Grandia Part #138 - South Zil Desert and Zil Padon

Part 138: South Zil Desert and Zil Padon

Welcome back!

The Zil Desert isn't a particularly large area, yet both maps have a save point at the entrance.

Oh boy.

I stick in on Rapp, because he already has the highest move of the group.

Anyway, the gimmick of this area is... um... sheer vertical sand walls?

We've just met the scorpion-type enemies, and they've already gotten a palette swap.

Scissorlocks are pretty much just the same thing as Zil Scorpions, except their sting attack debuffs move in addition to causing poison.

What is it with JRPGs and having the spell that cures all status ailments have a weird-ass name?

At least Feena has enough level 3 MP to cast it.

Oh yeah, there is one more thing to note about the South Zil Desert.

It's the entrance to the second bonus dungeon.

We'll hold off on it for now, though. No point in doing two bonus dungeons back-to-back.

Speaking of bonus dungeons, though, I realized I had missed something back in the Soldier's Graveyard.

In the area past the Kung-Fu Master, one of the hidden passages has a hidden passage with a hidden passage that leads to this knife.

Honestly, I'm more upset with myself for forgetting this game's cardinal rule: Always check the hidden passages for hidden passages.

Anyway, back in the desert, we find this lovely gem. Hits marginally harder than the Shadow Sword, but, theoretically, makes rare items drop more often.

And that's it for the desert for now.

: Are we still far from Laine?

: Ah, to get to Laine, y'all have to cross the Savanna to the south. Now, that's a real chore.

: All right, it sounds like we should stay here today. We should look for lodgings.

: How 'bout a place I've used before? Y'all see that big building right at the end of this street? It's a hotel.

: Let's look at the town first! I've heard you can get some really strange weapons here!

We'll be doing just that in a moment. But first....

Zil Padon is big, and separated into three sections.

It's also got some weird-looking people.

Oh, and Mogay. They live here, too.

Anyway, let's check out the shops.

It's telling that the scarab is probably the least-useful accessory this shop sells. The Titan Ring is the same thing that Milda started with. That Talisman is expensive, but what does it do?

Yep. Complete immunity to every status effect in the game.

The potions restore a boatload of HP, MP, and SP to the party, respectively, and you'll also notice that they sell replacement Magic Lamps.

And this is just the item shop.

Why yes, the +1 skill power from the Aura Armor stacks with the +2 from the Black Belt. The Moonlight Shield gives a good defense boost and gives +2 resistance to wind and water. The turban has no special effect, but apparently has pretty feathers. The Mysterious Mask, though, gives more defense and reduces IP damage, making it worth the extra cost.

The boots are where things get interesting.

No stat boosts, but it apparently blocks enemy skills while you're attacking? Only women can equip it, and I've never tested it out myself.

The Heavy Boots just boost defense. By a decent margin, granted, but nothing really to write home about.

The Assassin's Dagger, as the name and description imply, can cause instant death. We've already seen the Gil Sword, but what's that right next to it?

Why, it's the Holy Sword Lorenzo. Hits like a goddamned dump truck that is filled with moose that are being ridden by grizzly bears, and it can debuff enemy defense.

It also costs roundabout twice as much money as we're currently carrying, so we'll most likely be holding off on grabbing it until later.

The Large Hammer hits harder, by one point of attack, but has no special properties. The Fire Darts are, obviously, fire-elemental, and the Discus is good against insect enemies, for some reason.

All that leaves is the Exorcising Bow. Good against ghosts, but nobody in our party can use it. Hmm.

... Yeah, we'll be coming back here later on.

Anyway, there's quite a lot to see in this town.

The fortuneteller, for instance, will tell you about the Castle of Dreams. Which is a little redundant, as the only way out of the southern part of the desert passes right by it.

There's also no text on that map for either of the other two dungeons.

Anyway, this guy here does the best job of summing up the city in one text box. The Alqada are animal-people of various sorts. Including some who look almost entirely human. They've got a middle-eastern vibe to them, which, uh... yeah. Guido ain't the only one in this game with a poorly thought-out name.

The Rafane, meanwhile, are more of your generic medieval fantasy, pseudo-European style people. Some of 'em seem to have pointy ears, but they're easily the closest race we've seen to Parmian humans since we left New Parm.

Also, Cafu wasn't the only place that got turned to stone. Just something to keep in mind.

Thankfully, the Mogay aren't all money-grubbing traveling merchants.

Just, y'know, most of them.

A big theme of this place is that the Alqada and Rafane really don't like each other very much, and the Mogay, whether it's to make life more bearable, or just to make a tidy profit, are trying to get everyone to get along. The city even has three different building interior themes, depending on which section of the city it's in.

Anyway, enough about the layout and people of the city. There is one thing more important than all of that.

And that's the food.

: Would you like a dining guide?

Huh. Usually the game clears out the NPCs when the meals start.

: Hey, is this your first meal? Go a little more slowly!

Yep, we've gotta hit the right conversation flags before we can quit.

: But would you look at this food. It's bright red. Isn't it a little too spicy hot?

: This town is surrounded by desert. It's different than your village. They can't get a hold of fresh foods.

: The Mogey get most of it from other places. If they didn't use spices, it would be dangerous.

: Oh, I see. You are a well-informed person.

: What? You'll have to repeat what you just said to Darlin.

: Spicy hot hot hot! I can't stand the food here.

: This is certainly a big and beautiful city, but the people seem to lack unity.

Ahh, they prefer Unreal Engine, then.

: In Cafu, the people are united, and try to protect their village.

: Yeah, now that you mention it that may be true, but....

: Maybe they're just hot and irritable.

: I wonder if the people in this town know about Cafu turning to stone? If they knew, they shouldn't be so unmoved as this. I wonder why the people of this town are so unmoved as this? The people and forest of Cafu have turned to stone, and difficult things are happening.

: So, what do you think of Zil Padon? Ain't it ridiculously large? There are three people centered here. The Rafane, the Alqada and the Mogay.

: It seems with the recent turning to stone episode, refugees fleeing their villages have come flowing in.

: ...

: Among the three peoples in this town, the Mogay are different. They have a good spirit, though.

Yeah, Milda gives you the tl;dr version of... uh... everything I've said since we entered the city.