MARREND'S PROFILE

Whoops! The "for testers only" checkbox for the download was active! It's now been unchecked, and should be public (and set as the "main download") now.

What about a parallel process and terrain tags? Like, the theory in my head is that you can use the Get Location Info event-command, have it store the terrain tag into a variable, with the location designation being the player object. Then it could be a conditional branch based on the value of that variable, and a Change Battle Background from there.

Last time, Geralt sure found Hendrik. As a corpse left behind by the Wild Hunt. Still, he managed to find he man's ledger, and has a few leads to follow up on.

Before I go further, you might notice a slight change in how I'm writing this LP. I'm going to have main story content up front, but, any optional content I complete during the session will be at the end, under a separate heading. My ability to focus on writing summaries of what is being said/relayed by the characters for story content when the techniques that I have used in emulated games cannot be used (ie: use save states, or pause cutscenes) is still quite lacking. I apologize again for if/when I get things wrong, or mixed up. However, I will do my best, and I'm hoping that separating the content will help. I guess we'll see.

At any rate, I decide to attempt to track down the witch before attempting to meet the baron. Or track him down, and the case may be. There's a notice board in Midcopse, and with it, a number of things I could check out. For now, I overhear the mutterings of a woman speaking of a witch. Talking to her directs us to her husband, who keeps mum about her location until a bit of gold passes between us. For full disclosure, I fast traveled to Crow's Nest (the Bloody Baron's estate, pretty much) and did some trading with the merchant there. So, I'm not as thoroughly poor as I once was.

A search area appears on the map, and moves as Geralt makes mental notes of the directions given. A pack of level 4 nekkers give me a bit of trouble, and manage to defeat after the third try, give or take. Proving that I am still terrible when it comes to combat in this game. Her hut isn't hard to find after that, as there is a small gathering of peasants at her door, pleading for any assistance she can give. She's rather frustrated with their entreaties, but nonetheless gives a tidbit of advice concerning the care of a cow. I do a hard-save before attempting to interact with her myself.

Inside the hut, there doesn't seem to be anybody home? There's a rather suspicious looking wooden hatch on the floor, but, I poke around the hut regardless, and notice a pentagram on the floor. That might be one thing, but a skull sitting on the shelf activates the magic. I don't know where this is going to take me, so, another hard save before braving into the vortex.

After the teleportation, I take a quick look at the world map. According to it, I'm still at the hut, but...



...yeah, we're clearly not in Kansas anymore. Well, we're likely still within the boundaries of Velen, but, it's a fairly stark contrast to the hut we were just at. Either way, she knows I'm here. Which doesn't exactly surprise me. She could either sense the rift being used, or, perhaps, witchers produce an aura she can detect.

The lady was in the middle of bathing, and had us wait a bit for her to finish. Though, the game offers players a bit of eye candy there, and Geralt certainly takes in his fair share of it. That aside, these two know each other from before, though I'll be damned which game they met in. Her name is Keira Metz, and she was formerly an advisor to a king who's now dead. As a practitioner of magic, she's not welcome in any court, north or south. Hence, her current situation, though, she hates every minute of it. She's certainly more used to a more posh lifestyle than she has now, and might not be particularly well-suited to posing as a local witch. However, she's kinda out of options, and laying low keeps her alive.

As to the subject of Ciri, Keria, herself, never met with her. Hell, she seems surprised to learn she's in the area. So, the rumor that Ciri dealt with a which? False? Maybe not. Keira had a conversation with an elf that has also taken interest in the young woman. He might know where Ciri is, but, I've a particularly odd sensation that either this lead will be a dead end in some way.

While the scene suggests I could go with Keira right now, I decide to not to to give myself an opportunity to write all this stuff, and do another hard save before continuing. I will note that the quest "Hunting a Witch" is considered "complete", and in it's place is the quest "Wandering in the Dark". The level of this quest is 6, which gives me a bit of pause. I might want to consider some optional content, and see how far that gets me.

Right. Back from optional content land, the elf's hideout is quite south from the Duen Hen fast-travel point. No encounters on the way there, and I've certainly spent quite enough time aside from the main quest at this point. What we find in the cave...



...is the Wild Hunt. Again. So, either they've already dealt with this elf, or are about to do so. Keira is more willing to leave well enough alone, and go back home, but, Geralt, well, not so much. He asks Keira if she can teleport him over. While she does create a teleport, it does not take us across the bridge. We're someplace else in this cavern, and reconnecting with Keira becomes a priority.

There's a few encounters with drowners to fight before I get back to where I was. Soon enough, I find the former advisor, being set upon by rats? I set fire to their nests, and take out the critters with fists. I'm not using a sword against the likes of such. At any rate, we can't teleport across the gap. There's some kinda force field here. The Wild Hunt can get across because they have specialized mages, which Geralt calls navigators. Keira thinks we should ditch this popsicle stand, but, I want to know what the heck they are doing here. Are they here for the elf, and what information he might have of Ciri, or are they here for something else? Keira begrudgingly continues to tag along with me.

We come across a projection made by the elf, with a clue on how to proceed that only Ciri, or Geralt, would understand. One can only hope that the Wild Hunt would get lost, but, I suppose we'll see. So, the markers on the wall for us to follow are that of a swallow at first (Ciri called her sword "Swallow"), then that of a horse (the projection referred to a "Kelpie", which is what Ciri called her horse). These clues eventually leads us before another portal. What lies beyond that is a golem guardian. Well, at least it's not the Wild Hunt, but I still die on my first attempt at it. I lived with the second attempt, with maybe a sixth of my health left?

Past the golem is another teleport-door. We finally found ourselves on the other side of the bloody bridge, so that should mean the Wild Hunt is waaaaaay the hell in front of us, right? Right? Wrong. They're practically right in front of us, and a contingent of them move ahead while another casts a spell of frost to slow us down. Keira can close the rifts that were made by the spell, and maybe stop it, and even protect us on the way, but, behooves me to stick close to her, and to protect her from any nasties that come out of the holes. I give it a good three tires, and on the third, I made it. Except there is a boss fight after that, because of course there is.

My first attempt ended in death, but my second one succeed with maybe a third of my health left. The final message from the elf concerns the witches of Crookback Bog, of which Keira has some information on. She hands over a book about them, and the story-quest "Ladies of the Woods" becomes available.

At any rate, it's long been readily apparent than neither elf nor Ciri are here, and that it's definitely high-time to ditch this place. Geralt gets some feels from a wall, and Keira confirms that it's an illusion. She hands over an artifact that dispels such, and with it, a path appears before us, and from there, the surface. I think I might spend some time side-questing, but, this is plenty of content for this post. Will Geralt look to the witches of the Crookback Bog, or make an attempt to at the baron, and perhaps start a completely different story line? Find out next time, on the Witcher 3 LP!


Optional content corner
From last session, I noted three locations north of Crow's Nest, and decided to start this session checking them out. I only managed to do one. It was a harpy feeding ground that was also a fast travel point. The nest, itself, may have been a nearby location. One location provided a fast travel point, but was also a treasure guarded by a level 16 wyvern. Which is a big as hell NOPE at the point of the game I am at. The other place I never arrived at, but that might be because I saw a fairly large creature roaming the area from a cliff above, and decided to err on the side of caution, and not engage in exploration in this area further.

After visiting Keira, I visited a bandit camp due west of her hut. Four level 7 guys were there, which, I guess I managed okay. I maybe took a hit or two. North was another one, this time, it was three level 9 guys, one of which had a crossbow. I might have evaded a blow or two from the melee fighters, but, I was pinged by the crossbow guy more than I care to admit. Almost died in that fight. After resting and recuperating at Midcopse, I set out again, only to find more places to die at.

With my survival rate in this area plummeting, I decide to go back to White Orchid in an attempt to eek out what experience I can there. South from the Broken Bridge lies a bandit camp and a place of power. East of the Abandoned Village lies a place of power, with a level 6 bear to run away from, and an abandoned site. Clearing the site of ghouls opened an herbalist. North of that point was a treasure guarded by drowners. East of the Crossroads is a monster den I had cleared previously, but didn't have any method to destroy entirely at the time. The monsters respawned, which I partially expected.

Going north was another ghoul nest and a place of power. Now level 5, I continue my trek by fast traveling to The Mill, and going northeast. A hidden treasure is there, as was a pack of wolves. "Was" certainly being the operative term. The level 2 quest, "Dirty Funds" unlocks due to my search, and the point I'm being directed at also is an undiscovered location, further east. After taking out the guards, and finding the treasure, the location is merely marked as a completed/cleared bandit camp. Northwest of that lies a hidden treasure, which allowed me to complete a quest I never received in the first place? I'll take it. Though, looking at my EXP, I haven't actually earned all that much since the level-up? Like. I've been at 59 XP since the level-up.

I stop by the village to get rid of junk, then back to the Mill. North lied a place of power, and a treasure guarded by a wraith. Further north was a ghoul nest, right next to another place of power. West of the Mill, lies a hidden treasure, part of which places the quest, "Tererian Valuables" into my log. The point of interest is back east, where a poorly concealed cellar lead to more treasure. With the number of places to discover dwindling, I went back to town to see if there was anything new/interesting at the message board. There was not. At least I could sell off some junk, but, back to Velen!

After the boss fight in the elf's underground lab, Keira reminded us that the elf promised her a magic lamp. We do kinda owe her a favor for helping out here, so, sure. After a bit of a puzzle opening a door, the lamp was there, as was a note about it. After arriving back on the surface, the the side-quest "An Invitation From Keira Metz", becomes available.

There will definitely two events in June. One for Pride Month, and another event to celebrate RMN's 17th birthday. The birthday event last year had a sweets theme, but, in previous years, users have been asked to make games in under X or less hours, where X was how old RMN was turning. Perhaps some other limitations as well. I don't know if that is what's happening this year, but, if an event like that is being run, that'd translate to 17 hours of dev time.

I'd suggest Xenogears, except it's story might be too complicated. It's also not a Final Fantasy title.

I cannot speak about the difficulty for the NES games, but, my approximation for difficulty of the other titles might be similar to yours? Maybe switch the positions of 9 and 5. I dunno. It's kinda difficult for me to scale these, because none of them are particularly more difficult than the others. Especially if you use cheats, or hack save-states. Which I absolutely admit to doing.