Lia's BK tweets archive - 2021-08-19: Missed dialogue in Azha, Verus lore dump

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:13 PM · Aug 18, 2021 Permalink

Today: getting distracted in Azha and reloading stagger saves, and tons of lore dump from Verus. Fun!

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:18 PM · Aug 18, 2021 Permalink

There’s nothing new in Azha, Lyuvann is still “bedridden” and Almarde “doesn’t need anything”.
However, there is a NPC I hadn’t noticed before.

Man hiding behind a machine: “So in the end, things blew over without anyone noticing me at all...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:23 PM · Aug 18, 2021 Permalink

So of course we reload back to the first visit in Azha, see what else he has to say.
Pretty weird stuff, since at that point Azha is pretty quiet and happy apart from, y’know, systemic bullshit from the capital.
Also turns out we can jump up and give Rock Salt for magnus!

Man hiding behind a machine: “H-hey, I’m trying to hide here, so would you mind not chatting me up?!”

Man hiding behind a machine: “I’m just visiting here from Sadal Suud. Nobody told me the situation here was this grave!”

Sagi hidden behind scenery, showing a wing icon.

Rock Salt Merchant: “Salt is a village necessity. [blue text] Rock salt [end blue text] all the more so. Bring me some and I’ll make it worth your while.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:27 PM · Aug 18, 2021 Permalink

Finally, if I reload during the “investigation”, there’s the dialog. Doesn’t contribute much!

Man hiding behind a machine: “Oh, man, since I’ve been hiding, things have just gone from bad to worse...”

Man hiding behind a machine: “I totally lost my chance to get out of here... Wh-what am I gonna do?!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:30 PM · Aug 18, 2021 Permalink

Giving rock salt to the merchant yields a completed sidequest, a scale mail magnus, and 150G a pop after that.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:36 PM · Aug 18, 2021 Permalink

We’re just never getting a clear explanation of WHAT this darn promachination thing is and how it manifests in Diadem besides “seemingly useless cloud pumps”, are we.
A cultural shift towards industrialization and a one-time ominous evil plan aren’t the same thing, you VIDEOGAME

Verus: “So then they’re still in the early stages of promachination, is that what you’re saying?”

Sagi: “Yes, sir. King Ladekahn and his knights are taking steps to prevent it from reaching completion.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:41 PM · Aug 18, 2021 Permalink

Geldoblame’s voicework is wonderful and arriviste gets a lovely hard French ‘r’ as it deserves.
Rodolfo, huh. Isn’t that a familiar name. Ironically means I both want to answer he’ll be trouble - he clearly got power eventually! - and that he’s... really not much of a concern.

Geldoblame: “Quaestor, there’s been word that he’s already sent soldiers to Sadal Suud as well.”

Geldoblame: “The lord of Sadal Suud is away, and an arriviste named Rodolfo is after his title.”

Geldoblame: “Rodolfo is the sort you could easily wrap around your little finger were the deal sweet enough.”

Verus: “Sagi, what does your spirit say?”
Dialog choice: “Rodolfo could be trouble” and “He’s a nobody”.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:42 PM · Aug 18, 2021 Permalink

Next stop is Sadal Suud, then. Not sure what they’d do there except turn the Moonguile spring into a bubble hot tub or something.
Onwards?

Verus: “Make contact with this Rodolfo, and intervene if he seems likely to go along with promachination.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:46 PM · Aug 18, 2021 Permalink

Not yet! I love how natural this ends up being? The rest of the party turning away, Sagi lingering, them getting close again.
We were clearly not supposed to know, which... is a bit of a red flag isn’t it.

Verus: “What’s wrong? You look like you have something to say. Go on, let’s hear it.”

Sagi: “Quaestor... you know something about the umbras, don’t you?”

Sagi: “Shanath and Valara call them “afterlings.” And there was something about “Malpercio”...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:48 PM · Aug 18, 2021 Permalink

Well, he’s open to telling us, so clearly it’s fine. Nothing to see here, lore dump time!
Also, right, this communicator works between continents. Is promachination actually installing 5G towers, then

Sagi: “They were talking about it. And quaestor... you said “afterling” yourself.”

Verus: “You mean when I called you in Diadem? Me and my loose tongue...”

Verus: “... All right, I’ll tell you. I suppose I shouldn’t have waited this long.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:52 PM · Aug 18, 2021 Permalink

Verus asks if you know the story, you can answer “yes” or “who cares” but Sagi kinda goes “Isn’t that an old legend” no matter what. A bit odd.
Seems that Duhr is a given here: to everyone, or because Verus is powerful and In The Know?

Verus: “Do you know the story of the Ancient War of the Gods?”

Verus: “It’s not a legend. The War of the Gods really happened.”

Milly: “I’ve heard a record of the war still exists.”

Verus: “That’s right. The Children of the Earth who live in Duhr recorded what happened.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:55 PM · Aug 18, 2021 Permalink

This is YET ANOTHER version of the story! Previously we’ve had humans vs Malpercio, humans vs gods at large, now it’s Malpercio vs other gods? Huh.
Also “Dark Brethren”, we’ve heard that word in Cujam. Hm.

Verus: “It began a thousand years ago, when the wicked god Malpercio rebelled against the other gods.”

Verus: “He called forth a host of Dark Brethren, intending to remake the world as he saw fit.”

Verus: “Soon the other gods were annihilated, the earth withered, and the world fell into darkness.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:57 PM · Aug 18, 2021 Permalink

That bit remains the same. Chopped Malpercio up, sealed him away, sent continents into the sky.
Note the Mizuti ancestor silhouette in the story picture, of course.

Verus: “But the Children of the Earth’s ancestors stepped in. They defeated the wicked god and sealed away his [...]”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:02 AM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Again Sagi’s reaction doesn’t really line up with our options (basically “good question” versus “who cares”), he’s always somewhat curious, because he is not us.
We get the usual rundown, chopped up the god, sent islands up, etc. Note Kamroh on the image this time.

Verus: “Incidentally, have you ever wondered why the world’s continents float in the sky?”

Sagi: “I’ve always assumed that’s the way it’s supposed to be.”

Verus: “A god’s power keeps them aloft—namely, the “End Magnus” in which Malpercio was sealed.”

Verus: “Then they severed the continents from the tainted earth, and used Malpercio’s power to set them aloft.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:06 AM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

That brings us to the monsters. Turns out the End Magnus are the prime cuts, and there was a lot of leftover god meat.

Verus: “Only part of Malpercio’s body was sealed in the End Magnus. What do you think became of the rest?”

Verus: “That’s right. After the wicked god was torn asunder, those pieces possessing the most power were [...]”

Verus: “[...] sealed in the End Magnus...”

Verus: “and the rest were scattered throughout the world so that the fiend could not revive.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:10 AM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Great. Lovely. The Snow Queen but more gross.
It seems weird that this would only manifest so many years down the line and that Baelheit would have a list, though. And Celsica just ~happens~ to be an orphan. I suspect shenanigans.

Verus: “The “umbras” you’ve seen are the discarded pieces of Malpercio.”

Verus: “To be exact, they’re living beings with the pieces growing inside.”

Verus: “You see, the pieces have no real power until they live inside another creature.”

Sagi: “So then Bein and Celsica were both carriers of Malpercio’s remains?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:14 AM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Of course (intense?) negative emotions trigger the transformation because subtext is still for cowards. This also tracks with Malpercio’s schtick in EW being that suffering is a cause of his evil.
And there’s no saving the carriers because they’re unaware. Mh-hm.

Verus: “When the pieces awaken is determined by the carrier’s emotional state.”

Verus: “Feelings of loss, of sadness... Negative emotions cause the wicked god to surface.”

Sagi: “Isn’t there any way to save the carriers?”

Verus: “I doubt it. If the carriers knew who they were, things would be different...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:15 AM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Absolutely not I have A LOT MORE QUESTIONS, but His Quaestorness is tired so that’s all for now.

Verus: “That’s all I can tell you. Are you satisfied?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:17 AM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

Sagi is naive enough that I’d expect him to mention the fainting / hallucinating / time travel thing that keeps happening, so it’s frustrating that he doesn’t.
Is he a carrier? Is that why he reacts like that to umbra deaths? I guess we’ll find out?

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:27 AM · Aug 19, 2021 Permalink

We’re beyond out of ways to procrastinate since I don’t really want to do the Coliseum - still hating the combat system - so next is Sadal Suud, then.