Part 7: The Goblin Tunnels (2), the Wolf Pit and the Bandit Hideout

Update 06 – The Goblin Tunnels, The Wolf Pit, The Bandit Hideout



“So, now what do we do? We can't go back to the surface.”

“We get used to the cold and dim lighting of the caves again. I can barely see twenty feet in front of me.”

“There was a distinct lack of joy in the world up there. Where did those monsters come from and why?”



“Well, the slimes are a threat, but they don't seem to be an existential one. I suspect part of the problem is institutional.”



Dammit game, give me a chance to cure the disease before you throw out the secondary effects of Disease!

“Are you sure you can keep going?”

“I have learned enough that I can aid in his recovery, Art. You need not keep as much in reserve as you would normally need to.”



Check out the log. It looks like Matthias got diseased again while I was curing him, but that's not the case. We actually got about 20 steps first!

“Hey! People!”



“Not even questioning if we were bandits or not. Lazy.”

* * *



“Alright, let's see what's hidden back here.”

“More Goblins?”



“A dead end.”

“Think we should check out what's behind that locked door on the west end? The one past the prison for dangerous creatures?”



“Oh. Chitrachs. How quaint.”

“Oh come on! Show some enthusiasm!”



Huh. Didn't know they were cold resistant.



“But not fireproof!”



“I quite agree.”



“Not much here. Just garbage an bodies of goblins and the like.”



“This must be the other end of the pit we saw in the prison cells. Still one way though. In.”

“And if we came in this way, there would be no way to control the flow of battle as we could around the door.”



“And there's this crack to the north. Looks like the bugs couldn't fit through.”

“Say, how did they get up here anyways? I mean, we're further up than Exile is, and I'm sure these things came from the Vahnatai lands.”

“... Good question.”

“Well, there is Ghrika to the north, that's a Vahanatai town. We could ask them.”



“Just spiders.”

I then head back down into the Wolf Pit for some more grinding, as well as checking out their stats.






“Curious. This construction is recent, but better than the Goblins.”



“No wonder! Bandits!”

“Hey!”



Yeah, I can stop all over him.



“Hey! Wot's all this racket down here? The Doggies getting uppity again?”



Oh god the Assassin. This guy is above our current level, and is twice as potent in terms of dishing out the poison as the Goblin Warriors. He's actually a serious threat! He also uses a graphic used by NPC's in towns, just to enforce the idea that he can and will look like anyone!



“It's a good thing we're outnumbering these people 6 to 1 when we fight them. I'd hate to go one-on-one with any of them.”

“True. But this looks like a feeding pen to me.”

“Agreed. Look at those bones!”

“And we can't climb over the fence, so we'll have to take the long way around.”




“Not quite yet. I think we missed something.”

“Oooh! Is that the voice of experience talking? Is it male, female, or neuter?”



“How did you know there was something in the back of the worg pit?”

“Seemed like the best security to me.”





“Oooh! How joyful! Treasure!”



“Uh... this shouldn't be here.”

“I agree. If it was stolen from them, we should return it.”



Just a picture of the chest not changing to the 'open' state, or vanishing as it used to in E1 and E2 – which makes double checking things a pain in the arse for sure as you have to treat every chest as unchecked. Now, back into the Bandit Hideout properly



Huh. It also seems that I've killed enough wolves and worgs to result in the Wolf Pit being 'Cleared Out', which is the new version of 'The Dungeon is Abandoned' that I did so often in previous games. Nice to know!



“Time to beat up bandits!”



“Hey guys! Want to surrender?”

“What?”



1d6 damage at range, and all the defenses of a paper sack. At this point (thanks to Magically Adept), Niarl can hit that much damage on average with a fireball.




“This will open the gates, should we choose to leave through the front door.”




“See!”




“Oh, that's not happy at all!”

“You're really good with that sort of thing for a priestess.”

“Oh, you know. Sometimes you forget the safety catch on something sacred, and have to do it the hard way. Nothing unusual.”

“Except this is a storeroom with nothing of value in it. Not even food.”



“Hey! Watering hole!”




“Another hideaway, another shrine to dark powers. It's kinda sad really.”



This is after taking 12 points of damage. Still fragile, and quick to put down.

“You! Traitor!”

“I have no idea who you are.”






“NOT ME, YOU IDIOTS!”

While Friendly Fire isn't, this is a case where it's justified – Bronwyn has enough HP to survive those, as well as the Wound the Evil Acolyte is sure to toss her way.



“Here, dear, let me help.”



I love the persistent damage on the map – the scorched tiles, and puddles of blood from battle. It gives a sense that you're leaving a certain degree of destruction behind you that the previous games didn't.

“Gee, thanks. At least someone has my back. I hope that potion was worth it.”

“Curious. They thought they knew you.”

“And that's the end of that line of conversation.”



“Oh! A pen for cows.”





I had to.

“Hey, Bessie, is someone disturbing you?”

“Uh.. no?”

“I don't believe my ears! Blue, is that you?”

“No, just people from unspecified services.”

“Did you say your nickname was 'Blue'?”

“Uh, no?”

“I know that voice! ALARM!”

“Eh. Charge.”



I picked this fight poorly, running low on SP for everyone except Art. At this point in time, I realized I had forgotten to screen-cap things, and took this picture to show you what was happening. Art is dealing with a generic soldier enemy outside while Delilah just used the last of her SP to put a minor bless on Niarl – she'll switch out with Bronwyn next turn. Matthias dropped a Stinking Cloud on the enemy spellcaster and the Captain. The stacking Curse from being in Cloud each turn, coupled with the AI's in ability to fall back out of combat if possible means that Sass can wail on the Captain with relative impunity. And Bronwyn can take out the mage once her magically slowed actions let her.



That's a whole lot of words to cover up I forgot to take about three images to set this all up.



“Care to make a statement?”

“No, not really.”

“As I said, no more discussion on that part. Am I clear?”

“Well, at least the books aren't porn.”






“Alright, this should be the better stuff. Take everything, and we can sort it all out later.”

I decide pressing on isn't good, so I backtrack through the wolves and goblins to sleep and come back.



“Odd, this lock is quite resilient.”

“Look, how hard can it be? I mean, you just stick a couple pins in there and twist, right?”

“Not for magic!”

“Talking to the only non-caster here, remember?”

“Don't worry! You'll improve some day!”

It's at this point I realize that no one in the party has lock picking as a skill. Nor lockpicks for that matter. I resolve to fix that at the nearest opportunity.



“More wolf pens.”



“And training grounds?”

“Fall back, I have an idea.”



I love me some killboxes.



“Building ahead and behind. Shall we go forward?”



“I want to see how far around the buildings go if possible.”



“Ugh, the webs get in my fur!”



“Not quite a dead end – I can feel some air flow.”





“Which leads us outside.”



“Good enough. Means we don't have to go through the wolves and goblins again.”




“SLIMES!”

“No, it's their smaller counterparts – Viscous Goos.”



The ability to split is something where if they take physical damage, they divide into two monsters, each with half the remaining HP. They're not a threat, just a nuisance, something to toss a Fireball at and be done with.

Fireballs solve a lot of problems don't they?



“No wonder, people just tossing good sets of lockpick away. I'll show you how easy it is!”




“Another secret passage out of the fort.”



“Except guarded.”

Now I remember to grab the Monster Info for the Apprentice Mage.



Also – multiple enemies in close proximity Two fireballs clear them out.



“And this takes us back to the training area. Looks like we've circled around the front building.”

“Seems to be a barracks of some sort.”



“Did you decide that before or after you reduced the stew they were cooking to unsuitability with your magical bursts of destruction?”

“Before, obviously.”



“I'll take those arrows, but the bow is just another Cavewood one.”

“Actually, I think that's all of it. Let's go back to Emergence and see what's up. It's been a day, so they might have heard something back.”

“Already? Emergence to Portal to Tower to Castle and back in a day?”

“Well, they are establishing those teleportal pylons in important places, so it could be done if the people run.”

“Or use magic.”

“Or both.”





“Huh, actually a clean side-cave.”



“{HAIL!}”



“{They were in a side cave to the north-east, honored blade. I came upon them and slew a great many, and now return to Fort Emergence for rest.}”

“{I hear your words and believe then, Art-Iktah. Know this – the honored Rentar-Ihrno is in Ghrika, and knows of your presence here. She bids you seek her out, that she may convey her own wisdom to you.}”

“{I hear the words of my elders and will obey.}”

“Did anyone else catch any of that?”

* * *

“How hard could lock picking be?”

“You just put the things in and jiggle, right?

“What is this? I don't even?!?”

“How do people make this look easy?

“No! No! No!”

“Please?”

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”



10 points into Lockpicking for Bronwyn. I don't regret spending those at all as it saves SP on my mages.

* * *



“Ah, Art. Good timing. I got word back.”

“That was quick. What of it?”

“I can't believe I'm saying this, but in the words of King Micah and Prince-Regent Karmas, you are hereby authorized to assist the Empire in dealing with threats to the Surface that they cannot resolve by themselves in the interests of diplomatic stability and for the peace and welfare of those who are not our enemies.”

“That's.... that's very open ended.”

“You're right it is. Which is why you're the only person I can think of who can do this.”

“Right, because anyone who knows me knows exactly what I do to people.”

“And yet Karmas struck down Hawthrone, and Kai-Lyss ripped Garzahd's mind apart. People still think it was you.”

“Such is leadership.”

“Still, orders are orders. Get to the Surface, find out the source of these slimes, and deal with it.”

“And if people officially think it's us, and we're cleaning up the mess to make us look nice?”

“I will trust you.”

“Thanks.”



“Alright, let's figure this out, and then get on to serious work.”




Sorry for the short update, but it's just the way things worked out. I did a little extra training that I didn't show off because it's mostly boosting STR/AGI/INT for people. Art, however, is still sitting on 30 skill points as she's just too efficient, and I keep running into gold shortages.



Some people in the thread wanted me to show off the descriptions of some of the more... benign objects in Exile's item inventory. Well, here they are!