CoSaS: The Nine Year Sleep

Overview: Byron

Byron is the Chancellor's most skilled and trusted agent. However, he did not always hold such an esteemed position. He was one of many agents involved in the nine years of espionage and sabotage leading to the conquest of the Castes. However, unlike most of his companions, he served and survived all nine of those years, never shirking in his duty or allowing a careless slip to cost him his life. After he and his compatriots rendered the Douwd useless as leaders, crippled the Telemancers’ network, and turned the remaining Castes against each other, they opened the gate to their fortress, allowing the Castes to be easily attacked by their supposed allies in Immacul. Leaving the conventional armies to eliminate the Douwd and subjugate the remaining Castes, Byron returned home a hero.

Note: Byron is the name adopted for his mission to The City. It is neither his given name, nor the name he used during the nine year sleep. Byron is the person quoted in the MX cinematics. The original CoSaS plan had many missions taking place in Byron’s realm. However, LGS’ worldbuilding is far better than our own, so in the final outline every mission except 9YS took place in the City.

The Chancellor and his councilors intentionally distorted the story of those nine years beyond all recognition, in order to strengthen their grip on the hearts and minds of the populace of Immacul. No longer were the Castes a troubled but proud people who had once been Immacul's allies -- instead, they were a collection of degenerate tribes, each Caste representing a distinct and fatal flaw. No longer did it take a team of the Chancellor's best agents to subvert them -- now, it was only Byron. And no longer did it take nine years for the Castes to fall -- in the Chancellor's version, it took only a single night. This false story is what the player will experience in The Nine Year Sleep. Its falsity, and the reason for the lie, are gradually revealed over successive cutscenes.

Unlike Garrett or Dante, Byron does not rely on a wide arsenal of weaponry to assist in stealth. He uses no items that leave a distinct trace behind, and instead relies on his necromantic training. Immacul necromancy is based on reverence for the dead, not their enslavement, and allows him to enlist the voluntary aid of the dead in his missions. Byron has a pool of ten energy units, which slowly regenerate over time (at about one unit per six seconds) and are used for various powers. The powers are as follows:

Grace of the Dead: In areas associated with the dead (such as the crypt from parts one and four, and the arena and dissection lab in part two), Byron will regain energy more quickly than usual, and also slowly regenerate his health. Cost: zero.

Soft Step: Muffles the sound of Byron's footsteps, and in addition allows him to jump higher and fall more slowly. Cost: one, plus one per ten seconds.

Sleep: Knocks out an unaware AI, with the same restrictions as the blackjack. It requires a three-second casting time and has a range of six feet or so. Cost: three units.

The Veil: Renders Byron invisible after a five-second casting time. The invisibility is broken by contact with an AI or by player movement. Cost: six units, plus one per ten seconds.

Fear: Makes all alert AI within the player's line of sight afraid for a set amount of time. Cost: eight units.

Extinguish Memory: Returns an AI who is not at the highest alertness level to the lowest alertness level, which gets him to stop searching and decreases awareness back to default. Cast as a slow projectile. Cost: five units.

Detect Life: Summons an orb of particle FX, whose size indicates the nearness of an AI. Cost: two units.

Summon Spirit: Only used in connection with objectives in parts one and two. This summons a spirit, who will have its own motivations and desires. The summoning requires a special summoning circle, and the favor of the spirit in question. Cost: ten units.

Byron carries a small sword, a waterskin, some sacred salt, and nothing else. All other inventory slots are spells. Byron does not collect loot. When he picks up a loot item for the first time, the standard loot chime plays, but otherwise it acts as a normal carryable object.

Immacul & The Chancellor

The Immaculates are an ancient people, contemporaries to The City’s Precursors. Their contact with the land now comprising The City ended with the fall of the Precursors. Immacul calls its counterpart Forsak, reflecting its systematic propaganda.

Immacul is a highly spiritual society based around a veneration for the dead and communication with the spirits. Their traditional leader, a God-King known as the Chancellor, lives in communion with an unliving entity known as Pantocrator, a being similar to Equivi. This communion grants the Chancellor unique powers of divination as well as an extended lifespan. He is not immortal however, and when he passes on it is said that his consciousness joins with Pantocrator and becomes forever a part of the communion with the next Chancellor, selected at the moment of the previous one’s death. The new Chancellor could be anyone, and is selected by Pantocrator alone. Due to the extended lifespan of The Chancellor, this succession is a rare event. Though it is unclear where the union between man and unliving being ends, the Immaculates believe that it is a perfect combination.
The Chancellor-Pantocrator is very sensitive to the machinations of other unliving entities – and this sensitivity is not limited to the chronological flow of events. He has long seen the possibility of the Rivata’s return to our world, and knows that the current people of Forsak, unlike those of Karath Din, are ill-equipped to resist their seductive ways. He has worked steadily to prepare Immacul against a Rivata-led Forsaken invasion, attempting to unify the neighboring nations with Immacul by diplomacy or by force. 
Most Immaculates live an agrarian life whose traditions revolve around showing their respect for the dead and admiring their God-King. As for the country’s military, there is little stratification among those who serve and defend Immacul. All such defenders are trained as warriors, necromancers, and survivors. While some specialize for covert infiltration, others for formation combat, and so on, their initial training is egalitarian, and each defender knows at least the basics of each discipline.
Immacul necromancy divides the spirits of the dead into five Realms, depending on what an individual valued most in life: Love, Might, Knowledge, Freedom or The Divine. Most skilled necromancers specialize in one or two realms, but Byron is a rare generalist, comfortable calling upon the first four Realms. This background information is very important to later CoSaS missions, but is only mentioned obliquely in 9YS.

The Castes

In reality there were many castes, and Byron only dealt with a fraction of them during his nine years. The Chancellor’s story narrowed them down to six. There were other castes dedicated to trade, craftsmanship, and engineering, as well as variations of the castes featured in 9YS (other types of warriors or healers, different spiritual castes, different magical arts, etc.) but none of this need be mentioned within the fabrication. Additionally, the names of the castes Byron uses in-mission are merely slang or slurs used in Immacul, not the actual names of these groups.

The groups that Byron encounters in 9YS are by no means the entirety of each caste. The nation of the Castes is large and comprises many cities. The Six Mile Fortress is located close to the heart of their nation, where a cabinet of Douwd and representatives from the more powerful castes rule in an oligarchy. The Six Mile Fortress and the Twelve Mile Pass which it guards are considered the “back door” to their nation, both an escape route in the case of an overwhelming frontal assault, and a position so defensible that an attack focused on it seems inconceivable. If the fortress should fall, the attacking army would be at the gates of the Castes’ capitol within less than day. If the capitol is taken, the rest of society would splinter and pose little organized threat to a unified invading army.
Though social ties and marriage are encouraged between different castes, it is difficult for an individual to switch castes. If a marriage (or other less official union) results in children, which caste the child is brought up in often depends on their sex. Though some castes allow both men and women to be members, most are strictly one sex or the other. These gender divisions reduced the number of character assets needed in 9YS, and are not essential.
Below are the six castes encountered during the Nine Year Sleep: four castes for part one, one caste each for the remaining two. All remaining descriptions in this section are partial fabrications based loosely on the real cultures, but for simplicity’s sake will be described as if factual. “Leader,” as specified below, is the local leader of the group Byron encountered in the Six Mile Fortress or nearby outposts. “Terminology” suggests what a group of each caste would be called, and what they call their territory. The “General” category gives information about the caste as a whole, and includes all members of that caste throughout the entire kingdom. The “9YS” part supplies information about the specific group residing in or near the Six Mile Fortress. 

Swordlings

		Leader: Chok Curdela

	Terminology: A Host of Swordlings; The Swordlings’ Lair

	General: The Swordlings are an ancient and simple caste, warriors honor-bound to their blades and the art of their use. Their code of ethics does not extend beyond the use of their swords, and has much more to say about how the swords are used than whom they are used on. It is as if they hold their swords in higher regard than those who die by them. The Swordlings are exclusively male.
	9YS: The Swordlings have guarded the 12-mile corridor for generations. As such, they are not keen on their new neighbors the Etherites who, as they see it, do nothing to add security to the pass. Though the Swordlings’ lair technically ends at their mess hall, the main corridor, arena, and dungeon all fall within their jurisdiction. 
	Enemies: Etherites. The Swordlings are superstitious, and thus afraid of the Etherites, who are consummate magicians. They know of the Etherites' ongoing magical experiments, and in their paranoia fear that they are the subject of some such experiments. If fully convinced of that, they will retaliate with steel.

	Allies: Stitchcrafters. The militaristic Swordlings have frequent need of medical help, which the Stitchcrafters can supply.

Etherites
		Leader: Yassar Sossa
	Terminology: A Pact of Etherites; The Etherites’ Enclave
	General: The Etherites are wizards of a combative bent, preferring to hurl lightning bolts from their fingers rather than use magic to solve the practical problems of life. Nevertheless, they are voracious in study and research, committing to memory and to text many details of the natural and magical environment to aid in their arcane destruction. The Etherites are composed entirely of women.
	9YS: Studious scholars and masters of elemental magic, whose thrown lightning bolts pose just as much a threat to the invading force as the Swordlings. Thankfully the two castes would not back each other up to defend their homeland.
	Enemies: Stitchcrafters. The Etherites regulate and control the use of magic, and have banned the use of necromancy. However, the Stitchcrafters have recently exhumed and dissected a large number of bodies in order to solve a years-past murder spree. The Etherites wonder whether the Stitchcrafters have resorted to necromancy to expedite the investigation. If so, their punishment will be swift and harsh.
	Allies: Theods. The Etherites have long supplied the drugs of the Theods, while manipulating them into policing all the Castes except the Etherites.

Theods
		Leader: Fo Gu
	Terminology: A Coventry of Theods; The Theods’ Sanctuary
	General: The Theods are the religious caste, and provide no services to the others aside from condescending and incessant criticism. Byron finds their supposedly spiritual practices irreverent and contemptuous. The monks of their order spend most of their time enjoying hallucinogenic drugs and writing down stories of what they see under the influence. The Theods, like the Etherites, are all women.
	9YS: Theods rarely emerge from their sanctuary, which is separated from the Six Mile Fortress by a narrow gorge. Instead, they transmit missives full of groundless, drug-induced accusations through the Telemancers’ communication devices. Though they pose little threat to the attacking force, they could potentially halt any dissent among the other castes if they are not also involved in the dissent. 
	Enemies: Swordlings. The Theods once served as a religious police force, but have been supplanted by the Swordlings in that role. As a result, the Theods have come to consider themselves persecuted by the Swordlings. If they can be convinced that the Swordlings harbor violent desires toward them, they will prepare themselves for war with the Swordlings, ignoring the enemy without.
	Allies: Etherites. The Theods consider themselves temporal police, and as such they respect the Etherites in their role as magical police.

Stitchcrafters
	Leader: Neef Tag
	Terminology: A Practice of Stitchcrafters; The Stitchcrafters’ Workshop 
General: The Stitchcrafters were once necromancers, but have given up this noble and useful profession for the pursuit of mundane medicine, and the vulgar butchering of the human vessel for the sake of staving off death from wounds and illness. The other castes distrust them as much as they depend on them, though the Swordlings are more likely to overlook their faults. The Stitchcrafters are all male.
    9YS: Their role in the Six Mile Fortress is to ensure that the Swordlings and Etherites are always in peak physical condition. They also act as morticians and gravekeepers for the pan-generational military force. Stitchcrafters are rationalistic, dogged detectives, who refuse to accept that a death can occur for no reason at all.
	Enemies: Theods. The mass murder currently under investigation took place shortly before the ascent of the Swordlings, when the other Castes questioned the Theods' role as enforcers of the law. As such, they are natural suspects. If the Stitchcrafters are convinced that the Theods are guilty, they will retaliate subtly but decisively. 
	Allies: Swordlings. Like the Etherites, the Stitchcrafters are quite scholarly; unlike them, they have no magical defense since the prohibition of necromancy. As such, they rely on the Swordlings for protection.

Douwd
	Leader: Aboof Kniz
	Terminology: A Cabinet of Douwd; The Douwds’ Seat 
	General: Would-be astronomers. They are arrogantly absorbed in the precision of their devices, and have complete faith in their designs and creations, faith that long ago exceeded the real scientific value of their work. They are supposedly astronomers, and yet nowhere can they see the sky, instead basing everything on a mechanical recreation of the known universe. They also don’t believe in handrails, since who needs them when you have perfect balance and every action is intentional and true? Their platforms soar impossibly out into space, their magical structural and architectural abilities being so refined that there is supposedly no need for secondary supports. Paper is reserved for mathematical calculations and unimportant text; the Douwd consider a strong memory vital to their calling, and disdain the use of writing. Unfortunately, they are responsible for remembering the early history of the Castes, which they do not write down. Instead, the lore is passed down in an ancient oral tradition. The Douwd include both men and women.
	9YS: Like the Telemancers, the Douwd live apart from the other castes of the Six Mile Fortress, and send periodic instructions via the communications system only. Unlike the other castes, there are a small number of Douwd at work in their sanctuary and no reinforcements available, so one solution for Byron is to simply kill them all.
	Enemies/Allies: Being the titular leaders of the Castes, they have no rivalries. However, in their arrogance they have distanced themselves from the other Castes, and thus they have no close allies, either.

Telemancers
		Leader: Scion Meechnoforgala
	Terminology: A Commune of Telemancers; The Telemancers’ Tower(s) 
		General: The Telemancers are wizards in the truest sense, with their focus being on magic to aid in the comfort and ease of life rather than combat. Their chief accomplishment, from which they derive their name, is the art of teleportation of both material and (possibly more importantly) information. Their primitive magic-based computer can deliver messages to the heart of their kingdom in mere minutes. The Telemancers include both men and women.
	About: Life is good for Telemancers, who have become lazy philosopher types whose schedules never require hard work. The operation of their computer is largely automated, and though they daily send messages home, the messages are usually short and insignificant. Still, the device can definitely be used to warn the capitol of attack.
	Enemies/Allies: Though the other Castes resent or scorn the Telemancers' luxurious lifestyle, they do not consider them to be a serious threat to their own ways of life. Like the Douwd, the Telemancers have no allies or enemies among the Castes.

Campaign Topics

While these topics are tangential to 9YS, bits of information on them can be hidden away. The following contains COT-R (and COT2) spoilers!

The Rivata

Terms. Rivata can mean the unliving being itself, the group of magi who first merged themselves with it, or the many people tainted by their influence, each person either corrupted or enslaved. When specific clarity is needed, the unliving being can be called “the Rivatas’ Intendent,” the group who merged themselves with the being “the Rivata’s Chorus,” (though both of these terms are rarely used) and when it is the collective people who are under Rivata’s influence the term is “Dereloth,” which was the name of their city. These terms are for background use only, to guide CoSaS development, and are never used in the missions. For the designers, it is helpful background; for the players, it is superfluous detail. If no clarification is given “the Rivata” always implies that the speaker or writer means the group of magi as well as the unliving being as a combined entity, with the enslaved populace considered separate.

History. A group known as the Rivata arose in the city of Dereloth, from the same era and region as Karath Din. Dereloth was several days’ travel inland from Karath Din, and both were much smaller than The City. The Rivata started as a group of magi who sought to merge themselves with an unliving being. They succeeded, and were able to rise to considerable power and rule over the city of Dereloth. Fearing their awesome power and corruptive influence, the leaders of Karath Din, in league with the one who would later be named the first Chancellor, devised a powerful spell to banish the entire city of Dereloth, and all those who had been corrupted by the Rivata’s influence, into the interdimensional void. This venture was successful: every person who had experienced direct contact with the Rivata vanished, along with every brick and beam of the city of Dereloth. 
The Plan. Centuries later, as the spell weakens, the Rivata are slowly plotting to reenter the world and make The City into a new Dereloth, whose remnant in the interdimensional space is a pale shadow of what it once was. The next two paragraphs are vital to CoT2, but mostly omitted from CoSaS. Again, they were provided to help designers. In the first phase, a group of ten hand-picked agents known as Delegates were fed into The City over the course of nearly eighty years, their job to prepare City society for a new form of authoritarian leadership. In the second phase, a colony numbering several hundred would be released into The City, to further perpetuate the ideals needed to allow the Rivata complete control once the third phase, the Rivata themselves reentering the world, comes to pass.

Current Events. Though all ten of the first phase Delegates were deployed, very little went according to the Rivata’s plans. Some Delegates abandoned their mission, some twisted it to their own purposes, and others who stayed true nonetheless fought among themselves for greater personal power, when not occupied by the Rivata’s plan. By the time of Mission X, all Delegates had either abandoned their mission or been killed. One Delegate chose direct opposition to the Rivata: Daelus Thresh (Master Nightfall). Though the colony was indeed deployed it was sabotaged by a rogue Delegate (James) now working for Nightfall, and all sub-delegates within murdered. The Rivata were defeated, but they had one more avenue for victory. That topic leads us to:

Hallming & Equivi

The banishment of the Rivata was imperfect. Certain relics, hidden archives, and scraps of information were left behind. An Immaculate, who has gone by many names and now goes by “Hallming,” discovered one such archive of forbidden Rivata knowledge. He learned some of the secrets behind their practices, and proceeded to experiment with this knowledge with himself as subject and a being known as Equivi as instrument. 

Through this he achieved immortality of sorts – he still ages and dies of infirmity, but upon his death he soon resurrects and begin to age backwards. When he shrinks into an infant and smaller still, he vanishes, only to be reborn and grow up normally in a distant land, gradually remembering previous lives as he ages. If he dies before reaching old age, he resurrects after a time and resumes aging; if he dies before regressing into naught, he resurrects and resumes regressing. So far Hallming has not discovered a degree of damage to his body that can stop him from resurrecting, but of course he has not experimented. Equivi provides almost all of the magical labor, skill and power to support this cycle, as its half of its contract with Hallming. Hallming’s half of the contract is to leave his mind always open to the Equivi, who as a transdimensional being finds dimensional life and science fascinating.

At first Hallming thought the cycle ideal, but he grew to resent always returning to pain-ridden old age, then losing himself in infantile helplessness, again and again. Soon enough his experiments and unnatural state were discovered, and he was put to death. Hallming survived this death, and escaped his long imprisonment by regressing past infancy. Thus, the Chancellor had him banished and excommunicated, promising to observe him for all his days, and kill him painfully and repeatedly should he ever reincarnate within, or return to, Immacul.

During that time what was to become The City was a collection of isolated communities (each one a city in its own right, of considerable size and power) which would eventually become mere districts within an ever-expanding City. There, Hallming resumed his work, now bordering on obsession, on the discovery or creation of another unliving entity which he felt could rival both the Rivata and the Pantocrator. He discovered the entity Equivi, called such because he could not help but equivocate when he tried to describe it to others. As ages passed The City grew into one metropolis and the Hammerites looked less favorably upon those they considered sorcerers. Once again, Hallming was apprehended and put to death. The Hammerites look even more unfavorably than the Immaculates upon those who refuse to stay dead, and Hallming narrowly escaped the prospect of dismemberment without the release of death, rather than mere imprisonment.
Lives later, yearning for his homeland, he attempted to return. He knew he would never be allowed to integrate back into the society of Immacul, so instead he immigrated to their closest neighbor, the nation of the Castes. He became an Etherite, and attempted to put his past life behind him. However, the temptation of arcane might was too great for Hallming, who saw many ways to incorporate elemental magic into the old Rivata practices. So he became a Stitchcrafter too, which at that time still included necromancy. Multiple castes were permitted for those of great ability, such as Hallming. He hoped that, by revealing his nature to the open-minded Stitchcrafters, they might help him return to normal and finally die, reaching the afterlife after uncounted centuries. Many attempts were made to revert Hallming’s modifications, none successful. His hopes were dashed when necromancy was outlawed within the Castes and the Stitchcrafters abandoned all arcane practices, opting to instead focus on medicine and surgery. Still, he lived as one of them, content to be a healer, no longer speaking of his history of wizardry.
Growing tensions between the Castes and Immacul led to many open conflicts. Hallming fled once again, when it became clear to him that the Castes would one day be conquered. It was chance, aimless wandering, which lead him back to Forsak and The City, where he was once again thrust into a confrontation with his legacy. He quickly fell into conflict with Nightfall, a crime lord still in conflict with the other Delegates and not yet a warden, but soon an agreement was reached. Nightfall would aid Hallming in his now-resumed research on Equivi if Hallming would aid Nightfall in his conquests. With Hallming’s assistance, Nightfall was able to rise to wardenship and subjugate or eliminate all Delegates still loyal to the Rivata. 

Nightfall now envisions a reformed and unified city without conflicting religious or political factions vying for power. It is much like what would happen under the Rivata’s domination, but with humans (such as himself) in control rather than an unliving entity. Hallming claims that he can use Equivi to not only bar the Rivata from ever returning, but also harness the Rivata’s power and knowledge to give Nightfall new magical abilities and devices. This way, Nightfall and those loyal to him could rule The City. Secretly Hallming now holds a different goal. He wishes to become like the Chancellor-Pantocrator, to achieve a union with Equivi and thus ascend into a godlike entity. If he is barred from the afterlife, perhaps he can still create his own.
Unknown to both Nightfall and Hallming, Nightfall’s vision for The City contains the Rivata’s backup plan. Each Delegate was implanted with subconscious compulsions which would inadvertently lead them to gradually weaken the barrier between The City and the remnant of Dereloth, even if they believed they were acting against the Rivata. The Chancellor learns of this plan via the Pantocrator, and dispatches Byron to assassinate Nightfall. This forms the drive for the remainder of CoSaS.

The Hand Brotherhood

This section has nothing to do with 9YS, and entirely concerns later missions, but there’s no reason to discard it.

The Hand Brotherhood is a caste well known to those living in The City. They are a colonial offshoot of the Etherites, though the division occurred long ago. True to their origins, the Hand Brotherhood itself is divided into four distinct subcastes: Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. They left their people to travel to The City because they anticipated the invasion and destruction of their people by Immacul. They were also pushed away by pressure from their Etherite sisters, who saw no reason for them to exist as an independent caste. They even know of Equivi and its connection to Forsak, and desire its secrets just as Hallming did.

The Hand devoutly studies archaeology, motivating their expedition to Karath Din during The Dark Project and their coveting of the elemental talismans. More pertinent is their cooperation with the Jameson family and the study, and securing, of the Temple of Omniscience, the ruins of an ancient religious order which predates The City but is not as old as Karath Din. The Temple of Omniscience was built on the site of vanished Dereloth, and the ten Delegates entered this world from its ruins. Within this temple there is a key item needed in the study of Equivi, a “soul crystal.” 

Normally Equivi spans multiple worlds, but Hallming can use this crystal to channel Equivi into this world specifically. The Hand do not understand its significance as their ancestors did, and as Hallming still does. Thus, the relic is kept in its original place in the temple, rather than put under strict guard or destroyed. Many of the Hand consider Equivi to be a mere myth, since unlike their more broadly-educated Etherite kin their foundation in elemental magic provides little knowledge of the spiritual realm. 

However, Nightfall has compensated for the Hand’s negligence. He knows that the Temple is a key location in the Rivata’s invasion plan, and since ascending to wardenship he has thoroughly destroyed all references to the location in books and maps. Meanwhile, he has substituted word of a similar, but far less important ruin, leading any would-be researcher to the wrong location. Only Nightfall, the Hand, and a few of his more scholarly agents still know the Temple’s true location.

Some of the other Castes are still in contact with the Hand, most importantly the Telemancers, whose computer can reach the Hand overseas. The Hand know of the fall of their homeland, and are staunch enemies of Byron in later missions.  

Future Considerations

Post MX. Dante learns of Byron in mission seven, but it is no slow reveal. Their conflict is immediate and severe. There should be thematic cues to indicate their differing philosophies. 
Post 9YS. When Byron arrives in The City he discovers that Nightfall’s influence is far-reaching and the scent of the Rivata strong in the air. He must locate and then infiltrate The Circle and Hallming’s labs, make contact with Equivi, and destroy the Rivata once and for all.

Part 1 – The Outpost

Briefing

Hallming’s opening quote: 

“The Voices of the Chancellor accused me of many crimes before I left their land: murder, sedition, sacrilege, vivisection...”

“Some of the accusations were true. One cannot live for centuries without committing a few crimes.”

“Still, when I think back on their sanctimony, I can at least claim the high ground in one respect. I, for one, am honest.”

visual	animation	sound effects	voiceover	
[black]		sounds of the ocean, and the groan of a wooden ship at sea		
A cabin in a sailing ship. Byron is leaning over a table, writing in a journal. The room is simple, without decoration of any type. The MX closing quote is written on the left page of the open book:

“Friendship, comfort, love... These are things every person should experience. But the true servant knows the time must come when he will sacrifice it all for his master.”	fade from black
the image sways like the boat	sounds of writing		
A closer view, focusing on the book. This text has been added to the right page.

“The Nine Year Sleep, the story of the fall of the Castes” 

The writing hand in a new location.	quick transition	sounds of writing (louder)		
				
[black]		distant marching	The eve of conquest is at hand, and I am its herald.	
mountainous terrain with a vast army carrying spears and flags		medium marching	My master's army, standing fifty thousand swords strong, stands ready to invade the nation of my people’s sworn enemy, the Castes.	
The same army as above, but zoomed closer	quick transition	loud marching		
mountainous terrain with dozens of towers dotting the cliffs and peaks. One in the foreground has a flag clearly visible, showing the six emblems of The Castes	do this one as tall rather than wide, so we’re panning from top to bottom.		The only weakness in their defenses is a narrow pass through twelve miles of treacherous mountains, guarded at the center by a small fortress.	
a solitary figure alone in the vast wasteland. He’s too small/far away to make out any details			For nine years I explored these badlands and the caverns beneath them, searching for a way to circumvent or destroy these defenses, and finally I have it.	
a tall pillared opening in a massive cavern			An abandoned outpost. A system of magical teleportation. A back way in. Soon I will be among them, and will turn the Castes against one another.  	
[black]			I know these people well. Their own weakness will be their downfall.	
the same figure sitting cross-legged, mediating, at his camp site in the cavern, details still indiscernible			My sleep has ended. I feel as if the past nine years have been but a dream.	
[black]			Finally I awaken, and act.  	

Summary:

Long ago, this was an outpost of Immacul. After its leader was betrayed by The Castes, it was briefly shared by the Etherites, Telemancers, Stitchcrafters, and Theods. Lack of space, tensions between the castes, and the antagonism of ZM, the lingering spirit of the betrayed leader, prompted their departure to the 6-mile fortress with the Swordlings, about 20 years ago. There, they each got their own separate territory. The Stitchcrafters recently attempted to return, but were driven away again, leaving half-burned candles and other minor evidence of their attempt. After that, ZM erected a magical barrier to prevent any return of the Castes. One Stitchcrafter, cut off from the rest, departed into the wastelands, where he died shortly before being found by Byron, along with the obelisk tip. Byron’s necromancy allowed him to summon and question the Stitchcrafter’s spirit, gaining key knowledge.

Inside the mission, ZM will be visible from a distance in several areas, but will fade as the player approaches. ZM will only speak to a player who shows proper respect, by undoing the defilement caused by the Castes who once resided here. Any act of aggression against ZM (which will be difficult, due to his propensity to fade) will fail the second objective, below.

When Byron first sees the barrier, he senses the connection between it and ZM, a new main objective appears, as below. Like GatI and MX (or rather, the way MX should have been), the sole difference in difficulty levels is the number and quality of hints provided. 

The player must figure out and then complete three of the four tasks below in order to speak with ZM. The objectives for the individual tasks will appear, completed, once they are done. If a task is completed before the "show proper respect" objective is active, its objective will only appear once the player sees the barrier and the above objective appears. In this case, the task objective will be already completed when it appears. There could be a voice clip, along with many readables, to give hints for each task, along with the usual map-based hints system. However, this mission will overall be light on custom voice lines. Broadly speaking, Byron is far less verbose than Dante and Garrett; also, he has a Finnish accent, to honor the early contributors to CoSaS.

Objectives:

Starting objectives:

- Travel through the abandoned outpost. There is a device on the other side, which uses the obelisk fragment you found on the dead Stitchcrafter. This will activate a teleportation device, to take you deep within the Six Mile Fortress.
- The outpost's commander lingers here, though he has been dead for years. Your experience with necromancy will keep you from harm; nonetheless, treat the spirit with the respect it deserves.

This objective appears once the player reaches the barrier, replacing the second objective above:

Normal: The spirit erected this barrier. He will only speak to you if shown proper respect. Undoing the Castes' defilement of this outpost will demonstrate that respect. 
Hard: The spirit erected this barrier. He will only speak to you if shown proper respect. Perform tasks to convince the spirit that you, unlike the Castes, have that respect. 
Expert: The spirit erected this barrier. He will only speak to you if shown proper respect. Perform tasks that will convince it of your good intent.

Task objectives (these appear once completed):

- Destroy the blasphemous idol of the Theods.
- Redraw the summoning circle defiled by the Stitchcrafters.
- Deactivate the monoliths of the Telemancers.
- Remove the lingering taint of the Etherites' experiments.

Four tasks:

Theods: The Theods have raised a shrine to false gods in their area (the statue in the intersection). Destroy it. 

Stitchcrafters: Immacul necromancers use summoning circles for the dead to comfortably commune with the living. The Stitchcrafters unknowingly defaced this outpost's circle (currently the main altar in the SC area) with blood. Spirits abhor blood, as it reminds them of life lost. The summoning circle can be restored by removing all the mushrooms and cleaning it with water. The water can be obtained by tossing an empty bowl into water, then tossing the bowl of water onto the circle, or by using Byron's waterskin. 

Telemancers: The TMs once used the monoliths in their area to power their magical luxuries. They have wastefully left the monoliths active. Deactivate them by removing their keystones, each located in a hard-to-notice spot on or near its respective monolith. 

Etherites: The magical experiments conducted by the Etherites have left residues (shown as particle effects) lingering throughout the outpost. Use the three keystones from the prior objective to gather up the three residues, located somewhere in the crypt, the library and the halls above the spiral stairs. 

One keystone will be carried into the next mission, and will be used in the bonus objectives there. So, it should not be droppable. However, it will only be useful if the Etherites' residue is collected, which strictly speaking is optional, as only three of four tasks are required.

Once three tasks have been completed, the spirit will appear in the summoning circle (restored or not), rather than wandering the halls. After speaking with the player, the spirit will go to the barrier and bring it down, allowing the player to activate and enter the teleporter.

For the bonus objective in the next three parts, the player may gather salt from the tombs. The salt is modestly concealed, and the player simply frobs it to collect it. The mushrooms serve as markers for locations where salt can be found. 

Part 2 – The Fortress

Briefing:

visual	animation	sound effects	voiceover	
[black]			When at last I returned from my nine years of darkness, the Chancellor greeted me like a lost son. 	
Byron, dressed in fine robes, standing by a window looking down into the spire’s courtyard where crowds of people can be seen.
(image of courtyard will be provided)			I lived in the palace itself, awaiting his next command, while the chanters in the plazas below sang of the nameless man who brought down the Castes in a single night. 	
View from the crowd’s perspective, looking up at an orator and beyond him the towering spire itself. 
(image of spire will be provided)			Whenever the story reached my ears, I would suggest that perhaps... perhaps it did not actually happen that way.	
[black]			I was still young, then.	

Summary

Now, Byron finds himself in the huge fortress shared by the lesser Castes, compressed to make a better story for the people of Immacul. He knows roughly how each Caste can be turned against each other, but does not yet know the specifics. Assisted by the hint system (depending on difficulty), he will first have to discover, and then implement, a way to undermine each one. Each objective will have one stealthy and one crude way of being accomplished. The stealthy way will always be compatible with a ghosting run, but the crude way will sometimes not be. Perhaps there will be a bonus objective for using only the stealthy approaches.

Objectives

Starting objectives:

- The Castes exist in a state of equilibrium, but you have discovered its true instability. Turn the factions against each other, ensuring that they cannot present a united front against your master's army.
- The Swordlings are vicious predators, but they are also deeply fearful of the unknown. Convince the Swordlings that the Etherites have been conducting arcane experiments on them.
- The authoritarian Etherites long ago prohibited necromancy. Convince them that the Stitchcrafters have revived this sacred art.
- The irreverent Stitchcrafters have unearthed the dead in their attempts to solve a mass murder among the Castes. The Theods would be a suitable group to frame for that murder.
- The arrogance of the Theods draws ire from the other Castes, particularly the xenophobic Swordlings. Convince the Theods that the Swordlings have been secretly undermining them.
- There does not seem to be a way into the Douwd territory from here. Find a way, and go once you're finished here.

These objectives are all compressed during actual play into things like "Turn the Swordlings against the Etherites.”

Swordlings against Etherites: (Stealthy) Using an experimental Etherite weapon, contaminate several items in the Swordlings' kitchen to make them think their food has been tampered with. (Crude) Use the experimental Etherite weapon to KO or kill a Swordling. 

Etherites against Stitchcrafters: (Stealthy) The Stitchcrafters know how to summon the spirit of the most recent murder victim, but refuse to do so out of respect for the other Castes, even though it could solve their mystery. One foolish Stitchcrafter actually did plan to summon the spirit, but he was placed in a holding cell for his transgression. He marked the best spot for a new summoning circle and had begun to etch it. Byron may frob that spot with the salt from the previous mission in order to finish the circle. There is a spy among the Stitchcrafters will report this "betrayal" to the Etherites. (Crude) The Etherites are responsible for collecting herbs for the Stitchcrafters and Theods. Suspecting necromancy, they have locked all herbs related to that art in a secure safe. Toss the safe off a cliff or into a hole, making the Etherites think it was stolen by the Stitchcrafters.

Stitchcrafters against Theods: (Stealthy) Find the original murder weapon (well-hidden in the Theod area), and drop it off in a box of miscellaneous evidence from the outpost, collected by the Stitchcrafters. Indeed, a Theod was responsible for the murders. (Crude) Find a TheodDrug (any) and frob patient body (any) or corpse (any) with it (excluding bones). This will make the Theods the prime suspects for the murders.

Theods against Swordlings: (Stealthy) The Swordlings recently captured and tortured a Theod. Find and free this Theod, and ensure that the Swordlings do not kill her on her way back to the Theod area; in principle, this can be done by simply opening the cell door at the right moment. (Crude) Lure a Swordling into the Theod area, without alerting a Theod. The Theods will consider this an attack.

Optional: Use the keystone from the previous part to drain the Etherite equipment?

Bonus: As in the first part, the player can gather sacred salt from places related to the dead. In addition, at several difficult-to-reach places in the mission, the player can hear the whispers of the dead, indicating that the barrier between the worlds is wearing thin in that location. If Byron performs a quick ritual using the collected salt, he will mend the barrier, preventing any fallen Caste members from haunting the fortress after its conquest.

Hint System

Each Caste has two pages in the hints devoted specifically to them, one for background information and one for hints. The first page will, on all difficulties, describe the Caste, its alliances, and enmities, and will include a rough outline of what is to be done about them. The hints which deal with turning that Caste against another will appear on the other page.
On Normal difficulty, the player will be told outright how to do the crude solution (upon finding the proper triggers), and given a weak hint about the stealthy solution. On Hard, they will be given a strong hint about the crude solution, which also provides a little information (not an outright hint, but something that indicates where to search) pertaining to the stealthy solution. On Expert, they will receive a weak hint about the crude solution, nothing more. On all difficulties, the notes will indicate that multiple solutions are possible.

Swordlings against Etherites

Initial
All: The superstitious Swordlings have long suspected they are the subjects of the Etherites' magical experiments. Convince them that this is true, whether by subtle or crude means.
Normal: The Etherites defend the Castes using their elemental magic, so killing a Swordling with Etherite magic would convince the Swordlings of their ill intent. But perhaps I can use this magic against them in a more subtle way.
Hard: I will have to find a way to use Etherite magic against the Swordlings.

Trigger: A Swordling conversation about his fears of the Etherites.
Normal: The Swordlings are so afraid of the Etherites that they attribute simple accidents and rotten food to the Etherites. All they need is a visible sign of the Etherites' meddling.
Hard: The Swordlings are deeply afraid of the Etherites. All the Swordlings need is a visible sign of the Etherites' meddling.

Trigger: An Etherite readable expressing dismay that all their magical devices leave a residue.
Normal: The Etherites' devices leave a magical residue. Using such a device against the Swordlings will leave a visible trace.
Hard: The Etherites' devices leave a magical residue.

Trigger: Finding the Etherite weapon.
Normal: I have found _____, an Etherite weapon. Using it, I can convince the Swordlings of the Etherites' ill intent. Killing a Swordling with it would be the obvious solution, but maybe I can use it another way.
Hard: I have found _____, an Etherite weapon. Using it, I can convince the Swordlings of the Etherites' ill intent.
I don’t know whether the weapon ever acquired a name.
On completion
Crude: By killing a Swordling with the _____ I will force their Caste into action. Still, they will wonder why the Etherites did something so unsubtle.
Stealthy: By contaminating the Swordlings' food I have given them evidence of Etherite meddling.  Their fear and superstition will take care of the rest.

Note: If the player kills a Swordling with the Etherite weapon after contaminating their food, it will now show that the crude solution has been performed.

Etherites against Stitchcrafters

Initial
All: The Etherites suspect that the Stitchcrafters still practice necromancy. Convince them this is true.
Normal: The Etherites control the Castes' magical stocks, so they would notice any disappearance of necromantic supplies. A more concrete indication of necromancy may also be possible.

Trigger: A Stitchcrafter readable bitching about the Etherites' stinginess with herbs.
Normal: The Etherites have refused to supply certain herbs that can be used in necromancy.  I should find out where the herbs are kept.
Hard: The Etherites have refused to supply certain herbs that can be used in necromancy.

Trigger: An Etherite ledger listing the contents of the safes (either the ledger says which herbs are necromantic, or Byron's journal does).
Normal: Safe number N contains herbs used in necromancy. If I were to make it disappear, the Etherites would suspect theft.
Hard: Safe number N contains herbs used in necromancy. If I were to make it disappear, the Etherites would suspect theft.

Trigger: An Etherite readable mentioning the existence of a spy among the Stitchcrafters.
Normal: The Etherites are so suspicious of necromancy that they have a spy among the Stitchcrafters. Signs of necromancy in the Stitchcrafters' domain would soon be reported to the Etherites.
Hard: The Etherites are so suspicious of necromancy that they have a spy among the Stitchcrafters.

Trigger: The notes of an SC investigator and/or a Swordling jailor and/or the imprisoned SC's ranting.
Normal: A Stitchcrafter who contemplated necromancy has been jailed for his heresy, but not before marking the best possible spot for a new summoning circle.
Hard: A Stitchcrafter who contemplated necromancy has been jailed for his heresy, even though he had not yet completed a summoning circle.

Trigger: Seeing the mark on the floor indicating the best spot for the summoning circle, after the above trigger.
Normal: The mark in the ______ indicates where a summoning circle can be inscribed. I can do so using sacred salt.
Hard: The mark in the ______ indicates where a summoning circle can be inscribed.

On completion
Crude: By stealing the necromantic herbs and discarding them where they won't be found, I will arouse the Etherites' suspicion. Still, they will wonder why the Stitchcrafters foolishly resorted to theft.
Stealthy: Try as they might, the Stitchcrafters will not be able to excuse the existence of a summoning circle in their own ______. The Etherites will swoop to quash this heresy.

Stitchcrafters against Theods

Initial
All: The Stitchcrafters are investigating a mass murder that occurred many years ago. Given their  animosity, the Theods would make a convenient suspect.
Normal: I need to find something distinctly Theod that the Stitchcrafters would consider evidence.
Hard: I need to find something distinctly Theod that the Stitchcrafters would consider evidence.

Trigger: A Theod conversation about the risks of their hallucinogen.
Normal: In large quantities, the TheodDrug is poisonous. I can use it to frame the Theods.

Trigger: A Stitchcrafter document summarizing the investigation.
Normal: The Stitchcrafters know the size and shape of the original murder weapon, but they never found it. However, their new ability to analyze chemical traces led them to exhume several corpses, whose wounds will be examined for traces of poison.
Hard: The Stitchcrafters' new ability to analyze chemical traces led them to exhume several corpses, whose wounds will be examined for traces of poison.

Trigger: A Swordling readable relating some suspicious events from around the time of the murders.
Normal: Soon after the murders, the Theods executed one of their own number for unknown reasons.  Could a Theod truly have been the murderer?

Trigger: Finding the murder weapon, an antique Theod knife.
Normal: I have found an antique Theod knife. (If SC document found.) It matches the description of the murder weapon.

Trigger: A Stitchcrafter readable near the box of evidence.
Normal: A box in _____ contains various materials from the outpost. If I were to place anything in it, it would be treated as evidence in the murder investigation.
Hard: A box in _____ contains various materials from the outpost.

On completion
Crude: With the victims' wounds contaminated by TheodDrug, the Stitchcrafters will suspect the Theods. Too bad there's nothing I can do to make the drug seem less fresh.
Stealthy: A Theod dagger killed the victims, and an identical dagger is now in the Stitchcrafters' possession. The case is as good as closed, but its aftermath will be vicious.

Theods against Swordlings

Initial
All: The Theods grow more paranoid with every year, and they consider themselves especially persecuted by the Swordlings. I should turn this paranoia into outright violence.

Trigger: A conversation among Theods discussing what they would do to Swordlings who wandered too close.
Normal: The Theods are ready to attack any Swordling who enters their territory, due to the recent disappearance of one of their acolytes. Perhaps I can lure a Swordling to the Theods, though I certainly can't do so without being seen.
Hard: The Theods are ready to attack any Swordling who enters their territory.

Trigger: An Etherite diary relating something strange he saw near the arena.
Normal: A Theod was recently seen in the company of several Swordlings. She would not have been there voluntarily.

Trigger: A note scribbled from one Swordling to another.
Normal: Apparently some of the Swordlings have developed a taste for the TheodDrug. I wonder how far they would go to acquire some.
Hard: Apparently some of the Swordlings have developed a taste for the TheodDrug.

Trigger: The Swordling jailkeeper's records.
Normal: Some of the cells are occupied, but the warden did not write down the identity of cell N's occupant. I wonder why.

Trigger: Finding and freeing the jailed Theod.
Normal: If this Theod acolyte reaches her companions safely, my task is done, but any Swordling along the way would surely try to stop her.
Hard: If this Theod acolyte reaches her companions, my task is done.

Readables and conversations

Etherite area (4 readables):
A readable expressing dismay that all their magical devices leave a residue.
A ledger listing the contents of the safes (either the ledger says which are necromantic, or Byron's journal does).
A readable mentioning the existence of a spy among the Stitchcrafters.
A diary relating something strange an Etherite saw near the arena (A Theod was recently seen in the company of several Swordlings. She would not have been there voluntarily.)

Stitchcrafter area (4 readables):
A Stitchcrafter readable bitching about the Etherites' stinginess with herbs. 
The notes of an SC investigator and/or a Swordling jailor and/or the imprisoned SC's ranting. 
Stitchcrafter document summarizing the investigation. It mentions that the Stitchcrafters know the size and shape of the original murder weapon, but have never found it. However, their new ability to analyze chemical traces led them to exhume several corpses, whose wounds will be examined for poison.
Stitchcrafter readable near the box of evidence (singling out the box! it’s not just decoration! being frobbable would help too).

Swordling area (3 readables, 1 conversation):
Swordling readable relating some suspicious events from around the time of the murders.
The Swordling jailkeeper's records, mentioning that some of the cells are occupied, and listing all occupants except that of cell N.
A note scribbled from one Swordling to another, mentioning that some of the Swordlings have developed a taste for the TheodDrug. 
A Swordling conversation about their fears of the Etherites (Swordlings have long suspected that they are the subjects of the Etherites'  magical experiments).

Theod area (2 conversations):
Theod conversation about the risks of their hallucinogen.
A conversation among Theods discussing what they would do to Swordlings who wandered too close.

Part 3 – The Douwd

Briefing:

visual	animation	sound effects	voiceover	
[black]			Why do I tell a story that I know to be false?	
Aerial image of a small medieval city with many towers surrounded by a wall. Roads lead out from the city to other smaller cities around it. Mountains in the distance. (This image is possibly a map or possibly just a view from the sky.)			The Castes were an unstable society, but they did not collapse in a single night. It took nine years to bring their nation down.   	
We see a camp of Immacul agents in the rocky wilderness. One by one, each campsite or tent vanishes, until only one remains.			Nine years of sabotage, theft and assassination. Nine years of hiding in the dark and sleeping on hard rock. Nine years of seeing my companions die one by one. 	
Some type of battle scene where the army of Immacul clashes with the army of The Castes.			And even in the end the discord we sowed was not complete. A part of the Castes never succumbed to their mutual enmity, and remained united to the last. 	
Byron kneels praying over the graves of his fallen companions, each marked simply by a pile of stones and their swords laid atop them.			Even now, as I think of how to reduce those nine years to a single night, I can't help but pause in reverence to the memory of my fallen, and forgotten, comrades.	
[black]			That... is not the story my master wants me to tell.	

Summary

This mission takes place in the sanctuary of the Douwd, which can only be reached via magical teleportation. Here the Douwd plan the long-term strategies of the Castes, using their humongous clock and orrery as aids in this task. However, in their arrogance, they have come to rely too heavily on these systems, a weakness which Byron can exploit.

The orrery and the clock are two connected systems, each designed to catch errors in the others. The orrery is a far more precise instrument than the clock, and can thus be used to detect slight errors in it. The clock, meanwhile, is normally connected to the orrery, so that a malfunction in the orrery will cause the clock to speed forward, stand still, or move backward. The Douwd always have an apprentice watching the great clock, to catch any such malfunction. Thus, the player must first disconnect the clock from the orrery, and then sabotage the orrery in a way that the Douwd will not detect.
During the course of the mission, Byron learns about a recalcitrant apprentice who has kept a hidden, written copy of the Douwd's oral history. This copy has a distinctive appearance, but within the mission it has no effect besides being readable. However, more observant characters will notice that in the final debriefing, the same copy is present aboard Byron's ship, meaning that in the true story Byron took it with him.
Objectives

Starting Objectives:

- The Douwd base their plans and decisions on the orrery, which also controls the giant clock within their compound. Discover how to operate this machine, and cause it to perform errors which will throw them off just enough to keep them in shambles when the attack comes. Make sure that the Douwd do not detect your sabotage.
- Alternatively, simply kill them all.

First the player must disconnect the orrery from the clock. Then they must switch the orrery into maintenance mode, which causes all of the planets to revert to their default position. Then something has to be altered – a pair of gears switched or something. The orrery is then put back into operational mode and reconnected to the clock.

- In order to escape, you will need to use the obelisk tip on another obelisk somewhere in the Douwd territory.

Bonus objective: As in part three, collected salt may be used to mend the barrier between worlds.

Part 4 – The Telemancers

Briefing:

visual	animation	sound effects	voiceover	
[black]			The true history of the Castes existed in only place: the minds of the Douwd. 	
A Douwd elder lecturing to neophytes. Towering above them is the orrery.
(images will be provided)			Whether motivated by arrogance, paranoia, or the desire to control the other Castes, the Douwd prohibited the recording of history, instead developing a rich oral tradition passed down to specially trained neophytes. 	
The same image as above, but now the orrery is in ruins, pieces gone and falling off. The lecture area below is littered with bodies and splattered with blood.			As much as I hated the Douwd for defying my master, I respected the fine discipline of their minds. I was not happy to see those minds extinguished.	
[black]			I am the only person left who can tell the true story of the Castes. But I now serve a higher purpose than the truth.	

Visualization / Layout

The player begins in a cavern with echoes of Douwd design to it. In the center of the cavern is a strange free-standing structure with three pointed arches, the current Telemancer entryway. On closer inspection the three arches contain one teleporter each, of a different design from the others encountered so far. Each arch leads to one of the three towers. Once through, the player will discover a different type of obelisk as well, smaller and set into the wall, their tips pyramids with triangular bottoms. The tips again may be taken and used like the square-bottom pyramidal tips we’re used to. Each tower serves a different purpose. The central tower is for living and comfort. The two others are for housing the communications machine (including a primitive magic-based computer) and the teleportation engine respectively. The towers are connected by narrow and long bridges. The wilderness is accessible, though Byron won’t be able to proceed in those directions until the mission is complete. 

Objectives

- The Telemancers operate the teleportation network spanning the Six Mile Fortress and its nearby outposts. Destroy this system, thus crippling their mobility.
- A machine provides a direct line of communication with the Castes’ leaders. It can be subverted to another use. Use it to signal your waiting armies to prepare the attack.
- Prevent the Telemancers from using the machine to call for help. By the time their leaders discover that the signal has gone, it will be too late.
- Once your mission is complete, escape into the wilderness. None will follow you into the badlands.
Destroy the Teleportation System
A high-ranking Telemancer possesses a miniature teleporter that can transport small objects. This device will cause a catastrophic system-wide failure if it itself is teleported. (Stealthy) A shipment of goods is scheduled to be transported to the Six Mile Fortress soon. Hide the device inside one of the chests. It will destroy the network after Byron is safely away. (Crude) Throw the miniature teleporter onto an active pad. This will put all of the Telemancers on alert but their mobility will be limited. Note: Attempting to use a teleporter with the device in your inventory results in death.

Send a signal to your waiting army.
Every ten minutes the computer sends a signal to the capitol, shown as a beam of particles. The contents of this signal depend on what is loaded into the chamber. If you are inside the chamber when the signal is sent, it will send out a strong necromantic pulse, easily noticed by your countrymen but invisible to The Castes.

Disable the Machine
The computer relies on synchronization with the orrery to operate properly. Currently the orrery is incorrect and the computer is correct. Inspire a Telemancer to re-synchronize the computer so that it too will be incorrect and the signals sent will be unable to reach the capital.

Bonus objective: Once more, the salt collected from parts one and two can be used to mend the barrier between worlds.

Endgame

Debriefing

visual	animation	sound effects	voiceover	
We once again see Byron in his cabin, but now the book is closed before him. He’s praying over it. Nearby on the same table a book (it would be familiar to players who discovered it in-game) with the Douwd emblem on the cover.
		sounds of the ocean and the groan of a ship at sea		
	The book vanishes			
With the book gone, we see that the portable teleporter from Part 4 was resting under it.			On the day before I was sent into the badlands,	
[black]			at the start of the nine year sleep before the downfall of the Castes, the Chancellor summoned me to his inner chambers. 	
First we see the ideal Chancellor, a giant in ornate armor with a towering crown and flowing robes.			I had expected a majestic warrior, 	
	the chancellor transforms before our eyes.		but instead saw a tortured, emaciated man, 	
Now we see the real Chancellor, extremely humble figure, hunched and weary, dressed only in a simple toga. 			from whose haggard eyes spoke an unfathomable terror and resolve.	
Seen in profile and nearly silhouette, the Chancellor’s gnarled hand touching the bare head of Byron.			He leaned forward, and his fingertips brushed my forehead for just an instant. In that instant, I saw the world through the eyes of my master.	
Similar to the above image, but zoomed out more, so we see the Chancellor’s arm and Byron’s shoulders.			Sabotage... Treachery… Falsehood… Genocide...	
Similar to the previous image, but showing both Chancellor and Byron’s full bodies. The background behind them is just a blur. 			I once would have found these unthinkable. But now I know that they are a necessary price, for I have seen... 	
[black]			them... through the eyes of my master. I have seen the Rivata. 	
Byron’s small ship, nearly lost in the endless expanse of ocean waves.			Now, nearly a lifetime later, I am being sent across the sea to face the Rivata just as I did the Castes. 	
A serene view of the City from the ocean. A tall image that pans from top to bottom. 			Only this time the story must become real. I really shall be alone in a foreign land, and I will not have nine years. The fate of two lands may yet be decided in a single night.	

Miscellaneous

- All briefings require additional attention.
- The campaign-wide history objective requires more design work. In fact, it has become a campaign-wide necromancy objective.
- The specifics of the Part 3 objectives are still to be decided.
- All player hints must be written.
- All player notes must be written and illustrated.
- All in-game readables must be written.
- All conversations must be designed.
- The collectable object still needs a basic concept.
- “Aiding the dead” optional objectives (possibly as a collectable) that boosts basic powers still needs to be decided upon.
- The Teleputer needs a new name. Yeah, I just called it a computer. No reason to be coy. This term need never be used in the mission itself.
- What kind of in-game ending monologue do we want to do depending on how many stealthy solutions the player achieved? I think the best answer is none. Endgame audio is Dante’s thing, not Byron’s.
Quote Scroll

Digi: NV! 
NamelessVoice: Ah
NamelessVoice: I was playing Left4Dead so I ignored you :)
…
Digi: Question - could hand mages cast multiple spell types? 
Digi: (you went back to L4D, didn't you...) 

* Yametha is lost
<AnarchicFox> Hey guys, I'm late because this strange thing called a Wigner function is beating me up... it integrates fields in opposite directions from all space, and I'm trying to extract some basic information from it.
<AnarchicFox> Oops, that won't make you less lost. :P
<Yametha> no, it won't!

Digi: *brain fist-bump* 

Digi: I am thinking of something really silly... like an AI shrunk down to a foot tall, which haunts some out of the way rooms and passages.
Digi: Byron just uses a spell on them to settle them down and make them fade away.
…
Digi: So was my little spirits idea that horrible? :)
theImmortalThief: I'm trying to forget that one. ;)

<AnarchicFox> The body-diagram thing would accommodate NV's desire to stab dead bodies. ;)