Part 42: Depths of Nisir 3

Update 42: NAMTAR (maybe)

So, remember how last time, after killing Mystalvision, he warps us back to the beginning of the dungeon?

Well, it's not actually the beginning of the dungeon. Instead, it's a different completely-walled-off room which requires you to Soften Stone your way out of it. Oh, and there are encounters in all of the tiles in the room. But you can just cast Soften on the wall right next to you and avoid all of that crap, so whatever.

Now that we've taken out Buck and Mystal, there's nothing else noteworthy in this dungeon, so we might as well head straight for the boss room. On the way, we'll go through a few rooms which don't have encounters, but are certainly foreboding:









Actually, I kinda wish the whole Depths of Nisir dungeon was stuff like this. It's more interesting and less annoying than the spinner traps and fuck-you encounters that make up the rest of the Depths. But that sort of thing was par for the course in this era of gaming.



This is a damage tile, and it's not fucking around. The amount of damage dealt seems to be random, but it can easily be more than half of a character's HP. So if we step on two of these without bandaging, someone in the party will die, just like that. So let's not step on these. One more cast of Soften Stone will get us where we need to be. Time for the final battle!







Wait, did that just say there were a million of them?!



Piers: Let's do it! We've beaten an army before! Follow me everyone! CHAAAAAAARGE!



This seems like it may or may not be a good idea...



Okay, this is just some mobs, there are only 50 of th-



OH FUCK WE ARE GOING TO DIE



This battle isn't technically impossible, but there are 50 enemies, most of them will act before anyone in our party, and they can stun in one hit. It's clearly not meant to be winnable.

Mercifully, the game does allow us to run from it (or get stunned and stumble back one tile). In fact, we can leave the dungeon by going up the flight of stairs directly behind us. This is a nice out for anyone who saves right before the fight, then realizes they are completely screwed.

(Back in the day, the first time Dad and I got to this part of the game, that's pretty much what we had to do. I think we gave up on the game for a while, because making it all the way through the game, then through the Depths of Nisir only to get here and be completely outclassed by the first wave of Namtar's forces... well, it's a bit demoralizing.)



The game is kind of beating us over the head with the fact that we need help to beat Namtar's army. But how are we going to get help here?

Let's think back a bit...

...possibly over an entire year ago...

Some time ago, rujasu" post="455240784 posted:

Paragraph 120 posted:

The Dragon Queen recoils when you show the Dragon Gem. "Curse you!" she hisses. "The Dragon Gem marks you as friend of dragons, and binds me to your will." The Dragon Queen looms above you, seeming impossibly large. "I grant you your life, and I dismiss you from my presence. When next you use the Dragon Gem, I will respond...but the sacrifice you offer must be sweet, or I will turn on you, and the Dragon Gem be damned!!"

With a beat of her wings the Dragon Queen is gone.

This seems like an appropriate "sacrifice."















Damn. Well, that was impressive. Shame we didn't get to have a real battle with Namtar and had to watch a dragon take him out for us, but hey, I'll take it. I suppose, after months of anticipation, this may seem like a bit of a letdown. I suppose it is. All this talk about Namtar being such a formidable foe, all the buildup to a big, challenging endgame battle where we need all of the best gear and magic to survive... all for just a few paragraphs of exposition, and that's it. He got burnt to a crisp before we could even touch him. I can't help but feel it's a letdown for this LP. Not much of an ending really.

...

Eh, you know what? That's okay. This was a long and challenging journey, we got through it, we defeated Namtar, we saved Dilmun. Job well done. Thanks to everyone who stuck around to read this LP to the end despite the delays. This was my first LP, and it was a little tougher than I thought but I think it went OK. I might post one or two more updates for stuff I missed, but clearly the important stuff is wrapped up now, so I think I'll sign off for now.



Again, thanks everyone!



Really, this is totally definitely the end of the LP!



No need to hang around any longer, that's it!



Thanks for reading, and see you around!



...



What? Why are you still here?


















Aw, nuts.

TO BE CONTINUED