Part 18: A New Dawn

Chapter 11 – A New Dawn


Damian
To Broken Valley west


Excerpt from “The Last of the Dragon Knights”, by Zixzax the Almost-Wise:
“Talana was the last of the Dragon Knights who trained before the doors of Maxos’ Temple were shut long centuries ago. She knew the threat Damian posed to all of Rivellon. As she lay dying at the feet of the last of the Dragon Slayers, she made a fateful decision which would have repercussions for the entire world.


The Slayer’s mind was still raw and open from the Dragon Memory ritual. Talana gave onto this Slayer the essence of her being, the power of the Dragons, and showed a vision of what lay in store for Rivellon. The Slayer was a Slayer no longer, instead becoming the last of the Dragon Knights. This is their story. ”


Video: Damian





(Damian) Time to wake up, my sleeping beauty.
Oooohhh…




Vivid dreams you have. I quite enjoyed that little scene. A Dragon Slayer turned Dragon Knight. Hahaha!




Such delicious irony, rich and thick, like clotted blood.




But I warn you, little hatchling:
Aah!
Should you attempt to make Talana’s dream come true, our next encounter won’t end with the spilling of so little blood, clotted or otherwise.




Remember that.





Music: Here be Zandalor





(???) Halt! Please stand still a while and let me have a look at you. Yes… yes… yes.. good! Everything still seems to be where it should. Most are not so lucky after a tête-à-tête with the Damned One himself!
Ah, Zandalor. You old fool…

1. And am I to be that lucky again after a tête-à-tête with you?
3. The fool should have killed me when he had the chance!

(Dragon INITIATE Yara) It was more of a heel to head confrontation, actually. I won’t forget that kick to the head in a hurry.




(Zandalor) That headache will quickly pass, unlike the one Damian gave Rivellon when his dark armies ravaged her. But first things first. I am Zandalor: wizard, scholar and this world’s most famous eminence grise, until I fell from grace for protecting Dragons from Slayer blades after the Great War.
(300 XP) _{I cannot believe it! Here is hope. Hope to destroy Damian. I shall guide you well, Dragon!}

1. And what does the famous Zandalor want from me?
2. Then as a Dragon Slayer, it is my duty to end your life.

Before we continue, please tell me what happened here exactly. A lot happened and I don’t fully understand.
It would seem Talana noticed your weakness, and in her desperate state used it to perform an unprecedented act. She gave her worst enemy all that made her a Dragon Knight, the raw magic of the Dragon. That is how strongly she felt about her sole purpose, which she tried to show you in her final moments. Like Damian, I saw your dream. And so I have come to aid you. For Talana’s words could not ring more true: Damian must be defeated. In order to do so, though, you will have to brave many dangers first as you strive to unlock the powers that were given onto you.




While you may not realize it yet, we have come to a turning point in Rivellon’s history. And what you decide to do with Talana’s bequest will give shape to the fate of everything that lives on this globe. It is with those prophetic words I must leave you, but not before guiding you in the right direction. Seek the help of Lord Lovis in his citadel tower, here, in the valley. His ghost will shed light on the mystery that has befallen you. And now I must go. Many things have to be done, many things indeed. Rest assured, however, we will meet again.
Before you go, I should like to know why you of all people would aid those who killed the Divine.
There is truth, and there is the perception of it. You will find out later which of the two has been the helmsman of the course you steer.
Ha!
Tell me, am I really a Dragon Knight now?
You are, yes, but that does not mean you can take the form of the Dragon yet. It is a complicated matter, which Lovis will tell you more about when asked.
I have heard enough. For Lord Lovis’ tower I am bound.
Well spoken! Be safe and journey carefully. The land needs you!


Excerpt from “The Last of the Dragon Knights”, by Zixzax the Almost-Wise:
“But such a momentous occasion does not pass unnoticed. Both the Damned One and the noble Zandalor were observing the scene. Damian delivered a warning to the reborn Dragon Knight not to follow Talana’s quest. Zandalor offered some direction, but the Dragon Knight knew the struggle would be difficult, as Damian knew the Dragon Knight was coming for him.”

Looking for Lovis
We need to ascend Lovis’s tower and penetrate its interior. It’s not in good shape, but it’s locked up pretty well. Getting in won’t be easy. But the music makes it very enjoyable.


Music: A New Dawn





(Talana) _{Now you know your enemy and the shadow-strewn path that awaits you. But I’ll be there to guide you, should you stray too far and wide.
Who’s there? Talana?}
Slayer, can you hear me? Respond if you can hear me, Slayer?
_{Yes, it is I.} But Zandalor was right: you must find Lord Lovis. Tell him it was I who sent you and he will most certainly help you.
Alright. This is all very strange, but it is some comfort to know I won’t be undertaking this journey alone.
SLAYER! HEAR MY VOICE!
<sub>Indeed, young Dragon Initiate. I will guide you to the destruction of Damian.




There’s the tower. I suppose I should be off… in a moment.</sub>
I can’t make her hear me. Not a surprise, I suppose.




It feels a bit strange saying this to someone I had sworn and oath to destroy, but… goodbye, Talana. .. Well, I guess not, since you’re still here, except not exactly, but… you know what I mean.
_{Let us hope your feet are quicker than your tongue.}


Alright, a lot of things to talk about. First of all, Broken Valley is now completely open to us. We can go anywhere. We can even venture into Orobas Fjords (although the enemies there are high level).

We now have a permanent companion of sorts, in the form of Talana’s spirit. She’ll give us advice and make comments on various encounters, and she’ll also badger us to hurry up and do the main plot. Now that we have her, I’ll have additional fake dialogue between her and Yara.

But most importantly is a permanent ability, a change to our mobility!

Legs of the Dragon
– “The power of the ancient Dragons infuses your muscles with superhuman might and endurance. For you, the phrase “It’s not the fall which will kill you,” is quite accurate. Your new Draconic agility lets you cross large gaps in a single tremendous bound. Best of all, now you can reach things from even the highest shelf with ease.”

Our jumps now take us about three times as high (or more) as they could before. The old wimpy jump is gone for good, we can now do huge flips – forward AND backward. This makes evasion in combat much easier.


Video: Broken Valley west


As Yara crossed a bridge, someone ran up from behind her.




(Willy) Good day, Dragon Slayer! Willy’s the name, selling’s the game!

2. Great opening line, my money is halfway out of my pocket already.
3. Not interested.

And what is it you sell?
Houses, my dear friend: property!
I run the Broken Valley Real Estate corporation, and I have a few things on the market just for you!
First there’s Folo’s house in the village: he needs to sell it because of gambling debts. Or you can buy a piece of land and build a new house will be built according to your instructions! So, which of the two will it be?
_{Is he serious? Dismiss the little weasel quickly, Dragon Knight, so we can be on our way to see Lord Lovis.}

Spoiler alert: This guy is a con man. You run into him in three places (each time there’s an unskippable cutscene), and you can’t just speed through the conversations, because the option to say no moves around.

1. I take it Folo’s price is reasonably priced?
2. Will a new house be expensive?

Neither.
Nonsense! Come on now, what house would you like?
I said neither!
You’ll change your mind! Next time we meet, you’ll buy, I’m sure of it!






_{That tower looks pretty beaten up.
I doubt that your house would look as good after being dead for hundreds of years.
What’s that thing?}




(Mystery Object) Speak the word so that you may pass.
Not another password!
Oh, yes indeed!






_{This must be your weapon.
Yes. Could you do me a favour…
I’m not going to kill Rhode.
You may not have a choice in the matter, Dragon Knight.
There’s always a choice.}



The stats on this are unimpressive, but the real benefit are the three enchantment slots.




_{Skeletons. More and more skeletons.}






Wooooo!

Fear in action. Notice the skeletons fleeing.




<sub>Where are you going? The tower is the other way.
I know.




We’ve got better things to do than to have a pleasant stroll in the countryside. You need to fulfill your new destiny as a Dragon Knight, and to do that you need to meet Lord Lovis in his tower.




I’ll get there. … I just want to think about this for a minute. You’re asking me to abandon my duties, my friends, my life. It’s not easy.
You’re a soldier. Don’t you know that orders can change at the drop of a hat? Stop feeling sorry for yourself.
Ssh… I think I heard something.




Goblins! Since I fear I’ll soon be out of work as a Dragon Slayer, I’ll need something else to supplement my income, like selling these hearts to Richard.








Huh, what’s this?</sub>






(Drevan) My: a visitor! I don’t frequently see other people in this corner of the valley. I’m Drevan.
What draws you to this spot?
Solitude, Slayer. The opportunity to work with my enchantment machine without being disturbed. Weapons, armour, ring: you name it, I can fashion it. I could probably make a fortune in the city, but wealth does not interest me: only the art of enchanting.
Could I make use of your skills?
You’d have to pay for the raw materials used. But further than that, yes, certainly. Only, the machine operates on red ore: which is bounteous in Broken Valley, but it’s been hard to get supplies lately. The miners from a relatively new quarry a bit to the south of here normally bring me ore every week, but they haven’t shown up. Bring me some and I’ll fire this old engine up again. You’d really be helping me out here!
(-750 XP) _{I’m going to change my storage password to something a little less easy to guess than ‘Drevan’.}
See you later.
Goodbye!

The Hunt for Red Ore
All we need to do is bring him a single chunk, and the machines will be up for good. I haven’t found any in loot yet, but there’s a mine nearby.






Damian
To Broken Valley west




Here be Zandalor


A New Dawn








Reader Participation

1. Where to? Closed, the vote was overwhelming. (Some of the choices offer immediate rewards, other will lead to other choices before the reward can be claimed.)
a) Lord Lovis’ Tower, looking for Loot. (Reward: “Festival of Immortals”)
b) Lord Lovis’ Tower, looking for Lovis. (Reward: “Festival of Immortals”)
c) Go to the Mine and get some Red Ore for Drevan (Reward:  Enchanting System becomes available, Necromancy System becomes available. ) = 10 votes
d) Let’s head to the Bandit Camp = 1 vote (plus 2 votes as the second destination)
e) Instead of a story update, do an OOC Dungeon Update (Reward:  +1 Wisdom Amulet, Bounty collected. )
f) Instead of a story update, do the “Evil” version of the quests from Broken Valley next.

(If you vote for a "next choice" option, it'll save time in recording.)


2. Characterization: So, while we’re Dragon Slayer in appearance, we are on the path to being a Dragon Knight now. How does Yara feel about this? (None of these options will get us into trouble or start fights that could have been otherwise avoided.)
a) She will embrace this new power fully, and will not try to hide it at all. = 4 votes
b) She will deny this change and try to cling to her old status as a Slayer. = 1 (or 2 votes)
c) She will accept the new power, but won’t advertise it unless someone already knows. = 5 (or 6 votes)