Part 18: 14.A: Ever-Persevering

: Ever-Persevering – Gameplay



: Everyone gains the usual amount of Enlightenment and Inspiration, but one of us puts it to better use than others….





: Once again, the Masteries available to us are the second-level perks Quick Draw (after Slashing, Gilman can Slash again to immediately return to where he was) and Greater Cleave (Gilman’s Slash banishes adversaries in a wider area of effect), as well as the first-level perk Valiant Return (if Sir Gilman and all his allies are banished, he returns immediately).

: This is actually a tougher call than I gave it credit for: I’m obviously going to choose one of the second-level perks because I want the third-level perk Vigorous Slash, which gives Sir Gilman back all his stamina after a single Slash. But as for which of the two second-level perks I take, it’s a bit tighter to decide.

: Sir Gilman lacks offensive capabilities. He’s quick as a dart, and as soon as he gets the Orb, he’s able to make a beeline straight for the enemy’s Pyre if the opportunity is available – but he’s unique in that, while he has a ton of movement speed, he lacks the means to clear the way for himself, whereas Rukey and, to a lesser extent, Ti’zo, do not have this problem. Sir Gilman utilizes ‘trip wire’ defense with his aura that’s very difficult to ‘lasso’ around opponents in an offensive manner.

: With that in mind, the issue that Sir Gilman currently has with his Slash ability is that it’s hard enough to get any kills with it. Quick Draw is a pretty tricky ability that can help with his positioning, and on paper it sounds like the more attractive option, but the thing is, Sir Gilman is so small and so fast that his positioning is rarely an issue.

: Sir Gilman is a unique character in that he has all the speed to be an offensive powerhouse, but by design, he explicitly cannot be a forward because his aura cannot reach in front of him – and yet, his aura is so small and so uniquely contoured that he isn’t the best as defense either.

: Normally, I’m of the mindset that it’s better to improve on our character’s strengths rather than try to buff their weaknesses and even them out, but in Sir Gilman’s case, he might be able to really benefit from the additional killing power that Greater Cleave would give him.



: In fact, I’m thinking I might also take Valiant Return over Quick Draw as well. But that’s a bridge to cross for another time.



: Well done back there, my boy. You are serving your companions well. Now, then, I’ve something that I wish to share with you, if you’ve a moment.

: We have discussed the Plan, of which we’re all a part. I have a means of measuring our progress toward the goal of it. I’d like for you to have a look at it. First, let’s determine where the Rites may take us next.







: Several shining stars… a trick of the eye, or the will of the Scribes? Who can say.

: I, too, once gained this newfound vision, many years ago, following my first Liberation Rite. And I believe on we of the Nightwings have this gift.

: So, when the Scribes ordain that Lendel must go to the Nest of Triesta, or for Sir Deluge to go to the Pit of Milithe, it’s not an option for them. Which begs the question – if we don’t heed the call and meet these people, then do they just sit there and do nothing? Or does some other triumvirate meet them in our place? It must all be very frustrating for the non-Nightwings.

: I realized that, in choosing whom the Nightwings confront in each Rite, we, in turn, influence which triumvirate we face when the time comes for someone to be set free.

: The object I invite you to use contains further detail.




(It’s a little hard to read some of the text in this picture, so click to see the full resolution if you need)

: Using Volfred’s Planner, you may assess your progress towards your ultimate goal, as well as check the current standings of your adversaries. Volfred shall keep this information up-to-date for the remainder of your quest.

: Okay, so, there’s a ton of information being presented to us in this screenshot. Let’s work at it sequentially.

: In the upper-left hand corner, we have general information pertaining to how many Rites we’ve conducted and how many exiles we’ve liberated. None of the information is particularly important – it’s more of a recap of what we’ve done rather than what we should expect. The ‘Rites Til Next Liberation’ line will pretty much always display a ? until the next Liberation Rite is already on top of us, so it’s kind of a useless line (at least, right now and for some time going forward).

: The lower-left hand corner displays the in-game date and Volfred’s current thoughts and notes on the situation of our progress. It’s entirely flavour and none of it has any bearing whatsoever on us or our work, past, present, or future.

: In the center panel, we have a ton of information on the standings of all the other triumvirates. It’s all incredibly important information, because, if you had a mind to pick and choose which opponents you wanted to face on our recurrent journey to Mount Alodiel, you can influence which triumvirate you face there, and you can influence which triumvirates will basically never get the opportunity to free one of their own.

: The ‘Favor’ line is each triumvirate’s standings when it comes to the Rites and their appeal in the eyes of the Scribes. As the Nightwings, we’re the golden standard that every other triumvirate must hold themselves to, and no matter what happens, we will be the endgame bosses for the other triumvirates to compete against in Mount Alodiel. The runner-up after us will always be our opponents.

: For example, according to this, if we were to go back to the Fall of Soliam right now, our opponents would be Tamitha and the Essence. But what if we don’t want to fight Tamitha there?

: That’s easy: if Tamitha appears as an option for us to confront before the Liberation Rite, and we choose to face off against her, and we win, then her, and the Essence’s, Favor will lower drastically, and then our next opponent would be Dalbert and the Fate instead.

: The Tempers, despite their fearsome reputation as being second only to the Nightwings in skill, are currently sitting at zero Favor, and this is because we had only just defeated them at Mount Alodiel – nobody (except us) gets two opportunities in a row, so Ignarius is going to have to sit this cycle out. Likewise, we just finished slapping Lendel around, so he and the Accusers are sitting at the lowest ranking possible, before that ‘no double-dipping’ rule I just mentioned.

: Say that we wanted to face off against a certain triumvirate at Mount Alodiel – say, for example, the Chastity, just so Manley can get a glimpse of freedom only to be reminded that he’ll never, ever get it. We can artificially inflate his numbers by specifically targeting the people above him and, if he’s ever put into the rotation of potential targets, we avoid him so that we don’t tank his Favor after inevitably crushing him into the dirt.

: Now, with all this in mind, let’s decide on our next target.





: So, same deal as when we left to meet Lendel at the Nest of Triesta: we can choose any one of these three triumvirates and play a righteous game of Sportsball against them.

: Who do we play against next? Do we play against Tamitha and the Essence, ranked second, at the Spring of Jomuer? Do we play against Sir Deluge and the Pyrehearts, ranked sixth in the Pit of Milithe? Or do we play against Dalbert and the Fate, ranked third in the Ridge of Gol?

: Five votes will send us on our way!