Summary: The legacy of August Adoulin, Founder King. “Melvien’s” betrayal. Balamor’s curse.
TW: animal death, suicidal ideations
Mission: Sajj’aka (Seekers of Adoulin)
-We return to the library. We’ve only seen the public books; let’s check out the restricted section.
-King August Adoulin’s most bitter enemies were the Cimmerian Adherents. Sadistic, corrupting monsters. The king and his retinue fought them off, but his tiger companion sacrificed his life in the process. This is HEARTBREAKING.
-We ask for a book on King August’s death. Minister Melvien has been reading that book recently. Hm.
“Not a soul bore witness to the king’s demise.” They went into the monster-filled “Serpentine Labyrinth,” known today as Ra’Kaznar.
-The king fought with ~something~ down there, “a spectacle of atrocious beauty.” The king’s right-hand man, Morimar, was the only survivor.
-We return to Sajj’aka, answering his questions now about Morimar, the tiger, the Serpentine Labyrinth. It’s enough.
-Sajj’aka is not from Ulbuka. The king freed him from imprisonment in a “terrible domain.” (Tartarus?)
-We knew that the Naakuals made a pact with the king, but we had thought it was about protecting the land. Sajj’aka corrects us. The Naakuals are really guarding the six entrances to the Serpentine Labyrinth.
Wait. He says there are six entrances to the Serpentine Labyrinth. But there are seven Naakuals. What is the seventh guarding?
SAJJ’AKA: “He was… different from the rest.” [Later edit: Understatement.]
The seventh is “the Deathborne Xol” of the Xol Triumvirate. He served the leader of the Cimmerian Adherents, King August Adoulin’s enemies. But Sajj’aka does not know what happened to him.
-The Serpentine Labyrinth’s seals are wearing thin now. The spirits within stir. One in particular.
“The lord of the Serpentine Labyrinth: Hades.” There we go. Expansion Big Bad, I assume.
As Hades’ power grows, the power of the World Tree wanes. If he arrives…
“Calamity will befall us once again. The air a stifling miasma, the water a fetid pool, the land a shattered palisade, and the jungle a lifeless husk. Black flames will scourge the forest, rending all life from stem to ssstern, spelling a brutal end for us all.” Cats and dogs living together.
-August stopped Hades, but August’s soul is trapped in the Serpentine Labyrinth.
-Sajj’aka suggests trying to reverse the World Tree’s demise. The first World Tree was burned, but a sapling may remain that can revive Yggdrasil.
-The sapling is in Lightsland, inaccessible to us. Sajj’aka could reach it, but his prior jailers removed his scales, making flight incredibly painful. (What is it with this section and tigers/dragons in pain?
We have to find those scales.
TW: animal death, suicidal ideations
Mission: Sajj’aka (Seekers of Adoulin)
-We return to the library. We’ve only seen the public books; let’s check out the restricted section.
-King August Adoulin’s most bitter enemies were the Cimmerian Adherents. Sadistic, corrupting monsters. The king and his retinue fought them off, but his tiger companion sacrificed his life in the process. This is HEARTBREAKING.
-We ask for a book on King August’s death. Minister Melvien has been reading that book recently. Hm.
“Not a soul bore witness to the king’s demise.” They went into the monster-filled “Serpentine Labyrinth,” known today as Ra’Kaznar.
-The king fought with ~something~ down there, “a spectacle of atrocious beauty.” The king’s right-hand man, Morimar, was the only survivor.
-We return to Sajj’aka, answering his questions now about Morimar, the tiger, the Serpentine Labyrinth. It’s enough.
-Sajj’aka is not from Ulbuka. The king freed him from imprisonment in a “terrible domain.” (Tartarus?)
-We knew that the Naakuals made a pact with the king, but we had thought it was about protecting the land. Sajj’aka corrects us. The Naakuals are really guarding the six entrances to the Serpentine Labyrinth.
Wait. He says there are six entrances to the Serpentine Labyrinth. But there are seven Naakuals. What is the seventh guarding?
SAJJ’AKA: “He was… different from the rest.” [Later edit: Understatement.]
The seventh is “the Deathborne Xol” of the Xol Triumvirate. He served the leader of the Cimmerian Adherents, King August Adoulin’s enemies. But Sajj’aka does not know what happened to him.
-The Serpentine Labyrinth’s seals are wearing thin now. The spirits within stir. One in particular.
“The lord of the Serpentine Labyrinth: Hades.” There we go. Expansion Big Bad, I assume.
As Hades’ power grows, the power of the World Tree wanes. If he arrives…
“Calamity will befall us once again. The air a stifling miasma, the water a fetid pool, the land a shattered palisade, and the jungle a lifeless husk. Black flames will scourge the forest, rending all life from stem to ssstern, spelling a brutal end for us all.” Cats and dogs living together.
-August stopped Hades, but August’s soul is trapped in the Serpentine Labyrinth.
-Sajj’aka suggests trying to reverse the World Tree’s demise. The first World Tree was burned, but a sapling may remain that can revive Yggdrasil.
-The sapling is in Lightsland, inaccessible to us. Sajj’aka could reach it, but his prior jailers removed his scales, making flight incredibly painful. (What is it with this section and tigers/dragons in pain?
We have to find those scales.
---
Mission: Darrcuiln (Seekers of Adoulin)
-Arciela and I head underground, seeking an entrance to the Serpentine Labyrinths.
-Darrcuiln the tiger joins us. We come across one of the most bizarre fights I’ve ever seen: oozy Umbrils versus leafkins.
-A human is fighting alongside the leafkins. He looks like Morimar, August Adoulin’s right-hand man.
-Darrcuiln joins the fight. He and the human are friendly, and I’m SURE it’s Morimar. How is he alive after hundreds of years?
-We join against the Umbril. The Hume is indeed Morimar. He has a fun, bantery rapport with Darrcuiln.
-Morimar wants to convince Sajj’aka to help us.
---
Mission: Morimar (Seekers of Adoulin)
-Sajj’aka is still hesitant. He thinks we’ve disrespected the king’s wishes.
-The Founder King tried hard to stop us from colonization. He even appeared to Grand Chancellor Ygnas in a dream. He was even the one who cursed Ygnas into Leafkin-hood to stop him!
-And yet, Ygnas pressed on. Arciela defends colonization well. We explore to protect each other, to grow. Like the kid we saved who went into the wild to find medicine for her sick grandfather.
-Perhaps August Adoulin’s opinion has changed now. After all, he helped us use the sword.
-Morimar may know where to find Sajj’aka’s scales: the Serpentine Labyrinth.
-Sajj’aka finally relents. He’ll help. Whatever his reservations, Hades’ emergence would be catastrophic for all. He blesses us with his protection.
---
Mission: A New Force Arises (Seekers of Adoulin)
-The Serpentine Labyrinth look sort of sci-fi, suffused with purple light.
-“Labyrinth” is right. Despite only two levels, it has alternating paths, elevators, downward slides, the works. I eventually find the three scales and return to Sajj’aka.
-YEESSS! The scales heal his wound; his eternal pain ended. He soars, overjoyed.
-Sajj’aka immediately flies to Lightsland and retrieves the World Tree sapling.
-This is so exciting! He’s rejuvenated, full of hope once more.
-Three things in the past helped shut away Hades. The World Tree, Sajj’aka, and August Adoulin. Two out of three are back in action.
-I just hope I can fill August Adoulin’s boots for now.
-Now that we have the sapling, how do we use it to revive Yggdrasil? Let’s ask Grand Chancellor Leafkin.
---
Mission: The Sacred Sapling (Seekers of Adoulin)
-We show Ygnas the sapling. Ygnas’s speech is almost gone, but he manages to say “tree grafting” and projects an image of a secret forest into our minds.
-We find the forest off the Kamihr Drifts: Leafallia, sacred home of the leafkin home and Yggdrasil’s roots.
Mission: Darrcuiln (Seekers of Adoulin)
-Arciela and I head underground, seeking an entrance to the Serpentine Labyrinths.
-Darrcuiln the tiger joins us. We come across one of the most bizarre fights I’ve ever seen: oozy Umbrils versus leafkins.
-A human is fighting alongside the leafkins. He looks like Morimar, August Adoulin’s right-hand man.
-Darrcuiln joins the fight. He and the human are friendly, and I’m SURE it’s Morimar. How is he alive after hundreds of years?
-We join against the Umbril. The Hume is indeed Morimar. He has a fun, bantery rapport with Darrcuiln.
-Morimar wants to convince Sajj’aka to help us.
---
Mission: Morimar (Seekers of Adoulin)
-Sajj’aka is still hesitant. He thinks we’ve disrespected the king’s wishes.
-The Founder King tried hard to stop us from colonization. He even appeared to Grand Chancellor Ygnas in a dream. He was even the one who cursed Ygnas into Leafkin-hood to stop him!
-And yet, Ygnas pressed on. Arciela defends colonization well. We explore to protect each other, to grow. Like the kid we saved who went into the wild to find medicine for her sick grandfather.
-Perhaps August Adoulin’s opinion has changed now. After all, he helped us use the sword.
-Morimar may know where to find Sajj’aka’s scales: the Serpentine Labyrinth.
-Sajj’aka finally relents. He’ll help. Whatever his reservations, Hades’ emergence would be catastrophic for all. He blesses us with his protection.
---
Mission: A New Force Arises (Seekers of Adoulin)
-The Serpentine Labyrinth look sort of sci-fi, suffused with purple light.
-“Labyrinth” is right. Despite only two levels, it has alternating paths, elevators, downward slides, the works. I eventually find the three scales and return to Sajj’aka.
-YEESSS! The scales heal his wound; his eternal pain ended. He soars, overjoyed.
-Sajj’aka immediately flies to Lightsland and retrieves the World Tree sapling.
-This is so exciting! He’s rejuvenated, full of hope once more.
-Three things in the past helped shut away Hades. The World Tree, Sajj’aka, and August Adoulin. Two out of three are back in action.
-I just hope I can fill August Adoulin’s boots for now.
-Now that we have the sapling, how do we use it to revive Yggdrasil? Let’s ask Grand Chancellor Leafkin.
---
Mission: The Sacred Sapling (Seekers of Adoulin)
-We show Ygnas the sapling. Ygnas’s speech is almost gone, but he manages to say “tree grafting” and projects an image of a secret forest into our minds.
-We find the forest off the Kamihr Drifts: Leafallia, sacred home of the leafkin home and Yggdrasil’s roots.
-Rosulatia is here for the ritual, along with the rest of the Adoulin
party. I love goofy Leafkin!Ygnas atop Darrcuiln’s serious tiger head.
-…Finance Minister Melvien shows up too? I like him, and know he was researching August Adoulin, but idk why.
-Rosulatia begins the ritual to infuse the sapling into the dying World Tree.
-MELVIEN PULLS OUT A GUN AHD SHOOTS MORIMAR
“All these years, Morimar, and you haven’t changed one bit.”
WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU REALLY?
-HE SHOOTS ROSULATIA, HE SHOOTS HER SERVANT LEAFKINS, HE SHOOTS ME. He aims at Arciela.
“House Adoulin ends here.”
-A childlike Heartwings throws itself in front of her, taking the bullet.
Darrcuiln swats Melvien down, but Melvien comes out on top.
No WAY is Melvien a normal Elvaan. “Filthy beast! I’ll end you like I did him.”
Is Melvien an avatar of Hades? I think Hades was the one who killed Darrcuiln’s father,
-Morimar blasts Melvien before he can kill Darrcuiln. Kills Melvien. Jesus that was intense.
-Later. Rosulatia and Morimar are wounded, but alive. Me too. Arciela mourns the Heartwing. She’s emotionally destroyed.
-Rosulatia resumes the ritual. With herself as a catalyst, she infuses the sapling into Yggdrasil.
-The tree is secure. Hades’ prison is reinforced. The Naakuals guard the labyrinth. And yet… there’s no way this is the end.
-We return to the city. A montage of Castle Adoulin as a song of hope plays.
-Not so fast. Scene change to Melvien’s body. A purple glow surrounds him.
---
Mission: Cries from the Deep (Seekers of Adoulin)
-The leadership debates Melvien’s death. Was he murdered? Why was he out in the hinterlands to begin with? Did pro- or anti-colonizers kill him for political gain?
-Meanwhile, the tremors have continued unabated.
-We learn that there is a monument beneath the city honoring August Adoulin, one that doubles as a geomantic seal protecting the city against spiritual threats.
-The tremors hurt the seal. Its inscription has been overwritten.
-I investigate the waterways, and learn that the inscription’s “flow” has been changed. The engineers down there mention a bright flash recently accompanying the tremors.
Oh SHIT! The tremors weren’t natural. They were the aftershocks of sabotage. The geomantic incantation has been reversed. “That which had warded now beckons.”
-Leadership council meeting. Everyone’s on edge. Many ill omens of late: Beasts seeking refuge from the coast, livestock missing, crops withering. And now this.
-A peacekeeper’s investigations show that Melvien is the only person who could have caused these bombs. I guess he was only mostly dead.
Things take a turn for the weird. A maidservant, Fremilla, enters and acts goofy. Drugged, high, something. It’s both funny and disturbing.
“I can barely contain myself thinking of all the fun we’re going to have together… bweeheehee. Bwahahahaha!” I’m thinking possession.
-She armlocks a minster and flings him across the room. Yup. Possession.
-…Finance Minister Melvien shows up too? I like him, and know he was researching August Adoulin, but idk why.
-Rosulatia begins the ritual to infuse the sapling into the dying World Tree.
-MELVIEN PULLS OUT A GUN AHD SHOOTS MORIMAR
“All these years, Morimar, and you haven’t changed one bit.”
WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU REALLY?
-HE SHOOTS ROSULATIA, HE SHOOTS HER SERVANT LEAFKINS, HE SHOOTS ME. He aims at Arciela.
“House Adoulin ends here.”
-A childlike Heartwings throws itself in front of her, taking the bullet.
Darrcuiln swats Melvien down, but Melvien comes out on top.
No WAY is Melvien a normal Elvaan. “Filthy beast! I’ll end you like I did him.”
Is Melvien an avatar of Hades? I think Hades was the one who killed Darrcuiln’s father,
-Morimar blasts Melvien before he can kill Darrcuiln. Kills Melvien. Jesus that was intense.
-Later. Rosulatia and Morimar are wounded, but alive. Me too. Arciela mourns the Heartwing. She’s emotionally destroyed.
-Rosulatia resumes the ritual. With herself as a catalyst, she infuses the sapling into Yggdrasil.
-The tree is secure. Hades’ prison is reinforced. The Naakuals guard the labyrinth. And yet… there’s no way this is the end.
-We return to the city. A montage of Castle Adoulin as a song of hope plays.
-Not so fast. Scene change to Melvien’s body. A purple glow surrounds him.
---
Mission: Cries from the Deep (Seekers of Adoulin)
-The leadership debates Melvien’s death. Was he murdered? Why was he out in the hinterlands to begin with? Did pro- or anti-colonizers kill him for political gain?
-Meanwhile, the tremors have continued unabated.
-We learn that there is a monument beneath the city honoring August Adoulin, one that doubles as a geomantic seal protecting the city against spiritual threats.
-The tremors hurt the seal. Its inscription has been overwritten.
-I investigate the waterways, and learn that the inscription’s “flow” has been changed. The engineers down there mention a bright flash recently accompanying the tremors.
Oh SHIT! The tremors weren’t natural. They were the aftershocks of sabotage. The geomantic incantation has been reversed. “That which had warded now beckons.”
-Leadership council meeting. Everyone’s on edge. Many ill omens of late: Beasts seeking refuge from the coast, livestock missing, crops withering. And now this.
-A peacekeeper’s investigations show that Melvien is the only person who could have caused these bombs. I guess he was only mostly dead.
Things take a turn for the weird. A maidservant, Fremilla, enters and acts goofy. Drugged, high, something. It’s both funny and disturbing.
“I can barely contain myself thinking of all the fun we’re going to have together… bweeheehee. Bwahahahaha!” I’m thinking possession.
-She armlocks a minster and flings him across the room. Yup. Possession.
-Her ranting continues, and then she starts to float. Cover blown. Balamor emerges from her body.
I know him from Rhapsodies of Vana’diel, but didn’t know he was part of Adoulin. He introduces himself as “The Deathborne Xol.” One of Hades’ servants we heard about. [Later edit: THE SEVENTH NAAKUAL!]
-Balamor summons Melvien, who stirs things up by saying Arciela has deceived everyone. He warps away.
-Balamor casts a curse. Not sure what kind, but he claims it’s slow and powerful.
“Its droplets will turn to buckets and then to torrents, leaving everyone you’ve ever held dear to drown.”
-If we find him, he’ll tell us how to remove the curse. Hide-and-seek. He’s quite a playful one. He leaves.
-The council members immediately attack each other for allowing this. Brutal, nasty rhetoric. Then Arciela steps in. “Be adults and act your age for once!” Urges unity, not power grabs.
-I thought it was going to work, but no.
HILDEBERT (a councilor): “Shut your damned mouth, wench! What would a mere child know of governing a city-state?”
He doesn’t believe anything Arciela says. About a talking dragon, a hidden village, etc. Thinks she’s lying, malicious, orchestrating the city’s downfall as an “evil enchantress.” He’s not alone.
-I haaaate seeing everyone shit on Arciela, gaslight her. Arciela flees.
---
Mission: Balamor, the Deathborne Xol (Seekers of Adoulin)
-Arciela has locked herself away. Ingrid wants her to treat this as “a test of will…” and yet, she’s understanding. She shows empathy for how hard Arciela has had it.
-I love this. Ingrid lets loose a barrage of raging insults at me, all of which urge me to be a good friend to Arciela in her time of need.
She may be on our side now, but she’s still Ingrid.
-Commence Operation: Cheer Up Arciela. I first give her a family heirloom I won as a quest award earlier. I then get a dessert recipe book she loves, “Suffering Sacchariferous.”
-It’s so great that this is all Ingrid’s idea. Arciela finally agrees to see me.
-The heads of the Twelve Orders have started meeting great misfortune, just as Balamor said. Family members.
And Tiana was one of them. (The girl from the start of the expansion.) She’s not dead exactly, but her soul’s been removed. Arciela feels crushed that she couldn’t predict it, or save her.
“All my life, they’ve called me a witch behind my back, but I’ve never felt it. Not until now. Those sprites risked their lives for me, but… to tell the truth, it was all in vain. I’m not worth protecting.”
I know him from Rhapsodies of Vana’diel, but didn’t know he was part of Adoulin. He introduces himself as “The Deathborne Xol.” One of Hades’ servants we heard about. [Later edit: THE SEVENTH NAAKUAL!]
-Balamor summons Melvien, who stirs things up by saying Arciela has deceived everyone. He warps away.
-Balamor casts a curse. Not sure what kind, but he claims it’s slow and powerful.
“Its droplets will turn to buckets and then to torrents, leaving everyone you’ve ever held dear to drown.”
-If we find him, he’ll tell us how to remove the curse. Hide-and-seek. He’s quite a playful one. He leaves.
-The council members immediately attack each other for allowing this. Brutal, nasty rhetoric. Then Arciela steps in. “Be adults and act your age for once!” Urges unity, not power grabs.
-I thought it was going to work, but no.
HILDEBERT (a councilor): “Shut your damned mouth, wench! What would a mere child know of governing a city-state?”
He doesn’t believe anything Arciela says. About a talking dragon, a hidden village, etc. Thinks she’s lying, malicious, orchestrating the city’s downfall as an “evil enchantress.” He’s not alone.
-I haaaate seeing everyone shit on Arciela, gaslight her. Arciela flees.
---
Mission: Balamor, the Deathborne Xol (Seekers of Adoulin)
-Arciela has locked herself away. Ingrid wants her to treat this as “a test of will…” and yet, she’s understanding. She shows empathy for how hard Arciela has had it.
-I love this. Ingrid lets loose a barrage of raging insults at me, all of which urge me to be a good friend to Arciela in her time of need.
She may be on our side now, but she’s still Ingrid.
-Commence Operation: Cheer Up Arciela. I first give her a family heirloom I won as a quest award earlier. I then get a dessert recipe book she loves, “Suffering Sacchariferous.”
-It’s so great that this is all Ingrid’s idea. Arciela finally agrees to see me.
-The heads of the Twelve Orders have started meeting great misfortune, just as Balamor said. Family members.
And Tiana was one of them. (The girl from the start of the expansion.) She’s not dead exactly, but her soul’s been removed. Arciela feels crushed that she couldn’t predict it, or save her.
“All my life, they’ve called me a witch behind my back, but I’ve never felt it. Not until now. Those sprites risked their lives for me, but… to tell the truth, it was all in vain. I’m not worth protecting.”
YES YOU ARE!!! Oh Christ, this is heartbreaking. I want to help her, to
reassure her, but I don’t think that sort of thing helps.
“Detolilla… it’s only a matter of time before you fall to my curse, too. Get away while you still can.”
-I try to reassure her. The best I can think to say: you’re not alone. I’m with you.
“I can’t help but think that if only… if only I’d died in the jungle back then!”
-She keeps apologizing, saying how sorry she is for everything, and everything hurts. But I’m still here.
-Let’s do the only thing we can do right now: hunt down Balamor.
-Though that’s not all – I choose this moment to give her the cookbook. She laughs. Delighted.
-Ygnas appears, telling me how to reach where he thinks Balamor is. The monument to August.
---
Mission: Arciela’s Resolve (Seekers of Adoulin)
-We reach the monument and find Balamor.
-He summons some creepy dolls to help him. I defeat the enemies they possess and move onto Balamor.
-It’s a BRUTAL fight. I nearly die, and BARELY manage to push through before my party dies.
“Bweheeheehee! So this is the true curse…? Oh, Director, you’re such a character.” This “Director” is Hades.
-That whole “remove the curse” thing? One more obstacle first: kill Hades.
Interesting! He serves Hades, but it seems only does so unwillingly. He’s got other plans.
---
Next time: Pushing towards Hades.
“Detolilla… it’s only a matter of time before you fall to my curse, too. Get away while you still can.”
-I try to reassure her. The best I can think to say: you’re not alone. I’m with you.
“I can’t help but think that if only… if only I’d died in the jungle back then!”
-She keeps apologizing, saying how sorry she is for everything, and everything hurts. But I’m still here.
-Let’s do the only thing we can do right now: hunt down Balamor.
-Though that’s not all – I choose this moment to give her the cookbook. She laughs. Delighted.
-Ygnas appears, telling me how to reach where he thinks Balamor is. The monument to August.
---
Mission: Arciela’s Resolve (Seekers of Adoulin)
-We reach the monument and find Balamor.
-He summons some creepy dolls to help him. I defeat the enemies they possess and move onto Balamor.
-It’s a BRUTAL fight. I nearly die, and BARELY manage to push through before my party dies.
“Bweheeheehee! So this is the true curse…? Oh, Director, you’re such a character.” This “Director” is Hades.
-That whole “remove the curse” thing? One more obstacle first: kill Hades.
Interesting! He serves Hades, but it seems only does so unwillingly. He’s got other plans.
---
Next time: Pushing towards Hades.
