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Completed Let's play Tyranny, a classic old-school cRPG -- Blind LP -- Make Terratus Great Again!
- Thread starter Zanzoken
- Start date
Erebus
Arcane
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2008
- Messages
- 4,845
Creating new spells is probably the thing I enjoyed the most in Tyranny. High Lore greatly increases the number of possibilities available to you.
So early in the game, I don't think you have access to a lot of sigils, however.
Zanzoken
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2014
- Messages
- 4,058
Chapter 8: Heroes Don't Get Captured
A couple scenes ago we got our first missive, which I then proceeded to forget about, so that'll be our first order of business today. The note is from Tunon, giving us a heads up that everyone is watching intently to see how the events in the Tiers play out.
We have a few ways we can reply, but despite the shitty assignment Trump sends a gracious response. There's no benefit in starting trouble with Tunon... at least not yet.
We also take a minute to chat with the team.
An ongoing thread with Verse is that when her three "sisters" were killed, she absorbed some of their fighting abilities. Trump notes that this is similar to how The Voices of Nerat absorbs people's minds. Verse recognizes the comparison but is horrified at the thought of being like Nerat, even if he does wield tremendous power.
Trump asks Barik how he got his armor. Turns out he was one of the Disfavored who got caught up in the carnage when the Edict of Storms was read. Despite his predicament, Barik doesn't seem to bear us any ill will for having been the one who read the Edict.
Lantry is a Sage i.e. one of the wizards of this setting. He fled the Vellum City when Kyros burned it down, only to be captured by the Vendrien Guard and then the Scarlet Chorus. He doesn't seem to have much of a stake in the conflict either way, other than as a historian who wants to document it from an academic perspective.
Another housekeeping item I've been meaning to get to is the spellmaking system, and it turns out to be pretty nifty. Trump gets an upgraded Shock spell for close range and adds another one for distance that has an added Stun effect. Lantry also gets a new knockdown spell using the Illusion sigil we found in the Chorus encampment.
Finally, we're ready to head for Echocall Crossing. On our way, however, we hit another encounter, and this one seems genuinely random.
We've run across what appears to be an enemy patrol, which initiates a minigame where we click buttons to determine how to proceed. Trump is not about to skulk about in the woods like a brigand, and strolls right up to the fuckers to show them what's up.
It ends up being a group of Vendrien Guards flanked by a couple of mercenaries from the Bronze Brotherhood.
This is the first difficult fight we've had so far, and the only one left standing at the end is Trump, proving why he's the true God Emperor. The self-heal talent we picked up during the prologue comes in handy.
Zap!
This results in our first level up of the campaign. Trump's magic abilities seem to be rather effective, so I give him a point in Wits to further boost their damage.
We also take the ability "Focused Strike" which increases the accuracy and penetration of our Thrust attack. Watch out, Melania.
The threat having been dealt with, we proceed on to Echocall, only to find the army is in disarray and has already taken many casualties.
Trump meets with captain Antio of the Disfavored to find out what happened.
Bitter Quip, the ranking Choirman on the scene, is livid at his counterpart's failure.
So the river just mysteriously swelled up and swallowed the Disfavored advance? Trump has a theory why.
A member of the School of Tides is alive and working with the Vendrien Guard. I assure you, she's the culprit.
It's that cunt Eb. Hopefully she'll confront us again so we can give her the bitch slap she deserves.
Anyway, in the usual fashion Antio and Quip can't agree on who to blame, or what to do next. Quip is hesitant to try another attack, but Trump says he'll tell Nerat that the Chorus chickened out unless we move right away, and Quip quickly changes his tune.
The new plan is that Trump will charge the East bridge to distract the enemy, which will allow Quip's Furies to string a rope across the destroyed West bridge. Then we can cross and continue the assault.
The path to the East bridge is guarded by traps and sentries, but neither is a major obstacle.
We sprint to cross the river, but a squad of enemies led by Matani Sybil, the enemy commander, is there to stow the drawbridge and block our advance.
Trump gives her a chance to surrender before this gets ugly.
Let us across, and we will grant you mercy.
Her reply...
We'll make sure she lives to regret that.
The conversation gives our allies time to stretch the rope line.
The Disfavored can't climb the rope in their heavy armor (although somehow Barik manages it) so it's our job to fight our way around to the drawbridge and lower it for them to cross.
The resistance is stiff, but not enough.
At the drawbridge, Matani is singing a different tune than before.
Trump gets an opportunity to say some Clint Eastwood shit, and it frightens one of the enemy soldiers away.
Raise your hand if you'll leave behind orphans.
Matani flees too, leaving us with a numbers advantage.
We make quick work of the guards and lower the bridge for our allies to cross.
They tell us to press on into the village while they stand guard to protect the crossing.
We move to secure the town, dodging traps and fighting off a few waves of enemies.
Trump hits another level up. I add another point to Wits and take the ability "Blitz", which is a battle stance that reduces our Recovery time between actions.
The least immersive thing about this game is that I didn't roll a 20 in Wits from the start!
Matani appears on a rooftop and calls the locals to arms.
The resulting ambush is a tough skirmish. Trump catches an unlucky crit and falls in battle for the first time, but Verse and Barik carry us through.
Now all that's left is to deal with Matani. She makes a plea on behalf of the local populace.
Trump's not one for massacring villages, but the people here have undoubtedly been aiding and abetting the rebels.
This village is an accessory to sedition. Surrender or perish.
Sigh... maybe if we spare the village, she'll surrender. Then we can give her over to the Voices of Nerat.
I'm not here for slaughter, I'd prefer to talk.
Really? The trail of my dead friends says otherwise. What is there to say, Fatebinder? Unless it's "sorry for all the murders" followed by a big swing of hemlock, it's too late for words to solve anything.
Whatever, let's just end this.
Oddly, the ruthless option has disappeared.
The townsfolk may go. The rest of you, stand and fight.
Barik pipes up.
Fair point. The villagers are guilty as well. All will surrender or perish.
That brings us back to where we were before.
They knew the cost of defying Kyros.
Then we fight. The battle is difficult, and I wiped on the first try, mostly because the friendly AI struggles with the engagement mechanics and unless you're careful, will give away a bunch of free AOOs.
Anyway, we manage to seriously wound Matani and kill her bodyguards.
[Makes the local hand gesture for "penis".]
Antio and Bitter Quip arrive on the scene. Quip wants to bring Matani to the Voices of Nerat for interrogation, but Antio wants to put her out of her misery now.
Killing her without questioning her first seems like a waste of good intel. And being tortured by Nerat will be a fitting punishment for those smart aleck remarks she made before.
I say give her to the Scarlet Chorus, see if she survives the trip back to camp.
The two commanders also disagree about what should become of the village. Antio wants to burn it, but Quip says we should capture it intact and conscript the villagers.
Again, to just destroy a potentially valuable asset seems unwise. The village could be useful as a staging point for our assault on the citadel.
The settlement should be preserved, and any still here made slaves or conscripts.
The Disfavored aren't pleased, but agree to abide our decisions.
On our way out of the village, we discover that an old man is hiding the missing iron shipment in his house. We take the iron, but refrain from reprimanding him.
We're pretty beaten up from the mission, having accumulated several wounds from getting KO'd in battle. And since the Disfavored camp isn't too far away, we decide to head back for a rest. While on site, we turn in the sidequest for the missing iron and get a cash reward from the quartermaster.
After an 8-hour rest, we're ready to take on the next mission.
Our remaining primary objective is in Tripnettle, a long haul from the camp.
We also have a side quest, which is lower priority but much closer to our current location.
It's morning on the 19th, so we still have 7 days to go. The clock is always ticking but I think we've got time to check out the remote settlement before finishing up the other section of the main quest.
We have a few ways we can reply, but despite the shitty assignment Trump sends a gracious response. There's no benefit in starting trouble with Tunon... at least not yet.
We also take a minute to chat with the team.
An ongoing thread with Verse is that when her three "sisters" were killed, she absorbed some of their fighting abilities. Trump notes that this is similar to how The Voices of Nerat absorbs people's minds. Verse recognizes the comparison but is horrified at the thought of being like Nerat, even if he does wield tremendous power.
Trump asks Barik how he got his armor. Turns out he was one of the Disfavored who got caught up in the carnage when the Edict of Storms was read. Despite his predicament, Barik doesn't seem to bear us any ill will for having been the one who read the Edict.
Lantry is a Sage i.e. one of the wizards of this setting. He fled the Vellum City when Kyros burned it down, only to be captured by the Vendrien Guard and then the Scarlet Chorus. He doesn't seem to have much of a stake in the conflict either way, other than as a historian who wants to document it from an academic perspective.
Another housekeeping item I've been meaning to get to is the spellmaking system, and it turns out to be pretty nifty. Trump gets an upgraded Shock spell for close range and adds another one for distance that has an added Stun effect. Lantry also gets a new knockdown spell using the Illusion sigil we found in the Chorus encampment.
Finally, we're ready to head for Echocall Crossing. On our way, however, we hit another encounter, and this one seems genuinely random.
We've run across what appears to be an enemy patrol, which initiates a minigame where we click buttons to determine how to proceed. Trump is not about to skulk about in the woods like a brigand, and strolls right up to the fuckers to show them what's up.
It ends up being a group of Vendrien Guards flanked by a couple of mercenaries from the Bronze Brotherhood.
This is the first difficult fight we've had so far, and the only one left standing at the end is Trump, proving why he's the true God Emperor. The self-heal talent we picked up during the prologue comes in handy.
Zap!
This results in our first level up of the campaign. Trump's magic abilities seem to be rather effective, so I give him a point in Wits to further boost their damage.
We also take the ability "Focused Strike" which increases the accuracy and penetration of our Thrust attack. Watch out, Melania.
The threat having been dealt with, we proceed on to Echocall, only to find the army is in disarray and has already taken many casualties.
Trump meets with captain Antio of the Disfavored to find out what happened.
Bitter Quip, the ranking Choirman on the scene, is livid at his counterpart's failure.
So the river just mysteriously swelled up and swallowed the Disfavored advance? Trump has a theory why.
It's that cunt Eb. Hopefully she'll confront us again so we can give her the bitch slap she deserves.
Anyway, in the usual fashion Antio and Quip can't agree on who to blame, or what to do next. Quip is hesitant to try another attack, but Trump says he'll tell Nerat that the Chorus chickened out unless we move right away, and Quip quickly changes his tune.
The new plan is that Trump will charge the East bridge to distract the enemy, which will allow Quip's Furies to string a rope across the destroyed West bridge. Then we can cross and continue the assault.
The path to the East bridge is guarded by traps and sentries, but neither is a major obstacle.
We sprint to cross the river, but a squad of enemies led by Matani Sybil, the enemy commander, is there to stow the drawbridge and block our advance.
Trump gives her a chance to surrender before this gets ugly.
Her reply...
We'll make sure she lives to regret that.
The conversation gives our allies time to stretch the rope line.
The Disfavored can't climb the rope in their heavy armor (although somehow Barik manages it) so it's our job to fight our way around to the drawbridge and lower it for them to cross.
The resistance is stiff, but not enough.
At the drawbridge, Matani is singing a different tune than before.
Trump gets an opportunity to say some Clint Eastwood shit, and it frightens one of the enemy soldiers away.
Matani flees too, leaving us with a numbers advantage.
We make quick work of the guards and lower the bridge for our allies to cross.
They tell us to press on into the village while they stand guard to protect the crossing.
We move to secure the town, dodging traps and fighting off a few waves of enemies.
Trump hits another level up. I add another point to Wits and take the ability "Blitz", which is a battle stance that reduces our Recovery time between actions.
Matani appears on a rooftop and calls the locals to arms.
The resulting ambush is a tough skirmish. Trump catches an unlucky crit and falls in battle for the first time, but Verse and Barik carry us through.
Now all that's left is to deal with Matani. She makes a plea on behalf of the local populace.
Trump's not one for massacring villages, but the people here have undoubtedly been aiding and abetting the rebels.
Sigh... maybe if we spare the village, she'll surrender. Then we can give her over to the Voices of Nerat.
Whatever, let's just end this.
Oddly, the ruthless option has disappeared.
Barik pipes up.
That brings us back to where we were before.
Then we fight. The battle is difficult, and I wiped on the first try, mostly because the friendly AI struggles with the engagement mechanics and unless you're careful, will give away a bunch of free AOOs.
Anyway, we manage to seriously wound Matani and kill her bodyguards.
Antio and Bitter Quip arrive on the scene. Quip wants to bring Matani to the Voices of Nerat for interrogation, but Antio wants to put her out of her misery now.
Killing her without questioning her first seems like a waste of good intel. And being tortured by Nerat will be a fitting punishment for those smart aleck remarks she made before.
The two commanders also disagree about what should become of the village. Antio wants to burn it, but Quip says we should capture it intact and conscript the villagers.
Again, to just destroy a potentially valuable asset seems unwise. The village could be useful as a staging point for our assault on the citadel.
The Disfavored aren't pleased, but agree to abide our decisions.
On our way out of the village, we discover that an old man is hiding the missing iron shipment in his house. We take the iron, but refrain from reprimanding him.
We're pretty beaten up from the mission, having accumulated several wounds from getting KO'd in battle. And since the Disfavored camp isn't too far away, we decide to head back for a rest. While on site, we turn in the sidequest for the missing iron and get a cash reward from the quartermaster.
After an 8-hour rest, we're ready to take on the next mission.
Our remaining primary objective is in Tripnettle, a long haul from the camp.
We also have a side quest, which is lower priority but much closer to our current location.
It's morning on the 19th, so we still have 7 days to go. The clock is always ticking but I think we've got time to check out the remote settlement before finishing up the other section of the main quest.
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"bitter quip"
the gift that keeps on giving
proceed with the side quest
the gift that keeps on giving
proceed with the side quest
Side quest it is! Please kill all badly written character you encounter, for your and our sakes.
[Makes the local hand gesture for "penis".]
Is this an actual dialogue option?
And yes, side quest it is
Zanzoken
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2014
- Messages
- 4,058
[Makes the local hand gesture for "penis".]
Is this an actual dialogue option?
No, I just dropped that in for comedic effect.
It really should've been though.
Zanzoken
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2014
- Messages
- 4,058
Chapter 9: Uppercut To The Babymaker
After reflecting on our previous series of battles, I have decided to respec Trump to fight with two-handed weapons. Although his magic has been carrying the load in terms of damage output, I feel he is lacking "oomph" in melee.
And as far as our companions go, we already have a dual-wielding knife fighter in Verse, but after peeking at the game's wiki there doesn't appear to be anyone else on the available roster who is spec'd for 2H.
Since I don't know of any way to respec our current character at this point in the game, I just started over and quickly retraced our steps in the journey so far.
Behold, the new and improved God Emperor.
I retained Shock magic as our secondary skillset, and chose the same active abilities as before, which are even stronger on the new build.
The only new ability is Sunder, the starter skill for the 2H spec that hits for 1.5x damage and reduces armor on a single target.
Truth be told, swinging a large blunt object to create as much mayhem as possible is much more Trump's style anyway.
All right, back to the story.
Our party enters the remote village, which appears deserted.
Trump makes a loud, official proclamation of his title and the purpose of his visit, but suddenly a group of Vendrien Guard spring an ambush. However there's only three of them, so it's not too much trouble.
Then a gang of Scarlet Chorus appear, who've apparently been hiding in the bushes this entire time.
The Scarlet Fury who is leading them says they've already finished recruiting the village, and just wanted us to eliminate the remaining resistance. Trump threatens to curb stomp her right then and there for being so insolent, but instead she begs him to take it up with Death Knell, the Fury who originally gave us the job and knowingly sent us into a trap.
We return to the Chorus encampment.
You've got some explaining to do, Fury. I don't appreciate being used.
That's all well and good, but this bitch is going to learn that actions have consequences.
FALCON...!
[Punch her.]
You or any Chorus member try anything like that again, and I'll put you on a spike myself.
Force is the only thing these animals understand.
Anyway, with that bit of business handled, Trump decides to take another stroll around the Chorus camp. The first thing we notice is that the enemy commander of Echocall Crossing, Matani, survived the journey here and is tied to the prisoner pole.
We also bump into Variah, the enemy prisoner who we forced to bludgeon her cohort to death as her rite of passage into the Chorus.
Finally, we spot a face that is both new and familiar -- why it's Sirin of course, the Archon of Song. You'll recall during the prologue that Trump made a ruling that resulted in all of her cult followers being purged, so it's probably a safe bet that she's not our biggest fan.
I don't think anyone could've predicted just how much of an unadulterated cunt she is, though. I present to you the entire conversation, in its full unedited format.
That's right... no less than ten dialogue boxes before we get a chance to respond.
Trump wants to dismiss her like the sad little girl she is, but she is an Archon, so we'll take the more subtle approach.
And what makes you an expert in such delicate matters?
I am not sure stomping your feet and screaming "how dare you!?" counts as being well-versed in political intricacies, but okay.
Verse cups her hands to her ears, aware of what's coming.
Oh man. You'd better straighten up before we find a better use for that perfect O-shaped mouth, girl.
What are you trying to do to me?
Just like this whole conversation.
Trump's got to get a little jab in.
Not as powerful as you imagine yourself to be, are you?
Did the writers intend for Sirin to be completely, irredeemably insufferable? If so, well done.
Anyway, there's one last conflict brewing in the camp, this time between Salveros, the local Disfavored attache, and the Chorus blood chanter Bitter Quip, who we are acquainted with from our last mission.
Salveros has accused Quip of murder (!) and wants us to use our Fatebinder powers to make a ruling.
Presented in full context, for your consideration.
Murder? That's a serious charge. Tell me everything.
What sort of magic did you use?
Blood Chanter, is that all you have to say in your defense?
Bitter Quip is citing Magician's Folly. If in battle for Kyros' glory, a mage inadvertently harms someone protected by Kyro's Peace, the mage is not legally at fault.
Spend a decade mastering the craft of a magic and perhaps you will understand why this law must exist.
I am ready to pass judgment.
I can see the argument that Bitter Quip should be acquitted based on a strict interpretation of the law, however, his smug attitude on the matter is doing him no favors and perhaps betrays malicious intent.
What say you, fellow Fatebinders?
And as far as our companions go, we already have a dual-wielding knife fighter in Verse, but after peeking at the game's wiki there doesn't appear to be anyone else on the available roster who is spec'd for 2H.
Since I don't know of any way to respec our current character at this point in the game, I just started over and quickly retraced our steps in the journey so far.
Behold, the new and improved God Emperor.
I retained Shock magic as our secondary skillset, and chose the same active abilities as before, which are even stronger on the new build.
The only new ability is Sunder, the starter skill for the 2H spec that hits for 1.5x damage and reduces armor on a single target.
Truth be told, swinging a large blunt object to create as much mayhem as possible is much more Trump's style anyway.
All right, back to the story.
Our party enters the remote village, which appears deserted.
Trump makes a loud, official proclamation of his title and the purpose of his visit, but suddenly a group of Vendrien Guard spring an ambush. However there's only three of them, so it's not too much trouble.
Then a gang of Scarlet Chorus appear, who've apparently been hiding in the bushes this entire time.
The Scarlet Fury who is leading them says they've already finished recruiting the village, and just wanted us to eliminate the remaining resistance. Trump threatens to curb stomp her right then and there for being so insolent, but instead she begs him to take it up with Death Knell, the Fury who originally gave us the job and knowingly sent us into a trap.
We return to the Chorus encampment.
That's all well and good, but this bitch is going to learn that actions have consequences.
FALCON...!
Force is the only thing these animals understand.
Anyway, with that bit of business handled, Trump decides to take another stroll around the Chorus camp. The first thing we notice is that the enemy commander of Echocall Crossing, Matani, survived the journey here and is tied to the prisoner pole.
We also bump into Variah, the enemy prisoner who we forced to bludgeon her cohort to death as her rite of passage into the Chorus.
Finally, we spot a face that is both new and familiar -- why it's Sirin of course, the Archon of Song. You'll recall during the prologue that Trump made a ruling that resulted in all of her cult followers being purged, so it's probably a safe bet that she's not our biggest fan.
I don't think anyone could've predicted just how much of an unadulterated cunt she is, though. I present to you the entire conversation, in its full unedited format.
That's right... no less than ten dialogue boxes before we get a chance to respond.
Trump wants to dismiss her like the sad little girl she is, but she is an Archon, so we'll take the more subtle approach.
I am not sure stomping your feet and screaming "how dare you!?" counts as being well-versed in political intricacies, but okay.
Verse cups her hands to her ears, aware of what's coming.
Oh man. You'd better straighten up before we find a better use for that perfect O-shaped mouth, girl.
Just like this whole conversation.
Trump's got to get a little jab in.
Did the writers intend for Sirin to be completely, irredeemably insufferable? If so, well done.
Anyway, there's one last conflict brewing in the camp, this time between Salveros, the local Disfavored attache, and the Chorus blood chanter Bitter Quip, who we are acquainted with from our last mission.
Salveros has accused Quip of murder (!) and wants us to use our Fatebinder powers to make a ruling.
Presented in full context, for your consideration.
I can see the argument that Bitter Quip should be acquitted based on a strict interpretation of the law, however, his smug attitude on the matter is doing him no favors and perhaps betrays malicious intent.
What say you, fellow Fatebinders?
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casting buffs on enemies isn't exactly negligence now is it - pick 2
Also this writung legit makes my teeth hurt, particularly all the worthless, useless didascalia that so often just repeat what the "portraits" are showing. Also amazed how many typoes there are, it's like nobody ever gave these texts even the most basic proofreading.
Also this writung legit makes my teeth hurt, particularly all the worthless, useless didascalia that so often just repeat what the "portraits" are showing. Also amazed how many typoes there are, it's like nobody ever gave these texts even the most basic proofreading.
Zanzoken
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2014
- Messages
- 4,058
Chapter 10: Rapists, Sellswords, And Other Very Fine People
Trump reaches his decision. Bitter Quip gets to walk.
Quip may be an asshole skating on thin ice, but we rule that his actions, however reckless, were within the bounds of the law. He used his magic to help complete the mission -- stopping the runners from escaping -- so according to the law he cannot be held at fault for the loss of friendly troops.
The Disfavored captain is disappointed, but respects our decision.
From here, there's nothing left to do except head for Tripnettle. The journey passes without incident, but upon arrival we are greeted by a Chorus gang led by a shithead named Fake Limp.
Limp and has crew have already gone one round with the rebels in the area, and got their ass kicked. They're too chickenshit to come with us and try again, but we don't need their help anyway.
The rebels have built a makeshift camp in the center of this meadow, with the entrance on the opposite side of where we came in. We move along the southern edge of the map then head north to the camp's entrance, winning a couple of easy fights along the way.
The captain of the local Vendrien Guard, who goes by the name Pelox Florian, is waiting for us, flanked by a couple of guards.
Trump gives him a chance to surrender, but it's not going to happen that easily.
The option to trick Florian into conspiring with us to assassinate the Voices of Nerat is tempting, but he probably won't go for it unless we spare his troops. The goal of the mission is simply to eliminate the threat, and killing him and his men works just fine for that. He might even surrender to us like Matani did.
Florian charges, and the battle is on.
In addition to the two guards flanking Florian, a couple more enemies drop in behind us. We're surrounded, but there's nothing to be done about it now but put our heads down and fight.
It takes a couple of tries -- again due to poor AI target selection which gives away cheap AOOs at the worst possible time -- but we manage to carry the day. Florian doesn't survive.
A group of Vendrien reinforcements comes in behind us, but they're little cause for concern.
And that's a wrap.
We report the success back to Fake Limp, but for some reason he's furious at us for killing Florian.
Uhhh... maybe I am mistaken but I don't remember Fivehead saying anything about wanting us to capture Florian alive?
Fake Limp actually bucks up at us for a second like he's gonna do something, but then thinks better of it.
Oh well, I guess we'll see what happens. Time to go referee another shouting match between Ashe and Nerat.
But first, we stop by the Scarlet Chorus camp again, since it's right on the way. Last time we completed a mission some new stuff popped up, so maybe it will again.
We'll just head over to the merchant to sell some loot and... WAIT A MINUTE
WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT
Hulking, furry monsters that look like what you'd get if you somehow crossed an orc and a werewolf. And they're just sitting here in camp like a couple of regular ass dudes.
Trump approaches cautiously, and finds them in conversation.
The female is clearly the dominant one.
Just like Barack and Michelle!
Ummm.... hi.
Beast or not, the God Emperor takes shit from no one.
I wager I could take you.
At least she has a sense of humor.
So, uhhh... where ya from?
Wait a goddamn second...
You don't mean...
Oh god...
That's just nasty.
The strong independent Beastwomxn tells us that tribes of Beastfolk used to roam freely among these lands, but then the Tiersmen moved in, stole the land, and took many of them as slaves. Now those who are still free fight alongside the Scarlet Chorus, which is well-suited to their "vicious, cunning, feral" nature.
Again, art imitates life. Right down to the National Geographic titties.
Anyway, there's nothing else new to see here, so we head on back to the Disfavored camp to join the meeting of the Archons. As expected, the pissing match is already well under way.
The best the Chorus could accomplish would be leaving a ramp-shaped pile of corpses propped against the walls for my warriors to use. Their fortifications are not a concern. Even under-staffed, my Earthshakers could breach the masonry in short order.
Another brilliant idea! Cairn's cult is, we're sure, every bit as trustworthy and sane as the late Archon of Stone himself. You did notice the Spire at the center of the citadel... hard to miss it, being only the tallest thing on the horizon and such. Certainly your earth-mages won't do anything stupid like... say... breaking the Spire's foundation. What could possibly go wrong?
Nerat is giving us subliminal green-text messages again too.
(telepathically) We love saying that name 'Cairn' just to watch him squirm. Graven Ashe had so much hair back before he met us.
Speaking of which, we've heard about Cairn and the Earthshakers quite a bit, but never actually met them. Here's what the tooltip says.
What it doesn't mention, but is also important to know, is that Cairn rebelled against Kyros during the Conquest of the Tiers (aka prologue) and so Kyros cast an Edict of Stone to imprison him. The Edict did not kill him immediately, but trapped him in a mass of petrified rock, where he is slowly expiring.
This is a pain point for Ashe, because Cairn and the Earthshakers were / are close allies of his.
I trust them more than I'd trust your circus of rapists, sellswords, and turncoat Tiersmen!
They finally notice we've arrived.
Our operations in Echocall Crossing and Tripnettle Wilderness were successful, why aren't you two marching toward Ascension Hall?
Nothing would please us more than to be done with this wretched valley. Perhaps if we had more support from the Disfavored... and from the Court...
I don't like your tone, jack.
Now that we're all assembled, I want reports. The Scarlet Chorus was going to resolve the oathbreaker presence in the outer valley. What became of that?
Yes... what DID become of that? We should know already, yet we do not. If we are not mistaken, the Fatebinder played a pivotal role in this operation. Fifth Eye, shed light on this baffling question.
The Fatebinder did indeed assist the Chorus... in a fashion. The oathbreakers were cut down, but the Fatebinder's wrath spared none, and Captain Pelox Florian was not taken alive... much to our disappointment. The Fatebinder seems to have applied Disfavored justice to Florian... such a waste.
Motherfucker, if you wanted him alive, you should have said so.
I was asked to lend a warrior's hand and did just that. Be grateful or be silent.
Iron Marshal, I understand we've established a foothold across the Matani. Report.
Securing the Matani was a gruesome affair. An agent of the School of Tides still lives, and the river was turned against us. Despite our losses, the day ended in success at Echocall Crossing, though victory came at great cost.
When it came time to secure the nearby Echocall village, there was a distressing discovery -- the villagers had been stashing iron weaponry, no doubt stolen from our supply lines. Commander Antio wished to burn the village, but the Chorus disagreed, and the Fatebinder backed their claim.
Their leader, Captain Matani Sybil, was bested in combat but taken captive by the Scarlet Chorus. Despite the Disfavored taking the lead on this operation, the Fatebinder felt it necessary to apply Chorus doctrine to the captives.
Et tu Brute? The Chorus actually helped complete the mission, while you fuckers were useless.
A most wise judgment, good Fatebinder! The oathbreaker captain will, no doubt, provide hours of entertainment... and perhaps even some usable information.
He's playing with his rod again.
(telepathically) She has been a most delectable treat, that one. So obstinate, so inarticulate in her flailing defiance... some things are best savored in slow, tantalizing doses. We must thank you once again for delivering her unto us.
Verse is right, dude is a total creeper.
Arguing over this is meaningless -- resolving the Edict matters most of all.
You know these people are crazy when Trump sounds like the voice of reason.
The Fatebinder is right. We argue over trivialities when we should be closing the vise on the oathbreakers. Let us march on the double, the Disfavored will lead the cha--
You mean the Scarlet Chorus should lead the charge! Over two-thirds of your legion remains trapped outside the valley. Only the Chorus can bring to bear the strength and numbers this assault requires!
Nerat's going off the rails, accusing us of playing favorites.
(telepathically) We see how it really is! You're all against us...
Can everyone please calm the fuck down and just focus on the battle plan?
Enough bickering. We are running out of time to take Ascension Hall.
The Fatebinder is right. Our survival is at stake -- all that matters is taking Ascension Hall. Iron Marshal, ready our troops, Fifth Eye, tell your gangs to cover our flanks.
Nerat doesn't like that one bit.
You will do as WE order, you are not to take orders from this addled ponce.
Then the impasse is clear. We both wish for the honor of leading this final assault on the Vendrien Guard. Since Tunon is not here to select the rightful bearer of this honor, we must turn to the Archon's proxy.
Finally.
(telepathically) Now is not the time for compromise. One of us will have the honor of completing this glorious conquest. We know you will choose wisely...
Well, he's not wrong about the compromise part. I seriously doubt there's any way through this that doesn't involve one side winning and the other losing. But what a shit sandwich this turned out to be.
The Disfavored are honorable, but inefficient to the point of near ineptitude. They have gotten their asses kicked by the Vendrien Guard numerous times at this point, but show no signs of improving upon their mistakes.
Then there's the Scarlet Chorus, who are surprisingly competent and almost assuredly the stronger of the two factions. Yet they are in no way trustworthy, either at a leadership level or among the rank and file.
So what's our play? We've been more closely allied with the Disfavored up until now, but if we side against them here I doubt it will matter. Whoever we choose at this juncture will likely be our bedfellow for the foreseeable future, while the other side will become our enemy.
Quip may be an asshole skating on thin ice, but we rule that his actions, however reckless, were within the bounds of the law. He used his magic to help complete the mission -- stopping the runners from escaping -- so according to the law he cannot be held at fault for the loss of friendly troops.
The Disfavored captain is disappointed, but respects our decision.
From here, there's nothing left to do except head for Tripnettle. The journey passes without incident, but upon arrival we are greeted by a Chorus gang led by a shithead named Fake Limp.
Limp and has crew have already gone one round with the rebels in the area, and got their ass kicked. They're too chickenshit to come with us and try again, but we don't need their help anyway.
The rebels have built a makeshift camp in the center of this meadow, with the entrance on the opposite side of where we came in. We move along the southern edge of the map then head north to the camp's entrance, winning a couple of easy fights along the way.
The captain of the local Vendrien Guard, who goes by the name Pelox Florian, is waiting for us, flanked by a couple of guards.
Trump gives him a chance to surrender, but it's not going to happen that easily.
The option to trick Florian into conspiring with us to assassinate the Voices of Nerat is tempting, but he probably won't go for it unless we spare his troops. The goal of the mission is simply to eliminate the threat, and killing him and his men works just fine for that. He might even surrender to us like Matani did.
Florian charges, and the battle is on.
In addition to the two guards flanking Florian, a couple more enemies drop in behind us. We're surrounded, but there's nothing to be done about it now but put our heads down and fight.
It takes a couple of tries -- again due to poor AI target selection which gives away cheap AOOs at the worst possible time -- but we manage to carry the day. Florian doesn't survive.
A group of Vendrien reinforcements comes in behind us, but they're little cause for concern.
And that's a wrap.
We report the success back to Fake Limp, but for some reason he's furious at us for killing Florian.
Uhhh... maybe I am mistaken but I don't remember Fivehead saying anything about wanting us to capture Florian alive?
Fake Limp actually bucks up at us for a second like he's gonna do something, but then thinks better of it.
Oh well, I guess we'll see what happens. Time to go referee another shouting match between Ashe and Nerat.
But first, we stop by the Scarlet Chorus camp again, since it's right on the way. Last time we completed a mission some new stuff popped up, so maybe it will again.
We'll just head over to the merchant to sell some loot and... WAIT A MINUTE
WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT
Hulking, furry monsters that look like what you'd get if you somehow crossed an orc and a werewolf. And they're just sitting here in camp like a couple of regular ass dudes.
Trump approaches cautiously, and finds them in conversation.
The female is clearly the dominant one.
Ummm.... hi.
Beast or not, the God Emperor takes shit from no one.
At least she has a sense of humor.
So, uhhh... where ya from?
Wait a goddamn second...
You don't mean...
Oh god...
That's just nasty.
The strong independent Beastwomxn tells us that tribes of Beastfolk used to roam freely among these lands, but then the Tiersmen moved in, stole the land, and took many of them as slaves. Now those who are still free fight alongside the Scarlet Chorus, which is well-suited to their "vicious, cunning, feral" nature.
Again, art imitates life. Right down to the National Geographic titties.
Anyway, there's nothing else new to see here, so we head on back to the Disfavored camp to join the meeting of the Archons. As expected, the pissing match is already well under way.
Nerat is giving us subliminal green-text messages again too.
Speaking of which, we've heard about Cairn and the Earthshakers quite a bit, but never actually met them. Here's what the tooltip says.
What it doesn't mention, but is also important to know, is that Cairn rebelled against Kyros during the Conquest of the Tiers (aka prologue) and so Kyros cast an Edict of Stone to imprison him. The Edict did not kill him immediately, but trapped him in a mass of petrified rock, where he is slowly expiring.
This is a pain point for Ashe, because Cairn and the Earthshakers were / are close allies of his.
They finally notice we've arrived.
I don't like your tone, jack.
Motherfucker, if you wanted him alive, you should have said so.
Et tu Brute? The Chorus actually helped complete the mission, while you fuckers were useless.
He's playing with his rod again.
Verse is right, dude is a total creeper.
You know these people are crazy when Trump sounds like the voice of reason.
Nerat's going off the rails, accusing us of playing favorites.
Can everyone please calm the fuck down and just focus on the battle plan?
Nerat doesn't like that one bit.
Finally.
Well, he's not wrong about the compromise part. I seriously doubt there's any way through this that doesn't involve one side winning and the other losing. But what a shit sandwich this turned out to be.
The Disfavored are honorable, but inefficient to the point of near ineptitude. They have gotten their asses kicked by the Vendrien Guard numerous times at this point, but show no signs of improving upon their mistakes.
Then there's the Scarlet Chorus, who are surprisingly competent and almost assuredly the stronger of the two factions. Yet they are in no way trustworthy, either at a leadership level or among the rank and file.
So what's our play? We've been more closely allied with the Disfavored up until now, but if we side against them here I doubt it will matter. Whoever we choose at this juncture will likely be our bedfellow for the foreseeable future, while the other side will become our enemy.
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each and every single member of the chorus has been an insufferable cunt so far
i vote for the disfavoured solely because these imbeciles have slightly less eye-gouging writung
also clearly Trump can defeat all the enemy armies himself anyway so this is a fake choice to begin with
i vote for the disfavoured solely because these imbeciles have slightly less eye-gouging writung
also clearly Trump can defeat all the enemy armies himself anyway so this is a fake choice to begin with
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2018
- Messages
- 4,241
You can't see it, but I'm making the local hand gesture for penis at this writing.
The rat has it right. I vote Disfavored.
The rat has it right. I vote Disfavored.
Same here. Better incompetent than annoying.
Disfavored. I really wish we could just walk out, let them both die, and come back with an actual commander. Someone like ourselves, say.
![[UCHIHA]XxDarkSasuke420xX](/forums/data/avatars/m/28/28856.jpg?1614816202){kind=avatar}
[UCHIHA]XxDarkSasuke420xX
Prospernaut
you're putting a lot of work into an LP for such a shitty game
Erebus
Arcane
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2008
- Messages
- 4,845
I don't really like either group. I dislike members of the Scarlet Chorus a bit less than members of the Disfavored ; unfortunately, their leader is utterly unbearable.
So let's ally with the Disfavored.
For now.
Though it's not a pretty sight, I do appreciate the fact that they made beastwomen fucking ugly. Sexy monster girls can be enjoyable once in a while, but it gets tiresome when all female monsters are good-looking.
The Voices of Nerat is already very annoying, but he becomes ten times worse if you decide to ally with him
For now.
Though it's not a pretty sight, I do appreciate the fact that they made beastwomen fucking ugly. Sexy monster girls can be enjoyable once in a while, but it gets tiresome when all female monsters are good-looking.
Zanzoken
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2014
- Messages
- 4,058
Truthfully, creating an LP has allowed me to get way more out of this game than I otherwise would've. If I was just playing on my own I probably would've already ditched it. Hopefully you guys are getting some enjoyment out of it too.
As far as the game itself goes, it's bad but also has some of that "so bad it's actually good" quality that redeems it somewhat. That's at least more than you can say for its big brother, Pillars of Eternity, which I doubt would even be fun to parody.
Erebus
Arcane
- Joined
- Jul 12, 2008
- Messages
- 4,845
The first part of the game really isn't that bad. Sure, you'll wish you could kill 90% of the people that you meet, but you're playing a villain, so it's somewhat appropriate.
The real problems appear halfway through the game, when you get tired of fighting the same enemies over and over again.
[Makes the local hand gesture for "penis".]
Is this an actual dialogue option?
No, I just dropped that in for comedic effect.
It really should've been though.
And side with the disfavored
[UCHIHA]XxDarkSasuke420xX
Prospernaut
that's what happened to me, somewhere about halfway through I couldn't be bothered to open the game anymore and just uninstalled
but, I'm glad you're having fun!
Zanzoken
Arcane
- Joined
- Dec 16, 2014
- Messages
- 4,058
Chapter 11: The Patriarchy Strikes Back
The time to choose sides is upon us. Trump has reached his decision.
The Disfavored will lead the attack on the Citadel.
You honor us, as I knew you would. You have made the right choice. The Disfavored have stood at the forefront of battle since the first days of the war. And now, we have the honor of winning the final battle.
Nerat is about to throw a serious hissy fit.
Our beloved Chorus! We have too many lives to protect... we can't allow your foolish decision to destroy us all!
At the same time he's also cursing us telepathically.
(telepathically) No! We did not work so hard only to be denied our rightful glory in the end! You will die with the Disfavored!
You would dare harm me and our guest from the Court?!
Heads up, shit's about to get real.
There's a big explosion, then Nerat and Fifth Eye are nowhere to be seen, presumably having made their escape.
Ashe says we'll take Ascension Hall on our own, destroying the Vendrien Guard and the Scarlet Chorus too, if it comes to that.
We turn to leave but Ashe notices that Verse is still in our company.
Barik noticeably reacts. Looks like somebody's got a crush.
Something to say, Barik?
Nothing at present, Archon. Forgive the interruption.
No pussy for you, Tin Man.
I'm surprised you're still here.
You and me both, but the Archon was insistent in his wording -- 'watch that Fatebinder, even if I make a public display suggesting otherwise.' But now I'm thinking I shouldn't have stuck around.
I should note that we had an opportunity to confront Verse earlier about being a spy for Nerat, which she admitted to. But she's got the highest Loyalty and Fear by far of our companions. Let's keep her around a while longer.
Verse is with me.
Ashe begrudgingly agrees to respect our decision. And with that, we're tasked to meet up with Erenyos and begin the siege.
Before we go, a quick housekeeping item. We got our first piece of hatemail! It's from Tarkis Arri, the leader of the Vendrien Guard.
We'll get a chance to respond in person soon enough.
Meanwhile, Erenyos is rallying the troops.
After resting and checking our equipment, it's time to head for the Citadel!
Shit is already popping off as we arrive on the scene.
Erenyos says our main objective is to breach the enemy's defensive wall so the army can storm the keep. The Earthshakers are currently locked in a stalemate with some enemy Sages, but Erenyos says if we head east we can find a place to climb the wall and sneak inside.
The Scarlet Chorus hasn't been spotted yet, but we're authorized to engage them if they try to stop us from seizing the Citadel.
The Vendrien Guard has also sent some parties over the wall to bring the fight to us.
We take them out alongside our Disfavored allies and Trump hits another level up. I give him the ability "Concentrated Force" which upgrades Sunder to also stun the target.
And just before we head over the wall, another missive arrives from Tunon.
We again send a courteous reply.
One more gang of mooks to deal with before we reach the wall.
Here we are. It's a relatively simple climb up.
We fight our way around the eastern rampart, then assault the courtyard to take out those pesky Sages.
With the Sages neutralized, the Earthshakers are able to do their thing, and blast the fuck out of the outer wall.
The Disfavored flood the courtyard.
Upon transitioning to the next area, we're greeted by another host of Vendrien Guard.
But just then, the Scarlet Chorus make their grand entrance, and their mages blast down the fortress's front gate.
The Vendriens fall back to their keep, leaving us toe-to-toe with Fifth Eye and his minions.
Erenyos leaps into action to cover our advance, and the two arch-rivals finally lock horns.
Inside the keep, the Vendrien Guard makes its last stand.
We smash through a handful of encounters, though this place hardly constitutes a proper dungeon.
It's time to end this.
At last we've arrived at our destination -- Ascension Hall.
Here we find Eb, the rogue Tidecaster, along with Tarkis Arri, the aforementioned leader of the Vendrien Guard.
Yet another female captain... no wonder these guys are losing.
Though your lives will certainly end here, here in Ascension Hall.
For some reason, she points up at the ceiling.
Consider yourself fortunate, some of the finest rulers of Apex met death by duel in this hallowed hall. Truly, there's no finer place to settle an intractable feud.
Whatever you say, lady.
Let's see if we can gain a psychological edge.
[Bluff] You bring a lot of magic to fight directly beneath the Spire. Trying to bury us all? Just what sort of inbred fool are you?
The Sage who was standing to our right loses his nerve and makes a run for it.
Get back here! What was I thinking, bringing cowardly scribes to a sword fight. Eb was right about the lot of you!
You've traded your kinsmen to slow the inevitable, nothing more.
We demonstrated that the armies of Kyros could be shamed by stubborn peasants. The Overlord's empire is vast, his armies numerous, his magic unstoppable -- yet he cannot destroy our fighting spirit. Hardly the show of force I'd expect from a truly fearsome Overlord.
How can you not know that Kyros' preferred pronouns are 'xe' and 'xir'? Good thing there is no Twitter here or you would most certainly be banned.
Anyway, enough of this.
Any last words?
And with that, it's time for fisticuffs.
Trump is our best damage dealer, so he goes directly for Eb, who is probably their strongest on offense. Barik ties up Arri and the 2H fighter. Verse goes for the archer. And Lantry reads a book or does whatever the fuck he does during combat.
The fight doesn't last long, and the outcome is never in doubt. Eb and Arri both surrender.
You mean your example of getting your ass kicked?
Erenyos arrives just in time to say congrats for our victory.
Wait a minute... WHAT'S THIS???
Isn't that nifty. It seems we have an option to cut ties with the Disfavored and blaze our own trail toward making the Tiers great again. Middle fingers to Nerat and Ashe both.
Tempting. A few things to consider as we decide:
1) This drama all hinges on the fact that both factions want the glory for putting down the rebellion. If Nerat was willing to go to war over it, then we'll probably have to fight and kill Erenyos right now to secure our claim. And that means both Archons will be targeting us.
2) Even though we did all the heavy lifting, the Disfavored actually helped out on this siege by keeping the Chorus off our backs. They probably deserve some of the credit.
3) I am pretty sure we'll get to keep the Spire regardless of our decision, since there are apparently game mechanics designed around it that we've yet to unlock.
4) We also need to decide what to do with Eb, because she's going to try to join us. She would likely be a useful addition to the team, and being crushed by Trump in battle and then forced to serve him could be the ultimate humiliation. Or maybe we just execute her and be done with it.
The floor is now open for discussion!
Nerat is about to throw a serious hissy fit.
At the same time he's also cursing us telepathically.
Heads up, shit's about to get real.
There's a big explosion, then Nerat and Fifth Eye are nowhere to be seen, presumably having made their escape.
Ashe says we'll take Ascension Hall on our own, destroying the Vendrien Guard and the Scarlet Chorus too, if it comes to that.
We turn to leave but Ashe notices that Verse is still in our company.
Barik noticeably reacts. Looks like somebody's got a crush.
No pussy for you, Tin Man.
I should note that we had an opportunity to confront Verse earlier about being a spy for Nerat, which she admitted to. But she's got the highest Loyalty and Fear by far of our companions. Let's keep her around a while longer.
Ashe begrudgingly agrees to respect our decision. And with that, we're tasked to meet up with Erenyos and begin the siege.
Before we go, a quick housekeeping item. We got our first piece of hatemail! It's from Tarkis Arri, the leader of the Vendrien Guard.
We'll get a chance to respond in person soon enough.
Meanwhile, Erenyos is rallying the troops.
After resting and checking our equipment, it's time to head for the Citadel!
Shit is already popping off as we arrive on the scene.
Erenyos says our main objective is to breach the enemy's defensive wall so the army can storm the keep. The Earthshakers are currently locked in a stalemate with some enemy Sages, but Erenyos says if we head east we can find a place to climb the wall and sneak inside.
The Scarlet Chorus hasn't been spotted yet, but we're authorized to engage them if they try to stop us from seizing the Citadel.
The Vendrien Guard has also sent some parties over the wall to bring the fight to us.
We take them out alongside our Disfavored allies and Trump hits another level up. I give him the ability "Concentrated Force" which upgrades Sunder to also stun the target.
And just before we head over the wall, another missive arrives from Tunon.
We again send a courteous reply.
One more gang of mooks to deal with before we reach the wall.
Here we are. It's a relatively simple climb up.
We fight our way around the eastern rampart, then assault the courtyard to take out those pesky Sages.
With the Sages neutralized, the Earthshakers are able to do their thing, and blast the fuck out of the outer wall.
The Disfavored flood the courtyard.
Upon transitioning to the next area, we're greeted by another host of Vendrien Guard.
But just then, the Scarlet Chorus make their grand entrance, and their mages blast down the fortress's front gate.
The Vendriens fall back to their keep, leaving us toe-to-toe with Fifth Eye and his minions.
Erenyos leaps into action to cover our advance, and the two arch-rivals finally lock horns.
Inside the keep, the Vendrien Guard makes its last stand.
We smash through a handful of encounters, though this place hardly constitutes a proper dungeon.
It's time to end this.
At last we've arrived at our destination -- Ascension Hall.
Here we find Eb, the rogue Tidecaster, along with Tarkis Arri, the aforementioned leader of the Vendrien Guard.
Yet another female captain... no wonder these guys are losing.
For some reason, she points up at the ceiling.
Whatever you say, lady.
Let's see if we can gain a psychological edge.
The Sage who was standing to our right loses his nerve and makes a run for it.
How can you not know that Kyros' preferred pronouns are 'xe' and 'xir'? Good thing there is no Twitter here or you would most certainly be banned.
Anyway, enough of this.
And with that, it's time for fisticuffs.
Trump is our best damage dealer, so he goes directly for Eb, who is probably their strongest on offense. Barik ties up Arri and the 2H fighter. Verse goes for the archer. And Lantry reads a book or does whatever the fuck he does during combat.
The fight doesn't last long, and the outcome is never in doubt. Eb and Arri both surrender.
You mean your example of getting your ass kicked?
Erenyos arrives just in time to say congrats for our victory.
Wait a minute... WHAT'S THIS???
Isn't that nifty. It seems we have an option to cut ties with the Disfavored and blaze our own trail toward making the Tiers great again. Middle fingers to Nerat and Ashe both.
Tempting. A few things to consider as we decide:
1) This drama all hinges on the fact that both factions want the glory for putting down the rebellion. If Nerat was willing to go to war over it, then we'll probably have to fight and kill Erenyos right now to secure our claim. And that means both Archons will be targeting us.
2) Even though we did all the heavy lifting, the Disfavored actually helped out on this siege by keeping the Chorus off our backs. They probably deserve some of the credit.
3) I am pretty sure we'll get to keep the Spire regardless of our decision, since there are apparently game mechanics designed around it that we've yet to unlock.
4) We also need to decide what to do with Eb, because she's going to try to join us. She would likely be a useful addition to the team, and being crushed by Trump in battle and then forced to serve him could be the ultimate humiliation. Or maybe we just execute her and be done with it.
The floor is now open for discussion!
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