Let's play Dragon Warrior III: you mean they made a sequel to that one game with all the instant death monsters?

[Mothra]

Perhaps... the outlanders have much to teach us...

[François]

Before we start, I'd like to point out that this is the 19th update. My DW2 LP had 19 updates total. It's not an exact measure by any means (and DW2 didn't have class selection or the B team) but, dang.



: ...ugh!
: I suddenly miss Muor and Noaniels.
: Heck, I miss Assaram and Isis.



Lava Bashers are about as strong as Sky Dragons, but with a fair bit less HP and defense; they have a 1/8 chance of using a weak fire breath (like Flamapedes) and 1/4 chance of using a stronger Dragon-grade breath weapon. They're predictably immune to fire and weak to ice, and other spell resistances are low or nonexistent. Alvaro can already one-shot them at this point.

Zofia levels up from this fight, for 2 Str, 1 Agi, 4 Vit, 1 Luc, 2 Int, 7 HP, and 5 MP.



Derangers are about as durable as Lava Bashers, but fairly weak. They take two moves every turn, but they have a special non-random AI that makes them follow a specific sequence of actions. Every round causes them to waste an action assessing the situation, but then they'll follow that up by casting Chaos on the first round, Healmore on the second, Chaos again on the third, and delivering a standard attack on the fourth. Needless to say, that can get ugly fast. They're slightly resistant to elemental damage and Limbo, and highly to everything else.









Fierce Bears are a bit stronger than Lava Bashers, with a lot more HP; they ignore formation but only have standard attacks available. They're immune to Surround, but only slightly resistant to Sleep and Beat, and completely vulnerable to all elemental damage. They're definitely worth MP expense to take out before they inflict too much damage on our back lines; I'll be going for both Sleep and Snowblast for this one.





: I think we now know why nobody wants to come down here and take care of this Orochi.

Despite the superficial similarities with the DW2 volcano dungeon where Zed, Glynn and Gwen found the Eye of Malroth, the lava here isn't a damage trap: it is completely impassable, probably because it would kill us.



Welp, it's go time.







We take a bunch of Blaze casts to the face, but Alvaro manages to crit two of them. Nice!



Huh, King Froggores are making a comeback. Their Sleep spell is still easy to underestimate but better one of those than a Deranger.











Four Chaos casts in the first round, and any survivors will cast Healmore on the second; better bring out the big guns early for this one. Isabel does get confused here, which is especially worrying now that she knows Beat and Limbo. Fortunately she only gets off an Infernos this time.





This is a tricky sort of fight. The King Froggore is most able to disable all of us, but Derangers of course are extremely dangerous, and while it's easy to decide to leave the Lava Basher for last, they have a powerful fire breath. It's worth the risky expense of a Blazemore to take out one of the Derangers on the first turn at least.





Gah! We don't want to see that happen very often!







I'm curious about these stairs, but let's check out that room to the east first.





The Noh Mask is a helmet that anyone can equip, and it offers a +255 defense power bonus. It is also extremely cursed, as you probably guessed. I vaguely remember that it makes its wearer permanently confused, but either way I'm not keen on testing it. It sells for 1 gold, so either drop it here, or vault it as the unique souvenir that it is.

On the way back, a Deranger confuses Rebeca, and she drops Bang and a Blaze directly on Isabel.

: Ha! Pay up!
: ...bah.

Rebeca levels up in the following fight, for 1 Str, 2 Agi, 2 Vit, 2 Luc, 3 Int, 3 HP, 7 MP, and two new spells: Bikill and Boom.

For 6 MP, Bikill buffs one ally for the rest of the battle (or until they die), causing the damage of their Fight command to be multiplied by 2. No ifs, buts or maybes, just straight up double damage. It's easily one of the strongest Wizard spells in the game, and in fact if someone intends to change their Wizard to a melee class, waiting until they get their mitts on Bikill is a decent strategy.

Boom is an upgrade to Bang; for 9 MP, it attempts to deal 52 to 67 fire damage to all enemies regardless of grouping. Against equivalent resistances, it's even stronger than Snowblast (42-57 ice damage).

Rebeca could have learned Bikill two levels ago, but this is the first level Boom is available at.

















: Guys, I think we've found Orochi.
: ...huh.
: What a monstrous being!
: I call it a test run for Baramos. Come on!
: Ha! Let's go!

:siren:Video: Orochi:siren:

Orochi initiates the battle as soon as we get close. Alvaro falls early on to its multiple attacks, but a Bikill-powered Zofia and Rebeca's Snowblasts prove more than equal to the task of ending the battle while Isabel does her best to keep them alive. Once the fight is over, Orochi flees through a Travel Door hidden behind its lair.



: Aw crap, Alvaro...
: If this is a test run for Baramos, we'll have to learn from our mistakes.
: And we will. Come on, let's follow that thing through.

Orochi comes in at 120 attack power, which is much more than Kandar but less than a Man-Eater Chest, up to 300 HP and 68 defense, which is higher than most creatures around here but not extraordinarily so. It does get two actions per round, and will either attack or breathe fire as a Sky Dragon would for each. On top of that, it regenerates 90 to 109 HP per turn!

It's immune to fire of course, but only slightly resistant to Sleep, Surround and Sap, and vulnerably to ice and wind.

The Orochi Sword is a unique guaranteed drop, a +63 weapon that Heroes, Soldiers and Sages can equip. It's two points weaker than a Zombie Slasher, so I let Zofia have it, and give her Zombie Slasher to Isabel. It's certainly the Ame-no-murakumo-no-tsurugi, the sacred sword found inside the beast's body, according to Japanese legend. It would later be renamed the Kusanagi-no-tsurugi and become one of the three treasures of the Imperial regalia.

On top of that...



...using the Orochi Sword in battle casts a free Defence effect, attempting to reduce a group's defense power. That'll come in handy for sure.

Oh, and we got a couple levels too. Isabel earned 1 Str, 3 Agi, 2 Vit, 4 Luc, 1 Int, 3 HP, and 3 MP. Zofia earned 4 Str, 3 Agi, 4 Vit, 4 Luc, 2 Int, 6 HP, 4 MP, and her own Firebane spell.

It's a shame that Alvaro missed out on all that experience, but that's how the evil maiden-eating Japanese hydra crumbles.



: You have got to be kidding me.
: Wherever did you get into such a fight?
: We've got bad news for-

: We are not going ANYWHERE.


: HOW DARE-
: Isabel... Alvaro's in bad shape.
: But...!
: We got you, chief. No harm no foul, right?

: No! This doesn't-
: Shhh!
: Right, let's go let's go.



: WHAT are you DOING? If they're monsters, it doesn't matter if they surrender!
: We've got the snake-bitch by the gonads, Isabel.
: We can just get Alvaro taken care of, and nothing will keep us from finishing off Orochi afterward.
: And we're both definitely running out of juice besides.
: ...right. Right, okay. But we need to move before it gets its next sacrifice!
: Absolutely.

If we had the Final Key we could pop in the inn on the mainland, take the Travel Door to the House of Healing in Western Africa and get Alvaro revived there, but we have to Return to Baharata instead.



That's a 450 gold charge.

: ...huh? Did we win?
: Yeah, kinda.
: Almost.
: We need you for the final act, young man. Get ready!



HimikOrochi will remain wounded indefinitely, so you can come back to finish her/it off whenever you like.

: Deal's off, chump. You've been had. Prepare to die.


:siren:Video: Finishing off Orochi:siren:

We win again. "Himiko is the Orochi! That rumor has spread throughout the country like wildfire. And so the day breaks..."

The fight goes much the same way as the last one, except Alvaro survives to reach level 22, for 1 Str, 9 Agi, 4 Vit, 5 Luc, and 7 HP. It's kind of a dick move to have to fight the same boss twice, but you can attempt this second fight at full strength without having to wade through the lava caves, so it's not as dangerous.



There is also a treasure chest left where Orochi was slain.



: I figured assassination was gonna come back on the table sooner or later.
: So... this is one of the Orbs, then.

: It's pretty, but it doesn't do anything.
: Not on its own, at least.
: Right. Anyway, I think this'll count as mission accomplished!








: Oh... That would explain why everyone was so keen on following this monster taking her place.

The "real" Himiko herself is a possibly-mythical shamaness-ruler of ancient Japan, from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. There are Chinese records of her existence (if you're familiar with the era that the Romance of Three Kingdoms book is set in, it might mean something to you that there are records of diplomatic interaction between Queen Himiko and the Wei kingdom under Cao Pi's rule), but the major Japanese historical texts make no clear mention of any such ruler. So either the Chinese made her up, or she was purposefully erased from history by her own people.








: Ha, sorry?
: Zofia, like unto the immortals! I can't say I disagree.








: Surround yourself with people you love, and make each other happy.
: Hmm!
: If that's my only reward, then it's been worth it.
: ...
: Heh, I guess I'm beginning to understand why dad didn't have any money in the Vault.
: At least we got a cool sword and an Orb out of this.








: ...huh.
: I understand why you did what you did, but...
: Well, I hope she turns out alright.



Aaaand that's it for our Nippongese adventure! Or... almost it. There were a few paths in Orochi's cave we didn't get to explore, so let me get to that right quick.



Well I'll be! A Lava Basher dropped a Leaf of the World Tree! Just as it was in DW2, this consumable will raise one ally from the dead. This is a 1 in 128 drop, so that's pretty cool.



This fancy altar has nothing special on it.



Aaaand that's a dead end.



We didn't miss anything after all, but that Leaf made it worth coming back for sure! Rebeca takes us Outside, we Return to the Vault in Aliahan, drop off the Purple Orb and the Noh Mask, and Return again to Portoga.



: So, Eginbear!
: You ever been, Isabel?
: Not even once! In fact, you've all been everywhere I've been by now.
: Huh. That feels a little strange to hear, to be honest.
: Have you heard anything about the place, at least?
: Oh I knew it by name, I traveled with a few warriors from there a while back, but they didn't speak of it much.
: It must be kind of a hole.
: I suppose we'll see.











Yep, that's Great Britain and Ireland right there.



: Huh, it's not such a hole after all.




: I wonder what makes it so histo-
: Yokels aren't welcome here! No sword, no shield, no service!
: ...what?
: Are you for real? Do you have eyes in your head? Get out of my way!



: You're lucky my comrades are making me soft, or this place would already be a blazing inferno!



Despite what the guard says, your entire party can be covered in swords and shields and swordshields, he still won't let you in.

: What a twort.
: I suppose now we know why we brought an Invisibility Herb.
: I still can't believe that old man's ghost knew we'd need this. The visions of the dead... how frightening.





We are now completely invisible, even to ourselves, which makes walking around a touch difficult. But we only need to bypass this one stubborn sentry.







: Heheh.



We'll have to wait for the Herb to wear off before we can accomplish anything in here.





The guard at the entrance says nothing different even though we're clearly on the side that means he's getting fired. He'll let us leave, but not come back in.








: It better not be in some other place. We did hear it was here, right? Not just to come here for another clue?
: Pretty sure, yeah.



: Ah, maybe that's what the Vase is for.
: It would be nice to have slightly better directions than "shoals in the ocean", though.




: We actually know what swords and shields look like, so yeah, we must be foreigners.


: No duh.





I think this is the first castle in the series with a bed for a king. (The Queen of Isis had her bed, of sorts, and of course Princess Halla of Cannock had her own bedroom as well.)













Which is to say, the Sioux, of course.


: How nice of you, yer Majesty.

This snooty-ass king has access to the Imperial Scrolls of Honor, which is good because Portoga's king is still high on pepper and didn't save for us.

: Be off with you then Zofia!



: At least it's refreshing to meet a king who doesn't want me to do odd jobs for him.





Huh, that's new.









The room directly to the east is the king and princess' chambers. Let's check out this garden.




: If you fail, you should go out of the basement and try again.

Remember that boulder we pushed all the way back in Reeve? Yyyup.



Welp, dead end, let's head back.








: Not the shrine in Lancel for sure, though.
: Right, it must be that sunken shrine somewhere in the ocean.







Ah, that's some basic Sokoban right there. Let's see...



We maneuver the three boulders around so they each cover one of the blue and white tiles in the north. A secret passage opens.



: Hmm! Nice work, Zofia!
: Decent pushing, too!
: Ha, don't mention it.





: Well I'll be. We didn't even have to kill anything to get it!
: That's nice and all but we still don't know where to use it.
: In due time, I suppose.

I don't expect we'll ever have a reason to come back here, so we might as well see if anything's different at night right away. However, using the Lamp of Darkness warps us to the entrance of the castle, so we actually have to Return to Lancel for another Invisibility Herb. Both Lancel and Eginbear are on the Return destination list though, so it doesn't take long.







: Isn't it a little strange that they're both sleeping in-
: Yup.
: Hmm-mmm.
: Maybe more than a little.





As we enter the throne room...






: Easy there, we don't actually care.
: Can you keep it to yourself?
: Sure.
: If you do, I'll tell you this instead. On the shore of the continent to the west is a small field surrounded by trees. I'd go there and see what I find.







So! We still don't know where exactly we need to use the Vase of Drought, but we'll have it whenever we do find the place, and we got ourselves a few nudges towards exploring America besides. With only a single Orb in our hands, and with the mystery of the volcano unsolved, we can only hope this new continent holds answers for us.

[François]

: So, where are we going next?
: Well, we've been pointed towards the west for sure, to Soo, and another mysterious area.
: Yeah, but I'm actually curious about the northern coast of the continent we're already familiar with.
: Ah, east of Noaniels maybe?
: Exactly. If there's nothing there, at least we'll know. All in favor?
: Of course.
: Sure.
: Which way is going to involve the least sea travel again?
: It's hard to say, Alvaro, but we already know at least a portion of that coast will be explorable on foot!
: Well then, I propose we do exactly as you suggest!



We Return to Noaniels, and our ship is conveniently teleported just to the east here. The sea monsters are a lot less intimidating now that Zofia has the Orochi Sword and Isabel has the Zombie Slasher; they can both take out Marine Slimes without difficulty.



These are the shoals that we saw on our exploration east of Noaniels a while back. All the lands east of the river should be new, so let's investigate the region.





Old Hags have physical stats on par with creatures in Orochi's cave and western Africa, but their threat is in their spellcasting ability, with Firebane, Healmore, and Limbo (!!!). They're highly resistant to fire, ice, Beat and RobMagic, slightly to Sleep, StopSpell, and Limbo, and not at all to wind.

Elysium Birds are pretty similar in strength to Fierce Bears, but a fair bit sturdier. They get two actions per round, but can only "assess the situation", cast Healus (a group-targeting healing spell) or flee. They're not especially dangerous by themselves, but several other monsters are fond of calling on them for support. They're slightly resistant to most magic, but almost immune to Beat, and vulnerable to Limbo.

We take a couple Firebanes to the face before Isabel manages to seal the Hags' magic (Zofia's Magic Armor is helping a lot!), but Alvaro crits the Bird and the rest goes smoothly.





Heading to the south we run into some Noaniels-grade enemies, so traveling here isn't completely torturous.





Avengers are as strong as Orochi, and a bit tougher to bring down than Elysium Birds. They have a moderate chance to roll crits, and can call for other Avengers to join the fight. They're slightly resistant to fire, ice, wind, Limbo and Beat, and highly resistant to Surround and Sleep.

Rebeca levels to 24 from this fight, for 1 Str, 3 Agi, 3 Vit, 2 Luc, 4 Int, 7 HP, and 6 MP.









The building to the south here is the lonely inn north of the eastern side of Bolef's Path. That shrine on the island in the Black Sea here is new to us, though. We'll have to look for a waterway further east to get there.



Bomb Crags come with up to 500 HP, which is the highest we've seen so far, but they have 0 attack and 0 defense. They have two actions per turn, but usually just waste them on assessing the situation. However, the longer the fight goes on, the more likely they are to cast Sacrifice, blowing themselves up and wiping out our entire party in the process. They're vulnerable to all elemental damage, but highly resistant to Expel and completely immune to anything else we might want to cast on them.

If it was alone here, I'd take a chance, but with the Hags around casting Firebane and Healmore, it's way too dangerous. I'll go for one Ironize cast instead, then try to run. I'm not sure if Ironize will protect us from Sacrifice, but I suspect it might.

We fail to run immediately coming off of Ironize, and something unpleasant happens in the enemies' free round.



Limbo landed on Isabel. She was "sent flying into the distance". She's not dead. She's just gone. A successful Limbo cast on one of our companions will literally knock them out of our party. That's all the more reason to try to escape!



: Oh crap! Isabel! ISABEL!
: ISABEL!

They don't come back after the battle either. They're straight up gone.

: Rebeca! You've been brushing up on your clairvoyance, right? Can you-
: Eh, no need, she's probably fine.
: How can you say something like that? I'm already sick with worry!
: She's a smart woman, I'm sure she can get her hands on a pair of Wings somewhere and wait for us.
: Hmm... where-
: Oh! If it's anywhere, it's at Luisa's Place.
: Seems like a safe bet!







: Ha! Aren't you guys a sight for sore eyes?
: Good grief but you gave us a good scare.
: All's fine in the end, I suppose. Shall we go back?
: Whew, sure.

So, yeah, Limbo sends your party member to Luisa's Place. It doesn't cost anything to get them back but it does cut your current trip short. Fortunately Heroes are immune to Limbo, so at least we don't have to worry about that.

While we're here, we deposit 18000 gold at the Vault. We definitely don't want to lose 9k to a Bomb Crag.



We've still got a lot to explore on foot in that region, so we Return to Noaniels and pick up where we left off.



Oooh, a castle. There must be another way through that mountain range.

Isabel levels up off a fight with Avengers and an Elysium Bird, for 1 Agi, 3 Vit, 4 Luc, 4 Int, 8 HP, 7 MP, and a new spell. It looks like she's hit the Strength cap for Pilgrims here. Anyway, she now knows Vivify! For 10 MP, Vivify attempts to revive a dead ally with half their max HP. It only has about a 50% success rate though, so it might end up being pretty MP-intensive.





Grizzlies are a fair bit stronger and more durable than even Orochi was, though they only have up to 110 HP; their attacks ignore formation and have a low chance to roll crits. They're highly resistant to ice, but only slightly to fire, Sleep, Sap, Surround and Limbo, so disables are going to be worth the expense.



Zofia levels up off a pair of Hags, for 2 Str, 2 Agi, 2 Vit, 2 Luc, 1 Int, 3 HP, and 3 MP.



Huh, there's no way to that castle on foot after all. Maybe we'll find a Travel Door somewhere...











So that region was kind of a bust. Let's head down that river we saw in the southeast next.



Tentacles are not nearly as strong as Grizzlies, but they're easily the strongest sea monsters we've seen yet, with up to 200 HP but very low defense. They can only attack, but they ignore formation and have a 50% chance per round of taking a second action. They're only slightly resistant to ice, Beat, Sleep, Surround and Limbo though, so feel free to disable them in whatever way you seem fit. Beat is usually the obvious choice, but it's also the most expensive choice.





: ...huh. Okay.




: Eh? Is that cat...?
: Yes meow!
: I'm not sure what you think-

: Gah!
: Thank you meow!
: Well then.
: How did you-
: I'm a witch, Fia. Do the math.
: Can you speak to all cats?
: Only if they feel like talking.

If you answer no...




: Oh! Wow! I'm Zofia! I'm glad to meet you!
: They say that Ortega died when he fell into a volcano's crater, but I can't believe it.
: ...
: I... didn't want to believe it either. But...
: I suppose if anyone could survive falling into a volcano, it would have been him.



: You ever heard of that guy?
: No, not at all. Dad didn't really talk about his travels.
: That's odd.
: I presume he thought his home was the only place in the world where he didn't have to bring everyone else's problems.
: ...yeah, maybe.
: So, are we trying to find whatever's between those mountains?
: I'm curious about that, but the monsters here are getting dangerous. I don't want to turn back necessarily, but if this river can take us to the inn we visited on the way to Baharata, it'll be worth the detour.





Hades' Condors aren't particularly strong for this region, but they can take a licking and keep on ticking. This is especially unfortunate because they have about a 1 in 3 chance to cast Limbo on their turn. They're highly resistant to StopSpell, and slightly to fire, Beat, Sleep, Surround and RobMagic.









We weren't especially low on MP yet, but it's still a relief to have this inn nearby.



Alright then, let's check out that island shrine.



As we try to cross this strait, "a plaintive voice can be heard", a short, creepy music piece plays, and our ship is shoved back east.

: Aaaaugh!
: What... what happened?
: Is this another curse?
: Ugh, I don't know for sure, but we're definitely not getting to that shrine.
: Gah. Let's see about those mountains, then.



Alvaro levels up here, for 7 Str, 1 Agi, 4 Vit, 3 Luc, 1 Int, and 6 HP.



: You think this is one of those mountains?
: Hmm. Probably.
: Soooo... where are the others, then?
: Only one way to find out, I suppose.

We try going straight east.



Lethal Armors aren't quite as strong as Grizzlies, but they have a ton of defense and fairly high HP. They mostly just use regular attacks, but they have just enough MP for a single Defence cast. They're highly resistant to fire, Sap and Sleep, weak to ice, and slightly resistant to anything else we care about.



Sometimes though, all it takes is an exposed joint.





: So that'll be another.
: Better find at least a third.
: Let's go back to roughly the middle of those two, then head south.
: Aight, sounds like a plan.



: I bet there's a fourth one in the north, but we should have all the information we need to find what we're looking for.



: Hmm...
: I don't get it, this should be the spot.
: Well, we did come here on a cat's suggestion.
: Cats don't lie! When they don't want to say the truth, they say nothing.
: Unless... they're not actually cats.
: ...oh. Huh. Yeah, okay.
: No, wait... that tree...



: What are you-



: It's the World Tree!
: Wow!
: Right, it's the same... Well spotted.
: Eh... Dad showed me one of its leaves when I was a little kid. It's a pretty distinctive shape.

So, yeah, the World Tree is a more of a hassle to find this time around, but if you don't have a Sage or Pilgrim in your party, you definitely want to go through all this trouble. Of course you can still only have one in your inventory.



Alright then. We make another trip to the nearby inn, and start seeing about exploring the rest of this region. The combat's getting real tough and MP-intensive, especially since it's all a huge forest!



Oh, this guard isn't here during the day.



We've seen that it's true, but we'll need more info to get there.









That's the Tower of Garuna; we'll be in the Muor region soon.





Oh dang, taking out three of a set of four Metal Slimes earns us 4140 experience and a chest! It's... an Agility Seed. You can technically farm all kinds of Seeds from rare drops, but you probably don't want to.

Rebeca gains a level from this, for 1 Str, 5 Agi, 4 Vit, 7 Luc, 4 Int, 8 HP, 10 MP, and two new spells. For 8 MP, Bounce sets up a protective barrier around the user (and only the user), causing all spell effects aimed at them to target their original caster instead. This includes friendly magic though, so beware. And for 12 MP, Day-Night... changes day into night and night into day. Surprise!

Isabel levels to 25 a couple fights later, for 1 Str, 2 Agi, 4 Vit, 4 Luc, 4 Int, 7 HP, and 7 MP. Even with this she's still five HP behind Rebeca.









Oof. Nnnnnope. We're running.

Zofia reaches level 25 from a fight with a Hag, Grizzly and Lethal Armor, for 2 Str, 2 Agi, 4 Vit, 4 Luc, 3 Int, 7 HP, and 4 MP. Alvaro's literally two levels behind everyone at this point; losing some of the Orochi experience really hurt.



Aaaand I won't bore you with the middle of this region, it's all forests.



That does it for Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, except for those three unreachable areas. Time to cross the Atlantic, then!



We rest up in Portoga and just... head west!











Iiiii think that's meant to be Florida. We heard about the western continent from Eginbear, so let's head north up the coast to reach the same latitude.





:This might be what the Eginbear chancellor-
: Yes yes sounds good let's go.









: It's a nice enough spot, but I'm not sure why anyone would cross the ocean for this.



: Maybe this guy can tell us.


: Hmm, I can think of worse locations.
: Once a town is built it will be a good thing for everyone. But I'll need some merchants. Even if someone's level is low, if they become a merchant I won't mind. Any takers?
: Yyyyyeah, no.



: He looked pretty desperate there.
: I'm not becoming a merchant.
: Me either.
: Definitely not.
: If he'll just take any schmuck who knows his numbers, we might be able to find someone at Luisa's Place.

: ...whew.
: Hmm?
: I... Hmm. Somehow I feel like I barely avoided something terrible. Strange.

So yeah, this dude wants a Merchant, any Merchant. That said, if you've got a Merchant in your regular party, absolutely do not let them settle here, they'll be gone forever. Just get a level 1 nobody from Aliahan; there is no benefit to bringing a powerful character here.








: Oh. Hmm. Not sure how much sense that makes, but, fine. Are any of you okay with sitting this trip out?
: Can you cast Return to get back there?
: Nnnnope.
: Have a good trip! Don't take too long!
: Ha, okay then. Take it easy!
: Alright! Any of you bozos can add 2 and 2 together?
: Knowing to buy low and sell high would also be good.
: I have studied commerce and accounting at the finest-
: Good enough, let's go.
: Heya. I'm Zofia.
: Pancho. Are you Ortega's daughter?
: That I am!
: Fascinating!



: I've heard about your noble quest! If there's any way my talents can help you defeat the terrible Archfiend-
: Hahaha ha ha haaaaa!
: Actually we're just helping someone start a new town.
: Oh! Is the Archfiend problem sorted out, then?
: No, no no, we're actually just going to keep working on the Archfiend business while you help someone start a new town.
: Are you okay with that?
: It's... not what I expected. But if that's how I can help...
: Everyone's got a part to play, my good man.

We Return to Portoga with our new temp, and set sail immediately.



: So begins Operation Keep Pancho Alive.
: ...eh?
: Well, we don't strictly need him alive all the way, right Isabel?
: Wh-
: Ah, maybe so, but I'd rather not put him through too much if it can be helped.
: What have I gotten myself into?
: You knew the dangers when you signed up.
: I did not! I still don't!
: Hope you're a quick learner!





Well I'll be, we didn't actually run into any monsters on our way back! It's Pancho's lucky day!



: We're back! And we brought Pancho! He's the best merchant we could find!
: I'm... flattered?

: You won't take me back to Aliahan if I refuse, will you?
: No freeloaders.
: Come on, Reb, we're not kidnappers here. Besides, we need to pick Alvaro up again either way.
: Well, it might be exciting to build a new town, in the end. And this is an ideal location for sure.

: It's for the best.
: Oh, I'm grateful. From this day forward Pancho and I shall start to build a town together!



The game's smart enough not to screw you out of vital quest items or expensive equipment.


: No... problem?
: Hey, he got a free trip across the ocean and didn't even die once!
: I'll never forget our travels together!
: Okay, you can ease up on the sass a little.


: In the village of Soo, in the middle of this continent, there is a well. Check the area around it carefully.

If we leave and come back...




: Good grief!
: Maybe lay off on the larded tea, man.
: I'm building a shop here now.

Alright, that'll do it. We'll be checking back with Pancho every once in a while, but for now I'll pick Alvaro back up again, and next time we'll explore America in search of the Soo people!

[Friday]

CAN REB TALK TO HORSES TOO?!?!

[François]

: Wait, you mean there are people who can't?

[François]

: So, did it work out with that merchant?
: It took a bit of doing, but it sure looks like that town's getting built.
: Did Luisa get any good stuff shipped in while we were gone?
: I heard something about trade reopening with Romaly, but I didn't stick around, I couldn't tell you. I just went back home and caught my mother up on what we've been doing. And yours too, Zofia.
: Oh! That's... very thoughtful of you.
: Yes, well, they've been worried sick, so I figured it's the least I could do.
: Gah, we'll have to make it up to them when we're done.
: Heh, as if saving the world from the Archfiend won't count.
: That's not how a mother's heart works, Rebeca.
: ...I guess I wouldn't... I mean, yeah maybe.







Oooh, Pancho's done building the first shop.



: Not the best selection, but it would be silly to expect more than this.


: Nice work! I didn't realize you were also a mason.




Our next destination is Soo, which we've learned would be in the center of North America. But we can't go any further inland than this, and the east cost is covered in mountains all the way to Florida. Maybe we can find the Mississippi?



Welp, there it is. That bit of land in the southwest is probably the Yucatan peninsula.





: Hmm. You guys have any good feelings about any of these forks?
: Nnnah.
: Nope.
: We could go east to west?
: Good enough for me.







: Alright, looks like we're on foot from here.



Blue Beaks are a fair bit weaker than the enemies we ran into in Russia; they might be about on par with those in the Dhama/Muor regions, if a touch sturdier. They have a 50% chance on every turn to take a second action, and each of these has about a 1 in 3 chance of being an Infernos cast. Their spell resistances are extremely bad, with slight resistance to wind, Beat, and disables. They have 16 MP and RobMagic will always work, so you can think of them as Wizard recharge stations.

More remarkably though, Blue Beaks have a 1 in 2048 chance of dropping a Book of Satori, and are in fact the only enemy in the game that can do so.





Welp, Isabel was sent flying again. Hades' Condors are assholes.



We've probably found Soo at least, but we can't get to it from here on account of, you know, Lake Michigan. We'll get there on our next trip for sure, but first we need to get Isabel back.



: Your mother truly is a delightful woman, Zofia.
: I know, right? I would expect no less from Ortega's wife!
: Yeah, she's... she's got her moments.





: Well dang!
: Would you look at that.




: I'm as surprised as you are!





Oooh, an extremely cheap inn, and run by the first female innkeep since Zahan in DW2!








: Good grief, you work fast!
: I'm beginning to think it was a good idea to get you on this project.
: What is this place going to be?

: Oooh, that's promising.
: We'll leave you to it, then. See you!






: Seeing how quickly it's been happening, it's really Pancho you should thank.









Still not a spectacular selection, but it's getting there!









Merzoncians hit a fair bit harder than Blue Beaks, but are easier to take down. They can also cast IceBolt and Healmore. They're highly resistant to ice, Beat and Sleep, but only slightly to fire, StopSpell, Surround and RobMagic.



Oooh, Nom Zoms. They have no remarkable stats for this region, but they do have the "gang up" AI that we saw on Demon Anteaters all the way back in the Cave of Enticement, and they hit hard enough to worry Isabel and Rebeca. Their attacks can inflict poison, they can breathe poison gas, and they can also call on Voodoo Shamans for help (we haven't seen those yet, but they're a variant on Witch Doctors). They're immune to Sleep and only slightly resistant to Expel as undead tend to be, but they have no resistance to elemental damage.











: Well, looks like we found the place.
: You think they'll have any useful info for us?
: If nothing else they might be able to direct us to any points of interest in this region.









: Wait, didn't we hear... Wasn't there something about the well here?
: Oh, right! Let's see...



: Huh!
: Well that's a strange place for it.
: I suppose the one I used might not be the only one in the world.
: Or maybe it is, and it took a strange turn or two.
: Either way, it's in good hands now.

The Staff of Thunder is a +30 weapon that Sages and Wizards can equip, though it's arguably better to have either the Poison Needle or the Staff of Force equipped.

However, as you may expect...



Despite what this description might lead you to believe, the Staff of Thunder actually delivers somewhere around 30 to 40 fire damage, making it akin to a free Firebane cast.


: If you... say so?




: Yes, there is! But it hasn't been there for very long.
: Oh! That's great!

If you tell him there is not...

: Long, long ago people left this village to go there to build a town and have never returned.

Ah, so it's not a case of European settlers just barging in uninvited, then. That's a relief.





Rrrrright.

: ...eh!?
: If you find the Vase of Drought, use it in the shoals of the western ocean.
: Okay, I am definitely dreaming.
: Nope, this is real.
: A talking horse is hardly the strangest thing we've seen in our travels, Isabel. There was a talking cat just a few days ago.
: But a talking horse who can tell us where to use the Vase of Drought...?
: Nothing would stop a talking horse from being very knowledgeable, I suppose.





So Greenland of course.

: They say a great wizard lives on a field on that island.
: Hmm, it sounds like he'll be worth a visit.
: I wonder if he might have been part of Ortega's quest somehow.
: Only one way to find out.





That's pretty cheap, considering how far we've come.







: ...is it?
: Why wouldn't it be? It's not like we still needed it once the Crests were found.
: Is Zofia going to have to find Crests too?
: Well they should all be in one place at least.
: Unless they're different Crests.
: ...oh. Right.


: Dad wasn't much of a rider, but, yeah, sure!



That's another place to buy Invisibility Herbs from, in case your travels didn't take you to Lancel first.




: Oh! That'll come in handy for sure!
: We better keep an eye out for towers then.

: Welp, that explains that.




: However, someone who come here many moons ago from across the eastern ocean take vase away.

Damn you, NotBritish Empire!



: Oof. It's a shame we need it so much.
: We'd better bring it back when we're done with it.
: Right.





Oh hey, Poison Needles for sale! I didn't remember there was more than one in the world! It's only useful if you have more than one Wizard, though. And this is the first place Flashy Clothes are sold in, in case you didn't find the ones in the Pyramid, or... you have multiple Goof-offs. Ouch.



And that's it for this place. The wonky grammar miiiiiight be a little bit racist in hindsight, but, well, 1992.



: Looks like we're heading for Greenlad, then.
: We could explore this region a little further at least, in case that tower with the flute inside is nearby.
: Aight, good call. Let's get to it.





Alvaro levels up off two Hades' Condors and two Witch Doctors, for 2 Agi, 6 Vit, 4 Luc, 1 Int, and 10 HP. He didn't bump against the Agility cap this time, it was just a crummy roll. Maybe next time will be better.

That was a good chunk of Canada right there. Let's head back to the river.











That's all of North America we can reach from the Mississippi basin, but there's no tower in sight. Greenlad it is, then.





We stop by Pancho's town at night. It hasn't grown bigger yet. I'm not sure what triggers the next phase, but I suspect it depends on accomplishing other things around the world.







: Wait, there was a Sword of Gaia too?
: If that arms merchant had it, he might have let you have it at some point if you hadn't behaved the way you did.
: Hey, we parted on good terms.
: That's an interesting way to look at it.







: SEE HOW YOU LIKE IT, YOU RAT BASTARDS! KISS MY ASS!
: Whoa dang, that nun can hold a grudge!









I think this small area on the mainland there is meant to be Québec. Gens du pays, c'est votre tour... That could mean this island is Newfoundland.









: Huh. The only great wizard here is me, and you guys didn't need to come all the way here for us to have a talk.
: He might live further north.
: Or through these Travel Doors. Let's check 'em out.







: Oh, that's the tunnel from Romaly to Portoga.
: This would have been more convenient if we didn't know Return, or couldn't find Wings of the Wyvern. Or if these doors weren't locked.
: It's still interesting to see that such far away places used to be connected like this.
: The war must have changed all that.





: Hmm, this place is new to us.
: Not that it makes a difference right now.







That's the inn on the south shore of the Black Sea. Let's try that other Door here.



: Is that...?
: Looks like it.
: Ugh, this is pointless.
: Yeah, but not for much longer, I bet. Let's look for that wizard, and then we can head west to find these shoals.





: Looks like that might be the place.
: I'm almost starting to miss Orochi's cave.
: I can set you on fire if it'll help.
: Pass!
: Let's just keep an eye out for something unusual.







Bighorns have comparable stats to creatures in Orochi's cave; they ignore formation and can breathe sleeping gas. They're slightly resistant to fire, ice, Beat and Sleep.

Glacier Bashers are more akin to Siberian monsters, with fairly high Strength and HP. Their attacks ignore formation and they have a small chance to breathe sleeping gas, but they usually breathe the same blizzard breath as Demonites do instead. They're predictably immune to ice and vulnerable to fire, but also highly resistant to Sleep and Beat. Casting Blazemore and Boom are excellent ideas, though even Blazemore won't one-shot them.

Most interestingly, Glacier Bashers are the first monsters possibly carrying a +8 Mysterious Hat, at 1 in 128 odds. It has the same defense bonus as a Turban, but it is the best headgear for Wizards (even better than the Golden Crown!) and it can't be bought or found anywhere; just as in DW2, you have to get them from drops.



: That's gotta be it.





We walk straight north for several screens. I don't know if that's the right way, but it's the direction we were facing when we arrived.

: This is beginning to look like a waste of-
: No, wait, look! Over there!



: Huh, alright then.




: How long has it been?
: Let me see. When was the last time? It was that time the pirates came and left a strange bone.
: A bone?

: Nope. Reb, is that more your domain?
: I know the name but I couldn't tell you anything useful.
: With that staff you can change your shape into anything you like. I hear tell that the king of Samanao has it.

If you answer yes...

: Hmm, that might come in handy someday. We'll have to keep an eye out for it.




: I wonder if he'd reward us for bringing it to him.
: What could he possibly have to trade it for?
: That... pirate bone? I guess?
: Bones aren't exactly hard to find.
: Still, if that man really is a great wizard, it might have some sort of hidden power.
: Either way, we don't really know where Samanao is, do we?
: Oof, right, good point.







Welp, that's all of Greenlad, in case we expected anything more.

: Time to find that sunken shrine, then.
: In the western ocean, was it?



: That... that's a lot of ocean.
: We could just sail west from here until we reach the east coast of the other continent, then a little south and back east, and so on.
: Dang, this is going to take forever.
: Considering we've received our last clue from a talking horse, I doubt we'll find more accurate directions.
: Are you going to be okay, Alvaro? We can take you to Aliahan if you-
: No, no, that's... Thank you, but I'll manage. Besides, I suspect we'll need all available pairs of eyes for this.
: Ha, good point. You're doing well, Al.
: Let's just say I'm inspired, is all.
: Aight then, let's get this show on the road.





















: Zofia! Zofia! There!
: Hmm...? Oh!
: Do you think these might be-
: It's gotta be. Wake up the others, I'll get us closer.
: Be careful, alright?
: Always!



: So this is it, then.
: It's definitely a bit odd, at least.
: Welp, here goes nothing.



Zofia sets the Vase of Drought afloat on the surface of the ocean, revealing the shoals to be mountaintops, surrounding a shrine.

: ...amazing!
: Huh. Wow.
: Well then, shall we enter?
: Right, just a moment... I'm bringing us in.





: If that chest is locked, I'm blowing this whole place up.
: Do wait until we're back out, dear.
: No promises!



Aaaand here we are. That's the Final Key. It can open every door in the world.

Guess what we're doing next time!

[Friday]

I think this small area on the mainland there is meant to be Québec. Gens du pays, c'est votre tour... That could mean this island is Newfoundland.

Ah, you learned English from Dragon Warrior games, and now I'm learning French from your LPs.

Full circle!

To Google Translate!

Gens du pays, c'est votre tour | Locals, it's your turn

Fair enough.

Fun fact: You can find the shoals for the Final Key by Returning to Aliahan and sailing directly south. I stumbled upon that bit of info the first time I played and it's how I've found those damn things ever since. IIRC, there's no other clue to their location, at all, besides the vague "western ocean" given to you by Ed.

[François]

Fair enough.

Heh, it didn't occur to me how little there is to that line out of context. It's from our unofficial national anthem.



People of the country, it's your turn to speak of love!

Fun fact: You can find the shoals for the Final Key by Returning to Aliahan and sailing directly south. I stumbled upon that bit of info the first time I played and it's how I've found those damn things ever since. IIRC, there's no other clue to their location, at all, besides the vague "western ocean" given to you by Ed.

Oh dang yeah, that'll be a useful shortcut. I'm so stuck in the perspective of the party knowing only what they've been told that I didn't think to look for a simpler way.

[Friday]

Oh, okay. I thought it was just like "this is where i'm from, it's your turn to be on the map".

Like if I was playing and went by Northern California and wrote "Hella norcal bros, it's your turn to be on this hella sick map."

Pretty nice song, by the way!

[François]

: Huh.
: Such a small thing...
: Do you think it really works?
: Yeah, I can feel its magic from here. That's no ordinary key.
: An object like this truly belongs in a shrine at the bottom of the ocean.
: If it helps us get closer to Baramos, it's going to be a good thing we brought it back either way.



: ...oh!
: Should we...?
: It doesn't seem malicious.
: But it was also locked away at the bottom of the ocean. Get ready to blast him, will you Reb? Just in case.
: You say that like I'm not always half a second from setting something on fire.




: All misfortunes emanate from that pit.
: Well we're going to have to put a stop to that, won't we?







There's nothing else in this shrine.











: We have the rest of the western continent to explore, but I think we can take some time to open a few doors, can't we?
: I am most curious about the shrine in Lancel, or maybe that one large House of Healing we saw through the Travel Doors.
: We've been seeing barred gates for a long time, though. Maybe we should check on the places we've been to already before we mess around with new areas.
: Right, it'll probably be less complicated to start in Aliahan and work our way back.
: Yeah, that's my thinking too.
: Alright then, fair enough. Let's get going.



I expect we'll find a bunch of items all over the place, so we're Vaulting stuff to make room, including the Magic Key and Vase of Drought. Unfortunately there is no process for returning the Vase to the Soo, and the game won't let us sell or discard it there (or anywhere).

Alright then, checking my notes... the first iron bars we ran into were in Aliahan's jail.



: I can't help but wonder if this is wise.
: It can pay to have friends in low places, especially when your foes are even lower.

: It worked out for us!


: Yeah, well, you're not getting another chance after this, so you better straighten up.
: They say there is a castle somewhere where the Dragon Queen lives.
: Hmm.
: Dragons are no friends to humans, but they're certainly no friends to Archfiends either.
: She might be worth a visit then, if we can find her.

Bakor has nothing new to say, so we're free to proceed. Do you remember the secret exit to the Cave on the Promontory, close to Reeve?





That one would be pretty easy to forget!







Ah, that's the lighthouse across the strait of Gibraltar from Portoga. Welp, we can scratch that one off the list too. Next stop: Romaly.



This dude is still talking about Kandar gathering accomplices, so he's clearly got nothing for us. For here, there are no new locked doors for a while, until... that inn south of the Black Sea.



We know the eastern door connects to that island shrine north of Canada, but the one in the north is new.




: Cripes, it'd be nice to hear of even one love story that ends well one of these days.
: But they say that even now she cries out to ships that pass to call them back.
: It's true... We've heard her voice.
: If someone were to offer her an item belonging to her beloved, Errol, her soul might be released. Rumor has it that the ship in which Errol sailed also wanders as a phantom.

: Ooooooh! A ghost ship!

: Well, now we know how to get past that eerie force, but...
: Errol's phantom ship could be anywhere.
: We learned about the Final Key from a dead man. I'm sure there's a clue out there.

Alright, the next door to unlock is in Muor. That'll be a bit of a hike, but we can Return to Jipang and cast Repel, so it won't be any trouble.





: Oh.
: There might still be something here. Let's have a real good look.



: ...huh.
: This would appear to be an ordinary courtyard.
: Can't win them all, I suppose.
: So, Lancel it is, then?
: Hmm... Yeah, that's it. Aight, let's move it.

It looks like most iron bars we've seen so far are indeed protecting access to Travel Doors going around the world. It's a lot of effort to design a system that's made superfluous by how Return works now, so I wonder if being able to choose your teleport destination was something that made it in late in development.



: Well that sure took a while.




: The Echoing Flute will certainly come in handy.
: Oof, yeah. We better go back to explore that western continent soon.







: The companions I've parted with?
: Did you have a crew before us?
: No, I-
: Maybe he means Pancho.
: Huh.
: He's building a nice town. In a sense, he already has helped fulfill our hopes.

I wonder if he says anything different before you get a merchant to that old man.






: She's going after an Archfiend. You wouldn't find more courage in one person if you searched for a hundred years.

: I don't want to fight alone. I want to fight with my friends.
: I respect your honesty! You may leave.



: Well this sucks.
: Actually, this is ridiculous, I'll go.
: Alvaro, I respect your skill, but if this place is half as dangerous as it seems, you'll have to ask them permission to bring along a wheelbarrow of Medical Herbs.
: Ah... well, maybe so...
: I'm definitely not fighting alone either.
: But now that I think of it, I could take care of myself...
: Except if things go wrong, you can't teleport out.
: Hmm...
: I'm going in. I can heal myself some, and you guys know I can handle that sword alright.
: Absolutely!
: Wait a minute...
: Eh?



: Just in case, right?
: Ah, good thinking.
: So it's decided, then?
: Don't be reckless, Fia.
: Yeah, yeah.
: I'm serious!
: I know. I'll come back to you, one way or another.







Come to think of it, Alvaro's the only one of us who's ever fought alone, back in the Pyramid when he was the sole survivor of a Man-Eater Chest battle.









Welp, I have no idea if we're ready for this, but we're never going to know if we don't give it a shot.

The game doesn't let you cast Return from this portion of the overworld, so you can't ditch your party in Lancel and just get another at Luisa's.



We have to watch out for Sleep casts and criticals, but if this is the caliber of foes awaiting us in here, we might be okay. Firebane takes care of the Hares, but Zofia can't always one-shot Rogue Knights yet, so their summoning Healers makes the fight last a bit too long for my tastes. Fortunately they don't deal more than 4 damage per attack, so I'm real happy we picked up that Magic Armor.

















Alright, we've upgraded to Dhama monsters. Better not waste time with that Metal Slime, though. Zofia can one-shot Simiacs, but they hit for around 14 damage and their ability to call for reinforcements makes them more dangerous than I expected.









Oof, I'm glad we have the Orochi Sword's defense-decreasing effect, because those Infernus Crabs do not mess around.







: Aw heck.

: Ugh, we know what those kinds of floors are. She should really find another path.
: You did find the Thunder Sword from a floor like this on the way to Rhone, Zed.
: Yeah, but I wasn't alone back then.















That's a different stairway; let's give it a shot.



: Ugh, I bet this connects with that central hall with all the pillars. But I better make sure.



: ...so much for that instinct.





: That's the deepest I've been yet, it might be the right track.



Infernus Knights are highly resistant to fire, so the Hero's lack of variety in offensive spells is hitting Zofia hard here. They're only slightly resistant to Sleep, but their defense is way too high for us to kill even one of them before they all wake up.

: Gah, better hoof it this time.



: I know I have to be getting close, but... there's going to be more Infernus Knights, and who knows what else... Ugh! "Don't be reckless, Fia." Right. I need to get out of here.





A Rogue Knight ambushing us on the way back to Lancel almost one-shots Zofia with a critical. Yeah, it was time to leave.






: I failed. I didn't make it all the way.

: Welcome back! I see you are safe! Were you courageous? You are the one who knows best.
: I-I don't know...
: It takes courage to know when to turn back, Zofia.
: I guess.
: Well, be on your way.



: I want to go back one day though.
: You're getting stronger all the time, Zofia. I know you'll be able to make it.
: Um... is the ring...?
: Ah, yeah, here.



The Navel of the Earth is rough chuckles, seeing as you're continually outnumbered by high-defense enemies, many of which can crit you half to death at any given moment. We'll need a couple more levels at least before we try it again. It might even be a good idea to let Zofia have the Staff of Thunder then, though I don't think it would have made the difference this time.

Alright then, back to locked doors.






: That the hero Simon be banished through the Travel Door, there on the right, was the king's bidding, I hear.
: Huh. He could be pretty much anywhere by now.



: We've definitely never been here before.
: You guys have any idea where this might be, then?
: If the king of Samanao exiled someone from here, the castle couldn't be far away.
: Ah, yeah. Well, we were probably going to have to go there sooner or later.





Grizzlies are from Siberia and Tortragons are usually mid-high tier sea monsters, so this doesn't tell us much.







Oh cripes, come on. Gah.

Voodoo Shamans have unremarkable Strength by now, but fairly high defense and HP. They can summon Horks, as well as cast Healmore, Vivify and RobMagic, so it's best to obliterate them as quickly as possible regardless of the expense. They're highly resistant to ice, wind, Beat, Expel, Sleep and Stopspell, but only slightly to fire, RobMagic and Limbo. It's one of those times where it's entirely justified to use Limbo as a regular strategy instead of a panic button, especially since Vivify can't bring back the monsters it blows away and it prevents the Shamans from continually resurrecting each other.





It looks like we couldn't have reached this area by ship, but there may be an accessible shore somewhere.



Kongs aren't especially sturdy, but they do pack a punch, and they can summon Elysium Birds for support besides. They're only slightly resistant to fire, ice, Sleep, Surround and Limbo.

Zofia levels up here, reaching 26 before anyone else on account of her solo adventure in the Navel. She gains 3 Str, 1 Agi, 3 Vit, 3 Luc, 1 Int, 8 HP, 2 MP, and a new spell: Zap. For 8 MP, Zap attempts to deal 70 to 89 lightning damage to a single enemy, making it exactly as powerful as Blazemore, but more expensive by two points. This is justified because lightning resistance is rare, and outright immunity even more so. If you decide to blow your precious MP on Zap, you can usually count on it to land.

It's especially notable that Heroes have the only sources of lightning damage in the game, which makes it one of the few ways in which their spellcasting skill has something that isn't replicated by a more specialized class.

A couple fights later, Rebeca follows suit, for 1 Str, 3 Agi, 2 Vit, 2 Luc, 3 Int, 5 HP, 6 MP, and a new spell: Snowstorm. For 12 MP, Snowstorm deals 88 to 111 ice damage to a group of foes, making it by far the most damaging spell we've seen yet.







I'd like to see this town in the daylight first, so we have Rebeca cast Day-Night before we enter.



: This place doesn't look so bad.
: If they're booting heroes out of here though, we better keep a low profile.





: ...that's odd.





: Where could everyone be...?



: Oh!
: That'll explain it.





: ...oh, kid, I'm sorry.



They're not pulling punches on this one.





: Holy crap, are kings dicks or what?

: Ah. A tyrant, then.
: We heard that the king's personality changed suddenly. There might be more to this than meets the eye.


: May he find rest in heaven's eternal light.












: Oh now that's just tasteless.
: ...right, let's get out of here.






: I'm sure we've dealt with worse.









Oh dang, that'll be some expense!

The Dragon Killer is a +77 weapon that only Heroes and Soldiers can equip, 12 points stronger than a Zombie Slasher. It always deals an extra 16 to 31 damage to dragons, and there's no faffing about with any spell resistance. Among the enemies we've seen so far, it would only have dealt that bonus damage to Sky Dragons; apparently Tortragons don't count.

We should have a decent amount of cash in the Vault, but we do have a bit more than 15000 on hand already, so we pick one up to replace Zofia's Orochi Sword, taking her attack power from 133 to 147. She finally hits harder than Alvaro again... by exactly one point.

The other item of interest here is the +30 Silver Shield, the first upgrade for that slot since the +12 Iron Shield from Kanave. Heroes, Soldiers, Pilgrims and Sages can equip it, so we'll be making a cash run to Aliahan before long.

: It's quality stuff, I can vouch for it.

We could sell the Orochi Sword for 750 gold, but it's unique and I'm sentimental, so we'll Vault it instead. Besides, it'll be good to let Gonzalo have it once his crew reaches Jipang.

The funeral ceremony is over by the time you return from the weapon store, the colosseum, or leave town and come back.


: We got here just in time, then.
: Even though the king used to be very kind...
: Vile magic is definitely at work here.



Basic item shop, nothing to report.


: ...




: We won't let that injustice stand, ma'am.






: Right, of course.

: Yeah, there's no doubt about it.
: What a foul object.


He says that even if you disagree with his conclusion.


: Does he, now.
: Hmm...
: Is assassination off the table this time?
: It might be best to keep our options open, I suppose.


: Oh, we've only heard good things about him. Can we help? Did you find out anything?
: Rumor has it that he is in a jail somewhere.
: Well he's not in Aliahan or Romaly, we know that for sure.
: That building on the island near the Promontory of Olivia is a prison, isn't it?
: And it's close to the Travel Doors too. I think that might be it.
: Ugh, and that stupid ghost's blocking the way too! Everyone's hurting about something, it's no reason to make people's lives worse!
: We'll find a way to soothe her sorrow, I'm sure.








: I-
: Yeah of course.
: ...!

: Please forgive my young companion. She saw your beautiful castle from afar and only wanted to see it from inside.




: What happened to keeping a low profile, Rebeca?
: After what we saw in town, the low profile can get lost. And the way I figured, we'll have to break in either way, so we might as well-
: Last resort, Reb.
: ...fine.
: Let's go with sneaking before breaking, shall we?








: Yes, we are travelers, bringing the king a powerful magic sword from Jipang as tribute. See?




: Isn't this better?
: Look, I like explosions. You should know this about me by now.

[François]

: So... how do we play this?
: We just have to act like we belong here. If the king's a tyrant, his servants know better than anyone else how bad he is, and they'll be way too busy carrying out their duties to the letter to risk making a fuss.
: Alright then. Everyone act casual.
: Do we ever not?
: ...as you were, then.





: Just as I thought.
: It almost sounds like you've infiltrated a castle before.
: Mmmmaybe I have.



: The cooks here are working behind bars. There's definitely something messed up going on.








: From the most miserable paupers to the grandest lords, there are cowards everywhere.








: I can't help but think the king is a different person than before.
: He probably is. Don't make waves for now, we'll figure something out soon.










: This turret is open... Hmm.
: Let's see if we can land on something interesting from here.







: Now there's a bed for a man who likes the smell of his own farts.
: Well, we have a way in for tonight.
: I'll be sure to get my Needle nice and polished for him.
: Let's try to sneak some info out of him for now. He'll die if he has to, but if he's had any contact with the Archfiend, we might pick up a new trail.






: Oh, uh, it sure is, thank you.



Leeaping off the roof here takes us out of the castle entirely, but we can come back again.







As we approach the throne...


: Now listen here-

: How dare you speak to Ortega's daughter like this?
: Settle down, Alvaro. You know they can't keep us locked up.
: Ugh... fine.

























: What a curse a bad king is.
: So much for picking up a new trail.
: At least getting out won't be much trouble.

This cell is Return- and Outside- proof, but of course you can't reach Samanao without the Final Key.




: The king sure has been strange lately. But I can't defy the king. I can't leave, but the rumors say there may be an escape passage from this dungeon. Zzz...


: I wonder if I shall meet my end here like Simon, who rotted away in the jail of a shrine in a lake in the northeast of distant Romaly. Egad!
: Wait, Simon's dead? How long ago was this?
: This world... is unkind to heroes.
: Screw the hell outta that, we're not letting anything like this happen to Fia.
: Right!
: Of course.





I presume that's a slight mistranslation of "possession".



: ...
: This reminds me, we never got around to visiting Tedanki with the Key.
: It's a bit of a trip so I figured we could follow this path first.
: Well, this is turning into a bit of a trip too.
: The sooner we sort this out, the sooner people can go back to their lives.





: The true image...
: We already know the Staff of Change is connected to this kingdom. If a monster took the king's place, that's how we're going to prove it.
: Or we could just kill the bastard.
: There must be powerful people benefitting from this state of affairs. Just killing him without proof might land us in more trouble than you think.
: Right. We can keep assassination in our back pocket for now. Let's get out of here and find that cave first.

: The Mirror of Ra?
: Didn't it shatter when we lifted Hargon's curse on Gwen?
: It absolutely did!
: It's a powerful artifact; maybe it regenerated someplace else for when it was needed again. The heart of the world's magic always beats in a hero's favor.









: Aw crap.


: Someone stole the Staff of Change from me and assumed my form. How mortifying!
: Well we're getting you out of-
: I don't think that's a good idea.
: Eh?
: The false king is going to call the real king an impostor. We need to take out the fake first.
: Ugh, right. Sit tight, Your Highness, we'll have this solved before long.

We know there's a secret passage from here, and those obscured walls on the sides look suspicious. Let's see if we can find an opening.





: Ah! Nice.









: ...gah!
: Huh, not a bad place for a secret passage, I guess.

I want to check out the castle at night, so we'll be exploring the region here until sunset. Once we make our real trip to the cave, we'll be able to beeline there.











Oh, it's actually pretty close after all.

This whole area would only fit in South America; I presume the river in the northeast is the Amazon, and... Samanao could be São Paulo? São Paulo's practically on the east coast, but DW3 hasn't been that much of a stickler for geography so far.

Anyway, we could use the Lamp of Darkness to get to nighttime right away, but I want to get a better feel for the local critters, so we spend the rest of the day fighting in the hills.



A trio of Kongs drop Acorns of Life, which is a 1 in 64 chance. That's actually pretty good news!

Isabel levels up in the same battle, for 1 Str, 4 Agi, 5 Vit, 4 Luc, 2 Int, 11 HP (she's one point ahead of Rebeca!), 4 MP, and a new spell. For 6 MP, Infermore deals 25 to 54 wind damage to an enemy group. Comparing it to spells with the same cost, it's a touch stronger than Firebane (30 to 41), but much weaker than Snowblast (42 to 57).

Oh, and the Acorns go to Isabel, increasing her HP by another 5 points.







Groups of Lethal Armors are easily dealt with with Snowstorm, but with that 12 MP cost, we only use it liberally because we're close to an inn. It'll be a different ballgame once we get to that cave.








: ...yeah, that's... that's how it is.
: ...















: It's unguarded at night. The soldiers must be getting sloppy.
: Good.



















: Are you sure you don't want me to-
: Mirror first. If that doesn't work, we'll do it your way.



Alvaro reaches level 25 on the way to the cave, for 9 Str, 8 Agi, 3 Vit, 5 Luc, 1 Int, and 4 HP. That's a good one again at last. His attacks have a roughly 10% chance to roll crits at this point, which is pretty ridiculous and will only get better.













Curers are of course upgraded Healers. They have low HP for this region, and fairly puny physical stats, but their true threat lies in their special AI that casts Healall every other turn, restoring one of their allies' HP to full. (They use formation-ignoring regular attacks otherwise but that's not dangerous at all.) They have slight resistance to magic across the board, except for an immunity to RobMagic and Expel, and a complete vulnerability to Surround and lightning damage.

They're not too bad in a fight like this since Rebeca can one-shot both Lethal Armors with Snowstorm, but that's a lot of MP spent on killing two enemies.





Unlike their regular Shadow counterparts, Terror Shadows don't bother with mimicry tricks. They have fairly average stats for this area, but they have about a 1 in 3 chance of casting Snowblast, making them the most deadliest spellcasting monsters we've seen yet. They're highly resistant to Beat, Sleep and Surround, vulnerable to Limbo, and only slightly resistant to everything else.

Alvaro won't always one-shot a Terror Shadow yet, but if it's not healed in the meantime, Isabel hits hard enough to finish it off for sure. Of course they often show up with Voodoo Shamans so if you don't end the fight quickly you'll have to kill it multiple times. Leaving the Shamans for last also has the unfortunate consequence of exposing you to multiple RobMagic casts. This cave doesn't mess around.











I kind of want to keep exploring the perimeter of this cavern, but we might be missing something important in the center, so let's check this passage out. I like how you can draw conclusions like this from some inaccessible areas being a dark void and some others being solid rock.









Good grief, these Skeletons sure are more intimidating than DW1's. Their defense is slightly low for this region, but they have very high strength. They also take two actions per turn, which are always a Defence cast followed by a normal attack. They're highly resistant to Beat, Surround and RobMagic, but only slightly to everything else (including Expel), except for a vulnerability to Limbo. Sleep and group-targeting elemental damage are definitely good bets, as even your tankier allies are likely to take a ton of physical damage. Monsters taking two actions have two chances to wake up though, so press your advantage quickly.

For the first time in this party, Rebeca's high Luck allowed her to ignore the effects of a Defence spell, just as it was for Mercedes shrugging off a Slow. Hers is 88 right now, the highest in the group; it's good to see its effects finally coming into play.



Oh, the eastern path here leads straight to the exit staircase. Maybe we should have kept going around in the first place. Might as well go west from here, then.









Gah, my instinct to go for the center were fine after all, it's just that we went everywhere but to the correct room.





...oh come on.



: This looks extremely suspicious. Reb?
: Got it, ready.



: It's good.





: ...huh.
: Is that a trail of chests?
: Looks like it. Should we follow?
: Money is money, I suppose.
: That's almost too obvious, though.
: I can spare the juice to keep us safe, don't worry.
: I'm thinking... I'm more concerned about the places the chests aren't leading us to.
: Huh.
: We are looking for an object that abhors false appearances, after all.
: So, what? We leave 'em?
: Yeah, for now. Let's start with the other paths. Or, well, maybe just this one first.
: It's blue. Lessee...



Welp.





: How's that for non-obvious?
: Hmm.
: I trust your judgement, Zofia. Let's go.



: Ha!
: Alright, Fia!

There sure isn't any other way to get to that chest.



: Oh that's perfect, good call!
: Haha, we're following you for a reason, aren't we?
: It looks like there might still be a lot of treasure in here though. You guys want to keep going?
: Of course.
: Yeah, lots of chests lying around still.
: The people of Samanao are waiting for our help...
: We won't be able to get close enough to the king during the day anyway, so we still have a few hours at least.
: Ah, true enough.



: Hmm, just as I expected. Anyone else wants to try?
: Pfft, put that thing away, we know who we are.
: Ah... we sure do.

We hop down that next hole.







Zofia reaches level 27 after a battle with three Skeletons, for 3 Str, 2 Agi, 3 Vit, 1 Luc, 2 Int, 4 HP and 5 MP.







Rebeca levels up here as well, for 1 Str, 3 Agi, 3 Vit, 3 Luc, 5 Int, 6 HP, 8 MP, and a new spell. For 5 MP, Chaos attempts to confuse a single foe, rolling against its own specific resistance. It's not something you use all the time, especially given that it's the only disabler spell that only targets one foe, but it's very cheap for what it does and can really turn the tide in long battles. It can also let you save on healing expenses, since Curers and Voodoo Shamans are only slightly resistant to Chaos and will gladly cast Healall, Healmore and Vivify on your party when so afflicted.





Isabel's MP is starting to run low, so we have Zofia cast Expel at groups of Skeletons from this point to save on expense.





: ...what the...
: Hmm?



: ...huh.
: What is it?
: I... hmm.
: Well.



: Eh?
: ...
: Hmm-mmm.
: Ha! Hahahahahaaa!
: Is someone going to clue me in?



: Come on, big guy.
: Ugh. Just for a minute, okay?
: ...eh?



: Oh my goodness!







: Well this is adorable.
: Haha, you're looking cuter than ever!
: Dang, it's super well-made.
: Say meow for me, Al.
: This is enormously undignified.
: Say meow!
: Say meow!
: Say meow!
: ...meow.
: I say, young man, you shouldn't use that kind of language in the company of ladies!
: That does it, I'm coming out.



: It's... kinda... stuffy in there.
: You're a good sport, Alvaro.
: Yeah, yeah.

The Animal Suit has 8 defense power and can be equipped by anyone. It'll also turn you into a cat, though it's only cosmetic. We could have got one early on, as it's a moderately rare drop from Vampire Cats and Catulas, but this is the only guaranteed location, if I remember correctly.

Anyway, we keep going.



Whuh-oh, so much for levity. We flee the battle, and Isabel has just enough MP for a single Vivify cast, which succeeds. Time to go!





We stay at the inn, then use our Lamp of Darkness.







: Alright, time to pay the piper.




: I wish I hadn't. Get a load of that ugly mug!






The Boss Troll is much stronger than Orochi (but still not quite as strong as a Man-Eater Chest) and comes with up to 320 HP and a regeneration of 90 to 109 per round, but his defense is actually pretty low, and he only has normal attacks with a moderate chance to crit. He's immune to Beat, Limbo and Expel, highly resistant to fire, Chaos, Sleep, Sap and Surround, and vulnerable to ice, wind and lightning.

It would frankly have been difficult for this fight to go any better, especially with Surround landing on the first try.







: I think we did good today, guys.
: Hmm... I wonder... Let's look around.





: Ah-ha!





: Gah!
: Um...
: Right, uh, let's see...



: ...oh dear. Ah... Oh! Oh dear oh dear oh dear.
: Keep your hands to yourself, young man! Or... don't! Um.
: That's... I'm not...! I wouldn't-



: ...okay.
: Wait, I-
: Rebeca! Find a form that is not highly inappropriate for any of us!
: Come on, live a little. Who cares what anyone's got down there?
: Zofia is sixteen years old!
: Uh, Reb, I'm actually freaking out a little...
: Fine.



: Nope.



: Nope.



: ...okay, this might be better.
: Marginally.
: I can zap it again if you like.
: Pass.
: Can't you just change us back?
: Oh. Uhhhh...
: Uh-oh.
: It'll probably wear off.
: Probably?!
: Let's take it easy for a bit.





: ...whew.
: See?
: Well then.

So, yeah, the Staff of Change picks a sprite at random and replaces your entire party with it. Unfortunately, using the Mirror of Ra doesn't change us back; we need to walk around a bit before the effect fades.

What kinds of shenanigans will it get us into? Find out next time!

[Niku]

damn this game rules

[Friday]

This was the event I was talking about earlier, with the foreshadowing of the evil cat.

Though this guy managed it with the aid of a magical artifact, I suppose. The cat/demon was just that good at disguise. Or maybe he had an Animal Suit.