The Post Where Morte Comes Back

After a short rest, it’s time for more PS:T. Last time I finished up inside the Marketplace, where I had concluded that I needed to track down Lenny to get to the bottom of this situation with Trist, so that’s the first place I look once my group is back out in the Lower Ward. But nothing ever goes exactly as planned for me in this game, and as usual, I can’t find Lenny right away and end up getting sidetracked.  

In this case, it’s an interesting merchant by the name of Giltspur that catches my attention. After paying him ten coins for more information on Lothar the Master (I feel like I’m hunting for Pharod all over again), our conversation changes to jobs he may need done. Giltspur has a simple errand for TNO to run to The Print Shop. Since I’ve already been there early and the quest sounds easy, I gladly accept, and quickly head north to the location. 

A guy with the name of Giltspur should be running errands for me...

 Afterwards, with the task done, I return to Giltspur and get my payment along with another task: this one to visit Keldor of Durian at the Foundry and deliver a message. This brings back to the gate the Godsmen are guarding; earlier, I was denied entry, but with a message to deliver, I’m good to go.  

Inside the Foundry, TNO learns a little about the Godsmen faction, a strange group of factory workers that believe there’s something God-like in everyone. After a bit of wandering, I locate Keldor and deliver the message, hovering afterwards to ask him how I go about joining this faction. I still have yet become a member of any group, and I find myself curious about the process, so I decide to follow up on his instructions and speak with Alissa, the Foundry Supervisor in regard to the my first quest, which is to use the forge to create something beautiful out of something ugly. 

Alissa, who has horns in her forehead, tells me I’ll need a few items first if I want to use the forge: protections from the flames, a hammer, tongs, and an iron ore. What is this, a quest within a quest? At least I’m able to obtain the iron ore quickly from Thildon, an arrogant old man with shaggy white hair. With other things seeming more pressing at the moment, I leave the Foundry for now and decide to embark on other quests. 

It's great when following up on a quest leads to its own sub-quest.

 Back to wandering around the Lower Ward, I stumble across a few side quests. First, there’s Xanthia, who has some interesting information regarding the group of thokola warriors waiting by the Marketplace preparing for a battle with an abishai creature (evil bastards). Turns out she had a drink spilled on her fancy dress by Thorp, the most educated of the three thokola, and then told him she wouldn’t accept an apology from any but a true warrior. Thorp, eager to pay his debt to the lady, is waiting to come across an abishai and kill it, but little does he know it can only be killed with magic! TNO chastises Xanthia for not passing this information on to the thokola, and then promptly goes and does so himself, which is worth 6,000 points and some coins.  

I also come across Sebastion, who offers to help me with my stitches if I do his dirty work for him and kill Grosuk, an abishai by the siege tower to the northeast. In full side quest mode now, I agree, and decide to immediately head that direction to give a shot.  

Bad idea. Grosuk is impossibly tough, and owns TNO and the two companions (who are still near death from being resurrected admittedly) many times over, despite casting a variety of spells. Apparently, TNO needs to feel stronger a few more times before I can handle him. I mean, wow. Grosuk doesn’t mess around.  

The good part about going up to that area is that I accidentally stumbled across a portal that allows me access to the tower; the trick is to suppress the desire to enter the tower before entering, which TNO discovered in an earlier conversation with Lazlo. Anyway, inside is a giant creature name Coaxmetal; he makes weapons for the sake of the Entropy, whatever that means. Coaxmetal shares many theories on death and metal with TNO, and claims there is a weapon that can kill every living thing, including an immortal. This piques my curiosity, and I have TNO donate some blood to the cause in order to create a weapon that could kill him. Coaxmetal is successful in his creation, although he warns me it alone will not do the trick. I’ve had enough bizarre conversation with a giant being inside a tower for the time being, so I leave and resume my search for Lenny, which I was supposed to be focusing on this whole time. 

Coaxmetal's surprisingly friendly for a giant iron beast; maybe it's because he's melded to the wall.

 Turns out Lenny is to the south of the tower, and his appearance made him look like a common thug, which is probably why I overlooked him earlier. This time, TNO spots him, though, and accosts him. Lenny, though, isn’t interested in talking, until I reference Byron Pikit that is. Once I have Lenny’s attention, I have TNO get straight to the point: what happened to Trist’s papers? Lenny plays dumb, but TNO is too clever, and he’s quick to tell Lenny exactly what he thinks happened: Byron ordered him to steal the papers and destroy them, but he never really got rid of them. Lenny cracks under the pressure and tries to take off, but TNO grabs him and forces a confession, at which time Lenny reveals he was only trying to save Trist all along. It was his intention to double cross Byron all along. Unfortunately, Lenny doesn’t have the ability to get the papers himself; he’s stored them in the warehouse, and they’re not open for business. TNO offers to get them himself, and Lenny gives me a secret pass phrase that should result in Trist’s documents as well as incriminating evidence against Byron Pikit, also known as the mother lode.  

Our group runs quickly back to the north, where we give the phrase to the Vault of the Ninth World and leave with the necessary documents in tow. My first stop is to the Marketplace, where I get Byron Pikit off the streets by handing over the incriminating documents to Corvus (2,000 points). My next stop is to the auctioneer Deran, who I hand over the documents proving that Trist has paid her dues (4,000 points). Trist is freed from the slavery block and then rewards me with a thousand copper coins (the game decides I’m worth another 4,000 experience points to boot). Feeling warm and fuzzy from all the gratitude and accomplishments, TNO decides to pay a visit to one of the last unexplored places in the Lower Ward: The Coffin Maker. Yes, I’m purposefully avoiding the Wrecked House for now, because I don’t think I’m ready for Lothar.  

Inside The Coffin Maker’s building, I attempt to have a conversation with Dimtree, who turns out to be a zombie. TNO’s newfound ability to talk to the dead helps him engage in conversation with Dimtree, where he reveals that he’s completely miserable stuck in his current situation. Apparently, Sebastion is the only person that can help end his pain, so I vow to speak to him on Dimtree’s behalf. 

Poor Dimtree; he's a zombie, and far too aware of it.

 After paying a visit to Sebastion and convincing him Dimtree is cognizant of his misfortune, TNO finds that there’s really no direct way to help. Sebastion’s under contract in regards to Dimtree, and can’t just release him without hurting his reputation. After I speak with him about the possibility of releasing him myself, he cleverly leaves a book open revealing the spell to do just that, pretending he has no idea I’m reading it. With that unspoken agreement taken care of, I’m able to return to Dimtree and free him, which nets me 4,000 points.  

Having completed all these side quests, I decide I’m in no condition to take on Lothar or Grosuk just yet. Since there’s little else to do in the Lower Ward (or so it would seem for now at least), I decide it’s time to head back to The Hive, maybe take care of a little unfinished business from the earlier stages of the game.  

Utilizing the knowledge I’ve gained of The Hive, not to mention my veteran prowess of PS:T, I quickly resolve a number of quests that have been in TNO’s journal for quite some time. First, I pay a visit to Sev’Tai and alert her that I have exacted revenge on the Starved Dogs Barking, which is good for a small reward and a little experience. After perusing my journal carefully, I then visit the Gathering Dust Bar and free Angyar from his contract by pressuring Gravesend into believing that the poor man will never achieve True Death if the contract isn’t destroyed. I then return to Angyar’s house and tear the contract up in front of him. More gratitude ensues. Thirdly, with Pharod dead, TNO decides to come clean to Emoric about where he was getting the bodies, effectively breaking his vow, but to a dead man. That makes it okay, right? I considered lying about the method for quite a while before deciding to break the vow; not an easy decision. I get 2,500 points for my trouble, however, and mark off another quest in the process. 

There's no need to keep a vow to a dead man, right? Besides, Pharod had it coming to him... TNO still feels wrong about it.

 All this work has the desired effect, as TNO and his companions are racking up the points and doing a little leveling up as well, making us more prepared for the battles that await in the Lower Ward. I decide it’s time to return and reclaim Morte, but first, I revisit one last place: Pharod’s Court, where I find his dead body and promptly loot it, grabbing the bronze sphere and his crutch among other things. Annah feels little emotion over the death of her “father” and wishes to remain among the group, so the three of us raid Pharod’s secret stash together, using the crutch as the portal key. I don’t find much, although a lot of walking is certainly necessary. With everyone rested and healed, I head back to the Lower Ward.  

Before getting Morte, I decide to take another crack at Grosuk. With the full variety of spells available to me after resting, I hit the bastard with a Chromatic Orb spell, freezing him so TNO and Dak’kon can hack away at him. He’s much easier this time around; a little too easy, in fact. Returning to Sebastion nets TNO a permanent raise in the charisma category since he’s so much better looking now (“I feel hotter.” Seriously, he says that. Don’t believe me? Go play it again, you’ll see.). Only one thing left to do now…  

But the Wrecked House is not what I expected. Instead of running into rooms and rooms full of evil mages I have to die repeatedly to overcome, Lothar turns out to be a man of reason, at least to an extent. He offers to make a trade for Morte, one skull for another. Lothar grants me access to a secret portal that takes TNO directly down to the Catacombs, where I’m to find an especially valuable skull in the crypts of Drowned Nations. 

Not only did I misunderstand this quest, I also didn't know what a divan was.

 Actually, I have to admit at the time of Lothar’s request, I don’t fully understand it. I mistakenly think Lothar is asking for the skull of the Dustman in the Catacombs (it makes sense, remembering Soego), and happily make a trip to the Catacombs to do as asked. It makes even more sense when I cast a spell on Soego and watch as he transforms into one of the rat creatures that took Morte; clearly Soego is not who was claiming to be. And lastly, for a nice complete package, Soego’s skull is available to be upon looting him body. Mission accomplished, right?  

Wrong, for a few reasons. One, Lothar’s minions are blocking my return path, and I make the mistake of telling them I have a skull, which they quickly take from me, turning hostile afterwards. That’s easy enough to fix, however; I simply reload and go back the long way, not using the portal shortcut. But when I approach Lothar about my find, there’s no option to give him Soego’s skull. Instead, he merely asks if I found what he requested, and I have the same dialogue options I had before I left at the beginning of the quest: Not yet, or There was nothing to find, which I had previously assumed was an option to bluff my way out of the quest. Seeing no alternate option at this point, I choose it, and am surprised to be rewarded with experience points. 

Ahhh! Soego's a rat! Seriously, I knew it all along.

 Although this enrages Lothar, he’s still willing to make a trade — if I can find him some kind of valuable skull in the Catacombs. Fortunately, Soego’s skull apparently suffices, as that dialogue option appears next; it appears I was one quest ahead by sheer accident. Again, my reading comprehension fails me, although in an oddly successful way for once. 

After receiving an acceptable skull as a trade, Lothar is happy to return Morte, and he also gives me some background information on why TNO is immortal. ‘Twas a hag by the name of Ravel who cast the spell in the first place, but she’s since been mazed, and as such will prove very difficult to find. Lothar then grows tired of our revealing conversation and teleports me out when I try to strike up another conversation with him. Oh, well. I’ve got Morte back, and that’s all that matters.  

My slate is surprisingly clean at this point, readers. Sure, there are a few unsolved quests in my journal, but nothing huge. For the most part, I’ve taken care of all the important quests that lead up to this point, and now there’s nowhere left to go but directly to the Upper Ward, or the Clerk’s Ward as it’s apparently referred to as. The four of us are rested, fully healed, and stronger than ever before. It’s time to get some fucking answers!