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I’m sure the undead would gladly induct a lot of people into their new society, us included, given the chance. Ok, thx for the forgiveness. I’ll be more careful from now on. My usual strategy for the Buccaneer Base when I played this game was to get the pass and see the Captain, then kill him. As mentioned, he has less guards in his room and it’s easier to fight him at the start in a confined space than in a big open area after wading through his mooks. I still save scummed till I got lucky with a Hold Person most times (this is hardly the only fight in the game with a high AC opponent like this), but it’s not as hard as it seems on paper either. Afterwards I saved, then either freed the animals or started a brawl with all the other buccaneers depending on the state of my party and my mood.
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Jan 20, 2020 21:16
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Hey, Lizardmen aren’t monsters. They’re actually pretty cool. And don’t forget they really run the world IRL. 
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Jan 22, 2020 07:21
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A kickback from the zombies? Wait, undead aren’t usually known for giving kickbacks. Nor are most evil overlords. Is this a good enough reason to take them down? Survey of antiheroes says YES!
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Jan 30, 2020 23:50
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Let's not forget silver dragons are also the ones who turn into beautiful women attracted to player races. Although I personally wouldn't mind a relationship with a copper, bronze, or gold either. Nor a brass, long as they were fun to chat with and not exasperating. Common interests would probably help with that. Heck, dating a good dragon is probably cool no matter what type of dragon they are.
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Jan 31, 2020 23:04
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Alright, back to reading the LP.  Well, I'll be darned. The FAQ I spoiled last post said there was one shield, but not one in each pool. I didn't even know that. Yet another hidden treasure of this game. Ah, the graveyard! Finally! Wonder if they got the fake coupon suggestion from a certain Giant Chicken* * click here if you don't know what I'm referencing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrziHnudx3g. I like Forged in Fire too. I think Level 6 is too low a cap for some of the shenanigans this game gives a party. 9 for all classes would be my personal pick, especially considering you get Level 9 or higher bosses here and there. Ok, I gotta ask. What's the deal with lemon curry? Is it a running gag from previous LPs? Just curious because it's been mentioned so much. achtungnight fucked around with this message at 22:39 on Feb 1, 2020 |
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Feb 1, 2020 22:33
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My familiarity with Monty Python skits is not as good as it should be.  I was born in 1979 and have only seen Holy Grail in its entirety once. I haven’t seen any of the other films.
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Feb 2, 2020 01:39
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I'm pretty sure PoR doesn't have dual classing. But yeah, multi-classing can help in this game. It just takes longer to gain levels, and yeah, it messes you up long term, so it may not be worth it. Of more help is the high level gear the game gives you if you know where to get it. Stuff like the Buccaneer Captain's equipment and the Lizardmen's Shields +2. It's awesome to have high enough AC to wade into an army of skeletons and emerge without a single wound. They also give you great weapons, again if you know where to pick them up.
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Feb 2, 2020 06:42
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I never knew the juju zombie (only one in any Goldbox game far as I know) was supposed to have guards. The wraith's sprite used to be much cooler. I'll let Chokes show off the new one in due time.Good thing the party has Buffy on speed dial. Although I think she may have a restraining order.
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Feb 7, 2020 22:02
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PoR is the only Gold Box game that does that, I think, though I could be wrong.
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Feb 11, 2020 04:44
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Speaking of the Fatal & friends thread, I would appreciate a link if anyone has one. Thanks. Edit- found it via bing, never mind. achtungnight fucked around with this message at 08:15 on Feb 11, 2020 |
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Feb 11, 2020 07:23
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Chokes McGee posted:Also yeah, about halfway through Bonds the game turns into "how fast can one side get off a fireball and block the opposing mages." It's even funnier when those mages are carrying wands of lightning or, gods forbid, a Necklace of Missles. Yup. Really... really funny. Ha. Ha. Or a Globe on top of a Cold Fire Shield. drat you, Dark Queen of Krynn! See a Dark Wizard in that game, prepare to take some damage.
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Feb 11, 2020 22:06
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Looking forward to it. The Graveyard is a big mess, but there are bigger messes in the game we have yet to tackle.
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Feb 20, 2020 01:02
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[prepares a giant canister of Wight Guard deodorant in case the puns continue] This brand’s straight from Dragon magazine, folks. Sorry, it ain’t something I thought up first.
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Feb 22, 2020 01:49
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Dark Queen of Krynn has a Vorpal Sword. That’s the only Gold Box game that does, I think. The first time I played this, I thought the paladin and priestess mentioned in the journal entry already killed the vampire so I didn’t have to kill him again. It was quite irritating to find out I was wrong.
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Feb 23, 2020 07:21
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docbeard posted:C, and you could even (keeping this as oblique as possible) use the events that kick off Curse as a narrative justification for the stat boost if you feel the need. This works for me. Considering I sometimes moved or deleted the Monsters' Magic Abilities data file to help myself win certain fights in Curse of the Azure Bonds and Pools of Darkness after finding online instructions in doing so, I have no business protesting cheating with a hex editor. Just be careful you know what you're doing and don't somehow wreck your game and/or computer. I still got my rear end kicked by monster strength, AC, and numbers alone quite a lot, the fights are that bad. Funny, my party usually consisted of a Paladin, a Ranger, two Mages, a Cleric, and a Thief. The Thief was usually just in case I needed one, I suppose a second Cleric could compensate. Regardless, I'm eager to see what you have planned. (BTW, my judgment of your pace still has 4-5 updates before we finish Pool of Radiance, if I'm right.)
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Mar 1, 2020 10:52
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So are we reconstructing the Mace update with backup saves or skipping it thanks to your mishap? If the latter, fine, everybody gets one, but be careful and thx for letting us know the highlights. I’ll say more about my fond memories of the area once you post the update or confirm it’s not happening. I don’t know, Dragonlance allows Kender. They probably have low riffraff standards.
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Mar 2, 2020 21:02
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drat, the Kobold Caves is probably my favorite dungeon in PofR. Please let me know when/if I can talk about it in detail. I should be able to create a good description of all the fun to be had in n it from GameFAQs and YouTube depictions other people have recorded. Of course if you don’t want that, say the word and it won’t be posted. Glad we’re still getting to see the Temple & Mace.
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Mar 4, 2020 20:02
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Now, Chokes, I'm sure there are plenty of wealthy orcs living in the district, property values notwithstanding. LOL at your portrayal of Bishop Braccio. Dirten is a priest of Ilmater, the Realms' god of martyrs and endurance. He's depicted as constantly suffering various forms of agonizing pain. Not the sort of god I generally gravitate towards. Dirten is very useful in combat, as Chokes mentioned. He's also the only party NPC cleric I can recall in any Gold Box game. Pity there's not more of them. There's a whole subplot the player doesn't easily get in the Temple area. Mace is paranoid that the treasure is booby trapped against evil, so he wants the party to find it for him and set off (or cancel) the traps. The patrol you get the Bane symbols from can hint at this if you're Sly, I think. Mace doesn't attack you until you desecrate the place, find the treasure, or try to leave the Temple without finding it. Speaking of Mace, an enemy cleric is one of the most dangerous things in a Gold Box battle, with their ability to cast Hold Person and all. You want to neutralize Mace as fast as you can in this fight. The ranged attackers too, obviously. Fortunately, Mace is generally on the front line. My fighters usually pummel him quick while casters get the ranged enemies with AoE spells. You want to save your Wands & Scrolls for this fight so the spells go off instantly. Ah, the Dust. That will certainly come in handy. Great title for what's going down at the Kobold Caves.
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Mar 6, 2020 18:44
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It's also possible with Skullcrusher if you delay returning to the Council Hall after you rescue him. And of course Hirelings will stick around as long as you keep paying them.
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Mar 7, 2020 01:35
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Dust in the wind.... All we are is Dust in the wind...
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Mar 7, 2020 17:18
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I banished an Aurak Draconian and some Skeleton Warriors with Dispel Evil in the Krynn games. One hit kills. But it very rarely worked.
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Mar 13, 2020 00:59
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I too am looking forward to the updates. Also, here's hoping the world decides to stop living in fear at some point soon (I don't want to get sick or make others sick, but I hope you know what I mean).
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Mar 18, 2020 06:11
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Supposedly those Kobold Cave penalties go away if there is a monster other than Kobolds fighting you. I think that would be too difficult to implement so they in fact apply throughout the caves. Grrr. The only other thing I’ll mention about the Kobold Caves is the large amount of worthless items you get for finding its treasury. Moldy Rugs, Ratty Tapestries, and over 5k copper pieces. Clearly this place was created by a lousy GM. It’s not *the* Zhentil Keep we’re visiting, just a local outpost for its military. And yeah, they’re Evil. The upcoming fights will not be fun.
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Mar 18, 2020 19:47
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The dragon’s name is Diogenes. It Chokes knows the Greek legend, he could probably make some jokes about that. And the guides I checked say you can’t fight him unfortunately. If you try, he just blasts you with his breath weapon for heavy damage and then flies away. The cave where you meet him is otherwise empty and thus clearly not his actual lair. achtungnight fucked around with this message at 14:12 on Mar 19, 2020 |
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Mar 19, 2020 14:07
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You’ve never beaten Pools of Darkness? Join the club! The only times I ever beat it was when I deleted the monsters’ special attacks file, so I’ve never beaten it legitimately either. And I only bothered doing that twice, I think. Even without that file I could never finish Dave’s Challenge... I also had a trick for avoiding the hodgepodge equipment issue you mention. I’ll share it when we get to the game. We will be right with you every step as you play it. May Tymora’s blessings be upon us. If you don’t know Tymora, look her up on Google. She’s my favorite goddess in the Realms. achtungnight fucked around with this message at 07:07 on Mar 25, 2020 |
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Mar 25, 2020 07:05
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Chainsaws may be more Beshaba’s thing. I’m not sure. Check your PMs, Chokes. I sent you a trick.
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Mar 25, 2020 07:52
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You can escape over the wall but killing the Commandant and all his buddies is FAR more satisfying. 
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Mar 25, 2020 20:43
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The mines in SSB aren't really too diverse an area, just ten levels of progressively tougher monsters and environmental hazards. With a few major setpieces scattered throughout. I'll discuss it more when we get there. But yeah, I'd have it done in 2 updates, 3 max. The third only cause a certain level is so prominently different and it grants you the best NPC party member in the series. Rings of Protection +2 give a 2 point bonus to AC and all saving throws, which is the D&D defense mechanism against poison, strong magic (save for half damage), charms, and other nasty stuff. They do help out, though it's not always obvious. But the bonuses don't stack with magical armor, so you only want characters in normal armor to wear them. Or mages, who can't wear the heavy armor anyway. Rings do stack normally with Cloaks of Protection and Bracers, which mages can use. You may also want to dress high level Rogues in Bracers, Cloaks, and Rings of Protection. Evasion didn't exist in early editions of D&D.
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Mar 30, 2020 21:42
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Very interesting notes on Cadorna, Truthkeeper. I can envision some D&D parties having fun times with him in charge of Phlan while they go after The Boss. If anyone is curious, the deity he invokes in his pleas for mercy, Chauntea, is the Realms goddess of life and agriculture. She’s closely affiliated with springtime, the harvest, and femininity. Also a major figure in opposition to Bane, whose purview is tyranny, ambition, and strife. Bane is naturally an evil god. Other Realms deities mentioned in the game are Tyr (justice, law), Ilmater (suffering, martyrs, endurance); Sune (love, passion); Tempus (war); and Gond (invention, engineering). The first three are good gods, the latter two neutral. Gond takes on more prominence in later games but I think he’s mentioned in PofR at least once or twice. Tempus and Sune have temples in Phlan, I don’t think they’re mentioned beyond that. Tyr and Ilmater we recall from the Mace quest.
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Mar 31, 2020 00:46
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IIRC, anyone who joins the dragon is on his side in the final boss fight. Your whole party joins, game over! Congrats on finishing the first game. Looking forward to the next three. Is that the same hat treasured by Orc War Chief Nigel Necksmasher? It appears similar... achtungnight fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Apr 2, 2020 |
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Apr 2, 2020 01:02
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Narsham posted:And yes, it is possible to take the Dust of Disappearance into the next game, where you can use it to accomplish something somewhat amusing that you're unlikely to manage without it. Unless there's a trick I'm not aware of, it's not possible to take the Dust into the next game. Or any other items. But that's ok. You can find more Dust in the next game if you know where to look. Sadly, such a broken item is left out of future games. I would have loved having some Dust in Pools of Darkness.
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Apr 2, 2020 18:38
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If it helps, I frequently had Paladins and Rangers in my parties in these games but almost never used their special abilities. So they might as well have just been Fighters when all was said and done.
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Apr 3, 2020 19:16
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That reminds me. There are lots of monsters in the wilds around Phlan that appear in PofR but not future games. Quicklings (fairy warriors under permanent Haste spell) are one of these. There’s also Centaurs, Thri-Kreen (psychic mantis people), and a few more I can’t remember offhand. Kinda sad we didn’t see much of these unique encounters. Oh well.
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Apr 11, 2020 10:42
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Chokes did mention that. Remember the MFing snake in the MFing cave?
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Apr 11, 2020 12:48
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If you say so, but I don’t recall seeing either of them in the series outside this game. EDIT- I think there may be thri-kreen in Azure Bonds also, but I’d have to play the game again to remember how they fit in. If so, my bad for the mistake. Centaurs & Quicklings though are never seen after this game, I’m pretty sure. achtungnight fucked around with this message at 16:55 on Apr 11, 2020 |
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Apr 11, 2020 16:50
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Fun Trivia- this game was the unofficial sequel to a D&D novel called Azure Bonds by Jeff Grubb & Kate Novak. The heroine- Alias, the chick on the game title screen- wakes up with a similar issue of weird tats on her arm. There’s also a weird lizard dude following her, but we don’t have that issue. I’ll point out book similarities as we go. It’s a decent novel, a trilogy actually, if anyone wants to check it out. The two follow up books, The Wyvern’s Spur & Song of the Saurials, don’t have any relevance to this or future games. Alias wakes up in the same city as the game party, Tilverton in Cormyr. She sees a local priest about her tattoos, with similar results. At least she wakes up with gear, impracticality of the armor aside (the book says it has magical protection for the chest target a la Batman). Slings helped a certain folk hero against a giant. I’m not knocking them. Bar fights have significantly downgraded from last game. I agree punching the barkeep was inevitable though. Two of the groups that branded us are the same ones who branded Alias. In the book, the Fire Knives are a local assassin gang bent on killing the king. Moander is a deity of rot and plants whose cult wants to bring him into this world. He manifested as a Godzilla size pile of garbage with mind control vines. Alias has to wipe out all the book representation of both groups to get rid of her tattoos, how they came back is a mystery. As for the others who cursed her, two are powerful wizards and one is a demon who specifically manipulates her into killing the rest so he can have total curse power. Of course she then kills him too. Alias has no specific trouble with the Zhentarim, though we did last game, hence their return- maybe. She also doesn’t learn about all her tattoos this soon, or from the same sage. This one seems about as well informed, though. The Fire Knives try to use Alias as a king killer too. I won’t spoil the results just yet. Congrats to Stenn on his new vocation. I’m sure it will work out fine for all the world. achtungnight fucked around with this message at 18:44 on Apr 12, 2020 |
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Apr 12, 2020 18:42
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That would not surprise me. Lots of different perspectives make up role playing games, practical and otherwise. In fact, now that I recall, Alias gets a starting outfit of armor without the magic or defense hole. She only finds herself in that outfit at the endgame. I’ve read the book more than once, but it has been a while since the last time. Feel free to correct me on it should I misquote. I won’t fully spoil the plot right now, but in terms of profession Alias is a wandering adventurer between jobs, like our party. Or so she believes, anyway. The truth is a it more complicated. Her tattoos’ makers can use them to force mind control on her, but only to a limited degree. Apparently someone rescued her prior to the experiment’s completion. She joins up with three more adventurers- a halfling bard, a mage from fantasy Arabia, and the lizard guy from the cover (who turns out to be an extradimensional alien paladin) and gets some other allies too. I’ll get more into the plot as the game progresses- as stated, there are many parallels. In terms of where we are in the Realms now, the Dalelands are a loose confederation of city states west of the Moonsea region that includes Phlan. They’re basically the same type of terrain- forested plains with mountains In some areas. The kingdom of Cormyr borders these lands on the southwest and represent a significant political and trade power in the region. Tilverton is your typical raucous frontier city on their border with the Dalelands. We’ll see more of the area as the game goes on.
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Apr 13, 2020 21:49
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Tropey lizard scent language, though Dragonbait also uses sign language. His people are Saurials, dinosaur folk basically. His real name is Champion and he takes the name Dragonbait as a joke.
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Apr 14, 2020 00:59
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Apologies here too, but thanks for confirming we’ll see Alias and Dragonbait. I was trying to spoil the book and not the game. Guess I failed, oh well.
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Apr 14, 2020 04:01
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Chokes- FYI I was planning to discuss each villain and cameo character or plot development from the book as we encounter them, and only give total spoilers for Alias and her secrets after we meet her. If I need to alter that plan, or even God forbid let you review my planned posts via PM before I make them, please do let me know. Thanks. BTW, the book and game are not exactly alike. There are at least 4 monsters in the book that do not appear in the game and several game monsters and encounters likewise have no book parallel.
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Apr 14, 2020 05:40
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