Part 2: Farglow

When reading LP’s, I like to load all the videos before I start watching any. I might not be the only one who likes to do that, so here are links to all the videos right away.

01 (New Game)
02 (Morgana)
Unarmed demo
Warrior Demo
Ranger Demo
Mage Demo
Priest Demo – Summon Undead
Priest Demo – Summon Ghost



Chapter 1 – Farglow


Click for Video


What is going on in the world today?










Soon the Black Ring will strike. The people of Rivellon have grown complacent… and foolish.






Chief among the myriad fools are the Dragon Slayers.










Never before have I never seen a group so dedicated to providing so much rope to their own hangmen. What are they up to now, I wonder…




This is the character I’ll be using for Farglow, the tutorial village. At the end of the tutorial though, I need you to vote on the character I’ll be playing in the LP itself. Assume that all of the dialogue is identical.




Excerpt from “Last of the Dragon Knights”, by Zixzax the Almost-Wise:
“The fate of the last of the Dragon Knights, fittingly enough, was intertwined with that of the last raw disciple to ever graduate from the Academy of Dragon Slayers. The story of that Slayer begins in the remote enclave of Farglow.”

Music: Arrival in Farglow




(Commander Rhode) Here we are: Farglow. The place where our disciples become true Dragon Slayers, and today the honour is yours.
(Slayer Disciple Pyrania) What exactly will be going on in there?
You’ll have to see for yourself! Don’t be so apprehensive. You’ll be fine. This is a momentous step in every Slayer’s life, but few have fared badly afterwards.
What are my orders?
They are quite simple: seek out the men and women who reside here, and benefit from their knowledge.




That may sound a bit vague, but don’t worry. Farglow will explain itself.
You’re not coming with me?
Though I should very much like to enter the village again, I am forbidden to do so. Only once in their lives may Dragon Slayers enter it: as disciples. In any case, it would be imprudent to join you. This is a part of the journey each Slayer must walk alone.
Such noble words! Such a dedication to tradition! Of course, it is an ultimately meaningless tradition, designed to instill awe in their brainwashed disciples and convince them that they are more than a band of thugs, but at least they know how to make their rituals seem important. A very useful talent for a cult to have.
So when we meet again, I shall finally be a real Slayer?
Not completely, no. After the initiation we will head back to Rivertown where the ritual will come to its conclusion. But let’s talk about that on the zeppelin when we head back, shall we?
See you later, Commander!
Good luck, Slayer!





Takes you back, doesn’t it, this place.
(Slayer Marius) That it does. When I was a disciple I stepped from the zeppelin so nervous it made me nauseous.
_{Well, that makes me feel a bit better at least.}
I was alright until I first saw Toral. How he enjoyed it, too!
Heh heh…
How did your mission in Aleroth go?
Perfectly! They won’t see Black Ring in the city again for a long time.
I hope not! Though they always crawl from under the stones you don’t expect them to.
I laugh at the idea that the Slayers think they can hinder the Black Ring.




Haha! I can understand why you’d want to come talk to me. But no, I can’t tell you more than what Commander Rhode told you.
So – have you ever fought a Dragon?
Well, the big Dragon purges took place during the decade that followed the Great War against Damian, the Damned One. As you know, most Dragon Knights were killed during that period. And the Dragon Slayers became a small group of elite warriors, as opposed to the army they once were. Occasionally, a Dragon Knight would surface and the Slayers would head out. Eight years ago, I fought my first.

Here we have two choices:
1. Which Dragon was it?
2. Did you kill the fiend?

A lot of the conversations in the game have alternate options. Most don’t affect the overall outcome and are only there to give the player some role-playing options, or to give an extra line or two. I chose the first line because it was more neutral. If we pick the second line, all that changes is that Marius gets an extra line:

We did, yes, but it cost the lives of several Slayers as well.

I’m not going to mention what conversation choices are available each and every time they come up, only on occasion. The overall characterization choices you make will determine the responses I’ll pick. I’ll try and get the extra lines when I can, but I’m likely to miss a lot of them.

Which Dragon was it?
Geldor he was called - Lord of the Five Spears. We trapped him in the dungeons beneath his castle, so he couldn’t take his Dragon form. Did his cognomen proud, he did, for many were skewered by his fearsome javelins. In the end, though, my arrows found his gut and other’s swords tore his chest.
Are you sure there are Dragon Knights still at large?
One at least, a female. She has left a trail of mutilated Slayer corpses behind her over the years. We’ll get her yet, though. She’s bound to turn up sooner or later. But it doesn’t matter if it takes another century of searching: the last of the Dragon Knights, the Betrayers, will be found and will be slain!
See you later.
Go on then, don’t tarry! We haven’t got all day, you know!




As the Slayer followed the path, she overheard Rhode and Marius talking.

Are they ready for our arrival back in Rivertown?
They better be! Remember last year’s disciple?
Closest call I ever witnessed. That girl nearly went Dragon wild!
_{I don’t have a good feeling about this.}

The good news is that our character is really powerful.

(Click for larger version)


Vitality = 37 (Health = 323)
Spirit = 25 (Mana = 239)
Strength = 39
Dexterity = 21
Intelligence = 31

I’ll explain what these do for us later. The only ones which aren’t obvious are Vitality (each point gives another 7 Health), and Spirit (each point gives another 7 Mana).Our skills aren’t too shabby either:



_{Okay, okay, that screenshot of the skills is fake. But it’s what they should look like, given our stats.}




The Steam Version starts you off with three complete Level 15 sets – Mining Guild for a ranger, Annihilator for a melee fighter, Orobas for a mage. We can only carry 100 items though, so I’ll be selling off two of the sets after my character class is decided. (I can show what they look like later.)






(Edmund) The disciple arrives! Let me bid you a fond welcome to Farglow.
I thank you for your welcome.
And I commend your patience. Most Slayers loathe being referred to as a pupil. Such a belittling word disciple is, wouldn’t you say, for one who has since the age of ten been groomed to become the elite of man’s warriors? But don’t you worry, you’ll earn the title of Dragon Slayer soon enough.
How do I do that?
I presume Commander Rhode has been rather cryptic about what you are supposed to do here, and I can’t reveal much more. In fact, I have but one thing to add: Morgana is waiting by the waterfall. Find her and the purpose of this day shall become crystal clear.
Who is Morgana?
The Archmage. She’s an intimidating woman to be sure, but pleasant enough in her own way. Her laboratory is at the back of the village, next to the Divine Memorial Flame.
Tell me about the Divine Memorial Flame.
As the name says, it’s a shrine that bears a flame in honour of the Divine. The bowl in which the flame was lit is held aloft by stone Dragons. This design symbolizes the burden they carry on their shoulders, the guilt that was heaped upon them when they killed the Divine.
Who do I have to see besides Morgana?
Several people, but she’ll send you on your way after her part of the ritual. The others probably won’t share more than a few words with you until they know you have visited Morgana?
How will they know I’ve visited her?
You’ll see.
I bid you good day!
And you, Slayer!




Edmund is right, pretty much no one will talk to us, so let’s just cross the bridge and continue.







Music: Memory of the Dragons


Video: Morgana


(Lady Morgana) No! To combine that brew with last night’s herbal distillation might cause an implosion!



Try it anyway? You can be so irresponsible sometimes!



That’s easy for you to say! You can’t die a second time!
Ummmm…. Okayyyy….




Good to see you, disciple. I am Morgana, the Archmage of Farglow.
I don’t mean to sound impertinent, but were you just talking to yourself?
Haha! No, of course I wasn’t. I was talking to Toral, the ghost of a long-dead mage.
…
No need to give me that look either! You’ll soon see him for yourself. But let’s turn to the reason you are here: the ritual that will make you a true Dragon Slayer.
The secret to a hypnotic juggling act?
You have a smart mouth on you! This is a serious ritual though, so do pay attention. To be a Slayer is to hate the Dragon, but also, to understand it. No other order in Rivellon takes the old military adage “know your enemy” quite so seriously as the academy does.
Ha!
To attain this goal, I will infuse you with the memories of Dragons. It will make you understand their language, motives, powers and weaknesses. It will also colour your eyes silver, the noted characteristic of the Slayer, which will enable you to see the spirits of the dead. The ritual has a… side effect. But nothing can be done about that.




So the silver eyes that Rhode and the others have enables them to see the dead?
Quite so. You could call it a perk that comes with the power of the memories. Everyone can see the living dead, of course: those poor souls that have fallen prey to necromancers. But to see the ghosts of the long dead is a precious ability and will prove useful more frequently than you think!
That side effect you mentioned, tell me about it.
The real drawback is this: the spell was not originally designed for the brain of a human. So to make place for it, you will lose your active knowledge of your years as a Slayer.
_{Wait, what?}
It’s unpleasant, I realize that. But a Slayer needs the Dragon memories in order to operate. The only comfort is that your powers will still persist on a subconscious level, so you’ll regain your skills rather quickly. Becoming a Dragon Slayer is a harsh occurrence, but you’ll become one of Rivellon’s greatest heroes.
What did you mean by “a Slayer needs those Dragon memories to operate”?
The memories not only give you more insight and knowledge than a man could absorb in a century of unbroken study… they also protect you from mind attacks the Dragons perform. Without that, you’d be a puppet doing their bidding. But now you have equal mental strength, so dominance in combat can be achieved.
Why do I have to do this ritual after graduating from the Academy? Those years have all been futile!
No, no they haven’t. Your training has made you a force to be reckoned with and has shaped a mind that rivals the teachers of old. Lesser people would be driven mad by the Dragon memories. Only one as arduously trained as yourself can absorb them. Take comfort in the fact that Slayers like Rhode and Marius have faced the same ordeal and went on to become mighty warriors.
_{There is that, I guess.}
I am ready to receive the Dragon memories.
Then prepare to become a Dragon Slayer.
















01 (New Game)
02 (Morgana)
Unarmed demo
Warrior Demo
Ranger Demo
Mage Demo
Priest Demo – Summon Undead
Priest Demo – Summon Ghost




Divinity II Main Theme


Arrival in Farglow


Memory of the Dragons



Getting the memories has cost us our awesome stats. We’re back to being a normal level 1 character. It might not have looked like it, but the previous character had allocated enough stat points that it will take us 37 level-ups worth of points to match.



Our Terrible Stats

If you mouse-over the stats, the tool-tips will make sure that we know how much we suck.

Level: 1 – You are still wet behind the ears and grass-green of foot. You’re not sure which bit of a dagger to stick into an enemy and you think crossing your fingers is some form of magical protection spell. You’re got a lot to learn, kid.

Vitality: 1 – Someone needs but to cough in your direction and you’re at death’s door. Always stay indoors in a well-aired, warm room and drink plenty of fluids. (Health = 71)

Spirit: 1 – You have extreme trouble concentrating and your attention span proved insufficient for basic potty training. Obviously this has a serious impact on the most elementary of magical education, not to mention your personal hygiene. (Mana = 71)

Strength: 1 – Frail old ladies beat you at arm-wrestling and you have trouble lifting a weapon, let alone fighting with it. If you want to become a soldier, well, don’t.

Dexterity: 1 – You are as clumsy as an ox and just as slow on your feet. The village healer believes you have a severe glandular deficiency.

Intelligence: 1 – Well, at least you might be able to get by in your looks and good nature. You have trouble reading, and doing simple math gives you a headache.





Apparently ghosts are now invisible to normal people. The Divine could see them in Divinity 1, and I could see him being an exception. But the Paladin from Beyond Divinity could see ghosts just fine – and not just the ones on Nemesis, but ones on Rivellon as well, so this seems like a retcon, and it’s not the last one we’ll see either. For example, EVERYTHING about Dragon Knights, as they were first introduced in this game.

Also, this “unique” ability to see ghosts doesn’t carry over to gameplay. We can get a summon ghost spell which enemies can see and attack just fine.




I found a book in the village. There aren’t as many in this game as previous, but I’ll be posting them when I find them.




READER PARTICIPATION

This will be a reader participation LP, I’ll let you vote on quest solutions (where applicable)

Characterization Choices (vote on any or all of these, they’re optional):

This game doesn’t have character alignments or karma meters, and the rewards for good and evil behaviour are generally identical. There will be a lot of voting on approaches to quests, but I don’t want to stop the thread for votes on every possible response to an NPC. The winning Alignment choice will automatically grant one or two default votes to the appropriate option when quest voting happens (if applicable).

1. Alignment - In general, is the main character a:
1a. Noble Hero (2 default votes for noble quest options)
1b. Reluctant Hero (1 default vote for reluctant assistance quest options)
1c. Slightly Jerkish (1 default vote for jerkish quest options)
1d. Complete and Utter Bastard (2 default votes for bastard quest options)

2. The main character will generally be snarky because it’s funnier and more interesting than generic hero type responses. For the purposes of this question consider that the target of the snark will be an ally or friendly NPC. (Enemies or bosses I snark at will get whatever is funniest.) But will he or she be
2a. Snarky UNLESS it makes you seem like an asshole.
2b. Always snarky, and if there are multiple snarky options, choose the one which makes you seem like a bigger asshole.
2c. Always snarky, and if there are multiple snarky options, choose the one which is less nasty than the other.

3. What is the hero’s opinion on himself/herself?
3a. Egotistical / Narcissistic
3b. Humble / Modest
3c. Confident, but not a braggart

4. When you’re about to be rewarded for completing a quest, are you
4a. Greedy
4b. Gracious
(This DOES NOT AFFECT the reward quality.)

5. How does the hero feel about dragons?
5a. My blood burns with the desire to slaughter the betrayers!
5b. Their crime of murdering the Divine is unforgivable – slaying them all is just!
5c. Our duty is regrettable, but it must be carried out for the protection of all!


6. Gender and Appearance

Given that 90% of the time my character's appearance will only be the size of the headshot below, it might not be worthwhile to ask people to choose an appearance.



6a. No Opinion. (I’ll use the same portrait I’m currently using.)

6b. Male
6b1. Face

• 5 O’clock shadow
  
• Scarred
  
• Beard
  
• Goatee
  
• Mustache

6b2. Hair Colour

• Blonde
  
• Brown

6b3. Hairstyle

• Military
  
• Wild
  
• Loose
  
• Ragged
  
• Long

6c. Female
6c1. Face

• Natural
  
• Seductress
  
• Sorceress
  
• Slayer Tattoo
  
• Freckles
  
• Dragon Tattoo
  
• Scarred
  
• Scarred Sorceress
  
• Scarred Slayer Tattoo
  
• Scarred Freckles

6c2. Hair Colour

• Blonde
  
• Brown
  
• Black
  
• Red

6c3. Hairstyle

• Casual
  
• Citizen
  
• Tailored
  
• Short
  
• Ponytail
  
• Sensual

For reasons of space and flow, I have to show off the combat in a separate post after the second tutorial update. But I will open the voting for what style you want to use now anyway, for those people who have played the game before. If you want to wait to choose the class we’ll play until after I post the details, that’s perfectly fine as well.

The second chapter is still part of the tutorial. I’m sorry, I hadn’t realized that it was long enough to require a split until I put it together. After the first time, I usually speed through this tutorial part, but it has some things which are important to hear the first time.

Character Build

I have a few ideas for characters with a specific direction, but I could also build a custom character (see below).

Here are some combat demo videos:
Unarmed demo
Warrior Demo
Ranger Demo
Mage Demo
Priest Demo – Summon Undead
Priest Demo – Summon Ghost


7. Preset or Custom Character
7a. Preset
7b. Custom

Preset Character Ideas

These characters are gimmicky – not the standard power build I normally use. If you want a more standard build, vote for a custom character. You can suggest names as well, but I will veto ones along the lines of “Dongs” or other stupid shit.

Pyranus/Pyrania – Fire-Specialized Battlemage
A hybrid Mage/Fighter, specializing in Fire. Pyrania dual-wields swords enchanted with Fire Curse, and wears jewelry enchanted with Spontaneous Combustion. She opens fights with a Fireball, and then blasts enemies with a Firewall once they foolishly come too close. Dual-wielding is overpowered, so this character might be played on Nightmare difficulty, it depends on how hard I find that. She may use +Melee Damage and +Magic Damage enchantments, but no others, and no other damaging auras. This is the default choice. If there is no clear consensus, this is the character I’ll use.

Xargen/Xargeena – Dark Wizard
He/she specializes in some of the darker aspects of magic, summoning undead and demons, cursing his enemies, striking fear into their hearts before turning them into a bug and squashing them. (Summon Undead/Demon, Curse, Fear, Polymorph) (I couldn’t really think of a wizard gimmick.)

Veniror/Venira – Hit-and-Run Ranger
She wears Poisonous Aura enchantments in her Jewelry, Has Poison Damage enchanted into her bows (and possibly uses Poison Arrow liberally). She uses stealth to approach her targets, before hitting them with a Stun Arrow, a Rush Attack, and a point-blank Splitting Arrow. Then she turns invisible and runs away to do it all again. (Ranger Stealth, Hide in Shadows) This build might have too many skills, I might have to leave out Explosive Arrow. Poison Arrow is ineffective against undead, which means I might want to leave it out or reallocate the points later.

Grigori/Anastasia – Priest
He/she seeks to cleanse the world with his trusty mace and priestly spells. (This is a debuff-based class, these spells are usually only used for "support", which translates to "I never use these worthless things." Straight-up blasting enemies seems so much faster and simpler. Also, most debuffs are not going to work on bosses. ) WARNING: I have never tried a character like this; it could be ludicrously hard or boring as fuck. There is a priest preset class for new characters starting the expansion. This character will use mostly Priest skills, with the exceptions of Lockpick, Healing, Mana Efficiency, and Magic Missile. I probably won’t use any summon spells except Ghost, as to not tread on the gimmicky wizard.

Yarun/Yara – Monk
This man/woman of peace refuses to fight with weapons. Hands, feet, knees, elbows, those are the only weapons a warrior needs. He/she specializes in stacking damaging aura enchantments so that enemies die around him/her with minimal effort. This character will use a mostly standard warrior build, with heavy use of skills like Evade and maybe Fatality later on. WARNING: I have never tried a character like this; it could be boring as fuck.


Custom Character Build:

While you get a lot of skill points, you don’t get enough to try and do everything, so I won’t let the thread vote on where I put attribute and skill points. The custom characters will use the most ideal skill set for that class type.

8. General Class

Weapons which have a higher magic damage than normal damage are pretty common. This is why I offer you the choice between normal (strength/dexterity-based) and magic (intelligence-based) weapons. Please specify which attribute will be the primary focus of the character.
8a. Warrior – (Strength-based or Intelligence-based)
8b. Ranger – (Dexterity-based or Intelligence-based)
8c. Mage – (Melee Spells or Ranged Spells)
8d. Priest (Debuff-based class) – (Strength-based or Intelligence-based)

9. Melee Weapon Skill (if applicable)
9a. Unarmed
9b. Single Weapon
9c. Single Weapon + Shield
9d. Dual-Wielding
9e. Two-Handed Weapon
(9f. If you voted for a Ranged Mage, you can vote for a bow here.)


I don’t know if I’ll get enough votes for a clear consensus.