Part 5: Obedience Is An Act of Faith

Obedience Is an Act of Faith



You head east the next day, moving as though all the roamers of the great inferno are on your heels. Thorny Fen turns out to be accurately named. Everywhere you turn, you see naturalized thorn bushes you can use to feed your baton. The downside is that the air is teeming with biting gnats and mosquitoes. Even the Shapers with all their power have yet to eradicate the blood-sucking menaces.



Of more concern are the roamers patrolling in a circuit around the fen. Individually, roamers are no threat to you or your creations, but these creatures cry out when they see you and flee -- then return with other roamers as reinforcements. Not only do roamers have acidic spit rivaling an artila's, but they also have strong jaws for rending flesh and snapping bones. The Vosgian Beast is quite useful for wearing the roamers down at range before they can even react to seeing a Shaper.




The Thorny Fen is a good source of free regular and venomous thorns. The bushes here also periodically regenerate, I believe, though I can't recall the timing. It’s 10 thorns to a pound, so as far as weapons go, the various types of thorn batons are more weight efficient than your melee options. Missiles are a great go-to for Shapers and Agents and are decently powerful, especially when you start using batons with secondary effects.





Though the Vosgian Beast can handle most of the lone roamers you encounter, sometimes you find several roamers together. Xander77 takes extra delight in punching off the heads of roamers who slip by the missile support from the Vosgian Beast and the fyoras.

As you head east, you find evidence of paved roads. The effort was futile -- most of the work has been swallowed up by the swamp. The remaining muck makes crossing the fen a disgusting, sweaty labor.





Sometimes, if you look away from Xander77's side of the battlefield and back again, corpses vanish. You decide not to question your creations about it. Xander77 seems pleased by its front line role, and you don't want to diminish that.





You discover the free-standing wall of a ruin. Unfortunately, when you walk around the other side, you discover that that lone corner is all that remains. As you look around, you notice that someone has concealed a canister out here among the trees. Though exposed to the elements, the canister remains effective enough to bestow an unlocking charm on you.

Unlock won't help you disarm traps, but it will let you pop all sorts of locking mechanisms, from the keyholes on most chests to the padlocks on chained levers. You're positive that this charm represents a major breakthrough in sorting out the skeletons in the Awakened serviles' closets.



Near the northernmost boundary of the fen, just where the tree line encroaches on the salt marsh, you find a dead servile. She fell gripping a baton. The roamers left her body to rot -- odd behavior if they're not being fed.






Though bitten and burned from punching out a dozen or so rogues, Xander77 charges the roamer and hits it so hard that, even though you're many yards away, you can see the roamer's ribcage deform. GreatEvilKing finishes it off, leaving only a well-charred roast behind.

The servile is wounded, but not badly. She seems eager to leave to the east. However, she stops to talk with you before she goes.

"A Shaper! I had never dreamed that one of your kind would descend to help someone as lowly as me. I am called Sleet, of Pentil." That must mean she is one of the Obeyers -- the first you've met of that much-maligned group.

"Why are you out here?" you ask. Sleet is tiny compared to the other serviles you've met so far. Her thorn baton isn't much protection against the fen's roamers.

"I am a scout. I have a skill for evading the rogue creations that plague us. Well, I usually do. Sometimes I am trapped and must fight. But it's a risk I must take to keep Pentil informed," Sleet says.

"How can I reach Pentil?" You know it's east of Vakkiri, but you doubt it's as simple as following the ruined road through the fen.

"You can go north to the Hills of Jars and then east, but be warned that a variety of ambushes and mechanical traps will await you. If machinery and diplomacy are not your forte, you should go east to the Pentil Woods and then north. Be prepared, though. You will need to fight your way in," she warns.

"Will I be welcomed in Pentil?" you ask. What you really wonder is how you'll be welcomed there. All you know of the Obeyers is that they've offended both the Awakened and the Takers. You're not sure if that's an existential offense or something more.

"Oh, yes!" Sleet's enthusiasm sounds sincere, at least. "More than any on this island, we welcome the Shapers and give them the reverence they deserve."

"What dangers are in this area?"

"I know best of the roamers in this area and the rogue vlish to the east," she replies. When you gesture for her to get on with it, Sleet goes on. "You have probably seen this for yourself. The roamers here have been given a strange animal cunning. They stalk their foe carefully, waiting until a vulnerable moment to strike. It is very interesting. We are trying to figure out who could give the roamers such cunning."

Interesting isn't how you'd describe it. If they weren't so fragile, the roamers would present a serious threat to even you. Being stalked and ambushed across the fen isn't a mere curiosity, especially for the serviles. But Sleet appears unafraid -- perhaps that's the strength of her faith in your people.

You're not excited by the prospect of rogue vlish. "What awaits me in the Pentil woods?" you ask, already anticipating Sleet's reply.

"Vlish. A number of them. And they have the communicative powers of vlish. Be warned. If you attack one, kill it quickly. Otherwise, it will call its fellows to aid it," she says.

"You must have some means of passing them. How could I get through?"

"Hmm." Sleet didn't expect that you'd prefer to avoid the rogues. "I have had the best luck getting through there by staying near the edges of the woods, especially the south and east." She shifts her weight a bit and her gaze darts past you for just a moment. She's itching to get going. Her brush with a roamer was more excitement than any creation needs in one day. "What else would you like, Shaper? I must return quickly to Pentil, but I can provide aid first."

"Before you leave, can you assist me?" you ask. "I need supplies." You've already used up a few healing pods, and your creations are battered enough from the most recent push through rogues that you'll have to expend a serious amount of essence before you're comfortable continuing.

"Oh, of course, Shaper. How could I have been so clumsy as to forget to aid you?" She seems genuinely sad. She carefully hands you a pair of stones. "These will aid you." The crystals are the icy type -- useful in a pinch and relatively common. The Shapers must have made barrels full if the serviles can justify carrying so many around.

"Thank you," you say. "You may go ahead. I'll follow." Sleet seems relieved, but your generosity is more pragmatic than anything -- there's safety in numbers, and if Sleet falls to an ambush before escaping the fen, there won't be anyone to announce your imminent arrival in Pentil.





Escorting Sleet turns out to be a wise decision. Several roamers converge on you just as you near the sign by the eastern end of the fen. Xander77 falls behind as you push to create a cordon to let Sleet slip away.



Xander77 faces off against four roamers while two more focus their attentions on you and GreatEvilKing. Though the thahd puts up a valiant fight and crushes two of the rogues, the heavily wounded survivors manage to pull Xander77 down. Once on the ground, it faces no chance against the quadrupedal roamers, who tear Xander77 apart with tooth and claw. You feel the echo of Xander77's dying roar in your bones.



You don't have time to mourn your creation. The Vosgian Beast bites the face off the rogue roamer menacing you. The grievously wounded rogue turns to flee, screaming for others of its pack as it goes. A shot from your baton puts an end to both its screaming and its agony. Idhrendur finishes off one of the roamers standing over Xander77's corpse as GreatEvilKing puts its body between yours and the next nearest rogue. Your war blessing is already wearing off, but its fading vestiges are enough to help you and the rest of your creations finish off the roamer ambush.



As painful as losing your first thahd is, you still have to carry on. You shape another while scourging yourself with recriminations. If you had pulled more tightly on Xander77's reins, it wouldn't have been caught behind you while you escorted Sleet. If you'd forced her to slow down, you could have all stayed together and the roamers would have faced a united front.

But Sleet has survived Thorny Fen and will hopefully reach Pentil to tell them of your coming. Xander77's sacrifice kept four roamers off your back while you dealt with three more. That delay let Sleet escape and kept you from falling to the roamers' corrosive spit. If Xander77 hadn’t occupied those rogues, you don't know what might have befallen you.

Having murdered something like two dozen roamers since we arrived, we can now cross Thorny Fen freely on the overmap.



You keep your newest creation close just in case. Any roamer brave or stupid enough to come in range is instantly killed with acid, fire, and thorn.



The source of all these roamers has yet to show itself. You wonder if it's another spawner, and if so, where it might be concealed. The fen is mostly flat, open land. None of the scrub is high enough to conceal one of those gigantic spawners. The only ruin you've found so far wasn't nearly big enough to hide such a monster.

Your investigation on the southern coast of the fen doesn't grant you any insight, but it does net you a decent find. Two serviles died defending a supply cache here. You help yourself to what remains. The roamers probably killed these serviles just like the one you found to the northwest. At least you've avenged them.





This lingering stone wall causes you to wonder how much Shaper work now lies beneath your feet. The salt marsh's soft soil sucks at your boots and your footprints fill with water. Untold wealth and knowledge must rest below the softly swaying grasses, forever lost to your kind. How many years will pass before the rest of the riches of Sucia Island disappear the same way?



It takes a couple more hours, but you feel like you've crisscrossed the entire fen. You have the scratches to prove it. The salt is absolutely merciless, and even your creations are whining. You won't find a boat on this part of the coast. Any docks that might have been built here have long since rotted away, just like the roads.

You're exhausted, though, and unready to press on and face rogue vlish. The very idea of rogue vlish is terrifying, and rightly so. Plus, you have unfinished business in Vakkiri.



You stop by Coale's place to sell off the extra supplies you found in the Thorny Fen. While you're there, you're reminded of the closed door. One casting of Unlock is enough to loosen the rusty chains.



If Coale notices you venturing inside his storeroom, he doesn't say anything. Your nosiness is rewarded with living tools.



Clakkit greets you amiably as you pass. You decide to ask him what the serviles currently think of you after all you've done for them.

"Servile think you great. Servile think you true feel they want be free not slave," he says. "Servile like you. Servile think you do good for them and not be rogue."

"I think you're more rogue than I," you say, and Clakkit just smiles slyly.



There are several other locked chests and cabinets in the village. They're now tempting targets. To an apprentice with Unlock, everything is free. One cabinet, though, resists your charms. Instead of obligingly swinging open, the cabinet glows a malevolent red. It's not the first trapped furniture you've found, but it is a little unnerving that the Awakened serviles of this village trap their homes against each other. It makes some sense to mistrust you, but fellow serviles?

You silently concede that the Vakkiri serviles are probably right to be paranoid. They did, after all, set you against a band of thieving serviles in the northern woods, and you've found Taker spies in both the village and the fort. Properly obedient serviles would never have to bother themselves with such precautions.

Of course, obedient serviles really have no property to steal.

The Unlock spell falls under the Mental Magic category. It's our new best friend. We'll be expending a significant amount of essence on unlocking levers, chests, and cabinets from now on. Don't worry, though -- Mechanics still has a place in our arsenal. Unlock won't help us with every mechanics check, as you'll see later.



While you're unlocking everything you can find, you remember that Ham the apothecary asked you to help him out with an old lockbox. You greet him on the way in, then investigate the box.



The mechanism is still too complex for you to defeat without resorting to living tools, but it's trivialized by the Unlock spell. Once you've charmed it open, you find some intact Shaper artifacts. They're nice enough, but your need isn't strong enough to overcome your innate sense of right and wrong while Ham is watching.

"Well, I got your box open. There are some artifacts inside," you tell him, and move aside so that he can see.

"I appreciate your taking a moment to use your powers to help someone as low as me. In return, I offer you fair payment, as an equal, for your efforts." He hands you a pair of flasks and then excitedly examines his new possessions.

After spending some time in the dining hall tasting Inerny's best efforts, you feel rejuvenated. Your creations, including your newly shaped thahd, frisk about. They're clearly not exhausted. Perhaps your day has enough space for one more task.



Ellhrah's keep is a little busier now that you've opened the road between it and Vakkiri.



You find Ellhrah where you last saw him, standing over a long conference table, alone and deep in thought, and never very far from a blade.

"I have a message here from Vakkiri," you tell him, and hand over the unopened note.

"I am impressed that you are humble enough to spend some time helping our kind." You're not sure if Ellhrah's being sarcastic. He takes the message, reads it, and laughs. "I must be honest with you. The message is of no importance." He crumples it up and throws it away, pretending not to notice the way you bristle at being used. "It was merely a pretext to get you here, so that you might speak to me. Many in Vakkiri would like you to learn more of the Awakened."

You don't bother to contain your anger, but you do redirect it instead. "I found a slain servant mind in your back hall. I am very disturbed by this," you say, viciously emphasizing disturbed.

Ellhrah's sudden nervousness gratifies you. "You should know, Shaper, that not all of the servant minds are as benign as you. Some of them are still bent on controlling the serviles here, even if following their orders would be suicide. And sometimes, those servant minds can be very assertive. And when that happens, we must defend ourselves. I regret this, but it can't be avoided." The last comes out as a plea -- he doesn't want to be held accountable for the actions of the Awakened. You wonder how many of the serviles here know about the murdered servant mind, and what they'd think if they found out.

"And if I'm not benign enough for your taste, what then?" You shake your head and leave before he musters a response.



The first thing you do when you return to Vakkiri is confront Leader Khobar. "I delivered your message to Ellhrah and expect to be paid fairly for my time."

"Excellent. The message was not so important I think, as the fact that you have now met Ellhrah. That was very important. I think that we all have much to learn from him. Still, here you are." He hands you a small pouch. "The more we learn of the strange things happening on this island, the more we feel that it is a very good thing that a Shaper has arrived."

You squint suspiciously at him as you pocket the coins. "Don't test me like that again. I won't be as forbearing the next time. But that aside, I can still use supplies. Are there any useful tasks I can do? Any other dangers I can rescue you from?"

Khobar wisely ignores your barbs. "I suspect that another of the creature spawners has been placed near us. If you go north of Watchhill, you will find a hilly region we call Crag Valley. We have a true treasure here, a rare artifact the Shapers left behind when they fled. Destroy the spawner and the artifact is yours."

"Fine. This better not be a rare artifact of busy work."



The road north leads you to Crag Valley. Along the way, you contemplate Xander77's fate and your new thahd. You come to a decision just before the woods give way to rugged canyons.



You smell the campfire before you even see its lonely trail of smoke. Two serviles stand around the fire, shielded from immediate view by a stand of trees and the sharp eastward turn the road takes here. Crag Valley is broken up by great ridges of muddy brown stone jutting up from the turf. There are no streams here now, so it's hard for you to tell if these crags were eaten away by running water, or if some cataclysmic event forced them up through the earth.

The far servile walks out of earshot just as you hail them. The one who remains is unwilling to meet your gaze. She doesn't turn to greet you. Whether she is afraid or angry, though, you can't tell. She keeps her face well obscured with her hood. "Greetings, Shaper. I Dern," she mutters.

"How do you fare?" you ask, keeping it polite and simple.

Dern's head twitches toward your creations. The motion is mostly disguised by her hood, but you detect it nonetheless. She's afraid for certain. "I... I should no talk. I not talk. I fight. You talk Forney. Forney talk." She is silent after that.



Forney must be the other servile, the one who walked away before you could greet him. You don't know if he saw you and decided to beat a hasty retreat or if he simply didn't notice you. You head north along the road, which is crooked as a fyora's leg.



You catch Forney mid-yawn and greet him before he can cut it off. In contrast to Dern, this servile warrior is clearly very happy to meet you. You note that he doesn't seem surprised to see a Shaper here. News of your arrival on Sucia must have traveled ahead of you.

"Welcome. I am Forney. I am one of the guards of this pass. I am honored that you are visiting our lonely post." As he bows to you, his robes fall open slightly, and you notice that he is wearing a beautiful chainmail vest.

"You seem pleased to see me." Sleet was also excited to see you, though that might have just been because you saved her from a roamer.

"I was raised to honor the Shapers, for their wisdom and for creating us. I have been taught that l must always have faith in your kind and follow them without question," Forney says. That is more like the serviles you know, though none of them are ever armed or armored.

"I approve of those teachings," you say. He's almost certainly an Obeyer -- an Awakened would already be stumbling all over in their rush to tell you of their roguish beliefs. "We created you. We know what is best for you."

This satisfies Forney, who says, "Thank you, Shaper. It is good to know the faith of my family has not been in vain." Faith. What an odd thing to reference. "Your company eases our lonely vigil. What can I do for you?"

"My friend Dern and l are charged to keep this pass clear for travel. We are but one link in the chain that connects Vakkiri to the west and Pentil to the east. Of late, however, our post has been a dangerous one. The nearby lands are infested by rogues. At times, they emerge and we must beat them back. It is a mystery. We do not know why so many appeared so quickly."

"I think I know what's making the rogues appear." You describe the spawners you've already encountered. As you describe the horrible beasts which can generate these hordes of monsters, he looks very concerned.

"Oh, dear. Dern and I could never fend off something like what you describe. Shaper, if you could use some of your awesome powers to destroy those who threaten your creations, we would be ever so grateful," Forney says.

The praise is both flattering and suspicious. You've become used to cleaning house for the serviles at this point -- they butter you up, then send you off into danger because they're just simple creations who can't fight. Never you mind the swords so many of them carry, it's not as though any servile bandits have tried to stab you with one.

Of course, you did tell Khobar you'd check out the source of the rogues here, so you're already committed to clearing out pests that've taken root here. You assure Forney that you'll do all within your power to make Crag Valley safe again, then ask him to tell you about the northwest.

"'I am glad you asked, Shaper. Dern and I have spent some time sneaking among these woods. However, there is a ruin out there we have not been able to enter." He points due northwest. "The ruin is full of artilas, and we never fight those things if we can avoid it. It has two exits, one at the southeast corner and one in the west wall. The west entrance has very few rogues around it, while the southeast entrance is crawling with artilas. If you can find your way to the west entrance, that might be a better way to enter."

You take note of Forney's suggestion. If it turns out to be some sort of fiendish servile trap, you'll punish him later. "Where can I travel from here?" you ask.

"Due south is the keep of Ellhrah, the founder of the Awakened. I am an Obeyer, so I avoid that area. And west of there is Vakkiri. If you leave here and head east, you will enter the Hills of Jars. Beyond there lies Pentil. However, the route is a difficult one of late."

"You're an Obeyer? What about Dern?" you ask.

Forney shrugs. "Dern follows me," he says.

"What is an Obeyer?"

"A wise sect, based in Pentil, which believes that the Shapers are right and true and wise in all things. If you went to Pentil to give us your blessing, your kindness would overwhelm us." Forney's pent up excitement makes him bounce a little as he speaks. Perhaps you don't need to fear any duplicity from him after all.

"Why is the route east difficult?"

"To pass there, one must go through a warren of Shaper tunnels, possibly old warehouses. Recently, all of the doors in the warren closed, we know not why, and the passage was blocked. Of course, one with the awesome powers and wisdom of a Shaper would have little difficulty clearing the way for us loyal serviles." Regardless of his sincerity, though, the thick layer of flattery is cloying.

"Why is it called the Hills of Jars?" You brace yourself for the obvious answer.

"Because the warrens there contain many jars," he says, smiling.

"Of course... By the way, I noticed your armor. It's lovely," you say.

"Thank you. It is a Shaper artifact, passed down and carefully maintained by my family."

You weigh how far you can get by demanding it, then decide that taking it is too heartless. You prefer lighter armor, anyway, and despite his chainmail's beauty, it's also a very antiquated design that probably chafes. "It is very good armor," you agree.

Forney looks pleased. "Thank you, Shaper."



You head west first, leaving the road to explore the forest around Crag Valley. Almost as soon as you step among the trees, a rogue thahd confronts you. GreatEvilKing spits fire, but that's not quite enough to fell the rogue. The Vosgian Beast finishes it off just as another rogue appears.



Berryjon gives chase as the rogue turns to fetch reinforcements, but can't quite reach it. Your fyoras incinerate the rogue thahd before berryjon can either land a blow or be struck in turn. You sigh, grateful that none of your creations were harmed.



As you venture west, you find evidence that these lands at least used to be occupied by serviles. An overgrown field with a dilapidated fence had a crop of greens, but they've all gone to seed and become unpalatably bitter.



Beyond the abandoned field is a crossroads of sorts. The patrols of various rogues have carved wide paths through the dense forest here. You're confronted by a wily roamer that takes precious minutes to finally corner among the rocks. Berryjon crushes it, taking similar satisfaction to Xander77's.



You locate what looks like a tunnel into the cliffside, but before you can do more than look at it, more rogue roamers arrive. Between them, GreatEvilKing and the Vosgian Beast leave only a foul puddle of fat and flesh where the rogue once stood.



The tunnel concerns you. It's the most likely source of many of the rogues you've already encountered. Going in there without ensuring that there are no rogues left behind you is the same as inviting an ambush. Sweeping the woods as best you can seems wise.



A clearing just south of the tunnel provides ominous evidence of foul play. The bodies are mainly skeletons now, mostly hidden in the grass. Given the bones that roll beneath your feet, many of these serviles' corpses were savaged and scattered by rogue roamers. You're not so certain that these serviles were actually killed by the rogues, though. Forney made the rogue incursions sound recent. These bodies are anything but.

You'll just have to do a good job of watching your back.



The trails north of the tunnel are rotten with rogue patrols. You and your creations put them down wherever you find them, but the rogues seem endless.



It's here that you come upon your second rogue artila, a sight that you still weren't ready for despite Forney's warning. Fortunately, an artila's tender flesh is no more proof against acid than yours, and the Vosgian Beast is able to extinguish the rogue for good. Your fyoras cremate another rogue artila that was flushed out by the sounds of its fellow dying.




This must be the western side of the ruin Forney described.



The interior is in poor shape, but not as poor as some of the other ruins you've seen so far, especially those in the fen. At least this hall is still standing, and some of the rooms are even recognizable. For instance, the room to the north with all the granite posts is where Shapers would have left creations while occupied with other tasks. There are even still some working restraints amid the rusted irons. East you see a shaping platform and even a workbench. The light sources still come alive when you pass, which is sort of comforting.



As you check a cabinet to the north, you can't help but notice that one essence pool remains intact.



You bask in its glow while you eye the large crystal formation at the other end of the chamber. The sparks aren't good signs. You don't need to be a master Shaper to know that much.

Once your creations are at what you hope is a safe distance, you approach the spiral to examine it.


You back away carefully; the spiral doesn't detonate and kill you. For now. Shaper experiments are notoriously touchy even under the best conditions, and these are far from the best. Your hands tremble as you set aside your pack with all its heavy salvage and equipment. Just in case this thing blows, you want to have a shot at escaping. The pack will only slow you down.

Attempting to stabilize the power spiral proves futile. You don't have the right tools, whatever those are, and you don't understand enough of what you're seeing to know what's broken and what's supposed to be terrifyingly dangerous-looking. The best plan you have besides just leaving this thing to melt down on its own time is to try a controlled detonation.




You run. There's no shame in it -- that's the only sensible decision. The power spiral explodes, almost flattening you with the strength of the shockwave. It's a miracle that the whole ruin doesn't collapse on you. You think you heard something shriek during the explosion, but it's hard to be sure. Perhaps some rogues were caught in the blast.



After you re-gather your nerves and your wits, you investigate. The spiral is now no more than a melted, charred pedestal. The wall behind it is gone, almost vaporized. Very little rubble remains. Shielded from the worst of the blast is another one of those foul-smelling essence pools. The sour stink, still sharp despite the smoke and dust, is the same as the pools by the spawners you've encountered. There's a nasty stain nearby and some oozing splatter on the walls.

You laugh. The power spiral killed a spawner for you.

Thanks to the spawner's destruction, Solution can now cross Crag Valley freely. We've also completed a quest!

Less amusing are the destroyed canisters along the northern wall. You aren't sure if the detonation broke those or if they were already busted before you showed up. You hope it's the latter, even though it doesn't really matter in the end.

Past the eastern archway are the artilas that Forney fears. They prove to have the advantage of numbers over you. For the first time in a while, you are acutely afraid for your life. You order berryjon to hang back, not wanting to expose him to too much fire from the artilas. Your fyoras and the Vosgian Beast take up position to the south, gaining an angle that shields them from view by anything on the other side of the wall, while allowing them to fire on the rogue artila.



The battle proves to be a tense one. More and more artilas slither up from out of sight. They manage to severely burn GreatEvilKing. Neutralizing the acid quickly proves futile -- each time you cast the curing charm, there's another artila ready to coat GreatEvilKing or any of your other vulnerable creations with more acid.



You end up flinging a pouch of curing spores in the air, coating your entire team with nearly invisible, neutralizing creations that also anesthetize and soothe your wounds. The only one which has escaped burns so far is the Vosgian Beast.



To avoid a reprisal of Xander77's death, you also expend a pouch of healing spores. The shaped spores contain healing acceleration factors, but even more importantly, they form a flexible, temporary skin that adheres to exposed skin to both seal and sanitize your wounds. With this, you and your creations can fight on.



The rogue artilas can't defeat you in a battle of attrition. They have no Shaping magic, no supplies, and no capacity to create complex strategies. By the time the battle ends, you've killed at least ten artilas in one fight. It's certainly a battle worth bragging about.

We increase Magic Shaping twice here. That actually turns out to be a bit of a mistake later on, but not a big enough deal to replay this zone for. The next time we make an artila, it's gonna be the Vosgian KING. Also, please feel free to keep suggesting names. I guarantee we will lose more creations, and we might not have enough participants to make up for our fatalities!



The hallway splits off into numerous alcoves. While you're investigating the automatic door in the first of these, berryjon growls. As it turns out, you haven't yet killed all the rogue artilas in these ruins. You get the door open in time for one to strike.



Before you engage, you duck into the northern room. It turns out to be a very small supply room with a canister in it. A comforting power fills your being. You now have a better grasp on casting war blessing, which will allow you to coax even more power out of your creations.



Your fyoras waste no time reducing the first rogue to smoldering coals. The survivors choose not to rush you, instead focusing fire on the Vosgian Beast. Perhaps the rogues are territorial and harbor a special dislike for rival artilas. Fire and thorns are enough to end them and render the ruin safe for exploration.



Hissing outside draws you out before you check out the final door, though. You find two artilas just outside of the ruin. You're not sure if they were patrolling or if they fled the previous skirmishes, but you're driven to take care of them nonetheless.

They seriously wound GreatEvilKing, who still holds firm in the face of pain and possible death. When the two rogues are dead, you practice your healing craft on your wounded creations. Their injuries are starting to outpace your ability to treat them. Soon you'll either need to find a canister that improves your craft, or you'll need to find a way to study healing the mundane way. You're not certain how likely either option is.



Interestingly enough, there are signs of a road on the south side of the building. This hall, minor as it was, did see enough traffic to merit a road construction project. It's a shame that the road didn't survive, but you suppose this location wasn't useful enough to the serviles to merit that kind of attention.



You charm open the locks on the lever here and find another canister in this storage room. To your surprise, this canister improves your unlock charm further. Now you'll be able to undo even more complex mechanisms than before.



You leave through the southern door but head north and east of the ruin. As expected, more rogue thahds patrol out here. Signs of previous victims take the form of scattered bones in the grass. You don't know how many of those bones belong to serviles and how many belong to other creatures. Besides birds and insects, you've yet to encounter any natural animals on Sucia Island, not even a tortoise or a mouse. Perhaps they've all gone extinct here.



There's another dead servile here. Unlike the clearing of corpses you found earlier, there's no mystery behind this one's demise. His clothing bears the tell-tale signs of corrosion.



South of the unlucky warrior is a wide pool of filthy, discolored water. One whiff of it is enough to know that you should avoid it. Shaper experiments create all sorts of hazards. Usually the dangerous substances are contained, but a site left unmaintained for as long as Sucia has been Barred is bound to have serious hazards. No seal or container is good indefinitely. Unfortunately, you don't have the skills or means to clean this up.



You complete your circuit of Crag Valley in the southeast, where you find a much better maintained ruin. Here is where Dern and Forney must spend their nights when not patrolling. There are supplies laid by here. It's not a bad little homestead, though you have the sense that it didn't belong to those two until relatively recently.

Forney is by the campfire. It's hot enough that he's not warming himself by it, but he is well within the haze of smoke. You realize that it's actually quite effective at dissuading the pestersome flies and mosquitoes from biting you.

"I've destroyed the spawner," you tell the pair. "You'll have fewer problems now."

You don't expect the response you get. Forney falls to the ground and presses his forehead against the dirt. "Thank you, Shaper," he says, his words muffled by the ground. Eventually, he stands. "We knew you would return and use your powers to help us! Thank you! Oh, thank you!"

Stoic Dern says nothing. She still can't meet your eyes. You're not sure if your work here has convinced her of anything besides the danger you represent to creations. There's probably nothing you can do to reassure every servile that you don't intend to shake up the status quo; you've already done so simply by arriving on the island.

You get some bonus experience here for letting Forney know that you took care of the spawner. You don't have to do it, but every bit counts!



There's yet another sign here that reads, "Hill of Jars, Pentil - East." For now, though, you head south again to Vakkiri.



Here's a list of our abilities. Keep in mind that we've acquired basically none of these honestly. Every single ability point on this screen came from using a canister. A no-canister run really restricts your options offensively and defensively!

Abilities max out at 3 points, so as you can see, we've maxed our firebolt spell already. I've mentioned it before, but the firebolt spell has a 3x damage multiplier. Each rank of the multiplier corresponds to how many ranks you have in the spell, so if we only had 2 points in firebolt, that would be a 2x multiplier instead. Conversely, our searer spell has only 1 rank, but a 2x multiplier. When we've maxed it out at rank 3, it'll be a 4x multiplier. Our venom baton is also a 4x multiplier. You can see where this is going, but when we max searing orbs, that'll be a 5x multiplier. A melee character with a broadsword also gets a 5x multiplier. I think theoretically you can acquire a broadsword before searing orbs, but I might be misremembering.



While in Vakkiri, you stop by to let Leader Khobar know what you've accomplished. "The generator in Crag Valley has been destroyed. This one was more powerful than the other."

"I suspected as much. You have done good for us, Shaper. It is not enough to make up for all these years of neglect. But it is a start. You should go east, now. We are scared, Shaper. Horrible forces are at work on this island. It offends my pride to have to ask you for help in such a way. But there it is. Please find out what is happening." Khobar's shoulders slump. He suddenly looks small and older than his years. These serviles have worked hard to learn to sustain and defend themselves, but battling rogues that come from nowhere is taking its toll.

"So is there nothing else for me to do here?" you ask. You almost regret your earlier harshness. Almost.

"Not yet. But soon, I fear, the dangers will return. I hope that, before they do, you can solve the mystery. Because we can't. We haven't yet the strength," he says.

Next time: The Control Mind and You

We're going to visit the Spiral Burrow we located in Crag Valley. Then it will be time to fight our way through to Pentil! And you know what that means... An endless dialogue purgatory.