The Geneforge Playthrough of Insanity, Inanity, and Cake.

[Florien]

Episode 3: Zones Visited: Ellhrah's Keep, Thorny Fen, Crag Valley, Pentil Woods, Pentil, Spiral Burrow.

Popular opinion, by one vote, is supporting the Awakened first.

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In which a quest is received, and a journey is begun. The third faction of Serviles are met, and many rogues perish.

Ellhrah's Keep to Thorny Fen

I stepped through the gates into the fortress. It was impressive.



My decision was clear. Serviles should have rights, they can clearly survive on their own. The powerful allies mentioned by the takers though, concern me too much to work with them for the time being. The takers said all I'd have to do to join them is kill Ellhrah, so I can report their spy in Vakkiri on my return, and should I change my mind later, I can simply kill this Ellhrah and join them. The Obeyers, loyal though they've been, should not be so dedicated. We've harmed them too much for them to remain loyal. Either way, Freedom for the serviles the best decision that I can think of, at this time.

I doubt the shapers will accept this, the circumstances would have to be dire indeed for the Awakened route to be something they'd tolerate. But I cannot in good conscience allow for the major violations of Shaper Law at this point presumably being backed by the Takers. For now, I shall keep my head down, and aid the faction I met first. They seem to not actively be causing problems. I went deeper in to deliver the message to Ellhrah. But on the way, I encountered a small servile. She was sweeping nervously, but she approached me.



Her name was Ting, and she said there was a powerful wand located in the fort. She implied I should use it to kill Ellhrah, and his most powerful warrior, Swan. She also mentioned Nabb. It's clear what I should do. So I went to Ellhrah's office...



And gave him the message. He read it, and threw it out soon after. He said it was but a pretext for Khobar to send me here to meet him. I discussed matters with him for a time. I also brought up Ting, who was very obviously a spy. He said something to a guard, and the guard walked off. I asked him of the other factions. He said that the Obeyers are sorry and backwards, but not evil. He said that the Takers will lose their war for freedom, and doom the serviles to eternal servitude. Only defensive war can truly win the independence of the serviles, is his claim. Then, he said that if I want to join and receive the aid of the Awakened to its fullest measure, I should fight past a mighty Vlish called Warp, and silence an old, dangerous servant mind called Control Four. He also, perhaps foolishly, gave me the keys to the room with the powerful wand. I will check that out, of course. It could be useful, even if I have no intention to blast Ellhrah with it. Maybe it would be more useful against Warp, or some other creation of great power, if for some reason, my blade is not. So I proceeded into the tunnels where it is. That's where I encountered...



Cryoa. Many Cryoa. They were plentiful and powerful, a difficult foe, strong though I am. The tunnels were freezing, and the cryoa fierce. Also, I found another of those canisters in a back room.

OW!

Then, swiftly, as always, I moved, ever confident, through another few Cryoa, and reached the warehouse. The guard let me by with no fuss, and I used the key to unlock the door. I stepped inside, and found another Canister.

OW!

Cure effects was added to my list of skills. Now poison and acid are less of a threat. I stepped into the second room of the storage which I was permitted access to... and there it was. On the table.



A Discipline wand. The last line of defense, some shapers call it. All creations are vulnerable to the powerful poison contained within these, but non-creations are immune. No wonder Ellhrah hid it back here. It is truly a deadly weapon in the right hands. Sadly, these things only have but a few charges. But they are powerful enough to fell creations of many types in but a single shot. I left, wand in hand, then saw a door which I hadn't bothered to look at before. I picked the lock, and walked inside.



OW!

And that's when I noticed the dead servant mind. I felt like I should be angry that the Awakened had obviously killed this loyal, noble creature, which had surely only been trying to do its job. But I couldn't bring myself to care. I checked some nearby cabinets, and grabbed a jar of mind nutrients. I'm sure I'll find a use for them elsewhere on the island.

On my way back up, I asked Ellhrah about the canisters, as a complete side thought of mine. He said nothing I didn't know, until I mentioned my use of them. He then commented that I did look... "off" to him. My skin is apparently glowing slightly, and I look "colder", whatever that means. Oddly, this doesn't particularly bother me. Looking slightly weird is a justifiable sacrifice in favor of gaining skills and staying alive.

As I left the fortress, I saw only an abandoned broom and a fresh pool of blood where Ting had been. I went back to Vakkiri first, to ask for payment for delivering the message, and to report Nabb. Sencia had no particular reward, as Nabb fled before the guards could catch him. But she gave me thanks. Khobar gave me a small payment for delivering the letter, and directed me to the Crag Valley, where another spawner had supposedly been located. And so, that is where I went. There, I met my first Obeyers, Forney and Dern.



Dern was quiet, but Forney spoke more. He said that he had been brought up right, to know that the shapers are right in all things, and that we are good for creating serviles. He had a lovely chainmail vest. I briefly considered asking for him to give me it, but I thought better of it. I told him of spawners, because he had also noticed an increase in rogues in the area. He seemed most alarmed, and asked me to deal with it, because he didn't have the forces nor the skills himself. I also told him that Shapers are not infallible. That seemed to unsettle him greatly. He mentioned that there are a couple ways to Pentil, his city. The most popular 0ne, until recently, was through the Hill of Jars, so named because it contains lots of jars. But recently, the doors had been closed and the route had been trapped by person or persons unknown. The other way, the southern way, goes through heavily rogue-infested territory. I need to get off this island, so obviously, I'll have to head east, to where the other docks are. To get there, I'll have to go through the city of Pentil. So this information is helpful to me. I then went off the main path, to go track down that spawner.



That's when I encountered a roamer. These things are supposedly modified hairless dogs. They spit acid and have a powerful bite. Of course, to me, they always looked more like frogs. They both can die though, and this one did, with ease. I turned back, not willing to face more roamers at the moment, and fought instead through a swarm of powerful artilla. I eventually reached the Crag Valley Spawner, a pitiful thing. It was sick from producing Artillas, the acid was eating through the tubes out which it produced the artilla. I allowed it to continuously try to repel me with a thick swarm of rogues, but I'd cut them down the moment they emerged from the spawner's grip. Soon, it gave up. I cut it once, and it began to weep green sap upon the ground.



I then stepped up, and cut it down at last. On the way out, I found a couple canisters in a side storeroom. Once again, I used them without a second thought.

OW.

OW!

Magic again, Bah. A skill I'd never used much, and would never use much. Shaping is preferable by far, and healing is the only school of magic I use, really. But I had heard the cosmic ding when I had been cutting through the spawner's creations, so it was all worth it. What's two more canisters, but a bonus. Some day, I may use those skills. Not SOON, but some day.

As I left the area, I talked with Forney again, and told him of the destruction of the spawner. He bowed so low his face was pressed against the ground, and didn't stop thanking me for several minutes. He talked of how he always knew the shapers would come back and use their mighty powers to save everyone, and other such stuff. Even though I work with the awakened at this time, I can't say I didn't enjoy the adulation. It's one of the things I joined the shapers for, after all. I then told Khobar of my victory over the spawner, and he told me that he had no further work for me. He told me I should go east, to find out more of the secrets. Vakkiri holds nothing for me now, as I've drained the merchants of coin and the quest-givers of quests. I may not return for some time. Next, I had a choice to make. To head into the spiral burrow, where Warp the Vlish and Control Four reside, in hatred, or to make my way to Pentil first. The way Warp had been described sounded quite threatening. I was not willing to take that risk just yet, and so I headed through the Thorny Fen, a roamer infested region. From there, I resolved to pick my way to Pentil through forests and such, and from there, perhaps, gain enough strength to push through and cut Warp down.

Arriving in the Thorny Fen, I was immediately beset by roamers, but not plentiful enough of them to prove a threat, yet. I also found what caused the place to receive its name.



Thorn bushes, growing wild! These things, normally farmed, are the source of thorns for batons. I don't use batons, of course, having specialized primarily in stabbing, but the thorns can be worth a decent amount. I shook the bushes and gathered many thorns, to sell at some later time. I also encountered many more roamers. They'd run off, gather some friends, and attempt to charge me. But I soon resolved that issue by attempting to kill every last roamer in the fen. The Cosmic Ding rang once more as I proceeded with that process.

OW.

I needn't say what caused me such pain. At this point, it should be clear what I had found that did that. But I proceeded, killing Roamers and such for some time. Then, I heard a cry of alarm. I rushed to see what was the matter.



A servile had been cornered by a roamer. I rushed in and stabbed the roamer before it could harm her. She was lightly injured, but she'd live. She introduced herself as Sleet, a scout for the Obeyers. She gave me a gift of two crystals, (which I'll most likely sell). She said that I should go to Pentil, the city of the Obeyers. She also told me that there are Vlish on the route that I'm travelling, but also that the other route is more trap laden and diplomacy requiring. As I am not currently particularly good at dealing with traps or talking to people, I resolved to head through the Vlish packs instead.

In which a strange force calls to our hero, the Obeyers are properly met, knowledge is uncovered, and a powerful foe meets a sorry end.

Pentil Woods to Spiral Burrow

On entering the woods, I found sounds muffled, and a vague buzzing in my head. There were more vlish there than I thought there were. I should have expected the worst, obviously, but worse still, they were rapidly communicating with each other. If I didn't silence one that saw me immediately, no doubt others would come. I cautiously picked my way through the forest. Or, I assumed it was cautiously. In practice, I walked into a vlish right away



I'm slightly ashamed to admit I panicked slightly. These organisms have characteristics from many different animals, plants, and other things too. But most notable is their extremely powerful magic. They are known for being easily one of the most dangerous rogues, because they're so smart. They'll hide, they'll guide other creations, and they'll drive them rogue too. Worse, they're incredibly difficult to predict, and their magic is even able to cause issues for serviles, outsider humans, and in some cases, even full shapers. I ran at it full tilt, hoping to strike it down before it caused problems. I narrowly succeeded. Its cry was silenced by my blade chopping its helium sac and knocking it from the air. Then, I saw a door and a building just off to the side. The door was locked, but I broke the lock open, and entered. What I saw was horrible.



Bones, debris, all picked clean, and a second door. The room reeked of vinegar, and there was a gurgling through the southern door. Dreading what I would find back there, I opened the lock on that door too.



It was exactly what I expected, though that didn't make it any less horrible. The spawner was strong, cranking out not merely low grade creations, but VLISH. Most disturbing. I fought hard against it. The battle was not difficult, in practice. The newly shaped vlish weren't strong enough to survive my strikes, and thus, could not harm me. But it was horrifying to see such a spawner as this. Surely, there must be even worse spawners on the island somewhere, ones capable of spawning even more fearsome creations. The battle was simple, surely, but as I slew the vlish and new ones spawned, I felt a strange presence in the room. I don't know if it was hostile. It was just Alien. Eldritch. Like what it felt like to look at the book back in the school, the one that kept falling into the wall at certain angles, except stronger. The presence was most strongly felt to the north-west, as if something was calling me. Whatever it was, the spawner writhed and twitched for a moment, before something strange happened to it and the essence pools next to it.

Every other spawner I had encountered had eventually run out of creations to throw at me. This one didn't. It kept producing vlish, which I kept striking down. The Cosmic Ding approached ever more rapidly, as I simply waited for it to produce more vlish for me to cut down. The essence pools would refill the spawner and themselves, just as quickly as they could be drained. This certainly was not a behavior I had seen in previous spawners. I didn't move to strike the spawner down, I merely cut down the endless swarm of vlish. Whatever that presence was, whatever it had done, it was, in a way, good. The spawner wouldn't stop producing, but it wouldn't produce threats either. It just produced weak, soft vlish, who fell to the floor in the exact same spots as their predecessors did.

The presence was there in the room with me, whispering promises of great rewards should I find its avatar on this plane. It said it was but a short journey north-east, past Pentil. I should have felt dread. But instead, I felt comfort. I continued killing the new vlish for some time. The cosmic ding echoed in my head once more, not muted like the sounds outside. Nor was it pervasive, like the whispers of the presence. The cosmic ding felt routine. The presence felt like something else. I swore to seek it out. To find its avatar. It said the spawner would produce for some time yet, that I could destroy it when I was ready. My arms didn't get tired as I kept killing the vlish. I had time to rest between each new one. I knew exactly where they would pop up, and thus, exactly where to stab as they appeared.

Eventually, I began to get bored, ready to move on. The spawner needed to die, sooner or later. I had killed easily hundreds of Vlish pouring from it, and I continued to do so. But eventually, I would have to make my move on it. Finally, hundreds of Vlish in, I swung at the spawner. It fell so easily. A single blow was all it took for it to collapse. Then, I left the building, and, no longer feeling fear, I walked in front of a vlish. My arrogance had some power behind it, but not enough, perhaps. Every vlish in the area started pursuing me. By sheer luck, I managed to kill them all, but it was a very close thing. I dressed my wounds, and looked around the area some more. That's when I encountered this building.



Alarmingly, it had mines surrounding the canister. Mines, once activated, don't have a particularly long lifespan. They are volatile creatures, known for exploding at the slightest provocation. Unfortunately, the sensor tendrils were pointed right at me. I examined them from a safe distance. But that they were there and active implied that they had been placed recently. That meant that whoever else was on the island had also learned of how to make mines, how to activate them, and place them. Truly disturbing, as normally only trusted outsiders are taught how to activate them and breed them, and never how to shape them. Yet, these ones were quite plainly new-shaped. Spitefully, I trod upon the mines. They were not impressive work, but they were painful in their detonation. I survived, and healed my wounds, before using the canister.

OW.

After doing that, it was only a short journey north, into Pentil. I walked in the gate without any fuss whatsoever.



Pentil, as compared to Vakkiri, was enormous. It was fortified, build much more of stone. Plainly, it was more of an administrative center for the island. Quite possibly one of the major hubs of shaper power in the area, once. The serviles bowed and scraped, in awe of me. They thanked me for returning to guide them. They acted like the serviles back home do. I don't know if that's a good thing anymore, but I did enjoy the constant compliments, the adoration, etcetera. I went into the town proper.

Back in Vakkiri, I had received a request from Coale. I do not remember if I mentioned that, but I had. He had two contacts, Pixley and Arth, who lived in Pentil and Kazg respectively. I had said I would find them and tell him if trade was safe to resume. The first thing I did was go to find Pixley.



She was very helpful. She said that before I had fought my way to the gates, she wouldn't have been confident, but that trade could resume to the west side of the island. She told me about the surroundings. To the north are the wastes. They are unsafe and hostile. To the east are two bridges, blocked, and beyond them, Kazg, the city of the Takers. She said that if I cleared one of the bridges, she would be grateful, for all the merchants and travelers. She also said she'd seen a boat to the south, the same day I was attacked. Perhaps it was the boat that attacked me! Some serviles in the city, after I left Pixley's storeroom, directed me to Rydell, the leader of the Obeyers. I decided to visit him later. The rest of the city would come first.

Some looking around the town later, I met a servile woodcutter. He told me about the Vlish to the south, I told him about the spawner and how I destroyed it. (Leaving out the part with the strange presence in the room with me.) He taught me the ways of the quick action skill, in exchange. I am now swifter than the wind in striking. I talked to another servile, Nately. She said her bonded had been killed by a vlish. Though I support the awakened, she wanted reassurance that suffering is part of the plan of the Shapers, it is necessary, somehow. I provided it, not daring to make her day worse than it was already.

After that tragic scene, I went and saw the captain, Mickall Blade. He said that there were many threats in the area, but notably, he had heard many more rumors of the outsider humans. He also described how the rogues had started appearing, small and weak, a year or two ago. Then, they had become more plentiful, and now, they were cutting off trade. He mentioned a taker encampment in a wood to the south-east, and said he would be pleased if I would destroy it.

He also said the outsider humans had the strength of ten Thahds and could shoot beams of flame from their eyes, that they spoke a strange language, and that they looked peculiar. He said most of that was probably speculation, but considering the situation, at least the second two are probably true, and considering my luck with foes so far, I wouldn't be surprised if they really did shoot fire from their eyes and have the strength of ten Thahds.

That information gathered, I went into the town library, hoping to find records indicating what had taken place before the island was barred to make it such. Instead, I found something both amazing and pitiful. An enormous library, filled entirely with copies of copies of original ledgers, supply orders, payroll sheets, and other stuff. None of it useful, but kept, copied, recopied, and preserved by the serviles over generations, just in case the shapers needed it for something in the future. The operator of the library came up to me.



Learned Dayna was her name. Serviles are often used for record-keeping and maintenance, when servant minds just won't do. I asked her what she knew about the Canisters. If there was useful information in here, she would know it. She told me that they were invented on this island. She also told me that they apparently "re-wrote the scroll of life", whatever that means, and that the shapers suddenly stopped making them before leaving the island. I felt a vague sense of discomfort. That implied, to a small extent, that I had stumbled upon and been using technology which I was by no means cleared to use.

I brushed the thought away. It didn't matter, I'd just solve a major problem on the island and the council wouldn't mind so much. She had a mirror though, and provided it to me, saying I looked odd, even though she'd never seen a shaper before, and I looked at myself. Indeed, my skin was glowing faintly. I couldn't bring myself to particularly care strongly about that. A small sacrifice for the power gained, and the ability to better survive the island.

Soon, she expressed doubt that her record preservation was useful. I considered telling her the truth, that most of these records had little purpose when they first were used, and even less now, but then I realized there was an opportunity, as I glanced at a poster she had stuck on the wall.

She was offering small bounties for records. I quickly justified it to myself. If I gave her the records, she could hold onto them and preserve them in case I or some other group needed them for some reason. Perhaps, for example, there might be some warehouse that we would need to track down supplies at, or some payroll information that could tell us where the distribution center for that sort of thing is. I immediately reassured her that record-keeping was important work, and she calmed down slightly, and offered me the bounty for some records.

She also provided me with more information, as I left. Apparently, the three most important people on the island when it was active were Defniel, the training coordinator, Corata, the logistics and administration manager, and Danette, the head of research. I also learned that a Taker Librarian by the name of Tovio lived in Kazg, and that he had ledgers of where the really valuable stuff was stored, but he wouldn't let anyone see them. I resolved to go check that out at some point, if I ever went to Kazg.

I then went to Rydell, the leader of the Obeyers. He sat at the head of a large hall.



He was a strange servile. He was obviously a cunning, scheming sort. Possibly on par with Ellhrah. He said Pentil is the largest and most prosperous settlement on the island, and that the serviles had done their jobs as their ancestors did. But his awe at my arrival outweighed his scheming, for the time. He spoke of how serviles owe the shapers a great debt for creating them, and that though the awakened believe that debt can be payed off, that the Obeyers do not know if that is true. He said that even if it is, it would take many more generations of service. I do not know if I agree with him, but he did make it clear that he knows I'm alone on the island, and he also made it clear that he would oppose any un-true shapers, those who would oppose the true will of the shapers. He said the criteria for that are based on the last examples the Obeyers had of shaper behavior, and he apologized that he could do no better.

Seeing as how though technology here is archaic, comparatively, that a lot of the things are similar to how they are back home culturally, I realized that it would be easy enough to act how he wanted. I didn't believe in it, not anymore. But I did have a vague sense of dread that if I didn't, he would loose his soldiers upon me and kill me where I stood. Surely he wouldn't, but I didn't trust him at the time. I praised his dedication, partially to receive yet more adulation, and partially out of that fear that he would knife me to death if I didn't. I didn't offer to join him, however. As I left, I heard passing mention of Control Four, the servant mind I was sent to silence, and the importance of feeding it so it could keep the Awakened confined. It was at that moment I finally built up the resolve to shut Control Four down. A short journey and a few roamers more dead, I arrived at the entrance to the spiral burrow, in Crag Valley.



I stepped inside without hesitation, and found an enormous network of caves, patrolled by a large pack of aggressive roamers. It would be possible to avoid them, of course, but I instead took to cutting down the rogues. No point in letting them roam around, causing problems.

The spiral burrow was clearly a shaper complex once, but whatever it had been was lost when the roamers burrowed through the walls and created new caves. It was quite impossible to tell whether it had been a warehouse, or something else. Either way, there were but a few walls to tell me that it had been anything other than a damp cave with thick mineral deposits on the floor.

I found another canister, in one of the few untouched rooms. Another "OW", another dose of power, as my skill at healing myself improved. I proceeded deeper into the spiral. The innermost room was mostly intact, and I could feel why. I looked inside. An old, mostly blind vlish, tentacles twisted and gnarled with age drifted slowly around the room.



I knew it could see me, though its eyes were clouded over. The bones of many who had come before were scattered across the floor. The vlish was incomprehensibly old, possibly old enough to have been old even when the island was barred. This was Warp.

And it was a complete JOKE.

It only took two swipes from a sword to knock it from the air. This was the terror that had prevented Vakkiri from getting in and shutting down Control Four? Certainly, it was strong. It had some charm spells in its arsenal. But surely some serviles could have pressed their way in here and killed it in a matter of minutes with few casualties. There was a canister in a room it was guarding. The pain flowed through me again, another OW, as I gained the ability to create roamers, another skill I would never use.

Control Four was alone in the back, helpless. I could have probably chopped the poor creature in half, had I wanted to. But I didn't. I was merciful, and I knew there was an easier way. It was loyal.



So I talked to it. I told it that the shapers were back. (Not technically a lie.) That it had served them well. (Also not technically a lie.) And that it should shut down, having served long enough, these two centuries. It resisted somewhat, it argued, first that it still had work, second that rogues were influencing me, third that the shapers would surely kill me for this. Quite clearly, it too, was in fact, rogue, as it took this long to comply with orders from a shaper. But then, after requesting no less than four times, each more intensely than the last, as it begged and pled to be allowed to continue to do its job, to keep living, it fell silent. I briefly thought it was ignoring me. Then, I realized, it had in fact, shut down. Control Four was dead. I can't say I felt good about it. In fact, I felt vaguely ill. I went back to Ellhrah to tell him the news.



He said I had saved many servile lives, that I clearly believed in servile dignity and the rights of serviles to seek freedom, and inducted me into the Awakened. I felt a little better, but the death of control four still ate at the back of my mind. I didn't tell him that. He told me to go east. More knowledge of what is happening on the island, he said, would be found eastwards, in Kazg. And so, I packed some more supplies, and prepared for my journey eastwards. Perhaps answers awaited me there. But either way, things would be different there. Maybe I would find out who these outsider humans were. Maybe I would find out many things. Or maybe I would be murdered unceremoniously in a forest by some powerful, dangerous creation. Either way, onwards was the only option, and so onwards I pressed.

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End of Episode 3: The map as it stands: