Part 42: Alternative endings
Part XLII: Alternative endings
Here's what it looks like if you decide to blow up the temple.
And now we'll probably die from a lethal dose of radiation.
Gaius Goonius becomes Strabos' personal assistant, which is the perfect ending for a merchant.
Eat shit, Cassius.
For Gaius Stabbius:
We're in charge of stabbing zealots. Not bad.
For Gaius Brutus:
Religion and fascism, together like they were always meant to be!
Bass gets the short end of the stick again.
For Gaius Impuratus:
I'd say we did alright.
For shits and giggles, I did a Praetor speedrun to see what kind of endings there are for House Daratan. To make a long story short, I ended up convincing Serenas to invade the Slums which goes horribly wrong and he ends up dead. Then I blew up Al-Akia. Eventually...
Yeah, Antidas is a giant dick So what happens if you bring Meru to Al-Akia and he dies?
The Imperial Guards invade and you end up on a cross. I believe there's an ending where Antidas becomes Gaelius's vassal if you prevent the latter's assassination, but I was too busy laughing to look for it.
Those are the "normal" endings. But what happens if, say, you do what Agathoth wants?
When you get on the elevator, you have a choice of who will be his puppet. Let's start with (ugh) Antidas.
Each choice unfolds the same way: you go to the HQ, speak to the chosen lord, then set off for the temple. Along the way, you're stopped by Aurelian guards (this won't happen if Gaelius is with you) where you have to talk them down or fight. You learn that large groups of people are heading north to answer "the Call" and attacking anyone who tries to stop them.
Hellgate is closed off, so you make a detour.
: Why else would we be here, brother?
If you mess up the skill check, Agathoth takes over anyway.
You'll skip this part if Paullus is with you.
: It would take an army to secure this crossing. If you stay here, you will die for nothing.
: There's no honor in being torn apart by a pack of rabid dogs. Take your wounded and go, before the zealots return.
Agathoth's been busy.
hahahahaha what the hell is he wearing
MUST OBEY
I agree, Antidas is a disappointment.
Try not to cream your pants.
Despite Agathoth's help, it takes Antidas three years to conquer his enemies. God, he sucks.
Gaelius is hesitant, but accepts his new role.
Paullus is eager to obey, like a good little soldier.
Is anyone surprised at this outcome?
I switched to Gaius Brutus because Meru's alive in his playthrough. During the conversation, this little tidbit popped up:
Which means Balzaar has been guiding Meru ever since he found the star room. Creepy.
Of course, he's happier than a pig in shit to follow his God.
But wait, there's more!
What if, in a fit of insanity, we kneeled to Balzaar?
Guess we're just going along with this.
From this point, we're sent to find the temple and kill Agathoth.
Balzaar is transforming into Emperor Palpatine.
Please stop calling me a slave, thanks.
Humanity is enslaved forever! Yay! We're the favorite slave, so it's okay.
This time, we talk to Agathoth instead of killing him.
"Such is the way of the world," I say to a giant fish-man.
Would a "please" kill you?
He gives us the "I need a face for the tribes" line. Just admit you want to rule the world, dude.
: How do I kill Balzaar? He might be too powerful for me now.
Agathoth grabs our head and injects his essence or whatever the hell he does.
I know I made a Star Wars reference, but this is getting out of hand.
Not so fast, Balzaar! I have a Divine Spear and I'm not afraid to use it! From hell's heart I stab at --
Oh.
Huh.
I suppose a thermonuclear warhead is an effective way to kill a god.
If you have high CON and don't feel like vaporizing everything within five miles, you can endure Balzaar's attacks and outlast him.
Yeesh.
Well, that's depressing.
There's one more major ending I haven't shown yet, but I think I'll save that for another day...
Next Time: Become as Gods