Part 1: Masad is burning

Video
Summoner: Prologue




I am Joseph of Ciran. Joseph of Masad. Farmer. Cotter. Plowman.



Sahugani. Summoner.



Nine years ago I destroyed the village of Ciran with a power I could neither control nor understand.



A power passed down through generations for thousands upon thousands of years.
A power I never asked for, and never wanted.



Nine years ago, raiders attacked Ciran. To save my village, I unleashed the demon.
And the demon massacred all in its' path. The raiders, my friends, my family.



The survivors blamed me, and who else were they to blame?
I wore the ring. I called forth the demon. And so I left the ruins of Ciran an exile and outcast.
But I was not alone. My companion was a vagabond named Yago.
An old beggar who had come to Ciran the day before looking for the child born with the mark of the summoner.



Looking for me. Yago said he would teach me how to use my gift.
How to use the ring, that only those born with the mark could use.
And now we were both vagabonds. Hated. Feared.



We came to the village of Masad and I threw the ring down a well.
I told Yago to go away and never trouble me again with talk of prophecies and destinies.
I was finished with my power. I swore on the graves of all who perished in Ciran that I would never summon again.

But the one thing I tried to escape was the one thing that came looking for me.
And that is where my story begins.



The year was 596 Vorno Medeva. 300 years after the Medevan conquest. 1,000 years after the fall of Ikaemos.
And 12,000 years after the third Araenugeth, and the death of Urath, God of the Sudani.



Murod the Usurper, Emperor of Orenia, a realm far to the north across the sea, invaded the shores of the kingdom of Medeva.



Led by the infamous four riders, Murod's soldiers laid waste to the villages along the Darhu River.



One night, they came to Masad. The soldiers were looking for a boy with a mark on his hand.

The mark of the Summoner.





Before we even get behind the wheel, Joseph already has two village sized notches in his belt.
Impressive.

A quick aside. Just look at how happy that demon was.



That's just super.


Soundtrack - Masad

Alright let's get a look at Jos...



Eeeuuugh. Joseph has seen better days.

The skills with numbers we can level up,
the others are abilities that are unlocked that we can do chain attacks with.
More skills are unlocked as our levels rise.



Moving on, we find a still living villager. And he wants to talk!



: Horsemen?

: Half-men, half-beasts. Villains from a bard's song. They carved poor Rhuag in half, and attacked us with arrows of flame. We who survived are too scared to stay and too scared to run!

Stuck in an infinite fear loop. RIP Mulik.



We find another villager being menaced by an Orenian.



He gives his life so that we can have a combat tutorial.
Notice the extremely low damage, if any, that these chain skills do.
They're main use is locking down enemies so they can't attack, but they can quickly drain your AP.



With the death of the soldier, the huge flaming pile of lumber disappears! And he drops a beat up old katana.



Up the hill we find a villager clinging to life, or practicing 'The Worm'.



: Your nephew Earis?

: My grandfather's grandfather made this sword and died long ago on Naedo's Hill. He was Falconeye's standard bearer and the greatest warrior in our village.




Note - He continues to crawl through the whole dialogue.


: We must flee to Lenele.

: Lenele? Never! The blood of my ancestors sanctified this soil. I will die here or live forever. But the dead have no use for swords. Give this blade to my nephew. He lives in Lenele. Do you see the serpent coiled around the hilt?

<Gained Aesik's Sword>

Alright, our first quest from some dead dude that did not guarantee payment.



Scouring the village we find lots of dead bodies. We also make some.
This one has a cool 10g on him. Alright.



We also pick up a revive scroll in some crates.
Fairly useful if the person with the revive spell ends up eating dirt.





Taking a look at the weapons we found so far.
Aesik's sword is sadly, not equipable. Even though it gleams in the sun and serpents majestically coil around the hilt.



The carnage is getting pretty humdrum at this point. However, around the corner...



A still breathing villager being accosted!



He is checking his hand and then...



Completely ignores us and turns around, staring towards the horizon.



: Over here! The boy is over here! He has the mark!

Laekho's gettin angry!



I would enjoy slaying Laekho.
Alas, he has village immunity.



So I move on to the, apparently blind, soldier.
I got his shoes.



One thing to note about combat. The blue percentage is a damage bonus.
This is based on height, position, and prone.
This -25% is from me being .01% below this guys position.



A little maneuvering and the tables have turned!
This can turn into a big bonus, and they stack.
So if I am behind and have the high ground it would be a whopping 40% increase.



These rennie's really did a number on Masad.



But they haven't touched the stable yet. Also, why would a farming village have 2 armored horses?



: Hiding place?

: Yes, and it's mine! I was here first, lad, so go away! You can't hide here too. There's room enough for one and one alone. You'll get us both killed.

: Where should I go then?

: Lenele. Go to Lenele. Behind the walls of the king's city you'll find sanctuary! There the knights and lords of Medeva will protect you.

: How do I get to Lenele?

: That's your problem, lad, not mine! But here, take this vial with you. A swig of this tonic will heal your wounds if the rennies get a piece of you.

Her plan, while deeply flawed, seems to actually be working.
The horses do seem to be keeping the rennies away.

She gives us a health tonic which will sit in my inventory for the entire game.



He never scored.



He never scored.



He probably scored non-stop with that title.



He...



...never stood a chance.



: We'll never reach the boat! The rennies are guarding the mill!

: Why should I leave Masad? This is my home!

We make our way to the mill and find 3 survivors.
Khag's wife is adamant on staying in the burning ruin swarming with soldiers killing on sight.
Typical.



: And Naedo's Hill is still ablaze!

: Lenele?

: Lenele is the City of God's, Joseph! I'll be a merchant and sail the Darhu. Or I'll journey across the Sea of Khadim! But I won't leave without Uvala. If she won't go, neither will I!

He's super humanly whipped.



: Endure?

: Such is our lot. To reap and thresh. To scrub and mend. To gather wood and tend the fire. I feed the pigs and the cows and the chickens. And now we'll have no food for winter!

This lady has the right idea. No where will be safe once we are out and about.



: River?

: Sail up the Darhu to Lenele, where the King of Medeva holds court! You'll be safe within its walls. And doesn't your friend Yago live there?

: Yago?

: The vagabond who came to Masad with you all those years ago. He said if you ever needed his help, find him in Lenele. You're in terrible danger, Joseph, but how will that beggar save you?

: Soldiers?

: Those aren't raiders or brigands. Look at their armor! Look at their swords! HANZO_STEEL.JPG These are Orenian soldiers, Joseph. Minions of the Emperor. They're burning down the village!

: Orenia? Exposition? Village gossip?

: Orenia lies far to the north, beyond the deep waters of the Khadim. I've heard only the stories of traders and troubadours. They say rennies are savages and blood-drinkers ruled by the sorcerer Murod.

: Why are they looking for me?

: Laharah take me if I know! They're looking for a peasant with a mark on his hand, just like the mark you've got! What would they want with you? Go to Lenele, Joseph, and find Yago. If the rennies are after you, perhaps he knows why.



Bullshit, he doesn't look much bigger than his 15 friends I just got done murdering.



I don't see anything. Just another corpse.



Shit, well he is pretty buff.



And I am a bit... uh lean?



Fuck it. Let's do this! Hit my music!
Soundtrack - Boss Luminar



I rush for the Kenobi tactic of taking the high ground for that sweet bonus!
He doesn't stand a chance!



Argh! My ability to stand!



One more quick slap and he is dusted.
Turns out he was all show. A very swole show.



And thus, we have escaped from Masad.

Onto the next population center...




Having eluded the Orenians, Joseph sailed to Lenele, where he hoped to find the old beggar named Yago.



In the tongue of the ancient Rhunari, Lenele means 'City of Gods'.
For upon this site, the towers of Illiosi stood.



Now Lenele was capital of Medeva.
Seat of King Belias VI, descendant of the victors of the Medevan conquest.



Man, I didn't sail anywhere. I still have to walk.
Also, that's a damn ugly texture.

Let's get a better look at this world map.



Hahaha. There are some serious scale issues here.



Murod the Usurper, Emperor of East St. Louis, a realm far to the east across the sea, invaded the shores of the kingdom of West St. Louis.
I've heard only the stories of traders and troubadours.