Part 5: .5: Pleasing the Gurus

Looks like the New Camp wins. This next update relates to the swamp camp intro quests I talked about earlier.

Update 4.5: Pleasing the Gurus

Joru told me how to get two of the four gurus to speak to me. It was now time to enact it.

My first target was the Baal Namib, near the entrance to the camp. Previously, Lester had offered to show me around the camp. If I was going to get Lester away from his master that was the way to do it, I realized.



Lester offered and I accepted. I asked him to show me where the tutors were, as I genuinely did not know where it was. He escorted me to a small alcove where Baal Cadar taught some students about the Sleeper's magic. He started to walk back the other way having escorted me. I grabbed his shoulder.



"Wait." I said. "How can I get your Master to talk to me?

"You have to know what he wants to hear. Listen: When we're with him the next time you'll address me and we'll have a little talk. Baal Namib is worried because many of the novices don't only pray to the Sleeper, but also to their former Gods. You'll tell me that you renounced the old gods and that, in the future, you'll pray only to the Sleeper. Then I'll ask you why you made this decision and you'll say that you had a vision in which the Sleeper summoned you."

I nodded in agreement. Lester went back to Baal Namib first and about ten minutes later I followed.



Lester approached me and we enacted our plan. ""AH! IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN. HOW HAVE YOU BEEN DOING?""

"I HAVE RENOUNCED THE OLD GODS" I said. Neither of us were very good actors.

"REALLY? WHAT MADE YOU DO THAT?"

"I HAD A VISION: THE SLEEPER TALKED TO ME."

"WHAT DID HE SAY?" Lester asked.


"HE SAID: GO TO THE CAMP IN THE SWAMP AND JOIN THE BROTHERHOOD."

"YOU'RE A VERY RICH MAN, STRANGER: THE SLEEPER REWARD MANY PEOPLE LIKE THAT." I walked past Baal Namib, hoping he had heard our very obviously acted performance and believed it. He had. He stopped me as I passed.


"The Sleeper has chosen you. Do you really want to join us? Well?"

"Yes! I wish to follow the sleeper."

Baal Namib looked pleased. "Go to Cor Kalom. Tell him I sent you because you are a true supporter of the faith." That's just what I did.


Cor Kalom's home was situated on one of the platforms above the swamp camp. As I walked inside, Kalom's bodyguard issued a stern warning to me.

"If you're disrespectful of my master, I'll kill you."

I approached Cor Kalom, who had been working on an alchemy table.
"I would like to join the Brotherhood" I said.


"I don't have time! My experiments are too important for me to spend any time on new novices. I'll rely on the judgment of the Baals. When they say you're ready to wear the robe of a novice, come back to me."

I thought they had but I needed to impress the others as well.

The sun had set by the time I left Cor Kalom's hut. I had no place to sleep here and I dared not leave for the Old Camp in such darkness. I had no other choice but to continue my goal of impressing the Baals and making friends in the camp. In the darkness, I wandered across the camp to the processing area of the novices. Here they processed the swampweed plants into smokable form. A noble goal, I thought.

I approached the nearest worker.

"How's it going?" I said.


"I'm dead on my feet, man. I've been working for two days without a single break." Maybe joining this camp isn't the best idea, I thought. "Harlok should have taken over ages ago. It's always the same with that guy."

"Why don't you just go there and give him a kick right in the butt?"

"I can't leave here while Baal Orun is in charge. The work has to be done either way! But you could go there for me - he's staying right under Cor Kalom's alchemy lab, at Fortuno's. Tell him to get his butt over here."


Shrugging, I made my way back toward Fortuno's. I saw Harlok sitting there smoking from the water pipe.


"Ghorim sent me." I said.

"What?" He said, clearly having heard me.

"Get your ass to the weed mashers or you'll be in for it!"

"Just TRY to mess with me again, sucker."


Having finally found someone I could beat up I took advantage of it. I beat him senseless.

"Well, d'you feel like giving your pal a break now?"

"You damn pain in the butt! Why do you have to meddle in my affairs?"

"I just want to see you mashing."

"Okay, okay. I'm on my way...sucker!"

I followed him to ensure that he made his way to the weed mashers. He did, and as I approached Baal Orun spoke to me.


"I have spoken to Ghorim. You have done one of our brothers a great service - your cause was just."

"That's why I've chosen you for a special task. Cor Kalom urgently needs new swampweed for his experiments. Our gatherers are working day and night. Go to them and take their entire harvest to Cor Kalom's lab."

I could see some harvesters just across the swamp. I waded through and over to them. Over there were four novices. I went to one and introduced myself.



"I'm real high man!"

Clearly this novice wasn't in charge. I went to the next one over.


"Baal Orun sent me to collect all the swampweed."

"Good! Then I don't need to go myself. Here, take it." The novice named Balor said as he handed me a basket full of unprocessed swampweed. That was easy. "Don't forget to go to Viran on the other side of the swamp, if you haven't been there yet." I wasn't done, then. It figured. It was now past midnight and I felt exhausted.


I went back to the camp and found the nearest bed, not caring whether it was owned or now, and collapsed onto it.


I awoke the next morning to shouting. A templar stood over me, sword in hand. I quickly ran away.

After that scare I thought that I may as well now begin my search for the other harvest group.



I found them in the swamp eastern part of the swamp, just next to the barrier's end.



I approached the one I recognized as the supervisor.

"Baal Orun sent me. I'm to take the whole harvest to Kalom."

"You think it's that easy, do you? Anyone could turn up like that. 'Baal Orun sent me' and whoosh - the whole lot of the crops are gone."

"But Baal Orun really has sent me!" I pleaded with him, hoping that I wasn't going to be tested in some ridiculously dangerous fashion. "Go and see him if you don't believe me!"

"I have a better idea. You prove your loyalty by doing a little job for us! It's really nothing. Work in the swamp, it's a bit risky, and there's the damn bloodflies. Work would be so much easier without them! Do you follow?" I did, but I was in no condition to be taking them out now. My sword was in poor condition and I was in need of a new one. This job was going to have to wait until I could buy a new weapon. I went back to the camp.

I encountered Baal Tondral teaching to a small group of novices. He called out to me as I passed.



"You don't look like one who's submitted to slavery under the Ore Barons. You look more like a seeker - someone who's searching for the true faith. D'you not feel a fire inside your body which keeps you from sleeping at night? Do you know what you're doing when you try to suppress it? You're denying your soul, denying yourself! Don't let your fears dominate your life! Free yourself. You need to understand! The sleeper WILL awaken. He will set you free and wash away all these disbelieving infidels."

"Hey! You've spoken to me. Does that mean I may talk to you now?"

"I see you've become familiar with our rules. That's good. I have spoken to you because I wanted to give you a chance to prove your loyalty.

"How may I prove my loyalty?" I said.


"Most of all, we need new souls to join our community. By recruiting one more man to our camp, you will prove that you're willing to do good service to our community."

"And where can I recruit new members for the Brotherhood?"

"The Old Camp is a good place to try, since a lot of the people there are fed up with fear and lies. They just need some kind of support. I guess you won't be very successful in the new camp. The men living there are barbarians."

That was enough to me. I needed a new sword, which I could either fashion or purchase in the Old Camp. I made my way back to the gate. Near Joru, I saw a man still garbed in a digger's outfit.

"Hi! You aren't from this camp, are you?"

""Well, now I am! I left the Old Camp a week ago. Told my pal dusty to come along but he wanted to wait."

"I know Dusty. I talked to him for a short time." It's true, I had briefly talked to him when I dealt with Whistler. I didn't pay much attention to what he said ( Read: I forgot to screenshot it. Sorry! ) at the time, but I recognized the name.

"If you meet him again, tell him that he was dumb to stay there. It's ten times better than getting harassed by the guards in the Old Camp."

"I'll tell him again if I see him." Luckily, I now had the person I would be bringing along with me when I returned. I made my way to the old camp and arrived a couple hours later, having made a few small detours to hunt scavengers on the outskirts of the forest.

Dusty was right by the marketplace when I last saw him so that was where I went when I was back in the Old Camp so that was where I went.



"I was in the sect camp and met Melvin" I said. Dusty took his eyes off the ground and looked at me.

"And? What did he say?" Dusty eagerly replied.

"Apparently he likes it more than getting harassed by the guards. "

"Hey man! He has all the fun for himself? I have to go there, but I'll never make it out of the camp."

"Really? Why not?"


"The guards have found out that I wanna leave. I guess I talk too much." He dejectedly slouched back on the bench. "I need at least 100 ore to bribe the guards."

"What if I paid the 100 ore for you?"

"You'd do that? Why?"

"Let's say that you're not the only one who'd prefer to hang around in the sect camp."

"You mean you wanna come with me?" I nodded.

"Great man! I'm ready. We can start as soon as you want."

"Let's go" I said.



"Okay - let's take the south gate - the north gate is of no use. It's impossible to bribe the guards there."

We made a quick detour at the blacksmith to acquire a new weapon for myself before we went to the southern gate. On our way out, we were stopped as Dusty said we would be.


"Stop! Where d'you think you're going with our friend?"

"We're just going for a stroll." I placed a pouch of ore in the guards hand. "Here's 100 ore." The gate guards waved us on, suddenly pretending to have never seen us.

We arrived at the Sect Camp about an hour later. I guided Dusty back toward Baal Tondral.



Baal Tondral saw my arrival with my guest. "Who have you brought me? Is he worthy?"

"He will certainly require your spiritual guidance, Master."

"Very well. From now on, he shall be one of my disciples." He turned to speak to Dusty. "You will come to my hut every day to listen to my words. Your soul can still be saved."


The Baal turned his attention back to me. "You have proven your worth. Go to Cor Kalom and don the robe." I bowed and left. I still had the swamp to clear for the harvesters. I went there next.

The bloodflies were still hassling Viran. With a new blade, they posed little trouble provided I did not get stung.


After about six were killed I returned to Viran.


"No more bugs to be seen. That was a good job you did! Someone who works like that is either on our side or a complete idiot! An idiot would be too stupid to fool me, right? Here, take the harvest to Cor Kalom." With that, he handed me what they had collected. I took it straight to Cor Kalom.


"I'm delivering the daily swampweed harvest!" I proudly stated, handing a thick bundle of swampweed to the camp's second in the command.

"Aargh, give it to me. Now get out of my sight!" That wasn't quite the thanks I was expecting. I don't think I care much for this camp, after all. With any luck, Orun would have a better reward for me, I thought. I returned to him.


"You have not only proved that you're on our side - you have proved that you are a worthy servant of the Sleeper. You have done well. I have a small reward for your efforts. Here, take it." Baal Orun handed to me a rolled up piece of parchment. A spell scroll, I noticed.

Now that I had a spell scroll I should be able to impress Baal Cadar, at least according to what Joru had told me.


I went to the alcove that Cadar taught at. I unfolded


By carefully reading the words on the parchment and gesturing correctly I used the sleep spell on the rightmost student.


"What are you doing? I'm trying to meditate with my disciples. Who taught you to use the magical powers of the sleeper?"

"Nobody. It was very, very easy." It was. All I had to do was read from a piece of paper.

"You seem an intelligent student. I will teach you." I thanked him for the compliment and offer, but informed him that I had other matters to attend to at the moment. That was a complete lie. I had just decided at that moment that I did not care much for the sect camp's leadership and that I wanted to leave. I also discovered that I rather enjoyed using that sleep spell. I would have to do more of that, I thought.



I left for the Old Camp a short while later. Hoping to make the trip longer I decided to take a shortcut through the forest, cutting down the scavengers and molerats that opposed me.


Upon reaching what I estimated to be the middle of the forest I encountered a large Grey creature. I turned around, instead preferring to travel by road than be mauled to death.



I reached Old Camp just after the sun had set. Some diggers were sitting around a campfire playing music, eating, and smoking. I joined them briefly before retiring to my bed in the fallen tower.



Update 4.5 Supplements: A quick video showing the two harvest groups in relation to the sect camp.


Tomorrow I'll start on joining the New Camp + into chapter 2. If anyone is curious, my play time is 3 hours 32 minutes so far.