Let's play Arcanum, old chaps.

[Fat Dragon]

Seeing as how there seem to be quite a few folks here on the Codex who haven't played this game or made it beyond the first town, I've decided to do an LP for it, and hopefully convince those people to give this fine game another chance. For those who have played it, sit back and enjoy the nostalgia.

Part 1 - Exploring the zeppelin crash site
Part 2 - Arrival in Shrouded Hills
Part 3 - Finishing up in Shrouded Hills
Part 4 - Arrival in Tarant and investigating P. Schuyler and Sons

This is our avatar, Victor. We put 3 of our 5 starting points into Firearms and the other 2 into Persuasion. We'll be building him up into a powerful gunslinger/gentleman Half-Ogre as we proceed through the game. But for now, in the game's beginning, he is complete shit.

We spend all our starting funds on basic newb equipment and universal ammo. Though I put some points into Firearms I didn't buy the cheap flintlock pistol there because Half-Ogres can only use rifles due to their hand size. And unfortunately that rifle there is too expensive. So we've no good way of defending ourselves at the moment.

The game starts with a nice video that I was too lazy forgot to make screens for. So watch it here instead:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7jvpU6lR5E

After receiving the ring from the old Gnome we're greeted by a mad stranger.

What are you going on about?

(The man's jaw drops open.) You speak! I mean...of course you speak...what am I, a blathering idiot? Wait! What did you say? Maybe I should be writing all of this down... (He fumbles in the pockets of his robes.)

What the bloody hell are you talking about? Out with it, man!

(The man wrings his hands, obviously flustered.) I'm at a loss here, I don't know quite what to do...uh...I mean you ARE the...of course you are, I mean you DO know who you are, right? Of course you do, what sort of half-baked is that for the uh...what exactly do you call yourself?

Am I being unclear? YOUR BABBLING IS INCOMPREHENSIBLE!

Though an intelligent exception for his race, Victor is still prone to uncalled for Half-Ogre rage and promptly causes this stranger to shit his pants in cold fear.

Please forgive me...I'm making a mess of this whole affair. (He takes a deep breath.) My name is Virgil, sir. And I'm new to the Panarii religion, er, your religion, and I...oh! Wait! (He kneels on the ground in front of you, then hesitates, as if trying to remember something.) I...uh, hereby dedicate, no, uhm...commit my life to the Living One. I, Virgil, am at your service, sir.

Yeeess. You may, uh, rise and serve me, loyal Virgil.

Virgil gets butthurt over this trivial smartass joke.

Sorry...just a joke, old chap. But please, explain this further.

Yes, yes, of course. You see...you're him, I mean, the uh...reincarnation of...er, what's his name? I can never remember...and I'm always getting him mixed up with the other fellow...the bad one. You, uh...well, you know how all of those old elven names sound the same...heh...heh...er...hmmm...

Meet Virgil, Master of the Ellipsis.

I don't think I'm quite getting the gist of it, old boy.

Yes...right...uh...just give me one moment here. You see...the Panarii...that's the religion that was formed around the things that he said, I mean that you said...oh,forget it...let's start at the beginning. Or THIS beginning since there is a lot more that came before this. You are the reincarnation of a powerful elf, who the Panarii worship, and whose name is, uh...

Yes?

Right...yes, the name...uh, wait! I remember something! It is written in the scriptures. “The Living One will live again on wings of fire.” No wait, I think it says “reborn on wings of fire.” Oh, blood and ashes! Why do elves always have to be so damncryptic? Uh...

Do the scriptures speak of a dying gnome and a ring?

The Ellipsis Master once again flawlessly demonstrates his uselessness.

You don't seem well versed in the scriptures.

And then proceeds to get butthurt over a simple observation.

Blast it all! There's an altar around here somehwere...look on that if you're so bloody smart...uh, esteemed Living One. Sir. (He pauses, thinking.) Look, I am as newto all of this as you are. I thought this was all allegorical until I saw you crawl out from that flaming zeppelin wreckae unscathed. It seems the Panarii were right afterall...

The Panarii? Who are they?

The Panarii are a religion, based around the belief that you will return and destroy evil, or something like that. No, wait, I think there's someone you're meant to fight. You know...that other fellow. The evil one...oh, it's all so elven...wrapped up in fancy language and metaphors and all that...

He makes a good point. Fuck if I could ever remember what any of those ridiculous fantasy names mean and who or what they belong to, or correctly pronounce them.

You're fairly useless as a source of information.

I told you I was new at this. Imagine the way I must feel...ere you are, the Chosen One, er, Living One, and I can't even remember who you're supposed to be. Please...just follow me to Shrouded Hills and we'll talk to Elder Joachim. He's very knowledgeable about the Panarii, and will know much better what to do.

Well, let's go talk to this Joachim fellow and straighten this out.

The path out of here leading to Shrouded Hills is down to the southeast. We'll stop by the Panarii Shrine the way out...see if it makes any of this more clear. (He looks around at all the carnage.) We should look for any other survivors before we leave, though. What do you think?

Agreed.

We're finally allowed to explore our surroundings. There's not much interesting here. Wreckage, a few corpses with lots of worthless vendor trash to sell and some wolves to kill. The only thing worthy of note is the wrecked flying machine.

This is one of the machines that attacked the zeppelin, and as Virgil points out, the medallion its pilot wears reminds him of an order of assassins. Hmmm. There's also mention of a "Maxim Machinery, Caladon", a name of a contact you should remember for when you go to Caladon later in the game.

We also find a letter on some woman's corpse, but I've never been able to find this Jacob it mentions.

On the way to Shrouded Hills we come across the Panarii altar that Ellipsis mentioned.

And the evil one? Who is that?

Uh...well...er...um...you know...

And as usual, dumb Virgil simply doesn't remember. Moving on. And then we encounter a man garbed in black. I'm sure he's just a concerned citizen and not out for our blood at all.

Just when I try to get a conversation started that's when the master of ellipsis offers to step up to the plate.

(Virgil whispers to you.) I mean no disrespect, uh, sir...but I don't trust this bastard one bit. Bloody convenient he just happened to show up here just now, don't you think?

What do you recommend, Virgil?

I've, uh, dealth with buggers, er individuals like this before. Perhaps you'll let me talk with him for a few minutes...?

A man whose done nothing but stutter incomprehensibly now wants to try his hand at diplomacy? Fuck it, why not. Might provide a few laughs.

Of course, Virgil. Feel free to do what you think is best.

Thank you, uh...I'll take care of this. (He raises his voice.) You there! What exactly are you doing up here? And what gives you the right to ask us so many questions?

I'm just asking a simple question...what are you two doing up here? I'm nothing but a mere farmer from Shrouded Hills, a village not far from here, and I witnessed this terrible accident! Is it such a crime to wonder what exactly is going on?

Oh really? (Virgil takes a step closer.) Listen. I came from Shrouded Hills myself. It's at least a day's journey from here. (His voice gets dangerously soft.) There's no way you could have traveled here that fast. I think you're lying, sir...

I...uh...didn't come from Shrouded Hills just now. I was camping not far from here fixing dinner, and saw the blaze. Why are you questioning me? I've done you no harm...

(Virgil takes another step toward him.) No, I don't think you understand. I'M asking the questions here...and I don't like your answers. I'm going to ask you one more time...WHY ARE YOU HERE?

The heat is on.

(A cold look comes across his face.) I don't recommend you speak to me that way, friend. I've just asked a question, and I'm expecting an answer. We can make this simple, or more difficult...

(Virgil smiles, thinly.) Oh, I think difficult is the best way, sir. I find that there's fewer questions afterward. (He clenches and unclenches his fists.) I'm ready to begin this discussion whenever you are...

(The man seems unsure of what to do. You can see the fear in the man's eye.) Perhaps this is a discussion we'll have later, friend. I'm sure that this issue will be resolved in time. (He looks at Victor, nodding. In his eyes, a burning hatred.) Good day to you sir.

Well I'll be damned. Virgil managed to pull it off. Seems he will be a useful asset to the party afterall.

That was close. (Virgil is visibly shaken.)

What do you mean, Virgil? He was obviously scared of you...

That man very well could have killed us both. Believe me...I've, uh, seen his kind before...

So why did you provoke him?

Now that that's over with we're almost done exploring the crash site, but there's one more thing to do. A cave we haven't visited yet.

It's full of weak rats which Virgil and I curb-stomp the shit out of since we were unable to come to a peaceful, diplomatic solution with them. And then we meet a talking spirit called Bhergo.

I can tell you...something...valuable...

I'm listening.

First...need to kill priest...Arbalah. He lives here. (points at map.) Only his...death will free me.

And what valuable information will you impart for my help?

I...know of a treasure...buried for years...

If you know of this treasure, why were you poor?

We had taken an oath of poverty...we were monks.

I'm not certain I believe you, but I will do this for you, regardless.

We have our first side quest now and immediately exit to the world map to go to this Arbalah's house.

(The wizened old priest seems to be in some pain.) I am Arbalah, (he winces) and who are you?

I am Victor.

Well, Victor, what brings you to my humble farm?

I am simply traveling about...what happened to you?

One of them dead already? I shouldn't be surprised. Probably killed the other, I would assume. Dreadfully evil people, they were...

Brehgo told me your curse made his friend turn on him.

No, I believe that was the curse of greed.Their souls will never leave this plane of existence, but that was the only curse I put on them...if I had to guess, Fahrkus decided he didn't want to share the ill-gotten gains with anyone. As I said, they were truly evil individuals...

I am sorry for your loss.

Thank you for your kind words...but there is something else. I need to recover the sacred artifact they stole...it is very important to me. I need it to pray to my gods effectively. Did Brehgo say anything, give any clue as to where it might be?

No, he did not.

(He hobbles a bit closer to you.) I know it is none of your affair, but could you assist me in trying to locate what is rightfully mine?

It is the least I could do. Any idea where I could start?

Time to head back to the crash site and persuade Bhrego to sell out his partner.

Hahahaaaaaagh...the pain...(He composes himself.) So, you spoke with Arbalah...instead...of killing him...bravo... my friend. I applaud you...

Tell me where Fahrkus is!

Why should I...tell... you that? I will still be here...for eternity...

I convinced Arbalah to release you if you help me. [Lie]

You would, wouldn't you? If there is one...thing...about you noble...types...is that you'll do the right thing, even...if it kills you...very well...anything to be released from this...pain...(He points to a location on your map.) Fahrkus...is here...

Thank you. By the way, I lied...you still get to rot here forever!

Heh.

With that done we can finally head off to confront Fahrkus.

Not something most sane people would say to the face of a hulking giant. He apparently realizes his mistake, for he then immediately begins acting like a kiss-ass.

I...uh...I d...do not have any idea of what you are speaking of!

It must be extremely valuable to be worth an eternal curse.

Wuh...what are you t...talking about? What c...curse?

Arbalah cursed you and Brehgo. Your spirit is trapped here.

An easy persuasion check, the artifact is ours.

Here! Here it is! Please, bring it back to him, quickly! (He hurridly hands you the artifact.)

Thank you. I think I will still kill you anyway, simply for the pleasure of it.

Virgil knocks him to the ground and then Victor proceeds to kick the shit out of him.

We return the artifact back to Arbalah, who gives a blessing that increases reaction modifer, and also bumps us up to the intimidating level of 3.

With all that done we can finally head to Shrouded Hills. We'll be covering all of its content in the next update.

 

[Darth Roxor]

This will never get past Tarant

 

[Fezzik]

This has the makings to be a hell of an LP.

 

[Fat Dragon]

This will never get past Tarant

It will. I haven't replayed this game in quite a while so I'm in the mood to go all the way with it, and the BMC mines will be piss easy with a mighty half-ogre equipped with an elephant gun and a large cache of grenades.

 

[lightbane]

Half-ogres IMO are more fun to play with a retarded character and melee-focus.

PS: Also, will your guy be a goody two shoes or another EXTREME badass? I would vote for the 3rd option, that's choosing the path more favorable to your interests and fuck the good vs evil balance.

 

[Murk]

Hopefully this makes it past the hurdles the previous attempts tried.

I HAVE FAITH IN YOU FAT DRAGON

 

[Fat Dragon]

Half-ogres IMO are more fun to play with a retarded character and melee-focus.

Playing an unstoppable retarded brute is indeed good fun as you cut a bloody swath across the continent. But that was the type of build I used last time with a Half-Orc, so I want to do something different this time. Besides, for this LP I wanted to go with a build most people never bother with.

PS: Also, will your guy be a goody two shoes or another EXTREME badass? I would vote for the 3rd option, that's choosing the path more favorable to your interests and fuck the good vs evil balance.

Third option, yes. I usually never pick a single extreme and run with it, I just go with the options that seem the most appealing to me.

 

[Volourn]

Man. I like ARC, but the dialogue between you and Virgil (espicially Virgil's) was absolutely horrid. I hope my memory is correct, and most of ARC's writing quality is better than this.

 

[Fat Dragon]

Writing starts out pretty weak in the early parts around Shrouded Hills, but once you to start exploring to the other places it improves significantly, especially in Tarant.

Next update coming a few hours.

 

[ghostdog]

Good job, old boy.
I suggest you skip some stuff along the way or the LP will become gargantuan.

 

[Fat Dragon]

When we last left off, we were peparing to head out to the village called Shrouded Hills. So lets haul ass and get over there already.

We arrive at around midnight and Mr. Ellipsis informs us where we're to meet our contact.

The Half-Ogre standing next to the counter eventually grows into a formidable power house so we'll be recruiting him in a bit. Bartenders in this game always have about a dozen rumors for you, most of which provide you tips about certain jobs you can look into.

Seems the assassins are looking for that Joachim chap as well. At least it's comforting to know the old man can kick ass.

Scattered on a floor is a note Joachim left for us.

Joachim has left us with some good advice and a new contact in Tarant. When he advises you to keep your mouth shut about the zeppelin crash, it's a good idea to listen to it. There are quite a few instances in this game where you can spill the beans. Since the assassins have eyes everywhere in every town they'll find out about it, and then the chance to run into them during a random encounter on the world map increases. Some of them can be quite strong so it's quite possible to run into a group and get slaughtered.

Virgil decides to interrupt our investigation to state the obvious and tell us more about who this Joachim dude is.

Seems Virgil may have a dark and shady past. Big surprise there. He surprises us again when he dodges the question about what he was talking about. Oh well, fuck him. Moving on.

We loot the corpses and the chest in the room and add their trash to our junk pile. Please take note of the gorgeous inventory art. It is high quality awesome and worthy of much respect.

We return to the main lobby to hire the Half-Ogre merc wasting himself at the bar (he doesn't say anything interesting at all so I didn't record his dialog, he's pretty much just a big boring walking slaughterhouse), and then wait until morning and head out to get some info from the town's constable.

He's a bit of a jackass, but it's best to not get on the bad side of the law. At least, not when you're only a lowly level 3. We inform him of the crash site, have him add Tarant's location to our map, and he tells us to look up an anitque collector to possibly learn something about the ring the old gnome gave us.

On the way there a silly little gnome decides to cross our path and ask us about the crash.

Keeping Joachim's advice in mind, I tell him to fuck off and go on about my business toward's Ristezze's.

Fascinating. Could you answer a few questions?

What can Ristezze do for you?

What can you tell me about this ring? (shows him)

Interesting. Hmmm. A finely made piece of jewelry. What exactly do you want from Ristezze?

Do you know who the initals G.B. belong to?

G.B.? No one that I know. Plus, it's IMPOSSIBLE that someone in SHROUDED HILLS would own such a high quality piece. More likely they'd melt it down and use it for nails...oh, the thought! How Ristezze has languished here, my friend...

Would anyone else in town might know who it belongs too?

Wait just a minute, friend. Perhaps Ristezze has some questions for you? Like where does someone such as yourself come across a piece such as this?

That's none of your business, friend.

I understand. Business is business...but I'm not as willing to buy a piece if I don't know where it comes from...

Who said I was selling?

Who walks into Ristezze's and is not looking to sell something, no? Ristezze gives the best prices, and has the most unbelievable...!

Enough. Maybe we'll speak of it later. Right now, I'd like to ask about the imprint of “P. Schuyler and Sons”.

P. Schuyler and Sons? A very important piece of this puzzle, eh, my friend? Ristezze has been very free with information, no? What have you to offer Ristezze?

What do you want in return?

Well, Ristezze is a collector of strange and wonderful things...perhaps there are a few objects you could add to Ristezze's collection?

What things are you looking for?

So now we finally learn where we need to head to learn more about this whole zeppelin crash and the man who gave us the ring. It's also in the same town Joachim told us to go to as well.

We make a quick stop at the local blacksmith to sell all of the vendor trash we had, and use the funds to buy a weapon. The hunting rifle is a damn pea shooter but it'll do until we reach Tarant.

Next we pay a visit to Doc Robert's to do a quick job the bartender informed me of.

I'm Victor.

Well, Victor, if there's nothing else, I'll be thanking you to get along.

Is there any work to be had around here?

(This weathered old man looks Victor over, as if appraising any potential he might accidentally posses.) There might be something, if you don't mind putting your hide in danger's way.

I'm not averse to a bit of danger, provided the pay is right.

Word has reached me that the Bowen gang is coming in to rob the bank. Too bad for them that my money happens to be in there too.

You didn't mention what the pay was.

Magic items are useless to Victor, as is the pistol (technology reward), se we're going for the axe to give to Sogg.

Being the town sawbones, I've inherited quite an arsenal of exotic weapons. Wandering adventurers dying on the table and what not, I take whatever they may have in pay, you understand. I think I have...(He looks around.)...ah, yes! Here it is. A finely made battle axe. I'll give it to you afterwards, if you back me up when the trouble starts.

I am intrigued by your offer. What would I need to do?

Meet me in front of the bank. I'll be keeping an eye out for the trouble to start. When it does, I'll expect you to have my back.

I'll see you there then.

I'm ready.

Damn! They slipped inside somehow! Let's put these fools six feet under, boys!

It's not really much of a fight. Doc Roberts is a level 30 hardass with an awesome handlebar mustache. He pretty much won the fight himself.

That's it for this update. There's still a bit more stuff to do in Shrouded Hills which I'll cover next time.

 

[ksjav]

Gotta love the high level guards walking about. In case of bank robbery don't mind them, call the newbie half-ogre These sensible quests are part of the reason why I never got much further than Tarrant in Arcanum I suppose, but do go on. Maybe there will be something to persuade me Arcanum is actually the holy grail half the populace seems to think it is.

 

[Serious_Business]

This will never get past Tarant

 

[betamin]

I like the way this is going

 

[PlanHex]

Need more before I succumb and say "fuck, reinstalling"

 

[Fat Dragon]

I just got back from work a few minutes ago. Gonna start playing again and readying the update in about an hour so it won't be too much longer.

These sensible quests are part of the reason why I never got much further than Tarrant in Arcanum I suppose, but do go on.

Yeah, there are a few quests like that in the gamebut only a few. The only other ones like that that come to mnd is the Dernholm tax collection quest, the murder quest in Caladon and Raven's quest in Falcon's Ache. All of those are decent quests btw, but the way you get them is pretty weak.

*EDIT*
Nvm, update will come tomorrow morning. Some shit came up today.

 

[Fezzik]

I'm interested in seeing this continue, so I'm posting to move the page along. Also, have a good Christmas, Fat Dragon, and don't work too hard typing this shit up during Christmas.

 

[Gondolin]

We're finally allowed to explore our surroundings. There's not much interesting here. Wreckage, a few corpses with lots of worthless vendor trash to sell and some wolves to kill. The only thing worthy of note is the wrecked flying machine.

Did you forget to pick up the camera at the crash site or did you just leave that out of the LP?

 

[janjetina]

We're finally allowed to explore our surroundings. There's not much interesting here. Wreckage, a few corpses with lots of worthless vendor trash to sell and some wolves to kill. The only thing worthy of note is the wrecked flying machine.

Did you forget to pick up the camera at the crash site or did you just leave that out of the LP?

He picked it up and gave it to Ristezze.

 

[Fat Dragon]

Sorry for the delay, guys. The shitty weather kept fucking with the electricity so I didn't have stable internet access yesterday. Anyway, let's get this started.

We first look into another proposition the bartender informed us about, this time for a Halfling witch doctor.

It's a pleasure to meet you. Might I be of assistance?

Well...perhaps. I've a problem here in Shrouded Hills of a most delicate nature. Strictly confidential, if you get my meaning.

Crystal clear, my good man. Might I ask you a few questions about it?

Certainly.

What is the nature of your problem, Mr. Dunne?

Well...(He leans towards Victor, looking around secretively.)...there's a conspiracy here in Shrouded Hills, a dark plan full of mystery and intrigue...

Seems we're going to be working with a paranoid wizard. Fantastic...

And exactly what seems to be going on?

This whole town is out to get rid of me. They've been brainwashed by that Constable Owens, and now it's only a matter of time before I'm forced to leave...

I see. What has Constable Owens done to you?

What has he done to me? The man has endangered the natural balance which allows me to put bread on my table! Do you have any idea what the presence of his bloody steam engine does to my magick abilities?

I see. You're speaking of the nature of magick and technology...

For those who aren't aware of how technology and magick conflict with each other in Arcanum, technology uses physics and magick alters them. So if the two come close to each other, they start to fuck things up. In the game, tech builds are unable to make use of magickal items since they lose all of their magical charge when in their hands. And magick users suffer far more critical failures when using tech items, since it screws with their abilities.

Of course I am. And that Constable Owens is weakening my powers. There was a time when I was the most powerful man in all of Shrouded Hills...

Goodness! A big place like this?

(The sarcasm is lost on him.) Yes! If only there was someone to do something about it...(He throws a hooded glance towards Victor.)

What exactly are you proposing, my good man?

We're really hurting for some jink at the moment so we accept his proposition to sabotage the steam machine.

It's a deal.

Great! I look forward to hearing from you, sir.

We head off to the warehouse, which was built inside of an old Panarii temple. At the entrance we're greeted by a gang of rats. They aren't in the mood to try and settle this misunderstanding peacefully so we are, once again, forced to slay them.

At the end is another room with the engine, being guard by a dumb dwarf.

He's not much of a threat though, so we proceed to take apart the engine.

In a fit of rage, the little retarded dwarf attacks the party. Virgil and Sogg counter by flooring him and beating him to death violently.

We report back to Jungle for our reward and he offers us another job. If you're wondering why everyone's health is so low, that's because they destroyed the machine by beating it with their bare hands where each hit damages you to. Better than breaking your weapons on it though.

It's easy money, but our contact is all the way over in Dernholm so this quest isn't really a priority for us. We'll do it if we ever find ourselves in Derholm.

On the way out of town, we're approached by Constable Owens who offers us a job.

Seems he's found out about what happened to the steam machine, but since we killed the dwarf guarding it, he has no way to trace the crime back to us. And now he wants us to fix it. The pay is decent so we accept, however doing so will obviously botch the second quest we took from Jongle. Oh well, fuck him.

We're informed that we could probably find a part inside the Bessie Toone mine, so that's our next destination. On the way there we stop to chat up the mine's owner for any useful info about it. Though at first glance at us, Toone nearly shits himself.

And we quickly learn he was a party in some shady business deal regarding the mine. If you dig for info about it you'll trigger another side quest.

Your mother's ghost?

(He shakes his head sadly.) My poor mother...she killed herself, you know. When the silver dried up, we were forced to sell the mine. She went around the bend, soon after. Went up to the mine, she did, fired all the workers and did herself in.

Perhaps I can help free your mother's ghost.

Oh, that would wonderful! (He claps his hands together.) If you could do that, I would be ever so grateful. It would mean a monetary reward of 500 coins as well.

I will return when I have looked into this matter.

We were already heading there anyway, so might as well look into it.

We make it inside of the mine, which has become infested with wolves, rats and spiders since all of its guardsmen were fired. They go down pretty easily though.

It's not long before we come across Toone's ghost. We aren't able to initiate conversation with her, but our journal is updated when we get this message from her.

Obviously, Percival isn't telling us the whole story about this mine.

Movingon, we go deeper into the mine and finally come across the part Owens needs for the steam engine.

Business in the mine concluded, let's go back and see what we can learn about this ghost from Percival.

I "spoke" with your mother's ghost.

You...d...did? What did she say?

She said “Sarah, my dear Sarah”. Who is Sarah?

(He looks disgusted.) Sarah. (He spits the name.) That is my sister. A hateful person, really. She deserted us...left here to go to that dilapidated kingdom, Dernholm! What an affront to our family!

Why did she do that?

That's all we'll be getting out of him, I'm afraid. We'll have to pay his sister a visit in Derholm to get the other side of the story.

Time to report back to the constable for our reward.

Let's see if we can persuade him to give us a little more.

I think it's worth a little more...

How much more?

120 coins.

I'm firm on the price.100 gold pieces.

Very well then. I agree.

Fuck. I suppose that check is tied to your Haggle skill and not your Persuasion.

Next we stop at the herbalist to pick up a few supplies. While there we ask if she has any merc work for us to do.

I am new to this land, but I suspect my travels will take me far.

Well, then. If, in your travels, you happen to come across an elven amulet engraved with the name N'Tala upon its face, I would ask that you return it to me. It is an old family heirloom, stolen a generation ago.

It's not really even a quest, just something to keep an eye out for during your travels, she doesn't even have any idea to where it might be. Worth making a note of, at least. Time to get the fuck out of this town, finally.

And then we run into a problem. A bandit called Lukan the Witless, a dumfuck who is always mixing up his words, is charging a toll to use the bridge.

Time to put those points we invested into Persuasion to good use.

Hmmm. I may be able to persuade you otherwise...

Really? What could you possibly tell me that would change my mind about taking your money?

I'm a thief as well. We share a common bond.

Is that a fact? You don't seem much of a thief to me. I'd peg you for a tourist, or aristocracy. Nothing like the degenerates I usually keep company with...perhaps you'd better just cough up the toll.

This is my disguise, you see. I'm posing as an outlander.

I suppose it's possible...your dress seems fairly non-descrepit. Hmmm. If you are a thief, what are you doing HERE?

The word gets around...you know how it is.

Oh! So you've heard about us through the Thieves Underground! Fantabulous! I knew it was only a matter of time before we were noticed!

And here is where he fucks up, giving us a good clue of what to hold on to to successfully fool this guy.

Thieves Underground, right. They sent me here.

They did? Splendid! Which organization are you from? Tarant's?Caladon's?

Tarant's, of course.We're the best informed of them all.

I knew it! I knew the Underground in Tarant would hear about us if we tantalized Shrouded Hills long enough! Things are looking up, boys! We're going to be famous!

Believe me, you're terrorizing here hasn't gone unnoticed.

Of course not! I know the Underground sees all...and I made very sure not to step on anyone's toes here in the area. I know the Underground is VERY careful about keeping members out of each other's territories.

Yes. Actually, that's the reason I'm here.

Now we've got this fool right where we want him. He fully believes we're an Underground representative. Let's see what we can get out of him...

Hmmm. I'm not so sure...

No! Please...you must tell the Underground that we were unaware of any activity in the general vasectomy! We would never DREAM of moving in on someone else's business!

Okay, Lukan. I believe you. But we do have a situation here.

I like where this is going.

Fuckin A. Persuaded him to leave Shrouded Hills and give us a good sum of money. Not half bad. He takes off and we report our success to the constable for 50 gold, and then head back to finally leave this shitho-

Oh, goddammit!

We tell the annoying little bastard to fuck off again. He gets butthurt about it and attacks us. Yes, this little gnome attempts to assault two huge half-ogres...by himself. :picard:

Needless to say, he goes down easily when I shoot him in the face at point-blank range.

On his body we find a note confirming him to be a member of the assassin order after our head.

And that's it for Shrouded Hills, we're done with this place. Now the ball's in your all's court. Where do you want to go next? Head to Tarant to continue the main quest? Or take a bit of a detour and do some shit in Dernholm, which will also take us to the harbor town of Black Root?

 

[thesheeep]

Yay!

I hope you can finish this, or at least keep it up a time, this game can be incredibly long.

If you want to show people around the game and what it has to offer, I'd suggest following the main quest and not detouring too much. If you want to catch them all(tm), well... go everywhere and do everything

 

[Gondolin]

We're finally allowed to explore our surroundings. There's not much interesting here. Wreckage, a few corpses with lots of worthless vendor trash to sell and some wolves to kill. The only thing worthy of note is the wrecked flying machine.

Did you forget to pick up the camera at the crash site or did you just leave that out of the LP?

He picked it up and gave it to Ristezze.

Didn't catch that. Thanks.

 

[Castanova]

Nice work FD but I do wonder - why must all LPs contain transcriptions of all the dialog? It makes reading the LP something of a chore and I can't imagine how much time it must take to put together each update. If you would just summarize the conversations/choices that you made, I bet the chances you actually finish this LP go up dramatically.

 

[Elzair]

You should not have given the camera to Ristezze. You can give the camera to the inventor of the airplane in Caladon, because a photograph will prove that his flying machine really works. You might want to back up a bit.

 

[Fat Dragon]

You might want to back up a bit.

Not really the way I personally play RPGs. Any mistakes we make during this playthrough, we'll be living with. There will be no reloading. Besides, you can just buy the camera back anytime.

It makes reading the LP something of a chore and I can't imagine how much time it must take to put together each update. If you would just summarize the conversations/choices that you made, I bet the chances you actually finish this LP go up dramatically.

Yeah, I agree, sometimes it can be quite a pain. I won't be using the portraits anymore, I'm just going to begin cropping some of the screenshots to focus on the dialog box. For my own sanity's sake.