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[R^2]

Hilda: Your life force is strong indeed.
Firion: It was you who saved us, wasn't it. Thank you. Forgive me, Your Highness, but there is something I must ask of you. Please allow us to join the rebel army!
Hilda: I could never allow such a thing. You know nothing of battle.

Hey, that's not true! They've been in a battle already, and...

Hilda: You would only be throwing your lives away.

Oh, right.

Hilda: You should return to your homes.
Maria: But... we have no homes. Not anymore... The imperials attacked, and our parents... Our parents...
Hilda: I am truly sorry, but even so, this changes nothing. I cannot permit you to join our army. If you've nowhere else to go, you're welcome to stay here in Altair. If you know our password, you should be able to live here well enough.


Hey, how come that phrase is in red?


Dialog tree options, that's why. This game has a simple (I think there are sixteen phrases total) learn-and-ask system of getting information from NPCs.


Once you learn a phrase, you can ask about it to get extra information, like so:


Hilda: It represents our hope for a future that flourishes in both strength and beauty. But what will become of Fynn now? I've heard that the empire's captives have been taken there and suffer even as we speak. Maria, your brother Leon is missing, is he not? It's possible that he's being held in Fynn as well. But Fynn is far too dangerous now. The emperor's beasts still stalk the streets. Gaining entrance to the city will not be easy... The man at my right is Minwu, the white wizard who tended to your wounds. Speak with him before you leave. He may be of some assistance.

Usually asking about an item doesn't get a response quite so wordy.


Minwu: The future it holds seems closely entwined with my own. You will begin by journeying to Fynn. That is the first step toward realizing your fate.

But Hilda just told us not to... oh, right. It's an RPG. If someone tells you to do something, you must immediately go and do that thing. If someone tells you not to do something, you must immediately go and do that thing.

[R^2]

So, let's wander around and talk to people.

Royal Guard: The port of Paloom lies not far east of here. But a lake separates us, so you won't be able to reach the town without a canoe.

The color means it's a special word, in this case a key item, but it's not one to memorize and ask people about.

Naysayer: Heading to Fynn, are we? It's not my place to tell you what to do, but I'd reconsider if I were you. It's a dangerous place to be, you see. The city is crawling with the empire's monsters. To the north lies a small village called Gatrea. Judging by the look of you, you'd be lucky to make it that far.

He then tells you about the game tutorial that's been set up in the sigil room where Firion recovered, but I'm skipping that for this LP because I'll be summarizing it later.


King of Fynn: My daughter, Hilda, now serves as regent. You should speak with her.

Royal Guard: You're in the rebel hideout in the town of Altair.

Boy: Gordon, the prince of Kashuan, is hiding out here in Altair. I don't know what happened, but something has made him lose faith in himself.

Girl: Princess Hilda fled here when Fynn was sacked. She's doing a remarkable job of leading the rebel army while His Majesty recovers.

[R^2]

And in the town proper...


Paul: The imperial coffers have kept my purse fat with gil lately!

If you ask him about Wild Rose:

So I guess the only reason you're going around telling everyone that you're a thief and steal from the Empire is because you're in a rebel base, and are somewhat unlikely to get arrested or executed for it? Because most thieves don't advertise.

Youth: This is the town of Altair. The imperial forces haven't been deployed this far out yet. I suppose it's only a matter of time, though...

Boy: Tobul, the fellow over in that weapon shop, is one fine blacksmith, he is. I think something's been bothering him lately, though.

NPC who uses the same "young male" sprite as all the others: Paul's a skilled thief, but don't worry, you can trust him. He only steals from the imperials.


Gordon: Now I'm nothing but a coward. When my brother, Scott, fell in battle, I abandoned my kingdom and fled here.

Ask him about Wild Rose:

Oh no, quite the opposite! But we're headstrong youths with nothing to lose and a lot to prove, so we're doing it anyway!

Gordon: I'm so afraid Hilda will turn me away that I haven't even asked her. I've been stalling here. I'm just a spineless coward. Go ahead, laugh. I deserve it.


Ask him about Wild Rose...

[R^2]

There are six stats in the game: Strength, Stamina, Spirit, Agility, Intelligence, and Magic. They all do about what you'd expect. Strength determines weapon damage; Stamina and Spirit factor into HP and MP growth; Agility begets evasion; and Spirit, Intelligence, and Magic are for magic spells.

Firion is well-rounded, Maria is a squishy black-mage type, and Guy is slow but strong.


What this game doesn't have is a level-and-class system. In battle, what you do determines which of your stats go up, and they all go up mostly independent of one another. If you read my SaGa Frontier LP, this is the game that spawned the growth system in that one.


At the end of a fight, if you lose some HP, your maximum HP or Stamina might go up. If you cast any spells, you might get MP and Magic -- and Spirit if it was a white magic spell, Intelligence if it was black. If you dodged any attacks, your Evasion goes up. Attacking with weapons boosts Strength.

This was a terrible system when it was on the NES, partly because it was so slow and partly because practicing physical stats made magic stats go down, and vice versa. That game was best won by having your characters smack each other around in combat to practice enough for a stat gain, and even then it paid to overspecialize: one weapon master, one white wizard, one black wizard.

In this version, stats are gained faster, and never go down. By the end of the game, everyone should be a practiced gish.


There are also skills with each sort of weapon and shields. The higher a character's skill level with the weapon they have equipped, the more hits they get with that weapon in a turn. Having a high level of shield means the character is more likely to evade attacks.


Spells level up independently of one another, too. Spells are learned by Tome items, which teach a character a spell and are consumed in the process. Rather than having e.g. Blizzard, Blizzara, Blizzaga, and sometimes Blizzaja, this game just has a power level for the Blizzard spell ranging from one to sixteen. The more you practice, the more powerful your spells become.

Every spell I've found so far costs 1 MP per spell level. Black magic spells do more damage at higher levels, Cure spells heal more HP. Status spells, from Protect and Shell to Sleep and Toad, are more likely to hit their intended targets at high levels.

: If you get hit, your Stamina and HP go up. If you don't get hit, your Evasion goes up. If you strike with a weapon, your Strength and weapon skill (and shield skill if you're equipped with one) go up. If you use a black magic spell, skill with that spell, your MP, your Intelligence, and Magic will go up. If you use a white magic spell, skill with that spell, your MP, your Spirit, and Magic will go up.

I've had stats go up in ways that break that trend (HP and Strength go up for a character who didn't even act in a brief combat), so I think there's some inevitability factor to stat growth. That's definitely a revision for this version that wasn't on the NES, and is definitely a good thing.

[R^2]

Signpost boy: This is the village of Gatrea. Fynn is just over there across the lake, see?

Elder: The imperial forces have occupied Castle Fynn. The gates are drawn and no one can enter. And with the imperial troops and monsters roaming the streets, the city isn't any better off.

Woman: Gatrea and Altair haven't fallen into the clutches of the empire yet. But once the Dreadnought is complete, nothing will be able to stop the empire.

Man: There's a pub just on the outskirts of Fynn. When the empire invaded, the barkeep didn't make it out in time. They say he's still working there, pouring drinks for the imperials.


Like in Final Fantasy... Legend? I think? How much the inn costs depends on how banged up you are. There's probably an HP/MP-to-gil ratio that I never cared to work out.


Without a canoe, we have to walk around the lake to get to Fynn.


And as promised, the castle is inaccessible.


Firion: We have to be careful. Make sure not to get too close.


Hah! Nonsense! I'll take on all the imperial officers myself!




Ow. Oh. Oh dear.

Okay, let's try that again, not actually talking to any of the Captains wandering around the town or blocking most doorways.

[R^2]

Barkeep: You'll find a secret door in this wall. There's a wounded soldier back there. Go see if you can help him. Hrm? What am I going to do? I've had it with this place. You guys can take it from here. Don't let us down!










Scott, prince of Kashuan: My name is Scott. I am a prince of Kashuan.
Firion: Prince Scott? We were told you fell in the battle. Thank goodness you're still alive!
Scott: I am, but not... not for much longer. I am afraid I must ask... a favor of you. There's something you must... must tell my brother, Gordon. Tell him I know he has... great strength. He must... learn to have more faith in... in himself. I also have a message for the king. Tell him the reason Fynn... Fynn fell so quickly is that... Count Borghen betrayed us. He's been made a... a general in the imperial army. There is one more thing. Tell Hilda... Tell Hilda that I love her.

He shakes his head.

Scott: No. No, don't deliver that... last message. The confessions of a dying man... They would only bring her pain.
Maria: My... my brother, Leon. Have you heard of him?
Scott: I'm sorry... but I have not. I wish I could be of more help. Here. I want you to... to take my ring.


The ambiance in the room visibly darkens.


Then why'd you get out of bed in the first place, ya--




...oh.


Not even the "you got a key item" fanfare is particularly cheery.

[R^2]

On the way back to Altair, I get lost on the world map and stumble into a group of monsters that, like the Black Knights, I can't possibly win against or flee from before I'm slain.


Save often, don't sequence break, and check your world map often.

Oh yeah. Scott's ring lets you check the world map. That would have been helpful to know before I wandered into this bomb-infested swamp.

[Rico]

There's really nothing stopping Omega from doing his signature attack -- Wave Cannon? I forget what it was -- every turn. So he uses it a lot. Without a White Mage to cast Healaja...

I can't keep up with that kind of damage output.

Shinryu casts Flare as much as he likes, in this case chaining two together on consecutive turns. There's no Shell status in this game like there is later, you only have protection spells against fire, ice, and electric attacks. Flare, being nonelemental, is one you just have to suck up.

So you know, I'll take the penalty for getting partywiped here (like in Dragon Quest, you lose half your gold). I really have no desire to fight monsters this stupidly strong.

If it makes you feel any better, Omega and Shinryu are both stronger than the extra superboss they put at the end of the PSP bonus dungeon.

[R^2]

Once you realize you're carrying a world map, it's easier to find your way back to civilization.




Also available on the Learn/Ask menu is the ability to show people Items you've found. So let's see how Gordon reacts to the news that his brother is well and truly dead and maybe he wouldn't be if Gordon weren't such a simpering chicken-wuss.




...that's it? Fine, I'll show Hilda instead.


Hilda: Is he... Is he alive?
Firion: He gave us this ring in Fynn... just before he lost the last of his strength.
Hilda: Did he... Did he say anything?
Firion: No... Nothing. Your Highness... Please. The ring belongs with you.
Hilda: No. Keep it. It suits men of courage. You infiltrated Fynn and returned to tell the tale. You've proven yourselves quite capable. It would seem I underestimated your strength. I would have you lend that strength to our cause.

Because this is an RPG, and nothing is ever going to get done for our side unless I do it personally.

Hilda: There is a magical metal known as Mythril, and we need strong warriors if we are to obtain it.

Learn the word, then ask about it.


Hilda: The empire fought with weapons and armor made of mythril. I have charged Josef, a man living in Salamand, with the task of finding a source of mythril. I do not know the cause, but we've been out of contact with him for some time now. Would you go with Minwu to Salamand and look into this?


...the words she just said ten seconds ago?

Minwu: To reach Salamand, we must first pass through the port town of Paloom. Take my canoe and let us be on our way.


Neato!


Double neato!


Gordon: My brother was very fond of that sword... It truly was a magnificent blade.

If you mention Mythril to Gordon, he just continues thinking about people who are less of a total fuckup than he is in a different context.


Even the blacksmith doesn't say anything helpful, other than letting you know where to drop the stuff off once you find it.

[R^2]

As an expert White Mage, Minwu has all the spells you'd need to keep a party running, and at surprisingly high levels, too.


Hilda: They're building the Dreadnought in Bafsk to help compensate for those losses.

A red word! You know the drill by now, right?


Hilda: The Dreadnought itself is a massive, heavily armed Airship.

Again!


Hilda: ...a ship that sails the skies. But the airship captivated him, mind and soul, and he soon left Fynn. We are poorer for his absence. I am told he now lives in Poft, granting travelers passage on his airship... for a price. He then uses this money to make further refinements to his airship. Or so the story goes.

[R^2]

Naysayer: Whelps like you could never make it on foot!

You can in fact walk all the way to Salamand, but it's a schlep.

Man: You should be able to use that canoe to cross the lake to the east and reach the port of Paloom.

Everyone else just talks about how damned important Mythril is, and how you need to go find some, and how they're counting on you, and so on. RPG stuff.

Right, so let's have a looksee...

Oddly, the world map loops around on itself. There's only one continent with a single small island off to the northeast. Fynn is the white dot pictured, and the two yellow dots are Paloom and Poft, where the ferry can take you for a small fee. Salamand is a red dot bit northwest of Poft.




As in the first game, the canoe lets you travel on rivers and lakes, but not oceans. Well, the one ocean, anyway.


It's a short stroll to Paloom once you're out of the canoe.

[R^2]

You can't get on the ship before you pay this guy.

Another Sailor: The empire hasn't attacked Paloom or Poft... At least not yet.

Another other Sailor: The ship headin' out of our little port will take you straight to Poft.

Old Salt: Bafsk, Salamand... Once you pass Poft, they say all the cities are under the control of the empire.

Crusty Seaman: Now there's a fine lass. How's about you and me go have a drink?
Maria: With you? Not a chance!

Strumpet: Paloom's a town of freedom. Wanna settle down here with me, handsome?

With you? Not a chance!


Oops, spent all my money on new weapons and spells. Gotta go do some fundraising with the local monsters.


There we go. It's awfully good of those hellspawn to carry a bit of the local currency for me.




It's a ferry, so you have no control over where the ship goes. It takes you straight to the Poft port, saving you the walk.

[R^2]

Another town, another infodump.

Barkeep: Bafsk, the city to our east, is under the control of the empire. They're building something terrible there...


Sure enough, you can ask the guy behind Cid to get pretty much anywhere that's been mentioned so far. The further it is from Poft, the more expensive it is -- all the way to Altair is 700 gil -- and it's a one-way trip. If you go to Paloom or Altair, the ferry stays at Poft, too, so you have to walk back.


Cid has some strong opinions about the Dreadnought, should you ask him.

Airship crew: Have you seen the airship? It belongs to a fellow named Cid who lives right here in Poft. He's the only one around who can fly it.

Another airship crew: You lookin' for Cid? He's probably over in the pub. I hear a few gil will get you a ride on that airship of his.


Salamand is a short hike from Poft, so I walk instead of paying Cid to take me.


The monsters have gotten a little stronger, but nothing I can't handle... or recover from, thanks to having Minwu in the party.

[R^2]

I must admit that with a name like "Salamand" I was expecting someplace a mite warmer.


Another town, another infodump...

Wife: The empire's enslaved the men of Salamand and forced them to work in the cave at Semitt Falls. Please, you have to help them!

Widow-to-be: Semitt Falls is beyond the mountain range to the south of Salamand. That's where the empire's been mining its mythril.


Well, we tell him the rebel password.

Josef: You're here for Lady Hilda? A little short in the tooth, aren't you? You kids can't fool me.

Okay. Dreadnought?

Josef: Of course I've heard of it! An abomination of an airship is what it is.

Great, we're getting somewhere. Let's talk about airships.

Josef: There's a guy who knows all about airships. But why should I tell you who he is?

Because I already know? Now you're just being a dick. Anyway, we came here with an actual job to do, so let's get down to brass tacks.


Josef: I don't plan on sharin' what I DO know with a bunch of perfect strangers. I'm gonna need you to do a little something to prove you are who you say you are. There's a bunch of people from Salamand who are being forced to work in the cave at Semitt Falls. Rescue them, and we'll talk.


Whatever, man.


This must be the place. There's the falls, and over there's the cave.

[R^2]

I don't know if it was ever intended to be Marsh Cave levels of player-screwery, but Semitt Falls is the first dungeon, and it's a big one.


There's a crystal that doesn't do anything on the first floor.


Rewards in here are mostly money. There are a few weapon upgrades, but I stick with the longswords I've got -- I haven't experimented much but I'm assuming better weapon skill trumps a few extra points of attack power by switching up to a new axe or mace.

As far as I can tell, for any given tier of weapons, the general progression is bow -> dagger -> staff -> spear -> sword -> mace/hammer -> axe. You can use bows from the back row to keep from getting hit (as long as anyone's in the front row, no one in the back row is targeted with physical attacks), but why would you avoid the chip damage when that's how you improve your HP? One of the first things I did in the game was take Maria out of the back row and give her a sword to fight alongside the men. It's the only way she'd survive in this hurly-burly, rough-and-tumble, Sears-Roebuck world.


But I digress. Semitt Falls.


There are, of course, new monsters to be found, including these odd-looking birds. How do they even live with beaks that big? Despite the giant heavy growths right on their faces, they're quick and prone to dodging physical attacks.


Semitt Falls introduces you to one of the more bothersome recurring traps in the game: a door in a dungeon probably leads to one of these rooms. It's empty. You start in the middle. There's nothing to the room at all... except the fantastically high encounter rate. You'll have to fight at least one and maybe three encounters in the four steps to the doorway to leave the room. These things are all over the place.


But you can't just not go in, because sometimes doors lead to the next level of the dungeon.


Or to holding cells full of slave labor.


Paul: You remember me, don't you? Paul, greatest thief in all the world? Am I ever glad to see you! This is Josef's daughter, Nelly. I think that dastard Borghen's been holding her hostage to threaten Josef.

That's not a typo. As we learned in my Ultima 4 LP, Dastard is the opposite of Honor.

Paul: Princess Hilda told you to bring her back some mythril, right? Well, that's normally where I step in. I figured out this was where the mythril was coming from easy enough. So I thought I'd get the jump on you guys and nab the mythril before you could get here. Only I messed up and got caught. ME, of all people! Well, I know when I'm in over my head... So long! But don't worry, I'll take everyone here with me. Thanks for saving us. I owe you one!


Sure, Paul. I'm sure we'll end up getting thrown into an imperial prison sooner or later and we'll be counting on you to bust us out before we do the hemp fandango, or whatever the Emperor does to the only rebels who actually accomplish something.

[R^2]

Once the slaves are freed, there's still more dungeon to explore.




Not bad. Tomes are pretty expensive, so getting one with a useful spell in it for free is not a bad deal.


It's a good thing Minwu is here. He's a crutch character for early game excursions to be sure, but giving the party a well-trained white mage for their first dungeon crawl is uncharacteristically nice for an early-NES Final Fantasy game.


Well to be fair, you are a guard. Presumably that chest has something important in it the rebels might want.


...not a bad taunt. 7/10


Our first dungeon boss!


We have some kinda-leveled magic to use, but not a whole lot of MP left to use it.


Sergeant uses physical hits and I think he has Bow as a special attack. On the other hand, I have a white mage who can reliably throw Protect and Blink over the whole party. Sergeant is really a warmup boss, and not terribly threatening.


Hah! Done!

[R^2]

Well, the goal is done. There's still more dungeon to loot. Teleport tomes are something like 1000 gil a pop, so getting this one for free is great.


...but comes with its own cost.


Oh, shit. And me without any MP left to cast Blizzard. Land Turtle has high defense but is weak to ice, you see.


Chipping away at his tough shell probably dulled my swords significantly, but thankfully this is not a game where weapons take noticeable damage.


So while I can teach someone Teleport, everyone's out of MP but Minwu. He could always have cast it, though, so I don't have to burn the tome on him just to leave Semitt Falls.


Getting patched up in Salamand is a significant investment after Semitt Falls.


The men are grateful to be free and the women are grateful that the men are free. So everyone's happy.


Also grateful: this little girl.

[R^2]

Josef: That cowardly Borghen had been threatening Nelly to get to me... Forgive me. If there's anything I can do to help, all you gotta do is ask.

Well, asking you about Mythril would only be helpful if we had to limp back here after freeing the slaves but before clearing the entire dungeon, since all you do is point out that there's old mythril deposits under Semitt Falls that merit investigation. I'm sure in the NES version -- this is further than I've ever gotten on that one -- would require a few return trips to Salamand in much the same way clearing the Marsh Cave or Cavern of Earth demanded a few trips of a low-level party in the first game.

And asking you about airships gets you to tell me about Cid, whom I've already met.

So anyway, tell me about this Dreadnought.

Josef: Since the Dark Knight took over, construction's been moving ahead a lot faster than before. I hear it may even be close to being done.

See, that's new information. I can't learn Dark Knight but I'm sure I'll be hearing a lot more about that guy.


With my winnings from Semitt Falls, I can afford some of the pricey tomes for sale in Salamand.

Skipping the lengthy trek back to Altair...


Walk into the throne room and be like "What up, I got a big hunk of magical metal ore."


Hilda: Please take the mythril to Tobul, the town blacksmith. I'm certain he'll be able to use it to make you some magnificent weapons.

You're welcome.


I wanna give you this mythril right here.


Tobul: I've been waiting for the chance to work this metal for as long as I can remember! Alright, leave the rest to me! Swords, armor, you name it, I'll start pounding it out. It's been too long since I let my hammer ring!

This conversation makes me vaguely uncomfortable.


Sure enough, every shop in every resistance-controlled town now has a vendor selling mythril weapons and armor, and they are indeed superior to the steel I'd been using up to this point. So Mythril Swords and Mythril Shields for everyone!

...but no Mythril Helms, Armor, or Gloves. Yes, everyone's been running around naked so far, and here's why: Evasion. Wearing any armor, even light and magical Mythril gear, encumbers each character enough that their Evasion takes a double-digit hit. And I am told that the way to win this game is by dodging, rather than tanking. And remember, Evasion only goes up after a battle if you successfully used it, so the agile get agile... er, and the slow get... well, they get those vitality and HP bonuses, but I don't feel like I'm behind on those either.

There's no skill for the use of armor that demands practice, so if I find this strategy is failing me I can always just slap everyone into a mythril suit and call it a day, but for now it seems to work okay. Even the ponderously slow Guy has his evasion around 30% at this point, and he has more HP than anyone for when that doesn't work out.

[R^2]

All right, that's over and done with. What's our next mission, boss?


Hilda: Fortunately for us, he's tending to other matters now. The theft of the mythril has likely knocked the empire off balance. I would like you to journey to Bafsk... If we're to stop the Dreadnought from being completed, this may be our only chance.

Tell us more about this Dreadnought. Again.

Hilda: We have a man in Bafsk. He's found a way to reach the Dreadnought. I want you to destroy it. At the very least, find a way to delay its completion. I have full confidence that with you and Minwu on this task, it will be accomplished.


Heading east of Poft instead of westward to Salamand... this must be the place, because that looks like a giant honkin' airship over there.


Sho nuff.

Let's talk to some people. Even the imperial guards don't try to outright murder us here.

Slave: You'll need a pass to board the Dreadnought.

Slave: You're with the rebels, right? You'e got to destroy the Dreadnought!

Dude. Be cool.

Slave: There's a rebel spy masquerading as an imperial soldier. If you can get to him, I'm sure he'll have some important information for you.


Borghen: Back to work! Work, I say! If we finish even a day sooner, my glory will be that much greater!

Slave: They're making us work like slaves. I hate that Borghen. Being used by a man like that really makes my blood boil. It's weird, though. I can't seem to remember what things were like when the Dark Knight was in command.

You know what the worst part about being a slave is? They make you work hard without paying you or letting you go.

Not that the soldiers around here feel much better about things:

Soldier: I don't feel like working at all with that buffoon Borghen in charge. The thought of doing anything for his precious "glory" makes me sick to my stomach.

Soldier: Get back to work! I swear... no one wants to work under General Borghen.

Soldier: Is the Dark Knight ever going to get back? At this rate we're going to fall behind schedule for sure.

Soldier: General Borghen doesn't seem to be willing to deal with these peasants as he should.

Soldier: General Borghen took command of things in Bafsk a short while ago. Things have gotten much easier than they were under the Dark Knight. It's hard to believe a bumbling idiot like Borghen could become a general in the imperial army! Oops! Um, you didn't hear that.

H... hey... this might seem like it's coming from nowhere, but uh... what's your favorite flower? I'm particularly fond of chrysanthemums, and gardenias, and... Wild Rose.

Soldier?: Aha! You're one of us! I had to be careful about what I did while the Dark Knight was here looking over my shoulder. But the "Great" General Borghen is anything but. He's just a domineering blowhard.

Great. Now about that Dreadnought...

Soldier?: So you're the ones they've sent to destroy the Dreadnought. Don't worry, I'm on your side. There's an entrace to the sewers up ahead. It's a back way leading to the Dreadnought. Be careful. If they see us talking, they may start to get suspicious, so I'm outta here. Good luck!






It's a very brief tunnel.




Dark Knight: I've been working behind the scenes to see the project through to completion. End your resistance. Kneel before your Emperor. It is the only alternative left to you. Consider what I've said. When the time comes, we will meet again.


Huh. You'd think he'd have just cut us down on the spot.








...assa no good.

[R^2]

That'll be useful later, I'm sure.








Everyone is seriously freaking out over the Dreadnought being finished. Which is a little odd considering they built it, but I guess it's a big project and everyone may have been misinformed about how everyone else was proceeding.


Anyway, we walk to Poft.


...which is blasted, broken, and almost entirely deserted.


Paloom isn't much better.


The streets of Altair are completely devoid of people. Sad to report, but the Empire seems to be pretty well ahead of us in this conflict. Our main victory is that we got mythril swords and shields. Their main victory is they have a massive unstoppable flying warmachine that lays waste to entire cities.


Small favors: much of the citizenry of Altair seems to have taken refuge in the rebel hideout and lived through the bombardment. Most of them are naturally panicking about the Dreadnought being completed.


The guy I named "Naysayer" is still kind of a dick about everything.