Part 74: The Sword of Lies, Part 2

Chapter 54 - The Sword of Lies, Part 2


Music - "Something is Amiss"
Download (Thanks to Grawl)


I hurried back to Zandalor.




Did you find the Sword of Lies?
I found the room where the Sword of Lies is supposed to be located, but I couldn't find the demon sword. It has been taken.




What is the Sword of Lies' purpose?

Zandalor continued talking as if he hadn't heard me.

It's all very alarming. The Sword of Lies has been recovered and of all people, the Black Ring now has access to its powers. By the Gods, I wish I knew what those dogs are up to.


The Dwarven Bread Inn...


_{(Click for video. Voice Acting.)}

Could you help me, sir?
That depends on what you want, boy. Well? Spit it out lad - don't be afraid.
I... I think some bad guys are planning to kill some guy just outside!
WHAT! Show me the way, son! I'll soon take care of this!
Thank you sir! This way! Come this way!





I've also found a toy next to where the Sword of Lies used to be.
A toy? It is all becoming quite clear to me now, I believe Janus somehow managed to enter the treasure room, he picked up the Sword of Lies and was of course too weak to withstand the Demon's powers. I fear there is nothing we can do to save Janus...




So Janus is in possession of the Sword of Lies. You seem quite upset. Is there a threat to the Seven Races?

Zandalor looked at me in shock, as if that was the dumbest thing he'd ever heard in his life.

Yes! Oh Yes!
Well, pardon the hell out of me. You're the one who isn't explaining anything.




In the Sword of Lies slumbers a small fragment of the Lord of Chaos. It has taken possession of Janus - I fear there is nothing we can do to save him...




Wait? What's going on here?




The duke we see now is no longer the true Janus... the boy always was a weak-willed, spoiled brat - but his current cunning and cruelty are that of the Lord of Chaos!




Damn! You tricked me, you little devil!
Money is money, sucker! Better that you die than my parents starve...
Enough of this! Assassins! KILL HIM!




You mean... Janus... IS the Lord of Chaos?
No! That is impossible. The Lord of Chaos has been banned for good. But it is sure that Janus and the Black Ring have no good intentions! It is all so alarming!




It seems as if things are getting out of control.
There's still hope that we can change the current situation. The second Marked One, Wouter, is waiting for us at the Dwarven Bread Inn.




What if the Black Ring knows of his whereabouts? Let us try to get to the Dwarven Bread Inn immediately!




I came ready for certain eventualities. I carry a potion with me which will - hopefully - grant me the power to teleport us to safety. I hope it works, or we may never get out of here.






Very well then, let us go find him!








Just like before, from out of nowhere the blow came like a hammer.

_{AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!
Marked one, what's wrong?}

I gasped for air, and found none. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe through the paralyzing pain which wracked my body. Zandalor was saying something, but I couldn't hear it.




Oh yes indeed. You certainly earned it, sonny.
Yeah!
But on second though, I think I'll just keep the cash and kill you instead.
WHAT? NO! Please don't hurt me kind sir!
NYAHAHAHA! Money is money, sucker!




I was starting to recover from the shock. My limbs felt impossibly heavy, but I was able to move my left arm enough to point.

_{Th... that way... N't far...}




Without waiting for me, Zandalor raced off in the direction I pointed. I followed as soon as I had recovered enough to stand. There was a boy lying on the ground nearby. He appeared to be dead. Neither Zandalor nor I bothered to check. He wasn't important, not compared to Wouter.




Alas it is too late! There is nothing I can do for him anymore! I've failed once again to protect a Marked One. Now I feel the hand of doom stretched over all of us...
But... but this means I am the only Marked One that remains!
I am afraid so my friend. It also means you are now our only hope. This has gone on too long, we must take action immediately. I shall teleport us to a safer location where er can perform the ritual so you can become the Divine One!
The... so THAT'S what my Mark is about?
Yes, yes. But please, let us depart.


You are right... there is no time to waste! Let us go now!








Very impressive. But the Council of Seven what? Look old man, you promised me explanations. What's happened to me? Why are people trying to kill me and why have I been marked like this?
First things first. This is the meeting hall of the Council of the Seven Races - orcs, imps, elves, lizards, dwarves, humans and all good wizards.
Why just those races? Aren't hawk men, trolls or Halflings worthy of a voice on your council? And since when have wizards been a race? I thought any intelligent being could become a wizard.
I see that there is a lot of history that I must teach you if things are to become plain, Marked One. The original Council of Seven was formed from the most powerful intelligent races in Rivellon. Wizards were included as a gesture of courtesy. It's always best to be polite to us mages and, besides, the Council of Six Races and Assorted Magic-Users was too much of a mouthful.
What has all that to do with me?
The League of Seven was originally formed over half a millennium ago to fight the Lord of Chaos - the God of Evil, if you like things put simply. The Lord of Chaos was the first God, born from Primal Chaos before the god Gods descended from the Sun. He has always sought to destroy the living world made by the later gods - perhaps from jealousy or perhaps because he simply wants to be left alone again?
I have heard of the Lord of Chaos - whispered of in tales at midnight. But surely the good Gods banished him to Hell.
Twice has Lord Chaos been exiled from the land of the living: once by the Gods themselves in time out of mind, the second time by a group of powerful and dedicated mortals - the very Council of Seven Races that we are here to resurrect. I believe that only such an assembly can counter the machinations of the mysterious Black Ring!
_{Jeremiah... something is wrong!}

My tattoo started tingling urgently. But even without the warnings, a presence was growing closer in my mind.

Wait! When you said that name I felt something... something malignant, stirring in yonder dark passages. I sense that we are in terrible danger!
You are right! My old senses must be getting dulled not to immediately feel the presence of a demon nearby. Our enemies have set a trap for any, such as we, who come ot this ancient place to revive the Council. Prepare yourself, Marked One! Physically manifest demons can be killed like any normal creature, but they wield fearsome powers!
If weapons and magic can bite upon a fiend from Hell, then we'll send this demon back to where he came from! Onward my friend!




As the demon approached, I recognized it from my studies.



I didn't just remember the picture, but also the words which went with it...

"The succubus is a female demon who attacks her victims with illusions and charms. She will try to get near to you, because her kiss is lethal to mortals."




Zandalor started to cast something, but she cast her spell first.




With Zandalor trapped, I tried to run. But I didn't get far before I too was caught in an Energy Cage.

And you, Marked One... perhaps we'll have some fun together, hmmm? Ha ha ha!

She then turned and walked off, leaving us trapped.




This is getting old, FAST.


Next Time: No Sanctuary





Behind the Scenes

Here's the scene of Wouter meeting his end. Not posted above because of Cutscene Incompetence (Jeremiah and Zandalor just standing around doing nothing while Wouter gets walked out to his death.)

Video - Disaster at the Dwarven Bread Inn (Voice Acting)




Back in January, clever man wdarkk posted this after reading Chapter 41.



So, wdarkk, here's how far off the mark you were: _{This much.} I'm not going to apologize for being misleading, you got about 85% of the answer right about two months before the reveal.

What you didn't get right, is that Janus Ferol is dead. He has been dead for some time, his soul, or whatever you want to call it - the essence of the boy who was Janus, has been devoured or destroyed. It wasn't exactly shapeshifting. But there is a demon inside Duke Janus, wearing him like a second skin.

This has some seriously creepy/nasty implications if you think about it, so try not to. (Good Luck With That.)

Almost all of the Zandalor-Jeremiah exchanges in this update were real.

One curious note: we're supposed to think that Janus has the Sword of Lies, but the one he used against the orcs is this:



And that sword looks like a scimitar, instead of like:



While I was here, I looted the treasure room of all its treasures. I never did get that paycheck from my week as the Lord Protector. Titles like that don't come cheap.




There wasn't much else, but I reloaded a few times to get a new amulet - I was still wearing the one which gave +1 to three skills, two of which I've since maxed out with spellbooks. This is only a temporary amulet though, not my final one, so I didn't bother trying to get 5 charms.




Previously on Divine Divinity:



I saw the corner of a piece of paper sticking out from under the vile being's corpse. I lifted the stinking beast up a bit and carefully tugged the letter out.

The paper looked a bit old. Worse still, the writing was small, faded and splattered with the dragon-rider's blood and assorted internal fluids.

The first line read:

rom the pen of Zenfar Blutsporn, Chief Archivist of the Black Circle and last living member of the Legion of the Damned.


Here's the full text of the last part of the background story, I used this part for "the blood-stained letter" found underneath the dragon-rider. It was rather redundant (and mega-texty) to both post it and the account of what happened with Ralph Ferol, so I've saved this for bonus content.

Oh! Zandalor, that dragon-rider you saved me from. I found a letter on his body. But there was too much blood to read all of it.

I handed the letter over to Zandalor.

Oh yes... I'm familiar with this letter. I've seen copies before, on other members of the Black Ring I've killed. I'll tell you what it says.


rom the pen of Zenfar Blutsporn, Chief Archivist of the Black Circle and last living member of the Legion of the Damned.

y children: I am dying. The blessing laid upon me by the Lord of Chaos is finally coming to an end, those comrades of mine who had survived the war with the foul and treacherous League of Seven, have already fallen and I know I am now the last. This does not embitter me, I know that at the last battle we failed our master and let him be banished by wicked and deceitful magic. I know that I have lived fully six hundred years since that shameful day and that is indeed, terrible proof of our dark lord's continuing and benevolent power - even though he now resides in Hell.

believe that my continued survival is due to the fact that I have more than one demonic ancestor and that our master is still in need of me. Or so I hope. But I feel that it is my place to speak some sense to you as my life draws to a close, like a final curtain. I am the last of the Damned, and although the League gave us that hated name - I am proud to be called such. But you...you are a bunch of back biting, bickering and foolish silk wearing whelps! This new so-called generation, those that call themselves the Black Ring. You may have created many fine ceremonies to glorify your insignificant doings, but none of you has felt, as I have the pure glory of standing shoulder to shoulder with your demonic allies and facing down a phalanx of battle-ready dwarves, all howling like rabid wolves and chanting the name of their goddess, Duna. None of you has cast warspells at the foe in bloody battles or slaved over a hot branding iron, marking prisoners for brutal sacrifice to our black-hearted master.

have seen all of this, and I have done all of this, and much respect it has earned me from you young fools! In the heyday of our greatness, we lived for one pure goal only, one reason: To avenge the wrongdoings done to our mighty order by those mortal fleas...they murdered our Archwizard and drove us like cattle from our home in Stormfist castle. They dared to question our research, our ways and us...so in the name of survival and vengeance we made a terrible pact with the legions of Hell. The Seven races then had the gall to call us the Damned, because our only allies were demons! They too are fools and all should be crushed. But do you know whom I despise more than those festering fools, that loose rabble of semi-intelligent drooling subspecies in Rivellon? Yes, you, you meekly lurk in the mountains dabbling in minor hate magics and petty, pathetic storm gathering...how great you are...you young whelps do not know that you are alive!

here is your fire, your spirit, where's the cold ruthless hate that we of the Damned were renowned for? You don't know how to kill; most of you have only committed a tiny amount of the killings that we once reveled in, during most of your whimpering lives added together! And what were these killings? They were the results of all the petty in fighting in your precious Black Ring. That is what they were! Heed these words that I write now, it is your duty, your purpose and right to butcher, enslave and murder those mewling pathetic fools in Rivellon...torture the Seven races of Rivellon - for what they did to us in the past, show them your heart and then tear theirs from their still living breast! But now comes the time for you young bastards to take note of my words, listen and mark these with your lives...do not ignore what I am about to share with you...unless you wish to live in those pretty mountains of yours and play at being wizards?

he great Archmage once forged a sword into which was placed a wicked secret, yes the life force, a fragment of the Lord of Chaos - into that blade he placed part of himself...it was a second chance for our master. With Chaos banished from the mortal plane, it remained as a subtle link to him, a tenuous but permanent link to our beloved master. But Ulthring was slain at the last battle, his Sword of Lies was taken and used against him by that bastard of a young Battlemage...Ralph, curse his name and his line!

hy the sword did not take the young fools soul I do not know, he must have had a mind that was as strong as dwarven or elven steel. The human then took the sword back to Stormfist castle...and neither he nor the Sword of Lies ever left those cold stone halls again. I do not know what transpired within that place, perhaps Duke Ferol murdered the apprentice for the blade, perhaps it was stolen...perhaps it still lies within those walls!

ut as I write this, I can feel my spirit failing me, my spies have informed me that the present servants and castle staff do not know of the artefacts presence nor of its power. So the secret of its location may be held deep within the Ferol family alone. I will take my own life at Brokentooth Crag, since I have always enjoyed the view from up there...I will not simply die and fade like a whisper on the wind.

o with my last breath this I command of ye all...let old hatreds be unshackled, begin the quest once more for revenge and sow discord amongst the races of Rivellon - with the races in upheaval there might be enough disorder to bring the Chaos Lord back to us, then revenge can be ours for the taking...even though I shall be long dead. Murder and maim, cause hatred and suffering, bring the lands to a destructive brink. Remember my children that the Seven races think that the Lord of Chaos safely locked away and the Damned truly dead and gone.

ith my death the latter part shall be true, but I leave with you a legacy of hatred and revenge...they are ignorant of your presence, they may not even know that you exist so you can swiftly move against them. But be subtle, use their own ignorance and prides against them - infiltrate their petty lives and bend your every will to finding and recovering that Sword, for the Sword of Lies is the key to Hell itself. Now go forth my hateful children, rob, steal, murder and undermine...spy and torture...commit every evil act that you can think of - retake the Sword of Lies, open the gateway to Hell and I will be there to greet you, I and the rest of the Legions of the Damned and together with the aid of the Lord of Chaos - we shall return and turn what remains of the lands into a charnel house.

Yours in eternal darkness and hate,
Zenfar Blutsporn



What's fake in the PREVIOUS update?

Oh, SO MUCH!

•   The shots of Zandalor alone were fake, paint out Jeremiah and paste Zandalor in. 
•   I carefully lasso-tooled the Sword from the Logo to use. 
•   The Sword of Lies was never in the vault. That was pasted in, and I added some fuzzy blue paint to the background, and I made a circular layer and put an inner-glow blue filter on it, while copying out the archway segment from the background and pasting it overtop so it didn't glow blue improperly. 
•   The sword on my equipment screen was pasted in. 
•   The stats for the sword were fake, but partly based on a real sword. If you notice, there is strange armor in the background which doesn't match my equipment screen. And the +10 Agility isn't centered quite right. 
•   Zandalor was never in the hallway outside, so Jeremiah never stabbed him. I lassoed out a piece of sword and made it the top layer, painted Zandalor's coat red in places and painted extra blood on. The "Sword of Lies" in the equipment icon was also fake. 
•   There was no Arhu scene outside the DBI. 

What's fake in THIS update?

•  It's obvious, but I mixed the scene of Wouter getting ambushed and killed with the Zandalor/Jeremiah conversation. I did this because I thought it was more realistic than the standard cutscene incompetence which happens in this game. Actually, Zandalor and Jeremiah just stood around the inn as Wouter was led out, ambushed, attacked the assassins, and was killed. 
•  The shots of Jeremiah lying on the ground outside the inn with Zandalor standing beside him were photoshopped. In the first, I added Zandalor. In the second, I added Jeremiah on the ground, and photoshopped his left arm to point. 
•  The shot of Jeremiah trapped in an energy cage along with Zandalor was faked.