Part 76: The Elder Updates LXXV - Duality is a Thing

Duality is a Thing


Last time, we did a little bit of traveling and ultimately stumbled upon a little village. Personally I'm thankful for the distraction, because I didn't remember there being anything of interest between the Gates and New Sheoth, which is where-


Agh.


Hmm! Lively place.


Hello!
There would be more corpses to count if someone would get rid of all the doubles around here.
...doubles? What-
Not enough corpses around here...but there should be. Those stupid Manics. They ruin everything.


Khajiit...is not sure what you are talking about.
Sure would be nice to see one more corpse around here. One that looks like me, but isn't me. Take my meaning?
...let us say yes. Goodbye.


...wait. This is the same woman?
So! This is Split.



Oho! Khajiit sees it now.
Everyone here has been, well...SPLIT into two halves - one Manic and one Demented.


They don't like each other very much, and as you might expect, this leads to a quest where you essentially pick which side you like better, by way of murder. It kind of doesn't work, though.


Let me explain - the Demented citizens have a personality that amounts to "I'm grumpy, I don't like having a double and all I can think about is violence". They're not appealing so much as threatening and unpleasant.


The Manic citizens share the trait of disliking their other halves, but they're also FRIENDLY, and they actually possess quirks beyond the scope of "doubles bad". They're amusing, too...


...which makes it not much of a choice at all. Thankfully the Manics and Dementeds wear color-coded clothing, so there's no mistake over who you're murdering.


Hah! One less stick in the mud.




You couldn't have drug a funny joke out of yourself with all the Skooma in Mundus! ...which Sterv will be taking, thank you!


Too tedious to live, and surrounded by Manics. Truly between a rock and a hard place.














One.




Your other half is much Orsimer than you, cur!



Our only reward here is gold, unless you count satisfaction.


Mmmh...a job well done. Now...


...back to the road with me!


I love this staff.




Madgod alive! Is Sterv's work never done?
Oh hey, it's a Dementia-flavored Elytra. Totally not an issue, though.


Back to the road, like Sterv said. I think we may have crossed over into Dementia, though.










Zealots summon Flesh Atronachs, but they're still as easy to deal with as any summoner even when not backpedaling into water.


This being the endgame, however, I manage to find a decent weapon on one of them!


And just in time for our first Gnarl!


Gnarls have an interesting mechanic - when hit with one element, they become resistant to that element for a short time, but weak to the OTHER two. I did not know this at the time of the recording because, well, how could I?


They drop their bark, and more importantly, Amber.


A city in the distance. Khajiit feels, perhaps, it is what he is looking for.


And so we cut through the swamp to...





There's a marble platform for bad guys in this swamp. Sure, why not.


Ooh.


Khajiit always did have a head for fashion.


Not much farther...




Ahh. Sterv cannot WAIT to see what wonders this city holds!


So hey, remember all those murders we committed in broad daylight for a quest?


The...dungeons?
The coward's way out. So be it.
Wait, Sterv was not-


The game does.