Part 15: Death of Motivation

Death of Motivation

Welcome back! Last time Aldnar, the untrustworthy bad man who worships Satan and betrayed both his father and Lord Frelsi asked us if we were stupid enough to join him. Goons voted no. There was going to be a bonus part of this update where we killed the king until I realized it was actually much later in the game and you have to go play through the Temple of Almekfuckyoudick first. That temple fucking sucks. I'll see if I can squeeze it in as a bonus update, patience permitting.



Keep an eye on that guy. I'm restarting Aldnar's dialogue to show off the... interesting.. setup to the fight.



See those two soldiers at the bottom? They don't move.



Instead of negotiating from the doorframe like ostensibly smart people, we of course go in to blather with Aldnar.



Dialogue is the same as last time except I call him a megatraitor.





He gives us his spiel about leading Isilmerald to a prosperous future or whatever, so we give him a deserved reply.

: The only future that lies before you is death at my hand.

: Haha! Eat that, kinslayer!






We are forced to sit through Aldnar and his "elite" guards calling upon the power of Satan, which, as far as I can tell, does nothing to make him more survivable. Of course, the game doesn't have a "dispel magic" spell, but it does have this carefully placed guard in position to bisect Jade.

It's the little things like this that show you just how much respect the developers have for their playerbase. Coming up with a coherent reason to join the rebellion that murdered your father? Meh. Shitty enemy placement designed to murder your mages after you're cutscene forced into a terrible position? Make every single developer work on this!



Now, the guy who went to the left comes back to ambush the mages as well. This isn't a hard fight, exactly - Inta is hardcore enough to solo all of these morons as mage spell damage in this game is... actually kind of garbage.



The problem is they tear through Bjalla really fast because we don't have anyone who can pull those idiots off her AND there are virtually no buff spells worth a damn in this game. Reload!



The achievement for joining Aldnar has the lowest completion percentage on Steam and it's not hard to see why.



Anyway the optimal strategy is to run everyone back to the door and force the warriors into the chokepoint. Unfortunately Aldnar's mages have a rush of blood to the brains and hit the mage corps with confusion.



Then we end up with the same general strategy: Inta tanks, Jade craps out summons, Bjalla and Isla do okish AoE damage, Hamlin shoots whatever, if anyone gets too low cast healing mist, and grind the enemy down.



Aldnar is surprisingly murderable.



The absolute worst character in the game opens her worthless mouth after the fight is over.



She plays the same cutscene magic animation we've seen when our nonmagical warrior was somehow able to call on Almighty God to fail to uncurse Jade.



So this is our next big plot revelation: the plague was caused by Aldnar spreading it via demonic influence and being an invisible carrier. Now, you might have questions such as "Aldnar seemed pretty elitist, why did the commoners get it and not the war council", "why didn't Aldnar spread the plague to Lord Frelsi and kill him that way", "how did Aldnar plan to conquer Isilmerald having destroyed the mines and the economic power of Deron-Guld" and the answer is: Black Geyser!

: How did Aldnar possibly come to be so riddled with disease?



No. It's not ironic. You literally opened the game with him ranting about how he discovered the real truth of Sa- I mean, Rothgor. Then you had our character act stupid and tell absolutely no one about this, even though the guy challenged us in front of the War Council and quite frankly that should have been enough to discredit him.

Now our only option is to verbally fellate Isla on her amazing skills of script reading.

: How can you possibly know all that?



I think she's supposed to be a demigod or something, but it's a mystery I don't particularly care about.

: What should we do about all this?



Thus, after our climactic battle with the only thing resembling an antagonist in the game, the developers realize they don't have a plot so they send us on a lame messenger quest.

Because the immortal exposition demigoddess apparently knows how to time travel but doesn't have a carrier pigeon.

: Meet me in the Curious Cat once you are back. I'll try my best to help those that can still be helped while you are away.






The sword is cursed because it was infected with the magical evil energies that infused Aldnar the bad man.



Granted, it's -1 physique and +4 dex, but Sea Hag can also just uncurse it when we pick her back up because Isla is out of the party. Forever.



On the way out we need to kill some ghouls.



Anyway, we travel to the capital to grab Sea Hag, and I'm going to be making a bunch of detours to grind up some more power before we hit the Temple of Almefuckadick or whatever it's called.



Anyway, Jade needed to get uncursed and told us to hit the Temple of Alnarius. Let's do that, because having her and her legions of the undead is going to make things somewhat easier.

Of course, we can't talk to the nameless "High Priest of Alnarius," we need to talk to the other characters around him.



I did not edit this dialog in any way. Note that we begin by talking to Priestess Genevieve.

: A friend of mine is suffering the effects of a rather tenacious curse.





Wha- why - we just talked to Priestess Genevieve! Why are you doing this!



The dumbass literally walks across the room to where Inta and Genevieve are talking.



How did you know this? I think they went over to Jade but it's hard to tell.



: Please, I hope you can do something for Jade. We don't know where else to turn.



For the record, one of Jade's combat barks is "But what if there are people over there?" The thread has been commenting that Jade and Sea Hag deserve a better game, and I can't deny that assessment.

: Of course. Step into the light... Oh my. There is a bitter malice about this artifact. How did you come by such a tool of evil?

: If we need to get into the details, could we perhaps go somewhere private?

: No, never mind that. We shall have to speak with the High Priest. He's a busy man, but I'm sure he will make time for such a... horrid thing.



It's funny that Acolyte Moron and Priestess Genevieve get names but the high priest, who is presumably a major political as well as religious figure, is just called "High Priest".

: Yes, my name is Jade. I am the one cursed.



: Can you tell me anything about the nature of the wizard who cursed it?



: There's something you can do, I hope?



You can apparently not pay if you have Siracca but I will gladly pay 5000 gold to never have that awful cleric in my party again. We also have 30000 gold after this and absolutely no use for it. I can't tell if that's a genius if inadvertent commentary on excess greed or just the developers being lame.

: Very well. I will pay it, if it means Jade's freedom.

: I will never forget this, Inta Rume. You are a true friend.

: Come, Jade, this will take some time.



The high priest reuses the Cutscene Fire animation again.

: Oh ye gods, look! It's over! I'm free! I feel like I could float away without that curse on my brow. I have to start planning how to repay you. All of you.

: May Alnarius help you steer clear of such unholiness in the future. Good bye.




The Eye of Calamity is removed from Jade's head, but now that it's uncursed we can but it right back on.





We can pester Jade some more.

: How did the cursed diadem come into your possession in the first place?



: Who could have dreamed the thing would be cursed?

: Indeed. I feel like my string of bad romances started right around the time I found the diadem. And it was not long after that I decided to put all my efforts into necromancy. Curious...

Jade has a story about a pet squirrel she tried to resurrect as a child. It's not even clear that this is the wrong thing to do, as the level 7 Unnatural spell, Twisted Requiem, lets you pull off a full resurrection and then mock the Changing God for being a useless dweeb.



: What are you hoping for now that the curse has been lifted?



Hell yes, lady who solves our problems by throwing skeletons at them.

: Yes, I do enjoy your company.

: Great, then let's go!




I'm not sure if being indecisive broke Hamlin's quest. It wouldn't shock me. On my first playthrough after we left the King's castle for the trial, he did the chapter 2 thing where he left the party to sell the painting.



We are actually going to do one last sidequest, not because it's particularly interesting, but because it gets us the highest damage weapon in the game. Said weapon is not necessary, but going into that god awful temple with low DPS is just a long and unforgiving slog.



Crimson Crossing is the third site we were told could be a stronghold. As strongholds are not implemented in this game, it really doesn't matter. It is full of NPCs who offer us sidequests. We don't care because Black Geyser sidequests are boring, terrible, and usually not very rewarding.



For some reason this shitty fox is scripted to kill Pepper the cat. I reload and waste his ass, saving Pepper the cat. It doesn't matter but I take what I can get in this game.



This guy has a whole menagerie of tame scorpions and spiders we can choose to whine about, or we can just ignore. The latter means less playing Black Geyser, so...



This is the upstairs of a house with two wizards in it, whose possessions we can unlock and steal for no GREED penalty because the GREED system is dumb.



They have a magic belt that makes you resist horny and shoots plague. I don't even know.



These guys have another fetch quest. I actually have half their papers, but I pull the pro move of telling them destroying legal documents will get them in more trouble and I'm not going to do it. This gets us 832 XP and lets me dodge another sidequest. Score!



The blacksmith is out of his smithy, but we can steal this heavy battleplate we don't actually need to sell for money and no GREED.



I don't understand how this jug can fit a bow and arrows.



Anyway, this "den of miscreants" is where we want to go.



It's full of good shit to steal, but I'm holding off on teaching our mages any spells for... reasons.



Sometimes the NPCs warn you as you make off with stolen money, and sometimes the entire area goes aggro.



This guy is an important political figure who has no commentary on the war.



He has a quest to kill the smith because the smith supposedly has gone mad with GREED. I don't care, that's not why we're here.



I'm kind of impressed at how lame the GREED curse is. Don't worry, we'll see a real mechanical effect of the GREED this update!



We want the mysterious item, but I order Hamlin to steal everything in the cabinet.



This turns the entire town hostile, and quite frankly I don't care.



They die like chumps and drop loads of loot.



This has a whole bunch of lore about a "Xurxur Beast" you don't care about, but what's important is that it's half of the most powerful weapon in the game.



Shit, they even have this spell for Jade.



I then realize fighting the entire town is more tedious than it sounds, reload, steal only the hilt, and get away with a warning from Salazar. Whatever. I looked up his quest and you get railroaded into killing the guy and then picking how much GREED you want. We don't get the Twisted Requiem scroll, but that's OK.



On the way to grab the blade from an ogre cave we run into these people talking about the liquor thieves. I legitimately do not care.



These guys have another quest and I tell them to fuck off because it's boring.



We're really here to steal the blade of Alakai from their house.



Now, you might think we could take it to Tolbard, but we need a slab of Rilvite. Crower in Deron-Guld sells that, so we grab it off camera and then go to Tolbard.



On the way out of the ogre cave we notice something interesting. See, we murdered some bandits on the way in and left a bunch of leather armor because it weighs a lot and we have more money than we could ever really use.

However, our GREED is higher because we're in the fifth chapter of this sordid "story", and the game spawns these guys.



I admit it, I laughed.



Testing? What?



They run off, leaving behind some diaper men as we continue on our way.



To Tolbard's!



Well, ok, since we're in the area, we'll deliver Isla's stupid message, and THEN to Tolbard's!



Tolbard flips out because it's a legendary weapon but also because he can test his skill by repairing it. He wants 5000 gold, and you know what? That's fine.



He fixes up Alakai and now Inta can do stupid amounts of damage. Let's take a look.



Not only does the weapon do the most damage in the game, but it makes the wielder immune to most bullshit crowd control enemies will try to hit you with.



Blah blah blah lore. Let's get back to Isla.





: There's always a bit of a spark in the air when we come together. (Bargain and Persuasion)

I don't know why I'm hitting on Isla. Probably to see if we can get some cringy "romantic" dialog.

: Yes, I think we make a good pair. I certainly admire the, uh, *endurance* you exhibit in combat.



: Do you think the plague dying down is linked to Aldnar's death?

: Undoubtedly.

: I think you'll agree the very timely demise of both Lord Aldnar and the illness was a bit too strong for coincidence. A careful examination of the cadaver supported my early suspicions: the disease was magical in nature and Aldnar was the prime plague carrier.



Are you going to give them a cursed sword too?

: If this world is about to end, what say you and I find a way to leave it behind, together. (Bargain and Persuasion)

Like drinking the Kool-Aid?

The game railroads us into caring about the Pact Prophecy here when it's been awkwardly shoehorned in. Suddenly Isla cares about saving the people of this city when a few days ago she made us abandon them to go listen to a drunk guy ramble about a prophecy.



There are even more questions here. If the church of Alnarius knew about this and did nothing, should we assume Alnarius is going to stop it? Why is Isla the only one who cares about this?

: Perhaps it's time you told me what you actually know for certain about the Pact Prophecy.



But wait! The exploding demon dude said it was the "Final Pact". Did he know it would be disrupted? Is there another prophecy... ah, fuck it, it's Black Geyser.



Did Zornilsa and Rothgor really plunge Yerengal into chaos? They plunged Isilmerald into chaos, but we never hear anything from the other areas on the map. The chaos seems to be a civil war that we basically ended. Deron-Guld can no longer fight and has lost its leaders. The king is mysteriously uncursed by the power of exploding demons and confusion.



So is the Pendulum reducing the curse of GREED? Why was this plot point idiotically foreshadowed in a time travel quest? Why has no one mentioned this prophecy at all?

: Why does the Pact Prophecy concern you so much?

If it's prophesized, can we stop it? From whose perspective is "a worse catastrophe?" Has anyone ever stopped a prophecy? Looking at Greek myths, the avertable prophecies are all stuff like "if you attack the Persians, a great empire will be destroyed", but the Pact Prophecy says what will happen. Does this prophecy bind Alnarius? Why don't we ask him for help?



That's not what the prophecy says. The prophecy says, in your own words, that a "worse catastrophe" will happen. Rothgor and Zornilsa started a civil war and a plague, but the worst of that seems to be over and both cities are still standing.

: What do you think we should do?

The best part of this entire narrative is that we didn't need Isla at all. The player character has every motivation to kill Aldnar after his coup, and if we'd killed him fast enough the city would have recovered. All she's done is inject a narrative about this prophecy that feels lazily tacked on to the main plot.



: I'll head for this Temple of Alvinec- Almelkivic - I'll go check out the temple thing.

: Godspeed. I shall look forward to your return.


Next time: Bjalla's quest comes back to bite us in the nuts.