Barbedbeat

https://youtu.be/uT3SBzmDxGk

*hugs BMac*

I agree with Andrea: thank you, Aarik, for your work and for being so helpful!

On that matter, could some kind and generous soul help me understand what Iselmyr says at round 7:05? I get most of it, but one word... And it bothers me quite a lot. I adore Matt Mercer's Scottish accent tough! "I dinnae think anything could down the hairy fellow!" Is that it? You can check it yourself, though. In \PillarsOfEternity_Data\data\localized\en\text\conversations\companions folder open companion_cv_aloth_voice_set.stringtable file in Notepad. THANK YOU! Yes, that was precisely it. Unfortunately tough I cannot access the data you mentioned- I downloaded the game from the App Store (what a mistake) and thus most of the game files are impossible to retrieve.

On that matter, could some kind and generous soul help me understand what Iselmyr says at round 7:05? I get most of it, but one word... And it bothers me quite a lot. I adore Matt Mercer's Scottish accent tough!

I'm starting to sense some weird Arcanum vibes out of this thread...

At least it's not a "Heya, it's me Imoen!" Guessing they were more focused on making sure other things were voiced first, but I feel it would add that little bit of charm to lighten the mood occasionally. Oh my... Imoen's unbearable meowling has haunted my dreams for too long... I still prefer PoE's mixed collection of "Hey! Aye? Que? Yees?", quick and (almost) painless. Planescape: Torment, however, featured the best "selection banter" of all time in my opinion. "You know, if I could click you, you wouldn't know a moment's peace!" - Morte Another cool NPC bark that I liked was the following: upon analyzing the gigantic adra head in Caed Nua, level 3 (I think), Aloth would sometimes say "Oh, that's tacky!", causing this to flash through my mind:

Does it mean they actually added the last dungeon? Actually... I'm not sure they have. The last update talks about a new hero class and the "cove" area. They don't seem to mention the last dungeon... In other words, they're calling it the "official release" but it still looks like there's content missing... Still, even as an early release, it was pretty playable. I'm looking forward to having another run with it. I can assure you that with today's launch, they will indeed implement the final Dungeon, as well a new Hero class and some more interesting content!

Done!.... Although I cannot seem to find a way to directly upload pictures from my PC... Any suggestions? Oh, wait! I think I found a way!

I agree! As soon as I encountered the famous "coxfither" line during my first play through I nearly fell of my chair. I then collected myself and stared blankly at the screen for a few seconds, nodding silently whilst assessing the awesomeness of it all. I seriously thing PoE to be one of the best novels games I ever put my hands on. I am also quite fond of "Her Wickedness" The Devil of Caroc: she had her soul stripped from her body and glued to an empty mechanical shell and still has managed not to lose her sense of humour. In general, I must say I believe Carrie Patel to be very good at writing dialogues: they always sound so witty and fresh! @Sannom: I believe the party's reactions to the Durance's departure to be hilarious as well, especially if compared with what they have to say when somebody else dies. -Aloth, clearly on the verge of tears: "Edér, no!!"; "Watcher, no!!!" and then, "Durance... he's not moving. I'm going to have some tea, does anybody want some? I also have some biscuits if you'd like! And crumpets!" -Edér, audibly heartbroken: "Pallegina! Never thought I'd see this..."; "I should have been there, Aloth..." and finally "Well, at least we don't have to listen to him anymore" *the sound of vuvuzelas swells in the background* -Another thing I like is Maerwald's monologue. "Soldier... and marauder. Soldier... and marauder... and Maerwald". Gives me the chills every time. But please. Please, let's not forget about this: (I made some of these with my favorite quotes from the game. Might do others if you'd like)

Good morning! In order to hire mercenaries to defend your stronghold, you need to build the Barracks. Once the construction is completed, you'll be able to access the hirelings menu and recruit some stalwart soldier to protect your comfy home

Hello everyone! Can I join this merry musical cornucopia?

The same here. Barbedbeat, your writing provides rich visualization of words. I like that in prose. Wow, thank you both for your kind words! You can't imagine how happy I am to know you liked my story and appreciate my writing style. Here's a big hug for you!

Most of them. I sincerely think this game to have a lot of brilliantly written dialogue and narration. But I have to be honest: "RIGHT FETCHIN' FITHERS, LASS!" gets me every . single. time.

You're way too kind, Andrea! It's nice to meet a fellow Italian around these parts. Come to think of it, I believe we already crossed our paths on the chaotic jungle that is Twitter, if I'm not mistaken.

1) I love your username 2)I love port as well! 3) Last night I enjoyed a pint of "Punks do it Bitter", a really nice IPA by an Italian brewery. Satisfyingly bitter and marvellously fruity.

My, thank you so much, Cyseal! Well, I am not a professional writer, but I dream of becoming one. And, to be honest, your comment has filled me with joy! I am not a native English speaker (or writer, for that matter) so I am beyond flattered!

Submission (competition #2) * Yes, I know my story highly exceeds the word count limit. But hey, I had so much fun writing it that I could not stop! Hope you enjoy! **Be warned: spoilers ahead Keep Yer Heid and March On The crypt walls echoed with the low humming of a moltitude of voices, their diverse pitches carefully intertwined in a sweeping harmony. A lonely wail raised above the orderly din, weaving an haunting chant, studded with wisely chosen formulas and arcane vibrations, perfected to obtain the complete subjugation of the listeners' minds. With one last high-pitched note, the High-Priestess concluded her phrase, and, slowly and rythmically, the song came to a halt. The woman closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, savouring the thick silence that blossomed around her. Then she clasped her hands in prayer and let out a single low whisper: “Glory to The Queen That Was”. Immediately, she could hear the sound of hundreds of knees softly hitting the ground, followed by a resounding bellow: “Glory!”. The Priestess opened her eyes and let her gaze wander among the herd that had kneeled at her feet. Two-hundreds and thirty-one Acolytes, man and women of all ages, bodies clad in black cloacks and visages hidden by ominous ceremonial hoods, dedicating their lives to one singular purpose: serving and revering the almighty Gods. She let out the tiniest of sighs and nodded. “Yes”, she thought, “Our mission is just”. A thin smile painted on her face as she started to talk. “Brothers and Sisters, I am truly rejoiced to see so many of you here on this joyous occasion. As per the letter you received two days ago, many of you will already know that this is indeed a special day. In fact, we are all gathered here to rightfully celebrate the merits of our Brother...” her eyes lingered on the figure of a young man, knelt a few meters away from her, “... whose purposeful actions in service of the Leaden Key have attracted the favour of Woedica Herself”. With an exagerated movement of her arm, she motioned him to come closer. “Come forth, Acolyte! That all may see you!” The man stood up, the menacing contours of his broad figure accentuated by the dim light of the wall torches. With slow steps, he approached the pulpit where he reverently knelt again in front of the Priestess. The woman turned towards the towering altar behind her and produced a thin, crooked black crown. She raised her arms high above her head so that everybody could see that symbol of power; with a gentle gesture of her bony hands, she then proceded to carefully place it on the man's head, whispering “Well done, Brother”. Then, suddenly, her voiced boomed through the vault: “Inquisitor! State your name and purpose!” But the answer never came. Instead, a low muttering erupted from the man's lips, as he slowly started to rise. The Priestess stared at him, her surprise soon replaced by a burning rage as the man took hold of the crown and deliberately dropped it on the ground.“How dare you, you insolent...” the words took form in her mind, but died before reaching her throat. All of her muscles were petrified. A wave of panic hit her in the stomach as her eyes darted among the other acolytes, all rendered immobile by the same spell that held her captive. She struggled against the mounting anguish as, with a graceful flick of the wrist, the broad-built man in front of her disappeared, replaced by the delicate figure of a young elf whose piercing blue eyes stared mercilessly at her from behind the mask. “I am no Inquisitor”, he hissed, a pulsating, fiery glow emanating from the palm of his hand, “I'm just the man who'll put an end to your reign of lies”. As he finished speaking, a roaring tongue of flame erupted violently from his outstretched arm, engulfing the the whole crypt. In a few seconds, every inch of stone, every marble slate, every single living creature inside of Woedica's Temple was being consumed by a churning, thundering maelstrom of magical fire, unstoppable in its horrendous ire. The icy snow crunched under the wizard's boots as he walked down the barren path. He had been walking for what felt like hours but, in spite of the distance, he could still hear the cracking and crackling of the flames reverberating through the dale. He let out a long sigh and looked up to the night sky, stern in its vast emptyness. The steely maws of remorse would always present themselves after such deeds, gently gnawing at the back of his mind. “Keep yer heid, wizard-boy! Yer doin' the right thing”. There she was. “There is no such thing as right or wrong, Iselmyr. Not anymore” “Nay, lad. But truth and lie, they're real enough.” For an instant, the faint shadow of a smile passed on his drawn face. “They are indeed. This is the reason why I swore to eradicate the Leaden Key, come what may. The time has come for Truth to be avenged” He took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the cold northern air and his soul with burning determination. “But enough of this palaver. A long journey awaits us” And thus, Aloth marched on, his stride confident as he prepared to walk down the long arduous road that would have taken him to his next destination: the cold mountains of the White March.

Working on a short story. I am so excited and happy about this competition! You had a great idea, Fionavar!

Do we need to PM our submissions? Or can we post them under this thread?

EDIT (refined, better written version). @Moderator: please erase previous post. Thanks! So, my party of choice is normally composed by these 4 steady members: -Aloth -Eder -Durance -Kana with whom I follow the entire story arc. I tend to recruit the other party members and keep them with me just until the resolution of their quest. My Watcher is a tendentially nihilistic philosopher. She is a Fire Godlike and a Cipher who loves knowledge and supports animancy, and this is how I imagine her relationship with the other party members: (SPOILERS AHEAD) She would have a love-hate relationship with Aloth, whom she admires as a wizard and in whom she sees lots of potential, unfortunately tainted by narrow mindedness and false beliefs, about which they would often argue with passion (animancy is one of their "favorite" subjects). Also, his peculiar condition fascinates her very much, and she always tries to help and support him. Her other best bud would be Kana, with whom she would spend hours drinking beer and discuss lore, history, books and politics. She would often ask him to teach her some traditional Rauatai song, and in exchange she would perform some hymn from Ixamitl Plains. She happens to be a pretty good singer, especially after a couple of pints. Also, they share a common enemy (Leaden Key), which helps them strengthen their bond. Regarding Edér, she would look at him with respect, as he proves to be a good hearted man and a pretty clever one too, in spite of his humble upbringing. Also, agnostic as she is, she would often make some playful remark about his faith in Eothas. She would however understand his condition as a Purge victim, having been forced to abandon her home country for similar reasons (as a philosopher, she would publicly condemn religious beliefs and superstitions as false, something that earned her the much unwanted and life-treathening attention of a fanatical religious group). Durance is an entirely different chapter. She hardly stands him, and she only accepted him to follow the party for two reasons: 1) She is really curious to find out what he wants to accomplish with this "Trial" of his 2) She wants to convince him what a fool he was to put his whole existence at the service of an unknown entity he labels as a "god". Right now, a very peculiar companion has joined our merry band of misfits: the Devil of Caroc. Watcher is honestly terrified by her (Devil *is* an expressionless, murderous metal statue after all), but she is charmed by her charisma and sense of humor, and finds her condition most intriguing. And finally, to give you a more comprehensive overview of their relationship, I would like to try and describe a typical evening of theirs, rigorously spent in a beer-flooded Inn: *Everybody except Edér sits at a round wooden table, resting after a long day. Watcher is shuffling through some papers, trying to figure out how to proceed with the restoration of Caed Nua. Aloth scans his grimoire, totally lost in thoughts. Kana hums a cheerful song while eating a massive cookie, stretching his neck to take a peek at the Watcher's work. In the meantime, Durance sits in the background, arms folded and legs crossed in a seemingly meditative stance. They sit in silence for some time, until a beaming Edér stumbles into view, carrying five large beer steins. He slams them briskly on the table, spilling liquid everywhere*. "Here ya go, folks! Round's on me. Bottoms up!" *All raise their tankards (except for Durance), and cheerfully gulp down their ales, finally starting to unwind* -Kana: "Nothing better than a good pint with some fine friends at the end of the day" he takes another sip and lowers his tankard. "So, Aloth... you happen to share your conscience with a previous incarnation of your soul, a woman named Iselmyr... I wonder: have you ever wished to learn more about her history and her life?" -Aloth: "Absolutely not!" -Kana: "But... just think about the possibilities! You would be able to hear first hand accounts of daily life in ancient times... It would be an historian's dream!" -Aloth: "There are certain kinds of knowledge I can happily do without" -Watcher, her gaze still focused on her now beer-stained papers: "Oh, but of course... like animancy, for example..." -Kana:"Yes, Aloth: I honestly find it hard to share your distaste for this discipline. I know its history has had its share of low moments, but I cannot understand your resentment for its academic pratictioners" -Aloth frowns and shifts nervously on his chair: "Animancy is... an inhuman practice. There are some things kith are just *not *meant to do, soul tinkering amongst them" -Watcher, slamming her hand on the table and causing even more beer to spill on her now drenched documents: "But Of course! Clearly, we are all meant to dwell in ignorance! What is better than a healthy dose of superstition? Come on now, let's be serious: just think about how much harm has been done, how much blood has been spilled in the name of false beliefs. By the flame that's burning on the top of my head, just think of the Purges!" *A moment of silence. Then, suddenly, Aloth, Kana and the Watcher start talking over each other, voices slightly raised, gesticulating wildly*. -Edér fills his pipe, then lights it, chuckling. "Yep. Here they go again". He takes a drag, then shouts "Way to go, Iselmyr! Tell them!" *In the corner, Durance mutters something about fiery women".

So, my party of choice is normally composed by 4 steady members, who are: -Aloth -Eder -Durance -Kana with whom I follow the entire story arc. I tend to recruit the other party members and keep them with me until the resolution of their quest. My Watcher is a tendentially nihilistic philosopher, a Fire Godlike and a Cipher, who loves culture and supports animancy, so this is how I imagine her relationship with party members: (SPOILERS AHEAD) She would have a love-hate relationship with Aloth, who she admires as a wizard and in whom she sees a lot of potential, unfortunately ruined by narrow mindedness and false beliefs, about which they would often argue with passion (animancy is one of their "favorite" subjects). Also, his peculiar condition fascinates her very much, and she always tries to help and support him. Her other best bud would be Kana, with whom she would spend hours drinking beer and discuss lore, history, books and politics. She would often ask him to teach her some of the traditional songs of the Rauatai, and in exchange she would perform some hymn from Ixamitl Plains. She happens to be a pretty good singer, especially after a couple of pints. Also, they share a common enemy (Leaden Key), which helps strengthen their bond. Regarding Edér, she would look at him with respect, as he proves to be a good hearted man and a pretty clever one too, in spite of his humble upbringing. Also, agnostic as she is, she would often make some playful remark about his faith in Eothas. She would however understand his condition as a Purge victim, as she was forced to abandon her home country for similar reasons (as a philosopher, she would publicly condemn religious beliefs and superstitions as false, and this earned her the much unwanted and possibly life-treathening attention of a fanatical group). Durance is an entirely different chapter. She hardly stands him, and she only accepted him to follow the party for two reasons: 1) She is really curious to find out what he wants to accomplish with this "Trial" of his 2) She wants to convince him what a fool he was to put his whole existence at the service of an unknown entity he labels as a "god". Right now, a very peculiar companion has joined out merry band of misfits: the Devil of Caroc. My watcher is honestly terrified by her (Devil *is* an expressionless, murderous metal statue after all), but she is charmed by her charisma and sense of humor, and intrigued by her condition. And finally, to give you a more comprehensive overview of their relationship, I would like to try and describe a typical evening of theirs, rigorously spent in a beer-flooded Inn: *Everybody except Edér is sitting at a round wooden table, resting after a long day. Watcher is shuffling through some papers, trying to figure out how to proceed with the restoration of Caed Nua. Aloth is scanning his grimoire, totally lost in thoughts. Kana is humming a cheerful song while eating a massive cookie, stretching his neck to take a peek at the Watcher's work. In the meantime, Durance sits in the background, arms folded and legs crossed in a seemingly meditative stance. They sit in silence for some time, until a beaming Edér stumbles into view, carrying five large beer steins. He slams them briskly on the table, spilling liquid everywhere*. "Here ya go, folks! Round's on me. Bottoms up!" *All raise their tankards (except for Durance), and cheerfully gulp down their ales, finally starting to unwind* -Kana: "Nothing better than a good pint with some fine friends at the end of the day" he takes another sip and lowers his tankard. "So, Aloth... you happen to share your conscience with a previous incarnation of your soul, a woman named Iselmyr... I wonder: have you ever wished to learn more about her history and her life?" -Aloth: "Absolutely not!" -Kana: "But... just think about the possibilities! You would be able to hear first hand accounts of daily life in ancient times, it would be every historian's dream!" -Aloth: "There are certain kinds of knowledge I can happily do without" -Watcher, her gaze still focused on her now beer-stained papers: "Oh, but of course... like animancy, for example..." -Kana:"Yes, Aloth: I honestly find it hard to share your distaste for this discipline. I know its history has had its share of low moments, but I cannot understand your resentment for its academic pratictioners" -Aloth frowns and shifts nervously on his chair: "Animancy is... an inhuman practice. There are some things kith are just *not *meant to do, soul tinkering amongst them" -Watcher, slamming her hand on the table and causing even more beer to spill on her now drenched documents: "But Of course! Clearly, we are all meant to dwell in ignorance! What is better than a healthy dose of superstition? Come on now, let's be serious: just think about how much harm has been done, how much blood has been spilled in the name of false beliefs. By the flame that's burning on the top of my head, just think of the Purges!" *A moment of silence. Then, suddenly, Aloth, Kana and the Watcher start talking over each other, voices slightly raised, gesticulating wildly*. -Edér fills his pipe, then lights it, chuckling. "Yep. Here they go again". He takes a drag, then shouts "Way to go, Iselmyr! Tell them!" *In the corner, Durance mutters something about fiery women".

Fellow mac users, rejoice! I just checked and a new update for Pillar of Eternity is available on the App Store. Apparently it will solve the "crash on launch issue"and allow us to install the latest patch. I'm downloading right now. Fingers crossed!