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stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Apr 2024
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If the Emperor is killed at the beginning of Act 3, the group is transformed immediately into Illithids. However, when the player decides to free Orpheus at the end of Act 3, the Emperor leaves, Orpheus is still chained, but the group is not transformed.
To fix this inconsistency I would suggest one of the following tweaks:
A) At the end of Act 3, let Orpheus or the narrator say something like: "Orpheus sensed the presence of the Orphic Hammer and protected the wielder of the only tool that could free him."
or
B) Let the metamorphosis happen when the player leaves the Prism, not immediately when the Emperor dies (or ad a narrator line saying something like "as you leave the Prism you are revealed without the Emperor's protection").
or
C) Let the narrator or Orpheus say: "Free Orpheus immediately (i.e. two turns or something) or lose your protection." An impossible task, without the Orphic Hammer.
I apologize if this has been suggested already, I didn't see it. And if there is another explanation for the different outcomes of removing the Emperor as your ally, please let me know.
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veteran
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veteran
Joined: Jun 2022
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Hardly an inconsistency because the circumstances and Orpheus' motives in the two mentioned situations are entirely different. In the first one he's intentionally trying to kill us by taking away the protection, while in the second he's providing it only out of necessity. Orpheus is fully and willingly able to actively shield the party himself even while chained because his radiant power is how the Emperor got freed in the first place just by being close enough to the Prism in the real world, same with Minthara and Nere who momentarily regain true awareness while in the proximity of the Prism. "My defences keep the voice of the Absolute out, but just as I can raise them, so I can lower them. I will allow the voice of the Absolute in. Once it reaches you, it will order you to transform."- At the beginning of ACT III Orpheus is psionically at war against the Emperor and due to his Honor Guard almost breaks free of the Emperor's concentrated stasis, intentionally refusing to extend his power to us (which allows the Absolute to bombard us with commands to transform). Therefore the Emperor has no choice but to forcefully subdue him in stasis to take control over his power for protection, otherwise Orpheus would've killed us by intentionally dropping his protection since he is fully aware of his surrounding at all times, us as ghaik perversions and Kith'rak Voss looking to free him.
- At the end of ACT III Orpheus is still fully aware of what is happening around him at all times, however the circumstances have drastically changed. He no longer faces a mere Elder Brain but a Netherbrain, the end of all creation even he can't stop alone. Ultimately leaving him in the same situation as the Emperor, with no choice but to ally with an enemy against a greater enemy and as such extends the protection himself willingly only out of necessity, as the very first narrator line is this;
"As the Githyanki Prince takes his blade, a silent cry pierces your head. It's unlike any sensation you ever felt."
Based on this, one could even go as far as to say that regardless of choice being made here Orpheus would've willingly protected the Emperor and the party at this point because the end of all creation is at hand (which he's fully aware of and in agreement with the Emperor as the player is talking to him). And judging by his character who is willing to do whatever is necessary to end the Netherbrain, even ultimately sacrifice himself if need be by becoming the very monster he swore to destroy, it wouldn't be far from the truth.Afterall the Emperor and Orpheus are two sides of the same coin; two extremely determined individuals acting out of necessity, doing whatever is necessary no matter the cost against the ultimate evil to accomplish their goal. One wishes only to ensure survival at any cost, the other wishes to end an entire race at any cost, both willing to sacrifice to achieve it. Which makes him extremely ironic when he scolds us for not playing nice and thus escalating the entire situation, when he himself could've also played nice in the first place and not escalated the situation that forced us into an immediate act of desperation that ultimately made the Emperor incapable of trusting him at all. Unlike the Emperor who saved countless of thousands of people thanks to his own direct and indirect actions, Orpheus is not interested in saving a single infected person whatsoever due to his own Githyanki ego... so who is really the actual bad guy here.- So suggestion A is already answered and implied by the lore and narrative itself, as he is fully aware of everything going on.
- Suggestion B is shown as an immediate cutscene because Orpheus was already halfway to intentionally taking away our protection.
- Suggestion C would've made his character extremely petty at that point even for a Githyanki, since he's capable of protecting us no matter what.
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