Crusaders of the Dark Savant, Part 1

This story picks up after the events of Bane of the Cosmic Forge.

Let's play Wizardry VII: Crusaders of the Dark Savant.

Some weeks ago, an intrepid band of adventurers delved into a ruined castle, seeking the secrets of the legendary Bane King. The greatest of those secrets was the Cosmic Forge, a divine pen that could be used to rewrite reality. Six adventurers gathered before the gates of the Bane King's castle:

R'iskja the mage. A felpurr, one of a race of cat-like humanoids, R'iskja was the one who gathered the group together to help him retrieve any leftover artefacts of the Bane King or his wizard ally Xorphitus. Arrogant and secretive.

Wrath the samurai. A dracon, one of a race of bipedal dragon-like creatures, Wrath was hired as bodyguard to R'iskja, but soon fell into the role of battle-leader for the party as a whole. Honorable, serious, but no fool.

Alva the elven valkyrie. A young elf picked up by R'iskja and Wrath in their travels, Alva was keen to prove herself as a warrior, eventually learning to wield the spear and holy magics. Earnest and determined, but occasionally annoying.

Motoko the dwarf monk. Long-time travelling companion of Shaana, Motoko was raised by a silent order of martial artist psionic monks. As such, she never got into the habit of talking to people when gesturing would work just as well.

Shaana the token human bard. Travelling companion of Motoko, the two of them joined the party for a lark. The most personable and charismatic of the group, Shaana's magical lute-playing has saved the party many times. Also a skilled burglar.

Konata the faerie alchemist ninja. Originally recruited as a healer, Konata soon demonstrated an aptitude for acids, poisons and other disturbing things, and eventually decided to become a professional ninja. Friendly, ditsy and probably deranged.

During their adventurers, the six heroes explored the castle and the hidden realm beneath it, even going so far as to travel down the River Styx and to the Isle of the Dead in order to find out what really happened to the Bane King and his wizard ally, the mysterious Xorphitus. They learned of the curse placed on the Cosmic Forge if used outside of its proper setting in the heavens, and of the unfortunate fates that then befell all who tried to use it after it had been stolen and taken to the mortal realm. Eventually, they even encountered the Bane King himself, turned by the Bane of the Cosmic Forge into a vampire. They defeated the cult of Ramm, witnessed the Bane King's final act as he accepted death, and came in reach of the Cosmic Forge itself. Having learnt the true consequences of using the magic pen however, they refrained from immediately claiming it for their own, and instead met with its one remaining keeper, the demonically-conceived but not-so malevolent black dragon, Bela.

And it was Bela who encouraged the party to embark with him on a new adventure, one that might lead to even a greater prize than the Cosmic Forge...

Perched upon his throne, a great black dragon sits pondering the deep mysteries of the Universe...

"I wonder if I should order takeaway tonight...?"

Though friendly, the dragon Bela proved to be prone to cryptic musings.

"Well, I think I know where they might be..."

"You know, you still haven't fully explained to us who 'they' are."

"It all started a short time ago, when I began to hear voices from inside the space machine of the Bane King."

"Voices...?"

"Soon I discovered the source of these mysterious voices. A small box, emitting visions and sounds of strange creatures."

Exhibit A: a strange creature.

"They call themselves the Umpani, and I listened as they talked of many unusual things."

"And what, may I ask, did they speak of?"

"Somewhere among the stars is a place they call Lost Guardia."

A fertile blue world (assuming that it's not the barren red one in the background).

"It is the hiding place of something named the Astral Dominae, rumoured to be the most sought after artefact in the Universe!"

[Intrigued.] "Oh? Tell me more..."

[Looks sidelong at R'iskja.]

"They also spoke of terrible creatures called the T'Rang, their sworn enemy."

Exhibit B: a sworn enemy.

"And of a black ship approaching the lost world. They say it brings death and destruction, a ship of doom."

Not black. And sort of organic, like frog spawn and ribs.

"And within the Black Ship, a god they call the Dark Savant."

A being of great evil, wrapped in a stylish stole.

"They speak of him in fear, as if he were the lord of evil. He comes in search of the Astral Dominae."

"Yes, but what does this artefact do, exactly?"

"And with him, another who is a part of the mystery."

[Resigned.] "...You're ignoring me, aren't you?"

"A young girl, Vi Domina, who possesses a special power over the Astral Dominae."

This looks suspiciously like '80s cyberpunk. This is a fantasy adventure, right?

"After the voices ceased, I devised a plan."

"And that plan is...?"

"Someone is coming to retrieve the Cosmic Forge. All we need do is wait."

"We can do that!" [Beat.] "I'm bored."

And so Wrath, Alva and Motoko took position in the shadows with Bela to keep silent watch, while the more excitable or less stealthy party members found something else to do to kill time. Probably visiting the nearby forest to murder goblins with music and acid.

Concealed near the chamber of the Cosmic Forge, you wait in silent vigilance. You do not wait for long.

The plot thickens. Like gravy.

[Whispers.] "There he is!"

[Nods.]

"Now what?"

"We're off to chase a Cosmic Lord!"

"I shall retrieve the others."

Fetching the rest of the party, everybody crams themselves into the Bane King's old space ship (yes, the Bane King had a space ship) and set off in pursuit.

Inside a tiny bird of steel, you have travelled far into the stars...

I think it's a metal osprey.

The only world that the party has ever known has fallen far behind. That they left it so easily tells of their growth as adventurers and their close bond, or else demonstrates their complete inability to stop and think about what they're doing before they leap right in.

"Um... how long do you think it will be before we reach our destination, anyway?"

[Shrugs.]

"We should not assume this will be a short pursuit. It could be as much as a couple of weeks of travel."

"Are we there yet?"

Day 20, afternoon.

"'It could be as much as two weeks', you said."

[Flitting about overhead.] "Are we there yet?"

"Even I may have underestimated how long this journey will take."

"Are we there yet?"

[Plucks at her lute.] "I'm getting sort of bored, you know?"

"Are we there yet?"

[Looks up from his book.] "You should take time to study your magic."

[Sighs.] "I suppose."

"Are we there yet?"

[Rubs her shoulder.] "I hope my skills don't waste away. There's no room for practicing with my spear in here."

"Are we—eeek!" [Sudden thud.]

"Oh thank Freya. Good work, Motoko."

[Hops down with a struggling sack, and nods modestly.]

[Scowls.] "Damn. I just lost a bet."

Day 32, morning.

"This is going to be over soon right? How long can it take to travel to a new world, anyway?"

[Shrugs.]

Day 67, afternoon.

[Looks at cards in her hand.] "Okay... so I'll raise."

"I'm in."

[Looks over Shaana's shoulder.] "Wow, that's a lot of picture cards."

[Sighs.] "I fold."

"As do I."

"Me too."

[Stare at Motoko.]

[Shrieks and flies off to the far corner of the ship.]

[Looks back towards where the faerie was.] "Huh. What was that about, you think?"

[Shrugs.]

Day 101, afternoon.

[Yelling.] "You think I can't take you in a fight Wrath?! I'll show you, here and now!" [Waves spear, scraping against the shuttle wall.]

[Growls.] "If this is what it takes to make you see reason." [Moves his hand towards the hilt of his katana.]

"Quit your bickering you two! I'm trying to read!"

[flies about overhead.] "Listen! Hey, listen!"

"R'iskja! Put that book away and adjudicate our duel!"

"Look what I can do!" [Flutters her wings against the ceiling light to create a strobing effect.]

[Snarls and snaps his book shut.] "I'll 'adjudicate' your duel for you alright..." [Starts casting a spell.]

[Waves her hands placatingly.] "Now calm down, everybody! How about I play us a nice tune..." [Pulls out lute.]

"I—"

"OH MY GOD MOTOKO, DON'T YOU EVER SHUT UP?!!" [Lunges at Motoko.]

Day 102, morning.

"And so we're agreed—we never speak about what happened yesterday ever again."

"Agreed."

"Okay."

[Nods.]

"Agreed."

"What about Mr. Whisker?"

"I'm sure he'll agree once he wakes from the coma."

Day 147, evening.

[Frowns.] "You mean day 133."

[Sucks through her teeth.] "Yessss... about that 'nap' you had a few weeks ago..."

For months the journey has continued, the oversized smoky black dragon doing little to ease the discomfort inside such cramped and confined quarters. Always in pursuit of the ship carrying the strange humanoid that Bela calls a Cosmic Lord. Until at last...

A new world to explore/violate!

[Squeals.] "Oh my gods! Look! A thingy! A round landy-sphere place! Like the before times!"

[Look sidelong at each other.]

"We desperately need to get off this ship."

Bela guides the ship towards the planet, revealing more the surface; continents become forests and plains, with lakes and rivers. And then hints of cities and other artificial constructions.

The strange world, Lost Guardia...

Looks quite pleasant actually...

"Here at last! But the Cosmic Lord doesn't seem to be stopping!"

"So what do we do now?"

"I'll follow him and see where he goes, while you search for the Astral Dominae!"

"Agreed. We should make arrangements to meet up—"

"This button should do the trick! Prepare to disembark!"

"—oh gods, you're still not listening."

The party madly scrambles as Bela pushes the button.

[Urgently.] "Swords!"

"Spear!"

"Clothes!" [Beat.] "Eh, whatever."

Having only a moment to grab whatever scattered possessions are lying nearby, you suddenly find yourself shimmering into the strange new world...

Our intrepid heroes in a forest. That actually looks like a forest. Gosh.

And with that, the party are on the surface of a new world, with whatever gear they could grab. A little shaky on their feet due to months of being trapped together in close confines perhaps, but still ready to sow chaos and break priceless artefacts in the name of adventure.

The East Wind cackles amongst the branches of the trees a haunting voice from within the surrounding forest. Standing tall against the crisp darkness of the night, you breathe deep, at last freed from the stuffy confines of the great flying machine which brought you here...

There is a brief interlude while various party members run around in circles, jump up and down, and try to perform cartwheels.

To the south, a faint glow hovers just above the forest, perhaps the fires of a small village alighting the sky. To the north, only the chilling laughter of the wind breaks the emptiness of vast untamed wilderness...

Eventually, everyone settles down and begins to take proper stock of their surroundings.

You have been abandoned, hurled into dangerous realms and unknown lands. How good it is to live again...

Taking account of their belongings, the party find that they've lost quite a lot of their supplies, not least much of their best armour, which had been put aside in storage for more comfortable day-to-day gear. Only the fact that it would have taken considerable effort to pry either Wrath or Alva from their beloved weapons for long had spared the party from the ignominy of landing on a new world without any means of self-defence.

"So. What do we actually have?"

"I have my katana, Murasama. That is all I need."

"Which is good, because I note that's all you managed to grab."

"I have my lance!"

"Wonderful. Didn't you have a entire suit of enchanted plate armour?"

[Defensively.] "I did. Now I don't. And you?"

"As long as I have my magic, what need of I for mundane equipment?"

[Smugly.] "So you didn't have a chance to grab much either. Motoko, Konata?"

[Shrugs, holding out empty hands.]

[Sighs.] "Of course."

"I got Wrath's wakizashi!"

[Perks up.]

"Well, I suppose that's something. What about you, Shaana?"

[Airily.] "All I managed to grab was my lute."

"Unfortunate, but understandable—"

"And my diamond ring, of course. I was wearing it, after all."

"Yes, of course—"

"And my 'angel's tongue' horn."

"Fine—"

"Also the Bane King's Ring of Stars."

"And the Rod of Sprites from the Faerie Queen."

"And Konata's crystal wand."

"Also, roughly—" [Sound of coins clinking.] "—10,000 gold pieces."

[All stare at Shaana.]

[Angrily.] "Seriously, how did you guys manage to lose so much of our stuff?!"

Party review, On Arrival

A year of travelling through space in cramped confines have taken their toll on the party's abilities, leaving many of their skills rather rusty. A new world also means differences in the flow of magical energies, forcing the party to adapt their old ways of spellcasting to a new paradigm—that is to say, everybody has lost an arbitrary chunk of their spellcasting ability and available spells, with the most powerful spells no longer functional until learned anew.

Sword 33, Oratory 20, Ninjutsu 38, Artifacts 28, Thaumaturgy 38, Kirijutsu 35.

Wrath retains his great strength and dexterity, but needs some time to exercise his swordplay to bring him back to his former deadliness. Surprisingly, he has been able to retain quite a lot of his thaumaturgic magic. It's such a pity that spellcraft is so often inferior to repeated stabbing of enemies as a tactical option when you're a samurai.

Wrath can recall the following spells: energy blast, fire shield, terror, ice shield, missile shield, air pocket, armour shield, direction, sleep, detect secret, magic missile and blink.

Hands & Feet 31, Oratory 33, Ninjutsu 33, Artifacts 30, Theosophy 39, Kirijutsu 30.

Motoko's dexterity has been hurt somewhat by the journey to Lost Guardia, but overall she is in good physical shape. In spite of (or perhaps because of) having little equipment to care about, Motoko did manage to grab some cure paralysis and cure stone potions before being teleported planet-side. Her psionics still fulfil a useful niche for the party.

Motoko's spells: terror, weaken, slow, cure paralysis, silence, mental attack, sleep, bless, charm, cure lesser condition, hold monsters, mindread, sane mind and heal wounds.

Sword 37, Throwing 38, Bows 42, Hands & Feet 33, Ninjutsu 32, Artifacts 40, Scribe 26, Alchemy 40, Kirijutsu 33.

Konata somehow retains Wrath's great strength and dexterity despite being a tiny faerie. In terms of magic, she has lost a lot of her old versatility as an alchemist, possibly due to just not trying hard enough. But she's a ninja! And that means dual-wielding a ninja-to and the rod of sprites, which (apparently) has a chance to petrify those it strikes.

Konata's remaining alchemy concoctions: blinding flash, poison, itching skin, web, sleep, charm, cure lesser condition and heal wounds. Seriously, Konata. You used to be able to melt the flesh of an entire battlefield of foes. What happened?

[Looks sad.] "I can't get hold of the caustic soda for the recipe."

Sword 37, Pole & Staff 35, Shield 15, Oratory 39, Ninjutsu 33, Artifacts 30, Theology 39, Kirijutsu 32.

Alva has come a long way since the days that she lagged behind Wrath and Motoko in skill and power. Though also diminished by the journey through space, she has taken the Bane King's ring of stars in lieu of her old ebony armour, now lost. Alva also still serves as the party's foremost wielder of holy magic.

Alva's spells: stamina, slow, silence, blades, bless, charm, cure lesser condition, identify, heal wounds, make wounds and dispel undead.

Wand & Dagger 41, Sword 37, Music 34, Oratory 36, Legerdemain 33, Skulduggery 28, Ninjutsu 37, Artifacts 12, Thaumaturgy 37.

Shaana is looking surprisingly sturdy. Smart too. The party's token human and living karma sink still has her most important tool—her poet's lute, capable of charming foes to sleep (though the ability to fireball everyone with the horn of Prometheus will be missed). She has Rebecca's diamond ring to protect her, and she still retains a few of her tricks as a mage as well.

Shaana's retained spells: fireball, missile shield, armour shield, direction, web, detect secret and blink.

Mace & Flail 38, Throwing 13, Sling 27, Scouting 22, Oratory 37, Artifacts 36, Scribe 36, Thaumaturgy 34.

R'iskja is still smarter than everyone else, and that's all that matters. He even still has the bullwhip from the Bane Queen's boudoir, slightly concerningly. More importantly, he has the displacer cloak, making him harder to hit, and has gathered together the party's stock of miscellaneous healing potions and bombs. Due to the differing thaumaturgic field in Lost Guardia, R'iskja has temporarily lost access to some of his most potent spells, though he still retains a few choice specialties.

R'iskja's spell list: fireball, fire shield, chilling touch, terror, stink bomb, air pocket, direction, detect secret, magic missile and blink.

"Wait, wait, wait. Have Wrath and I retained more of our skill as mages than our mighty mage R'iskja?"

"It does appear that I can still cast more of my spells than either of you."

[Silence.]

[Sweetly.] "R'iskja?"

[Makes a weird hissing noise through his teeth.]

[Uncertain.] "Uh..."

[Carefully grabs Shaana and wheels her away from the mage.]

"I am certain this is only a temporary anomaly, my wizard friend."

"...Yes." [Stares at Wrath.]

[Slowly backs away.]

On portraits and game versions

There are actually two version of Wizardry VII; the original DOS version, and a Windows 95 re-release, Wizardry Gold. While the latter had various enhancements such as a higher-resolution interface (though the actual game world looked the same) and voice-acted narration, it also introduced various bugs and other issues that lead many to favour the original version. For this reason, I'm also playing the original DOS version.

One particular difference between the two versions are the character portraits; Wizardry Gold redrew all the original version's portraits at a higher resolution, with a more cartoon/manga-esque style. Whether you consider them an improvement is a matter of taste, but for the specific portraits used for the characters here, I generally favour the Gold variants, so I elected to use them for the character icons in dialogue, with the DOS variants appearing (naturally) in the actual in-game screenshots.

I don't really like R'iskja's portrait, though.