HoonDing

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

The pirates made their camp in the ruins of a theater. Entering the pirate camp, a pirate named Flea attempts to rob our party, but their leader, Captain Hookensang, stops him. Hookensang turns out to be quite an agreeable fellow. Now, Urdiriel must decide which path to follow to deal with the pirates... being an Elf herself, she opts for peaceful reconciliation. CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: Silence, Flea! You do not have the authority to decide how we treat strangers. CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: What a surprising visit. Praise the Twelf... Wait a minute, you're an Elf? URDIRIEL: Well spotted. But I am not from the tribe that lives here. CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: Allow me to ask why you are here. JAAKON: [whispers] He seems very sensible for a pirate captain... I'm sure he wouldn't be averse to a peaceful negotiation. CANO: [whispers] Make it clear that you want to negotiate so we can act freely here... then we'll have something up our sleeve if we can't carry out my plan. URDIRIEL: I saw your encounter with the Elves and I wanted to make a suggestion. CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: Interesting. I'm listening. URDIRIEL: I could act as a negotiator. CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: Hmm... it could work. But tell me, what are your motives? URDIRIEL: I want to avoid bloodshed for the sake of my people. CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: Really? Well, if you wish to risk a parley with these wild Elves, then I won't stop you. URDIRIEL: So we are agreed? But your people need to stay peaceful... I'll tell them myself, if necessary. CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: Hold your horses, there! Theoretically speaking... what's to stop you from telling the authorities our current location? URDIRIEL: Well, you, of course... my ship is right here, unprotected. I wouldn't have the chance to get away. CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: I see we understand one another. Speak with the crew, then, if you like. I can do without more trouble than these Elves are already giving me. URDIRIEL: I'm confident that I can act as a negotiator between our peoples. The party then travels to the Great Tree, an oversized baobab. Through a hole in the bark the branches of the tree, where the Elves live, can be reached. Urdiriel now meets with Isaliel again. ISALIEL WINGSTROKE: Sanyasala. You spoke with the greedy humans? URDIRIEL: Their captain has accepted me as negotiator. I can speak for you in the negotiations. ISALIEL WINGSTROKE: You wish to speak for us, even though you have left your own tribe? Let Linwen Owlwing teach you about us so we know whether you can really share feysala with us. Linwen Owlwing instructs Urdiriel to learn about the soul creatures of three Elves of Isaliel's tribe. LINWEN OWLWING: Sanyasala! How pleasant to have another Elf guest here. Gwendala Sunbreeze has also come to us from afar. URDIRIEL: Nurd'dhao! My name is Urdiriel Teardream and I thank you for your friendly welcome. I wish to follow Isaliel's advice and learn more about this tribe. LINWEN OWLWING: Then look around you. From this tree we see far and guard the forest. From here, we throw ourselves into the storm when we spread out wings. URDIRIEL: You mean, in the form of your soul creatures? LINWEN OWLWING: That is correct. If you wish to follow Isaliel's suggestion, you should spend time with my tribe. You will not learn the transformation, but you will come to understand our ways and possibly discover much about yourself. URDIRIEL: When will I know that I understand enough? LINWEN OWLWING: Initially, it should be enough for you to recognize the soul creatures of Elbrenell Mistcaller, Calenleya Arrowsong and Lellindor Boughwalker. Various Elves around the place can help with our task, including Gwendala (who is a joinable NPC in Drakensang 1). GWENDALA: Sanyasala! Feydha Gwendala. I see that you do not belong to this tribe. URDIRIEL: Sanyasala iama! Your senses do not deceive you. But I feel that your song is from far away. You are not from here? GWENDALA: That is true. My tribe sent me on an uncertain path. I am just spending some time here before continuing my search. URDIRIEL: What do you seek? Maybe I can help. GWENDALA: I am sorry, but I am not allowed to speak of it. I can only say that it involves a High Elven artifact. CANO: [Fast Talk] But if I happen to find it, I won't recognize it and I won't be able to give it to you... GWENDALA: [success] In which case my quest would be fruitless! Very well... I am searching for a High Elven weapon. My tribe wants to keep it safe in order to protect other Elves from its harmful effects. URDIRIEL: I am trying to get to know the tribe here better. GWENDALA: Why are you asking me? I am not from here. URDIRIEL: But surely you can tell me something about the other Elves here, can't you? I am trying to discover their soul creatures. GWENDALA: An interesting concern... Not everybody here will reveal their inner selves to you willingly. Tell me, whose soul creatures do you seek? URDIRIEL: I seek the soul creature of Calenleya Arrowsong. GWENDALA: She is proud and does not even try to understand Humans. When I was hunting in the forest, I saw an eagle watching me... it could have been her. URDIRIEL: What do you think of Elbrenell Mistcaller? GWENDALA: Well, he's probably a very noisy bird of some kind... but not a duck. Something else... something lighter, more mysterious. URDIRIEL: What about Lellindor Boughwalker? GWENDALA: He is very careful... but as long as you don't bother him when he's talking to the tree or his soul creature, he will speak with you. Armed with this knowledge, Urdiriel should be able to find out about the soul creatures of the three Elves. ELBRENELL MISTCALLER: Sanyasala! Isaliel has told me about you. Why do you travel with Humans and a Dwarf? URDIRIEL: My friend's nurdra is under threat. It is stopping him from fulfilling a very important task. ELBRENELL MISTCALLER: I shall search for signs of what the future bears for your friend. But tell me if I can help you in any other way. URDIRIEL: I am looking for clues to help me guess your soul creature. It is one of Linwen's little games. ELBRENELL MISTCALLER: One learns well from playing games... well, I could give you a couple of clues. URDIRIEL: Will you tell me something about your soul creature? ELBRENELL MISTCALLER: Hmm... some find the song of this beautiful bird unharmonious... it sounds like a loud rattle... CANO: [Human Nature: Elbrenell seems to be a curious Elf who likes talking a lot.] Your behaviour reminds me of a magpie. Am I right? ELBRENELL MISTCALLER: O

Our party arrives just as the pirates are preparing to attack the Elf village. CAPTAIN HOOKENSANG: Not so fast, Bravethorn! We should approach these Elves with caution. MATT BRAVETHORN: Captain, if we attack quickly, we can catch them unprepared! Let's take their Elven treasures! A single Elf appears and tries to dissuade the pirates. ISALIEL WINGSTROKE: Turn back, if you cannot forget your greed. Only those who seek harmony are welcome in these woods. MATT BRAVETHORN: Too bad for you, we're looking for something else. Seize her! However, the Elf casts some flashy spell and sends the pirates running with their tails between their legs. The Elf then addresses the party. ISALIEL WINGSTROKE: Sanya bha, fey, I greet you. My name is Isaliel Wingstroke. What a strange destiny... I sense that a Dwarf's worry for a Human brings you back to your own people. URDIRIEL: Greetings! I am Urdiriel Teardream. This is Cano, Forgrimm and Jaakon. We seek healing for our friend Ardo. ISALIEL WINGSTROKE: We will help, if we can. But like your friend, we also struggle with a dark threat that is draining our strength. URDIRIEL: It seems our warning about the pirates came too late. ISALIEL WINGSTROKE: They were not unexpected... but we could not lessen their fury without the song of peace. Every note led to discord with all the horror. URDIRIEL: This horror disrupts the iamanda of this place... I feel it too. ISALIEL WINGSTROKE: Form replaces light and shadows grow. What must be, must be. URDIRIEL: I understand. But as for the pirates - we could at least help you there. ISALIEL WINGSTROKE: Act prudently! I shall send a fey to care for your friend. We shall meet again at the say'dhaba, the Great Tree. URDIRIEL: I thank you in Ardo's name. See you soon! The Elf leaves and now Urdiriel's party members will propose three ways of dealing with the pirates. Forgrimm wants to kill them all, Cano wants to play them against each other, while Jaakon prefers peaceful reconciliation. JAAKON: What an extraordinary encounter. The Elves have more important things to do, so we must deal with the pirates instead. FORGRIMM: Yes, the pirates... I'm telling you, they're in league with that Coldstone. They're to blame for everything! Well, now it's time to repay them... with my ax! CANO: Take it easy, Shorty! We don't know the whole story yet. We don't even know what they want here. FORGRIMM: Take it easy? While Ardo is dying? I'll get the whole story out of them with my fists! CANO: With your methods, we'll never find out what the pirates did with Mora. You ought to stay here with Ardo while I deal with this. FORGRIMM: How dare you tell me what to do, rogue! It wasn't my idea to call on the tree huggers. Why don't you stay, while I... URDIRIEL: Stop your arguing! We agreed that I would lead us on our mission. FORGRIMM: Enough talking now! Let actions speak... where's the whetstone? JAAKON: I see no need to solve the problem with brute force. If we use our intelligence, it should be easy to mediate successfully between the two parties. CANO: Why help the pirates for nothing, when we can use their goals to achieve our own? Phex is bound to look kindly on a profitable deception! After all said and done, the party goes to look for the pirates in the swamp, which is crawling with ugly mutated creatures called "mire beasts". In the swamp there are also two huge stone heads, under which are buried the bones of a woman and an amulet of Rondra. These objects will be important for a side quest later on. Soon, our party also comes upon the source of the mire beasts: the morning thorn plant. The prick of its thorns mutates anything into a mire beast. A mage, or rather a druid, then appears and addresses us. It is Archon Megalon, a legendary figure in TDE lore. With Urdiriel being a ranger, we can talk up to the druid. ARCHON MEGALON: Feel free to ask your questions... or are you afraid of me? URDIRIEL: I am not afraid... more interested... ARCHON MEGALON: A most remarkable scientific phenomenon: those pricked by the morning thorn bush undergo an immediate transformation into a mire beast. URDIRIEL: The transformation usually takes seven days... this must be a very unusual specimen. ARCHON MEGALON: You also seem to be an unusual specimen. More learned than most... but don't think that you can teach me anything. ARCHON MEGALON: The already magical properties of the plant have clearly been manipulated to accelerate the magic. This is the result of careful magical research. URDIRIEL: I find the plant's properties more alarming than interesting. ARCHON MEGALON: You are afraid although you know the danger? Interesting... tell me more. URDIRIEL: This plant has created a lot of very aggressive mire beasts... who knows what they once were... ARCHON MEGALON: I do. And you might, sooner or later. But I must deal with more important matters. Archon Megalon then teleports away and leaves our party to look for the pirates.

You mean it's like any other RPG out there? The problem in DA:O was not the amount of combat, it was the sheer repetitiveness of it. DA:O was the spiritual successor to IWD 2, rather than BG2.

I don't understand why he hasn't yet been posted, but... Best-looking game developer of all time.

Does Kasumi add anything to the game? Is she like Zaeed in this regard?

Tons of new screenshots Looks almost as good as DA2.

The Tollgate is our last stop before to the Elf village. Upon arriving, this time our party receives a warm welcome and will not only be exempt from the toll, but also be asked to meet with the new commandant, van Haring, sent from Ferdok by Count Growin. We also meet some old friends. It's Captain Albass and the Star of Ferdok. Janah is back on her feet as well. JANAH: Urdiriel Teardream, is it really you? You look like someone out of Piet's travelers' tales! It's so good to see you again! JANAH: Did you hear the news? A horde of insane Dwarves have placed all the tollkeepers under a magical slumber. Then they summoned a water elemental who ate the corrupt commandant! JANAH: But I'm sure you've seen even more exciting things! Oh, I really should stop talking, otherwise Piet will get mad again. Meeting up with van Haring, he will commend the party and give a bounty hunting quest. From now on, our party receives 5 thalers for each silver emblem (looted from pirates' bodies), while the pirate leaders' gold emblem gives a special reward. However, van Haring also offers a more interesting quest. We must deal with his errant nephew. VAN HARING: My nephew Hubert, the useless brat, is shirking his duties as a soldier! He thinks the rules don't apply to him, he just spends the whole time reading a book! VAN HARING: Unfortunately his parents are from a noble family, so I can't discipline him like any normal soldier. I need you to bring me the book to put an end to this nonsense. He's usually somewhere near the river, dreaming his days away. The party finds the brat on the riverside. Hubert is a very annoying teenager that is just begging for a renegade interrupt. HUBERT VAN HARING: Who... who are you? Leave me alone! I don't feel like talking to you! URDIRIEL: Why? Are you going to read your book? HUBERT VAN HARING: You know about it? I bet my uncle sent you to take it away from me! Tell him I'm not interested in his miserable guard duty! HUBERT VAN HARING: That boring beadle! All he talks about is duty and order, but he's just trying to suck up to my parents! He knows nothing about the things that are really important. URDIRIEL: Let's just forget your uncle for a moment. What's so interesting about your book? HUBERT VAN HARING: It's about real feelings. Here, everybody just does what they're told! Nobody really does anything just because they want to... or because they like someone... errr... you know... URDIRIEL: And you? Would you do something if you liked someone? Someone n particular, maybe? HUBERT VAN HARING: Oh, that's not what I... erm, well there is this girl... Jasmine, she's Captain Honorald's daughter... she's just so much more... mature than the other girls... more sensitive, and so... URDIRIEL: Do you like this Jasmine? Maybe I can help to make sure that she likes you too... HUBERT VAN HARING: Really? You could do th at? Err... I mean, how would you do that? There are various ways to persuade the brat. CANO: [seduce] Listen, I'll tell you exactly what to say to her. That will win her heart! HUBERT VAN HARING: Oh... I don't even know those words! Do you really think I should... yes, I'm sure that'll work. A thousand thanks. Here, take the book. CANO: Don't worry, it's always worked for me. Well, nearly always... Bringing the book to Commandant von Haring nets us one lousy ducat, but he also lets us keep it. The book itself contains some clues on how to pass a certain Troll Bridge in Nadoret. Now, our party is ready to move on to the Elf village. NEXT UP: the Elf village.