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Beyond the Beyond: Update 79: The Soul of Thunder (Barbaros pt. 2)
The last time we saw the team they'd just reached Enlightenment! ...or had ground enough experience for everyone in the party to class change. Same thing in an RPG, right? With that done they headed back to Barbaros since the king told them he'd listen if they went to all that trouble.
Upon approaching Barbaros Castle it quickly becomes clear that a whole heap of trouble visited Barbaros while they were gone. Rather convenient to miss the kids, eh? Large cracks in the wall and rubble in the grass are not generally the first things visitors want to see when they arrive.
What the...? We've only been gone a couple of days. What happened?
Shutat!
You really think so?
Who else could it be?
Seems completely random for him.
That means it's definitely Shutat! 
That is an interesting train of logic ya got goin' there, kid.
I know. Sometimes I astound myself.
We should look for survivors.
Just to the east is a huge hole in the wall and a dead Barbaros soldier.
That's not a survivor.
I noticed. Died quickly from the look of these wounds.
I'm more concerned about the wall to be honest. The front gate's open.
Why go through that if you don't have to?
Could have just opened it from the inside once the wall was breached. If the gate was ever closed. That assumes Shutat didn't have the element of surprise.
Yeah, sis. There's a lot of forest around here. Marion Castle all over again.
On the other side of the outer wall is a soldier who isn't quite as dead but still isn't going anywhere.
Ugh...
He'll live.
Much to your chagrin!
Tont, please... I'm just trying to lighten the mood a bit.
Inside the courtyard proper is someone still on their feet. They are a bit shocked though.
Fair Warning: If you're allergic to ellipses or Shatner Speech this is going to be a painful episode for you.
... Dragon in the sky... They seem to hate... dragon... Who hates what dragon?
*waves hands in front of soldier's face* Totally out of it.
Annie?
Other than bruises his body's fine. But we missed a dragon! What's up with that?
I'm perfectly fine with that.
I wonder if it's the same dragon we saw in Bandore.
That would mean the dragon's following the battleship. If that's the case they could at least tell us where it is.
The rest of the courtyard is littered with soldiers. Some are dead. One isn't.
(south) ...Their battleship... Barbaros troops are stronger... but... we couldn't defeat them...
You saw a battleship?
Couldn't defeat them...
Another one who can't talk.
Maybe Ramue's been through here.
*growls something under his breath*
Heading inside the keep the team finds Edward just sort of chilling out. For once the wait point is actually inside a building. Good thing I didn't send our off-member here earlier or this would be just awkward.
Edward what happened?
I don't know. I just got here myself. Just got here? Then what have you been doing since you left us?
There were some interesting magical signatures I just had to check out.
So I take it you didn't see Shutat and the gang.
I didn't. I'm sorry. They must have departed well before I left the Isle of Discipline.
I suppose we had no way of knowing.
I heard someone moving around in the throne room a little while ago. Been quiet since then.
Well let's find out if anyone's alive in there.
Inside the throne room is a mess with a shattered candelabra and rubble from breaches in the walls but one of the king's advisors is still on his feet. The king however doesn't seem to have fared so well.
You okay there?
No! The king is... Spirit Water hit the young man's face! Inside... Mon... It's a monster!
A young man? What young man?
I don't know! I just... it's all so awful!
Was someone with big horns involved?
Y-yes! He attacked the king with magic. That look on his face, I'll never forget it.
I don't get it. Why would Shutat come here and start attacking people? What does he gain from that?
He gains a face full of burning, that's what! Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy.
Just for giggles, because what this serious scene really needs is the player messing with small oversights like this, I talk to the king while standing to his side. The game swaps his sprite to one that would face the team if it wasn't rotated 90 degrees clockwise. The king therefore does an unceremonious faceplant on our accord. Poor guy's having a rough day!
The king's still alive.
He's not going to last long.
That bad?
Yeah... Hanging on just barely.
So he is as strong as he claims.
I don't know about that. All that bruising and it's spreading. Torn up inside somewhere. Damn it! If we had gotten here sooner I might have been able to contain this.
You... kids... you came... back.
What happened 'cause it looks like you got your butt kicked!
Leave it to Tont to just charge forward with questioning.
What?
He's dying! You could show a little tact here. But that's exactly why I went straight to the point. We don't have time for niceties.
That fool... Underworld's... and Ramue... too strong... didn't notice the Ancient Tablet... I threw... Spirit Water at them. They were... in pain. Ugh... Possession?
Whosa whatsit?
Possession. It's where an outside force enters and seizes control of a living body.
Sounds unpleasant.
You must be the one... Ancient Tablet... can't let them take... but for a while they would...
We don't even know what you mean by the one. Who and what are they?
I don't think that really matters anymore.
Why the Vicious Ones? What about the agreement? This can, can it be... Ugh...
It would have been nice for you to consider all this stuff before being mortally wounded! That tablet back there looks like the one Arawn gave us.
Don't let the Vicious Ones take it. Musn't... lose it.
As the king shakes with death rattles the surviving advisor approaches.
Your Majesty please, save your strength.
Too late for that.
Didn't Arawn say to do... something or other with the tablet he gave us?
I think so. It's been so long I don't even remember. I'll hand this to you, to take Barbaros' revenge... please. Why they... Lorele... take care... she's under... suddenly... as a Princess... raise her... Ughh...
With that final monologue the king breathes his last.
No! The king is... Spirit Water hit the young man's face! Inside... Mon... It's a monster!
And all the advisor can do is repeat the same line he has when spoken to first. He was just so helpful in this scene wasn't he?
Then the old man rushes back to his spot staring at the back wall to resume his previous regiment of shuddering in a rapid loop.
The king of Barbaros lies dead in front of his throne. Not exactly an ostentatious way to go for a man who liked to brag about strength.
Well... now what?
Continue to search for survivors?
Loot the castle?
I suppose that's always an option, Tont. Hopefully Shutat's goons didn't do that already.
You already looted the castle, remember?
Well now we can just be extra thorough about it!
Is this really where our lives have led? We witness the death of a king and not five minutes later go rifling through his stuff?
Far be it from to encourage the looting but he doesn't need anything now that he's dead. I knew there was a reason we had a pirate on the team!
I'm not actually following the pirate code here, kid.
What does that call for in this situation?
Going through his pockets for loose change. Well now that you've said something... Let's not, Tont. He's not even cold yet. I could use magic to fix that.
Let's just get that tablet and get the hell out of here. This conversation is weirding me out.
Way ahead of you there, brother.
Key item Ancient Tablet got!
If only we knew what to do with these heavy things. Maybe Arawn will drop us a note about them. I think we have a better chance of the dragon chasing Shutat doing that.
Perhaps once we have all of them their purpose will become more clear.
*shrugs* Sounds as good as anything I can think of.
Heading upstairs the team finds a breach in the wall that's conveniently blocked by a dead soldier. I have to admit that Shutat (and/or minions) has so far half-assed plenty of things but the slaughter of everyone in Barbaros Castle has not been one of those things. There are some survivors but effort was put in to try to kill them. Said effort just didn't work.
Out on the upper battlements is a soldier who somehow managed to escape the carnage. He was probably just so far away from the bulk of the fighting that he got the equivalent of random encounters.
Who's there! Oh, travelers? You picked a bad time to visit.
We noticed.
What happened?
I'm not sure. By the time I realized anything was wrong monsters were running around the castle.
Sounds like Shutat's been on the loose!
Who were... they? They were wearing Bandore's armor. But they weren't human! [sic]
So you saw human looking monsters in Bandore armor? Orks maybe. They look human at a distance with the right clothing.
They could be human followers for all we know. There have been no shortage of people willing to attack us.
I'm just glad to still be alive. I could hear downstairs... explosions, magic going off.
You stayed up here out of the way of that stuff didn't you?
I fought honorably!
That's not... Look we just want to know what happened and where the perpetrators went.
A man ran out the front gate screaming. After that it went quiet.
Wow the king really did save the kingdom with one throw.
I still don't understand why he had Spirit Water in the first place. Seems kind of random. Which means Shutat never expected it!
Shutat didn't expect it. That's why it worked.
Then all we need to do to defeat Shutat is do a bunch of random stuff! Aren't we already doing random things? Shutat hasn't defeated us so clearly we're doing the right thing.
But we haven't actually stopped him from killing more people.
Clearly we aren't being random enough!
I think Tont's entire strategy is to make Shutat's head explode by trying to understand us. Hmm, I wonder if there's a spell for that. Remind me to ask Edward on our way out.
Up in the king's room there's a big hole in the wall. It's like random chunks of castle got torn out during the battle. There's no new treasure to find nor any survivors hanging out in remote corners. The team's just taking a tour of all the destruction.
Back down in the main foyer Edward's still hanging around without any worries that Shutat might suddenly come back to finish the assault. Not to worry! He's apparently run back to the battleship and conceded defeat.
Over in the west wing things are even more torn up. The shopkeepers are all gone and the counters are broken. Those shops are permanently gone now. There's nothing critical (or unique) in either of them but it still means if the player didn't partake of them before undergoing the Labyrinth they are simply out of luck. It isn't required to visit Barbaros before doing that either so it is entirely possible to miss seeing Barbaros before it is wrecked.
On the plus side I finally fix Finn's equipment. I bought him a suit of Dragon Scale which he equips along with the Mystic Blade since I goofed up a bit after getting Finn's class up and didn't even think to try to equip the sword he just got. In the screenshot above he's still got the Rune Sword equipped just to show what a goof I am sometimes.
In the eastern wing the team comes upon a rather odd choice in tile design with the destroyed wall of the kitchen. It's minor but still looks totally wrong. It's as if the layout designer couldn't decide whether it should be a damaged section of wall or rubble lying on the ground and ended up in some mix that looks like neither. (Sadly enough I didn't even notice this while actually playing.)
The chapel's fine though despite some cracks in the wall. We could save the game but Barbaros is too depressing and out of the way for that. If we had missed Tont and thus didn't have a 6th party member we would have to walk all the way back to the ship. That would be tedious with a side order of danger. Thankfully the team doesn't have to bother with such nonsense.
Downstairs in the dungeon the guards are gone and the cells are open. Why are the cells open? Your guess is as good as mine.
The castle's empty. This is so creepy.
We're still going to explore everything, right?
Yeah. The sooner the better. I want out of here.
The last spot is the hidden passage on the first floor. Inside is a surviving soldier.
Who... Who goes there?! Just a bunch of yahoos clowning around.
Oh, You are... [sic] from Marion... That guest. You remember us?
We were GUESTS?! The king gave me the key. Told me to give it to you... Take this with you.
Key item Bronze Key got!
But... what's the key for? I forgot to ask him.
The king expected us to return?
It would seem so.
Sounds like he was kind of paranoid. There's a locked door downstairs. The king probably hid something down there.
Treasure!
I see my brother's priorities have been restored.
Downstairs the overhead view reveals to the player that there's more than treasure chests behind the locked door. Someone's been locked in. Once again I'll point out that it isn't necessary to visit Barbaros before it is destroyed. That makes it rather strange that the soldier would give the player the key since no one in Barbaros would know who they are.
Items > Use > Bronze Key
It feels pretty good to unlock doors that once stymied the team from collecting treasure.
Merely stepping into the room elicits a shriek from Lorele.
Aiaaaaah!
Whoa! What was that?
The team just sort of meanders forward as Lorele rushes toward the door.
Hold on! We're not your enemy!
Lorele doesn't realize who just walked in. While the timeline of events isn't clear it seems a battle broke out at or on the outer wall during which the king locked his daughter in this hidden room. Or maybe he did that after someone blew a huge hole through the outer wall. Regardless Lorele got locked up so she wouldn't be in harm's way. Between that and carrying around Spirit Water the king clearly wasn't all that confident about the strength of his forces.
... Papa. Must rescue papa... everyone... defeated... Then... papa... papa's order was to take me here. And they locked me in. Papa... I'm worried... I must find Papa!
Fortunately for all her worries Lorele still stops to deliver a monologue in pure Shatner Speech. Shutat truly is evil. He didn't just destroy parts of the castle and kill most of the inhabitants. He also cursed the survivors. That fiend!
With Lorele gone the team can get down to what's really important: treasure! In the chests are a Wind Bandanna, a Healing Jewel, and a War Rod.
Annie equips the War Rod for a 13 point increase in her attack power (bringing her to 125) which also re-enables critical hit damage on her attacks. Good bye Stun Rod. You were kinda not worth the price of purchase.
The Wind Bandanna clearly goes to Domino bringing his defense up to 44. It also confers a +3 speed bonus which won't move Domino in the turn order because he's already so slow but is still kind of nice.
With Lorele talking about her father there's really only one place she could go.
Upon entering the throne room the team finds Lorele standing there staring at the lifeless body of her own father.
Daddy... How could this happen?
Ahhh, Princess Lorele, The king... [sic] Barbaros' king... King... till the end fought bravely... But monsters... uuuuh... Monsters did this?
The king fought but, but a man named Shutat... His magic was too much.
Lorele kneels by the corpse.
No...No! How could this happen...
Lorele and the advisor finally notice they aren't alone in the throne room.
Oh, you again. Why...?
He witnessed the king's last... The king told him to take revenge for Barbaros... then to take care of the princess. Then he passed away. Papa told you people to... to take revenge... Papa... told you...
It was hard to tell what he was saying. He was kind of dying at the time.
Well we got the gist of it. *steps forward* If you're fighting them, take... take me with you... Then... papa's... revenge... I will fight as well.
You might be lost with the rest of us but it's gotta be better than hanging around here. What?
That's Tont. You'll get used to his, uh, quirkiness. I'm just your friendly neighborhood summoner! ...I see. And who are the rest of you? I'm Finn. That's my sister Annie. Over there is our friend Edward. The big guy's Sir Samson. Our stylish pirate friend is Domino. He actually called you stylish, Domino. Will wonders never cease?
Probably when the treasure runs out, kid.
Don't say that! There will always be more treasure to hunt.
What happened to the little dragon? He grew up.
Already?
I completed the labyrinth on the Island of Discipline. It was, uh, sort of a side effect of that.
While the kids talk the Light Orb does its thing and inducts Lorele into the party with lights and fanfare.
You completed that test? Hmm, I don't know how helpful I can be but, I will fulfill papa's last wish and take revenge for Barbaros.
Princess Lorele. Please, for the sake of your father, be careful out there.
You needn't worry. I know the risks. A better question to ask is if we know the risks.
We're only going to go fight Shutat. What could go wrong?
Besides everything? That's just opportunity knocking, Edward.
Trust Tont to be hopelessly optimistic at times.
I must say farewell to the kingdom. Wait at the castle entrance.
We'll be there.
With that Lorele heads upstairs.
Please take care of Princess Lorele and take revenge for Barbaros. If it comes down to it and we can only accomplish one which would you prefer?
The princess of course! Why would you even ask such a question?
I just wanna make sure we're clear about this.
I'm kind of thinking the princess can take care of herself.
Yeah if the king hadn't locked her up you guys might have won.
True. She was kicking some serious butt the other day.
Exactly! Why lock up your best fighter?
I'm sure the king was just worried for his daughter's safety.
Hey, Edward. Would your dad stick you in the dungeon if there was another attack on Marion Castle?
Those dungeons have an emergency escape route to the outside so the answer would probably be yes.
Oh yeah! I forgot about that. Shutat knows about it now though. I bet somebody would be waiting on the other side.
Shutat doesn't strike me as the kind of man who would have someone at both exits.
Upon heading upstairs the team finds the body once blocking the wall breach has vanished. Ostensibly, since Princess Lorele just walked up that same set of stairs, the implication is that she took the body... somewhere. What's really happened is that scene with Lorele in the throne room has flagged the castle to enter its next state. All of the bodies have been removed and its just a big, ruined, empty castle now.
Making their way around the battlements the team finds the mostly-deserted castle has one new inhabitant: a merchant hidden behind the east tower. Unless the player has a guide or is just wandering around trying to search everything this fellow is likely to be missed.
I'm a traveling merchant. I just received some good bargains. Take a look at these recent acquisitions. Would you like to purchase something?
You've been looting the castle haven't you?
Not at all! ...Well, perhaps a little bit. There's no sense in leaving anything salvageable to rot in these ruins after all. I like the way you think! Were you here during the attack?
I would be dead too if that were the case! No, I saw it in progress and took it upon myself to wait in the forest until things calmed down.
So now there's a random merchant just chilling out in the ruins of Barbaros Castle completely hidden from view.
Wait, did I say "random merchant?" I mean to say "awesome merchant crammed full of wonderful expendable goodies that can't be purchased anywhere else." Yes, totally meant to say that. About the only downside is that the Critical, Tempest, and Counter Jewels are just that, jewels, rather than orbs. Jewels affect one target. Orbs target everyone in the party.
That and the fact that Vision Crystals, Awaken Stones, and Illusion Powders are all pretty useless.
I drop 6,000 gold on six Resist Jewels though. Gimme, gimme, gimme!
With six thousand less gold burning a hole in the team's collective pocket they head downstairs and out the side door. Having seen all of Barbaros it is time to move on.
As promised Lorele shows up just outside the main gate. Who knows where she disappeared to in the interim.
Ready to go?
Yup. How about you?
I have said my good byes. I am ready.
So we know you're good at kicking. What else can you do?
I have been trained as a monk. That means I am skilled in hand-to-hand combat and the art of healing.
We'll have two people who can heal? Cool! What about me? I know some healing spells.
No offense, Finn, but even you like to say you're a guy who knows how to hit stuff with a sword and nothing more. *grumbles something under his breath* Let's go! But wait... If I join the party, there will be six people. You should only have five in the group. Why don't you choose who to excluse?
And so we officially recruit our second optional party member. Visiting Barbaros after it has been sacked is necessary to acquire that Ancient Tablet that was hanging in the throne room. (Which means going through the class up process is required for Finn.) Meeting Lorele is not required though. As shown earlier in this update the player can grab the tablet before ever talking to her. In fact if they missed going to Barbaros before it is destroyed the player might easily miss Lorele completely. The king does mention her in his dying speech but there are no hints as to where she's hidden and it is easy to just write her off as another NPC.
I want to get a look at her stats so I send Tont to Isla Village.
As a Monk Lorele's not all that impressive. Monks are common in the Shining Force series so anyone who's played one of those games already knows what to expect. Her speed and innate defense are low and she's a bit on the fragile side. Her Luck is high though, for all the good that does her. She does know some basic magic which will get shown off in more detail later but caster class she is not. For the time being she's going to be hiding in the back row soaking up experience and trying not to die.
Next time on Beyond the Beyond - we have a new team member but still no idea where Shutat wandered off to.
