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Hello, and welcome to...

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TheMoniker plays ROAD TO RUIN!

The Road to Ruin is an Fe7 romhack by Primefusion. You can find its thread here. It is entirely custom, with full custom maps, characters, and story. This is its second full version. I played the first version, so this isn't entirely blind, although things have probably been changed since then...

In the original version, the story was basically an FE7 sequel, using Ostia and Laus as the main territories. However, the most recent patch has changed the story entirely for some completely NEW kingdoms/territories.

I WILL be transcribing dialogue, but I don't have minimugs, so expect it to be like reading a play script. With occasional pictures of the play.

But you might be thinking: "Moniker, will this slow down your chaos mode LP once the new patch is out?" The answer: YES. DEAL WITH IT.

Well, I'm not the greatest at writing long-winded introductions. Let's just get straight into the introduction sequence:

THE PROLOGUE PRELUDE:

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You've already seen the title screen, so here's the save screen. As you can see, the background is all yellow. It actually looks kinda nice.

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WILL MONIKER DO A GOOD JOB RECORDING DIALOGUE? OR THE WORST JOB EVER? LET'S FIND OUT!

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Right away, we're on a new, nice-looking map with a house.

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Inside is a new dude with a lady inviting him to tea. ALL MY COMMENTS FROM HERE ON ARE IN BOLD:

Old lady: You young soldiers never seem to get a break! Always fighting and on the lookout.

Dude: Actually, ma'am, I'm a mercenary.

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Aksum and Sybaris! So those are our two new nations!

Dude: I think I need to go back to my watch post--

Old lady: Nonsense! You'll have some tea and relax like a good young lad! You young folk can't seem to just sit back and enjoy someone's company. In my youth we were expected to...

Old lady: Oh my, who is that outside? They don't look friendly.

Dude: Wait here, I'll go check.

Uh oh...

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The map scrolls down a good bit, revealing a friendly-guarded fort...

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And then this guy shows up.

Banditman: Our mission is to capture that fort! We'll show Aksum what we're made of!

Banditman: Let's go!

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Go greeny! Go gr-oh who am I kidding, there's no way this is gonna turn out well for this guy.

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Those are some very INTERESTING palettes! Not bad, but very interesting. They make more sense than green spray-painted armor, at least. Anyways, nothing unexpected here.

After this battle, the bandit takes the fort. This is very reminiscent of the "let's-put-our-princess-in-a fort-on-the-border-to-another-country-and-guard-it-with-two-dudes" scene from FE8, only with half the dudes and no princess. Same BS crits, though.

Bor'del: Offensive formations!

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He isn't referring to the castle right next to him, he's referring to the one at the top...

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Scrolling back up to the top, turns out dude is an archer.

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Dude: Stay put and don't go anywhere! It's not safe!

Dude, don't waste your time with the old ladies! You're about to be in the middle of a battle!

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Vance?

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Everyone say hi to our NEW LORD.

Buck(dude): It's Sybaris! Sybaris troops have captured the fort to the south! It looks like they're headed this way!

Vance: What!? Damn, they are daring. I didn't expect them to send a strike force in.

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More people!

Green hair lady: I don't like being interrupted when I'm training.

Vance: Forget training. We've got bigger things to worry about.

You mean like those bigger training targets out there?

Vance: Sybaris troops have shown up near here. Time to move out!

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We all just kinda self-deploy, and then a general walks out. Looks like the enemies ALREADY have us surrounded.

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Is this a splice? ...I'm not sure.

Vance: Yes, General Valamar?

Valamar: What's this I hear about a Sybaris strike force?

You see those four soldiers that aren't standing right next to you? They aren't ours. Why don't you use those eyes of yours?

Vance: It seems they've taken the gate, sir. Don't worry, we'll beat them and win it back.

Valamar: Of all the stupid...Those fools honestly think they can take Minar? This castle has weathered plenty of attacks. Moving quickly only gets you so far.

Valamar: Take back the guard fortress. And you had better not screw this up. If you do, you and your crew get your pay docked.

Vance: ......

Because we totally won't be DEAD or anything!

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END OF DIALOGUE

And then greeny exits the field. Because when you're trying to defend a castle that has weathered many attacks against an army residing outside it, the best thing to do is send the four mercenaries you hired(and JUST them) outside your castle to try and take care of it.

Assuming it hasn't been changed, there actually is sort of an explanation for it, but we'll see that next time.

Anyways, that's the end of the introduction! Tune in next time to see me actually PLAY the prologue!

NEXT TIME: Outnumbered four to one, because Fire Emblem

I'll be trying to show off everything I can about this hack, although this hack doesn't appear to have all that many secrets.

Edited by Tangerine
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Well, it's no chaos mode, but this seems interesting enough to hold me over until Klok gets the next patch out.

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More people!

I'm going to assume, left to right, their classes are:

Swordsmaster, Peg Knight, Mercenary (Lord), and archer.

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Man, my plans to LP TRTR first have been thoroughly trounced between Moniker and Mangs. Luckily I'll still be the first to LP death or glory, unless someone reads this post and decided to spite me :P

TRTR is a really, really good hack though. I'd like it more if it had some over the top shenanigans like some crazy boss battle or some really overpowered niche weapon, but meh, not really a necessity I guess.

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Man, my plans to LP TRTR first have been thoroughly trounced between Moniker and Mangs. Luckily I'll still be the first to LP death or glory, unless someone reads this post and decided to spite me :P

TRTR is a really, really good hack though. I'd like it more if it had some over the top shenanigans like some crazy boss battle or some really overpowered niche weapon, but meh, not really a necessity I guess.

I actually was planning on LPing Death or Glory...I do agree with your comment on shenanigans though. Shenanigans always make a hack better.

Hello everyone, and welcome to...

The Road to Ruin: Episode 1: PROLOGUE: Torie Sucks

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Welcome back! This map is relatively mundane, but maybe for future maps I could try to use that map-capturing program the other LPers used...or were those just images of the maps from a site and not an actual program that would make the map into an image? I should look it up...

Anyways, outnumbered four to one. Can we win? ANSWER: YES.

But first, let's look at our characters!

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Here's our lord! He's level 3, with typical mercenary stats, and a earlygame-bandit level RES.

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The short blade is not a rapier or mani katti, but it's all we got. It's a bit more powerful than the iron sword, at least.

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Here's prologue dude. If you look closely at his stats, you'll see he's worse than Vance in quite a few ways despite being only one level lower. Will this archer live up to the suckiness of every other archer butchaosmodehector ever? We'll be finding out!

Also, that short bow is just a normal FE7 short bow. If you were expecting an obligatory 1-range attack to make archers "useful", too bad.

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Torie, a surprisingly early peg, manages to be worse than BOTH of them, her only real advantage being RES in a time where magic enemies don't exist! Oh, and she has sucky weapons. What about the last one?

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CRUTCH CHARACTER! Of course, it looks that way at first, but look closer...her only real advantage is skill and speed. She isn't that tanky or strong... We're in trouble, aren't we?

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This Pian Dao is a MUCH more interesting weapon than the one our real lord has! Man!

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For reference, this is the average power of the enemy mooks we are facing. This is gonna be tough.

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Bor'del is a very generic guy. Correct some of my last remarks, he actually ISN'T a bandit. He really isn't much stronger than the other enemies, though...

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Take a gander at some new weapon icons.

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Our first objective here is to kill the three enemies that start to right next to us(there's a merc a bit farther down).

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Buck can actually manage some good damage.

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I already have to begin using the short blade...this thing isn't going to last long.

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I let Ava take down the merc. Beautiful.

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Vance takes down a merc hit, and enemies approach...but what's this? Dialogue?

BEGIN DIALOGUE:

Soldier: Shouldn't we try to help them?

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Soldier: They’re obviously trying to claim castle Minar. We can’t lose our strategic stronghold.

Vance: Hmph, you worry too much, soldier. Those Sybaris fools don’t have a prayer. Even low mercenaries can take them out.

Vance: Pah, mercenaries. What rubbish. Only coin interests them. There’s no sense of honor or duty.

Soldier: Then why do we hire them at all, general?

Vance: Because mercenaries all have one redeeming quality. They’re expendable.

Vance: Let that trash get itself killed. They’ll at least weaken the enemy for us a bit. We’ll come in and mop up what’s left.

...>:C

Soldier: …of course, general.

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With that vote of confidence, it's our turn again!

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Torie gets fed her first kill. This will become a theme.

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Buck and Ava team up to barricade the bridge against the approaching mooks.

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Vance lures out the fighter. There are LOTS of talk conversations in this chapter, that provide some interesting characterization and world building. I'll show them off, but not right now.

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Dangit Vance! You gotta dodge!

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They are just lining up at the Ava/Buck death train.

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Sheesh man, what did you expect? You took over a fortress, and IMMEDIATELY charged towards a castle you knew was manned? Anyways, we have some more dudes coming now.

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There are so many axe users around, I have to let Torie chance missing on some of them. She does okay...

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Vance keeps heading down, and uses a vulnerary. There isn't much healing to go around right now, so we gotta conserve it.

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Ava just refuses to crit with that slim sword! Also, she gains about 3 EXP per engagement, kill or no. Crutch characters...

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Just LOOK at them all! Let's see how many I can feed to Buck!

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Vance and Torie still have the bottom front handled, thanks to TEAMWORK.

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Ava FINALLY manages to use that slim sword for killing.

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Uh oh, there's a few too many enemies down there for our few weak dudes to handle...

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We retreat in a very tactical manner.

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Up top, Buck gets the first level of the hack! Wow, it's average, to the point of being symbolic!

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Ava needs to help with the bottom front. At the very least, archers are good at killing other archers.

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I feed Torie another kill, and...yep. That level was INSANELY useless! Seriously!

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Dangit Ava, why won't you crit! At least she dodged the 60...

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This is all that's left...but it's still a lot!

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Annnnnd none of them move. Welp.

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There's no point in charging the right path Buck. Just stay with the group.

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WHAT? SERIOUSLY, TORIE? I GIVE YOU A NICE LURING COMBAT ENGAGEMENT...

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LOOK AT THIS TORIE. LOOK AT AVA. LOOK HOW SHE IS WORKING SO HARD THERE ARE THREE OF HER. WHY CAN'T YOU BE LIKE THAT.

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Try again, Torie!

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4 damage, almost-death, and an explicit lack of doubling...the cavalier's palette is really more interesting.

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The whole team has to team up to beat the surprisingly-tough cav. Vance gets an actually kinda GOOD level, although our team really lacks heavy hitters...strength would be appreciated!

Of course, it isn't like our team doesn't also lack healers...and magic users...and tanky units...and axe users...man, I can't wait until we get more units...

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COME GET SOME.

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WHY CAN'T ANYONE DODGE? Ava can dodge, but it's the "I dodge 60s then ironically get hit by 40s" kind of dodging!

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The boss doesn't move. Good. I've decided to bring Torie up so she can challenge that soldier...

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Go Buck! Hurrah strength!

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0.0

Woah, she actually got him...okay Torie, you can stay on the team...FOR NOW.

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I could easily murder this guy with the Pian Dao, but that would be the EASY way.

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No special boss quote with the lord, so I'll assume it's the same for everyone else.

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*facepalm* well, at least he dodged the boss's shot.

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Ugh, I should've just used the iron bow and finished him...but I wanted to give the kill to Torie...

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DANGIT

*enemy phase*

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STUPID TORIE! The worst part is that, while I'm totally gonna savestate abuse in this hack, this was actually the only time I needed to use one this level. I successfully did everything fine on my first try, except of course for the foolhardy idea that is trying to train Torie.

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I briefly consider an iron man ru-wait...

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WHAT.

Dangit, this is gonna be a hack where everyone is a game over character, isn't it!

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Some abuse later, Torie gets a good level, which is soured by being unlegitly earned and, more importantly, not containing strength.

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I'm not gonna finish the chapter yet. Expect a special dialogue-containing wrap-up update next time! I'll show off the growths there, too.

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WHAT.

Dangit, this is gonna be a hack where everyone is a game over character, isn't it!

/remembers when marc criticized me for this

/cries

My response to this is "too bad" for the record. :P:

When I have more time to work on this I'll be taking a good look at Torie's bases/growths and trying to make something in between broken (What she used to be) and crappy (what she is now).

Looking forward to more of the LP~

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Just a note, In the convo with the solider and the general, you put the general's name as Vance not that he is important.
Wonderful start though :) I also got tripped up with the all characters leading to game over...

edit: took just a little scroll up Gen's name is Valamar still not important?

Edited by sarinomu
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Just a note, In the convo with the solider and the general, you put the general's name as Vance not that he is important.

Wonderful start though :) I also got tripped up with the all characters leading to game over...

edit: took just a little scroll up Gen's name is Valamar still not important?

Oh, whoops. Totally my bad. Man, I can't believe I got Mr. Derp general mixed up with the lord...oh well, you gotta admit their names are similar.

Hello everyone, and welcome to...

The Road to Ruin: Episode 1: Wrap-up: Talking and Balking

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Well, welcome back. Remember those talk convos we saw earlier? Also, this is going to be a dialogue update, so all my comments will be bolded.

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Let's get started.

Vance: Hey Buck, wait up a minute.

Buck: Oh hey Vance, what’s up?

Vance: I’m just wondering how you’re holding up.

Buck: I’m not followin’.

Vance: Well, I know you like to take things easy. No sense risking your neck if it’s not needed, right?

Buck: Um, yeah, I guess that’s about right.

Vance: Don’t worry, I’m not trying to lay into you. It’s just that this job we’ve got is a little bigger, is all. We really are risking our necks for this one. I’m just wondering if you’re okay with that.

Buck: Well, I dunno, Vance. The money seems good but…well, you said it. I like the easier road. Though, we’ve gotten past bad scrapes before. I’ll just follow ya and we’ll take it from there.

Vance: Atta boy, Buck. Thanks for sticking with me.

Buck: Hey, that’s what friends are for. I’m fine, no need for worryin’.

So, Buck is the "loyal friend" archetype? Okay.

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That's the end of that one. Next up...

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Torie: Hey, chief! How’s it going?

Vance: Hey Torie, I’m fine. What about you?

Torie: Hmm, well right now I’m okay. But once we’re finished and we have our pay I’ll be great!

Vance: Ha ha…nothing gets you happy like a coin purse, huh?

Torie: You bet! Getting paid is the best part of working! But…say, can I ask you something?

Vance: Sure, what is it?

Torie: What do you think of our boss, Valamar? He seems like a real jerk to me.

Vance: Yeah, I feel the same way to be honest. One of those type A kind of guys. But, these folks aren’t all like that. Some of the other soldiers I’ve talked to seem fine. Actually, they kind of feel the same way we do.

Torie: Well, as long as the other officers aren’t like Valamar. I think we’ll be okay. We have to be positive!

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I bet she needs the money for something important, like Castor from FE11.

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See that house? First we're going to visit it with a not-Buck character, then with Buck, because of the talking scene from the very start.

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Old lady: You soldiers should take a break and have a cup of tea!

Torie: I’m in the middle of a battle, ma’am. There’s no time for tea.

Old lady: Youngsters these days! Always on the go! Back in my day we took the time to enjoy life! None of this silly bustling about.

Torie: Yeah, I definitely needs to get going.

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Old lady: Well hello again! My it’s a busy day isn’t it?

Buck: Err… I suppose so. I should probably be going. There’s a battle going on outside. I need to help out.

Old lady: Sigh…running off again…youngsters these days!

Man, does this woman care about anything other than slowing down and tea?

Old lady: Well, since you were such a dearie before, take this.

Never mind, this lady is awesome!

Buck: Oh…a vulnerary. This will come in handy. Thank you.

...Nevermind again.

Old lady: Be safe now, dearie!

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Well, it's something.

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I'm not staying here another minute.

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Vance: Yes general. We have retaken the guard fortress.

Valamar: I see…very well then. Here’s your pay.

Pay? PAY!

Valamar: Also, I have another assignment for you.

Hey wait! Where's our money? Don't just keep talking!

Vance: Oh? What is it?

Valamar: You’re to go to the eastern border to assist in fending off attacks from Sybaris. The war is beginning to reach a critical point, and we’ll need all the help we can get. The recent assault within our borders is evidence of that.

Vance: Indeed…looks like you’ve got yourself a deal.

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There's our pay...not that it amounts to much. This won't go very far, so hopefully we'll get more money later...

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NEXT TIME: RESPONSIBILITIES

GROWTHS TIME!

VANCE'S GROWTHS:

HP: 80%

Strength: 45%

Skill: 40%

Speed: 40%

Luck: 35%

Defense: 30%

Resistance: 20%

Total: 290%

Sheesh, after looking at the amazing growths from chaos mode, this is hard to look at...seems like that def/res level was actually pretty lucky. As you can see, Vance's growths aren't exactly amazing. He's average in everything, specializing in nothing except possibly HP, and even then its not enough to amount to much. Especially since umpromoted units have an HP cap of 40 in this hack. He'll be a serviceable lord, just so long as the RNG doesn't screw him over...

TORIE'S GROWTHS:

HP: 75%

Strength: 30%

Skill: 40%

Speed: 45%

Luck: 40%

Defense: 30%

Resistance: 35%

Total: 295%

Torie seems to have okay growths, but that strength is just a killer, especially for a peg, when all good weapons that could make up for it tank her "just okay" speed to basically nothing. But really, don't normal FE pegs have at least 60% in their speed/skill growths? Is this some sort of stat deflation hack? At this early point, I can't really say how she'll turn out...

BUCK'S GROWTHS:

HP: 70%

Strength: 40%

Skill: 60%

Speed: 45%

Luck: 40%

Defense: 30%

Resistance: 35%

Total: 320%

Compared to our other units, Buck is actually kind of good. We'll be using him, thanks to his excellent skill and res. Let's just hope he decides to put those growths to use.

AVA'S GROWTHS:

HP: 60%

Strength: 0%

Skill: 45%

Speed: 45%

Luck: 40%

Defense: 0%

Resistance: 40%

Total: 230%

0 growths in 2 of the most important stats in the game? Seems like the need to drop the crutch character ASAP is being rather heavily enforced! The only real problem with this is that the earlygame is pretty hard, to the point that we need Ava to live, so we're forced to waste XP on someone who will never turn out good. Oh well.

Surprisingly little exposition for the prologue...but that's because it's all in the NEXT chapter.

Edited by TheMoniker
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AVA'S GROWTHS:

Strength: 0%

Defense: 0%

Well that explains why I could never get her to gain Strength.

Also you need to recount Torie's growth total, it's 40 lower than it should be.

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Just throwing this out there, Moniker, Kent is a Pegasus Knight in chaos mode and his growths total 295%. He just has 0% LUK growth which is transferred to his other stats.

To be fair, Kent is the worst FE7CM character, and Matthew has 395% growths but mehhh...

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Well that explains why I could never get her to gain Strength.

Also you need to recount Torie's growth total, it's 40 lower than it should be.

Thanks for letting me know. I'm doing all this adding in my head, so forgive me if I miss a few things. It's fixed now.

Just throwing this out there, Moniker, Kent is a Pegasus Knight in chaos mode and his growths total 295%. He just has 0% LUK growth which is transferred to his other stats.

To be fair, Kent is the worst FE7CM character, and Matthew has 395% growths but mehhh...

What are you talking about Pent is clearly the worst

Hello everyone, and welcome to...

The Road to Ruin: Episode 2 Prelude!

Are you guys ready for EXPOSITION and WORLD BUILDING?

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Okay, before we really get started, I had a thought and tried re-visiting the house again with Buck. It's just reverted to the "non-Buck" convo and doesn't give an extra vulnerary. Ever since I discovered the "infinite superweapon from the revisitable house" glitch in Raven's chapter in Elibean Nights, I make sure to double-check everything, just in case...

ONWARDS TO CHAPTER 1 MAP SCENE! Yes, this hack has them! DIALOGUE AND BOLD COMMENTS BEGIN!

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Ooooohhhh...

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Narrator: Known for a large and varied military, Aksum is not to be trifled with.

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I wonder if we'll meet the guy in this patch?

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N: Led by Pontifex Hannalys, her word is said to be that of the Four Goddesses. Many take a pilgrimage to Orontes in search of spiritual enlightenment.

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N: It is led by the young king Dalman as well as a Senate. Originally much larger, Sybaris’s influence has receded in recent years.

This is who we're fighting.

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N: A relatively new country, Mora seceded from Sybaris forty years ago. Lead by President Kraval, Mora strives to increase its standing in the world.

That was a...SURPRISINGLY QUICK explanation as to why Sybaris's influence has receded! But why are they attacking US to get more territory?

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N: Ruled by the five warlords, there is often much strife in this land. None of the warlords trust the other with so much as a loaf of bread. Hostility and warfare are the norm here.

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N: While Orontes is the spiritual center of Pandosia, Prydain is the cultural center. Many great artists and performers live here, championed by their king, Althen.

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N: Ruled by a senate of merchants, it is perhaps the wealthiest of them all. Unfortunately, most of this wealth exists in the upper class, never seen by the commoners.

Oh wow, now that the bottom is revealed, that is a LOT of countries...you know this may actually be a problem. Each and every one of these countries could have its own interesting subplot, but there's only so many chapters that can be in a hack! Are any of these country's' stories going to be done justice?

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Man, every single country has a different type of government! They even somehow have democracy! The only one missing is socialism!

N: Boasting the strongest army in Pandosia, military personnel hold political office here. The people of Tiryn are proud and its culture is steeped in tradition.

Wait...Aksum is known for its "strong and varied" military...while Tiryn is known for "the strongest army in Pandosia"? WHY DO WE ALWAYS HAVE TO BE OUTCLASSED?

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N: Despite this, tensions seemed to have mounted between several of the countries recently.

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So, this is like Europe the "powder keg" before World War 1?

ZOOMING IN...

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(caught the screen halfway through the text here)

N: …has attacked neighboring Mora. They mount a brutal ambush and many innocent people are slain. The survivors can only wonder. Wonder as to why Sybaris would commit such an atrocity.

Wait...so Sybaris sets off to re-conquer the territory that seceded from them(admittedly, they are VERY LATE to the task), and use tactics, and somehow innocent people are slain and its their fault? That kinda seems...I dunno...Isn't this how LITERALLY EVERY WAR goes? Why are they EXTRA evil? Of course, I don't want to be too judgemental. From what I saw of the story in the first patch, there could be a LOT more going on here than what we're told...but it's the narration! WHY would it mislead us?

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So THAT'S why we're fighting them! There's one question answered! ...But wait, we've declared war and were presumably the first to strike...so how did Sybaris invade OUR territory? Why are WE the defending side?

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Okay okay, let's just move on.

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RESPONSIBILITIES.

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We open with a cleric standing in a field. Can you guess how this is going to turn out?

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The knight in shining armor rides up...

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Dude: No, I didn’t. I must have checked a half-league back… But, I didn’t find your necklace.

Dudette: Oh…I see…

Dude: Did it belong to someone you knew?

Dudette: Yes, it did. It belonged to my mother. She gave her necklace to me shortly before illness took her.

Dude: I’m sorry to hear that. It makes finding that necklace all the more important.

Dudette: Mmm…I’m sorry, this is all my fault. If only I hadn't dropped it.

Dude: Hey now, Sylvia. Cheer up. You gotta have a little faith. We’ll find your necklace, I know we will.

Sylvia: Oh, Jorin…thank you.

Jorin: Save your thanks for when we find it and-

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Yup.

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Banditdude: Just out enjoying the day?

Jorin: Perhaps, but we need to get going. Excuse us.

Banditdude: Hey, hey, hey! What’s the hurry, slick? Stay and chat a while.

Jorin: We really need to be going. We’re searching for something.

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Sylvia: !! That’s—

Jorin: You’ll give that necklace back right now. It belongs to us.

Banditdude: Oooooohhh, so it does belong to you, does it? How convenient.

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Yup yup yup.

Banditdude: You know what I think? I think you’ve got some more valuables.

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Banditdude: That’s a good question.

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(he isn't actually showing a shred of humanity, I just caught his blink frame)

Banditdude: You don’t have to be a necklace to be a valuable…

Jorin: Damn! There’s too many of them! Sylvia, we have to run!

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Jorin then grabs Sylvia(who appears as a blue unit when rescued?) and rides across the map, trying to escape, but foolishly breaks for the bottom of the map instead of the top, and gets cornered.

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Enter the "heroes!"

Buck: It doesn’t look like the Sybaris is here at all.

Torie: Chief! Look down there! Someone’s in trouble!

Vance: Looks like a knight is trying to protect someone from those thugs.

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Vance: We’ll reinforce those two and even the odds!

Ava: That mission may have just gotten more difficult.

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NATURALLY!

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In all of 2 seconds the right side of the map is taken.

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This guy may also be a splice, but as least he's a neat-looking one, if a bit cartoony...

Generabro: Give no quarter to these Aksum fools. Remember! We fight for our honor!

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Vance: But nothing’s changed. We’re helping out that knight. Then, focus on defeating the enemy!

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And let's go! END DIALOGUE AND BOLDED COMMENTS.

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Okay, see those 5 guy? The ones across the river? That's the bandits. They're gonna be headed right for us.

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These guys over here are an entirely different, much larger, group, the Sybaris soldiers. As you can probably expect, thse two enemy groups will totally ignore each other, not that the bandits would actually stand a much of a chance if that wasn't the case!

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Down here are the people we're saving. First goal is to wipe the bandits and save them, then take down all the Sybaris mooks. There are about 20 enemies total. Let's look at these guys, shall we?

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Jorin is a "sword knight", which at first glance is just a worse cavalier who is worse because no lances. I'll wait to pass judgement until I see his growths, though...also, he's a deserter, apparently. GEE, I WONDER IF THIS WILL EVER COME UP LATER?

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Sylvia is the "sucky starter cleric". she is the only unit to come at level 1 unpromoted, as even our prologue units were at least level 2.

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Here's our boss. He's just a knight, but we have no magic users...luckily, we have 2 other very effective methods of handling this guy.

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The enemy has a few droppables. The steel bow is included because new icon. Also, I didn't realize this while playing the chapter, but typing now I realize that Talisman is actually Sylvia's necklace! Huh.

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Look at this enemy knight! They're even more overspecialized than we are!

Growths time!

JORIN'S GROWTHS:

HP: 80%

Strength: 50%

Skill: 35%

Speed: 40%

Luck: 35%

Defense: 30%

Resistance: 20%

Total: 290%

What? Semi-serviceable strength? And NO crippling weaknesses elsewhere? FINALLY, the team might actually have some beef! Assuming he doesn't get strength-screwed...isn't our first axe user next chapter? I hope so...

SYLVIA'S GROWTHS:

HP: 60%

Magic: 45%

Skill: 45%

Speed: 50%

Luck: 40%

Defense: 15%

Resistance: 45%

Total: 300%

Okay, maybe I should take back what I said earlier...she actually has pretty okay growths. She might end up good if I give her a chance to perform. Paper defenses, but not-sucky everything else...hmmmmm...

Anyways, next time we play this chapter! I'll try to squeeze it all into one update.

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Hello everyone, and welcome to...

The Road to Ruin: Episode 2: Chapter 1: The standardness

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The first turn is just us VERY CAREFULLY moving downwards.

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We're off to a good start!

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One of the mercs attacks Jorin. The guy has a forest, so he isn't in that much trouble. He'll live until you get there.

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Some of the enemy troops start moving towards us. Also, look at that archer/knight setup. I personally feel it's a bit underused in FE.

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This bandit is actually about 3 levels higher than his comrades! Huh.

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VERY CAREFUL POSITIONING

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Vance gets hit by the steel axe, but the good news is that I manage to screenshot this totally great pose!

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The merc that attacked Jorin last time starts on Sylvia. We'd better move.

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But these fools are here now, too!

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Jorin murders a bandit. Oh well.

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Vance positions himself to lure out the fighters and heals. We need him down there to recruit Jorin.

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Buck kills the WHAT THE HECK BUCK

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Luckily, doubling exists...

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There are a few talks, but again I'm saving them for the next update.

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Ava didn't crit here. She doesn't crit at all this chapter, really. It's not necessarily a bad thing, since i can give the kills to weaker units.

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Vance holds up against the fighters.

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Sylvia heals. Don't worry, I'll get them soon!

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Torie swoops in and murders the last bandit.

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Buck gets another level, which contains just sucky stats. Oh well.

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Suddenly, Vance pulls this out of nowhere! That's basically perfect! Keep it up!

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We held back the first wave, but now more Sybaris mooks are charging!

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A few more come in. These are the only reinforcements this chapter.

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Grrrr...

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Okay, nevermind. You're forgiven for the earlier miss.

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Oh wow, Ava's almost dead. Man, why does everyone have to suck in some way. Maybe our newcomers will be better?

DIALOGUE BEGIN:

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Jorin: I will—why aren’t you raising your blade?

Vance: I’m here to rescue you, not kill you. My name is Vance. My companions and I were in the area when we spotted you. We figured you could use a hand with these thugs.

Jorin: So, you’re here to help us out? Many thanks.

Vance: Save it for when we cut our way out of here.

Jorin: Agreed. By the way, I’m Jorin and my companion is Sylvia. It’s good to meet you, Vance.

Vance: The same to you. But, let’s go. The enemy is waiting!

END DIALOGUE

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Well, we have them now! I don't know if there's a different convo for Sylvia, but I don't see why there would be.

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Let's get her started. With the green-ness gone, we can see her light pink palette.

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Torie gets a strength-containing level. Nobody's doing badly for themselves today!

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Strategy necessitates killing this myrm.

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Or it would, but Buck surprises me.

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So I murder this archer as well.

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The Pian Dao is just awesome.

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I use the newcomer for luring. He needs XP!

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I have Vance help knock out the soldier once he's crossed the barricade.

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Okay...next we need to get across that bridge...

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Here's the strategy, Vance short blades the knights and gets rescuechained out. They don't move so...

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WAIT WAIT WAIT THEY DO MOVE WAT

This is...kinda BS, honestly! These enemies immediately break their formation to charge at you, with absolutely no indication! Luckily, everyone lives.

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Albeit some less than others.

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The whole team has to pull weight, but I kill them all. That was the main obstacle that was in our way...

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Buck hits from across the bridge, while Jorin sneaks around and strikes from the back! I am rewarded fro my TACTICS with a strength-containing level. Jorin now matches Ava in power.

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Sylvia gains the worst level of the chapter. And after I said she had good growths, too!

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Testing...

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Nope!

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The boss is the only one left, and the chapter ends when he dies. Next time, we murder him, do the talks, and wrap-up the end of chapter convos!

I am having some fun with this hack so far. All of this is content I've been through before, but I'm eager to see where the story and gameplay is going to lead, even if it isn't entirely without problems.

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WAIT WAIT WAIT THEY DO MOVE WAT

This is...kinda BS, honestly! These enemies immediately break their formation to charge at you, with absolutely no indication! Luckily, everyone lives.

One of the few times I troll the player a little bit. :P: They move when you get too close. I'm surprised the archers didn't try to murder Torie. Was Ava still at low health?

Also, keep up the good work, Vance. Solid level up.

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One of the few times I troll the player a little bit. :P: They move when you get too close. I'm surprised the archers didn't try to murder Torie. Was Ava still at low health?

Also, keep up the good work, Vance. Solid level up.

Yeah, Torie was full while Ava was nearly dead. Torie can actually take a hit from an arrow, so...

Hello everyone, and welcome to...

The Road to Ruin: Episode 2: Wrap-up

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Okay, first convo.

Ava: Strange…

Vance: Hmm? What’s strange?

Ava: How this war began. It was very…abrupt.

Vance: Yeah, it did happen pretty suddenly. Sybaris attacking Mora… But why do it?

Ava: Perhaps to try to reclaim the land? Mora did secede from Sybaris.

Vance: Yeah, but that was forty years ago. I’m sure you’ve heard the stories. The people had had enough of their king. He used the stiff taxes for his own benefit and left the people to their miserable lives.

Ava: Yes, and the Mora province was particularly devastated. So the people rose up and broke away from Sybaris. The king was eventually assassinated as well.

Vance: His wife, son, and brother too. They were scheming as much as he was. The people gave them no mercy…

Ava: I had heard that the niece who succeeded him was different. A total opposite in fact. She won the people’s respect as well as their hearts.

Vance: But, she passed away a couple of years ago. What’s the son of hers up to?

Ava: Regardless, let us hope that Sybaris proves itself a worthy foe.

Vance: Why do you say that?

Ava: How else can one grow stronger? You must fight adequate foes to gain strength.

Vance: True…but, why do you want to get stronger?

Ava: …Well, why not? Having the ability to protect yourself is important. But, I feel we’ve spoken for too long. We must press on.

Vance: That was sudden. Hmm…

Oh wow, that was a lot of backstory! And it seems the characters share some of the same questions about this whole deal that I do... Also, while Ava might secretly have some sort of reason for wanting to get stronger, it's actually really ironic, since Ms. 0% str/def can NEVER really get stronger. And, if she DID actually fight a foe at her level, she's probably be badly outclassed! Also, in the first patch, Ava had a lot more dialogue where she kept referring to the enemies as "weak insects" and "barely a challenge", which resulted in her character coming off MUCH differently. Really, I like the "new" Ava better.

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Next one!

Torie: Hey Buck! Come on! We’ve got a battle to win! Let’s get moving there, turbo!

Buck: Huh? Oh hey, Torie.

Torie: Well aren’t you just a ball of energy.

Buck: Eh, I’m just a little tired is all. Nothing special.

Torie: You’re always taking it easy. Don’t you want to get in there? You know, give them what for?

Buck: No, not really. Being really wild in a fight isn’t my thing. It’s better to keep it calm and stay rested.

Torie: It just seems like you’re always lounging around.

Buck: Resting and not overdoing it is my kind of thing. It’s like how you always ask for more money. It’s just something you like to do.

Torie: What!? What’s that supposed to mean?!

Buck: Well, you’re always asking Vance for a raise. Just last week you—

Torie: You’re making me sound like a greedy hag!

Buck: Huh? I didn’t say that at all!

Torie: You might as well have! You know what, forget it! Forget we ever talked ever! I just came over here to try and cheer you up. But then, you just go and spit in my face! Don’t talk to me anymore, Buck!

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Buck: Man, I’ll probably hear about this from Vance. But, Torie shouldn’t have started sayin’ stuff. Gah…what to do…

That was an interesting conversation...I have nothing too special to say about it, but this is one of the few convos that actually gives gameplay benefits(eventually), so...

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The plan is that Vance weakens, then someone else finishes.

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Vance: If this is how you grovel for life, it’s a sad attempt.

Morrigan: Impotent fool! You’ll learn the error of your ways!

Gee, what could he POSSIBLY be talking about?

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So, the weakening plan...doesn't work out. Another defensive level. If Vance wants to be tanky, that's fine with me.

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Savestates reveal the "normal" boss convo. Let's move to the ending here...

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Torie: Good thing we pulled through okay.

Buck: What do we do now, Vance? Are we heading back?

Vance: Hmmm…honestly, I’m not keen about talking to Valamar again. I think we should head south a bit. There might be more soldiers lurking around.

Ava: I wonder what Sybaris’s tactics are…Their movements have been erratic. First, they send a too small strike force. Now this paltry “invasion” troop? Not what I would call smart warfare.

Vance: You’re right. It’s definitely strange. But, we don’t have time to worry about that. Let’s make sure the rest of the area is clear and go back.

Ava: Agreed. Let’s continue.

What...? Really, the correct course of action here would be to head back and demand our pay. Although really, there's no way to PROVE we killed all these people...honestly, we really shouldn't have been in this engagement. In this hack, these mercenaries act a lot more like loyal soldiers than, y'know, mercenaries.

At least we've got some newcomers. Speaking of which...

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Jorin: I’ll be honest. I wasn’t sure we’d make it. Thanks a lot for the help back there.

Sylvia: We really appreciate what you did. Thank you so much!

Vance: My name’s Vance. I lead this group of mercenaries. What’s your story if you don’t mind me asking?

Sylvia: I’m Sylvia, and this is Jorin. We’re from Orontes.

Vance: The hold land, huh? What brings you two down here?

Jorin: Well…it’s not the most honorable tale…

Sylvia: It’s only fair to tell you. …We’re deserters.

Vance: You say that like it’s the end of the world.

Jorin: We were part of the army. I thought I could be something great if I joined. A gallant knight, defender of the people… I just wasn’t up to it. The military was way more intense than what I thought. I was in over my head.

Sylvia: The church and military are really one and the same in Orontes. Our highest officers are as much spiritual leaders as they are tacticians. I was originally part of a small church congregation. We took in the sick and the poor and got them back on their feet. None of us knew anything of fighting. We only wanted to help. My skill with the staff drew an officer’s attention, however. They were going to reassign me to a combat unit. I…am no warrior, nor do I wish to be on the battlefield.

Vance: So you two ran.

Jorin: Yeah. Sounds kind of pathetic, huh?

Vance: No, not really. But I’m a little biased compared to other people. I know how you two feel.

Jorin: Where are you from?

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SUDDEN BACKSTORY!

Vance: And some of the most uptight bastards you’ll ever meet. I couldn’t handle the pressure either. We’re not so different.

Anyway, you two are welcome to come with us if you want.

Sylvia: Hmmm…hearing you’ve gone through the same thing as us…but being able to overcome the fallout…it gives me hope. Jorin, I think we should go with them.

Jorin: It’s not like I had anywhere else to go, but I agree.

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Vance: Sure thing. Alright, let’s get going.

That's a very interesting convo...but here's the irony. Sylvia ran to escape fighting on the battlefield...so some people help her...and then she joins them, fighting on a battlefield. The very thing she tried to escape. And there doesn't seem to be ANY explanation for this.

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This chapter actually fades to black like this twice: Once for the end of merc convo, and here at the end of the newcomers convo. I couldn't catch the first on, though...

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NEXT TIME: GUESS THE TITLE. GO ON. TRY.

This update contains some important story info, so you should probably read it!

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Hello everyone, and welcome to...

The EPISODE 3 PRELUDE!

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Wait, reports? From who? ...WHEN AND HOW DID THESE REPORTS HAPPEN?

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As you can see, we're right on the border of Sybaris...WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG?

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These won't make sense until later. Better than most chapter titles, which make sense never.

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We fade into...wow. Just wow.

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In the surrounded village, we have this guy talking...

Lady: Oh yes. We haven’t seen any fighting, thankfully. We had an earthquake recently, but, thankfully, we’re okay. Aren’t you Sybaris soldiers though? Why are you checking on villagers?

Commandude: We’re in a war with Aksum’s military, not its people. As a knight, I fell it is my duty to make sure people are safe.

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So far, the game has done its best to make the enemy commanders seem like relatively reasonable people. and the one ally commander seem like a jerk. Hmmm...

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Sir: Everything is quiet over here. Perhaps it’s time to head back. The colonel said to return by sunset.

Soldier: Then, I shall go inform the men—

Sir: Hold. I may have spoken too soon.

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So, these tactics do seem rather odd...this force went rather deep into enemy territory just to check on the people? I guess this could be a scouting mission, but wouldn't that involve going AWAY from the enemies rather than attacking them when they come?

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Anyways, our increased-by-50% force enters.

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Vance: Alright, then it’s time to earn our pay. Who’s first?

Torie: Here comes one of them now!

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Cav commander rides up...

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Man, I caught SO many portraits in their blink frames this chapter!

Sir: Hmph, you Aksumian scum have come at last. I am Captain Reynard! You fools shall meet justice this day!

Vance: Justice? What in the world are you talking about?

Reynard: So, still playing the fool, eh? It matters not! Defend yourself!

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Vance: Don’t let your guard down!

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END DIALOGUE

Okay, let's size up our enemy!

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Here is the force guarding the village. We may actually want to hurry down there. We COULD do a Torie flyby, but the author prepared for that-he has THREE archers guarding the position!

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Over here, the boss is on a gate, with some more dudes.

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This guy is...another rather weak boss, and the second guy in a row with a javelin. Oh well, he shouldn't be too hard.

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Scanning the enemies further reveals one droppable for Buck.

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Here's the armory inventory. Why does it carry axes? Go on, guess! Yep, we'll be getting an axe user this chapter! He isn't on the field yet, but it won't take long... You'll see next time!

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This is, I believe, the chapter where we get BEST CHARACTER, well, right after Buck of course.

you mean the worst character ever who gets doubled by almost anything past chapter 7 on average and might as well be Dorcas 2.0?

its not very nice to lie to the person who's playing this.

unless we're thinking of two other units

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This is, I believe, the chapter where we get BEST CHARACTER, well, right after Buck of course.

Kristoph doesn't join for another couple chapters and he's nowhere near O'Riley.

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you mean the worst character ever who gets doubled by almost anything past chapter 7 on average and might as well be Dorcas 2.0?

its not very nice to lie to the person who's playing this.

unless we're thinking of two other units

Image backlog levels say otherwise!

Hello everyone, and welcome to...

The Road to Ruin: Episode 3: Chapter 2: The Game Steps up its Game

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We start by plopping Jorin into the forest. The initial wave will be tanked.

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The rest of the units sort themselves out. I'm gonna try to use Ava as little as possible this chapter.

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Nobody dies. This may have been a miss, not sure.

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The initial wave has presented itself. Now we need to take them out.

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No strength, but that's okay, it's good to work on your "everything else" sometimes!

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Buck, save that unnecessary flourish for when it's necessary!

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Okay, forgiven.

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CLEARLY THE BEST STRATEGY

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DANGIT TORIE!

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Ava will have to pull her out.

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The enemies continue to move forward...

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They waste their attacks on JORIN THE AMAZING.

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Vance glitches the game, but it works in his favor.

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WHEN SUDDENLY...(begin dialogue!)

Banddude: Two armies going at it and leavin’ the villages defenseless. Nothing better than war, eh, Hugo?

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Hugo: It’s like…thieverin’ or som’thin’.

Bandude: Bah…Yer too soft, Hugo. Thievin’ is what we do. It’s the only way to scrape a livin’ round these parts.

Hugo: Well, I dunno ‘bout that.

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GEE, I WONDER WHO WILL RECRUIT HIM?

Hugo: Seems like a more honest way of makin’ a livin’ if you ask me.

Bandude: Well, I didn’t ask, knucklehead. You’re always goin’ on about them pegasus riders. And you know what? It’s getting’ on my nerves. So, I’ll tell you what.

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Bandude: Then, once we’re done, maybe we can find some booze or so. It’ll be a grand ‘ole time.

Hugo: Hmm…Well, if you say so. But, I still think it’s kind ‘er mean.

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Bandude: It’s a wonder how he even manages to walk everyday.

END DIALOGUE

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Okay, these bandits are gonna be off their mountain shortly, and they're gonna head straight for the village. We'd best hurry! Hugo's right there, and we have to get Torie to him.

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This guy is basically Gonzales in personality, except instead of being ugly and dumb, he's just dumb. In stats, he really isn't that amazing...but we'll see how he turns out.

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We finish off the wave, and...wait, where is that archer going?

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The peg spies an opening and takes it. Here's the peg palette. It actually looks really nice!

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Sylvia gets an EXCELLENT level.

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Not good, we don't have enough time!

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Talks are again saved for the end. We're desperately moving downwards...

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We clear out the enemies...but...we're too late...The only one who can reach this bandit is Jorin, and he can't one-round him...I guess it's over...the bandit will waltz over...and destroy the village...and I don't have any savestates from a point when I can avert the problem...

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I'm not sure whether the game is mocking me or not.

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But then, suddenly, the day is saved! The bandit attacks Jorin instead of going for the open village! Welp. Also, it appears the archer was heading for the fort.

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Jorin rewards/punishes the bandit with a quick death.

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Next turn, reinforcements.

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No more waiting!(begin dialogue)

Torie: Whoa! Get back or I’ll skewer you! You’d better not get in my way, bandit man.

Hugo: Say, yer one of them Pegasus riders, ain’t ya?

Torie: Huh? Yeah, I’m a Pegasus rider…What’s it to ya?

Hugo: I heard from my uncle that y’all work hard to learn to ride. It’s rough, but you stay honest and true.

Torie: Yeah, Clarence here was a feisty one when I started. He tried all kinds of things to buck me out of the saddle. But, like you said, I stayed “honest and true”. What’s your point?

Hugo: Well, see, I’m none too sure ‘bout this whole stealin’ thing. A buddy of mine says it’s the only way to make a livin’ but, I dunno.

Torie: Well, your buddy is wrong. You don’t have to steal to make a living. You could open up a shop, or help plow fields. My friends and I are mercenaries. It’s how we live.

Hugo: It never sat right with me anyways. I wanna do som’thin’ better. But, I dunno about working in a shop. I’m real bad with numbers…

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Just your combat numbers, buddy.

Torie: A little. But don’t worry, I’ll help make sure you get plenty of money!

Hugo: Gosh, thanks, Miss…er…

Torie: I’m Torie, what’s your name?

Hugo: I’m Hugo. It sure is swell to meet ya, Miss Torie.

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END DIALOGUE...And now he's on our side!

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Jorin is a very focused man.

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His focus has earned him the highest strength on the team, which is kind of ironic considering he's a sword user. Bandit man here doesn't have very high starting strength!

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I have him go pillage up an iron bow for us.

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Okay, let's get this done.

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Villager: But, axes aren’t too accurate. As a result, sword fighters often have the advantage against them.

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So...he goes on about axes, but then gives us a sword? Okay...

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The crystal sword appears to have no special properties whatsoever, but I can't be sure. Hey Prime, what's the deal with this weapon?

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I'll get you yet, you stupid archer.

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We have to finish off the bandit team!

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Hugo is reluctant to hit his former friends...

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Buck, however, is up to the task.

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Our setup. We're pushing for the finish line.

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But then, more reinforcements!

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Jorin's grown powerful enough to one-round fighters? ...YES!

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Okay Vance, keep up the tankiness, but please don't neglect the other stats!

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Dangit, I wanted to give the kill to someone else!

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Combat happens.

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Almost there!

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More non-magic stats. Do better, cleric!

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Testing...(I don't have a screenie, but the boss doesn't move)

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Hugo gets a very not-bandit level.

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Well, he's the only one left. Next time, the follow-up to Torie and Buck's argument!

HUGO'S GROWTHS:

HP: 85%

Strength: 50%

Skill: 50%

Speed: 30%

Luck: 35%

Defense: 35%

Resistance: 20%

Total: 305%

You know, Hugo's surprisingly not-sucky for being sucky. Fairly good strength, surprisingly good skill, surprisingly okay RES(for a bandit!). His only real flaw is speed. He has the lowest growth of everyone so far, so he'll need to be not-screwed in it or he's in trouble.

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Holy fuck Hugo got speed on his first level up.

Crystal weapons are just generic C-rank weapons. They'll pop up more often later.

So they're more balanced steel weapons? Okay.

Hello everyone, and welcome to...

The Road to Ruin: Episode 3: Wrap-up

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So first, the Buck/Torie follow up talk. You DO need to have the talk from last chapter done to do this one.

Buck: Hey, Torie.

Torie: I don’t want to hear it, Buck! I told you not to talk to me!

Buck: Oh, come on. Look. I just wanted to say that I’m sorry. I…I shouldn’t have said what I did.

Torie: Hmph. Well, I suppose I could forgive you just this once. Perhaps I shouldn’t have said some things too. How about we forgive each other then?

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Buck: Think of it as an “I’m sorry” present.

Torie: Oh…thanks, Buck!

Buck: Sure thing. Anyway, time to see what’s what.

Torie: It sure was nice of him to give me this. Although, I think I would have preferred the money he spent on this instead. Oh well.

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Score! Maybe we should sell it, actually...

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First house...

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Bro: Instead of separating state and military, it’s combined. And instead of one general to lead the army, there’s two. One general oversees domestic affairs, the other combat. And there is no royal bloodline. The King-General is elected from among the two generals. Then, a colonel is promoted up to take the vacant rank. Seems like a very…different way of running a country. Still, no one can deny the strength of mighty Tiryns.

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Babe: There’s Veinwynn, the one who supposedly created the world. She’s the goddess of life, death, and balance. Her church has said that she also created the other goddesses. They then gave detail to the world Veinwynn made. Then there’s Miella.

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Those are some, uh, interesting specialties...

Babe: Any archer or anima user worth their bow or books respects her.

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Faith, harmony, and...stagnation?

Babe: She and Veinwynn seem to be tied for most popular goddess. I guess being the goddess of faith is significant.

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Babe: She’s the goddess of knowledge, power, and change. Bookworks and bodybuilder alike respect her. I’ve heard she and Iona have a bit of a rivalry. So, which goddess do you prefer?

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She asks Vance a question and then he just leaves. Polite. Almost as if it was directed towards the player... Anyways, both those houses give more of the ever-interesting world-building. Next, another talk...

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Torie: Hey Ava! How’s it going?

Ava: I’m fine. Nothing is out of order. We’ve been rather busy of late, it seems.

Torie: Yeah, I know what you mean. Time seems to really be flying by. How long has it been since you joined us?

Ava: I believe about 6 months. I’m curious, how long have you known the others?

Torie: Hmmm…if it’s been about 6 months since we met you then… I must have met Buck and Vance a little less than a year ago. Buck won’t ever say how he met Vance though…

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HMMMMMM...

Torie: Must be pretty embarrassing!

Ava: I see. How did you meet them?

Torie: We all ended up getting hired onto the same job. We were supposed to protect some minor noble as he moved to another city. He had valuables and trinkets, the sort of stuff thugs like.

Ava: Ah. Did you end up running into any difficulties?

Torie: Brigands tried robbing us a bunch of time along the way. But they were mostly just small time thugs. Though there was that guy with a really big axe… He was kind of scary. But, yeah, we made it through just fine. We got to know each other pretty well during the trip. So, I just decided to join up with them. Vance does a pretty good job of finding us work and he and Buck are both friendly guys. Heh, I guess it’s not a very exciting story.

Ava: I found it interesting all the same. Thank you, Torie.

Torie: Sure, no problem! But now you have to tell me some of your stories! I’m not running a charity here!

Ava: Hmm…not just yet, I think. In due time I might but not right now.

Torie: Well, okay. Take your time. Just remember that I’m holding you to it, okay?

Ava: Of course, understood. Shall we rejoin the battle, now?

Torie: Yeah, let’s do it!

Man, so much backstory going on in this chapter! I wonder how long this will continue? Anyways, we need to kill the boss now. But first...

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Ava picks up some stuff with our limited supplies, namely a hand axe and iron lance.

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Hugo can take this guy.

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After Hugo's engagement, I accidentally let him attack Vance. This lets us see the lack of a special conversation.

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After a drawn-out battle, Hugo finishes spectacularly. And gets speed again!

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End cutscene...

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Buck: That’s good. Maybe now we can get some nice R and R.

Vance: …..

Buck: Is something troubling you, Vance?

Vance: Hmm…I wonder what that knight meant about justice.

Ava: Vance, don’t concern yourself with the ravings of the enemy. I’m sure he was simply trying to justify his actions.

Vance: Still…it keeps bugging me. He didn’t seem like a bad guy.

Torie: Well, let’s think about it while we head back. It’s better than just standing around here. Plus, we’ll get our payment quicker!

Vance: Heh. You’re always thinking about money, Torie.

Torie: Of course!

Vance: Alright, let’s go.

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Fade to black...

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Hurrah, finally a different-themed title!

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Hello everyone, and welcome to...

The Road to Ruin: Episode 4 Prelude!

Before I begin, I would just like to state that Road to Ruin has updated to V2.01! The changes are all listed on the main thread for Road to Ruin, so you can go look there. For those too laxy: it fixes some bugs, gives a few characters some growth buffs, and buffs some bases as well(so our units will apparently get ever so slightly stronger due to retroactive buffing!). It also gives Vance's short blade supereffectiveness against cavalry, some extra accuracy, and a lack of sellableness. The growth buffs are typically 5% to a few stats at most(ex: Torie got +5% strength), so I don't feel the need to list them.

The only thing is, I already have all the images for chapter 3, so you won't see any changes until I start playing chapter 4.

Without further ado...

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You just bet they have!

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Uh huh...us getting a break...totally unbelievable...

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We get a cooler-than-normal fadeout.

Then, we enter the map in a way I wasn't able to screencap...

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Torie: What do ya say?

Buck: Well, I know what my answer is…

Vance: You’re always up for a break, Buck. Well, at least you’re consistent. Alright, we’ll break here for a bit. Get some rest, everyone.

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Everybody self-disperses...

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Then Vance walks over to Ava...

Vance: No, sitting still was never my thing. I need to move around or else I get restless.

Ava: That makes you sound…unfocused. It doesn’t suit you.

Vance: I am who I am. If I’m a fidgety person, then that’s that.

Ava: I suppose…

Vance: You seem the same though. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you sit and relax.

Ava: Complacency dulls the senses. I’ve learned to always be on my guard…no matter what.

Vance: Don’t you get tired of always training and being on the edge?

Ava: …Perhaps…But I don’t let it affect my performance. I’m always ready. But, why are you asking me this?

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CANON LOVE INTEREST CONFIRMED

Vance: You may not realize it, but, you don’t say much. Especially not about yourself.

Ava: It’s as you said: I am who I am. If I’m a reserved person, then so be it.

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Vance: I think I might have better luck talking to the trees. They at least creak when the wind howls…

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Uh huh. Guess who's here?

Commandudette: After a mark’s time, we’ll resume our march.

Nohair dude: Yes, ma’am! I’ll inform the others.

Commandudette: We’ll also need a perimeter check.

Hair dude: Of course, lieutenant. Although, if I may…

Commandudette: What is it, private?

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Somehow, that soldier's last line kinda chills me. I mean, think about the MEANING that could have to the war and our actions effectiveness...

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Hair dude: Oh, I see. A two-pronged attack is the plan?

Commandudette: So it would seem and it’s a good plan. To be attacked on two sides… Aksum will have a hard time defending itself.

But, enough chatter. I need a perimeter check.

Hair dude: Yes, ma’am!

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Perimeter check = deploy everybody with us somehow failing to notice.

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It took you that long, Vance?

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He runs in circles for a bit before addressing everybody.

Vance: Sure is. Looks like we ran into some Sybaris scouts. What lousy timing. Time to cut our rest short.

Buck: Man…

Ava: We shall see how long they last.

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Hair dude: Enemy troops to the southeast!

Comandudette: What!? So much for resting… Battle formation, everyone! We meet them head on!

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END DIALOGUE

Okay, this seems like a relatively simple chapter. Let's scan the enemies.

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Surprisingly small numbers. This is a "defeat boss" chapter.

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Here is the first group we're fighting.

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And here is Lucinda's group.

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New icon, but I don't see any droppables.

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Lucinda is another cav unit, and not much tougher than the last one. Her weapons, however, ARE a lot better. We'll have to watch out for that lancereaver.

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Some of the fighters are backing big guns as well.

Okay, that's all for now. No new characters this chapter, but it manages to be interesting nonetheless.

Whew, three updates in one day! A new record for me!

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