Part 136: All For One And One For All

PART 136: ALL FOR ONE AND ONE FOR ALL


Who do you want to take with you, Commander?

[Time for the final party.]

Justice, you're with me.



As it should be. Our foes will pay heavily for their transgressions. This I swear.

We're all probably dead anyway. At least you've got a head start.

Who else will you bring?

The mage, Anders.



And here I thought I'd retire to the country with a plump wife and several nubile mistresses.

I suppose it'll have to wait.

Plump wives are not in your contract.

Who else?

Nathaniel, this a chance to redeem your family.



Initially, I thought you were utterly mad to invite me to join your order.

But redemption. A man could die for that and feel good about it.

Briefly, sure.

And so it is decided.



Don't you go dying on me, Commander. That‘s the Legion‘s job.

I'll make sure the Vigil's ale supply is safe. Leave a few darkspawn skulls for me to kick in, right?

May the wind be ever at your back, Commander.

The rest of us will stay here. Maker protect you and hold you close, Commander.

[The companions we choose to take to Amaranthine all get small approval increases... except for Anders, who really would have preferred being left behind.]




AND THEN EVERYTHING ELSE FROM THE END OF EPISODE 22 HAPPENED



The constable says the city is lost. I say we destroy it. Burn it, and all the darkspawn within.

I'm not giving up on Amaranthine.

[You voted to be a hero, so we're doing this.]

Warden-Commander, we have already lost Amaranthine. We can't lose the Vigil as well.

I have faith in the fortress I have built.



Commander, we can't save Amaranthine if it's already lost. We can still save the Vigil.

If we destroy this city, we are no better than the darkspawn. The commander is right, we have to try!

I don't want to see fire ravage these streets, but it may be our only chance.

(Persuade) What if there's a chance we could save someone? Anyone?

It would take a miracle. (Sigh) I will follow your lead, Commander.



No... no! If you stay, the Mother will get what she wants!

I'd almost forgotten about you. Fight with us and I will show you mercy.

I will go. I will do as the Grey Warden bids!



Amaranthine, then. (Sigh) The darkspawn are never this organized on their own. Something must be leading them.

If we eliminate the darkspawn leadership, we can go about finding survivors.

Good luck to you, and Maker watch over us all.



DARKSPAWN JOINED THE PARTY! ...KIND OF.

[He's not an actual party member, but he'll help out with the fighting for this section.]





I wonder who left this here.

It's probably never going to be relevant.



[Amaranthine's streets are swarming with Children. Our first objective is to rescue what's left of the City Guard from them.]



We're here to he--holy hell, what is that thing?



[Adult Childer start showing up now. They are larger and creepier than the infant forms, and make some truly unpleasant gurgling noises when you fight them.

They also gain the ability to drain mana and an AoE poison attack. Good times!]



Hey! Where are you going?

We need to guard the gate! The other gate! Good luck!



Typical. You just can't get the help these days.



SHOT...







[Our goal is that Guard Commander.]



No resisting death.



Warden-Commander, we've received word of another wave of darkspawn approaching the city.

They will be here within a day.

Then we must prepare.

Most of the survivors are taking refuge in the chantry. The militia has set up a base of operations there.

You can rest and resupply there. In the meantime, my men and I will search for more survivors.




LATER...



If I had a gold sovereign for every Chantry I've sheltered from a horde of monsters in, I'd have... two gold sovereigns.

Was there any need for us all to rest in the same bed?



W-Warden-Commander! Come quickly. The darkspawn are still breaking through!

Breaking through where?

The inn! They're coming from the inn, somehow!

Oh, they must have taken rooms there.



What? Is that a joke?

Y-yes?

You can stop the darkspawn, can't you?

Yes.

Stay in the Chantry. You'll be safe here.

Maker bless you, Warden Commander!



[There's a shop in here, in case we need to resupply after fighting four trash mobs and no bosses. I think I'm being patronised.

I don't know why that dwarf has a quest marker over his head, there's no interaction with him. Bugs!]



The weather's taken a turn for the dramatic.



At least the city's not going to burn down. Although it might flood.



[An almost endless stream of Childer spawn from the pub.]



You have too many... pointy bits.



Anders, do the thing!



Walking Bomb still works then.

I may be a one trick pony, but it is a very good trick.



[In the bar you get jumped by the first of three Disciple General mini-bosses. He's a big fella with an axe.]



[At half HP he summons more Children to help him. I respond by accidentally freezing everyone with a poorly aimed ice spell. Oops.]



[We're powerful enough that it's easy to roll over the boss, even with a party of mostly ranged fighters in a close environment. Our reward is a new belt.]



Nice. It is oddly warm though.

Is it alive, perhaps? Does it feel like flesh? Does it ooze?

I... don't want this now.



I can't believe they didn't seal up this secret door, after I told them about it!

I'm starting to have serious doubts about the competency of the Amaranthine PD.



[In the basement is another Disciple General. This one is the 'thief'. He dual wields and uses traps. There's also an endless stream of respawning darkspawn flooding into the room from the other entrance.]



[Justice killed him in two hits ]



[Our reward is... something that raises further questions.]



Where does this come out?



Oh look. There's that ballista again.



...Uh oh.



[A new enemy type. At the very, very end of the game, we get to fight Armored Ogres. They're like regular Ogres, but more stylishly dressed.]



I think Chekov had something to say about this.

*WHUMP*



[I also killed Anders by accident doing this. He really shouldn't have been standing down range.]



[The final Disciple General fled over to near the gates. This one is the 'mage'. He dies very quickly in close combat.]



We're done.











Commander.



The darkspawn are retreating.

How does the keep fare?

We haven't heard much, but what we have heard is... not good.

The Architect's messenger has given us directions to the Mother's lair. We must pursue her.

What about the Architect?



The messenger... said the Architect also planned to kill the Mother. I do not know what to make of that.

Then let us take the fight to the Mother.

Commander, what should we do with the messenger?

He kept his word. Let him go.

It shall be as you say. Maker watch over you, Commander.



[The surviving citizens of Amaranthine, all ten of them, come out to cheer us on. We have one last chance to shop before we depart.

We can also pick up the loot from the last Disciple General's corpse.]



[Booo! BOOOOO!]



Well then. Time to save the world again.




AT DRAKE'S FALL...



[Awakening has issues, but I think Drake's Fall is one of the most memorable final dungeons in the series. It hits all my favourite Dark Souls' tropes: dragons, graveyards, fleshy goo, abysses, gnawing existential terror.]



Should the moon really be that close?

One apocalypse at a time, please.



[Factions of darkspawn are fighting throughout the area.]



[And then a dragon shows up and kills them all.]



Justice! That dragon has commited multiple crimes!







I remember being afraid of dragons once.

They're an endangered species, you know.

More so every day.

Good.



[Our reward for killing the dragon is a very sweaty helmet.

Now we need to head deeper into the ruins.]



Should we knock?



Why did no-one tell me Amaranthine had a doom fortress built on a dragon's graveyard? It would have saved a lot of time.



[It's all downhill from here.]



[We just introduced these armored ogres, and by God, we're going to make you fight one in every encounter from here on out.]



Looks like we can jam something in this old machine.



[These crystals are scattered throughout the area. Some drop from enemies, some are hidden in treasure chests.]



It did... something.

Do we really have time for this?

There's always time to poke things we don't understand. It's the Adventurer's Code.



[There are three towers to activate, and each gives us one use of a special power in the final boss fight. Drake's Fall is completely linear, so this isn't a very complex sidequest. Still, it's something to pass the time between fighting hordes of Children.]



Eesh. This architecture is far too ominous. Even before the fleshy growths.





Can anyone hear whispering?



And so we meet again.



No, Utha. That is not how this must begin.



I owe you an apology, Commander. when last we met, I intended to explain myself. Fate, however, intervened.

I escaped, you mean.



l restrained you only to prevent the misunderstanding that occurred with the rest of your order.

"Misunderstanding?" Is that what you call it?

I sent the Withered to ask for the Grey Wardens' help; I should have anticipated that you might view our approach as an attack.



I am rarely able to judge how your kind will read. It was most unfortunate.

Unfortunate? You took those men and bled them dry!

The Grey Wardens that were brought to me were already dead.

I took their blood just as I took yours, because I had little choice. Things have not gone as I planned.



I only ask that you hear me out. Should you still wish to slay me afterwards, you may try.

...


NEXT TIME: The Father and the Mother and the End

NEW CODEX CONTENT:
Armored Ogre
Drake's Fall