Part 7: Tomb of Arben

Chapter 4: Tomb of Arben
Bonus: Ego Draconis Yeara vs Arben


Chapter 4 – Tomb of Arben


I have just reached level 4, so it’s time to allocate my 12 attribute points and my three skill points.

Unarmed, Rank 2
- Rank 2 increases Unarmed damage from 5% to 15%.


Fatality, Rank 1
- Enemies at 10% health or lower are killed instantly.
I tried this out for the video, but if I knock an enemy down to 10%, it’s simpler to just hit them with another attack. It doesn’t reach 25% enemy health until Rank 6, so until I reach level 18 and meet another condition, there’s no point in using this. I don't put points in this for real until Act IV.


Lockpick, Rank 1
– You can open difficulty 1 locks.
There’s not much else worth increasing at this point.




Vitality = 3 -> 9 (Hitpoints = 139)
Spirit = 2 (Mana = 90)
Strength = 4 -> 10
Dexterity = 1
Intelligence = 1

Because I can’t kill enemies as quickly without a weapon, I’ll need to increase my Vitality to boost my endurance. 10 Strength and 139 HP is plenty to handle the level 4 and 5 enemies I’ll be facing.

As the thread voted, I am only pretending to do this chapter now, so I can go faff about levelling up without Yara appearing to blow off her orders to go prance in the fields with the flowers and bunnies. After this update, I’ll restore to before I gave Rhode the information on where the Dragon was. I will be back to level 1 again and all these stats and upgrades (and the gear I bought) will go away.





Music: Broken Valley Wakes



Video: Tomb of Arben




(Arnold) What can I do for you?
You’re the chapel guard?
You could call it that. Romon – he’s a priest – would tell you it’s the most important position in town, but I’d call it the most useless. Broken Valley hardly gets any visitors, and those that do come spend a lot more time in the Black Boar!
(-40 XP) _{Blast, I forgot my belt under my bed in the barracks again.}
Bye now.
Yeah, bye.






Mind-reading Arnold cost a slight bit more XP. It produced an item which wasn’t there before he was mind-read. This happens a lot with mind-reading. Things appear out of nowhere which weren’t there before you mind-read them.

Also, the belt is crap. We apparently need to wait until reaching level 6 to wear any unique or set items.






Yara ignored the sermon and headed immediately for the door in the back, which she unlocked with the key Rhode had provided her.

The church has a handful of people here listening to Father Domenic rambling out his Latinish bullshit. I suppose if I transcribed the stuff from screenshots, I could look up some Latin and try and guess what he’s trying to say, but screw that. I grabbed some food from the Altar for healing items and headed into the door at the back.




The air was dry and dusty. A hostile skeleton was waiting for her.

_{I gather the villagers don’t come back here very often.}

I slightly brightened these screenshots to make them easier to see. I’ll adjust the brightness another 10% before next time and see if that helps. And… oh, right. Skeletons.












This is Fatality in action. I’m actually triggering it on a different skeleton than the one whose health bar is up top.




The tomb in the back had an unsettled air. The door closed shut as soon as Yara stepped inside, and it refused to budge again.

_{I don’t like this at all.}

An altar in the center of the room had a large sword mounted on a cross.

_{I’d rather avoid that for now.}




This is a Stats book. It gives us one free attribute point. Stat books are practically non-existent in the game, there are maybe three in total. Most free stat points come from mind-reads.




There’s an unlocked chest which has some stuff.



The earrings give me Hide in Shadows, the invisibility skill. It’s useful for when you need a breather, but getting hit as you’re casting or just after can end the spell right away. It also has a Rank 2 Poison Aura enchantment.



An extra 14 HP is always welcome. The Retribution Aura isn’t likely to do much damage. A dangerous enemy can hit me for maybe 20 damage at the moment, so if this goes off it’ll hit them for 5. Then again, my bare fists aren’t going to do much more than that.



In Ego Draconis, that chest contained severed body parts. While they would become useful eventually, there’s no way to make them useful until well after this quest is done.

Yes, I’m not explaining how or why severed body parts could possibly be useful. Wait and see.




As Yara approached the altar, the spirit showed itself.






(???) Mark me, Dragon Slayer!
What are you?
I repose here, the spirit of one who was once a Slayer. Duel me and emerge victorious. Only then will you be worthy of my regard.

Music: From Hell





Arben Ghost - The first boss is easy. He’s got two skeletons helping him. I don’t know whether they vanish if you kill him first, but they give XP, so why take the chance? Arben attacks by disappearing into the ground and coming up beneath you to whack you. He does about 20 damage a hit, so beat him down quickly and be sure to heal if you get low. All healing works over time, so don’t wait until the last minute like you could in Divine Divinity or Beyond Divinity.




His other attack is a toned down version of Firewall. There’s a short casting delay which might give you time to escape the radius before getting hit.




Fatality on another skeleton, and also, I am going to die if I don’t heal right now.




Hide in Shadows is helpful because you CAN drink potions and remain invisible. And human enemies tend to put their weapons away, which lets you get in a free hit before they can draw them again. The downside is that Hide in Shadows just sucked away all my mana. I had almost half my invisibility time left when I ran out of mana.










I congratulate you, Slayer. The memory ritual has not deprived you of all your former powers.
Still, I had the feeling you were holding back.
I was undefeated when I was alive, but your death would not benefit me: quite the opposite. And you do have potential.
What is your name?
(Arben Ghost) I am Lord Arben’s spirit, sworn to dwell the night and walk the day without rest until all Dragon Knights have been burnt and purged away. The last Dragon Knight is near. It is she you are chasing: the blasphemy called Talana. Revenge is at hand child, and with it the Dragon Slayers’ destiny. Here, take my sword. I give it to you freely. May its icy blade draw fountains of her red-hot blood!
Did you fall in combat with a Dragon?
No. It was merely old age that ended my days as a Slayer, but I led my fair share of raids on the strongholds of Betrayers. I made my name during the first years of the Dragon purges. That sword I gave you ensured the gory doom of many an opponent. How I relish it still: the image of my blade, sparkling silver in the sun, as it is hewn into an enemy’s chest, then brought back up, dripping with deep crimson.
(-400 XP) _{The ghost of Arben thinks of his shield: how it was lost in combat with Orobas and how it must still be there in the crypt the Dragon fled into.}
What lies in store for you now, spirit?
Once you and your fellow Slayers have killed Talana, I will find rest in the Hall of Echoes. The rest is silence and oblivion.
I must go.
Farewell, Slayer. Remember me and my legacy. Until we may meet again, remember me!



Arben gives us his neat sword, which is balanced between normal and magical damage. That means either a strength-based or intelligence-based build could make good use of it. Arben must have been a really strong guy, since he mentioned using a shield, and we can only use Arben’s Sword with two hands.

It will be a LONG time before we can find Arben’s Shield. Almost everyone will have forgotten about it by then. I tend to skip this mind-read if I have no intention of using a shield on a character.






The key-locked chest isn’t that exciting, but it does have something of note.




Our first set item. There were only 4 sets in Ego Draconis, and the item placement left some things to be desired. There are many more sets in DKS. Some were originally DLC for the Xbox 360 version of ED, I believe. The Rivellon Guard set is one of the weaker sets. It has three pieces. The second piece can be found in the village, but the third piece will take a while (and it’s a Warhammer, and thus of no use to Yara anyway).

Set items often have fixed properties. Each item has a hidden set bonus which shows up when you have two items equipped. Additional items increase the magnitude of the bonus, but there isn’t anything unique for completing a set.






(Rhode) There you are! Marius informed me he spotted the Dragon Knight! But tell me, did you defeat whoever’s ghost was in that tomb?
The tomb is quiet. Arben rests again.
Did you say Arben? You met the ghost of Lord Arben? But… but he was a legendary Slayer. He led the attack on the stronghold of Orobas, once one of the mightiest Dragon Knights! After his retirement he withdrew into obscurity. No one could have imagined he died here, in this little hamlet. And you have his sword! I’d recognize it anywhere.
He hopes this sword will take active part in Talana’s demise.
And it will! But not by your hand.
Excuse me?
You have proven you are worthy of the title of Dragon Slayer and therefore I won’t allow you to join us. I foresee great things for you. It would be a shame if they were unrealised because of ill-timed heroics. The Dragon memories are too fresh a presence in your psyche. Talana’s mind-attacks would see your doom.
I suppose you know what’s best. I’ll wait for you in the barracks then, shall I?
Loyal as ever. You’re a good soldier and friend indeed. Wait here, in the village. Oh, yes, for once I won’t frown upon your sitting in the tavern should I find you there. Come now, give me the sword so that Lord Arben’s wish may yet be realised.
Difficult come, easy go, I guess.
And don’t be saddened by the events of this day. You will make your name as a hero yet.




2600 XP was enough to get us from 1 to 4, but it’s only enough to get us from 4 to 5. While we have now unlocked the path to next area, it would not be a bad idea to go level up some more first.




Well, uh… now what should I do?


Excerpt from “The Last of the Dragon Knights”, by Zixzax the Almost-Wise:
“With fire in her veins, the Slayer Rhode rushed out the door, giving no further thought to her protégé. Rhode had forgotten to tell her the Slayer about the last part of the ritual which would protect the young Slayer’s still vulnerable mind. And the Slayer had forgotten this important fact as well.”







Chapter 4: Tomb of Arben
Bonus: Ego Draconis Yeara vs Arben




From Hell





Because the thread voted that Yara wasn’t enthusiastic about hunting the dragon, I chose the passive response "I'll just wait in the barracks", when Rhode tells you that you're not going to hunt the Dragon Knight. If you had voted for “extremely passionate” I would have chosen “I cannot obey this order!”

I appreciate your concern, but this is an order I simply cannot obey.
You have never done that, and you’ll not start now.

Moderately passionate would have been “How can I call myself a Slayer?”

She is the last of her kind, Commander! How can I be called ‘Dragon Slayer’ if I never did what that title describes?
The role of our order shall not diminish. Not before Rivellon is free of all her foes, and you know too well our world has far too many.

In all cases, we lose Arben’s sword, even if we never told Rhode what Arben’s wish for it was. We couldn’t equip it anyway.

The last poll is closed, we’re returning the pigs (which I’m pretty sure the farmer was NOT compensated for), we’re returning the purse, and we’re not wearing a shield on our back.

1. Pets or Pork?
a) Pets = 6
b) Pork = 3

2. Prince or Purse Snatcher?
a) Prince = 8
b) Purse-Snatcher = 1

3. "Captain?"
a) "Shields up!" = 3
b) "Lower the shields!" = 5






Meet Yeara, the Ego Dragonis Monk! She’s following Yara’s actions exactly, and is built exactly the same! Let’s see what happens when Yeara, the level 2 Ego Draconis Monk tries to follow the main plot into the Chapel tomb.

Video: Ego Draconis Yeara vs Arben

Because you only get one quest reward, not two, I chose a +1 Vitality bracelet over 125 experience. That turned out to be the difference between being level 2 and level 3 when fighting Arben. Also, I deliberately wore a shield in that video to show what it looks like.

My first recording was when I fought him at level 3, but I recorded in the wrong resolution so I needed to do it again. I died a couple of times trying.




Equipment in ED requires your attributes to be up to snuff.


READER PARTICIPATION

Here’s where the “Reluctant Hero” part of the characterization comes into play in voting and starts adding the default vote for a "heroic" option.

1. It turns out that there is a deserter from the Champions of Aleroth hiding out in town.
a) Tell him that we won’t turn him in. (Reward:  ***** Nothing ***** )
b) Tell him we won’t turn him in if he bribes us. (Default – 1 vote) (Reward:  Unique Ranger Gloves )
c) Tell him we won’t turn him in if he bribes us. Then turn him in anyway. (Reward:  Unique Ranger Gloves, and possibly something which randomly drops from his corpse )
d) Tell him we’re going to turn him in. (Reward: I haven’t done this myself, but a FAQ says:  +1 Attribute point, acquired at a later date )

2. A bunch of drunks behave really badly and get thrown out of a bar by their commander, but we cover for them, and we go see them later and…
a) Tell them we enjoy a few drinks ourselves. (Default – 1 vote)
b) Threaten to tell their commander how they were really behaving if they don’t bribe us.
c) Threaten to tell their commander how they were really behaving if they don’t bribe us. Then rat them out to their commander anyway.
(I’m not going to rat them out at the first opportunity, because if we do we’ll permanently miss a chance to unlock a dungeon while we’re still low enough level for it to be interesting. There’s no additional reward at this point. I can easily make a bonus video showing the ratting-out.)

3. A merchant tells us he paid a soldier to get a rabbit for him, but the soldier never did. The soldier claims the merchant is lying.
a) Threaten the soldier into paying up. (Reward:  25% discount at Locke’s, standard quest reward. )
b) Accuse the merchant of lying. (Reward:  We pay double price increase from the merchant. So this is a penalty.  If you side with the soldier, I’ll  only pretend to turn this quest in now, I’ll actually delay handing it in until later. )
c) Investigate both claims before deciding. (Default – 1 vote)