Part 34: 24.A: Traitor

: This vote was a bit closer than most, at seven to five (Iganrius and Barker, respectively), but ultimately, we’ve decided to pay a visit to Ignarius and the Tempers. This will be our first match with him since our very first Liberation Rite back in the day.


Gfy

: The triumvirate you shall confront this time around shall be the Tempers, led by the demon called Ignarius. They have prevailed in the Rites on many occasions in the past.

: The Lone Minstrel then offers you such details as he knows of your next adversary.


: Music: Rage of Demons

: Born to a middling Commonwealth family, he got into trouble early and often, but found his calling in the Commonwealth’s not-entirely-legal red light district. There he took many jobs, most involving his sheer size. Most notable, he was a bouncer at the Starry Eight, where he came to symbolize its reputation.

: One day, a particularly belligerent guest got under his skin, so he gave him a tremendous thrashing. The club clientele all gave a cheer. However, this guest turned out to be a wealthy chamberlain, who then exploited his connections to have Ignarius arrested, and then exiled. This was fourteen years ago.

: In the Downside, Ignarius dropped his given name as is sometimes the custom, and survived alone through his tenacity and strength.

: It’s customary to assume different names in the Downside? Interesting. I wonder who among us, if any, are operating under aliases. My first guess would be Pamitha (and, by extension, Tamitha).



: Other than the Nightwings, the Tempers have liberated more exiles than any other triumvirate. They had high hopes for Ignarius, in turn…. Now, good evening, Reader.

: You wish a good night to The Lone Minstrel. Your travels shall continue at first light.



: It’s a brand new cycle! And just like the last one, the weather is absolutely atrocious. The storm lasted the entire previous cycle, and there’s nothing to suggest that this blizzard will be letting up and earlier.

: Before we leave for the Glade of Lu, which isn’t far from here, we have a bit of business to accomplish in the blackwagon.



: On top of Volfred’s biography, you can also get a look at his stats. As he is a tree, his Quickness is understandably pretty dismal, but he makes up for it by having a significant Presence, and his Glory is tied with Bertrude’s. Volfred is our replacement star defense, now that Jodariel is gone: we can plant Volfred near our Pyre and he’ll be very difficult to uproot.

: He starts with a bit of Enlightenment, but more importantly, he’s got an entire bar’s worth of Inspiration. All those years reading the book – and having performed in the Rites himself, no matter how rusty he might be – has given him all the Inspiration in the universe, and he’ll be levelling up a whole lot faster than anyone else could.

: Volfred is our weakest player by a significant margin right now… but I bet that’s going to change in a hurry.

: Also, fun little idea I just had: Manley’s Sapling had a name. Humboldt-Manley Jr. What do we name Volfred’s Sapling?



: With that in mind, let’s take a gander at that book. It’s been a while since we’ve given it a leaf!


Gfy






: With both of those things out of the way, we have a journey to keep up with. The less time we spend idle in this blizzard, the better.



: Now, then, the Glade of Lu is just–


Gfy



I do so hate to thusly contact you, O Reader.

Yet, an awful rumor reached me recently: that you have within your retinue a traitor.

To the Nightwings, and the Commonwealth alike!

But you would never harbour such a traitor, now, would you? I trust your time within the Downside would have taught you that.



: … what’s wrong with his face?

: The time at Moonlight Alcove has made everyone restless. The group is eager to set forth at your command.




: Uh, anyway, as I was saying, the Glade of Lu isn’t too far from Mount Alodiel, so the trip shouldn’t be too boring. We’ll be on the ground and doing proper fisticuffs with Ignarius before you know it.



: The next screen over… there’s a howler!

: Let’s squish it.


Gfy

: That should mix up the monotony of being in a flying wagon!

: When we pass into Black Basin, there’s actually a small handful of things to do, not the least of which–



: Is pissing in Lendel’s cereal some more.

: So, the Nightwings darken our skies once more. We suffered much from the defeat you handed us last time.

: Until our next encounter on a sacred site… I told you to stay out of our way! Get out of my sight!



: Always good for a quick laugh, that Lendel.

: Now that Volfred is an active player on our team, he apparently has some words he’d like to share about Wakingwood in particular. There’s a brand new point of interest on it.

: As the wagon soars across the skies above Wakingwood, you notice Volfred appears lost in thought. You cannot sense straightaway what he is thinking.



: <I hid within those woods for many, many years, making preparations for our Plan. I case aside my raiments, and became untraceable. There I waited, for the Plan to germinate. So… it means a lot, now, to be here, above that place, at last.>

: …Quite the view, wouldn’t you say, my boy?



: Moving along, then, our landing options include the usual spots: Needlefield and Cinderroot.




: Ooph, I’m going to have to reach back a little bit for this one. Gilman is easy; he was with us against Oralech just two Rites ago. Whereas Mae… we haven’t seen her since the match against Dalbert on the Isle of Khaylmer. Which might as well have been centuries ago, at my pace!

: So, it’s looking like our fork is going to go in Sir Gilman’s favour this time. Let’s see what’s in store for us.



: Off the bat, it doesn’t look like a whole lot, other than someone to talk to in the blackwagon. My best guesses are Gilman, since this is his fork in the road; Volfred, since he’s our ‘newest’ member of the group; or Bertrude, to fangirl over Volfred.



: Right on. What’s up, Fred?

: …There.

: Volfred appears to have finished sealing some sort of document. He smiles as he approaches you.

: Hello, my boy. Was just on my way out to make a drop. Report a bit of progress our supporters on the other side should like to know.

: It is not clear to you, as yet, exactly how Volfred is able to communicate with agents in the Commonwealth.

: Oh, this might be interesting. Given how impossible it is to escape the Downside aside from the Rites, I wonder how a postal service has managed to exist at all.

: We have our ways of making certain that such messages manage to make their way to whom they need to reach. Most of the time, at least.

: It’s not exactly the most dignified of methods… but, the Messenger-Imp is as hard-working as the rest of us, or, dare I say, more so.

: Fun fact: the Messenger-Imp is a playable character in multiplayer.

: Most imps lack the capacity to do that job. They of course cannot traverse the outer boundaries of the Downside. But, they can squeeze much closer than any of us.

: Volfred offers to tell you more of this process. It seems that he has been using certain imps to relay messages to his agents in the Commonwealth for some time, now.



: The messages are coded, in the off chance they reveal themselves before unwanted eyes, but even still… my agents put themselves in great peril there, supporting our cause, and our Plan.

: I could not ask for a more dedicated bunch… a shame we cannot meet them, separated as we are. If we succeed in our endeavors, it shall be thanks in no small part to them.

: They have identified hundreds of citizens grown loyal to our cause. Found hidden corners where they can speak freely. Their goal is to grow in numbers while remaining safe. For, we cannot resist the Commonwealth if too few citizens stand with us. Whether due to apathy, or fear, or lack of willingness to see our nation as we do.

: Some of these agents I have known for many, many years, since long before my exile. Many were former students, from my days of teaching Commonwealth doctrine. It was clear, then, who among us did not take the common view.

: These days, I report them our progress, and they, in turn, report theirs back. From that assessment, I update the estimation of our Plan’s success. Our chances of success increase substantially each time we liberate one of our own. But, those loyal to us in the Commonwealth slowly gather strength, regardless, knowing of our efforts.



: He strides out of the wagon, bearing the sealed message.



: So, basically, the imps just get real, real close, but they can’t get into the Commonwealth proper in order to deliver the messages. How they get the message across that last little gap was left conveniently blank.

: I dunno about you, but that put me in the mood to read some books. Let’s flip through three pages this time, why not?


Gfy







: Right on. Let’s see what Gilman’s got in store for us this time.



: This knight’s skin crawls with much anxiety!

: I don’t think I feel good about this place, at least, today I don’t?

: You decide to focus on pursuing your Vocations until the blackwagon is ready to move on.



: This decision wasn’t too terribly difficult, although I think I could have handled it a little better. We aren’t hurting too badly for money, and definitely not for stardust, so we can leave out scavenging this time, leaving us with reading the Book or tutoring one of our guys.

: Obviously, I want to tutor Volfred. Like I said, he’s currently our weakest player by a huge margin, and even just one level-up, which a tutoring would give him, would go a long way to putting him back on level ground with the others. So, I’m going to do that.

: It’s just… I still have a Wisdom Trace banked. Would it have been better to read the Book and give him the Trace? I’m not positive – what I think I’m going to do is tutor Volfred, then have him play a match or two, and when he gets closer to another level, give him the Trace then.





: Certainly, I would appreciate your point of view.



: This is the first time in this LP that a textbox has had more than two lines.



: It’s been a while since my last outings in the Rites. Begging for your continued patience as I recollect the way.



: With a whole new player comes a whole new pair of perk trees. Let’s see what Volfred’s rolling with.

: His two first-level perks are, from left to right, Guardian Sapling (whenever Volfred is banished, a Sapling will automatically spawn near his Pyre until he returns) and Final Kindling (once per Rite, if Volfred’s Pyre is doused, it’s restored by ten Pyrepoints instead).

: His four second-level perks are Sturdy Sapling (after casting Sprout, Volfred’s Sapling spawns faster than usual, and with a larger Aura); Unstable Sapling (Volfred can Salute to detonate his Sapling from a distance); Guardian Shield (when Volfred uses his Shield, he’ll shield all allies as well); and Steadfast Hope (Volfred gains a straight +5 buff to Hope, putting him at twenty. For comparison, Mae’s Hope is at twenty-four).

: And finally, Volfred’s third-level perks are Numbing Gust (if Volfred and all allies are banished, all opponents take a massive penalty to Quickness and cannot use abilities); and Miracle Kindling (once per Rite, if Volfred’s Pyre is doused, it’s restored by forty Pyrepoints instead. Stacks with Final Kindling for a total of fifty).

: Both trees are actually rather attractive. The left tree has Guardian Sapling and Sturdy Sapling, which make Volfred all the stronger on his defense: as soon as Volfred is banished, there would be a giant wall of Aura that would prevent everyone but the players with the highest of ups from getting a dunk. Sturdy Sapling would even give Volfred some offensive capabilities, if necessary.

: But, Guardian Sapling and Numbing Gust both require Volfred to be banished in the first place. Volfred has a unique ability in his Shield, which acts like Pamitha’s Body Tackle in that Volfred can’t be banished while it’s up (the tradeoff being it locks him in place and it costs Stamina to keep up); in my opinion, I should focus on making his Shield stronger, with, say, Guardian Shield, rather than try and eke out a bit of extra perks and bonuses when I’m down players.

: On top of that, Final Kindling and Miracle Kindling are pretty fucking nutty perks. Combined, they’d effectively give me 150 Pyrepoints, or 120 with Endriga active – Volfred, all by himself, would counter one of the Titan Stars, and even have a bit of change to spare. It might even be enough for me to activate her for the extra EXP.

: So, tl;dr, I’m taking Final Kindling. I might trade Steadfast Hope for Guardian Sapling, but that’s a hard ‘maybe.’



: A most fascinating aspect of all this, one I endeavour to continue studying for a long time yet.



: With that out of the way, let’s head onward. Ignarius has a bone to pick with us, I’m sure.




Gfy

: The wagon comes to a sudden stop after a near-miss with someone, or something, that got right in its path. At first, you see no sign of whomever, or whatever, it was, but then… A voice rings out from off to the side of your path. The friendly-yet-somehow-aggravating tone leaves little room for question as to who it is.

: Hey, guys, uhh, so maybe watch where you’re going a bit more, next time, I guess? You musta scared Dad half to death, I mean just look at him!


: Music: Dirty Deal

: Fun fact: Ron’s theme, Dirty Deal, can also be played in multiplayer. It has a more active and aggressive version of itself that plays if the enemy gets the Orb. Unfortunately, I can’t find it anywhere on Youtube.

: But it’s good running into you like this, because, I got for you a really special deal! We got some pretty out-there stuff on hand, and… it’s been slowing us a bit, to be completely honest, here. Something about ‘em, I dunno, but Dad just hasn’t been himself!



: And YOU can have first dibs! All you gotta do is give us a lift, ‘cause you’re headed to the Glade of Lu, right? Just drop us off when you get there, OK?

: The blackwagon does not provide for you the most spacious accommodations, but it may have enough room for Falcon Ron, barely, at least for the short remainder of your trip.

: On the other hand… you sense a troubling energy from whatever strange artifacts he is transporting right now, and wonder whether you should get involved.



: This isn’t really a question.

: First, Ron is a good guy! I can put up with his mumbling for a few minutes when I need to buy something from him. He’s done nothing but been a fair businessman and providing me with the tools necessary to my victories.

: Second, Ron might be carrying something malicious on his person – and, knowing the world of Pyre, it’s quite possible that these things are, like, pieces of a Titan that are still alive or something – but I doubt that Ron has the emotional capacity to actively try and sabotage me. I don’t think he woke up in the morning and said to his dad, “you know what? Let’s fuck over those Nightwings. Let’s break their wheels and then sell them some more.”

: And finally, I don’t think the thread would forgive me if I made him walk.



: All that said, though… come on, dude, the Glade of Lu is, like, ten steps to the east.

: Though your fellow exiles exchange cautious looks, you invite Falcon Ron to climb aboard.

: Oh, great, thanks, guys! I’ll, just, uh, squeeze right in, just…

: He does not.

: Dad! Come on, put your back into it, already!

: Eventually, Falcon Ron manages to get on board, as you prepare to set forth again.




Gfy

: …anyways, thanks, guys, and remember what I said, these thingers I got here, you got dibs on ‘em if you come visit me and Dad, that is, now we’ll be going, so, be seeing you, OK?

: Whether from Falcon Ron’s ceaseless drivel, or the ill effects of his cargo, everyone is left feeling out of sorts.



: Oh, wow, this is the first time I’ve taken a penalty to Glory. That could hurt me a whole lot, depending on who we put into the Rite against Ignarius, but it could also be nothing.



: You know the drill: let’s see who’s in a talkative mood right now. I’m sure someone would like to have a word with me about letting Ron onto the blackwagon.



: Sir Gilman looks positively amped.

: Sir Gilman is training intently when you approach.

: Master-Reader!! This knight was so engulfed in memories of the Sea-Dominion that he failed to detect your stealthy advance on his position!

: Tut-tut. What would Rukey think?

: Splendidly done!! This knight would have been vanquished by you, easily! This knight is fortunate to have you as an ally rather than a mortal foe.

: You think? If you remember, apparently, I’ve suffered a debilitating injury that’s knocked me out of the running as a potential player for the Nightwings indefinitely. I doubt I’m a threat to anybody.

: His kind routinely clambers from the depths of the Sea-Dominion to seek greater glory, and, perhaps, a slightly longer life expectancy within your Commonwealth.

: Such an honor it would be, to be assigned the rank of ‘knight’ and be conscripted onto the front lines of the Commonwealth, against their vicious, winged enemies!

: In the Sea-Dominion, it was our ultimate goal to fight our way to the surface, past our brethren, past the razor-reafs, the strangle-kelp, the snaggle-fins that prey upon our kind…



: …past the blood-sniffers, the electric scallops, the rogue-wyrms of the Frigid Current, the paralyzing nets of the Far-Fishers, and even past the scalding waters of the glowing trench….

: Finally, he trails off.

: …Yet, even despite the myriad of challenges of living in the Sea-Dominion, it is each would-be wyrm-knight’s duty to abandon that place at his or her soonest convenience.

: How humorous it was to learn that life within your Commonwealth had quite a bit in common with our existence undersea. ‘Twas not all pomp and glory as the stories told!



: He remains silent for a while, but then…

: Ah, well! It is fortunate that this knight found within this place so fine a company as yours. It is a most-different change of pace, to strive toward a common purpose, rather than strive constantly to outperform each other toward one’s own self-gain.

: Although! To the extent we are competing still, this knight shall ever strive to take the lead, make no mistake about that, Master-Reader!! This knight was born to be THE BEST! Just like all the billions like him! Now, he is off to steel himself! Your pardon, Master-Reader!

: He scoots off somewhere to continue with his self-made training regimen.



: Well, at least he’s in high spirits. And this +1 Quickness will help to put him just a little higher in tier compared to the billions like him.



: We’ve done enough Book-reading for one update. I’m curious to see what trinkets Ron has, and what’s caused this huge hurt in Glory.



: He pauses for dramatic effect, then… He reveals to you several artifacts:





: They emanate with energy that cannot possibly be completely healthy.

: Nice, huh? You guys, you got first dibs on these bad boys, and I can tell you what, they’re going to go fast!



: Ron isn’t offering anything else that’s new right now; just those three cursed Talismans.

: Personally, none of them seem particularly useful to me… I guess Black Hoof could go well on Bertrude, but she’s my hardest-hitter, and that goes completely to waste if she can’t hold the Orb.

: That said, though, I’m going to purchase Black Claw.



: Ah, great, you guys, I knew you were discerning customers, now, you enjoy that one, OK? And, remember, I still got the others, too, and you can buy ‘em, if you want. Though, these ones, they are real popular, and so, no refunds on these guys, you understand? But they are REAL good, so there’s no chance you’re gonna wanna pawn ‘em off!



: Uh… okay, whatever.

: The main reason why I wanted to buy the Black Claw is because, when I first played through this game way back shortly after its release, there was an exploit with it: you could put it on Volfred, and he could still summon a Sapling. He’d get all the benefits, but because he wasn’t ‘casting his Aura,’ he wouldn’t get any of the deficits.

: Unfortunately, they have since patched that. I bought the Claw to find out if they did or not, and now that I know, I won’t be using it in a match.

: Before I dip, I’ll take another pinch of Stardust. Why not.



: Uh, thanks for stopping by, guys.



: Okay! We’re finally ready to take on Ignarius and the Tempers, here in the Glade of Lu. Let’s see what fresh new Titan Star we have to work with.

: Though the now-familiar surroundings of the Glade of Lu made preparations faster than before, the stars are already aflame by the time you and the others are gathered.

: The Rite against the Tempers is commencing soon. Please be ready, madam.

: Shouldn’t be a problem. Always good to stretch my wings a bit, besides.

: You wish them all good fortune, in turn. Little else is said, and together, you watch the celestial harmony in calm and silence, and await the Tempers.




: Hmm. That’s a little annoying, considering my own Glory was just nerfed. But whatever – if I want to unlock Bialanthius’ page in the Book, I’ll need to prevail with him active.

: As usual, I’ll be turning off Sung-Gries and Endriga this time, but I’m also feeling particularly vulnerable with the Glory difference, so… I’ll turn off Arizech, too.




: Hey look who wants a piece of us again. It’s the damned Nightwings! Here to knock us down another peg or two again, I guess.

: Well, at least you got old Curly Horns out of this dump, I gotta give you that.

: One look at her, and you just knew that she was too good for this place. Though maybe that ain’t saying all that much.

: A majority of us would agree, pointedly.

: Any of you Nightwings see her again, you tell her something for me! You let her know Iggy says hi. You let her know.

: Not that she’ll remember some dumb lunk like me.

: Then Ignarius shoves on his mask.



: I wonder what our approach to Ignarius would have been if we met him later in the Rites, and he wasn’t our first Liberation Rite opponent. It’s highly unlikely that he’ll ever make it back to Mount Alodiel, now that our attempts at liberation are officially numbered.



: Reader, my boy. Let us confer a moment, here.

: <I am returned now to the Rites… a tradition that I had once disavowed. And… now that I’ve donned the raiments, the Voice knows I am here. It is no matter, really, for our Plan is well in motion. All that remains for us… is to prevail. I shall aid you and the others in this task as best I can.>

: Let us see now whether these old limbs of mine are still of any use.



: While all of our companions are unique in their own ways, Volfred is probably the most unique of them all. For instance, everyone up until now could jump, while Volfred, being a tree, cannot.

: Instead, he has something called an Aura-Shield. Like I had explained earlier, he can keep it up for as long as he has Stamina, but it locks him in place when he does. However, as long as it’s active, he can’t be banished.

: But there’s one extra bit of info: if I time it properly, Volfred will not only protect himself from a casted Aura, but he’ll reflect it right back. In this way, he can ‘power cast’ an Aura like anyone else.



: Volfred can’t dash like the others can, either – once again, a weakness that comes with being a plant. What he can do, though, is sink into the ground and reappear a set distance away in an instant, in exchange for some stamina. This works kind of like Ti’zo’s Zip, except it travels a longer distance, and with more cooldown. Even with Blink, Volfred isn’t exactly going to be a star forward.




: Our as-of-yet unnamed Sapling can sprout from anywhere within a radius around Volfred. When it sprouts, it’ll have its own Aura that starts small, but gets larger over time. The Sapling’s Aura can be used in conjunction with another ally’s, including Volfred’s, in order to give the proximity bonus to both them and the Sapling. Only one Sapling can be active at a time, although Volfred can replant it as often as he likes, and it’ll expire if he is ever banished. And finally, if Volfred gets the Guardian Shield perk, he can also shield the Sapling.



: I look forward to conducting with you all… if and when, of course, the Reader calls for us to stand as a triumvirate, together!



: Oooh, that would have been annoying with Sung-Gries.



: Alright! We’re here in the Glade of Lu to restart another cycle of the Rites against Ignarius and the Tempers. Ignarius’s stats are pretty intense, along with 14 Quickness, which is quite high for a demon. We, of course, have fought worse.

: Now that we’re here, we have the usual dilemma. Who do we bring into this Rite? Our whole triumvirate is available: we can freely choose any three of Mae, Ti’zo, Sir Gilman, Pamitha, Volfred, or Bertrude.

: Three votes, and twenty-four hours. See you then!