Tales of Vesperia Post 21: Timeless Calm
Mar. 6th, 2013 02:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
xyzzysqrlLast time on Tales of Vesperia, our heroes went out into the deadly dangerous desert of danger and death, fought off a boss creature and then FELL OVER FROM HEATSTROKE because none of them were really used to fighting in the desert. Unlike, say... Vaan and company, these characters are not from this climate and it completely wrecked them. However if we total-party-wiped from heat exhaustion we'd have less of a game, so they got rescued and woke up in unfamiliar beds, looking at an unfamiliar ceiling.
(Paging Spike Spencer.)
Shall we see where they are now?
When Yuri rolls his ass outta bed and looks around, the first thing he sees is a moai-head statue wobbling back and forth at the foot of said bed. With a chef's hat on. ... Wonder Chef, WHY WERE YOU WATCHING YURI SLEEP? Nevermind. Please don't answer that. Croquette recipe get. These are made with minced meat, potato, and onion. (Technically it would probably be this version but whatever. I've always wanted to try these.)
A quick poke around the inn we're in ... and we're in an inn! ... reveals nothing. Stepping outside reveals that Judith and Estelle are awake before Yuri. Apparently someone helpfully dragged them to this town while they were unconscious, then left in a hurry. The party chats a while about how weird that is, then a realization strikes them. Something's missing. This town doesn't have a barrier.
That feather Estelle found from the strange thing that attacked them gets identified, too. Judith recognizes it as one of Phaeroh's feathers. Why would that horrible thing have one of Phaeroh's feathers? WHY INDEED.
Raven and Repede return from recon while the party's marveling at that. Raven's learned something interesting. They're in Yormgen. The city from the diary on the boat? ...remember th-- ah nevermind. Now Estelle can deliver that boxed crystal! Hooray! The group elect to show that around in town and ask about things like the lack of barrier. Off we go!
Most of the people in town have sort of vaguely heard of or seen the box somewhere but can't recall where. Eventually we find a young lady who recognizes it. Hey! That box was on the Atherum! Did they happen to see Longchi? Her lover? Was he aboard?
...er, that ship was... like a thousand years old, lady. Her name is Yuefan, which was the "young lover" the captain wrote about, and she claims the ship only left three years ago. She casually unlocks the box and inside is ... yes, a large lump of clear crystal. They've never heard of blastia in this town, but they're eager to create a barrier.
Raven: "Could she maybe have miscounted? By around a thousand years?"
The sage who wanted the crystal lives here in town. Maybe it's best if we investigate this that way. We head up to the Sage's place, because maybe he can tell us what the crap is going on in this town. Knock on the door, and... inside is DUKE. ... WHAT. What what what. Duke seems just as surprised to see us as we are to see him. Once he's done asking how we got here ("We walked.") he wonders WHY we're here, and Yuri thrusts the crystal at him. This seems to give him a whole new pile of respect for the group.
Rita has no respect though. This OBVIOUSLY isn't a blastia core. Why is he pretending he can build a barrier blastia out of it? Duke explains that this is a solid concentration of aer. (Maybe Yuri shouldn't be holding it without gloves, then.) He'll just inscribe formula on this apatheia...
Raven perks up. Wait, THAT'S an apatheia? He almost didn't really believe they existed.
...Also, Duke wants to point out that HE'S not the Sage. The Sage died a long time ago. Now neither he nor humanity needs a crystal like this. He shoves his sword against it and it... vaporizes, or gets absorbed, or something. Raven sulks, but Duke explains that tools like this bring CHAOS to humanity and they're better off returned to aer form. Rita is doing the squirmy dance and I keep expecting her to ask him to do that again but slower so she can watch this time.
Estelle is more upset. Didn't the townspeople need that? Duke claims they have no need to be saved. This town is eternally calm. Estelle counters that there are huge creatures like Phaeroh nearby! Duke wonders why she knows that name at all. Phaeroh called Estelle a "poison", and she's desperate to find out WHY. Duke just makes "...Ah, I see" noises at her, though. MAN, QUIT HOGGING ALL THE INFO. SPILL SOME EXPOSITION, YOU DORK.
Astoundingly, he does, in the form of a little story about a "being somewhere in the world" who "has a power the Entelexeia despise". Estelle instantly works out this means HER though. "The Child of the Full Moon", as Duke calls her. Phaeroh is an Entelexeia, and only they can explain why they hate her so. ...so our goal of "find Phaeroh, ask 'sup" hasn't really changed then. Duke claims that such a goal will end in her death. But hey, gotta try, right?
Rita: "Oh, Estelle, give it a rest."
Duke is tired of answering questions, though. It's time for the group to please leave now. So... they do, in a remarkably civil fashion.
Isn't it nice when we all work together for a peaceful world?
Estelle theorizes that Duke is the one who saved them in the desert, but this doesn't really make sense because of how surprised he was when they showed up. Yuri is remembering that legend. The Child of the Full Moon. Like in that fairy tale she told him. Sister of Brave Vesperia. The Goddess and... all that stuff, bathing the world in golden light. The one who protects the Earth.
Raven: "So is there like a hidden meaning in there somewhere?"
Estelle: "I'm not sure!"
Rita: "Could protecting the Earth have anything to do with becoming the emperor, maybe?"
Karol: "That would add up."
Raven: "So maybe... all the previous emperors would ALSO have been on Phaeroh's hit list!"
Estelle: "...Well. I've never heard of anything like that, actually."
Karol: "Hm."
Rita wants to stay here in town to investigate this whole "calm", "clear ciel crystal", "apatheia" business. Estelle looks distraught. Judith points out that this means Rita will then have to cross the desert on her own. THAT won't be fun. Rita makes horrible faces, then Raven suggests sticking around in town for a couple days to let her research before moving on.
Yuri: "We need supplies and stuff to cross the desert again anyway. Rita, can you wrap this up in a day or so?"
Rita: "Shouldn't be a problem. ... Uh, t-thanks. I ... appreciate it."
Don't rupture anything leaping to give thanks there, Rita. The group splits up... ...I wonder if I can slip back into Duke's place? Poke around some...
Oops. I try and find Rita there pestering Duke, who keeps claiming he has nothing more to say. Rita, please. Don't TAUNT the NPCs. Duke takes his glowing sword and stomps out. Was it a complete waste of time? ...well, no, actually. Rita muses that apatheia is absolutely what messed up her magic, which means it has effects on aer. What if the apatheia is what's making aer krenes go wildly out of control? From all available evidence, this is a valid hypothesis.
Yuri thinks she doesn't sound very sure, and Rita explains the scientific method: Gather evidence, make a hypotheses, test it as rigorously as possible, use that evidence to make another, until you reach the truth. This means she's going to have to run some tests...
Well, we'll leave Rita to her thinking. What else is going on? Raven elects to stay with the group instead of tromping back to deliver his letter. Yuri explains that if he were to die on the way back, they would collect his bones and deliver the letter for him. This is somehow not a persuasive argument. Judith is loitering just outside town. She's restless. So is Yuri. This is not unexpected for either of them really.
Estelle is hanging out with Repede. She feels like we're learning a lot, like what all these terms we keep encountering ACTUALLY MEAN. I feel like that's progress too! Have you been filling out your vocabulary list? Estelle is a bit disheartened though, as she feels like... if Phaeroh wants to kill her that badly, maybe she should just give up? Yuri shoots this down with a quickness. Estelle doesn't mean dying though. She's just wondering if the things she wants to learn so much... maybe aren't actually that important in the long run. If she'd never left the castle, she wouldn't WANT to know all this stuff, right? She could go on living without it all.
Yuri: "I don't like hypothetical situations. They're not real life. And I'm bad at pretending to forget things I already know."
Estelle has more thinking to do.
Finally there's Karol, who is depressed that they couldn't locate Phaeroh. Their first job as a guild was kind of a failure. Still, they tried. And how much of a failure... that's up to Estelle to decide. From there the chat derails idly through talking about cities and small towns. Karol would like it if, much like Dahngrest is the Don's city and Nordopolica is another guild's city... maybe Brave Vesperia could have a city someday.
Vesperopolis? ... Nah. Karolvania. ... Also nah. We'll work on it. Then it's back to the inn, to rest and wait for Rita to finish her whatever.
The next morning everyone (including those parents we saved in the desert) gathers up at the exit to town. The party has two goals: First, to get back to Nordopolica to get that letter delivered. Estelle also wants to find Phaeroh in the desert still... but Rita wishes there was a way to learn about the "Child of the Full Moon" that didn't involve him. Plus, what's she gonna do? Walk around in the desert yelling for him? So... back to Nordopolica. Maybe they'll all meet with Belius and see what she knows.
First, we should get this couple back to Mantaic. MORE GOALS, PLEASE.
We also now have the option to stay on the field map instead of rushing through the dungeon-desert, making us immune to heatstroke. Man, if we'd only thought of that earlier! Of course, the characters still FEEL the effects...
Karol: "...Aaagh... Ohh..."
Yuri: "What's the matter, Captain Karol?"
Judith: "Maybe it's so hot he can't speak?"
Raven: "You're already pooped? Weak. And you're all so much younger than me!"
Rita: "Would you shut up...?"
Estelle: "Aren't you hot under that thick coat, Raven?"
Raven: "Nah. This clothing is kinda... special."
Karol: "L-let me borrow it!"
Raven: "My boy, if yer really sufferin' that much, I'll gladly lend ya my stinky, sweaty clothing!"
Karol: "...nevermind."
Yuri also gets pretty good at cooking croquettes, in what MAY be the single funniest skit in the entire game.
A long hike and a bit of grinding later we arrive in Mantaic. Just outside town is... Cumore?! Ugh. He did mention he was headed this way. He's briskly marching a load of townies out into the desert to do work for him. The work, of course, is "hunting Phaeroh". Cumore probably won't listen to Estelle... The group plots a bit. Yuri whispers an idea in Karol's ear. Karol could pull it off... but he'd need tools. Judith passes over a wrench and a hairpin.
Karol slips up and hides behind the wagon while the rest of the party stays in cover. While Cumore is talking with the driver, Karol is briskly at work, twisting and adjusting. Then Cumore turns around just as Karol ducks out of sight. Time to head into the desert... except you're not going anywhere with the WHEELS falling off your wagon. Karol proudly rejoins the group. Nice work, Captain! That buys us about a night to solve this problem.
Still, "Mommy and Daddy" are safe and sound. That's the important part, right?
Yuri still pauses to glare and reflect. Cumore's... just gone too far this time. Much, much too far...
We park at the inn for the night. Next time should be a pretty hefty update! See you then!
(Paging Spike Spencer.)
Shall we see where they are now?
When Yuri rolls his ass outta bed and looks around, the first thing he sees is a moai-head statue wobbling back and forth at the foot of said bed. With a chef's hat on. ... Wonder Chef, WHY WERE YOU WATCHING YURI SLEEP? Nevermind. Please don't answer that. Croquette recipe get. These are made with minced meat, potato, and onion. (Technically it would probably be this version but whatever. I've always wanted to try these.)
A quick poke around the inn we're in ... and we're in an inn! ... reveals nothing. Stepping outside reveals that Judith and Estelle are awake before Yuri. Apparently someone helpfully dragged them to this town while they were unconscious, then left in a hurry. The party chats a while about how weird that is, then a realization strikes them. Something's missing. This town doesn't have a barrier.
That feather Estelle found from the strange thing that attacked them gets identified, too. Judith recognizes it as one of Phaeroh's feathers. Why would that horrible thing have one of Phaeroh's feathers? WHY INDEED.
Raven and Repede return from recon while the party's marveling at that. Raven's learned something interesting. They're in Yormgen. The city from the diary on the boat? ...remember th-- ah nevermind. Now Estelle can deliver that boxed crystal! Hooray! The group elect to show that around in town and ask about things like the lack of barrier. Off we go!
Most of the people in town have sort of vaguely heard of or seen the box somewhere but can't recall where. Eventually we find a young lady who recognizes it. Hey! That box was on the Atherum! Did they happen to see Longchi? Her lover? Was he aboard?
...er, that ship was... like a thousand years old, lady. Her name is Yuefan, which was the "young lover" the captain wrote about, and she claims the ship only left three years ago. She casually unlocks the box and inside is ... yes, a large lump of clear crystal. They've never heard of blastia in this town, but they're eager to create a barrier.
Raven: "Could she maybe have miscounted? By around a thousand years?"
The sage who wanted the crystal lives here in town. Maybe it's best if we investigate this that way. We head up to the Sage's place, because maybe he can tell us what the crap is going on in this town. Knock on the door, and... inside is DUKE. ... WHAT. What what what. Duke seems just as surprised to see us as we are to see him. Once he's done asking how we got here ("We walked.") he wonders WHY we're here, and Yuri thrusts the crystal at him. This seems to give him a whole new pile of respect for the group.
Rita has no respect though. This OBVIOUSLY isn't a blastia core. Why is he pretending he can build a barrier blastia out of it? Duke explains that this is a solid concentration of aer. (Maybe Yuri shouldn't be holding it without gloves, then.) He'll just inscribe formula on this apatheia...
Raven perks up. Wait, THAT'S an apatheia? He almost didn't really believe they existed.
...Also, Duke wants to point out that HE'S not the Sage. The Sage died a long time ago. Now neither he nor humanity needs a crystal like this. He shoves his sword against it and it... vaporizes, or gets absorbed, or something. Raven sulks, but Duke explains that tools like this bring CHAOS to humanity and they're better off returned to aer form. Rita is doing the squirmy dance and I keep expecting her to ask him to do that again but slower so she can watch this time.
Estelle is more upset. Didn't the townspeople need that? Duke claims they have no need to be saved. This town is eternally calm. Estelle counters that there are huge creatures like Phaeroh nearby! Duke wonders why she knows that name at all. Phaeroh called Estelle a "poison", and she's desperate to find out WHY. Duke just makes "...Ah, I see" noises at her, though. MAN, QUIT HOGGING ALL THE INFO. SPILL SOME EXPOSITION, YOU DORK.
Astoundingly, he does, in the form of a little story about a "being somewhere in the world" who "has a power the Entelexeia despise". Estelle instantly works out this means HER though. "The Child of the Full Moon", as Duke calls her. Phaeroh is an Entelexeia, and only they can explain why they hate her so. ...so our goal of "find Phaeroh, ask 'sup" hasn't really changed then. Duke claims that such a goal will end in her death. But hey, gotta try, right?
Rita: "Oh, Estelle, give it a rest."
Duke is tired of answering questions, though. It's time for the group to please leave now. So... they do, in a remarkably civil fashion.
Isn't it nice when we all work together for a peaceful world?
Estelle theorizes that Duke is the one who saved them in the desert, but this doesn't really make sense because of how surprised he was when they showed up. Yuri is remembering that legend. The Child of the Full Moon. Like in that fairy tale she told him. Sister of Brave Vesperia. The Goddess and... all that stuff, bathing the world in golden light. The one who protects the Earth.
Raven: "So is there like a hidden meaning in there somewhere?"
Estelle: "I'm not sure!"
Rita: "Could protecting the Earth have anything to do with becoming the emperor, maybe?"
Karol: "That would add up."
Raven: "So maybe... all the previous emperors would ALSO have been on Phaeroh's hit list!"
Estelle: "...Well. I've never heard of anything like that, actually."
Karol: "Hm."
Rita wants to stay here in town to investigate this whole "calm", "clear ciel crystal", "apatheia" business. Estelle looks distraught. Judith points out that this means Rita will then have to cross the desert on her own. THAT won't be fun. Rita makes horrible faces, then Raven suggests sticking around in town for a couple days to let her research before moving on.
Yuri: "We need supplies and stuff to cross the desert again anyway. Rita, can you wrap this up in a day or so?"
Rita: "Shouldn't be a problem. ... Uh, t-thanks. I ... appreciate it."
Don't rupture anything leaping to give thanks there, Rita. The group splits up... ...I wonder if I can slip back into Duke's place? Poke around some...
Oops. I try and find Rita there pestering Duke, who keeps claiming he has nothing more to say. Rita, please. Don't TAUNT the NPCs. Duke takes his glowing sword and stomps out. Was it a complete waste of time? ...well, no, actually. Rita muses that apatheia is absolutely what messed up her magic, which means it has effects on aer. What if the apatheia is what's making aer krenes go wildly out of control? From all available evidence, this is a valid hypothesis.
Yuri thinks she doesn't sound very sure, and Rita explains the scientific method: Gather evidence, make a hypotheses, test it as rigorously as possible, use that evidence to make another, until you reach the truth. This means she's going to have to run some tests...
Well, we'll leave Rita to her thinking. What else is going on? Raven elects to stay with the group instead of tromping back to deliver his letter. Yuri explains that if he were to die on the way back, they would collect his bones and deliver the letter for him. This is somehow not a persuasive argument. Judith is loitering just outside town. She's restless. So is Yuri. This is not unexpected for either of them really.
Estelle is hanging out with Repede. She feels like we're learning a lot, like what all these terms we keep encountering ACTUALLY MEAN. I feel like that's progress too! Have you been filling out your vocabulary list? Estelle is a bit disheartened though, as she feels like... if Phaeroh wants to kill her that badly, maybe she should just give up? Yuri shoots this down with a quickness. Estelle doesn't mean dying though. She's just wondering if the things she wants to learn so much... maybe aren't actually that important in the long run. If she'd never left the castle, she wouldn't WANT to know all this stuff, right? She could go on living without it all.
Yuri: "I don't like hypothetical situations. They're not real life. And I'm bad at pretending to forget things I already know."
Estelle has more thinking to do.
Finally there's Karol, who is depressed that they couldn't locate Phaeroh. Their first job as a guild was kind of a failure. Still, they tried. And how much of a failure... that's up to Estelle to decide. From there the chat derails idly through talking about cities and small towns. Karol would like it if, much like Dahngrest is the Don's city and Nordopolica is another guild's city... maybe Brave Vesperia could have a city someday.
Vesperopolis? ... Nah. Karolvania. ... Also nah. We'll work on it. Then it's back to the inn, to rest and wait for Rita to finish her whatever.
The next morning everyone (including those parents we saved in the desert) gathers up at the exit to town. The party has two goals: First, to get back to Nordopolica to get that letter delivered. Estelle also wants to find Phaeroh in the desert still... but Rita wishes there was a way to learn about the "Child of the Full Moon" that didn't involve him. Plus, what's she gonna do? Walk around in the desert yelling for him? So... back to Nordopolica. Maybe they'll all meet with Belius and see what she knows.
First, we should get this couple back to Mantaic. MORE GOALS, PLEASE.
We also now have the option to stay on the field map instead of rushing through the dungeon-desert, making us immune to heatstroke. Man, if we'd only thought of that earlier! Of course, the characters still FEEL the effects...
Karol: "...Aaagh... Ohh..."
Yuri: "What's the matter, Captain Karol?"
Judith: "Maybe it's so hot he can't speak?"
Raven: "You're already pooped? Weak. And you're all so much younger than me!"
Rita: "Would you shut up...?"
Estelle: "Aren't you hot under that thick coat, Raven?"
Raven: "Nah. This clothing is kinda... special."
Karol: "L-let me borrow it!"
Raven: "My boy, if yer really sufferin' that much, I'll gladly lend ya my stinky, sweaty clothing!"
Karol: "...nevermind."
Yuri also gets pretty good at cooking croquettes, in what MAY be the single funniest skit in the entire game.
A long hike and a bit of grinding later we arrive in Mantaic. Just outside town is... Cumore?! Ugh. He did mention he was headed this way. He's briskly marching a load of townies out into the desert to do work for him. The work, of course, is "hunting Phaeroh". Cumore probably won't listen to Estelle... The group plots a bit. Yuri whispers an idea in Karol's ear. Karol could pull it off... but he'd need tools. Judith passes over a wrench and a hairpin.
Karol slips up and hides behind the wagon while the rest of the party stays in cover. While Cumore is talking with the driver, Karol is briskly at work, twisting and adjusting. Then Cumore turns around just as Karol ducks out of sight. Time to head into the desert... except you're not going anywhere with the WHEELS falling off your wagon. Karol proudly rejoins the group. Nice work, Captain! That buys us about a night to solve this problem.
Still, "Mommy and Daddy" are safe and sound. That's the important part, right?
Yuri still pauses to glare and reflect. Cumore's... just gone too far this time. Much, much too far...
We park at the inn for the night. Next time should be a pretty hefty update! See you then!
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no subject
Date: 2013-03-08 02:20 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-08 02:22 pm (UTC)Honestly I think it's funnier if he -didn't- put anything in them, but Rita is allergic to love and affection.
no subject
Date: 2013-03-08 02:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-03-08 02:27 pm (UTC)