If its an old save you got to play again and make a new one.
I just got the game two days ago, I just speedread and have alot of freetime
You just played through the first game? If you completed the first one recently it should work. I think one of the platforms is no longer updating but you would have to read through the thread for which one.
@Infinexos If you are playing on Google, the game doesn’t update anymore.
As for the game, I’m surprised to see that I’m the only one who sided with Lucan. I explain: my character is a lawful/pragmatic knight. Throughout the game I tried to be practical (I told Michael the City was going to be attacked, let Mundy walk away with th stolen book) and this ending seemed to be fitting. Here’s my opinion on each from worst to best:
-Stealing the Heart. Completely dumb in my case. Even though it matches my MC’s behavior (use power to good ends), I am still a knight of Kendrickstone. Really, anyone with a position in the Duke’s court or even a house in the city would be dumb to make this choice.
-Destroy the Heart. As Lucan said, the adventurers come, wreck everything and then leave. Big case of Lawful Stupid for Selim. I always disliked his “holier than thou” attitude but here? He justifies it by saying Hallowford will find another trade. Seriously? The cheapest place in the crypts is worth 3000-4000 golden coins or the equivalent of two years of the duchy’s taxes. It’s impossible for any of the guilds to replace that. The masons for example. Hallowford citoyens will flee by hundreds. How will they earn anything?
-Michael: from a moral point of view, this is the best. Not the practical choice, but the right one. Hallowford is prepared against the Ever Living and continue to prosper. But! Someone will steal the Heart. I mean, they will prepare against the enemy from within first, then will bother with those outside. And boy, there are many. Kendrickstone for example. Who can say the Duke is going to stand by? There is a necromantic artifact a few days away from his city. Others are sure to try to get it like Isran (for study) or William (because he is William).
-That leaves us Lucan. Ok he’s a b****. The Cryptkeepers are a bunch of whiners. Yet, concealing the Heart will prevent it being stolen and keep the city wealthy. Why would you refuse this? Because Lucan and the CK’s are lording over the city? Oh the poor citizens, they have income in exchange of some liberty! It’s just like Mildred said: better trade some freedom to have a bed and some food rather than being free, hungry and wet. Yeah, you’re helping a bunch of assholes, but you save the city in the long term. The Ever Living might come back, but they will know the cause, and they will be prepared.
For the reward: I had no reason to refuse it since I already maxed my rep in the game. The others adventurers can f*** off. I did pretty much everything by myself. Selim? I literally had to fight him. Mundy? I prefere having them on my side, bit I secretely hate them. The town? This is purely charity since no one died during the attack. But from what I’ve seen, it gives a major boost to our relationship with them. But then, I have pretty much maxed out the CK’s and Lucan so…
So, I have a question @Cataphrak: will all these relationships matter, or will it be like the Loyalty stat (a few lines there and there)? Because 100 golden coins isn’t nothing!
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It’s a totally subjective opinion so take it with a grain of salt but I feel as if this is just isn’t as good as the first part
To be fair, the first part’s story was already a bit questionable since you would end up doing the same missions regardless of your choices. The only differences were the flavor texts and such
But the overall experience was still enjoyable since you still got to develop the character and enjoy the classic RPG novelties with some unique twists
However I think some of those aspects are playing against this second installment since it fails to differ from and/or develop upon the first one.
Regardless, I suppose since I’m such a sucker for RPG novelties that those alone justify the price for me. Hopefully, this general overview is something you’ll at least make note of in your next books, if you ever manage to read these things anyway
@Cataphrak is one of this community’s active authors and interacts daily with forum users. He has posts in this thread not 20 some-odd above yours … so, I would think he takes feedback here as seriously as he takes it in his Infinity series.
I realize that you might be feeling set upon from the recent exchanges elsewhere (eg price increase thread) but your feedback is valued just as much as others.
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Well, if you’re a Court Wizard, then I imagine Isan will back you to the hilt. He would expect you to loot and scoot, because the potential gains from studying the Heart clearly outweigh the survival of a town that’s being maintained by an unstable enchantment regardless. The people of Hallowford will move away and adapt to their new homes, and a useless guild will no longer suck up several years’ taxes from each duke just to ensure that his body remains flower-fresh.
Yes, Isran would back you up, and who else would? Pretty much every knight would try to destroy it. William would try to get it. You just paint a huge target on your back for an artifact whose properties aren’t known.
Not really. It held for decades, and will probably hold for centuries. It’s not unstable, it’s dangerous.
I… I don’t mean to insult you, but have you read the book? Because that’s likely the opposite: the CK’s earn as much as some Dukes, but not in spite of them. I think it’s safe to say that Hallowford pays taxes for Kendrickstone’s protection. And considering the crypts’ income is rather high, that means it actually helps Ol’ Leofric.
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Wait, how can you be a knight and have the sword?
They do indeed. Remember how Hallowford’s tax cart was lost during the events of Kendrickstone? Massive blow to the city’s economy.
No, because the Cryptkeepers have already encountered these creatures in the past. If you let Lucan cover everything up, the same problem will emerge again in a few decades, and it’s clear the Cryptkeepers aren’t equipped to deal with it on their own.
There’s no guarantee this will happen. The Cryptkeepers have some pretty intense security. On top of that, you would also have to get through the Flowering Court traps and enchantments as well as the Ever-Living.
Also, once someone steals the Heart, the effects are immediate - so everyone will rush to the only exit and wait for the thief to appear.
It’s nearly impossible to do steal the Heart without getting caught. The only reason we got out was because the exit was unguarded.
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There’s also the ending where Mundy steals the heart. It allows you to not make enemies, since fighting alongside the CKs or planning to steal or destroy the heart doesn’t automatically penalize any of your relationships; it’s only if you succeed in what you’re trying to do that some people dislike you. There may be hidden benefits in this ending as well.
I asked about this earlier in the thread because I was having the same trouble on my phone with the Apple Store version. Cataphrak said he found the problem and put it up to be fixed in the next update. He also mentioned something about Apple updates lagging about a week slower than the others.
I didn’t find much Info on Selim, what race is he? He sounds kind of like an Orc. @Cataphrak
It’s been a while since I last posted on here but this story surprised me, I honestly didn’t expect a sequel to Kendrickstone but this was very well done and it seems to have sparked quite the debate around here. I’ve read through the whole story a couple of times now and thought over some things for while, now I feel ready to share my thoughts on the cryptkeepers.
First let’s start off with one of the big points, the cryptkeepers bringing in huge stacks of gold for hallowford. It true that the funds from this guild go a long way in maintaining the city but I don’t think they are doing it in the way that they are telling us. Okay so they are bringing in thousands of silver for each dead rich hero or monarch that they place in their crypt right? That sounds like a lot but let’s take a step back and look at this situation as a whole. How many of these supposed legends would they have to bring in each year in order to not only pay the duchy but also maintain their stranglehold over the city, pay their guildmembers, and all these other expenses, more than a few right? Here’s the thing about powerful folks with a lot of money they tend not to die like flies so how exactly are the crythkeepers raking in so much cash? Unless they have agents going out to commit regicide or something I don’t really see how they can maintain this business model. I smell something more going on behind the scenes here.
How about we take a look at the crypt itself.
From what we see it’s incredibly large and what we are shown is supposedly only half of it. They say that there are many great heroes kept there but we aren’t allow to see them up close. Is it simply because they don’t want us stealing artifacts when they are literally standing over our shoulders, or perhaps they don’t want us to see that these crypts aren’t as full as they claim they are. The crypt has been in business for 150years and now they want to expand their crypts deeper? Have there really been so many deaths of wealthy legends that they need to expand when their crypt is already so large? Consider this: if teleportation doesn’t exist in this world how have their crypts already gotten so full? Does every wealthy monarch and great hero go to hallowford to die? They certainly won’t be displayed in the crypt if their body decomposes before they actually get there. It doesn’t matter how rich you are carts can only carry your dead carcass so fast. It makes me wonder how far the cryptkeepers reach really is, it’s not like they are taking customers on a countrywide scale, it’s just too far to travel, not worth the extravagant expenses.
How exactly are they the richest most powerful guild then? I propose that this whole cryptkeeping business is nothing but a front to keep their true propose a secret from the public. Take a closer look at the actual members of the cryptkeepers guild, how they have undying loyalty even when their leader’s secret about them facing the ever-living before is exposed, why do you think that is? Look at our guide who claims to be in her 80s but is still healthy and working for the guild.
Look at all the members who age rapidly when the heart is destroyed. What the cryptkeepers sell is the magical energy that radiates from the heart, this aura that somehow slows down the aging process and preserves corpses. I’d say it’s more like a cult than a guild, pay an entrance fee, swear to secrecy and enjoy all the extra years of your life as you live in comfort displaying a front as a humble clerk or guard. I can’t say for sure how much Lucian would charge for this but I would think anyone would save up years of their earnings of they were garuntueed to get all of their time back thanks to the heart,
don’t you think?
What about the ever-living, these nearly unstoppable monsters who dwell under the city?
Do you think either the cryptkeepers or the city watch can really hold them back on their own if one of them takes control of the city? When they broke out of the guildhall it took the combined forces of the city watch, the cryptkeepers guard and the group of adventurers just to hold them back and that’s after they were already weakened. If they break through again it will take more than the knowledge of their arrival and some half trained guards to protect the town. They may be weakened but they certainly aren’t weak, it takes a group of people just to take one down.
Anyways sorry for that huge wall of text, I just wanted to get a few of my thoughts out while everyone was talking about this.
They will. This was a major design risk (read: design mistake) I made in deferring the consequences of your actions over the next installments instead of wrapping it up at the end of Hallowford, but the decisions you may could certainly come back to haunt you, and the connections you make in Hallowford may or may not prove a persistent thorn in your side or a major help further down the line.
I do, and your thoughts seem to dove-tail with my post-mortem (as well as the post-mortems of a few others) quite well. The fact that Hallowford didn’t offer much in the way of concrete character advancement beyond personal relationships and the possibility of grabbing the Heart was in retrospect, a major decision error, and I’m keeping that in mind in future.
One thing you may be overlooking is the fact that the reason the bodies have to be so well-preserved is because people come and visit them. That not only includes descendants and surviving associates, but also people wanting to take a look at great kings/queens/heroes etc as a tourist attraction or as inspiration/due to the mystical powers their bodies might be rumoured to hold. The best parallel would probably the practise of pilgrimage in Medieval Europe, where thousands of people travel over long distances to visit the relics of saints entombed in certain cities (like Canterbury) which benefited massively from this trade.
In short, the Cryptkeepers aren’t so much kept afloat on payments for crypt space, but by the stream of visitors who spend money in Hallowford’s inns and shops, which as you might have noticed, are also mostly owned by the Cryptkeepers.
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I admit that they do make some of their funds by acting as a tourist attraction for deceased figures of wealth and power. However is what they make from that enough to even make a dent in funding the day to day expenses of running a city.
These crypts have been in service for 150 years, there may be a couple of generations of a royal family entombed there at best. It seems like a long time but less so when you consider how long these powerful monarchs are actually living. Just seems like a lot of gold for simply visiting a deceased relative, I have to assume that they only let the truly wealthy actually near the bodies for fear of someone swiping an artifact or such. This is all speculation however, simply my view of the story, I don’t claim to be right just offering a different perspective on things.
The Cryptkeepers don’t necessarily run the city. They have disproportionate influence, and they have a massive guildhouse and vault, but a lot of that was paid for through steady patronage by powerful noble families or the gigantic lump-sum payments they pay to get their scions interred in the vaults (we’re talking hundreds, or thousands of gold pieces, which is the sort of money you can buy small armies with). Things like raising the walls and paving the streets is more the responsibility of the entire town council, but they’ve all profited to an extent from the vaults (more visitors, especially visitors with a lot of disposable income means more trade and more profit).
Of course, the Cryptkeepers also the profit the most from the influx of visitors, since they also own basically the entire infrastructure for hosting and feeding those visitors.
If you’re going by purely physical characteristics, the Khazari do resemble your traditional high-fantasy Orcs quite a bit.
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…what? I never said anything to the contrary of what you said. They’re still vampiring money out of dukes (not just the Duke of Kendrickstone) and other really high nobles to get them cryptspace, and while they pay taxes, ultimately most of that money is still going into their vaults to let people like Lucan live like hogs. Most of the town’s total economy goes to enriching the guild.
@Cataphrak: Regarding the Khazari, you wouldn’t be playing with your tropes again, would you? 
Actually, that was an interesting take on orcs. Reminded me of Elder Scrolls orcs (post-Daggerfall), except that they’re at the head of a civilization instead of integrated into one.
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Oh yes, of course, always.
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I appreciate the quick response! I was curious when I first saw the picture for this one. I have a bit of a propensity for Orcs (sue me I love Orcs 
) I really love stories that show them in a better light, not just idiot peons. I enjoyed Fatehaven for that reason! 
So far I’m loving this, and was happy to see a Orc type race here. Keep up the good work!
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I was replayin through the first game and I realized Dame Mildred possibly arrests a noble on the accusations of her squire. @Cataphrak does that mean a big knight has more power than a noble? What kind of influence have they anyway? We know the knights are representants of the Duke’s justice but what about the nobles?