New week, new episode! The last one was not very long and the adventure has not progressed much, but it will be in this episode! Even though the Stalkers have a main mission, many mysteries surround Cyséal and the curiosity of the small group is too great to focus only on their missions and ignore everything else!
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.
Summary of the previous episode
Day 3
19:15 a.m.
As we come out of the cave, Arhu appears and comes to talk to us. It tells us more about Braccus Rex, its history, abilities and powers, but also, where it is supposed to rest. He seems to be very afraid of Braccus Rex, which gives us information on the power of this Sorcerer.
20 p.m.
We returned to Cyséal and explained the situation to Auréus, the commander of the Cyséal Guard. As usual, he received us with disdain and he doesn't seem to believe us. However, he accepts the fact that Esmeralda is innocent in the investigation into the murder of Councilor Jake. Better than nothing.
On the way to the inn, Esméralda calls out to them and joins them running. As she catches her breath, she explains to the four companions that there is a party in the village tonight and that she would like them to accompany her, as a thank you for clearing her in the horrible affair. for the murder of her husband and also for not having heard that her late husband was a Sorcerer. Councilor Jake was a very appreciated and respected man in Cyséal and if the inhabitants of Cyséal had learned that he had taken up Sourcery, he would have only withered away the little hope of the Cyséalésois a little more.
They decide to accept Esmeralda's invitation and therefore accompany her to the small village festival. Three stands with different activities and demonstrations take place.
As they approach the central stage, an Animator calls out to the group and asks them if they want to go on stage to participate in the activities and in particular, that of improvising stories and jokes on stage. Rassilon decides to play the game and as he takes the stage, he sees the crowd congregating around the stage to see the humor of the Stalkers in action.
* Clear his throat * “Every ten years, the elves of the Order of Wood Priests have the right to break their vow of silence, while they say two words, and not one more. "
* The crowd seems to be challenged by the beginning of the story *
“Ten years pass and a priest obtains the right to speak for the first time. He thought for a second before declaring: “Foul food”. "
* In a hurry to hear the rest, the crowd does not take its eyes off Rassilon. An old lady giggles, sure she must know the story. *
“Ten years later, he says: 'Bed uncomfortable'. Ten more years pass and the big day arrives. He gives the High Priest a dark look before declaring: “I am resigning.” The Elven High Priest, who has the right to communicate as he sees fit, then replies: “It doesn't surprise me, since you've been here, you've been spending your time complaining.” End. "
The crowd bursts into laughter and applauds Rassilon's joke, who comes down from the platform to make way for Estelle.
*Estelle steps onto the platform and begins her funny story. * “During a dwarf burial, the coffin bearers accidentally hit a wall, and a low moan emanating from the coffin is heard. They open the coffin and find that the dwarf in it is still alive. Her husband, then in mourning, is now beaming with joy. "
* The crowd is at first puzzled, but continues to listen to the story. *
“The dwarf lives ten years longer and eventually gives up the ghost. A new funeral is organized. At the end of the eulogy, the bearers grab the coffin and as they set off, they hear the husband say to them: “Watch out for the wall this time!”. End ”.
The crowd laughs again and one person even screams that it has been years since they have seen such a funny show. For a final story, Rassilon climbs on the platform again.
“An elf and an orc arrive in the Chamber of Echoes at the same time. The orc explains that he is frozen to death, the elf tells him that he died of a heart attack. "How did it happen ?" asks the Orc.
The elf answers him: “Well, when I got home, I thought I heard my wife with someone else, but when I searched the place from floor to ceiling, I found no one. I was so consumed with remorse for accusing my wife of cheating that I had a heart attack. ”
And the orc replies, "Damn, if you had thought of looking in the freezer, we'd both still be alive!" End. "
As the party ends, Rassilon, Estelle, Madora and Jahan decide to return to the hostel to rest before setting out again for the adventure.
The next day, they decide to go see the ruined houses that are on the outskirts of Cyséal that they came across on their way back from Eveline's lair. As they get ready to exit, they pass the guard who warns them to be careful, as the area seems to be crawling with monsters. The weather is not right and it is raining heavily, which is not to the taste of all the members of the team.
"I prefer to drown my sorrows in alcohol rather than in this torrential rain ..."
They start to explore the ruins and see a house with two dogs in front that looks normal. As they approach, they realize that dogs have eyes that glow a strange green color, but they don't seem aggressive either. They enter the house and find there the body of a dead man, lying on his bed with a small newspaper on the floor. Rassilon picks it up and begins to leaf through it.
Man with Dogs Journal
My dogs tried to warn me of the horrors that were approaching. I heard their savage barking, their intimidating growls. Toxa and Sheba, the terrors of burglars, were afraid. But there was a series of blood-curdling yelps, then nothing. As night falls, I am all alone, and I dare not go out.
I peeked through a hole in the curtain, saw the figures of Toxa and Sheba roaming the yard! My beloved dogs, my friends, they are alive! But I dare not open the door, not yet. I will wait for the sun to shine before facing this waking nightmare.
The day broke and I had the courage to go out. The zombies seem to be gone for now. Toxa and Sheba responded to my presence by wagging their tails and lowering their ears. My good old friends are doing well! But when they got closer, I noticed the dastardly green glow in their eyes. They are different. Something is growing in them. These damned zombies have stolen their souls. They infected them, subjected them to this supernatural power that controls the living dead. I'm terrified of what will become of them, but I don't have the heart to kill my two loyal friends.
At least, I console myself by telling myself that the zombies will no longer attack them ...
Rassilon closes the newspaper after he has just finished reading it aloud.
"So in his diary, this guy explains that he couldn't bring himself to kill his dogs when he realized they were sick ..."
"Who would bear the thought of having to kill their most loyal friends?" "
"You have to be deeply and totally sentimental to prefer to let infected animals spread the evil that gnaws at them!" "
“Not every man has the strength to kill, let alone when there are feelings towards targets. "
They decide to go back and let the two dogs live for now. As they explore other houses, they hear a noise coming from one of them. They draw their weapons and prepare to face a monster, but it is finally a man who emerges from the house.
" God's goodness ! It works, but it's not dead! I wasn't completely sure I would ever see someone who fits this description again! "
" Who are you ? "
“My name is Wulfram and it is a pleasure to meet you. By the way, it's good that you don't belong to the Legion. Ten of its members were with me on some sort of tumulus fact-finding mission, but it turned out that they were no match for the living dead. Not that my chances are any better now though, especially with that filthy undead coward that lurks around this ruin. I would even go so far as to say that I am sorely lacking an armed escort to reach the city, in fact. "
"But what happened to you coming to study a burial mound here, in the midst of the invasion?" "
“I'm an archaeologist and I know a lot about the living dead. Interested in my expertise, Lieutenant Sélénia, one of the Legion officers stationed at Cyséal, wanted me to inspect the old tumuli located just outside the city, in the hope that I would discover the origin. of the zombie infestation, wasted. These zombies are the mark of a vile necromancy at work. Among the dead brought back to life, some were mages and these still know how to cast spells. They kill their prey and raise them up as immortal slaves laden with diseases associated with decay. Moreover, those found around Cyséal are a special case. These are the resurrected bodies of Braccus Rex, the latest and most infamous of the line of Sorcerer Kings. He himself is believed to have been buried somewhere nearby, but no one knows the location of his grave. I searched a long time and dug deep, but so far I have found nothing more spectacular than rusty weapons and shards of pottery. Either way, Braccus' soldiers roam these lands again and they still fight like veterans. I told those idiot legionaries to take maces instead of swords. You know, weapons that crush the bones of skeletons, not blades that can only ricochet off. Hell, even a sturdy branch would do better. But they wouldn't listen to anything and now they're dead ... Oh, and don't be surprised that the dead use a surprisingly high amount of magic against you. These soldiers were serving a Sorcerer King, after all. Black magic is everywhere! "
"This whole blah is very interesting, but about which armed escort you want ... Can you finally tell us what you're expecting exactly?" "
“It's simple, I will never be able to return to Cyséal alone! But you managed to get here, you can bring me back, right? "
" One minute ! Why risk our skins for someone like you? "
"It would be cowardly to abandon him to his fate!" Come on, the role of paladin suits you better than that of villain, Jahan. "
They therefore decide to escort Wulfram to the gates of Cyséal. On the road, they are attacked by two groups of skeletons which, in the end, were relatively easy to take down. No member of the group or Wulfram were injured and after half an hour they finally arrived at the Cyséal gate.
" You succeeded ! We succeeded ! Well done for escorting me to safety. You are a true gift from heaven! If you're looking for me, I'll be at the Royal Crab dusting my throat off. If you want to come and enjoy it, I'm the one who treats it! "
As Wulfram leaves again and the team decides to go explore the famous mound themselves, Jahan does his little thought, as usual.
"May I remind you that in terms of time, we cannot afford the luxury of saving these simple-minded people?" There are demons on the loose, and nothing else matters! "
They pass the house where they found the archaeologist and continue until they find two burial mounds. As they carefully examine the first burial mound, Estelle notices that the ground is quite odd and after doing a quick sweep, she uncovers a trap door. The four of them enter and find themselves in a cave where there are four large pillars each with the symbol of one of the four elements and a switch is in front of each pillar.
Behind one of the pillars is a stele with a message saying:
Message from Stele # 1
Earth, water, air and fire.
In the double of this room, your double will face your ally.
At first, the companions try to activate the switches in the order announced on the Stele, but nothing happens. Rassilon hypothesizes, in view of the second part of the text, that there may be a similar chamber located under the second tumulus. They come out and start looking for an entrance to the second tumulus. After a few minutes of searching, interspersed with a small battle against some skeletons and an undead mage, Madora stumbles on the trap latch while running towards one of the enemies. Once rid of them, they enter this second room which is almost identical to the first including a stele which indicates this time:
Message from Stele # 2
Water, earth, air and fire.
In the double of this room, your double will face your ally.
Rassilon tries to enter the combination of the first chamber into the second. Nothing happens at first, then they hear a thud in the distance, like a small tremor. So they decide to go back to take a look. Once there, they discover a shadow that attacks them as soon as they approach. The latter looks like two drops of water to Estelle and seems to have the same talents and abilities. From the start, she throws a poison grenade hitting the whole group. They manage to get out and retaliate. Madora charges the double and manages to knock her down while Estelle throws a chained arrow at her in order to block her on the ground. Jahan uses his skills in hydromancy to heal his teammates from the poison that eats them away while Rassilon inflicts the finishing blow by sending out a fireball. When she dies, Estelle's double disappears and reveals a pendant of triangular shape as well as another trap door. Before going downstairs, Rassilon makes the combination found in the other room and the same event has taken place. They know something is waiting for them in the other bedroom, but they want to go downstairs to see what is in the second basement first.
Once through the trap door, they discover ruins resembling a tomb. As they walk among the ruins, they come across a magical barrier and in front of it, a pedestal with a shape engraved on it. The latter represents a triangle and they try to insert the pendant found on the corpse of the clone of Estelle. It fits perfectly and the pedestal begins to light up. The barrier is still present, however, and after studying the area in more detail, they notice another pedestal in the distance. It is only natural that they think that the solution is in the second room, probably having the clone of another member of the group and a second pendant. They rise to the surface in order to get there.
In the second room, it is a clone of Rassilon which presents itself to them. The latter is more formidable than Estelle's. Indeed, he seems to have a magical power similar to that of Rassilon except that unlike him, he does not hold back his blows and unleashes all of his power on the members of the team. Jahan had the brilliant idea of casting a thunderstorm spell, soaking everyone to the bone and Rassilon took the opportunity to cast a frost spell, which freezes his clone in place. However, before being frozen, he managed to cast a similar spell. Fortunately, Estelle's reflexes allowed her to avoid the spell, which eventually hits the ground, but trips her. Madora takes advantage of it being frozen to strike it with a very powerful blow, breaking it into small pieces of ice.
As they suspected, the body of the clone reveals a new pendant, but in the shape of a square this time and a hatch also appears. They descend and find themselves in front of the room where they were previously with the same magical barrier and a pedestal with a square engraved on it. They put the pendant on it, which makes the pedestal shine and this time the magic barrier disappears.
They pass the barrier and find behind a magnificent room filled with chests, treasures and gold coins. While part of the group scans the place for answers, the other half collects equipment, gold, and they even find magic teaching books. The numerous analyzes and observations have, unfortunately, brought no answer and they do not know, and will probably never know who owns this tomb, who built it, why it is hidden and above all, why it was protected by such a great magic. They therefore decide to set out again, arms laden with treasures, in order to continue exploring the ruins of the village on the surface.
Once the tomb is left, they return to explore the ruins of the village. After some time wandering among the ruins, they come across several dead Guard soldiers, accompanied by a few skeletons and undead who are also dead. They continue the exploration, Estelle notices on the ground of a ruin a body provided with a letter as well as a trap door.
Order of Captain Auréus
By order of Captain Auréus:
Inspect the lighthouse, we suspect undead activity in the area. Eliminate zombies if you come across any and report back to the base.
After reading the letter, they decide to go see what is going on. Once inside, they find a coffin and, as they approach it, a specter emerges from it.
" Hello to you ! Exhilarating, your day? Mine, yes! I push, I pull, I lift! Look at those muscles! Not bad huh ? It reminds me of my beautiful days at the fair! "
" Who are you ? "
“My name is Snorri. I sailed the seas with the best, the best of the best even. But where I really found my place is at the fun fair. I was the strongest man in Cyséal, and they never failed to announce me as such. "
"Your beautiful days at the fair? That is to say ? "
“Ah, that was my golden age! People “went into ecstasies at my incredible physical power. I was really the local attraction at the time. Anyone was free to come and face me in a hand-to-hand fight, and have I ever been defeated? The good joke, of course not! But don't get me wrong, I'm not a violent guy! Even if a little fight from time to time, it feels good and above all, it captivates the crowd in delirium. "
"If you're that strong, prove it!" "
“Ah ah, and why not. “The half portion against the thick brute”. A fight for the title of champion which would have made the heyday of the fair. Here are the rules, hothead: I'm going to spawn an item, something only Snorri, me, can smash. And if you manage to break it within 35 seconds, you will have won the challenge! But don't have too many illusions, my little one, it's not going to be a piece of cake! "
It was then that a huge blue sphere made of a strange material appeared. Madora takes out her weapon and begins to strike like a brute on the sphere, which vibrates strangely with each of its blows. After about ten blows, it begins to crack several cracks and Snorri seems worried. As the countdown rolls by and nears its end, Madora delivers one final blow that shatters the sphere, leaving Snorri speechless.
“You got me, for sure! All I have to do is get out of here and look for an opponent my size in the Chamber of Echoes. Here, a little gift to reward you. Sayonara! "
As Snorri evaporates and heads for the Chamber of Echoes, a majestic chest appears, containing equipment and a letter indicating that this is Snorri's legacy. After recovering the legacy, they rise to the surface and continue exploring to the lighthouse. The closer they get to the latter, the more they discover corpses of soldiers and, after a few minutes of walking, they hear a noise coming from behind the bushes on the side of the road. As they prepare to attack, a man and a woman emerge.
“Oh, praised be the Seven! Lucia, these are the Source-Stalkers! We are not going to die in this haunted city after all! "
"Say, aren't you supposed to be guards and fight these broods instead of hiding like cowards while your friends die?" "
" Hey ! There's no dead man ... Anyway, so to speak, we're just recovering a little. The calm before the storm, what. These dirty ghosts will not understand what is happening to them! Something is wrong in the area, it's obvious! The lighthouse comes on without fail, and yet it has been almost two decades since no one has been assigned to it. Our platoon made a pact with Selenia; we would go and inspect the lighthouse and if we came back we would be sent home. "
“What Selenia failed to point out was that we wouldn't just have to worry about the ghosts in the lighthouse, but a whole bunch of ferocious skeletons as well. At the start, there were seven of us ... Lucia and I are the last survivors. "
“Well, only the strong survive. We are gathering our forces just a little before storming this lighthouse, sword clear. "
“Ha! That's it, we are gathering our strength ... Let's be frank, we were shaking like leaves, praying that we would be taken out of this mess. And it looks like the Seven have decided to send you! "
“Ugh, Malius! Your dignity is dripping down your breeches! For my part, as an honorable soldier loyal to Rivellon, I am not afraid to ... ask politely. So what do you say, Source Tracker? Are you going to inspect the lighthouse on behalf of your comrades in arms? If Selenia sees that the place is in order, she will put us on the next ship to leave Cyséal and we will finally see our families again! "
"Basically you want us to do the job for you?" "
“Either way, whether we have it or not, we can't let the situation escalate any further, we have to go and see. "
They therefore set out again in the direction of the lighthouse and meet the last members of the group of Malius and Lucia surrounded by many skeletons. As they approach the lighthouse, a silhouette emerges. This is a Ghoul. Barely outside, she teleports to Estelle to strike her a blow and poison her and then go away again.
After a long and painful fight, the Ghoul finally dies, but the lighthouse continues to function, indicating to the four friends that the Ghoul was not the one in charge, but only the keeper. They therefore leave to explore the place and they find there a spirit which seems to wander aimlessly, around the corpse of a man with a sword stuck in the body, while muttering.
" What is it ? Living eyes that discern the outlines of death? Look away, wanderer, for you contemplate the specter of a murderer. "
" What do you mean ? Who are you ? What have you done ? "
"Samson was my name a long time ago ... I don't know why I became a ghost when I died, condemned to haunt this tower." But every night, I fan the flame of the lighthouse to redeem my miserable crime. "
"Why call yourself a murderer?" What is your crime? "
"This is the dismal title that I must bear, indeed, and it is deserved, for fifteen years ago now, sitting at the top of my unlit lighthouse, I watched a poor ship crash into it. the cliff before being engulfed by the ravenous waves. I had deliberately given up on my duty, I knowingly condemned every soul of this ship to a salty rest at the bottom of an ocean of indifference. Why did I do such a dreadful act you ask? Jealousy, anger, the terrified bitterness of a broken heart, these are the evils that have led me to madness. Desdemona, I knew, was on board. My wife, the delicate beauty who was sure to cheat on me with her friend, the dashing Falladar. In the grip of demons of envy, wrath and torment, I decided that if his love was no longer mine, only death would have him as its mistress. So I sat there, full of calm and coldness, and I delivered them to the depths. But no sooner had the water closed its foaming jaws on this damned vessel than my distressed mind grasped the full scope of this outrage. Overwhelmed with guilt, I sought escape in the hangman's rope, but rest was not going to follow ... "
"So you are not linked to these living dead who have roamed everywhere around Cyséal in recent years?" "
“Skeletons roam these lands it is true, as tormented as my feverish soul, but this is not where you will find their lair. Some people sometimes make a furtive appearance, but most of the time I stay in solitude. In solitude and silence ... However, I have heard them speak, it seems that they have a lair, or rather, a place of invocation, by the beach in the southwest. You should go and see there ... "
No sooner had he finished telling his story when the specter began to roam the lighthouse again, muttering, as if he was alone and did not see the four companions.
“The story of this specter was most fascinating. It's not every day that you hear about a lighthouse keeper who sinks ships to get revenge on his unfaithful wife. "
“A very miserable soul, yes. He was so overwhelmed by the loss of his love that he came to kill ... I almost pity him. "
" Yes I understand. Despite his hateful exaction, it is hard not to sympathize with his suffering. There is nothing worse than a betrayed love ... "
After that, they decide to leave the lighthouse. Along the way, they talk to the two guards again, Malius and Lucia, to inform them that the lighthouse has been cleaned and that they can finally return home, join their family while the group of friends decides to return to Cyséal in order to get together. prepare to go explore the caves of the southeast beach ...
