Part 17: Liangshan

Soundtrack - Wolong



Leaving and returning to Wolong will now make it an official(ly dead) town with merchants and NPCs to chat with. They don't clean up the bodies.



At least some of them are trying to stay positive.



I love this picture. Yes, they will rise up. Because the people will all be dead, like Wolong.



Fangyin: My family are descendants of the people of Liangshan, a village that once stood on the River of Swords. Long ago, the village was attacked by an evil spirit that rose up from the river. A dragon saved the people.

An evil spirit?

Fangyin: The blood of the spirit grew into the forest of Liangshan. The forest is a dark and savage place.

A dragon saved the people?

Fangyin: The villagers built a shrine to the dragon that saved them, but they had to leave Liangshan. My family came to Wolong, and here we settled. We have a tradition in our family. When one of us passes away, then something dear to that person must be brought to Liangshan, for that is our true home.

A tradition?

Fangyin: My sons Daoming and Yichao are dead. I am the only one left to fulfill the tradition, but I am an old widow. I cannot make the journey to Liangshan.

Yichao?

Fangyin: My son Yichao died in the battle to free Wolong from the army of General Pijian. This locket belonged to him. It holds a lock of hair, a gift from his wife Qiulan. Last autumn, she drowned in a storm on the Lake of Sorrows.

Daoming?

Fangyin: My son Daoming was executed the morning General Pijian and his soldiers captured Wolong. Peizhi the traitor denounced him. This ancient coin belonged to him. Minted in the reign of the first emperor. Daoming found it in the forest as a boy, and he was very proud of it. It must be brought to Liangshan.

I will make the journey for you.

Fangyin: I do not deserve such kindness! In Liangshan you will find a graveyard. Bring Yichao's coin and Daoming's locket and place them on the stones. That is what must be done.






Likai the soldier: Yes, I am. Have you seen him? Is he still alive?

He is still alive.

And he will remain so, but only if you give us the damned earring!

Likai the soldier: The gods be praised! When I heard imperial soldiers had captured our village, I feared the worst.

Do you have the earring he gave you?

Likai the soldier: Why? Do you want it?



Yes.

Likai the soldier: I am sorry, but it's a gift from my brother. I'd rather not part with it.

Um... I need it for my prophecy.

Likai the soldier: In that case, I would be honored if you would accept it. You have a long and dangerous journey ahead of you. May the earring bring you as much luck as it has given me.

Joseph finally getting the hang of this whole 'Prophecy' thing. Thing must have sucked the luck out of all the previous earring bearers. One earring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them.



Never thought we'd see the day. I wonder if Durgan is even alive still.




Phew, thankfully a handful of the 10 or so surviving populace are merchants.



Caishi the sculptor: He was emperor before Murod seized the throne. Ever since his death, happiness has been a stranger in our land. The imperial soldiers demolished all my work!

Demolished?

Caishi the sculptor: Well, not entirely. I've found his torso. If you can find his arms, head, and legs, perhaps I can piece the statue together. Bring back all the pieces you find. I'll reward you well.



Gulan: They are prisoners of the Jade Temple. They will be brought before the new Empress, and she will judge them.

What will you do now?

Gulan: I am a hunter. I have my spear. I will march with the Jade Temple and fight. We will free my daughter and the slaves of Eleh.



Some of us even survived!



Flece is staring wistfully at the mystical surroundings, feeling at home. And other snowflake bullshit.



Here's the guy we talked down from the pond bridge. Let's hope they go easy on him.



Those sound like very complicated statues. Maybe engrave some demons surrounding the Medevans as well.



So it was true after all, demonic riders from hell.




The gatherers are back in town. No promises on the dying in vain though.



Why are you doomed?

Longyue: Because I must go to Liangshan and get my hat from the spirits that haunt the forest.

Get your hat?

Longyue: I am a magician of sorts, a practitioner of simple wizardry. My gifts are few, but in times of need, they have proven useful.

You are a sorcerer?

Longyue: No, not a sorcerer. Nothing so grand. When General Pijian captured Wolong, I was among the villagers who ran into the hills.

You ran into the hills?

Longyue: There were only a few of us, awake before dawn. We had no time to warn the others. The soldiers pursued us, and so I summoned the spirits of the forest.

Spirits of the forest?

Longyue: I asked for their help, and so they turned us into trees. Pijian's soldiers could not find us, though they searched high and low. We were saved, but at a price.

A price?

Longyue: The spirits asked for only one thing: my hat. I gave it to them, but now I must go to Liangshan and get it back. If I do not, then I will die.

Why will you die?

Longyue: Those who bargain with spirits must pay the price they ask.

Where is Liangshan?

Longyue: A place of shadows haunted by devils of the forest. I would rather die a thousand deaths than go to Liangshan.

Well good news. You only have to die one death for not going to Liangshan, apparently. I also like to think that only he returned to town, everyone else he was running with is still a tree.

Could we get the hat for you?

Longyue: I dare not to ask that of you, Summoner. You are the child of prophecy, and I'm no great hero. But if you should return with my hat, perhaps I would be saved.



Nandi: A potion only Nandi knows how to make, but you must find the ingredients for me. I will need the leaves of a plant they call 'Sparrow's Egg.' You will find it in the wilds outside of Wolong, where Murod's soldiers patrol.

Soundtrack - Oriental Theme



What Nandi means by 'where Murod's soldiers patrol' is actually where a fuckload of rokhul live.



But we find the little plant.



However, we find something else where Murod's soldiers patrol.



Ahlang: Do you have one? I am in desperate need of an amusing tale or a clever conundrum. You would save my life!

Save your life?

Ahlang: I am pursued by Death, one of Laharah's shadowy minions. Death has come to take my soul to Laharah's infernal palace in the kingdom of the dead, but I have eluded Death so far.

Eluded death?

Ahlang: As strange as it may seem, Death has a sense of humor. If I tell a joke, Death laughs and laughs. If I tell a riddle, Death ponders it for a while. This gives me time to escape.

Time to escape?

Ahlang: I have eluded Death eight hundred seventy-seven times in this fashion, but Death is persistent. Just when I think I've lost him, he appears before me when I least expect it.

Appears before you?

Ahlang: Yes, in the form of a cat! Always in the form of a cat. But now I have no more jokes or riddles. If Death comes for me again, I am doomed.

What will you do?

Ahlang: In Wolong there is a fisherman named Ruidu, a master of jokes and riddles. He has saved my skin more than once. I suspect he may be hiding from me because I can't find him anywhere. If you happen to meet him, please get a joke or riddle for me.



A little more searching around, and some giant ass zilla monsters later.



Lo, a catte appears before us.



Death: Ahlang knows many funny jokes and riddles. I can't help but be entertained. By the time I've stopped laughing or solved the riddle, he is gone. A cat is easily distracted.

You are Death?

Death: I didn't believe it at first, but Ahlang convinced me. Have you ever seen a talking cat? Of course not! How absurd! I must therefore be a minion of Laharah, a servant of the underworld. There is no other explanation.

A minion of Laharah?

Death: I imagine she must be rather angry with me. Most minions don't take so long to run their errands. I tell myself that I mustn't laugh or think about the riddle, but he gets me every time.

This quest is getting good.



Back to town again and now we have our next ingredient to find.



Jade Temple Priest: The Emperor's victory united Orenia under a single crown and ended the chaos of ten thousand years.

A dragon of jade?

Jade Temple Priest: In the dragon's honor, the Emperor built the Jade Temple and founded our order. In the Jade Temple there is a Ring in the dragon's eye. Since the death of the first Emperor, no one has mastered the Ring. Perhaps the mark on your hand means that you will summon the jade dragon once again.



We also find the statue head by the cliffs in town. Looks an awful lot like Armun from Ikaemos.



A few dozen oni later and we find the next herb for this surely outstanding potion.



Ruidi the fisherman: A joke or riddle, did you say? Yes, I have just the story for you. An anecdote you will find most entertaining. But I will need 1,000 gold before I speak a word of it.

Fine, 1,000 gold.

Ruidi the fisherman: I apologize for asking a fee from you, One-Hand, but even the fisherman has to eat. I call this joke, 'Pursued by Death.' There once was a man named Ahlang who found himself pursued by Laharah's minion, Death. Now, the funny thing is that Death always appeared to him in the guise of a cat.

Go on.

Ruidi the fisherman: Ahlang escaped from Death many, many times by telling the cat a joke or riddle. As the cat puzzled over the riddle or laughed at the joke, Ahlang made a run for it.

That's the joke?

Ruidi the fisherman: No, it gets better! The funny thing was this: Ahlang never realized that the cat was not ACTUALLY Death. No. The cat was nothing more than a talking cat. We often jump to conclusions when we meet talking cats.

Can I have my gold back?

Ruidi the fisherman: Patience! I'm getting to the good part: Both Ahlang and the cat are convinced that their predicament is precisely as they perceive it. Ahlang thinks the cat is Death, as does the cat.

So?

Ruidi the fisherman: Ahlang and the cat are so convinced of this that if Ahlang fails to amuse or befuddle the cat with a new joke or riddle, Ahlang will certainly die. Now Ahlang has consulted a sage, a master of enigmas and jests, and from this sage, Ahlang has learned enough to keep himself alive for a very long time.

A sage?

Ruidi the fisherman: Alas, this sage, as clever as he may be, has nothing more to teach him. That cat has heard every joke told in Wolong since the first emperor. No, if Ahlang is to survive, he has but one hope.

One hope?

Ruidi the fisherman: The One-Hand, the Summoner, the child of the Jade Temple's prophecy, the scourge of Murod, the bane of the Four Riders, the slayer of General Pijian, the foreordained liberator of the slaves of Eleh...

I get the point.

Ruidi the fisherman: Yes, well, I hope so, if you intend to save your friend Ahlang. But you are in luck! I have been pondering Ahlang's plight for some time now, and I think I may have a solution. Why does Ahlang think the cat is death? Because it is a talking cat. And how will you save Ahlang's life? You must keep the cat from talking! Ah, but how? You could cut out its tongue, but why do harm to the cat? It's not the cat's fault that Ahlang is delusional. You could bind its mouth with twine, but cats are clever and such devices do not hold them long.

Then what must we do?

Ruidi the fisherman: In the forest of Liangshan, there stands a tree, the one good tree in that evil wood. The bark of the tree has a flavor that is sweet and pleasing to cats. If you give this cat this bark, he will desire nothing more than to chew it. As the bark is chewed, it turns soft and sticky. He will chew and chew for hours, giving Ahlang more than enough time to make his escape.

Phew, goddamn that dude wouldn't shut up.



All roads lead to Liangshan now.

Liangshan



Thousands of years ago, before the first emperor, Liangshan was a tiny village on the River of Swords. In the year of the red comet, a monster rose up from the river.



And the village prayed to the heavens for help. A dragon, named Dai, heard the prayers of Liangshan. For three days and nights he battled the river monster.



As each drop of the monsters blood struck the earth it grew into a tree, twisted and malignant. And this is how the forest of Liangshan came to be.



At last, the dragon was victorious and the monster lay dead by the River of Swords.



The people of Liangshan abandoned their village to the evil forest and built a shrine to the dragon Dai in honor of his victory. To this very day, the shrine remains a sanctuary of virtue in these dark woods.

Soundtrack - Liangshan

And since that one is mainly just atmosphere have the other two Liangshan tracks that aren't actually used in Liangshan but Medevan forest maps.

Soundtrack - Liangshan Forest Day
Soundtrack - Liangshan Forest Night



This place is gloomy as heck especially with the soundtrack, and filled with oh 80 or so oni.



Looks like the oni did us a favor though and wiped out some of Murod's troops.



Across the river I think that's a bigass skull.



Wounded soldier: The oni attacked... all the soldiers... ripped apart. *The soldier mumbles in his delirium.* The Emperor send us here to die!

Emperor?

Wounded soldier: *The soldier lurches forward but catches himself before he falls.* Murod... sent us here... to kill the Summoner... to destroy the Shrine of Liangshan. The Summoner... is a man with the power... of a god. In the prophecy... of the Jade Temple... the Summoner shall end the Emperor's reign. End his dynasty. He is coming to Liagnshan.

Liangshan?

Wounded soldier: A battle fought here... long, long ago... the river spirit slain, each drop of its blood... grew into a tree. A forest of evil. Even the plants and vines... are dangerous to living men. poison flows through them... a venom for which there is no cure... but the shrine... the guardian of the shrine... he is a healer of great power.

So there is a cure then.

Shrine?

Wounded soldier: A shrine to Dai... the dragon of the forest... who saved the villagers of Liangshan... evil spirits will not go near the shrine. Beware the oni! They killed our scouting party.

Scouting party?

Wounded soldier: General Wentao... and his army... they will march on Liangshan... they will destroy the shrine... and steal the Ring of the Forest. *The soldier clutches his chest and grimaces.*

We have to get to the shrine before General Wentao's soldiers attack! You will need that Ring to fight the Emperor!

But what about the oni?

How bad could they be? *Jekhar replies with a grin.* Besides, weren't you listening? Joseph here has the power of a god.

Wounded soldier: *The soldier shakes his head and waves his hands frantically.* No... no... run from this place... you will die here... turn back. For your own sake!

I like how everyone kind of ignored him at the end and Jekhar continues to fukken rule, goddamn dude.



This is where Liangshan gets annoying. This fart gas has us poisoned until we reach the shrine at the end. Even banishing and resummoning outside of the gas has our summons instantly poisoned again.



Yeah Flece, the No 1 rule of the Summoner is that every single legend and myth is 100% fact.



A Big Skull. Make a note of it, as we didn't see the monster in the cutscene.



I have no idea why this spot is cold. Though we do find a statue piece here. How Murod's soldiers managed to get it this far into the forest is anyones guess.



Further in we find a lovely pit.



Thankfully, we can't fall into it and be slowed for the remained of the forest like the caverns.



At the edge of the pit we found this. Looks like we know what happened to Rhukha now. Defeated the demons and dragons but taken out by a bunch of punk oni and their punji sticks.



We find the graveyard further in.



*Following Fangyin's instructions, you place Daoming's coin and Yichao's locket on the stones of the Liangshan graveyard.*

Oni: You are kind to help those in need. Do what must be done and go. You are in danger here.



We also pick up a fine new dagger for Flece, getting backstab above 10 is good for those digits.



Piaobo: My name is Piaobo. I was born in the village of Wolong, on the Lake of Sorrows. We lived in a hut on the water's edge. My grandfather was a fisherman. My mother looked after his birds.

Mother?

Piaobo: She told me my father was a soldier, a handsome swordsman who died in battle, but she lied to me. My father was a spirit of the forest.

A spirit of the forest?

Piaobo: As I grew older I changed. My skin withered and hardened as if I were an old woman. My face turned into an ugly mask. The other children made fun of me until I began to frighten them. I could not leave the hut, or the villagers would throw stones. They told my grandfather that if he did not get rid of me, they would drive my family out.

Get rid of you?

Piaobo: That's when my mother told me the truth. She said that I was a child of the spirits, and that I had to go live with my own kind. And so I came to Liangshan. The oni do not harm me, nor are they kind. Every day I become more and more like them: cruel, spiteful, and angry. I am forgetting what it means to have been a girl who lived on the Lake of Sorrows.

Forgetting?

Piaobo: If someone does not help me, the girl named Piaobo will die and will be lost for ever. Only the spirit will remain to haunt these woods. But I can find no one who will help.

What must be done?

Piaobo: To become a girl again, I must sacrifice my immortality. The spirits of the forest are immortal. Though you destroy their bodies with swords and spells, these spirits will never die. This box contains my immortal spirit. I must sacrifice this box to the dragon of the lake. Will you help me?

Yes.

Piaobo: Bring this box to the caverns of Wolong. Throw it into the abyss, and I will be free, but please do not open it. If you do, my immortal spirit will be lost forever.



I also put on some cool new armor for Jekhar, because it looks cool, and that's all that really matters.



The final dragon scale is ours as well. Now what do we even do with them?



There is a large cave under the roots of a tree, filled with skeletal remains, of course.



And as luck would have it a magical blank scroll.



Across the bridge I can spy some old friends.



The riders finally decide to pair up.







Rosalind is really the only one that fails entirely at trying to look intimidating.



I luck out a bit here and the phoenix rider decides to sit out the first half of the battle and just stare blankly. Flece gets stoned though, which leads to a very odd outcome.



That's what we like to call BIG DAMAGE!



A quick revive and Flece does what she does best. This time though, the riders don't flee. They just explode. Awesome.



And Rosalind finally gets a new robe. I think I had missed another one earlier on, though, so this didn't have to be the first.



We find the hat way back behind a ton of oni. I only think Longyue would have died of embarrassment hahaha.



Seen here. The final casting of vitalize thanks to poison. Cure this shit!



Guardian of the shrine: Are you not the Summoner of the Jade Temple's prophecy? Have you not come to Orenia to defeat the usurper? I see by the mark on your hand that indeed you are the one.

Yeah this might be a while.

Cure poison.

Guardian of the shrine: A lethal poison, but not beyond my knowledge to cure. One who lives in Liangshan must learn its secrets well.

Jade Temple?

Guardian of the shrine: The Society of the Jade Temple. The imperial priesthood and defenders of the Orenian throne. You know the story of how Murod murdered the Emperor and his family, the very souls he had sworn to protect. The Jade Temple priesthood met a similar fate. By speaking the prophecy, they lost their heads. You have the power to avenge them.

Lost their heads?

Guardian of the shrine: Murod did not kill them all. Some escaped, and I was among them. For years I have guarded this shrine, waiting for the Summoner to fulfill his prophecy. I have sworn to keep vigil at this shrine. Here I guard the Ring of the Forest. It holds the power of the dragon Dai, who saved the village of Liangshan so long ago. With this ring you will be powerful enough to fulfill your destiny.

Destiny?

Guardian of the shrine: Once you have the Ring, you must confront Murod, who waits for you in the Jade Temple. When Murod has fallen, the Ring of Jade will be yours, and Gaodi's true heir will claim her throne.

General Wentao and his men are coming to destroy the shrine. A wounded soldier told us.

Guardian of the shrine: *Nods gravely.* The evil spirits of the forest will not come here, but I have nothing to protect myself against Murod's soldiers. Please help me defend the shrine.

Here they come! *Jekhar shouts, pointing in the direction of the bridge.*



Either a combination of Flece and her rampages, the oni, the forest poison, or all of the above, this army is pathetic!






That was it. Wentao was one of those two soldiers. Didn't even matter which.



Guardian of the shrine: Stands in Eleh's shadow. Behind the shrine you will find a path out of the forest. The prayers of Orenia go with you.

I need two pieces of bark from this tree.

Guardian of the shrine: The prophecy said nothing about this, but mysterious are the ways of fate. If you need two pieces of tree bark, then I will give you two pieces of tree bark. Who am I to pass judgement?



I love that Joseph is finally embracing this whole prophecy thing after getting his hand back.



Let's check out our new summon!





Remember the river spirits bones? Yeah, the Ring of the Forest contains not only the dragon Dai, but his foe the poisonous river spirit! Cool detail.



~In Memoriam~