Divinity II: The Dragon Knight Saga Part #88

Part 88: Mardaneus Plaza, Part I

Chapter 67 – Mardaneus Plaza

Halliwell (~7 ½ minutes)
Root of the Problem (~4 ½ minutes)
Circle of Trust Inn (~9 ½ minutes)
Willy and the Runes (~7 ½ minutes)
Trouble at the Prancing Seahorse (~8 ½ minutes)

Music: Halliwell Intro

Music: Mardaneus Plaza

Music: Lanilor Lane

Music: Lanilor Lane Vocals

I couldn’t find all the music that appears in the expansion in the game files, but maybe I’m just not looking hard enough. I’ll try next week.

Video: Halliwell

(Yara) Step aside for a moment and I’ll interrogate him myself.

(Furius) Fine. Come, Cratius, but don’t take your eyes off him!

(Kenzo) Look here, Dragon Knight, what I said is true. I found those documents on the street.

Can’t say I trust a man who carries with him missives from a Black Ring General.

Please, I’m a poor clerk who works for a boss that lets him buy his own paper. Scrape the ink off these and they’re as good as new. That’s all there is to this terrible affair!

*snort*

(-7500 XP) _{Why didn’t I just burn these damned letters? Now the whole plan might be in jeopardy.}

Nice try. I “applaud” your “cunning”, but, as you very well know, you should have just burnt those damned letters!

Kill him.

Accursed sorceries! But don’t think you have me yet!

(Gratius) Furius, he’s trying to give us the slip! End him!

Didn’t expect that, did you, Dragon Knight? Just you remember not to mess with the Ring!

Stop!
_{Has anyone ever actually stopped just because you shouted?

I’ve got to catch him!}

(Amantius) Dragon Knight!
Quickly, did you see a man run past?
Yes, he was heading for the lift. Why?
Damn it! I’ll never catch him now. That man was a Black Ring spy, and he just killed two guards. Why didn’t you stop him when you saw him running?
Everyone’s in a hurry these days, what with the siege, and things keep getting worse all the time!
What is it now?

Dragon Knight! I have to warn General Augustus! A tree appeared out of nowhere on Mardaneus Plaza.

Oh, no. Not a tree.

Lieutenant Casca is going to launch an attack on the undead nonetheless, but I smell foul magic!

What is with this weird city, anyway?

Music: Halliwell Intro

(???) My word! The Dragon Knight! It is an honour to meet you indeed.

Thank you. And you are?

(Halliwell) I am Lord Halliwell, General of the New Order and unwavering flame in the holy army of the Divine. I pray that we may soon meet our enemy on the field, so that the error of their ways will dawn on them when their bodies lie crushed beneath our boots.

_{It’s probably wrong to judge someone just on their looks – Kenzo looked perfectly normal – but I REALLY don’t like the look of this guy.}

(-7500 XP) _{Looks like he won’t be winning any beauty contests, this one, but there is more to him than meets the eye! He is of… importance!

Too bad I can’t find out HOW, thanks to you.}

Praying will accomplish nothing. Only action will.

Agreed… Though Lucian’s grace might inspire us to greater deeds. One day, together, mayhap, we will wield the New Order mace and separate Black Ring brains from Black Ring skulls. But enough of this chit-chat. I’m sure you have better things to do. I know I have. Look to the Divine for guidance and to your sword for solutions. His shining example leads us to one conclusion: kill those in the shadows.

_{If that is the example I set, it was the wrong one. My followers eradicated the Dragon Knights in a misguided and ill-placed attempt at revenge.}

Music: Mardaneus Plaza

(Silo) Divine have mercy on my soul!

(Debbie) Pray that medicine has mercy on your body first!

Ow! That wound stings!

(Peter) I’ll try to find us some help.

Blast. I’m going to lose this one unless I get some help!

Maybe I can use a healing spell, or give you a potion.

That’s very kind of you, but his wounds are too grave for that. Ever hear of a Healing Orb? ‘Cause that’s the only thing that will save him now!

Gods, I’ll have to travel to an ocean cavern and pluck one from an ogre’s rear end or something, won’t I?

No, your itinerary will be far less extensive … or disgusting.

Good to hear. Go ahead and tell me where to go.

I have one last Healing Orb in the basement of Healer’s House. You know it, I presume, on the Great Market? You’ll need a password to get past the cellar door, though. It’s ‘honeysuckle’. Don’t forget now, and for the sake of the Divine, please hurry.

(-7500 XP) _{Another healer doing his best for a dying soldier while Damian hovers above. Might as well try to teach a rabbit the value of dinner table etiquette and achieve more beneficial results.

Making the world a better place isn’t all about grand gestures. Each and every little thing helps in its own way as well.

Maybe, but I think Behrlihn has the better point here. Look at all the people I helped in Broken Valley and the Orobas Fjords. They’re all dead now. If I’d been faster-

You would have arrived at the crystal prison sooner, and they would still be dead. That fact does not erase the good that you did for them.}

What’s so special about these Healing Orbs?

Their healing powers are simply unrivalled, no herb can touch them. These orbs are granted to us by the Source, but since Source Square is impossible to reach at the moment, an already rare commodity has become quite unfeasible to attain. I pray to the Divine the powers of the Source will not be tainted, or worse: corrupted to serve those who oppose us!

Well, keep up the good work!

I’ll try to save as many lives as I can!

First Aid
We’ve got to get a Healing Orb. This quest is simple. Its real purpose is to get you into the basement of the Healer’s House where a more interesting quest awaits.

The Healing Orbs sound to me like exactly the same thing as Healing Gems from Divine Divinity. But in that game there was a big hullabaloo about the Source not working and stopping producing them. In this game there was a book mentioning that the Source stopped working, so the healers turned to goblin hearts – we were doing that ourselves a few days ago. So this sounds like a continuity error to me. It’s certainly confusing.

_{I should probably try and get that healing orb as soon as I-}

Video: Root of the Problem

_{- can...}

(Lieutenant Casca) Weapons at the ready, Champions! Today we will rid Aleroth of its deathless intruders!

(Bubo) I will claim first blood! Charge!

Divine, what was that? Stay back, no one comes near that tree!

(Gnaeus) Now we need to fear a blasted tree as well! I swear I’ve had it with this city.

(Mania) By my sword, Aleroth shall not fall! Every Champion is worth ten of the Demons they throw at us.

(Spurius) And we’re all going to drink till we die! With a hey and a ho and a bottle o’ Rimmer Run!

(Appia) Divine grant us courage! Damian grant us a swift death!

In Soviet Aleroth, tree hits with lightning!

(???) Hwanon ferigeath gé faétte scyldas graége syrcan ond grímhelmas heresceafta héap?

Why yes, yes of course. Goes without saying.

Swá mec gelome lathgeteónan thréatedon thearle ic him thénode déoran sweorde!

_{You did not understand any of that, did you? The linguistic skills of Dragons these day are quite deplorable. Try and find a good library. There must be an ancient grammar book somewhere in this rathole of a town.}

Can you help us, Dragon Knight? Perhaps you can do miraculous things, like talk to trees.

Any idea where I should look for a way to understand this tree?

Sounded like old Elven to me. I don’t know ...let me think… perhaps… The Prancing Seahorse! Try there. It’s a gentleman’s club up on Lanilor Lane. The place is full of scholars usually. Maybe they can help. Or maybe you’ll find a book in their archives.

(-15000 XP) _{We all might die soon, and all I can think about is the little zeppelin I used to play with as a child.}

_{Divine help the soldiers in this man’s care.

Dragon Knight, you know I don’t like it when people try to pray to me.

Sorry, force of habit.}

Stand firm, soldier!

Yes, Dragon Knight!

Bark up the Right Tree
This is part of the main quest as well. If we try and run past, it WILL insta-kill us. However, it is also happily zapping the zombies that wander too close as well, so it might not be all bad. We need to find a way to communicate with the tree, and the Prancing Seahorse is our best bet. That’s why we came here first – it saves an extra trip.

Mind over Matter: Cesca
This big strong soldier wants a toy zeppelin.

(Diana) I’m afraid you can’t leave through the gate here, Dragon Knight. A Flying Fortress took out the bridge.

(Hera) And spreading your wings won’t work either, for Zandalor’s shield will block you, and even kill you should you come too close! We are all the captives of Aleroth until Damian is driven away… or breaks through and takes the city.

There are two trap doors leading underground. One is locked because it’s for a quest or four, the other is the second random dungeon with no quest stuff at all.

Music: Troll Village

The nearby inn looked open, so the Dragon Knight decided to investigate it.

Video: Circle of Trust Inn

(Nerus) Hey, watch it, will ya? You damn well nearly threw that door in me face!

Sorry. I’m not in a good mood.

Oh, but it’s the Dragon Knight, is it not? I do apologize for my little outburst, my lady! Divine bless you each day anew!

Wanted! The following menaces: Claim your rewards from Balbus if you manage to kill one of them.

Jango the Ripper. Somewhere in Aleroth’s dark corners. Bring his bracelet as proof of his death.
Cuttthroat Carimina, plague of the Crow’s Nest. Bring her necklace as proof of her death.
Mysus, thief and black marketer. Bring his contact list as proof of his death.

A Hunting We Shall Go Once More
Yep, three more bounties to deal with. Two of these are mildly different than ordinary bounties.

(Victor) Those undead creeps put up a serious fight, but I got the better of them! Four fell beneath my blade! Can you claim the same?

(Niles) When the attack starts I have your back and you have mine, right?

(Carlin) Hmmm… What’s in it for me?

What do you mean ‘what’s in it for me’? Maybe we’ll survive, that’s what’s in it!

Hey.

Soon as this is over I’m leaving the army. Nobody told me we’d actually have to fight.

Your presence gives us strength, Dragon Knight! You vanquished the rift spawn and you’ll vanquish the Black Ring!

(Balbus) You’re here because of the wanted board, I take it? Might seem useless now that the city is in chaos, but we still pay those who bring to justice the three worst criminals in Aleroth.

I thought this was an inn, but you’d be hard-pressed to get a beer around here.

This is the Circle of Trust tavern all right, but the ale stopped flowing since the rise of rifts. We turned it into an emergency barracks to safeguard Mardaneus Plaza, and we won’t leave until those walking dead have been mopped up. Shame the owners are dead. They were good people. But anyway, if it’s a drink you’re after, there’s always the Phoenix Inn.

How come I find wanted boards all over the place? Why don’t the Champions clean up the streets?

They give you the wrong impression, I see. We are faced with hundreds of crimes, good knight, it is impossible to solve them all. The worst offenders we put on lists, so adventurers know what opportunities await them. They are happy with the thrill and the gold. The miscreants know they have to fear both us and all sorts of bounty hunters.

What’s in it for me if I kill all three?

We’ll see, won’t we? Don’t want to spoil the surprise!

(-15000 XP) _{What to do? If the Black Ring attack, I will surely need my Order of the Viper armour to survive… But the Dragon Knight could put it to better use than I… Should I part with it in this hero’s favour?}

I have heard of an armour you have, one that could suit me very well…

You must have good sources, but yes it is true. Take it, wear it, make Aleroth proud!

Goodbye.

Happy hunting!

This is the first piece of the ultimate armour for the Warrior generalist. All three sets in Act IV have five pieces, all the armour pieces, and one piece of jewellery. None of the sets have weapons, which makes them suited for any character. The fact that they’re only five pieces also lets you mix and match different jewellery items for the other slots.

The bonuses you get for these sets are also spectacular. Each piece has +5 to a skill, and you can get +20 to either Strength, Dexterity, or Intelligence for complete sets for a certain type.

This is the very best stuff you’ll get, so this is where you should be spending those Malachite gems you’ve been accumulating. I had a +5 Vitality charm, so that went into the armour right away.

Reflect

Increased from Rank 0 to Rank 5

Damage Reflected: 0% -> 52%

(Doctor West) Welcome to the mortuary, my dear Dragon Knight. I am Doctor West, medical man, mortician and necromancer, of service to the living, dead and undead.

Is there much call for a necromancer in the city?

I confess my duties as a doctor are called upon more frequently than my gifts as a limb-lacerating puppeteer! I believe I am the only one with such an extensive love for the undead in Aleroth, though I have heard rumours about the asylum. It’s called Wild Willows Manor, over in Crow’s Nest. Healers take care of the insane there, but some whisper of secret rooms and secret experiments. Not that I want anything to do with it. If it goes on behind closed doors, it must be fishy.

What do you make of the outbreak of walking dead in the city?

Brilliant! It’s a necromancer’s nightmares come true! These events will lead to a lifetime of research and so make my career! The Prancing Seahorse will accept me, the healers will respect me and Deodatus will name me as his successor. Bring on the dead! Doctor West will make them walk! Hahahaa!

(-15000 XP) _{If I could just get my hands on a new sort of limb! I ran out of goblin and Dragon Elf combinations ages ago.}

He sells parts too, but the only thing I needed to perfect my creature were these Goblin Arms.

Creature Health: 5947 -> 6938
Melee Damage: 26 -> 31
Magic Damage: 23 -> 26

(Messalina) Bloody war! So may we have lost. It leaves one despondent, Dragon Knight.

How despondent would you say the situation in Aleroth really is?

The very moment Zandalor’s shield fails, the Black Ring will drop on us like a fat tomcat on a cornered mouse. We haven’t a chance in the world unless a hero such as yourself performs a miracle. Feel free to take that as a hint.

(-15000 XP) _{Where could I have lost my coin? The only one ever struck with the profile of Bellegar on it!}

Anything I can do to alleviate your mental anguish?

You could kill Damian!

That didn’t really work out so well the last time I tried.

But seriously, since you offer, I did send two Champions – Aulus and Minius – to inspect some vaults that may be infested and they are taking their sweet time! Should you meet them, please tell them to hurry! A simple clean-up mission is taking them longer than some legless lazybones would take to climb the Lovis Tower.

Where can I find Aulus and Minius?

That vault I mentioned is called the Temple of Nimir. The entrance to it is right near the end of Lanilor Lane. They should be there or on their way there at least.

Farewell for now!

Honour and courage be with you, Dragon Knight!

History of the Temple of Nimir