Part 80: Fake Update #15 - Chapter 59 - Alternate Approaches

Fake Update #15 - Chapter 59 - Alternate Approaches

There were actually a few quests in that update, and different dialogue options. I'll show those off, in order of appearance.


Anthrabert



I just wanted to meet my neighbours.
*Hrmpf* Are you interested in a special job?
That depends on what's in it for me. What do I have to do?
I'll pay you 5,000 Gold pieces... And no questions!
And what is it you wish me to do?
This goes back to the line I already showed.

Talking with Kyrinil in the bar gets you this, I believe.
I've heard you are looking for somebody to help you with a certain business...
You've heard about it? Very good! Are you interested?
This goes back into the lines above.


You are very rude and arrogant, mister.
That's my way, dude. Get lost, and complain about somebody else.
This doesn't change much, except maybe his disposition, which isn't important.

Fun Fact: Despite what Anthrabert says about only giving you the wine if you do his job, you can get it easily by simply trading with him and buying it, without having to do anything related to the cart.




Do you know a man named Anthrabert?
Do you know him? I definitely do. He sees me, and all other independent merchants, as a threat to his own business.
Does he?
Yes, he does. He runs an organization of traveling merchants. He wants to control all of us, so he can dictate prices on all kinds of exotic wares... Because I like to be my own boss, I refused his offer more than once. But he is a kind of man who doesn't take no for an answer.
Anthrabert is definitely looking for somebody to ruin you by destroying your cart...
What? Ah no, I can't believe this. Even he wouldn't go so far...
Warning M'Penzak doesn't help. The cart still burns. If you accept Anthrabert's quest to burn the cart down, obviously you can't talk to M'Penzak about this.

You can choose to go confront Anthrabert immediately once you discover that the cart has been destroyed.
I've heard somebody has set fire to M'Penzak's cart.
And what business is it of yours?
I think it is. What, if I tell the guards what I know?
Do so, if you want. They might arrest me, but they won't be able to prove anything. And if so, I can always buy my way free again! No big deal!
We'll see...
This immediately initiates combat - your character automatically moves to attack Anthrabert. No justice like vigilante justice.



With only 500 hit points and pathetic damage, he goes down easily, and he drops the wine you need.


Anthrabert - what if you destroy the cart?

Very well, I am on it...
Why do you want to see M'Penzak ruined?
I told you. This is not of your concern. I won't explain my reasons to you...

Blowing up M'Penzak's livelihood (You asshole)





Click the lamp and the cart explodes instantly.






I've done it.
You have really earned this bottle of wine. Goodbye.

You obviously don't get any options to turn yourself in, so the crime goes unsolved. You claim that you have no idea who could have done this.


Leondric

Here are some things to say which don't help get him out of the way.



The boss wants to talk to you.
I can't leave my post. If he wanted me he'd come down here himself.
Actually I am your replacement. The boss sent me.
Well, nobody told me about an early replacement. Sorry, but unless I receive orders direct from the boss, I can't leave my post.

He's too smart to be fooled by a simple misdirection. I didn't use these options, because Jeremiah wouldn't, they'd easily come back to bite him on the rear end once Penumbra goes missing. There's one other way to get him out of the way - the direct approach.

I do not like your tone friend... draw your weapon!
Aaahh you wish to challenge me? Then approach and die!




He's only got 600 HP, he does low damage, and has no resistances. He dies fast. Once he's dead, Penumbra's cell door unlocks automatically, without needing the key from the table.


Penumbra



And who are you? And why are you a prisoner of the Thieves' Guild?
May it please your noble self, my name is Penumbra. I'm an innocent maid who was captured by these horrid, nasty men! Please help me!
You get more conversation options here.

Hmphhh! Do I look like someone who would believe such a sorry story?
Why don't you believe me? It's a perfectly good story isn't it?

Two more options here. The first one sets her free...
Hm, maybe...

The second one initiates combat, as does the top-level option shown below.
No it is not. You are in fact, an assassin and the only good assassin is a dead one, as far as I'm concerned.

I'm afraid I will not set you free, rather I will send you to your grave, assassin!

BOSS: Penumbra (You asshole)







She's tough, but doesn't do a lot of damage compared to other bosses we've seen. She throws her twin daggers at you from range. Up close, she kicks you. But like almost all humans, she has no resistances to anything, so she falls fast to all kinds of elemental attacks or Hell Spikes.




When she dies, she drops the book Corinna needs, so you can finish that quest off. But you also lose out on four experience bonuses which are all much, much bigger than the token amount of XP you can get for killing her _{(just setting her free and not attacking her gets you more than 9 TIMES as much XP as killing her. You also get XP from meeting her at Corinna's house, retrieving her knife, and the fourth one)}. So the only reason to kill her is to screw yourself, whereas, if you don't kill her  you get screwed. 

Anyway, I don't think that the main character buys the innocent maid story, but he or she can play along anyway.

Then you need wait no longer innocent maid... here, let me free you.
You are very helpful my friend.
That's me all right. In fact you can call me the Helpful Hero.
Enough talk for now. You can often find me in the house of Corinna the Summoner. We might run into each other there again!




Anyway, I checked for playing a female, and there's absolutely no difference in Penumbra's reactions to you. She'll still kiss you after you free her, and  the later scene is still the same as well. . This is the female survivor in her default (no armor equipped) clothing, by the way.

I also discovered that if you talk to Leondric before getting the quest to free Penumbra from Corinna, Leondric won't leave his post, even after you get the quest, and the conversation option to initiate combat doesn't work. Fortunately, the old-fashioned method of clicking on him with weapons drawn will let you attack him.


Caught by Kratus

Dialogue triggers remove all polymorph or invisibility status effects active on the player. This produces things like this where you were completely invisible, or appear like a cat, but the game turns you back human and visible again. The only way to avoid getting caught is to not be in the same restricted room as Kratus, and maybe you also can't leave a restricted room for a non-restricted room if he could see you coming out of there. I tried several times to leave the evidence room on foot before giving up.




The funny option is to try and bribe him.

Maybe you could overlook this incident if I graced your pockets with some gold?
Hmmm yes... err.. I mean, no, of course I will not!

Almost got him to bite, but too bad it doesn't work. Then the same thing which happens every time you get caught stealing happens. The watch teleports in to speak with you.




You can't talk your way out and still keep the items. I like the first option, it's funny, and if it's a first offense, you get let off with a warning (but still lose the item).


The Thieves Guild

Here's the map of the Thieves' Guild.





Here's what's in the room I marked "Equipment". It's locked, but it just looks like there are molds to make keys and some lockpicking equipment in there.



Rob's quarters are booby-trapped. The chest has spikes hidden inside it which get you when you open it - too bad Telekinesis doesn't work to open things - and the closet has an electricity trap. There isn't any unique loot to take either.




There is one thing of note in Rob's rooms. It's a map of the Verdistis sewers, showing the location of the Lizard teleporter, a spider web, a poison trap, and that thing in the southwest which I don't remember what it is.

While the nameless thieves in the guild don't have anything interesting to say, you do get an actual dialogue option to attack them, although this unprovoked attack does still lower your reputation.



The female character gets a slightly different, but equally funny one.




Next Time: Fake Update: The Dwarven Woods



In one sidequest coming up - actually, one we already know about -  fetching the branch from the talking tree  - I eschew the easy, simple, handed-to-you-on-a-silver-platter solution specifically to show off something very obscure which I read about in a FAQ, but it was so well hidden that I couldn't find it - even though I was actively searching for it - until I actually asked someone on Larian's forums.

I bet that even people who've played the game before won't have found this.