According to some Patreon members who support the author, the public demo was supposed to be updated in the mid of this month. I don’t know what happened, but I hope everything is ok with the author.
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Man, I really like how this looks to be shaping up writing wise but… I hope Tahlia and the brood isn’t intended to be sympathetic.
Specifically, when the MC made an escape attempt then just showed the MC is basically just at her mercy at all times. I just can’t symathize with her at all. Like, she brute forced someone back to life, then the second they made it clear they were not loyal to her she just decides to basically torture them until their best friend relents that it won’t happen again? It’s disgusting. I hope she is not intended to be viewed in a positive light.
I just feel like the MC got shat on again. From one frying pan into another. Can the MC have a fucking break? Like, they literally get burned on the stake then brought back to life into what is essentially slavery since what the hell else other option do they have as their ‘caretaker’ has 2 watch dogs on them and is essentially omnipresent. I hate how powerless the MC feels despite being one of the most powerful mages… It just seems kinda sad to me I guess?
I suppose my big problem is that the mage I had in the first book (who I carried over here) was a fiercely loyal ally to Leon. Even in their final moments they did little but proclaim their love for the king in a private letter then silently walk themselves to the pyre. I just can’t figure out how to consolidate that Mage with the mage who is brought back to life. I feel like a lot of the responses are too… sarcastic? too bright? I feel my mage would not be so giddy about being in Arcadia, and much more resentful after the wakeup call from Tahlia.
Adding: Why would the Mage seek to escape when within Tahlia’s grasp in the first place? Why would they not do so when they were out with others? Surely the odds for success would be better were there less potential prying eyes. I don’t know, that also kind of bugs me. I feel I may need to do another playthrough with a different character, because while Qiao (the MC I played) was merciful, I just can’t see them allowing themselves to just be a traitor to Param. There should be options for scheming without it being so blatant, I guess? If I had a choice.
Like, I just keep wondering why the hell the MC gives a singular shit about doing anything to protect their allies excluding Eli (because of their past). My MC was compassionate, but they weren’t stupid, and they did kill people in service of saving what they believed overall was more lives. I just don’t get it UGHH!!! I know I said it already but the MC, especially if they were content in death in book 1, has quite literally ZERO reason to be loyal to anyone here (again, except Eli).
@Barroth_the_Mage :
It’s not exactly betrayal if the MC states flat out from the beginning that their loyalties may or are not aligned with Arcania. I didn’t say it would be easy, but the fact the MC planned for weeks to escape within the hold of Tahlia instead of planning around a mission just doesn’t make sense. I am not sure I’ll be able to finish the demo though. I hate feeling like I’m basically playing a slave.
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I don’t think it will be easy to escape when the MC is out on missions, especially with F around them. At the end of rescue-Eli arc, F did say they won’t be kind to those who betray their trust, or in their retrievement of deserters.
Lmao!! That’s a good one. XD
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Tahlia doesn’t need to be sympathetic for Arcadia to be sympathetic.
I mean we did encounter a conspiracy of nobles trying to commit genocide against the Arcadians under the crown’s nose.
And presumably a different conspiracy out to kidnap our people and turn them into living weapons with an experimental ritual that if memory serves could definitely kill them instead.
So yeah Tahlia deserves to have Dorothy Gale’s house drop on her face but, you know, that’s beside the fact.
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agreed, the arcadians themselves are pretty cool all things considered, or at least could be a lot worse. Tahlia (a perfect example of “a lot worse”) however, is absolutely crazy!
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Totally agree with you there. For someone just burned to death and forced into servitude MC is way too cheery, well-adjusted and normal, not to mention all they have been through before meeting Leon and co. to be depressed about.
I don’t think she is (at least I hope not), in my opinion, her actions are supposed to be understandable but not necessarily supported. Kind of like magneto from X-men, he cares deeply about mutants (Except Tahlia doesn’t really care about individual Arcadians) who are discriminated against and he wants to create a place they can be happy. But also kill all the humans along the way. His goals are noble but not his methods. I think Tahlia works in a similar way, the end justifies the means.
Well, the problem is that whatever plan the MC will make to escape while on a mission, the moment they return to Acradia, its immoral ruler will just peruse their mind like a menu at a fancy restaurant without them even knowing, and find out about anything they came up with. That’s the problem with a telepath without ethics, for all we know she can be constantly monitoring MC’s mind and know the exact moment when they even think to maybe try to plan something, and alert SnakeFace to closely watch them.
There is a scene where Tahlia creates an illusionary image of one of the mages MC fought during the war to mess with them, so she’s not limited to reading people’s thoughts in real-time but has full access to their memories as well. Did she just ctrl+F for “MC’s past fights” or was just rewinding MC’s life 2 years back until she found a suitable memory? Was that instant on the spot or she just scanned MC’s brain before without their consent? Either way that makes it simply impossible to hide anything from her. When she wants to know something, she just does, unbeknownst to her target who therefore can’t even resist in any way. That’s another reason why I don’t like her as well as the fact that no one calls her out on that cowpoop.
That may be true, but remember that you also get a day job for Archangel where you can just go on a break to buy cigarettes and never come back xd.
Yeah, Tahlia knew about that and did nothing to stop it so make that Dorothy Gale’s villa 
.
But that aside what makes Arcadia sumpathetic is its people, and we don’t see any who might disagree with Tahlia’s way of doing things. If I remember correctly only Y say they would rather be more peaceful but will go along with what Tahlia wants anyway. A different example is a hairdresser who chastises MC for fighting a DEFENSIVE war (I wanna talk back to him so much ughh). We don’t get a clear enough picture of regular Arcadians’s perspective to make them anything really, that’s why the image of Arcadia as a whole depends on its leader, and their methods are at best questionable, at worst deserving a Nuremberg trial.
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I’m sorry, but I don’t understand how Arcadia is supposed to be sympathetic when their methods are so cruel. The Arcadians were mistreated, and Leon was going out of his way to attempt to fix it himself throughout the first book. Tahlia would be aware that the royalty of Param are not cruel misers since she so freely invades the minds of others. Tahlia would readily condemn them for death anyway. I don’t understand how Y and F are intended to be sympathetic when they readily state “We will commit murder for money if Tahlia says to.” Like, the fuck?
Like, I feel everyone forgets that the Mage has no reason to be sympathetic toward the Arcadians. The Mage may be themselves by blood Arcadian, but why should they sympathize with them? Especially after they have been basically turned into a prisoner again. Except this time, they have no choice in remaining. I really don’t like it, I don’t think I can finish reading it. I just don’t understand how the hell the MC is supposed to find a way out I guess. I hate feeling powerless in stories like this.
I’m not saying a story has to be a power fantasy the whole time. I just… I really don’t like the presentation of Tahlia I suppose. Her presence in and of itself makes the whole of Arcadia… Like, it shows why the people of Param and other nations should be scared of Arcadians and Arcana, because there are people who will readily use it to manipulate, kill, and use those around them for their own selfish ends. Nobody takes the MC’s side too excluding Eli.
The world might genuinely be better off were Arcana sealed away from use for *anyone." I few the magical tools much like nuclear weapons I suppose. I just feel my mouth is full of iron, I’m going to step away I think, until the second book is finished and find out where it can leave off before I continue.
Response to @Kungoru:
Gonna be honest, I haven’t read the first book in a while, I think I mixed up the Yotai and Arcadians? Sorry about the first part lol. Anyway, I guess I need to revisit the first book. Honestly though I’m not in the mood to at the moment considering. Also, saying people shouldn’t be scared of sorcerers who possess massive abilities that can kill hundreds is kinda silly. I think it’s pretty normal to be scared of things that can easily kill you.
Also, I agree the handling with the end of the first book was a little rough. I think that there could have been more emphasis on pressuring from all sides regarding Leon. Like, Leon readily accepts that their lover just betrayed his trust and killed the Saintess… If they are lovers or close friends, couldn’t there have been outside factors they could have introduced that forced his hands to have to do it? I think that a council, or advisor, or the populace being enraged at the action and calling for their death, starting to riot as Leon hesitates. I think there could have been more done there, but not really much you can do about it now that Leon just decides your evil after you fight an entire war at his side and potentially fall in love with each other.
I don’t know, you say the author had to force you to do this in order to show the better side of Arcadia or whatever. I personally disagree, this makes me view Arcadia and the practice of Arcana as being worse than before. I don’t think Tahlia and her brood are going to make my MC more sympathetic from what I’ve read so far. Anyway, I honestly don’t remember the bandit bit. Is that something you are forced to do? (Kill the bandits?)
I think for my MC at least, they were pretty neutral about Arcadia and Arcana. They didn’t like being brought back to life necessarily, but they weren’t openly hostile just because of the practice of Arcana (even if they acknowledged it’s dangerous and were resentful of their childhood). However, they wanted to return to Param. They needed to know what happened, and when they make an attempted escape and Tahlia basically tortures them, that is what shifted their perspective from “I am unhappy, but I will be fine living here” to “I openly resent being here, I will find a way out even if it kills me.” The MC did not request to be brought back to life, Tahlia being willing to hold the Song of the Dead spell over the MC and claiming how she is generous… It just pisses me off, and now Eli is on her side or whatever, which just makes my MC feel like “Well now I have no allies here.”
I do not see how her killing the Parami royals will help her plan when they are the only ones with even a bit of sympathy for Arcadians. Like you said. And she just can freely read the minds of people around her, she knows. I guess my resentment really just stims from that specific scene, I think I can’t get over just how fucked up it is. The attempted escape scene before the Yotai arch.
In response to @stsword :
Wait, seriously? I think I just can’t then lol. If the whole point of Arcadians is to assassinate people then… What? I don’t know. I knew that the whole subplot was about assassinating someone, my MC didn’t agree with that either but since they are essentially held captive they don’t have a choice. I don’t know, I just don’t get it I guess. Like I said, I’ma wait for the full release of Book 2 since it’s still a WIP right now. I just feel resentful, I might have had an easier time if my MC was someone who was pissed at Leon but mine was resigned and accepted their death would settle the hearts of the Parami people.
I thought historically they were a people of scholars and shit, I’m probably remembering wrong… But if that is the case then… Egh.
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Elaborate please.
Not sure where the whole “for money” bit came from, but I have zero reading comprehension, so will not pry further. Keep in mind that Mage also kills people for various reasons (literally the first thing they do story-wise is kill bandits in their sleep and later have a choice to take gold from a grieving mother) so I don’t see why would you dislike them for that specific reason.
I agree that the first introduction could have been handled better in some regards but for a “choose your side” story it’s the best we will get. If player had a choice to immediately fuck off from Arcadia for the sake of freedom, (going back to Param, making revenge plans, going back to Aunt Bess etc.) a lot of people would just do that and disregard Arcadians as pure evil faction for pure evil playthroughs. Author need that choice limitation to show both sides of conflict.
Have to strongly disagree with that. Just because Paramian King is a jerk who would immediately put their friend/lover on a burning pyre doesn’t automatically means that all paramians are like that. Tahlia needs to do all those things due to her small resources and diplomacy is simply not an option due to history between Param and Arcadia. I am not saying that Leon wouldn’t go for a peace, it’s everyone else around him (nobles who use arcadians as minimal wage slaves, church who want to keep the status-que etc.) that will try do everything in their power to prevent it.
@stsword Pretty sure it was explained that the whole “assassination” gig was for gaining information and allies, money is just a bonus as another way to get resources. In this point of the demo every murder was justified, whether you agree with those justifications are up to you.
The subplot about going to that country during the festival ended with Arcadia gaining another ally
Knowing that I made multiple mistakes in this thread, I probably am. I guess it’s just easier for me to justify this stuff since I am on Arcadia side but still, I wouldn’t put every arcadian under “assassin” label. Unless you meant the main trio, in which case I don’t have a counter-argument for that.
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The Arcadians are assassins. Murdering people for money is the job description.
The subplot about going to that country during the festival was about assassinating someone.
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You misremember.
It’s the spying that is for gaining favors, allies, and information.
The assassination is for money. “If you are able to get rid of that thorn in my side,” the kugen begins, leaning forward in his seat. “We will offer you a quarter of Port Kyuhan’s income for the twelve months.”
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They also seem to be assassinating people who were involved in the organization that created the plague in the first game, I think there was a night saber scene about that. As for the money thing, you can’t really blame them, they need money and resources to keep Arcadia running, and there aren’t really any legitimate means for them to do so.
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I think one thing that’s important to consider is that, despite having the same rights as Parami people on the surface, Arcadian folks still seem to be largely discriminated against unless they live in places controlled by Arcadia. Leon doesn’t want the Arcadian people to be hurt, of course, but he’s up against multiple organizations and seemingly deep-seated biases against them.
Leon’s ability to change things is slower than what the people we meet in Arcadia want, and considering what we know, I think it’s pretty reasonable that Tahlia wants that change to happen much faster than would be possible through more peaceful means.
Is it fucked up to want to kill a 20* year old who has otherwise done nothing wrong but be born into royalty? Most definitely! But I can see the rough ideas behind it. It does make me curious what the Arcadians would do to the people of Param who aren’t in a position of power, though!
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Are you talking about Leon here? If so he is 25 
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They are talking about saine i suspect
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Has the author given any updates on patreon or tumblr?
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Oo 2 hours ago, is it about the public demo?
Ah damn, in my head he’s still pretty young! Sorry! But I guess they probably still wanted him and Leon dead when they were younger?
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My take on this (and why I’m not too bothered by Y and F but hate Tahlia) is that they genuinely believe that what they’re doing is for the survival and restoration of Arcadia, which (as far as we know) was basically wiped out by Param for no good reason. I mean I know they do murder people and all, but that’s clearly not all there is to them, heck Y actually heals people when possible and actively tries to avoid using Zephyros to kill a bunch of people, even showing explicit disappointment if you vote for the bloodbath route. And F…I’m sure there’s good in there somewhere…probably. Look F’s admittedly a hardass, but that doesn’t mean they’re a bad person.
Now my real problem is Tahlia. I said I don’t mind F and Y’s actions because they believe they’re saving their nation, but I’m like 80% sure Tahlia’s doing this because she’s a power mad psycho; sure you can argue being the leader of a nation that was nearly wiped from the face of the earth is a heavy weight to carry, but that doesn’t justify resurrecting and enslaving MC just because they were a capable mage and could fight and forcing them to fight for your (insane) cause. I believe that she’s the reason Arcadia appears unsympathetic, she’s a power mad sociopath who’s persuaded these people who’re desperate to bring their nation back that she’s their best chance at doing so while using this as a chance to conquer everything. At least that’s how I see it.
In any other context, the Arcadian cause would be justified, they want to establish a power base to bring back a great nation that was wrongfully attacked which led to years (centuries?) of discrimination in Param. Again, the problem is that their cause has been led by a crazy lady who’s willing to enslave the dead for her cause, which I’m convinced is world domination.
Again, power mad psycho. Although in Eli’s defense, it was either they agree to keep you in line, or you suffer unending excruciating pain from Tahlia. Not the best situation to end up in obviously, and Eli even feels bad about it because they want to be your ally. Eli was even ready to kill Tahlia if that meant stopping your pain, the only reason they didn’t is because that wouldn’t fix it.
TL;DR: Tahlia is absolutely f***ing crazy!
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I think Thalia is genuine with her motivation, she’s just doesn’t give a shit about how many corpses pile up before she gets there. I don’t see her as being insane, mostly because there aren’t any signs of that.
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