Lia's BK tweets archive - 2021-08-27: Rodolfo's Estate, Giacomo

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:12 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

Back to Rodolfo’s residence. There’s the right side to explore, and some statues to get past.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:29 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

Game, I know coming up with different text for every single of those basins is tricky, but surely children are not THAT small

Inspection text: “This water basin looks big enough to fit three or four children comfortably.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:33 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

Don’t gas lamps imply infrastructure? I don’t think you can just... refill them.
This also implies either that Rodolfo took over long enough ago to redecorate, or that even the previous lord was somewhat cozy with Alfard. Hm.
Overthinking aside, easy flavor.

Inspection text: “This gas lamp is Alfard-made. It seems they were special ordered to fit the estate’s decor.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:35 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

I tested a cloud to get past the statues and it did nothing. But seeing a grumpy staffer burning paperwork gives Sagi InspirationTM.
Tons of smoke in the kitchen sounds bad, but let’s go check I guess.

Staffer: “Ugh... Disposing of paperwork is such a boring job...”

Sagi: “Smoke... We can use this. But it’s not enough to hide in...”

Sagi: “We need a place that’s full of smoke... The [red text] kitchen [end red text], maybe?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:37 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

Conveniently a cleaner was using some special smoke, okay, and they’re locked up down below, sure, and the cook hates Alfard and the hearth is old so just MAKE A HOLE BETWEEN FLOORS.
Sure. Okay. Whatever.

Cook: “Smoke? The cleaning person had some [blue text] billowsmoke [end blue text] for fumigating before.”

Cook: “Everybody’s shut up in the room below this kitchen. It should be right under that old hearth.”

The hearth broken open, Sagi standing in front of the hole.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:39 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

“HEY THE BIG BAD MIGHT ACTUALLY HAVE SOME COMPLEXITY IN CASE YOU DIDN’T NOTICE”

Staffer: “So this Heughes guy who comes by to see the master, right?”

Staffer: “He’s a pretty scary guy, but when he’s talking to his brother by communicator, he’s super nice.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:41 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

Ah, so the room we explored last time had the thing all along but we couldn’t pick it up until we knew what it was ‘cause it looked so weird. That... is actually reasonable.

Cleaner: “Billowsmoke? We keep it in the room farthest down the hall to the left.”

Inspection text: “A glass bottle filled with some liquid of decidedly dubious color rests at the bottom of this crate.”

Textbox: “Obtained the magna essence [blue text] Billowsmoke [end blue text]!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:10 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

One more puzzle step. Luckily I spotted the vent last time so I know exactly where to go. What a conveniently specific ventilation shaft.
The whole thing’s a bit silly, but whatever.

Sagi: “We have to use smoke to confuse this thing, or else it’ll shut us out.”

Sagi: “Smoke rises, so let’s look for a ventilation shaft or something that connects to here.”

Sagi: “This ventilation shaft runs up to the second floor. Couldn’t we try using some billowsmoke here?”

A large cloud of smoke now obscures the statues that were blocking the way.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:12 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

Giacomo sounds positively unhinged in his overdramatic delivery but his From Software LaughTM needs some work.

Giacomo: “Heh heh... Ha ha ha ha ha... Aha hah hah hah hahhh!”

Giacomo: “Hah, oh, I’m sorry. The irony of it all is killing me!”

Giacomo: “Just when I thought my career was finished, I look over at the stairs—aha ha ha, and it’s YOU!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:13 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

Okay for that pun alone we’re sending him to the shadow realm, NO

Guillo: “Are you obsessed? A koa monkey in heat wouldn’t be this clingy.”

Giacomo: “Say what you will. But you’re my ticket back to the Empire, Sagi. And every good ticket has to get [...]”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:16 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

Oh my god this IS his origin story

Giacomo, kneeling: “Ungh, I lost... again...”

Giacomo: “Is it because you’re a spiriter?! It can’t be...”

Giacomo: “Overwhelming strength beyond that of any man! I’d give everything I have...for that...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:18 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

Sagi, what. Why. How.
Oh wait this ties into this letter from Gena urging him to find a purpose for himself and not for others, does it.

Sagi: “Why does he push himself like that? I feel a little bad for him now.”
Dialog choice: “You do?” and “Me too”

Sagi, looking at Giacomo collapsed face down on the floor: “Uh-huh. Look at him. He drives himself over the edge just to find some kind of purpose.”

Sagi: “You know... Maybe I don’t feel bad. Maybe I envy him...”

Guillo: “Sagi, this isn’t what we’re here for.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:21 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

Giacomo is mending his broken pride, he’ll be a while.
Guillo once more low-key threatens to eat people. “Masked Maneater”, hmm?

Rodolfo: “How did you get in? What happened to the guards! What is Giacomo doing?!”

Guillo: “Calm down, we’re not going to eat you.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:24 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

By the magic of mobile phones, we get Rodolfo to respect us somewhat... Again the voicework is perfect, suddenly hitting a level of politeness similar to what he showed Heughes.

Sagi: “Master Rodolfo, let’s start over. My name is Sagi. I’m here on Quaestor Verus’ business.”

Sagi: “You can speak with him yourself using this communicator.”

Rodolfo, to the side, using the communicator.

Rodolfo: “You must be Sagi. The quaestor told me about the situation. I apologize for being so rude.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:30 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

I do not trust a word coming out of that man’s mouth

Sagi: “Just tell us why you’re helping the Empire with promachination.”

Rodolfo: “I think you’re getting ahead of yourself. I have no intention of helping them.”

Rodolfo: “All I want is their gold. I plan to milk the Empire for as much money as I can.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:33 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

I went with “Oh, it’s all right” but Sagi did not want to say it :D
Goddamnit now Rodolfo’s making a compelling case and sounding smart.

Rodolfo: “Didn’t you say you’re from the Empire? Tell me what YOU think of Sadal Suud.”
Dialog choice: “This place is the sticks” and “Oh, it’s all right”.

Rodolfo: “Our chief products are pows and mountain apples. Not exactly the land of the future, my friend.”

Rodolfo: “We’ve got a lot of catching up to do, and you know it.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:36 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

*extremely suspicious squint*

Rodolfo: “Someone’s gotta stand up and show people here the road to a better life.”

Guillo, eyes blazing blue: “Good speech. That must be why you leapt at the idea of promachination.”

Rodolfo: “You’ve got it backwards. I’m trying to take leadership BEFORE some other nation dumps their ideas on [...]”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:39 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

Ah yes, of course he’s a man of the people.
Delightful touch: his mangling of promachination in VO is different from the mangling in subtitles. Bad for accessibility - captions should be faithful - but funny.
And NO I STILL DON’T TRUST YOU

Rodolfo: “I may not dress the part, but I was born and raised in Sadal Suud. I’m not about to hand it over to the [...]”

Rodolfo: “Once they fatten my wallet, they can pack up their promiscuation and haul it on outta here.”

Sagi: “You believe any of this, Lia?”
Dialog choice: “Let’s trust him” and “He’s lying”.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:42 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

His schtick is pretty obvious: the simple man of the people, so earnest about self-interest he can’t possibly be bullshitting you.
He might even mean it but that’d still make him an unreliable as hell weathervane.
Speaking of winds turning, woops.

Rodolfo: “After all, it’s just as true that I want the lordship so I can pamper myself silly!”

Heughes: “Very disappointing, Rodolfo. I thought you were more clever than that.”

Rodolfo: “If you heard all that, I guess there’s no talking my way out of it.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:45 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

Heughes sounds like a goddamn Warcraft reject. “Power corrupts people like you”? Rodolfo’s already corrupt to hell and back and he’s proud of it. Puh-lease.
Anyway, obviously it’s too late, our track record isn’t great thus far.

Rodolfo: “Here’s how it is: I’m not lettin’ you tinker with Sadal Suud. This is my land to defend!”

Heughes: “Howl all you want, but you’re not leader material. Power corrupts people like you.”

Heughes: “If you’re done with the pretenses, then so am I. Promachination’s ready to go, with or without your [...]”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:47 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

They’re gonna set the entire forest on fire aren’t they. Oh well it was pretty however briefly we got to see it.
We of course let the villain walk right out and Rodolfo proceeds to do nothing. Such courage.

Heughes: “Sagi, come to Nunki Valley. I know you won’t want to miss this.”

Rodolfo: “Yeow... Now I went and got on the Empire’s bad aide. Things ain’t gonna be pretty...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:48 PM · Aug 26, 2021 Permalink

Next time: re-poke around Pherkad and Cebalrai in case stuff changed, and if that somehow takes less than one hour, head to Nunki Valley for Drama.