The Blood-Sin Blog

City Walls South & The Keep

2008-05-22T18:06:00.030+01:00

Quite a small section in terms of map size, but there's a new workshop and a significant chunk of plot involved...

Entering the City Walls South from the forest, Ashley is immediately set upon by Lizardmen. They come in twos or threes, but they're no match for the Dragon-trained spear we're sporting now. There's an opportunity to unlatch a door that leads to the Town Centre West (where Guildenstern and Samantha encountered Sydney) but there's no need to go back there at this time. Heading along the chain of rooms brings us into The Keep. The Keep is a hub for all kinds of extra areas unlockable by various means - sigils, keys, etc. - all of which are optional, and none of which we have access to yet.

We can go into the very beginning of the Iron Maiden and grab a couple of items from a setpiece encounter though...

The Grimoire Exsorcer teaches the Exorcism spell, for undead foes. We can't go any further here so it's back up and onwards through The Keep.

Samantha: Some parts were added later, but the original Kildean letters cover every wall. The walls of Lea Monde, all carved with these glyphs... What do they mean?
Guildenstern: ... These are the "spellsongs". Lea Monde is surrounded by sorcery. You'll likely find them on every den and dovecote in the city. This city... it is unchanged these past 2,000 years. Neither the eroding winds nor the quake have sapped its strength.

Rosencrantz: Didn't everyone? The city is the circle, the "wellspring". And the "book" - the Gran Grimoire - for which you seek... You're standing in it.

Guildenstern: Why did you not tell us? This is betrayal most foul! Why have you done this!?

Guildenstern attempts to use his power against Rosencrantz, but it has no effect.

Rosencrantz: Your memory fails you. The Dark holds no power over me... Nor do I recall us ever being friends. My friendship with the duke is fleeting as well.

Rosencrantz: That, I do have... and enough sense to know not to throw my life away for some fool cause.
Guildenstern: You are naught but a glorified sellsword. You disgust me.
Rosencrantz: We live in peaceful, boring times. There's no rank to be had in killing on the fields of war. We must sieze opportunity where we find it. Do you not agree, Guildenstern? You were using me too, after all. I'm your "opportunity", you know that.

Guildenstern: You are a common harlot. You were born a worm, and you will die a worm. LeSait was right to expel you from the Riskbreakers.

Guildenstern: Where is the "key"?
Rosencrantz: Well, now...

Samantha: Yet I am here!
Guildenstern: Samantha, it is I!

Rosencrantz: ...They are linked. Samantha's rhythm is atuned to his, Guildenstern.

Samantha: H-He is near... He hides.
Guildenstern: It has passed, then.

Rosencrantz leaves.

Guildenstern: We join with Tieger.
Samantha: Yes...

Guildenstern and Samantha follow.

There's a Chest Key - locked chest in the courtyard, and a new workshop.

I improved the Short Sword into a Shamshir, upgraded the bronze Ring Mail into a hagane Breastplate and the hagane Ring Sleeve into a hagane Gauntlet, and got a hagane Sallet out of the Spangenhelm and Cabasset. Nothing much to do with the rest of the equipment at this point apart from repairs and discarding the useless stuff. When we get to somewhere that works with silver I can make a more usable phantom weapon than the current staff (I hate the combat timing on the staff).

Ashley exits the workshop and heads for the door the others passed through, but -

Guildenstern: But now it is time to end the game. Rosencrantz, kill him. Show him your power. Show him how you make the Dark kneel.
Rosencrantz: My pleasure.

Guildenstern leaves.

Rosencrantz: ... We meet again, Ashley.

Ashley: What do you mean?
Rosencrantz: You see, I've known you for a long time.

Rosencrantz: I was the one who set you up as the VKP's errand-boy. And... I have you to thank for my current lack of employ.
Ashley: What!?
Rosencrantz: Here, let me jog your memory!!

Rosencrantz is very fast, and he'll almost exclusively stay out of mélee range and use Break Arts against you. He's invulnerable to spells, both offensive and status-changing. On top of that he can hit you pretty hard with his normal attack. Prostasia on yourself and making a beeline for him is the only worthwhile strategy.

Fortunately when you actually get up to him he turns out to be all mouth and no leggings, and a couple of decent chains will see him off.

Rosencrantz: ...A shame your skill in the killing arts did not go the way of your memory.
Ashley: What "killing arts"?
Rosencrantz: You really don't remember. I should give the VKP more credit...

Ashley: You mean... in the Kingsguard?
Rosencrantz: The "Kingsguard"?

Rosencrantz: All witnesses to our operations must be "dealt" with. It is our code. They were wrong to picnic here. You are the hand of justice. We... we are the hand of justice. It is for the good of the realm. A few sacrifices is nothing-

Ashley: You tell me why these people had to die! Why we had to kill them! They were innocents... Is it not our charge to protect these very souls!?

Rosencrantz: We were always champions of justice, true, but a justice that served the state alone. We were above the law. We assassinated political enemies of Parliament and sent sharp steel to bloody the civil wars of our neighbors. To the people, we were the "Knights of Law and Order". To our enemies, we were the Parliament's hatchet-men.

Rosencrantz: The VKP was not about to lose one of their best without a fight.
Ashley: And you?
Rosencrantz: Myself? I was picked up by the VKP, like you. I learned about Lea Monde when I was sent to spy on Mullenkamp. Then I made some friends...
Ashley: The cardinal's men? Or Mullenkamp?
Rosencrantz: Both. You weren't the only one unhappy with the old killing teams. Threats, burglary, murder. We were no different than common ruffians. They prey on people, we on nations.

Rosencrantz: You know "them", eh? The privileged, ruling from their satin couches. Born with silver spoons in their mouths, or shrewd moneyers standing on the backs of the poor.

Rosencrantz: ... I cannot fathom what his intentions are in using you as a vessel for the Dark. Regardless, his time is nigh.
Ashley: And the Blades will do your dirty work?
Rosencrantz: Those pious fools have been long steeped in filth.

A tremor rocks the city. Rosencrantz uses the distraction to move away from Ashley...

Snowfly Forest Continued

2008-05-13T15:10:00.036+01:00

This is where things take a very interesting turn, and the first time I played it this was where I really fell in love with the game.

Ashley has headed into the forest after his encounter with Rosencrantz, who, as Ashley suspects, is not all he claims to be...

Rosencrantz: ...You will follow him?
Grissom: I must avenge the foul murder of my brother, Duane.
Rosencrantz: Of course you must... But be wary. Your foe is strong.

Rosencrantz: The Dark is stronger, you mean.
Grissom: And what is your business here? We had a deal, did we not? Join with Sydney and find the key. Time is short.
Rosencrantz: Very well. But... you should know; Something is odd with Sydney.

Rosencrantz: A veritable bestiary of beasties springs up where'er he goes. Nothing he cannot handle, still...
Grissom: Ah, even the hyaena cowers, does he?
Rosencrantz: Don't be the fool, Grissom. Hyaenas know caution. These creatures... Sydney's the one summoning them.
Grissom: Well now. Sydney's cup overfloweth, and he calls forth a flood.
Rosencrantz: There's a flood of vermin in this city, true, but it seems Sydney's manning the sluice.
Grissom: Meaning?
Rosencrantz: You're a slow one. Sydney is increasing the flow of Dark energies on purpose.
Grissom: Why would he?
Rosencrantz: That is the question...

The deal with the Snowfly Forest is that there's one true path through it. Deviate from this path and you end up walking around in circles. The area is actually not all that large so mapping it isn't a problem. There's a notion of 'following the snowflies' that I never quite understood, as to me they always seem to be in abundance at every location exit. The ingame map comes in very handy at this point, and examining any tree in the forst allows Ashley to reorient himself to North.

From the start you just have to head south. There's a swarm of snowflies that blocks Ashley's further progress in the western section, until a bit more exploring brings him to:

An Earth Dragon has made its home here. It's got a pretty nasty tail attack -

- but it's no match for a bit of Dragonite-equipped spear and the Luft Fusion spell:

Grissom seems to be having a bit of trouble with the forest...

The flying enemies around here sometimes drop an item called Faerie Wing, which allows you to jump further temporarily. It's very useful indeed in some future areas, so it's a good idea to try to grab a few. There are also a couple of Fire Elementals floating about in the forest, but they're nothing to worry about now that we have both a decent weapon and the Frost Fusion spell to enchant it with.

Retracing his steps to the blocked pathway, Ashley finds he is able to pass through now into a large open area bisected by the river.

There are a couple of undead to contend with:

There's also a chest containing some reasonable armour (a Hagane Circle Shield in particular), a Sylphid Ring (air affinity), and a Grimoire Agilite (the Invigorate spell, which temporarily raises agility). There's also a Heal panel which can come in useful for a quick fix-up.

Heading north twice, then east, then sticking to north brings us to the climax of this area, and quite a chunk of exposition...

As Ashley enters a clearing he sees Sydney and Grissom facing off:

A Knight of the Cross summoning demons, eh? As soon as the fight begins, you'll notice Sydney casting Prostasia - on you. Yes, you have an ally in this fight. Sydney won't get too involved in the combat, but he will heal and buff you as you need it. Don't rely too much on him though!

Grissom is the priority target, as he will cast a succession of quite damaging spells. Aim for his head to cripple that ability and he'll be rendered pretty useless.

It's best to finish him off first anyway before moving onto the Dark Crusader. A Grimoire Annuler (Magic Ward) and a Grimoire Gnome (Soil Fusion) are among your rewards. Magic Ward is one of the most essential spells in the game. Once cast, it will remain active until you are attacked with magic, which it will completely nullify. After that it needs to be cast again.

For the Dark Crusader, it's a piercing weapon and concentrate on the torso. Luft Fusion helps, too. You can take some big hits here, but the Dark Crusader isn't very fast and by now it's likely you can destroy it before it gets a shot in.

The Crusader drops a Hagane Angel Wing two-handed sword, and a Grimoire Deteriorer (Tarnish), which weakens enemy equipment. Essentially the opposite of Prostasia.

Sydney: So you believe the Dark exists. Yet you do not believe that which you cannot see. The Dark covers your eyes, and you are blind.

Ashley: Thousands of cityfolk, their lives sacrificed to make this "wellspring". By whom? Parliament? The cardinal?
Sydney: Why don't you ask?
Ashley: Ask who?
Sydney: The sacrificed. The witnesses.

Sydney: You've impressed me. You truly are a Riskbreaker. Or... a trained assassin. A killer.

Sydney: Memories, Riskbreaker. Memories.

Ashley: Madness!! Foul deception!!
Sydney: You doubt what I have shown you? It is your memories that deceive.

Sydney: Lies... An elite member of the Kingsguard loses his wife and child... a tragedy. He becomes a VKP Riskbreaker. This is the lie! A memory false as summer snow!

Ashley: By the gods, you lie!
Sydney: The VKP saw the opportunity to turn your guilt to patriotic zeal. They twisted your very soul, Ashley. Your despair at losing your "family" turned to hate for the lawless jackal that killed them. Hate that should be reserved for yourself.
Ashley: YOU... LIE!
Sydney:Do I? Are your new-found abilities not proof enough? You believe Lea Monde responsible? You are remembering the killing arts you learned in a past life.

Sydney: Men forget that which pains them... Create new memories to please themselves... Lie to themselves, believe their own lies. The VKP may have wielded the brand that burned your soul. But you... you wanted them to do it.

Sydney: But you have already begun believing. Am I wrong, Ashley? You have seen demons walk the city streets, heard the cries of the dead and damned. You deny these things? Are they illusions? What did you see through that woman's eyes, Ashley?
Ashley: ...You think you can see the past?
Sydney: Not see, I "hear" it.
Ashley: ... Hear?

Phew! It's all gone a bit twisty. Just what are Sydney's motives, and who are the real bad guys? Curiouser and curiouser.

You might have noticed a chest up on a ledge during the cutscenes. It contains a Demonia gem (+15 Evil class, very nice) among some other bits and bobs. With that sorted we press on to the end of the forest and the entrance back into the city.

And here's the direct path through the forest. The Yellow Wood is the point at which the snowflies block progress until you go back west and defeat the dragon in the large clearing.

Undercity West & Snowfly Forest

2008-05-05T15:34:00.026+01:00

The Undercity is my favourite area in the game. Beautiful, eerie blue light and a superbly atmospheric tinkly score give it a real spooky vibe. It's almost entirely populated with Undead, so the battles are easy by this point. In fact, most of the enemies are either just standing around oblivious or lying on the ground. It all seems a bit unfair.

There's not much of note in this little section. It's essentially a throughway into the next big area, though it does offer up a couple of Iron and Silver Key doors, so revisiting is obviously on the cards. The only major event for the moment is an encounter with a giant crab. I'll refrain from the obvious jokes...

Being covered in a hard carapace naturally gives the crab a very high physical protection. Seeing as we're not up to snuff on the spells yet, and the only blunt weapon I brought along is a staff, it's a long fight. Not particularly perilous, just lots of small chains of low hits. Poisoning the thing with the Snake Venom chain ability helps out a bit.

I just went with chopping at the mouth with the Beast weapon. In the end it barely matters as the damage you deal is so small with each hit. After the crab falls there are a couple more rooms on this linear path to the next area.

The Undead dagger is really coming into its own now.

Ashley climbs up out of this first brief visit to the Undercity.

Emerging into a misty forest, Ashley sees white flakes floating in the air...

Ashley is gripped by another vision...

Samantha: I mean your men, how many have we lost?
Neesa: Ah, how goes the battle, you mean? The city is ours, dearie, more or less.
Samantha: How many dead?
Neesa: Three, maybe four score. We've lost contact with some... We'll know better when the fighting cools.

Neesa: I know.
Samantha: They'll walk beneath the stars when eventide comes...
Neesa: You would fight this battle differently?
Samantha: It's not that! I...

Neesa: Lost your nerve, Samantha? War is change. We must follow suit.

Guildenstern: Sydney's lot have caught wind of our little foray and summoned their dark brood to repel us.

Guildenstern: Soon, the paling that holds the demons in Lea Monde will fall.
Neesa: Sydney must be stopped...
Guildenstern: Indeed, Commander Neesa. You have the right idea, now to action!!

Neesa begins to walk away.

Guildenstern: What ails you, Samantha?
Samantha: What is Sydney thinking? Summoning evil beyond his control... He fills his chalice with poison, and savors it like wine!

Rosencrantz: Borrowing another's eyes and ears - clairvoyance, if you will. All people are tuned to a certain "rhythm": some can find a like rhythm and jump on board.
Ashley: You're not a Knight of the Cross... One of Sydney's, then?
Rosencrantz: True seers can join one regardless of their rhythm. But not you. Not yet...

Rosencrantz: My name is Rosencrantz. I am a Riskbreaker, like yourself.
Ashley: What's this?
Rosencrantz: Grand Steward LeSait has sent me to assist you. We're to be partners.

Rosencrantz extends his hand to Ashley, who does not take it.

Rosencrantz: Yet you know nothing! Naught about Lea Monde, Mullenkamp, Sydney... nothing at all!
Ashley: And you do?
Rosencrantz: Of course. You're the only one who does not. The VKP and Parliament know - have known - about the dark powers and the dead that walk... they've just kept it secret.
Ashley: Continue.
Rosencrantz: We didn't think you'd go straight to Lea Monde from the manor. So they sent me to help. I am better in a scrape than our Inquisitor friend, who admittedly lacks battle experience.
Ashley: You say the VKP knew of the dark powers?
Rosencrantz: Indeed, I was assigned to the investigation...

Ashley turns to leave.

Rosencrantz: A power grows in those, like you, whom its dark waters have touched.

Ashley: Fodder...? No!
Rosencrantz: Yes. The great quake 25 years past stocked the city's larders with corpses.

Ashley: A fight for territory wrought from darkness.
Rosencrantz: And you, the Parliament's champion in that battle.
Ashley: ...Rosencrantz, was it? Your words bear much meaning.
Rosencrantz: Please, my friend! I speak only the truth.

Town Centre West

2008-04-20T14:07:00.030+01:00

Back above ground, on the other side of the river now. There are a couple of Blades to deal with before circling north to find a new workshop - 'Magic Hammer'. Here we can work with Iron and Bronze for the first time, so Hagane can be forged. Time to clean up the inventory...

Firstly we'll upgrade the shield a bit. Bronze and Bronze will only make another Bronze item, naturally, but the combined quality of the Targe and Quad Shield gets us a Circle Shield. Every little bit helps...

Now for the armour. A Bronze Spangenhelm and an Iron Chain Coif combine to make a Hagane Cabasset:

Note the increase in overall defence stats. Little increments like this as you go through the game is what the equipment system is all about. I won't go into great detail with it, as it's hardly thrilling reading, but here I'll give some insight into the kind of thing it entails. I upgraded the other armour pieces, some into Hagane and some into better pieces of Bronze or Iron. The two facets to upgrading are the materials and the items. The range of materials is:

Wood
Leather
Bronze
Iron
Hagane
Silver
Damascus

Silver and Damascus can't be forged from anything lower, and can only be found (apart from a couple of rare occasions). However, Silver and Damascus can 'absorb' lesser materials, essentially upgrading a favourite item into a better material. Say you've built up a very nice Human-type sword and managed to upgrade it to Hagane along the way. You would then be able to use a Damascus item to upgrade the same sword to Damascus, keeping its stats intact. The variations and exceptions to this are vast and varied, so this is only a very rough guide.

Items are a bit more straightforward. Basically, combining the best item you have of a certain type with a lesser one of the same type will usually give you the next one up. Wildcards come into play - combining, say, a short sword with a heavy mace can get you a crossbow(!).

Here's an example with a sword. The Sword weapon list goes:

Spatha
Scimitar
Rapier
Short Sword
Firangi
Shamshir
Falchion
Shotel
Kora
Khopesh
Wakizashi
Rhomphaia

Bronze Rapier plus Iron Spatha...

And we have a Hagane Short Sword. Again, note the stat increase, especially in strength.

Note that it wasn't a Rapier/Scimitar combination. That's one of the anomalies in the list. The first few weapons tend not to combine higher. It's when you get to the third or fourth that you can fairly confidently use that rule. Still, here you can see early on how two items combine to make a higher one.

After going through all the other equipment, discarding defunct stuff and attaching gems where appropriate, we have a pretty good set going:

Things starting to creep up the quality lists.

Through the use of gems and the consistent use of weapons we've also got a decent set of individual weapons for enemy types:

It's never particularly easy to explain all that, but honestly it makes a lot more sense when you're in the game! The most important thing to note about all this though, is that it's almost entirely optional. You don't have to get involved in this stuff at all to make it through the game enjoyably. This is the extra layer for the stat hounds really. As long as you make your way through collecting the better equipment and being consistent with your weapon choices against enemy types you will be fine. A bit of combining here and there just to buff things up a little or improve the material will be enough.

Speaking of the game...

Ashley crosses back over the river via a cloudstone and comes across another mysteriously sealed door:

Continuing round, Ashley spies Sydney! He decides to observe...

Samantha: We can pass through here.

Guildenstern: Ancient Kildean lettering... It's quite worn, nigh unreadable.
Samantha: Anything useful?
Guildenstern: I think not. Yet...

Guildenstern: The carvings are particularly deep in places.
Samantha: They're quite charming... What do they mean?
Guildenstern: There's more here... And here.

Guildenstern: Ah, truly. These were written before the birth of St. Iocus... A time when sorcerers were common as sellswords.

Samantha: The cardinal, he will stop the legacy of Mullenkamp... the Grimoires... from falling into the wrong hands, will he not?
Guildenstern: ... Of course, my love. To cede its power to a fanatic such as Sydney would be madness. I fear he already has the Gran Grimoire. What think you?
Samantha: I do not know. Yet surely we would not be here, chatting so amiably, if he had.

Guildenstern: It is only a book... a covenant. Yet it is the Prime Mover, the machinery of life itself.

Sydney: You wouldn't know what to do with such power!
Guildenstern: Then pray tell, for what purpose have you been in league with the duke these many years? You seek to control men... nay, to control god Himself!!
Sydney: Oh, please. Warping the minds of men and shepherding the masses has always been your church's domain. You lure sheep with empty miracles and a dead god.

Sydney: A poor little lamb, bleating for your faith as though it were milk of the poppy.

Sydney: Yet mark your saviour well, for he is one of the demons you so fear, Samantha.
Samantha: Be silent!

Sydney: Ahh, truly the cardinal's own hand. Your will is strong, Guildenstern.
Guildenstern: ... You are not the only shepherd here, Sydney!!

Samantha: The fiend!!
Guildenstern: Run, Sydney, run. You will be ours in the end.

Ashley can't pass through the rusted gate either, but a way round can be found by passing through one of the derelict buildings. There are a couple more Blades about, which gives the chance to test out the new Hagane sword...

Finally, Ashley descends into the Undercity...

Abandoned Mines B1

2008-04-08T17:57:00.031+01:00

Things start to get a bit hairy in here, and it can go south pretty quickly during some of the fights. Early on we come to a chest locked by magic, which makes the Grimoire Clef picked up recently come in very handy. There are a few new monsters to contend with, including this chap: one that imitates a treasure chest and is very hard to hit.

There's a nasty boss almost immediately, too. Another Wyvern - and one with an especially nasty fire breath attack...

This is a loooong fight, even with a decent Dragon weapon. All you can really do is chip away at its head or tail, but you MUST stay close to it. That way it will only get in the occasional bite. Degenerate and Prostasia help, but not much! It drops the Hyacinth Sigil which opens a door in these very mines, and a Grimoire Ignifuge, which teaches the Fire Guard ability. One of the biggest problems faced in the Abandoned Mines is Goblins that attack in groups of three, with one leader casting Paralysis spells on you. Very annoying indeed. Luckily by this point I've amassed enough Yggdrasil's Tears to counter the spell. Also, putting Dulling Impact on a Chain Ability and going for the leader straight off eases the trouble.

A Poison panel in front of a chest you have to open. How unsporting...

We're also introduced to the 'time run' here. Basically you enter a room and have a set amount of time to make it through, either a single room or multiple rooms. The first one is easy, just two rooms. If you fail you end up back in the room you came from. There's also the first appearance of this:

... which we'll deal with later.

A few more Goblins and Mimics later and we're treated to a nice bundle from another magically-locked chest. The Grimoire Undine in particular is key for the immediate future.

"Is it me or did it just get hot in here?"

Okay. Fire Elemental. The first time I played Vagrant Story this was where I came a cropper big time, and I realised I had to be more attentive to my equipment and abilities rather than just hitting everything repeatedly. So, going into this fight there are a few important preparations: Undine Jasper fitted to the weapon for water-affinity, Frost Fusion cast on the weapon for added bite, and the Salamander Ruby on the shield for fire-affinity defence. This little setup is a huge boost and makes this boss fight pretty easy. I also swopped around the Chain Abilities to Heavy Shot and Crimson Pain, which make for a really nice rhythm on chains. Crimson Pain has a 100% damage bonus against the enemy, but also inflicts 30% back against Ashley, so you have to keep a close eye on your health. I think the trade-off is worth it though.

It's worth pointing out here that contrary to popular belief, you don't actually need to carry six individual weapons, because the way the classes filter down means that a class three spaces removed from another will not be adversely affected by its use. More plainly speaking, using a Human weapon against human enemies decreases its effectiveness against Beasts and Undead, but not against Phantoms. Beast weapons decrease against Undead and Phantoms, but not against Dragons, and so forth. The list of six loops round. The short of it is that you can have one weapon for Humans and Phantoms, one for Beasts and Dragons, and one for Undead and Evil enemies. Anyway, onwards!

'Tis but a hop...

Urk...

Tadaa!

"Piff paff puff!"

"Muwahahaha! Burn!"

"......... Pants."

After several more encounters with Goblins, Stirges (blood-sucking bats), Mimics and Hellhounds, we come to another large room...

This guy is really fast and he has a big reach. He'll continually run around the edge of the room, occasionally swinging at Ashley with his axe. The best method to deal with him is individual hits to the head, as his speed means that chaining is extremely difficult - you'll just miss all the subsequent hits and waste Risk. A ranged weapon might come in handy even, but as I mentioned before I never really like using them in VS. He occasionally gets a very bit hit in (100+) damage, but other than that he's not a major problem. I love the end of this fight. Ashley is such a badass.

The Ogre drops a Grimoire Rampart among other things, which teaches the Terra Guard spell, raising an armour's Earth-affinity.

Immediately after the battle Ashley is struck by another vision...

Sydney: What do you see? You find us strange, no?

Callo: That thing you do...it...

Hardin: ...They have formed into three groups. They are wounded... and increasingly wary of being split apart. They seem less focused than our visitors last night.
Sydney: The soldiers last night were trained elites; these latecomers are mere sellswords. Guildenstern doubtlessly wished to catch us in the Graylands. Yet we proved too cunning a quarry...
Hardin: It is a hollow victory. Our losses are greater than the Blades'. And they cut our puppets' strings and turned them against us. They will soon hold the surface. We are lost!

Sydney: Yet it need not be in vain. Need it, Hardin?
Hardin: How can they control out servants? How!?
Sydney: Not all of them can. Only a few.
Hardin: Yet we are the masters, are we not? Have we been betrayed by one of our own?
Sydney: I think not. The Cardinal has prepared long for this. 20 years watching... waiting.
Hardin: Think! They struck us just as we were moving on the Duke! They knew our plans, Sydney!
Sydney: Temper, Hardin. You must learn control.
Hardin: We are lost, Sydney! Lost! We must leave now, or we'll be warming our toes in hell!!

Sydney: We are friends, you and I. Is that not so, Hardin? Give me your trust, friend.

Hardin: What will you do?
Sydney: Just going to pay a visit on Guildenstern. Worry not, my friend. Use sigils to lock all you can. It will cost our guests valuable time to unbind them.

Ashley leaves and climbs the steps out of the mines.

Catacombs continued & Town Centre West

2008-04-02T18:51:00.024+01:00

Dispatching another couple of zombies opened up the dagger Break Art 'Whistle Sting', which is a long-range dagger attack (not a throw though). Also unlocked another Chain Ability and went with Snake Venom – predictably a poison attack. Loot gathered from a chest: a bronze Bosom Cleaver heavy mace, a Dragonite gem which I'll stick into the spear I'm using for dragons straight away (+15 Dragon class), and a Grimoire Halte (Fixate spell), which can be used to stop floating platforms from moving for a period. Before too long Ashley comes to another set of double doors. We know what double doors mean, don't we?

The Golem is naturally an Earth-affinity creature and one that completely resists piercing or edged weapons. Ashley doesn't have anything useful in the Air affinity range (remember it's the old RPG adage of opposite damage), but he does have that nice big mace he found a short while ago. That has good range and he'll need it, since the Golem's only true weak spot is its torso, guarded well by its fearsome arms. Hitting it straight off is futile, so Degenerate is a must. That at least makes it possible to inflict damage, even though its a small amount and still a low hit %. Still, it's enough to be going with and though it can be a long fight it's not too hard. Because we have to hit a lot for small amounts the Risk also ramps up quite quickly, meaning the hit % decreases and the damage taken from hits increases, so it's wise to use a Vera bulb whenever the Risk starts getting above 25 or so.

Vanquishing the Golem gets us an Elixir Of Dragoons – random Agility increase, of which we get the 4pts maximum - and a Grimoire Ameliorer, which teaches the Prostasia spell – a temporary increase in your equipment stats. We then rather oddly get a glimpse of a magical platform somewhere shaking loose and moving. I say odd because the game doesn't usually show you things that aren't directly through the eyes of a character. Anyway, it's a hint that the northern direction of the main corridor can now be explored, so off we go.

Dragonite Spear to the eye!

Hey! It's a save point before a set of double doors! On the way here I unlocked the Battle Ability Fireproof, which is going to come in useful in a minute.

It's imperative to move in close as quickly as possible, as staying at range causes the dragon to use its powerful Thermal Breath attack, which hits Ashley for 25-30 damage in all body sections. Once in close, Prostasia helps out a bit. Degenerate is useless against the dragon, so it's a long slog. The best option to to move around the side of it and concentrate on either leg. Not only will this slow the beast down, but it's the least well-guarded part of its body so there's always a decent chance of a hit. Ashley can move much faster than the dragon, so he gets several hits in before it can retaliate, which it will with either a bite or a sweep of the tail. The bite is preferable. Keeping the HP above 150 is wise.

Victory wins us an Elixir Of Sages (random Intelligence boost), Grimoire Analyse (teaches the Analysis spell, which lets you see enemy stats and characteristics). And 4HP from the wheel of fortune.

Father Duane of the Crimson Blades stands on a street corner, looking out over the town. A Blade soldier emerges from a doorway close by, and another approaches from the other direction.

Duane: Well?
Blade 1: Just a workshop. Nothing else here.
Blade 2: We've still no word from squad 3.
Duane: They're dead then...?
Blade 2: I...I could not...
Duane: Did you not verify their corpses?
Blade 2: S-Sir, my apologies.

Duane strikes the man across the face.

Duane: Coward! Ye are a stain on the escutcheon of our order.

Duane turns and walks away as the man bows his head in shame.

Duane: The loss of our brothers cannot be helped. Pray that fate will not be as cruel a mistress to us. Search! The rathole Mullenkamp's been using is here somewhere! Leave no stone unturned!
Blade 1: Sir!

Both Blades leave.

Duane: I, for one, cannot leave this accursed city soon enough.

From the starting point there is a locked door requiring a Crimson key to the west, and exits east and south. We'll take the east path. There's a workshop (Magic Hammer) that comes in useful for a quick bit of repairing. We're going to run into a few human enemies in the coming areas, so I disassemble the dagger Mr. Stabby, taking out the Locus gem and assemble it with a rapier blade and the Haeralis gem. I have to take apart the dagger because at the moment the hilt I'm using for it is the only sword one with a gem slot. Now I have an effective piercing sword against humans. Ashley exits the workshop and takes the pathway round...

Blade 1: Well? Find Anything?
Blade 2: Naught but dust on this side, sir.
Blade 1: We shall join the others, then. Yet crossing the river means...
Blade 2: It's too dangerous inside the city walls. You heard what befell our brothers!
Blade 1: Yet we waste out time here... The cold ones will not walk under the sun, but soon night will fall...

It always bugs me that Ashley chickens out of this fight. Especially after just poking the life out of a Wyvern. Anyway, it's back round to the Rue Vermillion and the south exit.

Ashley comes to a river crossing. On the other side he sees Grissom of the Blades standing over a defeated Mullenkamp cultist.

Grissom: Now tell me where Sydney hides!
Cultist: ... Save your breath, knight... You fools think the Dark will bend to you?
Grissom: We are prelates of the Lord, scum. We are not here to bend aught, we are come to cleanse!

Grissom: Now, there is still time. Pray... perhaps He will forgive. And I will pardon your sins in His name.
Cultists: ...Go to hell.

Guildenstern: The Dark is formless and invisible. It invades the body like a plague, an unseen visitor. Yet those it taints become... undying.
Samantha: Undying...?
Guildenstern: Yes, they do not die.
Samantha: But... he did die. Turned to dust... leaving no trace. Did he not?
Guildenstern: What is death? Is it the ruination of the flesh? Sureley, that is death, but it is only one facet of the truth. True death... is the death of the soul.
Samantha: And theirs is not a true death?
Guildenstern: Even should their flesh crumble to decay, their souls will wander eternally. The undying of Léa Monde do die... but it is... an incomplete death.

Guildenstern: Trapped in purgation, they yearn for life. Thus they seek bodies without souls... and the “corpses that walk” are born. They say the howl of the north wind is the cry of the wandering souls... Grissom, gather our remaining men. Join with Tieger's knights, and crush Mullenkamp. Go!
Grissom: By your command.

Grissom leaves, Samantha turns to Guildenstern.

Samantha: ... Will the same happen to me?
Guildenstern: You will not die. And...
Samantha: And?
Guildenstern: There is one who has found the true undeath. Immortality, my love.

They kiss.

Duane: An incomplete death's more than a VKP butcher deserves.

The two knights can be dealt with quickly by casting Degenerate on them and striking at the head. Duane himself can pose more of a problem as he has a few spells at his disposal including Poison and Explosion, and he's fast. Ashley can lose a lot of health very quickly, which is where the nice collection of cure bulbs we've amassed so far comes in handy. Degenerate on Duane is a must, and hitting him in the head can stop his spell casting, but I find it's quicker and just as effective to go for his legs. Less well-protected than the rest of him and a lot easier to hit. He goes down without too much trouble.

Duane leaves behind a Magnolia Frau wizard staff (with a good +15 against Phantoms), Wizard Robe, the Crimson key, Grimoires Demolir (Explosion: Level 1) and Clef (Unlock chests). The Wizard Robe naturally has much better magical defense than the Cuirass Ashley is currently wearing, but much lower physical defense. I'll stick with the Cuirass for now. Our little téte á téte didn't go unnoticed...

Now we have the Crimson key, it's back again to the Rue Vermillion and that door. Before that though, I'll pop into the workshop to make sense of the new weapons, reassamble Mr. Stabby and prepare for the next stage of the journey. I've now put together a modestly competent set of weapons for all classes. After a few brief moments in the sun it's time to go back underground...

Wine Cellar Continued & Catacombs

2008-04-02T17:30:00.025+01:00

On the way back to the Smokebarrel Stair the rooms are repopulated with bats and Silver Wolves, giving a chance to practise the chain abilities. There is also a Human-type practise dummy in the Blackmarket Of Wines, which is great for raising the Human class of a weapon if you have the patience.

Die, Human-affinity practise dummy!

Basically, using a weapon repeatedly on a particular type of foe will increase its effectiveness against it. It's not particularly important right now though. Unlocking the Chamomile Sigil door in the Smokebarrel Stair takes Ashley through to a new room:

Ashley sees a fallen knight, close to death.

Knight: Ur...I... I b-beg of ye... Sss... stop the... p-pain...

In the next few rooms there are an assortment of undead to overcome. Still easy fights, and one of them drops a Rapier. Shortly we come to an ominous set of double doors...

Ashley: ...Is this, too, part of your game, Sydney?

As Ashley steps into the next room he hears a terrible metallic scraping sound. A Dullahan moves into view – a living set of armour controlled by The Dark.

Again, this fight isn't difficult in terms of how much damage you take and how much health the Dullahan has, but it is the first where you have to think about your attack strategy. The Dullahan is basically just a collection of armour plates, so that edged sword Ashley has been using is just going to bounce off it. Time to switch to that Rapier. Also, this is a good time to use that Debile Grimoire and learn the Degenerate spell, which helps a lot here.

The Dullahan's main weak spot is its abdomen (and indeed that will be all you can damage at all if you don't use Degenerate). After a bit of thrashing the Dullahan is sent away, leaving the wheel of fortune. Scored 2 Magic Points off it this time. Not particularly great, but what the hey. More important is the loot the Dullahan drops: An Elixir of Queens (random +HP), Elixir of Mages (random +MP), and a Grimoire Lux (A light attack spell). We've also recovered the 'Rending Gale' Break Art from memory. Break Arts are just special attacks that use MP. To be honest I've barely ever used them.

Gulping down the Elixirs bags us 4HP and 2MP. Not bad at all. What's more, there's a chest on one of the ledges here that contains a Rusty Nail polearm and a Braveheart gem. The Braveheart increases hit chance by 20%. The only weapon Ashley has with a gem slot so far is the Rusty Nail, but I'm not bothring with that yet, so we'll keep it in storage for now.

And that's the end of the Wine Cellar! Onwards into The Catacombs...

Elixir of Queens doth tasteth good.

The next bunch of rooms don't hold anything particularly surprising or interesting. Some new monsters enter the fray. Hellhounds, Skeletons and Slimes mainly. Hellhounds have got a pretty nasty fire breath attack that hits you in multiple places. There's also a save point, storage container and a couple of very handy 'traps' – a heal panel and a cure panel. A door sneakily hidden door on high takes Ashley to a room with a single skeleton romping around, and there's a chest on a ledge that requires more crate shuffling. At this point the puzzles are still rudimentary so it's not worth explaining them in detail. 'Phat loot' in the chest – a Pink Squirrel mace, Cross Guard grip, leather Cuirass and Long Boots, and a Locus gem, which adds 15 to Undead class. Nice! Still not putting it in the Rusty Nail, though.

Beating up a Hellhound and Zombie in here gets Ashley another Battle Ability. I went with Dulling Impact, which adds Silence to an attack. To be honest I found most the Battle Abilities fairly useless throughout, but silence comes in handy. I've always been more of a type to just concentrate all my stats towards hitting things really hard. There's a door which is jammed shut with rusted hinges, forcing Ashley into a particular room...

Boo.

Annoying enemy in here: a Ghost that teleports around and cast quick magic at you before moving away. But wait? Didn't I just learn the Silence Battle Ability? Best thing is to just stand in a central spot and wait for the Ghost to materialize nearby, run up and bash it with Dulling Impact, then swing away with an edged weapon (it's impervious to blunt weapons). It doesn't have much health but it's annoying to fight because of its speed, and you only have a minute to beat it. Having said that, I actually don't know what happens if you run out of time.
Anyway, the Ghost kindly drops an Elixir Of Kings, which gives +2 Strength, and there's a chest containing a bronze Shandy Gaff greatsword bronze Knuckles and an Elixir Of Queens (only +1HP this time, bah). After dispatching the ghost a tremor shakes the chamber... the door opposite the way Ashley came in is shut tight, so there's nothing to do but head back.

Ashley: Not again!

Another big tremor loosens the previously rusted-shut door. Ashley goes through.

Couple of Zombie Knights, and Ashley recovers another Battle Ability. There's a high ledge to the left with an exit, needs more cube stacking. Here we're introduced to the reinforced 'Push Crate'; one that – as its name suggests – can only be pushed forward. Push Crate pushed up to the wall, standard crate stacked on top, and there's enough height to climb up. Another new cube to play with – a indestructible lump of rock that you can roll forwards. This allows access to a chest containing a silver (ooh) Soul Kiss dagger, a bronze Targe shield, another bronze Knuckles, leather Bear Mask, and a Haeralis gem (15 Human class). The Undead hate silver, dontcha know, and the Soul Kiss comes preloaded with 20 points in Undead and 15 in Phantom classes. It's not the size, it's how you use it, etc.

Next up is the first crate puzzle you actually have to think about a bit, and there are a couple of ways to do it. You basically have to get two crates over the dividing shelf and under the exit door to reach it. I rolled the cube 1 so that it was directly above cube 4, then used 4 as a step-up to roll 1 across the shelf and off the other side next to 5. With 1 and 5 together you can lift 2 and 3 up and onto the shelf, and then carry them to the far wall.
A couple of zombies in the next area give a chance to test out that Soul Kiss. It's consistently hitting for 50s on the first hit (crits around 150) and 25s on subsequent chains. Short work. Save point also, and a Lily Sigil-locked door to the East, but two other exits. One of which leads to our first workshop!

WORKSHOP: 'WORK OF ART' (Wood, Leather, Bronze)

First thing to do is repair all the equipment (Damage Points). As everything gets used its DP value drops, rendering the item less useful (a weapon with a DP of 0 is basically useless in combat). Aside from the Soul Kiss I don't yet have anything to write home about. What I will do though is disassemble the Soul Kiss and replace the Spiral Hilt hilt with the Cross Guard. This has a gem slot I can put the Locus into, which gives Ashley a dagger with a whopping 38 Undead class bonus (an extra 3 were gained along the way by using it against Undead enemies).

Whenever you build a weapon you can rename it. The dagger is now known as Mr. Stabby. It's actually a good but fairly boring idea - until you settle on a group of weapons that are worth upgrading and taking along for a long haul, to name everything after the enemy types they are effective against. Makes weapon selection a little less tiresome in the heat of combat.

As far as combining materials goes, there's not really anything that can be done here. Bronze is as high as I can work in this shop, and no amount of mixing wood, leather and bronze is going to make anything better than bronze. So with that, I'm done here. I'll trash everything that's not useful any longer to save inventory space, and move on.

Lizardman Vs Riot. Round One. Fight!

These scaly buggers are weak against piercing weapons, but they move quickly and wield polearms, so the dagger isn't much use. Time to break out that Rusty Nail. The Lizardmen between them drop a bronze Glaive, iron Spear, leather Cuirass, iron Knuckles, Grimoire Antidote, an Elixir Of Queens (+2HP) and the Lily Sigil Ashley needs. Back to that door...

Sydney: ...Do not attempt escape, and no harm will come to you.
Callo: What evil are you working here?
Sydney: Just a little drawing, my dear. What think you, Hardin?

Hardin: ... are Riskbreakers all this powerful?
Sydney: I think not. Our Ashley is a vessel, you see... he has merely partaken of the power around him. It is as I have forseen.
Hardin: ... What next, then?
Sydney: What next? Let him give chase a while.
Hardin: This is madness, Sydney!! The Blades will hold this town soon, and we dare not face their undivided forces! We've no time to play cat and mouse!
Sydney: Relax, my good Hardin. Remember, it is all part of my plan.

Sydney: Be calm, Hardin. It is of no account.

Sydney turns to Callo.

Sydney: You impress me, Inquisitor... more concerned about our doings than your own fate?
Callo: What villainy are you planning, Sydney?
Sydney: Why, I'm preparing a feast for your friend.

Wine Cellar

2008-04-02T16:12:00.025+01:00

Nothing much to see in the first room. First save point and a chest. The chest contains a few items including a leather glove which is marginally better than the bandages Ashley starts out with, so I put that on the right arm, and a wooden buckler shield.
A bat swoops down. One chop and it's die, fledermouse. First appearance of crates. There will be crate puzzles, oh yes.

Ashley sneaks into the next chamber. A Crimson Blade soldier is attempting to open a door, without success. Lightning crackles from the door. Another Blade approaches.

Blade 2: Well? Got 'er open?
Blade 1: It's no good. No' even a budge...
Blade 2: What's this? It weren't lock'd a moment ago, eh?
Blade 1: No key holds this door... it be a Grimoire what's doing this!
Blade 2: Well, who lock'd it then? Someone inside?
Blade 1: Buggered if I know! Look – we'll be cut off from the others! And where are those scouts, man?
Blade 2: ....They've not return'd.
Blade 1: This be no time for loafin' around!
Blade 2: Keep yer cap on, brother! ... Now come up 'ere and take a look at THIS!
Blade 1: What's that?

The two blades leave through another door.

Ashley can't open the door either, it's locked with a Chamomile Sigil spell. Nowhere to go but to follow the Blades.

The Blades are watching a floating platform move between two high ledges.

Blade 1: This, too, be a Grimoire's doing?

Blade 1: ... An' a Wyrm – a DRAGON – was sighted at the Duke's manor.
Blade 2: Well, if there's magick about, dragons won't be far behind...
Blade 1: I worry about Guildenstern and the others.
Blade 2: ...Ach, they'll be fine.
Blade 1: Think of it! If we've witnessed miracles such as these on Léa Monde's doorstep, what then lies within?
Blade 2: ...Ye wear naiveté like a crest, brother! Surely the maesters know of this “Grimoire”. Mayhaps we've just been in the dark, eh?
Blade 1: Yet our charge is to drub those Mullenkamp scoundrels an'-
Blade 2: And procure the miracles of Lea Monde! 'Tis just a rumour, but I've heard that Guildenstern's lot works them magicks as well...
Blade 1: Rubbish! We're servants of the Lord! No true Knight of the Cross would dabble in the black arts!
Blade 2: It's only a rumour, brother... but if Sydney is truly the worker of diablerie they claim he is, I say fight fire with fire!
Blade 1: I say let the Lord be our shield!
Blade 2: Ever the choirboy! The only shield I see is the one coverin' your eyes! Heretic or no, I believe what I see, and right now... I see sorcery.
Blade 1: ....... Swine'll take wing 'fore the likes of us use magick, my friend.
Blade 2: Aye, but with a Grimoire, your fattest sow could outfly my swiftest falcon – if ye believe the chroniclers.
Blade 1: With a Grimoire, you say?

The appearance of the ghostly boy startles Ashley, alerting the Blades to his presence.

Easy fight, about 4 hits apiece on each Blade. There's another save point here, and a container. These are used to store excess items, and like the chests in Resident Evil their contents are consistent wherever you find them. A short ride on the magick platform takes us onwards. There's another minor tremor, and a 'Gust' trap in waiting. Trap panels can't be detected, but on the whole they aren't a serious problem unless you're careless enough to be running around on really low health.

Shortly Ashley comes across more Blades, being addressed by Guildenstern.

Blade 1: Parliament's... watchdogs?
Guildenstern: An agent of the VKP. You can follow orders, can you not? The VKP is your enemy. Now, Go!

Sydney using The Force to influence weak minds, it seems! Anyway, it's another easy fight for Ashley.

A powerful tremor shakes the cellars...

Ashley: Not again! This is a big one!

The tremor raises the ground a bit, making you do a bit of jumping about to get over to a room on the left. The game at this point is just teaching you to check around your environment and get used to the controls. In the newly-accessible room there's a chest with a Seventh Heaven crossbow and a reinforced glove. I never really bother with ranged weapons in this game, so I leave it be. Back through to the other exit.

Over the next few rooms are a few crates to move about and a lever to pull on a timer. All rudimentary stuff. I do love the crate carrying animation though, it makes me chuckle.

Ashley is suddenly overcome by a vision... or maybe a flashback?

The vision of the boy disappears through the far door. Ashley follows but there is no sign of him.

There is, however, something else waiting not too far away...

Not a difficult battle, but the Minotaur hits hard and has a good range. Moving in close and chopping away at the body works best – it's hard to hit its head because the horns offer good protection.

After every boss fight your score is updated and you get a little slot-machine type reel to stop which awards you a random stat increase. Bosses will almost invariably drop some vital items as well. Here's the Chamomile Sigil for that magickally-sealed door from before. The Grimoires are spells that Ashley can learn by using. Guerir is Heal and Debile is Degenerate, which lowers the armour stats of a foe.

As Ashley turns to leave he hears a metallic sound. It is Sydney applauding...

Ashley: Sydney!
Sydney: So this is a Riskbreaker. Most men complacently accept “knowledge” as “truth.” They are sheep, ruled by fear. But you are different. Always calm, detatched. A smooth flow of thought into action. Indeed... it is almost as if... as if you had no soul.

Ashley stands motionless.

Sydney: How do you do it? Body and soul are one... yet yours are separate. Like a child from the knight in his storybook. Where is your soul, Riskbreaker? Is this VKP training? Or did you see something that made you shut your soul away?

Ashley: They were slain by fallen knights, Jackals.
Sydney: Wrong. You failed to protect your wife, your child. You failed in your duty as a knight, as a husband... as a father. You killed them!
Ashley: Sydney!

Ashley charges at Sydney, who leaps high into the air, landing on the ledge opposite.

Sydney: Try to catch me, Ashley Riot! Look outside yourself to find your truth.
Ashley: What's your game?
Sydney: Hardin!

Ashley: Merlose!
Callo: Pay no heed to me! Take them, Riot!!
Sydney: The city of shade will forgive your sins, my son – and call forth a power... a power that lies within you even now! This is my game. I run, you give chase. I am the hart, and you the hunter. But this hart has laid a few snares of his own... I am waiting for you, Riskbreaker.

Ashley: Damn!

As Ashley approaches the door he is stunned by magickal energy.

Ashley: What... what is happening?

Sydney's voice: I am waiting for you, agent Riot.

Ashley is recovering his Chain abilities from his suppressed memories. That little zap gave him the battle abilities Heavy Shot, Gain Life and Temper. It also gave him the defence abilities Ward, Reflect Damage, and Impact Guard. Three each of these can be mapped to the controller and used to chain in combat and attempt to block or otherwise defend against the effect of an enemy attack. I put Impact Guard on triangle for 50% damage block, and Heavy Shot and Temper on square and circle, which are both damage percent boosts.

Duke Bardorba's Secondary Residence, Graylands. 5:38AM

2008-04-02T14:35:00.017+01:00

Duke Bardorba: ...So, the knights who came were not the King's men, but the Cardinal's?
Jan Rosencrantz: Knights of the cross led by Guildenstern, my lord.
Aide: “The Crimson Blades” - in direct service to the Cardinal.
Rosencrantz: Guildenstern led his men toward Léa Monde in pursuit of Sydney.
Bardorba: ...I see... send one of your men in the armour of these “holy knights”...set fire to the manor.
Aide: Fire... my liege?
Bardorba: The fool Sydney used his wyvern. We can't have witnesses telling the world, now can we?
Aide: But the hostages... your family!
Bardorba: Irrelevant! Burn it. Burn it to the ground!

The aide leaves

Bardorba: ...What of Parliament?
Rosencrantz: The VKP have formed a squad to deal with the felons.
Bardorba: The Riskbreakers... those meddling fools!
Rosencrantz: Your will, my lord?
Bardorba: ...Léa Monde is yours. Let no-one out of the town! You can deal with Sydney and the Blades there.
Rosencrantz: And Parliament?
Bardorba: I'll deal with those watchdogs... they won't trouble you further.
Rosencrantz: And the young lord Joshua?
Bardorba: He is my light... my soul. If aught should befall him...

Rosencrantz leaves.

Bardorba: Am I fated to rot and wither, even as I breathe?

Ashley: ...Well?

Ashley: Hmm... This is the only way in?
Callo: There's a great crevasse preventing entry above ground.
Ashley: And from the sea?

Callo: You do know we sent agents in, thinking those ruins were the Mullenkamp base. Not one returned.
Ashley: Not on account of the whirlpools, I'd wager...
Callo: Surely, it was men who killed them... how was it down there?
Ashley: Come down and see for yourself...

Callo: What's this?
Ashley: That's what I'm here to find out. It does seem well fortified for a wine cellar...
Callo: Oh? Léa Monde's wineries once vied with the best of Valendia. Since they went out of production, the remaining vintages sell for a premium.

Ashley opens an interior gate

Ashley: If I find any, consider them yours.
Callo: You plan to go alone?
Ashley: An agent with no combat experience would just be a liability.
Callo: ........
Ashley: Tell me what you know about Mullenkamp and this Sydney fellow.
Callo: Sydney Losstarot. Leader of the religious cult Mullenkamp. His real name and age are unknown. One of the many self-styled prophets of the apocalypse.
Ashley: So why would a cult missionary commit such a crime?
Callo: I do not know what the Cardinal thinks, but the VKP believes he is no prophet – indeed, he is in dark alliance with Duke bardorba, who controls Parliament from behind the scenes. That the cult is but a front. Perhaps this incident is a sign of some falling-out between the two?
Ashley: ... Or merely another of the Cardinal's witch-hunts?
Callo: There are many would-be prophets in the land these days, but Sydney is... different. His prophecies ring true, and those enraptured by the way he hums revelations – as though they were simple ballads! - all say the same: “He is a miracle.”
Ashley: .......
Callo: In any case, he has a strange power. He can guess the past of those he meets. He can even read hearts... they say his charisma is such that his followers offer both body and soul to him...

Ashley enters the gateway.

Callo: Agent Riot!!
Ashley: If I do not return by the morrow's eve, inform HQ, won't you?

Ashley closes the gate.

Callo: Godspeed...

A tremor shakes the cellar.

Ashley: No live burials today, thanks.

Strange, unearthly noises emanate from the rooms beyond

...And with that we're finally into the game proper.

Duke Bardorba's Manor - Graylands, 2:32AM

2008-04-02T13:40:00.036+01:00

A body falls to the ground, impaled by a sword. Romeo Guildenstern steps forward and pulls the weapon from his victim. A Crimson Blade soldier enters.

Guildenstern: Have you found Sydney?
Soldier: Not yet, sir.
Guildenstern: Put out the fires, or we'll lose the manor and all will be for naught! Split the knights into two groups, one to douse the blaze, the other to exterminate the traitors!
Soldier: Right away, sir.
Guildenstern: ... Where are you, Sydney?

Hardin: ... Show them who they're dealing with! Torch the chambers and kill the hostages!!
Follower 1: Aye!

Hardin enters the manor

Follower 2: We've no time! Let's finish this 'fore the Blades arrive!
Follower 1: Right! Let's do it quick and get out of here!

Ashley defeats the followers and enters the manor. As he approaches a door he hears voices from within

Voice 1: Well? Have you found it?
Voice 2: It's no use, there's nothing like that here – anywhere.
Voice 1: Keep looking, damn you!
Voice 2: I'm telling you, Sydney! The knights are nearly upon us!
Sydney: Stop your whimpering! You'd come this far, only to leave empty-handed? Now, search!

(Ashley moves away from the door into hiding as three followers leave the room).

Sydney: Curse the Duke! Where's he hidden it?
Hardin: You sure the Duke really has it? Does the damned thing even exist?

Sydney: You doubt me, Hardin? You doubt my power!?
Hardin: F-forgive me! I did not intend... But Sydney! Any longer, and there will be no escape for us!
Sydney: Fine, then! Bring the boy and come with me!!

Hardin leaves, Ashley slips through the door.

Sydney raises his hands.

Ashley: Now turn 'round slowly!

Sydney turns

Sydney: ...You're no knight, are you?

Ashley throws a length of rope at Sydney's feet.

Ashley: Bind your legs with that rope.
Sydney: Ah, a Riskbreaker... A royal guard-dog!
Ashley: Did you not hear me? Bind yourself, now!
Sydney: This is an unfortunate turn of events...

Sydney runs at Ashley

Ashley: Hold it!

Hardin: Sydney!!

Hardin runs forward, Ashley reaches for the crossbow but is struck down from behind – by Sydney.

Hardin leaves with the boy.

Ashley: You! Stop!

Sydney strikes at Ashley again, but Ashley rolls away and draws his sword.

Sydney drop his sword and pulls the bolt out from his chest, dropping to the floor.

The Beginning

2008-04-02T13:09:00.020+01:00

Vagrant Story is one of my all-time favourite games. It had me completely engrossed for a few months when it first came out, and I've often gone back to it to play individual sections, or just watch the magnificent ending. It's a bit of a misunderstood title, and it can be quite unforgiving in the early stages. A lot of people give up on it and that's a shame. In light of that, and just for a bit of personal fun I've decided to blog a playthrough of it. I'll be transcribing it in text and pictures, and offering my own commentary and notes along the way where appropriate. Hopefully it will make for an interesting read for anyone who's dabbled in the game and given up, or anyone who's just curious about it.

Off we go with the fairly lengthy introduction sequence, which is split into several parts and is easy to skip. Indeed, I'd owned the game for several months before seeing all the cutscenes after the title screen, because I pressed start after the Durai quote. You have to leave it running at the title and watch everything until it returns to the title, then start the game and leave it until you're standing in the Wine Cellar.

Inquisitor 1: Six hours have passed since the occupation of the Duke's manor by one Sydney Losstarot, founder and leader of the Mullenkamp sect. He and his allies have taken the Duke's family and servants hostage. They hold the manor as we speak.
Ashley: To what purpose?

Inquisitor 1: The scum make two demands: The release of their imprisoned comrades and the abdication of cardinal Batistum.

Ashley: On what pretext shall we apprehend them?
Inquisitor 2: We need no pretext! Mullenkamp is a pack of rogues, hiding behind a priest's frock.
Inquisitor Heldricht: We believe them responsible for the attempt on our sovereign's life, this Yuletide past.
Ashley: And the VKP will not free their comrades?
Inquisitor 1: Certainly not! Do you know how many agents gave their lives-
Inquisitor 2: All because of this religious freedom! Too much freedom, too many gods. Let those cultist cur-dogs run loose, and they will bite you. Gods! While our parliament cowers...
Inquisitor 1: Strike that outburst from the record.
(Voice): Yes, M'lord.
Ashley: ...Are cults not the Templars' concern? Why must we be involved?
(Voice): Our inquisitors have found that Mullenkamp's coin comes from the captive Duke himself. Indeed, Valendia might still be at war with itself, were it not for the Duke's heroism. Yet he wields much of his power from the shadows. Even after his retirement, his grip on parliament is unrelenting.

Inquisitor 1: ...Furthermore, we must find out why the Cardinal sent his Blades to deal with this incident without our approval. Inquisitor Heldricht will explain.

Inquisitor Heldricht: You will go to the Graylands immediately. A map of the manor grounds is in your carriage. I've sent one of my agents ahead; she will fill you in when you arrive.
Ashley: ...She?
Inquisitor Heldricht: Agent Merlose.

Callo: I'm your partner, Callo Merlose. But, please, call me Cal. How was your journey?
Ashley: How many are there?
Callo: ...Our scouts report a dozen men. Of course, we have yet to spot Sydney, and there may be more inside the manor.
Ashley: Hostages?
Callo: Including the Duke's family and servants, thirty-four. Thankfully the duke himself was away at the time.
Ashley: The Duke was not taken captive?
Callo: Nay.
Ashley: How fare the Blades?
Callo: We will have to wait and see. With the hostages inside, direct action is perilous. We must negotiate with Sydney while we collect information to aid our final-

What is this!?

Ashley: ... the Cardinal's Blades have made their move.
Callo: We've given no such order! Their actions are in direct defiance of our authority!
Ashley: ...Perhaps their hand was forced?
Callo: Wait, where are you going?
Ashley: The Blades have provided the perfect distraction.
Callo: It's far too dangerous! We must wait for reinforcements!
Ashley: Reinforcements?