Part 21: Update XXI - One Ring To Solve A Quest

Update XXI - One Ring To Solve A Quest



After interrupting a thing I don't want to further think about, our next destination is the wolf guard quarters, to finally get access to Dankwart's old laboratory.

Good grief! These guys are playing with fire, even though there's neither windows nor a chimney here...

The assorted wolves just fling slurs our way, given that werewolves and vampires don't really gel, so let's just have a talk with the chief.



What are you doing here?
We're looking for Chief Knurrgahn, the leader of the wolf guard.
You found him. So, what do you want from me?
1) It's about your guards... 2) It's about the state of things here...

The latter is bitching about how unclean the place looks. If you think that doesn't accomplish anything, you're wrong. More on that later. We're going to go with the former, though, because it's the proper way to do this quest, damnit.

They're blocking the way to the upper level! We wish for you to give them the order to let us pass!
Duke Wahnfried has ordered that none of the guests may have access to his chambers or the laboratories!
Couldn't you make one exception?
That could cost me my head! First, tell me what you're planning to do up there!
1) We want to take Wahnfried out! 2) Well... umm... my girlfriend and I...

So we can either admit to our revolutionary cause, or have Grandy feign really wanting some privacy to go and fuck Libra, despite vampires normally having no desire to do that. Guess we're not going by WoD rules here. Oddly enough, both options lead to the same result in the short term, but one is better in the long term - that being the former - so let's pick that one.

That bloodsucker has terrorized the region for too long! We want to deal the final stroke and throw him out of Düsterburg!
Have you gone mad? Why would you tell the chief of his guards that?
I was just about to ask the same question...
You're either very smart, or very stupid...
Chief Knurrgahn, I can't imagine that you're all that happy doing your job here! A wolf is always in pursuit of freedom. If he's confined, he'll perish sooner or later... So, for your own sake, join our side! We promise to let you and your men go wherever you please.
Why should I believe a bloodsucker like you? I've never trusted you walking corpses.
Because we're not vampires. Use that nose of yours, Knurrgahn!
...you speak the truth. How could I fall for such a cheap disguise? Alright, I will tell my guards to let you pass, but before that, I want something in return from you.
Spit it out!
When Wahnfried forced me and my pack into service fifteen years ago, he stole a very powerful artifact from us... the "Wolfring".

Gee, how imaginative.

Only with it can the members of our pack take human form. It is the only way for us to live the way it was before the curse of lycanthropy hit us, at least for a little while. All the anger and wildness that stick with us in our wolf form just disappear... Without the ring, we're doomed to be outcasts! That way, Wahnfried was able to force us into his service.
Where can I find this artifact?
Wahnfried gave it to Chief Xelram of the fang guard. He now guards it.

That's Marlex spelled backwards. Marlex being the creator of Vampires Dawn. Vampires Dawn references aplenty in this game, although Valnar, the main main character out of the main character trio, doesn't make a cameo appearance AFAIK. Possibly because his faceset is already being occupied by Laz?

You can find him in their guard quarters. Head back the way you came, then take a right before the stairs. At the next crossroad, take the corridor to the south, then the one to the west, and then you're there. But don't believe you can fool the bloodsuckers with your disguise...
We'll find a way to get your ring. You can prepare the letter to your guards in the meantime.
If they catch you, this conversation never happened.



One bit of following directions later, we've made it to the fang guard's quarters again.

Well, we're here.
Grandy, I hope you know that our disguise won't help in there.

This is only, what, the sixth time we've gone over this?

Why not?

JESUS CHRIST, GRANDY. Here I was thinking about giving you some credit with the Knurrgahn situation, and there you go just blowing it again.

These creatures can smell our warm blood from a few meters out. They won't fall for our disguises.
Then we'll go in without the disguise. Maybe we can talk with them, and if not, we'll just have to try the good old lumber jack method.

Got the strange feeling that we probably can't talk through the vampire guards. Just a hunch.



Who are you, and what are you doing here?
1) We want to chop your head off! 2) We want to talk to the chief.
Chief Xelram has went to rest and does not want to be disturbed!
Like I give a shit! If the chief doesn't come to the staker, then the staker comes to him!
That was a good one.



Get used to the vampires, there won't be less of them going forward. Once again, pretty damn tough, but the combination of Tarius' anti-vampire songs and Grandy's anti-vampire swords does take care of them fairly well.



However, just because we beat them up doesn't mean that we're home free just yet.

Just great! And we used all the rice on those old farts!
There's no time to look for more! Let's go, Grandy! Time is short!

Well, it's not like we're on any kind of timer right now, so let's explore a bit.



DECREE!

Because of the continuing lack of fresh blood, rations are only given out on a weekly basis from now on.

-- Xelram

Where are these guys getting their blood from, anyway?



Oh, Christ, I think I know.

What did they do with these people here?
...they sucked them dry, Grandy. Just look at the wounds littered all over these bodies...
Do those creatures know no mercy?



Oh, shit!

By the gods! THEY'RE STILL ALIVE!
The bloodsuckers must have been using them as their source of blood for years now!
Grandy, there is nothing we can do for these poor people! Their blood is forever poisoned.
And when they die, they will rise up again... as vampires! And they won't be any less ruthless than the ones that tortured them here!
If we wanted to free them, we'd have to kill them - that's their only chance! But for that we need a blessed stake, and we don't have one!

Well, I know what scenario has just been added to the shortlist for my nightmares. I've heard that this is apparently supposed to be a reference to the movie Seven. I can't remember where, so I can't read up on the details. Now, we have a chief to deal with...



I heard screams outside! What's going on here?
1) We're the wild vampire hunters! 2) We've got a problem...

Eh, sure, let's try to talk. What's he gonna do? Attack us?

Umm... we're supposed to beg for Chief Knurrgahn's wolf ring... what do we have to do to get you to give it to us?
Don't you try to make a fool of me! Out with it! What are you doing here?
You heard the screams of your henchmen, Xelram... as we sent them to hell!
Wonderful! I'll clean my fangs on your entrails!



So, Xelram. One would think that he'd be a really tough cookie, but the vampires before him are actually tougher, simply because we didn't outnumber them. One Dance of the Night from Tarius, most of his threat is neutralized, and we're free to just wail on him with maybe a single heal from Dankwart. After a good deal of damage, he makes his intentions felt:

Aahhrrr... you know your stuff! It's time for me to leave - the duke will be very keen to know that you're here!

A bit more damage, and he gets the fuck out.



Fare well, as long as you still can...



And then he gets going like a bat out of hell, and we get to chase after him. Insert Yakety Sax here as an entire group, armed to the teeth, runs after a bat.



We have the choice to grab the ring out of the coffin, blitz to Knurrgahn and run to where we need to go in three minutes, but pursuing him all the way outside leads to Libra having enough of that shit...

I'll deal with this!



...shooting another fireball...



...and blowing him the fuck up!

Got him!
Great work, Libra! That should buy us some time!
However, we shouldn't be carefree just yet! Xelram will not need a lot of time to recover from that attack... time is wasting!

Yeah, he's right - all we get is 1:30 more. Still, that's a 50% increase. And you know what we're going to do with that extra time?



Look at paintings, of course!

Hoihoihoi! I'm really scared now...

Isn't that something out of a Vampire: The Masquerade book? I could swear that looks familiar.



Now what's this supposed to be?
Believe me, Grandy, you're better off not knowing.

I think we've seen this one before. There's only a few doubles in the castle, and they still have unique dialogue for the copies.



Now that's how a vampire lord has to look!
Well, at least in the painter's imagination.



Oh, wait, we had something to do. Right.

There's the ring!



Back to paintings!

Another vampire lord.
I think you're mistaken. I believe this is a portrait of a famous actor... Christopherus Li, or something like that...
Let me guess: He mostly took on vampire roles!

So after referencing Bela Lugosi, the Dracula of the Universal era, now we have Christopher Lee, the Dracula of the Hammer era. We're referencing every notable thing about vampires here, damnit.



Haven't we seen this one before?
I'm not sure. These all look the same.



So, after some high-speed backtracking, we get the ring back to Knurrgahn.

And? Do you have the ring?
Sure, it wasn't really a big problem...
Really? I have to say, I'm starting to be impressed by you!
Yeah, thanks... now, could you tell your men to move out of the way? We're kind of in a hurry.
I'll prepare a letter to my men that will allow you to pass...

And he walks off to write it. This is just designed to eat up your time.

Wow, he really is taking this like it's nothing. If Xelram makes it to the duke, we're done for!
I know, but if we were to pressure him, he might just change his mind.

Here it is! My pack is deeply indebted to you.

And we get a sealed letter. Time to run some more!



No further!
Yes further! We have written permission from your chief!
Let me take a look!
Here you go...
...umm... and what does this say?
It says that you're supposed to let us through, you cretin! Don't you recognize the seal?
Oh, right, now that you said it... you may pass!

So yeah, regardless of which path we take with Knurrgahn, we can get past this guy, because everything ends with us getting a sealed letter and it doesn't actually matter what it says, since the werewolves can't read.



In total, we needed about 3:30 to go from driving Xelram off to making it past the guards, after which we're officially safe. Also, more paintings!

Now that guy looks evil!
Another picture that shows Malthur, the legendary son of the Dark God.



Little bit of a botch here, this picture is actually from the middle of the conversation. Oh well.

I think we're past the guards for now. What's up ahead, Dankwart?
Down the hall is my laboratory, and from there we're right next to my former private chambers.
Well, I think we can do without the masquerade now. If we're going to run into somebody, it's probably going to be the duke himself... and in that case, I prefer to be ready for battle.
You're surely right.

And our group loses the disguises again.



Always with the same themes. It's starting to get boring.

Well, that's what happens when the painting is a repeat.



One door over, we find the laboratory! You remember this from the intro, right? Let's look around a bit.



Ahem... you should probably not touch that...

But Grandy LOVES switches! Oh well, let's read that letter on the table.



Your highness,

I can't describe how much I regret having to inform you that once again we have failed to acquire a set of tools for the repair of your machines. The problem is, as you can surely imagine, the material:

The Königsberger government has forbidden supplying us with steel, and the metals we can forge locally are too soft for this purpose. I hope that you can continue to work with the current solution.

Your most humble servant,

Deppert Drombusch

Great to hear that Wahnfried still has problems with my tools, even after twenty years.

Again with the special tools.



Lots of stuff here in these bookshelves.

"Man and Biology", "The Power of Nature", "Advanced Chemistry"...

A whole bunch of books about time, astronomy and celestial mechanics...

"Physics vs. Magic, Not An Antithesis", "The Physics of the Forces of Nature", "The Basics of Spells"...

Wait, what? This is unusual for a laboratory... a lot of horror stories by a certain von Junzt.



What's this hunk of metal?
That's an energy converter... a little invention of yours truly.
Umm... don't take it personally, Dankwart. What does this thing do?
In this laboratory, nothing works without this converter!
All these devices are the latest tech and require a special combination of regular and magic energy.
I see... and what exactly? Once again, for idiots, please...
First the converter is loaded up with coal and is then "magically charged". The combination of both energies creates a new form of energy I researched and had patented in Königsberg...
The "Dankwarticity"!
Sounds like a skin disease...
Come on, Grandy! The quality of your jokes has taken a serious hit recently...
Only the Dankwarticity allows for the constant low energy supply that keeps these sensitive devices going over a long period of time. A magic thunderstorm, that creates a similar kind of energy, would overload the entire system and would also burn out far too quickly.
Umm... thanks, I think I got it.

Magic technobabble, the best kind of technobabble. What else we got here?



Say, Dankwart, we should be able to fire up your energy thingy with this coal, right?
You really did understand my explanation! I'm once again surprised by you.

And we get some coal! But what exactly would we want to power?



Good grief! What's that supposed to be?
Unbelievable - Wahnfried took my time modulator and rebuilt it... I can barely recognize the machine!
Time modulator?
Yes. I told you about my experiments to prolong the human life... the time modulator was supposed to meld a body from the past with the aged body of the same person in the present.
The body was supposed to be made younger that way, but that was a mistake! I had to find out that it's impossible to actually move matter through time - you can only create an image, an avatar!
Furthermore, there were other complications that are too complex to elaborate on now!
I don't want to know, either. But you said Wahnfried rebuilt the machine - can you tell what he changed?
You mean what the machine now does? I'll take a look...
Hmm... you can set different things here... all sorts of control units for numbers... I didn't put those there... more control units... seems to be a coordinate system...
Of course!
Grandy! This is a time machine! He simply rerouted my machine! With this machine, you can go into the past!
I'm starting to figure it out! After Wahnfried realized that he had no chance against you and Libra, he fled to his time machine...
He fled into the past! And there he did something that led to you no longer existing in the present!
What? How did he do that?
I don't know, Grandy... he could have sought you out as kids and killed you... the possibilities are endless...

Wait, I'm getting confused. How do you kill somebody in the past if you can't move matter through time? I figured that means that the avatar is incorporeal and can't actually do anything, but I guess I didn't get it. Put me with Grandy, I guess.

But we're here, Dankwart! We're alive!
The world is not so easily deprived of its children. The order of the world somehow found a way to keep you alive!
However, that bloodsucker stole your dearest memories from you, and for that he will pay!
Can we somehow use these machines for our plans? Because otherwise, I'm not really seeing a real solution here...
Wahnfried and his men outnumber us by far, and it won't be long until they show up here.
If Wahnfried could use these machines to save himself, then we can too!
But how?
That bloodsucker went back through time to save his neck... right! We can do that too!
All we have to do is fire up this machine and undo his crimes!
I have no idea how we'd do that - I know swords, that's about it - but if you believe that's the solution...
Then we'll fire up this machine and send Wahnfried to nowhere!

Well, we've got a plan, but where does that ladder go?



To somewhere with more paintings!

Hui Buuuuhhhhh...



Looks familiar...
Wahnfried seems to be particularly fond of it.



Hm... that door is closed, and there's no lock anywhere.
This corridor leads to the clock tower. I believed it was sensible to keep a clock close by to my experiments with time.
I wonder what's so important down there that Wahnfried barred the entrance.

Well, I'm sure we're going to find out at some point, but let's cut it off for now, because shit's about to get real, I'm sure of it.

Next time, we'll do the time warp again.