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Samovar posted:Besides, there's nowt special about being a blood mage in the setting of the game. People are turning wine into blood almost every day and no-one's batting an eyelid! I thought most people just turned wine into water 
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Sep 26, 2023 09:31
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Judgment has been passed. Screens are capped for the next post.
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Sep 26, 2023 17:10
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Discendo Vox posted:I'm seeing separate amazon product results for the diary itself; should I be reading just TFE or both?
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Sep 27, 2023 02:32
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Finally got around to binging the thread while I continue to be sick, and... what an excellent game. The attention to detail is astounding in both the game and the LP, thank you for all the context and the explanations inside the updates and between them. I admittedly shy away from deeply Catholic and Christian settings as I grew up in an atheist family in the Bible Belt, but this story sure has me hooked. Some of the townsfolk and Brother Piero remind me of some of the good religious folks I have met. I didn't start marking them down until later, so I know there's a small few in the earlier updates and don't have them written down, but here's the typos I found: Typos posted:
Pointing them out just to help not to detract, of course.
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Sep 27, 2023 15:42
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rope kid posted:I'd say TFE since it contextualizes the content and my understanding is that the diary itself is not very enjoyable reading - not because of the subject matter but because Franz wasn't writing to entertain. That's what I needed to hear- I hate enjoyable reading. I'll get both once my current backlog subsides.
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Oct 1, 2023 19:37
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Odd Wilson posted:I didn't start marking them down until later, so I know there's a small few in the earlier updates and don't have them written down, but here's the typos I found: I really appreciate the typo hunting, it's great to have people helping make the thread as good as it can be for future archival. I'm also interested in the Bavarian origins of "Lucky" and "Smokey" as nicknames. It would be easy to translate them directly as "Rauchig" and "Glücklich," but I don't know anything about naming people with terms like that in modern or 16th-century German. I'm trying to get the next post out in a couple of days, and then it'll be time to circle back and record some alternate history takes on this chapter of the plot.
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Oct 3, 2023 05:17
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Part 16: Judgment Content warning: graphic violence The archdeacon is here, and Andreas is summoned to meet him in the chapterhouse.  Half of the town has showed up hang out in the cloister, waiting for the verdict. Most people offer short greetings, but there’s one actual conversation we can have here.   Yes, it’s me, sister. Do you think Brother Piero really murdered the baron? Oh. Then why did father abbot have him put in the cellar?    (still whispering) I didn’t see the devil, but I think I smelled his odor. The night before the baron was killed, I woke before Matins and I smelled something in our dormitory. It was strange. Moss and sulfur mixed with frankincense and roses. It moved through the room. I wanted to scream, but I was too frightened. And then it was gone. I’m ashamed that I didn’t cry out, but I didn’t know what to do. That’s small comfort, but thank you. Thank you, Sister Margarete. God bless you, Master Maler.And a piece of gossip we picked up from lunch opens up one more door.   Father Gernot doesn’t want anyone talking to Brother Piero before the archdeacon arrives.  What do you want me to do, Andreas? I can’t go against the abbot’s order. This is a really mean thing to do, but it’s not completely over the line, so Andreas is erring on the side of “chaotic neutral video game protagonist”. What are you talking about?   That’s a Hell of a thing to threaten a man with, Andreas Maler.  Fine. It’s still a Hell of a thing to threaten a man with. Two minutes.And we get to visit with Brother Piero! At least in the cellar we know he’s been well fed.    I am fine, my son. You should not worry about me. I’m going to prove to the archdeacon that someone else killed the baron. Do not trouble yourself over an old man, Andreas. I have lived a long and good life in service to the Lord. Trust in the judgment of the archdeacon and above all else, in Providence. Even if I am condemned in body, I am saved in spirit. Now then, leave me be. I will be all right. You are a stubborn man, Andreas Maler. I appreciate what you are trying to do, but do not endanger your future on my account.Too late for that! Our mission to burn every bridge at the abbey is almost complete. Now please, leave me before you and Brother Wojslav draw the abbot’s ire. God be with you.We finally head to the chapterhouse for the main event. Father Gernot meets Andreas at the door.   A higher authority is in this very room, so Andreas doesn’t even offer a pretense of respect for the abbot anymore.  He can wait a moment. Master Maler, if you think I am unaware of your actions around this abbey in the past few days, you are mistaken.  You attended the examination of Baron Rothvogel’s body when I forbade you from being in the abbey. You made matters worse by insulting Doctor Stolz, whom I had personally invited here. Brother Florian is a Benedictine monk. He has no pride to injure. And if that were not enough, you broke Doctor Stolz’s nose.  You find this funny, Master Maler. I do not share your mirthful outlook on violence. If I did not rely so heavily on Brother Florian’s skills, I would expel him from the abbey for his complicity. Still, I will think of a fitting punishment for him in due time. I know that you visited the Widow Kemperyn and convinced her to question the legal status of her lease. I don’t need to trick her. I am the abbot of Kiersau. I was elected to this holy position by my brothers. I was invested with the power to rule this land by the lance of the emperor, whose own right is derived from God himself. So forgive me if I do not respect the legal posturings of a failed university student. You don’t decide that. And if you interfere again, you will pay for it.We’ll see about that! Now then, for all your meddling, you will not be welcome in Kiersau after your commission is completed.  Your days of interfering in the daily life of this abbey will end. I’ll leave you to the archdeacon now. Try not to perjure yourself. Let’s get this show on the road! The archdeacon is accompanied by his scribe, a pair of guards, and the executioner Richart.     You do understand that this is an official inquiry about the murder of a nobleman, yes? I ask questions, you answer them. If you do not wish to cooperate, the severe man standing to my side will help you. Do you understand? Good. Arnold, please write that down. I think we’re ready to begin. Of course, your reverence. Now then, Master Maler, what was your relation to Lorenz, the Baron Rothvogel? Bros 4 life (and after life). Do you feel you had a sense of him as a person? How would you characterize him? True bros 4 life are unflinchingly honest about each other’s character. Do you think someone would kill him for that? I will need more than “perhaps”.As a programmer, I will insist that periods belong outside of quotes. As a copy editor, I would expect the period to be inside the quotes. Talk amongst yourselves. Someone had to have a reason. If not that, something else. Otherwise it makes my presence here somewhat difficult to explain. The Baron Rothvogel was murdered here, in this very room. Someone did it. Father Gernot believes it was one of his monks, Brother Piero. I have met with Brother Piero and questioned him at length. While it seems unlikely that a man of his age and temperament could murder the baron, he was discovered in flagrante delicto. corpus delicti “Body of the crime”. Sometimes literal, often figurative. The principle that must be proven to establish a crime has occurred. The pedantry reaches new heights, and we are here for it.  If you wish to advocate on behalf of Brother Piero, I suggest shutting your mouth until I ask you a question. Piero had reasons to resent the baron. The loss of his work, the insistence on discussing the writings of the troublemaker from Wittenberg.Martin Luther, He Who Shall Not Be Named. And as for his age and infirmity, I myself have read of many cases in which a man of modest strength succumbs to the temptations of the devil. Once seized by a devilish fever, the poor sinner gains an infernal power that allows him to inflict grievous wounds. Sometimes fatal. What I am saying is that in spite of the curious circumstances, Brother Piero is the most plausible perpetrator of this most vile act. I understand that you are on friendly terms with Brother Piero. You also interacted with the baron both in the town and the abbey. Did you witness anything that suggests someone else could have murdered Baron Rothvogel?Here’s the deciding point of the act. It is entirely up to Andreas to decide which suspects make the archdeacon’s list. No other would-be investigators are coming to testify and propose their own suspects. It’s Brother Piero, or one of the names that Andreas brings forward. If you try to finger Martin, the archdeacon rightly points out that Martin robbed the guest house and then fled town, while the murder occurred in the chapterhouse, so he’s an extremely unlikely suspect and won’t be considered. We’re not naming Martin’s name because he’s our crime bro. Of course, because you have to do something during your investigation time, it’s impossible to reach this point without at least two names available, and the game won’t let you skip to “no further suspects” until you’ve named at least one. Brother Piero cannot possibly take the fall.  Who is “Lucky” … Steinauer? I don’t believe his name has come up during our questioning. The town stonemason. All right. What’s the connection between the town stonemason and a nobleman from Worms? Did the stonemason believe that the baron had murdered this young woman? No. She was a suicide, but Lucky held the baron responsible. This is quite hard to follow, Master Maler. What does this have to do with the baron and the stonemason? On his last visit, several years ago, the baron charmed Lucky’s daughter, but left her behind. Some time after the baron left, Beate realized she was with child. The stonemason and his wife did their best, but Beate did not want to keep the child. She attempted to stop the pregnancy by way of her mother’s medicine. Mother’s medicine? Agnes Steinaueryn is the town midwife. I see. In the end, the medicine claimed her life. And the unborn child with it, I presume. This stonemason, Lucky Steinauer, has held a grudge this whole time? They argued about something, I know that. I witnessed it the morning the baron arrived. And how do you propose that this stonemason killed the baron? Yes, I passed it on the way to the abbey. Why? I saw Lucky lift one of the largest stones in the cemetery wall, by himself. From what I remember, the stones are quite large. But being strong alone does not mean that he murdered the baron. I also witnessed him killing fish by slamming their heads against a rock. The baron was killed by a blow to the back of the head. Perhaps Lucky simply slammed him into something - anything - to cause the wound. An interesting theory, Master Maler. Is there anyone else you can think of who may have wanted to harm the baron?There was a good spread of votes in the thread, but there were a few outstanding voices for “convict Lucky” and many voices for “don’t implicate Ottilia,” so we’re giving Prior Ferenc a halfhearted accusation just for completion’s sake.  That is an extraordinary claim, Andreas. The abbot speaks highly of the prior and he oversees both your and Brother Piero’s work, does he not? An extraordinary claim requires extraordinary evidence for me to take it seriously. Why should I take the word of an artist over a respected officer of the abbey? I can provide evidence of Prior Ferenc’s motive. Please do so. Was this an intentionally covert observation? Very well. Continue. He wrote a note, a cipher, in a book. It was associated with a volvelle that he used to encode something in it. Yes… ? What had he encoded? I… am not certain, but it is very suspicious. Master Maler, could you please confine your remarks to information that leads somewhere useful?Whoops, I guess we’ll need to follow up on this one in the other timeline. Now, do you have any other evidence against the prior? Cutting off this line of inquiry because we don’t have all of the evidence and we know the prior isn’t our prime suspect. Very well. Who else may have wanted to see the baron dead? Can we talk about something else? Is this relevant to the murder of the baron? No, but as you represent the prince-bishop and the abbot rules these lands, I was hoping you might listen. Please be brief, Master Maler. I have many more people to question.Based on the outcome of the trial, I doubt that he’s seriously questioning anyone else. I’m pretty sure that the archdeacon only speaks to Andreas and Father Gernot and then gets out of town within a few hours of his arrival. The abbot had Brother Guy write a letter to the widow about reclaiming her land. It’s based on a false claim. False in what way? They claim the lease was with the widow’s late husband, Rannig Kemper. It was not. The lease began generations earlier with Ottilia’s great-grandfather. What substantive bearing does this have on the abbot’s claim? Yes, if it does. Many peasants in freeholds resort to such measures in hard times. Very well, Master Maler. I shall make my own inquiry after I have completed my work here. Now then, let us return to the matter at hand. Very well. Are you aware of anything else that might shed some light on this case? Has Brother Florian told you about the note he found in the baron’s clothing? Yes, Brother Florian explained how he came to find it and told me its contents. Master Adeljäger has entered his testimony in our register. Your description of what transpired between the baron and Beate Steinaueryn explains the meaning. You don’t think the stonemason wrote it, do you? No. Whoever wrote the note was a talented scribe. I understand Kiersau has two, the elderly Brother Aedoc and the younger Brother Guy. To be frank, your reverence, neither man has the skill to write in this way. There’s something else about it, too. The style is just… different. It’s unlike Aedoc and Guy’s writing. Unlike mine. Yes, well, whatever the particulars, it seems it will remain a mystery that stands apart from the commission of the murder.“You’re not going to get the big reveal until the end of the final act, so don’t expect too much right now.”  Notes written in the same hand, on the same type of parchment, to those who had a motive to kill the baron. That is deeply troubling, but again, beyond the bounds of my investigation. In any case, I thank you for bringing it to my attention. Of course, your reverence. Thank you again for your time, Master Maler.  I reserve final judgment, of course, but who do you believe killed the baron?  I think it was Lucky Steinauer. Noted. Your contributions to this inquiry are appreciated. Thank you for your time and candor. Until later, Master Maler. Until then, your reverence.Little time passes before the next scene. A brief trial is held off screen, and everyone gathers in the town square.     Can you believe that Lucky Steinauer killed that nobleman? You missed the trial, Andreas. A magistrate from Mittenwald came in, read all of the charges, and found him guilty.Mittenwald A small municipality known for its transalpine routes between Augsburg, Innsbruck, and Milan. Massive amounts of coin and trade pass through Mittenwald each year.  Andreas feels guilty about his part in the whole episode and doesn’t know how to talk to the townspeople anymore.  I can’t remember the last time there was an execution in Tassing. Oh, here comes the procession.Otto walks in from the left.  No, you’re fine. Andreas. The view pans over to the right as the procession approaches.       I order the executioner to carry out his duty! I warrant him peace and safe conduct, whatever may befall him!       The crowd disperses.   Andreas is unwilling to come right out and claim in front of the townspeople (let alone Agnes) that Lucky committed the murder. But he doesn’t know what else to say.  Save your lies. I don’t want to hear them. You should be ashamed of yourself. God have mercy on you, Andreas Maler!Before packing up and leaving town, Andreas has to make one important farewell.  Andreas. Has the time come for you to leave us?  This farewell will have to be brief. Father Gernot made it clear I was no longer welcome at Kiersau. I pray that time will soften father abbot’s heart. I hope he eventually realizes you were only trying to help me. This is a sad parting, but inevitable. I had hoped you would stay a bit longer. But the world needs you more than Kiersau does. You have grown beyond this old abbey and become a master in your own right. I will miss you, my son. I pray that it is the last trouble I will see in my old age. And I have God and you to thank for getting me out of it. Come, your masterpiece is complete. May I see it one last time before you go? The opinion of one old monk matters little. All the same, I am excited to see it finished at last. The Gertner family is immortalized in Andreas’s masterpiece, a book of hours commissioned by some wealthy patron. And it appears you took my advice to heart. What advice was that? This shows the world as it is, as you have seen it, even if it is not what we may want to see. Though it is not my place to say it, I am proud of you, Andreas.Andreas moves to put the book away, and something falls out of it.  A scrap of parchment? Whose hand is this? It doesn’t look like Brother Aedoc’s or Brother Guy’s.  It must have been written by someone who knew his secrets enough to provoke him. They tugged at those secrets to get him killed, like someone pulling at threads that had been buried in the past. A frightening thought. But who would do such a thing? Do not trouble yourself overly about it. Your future lies outside of these walls. I hope that you will have time to visit me once or twice in your travels before the Lord takes me.  Assuming Father Gernot doesn’t forbid it. We must have faith that better days lie ahead for all of us. God bless you, Andreas Maler.  Andreas leaves with a lot of mixed feelings and a nagging unsolved mystery. He returns several years later, and those years have seen major changes within Andreas, in Tassing and Kiersau, and across Europe. Act 2 gives us one more character-building choice. It turns out that Andreas left Nuremberg for quite a while to work on commissions abroad, so he knows at least one new language and is familiar with another regional culture. Where did Andreas spend his time? The options are Poland, England, France, and Aragon. And before we press onward, I’m going to detour to the alternate timeline for a post or two to show some of the other scenes and outcomes from Act 1. s__herzog fucked around with this message at 03:22 on Oct 5, 2023 |
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Oct 4, 2023 21:56
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quote:As a programmer, I will insist that periods belong outside of quotes. As a copy editor, I would expect the period to be inside the quotes. Talk amongst yourselves. American English is stupid. What's the point of direct quotes if you're forced to bastardize them due to some obtuse grammar rule? In school we learned mostly British English with some American colloquialisms so it took me quite a few additional years until I realized that particular nonsense. England. Maybe he learned how to quote correctly. cant cook creole bream fucked around with this message at 22:32 on Oct 4, 2023 |
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Oct 4, 2023 22:10
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Aragon. Isn't there a Habsburg king in Spain, as well as the Holy Roman Emperor also being a Habsburg? And I feel like going to an arch-catholic place can only help Andreas navigate abbey politics better. Also, time skip! I'm really surprised.
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Oct 4, 2023 22:20
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I'm afraid the below image is duplicated. https://dbcce6yp57i4r.cloudfront.net/screens/pentiment/016-78.jpg
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Oct 4, 2023 22:26
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Ooh, Aragon sounds cool. Poor Lucky.
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Oct 4, 2023 22:47
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Torrannor posted:Aragon. Isn't there a Habsburg king in Spain, as well as the Holy Roman Emperor also being a Habsburg? And I feel like going to an arch-catholic place can only help Andreas navigate abbey politics better. Not any Habsburg less than Charles V, who during the period of the time skip would become Holy Roman Emperor and Archduke of Austria as well as King of Spain, and whose rule defined Western and Central European politics for many years. With that said, I've always thought that Poland was the most interesting of the early modern European monarchies.
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Oct 4, 2023 22:52
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Was not expecting a timeskip. Andreas sure left a mark on the town... As for country... Aragon, I suppose. It's the one I probably know the least about there.
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Oct 4, 2023 23:49
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I vote for Aragon.
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Oct 5, 2023 00:11
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the trial is such a good setpiece there's an obscure bit of American history, mid-Whiskey Rebellion. Alexander Hamilton, full of piss, vinegar, and conquering warrior pride, having shot quite a few of his men for demanding their general finally get around to paying them for their service, is getting his crackdown on. and midway through a meeting with an informant, he realizes he is not being given valuable intelligence, he is being asked 'hey could you go beat up some rear end in a top hat who my family has hated for a generation' by a guy who has up until now been playing him. and he gathers what dignity he can, says "You go too far, sir." and immediately heads right back to civilization, having learned his lesson about assuming there's no way some filthy loving peasants would be able to play his dumb rear end. yes. there are some notes with weird handwriting lying around. understand, master mahler. the Archdeacon has been doing this for quite some time. there is a word for inquisitors who try to chase down every last mystery peasants present them, and it is "sucker." decorum says someone gets publicly executed for killing the Baron. that is non-negotiable. it would be preferred if it was someone whose death makes the Church look good, so any excuse to not kill Pierro is worth taking. beyond that? just give him someone quick, easy, and in a perfect world someone whose loss will inflict a lasting wound on the town, to show them what happens when you raise a hand against a nobleman. so hurry the gently caress up and give him what he's looking for, because he doesn't want to be in this shithole for one meal longer than he absolutely has to.
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Oct 5, 2023 00:20
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Discendo Vox posted:I'm afraid the below image is duplicated. Fixed!
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Oct 5, 2023 03:23
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Odd Wilson posted:As for country... Aragon, I suppose. It's the one I probably know the least about there. voting Aragon for the same reason
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Oct 5, 2023 03:54
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s__herzog posted:As a programmer, I will insist that periods belong outside of quotes. As a copy editor, I would expect the period to be inside the quotes. Talk amongst yourselves. You are correct that the rules of formal writing dictate that the punctuation goes inside the quotation marks. It is, therefore, our duty to get these rules changed by continually violating them.
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Oct 5, 2023 05:03
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Well...poo poo. I spent too long going back over the posts and I think I've spoiled the plot for myself, even if I'm missing some pieces. I'll bow out of voting from now on. This is such a well-made game.
Discendo Vox fucked around with this message at 05:40 on Oct 5, 2023 |
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Oct 5, 2023 05:30
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Discendo Vox posted:Well...poo poo. I spent too long going back over the posts and I think I've spoiled the plot for myself, even if I'm missing some pieces. I'll bow out of voting from now on. This is such a well-made game. Just because you know the plot you don't need to refrain from telling Andreas in which region he hangs out.
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Oct 5, 2023 06:49
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I also vote for Aragon. Oh yes, something of note. In an earlier update, when lunching with the executioner, he mentions that the sword he'll be using is useless in a fight. If you look carefully during the scene, you can see evidence of this being the case; there's no sharp tip - you cannot stab with it. Only cut. Also, I despise Gernot. Samovar fucked around with this message at 09:12 on Oct 5, 2023 |
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Oct 5, 2023 09:07
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Samovar posted:If you look carefully during the scene, you can see evidence of this being the case; there's no sharp tip - you cannot stab with it. Only cut. Anyway, Aragon since it's one I didn't go with. anilEhilated fucked around with this message at 11:43 on Oct 5, 2023 |
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Oct 5, 2023 11:40
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It won't win, but I'm picking France.
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Oct 5, 2023 14:29
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Voting Poland. My Andreas laid out pretty equal evidence against Lucky and the widow with a very “idk man” attitude then put in a word for the widow’s property claim. I was actually pretty surprised that they killed Lucky. I clearly wasn’t thinking it through. Game wise does putting in the land title claim affect the judge’s choice at all?
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Oct 7, 2023 00:02
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I think I vote Poland but I don't recall at all what I picked in my own playthrough. Ol' Limber Legs posted:I was actually pretty surprised that they killed Lucky. I clearly wasn’t thinking it through. Who dies is purely based on the evidence you provide. If there's any ties, priority goes Ottilia > Lucky > Ferenc because the archdeacon is there to go kill a scapegoat and get out and would really rather not execute a monk unless the evidence is overwhelming. Meanwhile an old widow with no surviving family is a safe pick for execution.
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Oct 9, 2023 06:06
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Hi friends, Please excuse the unexplained hiatus. Posts will resume next week. Happy new year!
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Jan 6, 2024 04:12
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Nice! It's kind of like Andreas coming back to Tassing after a time skip.
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Jan 6, 2024 04:38
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Hooray!
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Jan 6, 2024 08:37
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alas,
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Jan 6, 2024 10:36
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Happy new year, I'm excited for more adventures with older Andreas!
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Jan 6, 2024 20:03
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