Tales of the Blight II: Kirkwall Refugees

[Part of my Dragon Age 2 play through. Spoilers ahead!]

With darkspawn coming from all sides, Hawke flees with a handful of other refugees into the wilds and is saved in the nick of time by a huge red dragon, who turns out to be the witch Flemeth. In exchange for delivering an amulet of hers, she helps them reach the harbour where Hawke and the remaining survivors sail to Kirkwall (and not to Dunwall, too many Dishonoreds there) to meet his uncle at the gates. Alas said uncle has squandered the family fortune, so he sells Hawke, his sister Beth, and traveling companion Aveline into a year of indentured service to some smugglers while taking Hawke's mother through the city gates.

One handy time skip later and a year has passed, during which time the Hero of Ferelden stopped the blight. Knowing this is the prime time to enter the Deep Roads (home of the darkspawn) in search of treasure, a dwarf named Varric and his brother begin setting up an expedition to delve below. Hawke is welcome to join if he can front the gold as a partner, and knows this is the opportunity to change his family's fortunes now that he's no longer a slave. With zero coin to his name it's time to look for work, starting with his old friend Aveline - now part of the Kirkwall guard who is so good at her job, she finds proof the current guard-captain a corrupt scum and gets him fired.

Guess who is back to eat more of her daughters?

With Beth, the trio can finally also deliver Flemeth's amulet to the Dalish gypsy camp up the mountain where apprentice in exile Merrill performs some blood magic at a mountain top altar, revealing the necklace was a phylactery. Her spell revives a thankful Flemeth, who transforms again into a dragon and flies off. Since none of this really helps his financial situation, the trio soon head back to the smugglers to look for work - at least this time they'll get paid!

Insight: Inventory space is limited so always sell the junk treasure and buy the bag that increases the holding capacity. Also, geez - what a decrease in quality from Dragon Age: Origins!

Tales of the Blight II: More Dragon Age

Because there's more than Dragon Age Origins, and I've only gotten around to playing it now. Once again edited for my amusement but there are still spoilers for those who haven't played it! Be warned!

Dragon Age 2
Chapter 1 - Kirkwall Refugees
Chapter 2 - Band of the Hawke
Chapter 3 - The Peacekeepers
Chapter 4 - Champion of Kirkwall
Chapter 5 - Blood Politics

Dragon Age Inquisition
Chapter 6 - Trevelyan
Chapter 7 - Varric
Chapter 8 - Iron Bull
Chapter 9 - The Herald
Chapter 10 - Blackwall
Chapter 11 - Cole
Chapter 12 - Vivienne
Chapter 13 - Solas
Chapter 14 - Cassandra
Chapter 15 - Dorian
Chapter 16 - Sera
Chapter 17 - Hawke
Chapter 18 - Leliana
Chapter 19 - Morrigan
Chapter 20 - The Inquisitor

This story has ended! Thank you for reading!

Dark Souls: Back to the Great Swamp

Tales from Dark Souls - spoilers ahead! You can follow the rest of the story here!

With the backing of a stronger bonfire I decided to return to Undead Berg to check on the doors I couldn't open before. I also tried fighting the red dragon again and just got roasted. Lol. I did find a path leading to "Lower Undead Berg" though, which I had completely missed before. It was populated mostly by hounds and assassin hollows who were at this point no match for me. It also had a hag who sold handy posion coated stuff!

This is one of the few games where you can literally buy shit.

After rescuing a novice mage named Griggs (apprentice of the Big Hat guy) and defeating a bigger twin weilding demon I found a door to the sewers which was inhabited by undead rats, yucky slimes, and cute, big-eyed frogs. I also rescued a pyromancer named Laurentius "of the great swamp" who had somehow gotten stuck in an urn. Towards the bottom of the whole place was a big arena, and unsurprisingly home to the resident boss critter the Gaping Dragon. Fortunately Solaire had also returned from Anor Londo and was present to assist!

Poking from the back: the "go to" method for most of these bosses.

While the dragon did thrash my ally who I suppose had to go back to a bonfire to recover, I got to see its very limited move set which rendered the rest of the fight very simple. Beyond him was a deep well leading to... Blighttown. Again? Since I hadn't been on this side yet I figured I'd clear it all the way down to the swamp. Those poison dart guys are annoying. Interestingly, once I got to the bottom, Shiva was no longer there. Ser Chubby was though, and was in dire need of anti-poison moss. Lucky for him I had a few spares.

Dark Souls: Down, Down to Blighttown

Tales from Dark Souls - spoilers ahead! You can follow the rest of the story here!

With seemingly nowhere else to go in the forest, I returned to Firelink Shrine and was pleased that Lautrec (whom I had freed earlier) was now here and thankful to be free. Petrus was still waiting for his group, and Ser Dick reminded me ringing only one bell is meaningless. Thanks Ser Dick. Since I now had a divine rapier I decided to retry that graveyard and was pleased that I could now defeat the skeletons residing there. Alas the skeletons in the catacombs further in had a skill I wasn't expecting: they'd get back up with full HP. That was enough to send me running and looking for a new place to explore.

Also, if the divine weapon doesn't connect it doesn't really help...

I ended up choosing to venture into the ogre cave, discovering they aren't so hard to defeat after all being so open to counters and backstabs. They also make looting shit very literal. Still, the tunnel opens up into a massive underground slum called Blighttown where pretty much everything tries to poison you. The giant mosquitoes, giant leeches, ugly spider things, blowdart guys, even the floor when you reach it is a poisonous swamp (which coincidentally slows your movement). What a wonderful place. I wonder if it is connected to where the monsters from Dragon Age spawn from... Interestingly, Shiva the Ninja is here too - selling overpriced gear.

In one of the cisterns I am "invaded" (the not so good side about quasi-multiplayer thing) by Maneater Mildred who thankfully is an NPC since a) no one would intentionally name their character that and b) she opted to use a ladder instead of take a six foot drop. This led to an easy victory as I could basically stab her butt while she was stuck on the ladder. After resting at the local bonfire I get my more of my anti-venom moss ready (thanks spriggans) before heading out to explore the rest of this horrible zone.

Weakness: Woman therefore try rear!

Star Trail: Left Behind

[Part of the Darklands of Arkania Story.]

No game is complete without sewer scum!

After selling the spare equipment the team's purse is back to 485 Ducats thanks to Paeroka's haggling skills. As soon as they leave the shop they are accosted by a group of beggars, who are desperate for food. The orc siege is definitely taking its toll as finding said rations within the town is almost impossible. Still, by principle these assholes are just bandits so the party murders every single one of the old starving losers on the street in broad daylight - just as they deserve. Maybe their corpses can feed the starving people who aren't bandit scum?

With money to spare now the team rests up and relaxes a bit the best way they know how.

Everyone left happy, even Pike's skeleton! :P

They then proceed to Dragan's contact who claims to know a secret way out of the city. Of course there's a catch, not only does the information cost three hundred ducats but the path, which lies under the headquarters of the Grey Wardens (is there a blight somewhere!?), is only accessible to half of the party members. The remainder will be forced to temporarily join the Wardens until the ones who make it out return with a Grey Warden who went missing in the swamp.

I hope he's not in the deep roads...

After drawing straws, Shintar and Wolfy are the ones who end up exiting via the secret tunnel that leads out to ruins in the nearby forest, past the orc camp. Zubon and Paeroka are left behind with the Salamander Stone, because it's probably safer in the Grey Warden fortress with all those soldiers and that orc army around it. I can only assume that the two of them were then forced into a blood drinking ritual, followed by lessons on how to fight a blight.

Tales of the Blight: Dragon Age Origins

Since Origin was offering Dragon Age: Origins for free awhile back, and since I never had played it before - I thought I'd give it a whirl and record my play through here.

For all the "Origins" part was talked up, I only really have one choice for my standard character of human rogue which is the Human Noble origin. This also limits my surname to being "Cousland" but I can understand that part as it is better for the voice actors not to always be vague when addressing someone supposedly well known.

Chapters will be entered below as I publish them. Obviously spoilers abound! *looking at you Simcha since I know you are playing it currently!* :)

Chapter 1:   Rail Roaded 
Chapter 2:   All According to Plan
Chapter 3:   He's a Dog
Chapter 4:   Party +3
Chapter 5:   Dead Ends
Chapter 6:   I've got the Magic Magic Magic 
Chapter 7:   The Fade
Chapter 8:   Cleansed
Chapter 9:   Redcliffe Halloween
Chapter 10: The Solution to Everything
Chapter 11: Assassins
Chapter 12: Stronger! Faster! Harder!
Chapter 13: Sit! Stay! Bad Dog!? 
Chapter 14: Ruined the Game
Chapter 15: Gladiator
Chapter 16: Into the Deep
Chapter 17: Sod the Dwarves
Chapter 18: Drama Camp
Chapter 19: Friend Zoned
Chapter 20: Cult of the Dragon
Chapter 21: Not so Simple
Chapter 22: I'll be Back
Chapter 23: People of Importance
Chapter 24: Break in Bad
Chapter 25: Alien Export
Chapter 26: Matters of Leadership
Chapter 27: Ye Olde Rope-a-dope 
Chapter 28: Beginning of the End 
Chapter 29: The Price of War
Chapter 30: Aftermath 

This story has finished for now. Thank you for reading! :)