Lia's BK tweets archive - 2021-09-01: Nunki Valley burning, Cebalrai

Lia @liareplaysbk · 10:57 PM · Aug 31, 2021 Permalink

To Nunki Valley! This game definitely doesn’t do foreshadowing and everyone really loves the trees, so I’m sure nothing bad’s going to happen to the forest that is fully gone twenty years later.
Right?

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:12 AM · Sep 01, 2021 Permalink

Called it, everything’s on fire. Sagi dutifully reports.

Sagi: “Quaestor! Promachination in Sadal Suud is under way!”

Sagi: “Rodolfo opposes promachination, but Heughes pushed forward against his wishes.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:15 AM · Sep 01, 2021 Permalink

Somehow the leader of the military has no other option than to rely on a pair of teenagers and a mysterious murderpuppet. SURE, this is a JRPG after all, that’s just basic logic.

Sagi: “Quaestor, can you send us any backup?”

Verus: “Baelheit has a lot of pull, even in the army. I can’t make things happen the way I used to.”

Verus: “This is an embarrassing thing for the head of military affairs to say... but right now, you’re all I can count [...]”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:17 AM · Sep 01, 2021 Permalink

Apart from the local wildlife, there are a bunch of soldiers busy working with weed burners (those aren’t big enough to be flamethrowers).
Even the combat arena is updated with a VERY ominous view.

Soldier: “Are you looking for a fight?!”

Soldier: “Punk! It looks like someone’s got a death wish!”

Combat intro screen, showing three Imperial Soldiers on the riverbank. The trees in the background are on fire.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:22 AM · Sep 01, 2021 Permalink

We meet an INCREDIBLY annoyed mechanic with a stash of flame ice.
To me this continues the impressively sharp portrayal of fascism that EW had: the Empire is inefficient, wasteful, absurd, and losing loyalty over it (at still-early stages of authoritarianism).

Mechanic: “Man! Here I brought [blue text] flame ice [end blue text] because they said the crane had overheated...”

Mechanic: “Well of course the damn thing is going to overheat with the whole forest going up in flames like this!”

Mechanic: “And they come shouting for me to fix things all by myself?!”

Mechanic: “To hell with that! You little arsonists can deal with the problems you’ve caused yourselves! I quit!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:22 AM · Sep 01, 2021 Permalink

Ft. flavor text recycling that doesn’t work woopsee

Inspection text: “This giant slab of ice is frozen solid despite the desert’s heat. It is exceptionally cold to the touch.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:25 AM · Sep 01, 2021 Permalink

One of the broken cranes. Once we use flame ice on it, it start back up and goes to faceplant in the river in a convenient position. There are three of those, not exactly a tough puzzle.
Also, smart reuse of the armored car.

Sagi: “It looks like the machina has overheated because of the fire. It’s stopped working.”

The crane car now fully crashed, with the crane itself forming a bridge to the opposite riverbank.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:29 AM · Sep 01, 2021 Permalink

The guy who was mysteriously waiting for someone is, er, still here. Sir. Maybe leave for a bit.

Old Man: “I’m waiting for someone here, you see.”

Old Man: “All of a sudden, it’s gotten so hot around here. I hope they come for me soon...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:32 AM · Sep 01, 2021 Permalink

It actually lets us exit southwards and go check on Cebalrai. The locals are... not happy.
I LOVE that the ones indoors don’t know what’s happened yet, and that adults are ambivalents about explaining the tragedy to children.

Villager 1: “You see?! It’s just as I worried it would be! We don’t need any machi-nonsense here!”

Villager 2, elderly: “What a terrible waste... And every tree in that forest was older than I...”

Villager 3: “If Nunki Valley loses its trees, what’s going to keep Sadal Suud’s air and water clean?!”

Villager 4, busy: “Hey, do you smell something funny? Like something’s burning? Guess I have to clean house again...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:33 AM · Sep 01, 2021 Permalink

The stable is blocked by a guy and a pow, so I can’t go stock up on Pow Milk. Boooooo

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:35 AM · Sep 01, 2021 Permalink

Finally, we’ve got mail! ... oh.
This is even funnier than having an actual diegetic sale.

Letter: “It’s our big mid-season sale!! We’re SLASHING prices at magnus shops across the sky!”

Letter: “Potions for 250G? I DON’T THINK SO! Just 99G for a limited time only!”

Sagi, pouting: “Aww, the date on this thing says the sale ended weeks ago...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:37 AM · Sep 01, 2021 Permalink

Next time: check around the place juuuuuust in case the story progress caused more changes, then go get our asses kicked by Heughes because I’m not optimistic the pattern of us losing is about to shift.