Lia's BK tweets archive - 2023-01-22: Tarazed Control, Baelheit, all the plot twists

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:43 AM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Thread 2: what’s behind the door at the heart of Tarazed and why I’m now yelling (metaphorically, you can’t do that in a P3 respirator)

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:46 AM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Unusually, we retain control and can talk to Guillo and Milly (who apparently has more secrets) when we enter. Re-reading Guillo’s line about “exact opposite aura” now… GAH

Guillo: “So that’s Baelheit… He seems even stronger up close.”

Guillo: “If I had to put it to words, I’d call it the exact opposite aura as yours, Sagi.”

Milly: “No. First let’s talk to Father. Then I’ll tell you everything.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:48 AM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

I don’t recall anyone agreeing to any of that but sure, let’s roll with it. Rodolfo would certainly move on fast, Corellia is all about conflict avoidance, Ladekahn would hold a grudge but also he’s 12, so.

Sagi: “Baelheit! Turn Tarazed around right now!”

Sagi: “Leaders of the other nations are prepared to stand with us. Your plan has failed!”

Milly: “If you stop now, the other leaders said they’re willing to write the incident off as an internal dispute.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:51 AM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

What war, Baelheit. Who are you fighting. Malpercio? Were the afterlings inside Tarazed supposed to get killed?

Baelheit: “Failed? I think not. Everything’s gone exactly as I hoped.”

Baelheit: “Once I’ve destroyed you, Sagi—the last of the malideiters—“

Baelheit: “I won’t need to plan anymore. This war I’ve been fighting can finally come to a close.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:53 AM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Talk With Dad is going about as well as I expected. Again shoutouts to the voice acting and Milly’s VA in particular, really selling it well when it could get so corny so fast

Baelheit: “Milliarde, I have you to thank for everything. You’ve done well bringing Sagi here to me.”

Milly: “NO! No, no, NO! Father, you are so wrong!”

Milly: “I’m not someone you can just tell what to do anymore!”

Milly: “Don’t you see! I came here because I have to stop you!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:55 AM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

It could get very, VERY corny

Baelheit: “I see… I was wondering why you hadn’t reported in.”

Baelheit: “And now I know. You’ve been poisoned by the venoms of your own heart.”

Milly: “Listen to me, Father. The power people have in their hearts—it’s not evil!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 11:59 AM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Milly then makes a list of every good heart thing she’s encountered on their travels and… there’s no way this isn’t self-aware, right? ‘Kahn broke Gib’s heart and his, Rodolfo is the worst coward in the Sky, Corellia has such compassion she’s “thoughts and prayers” incarnate

Milly: “King Ladekahn’s devotion to his friend Gibari;”

Milly: “Rodolfo’s courage in defending his homeland;”

Milly: “Queen Corellia’s noble compassion for the world;”

Milly: “Gena’s unfaltering love for her children.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:01 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Such a lovely rousing speech, I’m sure it’ll be heard!

Milly: “They all believed in their hearts!”

Milly: “And now… I believe too. These feelings in my heart… the feelings I have for Sagi…”

Milly: “What’s the point of machina if we have to give up our hearts for it!”

Milly: “Machina… Machina!! That’s what the world doesn’t need!!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:04 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

[cw: blood in illustration? Ish?]
Baelheit pulls out a gun and shoots his daughter, as you do, revealing… a mechanical shoulder, sparking once damaged.

Baelheit holding a gun, Milly fallen on the floor.

Sagi, rushing to Milly’s side: “Milly, hang on!!”

Milly, with a new portrait showing that her left shoulder seems made of metal: “Ugh… ah… ahhh…”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:06 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

PLOT TWIST ONE: Milly’s a cyborg! Woo!

Baelheit: “How about now, Milliarde? Do you need machina now?!”

Baelheit: “Fifteen years ago, when the afterling tore your little body apart, what gave you a second chance?!”

Baelheit: “Machina—that’s what! Am I wrong, Miliarde?!”

Milly, crying: “I’m sorry… Sagi. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:09 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Of course it’s okay, how could it not be okay, Sagi’s way too good to let stuff like that get in the way (and in this case he’s very much right)

Milly: “I… I did it again. I lied to you again…”

Milly: “My father’s telling the truth. Most of my body is made of machina. I owe my life to it.”

Milly: “But believe me! My heart is still my own. It’s always going to be my own…”

Sagi: “I told you before: I trust you. Just stay still…”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:11 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Guillo tries to rush forward, gets zapped by defense lasers, receives a fresh new insult, and goes splat

Guillo: “What father would turn his gun on his own daughter for the sake of ambition? You’ve gone astray.”

Guillo: “I won’t abide it! Sagi, look after Milliarde. I will put this craven in his place!”

Baelheit, to a flat Guillo: “Impertinent little scarecrow!”

Guillo: “Blast it all! My body… won’t do as it’s told…”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:14 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Why would Baelheit speak as if he has someone with him- OH

Baelheit: “Let’s finish this business, you and I. I will defeat you, and fulfill my destiny.”

Baelheit, having pulled out a sword: “Come, Daimon! With this battle we can end it all! Lend me your strength!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:16 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

It’s a (mercifully short) one-on-one fight, meaning most of my deck is useless.
The music is a remix of The True Mirror from EW, which we’ve not heard once in this game, and Baelheit is using Seraphim Soul.
PLOT TWIST TWO: Baelheit is a spiriter

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:18 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

This completes the inversion between EW and BKO. A spiriter facing Malpercio, to a familiar battle tune, but you’re on the other side of it. So darn clever

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:21 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Though obviously we’re going to get a detailed lore dump to add more details

Baelheit: “l’ll give you credit: you’ve done a fine job merging Malpercio’s strength with your own.”

Baelheit: “I never thought our experiment would yield a success story, a complete specimen.”

Baelheit: “It began fifteen years ago, when Olgan approached me about conducting research on the […]”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:23 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Flashback time! Clearly recycling Georg’s lab scene there. Turns out Baelheit was behind magnus mixing research.

Baelheit, offscreen: “I was studying the crossfusion of magna essences.”

Baelheit, offscreen: “That research became the foundation of today’s magna mixtures.”

Baelheit: “Practical application is just beyond our grasp. Right now we’re able to attain 99.9999 percent of target […]”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:26 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Goddamnit game don’t make the bad guy sympathetic by way of the concerned-scientist-overruled-by-admin trope, HE JUST SHOT HIS OWN DAUGHTER

Olgan: “Well, I would say that’s a negligible margin of error, wouldn’t you? Start putting it to use.”

Baelheit: “But, Your Magnificence, there’s a real possibility that any number of accidents could occur!”

Olgan: “I said I don’t care! My people are waiting! This technology will place us at the forefront of the world!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:29 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

As we heard (servitude of Hassaleh, tales in Diadem), the Empire was already fond of barging elsewhere and grabbing stuff it thought it could use. That time it was an afterling.

Olgan: “Not one more word, Baelheit! Just see that the magna mixture research is concluded.”

Olgan: “Wait until you see what we found during the expedition to Hassaleh.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:31 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

What is it with Emperors and incredibly dangerous research ideas leveraging the curiosity of nerds to create disasters- oh wait

Olgan: “Even just one piece contains immeasurable power. I want you to bind it to a human heart and […]”

Olgan: “[…] artificially create a spiriter.”

Olgan: “There’s no limit on funding. I will give you any clearance you need. Get started immediately.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:34 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

I do appreciate how this refuses an easy narrative of original sin. The orders were bad, obeying them was also bad, it was definitely teamwork

Baelheit, offscreen: “To house a god inside a human…”

Baelheit, offscreen: “I did have my reservations about such an outlandish request… but still I could not quell my curiosity”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:36 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

We’re treated to the awakening of the first subject (made a lot funnier by room recycling)

Baelheit: “What sort of rejection signs will he exhibit?”

Researcher: “This is the Empire’s magnus research center. Do you understand what I’m telling you?”

Baelheit: “Stop! Don’t aggravate the subject!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:39 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

It, of course, goes horribly wrong

Test Subject, writhing in agony: “Where am… I? What are… you… saying? Why did yoo vring-be-heeeere?!”

Test Subject, writhing in agony: “Ahh… aah… aaaaaaaaaaargh!!”

Baelheit: “Stars almighty! Seal off the research center! Now!”

Baelheit: “We were able to destroy the test subject—but only after it had obliterated the whole center.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:42 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Yeah no shit the project was shutdown. And the test subjects just… released into the wild with no monitoring. What a GREAT idea

Baelheit: “When the emperor learned of the project’s failure, he halted it completely. The remaining subjects […]”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:52 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Guillo attempts to sum this up and gets shut down, because the villain monologue is NOT done

Guillo: “So that’s why you said “destiny”. You want to make up for your failure. What egocentric twaddle.”

Baelheit: “When the afterling ran amok, the entire research center was destroyed.”

Baelheit: “…Including my wife who resided there.”

Baelheit: “And Milliarde—you ended up losing most of your body.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:54 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Baelheit, it turns out, had a full-on death wish by then, and we all know how well that goes if you end up in Nekton

Baelheit: “I placed Milliarde in a life-support unit and fled the Empire.”

Baelheit: “I ran from everything… as far as I could.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 12:57 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

A spirit showed up, of course. That’s displayed as a dialog choice you do not control, which is neat.

Baelheit: “Haah… haah… Forgive me, Milliarde… My wife, my studies, my career have all been lost!”

Baelheit: “And now I no longer have the will to go on living…”

Baelheit, offscreen: “I wanted to die. I was ready. And then—“

Dialog choice: “Hang on” vs “Are you all right?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:00 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Daimon, invoked earlier, is the spirit’s name. Okay, so Baelheit is a spiriter, and…?

Dialog choice: “Daimon” vs “I’m not telling”.

Baelheit surrounded by the cherry blossoms burst of bonding with a Guardian Spirit.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:03 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

That’s what gave him the drive to change the world… and knowledge of machina. Which is worse because it means the man has a true calling oh no.
Again it’s the inversion from EW: another player messed with the world, and made things worse.

Baelheit: “A man waits for death, and instead he’s handed the wisdom and power to sway the world’s future!”

Baelheit: “She gave me just the knowledge I was looking for: machina!”

Baelheit: “What couldn’t I do? With machina, I could even trump the afterlings’ power!”

Baelheit: “That’s my destiny as a spiriter! I don’t do it out of some cheap sense of guilt!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:06 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Ensues a lengthy argument with Sagi punctuated with sword moves. Worst part is, he’s not making a bad point at first glance… Though how does he know this, the legends barely mention hearts and Wiseman?
Again great voicework here

Sagi: “How can you call that a reason! That doesn’t explain why you have to take people’s wings of the heart!”

Baelheit: “A thousand years ago, our ancestors became infatuated with the power of their hearts. And what […]”

Baelheit: “They started a war that befouled the world so much that they had to raise the earth into the sky!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:13 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Great response from Sagi!

Sagi: “It’s self-righteous crap, Baelheit! All of it! You can keep your excuses!!”

Sagi: “Take the afterlings! They wouldn’t have run amok if you hasn’t messed with them!”

Sagi: “The past is just the past! We don’t know what will happen unless we try!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:22 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Which pushes Baelheit to just state “I AM A FASCIST” as clearly as it gets (people cannot be trusted to govern themselves and must be kept in line by those who knows better). This is legit great

Baelheit: “People are just like water. They pool in the pits of the world until they overflow and drown each other out.”

Baelheit: “I say, control the flow! Daimon and I can do it!”

Sagi: “How! You’re a person just like everybody else!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:24 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Irreconcilable disagreement has been found, time for battle, this time with the whole crew (phew)

Baelheit: “Enough talk. It’s time to silence you and that beast inside you.”

Milly: “Or mine. I still think you’re wrong, Father.”

Baelheit: “I’ll destroy you all if I have to!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:26 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

He hits somewhat hard but is plenty manageable. Hellfire is a party-wide AOE, Seraphim Soul is single-target, both of them have the same voice lines as in EW I believe. The same True Mirror remix plays some more.

The party being hit by a large fire spell.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:28 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

But we only won because Daimon has decided she’s not helping, apparently.

Baelheit: “Why, Daimon?! Why won’t you lend me your strength?!”

Dialog choice: “Because we were wrong” vs “Because I’m tired”.

Baelheit: “Wrong…? Is that some kind of joke? Answer me, Daimon!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:30 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

This feels a bit waffley compared to the solid stuff earlier

Sagi: “You weren’t listening to reason anymore. She must’ve seen that… and decided not to help you make it […]”

Baelheit: “Is that true? Daimon! You think I’m being selfish?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:32 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

[cw: blood in illustration]
Turns out that when you try to kill people they don’t magically get better if they start maybe considering redemption

Milly: “Father, please. Let’s just start over. OK?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:33 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Oh hey look who’s here, do I smell PLOT TWIST THREE

Verus, offscreen: “I see you’ve defeated Baelheit.”

Sagi: “Quaestor! When did you arrive, sir?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:36 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

[cw: blood in illustration, stabbing]
From zero to ACTUAL EVIL in no time at all, geez

Verus: “Hee heh hah hah hah! Sagi, you’ve betrayed my hopes time and again…”

Verus: “… but I’m happy to say you’ve finally come through for me.”

Verus, stabbing Baelheit through the chest with gis sword: “Arrrrrrgh!”

Baelheit, bleeding: “Gergh… ugh… uhhh…!!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:37 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

OKAY THAT SURE IS A PORTRAIT, OKAY, ALRIGHT

Verus, eyes glowing red and smile full-on evil: “It seems spiriters aren’t good at “swaying” much of anything, are they?”

Verus: “Why, from the look of you, you’re just the same as any other dying man.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:40 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Might as well clear everything up while we’re at it: Verus was lying about being a spiriter. Though with those eyes I wonder if there’s something / someone else in there anyway

Verus, still looking evil: “Hee heh hah hah hah! It certainly helped to have people think so.”

Verus: “Just the word “spiriter” drew the world’s admiration!”

Verus, briefly looking normal: “But then, sustaining the illusion of talking to a spirit all the time takes a lot out of a man.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:43 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Oh Geldoblame, you’re about to be very disappointed I feel. Also excellent voicework, it’s all trembling and poor attempts at sounding confident.
(Does Guillo even have a tongue)

Guillo: “You always struck me as disagreeable. Now I know why.”

Geldoblame: “The quaestor knew what he was doing. Obviously this was his way of bringing peace to the world.”

Geldoblame: “Were you only as humbled as I by his tremendous foresight and vision!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:45 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Baelheit got all the nuance and true-to-life complexity so Verus only had the cartoon villainy left, apparently. That last line is what makes me think there might be something up here, that’s Dimensional Parasite type stuff

Verus: “Peace? Spare me, Geldoblame. I have no such peace to give.”

Verus: “I will restructure the world as its new leader,”

Verus: “In keeping with Baelheit’s legacy of machina and warfare.”

Verus: “Peace? Why, that would only lift the people’s spirits. That’s too tasty a morsel to squander.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:49 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Turning a big dial that says CARTOON EVIL on it and constantly looking back at the audience for approval

Verus: “No, I believe I’ll start by eliminating the senatorial riffraff that refused to elect me.”

Verus, looking evil again: “Followed by all the obsequious fools who opposed me! Hee heh hah hah hah hah!”

Verus, looking normal again: “Sagi, you were a pawn. Just the one I needed to stand against promachination.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:52 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Plot twist four? Arguably? Whatever throw it in we’ve got great pricing on those today

Verus: “A real spiriter would have been better, but I knew a malideiter like you would still prove useful in […]”

Verus: “[…] exterminating the other afterlings.”

Verus: “I ought to. I was the one who recommended you for the project fifteen years ago.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:53 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

And Gena wanted to talk about Sagi’s father, I see where this is going and I do not like it

Verus: “You mother—Gena, was it? She was one of my servants.”

Verus: “I informed Olgan the moment I heard she was with child. So… there you are.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:55 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

But we’re not going to discuss that, there is MOAR EVIL to admit to!

Verus: “As long as I’m spilling secrets, how’s this? I was the one who had that whore’s wings pulled out.”

Verus: “Baelheit had won over the people by fending off the afterlings,”

Verus: “so I thought I could smear his good name by drawing out the afterling within you right there in front of […]”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 01:57 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Really well-written and well-acted callousness, tho

Verus: “Just another pawn on my board. Like you, except useful.”

Verus: “Relax. I’ll kill you nice and slow when I get to it. First I need to put Tarazed back in order.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 02:55 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

This is incredibly cruel. And some 2+ years later I finally see exactly where @BatenPosting’s Geldoblame analysis was coming from.
(And if that’s Verus as a Canon Evil Bi Dude: bleh, did not need that)

Geldoblame: “Wait! Quaestor Verus! I’ll go with you!”

Verus: “I don’t think you understand. I have everything. I don’t need you or anything else now.”

Verus: “You were beautiful once—but not anymore.”

Verus: “Old toys are a waste of space. What else would I do but throw you away?”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 02:56 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

That was this way, for the record

Baten Kaitos Posting (The Malpostio) @BatenPosting · 12:06 AM · Dec 16, 2020 Go

I know the dolls in Geldoblame's room are meant to play on the "predator" trope, which is disgusting, but I say, I choose to give it a different interpretation, which isn't the intended one, obviously. I don't like that he plays on the ambiguously gay predator, at all so... (1/?)

Lia @liareplaysbk · 02:57 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Verus walks to the freshly appeared elevator while cackling some more (and still using his cane and visibly limping, so at least that wasn’t a lie, I hope, that would also suck) and SCENE

Verus: “If you’ll all excuse me. Hee heh heh hah hah! Heeee heh hah hah hah hah hah!!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 02:59 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

Right, we’ve still got major family drama unspooling here

Sagi: “Yeah, but forget me. What about Milly’s father?!”

Milly, crying: “Father! Father, hold on! We can still start over. All of us, together!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 03:01 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

[cw: blood in illustration]
It’s not redemption, far from it, but it’s closure of sorts.

Baelheit: “… Milliarde… forgive me… I’m so sorry…”

Milly: “No! Stop apologizing! You’re not going to die!”

Baelheit: “Sagi, don’t think badly of my daughter. I made her do all of those things.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 03:03 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

[cw: blood in illustration, antagonist death]
And he’s gone - as is Daimon. Shittiest-feeling victory ever.

Baelheit: “Goodbye, Daimon. I’m sorry we never got to see the end of your… sto… ry…”

The spirit leaves Baelheit in a puff of cherry blossoms.

Lia @liareplaysbk · 03:05 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

The voice acting on Milly here, OOOOOOF. The false cheeriness, the “I’m okay I’m okay I can’t break right now”, it’s really good.

Milly, smiling: “All right, you two. There’s no time to dawdle. We have to go after Verus!”

Guillo: “Don’t pretend it didn’t happen. It’s OK to cry.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 03:08 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

This exchange is fantastic. The two of them so thickly armored under constant bickering, letting just a bit of sincerity shine through… it hits hard

Milly, looking sad: “I’m… I’m fine. There’ll be plenty of time to cry later. Right now… I can’t—“

Guillo: “You can cry once this business is done with. And I mean buckets. You’d better not let me down.”

Milly, poking her tongue out: “Nyaah! Like I’d ever cry in front of you!”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 03:09 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

And next is the elevator and whatever Verus is doing down there. I’ve already checked (see other thread) and I can’t exit the area, so I guess that bullshit mixing recipe will have to wait.

Sagi: “… Well, we’d better go. Verus’s probably heading for Tarazed’s core.”

Lia @liareplaysbk · 03:09 PM · Jan 22, 2023 Permalink

But that will be when I’ve got access to my desktop again, so another two weeks or so. But surely we’re getting near the end now, right? RIGHT?