There was no episode last week, I'm sorry. (it's summer, you have to take advantage of it!) To compensate, this week the episode will be much longer!
If you missed an episode or are looking for the following ones, you can find all the episodes of Tribulations of Aza - Divinity: Original Sin in the tribune Games Managers.
As they have just arrived at the End of Times, Zixzax calls out to them, overjoyed at the idea of seeing his new friends again, but also because he has important things to communicate to them.
“Ah ah! My favorite Starstone seekers * whispers * -and the only ones especially- are back! During your absence, I have meditated on the nature of our dimensional refuge like a poet meditates on his muse. But right now, and in the interest of saving time, tell me a little more about the woman you chatted with in the Pantheon on your previous visit. "
“She seemed to recognize us and gave us the name 'Guardians'. She said she played with us and in return we abandoned her. Then she said incomprehensible sentences and left. "
"Played by you ... abandoned ... it all vaguely reminds me of something, in the middle of this vast puzzle." But ... could it be that she is ...? No, stop rambling Zixzax! This is not possible. "
* Think for a few moments *
“Thank you, my friends. I will work more on the subject, I promise! In the meantime, I believe a new portal has opened and like me, I bet you must be dying to know what's behind it! Let's take a look! "
The four companions follow Zixzax to the new open portal. The latter is right in front of the Pantheon and, like the other portals, it represents two joined hands with a vortex in the center. Zixzax decides to stay in the main room as the four friends walk through the portal and land in a new, unknown End Times area.
This new location may well be unknown to the team, a feeling of familiarity invades Estelle and Rassilon. Something all the more strange and that they have the feeling of being ... at home. However, this does not make sense to them, given that they have never set foot in these places. As they advance through this strange place, a figure appears before them in deep darkness, as if all light is absorbed by it. When the mist clears, a humanoid shaped dragon that is black in color with bluish highlights and onyx-like skin emerges.
“Look what you have become! The stars are no more than dying embers ... You ... You are to be pitied ... "
No sooner has he finished his sentence than he turns around and leaves. As the team tries to stop him, he disappears in a cloud of smoke similar to the one that made him appear.
"A very bad omen that seems to be this being ..."
"And not very sympathetic what is more ..."
They decide to resume the exploration of the place. This End Times area looks like a hall with a bedroom on either side. They leave to explore the room on the left and as Rassilon is about to open a chest located at the foot of the bed, he stops. Estelle notices him and asks him what is happening to him.
“This chest doesn't belong to me and somewhere I have the feeling that it belongs to someone I know. "
Estelle looks at the trunk and seems lost in her thoughts, then exclaims.
"But, it's my old chest!" But ... how do I remember or find out? This is the first time that I see him ... "
The rest of the team continued to search during this time and found two logs.
Journal of the first chamber
My colleague general,
I understand your frustration, although the plague that torments me is of a completely different nature.
Cursed be this fame! Let them go to hell with their expectations and their hopes! The life of a lord is like that of a queen bee. The nobility, the ambassadors, the citizens, the clergy ... They turn all around me without ever stopping, innumerable, always talking, buzzing, asking and imploring, suspended at the least of my words ... Madness !
I can never leave this maze of rooms, bedrooms and corridors. It's barely if I can still see the light of day. I dream of hills and fields, of the tranquility and loneliness of wilderness. Couldn't I just just go ... and leave it all behind?
Journal of the second chamber
My friend and ally,
Frustration boils inside me as if I have a fever. Damn those politicians! They piss me off endlessly. Am I supposed to be satisfied with a nearly won war? Of a certain victory? As long as one of our enemies is still breathing, I refuse to sheath my sword. I will hunt, I will stalk and I will kill. I will continue to practice in the field where I excel.
Everything else is cowardice. Diplomacy is the weapon of the weak. They are all blind. They don't see anything. They weren't there at the end ...
After reading the two newspapers, they leave to explore again to see what mysteries may still be hidden in these places. They come across a sort of large yard and a small garden. While browsing the gardens, they come across a parchment lying on a stone bench, Estelle picks it up and begins to read it.
Garden parchment
General esteemed,
I would like to bring to you a concern that affects me personally, if I may.
Your combat prowess is second to none and your thirst for war unmatched. No one doubts it. Your boldness has served us very well (the world owes its salvation to it!), But now that the enemy has been defeated, with the exception of a few scattered legions, is it really necessary to continue to command our? armies?
I know your presence inspires our soldiers, but I fear that an enemy arrow or spear will meet your august person, as has happened to another of our generals in the past, forgive me for mentioning.
Your death would mean the ruin of our nations. Also, I recommend that you be careful. Now that we are almost at peace and your total victory seems inevitable, isn't it time to put an end to all these acts of bravery? We no longer need you as a general, but as a statesman!
Please think about it.
Sign,
Harald Sigurdson, duc d’Orcha.
All these letters and correspondence are very mysterious, but it is, alas, not here that the four friends will find answers. They continue to explore a little more, but ultimately find nothing more and decide to return to Cyséal to continue the hunt for the Sorcerers and Braccus Rex.
Once back in Rivellon, they decide to immediately set out and go to the church in the northeast, the place where Braccus Rex is supposed to be buried and, according to rumors and information gathered, the place from where comes the army of the living dead and skeletons which attacked Cyséal for more than two years.
As they explore the place, they eventually find ruins and as they begin to venture there, they stumble upon a veritable sea of poison covering what must have been a great place. By carefully observing the place, Estelle notices that poison is pouring out regularly from the mouths of the statues located around and others of the place. Rassilon and Jahan, both great masters in the arts of magic, know full well that this kind of poison is highly flammable. Jahan then begins to enchant a rain spell as Rassilon throws a fireball right in the middle of the square, immediately igniting the entire sea of poison and creating numerous explosions. While the ground has become a real carpet of flame and the stones are boiling, Jahan finishes enchanting his spell of rain which comes to appease the whole. The four friends can thus pass quietly without having to worry about poison or fire.
On the other side of the square is a large house and a courtyard. While exploring the house, Estelle notices that there are a lot of traps scattered all over each room. However, and strangely enough, there is nothing of value or importance in the building other than a small document showing experience on enchanted mines with elemental effects and the fact that apparently the guards de Cyséal are in search of this mysterious stranger.
While exploring the courtyard, they come across two large seats, similar to thrones with the corpse of a man and a woman sitting on each of them. As they approach, the corpse of the man wakes up.
"Who dares to desecrate these places? I hear hearts beating! Of life here? Right in the middle of where Braccus Rex once sat? It's intolerable ! Only the beating of HIS heart for too long asleep have the right to bring life back to these places! What a presumption have you had to venture thus among those who have returned from death, to contemplate with hideous disdain the white bones of my lady! My beloved father had promised me that no mortal would dare to challenge us and yet here you are ... despite curses and deaths! "
"Who are you exactly? "
“I am the mighty Diederik! Once a knight in command of the king's army! Today I myself am a king. They call me the Baron of Bones, overlord of the living dead. They all swear allegiance to me, because I gave them back the life that is not one. Your presence here surprises me, but ultimately it matters very little. The city of the living will fall! Its walls will crumble! His houses will fall! As for me, the great and mighty Diederik, loyal vassal of Braccus Rex, I will rule the realm of the dead. "
“You speak of a resurrection follower. Who is it ? Why did he bring you the pile of bones? "
“I don't know his name. I only know his intentions: he wants to bring Braccus back to life. He called me back from the dead, my beloved master, so that the powers that I still have, that of a king's keeper, might imbue the earth. But I'm not the only one who has been awakened, all of Braccus' guardians are ready. Me, the knight in command of his army, but also the Ghoul who guarded the lighthouse and the Twins united by fire. We gladly welcomed him, the one who gives life to our bones, because his intentions are glorious! We welcomed him because we owe him life. As for you, I owe you nothing, except to interrupt the cursed beating of your heart. "
It is then that Diederick rises and summons his army in order to fight the four companions who have had the misfortune to come here. Suddenly, many skeletons, archers, mages and fighters emerge from the ground, but also a strange entity. As the fight rages on, the odd entity begins to sing and Madora notices that this has the effect of making the enemies stronger, so she decides to deal with this thing in the first place. Once dead, the other enemies start to panic, which makes it easier to fight, and it doesn't take long for enemies to succumb to the blows. Dying, Diederick promises to return once again thanks to the power of Braccus Rex in order to have his revenge.
Once the last enemy is down and having nothing more to do there, the fine team sets out again on their way to the church and the cemetery. On the road, they notice a small house behind and decide to take a detour to see what is going on. Inside, they find an unimaginable mess. They discover, hidden under a pile of books, several documents which challenge the group, because they saw at the bottom of the page a mention to a certain Oracle. They decide to retrieve the documents and read them.
Thélyron's Journal
9 of Aventuris
My research continues to lead me on interesting and long forgotten paths. Night after night, I find myself caught up in these esoteric tomes, convinced, perhaps wrongly, that one of them will reveal to me the key I am looking for. The Eternal Secret. If such a thing is possible, I will find it.
22 of Aventuris
A day to mark with a white stone.
My research led me to discover a volume containing the arcane tales of these accursed Enchanting Kings who almost hastened the loss of Rivellon. These myths, once very popular with gullible peasants, have long been discredited and forgotten. Yet I swore not to neglect any clues in my quest for knowledge. The book seemed to have suffered the same fate as the barbarian King Braccus: whipped, burned, suspended by the four winds, and hastily buried. The book of the Immaculate, it is entitled, and it insistently claims that it is possible to infuse vital essence into a Star Stone, a minor crystal, and use it to heal the most serious injuries, even those of a dying man.
At first glance, I laughed at such superstitions. And yet, as the hours passed, the idea began to seem less and less outlandish. These stones, simple fragments, most of the time, appear in more than one mythology. In one, it is the tears of the Almighty, in the other, the fallen stars of the cosmos. No matter what beliefs, they always seem to come from another world. Fortunately, I had no trouble getting hold of one of these stones. All I had to do was tear off a shard the size of a finger from an old dagger I inherited, passed down through generations in my family. I have studied it closely, but no particular property seems visible to the naked eye.
The instructions in the book were clear enough, and I followed them to the letter. I took no pleasure in slitting the throat of one of Bertia's poor roosters, but when the starstone in my hand turned from dull blue to bright red, appearing to throb and come alive, all remorse over the sacrifice s 'is gone. I managed to create a Stone of Blood.
June 15
Let's not hide behind false modesty, my fame has gone around the country. Who else is able to heal the sick, the injured, the dying in minutes? Who else can rekindle the vital flame of a failing receptacle of flesh? And what about destroyed receptacles? I have not yet tried such manipulations, but I am dying to discover the full power of stone. If she possesses the power to heal all kinds of wounds, could she heal ultimate affliction as well? Could she raise the dead? Even as I write these lines, its smoke and spices haunt me. Malia calls me. She wants to go home.
June 20
A strange host joined me. She claimed to know my methods and that as a "messenger of the goddess" she could help me reach new heights in my art ... provided that I put myself at her service. Of course, at first I thought she was swimming deliriously. Me, obey a false prophetess? Very unlikely ! But against all odds, this woman, who likes to call herself "the Oracle" seems capable of handling the Blood Stone with astonishing prowess. The night she arrived here, she took me to a forgotten cemetery outside the walls of Cyséal. I had taken a shovel and she the Blood Stone. Before the first light of dawn, before my astonished eyes, she revived a skeleton in an advanced state of decomposition, transforming it into a walking automaton. She was a grotesque creature, just as dead as she had been in a century and yet she moved like a living being. After witnessing this, I can't help but wonder if this mysterious stranger might not hold the key I'm looking for. Life after death ... Life after death ... The mere idea makes my mind boil.
20 of Varnish
She promised me everything I wanted, that is, the one and only thing that I always wanted. The Oracle claims she knows not only how to breathe life into a corpse, but a soul as well. She knows I would do anything to get this information, but since I refuse to believe her character as the messenger of some goddess, she demands that I deserve her secret in some other way. I have been killing myself for the Oracle for a whole month and have made considerable progress in fulfilling its request. I will soon have fulfilled my end of the bargain and the time will come for her to keep her promise.
27 of Varnish
The path to Braccus Rex is terrifying and depraved, and teeming with demons, all more terrible than the last. But I find them one by one, I revive them each in turn and every second spent contemplating their vile demonic face brings me closer to him. I will speak to the Lord of Source. I will wrest the secret the Oracle so desires from him. And when I give her, she'll give me what I want.
5 of Varnish
How could a whole year have passed? How could I have been so close to finding Braccus Rex and at the same time so far from him? How much longer must Cyséal suffer under the onslaught of the undead scourge that I have freed? The patience of the Oracle has limits. She sent Eveline, her cerberus, to make sure I keep my promise. His presence, a sword of Damocles hanging over my head, does nothing to help my progress. No one desires the resurrection of the Lord of the Source more than I do.
Letter addressed to Thélyron # 1
Thélyron,
I'm sending you a new apprentice. She's ten times more powerful than you, but it's important to keep up appearances and I don't want anyone's attention.
Do not get lost, doctor, or you may find yourself in a rather embarrassing situation. Braccus Rex will see the light of day again. You will serve me, so that he can serve the one who is superior to us all.
Signed: The oracle.
“The blood carries his power, the blood will bring him victory. "
Letter not sent to Oracle
To the attention of the Oracle, messenger of the goddess or whatever name you prefer,
It took me a while, but I almost accomplished my mission. I spotted Braccus Rex in the catacombs under the ruins of the church northeast of Cyséal and I'm preparing to revive him! When I have the information you are looking for, I will write to you without delay.
See you soon.
Dr. Thélyron Hashnitor
Letter addressed to Thélyron # 2
To the attention of brave Doctor Thélyron,
You denied my divine status, but you were wise enough to recognize my power. I am fully awaiting the results of your research, because patience has never been my strong point. For a scholar of your caliber, I expected the discovery of Braccus Rex to take only weeks, not months.
I have given you this Blood Stone so powerful that you should have had no trouble waking him up to ask him a simple question. I hope I don't come to regret trusting you, doctor.
Signed: The oracle of the goddess.
"Thélyron!" Did Thélyron resurrect the dead around Cyséal? This filthy traitor allegedly a good man and a healer works with the Immaculate, the Oracle and seeks to resurrect Braccus Rex! »
"And worst of all, it is the one and only responsible for the massive invasions of the living dead in the region and the siege that Cyséal has undergone for more than two years!" "
"At least we have the proof that it is indeed to the church that we must go to stop all these scoundrels"
But Rassilon and Estelle decide to return to Cyséal first, hoping to arrest Thélyron and obtain as much information as possible on what awaits them at church. Unfortunately, once there, they find no trace of him and have no indication of where he may have gone. They therefore set off again in the direction of the church and hope to arrive in time before the resurrection of Braccus Rex is accomplished. They finally arrive in the cemetery bordering the church and strangely, the graves seem intact, which makes the group wonder where exactly all the living dead come from and above all, why not have used the bodies of the cemetery, which can bring a significant amount of soldiers. While exploring the cemetery, they come across a grave that immediately makes Madora smile, the three other companions come to read the epitaph and understand why the latter is ready to smile.
Epitaphe
"Here lies Roko. It will not go into any other hole. "
After this little moment of laughter, they regain their seriousness and leave to cross the cemetery to reach the church. On the way, they come across some living dead, but nothing too complicated for the four friends. After about ten minutes of travel, they finally arrive in front of the door of the church, but as they approach it, the two statues located on either side of the door come to life.
“Wait a moment, stranger! The floor of this sacred chamber can only be walked on by those who have sworn loyalty to the goddess, and even our stony eyes can see that you are not one of them! "
"And who are these devotees of the goddess you speak of?" "
“Ha! “Who are the devotees of the goddess?”, That is her question! Those who know the true power of blood, uneducated! They master ancestral knowledge. Blood is none other than life! Blood triumphs over death! You are incapable of apprehending such a truth! "
“All we want the rockery is to enter the church. "
“Ah ah! I like your humor. Unfortunately, we won't be able to grant you this favor until you prove that you know the Immaculate. So answer this question: "What is the name of her among the faithful?" "
“We are only young recruits among the immaculate and, if we know its title, we do not yet dare to pronounce it out of deference. This is how our devotion to the cause is expressed. "
"How can we remain as stoic as the stone we are made of in the face of such piety?" You can enter the church. The Immaculate are lucky to have you in their ranks. "
The two statues freeze again, the door of the church opens and the team enters the premises. The place seems eerily calm and silent, that's when a famous figure magically appears before them.
“Ah! Source Tracker, do you come to us to shed your blood in the name of our cause? If that could be the case, everything would become so much simpler. However, I cannot blame you for seeking confrontation with me. Why would you take my word for it when I tell you that your efforts are null and void? But now that Braccus Rex is set to be back with us, there's not much you can do to put a damper on me. "
"If there's nothing more we can do to stop you and it's the end of it for us, why not tell us what you're trying to do?" "
“Well tried, little rascal. But during our first meeting on the beaches of Cyséal, I had the misfortune to underestimate you. A mistake that cost me dearly. Either way, what you have a right to know comes down to little: the end is near. The end of sorrow and suffering. Those who oppose me oppose the idea of peace itself. "
"And this peace, how do you plan to get it?" "
"And I, who thought you had seen him in person." Tell me, what does the historian imp if he doesn't ask you to push back the Void? "
"Do you know about the Void Maelstrom?" Are you trying to attract him by bringing him closer to our reality? "
"That's what I thought, you know more than you seem. You know as well as I do that the Void is near. In fact, if I want to be precise, it is already there. But don't be afraid of the Void. We are destined to reinstate him. "
“Your machinations pose a threat to all life, and to reality itself. What you are going to do is horrible and turns you into a monster! "
“I have chosen a dangerous and apparently very dark path, but I swear that those who have been sacrificed to my cause have not suffered in vain. All I want is to see Rivellon know the sweetness of the deepest silences. "
"If your goal is to see the Void engulf Rivellon, what do you need a Source Lord like Braccus for?" "
“Braccus Rex was our patriarch. The first of the immaculate. His resurrection offers Rivellon the ultimate solution to all his problems: a return to nothingness. Wouldn't you like to meet him? That Sorcerer whom your order has sworn to destroy? I'm sure he asks nothing better than to meet you. Follow me and you will know everything. "
The altar behind the Oracle moves and reveals a staircase. The Oracle borrows her and the small group, despite their vigilance and sensing the trap, know that this is the only way to reach Braccus Rex and decide to follow her. They arrive in the catacombs, but when they arrive at the bottom of the stairs, there is no trace of the Oracle. The team draw their weapons, advance carefully and find a man lying on the ground. Approaching, they see that it is Thélyron.
“Source-stalker! By the power of the Seven, here you are ... So there may still be hope. In your notes, if I figure there, I am a simple healer ... but in reality ... By the gods ... I have become a real purveyor of death. "
"We know all about you and your obsession with the Bloodstone, you filthy crook. "
"I don't hope for forgiveness, but you ... you are the only people able to save Cyséal and Rivellon from the abomination that arose through my fault." King Braccus, the one mentioned in the tales of yesteryear. He's alive ... the insane Source Lord, the Lord of Chaos, I ... woke him up. "
“We don't have time to speak in this case. We must hurry to stop him or else all of Rivellon will sink into fire and blood again. "
The group of companions run towards the next room and come face to face with ... Braccus Rex himself. The latter, immense and imposing, seems more horrible and powerful than any story could describe it. As he remains motionless in the center of the room, they sense the immense power emanating from him and they understand that the fight, if there is a fight, will be a deadly clash where the slightest mistake would risk sending one members of the team, if not the whole team, join the army of the living dead besieging Cyséal ...
"And here is a distinguished guest coming to attend the show!" Certainly to see the Lord of Source take off ... for the second time! Unless this person is only the first in a long line to come and try to end my reign ... again, for the second time! "
* Braccus laughs loudly *
"Oh, through the emerald eyes of the goddess, would that be possible?" My heart still feels, diffuse, the pain of the stab which pierced it, before locking my soul in the jails of death. But they succeeded! Ha! They succeeded, as I expected! The blood, this thick and ruddy savage coming from the Source, coupled with the power of the stones coming from the stars, chased the eternal shadows! When was my first rest in death? One hour ? The time needed for the oceans to cut the cliffs? It has no importance. I live and claim my throne again! "
"So you are really the mythical Braccus Rex?" "
"Oh oh, you must be the little nerd in the bunch?" Ahah, kidding aside, I disappeared so long ago that for some I was nothing more or less than a legend, but today that legend has become a reality again! When will the wretched mortals of your kind realize that death can do nothing against those who are one with Source? I embraced Source body and soul. I let it come over me and become part of my being! This is how the warlord became a Sorcerer, before the latter was crowned king. The fools were quick to call me a tyrant, for the gods had known how to persuade them that I was one, frightened as they were to see me thus gain in power. Armies arose, legions! Many of their soldiers perished at my hand, but unfortunately not enough, and eventually death took me ... too soon ... but not forever ... "
"Tell me, does Cassandra's name mean anything to you?" "
" Nothing at all. There is a woman who had that name, once, until the day I corrupted her flesh to make her a lich. Oh, my beloved sister ... Cassandra and her catman ... He and her were just my puppets. Toys to break if the mood takes me. Watching them bleed was a feast for the eyes! "
“I have been told that the reason for your resurrection relates to one of your secrets: to break a forge of souls. Who is it ? "
"The reason for my resurrection, you simple-minded fellow, is that my destiny was to subsist!" If I hadn't been brought back to life by conceited fools, someone else, a being wiser than them, perhaps, would have ended up getting down to business and no matter what the weather. it would have taken. The only thing that matters is to subsist ... forever! Léandra seeks to unravel my secret, because her soul is linked to another, yes. Although they were once inseparable, they are now separate, in their purpose and purpose. But my secrets belong only to me. Maybe when she comes before me, trembling, to submit to her lord, I'll break her bond before I break her! "
“I think we've heard enough! The Sourcehunters have defeated you before and today we'll defeat you again! "
No sooner has Madora finished uttering these words than Braccus immediately begins to chant at such speed that no one has been able to move or stop him. It is with horror that the team understands, too late, what he has just done. Indeed, in a split second he managed to resurrect and summon his three generals, whom the team has already faced and defeated, but they feel a difference, this time the three generals seem to have regained their full power. of yesteryear, making them extremely dangerous. But it was not over, in the meantime, Braccus managed to cast a meteor shower spell. The team tries to dodge the latter, but unfortunately, Estelle and Jahan are caught in flames and rocks and are on the ground, on the verge of death. Rassilon reacts immediately and uses a scroll thus lifting Estelle while Madora applies first aid to Jahan.
But the enemies did not remain idle and jump on the group while Braccus remains in retreat. Rassilon understood that, despite their increased power, enemies still have the same weaknesses. He therefore decides to launch his most powerful pyromancy attack on the ghoul bathed in the poison, which initially had the effect of burning her on the surface, until the fire spread inside and her. literally explode, injuring Braccus and the Diederik at the same time.
Meanwhile, Madora takes the opportunity to rush on a kind of giant fire elemental and strike him with a huge sword, severing his arm. Estelle painfully gets up and shoots a magical crossbow bolt into Diederik's head, freezing him in place. Jahan on the other hand decides to trigger the rain in order to extinguish the flames caused by Braccus, but also to weaken the giant fire elemental. Braccus is content to stay in the background for now, his recent resurrection and such extensive use of magic so early must have drained him of his magic pretty quickly and must not have reached his full potential yet. The four companions noticed this and took the opportunity to quickly kill his generals. Rassilon decides to summon Nik, the formerly decapitated undead, to support them and occupy Braccus. Estelle continues to punch the Fire Elemental with the help of Jahan, who uses his knowledge of hydromancy, and they finally finish him off. Rassilon and Estelle continue to attack Diederik who is currently magically frozen, leaving the two friends free to kill him quickly. Braccus finds himself alone and everyone jumps on him and attacks him continuously so as not to give him time to retaliate. Rassilon and Jahan use hydromancy and aeromancy to cast ice and lightning spells to keep Braccus paralyzed and unable to reply or parry. Estelle attacks him from a distance in order to physically weaken him by shooting at his vital points while Madora uses all of her raw power to do as much damage to her as possible. After several hours of combat and many injuries from both sides, Braccus Rex ends up dying from the blows of the four friends.
As Braccus Rex crumbles to the ground, a Blood Stone erupts from his body, hitting all companions with a lightning bolt. When the lightning strikes them they feel a surge of energy and they find that in an instant all the wounds are gone and they have a surge of energy. The fact of having found a Blood Stone also means that it is a Star Stone and therefore, that a new portal must have appeared at the End of Time ... They decide to search the place and then to go there. surrender in order to see what this stone has unlocked ...
