Pussycat669
Liturgist
Or, as I like to call it, let's play something Chinese (in German translated to English)!
Chapter 1
1.1 Witches & Wine (see below)
1.2 I see the past and it is brown
Chapter 2
2.1 Morning exercises
2.2 The Legend of the Imperial Stones
2.3 Big trouble at Giants Keep
Chapter 3
3.1 Red as clay, red as blood
3.2 The Message
3.3 A hero's obligation
Chapter 4
4.1 Tragedy at the Wudi's Estate
4.2 The second Imperial Stone
4.3 The River Demon of Cloudfield Village
4.4 Treasure Hunt
4.5 Dark Omen
4.6 Broken Bandit Mountain
Chapter 5
5.1 Saviour
5.2 Huns ain't nuns
Chapter 6
6.1 Storm&Thunder! (...not)
6.2 Among Beasts
6.3 Sweet Poison
Chapter 7
7.1 Mission Liang Hu
7.2 The Power of the Imperial Stones
Chapter 8
8.1 Crossroads
8.2 War of Flowers
8.3 Avatar
8.4 The God, the Bitch & the Ugly
8.5 Witch Commander: Prophecy
8.6 Lady in Blue
Chapter 9
9.1 Blood for the Bastard
9.2 God's End
Little stuff
Seal of Evil reviewed by a famous person
Original soundtrack (mp3)
German patch from Dropbox (just in case)
Some introducing (and a warning)
Curious story about that one. What was meant to be just a random grab into the bargain bin turned out to become a surprisingly long lasting endeavour full of hardship but also of some great entertainment.
Seal of Evil (or World of Qin: Seal of Damnation as it's called around here) might be best described as a Diablo clone made by Bioware (judging by the amount of mundane dialogue). Although there are a few twists to the gameplay, coupled with all the joys of jRPG melodrama in a tale that mixes several familiar themes, like the hero coming of age, why respect and tolerance for others is important, that love between cousins conquers all and that foetus murder can be the only heroic thing to do at times. There is also the neat crafting system to boot. So while the game itself is probably never going to stand on top of the Mount Olympus of action RPGs, I still count it to the better ones of the breed.
As mentioned above I'm playing the German release, so be ready for some wonky (meaning bad) grammar and odd choice of words. On the upside, I think I was able to remove most of the many, many naming errors, if it didn't serve my personal amusement.
Fellow Krauts out there should also take note that there is a game breaking bug in the German version that makes the game crash whenever you talk to specific NPCs, even some vital ones much later in the game. Incidentally I wasn't too happy when I suddenly hit a dead end. Turns out that the publisher released a patch that fixes the problem. The website of said publisher has been moved however and the download link was lost during the process. Luckily for me the support team was nice enough to send me a backup, and I've put it up on Mediafire so that it may not get lost for future generations.
Siegel der Verdammnis Patch 1.06a
The story takes place during a dark chapter of Chinese history, marked by the fall of the long lasting Zhou dynasty. Following this downfall, seven nations are now struggling for both self-preservation and domination, most notably the Qin Nation, lead by an uncompromising visionary called Ying Zheng. A man obsessed with his goal to unite China by any means necessary. One of his current targets is the Baiyue Nation which has already been weakened by the loss of its western provinces but is yet withstanding all invasion efforts. Since final victory seems inevitable however, it's high time to send those barbarians an offer that they can't refuse.
Qin-Ambassador: I hope for your people's sake that you're going to consider the gracious offer our king is willing to make.
: My chieftain is not present and it is not my place to make such a decision.
Qin-General: Do you even grasp the gravity of the situation, wizard?
: All too well, I'm afraid.
Qin-Ambassador: I want to make this as easy for you as possible. If you have any concerns, tell me and I shall report them to my king. I'm certain he's going to pay great interest...
: I understand. I'm sorry, but you're wasting your time.
Qin-General: You are no fool, Chi Huan! The Qin Empire will soon unite the Central Plains. We have one hundred thousands soldiers. How can you believe that Eastern Baiyue is going to stand a chance? Accept the offer, wizard, before it is too late.
: Stop!
Qin-Ambassador: Who are you?
Good question.
This is Lan Wei, main protagonist and witch by trade. Since she will stick with us for most of the time, she's practically designed to be a well balanced offensive mage, not only blessed with some devastating dancing moves and regenerating capabilities but also with the ability to weaken enemies with curses. Something that will become very handy once available. She also gets a fairly large amount of HP for a spellcaster which is a plus since her death means game over by default. Anyway, let's check her skill level in diplomacy.
: I'm a Baiyun and I spit on your offer! We will never surrender! Tell them, Uncle. You speak in my father's name. Let them know!
Qin-General: What do you know, you stupid little wench!
: I know you believe my people to be dim-witted and feeble but you couldn't make a worse mistake. Today I will teach you that lesson.
The general is obviously not amused.
Qin-General: Such insolence! It will be a great pleasure to beat the living daylights out of you!
Fortunately for her, a fair maiden can always count on the honour of gentlemen.
: If you put even one hand on her, you'll die.
The odd orc/lion hybrid is Liang Hu, an Animal Man soldier. In practice that means that he has a ton of HP at his disposal and hence can soak up damage like no other. Add some decent armour to it and there will be close to nothing that can put a scratch on him. On the downside, while his damage output is quiet high as well, his attack rate is severely lacking. Still, if you need a true brother in battle who will never let you down, Liang Hu is your man thing.
: Liang Hu, thank god you're here! Throw this idiot out!
Qin-Ambassador: Think, General Wang. We are alone and have a truce.
Qin-General: Just as well. Wizard, inform your chieftain about our offer when he returns. And advise him to think very carefully. He would certainly regret any rash decisions.
Thus the Qin people leave, avoiding a diplomatic fallout and a beating, for now.
: Must peace always be so short lived? A war seems inevitable.
: Don't worry, Uncle Chi Huan. The Qin soldiers may be great in numbers but they are weak as well. There is no need for us to be afraid of them.
: You are still young, Lan Wei, and you have much to learn. It is late. We will talk again once your father has returned. You should better go home.
: As you wish, Uncle. Good night.
Lan Wei leaves the cutscene and the hut only to be engaged in another, less interesting conversation for some more character build up.
: Lan Wei!
: Oh, it is you. You startled me. How long have you've been back?
: What? Oh, three, maybe four days. Probably five, come to think of it. I'll soon go back to the Central Plains.
: The Central Plains? What could you want there?
: Why, to make business, of course! I know that the people from the Central Plains can be wicked and cruel but they also make some beautiful craft. They've also got things which could be of use to us.
: Really? Then you better have something for me as well the next time you return!
: Haha, I wouldn't dream of anything else! What!? Did you see that? Qin officials! What on earth are they doing here?
: Those two! They are the envoys sent by Ying Zheng to demand our surrender.
: I can't believe that Lan Xiong will agree.
: Of course not! Well, it's getting dark. I'll head home, I need some rest. See you, Yin Cheng.
: Not if I see you first, Lan Wei.
: Don't forget to bring me presents from the Central Plains.
And with that we are finally released into the first chapter.
This chapter is more of a tutorial replacement to get you into the groove. The main objective: get the heroine to bed. While this is as easy as it sounds, we would miss a lot of extra XP this way. Many quests in the game are completely optional although missing those will mean more time spent on grinding of which there is already aplenty, sadly. You will also skip some precious upgrades for your
Skills
There are two skill slots at the bottom of the screen (the two green circles in the above screenshot). The one on the left hand is the current choice of active offensive skill, this one will trigger automatically when the PC attacks an enemy. The one on the right hand is for both offensive/defensive skills and can be activated manually by right clicking. Left click on one of those slots let you select a skill for the slot. There you can also hotkey skills by aiming the cursor at them and push the key of your choice. More importantly, you can put defensive skills on auto cast too by holding shift and right click on them. This will save you some micromanagement since every character will get at least one support aura later on and you will really want them to keep those up at all times.
New skills are unlocked automatically as the story progresses. Each skill can be upgraded up to four times (roughly translated: basic → schooled → senior → super → final) either by scrolls that can be found in chests or by solving sidequests. Their effects can also be altered to the better (comes even with a fancy icon upgrade) if special requirements are met. Since this is just the starting area however, our skill arsenal isn't that impressive.
Liang Hu
: Attack of the Praying Mantis (Offensive)
Effect: Basic melee attack. Increases the 'attack skill' by 10% (not quiet sure what's meant by that. It's either chance to hit or increased damage, maybe both)
Notes: You cut something, it dies. 'Nuff said.
Upgrade: Another +10% increase per skill upgrade, +1% for every 5 points of iron
: River of Life (Defensive)
Effect: Increases HP regeneration by 200% and defence by 10
Notes: Makes Liang Hu practically immortal for a fair amount of time. Definitely preferred this aura to all the others he'll get. It takes a large chunk of his MP though so you'll better wait until he runs low on HP before actually casting it.
Upgrade: +10 defence per skill upgrade, +5% HP regeneration for every 5 points of wood, +5 defence for every 5 points of water
Lan Wei
: The five divine Elements (Offensive)
Effect: Basic ranged attack. Increases the attack skill by 10% (again, not a clue)
Additional Effects:
Casts slow on enemies and 10% of the dealt damage is added to Lan Wei's HP, requires Wood Talisman and a wood weapon
Increase attack speed and range, requires Fire Talisman and a fire weapon
Notes: The Fire/Wood Talisman are support auras we'll get later. A very versatile skill, if the above is any indicator.
Upgrade: Another +10% increase per skill upgrade
: Attack with a Stick (Offensive)
Effect: Basic melee attack. No additional effects.
Notes: If you should ever have to fall back on this skill, you're screwed. Only use as a last resort or, even better, just make a run for it.
Upgrade: Can be upgraded to Exorcism, requires 30 points of earth
: Exorcism (Offensive)
Effect: Basic melee attack. 100% chance to remove any positive buffs from enemies on impact.
Notes: Not particularly useful until much later when enemies actually bother with buffs but then it can turn out to be a real lifesaver.
Upgrades: None
At this point you might be slightly puzzled about what could be meant with all the 5 points of earth, wood, etc. Let's see if we can make sense of it by pushing some buttons at random until we reach the character sheet.
Attributes
According to the manual, the gameplay relies heavily on an old Chinese philosophy of the five elements, from item crafting, over the skills to the PC's attributes where they replace the more common placeholders like strength and such. Every PC gets 5 points per level up which he can distribute among those elements for the following effects:
Iron: Increases base damage
Wood/Water: Increases the amount of HP/MP and improves recovery respectively
Fire: Increases attack rate and the chances to dodge an attack
Earth: Increases base defence
All these elements exist in a perfect harmony, meaning that there is not the one truly best element (at least as theory goes). Therefore every element is restricted by another. They also get a supporting element each but this is only important for advanced crafting which we'll cover another time.
As for now the important thing to remember:
→ Iron (restricts)> Wood → Earth → Water → Fire →
This is vital both on the defence and on the offensive since every enemy is devoted to a certain element (visible at the lifebar). It usually stands for both their attack and armour element although there are a few exceptions when weapons are concerned, if I remember correctly. So thwacking something which main element is iron (most humans for example) with wood weapons is not likely to wield satisfying results, while switching to fire weapons is going to kill them a lot faster.
The efficiency of armour depends on what enemy you're facing as well. The defence of a PC is also split up into the different elements (seen in the right bottom corner of the box above). For every 2 points an attribute is raised, the base defence of the PC against the element the attribute restricts is also raised by 1. Every 3 points will raise the defence against all elements by 1 except the element which restricts the attribute. Hence if you put every single point into fire, prepare for some pain if you face enemies with water as main element. The only exception here is the earth attribute which will raise the defence against all by at least 1 per invested point, regardless the element.
Considering how heavily the philosophy of the five elements factors into pretty much everything vital to an aRPG, it is advisable to choose at least two main elements for every character, to keep them more versatile. With the different skill bonuses and upgrade requirements in mind, there are a fair lot of possibilities for a character to expand. There are some obvious choices for Lan Wei as her skills mostly revolve around fire and wood, with some earth and water added to the mix for extra MP and protection. Liang Hu can go several ways from pure tank built to total war machine. I choose the save middle road, with emphasis on fire, a lot of earth/wood and a wee bit of iron and water.
This should cover most of the basic mechanics. Let's move on.
Inventory
Lots of buttons here. From top to bottom we got 'Use' for consumables, 'Equip', 'Craft' which will come later, 'Refine' also for later, 'Drop', 'Sort' and 'Exchange' which will open the inventory of another PC for swapping items. Lan Wei also has 100 gold on her. Not a fortune, but since we're mostly relying on self-made equipment, money won't be of much of a concern anyway.
More interesting are the tabs at the top. The stick is for the PC's private stash where usable items and equipment are stored, the rest of the tabs is reserved for the shared group inventory for crafting materials. We get general crafting items (rock) which can be used for any crafting attempt with varying applicability. Next are exclusive materials for weapons/armour crafting (horn)/(skin), jewellery (cheese?) and medicine (weed). I'll push the details further down since all this explaining is already taking a little too long. One thing worth mentioning however is how to acquire such material. Exclusive materials are usually dropped by enemies (e.g. a panther will drop either a tooth as weapon material, skin for armour, sinew for jewellery or meat for medicine). General materials however can hide everywhere. Sometimes in obvious places like chests and breakable pots but more often than that in plain scenery, like within the rock to Lan Wei's right.
Or on the tree at this hut (note the easy to miss hand icon at the trunk).
This makes exploration a lot more rewarding since some awesome firebamboo for a new hat could hide just around the corner. On the downside, if you're too diligent, you'll soon find yourself with an overflowing inventory and no idea what to do with it.
We'll settle with some quest hunting instead. Maybe this could be a good opportunity even to improve foreign relations. ('k maybe not)
: Hey! Watch where you're going, girl! That was my foot you just stepped on!
:
→ 1.<Examine the stranger>
2. I beg your pardon but you don't need to get so upset about it.
One of the first instances of multiple choice dialogue although it's mostly “Do you want quest? Yes/No”
: The young man is about twenty years old. Judging by his clothes, he hails from the Central Plains. He rubs his foot while giving you an angry stare.
: Don't be such a donkey. Are all people from the Central Plains like you?
: You rude, backwater yokel! You stepped on me! Did your parents raised you in a barn? Don't you even have enough decency in you to offer an apology?
: No, not if you can't behave yourself.
The temptation to add a Smug here is almost overpowering.
: He turns away form you, obviously angered about your behaviour. “Go away, I don't have anything more to say to you.”
: Uh, oh... I'm sorry. Can I ask you a question?
: The man looks at you resentful. “Well, isn't that great? First you mistreat me and now you want to chat with me! You're quiet strange, huh?”
: I'm strange? You're the one far away from home! You know that it is dangerous for everyone from the Central Plains to be in Eastern Baiyue...
: “You...you...you dare threatening me?” He becomes aware that everyone is staring at him. “Well, if this would be the Central Plains, I would teach you and all your degenerate friends some manners!”
: Ha! You want to teach us? I dare you to try. Begin, so we can feed you to the dogs!
: The frightening sight of Liang Hu leaves the man neither intimidated nor scared. He says to Lan Wei: “You're a rather young girl. It's amazing that you've got manners similar to the ones of a half starved billy goat.”
: <Prevents Liang Hu from killing him> Boy, you've got a sharp tongue, maybe you can use it to tell me what you're doing in Eastern Baiyue. Or would you prefer to discuss good manners with my ugly friend here?
: He blinks and suddenly realizes how misplaced he really is. “All right. My Name is Wu Xiong and... well, I hail from the State Chu, as you might have noticed. I'm here to see the Old Man Qiu. Unfortunately he's not here, so I'm waiting for him. Are you now satisfied?”
:
1. <Thinks> Old Man Qiu? He is as crazy as a bedbug, I better leave him be.
→ 2. <Thinks> Old Man Qiu? What does he want from him?
: Old Man Qiu... I know him well. What's your business with him?
: You are a very curious person, you know that? If you really want to sniff around in my business, tell him that I bring a bottle of good wine.
: Wine? It is a custom to bring a present from the long journey to the Central Plains.
: “I hope that not all such travellers are greeted like this in your village,” he says, still irritated. “Not that it is any concern of yours but Old Man Qiu cured the paralysed legs of my father two years ago when he visited our town. And before you ask, it was 'Sleeping Bull' [wonder if this is a rare instance of name translation or something else]. My father was so grateful that he promised to send him a bottle of our Flowerwine, a family heirloom.”
: I see. An interesting story.
: I'm glad you allowed me to tell it. Now you could do me a favour and leave me alone, yes?
:
1. Yes, of course you can go. But be careful not to cause any more trouble...
→ 2. <Thinks> I need something from Old Man Qiu... this could be a good opportunity...
: Wu Xiong turns around to leave.
: Oh, hold on a moment, please. Your story, uh, has moved me deeply. Let me help you. Old Man Qiu has left and no one knows when he will return. Why don't you leave the wine with me and I'll deliver it to him? I owe you one for stepping on your foot after all. That way I can make up for it. What do you think?
: “I don't know,” he looks doubtful. “No, I don't even know you.”
: My name is Lan Wei. My father is the chieftain of this village.
: “No wonder you're such a spoiled brat,” he mutters. “All right, I accept your offer. Here is the wine. I trust you that you'll not drink it yourself.”
: You have my word as a Baiyun. Not one drop shall touch my lips.
: Well, thank you then. I need to go. Farewell.
I'm kind of saddened that Wu Xiong won't appear ever again. Someone needs to put that girl's jackassery into perspective. Since such a person is now absent, she is not hindered on her search for ever more wine.
: Hello, Ah Dan!
: Ah! You scared me, Lan Wei!
: What are you up to?
: Master Chi Huan gave me some gold to buy a few bottles of Tigerbone Wine but I can't remember where I've put it. I can't find it anywhere! Can you help me?
: Tigerbone Wine? Did the innkeeper finally open his private stash?
: Yes. When the master heard the news, he sent me right away to get a bottle. And then I found the most amazing stink bug that I've ever seen! It was huge! And when I tried to catch it, I dropped the gold he's given me!
:
1. The money didn't disappear on its own. Look carefully. If you can make out a bug in the grass then you shouldn't have a problem with the coins.
→ 2. I know the innkeeper well. Maybe I can help.
: But master Hao has been sitting on those barrels for ten years now. He wouldn't sell the wine to anyone, even for a mountain of gold.
: I think I can convince him to give me a bottle. Go on, catch a stink bug. I'll get the wine for you.
: Thanks, Lan Wei. You are so nice. Especially for a little girl. If I should catch a big stink bug, I'll give it to you as a present!
: Haha, no thanks. Give it to Uncle Chi Huan instead. I'm sure he can make good use of it for his medicine and salves.
I wanted to ask the barkeeper about rumours anyway but maybe the patrons have something interesting to say as well.
: That's good stuff! Master Yao makes the best brands of wine.
: Yes, he does. Best of the world, isn't that right, Brother Huo?
: Wrong! There is better wine than the one from Master Yao. I know because I drank it several times.
: <Thinks> Brother Huo is really cruel to talk Master Yao down like that. What will happen if we need his help in the future?
: Can there be anyone more powerful than Master Yao?
: You bet. Sure, there's no human better than him. I talk about apes. Their wine is better than anything that Master Yao ever brewed.
: Are you making fun of me? Apes can't make wine!
: Sure they can. If bees can make honey, then there is no reasonable explanation why apes can't make wine.
: And how on earth do they do that?
: You can't possibly know but there is a very rare fruit, that grows at the cliffs of the Skyrose Valley. Only apes can get there. Usually they hide the fruits that they collect in the trees. Sometimes they forget the fruits and they start to ferment after a few weeks and become delicious wine. You have never drank anything so good!
: Incredible! So, if I could get my hands on those fruits, I could make some wine for my own?
: Ask Brother Yao. It depends on him. Sadly the cliffs are very steep. Impossible to climb. Don't risk it.
: If no one ever climbed them before, how could you know that it is impossible? I bet I can do it.
And that makes wine quest number three and a rather obscure one at that, robbing wine making apes. While a pitiful drunkard, Brother Huo also has a secondary function as village healer. He can revive KOed team members and since Lan Wei is the princess with an attitude, he will do so for free. Later on you'll have to pay for this service (costs depend on level) or simply use a (significantly cheaper) revival potion for the same effect.
Back to the main wine.
: Well, if that isn't little Lan Wei! Some nice bracelets you're wearing. I heard someone saying, that those who wear one of your bracelets will be protected against snakes.
: I wish that would be true!
Because they would be of invaluable service for the entire community?
: If my jewellery was magical, I would become even more wealthier than you.
: How about a nice swig of wine to get that dust off of your upper lips?
: Wine would be good but I don't need any for me. I need a bottle of Tigerbone Wine.
: That's for your boy Yan Hong, right? Tell you what, as proof of your undying love for him, it shouldn't be too cheap. 500 gold pieces or you won't get any!
Best way to make potential love interests unappealing is to make them unavoidable and expensive.
:
1. That could be the ransom for a king! I don't have that much. How about a discount?
→ 2. <Thinks> 500 gold pieces are usury. But I'll have to buy the wine...
: Master Hao, care for a trade? I will give you my blue bracelet for the wine, what do you say?
: It is the same bracelet that you carry during our [some Chinese festival]. The one that was your mother's? No, it obviously means too much to you. I can not accept this. If you offer me such a precious treasure, then you must really need the wine. Take it, my dear. See it as a gift.
: <Thinks> This bracelet is one of the few memories that I've left from my mother. I wanted to give it to Yan Hong.
: You are a very generous man, I thank you for the offer but I can't take the wine with me for nothing. If you need my help with anything, please don't hesitate to ask me. I'll do what I can for you.
: Now that you're mentioning it, there is something you could do. I'm preparing a very special meal and I require some snake meat. Could you go into Skyrose Valley and get some for me?
: I'm glad that I can be of help.
Liar. No matter, with all done what can be done within village borders (the other sidequests don't get any more exciting), we venture out into Skyrose Valley to face our first enemy: snakes, lots of snakes.
Combat is the standard RTwP fare. Press space to pause (although that is seldom necessary), issue commands, drink potions and kill anything with a red circle around it. There are some additional factors for more tactical oriented players who don't shy away from micromanagement. For one that projectiles don't hit automatically and can be dodged. Also many skills require a short time to charge up and can be disrupted when the caster is hit hard enough. Really dangerous for people like Liang Hu when casting River of Life since a lot of MP can be wasted this way. Probably most important however is that any combatant is a lot easier to hit from behind and will suffer significantly more damage this way.
So the basic rules of survival are to keep moving, stay at your enemy's back and watch your own.
This is still all tutorial though so Lan Wei&Co are not yet allowed to face danger all by themselves.
: There are many snakes in Skyrose Village and their poison is deadly.
First obvious case of portrait recycling.
: Tie Sheng, I've brought you an antidote for the snake poison from my uncle Chi Huan [which I stole from his private chest although I somehow fail to mention that].
: Splendid! The medicine of the wizard is the best in the entire country.
: Tie Sheng, be careful.
A big lore dump follows. Short version: fish can fly, spiders eat people and there is a boss battle waiting for us in a nearby cave.
: Lan Wei, be on your guard in Skyrose Valley. There is a snake plague every year.
: I'm not afraid of snakes.
: You're the brave daughter of the chieftain and the one person most experienced with magic. Those snakes shouldn't pose any significant threat.
: Of course.
: Yet you should stay on your guard. There are more things in this valley than snakes. Dangerous animals like scorpionfish and poisonous spiders. A wise man wouldn't enter here.
: Scorpionfish? I've never heard of those.
: They are an old race that lived in the mountains.
: You mean that they lived there in underground streams and rivers? My father told me fairy tales about them, when I was younger, but I never believed them.
: One thousand years ago, when the world was ruled by chaos, those strange fish creatures despised the humans of Baiyue with passion. They conspired together to flood the lands with water of the eastern sea. The God of War always protected us Baiyun and so he stopped the incoming flood with a mountain out of soil. As the water dried out, the fish creatures had to realize that they were trapped beneath the earth. They evolved over time. They learnt how to life with the absence of light, they grew a scorpion tail, and some of them were even able to learn how to fly.
: This is a very odd tale. Are you sure it is true?
: If I'm sure...?! Girl, look around you, when you're in the valley, so you can see it for yourself. Be careful, since some of them have an affinity for the element of the forest, the wood – other than their larger siblings who tend stronger towards the water. They share a dire enmity with the witches of Baiyue who, as you know, are skilled in wood magic.
: How about the poisonous spiders? Do you mean those large beasts that live inside the Spider Cave?
: Yes. They differ quiet radically from the normal sized brood. You know why?
: I don't have the slightest idea although I'm sure you're about to tell me.
: They say that the wife of the Yellow Emperor, Lei Zu, was the most skilful weaver in heaven and on earth alike. All the other weavers, from the silkworm on the berry tree to those in the great citadels of the forest spiders, acknowledged this fact. The proud spiders of Baiyue were the only exception. She decided to invite them into her palace and host a weaver contest. The competition was rough but Lei Zu won at the end. The spiders of Baiyue left. She collapsed shortly thereafter and almost died. [The rest is cut off since it was apparently too much German for the dialogue box to handle. I can only speculate that the spiders are accused of poisoning Lei Zu and get cursed never to weave again or somesuch.]
: That is terrible. What do they eat without their nets? How can they survive?
: They adapt without their nets. They had to work together to catch they regular prey. They became a hunter race, that sneaks up on animals and men to drag them into their dark lair. As they were fed with the flesh and blood of mammals, they started to become bigger and wilder. Today they're almost as large as tigers and panthers.
: How terrifying! I will avoid their cave that's for sure.
: That is not all. There is another cave I should warn you about.
: You mean the Snake Cave? My father and his advisor were there quiet often.
: Maybe, but if they were, they can be glad that they never had to face the Snake King. He is one thousand years old, big as an elephant and twice as dangerous. Compared to him, a Boa-Constrictor looks like a harmless kitten. Together, the chief and the wizard may be able to slay the Snake King but it would be dangerous and they would have to put great effort into it.
: You underestimate the skills of my father and the magic of his advisor.
: The elders in town always tell stories about the Snake King. They think that his flesh and blood contains the power of longevity, even immortality, since he feeds on the blood that his smaller brood collects for him.
: Once my magic is strong enough, I will set out and kill the Snake King and then I will make pills out of his flesh for my father and my uncle.
Shifting our focus back to the tasks at hand, we search for the animalistic wine producers.
Lan Wei has three options here. Throw a rock at the fruits, throw a rock at the apes or try to climb the cliff. Only one choice will end in success. Obviously Lan Wei throws rocks at the apes if only for the giggles. They throw fruits in retaliation. Puzzle solved.
At this point we've finally collected enough raw material to open the crafting menu for the very first time.
Crafting (basics)
Crafting is divided into several steps:
1. Choose the category
You can craft helmets, body armour, boots, amulets, rings and potions.
2. Choose the class
The stats of equipment you create may vary according to class. The armour of a witch for example will always turn out significantly weaker than of a fighter like Liang Hu. This step is ignored for potions, obviously.
3. Choose crafting technique and material (see above)
The only crafting technique available right now is the Eight Diagram (upper Yin-Yang symbol), the most basic one. Later on we can use the tabs at the top to choose others but right now all there is to do is to fill the slots with the material of our choice.
General crafting materials have all possible attributes next to their element: attack strength, defence strength, required level and required attribute. Exclusive material for armour/weapons will lack either attack or defence strength for obvious reasons. Some materials also get special effects in addition, like an increased attack rate for weapons. Those are most common in boss remains and crystals but the later come with the trade-off that their attack and defence strength is often significantly weaker compared to other material. The element of a crafted item is usually decide by how many materials of one element is used. So using two branches of the element wood (not as apparent as it sounds) and a metal of the element fire will create a helmet of the element wood. The manual claims that it will always work this way (alternatively the element is chosen at random if one element isn't overrepresented) but I experienced cases where one strong material absorbed several weaker materials of another element, making the process a little less predictable.
Coming to the restrictions, the chosen technique too is handled as a skill. Stronger materials can't be used if this skill is not of a sufficient level. Leveling the skill for a technique is a bit different than PC skills in a way that it follows the learning by doing approach. After you reach a specific level you either craft until your hands bleed to increase the skill or save yourself the trouble and bribe a nearby blacksmith to teach you. This can become a little problematic when you get a new technique only to realize that you can't use any of your current material (since you most likely discharged all low-level materials at that point) to upgrade the skill and a blacksmith is nowhere to be found. Next you need to reach a minimum level requirement to craft the stronger stuff. This is usually not a problem since those requirements are well adjusted to the player's progress. It's only when you want to refine equipment that this will start to bite you in the arse. The attribute restriction is more of a concern for the PCs as their attribute will have to match or surpass the given attribute requirement to equip a crafted item. Those restrictions are usually fairly low for self-made items but get worse with the things you can buy from merchants.
Refinement
Every piece of equipment can be refined up to two times. The process is identical to normal crafting only that there is a special slot added for the item you want to work on. Again it is most likely the raised level requirement (way out of proportions if you ask me, which is also the main cause for level grinding in the game) that is going to break your neck here.
Since Liang Hu is our most efficient fighter at the time, we reward his good performance with a new set of armour that would fill every girl's heart with glee.
Turns out to be a smart move since the battlefield can get crowded very fast. Gear makes a big difference here.
At least we get enough snake meat to feed the entire village (can't do any potions yet). We even receive some fine snake skin as a reward for our effort. It's only in front of the Snake Cave where the adventure comes to a shrieking halt.
No boss fight for tonight since our heroes just don't feel like it. Time to backtrack our steps and return to the village. There we encounter one of the more mean aspects of the game: fetch and collector quests that don't get logged. Every now and then you'll stumble over the usual one sentence NPCs who babble such informative things like how much they like pie. Here however chances are high that there indeed is a pie lying around which you can exchange for an extra XP boost. Take this boy for example who only said something in the line of “I'm hungry” before we left the village for the animal hunt.
: I would really like to eat some fruit.
: [Choice I've forgot to include]
: Yours is so fresh! It tastes a lot better than that awful fruit from Ah Wa, that he got from Trap Woods.
: There are no other trees there. Where did he find that fruit?
: He told me that he found it in a trunk. He said that it can strengthen your magic, even if it tastes horrible.
: <Thinks> Interesting...
Interesting in a sense that this is the start of one of those collector quests that will haunt us the longest. Going from chapter 2 all the way through to chapter 8 (of overall 9). Neat if you hoard everything that you find, even consumables. Frustrating if you don't.
With all those wine giving, wine making, wine taking tasks out of the way, the events of the evening finally start to come full circle. Total exhaustion and a hangover.
Guess this room is as girly as it gets in medieval China.
: My father would have rebuked me for my outburst if he would be here. I know it was wrong but... I'm so tired. I have to sleep, Liang Hu. You should better do the same.
: I will. Good night, Lan Wei.
Meanwhile, back at Chi Huan's hut.
: Chieftain! You return early!
: Yes, it went really well with the farmers. Chi Huan, my old friend, I begin to feel my age. I need rest but... first I want to talk to you.
: I have some very unpleasant news for you, brother. While you were away...
: What happened?
: Ying Zheng, the king of Qin has sent us a delegation.
: And?
: They want Eastern Baiyue to kneel under the banner of Qin...
: Never! The daggers of Baiyue shall rather be red with their blood! That will never happen!
: As you wish. But it will not prevent them from killing every single one of us. You know that better than anyone else.
: My wife and my son...
I hear a dramatic flashback brewing on the horizon. The first of many yet to come.
Personal note: despite all the mentions of alcoholic beverage, no drunken fist references so far. Colour me surprised.[/url]
Chapter 1
1.1 Witches & Wine (see below)
1.2 I see the past and it is brown
Chapter 2
2.1 Morning exercises
2.2 The Legend of the Imperial Stones
2.3 Big trouble at Giants Keep
Chapter 3
3.1 Red as clay, red as blood
3.2 The Message
3.3 A hero's obligation
Chapter 4
4.1 Tragedy at the Wudi's Estate
4.2 The second Imperial Stone
4.3 The River Demon of Cloudfield Village
4.4 Treasure Hunt
4.5 Dark Omen
4.6 Broken Bandit Mountain
Chapter 5
5.1 Saviour
5.2 Huns ain't nuns
Chapter 6
6.1 Storm&Thunder! (...not)
6.2 Among Beasts
6.3 Sweet Poison
Chapter 7
7.1 Mission Liang Hu
7.2 The Power of the Imperial Stones
Chapter 8
8.1 Crossroads
8.2 War of Flowers
8.3 Avatar
8.4 The God, the Bitch & the Ugly
8.5 Witch Commander: Prophecy
8.6 Lady in Blue
Chapter 9
9.1 Blood for the Bastard
9.2 God's End
Little stuff
Seal of Evil reviewed by a famous person
Original soundtrack (mp3)
German patch from Dropbox (just in case)
Some introducing (and a warning)
Curious story about that one. What was meant to be just a random grab into the bargain bin turned out to become a surprisingly long lasting endeavour full of hardship but also of some great entertainment.
Seal of Evil (or World of Qin: Seal of Damnation as it's called around here) might be best described as a Diablo clone made by Bioware (judging by the amount of mundane dialogue). Although there are a few twists to the gameplay, coupled with all the joys of jRPG melodrama in a tale that mixes several familiar themes, like the hero coming of age, why respect and tolerance for others is important, that love between cousins conquers all and that foetus murder can be the only heroic thing to do at times. There is also the neat crafting system to boot. So while the game itself is probably never going to stand on top of the Mount Olympus of action RPGs, I still count it to the better ones of the breed.
As mentioned above I'm playing the German release, so be ready for some wonky (meaning bad) grammar and odd choice of words. On the upside, I think I was able to remove most of the many, many naming errors, if it didn't serve my personal amusement.
Fellow Krauts out there should also take note that there is a game breaking bug in the German version that makes the game crash whenever you talk to specific NPCs, even some vital ones much later in the game. Incidentally I wasn't too happy when I suddenly hit a dead end. Turns out that the publisher released a patch that fixes the problem. The website of said publisher has been moved however and the download link was lost during the process. Luckily for me the support team was nice enough to send me a backup, and I've put it up on Mediafire so that it may not get lost for future generations.
Siegel der Verdammnis Patch 1.06a
The story takes place during a dark chapter of Chinese history, marked by the fall of the long lasting Zhou dynasty. Following this downfall, seven nations are now struggling for both self-preservation and domination, most notably the Qin Nation, lead by an uncompromising visionary called Ying Zheng. A man obsessed with his goal to unite China by any means necessary. One of his current targets is the Baiyue Nation which has already been weakened by the loss of its western provinces but is yet withstanding all invasion efforts. Since final victory seems inevitable however, it's high time to send those barbarians an offer that they can't refuse.
Qin-Ambassador: I hope for your people's sake that you're going to consider the gracious offer our king is willing to make.
Qin-General: Do you even grasp the gravity of the situation, wizard?
Qin-Ambassador: I want to make this as easy for you as possible. If you have any concerns, tell me and I shall report them to my king. I'm certain he's going to pay great interest...
Qin-General: You are no fool, Chi Huan! The Qin Empire will soon unite the Central Plains. We have one hundred thousands soldiers. How can you believe that Eastern Baiyue is going to stand a chance? Accept the offer, wizard, before it is too late.
Qin-Ambassador: Who are you?
Good question.
This is Lan Wei, main protagonist and witch by trade. Since she will stick with us for most of the time, she's practically designed to be a well balanced offensive mage, not only blessed with some devastating dancing moves and regenerating capabilities but also with the ability to weaken enemies with curses. Something that will become very handy once available. She also gets a fairly large amount of HP for a spellcaster which is a plus since her death means game over by default. Anyway, let's check her skill level in diplomacy.
Qin-General: What do you know, you stupid little wench!
The general is obviously not amused.
Qin-General: Such insolence! It will be a great pleasure to beat the living daylights out of you!
Fortunately for her, a fair maiden can always count on the honour of gentlemen.
The odd orc/lion hybrid is Liang Hu, an Animal Man soldier. In practice that means that he has a ton of HP at his disposal and hence can soak up damage like no other. Add some decent armour to it and there will be close to nothing that can put a scratch on him. On the downside, while his damage output is quiet high as well, his attack rate is severely lacking. Still, if you need a true brother in battle who will never let you down, Liang Hu is your man thing.
Qin-Ambassador: Think, General Wang. We are alone and have a truce.
Qin-General: Just as well. Wizard, inform your chieftain about our offer when he returns. And advise him to think very carefully. He would certainly regret any rash decisions.
Thus the Qin people leave, avoiding a diplomatic fallout and a beating, for now.
Lan Wei leaves the cutscene and the hut only to be engaged in another, less interesting conversation for some more character build up.
And with that we are finally released into the first chapter.
This chapter is more of a tutorial replacement to get you into the groove. The main objective: get the heroine to bed. While this is as easy as it sounds, we would miss a lot of extra XP this way. Many quests in the game are completely optional although missing those will mean more time spent on grinding of which there is already aplenty, sadly. You will also skip some precious upgrades for your
Skills
There are two skill slots at the bottom of the screen (the two green circles in the above screenshot). The one on the left hand is the current choice of active offensive skill, this one will trigger automatically when the PC attacks an enemy. The one on the right hand is for both offensive/defensive skills and can be activated manually by right clicking. Left click on one of those slots let you select a skill for the slot. There you can also hotkey skills by aiming the cursor at them and push the key of your choice. More importantly, you can put defensive skills on auto cast too by holding shift and right click on them. This will save you some micromanagement since every character will get at least one support aura later on and you will really want them to keep those up at all times.
New skills are unlocked automatically as the story progresses. Each skill can be upgraded up to four times (roughly translated: basic → schooled → senior → super → final) either by scrolls that can be found in chests or by solving sidequests. Their effects can also be altered to the better (comes even with a fancy icon upgrade) if special requirements are met. Since this is just the starting area however, our skill arsenal isn't that impressive.
Liang Hu
Effect: Basic melee attack. Increases the 'attack skill' by 10% (not quiet sure what's meant by that. It's either chance to hit or increased damage, maybe both)
Notes: You cut something, it dies. 'Nuff said.
Upgrade: Another +10% increase per skill upgrade, +1% for every 5 points of iron
Effect: Increases HP regeneration by 200% and defence by 10
Notes: Makes Liang Hu practically immortal for a fair amount of time. Definitely preferred this aura to all the others he'll get. It takes a large chunk of his MP though so you'll better wait until he runs low on HP before actually casting it.
Upgrade: +10 defence per skill upgrade, +5% HP regeneration for every 5 points of wood, +5 defence for every 5 points of water
Lan Wei
Effect: Basic ranged attack. Increases the attack skill by 10% (again, not a clue)
Additional Effects:
Casts slow on enemies and 10% of the dealt damage is added to Lan Wei's HP, requires Wood Talisman and a wood weapon
Increase attack speed and range, requires Fire Talisman and a fire weapon
Notes: The Fire/Wood Talisman are support auras we'll get later. A very versatile skill, if the above is any indicator.
Upgrade: Another +10% increase per skill upgrade
Effect: Basic melee attack. No additional effects.
Notes: If you should ever have to fall back on this skill, you're screwed. Only use as a last resort or, even better, just make a run for it.
Upgrade: Can be upgraded to Exorcism, requires 30 points of earth
Effect: Basic melee attack. 100% chance to remove any positive buffs from enemies on impact.
Notes: Not particularly useful until much later when enemies actually bother with buffs but then it can turn out to be a real lifesaver.
Upgrades: None
At this point you might be slightly puzzled about what could be meant with all the 5 points of earth, wood, etc. Let's see if we can make sense of it by pushing some buttons at random until we reach the character sheet.
Attributes
According to the manual, the gameplay relies heavily on an old Chinese philosophy of the five elements, from item crafting, over the skills to the PC's attributes where they replace the more common placeholders like strength and such. Every PC gets 5 points per level up which he can distribute among those elements for the following effects:
Iron: Increases base damage
Wood/Water: Increases the amount of HP/MP and improves recovery respectively
Fire: Increases attack rate and the chances to dodge an attack
Earth: Increases base defence
All these elements exist in a perfect harmony, meaning that there is not the one truly best element (at least as theory goes). Therefore every element is restricted by another. They also get a supporting element each but this is only important for advanced crafting which we'll cover another time.
As for now the important thing to remember:
→ Iron (restricts)> Wood → Earth → Water → Fire →
This is vital both on the defence and on the offensive since every enemy is devoted to a certain element (visible at the lifebar). It usually stands for both their attack and armour element although there are a few exceptions when weapons are concerned, if I remember correctly. So thwacking something which main element is iron (most humans for example) with wood weapons is not likely to wield satisfying results, while switching to fire weapons is going to kill them a lot faster.
The efficiency of armour depends on what enemy you're facing as well. The defence of a PC is also split up into the different elements (seen in the right bottom corner of the box above). For every 2 points an attribute is raised, the base defence of the PC against the element the attribute restricts is also raised by 1. Every 3 points will raise the defence against all elements by 1 except the element which restricts the attribute. Hence if you put every single point into fire, prepare for some pain if you face enemies with water as main element. The only exception here is the earth attribute which will raise the defence against all by at least 1 per invested point, regardless the element.
Considering how heavily the philosophy of the five elements factors into pretty much everything vital to an aRPG, it is advisable to choose at least two main elements for every character, to keep them more versatile. With the different skill bonuses and upgrade requirements in mind, there are a fair lot of possibilities for a character to expand. There are some obvious choices for Lan Wei as her skills mostly revolve around fire and wood, with some earth and water added to the mix for extra MP and protection. Liang Hu can go several ways from pure tank built to total war machine. I choose the save middle road, with emphasis on fire, a lot of earth/wood and a wee bit of iron and water.
This should cover most of the basic mechanics. Let's move on.
Inventory
Lots of buttons here. From top to bottom we got 'Use' for consumables, 'Equip', 'Craft' which will come later, 'Refine' also for later, 'Drop', 'Sort' and 'Exchange' which will open the inventory of another PC for swapping items. Lan Wei also has 100 gold on her. Not a fortune, but since we're mostly relying on self-made equipment, money won't be of much of a concern anyway.
More interesting are the tabs at the top. The stick is for the PC's private stash where usable items and equipment are stored, the rest of the tabs is reserved for the shared group inventory for crafting materials. We get general crafting items (rock) which can be used for any crafting attempt with varying applicability. Next are exclusive materials for weapons/armour crafting (horn)/(skin), jewellery (cheese?) and medicine (weed). I'll push the details further down since all this explaining is already taking a little too long. One thing worth mentioning however is how to acquire such material. Exclusive materials are usually dropped by enemies (e.g. a panther will drop either a tooth as weapon material, skin for armour, sinew for jewellery or meat for medicine). General materials however can hide everywhere. Sometimes in obvious places like chests and breakable pots but more often than that in plain scenery, like within the rock to Lan Wei's right.
Or on the tree at this hut (note the easy to miss hand icon at the trunk).
This makes exploration a lot more rewarding since some awesome firebamboo for a new hat could hide just around the corner. On the downside, if you're too diligent, you'll soon find yourself with an overflowing inventory and no idea what to do with it.
We'll settle with some quest hunting instead. Maybe this could be a good opportunity even to improve foreign relations. ('k maybe not)
→ 1.<Examine the stranger>
2. I beg your pardon but you don't need to get so upset about it.
One of the first instances of multiple choice dialogue although it's mostly “Do you want quest? Yes/No”
The temptation to add a Smug here is almost overpowering.
1. <Thinks> Old Man Qiu? He is as crazy as a bedbug, I better leave him be.
→ 2. <Thinks> Old Man Qiu? What does he want from him?
1. Yes, of course you can go. But be careful not to cause any more trouble...
→ 2. <Thinks> I need something from Old Man Qiu... this could be a good opportunity...
I'm kind of saddened that Wu Xiong won't appear ever again. Someone needs to put that girl's jackassery into perspective. Since such a person is now absent, she is not hindered on her search for ever more wine.
1. The money didn't disappear on its own. Look carefully. If you can make out a bug in the grass then you shouldn't have a problem with the coins.
→ 2. I know the innkeeper well. Maybe I can help.
I wanted to ask the barkeeper about rumours anyway but maybe the patrons have something interesting to say as well.
And that makes wine quest number three and a rather obscure one at that, robbing wine making apes. While a pitiful drunkard, Brother Huo also has a secondary function as village healer. He can revive KOed team members and since Lan Wei is the princess with an attitude, he will do so for free. Later on you'll have to pay for this service (costs depend on level) or simply use a (significantly cheaper) revival potion for the same effect.
Back to the main wine.
Because they would be of invaluable service for the entire community?
Best way to make potential love interests unappealing is to make them unavoidable and expensive.
1. That could be the ransom for a king! I don't have that much. How about a discount?
→ 2. <Thinks> 500 gold pieces are usury. But I'll have to buy the wine...
Liar. No matter, with all done what can be done within village borders (the other sidequests don't get any more exciting), we venture out into Skyrose Valley to face our first enemy: snakes, lots of snakes.
Combat is the standard RTwP fare. Press space to pause (although that is seldom necessary), issue commands, drink potions and kill anything with a red circle around it. There are some additional factors for more tactical oriented players who don't shy away from micromanagement. For one that projectiles don't hit automatically and can be dodged. Also many skills require a short time to charge up and can be disrupted when the caster is hit hard enough. Really dangerous for people like Liang Hu when casting River of Life since a lot of MP can be wasted this way. Probably most important however is that any combatant is a lot easier to hit from behind and will suffer significantly more damage this way.
So the basic rules of survival are to keep moving, stay at your enemy's back and watch your own.
This is still all tutorial though so Lan Wei&Co are not yet allowed to face danger all by themselves.
First obvious case of portrait recycling.
A big lore dump follows. Short version: fish can fly, spiders eat people and there is a boss battle waiting for us in a nearby cave.
Shifting our focus back to the tasks at hand, we search for the animalistic wine producers.
Lan Wei has three options here. Throw a rock at the fruits, throw a rock at the apes or try to climb the cliff. Only one choice will end in success. Obviously Lan Wei throws rocks at the apes if only for the giggles. They throw fruits in retaliation. Puzzle solved.
At this point we've finally collected enough raw material to open the crafting menu for the very first time.
Crafting (basics)
Crafting is divided into several steps:
1. Choose the category
You can craft helmets, body armour, boots, amulets, rings and potions.
2. Choose the class
The stats of equipment you create may vary according to class. The armour of a witch for example will always turn out significantly weaker than of a fighter like Liang Hu. This step is ignored for potions, obviously.
3. Choose crafting technique and material (see above)
The only crafting technique available right now is the Eight Diagram (upper Yin-Yang symbol), the most basic one. Later on we can use the tabs at the top to choose others but right now all there is to do is to fill the slots with the material of our choice.
General crafting materials have all possible attributes next to their element: attack strength, defence strength, required level and required attribute. Exclusive material for armour/weapons will lack either attack or defence strength for obvious reasons. Some materials also get special effects in addition, like an increased attack rate for weapons. Those are most common in boss remains and crystals but the later come with the trade-off that their attack and defence strength is often significantly weaker compared to other material. The element of a crafted item is usually decide by how many materials of one element is used. So using two branches of the element wood (not as apparent as it sounds) and a metal of the element fire will create a helmet of the element wood. The manual claims that it will always work this way (alternatively the element is chosen at random if one element isn't overrepresented) but I experienced cases where one strong material absorbed several weaker materials of another element, making the process a little less predictable.
Coming to the restrictions, the chosen technique too is handled as a skill. Stronger materials can't be used if this skill is not of a sufficient level. Leveling the skill for a technique is a bit different than PC skills in a way that it follows the learning by doing approach. After you reach a specific level you either craft until your hands bleed to increase the skill or save yourself the trouble and bribe a nearby blacksmith to teach you. This can become a little problematic when you get a new technique only to realize that you can't use any of your current material (since you most likely discharged all low-level materials at that point) to upgrade the skill and a blacksmith is nowhere to be found. Next you need to reach a minimum level requirement to craft the stronger stuff. This is usually not a problem since those requirements are well adjusted to the player's progress. It's only when you want to refine equipment that this will start to bite you in the arse. The attribute restriction is more of a concern for the PCs as their attribute will have to match or surpass the given attribute requirement to equip a crafted item. Those restrictions are usually fairly low for self-made items but get worse with the things you can buy from merchants.
Refinement
Every piece of equipment can be refined up to two times. The process is identical to normal crafting only that there is a special slot added for the item you want to work on. Again it is most likely the raised level requirement (way out of proportions if you ask me, which is also the main cause for level grinding in the game) that is going to break your neck here.
Since Liang Hu is our most efficient fighter at the time, we reward his good performance with a new set of armour that would fill every girl's heart with glee.
Turns out to be a smart move since the battlefield can get crowded very fast. Gear makes a big difference here.
At least we get enough snake meat to feed the entire village (can't do any potions yet). We even receive some fine snake skin as a reward for our effort. It's only in front of the Snake Cave where the adventure comes to a shrieking halt.
No boss fight for tonight since our heroes just don't feel like it. Time to backtrack our steps and return to the village. There we encounter one of the more mean aspects of the game: fetch and collector quests that don't get logged. Every now and then you'll stumble over the usual one sentence NPCs who babble such informative things like how much they like pie. Here however chances are high that there indeed is a pie lying around which you can exchange for an extra XP boost. Take this boy for example who only said something in the line of “I'm hungry” before we left the village for the animal hunt.
Interesting in a sense that this is the start of one of those collector quests that will haunt us the longest. Going from chapter 2 all the way through to chapter 8 (of overall 9). Neat if you hoard everything that you find, even consumables. Frustrating if you don't.
With all those wine giving, wine making, wine taking tasks out of the way, the events of the evening finally start to come full circle. Total exhaustion and a hangover.
Guess this room is as girly as it gets in medieval China.
Meanwhile, back at Chi Huan's hut.
I hear a dramatic flashback brewing on the horizon. The first of many yet to come.
Personal note: despite all the mentions of alcoholic beverage, no drunken fist references so far. Colour me surprised.[/url]