Beyond the Beyond: Update 96: Ramue Strikes Back (Sand Cave pt. 3)

[ladyabaxa]

Beyond the Beyond: Update 96: Ramue Strikes Back (Sand Cave pt. 3)

So the team's still struggling to find an exit from the Sand Cave. Well, okay, Finn could just cast Escape to take them to the exit they used to enter the caverns but that would be going backwards... again. Eventually the team has to go forward. Otherwise they'll never reach new sights and new events.

Or new treasure. If nothing else that gets the kids moving.

Speaking of treasure when last we saw them the team had just opened this chest and picked up a Thunder Vase. Given the fact that I had to backtrack halfway across the floor this is something of a disappointment. Ah well, maybe it will come in handy later.

I still don't understand how you fit a vase into your travel pack, sis.
As I've said before, Finn, very carefully.
It's only a powerful magical item just waiting to go off with explosive potential. What could go wrong?
Nothing's blown up on us yet so I'll take my chances.

The team thus begins the walk back around. Yes I know I missed a treasure chest but I forgot to check the west side while I was doing this. The team will have to come back later.

How much further do you think we have to go, Samson?
Why are you asking me?
Oh, just this nagging suspicion that you know more then you're letting on.
As if. I've never been here before.
If you say so...
Ugh! I keep forgetting that I should ignore everything you say.
We both know that that's not possible. You can't ignore anyone.

Especially when it might involve monsters.
That's just a distraction.
But it changed the conversation. Doesn't that mean it's a successful distraction?
I'd say it is. And you?
I want no part of this conversation.
But you never want any part of any conversation with Domino.
I'll also note that you're not ignoring me like you said you would.
Then allow me to correct that little oversight.

The walk back is uneventful. There were random encounters, as always, but nothing the team couldn't swiftly dispatch.

As soon as the team rounds the corner past the treasure chest a voice suddenly calls out to them. I must note that this speech is slow and comes one small phrase at a time with pauses in between.

You people, I must defeat.

The screen darkens and for once Finn actually has something to say in game. It's just his usual confusion but for once said confusion is actually on screen.

Huh?!
Someone's talking to us, Finn.
I gathered that.
Footsteps. Someone's just ahead of us.
Who?! Who are you?

The screen pans over to reveal an armored figure the team has seen before.

You people, I must defeat. I will defeat all of you... Defeat.

The camera pans back to the group.

?!

Finn continues to have such poignant dialogue as the Black Knight approaches.

Then Ramue starts talking out of the blue.

Hehehe. Finn, you really want to get to Quamdar, huh? Well, it won't be that easy. The Black Knight will teach you the error of your ways.

The group looks around for the unseen sorceress. There's nothing to see though. She's literally phoning it in at this point.

Is that you? Ramue?! Where... Where are you?!
Rather than threatening me, you should worry about yourself instead. Hehehe!
But we're always worried about ourselves.
You're always worried about bats, Finn.
More to the point, Ramue isn't here? Bummer. Not much to worry about then.
She doesn't have the stomach to face us.
I see you still haven't muzzled that filthy barbarian.
I'm going to regret this later but for once I have to agree with Samson.
And now Samson has to change his opinion.
*grumbles something incomprehensible*
What did he say?
Probably just a slight against my mother.
Where is your mother?
She passed away several years ago.
Do you ruffians mind?! I've gone to a lot of trouble to prepare this little surprise for you.
I can't speak for the others but I don't mind at all.
I don't mind either. That guy's just standing there, staring at us.
I guess you don't care about Quamdar. How sad. I've wasted all this time for nothing.
You're still going to try to stop us? Now who's wasting their time?
People have been telling me for years that I'm good at wasting time. And goofing off.
Steiner helps on both fronts.
Seriously though we are going to Quamdar and Ramue isn't going to stop us.
Little boy you shouldn't speak so soon. You'll go no further.
?!
You didn't spot another bat, did you?
I can hear them above us. Probably watching us with their beady little eyes.
Maybe I chose the wrong kind of minion to bring...
Did Ramue say something?
I don't know. Kinda busy looking for those bats you're so paranoid about.
Damnit! What is wrong with you children? You're all going to be punished!
Not likely.
Yeah. Samson's been tryin' to whip us into shape for weeks and you see how that's worked out.
Shut up! Just shut up!
Whoa! Rude!
Why am I wasting my time talking to you fools?
You're bored?
You have nothing better to do?
You're scared of us?
WHAT?! Scared? Of you pipsqueaks? That's it. Attack my minion!
You people, I must defeat. I will defeat all of you... MUST!

With that a boss battle begins against the Black Knight. And here I'd thought Ramue's last trap was half-assed. She didn't even bother to send any monsters with her cursed minion. (Who is definitely not Percy.)

Must... fight.

Well it seems stalling Ramue didn't work.
We were deliberately stalling?
I was kind of hoping one of you would come up with some clever plan to avoid this fight.
Kind of hard without our expert on magic here.
But what are we going to do?
As much as I'd like to say a quick smack in the head might set things right I just... can't bring myself to do it.
Lovely...
Don't die! How's that for a plan?
It's a start.

OW!

Lacking any offensive strategy or other way to deal with the Black Knight (short of cold blooded murder) the team hunkers down in defense. While the Black Knight hits about as hard as the average monster in the Sand Cave he only gets one action per round. That, right there, should be a huge clue as to the nature of this encounter.

Hey it actually worked!
What worked? I didn't see anything.
I drained mana from him.
Um, okay. I guess that's something.
Why...? No, nevermind.
*shrugs* I figured it was better than doing nothing.

The Black Knight has MP and said MP can be stolen but unfortunately I couldn't land the spell with Annie. The low success rate... great when it's monsters trying to steal the team's mana but utterly infuriating when it's your casters desperately needing mana.

OW, OW, OW!
Tont, suggestion.
Yes?
Next time make sure you drain ALL the mana out of someone!

Oh and the Black Knight can cast Fire 3. Between magic resistance and the defense command it can't do much to the team.

Must defeat, all of you!
Miss Annie this doesn't seem to be working!
Tell me about it!
But I just did.
I'd say we should run for it but I'm not giving up just yet.

The Black Knight's attacks are relentless with my main worry that my band of carefully groomed warriors might counterattack and cause problems for everyone.

Annie's work as group healer is never done but she and Finn actually trade off from round to round because her MP is so low.

Maybe you can heal him back to sanity!
If I had magic like that don't you think I'd do something about Finn's paranoia?
It's not paranoia if they really are out to get you.
Whatever you say, Finn.

One advantage of sitting around just waiting for time to pass is that I get a clearer view of AI behavior. In this instance it means watching as the Black Knight ruthlessly pursues whoever his attacks can drop the lowest in VP. That means Domino and Tont are pretty safe but Annie, being both in the frontline and not on defense like Finn and Samson most turns, gets hit repeatedly.

AARGH!
Is that pain or the sound of your blood pressure rising?
BOTH!

Unfortunately there's no avoiding getting hit by multiple Fire 3 spells.

Did Ramue teach him that spell?
If she did she's going to answer for it.
She's already got a lot to answer for.
Then I'll be sure to get my licks in first.

I might not like using Healing Rain in battle because it heals for less per person but this is one of those cases where it is justified. I could just let people fall into groggy status. They've got plenty of LP. As a matter of pride though I avoid such a tactic.

I'm about tapped out here.
Maybe he is too?
Haven't heard anything from Ramue.
Of course she's not going to hang around to watch whatever she had planned fail.
She's got more important things to do!
Like finding new ways to annoy us.

I could still do without the light show!
For all the hype from Ramue he's not that strong.

Strong enough to hurt me over and over again.
Then he really is your brother!
Your remark is so on point it hurts, Tont.

Meanwhile, elsewhere...

(1) Mistress Ramue is gloating again.
(2) Should we tell her we, uh, finally found that set of armor she made?
(3) After we lost the whole set and replaced it on the cheap?
(2) It's not my fault! That wave came up on the battleship out of nowhere and swept it all overboard.
(1) At least she didn't notice the totally different sword we found.
You're welcome, mortal.
(1) I know, I know. I still owe you a favor.
Yes you do.
(3) Hey where's that guy with the mask? Isn't that armor for him?
(1) ...umm, you know what? Maybe we should just leave Mistress Ramue be.

Then suddenly on the 12th round the Black Knight turns tail and runs away. Or jumps away as the case may be in this game.

Uh, that just happened.
So a man cursed by Ramue has more good sense then most of the monsters we run into?
Good! Then he'll feel it when I slap him!

I wouldn't count my chickens just yet.

With the battle complete the Black Knight stands where he was before. So much for running away. He just sort of stepped back. Ramue's dimmer switch apparently turned itself off with the transition to combat. I suppose I should be glad the team wasn't forced to defend itself in darkness.

The screen flashes and suddenly the Black Knight's mask breaks. I hope Ramue didn't pay for the extended warranty on that thing.

Percy??

Then the maskless Black Knight spins around and falls over.

Percy? My brother!

Annie yells the obvious then the team runs to surround the fallen Percy.

Are you all right, Percy?
He's just lying there shaking.
Is he hurt?
If he doesn't say something he will be!
Well it's good to know Miss Annie feels fine.
Umm.. this... what happened to me?

Shaken and more then a little bit stirred Percy then leaps to his feet.

<Gasp> Finn! I remember now. After we were separated, Ramue imprisoned me in the tower of Marion Castle. Then, when Marion Castle was about to be recaptured, Ramue placed that ominous mask on me.
Yeah we kind of walked in on that.
Just a moment too late to do anything!
*sighs* Well, yes. I guess it could have been worse.
Compared to what Ramue put Samson through this was tame.
*grumbles something under his breath*
That's right! Percy, you were the one who saved us at Bandore, right? Though the mask controlled your mind, you were still resisting them.
I remember now. Sort of. I heard Ramue and Shutat talking about their trap and I knew I had to do something.
You saved us from having to break down a couple of doors!
True. It wasn't much of a trap. That big green guy, whatever his name was, had a better plan.
Yeon. He and Ramue don't like each other so he came up with his own scheme, I think. Finn... I tried... to save Lord Kevins... but I, I wasn't strong enough. Please forgive me.
It's not your fault.
Yeah. You set Kevins loose and he fell into the volcano with Yeon.
To save us from our own foolishness I might add.
We couldn't see through Yeon's illusion. At least he's gone now.
No. He returned to Shutat a couple days later. Something about the Abyss. I don't know. Wizard stuff.
So we'll see him again? Lovely...
So does Ramue know you've broken free?
Probably. I doubt she cares.
Why do you say that?
She didn't seem to have any idea what to do with me. Then there was all that stuff with Dagoot...
And you kept messing up their plans!
She'll come up with a new scheme soon. They all will. To save this world from ruin, we must defeat Shutat! [sic] Please let me join the party. I owe him...
But Ramue's the one who cursed you.
Everything she does is for Shutat. He calls the shots.
We're after Shutat anyway. He's caused plenty of damage he needs to answer for.

Finn hands a piece of the Light Orb to Percy (with the game still not bothering to explain how that's possible) in order to return our wayward knight to the fold.

I for one am glad to have you back.
I'm glad my mind is my own again.
And should you lose it Miss Annie will, uh, help you find it.
I will admit this day has tested my patience.

Final team member reporting for duty!

Let's go! But wait... if I join the party, there will be six people. We can only fight effectively with five in the group. Why don't we choose who to exclude?

And of course the game has to remind the player of the arbitrary party size limit.

Knowing that Percy's not really up to traveling with the group where they are (we'll see in the next update) I opt to send him to Isla. At a bare minimum he should check in with his mother and assure her that he's fine.

All right... You wish to leave me out. Then, I'll wait in town. [sic]

Finn steps aside and Percy walks away - further into the Sand Cave. Don't ask where he's going because I'm pretty sure he has no idea. Oh well. No random enemies jump him so maybe they still think he's on their side?

And just around the corner is the exit the team's been searching for.

 

-- BONUS CONTENT --

I didn't want to interrupt the narrative flow with what is ultimately a digression into history so here it goes. During this update we saw a trope that Camelot has used a whole bunch in previous games: Mind Control.

Someone on the dev team LOVES this trope. As should be immediately obvious this is going to involve plenty of spoilers for other games. Thou hast been warned!

Kane: Arrgh! My mask is...breaking!

Kane: What have I done? He even made me fight you! Forgive me, Max!

In the first Shining Force there are several recurring antagonists but none so thorny as the head of Runefaust's military apparatus: Kane. He appears early in the game when he attacks Guardiana. In typical villain fashion he considers Max and company too weak to warrant his direct attention. That changes in chapter 6 when the Force heads to Dragonia to find the Manual of the Seal. The dragons who have long protected the seal have slowly succumbed to a curse with only young Bleu left. That means Kane can just waltz in with his forces and thus Dragonia becomes a battlefield.

When Kane is defeated in battle the game throws a curve ball that was a genuine surprise for the time that Shining Force was released. His mask breaks and with it the enchantment that has corrupted and twisted his mind. One detail that didn't make it into the game (but which is touched on in Final Conflict and the remake) is that Max and Kane are brothers. That's why, when Kane realizes what he's been doing, he says "He even made me fight you!". Being forced to kill a whole bunch of people one doesn't know is a different sort of emotional punch then being forced to attack a valued family member.

I still don't understand how Kane was still alive what with his entire face being covered by a mask that can't be removed. How the hell does he get food and water through it? I guess that's where copious amounts of magic come into play.

Adam: Stop! You are Chaos. You have been reprogrammed by Darksol. Revert to original function.

Later in the game Max meets an android named Adam as part of his task to create the sword, Chaos Breaker. They are stopped by another android named Chaos. Adam immediately recognizes the fact that Chaos has been reprogrammed by Darksol. So apparently Darksol is a leet haxor in addition to being an evil mastermind? Anyway there's no way to fix Chaos. It must be destroyed through combat.

Ramladu: I am dying...but my mind is once more my own. Darksol was controlling me.

In his dying moments the king of Runefaust, Ramladu, admits he was under Darksol's control. Darksol not only needs Ramladu's formidable army to achieve his mission but the underwater castle containing Dark Dragon is just off the nation's west coast. The exact means of control isn't stated but is implied to be magical. Nothing dramatically shatters when Ramladu runs out of HP but Darksol might have had time and access enough to lay the enchantments on thick. Still mind control though.

Colossus: None shall pass Colossus, the eternal sentinel! Leave now!

Colossus is the last example I'll bring up because although Shining Force never says how Darksol got past Colossus in order to reach Dark Dragon more reprogramming was probably involved. This is after the battle with Chaos and if Darksol can reprogram one ancient bot then why not more? In fact Darksol has a small army of killbots at his command. They might be machines but since Darksol forcibly alters their minds so he can command them I'm including it as instances of mind control.

I'm not including Balbazak or General Elliott because although they have their misgivings about Darksol and Ramladu they fight for Runefaust of their own free will. Balbazak begs for forgiveness when defeated but that's because he's a sleazy opportunist who doesn't want to die.

<Astral removes the mask.>

Astral: It's Lemon!

In Shining Force 2 it is Lemon who wears a mask but although he is a minion of Zeon, the dreaded Red Baron, and given devils to command (or at least they're ordered to protect him) he himself is a feral berserker. He kills on command as part of the devils' reign of terror on Grans Island. When defeated in battle he runs off filled with remorse but it doesn't take long for the game to reveal that Lemon is immortal. He is called a vampire but aside from explaining why his attempts at suicide fail and why he auto-revives when defeated in subsequent battles the nature of his altered state isn't elaborated on.

I'll get back to this a bit later.

Admin note: all SF2 screenshots are from the challenge hack I've been working on. There are technical reasons why I have to do it this way that I won't get into. Other Shining Force shots were pulled from videos I've made that have been scaled down.

Adam: That swordman's mask....

Odd Eye: Now I'll remove the mask that covers his face.

The first two Shining Force Gaiden games skip the mind control tropes but it comes back in Final Conflict. That isn't terribly surprising since Final Conflict's plot is basically a blender of fan favorite things from Shining Force 1 and 2. In Final Conflict Max is captured by Mishaela - the same Mishaela that works with Darksol in Shining Force 1 (don't ask) - and she slaps a mask on him in order to control his mind and force him to fight the player's team. Defeating him in battle doesn't break the mask though. Odd Eye has to show up to do that.

I would say it's a sign that Mishaela has improved her skills since Kane was cursed (or maybe Darksol made Kane's mask with a different enchantment or maybe the batteries in Kane's mask ran out) but really it's a way to shoehorn Odd Eye into the plot.

<As Anri opened the small jeweled box, a black fog engulfed her.>

Woldol: A mere healer will not help your Queen. [sic] Queen Anri rests in an eternal sleep...

Regarding the first two Gaiden games they do include curses. At the beginning of Shining Force Gaiden (the chapter Towards the Root of Evil in SFCD) Woldol and minions force their way into Guardiana Castle and place Queen Anri under a sleeping spell, via a cursed chest, in an attempt to force Guardiana into becoming a satrap of Cypress. That sets the events of the game in motion with the main goal of breaking said spell. Obviously the last thing any villain should do is mess with Guardiana because in the end it never works out well for them!

<Woldol spit a stream of venom.>

<Nick's right arm was poisoned.>

At the end of Gaiden 1 the transformed Woldol poisons Nick's right arm. On a technical level this works because Woldol is protected by a powerful barrier that only the Sword of Hajya can break. When Nick attacks the transformed villain shrieks in pain and retaliates with venom. Don't ask me why a giant scorpion spits venom rather than using the stinger. Magic!

Gyan: Nick! Your right arm has turned to stone!

The result is Nick's right arm (his sword arm) turning to stone. This directly results in his capture in Shining Force Gaiden 2 and its remake/port chapter of Shining Force CD, The Evil God Awakens. Nick insists on leading Cypress into battle and, of course, falls into Warderer's hands.

On a quick side note there's no hint that Nick's uncle Edmond usurped the throne for any reason other than greedy ambition. He's just evil. With his dying breath he calls Nick a traitor to Cypress for doing the logical thing and fighting for the throne Edmond stole.

Hindel: Barbara! Take Prince Nick and go to the shrine.

In the second gaiden game the main villain Warderer has a masked, armored warrior in his retinue who is high enough rank to order other commanders like Barbara around. This is Hindel. When Warderer goes into the sacrificial chamber it is Hindel whom he takes with him. Hindel is not what he appears to be however.

Geppel: It was rude of you to keep me waiting, Nick.

Compare that with the character of Geppel. This masked warrior, a commander serving Woldol in the first gaiden game, is stationed outside the gates of Cypress Castle. He isn't possessed or cursed or otherwise forced to serve Woldol. He is exactly what he appears to be: a one-dimensional character who serves purely as a temporary adversary. There's no backstory, tragic or otherwise. You defeat him in battle, he says some stereotypical "You can't defeat us" stuff, he dies, and the team moves on.

Warderer: Hindel, I've raised and looked after you ...you betrayed me.

Back to Hindel.

He and presumably Deanna were raised by Warderer, king of Iom, but an event prior to the game's beginning leaves Deanna gravely wounded. He is found by Natasha and taken to Cypress to recover. His older brother Hindel is stuck continuing to serve Warderer. Throughout the game Hindel intervenes repeatedly to help his brother and by extension Cypress's forces who are trying to rescue Nick - although the fact that he is the traitor isn't revealed until the end. At that point Hindel really has no choice but to reveal himself. Otherwise Nick will be sacrificed and Iom revived.

This does not end well for Hindel. Within minutes of revealing himself to be a mole he falls prey to being a noble sacrifice for the cause. Unfortunately that cause is the evil god Iom's resurrection. Nick claims he and Gyan have known for some time that Hindel is angry with Warderer for sending Deanna into Cyrpress on what might have been a suicide mission. Warderer clearly doesn't care if Deanna lives or dies. Hindel repays him in kind. It doesn't pay to be an insensitive jerk in these games!

On another note Hindel has a line of dialogue that recasts the ending of Shining Force Gaiden.

Hindel: People of Cypress, by defeating the evil Warderer, his spells have been broken.

This is the explanation for why Prince Nick's right hand is suddenly no longer stone. Disregard the fact that Woldol clearly poisons Nick's arm and Gyan confirms his right arm turns to stone. In the second book it's suddenly just his hand. Woldol poisoned Nick but that poison was Warderer's magic! This is another recurring trope: defeating a magician/sorceror/warlock/etc. destroys ALL of their enchantments. Warderer does raise Woldol from the dead as Death Woldol but apparently Woldol was always a... vessel for Warderer's magic? All of Woldol's spells and power came from Warderer? Queen Anri is healed by killing Woldol so it might just be the giant scorpion transformation and everything associated with that.

Look, the plot requires that Nick's hand be unpetrified because he's the only character able to wield the Sword of Hajya and the game can't end without a fight against Iom itself. Dramatic final boss and all that!

Sir Mortred: I...I remember a sword, DARKBLADE. Melvyl's gift. It robbed me of my will.

Use of mind control in the Shining series goes all the way back to its roots. In Shining in the Darkness the main character's father Sir Mortred is corrupted by a cursed sword, Darkblade, and that allows Melvyl to control him. Sir Mortred kidnaps Princess Jessa and takes her to the Labyrinth in order to hold her hostage and force her father the king to submit to Dark Sol.

On a side note the Dark Sol in Shining in the Darkness and the Darksol in Shining Force 1 are not the same character although it was certainly a rehash and recycling of a character design. Why make an entirely new villain when you can repurpose an old one? In the Japanese version of Shining and the Darkness the villain is named Mephisto. They only got the (almost) same name overseas. I like Darksol anyway. It can be pronounced "dark soul" (not the game, natch) meaning an evil or corrupt entity. Or one could recall that the word Sol is also the name of our local sun which means Dark Sol can mean "dark sun" or "a light that has been eclipsed." It has a few other meanings depending on context. Thematically appropriate for a guy who worships the Darkness.

Anyway, side digression over!

Sir Mortred holds the key to Princess Jessa's cell and the only way to get it is to fight him. He is a boss and there's no way around the encounter. Unlike the Shining Force examples I've already shown this is a battle to the death.

I should note that cases of mind control like Sir Mortred's are always through cursed objects. It isn't applying magic directly to targets. Instead it requires an attack vector or, if you prefer to call it, a proxy of sorts. For Sir Mortred this makes perfect sense. Not only did he not suspect anything was wrong with Melvyl's gift but it also made the kidnapping of Princess Jessa a complete surprise to the court. None of the other cases require this sort of treachery. Hell half of them are on screen and obvious to everyone who sees them!

That's not the only means of getting control of a character's mind in these games. There's also possession through hostile spirit. Shining Force 1 and Shining in the Darkness don't use the trope. In Shining Force 2 an evil spirit called a Gizmo emerges from the Ancient Tower at the beginning of the game in order to possess the king of Granseal.

(My apologies that there aren't more screenshots for this game but I don't have a run recorded on video and it just isn't practical to play through such a long game for a few pictures.)

In fact the game's attract mode reveals that Geshp casts a spell on the king within minutes of the seal opening. He sure was quick to rush out of that gate with a plan of attack! (Having played Final Conflict I can only conclude that he was shouting "Eat my dust!" to Odd Eye on his way out.) Geshp's scheme is foiled by Sir Astral but the Gizmo possesses the messenger from Galam. It forces the messenger to rush back to Galam where the messenger then dies. When the king of that land touches the corpse the Gizmo body hops. The possessed King Galam then takes his nation to war with Granseal in order to fully open the seal to Arc Valley and release Zeon.

When the Force finally returns from Parmecia a year+ later they have to fight Galam in the Ancient Tower. After that Zeon appears to be the game's final boss. Zeon however is immortal and after the fight he tricks Bowie and company using Galam - who pretends to be free of possession long enough to grab Ellis and use her as a hostage. At some point Galam transitioned from being possessed by the Gizmo to being a direct vessel of Zeon. The game never says when or how. It leaves it as a surprise.

I will note however that Galam does use powerful magic in his assault on Granseal and remains logical and coherent the entire time. By contrast Lemon and King Granseal are nonverbal, growling, snarling beasts. The difference might be explained by the Jewel of Evil which contains Zeon's sealed powers. Slade, the thief who took the Jewels of Light and Evil from the shrine and broke the seal, is captured by Galam troops and found in Galam's jail. Not needing the Jewel of Light King Galam gave it to an unnamed flunky but he took the Jewel of Evil for himself. Since the jewel contained Zeon's power it of course has a permanent connection to him.

You know what? I like that explanation. Let's go with that.

I promised earlier to say more about Lemon so here we go. He is a loyal servant of King Galam and leads Galam's troops in their attack on Granseal but realizes something is terribly wrong with his king and switches sides at Sir Astral's urging. He moves forward with his remaining troops to try to rescue Princess Ellis but Galam attacks him with magic. The game doesn't explicitly say what he is subjected to but it is clear from his mention about being enveloped by a black cloud that bad things are going to happen to him.

It isn't clear whether Lemon is controlled through possession or a cursed mask. No spirit is banished by Sir Astral. We know Sir Astral has that power because he does it to King Granseal at the beginning then again to Higins when Geshp has a Gizmo-looking spirit possess the sick paladin. Then again cursed objects tend to lose their power once their owners get their asses handed to them and Astral has a habit of downplaying what he's doing so... could be either or even both.

That was quite a lot of text for one game but Shining Force 2 has a lot of mind control via evil spirits in its plot.

 

Back in Beyond the Beyond what happens if the team attacks Percy while he's the Black Knight? What if they don't know not to pummel the obstacle in their way? Say if they'd missed the clues and didn't know who they were attacking?

The Black Knight doesn't have particularly high defense so when the team comes out swinging the damage adds up fast.

In fact with double attacks from Finn and Domino the Black Knight dies in the first round of combat! He only has 250~ish hit points and that goes fast when he's hit for 40 damage a pop. After the long slogs that were the Water Demon and G this should be a HUGE red flag.

Percy's first line doesn't have his portrait in order to delay the reveal a tiny bit longer.

Annie... you all have... become much... stronger.

...Could it be... be... Percy? ...is that you?

The Black Knight's mask cracks.

Percy?!

I knew it! Percy, my brother!

Percy falls and the group approaches but everyone except Annie keeps a bit of distance to the fallen knight.

Are you all right, Percy?

Annie casts a Heal spell on Percy.

Annie, I... I don't have long to live.

Don't give up. I'll heal you! Don't say anything, just remain still.

Annie again tries to heal Percy with attached glowing effects but it does no good.

After I was separated from you, Ramue captured me... and I was imprisoned in the tower of Marion Castle. When Marion Castle was about to be recaptured, Ramue placed that deadly mask on me... Then... with my own hands, I... Lord Kevins...

No, Percy! You freed Lord Kevins, and he saved us. [sic] You're not a murderer. Didn't you help us in Bandore? While you were controlled by them, you still had the strength to resist.

... Thanks, Annie. That does make me feel... better.

Finn... please forgive me. I wasn't strong enough.

At that mention Finn approaches and nods.

I... couldn't... stop them... but I know... you can. Shutat and his evil group... Please rid the Common World of them forever.

His sprite animates one last time with a final set of death rattles.

And... save this world from being... destroyed...

The rest of the group huddles around Percy as he dies.

Percy!

Annie turns and walks away from the group.

My brother... Lord Kevins... the King of Barbaros and... all the others... For everyone's sake, we must... defeat Shutat... how cruel... I can't let this go on.

So true. We must get to them as soon as possible.

Well whaddya know? Violence doesn't solve everything. Given the fact that beating the stuffing out of mind control victims is the usual way of knocking sense into them this is an inversion. Granted Shining Force 1 and 2 aren't designed to allow anything else. Still, if you've played previous Camelot games you'd be used to outright attacking even if you knew the Black Knight was Percy. That's the wrong way to handle this situation. Ramue continues to avoid showing up as a real boss so kicking her butt and breaking the enchantment on Percy that way isn't an option.

Oh and if you reset to try again you'd have to redo the Sand Cave as well. Just thought I should mention that little detail.

Ramue doesn't bother to send any monsters to back up the Black Knight. I guess she figures if her pawn kills Finn and company she wins. If they kill Percy that's a lesser win since it forces her enemies to destroy a former ally. Either way she doesn't really lose anything. Percy's an unstable minion continuously fighting her magic. Yeon actually notes in his digust of Ramue that she has "weak magic." It might be true - at least relative to other magicians.

<Ramue throws a cursed shawl!>

When Ramue curses Samson early in the game she does so by throwing a shawl at him. I should note it is a teleporting, target-seeking magical shawl that thwarts his attempts at dodging it. This is unique among all the cursing instances seen thus far. The shawl seems to be less a material object and more a solidified hunk of magic. It even transforms into an electric and light show when it hits Samson and disappears forever.

Now that I think about it this could explain why no priest in the game is able to break this curse. Every other curse in Beyond the Beyond comes from equipping a cursed item. All a priest does is break that bond. They don't damage the item in question either. The player can re-equip it and let the curse take effect again. With Samson's curse there's no object involved because the shawl is consumed in the attack. Ergo there's no bond to break and the usual method fails.

Advisor Glade is clearly in contact with team Shutat prior to Edward's arrival in Zalagoon. Ramue openly admits that he won't find help in Zalagoon when she opts not to pursue the prince past the Border Church. It's not much of a stretch to think Shutat had his flunkies searching for potential allies throughout the world while they were in Bandore plotting their invasion of Marion. Marion and Zalagoon have long been allies so breaking up that friendship has obvious military benefits.

The question right now though: is Glade under mind control?

I'd say there isn't enough information to know conclusively but the answer leans towards no. But (there's always a but, isn't there?) there's definitely some sort of enchantment waiting in the wings. When Samson does complete the challenge and Glade is accused of treason he flips out and starts babbling.

This is the screenshot that keeps on giving!

Then he swallows a pill which causes something to possess him and transform him into a large demon. He isn't happy about it either as evidenced by two lines of his.

Ahhh! Shutat! You said it would relieve my suffering!

No! This is my body! My kingdom! My world! You can't have it! Noooo!

Two things jump out at me. First, Glade is incredibly arrogant which explains why he'd cut a deal with Shutat. The second is that he mistakenly believed Shutat would heal some sort of affliction. No one in Zalagoon mentions Glade being sick in any way so this comes as a surprise. I suppose being taken over by a demon from the Underworld could qualify as being healed depending on how one defines such things. He attempts to resist but it is no use. The emergent demon is happy to explain why.

GuHaHa! Do you want me to tell you? Glade sold his soul to Lord Shutat.

I wonder what the going rate on souls is in the Underworld. I kid, but this suggests a magically-sealed deal between the two parties with some extra... insurance added on Shutat's part.

On a final note I'll say that possession and mind control are both in Shining the Holy Ark. Forte is possessed by an evil spirit at the start and spends half the game hanging out in a castle with one of the main villains. When said villain is defeated in battle the spirit is banished (thanks plot magic!) and he joins the player team. Spirits are a major part of the plot but since the game was made after Beyond the Beyond I won't go into it.

 

Next time on Beyond the Beyond - Quamdar

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