Earning our JRPG black belt - Let's Play Legend of Legaia!

Ok for the life of me I can't remember if the forest you choose has any effect on how things play out. Do you know or recall if things happen differently if you pick the East Voz forest?

Name him Chocolate.

His name should be a Gurren Lagann reference. Can someone who's seen that help me out?

I like how things have been going so far. Spreading out the arts means a nice little video or few every update for a good while. Getting the non-cheating members of the audience to post combinations is a good way to outsource finding new arts, because really, there are a whole lot more combinations than any one person is willing to figure out before resorting to gamefaqs.

It being so long since I played, is the forest choice an actual choice?

Blue: right right up down down

Ruby: up up down down left right

Chocolate: left right left left

Let's name him Braun.

←←↓

If you pick East Voz Forest, Songi will bitch about it until Zopu lets him go there instead, so not really. Hilarious if you want to see Songi whine like a douchebag, but not really affecting in the long run.

On the naming of Gala: The votes are spread around on like seven different names right now. If there isn't a clear majority by the day after tomorrow, I'll either keep his default or name him after the color of his outfit (Purple or Lavender, something along those lines). I'm also vetoing Chocolate; it's a little too silly for my tastes. Is everybody cool with this?

Edit: Disregard the struck-through part; it's a bit hypocritical of me to veto something and expect audience participation at the same time. Sorry, everyone!

No. I vote for Chocolate.

Hershey

Don't take this personally, but if you don't like silly names you probably shouldn't be opening up your LP to any audience participation. At least "Chocolate" isn't an unpronounceable string of meaningless symbols. Or a variant of "Pants."

Point taken. I guess it's kind of a weird thing for me to veto, anyway.

Russet. Failing that, Ecru, Umber, or Tan.

Oooh, I like Umber.

Umber is good, yeah.

But I think naming him Auburn would be best.

I'm changing my vote from Bruno to Auburn. Hope that's allowed.

It is, in fact, allowed. Kalir changed his a few hours ago, actually.

Here are the standings as of this post:

Teacher: 1
Green: 1
Chocolate: 2
Braun: 1
Hershey: 1
Umber: 2
Auburn: 2

We've got a three-way tie going right now. Anyone who hasn't voted yet is welcome to do so. Similarly, if you've already voted but wish to change your vote, you may do so, but only once (meaning people like Kalir and Kahran042 can't change their votes again). I'll end the poll tomorrow afternoon, so you've still got a decent amount of time to change the outcome. See you guys then!

What the hell, I'll go with Auburn.

I would change my vote to Auburn.

I'm gonna throw my support behind Hershey, even though it looks like Auburn has it now.

Umber

Umber.

There's a two-way tie now - Umber and Auburn both have 4 votes. The next person to vote (or change their vote if you've already voted) will be the tie-breaker.

Edit: Never mind - Destil came into the thread as I was writing this post and voted. Gala's name is now Umber! I'll see you guys in a few days with the next update.

Are you guys ready to revive a Genesis Tree? I know I am.

Chapter 6: Forests Aren't Usually This Purple



♪♪We Are the Biran Priests♪♪

Just makin' it official.



Wait a sec - all of our party members have a 'b' in their name. That's a pretty awesome coincidence.



Ruby: Umber... That's an interesting name.
Umber: Well don't get too friendly. I hate Seru! {Geez, dude, lighten up a little.}

Let's talk with the remaining monks before leaving.

In the statue room
Zopu: Blue, Ruby. Good luck to you both! {No love for Umber? What the hell, man?}
Monk: Yes, sir! Before heading to West Voz Forest, you should buy provisions from the peddler in the kitchen.

In the main hall
Monk: Yes, sir! Master Teacher! I am striving to become like you!
Monk: Yes, sir! Master Teacher, I am certain that those Seru are no match for you! Sir.
Gate guard: Ah, so you're going to the West Voz Forest. Take care on your journey!
Monk: Yes, sir! Take care on your way to West Voz Forest!
Monk: Yes, sir! Master Teacher, I am honored to speak with one so worthy and noble as yourself.

In the upstairs hallway
Monk: Yes, sir! There is no one in this bedroom now.
Monk: Yes, sir! Good luck to all of you!
Monk: Yes, sir! Master Teacher could drive away the Mist. I know he could.
Monk: Yes, sir! The Mist is think in West Voz Forest and the Seru there are powerful. Take care.
Monk: Yes, sir! The Age of Hope will come because of your efforts.

In the kitchen
Monk: Yes, sir! Master Teacher... Are you eating to fortify yourself for the journey?
Woman: The women were talking about you all day yesterday. Blue, I know you have come to Biron Monastery to take Maya back to Rim Elm. Maya has been very distressed.
Woman: I want to help everyone, but the only thing I know how to do is cook. Do you want to eat before leaving? {This woman will offer to heal us by cooking a meal whenever we want. Beats staying at an inn, that's for sure. A monk in a bedroom will provide the same service, only with... well, beds.}
Woman: I'm so happy. The repulsive Mist will finally leave us. When you come back, I'll cook a big dinner for you all!
Woman: Master Teacher, don't let Songi defeat you. We're all rooting for you!

In the training room
Monk: Yes, sir! I wanted to go with everyone.
Monk: Yes, sir! This is Master Zopu's room. Go on in.
Monk: Yes, sir! Listen, everyone. You are wrong. This door leads to East Voz Forest. To get to West Voz Forest you have to go through the opposite door.
Monk: Yes, sir! The wait is over! West Voz Forest lies northwest of here. Good luck! {The door opens, but we're not going just yet.}
Maya: Blue, Ruby. It's about Rim Elm. Last night I was thinking. About Mei... About Juno. And about something else. I want to have a long talk with you, but now the Genesis Tree is more important. Let's talk later, after you come back. Well, then. Good luck! I'll be praying for your safe return. {Thanks, Maya. We'll be sure to come back safely.}

In Zopu's room
Kin: Now, then. Take care on your journey. {Not one to mince words, I see.}

That takes care of that. Time to go to West Voz Forest!



♪♪Barren Fields of Mist♪♪

First, though, we need to take care of a few things - namely, we'll want Umber to be at least at level 3 before setting off for West Voz. I also forgot to pick up a few items in earlier areas, so I'll get that out of the way now.



♪♪The Lively Imperial Palace♪♪

First, a brief trip to where King Drake was formerly locked up nets us the Platinum Card. This baby lets us buy secret items at certain shops. I'll be sure to point them out; you'll know if an item is secret if the font is light blue.



I had completely forgotten to talk to Mei before heading to Drake Castle. If I had, she would have given us her pendant, which increases the wearer's maximum HP by 10%. It totally slipped my mind until I started working on this update, though, so either we're locked out of it or we'll have to wait until later. At least we get a bonus scene out of it.



♪♪Mei♪♪

Ruby: I'm Ruby, a friend of Blue's!
Mei: Oh, I see. Ruby. So you're Blue's friend. I'm pleased to meet you. I'm Mei. I'm Blue's friend, too.



Ruby: Blue, I like Mei! She's nice!
Mei: Blue, you have made a very charming friend! I'm happy for you.

In any case, now that that's taken care of, it's time to train Umber a bit.



♪♪Brand of the Holy Knuckles♪♪

Right away we learn a few Arts, courtesy of the audience.



First, Torzelbaum's combo of ↓ ↑ ← ← gets us Flying Knee Attack (though only the first three arrows apply); it's more of a flying elbow in practice, though. A slight mistranslation, maybe?



Next, Jikuryuu's ← → ← ← lets us learn Back Punch (though, again, only the first three arrows apply). It's, well, a back punch.



A few battles later, we get Umber's first level-up. This is also a rare case of two characters leveling up at once. It doesn't happen too often, but it's neat when it does.



It's a good idea to train your Seru while working on Umber. Gimard isn't that important, but we'll be needing Vera's services for quite some time. Speaking of which, now that Vera is at level 3, it also cures Venom in addition to healing the target.



Since it'd be lame to only learn two Arts this update, I'll throw in a few more. Ironhead, shown here, is learned by inputting ↑ ↓ ↓.



This is Side Kick, learned with ↓ ↓ ↑ ↑. also lol graphical glitches

The previous battle took Umber to level 3, so we're ready to head to West Voz. Before we do, though, let's take a look at Umber's stats.

As you can see, Umber has pretty high defense - his UDF is one point below Blue's, with four fewer levels and no armor, which is pretty awesome. His Speed and Agility are atrocious, though; until we can get our hands on a certain accessory much later on, Umber will almost always take his turn last, sometimes even after enemies. His Intelligence is also rather high, indicating that he'd do well as a backup caster if he had a Ra-Seru. All in all, he's pretty good, considering he doesn't have any equipment; he should do fine until we can get our hands on some.





♪♪Barren Fields of Mist♪♪

The forest isn't too far away - just a battle or two and you'll be there before you know it!



♪♪Voz Forest♪♪

We've arrived at West Voz Forest, a small wood whose plant life is being choked and stunted by the Mist.



Even so, it's the prettiest location in the game so far, chunky polygons and all. It's also the maziest; the path to the Genesis Tree is rather straightforward, but there are a number of side paths to sweet treasure.



♪♪Brand of the Holy Knuckles (Ver. 2)♪♪

This is the Nighto, the first Dark Seru you'll encounter and the only new enemy in the forest. It doesn't deal much damage, but its shell makes it rather tough to take down.



It also hides a freaky eye monster you'll only see when it gets knocked down.



Sweet! I'll demonstrate it in a minute.



You can also find Vera here, though they're kind of rare. It's especially odd seeing two of them in one fight. Still, it's a good idea to get Ruby to absorb one; that way Blue won't have to do all the healing.



♪♪Voz Forest♪♪

Taking a side path nets us a Shield Elixir, which increases an ally's Defense for one battle, as well as... Fertilizer. 'Kay...



Here's a demo of Nighto in action.



♪♪Brand of the Holy Knuckles (Ver. 2)♪♪

It's one of the few Seru that doesn't gain any additional effects when it levels up, because it already has two - when summoned, Nighto either kills or confuses the target. Unlike most spells of its kind, it actually has a pretty good chance of working. Just don't rely on it all the time - it's rather expensive to cast at this point (at 13 MP per use). Pretty good for desperate situations, though!



♪♪Voz Forest♪♪

This item cures every status effect besides KO. They're rather expensive at 300 G a pop, so free ones are always nice.

Speaking of status effects, this is probably as good a time as any to go over them. There aren't a whole lot, but they all suck.

Venom: The afflicted character's maximum HP decreases by 5% at the start of every turn, and attack and defense slowly decreases as well. This can't kill you, luckily, but it's still a good idea to get rid of it quickly.
Toxic: Like Venom but worse; maximum HP decreases by 10% every turn, and attack and defense decrease more drastically.
Numb: The afflicted character becomes unable to move either for several turns or until attacked.
Rot: Probably the worst status effect; it prevents affected body parts from being usable. For instance, if Blue's left arm were Rotted, he'd be unable to use it, and a fully Rotted body means he couldn't attack at all. I'm not sure on this, but a Rotted Ra-Seru arm might prevent you from using magic; I can't remember at the moment.
Curse: The afflicted character is unable to use magic, and takes more damage.
Stone: Turns the afflicted character into a stone statue. They won't take any damage, but they can't do anything either, and if every character is Stoned it's an automatic Game Over.

So yeah. Status effects are best dealt with as soon as possible.



This is an accessory that prevents the wearer from getting Cursed. I'll throw it on Umber so he isn't totally defenseless, though I don't think we've run into an enemy that can Curse us yet.



Huh. What's this tiny plant doing here? How are we going to cross this river, for that matter?



Umber: You guys don't know anything, do you? That's called Bridge Grass. *crosses his arms* It's tiny now, but it'll be big enough to span a gorge and strong enough to walk on! And, no, it's not edible!
Ruby: Oh. So we can't eat it. Oh, hey, I know!



Ruby: Let's give it to the Bridge Grass! It might grow faster that way!
Umber: *nods* Hmm. I thought you were just a fool, but that's a good idea.
Ruby: You're mean, Umber! Boo-hoo!





I dunno about this; sure, the Fertilizer will help the plant along, but I don't think-







I stand corrected. I wasn't aware that Miracle-Gro existed on Legaia.



Moving on, we find Ruby's named weapon, a tonfa. Pretty sweet find.



A Memory Statue, huh? We must be close!



There it is!



*Umber shrugs his shoulders.*
Umber: This dead, rotting tree doesn't look like it has the power to drive away the Mist. But it doesn't matter to me. Blue, hurry up and do whatever you came here to do.
*Ruby peers intently at the Genesis Tree.*

Man, what are you talking about? I'm sure it's fine. Let's just hurry up and-

Ruby: This is different from Mt. Rikuroa's Genesis Tree! Terra, what's going on?
*The music fades out. Terra is silent for a few moments.*



...what?!



Ruby: But I thought you and Meta could give life to the Genesis Tree!
Meta: Regrettably, this one is too far gone for us to help it.
Ruby: No!
Umber: In other words, we came all the way out here for naught! There's nothing we can do now. Let's stop wasting time and get back to Biron Monastery.

But... but that's not how these things go! We're the heroes; heroes don't fail, right?

...right?



Wait, what the-



♪♪The Quiet Tree of Creation♪♪

Ruby: Blue! Something's glowing! Look! It's glowing!
Meta: That glow! That's the glow of a Ra-Seru Egg! It's a Ra-Seru Egg!
Terra: How fortunate! At least the Ra-Seru Egg still survives! Meta and I will combine our powers and call the Ra-Seru Egg to us.









Meta: Blue, the Ra-Seru Egg needs the power of a healthy Genesis Tree. Take good care of the Ra-Seru Egg until then.
Ruby: I can't wait to see what kind of Ra-Seru comes out of the egg!
Umber: *walks forward* West Voz Forest's Genesis Tree was dead... I wonder how Songi faired in East Voz Forest.

Okay, this isn't all bad. We just have to take this egg to East Voz Forest and-

*Suddenly there is a flash of light, and the screen shakes briefly.*
Umber: What?



♪♪An Unpredictable Happening♪♪

*The camera fades out to the world map, where it pans to Biron Monastery.*



Why is the Monastery smoking?



I barely missed it, but there was a column of light in that direction.

Umber: That sound and light came from the direction of Biron Monastery!
Ruby: I wonder what happened.
Umber: Blue, the Monastery may be in trouble. We must hurry back there!
*Blue nods.*



Crap, this isn't good!



Gotta hurry...



Outta my way, asshole!

♪♪Mist Covered Town♪♪

I've got a bad feeling about this...



Umber: I'll go on ahead and see what's going on.
*Umber takes off, checking a nearby monk for signs of life before heading through a door.*
Ruby: Blue! It's the Seru! I smell the Seru!

Shit... uh, maybe one of these monks are alive? Maybe they can tell us if there are any survivors.



Thanks. To the kitchen!



Yes, it is, just open the door!

That voice! It's Blue! Wait just one moment while I unlock the door. *he does so* Quick! Hurry inside before the Seru monsters come!



Zopu: I just heard what happened from Master Teacher. So the Genesis Tree of West Voz Forest was already dead. That's too bad. As you can see, things here are a mess. That Songi betrayed us! {You mean you never noticed Songi laughing maniacally about how he was going to kill all of you?} The monastery wall was destroyed with a great blast. Then came Songi and many Seru.



Zopu: Songi had a Seru on his arm. That Seru may have been controlling him. We barely made it here alive. Such a pitiful story.
Ruby: Zopu... What about Umber? Where is Umber?
Zopu: When he heard that Songi had done this, he ran off in a rage. Maybe he went to look for monks who survived the attack... Or to track down Songi. There's nothing I can do now. Nothing. What a disgrace I am!
Ruby: Don't cry, Zopu! I'll fight hard, so don't cry, Zopu! Blue, let's get rid of the Mist! Let's drive the Mist from Biron!
*Blue nods. Zopu goes to stand by the Memory Statue.*

Wait a second... where's Maya? Why isn't she in the kitchen? Maybe someone here will know.

Monk: The monastery's northeastern gate leads to East Voz Forest, where the Genesis Tree is. Good luck!
Zopu: Why did this have to happen now, after the Genesis Tree had given us such hope?
Woman: Before Songi attacked, I heard the cry of a creature I had never heard before.
Woman: Maya was left in the bedroom! {What?! Why would you idiots do that?!}



I would, but we already know the moves he's offering to teach (Hurricane for Blue and Dolphin Attack for Ruby; we can't check for Umber since he isn't with us).



♪♪Brand of the Holy Knuckles (Ver. 2)♪♪

While rushing to Maya's bedroom, we encounter a slightly powered up version of the Theeder. Of course, now that we have Ra-Seru, we can absorb them! That won't be easy, however; their higher levels make these Theeders harder to absorb.



There are also powered up Gimards here. A good time as any to acquire it for Ruby, I guess!



Rest assured I'll demonstrate Theeder next update.

Okay, enough of that nonsense. Time to see if Maya's okay-



Don't tell me we're too late again...

Ruby: Blue! It's a Seru! A Seru monster!
*Ruby walks closer to get a better look. When she recognizes Maya, she gasps.*

♪♪Noa's Dreams♪♪

Ruby: Oh, no! Arrgh!



Ruby: It's Maya! She's turned into a Seru! Maya, wait!
*Ruby walks up to Maya and begins pulling on her arm. Maya remains oblivious.*
Ruby: Maya, I'll get that Seru off you. Wait! I'll take it off!
Terra: Ruby! Stop!
*She does so.*
Ruby: But...
Terra: If you rip it off her like that, she'll die!
*Ruby backs away.*
Ruby: Why? I don't understand!



Terra: You should never remove a Seru from a human when the Mist is around. The Seru and human are one, so if you do that they'll die. There's only one way to free a human who's turned into a Seru monster. And that is to get rid of the Mist! You said there's a Genesis Tree in East Voz Forest, right?
Ruby: Yeah.
Terra: If you want to help Maya, you have to awaken the Genesis Tree there.
Ruby: Then Maya will turn back into a human?
Terra: Ruby, I would never lie to you.
*Ruby nods.*
Ruby: Maya, I promise... I promise to destroy the Mist!

Alright, I guess it's time to go. There's no point looking for Umber - he's either helping out the monks or on his way to East Voz already.



♪♪Mist Covered Town♪♪

Wait, what's this?



Hmm... I wonder who she was writing to? Only one way to find out...

To my daugher Mei:
Today Blue came to Biron
and told me about Juno.
I was so shocked and
I shed many tears.
When I think of how lonely you must
be, my heart breaks with grief.
When you were still young, I
left you and came to Biron.
I left because of the Mist.
Please forgive me
for leaving you in Rim Elm.
Blue says I can return
with him, but there is something
that keeps me here at the
Biron Monastery a little longer.
Please forgive me.
There are two orphans here,
Songi and Umber.
They are about your age,
and they are like sons to me.
My obligations here
compel me to stay.
You must think that I don't care
for you, but that is not true.
I know that the people of the
village are supporting you.
Please forgive

The letter ends here.

Damn... all the more reason to hurry the hell up and go to East Voz, I suppose.

Umber: It can't be true! Songi did all this? How could he have done this! What was he thinking? I have to talk to Songi! I have to find out why he did this! But...



Well, yeah, we kind of have to; otherwise the monastery is screwed, Maya with it.

*Blue nods.*
Umber: I knew it! I know that Songi is waiting for me in East Voz Forest. If the Genesis Tree is still alive, I'll revive it and free the monastery from the Mist! After travelling together, I know how strong you are now. Actually, to be honest, I'm not confident enough to go to East Voz Forest without you.



The more, the merrier. Besides, we'll need all the help we can get.

♪♪A New Party Member♪♪



♪♪Mist Covered Town♪♪

Seems like we're ready to go - but we'll do that next time. Until then, I'll keep taking combo suggestions - up to six inputs per combo for Blue and Ruby, and five for Umber. See you then! Oh, something I forgot to mention; some of the previous combo suggestions have been really close to being Arts. Like, one wrong arrow away, in some cases. Keep at it!

Next time: hopefully reviving the Genesis Tree in West Voz Forest.

Whoo! I taught Umber something. Ikuzo indeed.

But, man... We haven't taught Ruby anything. Sorry Ruby.

Blue / Ruby : →↑↓↓↑→
Umber : ←↓↑↓←

Not only are there Bs in everyone's names, but there are Us too.

I propose every party memeber have those letters somewhere in their name, they'll be the BU team!

Wait

...BU...

...B^U..


..nevermind.

UUDDLR

Now that I think about it, I'm disappointed Umber doesn't have a Pokemon name.

I am certainly displeased with his name. And by displeased I mean why didn't you guys choose the name I chose i'm gonna pack up all my things and leave forever and you'll all be sorry.

Anyway, Umber: ↓ ↓ → ↑

Also, minor suggestion: rather than have each move take up its own Youtube clip, I think it'd be a little better to have each update's new moves compiled into a single movie. Or three movies, one for each character.