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Post by Uesugi-dono on Oct 6, 2019 12:25:56 GMT
Just a short update today; I was in the back of the alchemist shop making the only real potion that matters; Savior Schnapps (really: it's how you save the game without a bed) when I decided to pick the lock on a door. I was just training, really, but the alchemist was on the other side so I had to flee as he cried for the guards (something I'm really getting used to.) Since I was in hot water for a few days I decided to let the heat die down and go clear out another bandit camp. Now, normally, I wait til around midnight, creep in to the camp, and stealth kill the leader. I take his ear and his spurs as proof and voila: instant bounty money. But this time, as I was creeping in the dark towards camp, a sentry who was not carrying a torch spotted me. He chuckled and drew his sword as his companion sent up the alarm. I considered running. Running is one of Henry's favorite pastimes. Hell, I'd just ran from Rattay to here! But I thought "there's no better time to test out my abilities." I'd come far. Captain Bernard is, ostensibly, the best swordsman in the game and I was able to hold my own against my trainer. So I drew my sword... I straight up slaughtered six bandits, chased down one fleeing and killed two unrelated bandits on the way home! So now I've got 9 bandit ears for bounties plus a chest full of ill-gotten goods that I sold for around 700 groschen. Honestly, it felt a little one sided! Henry is so good at fighting now. The game, once so slow to respond to my input as a means to demonstrate Henry's lack of skill, is now so much more fluid. These low level bandits may as well not even have weapons for all the threat they present to me. Master blocks, ripostes, dodging counterstrikes, grapples... all the things that Bernard has been teaching me came together in a beautiful symphony of death. I'm going to let the heat die down a little and turn in my bounties and then... I'm going to butcher Runt.
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Post by endorbr on Oct 6, 2019 20:57:34 GMT
Just a short update today; I was in the back of the alchemist shop making the only real potion that matters; Savior Schnapps (really: it's how you save the game without a bed) when I decided to pick the lock on a door. I was just training, really, but the alchemist was on the other side so I had to flee as he cried for the guards (something I'm really getting used to.) Since I was in hot water for a few days I decided to let the heat die down and go clear out another bandit camp. Now, normally, I wait til around midnight, creep in to the camp, and stealth kill the leader. I take his ear and his spurs as proof and voila: instant bounty money. But this time, as I was creeping in the dark towards camp, a sentry who was not carrying a torch spotted me. He chuckled and drew his sword as his companion sent up the alarm. I considered running. Running is one of Henry's favorite pastimes. Hell, I'd just ran from Rattay to here! But I thought "there's no better time to test out my abilities." I'd come far. Captain Bernard is, ostensibly, the best swordsman in the game and I was able to hold my own against my trainer. So I drew my sword... I straight up slaughtered six bandits, chased down one fleeing and killed two unrelated bandits on the way home! So now I've got 9 bandit ears for bounties plus a chest full of ill-gotten goods that I sold for around 700 groschen. Honestly, it felt a little one sided! Henry is so good at fighting now. The game, once so slow to respond to my input as a means to demonstrate Henry's lack of skill, is now so much more fluid. These low level bandits may as well not even have weapons for all the threat they present to me. Master blocks, ripostes, dodging counterstrikes, grapples... all the things that Bernard has been teaching me came together in a beautiful symphony of death. I'm going to let the heat die down a little and turn in my bounties and then... I'm going to butcher Runt.
I like that the game basically makes you earn the ability to handle yourself and then essentially allows you to become a badass, the same way you would if you trained from nothing in real life.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Oct 7, 2019 7:18:51 GMT
Just a short update today; I like that the game basically makes you earn the ability to handle yourself and then essentially allows you to become a badass, the same way you would if you trained from nothing in real life. The dev went for realism and I'd say he succeeded as much as one can in a video game. The parallels to Skyrim are heavily evident, but everything from just traveling to making potions is really... believable. I seriously enjoy just taking walks in the woods in this game. Sometimes it's easy to imagine the feel of a summer breeze blowing through them. This game has made me consider taking a Czech holiday.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Oct 7, 2019 7:51:41 GMT
Another short update:
I didn't have a lot of time because of a 12 hour shift but I feel like I got some things done.
First off, let's talk about drinking. When you quaff booze in KC you don't become instantly drunk. No, instead your drunkeness builds, just as it would in real life. You have a Drinking skill that governs how well you can handle your alcohol, which is important because carrying booze around is pretty much food that doesn't spoil. Much like real Medieval life, you can't really trust water so I always keep some beer on my horse. (I also have formed a bond with Pebbles that no other horse in a video game can approach... not Roach, not Wind of the Sea from RDR2, not Aggro... Pebbles is my horse. I love Pebbles.) Not to mention that Savior Schnapps, the only way to save in this game except by sleeping in a bed, is alcoholic... so you need to work on your Drinking.
The following is what happens when you drink too much. I'd had beer for breakfast; 2 or 3 of them since the stew wasn't ready. And I figured I'd go off hunting deer (because welcome to Redneck Simulator 1403) and by the time I got there I'd probably be sober. Then, somewhere along the way, I decided to see what would happen if I downed a jug of the moonshine I'd found cooling in a river. I should note here that, later, I discovered that a single jug of moonshine is enough to black you out by itself.
It's worth noting that the moment I drank it Pebbles had turned around, as if to say "Nope, motherfucker, we'd better get you back to the house." (Thanks, Pebbles. You're always looking out for me.) As I started to get White Girl drunk I paused to take off my good brigantine armor and hide my money on my horse (Keep this for me, would you Pebbles? You're my very best friend.) Oh, sorry about the pause... I needed a drink irl because Henry's stupor was making me jealous. You'll note that Henry was seriously trying to fall off his horse. It was a struggle to keep him upright. (It is actually possible to just fall off in this state.) If you watch the intoxication meter on the lower left side of my health bar at the bottom you can watch it fill until, whoops, beddy bye time.
Waking up in a pig sty was so classic. Took me a moment to find Pebbles, GOOD BOY, he waited patiently for me to sober up. (I love the look he gave me at the end.)
My quest to find Red Deer was a lengthy one. I knew there were some in the forest but I wasn't sure where. While wandering around I found something strange.
You stumble across Interesting Sites all the time in this game. Some have hidden treasures, like this one did. But not all are as interesting as this one was! WTF happened here? Is that tree wearing boots? In a game with no magic this was rather fascinating. Did the Ents go to fucking war?
Update: Holy shit!
I spent the rest of my time tooling about town. I got seized by the guards trying to sneak into Rattay, but the fine was just 80 groschen so I just paid it. I spent a LOT of time with alchemy, making schnapps and a sleeping potion that I can, presumably, spike people's stew with. I LOVE alchemy in this. You have a recipe, you have to get the ingredients, and then you have to MAKE the potion ACCORDING to the ingredients. Here's a tutorial:
It's DELIGHTFULLY mundane. Just another charming facet of this game. I spent the rest of my time just wandering the village of Rattay going into shops, buying books, and getting training from everyone I could I found the Huntmaster near the blacksmith and he taught me Hunting, Archery, and Houndmastry. Seems you can get a dog in one of the DLCs... Hmmm....
For 20 bucks I got them all but this one is the one that has dogs:
Apparently you can play as Theresa for a while in what has been described as " an incredible story, is an excellent change of pace compared to the normal action-packed campaign of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, and has a ton of fun content to enjoy in it as well."
Okay, sold. I had to wrap it up there but, honestly, I'd planned for the probability of getting the DLC if the game ever snared me... which it has. Oh, it has.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Oct 13, 2019 12:34:17 GMT
Well, I tooled about a bit in Kingdom Come. Went up to Ledetchko on a mission to steal a guildmaster's seal. While I was there I went looking for another treasure and stumbled into a bandit camp with NO armor on and NO shield ready. I killed the 3 bandits, but I got my ass handed to me. After finding the treasure I snuck into the guildmaster's house and pilfered his pockets while he slept. I did great at it too.
Oh, I got a dog. Mutt, the old butcher's dog from Skalitz, apparently followed us after Theresa saved my ass. He follows me around, I can feed him and praise him, he took down a whole deer by himself! What he can also do is watch me get my ass handed to me by 3 bandits while helpfully barking! Gotta train this mutt more...
But I digress; after coming back home I stopped and talked to Theresa, and I got the option to ask her about how she escaped. That's the cue to start the DLC A Woman's Lot. It is definitely a change of pace, and a welcome one. I mentioned before how the mundane aspects of this game are charming. Well, Theresa's recounting of her tale starts the day before the Skalitz raid with her weeding the garden, feeding the chickens and her dog Tinker, and running errands. I've been enjoying being in Skalitz again, meeting the people that I mostly know as beggars and refugees before their fall. I met them as Henry too, but that was the beginning of the game and I wasn't paying close attention, so this chance is pretty welcome.
Theresa is a pretty fascinating perspective here because this is Europe 1403. She doesn't even get to interact with many of the male characters, the option to talk isn't there for guards and some random men, but with the women she can stop and chat. The topics fit too; mostly veering to daily life and what buffoons men are. Not in a bad way, mind you, but how you hear real women talk. "My husband is sick and he's such a whiner! Laying about all day, moaning and groaning, but at night where's he go? Off to the tavern! Too sick to work but put a pint of ale in front of him and he's right as rain!"
I had a chance to talk more with Bianca, Henry's girlfriend before the raid. She's a lovestruck fool and I, as Theresa, had an opportunity to take credit for her gift of beer she asked me to bring him but I'm not that kind of girl. In fact, as Theresa I'm totally above board. Invited to try and pick a lock to steal a die (in a foolish teen plot to trick a guy into asking Theresa's friend to the dance) I opted to just confront the guy and tell him that she liked him. The end result worked out and Theresa, unlike Henry, keeps her Christian conscience clean.
Theresa gets a sword lesson from Henry (and, fittingly, I beat him) and she even sweet talks Bianca's brother into lending her his bow and arrows (despite his assertion that "You're a woman! A bow requires strength and skill!) to go with her to pick herbs. During this I shot a wolf (really more of a wild dog) so she's getting some action. I stopped shortly after, but as a preview I really like this DLC. It not only serves as a nice change of pace but it really endears me more to the character of Theresa; she's a 'real' strong woman. Her strength doesn't lie in being better at mannish things than men are, but in being a capable woman; in finding smarter solutions to problems where a man might use violence or grift.
Speaking of Theresa. I don't find her all that attractive. Visually, she's kind of plain. But as a person, I'm really growing to like her. To the point that, as Henry, I don't want to cheat on her. When I was in Ledetchko I stopped at the wenches. I considered 'renting' one, but I didn't because I feel like Henry is falling in love with Theresa. I still go on dates with her, I still talk to her every time I'm at the mill. I bring presents to her and she gives gifts to me. I'm really hoping something more evolves here. I kind of doubt it will, and I don't want to spoil anything by searching the net, but if it turns out that marriage is a possibility I would love that. As a gamer I hate to miss out on other romances, but as Henry I don't think I'd feel right. Theresa may be plain, but she's the kind of woman who'd make a great wife. A good, steady influence on an otherwise impulsive man.
I've still got a lot of this DLC ahead. I'm still in the afternoon of the day before the raid. I know there's a lot of drama right around the corner, including the sort that apparently got this game banned in Australia. (Katzenbalger Solanna Man, you guys' country sucks.) Following Theresa's tale, although I doubt directly, is a secondary story from another woman whom I haven't met yet. If it's half as intriguing as Theresa's tale has been then I look forward to it.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Oct 15, 2019 14:41:44 GMT
Another brief update:
Still in A Woman's Lot, still enjoying it. The DLC does a lot to show how hard the ladies had it back then without getting preachy. I can really appreciate that because it really engenders (see what I did there?) sympathy and empathy instead of the stock "Hur, dur Men iz BAD!"
So, the raid. That's where I'm at now. This episode is described as "light stealth." How about "All Stealth" with a heaping side helping of "Oh fuck please don't see me!" Theresa, despite being able to beat pre-Bernard Henry, is no match at ALL for armored Cumen mercenaries. But you know what helps? Adam's bow. The one that shouldn't be given to a woman because it requires strength and skill? It'll drop a Cumen in 1 or 2 shots. (1 causes bleeding, which can take them out in a short time.)
I'm in a harrowing and sad part right now, trying to protect a dying loved one all alone on a Cuman-infested hillside. This has become a very sober tale about what it would be like if your peaceful village were suddenly put to the torch by foreign mercenaries.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Oct 17, 2019 7:38:03 GMT
"Hey! Goatfuckers!"
When I first saw this scene I thought Theresa had come with the riders from Talmberg. So when it was quickly revealed that she had no idea they were coming and it was just crazy, lucky happenstance I dismissed it as feminist bravado, inserted into the game to give Theresa some cred.
But now I get it.
I finished A Woman's Lot yesterday. Witnessing first hand what Theresa went through during the raid on Skalitz, and what happened immediately before this scene, I understand now. The DLC was excellent, and as far as I'm concerned, necessary for a full Kingdom Come experience. You could go through the game without ever seeing Theresa's story, thinking all you were missing was another perspective and a dog, but you'd be doing yourself a disservice. More than Henry's tale, A Woman's Lot brings home the terror, chaos, and sadness of what it would have been like to have had your peaceful village attacked, without warning, by a large army of foreign mercenaries. The event forged Theresa into a remarkable character, one that might be overlooked in the base game on the player's quest to bed as many women as possible. Once you get to know Theresa of Skalitz, you might just feel differently.
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Post by Katzenbalger on Oct 22, 2019 11:11:13 GMT
Y'know, the game is actually still available here (i've seen it in some stores and its on the Aussie PSN store). It was initially available with an R rating, but when the GOTY edition or whatever was announced and resubmitted our broken rating system flagged it negatively and it was refused classification, despite still being readily available (though i think EB Games might have delisted it, but they're stuffy with that sort of thing).
Here's a fun fact - when a game gets an R rating, 90% of the time it's due to sexual references/content. In particular, references to rape (regardless of context) will instantly get you an R rating. Hence Kingdom Come's rating. And also why some text-based indie games get stiffed with R ratings.
Anyways, the game always looked interesting to me, but i was sort of scared off by the talk of the initial glitchiness and unforgiving nature. You make it sound really good though. Got enough to play, but i'll keep my eye out if it goes on sale.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Oct 22, 2019 11:15:34 GMT
Y'know, the game is actually still available here (i've seen it in some stores and its on the Aussie PSN store). It was initially available with an R rating, but when the GOTY edition or whatever was announced and resubmitted our broken rating system flagged it negatively and it was refused classification, despite still being readily available (though i think EB Games might have delisted it, but they're stuffy with that sort of thing). Here's a fun fact - when a game gets an R rating, 90% of the time it's due to sexual references/content. In particular, references to rape (regardless of context) will instantly get you an R rating. Hence Kingdom Come's rating. And also why some text-based indie games get stiffed with R ratings. Anyways, the game always looked interesting to me, but i was sort of scared off by the talk of the initial glitchiness and unforgiving nature. You make it sound really good though. Got enough to play, but i'll keep my eye out if it goes on sale. Yep, and that's why. A Woman's Lot features a scene where Theresa almost gets raped. Guess that was enough for your government. As far as glitchiness, it appears to be worked out more or less. Better than most Bethesda games. If you can enjoy Skyrim, then KC is a breeze. Edit: Actually, the same scene in the main game leaves very little doubt that Theresa was raped. It wasn't until A Woman's Lot that I learned, for certain, that she escaped. Makes me think your ratings board doesn't even look at these games.
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Post by Katzenbalger on Oct 22, 2019 11:54:08 GMT
Y'know, the game is actually still available here (i've seen it in some stores and its on the Aussie PSN store). It was initially available with an R rating, but when the GOTY edition or whatever was announced and resubmitted our broken rating system flagged it negatively and it was refused classification, despite still being readily available (though i think EB Games might have delisted it, but they're stuffy with that sort of thing). Here's a fun fact - when a game gets an R rating, 90% of the time it's due to sexual references/content. In particular, references to rape (regardless of context) will instantly get you an R rating. Hence Kingdom Come's rating. And also why some text-based indie games get stiffed with R ratings. Anyways, the game always looked interesting to me, but i was sort of scared off by the talk of the initial glitchiness and unforgiving nature. You make it sound really good though. Got enough to play, but i'll keep my eye out if it goes on sale. Yep, and that's why. A Woman's Lot features a scene where Theresa almost gets raped. Guess that was enough for your government. As far as glitchiness, it appears to be worked out more or less. Better than most Bethesda games. If you can enjoy Skyrim, then KC is a breeze. Edit: Actually, the same scene in the main game leaves very little doubt that Theresa was raped. It wasn't until A Woman's Lot that I learned, for certain, that she escaped. Makes me think your ratings board doesn't even look at these games. They probably don't. Or at least they don't take context into account. They're also very inconsistent, which is how Uncharted 4 with it's Disney-adventure levels of violence has the same rating as the 'chainsaw a guy in half from taint to throat' gore of Gears of War. Both got MA ratings. The last couple of Yakuza games got R ratings for the hostess content - Yakuza 6's rating description says 'Sexual activity related to incentives and rewards'.
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Post by endorbr on Oct 22, 2019 13:52:10 GMT
Yep, and that's why. A Woman's Lot features a scene where Theresa almost gets raped. Guess that was enough for your government. As far as glitchiness, it appears to be worked out more or less. Better than most Bethesda games. If you can enjoy Skyrim, then KC is a breeze. Edit: Actually, the same scene in the main game leaves very little doubt that Theresa was raped. It wasn't until A Woman's Lot that I learned, for certain, that she escaped. Makes me think your ratings board doesn't even look at these games. They probably don't. Or at least they don't take context into account. They're also very inconsistent, which is how Uncharted 4 with it's Disney-adventure levels of violence has the same rating as the 'chainsaw a guy in half from taint to throat' gore of Gears of War. Both got MA ratings. The last couple of Yakuza games got R ratings for the hostess content - Yakuza 6's rating description says 'Sexual activity related to incentives and rewards'.Regardless of context isn't sexual activity generally considered an incentive and reward?
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Oct 29, 2019 16:54:00 GMT
I've been in a kind of rut lately. Too much work to really play. I wound up in Sasau, where I met Johanka. Not sure when her portion of A Woman's Lot will kick off but, for now, I'm helping her treat survivors.
One guy had a broken leg. They set the bone, but they set it wrong and now he was fading fast. So I headed back to the Rattay Executioner to learn how to properly set a bone. While in the neighborhood of some pretty fertile hunting ground I set about to fulfill another request: to get 100 lbs of meat for the refugees.
Now Mutt is a pretty decent hunter. He can bring down rabbits but he can also bring down deer. So we stalked and murdered Bambi's mom and her ho-cousin and set off again for Sasau. Upon arriving the sun was setting and I didn't see Johanka, so I decided to attend to the broken leg first. It worked perfectly, but just then Johanka appeared and so did the local Baron, who has a thing for Johanka. He was harassing her and, jealously, demanded to know why I was there. I replied with some snark about how since HE won't help the Skalitz refugees, the I did... and he arrested me for backtalking a noble.
Being in jail for a night isn't much. I did two weeks for 'accidentally' killing someone in Rattay. (I really didn't mean to!) But the problem was they took the 36 lbs of venison that I had on my person!!! Part of the 100 lbs. for Johanka's request!!!! Feeling lazy (in my defense I had worked 24 hours with only 6 hours off) I loaded my last save, thinking that the LAST SAVE was when I got jumped by a bandit in the forest outside of Sasau.
I was wrong.
Fuuuuccck.
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Oct 31, 2019 15:32:45 GMT
This is Hermann. He is Rattay's executioner, you might remember. I helped him and Elishka come together and he later taught me how to set a broken bone. Well, I got pulled into more of his drama, but first let me bring you up to speed on the realities of being an executioner in the Middle Ages: they were pariahs. Executions, despite being rather common and popular events for the masses to attend, were considered unclean. Execution sites were on hills, away from town. No merchant would dare set up shop near a place of execution. The executioner was typically paid generously and lived near the site... also away from society. He was shunned, for an honest citizen to make any contact with the executioner was to lose respect, and the executioner himself had to endure a lot of discriminatory measures – sitting at a separate place in the church and at the inn, not taking part in social functions and celebrations, etc. Other tasks done by the executioner included the role of the knacker, who cleared away animal cadavers, caught stray dogs and even sometimes just cleaned up filth from the streets. The executioner was somewhat familiar with surgery, could set broken bones, dislocated limbs, or to amputate them in cases of gangrene.
So, with that in mind, you can understand why Hermann would be upset when Lord Hanush chose the Kuttenberg executioner to come to Rattay for the high profile execution of three murderers. This was his job, the only job he could have! It's not like he can shrug and go work somewhere else; he's marked as a social outcast. So he asked Henry for a bit of help. At first I misunderstood, I thought he was asking me to kill his rival. I suppose I probably would have, I like Hermann and it's not as if Hal hasn't done the 'deed' before; I have been known to outright murder me some folks, both accidentally and not so accidentally. But no, Hermann was horrified at the thought. I needed to disgrace the Kuttenberg executioner so that Lord Hanush would never doubt Hermann again. This would be a monumental, multi-target task for someone of well-oiled thieving ability.
Challenge Accepted.
My first step was to meet with the Bailiff, who presently is not a fan of Henry's. My multitude of minor offences, not carrying a light at night, bumping people with my horse, and the fuckton of illegal poaching I do has left me with a 16 out of 100 reputation with Rattay's guards. But I needed to use my Speech skill to sweet talk him into telling me about the condemned, who they were and what they did, so that I could then figure out how they would be executed. That wasn't hard. Turns out the Bailiff is pretty excited about this event. Mostly because of who was involved. Peter of Dauba is a multiple murderer, but he's also a nobleman, Georg Weiss is a cold-blooded, multiple murderer of common stock, and Frost Heralt is a beast of a man who enjoys making others suffer. Three nasty murderers in one day, so he was eager to share, even with me.
Next I had to sneak upstairs in the Rathaus (the German word for a seat of local, legislative and/or executive government) and take a peek at the Black Chronicle; the history of executions and methods. This was basically case law. It logged what executable offenses were committed by whom and how they were executed. Hermann would need this knowledge to figure out how these men would meet their end so we would know how to sabotage the guest executioner.
From this I learned, and had to retain because KC doesn't hold your hand, that a noble murderer was still a noble and was, thus, entitled to an honorable death. So beheading. A commoner of the same crime did not deserve that and was therefore supposed to be hanged. But Frost was a monster. He was in possession of a candle made from a baby's arm when they caught him (for luck, he said) so he would first be tortured, his flesh ripped and then his body quartered. (Man, why don't we do this anymore?) Knowledge in hand, I headed back to Hermann.
Commiserating with him we decided that to botch the beheading I would need to steal and dull his sword, replacing it without being caught. This would be very challenging, since an executioner's sword is no common blade. It is a treasure and symbol of his craft, kept close at all times. Executioners prided themselves on beheading in a single stroke so a dulled blade and multiple strokes would be a terrible embarrassment. For the hanging swapping for an old rope might do the trick. If it snapped the executioner would look like a fool. But the torture was a different matter. The goal was to keep the condemned alive for as long as possible. So how do you arrange it so that an experienced and famed executioner accidentally kills his subject too fast?
Unfortunately for the Kuttenberg executioner, I had just recently come into possession of this. Bane, made with belladonna and wormwood, is pretty much the most fatal poison in the game. If I crafted this poison and applied it to his tongs then ol' Frost should go pretty quick... just as the executioner was getting started.
So I had the plan, all that was left was to brew the potion and catch the guest executioner on the road to Rattay. This was a timed event; this mission would NOT wait, but I had a little time. Time to clean up an earlier mess. Being in such a remote location from the main town, Execution Hill was pretty close to the forest where I knew I could hunt roe deer. Just a couple of them would fulfill Johanka's request that I'd screwed up earlier. I relied almost solely on Mutt but, in short order, I had the 100 lbs of venison to deliver to Sasau's refugees. So I headed back there, delivered the meat first, and then set the bone. But, me being me, I just could NOT keep my mouth shut.
So, yeah, another night in jail for Henry. My inability to NOT stand up for a fellow Skalitz refugee put me afoul of the Custodian again, a Baron, and my backtalk to a noble meant that my time to accomplish this mission was now minus one day. I still had time though and, really, it was worth it.
Leaving there I realized I was going to pass right by the location of one of the most well-known easter eggs in the game; the "griffin's nest." A shoutout to the Witcher 3, there is a large nest just northeast of Ledetchko with a full-size dead horse in it. In a combination easter egg, the horse is equipped with HORSE ARMOR (a la Oblivion) and it is the only location in the entire game to acquire it. I broke both of my feet climbing/falling down to it but just look at Pebbles now!
Doesn't he look glorious? Isn't he worth it? Yes, he is! He is totally fucking worth it! You look FABULOUS, Pebbles, and if I were a mare I'd want YOU to be my Bad Horse. You sexy, sexy, thoroughbred of sin!
Um, where was I? Oh, um, yeah. (You rock, Pebbles!)
So this is the executioner's campsite. He was pretty close to Rattay (but I think that's just where he is; I don't think the camp moves day-by-day but that would be cool as shit) and I arrived in the afternoon just to scout it out. He was not very friendly though. Even getting close brought hostile calls. So I stood near the edge until he approached and I chatted with him. He had the standard KC speech options but there was also the option for me to tell him that Hermann planned to betray him. Henry could, theoretically, double-cross Hermann! I didn't, though, because I actually like Hermann and he's always been nice to me. The circled spots are {Spoiler} the location of the items I need , but I had no way of knowing that at the time. Due to the presence of 3 armed guards, a dog, and the executioner I opted to return at night.
I went on into Rattay and bought some raw chicken. You can toss it on the ground to silence a barking dog. Then I dressed in my blackest outfit until my visibility was almost in the single digits and waited til midnight. The camp sported one round-the-clock guard. First I tossed the chicken but the dog alerted to me as I approached so I had to lay low while the guard came to check it out. My low visibility helped; he was not ten feet from me and didn't notice me in the dark. While he scolded the dog for barking at nothing he failed to notice it feasting on a pile of raw chicken!
I figured I'd work up the ol' Number 6 on 'em and slipped in and KOed the guard. Then I carefully KOed the remaining sleeping guards and the executioner too. I found the rope no problemo and the executioner had a key on him that opened the chest where his sword was hidden, so I got that too. But, try as I might, I could NOT find the tongs. The guards began to wake MUCH earlier than I'd like so I slipped out and hoofed it to Rattay to dull the blade at a grindstone. I knew I had to get it back before dawn though, or he'd be missing it. So, with the blue world of pre-dawn filling the sky I repeated my Number 6 and returned the sword. I'll admit, I saved prior to BOTH of these excursions but, luckily, I didn't have to use the scum. I still could NOT find those damn tongs and I looked so long that they began to wake again but then, as I was sneaking out, I found them in the MOST unlikely place. Bane applied... looks like it's showtime.
It's worth noting that the execution was scheduled for 2 pm that day and it was NOT happening a moment sooner! So I waited around, had a few beers, and inadvertently got into trouble!! I had just finished talking to the Bailiff, who basically told me to go fuck myself, when I tried to call Mutt to my heel. Dumb dog had wandered up onto the stage. I may have mentioned before that to call the dog you hold Triangle and to make the dog bite the fuck out of people you hold Triangle while looking at someone. Well, you see the crowd here. Oops.
So now my rep with the guards is about 9, I think. To make up for it I agreed to work for the Bailiff in selecting Skalitz refugees for some pretty shitty (literally) jobs. Oh well. Anyway, time for the main event.
Sound is really key in events like this and boy, did Warhorse Studios nail it! This was tough to watch/listen to! One by one the Kuttenberg executioner fucked up these executions! It took four solid whacks to take off the noble's head, the commoner grinned from ear to ear when his rope snapped, and Frost went quickly as the crowd began to boo!
All in all a fantastic mission strand which was, actually, full of tight close calls. Although there were several ways to go about this, I am pretty sure I did it the best way. A solid stealth adventure.
See you next time. Not you, Kuttie, I'm pretty sure you're out of a job. Hey, I happen to be looking for some shit-carriers. Interested?
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Post by Uesugi-dono on Nov 11, 2019 15:35:40 GMT
KC is nothing if not complex. Not in a bad way, mind you, but in the way that quests all tie together. In the way that you can fail some by completing others and even in the way that dumb luck can enable you to skip steps. In my case, many steps. There's a place called the Inn at the Glade. It's a small, roadside inn between Neuhoff and Talmberg run by this guy, Andrew. Andrew has a rep as a great cook, but his secret ingredient is illegal game. So when I got into a conversation with him and offered to help him out, he needed a symbol of trust; his tankard, which was lost in a dice game to a would-be archer in Neuhoff. Well, turns out I was going to Neuhoff anyway... because of this old woman:
Affectionately titled "Old Whore," I first helped this woman one night while I stopped at this inn. She'd turned a trick for a patron who hadn't paid her and she wanted me to get the money. I figured dude ought to pay what he owes, plus she had a sob story about being thrown out by her husband for a younger woman. I sat near the fucker all night but I couldn't pick his pocket without being caught, so I waited for closing time and followed him, choking him out on the road and getting her money.
The Old Whore, pleased with my earlier efforts, asked me to steal back a shawl she had sold when she was down on her luck. It was just north of Neuhoff. No problemo. I need more practice at picking pockets anyway and a shawl? Pssh, no big deal. I snatched the shawl, won the tankard in an archery contest, and headed back. But the Old Whore was persistent; she needed another favor... two, in fact. First I had to sneak to her ex-husband's house and steal her ornamental dagger... mmmkaaaay, sure. Then the key to her dowry chest, which contained the treasure she needed to start fresh. She promised an expensive book but, by this point, I was feeling squeamish. I had already choked out her ex for the dagger, now she wanted me to go back and steal from the new wife? I offered to just steal what was in the chest but she declined. It was something she had to do for herself, she said. I had a bad feeling about this but I did it anyway.
Andrew was glad to see his tankard. He sent me north past Talmberg to meet with Lukesh, a professional poacher. But then I got sidetracked...
Nicholas is the Huntmaster for Talmberg, the only man permitted to hunt in those woods, but lately someone had been making a fool of him, slaughtering game and just leaving the corpses. (Um, I sometimes do that because I'm trying to get better at archery.) He hired me to track these poachers and bring them to justice. Seems an open and shut case, eh? I already had a name! Only problem was it wasn't Lukesh. This particular poacher was just killing and leaving game all over to embarrass the Huntmaster, while Lukesh was hunting game for Andrew for coin. Hmm.
So I start asking around. I get a lot of stories about Tom o' the Baths, a servant at the local bathhouse. Seems him and a buddy got boozed up and promised a venison feast to some of the local girls. But after questioning a few locals it seemed more like that was the beer talking, but they mentioned another name: Hanekin Hare. Hare appeared to be something of a legend. A disgraced noble who lived in the woods and moved like a ghost. Some called him a sorcerer. The tales said he murdered one of Sir Henry of Leipa's (Lord Hanush's father) men and then vanished from the Talmberg dungeons without a trace. But before I could get too involved in this mystery I ran into this person by crazy happenstance on her way to get water:
Blacksmith's Betty, as she was called, was a servant at the local smith. By chance I bumped into her on the way to question the old gossip Olena. Betty was a firsthand witness to Hare and Nicholas' wife, Margaret, meeting in the woods. Betty had given me an eyewitness account that Hare was not only real, but involved with Margaret before his 'incident.' I asked around a bit more, to be thorough, and learned that Margaret, Hare, and Nicholas were in a sort of love triangle. Margaret's father favored Hare, a noble and the Huntsman of Talmberg. Also it seemed like Ol' Nick was the primary witness to the murder that Hare was accused of. Time to get it from the horse's mouth.
It took a bit of persuasion, but eventually Margaret admitted she was involved with Hare. But, according to her, she only ever loved Nicholas. She denies any involvement or knowledge in the murder and paints Nicholas as blameless. When pressed, however, she admits she saw Hare again. She claimed that he was addled in the head from living in the woods for years and still carried a torch for her. I weaseled it out of her that if she wanted to meet with him she would hang a wreath, which I encouraged her to do.
Time to go get Hare.
Hare wasn't expecting me, he was expecting Nicholas... come to finish the job. You see, Hare claimed he was innocent. The man who died was found in a ditch with his neck broken, which well could have been an accident. Hare claimed that he couldn't have been involved because, at the time, he was with Margaret. He had not, in fact, been living in the woods, but rather in the country to the north. He was well off and had only returned to clear his name. He did love Margaret, but he admitted that she ultimately loved Nicholas... enough to let an innocent man swing. He freely admitted being behind the slaughtered game, he was even in league with Lukesh and his poachers, but he was NOT a murderer and clearing his family's name was more important to him than anything else.
At this point I had a choice: Arrest Hare or Believe him. But then a little history nugget popped up. Time to investigate:
Based on the real life Vilem Zajíc of Valdek, who was a member of the historic Hare Aristocratic Czech family, this was another one of those times that KC intertwines real history with fiction. It seems the Hares really did lose it all at one point, as Hanekin explained. While there was probably more to this story than what I had discovered, I found that I rather liked this Robin Hood-like character and, no matter what the truth really was, Nicholas was kind of a boor. I chose to believe Hare and immediately failed my other quest, the one about tracking down Lukesh and joining this band of poachers. I didn't know why, at first, but I was okay with it.
Hare had an outlandish plan that, if executed properly, would result in no bloodshed whatsoever. But it was not without danger. His idea was to get Nicholas to sign a written confession that he had set up Hare and that Hanekin did not commit the murder. I hesitated. I needed to know more, because the 'how' involved kidnapping Margaret to force the confession. We'd both be hung if we got caught. But then Hanekin told me something that fully convinced me: he wasn't a sorcerer... he'd escaped the dungeon because Sir Divish himself, the Lord of Talmberg, had let him go.
Divish saved my ass after Skalitz. Specifically, Sir Robard and Divish saved my ass... twice. Once after the raid by sheltering me and then a second time when I went to bury my parents and Runt nearly killed me. But there was another reason why I felt indebted to Sir Divish, a much more shameful and personal reason:
He is Lady Stephanie's husband. Yes, that Stephanie. Henry's first in-game bang. (I learned in A Woman's Lot that Henry was not a virgin, having banged Bianca in the past.) Steph seduced young Henry, laying a big sob story on him about how she was married to a wonderful, but much older man would could not give her children. And Divish really is a wonderful man. Straight up noble and honorable and I feel HORRIBLE about banging his wife... even if she wanted it. Divish is pious too, straight as an arrow, so if he vouched for Hare then Hare was good in my book.
So the plan was that I was to wait until dawn. Hare had stolen a hunting horn from Nicholas, one with a distinct sound, and no doubt when blown he would go looking for it... giving me a chance to abduct Margaret. If this went south, if I got caught by the guard at the hunting lodge or if something happened to Margaret.. we would both swing. I went and repaired all my armor and got ready for the worst.
At dawn I stood outside the hunting lodge, eyes on the lone guard. I waited and listened for the horn but I did not hear it, but the time had passed and the guard suddenly moved away. Now was my chance. I picked the lock to the lodge and let myself in.
Margaret was asleep when I woke her. I gave some thought to just knocking her out and carrying her but, with the guard outside, I didn't want to risk harming anyone. (Hal has been known to accidentally kill folk... just saying!) So instead I confronted her again: she knew Hanekin Hare was innocent because she has been with him when the murder occurred! Finally, she relented. She was with him, but that didn't change the fact that she loved Nicholas. I had a choice: lay it out for her that we were blackmailing her and her husband to flee with the clothes on their back and, thus, live a life of peace together or lie to her. I told her we had her husband and if she came with me voluntarily, no harm would come to them. It worked. We slipped away.
Hare's next step involved me as well. He wanted me to go to Nicholas and get the confession. His reasoning was sound; if Nick saw Hare he would immediately attack. But Hare was noble in intent as well; he fully intended to let Nick and Maggie go... with a head start. He did not want to separate them or punish Nicholas more than to cause this flight. All he wanted was his and his family's name cleared. So off I went.
He received it about as well as anybody would, but I chose to focus on his wife. They would be free. They would have to leave, of course, but they would be together and Divish would not pursue them. Reluctantly, and without bloodshed, he agreed. I told him where to find Margaret and I returned to Hanekin Hare. The two of us walked boldly towards Tamlberg, joking nervously that we may well be walking to the gallows.
It turns out everything Hare had told me was true. Divish was, indeed, his old friend and he had released him. Hare also well-knew that he was due punishment for the poaching and kidnapping, of which he took full blame, but that all he wanted was to clear his name. He would voluntarily go back into exile.
That left Divish in need of a new Master Huntsman, which Hanekin Hare immediately recommended me for. Divish and Sir Robard both liked the idea but me... I turned it down. "I'm grateful, my lord, but I am still in the service of Sir Radzig. I don't feel that it would be appropriate for me to accept without his blessing." It was a noble-ass answer that locked off a series of hunting quests... but it just felt right.
I finally left Talmberg and headed back to the Inn at the Glade. I needed to touch base with Andrew, I was still confused as to why he didn't need game anymore, and I also needed to collect that book from the Old Whore. But when I got there I found that Andrew was more than willing to trust me now, even without Lukesh, and he also told me a dark, dark tale. That Old Whore never came back... and the word from Neuhoff was that her husband and his wife were found murdered: she had her eyes clawed out and he... well he was missing something:
Fuuuccccck. I knew I shouldn't have trusted someone labeled "Old Whore!" I ran into a surprise inside the Inn too, but that is a tale for another time.
In researching this quest line after the fact, a habit of mine so I can see how differently it might have turned out, I discovered that I missed a LOT of investigation by stumbling onto Blacksmith's Betty so early. In fact; Tom o' the Baths was not as innocent as he seemed: he really did hold a drunken party in the woods with poached venison for the ladies. If you're interested you can follow all the intertwined quest lines, and all the things I missed, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
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Post by endorbr on Nov 11, 2019 16:22:18 GMT
Dude you helped Lorena Bobbitt.
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