The Age of Decadence Part #30

Part 30: Bad Omens

Part XXX: Bad Omens

Last time, Lord Darganus gave us a mission to kill the zealots harassing Berengarius.

: Are you with the Commercium?

Buddy, we're here to help you with your problem.

: Lord Darganus sent me.

: Then they kill us. I'll die fighting so my death will be quick. Then they'll torture you until you give them everything and then they torture you some more to be sure.

: I haven't decided yet.

If you insist.

: Yes.

Oh yeah, very good friend of mine.

: Miltiades? He's the noblest of men. Capable too, so he'll be a great asset in this undertaking.

Over to Pancratius, then.

: Lord Darganus sends his regards.

Let's try the "softly-softly" approach.

: Heresy or not, if you won't guide these people, someone else will. Lord Meru is preoccupied with other matters now, but sooner or later he'll have to deal with the problem he created. Unless you show your value by dealing with it for him first.

Hector, if you remember, was the guy standing on the street corner.

: Hector?

No point in walking away now.

Ugh, this fight. It's only three against one, but hammer bro and crossbowdouche are more than enough. The former likes to damage your armor and the latter has poison bolts, so get ready to watch your health disappear. As for Hector, he tends to hit you with bleed, so watch for that.

After about five tries, I win the fight with only 4 HP left. Go me!

Death Count: 50

An amusing exchange with the healer. Fill me up with kidneys!

: Hector is dead.

Back to Darganus.

: We reached an understanding. His price was Hector's head.

We'll check back later.

Time to get the best armor in the game. Marcus Valla said to find Esdras, and here he is in the market square.

: Marcus Valla sent me.

We're as prepared as we can be, so let's get this over with.

If Esdras did come and buy the armor, was the guy going to strip naked and hand it to him?

Five v one. Guy with spear, guy with crossbow, guy with scimitar, guy with axe and guy with net. As you'd expect, it's a tough fight. Everyone likes to inflict movement penalties so you're forced to sit there while they plink away at your health.

Surprisingly, it's not as hard as the Hector fight because dodging is OP.

I got an achievement for killing 100 people. Hooray!

Death Count: 52

The Power Armor, as it's called, is a nice piece of equipment. It's DR isn't as high as our current set, but check out that Hardiness -- there's no chance of this thing being damaged.

We can't wear a helmet while it's equipped and the reason why will become apparent later. The gauntlet acts like a shield so it takes up one of our hand slots. Let's interact with it.

One power tube...

Two power tubes...

Three power tubes.

Powering up the armor unlocks modes I'll show off next time we're in combat. As for the forth mode...

Eh, what's a little sacrifice every now and then?

OW

The forth mode is unlocked at the cost of permanently losing 5 HP. Trust me, it's worth it.

Look out world, we're ready to kick ass!

Even inserting one power tube drops the armor penalty to 10 and maxes the AP at a whopping 20. If you've got the DEX, you can run around and shit on everyone before the first round ends.

Completely sanitary, I assure you.

Enough screwing around; it's time to meet Meru. The castle is in the Skyport district, located at the top of Ganezzar.

On the way there, we run into this fellow.

I don't like you.

: What do the responsibilities of the Second Acolyte entail?

: And blood, eh? What happened to "we're all brothers and sisters?"

I love how he straight up admits all the talk of equality is bullshit and the same stringent hierarchies will exist after the Gods return -- but they'll be righteous hierarchies!

Here's the dock for the fabled airships. You'd think someone would build a few railings.

: Tell Lord Meru that a praetor of House Aurelian requests an audience.

The First Acolyte himself.

But you're sitting.

: You have no guards?

What's the deal with this guy?

: You didn't answer my question. What were your men doing in the ruins?

The Guardian in Zamedi said Al-Akia was the place the Qantari and Magi infused human vessels with the essence of the gods. Then it all went to shit.

: Months? Years? Decades? Does it really matter? The past should stay buried.

Meru's got some balls.

Well, okay.

What the shit?

Uh...

: I need time to process what I saw.

After that bit of mindfuckery, let's talk to Faelan.

Stop that.

I still don't know what Faelan's deal is and now I want to be as far away from him as possible.

: Pain or pleasure?

Maybe Faelan should join the BDSM community.

: Does your power grow still?

Ugh, never mind.

: Do you share Brother Meru's beliefs?

Yeah, this dude is a powder keg ready to explode. Get me outta here.

Let's show Meru the map.

Whoa. Suddenly, Meru's not so friendly.

: I... uh... beg forgiveness?

Oh fuck, better do as he says.

: Guide me, brother!

Phew.

I need to up my charisma for this next part, but it's worth it.

: They say you found your faith in the depths of your castle. I wish I could see it too, brother, to strengthen my faith.

: What happened to those who failed?

Oh, good.

Let's do this.

holy fuck

There really is a tear beneath Ganezzar. The mind boggles.

It's kinda beautiful, in a reality-warping way. The only actions we can take are to leave or examine the throne.

Fuck it.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA