My Sexy Skill Has Increased! Let's Play A Dance with Rogues

The statue is locked up in a room nearby.



A crack in the wall catches my eye. It's a secret door, and behind it is a locked cell.



"Thank the Gods you were here and had a key to my cell! Thank you so much!"

"Why were you in this cell?"

"My name's Sander. Sander Gregory. I was a captive of the Mayor. A very evil man. He thought I was a demonic creature of some sort."

"Why would the Mayor think so?"

"I'm no demon! Please, you have to believe me! It's not my fault that women think that I'm attractive! The Mayor, he called me Incubus, thinking that I can bewitch women so they wish to couple with me. And he wanted me to give him those powers."



These are all the worst responses. What the hell.

"Oh."

I don't know what to say. "I'm sorry" doesn't help. I know that from experience.

"Do you know of a way out of here?"

I can definitely help with that.





I overhear the guards say they've locked the downstairs doors.



Thankfully, there's a window open upstairs.



"Just don't get caught again, okay?"



"Damn rain. Some things never change. Well, take care, pretty lady." He clasps my hands again, then runs off, his shape soon disappearing into the mist.

next update

It's a historical fiction thing, I think. I've never heard anyone use it in real life, but I'm pretty sure I've spotted it in romance novels.

Yeah. Flat "oh" is the only thing worth considering.

Ah. I stay far away from those.

I don't speak the language natively, and the most I've had in terms of euphemisms for vagina is myself getting confused and telling a friend "It what?!" which sounded to her like "twat" because of my accent and she got really mad at me.

I giggled at the "cunny" thing though, and was waiting for someone to hang a lampshade at it. Or confirm that they are actually referring to a vagina. I though it might not, and felt ashamed for assuming it was.

Then again, I should most definitely not be reading this forum when feverish, so there is that.

GO LIE DOWN SOMEWHERE YOU'RE GONNA EXPLODE. D:
also feel better soon i love you

I've heard it before, it seems to pop up in a lot of low fantasy literature for some reason. The most recent time I remember hearing was actually on an episode of Boardwalk Empire, which is set in America in the late 1920s though the character who says it is originally from Ireland.

Edit: That poor guy! D:

Aww... it isn't that big of a fever though, and my mom's horrid concoctions (milk and garlic, anyone?) have me almost back to normal. I only hope I'm healthy enough to work on monday, or sick enough to be allowed to stay home. The middle ground in which you go to work but end up like a zombie is terrible. Thank you for the concern and I love you too. <3

I was under the impression that it was a UK thing, but I don't really know; offhand I think I encountered it in HBO's Rome and maybe Joe Abercrombie's fantasy novels. And yes, the Irish guy in Boardwalk Empire.

FWIW (not much), the wiki entry cites the first usage being in the 1600s in England.

By the way, this is my new armor:







The +5 to Move Silently is really only a +3 because I also get a -2 Move Silently penalty for wearing heels.

Since you can upgrade armor (adding regeneration and AC bonuses), this ended up being the best rogue armor I ever found last time I played. Better yet, the Dhorn soldiers don't arrest you the street for wearing it like they do with the Catsuit and related Family-supplied armor. So get used to it, because I may never change out of it again.

Jacia asks me to pickpocket a key from someone at the Arena. I need to go there anyway to look for the Dhorn spy, so I head there the next evening.

By "the next evening" I mean "after I slept for three straight days, because the Arena is only open on random days of the month, just to be annoying."






You can bet money on fights at the Arena. I'm not sure what the odds are, but at this point of the game you have enough money that it's probably not worth it.





Maybe I'd have found this entertaining before I saw too much real fighting. Now, it just seems pointlessly cruel.



I get the key without a problem, then move on to the next part of my plan.







The Gargoyles aren't just for decoration. They must have sensed me pass. I manage to stay silent; after a few moments they settle back into their stone form, and I sneak downstairs.



There's strange monsters down here that I've never seen before. I guess they use them for the fights.

I give the key to Jacia.





At last Jacia's honest about it, unlike Alfons. But I don't know who this Vald is or why he deserves to die. If Jacia wants him dead, she has his key now -- she can do it herself.



She does offer me another job.









Now, killing Dhorn I don't mind at all. But first, I need to report to Master Nathan.

Why Vico? I could lead this party by myself, if Master Nathan would only let me.





"I can handle myself in a fight."

"Yeah, just don't die, okay? Wouldn't enjoy having to tell Nath that these bastards got you."

"Funny. I would greatly enjoy telling him they got you."

"I really mean it. Be careful, little princess."





"Let's get out of here, please."



"We got them all. Was quite the massacre. But Riona handled herself pretty well."

"I didn't expect anything else. Well done."

"Looks like someone's finally growing up."

Vico seems nicer than usual. I don't know what to make of it.

Simon isn't at Tald's Tavern anymore, but Jero still is.



"I'm looking for your friend. I think Simon was his name."

"You are? Why?

"I heard he had a lot of money, so I figured perhaps he might want to play with me, too."

"Nah, that's not Simon's kind of thing. I know him."

"How about we discuss this after I've sold you some more of my fabrics?"

It's the last time. I promise myself that.



He arranges a meeting with Simon for me. I meet them in an abandoned warehouse the next day.



"This is your girl?"



"Cute, isn't she?"

"I guess."

"It would really be a shame if our troops caught her."

Simon addresses me. "As you can see, my dear, Jero's quite bewitched by you and tells me that I should hire you."

"We'll get you off the streets and put you into Simon's house on the Isle of Men. You'll keep us company, play dice and board-games with us, and such."

"I'll expect you tomorrow."

"I'll be there, M'lord."

"You won't regret your decision, Simon! She's really lovely and talented, you'll see!"

I try to keep a smile on my face.

"It'll be more interesting to see how those fools in my household are going to react to her."

"See you tomorrow, little coo!"

next update

When I got to this part I basically yelled, "don't do that" at the screen.

If we go back to the Stockholm Syndrome analogy, this is the point where the kidnapper (the game) offers the kidnappee (the player) a glass of water, some food, asks them how they're doing, etc. I don't want to see Vico as anything other than a bastard. Don't make him act nice. This was especially effective because I was still sort of in shock after Caron's death. I didn't have any other actual friends in Betancuria. I was feeling sad and lonely. Then Vico comes along and actually acted concerned for my safety and dammit it worked. Not cool, game. >:|

Nebty, I agree with everything you just said.

To lighten the mood, let's talk about how awesome Damage Reduction is. I was wandering around sneaking into houses again and found a room full of rats.



Rats do 1 damage per hit; my armor absorbs up to 5 damage.

After being murdered by rats a few times at lower levels, being able to slaughter them at my leisure while laughing at their ineffectual bites actually made me feel invincible.

"I'm expected by the owner of this house."

The guard takes me to Simon's office.





"You're going back to Dhorn?"

Then this is my last chance. Hopefully he'll let me stay the night...

"Simon, darling, is that her?"





"I am surprised to see that she wears any clothes at all!"



"Did you just come to catch a glimpse at the girl?"

"Well, I always wanted to see a real whore."



"If you're so keen on getting to know her, why don't you talk to her for a little while?"

"Talk? To one like HER?"

The three nobles take me into the next room and poke and prod at me -- well, "poke and prod" as much as they can, when they seem to be afraid of catching a disease just by touching me.



"I have seen a pool room before."

"Please keep your hands and feet out of this pool. I don't want the water to get dirty."

I splash her.



"Do you always wear clothes like that?"

"Do you wish to try them on?"

She looks shocked. "I'd never wear clothes like this!"

"I'm really surprised that you haven't copulated with the guards yet."

"I don't do mere guards."



"I thought all noblemen had dicks that touch the floor when they walk upright."

She gasps. "Un-be-liev-able!!!"

I wonder how long I can keep this up before someone faints.

"Don't you ever dream of having a husband who cares for you? Then you wouldn't have to do... that."

I did, but it's a waste of energy, anymore. He'd probably just die.





"No, but I like dragons. They are so... big."

"They should put her in a cage! With her hands and feet bound!!"

"That can be fun."



"You're making me sick."

"Have you ever had the privilege of having a noble as your customer?" He clears his throat. "Not me, of course. I mean in general." He stares at my breasts.

I think I've had enough of this."

The women march off, leaving the man to escort me out. I manage to sneak off and back to Simon's office.





I rifle through the desk for valuables. Nothing there but a note.



Did Simon write that?

I return to Jacia with Simon's head.



next update

Where did you get that cape? It's gorgeous.

I bought it at the Temple, then bought some gold cloth dye and dyed it myself. It's a Cloak of Fortification +2 (gives +2 to AC and saving throws). There are a couple of different cloak designs; I think the base for this one is Fancy Cloak.

Isn't the Battered Leather Armour impossible to get if you don't reject Hyath?

Not if you metagame.

Basically, the big room you're in has two locked doors to the tombs, which contain the Golden Chalice and some minor treasure, including the Battered Leather Armor. If you throw away the ring (or didn't get it in the first place), you don't meet Hyath at all; you just meet the spirit, then figure out how to open the doors and get the Chalice.

If Hyath injures Christano, you're supposed to just forget about the Golden Chalice entirely and run back to the ship to get him help. However, as is usually the case in RPGs, this incredibly urgent and time-sensitive quest is not timed at all, so you can still figure out how to open the doors and dick around picking up all the treasure.

Also, Myra doesn't take the Chalice with her if you have it, so you can just dump this priceless treasure on any old merchant in Betancuria for a few hundred gold.

For the sake of this LP, it's obvious why I didn't include those details.

How do you open the doors? I started playing the game again and I really want that armor.

I could not find this guy. Checked all over the docks (ugh), then checked the taverns, then checked your post to see if you had a screenshot. You did! Didn't help, he wasn't in the tavern your post made it clear he was supposed to be in. Tried reloading an earlier save because hey, maybe a script broke. Nope. Checked a guide because maybe I missed something that wasn't obvious in the screenshots. Guide mentions "sailor's copper ring" and...wait, didn't I see that in my inventory a while back? I checked and yep, sure enough, I already had the ring. When did I get it? Dunno! How did I get it? Dunno!

Goodbye, last forty minutes of my time. Hello, incandescent rage.

I, uh. I can only think of one way you could have gotten the ring by accident, and that's by having sex with so many sailors that you didn't notice one gave you the ring instead of money. I hope it was worth it.

(If I'm wrong, then I have no idea what kind of script bug you got. But, again, at least the bugs in this game stay varied and interesting.)

I have no idea what you're talking about. None. At. All.

That statement and that avatar go so well together. It's like he's daring you to challenge his claim.

I finally have the requirements to take a level of Shadowdancer!







Hide in Plain Sight sounds overpowered as hell, because it totally is. However, in A Dance with Rogues, it's the difference between surviving in combat and dying horribly, since you can hit, run away, hide in shadows, and heal yourself while your enemy twiddles their thumbs because if they don't see you, clearly you're not there anymore.

This was the perfect time to get it, too, as you'll soon see.

The first Dhorn General's house is full of guards. They don't seem to be paying attention.









I find a key that opens a room in the basement. The Dhorn general and two of his guards are in there, torturing prisoners. I can do this. I can save them.









I went all out for this battle and used about half my scrolls. Stoneskin (damage absorption) saved my butt in the first half of the fight, but after that it took a good 10 minutes of hiding in shadows + running away to take down the general. In retrospect, I should have started out the fight by pickpocketing his healing potions. Oh, well.

Oh, and you can free the prisoners to fight for you, but they're all unarmed and unarmored, so they're more of a two-round distraction than actual support. Plus you get bonus XP for saving them, so there's that.





I can't protect everyone from the guards upstairs. I can only hope they find a safe way out.

The second general is much easier.



I catch him by surprise while he's sleeping.



That's two more heads for Jacia.



What...?









Aaaand there goes another guy who would make a better love interest than Vico but ends up dying instead. Thanks, ADWR.

next update

"Shadowdancer" sounds badass too :D

Mando and Jacia don't have any more work for me, so I go to the hideout and talk to Alfons.





I've never been to the Academy before.





I sneak past the guards and up to the second floor. But there's no sign of Pia here, and the door to the upper floors is locked. All I find are some notes in the wastepaper bins.





Hmm.



Dan's mother lets me in.





"You're Dan Addams?"

"Yeah, that's me! And who are you?"

"Doesn't matter. We need to talk. At the Academy. How did you get into Lecturer Kathy's room?"



[Persuade] "You can tell me, Dan. I won't mention your name to anybody."

[Success] "Well, maybe you won't. But I don't think it would be good to have you running loose in there. Besides, some of the stuff in the teachers' rooms is rather dangerous."

Dan starts to look more nervous as his mother approaches.





"Be glad you still have your parents, Dan."

"Huh? But I don't know why Mom made such a fuss over you. I've had lots of girl-friends at the Academy." He gives me a challenging look.

"Oh, I would never dare assume anything else."

"Tell you what. I'll tell you how to get into Lecturer Kathy's room. But, I want something in exchange." He blushes, looks at the floor, then takes a deep breath. "You..."

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Dan."

"Okay. Sorry I asked." He looks away. "I... I suppose I can help you getting into Kathy's room, anyway. But it will cost you two thousand gold coins." He looks at me defiantly.

I hand him the coins with a sigh.

"Don't spend it all on girls."

"There's a secret door in the back of the library." He searches through his pockets. Finally, he produces a small metal key and hands it to me. "But don't tell anybody about this, okay?"

"You mean you want me to keep that little secret of yours? What do you have to offer in exchange?"

"Huh?"

"I'll remain silent for two thousand gold coins."

"I don't believe this..." He gives my money back to me.

I grin. "You really shouldn't trust a rogue."

I gain 3 Evil alignment points for making the little twerp give my money back. What the crap, ADWR.

The lecturers' rooms are guarded by golems, and a few other creatures.



I find Pia locked up in one of the rooms.





"Pia! Oh, I'm glad that I have found you!"

"I like your heels." She smiles, looking me up and down. "But what are you doing here, of all places?"

"Alfons sent me. Nobody knows what's happened to you."



"Eww, I think I've met that bounty hunter, too..."

"That guy's quick. He cast a spell on me, stunning me, then put me into that cage. Certainly not one of my brightest moments." She grimaces.

"But you're okay otherwise? He didn't hurt you?"

"Just my pride. Riona, perhaps we should get out of here while we can."



Too late.

next update

i'm loving seeing what the "don't do him" options lead to.

"May he rot in hell."

"Sooo, I guess we're done here?"











"Look what you did to my desk! Who the hell are you?"

"I'll gladly pay for your desk..."

"Look at it! All I can do with it now is turn it into firewood!"

"It's not like we killed your precious desk on purpose, you know."

"I think I'll turn you two into frogs right here!"

I refuse to deal with two crazy wizards in one day.

"We'll get you a new desk, okay? But for a start, could you tell us where we are?"

"In my study, apparently. How the hell did you two get here?"

"Some wizard cast a spell on us, and poof, here we are."

He shakes his head. "I'm taking you to Baron Ravenstower. Follow me."

next update

oh no
oh no
oh god please no not this

"Ravenstower!" Pia blinks. "That cannot be true! It would mean that we're more than a thousand miles from home!"

Terek insists that we speak to the Baron, though he says we're not under arrest.





"Forgive me, my liege." Terek bows. "But these women suddenly appeared in my room. Destroying my desk when they did, as I'd like to add."

The Baron briefly glances at me. "What are you complaining about? This one's pretty enough. I certainly know what I'd have done with her, had she appeared on MY desk."



"These are MY halls still, Castias!" Baron Ravenstower flushes in anger, banging his fist on his throne. "And I shall welcome these wenches as I see fit."

"I meant no offense, Uncle. But if I'm not completely mistaken, this young lady here is of noble birth." He nods at me.

"I think you mistake me for somebody else."

"She looks arrogant enough to be one of those noble bitches from the city, that much I give you."



"Ah, this one knows her manners, at least. Well, speak up."



"A magician sending them here, all the way from Betancuria? With a single spell? I don't buy that, your Lordship."

Pia describes the spell to Terek.



The Baron isn't terribly interested in the intricacies of spellcasting. Instead, he insists that Pia sing him bawdy songs, which she keeps up for the rest of the night. Finally, when the Baron has drunk enough to fall asleep, Terek takes us away to a small, windowless room.

"You should be glad that you got a room with a bed at all."

"Fear not, we won't impose on your hospitality. We'll be on our way to Betancuria as soon as possible."

"That might be a while yet. Snow has begun to fall heavily, making all the mountain passes impassable. I suppose we'll have to endure your presence until spring."

"Surely there must be some way to travel south."





"I hate wizards. Can't they just die like normal people?"

"I know what you mean. Have you heard of Ravenstower before? Are they perhaps allies to Betancuria?"

Ravenstower never came up in any of my lessons. I know he's not an ally of Betancuria -- hopefully he's not an ally of the Dhorn, either.



"Perhaps we could ask the wizard to help us."

"I don't think he would. And even if, I don't think Baron Ravenstower would let us go. We're the perfect diversion for his long winter evenings." She hangs her head. "I'm too tired to come up with a good plan right now." She makes herself comfortable on the floor.

next update

LADIESSS :3
It's time for the most important vote of the game: Riona's love interest!
(Gentlemen can vote too, I guess.)

Pia's romance starts right now, but the others don't start until Part 2 (i.e., probably before Christmas, at this rate). So right now, the vote is just romance Pia or don't romance Pia.

Even if I romance Pia, I can always break off the romance later, either in-game (if I romance Vico) or via the cheat console (for anyone else). So we'll have another vote at the start of the other romances to decide if I romance one of the guys, and which one.

Here's a quick rundown (with images from the ADWR wiki):



Pia
Chaotic Good Bard/Rogue/Fighter

Pros:

• A good person and fun to be around.
• Plays the mandolin.
• Will stay Riona's friend even if the romance doesn't work out.

Cons:

• Lesson Four.
• Constantly gets herself captured and needs to be rescued.
• Can get annoying at times.

Vico
Chaotic Evil Fighter/Rogue/Blackguard

Pros:

• The best fighter Riona will ever have in her party.
• Slightly less rapey if you romance him.
• He's the default love interest.

Cons:

• Still pretty rapey if you romance him.
• Stockholm Syndrome.
• He's the default love interest.

Bran
Chaotic Good Barbarian

Pros:

• An all-around good guy and supportive boyfriend.
• A good fighter who brings another good fighter (Norah) with him to the party.

Cons:

• Maybe a little boring.

Anden
Lawful Good Ranger

Pros:

• Even more gentlemanly than Caron.

Cons:

• His romance arc is sorely underdeveloped.
• Triggering his romance requires you to give up two good fighters in a fighting-heavy part of the game, and I don't know if I have the patience for that.

Rizzen
Lawful Evil Drow Fighter/Rogue

Pros:

• Buys Riona as a slave and doesn't rape her.

Cons:

• That the above needed to be said in this game.

Actually I have no idea beyond that. Ask MulMizu.

Forever Alone
If you think all these romances suck, we can just press on without romancing anybody!

Voting will be open, uh, until I get bored and start playing again, I guess. Until tomorrow night, at least.

Rizzen is a kind of...condescending guy. To be fair, he bought you as a slave, so I wasn't expecting him to be all "YEAH EQUALITY". His way of thinking is very much foreign if you're playing a good guy route: as an example, in the game, something happens that normally, one would show some sympathy towards. But he pretty much says "it was either this or die i don't even give a fuck" and that's the end of it.

As for romance, you can pretty much only have sex with him twice in the game. A grand total of...twice. He sees the relationship as an "alliance" instead of a romance, which is also kind of really depressing, haha. If you secretly have a thing for being the property of someone else or something, then this guy is for you! :D He cares about you (kind of on a pet level), and has some really funny dialogue with some people, but I mean... Eeehhh...

That said, I kinda wanna go after Vico AND THIS IS WHY.
The Vico route has certain quests that can't be gotten by anyone else. I really, really don't like him and I don't think I'll be able to finish going after him in my own game, so I'd rather someone else play it. I'M SORRY NERYS, I DON'T WANNA DO THIS TO YOU, BUT WHEN I TRY TO OPEN MY OWN FILE WITH HIM AS THE ROMANCE I JUST CLOSE DOWN THE ENTIRE GAME AND SOBBBBBBBBB