Endless Paths of Od Nua (Level 7) and Kana quest

[Mirandel]

Could someone please explain what happens there? I mean, I understand the main part about plate being destroyed, but the dialog sounded like I missed a long explanation previously.

 

On the way to the tablet Kana told me about existence of Gabrannos and that he might leave his library or something here. All good, so far I understand. But then on that lvl 7 with tablet and pointless forges we open a door, kill a sceleton and Kana bursts into rage and grieve "No, it can not be Gabrannos ! How could he make all these horrible experiments"! And one of my answer is - "he was just a madman". 

 

By the flames, what are we talking about?! There were just regular monsters on the way there, nothing mentioning  Gabrannos or his work. And no indication, btw, that the sceleton is indeed  Gabrannos himself - how on earth did he recognise him?!

 

What did I miss here? And how?!

 

P.S. And another question - what is the point of activationg those 4 forges on that level?   

[Althernai]

By the flames, what are we talking about?! There were just regular monsters on the way there, nothing mentioning  Gabrannos or his work. And no indication, btw, that the sceleton is indeed  Gabrannos himself - how on earth did he recognise him?!

 

What did I miss here? And how?!

 

P.S. And another question - what is the point of activationg those 4 forges on that level?   

When you first approach the locked door, Kana mentions that based on whatever is written nearby, this must be the study of Gabrannos. Given that there is nobody else around, the Skeleton Mage must be him by process of elimination (although I suppose it could also be some random mage that got locked in the study, but Kana does not consider this possibility).

 

The forges are mostly there for flavor -- if you don't activate them, there are more enemies near the staircase going down to the next level.

[Mirandel]

When you first approach the locked door, Kana mentions that based on whatever is written nearby, this must be the study of Gabrannos. Given that there is nobody else around, the Skeleton Mage must be him by process of elimination (although I suppose it could also be some random mage that got locked in the study, but Kana does not consider this possibility).

 

The forges are mostly there for flavor -- if you don't activate them, there are more enemies near the staircase going down to the next level.

Thank you! Then it's my curse - silent remarks and banters. I wish chat window would automatically switch to "chat" from "combat" to let me see when someone says something.

Still don't get the part about "sick experiments" and Gabrannos being a madman. 

[Varana]

I don't know how long Kana was in your party, but apparently, you've missed out on some of the flavour dialogue explaining his quest.

Basically, he travelled all around the world following the tracks of that Engwithan mage and thought of him as a wise and benevolent scholar because he had found that Gabrannos apparently had written some lines that happened to be in his culture's Holy Book. So he was convinced that the Engwithans (and Gabrannos in particular) were all great guys all around - and that view got a bit shattered when he met "real" Gabrannos and his remains.

Edited April 12, 2015 by Varana

[Mirandel]

I don't know how long Kana was in your party, but apparently, you've missed out on some of the flavour dialogue explaining his quest.

Basically, he travelled all around the world following the tracks of that Engwithan mage and thought of him as a wise and benevolent scholar because he had found that Gabrannos apparently had written some lines that happened to be in his culture's Holy Book. So he was convinced that the Engwithans (and Gabrannos in particular) were all great guys all around - and that view got a bit shattered when he met "real" Gabrannos and his remains.

 

No, I did not miss THAT. All admiration of Engwithans in general and Gabrannos personally. What I DID miss - is when and why his view changed? Skeleton did not talk to us - he was just a skeleton. There was nothing in the dungeon indicating  Engwithans  are monsters or that Gabrannos committed some atrocious experiments. All that happen - we found an old animated skeleton in a place where Gabrannos could potentially rest in peace. What made Kana say all that things he said I do not understand.

In fact, every line of that dialog looks like a big part is missing. Could some quest be cut off? Together with the meaning for the forges? Because another line of dialog from us is "You said Gabrannos was a master of elements" - also totally out of the blue.  

 

So far to me it does look like a cut off quest and not corrected dialogs.

[Yria]

There was nothing in the dungeon indicating  Engwithans  are monsters or that Gabrannos committed some atrocious experiments.

Actually, there is. The room where you find the key to the study of Gabrannos contains some chained skeletons. I assumed they had fallen victims to Gabrannos' expriments, and that is what Kana is referring to. But yeah, my first reaction also was 'WTH is he talking about?'. 

 

Because another line of dialog from us is "You said Gabrannos was a master of elements" - also totally out of the blue.

Okay, I might be wrong about the skeletons room, but this Kana totally mentions. I remember something along the lines "Blah-blah-blah great scholars blah-blah believed to have mastered the four elements". I think he says that when you first go trough the force field door that leads to the 2nd level of the Paths, but you need to explore some of the dialogue options that appear.

[Mirandel]

Also remember that but the answer here at that moment had nothing to do with events before. No, seriously, I think there was a quest about elemental forges (they ARE elemental - fire, wind, earth water) liked to that chained skeleton. Or at least some book, journal or something like that around explaining both forges and skeletons and linking it to Gabrannos. And for some reason it was lost in the final version (or beta, or even alpha).

 

Glad I did not miss anything and it's really simply not there.

[Yria]

Also remember that but the answer here at that moment had nothing to do with events before. No, seriously, I think there was a quest about elemental forges (they ARE elemental - fire, wind, earth water) liked to that chained skeleton.

Elemental forges are used to shut down the bigger blights in the final room, but there is nothing else. I must say, I'm also a bit confused by that line, 'cause it says something like "You said he controled the elements, so this is what he used that for". So... what was it again that he used that for? There is nothing to explain that, at least in the final version of the game. The whole floor looks like Gabrannos' laboratory, so the skeletons should be linked to him, but what exact experiments he was doing, and what it had to do with the elements, I have no idea.

[Varana]

Ah - yes, that was very murky to me, as well, and I also had to put the pieces together after the fact.

[Ichthyic]

yeah, gotta agree with the OP.

This was not a well done quest in the end.

nothing really comes together, you can't talk to Gabranos (if it's even him), and you'd think that even if the tablet is in pieces, it would be enough evidence to support Kana's original contention back at home.

but.. no.  it just kinda fizzles there, and it felt very unsatisfying.

well, at least you get a decent wand out ot it.

 

[Sonntam]

There is a follow-up conversation that triggers when you go through main staircase at level one. There you go down south and ta-dah! Leaden Key assassins and after you kill them you can talk to Kana Rua some more.

 

I feel it was more satisfactiory, but I'm still miffed that I couldn't make him again the cheerful dude I knew before.

[Ichthyic]

 

There is a follow-up conversation that triggers when you go through main staircase at level one

LOL

 

but... why would you ever go back to level 1 at that point???

 

again, very poor design.

 

 

[Yria]

but... why would you ever go back to level 1 at that point???

You might need to go there after you meet the Master Below. Well, that was when I went there, but if not for that I would have missed those assassins.

you'd think that even if the tablet is in pieces, it would be enough evidence to support Kana's original contention back at home.

You can offer him to do exactly that, it's just that he isn't so sure anymore that the Engwithans would favor peace like he had hoped. I'm not sure how it works out in the epilogue though, haven't got there yet. Kana seems to be all right at least, if asked how he's doing he replies "All's well, and clear sky ahead", so there is hope.

[Exyll]

I totally get what OP is saying cause from levels 1-6 Kana is all whistling a tune and then, you get in front of that door and he loses it. If the mobs had changed from guls and skele warriors to 'trapped survivor' or something like that to explain the tone of what was happening it might have made sense. The wizard in the room isnt even named differently, its just a skeletal wizard, for all we know Gabrannos could have been lower down...he jumped to alot of conclusions right there, feels like there should have been more clues leading up to that point through scripts you walk over or something, prompting party members to make note of things. 

[Corgano]

Agree with the OP on this. I did see and hear the other things poeple posted about, but it just feels broken or missing a lot more info as we were going along or something. Perhaps there are some broken scripts or party conversations that didn't work? I hope that's what happened as otherwise it's just confusing. Anyways...

 

Now I'm stuck on level 8, I think I cleared every room I could find, any suggestions?

 

Oh... and on level 5, is there a way to get into that treasure room? I killed everything on that level, but it looks like I'm missing a small treasure room area?

 

 

Thanks!

--Corgano

[Varana]

I tend to think that it's specifically that level of Od Nua that has very sloppy design.

From the elemental machines with no apparent use (or even use at all) to the random skeletons without any context to the utter lack of connection between all those elements of that level.

 

Corgano:

 

You need the sabre "Resolution" from level 4.

 

[JCPhoenix]

Also remember that this entire level is devoted to elemental research with the Blights and the machines that are controlling them. Additionally you see chained up skeletons all throughout the level. So I'm guessing when you find his lab and look over his notes you see that he is directly involved in the horrible acts that are taking place on this level.

 

Now, the execution of this is pretty bad. I love the sense of dread and sadness as Kana says " Oh no!" At seeing a generic skeleton wizard which we have faced a thousand times before.... Maybe if he was a named wizard like "Gabrannos The Evil", or if there were more blood, guts, and horrible sights to see on this level... Like research notes, journals from the victims, a horrible human/blight hybrid monstrosity that begs you to kill it... Just needed some more show and tell to flesh out the story.

[ChillinR]

I agree that there is not enough explanation and that the execution is rather poor. However, Gabrannos being evil may make sense because his mastery of the elements apparently meant that he could create (and was creating) blights. From the wiki (emphasis mine):

 

Blights are lost souls or soul fragments that have bonded with elemental substances. They are often victims of natural disasters (floods, rock slides, forest fires, etc.). They are incoherent, confused, and full of rage, an amorphous cloud that swirls endlessly and with great violence. Within the vortex, dozens of humanoid shapes materialize and vanish from moment to moment. Faces scream in silent agony while hands desperately clutch and claw at their surroundings, as though still trying to escape their tragic fates.

 

So, normally, blights would be the result of natural disasters, but Gabrannos was creating them, which means he needed souls. That requires killing people (or having someone kill for him), preventing their souls from returning to the wheel, and instead have them remain in agony forever (or perhaps until the blight they form is destroyed).

 

At least that's my interpretation.

 

As a sidenote: Gabrannos' actions don't seem that much worse than what the rest of the Engwithan people were doing (and what was probably accepted in their culture), since they often use souls as a resource (e.g. for animats) and built the machines used in the main questline. So Kana had plenty of reasons to become disillusioned before meeting Gabrannos, but oh well.

[Achilles]

Could someone please explain what happens there? I mean, I understand the main part about plate being destroyed, but the dialog sounded like I missed a long explanation previously.

 

On the way to the tablet Kana told me about existence of Gabrannos and that he might leave his library or something here. All good, so far I understand. But then on that lvl 7 with tablet and pointless forges we open a door, kill a sceleton and Kana bursts into rage and grieve "No, it can not be Gabrannos ! How could he make all these horrible experiments"! And one of my answer is - "he was just a madman". 

 

By the flames, what are we talking about?! There were just regular monsters on the way there, nothing mentioning  Gabrannos or his work. And no indication, btw, that the sceleton is indeed  Gabrannos himself - how on earth did he recognise him?!

 

What did I miss here? And how?!

 

P.S. And another question - what is the point of activationg those 4 forges on that level?   

When you first cross through the (previously blocked) doorway to the staircase on level 1, a dialog is triggered with Kana. It further reinforces Kana's glowing admiration for an Engwithan scholar, whom he tries to emulate. During this conversation, he mentions that Galbranos was "even rumored to have power over the elements"

 

Upon reaching the 7th floor, we learn that "power over the elements" means "the ability to create blights by chaining people up and torturing them to death" and that Kana's hero is actually a sadistic bastard. 

 

The significance is that Kana has given up years of his life to chase down more information about this man. Now that he knows the truth about him, does it make the knowledge worthless? The game doesn't punish you for one answer over the other; it's asking you (the player) what you think.

 

And, yes, there are several bark string pointers in this area that are extremely easy to miss. The one right outside of the locked room can even pop up while you're in combat, so good luck seeing that one

Edited April 29, 2015 by Achilles

[Jimmysdabestcop]

Kana worst companion quest ever. Maybe worst companion ever. I'm a hater. Love chanters but love to hate me some Kana. After 1st playthrough I leeave him at the wall studying the dirt.

[Mygaffer]

This quest starts out interesting, with Kana tracing his people's holy teachings all the way back to a foreign race, but fizzles into nothing, with some chained up skeletons, pointless blight forges, and a locked up skeleton mage. Kana cries about a broken tablet, you exchange a few words, and that's it.

 

This one really disappointed me.

 

Kana should have found something interesting and thought provoking. Maybe the Tanvii Ora Tora (however you spell it) did originate from the Engwithans but the Engwithan version is dark and evil. Maybe he has to reconcile that older darker version with what he knows as his people's holy text. That would be interesting.

[Kogorn733]

I think the reason why this quest seems unfinished is that the writers were trying to have it exhibit one of Pillar's themes, i.e., does our life have any meaning, and if so, what defines that? In the quest, Kana spends a great deal of his life looking for a text, and when he finds it not only has it turned to rubbish, but doubt is cast upon the nature and intentions of its creator. This forces Kana to reevaluate what he's done all those years and to figure out what meaning, if any, it has.

 

You see similar results with Eder and Sagani's quests: characters technically "meet" their goal, but the revelation they get casts doubt upon whether or not it was worth it to begin with

Edited September 16, 2015 by Kogorn733