Larian Studios Forums Divinity II The Dragon Knight Saga / Flames of Vengeance (English) Divinity II - The Dragon Knight Saga My own story questions for Larian (spoilers)

Since Stabbey has his topic, I'll make mine.

1: Who, exactly, came up with the whole "reversed Soul Forge means Ygerna's life will be Damian's death" plan, anyways? Zandalor randomly approaches you about it, but who actually concocted it? If Zandalor himself formulated it, is he just horrible at strategizing and such, or was he given some lead (possibly as trickery from Ygerna herself) to lead him to that conclusion?


2: If Damian was unaware of your plan to resurrect Ygerna, and he thought you were trying to destroy her soul, why didn't he try more fervently to stop you? He sees you a few times, sending some (what I can only imagine he knew would be slaughtered) Black Ring captains after you. If he was so fearful of you destroying his love, why wouldn't be try and stop you himself? I know he's pulling the usual "villain lets the hero go even though he could crush the hero with little effort" bit, but it makes a little less sense, especially considering he was apparently seeking to revive Ygerna himself.

The only thing I can think of to explain it is he wanted you to fetch the components needed to access the Hall of Echoes, but the biggest hurdle (the Patriarch) is accomplished when he ambushes you in the Primordial Cave after the Hall of Echoes is opened. Ba'al, a demon general of his, has the sigil. With your death would come the Battle Tower, and thus the spell. Zandalor in Aleroth has the Shield, but as we see in FoV, Aleroth is hardly in the best position to be resisitng attempts to claim the shield.


3: I think I've asked this before, but I've had a hard time finding it if so. How long ago was the Divine "killed" by the corrupted Dragon Knight, thus creating the Slayers? It doesn't seem like an incredibly long time, based on what people say in the game, but it's long enough for Arben to have risen to prominence, had a long, successful campaign, retired, and died of old age, as well as people like Rhode and Marius to have grown up fully indoctrinated by the Slayers' creed. I'm guessing 50 years, since it seems a lot of more prominent and powerful people in the world live longer than normal lives.

But the problem with 50 is the people in Dragon Cliff Castle. Unless they're all much more ancient than they look, or they were all kids during Arben's attack of Orobas, it wouldn't make sense. Well, them being children then, with all the older people killed in the attack (or died off from age) actually would.

1) I figure that no one really understands Soul Forging very well, and certainly no one has had experience with that specific event - soul forging spell complete at the moment of one person's death. I believe Zandalor ASSUMED that it reversed the usual effect. He was wrong.

2) Damian needed the Dragon Knight to get the Patriarch to reveal the Hall of Echoes, he wouldn't do it for Damian. He probably meant to intercept the Dragon Knight before he entered, but um... wasn't paying attention, I guess.

3) 50 years ago. It says it all over the place. Divine Divinity was 70 years ago, Beyond Divinity was 50-55 years ago (probably closer to 50 than 55), and the Divine was killed 50 years ago.

People definitely seem to live abnormally long lives. Seth, known as Lord Seth (a level 45 knight) in Divine Divinity is still up and about 70 years later. Old age seems to have lowered his effective level, though.

Buad was skilled enough 70 years ago to have the Assassins guild conscript him to cure one of their own, so he's at least 90, but he doesn't look it.

There are older people around, though. Simeon the philosopher had an old age thing. Zandalor was already over 600 years old at the start of Divine Divinity, and we know that the Dragon Knights live for hundreds of years because the path there goes through the Battle Tower, which Laiken occupied for hundreds of years.

Having the Dragon Cliff Castle people be kids trying to recapture the glory years of Orobas actually makes sense.

Maybe Damian was waiting until the Dragon Knight reached his/her full power, and then turn him/her to his cause.

Is it even certain that Damian knew what Maxos knew? I.e. the spell, sigil and shield? It appears not, otherwise he would certainly have appeared when the Dragon Knight opened the Hall of Echoes and finished him/her off at last.

Hm, that's a good point about the Hall of Echoes and Damian not knowing. Although, whether or not he knew, not killing you in the Primordial Cave didn't make sense. If he waited until you entered the Hall of Echoes, it's already too late., and he not only knew where it was after that, but had you cornered. And he could've also teleported out (as he did), then send his forces to that entrance while his cannon fodder captains kept you busy.



As for the time between Divine's death and ED, if the 50 year span was repeatedly brought up, I must've missed them all. It might've been mentioned in some flavor text books, but I couldn't recall.

During the first meeting with Damian, he sported a very scornful attitude and it seemed that he counted on the newly born Dragon Knight to perish soon (perhaps the reason why he spared you)... but in the meeting in the Patriarch's cave, he almost seemed respectful.

I think he was impressed how little time it took for the Dragon Knight to become powerful, and perhaps was waiting for the Dragon Knight to reach his/her full potential, and then try to recruit him/her.

Your character is after all the very last Dragon Knight and the most powerful mortal being in Rivellon... it would be a wasted opportunity for Damian if he immediately snuffed him/her out.

It's true Damian may have wanted you as one of his generals, but he never, ever even hints at it, to my knowledge. Whether respect or scorn, he makes it clear you two are enemies and he aims to destroy you.

Either way, something's missing from how Damian handles the situation. If he wanted to destroy you, he wasted three opportunities. If his goal was to turn you to his side, he certainly never bothered trying.

The only solution I can figure is Damian is just making classic (poor) villain decisions, the evil to Zandalor's almost cartoony level of somewhat-hammy good.

I guess one shouldn't over-analyze too much, after all the Divinity series has always meant to be light-hearted (and is very self-conscious about it), often downright mocking typical fantasy tropes.

(Recently, for instance, I noticed the Killer Bunny being encapsulated into one of the crystals in the Hall of Echoes at the end of ED...)

Oh, this thread again? :P

4. How did Rhode manage to enter the antediluvian vault without solving the puzzle?

I wondered about that, too, but from what Augustus (?) said, she could have gotten to the
Academy before the undead outbreak, and so didn't have to go through all of the adventures
the player does - and she solved the puzzle by inspired guessing.

I think the bigger question with Rhode is why the puzzle isn't pre-solved, if she got in first. Of course, since Bellegar got to her, I wouldn't be surprised if she somehow DID solve the puzzle (although why the orbs were in a position for her to access is anyone's guess), but after petrifying her, Bellegar deactivated the entrance, and scattered the orbs across the academy.

Rhode solved the puzzles, of course. There were not that massive undead there when she came.

Bellegar reset the puzzles and made the undead-problem worse to prevent anyone from solving them as easily. Also, Rhode might have some other help or even hints from Zandalor how to easier access the vault without all the spheres and whatnot.
Zandalor was not available for the Dragon Knight so the Knight had to do all the footwork instead being able to use the back entrance (which Bellegar probably also shut down after Rhode used it).

That Zandalor tinkering with the protection is known... he took the shield of the Demon's Grave to put up the shield above Aleroth. So it's not unlikely he tinkered even more and made it easier for Rhode to access the thing.