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

Giant spiders have taken over these corridors. The walls are lined with their webs. It's a tough fight without weapons, but Simon can apparently hit hard enough to knock even an eight-legged creature off-balance. Victorious for now, but weakened by spider venom, we press on.

In game terms: spiders deal poison damage that decreases your Strength. Strength affects how much you can carry, how accurate your melee attacks are, and how much melee damage you deal. I only had so many antidote and restoration potions, and lots of spider fights to go through, so for a lot of it I had to just deal with not being as effective in battle.

Also I reloaded a lot.





We head down another set of stairs. Maybe we can find a shovel somewhere to dig out this corridor.



Simon is under the effects of Barkskin, which gives you an AC bonus.

"This place brings back bad memories. A man raped me here. That night when the castle fell."

"I'm sorry to hear that... A Dhorn?"

I tell him about Vico. He listens attentively, without interrupting.



"I'm glad that I'm still alive."

"It's easier to kill your enemies than live with them, I suppose." He glances at me. "You must miss your parents and your former life a lot. I once met your father when he was visiting Dhorn. There was a great banquet held in his honor. You were there, too, though you were very small back then. A shy little girl, barely able to walk."

"I don't remember, to be honest."



"He never told me that."



"I thought my father was your ally."





"I find it hard to believe my father would do that."

I don't really know what my father would have done, but I feel compelled to defend his memory. I know he was a good man.

"We knew that we had to act at once. Your soldiers put up quite a fight, I grant you that."

"Were you amongst the Dhorn who stormed the castle?"

"No, I only arrived at Betancuria a couple of weeks later. Though I admit a part of me would have liked nothing better than being in the front row hwne they launched the attack. Though I wish there had been a different outcome of this all. It will take years to restore peace in Betancuria. And we've lost a lot of soldiers."

"You're going to lose a lot more."

"You really plan to sneak into Dhorn and free those friends of yours?"

"I won't be alone."

"There are easier ways to get yourself killed, you know."

"Like breaking into a vault with you, you mean?"

"You look very much alive to me. I might take you with me, should you change your mind. You've got a couple of very useful qualities."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, I am."

"You're a Dhorn."

He glances at me for a couple of moments, then nods. "Alright, let us find a way out of these lovely halls."

Well, that's a lot more dialogue than I usually leave in. It's an odd place for an infodump, but I appreciate how we finally get more background on the political situation.

next update

Fighting giant spiders while naked. If they end up having to take an exam they forgot to study for it will be literally my worst nightmare.

There are more spiders in this post!

We find a shovel stashed in a crate. I return to the debris-filled hallway and start to dig.



"If you insist."



He turns his head, and his eyes meet mine for a moment, green like a forest. "Check out the corridor behind us for spiders, if you would?" He turns back to the pile of rubble, keeps digging. I quietly move back the way we've come, glimpse around the corner, but the spiders don't seem to be aware of us.

It takes a few hours, but Simon eventually digs his way through. The door at the end of the corridor leads further down.





"I'm not afraid of spiders, no."

"I know a lord who breeds giant spiders for their venom. Feeds them with criminals, amongst other things. It's not a nice sight when a spider sucks a man's brains dry."

I don't want to hear about this.

Further down is an ice cellar. I remember we used it to keep food cold. We eventually come to what looks like a natural cavern, flooded with water.



The water's ice cold, but we dive in anyway, hoping to find a way out.







"This isn't good. We go further and further down, instead of up."

"I don't see any other way so far."

Eventually, we reach the bottom of a dry well. It's slow going, but we manage to climb up the sides. We emerge in the castle courtyard. I've never been so glad to see the rain.

"You know where we are, I assume?"

"Yes. This is a small yard situated next to the castle's south wing."







"M'lord." One Dhorn addresses Simon, slightly inclining his head, ignoring me altogether. "We've got orders to arrest you."

"Is that so. And who gave you that order?"

"Colonel Benthur, M'lord."

"And if I order you to arrest the good Colonel instead?"

"I'm sorry, M'lord, but Colonel Benthur was very specific in his orders. Actually, we're not even supposed to speak with you."



I notice the other Dhorn soldier looking at me.

"No, they don't seem to be very gallant at all, Simon."



They're easily distracted. Simon makes short work of them.

"Those were actually Mortenson's men. Looks like Benthur's commanding them now. Not good. The whole castle's probably swarming with them."

At least we have some weapons and armor.



Oh, go screw yourself, ADWR.

next update

This game.

It really likes having excuses for nudity, doesn't it?

And that Bluff check. I'm... not even sure what I should be making of that Bluff check. I'm starting to see why it's so infamous. Er. Not starting. Middling? Can you even use that as a verb?

"I'd rather see the whole castle turn to dust instead of being occupied by Dhorn."

"You do not strive to become Queen of Betancuria?"

I hesitate. I want to take back my kingdom, but... What Alen said, about how I seem like I've been on the streets all my life, that's true. Maybe I've changed too much. I can fight the Dhorn, I will fight the Dhorn, but will I ever really be a princess again?

"I would say I'm about as close to becoming Queen of Betancuria as that cockroach over there."

"It isn't that unrealistic. You'd have to marry the right man. Mortenson would have made a proper match, for example. That way he could justify his reign over Betancuria."

"I'd rather die than marry a Dhorn."

"You really haven't given this much thought, have you? I mean, marrying."

"Is that a proposition?"

"It's a question."

"If I'm going to marry, it will be for love."

I don't know if that's true, exactly. But let him think I'm a silly little girl. I don't care.



This is the corridor I escaped through, that night. Bodies still line the halls.

I find a dress in my room.



Finally, something to wear.



"Most noblewomen would freak out if they saw you wearing this." He studies my legs. "That slit in the back's probably there for better comfort?"

"No, it's there so people can see my ass."

The PC does have some good responses every once in a while.

We manage to get past the soldiers and back outside.

"M'lord Lyonson. I'm glad that we have finally found you." He salutes Simon. "We have secured your equipment, Your Lordship." The grey-haired man turns to me. "I assume these items belong to you?"

I take my armor and weapons. Thank the gods I have them back.

"You've been at the vault room, Commander?" Simon raises his eyebrow at the man.

"Yes we have, Your Lordship. I do not have to tell you of the consequences, should your involvement in the affair at the treasury become public. His Grace has explicitly stated that he wishes all necessary actions are taken in order to keep the situation under control."

"You mean my father's afraid that his enemies might use this little theft against him."

"I only serve the Emperor, Your Lordship. It is not my place to question His orders."

"I suppose that's true."

"You're Emperor Dhorn's son?"

"His fourth-born, yes."

"No wonder Jacia wanted you dead."

"My men are going to erase all evidence that you were here, Your Lordship. We are going to guide you back to your estate in Dhorn, making sure nobody in Betancuria spots you. Colonel Benthur will state that a group of local thieves tried to steal the treasure from Castle Betancuria's vault, and begin a thorough investigation."

"What about Alen and Jero?"

"Your brother, the High Cleric, says they can still be revived." The man glances at me. "Colonel Benthur insisted that the Princess is brought to him, however. Colonel Benthur means to marry the Princess. His Grace has given his consent already. The marriage might help restore order and peace in Betancuria."

More likely he'd become king and I'd be locked up, never to see the light of day again. I'd rather die than let the Dhorn have any legitimate control over Betancuria.

"You gave me your word, Simon!"

Simon glances at the grey-haired man. "That is assuming you actually catch the Princess."

"Well, His Grace only charged us to bring you home, Your Lordship. If you haven't seen the Princess, I certainly haven't either."

At least I can trust one Dhorn to keep his word.

Simon turns to me. "So I guess that's it."

"Don't be so sure about that. I haven't forgotten what Dhorn has done to me and my family."

He nods slowly. "Be well, Riona Stormborn of Betancuria."

next update

Whoa. He's actually half-decent.

He dies too, doesn't he.

next update

*Whew*

I didn't intend to make one ridiculous mega-update tonight, but I guess I kind of got into the momentum.

That's the end of Part 1. I'm going to take a break so people can catch up, and so I can do important things like bake Christmas cookies, clean my apartment, and work on my epic fantasy RPG/otome game (working title: "You Can Finally Romance the Dwarf"). I'll start Part 2 in January or when I get bored, whichever happens first.

Thanks to everyone who's been reading this thread. I hope I've managed to convey why I like this game despite the fact that it's full of WTF.

He doesn't die, I don't think; you just never see him again.

The quest with Simon is an unfortunate weak point, because the actual ending is a well-done climactic moment, and having this extended annoying run-around-in-your-birthday-suit-with-someone-you-don't-care-about quest right before it slows the action to a crawl. It wouldn't be so bad if he played a role in Part 2, but nope.

Wait, so there was all that build up with Simon and him being Dhorn royalty and then you never see or hear about him again? That's irritating. Thank you for playing this Nerys, it's definitely an unique experience.

You're welcome!

The thing with Simon was apparently supposed to be expanded, according to the author's comments on the release of this version of Part 1 (v1.50):

However, that was in 2010, and Part 2 hasn't been updated since. I have an idea of how Simon might fit in, but we'll get to that eventually, I guess.

I don't want to sound like a creep or nuthin', but -- umm -- this LP is why I decided to stay on this forum. So anyway, when's part two coming?

You are not creepy in the slightest! Thank you!

It's funny you posted this now, because I was literally just about to post the next update. I actually have quite a large backlog of screenshots into Part 2 (despite the fact that I keep nearly ragequitting over the bugs) and had limited Internet access last weekend, so I got bored and wrote up a bunch of updates. They're coming as soon as Imgur decides to behave.

"Yes, I'm not yet sleepy."

"Well I certainly don't mind the company." He smiles.

"How did you become a member of the family?"

"You're a curious one, aren't you?"

"I like to know who I'm dealing with."

I already don't trust one person on this boat.

"Well I'm a fisherman. I ain't much of a fighter. Leave bloody business to others, that's my motto. Came to know the family because my cousin worked for them. He owns the Thousand Steps Inn in the city. Ever been to it?"

"Yes, I know Master Kelten."

He grins. "Frank's a good guy. I help when I can, though I stay out of the messy parts if you know what I mean. Got a wife and five children to feed after all."

I feel a pang of anger. How could he do this, if he has a family? What would happen to them if the Dhorn killed him? If I had a family, I would never --

Wouldn't I, though? Isn't this important work, taking back the kingdom from the Dhorn?

Would I still be here, if I had anything left to lose?

"We'll deal with any troublemakers if things get messy."

It's the least I can do.



"Let's hope it is really so."

"Are you from the city? You look familiar, in a way."

"I'm from Betancuria, yes."

"You've been in the family for a while?"

"Not really... a few months."

"The way you talk and act..." He studies me. "You're from the castle, right? I heard those bloody Dhorn killed everyone."

If they killed everyone, how can I be from there? I bite my tongue. He doesn't recognize me. There's no need to raise his suspicion.

He shakes his head. "I know dozens of families who lost their loved ones only because they worked at the castle. Shame, really. Good thing you escaped. You know, you're really pretty. Seeing you makes this old sailor wish he was young again..."

"Didn't you say you were married?"



"I'm not telling you anything. I was just asking."

He laughs again. "You're really cute!" He gives me a longing look. "Shame I got to steer the boat now. Well, if you feel lonely tonight, come to my cabin. I'll show you some tricks with my... fishing rod." He winks.

I think I'm starting to hate all men. Even the nice ones. Especially the nice ones.

"Still up, birdie? Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"There's something you and I need to talk about."

"Really."

It's probably a bad idea. But I have to say something, if I'll be spending so much time with him. Even if he doesn't listen... I'll be angry with myself if I don't try.

"You've raped me."

"And?"

"That's all you have to say?"



"Are you saying that it was my fault?"

"How many people died during Betancuria's siege? Ten thousand? And what for? Your father's glory?"

"I didn't know that you cared so much for the people of Betancuria."

He shrugs. "Most did not matter to me, that's right. But there were a few who I guess you could say I did care for." He turns to the rail and watches the river again.

What, your girlfriend in the kitchens? At this point I'm not sure she even exists. I'm not sure Vico cares for anyone outside himself.

I don't know. He must, in some way, or he wouldn't work for the Family. But I don't understand how.

I already think our conversation is finished when he speaks again, his eyes fixed on the gloomy waters. "That night I wanted to kill your father myself, but I arrived too late. The Dhorn had already chopped off his head. And then you stumbled into me." His voice sounds flat. "I recognized you right away. I was hoping that wherever your father's soul had drifted to, he'd see what I was going to do to his little girl..."

"So it was some form of revenge? Is that what you're trying to say?"



"You're an evil rapist. You couldn't satisfy your desire for revenge, so you abused an innocent girl who couldn't defend herself."

"Yeah, I guess. Maybe I should have just removed your bowels back then, and let the Dhorn finish you off. It would have saved me this talk at least."

I'm sorry if this talk bothers you, Vico. But I won't let you forget what you did to me. And I won't let anyone else forget, either.

I turn to the rail and rest my gaze upon the black waters of the river. The only sounds are the flapping of the sail and the bow of our ship slicing through the waves. My thoughts are swirling, recalling that gruesome night in every detail... I shiver and pull my clothes about myself. I'll have to think about what Vico just said to me... For a while I just stand there, watch the reflections of the moonlight dance on the dark surface of the river, lost in thought... What will be now? Will I ever see Betancuria again? And do I want to? Or could it be that today was the last day in my life I've spent within its walls?

"You're shivering with cold. Go to bed. Really."

"I'll never forgive you for what you've done."

"Save your energy for our Dhorn friends, birdie." He walks off.



I head below deck. Pia and Anden are already sleeping. I find a third bedroll and curl up. It takes me a long while to fall asleep.

next update

"All in all, I think I was very kind to you"

AIEEEEEeee

Now that we've gotten the first big Vico scene of Part 2, I should mention that my oft-repeated complaint about the game not responding well to your dialogue choices is at least partly fixed here. Since you have a choice of romance options, the game tracks when you give a response they like and adds it to a counter, so even if you don't get a strong reaction right away, it affects whether the romance can progress.

In Vico's case -- since the game wants to shove his romance down our throats -- how you respond (in short, whether you act innocent/passive, get angry with him, or actively flirt with him) doesn't affect whether you get the scene that starts his actual romance, but it does affect how the scene plays out (in short, how much he thinks you are willing to sleep with him). It appears I was mistaken; see below.

This is one of many little things that make me say, tentatively, that the writing might be better in Part 2.

So was that supposed to make him come off as sympathetic? Because it sure didn't. Holy shit.

Congrats dude you didn't rip Riana's guts out because her daddy was mean to you; you just wanted to make her suffer non-fatally out of spite! You want a fucking "I DID A GOOD JOB" sticker or something?

Based on discussions I've read about ADWR, it came off as sympathetic to quite a few people. It's certainly intended to be the first turning point of the Vico romance, where your PC is really pushed into feeling sympathy for Vico, and given the popularity of the Vico romance... eh.

I have mixed feelings, like I do with everything in this game. Having an explanation for the rape that's more than "I was upset and you were there" is a bit more sympathetic, I guess, in the same way that breaking both arms, a leg, and three ribs is a bit better than breaking both arms, a leg, and five ribs. It's good to have more context for understanding Vico's actions, since we have to spend so much time with him anyway. (You can't even kick him out of the party temporarily. I tried.)

Also, it reinforces a point about women and sexuality in Betancuria vs. Dhorn, which is a theme going through the whole game. Dhorn is anti-sex in general. Simon said (and I think someone else might have mentioned this earlier as well) that Dhorn soldiers don't rape women, on pain of death, which is supposed to show how civilized they are -- but instead they just slaughter men, women, and children indiscriminately. On the other hand, Betancuria is held up as some kind of bastion of sexual freedom -- but what this really means is that women get harassed on the streets because they're expected to be sexually available to men, and when you're sexually assaulted you're treated like the fact that you feel traumatized is what's the problem. Even when you meet Dhorn who are OK with sex (i.e., Jero), what they're OK with is the Betancurian view of sexual liberation: men being entitled to women's bodies.

Vico repeatedly saying, Sure, I raped you, but at least you're alive, is supposed to make him seem more civilized compared to the Dhorn, I guess. And the setup kind of works if you're playing a princess who can maybe sympathize with Vico for a second before going, Actually, I reject both of you, killing Vico, and taking her revenge on the Dhorn. (I like the whole revenge fantasy aspect of the game, if you can't tell.) Actually listening to Vico, and romancing him, makes me feel like I'm accepting the powerless state that the game wants to put me in, and while that makes sense as a survival mechanism (speaking from experience, here), it's neither fun nor satisfying.

I've been playing ahead, and I have some bad/good news: I was mistaken about you being forced into the Vico romance, because somehow I've blocked myself from it. I have no idea how that happened. Last time I played, I chose hostile or disinterested responses to Vico and got his romance anyway. I think it has to do with the Bran romance, because I don't remember if that was active last time.

It'll be a while until we get to that point, and I can always fiddle with some variables to fix it. I just feel like a terrible LPer for not doing my research =(

"What happened to your clothes?"

"I've been taking a sun bath. You should try, too! Not much else to do while we're on board, anyway. And the weather is so nice!"

I'd rather not have Vico see me like that. Or Anden... well, I wouldn't mind, but he'd probably die of embarrassment.

"I really envy your composure. There are so many things on my mind..."

"Yes, you've got rings under your eyes. You haven't slept very well, have you?"

"Vico and I had a talk last night, and I had to think about what he said to me."

She looks at me curiously.

"It was about what happened that night when..."

"Oh I see... Sorry. I didn't mean to pry."

I don't mind talking about it with Pia. It seems like she'd understand.

"What can you tell me about Vico?"

"Well... To be honest, I think he's a bit creepy. There are lots of rumors surrounding him, but Master Nathan and Alfons trust him blindly. I've heard others claiming that he worships some dark deity and has to sacrifice human blood once a month, but that's probably just gossip. Still, he makes me shiver at times. The strange thing is that some women are attracted by his dark nature. He was often surrounded by some wenches. I'm surprised that he hasn't brought one or two of his playthings for this trip." It's obvious that she wanted to say more, but instead just blushes deeply.

"What's wrong, Pia?"

She lowers her eyes. "I've been one of his wenches as well. A few years ago. I was new to the city... I... I was young, and sometimes life plays tricks on you..."









"I enjoyed my life and lived from day to day, never thinking much about the future. I met Vico at the Bear Pit when I was paying Master Nathan a visit, and... Well it's embarrassing to say, but I was already attracted by him. He made me curious. So I played my charms... But he and I are so different in character... And although he seemed to care for me, he always had a few other girls in the city as well that he refused to give up, so..."

"No?"

"I think I'll go and see if I find something to eat now."

Pia wanders off, and I feel more confused than ever.

Warek says the journey will take a week, at most. Too long, but there's nothing I can do about that.



"I've had better days."

"I'm sorry to hear. However, the good news is that although I've been scanning the region since the first light of dawn, there hasn't been any sign of Dhorn activity. No sign of anybody at all, actually. This area is surprisingly deserted."

"Well that's good, isn't it?"

"I think so." He smiles.

I ask Anden what we might find in the tunnels through the Black Mountains.

"That is hard to predict, M'Lady. If we're lucky, only a few spiders."

"And if we're not lucky...?"

"I cannot say... We will need to be careful in any case. But I have faith in us."







"That's none of your business."

"Where'd you get it?"

Why do you care? I'm certainly not giving it to you.

"I got it from a huge demon with wings and glowing eyes."

"Yeah, right. You mean you stole it. You ought to be careful what you steal. We've had a man in the family who stole a jeweled dagger from a tomb of a long-dead wizard. Turned out that the dagger had a will of its own and killed its new possessor in his sleep."

"I find it very nice that you're so concerned about my safety."

"Yeah, me too."

By nightfall I start to feel queasy, and by the morning I'm violently ill. It's not any better the next day, either. Anden tells me it's food poisoning. He feeds me some medicine, and I drift off into a black, uneasy sleep.

























next update

I want to read some significance into the fact that Riona's father has the same portrait as Baron Ravenstower. But I can't, because ADWR reuses portraits pretty much at random.

OK, now that I've looked some things up: what happened is that giving hostile responses in that first conversation with Vico has a much greater effect than giving hostile responses later on, so that I don't think I could recover from it if I tried. (The last time I got the Vico romance, I must have given more passive responses.) This actually makes me less hostile towards the Vico romance; he still harasses you regardless, but he doesn't think you're interested in romance if you very clearly aren't. I apologize profusely for giving out misinformation. There's enough to hate about Vico without me making stuff up.

To be democratic about it, here are our choices:

1. Rewind a bit and give less hostile responses in this first conversation (I can justify that in-character).
2. Fiddle with variables so the romance initiates anyway (I'll figure out some way to make sense of it in-game).
3. Give up on Vico and get to killing him already (i.e. change nothing).

If people don't care one way or the other, I'm going with 3. as the best in-character solution.

I obviously vote 3 because fuck Vico with a rusty spoon, but is it now too late to romance anyone else? Pia pls

It's too late to romance Pia =( We're left with Bran or Rizzen. EDIT: Or potentially Bran then Rizzen.