As we begin the Town Story in Gallopolis, I would like to state, as a general reminder, that while we couldn't acquire the Forging Hammer until now, we could have completed the Town Story for Gallopolis any time after acquiring the boat. As a result, the story is going to only remember we have Hendrik, Rab and Sylvando, although Jade, Erik and Serena have Party Chat quotes where relevant.
We, of course, knew this was happening for ages. It didn't seem in all that much of a hurry to land, and I didn't want to do this story before we needed the Forging Hammer.
After all, if Hendrik is telling the truth, it's been falling since Yggdrasil fell. It had months to land.
Erdward looks over at a black tockle. This guy was in the intro cutscene, but has stayed out of sight until now.
Rab starts expositing about the nature of Erdwin's Lantern. We know the general gist from, of all things, Gemma, but the black tockle is doing a good job of being distracting.
Incidentally, I believe Rab has been forcibly put into his default costume because the tockle crawling over him needs the flat surface of his fez to properly function- this cutscene wouldn't work the same way if he had to walk over either of his crowns.
Rab brings up the obvious note: Is Erdwin's Lantern truly benevolent now?
Erdward actually moves over so he can keep staring at the tockle.
...I'm not actually entirely sure what Rab says if we say no. Apparently he just repeats himself.
We got the basics just fine.
Yeah, we'd better.
Even the townspeople are starting to question their premises.
The guard simply says he doesn't know what he doesn't know and redirects us to someone with responsibility.
Which is much healthier than some of the civilians.
I'm not sure you're more sane than the other guy.
There was probably going to be at least one guy like this. Although I wasn't exactly expecting him to be... in the city streets.
Faiz is still here! Hi, Faiz!
The racetrack was briefly closed in Sylvando's Side Story, presumably to keep him focused and not have to add extra assets for having Sylvando as your rider- of course, he was a rider during the Sand National, but he might need extra material if he became a player racer.
I hope you still get next lives.
Another citizen who would rather die than flee, although I can see where she's coming from when talking about losing a part of her identity.
...I'd say keep some for yourself, but what are you spending money on? Presumably, the essentials, but...
Oh, this guy's the one with the Golden Reins, incidentally.
10000 gold is pocket change at this point in the story, but I decide I'm going to keep not possessing them. Before every race, you are asked whether or not you want to use the reins, and I'd just rather not have the textbox until I'm worried about needing these.
The Gold Cup unlocks in Act 2, and yes, we could've started this as soon as we got the ship.
Right, a nice big track this time, and a Metal Slime Helm as a reward. This can be worn by Erdward, Hendrik, Sylvando, Erik and Serena, and comes with 15% protection against Sleep, Fizzle and Instant Death. Good for somebody, not great.
Of course I'm a little out of practice...
Here's the free Crimson Claws. Rab would've appreciated this, too, as well as the Beast Claws from the shops.
There's a better time. Didn't quite make Champion's time, though.
While running around, I found my way over here, and it turns out that Akia from Gondolia has made her way back to visit her family.
I'm not sure if this man was wandering around Gallopolis before the Quest- or even when Akia got back- but it's charming to see them here nonetheless.
I was just the mailman.
...Whatever lets you sleep at night, I guess.
The butler up stairs mentions collecting a rare tome from Arboria. This guy is our clue about the sidequest there.
Told you it was gone. I quite like the quiet "It was the only way to make him leave". Imagine being that annoying.
It's Flint!
You need serious help.
...Ma'am, no matter how good Prince Faris is now, this is way above his pay grade. I'm not even entirely sure I'm qualified enough to help, and it's supposed to be my job!
On the other hand, that attitude's not helping this lady much.
Oh no, not the cats!
Words I had never expected to hear used about Prince Faris.
Faris charges recklessly into danger. Don't worry: He's brought a scholar.
Dear Yggdrasil, perhaps he was better off before we showed up.
So anyway, it's time for us to once again have a chat with the Sultan of Gallopolis, and-
Oh yeah, Rab wasn't with us back when we first got here. The Sultan is the only person in the Colloquy of Kings that's still running around as a "normal" NPC in the story- Irwin and Gustaf are dead and Carnelian was possessed. All of a sudden, the Sultan isn't just a generic town leader.
The Sultan is dismal that he just toed the party line instead of thinking for himself. To be fair, that's what he usually does, and it's served him well plenty of times before now.
True, but maybe a little self-reflection?
At any rate, we didn't come to talk about bygones. We had Act 1 for that business.
Considering it's relationship to Erdwin and the fact Gallopolis is right underneath it... you'd think they'd remember a lot more about it than that. I don't think there's a cover-up here, but I wouldn't be surprised if you thought that.
Faris looked closely at the star, and noticed that there looked like something you could read on it.
And, since no one else in Gallopolis has any solutions, has decided that the plan of action is to go to the Celestial Sands with a man of learning and read them. Hey, if the instructions are anywhere, why not on the thing itself?
Rab wants in on this rune-reading business.
The Sultan thanks us for looking out for his boy.
Hendrik: The Sultan has shown admirable fortitude. He has not abandoned his palace or his people.
Rab: We need to find out what's going on with Erdwin's Lantern and that means we'll have to venture into the Celestial Sands. There's a checkpoint on the way, but I believe the Sultan's already sent word to the guards to let them know we're coming.
Sylvando: I didn't expect little Princey-poo to volunteer for star-inspecting duty, did you? He's obviously grown up a lot since we last saw him! Listen, honey, we can't let Prince Faris steal all our heroic thunder. Let's get after him!
Jade: Can it be possible that something's been carved into the side of the Lantern? I mean, it's so high up. Did the ancients know some special technique for writing on stars? But that still doesn't explain why anyone would do it...
Erik: Prince Faris seemed pretty keen to charge on ahead into the desert, but I don't fancy his chances against some of the monsters out there. Let's get after him and make sure he's okay.
Serena: According to the legend, the hero Erdwin was said to have turned into a star so that he could continue to watch over the world. But now Erdwin's Lantern is threatening us all- how can this be happening?
...Just because he's an adult doesn't necessarily mean he's figured that out. I mean, not that long ago, you were making all his decisions for him and letting him become decadent and weak.
At least she's learned her lesson from that one.
...Apparently this kid missed the memo.
Don't worry, the Luminary is coming back... to, er... actually, what am I doing to the Lantern?
Well... it's an artificial star. I wouldn't be surprised if it were magical even if it were entirely benign.
That brand of pessimism isn't helping.
Back out in the wild, there's our Double Up.
They attract prey with their sweet-smelling cacti, then swallow it whole with their massive maws - like whales eating krill, only without any water.
And we get introduced to this guy. The cactolotl is new to DQ11, and yes, he's a recolour of Alizarin. These guys are the third dangerous desert creature we read about back in the first visit to Gallopolis (the other two being the spitzfire and Slayer of the Sands), and they have earned that reputation. Violent sandstorms, the hellfire howl, Oomphle, and oh yeah, three attacks per turn. Not to mention the 1200 HP.
These guys are bosses and should be treated as such, no matter what the game says. They also have Sunny Citrines as a common drop, if Erik can spare the turns to loot them.
This guy gets up to shenanigans on his turn.
...Big shenanigans..
Let us give these guys a wide berth. At least, unlike spitzfires, you can't find these guys with friends.
Faris has made it to the checkpoint, and is now berating his scholar companion for... something. The most prominent non-labelled line is from Faris, and is "You agreed to do this!"
Faris's scholar friend does not have his courage.
While it is true that there is no way to read the runes without entering the Sands, it's also possible the runes are a red herring and an unnecessary risk.
On the other hand, are the monsters that bad?
Sylvando jumps in to say hi. The sad part about Erik and Serena not being part of this cutscene is we don't get to see Faris react to them, too, but at least Sylvando saw his Act 1 self.
Sylvando is impressed with Faris's change, which is probably the highest praise Faris can expect to hear.
"Probably" because there's one other thing that could match it: The word of Hendrik, a man Gallopolis in general holds in high regard. Faris probably got compared to Hendrik a lot as a child.
Well, it's his life's ambition since we kicked him up the bum and got him to stop pawning his duties off on other people.
Although I'm not sure how much of this we told Hendrik.
Rab asks about the investigations.
He's a learned enough man himself that he'll be glad to volunteer to make up for the scholars who don't feel like venturing into cactolotl-infested sands.
..."Wisened ancient?" What the heck does that mean, and is it an insult?
Oh great, we're back on "babysitting him" duty.
Hendrik: The Prince of Gallopolis appears to be an admirer of mine. This is naturally a great honour. He would be welcome to join my unit, once these tumultuous times are over, though I suspect he may need a little more training...
Rab: Ye'll not remember this, of course, but back when I was the King of Dundrasil, I had a reputation for refusing to let anything lie until I'd got to the bottom of it. So if Erdwin's Lantern really does have some runes carved into the side of it, we're not leaving the Sands until we've worked out what they say!
Sylvando: Our little Princey-poo's dashed off ahead! He said he was heading for the ruins in the middle of the desert... Let's hurry up and get after him, honey! We know what he's like when he's left to his own devices...
Jade: Erdwin's Lantern appears to be directly above the ruins in the centre of the Celestial Sands... It's unlikely to fall on our heads, I know, but getting that close to it seems a little risky.
Erik: You know, I think I remember some stone pillars near the place where we captured the Slayer. I guess they must be the ruins Prince Faris was talking about. I don't think they're too far from here. What say we head over there?
Serena: Prince Faris said he was heading for the ruins in the middle of the Celestial Sands, didn't he? There should certainly be a very good view of Erdwin's Lantern from there...
The scholar that was following Faris is going to stay here. He's too terrified to do any additional moving.
I think that's out of my hands now.
During battle these mechanical birds faithfully follow their programming, but when left alone, they soon find themselves pondering the meaning of life.
...Well, this conversation is about to get exceptionally dark. Robo-robins were in DQs 8-10 and the remake of 7, and in addition to their multi-strike ability, their main special skill is the ability to explode for massive damage. Clearly they pondered the meaning of life too deeply there...
Erik's so powerful that he can punch some halfway decent holes in, but everyone else might take some doing.
Sylvando's knife skills get better for the sake of getting better.
The metal goomerang, while one might expect it to be a powerful weapon on par with the Meteorang, is simply not. Even the Pentarang is statistically better. This is the rare drop from robo-robins, and if you got one after recruiting Sylv, it might've been nice, but now, hard pass.
Finally found that narspicious!
...Faris always had the funniest ideas.
I almost can't be entirely certain that Sylvando is wrong here. He may be "investigating the Lantern", so to speak, but whether he's really doing anything about it is another matter. Plus, who knows what monsters are coming in to investigate? Faris himself isn't very meaty, though.
That's a big ball of... something.
I don't think he's capable of changing any more than he already has.
Faris, like the Sultan, does not understand the significance of this site, or the purpose it serves. The fact that it's right underneath the Lantern, though...
...Oi, feet off the face!
I don't know about you, Sylv, but I don't think that thing is performing.
Rab starts his investigations here.
Hendrik: I have stared at the Lantern long and hard, and yet I feel as though I have learnt nothing at all...
Sylvando: It looks like it's going to take a while for Rab to work out what's written on that star... How about we take a look around the ruins and see what we can find? I mean, we've come this far- we might as well investigate properly!
Jade: Who could have erected these stones right in the middle of the desert? And why?
Erik: Whoa... This is kind of beautiful, right? I guess we're not going to forget this any time soon. I mean, it's like Prince Faris said- how many people get to see a falling star up close like this?
Serena: Mr Rab is ever so wise. I'm sure he'll have no trouble at all deciphering whatever is written on the side of the Lantern!
I'd be a little more worried than that.
Yes, yes, you can keep at it.
Now then... this guy.
(Also, his voice is even more irritating than the Watchers'- and the fact his text is in A L L C A P S S P A C E D O U T is even worse. Enough so that any line of dialogue uttered by this character has title text written in sentence case for ease of reading. Yes, I should be doing this regardless, but scope.)
I forget if it's "yes" or "no" that gets this extra response, but it's clearly not the one I picked:
[Yes, I suppose that was a silly question...]
Sooner or later, we need to tell someone about this thing.
OK, please tell me you saw that!
It's about time it started doing something.
Everyone please proceed onto the sabrecat in an orderly fashion!
...Hello, who are you?
Rab is so enamoured with his research he doesn't realise the risk. Little hard to be observant if your eye is in a telescope.
Rab reads the runes "Ca" "Las" "Mos". This is intended to be read as a single word- Calasmos- and not instructions in another language. Although considering how intricate the etchings on the Lantern are, I wouldn't be surprised if those were also on there.
Hendrik, now might be the time to pick him up.
The mysterious new figure has arrived, and brought his sword to bear upon the Lantern.
Good question.
Because apparently, the answer is incredibly important.
This is... well, there are several major implications in this moment, although most of them don't make sense without knowing who this guy is and what the Lantern represents.
Well, at least we weren't kept speculating long about one of those. There's only one "Sword of Shadows" lying around, and only one individual who'd dare to swing it around...
Hendrik looks between the wraith and the Lantern, knowing both are Evil, and wondering which one he was supposed to support here. After all, aren't all battles between good and evil?
Faris, for his part, describes the wraith as a hero- like Hendrik, he sees the battle between wraith and Lantern as good against evil, but he has no reason to suspect the wraith of anything other than looking very evil indeed.
Faris is going to go to Gallopolis assuming that is true.
Meanwhile, we're left with a word we don't understand.
He didn't recognise the Lantern, but maybe this will jog his memory?
...
I don't feel bad for this guy.
Hendrik: What was that thing? No man could possess the strength to cleave a star in two... Prince Faris appears to believe it was our saviour. Alas, I fear that he may be gravely mistaken...
Rab: Calasmos... Calasmos... Ach, it's no good! It isn't ringing any bells at all! If it's carved onto the side of the Lantern, it must mean something. Come on, laddie, let's see if the Sultan can shed any light on the subject.
Sylvando: How can Erdwin's Lantern have just vanished!? I mean, was that even Erdwin's Lantern? Are our eyes playing tricks on us? Well, there's no point standing out here speculating. The first thing we need to do is head to the Sultan's palace and ask him if ‘Calasmos’ means anything to him.
Jade: Rab is right. The sword that sliced through the Lantern did look an awful lot like the Sword of Shadows... Surely that's impossible, though. Surely...
Erik: D-Did you see that? It went and sliced the Lantern clean in half! Wh-Who was that? I mean, it wasn't all that much bigger than you or me! What kind of monster could do that?
Serena: It's amazing! Someone sliced Erdwin's Lantern in two before it fell on us! I, I just can't believe it!
These guards are just as amazed as anyone who was there. I guess they were close enough to be "there".
...You guys didn't see the wraith? I get that he's shadows, but...
Trust me... there clearly is.
This is where one can encounter hyperpyrexions normally.
Multiheal is a lot scarier when there are actually multiple targets to heal.
By the way, yes, Curses can kill.
Not funny, Rab.
You are having way too much fun.
...I can only suspect we will one day find out the answer in the worst possible manner.
Well, as it so happens, I happen to have-
Good questions to ask. Surely there'd be something in a Gallopolitan book about the Lantern.
You'll let me know if you find out, right?
Trust in the cats!
I'm ultimately surprised the game lets you talk to Faris without triggering the conversation anyway.
While the Sultana is just glad to see him safe.
...For now.
...You know, the star shattering could have ended a lot worse for us, all told. I'm sure the kinetic energy involved would have been very exciting.
Knowing the Sultan, there is no dissuading him from that assertion.
Nope, the Sultan doesn't know who or what "Calasmos" is.
Either that, or some aliens are having a huge laugh at our expense.
Probably a good idea. Mordegon is a lot more immediate a threat.
This is the end of the Town Story, although you might notice a lack of reward.
That's because, since you can complete this Town Story as soon as you arrive, you can do so without knowing you'll have need of their hammer. Since the party has no reason to assume it'll be important, they won't ask for it until you visit Haven's Above and learn that it is. If you completed this Town Story before that, you can just walk up to the Sultan and claim the hammer without a problem.
Hendrik: I confess, when I first laid eyes on Prince Faris, I feared for the future of his kingdom. However, he has proved to be braver and more capable than I had thought. He certainly has the desire to protect his people- and that is by far the most important virtue that any knight can have.
Rab: If someone went to the trouble of carving ‘Calasmos’ into Erdwin's Lantern, it must mean something... Ach, I'm going to drive myself mad if I think about it any more! I need to stay focused!
Sylvando: Well, we're still none the wiser as to who or what Calasmos is, but at least we don't have to worry about the Lantern any more. And it looks like we managed to save Gallopolis yet again! We'll let Princey-poo take care of things from here. We need to press on- we've got the Lord of Shadows to deal with!
Jade: The crisis is over for Gallopolis, but we're none the wiser as to the meaning of the runes carved onto the Lantern. We can assume it was never an ordinary star, but that is all. As for who wrote the runes or why, it remains a mystery.
Erik: What was that word again? Calasmos? Nope. Never heard it before, and I'm usually pretty good with obscure stuff like that. I mean, do we even know what it is? Is it someone's name? A city? Anyone? A little help here?
Serena: Prince Faris called the one who sliced open the star the saviour of Gallopolis, but I'm really not so sure... I had the sense that it was a rather sinister presence, though I hope I am wrong, of course...
There's actually another line the Sultana says first, but I accidentally skipped it and couldn't get it back.
My husband told me that you are Erdward, the Prince of Dundrasil, and that you are on a quest to defeat the Lord of Shadows. That is truly admirable- and truly heroic. You are a credit to your mother. Lady Eleanor would be proud. I can still remember her smile as she held you in her arms... You have grown a great deal since then, of course, but you must remember: no matter how difficult things become, do not waver from your course. All Erdrea is with you, I am certain of that.
I can't help but wonder how close Eleanor and the Sultana were before Dundrasil fell... and I suddenly start to realise her concern for Faris might just be rooted in what happened to us...
...
I'll bring it up if I find him.
Dear Yggdrasil, he's aggravating no matter how developed he is.
Right, let's pick up a Hammer.
Yes, they do recall such a royal treasure.
And this time, they still have it!
...Just.
The Sultan tries desperately to pretend that he wasn't about to pawn off another of Gallopolis's Hero-era relics for extravagant celebrations.
Thank goodness we didn't have to go half an Act chasing this down.
It should bear mentioning that the Forging Hammer, as far as I'm aware, has no bearing on your ability to work the Fun-Size Forge. Even if Erdward would use it for personal use (which is no guarantee), I don't think the Hammer would shrink down for use on the Fun-Size version.
You'll know once the skies clear up.
Hendrik: The Forging Hammer is exceptionally light and easy to swing. Indeed, it seems to have been designed with those who are not professional smiths in mind. Truth be told, I would rather like to use it as a weapon, though I daresay that would be somewhat ill-advised...
Rab: Well, laddie, we've got ourselves a Forging Hammer! Now let's track down the rest of the stuff we need. Once we've got everything, we just need to locate the Crucible. Apparently it's concealed somewhere deep within Mount Huji...
Sylvando: Did you hear what the Princey-poo said about the hammer, honey? He claims it's imbued with the Spirit of the Land's power! Imagine that! That should make it mighty enough to bash any kind of ore into shape. Come on, let's get forging!
Jade: Now we have the Forging Hammer, we can make our own Sword of Light! But this one's going to be even more powerful than the one Erdwin used!
Erik: Man, I'm starting to worry about the Sultan's finances. First he goes and sells the Rainbough, and now it seems he was planning on selling the Forging Hammer, too... Still, if we don't forge the Sword of Light and defeat the Lord of Shadows, his finances will be the least of the Sultan's worries!
Serena: Thank goodness we came here before the Sultan sold the Forging Hammer! You remember what happened with the Rainbough, don't you? I don't think any of us have the patience for any more of that...
This guy out here has a Quest for us, as it happens.
He wants to pick up one of the shards that exploded off the Lantern.
...You know, this could probably tell us a lot more than we realise...
The Shard is out here, behind where the Slayer of the Sands was.
That was fast.
Well, there's some more definite proof that the ruins and the Lantern are connected. Not that we can read any runes on the ruins.
...OK, that theory is more tenuous.
You got a lot of runes off one shard. Rab looked at the whole thing and only read "Calasmos".
...Either that or Rab isn't as learned as he promised he'd be.
Although it's interesting to note that Erdwin entrusted anything to the people of the future. Clearly he expected something to go awry.
Three Agates of Evolution, that will be some essential alchemy.
If we head over to this bookshelf after accepting the Arborian Quest, we can find that letter the bard sent us to find.
As mentioned, Erdwin died earlier than Serenica, and that fact weighed heavily on Serenica's heart.
...Perhaps I'd better copy this down...
Dost thou recall, my love, when we two did gaze upon the beauty of all Erdrea?
The sky, so deep and blue, did seem like to swallow us whole. The sea burn'd madder red, stain'd by the light of the setting sun. And all around us, Yggdrasil's leaves did shine with the light of life...
The heavenly vision I saw with thee that day seared itself into my very soul. Ne'er shall I forget it, though I live for all eternity.
But wherefore must it be so? This world may be unchanged- as beauteous as e'er it was- but without thee, all seemeth grey and muted...
My chest is fit to burst! My dearest Erdwin, each new day I must endure without thee pierceth my heart like a dagger!
I can do naught but cling vainly to the hope that one day we might be reunited at last. Until then, my songs are thine and thine alone. I pray that they might reach thee, wherever thou might be...
The legends do not tell us when Serenica passed on, as it happens.
...I'd... well, one could call it that...
I'm sure you'll be able to phrase it more positively than I feel capable of.
Just as long as you don't sing me any depressing ones.
The Quest description seems to be more aware of what's going on than the bard is. And possibly more than the player is supposed to be at this point- I can't point to where exactly in the text "Serenica outlived Erdwin" comes up before now, although I can point to some examples afterward...
Regardless, "Things to Do with Metal Goo" is a recipebook that contains exactly what one might expect.
Goo-wee! The Metal weapons deal additional damage to Metal Slimes, although in all honesty, none of them possess a significant enough statistical advantage over the more normal versions to Forge any. We've seen all the armour before, and while the Shield and Armour are fantastic choices, I wouldn't say to go out of your way to Forge more than you already have unless you really need it for somebody.
And that's the story of Erdwin's Lantern. This could've been solved whenever, although following the plot's dotted line, it's something that only comes up near the end of Act 2. And for a Town Story so late in the game, there's a lot more unanswered questions than answered ones. Mordegon destroying the Lantern especially raises several questions about what it was... and even more follow from the enigmatic words he delivered once he had done so. And that black Tockle... it clearly won't be the last we see of him.
Faris's development after Act 1 has taken a fascinating turn. While he has indeed thrown himself into self-betterment, at no point has he successfully taken the steps to becoming better. As a result, he's more bark than bite, but for good causes. This is just going to have to be something he grows out of on his own- we can let Hendrik tutor him if we think we can spare the time, but he's still going to have to do the improving himself. Just because there's still a problem doesn't mean there's anything we can do with our traditional means of helping people. Although this does leave us still worrying about the future of Gallopolis, just for dramatically different reasons.
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