08 - The Soldier's Heirloom

Quest 8 - The Soldier’s Heirloom

Rewards:

1,000 experience points

1,000 gold

The Bindings of Blood and Mind

Johan Oppangelsk Lesson

In order to start the next quest we need to head to Oppangelsk’s Hattery which is point 6 on the Ordolus City Map.

Johan Oppangelsk sells hats as the store name implies. Before we start any small talk, let’s see what he has to offer:

Feel free to browse his inventory but don’t buy anything just yet. Talk to Johan again and ask him about his last name. Oppangelsk will tell you a part of his story including his regret that he had to sell a family heirloom to start his business in Ordolus. He thanks Ardus for listening and gives him a 10% discount on the prices at the store! Now, you can buy something if you’d like.

New Character!

Johan Oppangelsk

Job:

Skill:

Past Job:

Creator Commentary:

Store owner

Hatter

Forstatian soldier

Johan Oppangelsk is modeled after Stellan Skarsgård and his last name is a combination of Robert Oppenheimer, noted theoretical physicist, and the Russian city Arkhangelsk.

While walking out of the store, Ardus decides to help Oppangelsk find his family heirloom, the ominously titled Bindings of Blood and Mind.

1. Ask about rare books at the Seaside Bazaar.

Head out the east exit of Ordolus and keep walking east until you reach the Seaside Bazaar. We visited this place earlier when helping Eventide. Kreutzfeld Rarities in the large bookstore at the northernmost part of the Seaside Bazaar. Go inside, talk to the man behind the counter and ask him about Johan’s grimoire. He will tell you to head to Camp Courtesy to find the buyer of the book.

Exit the store and walk west to enter Camp Courtesy.

2. Locate the book’s buyer near the Seaside Bazaar.

There are a number of exits from the Camp Courtesy map. Exit 1 is where we came in and leads back to the Seaside Bazaar. Exit 2 also leads to the Seaside Bazaar, but in a previously inaccessible area. Go through exit 2 to find a treasure chest in the Bazaar containing 200 gold!

Exit 3 leads to New Cadence which starts the ending to the game. Technically, you can get to the ending of the game at any time after completing the Forgotten Plantation quest.

The length and content of the ending will vary greatly depending on what quests you have completed, so we will ignore this exit for now.

Exit 4 is another way to get back to the path that leads to Ordolus.

Exit 5 is the cabin where we need to go next, but there’s one more exit we can go through.

Exit 6 is hidden behind a tall crate just behind the cabin. This leads to another section of the Camp located to the west of the cabin. Exit through the south of the secret alleyway to make it to a previously inaccessible treasure chest located in the Peninsula Outskirts map. Open the treasure chest to find the Big Book of Comebacks.

The Big Book of Comebacks will give you a 20% increase in the chance to negate and counter verbal damage, 10% from the skill Rebuttal Bonus and another 10% from just having the book equipped.

Head back to Camp Courtesy and enter the cabin at exit 5.

Talk to the sleeping man in the cabin and then enter the Mindscape to talk to him there. The man seems confused and distant. The next step is to try waking him up in the waking world.

3. Try to wake up the sleeping man in the cabin.

Talking to the man in the waking world again, Ardus tries to wake him up by punching him. Once this is unsuccessful, it is determined the best course of action is to follow him through the armory in the Mindscape version of Camp Courtesy. Go back to sleep in one of the beds.

In the Mindscape version of Camp Courtesy, you’ll notice a single enemy diamond floating around. Avoid this at all costs! This seemingly regular encounter is one of the optional super bosses for the game called the Final Horizon. It has 1,000,000 WP as an indication of its potency. We’ll eventually be able to handle it, but not until at least level 20 or more.

Walk past the Final Horizon and enter the Armory.

4. Explore the armory below Camp Courtesy in the Mindscape.

In Armory B1, Our goal is to follow the sleeping soldier all the way to Exit 6. To do that, we’ll need go back and forth to B2. Exit 2 leads to B2, so we should head there first. Along the way are two treasures at point A and B that give a warning when you try to open them. For now, we’re going to ignore the chests that are “marked with a strange symbol”.

The way forward isn’t entirely safe, though, and there are a number of new high-level enemies roaming the halls of the old armory. The quest journal suggests being at least level 15 before trying this quest for this very reason. The new opponents inside the armory are naturally themed after weaponry.

New Enemy!

Halbird

Willpower (WP):

Persuasion:

Elocution:

Experience:

AP:

3,030

400

240

100

Erudition (EP):

Confidence:

Resistance:

Gold:

Level:

180

120

Drop Rates:

AI Behaviors:

Creator Commentary:

Halbird’s are permanently in the logos state and can’t be changed to another elemental state.

They can use Moralize and Modus Ponens.

The halbird is a terrible pun based on the actual medieval poleaxe, the halberd. The Research journal description that it takes “16 strength and 12 dexterity to wield” is a reference to the stat requirements for the halberd in the From Software game, Dark Souls.

New Enemy!

Intelligence Testudo

Willpower (WP):

Persuasion:

Elocution:

Experience:

AP:

8,080

400

300

175

Erudition (EP):

Confidence:

Resistance:

Gold:

Level:

260

120

Drop Rates:

AI Behaviors:

Creator Commentary:

Intelligence Testudo’s have very high ELO and PER and can use the verbal damaging skill Opinion Poll.

They will always clear any elemental state inflicted on them, but they are innately weak to verbal damage and take 3 times as much damage from skills that use that damage type.

Testudo is a kind of Roman military formation from the Latin word for tortoise. The shields the Testudo holds are meant to resemble Roman scutums as well.

New Enemy!

Madius

Willpower (WP):

Persuasion:

Elocution:

Experience:

AP:

5,050

300

150

Erudition (EP):

Confidence:

Resistance:

Gold:

Level:

200

Drop Rates:

AI Behaviors:

Creator Commentary:

Madii will use the Reason All skill every three turns and try to capitalize on the party’s weakness by using Aggravating Fist.

If they appear alongside a Halbird, they will also start the battle in the logos state.

Madius is another terrible pun, in this case a portmanteau of mad and gladius. Gladius is the Latin word for sword.

Head down the stairs at exit 2 to enter Armory B2.

The treasure chests at points A, B, D, and E are all marked with a strange symbol so we will avoid them for now as well.

The treasure chest at point C, however, has a very useful book inside, Letters from the Northern Front. The chest is guarded by the strongest enemy in the armory, the Extraswordinary. If you are lucky, you can sneak past the large diamond enemy on the map. The Extraswodinary is much tougher than any of the bosses in the game faced so far, so keep that in mind when trying to defeat it.

New Enemy!

Extraswordinary

Willpower (WP):

Persuasion:

Elocution:

Experience:

AP:

65,535

300

200

Erudition (EP):

Confidence:

Resistance:

Gold:

Level:

256

300

Drop Rates:

AI Behaviors:

Creator Commentary:

The Extraswordinary is much more like an optional boss encounter than a normal enemy. It can counter the Malaise and Incoherent states with Tongue Twister and Bravado.

It’s get two attacks per turn where one of the skills follows a 3 cycle pattern. It will use Aggravating Fist, Choropleth Survey and then Tabula Rasa then repeat. It’s other attack each turn can be Prismatic Claw or PAthos Argument.

Also, it can use EP Nullify once it’s WP is less than 25%.

The toughest creature gets the best pun name too. This vicious sword’s design was inspired by Exor from Super Mario RPG.

If you intend to fight the Extraswordinary, keep in mind a few things. You will have to constantly use stat debuffs to bypass its very high CON and RES, so make use of Cult of Personality and Dysphemism. Never use PER or ELO debuffs on it (such as Interruption) or it will counter by buffing, which makes it’s skills fatal to almost all parties. The easiest way to handle the creature’s high WP is to apply states like Apathy (with John’s Ad Hominem skill) and use Gnostic damaging skills like Choropleth Survey.

The Letters from the Northern Front will teach you the Confidence Bonus + skill, but as long as the the book itself is equipped you will have a 150 point penalty to CON, the reasoning being the gruesome accounts in the book are harrowing while reading, but the lessons learned last a lifetime.

Work your way around the flooded B2 to the southwest stairs. Take exit 2 back up to B1 briefly. Talk to the soldier again, then follow him back down into B2.

We’re now on the south section of B2 and can make our way around to exit 4 which leads back up to B1 where we can finally confront the soldier.

At this point, if you’ve been following along with the guide, you will most likely have received Cynthia’s Research Manual.

After investigating 100 enemies either through the Investigate or Interrogate skills, Cynthia will announce at the beginning of the next rhetorical battle that she is confident that her notes are extensive enough to consider her journal a manual for reference on the Mindscape.

Back to the Armory, talk to the soldier near the bed to convince him he is asleep in the Mindscape and he needs to wake up. If the party has not disturbed any of the treasure chests with strange symbols on them, then the soldier will not accuse you of being thieves, realize he is asleep and voluntarily wake up. The entire party gets 500 bonus experience for showing restraint in this case.

If, however, you have disturbed any of the chests with the strange symbols, you will have anywhere from 1 to 7 Symbols of Avarice in your inventory.

If you have even 1 Symbol of Avarice in your inventory, the soldier will accuse you of being a thief. He is stubborn on this point and will have to be convinced otherwise. Time to fight a boss!

New Boss!

Eistancian Soldier

Willpower (WP):

Persuasion:

Elocution:

Experience:

AP:

42,000

520

250

200

Erudition (EP):

Confidence:

Resistance:

Gold:

Level:

300

120

Drop Rates:

AI Behaviors:

Creator Commentary:

Mercantile Dominance (100%)

The Soldier will counter attempts to inflict the Apathy, Demoralized or Incoherent states, but is susceptible to Malaise.

He can always use EP Nullify and will start using Haggle when his WP is less than 50%.

When he has less than 25% WP left, he will get two bonus attack every 3 turns where he will use Opinion Poll and EP Nullify.

The red knight is in the game because I love medieval themed RPGs but Logomancer is not one of those. The Mindscape allows room for interpretation though!

New Boss!

Eistancian Crest

Willpower (WP):

Persuasion:

Elocution:

Experience:

AP:

4,500

200

150

Erudition (EP):

Confidence:

Resistance:

Gold:

Level:

500

Drop Rates:

AI Behaviors:

Creator Commentary:

Each of the up to 7 Crests will choose a random state at the beginning of the fight. Depending on their state, they will use the appropriate elemental state skill and argument skill.

They can also use Second Wind at anytime and will counter the Apathy state with the Indictment skill.

Having the crests added to the fight based on the player’s obsessive need to collect treasure is a mean move, especially since that’s how I play games, but I thought it would be amusing so here we are!

To most efficiently take out the Eistancian Soldier, I’d recommend using Seduction to shut down his attacks for a few turns. While he is wallowing in self-pity, apply a logos state to him, raise his Research level to 5 and use Cynthia’s Treatise ability, and buff John with both Ardus’ Bravado and Eventide’s Tongue Twister skills. Once that setup is complete, have John use Sarchasm. The damage boosts from Bravado, Tongue Twister, Logos state, and Treatise all stack which could potentially hit the Soldier for 10,000 or more in a single turn.

For convincing the soldier he’s still asleep you get a Mercantile Dominance.

Rather than use the bed to quickly exit the Mindscape, head back through the Armory and collect all 7 of the Symbols of Avarice now. We’ll need them for a later quest and it is easiest to pick them up now.

Creator Commentary: The Symbol of Avarice’s name comes from the disturbing mimic helmet in the From Software game, Dark Souls.

5. Convince the buyer to part with Oppangelsk’s book.

Once you return to the waking world, the soldier will be waiting in the cabin. Talk to him. He explains that he fell asleep reading the cursed book. Ardus believes that his merely thinking it was cursed caused the Mindscape to latch on to his insecurities and guilt. The soldier gives up Oppangelsk’s book, The Bindings of Blood and Mind, free of charge as penance for implied transgressions during the war and then leaves for New Cadence.

Creator Commentary: The Bindings of Blood and Mind teaches the Resistance Bonus + skill but also lowers your RES by 100 when it is equipped. This is to imply simply reading the about the arcane knowledge in the tome is unsettling, but once the lessons have had time to sink in you are better equipped to understand the secrets it holds. Also, it might have been inspired by H.P. Lovecraft’s Necronomicon.

The Call of the Void skill, named after the translation of the French phase “L'appel du Vide”, is the real life phenomenon of wanting to jump off of high places or otherwise self-harm. These intrusive thoughts are not attached to any form of clinical depression or suicidal tendencies, though. The strength of the skill increases along with the user’s regret stat to reflect this.

6. Return to Oppangelsk.

Make the journey back to Oppangelsk’s Hattery and talk to Johan. He is ecstatic that you found his long lost family heirloom and insists on giving you 1,000 gold for your trouble. He also lets you borrow the book to read through it. The party can now equip Johan Oppangelsk’s lesson which teaches the Gravitas and Reinvention skills.

Creator Commentary: Because there’s never enough Dark Souls references, the font for the message when the Reinvention skill activates is the same as the font in Dark Souls used to announce when “You Died”, a painfully common message.

The last part of the walkthrough was Haunting Memories, the next part is Fill in the Blank

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