The Geneforge Playthrough of Insanity, Inanity, and Cake.

[Florien]

Episode 4: Zones Visited: Hill of Jars, Pentil Plains, Pentil East

Sorry for the shorter than usual update, it's been hectic recently and I didn't have time to clear all the zones I intended to this update. Episode 5 will contain extra zone clearing to make up for that.

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In which a second route is cleared, and some interesting information is uncovered, and our hero encounters the strange force from last time face to face.

Episode 4 in entirety.

In the decision I made to press onwards, I faltered somewhat, and became sidetracked. A sense that I should probably make sure all routes were properly cleared settled in me. Having practiced my mechanical skills and my persuasive techniques, I decided it would be best if I could get through the hill of jars as well. As it was a warehouse once, perhaps some items of value or use yet remained. I stepped into the place, and indeed, it immediately started living up to its name. It was a hill, but also, it had jars.



A great deal of jars. I picked the lock on the door, and it fell open. Immediately, it was apparent why no one was going through here. Once again, it was demonstrated to me that someone must be on the island with shaping skill, because young, mass-produced mines were arrayed before me, blocking the way.



Frustratingly enough, they wouldn't be feasible to just walk through. However, conveniently enough, a side-route led to a room with a spore-box.



These creatures, encased in stone, if you know how to use them, will produce spores to change the behavior of nearby creations. Naturally, I assumed this one was somehow linked to the mines. On attempting to use it, I was proven right. The mines deactivated, and I proceeded deeper into the complex. Picking an apparently untouched old lock, I stepped into a room apparently untouched by the serviles, and that's when I saw them, pointing right at me.



Turrets. A version of the thorn bushes, except these ones throw the thorns themselves. Again, these looked young. They couldn't have been there long. And for the first time in my life, I found myself staring down a turret that was aiming at me. It was somewhat intimidating. but these looked like unimpressive models, not like the acid-thorn turrets that are often seen back home. Nonetheless, they hurt to be shot by. I managed to get to a spore box which dulled their senses so they would no longer aim at me. I found a row of venom turrets behind the normal ones, only distinguished by their darker bark. I cut they down while they failed to aim, and stripped the thorns out of them, for sale later. I then broke into the next room. As was quickly becoming the norm, I ran into a servant mind in the records room in the back.



Mind Pak was the name it introduced itself by. I grabbed a warehouse key as it tried to get my attention. Then, after grabbing a container of mind nutrients, I spoke to it. After some conversation, I discovered that the one who had placed the mines and turrets had been a human, who claimed to be an envoy of the shapers. He came with well armed guards. The mind had apparently took them at their word. He remembered the human's name, but had been told not to tell me. I told him that because I'm a shaper, that he should tell me because I order him to ignore the orders. So he did, and told me that the human's name was Trajkov. That's certainly a foreign sounding name. He then deactivated the mines and turrets when I asked. At least now, I have a name for the person who's leading the outsiders who apparently exist on this island.

Now that I found that out and deactivated the traps, as well as grabbed the key to the warehouse, I went quickly through the place.

OW

OW

OW

Three canisters were found in the process, as well as various less valuable items. I travelled back to Pentil to sell them, having depleted the money reserve in Ellhrah's keep. Once I had done that, I decided to break the siege on Pentil by walking out the gate and slaying the rogues, instead of by helping the servile warriors outside with breaking in. I made short work of the thahds and artilla guarding the gate.



Then, I marched out to clean up survivors. The soldiers trapped outside swiftly went back into Pentil the moment the blockade was lifted. I found a canister in an abandoned warehouse, and immediately used it. The pain, as always, was intense, but worth it. On telling Nately, the servile who I promised to clear the gate for, of my deed, she gave me a ring that belonged to her dead bonded, as the cosmic ding echoed in my head once more. The ring was magical! A shielding ring. Basic enough enchantment, perhaps. But nonetheless, a valued item, useful for purposes of combat. Next, I decided to head east of Pentil, to where I had heard the voice summoning me. Perhaps I'd encounter something interesting there, and receive the great power the voice promised me. Either that, or like everything else on the island, it would try to kill me. But nonetheless, it would be worth tracking it down, to see what it was that desired my presence so. I talked to a servile guard outside. He was very helpful, of course, being an obeyer.



He said that the woods were infested with cryoa, coming from some spawners. He'd been holding them off, but they came too quickly from the spawners to risk charging in to deal with the spawners themselves. I, confident that a few cryoa didn't stand a chance, charged right in to the forest, though the strange eldritch presence was quite strong in the woods. I'd find it soon enough. But first, the spawners would die. That was easy enough. I tracked down the first...



Then, on the way to the second, I encountered something strange.



I realized it must be the body of one of the outsiders. He was very much dead, but nonetheless, it was quite alarming. He was the first of these outsiders I'd encountered. I'd known they'd be here, of course, but it was still surprising to see one, even a dead one. Knowing that there were probably living ones elsewhere felt odd indeed. I took his stuff to sell, and left his frozen body there to rot. Then, I hunted down the second spawner.



and the third.



Then, I set to looking for the source of the presence I had felt, the eldritch feeling. I slew some cryoas as I approached the area where I felt it most powerfully.



Nothing. NOTHING. I searched wildly, and then, in the back of my mind, I heard a voice. A command to destroy all the living tools I was carrying. I threw them to the ground and destroyed them with a kick. Heavy, useless things, I thought, as I did the deed. The next command was simple. Reach into the nest in front of me and take the item within. Then, all would become clear. I did so.



A LIVING TOOL?! What sick joke was this? To destroy my stockpile of such things just to receive a single one in return? What MADNESS had come over me? I picked up my sorry, utterly worthless reward and looked at it, filled with an indescribable rage.



Wait. Something seemed off. It was... Something was wrong with this one. It felt lighter than it should have.



...



Almost... weightless.

I turned it over, looking carefully at it.



...



...It was beautiful.

Perfect, yet utterly alien. I let the eldritch energy wash over me, until I felt it merge into my very being. I understood then that this truly was one of the greatest rewards that could ever be granted to someone. A living tool that will never die. It is quite impossible to use it so much it stops living. It is, in essence, the perfect being. Weightless, yet more functional than its cousins ever could be. I stood there for a long time, admiring it. The presence was near me at all times now. This was its avatar on this plane, and it would command me. This living tool would be my indestructible ally, and I would be the indestructible ally of this presence. It said it had no goal other than me leaving this island. It cared not about the petty squabbles of the other factions, only that I was the one who would be most likely to leave the island. It warned me, however, that if I picked up another living tool, this one would wither and die.

No prison could hold me. No gate was too firmly locked. All doors, for once, were quite literally open to me. I was free at last.

Free at last.



Free at last.

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End of Episode 4: The map as it stands...