Here, as requested, is my guide.
Choice of Rebels: The Aristocratic Theurge
Whenever I say …, that’s a fancy way of saying “pick whatever until the next relevant choice.” I’m also not going to tell you what to do romantically, though I note that Breden is probably going to end up dead at the end of this. Likewise, I don’t want to tell you what sex you are.
Chapter 0
The Hegemony’s suppression of the folkways of other nations, including my own.
I was the only child of the aristocracy in the wineroom.
…
…exhilarated, as if the world had opened up in front of me.
…
I was still eager to hear a story from Outside the Wards.
…
Chapter 1
…
Our family was noble before the Conquest, and we did not take a Karagond family name.
…
(Personally, here’s where I use “I could no longer countenance such barefaced impudence!” It shouldn’t take much working around if you’re in it for a Breden romance.)
The corruption of the true faith of Xthonos by the Karagond priesthood.
“The unrestrained, excessive violence inflicted by the Hegemony on the helotry and drudges.”(If you so choose, substitute “All the ways that helots are treated as less than human—above all the harvest of their blood in the Harrowing.” and “Yes: I sincerely care about the helotry.” It’s more compassionate, but I play arrogantly.)
…
“How do you propose to make that happen?” Part of me badly wanted to take him up on it.
“Very well.”
“Nothing like a little sedition on a summer evening, I always say.” Quelling my anxiety, I stepped into the sweltering little hut.
…
Encyclopedic knowledge and reasoning skills.
…
And I didn’t see much point in trying to teach them. (This is optional, but I prefer not to piss off the nobility for the sake of some helot rabble. I’ll teach them when there’s a rebellion on.)
Swordplay and combat.
I told him to come to the point. What did he expect from me?
“If you lose sight of the real enemy…if you can be distracted by the occasional noble abuse? Yes, you’ll lose me.”
I have to admit I do.
“Revolt.”
“…against the Hegemony. And bring the Shayardene nobility onto our side.”
So I waited until morning for a daylight experiment in the woods. (First option also works.)
I’d normally have held my tongue—but Xthonos, I can’t stand by while they Harrow children. (First option also works.)
Call out, “If you know what’s good for you, Theurge, you’ll let those helots go and leave the town.”
We should try to take them alive and try them for their crimes before we execute them. We must maintain order, or we’re no more than a violent rabble.
Alas, no—the helots would never stand for it. (First option also works.)
I take the phials. (Hypocrite :P)
He has a point. We shouldn’t punish the Alastors as severely as the Theurges.
…
“To the woods, quickly. We’ll make no plans where unfriendly ears might overhear us.”
…
“No, Breden. You’re one of the few I would trust.” (Actually, we’re setting him up for a fall; just keep that in mind.)
…
Interlude: Planning, and Ramidel’s Thoughts
Okay, now let’s talk, because there’s branching up ahead and you should make a couple of decisions now. First is: do you plan to fight or run in Chapter 4? And second, do you plan to become Eclect, or go with the Inner Voice?
In general, I advise running. If you run, then things are a lot simpler, and you can rely on Breden as heavily as possible in the winter - because he’ll trust you when the hounds come and he won’t be making it to the next game. However, if you do plan to fight, then I suggest that Breden stay behind a desk and only operate in the specific places I suggest. You’ll lose more outlaws if you fight, but more importantly, you’ll lose Zvad. On the other hand, you’ll come up with more blood than you otherwise would.
Your religious choice is less immediately momentous, but worth considering nonetheless. (Since this is a devout playthrough, I do recommend taking one religious choice or the other.) The Inner Voice is a strong call that will get you more fanatical, armed troops and more morale, as well as a new sacrament that’ll let you make some friends. But the Eclect has more control over her people. It’s your decision - but if you’re going Inner Voice and fighting, then you really need to keep both Breden and Simon/Suzane on a leash.
Chapter 2
…
I’ve shared with them what drives me—the things I truly loathe about the Thaumatarchy.
Breden.
Koine—the Hegemonic common tongue. Not all of your outlaws are Shayardene, after all.
…(if striking camp)
Actually, I want to decrease the number of mules to Terret.
0
I’d be happy to rob the rich and powerful, but it’s rather more difficult than I’d guessed.
…
I want to change the rations.
A healthy diet for all sick outlaws, and a subsistence diet for all healthy ones.
No—I want to be the one bringing us through the winter, even if it does mean wrangling a dozen different numbers.
Now we get into a slightly different format. There’s gonna be a little fudge factor here due to the randomness, so my suggestions will be vaguer. Just remember what I said about Breden.
1st week: No barley run.
Acquire more mules - do in exactly this order:
-Send scouts out to find Alastors or Ecclesiasts with mules you could steal.
-If you’re not planning to fight, send Breden to pick up more mules.
-Steal mules from yeoman farms.
Scout for opportunities to raid the institutions of the Hegemony.
-Alastor garrisons.
-Tax collector.
–Yes
–Find a noble who has good insider information—and will talk to me.
–…
–“An odd thing: a helot who spoke truth more bravely than any aristo I knew.”
–I laugh. “No, no. I was speaking of one inspiring individual, cousin—not of the helotry at large.”
Raid the winter grain barns
-Raid yeoman farms for grain and mules. Use all but 2.
Teach more of my outlaws their letters and numbers.
2
I want nothing to do with the bloody art.
…
I’m going to eat a healthy diet. It’s vital for the leader to stay well and clear-minded.
Week 2
I’ll go from tent to tent to help my followers and offer reassurance.
Fence 2 mules, buy 57 bushels of grain.
Work with merchants
-There has to be a way to convince the merchants to work with us. I ask Zvad to introduce me to Alaine Leybridge.
-Apologize to Alaine.
-…
Send missions out to spread the word of our rebellion and recruit new followers. (At least ten bandits.)
-I send my followers into the helot camps. (All but 2)
-No one
Teach more of my outlaws their letters and numbers.
Week 3
Raiding the Alastors for mules:
Acquire more mules.
Raid Alastors or Ecclesiasts.
Raid both.
I’ll personally lead the raid.
I bring Elery.
Her ideas seems ingenious to me. I base our plan on them.
…
“Join us!”
Don’t have Breden reassure anyone.
No, I have other uses in mind for those followers.
Raid the yeomen again with all but 2 followers.
I want to make or change a standing order (e.g. rations, mules, targeting).
Change how we’re using mules.
From now on, I won’t specify exactly how many mules you need assigned to the sick because I can’t predict them, so here are the constraints. Remember that you need 11 mules free for buying grain, and will need 7 free to trade with Alaine Leybridge when she asks. Within that space, keep mules available for the sick - you don’t want Theurges to drop fire on them.
Teach more of my outlaws their letters and numbers.
Week 4
From this point on, you can raid yeoman farms up to thrice more. I won’t tell you how to manage your grain and mules anymore; that’s up to thieves’ luck, really.
…
I exile him from the band. (It doesn’t work, but it keeps your hands clean and compassionate.)
…
(Before attacking the Alastor garrison) Send missions out to spread the word of our rebellion and recruit new followers. (At least ten bandits.)
- I send my followers into the helot camps.
- All but 37
- Breden. (Get him out of the way.)
Attack Alastor garrisons in nearby towns. (Thirty-five bandits.)
-Radmar if you’re planning to fight, Elery if you’re not.
-Cut my hand.
-Secret
-Hamper the enemy with many small Changes.
Teach more of my outlaws their letters and numbers.
Week 5-10
_From here on in, I’m going to be more general - but here are some things you’ll want to do with your free time.
Sabotage the harrowers - then decide to inspect rather than destroy.
-There’s only one way to investigate this thing properly.
-“The better to destroy Harrowers wherever we find them.”.
Against the Architelone, bring Zvad or Radmar if you’re not planning to fight, Radmar if you are. Cut your hand to make many small changes, and then spare them all, and invite the sellswords to join you. Finish by tossing some coin at everyone. Later, when asked about the Architelone’s mules:
-No—we can still use them to carry the sick.
If recruiting, recruit from the helots; the yeomanry are going to hate you this winter. Also, if you’re going to fight, try to stop recruiting around 170-180 bandits unless you have a whole lot of mules. You’re going to have to arm each of them and that’s expensive.
Setting traps will just get your people killed; not worth it.
Teach the alphabeta at the end of every week to at least two outlaws; the kids will help. Some weeks you can teach more.
Week 6
I’d like to be known as a Theurge.
After the venison arrives
If you’re going to fight, sell every non-Architelone mule. If you aren’t, save around 25 mules total and sell the rest.
Distribute 5200 drachems to the yeomen. Which you earned, of course, by stealing and selling their mules. See, this is how a welfare state works; you tax the middle class till they’re dry, give a small portion of it back, and they love you for it! (The upper classes, of course, should be allowed to freely evade taxes.)
Distribute 800 drachems to the helots. Socialism, ho!
If you’re going to fight, buy enough weapons for the entire band and at least 25 more. Then have the bandits trained. (This is bloody expensive, as you may notice.) A feast is likely overkill, unless you still need more morale for some reason.
If you’re going to run, don’t buy weapons and do not have your bandits trained - if you do, Zvad will leave. Instead, have a feast.
Accept Simon/Suzane into the band. (If you get Kalt, you’ve screwed up. Restart the chapter and do less yeoman raiding.) Let them keep their sword.
Regarding your name:
-And yet…
-Adopt a Karagond name (either option)
Chapter 3
Let Zvad bring the strangers in while you inspect the cave.
…
Greet them warmly.
Paying guest.
I’m jovial with them all evening.
“As you can see, kurios Horion,” I say with a forced smile, “I owe everything to my father’s loving care.”
Pragmatic outlaw.
Linos.
“Tell me about yourself, Ecclesiast.”
“What do you make of our rebellion?”
“Until a rebellion succeeds.”
“We will bring all four provinces into rebellion, not just Shayard.”
… as you wish.
I’ve nothing more to ask Linos.
Decision point! Either
-Yes—I want Linos to proclaim me the Chosen of the Angels. (Eclect route)
-I want to lead them myself in a new ritual of devotion to the Angels—one which requires neither Eclect nor Ecclesiast. (Inner Voice route.)
-In either case, believe it fully.
With Horion, talk with him until he talks about the theurge. When he talks about Aygul,
-“I don’t know what’s nature and what’s law—and I’m not sure it matters.”
-Either of the latter two options.
If Eclect, don’t mess with a new Sacrament.
If going Inner Voice, ask Breden for help, then devise a new sacrament:
-Whatever element you want.
-"…But to all who turn away from their oppression, we will show mercy and compassion."
-“Vengeance—but to those who stood firm, the rule which is their birthright.”
-“Mercy.”
-“Mercy.”
-I change the words. “And may our mercy kindle compassion in the hearts of wrongdoers, turning them from their ways.”
I suggest taking Horion captive for ransom and sending Linos to collect it. Yes, if you’re Eclect, this will piss your followers off - but it’ll piss the nobility off less than letting the idiots die.
When dealing with Hector, call on Calea and ask her to halt his veneurs.
Chapter 4
This one’s for all the marbles!
FIGHTING THE HEGEMONY:
Have Korszata and Radmar speak, no one else.
“Lure them deep into the wild, fight them, and wipe them out!”
I’m not changing my mind. This is the time to crush the Hegemony in battle.
I want to free him now.
… (but I recommend letting Yebben start learning)
If you’re under-armed, buy weapons for everyone. Then allocate 800 drachems to the helotry, 1200 to the yeomanry, and the rest (in multiples of 50) to the priests. Don’t spend more than 2000 on the priests; save anything more.
… (Romance here)
Bjel, Simon/Suzane, and Alira to fight the flankers.
I’ve got most of the children above five years old running messages. They know the terrain well enough and can hide better than most adults.
Attack the Theurges, then the supply train.
Because they don’t know I’m a Theurge, I have a chance to destroy them all with a single dramatic blow.
I cut my palm.
I want to conserve my blood. We can beat them without Theurgy.
…
No. I won’t take the risk of it spreading. I’ll just send bands to harry them some more instead.
…
I confront and question Breden.
I don’t know what to believe…and I’m not going to see anyone killed until I know more.
…
I cut my hand and prepare to use Theurgy to levitate it.
I fight back against the Theurge with all my will.
Get myself to cover. They can find me!
I want to find an outside ledge where we could make use of the sheer mountain cliffs.
I shout, “Throw it off the mountain!” to my followers. (Theurgy is optional, but followers aren’t worth spending blood to save.)
“Today, we destroy them!”
If you haven’t used blood,
-There’s no room for scruples at this point. I go hunting for them.
I cut my hand and hurl the Phalangites back with Theurgy.
…
Decide what you want to do with Breden. Personally, I’d give him the chop and give Elery command.
Go to Szeric as quickly as possible to see if you can find Horion’s secret Theurge.
…
Pick who you want to lead the band and come with you, and decide what to do with the blood. Congratulations!
RUNNING AWAY:
Get Zvad, Elery, Korszata, Gillian and Alira to talk.
“Evade them—keep one step ahead and harry them from afar until they give up hunting us.”
“Going back to the Rim is hardly safe, whether we do it in groups or as a mass.” I’m not changing my mind. OR (if needed) Ask Breden to change his mind and support me.
I want to free him now.
…(but I suggest teaching Yebben)
Allocate 800 drachems to the helotry, 1200 to the yeomanry, and the rest (in multiples of 50) to the priests. Don’t spend more than 5000 on the priests; save anything more.
… (Romance here.)
“…divide their loyalties as best we can.” I’ll litter the wild with messages to sap their morale.
We’ll march through the night. There’s just enough moonlight, and their Theurges and scouts will be abed.
…
I confront and question Breden.
We need Zvad if we’re going to survive. I give a curt nod. “You’re right. Finish him.”
Zvad.
…
I cut my hand and prepare to use Theurgy to levitate it.
Get myself to cover. They can find me!
I want to find an outside ledge where we could make use of the sheer mountain cliffs.
I use Theurgy to sweep it from the path.
I’ll use my own blood.
…
Go to Szeric as quickly as possible to see if you can find Horion’s secret Theurge.
…
Pick who you want to lead the band and come with you, and decide what to do with the blood. Congratulations!