Lia's BK tweets archive - 2022-01-17: Sidequests and new dialog in Alfard, Greythorne adventures part 2, Dark Service HQ

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:46 PM · Jan 16, 2022 Permalink

Hello, I’m back, you can blame Returnal for the hiatus, it’s very good and I keep going for “just a short session” that ends up lasting four hours. Woopsee.
Anyhow! Let’s go play the Greythorne some more!

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:51 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

Got distracted and swung by Baelheit’s place, which... okay

Soldier: “This is Lord Baelheit’s residence. We know who you are. You may pass.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:53 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

OKAY

Captain of the Dark Service: “Ah... Sagi. So, you survived.”

Captain of the Dark Service: “It seems I had my orders crossed. We all make mistakes. At least you’re alive, right?”

Captain of the Dark Service: “No need to put anyone under the gun. That’s my job, aha ha ha!”

Sagi: “It looks like we can draw the magna essence of the [blue text] Poor Excuse for a Joke [end blue text]. How about it, Lia?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:54 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

I thought we’d been framed as assassin of the Emperor, only reluctantly cleared, turned into a monster as Baelheit planned all along then imprisoned at which point we killed his right-hand man or possibly son, but I guess we can just waltz in. Sure.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:55 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

No wait, possibly Olgan’s son, my bad, it’s been a while. Anyway we still can’t get into the darn office, which has treasure.

Empire Soldier: “Don’t make me repeat myself. I can’t allow you to enter Lord Baelheit’s office!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:58 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

Also they bothered to write new text for the housekeeper and the soldiers doing squats and push-ups, making them have mini-storylines.
Off to visit the terrible kids and find out Skeed’s secret!

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:01 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

There are only three ways Vallye’s plan works here. Either she knows the greythorne’s actually a human, or she understands greythorne-speech, or Skeed’s a complete fool who will confide loud enough for all to hear.
Whatever, logic left the room a looooong time ago

Vallye: “This could be useful in discovering my brother’s secret. Why don’t you go talk to him?”

Vallye: “Studying is so boring... When Daddy gets home, I’m going to make him play with me!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:05 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

The dialog from Skeed isn’t all that different, but we get his (bad) reasoning for being so ashamed. Sadal Suud is called a backwater repeatedly, so the quest pointer’s pretty obvious after this.
... wasn’t the rumor “Vallye read a book and told me”?

Skeed: “If only I were a little taller...”

Skeed: “I heard a rumor there’s something you can drink to make you grow. I wonder if it’s true...”

Skeed: “But no, even if it were, that stuff is [red text] made in some backwater nation [end red text]. It’s not fit for me to drink.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:07 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

Yes it was. Credit your sources you jerk of a future murderous fascist

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:15 PM · Sep 08, 2021 Go

The answer to why is that Skeed actually has complexes about being small, seems like. Maybe he needs a chat with Giacomo, they’d get along great.
Camilla is still in A State. I wonder if all those scenes play if you haven’t caused that!

Vallye: “As soon as I informed my brother that I’d read that pow milk contains nutrients which aid growth...”

Vallye: “he suddenly began insisting that we read up on the intricacies of dairy farming.”

Vallye: “I can’t afford to tell you any more, for the sake of my brother’s pride.”

Skeed: “Yes, yes, I see. So, you squeeze the udder like so. Then I’ll be able to...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:09 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

Unfortunately the salty water had to be fetched in Azha, meaning I noticed another greythorne that’s probably heard things I do not want to know

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:11 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

Uhhhhhhh you’ll learn that when you’re older and also why are you asking a greythorne

Kid: “Hey, what does robbing the cradle mean?”

Kid: “My mom just said that about Almarde and that old soldier guy.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:12 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

Stop asking questions to creatures that can only squeak then complaining you do not get an intelligible answer

Child: “Hey, is Almarde saying something?”

Child: “...... I don’t undertand! Ugh!!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:13 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

Yuck

Lyuvann: “Mumble mumble... There’s just not enough machina flavor in this food...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:16 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

Almarde you deserve so much better than any of this and also how is a greythorne supposed to help. Sagi’s been your errand boy before, why can’t you ask then?

Almarde: “Will you listen for a while? Lyuvann has recovered enough to get up and move around.”

Almarde: “But he hardly touches the food I make for him. All he ever eats are those imperial rations...”

Almarde: “I remembered hearing thar [blue text] machina oil [end blue text] is used heavily to flavor imperial cuisine, but...”

Almarde: “Even that didn’t work. He said it was supposed to be something stronger... thicker.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:18 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

Hey, remember how Machina Oil gets goopy when aged and the aged version mentions “gourmands”, I’m sure that’s unrelated. Gotta have to wait that out, then.

Gathering screen, focused on Goopy Machina Oil. “Machina oil that’s thickened over time. Its distinct taste is valued by gourmands, but that’s about it. It weakens the body’s natural defenses, so most people just say no.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:21 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

We run back to Sadal Suud for some fresh milk and go give that to Skeed. Who... actually expresses human feelings like happiness and is genuinely thankful. Did he hit his head?
I love that the quest reward is framed as a greythorne treat, lovely touch.

Skeed: “Wow, thanks for bringing this to me. I appreciate it.”

Skeed: “I’ll give this to you in return. Here you go, eat up.”

Textbox: “Obtained the magnus [blue text] Blue Beans [end blue text]!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:23 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

He even repeats the thanks if addressed by the greythorne.
Human dialog also changed. Just exiting and reentering the room doesn’t step it further, though.

Skeed: “I’ll wait until nobody’s looking, then drink it. Thanks.”

Skeed: “I’ll wait until no one is looking...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:25 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

Vallye’s also got new dialog. Kiddo, you’re what, 10? Chill.

Vallye: “It was a lot of hard work, but I’ve undergone a broad education, and am now ready to lead my people.”

Vallye: “Now I’ll put that learning to the test as I work to discover ways to improve the Empire.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:27 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

Let’s go kill some magnus aging time by checking on old are- uh oh

Inspection text: “A Dark Serviceman’s cadaver lies here.”

Guillo: “These wounds are brutal. I doubt they could have been made by a human.”

Inspection text: “A Dark Serviceman lies fallen here, body riddled with bullet holes. He doesn’t appear to be breathing.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:30 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

One guy isn’t quite completely dead yet. Paramachina rampage, you say?

Sagi: “That man sounds like he’s still alive!”

Sagi: “Hang in there! What the hell has happened here?!”

Dark Serviceman: “Paramachina... rampage... ......”

Milly, as two soldiers pursued by a paramachina run in: “Sagi! Look over there!!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:33 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

The soldiers rush us so they’re megadead anyway. They’ve been renamed “Fallen Serviceman” or the like.

Combat screen, the party facing three imperial soldiers.

Milly: “Those soldiers... They looked terrified as they came at us.”

Sagi: “... And it almost looked like that paramachina was giving them orders.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:36 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

One room up and it’s more dead soldiers and aggressive robots. We get the choice to chicken out, I’m gonna need to reload and test that later.
(Also yes we can they’re Baelheit’s private murder army, come on Sagi)

Sagi: “Paramachina... attacking Servicemen?!”

Guillo: “Sagi, what’s the plan?”
Dialog choice: “Help them!” or “Let’s get out of here”

Sagi: “Right!! We can’t just sit here and watch them die!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:40 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

The fights interestingly include soldiers and robots both. Apparently some of the servicemen decided to obey their new mechanical overlords.
We get backstory: freshly delivered upgrade chips to blame, a city invasion planned. Hmm.

Dark Serviceman: “The paramachina... enhancement chips. They arrived... the other day...”

Dark Serviceman: “When we installed them... the paramachina started acting... on their own...”

Dark Serviceman: “The new smart paramachina went from not taking our orders to ordering us around in no time.”

Dark Serviceman: “Those who didn’t obey were killed... The paramachina were preparing to invade Mintaka with the survivors.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:42 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

Oh hello light puzzle mechanic

Dark Serviceman: “They took over the locker room. They’re creating more and more self-aware paramachina in there...”

Sagi: “Right. We can’t just sit by and let it happen.”

Dark Serviceman: “The entrance to the locker room will have been locked by now.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:45 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

As always in BKO, it comes with overexplaining from the original NPC, a repetition by a party member, and an always-accessible summary on the panel itself. ‘Tis a bit much.
(Also ft buggy two-boxes dialog chunk missing the end period and with an empty second one)

Dark Serviceman: “That lock can be released using the panel beside the screen there, but...”

Dark Serviceman: “They’ve probably changed the authorization code...”

Dark Serviceman: “In order to disable that authorization code, you’ll need to find and assemble the [blue text] override code [end blue text]”

Dark Serviceman: “You’ll find one piece of the [blue text] override code [end blue text] in each room here. You just have to search for them...”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:47 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

Just gotta check... yes, Geldoblame’s the one who pointed us that way. So I’ll also reload to check Greater Mintaka see if he’s there with something to say before / after discovering the slaughter.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:21 AM · Dec 09, 2021 Go

And an EXTREMELY ominous request / sidequest from Geldoblame. The Dark Service (Baelheit’s crew...?) is vital you see, and no Verus doesn’t have to know. Don’t like it.

Letter: “It seems there’s been some sort of trouble at Dark Service Headquarters.”

Letter: “I’d like you to consider this a personal request from me, and not mention it to the quaestor.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:47 AM · Jan 17, 2022 Permalink

So, next time: apparently not greythorne shenanigans, since there’s a mechanical uprising to stop. Yay.