Avernum 3-14: To the Endgame and Return

So yesterday I fought my way right up to the endgame. But that will wait. I realized that I had missed most of the Keep of Tinraya. Shoot, it's supposed to be a big town! I wanted to see it.

So I went back. 

Glad I did. There are a few loose ends that I certainly don't need to do, but hey, why not just go back and do 'em? I had missed the fifth stone circle that would give me the Level 3 spell for Return Life. It's the only Level 3 priest spell that I missed. Still missing several Level 3 mage spells.

Also there were a couple of quests I didn't get done. I'm gonna go back and do 'em! Thanks to the great "Randomizer" on the Spiderweb Forum, I know basically what to do.

First, however, I destroyed the plague of the Alien Beasts. When I first entered Tinraya I saw a sign that the sewers were in the southeast corner. That sign would not have been there if the sewers were not important. So I went there and climbed down, and there I found the fight against the beasts, but especially against the Vahnatai.

I plowed through the sewers until I was captured. One character (Aldous, of course) gets to go wandering. He finds a control panel and we know just enough Vahnatai lore that we can figure it out.

I was a bit worried that I wouldn't have enough Vahnatai lore, because at the top of the Golem Factory I found a big green crystal. That wasn't the first one of those I had found, and normally I just put them in the junk bag and sold them. But then I noticed that the thing gave you Vahnatai lore! Shoot! How many did I sell? (Probably no more than one or two, actually.)

But I had enough (well, so far; I'm not at the actual endgame yet). I escaped and had a fairly easy fight with Vahnatai, then made it to another of their area with beams and mirrors. I really don't like having to deal with beams and mirrors, but at least these are blue beams so they don't actually kill you unless you get careless. Just go into fight mode and only get one of your party zapped.

Here's what I finally worked out. This probably is a stupid solution, but it's what I came up with. Used every single damned mirror, too.

Get the power away from the central crystal

I hadn't looked ahead. There was a huge area with mirrors all over, but no beams. I'm pretty sure I turned off all those beams when I diverted them from the crystal. From there it was pretty much of a cinch. I just fought my way down this long valley, bypassed this circle (but next time I'll go in), and found the "Great Walls."

What dangers might manifest inside the circle?

And at that point I realized I'd missed most of Tinraya! So I went back. Had to slaughter the remaining alien beasts in the city, of course, but after that it was just exploring. And that was fun!

We emerge from the Vahnatai area.

As soon as you enter from the Vahnatai area you're swarmed by beasts, but they go down pretty quickly with the warped blade (it was more useful than the upper-level battle disciplines, and I just switch back to the discipline blade when I need it) and with ranged spells. 

Then I just had fun exploring. There are items in the shops and rooms just like any other city

Getting Goodies!

First, of course, I checked the job board, which had some of Jeff's patented humor:

Embiggen to read

And just a little more exploring:

It was fun!

So I did that, then used my crystal to go back to Upper Avernum. I got (finally) that Level 3 mage spell from the Portal Fortress, and am about to go out into the world again to clear up those few things I still want to do. 

I want to sell stuff and use the cash to buy training, which usually is darned expensive. I want to find a few more Level 3 spells. I want to clear up only a few quests that are still open (except destroying the Divine Lucre encampment. I'm choosing to be moral and not do that one). And I want to have elixirs and magical equipment made, because I've been collecting the ingredients for them for the whole game.

So I'll do those things, and then return to the endgame! Whew!

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