Anticrystalism posted:

"And with the establishment of the Duchy of Eternia fifteen years ago under the banner of Anticrystalism, the Orthodoxy became even more irrelevant, and indeed, even forgotten among the people of most lands, save the few still friendly to the religion."

"Under the banner of Anticrystalism, the duchy has used its advanced science and military might in many ways to pressure the lands that still espouse Crystalism."

"It brands the Crystal Orthodoxy as a heretic faith, and the vestals its minions. Some adherents even suspect the Great Chasm was the vestals' doing."

YggiDee posted:

Everyone was aged up a few years for the English release.

Greyarc posted:

Greyarc posted:

Pittsburgh Lambic posted:

Crepes are flour-based, not egg-based, to my knowledge. But a good point nonetheless

Blademaster_Aio posted:

Of course he had to show up when Ringabel went on his merry way. Seriously.

The timings of villain sneak attacks are terrible, you know.

Patter Song posted:

Dark Knight Alternis Dim has met the party and presumably told people what we look like.

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

Arcanist and Spiritmaster, as you can see, are this game's version of Magus and Devout. It's not a straight upgrade like, say, in Final Fantasy where you go from Black Mage to Black Wizard, though. They both have their own things. That being said, Corpse is Doom, not Death.

Omobono posted:

Edea is the daughter of the boss.
The problem is not why they can't spend 5 minutes now for the cliff notes version of why the crystal orthodoxy is bad news, the problem is why Edea never got briefed on this before getting sent off to capture Agnes.
Sent off with Ominas "Pyromaniac" Crowe I might add, that's just asking for a mutiny considering Edea's personality.

E: seriously Edea's defection felt like an accelerated "We're the baddies" sketch. Half a minute from noticing the skulls to recruiting the party to execute Crowe, no second thoughts.

MightyPretenders posted:

On another note, there's no way someone that tall is a minor.

Pureauthor posted:

"We're the Swordbearers, so our stronghold needs giant swords on it! Branding, you know!'

Rainuwastaken posted:

If you get maimed in the Cutscene Zone, it's completely irreversible, don't you know?

Omobono posted:

This situation is totally because of the ninja girl, isn't it? She has kidnapped/killed the commander's wife and is now posing as her.

FoolyCharged posted:

My personal opinion is that attempts to explain why game mechanics dont apply to cutscenes tend to wind up way worse than just deciding that game mechanics and the story world are seperate.

When the game features a theoretical limitless ability to undo death there's no way to acknowledge that in story without winding up looking goofy as all hell

Omobono posted:

You don't have to explain why in this instance magic isn't going to work. It's magic, you don't have to explain poo poo.
You do have to explain, though, why the party doesn't even try, because that's not how human beings work. I don't care if they know it would be futile, because that's not how human beings work.

Blademaster_Aio posted:

Actually [later] issues kind of blind me, I really can't stomach them, so I didn't register all of the other writing strangeness.

Like this murder mystery. I did enjoy it though. Figuring out who killed random maid was fun, even if we were all cool customers about it.

Greyarc posted:

This game suffers from a bad case of... I want to say mood dissonance? As you say, the party's attitudes vary wildly from scene to scene. Their characters change to service whatever the plot needs to be at that moment. One of my big questions with this game, which I'm hoping the LP can help with, is whether the game's writers achieved what they intended.

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

The joke doesn't stop there.

Blademaster_Aio posted:

I can't say any more because of spoilers. Story needs some tweaking.


Or Edea not knowing at least.

Greyarc posted:

It's weak to lightning, shockingly enough.

Glazius posted:

So Eternia is subsisting on the power of magic instead of the power of crystals? Or does the power of magic... come from the crystals? It kind of sounded like one was involved somehow.

Greyarc posted:

Dislikes: IV drips

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

To be fair, DeRosso hasn't really talked to the party yet beyond blowing them up on his way to make a visit to Braev.

Also, it's a little strange that his name is so similar to DeRosa's.

Commander Keene posted:

I think this comic sums up the first half of the game rather nicely.

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

What kind of RPG doesn't involve senseless bloodshed that could be easily avoided with a five minute conversation?

Mr. Locke posted:

I know that technically the reason for this is that we’re getting some very important world building out of this, but after the way the rest of the game has gone, cynical me just can’t help but see this as DeRosso seeing four young adults absolutely starved of any kind of useful explanation about what’s going on, willing at this point to listen to anyone who’s willing to talk, and going “Finally someone who I can fool into listening to my life story” when they show up again so eager for anything they actually get the keys to his goddamn door from murderbeasts.

Hobgoblin2099 posted:

The source of his immortality is meant to be intentionally vague.

quote:

Did I forge a dark pact with some fiendish entity that day? Or was it a rebirth, triggered by a future me reaching back to the past?

Greyarc posted:

Entry 75 - Part 2: *Exposition Continues*
He also took arms and armor the Orthodoxy had seized from around the world...items of such power that their use was forbidden. He took them all and sealed them away in a hidden location.

Friend Commuter posted:

Sure, the Orthodoxy's officials were a bunch of shitbags who got what they deserved, but that doesn't justify sending the War Crimes Brigade to invade the rest of the world.

FoolyCharged posted:

And? What happens immediately after beating alternis is the twist itself. You go, wait this isn't right and wake up in bizzaro timeline with no explanation.

E: seriously though. All the game hints is that the crystals/orthodoxy are actually bad. None of this time loop stuff, just bog standard "and now we kill god" jrpg fare. The people going wink wink nudge nudge absolutely spoiled it for me.

hey girl you up posted:

Ringabel was conveniently elsewhere on the flimsiest of justifications when Alternis came by, so they didn't necessarily know he's with them. Incidentally, that also means Alternis would have recognized Ringabel (or he wouldn't haven been written out of that scene). But Victor/Victoria didn't react at all to seeing Ringabel, so they don't recognize him.

So, the journal is D's journal, and it's clearly written by a Dark Knight who knows and is sweet on Edea. It also somehow tells the future? Yeah, I dunno. I feel like there's got to be a time travel/parallel worlds/etc for all of this to make any sense? The "prophecy" in the journal has diverged quite a bit from what actually happened in the game; the author is already not traveling with the party at this point.

So:

1. Ringabel is Alternis, who had a change of heart, and traveled back in time somehow? We have time mages, so I guess that's doable. Victor/Victoria have never seen him out of his armor. Why isn't he in his armor now? Uh... the game uses Terminator time travel rules, so he couldn't bring his weapon or armor with him, but the journal is leather and vellum so it survived the trip.

2. Alternis somehow sent just his journal back in time, where it ended up in the hands of some lovely, lovely amnesiac pervert, and neither of which is actually aware of what's going on. Alternis wouldn't have recognized Ringabel, but it's hard to hide a book.

3. Ringabel got drunk one night and traded his Dark Knight asterisk to some dude Alternis, the former holder of the Oracle asterisk, for his magic future-telling journal.

4. Ringabel and Alternis are twins. After their home town was invaded, Ringabel escaped to join the Crystal Orthodoxy Resistance, but Alternis fled with his mom to badguyville, changed his name, and eventually rose up the ranks to get the Dark Knight asterisk and run things. Victor/Victoria still haven't seen Alternis out of his armor, which will be convenient when he takes it off to frame Ringabel for regicide.

Solitair posted:

Last Journal Page

Greyarc posted:

That leaves little room to doubt his second prediction will hold true. Within the coming days, the vestal and her friends will come here. I only pray I have the strength to stop them as I was asked to...



Thinking back, the vestal's followers have been with her from the start. Ever since Caldisla. Agnès Oblige, vestal to the Wind Crystal... I never imagined the young girl I met on that pier would bear such a fate.

And Tiz Arrior. For the boy I pulled from that canyon river to become a guard and ally to the vestal on her journey... It seems on so many counts, I bear the fault for all of this.

A long, harsh journey to erase the Great Chasm. A vestal who crossed the putrid sea and stagnant air to survive. A boy whose home was swallowed. In retrospect, they seem a natural pair. Inevitable, even.

And Edea... I expect you, too, will join the vestal here. You were ever a tomboy. Capricious. Pure and stubborn. Quick to tears... Perfect. I know not what it is you see in the vestal. What spark resonated within you. But I swear this now, I will keep you safe. At any cost.



The ship's siren has begun to sound, and the pilot's taking her up, just as planned. The time is come, then. This may be the last entry I am able to write. I'm removing Edea's picture from its frame and placing it within these pages. I want her by my side...

Greyarc posted:

......*squeeeeze*