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Welcome to the Archipelago. Let's play Odyssey: The Legend of Nemesis!
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#1
10-31-2018, 10:49 AM
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Welcome to the Archipelago. Let's play Odyssey: The Legend of Nemesis!
Welcome, guests, to my first ever screenshot LP, of the undeservedly-obscure Macintosh RPG Odyssey: The Legend of Nemesis.
 Odyssey was designed by Richard Rouse III and released in 1996 by Paranoid Productions, using the engine from an earlier game called Minotaur: The Labyrinths of Crete, which is also comparable to the earlier Ultima games. Later, a freeware version was released with a number of bug fixes, and that's the version I will be showing off here. You can download it here, but if you're not using a Macintosh that supports Classic Environment, you'll need an emulator. Personally, I use SheepShaver, which you can find out how to set up here. Now, on with the LP proper. This is a story-driven game, so it would probably be best to start off with the story.   That being said, this is my first screenshot LP, it might not be as interactive as my past ones, but I'll try my best. In fact, we can start out here. What our protagonist's name be, and should they be male or female? This is what the genders look like, but it's purely cosmetic AFAIK, and will be indistinguishable once we get enough armor anyway, so don't worry too much about it.   And, for something that's not purely cosmetic, what kind of stat spread should they have? You can't directly pick stats, but you can reroll until you get something good. The stats are: Stoutness - Determines physical attack power. Nimbleness - Determines accuracy and evasion. Sagacity - Determines psionic attack power. By the way, that title screen? It was designed by THE Derek Riggs, as was the cover art. And now you know. TABLE OF CONTENTS Un:
Postgame content:
WallyHackenslacker's tips, tricks, and tidbits:
WallyHackenslacker's analyses: Last edited by Kahran042; 04-17-2020 at 01:56 PM. Reason: Adding link to freeware download. |
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#5
11-01-2018, 12:10 PM
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#7
11-02-2018, 12:51 PM
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All Washed Up
The polls are closed, and we have two votes for a Stoutness-based character, one for a Sagacity-based one, and only one name suggestion. So, our character will look like this:
 And, after watching the intro scenes again, the adventure officially begins. Let's take a look at the interface.  First of all, the character window (A). It shows what Katrielle looks like, a list of her equipment, and her stats. Not much to say, really. Next, the Disiplines window (B). It shows how much skill we have in each weapon and psionic category. It may not look like much, but that's because it only lists experience for weapon groups and psionic disciplines which we actually have access to. It should be noted that it's important to diversify training in weapons and psionics because your max HP and PP increase every time you gain a level in a weapon group or psionic discipline, respectively. The Objects window (C) lists everything except weapons and psionics. "Keys" is self-explanatory. Thankfully, this game automatically checks to see if you have the correct key when you're opening a locked door, so you don't have to try every single key in your inventory, like in a lot of games. "Usable Objects" are items that have a direct effect when used. "General Objects" are other items that don't fit into other categories, including books and notes. "Armor & Shields" is even more self-explanatory than keys. "Ammunitions" are required to fire ranged weapons. Each ranged weapon uses a different type - bows use arrows, crossbows use bolts. However, we don't have any ranged weapons yet, so it doesn't matter for now. "Treasure" is how much money you have, in both gold and gems. The message window (D) explains what's going on. It includes Katrielle hitting monsters, the monsters hitting back, indication of hard or impassible terrain, notifications of item acquisition, and other...well, messages. Last and not least, the map window (E) is where the actual game takes place. As you can see, there's a note on the beach, and a cave not far away. So let's take a look at them both.   And we've already got an adventure hook! But let's check out the cave first.  Seems like a pretty homey place, actually. Makes sense because it actually is a home. Let's see if this old guy's a friendly hermit or a murder hermit.  Looks like he's a friendly hermit. Good thing, because it gives me an opportunity to explain the conversation system in this game. When you talk to someone, it shows a window like this, with a space where you can type in keywords. Most people will respond to "name" and "job", a lot of them will usually respond to "island" and "town", especially later in the game. Here's what the old man has to say about the first three ("town" isn't very applicable to someone living in a cave):
That thing about villages sounds like it might be interesting.  And he mentioned monsters, but we haven't seen any yet. Might as well try to find out more.  "Hut"? This is clearly a cave. However, that advice might just come in handy. Let's check out the secret passage he mentioned.  In general, walls with little notches or other significant differences from normal walls, as seen on the circled one here, are secret passages. Let's see what lies through this one.   Jackpot! A list of the items here:
All in all, a pretty good haul.  And, now that we're outfitted, we can probably check out an adventure hook. But which one? Current plot hooks:
By the way, you might notice some inconsistencies in the screenshots. This is because I somehow forgot to take screenshots at the first opportunity, so I had to take them after the fact. My bad. :P Also, spoiler policy, for anyone who's played this: Spoilers are fine, as long as they're in spoiler tags. The exception is anything to do with the final area - do NOT post spoilers about that. Last edited by Kahran042; 12-02-2018 at 06:30 AM. |
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#9
11-02-2018, 05:29 PM
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i appreciate how you kept the 'latyon' typo
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#10
11-02-2018, 05:59 PM
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"On Head: Hair."
I love this game already. Go pick up that sea shell! I bet you can hear the ocean! Quote:
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#11
11-03-2018, 11:06 AM
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A Vexing Situation
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First of all, something I forgot to mention: this game has a great soundtrack, composed of arrangements of various classical music. I don't really know much about classical music, so I wouldn't recognize most of them, but here's a link to the music for Un's overworld, which also plays in the old man's cave. Now, to address Gerad's suggestion: Quote:
 If you say yes...  And, if you take him up on his offer of help...  So, it's another way of getting information about the secret passage, and some extra story information, to boot. Anyway, let's take the old man's torches, then head to the northeast!  And we've encountered our first monster! This is a Green Flesh-Thresher. It's quick, but not especially tough. This island is also inhabited by Slime Mauls, which are the opposite. Every island has a pair of monsters like this on the overworld, which are for the most part indigenous to that island. Thankfully, this being the first island, these aren't too much trouble, so we make it to the northeast easily. When we get there...  When encountering a strange glowing mirror in a swamp on an uncharted island, it's always a good idea to enter it. On doing so...  ...Katrielle finds herself in a strange place, with this music playing. By the way, an interesting note: as I said earlier, I don't know beans about classical music, so this was my first exposure to Satie's Gymnopedie, which was also used in Mother 3. So, when I heard the Mother 3 one, I recognized it as this. Anyway, let's take a look at the obvious note here. Quote:
     At the end of the maze, we find a sign, two scrolls and a strange rune. The scrolls are our first psionics, which for all intents and purposes are magic by another name. Specifically, Touch of Frost, a close-range ice attack, and Electric Habergeon, a temporary defense buff. Stepping on the rune causes the message "You feel strangely energized" to appear, meaning that our maximum psionic points are now 100. However, it doesn't fill up the bar, so we'll have to wait a while to actually use our reward. That being said, the note said to "beat a hasty retreat" once we've collected our reward, so let's do that!  This flame is the exit from the Vex Chamber. Once you step on the power rune in one, you have 50 turns to escape before it disappears and you're trapped forever. So let's do it!  As was also alluded to in the note, you only have one shot at each Vex Chamber - once you exit, whether you succeed or fail, the mirror disappears. Thankfully, the only way to fail this one is to take too long to exit and get trapped inside. Anyway, now that we're fortified with psionics, let's head south in search of civilization...but that will have to wait for next time. Last edited by Kahran042; 01-20-2019 at 06:49 AM. Reason: Adding precise time limit to leave Vex Chambers. |
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#12
11-04-2018, 02:24 PM
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I've Got the Blues (part 1)
Today, we'll try to make it to a town, and see what its people have to say. "Try" because, well, look at Katrielle's health bar.
 Fortunately, health recovers over time, and the monsters of Un are pretty weak, so I'll most likely survive. Let's go!  Guess I underestimated the average Slime Maul. Trust me, this screen will come up pretty often. Fortunately, I can always restore to an earlier save, so after doing that, completing the Vex Chamber again, and navigating the island for a while, we find ourselves outside a town. The sign indicates that this is Elba, so let's check it out.  Music: Elba and Niac It certainly looks secure, which is a probably a good thing considering how many monsters there are outside. They've left me at 10% of my maximum health, so I'm going to take a rest here.  Resting causes your health and regeneration rate to increase, but also leaves you helpless, so you really don't want to do it in any location with monsters. Resting in a bed is more efficient than resting on the ground, but beds are usually in safe areas, so it doesn't matter too much. Anyway, let's see what these guards have to say.  This is actually the most common result you'll get from talking to people, since most of them seem to only exist to make towns seem more populated. However, there are people who are willing to talk, like the waiter at this lovely little outdoor café.   Let's start out with the standard conversation options. name: "My name is Francois T., and I am happy to serve Elbans ze very best in Elban Cuisine." job: "Why, monsieur, you ask such zilly questions! I am ze waiter here at Le Coq a L'ane." Apparently, he can't tell that Katrielle is a woman. Although, to be fair, the Ring Mail she's wearing is pretty androgynous... Anyway, let's ask him about cuisine.  Asking him about Elba will get the same response, so let's try asking him about Niac.  Looks like he's not too fond of Niac. Let's look around town some more and see what other people have to say. First, we'll read the sign outside the building to the south.  Ooh, now that might be handy, considering how much damage I'm taking in general.  And the doctor is in, so let's talk to her.  Hopefully she's not too busy for the standard questions. name: "My name's Felicia, Fe for short." job: "I'm pretty much the director here at Miracle Cures, Inc. I do most of the healing and caring. Since I don't really have time to talk, if you want more information, maybe I could give you a book... That book might be useful, so let's ask about it.  Interesting. Niac has a strong military, but no medical knowledge? Kind of strange. Anyway, at least we've got a key out of it, so let's take it.  The Copper Key is a master key to the hospital, so we can use it to open these two doors. The south door contains two Healing Herbs, a book of Elban Medical Techniques, and a Bread Knife. When used, the Healing Herbs restore approximately 13 HP, and each one can be used up to five times before disintegrating. The book, while we can't read it, can be used for a subquest later. Finally, the knife is a fairly weak melee weapon. It does unlock a new weapon category, though, so there's that. The north door contains the psionic Spontaneous Combustion, a ranged damage-over-time fire spell. Having acquired these things, let's check out more of the town...  ...after chatting up this smug-looking douchebag.  And his portrait doesn't look any less smug than his sprite. As far as I know, he doesn't really have anything important to say, but let's try some of the common dialogue options anyway. name: "Greetings and salutations. My name is Roderick, proud Elban." job: "Oh, I do a little bit here, a little bit there. Elba has always been good to me, so I need not work too hard." Elba: "Noble Elba, who could find a better town. We proudly feature a comprehensive health service, something they are sorely lacking. Why I hear in Niac their people can't even cure warrior's foot yet. And our cuisine... is magnificent. You won't find delicacies like ours anywhere else in the world." Niac: "Those vile, filth-dwelling, scheming, violent Niacians. They are the ones with the military might, I suppose, but we have held them back with the great strength of our patriotism alone. They are wholly and totally different from us. I could speak all day about their inferiority, but it would just infuriate me. Elba forever!" And, if you ask him about "health" or "cuisine":  Asking him about Niac's military will result in this:  The conversation options being exhausted, let's get away from Roderick before Katrielle gets the urge to stab him right in his smug face.  Next stop on our tour, the Elban stockyards. Those buffalo-looking critters are called Spamalopes, and they're somewhat useful. You see, killing them is worth 10 points of weapon experience, and killing them doesn't bring the guards down on you. Unfortunately, they don't respawn, which is why they're only somewhat useful. I'll be saving them for later.  Just south of the stockyard is the Groggroom, a tavern. And where there's a tavern, there's a bartender, and where there's a bartender, there's information. So let's see what he has to say about the common conversation topics in this town.  name: "Most people just call me Grogg." job: "I'm general owner and manager of the Groggroom: been so for the past fifty years. A lot of information passes over a good cup of mead. But really not much changes on Un." Un: "Funny name for an island, I guess. But it makes sense since, I figure, it being the only one in the whole world. Too bad it's got only two towns on it. But who could create more with the monsters out there?" Elba: "This sure is a fine town: it's the only town decent folk live in. Certainly not that filth ridden place to the south. Mendicants! And I hear the food ain't so good down there, neither. Now Elban cuisine! There's something to be reckoned with!" Niac: "If I were you, sir, I wouldn't mention that place to just anybody. Elbans are liable to decapitate you. But Niac... what a wretched place. I always wondered: the great God above... why did he only create just one island. And why did he create just two towns, one good and one evil. 'Cause that's what Niac is you know: pure evil. Is he testing us? Seeing which we choose? I'll never understand it." cuisine: "Without a doubt, the finest cuisine on Un. Now that isn't saying much, those Niacians never produced anything of any worth anyway. But Elban cuisine is great stuff. Too bad we don't get seafood anymore, but what with the monsters outside, nobody could make it to the waters alive." monster: "Yeah, you better watch yourself if you ever walk out of the gates to Elba - the monsters outside will tear you apart and eat your choicest bits. We used to do a lot of fishing off the coast to the west: what marvelous seafood dishes the chefs would cook up. But with the monsters the way they are, nobody can make it to the sea." sea: "Me, I haven't seen the sea in a good long time. The monsters outside just make it too dangerous to go outside at all." And that info dump seems like a good place to end this update. We've learned an interesting fact, though: with the exception of the old man in the cave, the people of this island seem to think that there's nothing else in the world. This is obviously not true, for three reasons:
What could be going on here? I'll leave that for you to speculate on. Next time, we explore the rest of Elba. See you then! Last edited by Kahran042; 12-02-2018 at 06:42 AM. |
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#14
11-05-2018, 12:09 AM
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The fact that the Vex Chambers use the Gymnopedies as background music is actually kind of a clever reference; see, Satie wrote a piece called Vexations. It's probably much less pleasing to listen to while solving puzzles, though.
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#15
11-06-2018, 06:28 AM
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I've Got the Blues (part 2)
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 Anyway, on with the actual update. Last time, we explored about...I'll say 1/3 of Elba. Today, we'll explore some more.  South of the tavern, there isn't really anything other than residential houses, most of which are locked. There is a way to get in, which I'll describe later. However, it's not very useful, since there isn't really anything useful in said houses.' As a side note, I've always been kind of disappointed that you can't talk to the bald guy with the toga and sword.  Ah, now that sign looks promising.  Sounds like some sort of cult, but let's check it out anyway.  There doesn't seem to be any sort of spiritual leader, but there is someone to talk to. So let's do that.  I'm not sure. Let's try asking her about some of the common topics around town. name: "Sara. My name is Sara." job: "Oh, that doesn't matter any more. Sometimes it seems as if nothing does." Elba, Niac: "I pray to God that someone will realize that we are all the same. There is no reason for Elba and Niac to continue to hate each other. There must be a way to stop the madness." Now, she asked us if we could help her, so let's try to find out more about that.  If we ask about her friend...  Ah, the classic star-crossed lovers story. Unfortunately, we can't do anything about it just yet, so let's check out the north side of town.  The first stop on the north side of Elba is the first shop in the game. Unfortunately, Roderick is here, but let's see what they have for sale.  The shopkeeper speaks in the third person for some reason. In addition to this selection, he also sells Work Gloves (10 GP) and Boots (30 GP). Yes, the regular Boots are more expensive than the Battle Boots. Speaking of which, a pair of them would probably be a good investment, so I might as well buy them. Unfortunately, there's no way to see the stats of weapons or armor in the shops, which is kind of annoying.  And here's what Katrielle looks like in her snazzy new footwear. Across the street from Ye's shop is this rather out-of-place sign, as well as an unlocked building inhabited by...  ...the elder himself.  Remember this. It'll be important later. If you try to ask him about anything else, though...  Not much else to say about him, really. Now, you may have noticed the door in his room. It's locked, but we'll be able to open it later. On with the tour!  Across the street from the Elder's place is another tavern, but Jimmy isn't as talkative as Grogg, so there's no reason to visit. Across the street from that is The Hole, which I just now realized is probably meant to be a parody of The Gap. It contains two suits of Elban clothing, which is completely useless other that being salable for a small amount.  Finally, at the end of the street we have these two buildings. The one to the south is empty, but the other one...  ...is an art gallery. Let's see what the owner has to say.  Asking him about the common topics: name: "My name is Thomas. Delighted to meet you." job: "I am a creative artist, as you can tell by the fine gallery you now stand in. All the creations herein are the true expression of my innermost soul. View them at your own emotional risk." Elba: "Elba is my home, it's all I've ever known. I cannot speak badly of it, yet we are woefully inadequate as far as the fine arts go. I am the only artist I know of. And, what's more, the people are unappreciative of my work! But this is a good place." Niac: "As you may know, Elba has been at war with Niac for as long as any can remember. In what I think of Niac, I am... different from my fellow citizens of Elba. You have no doubt talked to some of them. Most view Niacians as somehow, inherently different. I just don't see the logic in that. Can you?" I certainly can't, so if we tell him that...  Tell me more about this trade idea.  Katrielle has not...partially for reasons that we'll be seeing later.  Maybe Katrielle could help. Offering to do so gets this response.  Yes!  And if we respond in the affirmative to this...  ...Thomas gives Katrielle a Shiny Metal Key (seriously, that's what it's called), which opens the back room of his gallery. Inside, we find:  A set of Elban clothing, a set of Niacian clothing, and, in the trunk, a Dagger. With this in hand, we're prepared to head for Niac. But that will have to wait for the next update. Last edited by Kahran042; 02-02-2019 at 12:36 PM. Reason: Fixing broken image link. |
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#16
11-08-2018, 12:37 PM
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Seeing Red (part 1)
Welcome back to Odyssey. Today we'll be heading to Niac. It's on the other side of some impassible mountains, so we'll have to go around. There's some interesting stuff to the east, so that's the route Katrielle will be taking. First, though...
 ...as I mentioned, not all of the residential houses in Elba are locked, the guards only care if you attack a civilian, and this game doesn't have any sort of karma meter system. So, I decided to rob the houses, acquiring three suits of Elban clothing, a pair of Work Gloves, a pair of Boots, and a Walking Stick, plus a Sledge Hammer from the stockyard. The Work Gloves provide a slight boost to my protection, but the rest of the loot is pretty much useless...except for their cash value. Selling them to Ye, along with the two suits of Elban clothing from The Hole and the Bread Knife from Miracle Cures, Inc., earned me a total of 43 GP. In addition to the 11 I already had, this brings me to a grand total of 54 GP - not enough for anything really good, but a good start.  Here's what Katrielle looks like with the Work Gloves, BTW. Anyway, onward to Niac! As I implied, I'm going to be taking the scenic route along the eastern side of the island to show off some interesting things en route, and hopefully make some money off monsters on the way.  On the way, I gained a level in Long Bladed weapons, and a bonus of 5 maximum HP with it. As such, I'm switching to the Dagger I "borrowed" from Thomas in order to level up Melee Weapons.  The first point of interest is this little beachside graveyard. As you can see, there's a book nearby, which might explain a bit of what's going on. Let's check it out. Quote:
 Hoo boy. This musclehead is a Niacian guard, and he is the reason you do NOT want to go to Niac without Niacian clothing - unlike the Elban guards, the Niacian guards will slaughter any underleveled adventurer wearing anything other that the native dress. Fortunately, they aren't too bright, and this is a purely turn-based system, so...  The guard didn't even notice Katrielle changing in front of him, so it should be perfectly safe to go past him now.   Yes, it uses the same message as the sign for Elba. Guess they really wanted to show off their use of the Sdrawkcab Name trope. Anyway, Niacian clothing may be stylish, but it isn't going to protect me against that Green Flesh-Thresher as well as my Ring Mail, so I'm just going to head into town right now.   And we're in! Let's take a look around. The two buildings here are a church with nothing of interest and a barracks, which contains a Longer Sword, a Wicked Mace, a Spleen Slicer, a War Axe, some Leather Armor, some Ring Mail, and six Niacian guards who don't mind some random kleptomaniac adventurer stealing all their gear.  This room contains some Padded Armor and a book of Niac Military Tactics. Like the Elban Medical Techniques book, this can't be read, but will come in handy later.  The next building down is a library. Most of the books in here are useless, but have amusing flavor text which I'll link to below.However, there is one which is VERY useful - Bob Bushwacker's Weapon Guide. It can't be read directly, but if you look at the info screen for a weapon, say the Dagger Katrielle is currently wielding...  ...there's a "Look Up in Book" button. If you press it...  ...it shows the damage and wield ratings for the weapon in question. The damage rating is how much damage it does, and the wield rating is how accurate it is. Obviously, higher is better for both.  Across the street from the library is a sculpture garden depicting some of Niac's military heroes, as follows:
However, there's nothing else important in the sculpture garden at this point, so we'll proceed to one of Niac's famous art galleries.  The artist here is the first person we've met in Niac who doesn't lack Katrielle's penchant for conversation, so let's talk to her.  Here's what she has to say about the standard conversation options. name: "Beth, which is short for Elizabeth, which is far too long for it's own good." job: "I am an artisan in Niac, and I think my work represents my bleak state of mind, the void which my life has become ever since Peter went away in the middle of the night... perhaps it was an act of God, perhaps it was the military come to take him away, perhaps he needed to spread his own wings for once. Perhaps... who can say..." Niac: "I choose not to speak of this town or the things in it or the abhorrent people who at times seem to surround and engulf me... Thank you, now let us move to a new topic." Elba: "To the answers to the question you ask to which I do not or can not provide, you can always look in my work, for it is far more telling of the real me."  Actually, it's not. Examining it just gets generic messages. Anyway, let's ask her about Peter.  That's kind of sad. Hopefully we'll be able to reunite them someday. Maybe asking her about her art will reveal something?  Or not. The only other things on this street are more galleries, so let's see what's on the east side of the square.   ...At least, that was my intent, until I met this charming fellow. Asking him about various topics: name: "My name is irrelevant: my art is all that I am." According to the sign outside one of his galleries, his name is Frederic March. Not that that matters, just thought I'd bring it up. job: "Do I not look the very essence of an artist? Isn't it intuitive that I am one of the great geniuses of Niac, and that it is not worth my while to listen to persons such as you as you ask me what my job is? You need not answer, I won't listen either way." Niac: "The fair city: the home of the artist on Un, that is to be certain. The argument that the Elbans are simply on a lower plane of evolution from us works best when one considers the superior art of Niac. To not have art...is to not live. And we in Niac most surely do live while those is (sic) Elba, I am afraid, do not." Elba: "Elba: the name curdles my blood. My art-filled blood, that is. Can you imagine it, though? Living without art as they do? It is truly a tragedy of our existence." art: "Art is the thing. Art is the very thing. Art is the super-thing, the super-being, the greater part of all that which is such that it is... art. You cannot deny its power, and it is all that I am. My life devoted to creating only the best works that Niac has ever seen. And to, perhaps, sell one or two of them. Be sure to look in my galleries in this great town. gallery: "I maintain two fine galleries along the main east to west street in Niac. You will find them most astounding, I must confess. Be warned, my pieces do carry a high price. I actually sometimes have difficulty parting with the art that is my lifeblood." And I've talked to this guy long enough that the word "art" has almost lost all meaning to me, so let's say good-bye and check out the rest of town.  The east end of the street is just a bunch of locked doors, so let's see what lies south of the square.  The building to the east is an armor shop, and the one to the east is a weapon shop. Interesting, I'm sure, but we'll check them out later.  Finally, the Church of the Greater Greatness (west) and the elder's house (east). Unfortunately, I've hit the image limit for this post, so we'll have to explore them, and possibly more of Niac, later. By the way, as I've said, this is a very story-based game, so feel free to discuss and speculate on what's been going on so far. Who knows, you may have some insight into this game that I haven't yet. Until next time! Last edited by Kahran042; 12-02-2018 at 06:41 AM. Reason: Fixing italicization tag. |
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#19
11-09-2018, 12:50 AM
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#20
11-09-2018, 03:17 PM
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Seeing Red (part 2)
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  The Elder of Niac is just as friendly as his northern counterpart, but there is something Katrielle can do here. You may recall Thomas suggesting giving a book of Miracle Cures to the Niacians. If we leave said book on the table, as the elder suggests...  ...the next time he enters a space adjacent to the table, he'll take it and leave behind a weapon. What kind of weapon, you may ask?  A Niacian Life Ender, of course. But what is a Niacian Life Ender, exactly?  The best weapon available to this point, of course. The one real problem with it is the fact that it's two-handed, which will cause some problems coming up. But that's then and this is now. Let's explore more of Niac!  This is what Katrielle looks like wielding the Life Ender, BTW.  There isn't much to the Church of the Greater Greatness, except for that trunk in the back, which is completely inaccessible. I can't help but wonder about it, but there's nothing that can be done, so let's move on to the shops.  In addition to these, Alvin also sells Wooden Shields, Large Shields, Gauntlets, Helms, Work Gloves, and Boots. I can afford a Buckler and Helm, so I buy them. Here's what Katrielle looks like in the Helm, but we'll have to wait until a time when a one-handed weapon is preferable to show off the Buckler.  Multi-verse, eh? That's probably going a bit far. That aside, in addition to the wares displayed, William sells Scimitars, Longer Swords, Buck and a Quarterstaffs, Bastitch Swords, Long Swords, Daggers, Two Handed Swords, Tridents, Scimitars of Smiting, Javelins, Spears, Silken Spears, Throwing Axes, Boomerangs, Bolas, Trowing (sic) Daggers, Torches, Bows, and Arrows. Most of them I can't afford, and the ones I can afford I already have. The exception is the Spear, which opens up the Thrown Weapons discipline, which should come in handy once I level up Melee Weapons. This leaves me with only 10 GP, though, so that'll have to be it for now.  Just east of William's shop is the Niac Revery House, the local tavern. A bit of an oddity about the proprietor: His sprite looks like this...  ...but his portrait looks like this. Pretty big difference, if you ask me. Anyway, let's see what he has to say about various topics. name: "My name's Split Sisken, and I'm one of the two bartenders at the Niac Revery House, where great men come to drink if I do say so myself. The other bartender, well, he isn't so talkative as me, see." job: "Do I look like a military type? I'm a bartender, of course. Tho, well, I wouldn't mind being a military type, I suppose. Maybe. Someday perhaps. Indeed. I'd love too. (sic) Who wouldn't? They are great men. Niac: "Niac. The mere name makes you feel proud of where you are, doesn't it. Not like a vile-sounding name like Elba. Now, who would want to live anywhere that was an abbreviation for elbow? Nobody, to be sure. Niac is such a wonderful place, I like to just go to the statue garden and reflect on just how great we are." Elba: "Filthy place, even if they do have two taverns instead of just one. But no matter, we have them beat with our glorious military and our wondrous arts. Try finding a bard as good in Clifford in Elba. You won't you know. 'Course, you look like a decent fellow: you probably wouldn't be caught dead in Elba." Hmm, I wasn't aware that Katrielle looked like any kind of "fellow". Anyway, let's try asking him about the military and the statue garden.   Not much there, but maybe we could ask more about the bard he mentioned?  This will be important later, but there's not really much else to talk to him about, so let's leave.  Just south of the Revery House, there's a small house, which contains - or, rather, contained - three Healing Herbs and an scroll containing Electro Grasp, a close-range electric attack psionic. I wonder what those were doing here? Anyway, there's one more person to talk to here in Niac. He usually hangs around the statue garden, so let's wait for him there.  And here he is!  Here's what he has to say when chatted to. name: "Why, my name is Randal, and I am pleased to be the keeper of Niac's statue garden." job: "I pretty much do it all here: keep the birds off the statues, polish them semi-weekly, remake the name plates when the old ones are not legible anymore, show people around. I even sleep in the back room. Some may say it's not much of a job, really, but it is such a very important one. The way I see it, helping people to remember the military glory of Niac is just as important as being a soldier. People need to remember the past, to know where they've come from. They need to realize why Niac is such a very great place indeed." Niac: "Without question the greatest city on this island of Un, we are the ones with the magnificent military might and the truly grand artistry. THose to the north, they are the slime-dwelling type that Niacians have carefully evolved away from. I have heard that they do not even have a statue garden there! Can you imagine? At any time, Niac's awe-inspiring military forces could crush them as a cockroach. But we are above such trivialities. As this garden testifies, our military wonder extends so far beyond such trifles as themselves." Elba: "You must not speak the name of so vile a place as that in such a magnificent places as this statue garden. Imagine the military leaders who would turn in their graves to know you had said such a horrible thing while in their presence! Land of the degenerates, that is what we all call it around here. I hear their military is pathetic! How can they go on living? Nothing could possibly bring pride and grandeur to their lives." military: "The pride of Niac, to be sure. Up there in that other town, they don't even have a military. Not one to speak of, anyway. Our military instills us with respect and wonder, admiration and importance. Those from the other city... they have nothing!" statue: "Around the garden are arrayed ten statues, each representing one of the great military geniuses of Niac. Not many people know this, but I'll let you in on a little secret: some of them are even still alive! Each has a name plaque you can take a look at, it will tell you something about their many and magnificent accomplishments. It has been a glorious century of Niacian military greatness, and these statues are what all Niacians should look up to for true, perhaps even spiritual, inspiration." Great achievements like revolutionizing janitorial engineering for the barracks and horticultural assault...suuure... That's all we can do in Niac for now, so let's explore the rest of the island's surface.  Deep in the forests of eastern Un, Katrielle finds 20 more Arrows and a Bow, meaning that she won't have to buy one later. Further to the east is a chain of small swampy islets, across which lies...  ...a small shrine.   Inside the shrine is this monk-ish looking gentleman. Let's see what he has to say. name: "My name is Antonio: some used to call me father Antonio, but that was long long ago." job: "I was the Priest in the Niacian Church of the Greater Greatness. But, no longer... when the schism overtook the land approximately a century ago, I felt I was was unable to be minister to a group of people with so much hate in their souls. I do not understand where the hatred came from, it is as if it was not there one day, and it was the next. The hatred, of course was for Elba. For one day we traded happily with Elba, and the next no one would. Until I understand what happened, I choose not to return to civilization. And I do not foresee that day coming any time soon." He looks like he's in pretty good shape for someone who was alive over a century ago. And apparently Elba and Niac had good relations back then. Maybe we can find out more if we ask him about them?  Maybe asking him about his time as a priest will yield something more helpful?  Sounds like a good deal to me!  
Last edited by Kahran042; 12-02-2018 at 06:46 AM. |
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#21
11-09-2018, 03:17 PM
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Continued from previous post.
  And with that, the Hand To Hand discipline has suddenly become viable!   By comparison, Bare Hands have a damage rating of 3 and a wield rating of 7. But I've already had to split this post for image count, so join me next time as we return to Elba and make a decision. That being said, what do you think the N and E in the names of the Combat Arts stand for? |
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#24
11-10-2018, 05:41 PM
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Tunnel Vision
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 Since we gave Elba's medical secrets to Niac, it's only fair that we give Niac's military secrets to Elba, right?   Unfortunately, the reward for this bit of cultural exchange isn't quite as good. The Herb of Immenant (sic) Health restores 50 HP, but can only be used three times. Anyway, as you may recall, Thomas mentioned a tunnel between Elba and Niac that the elders might know about, but to get information from them we'd need to get them to respect us. I'm pretty sure that giving them the Niac Military Tactics book should have earned their respect, so if we ask the elder about "tunnel"...  ...he's not especially helpful, other than acknowledging that yes, there is a tunnel. However, there's another reason I returned to Elba. You see, there's a trick I want to show off.  As I've said, there are a LOT of locked doors that you'll never find keys to. However, Katrielle isn't the only one with the ability to open doors...  And while most of the books she picked up in Niac aren't very interesting, they do make good doorstops.  It actually works with any item, but I prefer to do it with useless ones like the unreadable books. Unfortunately, looting the rest of the houses here will take a while, so like the unlocked ones, I'll just give a list of what I found: A Bread Knife. A Meat Cleaver. A Spleen Splicer. A War Axe. Two suits of Elban clothing. A Healing Herb. 3 GP. Not really worth it, but kind of fun in a tedious way, if that makes sense. However, there is actually a practical use for this trick.  See this door? It's locked. However, the elder does go back here frequently, so when he's in the doorway, drop a book and head on through  Judging by the bed here, this is probably the elder's bedroom. There's also a trunk containing an Obsidian Key, which will let us open the door on our own, and a ladder down - possibly into the mysterious tunnel alluded to. Let's check it out - after switching to a one-handed melee weapon. Why? Because we'll eventually need a hand free for a torch.   Music: Tunnel Between Elba and Niac Granted, it's not very dark yet, but it will be.  Not far from the entrance path, we encounter our first cave monster - a Skanky Skeleton. Other monsters in this cave include Skeletants, Gremlins, and a Morc. They aren't too tough to handle at this point, but later caves will have nastier creatures.  And we've officially entered the darkness, so let's light one of our torches. On a side note, Katrielle has leveled up in Melee Weapons, so I'll be switching to my only one-handed weapon which I have no experience points in - the Spear. The Spear is a thrown weapon, so I can attack monsters at a distance with it. Other than that, it's an unremarkable weapon, with damage and wield ratings of 7 each. Here's what Katrielle looks like with the Spear and Torch equipped, BTW.  There's a fork in the road here. South would be the logical direction, since the tunnel leads to Niac, so, by adventurer logic, the correct way to go here is north.  The northern path loops around and leads to a crossroads. West is a dead end and east is a maze of tunnels terminating at a suspicious locked door, so it looks like south is the right way to go. The southern path is long and winding, but eventually leads to another crossroads.  See that lantern in the room to the east? It's also a light source, but it has a wider radius than a torch and I think it also lasts longer. The western room is empty, so further south we go!  Notches in the wall. You remember what that means, right?  That's right, a secret passage! It's full of monsters, but nothing Katrielle Latyon can't handle. Inside, we find the psionics Terrify and Black Sleet, a Chain Mail, two Lanterns, suits of Elban and Niacian clothing, and a Very old, moldy book, in addition to the 21 GP dropped by the monsters. There's also an interesting plaque on the wall. The book has more to say about this, as follows: Quote:
 Just across from the secret passage is a large room containing a Sapphire, worth 60 GP. In fact, the currency of the Archipelago is composed largely of gems. Of the ones Katrielle has found so far, Topazes are worth 10 GP, Rubies 20, Amethysts 30, and, as I've just stated, Sapphires are worth 60. There are also single gold coins worth 1. However, the coins and lesser gems are so common I didn't think they were worth mentioning until now. After the room with the sapphire is yet another crossroads. The room to the west contains a Long Bow, and the one to the east contains a third Spleen Splicer. Speaking of weapons, I recently leveled up Thrown Weapons, but none of my other disciplines contain one-handed weapons, so I'll use my trusty long sword for now and wait until I'm back on the surface to switch to something new.  West of the next crossroads is a room containing a War Hammer, some Padded Armor, and a pile of treasure composed of a Sapphire, two Diamonds (40 GP each), and a Ruby. The room to the east isn't quite as impressive, containing a Lantern and a Healing Herb.  After those two rooms is a hallway filled with pillars, in which are a plaque indicating that we're on the right way and another torch. All in all, though, it should be a straight shot from here. The only things of note are a small alcove containing 15 Silver Headed Arrows and a dead-end tunnel containing 20 Bolts. There were also 20 more regular Arrows, but that's not really worth worth screencapping, IMHO.  Eventually, Katrielle reaches a flight of stairs leading down. I honestly don't remember this cave being multi-level, but let's go ahead anyway.   And we're on the second level of this cave. Almost immediately, we encounter another crossroads. There's a torch to the northwest, so I take that path first, then the one to the northeast for the sake of exploration. It leads to yet another crossroads. There doesn't seem to be much to the north, but there's a pile of treasure to the south, containing a Diamond and a Pearl (90 GP). Afterwards is a sign saying that we're going the right way, which obviously means we should turn back in search of more loot. Unfortunately, all I find there are a Sapphire, a Torch, and a Lantern. Not really worth it, so I head back to the other crossroads. Last edited by Kahran042; 12-02-2018 at 06:47 AM. Reason: Fixing broken image link. |
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#25
11-10-2018, 05:44 PM
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Continued from previous post.
 Past the plaque is this corner. South just leads to a pathway further along the west tunnel, so west is the only real way forward, but there is a Buck and a Quarterstaff to the south. En route, Katrielle's Long Bladed skill leveled up, so I switched her to one of my many Spleen Slicers, only to find out that Spleen Slicers aren't exactly the greatest weapons despite their 30 wield rating, so I decide to use the Wicked Mace I was using earlier instead.  At the end of the passage is yet another fork, with yet another plaque. South seems too much like the right way, as always, so I head east, to a switchback containing the psionic Luck and a Buckler. Heading south from the fork leads to another winding series of tunnels, containing two Torches and a Midnight Star, Odyssey's equivalent of a morning star. It has a better wield rating than the Wicked Mace Katrielle is currently wielding, but doesn't do as much damage, so I probably won't be using it. Just past the Midnight Star is another intersection. North and east form a loop and don't really have much to offer besides another Torch, so we'll just head south.  Near the end of the southern path is a small room containing a Dagger, a Torch, and some Niacian clothing. We must be getting pretty close to Niac now. A bit further south is a switchback passage containing a War Axe, followed by a winding, but straightforward, passage, leading to a refreshingly well-lit intersection.  While the south passage is the correct choice, I wouldn't be a very good adventurer if I didn't check out the other ones, too. Unfortunately, all they contain are a Torch and a Lantern.  Finally, a sign with a new message! Since we're almost in Niac, I'd better switch to Niacian clothing, then head up the stairs.  And we're back in Niac! Now, as I alluded to last update, we have a decision to make. We've already done pretty much everything that can be done on Un, so it's time to move on to the next island. To do so, we'll have to complete one of two escort quests. For the sake of the LP, I'll be doing both, but which one should I do first - the easy one, or the somewhat less easy one? Last edited by Kahran042; 12-17-2018 at 06:14 PM. Reason: Fixing broken image link. |
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#26
11-10-2018, 08:25 PM
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take it easy
Will doing the easy one first make the less easy one more easy?
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#27
11-11-2018, 09:27 AM
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Quote:
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#29
11-14-2018, 08:26 AM
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NPC Love
It looks like Katrielle will be doing the slightly less easy of the two escort quests in this update, so let's get started. First, though, I don't really need more than one of any weapon or armor, so I sold off some of my excess equipment and used the proceeds to buy a Trident, Large Shield, and Gauntlets.
 The Trident is pretty nice, since it's one-handed, allowing for use of a shield or light source, and a pole arm, allowing for slightly more range than most other weapons. A new untrained weapon group means I can start working on another level up, too. Anyway, back to the quest. To start off, let's head to the tavern.  See the guy in the red bathrobe? He was actually here last time, too, but I didn't talk to him because I was saving it for this quest. When we do...  name: "My name's Eric. But I wish I were dead." job: "Work? I just don't care about that stuff anymore. Nobody starves in Niac, so I guess I'll be fine. I mean, the food may be bad, next to what she brought me from Elba, but you can live on it." Niac: "Oh, what a bunch of hateful fools we Niacians are. We just go on with our detesting of the Elbans, day in day out. Now it's ruining my life with her..." Elba: "Elba: that place has acquired new meaning for me since I met her. I mean, I was brought up like a good Niacian to hate Elba with all my heart. We're never told why, though, we're never shown exactly how evil is Elba. We're just told to hate by our teachers and everybody does. But she's from there, so it can't be all bad, right? I might try sneaking over there again, but they threatened by parents, and the monsters outside would probably kill me this time." Just about everything he says mentions "her." If we ask about that...  Remember Sara? She was in the church in Elba. And we do know a way to get there other than over the surface...  And replying "yes" to this...  Now we have to escort him through the tunnel, because the town guards will block the way if you try to exit by the gate with Eric in tow. The fact that it's through the tunnel is what makes this quest the slightly less easy one - the monsters are tougher, and the limited light source makes it harder to keep track of Eric. Fortunately, NPCs in escort quests are mostly well-behaved in this game - emphasis on "mostly".  It's not so bad at first, because the entrances to the tunnel are pretty well-lit and monster-free.  Eventually, though, it gets dark. This is why I cleared out the tunnel before the vote - having to escort Eric in a dark area without a reasonably filled-out automap would not be much fun, except in the Dwarf Fortress sense.  Even so, there are still plenty of monsters around, despite Katrielle having cleared most of them out on the way south. Fortunately, her trusty trident and the fact that she didn't forget to put on some real armor instead of the Niacian clothing* she was wearing earlier saves the day.  And we're at the halfway point! Thankfully, the upper level is much more straightforward, so it should be smooth sailing...  And it is! After fighting through a few Skeletants, Katrielle and Eric have made it under the elder's house in Elba. A couple oddities about this whole mission, though: 1. Why does the Elban guards' "better dead than red" policy only apply to Katrielle? 2. Why is the entrance to the tunnel a ladder on the surface and stairs underground? We can think about that later, though. To Sara!  Before that, though, I love the fact that the elder doesn't seem to care that an armored woman with a trident and shield and an obvious Niacian just came out of his bedroom.  And the lovers are reunited! Now we just have to wait a while, then talk to them.   A quartz key? Sounds familiar...but we'll have to wait on that, because next time we'll be covering the easy escort mission. * - Yes, I did forget to equip armor after entering the tunnel on my first attempt, and it did get me killed. :P Last edited by Kahran042; 12-17-2018 at 06:16 PM. |