"The tribulations of Aza" is a new column that will feature my adventures on the games I currently play. These will be told in a romanticized way, with actions, dialogues between the characters of the adventure, etc.
For this first adventure, it will be the game Divinity : Original Sin - Enhanced Edition which will be honored. This fantastic role-playing game fits perfectly with what I want to do in the Tribulations of Aza. In order to make the game and therefore the adventure as epic as possible, I will play in "Honor mode". This game mode allows only one save. All actions, achievements and choices will therefore be final!
You can find all the episodes of the Tribulations of Aza - Divinity: Original Sin in the tribune Games Managers.
The genesis
In former times, the Rivellon Sorcerers cared for the sick and helped the wounded with a magic called "The Source." But darkness fell upon the kingdom and corrupted the Source forever.
The Sorcerers were no longer healers, but destroyers, and madness had seized them.
A few brave men and women, called Source-Stalkers, constitute the last bulwark protecting Rivelon from the dark forces which threaten to annihilate him. Where the Source manifests itself, the Source-stalks soon appear ...
Presentation of the two main characters
The adventure features Inquisitor Rassilon and Estelle, the Traveler.
Rassilon
Rassilon is a man in his forties. The latter became an inquisitor after many years of studying Aerothurgy, pyrokinesis and witchcraft. After spending years exploring the world in order to improve his abilities, he eventually joined the Order of the Sourcehunters.
His first mission was for him a real revelation about the use of magic for personal ends and the fact that this last is the first step towards black magic and that of the Source and decided to show no mercy for all people practicing these occult arts.
Several years have passed since he started Stalker, he has always acted alone and has always succeeded in his missions. He is one of the most powerful Source-Stalkers still alive and it is to him that we entrust the most difficult missions. But everything will change as he left for yet another mission.
The Inquisitor was walking through the deserted streets of the city, when suddenly he felt a presence.
- "Someone among you is practicing black magic, show yourself." "
As the words dispersed, a shadow appeared at the other end of the square.
- "A new unconscious Source Tracker?" She declared. “Flee, while there is still time. This city belongs to me. "
The Inquisitor did not move a bit. In the distance, the black mage's fingertips turned greenish.
- "In that case, you're going to die." "
Green sparks spiraled in the direction of the Inquisitor, but still unable to touch him, who replied immediately and sent the Encounter to the ground. The latter, on the ground, declared in a hoarse voice;
- "Well done, but at this distance, I won't miss you." "
His hands were starting to turn green when the Inquisitor sent an electric attack right into the dark mage's chest, killing him instantly. As the Inquisitor prepares to leave town, a messenger arrives with a letter addressed to him. The latter tells him his next mission and that he will not be alone to accomplish it ...
Estelle
Estelle is a young woman in her thirties. Naturally solitary, she lived most of her life alone in the forest, with only the creatures and trees of the Spectral Forest for company. She never knew her parents and was raised in the forest by the animals and creatures that inhabit it.
Having spent her life in the forest made her a remarkable bow and crossbow hunter. She has also learned the language of animals and can thus communicate with them without problem and even call them to come to her aid when she is fighting. Although she doesn't know why, she also has an innate knack for using and manipulating Geomancy.
In the neighboring village, a rumor claims that she was not brought and brought into the world by a woman, but by a beast ...
As Estelle played with beasts and animals that would have killed any human in one fell swoop, a strange person appeared before her. Estelle was astonished that a man could arrive near her without her, nor the animals, hearing him, feeling him or seeing him arrive.
- " Who are you !? "
The man approached a few more steps. Estelle raised her bow and the animals around her began to growl.
- "I am the Grand Master of the Order of Source-stalking. I have been looking for you for a few weeks now. "
Hearing these words, Estelle noticed with amazement that her friends had ceased to be hostile towards the stranger. As she lowers her gun, the man continued his speech.
- "You live in a forest deemed dangerous and plagued by the Source and yet, I notice that you have never been affected by the latter. I will need people like you. "
Although fearful at the idea of leaving nature to live in the world of men, she could not resist the urge to know more about these strange, but powerful, Source-Stalkers whose merits even animals praise and support them in their fight.
This is how the man gave her his first mission and she will be mentored by a certain Rassilon ...
Chapter 1 - The meeting
Rassilon arrived on the quays where the boat supposed to take him to Cyséal must be located, where his new mission is taking place. With the letter giving him his new orders, he must wait for a certain Estelle, a very fresh and new recruit hired by the Grand Master of the Order in person.
To be patient, Rassilon reread the parchment on which his mission was written.
Mission order for Rassilon
Source Tracking,
Your orders are to investigate the recent murder of Councilor Jake and to inspect Cyséal from top to bottom for any trace of Source magic. Your liaison officer in Cyséal is a mage by the name of Arhu. He is looking forward to seeing you.
We have some of the order's most formidable strengths and spells and forms of magic available to you, but use them wisely and beware, for such scrolls are extremely rare.
Given the nature of your mission and the first elements we have received, you will be accompanied by Estelle, a brilliant new recruit who has just joined the Order of Source Hunts. I count on you to teach him everything you know.
Bonne chance.
When Rassilon looked up from the parchment, he saw a young woman, in her thirties, in front of him, posing as Estelle. As soon as the introductions were made the helmsman called them, the boat was ready to go.
During the trip, which lasted a few days, Rassilon and Estelle got to know each other. Estelle took the opportunity to learn more about the history of the Source-Stalks and about the Source itself. Rassilon was impressed by the latter's thirst for knowledge. Indeed, recent recruits were more anxious to kill Sorcerers than to understand the why and how. Rassilon told Estelle the story of the Source Hunters, the Sorcerers, how to detect the Source, how to fight it, etc.
"When the Source was corrupted a long time ago, the Sorcerers, once so quick to serve the good, began to wield evil forces." When one of their own, Braccus Rex, finally came to power, he was at the root of a war that would have led to Rivellon's loss if the Council of Seven had not intervened.
In their wisdom, they created an order made up of elite warriors, specially trained to face the threat of Source at the time. Braccus was then defeated: the Order of the Source-Stalkers was born.
The objective of the Source-stalkers is, since that day, to eradicate the Source of Rivellon, until the last of the Sorcerers. "
Estelle was drinking Rassilon's words. After he finished telling her the story of the creation of the Sourcehunters and the corruption of the Source, she asked him:
"How can we recognize the Source? Is it that different from standard magic? "
“Unlike other forms of magic, Source is particularly difficult to identify. After years spent in contact with it, we manage to perceive it as some manage to perceive the smell of a poison or the sound of a sword handle coming loose. The Source can manifest in various ways and above all, through many objects: weapons, gems or even metals. "
Estelle wrote all this down in a notebook to study later. Then asked:
"Does the medium have an influence on the effects of the Source?" "
“Yes, and in the worst possible way. The fact of impregnating an object of the Source makes the latter totally unpredictable. It can therefore inflict the most serious of wounds, rendering it incurable, just as it can suddenly heal a person on the verge of death. But more than anything, it can act just as well on the person you want to attack or treat as on its user! "
As Estelle went to question Rassilon again, a crewman arrived and indicated to them that the Captain wanted to see them immediately. Once on the bridge, the latter warns the Source-stalkers that the city of Cyséal is under siege by the Orcs and that they will have to land on a remote beach.
Chapter 2 - The Beach
Rassilon and Estelle therefore land on the beach, a few kilometers from Cyséal. The decor and peaceful atmosphere are reminiscent of a little corner of paradise, if we omit the invasions of Orcs and the possible presence of a Sorcerer. After an hour of walking, they came across a corpse.
"Is it a corpse?" What the hell is he doing there on his own? "
"What? Do you lack company? "
Rassilon searched the latter and found a handwritten diary there. He opened it and leafed through it. In the latter, mention is made of certain statues which apparently granted a wish to the poor man: that of being able to fly and reach the sun. Before making this trip, the poor man wanted to give it a try by jumping off the cliff and flying away, the result was not what he expected.
"Can you believe it?" A man jumps off a cliff at the behest of ... statues! "
“Sometimes it's true that striving for an ideal requires this kind of somewhat extreme manifestation of faith ... Personally, I probably would have done the same. "
“This is not the first time that the supernatural has invited itself to Rivellon. Who knows ? Perhaps he flew to the star of the day and, cynical, his gaze riveted on us, shook the air with a thunderous laugh! "
The two companions set off again in the direction of the city. After some time, they came across three hooded people emerging from some sort of ruin and talking about a mysterious stone they had just recovered. They seemed just as surprised as Estelle and Rassilon to meet them here and hugged their legs.
During their flight, one of the three people summoned three skeletons which immediately threw themselves on the two companions. These three enemies were quite weak, however, and fell short of Rassilon's experience and Estelle's natural talent for combat and survival.
“These bandits were more than simple little thugs: their leader knew how to bring the dead back to life! I wonder what stone they were looking for so hard? "
“We cannot afford to ignore such manifestation of Source; let's go look in this tomb for the answers it can contain. "
The team therefore left to explore these ruins which were in fact a gigantic tomb. The latter is, at first glance, very old, probably several hundred years if not more.
Estelle manages to chat with a few rats. The latter tell him that for some time, strange people with hoods roam the bowels of the tomb which was, until then, empty of any living presence for as long as they can remember.
While searching the main room, Rassilon discovered a hidden mechanism opening a secret passage. Estelle said goodbye to her new friends and joined Rassilon to continue the exploration.
The rest of the tomb is just as dilapidated as the entrance and nothing is salvageable. A few poison, fire and even mine traps are also present, but are very easily foiled by Estelle's ability and Rassilon's magic.
After a few hours of exploring, Rassilon heard voices at the bottom of a staircase. It's two hooded sidekicks talking. Being grouped together and wading in a liquid that Rassilon recognized as oil, he decided to throw a fireball in order to ignite it and kill the two enemies.
After this very short fight, they continued to explore and finally came across a large grave. As they approached, it opened and a skeleton came out!
“I am Ragequinn. Who are these miserable mortals disturbing the sleep of the dead? A filth of empty gussets that comes to desecrate our tombs ?! The Bloodstone, dirty heretic ... where is it ?! "
"A stone of Blood? I don't know what you're talking about. "
"Of course ... I imagine you were just visiting for sightseeing among consecrated burials?"
“We met and fought three strange characters in ritual outfit, at the entrance to the tomb. They spoke of a stone they had in their possession. "
Rassilon barely had time to finish his sentence as the skeleton jumped on him. Two other skeletons emerged from nearby tombs and launched the battle against Estelle and Rassilon. While the fight has been going on for several minutes, Estelle manages to kill the large skeleton while Rassilon disintegrates the two larvae.
The two companions searched the room, they found only a few gold coins and old leather armbands, very worn and no longer usable. While searching Ragequinn's corpse, Estelle finds an old rusty key and they continue on their way. The key found by Estelle opened the passage behind the coffin and they found themselves near a river.
The mystery of the Stone, of the hooded people and of this mysterious tomb is still not solved, but, alas, a more important mission awaits Rassilon and Estelle and resumed their journey. As they approached Cyseal, they came across two completely drunk guards.
The latter, very soaked, at first took our two companions for Orcs and wanted to come to blows. Rassilon had, at first, to calm Estelle who had already cocked her crossbow and he managed to reason with the two guards. The latter decided to accompany them, as best they could, the two Source Trackers to the city, but a problem arose on the way ...
"By the flames of hell, what's going on here?" Orcs! Bloody Orcs! "
"Come on, let's go back to the bridge!" Let the Source Stalkers take care of these thick brutes! "
The two guards took their legs around their necks and let Estelle and Rassilon make the landing of orc on the beach. The Sourcehunters prepare for a tough fight and meet these new enemies.
The orc boat came to the beach and a horde came out yelling and brandishing huge clubs. Rassilon immediately noticed something strange, a man seems to be at their head and leading the assault. He also notices that the latter are positioned behind crates and barrels. Using his magic, he managed to detect that one of the barrels was filled with oil and immediately launched a fireball, which instantly detonated the latter, spreading flaming oil on enemies and killing several. instantly.
Estelle took advantage of the panic in the opposing ranks to shoot many diamonds which had the effect of putting an end to the lives of the few survivors and, of course, to the invasion.
" Did you see that ? These Orcs had a human commander! "
“Indeed, it's really strange. Orcs do not live with other species in general, let alone ally with them. "
The two heroes were cheered by the soldiers and told them to cross the bridge to reach the city. As they approached, they noticed that the harbor, as well as many ships, were still on fire. Rassilon used his magic to summon the rain and extinguish the flames. This earned many cheers from the sailors.
As they approached the city gate, a cat jumped on them and began to speak.
"What is that bazaar?" You make more scuffle than a pack of alley cats scuffling for the world's last mackerel! "
"Arhu I presume?" "
The cat disappeared in a thick cloud of smoke and the silhouette of a man appeared.
" Indeed. I see you are detecting transformational magic. Now that you know who I am, let's take a look at the assassination of Councilor Jake. Jake was killed in a room on the ground floor of the Auberge du Crabe Royal in Cyséal itself. The Legion has locked the place, I rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr The Legion to go see the Chapitaine Auréus to obtain the authorization to go to the place. But I have to admit that there are many other problems in town. It is for chela that I suspect that Sourcellerie is the work. "
"I take it you mean the Orc invasion attempts?" But I don't see how this has to do with a possible Sourcellor? "
“Unfortunately, it's not just a cat. Numerous undead chatting continuously for months. They seem to come from the old church and the chimney outside the city. Unfortunately, they were so numerous that the Legion never managed to reach this back. And moreover, every time one of our falls, he comes up as an enemy. The living dead can't tear down the walls, but it is a usurrrre war. In the long run, we will no longer have any choldat, the hissing of enemies ... On the other side, we capsize the Orcs who have all allied themselves and are attacking us continuously. The reports speak of men who seek allies with them and according to their accoutrrrrrement, I opt for a sect, maybe even a Sourceleur check. "
“To achieve such an army of undead and convert freshly dead people into undead, it requires great power and certainly, the exploitation of Source. "
"It's che that I chuis also said. Cyséal is taken to the northeast by the living dead and to the chud-west by Orc's unrelenting attacks. The death of Concheiller Jake was too much water. I recommend that you go see Aurélus, he has all the information on these subjects. He is also in charge of the investigation into Jake's murder. "
At these words Arhu magically disappeared, leaving the two Sourcehunters reflected on the desperate situation in which Cyséal finds himself. They understood that there would not be too many two to complete this story and are glad to have both been called.
"Sects, Undead, Orcs, Murders, Wars ... Looks like the job was premissed on us!" Sourcellerie is clearly at work here. "
Estelle nodded and the two Stalkers entered the city, not suspecting that this was only the beginning of an immense intrigue which will decide the fate not only of Cyséal, of Rivellon, but of all creation!
