Let's Play Golden Sun: Dark Dawn

The lizard smashes another platform, only this time, the party runs backward. "Where did this insane maze and its horrible lizard-monster come from?!" Rief asks. Amiti suggests that the Golden Sun event moved Kolima on top of the swamp where the lizard lived. Tyrell then suggests that the talk of Kolima being cursed is just the lizard trying to get revenge. Battle time!

"Have at you, monster!" Man, Amiti's great. The monster is called "Sludge", and it comes with two minions, a Shield Skull and a Haunt Skull. If I remember the Star Magician battle well enough, taking them out is the top priority, especially the Shield Skull. I send Flint, Vortex, Glare, and Sleet at it. Sure enough, it starts the battle by using Sludge Shield to protect its master. Three Djinn is all it took to take it out, so Sleet ends up going at the Sludge instead.

...Flint is my only damaging Venus Djinni. The others are two healers, Vine, and the defensive Bark. The Sludge is already deluded because of Glare's wide range (kind of like Shine from the last game), so I use Sirocco on the Haunt Skull instead...oh, wait, I was going to send Djinn at that enemy anyway. Fury and Chill also head for it. It doesn't go down.

With all four party members damaged, I use Flower, then stop the Sludge with Doldrum and attack it with Fever while Mist finishes off the Haunt Skull. On the next turn, I use Bark, Forge, and Mellow, but with no use for Karis's last Djinni (the reviving Jolt), I simply summon Procne. The Sludge uses a Tail Slap.

Alright, super summoning time. Karis simply attacks while the rest of us summon our top mono-elemental summons—Judgement, Meteor, and Boreas. The Sludge falls, and I grow to level 26 and learn Potent Cure. Karis grows to level 25, Tyrell grows to level 26, Rief grows to level 24, and Amiti grows to level 23. Then we wake up for real, back inside the Dream Tree and with the quivering body of the Sludge before us. So...it wasn't a dream, or was it? I say it was, and we were fighting inside a dream world. Then we get the Crush Tusk from the defeated monster, which disappeared into the hole. Apparently, Crush is actually a Mars Psyenergy, so I give it to Tyrell.

I then head back towards Saha and Crush the boulder blocking the path to the Jupiter Djinni Wisp, who joins without a fight. I then sell off all of my outdated equipment and rearrange my inventory so that everything is consolidated, then rest up and return to Kolima to seek out Tret...but not before entering the building housed in the Dream Tree so that I can finish exploring the treetops. I find a Ninja Garb. It's another Agility Booster which also resists wind, and also an even switch with my own Planet Armor and a defensive downgrade for Karis and Rief. Amiti's really the weakest here, but I haven't been using him...Still, the Spiked Armor's effect is too good to let it go just yet, so with neither that nor the Planet Armor available to be used by any of our other party members, I give the Ninja Garb to Amiti. I also get a Virtuous Armlet, which goes to Karis, and Amiti gets the Bone Armlet.

Uh-oh, looks like we've got an impossible maze on our hands—think Mogall Forest or the inside of Gaia Rock. What Psyenergy will show us the path this time? Insight shows nothing, which means I'm probably going to have to stumble through, just like I did on my first trip to Mogall Forest because I failed to figure out the invisible path at the very end of Fuchin Temple. Going straight brings me to an identical area. So does going right...and going left. Flummoxed, I return to Kolima to finish healing the Dream Tree using the Hermes Water. On the way back, I run into a large group of enemies, and use Mother Gaia, Tornado, and Nova to hit them all. I talk to the woman who brought me to the tree, but she just says that it hasn't stopped giving out nightmares. The Venus Djinni Pewter comes out to congratulate us on saving the Dream Tree, then insults Tyrell. He has a bad attitude. Still, he brought a message from Laurel, so he must be a decent guy. He doesn't actually join us, though. Maybe now the forest will be in working order. Also, the gate between Saha and Kolima finally opens.

edited 26th Jan '11 8:34:41 PM by spiritsunami

Oh. Well, that makes sense. Pewter serves as a guide to lead us through. I was definitely right to go to the Dream Tree first—not only was Pewter necessary, Crush was, too. Somehow, I end up back in the first area from the top, so naturally, I exit left, and it works. Awesome! No, wait, it's a dead end, and not even one with an item! I backtrack and jump onto a branch, only to be lifted up.

"Hey, you made it! I owe Laurel five coins". I'm not sure I want this Djinni. He's kind of a prick. Laurel introduces herself, and everyone's surprised to learn that she's a tree.

Karis: You're a talking tree?

Laurel: Ahem. I am usually referred to as a "holy tree." On my better days, even a "tree of wisdom."

Geez, Karis, that sort of foot-in-mouthery is something I'd expect from Tyrell! Amiti seems to be the only one who has heard of these, and asks if she's familiar with the tale of the enlightened lark. Sure enough, the lark in question had perched in her branches. The others are quite surprised to see the prince of Ayuthay bowing before a tree. Laurel insists she's no divinity and asks him to raise his head, though she agrees that to our relatively short-lived species, the Ents Waelda can seem godlike. Amiti says that the aspects she describes sound very much like divinity, to which Pewter replies, "What part of 'I'm not a god' don't you understand, fishbrain?" (Yes, he's been referring to each of us with disparaging names related to our respective elements. Okay, mostly just Tyrell and Amiti, actually.) Laurel apologizes again for Pewter's behavior.

Laurel thanks us for defeating the Sludge, though she feels sorry for it as well. Karis asks if this is why she didn't fight it, but Pewter says that if Tret and Laurel were at full strength, that Sludge wouldn't have stood a chance. Karis asks if Laurel was sick, and Pewter replies that she's injured—Waelda take a long time to heal, so she's still hurt from 30 years ago when the thing happened. Laurel asks how she can repay them, and Karis suggests we ask for the feather. We then explain why we need a roc feather, and when Tyrell mentions Isaac's name, Tret joins the conversation. Apparently, he'd been sleeping. Tyrell immediately puts his foot in his mouth. Tret seemed to think he'd quieted Sludge awhile ago, but apparently Sludge recovered while Tret was resting. Laurel says she was too busy defending the rest of the forest from him to stop Sludge from eating away at the Dream Tree. Laurel mentions that we are the children of the Warriors of Vale, and he says, "Is that what they're calling Isaac and Ivan and Mia and...there was one more..." Tyrell, naturally, is pissed. He can see our parents in our aura.

Tret: So you're Isaac's son, huh? What is your name?

Chad: ...

Tret: What was that? You'll have to speak up. I didn't catch your name.

Karis then says that I'm kind of quiet and introduces me. He then tells her that she has a bit more spark than her father, though she's just as clever. Tret seems to think that Amiti's another relative of Mia's, based on his aura...which makes me think that his father was from Imil, not Lemuria. Alex, you Magnificent Bastard... Laurel says it's best not to get distracted by trivialities, and we move on, with Tret saying, "Hmph. Hope I didn't give away any family secrets..." Laurel apologizes yet again for the behavior of her comrades and suggests changing the subject; Tret doesn't quite understand why.

Anyway, the Mountain Roc is...sleeping. Deeply. Such is the roc's slumber that extracting a feather as it sleeps is impossible. It can only be awakened by the Slap Psyenergy, which is of course only known to the beastmen. You know, like Sveta. Who can only be obtained by playing Arangoa Prelude, which can only be done if the last musician returns...which can only happen if he sees the roc. Who is sleeping. WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! ...Except it turns out there's an item that allows non-beastmen to use it, the Slap Glove. Which again means returning to Belinsk...hopefully to free Eoleo. Karis suddenly remembers that Briggs suggested that Tret might be able to help us get into Belinsk Castle. Took you long enough...

Tret: You assume a castle built on ancient ruins MUST have a secret entrance infested with traps and monsters?

Amiti: Well...yes.

Tret: Well, you're right...THIS time. There is a hidden door, but it can't be used without being powered somehow.

We're told we'll need an item infused with magma. Luckily, Tret knows of one. When the mountain roc awakens, a shard of its power will appear; we will know it on sight. Wait...

GODDAMNIT!!!!!!!!!!!

Tret falls asleep again, and Tyrell asks if we're going to try to sneak into Belinsk Castle now. I reply with . Then Laurel asks us a favor. She mentions that the reason Belinsk's ruins lie dormant is because of the "dangerous legacy" that sleeps there. She says that we must not restore power to the Alchemy Dynamo. Hmm...a third machine, likely Venus-based? We'll probably have to restore power to it eventually... Pewter finally joins us as we head out. We take the back exit to Kolima Junction and start toward Belinsk, but Ryu Kou and Hou Zan stop us, mentioning that not all of the musicians have returned to Belinsk. Then they give us...the Slap Glove? WTF? Apparently Sveta gave it to them. Shit, we're just taking help from jackasses all over the place, aren't we? Apparently the duo also wants to sneak into Belinsk Castle, so they suggest a team-up. Eh, whatever.

Karis decides that this was Sveta's plan all along, and we have no choice but to go along with it. Apparently, she's an important member of the Fang Tribe, known as the White Deer. And yes, she's part of the Morgal royal family, the Czamaral clan—sister to King Volechek. Is our entire second party going to be composed of royalty? Because up on the tree, I heard Eoleo referred to as a "prince" as well. I equip the Slap Glove...it's an actual glove. As in, it goes in the Arm armor slot rather than the countless extra slots that show up for utility Psyenergy items. The Dragon Shield is the only one that's even close to as weak defensively as the Slap Glove, so I'm the one who gets it...ah, screw that. I'm giving the Slap Glove to Amiti, who's not active, and moving his Bone Armlet to Rief so that I can equip the War Gloves. To...wherever the Mountain Roc is!

edited 26th Jan '11 8:36:50 PM by spiritsunami

Talon Peak. It's called Talon Peak. The perfect place for a legendary bird of a mountain to reside. I enter, freeze some puddles into pillars (what was the point of replacing "Frost/Tundra/Glacier" with "Cold Snap/Coldforge/Frostbite", anyway?) and encounter a pair of Dirty Apes. All together now...

"Take your paws off me, you damn dirty ape!"

Now that we've gotten that out of our system...oh, crud, they're fast. Faster than me and Rief, anyway. They go down fairly quickly before the might of my Sunset Burst. I heal the party, then encounter another Dirty Ape along with a Foul Dirge. This time, I use Psyenergy...you know, for someone who supposedly has a lot of "spark", Karis sure isn't learning many offensive Psyenergy. Foul Dirge is quicker than everyone. I think we've hit the difficulty spike...I find a cookie and use it on Tyrell. Two Foul Dirges appear. I attack one and have the other three attack the other. Sunset Burst doesn't activate, but the other one does go down from the combined might of everyone else's regular attacks so I'm calling that a good strategy for a party of two Foul Dirges anyway. I use some of our spare herbs to heal. Wild Gryphons appear. I use my strongest range-three Psyenergies. That was a lot of EXP...and speak of the devil, Karis just learned Shine Plasma. Which is range 5, which means I still have no range 3 Psyenergy stronger than the original Plasma and have to use a range-5 if I want to do any sort of damage worth noting.

I then crawl along a wall, and once I see that I can do that, I push the pillar further to create a platform to climb down onto, claiming aura gloves from the chest. I take them for myself, giving the War Gloves to Tyrell, the only member of the party with a non-magical arm armor, and progress onwards.

As awesome as the Assassin Blade is (its insta-kill ability activated in the last battle), my new Sylph Rapier would be an offensive upgrade for anyone, so Karis gets the Sylph Rapier and gives the Assassin Blade to Amiti. I climb higher, and...that ledge looks awfully unstable. Like it would crumble if I tried to hang off of it.

...So called it. So totally called it. I fall to a new ledge, though, which I hadn't previously seen, and from there, I'm able to Grip onwards. I then grow a path and try to figure out the point of a crushable rock on a platform I can't reach. Probably something hidden under it, and I'll get there by dropping down from above.

...Right again...mostly. I climb the vine and find myself able to grip onwards, and I notice that the platform I'm going to is kind of comma-shaped and is teetering a bit. If I were to slide down and then crush that rock, it would probably topple right over. It does, providing a ramp to the top of the climb right above where the ledge crumbled. Wait...is that another Djinni? Jupiter, right? Well, only way to progress is by growing the vine...it grows past the ledge, allowing me to also go further down. I take the ledge first, passing up the psyenergy stone, and climb up higher...there are no other paths leading down, according to the map. I'm not getting to that Djinni from above. Add in the Psyenergy Stone, and I'm thinking...I don't want to go up just yet. I go down.

Never mind; it's just a shortcut back to where I was before I climbed up a wall and fell due to that stupid crumbling ledge. I use Amiti's Avoid to explore the level more thoroughly...or try to, before remembering that ever since Pewter joined, I have too many Venus Djinni. I switch Pewter for useless Vine, then set Vine on Standby to return Amiti to his base class.

...Um, no way around that. It seems the only way to the Jupiter Djinni is from above. I heal and use the Psyenergy Stone. I find little in the next area, but there is a big red thing hanging from what looks like a stone dragon. Let's call it a uvula. Amiti slaps it...it's actually more of a wattle than a uvula, and the Mountain Roc is apparently a turkey-dragon. It's looking around, and it's blocking part of the path, and...I'm going to have to slap it again, aren't I? It docilely falls down after the second slap, with a feather gone. I collect it and try to find a way to slide down to the Djinni, can't, and start to leave...

???: Leaving so soon?

Chad: ?!

Karis: Blados!

Yes, Blados. Because you knew that Psyenergy stone meant a boss battle, and the Mountain Roc apparently wasn't going to give us one even though we slapped it twice. Chalis is here, too, insisting Blados is here to help. Amiti, who never met either one, feels left out. You know, we're probably going to have to return to Kaocho later in our quest for some inane reason. Chalis says the two of them had been waiting for us for awhile and was worried we wouldn't make it, and Blados agrees that he's relieved we've made it...this far. Exactly what do they expect to accomplish by creating their own heroes? Chalis insists their concern is entirely selfless. Ryu Kou and Hou Zan realize that this is Volechek's doing, an impressive deduction that Chalis can neither confirm nor deny. They said they needed to talk to us, but refuse to say what they need to talk to us about, saying that we'll find out. Karis asks if they captured Eoleo for the same reason.

...Oh. Okay. They want the Magma Orb, which apparently is the fuel for the Alchemy Dynamo according to my encyclopedia entry...So that's where we stand. Speaking of standing, the Roc's upright again. Chalis says that she can't tell us why they want to start it, but says that if they don't start it soon, Hou Ju and Eoleo will regret it. ...So we're just pawns. Again. You know what, I already took my nighttime meds before I started this entry. If there's a battle, I'll write about it in the morning, okay?

Or maybe I won't. Blados confirms that we must destroy the Roc to get the Magma Orb, more or less confirming that this was the item Laurel wanted us to get...despite not wanting us to turn on the Dynamo. Then they leave us to battle the Roc. Like most boss battles, it starts with me unleashing Djinn. Three turns in, though, none of my party members have actually taken any damage, and the Roc's defenses are so high thanks to its Stone Molting that I'm dealing single-digit damage (We don't have Break yet, sadly. Funny, I never actually used that spell in the first two games, and now I wish I had it...). On a hunch, I switch Amiti in for Rief and try Slapping the enemy, while I unleash Judgement (using the standby Vine in addition to the three I'd used) and use Forge and Karis's High Impact.

Slap seems to break the stoneskin effect, and Judgement hits hard...as does its Upward Blast. Turn 5, it's Garland for Tyrell, Procne, Meteor, and Serac. Unfortunately, I'm a slow-ass, and Tyrell's already down by the time Garland unleashes; Karis is healed instead. I use my regular attack while Amiti uses Surge and Karis tries to Jolt Tyrell back. I think Tyrell was the one holding all the Waters of Life... Jolt works, and we're in a good spot.

Turn 6, it's Flower, Sirocco, Meteor (because we couldn't get it off last time), and Vine. Unfortunately, it uses Stone Molt right before Tyrell's turn. Of course, it still manages 732 damage. Holy shit, man!

Pewter, Doldrum, a regular attack, and Claw...wait, shit, I forgot the Slap!

Turn 8, I realize that the Mountain Roc is probably weak against Fire, and so have Tyrell use Eruption rather than a regular attack. Karis uses Vortex; I use Bark to protect us, and Amiti Slaps. It's a useless Bark, as the Roc's move is...Stone Molt again, right after Amiti went last and slapped it.

I respond with Flint, a regular attack from Karis, Fury, and Slap. It uses its Fire Breath. Perfect. Judgment, Thor (first time this playthrough), Zagan, and ...I was going to use Amiti's last Mercury Djinn, but neither that nor Judgment ever triggered, because Thor did 4-digit damage and took it out. Level-ups all around, but no new Psyenergy. We get a Magma Shard. I see...so Laurel wanted us to get just a shard so we didn't have enough power to power up the entire Dynamo. Very sneaky!

Every time I try to climb down the mountain, Ryu Kou stops us and reminds us that we have to bring the Magma Orb to Belinsk. Okay, one: We have the Magma Shard, not the Magma Orb, and two, ''WE'RE ON TOP OF A FUCKING MOUNTAIN! THAT'S THE ONLY WAY DOWN YOU IDIOT!"

Okay, actually, it seems there was something else to do. We enter the dead bird's mouth and find more Magma Shards, leading up to the Magma Orb itself. I wonder what Magma Shards are for...maybe forging? Ryu Kou, knowing that we're not about to break our promise to Laurel, takes the Magma Orb himself and threatens to smash it if we try to stop him. Karis calls him on being a good person for trying to take the blame off of us, but he says he's just tired of people ignoring obvious solutions. Then he demands the Slap Glove and a Magma Shard. I get an emotional choice after being asked, "Makes it hard to figure out what our next move is, huh?" It's really fucking EASY, actually! We go to Kolima, talk to the musician, and then go to Belinsk. We also still have some magma shards, so we can get into the dungeons. EASY! (angry face)

Wait...part of this ledge is cracked. Was it like that before, or did it get weakened by the Roc thrashing around? Crush makes a passage to slide down. Battle time! Of course, we still have eight Djinn on standby, so Judgment takes care of it quickly. Puff joins Karis's crew. I climb most of the way down without encountering any enemies, then get stuck because a pillar has returned to its original place and just use retreat. I also re-equip the Dragon Shield, since the Slap Glove is gone, and give the Aura Gloves to Rief and the Bone Armlet to Amiti.

On my way back to Kolima to talk to the musician, I notice a path I'd missed in Kolima Forest. It leads to an Apple and a Yew Bow. Problem: The Yew Bow is the second-most powerful weapon we have, behind only the Sylph Rapier, but Amiti and Karis are the only ones that can use it and Tyrell and I couldn't give our weapons to anyone else if we took the Sylph Rapier.

...Actually, you know what? These enemies haven't been doing much. I'm putting Amiti back in the party. Problem solved. I give him the Yew Bow and also have him switch arm and head armor with Rief.

edited 26th Jan '11 8:49:40 PM by spiritsunami

A quick Crush clears the blocked bridge...Mercury Djinni, I see you hiding behind that waterfall! He joins without a fight, so I shift Vine back over to myself—6 djinn each for me and Karis, five for the other three party members. IIRC, Karis might have to give one of hers to Sveta to even things out. We get to Belinsk, and finally, it's time for Arangoa Prelude. It's beautiful, and the musicians get so into it, they eventually end up playing their instruments without even touching them, the instruments just floating there. Then Sveta starts talking into our minds...I'd been wondering when we'd get a mind reader. She says she's not there, and claims that she can only talk to me as long as "Arangoa Prelude" is still playing, as the song is what's allowing this. So then this is definitely Magic Music, and those floating instruments are just part of the show. She mentions how most people get mesmerized by it, and so now's our chance to sneak into the ruins under the statue. The statue that wasn't even raised until they started playing Arangoa Prelude.

Okay, so it moves statues, hypnotizes people, allows musicians to gain Prismriver-level skillz, and allows for freedom of thought-speech. Just what the fuck kind of elder god created this song?

Well, we're in, anyway. Thank you, song from another dimension!

Sveta joins us down in the ruins, followed by Hou Zan and Ryu Kou. We travel through until we find a clockwork zone similar to the inside of the Gabomba Statue. The first clue on the path up reads, "Jupiter is the lord of the winds". No, really, I thought it was Uranus. Of course, it turns out, the fact that each one higher up had a shorter arc meant something...we then had to line up the planets, and I realized, they were actually representing the planets. They all lined up at the top, and to open the final gate, we had to "set the world moving in reverse". This was accomplished with Sveta slapping the sun. Another puzzle involving bringing the four elements together. I use the psyenergy on the crystals, but they fizzle out. I go into one of the side rooms and find a hint as to which one goes where, then into the other and find a Psyenergy Stone. Oh boy...

Dynamo found. We try to talk Ryu Kou out of it, but Blados, Chalis, and Alex Arcanus show up. We battle Blados and Chalis. They look to be more Saturos and Menardi than Karst and Agatio, and I treat them accordingly. Then, I exit the tower, frantically. I re-enter once it's stopped freaking out and ascend to the top.

"I am Eclipse. I appear whenever it is darkest." New Summon! Then I'm allowed into the castle. I go off to try to rescue Eoleo, but after three straight times of being pestered, I head off to rescue Hou Ju first instead. King Volechek, who is in league with the Tuaparang (that would be Blados and Chalis, though of course, Arcanus says he's not from Tuaparang (duh, he's from Imil!), comes to let the prisoners free. Then...Kraden appears! He tells us to rescue Eoleo. As usual, Kraden has met Volechek before.

Kraden mentions that Luna Tower was originally called the Eclipse Tower...and says that activating it was a grave error, which of course angers Volechek, who insists that Morgal must arm itself in order to subjugate Sana and Bilibin before they return the Morgal to slavery. And the militant Tuaparang approve of this... Do they plan to start a war that will engulf all of Tellius Weyard? Volechek storms off.

...I suddenly remembered why that name sounds so evil.

Kraden says that the tower is not a weapon...at least, not in the sense Volechek believes. He then tells the three Sanans to leave, as they are not Adepts and will not survive the disaster that will come, as the Eclipse Tower is much like the Elemental Lighthouses. Arcanus also said this... Ryu Kou says that he has sworn to follow me to repay me. Guess what, Ryu Kou? You're an asshole and I don't want you following me around! It's your fault we're in this mess!

The Sanans leave, and Rief admits to Kraden that they had a part in the tower's activation, but Kraden says that he has believed that our actions have been manipulated by that masked man. "Oh, you mean that scum Arcanus!" Tyrell says, to which Kraden replies, "Arcanus? Is That What He's Calling Himself Now?" Kraden wonders why he'd choose that name, then gets a and decides it makes sense. "Very droll." I find an Apple in the cell, and give it to Sveta because her attack is oddly low.

As soon as we rescue Eoleo, bad things start happening. The sun rises and is blocked out by the Luna Tower, and Belinsk is covered in a dark miasma. A monster appears at the opera house, and that dragon chandelier tries to fight it right as we come in to help. The dragon chandelier joins us as a summon. We then get to the docks and set off in Briggs's ship, which has arrived and has been fitted with Lemurian-style improvements. Also, Briggs is dead now. Eoleo swears revenge and joins the party. His equipment's crap, so I outfit him with spare parts that I haven't sold off yet. Sveta starts wangsting about her brother, and he calls out to her, admitting that he realizes he'd been tricked and giving her a blue orb that he'd taken from Blados. He then says he must stay, while she must go and live on to preserve the line. We set sail, and when we get up, all of the men (minus Kraden) apparently fell asleep out on the deck of the ship and are now miserable. The girls seem to be fine. I guess whatever Karis was trying to tell Sveta got through, because she seems happy again, like nothing happened. The guys ask her about this. She blushes. Really red, too. Um...just what was Karis up to anyway? Blowing her across the sky? We set out for a town outside the eclipse.

Not mentioned in the last entry—mucking about in a town called Harun. Back on track, I get lost in the Harun Channel, then finally figure out the way to release the floodgates and gain another Venus Djinni. I now have 8 Venus, 10 Mars, 11 Jupiter, and 11 Mercury—but only one Venus Adept as opposed to two of each other type. This means my backup Mars Adept gets two Venus Djinni. Um... I also got a Dragon Mail, which I took for myself and gave the Storm Gear to Sveta.

The puzzles in the Harun Channel and the Adventurers' Hill or whatever it was called were quite interesting. At times I had to use Crush to catapult myself onto a platform using a lever. Upon raising the other two hut...chamber...thingies (well, actually, I'd already raised one of them as of last entry; that's where I got the Djinni), I find myself at a loss, facing a locked door and no idea where the key is. I reenter the Channel and realize that there was still something I couldn't reach, and that logically, there was some other entrance. I exit the hill and bingo! There's a cave that I didn't see before, perhaps because the hill was visible when I first docked and therefore it was at the head of my focus. Let's just quickly run over there and...random encounter about a step away and OH SHIT WE'RE CLOSER TO THE ECLIPSE THAN I THOUGHT! Upon actually entering, I find that the outside is still outside the eclipse zone, but you can actually see the edge of its radius. I enter, and...it's just a minor detour. I open a chest with an Aegis Shield. Is it just me or are we getting close to endgame-level armor here? Not quite the type of stuff that you'd have after munchkinning about in the bonus dungeons, but certainly the type of stuff you might still be using on your first trip to Mars Lighthouse. The weaponry lags a bit behind that, though.

I then encounter the son and grandson of the village storyteller. The son has broken his leg. Rief fixes it with Psyenergy, and curiously, the grandson can see the Psyenergy, which should be impossible unless he's an Adept. I exit through the other exit near there and have to travel through the miasma a bit to get to a chest, which contains...the cursed Muramasa sword. I then go further along the path and...it's a tablet. Alright, it's the Coatlicue summon! You know, I get the feeling I didn't explore thoroughly enough early in the game, because while I have most of the midgame multielemental summons, I'm still missing both Megaera and Flora. Hopefully the entire continent world will be available to explore by the time the endgame comes around. I then exit the Channel and head back to Harun, thoroughly confused and hoping that talking to the storyteller now that his family has returned will help. It does. The kid mentions the light he saw, and we display our Psyenergy by moving a crate, and the old man can see it too. He then starts mentioning a prophecy, something happens that makes Kraden and the other old guy break out laughing hysterically, and we get the key.

We enter, and the treasure that's supposed to guide us is...a small rock. After confirming that security on the place was too tight for anyone to have gotten the treasure and that this really is it, we decide to pick it up and just trust that it will work. Thusly do we get the Third Eye. (link is to Danbooru, so ads may be NSFW) And that...seems to be all I can do here. To the seas!

We continue to sail along the edge of the eclipse and end up in Tonfon, capital of Sana. Oh, so this is Sana! It, too, looks like medieval China. I hop along some crates for a mint, upgrade my weapons at the shop (sadly, it seems like it's finally time to say so long to the Sword of the Dusk), and Slap a man awake so that he can bring the ferry to a spot where I can use it to get to a Mars Djinni. Also, there have been multiple mentions of a Lemurian Captain with the bearing of a warrior, who apparently was expecting us. Is Piers here? Also mentioned: our eighth member. Almost time for a full party!

Meanwhile, Lady Hinechou is grieving the loss of her children, who she believes to be dead. We know better than that, though. Apparently Ryu Kou and the others haven't made it home yet. We learn of something called an Echo Gem that works in pairs and provides communication at long distance, kind of like a magical walkie-talkie. Also, apparently something is very important in a drawer in the lady's room, because another NPC keeps moving to block my way. Exploration complete, I approach the emperor's chamber...ah, but of course; Kraden is the one who was expected. It's useful having a famous sage such as him in the party. We discuss how Luna Tower was raised, and when Tuaparang is mentioned, Unan calls them "the self-styled 'Zenith Tribe'." Of course, Tyrell brings up Ryu Kou's role, and I obviously reply because I know how they're connected to the royal family. Everyone is worried about their chances of survival, but Tyrell is oddly optimistic. Then come introductions, and Kraden asks about items brought back from Morgal. Emperor Unan reveals a hidden room behind a bookcase. Wow, we haven't seen one of those in this series yet! Add another one to the trope list! Apparently it was built by Emperor Ko in order to bring treasures into the country in secret. Inside, we get a psy crystal, Lord Sun's Ring, the Umbra Gauntlet, and...

"It's just an empty pot...No wait! There's something at the bottom!"

"It's just somebody's gum..."

Best fakeout ever. Anyway, I'm curious about the Umbra Gauntlet. "Umbra" means "shadow", so this could be something important...or it could be a cursed item. Sveta seems to be the only one who can equip it, but my, is it ever an upgrade—45 defense and 20 Wind and Water resistance, and she had been using regular old Gauntlets, +23 defense and no special abilities. Also, not cursed. As for Lord Sun's Ring, it boosts Criticals and also gives a slight boost to Attack. I take it for myself. Still, something troubles me, regarding a chest I saw and even did something to aid my cause in getting to (Growth to make a vine go up to a higher platform), but couldn't reach. I check again and find an exit from Lady Hinechou's second-story room, going out onto the ledge and reaching the area I'd seen but couldn't reach with the help of Grip. The prize is a Dragon Bow. I give it to Amiti, then give his yew bow to Karis, move her Sylph Rapier over to myself and give the Swift Sword to Eoleo.

...Okay, so now what?

edited 10th Dec '10 1:04:38 PM by spiritsunami

I exit Tonfon on land, trying to skirt the eclipse, but that gets me nowhere, so I charge in. Damn these enemies are tough; luckily I've got both Rief and Karis on the sidelines healing after every battle. Damned if I don't find anything there, either. On the plus side, those enemies make for great Level Grinding. I might have to try that for real at some point. I head back to the ship, and...cutscene! Rief asks Kraden why Nowell wasn't with him in Belinsk. And...she's in love with Piers and decided to stay with him after he was done ferrying the two of them to Belinsk. Well, at least she's safe... Next port. Ah, it's Champa! Eoleo's home. Hopefully a warm welcome will be awaiting us... Oh yeah, that's a warm welcome. And...then they start asking about Briggs. ...

Also, Obaba is apparently still alive. She's got to be well over 100 by now... Time for the usual rummaging. Wait...why is there a Djinni hanging from a tree? (Because he's hungry) Insight says that Slap is the way to get it out of the tree...surprisingly, it doesn't fight us, maybe because we knocked the fruit down as well. It's Fugue. Time to check out the weapons and armor shop...

Holy.

Shit.

The Mysterious Robe, the absolute best armor for spellcaster-types in the last game, is already available. Before we even have all eight members of our party. Of course, right now we can't afford it, but... I also realize that there is only one spellcaster-type in the party, and even he is somewhat warriorlike. Nobody in the party has a full-party healing Psyenergy. I really need to change this party configuration. I switch Karis and Sveta.

Actually, where we landed was the Champa Camp. The village proper is inside the eclipse, and we have to go in to meet with Obaba. There are other Champans building fires to keep enough light around to dispel the darkness for Obaba's sake. I find a path to a cave, but all that's inside is a locked door. Got to hand it to them, though, I haven't encountered a single monster since I got in here. I also get confirmation that Sveta's Spirit Sense is just Mind Read rather than being a combination Mind Read/Reveal, as I see the familiar circle of 6 (in this case, gravestones) and can reveal nothing. Hmm...save often. I want to make sure I explore all of the rest of Champa before meeting with Obaba, since I have a feeling the fires will go out after I've met with her.

A cutscene shows us Eoleo's Thermal Psyenergy, which creates an updraft of warm air. That makes it seem like the first fork I picked was the one that heads towards plot advancement. Better check the other paths first. Eh, nothing down one. The other has a Water of Life, though. Save. Remarkably, we find an oil drop in this place, despite the fact that nearly everything is on fire. How are we not suffering in this place, anyway? One of the side rooms houses the cave-door key. Okay, ready to go.

Obaba is pleased to see Eoleo, and is glad that he was making friends rather than being captured by beastmen (which is exactly where he was when we found him). Then she recognizes Kraden, though she forgets his name and calls him Kradle. ...Oh, Obaba's going to be our forger! If I'm not mistaken, we already have a forgeable item, one Quality Zol. She takes it, and Growth provides a shorter path down. On to the cave... Three treasure chests, but all are just piddling amounts of gold. We also push a pillar with a hot air current into a gap so we can use it...and in the hidden chamber, find a real treasure—a piece of Orihalcon, the best forgeable material there is! Oh, and bonus! We don't have to pay for equipment like we did with Sunshine! We get a Verdant Sword out of the Zol. It's a Light Blade, and definitely seems to be Wind-themed, so Karis is the most logical choice...but based on where the weakest weapon is currently, it seems to make more sense to give it to me or Tyrell and hand that person's weapon to Eoleo. Then again, Karis has the least natural attack to fall back on, so she deserves this—it's by far our strongest weapon. Well, for all of about a minute, anyway, as we hit the jackpot and got an Excalibur out of the Orihalcon. Let's see, Lord Sun's Ring, Aegis Shield, Warrior's Helm...looks like I'm a critting machine. I take Excalibur, give Tyrell the Sylph Rapier, and give Eoleo the Giant Axe. I'm once again at a loss as for where to go. Good news, though—the yew bow alone was enough to cover the remaining cost of the Mysterious Robe. I buy it for Karis.

edited 10th Dec '10 2:10:00 PM by spiritsunami

Another coastline, just barely into the eclipse radius. Odd, though, that town looks familiar...these dark creatures seem easier than the ones near Tonfon. Do they scale based on the level of the monsters normally in a given area? Because it was familiar for a reason—it's Ayuthay. Must've gone too far west...maybe. I return to the ship, fleeing one battle, and get back outside the radius, sailing around the suspicious peninsulae. There's an island with nothing apparently on it just off the end of one of them, and just a single tree on the map. Naturally, I disembark and wander around in circles, expecting a wild Djinni. There appears to be no enemy data for the island at all, however. I come to another island with a big mountain (volcano?) in the middle of it. At the top of a spiraling path, we find...a firmly shut door. A sparkling firmly shut door. That's all the updating for now because the power light went red again and my laptop is away being serviced.

edited 10th Dec '10 2:26:43 PM by spiritsunami

Or...not. I continue westward and find my way back at Konpa Ruins, picking up a cookie that I'd missed, then head east to see what's further from the coastline of the mainland. I find some little islands without beaches, and then I come upon an island that's actually shaped like Japan, which can only be Izumo Yamata. (Yes, actually, that was where I got the name from.) And that means our eighth party member!

Actually, it turns out Izumo was destroyed by massive tsunamis , and everyone moved to Yamata City. So apparently Susa and Kushinada from the last game are King and Queen now, and they have two children, Takeru and Himi. Himi's sick, and Takeru went off somewhere as the result of a vision Himi had. Time to check the weapons/armor shops...there are a couple new weapons, but none that are strong enough to displace what I already have. Amiti gets a spirit armlet, and we give Rief the Aura Gloves and sell off his bone armlet.

Oh my. Himi's prophecy involves Isaac being in danger! Hmm...a pillar is decorated with a rope. I move it, and find...cracked ground. Crush, maybe? Yep. I confirm with Insight, do it, and...Kite get! One of my favorite Jupiter Djinni! And the Djinn count is high enough that I only need to keep one of my Venus Djinn on standby now, because I can have 7. Hmm... this house has a chest in it, but no apparent way to get there nor alternate entrances...ooh, we can roll the hay bales! Power bread is the prize. There are some ruins, but all that they hold is Lady Uzume's grave.

I enter the palace and start rummaging. A look at the kitchen elicits a sashimi joke, and then we get an encyclopedia entry on Yamata City and learn that the Island itself is called Nihan. Okay, we get it; it's fucking Japan! We see Himi being treated, then talk to Susa. We learn that Kraden has been keeping in touch with Piers via carrier pigeon, and Tyrell expresses incredulity at the method's effectiveness. Kraden says it hasn't failed him yet, and that if he could teach it to throw fireballs it would put Tyrell out of a job. We hear Queen Kushinada praying, then she faints and Susa leaves. We check on everyone, then approach Himi. The Third Eye jumps out of our inventory and starts glowing. Then Himi wakes up. She was the one chosen by the Watchtower's treasure. SUSA DEMANDS MORE OF AN EXPLANATION! Himi starts floating in the air and gives the explanation. She also refers to the phenomenon as a "Grave Eclipse". The tower is siphoning all the light from the world and emitting darkness. Himi says we need to amplify the light entering the tower with a device called the Apollo Lens. It's connected with the other Alchemy Machines we've powered. We must first remove the lock, however...is that what's on that volcano island? It says that one must be clothed in shadow in order to do that...

I think we've already gotten one important item for that—the Umbra Gauntlet. Likely, it's part of a whole set of items that must be worn. This is soon confirmed.

Himi: The key is in Ei-Jei. The lock is in the central continent. The Umbra Gear is scattered around the world.

Well, so much for that volcano island being part of it, unless it's got another piece of Umbra Gear. Himi's got a Psyenergy called Search, which sounds like a Venus-based version of Reveal. To Champa!? They also mention that Morgal's oldest records include an Umbra map. So...back into the belly of the beast (no pun intended) and Belinsk, then? Nope, Sana took them. Back to Tonfon, then. Susa stops us as we leave and tells Jimi to pay her respects at Uzume's grave before she goes. I'm sure there will be a good item or something. And...Uzume possesses the dancing doll, complete with Ghost Lights, and speaks to her niece. She says to "use the eye and the hand" on the stone behind her, then mentions finding the lock in the ruins and getting the key from the emperor of Tonfon. I use the eye, but see nothing. Turns out it was just the wrong order, though; Insight tells me that Move will work, and sparklies are on the ground under the big stone. I use Search, and it becomes a teleporter. I get a Water of Life and a Masamune, which I give to Tyrell and let Himi have the Sylph Rapier. By the way, Himi really screwed up our Djinn count. She had four Venus, one Mars, and one Jupiter, giving us 13 each of Jupiter and Mars, 12 Venus, and 11 Mercury. A tablet says, "When both gems shine, the eye of truth opens and reveals the light".

The edit button isn't working (it's erasing everything), so here we go with an add-on. "The crimson gem points the way to the one who sleeps beneath the land." I can't find a way to the other side, though I'd imagine it would have something to do with a blue gem...like maybe the one Sveta got from her brother. We also outfit Himi with a Blessed Robe and the Bone Armlet. I head back to Champa and am surprised to learn that Search does nothing at the graves. I use Insight and find...that Sveta's Spirit Sense will work on the graves? Weird... I try it out, but just get useless NPC blather from dead people.

Dead Person: Man, even death can't get "Lake Bycal Moonlight" out of my head!

Arriving at Sana Palace, we learn that if anyone would have the map now, it would be Ryu Kou, as the Emperor gave it to his brother a long time ago. L Ady Hinechou is apparently hiding her Echo Gem in the dresser, according to Spirit Sense. I'm thinking...maybe we need to Slap the gong to get everyone running so we can get to that dresser. Insight confirms this, and I let it rip. I get the Echo Gem, and it resonates approximately WNW. Into the Grave Eclipse...

Bonus note of awesome: with 6 Venus Djinn equipped, Himi's class is "Mystic Miko". Awesome.

Endless Wall found. (No shit, really?) Was this here last time, and I just missed it? I get a Lucky Pepper then ride a Thermal to the upper levels, where I finally find enemies. The Fenrir...that's a normal enemy, right? The ludicrous amount of EXP it yields suggests otherwise. We hit a roadblock, as we need three treasures and seem to only have one. (The Blue Orb.)

I try the Echo Gem. Still northwest. I'm heading back to the ship—thought I saw something vaguely promising...damnit! There are chunks of ice in the water preventing me from reaching what is quite obviously a beach! I exit the shadow and try the Echo Gem again. Back to west-northwest. I get as far north as Harun, and it's still not due west. Is it pointing to that foggy patch on the map? I enter the fog and try again, but it's too foggy to even see what direction it's pointing. I get to just outside the fog, and it seems to be pointing back into it...no, even past the fog, it still points westward! Is it...Imil? ...I see a shipwreck! Nowhere to dock, though...and yeah, it's definitely pointing at that shipwreck. Dinner's here in the real world, so I'm signing off.

edited 10th Dec '10 4:40:43 PM by spiritsunami

I finally manage to dock at the Iceberg Outpost, which is surprisingly close to the northern end of the eclipse radius. Hou Ju and Ryu Kou are safe, because Hou Zan almost died protecting them. Ryu Kou gives us the Umbra map. I then scrounge around and get a Lucky Pepper, the Mercury Djinni Rime, and...a Minerva Helm? Whoa! Oh, and a Mythril Silver—take to Champa.

Karis marks off the map, four locations. We already have one piece, and another appears to be on sparkly volcano island—which I'm pretty sure we'll be able to get into now that we have Himi, as sparkles seem to indicate that we need Search. We're told to head back to Sana first, though, to drop off our rescuees. Unfortunately, we can't make the entire trip outside the eclipse. We drift a bit too far west trying to stay out of the eclipse and find ourselves staring down Mercury Lighthouse. We'll have to return here to go after another piece of Umbra Gear. I then decide to check out how our other members fare in combat. Himi's got a cool psyenergy called Roaring Dragon, as well as the Thorn and Growth series. Eoleo's pretty cool, too, with a Psyenergy called Vicious Chop, as well as the Beam and Fume series.

Our path to Lady Hinechou's room is blocked, but upon heading upstairs in the main building, we see a cutscene with a distraught Lady Hinechou, apparently telling the emperor about the lost Echo Gem, and her advisor suggests that a thief took it. This wangst about how now she's never going to see her children again is interrupted by said children returning home. What does that make us? "Big Damn Heroes, sir!" Ain't we just? Lady Hinechou thanks us profusely again, and Hou Ju seems to be on the verge of Rescue Romance. We get Lady Moon's Ring, which provides Defense and Resistance to all elements. I give it to Karis. Then we return to speak to Unan. He had information about our search for the Apollo Lens, from a man who calls himself...Arcanus. ALEX YOU MAGNIFICENT BASTARD! Alex told Unan that there would be warriors looking to end the Great Eclipse, and that they'd be looking to use the Apollo Lens. Then he asked Unan to give said warriors a red gem. He then mentions that the Endless Wall does have an end point, and that the Apollo Lens lies buried just past that point. The door we couldn't open! Unan mentions the need for three treasures, which that is one of, and says that Arcanus said that we would already possess one of the other two—which we do. He also said we must place the two orbs in the statue to reveal the third. That would be back on Nihan, behind Uzume's grave...right? Himi's Third Eye starts glowing and confirms this. So many places to go...

Kraden wonders if Arcanus is really our enemy, or if he's helping in his own way, mentioning that he's "always been inscrutable". Karis and I both key on that wording. The others also start to question him, and he starts to talk about a man he once knew, then says it could wait. Karis, ever perceptive, realizes that he's an Adept and could be kin to one of them, and Rief understands that if that is the case, it could be painful to some or all of us if we have to fight him. (I'm thinking that yes, he probably is Amiti's father.) To many places, first of them being the nearest, Champa! (Mythril Silver, remember?)

Since I'm planning on trying to go awhile without updating, I'll give the results of the Mythril Silver now: one Silver Longbow. My first instinct is to give it to Amiti, but then I realize that the Dragon Bow is still the fifth-strongest weapon we have (the Silver Longbow being fourth), so I give it to Karis instead, pass her Verdant Sword to Tyrell, and give the Masamune to Himi and the Sylph Rapier to Eoleo. See, we have supreme flexibility when it comes to Light Swords because six of our eight party members can use them.

edited 10th Dec '10 6:25:38 PM by spiritsunami