Disclosure Alert: Alpha Protocol: Episode 23: It's Not Your Vault

In this episode, we continue our siege on Brayko's mansion while anaphysik continues to speak in his native accent. At the same time, Ringwraith insists on faking a British accent. What a jerk!



Anaphysik makes a great point when it comes to the reference to "The Outsiders". Considering the kind of attention to detail that I'm used to from Obsidian, it's odd that they include this little reference to that book without actually doing much of anything with it. Brayko's self-styled band and the protagonist's group from the book have very few things in common. I wouldn't expect Brayko to understand the subtleties, but I would expect Obsidian to. It would've been interesting if Mike had some sort of dialog option that eludes to some comparison between them, either subverted or played straight, just to make use of the little detail. If it's just there to show Brayko's comic ineptitude when it comes to understanding things, then I'd like to have something to point it out. As it stands, it seems like the writers just remembered about it and thought to include a reference to the work in their game.

One thing I'd like to note is that we got Championchik's Secret Fact... without ever having met him or even getting a single document on him. This means that we can't view it since we have no file on him. If we didn't play this game before and met him, we'd basically be going "Cool, we got Championchik's secret fact! Wait, WHO THE FUCK IS CHAMPIONCHIK!?"

I like how Obsidian decided to include a vault as a way of tying Alpha Protocol into the Fallout series. I'm surprised though, how would Brayko have been involved with Vault-Tec? Did he know about their plans to experiment on vault dwellers? If so, did he allow them to do it willingly or was he coerced by them? It's a great leap for both this game's and Fallout's canon, but it raises so many questions.

It really is bizarre that the game gives you the choice to execute SIE/Albatross if you choose to save them. Mostly because in order to do so, you'd need to willing choose to abandon the vault data to kill them yourself instead of having Brayko do it for you. This is incredibly petty, even for an aggressive Thorton. I'm not complaining, since the choice still allows for more role-playing possibilities, but honestly anyone who chose it for any reason other than role-play is dumb.

Brayko's boss fight sucks... unless you're playing as a Veteran on Easy. I remember playing through my first time on Hard: This is the exact opposite of fun. I hated Turn Up the Radio for weeks just because of that boss fight. People complain about his ridiculous coke-fueled CQC attacks which give him huge defense, but on Hard he's even FASTER, so dodging him is very difficult. Again, the boss fights are so bad in this game. It's shocking how much this real-world spy thriller can be a typical 90s video game.

Disclosure Alert: Alpha Protocol: Episode 22: "Tank You!" "Don't Mansion It"

This episode is filled to the brim with explosions, punching, shooting, and punching while shooting. Needless to say, Aldowyn has abandoned any notion of being "discreet".

I'm extremely disappointed we missed the scene with Surkov in his office. Odds are we didn't get it because we pissed Grigori off. (As it turns out, for some reason he didn't like having a vodka bottle smashed in his face. Something about "assault" or some such nonsense.) It's a nice scene that serves as a great setup for the secret endgame of this hub. There're also some very good jokes to make at the expense of both Surkov and his bodyguard. It's a real shame. We were aiming for showing you something different, but we accidentally missed out on content at your expense. Sorry, guys. It's only a contact mission, but it's an important one.

I love how Albatross and SIE emphasize to different approaches to the same mission, even if the missions themselves don't change. The entrances to the mansion mission really show off how one is more subtle while the other is more reckless. Choosing between multiple handlers can easily work, but it's a shame that the game only uses that concept so many times and often leaves you with Mina. (Random fact: The conversation between Mike and Mina, regardless of which person you chose to go with, is the exact same. It's just that with Albatross, he and G22 are sniping the guards while SIE... you know.)

Skype is... okay. It generally works fine, but unless your connection is excellent, it has a terrible tendency to occasionally drop calls. Since a few members, particularly me, have poor connections, dropping calls is fairly common for us. Unfortunately, this time Aldowyn's connection was the one that went (which is exceedingly rare), which is a problem since HE'S recording the Skype call. It resulted in a bit of a clusterfuck as far as our session went. Not the first time, and doubtless it won't be the last. Thought you all might appreciate a window into how we record this show. Thankfully, Aldowyn had the common sense to edit it down a bit.

We were talking about the choice to save Albatross/SIE in this mission. It makes sense to have that choice if you choose SIE, since she'd no doubt lead the charge. The thought that it should've been Sis instead of Albatross makes sense, but I have to assume they didn't do that because Sis could potentially be dead at that point in the story. We'll talk more about that choice when it comes up later. Yes, it's stupid

“What a Terrible Accident” Let's Play Dishonored: Part 4: The Granny and the Gangsters

I head into the bar to begin my first assignment, and my new life. Havelock is there reading from what seems to be some sort of journal. He tries to encourage me, saying that “sometimes good men need to do bad things to make the world better”, but I think he realizes both of us see through the bullshit. With that said, he gives me three objectives. My first target is High Overseer Baldy himself. As he announced it, I couldn't help but grin. In stories like this, the cliché is that the ones most directly involved are the last targets. Unlike those stories, the second-in-command is will be my first. Once the deed's been done, I'll need to loot his black book, where he keeps all his blackmail secrets, from his body. The final objective will be to free Martin, an overseer who decided to join up with Havelock's group. From what the Admiral says, Martin is the brains of this entire operation, so freeing him will get me that much closer to Emily. Neither one of these tasks seems terribly complicated, so I don't see much reason to worry. Getting their seems like the hard part, but Samuel can get me close enough so that I can do the rest.

Before catching my boat, I take a look at what Havelock was reading. It appears to be a report from one of his spies. The message claims that it's no coincidence that the Mole took control after Jessy died. No shit, Sherlock! I figured that out almost immediately after it happened. What have you been doing the past six months? Continuing on, the report mentions what are referred to as “Tallboys”, special guards on stilts who are heavily armored, wielding incendiary bolts. I recall the vignettes from my trip to the Void, in particular the one of the stilted guards shooting two innocent civilians. If this text is correct, then the guards in these suits are drugged so that they feel nothing. Let's hope these guys aren't terribly commonplace, else I may be in for some trouble.

Since I've already stocked myself at Piero's shop, I head to the boat in order to embark on my mission. Before I reach the vessel, I am stopped by the woman whose voice I didn't recognize on the audiograph earlier. She introduces herself as Callista Curnow. I recognize her last name, as her uncle Geoff and I go way back. My recollection of Geoff seems to be a crazy coincidence, as her request involves him. My old friend has been invited to The Abbey of the Everyman to speak with Baldy himself. According to Callista's sources, the High Overseer has ordered a quantity of exotic poisons that are impossible to trace. She suspects that the two facts are related, and fears that her uncle's life my be in danger. I accept her request and vow to protect her uncle, after all what friend would I be if I let him die, especially to Baldy of all people. Since the poison intended for Geoff is untraceable, I think I know of a good way to kill two proverbial birds with one stone, or in this case switch the target of the stone from one bird to the other. Anyway, it's about time I departed this place and made myself useful. I speak to Samuel and we head out.

As we touch down near the Distillery District, and out of sight of the City Watch, the boatman primes me on how the area's changed in recent months. He tells me that the guards and the gangsters have been fighting over the territory for some time. The guards have establish Sokolov's “Walls of Light” so that non-guard who passes through them is disintegrated. Meanwhile, the Bottle Street Gang has taken control of the Distillery, likely where Slackjaw is making his diluted plague elixir. Lastly, Granny Rags has recently appeared in the fringes, and who knows what the old hag is thinking. This information will no doubt come in handy.

Before I begin to pursue Baldy, I move away from Samuel, who has taken up camp nearby so that I can make a quick escape, and pull out the Heart. It points me to two Bone Charms and two Runes in the area. The closest thing to my location is a Bone Charm in the guard tower on a small island outcropping nearby. There are watchmen on the bridge dumping the bodies of plague victims, so I'll have to swim around into order to get to it. When I pull myself out of the water, I see that the Bone Charm is out of my reach. Then, I spot a chain with which I can pull myself up towards it. Rather than risk the jump, I Blink onto the ledge. The Bone Charm is next to a body and a pouch containing 100 Coins. This charm has the effect of tricking rats into thinking I'm one of them until I get closer, so I hook it to one of the holes in my belt.

Once more, I follow the Heart to a Rune nearby, swimming back to shore and walking down the streets to get to it. One guard doesn't even notice as I creep directly behind him and back into the shadows, until he returns to his patrol route. Rather than chance future encounters, I Blink to the top of a nearby pillar and decide to take to the rooftops as long as I am able. On the rooftops rafters overlooking the streets, I see a gangster's corpse on a rooftop, apparently keeping watch for Slackjaw until he died. Next to him was a pouch of money that I decide to take with me. It was then I saw Granny Rags herself, talking about feeding the birds. It should come as no surprise that her squat happens to be the one with Poncy's Rune in it. If I'm careful, I can in and out of here before she even realizes. Sneaking past her, I notice that the Rune sits atop a shrine to the ponce himself. Taking it from the shrine is enough to summon him into this world because apparently he's so interested in speaking at me. He tells me things less about Granny Rags than I already know, then wonders out loud how I intend to take out the High Overseer. It's amazing how dull chaos incarnate can be.

I take a moment to plunder a couple of heirlooms from this shack before I finally leave once and for all. Even if Granny Rags finds them missing, she didn't see me and no one will pay attention to her, so no matter what I'm in the clear. I cross through Bottle Street on my way to the Abbey on John Clavering Boulevard. On my way over, the Heart once again starts to beat. It pinpoints a Bone Charm located in a nearby house, but going for it seems to be a less than wise idea. There's a man being blockaded by two members of the Bottle Street Gang looking for their extortion fee. I can take care of them by summoning rats. However, if I want to get to that Charm, I'll need to expose myself to the man inside. He'll likely get grateful to me for rescuing him, but under the interrogation he might crack, so while I feel sorry for him, I have to ignore his pleas for help.

But just because I can't help him, doesn't mean I won't do anything to the Bottle Street Gang in response to this outrage. Instead of heading to Clavering Boulevard, I make a split second decision to take a detour over at Slackjaw's distillery. As usual, I take to the rooftops on my way there. And, as I've come to expect, the Heart starts beating once again, indicated the presence of a Bone Charm. I see a key on the belt of one of the guards. Assuming I'll need this key, I wait on the rooftop until just the right moment. As I wait, I hear a group of nearby guards mention Daud, which gets my attention. Sadly, they don't know anything I'm not already privy to. When the guard with the key goes to relive himself on a nearby tuft of grass, I Blink down behind him, nab it, and then quickly make my way into the distillery proper. Aside from those two guards at the front door, the entrance is barren. They have a locked gate barring direct access to the control room, but the key I nabbed renders it moot. Once there, I steal Slackjaw's recipe for the diluted elixir as some strange form of revenge for the poor guy back on Bottle Street. Thankfully, Slackjaw runs with the type of people who would do something like that, so he'll likely blame his staff. And it's not like criminals are known for calling the City Guard.

I decide to nab the Bone Charm and then make my way out. The door to the room containing the Charm is being watched, so I take to the top of the some nearby pipes and wait for the patrols to pass before entering. Since I don't know the guard routes in here, I am relived to find that the Bone Charm is onto of the rafters, so I can hide there for a bit. This one has the power to boost my speed while sneaking, so I immediately attach it to my belt. After the guard below me passes, I make my way through the distillery room back into the warehouse area. With haste, I Blink back into the control room before someone looks in my direction and slip back to the entrance. From there, heading onto the roofs and back onto Bottle Street in trivial.

Sneaking back onto the roofs, I utilize my powers to make it onto Clavering Boulevard. From my vantage point on a nearby balcony, I can see a Wall of Light under in the stone archway on the route to the abbey. Above it is a sign that I know comes from the Mole himself, saying that “The Boldest Measures are the Safest”. It's amazing how paranoid one man can be. Rather than take a direct approach, I look around the area for an alternate pathway. Remembering the powers I have at my disposal, I have the idea to Blink onto a light fixture above the archway. Though the move could be seem as rather reckless, it worked, and soon I'm on the roof of the archway, above the Wall of Light. As I complete my maneuver, I hear a couple of guards scream. I jumped, not sure if they saw me or not. Luckily, they were being devoured my ravenous mutant plague rats. One of them shook it off, then other is too chewed up to be recognizable.

After that brief amusement, I blink onto a nearby lamppost and again to another condemned building that has the look of a seedy hotel. This new rooftop gives me direct view of the entrance to the Abbey, but something else gets my attention. I look down at a small guard post and the Heart begins to beat in my pocket. Taking it out, it shows me that inside that post is a Rune. With a running start, I jump forward and Blink onto the roof of the post. Fortunately, there's a hatch on the roof that leads directly to the Rune, so I drop, quickly seize it, and teleport behind a section on cover on a nearby awning. In order to make suspicion low, I make it back on to roof to close the hatch before retreating back into my cover. Since no one will see me from here, I take this time to strengthen my powers. With my mind's eye, I envision my new ability. I see me, leaping into the air in order to get to someplace high up. Normally, I wouldn't be able to do so, but I see myself leaping again, seeming to push off the air itself, in order to gain extra height on my jump. Pouring the energy of the 2 Runes I've obtained here into this vision, I feel my abilities strengthen. From this point, I teleport passed the guards and stroll up to entrance of Holgar Square, where I'll find the Abbey of the Everyman, and my first target....

Disclosure Alert: Alpha Protocol: Episode 21: Having a Blast

So here we are in the Moscow finale. I apologize both for the delay and for the massive degree of failure that ensued during this recording session. However, I'm not sorry for the accent. I will never be sorry for the accent.



I like the choice between Albatross and SIE, at least in theory. It would be a meaningful choice both for Mike as a character and the player in terms of gameplay. Sadly, it's a little disappointing how disturbingly similar both versions of these missions are. Aside from the permanent perk you can for the choice between them, it honestly doesn't matter at all. The only things that change are superficial.

If we hadn't have smashed Grigori's face in at the bar, then the guards in this area would be less armed. However, their increased security could have worked to our advantage. Since we were a Veteran (this also works for a Soldier) we could convince them that we're there to protect Surkov with our knowledge of (Alpha?) protocol. The weaker guards can be swayed by anybody. Again, "no bad choices" was a guiding principal when designing this game, and it shows. We could also use the door on the side to sneak in, but it's glitched so that the game automatically assumes you MUDERED THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYONE if you do that.

In order to get the Albatross version of this mission, picture bigger dudes in combat armor being your enemies in this mission, because that's exactly what happens. I do like how SIE and Mina argue with each other over... everything. It shows how opposite the two of them are. Still, this is overall a bit of a letdown, which is even more of a shame since this mission was part of the marketing for the game.

I've noticed that as we continue, Aldowyn has been getting more and more blood-thirsty. I don't even need to tell to shoot people anymore. He just does it. I guess it's just something that happens to LPers.

This "Protect Surkov" mission is one of the missions people come to me with when saying that this game is terrible. Honestly, it's hard to refute them. It terms of play, Moscow is the worst hub in the entire game. Taipei has a terrible plot and Moscow has terrible level design. Despite these flaws, I do really like the game. Goddammit Obsidian, why do you have to be so flawed?

“What a Terrible Accident” Let's Play Dishonored: Part 3: The Empty Void

Exhausted from my recent activities, I am escorted to my room by Pendleton's servant, Wallace. It's not a particularly great room and it's all the way on the top floor, but I understand that given our current predicament we can't afford 4-star hotels. The bed is a little hard, but in minutes I'm out cold. After an unknown time lapse, I awaken. However, something feels wrong about this place. It looks like my room, obviously, but the air feels foreign. I open the door, greeted by the sight of a lamppost and a portion of a road on top of two small islands, floating in the air. Looking down, I gaze upon a dim white light in what appears to be a bottomless void. There are stories that describe such phenomena. If the tales are true, this is what it's like to be summoned by The Outsider. Part of me still wants to think this is a lucid dream, but the other half knows exactly what's going on. More importantly, both halves realize the futility in denying the Outsider, so I proceed along the path laid out for me.

Climbing the stairs that appear to my left, I end up on what can best be described as the roof of this island. Heading towards the center, I'm greeted by figure whose appearance closely resembles that of a teenager/young adult who is likely bullied regularly by his peers. While I am the opposite of intimidated, this boy refers to himself as the Outsider, and brands me with his mark. Calling it a gift, the Outsider says that he has chosen me, granting me the power to use magic. Then, he taunts me to use this new power to come after him. Once he dematerializes, two thoughts enter my head. The first is more serious: The men who murdered Jessy clearly had this power as well. Did the Outsider give them these powers too? If so, why? Hell, why did it give me the gift of magic, and does it come at a price?

The second thought: Man, this whole “Outsider” guy is really disappointing. I was expecting some kind of elder god whose form was too alien to comprehend. At the very least, he could have looked menacing! And for someone who is, according to legends, the incarnation of chaos itself, he has to have one of the least interest, blandest faces and voices I've ever experienced. This is the abomination the Overseers led by Baldy constantly go on about! He looks like a ponce, which is not a good way to intimidate people. Actually, Poncy sounds like a great nickname for him. Anyway, since I've literally no where else to go, it's down the linear path for me. However, the gap between this island and the next is pretty big, too far for me to jump. Almost instinctively, I squeeze the hand branded by Poncy and release. This causes me to move fast, faster than I even thought possible. It's as if I blinked in and out of existence in some form of short-range teleportation. Since I have no better name for this power, I'll call it Blink.

The island I land on has the appearance of the rotunda where Jessamine died, complete with her body on the ground and a not reading “You cannot save her.” This place appears to be trying to play with my emotions, but I can't let that stop me. Resolved, I continue Blinking from platform to platform until I reach another vignette. This time it appears to be in some wealthy establishment, either a noble house or some kind of hotel/brothel. In it, two men, remarkably similar, yet subtly different in appearance to Pendleton are grabbing Emily and trying to restrain her. A note is flying out of her hand, but the words don't seem like they belong in her mouth. Is this place just playing tricks on me, or is their meaning here? The next image that appears before me on another island is that of the strategy room in Dunwall Tower. It appears that the Mole is either scheming in there now, or will do so later. Immediately afterward I see two guards on stilts, one of which is shooting a flaming arrow at two men hobbling away. So much must have happened in my absence. Does this city even have a chance?

I come across a wall that's too tall for me to climb, so I do what comes (un-)naturally and use Blink to reach the top. I aim just short of the top of the wall, but my ability seems to have the built in fail-safe of automatically landing me at the top of a building should I aim it correctly. This will definitely come in handy later. Advancing further on yields another visit from Poncy. Warning me of “great trials ahead,” Poncy tells me that through the powers of Runes engraved with his symbol, I can further develop my powers as I see fit. To assist in the collection of said Runes, he hands me a Heart, which will beat faster as I grow closer to them. Before I leave, he says that the Heart has a secondary function of revealing the secrets of whatever I'm looking at when I squeeze on it gently, them vanishes once again.

I hold the Heart in my hand, and I feel it beat. A Rune must also be here in the Void. Testing out it's other function, I gently squeeze the Heart. The voice that rings out in my head causes me to jump. There's no possibly way I could mistake that voice. Without a shadow of a doubt, it was Jessamine's. If that's her voice, then this must be... Oh no! First she's murdered in front of me, and now Poncy rips her heart out and gives it to me as some sick joke. I'm not amused. Despite this horrible turn of fate, I'm likely going to need to keep using the Heart if I want to stay prepared for new occupation. Very well Poncy, I will play by your rules as right now they're the best way to get Emily back.

The Heart, along with the linear path laid out for me, makes finding the Rune a trivial matter. Once I pick it up, the brand on my left hand absorbs its power. A vision enters my head, and shows me the myriad ways my magic can develop. Right now, the skills that seem most useful are out of my reach until I acquire more Runes. After I decide to wait until advancing my skills, the vision passes, and Poncy reemerges. After explaining that only I can choose how to use my powers and that he'll be watching me to see what I do, he returns me to my bedroom in the real world.

I wake up in my room, and gaze upon my left hand. Sure enough, the mark is there, just as it was during my “dream”. The Heart is also present, placed in my pocket. For a small test, I squeeze my left hand and release. Sure enough, I can still use Blink. After confirming my suspicions, I look around the room and see a number of decorations that were not present before. A note on my desk reads as follows: “Congratulations on your purchase on the Void Walker's Arsenal. Scattered about your room are the results of your purchase. Use them wisely!” Though it appears the courier dropped these off at the wrong address, I am in no position to complain and decide to make use of these gifts. Since 12 of these presents bear the Outsider's symbol and make the Heart beat like crazy, I conclude that they have something to do with my powers. They are not Runes, but they appear to be old sailor charms, made from whale bones. A vision appears and tells me that these are “Bone Charms,” which pass minor powers onto their wielders when equipped. The best place to affix them appears to be the holes in my belt, so that's where they'll go.

Picking up the four statues that line my room burns new holes into my belt, which I can use to equip more Bone Charms, for a grand total of 8. Among the 12 charms I “earned”, I pick 3 with which to adorn myself, and store the others in my bag. Other items to make note of are 4 pouches, each containing the financial equivalent to 500 Bronze Coins, plenty of money to fund upgrades from Piero. Lastly, I notice 4 books, each detailing a person of great influence in Dunwall. The first is a what appears to be an excerpt from the Mole's personal journal. It describes his constant paranoia that someone will come in and murder the Empress, along with the various countermeasures lined up. He does not seem to be very trusting of the populace, which is ironic in a sense. The last line of the text hints that he likes to spend his time in the Estate District. Considering that's where all the noble families live and party, it should be no surprise.

The second text appears to be from the journal of an Overseer who works undercover on behalf on the Abbey. He appears to be unhappy living among the various thieves and cutthroats of the city. While that's certainly not the best place to be, it certainly beats that den of indoctrination they call The Abbey of the Everyman. Between the streets and their walls, I'd choose the streets any day. While I feel no sympathy for the man, the text that follows his incessant bitching intrigues me. It appears to reference a man named Daud. I had heard the name several times before, as everyone in the upper levels of society knew of him. However, I never attached any significance to the name up until now. If this report is correct, Daud works as an assassin, hired by the “elite” of this city to kill their political rivals. He is known for an art where he vanishes and summarily reappears less than a second later in another close by location, remarkably similar to my own abilities.

Reading on, it appears the Knife of Dunwall has a history with black magic. Rumors speak of his witch-mother and of known ties with the infamous Brigmore coven. The man is also well-educated, apparently spending time in the Academy of Natural Philosophy itself. Finally, the report mentions two thing that really catch my attention. The first: He appears to be in charge of a group of masked assassin. The second: He has been sighted worshiping Poncy at one of his shrines. I need to keep a close eye out for further information on Daud. If this report is at all accurate, then it seems very likely that he's the assassin I saw that day. Apparently I should have been more concerned when hearing his name come up. Still, I never thought someone would be so brazen as to actually order a hit on the Empress in her own castle. I suppose the blame falls more to the one who made the hit than it does to the hitman, but still!

The third of the four documents appears to talk about Slackjaw, a well know gang leader on the outskirts of the city. The Bottle Street Gang's infamous leader, according to this, was likely the daughter of a prostitute who decided to join a gang rather than be pressed in the Navy or made to work in a noble family's mine. The text describes the brutal way he rose from a cutpurse to one of the most feared men in the cities underworld. Despite this, Slackjaw appears to be a stabilizing element of this plague-ridden city. Though the plague elixirs made by Sokolov and Piero are expensive to the average person, the Bottle Street Gang has been making good business selling diluted, cheaper versions of the Sokolov's brew to people. For gangsters, this seems like the closest thing to legitimate business. He's also been offering employment to people outside the usual mob contacts. Decent work in exchange for food and medicine. Who would've though the crime lord would have the closest thing to a heart of gold in this city after Jessamine's death?

The last document is titled “The Journal of Granny Rags.” Everyone in the city knows that name by heart. According to the tales, she was once a wealthy aristocrat to took a dark turn after devoting herself fully to the Outsider. Rumor has it that she has great power at her disposal, and won't hesitate to use it against those who wrong her. From what this text says, the old hag used to be known as Vera Moray. She had parties that surpassed even the Boyle's in their extravagance. Hell, at one point Sokolov made a painting of her, and Sokolov doesn't make paintings of anyone without a fair degree of prestige behind their name. Vera and her husband used to travel the world together, until what appears to be her first contact with Poncy. From then on, she was obsessed with acquiring bones to make Runes and Bone Charms out of, going so far as to kill her own husband for his. Granny Rags sounds dangerous, so it seems wise to avoid crossing her path. I wonder who would have the resources to acquire all of this and yet not enough influence to get them to their correct destination. Unless they were somehow intended for me. If so, then why me? What am I so special? And how would they know I'm here? I doubt I'll ever know the answer.

After I finish my morning reading, I decide to explore the place again, in part because the Heart indicates another Rune is in the area and because I'd like to get some exercise in. After spending half-a-year in prison, I'll take any excuse to get some fresh air. I enter the lighthouse adjacent to my room, and spot an audiograph. It appears to depict a woman planning out lessons for a child. The woman doesn't sound like either Cecelia or Lydia, so it must be someone I haven't yet met. Speaking of those two, I overhear them talking about Samuel. From what they were saying, apparently he can no long sleep in beds, and has decided to take up residence in a small tent near the boat. Poor guy, that can't possibly be comfortable. I enter Pendleton's room and play an audiograph where he appears to be chronicling his life story. It's not very interesting so I won't describe it here. The audiograph in Havelock's room is only slightly more interesting, revealing that he's glad I showed up, but still unsure of my skills.

Before continuing my search for the Rune, I make a pit-stop at Piero's workshop, since by some stroke of luck I'm now 2000 Bronze Coins richer. His audiograph reveals that he's the one who bound the Heart, doing so at the Outsider's behest without even knowing it. I doubt he even knows it was the Empress's heart. If he did, I wonder if he would've still bound it and kept it in a suspended state of half-death like he did. With the money at my disposal, I buy a Rune off of Piero, a few tools to rewire security devices, some of his plague elixirs, and another hole in my belt with which to affix a Bone Charm should I happen to come across any more. The last request causes Piero to give me a curious glance, but he doesn't ask any questions. Exiting the shop, I follow the Heart's beat to a Rune on a small outcropping of nearby rocks. Time seems to stop as I summon a vision into my head. I picture an image of hungry rats being summoned from the void and pour my Rune energy into it. I can feel my magic growing in strength as a direct response, and I know that this new skill is now available to me. I'm ready to speak to Havelock and Pendleton to accept my first assignment....