Part 78: CHAPTER NINE: Cogito Ergo SUMM

Ack. These dialogue-heavy parts take forever to do.




Welcome to Trinsic, city of the giant crabs.

Let's ask in the bar for clues. As we discovered earlier, bars are important places to look for clues.




: You're in high spirits today. Where'd you get the money for all of these drinks?
: Oh, I found a pile of gold on the ground earlier.
: Really? I wonder whose it was?
: It was Sergio's. I saw him drop it, but it's mine now!
: Well, who am I to argue as long as you're buying the drinks?




: Why is the inn closed?
: There hasn't been much business. Besides, I'd rather sit here and visit with my friend than deal with people who are always asking me for things.

This reminds me of the last time I went to Blockbuster.

: What about a drink?
: Inn, tavern; the whole place is closed. Sorry.
: What's your name?
: I'm Synnovea, this is Emile.
: Hello.
: So anyway...
: I would like to talk to your manager.
: What?
: This is the worst I've ever been treated and I've been to Pagan.
: Get lost!
: That's it, I'm writing the Better Business Bureau.


Okay, those douchebags don't know anything.




: You seem downcast. Is there something wrong?
: I am downcast. I'm worried about my husband, Lucero. He's a paladin you see, ever since the Chalice of Honor disappeared, he does nothing but brood and debate the meaning of honor.
: How can I help?
: Help? Why do you want to help? What do you want?
: Helping people is something that I do.
: Do you expect me to believe that?
: People don't help others around here and if they do, they want something in return. Well, you'll find that I don't have anything to give you.
: Oh, it doesn't matter. I've told him a thousand times that losing that chalice didn't mean that he'd lost his honor.
: What could you do to help? Please, just leave me alone.

What a nice woman.


...Okay, let's try the Blacksmith.



: What's a paladin?
: Why, Trinsic is the home of the paladins! They're heroic paragons of chivalry!

The blacksmith doesn't find it the least bit odd that someone wouldn't know about Trinsic even though his entire planet is the size of Central Park and has 8 towns in it.

: What do you sell here?
: Oh, I'm a smith, but since I like to work with various materials, I sell a variety of items.
: What other materials do you work in?
: Oh, anything I can get my hands on, really. I work in metal, wood, and I do some stone carving.
: I just like working with new materials, the more exotic, the better.
: Have you ever worked in Blackrock before?
: No I haven't, but I have seen Blackrock before. I'm pretty certain that I could make something out of it. What did you have in mind?
: I want a Blackrock sword.
: I tell you what, you bring me, oh, three good sized chunks of Blackrock, and I think that I could make a sword for you.
: I have the Blackrock.
: let me look at that. Hmm, it'll be tough to work with, but I think that I can do it.
: It's going to take a lot of time, though, so it'll be pretty expensive.
: I can do this for you for 7,000 gold pieces. How's that sound?
: Sounds good.
: Alright, come back tomorrow morning, and I'll have the sword ready for you.
: I'll have to get started right away, but I should have it done. See you in the morning.

What a nice guy.




: Who are you?
: I am Lucero, one of the last paladins of Trinsic. The order, I fear, is dying because we have lost our honor.

: What can you tell me about Trinsic?
: I can tell you that it is a mere shell of the great city that it once was.
: In the days before Trinsic lost her honor, she was a sight to behold: a strong city, home to the order of the paladins.
: Now, Trinsic is but a sad reminder of faded glory. Buildings are falling apart, and the people care nothing for each other, only for themselves. It is a sad state.

: My brother paladins shocked me at first, but I have begun to question my own honor of late.
: How did the paladins lose their honor?
: We, the paladins of Trinsic, were the guardians of the Chalice that was kept outside of the Bastion. It was our Sigil of Honor and Trinsic's most prized possession.
: Maybe you shouldn't have kept it outside then.
: When it was stolen, many of my brethren lost face and gave up their paladinhood.
: Your king demands to be acknowledged.
: Now, I fear that I may be the last paladin of Trinsic and even I question my worthiness.
: Hey, you're supposed to be an asshole. Stop acting like you're from Valoria.
: A few of us set forth to find the Chalice, but most never returned. If only we could find the CHalice again, perhaps then honor would be restored in Trinsic.
: Does the loss of a chalice truly equal the loss of honor?
: in this case, yes it does. The chalice was everything to us. It symbolized all that we were and all that we cared about.
: If something that important can be taken away, it brings great shame upon you. How can you have honor when living in shame?
: Yes, these are sad days for Trinsic. If only we had the chalice again, then all would be better.

: Goodbye.


Okay. That guy didn't know anything either. He was talking for a while, though. Let's check on the progress of our sword.




: Well, yes.
: I figured as much. You come here, give me split, brittle blackrock and want me to make a sword out of it. It was impossible to make a sword out of that slag!
: I spent all night working on that thing and have nothing to show for it.
: Give me my money and I'll try elsewhere.
: After I spent all night working on that slag? Never! I spent several hours of my valuable time and must be compensated for my efforts.
: You're not getting a farthing back from me. Now go away and bother someone else!


Alright, then. Apparently the opposite of 'honor' is 'giant asshole'.




: I can go where I want! I am king!









: WhWhWhooo ararareee yoyoyouuu tototo cocomecomeme herherhereee...
: I was alive when last you were in Britannia, and well do I remember you. Unfortunately, my old companions did not.
: Yoyoyouuu livlivlivinginging weweakweakaklilinglingings...
: They have decided to punish the people of Trinsic for abandoning the honor that was so important to us.
: Yoyoyouuu ararareee thththeee ooonenenesss whwhwhooo lololoststst thththeee Chchchalialialicecece ooofff Honhonhonororor...
: Since I know you to be the Avatar, I ask you to reawaken the honor that I know lies within the hearts of the people of Trinsic.
: WhWhWhooo ararareee yoyoyouuu tototo cocomecomeme herherhereee...
: Do this for our memory, Avatar. Do it for Britannia!
: Yoyoyouuu livlivlivinginging weweakweakaklilinglingings...

: What? What was that? I can't hear you over the other ghosts.

: Yoyoyouuu ararareee thththeee ooonenenesss whwhwhooo lololoststst thththeee Chchchalialialicecece ooofff Honhonhonororor...
: Learn the Mantra of Honor. It is lost to all who still live in Britannia.
: WhWhWhooo ararareee yoyoyouuu tototo cocomecomeme herherhereee...
: In order to learn this mantra, speak to one who carries it with him beyond the grave. Seek Sir Dupre.
: Yoyoyouuu livlivlivinginging weweakweakaklilinglingings...

: What? Could you repeat that?

: Yoyoyouuu ararareee thththeee ooonenenesss whwhwhooo lololoststst thththeee Chchchalialialicecece ooofff Honhonhonororor...
: Find one who serves honor. This servant will guide you and help you speak to the dead knight that you seek.
: WhWhWhooo ararareee yoyoyouuu tototo cocomecomeme herherhereee...

: What?!


Okay, fuck this town. The only people who have any clue are DEAD.