Part 8: An Obeyer Interlude, 2: The Use of Power

An Obeyer Interlude, 2: The Use of Power







When you've finished nosing around the barracks, you head out through the eastern gates. The village has spilled out past the walls here. A well-maintained road forks here, one going east and one going south, both headed into thick, dark green forests where rogues likely dwell.

You meet a servile scout. She is small and sure on her feet, and she has several small knives at her belt. She reminds you of Sleet, at least until she speaks. "I am Obeyer Pool, scout for East Pentil. Greetings."

"You are a scout? I would like to learn more about this area."

"I am the right one to ask. I have traveled more than any serviles here. I have been east, and I have even been north, to the wastes."

"What is east of here? Besides Kazg, that is," you say, hoping to forestall more talk of insane Takers.

"Between here and Kazg are heavy woods. Plenty of rogues. No surprises there. There are two small servile settlements -- one is of Obeyers. They are on the south coast. They will help you. And one is rogue, crazy. They will attack you if you are not careful. They are almost directly east of Northbridge."

"You said you've been in the wastes?" That would make her one of the rare serviles daring enough to go out there. You have to admit that your rare glances of the north have all given you the impression of a barren, forbidding land.

"Aye. No friendly settlements of any kind. And, this is no surprise, many rogues. There have been rogues there for years, but they have gotten worse," Pool says. "I haven't been far into the wastes, but far enough to see tracks. Lots of humanoids, people, two legs, have headed into the wastes recently. They haven't come out. Make of that what you will. There's someone out there."

Your earlier suspicions might indeed be on track. "In your travels, have you seen any boats?"

She shakes her head. "I'm afraid not." Of course.

"What foes will l face to the east?"

"Well, there are two bridges. And past that, there are the outsider humans. I have actually laid eyes on them. Nobody else has," Pool states. She doesn't sound proud, just matter-of-fact. For all her claims, you haven't yet detected even a sliver of braggadocio.

"First, tell me what I'll find at the bridges. Then tell me more about these humans," you say. A cold but not unpleasant sensation rises in you -- anger, but not the hot fires you've known in the past. This anger is calculating, willing you to plan the most efficient and brutal way to punish the outsiders who have violated the territory of your people.

"Northbridge is due east of here. There are traps there. Someone has mined the bridge. I don't know how you could pass the mines safely," she says. "Then there is Southbridge. There are rogues there. Turrets. Thorn shooters. You'll need a lot of force to pass there."

You turn this new information over in your mind. Unless there are spore control boxes on Northbridge, you won't be able to safely cross. Turrets, on the other hand, you've got experience with. Your mostly long-ranged creations can probably, with great care, help you clear out Southbridge and permit travel further east.

"As for the humans, I've only spied on them a little. They speak a weird language. They look strange. Their clothes are different. And there aren't many of them here. To the east, though, there are more. I know that much. I only saw them once. When I spied on them, they were walking through the woods. They said Kazg a lot. I think there are more of them there. I tried to follow them more, but they went into unfamiliar lands."

"That's all for now. Thank you, Obeyer Pool. You've done the Shapers a great service."

She bows. If the praise pleases her, she doesn't show it.



Along the eastern fork of the road is another guard barracks. Inside you find still more armed serviles. They seem surprised and awed to see a Shaper here -- except for one. When you speak to the waiting subordinates, they all direct you to Garnet, their commander. For now, though, you simply offer a friendly greeting.

This servile's eyes betray a level of blood-lust which wouldn't be out of place in one of the more fanatical Guardians. He has been placed out here to keep the rogues away from Pentil, and he loves every minute of it.

"Welcome, Shaper," he says. "I am Garnet, of the Obeyers. Welcome to our guardhouse. We live only to follow the true will of our creators."

"How are conditions in these woods?" This close to Pentil, everything seems quiet -- very much unlike the situation you walked into on the western plains.

"Bad. There are cryoas out in the woods. Lots of them. We know where they're coming from, and now we're trying to figure out how best to kill them." Garnet doesn't sound afraid; he sounds excited. "Be careful if you go out there. There are ambushes everywhere."

"Thank you," you say. "That will be all for now."





There are several homes and sheds just outside of Pentil's eastern walls. They're all reclaimed Shaper ruins, though some are in better condition than others.



The gardens here can't match the fields on the plains, but they've played their role in supporting Pentil until the western blockade was broken. The vegetables grown here likely helped prevent starvation and malnutrition from culling the Obeyers like they've culled the other sects.





Curiosity leads you along the eastern road, where a sign warns that travelers should stay on the road and beware of cryoa ambushes. You don't make it very far before you hear the tell-tale hiss of a fyora...

But this one is blue. You've faced cryoas before in the unoccupied parts of Ellhrah's keep. These, however, seem stronger -- they've been able to feed.





Placid saviour proves especially adept at bringing down the cryoas that plague you every few steps. The stupid beasts wait until one rogue cryoa dies, then another one springs out at you a yard later, and so on until you decide you've gone far enough from the relative safety of Pentil. You head back.



Near the northern tower, you find a nervous servile hiding back in his home. He does not look at you at all like the other serviles in Pentil. He acts much more like someone from Vakkiri. He's able to sustain eye contact with you, for one, even though he's clearly afraid.

"Hello, Shaper. Welcome to my home. I am Sorkin." It's not the most gracious welcome you've received in these lands.

"Hello, servile," you reply, testing his response. "What is your purpose here?"

"I am sorry, Shaper. I am not an Obeyer. I am Awakened. And I prefer only to deal with my kind. I apologize for my rudeness, but as a free being, I choose not to speak with you." Then he falls silent. You're surprised at the complete lack of subterfuge, but you decide to respect his choice and you leave.



The Obeyers' industriousness is truly impressive. There's even an ornk out here. Somehow it's managed to not blunder into a cryoa ambush. You hate to think that means that livestock is smarter than you.

You return to the barracks and address Garnet. "What made the cryoas?" you ask.

"Don't know what they are. We called them spawners. Huge, like fungi, stink of vinegar, make the cryoas. They don't do it fast, but they do it fast enough. We can't keep up with them."

No surprises here. "Where did the spawners come from?"

"Don't know. One day, a patrol found these stone platforms with empty basins. Didn't know where they came from. Didn't think of it. Next night, the spawners had grown there, and our troubles began," Garnet says. His oddly clipped speech is similar to Pool's and Godwin's.

"I want to put an end to these spawners. Help me, and Pentil will be safe once again," you say.

Reluctance breaks through Garnet's bloodlust and he hesitates. "I don't know -- I am under the command of Mickall, and he wants me to hold the position for now. No assaults. I am sorry. I would help you, but I do not know if you follow the true will of the Shapers." Regret forces him to look away. He must feel truly shameful to deny his blade to a Shaper.

"You are an Obeyer and I am a Shaper. You should obey my command." The shadow of your hood keeps him from making out much of your expression, but the arch tone in your voice makes Garnet cringe.

"I am very sorry, Shaper. This is difficult for me. But none of us knows if you are a true Shaper, giving true commands. You may just wish to lead us astray. We do not know if you are a rogue," he tries. This explanation, however, is just more offensive than the previous one.

"I am a Shaper, and I am commanding you to destroy rogues. A command to destroy the foes of the Shapers must be a true command."

He looks worried about disobeying his orders, but it is clear that he wants to go and fight. "All right, Shaper. I can see that you say truth. We know the safe route to the spawners. Follow us, and please help us. It is too big a battle for us alone."



The path Garnet takes is truly winding. You would have no doubt wasted a great deal of time and blood back here, enduring ambushes from idiotic cryoas while searching out the spawner. Thanks to Garnet's guidance, you are able to quickly reach the spawner humanely destroy the first spawner and some of its creations. Your escort of armed serviles seems relieved that the only wounded being was placid saviour, who was struck by a cryoa guard's icy spit.



That was not the only spawner, though. Garnet briskly leads you south. You and your creations keep pace with surprisingly little difficulty, though the other serviles struggle.



You smell the spawner long before you see it. The thick forest provides an excellent screen for these creatures. Their reddish-brown bodies and green tentacles blend in well with the trees. Fortunately, that tell-tale vinegar stink always betrays them. You wonder what role acetic acid plays in their creation. Is it being used to keep their essence pools from coagulating? Or is there some sort of fermentation happening, perhaps something that fuels the spawner itself?

We killed the third spawner off-screen, but somehow I lost the screencaps for that!



With the spawners destroyed, Garnet and his fellows return to the barracks. You, however, turn your attention to clearing the woods of the remaining cryoas. The Pentil guards would kill them all eventually, but you won't feel like you've fulfilled your obligations until you can walk the backwoods paths without cryoas falling over themselves to eat you.



The cryoas have taken a brutal toll on the Obeyers. It seems like the cryoas have taken to dragging their prey back to a central location for eating later. The corpses are half-frozen, perhaps to delay decomposition. Fascinating.



During your exploration, you find several cryoa nests. Just like their hot-blooded cousins, the cryoas are obsessed with collecting shiny things. If not for the frostbite, this wouldn't be a terrible way of earning some coin.



Just beyond the lone standing wall is another eastward path. It winds into a small clearing where you find an outsider's corpse.

Finally, some independent confirmation that there are outsiders on Sucia Island. You examine the body until a prickle between your shoulder blades alerts you to an audience. Without wasting any time, you muster your creations.

Four cryoas try to cut off your escape, but even though they're certainly stronger than your fyoras, they're no match for the combined firepower on your side. Between placid saviour and berryjon, the cryoas are quickly reduced to inedible meat.

You make your way back to the barracks and check in with Garnet.

"How do you think things will be with the spawners gone?" you ask.

"Much better. With those strange spawner creatures gone, the cryoas that are left are just good hunting." He seems eager to get back to patrolling. Reporting to Mickall Blade that the spawners are all gone should go a long way towards ameliorating any anger about insubordination.

Next time: A-Hunting We Will Go.