Harry Easter

> Creation mythology and worship.

I started Beyond Divinity again. I can understand why Larian isn't proud of it, but I have fun and the game isn't completely without merrit. I like the world of Nemesis and I really think, that the game tells a solid story so far. It's interesting, that Larian still build some ambitions in it (food and resting, the alphabet of the Raanar) and I hope that I'll play it through this time.

> I mean... 'tis with heavy heart that I accept your terms.

> Splendid! Let's get right on it!

> Yes. I admit defeat, and that I cannot use force without breaching my word. We are at your mercy, captain.

That's a good idea, I didn't think of that. I am quiet satisfied, the way I can play Paladins in Version 3.05. Using layong on hands per encounter and not per day, makes them quiet useful, the auras are okay and they are decent fighters enough. I gave my characters two-handed swords and send him at the front with Pallegina. They were quite effective.

> Wait, I can still turn this around...

> [intellect] Now, here's where you're wrong...

I think she does, but I don't remember it. As for jailing the Lord: You are not a person of authority, so how do you think, you get jail him? He is rich, he is powerful, he can do what he wants, unless the Duc gives the word. He may broke a societal taboo, but as a noble he only has to answer to nobles. That's the point of the Skaenite-Cult, but also shows that the enwithas were much interested into order than mercy.

- Don't let it end with the sex. - Turn it into work. Relationships are work and people are **** at it. Some times you ask yourself, why you should stay with the other person, but if it feels right, you will know why.

> [intellect] I agree it is reasonable to hold one to one's explicit meaning, if the other party has already moved in ignorance of the implicit one; Alteration of the meaning as it was understood would in such a case have tangible consequences, and the other party would be quite justified in feeling betrayed. However, it is likewise reasonable that should one venture to clarify one's statement immediately after it is given, as was the case here, that the other party not cling to their misunderstanding and instead accept the alteration in the good spirit is was made.

Time to re-animate this thread: I played three times through Pillars and I always choose Hylea. Berath is the most "logical" decision, but we finally have the opportunity to change something in the Dyrwood. We can give children the chance to live now and disrupt the status quo for once, so it feels always right for me. Of course not all children will be healed, but even the small chance that at least a few of them will have a normal life is enough in my book. And all those parents that hoped for the return of their children shouldn't be punsished. It was a big risk, but in the end it was worth it.

The funny thing is, 1) that in the past they may have had no concept of homosexuality as we understand it today, so they wouldn't think of it as existing (why should you, if you never leave you little village?). 2) most Adventurers/mercenary groups consisted of people who would be considered at best outsiders and at worst bloodthirsty scum (and let's be honest, we are a group of bloodthirsty killers), so it wouldn't be that farfetched, that they would "accept" a homosexual person. But more in the way of "You like men? Well, more for me, you perverse bastard, you. You're alright, even if you'll burn in hell." Doesn't mean, that this is NICE, but people back then weren't all "torches and god is right" and all that. Stopping the hunger was more important .

I found the dragons in Pillars more beautiful. They were colorfoul and adapted to their environments. The dragons in Dragon Age look like ... Dinosaurs with horns. I mean, this can look cool, I found the Dragons in Divinity 2 very interesting, but they are just massive and I forgot always, that they are there.

Yeah, there wasn't much to understand. Old Nua had a stupid idea and from there, everything went downhill^^.

> [intellect] I said I wouldn't fight you until I found out why you're acting the way you are. After that, we'll see.

Hmm, they could it build-up in PoE 2 and then bring it to it's conclusion in part 3, give it time and more breathing space. And it shouldn't be honey and flowers all the time. The most interesting aspect about the Aerie romance is, that she IS annoying and why shouldn't she? She is traumatised and did only baby steps to deal with it. Sure, sje is nice but her niceness isn't all that is to her. It's work, but it is also rewarding at the end and that's why this romance stuck to me, compared to Morrigan (where it was more about sex, but that was okay, until she declared her love to me ... luv, I am your first lay, you will find better, trust me). In Pillars 1 I never found it plausible, but now we do it for the second time and have actually friends that I can believe can be more, because we trust them and may find some aspects of them attractive. Pallegina for example is more than her sexy accent or her feathers or her temper, or her sense of justice. Mhm, sexy sense of justice ... where was I?

> [intellect] No. There is something besides piracy at play here, and we're going to get to the bottom of it.

> It's true the odds don't look good, but I can't just walk away and allow you to go on harassing innocent seafarers.

Hylea is the goddess of motherhood and all about it, besides art, life in general and birds. Oh and Eothas is the god of redemption, so at least those aspects are covered^^. Yes, that's the whole point of Thaos existence and I believe we can presume, that he got sloopy over the time. I mean, he seems to have brought bigger civilisations than the Dyrwood to fall, but compared to that what he does in the mainstory-line it's so small. And the game shows, that he can't do it forever, so he has to be the most depressed person in all of Eora. Funny thing is: his plan could work bette, if he would share his secrets with anyone. But this is not the case, as far as I see it (otherwise there wouldn't be a reason why he entered Sun in Shadow alone). He screwed up, because he was to tied up about everything. And I found it always funny, that he is stright against Animancy, while beeing it's greatest iving user. He is proof, that the kith could do so much with Animancy and also the best example how dangerous it can be. 1. Powerful enough, to strengthen your soul abilities and influence the environment (famine, Storms and all that), but not powerful enough, to just reincarnate their most powerful followers again and again (Thaos was sent back into the cycle by Woedica, but not reborn fully developed, as far as I understood his deaths before). 2. Already answered: nope, otherwise, you couldn't betray them or dope them. I guess, you have to be a priest or really believe in them, to be connected with them, so they may read your soul. 3. They have their Avatars and they have mortal manifestations, if you read the Guide Book. Skaen has a big killer as his Avatar for example and Woedica has an assassin, that chokes you to death (and sometines there is more than one). Edit: Just came to my mind: that the gods have such flawed personalities, could make them more relatable, since they also have positive traits (Woedica stays to her word, Hylea is motherly, Galawain is kinda relaxed and Eothas forgives, even if he's a pompous douchebag). Compare this with the monotheistic god of the old Testament, who became more an ideal, than his old bloodthirsty self (which was useful to show, that you don't anger this fella, especially if you are a non-believer). I think you feel more close to your god, if you can UNDERSTAND some of his quirks. See Berath, who is cold and distant and has small following.

Well, it started after a fight against a God, so it could have turned out into a "redeem yourself by reawakening Eothas" - Story. The more mundane explanation of the Crisis is actually way fresher, than that, but the story has other problems (it just stops in the middle of the game).

- Old Nua used his people to dig deep into the keep and carve a statue out of the adra. Mostly to praise himself. - It's not clear if he came to Caed Nua before or after the death of his son, but he wanted to bring him back ... somehow. Old Nua became crazy and some of his underlings experimented with Animancy on his subjects. - His subjects grew tired of Nuas antics and rebelled. He forced himself into Adra and his experimenting underlings became Fampyrs and since then they live and fight in the deeps of Caed Nua. - The Master below (the Dragon) was born in the deepest place of Caed Nua and fed of the Adra, the Xaurips and some kith here and there. It can't get out because it's too fat the Adra weights to heavy on it's shoulders. That's how I understood the story.

It could also be remnant of the times, they were created. As far as we can Thaos trust the old times were barbaric, so maybe it was useful to have a goddess, that was more dangerous than all the other wimpy warriorgods? And maybe Galawain was one of the older gods, that was adapted into engwithan society (happened a lot in the real world)? As for the Jerk Parts: We don't know, if the gods had their personalities already when they started out or if they developed them over the time. Twothousand years is a long time, even for evil A.I.s :D. And Skaen is actually brillant: he makes rebellions unattractive, since he only attracts psychopaths and radicals. He's also the Toady of the goddess of law, so in theory she could even control uprisings. The Engwithans seemed to have understand that a society as a homogeneous group doesn't exist, but that you can control people in other ways than laws (Ondra suppressing memories, Wael spreading false informations, Abydon making obedience looking cool etc.). They are real in the sence, that they exist, yes, but they aren't in control of kiths destiny. You have to choose, to serve one of them and most of the time they don't control how you are reborn (otherwise the same persons as before would always be in charge, I think). They are really powerful souls, something that maybe everyone could achieve. Strightly speaking they are the collective believe of thousand of souls, so the Kith are bullied by united mortals, who just happen to sit at the source of life. And for more souls they needed the machines (Woedica) or the devotion of their followers, until Eothas changed this with his Adrabody (the stuff, that connects the flow of souls). They aren't supernatural, they are the proof that (pseudo-)science works ^^. He is even one of the nicer gods in my book. I mean Wael and Ondra suppress knowledge, Skaen is as a bastard through and through, Eothas was a pompous douchebag with a holier-than-thou attitude, Magran uses her believers for her own means and Woedica is as ruthless, as only a true tyrant can get. Galawain seems just to be interested that you survive and grew stronger. He doesn't care how you do it, as long as you do. Hylea, Berath and Rhymgard just do their job and Abydon seems to be truly nice.

Oh, be nice. There is a game for every taste and that's good, because I don't want to eat mouse au chocolat (Original Sin, Pillars, Fallout 2) all the time. Sometimes, good old Snickers (Skyrim) is also just fine. Skyrim is a great game, if you don't play the mainquest. But telling your own story (Voltor the Marauder!!! got rich through killing Bandits!) has it's own charme.

I would consider Pillars as one of the best (at least with patch 3.5), buuut I played way more games and if I could count it down to three it would be: 1. Divinity: Original Sin 2. Arcanum 3. Fallout 2 and with eight more slots it would be 3. Divinity 2 (The Dragon Knight Saga) 4. NWN2: Mask of the Betrayer 5. Pillars of Eternity 6. Vampire: Bloodlines 7. Kotor 2 8. Alpha Protocol 9. NWN 2: Main Campaign 10. Drakensang: At the River of Time 11. Dead State Reanimated