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As a note, almost everything in Upper Exile is balanced around you doing it with a party of fresh meat. So everything here seems pretty uninspiring because you could easily be fighting it with stone weapons and only the initial 60 skill points spent.TooMuchAbstraction posted:You can eventually run that chitrach nest out of encounters. If I recall correctly, you get one big encounter at the end, and then some treasure. It takes a lot of fighting, though. Interestingly, the world map Chitrachs spawn when you attempt to move into the special, BUT doing so doesn't actually consume a "turn" since you didn't actually move. So you can actually attempt to move into the special repeatedly to keep spawning bugs until it's cleaned out, then you actually move into the space (which has a different special message of like "the nest is now clean") and end up having to fight like 10 spawns to actually escape. berryjon posted:
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Aug 23, 2016 01:07
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MagusofStars posted:Pretty sure this is intended as a fail-safe to keep you from screwing yourself over by teleporting out of a critical future mission (which should be popping up really soon?) or losing the only boat. It also doesn't work if you're too far away from Fort Emergence. Which includes a good chunk of the end-game areas.
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Aug 23, 2016 03:21
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I'm pretty sure cleaning out the chitrach nest is part of a quest for getting heat for the sliths in New Formello. It's too dangerous to go out and chop wood for making fires, so the quest is to murder everything in that nest.
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Aug 23, 2016 19:06
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year199X posted:I'm pretty sure cleaning out the chitrach nest is part of a quest for getting heat for the sliths in New Formello. It's too dangerous to go out and chop wood for making fires, so the quest is to murder everything in that nest. I have had this game since it was first released, and played it literally from that day. This is the first I've heard of that. And to think I've already gone a recorded the next few updates. Oh well, this is why "Things Missed" is a thing. Because there is so much in this game that even guides and walkthroughs miss things.
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Aug 23, 2016 19:45
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So, a question - I understand why Art and the party are interested in stopping these plagues, since she doesn't seem to be the sort to do otherwise. But apart from the slime plague (since it's in their backyard), what interest does Avernum have in keeping the Empire (at least the local arm of it) intact? Most Avernites are have either a) been burned VERY hard by the Empire (inasmuch as they got chucked into Exile for not fitting in), b) were assholes to begin with (which led to them getting chucked into Exile for being disruptive enough to want gone but not disruptive enough to execute), or c) were born to those of groups a) or b). Is it just that the leadership is worried the Empire will conclude that it was their doing?
vdate fucked around with this message at 03:35 on Aug 24, 2016 |
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Aug 24, 2016 01:14
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Having won a war against the Empire (albeit one in which the Empire was unable to bring the entirety of its vast forces to bear), Exile would like to open normal diplomatic relations and do a little bargaining. Specifically, a substantial fraction of the Exile population wants to return to the surface. The plagues threaten to ruin the surface, and also serve as a convenient way for Exile to bring itself into the Empire's good graces. Put another way, so long as the Empire leaves them alone, Exile doesn't really have a problem with them. So they got what they wanted in Exile 2, by winning the war. But now they want more.
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Aug 24, 2016 01:29
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There's also the notion that anything that's a threat to the Empire would also be a threat to Exile. Taking on the plagues gives Exile a chance to understand just why the Empire hasn't taken them out yet with overwhelming force, and to see if they can leverage that to their advantage. I'm writing the next update now, so I might just include some of this as a party discussion.
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Aug 24, 2016 02:44
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vdate posted:So, a question - I understand why Art and the party are interested in stopping these plagues, since she doesn't seem to be the sort to do otherwise. But apart from the slime plague (since it's in their backyard), what interest does Avernum have in keeping the Empire (at least the local arm of it) intact? Most Avernites are have either a) been burned VERY hard by the Empire (inasmuch as they got chucked into Exile for not fitting in), b) were assholes to begin with (which led to them getting chucked into Exile for being disruptive enough to want gone but not disruptive enough to execture), or c) were born to those of groups a) or b). Is it just that the leadership is worried the Empire will conclude that it was their doing? Adding to the above point(s), magical plagues are bad for everyone; who's to say Exile won't be next once this part of the Empire falls? And the connection to the Empire works both ways: while the Exiles have plenty of reasons to hate it, many of them will still have friends and family on the surface, and even those who are loners still wouldn't want to go home and find that the place is in ruins courtesy of magical terrorists. Perhaps most importantly, this region is barely even *in* the Empire, which is why the Empire hasn't bothered to react on any appreciable scale. Finally, the Vahnatai have informed the Exiles that the caves can't actually support even the indigenous people of the underground indefinitely: sooner or later, the people from the surface *will* have to return to it, and when they do, they'll be facing the Empire in full force. In some ways, the magic plague is a blessing: the Empire can't rush troops to the area and start building fortifications while the infrastructure to support such an endeavor is effectively under siege, so Exile can move about freely. Thanks to that, it can open negotiations with the local towns, who's support in turn will force the Empire into negotiations, courtesy of having lost the chance to stop the Exiles at the obvious bottleneck. So to TL;DR, Exile has nothing to gain by keeping its distance here: a return to the surface is necessary, and the magical monsters aren't making that prospect any safer. Given time, however, the plagues will *definitely* make things worse in a situation that's already china-shop delicate.
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Aug 24, 2016 02:59
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Also worth noting that the Empire itself is in deep poo poo. Think about it: -They lost their king, many top-tier mages (in the war or pre-war Exiles like Erika), and countless soldiers and resources. -They lost a major war with a rival nation, possibly for the first time ever. And given Exile's natural advantages, organization, and powerful allies (dragons, Vahnatai), it's not clear that the Empire would have any more luck trying again in the near future. -They're clearly failing to handle the monsters. Add all this up and the Empire is very shaky right now. This is the kind of series of events that leads to unrest, crime, rebellions, and even open civil war. So if there's ever a time for Exile to step up and show by deeds that they can move past the war, this is it. The Empire would have laughed at peace with Exile 10 years ago, but at this point, the war weary public/nobles/bureaucrats might just welcome it to help stabilize things. More pragmatically, the vast majority of Exiles are still first generation. The possibility of moving back to the surface, or even just getting the right to visit and see the sun again, is pretty tempting.
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Aug 24, 2016 02:59
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It's interesting to contemplate what's going on elsewhere in the Empire. Valorim is a much more isolated and sparsely-populated place than the other Imperial continents. What kinds of plagues could be happening on the other continents, and how well is the Empire coping with them? Or is Valorim the only plagued land so far? Maybe our antagonists decided to start somewhere "easy" and haven't yet branched out to the other continents?
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Aug 24, 2016 03:03
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Update 025 – Bolton and the Wolfrider Warren And now we begin the next major arc of the game. With the distraction of the New Formello Murders, the party returns to the task of exploration and discovery. Our next goal is the south-eastern quarter of Valorim. If you thought, from the maps, that Krizsan and Bigail were empty, you've seen nothing yet. But first, something far more important needs to be handled. You see, while Delilah picked up Priest Spells through joining the Anama, Art has yet to learn anything from the 4th level or higher yet, despite being able to cast up to the fifth.  So, I consulted my handy-dandy Spiderweb Software written guide to find out where those spells are sold. And it turns out that Ahonar, the head of the Anama, sells all the fourth circle spells. Well, this just gives me an excuse to start using the Teleporter.  “Hey, Shayder, please.”  “We finally get to use one! This will be amazing!”   “Me first!”  “Again!” “AGAIN!” “No thank you.” “Art, let me talk to Ahonar, convince him to teach you.” Sure.” “Where is he?” “Oh, there you are! Father, do you know someone who is willing to teach a dedicated priest who is not a member of our church?” “Why, I can!”  I pick up everything for art except Sticks to Snakes. Art now has Firewalk! Huzzuh! “Matthias! The Amulet!”    “And now we head east, right?” “Yeah. I'm thinking we stay along the southern coast, and start by following the road that the Slimes were eating up.” “Sounds like a plan to me.”* * *  * * *  “We can't cross here. We'll need to go south.” “Payday!” As we go east, Unicorns become an overworld random encounter. And they have a 100% drop rate for Unicorn Horns and nothing else. So we kill any that we come across, and pile on the horns for the next time we visit Krizsan. “I wonder how long it will take the land to recover.” “The surface is badly scorched in places, and while the topsoil will recover eventually, I'm more worried about the acids soaking into the water table.” “Yet, if it's just the surface, the ground can be disturbed, and the acidic soil spread out so that it's not as intense. You could also wait for the ground to naturally recover. It'll take years for some of this to get rebuilt, and by then the government will be in a position to assess the remains of the damage and organize a proper response. If there's anything the Empire is good at, it's throwing bodies at a problem until it stops being a problem.”  “It will take more than a couple years to restore all this.” This section of forest, north of the Slime Pit, would have generated an enemy encounter had we not resolved the situation already. “There's a camp up that way.” “It's only 50! We got lots.” “He has a point. Besides, we don't know if they have reinforcements nearby.” * * *  “I wonder what forces created these mountains.”  “I love how official policy is to ignore polite signs telling people to stay away, and only fall back when faced with force.” :heh: “I actually didn't write that rule.”  “Hail!” “Makes sense. Sure, let's see what you got.” This would have been closed off before we offed the Alien Slime. “We can afford one. Because we bothered you. And now I feel like we need to get our investment back.” “Your mother was an elf!”  “This'll be easy.” “Well, Ni'aurrl and I both can cast Firestorm now.” Yes, they can. Even without it, we're still over-levelled for this encounter, and it's just free XP. “Take it away!”    “Yesssss...” “You know that the Anama think that is a reason for removing Mage spells, right? Not the power, but what it does to the people who wield it.” “If we want to finish this, we should go north.” “YAY!” “I'm for it. I'd hate for their population to explode in the absence of the Slimes.”* * *  “The path leads up this way.” “I just want to go on record as wondering why the old guy is our tracker. I mean, he doesn't wear furs, or anything!” Without the Wilderness Lore trait, we would have taken damage. And we can't get past the hidden event here. “Perhaps there is a less obvious route in?” “Nope.” “Booooo!” “We'll come back later. Come on, we'll head back south.”* * *  “At least there's enough of the road left to follow.” “I'm surprised that even this much is still here, given that the Slime Pit was just to the south.”* * *  * * *  “We're out of Slime territory. They wouldn't have ignored this forest.” “Is anyone else confused about why the road goes north here?” I have no clue about this. I can only presume that the road was laid down to go around the worst of the forest, then logging thinned it out to the point that we see here. “That looks like a nice little town.” “Hello.” “We know who you are. Keep your noses clean, and there won't be trouble.” “Agreed.” “But I wash my snout!”   “... You guys do good work.” I don't know why these guys are here. They don't move, and they don't talk. “I am really worried about the guards in this town.” “I'm going shopping!”  “Hi!” Generic store with nothing interesting. “I think the sign fell off.” Wait? Monster Saw You? What is going on? “LEAVE!” So, this guy has actually been talked about in the thread already. He was accidentally flagged as a 'hostile' NPC, rather than friendly, and because of that you can't start a conversation with him. You actually need to charm him before he'll talk to you. He has a name and everything! Except I don't have Charm Person, and my guide doesn't tell me where to get/purchase it. It's a level 2 spell, so it may have been something I skipped in Krizsan or Bigail. “How mean!”  This would be an awesome place to buy food – except Art has Manna. “Hi! Are you going to be mean?” A massive, grim looking taciturn man is working a piece of red hot steel with firm, practiced blows. When you approach, he sets the metal in the coals to keep hot, and turns to you. “I'm Sass!” “Voster.” “You make things?” He talks slowly and simply. “I have weapons. I can also do improvements. What would you like?” “You improve weapons?” He grunts, and picks up a massive steel hammer. “Rework weapon. Make is sharper. Better against troglodytes. Just ask for augmentation.” “What are trogs?” “Troglodytes tough. Need good weapons. Otherwise they spit you and you die in agony. Augmentation?” Too expensive at this point, but I should check it out later. And he only sells basic bronze weapons, so I skip that as well. “And as ususal, the locals ignore us.” “Puppy!”    “I wonder what was being stored here.”  “What. A. Slob.”  “I'm serious. You'd need a Pheonix Egg to burn this clear.”  “And this is for the suffering I had to go through.” “Well, let's see what the Inn has going for it.” You meet a young priestess. She nods at you when you approach. “Afternoon.” “I am Meiko.” “Matthias. So, you a local?” “I am out spreading the faith of the Anama.”  “The Anama.” “We preach of the dangers of magic. We are based on the Isle of Bigail.” “The Isle of Bigail? I can't say I've been there before.” “A beautiful, recently settled island. My church has worked it very hard, despite many difficulties. Head west to the city of Farport. You can take a ferry over. Hope you go! It's wonderful there!” “What are your problems with magic? The difficulties it creates?” She smiles sadly. “Just look around. Magical creatures slay us, forcing us into hiding at every turn. Unless something is done about this, these problems will get worse before they get better. If this idea intrigues you, my church can be found on the Isle.” “I'll keep that in mind.”* * *  “Hey, Art? Question.” “Go ahead.” “I mean, I get the mission of exploration and recon. But why are we going out of our way to take on these plagues?” “I too agree that this is something that has tickled my mind.” “Because it's the right thing to do, and we're heroes!” “We're technically adventurers in the service of the crown.” “Which are not mutually exclusive titles. Still, word from on high would be nice.” “You want to know the truth? I wouldn't mind doing just that. That we just seal off Upper Exile, and let Valorim fall. It would be easy, and I guarantee you that there would not be a tear shed in Exile or Olgai or in the Slith lands.” “Talking to me here.” “Eh, we forgive you. Anyway, while it would be the simplest and easiest course of action, the reality of the situation isn't that simple. We are not properly isolated. It's been years, but we're still finding the occasional Empire squad in the caves around the Abyss. And more than that, teleportation exists. Despite our best efforts, you can move from point A to point B without going through Point C in the process.” “In addition, the status of the Empire is still a relative unknown. Over the past ten years, the two most powerful members of the government have met their ends at the hands of Exile, and the current head of the government should be Empress Prazac, first of her name. But we don't know.” “Now, that's been confirmed already, but what kind of person is she? What are her policies?” “What are her intentions with Exile?” “Exactly. And while she would have every legitimate political grievance against us, being, you know, a rebellious colony that's already won one war of independence, we haven't seen or heard of them in years. Why is that? Has the Empire suffered internal strife with the first major loss in its history? Or something else entirely?” “And so while I can see the logic in investigating the state of Valorim, that doesn't answer the question – why help?” “BECAUSE WE'RE THE GOOD GUYS!” “He's right, but for more pragmatic reasons. The plagues are here. What about the other continents? Aizo or Pralgad? Or the others? Is this an isolated incident, or something world wide? By helping here and now, we invest in our protection as well. We learn about these things, and their creators, and should they start to occur in Exile, we can be better prepared to respond.” “And in doing so, we also earn the goodwill of the local provinces. With the Empire occupied elsewhere, unable to help them, and lacking the resources to save themselves, they will remember us as the ones who helped them. We earn enough trust to show that we are not the source of the plagues, and that we helped them.” “That the war is over. That a ... Reconciliation can begin.” “Exactly. We help, to try and earn a lasting peace. And if there is to be no peace, we at least show that we can be peaceful to those that the Empire hasn't helped.” “Ugh. I hate politics.” “So do I.” “Hey, look!”  “I wanna go for a swim!” “Sure, as soon as we can find a safe place. I haven't done a proper geothermal bath in ages.” “This way!” “Oh great. Well, if it hasn't attacked yet.... Let's talk.” “I don't believe we're being given a choice here.” ... This fight is... well... you'll see. But first, let's see who we're fighting alongside...  He could wipe out the party without any trouble at all. And what could possibly threaten him? Only about a dozen drakes. And because of the rocks in the way, the Drake Lord won't engage them, and they're all huddled up against the other side of the rocks I'm hiding behind. How bad is it?  This encounter is well above my punching weight. I'm going to have to come back in about 10 levels to try again. “On second though, let's not provoke the Drake in its home. Bye!”* * *  “Curious, I see Goblin signs to the west.” “Isn't that the fortified mound they have?” “No, something closer, I think.”  “I take it, this will be our usual response to people telling us to go somewhere else?” “Yep. And it's Goblins too!” These are the same foes we took care of back in Upper Exile. This isn't a threat. “Not even a token pen? What keeps them in place?” “Food?” “As good a reason as any.”  “Oh hey, an Ogre. Marginal improvement in danger.” She said Marginal. Not that it actually became one. “Two sets of gates. One to the west that leads deeper underground, and one to the east.” “How about we backtrack, like, five paces, and investigate those doors?” “You mean these doors?” “You'd think they'd have better precautions than a single sign.” “As long as they keep coming in such an unorganized manner, I'm fine with it.” “Yeah, but it's like we're the only people who can fight as a group.” “Exile specializes in small unit tactics and asymmetric warfare. To us, being outnumbered is typical, so we're trained to exploit terrain and tactical synergy.” “Whereas the Empire has historically fought full wars, which involves massed logistics, supply and organization. Objective based, where they had specific goals in mind.”  “Goblins such as these also tend toward cavalry tactics – hit and fade, and we caught them in close quarters, away from their mounts.”  “They're also Goblins, and we're all stronger than they are.” “I think controls one of the gates.”  “Have to figure out which one though.” “Ah, the last of the Ogres.” “This entire wall looks weak.” “oooh! I know! I know!” I don't think I've used True Sight before now, but what it does is act like a mini Magic Map, revealing everything within two tiles of the caster. Useful for checking out if there's a secret passage nearby.  “I think there's a passage behind.” “We'll circle around to find it then.”  “Sass, you still have one of those piercing crystals, don't you?” “Yeah!” “I'm awesome!” “And now we have cause to go get more.” “Let me check this out...” “Look at the body, this person killed themselves.” “Hold on...” “No, too much for me.” Yeah, this trap exceeds her skill at this point. Triple explosions are never fun. And even if we did pass it, there's not much in the chest:  “Another switch. Well, there were two sets of gates.”  “The entrance to the passage is just over there!” “So it was. Well done, my boy!”  “Now this is easy.”  “Not bad. Take'em.” “Shall we investigate the back door now?” “I think so, yeah.” “Hey, we're over here now!” “Indeed. Behind the Goblin's defensive line.” “Except they're ready for us.”   I love it when the enemy obliges. “Hey, what were they guarding?” “Doesn't look like homes. More like a ... mine?”  Only about 2000 gold.   “Alright, I think that's good for this place. Let's get out of here.”  “I suppose this means that we took out all the defenders here further up the hill.” “I don't mind that at all.” “Well, that's done. So, now we head south again to Bolton, then east from there.”* * *  “Can someone explain this to me?” “It's a road.” “Yeah!” “Not that! Why is it here? I mean, it goes nowhere. There's no town, or port, or anything of interest. It's like whomever was laying the road just went off in the wrong direction.” “Wait... what..?” Did... did the game just recognize that I have non-humans in the party? WHAT? “And this must be the Sludge River. I can see how it got its name.” “We'll pause here, take a breather, then cross.” That should be enough for this update. Join me next time when we cross the river to find out what's on the other side!
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Aug 24, 2016 04:59
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Few items: 1.) I don't remember where the trigger is, but there's actually a quest relating to the teleporter guy. 2.) I think the Anama Priest's dialogue changes a little if you're actually part of the church. Nice attention to detail. 3.) The Drake Lord battle setup is random. You get approximately the same number of enemies and allies, but the terrain can shift around. Even if the Drake Lord helps though, the encounter itself is still well out-of-depth. The Drakes can (and will) cast group damage spells and the continued breaths of Drakes AND Fire Lizards can easily wipe out half the party in one round.
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Aug 24, 2016 11:42
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MagusofStars posted:1.) I don't remember where the trigger is, but there's actually a quest relating to the teleporter guy. quote:3.) The Drake Lord battle setup is random. You get approximately the same number of enemies and allies, but the terrain can shift around. Even if the Drake Lord helps though, the encounter itself is still well out-of-depth. The Drakes can (and will) cast group damage spells and the continued breaths of Drakes AND Fire Lizards can easily wipe out half the party in one round. Like I said, the last time I played through the game, with a solo character, I had to make use of invulnerability potions to survive this fight. But I only had one guy to protect, so that's not really doable for berryjon. I suspect it's doable with berryjon's party right now, but it'd require a lot of save/reloads and accepting some amount of casualties, since the enemies are largely immune to his big damage dealers (fireball and firestorm). And he'd need a setup like he got in those screenshots, where most of the enemy can't see him and he can lure one or two around the corner at a time. Corner-abuse strats are vital in these big overworld fights, really. Speaking of firestorm, the spell screen before you first cast it has Summoning selected, not Firestorm.  Also, that is a nice reward in that chest with the triple-explosion trap. Two sapphires, two rubies, two bits of mandrake (worth its weight in gold if you decide to invest in alchemy), and I wouldn't be surprised if the wand is a Firestorm wand or something similar. It might be worth save/reloading a few times to see if Blue can disarm the trap; Exile 3's disarm checks are semi-random, as I recall, as opposed to completely deterministic like they are in later games.
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Aug 24, 2016 15:53
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TooMuchAbstraction posted:That comes later; I think it's in the main town for the far-northeast plague. quote:Like I said, the last time I played through the game, with a solo character, I had to make use of invulnerability potions to survive this fight. quote:Also, that is a nice reward in that chest with the triple-explosion trap. I did, four times. And she lost every time. Another case of 'get better stats' then try again.
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Aug 24, 2016 17:45
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berryjon posted:Except I don't have Charm Person, and my guide doesn't tell me where to get/purchase it. It's a level 2 spell, so it may have been something I skipped in Krizsan or Bigail. You completed the quest for the Evil Acolyte in Pergies by getting the package, right? If so, you should have Charm Foe, which is a 2nd level priest spell.
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Aug 25, 2016 00:02
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That was the first thing I checked - except it wasn't appearing on my list of castable spells. I'll have to re-check that when I get back to the game. Writing the next update now, actually.
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Aug 25, 2016 01:18
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berryjon posted:That was the first thing I checked - except it wasn't appearing on my list of castable spells. I'll have to re-check that when I get back to the game. Writing the next update now, actually. I think that part of it is that the spell is combat-only, so you have to go into combat mode to cast it. But don't quote me on that.
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Aug 25, 2016 01:40
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Update 026 – Libras and the Lost Isle “Everyone rested?” “I am, but the water is yucky.” “It shows signs of mining refuse from further upstream.” “Yes, but how far?” “And what problems are they having that we'll eventually resolve?” “Probably those Nephil we met earlier.” “I object to the implication that we are a problem simply by existing!” “You do realize we're talking about the Empire, right? The whole point is that they develop by marginalizing the other.” “Yes, I see your point. I apologize.” “At least the ferry is cheap.” “And quick enough that I barely felt it.”  “But I did.”   “Ah, a payday!” “Let's read the sign first, shall we?” “Named for books?” “I thought those were balance scales?” “Scales? Where?” “Wide open plains for corps of trees around. How... relaxing.” * * *  “Road!”   “And by process of elimination, this is Libras.” “Usual survey. Spread out.”   “Finally! More bolts for Delilah.” “Heyo!” “Uh... Hi?” The inn is run by a pale bland man. You notice he has a bundle of tickets at his belt. “My name is Sass!” He says “Vincent,” in a voice remarkable in its atonality. “You talk weird. What do you sell here?” “You can get a room for the night for a mere 8 gold. We have find Karnold Whisky for 12 gold. Also, I have boat tickets.” His voice is so flat you almost have to struggle to pay attention. “Oooh! I'm an adult! I can drink!” Don't ask me how much alcohol it would take to get an 8 foot lizard that weighs at least 200 pounds of muscle to wind up like that. “Why would people have wings? They're people, not birds! And where are your tickets too?” “I have tickets to the Lost Isle. It's a town on the Remote Isle to the south. Nice town. Very peaceful. You can purchase tickets for your group for only 15 gold, round trip.” “Thanks!” “Excuse me.” “Hey, this is edible!” Uh....  “Knowing us, I'm really going to have to do something about my motion sickness.” “Understood.”  “Never change. Never change.”  You meet a massive merchant, wearing fine silk clothes. He has thinning hair and a pock-marked face. He'd be very unappealing if he didn't clearly have so much money. “Hey.” “Demons Below! You're alive?” “Yep. Going by Bronwyn now.” He clears his throat extensively. “Just call me Mervin, please.” “So, you seem to have made good for yourself. What's the angle?” “I run this end of the Eastern Trade Route and we're always looking for good couriers!”  “Really? What's this about a Trade Route?” He sighs contentedly. “Ah, Eastern Valorim. Few people. Many resources. All it takes is merchants to arrange getting the goods in and out, and good couriers to do the job.” He looks you over. “Were you anyone else, I'd say you looked like you had plenty of potential!” “What goods?” “It's very simple, and very profitable. Squiggus, a town up the coast to the east, gathers and processes herbs. We send clothes and goods to them to keep them alive out in the wilderness. You purchase goods here, sell them in Squiggus and bring their fine herbs back here where I buy them. Profit for you. Interested?” “What's with the generic 'herbs'? I got an offer back on Bigail from one of our old crew to move herb from Bigail to Sharimik. And now this?” “I don't deal in that,” he huffs. “My business is above the board. I'm out of that sort of thing and I want to be as clean as possible for as long as possible before the Empire re-establish control over the region. Then I can be a recognized business with taxes and all that.” “Fair enough. Good luck. So, can I see what you're selling?” Each of these weighs 20 stone, and there is money to be made thanks to supply and demand, but it's a long trip for the party right now – I'll probably make a run or two after I find Squiggus naturally.  “Herbalist?” “Hello!” A quiet woman with a sweet smile sits behind the counter, scrubbing clean a few freshly picked bunches of leaves. A fresh, fragrant, herbal smell hangs heavy in the air. “I'm Delilah.” She continues to clean the leaves while speaking to you. She seems to be doing it automatically. “I'm Dot.” “So, what's it that you offer?” “I know a few spells, but I'm a herbalist by trade. I collect herbs.” “Oh? You offer magic as well as alchemy? What spells do you teach?” She laughs. “Oh, you wouldn't want to learn spells from me. I wouldn't know how to teach them! You might try a Flame spell, and end up making all your hair fall out! Or worse! No, the main thing I have to offer is herbs.” “So, the herbalist job good for you?” “Yes! I have a good supply of some of the more effective ones. You can purchase them if you wish.” She sighs. “Now if I could find some mandrake to sell! Then I'd be rich!” “What's so special about the mandrake?” “The king of herbs. Magically potent in the extreme! I'd love to be able to find a good supply of it. I've heard others have, but I think that's only a rumor.” “Oh, you have to share these rumors with me.” “I've heard there's a hermit that lives on an island somewhere east or north or somewhere who sells Mandrake. Just a rumor though. I'm sure.” Karnold Province has something going for it. Somewhere in this province are stores that sell alchemical components. All of them. From things like Comfrey Root to Greymold. Some are easy to find, others are hard. One of them is very hard. I'll try to locate all of them. “Interesting. Thanks.”  “Let me guess. Merry?”  “Yep.””Merry Count” posted:
* * * “And there are islands to the south!” “Isolated Islands? Sounds like a good thing to check out. Sass, get tickets.”  “I won't give in...” “Don't worry. You'll be fine.” “Says the man who needed a few minutes just now.”  “I wonder what they taste like...?” “Ugh. That trip was harder on me than I thought.” “Take a break.” “Why is the warehouse at the docks so unused that there are cobwebs developing?”  “I don't know why we keep checking out ration stores. Art supplies.”  “???”  “That's not a good sign.”  “Seriously.” “Where did everyone go?”  “Where did everyone go?”  “I hope the commander is in.” “No, and this desk looks unused.” “Hail and well met.” This man is busy chopping herbs. It's an incredibly intricate procedure ... apparently he is trying to get all the strips to exactly the same length and width. The concentration involved doesn't leave much mental room for dealing with you. “I'm Harmon,” he says, continuing to concentrate on the herbs. “You, uh, don't mind me talking?” “Chopping herbs.” “Which herbs?” He keeps chopping, speaking very slowly so that hs can devote most of his concentration to his job. “For alchemy. Needs to be very precise. Want to buy ingredients? Give yo ugood price. Don't get many visitors now.” “Sure, let me see what you're selling.”  “So, why no visitors?” “This island got a basilisk nest. People have left like crazy.” “I'm sorry. I could have sworn you said basilisks!” “Deadly things. Turn you to stone by looking at you. Some people thought carrying mirrors would save them. They're dead now. Most everyone left. I stayed. Good ingredients here. Just don't go out much.” “...” “Well, you know that I used to count the number of times I encountered random Basilisks on my missions?” “You encountered so many that you actually had a statistical means of measuring them?” “That's completely ridicuous.” “And yet, I'm not about to start one here. We're going into this knowing that there are Basilisks in the area.” “And why are we going?” “Good deeds?” “Exactly!” “This is going to go horribly, isn't it?” “No! You can actually tilt the battle in your favour with cursing the 'lisks.”  “Nothing on this island. So we're going island hopping?” “No! We don't hop islands! We swim across!” “I just hope this map is accurate. Measuring distances over the water can be difficult without access to a good clock and a sextant.” “Second island, just as quiet.”  “I don't want to jinx us.” “Almost there...” “Never seen a petrified squirrel before.” “On your guard.”  “Yep. A Nest.” “We really doing this?” “I'm lucky!”  Basilisk tactics are a little different. First of all, curse them and bless the party as you would at any other fight. Matthias used Venom Arrows to start getting damage-over-time on the Basilisks. And now I just realized that I forgot to Scry Monster on them!  The other necessary tactics involve target saturation. I'm not normally a big fan of summons, but when dealing with an enemy that can insta-kill anyone, having ablative forces to take shots is the difference between life and death. Nothing causes me more stress than ending my turn, and watching as all the Basilisks try to stone people, worried that I'll have to reload. “We win! Hurrray!” “Well, here's a source of those Mandrake Roots. We should leave them alone for now.” There's a recipe that uses them, I think. I may actually use alchemy this game, and knowing about this place will help. And a random encountered turned into two Basilisks – and this is when things go wrong. “Curious. I wonder if there are other islands...”* * *  “Well, that was mostly a waste. But taking out that nest was nice.” “I can't help but notice that no one offered a reward for it.” “They probably thought that no one was dumb enough to do it in the first place.” “Yes, who would be?” “Don't look at me!” “Farewell!” Mr. Vogel... I know you live in Washington state, so you should know better. Salmon is a freshwater fish and there are no rivers to act as an outflow in the region that can be used to justify having such a target population in the area. So either you made a mistake, or the party was lied to about what the boats were going for.LuffyVeggies posted:Don't mean to be contradictory, but Salmon are actually Anadromous. They're born in freshwater and reproduce in freshwater, but migrate to the ocean afterwards. They are both saltwater AND freshwater. * * *  “Hey, Ni'aurrl?” “Yes?” “I want to investigate the whys and hows of this Nephil colony on the surface. Having one 'in the wild' so to speak is odd for all the usual reasons, and therefore I want you to handle the talking.” “I can do that. Thank you.” “Hey! When do I get to lead?” “When we find a colony of Slithzerikai, of course.” “That'll never happen. It's too cold on the surface.” “I doubt they would be on the road though.” “How about in the mountains?” “Actually, yes. That makes sense.” “!!!” “Attack!”  “Who are you?” “Help. Now ready to fight!” “Nothing new.” “Keeping the Kitt... Nephil alive may be a problem.” “What problem?” “I do not know who you are, but for your aid, and for your membership, we will not contest your entrance into our valley as long as you stay peaceful.” “Thank you. I am Ni'aurrl of the nation of Exile.” “I am F'rruil. This is my tribe. Why are you here, Exile?” Um... Nephilim raids on a Nephilim camp? I think someone wrote the wrong word there. “We, the people of Exile, as you can see a Slith is among our number, are here on the surface to evaluate the conditions up here and to determine certain viabilities.” “So many of us were sent down there, they must have gone mad. The crime of being 'different'. When the portals were closed, many of us took the chance to flee. We are but a small band.” “Many more yet live in the underworld. Many of those see no difference between the tribes of humanity, Empire and Exile, and seek to punish one for the crimes of the other.” “Ah, I understand. A surface colony would relieve much pressure on the mind.” “And if we have allies up here, ones whom we can trust, and can be trusted by in return?” “That you are here at all speaks much about the truth in your words.” “Yet proof is needed. You will not, and cannot accept our aid at the mouth of the valley.” “Nor the scouting party trapped south of Farport.” “What about the plagues? The Slimes, the Roaches. There are Troglodytes and Giants in the region, are there not?” “Yes. And things even more monstrous between here and vile Blackcrag. What of them? Are they your doing?” “No. But send envoys to Krizsan and Shayder. Speak to their mayors, and ask about who removed the plagues from their lands. Exile does not take threats like this lightly.” “You speak boldly. But the Empire exists. Why would be ally with you when you are their mortal foe?” “There is a human saying, more accurate than some of ours. 'Either we hang together or we hang separately'. When they say that, they refer to the strength of the group overcoming obstacles, or they would be executed as indiviuals.”  “An alliance to strengthen us. Two tribes acting together to handle threats that would exceed either one alone.” “Yes. That is the proposal we bring. Not subservience, but a recognition that what we cannot gain ourselves, that we can as one.” “Your words will need to be decided upon by the tribe. Give us time. And we will verify your claims to the west.” “That is all I ask. Thank you for your time.” “Go in peace, you who came in peace. May your road be clear.” “My road is not clear, for before me lays those who would threaten us all.”* * * “So, it went well?” “Well enough.” “River is sill mucky.” “Oh hey, reinforcements for the wrong team.” Not a fight worth recording.* * *  “On the road again...” “Country roads, take me home... “Hold on, something about this spur of mountains...”   Short pulling out another Great Map Update, I cannot stress just how large some of these mountain ranges are. This particular spur is gargantuan, and is a massive obstacle for anyone going east or west, while encouraging travel north and south. “Gremlins?!?!? CHARGE!” “Pests!” “Yeah!” “I agree. Those things are horrendous.” “This valley – there's something about it...” “I feel it too. A sense of joy?” “I don't see any of the signs of Lotus', so we should be good for now.”        “GO AWAY!”      “Not good enough.”     “It's beautiful.” “Think this will satisfy that dryad?” “Yes.”  “Alright, I'll use the amulet to get us back to Emergence. That'll shave a lot of time off our trip.” “Go for it.” * * *   “Lady of the Wood? We have your requested item.” “We have done as you asked.” “Thank you.” “Where's Calloc?” “not now” “I think that's it for now. We're in the clear.” “Once we find Calloc.” “Also, these Unicorn horns are starting to poke a hole in my pocket. We should go back to Krizsan to unload them.” “Good enough for me. Southward-ho!”
berryjon fucked around with this message at 21:33 on Aug 25, 2016 |
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Aug 25, 2016 03:57
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That Nephilim valley is more interesting than you might think: If you refuse to help, then they win their battle off-screen. However, they have no reason to trust you and will not let you enter...unless your party contains a Nephilim, in which case they'll reluctantly let you in. When you get in this way, there's a little "the village seems oddly quiet" message, just to emphasize that you're a dick for not helping them.
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Aug 25, 2016 06:37
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berryjon posted:
Don't mean to be contradictory, but Salmon are actually Anadromous. They're born in freshwater and reproduce in freshwater, but migrate to the ocean afterwards. They are both saltwater AND freshwater. You can thank The Magic School Bus for teaching me that. Man, can't believe I still remember that show...
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Aug 25, 2016 08:01
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LuffyVeggies posted:Don't mean to be contradictory, but Salmon are actually Anadromous. They're born in freshwater and reproduce in freshwater, but migrate to the ocean afterwards. They are both saltwater AND freshwater. yep. most people in the U.S have probably ate atlantic salmon at some point.
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Aug 25, 2016 08:43
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I don't have anything particular to say about this last update, but I do want to say I'm absolutely loving how fast we're getting updates.
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Aug 25, 2016 09:07
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Roobanguy posted:yep. most people in the U.S have probably ate Atlantic Salmon at some point. Pretty much anyone who's ever eaten Salmon in the US at all has eaten Atlantic Salmon, due to the fish being mislabeled so much: Alaskan, Pacific and Chinook Salmon especially. The best part is that "Wild" Atlantic Salmon are "mislabeled" 70% of the time in the off-season, so unless you're eating at some multi-star restaurant, you're probably paying extra for nothing. Also, Good god Berryjon, how do you have the patience to cure this guy so drat much? I would have cheated away that crap long ago.
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Aug 25, 2016 19:53
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LuffyVeggies posted:Don't mean to be contradictory, but Salmon are actually Anadromous. They're born in freshwater and reproduce in freshwater, but migrate to the ocean afterwards. They are both saltwater AND freshwater. I have edited your reply into the post. Thanks! GodFish posted:I don't have anything particular to say about this last update, but I do want to say I'm absolutely loving how fast we're getting updates. thetruegentleman posted:Also, Because that's how the character was created, and I'm willing to work with it for the purposes of the LP.
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Aug 25, 2016 21:33
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berryjon posted:I have an interview today that's later on. I'll try to push Golddale out this evening, but I can't be certain. You might have to wait until tomorrow. A whole day??? Noooooooooooooooo. Is Golddale the area with the Slith who took over a mine and the valley of Ursagi? that was always one of my favorite areas.
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Aug 25, 2016 22:41
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I really appreciated the picture of that montane flower field. It sold the ambiance better than the stock overworld sprites, and reminded me that was actually a thing that existed and not something made-up for purposes of fantasy, like gremlins and dryads and a single, perfect rose.
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Aug 25, 2016 23:52
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Glazius posted:I really appreciated the picture of that montane flower field. It sold the ambiance better than the stock overworld sprites, and reminded me that was actually a thing that existed and not something made-up for purposes of fantasy, like gremlins and dryads and a single, perfect rose.  They're stock photos of a tourist trap/nature park in India actually. Click on the images for links to the relevant sites.
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Aug 26, 2016 03:15
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GodFish posted:I don't have anything particular to say about this last update, but I do want to say I'm absolutely loving how fast we're getting updates. Me too, I just didn't say anything because I didn't want berryjon to feel pressured. He's held a reasonably steady pace through roughly 2.3 complex RPGs while writing 16 different player characters and other bit parts, and that's very impressive. I'm also jealous that he still has physical copies of the old exile hint books. I only have an archive of digital guides and I wish that I could find scans of the really old ones somewhere. On a more positive note, I do have a copy of the original Nethergate, which is quite rare.
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Aug 26, 2016 03:21
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JustJeff88 posted:I'm also jealous that he still has physical copies of the old exile hint books. I only have an archive of digital guides and I wish that I could find scans of the really old ones somewhere. Oh, my physical ones are quite worn down. I'm using digital copies for this LP. So, while I'm writing the update with Golddale, raise your hand if you remember what's so special about the NPC's here, and don't spoil it. berryjon fucked around with this message at 04:40 on Aug 26, 2016 |
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Aug 26, 2016 04:08
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I remember it's a thing, but only because I was told; I didn't get it originally.
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Aug 26, 2016 04:23
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Not a drat thing.
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Aug 26, 2016 06:21
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berryjon posted:Oh, my physical ones are quite worn down. I'm using digital copies for this LP.
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Aug 26, 2016 06:28
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Update 027 – Golddale, the Golddale Mines and the Ursagi Lair Lots of stuff to cover, so we're jumping right into it. "Selling Unicorn Horns for profit is always fun." "Yeah, but we only had a couple dozen this time. Say, while we're here, let's check out the job board. Maybe there's a package going our way?" "Seems like a good idea to me." "We are taking that message to Ahonar." "Really?" "Do not argue with me on this." "It's not like we know where any of these other places are." "Alright then. But if it's that important, we should take the Ernest's teleporter, but that will cut our profits in half." "Don't care."* * *    [priest] "Curious, I had not expected this missive to arrive quite so quickly. You are a credit, Delilah." "Thank you, father. But I must go for there are other tasks that must be attended too."* * *  "Where too this time?" "Well, we should finish following that road north. To the east!"* * *  "This poor river...." "And this looks to be about where we got distracted by that flower."  "We can cross here. Barely." Those snakes flee as I'm overleveled. "Interesting, we're on the back side of the valley of the Nephil tribe." "I can see that. The river, while flowing from the north, turned west to go around the hard rock of the mountains, through the softer stones." "But it still passed through this gap here." "You know, we find these little spots we can't get too without flying. Once I have my baby back, we're going to check them out." "Ugh..." "Hello?" "Another natural source of alchemical ingredients." "And back to the west is the Goblins. We should backtrack east across that ford to get back to the road." "Like that!" "This land would make for good farming. Between the mountains and the river." "Except the water is disgusting!" "I think we're close to a town."  "But this doesn't tell us which town this is!" "Signs say 'Golddale'." "Pretty obvious what this place is. A town with a gold mine." "Alright, everyone split up and look around. You know the usual."  "I wonder what they work, aside from Gold? Because gold is pretty soft, and not all that useful." Generic shopkeeper selling Iron weapons.  "How do you pronounce that? ih-VAH-noh-vah ? Or ih-vah-NOH-vah ?" "Hello!" "Curious. Openly walking through our town." This woman is piercingly beautiful, and has the air of one who is comfortable holding power. Her robes are simple and precises. She has two wands at her belt. Welcome to Golddale, where every named NPC is from Jeff Vogel's favourite show during the timeframe he was making this game. All character portraits are taken from the relevant character page on the B5 wiki. "Hey there! I'm Sass! And of course I'd be walking around. There's not enough water to swim in." "I am Ivanova, sage by trade." She grimaces. "I do a lot of metal analysis. Leaves little time for my ... well, my other studies. I presume then that you're not from the mines?" "No...? Not really. I mean, I was born underground, but then we all are. So, you do metal stuff?” She looks impatient. “Metallurgy! What else would a sage by a mine do?” “Bird watching?” “No. I am a sage. I study items. You can have me identify your items, and then sell them to me. Beats working.” “But isn't that work in the first place? And what do you really study?” She looks at you shiftily. “I study teleportation a bit. Quite an interesting field of study, eh? In fact, if you wanted to undertake a little mission for me, the reward would be worth you while.” “Oooh! missions are always fun!” She describes a book to you. “There is a mage named Ernest, Valorim's leading master of teleportation. He lives in a hut southwest of Farport. I can guarantee that book is somewhere inside. Get that book and bring it to me, and I will teach you how to cast the spell Identify.”  “I'll need to talk to scary boss lady.” “Man, Sass is getting weird looks. Well, weirder than your typical Slithzerikai does on the surface.” “Vo-Tech? Why do I want to say 'Vorlon Technology'? But that can't be right, they're mythical, and I'm pretty sure everyone calls them angels anyway. Maybe this is a religious place? That can't be right, those aren't usually in places of business like this.” “OH!” “Vocational-Technical!”  A short, stocky man, mostly bald, sits behind the counter. He has several knives and a sharp analytical gaze. “I am Londo,” he says in a thickly accented voice. “Bronwyn. Did I get that right? Vocational-Technical?” “I am responsible for education in this filthy town. I teach the people who go to work in the mines.” More than any of the other cameos, this one is easiest to hear in the voice of the character.  “You sound like you're not impressed with the mines.” “The mines are dangerous in the best of times. The poor workers must be told what to do at all times. I need to teach them a wide variety of skill. If you need training, I can help you too. For a fee.” “So, why do you say this town is filthy? I mean, the river's a mess, and compared to Pergies, this place is clean.” “The dust constantly clogs my nose, and the dirt is always in my clothes! At least it's been better lately, because of all the troubles in the mines.” “That sounds important. What's the trouble?” “The mines have been attacked by many, many dangerous monsters. I am not who you should ask about that, though. You should talk to Delenn. She runs the mines. Her office is nearby.” “Hello! I am Ni'aurrl.” A Nephilim male maintains the inn, keeping the bar clean with feline fastidiousness. He purrs in greeting. “I am G'kar.” “It is good to see one of us gainfully working with the Empire. Tell me, what are the prices for your inn?” “Mrrr. We have a fine room for only 15 gold. Apologies ... we have none of our usual mead.” “What do you mean? What happened to your mead?” He shrugs, in a smooth, feline way. “The monsters to the north of here have made merchants nervous about coming here. Thus, my usual sources of mead have dried up. Still looking for a new source.” “What monsters are those?” “Troglodytes by Sharamik. Giants in Lorelei. Even heard rumors of golems to the Northeast!” He hisses. “Horrible days, to be sure.” I don't think we can fix his mead problem though.  “Completely uninteresting.”  “Much more interesting.” “Hello, Ma'am.” “Ah, yes, the ones with the damned lizard.” “I'm sorry, I think we got off on the wrong foot. My name is Matthias.” You meet with a middle-aged woman with long dark hair and an air of command. She wears a long, flowing, very professional dress. She stands and shakes your hand. “You are right. I apologize. I am Delenn. Welcome to my office.” “Thank you for you for your time. Are you also the mayor?” “No, this town doesn't have a mayor. We are a Company Town. I run the Golddale Mining Company. Challenging, but rewarding work.” “I haven't heard of Golddale before my party came here today. What's it like?” “A wealthy and peaceful town. Fortunately, we have suffered little at the hands of the troglodytes that have plagued the north.” “Sounds prosperous. I assume that the mining is being protected?” “We pull gold and silver out of the mountains to the east. Considering the poverty of much of Valorim, valuable metals are a great blessing to us.” “There is much wealth in the ground and many monsters interested in it. We often pay adventurers to undertake missions for us.” “That's a curious reversal from the usual 'no adventurers' policies.” “Those are for the Empire, not for towns such as mine. We run them according to our needs.” “Alright. So, what's this mission of yours?” “Our mine is to the northeast, but it has been taken over by strange lizard people, much like the one whom you entered with. And I will have to talk to Garibaldi about his guards. They are led by a certain chieftain who wields a huge spear and commands several lizard mages. Slay their chief, and drive the rest out of the mine, and I will reward you well.” “Alright, first thing's first. They're called Slithzerikai, or Slith for short. Second, yes, Sass is one of them, but there are many tribes. You can't ascribe conditions to one that are from another like that. Third, how the hell did they get up here? They're native to below Exile, and the population there is tiny!” “And I know you're from Exile as well. Word of your presence and your actions are why I believe I can trust you to deal with this. If it is as you say, Matthias, then they are your problem as much as mine. Now get rid of them.” “We will investigate. I hope the gold and silver are worth it.” “It's very simple. We need precious metals to trade with the rest of the Empire for the supplies we need to grow. Without them, Valorim will be a backwater forever.” “So, that's the deal, huh?” “That it is.” “We must investigate! Talk to them! Come to make everyone happy!” “Agreed.” “If we can for the surface Nephil, we can do the same for this colony.” Something about Golddale's population made me realize something about Valorim's cities. In the past games, you could talk to everyone, from the random guards on up. They all had names, and had something to say, even if it was incidental dialogue. But with Exile 3, that changed. Golddale only has 4 people to talk to. Two of the shopkeepers are generic, and the rest of the NPCs don't even have a dialogue box. Valorim is empty of talkative NPCs, and I'm not sure how to feel about it. “At least the mines aren't that far away.” “Hello?” “No one at the entrance. Curious that.”  “Well, at least we're authorized.”  “Really wondering where these Sliths are.” “I'm thinking there.” “Hello? I'm Sass! I'm friendly!” “Ow! They're not!” “What's their problem?” “I want to talk!” “Die, traitor!” “What do you mean?” “You work with the humansss!” “Let's fall back for now. Come up with a better plan than straight ahead.” “But where?” “Perhaps we should see if there is some sort of 'back entrance?” “Sounds good to me.” “Not this way, there isn't.”  “This is where the bad stuff comes from!” “Did we just walk all the way around the flower valley to get to the other side?” “Yes.”* * *  “Fairly rugged and dry here. Blocked from moisture from the west by the mountains, and I have no idea how far inland we are from the eastern ocean.”* * *  * * *  “There are tracks up this valley.” “And definitely something over there.”  Each time you say 'yes', you get 100 gold. Do it three times, and this is what happens:  “There are a lot of them.” “All the better to Firestorm them with.” “That's right!” “And you wonder why the Anama don't like you guys.” “To be fair, our offensive spells tend to be more precise than theirs, not that we object in totality.” “Lots of signs of Ursagi.”  “And here's our back door.” “Map agrees.” “And of course there would be Ursagi here.” “Was.”  “Why would they move in here? It's obvious this is a place of work, not living.” “No idea.” “What's with these rocks?”   Random rocks in this dungeon are actually Gold or Silver Ores! “Company!” “There sure are a lot of them.” “Like, a whole lot!” “Stand still!” This was after Sass took 15 HP off. “Was that all of them?” “They're being mean! We should beat them all up!” “No chief with a huge spear, so I'll say we have more to go.”  This choke point would be better if the AI pathfinding didn't get stuck on the corner to the left that turned south just out of sight.   “There are Gremlins here!” “Less important than this.”  “Gah. Why did they think they could take us while we defended here?” “I don't know, but lots more are coming out of everywhere!” “Especially from this way!” “Curious, I think they've abandoned the front door to attack us.” “OH HELL, WHAT IS THAT?”  “I suppose I should head back. There's no flanking them this way.” “Where were you?” “Not going around the back, alas. But we can push up now.” “Why do you attack?” “Our masters demand it!” “This guy's tough.”  “Just as dumb at tactics as the others.” “To be fair, he's used to attacking miners, not people like us.” “You're a big one, aren't you?”  “That's for making us look bad!” “Come on, we'll clear out the rest, then report back.” “A lot of loot.” She's not kidding. The Slith drops lots of coin, and that Archer's bow is amazing! End Game equipment, actually. “Come out, come out, wherever you are!” “Search the place. Let's see if we can find out why they were here.” “what” “But you did that!” “I did. I caused this.” “Don't be silly. That was, what, a decade ago? There's no way you could have known about this.” “Doesn't change a thing.” “Regardless, let us back to Delenn, and inform her that her mines are clear.”* * *  “We are back.” “What is this new mission? “If you go through the Golddale mines and emerge at the other end, you'll be in a rocky valley infested with the Ursagi. At the east end of the valley is the largest nest of them. They live in caves that also happen to be filthy with gold deposits.” She grins. “Clean this cavern of monsters, and a magical sword is yours.” “I think we can do that.” “Stabilizing the continental economy seems like a net positive for everyone.” You know, Delenn isn't joking. Golddale is the only source of precious metals in Valorim. There are Iron and Uranium deposits elsewhere, but those aren't exactly mintable. “And these Ursagi are dangerous creatures anyway. They should be contained.” “Their range includes the Isle of Bigail, so it may not be that easy.” “You know, this is a huge valley.”   “Nope, not the place.” “At least no one will miss the ores we're picking up.” “No. They won't.” “I think this is it!”  “Um.. talking? Are you sure those weren't their Goblin servants?”  “Well, you know what I like to say when this happens?” “Something arrogant, no doubt.” “Something amazing!” “We're not trapped in here with them. They're trapped in here with us!”    “Attacking from behind. How vaguely original.” “Especially when our marching formation puts us in danger?” “Not for long!” “This is going to be a running theme, right?” Yep. According to my guide, you need to depopulate this dungeon to complete the quest. And the requisite number of kills in 38. Most of the enemies (about 2/3) are Ursagi, with the rest being generic bears and a coupe Goblins for measure. So enjoy plenty of screenshots of me killing stuff. “I don't want to be in their pantry any more.”   “Ugh, my arms are getting tired.”  “This is different.” “oh” The best way to handle this guy is to abuse the fact he only creates ice walls while moving. Stop him, and he won't generate any ice fields in front of him, where the front trio will stand, beating on him with blessings and curses. After that, it's just a matter of beating him down. Like this. “I think we got real lucky. What's the loot look like?” “Seriously?” “Well, they can't get out through that thin passage. Delilah, Ni'aurrl, shall we simply rain fire down on them from safety?” “Done!” “Oh hey, this is interesting. You know, for being in the farthest corner of their cavern.” “Forget anthropology, this is wrong.” Reload. And after I went through the trouble of resting and restoring my party.   “Curious, but irrelevant.” “I smell fresh air!” “Yep, looks like a hidden passage out. Shall we take it?” “Nah, one more pass.”* * * “And done.” “We should head back now. Report this to Delenn.”* * *  “One cave of bears, wiped out.” “You know, if peaceful Sliths come up in the future, you might want to hire them. They can live in the caves, and help fight off the monsters while mining.” “They just like to build statues everywhere.” “Perhaps. But that's something for the future, after the wounds have faded.”* * * So, she gives us this as a weapon: Bronwyn gets this, as the 9/+5 is better than 10/+3 of her Steel Waveblade, though I keep that around for later augmentation opportunities. The Archer's Bow we picked up is a glorious gift from the RNG. It's a Bow, so it doesn't have an encumbrance value, but provides 5/+3 Defense. I give it to Bronwyn for extra tankyness. It might end up on Art because she has no shield.* * * “Well, that's that. What next, I wonder?”VOTE TIME! Haven't had one of these in a while. You see, Golddale is kinda in the middle of Karnold Province, and I can either go west from here, find the capital and get on the road to dealing with the Trogs in the region, or I can go further East, and explore the great unknown. Cast your votes, and I'll tally them up eventually.
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Aug 26, 2016 08:29
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East. Ignoring the main quest for irrelevant exploration is a RPG tradition!
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Aug 26, 2016 08:43
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Well Golddale was the town I was thinking of, but I never knew that about the NPCs. Voting for East, because avoiding the main quest is traditional for Art.
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Aug 26, 2016 09:40
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Go East. For some reason I always stumbled into Golddale from the back, by fighting through the sliths, so by the time I found the town I'd already finished their first quest. Also, note that "Magic" checkbox in the item description. As far as I can tell, that's just there to tell the game whether or not the item can be augmented; the Magic Broadsword can't be because it's basically a Steel Broadsword with a (+2) augmentation. Augmented steel waveblades are usually the best weapon in the game, because they have the highest base stats to start from. Kiiiiind of expensive to augment, though.
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Aug 26, 2016 15:42
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GodFish posted:Well Golddale was the town I was thinking of, but I never knew that about the NPCs. 
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Aug 26, 2016 15:43
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The number one threat to Valorim: bears! ... Anyway, let's go west.
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Aug 26, 2016 16:54
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How are we looking in terms of poo poo happening with the other plagues because of days passing while we gently caress around exploring? If we have plenty of time, east. If we need to get a move on to prevent problems from the next plague, west.
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Aug 26, 2016 18:40
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| # ? Jun 5, 2024 00:13 |
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Well, that's a name I didn't expect to see here... quote:
Jeff Vogel, you're my hero. I love this show so much. It's a little weird to think of Ivanova as a sage, though! edit: also goddammit now I can't unhear the character's voices as I read the update vdate fucked around with this message at 18:53 on Aug 26, 2016 |
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Aug 26, 2016 18:51
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