HoonDing

BG2, Darkensang: River of Time & Divine Divinity.

Hammerberg turns out to be a cold, snowy place at the foot of the Anvil Mountains. On the docks, a dwarf named Avarosh quickly addresses the party to give the rundown of the place. GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: Tell me, who are you? What do you want? Time is gold! URDIRIEL: We... er... we're just simple traveling merchants... This is... err... Gammlund. What's it to you? GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: They call me Goldtooth and I'll tell you what it has to do with me. First, I don't tolerate competition. Second, I take care of my businesses here. And third, I tell my friends when my nose tells me something stinks. Something's not quite right about you and your cronies. URDIRIEL: You're not different to me. People like us make our own rules, am I right? GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: That's an attitude that will gain you both followers and enemies... but the rules here apply to all, understood? URDIRIEL: What are these rules? GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: Differences are settled at the dueling ground. Keep your weapons sheathed anywhere else. If somebody tries to take your life, defend yourself. But no vendettas and no complaining. Any questions? URDIRIEL: I think I can manage that. GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: Do you like waiting in the reeds? URDIRIEL: Huh? Do I like what... where? ...Is that some kind of euphemism? Well... err... I'd really just like to know whether you saw a red-haired woman. GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: I see... I can't tell you anything about that. CANO: [Human Nature] You don't know anything? Or are you not allowed to tell us anything? GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: [success] Yes, yes, you're right. Hookensang brought a woman with him a while ago... but you'll have to look for the Captain yourself. He hasn't shown his face for a while. URDIRIEL: It's this woman I'm looking for. Where can I find her? GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: I see... You want to talk to Thunderfist! But I'm afraid I must disappoint you... we don't let just anybody do that. URDIRIEL: What do I have to do? GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: You can only meet Thunderfist if you have enough people vouch for you. Not just anybody, of course... people with a certain amount of influences. Like me. URDIRIEL: I see... and who has influence here? GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: The Council members. Apart from me, there's "Irontaste", "Widowfriend", "Hookensang" and "Bardshock"... Hehe, but I doubt you'll be able to get their agreement. URDIRIEL: I need to know more about the Council members. GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: Yes, yes, but you won't manage it anyway... hehe... who would you like to know about? URDIRIEL: What about you, "Goldtooth"? GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: Aye, Avaroth, son of Gramtax is my name. And my tooth isn't all the gold I have either, hehe. I mine precious metals in the delving and I run all kinds of other lucrative businesses. GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: Loans, for example, at interest of course. That reminds me... I need someone to call in a few debts for me. It seems to me, you want to get on my good side, don't you? URDIRIEL: You're right. GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: Yes, yes. Then make yourself useful! Those who don't make their payments get a visit, understand? Will you take care of it? URDIRIEL: Who do you want me to visit? GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: The first is "Growler" Bodo, a dog breeder. You'll find him near the back harbor. He's stubborn as a mule, that one! Threats of violence don't work on him... and don't call him Growler. GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: The second one is Radomir, the "Tavern King". I'll give you three guesses where you can find him. A tricky fellow! Don't let him fool you. And then there's Zira, our tender "Snow White". She hangs around behind the tavern fluttering her eyelashes and waiting for business. Heh, yes, yes! URDIRIEL: Is that all? As you said earlier, time is gold! GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: And I'm losing gold as we speak! Growler Bodo owes me 12 ducats, Radomir owes me 11 ducats, and Snow White owes me 8 ducats. That's 31 ducats in total. Any questions? URDIRIEL: Tell me about "Irontaste". GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: Phewin Soorman is a dangerous man. Aye! He got into the banditry business early in life. First coaches, then ships... who knows what else! The only thing that's certain is that you won't have much fun speaking with him. He spends a lot of time doing business deals in the tavern. GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: First you must speak with his bosun - a stinking Blackfur, hehe. I wonder if you'll survive that? Aye... we shall see! URDIRIEL: Tell me about "Widowfriend". GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: Rumpo Berchbold. A man who made it from common mercenary to captain... how did he do it? Aye, I'd like to know that. He's usually over at the back pier, that show-off. Ask him yourself, hehe. URDIRIEL: Tell me about "Bardshock". GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: Hehe, Jadira Cruento is a Zahori. You know... the traveling people. She took over the booze house after they strung up the old innkeeper here. Now they all dance to her tune down there. URDIRIEL: Tell me about "Hookensang". GOLDTOOTH AVAROSH: Ahh, our very own nobility, Timorn of Stoneground. But he'll soon be residing on a stony riverbed if he's not careful, hehe. You can still find him in the tavern. On their way from the docks, the party bumps into an old friend. CAPTAIN BURGESS: Hey! You there! You're the one I gave a good beating! URDIRIEL: I remember. You came up behind me and knocked me down right at the beginning of this adventure! CAPTAIN BURGESS: I hate you! Everything went wrong in my life after I gave you that beating. URDIRIEL: Tell me what happened, I'm curious. CAPTAIN BURGESS: I ran off when your cronies stuck their noses in. In the rush to escape, my ship floundered on one of the greatest rocks. I barely made it back here on the ship's tiny lifeboat. Most of my people went down with the ship. Worst of all, before all this happened I had a chance of getting on the Council! Now that Hookensang sits there instead of me! It's all your fault! URDIRIEL: At least I don't need your vote. CAPTAIN BURGESS: I don't care about that. I feel like giving you another bump on the head for everything that's happened because of you and your cronies. Unfortunately for him, Captain Burgess gets trounced badly and whimpers off. Revenge is sweet. NEXT: various tasks for the Council.

Back at the Tollgate, a mage will now appear near the docks. It is Rakorium Muntagonis, the brilliant (but absent-minded) Dean of the Quicksilver Hall in Festum. Another legendary figure in the Dark Eye setting who is also a fairly important NPC in Drakensang 1. ARCHMAGE RAKORIUM: Oh, err... Nottel, finally! Oh, forgive me... I thought you were my apprentice... oh dear, oh dear... URDIRIEL: Is there a problem? Can I help? RIVER GUARDSMAN: This man just appeared on the dock with a pile of crates. He says he's the Dean of a magic academy, so we're trying to be as respectful as possible... RIVER GUARDSMAN: ...but whenever we ask him something he just starts talking about someone called Nottel! I don't think he even exists! ARCHMAGE RAKORIUM: Oh, that's an interesting theory, my young friend! Are you also familiar with Galotta's commentary on Philosophica Magica, according to which we are all just imaginary figments dreamt up by alien beings? JAAKON: [Arcane Lore] You are clearly alluding to the fact that some scholars doubt the actual existence of our Third Sphere. ARCHMAGE RAKORIUM: Quite right. In his treatise, Galotta also says that Ethra and the Cosmos actually only exist as ideas and can therefore be changed at any time. Worrying, don't you think? At that time, the colleague believed it was the Gods who dreamed our world. But really, there's no reason why it couldn't be me, for example. An interesting concept, I think. ARCHMAGE RAKORIUM: Do you mind if I ask your name, incidentally? One wants to know... one whom has imagined... eh? Haha... URDIRIEL: My name is Urdiriel Teardream. Can I help you in some way? ARCHMAGE RAKORIUM: Hmm, maybe you could look for Nottel for me, yes? Please tell him that I need him here urgently. He's probably forgotten the time again, absent-minded boy that he is. URDIRIEL: Where could Nottel be? ARCHMAGE RAKORIUM: Well, I did tell him about those old witch stones up there... Very powerful... Good for sphere travel and blood magic... hmm... RIVER GUARDSMAN: You mean that stone circle to the northeast? I've been there... it's an eerie place... ARCHMAGE RAKORIUM: Yes, haha... it's the kind of thing that interests young people... no wonder Nottel has been away so long... The party heads to the stone circle and finds Nottel rooted in the middle of it. NOVICE NOTTEL: Praise be to the Mother of Wisdom! I wasn't even sure he would notice I was gone. Could you help me? Otherwise I'll be standing here all night. URDIRIEL: Are you Nottel? NOVICE NOTTEL: Oh, you've already spoken with Master Rakorium? Yes, I'm his apprentice. I'm actually called Ungfred, not Nottel... the Master just seems to find it easier to call me that, I guess. URDIRIEL: What? Your master can't even get your name right? NOVICE NOTTEL: Well... Nottel was the name of Master Rakorium's first apprentice. And to make things easier, that's just what he calls all his apprentices now... he's a little... ahem... His duties as Dean mean he's a very busy man. URDIRIEL: What happened? NOVICE NOTTEL: I wanted to take a look at this stone circle. The Compendium of Miraculous Stones describes it as an unusual specimen. It resembles the work of Dwarven Geodes, but it's much older. I noticed some strange magical traps on the way here... obviously some type of contained Transversalis. The stone circle itself seems to have a powerful magical aura. Very strange. NOVICE NOTTEL: I cast an Analytica spell on the stones and it must have caused some kind of feedback. Now the arcane currents have me trapped here. Err, are you still listening? URDIRIEL: How can I help you? NOVICE NOTTEL: There's some kind of magical matrix between these stones that won't let me leave. You have to find a way to interrupt the flow of magical energy. I think the source of the energy is somewhere below the stone circle... I saw a cave on the way here. Maybe you'll find something there. NOVICE NOTTEL: Unfortunately the entrance looked like it was blocked... but I'm sure Master Rakorium can help you with that. He's an expert in Transformation magic. Please, go and ask him to help you... then go to the cave and look for the source of the magic and try to cut it off. Rakorium grants the party with a magical pick-axe that is used to clear the entrance to the cave that Nottel spoke of. Inside the cave, soon an unknown magician appears out of nowhere and addresses the party. MARAWAMIR AY ELBURUM: What? Who are you? What are you doing down here? Did he send you? URDIRIEL: I'm looking for the source of some magical energies. MARAWAMIR AY ELBURUM: Magical energies? Do you mean our ritual? It was interrupted! Weeks of preparation and then somebody up there fools with the stones! I'm sure he had a hand in this! MARAWAMIR AY ELBURUM: He's been trying to thwart me ever since the ritual was interrupted! He's using every means possible to stop me from completing it! He's constantly hiding the components! Don't believe his lies! It's obvious he is not to be trusted! You should help me find the ingredients! URDIRIEL: Who is he? MARAWAMIR AY ELBURUM: He was once my companion, but now he shows his true face. He is evil and unscrupulous to the core... he wants nothing more than destroy me. He must not achieve his goal! URDIRIEL: Who are you? MARAWAMIR AY ELBURUM: I am Marawamir ay Elburum, mage and researcher of arcane secrets. The ritual I began must be ended! He must not succeed! MARAWAMIR AY ELBURUM: No time! I must continue! Bring the ingredients to me when you have them! I shall wait for you in the cave beneath the stone circle! And be careful... I'm sure he's laid traps. Soon after Marawamir teleports away, "he" appears... and is apparently Marawamir's undead version. MARAWAMIR AY ELBURUM: Halt! I know that you're helping that weakling by looking for the components for the ritual! Forget that pathetic worm! From now on, you shall obey my will! URDIRIEL: Why should I obey you? You don't look particularly trustworthy. MARAWAMIR AY ELBURUM: If you serve me, I shall richly reward you. I have the power to grant you any wishes... oppose me and I shall destroy you! Collect the components from the surrounding rooms and bring them to the center of the place of ritual. I shall wait for you there. After going through the entire cave complex, the party gathers the five ingredients, which turn out to be five rare plant components. Taking the ingredients to the ritual place, the two mages will start battling and Urdiriel must make a decision which of the two mages to help... by either completing or reversing the ritual. To complete the ritual, the ingredients must be placed in the correct order in each of the bowls. The correct order is revealed by solving a small puzzle. The only way to release Nottel is to reverse the ritual. When the skeleton mage then attempts to complete the ritual, he disappears. MARAWAMIR AY ELBURUM: Thanks be to Hesinde, he is gone! Some things shouldn't be shared. As old Rohal said: "When you stare deep into your soul, eventually it stares back." MARAWAMIR AY ELBURUM: Very clever of you to arrange the components in the opposite sequence... that reversed the ritual. The stones above ground are no longer charged with magical energy, if you're interested. MARAWAMIR AY ELBURUM: Well, err... I think I'll dedicate my time to different research in the future... Maybe I'll go back to dissecting small animals, or big ones... err, farewell! Transversalis Teleport! Heading back to the docks, Nottel and Master Rakorium are reunited. NOVICE NOTTEL: Hello! Thank you for saving me. When I felt the magical powers abating, I went straight back to Master Rakorium. Now I need to deal with the tollkeepers... the two guards look shaken up. Speak to my master again, he's sure to reward you... if he recognizes you. ARCHMAGE RAKORIUM: Aha, you're back again! And there's.. err... ah, Nottel... URDIRIEL: Yes, I managed to free him. ARCHMAGE RAKORIUM: Oh, thank Hesinde! I thought I'd have to get another one... hmm, yes. ARCHMAGE RAKORIUM: Well, shall we be on our way? This time we should make it to Havena... I hope Prince Bennain won't be too annoyed by the delay... Get ready then, and... NOVICE NOTTEL: But Master, what about our research material? Surely we can't just leave it here? ARCHMAGE RAKORIUM: Oh, ah yes... We should take that with us, shouldn't we? Come along then, Nottel. Transversalis... Master Rakorium teleports away and now the party can finally move on to the pirate hideout, Hammerberg.

Back at the Hunting Preserve, Enno of Vardock will now offer a quest to do some Spring cleaning and rid the place of marauding Orks. The Orks are located in the western part of the preserve and are not too difficult to deal with. However, there are also Ogres among them. Ogres hit very hard and have a large amount of HP. They can however be efficiently beaten by using melee debuffs followed by applying wounding attacks. On the stone bridge, there are two Ogres to fight. The party finds the way beyond the bridge blocked by a tree. Enno of Vardock's servants will remove it, but this will take a while... the party will return later to finish the job. Back at the Elven woods, Urdiriel hands over the Elven arrow she crafted to Linwen Owlwing. He now has two more tasks before he will help making the ultimate weapon. LINWEN OWLWING: You have now discovered that there is more to weaponforming than the right grip techniques. It is important to start with a clear idea of what you want to create. URDIRIEL: Yes... it is as if the arrow was already in the branch from which you formed it. LINWEN OWLWING: Three Elves must combine their magic to form the weapon with you. Speak with Calenleya Arrowsong and Ilcoron Sparkweaver and ask them if they wish to help. Calenleya Arrowsong tasks the party with some typical Elven hippie stuff, i.e. walking around the woods and listening to the melody of it. Upon returning to her, she will ask how many deer live in the forest. Ilcoron Sparkweaver asks to craft a pommel for him. After performing these two minor tasks, Linwen Owlwing, Calenleya Arrowsong and Ilcoron Sparkweaver will gather with Urdiriel and sing the perfect weapon into existence. LINWEN OWLWING: Magic and song will help to define the form. To work in harmony with us, you must open your senses by singing with us. LINWEN OWLWING: I call on you all! Unite and channel your powers into this weapon. Diun i'dao sala mandra! CALENLEYA ARROWSONG: The bond is complete... Fey'y sanya sala ia'dhamandra-mha aya tharmandra! URDIRIEL: Fey'y sanya sala ia'dhamandra-mha aya tharmandra! ILCORON SPARKWEAVER: Ia sala biuanda sany'ray! E

Fable 3 coming to PC on same day as Witcher 2

Is there a PC demo? I'm interested since this is supposed to be the spiritual successor to Painkiller.

Pure FPS are about shooting enemies non-stop, not watching cutscenes and scripted events every ten minutes.

"Physical damage: 14,666" Still the offline MMO, I see.

I'll wait until the Gamespy, Gamespot and IGN reviews before deciding.

On the island, the party comes upon a strange magical structure. A disembodied voice greets the party... VOICE: Please... don't hurt me... no more anguish! I implore you! URDIRIEL: What... is someone talking to me? Where are you? The voice belongs to the blue creature that Van Haring's book spoke of. How long has it been trapped on the island? WATER NYMPH: Forgive me, but I can't communicate with you in any other way... URDIRIEL: I cannot hear you, but I can sense your voice inside my head... don't be afraid of me. WATER NYMPH: I understand your thoughts. But the language of you landfolk is foreign to me. I was afraid that he had come back at first... he lived on land like you. He made me suffer a great deal. But he suffered, too. He hasn't come to this place for a long time. WATER NYMPH: The one who lives on land, who I told you about... he shackled me to this place. Do you see these rocks here? He placed a mighty spell on them, so that I'm unable to leave this island... URDIRIEL: I've never seen a creature like yourself before. Do you really live under the water? WATER NYMPH: Yes, the rivers and depths of the ocean are home to us. Yet at times we go on land, where we meet some of your kind. That frequently brings us children of the water a great deal of pain... WATER NYMPH: One of your kind saw me on the shore one night and came over to me. He said that I belonged to him now and bound me to this spot... but I can't survive here. I long to return to my people. URDIRIEL: How can I set you free? WATER NYMPH: Perhaps there is a way... but to help me you must understand the herbs of the forest. The one who lives on land used them to work the spell. My senses were numb when he brought me here, I couldn't see everything he did exactly. But he placed herbs in the bowl on these stones. A different one in each. URDIRIEL: Please continue. WATER NYMPH: Then he turned the stones in a certain way and then suddenly there was light in this place that began flashing in a myriad of colors. It was like looking at the sun through a waterfall. Shortly after that it seemed as if my legs were turning into frozen water. Then I lost consciousness. Ever since then every time I distance myself more than a few steps from the island, my body stiffens, as if it is turning to ice and I lose my senses. WATER NYMPH: I've been trying to escape from this spell for many moon cycles. But it's hopeless. The herbs that grow on this island aren't the right ones to help me escape. URDIRIEL: Do you know anything else about these strange stones? WATER NYMPH: They can be turned, but I can't interpret the symbols on them. However, I do know that the right herbs are needed to work the magic. I beg you, help me! If you find the right herbs and turn the stones in the right away, then I'll surely be set free. URDIRIEL: Fear not. I will do what I can to help you. WATER NYMPH: You would be guaranteed my gratitude for all time. I can't bear this place any longer... I've been separated from my people for such a long time. Our first task in order to free the nymph is to align the symbols on the obelisks with the ones on the rotating disk. The hints that the nymph gave, combined with Urdiriel's Survival skill, reveal that the only plants that do not grow on the island are: Festering toadstool, Firemoss, Whirlweed and Oneberry. Putting these plants in the correct bowl will free the nymph. Some knowledge of TDE lore is helpful here, since the symbols correspond to 4 of the 6 elements used in TDE, namely Water, Fire, Humus and Air... meaning that Whirlweed corresponds to Fire, Oneberry to Water, Toadstool to Air and Firemoss to Humus. However, since putting the right plant in the right bowl will cause one of the central colors in the rotating disk to disappear, trial-and-error works just as well. Solving the puzzle causes a spray of colors, and the water nymph is finally free. As a reward, Urdiriel receives a mind-melt. WATER NYMPH: The chill in my limbs... it has disappeared... did it! I'm free! WATER NYMPH: I'm so happy! I can finally go back to the waters of my homeland! Back home to my own people! Thank you! WATER NYMPH: I don't have anything precious that I can give you for it... but perhaps I can give you a gift that you will think is much more valuable. Open your mind to me... URDIRIEL: That... that's quite overwhelming! Thank you. Good luck on your homeward journey. The party is now ready to travel again. At this point, the defeated adversaries from the Arena will appear on the docks. Now we get a nice reference to Blade of Destiny (River of Time takes place in 1009 BF, 1 year before the events of Realms of Arkania). IFIRNIA THE AMAZON: Good to see you! URDIRIEL: What are you doing here at the harbor? IFIRNIA THE AMAZON: We have decided to follow the call of Tronde Torbenson the Hetman and move to Thorwal. IFIRNIA THE AMAZON: Rumor has it that he is looking for heroes to search for a lost sword in the wilderness of Orkland. URDIRIEL: And now you're waiting for a boat? IFIRNIA THE AMAZON: We even had a boat which would have taken us to Havena at the end of the Great River... but Tragash is mulish when it comes to travel by water. TRAGASH: The boat was old, and its wood was rotten. That wreck's probably already sunk, believe you me! CONNAR BABEK: Coward! TRAGASH: Shut your mouth! THURAZZ: Tragash-Scared-of-the-Water! Ha ha! Your new name! Heh heh.... TRAGASH: You'll land in the water yourself if you don't... IFIRNIA THE AMAZON: Quiet! All three of you! You're behaving like children! TRAGASH: But I'm not scared! And I'll prove it too... I'll board the next boat that's going to Havena... so there! IFIRNIA THE AMAZON: Hmm, this will certainly be an unforgettable adventure... I hope we meet again some day! URDIRIEL: I hope so, too. Have a good journey! NEXT: return to Hunting Preserve/Tollgate

That's a big rat... The boss rat isn't as hard as the one in Drakensang 1, but the fight can become tricky since it will call forth an infinite number of increasingly tougher smaller rats, and after a number of these are killed the big rat will go berserk, increasing its damage and making it much more dangerous. Once the rat reaches 10 levels of berserk, it can even one-shot party members. Therefore, it needs to be dealt with as quickly as possible. It doesn't take too long for the big rat to be defeated. Now, remembering what was written in Hubert van Haring's book, the party heads to the marketplace. Behind the Praios Temple is Crooked Otto, a vendor that sells all kinds of weird junk (including amoeba spores, which will be important later in the game). With a high enough level in Animal Lore, Crooked Otto will open his special inventory and the party can buy Candied Kosh Bunting Tongues, which according to Van Haring's book is very effective in persuading Trolls... The party heads to the Troll Bridge outside Nadoret and meets up with the three Trolls Krolwum, Brulbu and Mombo. KROLWUM: You there... stop! MOMBO: Correct. Road end here. URDIRIEL: But the road continues behind your tree... KROLWUM: Yeah. Uhh... hmm... Road go on, yes... but... uhh... BRULBU: ... road only for Troll! Is Troll road! MOMBO: Right! And you midget man, and midget man not Troll. So go you elsewhere. URDIRIEL: I may not be a Troll, but a magician is expecting me. I'm sure you know who I mean. KROLWUM: 'Course we know! Glitterman good friend. And he sure not say we let other midget man through. So you no go through! URDIRIEL: Your loyalty is very commendable. He must be a really nice magician if he's your friend. KROLWUM: Yes, he be. He give us always reward. Ku... emm... Ka... uh... Tongues! Sweet tongues! Maybe you bring sweet tongues, show us your friend of Little Spellcaster. URDIRIEL: "Sweet tongues"? You don't mean candied Kosh bunting tongues, do you? KROLWUM: Yaa, right name. Sweet, good! FORGRIMM: Kosh bunting tongues? Are a few screws perhaps loose in your head? They don't only taste fantastic, they're also darn expensive! I'd rather eat them myself than give them to Trolls! KROLWUM: Hairy midget man complain all he want, it no matter... want to past us go, bring you sweet tongues. Mmmm, tastem sooo much goood! After handing over the tongues, the Trolls clear the road. Past the Trolls, the party eventually reaches the small island that was mentioned in Van Haring's book. There's still a boat around to travel there.

Returning to Nadoret, Urdiriel decides to fight in the Arena for some (relatively) easy money and experience. Each round, a certain investment of ducats is needed to enter the ring, but winning the fight earns back double the investment. First opponent: a peasant called Stonenoggin Barakor. Very easy. Second opponent: Connar Babek, an unarmored fighter with a trident. Easy. Third opponent: Ifirnia the Amazon. Moderately easy. Fourth opponent: Tragash, a Dwarf with a big hammer. First difficult opponent since he can perform Hammer Strike, a combat skill that inflicts three times the base weapon damage and knocks the enemy down. However, being an Elf Urdiriel has access to the spell Ice-Cold Warrior, which allows her to ignore all damage for 60 seconds (only to suffer all damage afterwards in one go). This is makes it very easy to get through the final three opponents. Fifth opponent: Thurazz the Ork. Pretty tough fight since he has access to a variety of combat skills. After beating the five regular opponents, Arena Master Wulfgrim himself will enter the Ring. Normally a very difficult opponent, the Ice-Cold Warrior spell combined with Lightning makes it a walk-over. Mission accomplished. Becoming Arena champion nets Urdiriel about 50 ducats. After leaving the Arena and walking around the city, a citizen calls out to the party. Urdiriel decides to check it out. TOWNSMAN KOSTAN: Thanks be to the Twelfgods! Finally someone who looks strong and able! I... we, oh, what am I saying: All of Nadoret is in danger! I need someone to take care of these filthy creatures right away! CANO: [Human Nature] You're hiding something, otherwise you would have called the Town Guard to help you. TOWNSMAN KOSTAN: What? I... but you've got it all wrong! I was trying to convince the guards of the looming danger, but they only mocked me. If something isn't done soon, then it will be too late! CANO: [Fast Talk] Perhaps we shouldn't get involved here. That all sounds quite suspicious... TOWNSMAN KOSTAN: [success] No, wait! I'll admit it: these Wolf Rats... didn't show up by chance. They... I... well I... bred them. URDIRIEL: What? Breeding them? You can't be serious! TOWNSMAN KOSTAN: I beg you, no one must find out about this! The disgrace would be unbearable! I'm just a poor wretch and got the idea because rat tails are worth decent gold due to their value as a cooking ingredient. URDIRIEL: Giant Wolf Rats... Hmm. I'll see what I can do. TOWNSMAN KOSTAN: I'll never forget this favor! But you should know that these specimens are unbelievably large and strong, because they've... well... eaten something magical... A young breeding female rat has already escaped. It's unthinkable what would happen if the dominant male rat got out as well. He is incredibly wild and strong, a terrible beast! TOWNSMAN KOSTAN: I had already hired some mercenaries, but they were unsuccesful! I gave them the last money I had. They still have it on them, along with their armor, so that will be your reward. TOWNSMAN KOSTAN: But be warned. I can't take any risks, that's why I'm going to lock the door behind you and only open it when the dominant male rat has been killed! Note: the female rat that Kostan speaks of appears in Drakensang 1. Anyway, it is time for some rat slaying.

Trailer needs less generic male Nord. Otherwise, looks promising.

So what happened, BioWare? Why didn't we receive Frazetta but instead, Elmore?

At long last, by the prowess of our party and Alari's healing skills, Ardo is revived. ARDO: Where am I? What happened? Why...? FORGRIMM: Kangrosha, finally. You're awake! You've been healed by Elven sorcery. ARDO: Aah, I feel strong enough to tear down a tree! CANO: You'd better not. Shorty here has tested the Elves' patience enough as it is. If it weren't for me... FORGRIMM: Dosh rogelo! Blabbermouth! FORGRIMM: You'd be far worse off, if it weren't for the heroics of this brave soul, my friend. ARDO: If that's the case, then I owe you my gratitude and recognition. It is time to speak openly. FORGRIMM: Well, his real name is Ardo of Boarstock and his family guards the Imperial Insignia. Hmm, yes... CANO: And then along came Mora and stole it, the most important of all... ARDO: The Crown of Raul! ARDO: Now you know our true quest... the thousand-year-old crown of the Middenrealm was stolen from me. And we need your help to find it. URDIRIEL: I don't see the problem. There it is. Everything's alright! FORGRIMM: Nothing is alright, woman! CANO: Appearances are deceptive... it was to me that Phex whispered the truth. This crown is... a glorious fake. URDIRIEL: A fake! That's how you knew Mora beat you to it! ARDO: It seems I have missed rather a lot. FORGRIMM: Ardo, you need to know something... that scoundrel with the magic dagger... it was he who got Mora and Cano to steal the crown. ARDO: She didn't act alone? If she was working for somebody else, that means... JAAKON: Mora is part of a bigger plan... probably aimed at destroying the authority of His Magnificence, Emperor Hal. The consequences of such an undertaking would be... URDIRIEL: ... catastrophic! All of the Middenrealm could descend into chaos! ARDO: Now you know what's at stake... will you join us in our quest? URDIRIEL: You can count on my help, my friends. ARDO: Your answer does you honor. I was right about you. CANO: Excellent, then let us find Mora! ... and the crown, of course. Now that we know where the pirates are hiding... From now on, Ardo becomes a party member. However, before moving on we'll talk to him some more. URDIRIEL: How do you assess the situation? ARDO: The situation is extremely critical. If the crown falls into the wrong hands, then the Emperor can be discredited. That's why it's so important that we find out where Mora disappeared to with the crown. URDIRIEL: Tell me something about the crown. ARDO: It is said that after Bosparan fell, a griffin crowned Raul the Great with twelve golden feathers, which were transformed into a crown overnight. He had large gemstones set into it, to symbolize the Empire's provinces. ARDO: The genuine Raul's Crown has the power to sow courage, recognize duplicity and to give the ruler insight into the concerns of the people. But that only happens if it is worn by the rightful Emperor... otherwise it will call down the wrath of the gods! ARDO: About sixty divine cycles ago, Emperor Bardo had a copy of the crown made for his twin sister Cella, in order to rule jointly with her. After Reto of Gareth seized power, the object ended up in the secret chambers... or so we thought. URDIRIEL: Tell me something about yourself, Ardo. ARDO: I was born 34 divine cycles ago as the son of Hl

There should have been a Renegade interrupt for everytime Thane went on his "sand-coloured eyes... light on the sand", or whatever, trips.

In the Hall of Invocation, our party must now decide which of the seal stones to use, if any. The more seal stones used, the easier the demon will be defeated but the lesser the reward will be. Without any seal stones used, the demon has following powers: - health regeneration - aura that drains magic - aura that damages the party's attack values - aura that damages the party's endurance and HP values - high armour rating Using no seal stones at all requires a lot of resources that the party at this point does not have: Urdiriel only has 20 incendiary arrows and 60 poison arrows at this point, not to mention the party lacks any magic potions. Thus, Urdiriel decides to apply the Seal of Power, removing the demon's regeneration, and the Seal of Presence, so that the party's attack values will remain intact. Aligning the pentagram correctly and the demon appears. With two seals used, the fight is still rather long. Biggest contributors to doing damage here are Cano with his star throwing and Urdiriel with her Marksman skill, as both ignore armour. Forgrimm is merely there to keep the demon distracted, while Jaakon is completely useless due to the demon's mana drain. Eventually, the demon goes down and the party obtains the theriac. Heading down, Archon Megalon is of course back for another condescending lecture. ARCHON MEGALON: *claps* Observation object "test group two" completes the experiment alive. URDIRIEL: I suppose there is no need to tell you that I defeated the demon. ARCHON MEGALON: A correct inference. But indulge me with the details: how many seal stones have you brought me? URDIRIEL: Three. ARCHON MEGALON: You kept more than you used... your greed obviously triumphed over your fear. Interesting... URDIRIEL: It was the only sensible decision. ARCHON MEGALON: I'll give you a piece of old druid wisdom in gratitude for participating in my experiment: "Stay one step ahead of time, or it will catch up to you". Archon Megalon's reward for three seals is a recipe for "demonic armour" and a fair amount of ducats. The party then leaves the ruins and delivers the theriac medicine to Alari Springborn. Finally, Ardo can be healed. NEXT UPDATE: Ardo reveals all.

With all turnkeys in hand, the party heads back to the big door. Now, however, the leader of the Dark Amazons will show. DARK AMAZON LEADER: Halt! You there! What are you doing here? The Dark Goddess calls only woman warriors! URDIRIEL: Dark Goddess? I am here for another reason. DARK AMAZON LEADER: Do not waste our time! Or do you wish to feel my anger? Explain yourself! URDIRIEL: A man I met at the ruins made me take part in his experiment. DARK AMAZON LEADER: You can trust a man no more than you can trust a snake. And I trust you even less. Sisters, attack! There is just no reasoning with these misandrists and they need to be slain. This ends the threat of the Dark Amazons. Urdiriel now uses the turnkeys to open the door to the lower levels. The party can finally move on. The party quickly comes upon the source of evil that is burdening the Elves: two giant statues of the arch-demoness Thargunitoth. The party's task is to destroy them both while skeletons spawn endlessly. After destroying the statues, Archon Megalon shows his face again. ARCHON MEGALON: Very impressive, how these demonic manifestations stimulate fear reception, don't you think? They affected nearly every sentient being in the region. URDIRIEL: Did you tell the Dark Amazons they would find their Dark Goddess here? ARCHON MEGALON: These supposedly fearless ladies were merely victims of their own greed and delusions. My contribution was meager. URDIRIEL: These deceived woman warriors murdered the Elf guards in cold blood... now they are dead as well. ARCHON MEGALON: After the failure of test group one, I shall follow your own confrontation with the demon with interest. And of course, the decision you make with the seal stones. URDIRIEL: You can follow me all you want, so long as you don't keep me from the remedy my friend needs. ARCHON MEGALON: I'll even help you in the right direction: the remedy you seek was hidden by its previous owner in a rather inaccessible location. It is in the Hall of Invocation under the summoning circle... but you must activate the pentagram to get to the theriac. This in turn, will summon the demon. URDIRIEL: I will vanquish the beast. Now keep me here no longer. The next area consists of two large halls with various siderooms, all crawling with gargoyles, giant spiders, crypt lice and other vermin. Our task is to find the five McGuffins for Archon Megalon: the Seal of Power, Magic, Presence, Curses and Defense. They are hidden in the siderooms. After obtaining the five seals, the party heads to the Hall of Invocation. It is time to face the demon.

Inside the ruins, it soon appears that the party is not alone. Archon Megalon suckered more fools into the ruins for his 'experiment', in this case Amazons. It was they who killed the Elven guards. After killing the Amazons and entering a dark corridor of the ruins, the party finds the place is swarming undead. Our task is to acquire the three turnkeys to open the big door that leads to the lower levels. Each of these turnkeys is obtained by solving a puzzle in a specific puzzle room. However, a group of Amazons has reached the first puzzleroom and solved the puzzle before the party. After killing them, the party obtains the first turnstone. Inside another part of the ruins, there is a non-hostile Amazon who addresses the party. LARYS: You there... Halt! Not a step further! Don't you know that our Dark Goddess waits down there to be awakened by her true servants? URDIRIEL: Your sisters didn't talk, they just attacked straight away. LARYS: They do not speak with Elves. Give me a reason not to call my sisters to slay you! URDIRIEL: How can you serve a Goddess with a skull for a face? LARYS: Skull? URDIRIEL: One of your sisters has already seen the face of your 'Goddess' in her nightmares. LARYS: Nightmares? I... I don't know what you're talking about. The Goddess is both mother and savior to us. CANO: [Human Nature] You have nightmares, don't you? LARYS: I... yes. Her face was dreadful... URDIRIEL: Why did you betray your true goddess? LARYS: The Sword Goddess had never stood with me. Why shouldn't I betray her? URDIRIEL: You betrayed your goddess because she never helped you? LARYS: I merely followed my sisters into the cult... they said it was the right thing to do. CANO: [Human Nature] You are lying. LARYS: You trust your intuition enough to damn my soul? URDIRIEL: You are lying... but I will help you so that you have a choice. LARYS: Then... then maybe there is a way. A Priestess of Rondra met her death within these walls... her soul still wanders here. My sisters have tried to banish it, but they cannot approach the holy aura of her soul. LARYS: If you help her to find Rondra, maybe she would absolve my soul... would you do that? URDIRIEL: Of course... anything for the Gods. Not far from Larys we find the room with the soul of the slain Rondra priestess. LEONDRIL LIONTONGUE: Ah! Righteous warriors, here in this terrible place. URDIRIEL: Who are you? LEONDRIL LIONTONGUE: In life, I was Leondril Liontongue of Thunderbrook... I served Lady Rondra. And who are you? URDIRIEL: My name is Urdiriel Teardream. LEONDRIL LIONTONGUE: Be warned then, Urdiriel Teardream! A servant of Boron's adversary is at work here. URDIRIEL: A Dark Covenanter? What is his name? LEONDRIL LIONTONGUE: He calls himself Thargazz. He's a short man with hair like white straw... you must have encountered him, as he has made his lair here in these ruins. Although, I haven't seen him for some time. URDIRIEL: Hmm, I have never met him. LEONDRIL LIONTONGUE: Thargazz is a follower of the dark Borbarad, whom he served faithfully during the Mage Wars... he is extremely powerful and unscrupulous. URDIRIEL: Borbarad? Is that not the enemy of Rohal the Wise? And weren't the Mage Wars over five hundred years ago? LEONDRIL LIONTONGUE: Five hundred years? Can it really be so long? By Rondra! Is the Dark Covenanter really still alive? If he is dead, nobody will be able to free my soul! URDIRIEL: He bound your soul to here? LEONDRIL LIONTONGUE: My soul is trapped here, damned to an eternity wandering this unholy place. URDIRIEL: How terrible! Can your soul be freed? LEONDRIL LIONTONGUE: He took my bones, my holy sword and my Rondra amulet and buried them so they would never be found again. URDIRIEL: Did he saw where he buried them? LEONDRIL LIONTONGUE: No, he wasn't that stupid, unfortunately. He just laughed scornfully and said they were buried in four different places. URDIRIEL: So I must find your bones. Will that release you? LEONDRIL LIONTONGUE: Almost. If you find my bones, the sword and the amulet and place them in this sarcophagus next to me in Rondra's name, then my soul will be free to find Boron's Halls. Dare you help me? URDIRIEL: I will help you, Human. LEONDRIL LIONTONGUE: I thank you in the name of the Goddess! But you should not delay any further... something has been pulling at my soul ever since I have been here. I cannot fight it much longer. URDIRIEL: Something wishes to consume your soul? LEONDRIL LIONTONGUE: The call of the Dark Goddess is strong... I feel it in every fiber of my immortal soul. She wants to drag me down to the Lower Hells... but I still resist. URDIRIEL: Call? What call? LEONDRIL LIONTONGUE: Something dwells within these walls... it must be a manifestation of an arch-demoness. It calls for my soul... I fight it, but I don't have much more strength. Soon it will consume me. URDIRIEL: How soon? LEONDRIL LIONTONGUE: I will hold out for as long as I can... but my strength will eventually fail me. URDIRIEL: What can we do about it? LEONDRIL LIONTONGUE: The manifestation must dwell somewhere within these vaults, that is the center of her power. Destroy it and the unholy call will fall silent. But be careful... she will guard it well. URDIRIEL: I think I know what to do. At this point, we already dug up the Priestess' bones and amulet and only need to find one more stone head. Past the room with the priestess, we find another puzzle room. After solving an equilibrium puzzle, the second turnkey is ours. In another part of the ruins we find the final puzzle room. This puzzle consists of safely guiding a skeleton past some traps by mirroring its movements. This room also contains the last stone head and the sword. Now, the Priestess' soul can be freed. The party returns to the Priestess, at which point Larys will show up and reveal what was already obvious. LARYS: You return! Did you find the bones of the Priestess? URDIRIEL: I did. They lay beneath the stone heads. LARYS: Then the time has come to tell you the truth... I tricked you! I was just using you to get to the priestesses' bones. Thanks to you we can now sacrifice her soul to the Dark Goddess! URDIRIEL: I suspected as much... but it was worth the risk to save your soul song. LARYS: Sisters! Kill her! Needless to say, the party smacks them and can now save the Priestess. As a reward, we get to keep the Priestess' sword and amulet.

It's nice to see how much Aleroth has grown since Divine Divinity... when there were only six houses. Have you played Divine Divinity? Rivellon is a much more interesting and fleshed out world in that game, actually.

So what?

I'd like to know whether pausing in combat is still necessary.

I'm thinking a lot of players are going to keep Anjali in her fiery form.

Having learnt the soul creatures of the three Elves, Isaliel agrees to have Urdiriel speak for her tribe. It is time to return to Hookensang and ask what the pirates want from the Elves. URDIRIEL: The Elf tribe is prepared to negotiate with you. What are your demands? CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: Demands? You make it sound like this ridiculous trip was my idea. Damned magician... FORGRIMM: Magician? I was right! Where is the fellow? I'll smash him! CANO: How interesting... Tell us more, Captain! JAAKON: Are you referring to a specific mage? CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: I am sorry, you must have misheard me. I said "dumb ambition". URDIRIEL: Oh. Ambition... of course. So, what do you want of the Elves? CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: Elven puff. URDIRIEL: We Elves call it bianbalve, the grass of the clouds. CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: We need a whole bale of it. URDIRIEL: Very well, I will tell the tribe of your request. What do you offer in return? CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: We have no intention of buying the Elven puff at market price. URDIRIEL: We Elves have no interest in your little metal disks. CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: Hmm... in your opinion, what do the Elves want? URDIRIEL: Stop felling trees and rattling your sabres. Just leave. CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: Are you serious? You think the Elves will just give us what we want if we leave? URDIRIEL: Yes, harmony is important to them. They are not interested in collecting possessions. CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: Of course. I look forward to the succesful completion of these negotiations. Farewell. Returning to Isaliel, she agrees to Hookensang's conditions after some convincing and finally the party can bring Hookensang the Elven puff. He receives the Elven puff in exchange for his word never to return. The pirates then pack up and leave. Now Isaliel is willing to reveal what is going on with Ardo. She also grants us the location of the river pirates' hideout. ISALIEL WINGSTROKE: Your friend is under the influence of what we call zertaubra. Destructive magic, impelled by the power of the mind. We too, are suffering from such magic, although the source is different. URDIRIEL: Have you been able to combat it? ISALIEL WINGSTROKE: Our fates are intertwined. Two streams converge to become a mighty river... If you bring Ardo to us, you will learn everything else from Alari. URDIRIEL: To help Ardo, I must ask you something else: do you know where the pirates came from? ISALIEL WINGSTROKE: My eyes see far. Open your mind and I will show you the way. URDIRIEL: Ohh... a thousand times thank you! I will take Ardo to Alari. Now the healer, Alari Springborn, will reveal everything about what is troubling the Elves. ALARI SPRINGBORN: Sanyasala! Place Ardo on my bed, I cannot sleep in any case... I will not manage to heal him now, but I can keep him alive. ALARI SPRINGBORN: His spirit is trapped by a powerful magic that prevents him from waking and constantly saps his vitality... like us, he is unable to recover his strength through sleep. URDIRIEL: Isaliel spoke of evil magic that is weakening you. Is there nothing more you can do about it? ALARI SPRINGBORN: Disturbing dreams are draining our mandra. We can no longer sing our magic songs to soothe the pain... where songs and laughter once filled the air, desolation and torpor now reign. URDIRIEL: Do you know where these nightmares come from? ALARI SPRINGBORN: They come from the fallen stone northwest of here. The thing that resides there is not of this world... we have guarded this place for centuries. ALARI SPRINGBORN: But now the guards are torn from life and the magical barrier that protects us from fear and weakness is breached. But this also means that you can now go there to help Ardo. URDIRIEL: How can I help him by going to some ruins? ALARI SPRINGBORN: The zertaubra is strong in that place and even older than Isaliel. But I also hear other music there... next to fury that can never be tamed, I sense a powerful source of healing. URDIRIEL: I will find the remedy and try to end your agony. Thus, the party sets off to the ruins that Alari spoke of. Near the ruins, they come upon the bodies of the slain Elven guards. Being practically immortal, the Elves do not bury the bodies of their slain brethren. Near the ruins, the party also comes upon another stone head, and find more bones buried underneath. At the entrance to the ruins, Archon Megalon pops up again. ARCHON MEGALON: Ah! A new participant for my experiments. What took you so long? URDIRIEL: I am not here for some experiment. I am here to find a remedy for my friend. ARCHON MEGALON: Two things that are not necessarily mutually exclusive if you consider the horrors you must face in order to achieve your goal. URDIRIEL: What horror do you speak of? ARCHON MEGALON: A demon. Summoned by the ancient Bosparanians, bound by their power, animated by their knowledge... and controlled by their logic. JAAKON: [Arcane Lore] A demon summoned and bound so long ago? I very much doubt the magical wards are still in place. ARCHON MEGALON: You clearly already have some superficial knowledge on the subject. In that case, you will soon learn that many years ago, great minds dared to carry out experiments beyond your imagination. Does that thought alarm you? JAAKON: [Arcane Lore] "Fear is the armor of the brave man. It guards him from the fate of the foolhardy". ARCHON MEGALON: Since you are already quoting me, you probably want to take part in my experiment. You will descend to the depths and face your fear. Look for the seal stones that manipulate the manifestation of the demon in the Third Sphere. CANO: [Human Nature] You are trying to manipulate me... what do you want? ARCHON MEGALON: The intelligent test subject recognizes that it is not the focus of the experiment and that value is placed only on the result... let's proceed to the intended objective of the experiment. URDIRIEL: Alright. Why do you want the seal stones? ARCHON MEGALON: I am conducting a series of experiments. I am currently dealing with the competing relationship between fear and greed, taking into account mental deconstruction due to irrational influences. ARCHON MEGALON: For each seal stone you bring me, I will reward you with an appropriate number of ducats or other items that may be of value to you. But remember, your life may depend on how you expend the seals. ARCHON MEGALON: You can use the seals to reduce the demon's powers, but once you have used a seal, you cannot recover it. It is your decision. URDIRIEL: One shouldn't count one's chickens before they hatch... Thus, our party enters the Bosparanians Ruins. NEXT UP: dungeon crawling