
Do continue, of course.
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