Part 79: Act Three Chapter Fifteen - Crossroad Keep Siege I: Take-Your-Father-To-Work Day

Nasher is still recuperating from wounds sustained at the Battle of Highcliff. He needs complete bedrest, which is why Calliope, Kana and Nevalle are crowded inside badgering him for orders.

: He marches on Crossroad Keep, and it will not be long before his forces are at our gates.
: But you, Knight Captain, and your efforts here... you have served Neverwinter beyond the call of duty, risking your life not once, but several times, without hesitation.
: If there is anything that I think will be the light against this shadow that comes against us - it is you and the fortress I have granted you.

Excuse me? I took this fortress fair and square!

This is the nice dialogue for being chummy with Nasher and Nevalle. If you've been too rude to him (enough not to be offered a place in the Neverwinter Nine) then he's considerably less complimentary.

: But onto the matters at hand...




: We cannot depend on reinforcements.
: I agree. We must defend this Keep as if we stand alone.
: You must hold this Keep against these shadows... you have raised this place with your own hands, now you must keep it together and lead your men in battle.



I love how badass we sound in some of these dialogues. This is the upside of playing evil - we're free to say the really awesome lines.

: We should waste no time. Please meet us in the war room, Captain.

* * *



Our totally sweet war room finally gets some use. All the party is assembled.

: The scouts have returned, Captain. The enemy has been sighted on the outskirts of the Keep... and the bridges on the south river have already been captured.
: Well, now, we all know that whoever holds the bridges holds this Keep - or at least the way into it.
: If they try and march up the mountain pass, we can make it hard on them, but with the loss of those bridges, then the advantage is theirs... we need to fix that now, before they get any farther.
: Bishop is right. We need to act.



: If we act quickly, we may be able to recapture the crossing and destroy the bridges. Doing so would limit the enemy's movements, and work in our favour.
: Since when do undead worry about crossing water?
: Certainly not the shadows or spirits, sir. But vampires cannot cross without aid, and the slower creatures, like skeletons or ghouls, would be swept along the current.
: We are fortunate that the King of Shadows needs to keep its fighting force together. One of the few certainties we can count on.
: What else can we count on?
: That the battle will come at night. They are creatures of darkness and many must remain there.



: Still, these greater undead form the commanders of their army - and the lesser undead will most likely not attack without their guidance.
: Enough talk, then. We should set out as soon as possible.
: Unfortunately, Captain, we do not have many forces to spare. In advance of your arrival, I sent Greycloaks to the river.
: Sending another full compliment would be too dangerous for the Keep. I recommend taking a single unit with you.



: Take me along, and those bridges will be burning before you can spit a curse... and we can pick off the enemy soldiers by firelight if they try to cross.
: The bridges are of stone, not wood - your obsession with fire is of little use to us here.
: I can burn other things as well, Sand - maybe you should come along too, I can show you.



: If you give me access to the storerooms, I might be able to create some... without blowing up the Keep, I think.
: What makes you think this will work?
: Actually, I heard blast globes were used by the Greycloaks in the defense of Neverwinter, a 'peasant's fireball' they called it... some could even blow up a cottage if placed in the right spot.
: For once, you are correct - and so is Grobnar. Such globes would be well-suited for our needs, provided I do not carry them nor get near the storeroom while the gnome is at work.
: Let's do it.



Kana gives us a choice of unit to accompany us into battle.

• Greycloak Fighters inflict slashing damage with their swords. Their chainmail is vulnerable to piercing damage.
• Greycloak Archers shoot piercing arrows at enemies from afar. They are unarmoured.

Later on we'll have access to our allied troops - Lizardmen Warriors and Ironfist Fighters. I choose Fighters because piercing damage is always the worst damage, and we'll be getting some Archers in the mission too.



We also get a choice of two companions to bring with us. I choose Casavir:

: I am honored.
: Don't be, I just need a holy warrior to draw the undead attacks.

And Sand:

: Ah... an honor. I shall make sure our retreat is well-covered.

Each of the companions has their own response to being picked - some enthusiastic, others less so. Some have last-minute opportunities for Influence gain. Some companions don't like being paired together


And so on.



And Daeghun will be there as well. Great.

: He has been invaluable in reporting the movements of the enemy since he arrived. Your father is an excellent scout... one of the best I've seen.
: Haven't seen me in action, then.
: Daeghun has been reporting on troop movements for some time. He will likely have useful information to share with you.

We get one last chance to visit the quartermaster and buy potions/sell junk and then it's time to go.



: Of course, Captain. We will be ready.

* * *



The river valley. Our farmers' homes have been burned to the ground.

Bastards. Those were ours to raze!




Haha, at least we get to do our best 19th-century aristocratic officer impression.

The poor soldier deserves everything he gets - it sounds like he was voiced by one of the programmers.



Ach, and there's our foster father.

: Glad to see you lending your skills in Neverwinter's service.



Love you too Dad

: I have spent some time observing the battlefield. Though your men fight in the fields, the true test will come at the bridges.
: What have you seen at the first bridge?
: The enemy has the first bridge well-defended. Skeletal archers and shadow priests line the rear, while undead warriors block the bridge itself.
: How does the second bridge look?



Crap. We didn't bring Ammon or Zhjaeve.

: Let's not waste any time, then. It will be night soon.
: Farewell, then. I will return to the Keep - guard yourself well, and move swiftly.



And he leaves us to it. Six people against an army - how hard can it be?



Um



Some of our Archers are embroiled in a skirmish by the entrance to the village.



: We had hoped you would arrive in time, so quickly did we have to leave... our bows should be more effective in your company.
: Who would you have us report to?
: Sand.
: Well, well. I wonder if when this is all over I can send them to beat up Nevalle for amusement.

Some of the other companions have amusing lines here too:


I feel much better with nine of us in the party.



There are some Shadow Priests lurking in the gorge behind the village. I like Shadow Priests; they're the last kind of enemy remaining that I can Sneak Attack.



The first bridge. Daeghun was correct: a unit of skeletons with Shadow Priest support.



We have to seize both bridges before we can demolish them, but Sand makes a valiant effort with a Meteor Swarm.



Around the corner are vampire coffins that were painstakingly brought across the river by the skeletons and ghouls, in preparation for the attack on Crossroad Keep. Eliminating them now is our best course of action.



Vampires are famously and hilariously vulnerable to sunlight. Easy XP.



More enemies on the central island. Nothing too worrisome - we've only had one casualty so far.

That's all about to change, though.




This Shadow Priest also has in-house voiceacting.



But Garius sounds exactly the same.

Literally. The other Shadow Reavers had cool post-processing to give them an eerie growly-echo effect. Garius, though, sounds identical to when he was still alive.

: Not nearly long enough.
: Then you dread this confrontation. I do not.
: You are a fool to have come here.





: If you wish to be humiliated twice, I'll happily oblige.
: Things have changed, Shard-Bearer. My King will soon tear through the confines of his prison.
: His power crosses such boundaries, and may be granted to vessels of his choosing - like me.






It should do. Garius just Enlarged all the undead. They're now the size of giants.

: No, my intention is to kill you. Fear is but sweet excess.
: Enjoy yourselves here while you can. I look forward to our next meeting, should you survive.



And Garius teleports out, instead of making full use of his tactical advantage i.e. being fucking immortal.





Daeghun!





The resulting brawl is extremely messy. Ritual powers are almost a requirement for withstanding the sudden rush of undead.

Just keep Sand (or Qara or Zhjaeve, if you chose them) alive. Skeletal Archers man the ridges and ranged spells are the best way of bringing them down.




: Father, what are you doing here?
: I changed my mind. Even I do that at times.
: And I made the right choice. A father's instinct still has some value, it seems.

There's one last dialogue with Daeghun that I haven't shown you. Fairly certain it's still in-game, but we didn't have time to revisit West Harbor.


Bless his little heart.

Unsaid: Daeghun's wife, Shayla, was probably a halfling... that's why he had an amulet of Avoreen in his bedside drawer back at the beginning of the game (I think I sold it to the Weeping Willow innkeeper).

Anyway, so it turns out Daeghun isn't a complete arse after all. He just has trouble relating to others - and, of course, we're also a daily reminder of the death of his wife and all his adventuring companions over the years.

Moving on:

: Well, I won't stop you from patting yourself on the back. Let's destroy these bridges.

* * *






Father-daughter bonding can be best achieved via blowing something up.




* * *





: The King of Shadows' army will need to learn to swim now.
: Despite our victory, we bring unwelcome news... Black Garius was present and possesses powers that can turn the battle in their favour.
: Some foul magic is at play, some enchantment of the King of Shadows.
: Garius can empower the dead, making them stronger - with that power, even their weakest footsoldiers become a threat to us.



: I hope you're right.
: But this talk can wait for later. Come, you must all be hungry.
: Rest tonight, and we'll discuss today's events on the morrow.

We'll have no such luck, I'm afraid.

* * *

But first, the romances.

Our last night at Crossroad Keep is also the culmination of the romances we've been pursuing throughout the game. Now, Calliope's not been on the official romance track (oh, Bishop-san) but there are dialogues for appropriately-gendered characters with sufficient Influence with Casavir or Elanee, as applicable.

Elanee first:


n-nooo, Elanee... she finally plucks up the courage to come out and we mock her for it

We could have let her down gently, of course. Or we could have reciprocated and slept with her. We'd get 3 Influence with her for that.



...



Then there's Casavir.


Oh god, poor Casavir. Damn you, Avellone!

To be honest, letting him down gently is even worse:


Such a waste of a man. But we'll see that soon enough.