Part 64: Governor Boris and the Treachery of the Great General

Governor Boris and the Treachery of the Great General

Last time on Tyranny, we were once again faced with the choice between an opportunistic insane murderer who tried to be everything to everyone and a fascist strongman. Goons came out strongly in favor of the former on the grounds of "fuck Graven Ashe", and I can't really blame them! I wanted to take a look at one of Ashe's statements before we were prompted to make the decision.


We didn't bring this up at all! There are a lot of hints that on some level Ashe realizes what he's sunk down to, and I suspect on some level Ashe realizes that he is a coward. Remember, when Cleopatra confronted him, he hid behind the men and women he supposedly prioritized above all else until it was clear he couldn't hide any more and died a worthless coward. Today we're going to see how low the Great General sinks when he doesn't get his way.



We're not even going to TRY to get them to work together at this point.

: The Scarlet Chorus will lead.



Look, the madman and his rabble don't have a secret Treason Truce that Eb told us about. Now, we as players on a second playthrough know the Voices set this entire thing up, but Boris has no way of knowing that.



This action violates Kyros' laws on so many levels. Killing a Fatebinder is an actual crime that Tunon comes down hard on, and, turns out, Nerat murdering a Fatebinder is a future quest that we can use to get him convicted by the Big T. Violating the blue flag truce is, in fact, a war crime that Archons get convicted on as well.

: A wise choice! The Scarlet Chorus will be honored to silence the last of the Vendrien Guard insult. Graven Ashe, we hereby order you to stand down and remain here at camp until we have secured the citadel.

This is a very plausible seeming order as we just found out Graven Ashe had a seditious prisoner exchange truce and is potentially sabotaging everything. Of course, this means that Tunon makes Nerat King of the Tiers, which is exactly what Nerat wants.





Thus, Graven Ashe, the "honorable" general who Barik will not stop praising, resorts to treacherously violating a flag of truce to beat the shit out of the Voices of Nerat for... lawfully being selected to do the job that prevents Kyros from executing the entire valley.


It's telling that while Nerat starts yelling and screaming and charging up for an anime attack in that timeline, it's Ashe who strikes first and technically violates the blue flag. Hell, he makes it clear a few minutes later, if you forgot.


The Blue Flag was never taken down! Remember, Ashe is supposed to be the honorable one, not the treacherous asshat who violates a truce and poops on the law because the Fatebinder had to make a snap decision. Ashe has no objections to losing men to an Edict, despite his high-minded claims, he's the idiot who marched an entire army of elite troops in expensive equipment into a lightning storm we and the Scarlet Chorus personally warned everyone to stay away from.

Both Nerat and Ashe are treacherous, lying assholes, but Nerat is very open about being a treacherous lying asshole. Ashe works hard to seem like a calm, compassionate, and caring leader, and I know a lot of people - myself included - picked the seemingly honorable old general on their first playthrough instead of the gleeful madman impaling people on spikes.



Fifth Eye has our back.

: What happened?



Here we see that Fifth Eye, weirdly, has more integrity than the Disfavored. If we claim Ashe stepped in front of us and saved our life - when, as we saw, he did no such thing - Ashe smiles and starts spinning a yarn about old soldier's reflexes and really likes that we're feeding his ego. The Fifth Eye immediately gives credit to Barik, even though Barik is allied with the guy who just tried to murder everyone and plans to sabotage our war effort.

: I wasn't trying to save you. I was trying to save her. He points to Verse and sighs,

: And what happened, you bleeding heart iron shit-tower? Verse crosses her arms and glares.



You two have issues.

: That was an honorable thing to do, Barik.

It's a recurring theme that Barik has a strong sense of loyalty and integrity that, once again, is completely wasted on the Disfavored.



: [Conquest] We both know you turned your weapon against the Chorus in Stalwart. I could tell Tunon you were the first blood of this war... he would not be amused.

If Barik is really mad he slaps you and you can sentence him to your service forever as punishment.

This also isn't wrong, remember we found the dead Blood Chanters near Lethian's Crossing? There was a whole sidequest about the guy being intimidated by the Disfavored into not telling anyone about it.

: So, that's how you want to work this? The Adjudicator certainly taught you everything he knows about being a manipulative pissant.

: Very well. I'll remain at your side at least until this Edict is resolved. It beats sitting in a corner and waiting for Kyros' magic to kill us all.



: As for you, you old sack of wine. This is war. Try to enjoy yourself.








We pretty much know what's going down, the Disfavored will try to fuck us over, etc.

: I will lead the vanguard of the Scarlet Chorus.

I have no idea what the hell Nerat does all day. Even Ashe gave us the orders personally before hiding like a coward.

: As I suspected, the call of glory sings to your heart's tune. The Fifth Eye claps his bloody gloves together. The camp will mobilize soon. We will meet at the staging grounds of the Citadel. This will be a glorious hunt, dear Fatebinder - something to tell the children.

Off to the Spire!





Canticle of slaughter sounds like a metal band name.



: What can we expect from the oathbreakers?



I'm not gonna sugarcoat things, the Chorus is not exactly competent either.

: What of the DIsfavored?



: I'm ready, let's do this.

: Our Blood Chanters are readying a conflagration that should take that gate off its hinges, but at the same time, the oathbreaker mages are warding that gate with protective magic.

: He points to the northwest. I need someone to scale the wall and kill the mages maintaining the ward. If I send these unwashed pukes, their corpses will clog the parapets, this task requires your strength.

Are you saying that drafting peasants with no training and sending them with knives against armored heavy infantry doesn't work?

No, no, it's the Disfavored who are wrong.






This is what Fifth Eye says if you go back to him, incidentally. Now, I'm gonna fast forward through the attack on the wall because, well, we've seen it before, and go straight to when we kill the two Sages.



The Blood Chanters blow up the gate.



The Disfavored break in and we get the same exchange where the Scarlet Chorus goes to fight the Disfavored and Fifth Eye tells us to take the tower.



I had to reload this floor three times because I foolishly left Lantry some spots for buffs instead of AoE blasting. Don't play a melee guy in this game kids! Don't do it! It fucking SUCKS!



We get the message from Tunon asking why the Archons aren't getting along and if everything is going to shit, and tell him we're gonna be glad to be done with all this shit.



Yeah, that's great, no one cares and if I'd been nicer to you you'd be begging me to adopt you as Court officials so you could keep your cushy noble positions under Kyros.



And after that entire defiant speech about how mean Kyros is and how they'll never surrender, Arri surrenders after running back into the keep and leaving her men to die outside.



Shut up!



Fifth Eye is having entirely too much fun with his job.

: I am honored to have had a hand in the glory.





Tenderizer is a one-handed hammer that deals more damage the more health the user is missing. It's OK, I guess.



You're not fooling anyone, Arri, you led your followers to certain death in the name of a government that had utterly failed its people.



We take the first option and we start floating and whatnot and teleport up to the Spire. We've seen this before.



Only difference is that Fifth Eye is rolling with Spire Gang now.



: I hereby claim this place. This is now an extension of Tunon's Court, and all combatants must leave.

: This is no longer strictly a military concern. We need to take a breath and sift through what just happened.



Nerat has no reason to deny this to us now, because he has a solid case for being King of the Tiers and we helped him make Graven Ashe look like a dumbass.

: Send word to the Voices of Nerat that we are successful.



We did the kicking thing last time.

: Agreed, anybody witnessing what just happens[sic] knows the Edict is over, but you should report to Nerat, and return with any news he has for me. Head through that portal.





: [Salute the Crimson Spear.]



TMI! TMI!!!!



Eb chickens out again.



We, however, desperately need more mages in the party to make this not a soul crushing playthrough, and I want the Tidecaster sigil without dealing with Wagstaff, so...

: Why would I possibly trust you?



We know that Eb is merciless and deceitful, but honestly, if you have to serve any of the Archons, Tunon is the only one with anything resembling a moral code and he's as good of a boss as you're going to get.

: Serve me well and all can be forgiven.



This concludes Act 1!

















We're gonna have a lot more to do with Tunon...next update!



: I'll join you at Cacophony as soon as I speak with Tunon.





Then the Spire turns off the portal until we do the out of body experience, and I'm cutting it because we've seen all of it.

This time things are a lot less subdued - we didn't betray anyone, and Tunon isn't alarmed that we're openly doing things for ourself - we follow the rules, we back the Kyrosian authority, and the civil war just kind of happens while Nerat is happy to support our claim on the Spire because that gets him someone who can tell Tunon the civil war isn't his fault. We are still in Safe Happy Kyros land and after that brief interruption and this soon-to-be ended civil war, I'm sure everything will return to normal, right?

Next time: Pissing off Tunon