Part 148: Laine Village 1

Making sure they Google Translated back to English properly was a priority.

This wasn't too difficult, though, as they were Google Translated from English in the first place.

Anyway, we've got a huge plot-dump update on the way, and there's still a few days left on the polls a few posts back.

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Welcome back!



I think, of all the village music in the game, Laine's is my favorite.



: 'Specially the Three Wise Men. Ain't hardly no question they can't answer. Wanna ask 'em something?

: The Three Wise Men, eh? Maybe they can tell us something about Alent.

... Riiiight, Alent. That's what we've been doing since, uh.... Since Sult? Jeez, it has been a while, hasn't it?



Uh-oh. That's never a good sign.

: What's wrong, Milda? Did something happen?

: Darlin!





Oh... hello... there?

: Darlin Darlin Darlin! I missed you so, honeybunch! ♥





I like the little detail of Milda's eyes being hearts, on her sprite there.

: So... THIS is....

: Darlin, I missed those bulging muscles of yours do when I was away. I couldn't hardly sleep none.

: I missed you too, Milda. Without you nappin' next to me I couldn't hardly read a line. But tonight we'll finally be able to have a nice dinner together.

: Together. ♥

: To-to... gether? Wait... you don't mean...?

: Where ARE my manners!? Y'all forgive me, now. It's been so long I just.... Allow me to introduce you. This is one of the Three Wise Men. My honeybunch sweetheart Darlin!



Hope you're all ready for a plot dump.

: Howdy y'all. Thank you for takin' care of my Milda. Welcome to Laine and our home.

: A talking... bull...?





: I speak for all the folks in saying we're in your debt, Justin, Feena, and Rapp of Cafu.

: Don't mention it! We handle characters like that all the time, no problem!

: We've been trying to find out what was petrifyin' things, but we didn't know the Tower had a terrifyin' monster!

: Gaia...! What is that thing...?

: You and that Guido feller said y'all seen people and forests turned to stone. Ain't that right?



Yikes! Not so close to the camera!

: Why Darlin, these young'uns are on a journey to search for the ancient civilization of Angelou!

: Hmm... before we talk about Angelou,

: something I been meanin' to ask. What's that stone you have there?

: This? It's called the Spirit Stone. It's a keepsake from my father.

: I knew it! The mythical Spirit Stone. It really DOES exist!

: I owe everything to it. My meeting with Liete, the quest for Alent. And look, I have the key too!

: Wha...!? That MEDAL! It's the key to the legendary Shrine of Angelou! The Medal of Wisdom! But it was never found, how can it be?

: It was Liete who told me to take this and come to Alent.

: I never woulda thought it. The Spirit Stone, Liete, the Medal of Wisdom. Well, it's plain to see that y'all are the chosen one to go to Angelou.

: The chosen one to go to Angelou? Me?

: Seems as it's our duty as the Three Wise Men of Laine to teach you all we know 'bout Angelou. It's the least we can do 'sides thanking y'all for saving the Cafu Forest.



Of course, we'll have to ask them all before we can proceed.

: Who are the Icarians? We saw an Icarian in Cafu. A girl named Leen.

: Now just a minute, Justin boy. What did you just say? Did you say Icarian?

: So it's true. "When the power of the Spirit Stones gathers in one, there shall an Icarian be born".

: And I've seen another one, Liete. Two Icarians, Leen and Liete. But just what IS an Icarian?

: Now hold on there, Justin boy, Liete ain't no Icarian. Why she's the Priestess of the Shrine of Alent!

: I... I had no IDEA!

: But, uh... does that really change anything?

: How can we help the petrified people?

: We thought we would find the answer once we got to Alent. But we could not get the key to open the door. Only the one worthy of receiving the key from Liete is able to enter.

: The one who was worthy. That's you, Justin boy.

: You mean... I'm the only one who can save those who were petrified?

: What's Gaia have to do with Angelou?

: The anceient Angelou prospered thanks to a great power. But they were destroyed by that same power. I believe that it was a power that weren't meant for no human beings.

: I knew it! Lavos!

: A great power? Is it Gaia?

: Hmm. I believe this is a matter best answered by old Master Derlin. He's the expert on Angelou history.

: I see. Then let's go and talk to this Derlin guy.

: Hope all this has been of some help to you.



So, one of the game's subtler jokes comes up here. Milda's been calling her husband "my Darlin" the whole time, and it's not until right about now that we find out that his name is actually Darlin.

I dunno, it blew my mind as a kid. vv

: But how can that be!? HOW do I GET there!? TELL me! TELL me Darlin!

: Haste makes waste, Justin boy. The time will come. You WILL be able to go to Alent. 'Cause you're the Chosen One.



Justin is less than thrilled at the JRPG storyline starting up around him.

: Ain't you a bear with athlete's foot!

: Calm down boy, Darlin knows what he's talking about.

: I suppose you're right. Sorry Darlin, Milda. Thanks.

: There's plenty to learn before you find the way to Alent. Rest yourself here a spell, boy. Talk to the other two Wise Men. You can have the house near the gate. 'Spose y'all oughta see Derlin first. He's the Wise Man that knows 'bout the Wisdom of Angelou.

: All right, let's go boy. We're gonna see a lot of each other.

: Like it or NOT!

Whew. We're given a chance to get up and explore the village for a bit, but we'll be getting to that later.



: There's young'uns playing in front. Can't miss it.

Cue twenty of minutes of talking to everyone else in town first....



Talking to Derlin here has everyone move into position for the upcoming cutscene. Even if it means walking through him. Or, in Rapp's case, the table.

Somewhat off-topic, but this game is actually pretty resilient, scripting-wise. Even when playing with the debug menu, it's tough to get the game to crash, unless you try to load a map or party group that doesn't exist.

: Mix in a li'l extract of sulfa, ♪ root of mogi, leaf of lulu, ♪ and to top it off.... ♪ Oh, hello there!

: Ha ha! Yer hummin's a dern sight better than yer research Derlin. What's that, botanicals?

: Ah, these are medicinal herbs. I just can't get enough of this research on Angelou. Who are the young'uns, Milda?

: Now where ARE my manners. Let me introduce my friends Justin, Feena and Rapp from the Tower of Doom incident.

: Nice to meet you. Say, we've heard that you're an expert in Angelounian History, and what we'd like to....

: Say no more, Justin boy. I've heard all about y'all from that Mogay merchant feller.

: So... we're like, famous?

: Wait, a Mogay? Guido, perchance?

: It's true that the situation in Cafu is very similar to the ending of the Angelounian Civilization.

: So then, it was Gaia's power that destroyed Angelou as well?

: I think you hit the nail on the head.

: But even if it was Gaia, what's with all this people petrification, anyway?

: We know that just before Angelou disappeared, an abnormal drop in the number of Spirits was seen. In other words, we think this drop in the number of Spirits was the cause of the petrification.

: Wait! Could it be, then, that Gaia grows by absorbing the Spirits?

: That's a clever observation. If you look at it that way things start to make sense.

: Then is there a way to return petrified people to normal?

: Preferably one that doesn't involve the power of friendship? Cafu is kinda full of racist jerks.

: Well, if petrification is caused by loss of the Spirit, then restoring the Spirit should return them to normal. Hmm. The Words of Yore say how to return the Spirit.

: You mean it's all written somewhere?!

: But the page is torn. I can't read it.



This isn't the only time Rapp brings up eating Lainian men.

: Simmer down, there boy! No one's saying there ain't a way. Maybe if you went to Alent, or....

: So we DO need to go to Alent. But the problem is we don't know HOW to get there.

: Old Dorlin's the one who knows about how to get to Alent. The problem is.... Well, it can't hurt for you to just go and see him anyway. You might get something out of him.

: All right then, let's go! Derlin, thank you for all your help.

Welp, time to go see Dorlin, then.



: Ooh! ALENT! Masters of the wisdom of Angelou! Place of the Shrine of the Icarians!

: That's it! If you know the way it might help the young'uns find a cure for all them petrified folks!

: I was told to come to Alent, you see? By Liete.

Whoops. Justin just said the secret word.

: What!? By Liete!? You're CERTAIN it was Liete?! You... you must TELL me about her! Were her eyes brown? Green? Or were they blue? Huh? Huh? Oh Liete... Beautiful Liete....



: What...? What...?! WHAT!

: So YOU are Mistress Liete. You look exactly as I pictured you... EXACTLY!

So yeah, that's a thing that Dorlin does. Seems like he's on the verge of saying something useful, then veers way off the rails.

: No! Wait! I'm Justin! And this is Feena, and Rapp. Anyway, we want to go to Alent.

: Yes! Go young ones! From the Rainbow Spring to Alent, GO! To met the beauteous Liete!

... Wait for it....

: Now I remember! About Liete...!

: What? Do you know something?

: I remember, I.... Who am I? Where AM I anyway?

: What's he talking about? This geezer's had it.

: Milda? Are you sure this guy's all right?

: Well... something is wrong. He's been like this ever since he left his horn in the lower village.

: His... horn?

: You're right! No horn!

: So no horn, no information?

: That's about the size of it. A Wise Man's horns hold his knowledge. Right? Master Dorlin?

: Diddly dee, diddly doo... Mistress Liete... hmm.

: WAKE UP Master Dorlin! Don't fall asleep with your eyes open!

: Look. We're not getting anywhere. Lower village or not, we have to go get this geezer's horn, all right?

: Rapp's right. Won't do no good to just sit around here.

: All right then, let's go!



: happened and we had to pull out. So we all moved up to the village we live in now.

: Now that I think of it, it musta been Gaia that caused it all.

: So our village might be in the same situation, then.

: Where is this lower village, anyway?

: It's just southeast of the village gate. Just go out the gate and you'll find it.

That sure is an awful lot of words for "Hey, remember that you're still trying to get to Alent. But before you can do that, you need to grab something from the dungeon right outside town."



And when I say "right outside town", I'm not kidding.

But we'll be waiting until next time to tackle this place.

See you then!


Oh, before we go....



Managed to get the NPC chatter updates done on time, for once.