Welcome back to this look at Pillars of Eternity. I apologise if the reader expects me to be more critical of my content but due to needing to remain focused on my full-time career, I cannot express as much as I can in detail. I will try if the moment is significant enough but I make no promises and thank the reader for their time.
Now back to Crariewan's tale.
Last time, Crariewan was making her way to Defiance Bay when she runs into a dwarf lady with what appears to be a white fox.
I wonder if you can mod the fox to speak like Fubuki?
As she seems important, Crariewan talks to her.
Look, she even has a portrait.
Now we have a name for the fox.
Looks like there may be a quest here.
Seeing as Crariewan is the kind of person to provide aid, we may as well try to offer some aid.
Fair enough. I wonder what she is waiting for now.
Okay, there may be more to this story than a simple search for someone. Time to get some details.
Based on the furs on her outfit, she is likely a part of a group of people similar to the Eskimo (except that they live in the South unlike actual Eskimos). The midriff barring in her outfit is quite simple to explain; it is quite hot as you travel further north so being completely covered in fur opens you up to heat-stroke.
So she is looking for someone's reincarnation in a world where people reincarnate all the time upon death. May as well tried searching for a needle in a haystack then.
Yikes, that is a long time to be away from home. Seems like the task may not going so well.
Seeing as Crariewan is in pursuit of the man that caused her Awakening, she may as well chime in with some empathy.
Before we go on, we should ask about that stranger who conned her.
Looks like she wants to explain the figurine instead. Some railroading here.
An adra figurine. Definitely important.
Looks like Crariewan's Watcher skills may come in handy for this hunt.
Looks like even with a tracker, the trail is getting colder. Who knows what Persoq reincarnated as in this lifetime. Sounds like a near impossible task.
Charlatans like that give Watchers even worse reputations than they do. We Watchers are cursed with seeing spirits already and maybe going nuts but what we don't need is angry skeptics that are more concerned about us being fakes too.
I guess anyone can come up with mystical prose if they felt like it.
Okay, so the words have actual meaning. I wonder what the twin trees are then.
Another real place. We may as well keep the conversation going then.
This is why you should pay half the expected fee for information. One part for the information and the rest if the information is true. Unless the informant is already happy with the one half or deliberately lies to punish you for paying half.
There is no real guaranteed solution to this issue, to be honest.
As the figurine did not glow in Crariewan's presence, she cannot be Persoq's reincarnation. So she may as well look at the figurine.
Crariewan may as well be honest. She has nothing else to lose even if the dwarf woman is not in the trusting mood.
Now to be rational seeing as she is skeptical of Crariewan's claim.
There probably is not enough re-sale value even if we did run off with the figurine.
Looks like Crariewan's abilties are acting up. Seems like the hunt is back on.
How this works is as follows: If the player character meets the skill requirements for each check, they can flesh out the details of the place shown in the vision. If you are unable to meet the requirement like Crariewan here, you can still proceed but you would need to search for places matching the description.
From this, Crariewan sees a high cliffside overlooking a large body of water.
The dwarf being a foreigner has no clue what Crariewan is describing and so returns the figure.
Now to lay down a bombshell.
This time, she has to think it through seeing as she did get conned out of her coin.
Eder chimes in to help with Crariewan's claim. Not sure how much it helps but point for trying.
Seeing as I want to gather as many fodder - I MEAN, companions to my side, we offer to let her join us.
And now we have our new companion, Sagani. Together with her pet fox, Itumaak.
Itumaak does not take up a companion slot but as Sagani's pet, he can engage in combat. Essentially, he is our seventh member.
These are her skill-set as a Ranger.
I am not using a guide so I will definitely make some peculiar choices in what to upgrade.
Part of a Ranger's talents is to improve the abilities and capabilities of their pet. This is important to an extent as a downed pet in battle will reduce the stats of a Ranger during that battle until the battle has ended.
(I cannot recall if resurrecting the pet during battle restores the Ranger's stats to normal because I never tried it.)
Before we proceed, it is time to get to know our ranger dwarf more.
I guess we are sitting down to talk here. At least we are talking on a road in the wilderness and not in the middle of a city street.
I guess it will be a while before Sagani trusts us. Still, the more the merrier (unless you happen to be Durance).
It must be difficult to be away from home for that long. Who knows how much would have changed back home.
Rather than be insensitive and tell her to head home, we better inquire as to why it is so important to find the village elder in his current life.
Village tradition, got it. It is interesting to see what kind of traditions could come up in light of souls and reincarnations being actual facts in the setting.
Crariewan is a nice person (aside from all the killing she has done) so she would point out how Sagani's village would not forget her.
That is fair. One does not need their ego stroked all the time.
That is usually the hard part about being so far away from home when you have family left behind. The time and distance makes the heart yearn for that which is waiting. Crariewan, being rational, says as such.
Like I said, rational.
Now it is our turn to be asked. Based on what has been happening, we are seeing pieces of our past lives come up.
That is the fair answer. Imagine seeing that in one life you were a compassionate paragon of kith and the next life being the barbaric monster of a person that murdered said paragon in cold blood.
That would be what it is like to be able to see your past lives if your very being changes with each reincarnation.
That is something to ponder. Meanwhile, Crariewan should ask what she would tell Persoq in the first place.
With that, we get a description of her home village. Sounds like a tough place to grow up in but then again, such a place would toughen you up too.
Looks like Persoq was a top-notch elder if he was able to prevent clashing between villages up in the frozen lands where resources are presumably scarce.
I guess this does settle a part of the "what do they eat" inquiry for the village of Massuk. Her earlier description does paint the village as a close-knit group as well, almost like a family.
I guess she either resents how her village had sent her out here away from her actual family or that she started thinking about the family she left behind.
Crariewan's main purpose for coming here was to settle down after all. Adventuring around is great and all but there has to be an endgame in sight.
Looks like Sagani and Crariewan have an accord there.
Before we go on, we may as well keep dscussing.
We can start with her homeland.
It is rare to meet a dwarf that lives above the surface in fiction and even rarer to find a dwarf from a frozen tundra.
Makes sense for small villages. Their people would probably be nomadic in nature.
Now to ask about what the land is like.
I may make a comment on how their lifestyle is probably like nomadic Eskimo tribes in the real world but since I have no knowledge on that topic, I would instead state that her normal life does not sound like an easy one.
That makes sense. In such an environment, you would need to foster trust with the people you live with. Community would be vital in that case.
Now to ask on who actually lives out there.
I do not doubt her. If you told me to spend a month in Greenland without any form of modern heating, I would be on the first available flight to go home.
I'd believe her. Spend a lifetime in a frozen tundra and you would definitely have adapted to the conditions.
It does explain why her outfit bares her midriff. Coming from such a place to a more temperate climate would feel like being stuck outside in the middle of a particularly sunny day. Not immediately dangerous but extremely uncomfortable.
A tribe that can stay together and survive for generations certainly would have their own history and experiences. I do wonder if the general history would be consistent between tribes or would there be some inconsistencies due to some tribes wanting to re-write history to be looked upon favorably.
Now that Crariewan knows a bit more about Naasitaq, it is time to get to know Sagani better. Starting with her actual day job outside pursuing reincarnated elders.
That would explain the bow and a hunting companion. It sounds like a risky and rewarding role.
Speaking of hunting companion...
So, their tribe primarily uses foxes? That sounds cool. I wonder if Itumaak would dive into snow while hunting.
Time to check if she has family or not.
Makes sense. I guess the tribe made sure that heirs are already present before they pick a candidate.
Seeing as she has been away for a long time, I wonder if she is worried about an unfaithful spouse.
Right, never cheat on a crack shot of a spouse. With that in mind, time to ask her about her kids.
Oh, she lost two children. That is pretty sad. That and having to leave behind an infant before going on a long journey.
It would be hard to come back to a child that does not recognise you.
That is a nice sentiment to keep in mind.
Now to ask about the kind of person she married.
That is pretty neat. Getting a happily arranged marriage. I guess Sagani got lucky with who she got as a spouse.
That would be all we would get into for Sagani's personal details.
Now may be a good time to inquire about her search for Persoq.
Looks like a long list. I guess Crariewan can ask about why this kind of quest is done.
I guess finding that your great elder had reincarnated into a rival tribe could allow you to show respect to said incarnate thereby allowing you to show respect to the person and their tribe.
With how random reincarnations are, this probably would not be effective but I guess it is the principle of the tradition.
Still could be a complete waste of time if the person reincarnated so far from home. Speaking of which...
I guess Sagani was unlucky that Persoq reincarnated so far from home. Still the image of trying to recount a person's history to a polar is hilarious to think about.
Looks like long journeys can happen. That must suck for the person on the quest and worse still for those that never come home.
To sum up, it would be advantageous if the elder's soul reincarnates close to Naasitaq seeing as locals would be familiar with this tradition. Imagine how awkward the conversation would be if you were approached by a dwarf who recounts your past life's achievements.
If the reincarnated elder has no recollection of their village, it would feel like a complete waste of time. That must really suck.
Now to ask how did Sagani get stuck with this role.
Okay, go on.
I guess it is like drawing a short straw or in this case, tooth.
Now to get Sagani's opinion on our quest.
Good point, Crariewan currently have a good number of leads though nearly all of them leads to Defiance Bay.
I guess that is all.
There is the sign to indicate the directions. I guess Caed Nua was a prominent enough place to be considered a reference point for signage.
I wonder if that may crop up later.
Having Sagani means we technically have seven party members with Itumaak fighting alongside us.
These trolls do not stand a chance against our ca- I mean, fox. (Wrong gender as well...)
Oh, I hate these things. Pwgra are spellcasters that hide among the tankier mobs which in turn, lets them fling nasty status effects on the party.
Try to prioritize killing them. In fact, make it a rule to always kill the mage first in any medieval setting with magic. Unless the mage is supremely powerful enough to fend off almost any attack...
Then, figure out plan B.
I guess learning more about these enemies was enough to level up Crariewan and Durance.
Neat.
Ah, Watchful Presence. Semi-useful as a last ditch save before knock-out.
The pillar spell is also semi-useful. An extra knockdown never hurts.
So instead of going to Defiance Bay, we shall go the other way.
The standard RPG method of checking the alternate paths before pursuing the main goal. In character, Crariewan wants to exhaust all leads before heading into Defiance Bay with her main lead to ensure results.
As can be seen, there are places east of Defiance Bay.
Dang it, more of these things.
The party can also go south as well.
This opens up a route to the south. Looks like the route leads some cliffs overlooking Defiance Bay.
Investigating the area finds this abandoned cart.
Looks to be abandoned for a while. I do not know if it will come up for a quest so the cart is looted. Looks like people are trying to move about the Dyrwood. Perhaps looking for a way around the Hollowborn crisis.
Botan, is that you? Hang on, no Adidas...
Kill! To learn about it, of course...
This is not modern times, we have not hunted lions to dangerously low population levels yet!
It is horrible that is the case in reality for numerous animal species throughout the real world.
From that fight, Eder has improved enough to level up.
Boosting Eder's survival skill allows him to access better buffs after camping out in the field.
This could be useful in some situations.
I guess we now know where Spongebob, Patrick, Squidward and that park ranger ended up after the Club Spongebob episode.
I have to wonder if they remembered to find some water helmets before walking all the way to the Dyrwood.
More exploration.
More angry lions. I wonder if any of them are acquainted with Mufasa.
Guess not.
On the bright side, level up!
Classic Fireball for Aloth.
More song phrases for Kana.
This screen allows players to customize the order of Kana's phrases so that their effects will occur in accordance with the arrangement. I never played a Chanter so I am not too sure if there is a way to meta-game this.
This dead pilgrim has a fancy looking axe.
Enchanted too. Nice!
Meanwhile, here is a brief look at Sagani's bow.
Looks like Crariewan and co. will be heading south for the time being.
With all that walking, it would seem that renovations for the Main Keep has concluded.
Here Crariewan chooses to fix the bailey of Caed Nua. That way, she can start fixing up the grounds of the castle further.
I guess we now know why this place is called Searing Falls. Perhaps we will be lucky with the one drake?
Guess not...
Drakes are annoying due to their fire-breathing capabilities.
Their fire-breath tends to hit a large area which means a lot of injured party members.
If we get into another fight, Crariewan and Durance will both be dead by the end of it.
As such, the party rests.
The pillars loom ever still.
Well, looks like Aloth has something on his mind.
Let us also not forget a cursed castle of a home, various companions needing aid, a tyrannical lord that needs to be overthrown etc.
Being honest, Crariewan has no idea how to process the fact that she is losing her mind by way of overlapping past lives. Now madness induced by an angry god for her blasphemous speculation on gods, that probably makes sense to her.
Nice to see that Aloth appreciates her opinion on the matter.
Hopefully, it is a day that does not involve drakes.
I should stop tempting fate at this point, shouldn't I?
Okay, that went better at least.
Spoke too soon again.
I cannot be too sure but I think I reloaded a save here. Too many drakes to deal with and too little spare time to spare.
Going south bypasses a lot of those drakes.
That does not mean that they are all gone.
Looks like Aloth took a dirt nap here.
The bright side is that after all that fighting, Sagani finally levelled up.
Part of a Ranger's unique abilities are to boost their ranged abilities or their pet abilities. I tend to go with pet abilities so that Itumaak can contribute in fights.
Looks like there is a cave in the area.
Seeing as it serves no purpose for now, we can ignore the place for the time being.
We can however continue killing drakes.
At this part of the map is a path leading further west.
Looks like it leads to some cliffs overlooking Defiance Bay.
Hang on, was that not what Crariewan saw in her vision when looking at Sagani's totem?
Upon arriving, the party rests to restore their health and heal injuries.
Sagani even gives a line of dialogue to indicate that we are properly on Persoq's trail.
Based on where the party is, Defiance Bay would definitely in view of these cliffs.
As usual, there are hostile creatures on the loose in these cliffs.
Blights are pretty annoying enemies to deal with. Especially the larger ones.
At this point, Crariewan and co. needs another rest. Their elemental damage and relative tankiness often damages the less hardy party members.
Towards the western cliffs, there appears to be a significant spot highlighted. Perhaps Persoq was here?
Based on the text, that guess may be spot on.
Looks like Persoq is running fast in the wilderness somewhere. Somewhere with an adra arch? Perhaps, someone in the party would know?
Looks like Eder has a hunch, some place near to Twin Elms. I wonder what kind of insight Crariewan has from her knowledge of lore.
Looks like Crariewan is familiar too. I am not sure if it is supposed to come out that way, perhaps I skipped a screenshot somehow....
Based on all the places Persoq is going, he clearly has an appreciation for scenery. That or he's moving pretty fast from pastoral locale to pastoral locale.
That must be quite the view. Though the medieval European-esque forests do get dull after a long while of travelling amongst them.
I guess this would be a good time to find out more about Persoq himself.
Persoq has quite the track record. Sounds like a swell guy to be in charge of a village.
He definitely did a lot but a lot of people wanted him to hear about his accomplishments instead of personal stuff though.
In fact, Crariewan has a point. Why are his personal acquaintances not handling on this quest?
True but personally if I were reincarnated and someone from my past life was able to track me down somehow, I would like to know how my loved ones are.
At the end of the day, all of my accomplishments would pale to what I have managed to leave behind for my loved ones.
As for Crariewan, she answers accordingly.
Sagani clearly misses her own family so she would be inclined to agree.
With that, our discussion is over.
See, no new dialogue options for now.
Before moving on, there is an interesting rock nearby.
This opens a new illustrated section where we can scale down.
Good thing we always keep rope at hand.
Of course, poor Aloth's stats means he fails to climb down and begins to take a nasty tumble...
Good thing Sagani saves him from the fall.
After that, nothing of note happens for the descent.
With all these injuries, it is high time we rested.
With that done, we can move on where we find a cave of undead creatures.
We do find this magic ring at least for our troubles.
The climb up is nothing special so we can move on.
Nice, some work on the fortress is done.
I do not recall what I picked exactly but I think I chose the dungeons here.
A lot of adventurers are down on their luck and lying face down these days.
Amidst the forest and the rain, there is someone standing around.
This seems interesting.
Based on the written description, this Orlan has seen better days. I wonder what he is going to do with the carcass.
Sagani, I do hope you got hungry from the prospect of cooked meat and not raw deer.
I do wonder if tapeworms are a thing in fantasy setings.
We are introduced to Hiravias. Looks like he is offering us a free bite of raw deer.
I believe I picked the Stoic option for Crariewan to say. Hiravias digs out what seems to be the deer's guts for consumption.
May as well give the hunter the courtesy of sampling the meal.
;-D
I guess he realised he got played by Crariewan here. The whole wild Orlan schtick backfired on him.
Yep, he got schooled by Crariewan. I guess more conversation should ensue like what killed the deer.
Ah, he is familiar with the wildlife to an extraordinary degree.
I guess Hiravias is a Galawain worshipper?
Guess not.
Oh, he switched religions. From a god of the hunt to a more mysterious god.
Literally. Wael is a god of mystery that obfuscates things. That is an odd concept for worship but I cannot complain.
Now, Crariewan wonders as to why Hiravias is standing around.
Ah, Hiravias is a druid and a rather progressive one too. Progressive as in not stagnating at least.
With the tasks at hand for Crariewan, I doubt she would not unwelcome to assistance.
Alright, we have our party druid now. Someone to fling bees at our enemies.
Looks like he has a task in mind too. It may not be possible to go to the settlement of Twin Elms with the flooding in mind but Hiravias is still welcome to join the party.
I guess he has been travelling alone for some time now.
With that, we finally have way too many people in the party that we need to keep someone in reserve.
I usually do not need a Chanter so I send Kana back to Caed Nua.
Perhaps he can do some research at Caed Nua to figure out more of the Endless Paths on his own for now.
Here is the level up screen for Hiravias.
With him in our party, it is time to converse.
That makes sense. Even with the reclusive wanderings, Hiravias must have seen signs of the Hollowborn epidemic all around.
I guess we can ask him what do the native Glanfathans think of this epidemic.
That makes sense seeing as the last Glanfathan tribespeople Crariewan met believed that the biawac hitting the caravan was a sign that the gods were on their side to punish us for standing near a bunch of ruins.
In that case, Crariewan ought to ask what does Hiravias think of all this.
Even Hiravias's seemingly carefree attitude has to drop sometime and this would be one of them.
It is a depressing notion to deal with; that every child born would be a hollow husk with no signs of sapience and/or life in them. Surviving but unable to live.
I think only the worst person would wish this sort of horror on someone else. Damning a parent and their child to this is truly monstrous.
I guess it is about time to get to know Hiravias better.
He seems into it, at least.
I think.
I guess it would make sense to find out how he became a druid in the first place.
Oh, I wonder how does that happen.
It could be worse. You could have been left together with a village idiot for conversation. Or if you are religious, the village nihilist like Crariewan.
I wonder where this is going.
Oh, I guess Hiravias caught the attention of someone important enough to recognise his potential.
I guess it is time to ask Hiravias where he is from.
Fair enough, we all come from a mother's crotch.
That said, Crariewan will attempt to rile him up.
At least he has a good sense of humor but it is fair that he would not tolerate an insult to his mother.
Probably should not have cracked an actual "Your mom" joke to him.
So, he is from one of the local tribes of the area. I guess if we ever head to those areas, we should bring him along.
Now to ask him about the symbol of Wael and perhaps the reason he is worshipping Wael to begin with.
I guess that makes sense. Also, his tribe seems to be not quite as local seeing.
Right, I guess the mysterious and sudden kick to the groin from behind would be the will of Wael controlling a boot? Then again, if it is in response to his gaze, it probably would not count.
Now, onto his relationship with Galawain.
That is a straight-forward explanation so far.
Hmm... looks like either a crisis of faith or a falling out with his god.
I doubt Crariewan would be one to judge seeing as she is a benevolent nihilist who is somehow an atheist and a priest of a dead god. She has the gold trophy for strange relationships with gods in the bag.
Seeing as he is a druid, I guess it would not be wrong to ask about what kind of creature Hiravias can turn into.
Okay... he is definitely hiding something here.
Even Crariewan picked that up. Time to push the subject.
Alright, time for backstory.
Sounds sort of normal so far.
It is a good thing he somehow survived indeed.
It would suck to take a walk to clear a writer's block to only then be ambushed by a hungry tiger.
I guess that would explain the face. Also, nice going.
The stelgaer got one face while Hiravias got one leg and one face. Scoreboard!
Looks like he was able to shapeshift during the fight. I guess it was one of those do-or-die affairs.
Oh, scratch that earlier scoreboard. It was an arm, an injured leg and probably its face.
Still, scoreboard!
So I guess something went wrong shortly after he learnt how to shapeshift.
Or rather, his shapeshifted form.
The creature he turned into was something his tribe did not approve of.
Looks like even if he had other forms, he would be rejected by his village elders. It would seem like bad luck that he got the evil omen as a form.
I guess that is why he had his falling out with Galawain. He sought insight to aid his training and Galawain gave him an evil omen in response that got him essentially banished and ostracized from his village.
I can see where the resentment comes from. Crariewan probably should clarify if he is a soul cannibal first though... To be sure.
It would make sense he would get upset by that question. It would not be comforting to know if you are a real monster after all.
For more clarity, Crariewan can check if he truly was unable to choose his form to begin with.
I have no idea what a stoat is so I cannot say. It kinda sounds like a stone goat or something.
Hiravias has probably spent a lot of time pondering why Galawain seemingly saw fit to grant him such a feared form instead of what he thought he was supposed to be.
Now to check if his druid circle was even decent enough to grant him his title.
That is not cool at all. It would be like failing a student who passed his exams and finished his thesis all because he was a descendant of Atilla the Hun.
I do not know if this analogy works but I will stick with it. Crariewan checks to see if he can change into other forms at least.
So even if he uses other forms, he would be judged by his village for his first form.
That truly sucks for Hiravias. Crariewan should and would thank him for sharing his story with her.
That is true.
I guess if Crariewan ends up going to Twin Elms, we could ask the druids there about Hiravias's form.
Now, we can ask him about Galawain and Wael. At least to get his thoughts about both gods.
I think Crariewan probably wants his insight and opinion of both gods rather than a debate.
So, she starts with his current god.
As stated, Hiravias suffered a crisis of faith upon being exiled from his tribe. Wondering why Galawain seemingly forced such dire misfortune on him probably kept him up whenever he was unable to sleep to, I reckon.
Pondering such a mystery probably gave him a connection to Wael in pursuing a mystery with an obscured answer.
I wonder if he has lifted that eye-patch to scare off unruly people.
It would be kind of frustrating to worship Wael if you pray to a god for guidance. Wael would be a suitable god for one who is free to wander in search of answers at least.
I guess it would be good to ask if Hiravias has ever received a sign from Wael.
Of course he would not. From his last bit, he clearly has a grudge against Galawain.
I guess now would be a good time to ask Hiravias about Galawain. Get his thoughts on his former god.
I guess one can retain respect for a disregarded god. Hard to stay loyal due to being nearly crippled by their machinations.
That and being scarred for life by said god. Boy, Galawain is a tough god to root for. Perhaps he was trying to help Hiravias somehow?
Guess not. On the surface, that is.
That's true, I doubt Galawain would be deign to answer queries from his worshippers. He would probably expect them to take the lesson from the experience if they seurive somehow.
I guess that is all we can gather from him for now.
It must be nice to be able to divulge your life's story to a stranger.
I think I prefer how Enderal did it but I do not mind this kind of divulgence so much. It is unnatural but a lot of games do this sort of thing so there is that.
Now to ask about the locals. Perhaps Hiravias has better insight on them seeing as he is one of them.
I guess their attitude to outlanders are similar to the Dunmer of Morrowind.
I wonder if he misses living there among the locals.
Methinks he is not being honest here.
That is more honest. Mixed feelings but home is home. You cannot help but want to come back every now and then.
That's fair.
Wanderlust born of curiosity is understandable but the nostalgic feelings for your home remains.
Here, Hiravias explains why Crariewan should avoid the lands of the locals. Indeed, there is nothing to see out in their lands.
Not even a public restroom to comfortably poop in.
No one is allowed into the ruins at all as we clearly saw from the start of this series.
I wonder if there is a loophole whereby one is allowed in if they originated from inside the ruins (like a person emerging from stasis or Imprisonment etc.).
Crariewan proceeds to ask about Hriavias's tribe.
Despite his exile, he still has strong feelings for his tribe of origin. Understandable.
Also, based on that name, he appears to have grown up in a bog which Crariewan inquires on.
Cool that his scars tell a story. Though I would not be surprised if there are some stories he would not fully recall especially if they involve head injuries.
Ah, a nomadic lifestyle. A bit like Sagani though his tribe's nomadic life seems to be more for their cultural beliefs rather than sustenance.
Now to inquire as to why his tribe is not well-regarded.
Fair enough. If enough groups assume 'honor before reason' is the way to live, the pragmatic ones would be the ostracized ones.
It certainly would explain the Glanfathans from the prologue.
Good to know. Now to ask if he would want to join a different tribe if he could.
Ah, he would not even if he wanted to. I can understand that feeling.
Even if you are not wanted, some part of you still feels nostalgia for that home.
As for further questions, Crariewan asks more about how her fellow Orlan go through life in the forests here.
I would like to assume Crariewan annoyed the pants off her siblings with piousness and later, inquisitiveness. Later being after Eothas bit the bullet.
Ouch, being made as the tribe's yardstick. Only thing worst would be the tribe's bicycle.
As we heard before.
Warning re-noted.
Now for a insider's opinion on the people of the Dyrwood.
Not gonna lie, I would not wish that kind of fate on my worst enemies.
The advice of his parents are fitting for the kind of culture he has been raised in and he is not wrong that most of the foreigners have been wealth-driven.
If they all sobered up, they would probably get back to actually doing their jobs properly and resolving all the sidequests that Crariewan has been doing so far.
I may have lost the original screenshot so here is a placeholder.
Whoopsie.
Ah, finally someone to gossip with about our companions.
We can start by asking about Eder.
So, a seemingly normal peasant in a medieval setting? Eder is certainly bigger than Crariewan and Hiravias for sure.
You are not wrong there, Hiravias. He certainly is a lot nicer than most folks in the Dyrwood. I guess being ostracized for worshipping a dead god would do that.
Now to ask about Aloth.
Not wrong about the two scents if the female dwarf voice has anything to say about it and definitely uptight. He probably has a myriad of issues we have not explored yet.
As for Sagani...
Hiravias respects her. She is just as skilled as him though he is likely a bit better due to being a druid and all.
How about Kana?
Kana is a nice guy and a terrific singer according to Hiravias. I have no reason to disagree though I would say his niceness is born more of naivety for the time being.
Now, the big question: What does Hiravias think of our jerk of a priest?
Durance certainly is unstable though some of what he says is funny in that they are to be laughed at rather than laughed with.
With Hiravias done, we can try to speak to Durance again to see if he has more to say.
Like where he is from.
Ah, that certainly is an apt name for a place centered around worshipping Magran.
In case you forgot, reader, Magran is the goddess of war, fire and trials. So as part of war, she would want her denomination to master the ways of war which certainly would include firearms; a combo of fire and war.
Wonder what he means by other devotions.
I guess that is what he means. Fire itself is a tool for creation and in the hands of Magran followers, it is likely for creating innovations for war and further trials.
Now to ask about the purpose of fire and their sparks.
Ah, this is more of a reminiscing seeing as he no longer has Magran's favor.
Normally I would balk at finding pleasure in terrifying people but after my time with stories about pompous mages & their inflated egos (i.e. Nasuverse, Harry Potter etc.), it is kinda nice that mages are rightfully terrified of firearms.
10 bucks that Voldemort would not even be a problem if there were trained snipers to deal with him popping back up every time he died.
That said, Durance is just as pompous as those mages so it is not much coming from him.
I bet the archmages of the setting would have no issue dealing with firearms.
I guess that is part of the innovation Magran allows as part of worshiping her.
Putting mages and soldiers on even footing via firearms is making me think of Arcanum.
Kiritsugu would approve. Now if they are able to perfect riffling in this setting, firearms would be even more of a trouble for mages.
I wonder if Durance has any thoughts about Ashfall.
Well, Crariewan is a worshipper of Eothas so she would be curious about another god's center of worship that she has no knowledge of.
I wonder if the people there wear masks or cloths to cover their noses and mouths. Inhaling that much ash cannot be good for them especially if they are asthmatic.
Is it not risky to build stuff out of burnt wood? I would assume that the structural integrity would be affected unless this is part of their daily trials to maintain the place amidst the ashfall from their forges.
I wonder what their cathedral is like.
Ah, a cathedral built with burnt wood with the main forges underneath the cathedral.
It would be quite the sight though the smell would be awful and your health could be jeopardized from staying there too long.
Indeed, I imagine they are willing to share. One bullet at a time.
Now, I wonder what Durance has to say about his staff and how it seems to be a holy symbol to him.
That is an eloquent way to describe the staff.
Also, I guess he also agrees with our assessment that the staff is like his holy symbol.
Now to ask about the War of Black Trees he brought up earlier.
Looks like that is all he wants to say for the time being. Crariewan would have to ask again later.
For now, onwards!
Or not.
Looks like the way ahead is blocked off by the flooded river. Guess the rain caused this.
We can move on at least. Looks like there is a village nearby.
This looks like a nice-looking place and already there are suspicious looking people present. I guess this is still the Dyrwood.
Until your questline begins, I reckon?
Oh, it is a "she" they are looking for. May as well keep an eye out while we are here.
That or Crariewan approaches them to find out more.
Weird that he thinks we came from the village.
Could be an oversight in the dialogue writing here.
Of course, he is.
Interesting, a strangler? Any relation to the Tattletale Strangler by any chance?
In all seriousness, it is odd that they are just standing around instead of searching on their own.
Ah, they would be too obvious and recognisable. That checks out at least.
As the Intellect check notes however, something is off about their story. If Nyfre is a mass murderer, why send mercenaries to hunt her down instead of using actual guards who can do so?
Hmm, that makes sense a bit but I have my doubts.
That said, Crariewan agrees to help if only to get Nyfre's side of the story.
Before we go, we should ask them some general questions.
Let us see if their story remains straight if we ask about Nyfre again.
Well, there are currently two orlans before you.
Now to ask about what Nyfre did again.
Ok, their story is the same so it is either a rehearsed tale or it is not a lie.
Before we head into the village proper, we can check out the nearby temple.
Only one person in here. Not too big but it is a small village.
Ah, the person here is a mere assistant. I wonder if the main priest will be involved in any quests.
As the party heads in, they are approached by an armored individual.
I guess there is another quest here.
Looks like he is not a local and like Medreth, is looking for someone.
Now to inquire as to who he is looking for.
Ah, this could be the beginning of another quest. The additional experience could be useful.
Now to continue into the village.
I could imagine, medieval times do not afford a lot of time for hygiene if you were a peasant.
Ah, a merchant. Let us see if they have information of the two people being sought after.
Looks like the merchant got injured by something. Also, as evident by her words, she has limited stocks somehow.
Crariewan can ask about that.
Hmm, wonder what she found that was so rare and valuable.
Ah, a drake's egg. Sounds rare.
It could be worth a detour while the party is in the area so Crariewan offers to lend aid.
I guess that means we got to be careful when collecting the egg then.
Now to ask about her injuries.
Looks like Crariewan's reputation precedes her. May as well be honest.
Indeed, there are worse ways to describe those burns.
Makes sense. Now that we are acquainted, Crariewan can ask about Nyfre.
Ah, she did spot an orlan in the village. Looks like we will be able to get some answers directly from Nyfre if it is her.
Now to get her input on the roads. They certainly are dangerous based on the bandits and wildlife that the party has encountered so far.
Indeed, it is the people that tend to be the biggest problems in times of crisis. Especially with the Hollowborn crisis that is ongoing here.
We can ask about her wares but seeing as she said her stock was limited, it may be better to get that egg first.
Here is where the party is. The only other path to take aside from where we came from is a nearby crossing.
I wonder who this is. She has a unique appearance from the rest of the people we have seen so far.
A unique portrait? Seems like she is quite important.
Seeing as we have a bunch of quests in the area, Crariewan is likely approaching her to inquire where possible.
Guess she did not hear Crariewan. There is something off about the woman though it would be wise to study her closely.
She appears to have a glamor cast on her that changes how she appears to others. Crariewan begins to notice the discrepancy between what she initially saw and what she is actually seeing.
The glamor seems to be a powerful one as she does seem indistinct from the villagers here.
Based on all that, Crariewan should focus closely on the woman to see past that glamor.
Essentially, she looks like her portrait though the silver is hard to tell for me at least.
Oh, I wonder if the threads are incredibly unbroken that are capable of moving from topic to topic so that no one had a chance to interrupt.
Yes, I am referencing the Jean-Luc Picard song. These descriptions are quite long.
Oh, this is different. Looks like we are looking at some sort of vision or perhaps a recollection as the game puts it.
We certainly are not on any plateau after all.
I guess this is something the woman had experienced before.
I guess this means those chimes are quite important for the woman. The recollection seem to be stronger as the sounds echo forth.
Yup, looks like we are looking at a memory of the woman doing something on an adra plateau.
Oh, the woman is a mid-wife of sorts but likely with some kind of mystical angle to it.
From all this, Crariewan can understand that this woman is an experienced mid-wife but has something unique about her.
I guess the chimes are part of her unique mid-wife process.
I wonder if she is reliving her work or a particular incident in her work.
The work is done and the baby seems to be born healthy.
To reiterate, the woman seems to be a special kind of mid-wife.
Ah, the chimes are a welcoming sound for the newly born baby. A calming sound that soothes the freshly born life.
Looks like the woman is remembering a successful moment as a mid-wife.
She is fixating on the child in that moment but is it a normal, nurturing fixation or something else? Crariewan was drawn into the memory so there may be something.
Now, we return to the present knowing about this woman's memory of that moment.
Now she is unveiled to us, her true appearance matching her portrait.
So the woman has a glamor or some sort of illusion on her that causes others to be unable to see her real appearance. Now that Crariewan knows that there is an illusion on her, she can talk to the woman.
Asking who is she likely is the polite option.
She too recognises that Crariewan can see her real appearance.
Looks like she is doing something mystical.
Oh, she is reading Crariewan's memories.
Guess Crariewan ought to confirm what she is seeing in Crariewan's memories.
I wonder how long has she been here.
Oh, she did not see that Crariewan looked into her memory. Perhaps there is something special about that moment.
Indeed, Crariewan usually just views memories. She does not reenact someone else's memories.
I gues she is referring to how Crariewan is an awakened Watcher and her new abilities are either strengthening her or killing her.
I guess so. I suspect even if you make it here at level 1, you can still get this dialogue.
Looks like she wants to join us on our travels. Someone with her abilities could be useful and she has something in her worth investigating too.
I guess she masks her emotions well but as a Watcher, we can figure it out.
Seems that the woman found her courage to join us.
And here she is, the Grieving Mother.
For now, we will bring the Grieving Mother with the party. She seems to have a story to tell and I bet Crariewan would want to figure it out as the party travels on.
Plus it would be a funnier sight for the party's image; five well-equipped individuals being followed by a middle-aged female peasant that no one else can recognise or notice.
The Grieving Mother (hereinafter referred to as "the GM") is a cipher. Ciphers are a class in Pillars of Eternity that have the ability to manipulate another person's soul and psyche by way of mental energies.
The kind of magic they wield is powered by their soul like wizards and priests but they affect the mental faculties. Kinda like an esper.
Now, we can begin dialogue with the Grieving Mother. This is gonna take a while seeing as she is a character written by Chris Avellone (MCA).
I guess she and Crariewan will be talking telepathically, I think? She could ask the Grieving Mother if she knows what Watchers are.
Guess she is pondering her response?
Ah, that kind of answer definitely warrants some second thoughts before voicing them out.
I wonder if this dialogue also covers her calling the player character a Watcher if they got to this village without learning about their true nature?
I doubt Crariewan would be upset and would prefer to find out what the Mother knows about Watchers.
I wonder if this is what she would see if she met Crariewan prior to the biawac and ritual.
After a repeat of the conversation, we can ask her as to why she seems so quick to apologise to Crariewan. It is almost as though she is afraid of her.
Perhaps she has something hidden that she fears being discovered?
Crariewan proceeds to ask about a particularly important aspect of the Mother.
Namely that no one can see her at all.
Never heard of a caul so time to check what she means.
From Wikipedia: A caul or cowl (Latin: Caput galeatum, literally, "helmeted head") is a piece of membrane that can cover a newborn's head and face.
I guess she has some kind of magical shroud that Watchers can see through by their nature while the shroud works normally on regular folks. If her caul is an actual biological caul, I doubt it would hide her identity from them but would instead draw even more attention.
That explanation sounds similar to my own pontification. Now Crariewan wonders as to how is it she can affect minds?
Sounds like a useful skill to avoid unwanted attention. It lets her slip away and not stick out once she does whatever she is supposed to do.
Note that she does draw aggro normally so do not think that this lets her be sneaky in combat by default.
Now that is something quite peculiar to do. There must be some reason for it.
So it was a one way affair where Crariewan could see her dreams but the Mother could not sense Crariewan in her dreams.
Looks like the Watcher is figuring out more about how this type of dream walking works.
Sounds like the Watcher would be able to view her memories and recall them after viewing them from her dreams.
Since the opportunity is there, Crariewan may as well ask for her permission to dream walk.
I doubt Crariewan would want to do this without consent. She is honest, if nothing else.
Forgotten? Or hidden? That sounds like an angle to help discern this matter.
Now Crariewan goes back in again.
Back here again.
Yup, this is a work of Avellone.
Like before, Crariewan focuses on the chimes to direct herself here.
Now she is firmly in the memory.
The same motions that the Grieving Mother made before.
Now to repeat the same actions from before.
Now to keep the memory going.
Being a mid-wife sure is not easy.
Now to complete the last parts of the memory.
I guess the sound of the chimes are meant to be retained in the newborn's subconsciousness?
Ah, there is the clear explanation.
I guess a laugh of relief could happen after a successful childbirth.
Even as Crariewan steps away from the memory, the Grieving Mother appears to be fixated on these memories.
Now Crariewan will try to describe the memory to figure out more about the Grieving Mother.
Something about the memory scares her somehow. I guess Crariewan make take some time to figure out what is it the Mother fears.
Now to begin.
I guess she is so used to the motions that she can perfectly replicate those motions without any hassle.
I wonder what the rest of the party thinks of all this, seeing Crariewan staring at some old peasant lady.
Something is definitely up in those memories. Something that snapped her reverie.
Sounds like whatever is in those memories has worn her down.
Now this is the main part of the Grieving Mother's side-quest. Crariewan has to correctly describe what she saw in the Mother's memories and relay them to her in order for the Mother to recall more of her own memories.
If you pick wrongly, the conversation restarts from the beginning. It is fine to be wrong at the start but it can be annoying to get it wrong towards the end and needing to start all over again.
When you are able to correctly describe what you saw in her dreams, the Grieving Mother continues her line of questions.
Looks like she is able to recollect something properly.
Now we can see that there was something up with how she recalls the child she held. Or rather what she was doing with her hands.
Looks like Crariewan described the memory to her correctly.
Now we have a name for that location.
Something must have happened at the Birthing Bell but before Crariewan can figure out anything, she would need to find out more about the Birthing Bell itself.
I guess it is the place to be when giving birth. Being able to announce a healthy birth in such a way.
Or rather it is her own special venue for her mid-wife work. Crariewan will try to confirm if the memory shows the Grieving Mother at work.
I see, she sounds like a caretaker for the mother and unborn child. What Crariewan likely saw was the end of that entire process.
Guess the Grieving Mother was an excellent mid-wife seeing all that she was capable of, her abilities included.
With that in mind, it was time to find out more about her birthing ritual.
In a way, she helps to shape the child. Hopefully into a thoughtful and decent-minded one that is free to decide their nature rather than shaping the child into whatever the parents want.
Calming an expecting mother is important too. Helping out with the stress of birthing a child in medieval-esque lands would definitely be of use.
Also, Crariewan picks up on how the Grieving Mother is able to sense an expecting mother's thoughts.
I guess this helps the mother and child to bond better seeing as their thoughts are shared. Likely the child does not fully remember this sharing but it likely lingers in the child's subconscious.
That sounds nice but now Crariewan is wondering on what entails after the child is born seeing as the ritual goes on for years.
I wonder if this helps avert post-partum depression by being able to share thoughts with one's child in this setting.
That does sound a bit like forcing the maternal feelings between a parent and a child onto one another but I guess the Grieving Mother meant well.
For clarity's sake, Crariewan asks to confirm as to whether the bells play a part in the process.
I guess the sound of the chimes keeps that subconscious feeling alive through the child's early growth.
That is true, having bells tied to a child would help a parent track a child.
Understandable. It is why parents give their kids squeaky shoes and ankle bangles with little bells.
Children can find themselves in the darnedest places or doing the darnedest things.
Ah, so it does not permanently shape the child's mind. It just helps with the early years of childhood.
However, would all this mean that the Grieving Mother watched over each of these children for years after birth?
Sounds like tough time if she was watching over so many children.
Based on that, it sounds like she is used to experiencing these children either dying or falling apart. The chimes would only provide some form of mental support but not much.
Guess the Grieving Mother must have seen her fair share of tragedy.
That sounds terrible. Guess the birthing ritual helped out a lot.
Now for Crariewan to ask some more questions.
I guess due to her abilities, some folks believed she could see a child's future or view the child's past.
But judging from her fear, this is likely not within the scope of her abilities.
Yep, that sounds about right. Also, she is spooked by the term, "Watcher".
Crariewan goes to investigate further.
Looks like the Grieving Mother does not have pleasant thoughts associated with the said term.
So, she was imposed upon with the title of Watcher but why would she receive such an imposition in the first place?
Convenience and a bit of genuine belief due to the strength it conveyed.
Watchers do not quite do such actions aside from the seeing and guidance based on what Crariewan has been doing. The shaping has been more on the choices of our past life.
Crariewan inquires further.
By viewing the soul of the mother and the emotions present, she would give an estimated guess on the child's future. Guessing that she sees how the child could turn out based on the mother's state of being.
Not entirely true but with a degree of logic.
So, she side-steps being wrong as the child can take their own path but the key point for her is avoid harm when viewing the mother's emotion and seeing harm in the child's futhre.
That sounds rather manipulative if she is able to weave their thoughts to ensure the mother cares for the child until the child is capable of standing for themselves.
From that, she can ensure her predictions come true. A twisted form of care.
Crariewan even notes that what GM does is not what an actual Watcher does.
We just observe memories and Kickstarter stories.
For GM, the label gave her motivation and strength to continue her tasks.
The belief she had for herself and the belief that the villagers had for her.
In other words, she believed in herself and believed in her who believed in herself.
(I know what I wrote, let me have this, reader)
She has a lot of nice ways to justify what she did but at the end of the day, she still used her powers to control their thoughts and will.
Crariewan lays it out there for her.
Guess she sees the necessity of what she does even now.
This argument has ceased for now and there is no point continuing so Crariewan asks about the memory she saw and whether GM made her see GM's version of the memory.
Looks like Crariewan struck a nerve.
Grieving Mother seems to have something wrong in her memories but she is not in any state to continue this line of questioning yet.
Based on how Crariewan has stuck with honesty for a while now, I doubt she would agree to inflict control over others for a greater good.
For an emergency though, perhaps.
She has a point that circumstances may make the choices for us.
Moving on, Crariewan does have questions about the Birthing Bell.
Like where is it.
So somewhere deep in the forests, likely nowhere near to where we are and neighboring a small village.
Crariewan brings up the Watcher appropriation again and how it was linked to the Birthing Bell.
Grieving Mother reiterates her point about belief from before.
That said, it seems she may not believe it anymore. So, Crariewan asks her why she believed as such.
I guess she is lucky that the villagers do not know what an actual Watcher is. That said, since her in-game class is a Cipher, it can be acknowledged that her abilities matches the sort of abilities a Cipher uses.
I guess she dislikes how she would be pigeon-holed as a Cipher even if it fits. To move on, Crariewan asks her about what she knows about Watchers from her perspective.
She recognises that Watchers face a form of discrimination or hate from others. Perhaps she has faced hatred and it colors how she views Watchers.
With all that, Crariewan asks the Grieving Mother more about herself.
Like why is she called the Grieving Mother in the first place.
Looks like she is just as surprised that she is called the Grieving Mother.
Crariewan is the one who named her as such. As a Watcher, Crariewan must have glimpsed at her true nature of sorts and by seeing her, gave her an actual title.
I wonder if other Watchers could do the same. Too bad Maerwald is dead.
Crariewan proceeds to ask the important question here.
Her grief is immense to the point that it defines her character.
Seeing as she is defined as a mother who grieves, she can perceive the torment caused by the current events of the Dyrwood.
Namely, the Hollowborn crisis. As a mother, she would understand the anguish of bringing a child into the world and finding them without any form of sapience and/or soul.
Plus the initial alternate method of implanting animal souls into these husks...
Based on this, it would seem that the outlying villages in the region experienced this but did not know about what Hollowborn were and the extent of the phenomena.
Based on this, she has a good guess that someone or something is artificially causing the Hollowborn phenomena and only by exploring, did she realise that it was happening everywhere else.
It would be bad for the Dyrwood.
So, Crariewan asks her if she has a guess as to its cause.
That sound about right.
Crariewan is a main character in a CRPG so it is a given that she will figure this out.
She does wonder if the Hollowborn phenomena can be solved and if not, what can be done.
Grieving Mother insists that Crariewan will figure something out.
Hopefully, Crariewan can get to it.
We certainly could use an additional member of the party even if no one notices her.
Crariewan then wonders if she has any opinions of the Dyrwood and the Empire.
She does not care for these nations and the way the world is divided. Only seeing such matters as a way for mankind to give further meaning to their mortal existence.
With her way of viewing the world shown to us, we have run out of topics to speak about with the Grieving Mother. Crariewan will continue this conversation later.
With that in mind, we now have to consider the quest of the Grieving Mother as we continue our journey.
I know in my previous part I said I wanted Crariewan to go and confront Lord Raedric but I honestly forgot I said that in my last part. My bad.
At least Crariewan has a big party now. This will make things much easier.
P.S: I am finally catching up with where I left off in my Bloodlines playthrough. I might be able to complete Mark Flavian's tale at this rate.
