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inscrutable horse posted:I'm getting the distinct impression, that Tom is distantly related to one "Steve" who was also known to adventure in strange places I've honestly been trying to channel some Steveness with Tom, so I'm glad it's shining through. I was always a huge fan of Nakar's Ultima LP's. Xander77 posted:"Of course humans were here all along - so you're going to get human party members and equipment, and the whole 'lost in an alien culture' aspect of the game will essentially disappear" is a pretty major warning sign about the game's quality. I'm going to champion Albion and say I still find it to be a good and decently-written game!
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Feb 14, 2020 20:44
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Are we going to see cannon-related crime in the near future? 
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| # ? Apr 26, 2024 18:39 |
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Part 004: Police Procedural [img]https://lpix.org/3659168/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.00.00_[2020.02.19_06.06.12].jpg[/img]  Let's get this show on the road, we have a mystery assassin to catch![img]https://lpix.org/3659162/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.00.06_[2020.02.19_06.06.45].jpg[/img]  The old Former building is to the northeast of the city, I believe, I have never been there. Let's go there immediately, perhaps we can catch the murderer there! Not so fast, Drirr, what if this is a ruse? Oh brother. We have to use our deductive reasoning. Where else have humans been seen in the city? Tom, the only other humans in Jirinaar are you and Rainer.[img]https://lpix.org/3659170/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.00.32_[2020.02.19_06.07.11].jpg[/img] Exactly, the clan house of the South Wind Clan. If wild animals can get into their basement, a trained assassin could dig his way in, too. Tom, this seems implausible. More implausible than a human assassinating an important Iskai? But what of the wild animals? Neither you or Rainer are trained warriors...[img]https://lpix.org/3659174/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.00.51_[2020.02.19_06.07.30].jpg[/img] Don't worry, Drirr, I have an ace up my sleeve, and the two of us can keep any wild animals off Rainer.[img]https://lpix.org/3659173/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.01.35_[2020.02.19_06.08.14].jpg[/img] Tom, I appreciate you trusting me with our only firearm- Shhhhh, just be ready with it when I give the signal. What was that, Tom? As I was saying, Drirr, I need merely snap my fingers and I can make any wild animal's head explode. I am absolutely going to regret this.The yellow stat bar indicates a stat boost from something equipped pushing the stat over its normal maximum. Here Rainer's being boosted to 80 Long Range Weapons when his normal max is a mere 40. [img]https://lpix.org/3659175/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.01.55_[2020.02.19_06.08.34].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659172/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.01.50_[2020.02.19_06.08.28].jpg[/img] If made the party leader, Iskai party members also have considerably better vision in dark spaces than human party members do. This is the difference between Rainer and Drirr, both with a torch equipped. [img]https://lpix.org/3659177/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.02.10_[2020.02.19_06.08.49].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659178/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.02.13_[2020.02.19_06.08.52].jpg[/img] Tom! Rainer! Defend yourselves! Don't stress, Drirr, I've got this.[img]https://lpix.org/3659183/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.02.29_[2020.02.19_06.09.57].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659185/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.02.30_[2020.02.19_06.09.08].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659190/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.02.30_[2020.02.19_06.09.58].jpg[/img] By the Goddess, such power! ...that felt strangely satisfying. Good work, Rainer, now the locals will be in awe of my power. Hand me back the gun. I don't think so, Tom, you're in no way mature enough to handle this. We'll talk about this later, for now, we have more walls to break down! The murderer awaits![img]https://lpix.org/3659193/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.02.46_[2020.02.19_06.10.17].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659198/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.02.50_[2020.02.19_06.10.21].jpg[/img] Dear God, what is that? SHOOT IT![img]https://lpix.org/3659195/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.02.53_[2020.02.19_06.10.24].jpg[/img] Introducing the second of the early-game monsters. While Skrinn are fast, usually acting before the party and lashing out with many small attacks, Krondiir are big, lumbering chunks of muscle that hit real hard. Two lucky hits from them could well down any of our current party members, even in their level 1 incarnation. Thankfully they're still "weak" enough that one shot from our sole firearm will drop them... most of the time. [img]https://lpix.org/3659202/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.03.14_[2020.02.19_06.10.45].jpg[/img] Unlike Skrinn, they also drop loot! The meat has a, brief, use during this stage of the game, but otherwise the meat and their dropped triis(the weird snotty-looking green blob) are just for selling and one of our more reliable sources of income throughout the game as overworld locations with Krondiir will have them regularly respawning. This looks like a dead end, Tom. Ah, but a dead end with clues! Rainer, search that trash pile![img]https://lpix.org/3659209/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.03.30_[2020.02.19_06.11.01].jpg[/img] Four trash items and a ring of actual value. Aside from being sellable, the ring also lets you cast a Small Fireball spell, though I won't be making any use of it yet since it does pretty piddling damage and items with charges have a limited number of uses. Spells do have the advantage of never missing, however, but instead some enemies are magic-resistant and may wholly or partially shrug off the effects. Some roots, some rags, a spoon and a cracked bottle, oh and this ring. Where do you find roots? Outside! Clearly our murderer is outside Jirinaar. But the Stiriik al- Brilliant deduction, Tom! What about the spoon and the bottle, then? What do they tell us, Mr. Smart Guy? Ah, but that's too easy, Rainer. Dropping his bottle and forgetting his utensils simply shows us that we're right on the heels of the murderer and he had no time to be careful. One of these days I'm going to catch you without a glib answer. Keep dreaming. Anyway, it's clear that we must leave Jirinaar and head to the old Former guildhouse![img]https://lpix.org/3659226/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.06.22_[2020.02.19_06.12.38].jpg[/img] I feel like someone on these streets might still have clues for us, however...[img]https://lpix.org/3659223/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.06.26_[2020.02.19_06.12.40].jpg[/img] What, this guy? No, he's much too ordinary, there should be someone who'll stick out... Found him, Tom![img]https://lpix.org/3659229/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.06.38_[2020.02.19_06.12.46].jpg[/img] Perfect, you look unusual. What do you do? I am a free hunter and adventurer, and do whatever strikes my fancy. An adventurer, you say? Tell us more. Oh, I'm happy to have gotten back alive from my latest trip. At the beginning of the journey, I was near the haunted place where old Argim used to roam. There are some very strange predators there. What a strange coincidence, we might be heading that way ourselves. What can you tell us about these strange predators? Most of them are very aggressive. The worst was a creature with a mouth in the floor and a couple of glowing, grasping arms. It was insatiable, I tell you! Fortunately, I discovered a fruit which paralyzed it. They're inedible, but in an encounter with these mouths they're very useful. I'd be glad to let you have some, for a reasonable price.I don't believe it's actually possible to complete the following dungeon without these fruits, so we buy some off him for a, relatively, cheap price. Oddly enough the fruits don't get consumed once you actually use them, so even if the specific use case ever popped up later in the game, you'd always be ready to deal with it. I also take Tom to the doctor to cure his drunkenness, because holy poo poo what sort of alcohol do the Iskai serve? [img]https://lpix.org/3659261/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.10.26_[2020.02.19_06.14.17].jpg[/img] Remember, the old Former guildhouse is to the northeast. It should be easy to find.[img]https://lpix.org/3659263/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.10.31_[2020.02.19_06.14.20].jpg[/img] Uh, Tom, he said north-east, this is south. I can't believe you'd imply my sense of direction would ever lead me astray, Rainer.Nakiiridani, the landmass that Jirinaar(and the party) are currently on is split into three major "lobes" by criss-crossing rivers. A small southeastern one, a large western one and a large northern one. The western and southeastern ones contain nothing except for animals that will try to kill you and some very minor loot. Obviously that means Tom will be going there first. [img]https://lpix.org/3659270/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.10.33_[2020.02.19_06.14.21].jpg[/img] Enemies on the overworld appear as sprites that start combat when they bump into the party leader, much like in dungeons. On the overworld most of them can be juked and jived around, but sometimes it's possible to get penned in by geography or terrain features, or sometimes you just plain want to punch some animals for getting in your way. [img]https://lpix.org/3659272/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.11.07_[2020.02.19_06.14.38].jpg[/img] There are other wandering animal sprites as well, but these are just for decoration, they can't be interacted with and they don't do anything to you. Do you have the faintest idea where you're going, Tom? You'll never get me to admit it if I don't.[img]https://lpix.org/3659273/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.11.10_[2020.02.19_06.14.39].jpg[/img] Maybe we should return to Jirinaar and get a map or a compass, or both, and try aga- Holy moly, what the hell's that? You're not distracting me that easily, Tom. It's coming right at us! It's huge! And flying! And hideous! Really, you're still t- It's a Warniak, defend yourselves![img]https://lpix.org/3659286/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.11.27_[2020.02.19_06.14.48].jpg[/img] Warniaks are the worst. Just the worst.  Gahhhh! What's it doing?! Fascinating, that sting appears to be some kind of ovipositor. Maybe we should kill it first and then be amazed by the miracle of life afterwards. Right now it's apparently trying to murder Drirr. hwarghleLevel 1 Warniaks aren't so bad, they're medium-fast, not too durable, not too great at dodging and don't hit too hard, with a very low chance of inflicting minor nuisance status effects. Level 2 and 3 Warniaks, however, which we won't see for a bit yet, thank God, can inflict insanity and terror, the former of which is real bad news if you have no cures for it in your inventory and the latter of which removes a party member from the battle as soon as they can reach the edge of the battlefield and leg it. [img]https://lpix.org/3659284/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.11.32_[2020.02.19_06.14.51].jpg[/img] They drop these little red "Warniak Spheres" that can be sold for a small amount of gold, while the level 3 ones drop pricier ones. [img]https://lpix.org/3659294/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.11.58_[2020.02.19_06.15.06].jpg[/img] Night-time is mostly bad because it makes it harder to spot enemies before you bungle into them, though any time an enemy starts tracking you(this counts in dungeons as well) they play a growl or buzzing noise, depending on what kind of creature they are, to alert you. We've been out here for an entire day, Tom, please admit you're lost. Perhaps it is part of some advanced investigative technique! It's good to know someone still has faith in me, and for your information, Rainer, yes, I am excluding all of the non-obvious hiding places before I go where we're being led.[img]https://lpix.org/3659299/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.12.07_[2020.02.19_06.15.10].jpg[/img] I suppose at least this is as good a chance as any to catalogue the local bioluminescent nightlife. Like that fascinating bush over there.Said bushes can be interacted with to yield... [img]https://lpix.org/3659305/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.12.10_[2020.02.19_06.15.12].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659302/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.12.13_[2020.02.19_06.15.13].jpg[/img] Taking Drirr's suggestion and selling them to the Dji-Kas is the last thing you should do, however, though it will yield a decent amount of gold, you're quite likely to regret the sale, as the seeds have a use that's currently hidden to us, but somewhat obvious to any player with a functioning short-term memory. Dji-Kas mages use the seeds to cast spells, and on several pieces of our equipment, it clearly states that we'll eventually be recruiting a Dji-Kas mage. Highlights of exploring the landmass: [img]https://lpix.org/3659312/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.13.30_[2020.02.19_06.15.52].jpg[/img] Tom getting owned by a Warniak 2. [img]https://lpix.org/3659315/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.13.40_[2020.02.19_06.15.57].jpg[/img] Warniaks breaking all my equipment. [img]https://lpix.org/3659338/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.17.23_[2020.02.19_16.05.19].jpg[/img] More cool weird plants. [img]https://lpix.org/3659342/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.17.52_[2020.02.19_16.05.34].jpg[/img] I can't believe we spent the entire night running from wild animals. It's good exercise and it'll help weld us into a lean, mean, crime-fighting machine. This is certainly more exciting than the usual Stiriik work, all this running and fighting really gets my blood pumping!Time passes quite quickly in Albion, if I haven't already mentioned it, at a rate of roughly one hour per minute, and thus a full day about every twenty-five minutes. [img]https://lpix.org/3659349/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.18.24_[2020.02.19_16.05.50].jpg[/img] Outside of actually going to the Former building, there aren't a whole lot of things to find outside. This little hidden grove full of Trifalai seeds is one of them, you basically have to mash the party's faces against the trees until you find the hidden path in, complete with multiple false paths that lead you most of the way, but not all the way. [img]https://lpix.org/3659353/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.19.48_[2020.02.19_16.06.32].jpg[/img] There's also the shuttle's crash site, where two small pieces of rubble, if Examined, will yield more stim drinks and a chronometer if you either got your dumb rear end booted out of the South Wind Clan or you failed to find the one in their storage basement. [img]https://lpix.org/3659386/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.27.33_[2020.02.19_16.10.24].jpg[/img] Sweet mother of mercy, I never thought we'd see anything other than wild animals. And look, there's Jirinaar not far beyond him! We should ask the herdsman if he's seen anything, perhaps he can set us on the path to the old Dji-Fadh guildhouse.[img]https://lpix.org/3659390/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.27.40_[2020.02.19_16.10.28].jpg[/img] Before I follow the herdsman's advice, I dip back into Jirinaar, sell some of my junk and buy a compass for Tom. It's of absolutely zero use on the overworld, but can make dungeon navigation a good bit easier. I also get both Tom and Drirr some much-needed melee combat training. [img]https://lpix.org/3659426/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.35.08_[2020.02.19_16.14.12].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659428/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.35.18_[2020.02.19_16.14.17].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659431/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.35.30_[2020.02.19_16.14.23].jpg[/img] If nothing else, Albion's overworld art direction is pretty good. None of the plants look like a palette-swapped Terran tree or flower. [img]https://lpix.org/3659442/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.37.56_[2020.02.19_16.15.36].jpg[/img] There's the abandoned road! We're on the right track! And thanks to my impeccable leadership, we're also ready to handle the murderer when we find him. True, I do feel like no bullshit he could put me through could match what you make me put up with.The little safari got everyone a level or two, boosting their survivability considerably. [img]https://lpix.org/3659439/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.38.09_[2020.02.19_16.15.42].jpg[/img] ...those are some strange mountains. Any commentary, Rainer? Possibly formed similarly to basalt pillars, you can see the repeating structure when you look at them from the side. I envy the crew still back on the Toronto, the science team must be having a field day. [img]https://lpix.org/3659463/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.40.35_[2020.02.19_16.16.55].jpg[/img] Eventually, after looping all the way around the northern coast of Nakiiridaani to collect a few more Triifalai bushes and kill a bit more wildlife, I find the old Former building. There's a good reason to approach it from the west, as from the east you'll be crossing a small bridge that may randomly collapse and injure one or more party members every time you cross it. [img]https://lpix.org/3659461/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.40.46_[2020.02.19_16.17.01].jpg[/img] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nem2DfltUac Parts of this video will also be presented with screenshots. Tom, Rainer and Drirr enter the old Former guild house and kill a shitload of animals before discovering that Argim is still alive, in a body horror sense, and that the animals already killed their murderer, but thankfully refrained from eating the Vital Clue left on his body. [img]https://lpix.org/3659476/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.41.46_[2020.02.19_16.17.31].jpg[/img] Another dank cave full of dangerous animals. This isn't what I expected out of First Contact. Cheer up, at least you're getting to make some first-hand xenobiological studies! I suppose I wouldn't be allowed to make all these field autopsies back on Earth.Imagine one or two battles where Tom, Drirr and Rainer get soaked up to their elbows in animal guts between each screenshot. [img]https://lpix.org/3659479/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.42.51_[2020.02.19_16.18.03].jpg[/img] You should be more careful about interacting with novel plants, Drirr, it could have exploded, or been poisonous. You should worry less, Rainer, nothing has gone wrong yet! Yeah, Rainer, you should try being less of a party-pooper. Just don't make me the party leader next time, eventually it'll go wrong.[img]https://lpix.org/3659488/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.44.14_[2020.02.19_16.18.45].jpg[/img] Everything inside this cave is so gross and... mobile. Compared to the Iskai dwellings we've seen, this one does seem worryingly more... alive, yes. But maybe this happens to all of them if they're not properly maintained.[img]https://lpix.org/3659517/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.46.20_[2020.02.19_16.19.48].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659510/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.46.27_[2020.02.19_16.19.51].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659511/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.46.29_[2020.02.19_16.19.52].jpg[/img] At least something in this cave isn't trying to kill and eat us. Right, Tom? ... Tom, are you well?[img]https://lpix.org/3659512/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.46.40_[2020.02.19_16.19.58].jpg[/img] Ohohoho! Please, Tom, you can hardly lift that. Hnyergh, I, huff, totally can! Behold as I cleave my enemies in twain! Are his veins meant to stand out like that? Five gold pieces says he throws out his back before we're done exploring this place.The heavy battle axe, and also the chainmail once repaired, cause a malus to combat skills while equipped. The axe is also a two-hander, preventing shields from being equipped, but several of the game's best weapons are, so that's not a big deal. [img]https://lpix.org/3659541/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.48.22_[2020.02.19_16.22.12].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659545/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.48.24_[2020.02.19_16.22.13].jpg[/img] I told you to be more careful! Don't let Rainer get to you, he's just sour because he's not the one allowed to poke everything new we come across. I'd just rather he didn't get poisoned, or get us attacked, or bring the ceiling down on us.[img]https://lpix.org/3659552/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.48.34_[2020.02.19_16.22.18].jpg[/img] For the love of God please don't touch this one. Perhaps we can fight it? Just let me get in one good whack- No! This is obviously what those fruits we bought back in Jirinaar are for.You can either spend 40 gold to toss paralyzing fruits into these particular maws to paralyze them, or simply not have a lit torch, without a light source they're entirely passive. But not having a light source in here means you might fall into other hazards or fail to notice a side passage, and basically every side passage in here has a reward of some sort. [img]https://lpix.org/3659558/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.48.40_[2020.02.19_16.22.21].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659563/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.49.53_[2020.02.19_16.22.57].jpg[/img] This is part of a puzzle you might solve by accident, the room has two already-glowing fungi, and if you connect the glowy parts of the floor beneath them, they open a secret passage further back. Not being an rear end in a top hat later on gets you the solution, and the reward is one of the best rewards in the entire game. I'm going to open the passage right away, but I won't be claiming the reward until the end of the post. [img]https://lpix.org/3659596/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.52.44_[2020.02.19_16.24.23].jpg[/img] Why does this place have two different kinds of awful floormouths?![img]https://lpix.org/3659597/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.52.46_[2020.02.19_16.24.24].jpg[/img] Unlike the glowy ones, these don't require light to be active, but they can be similarly disabled, except it's by feeding them Krondiir meat rather than weird fruit. [img]https://lpix.org/3659630/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.59.16_[2020.02.19_16.27.39].jpg[/img] Huff, how many drat animals have we been attacked by so far? I'm almost out of ammunition for the pistol. At least thirty, but there can't be too many more in here. Tom, Rainer, the cave looks... different, up ahead. ...is it throbbing?[img]https://lpix.org/3659628/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.59.23_[2020.02.19_16.27.42].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659633/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_00.59.47_[2020.02.19_16.27.54].jpg[/img] Touching these fiery pillars will fully heal all human party members as well as making them shitfaced-drunk. [img]https://lpix.org/3659638/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.00.21_[2020.02.19_16.28.11].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659642/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.00.41_[2020.02.19_16.28.21].jpg[/img] I'm going to see if I can push it out of the w- Oh no you don't, this clearly isn't just some inanimate object we can shove around, it's going to take a scientific approach. Now, I'm going to carefully make contact to ensure that it isn't dangerous, you two be ready to pull me back. This is going to be good.[img]https://lpix.org/3659648/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.00.47_[2020.02.19_16.28.24].jpg[/img] drat, that was pretty priceless. Nyaaaaaaargh! Let that, ow, let that be a prime example of why not to interact with items you don't recognize. I need to sit down. Ow.Touching this thing with a human party member like an idiot hurts them and intoxicates them, as well as giving you the option to attack it. Attacking it gives you an immobile opponent that casts damage-and-paralyze spells. If you destroy it, the entire cave "shuts down," killing all the floor mouths, removing the fire pillars, etc. but it's also entirely the rear end in a top hat thing to do, as we're about to see. ...it reminds me of a giant Iskai trii. I'm going to touch it! Your funeral, ow. Still ow. Don't let me stop you.[img]https://lpix.org/3659653/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.01.04_[2020.02.19_16.28.33].jpg[/img] Who or what are you? I am... here. I am now this place. A long time ago... I was small, I was single, alone. I was...once I was as you. Iskai. This is what remains of Argim! I'll relate what he says. That's a twist I didn't see coming. How about you, Rainer? I'll express proper scientific curiosity when I'm done throwing up, Tom. Hurk. What happened to you, Argim? I've been here so long, it is... hard. I'm no longer used to this kind of... thinking... remembering. I wanted to live. My life was so short. I was hot. So angry. Everything flowed out of me. I expanded. It's hard to talk about it. But, everything became good. I live. I live. That is wonderful. I live in this place. I am this place. I live in the animals here. I experience everything that they experience. I am in them. I sense how they live, how they hunt and are hunted, how they love and die. It's wonderful. I am happy. I only miss little. Talks like this. And music. That's unfathomably gross, so we've been wandering around Argim's guts and feeding him while also murdering him. Argim, we're looking for a human murderer who came here. Have you seen one? Aside from the one behind you? Well... Yes. There was a man here. He was a good predator. But he wasn't the only predator here. He has been incorporated into the cycle. He is no longer alive. His remains are behind this structure, I'll move it once we're done talking. So in the end I was right, the murderer was underground, we weren't in a hurry, and our combat training helped us get through all the animals alive. Your law enforcement instincts are astounding, Tom! Please don't encourage him. I have just one request... will you return with a music crystal? I miss music.We can buy a music crystal for 75 gold, a non-minor amount, but all we need to do to get the reward(getting told about connecting the two glowing bushes with the glowing floor) is to promise we'll bring Argim one, not to actually do so. Making the promise and then breaking it will upset Drirr, though, and would also be an rear end in a top hat thing to do. After we promise to do so, Argim moves his brain so we can get past him to the bones and also the last remaining loot in the dungeon. [img]https://lpix.org/3659676/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.02.19_[2020.02.19_16.29.10].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659673/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.02.23_[2020.02.19_16.29.12].jpg[/img] Finally, now we can get out of here.[img]https://lpix.org/3659697/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.21.26_[2020.02.19_16.32.57].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659699/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.21.30_[2020.02.19_16.32.59].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659716/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.23.24_[2020.02.19_16.33.56].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659722/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.23.45_[2020.02.19_16.34.06].jpg[/img]  [Drirr shows Frill the decorative dagger and explains where it came from.] A strange piece from ancient times. This dagger is definitely over 150 years old. I'm no expert in these things, but I wouldn't be surprised if it had a magical effect. The family of Bradir, the new head of the Former guild, owned this dagger. Strange that the murderer possessed this valuable weapon. We should definitely ask Bradir about this! Maybe he'll have some clues for us! ... ...yes, Drirr, I'm sure that Bradir will have some clues for us. We'll just have our weapons handy in case there's another murderer out there.[img]https://lpix.org/3659728/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.24.10_[2020.02.19_16.34.19].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659730/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.24.25_[2020.02.19_16.34.26].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659742/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.27.47_[2020.02.19_16.36.07].jpg[/img]  Dsarii-ma. I assume you are still looking for the fugitive murderer. Dsarii-ma, Bradir, has anything else come to mind that might help us? Nothing, I'm afraid, hopefully you'll find the culprit soon. We found him, in fact, and he was carrying this dagger! Do you recognize it? It is strange. The moment I feared the most actually brings me relief. Forgive me, Akiir! Look out, he's attacking!I remembered this fight as difficult, so I'd gotten everyone healed and all my gear repaired before going into it but instead Bradir goes down like a chump in one round of combat. [img]https://lpix.org/3659752/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.28.13_[2020.02.19_16.36.20].jpg[/img] Quick, loot his body! I don't think he's quite dead yet. Quick, loot his body and then take him to a healer![img]https://lpix.org/3659753/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.28.26_[2020.02.19_16.36.27].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659754/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.28.32_[2020.02.19_16.36.30].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659756/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.28.46_[2020.02.19_16.36.36].jpg[/img] "Unusual" is a bit of an understatement, I feel. The dagger was part of the murderer's payment, and upon seeing it, I lost my nerve. So you hired the murderer, Bradir? By the Goddess, no! Akiir did. That makes no sense at all. What a stupid twist. Please, Bradir was my father's closest friend! I want to hear this explanation! Akiir knew he had a fatal disease that would have killed him in six months at the most, so he wanted his death to get him revenge at Fasiir the Dji-Kas. I tried to talk him out of it, but when I could not, I chose to help him instead. He hired the murderer to assassinate himself, and we bribed Kriis to help implicate his own guild and guildmaster, then I planned to meet the murderer at the old Former guild building to give him the remainder of his payment, the wild animals there were supposed to take care of any witnesses. It's hard to accept, but I believe Bradir's story. As do I, Fasiir will be freed immediately, Bradir and Kriis will be turned over to the courts. So now that we've solved this murder, can we travel onwards? Of course! A ship will be made ready for you as soon as you're prepared to continue. Tom, Rainer, I would like to travel with you. Your quest is clearly more exhilarating than normal Stiriik work! There's fighting, and mysteries, and new places to explore! Please, bring me along, too, I don't really want to hang around here and dwell on my father's suicide. I can be of help with my magic talents. Absolutely- -yes. Drirr's a friend and I am absolutely not turning down a wizard.[img]https://lpix.org/3659784/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.30.52_[2020.02.19_16.37.40].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659781/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.30.55_[2020.02.19_16.37.41].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659791/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.31.00_[2020.02.19_16.37.44].jpg[/img] So, Sira is somehow more fragile than Rainer- Hot drat, I'm no longer the dead weight!But reasonably fast and also a wizard. She starts off with three spells, a freezing single-target attack spell, a light healing spell and a spell that displays exactly enemy HP. The reason we've been hoarding Triifalai Seeds rather than selling them is that every time she casts a spell, it consumes a seed, and they're reasonably pricey to stock up on. Oh and she's also 12 years old, we're dragging along a literal 12-year-old wizard, Drirr, for context, is 16. [img]https://lpix.org/3659807/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.37.25_[2020.02.19_16.50.03].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3659812/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.37.47_[2020.02.19_16.50.14].jpg[/img] Each of the glowing pillars that the lighted floor "puzzle" unlocks provides a party-wide stat boost, increasing Strength, Stamina and Speed for everyone. This is why you wait until Sira's in the party, so she can get those, too. [img]https://lpix.org/3659823/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.40.13_[2020.02.19_16.51.27].jpg[/img] We also give Argim his music crystal and get ambushed by some Krondiir on the way, giving Sira her first fight! [img]https://lpix.org/3659833/2020-02-14%2010-19-33_edit2.mkv_snapshot_01.41.22_[2020.02.19_16.52.01].jpg[/img]  Wait a moment, that drained all your mana? I'm not exactly used to battle magic, Tom. I can tell we're going to need some intensive training before we take Janiis up on her offer of sending us to the next island over.Next: More humans! More islands!
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Feb 20, 2020 16:35
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Sira is great. As per many fantasy RPGs, the spellcasters are really powerful party members. Though needing the magic seed ammo for every spell in addition to MP can be a little annoying.
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Feb 20, 2020 19:12
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It's definitely one way to make sure your spellcasters don't make everyone else in the party glorified pack mules at least.
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Feb 20, 2020 23:52
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Watching you spend all the bullets on standard, early-game enemies made me sad. I hope you don't regret that later.
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Feb 21, 2020 02:01
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DGM_2 posted:Watching you spend all the bullets on standard, early-game enemies made me sad. I hope you don't regret that later. Firing a gun is its own reward, how could he possibly have regrets? Loving the LP so far, so many of these goofy older games passed me by as a kid, its great to see them in all their... glory.
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Feb 22, 2020 07:59
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DGM_2 posted:Watching you spend all the bullets on standard, early-game enemies made me sad. I hope you don't regret that later. Well, once you have Sira, guns are kind of outdated compared to the terrifying hell she can bring to the battlefield as long as you supply her with sufficient mana potions.
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Feb 22, 2020 08:05
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PurpleXVI posted:Well, once you have Sira, guns are kind of outdated compared to the terrifying hell she can bring to the battlefield as long as you supply her with sufficient mana potions. Sira's ridiculous, but there are still a few enemies you can't freeze. And like I said earlier, there's one late-game enemy that made me glad I had saved my ammo. EDIT: Although, you seem to know the game much better than I did at the time. I didn't know you could make Tom invulnerable to the Skrinns by stacking all the armor on him, for example. I'm guessing you'll have other ways of dealing with the rear end in a top hat I'm thinking of when you get there. DGM_2 fucked around with this message at 11:32 on Feb 22, 2020 |
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Feb 22, 2020 11:19
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The gun is actually a nice way of handling weak starting characters. It'll run out eventually (perhaps we'll find more ammo later?) but it gives you an I WIN button to prevent you being useless a low levels.
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Feb 22, 2020 14:46
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I really liked the look of this game from the former LP attempts and hopefully this one will actually finish. I have a lot of nostalgia for RPGs from this era so it's interesting to see one that I never actually played myself since it's both nostalgic and novel at the same time. The writing is a bit janky in places but it's a decent and (so far) cliche light take on the "first contact" concept, which is nice.
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Feb 22, 2020 14:55
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DGM_2 posted:Sira's ridiculous, but there are still a few enemies you can't freeze. And like I said earlier, there's one late-game enemy that made me glad I had saved my ammo. Albion doesn't cut you any slack, so I don't intend to cut it any slack.  There are a couple of ways to teach the game who's boss, but exactly what options I'll have for that will be up to the thread when we get a bit farther in.If people want me to suffer, I will willingly suffer. RabidWeasel posted:The writing is a bit janky in places but it's a decent and (so far) cliche light take on the "first contact" concept, which is nice. Yeah, for whatever flaws it have, I feel like Albion actually does a generally... respectful take on a less-advanced aboriginal alien species(and that's in part pleasing to me because those less-respectful takes often tend to be in some way apologetic for colonial attitudes.). They're not hidebound savages worshipping rocks and eating their own poo poo, they're not instantly praising humanity as the new messiahs just because they've got guns and spaceships and they don't have any hyper-conservative views that they need enlightened humanity to teach them out of. The jankiness in the writing often feels like it's more in the phrasing than in the intent, which I put down to Bluebyte being a German studio and this being the English version of the game.
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Feb 22, 2020 15:02
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Oh, speaking of the writing... I think you missed a scene, Purple. There's a big conversation you can have with someone who realizes that Tom and Rainer think Iskai magic is a superstition, and demonstrates his powers by rapidly growing a big piece of plant furniture right in front of them. They tell him about electricity in return. I can't remember exactly who you talk to to get that, but it's probably too late now that our heroes have seen magic in action.
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Feb 22, 2020 15:15
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PurpleXVI posted:If people want me to suffer, I will willingly suffer. Lead us goons not into temptation, fool. 
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Feb 22, 2020 15:33
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DGM_2 posted:Oh, speaking of the writing... Yeah, I was trying to find that scene but I couldn't find the particular NPC for it, having forgotten that it was the Dji-Fas guild leader, who disappears after the murder on account of being in jail, and the prompt for it doesn't pop back up after you've solved it. However, I went back and found and recorded it so... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlCF2nVp_xI
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Feb 22, 2020 15:54
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Oh man, I love this game. It's one of the few RPGs that I've actually completed, which feels like an actual acomplishment considering how janky it is, especially in the later parts. You can actually loot the chests in the shop where the guy keeps yelling at you, by hanging out until he closes the shop and goes to bed.
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Feb 22, 2020 23:21
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Electric Hobo posted:Oh man, I love this game. It's one of the few RPGs that I've actually completed, which feels like an actual acomplishment considering how janky it is, especially in the later parts. Hm, really? The first time I showed up when he wasn't around and he just psychically projected himself to yell at me. Maybe it only allows the looting if you actually hang around past the shop-closing time. But yeah, Albion has a lot of little niches and details you won't necessarily find the first time around, as proof of me just discovering this.
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Feb 23, 2020 11:33
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Yeah, I can only get it to work by waiting outside the building, then sprinting to the store just as it closes. Then you have to wait until he actually leaves the store. My favorite incredibly weird detail is the one near the end of the game, where the game turns into a truly, horribly miserable experience if you miss it.
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Feb 23, 2020 11:46
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Oh hey, it's Albion! I started LPing this a long time ago - but then real life just relentlessly kicked my rear end. Looking good so far, keep up the good work.
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Feb 23, 2020 19:16
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For an RPG published back in 1995 I'm blown away by how polished this is. Like, check the animation out at 2 minutes in here: https://youtu.be/ah9J0LAPGrM There's no reason they should have animated the character fiddling with those controls. It's a one-off animation that you won't see anywhere else. They could have just had the dialogue say "Tom fiddles with the controls" (or even made it clear through his dialogue that this was what he was doing) but they really put a lot of effort into making everything look good.
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Feb 24, 2020 00:06
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Albion is a game where it's creators clearly cared a lot and did their best. It's probably why so many people who played it remember it fondly, despite the kinda meh gameplay.
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Feb 24, 2020 00:20
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I remember this game from the previous attempts to LP it. RPG's are big things to LP surprisingly enough. A text dump deffo helps.
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Feb 24, 2020 04:23
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EponymousMrYar posted:I remember this game from the previous attempts to LP it. I've decided if I ever decided to do an LP that I would never do it without a text dump - people tend to underestimate how time-consuming transcription can be.
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Feb 24, 2020 07:02
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EponymousMrYar posted:I remember this game from the previous attempts to LP it. Absolutely. Only problem is that some of the dialogue screens aren't included in the text dump. Anything in a "formal" conversation is, but anything that pops up as just a pop-up at the top of the screen or an observation by one of the characters is not. for the most part. Considering that some of these pop-ups fill the entire screen, I somewhat paraphrase them, and the same occurs for some of the other essay-length dialogue responses. The game has an absolutely bonkers amount of dialogue, even if a lot of the generic question dialogue is replicated across characters(like their response to JIRINAAR or ISKAI or some other generic term that has no specific meaning for them), there's still a TON there.
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Feb 24, 2020 09:47
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Part 005: Gratogel And so began the reign of King Tom the First. Impressed by his mighty grasp of legal theory and his strength of arms, the Iskai of Jirinaar begged him to lead them into a glorious future, and he magnanimously chose to enlighten them and bring unto them the gifts of civilization like guns, daytime television and social media. Tom? Tom! Can you hear me? Perhaps we should let him sleep. It's been almost a week, I'm waking him now. Aided by his war chief Drirr the Mighty who slew his foes without mercy, his jester Rainer the Fool who amused him in dark hours with quips, jests and pratfalls and his court magician Sira the Wise who protected him from evil warlocks, and smote armies with a flick of her wrist, conquest of the planet was a foregone matter. Soon, he stood before the landed Toronto and- Wake up, you rear end in a top hat! Bwuh! Where are we? I was having the most beautiful dream. [img]https://lpix.org/3662668/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.02.57_[2020.02.22_15.16.02].jpg[/img] ...how did we end up at sea? Convenient that you don't remember, Tom. It all started after the first time you saw Sira cast magic, you complained that she could, and I quote: "Only freeze one drat animal to a popsicle every day." And decided she needed a training course. A smart decision, sounds like me. I've never had so much exercise in such a short amount of time! Far more invigorating than simple Stiriik work, and still keeping the island safe for everyone! Wise and benevolent, still sounds like me. You had us running up and down the coastline from dusk till dawn for two weeks straight, making Sira blast everything that moved, even some poor herdsman's cattle. Anything she didn't freeze, you had Drirr hit until it keeled over.[img]https://lpix.org/3662858/LevellingTrip.mkv_snapshot_46.58_[2020.02.22_14.56.03].jpg[/img] ...all that blood... all that blood... Well, did it work? You tell me, by the time we left, she could freeze an entire swarm of Warniaks into ice sculptures in one go. Of course, then the Sebainah heard about it... she wasn't very impressed with the damage we'd done to the local ecosystem. Some people just don't appreciate when you do them a favour. But you decided we still needed funding for the trip...[img]https://lpix.org/3662845/LevellingTrip.mkv_snapshot_00.35_[2020.02.22_14.51.11].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3662849/LevellingTrip.mkv_snapshot_17.32_[2020.02.22_14.54.37].jpg[/img] It's very easy to miss, but both Fasiir and Bradir will give you some items and money if you return to them after finishing the quest in Jirinaar but before setting out. [img]https://lpix.org/3662837/LevellingTrip.mkv_snapshot_00.06_[2020.02.22_14.50.44].jpg[/img] Tom, is this really virtuous? By my advanced legal theories, yes, Drirr. You see, anyone could defraud this lovely, helpful and slightly senile healer of her entire inventory of medicine, therefore it is inevitable that someone will. I'm following you so far. Therefore it follows that it's inevitable her medicine will end up as evidence in a crime, and we are displaying forethought by securing this pre-evidence of pre-crime ahead of time, to make the investigation simpler down the road. Now explain why you're selling it all for gold and spending that gold on weapons, Mr. Smart Guy. I'm simply putting the evidence into the care of a trustworthy local, the weaponsmith, while also ensuring our survival so that we can return later and resolve the crime that we foresaw. Then you drank two Zoomis before we set out and we had to cart you on to the boat before the Sebainah got word of your little trick with the healer, you've been out cold ever since. Can't blame me for celebrating my own genius. ...anyway, Drirr's been teaching us the language of the humans living on the next island, a place called Gratogel. drat, are we picking up another language in less than a month? Either we don't question it or Drirr will have to translate everything for us, so shush.So behind the scenes, before setting out, I engaged in power-levelling Sira to level 9, a very important level for her to reach before leaving Jirinaar. [img]https://lpix.org/3662846/LevellingTrip.mkv_snapshot_00.38_[2020.02.22_14.51.22].jpg[/img] Firstly, as a member of the guild in Jirinaar, they will teach her spells for free if she satisfies the minimum level. Secondly, she needs to be level 9 to reach the apex of the "Frost" spells, "Frost Avalanche." Frost Splinter freezes one enemy, Frost Crystal freezes a line and Frost Avalance freezes every single enemy on the battlefield if they fail to completely resist it. Thirdly, her practice in using her spells matters a lot, the more often she uses a spell, up to a certain ceiling, the harder it will be to resist if it has an effect and the more damage/healing it will do. The difference between a trained and an untrained spell is HUGE. I also had to earn some big bucks in Jirinaar for kitting out Drirr, as it'll be a bit before we're able to buy Iskai gear again. It's no surprise that the next island is wholly human, so we'll only find gear there for Tom and Rainer. I'm going to feel real silly if the next island is perfectly peaceful. Speaking of![img]https://lpix.org/3662677/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.03.24_[2020.02.22_15.16.15].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3662683/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.03.27_[2020.02.22_15.16.16].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3662673/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.03.51_[2020.02.22_15.16.29].jpg[/img] Apparently not completely impossible, considering that we're looking at it. Implausible, then. Wasn't that the same word you used for my magic? I still maintain that it could be a novel endothermic chemical reaction, but I'm not going to argue as long as it keeps me from getting my head staved in by the local wildlife. Alright, team, let's question the locals! If the Toronto landed anywhere around here, someone's bound to have heard or seen it. It won't exactly have been subtle.[img]https://lpix.org/3662678/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.04.23_[2020.02.22_15.16.44].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3662681/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.04.37_[2020.02.22_15.16.52].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3662682/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.04.46_[2020.02.22_15.16.56].jpg[/img] NAME, JOB and so forth. I am a warrior for Tharnos and I have no other profession! Most weapon-bearing men are also craftsmen or even poets. I, on the other hand, am proud of the fact that I serve my king with weapons only. A society with many poets? That sounds relaxing and peaceful compared to the last few weeks... We hold poets in high regard. They are even feared by powerful warriors since a well-aimed satirical verse can damage a reputation as much as an inglorious defeat. Right, but since we can't equip satirical verses as weapons, where can we get some gear so Rainer doesn't die so quickly and what do we pay you with? Owning cattle is the basis of all wealth. Someone who has a high rank, usually owns cattle, part of which he leases to his ceile. Tom, I'm warning you right now, I'll put up with carrying around ten kilos of gold, but I'm not herding cattle for you. Ah, for the convenience of foreigners, our king, Tharnos, has standardized one head of cattle as being equivalent to one-hundred units of gold. Really? That's surprisingly enlight- It's because no one would put up with keeping track of multiple currencies while they still wanted deep world-building, Rainer. Try to keep up. Let's go see this Tharnos guy.[img]https://lpix.org/3662711/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.08.07_[2020.02.22_15.19.47].jpg[/img]  Ha, ha, ha, are you crazy? Pardon me, but I haven't heard such nonsense in a long time. You ought to turn yourself over to the Druids of Arjano for treatment. I'm suddenly a lot more sympathetic towards the Celts of Gartogel. Who are the Druids of Arjano? The Druids are our scholars. They know how to write, and they preserve and extend the knowledge of our forefathers. Their tasks are diverse: there are those who administer justice or teach children, and those who act as intermediaries between the gods and the people. There are healers and masters of the magical arts among them. The center of their school is Arjano, where the greatest Druids live and teach. Obviously the Toronto hasn't set down here, we should sail on to the next island, what was it called? Maini, Tom, both humans and Iskai live there, mostly in harmony. If you'd bothered to ask for my backstory, you'd know I was born there. Right, we need to go to Maine. I don't know, Tom, maybe we should go visit the other villages on Gratogel first, they might make fun of you, too, that'd make this entire trip worth it. So, you would like to leave Klouta? Garris, the fisherman, is an experienced sailor who could safely take you to Maini. But he, and therefore you, need my permission to do this. Now, naturally, I could grant you such approval, but there is a small matter you must handle for me. As strangers, you are better suited for it than someone from this area, since it requires great discretion. You would have to promise me to keep quiet about this conversation! This is what the situation is: we expect a king to have full mental and, especially, physical powers since otherwise he could bring misfortune to the Tuath. Now, my wife and I have been wanting children for a long time. We, and the weapon-bearing men, are becoming impatient. Therefore, I would like to get an amulet from the Druids in Arjano which could reinforce my virility. I'm sure that you understand that I do not want to entrust this order to one of my men, or go to Arjano myself. Go to Bero, the Druid, and ask him for a strengthening amulet. Bring it to me and I will grant your travels. ...so to continue this journey we're going to need to find you magic viagra. That's about the long and short of it. At least this way we don't have to trick you into going to Arjano.[img]https://lpix.org/3662721/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.09.21_[2020.02.22_15.20.23].jpg[/img] ...didn't the villagers say Arjano was to the east? Tom has problems with directions. I am sure that Tom is merely ensuring there's nothing interesting in the wrong directions first! Yuk it up, for your information I know exactly where I'm going, and I'm taking the long way around to Arjano to annoy you. Either that or you've realized you don't have a gracious way of backing down. You'll never know.[img]https://lpix.org/3662723/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.09.29_[2020.02.22_15.20.28].jpg[/img] At least we can enjoy the views on the way. The tinkling of the rivers and the wind through the trees.[img]https://lpix.org/3662731/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.09.49_[2020.02.22_15.20.37].jpg[/img] The calming sounds of the sea.[img]https://lpix.org/3662727/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.09.56_[2020.02.22_15.20.41].jpg[/img] The aggressive local wildlife.[img]https://lpix.org/3662733/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.11.22_[2020.02.22_15.21.24].jpg[/img] The discordant echoes as a half-dozen frozen Warniaks crash to the ground and I kick their splintered remains into a ditch.Having Sira along trivializes most encounters, especially since the "windfall" from the healer back in Jirinaar resulted in a surplus of mana potions for her. Her inventory would make most pharmacists jealous. Much like Nakiiridaani, however, there isn't a lot to find outside of the inhabited parts of Gratogel, except for a lot of wild animals and some spare Triifalai seeds for Sira. Eventually I realize this, though I could swear there was some ruin down in the southeast of Gratogel that was worth looting, though I might have confused it for a later area. You may also notice that Warniak 3's, the golden variant that can cause insanity, panic and illness(an over-time permanent stat drain, not to be hosed with), are now regular enemies. Extremely high-priority targets, but "pure" Warniak swarms are easily dealt with by Sira. [img]https://lpix.org/3662745/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.17.08_[2020.02.22_15.24.17].jpg[/img] Okay, Tom, you've made your point! Now please! We've been in the woods for almost a week and you've got the compass! Thank you, Rainer, now behold, civilization! Or at least one guy hanging out near a tree. Clearly, we were never lost. ... ... ... Rainer, please just go hassle the man for the fine details of his culture.[img]https://lpix.org/3662741/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.17.12_[2020.02.22_15.24.19].jpg[/img] The grove? I don't- I am the guardian of the grove. You mean literally this one tree? Technically- Nothing defines how many trees are in a grove, besides, this is a very special tree. Normally I'd say "it's just an oak," but considering that we're no longer on Earth, that does actually make it special. I have ways and means of defending the grove against desecrations, even though I am alone here. Have fun defending your tree from the animals, Frinos.So, I haven't found anything in-game that tells you about this, but Frinos is real bored of his job and will reward you if you bring him a music crystal. Thankfully you can buy one on Gratogel, but it's twice as expensive as if you had saved the one from Jirinaar for him. The party's about to encounter a sudden windfall of money, though, that will make that cost increase irrelevant. [img]https://lpix.org/3662746/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.18.31_[2020.02.22_15.24.58].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3662749/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.18.33_[2020.02.22_15.24.59].jpg[/img] South of the Grove Man is the Mystical Hut of Arjano, and further south of that, the second town on Gratogel, Vanello. The first turn only had a place to buy food, but here there's an actual shop, as well as a local king. [img]https://lpix.org/3662756/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.21.26_[2020.02.22_15.26.26].jpg[/img]  No, I hate to disappoint you. I certainly would have heard about such an incident on Gratogel. A question like that certainly sounds like lunatic rambling, doesn't it? I'll say! Perhaps you should take your friends to the druids at Arjano to be examined. If you didn't still have the gun, Rainer, I'd move you to the front of the combat formation.[img]https://lpix.org/3662757/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.22.07_[2020.02.22_15.26.46].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3662758/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.22.16_[2020.02.22_15.26.51].jpg[/img] If you somehow missed all of the very obvious human gear back on the last island, Tamno can help get you kitted out. As it is, though, nothing he has is actually better than what Tom currently has equipped, and I'm not wasting gear on putting Rainer in the front row since he'd just get his fragile rear end kicked anyway. Hey! I'm an old man! Ha ha, even the narration is making fun of you. Anyway, there's one last village left, to the south. We'll visit that and then go fetch King Dork's viagra.[img]https://lpix.org/3662762/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.23.11_[2020.02.22_15.27.18].jpg[/img] The ambient music is more or less completely drowned out by high wind sounds as you approach and enter the pass. [img]https://lpix.org/3662763/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.23.20_[2020.02.22_15.27.23].jpg[/img] What a long pass, how strangely empty it is. Almost like something's meant to happen here. Oh I'm sure it's nothing, just scene dressing.[img]https://lpix.org/3662764/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.23.32_[2020.02.22_15.27.29].jpg[/img] Fess up, Tom, what do you know that the rest of us don't? Well, I talked to a few people back in Vanello and apparently there's a reason most of them don't travel through this pass. Enlighten me.[img]https://lpix.org/3662766/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.23.58_[2020.02.22_15.27.42].jpg[/img] It's haunted by the spirit of random encounters.So every time you walk through the pass, there's a chance of getting a random bandit attack, slowly scaling up in power the more times you go through the pass and then abruptly stopping after you've killed enough bandits. The bandits hit reasonably hard, come in three difficulty flavours like most non-unique enemies do, have ranged attacks and the tier 3 kind can cast a spell that panics party members. They can actually be pretty dangerous, but there's a good reason to go fight them. Multiple good reasons, in fact. [img]https://lpix.org/3662773/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.25.10_[2020.02.22_15.28.18].jpg[/img] Hot drat, they're carrying weapons! I can't wait to pawn those. Goddess forgive me for using my magic against sentient creatures. Just remember that they're criminals! Exactly, we're fighting crime![img]https://lpix.org/3662770/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.25.37_[2020.02.22_15.28.32].jpg[/img] None of the gear they drop is actually useful to us, but it's valuable, we've got between 200 and 300 gold in each of the lower-tier encounters, and more than that once we get level 3 bandits. [img]https://lpix.org/3662771/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.28.29_[2020.02.22_15.29.34].jpg[/img] At least when they're all frozen there isn't so much blood... That's the spirit, Sira, you'll come around to enjoying this yet.[img]https://lpix.org/3662782/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.28.40_[2020.02.22_15.29.40].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3662778/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.28.47_[2020.02.22_15.29.43].jpg[/img] Huh, a queen, that's progressive. Any giant spaceships happen to land or crash around here? Are you serious? No, no one has reported such a wonder to me. Son of a bitch, I guess we're stuck on ViagraQuest. Well, we may as well unload our loot and see what the locals have to say. Someone in the other villages told me they have a guy here- You mean Rifrako? He is a trader, he lives southeast of Aballon. He is a little strange in the head, but he often manages to obtain really extraordinary goods.[img]https://lpix.org/3662780/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.29.12_[2020.02.22_15.29.56].jpg[/img] ...this doesn't look like a store, it looks like a garage sale. Look, Tom, a whole Krondiir skull! I'm not paying for that, Drirr, but I'll get you a fresh one on the way back to Arjano.[img]https://lpix.org/3662779/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.29.16_[2020.02.22_15.29.57].jpg[/img] I don't know about "beautiful from far-away lands," but I did bring you a half-dozen suits of blood-soaked armor and some dented swords from the canyon up north. Mmmm, yes, lets trade.[img]https://lpix.org/3662783/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.29.20_[2020.02.22_15.30.00].jpg[/img] One thing I don't believe I've mentioned is that all merchants in Albion have limited inventory space, that is to say, they have limited space for buying goods from you, too. This increases the value of stackable items and also means there's a point to selling stuff to merchants who already trade the same type of item, even though the price they give you might be the same as any other merchant. Rifrako has multiple interesting items. The music crystal for Frinos in the first row, as well as our only, limited, source of mana recharge potions on Gratogel. In the second row an amulet of protection and a magic shield, and in the third row an item of dubious use for detecting when you've alerted monsters. In dungeons any monster that's alerted is usually on your rear end anyway, and in the wilderness you can more or less always see them as soon as they see you, so buying it is really just for the sake of completionism, though there is one late/mid-game area where it may be useful, though that depends on exactly how the game handles a certain mechanic. I'm going to grab it and we'll see when we get there. ...drat, not enough to buy everything. Mmm, well, you know where to get more blood-soaked equipment for old Rifrako. ...Tom, please don't. Sira, it would be neglecting my duty as an officer of the law not to deal with the bandits in the canyon. If it's any consolation, you start getting numb to it after about the fiftieth time he makes you murder something in cold blood.And so, the trip is back north, through another random bandit encounter, and also to pass Frinos the music crystal. On the north side of the pass, we sell stuff off to Tamno. Smart trading would have me trade it all to Rifrako, but I only have the carrying capacity for one bandit encounter worth of equipment, just about. [img]https://lpix.org/3662805/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.37.51_[2020.02.22_15.33.12].jpg[/img] Giving Frinos the music crystal gets you a Crystal Axe. It does mediocre damage, but it's a ranged weapon with infinite ammo, and is thus ideal for slapping on Rainer, Sira or anyone else perpetually doomed to the back row so they have something to use when they're not directly in combat. In this case it goes on Rainer. I then head back to the mountain pass to grind out the rest of the bandits for gold and XP, but it almost goes poorly. On the way back from Rifrako after emptying his inventory, the game bugs out and I get four bandit ambushes in a row, back to back, causing me to have to dump a lot of valuable gear. If I hadn't had Frost Avalanche at this point, it would definitely have been a TPK situation. In one fight the level 3 bandits scare off Rainer with magic and then manage to land a hit on Drirr before Sira can freeze them solid, chunking off half of his HP in a single swing. [img]https://lpix.org/3662836/Gratogel_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.06.40_[2020.02.22_15.57.42].jpg[/img] But by the end of it I'm alive, and richer, and back at Arjano. Alright, let's pop in, grab the druid viagra, and then move on to the next island. I'm sure there will be no complications whatsoever.Literally 90% of the next update will be the dungeon known as Drinno, which is where the game really tries to kick your rear end. Next time: Complications and the longest dungeon crawl so far!
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Feb 27, 2020 13:09
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With the way you're writing Tom, I almost surprised that you gave Argim the music crystal and didn't just save it for the tree guy.
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Feb 27, 2020 13:34
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PurpleXVI posted:Firstly, as a member of the guild in Jirinaar, they will teach her spells for free if she satisfies the minimum level. Secondly, she needs to be level 9 to reach the apex of the "Frost" spells, "Frost Avalanche." This spell alone makes Sira your MVP, at least as long as you keep her stocked with  . In fact, she's so massively OP that I'm half-convinced a later story event is only there to impose a "Sira tax" on you.quote:Giving Frinos the music crystal gets you a Crystal Axe. It does mediocre damage, but it's a ranged weapon with infinite ammo There's a magic axe from Ultima 5 in this game?!? Well, that would have been good to know!
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Feb 27, 2020 18:31
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PurpleXVI posted:Thankfully you can buy one on Gratogel, but it's twice as expensive as if you had saved the one from Jirinaar for him. You're not using the gold replication trick?
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Feb 29, 2020 11:50
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Xander77 posted:"then if"? "first town"? Yeah, typos, my B. And the "gold replication trick" I'm aware of is to talk to the healer in Jirinaar over and over until your mouse hand gets sore. It's the only kind of "exploit" I'll take advantage of in this game, aside from having a good idea of when to make sure someone's well-trained before going off to do a thing.
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Feb 29, 2020 21:09
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Limited merchant inventory space/limited merchant cash is one of gaming's dumber "realism" ideas. Just let us clear out our inventory and convert unwanted stuff to cash, dammit. If you really want to only have certain merchants buy certain items, like fences and contraband or high-end jewellers and such, use a trigger and don't waste the player's time. Having to find the right place to sell something CAN be interesting but making the player abuse the "wait" command while some random town shop resets just to clear out random encounter trash is infuriating.
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Feb 29, 2020 21:35
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Loxbourne posted:Limited merchant inventory space/limited merchant cash is one of gaming's dumber "realism" ideas. Just let us clear out our inventory and convert unwanted stuff to cash, dammit. Hahahahah, oh, oh no, here's the thing: Albion stores never reset. The only items of which there are an infinite supply and anything the merchant sells a "*.*" amount of, like the Jirinaar healer's inventory.
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Mar 1, 2020 00:22
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Part 006: Drinno [img]https://lpix.org/3672444/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.00.04_[2020.03.03_17.02.10].jpg[/img] Oh, so the real Arjano is under the hut. That suddenly makes a whole lot more sense.[img]https://lpix.org/3672448/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.00.09_[2020.03.03_17.02.55].jpg[/img] We're here to pick up some magic druidic Viagra so we don't get stuck on your island forever. ...I'll just go consult with Bero. Please be patient. I wish we could see what's down there, even if it's all out-dated superstitious writings, it would be fascinating from a historical perspective. The druids are supposed to be powerful mages and sages, Rainer, I wouldn't discount their wisdom. If they're so smart, why do they live in a basement while everyone else lives aboveground? Here comes the man in the white gown again. Strangers, our chief, Nemos, is ready to see you. Ugh, I can already sense us getting dragged into some stupid druid quest. This had better be worth our time.[img]https://lpix.org/3672455/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.00.53_[2020.03.03_17.03.23].jpg[/img] Sorry for my curiosity, Nemos, but is this place really 2000 years old? Indeed, the records go back to when the great Canto lead us here from the land of our forefathers, when the Crusaders drove them out. I'm sorry your highness or whatever we're supposed to call you, but if you indulge Rainer, we'll be here another 2000 years. We're here from Tharnos, to get some magic Viagra so he won't be an embarrassment to his family and his warriors. Supposedly this Bero guy can help, but we got sent to see you instead. That presents a problem, you see, no one can speak to Bero, currently, not even I. Oh, has her perhaps taken a vow of silence, all the better to meditate upon the deep matters of the univ- Oh no, he's dead. Wow! Is it perhaps a closed-room murder mystery which will require all our intell- No, no, I'll explain. You see, there's a dungeon under this place, called Drinno. It used to be laboratories, workspaces and libraries until a sect of druids, the Kenget Kamulos, or worshippers of Fire, rebelled against our order. They filled it with traps and monsters, and even though we drove them out, many of these dangers remain. Bero decided to climb down there to look for magic artifacts, so while I say he's dead, I merely mean that he's probably dead and would appreciate it if you'd climb down there and risk your lives to save him. Well... Rainer, do you think we could build our own boat and sail to Maini without the locals' help? No. I'll loan you another wizard if you help us out. You drive a hard bargain, Nemos, we're in. You can count on me, Tom. I doubt anything Drinno could present could terrify me more than travelling with you. I'm not going to indulge in any bone-headed heroics, but I'll help as well. Now about that wizard you were going to loan us, Nemos... Yes, he's Bero's foster son, Mellthas. Deaf and dumb but very intelligent.[img]https://lpix.org/3672484/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.02.39_[2020.03.03_17.04.16].jpg[/img] We had to keep him from going down into Drinno to look for Bero himself. Bloodthirsty, a man after my own heart. I'm sure we'll get along famously.  [img]https://lpix.org/3672478/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.03.03_[2020.03.03_17.04.28].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672480/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.03.10_[2020.03.03_17.04.32].jpg[/img] So, Mellthas. He's... more useful than Rainer? About as fragile as Sira, as slow as Tom, has decent carrying capacity and can cast spells. He has a simple attack spell called Small Fireball that allows him to provide cheap, consistent damage that always hits(except against magic-resistant enemies), a series of panic-causing spells that suck because enemies that run away are enemies we can't loot and a series of spells that banish demon-type enemies. A single-target, a line-target and an all-target. Unfortunately they all bounce repeatedly off enemies until sufficiently trained to get through their MR, and some enemies are just too beefy to banish. He also starts about five levels too low to learn even the single-target Banish spell, but since I already murdered all the bandits even though I planned to leave some for Mellthas, it would be a huge pain in the rear end to level him outside to the point where he can sling around anti-demon magic in Drinno, supremely helpful as it might be. Alright, let's have a look around before we go anywhere. Someone might have left something valuable lying around.  You should go along with it, somehow he hasn't gotten us killed. You forgot the "yet."[img]https://lpix.org/3672490/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.03.38_[2020.03.03_17.04.46].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672491/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.03.46_[2020.03.03_17.04.50].jpg[/img] Yoink![img]https://lpix.org/3672492/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.03.58_[2020.03.03_17.04.56].jpg[/img] As is your stock of medicine. What was that? Nothing!Sadly Makaio doesn't actually sell any healing or mana potions, but if we're un-busted enough to haul ourselves out of Drinno, he can always patch us up. [img]https://lpix.org/3672496/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.04.29_[2020.03.03_17.05.11].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672500/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.04.41_[2020.03.03_17.05.17].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672498/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.04.43_[2020.03.03_17.05.18].jpg[/img] Unlike in Jirinaar, these losers won't even teach Mellthas more magic for free, and as mentioned we don't actually want most of his spells anyway. He already starts with Small Fireball, Healing and Boasting, and I'm not going to go outside and murder the wildlife for long enough to get him to level 10, there's a limit to my willingness to suffer when it isn't necessary. [img]https://lpix.org/3672502/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.05.02_[2020.03.03_17.05.28].jpg[/img] We should make sure to talk to this guy. You realize he'll have the same dialogue prompts as the rest of them, right? At least let me hope.[img]https://lpix.org/3672508/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.05.51_[2020.03.03_17.05.52].jpg[/img] Torko is important, though, because he can actually ID items for us. This reveals curses, what spells they can cast and any hidden stat-modifiers they might have. Unless you have a FAQ handy, you absolutely want to have someone ID every shady item you find in a dungeon since some of the curse effects are crippling, for instance some of them prevent mages from casting spells. [img]https://lpix.org/3672510/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.06.54_[2020.03.03_17.06.24].jpg[/img] It also helps to be able to see how many charges these items have left. [img]https://lpix.org/3672513/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.07.04_[2020.03.03_17.06.29].jpg[/img] Many, if not most, cursed items also have on-use abilities that you can employ without actually equipping the stupid thing and loving yourself over. Usually not worth it, but since anyone can use on-use effects, you could pile them all on Rainer and make him suck a bit less. Usually I always end up forgetting about them and hoarding them because it's less complicated to just amass a vast stock of mana potions and use your mages as artillery to clear all problems. [img]https://lpix.org/3672521/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.07.14_[2020.03.03_17.06.33].jpg[/img] Generally the best magic items are ones that boost combat skills while doing decent damage, boost speed or boost strength. [img]https://lpix.org/3672517/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.08.20_[2020.03.03_17.07.07].jpg[/img] I appreciate the druids' enlightened view of personal property, i.e. it should all be mine. ...I think they just haven't noticed you going through all their stuff and picking up anything that isn't nailed down.[img]https://lpix.org/3672525/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.08.31_[2020.03.03_17.07.12].jpg[/img] Okay, I understand the healing potions and torches, but why the buckets? Perhaps this is another "pre-crime" that Tom has successfully predicted! Close but no cigar, Drirr. Obviously these buckets wouldn't be interactible if we weren't meant to interact with them.Using the amazing skill of "having played the game before" I snag up a trio of buckets on the way down, since we will absolutely want to have some of these along to avoid having to loop back or make do with less-than-optimal number of buckets. [img]https://lpix.org/3672529/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.08.35_[2020.03.03_17.07.14].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672523/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.09.03_[2020.03.03_17.07.28].jpg[/img] I also fill them at a nearby basin, because an empty bucket won't be of much use to us, and it's a pleasant bit of attention to detail that the designers actually made a filled bucket weigh more than an empty one. Are we ready to enter Drinno now, Tom? Mellthas is beside himself with worry and I can't stand to watch it.  No, we're going to take a nap first, all this stealing has plum tuckered me out. ... Okay, okay, I wanted to get something over with now rather than in the dungeon, happy?[img]https://lpix.org/3672531/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.19.28_[2020.03.03_17.08.36].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672530/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.19.36_[2020.03.03_17.08.40].jpg[/img] Well, that's unexpected. Isn't he pretty much touching her exposed brain? That would about describe it, Rainer. Gross. Wonder how long it's gonna be until they wake up?[img]https://lpix.org/3672534/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.19.43_[2020.03.03_17.08.43].jpg[/img] Impossible! No human can read the Trii! But... I can... Tell me what you hear! It sounds good, like sympathy. No, more like affection. Something that I've never heard from any human. My foster father Bero loves me too, but this is different, disquieting, I don't understand it yet.[img]https://lpix.org/3672542/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.20.00_[2020.03.03_17.08.51].jpg[/img] This is absolutely going to be weird then they snap out of it, isn't it? I'm giving it two to one odds that they're in a coma and we have to lug them through Drinno like that. Perhaps it's an empathic connection, and they're now deeply in love. That's an implausible and unfounded leap of "logic," Drirr. So far you don't have a good record on being right about "logical" things.[img]https://lpix.org/3672540/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.20.05_[2020.03.03_17.08.54].jpg[/img] Oh! Mellthas! A bad image? Not bad, but it is as though you're writing a poem. Our thoughts, let them flow together. Then we are a river?[img]https://lpix.org/3672543/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.20.20_[2020.03.03_17.09.01].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672547/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.20.24_[2020.03.03_17.09.04].jpg[/img] Aside from Tom's basically-never-mentioned girlfriend Christine(I wonder if the gold ring was a hint that he was about to propose to her), this is really the only romance the game has, slightly weird and awkward as it is. Lets hope the Iskai and Celts of Albion are accepting of interspecies romance. Well, good thing I filled those buckets of water, otherwise we'd never have gotten any rest. Time to kick Drinno's rear end and get off this island that seems to be all about dealing with horny people's problems.Off-screen I also spent some time trying to level Mellthas slightly until I realized how drat long it was going to take, and brought Mellthas some spell scrolls for each of the Demon-vaporizing spell levels. Spell scrolls can be used for single casts(though I have no idea what level of training they go off at) or for learning spells while in the field if sufficient level is attained. I grab them for the latter purpose since it'll be a while before we get back to someone who can teach Mellthas druid spells again. [img]https://lpix.org/3672564/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.39.24_[2020.03.03_17.13.57].jpg[/img] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlrgugkXVR8 So. Drinno. If nothing else was a roadblock so far, this is probably where a lot of people had to give up. If you didn't bring a bunch of medicine and mana potions from Jirinaar, you'll be making regular and demoralizing trips back to Makaio for free healing, and if you didn't have Sira loaded up with Frost Avalanche before leaving Jirinaar, there are some encounters you'll absolutely just have to run away from. [img]https://lpix.org/3672566/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.39.30_[2020.03.03_17.14.00].jpg[/img] It has a small intro level where you learn about pouring water on flames to put them out so you can get past. Did Nemos ever explain why they didn't just send a squad of heavily armed warriors in here to bring Bero out? Apparently the place has been taboo ever since they drove the Followers of Fire out. All the locals are too afraid to brave it. Score, then everything down here is going to be mint condition.[img]https://lpix.org/3672571/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.39.35_[2020.03.03_17.14.03].jpg[/img] As well as pressure plates. Generally unless you're 12 years old like I was the first time I tried playing this, and you've played videogames before, it should all more or less make perfect sense. [img]https://lpix.org/3672587/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.41.43_[2020.03.03_17.15.07].jpg[/img] The main enemy on all levels of Drinno is Warniaks(at this point every battle will include at least one Warniak 2 or 3, sometimes to the exclusion of Warniak 1's entirely), which can also gently caress you real good if you have neither a maxed-out Sira or a bunch of condition-curing items with you. As mentioned, Warniak 3's can inflict everything from Insanity that makes your characters attack random targets(including allies) through Illness that causes permanent stat loss if not treated quickly enough. Since I'm well-prepared, however, nothing very interesting happens until I hit the "proper" dungeon levels of Drinno. [img]https://lpix.org/3672606/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.51.09_[2020.03.03_17.19.49].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672602/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.51.18_[2020.03.03_17.19.54].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672611/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.54.21_[2020.03.03_17.21.26].jpg[/img] This is the first room that will hurt you. You've got 9 pressure plates you have to run over to open a door on the side, while a bunch of flames move around randomly, and you're trapped with something like a 45-degree FoV and no easy strafing. You'll almost certainly get burnt at least once, I sure did. [img]https://lpix.org/3672621/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.54.37_[2020.03.03_17.21.41].jpg[/img] A couple of unlucky hits can burn the party to a crisp. For extra mockery, all the pressure plates open is a dead-end room with a chest containing nothing of real value. [img]https://lpix.org/3672624/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.55.36_[2020.03.03_17.22.10].jpg[/img] We almost got incinerated for THIS?  [img]https://lpix.org/3672633/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.58.45_[2020.03.03_20.26.52].jpg[/img] For comparison with the previous dungeons, Drinno has about five levels of this complexity, including bunches of optional rooms and battles you don't have to get involved in, though often the obvious route onwards is obfuscated enough that even if you're not trying to be completionist, you'll likely bungle into most of them. [img]https://lpix.org/3672639/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_00.59.50_[2020.03.03_20.27.24].jpg[/img] Not being idiots, the party won't jam their hands into flames to pull levers, so you have to extinguish these with buckets of water. The game is at least nice enough that while there are no buckets in Drinno past the very first level, there are plenty of fountains. So unless you're dumb enough to toss your buckets away, you won't be screwed, and many of the flame-related puzzles can be bypassed in some way or another if you're willing to suffer sufficiently by jamming someone's face into a trap, for instance. [img]https://lpix.org/3672670/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.09.41_[2020.03.03_20.32.20].jpg[/img] On level 2, our very first room is this room and anyone watching the video will get to see me outright panicking here. Let me explain the "puzzle." [img]https://lpix.org/3672662/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.09.58_[2020.03.03_20.32.28].jpg[/img] You've got this wall of green cubes with a space to the left, and an exit behind the cubes on the right. Every time you step on this pressure plate, it shifts the space one cube to the right. But also every time you step on the pressure plate, it releases another random-walk flame until there are a total of four in a small room with you, leaving you at the mercy of the RNG that guides their movement. [img]https://lpix.org/3672673/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.10.43_[2020.03.03_20.32.50].jpg[/img] FOR GOD'S SAKE, RUN. I refuse to believe that even magic druid viagra could be worth this trip.[img]https://lpix.org/3672672/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.11.00_[2020.03.03_20.32.59].jpg[/img] The next room has two locked(unpickable) doors and a hole in the floor. You can just choose to drop down the hole, but if like me, you had Tom swipe some rope out of the very first room in the game, you can just lower yourself safely down and escape unharmed. Score. [img]https://lpix.org/3672678/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.11.56_[2020.03.03_20.33.27].jpg[/img] This isn't level 3 proper, though, this is just a short trip down to find a key. The key is on our left, behind an unbreachable green barrier, the lever to lower the barrier is on the right behind three grates full of Warniaks. Also behind the green barrier, however... [img]https://lpix.org/3672684/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.11.58_[2020.03.03_20.33.28].jpg[/img] ...that's definitely not an animal. A machine of some sort? A hallucination? Are we going insane? Oh no, Rainer, that's a demon, a creature of magic, fear embodied.Three battles full of mulched bugs later, we get a chance to get a closer look at it.  I love the design of the Fear demons, personally. They're also not to be sneezed at in combat, they're generally fast, hard-hitting and... [img]https://lpix.org/3672697/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.16.13_[2020.03.03_20.39.17].jpg[/img] They can cast the same Fear spells that Mellthas can. If not fully deflected, the affected party member starts running for the back line, giving you at most two turns until they're off the battlefield(unless hemmed in by other party members) during which you also can't give them any orders, so it's about the closest thing to an instakill ability that any enemy will drop on us. It's fitting that Rainer is the one who runs away. Nope, no, nuh-uh, gently caress this. As a neat aside, while normal enemies will leave corpses behind on death, all demons go up in flame when killed, giving you an easy indicator of which enemies are demonic and which are mortal, so you know who not to waste Banish spells on. The reward for that is the key to the two doors upstairs, one of them is just the way to some stairs that don't require a rope, in case you fell your way down, while the others lead onwards to another fun new thing we're going to be dealing with in Drinno. [img]https://lpix.org/3672695/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.17.16_[2020.03.03_20.39.49].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672698/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.17.18_[2020.03.03_20.39.50].jpg[/img] Every so often there will be launchers that fire fireballs at regular intervals, but unlike the "walking" flames, they at least travel in a straight line. The main challenge is when they're positioned in such a way that the "safe" spot is between two launchers' paths, since it can be hard to be entirely sure of which square you're on. [img]https://lpix.org/3672706/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.18.27_[2020.03.03_20.40.24].jpg[/img] Coincidentally exactly what this level offers us in the shooting gallery below the party's present position in the screenshot. [img]https://lpix.org/3672709/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.18.43_[2020.03.03_20.40.32].jpg[/img] Another transparent section gives us a preview of our next type of demon, the Animal. Unlike the Fear, all the Animal does is brutally hard and fast attacks. Even the tier 1 incarnation can strip away half of Tom's health with a single whack. All in all, though, level 2 isn't too dangerous or interesting besides the two new introduced types of enemies. [img]https://lpix.org/3672728/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.22.53_[2020.03.03_20.42.37].jpg[/img] But then we get to level 3. See, we've had both transparent green and red walls so far, but now the game wants us to learn what they mean. Matched pressure plates, colour-wise, will drop them, and red walls generally hide pain while green walls generally hide progress or loot. Sometimes the red walls also have loot in them, but it's often trash or cursed items. Obviously from this point onwards I drop pretty much every wall I find since the red walls tend to hide enemies that can be stabbed for XP. [img]https://lpix.org/3672741/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.25.30_[2020.03.03_20.43.56].jpg[/img] This room is an exception, though, I probably could have taken the monsters in here, but they're not guarding any loot and it would have really taken out a big chunk of my medical/mana supplies. [img]https://lpix.org/3672748/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.26.40_[2020.03.03_20.44.30].jpg[/img] A slightly better view. The idea is that you have to step on all of the green plates without stepping on any of the red plates. As long as you take it slowly and carefully and realize that you can angle your view up and down, it'll make things a lot easier. If you don't realize the latter, you might be slightly screwed, however. [img]https://lpix.org/3672758/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.29.50_[2020.03.03_20.46.06].jpg[/img] And then we reach a new colour of plate! Let's have a closer look. [img]https://lpix.org/3672765/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.29.57_[2020.03.03_20.46.09].jpg[/img] How about we don't. It's in the middle of the room, we can just go around it. It's clearly intended to sucker in the curious. For once, I'm with Rainer, there aren't any blue-coloured glass walls for it to pull down, so it probably does something unrelated to opening things. Perhaps it opens the floor! Or the ceiling! Let's find out![img]https://lpix.org/3672761/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.30.11_[2020.03.03_20.46.16].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672764/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.30.13_[2020.03.03_20.46.17].jpg[/img] Surprisingly, the game actually doesn't hand you out any damage for that drop, but it does put you on level 4 with no immediate way back up. There is one relatively close by, but it's easy to miss, as it's a tiny button on the wall obscured by a gushing flame coming out of the floor. If you don't have any filled buckets you may also have to explore for a fountain to put out said flame before you can make use of that path, which you'll want to make use of, since the alternative is making Drirr mash his face into multiple trap barriers to disable them as punishment for loving up. [img]https://lpix.org/3672772/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.30.34_[2020.03.03_22.56.54].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672774/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.31.45_[2020.03.03_22.57.29].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672776/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.31.47_[2020.03.03_22.57.30].jpg[/img] These particular forcefields can be disabled later if you find the right items for it or, as mentioned, by mashing the party into them for considerable amounts of agony. [img]https://lpix.org/3672811/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.36.42_[2020.03.03_23.17.17].jpg[/img] If you didn't find the secret path, you'd need to make a huge loop around to go back up one level, this time not letting Drirr's stupid rear end step on the blue pressure plate, and then down one level again so you can get to the "real" part of level 4 that actually takes us onwards. [img]https://lpix.org/3672832/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.39.55_[2020.03.03_23.18.54].jpg[/img] Said "real" part of level 4 greets us with this gallery where we have to dodge from safe niche to safe niche as fireballs sail down the middle. It's relatively easy, but I still manage to get winged by one about halfway through. [img]https://lpix.org/3672828/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.40.03_[2020.03.03_23.18.58].jpg[/img] One use of the Luck stat is that sometimes party members may randomly not get affected by traps thanks to it. It's minor, but helpful at times if you're short on resources. [img]https://lpix.org/3672854/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.46.03_[2020.03.04_01.59.47].jpg[/img] To progress, we have a locked door and three levers. Each lever opens a small niche that reveals an Animal 3 if opened. I believe the INTENDED solution is to yank all three levers as quick as possible and then move south. Instead I just open each of them in turn and kill the superpowered creature inside thanks to Sira freezing them to popsicles, harvesting fat loads of XP for my troubles. [img]https://lpix.org/3672856/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.46.35_[2020.03.04_02.00.03].jpg[/img] They move faster than any party member, and hit hard enough to blow out Drirr or Tom with a single successful hit, and they have multiple attacks per turn. So if one starts its turn in attack range without being frozen, you're more or less guaranteed that someone is going down. Frost Avalanche is the only way to counter it, since otherwise they'd move out of blast radius of Frost Splinter or Frost Crystal before it hit. Either that or casting Demon Exodus on turn 1, but even after four levels of dungeon, Mellthas only reaches the necessary level to cast single-target anti-demon spells after killing two of these three super-demons.  Of course, just having learned it, it doesn't do much against the high-level demons, and the level 1's we already have well in hand.  An anti-demon ion cannon? That's loving awesome. Good luck hitting the next one, Mellthas.[img]https://lpix.org/3672871/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.51.23_[2020.03.04_02.02.27].jpg[/img] The necessary room to deal with on this level is in the lower left, it hides the items we need to disable the shock barriers. But it's pretty suspicious. Red barriers left and right, hiding tons of enemies, and a green barrier right ahead, hiding the box full of items we need. [img]https://lpix.org/3672879/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.51.49_[2020.03.04_02.02.40].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672876/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.51.52_[2020.03.04_02.02.42].jpg[/img] The chosen party leader is supposed to say the first part and then Drirr is supposed to comment, but nothing in the logic seems to check whether Drirr is already the party leader. He has a point, though, this really feels like a trap.Because of course it is. [img]https://lpix.org/3672901/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.56.28_[2020.03.04_02.05.00].jpg[/img] As soon as you step on the green plate, it spawns a line of red plates behind you. So you have plenty of time to grab the stuff out of the chest, but then the instant you turn to leave... the monsters can get out! Thankfully the party can move faster than they can. [img]https://lpix.org/3672905/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_01.56.59_[2020.03.04_02.55.14].jpg[/img] And you can shut the door behind you, but... ...we left loot behind in there. Tom, please, it's guarded by demons. Guys, please talk him out of it. Tom, maybe there are things we don't need to collect. Maybe there are things we don't need to fight.  I'm sorry, what was that? While you were all talking I opened the door.The room contains multiple stacks of Animal 3's, Fear's and Warniaks. The Warniaks are just speedbumps, but if the Fear's decide to cast fear-causing spells rather than beating up on Tom and Drirr, they could be dangerous. The Animals are just plain dangerous, in one fight I got cocky and figured I'd save on mana since clearly this next round of melee would dumpster the Animal they were beating on... [img]https://lpix.org/3672920/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_02.05.53_[2020.03.04_02.59.41].jpg[/img] But thankfully right at that point Mellthas had practiced his demon-banishing enough to contribute a lot.   Wait a moment, that was a demon. Correct, Tom. And he banished it, but it went... up? Are we below Hell right now? I'm so confused.It doesn't quite make the following fights a cakewalk, but it does simplify them somewhat. [img]https://lpix.org/3672944/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_02.14.59_[2020.03.04_03.04.15].jpg[/img] But the reward is pretty worth it. A non-cursed magic weapon, tons of gold and a bunch of gems, not to mention all the magic training for Mellthas and all the general levelling up for the rest of the team. At this point all that remains of the dungeon is hauling the blue sticks back to the electric barriers blocking the path onwards and disabling them, along the way making sure not to miss a reasonably well-hidden side path(there's a suspicious skippable electric field that hides one of the subtle wall buttons which will reveal the passage) leading to one of the game's best magic items. [img]https://lpix.org/3672951/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_02.17.23_[2020.03.04_03.05.27].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3673003/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_02.24.43_[2020.03.04_03.09.06].jpg[/img] With this, even the weakest of us can carry his weight in loot! Oh and I guess they'll also be protected from harm.[img]https://lpix.org/3672965/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_02.21.10_[2020.03.04_03.07.20].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672966/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_02.21.17_[2020.03.04_03.07.24].jpg[/img]  Oh thank God he's alive, we can get off this island. Fascinating as the Celts and their Druids are, this is a level of danger I'm not prepared for. I think we've just about tapped this place out, too. Let's hope the Druids don't want any of the irreplaceable artifacts from Drinno back.Thankfully finding Bero nets you a warp back to Arjano, so you don't have to backtrack through everything. Mellthas, maybe we should tell him. Tell me what? Is something going on?  ...I see. Well, while I'm happy for the two of you, not everyone on Gratogel may feel the same. Mellthas, I think you should stay with your capable companions for a while. If they managed to get you safely through Drinno, they must be both capable and of strong moral fiber, Drinno has many temptations for the greedy! Neither of you have anything to say? If Rainer tattles on me he goes on the front lines, if Drirr tattles on me he goes off the front lines.[img]https://lpix.org/3672976/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_02.21.34_[2020.03.04_03.07.32].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3672970/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_02.21.41_[2020.03.04_03.07.35].jpg[/img] Yes, I deeply regret having put Mellthas and his new companions in danger because of my foolishness. I'd like to thank them all again. Thank us by giving us a magic amulet for Tharnos so we can get off this island. Oh yes, you mentioned that on the way up...[img]https://lpix.org/3672984/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_02.22.15_[2020.03.04_03.07.52].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3673007/Drinno_edit.mkv_snapshot_02.31.32_[2020.03.04_03.12.31].jpg[/img] Thank God that's over. I thought it was an invigorating experience. Much more straightforward than dealing with crime and motives, I simply hit what Tom tells me to until it stops moving. See? Drirr appreciates me. I look forward to seeing Maini, I've never been there before. Ah yes, Maini has both human and Iskai residents, mostly they get along well.[img]https://lpix.org/3673410/006Interlude.mkv_snapshot_00.00_[2020.03.04_19.36.15].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3673411/006Interlude.mkv_snapshot_00.16_[2020.03.04_19.36.45].jpg[/img] We have your amulet, Tharnos. Now give us the writ so we can get out of here. Be calm! I'm writing it now, you're making a fine deal, just for this little errand. Dude, we've been away for almost two weeks, and we're back wielding magic weapons and wearing magic bling, also Sira had to stitch Drirr's head back together after a demon flattened it with one hand. Did you think we just sauntered over to Arjano and got the drat thing for you? Hand over the writ before this gets ugly.[img]https://lpix.org/3673424/006Interlude.mkv_snapshot_01.02_[2020.03.04_19.37.14].jpg[/img] Ship. Maini. Now.[img]https://lpix.org/3673422/006Interlude.mkv_snapshot_01.13_[2020.03.04_19.37.20].jpg[/img] [img]https://lpix.org/3673419/006Interlude.mkv_snapshot_01.24_[2020.03.04_19.37.25].jpg[/img] I'm just going to say this is magic now. Because it still doesn't make any sense.[img]https://lpix.org/3673425/006Interlude.mkv_snapshot_01.35_[2020.03.04_19.37.31].jpg[/img] And we're finally out of the sticks. I admit, it'll be nice to be back somewhere they know what a bath is, and where the houses aren't made of living plants.On Maini, the party can finally collect its sixth party member, and we actually get a choice of who to recruit, too! It can be either: [img]https://lpix.org/3673458/006Interlude.mkv_snapshot_10.39_[2020.03.04_19.40.03].jpg[/img] Siobhan Her motivation is that she likes to fight, and would like to fight more things. She exists to be a big chunk of meat wall and will just generally dumpster pretty much anything that gets close to her by being the beefiest party member available, even if she's not quite as fast as Drirr. Is the closest thing the game has to an entirely optional side character as she's thoroughly unconnected to the story. Also looks kind of badass. Or [img]https://lpix.org/3673459/006Interlude.mkv_snapshot_13.05_[2020.03.04_19.40.44].jpg[/img] Khunag A goony-looking motherfucker who's a wizard that literally lives in someone's basement and used to be a member of a suspicious cult. His motivation is that he'd like to see the Toronto because it sounds interesting. His magic is almost exclusively raw blowing poo poo up. Is actually related to the storyline. I'll take votes on who to recruit if anyone has a preference. Next up: Tom gets to solve another mystery and hit things with a sword.
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Mar 8, 2020 00:39
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I know that Khunag is more powerful and all, but I like Siobhan better because of her rad character design. I usually used her instead when I was playing. I like how they make her keep up with Drirr; he can wield two weapons, but she automatically counts as wielding a Damage 4 or 5 weapon for her fists and feet, and adds that to whatever weapon she's equipped with.
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Mar 8, 2020 01:02
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You have two squishy wizards and Rainer already. Clearly Drirr needs someone else beefy to compete with. Get Siobhan.
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Mar 8, 2020 07:51
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You can't have enough wizards. Plus the whole plot-relevant thing.
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Mar 8, 2020 08:53
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I usually go with Siobhan, so I'll vote for Khunag.
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Mar 8, 2020 09:10
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Siobhan because look at that drat majestic hair  Also that last dungeon section gives me some pretty strong Dungeon Master vibes, not surprising given how influential it was but it has nearly everything. Especially the fireball launchers and the really obvious traps with sweet loot inside.
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Mar 8, 2020 10:14
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Gotta go with Siobhan, that design is rad.
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Mar 8, 2020 11:05
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The nice thing is they're both quite useful. You already have a solid party without whoever you take, so whichever one you get is just 'this is a really good extra wizard' or 'this is a totally excellent extra warrior'.
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Mar 8, 2020 14:53
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Siobhan
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Mar 8, 2020 15:54
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Siobhan for party balance. You can't have 2 frontliners and 4 squishes.
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Mar 8, 2020 16:46
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