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Sky actually being Creative Yukong would actually make things more interesting considering his only trait seems to be "somewhat bland fellow who is there for female PCs to romance for the sake of shipping and suchlike".
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Jun 4, 2017 19:26
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Cangelosi posted:Sky actually being Creative Yukong would actually make things more interesting considering his only trait seems to be "somewhat bland fellow who is there for female PCs to romance for the sake of shipping and suchlike". Male PCs too!  except you have to actively shoot down every other potential romantic interest, and then you don't even get a make-out scene.
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Jun 5, 2017 12:21
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Sky went through a lot of rewrites, and I think the original idea for his character would've been a lot more interesting than what we got in the finished game. I don't want to go into too much detail at this point because the biggest changes involve late-game stuff, but we'll get there eventually.
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Jun 5, 2017 12:49
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So I don't think it was pointed out in the respective updates, but the leader of the cannibals was voiced by Armin Shimerman (Quark on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Principal Snyder in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Qui the Promoter was voiced by Brian Doyle-Murray, Bill Murray's brother and a sort of Hey, It's That Guy around Hollywood. I still have no idea how this game managed to land them and John Cleese. Also, I've actually found the Horse Demon form to be pretty useful in certain fights thanks to its damage aura and immunity to magic.
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Jun 11, 2017 18:47
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Doc Morbid posted:Sky went through a lot of rewrites, and I think the original idea for his character would've been a lot more interesting than what we got in the finished game. I don't want to go into too much detail at this point because the biggest changes involve late-game stuff, but we'll get there eventually. When the time comes I'd be very interested in hearing about this - Sky always fell flat as a character to me.
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Jun 11, 2017 18:52
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Polaron posted:So I don't think it was pointed out in the respective updates, but the leader of the cannibals was voiced by Armin Shimerman (Quark on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Principal Snyder in Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Qui the Promoter was voiced by Brian Doyle-Murray, Bill Murray's brother and a sort of Hey, It's That Guy around Hollywood. I still have no idea how this game managed to land them and John Cleese. I wish there was an interview of John Cleese or something because honestly, how did that happen? Course, Fallout had Richard Dean Anderson, but for some reason I always shunt Jade Empire in my head as one of "those old games when gaming was niche," even though it really wasn't.
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Jun 11, 2017 21:21
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Also Nathan Fillion is in it only to be killed off in the first Act.
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Jun 11, 2017 21:56
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Episode 29: Black Leopard School Last time, we finished most of the sidequests we had open in the Imperial City. There's only one major bit of side content left to do before heading over to the Necropolis in order to continue the plot -- we're gonna hit the Black Leopard School, located in the Market District.  The large gate to our left leads to the school via an uphill path. We don't have any other business in the Market District, so we might as well head straight up the path and see what goes on back there.   Here we are, welcome to the Black Leopard School. Well, before we really get there, we clearly need to get past these jerks who are blocking the entrance.   I believe I already brought this up when we arrived in the city and the Black Leopard School came up, but Student Wen said way back at the start of the game that he used to study at a school here in the city. However, he couldn't learn a drat thing because the school had two feuding masters. That's the school we're at right now.   Clearly, both masters have their supporters among the students.  We don't know what the Second Brother business is about but we can probably assume he's one of the higher-ranking students of the school and has gone missing for whatever reason. I'm sure we'll find out more soon.  The students pass right by us without even saying hello, those four up ahead are a different group. And yes, Dawn Star, this is a school, as indicated by the giant "Black Leopard School" signs all over the place. As for the size of this place, I don't really think it's that much larger than the Two Rivers school; sure, that main building is quite big, but the school's grounds are actually quite cramped.    How? I'll show you.Great, more bickering students. Master Smiling Hawk and his supporters are apparently major proponents of brute force, so he's clearly the   I'm just visiting. Please let me pass. Ha! You sound like my weakling friend over here. "Please let me pass." No! Now, how about you just turn yourself around before you get hurt. Getting in a fight immediately after walking through the gates wasn't really the plan, but these idiots clearly want a beating and we'll be happy to oblige.  C'mon... let's teach our visitor some respect!Come at me, you monkeys! VIDEO: Wu the Lotus Blossom vs. Black Leopard Students  These novices clearly think they can take us because they've got the numbers advantage. However, it's also rather obvious they didn't watch Wu's arena fight against a bunch of Black Leopard students. If they had seen the fight (or any one of our fights, really), they'd know that they are hopelessly outmatched here.  We've got a couple of guys using Leaping Tiger, but it doesn't matter what styles they try.  I decided to cycle through all four styles mapped to our quick select. The way I see it, these chumps wanted a fight, so we're giving them a proper one and not holding back at all.  I wonder if they've seen the Dire Flame style before. Well, if not, this should serve as an effective introduction.  Oh, their little ring leader is trying a power attack. Not gonna happen.   Let's give them some Storm Dragon/Leaping Tiger spam for good measure. They asked for it.  Good night. Maybe they'll think twice next time they feel like threatening a visitor.  Err, yes... I guess we might have gotten a bit carried away there, even if the novices started it.  The other guy doesn't seem to mind, though.     Come on, you Iouts. You'll be scrubbing the dining room floors for your part in this little altercation.  First Brother Kai here seems like a decent fellow, so he probably won't mind if we tell him those students are a bit too rowdy for their own good.   Fortunately, you seemed more than capable of handling the situation. In all my years, I've never seen anyone but a master with skill like yours. I... would not normally ask, but would you be interested in joining our school? It would be an honor to have someone of your skill.Huh, that's quite sudden. We still have a job to do as well...  ...but as a wise man once said, there is no knowledge that is not power. Learning from the masters here may help us greatly in the future.  [fade to black]  Good news. Master Radiant agreed to let you join, a rare honor indeed. In fact, he would like to meet with you... once you have proven yourself. First however, Master Radiant wants to ensure that your fight against the novices was not just luck. You must now defeat each of the brothers here at the school. Seems like an odd way to do things, but who are we to argue.  You have proven you can defeat our novices. Now you must prove yourself against the brothers. The brothers have trained long and are second only in skill to the masters. Sixth Brother is the least skilled, so you will start with him. Work your way to Third Brother. If you succeed against him, you will then challenge me. What about Second Brother? Second Brother is... not here. For now, you must face only Third Brother and myself... after you've defeated the other brothers.Second Brother is missing and probably dead, got it. We'll ask around about him in due time, but the way Kai worded that doesn't exactly build confidence.  Master Radiant and I have tried for some time to temper Master Smiling Hawk's... ways. He is cunning and ruthless and has little regard for students. Normally, I wouldn't speak openly about such things, but you are new, and your skill will draw his attention. Be careful... Master Smiling Hawk is a dangerous man. Really, if this guy is so awful, why not just send him packing? Surely Master Radiant is capable of doing that, especially with the help of guys like Kai here.  For now, be careful and focus on defeating the brothers. Start with Sixth Brother and ask him to fight with you. I'm sure he'll be eager. Once you've defeated all of the brothers, come and see me. Good luck.Go beat up all the brothers, and then we might tell you what's going on here. Got it.  That's Sixth Brother up ahead, next to Dawn Star, but we're not beating him up just yet. First, we need to do a bit of exploring, and our first stop is that scrollstand in front of Sixth Brother.  This scroll talks about the creation of the Black Leopard Style by a warrior named Zou How, who most likely founded this school as well.  There aren't that many points of interest around the school, really. This seems like it might be the tombstone of Zou How, but we can't interact with it. The only other thing here in the courtyard is a chest with a Superior Intimidation Gem in it, so let's head inside.  The main hall has three doors to the left, and we'll take a look at those shortly. We can also see another scrollstand up the stairs, but that can wait as well. Let's take a right instead.  Master Smiling Hawk's room is located next to the dining hall. The door is locked and I don't think he'd appreciate us barging in even if it was unlocked, so we'll just go check out the dining hall.  That's Third Brother over in the corner, but we'll ignore him for now and talk to the woman next to him.    The lady who just sent that poor novice running in sheer terror is named Whispering Willow. I can think of at least two things wrong with that name, as she's not exactly what one would call "willowy" and her voice sounds like the school bus driver from the early seasons of South Park. Had we brought the Black Whirlwind here, he'd be smitten with Whispering Willow at this point (he basically says "Now that's my kind of woman, she can beat me up anytime") and trying to hit on her in his usual understated manner, with the kind of success you'd probably expect.    Would you? Oh, that'd be lovely!   Questions about what? Go ask your teacher if you have questions. Tell me more about yourself. Me? Is this some ploy to get an extra serving of fish in your soup tonight? It won't work, you know. But... since you asked. I am the headmistress here at the school. I organize everything that these witless fighters forget to do. Paperwork, laundry, cooking... you name it. It's a thankless job. Never so much as a smile or wave as I labor over my work. If it wasn't for me, this place would fall apart.If we had Whirlwind with us, we could also find out that Whispering Willow used to be a famous opera singer until a "freak costume incident" ruined her voice. Whirlwind would still like to hear her sing, maybe over a bowl of wine, but Willow informs him she'd "rather be dipped in boiling oil and fed to cannibals".   Learning and fighting... they are very good at both, but put any one of them in a room with a lady and they'd just wither away. I'm surprised they even let you join. Never seen a girl in here except to help with the cooking or the cleaning. I hope you knock some sense into those boys. What do you know about the masters? Masters! Ha! I'm the only master of this school. Those other two hide in their rooms all day long doing who knows what. How can you be a master of anything when you never participate? It‘s unnatural. Of course, it wasn't always that way, or at least, that's what I've heard. There was only one master once. Makes sense to me. Too many cooks in the kitchen, as I always say. I must be going, goodbye. Good. I have work to do.Well, that was enlightening.  We can also talk to the novices we beat up earlier, but they don't have anything interesting to say aside from thinking Third Brother can take us. We'll see about that.  All right then, Sixth Brother Gaoshan. Let's do this.   I'm Sixth Brother Gaoshan. If you think you can defeat a disciple of Master Smiling Hawk, challenge *me*. I assure you, I'm much tougher than the novices. Sure. Let's fight. All right, follow me.We could ask about Second Brother or the Black Leopard School in general, but I doubt Bro #6 here has anything particularly relevant to say about either so let's just commence with the punching.   Sixth Brother prefers the "drunken bear romping around" martial style, also known as Iron Palm.  It's pretty slow and not that great, honestly.   This fight doesn't take long at all. Gaoshan simply can't keep up with our relentless assault.  At least he has the courtesy to bow afterwards.  Sure, whatever you say. Just go ahead and pretend you didn't get totally curbstomped back there.  Our next opponent is inside the main building. First off, though, here's Master Radiant's room. We can't get inside at the moment, obviously.  Fifth Brother's room is next to Master Radiant's. Brother Shangjin is waiting for us inside, ready for the upcoming fight.   It would seem Master Radiant is up to his tricks again. Regardless, you‘ve defeated Sixth Brother so we can spar. Would you care to try your skills against mine? Let's ask him about Second Brother, first. He seems much friendlier than Brother #6, so maybe we'll even get something out of the guy.  I know if I was a follower of Master Radiant I would likely get very bored, very quickly. Maybe he just decided to go to a new school, somewhere more peaceful.Well, we did learn Second Brother vocally opposed Smiling Hawk and then disappeared all of a sudden. Not suspicious in the slightest. But that's enough of that, let's fight this guy.   Fifth Brother is pretty much just a generic staff-wielder. As such, he puts up no challenge whatsoever.   Come on, Black Leopard School. You can do better than this.  My pleasure. Time for the next fight. By the way, everyone bows to you after the fight, I'm just cutting it out after the first time.   After we've checked out this scroll, that is. Turns out Zou How, Master Black Leopard, never passed on all the secrets of the Black Leopard style and so the style died with him.  I wonder how much of the Black Leopard Style is still known and if the students actually learn any of Zou How's skills here. In any event, here's Fourth Brother Yu, and we shall challenge him to fisticuffs.   Since you've defeated Fifth Brother, perhaps you'd let me decide just how talented you are. Care for a match? What do you think happened to Second Brother? I've been trying to find that out myself. I even sent a few of the students into the city to see if they could discover the truth.Ah, those must've been the guys at the entrance who were saying they were going to go look for Second Brother.  Third Brother told me that Master Smiling Hawk sent Second Brother into the city, on an errand, but nobody saw him leave the school. I fear Second Brother has run into trouble, and I suspect Master Smiling Hawk is behind it all.Never saw that one coming, nosiree. Right now it's time to fight, though. There will be plenty of opportunity to talk about Second Brother later.   The previous fight reminded me that Iron Palm exists, so I decided to give it a try against Bro #4. It's not great, especially without any upgrades. The slow attack speed and lack of damage can be fixed by putting some points into the style (this was the last recording session before I used the editor to give myself 999 skill points, so from the next update on we'll actually be able to do something with all these styles we've accumulated), but my main problem is that Iron Palm's animations look really dumb.  Here's the Iron Palm area attack, getting blocked by Fourth Brother Yu.  And this is the power attack, kind of a charging headbutt. This thing should make your character sprout ram horns, like in Battletoads.  It also won't go through a kick to the face, so that's great.  Let's just do this the old-fashioned way and get it over with.  Okay then. Next up, we've got Third Brother. That should be interesting, as the novices seemed to think he's tough enough to give us a proper fight.  And hey, look who it is! Third Brother himself also seems to think he can take us.   Aw, he noticed? Oh well.    This can only go well, I'm sure.    Third Brother walks off and leaves us alone with Master Smiling Hawk. I bet you can't guess what he wants.   I suppose it wouldn't hurt to tell him.  We won't mention anything about Master Li being the Glorious Strategist, of course. Smiling Hawk doesn't need to know that much.   You have talent, and with Second Brother's death we have need of a new brother.In case you didn't figure it out yet, yes, Second Brother is dead. We can probably also guess why he is dead, but let's ask Smiling Hawk about it anyway.  I asked him to do something for me. He refused. Let me be blunt. Master Radiant is holding this school back. He‘s holding *me* back. Radiant is weak. He follows the way of harmony; his methods are slow and pitiful. This school belongs to me! I want Master Radiant removed, and you're the one to do it. You have certain abilities that will enable you to defeat my rival. I'm not sure if Mr. Hawk here has noticed, but we also follow the way of harmony (most of the time, anyway). Why in the hell would we help him when he's obviously an evil jackass?  You are the only one here capable of defeating Master Radiant. And rest assured, I will reward you extremely well for ridding me of him. To begin with, you'll have to deal with First Brother Kai. Destroy him, and you'll be left only with Radiant, but together they would be too powerful. Well, this is really more a case of not wanting to help this idiot than any sort of loyalty to First Brother or Master Radiant. Granted, First Brother is one of the few likable people here at the Black Leopard School, so that counts for something at least.  Do as I ask, and I will teach you things that no one else can. I also have a few rare items that should appeal to you. Simply kill First Brother and Master Radiant. The task is straightforward.  Great, I look forward to it.  Hey there Third Brother, let's get this over with.  Smiling Hawk's name isn't supposed to have an article in front of it, but occasionally it gets one in these dialog scenes.   I wonder what kind of training he means.  No bowing before this fight, this is serious.   As I said earlier, I usually reserve the Storm Dragon/Leaping Tiger spam for enemies who have annoyed me. We don't need to abuse the trick in this fight because we can totally take Third Brother, but he's a smug jerk so he deserves it anyway.   Eventually, I just start using Leaping Tiger exclusively and never stopping for even a split second. Third Brother has no chance whatsoever, and you may notice we didn't even take a hit.  Well, uh... I guess we did kinda cheat, at the start anyway.   Bye, Third Brother!  I like it when the dialog assumes we just went through a difficult battle instead of completely humiliating our opponent.  I also like being able to say this.  Master Radiant was sure you would prevail, he asked me to bring you to him once you defeated Third Brother. You won't have to test yourself against me after all. Come, let's go see him. He is anxious to speak with you.We're instantly teleported into Master Radiant's chamber.     Uhh. Okay then. This explains quite a bit, actually.  Gotta love how the first two options here are "You're a ghost?!" Of course he's a ghost! At this point, it's kind of easy to tell.   My spirit could not leave this place, due to the way I was killed. First Brother and I keep my death a secret, well he and Second Brother, until his recent demise. The other students just think I'm an irritable old curmudgeon who doesn't like to be disturbed... not too far from the truth. But no doubt you're wondering how I died. "Peacefully died of old age" is probably not the answer here.   Oh, stuff it. It's not like I really expect you to listen. Talking just helps to keep my mind sharp. Now, where was I? Oh yes, the story of my demise. Before Master Smiling Hawk was a master, he was Third Brother Liu. He was a gifted student, although not a very good fighter. He preferred books and knowledge over combat... but his thirst for knowledge was unhealthy. Smiling Hawk was never content with his place here. Eventually, he sought to move beyond his station and take what he had not yet earned.  Smiling Hawk was smart, but he wasn't wise. He discovered a technique that allowed him to harness another person's style and power. This technique was unnatural. I reprimanded him and told him to stop dabbling with things that he could not control. Of course, in my arrogance, I assumed he would obey my wise instructions. But Smiling Hawk had no intention of letting go of his newfound technique. Not sure why Master Radiant expected Smiling Hawk to give up his awesome new technique. This guy was a nerd who was obviously very ambitious but sucked at fighting, and then he suddenly got this super-special ability to absorb other fighters' skills and become the best there is. Hell, that's basically the plot of the story mode in Mortal Kombat: Deception.  At any rate, Smiling Hawk decided to try out his technique on me. With my power, he could become First Brother... and more. But Smiling Hawk failed to realize the true nature of his technique. It does not merely borrow your style and power; it takes your life.Oh. Well, in that case he probably should've read the manual a bit more thoroughly first. Never mind then.  There's nothing more humiliating for a master than waking up and realizing you've been beaten by a bookworm... and in your own room, no less!And Smiling Hawk didn't even bother to try it in a fight, just decided to sneak into Master Radiant's room and attack him in his sleep. Lovely.   Smiling Hawk chose the easy route to power, but it has cost him. The power has changed him and corroded his spirit, but it also makes him very powerful. First Brother and I have kept him in check, barely. But the balance slowly turns in his favor as he gains more and more power. If he can kill you and absorb your powers just like that, it seems like we're at a disadvantage here.  As a spirit, I can see your power... and its source. It is different for you than for anyone I have ever met. I won't tell you that Smiling Hawk cannot harm you, but I'm certain that he cannot steal your power. Not the way he stole mine, at any rate.Oh. Well, that's really convenient.   I suppose making up a lie is not gonna work for Smiling Hawk as long as Master Radiant is still around in ghost form.   He has had no experience battling spirits. and he fears that he just may lose... he is driven by greed, but controlled by fear.So that would be why Smiling Hawk wanted us to do his dirty work. We've done plenty of ghostbusting by this point, after all, so removing Master Radiant would probably have been a relatively simple task for us. More so than it would've been for Smiling Hawk, anyway.  "The" Smiling Hawk again. But yes, he is going down. I'm not sure why there isn't a slightly less gung-ho option here (aside from the "Lie" one, but that obviously doesn't count), but whatever.  More like "writing proper dialog options is not one of BioWare's strengths".   Back to Smiling Hawk's room we go. We don't really know what's expecting us in the upcoming fight, but Master Radiant at least seems to be convinced that Smiling Hawk can't just absorb our soul or whatever.   Radiant is dead... his time has passed. Now is the time for the living! Help me destroy him and I will make this school more powerful than ever before! Now you see why I need you. You have the power to deal death to the spirits... to Radiant! I will give you one chance to change your mind. Now that you've seen what Radiant truly is... help me remove him and I will reward you.Really? Man, I thought Radiant said this guy was smart.  I liked you, and I had so hoped we could come to some sort of... agreement. But I suppose that just won't... work.VIDEO: Boss: Master Smiling Hawk   Hey! That's very rude, you know.    Despite the power of Smiling Hawk's attack sending her right through the wall, Wu easily lands on her feet and is no worse for wear. It was obvious we couldn't have a boss fight in such a cramped space as Smiling Hawk's room, so we needed to get to the dining hall somehow.  Skill, huh? I assume he brought one of Master Black Leopard's old books along with him and wants to show that to us, because that's the only way I can see Smiling Hawk showing us true skill.   You know what? gently caress this guy.  When you knock his health down to 50% or so, this happens. Third Brother shows up along with... I think it was Fifth Brother, he's just offscreen here.  Fifth Brother wants nothing to do with this poo poo, so he runs off and literally disappears in the next frame.  See? Weird.  Smiling Hawk doesn't want Third Brother's help in this fight, at least not the kind Third Brother expected to provide.    Instead, we're treated to a demonstration of Smiling Hawk's special technique, which instantly kills Third Brother.   The most noticeable effect of Smiling Hawk using his technique on Third Brother is his health getting fully replenished. Smiling Hawk also switches to the Ice Shard style, although he was already in the Ice Shard stance during that cutscene so I don't think that has anything to do with his special technique.  Sure, let's have ourselves a magic battle, why not.   Actually never mind, let's just beat the poo poo out of Smiling Hawk with Leaping Tiger and Dragon Sword.   Down goes the Hawk, and we also manage to smash a table in the process for some added style.  After Smiling Hawk's defeat, this student shows up. Yes, we did kill Smiling Hawk, thanks for noticing.    Master Radiant and First Brother are waiting for you. I'll go tell them that you survived. With Smiling Hawk gone, I can finally heed the call on my spirit. Much longer and I would have been torn from this place forcibly.  And besides... you are ready. You know enough. And what you do not know, you'll figure out. That is what it means to be a master.   You *are* very likely the most skilled fighter I've ever known, but your path lies in a different direction... many directions, if I don't miss my guess. This school needs stability, and right now, Kai offers that. One day, when your adventures are done, you'll make a great master. Until then....That's a missed opportunity for a martial arts school management minigame if I ever saw one. Something like that was indeed planned when Jade Empire's development was in its early stages (previews from late 2003 mention a city-building element and training your own students) but was axed by the time E3 2004 rolled around.   I was afraid to use it against Smiling Hawk. If he had stolen it from me, he would have been almost unstoppable. Well? Are you interested in learning, or are you just going to stand there?  [...]   I must be going. First Brother Kai will never truly be master until I am gone. The students must follow him, and him alone. If you wait outside, I will join you in a minute. I have something I would like to offer you in thanks for your help.Sounds good. Our work here is done, so we'll let Master Radiant and First Brother Kai say their goodbyes in peace.    Paralyzing Palm is an excellent support style. I haven't used it enough to be able to say if it's actually better than Storm Dragon, but it's definitely up there. Heaven's Blessing is a damage shield gem, which creates an aura of wind (constant effect while the gem is equipped) that damages attacking enemies. Frankly, I think it sounds more useful than it actually is. If you decide to side with Smiling Hawk, you get the Hidden Fist support style (used by the pirates in chapter 2) and the Gem of Black Flame, which adds +3 to Mind and Spirit.  I wanted to thank you for all you‘ve done, but I also wanted to show you some items that belonged to Master Smiling Hawk. I thought you might find something of interest.   We can always come back and beat up some students, but we probably won't be doing that. We'll get to beat up plenty of folks as it is.   Rote of the Endless Mind adds +5 to chi and focus, while Gem of Inner Genius gives a +10 Mind boost at the cost of -5 hits to Body and Spirit. The +10 boost is pretty good, but not really worth the tradeoff. Before we leave, let's just pay a quick visit to the main building.  Err, sorry about that. Blame him for smashing the wall, though.  We can enter Master Smiling Hawk's room through the hole in the wall, but none of his stuff can be interacted with. No more goodies for us here.  We are done with the Imperial City sidequests for now. Next stop: The Necropolis. ----- DMorbid fucked around with this message at 01:56 on Jun 20, 2017 |
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Jun 20, 2017 00:06
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Paralyzing Palm is amazing. I tend to use it in combination with Iron Palm to great effect.
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Jun 20, 2017 00:47
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I liked paralyzing palm quite a bit, but I never did the closed fist option and aided Smiling Hawk instead. Did anybody else? Is the-I assume he gives you a style too-style he rewards you with instead of Master Radiant any good?
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Jun 20, 2017 01:04
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I think what the Closed Fist path is really missing here is that when you fight someone to stop them from doing a thing and you lose, the take away is not that somehow they didn't fight you the secret right way so you got cheated out of a victory. No, even if you lost, the mere fact of what happened validates your belief, that applied violence solves problems. It's a pretty good self-reinforcing spiral, up until the climactic confrontation with the final boss whereon some drat Open Palmer completely disables them by sheathing their sword the right way.
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Jun 20, 2017 04:37
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Glazius posted:I think what the Closed Fist path is really missing here is that when you fight someone to stop them from doing a thing and you lose, the take away is not that somehow they didn't fight you the secret right way so you got cheated out of a victory. No, even if you lost, the mere fact of what happened validates your belief, that applied violence solves problems. The Closed Fist path here really ought to have taken more inspiration from the Zither of Discord quest. Side with Smiling Hawk, destroy Master Radiant and kill First Brother and Fourth Brother, then turn on Smiling Hawk (why would you stop at testing your strength against one master when you could test yourself against two?) and kill him and Third Brother, then congratulate Fifth Brother on his promotion to master. And tell him he has a year to develop his own Black Leopard style before you'll come back to kill him.
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Jun 21, 2017 22:33
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inflatablefish posted:The Closed Fist path here really ought to have taken more inspiration from the Zither of Discord quest. Side with Smiling Hawk, destroy Master Radiant and kill First Brother and Fourth Brother, then turn on Smiling Hawk (why would you stop at testing your strength against one master when you could test yourself against two?) and kill him and Third Brother, then congratulate Fifth Brother on his promotion to master. And tell him he has a year to develop his own Black Leopard style before you'll come back to kill him. You realize that the Zither of Discord quest has you kill the guys specifically because he's the sort of rear end in a top hat who thinks that your suggestion is keeping to the Closed Fist right? It's about solving things through conflict and personal strength, not just murdering everyone. The Closed Fist response to something like this school would be to beat Smiling Hawk, proving that the power that he stole doesn't make him a Master, and then either take over the school yourself as the Master or close it down for not having any masters, thus pushing the students to find their own ways in life.
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Jun 22, 2017 02:31
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Stroth posted:You realize that the Zither of Discord quest has you kill the guys specifically because he's the sort of rear end in a top hat who thinks that your suggestion is keeping to the Closed Fist right? Jade Empire would be better if Closed Fist was more 'teach a man to fish' and stuff, like that Closed Fist choice where you give the ex-slave a dagger and have her shank her slaver. The Open Palm way of solving a quest to free the slaves is to go and punch up the slavers until they give up and free them. Closed Fist finds where their weapons are coming from, steals them, and secretly gives them to the slaves, so they can cut down their former masters in a bloody revolt. The Black Leopard School quest, I'd argue, should have had the Open Palm and Closed Fist route be largely identical, but determine it via dialogue. Are you beating up Smiling Hawk because he did something against the order of the universe (Open Palm) and thus is bad? Or are you beating him up because he is 'cheating' via unearned knowledge rather than striving for self-improvement (Closed Fist)? You could even have a situation where sparing the villain is the Closed Fist choice, which would help illustrate that they're philosophical outlooks, not 'good' versus 'evil.'
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Jun 22, 2017 03:57
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MJ12 posted:Jade Empire would be better if Closed Fist was more 'teach a man to fish' and stuff, like that Closed Fist choice where you give the ex-slave a dagger and have her shank her slaver. The Open Palm way of solving a quest to free the slaves is to go and punch up the slavers until they give up and free them. Closed Fist finds where their weapons are coming from, steals them, and secretly gives them to the slaves, so they can cut down their former masters in a bloody revolt. Yes! I think one of the biggest letdowns for me was that bit in Tien's Landing where Mistress Vo and Jian the Iron Fist are discussing both philosophies and they have a lot of nuance and are super interesting, but functionally it turns into punch puppies or hug puppies. 
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Jun 22, 2017 04:40
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Episode 30: Get Back In That Hole, Partner Last time, we dealt with the troubles at the Black Leopard School, so we're now finished with the Imperial City sidequests for the time being. That means we finally get to go to the Necropolis, where we are to  The Necropolis is accessed via the Golden Way, and the entrance is being guarded by a single soldier who stops you as you approach.  Fortunately(?) we do in fact have some business there.  We can probably guess what the problem is, but might as well ask the guard about it.   It would take an army of us to clear them out... if we could do it at all. We can't even safely post a guard in there. We just warn people away. The Lotus Assassins want everyone kept away, as well. First time I've heard of them being altruistic. When did all this start? Things have been bad over the past few--let's say five--years. No one has any idea why so many of the dead refuse to return to the wheel of life peacefully. All we know for sure is that they're not happy. Not happy at all. I think we actually received a new bit of information there: apparently, even though Dirge happened 20 years ago, the ghosts have only really become a problem over the last few years. This may have been mentioned earlier, but I don't remember it coming up.  Nice, thanks. We should be able to handle ourselves in there just fine, though.  I'm not 100% certain, but I want to say the gate to the Necropolis is actually closed until you get one of the Lotus Assassin seals. There's not much reason to enter until you have to go to the fortress, anyway.  In any event, we're here. Welcome to the city of the dead.  The Necropolis area has the same creepy music as the Great Southern Forest, so we can safely assume some spooky times are ahead. I kinda like the lighting here, it makes things look a bit less drab even though we are going through a graveyard. We can just about see a quest marker in the distance, so let's check that out.   *UNGODLY NOISE*   Oh, good. These guys again. Can't say I exactly missed fighting Lost Spirits.  There was a pretty long break between recordings, so I ended up fumbling with my controls a bit here and the Lost Spirits got a couple of hits in.  The first Lost Spirit we kill drops this dark orb which, as the game points out, makes all our attacks unblockable for a short time (possibly for the remainder of the fight, it's hard to tell). I think the Necropolis is the first place where we see any of these special powerups.  As you might expect, this powerup helps us totally annihilate the remaining Lost Spirit.   *cough cough* I could use the skills of a woman like you. Normally I don't think much of a woman in my line of work, but I think you can help me with a problem I've been having.Ah. Wonder what line of work that might be.  Right. Shen here seems to think women aren't cut out for digging graves, but to be honest he's a bit of a creepy weirdo in general so that's not really surprising.  I've got to dig the holes, fill them, and balance the books and everything. Nice proper burials, eh-heh. But now, with all these ghosts rising again, I've got problems. No one seems to want to stay dead. and I can't go refunding all the burial money to all the families of the ghosts now... I can't afford it! So, I just want you to do a little job for me. Nothing hard, just put the ghosts back where they belong. Quiet them down a bit. There'll be a little bit in it for you as well, don't worry. Can't have you going away empty-handed, now, can we? Eh-heheh. So, what do you say?  Eh-heh, but you don't look like a monk, so you probably don't have their scruples about money, either. I... uh... come by a lot of valuables in my line of work. I can pay well. So, you interested? Well, as it turns out, Wu is in fact a monk, one specializing in spirit-related matters even. So, I guess helping out Shen here sort of fits in with our job description.  They just bring themselves back up as fast as I can put them in. I'll give you a reward for any ghosts you take care of. Eh-heh, you can make good money that way. There are three main ghosts to deal with: Miss Chan, Merchant Bai, and Mister Ren. I'll give you a reward for each, of course. I know a bit about them, but not that much.Just like Captain Sen's bounties, then, only this time the targets are already dead. Simple enough.  Let me see what you're selling. Gravedigger Shen is a completely terrible person, but as a character he's pretty enjoyable because he just gives no fucks. His voice actor is great, too.  We could be outraged by the fact Shen steals from the dead, but quite frankly we're not in a position to do so because... well, RPG protagonist. So, let's just see what Shen has for sale.  Nothing of any use to us, apparently. Shen is the worst graverobber ever.  Hey, I'm not finished with you yet! Stupid store interface mechanics...  We'll follow Shen in a minute. First off, though, let's take a look at our style menu.  We now have a hell of a lot of skill points to play with, so I leveled up the styles in each category so they have the same number of points invested into them. Think of it as leveling up the style categories instead of individual styles. I also put some points into those styles I would normally ignore almost completely, such as the transformation ones. Heavenly Wave remains useless, so I didn't bother.  We didn't finish our conversation with Shen, so let's go and meet up with him once more.  All right then, looks like we already have a job to do.  Upgraded Stone Immortal makes quick work of the restless spirit.  We can look around Shen's house, but the only thing of interest in there is the cabinet which contains this rather useless gem. If we want to, we can sell it back to him!   Eh-heh, yeah, I guess you could say that. She was my mother-in-law. Never once in her life did she say a kind word to me, and now she tried to keep at me even in death. Eh-heh, but any good job deserves a reward, of course.It certainly does. Can we please get on with it?  Gravedigger Shen: a man who decided that robbing his own mother-in-law's grave was the right thing to do. That said, I think the most surprising/disturbing detail about all of this is that Gravedigger Shen appears to be married. I suppose there really is someone out there for everybody.  Eh-heh, it comes and it goes. No use being a stiff, right? Eh-heheh. Now, go and find those ghosts I told you about. Eh-heh, can't get a good day's work done with them still around. The Mournful Soul gives +3 bonuses to Mind and Spirit but comes with a -5 hit to Body.  I thought it might be a good idea to show our character record every once in a while. We've fully Open Palm now, and our abilities are fairly balanced. Spirit is a bit higher than Body and Mind, but despite that we actually have slightly less chi than health or focus.  We can also take a look at our gameplay statistics. Legendary Strike is still our most-used martial style, but Leaping Tiger should be right up there by this point.  And here are our conversation skills. Pretty well balanced there as well.  What do you need?I'd finally like to hear about those three ghosts of his.  What about them? Tell me about Miss Chan. Ah, Miss Chan. A tragedy, really, and one that happens all too often. It's always the pretty ones who go. She died in childbirth, and the baby died with her. Her family put her in the family plot along with her son. She came up again recently, looking for revenge on me. She seems to think that *I* killed her baby, or took it or something. Maybe she saw me take away the body, but she won't believe me. Every time I go near, she tries to kill me!  Seriously, this guy does not give a gently caress. I suppose one must not get too sentimental in his line of work, but he's not even trying to hide his greed.  Her baby? Not much. It's in one of the plots there. I'm sure. You can find it if you look. Hm... it was a long time ago. I don't even remember what its name was. Hm... but it was short. I know that. Definitely less than 3 words. But... sorry, that's really all I remember. Anything else you want to know about the ghosts? Tell me about Merchant Bai. Ah, that one. He's mad, I tell you. Mad with fear, though of what I have no idea. You'd think he'd be grateful, considering what's gone on here. He was murdered in an alleyway. Happens a lot in the poorer districts. They eventually caught his murderers and they were beheaded. I know. I put them in the ground myself. Dead as can be. You‘d think he'd be grateful with them dead and gone. But up he comes the very next day, screaming his head off. He's driving the customers away. I'll see what I can do. Tell me about Mister Ren. He was buried by his wife a short while ago. I don't know what killed him. The family wouldn't talk about it. But his face was bloated like you wouldn't believe, eh-heh. His wife's still around, though. She won‘t visit since he came up. Every time she gets near, he starts screaming incoherently, and he's out of it for days. Nothing near him is safe.Hm. Maybe if we talked to Ren's wife, we could find out something about his death.   Alright, we're done here for now. Let's go see if we can find these ghosts and take care of them.  Taking the path opposite to Shen's house leads further into the Necropolis. I really, really do not like traversing the Necropolis at all, and you'll soon see why.  I'm not sure who these statues are supposed to depict, but they are quite majestic and... *UNGODLY NOISE*  This. This right here is the reason the Necropolis is quite possibly the single worst section of this game. Nearly every time you enter one of these circular areas, you get into a fight against up to three Lost Spirits, and when they appear they do it accompanied by this sound effect that seems much louder than any other sound in the game. That glow you see around Wu is the damage shield effect from the Heaven's Blessing Gem. I figured I might as well show it off.  Unfortunately, the damage it supposedly does to attacking enemies is minimal, so the gem isn't particularly useful.  I hate these things.   I was hoping this scroll would have some information on those huge statues, but it's just some lore about spirits.  Not counting the path leading back to the exit and Shen's house, we have three routes we can take from here, each identified by a different sign above the gateway. For no particular reason, we'll start with this path that leads to the southeast corner of the Necropolis.  The path takes us to another one of those circular arenas (not sure what they're actually supposed to be called), but more importantly we can see a ghost ahead of us with a quest marker above its head.  We can investigate some of the gravestones along the way, but they just have some flavor text like this.  In any event, we seem to have found one of the ghosts Shen was talking about.   Ren Feng, if I ever get my claws on you, I'll Ieave you a stinking, bloated corpse!Well then. Mr. Ren here does seem quite upset about his wife, just like Shen mentioned.  Maybe he'll tell us something about his death if we ask nicely.    Poisoned me! In my own house! When I find her.... How can I let the past go when my very reason for existing in this world still is her? She was everything to me in life, and is so in death, as well. Tell me what happened. We‘d been having fights, my wife and I, and she decided to end it. I sat down to eat, and the next thing I knew, I had choked to death and ended up here. That whore decided that I wasn't good enough for her. That she would just move on to something else after our years of marriage! She'll pay. Oh yes, she'll pay. But I have to find her first. Most likely, she's still at our old home. It's in the Market District near the entrance to the Black Leopard School. Find her, and bring her to me.We should probably hear her side of the story before we do anything too drastic. The way Ren described how things went down, it does seem like he was poisoned but perhaps there is more to it.  One slightly annoying thing about this quest is that Ren's wife will not spawn in the Market District until you've talked to him. Shen made it sound like you could find her there at any time, but that is simply not the case and you must talk to Ren first.   I could cut out these Lost Spirit encounters, but then you wouldn't be getting the full Necropolis experience (well, since I'm not keeping the entire fights in the update, I guess you're still getting the slightly abridged version). I want to show you exactly how awful this section of the game is.  Hold on, this is the wrong way. I'm trying to go back to town, but this leads back to Ren's ghost. I kinda got turned around when I fought the Lost Spirit. Oh well, we only took a few steps in the wrong direction, surely that wasn't enough to trigger the Spirit to respawn.   Oh my god gently caress you  Eventually we make it back to the Market District, and that would be Ren's wife right there. Time to find out how the poor guy got poisoned to death.    Yes. Yes I am. How do you know my name? Have we met? That's putting it mildly.   Let's just ask her what happened before we do anything else.  It... it was the salmon. I knew it smelled odd when I bought it, but the price was right, and I needed it in a hurry, and... and... I'm so ashamed!I don't... how does that even... just how did she manage not to notice that the fish had gone off so badly that it instantly kills anyone who eats it? Or was the fish actually laced with poison? And somehow Ren didn't find anything wrong with the food either, probably because he would eat any unidentified lump that was brought before him.  Well, that is debatable, but at least she didn't *mean* to kill him.  I have tried to visit his grave, but his madness knows no bounds. He seeks to drive me away at all costs. I... I think he might even try to kill me.Yeah, about that...  His hatred is unreasoning but... understandable. He has never been able to listen long enough to have me explain what happened. It must be dreadful for him. Why don't you explain it to him? He... he never listens to me. He doesn't give me a chance. but... maybe if you were there with me. Could you be there with me? If you believe me, he might listen. And even if he doesn't listen, we'll be there to step in if necessary. That might work.  Let's go now.Thankfully, the game teleports us back to the Necropolis at this point and we don't need to fight any more Lost Spirits on the way.  Ren is about as happy to see Feng as you'd expect.    It... it almost makes me wish you'd have your wish, just so I could be with you again... Feng... you... you really do care. Then all this time... my cursing. It was wrong. This is going quite well thus far, but maybe it's better not to leave them alone just yet. We'll keep observing for now.  I... I forgive you, Feng. And with that, Ren finally finds peace.  Glad to be of service. That'll also take care of Shen's bounty, we'll go tell him the good news later.  For now, let's keep going southeast.  I'm surprised we didn't get attacked by any Lost Spirits here. Not going to complain, though. Since we're here, we should probably investigate the Tomb of the Masses.   oh well never mind then  All right, guess we'll keep going forward in that case.  That is a very extravagant-looking tomb. We'll check it out soon enough, but first we've got more ghosts to deal with.  Merchant Bai here is another one of the ghosts we were asked to remove, so let's have a chat and find out what's bothering him.    You know of me? You have heard about the pains I suffered in life and this continued torment I have to endure in death?  I was a merchant in life. Not a rich one, but I made enough to survive. I sold mostly to the poorer sections of the city. My goods weren't the finest, but they were practical. At the time, there were a pair of brothers, Si Tsu and Si Ran, who were the terror of the streets. They extorted money and goods from everyone. They tried to extort from me.  They... they were. They caught me in an alley and demanded my goods or my life. My goods *are* my life. How could they take one or the other? When I wouldn't give them what they wanted, they... they decided to make an example of me. They killed me... and mutilated me... and left me dead in that alley. They terrorized the city for weeks after that, but they were finally run down. That might have been where it ended, justice done, but it wasn't...I think we can all see where this is going.  My spirit cannot rest quiet with them here. Even now, in death, they mock me and torment me as they did in my final moments of life. They drive me mad! Yes! Yes! If my killers are at last removed from this world, their spirits will no longer torment me! You... you must find a way to defeat them and drive them from this place. They were common criminals, so they were not given a normal burial. They were dumped in a communal grave underground, to the south. I'm sure you can find them.That'll be the Tomb of the Masses we just passed by, of course.  Well, let's go take a look.  Now that we've activated this particular quest flag, the door we couldn't get through is suddenly unlocked, and for some reason the Lost Spirits didn't show up this time. Looks like some ghosts are hanging out down there, maybe they're our guys.   These charming individuals are indeed the Si brothers we were looking for. They're obviously not interested in talking, so we'll just have to put them down instead. Hopefully that'll be enough for Merchant Bai.  Right about here was where I thought "hm, I sure am using Leaping Tiger a hell of a lot even though I now have all those style upgrades". Obviously, I can't use Crimson Tears against spirit enemies, and we already saw Stone Immortal in action many times, so what should we try on Si Tsu?     The horse demon form does a lot of damage, but moves slowly and is vulnerable against groups while also eating through your chi bar like nobody's business. The chi cost can be mitigated somewhat with upgrades, but you most likely wouldn't bother on a normal playthrough.   We whack Si Tsu around a bit while in horse demon form, and it doesn't take much for him to go down. After the fight is over, you automatically return to human form.  The brothers had some loot stashed down here, including a bit of silver and the Sixth Sense gem (Intuition +8, Charm and Intimidation -3). Now we just have to return to Merchant Bei and tell him we took down the brothers.   Well, after the usual formalities, of course. I really wonder whose idea it was to make these Lost Spirits spawn almost every time you enter certain spots on the map. If you're just beelining to the Lotus Assassin Fortress, you can get through the whole Necropolis area in about five minutes, but doing the sidequests involves a ton of backtracking and so you end up fighting about a million of these floaty jerks.   Thank you! Thank you! I feel as if a great weight has been lifted from my... er... spirit. Here, let me show you this. Something Shen hasn't found yet. I hope you use it well, and... thank you.  That should come in handy at Lord Lao's Furnace later. Two ghosts down, now to find the last one.  That turned out to be quite a short search.     He was only a few moments old when that vile man took him from me, ripped him from my arms, and carried him away. Please, find my baby! Bring him back to me. Let me know how he's doing.Shen did say the baby died right after Miss Chan did, so I'm afraid bringing him back isn't going to be an option here.    No... *No!* I can't... I refuse to believe it! My darling precious little boy... he can't be dead. Not now... not like this! He must be out there! I must see him with my own eyes!I don't suppose she's going to listen to reason here, so we have to figure something out.  Proving that her son is dead might work, although we don't have much information to go on.  If your lies are true, then Shen, that murdering monster, would have buried him here. All my family is here. But... I don't know these names! I don't know my baby's name! My family would have named him after... after I passed beyond. Shen must know, or there must be some way to find him. I remember so little since I... I passed away. What can you tell me about your baby?So far, all we know is that his name was less than three words long. That's all Shen was able to tell us.  I remember... There was an... aunt? An uncle? Or was it his father? I... I don't remember it any clearer than that. Every time I try to grasp it, it slips away.So he might have been named after another member of the family? That'll help narrow it down a bit, at least. Let's go and check the names on those tombstones.  [Look at the first tombstone. Chan Han.] ["Chan Han. Loving mother devoted to her three children"] [Look at the second tombstone. Chan Li.] ["Chan Li. A boy named in honor of the Glorious Strategist."] [Look at the third tombstone. Chan Ding Sheng.] ["Chan Ding Sheng. Founding father of the Resplendent Sun."] [Look at the fourth tombstone. Chan Tuo.] ["Chan Tuo. Named in honor of his uncle, Tuo De."]The first one, Chan Han, is described as a "loving mother" so I suppose that'd be Miss Chan herself. The second one, Chan Li, appears to be a young boy, but he was named in honor of Sun Li and nothing like that came up when we talked to Miss Chan. The third one, Chan Ding Sheng, is a businessman, so he's definitely out. That leaves the fourth tombstone and Chan Tuo, who was named after his uncle. He's got to be Miss Chan's child.  I think I know which grave belongs to your baby. Are... are you sure? I know I wouldn't be able to stand it if I was separated from him again. Please don't let this madness consume me. Are you sure it is the right grave? Yes. I'll show you.If you manage to screw this up, Miss Chan's ghost will become hostile and you have to put her down. We shouldn't have to worry about that, though.  This is him. Chan Tuo. Dead before his time, he rests here near my own body. My darling, darling boy. I come to you now. Miss Chan's spirit departs peacefully, and that should mean we've taken care of all the problem ghosts for Gravedigger Shen. We'll go inform him in a bit, but since we are here we should check out that massive tomb next to us.  This thing is seriously huge, must be for someone important.  After climbing the stairs and passing through the hallway, we find ourselves in a courtyard. That must be the actual entrance to this tomb, and there seems to be someone at the door.   You'll scream like a demon when Fading Moon puts the light inside of you.So this is where Fading Moon, the arsonist Captain Sen was looking for, is hiding. Once again, I'm not sure why BioWare went through the trouble of creating a unique model for such a minor NPC.  There's more than that on my head. There's a crown of flame that burns all the time, even when it gets tighter! You'll scream like those maggot people, leeching off the Empire until they burn!No prizes are awarded for correctly guessing what fighting style Fading Moon prefers.  We've dodged so many fireballs by now that Fading Moon will not pose much of a threat. This seems like a good time to try out a different style.  Since we're finally fighting someone who isn't a spirit, we can give the Crimson Tears a try. This was the double saber style we learned from Crimson Khana back at the Arena, and it's got the same level of upgrades as our trusty Dragon Sword (nearly maxed out, that is).  It turns out high-level Crimson Tears destroys your opponents. That's 75% of Fading Moon's health gone, and all I did was the basic 3-hit combo.  One more hit, and Fading Moon's career as an arsonist is over.  She drops the Gem of Pure Flame, which adds +3 to Spirit and Mind and can only be used by Open Palm characters (the Closed Fist counterpart is the Gem of Black Flame, which you get if you side with Smiling Hawk in the Black Leopard School quest).   Looking back, I think I may have actually missed one of these Nature of the Spirit scrolls when I was in the Necropolis. There are four of them around here, we find two in this update and just one in the next unless I'm very much mistaken. I could've sworn I explored everything, but we'll see. I can still go back to the Necropolis if necessary, but I'd really rather not.   The Unfinished Tomb is completely empty except for those two Spirit Fonts (one of which seems to be there just for flavor purposes, because there's zero need to have multiple Spirit Fonts next to each other) and what appears to be a door on the back wall.  This is very clearly supposed to be a door, but we can't interact with it. Maybe later.  We got a bit of Necropolis sidequesting done in this update, and next time we'll go back to Gravedigger Shen and hopefully get paid for our efforts. We also need to turn in Fading Moon's bounty to Captain Sen, and who knows what else the City of the Dead has in store for us on our way to the Lotus Assassin Fortress? ----- DMorbid fucked around with this message at 22:09 on Jul 2, 2017 |
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Jun 23, 2017 17:15
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I haaaaaaaate those ghosts.
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Jun 23, 2017 18:24
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my dad posted:I haaaaaaaate those ghosts. Seconded. I'd forgotten how gently caress-awful the Necropolis was because of those jerks. The Forest also suffered from the same problem if you did a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, but less so than this nonsense. What were they thinking?!
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Jun 23, 2017 19:00
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sebzilla posted:Seconded. I'd forgotten how gently caress-awful the Necropolis was because of those jerks. The Forest also suffered from the same problem if you did a lot of to-ing and fro-ing, but less so than this nonsense. Counterpoint: The ghost enemies are awful in those levels, but i like the level design. Both are very moody and still colorful setpieces, which sell the "haunted forest"/"haunted graveyard" very well. I wonder if the same designers worked on the ancient sith graves sites on Korriban in KoTOR. The pacing feels similar in structure. Seperate small dungeons, one big one. Lots of seperate sidequests and one major goal. Has even whiny force ghosts. OutofSight fucked around with this message at 19:22 on Jun 23, 2017 |
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Jun 23, 2017 19:08
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Hey, it certainly sells you on the belief that the Necropolis is a bad place to be. I think the respawning encounters would be significantly less annoying if they weren't lost souls, the most annoying enemy type. But then, I think that was the point. To really drive home this is hostile ground.
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Jun 23, 2017 19:35
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My first thought with Ren's death wasn't food poisoning but a severe allergy, that makes way more sense with how fast he went and the way his face was describe as bloated.
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Jun 23, 2017 20:07
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Yeah, a graveyard seems like a terrible place to be at a time of unquiet dead.
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Jun 25, 2017 04:48
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Doc Morbid posted:If you decide to side with Smiling Hawk, you get the Hidden Fist support style AKA 'pocket sand'.
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Jun 29, 2017 13:55
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It's a shame every gem in the dang game is just a generic stat boost or penalty. Really makes the treasure unmemorable.
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Jun 29, 2017 16:42
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There are a couple with special effects, but none of the effects are that useful. Like the reduction to trap evasion or spotting trapped chests or the "damage aura to enemies near you" except every one of them means nothing compared to just more raw stats.  really, gems are just cash in disguise after a point.
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Jun 29, 2017 17:11
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Is there a Closed Fist only quest in the next update?
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Jul 5, 2017 02:09
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AnAnonymousIdiot posted:Is there a Closed Fist only quest in the next update? edit: I looked at the list of Chapter 3 quests on the wiki, and there are no Closed Fist-exclusive ones on there. If the quest you're referring to is what I think it is (Mournful Blade), it's in the next update. DMorbid fucked around with this message at 07:37 on Jul 5, 2017 |
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Jul 5, 2017 06:18
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Episode 31: Tale of the Mournful Blade ----- Last time, we entered the Necropolis in search of the Lotus Assassin fortress, and then immediately got distracted by sidequests and...  ...err, hold on a sec  As I was saying, we got distracted by sidequests, mainly ones involving troublesome ghosts that had to be dealt with. We're done with all three of them, so now we just need to get our payment from the ever so charming Gravedigger Shen.  Shen only seems to have one working eye in the first place, so he can't really afford to have someone rip that out. I dealt with Merchant Bai. Well, that makes things easier on me, for sure. Now I can start selling those old plots again! Next time I'll just throw the bones in the river and be done with it. I dealt with Mister Ren. Good riddance! Hells, it was probably his old lady that offed him in the first place, and for good reason, too, I bet. Eh-heh, it‘s all just business to me, you understand. Such a lovely fellow.  One spirit didn't stay here at all, though! Took up his body and left! Moved in with his son, I heard, and the son isn't pleased. He even asked me for a refund! Now that was an expensive burial... I can't give refunds like that! It's bad for business, too, having my customers getting up and walking away. That's where you come in. I need you to go to the tanner's in the city core and put his father back in his grave, once and for all! It's Tanner Fong. Eh-heh, there‘ll be an extra big reward for that one.I guess this particular spirit was really dedicated to haunting his son. Let's head to the market district and find out what's happening.    I think it's pretty safe to assume that this is Tanner Fong, but better make sure in any case.    You're here from Shen? This is his mess! He should have buried him properly! Look... I'll give you money, yes? Just take that wretched old man out of my house so that I never have to see him again! I suppose we'll do that. I will say, though, that the elder Fong looks remarkably corporeal for a spirit.    The only option for you here is to act really dumb and, frankly, out of character for someone who spends all their days fighting ghosts. It's obvious Fong is not dead at all, but you can't even mention that you wondered why he didn't look like a ghost. Also, how in the hell did Gravedigger Shen end up burying this guy alive? I'm getting the feeling Shen isn't very good at his job after all...    Why do you think? Money, the house, my business that I spent 20 years making... He thinks that with me out of the way, he has the tannery and all my money. But I'll show him yet! Really? How? Everyone says you're dead.Here, both of the other dialog choices are just "welp, I'll just kill you anyway!"  I just have to get them to listen to me. Hm... Hey, you could help me convince them! I could give you a good reward! It's not like we're murdering this innocent old man anyway, so I don't know why you can't just say "oh for gently caress's sake, this is stupid, your son is an idiot and we'll go talk to him right now."  Agreed. Let's go talk to your son.  Seriously, how did nobody notice at any point?   Dawn Star decides to chime in by stating the obvious, as she fairly often does.  Just make him... disappear, and I'll reward you well. Nobody needs their *deceased* relatives coming back and making trouble for the living, now do they? So what if I did! He never cared about us, anyway! All he was interested in was his business... a business I should have inherited years ago! How could you do this to me? I'm your father, dammit! Because you never loved me! It was always you and your business! Now you're getting yours, you old bastard! I... I don't know what to say. How could you think that? Since your mother passed away, you were all I had. I can tell we're going to be here for some time if we want to solve this peacefully. [Success] I never thought... Oh, I've been so wrong to ignore you. How could I have neglected you like that? Father...Never mind, that'll do it.  I hid my own feelings away in my anger and despair. I only wish I had had the eyes to see what it did to you. I think that last one just might be the most cringeworthy "Closed Fist" line of dialog in a game full of questionable Closed Fist lines. It's like a 13-year-old tried to write a badass villain oneliner.  Indeed we have, and if it weren't for this stranger, this would all have likely ended in tragedy. Here is the money I promised. I shall not need the task to be carried out any longer.  Our reward for doing this? 500 silver and a whopping 60 EXP. Thanks a lot, guys. Maybe Gravedigger Shen gives us something good when we get back to him. (spoiler: he won't)  Anyway, in the previous update we also fought Fading Moon, the arsonist who was hiding in the Necropolis and one of Captain Sen's bounty targets. Let's get our reward for that, as well.    Yes, yes, of course they do, and they shall have exactly as much protection as they can afford to contribute to the taxes. Here's the standard bounty. Accept it with the thanks of the Empire. Well, that brings an end to our pursuit of two fiends. A shame I don't have more work for someone with your skills. I should go. Of course! Thanks again for your help with those miscreants! It doesn't seem like Captain Sen really gives a crap about protecting the public, but I guess that's just how the Imperial Army rolls these days. The bounty isn't anything to write home about, either.     Her name is Aishi the Mournful Blade, and you can find her at the Black Leopard School.I can? She wasn't there the last time we visited the place.  Moreover, if this Aishi has such a sizable bounty on her head, why didn't Captain Sen mention her?  What is this Aishi accused of? She is accused of most crimes, and several had to he invented to account for her actions. She is a terror upon the face of the Empire. Murder, theft, and worse, yet never a smile or a hint of revelry in what she did. That is why she is known as Aishi the Mournful Blade. Thank you for the information. You can go. When you reach her, you should ask her for her story. She has a most interesting tale to share.Guess we'll make our way back to the Black Leopard School and go hear that tale of hers, then.  That's got to be Aishi up ahead, next to her latest victim. Hopefully that wasn't anyone we knew from this school.   I think this is just some random bounty hunter. He's dressed like some of the brothers at the Black Leopard School (who just had generic models anyway), but I don't remember his face.   I have a tale to finish. I see no need to tell it to anyone but myself. Stranger, if you continue to talk to me, I will stand up and face you. If that happens, our meeting will end with one of our deaths. That's a risk I'm willing to take.We came here to hear the story of Aishi the Mournful Blade, not to kill her, but we definitely will deal with her if she decides to force our hand.   You are not what I expected. Harmony surrounds you and flows out into the world as you pass. I have a story I would share willingly with you, if you would hear it. That's what we're here for.   In my years in this Empire I have been a wanted criminal, a bandit, a murderer, and worse. I have burned entire towns to the ground to avenge some petty dispute between lords, and led men to slaughter peasants by the score for their meager possessions.Ah, she's an evil BioWare protagonist. Well, she would be if she took any enjoyment from her work, which apparently isn't the case.    I met a boy. He was a natural leader; he had drive and direction. I was in love. He used to enjoy tormenting the children of our village, and I thought it was all fun. Then one day....   Why indeed? In the intervening years, I've come to believe that it was more than simple horseplay. There was a gleam in my young man's eye that I cannot forget. The child screamed for help: his cries were shrill with terror, for he could not swim. I moved to help him, but I felt a hand on my arm.Oh no.   I think we all know what happened to the poor kid, to be brutally honest.  "If we help him, he'll only tell the others what we've done. We have to let him go." Simple words, but they still echo in my head, even now. Nights are worse. I can't sleep for the screams of that boy as he washed away; I still hear them to this day.  l have followed his life since that day, as I descended into my world and he climbed the ranks in the Imperial Army. That is why I have come here now. I am tired of my life, but at least I have lived it! He deserved to live as I did, but has never felt a moment's remorse for his part in that day. If you came here because of the rich reward on my head, you may even know him. Captain Sen of the Imperial Army is my quarry. I must make him pay for that boy's life.Captain Sen. Of course. He never came across as a particularly likeable person, but up until now we thought he was just a garden-variety rear end in a top hat NPC who is there to show us that the Imperial army doesn't give a poo poo about the people they're supposed to be protecting. Remember what Silk Fox said about Captain Sen when we first met him, though?  Yeah, turns out that unpleasant vibe he was giving off was less "hidden ambition" and more "this guy once murdered a small child because he thought it was fun, and never regretted doing it."   If you help me, I know how I can reach Sen. You need merely to escort me to his station by the gate. A "subdued" prisoner could get close enough to deal with Sen. Once I have dealt with him, you shall have your bounty. I couldn't let you be implicated in my final murder. Also, we already killed one guard captain here in the Imperial City (in self-defense but still), so what's another one at this point? Especially if it's scum like Sen.  Let's do it.   Aishi? What are you doing here? You're a wanted criminal! You can't be here!  Well, it's good to see our new bounty hunter was able to bring you in. Frankly, Aishi, I thought you'd fight to the death. You weren't this weak when we.... No, I *was* weak, otherwise I would have ignored you by the river. I'm going to pay for my crimes, but there's one thing I have to do first. I have to kill you. What? No! Guards! I already owe you one lifetime of pain; do not bring more than that upon yourself.If we know anything about this guy, it'll be right about now when he begs us to help him out.    Thinking about that line, it doesn't really make that much sense in this particular situation. I realize they're going for the ironic echo, but what is it Captain Sen would be telling the others about? Sen clearly doesn't know we're helping Aishi murder his rear end (although if he was any good at his job, he'd have figured it out) or he'd have brought that up by now, and if we were to accept his offer he would have nothing on us afterwards.  Oh, he'll make sure the underworld won't accept us? A bit too late for that if you ask me.   Stranger, I cannot thank you enough. I have touched a thousand lives with my crimes, and yet now I feel some peace. It is time my story ended. I have only one more favor to ask. Face me now and grant me an hon... no, there is no honor left for me. Just grant me an end. Aishi is still a criminal who has done awful, awful things, but I'm not sure if running her through with our sword is the best way to help her find peace. She most likely won't accept this answer, but we'll give it a try nonetheless.  Face me, and let this battle be glorious enough that the city will talk of it for generations!Aishi's not having any of our bullshit, she wants to finish this on her terms, and that means dying in battle.  We will grant the Mournful Blade her last wish, although we take no pleasure in doing so.  Aishi wants a glorious battle. The problem there is that we are so insanely powerful by this point that we'd actually have to hold back if we wanted to give her half a chance.  Speaking of which, what would happen if Aishi actually managed to defeat us? Maybe she knows we're too strong for that to be remotely possible.    There it is. Aishi the Mournful Blade is dead, and her reign of terror is finished. The only question that remains at this point is what the deal was with that old man who pointed us in Aishi's direction.  Here, take this. It's something Aishi would have wanted you to have, I think. I hate for a good deed to go unrewarded.  what  If Aishi's father has been alive all these years, maybe at some point he could've informed her about that little detail, and maybe then she wouldn't have needed to become the most dangerous criminal in the Jade Empire.    Never mind that! Since when have ghosts in this game been able to disguise themselves as living people, to the extent they can even fool Dawn Star? They're not supposed to be able to do that, or at least there's never been any mention that they might be. Well, there was the whole thing with Tanner Fong, but that was just everyone being an idiot and not being able to tell the old man wasn't a ghost!  Also, if ghost dad here was able to follow Aishi for years, couldn't he just appear in front of her one day and tell her he was worried about her? We do in fact know ghosts can do that kind of thing, that one lady's son back in Two Rivers showed up as a ghost and told his mother that the accident he died in wasn't her fault.  I like this sidequest a lot, but the more I think about it the more I find to complain about, especially when it comes to the stuff with Aishi's father.   I will wait. What choice do I have? I know the underworld is cut off, but I must try to fight through the despair and anger. I have some idea of what you face. Take my best wishes as you try to set things right. I have waited more than two decades. I can wait a bit more, and now... now I have a reason to smile.  Our reward for helping ghost dad out is the Gem of Unity, an Open Palm-only gem that adds +3 to all three main attributes. I could unequip the Imperial Favor because this is a straight upgrade, but Silk Fox gave that gem to us and it has sentimental value. The Gem of Unity can wait until we're able to equip a larger number of gems at once. In any case, we're now 100% finished with the sidequests in the city proper, so now it's time to head back to the Necropolis and explore the rest of it before we enter the Lotus Assassin fortress. We'll start by telling Gravedigger Shen what an utter moron he is.  Of course he was dead! The family wouldn't exactly have given me a live man to bury, now would they? That would be... unprofessional. Can't have stuff like that getting around.I don't know, maybe next time he ought to check if the "deceased" is breathing or something.  Elder Tanner Fong's family has taken him back. Well that's good, I guess. Heh, as long as I'm not giving any refunds, of course, eh-heheh. Here's what I promised you. Business has been more lively lately, with you around, eh-heh. A little gravedigger humor there, see? Lively? Eh-heh, I'm good.That's Gravedigger Shen's quests done as well, so let's see what our next destination is.  I don't think I've ever actually shown the full in-game map, so here it is. It fills in as you explore the area, and as you can see we've explored the southern half of the Necropolis pretty thoroughly. That means we're heading towards the north next.  In a minute.  The northeast exit leads to two paths. The one to the left takes us further north, of course, and the one to the right leads to another fork in the road. We'll go north first.  Can't get into this tomb yet, just gotta remember it's there.  The path to the north leads to a dead end with another huge tomb.  Oh hey, it's Jinlin. Poor girl must've been waiting quite some time by now.   There. The ghosts are just beyond the door. They haven't noticed me... yet.How did she even get past all the Lost Spirits back there? Or do those things only attack people carrying Spirit Monk amulets?   The artifact is supposed to be in the room at the end of the tomb. Once you're there, I'll catch up with you.I'm sure this will go well.   Oh hey, new enemy. I'm not sure why Jinlin called these guys ghosts, because they pretty clearly aren't that.  The mummies aren't even classified as spirit enemies, so we can actually use weapons on them. Crimson Tears does a good job as usual, but we got another weapon style a while ago that we want to try out.    The double axe style is massively strong against these guys.   On our way to the door at the back, we must fight another group of mummies. They don't last particularly long against the wrath of our axes, but what's interesting here is the powerup the last one of them drops. I'm not 100% sure what that one does, because when I picked it up there was no effect. I'm guessing it either recovers all your health, chi and focus, or makes attacks unblockable as we saw earlier, but since we're out of combat and at full strength we don't get any effects.  The chest next to the inner sanctum door contains the Spirit Harvest, which boosts EXP from killing ghosts at the cost of no powerups from spirit enemies. Not really that useful, as most spirit enemies give crappy EXP anyway and 1.5x (or however much the increase is) that is still not good.  We've made it to the inner sanctum. That was easier than expected, with just half a dozen mummies to beat up on the way. Let's go find this thing Jinlin was looking for.   Or maybe not just yet. You may remember the red spirit from the Zither of Discord quest, where Bladed Thesis appeared in this form. The enemy is known as Red Minister.   Check out the face on that Lost Spirit. As much as I despise those things, I do like how some of them have different mask designs.  This is the toughest fight we've had since the arena. The two Lost Spirits and the Insane Emperor Ghost are all able to drain our health and chi with their attacks, and with three of them doing that we'll want to watch out. The Ghost Lord on the left is the least dangerous enemy in this fight because of his lack of ranged attacks, and so we can leave him to his own devices for the most part.  That area attack has ridiculous range, making it difficult to focus on the Lost Spirits since you'll always get blasted from behind.  Still, the Lost Spirits have by far the least HP of these guys and they keep firing their homing projectiles, so the first order of business is to take them out. The Emperor Ghost will hit us at times, but that's okay. Using focus mode to give ourselves more time to attack really helps here.  Once the Lost Spirits have been dealt with, things get quite a bit more manageable. The Insane Emperor Ghost will try to heal himself, but we're not having any of that poo poo.  He can also zap us and drain our health and chi from a mile away, which is very annoying. This fight is a long one because he's got a ton of HP, so you'll want to make sure you don't run out of chi here. Having Dawn Star on support duty is a tremendous help, and Spirit Thief is of course an option if you didn't bring her along.  Look how much chi and focus we spent trying to take this guy down. Using chi strikes to power up Leaping Tiger probably didn't help matters. There wasn't really anything stopping us from taking out the Emperor Ghost with a harmonic combo (that's what we used to defeat Bladed Thesis) and we could've started one with Stone Immortal, but I kind of forgot about it.  The Ghost Lord is barely a threat at this point, so we make short work of him. Ghost Lords were actually a new enemy type added to the PC version, they didn't show up in the original Xbox release at all.  Now that all the ghosts and mummies have been taken care of, Jinlin follows us into the inner sanctum.  Getting out of here is going to be harder than getting in, I think. That's just a couple of mummies, no problem there.  Another one of these? We already sold one because it was useless.  I like how the mummies are polite enough to wait at the door for us.  They also drop powerups very frequently for some reason.   The main hall has more mummies as well as a few magic-using ghosts, nothing we can't handle.  The strong attack of the Stone Immortal style is kind of annoying, because it is kinda slow and has gently caress all range.  However, what it actually does is pretty drat cool. Petrifying an enemy also sets them up for a harmonic combo, and this time I actually remembered that.  I like how the leaves just float down after you disintegrate the petrified enemy. That's some nice attention to detail.  It doesn't make any sense. "Conductor, cog, and a bit of iron. Don't play with the tiger." Whatever that means. That is obviously what it is, yes. Or maybe just some very strange poetry.  Thank you again for helping me. Purveyor Shouji is waiting, so I should be going. Goodbye. Speaking of Purveyor Shouji, I'm not sure why we can't just go punch him in the face and tell him it's not cool to blackmail small children. That seems like something we should be able to do in this game.  Last time I said we were at full Open Palm, but that was not the case because the status screen changes once you're maxed out. Last time, you could still see the forest background behind Wu, and now it's gone because she's fully in harmony with the universe. Or something to that effect.  One more path to go. Since we got that configuration and also have another one we can now use, I figured we'd pay a quick visit to Lord Lao's Furnace. So, let's return to Kang (actually I don't know if you could just head to the furnace by clicking on Kang in the party member screen, I need to test that at some point) and take care of that stuff.  This is just silly now.   Configuration of the Tiger gives us The Quieted Mind (Focus +30), while the Spirit of the Master from the Ox configuration increases our magical attack damage. Both are obviously very useful upgrades. Next time, we'll finish up the quests in the Necropolis and finally enter that Lotus Assassin fortress. It's been a long time coming, hasn't it? ---- DMorbid fucked around with this message at 01:24 on Jul 9, 2017 |
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Jul 8, 2017 13:27
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I really like the Red Minister enemy for some reason. I think it's the silly hat. The gravedigger continues to have a deficit of fucks to give.
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Jul 8, 2017 20:18
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I suspect given how ridiculous Chinese funerals can get - including family members going to proverbial war over burying the deceased in the most auspicious spots - it's kind of necessary to stop giving a gently caress.
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Jul 8, 2017 21:36
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Wow. Super-dedicated ghosts even Dawn Star can't pick up on? ...any bets we never see another one?
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Jul 9, 2017 03:24
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Glazius posted:Wow. Super-dedicated ghosts even Dawn Star can't pick up on? ...any bets we never see another one? Solid Zero (0) percent chance of that I'm sure.
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Jul 9, 2017 03:33
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Glazius posted:Wow. Super-dedicated ghosts even Dawn Star can't pick up on? ...any bets we never see another one? That's no ghost! It's Old Man Fong, the town leatherworker!
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Jul 9, 2017 04:19
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GDI Fong this is the what, 3rd, 4th daughter we've had to bail out of some life trauma because you died early in life? Did you die from a heart attack because of too many mistresses at once or something I mean jeez.
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Jul 9, 2017 05:33
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Episode 32: In which we finally reach the fortress ----- Last time, we did some more sidequests in and around the Necropolis and wrote an ending to the story of Aishi the Mournful Blade.  The last path in the Necropolis we haven't explored yet is this one, past the tomb of Ji Xin. It leads to another one of the circular arenas, and we know what that means!  Hello boys, nice to see you again. There are three of these jerks this time.  This path loops around to where the ghosts of Miss Chan and Merchant Bai were, so the path to the fortress has to be nearby.  Just making sure it does indeed loop around. Yep, we've been there, that's the big unfinished tomb Fading Moon was hiding in.  Oh, you have got to be making GBS threads me. I didn't even leave the arena this time, I was just standing at the exit. I hope the person at BioWare who decided to put these constantly respawning encounters in the game is forced to play Mass Effect: Andromeda for the rest of time or something.   Anyway, let's check the Tomb of the Forgotten Scholar here.    Err... are we interrupting something? We can always come back later, I suppose.    You... you're not dead! I'm sorry, I just... I just panicked. I thought you were some spirit, here for revenge. Revenge for what? Ah, well... my work, you see, while very important--*very important*--may upset some of those spirits not fully at peace. Who are you? My name is Wen Zhi, but the few who come here call me mad. Mad Wen, they say. But I am not mad!Obviously not. That's why he's down here, talking to corpses.  What are you doing here? I... I am conducting my research. I am a doctor by trade, studying the internals of the body and the energies that drive it. But lately, I have come on hard, hard times. My daughter, Wen Si Wei, has fallen ill, and nothing in my previous training could help me with what ails her. Her liver has been rotted from within, corrupted by some energy I have never encountered before.  I... I could not stand the possibility of her loss, so I took matters into my own hands. I researched the workings of the body and the spirit, as well as the lore of the creatures that live beyond death. I believe I have found a way to save my daughter... but I have not been successful in my efforts. Speaking of lore, the one scroll I thought I might have missed in the Necropolis is in fact that one right behind Wen, so I did not miss it after all and that means I never have to come back here.  I have found a way to strengthen--no, to replace--the corrupt flesh of one living creature with that of another. Through the energies of the earth and by the divine will of Heaven, her body can be made to accept the organ as if it were a part of her. She can be given a new life! But these cursed, wretched corpses do nothing for me! They are too old. too... dead! Their organs are rotted beyond repair. Even the ones recently buried. I need something else... something more. Either one that is perfectly preserved, or one that is fresh. Her time is drawing near. If I cannot get a new organ for her soon, I fear it may be too late. Well, he's not getting ours because we kind of need that. Murdering someone for their liver would also be a bit... unethical, so what else is there?  I have tried all the organs I could find, but none work. A nobleman here, Ji Xin, had his body preserved well enough and buried in this graveyard, but his corpse has... moved.Oh. That's probably not good.  "Preserved Nobleman" is a great name for a band.  The nobleman was buried in one of the larger tower-tombs closer to the entrance. I tried to enter, but... His corpse has risen, covered in the protective wrappings he was buried in. I... I would not have survived. Please, get the liver from him quickly!Certainly, let's just read that scroll first.  Lovely. I don't think we ever actually see moss spirits in Jade Empire, though.  Ji Xin's tomb is back the way we came, a little bit to the northwest from here.  Hey guys, you seen Ji Xin anywhere?  Here we are, and the door's open this time around.    Some tomb robbers are obviously trying to take Ji Xin's treasure, but he's not letting that happen.  The man himself, we presume.   Um, hold on. I thought Ji Xin was supposed to be perfectly preserved. If this is indeed our man, he doesn't look very fresh at all.    Now, I feed on the flesh and souls of the living in payment for my vanity. My perfect body is a testament to my crimes. My very touch spreads my corruption.Actually, the mummy we see in front of us is not Ji Xin's real body and is just a form his spirit appears in. Otherwise, nothing we do here would make much sense.   What is this "chance" you speak of, mortal? What is this false hope you dangle before me? And by your liver, we mean the one that is in his actual body and not in... that.   Redemption... for one such as me? I think not. My life was spent in greed and vanity and corruption. Even in death I sought to preserve my perfect form. For one whose madness and evil progress even into death? No, there is no hope for me. None at all. And you stand here, mocking me for it. Ah, the temptation! Yes... so much logic... so much philosophy, but who knows what the heavens will truly decide in the end? But... for the chance... And it is a girl... so young... I can taste her pain and suffering lingering about you. So like my own. The blood is thick in my veins. A solid mass where fluid used to flow. Now dried and brittle. But the heart still stirs, and it can be moved, though tears no longer flow.Great, but what about your liver? That's what we're here for.  If my end means this girl lives, then may the heavens look kindly upon me, even though I know they won't. If damnation is my fate, then let it be worth something in the end. Take what you need, mortal.  Here's hoping this works. Let's head back to Wen.  Medical emergency. Coming through, excuse me.  Have... have you managed to find some way to help me? I have a preserved liver. You... you do? Thank you! Thank you! Yes... yes! It looks like it has been preserved well enough! I am amazed that you managed to get this intact. [fade to black, unpleasant noises]  It will be some time before she can stand on her own again, but I am certain she will make it. Not here, though... not in this place of death.This isn't exactly the most sanitary place to perform an organ transplant at, but hopefully she'll make it.  I must take her to a place where she can heal. You have my eternal gratitude for what you have done.   If we hadn't managed to convince Ji Xin to become an organ donor, we would've been forced to fight him to get his liver. However, in that case the liver would still have Ji Xin's corruption on it, causing complications. Wen will ask you to sacrifice whatever you can to ensure the operation is successful, and if you choose to do so you'll take a permanent -10 chi penalty. Apparently, the girl lives regardless, but you get Open Palm points and a technique (Theories of Medicine: Focus +7, Intuition +1) if you sacrifice your chi. If both of them live, you can visit them in the market district later (I'll try to remember to do so at some point). You can also speak to Dr. An at the Arena and ask her to perform the transplant, with Wen Zhi sacrificing himself to save his daughter. That's it for the Necropolis, so now let's finally go to that fortress.  Eh, one more for the road, I guess. This is the last time we need to fight these assholes, at least until we backtrack to the city.  The path to the fortress lies next to the unfinished tomb.  To our right is an unfinished bridge, and there is nothing of interest over there so we'll continue on.   Looks like Zu just barely managed to beat us to the fortress, even though we spent a lot of time dicking around after he left.  Before we can follow him inside, Silk Fox shows up.   This is the sanctum of the Lotus Assassins, the most feared group in the Empire, and I've asked you to simply walk in.  If you've been hitting on your party members enough to get locked on a romance path, some variation of this conversation happens with your love interest at this point. Or if you've been hitting on multiple people, your love interests show up and demand you choose between them. Well, you don't actually have to choose between Silk Fox and Dawn Star here, you can just refuse to make a decision if you feel like it.  I... I know. And I regret the necessity of it, but there is no other way. My father will not listen without evidence. We have to go in, find what we need to expose Death's Hand, and get out before we are discovered. Once that is done, you can deal with Death's Hand as you wish. My father will see to it.   Well, it is the Lotus Assassin fortress. They're not a pleasant bunch.  Here's the last Nature of the Spirit scroll. The first one was way back in the Spirit Cave, and we've found all four in the Necropolis.    Well, here goes nothing.   The Watcher is voiced by Mark Meer and sounds kinda like Commander Shepard pretending to be a creepy weirdo.   The Watcher leads us to the main hall of the Lotus Assassin Fortress, which is quite a sight. The kryptonite fog is a nice touch.    Master Gang is one of our trainers. He will be your master as you seek to become an Assassin. He is harsh, but his knowledge will be invaluable to you. You will find him at the opposite end of the Hall of Induction, near the entrance to the central chambers. Do not keep him waiting. Farewell, Watcher. Go to your teacher, acolyte. Do not keep him waiting. The far end of the hall, at the entrance to the Central Chambers.Yes, got it, thanks.  Well, that's what we're here to find out.  Oops, how clumsy of me, bumping into this jar next to the door here. The Aura of Malice Gem is of course the Closed Fist counterpart of the Aura of Calm Gem.  Those colors on the Lotus Assassin banner seem kind of familiar... Oh, and there is also a focus shrine nearby, should we need it.  While Dawn Star's support skill is a lot more useful than Silk Fox's, we'll bring Silk Fox along for this part of the game. It just seems appropriate, since infiltrating the Lotus Assassins to find evidence on Death's Hand was her idea in the first place.  Oh, good. We've only just arrived, and some idiot is already picking a fight.    Maybe we can get through without killing anyone. Probably too much to hope for.    Well, Silk Fox yelling at these guys probably won't help us get past them without violence.  Of course, that was never the idea anyway.  *sigh* Suits me. What'll it be? All at once or simultaneously?    Just this one guy? Come on, that is simply insulting.   Acolyte Jin Tao gets a couple of hits in but doesn't last very long. As expected, really.  The other acolytes run off, trying to hold on to whatever dignity they have left. They'll probably try to gank us later, but we'll handle them when that time comes.  Oh, and Zu's skulking around here too. I hope he liked that fight just now.    We have discussed much in our time together, but not everything. I left some things buried, but now you have descended to their level. Are you? Are you sure you know what kind of person I am? Is anyone so transparent? Are you? Go, your new master is waiting. Secure a place near the heart of the Assassins, and you will be near your goal. Grand lnquisitor Jia is key. I just wish he'd stop with the passive-aggressive schtick, it's getting kind of old.  On this side of the hall, we can find a merchant with a somewhat familiar name.    Well, you still have a bit of personality about you, hmm? It won‘t last. They strip their recruits down to the essentials. Eventually, you'll be just another mask. My name, if you are still of a mind to care about names, is Merchant Kia Jong. What can I do for you? Did you? I have a niece by that name. Is she well? The last we saw of Kia Min, she was escaping from the burning ruins of Two Rivers and fighting mercenaries while trying to evacuate survivors. We have no clue what became of her after that, but she definitely was all right when we last saw her.  Oh! Uh...  Kia Min has a unique head model that sets her apart from the rest of the Two Rivers students who just had generic NPC faces, but it may be a bit difficult to remember so many hours later which one of the students she was.  You can enjoy it until the Lotus Assassins strip your will, anyway. What do you have for sale? This and that. I don't stock much for the individual Assassins. I mostly bring in large parts or supplies for their machines. Have a look. Kia Jong's inventory consists of generic crap and a Closed Fist gem we can't use. At least he's giving us a discount!  Mold master? Maybe they can tell us something about the construction of the golem army.   Obligatory reminder that we are all EVIL here.  What is your purpose here? We keep the golem press functioning. Without us, the machines could not keep up the ambitious pace that Grand Inquisitor Jia has set. It takes two minds, two pairs of hands to control the inner structures of the press. You fools just see the controls. Inside the machines, it is impossibly complex. Tell me about the golem press. You would not understand the complex balance of gears and sorcery that makes it function. Even flyers are simpler creations. Who built the press?There we go, maybe we'll get some information here.  So Death's Hand did in fact commission the golem army, claiming to be doing it on the Emperor's behalf. That's good to know, but we still need more solid evidence than the word of these two chuckleheads.  That's nonsense. Not everything our craftsmen create is stolen or gifted from somewhere eIse. We have the capability on our own.But why use that capability when you can steal everything instead? That's everything we're getting out of those two, so let's go find this Master Gang who is supposed to teach us the ways of the Lotus Assassins.  That'll probably be him over there, judging from the quest marker over his head.   The latest battalion of golems stand idle because of you. If the production of the Jade Golem is delayed again, perhaps your soul will fuel our next attempt. I trust I have made myself clear?  Yes, an absolute shame. A man who wears a hat like that would know all about shame.   Wait, no, you are the one I was told to expect. A new recruit. Hmph, as if I don‘t have enough trouble watching over the other fools in my care.  We didn't say we were an Assassin yet, though. Just that he'd find us a competent one at some point.  Follow me down to the central chambers when you are ready to begin your indoctrination. Do *not* keep me waiting. A battalion of golems stand idle.Speaking of golems, Master Shin in his silly hat mentioned something about a Jade Golem. From the context, we can assume that is some sort of a special war machine that is supposed to be much stronger than regular golems. We probably don't want them to get that thing operational.  Next time, we'll learn all about what it's like to be a Lotus Assassin. -----
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Jul 9, 2017 11:11
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Doc Morbid posted:Next time, we'll learn all about what it's like to be a Lotus Assassin. I'm guessing it involves a lot of kicking puppies.
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Jul 9, 2017 11:35
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You don't actually have to choose if you've been flirting with both. If your stats are high enough, you can your way to a threesome eventually.
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Jul 9, 2017 12:08
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my dad posted:You don't actually have to choose if you've been flirting with both. If your stats are high enough, you can You have to choose between Sky and Silk Fox (or Sky and Dawn Star) if you've been flirting with them, though.
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Jul 9, 2017 12:36
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I wonder what the casualty rate is for the acolyte-assassins.Anime Reference posted:I'm guessing it involves a lot of kicking puppies.
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Jul 9, 2017 18:26
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Poil posted:I wonder what the casualty rate is for the acolyte-assassins. before or after the player arrives, because it seems like Doc is raising the rate already 
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Jul 9, 2017 19:02
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