Part 15: The Black Gate - The Other Kind of Fellowship (Also, The Fellowship)
You think that's bad, Nibble, there are like five spells in Serpent Isle that mistakenly use the same incantation. A fan patch fixes most of them, but it's so minor that you have to be looking for it.
The Other Kind of Fellowship (Also, The Fellowship)
Moving right along with the story, we need to find out where Elizabeth and Abraham went. We'll be chasing them around all game, unraveling the plot in the meantime. But we can't just go to where they go, even if we know they're going there; we must speak to an NPC and find out where they've run off to. In this case we need to speak with the founder of the Fellowship himself.
You see a rotund older gentleman, who is at once humble yet dignified. His gentle eyes exude caring for his fellow person.
"So this is the Fellowship huh? Not a bad place you got here, for a lame church thing that looks identical to every other one."
"I shall take that as a compliment. My name, good friend, is Batlin. And indeed it is truly a privilege to meet the Avatar in the flesh. While thou art here, please feel free to enjoy an apple. The finest in all of Britannia, I am certain thou wilt find. They are provided to The Fellowship by the Royal Orchards." "Hey, thanks! Can I offer you some bread?" "No, thank you." "..."
"Erm, about those apples..." "Shut up, Iolo. So tell me about yourself, Batlin. I'm sure you're a minor person of only tangential importance in this one game, as your Serpent Isle portrait no doubt proves." "I was once a druid. Now I am the leader and the originator of The Fellowship. It is rapidly growing throughout Britannia and keeps me very busy, as thou canst well imagine. Ha! Ha! Ha! The Fellowship was formed twenty years ago with the full approval and support of Lord British. It is a society of spiritual seekers who strive to reach the highest levels of human potential and to share this knowledge freely with all people. The Fellowship advances the philosophy of sanguine cognition, a way to apply a positive order of thought to one's life through what is called the Triad of Inner Strength. We strive to avoid the mistakes made by mystics and sages since the dawn of time. They apply the standards of the past, such as the virtues, for example, to qualify the present, and thus they do not perceive it correctly. We seek to examine our present lives each on our own terms and see the world the way it is." "Hey! What's wrong with the virtues? This is kinda my job, you know."
"And only kinda." "They are perfectly adequate for those who feel that they still need them for whatever reason. But no one, not even thyself, thou must admit, Avatar, can fulfill them perfectly. Therefore they are a philosophy that is ultimately based upon failure. We have never claimed that our teachings are a substitute for the virtues. However, ours is a belief that is based upon success, not failure. The Triad of Inner Strength is simply three basic values that, when applied in unison, enable one to be more creative, satisfied and successful in life. The three values of the Triad of Inner Strength are Strive For Unity, Trust Thy Brother and Worthiness Precedes Reward." "What does all of this stuff mean, though?" "Ah, of course. When we say Strive For Unity, it is simply our way of expressing how the people of Britannia should all cooperate and work together. A worthwhile sentiment, I am certain thou wouldst concur. What The Fellowship means by Trust Thy Brother is that people are all the same and the world is, generally speaking, a supportive, nurturing place. The trust we place in each other is like the pinions that hold our society together. Quite true, wouldst thou not say? And allow me to explain the meaning of Worthiness Precedes Reward. Each one of us seeks something which we desire from life and we must strive to be worthy of that which we seek. It would be difficult for thee to disagree I am quite sure." "One of your members said they wanted to hear a voice." "Only active or potential Fellowship members are privy to the concept of 'the voice'. I can tell thee more when thou dost take the Fellowship test." "Okay." "Oh, art thou ready to join The Fellowship?" "Uhhhhhh, sure. Do I get more apples?" "If necessary. Before I can induct thee, I must conduct a survey to determine if thou art the sort of person who would benefit from the Fellowship. These questions are all hypothetical. Do not let them confuse or upset thee."
"Good luck with that." "Question One: Thou art feeling depressed right now. Is it more likely because - A: Thou hast disappointed a friend, or B: A friend has disappointed thee?" "Well obviously a friend disappointed me." "Yes, of course, that must be it." "I can tell from thine answer thou art a person who tends to trust people and is often willing to give people another chance - even after ample demonstration that they are not worthy of one." Batlin smiles and nods. "Question Two: Thou art at a feast hosted by a very high-ranking local official. Thou dost believe the food he has ordered to be served is little more than swill, and thou dost notice that the other guests certainly think so. When thine host asks if thou dost like the food, dost thou A: tell the truth, or B: lie to him?" "Tell the truth, I guess? This is one of those Honesty things or something." "Thy response shows thou art a bluntly honest person, who mayest occasionally say things that people may not like hearing, but thine intentions are noble ones." Batlin makes a sweeping gesture with his hand. "Question Three: Thou hast taken the last room available at an inn. Upon entering it thou dost find that it is filthy. It is the middle of the night, there is no one to clean it and there is nowhere else to stay. Dost thou A: clean up the room thyself, at least somewhat, before reposing in it, or B: dost thou just go to sleep, letting the room remain as thou hast found it?" "I guess I'd clean it out." "Up." "Yes, clean it up. What did I say?" "Clean it out." "Oh, then I did mean out." "Thou hast revealed that thou art a person who instinctively believes they are responsible for anything that goes wrong and that it falls to thee to put the whole world right." Batlin sighs. "Question Four: At a festive gathering thou dost tell a humorous anecdote, and thou dost tell it very well, creating much amusement. Didst thou tell this comedic story because A: thou didst enjoy the response that thou didst receive from thine audience, or B: because thou didst want to please thy friends?" "It must be the first one, because I don't have any friends." "Thine answer shows thou art a person who instinctively sees friends as tools to be used for thine own gratification." Batlin frowns slightly. "THANK YOU!" "Question Five: If thou wert to become a person of leisure, one who had amassed a fantastic fortune of wealth, would it most likely be because A: thou hadst discovered an infallible method of stealing the money of others, or B: thou hadst discovered an infallible method of illicitly duplicating the coin of the realm?" "I thought you said these were hypothetical questions." "What do you mean? Which would you answer?" "Can't it be both?" "Moving right along then. Question Six: While travelling thou dost find a man in terrible pain. His arm has been grievously injured. A healer tending to him tells thee that the man's arm will have to be removed and that he will require thine assistance to do it. The man says he will recover from his injury and asks thee not to let the healer amputate his arm. Dost thou A: heed the words of the healer, or B: respect the wishes of the injured man?" "I've walked off worse, so B." "By thine answer thou art a person who deeply believes in the value of human life and who has a strong sense of faith in the possibilities that life continuously gives us." Batlin gives thee a knowing look. "Question Seven: Thou hast just killed a small dog by throwing a rock at it. Is it more likely that thou hast done this because A: the dog was going to attack thee, or B: the dog was going to attack someone else?" "Uhhhh, I guess someone else." "This question tells is that thou art an overly aggressive person. Thou dost need to stop trying to solve all of thy problems through violence." Batlin strokes his chin thoughtfully. "Wow, this guy's nailed you, Steve." "Question Eight: Thou art in a boat with thy betrothed and thy mother. The boat capsizes. In the choppy waters thou canst only save thyself and one other person. Who dost thou save from drowning, A: thy betrothed, or B: thy mother?" "Uh... A?" "While risking thy life to save the life of thy betrothed is admirable, I cannot help but wonder what suppressed hostility thou dost have towards thy mother as thou wouldst simply let her drown." Batlin shrugs. "Thou art a person of strong character, Avatar, but one who is troubled by deep personal problems that prevent thee from achieving thy true potential for greatness. In short, thou art precisely the type of person for which The Fellowship was created. I welcome thee to our fold. Know that the path of the Triad is not an easy one but its rewards are bountiful. I will, of course, waive the usual sabbatical of study that is required before one achieves membership. Thou art, after all, the Avatar. However, as one of our tenets prescribes, Worthiness Precedes Reward. Thou must embark on a task or two for The Fellowship before thou can be properly inducted and receive thy medallion." "What do I need to do?" "I would like for thee to take this package to Elynor, our branch manager in Minoc. And do not open it!" "Is this a trust exercise or an evil plan?" "Can't it be both?" "Now that I'm a potential member, can you tell me more about 'the voice?'" "Once a person has walked with The Fellowship long enough and applied the Triad of Inner Strength to his life, he has cleared his mind of all conflicting, counterproductive thoughts to the point where he may actually hear his internal voice of reason. This voice of reason is the core of thine inner mind which guides thee through pure instinct, wisdom and irreproachable logic. Once one starts to listen to it and follow its guidance, one has achieved the height of enlightenment. Perhaps thou shalt hear it one day."
"Yes, Avatar, perhaps you... shit." "It's okay, most of us figured it out." "Batlin, art thou familiar with two Fellowship members, Elizabeth and Abraham?" "Ah, my good colleagues Elizabeth and Abraham were just here. They left this morning for Minoc on Fellowship business. They deal with the distribution and collection of funds." "How convenient, that's where we're going!" "Convenient indeed. Here is the package. Thou must now be on thy way! Until we meet again, Avatar."FUN FACT: Batlin is like the only person in the entire game who will comment about a Fellowship medallion if you aren't actually in the Fellowship. I guess he would know.
Here's where we are, in Britain. We'll need to go to Minoc, up north and east. To get there we'll need to cross the river near Lock Lake, and in the process we'll want to visit the town of Cove on the shore there.
Here's the Britain moongate, lonely and forgotten. There are no longer phases of the moon that determine where they open or their destination; probably because it was too hard to code. Instead, the moongates are basically just a big circle that go from one location to another. Now, we could take this to Minoc, but that's boring.
The road splits here. North leads to the swamp and eventually Minoc. East to Lock Lake and Cove. We'll go east first.
"So this is Lock Lake? Well, it doesn't look too bad."
"...okay, well, it might take a little work."
"Okay wow, that's nasty." "Who pitches stuff like this?" "I know! There's a perfectly good half-swilled bottle of ale over here!" "Are you actually going to drink that?" "Past tense, my friend... ugh, I don't think that agreed with me." "Just bend over the lake, it's not like anybody's going to be able to tell."
We arrive in Cove in the early evening. Or is it late morning? I never know what time it is when a Great Light spell wears off. I've accidentally gone to bed at 8am because of that.
Perfect timing. Literally everyone in town (mostly) is in the tavern eating dinner, which spares me the trouble of hunting them down!
This regal gentleman epitomizes a well-liked politician.
"Hello! Lord British sent word that thou might come to visit us. Welcome to Cove, Avatar!" "What's up?" "I am Lord Heather. And I recognize thee, Avatar! I am the Town Mayor of Cove, home of the Shrine of Compassion. It's a small place, I know." "It actually has more residents now than it did 200 years ago, even if you counted the dead guys." "Many of our residents have moved away to the larger towns, especially Britain. But we have maintained a small core of loyal Covites. We are proud of our Shrine. One of our residents takes good care of it. Thou must try and visit the Shrine if thou hast not already. It is a monument to all the lovers in town." "Lovers?" "Britain may be the city of Compassion, but Cove has become the city of Passion. Everyone here seems to fall in love rather easily. Thou wilt find that everyone loves someone. Almost everyone, that is." "C'mon man, don't spare us the details!" "Well, let's see... I am in love with Jaana, our healer."
"And she is in love with me, of course. Then there is Zinaida, who runs the Emerald. She has an interest in De Maria, our local bard. And vice versa."
"Rayburt, our trainer, is courting Pamela, the innkeeper."
And that's all you'll ever need to know about these people, ever.
"Sounds like bad theatre to me!"
"Any wenches mine own age around here?" "Somebody hose Spark down." "I see that thou art leaving Cove for a while, my dear?" "Yes, milord. But I shall return. I promise thee." "I don't recall ever inviting you, Jaana." "Yeah well, I never liked you either." "Rowr."Jaana is not a bad ally. She has the ability to heal and resurrect through her dialogue tree, and her stats are alright. The main problem is that she can't resurrect as often as you might want her to when she's in the party, and if you kick her out (which makes her success rate 100%), she starts charging you money again.
But Steve was a druid, so Steve never really bothered recruiting or developing her much, so screw Jaana.
"Druid thing, you wouldn't get it. So you said almost everyone?" "Except for Nastassia. She is a lovely young woman who is always melancholy. De Maria can tell thee more about her. I suggest thou seekest him at the Emerald. 'Tis a sad but compelling tale." "I'm sure it is. Hey, we've got this bill to deal with the Lock Lake crap, now that I think of it." "Truly? It has gotten so putrid that on hot summer days the stink is suffocating. I believe that the Britannian Mining Company in Minoc is the source of the problem. Mining waste is being deposited in the Lake. Thou shouldst be glad it is nearly winter! 'Tis about time that the government did something about the awful stench coming from that lake. I shall be happy to sign thy bill of law! Take it back to the Great Council post haste!" Lord Heather signs the bill and hands it back to you. "Do come and visit again, Avatar!" "Why would anyone want the lake so crappy in the first place?" "It must be the voters up in the swamp." "Swamp monsters can vote!?" "Thou must remember that the region had a rather powerful Shadowlord lobby back in the day."De Maria does, in fact, have a long boring poorly-written story about Natassia's tragic past!
"Ah, dear Nastassia. Wouldst thou like to hear her tale?" "Not particularly." "Oh. I thought thou wert curious. Never mind then." "I didn't give you permission to stop." "I shall tell thee the story of the only unhappy person in Cove -- Nastassia. She is the only person in town without a lover. Not that she does not have suitors -- she is quite beautiful! All she thinks about is the Shrine of Compassion, which is where thou wouldst probably find her at this moment." De Maria strums his lute and sings:"There once was a maid Ariana Who held the shrine so dear. She asked that her offspring do likewise And keep it so year after year.
"Her son Mikhail became mayor With a goal to keep in fashion The towne's old, belov'd reputation As the city of love and passion!
"Mikhail's oldest child was Magda; She built Lovers' Walk, a fine park, Where Cove's lovers, both young and old, Could court outdoors in the dark!
Ah, but the clouds of misfortune do hide Where the sun's brightness seemeth most fair. And poor Nadia, Magda's daughter, Of misfortune had more than her share!
"It began when Nadia did wed one day To Julius, a not-so-wealthy young lad. He left her with child and went far away. As for Nadia's poor heart, 'twas sad.
"One day from Yew the fateful news came That Julius by a beast was killed; The child came early, 'twas a difficult birth; And Nadia's soul became chilled.
"With dagger in hand and child in arm To the Shrine did Nadia run. She plunged the dagger into her own breast; Never again would she see the sun.
"Nastassia grew up an orphan, you see, Unloved and unwanted by all; Today she walks cloaked in solitude Awaiting her destiny's call.
"And that is poor Nastassia's tale. Perhaps thou canst cheer her. Find her, I beseech thee!" "Maybe if I'm bored." "By the way, you completely suck." "Oh, right, and Stones is the height of brilliance." "Fuck you, Stones is awesome!" "Perhaps the first thirty times."
You may remember a mage lives in Cove. A mage by the name of Rudyom. He used to look like this:
Well, he's still alive. Mostly.
This elderly mage looks older and more senile than when you last saw him.
"Who art thou?" Rudyom asks. "Oh -- I remember." "Are you... Rudyom? Damn, dude, you've really let yourself go." "Rudyom? ...I am not sure anymore. I was a powerful mage at one time! Now nothing works. Magic is afoul! I suppose I could sell thee some reagents and spells if thou dost want. And mind the carpet -- it does not work! I do not understand what is wrong. My magic does not work so well anymore." "Carpet?" "The big blue carpet. 'Tis a flying carpet. It does not work like it should." Rudyom looks around and scratches his head. "Funny. It was here a while ago. Oh! I remember now. Some adventurers borrowed my flying carpet a few weeks ago. When they returned they said they had lost it near Serpent's Spine. Somewhere in the vicinity of the Lost River. I supposeif thou didst want to go and find it, thou couldst keep it. It did not work very well. Perhaps thou canst make it work. I did not like the color, anyway!" "We actually found that one already and tricked it out, but I'm not giving it back so maybe we should just move along. I know magic is screwy, but what's up with the moongates?" "They are a nuisance, are they not? I do believe that blackrock is the solution to the problem. I wish my mind had not lost me, or I could continue my work..." "Blackrock?"
"You know I'm made from blackrock, right?" "Not really." "Maybe you shouldn't have done the expansion first." "Maybe you should mind your own business, Arcadion." "Do not mention that foul mineral's name to me! It hast caused me much frustration! Before my mind lost me I was conducting experiments with the infernal material. But now I cannot for the life of me remember what it was I was trying to do. I wrote them all down in my notebook, which is somewhere around here. Thou art welcome to look at it. But stay away from that damned transmuter -- 'tis dangerous!" "What transmuter?" "'Tis that wand-like thing. It was supposed to magnetize and magically transmute blackrock, but it doth not work correctly. Try pointing it at a piece of blackrock and thou wilt see what I mean. But do not stand too close! Thou art welcome to take it if thou dost want a piece of garbage!"
"This must be the transmuter, the journal... and blackrock."
"Innnnnnteresting..."
"Huh. No kidding." "You're done already?" "It's only three and a half pages long." "I did not say it was a good notebook!" "Clearly." "So how does it work?" "Watch this."
"HOLY CRAP, that's AWESOME!"
"So what Rudyom has accidentally done is create a magically-oriented remote detonation explosive trigger, which does not cause a chain reaction when exploded near other blackrock, thus also making it stable." "Big deal. I can make things explode too." "It could be quite a useful material, indeed, even if the transmuter does not work 'correctly!'" "Yes, but just to be safe, guess who gets to carry the blackrock?" "Well, at least it's not powder kegs!" "It's good to see you making peace with this."
Final stop in Cove is the Shrine of Compassion just outside of town. It's in much better shape than it was in Ultima VI. In fact, it's in much better shape than most of the other shrines in the game.
This is an attractive young woman who seems sad.
"Uh, are you in charge of this place? It's the first shrine I've seen since I got back here that people actually take care of."
She looks up as you introduce yourself. "I am Nastassia." She thinks a moment. "I suppose my job is to keep the Shrine of Compassion pristine, though it is not an official position. The Shrine of Compassion has been here for many generations, as have all the shrines in Britannia. My great-great-grandmother Ariana made a request in her will that her family line take care of this particular shrine." "Yeah, I think I would know how long the damn shrine has been here. Who's Ariana?" "You don't remember, Steve?" "Nnnnnot really." "Little girl, musical prodigy, gave you the Rune of Compassion if you'd promise to come back and hear her play sometime?" "Oh, right, how's she doing lately?" "She's been dead for over a hundred years." "Sooooo, good?" "Many of the shrines have fallen into disuse or have been overgrown to the point of being lost. It is sad. I am afraid that thou mightest find the other shrines in poor condition. I keep this one... well, nice. And I do it not only to keep alive my great-great-grandmother's tradition, but... for other reasons, too." "I heard." "Some people may think it odd that a young person would cling to the old ways so. But it is something that gives me great comfort. It gives me the feeling that there is something in this world that I belong to." "De Maria mentioned your family." "Thou dost know of my father? I suppose the townsfolk have been talking again. I wish I had known him. There is something within me that yearns for some news of him. Anything at all. And my mother... she died horribly, and by her own hand. That is the true reason I pay homage to this Shrine. I hope someday to provide her with the means to rest in peace." "You don't know what happened?" "My father died in the Great Forest there. Some wild animal or something killed him. Art thou perhaps travelling to Yew?" "I'm sure we'll be shipped off there eventually." "Oh, Avatar, I do wish thou wouldst try to find out something about my father. How did he die? What happened? Please! Wilt thou search for the truth and come back and tell me?" "If it comes up, which it probably will because nothing is a coincidence, I'll maybe remember to come back and tell you." "Bless thee! I shall be waiting here for thee. I know we have a strong kinship now. We shall be like sisters."Natassia has a really goofy and kind of gross kissing thing going on if the Avatar is male. Mercifully, we're spared such romantic overtures because, unlike a certain person in Serpent Isle, Natassia is strictly heterosexual.
That's enough of a distraction. Into the swamp!
"Didn't this used to be a mountain range?" "It did, but then the mountains collapsed and the sea rushed in, forming this swamp." "Wait, what?" "What part of that was unclear?" "The part where something like that could ever be possible." "Hell, I was just telling you what happened, I don't have any idea how."
If your sound is off (I toggle it off from time to time; I've never had the sound problems that have been reported in the thread, but I think the sound causes occasional crashes), you get a huge popup of the Guardian's face whenever he taunts you (instead of a voice file). Strangely, Exult (or possibly just The Black Gate itself) has this weird off-color image of the Guardian's face. Serpent Isle restores it to the correct red coloration.
Touching the edges of the swamp will poison you. It quickly leads to everyone being poisoned. Everyone except Shamino that is, who is wearing swamp boots. Fortunately poison is about as threatening as my grandmother, so I mostly just ignore it.
Remember Stonegate? The castle of the Shadowlords? Home of the Vortex Cube and the Cyclops family? It still exists, but it's been nearly completely consumed by the swamp. There's no obvious way to get there... unless, that is, you remember how you got there in V and VI.
This is where we need to be.
A series of planks leads off into the swamp. You need swamp boots or just to cope with the poison, because you will be exposed to raw swamp water all the way across.
We'll need some planks to complete a couple gaps in the board and narrow dirt walkways. Fortunately, the porthold can carry them; otherwise we'd need to have the characters pick them up with their hands. Hands are for weapons, silly Ultima!
Lot of weaving back and forth and dead ends.
But eventually, a more stable bridge.
The sad remains of Stonegate. But what's this on the pedestal?
Behold the Magebane! A perfectly ordinary one-handed sword in most respects, the Magebane is about as strong as you'd figure a magic sword would be (that is, weaker than most two-handers and magical two-handers and ranged weaponry). But that's not why the Magebane rocks. It rocks because it does exactly what its name suggests. If you strike a spellcasting enemy with the Magebane, they become unable to cast spells. Period. Powerful mages, liches, they go down damn fast when they can't cast any magic. The Magebane is also an item which, like the Black Sword, we need for canon purposes, as Dupre brings it with him to Serpent Isle.
And it'll be a good thing he does, because it's even more useful there, where good magical weapons are in short supply and mage enemies are slightly more common.
Picking up the Magebane summons the skeletons around to life. Skeletons are pathetic though and are quickly busted back up.
Ahhhh, Stonegate. A real vacation paradise.
Also, if you were interesed in Batlin's response to both options in the Fellowship test, here they are:
"These questions are all hypothetical. Do not let them confuse or upset thee."Question One: Thou art feeling depressed right now. Is it more likely because - A: Thou hast disappointed a friend, or B: A friend has disappointed thee?"
A: "I can tell from thine answer that thou art a person who takes their responsibilities to others very seriously, and perhaps tends to put too much pressure on oneself to please others." Batlin smiles and nods.
B: "I can tell from thine answer thou art a person who tends to trust people and is often willing to give people another chance - even after ample demonstration that they are not worthy of one." Batlin smiles and nods.
"Question Two: Thou art at a feast hosted by a very high-ranking local official. Thou dost believe the food he has ordered to be served is little more than swill, and thou dost notice that the other guests certainly think so. When thine host asks if thou dost like the food, dost thou A: tell the truth, or B: lie to him?"
A: "Thy response shows thou art a bluntly honest person, who mayest occasionally say things that people may not like hearing, but thine intentions are noble ones." Batlin makes a sweeping gesture with his hand.
B: "Thy response shows thou art a person who is deeply concerned with the feelings of others, a person to whom manners and graciousness are of the highest import." Batlin makes a sweeping gesture with his hand.
"Question Three: Thou hast taken the last room available at an inn. Upon entering it thou dost find that it is filthy. It is the middle of the night, there is no one to clean it and there is nowhere else to stay. Dost thou A: clean up the room thyself, at least somewhat, before reposing in it, or B: dost thou just go to sleep, letting the room remain as thou hast found it?"
A: "Thou hast revealed that thou art a person who instinctively believes they are responsible for anything that goes wrong and that it falls to thee to put the whole world right." Batlin sighs.
B: "Thou hast revealed that thou art a person who tends to accept their fate complacently whenever life appears to be unfair. Thou dost naturally assume that life will be unkind as a protection against when it is." Batlin sighs.
"Question Four: At a festive gathering thou dost tell a humorous anecdote, and thou dost tell it very well, creating much amusement. Didst thou tell this comedic story because A: thou didst enjoy the response that thou didst receive from thine audience, or B: because thou didst want to please thy friends?"
A: "Thine answer shows thou art a person who instinctively sees friends as tools to be used for thine own gratification." Batlin frowns slightly.
B: "Thine answer shows thou art a person who instinctively feels unworthy of having friends. Thou must continuously buy their attentions by amusing them." Batlin frowns slightly.
"Question Five: If thou wert to become a person of leisure, one who had amassed a fantastic fortune of wealth, would it most likely be because A: thou hadst discovered an infallible method of stealing the money of others, or B: thou hadst discovered an infallible method of illicitly duplicating the coin of the realm?"
A: "From Question Five we learn that thou art a person who instinctively believes that they are incapable of achieving success, someone who feels that they can only profit through the exploitation of others." Batlin slowly shakes his head.
B: "From Question Five we learn that thou art a person who instinctively believes that they are incapable of achieving success, at best only presenting the illusion of success." Batlin slowly shakes his head.
"Question Six: While travelling thou dost find a man in terrible pain. His arm has been grievously injured. A healer tending to him tells thee that the man's arm will have to be removed and that he will require thine assistance to do it. The man says he will recover from his injury and asks thee not to let the healer amputate his arm. Dost thou A: heed the words of the healer, or B: respect the wishes of the injured man?"
A: "By thine answer thou art a person who believes in mercy even when it is not an easy thing, and a person who tries to have the courage of thy convictions." Batlin gives thee a knowing look.
B: "By thine answer thou art a person who deeply believes in the value of human life and who has a strong sense of faith in the possibilities that life continuously gives us." Batlin gives thee a knowing look.
"Question Seven: Thou hast just killed a small dog by throwing a rock at it. Is it more likely that thou hast done this because A: the dog was going to attack thee, or B: the dog was going to attack someone else?"
A: "This question tells us that thou art an overly defensive person. Thou dost need to stop assuming that the world around thee exists only to bring thee potential harm." Batlin strokes his chin thoughtfully.
B: "This question tells is that thou art an overly aggressive person. Thou dost need to stop trying to solve all of thy problems through violence." Batlin strokes his chin thoughtfully.
"Question Eight: Thou art in a boat with thy betrothed and thy mother. The boat capsizes. In the choppy waters thou canst only save thyself and one other person. Who dost thou save from drowning, A: thy betrothed, or B: thy mother?"
A: "While risking thy life to save the life of thy betrothed is admirable, I cannot help but wonder what suppressed hostility thou dost have towards thy mother as thou wouldst simply let her drown." Batlin shrugs.
B: "While risking thy life to save the life of thy mother is admirable, I cannot help but wonder if thou mightest have a problem getting along with the opposite gender as thou wouldst simply let thy betrothed drown." Batlin shrugs.