Part 28: Chapter XXIV - So it's come to war...
So it’s come to war…
- Video: The Congress Splits
Guard the gates!
Yes, sir!
Come on, get a move on!
What’s going on?
Lady Emma! Rush! Thank the Emperor you’re back safe! Like there was any doubt!
Things have gotten worse, haven’t they…
Yes. The Congress has been slow to grant that Conqueror fellow a Remnant, and all the Lords are in a flurry over it.
And the Conqueror keeps rattling his saber about taking over countries and seizing their Remnants. You’d expect that from the sort of person who would bind the Ark… He’s made an enemy out of every Lord with a Remnant. What’s he plotting? For starters, he’s building an army.
The game finally gives us a map! Funny enough, only two places on it are known to us: Elysion and Athlum. There’s also a location for Veyriel. I’ve helpfully labeled the cities. So it’s come to war… Where’s Dave? He’s meeting with an envoy from Duke Hermeien. What’s Hermeien want?
Our cooperation, apparently.Music: The Young Marquis
Torgal?
You see, the Congress has split into two factions… One sides with the Chairman against the Conqueror. The other supports the Conqueror, fearing the God Emperor’s wrath. Duke Hermeien wishes to ally with us and end the rift as quickly as possible. He’s asked to speak with me directly, in Nagapur. What will you do?
Take advantage of the opportunity, of course. Lord David…? In exchange for supporting Duke Hermeien, I’ll have him support Athlum’s bid for independence. Think of it. We could finally be free of Celapaleis!
We’re hardly in a position to negotiate after what happened with the Academy… Perhaps not, but it makes little difference. We can barely touch the Gae Bolg without the Duke of Qubine’s blessing. Why must it be so difficult for Athlum to protect herself? Our country deserves more than this. This is a chance we have to take! Thinking about it, this seems a little odd. A big deal has been made about how Athlum is just a subject state of Celapaleis, and can’t do much without their permission. So Athlum making a deal for supporting Hermeien politically (and likely militarily as well) seems like something they might not be able to do. But then again, Celapaleis is probably already on the side supporting Hermeien, given their distance from Undelwalt, the home of the God Emperor, but have made a point of not committing Athlum to that either. I suspect that it’s the southern cities, Melphina, Balterossa, and Royotia who might be on the Conqueror’s side, but I don’t think the game spells it out.Also, despite what David says, we can touch the Gae Bolg in gameplay as much as we want. We can waste it nuking a few little beetles if we want.
Emma. It’s good to see you back safely. I continue to ask your aid, for the glory of Athlum. My life is yours.
We leave for Nagapur shortly! Make haste in your preparations! Yes, my Lord!
Is there really gonna be a war? It seems unavoidable at this point. Huhhh…
Once war breaks out, the Remnants will be played against each other… And all that will remain is scorched earth, littered with corpses and Blank Remnants that have lost those they were bound to. 
These are dark days we live in…
Forgive me, I had something to ask you… Did you finally meet with your mother? Yeah… Well?
Dave… promise me something. I’ll fight for you… for Athlum. But please, don’t get Irina or my mom mixed up in this, okay? … You have my word. Thanks, Dave. That’s all you had to say? Uhhh…yeah?
You’d better hurry and get ready, then. David seems a little miffed at Rush. He clearly knows Rush is hiding something, that’s obvious from the complete lack of detail about the meeting and why it was so secretive. But he’s not going to press Rush on it. For his part, Rush does trust David a lot… but in a war of Remnant versus Remnant, someone with Marion’s Blessing is the ultimate trump card, so I can’t blame Rush for keeping this to himself.
The maximum unit capacity per battle is now 12. The maximum number of units in your party is now 30. The party has regrouped.
Now that we’ve completed the Numor Mine, we get another party size increase to 12 units in-battle, so we can get everyone back off the bench and into the party. We now have 3 groups of 4. The Duke of Nagapur, Wilfred Hermeien, is a youthful and extremely capable ruler. However, he is rumored to be as cruel as he is clever... If there is any hope for these negotiations to succeed, we will have to be at least fractionally as shrewd as he is. Sounds like it’ll be tricky. Any concession we attempt to get from Duke Hermeien will likely be paid for by Athlum being sent to fight the Conqueror. I wish Lord David success in his negotiations, yet... Lord David seems to be getting stronger by the day. I had no idea he'd thought so deeply on Athlum's independence. He's come quite a long way from the little boy who clung to my skirts after his mother passed. If Athlum could get its independence, then... oh man. It'd be like a dream or something... I sure hope these talks with Duke Hermeien go well! The dragon castle of Nagapur is to the northeast of Elysion, past the Heroic Ramparts. Hurry and get ready. I'd like to head to Nagapur as soon as possible.
Pleasant Young Man: …That’s the story, anyway.
Bartender: He’s the one with the magnificent mustache, right? Any man that takes such incredible care of his facial hair has got to know a secret or two.
Pleasant Young Man: Huh, never figured you for a bear chaser.
Oh yeah, Royotia. Maybe we should look into doing something about that, huh, Dave? Perhaps. Okay, time to get out of Athlum. Gabriel borrows my Commander’s Rapier, Emma wants some Colossus Rawhide, Baulson some Beast Juices, and Violet some Spiny Landworm Leg. … I think Baulson and Violet are out of Sync and she’ll eventually want some Beast Juices as well… but not yet, damn it.
Two new places have opened up on the world map. Well, one new place, but we can now re-visit Numor with our full party. There’s no real point yet, though, the monsters are just as weak as they were with just Rush and Emma. We’re off somewhere else anyway. I’ve decided to do the sidequests in geographical order, starting with Celapaleis.
Gossipy Girl: That’s the latest scoop, anyway!
I hope they catch him as soon as possible…Gossipy Girl: Me too. Ooh, scary…
I actually can’t remember what side-quest this is referring to.
Hello, person with unique character model!
Who’s late?
Oh, hello there. Sorry. I'm a little out of it... Why? You see, it's almost the anniversary of my sister's death... … Every year, I like to bring flowers to her grave to mark the occasion. But those flowers, animaquies, only grow in the farthest depths of Darken Forest. I'm not very strong and barely can get through the forest alive. But a few years ago, this guy offered to pick them for me, and he's been doing me the favor ever since. It's taking him an awfully long time to come back with the flowers this year, though. I'm getting worried that something happened. I'm running out of time... We've just met, but can I ask you a favor? Can you find him for me? … Sure, I’ve got some time. You’ll go? Thank you! I’m Rhagoh, by the way. Accepted quest: A Single Soul Rhagoh is another unique leader, as his appearance and portrait should give away. But the fact that he had to hire someone to get the flowers, and that he is not coming with us is another sign: A sign that he’s not actually a very useful character.Quest Rejection Dialogue:
Just go buy her a bouquet. What are you, some kind of idiot!? As glorious as that is, Dead Sister talk is something Rush would probably pay attention to.Music: Through the Tulgey Wood
- Dungeon Video: Darken Forest (A Single Soul)
Darken Forest - Large trees with thick trunks make up this dense forest. Many who wander in are never seen again. Despite its name, it is a place filled with much color.
Rhagoh from Celapaleis wants me to find the man who's out getting flowers for his sister's grave. I should head to Darken Forest.
Darken Forest is pretty foggy, but the sunny-day kind of fog. The place isn’t big at the moment. 
We’re also a little low-levelled for this place, apparently.
This must be him. - Boss Video: A Single Soul
These flowers are for a young fellow in Celapaleis named Rhagoh. Take them to him... please... Obtained Animaquies! Dude, you don’t look so good, why are you worrying about flowers?
Hey… can you hear me?
Look sharp kid, we ain’t alone!
Music: Sliver of Hope
Mission: Defeat the Enemy!
With every dungeon comes the Obligatory Boss Battle. And here this one is. We’re facing a group of Skull Scavenger vultures, Some Abaddon Leap Frogs, and some Feralwood Treants. This one took me a couple tries, because I am underleveled, and the Feralwoods have a nasty trick to them. Because of that, there’s a very specific strategy I’m going to use here.
Everyone is going to pile onto the Abaddon’s, as they are the fastest enemy here. The Skull Scavengers are just muscle, not much to worry about.
The Feralwoods don’t actually take the initiative to attack you. 
We want to finish off the Skull Scavengers next, we want all our concentration on the Feralwoods. They get taken out by the one-two punch of David and Emma’s unions.
This is the big problem with the Feralwoods: When attacked, they will each cast Natural Gas, and two casts of that will kill us even if we weren’t already injured.
Don’t be discouraged.
I am ready to fight!
(Image from Blooper run) If you break off to heal yourself, they’ll do the same, bringing themselves back up to almost-full health. That’s why you want to get these guys down as fast as you can.
And down it goes. learned 
Resonance Edge II!
class changed to Expert Monk!
learned 
Cascade Strike! Cascade Strike is the first of the really powerful 2H arts. Even at level 1 it did 5000 damage. Before we go, there’s one more thing to show you, also from the Blooper run: - Bonus Video: Talisman’s Gift
This is the special we learned after the boss battle in Numor Mine. I’m not sure if Rush learned that naturally, or if it’s something his mother taught him. It’s only usable when Rush is leading the union, and when his union is under 30% HP. You may also remember that this is the thing which protected him against the Gae Bolg's blast in the first update. It seems he instinctively knew how to call this power out of the talisman then, but it wasn't until after Numor Mine that it becomes something we can use in gameplay.
This applies the Protection status to all members of Rush’s union. Other units in Rush’s union can do whatever they want. Sometimes that’s healing, sometimes it’s attacking, maybe even reviving a nearby union, I think? Talisman’s Gift is pretty good, but it’s one of those things you’d rather not HAVE to need. 
Protection makes each unit completely resist one physical attack. Unfortunately, it does nothing for Mystics, so Rush’s union here is dead anyway. Back to the actual game:
Hello, what’s this?The Letter: As death creeps close, I write my last thoughts in this journal in hope that someone finds it. Every year, I come to Darken Forest to pick flowers for a young man. I must atone for my sins - for letting curiosity get the best of me and using ancient powers to play with people's souls. However, my biggest sin is hiding that fact - that truth - from him, from his eyes. Rhagoh, I'm sorry. That accident was... Your sister is now... If only I had the courage to tell him the truth. The only way for me to rid myself of guilt may be death. Should I have told him about the goddess statue? I hope my choice does not cause him and his sister further suffering... (The words are faded and cannot be made out).
My brother sent you, didn't he? Go back and tell him to forget about me. Hey, wait!
So, did you find...? You were right about the forest being dangerous. By the time I got to him, he… ... Oh, I see... He was attacked by a monster... Who was he to you? I actually didn't know him very well. I never knew why he was willing to bring me those flowers from such a dangerous place. I wish I had gotten to know him better. He seemed like a good man. Well, I should be off. I should visit her grave before the day... 
Hey wait a minute. Just after getting the flowers, I saw someone in the forest. It was a young woman with dark skin and short black hair, with a single braid at the back. She kinda reminded me of you, actually. She ran off, though.[/i] What!? You saw a woman who fits Kate's description in the depths of Darken Forest? That's ridiculous... How is that possible? Thank you for the tip. I'll look into it right away. Come around to the guild if you ever need some help. I'm not the best fighter, but I'll do whatever I can. Goodbye! I gave Rhagoh the flowers and told him about the girl I met in the woods. He's decided he wants to see if it's his sister. So...she's a ghost? Or a zombie!? Reward: 5000 G Completed quest: A Single Soul I had been hoping to get in another sidequest, but that doesn’t seem possible. On the other hand, completing the quest and returning here counts as a visit to Celapaleis, so now Gabriel and Violet have their first bonus conversations unlocked!
Where’s Melphina? So, “no”, then. What about her, anyway? I hear she is quite unlike the stodgy old commander- instead, a beauty in the flower of youth, blazing with a passion for justice…and perhaps for other things as well. Ahh, I should like to be the one to tame such a tigress. I wonder, is it difficult to join this Order of Melphina? Beats me.
Celapaleis’s Union of the Golden Chalice is where you can recruit Rhagoh for your party. You will want to do this, because he is needed for another sidequest later on, but…
Rhagoh
A frail youth mourning his dead twin sister, Kate. Perhaps there is a way he can find happiness...
Class: Healer
Initial BR: BR 25
HP: (361)
Str / Int: (21 / 37)
Current Arts
Remedies: (Restore II, Refresh)
Hexes @ BR 37
Lotions @ BR 44
Arcana: Rejuvenating Water
Comments
Benchwarming material if there ever was any. You have to complete a quest to recruit him, and there’s another quest that he’s required for later on, but I mean, come on: He starts out with only Remedies learned – that’s basically the most common Mystic art. At least most other leaders start with two schools learned. He doesn’t get anything special either. Hire him, then bench him.
By the time he can even start learning Hexes, you should have better casters who know the same or higher, and the same goes for Lotions.
Tags: Healer, Mystic, Arcana, Worthless
You won’t really want to use him in your active party, because he is fucking terrible. Most unique leaders start out with two learned Arts, he only has one – the super-common Remedies, which many of your other starting characters should have already learned to a higher degree than Rhagoh does. You CAN train him to use combat arts, but his strength is crap. I know I said that I would be using side-quest characters in the active party for their quests, but this guy may be the exception, since I have no intention of using him at all. He’s truly earned that big fat Worthless tag.
He hangs out in the alley beside Celapaleis’s Amber Tavern.
Combat Arts, for sure! Oh yeah. That’s definitely my style, huh? Am I properly focusing my training? In times like this, my lack of discipline could be the difference between success and failure for Athlum… Combat Arts, for sure! Becoming a specialist in man-to-man combat, then? Certainly not a bad thing…
Rush, what do you think I should focus on to better myself? Recently I’ve been worried about my progress… Combat Arts, for sure! Ahh… Then I shall work hard to perfect my combat arts. Your Quadrashield is impressive… yet it would be even more so in my possession. What do you think? …Sure, you can borrow it. You have my eternal gratitude. It shall be used spectacularly. If you get Torgal to focus on Combat twice, he should switch his weapons to Axes, which are pretty good for quad-wielding.
The country of Gilles-Barre felt like this, once. Sounds like a nice place. ‘Course, I grew up on Eulam Island, it was pretty quiet and peaceful. In fact, there aren’t even any Remnants on the island at all! I was hoping to get more done today, but not with the screenshot budget I have left. So that’s all for this time.New Arts Summary
learned Resonance Edge II! class changed to Expert Monk! learned Cascade Strike!
The Congress Splits
Dungeon: Darken Forest (A Single Soul)
Boss: A Single Soul
Bonus Video: Talisman’s Gift
Next Time: You owe me a corpse, asshole!