Part 5: Chasing the Dragon
Chapter 3 - Chasing the Dragon
Chapter 3 – Chasing the Dragon
The thread has voted, and we will be going with:
Unarmed, Rush Attack, Whirlwind
Vitality = 1 (Hitpoints = 71)
Spirit = 1 (Mana = 71)
Strength = 4
Dexterity = 1
Intelligence = 1
Yara – Monk = 8 Votes
This woman refuses to fight with weapons. Hands, feet, knees, elbows, those are the only weapons a warrior needs. She specializes in stacking damaging aura enchantments so that enemies die around 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.
Before leaving Farglow, I sold off the Orobas and Mining Guild sets to Gerald to raise about 4000 in gold. I cleaned out his stock of 13 Limited Healing and 11 Limited Revitalizing potions (Quality 1 Health and Mana potions). With the 50% discount, they were about 44 gold each. I also bought a +1 Vitality cuirass (giving me an extra 7 HP). Not much, but I had gold to spare, and with my damage very limited at the start, I’ll need every advantage I can find. My extra skill point went into Rush Attack.
With that out of the way, let’s begin…
Excerpt from “The Last of the Dragon Knights”, by Zixzax the Almost-Wise:
“Rhode craved to be the one to see the era of the dragons end. She desired it more than anything, even to the point of risking the new-born Slayer’s life. Her thoughts were fully on the hunt, she never even considered sending the young Slayer back to Rivertown to complete the vital rituals properly.”
Video: Chasing the Dragon
(Rhode) Right, time to start the hunt! Marius, you will lead the preliminary search of the valley, but warn me before engaging the Dragon! I will notify the local officials of our arrival. Once you have any information, come and find me and we’ll head out. Understood?
(Marius) Yes, ma’am! Good! This will be a day to remember, Slayers. Now hop to it!
Go, you proud fools. Go and complete the slaughter. You know not what terrible weapons the Black Ring has constructed.
Not so fast, my eager new-born! Your mental state is still highly volatile, so I’m keeping you on a tighter leash. Don’t worry, I have an assignment for you as well. Enter the town and ask the villagers about the Dragon. Some are bound to have seen it.
(Slayer Initiate Yara) I don’t trust the locals to give us much credible evidence. I share your scepticism to some degree, but we might as well hear them out. So I’ll find you in the tavern afterwards? Nice idea, but I’m afraid not. I’ll most probably be in the barracks. The local captains and whatnot always want to talk to Slayers. Makes them think they’re grander than the peasant-sitters they are! Hahaha! 
(-33 XP) Do your job quickly and do it well. We need to destroy this Dragon Knight as soon as possible.
I don’t feel very well. Maybe the fresh air will do me some good. We’ve got our first main quest.
Broken Valley is pretty big, and a Dragon Knight – especially one in human form - could be hiding anywhere. We need to talk to villagers until we find three witnesses who can tell us where the dragon has been spotted.
33 XP is now the base XP cost for worthless mindreads. More useful ones cost 133 or even higher. I’ll skip doing most of them, but I’ll show off the ones I don’t do in bonus videos.
To maximize your experience gain, it’s a good idea to do all your mind-reading up front, before you start doing a lot of killing or turning in quests. It’s not as critical now as it was in Ego Draconis, but it’s still good practice to at least make an attempt at it.
This is a teleporter shrine. It allows for instant travel between any shrines we’ve visited. It’s pretty standard for this kind of game.Music: Broken Valley Wakes
(Joris) Good day, Dragon Slayer! Welcome to Broken Valley! (Joris) (-33 XP) Welcome to Broken Valley, Welcome to Broken Valley, Welcome to Vroken Balley… Rats! (Paul) Welcome, Slayer! Thank you. Tell me about the village. (Paul) Broken Valley is a very quiet little place most of the time, but I won’t complain. I don’t envy the guards in other places in Rivellon who have to fight marauders each day. And as a soldier you have all you need here: barracks, a smith, and most importantly: a tavern! (Paul) (-33 XP) Man, my feet are killing me! (Joris) So good to see you, Slayer! Have you been expecting us long? (Joris) We sent a messenger to the Slayer Academy a week ago – so not very long – but we were impatient. Dragons are no laughing matter if you ask me, so we’re glad to have you here! I suppose I’ll start with the guards.
(Wellesly) Hello friend! I’m Wellesly, and I always welcome a chat, that I do! Have you seem a Dragon or Dragons about? Dragons you say! Yes – interesting creatures, I’m sure. Never seen one though! They say there have been sightings in the valley. Not by me! I stand guard here all day. Can’t very well leave my post to do some dragon-spotting now can I? I guess. Do you don’t happen to know anyone who… No, as I said I stand guard right here. A VERY responsible job, standing guard. A bit of a family tradition actually… But about that dragon… My father was a guard, and his father before him. Come to think of it, so was his mother! (-33 XP) I bet my great-great-great-grandfather was a guard as well! Could you give a risk assessment for when we venture into the woods around here? Uh, assess… Well, uh… There’s goblins! That’s right, goblins. Pretty risky, no, goblins? I’d, er… yeah, I’d be sure to assess the goblins if I were you, Slayer!
I talk to one person and I’ve already got a splitting headache. I have to go, Wellesly! Good Day! Please, come see me any time!
(Keane) Welcome, Slayer! I’m Keane. Tell me a bit about yourself, Keane. About myself? Er… I’m a guard and have been since the day I was old enough to join. Father Romon did tell me I was smart enough to study, but I didn’t want to leave home. You’ll find that joining the guard is popular around here, mostly because the wages are good and there’s little actual danger. We’re not great warriors like you Slayers by a long shot, but I wouldn’t want to trade our life expectancies! Can you tell me anything about the Dragon sightings? Not much, I’m afraid. I haven’t left town in weeks. There are guards who have seen something, though. I hope that helps. I’ll take my leave of you now.
Yara heard an argument out in front of the Black Boar Inn.
(Ollie) I’m tellin’ you Stan, I saw it with me own two eyes.
(Stan) Pish posh! You’re having me on! I swear! Soared past the Moon it did! Must have been a bat, Ollie! If that’s what bats look like nowadays, I’ll never leave me home again!
Hello. (Stan) G’day Slayer! How’s life treating you? Not all that bad. Though I’m starting to miss me usual seat in t’bar there. Then why don’t you go back in? Problem is, me young friend, some of them Seekers are in t’Black Boar. Making an awful ruckus and be’aving right badly that lot is! Me and Ollie ain’t goin’ back till them rowdy no-gooders is gone, I can tell ye that. Have you seen? Them Slayers have arrived! Um… yeah. I’m standing right here, guys. Pfeh, Slayers! I bed none of them killed naught bigger than a troll! Hey, I… okay, I haven’t, but - I for one am mighty glad they’re here with that Dragon ‘round! Dragon? That lot will probably believe yer fairy tales! Aye! And some day you’ll be thankful if they do!
Lo there, Slayer! Right good ta see ya! Good to see you too! I’ve got me something to tell you, Slayer! I’ve seen a Dragon! Oh, for Pete’s sake! Never mind ‘im! I know what I saw!
Gods, stop yelling! My head hurts. All right, out with it! Last night I was looking out me window and I saw this great big beast in the sky! Right scared I was, so I hid in the closet! You saw a Dragon in the distance so you hid in the closet… If ye knew Ollie better, ye wouldn’t be surprised! Do you remember where the Dragon was when you spotted it? Way back in the Valley! Now go get the bleedin’ bugger, Slayer! That’s what you’re ‘ere for, right? Let’s see… he saw it by the moon… but last night the moon would only be visible in the west, I think… You know what’s the matter with Derk? Was right snippy he was this morning! Oh, he’s mad ‘cause he must build new defences. Never ‘eard about that! What defences? Why, Dragon defences, a’course! Good luck to him, makin’ magical stuff that big on his own! The real mystery is where the hell Stan’s house is supposed to be. There are only six buildings in the entire town : The Barracks, the Tavern, the Chapel, the Mill, the Pig Farm, the Blacksmith, so where everyone lives is a complete mystery to me.
I really like the lighting effect for when light passes through the leaves of a tree. The wind moves the leaves too, which changes the lighting.
(Elisabeth) I greet you, Slayer! Tell me: to what guild do you belong? The New Order: Rivertown’s finest. Our order was established after the Great War in honour of the fallen Divine. Members are called Seekers, because we spend our lives in personal search; searching and attempting to embody the idea that is the Divine. The Divine? Ideal? Ha! Truly, there was no greater fool. But that does not mean we are merely some sort of ecclesiastical order: we are warriors above all, who serve and protect Rivellon. Why is the New Order here in Broken Valley? There is a famine in Rivertown because of two consecutive failed harvests. That is why a delegation of Seekers under the command of Lieutenant Louis was sent here to claim food stocks. I think we pretty much have what we need now, and I’m confident we’ll be returning home quite soon. Maybe it’s the heat. I feel a bit better in the shade. Have you seen a Dragon in this here valley, milady? Indeed I have, when I was on patrol with Lieutenant Louis. We saw it high up in the vicinity of the locked temple. Can you show me where the temple is on my map? Here. West of the village, just like Stan saw. (-33 XP) I wonder if the Lieutenant knows everybody thinks he’s as popular as an open sewer in the summer. I should go. Please excuse me. By all means!
(Merchant Lamotte) Welcome, Traveller! I am Lamotte, travelling merchant. Whatever it is you need, I have just the thing! Where are you from, Lamotte? I hail from Rivertown, where I work most of the time. But Aleroth and Broken Valley are always on my yearly trader route. It’s a dangerous life this, the travelling merchant business. But the New Order provides good protection most of the time. Much needed protection, I dare say. Bandits and highwaymen are a real menace in the valley – not to mention the wyverns in the Orobas Fjords! (-133 XP, 25% discount) Boy, business is slower than an octogenarian slug! Show me your wares, please. Only quality merchandise, I assure you.
- In ED, Lamotte used to sell wine and a book “History of the Dragon Knights”. He never used to sell weapons or armor, either. The wine and book are gone, but his lines about them remain.
Each time you level up, most of a merchant’s inventory changes, so keep checking back for new items. Merchants are actually a really good source for the equipment you use. Almost all of the best unique items are bought and sold through merchants.I picked up a few things. One was a helmet with +1 Vitality. I don’t mind the look of helmets, although I admit sometimes I wish there was an option to make them invisible.
The tan text on an equippable item (Retribution Aura) is an Enchantment. Enchantments are magical properties which can be added or removed from an item’s Enchantment Slot at an Enchanter. An item can have 0-3 Enchantment Slots. To add an enchantment to an item, you need to know the formula and have the right crafting ingredients. Formulae can be found in loot, or learned by disenchanting an item. We won’t be meeting the first Enchanter for quite a while, so I’m not going to explain it further until then.
As a Monk, I’ll need to use other means to increase my damage, such as stacking damaging auras like this.
In DKS, all merchants sell at least one unique or set item. This was not the case in Ego Draconis.
The other important thing to note is that Lamotte has two Malachite Gems. They are used in crafting Healing Aura enchantments of all qualities, as well as all Quality 10 enchantments. They are the only crafting ingredient which has a limited supply. They are extremely expensive to buy, at 2000 gold each (the mind-reading discount saves me 1000 here alone!) These represent 2/3 of all the Malachite gems you can find until after the halfway mark of the game. You don’t need to get them now, but don’t forget about them. And do not use them lightly, there are only about 30 in the entire game, and once gone, they’re gone. They’re best saved for using on late-game unique items.
(Romon) You look quite pale, my son. What is it that weighs on your conscience?
(Geoff) I… I committed a sin, Father. I stole a fellow miner’s pick and shovel. Confession is the first step towards redemption, child. Make amends and you shall be forgiven! 
(-33 XP) Not a week goes by without that little pest Geoff confessing some petty theft or prank! Welcome Slayer. I am Romon, priest of the New Order, and I’m looking for an experienced warrior. What do you need done? I’m experienced, yes, but also cautious. Caution is a virtue, child! You are wise to let it guide you. Let me tell you something about this valley. Once it was the home of a mighty Dragon Lord, long before the Divine had fallen. This Dragon Knight was slain, though I do not know by whom or what for. His spirit, however, survives to this very day and dwells in his now-ravaged tower. Do you know the name of the Dragon Lord? As a Slayer, you will probably have heard of him. His name is Lovis. Sounds a bit familiar… but it hurts to try and remember. Ugh… I vaguely recall the name, yes. I thought you would. Now here’s why I talked to you about this. I am very interested in the unique magical items that may still rest in this tower. I dare not enter it myself, however, and would like you to scout this ominous structure. I hope you will find something of interest. If you do, please let me know. I wish you the best of luck! Can you tell me something more about Lovis? Not that much, really. I do know he was the only child of Anastus, a queen of the ancient kingdom of Ferol. But of his childhood or education, I know nothing. More famous of course, are his martial exploits. He fought – in dragon form – a duel with Brom, another Dragon Knight. It took place high above this vale. He won by biting off his opponent’s head. Savage… and stomach-churning. His mightiest accomplishments, though, were made during the Battle of the Ten Thousand. He killed six hundred Black Ring troops and three of their generals. It was called the Battle of Ten Thousand, by the way, because that’s how many were killed between dawn and dusk that day. That’s all I can tell you. Maybe Naberius knows more. He’s very interested in Lovis and the history of this place. You can find him a bit further north down the valley, where he lives in his cave-home. Have you seen the Dragon, Father? I have, yes. I went to visit the ruined chapel down the valley last week. When I returned at nightfall, I heard the sound of great wings. I looked up and saw the Dragon. A frightful experience, I assure you! I hope that’s enough information for Rhode. My head is pounding. I must go now, Father. May you always enjoy the present of the angels. Romon sells potions, but unlike other merchants, mind-reading him doesn’t lower his prices. In fact, there are three merchants who sell only potions, and none of them give discounts for mind-reading, although for quite different reasons. Stocking up on them from Gerald in Farglow is looking like a smarter move all the time.There were a couple of dialogue choices, you could be overconfident when Romon asks about an experienced warrior, and you could be extra-cautious when he starts talking about the haunted tower.
Lovis’s Loot – We won’t be able to do this quest for quite some time. It does give some interesting background information on Lovis. We’ll also want to find this Naberius, and ask him about Lovis as well.
I… I think I feel a little bit better now that I’m out of the sun again.
(Louis) Good to see you have arrived safely, Commander Rhode! Thank you, Lieutenant! How are things here? As well as can be expected after the Dragon sightings! I have ordered the construction of defences. Soon peace and quiet will return! Who will build the Dragon defences? The local blacksmith: Derk. Undoubtedly he was very enthusiastic? Hardly! Doesn’t he realize it’s for the town’s own good? Ahem.
This incessant small-talk makes me want to be creative with my blade! Tell me you have something to report so we can commence the hunt! I might, but I don’t want to intrude upon you and the Lieutenant! Just wipe that grin off your face and tell me! The testimonies tend to be a bit vague, but we should clearly focus our attention on the abandoned temple and its immediate vicinity. Good! That gives us a clear sense of direction! I hope Marius will be back with more news soon. But in any case, before we go, I want you to enter the tomb in the back of the chapel. I never pegged you for so morbid a person, Commander! Don’t joke just now. I give you this order for an important reason! The next part of your initiation would have been the confronting of hostile undead in a crypt beneath the academy in Rivertown. To feel the wrath of a nether-spirit for the first time is a harrowing experience. During this confrontation, the mixture of fear, elation, and the grim perseverance that hallmarks Dragon Slayers releases large amounts of adrenaline. I… This helps to stabilize the initial chaos the memories cause. Something is… The effect is temporary, however, so the next and last part of the ritual is… Uuughhhh! Slayer, are you all right?
I’m a bit stirred, but not shaken.
It’s the Dragon memories, they’re getting to you. Take this key and face that ghost. Hurry now – before the effects get worse!
Chapter 3 – Chasing the Dragon
Broken Valley Wakes
To Lay a Ghost to Rest – Our next main quest is to fight an undead, so that the experience will stabilize our mind and let us function. So it’s on to the first boss of the game!- The original quest reward for “Chasing the Dragon” was 500 experience, 480 gold, and 1 reward of your choice (including 125 extra XP). Doing the same thing in DKS nets you 1800 experience, 700 gold and 2 rewards of your choice. (Here, I took a +2 Melee Damage charm and 800 extra XP.)
On my ED run, I had the extra 25 XP from Farglow, did minimal mind-reading, and that XP was only enough to get me to level 2.
In DKS, even without the Farglow XP, and doing a bunch more mind-reading, that XP kicked me from level 1 to level 4.
There’s actually a good reason for this. The game prompts you to go to the crypt right away. But in ED, if you tried that at level 2… you will get slaughtered. You can’t realistically do the crypt at level 2, especially not in ED. But at level 4, you can, which is why the game hands you a couple of free levels there in DKS.
However, the valley still has a bunch of level 1-4 enemies which I haven’t gone near yet, so hitting level 4 means that I lose out on a lot of experience. A level 1 enemy gives 13 XP at level 1, but only 2 at level 5. It would just be a waste of my time fighting them at level 5, but a good challenge at level 1.
Everything after starting to talk to Rhode in the barracks, and all of the next update is real, but I’m not going to do it at this point, I’m saving it for after I clean out most of the trash around here. I also didn’t save before talking to Rhode, so the stuff I bought is also gone, I’ll have to pick up new stuff..
Stan and Ollie are the first names of Laurel and Hardy. In fact, if you mind read them, that’s all you get: “Laurel!” and “Hardy!”. Not a great use of 66 XP, honestly.
There is a bit more conversation stuff in Farglow, which I could whip together in a small video.
READER PARTICIPATION
1. The New Order has seized a farmer’s beloved pet pigs, because of the famine in Rivertown. The farmer desperately begs us to return his little ones. Because it is unclear which is the right thing to do, I am not counting the default “Reluctant Hero” vote here.
a) Return the poor man’s pet pigs.
b) Refuse to interfere in famine relief efforts.
2. A woman has lost her purse. We find it. Do we:
a) Return it?
b) Keep the money.
3. For some strange reason, Unarmed combat lets you wear a shield on your back. You still fight with two fists and your feet, but you also get the benefits of the shield. It looks a bit odd, though, and not quite as good as fighting without it.
a) Wear a shield on your back.
b) Don’t wear a shield.
4. After the next story update, what should Yara do with her time? (Optional)
a) Whatever.
b) Investigate the mill.
c) Check for any posted bounties.
d) Visit Jackson farm.
e) Explore the valley.
If there aren’t a lot of votes for number four, I’ll pick something myself. I might do multiple things in one update, and I’m not going to worry too much about waiting for a lot of votes.