Part 27: Something Left of Me to Save

Part 27: Something Left of Me to Save

Last time, we helped some renegade Sith students escape, and explored two of the ancient Sith tombs in the Valley of the Dark Lords. When last we left our heroes, they had entered the tomb of Ajunta Pall...



We start in this short entryway. Nothing to do but go forward.



Hey, we actually saw the mine again and didn't run into it like idiots. That's not going to last.



Like Tulak Hord's tomb, Ajunta Pall's tomb is also crawling with tuk'ata. Nothing special about these guys.



Hmh. Those are some scary-looking droids. They're not doing anything, though.



Next to the bridge (which we can see is blocked by an obelisk), we come across a severed arm holding a datapad, presumably another Sith student who tried to enter the tomb before. Let's see what it says.


Those guard droids don't look very defunct to me. I'm pretty sure that is yet another glitch, because they're certainly supposed to all be inactive at this point. The Sith corpse on the opposite end of this platform has some inconsequential loot, and we can't do anything with the obelisk on that side either.



There was, however, another corpse in the hallway with the tuk'ata. This one has another datapad, so let's see what that says as well...




As luck would have it, the obelisk blocking our way is made of therangen.



As such, we need to blow it up, and that means entering the Give Item menu and placing a mine or grenade (any grenade except CryoBan) on the obelisk.



That should take care of that.



Oh, the obviously active defense droids are active? Who could've expected such a thing?



The two droids to the left of us were actually inactive, so I'm not sure why the two closest to the entrance were already active because that is not supposed to happen.



Even though the droids look pretty intimidating, they're quite weak and easily dispatched with Force Wave, Throw Lightsaber, or Disable/Destroy Droid.



This lever will instantly blow up the droids, but you don't earn any XP by destroying them that way.



With the droids out of commission, we can proceed deeper into the tomb. While I said last time that this tomb is more elaborate than the others, it really isn't. Well, at least in terms of the size and complexity of the tomb itself.



See, we're already at the sarcophagus. That was quick.



At the back of the burial chamber is this Sith statue that is clearly important, but we can't do anything with it right now.



There's also a corpse with some loot we don't particularly need.



For some reason, Ajunta Pall's sarcophagus is not locked like the others.



Hm? Who's screwing with the lights?



Okay, that's better. We've found three swords in the sarcophagus, and we have heard plenty about the sword of Ajunta Pall. No one said anything about three swords, though. The vibrosword is just a basic vibrosword, but the other two seem a lot flashier so let's take a quick peek at them.



The notched steel sword certainly looks like it might be Ajunta Pall's blade, but who knows for sure? Neither that or the silver lined sword is any good stats-wise, with damage values of 2d12 and 1d12 respectively and no upgrade capabilities.



I guess we'll take all of these swords out of here, maybe the guy out front can tell us which one is Ajunta's sword.



Or maybe we will run into what appears to be a restless spirit blocking our way out.





I know BioWare had only so much to work with in terms of resources, but this "spirit" is very obviously just a Dark Jedi model with an active Echani Dueling Shield and it's very jarring.





In the end we were not so proud. We hid... hid from those we had betrayed. We fell... and knew it would be so...



Ancient? Has it been so long that you use the word 'ancient'? I have... been here so long, so lost, I cannot... cannot remember... We were the first. The first to rebel, to betray... to surrender ourselves to the dark side. So strong, we thought... so wrong...

What do you mean by 'those we had betrayed'?

Everyone they ever loved, they pushed them all away? Well, maybe not.



We were... discovered? Or did we act? I can no longer remember. But here is where we came... to hide, to grow. And here we fell.

Despite his generic appearance in the game, Ajunta Pall's voice actor manages to sell the character very well. He sounds exactly as you'd expect a lost, mournful spirit to sound. The writing and acting aren't exactly subtle, but it all works.





We destroyed each other. We desired the secrets of each other, to increase our power... we battled until finally our fortress rained down on top of us.



And so here our old secret is buried and none of us hold it any more... is that not right? Our power fled. Oh, what became of us? Do... do the Sith still thrive? Did they ever return?

Did they ever.



Maybe we shouldn't say they're currently almost invincible.







My sword... I filled it with my pride. And it is... buried with me, now. A corpse as I am a corpse. I am dead, as my faith... is dead. And I shall remain here... surrounded by blackness in death as in life...





I wish my sword to be... taken away from here. I do not wish it to rot away as I have. I command this of you.





Guess we'll giving that one to Uthar, then. But which of the swords is it?



Ajunta Pall has been dead for about 3,000 years at this point. That is a long time to linger in this tomb, unable to become one with the Force while slowly going mad. I don't think Jorak Uln meant this when he said (well, would've said if we'd picked the right dialogue option) that a true Sith never dies.



And if the sword isn't yours?

Then you must... die. This is how it... must be.

How will I know which sword it is?

I do remember one thing of my sword... listen to me carefully...



Go, then... find my sword and place it on the statue...

It didn't say that on any of the swords. Still, I think we have a decent idea which sword might be the correct one.





This is a Star Wars game made by BioWare. For better or worse, they're not gonna pull an "actually, the ancient Sith Lord used a humble vibroblade, you idiot" trick on you.



Take it... take it and the other blades, even... take them and go. My darkness awaits me...







Hey, it's worth a shot.







And with that, we have somehow released the spirit of a long-dead Sith Lord from his millennia-long suffering by turning him back to the light side. I think the Jedi Council should give us a medal or something, because at this point we are going well above and beyond the call of duty.



Ajunta Pall's spirit fades away, finally becoming one with the Force. We are finished in this tomb, so now all that's left is to take the swords and go.



Oh no. I'd recognize that dumb face anywhere.



Shaardan has come to confront us because of course he has.







Now that you have it, I just thought I'd relieve you of it. It must be quite a burden, after all.





Especially not for a pathetic excuse for a Sith like yourself. Hand over the sword, worm. You know I'm the superior, here.





So, Shaardan wants a sword, does he?



He'll get what he wants. And no, I'm not talking about our lightsaber through his ribs.



Wouldn't dream of it. Shaardan is much too smart to be tricked by the likes of us, you know.



Actually, Shaardan is a moron, but not quite enough of a moron to fall for it if we try to give him the regular vibroblade. The silver lined sword, on the other hand, looks flashy enough to fool him. There you go, Shaardan. There's your sword.



You're welcome, Shaardan. Thanks for sparing our pitiful lives. You should go show that sword to Master Uthar right now.



I love how even the quest journal dunks on Shaardan. Also, why the hell is the Sandral-Matale Feud quest above this when we're sorting by order received?



I'm glad Galon didn't stop Shaardan and ask about the sword he got, because that would've been awkward.



Are you joking with me? The Sith Lord still lives?

No, not exactly.



Thank you for the information! I must go and inform my mentor at once of this strange news!

You do that. We should also go inform Master Uthar of our various deeds, so let's head right back to the academy.





Fool. All the trouble you went through for your deception, and you did not even make an effort to verify the sword's authenticity?

This is gonna be unpleasant for someone.







Master Uthar proceeds to choke Shaardan to death for his idiocy.



Good riddance.



I have the sword of Ajunta Pall.

Ahhh, finally, the genuine sword! I knew that this relic would be unearthed in time. I can feel the power flowing through it! Well done! You have impressed me greatly! Go, now... you have done well, but you have not impressed me enough to declare you the victor. I have matters to attend to.

Okay, we're almost done here.







What do you mean "lie"? That's the truth! They are in fact gone, just not dead.





It's easier to just give Uthar one of the artifacts instead, but whatever. That worked out.



I would certainly hope so! Two of the other prospects are dead, and the other two have left. We kinda win by default at this point.



I would advise you to be rested and equipped before we leave. Return to your quarters now and seek me out in the morning.



Finally.



Yuthura doesn't have a lot to say at this point, and we have no other business left at the academy so we should head back to Master Uthar and get this test started.





I will tell you the details when we are there, young one. You will, however, fight for your life... that is why I suggest you be in sufficient health.

I am ready to go.





Here we go, then. I see no one bothered to haul Shaardan's body out of the main hall, that's how much everyone respected him.





Indeed, the final test on Korriban is one of the few sections in KotOR where you actually have to go solo. The only slight worry here is our lack of durability, but our damage output should more than make up for it.



And here come the masters, each of them thinking they're going to betray and kill the other, but only Yuthura knowing what's actually going to happen.





Is that a tone of mischief in your voice, dear Yuthura? You should know by now that no scheme is certain.

As should you, my master. But I was only agreeing with you. Should we not get on with the test?



You are to follow in their footsteps and reach the ancient Star Map that lies deep within. There you will find a Iightsaber, amongst other things. The Iightsaber is for you: your initiation present. Return to us once you have it, for you the test does not end there.

Seems simple enough.



Do you understand what I have told you? Are you ready to begin?





Fine. Let's get this test started.





I'm sure.



Huh, we haven't seen any wraids on Korriban until now.





The regular wraids are easy to stun and go down in a single hit.



The hulak wraids are more dangerous and harder to hit, but still not too much of a worry when we can deal this much damage.



There are also several mines for us to run into in this tomb. Get used to that, because we can't see any of the damn things. We've got three paths we could take here, so let's start with the one to the west.



Hm. A closed door. Let's check out the skeleton next to it before we do anything else.



I wonder what our bony friend's datapad says.


Terentatek beasts? Oh boy. You know what, let's head east instead.



The east corridor leads to this room, which has a locked door at the end and these three pillars in the middle, as well as a computer next to the pillar closest to the locked door.



Hmm. Hmmmm. I think we all know what's coming.






Yep, it's Tower of Hanoi, BioWare's favorite puzzle. You all know how this works, so let's skip ahead a few minutes.



This puzzle is basically muscle memory by this point.





Before we go through the door, we'll grab the goodies on the skeleton next to it. The Zabrak blaster pistol is quite decent.



More wraids lurk behind the door.



goddammit



That hulak wraid is blocking its friend's path to us, which isn't very smart.



Right then, let's see what we've got inside this chamber.



Some loot that is worth a decent bit of money. Nice.



Apparently, the man himself isn't buried here, but we do find Naga Sadow's blade. Entering the chamber is completely optional so you don't have to waste your time with Towers of Hanoi if you don't want to, but Naga Sadow's Poison Blade is a very good melee weapon that can poison opponents and well worth picking up.



With that detour out of the way, let's return to the west corridor and go through the door at the end... after making sure to save our game.



We find ourselves in a big empty room. This seems ominous.



Well, there's one terentatek. It's not aware of us just yet, which works in our favor because we can set some traps before getting its attention.



The average plasma and flash mines probably won't do much, but every little bit helps.



While it's a bit difficult to see due to the general lack of decent lighting in this place, there is indeed another terentatek in the far corner. While you could aggro both of the creatures and take them on simultaneously, that's probably not going to be very conducive to your health and well-being so you really should take these beasts on one at a time.



Okay, here comes one of them now. The other one is still staring at the wall, so this is working out nicely.



Err... I'm over here.



Apparently, I managed to break this terentatek's AI and it doesn't know what's going on. Hey, I'm not complaining.



Should maybe have buffed ourselves or at least activated the melee shield before engaging these monstrosities. Eh, I'm sure we'll be fine.



A Stun-Attack-Heal pattern seems to work quite well. Stasis would be helpful because it debilitates enemies for longer, but we don't have it yet.



The terentatek gets a couple of shots in, but we're never in any danger of dying here. One down, one to go.



Our mines didn't do much, but that's okay.



Back to the pattern. I'm using Flurry instead of Master Critical Strike for some reason (maybe I figured it'd do more damage, or maybe I was just trying to switch things up a little), which isn't optimal because it's the basic Flurry feat with the hefty penalties to our hit and evade rates. Still, we're doing okay thus far.



Jedi Jesus!



Fortunately, we had plenty of juice left in the tank for healing, so even though the terentatek gets another hit in we manage to topple the beast. I have no clue why I didn't use the melee shield or any stimulants at any point, but we did okay without them so who cares.



With both terentatek dead, we're free to take a look around the room. Over on this side, we find the remains of Shaela Nuur (the journals say Nur, but it's Nuur), the last one of the Jedi sent to hunt the terentatek on Korriban. The Solari crystal is quite nice (Attack +3, Damage +3, Damage +1-8 vs. Dark Side) and can only be found here since it's a legendary crystal bestowed to Shaela by her Jedi Master. Let's find out what Shaela's journal says...


Shaela did ultimately end up heading down the dark path, not because she loved Duron (again misspelled as Duran in the text) like Saresh thought but because some idiot decided to leave her and Duron to their own devices, which led to Duron's completely avoidable death and drove Shaela towards the dark side. I'm sure Saresh would say this whole situation could've been avoided if Duron and Shaela hadn't fallen in love in the first place and he did nothing wrong.

Guun Han Saresh was the worst and I for one am glad he got eaten by the ritual beast on Kashyyyk.



In any event, the lever in the southwest corner of the room opens the locked door nearby. You can actually get to this lever without killing the terentatek, run through the door and kill the terentatek without them being able to reach you.



For the love of...





Once we finally get through the door, we find two pillars in this chamber. The Pillar of Fire contains the Special Fire Grenade, and the Pillar of Ice has the Special Cold Grenade, as described in the datapad we found earlier.



Only one way we can go now.



And there is the acid pool mentioned in the datapad. Obviously, we can't walk across that, which is why we needed to get past the two terentatek and grab the grenades.



If you're too stupid to live, you can throw the fire grenade into the giant pool of acid. We'd prefer not to die like an idiot, though, so we'll throw the cold grenade instead.



Perfect.



All we have to do now is walk across.



The Star Map must be behind that door, so let's just...



MINES

(also holy shit that hurt)



Here we are. The fourth Star Map is ours, hopefully nobody's placed any more mines in this room.





We're getting close to finding the Star Forge. Only one more map remaining.





And there's the lightsaber Uthar wanted us to retrieve.



Let's return to the masters and find out what happens between Yuthura and Uthar.





You took a great risk in acquiring the artifact. You used your mind and your power... no peaceful meditation, no pacifism. Sometimes you must fight in order to achieve. This gives you your passion, this makes you stronger. This is what makes you superior. That is the lesson we teach with that part of the final test. Do you understand?





Did you not feel a moment of excitement in the tomb? Did your passions not flow and make you feel stronger and more alive? What purpose would be served by restricting yourself from such? I would say only the purpose of the Jedi. Through this they would control you and restrict your potential.



Killing two terentatek beasts single-handedly, no big deal.





Whatever, let's just get this over with.



All life must compete in order to flourish. Such is the natural way of the universe. To stand still is to know death... one must always be moving forward. So is it the same amongst the Sith. Compete or die. Mercy is irrelevant. So it behooves you in this final test to strike down one you are familiar with, for no other reason than to prove you are superior and without mercy.



Alright, here we go.







Sadly, Yuthura, it is you who are mistaken. Your pupil is more ambitious than you realize... isn't that so, young one?

Uthar has no idea what we've done. He still thinks we betrayed Yuthura.



You can still change your mind and side with Uthar if you wish, although doing so wouldn't make a lot of sense if you've poisoned him. You can also challenge both if you're so inclined.





The poison has worked its magic and Uthar is weakened.





He's not weakened to any great extent, but having him at 2/3 health at the start of the fight is quite nice.



Let's finish this.



Or not, because he can just spam Death Field to get all his health back. That works too.



Despite Uthar's efforts to postpone his demise, we've managed to stun him and Yuthura can also heal herself with Drain Life. You know what happens to stunned opponents, right?



Yep, Uthar is done and the academy is under new management. The game goes to a cutscene the instant we land the killing blow.



That's what I said.



But of course, we are still dealing with the Sith here. Yuthura thinks we're a threat to her power, so she wants to get rid of us.





Actually, I don't think she wants to, but she feels she has to. This is unfortunate because there is still good in her, but we will do what we must.







Really?







I... was right the first time, back at the cantina, wasn't I? There is something different about you... more so than I even suspected.





So what happens now? Will you show me mercy? Will you... just let me leave?

That's one option, but maybe we can come up with something even better.





Sadly, Yuthura will not join the party. There's a mod that allows you to recruit her, of course, and I'm pretty sure there's one for Ajunta Pall as well.



Still, she doesn't have to stay here on Korriban and train Sith for the rest of her life, because that's obviously not what she actually wants to do.



All the things I wanted to do, all the wrongs I wanted to right... I haven't done any of it. They just get farther and farther from my mind. All I've cared about is power and... and myself. This isn't the person I was.

There's still time to change that.

You're right. Maybe... maybe what I needed most was peace, after all. The Jedi tried to show me that.

Based on our earlier conversations, it seemed like the Jedi actively tried to stop Yuthura, a former slave, from helping her fellow slaves and that is what caused her to eventually join the Sith. If the Jedi simply tried to calm Yuthura down a bit and stop her from acting out of anger, that is somewhat more understandable but I'm still a bit wary about giving the Jedi the benefit of the doubt here. I am sure they could've handled the situation without losing a promising Padawan to the Sith.





Yuthura bids us farewell. While it's a shame she can't join us, hopefully she'll find her own path.



Before we leave, we'll just grab Uthar's stuff. He's not going to need it.



And so, we're done on Korriban. Now all that's left is to reunite with Jolee and Juhani and get off this rock.



Err...



Might as well be honest at this point. They wouldn't believe us anyway if we tried to lie.





I'm not sure how Yuthura got out of the Valley without these guys noticing. Maybe they just missed her.







Okay, well, I guess we'll be doing this the hard way then. The male Sith apprentice had the right idea and it would've been a lot smarter for them to just pretend they never saw us, but this lady really wants to avenge Master Uthar.





That goes about as well for her and her crew as you'd expect.



All of the Sith somehow know Uthar and Yuthura are gone and there is no master anymore, and go hostile as soon as we enter.



Jolee apparently was in the middle of a whole bunch of Sith so he got knocked the fuck out. Also, the Force Wave effect here makes our lightsaber look a bit... questionable.



We also gain a level in all of this, so we get another Persuade point and learn Stasis.



Guys, we really don't need to do this. You could all walk away instead of throwing yourselves at our lightsabers. No?



Fine, have it your way.



And then, all was quiet. I think it's safe to say all lessons at the Sith academy are on an indefinite hiatus.



The guard has no idea what is going on.





Yeah... uh, about that. You guys might want to consider a different career path.



Next time, it'll be the usual post-Star Map roundup of party member conversations and whatever sidequests we'll be able to start.