I would like to dedicate this post to the voice actress who played Xana. It’s rare that a character in a game impresses us, it’s even rarer for them to do that when they don’t have any visual representation. (Most of the time anyway.) Add to that, voice actors in computer games are often pretty dire. Despite her evil tendencies, I like Xana as a character, she’s the right balance of tempting and evil.
When I first started this run, I had decided to play for as long as it takes, rather than limit myself to a seven day time-scale. Well it turns out this would have worked as a week long project…
Chapter 9
In the sewers under Stonekeep I find one of the citizens hiding, he warns me not to go up as I’ll attract the ghouls. That’s what they’re called, I’ve been calling them evil goblins throughout this entire commentary… Anyway I obviously don’t pay any attention and I head to the surface. 
Who should I meet but Duncan! Remember the guy hiding on the island? He tells me that the best thing to do would be to ask his brother Percy to act as a guide, we head off together. Not for long though, a group of ghouls attack, I played this bit several times but there are always too many and Duncan always dies. I make my way through the streets, occasionally bumping into other Duncans, I mean city guards. They don’t last long either. 
Soon I find Percy, he tells me the best way to get to the Necropolis (where Arantir was heading) would be to go through the sewers…not more sewers. 
Before he will show me the way however there is something I need to deal with outside, another cyclops, this time an undead one. Once again I make use of small entrances so that I can get a good swing at the eye, this is actually becoming pretty easy. 
It still manages to give my a good throw about before I finally kill it. Percy is now ready to lead the way. We come to a bridge and he tells me to go first, I leap across the gap and land safely on the other side. 
When it’s Percy’s turn however part of the bridge collapses, he’ll have to find another way. I pick my way through the ravage city, meeting plenty of ghouls (not evil goblins 
) along the way. 
Coming up this ramp Xana smells something (how do you smell something without a nose?), this is the temple where I can be cleansed. I have to defeat some more ghouls before the priest will let me in, as a bonus I happen to find a nice piece of armour nearby. 
I go in and the priest points the way to the cleansing waters, Xana does not want to go quietly though. 
She begs, she pleads, she even sets fire to the place in an attempt to stop me. I am slightly hesitant, as before I don’t want to get rid of her, I’ve become used to her guiding presence, but it’s the only way to complete the game with the good ending. (Three endings is enough I suppose…) I dip my toe in the water (is that lavendar?), then get all the way in. 
Xana screams, she curses me as she is torn from this plane, saying she will take my soul. Then she is gone, a big booming voice takes over the cursing, daddy is not best pleased. Finally a third voice speaks (I hope these voices are in the game…) apparently he is someone who fought my father many years ago, for my transition to the light side he teaches me the ways of the force…I mean he leaves me three gifts. 
A bow, a staff and some daggers, what no sword? Remembering one of the many swords I picked up earlier (isn’t it strange how you can steal hundreds of items and still be the ‘good’ guy) I decide a change is in order. I set about moving through the city once again, more ghouls, more death and destruction. 
I also come across some poor citizens who have been turned into zombies, fortunately my new sword has a large bonus against the undead. A few more corners and who is this? 
Percy is back. He leads me to the gateway to the sewers, all I have to do is open the water gate to balance the levels. What he doesn’t tell me is that the gate is guarded by necromancers and ghouls. 
Once they’re out of the way I turn the wheel to open the gate then head on into the sewers, bye Percy. 
It’s only a short run this time and at the other end I’m greeted by this stunning sunset, next to an equally stunning drop. 
Ahead though is another Pao Kai! There is an optional objective to kill it but the RSPCPK (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Pao Kai) has been on my back after the last one, I set about opening the huge door instead. I turn the wheel and head for the door, I get a little turned around however and the door closes before I get to it. My voice gives a very encouraging remark about ‘if this is the best I can do I might as well give up now’…thanks. I turn the winch once again and this time make it through. 
Inside I find Leanna, this is where I had to fight her last time (and made it away without harming her), she is glad that I got rid of my inner demons (RIP Xana) and tells me to go on. Apparently she’s had to fight necrowizards all the way here, well boohoo, it’s about time you pulled your weight around here missy. I head down into the catacombs…
Epilogue
Is it just me or is the epilogue normally the bit that comes after the conclusion? 
I find myself in a huge tomb, lots of spaces left over. (I wonder how much an alcove costs?) I climb about trying to find the way down when suddenly a terrible cry rings out. It seems Arantir has been making some enemies around here, someone’s body is currently hanging above this glowing pit:
He is the one that is screaming. Apparently he cannot die, chained up the way he is, if I could let him down he would be very grateful and will have a word with his father who is guarding somewhere deeper inside. The kind soul that I am ( 
) I decide to help him. I won’t bore you with a jump-by-jump account, but suffice to say I made a few large leaps and bone crunching falls. 
Two chains hold the body up, I have to wend my way to the point where they connect to the walls and remove a the pegs from their holding. It takes me a while but I manage it, just before I move on the voice comes back, he thanks me and says that his father will recognise me when he sees me. I move on further through the tomb, several necromancers and soldiers are standing around, but by now my skills are legendary. Not only have I upgraded my strength to the highest level, I’ve also got a second adrenaline bar. They both fill up at the same time meaning I get two super attacks once the are filled. There is even another undead cyclops I have to contend with, but nothing stops me on my journey deeper and deeper into the catacombs. There is a small obstacle course, followed by this high wall:
I chop a nearby rope, thinking that a boulder will come swinging down to smash the wall, sadly it just lowers a chain. On the other side I meet this handsome fellow:
He is the father of the man I saved (killed?) earlier, he’s very grateful and helps me defeat the other liches defending a pair of huge doors, not that I really need the help. I finish off the last one and turn to find he has disappeared…spooky. 
I pass through the door and reach a large staircase spiralling down. There are plenty of foes on the way down, but they’re easily dealt with. 
Along the way I find the resting place of someone who was apparently a famous healer, entering his tomb restores my health to full. (Something it hasn’t often seen.) 
I enter the final section where I meet up with Leanna once again (that statue looks awfully familiar…) 
Looking over a nearby edge I see a massive shield wall, and a figure I assume to be Arantir, a nearby stairwell leads down. There are two people standing nearby, a soldier and a necromancer, they are finished even quicker than the previous lot I met. 
Arantir turns to meet me, protected by some magic shield he summons a large winged skeletal beast:
Throughout this epic struggle Arantir continues to babble on about how he is going to defeat me, blah blah blah. If I had specialised in the bow or magic this would have gone a lot better, as it was I couldn’t get in many hits. In the end I just let it body-slam me and then I swung multiple times in order to make as many hits as I could whilst it remained in range. After one such attack it disappears, Arantir is then temporarily vulnerable. I run towards him and try to do as much damage as possible, he manages to recover his protective shield and the beast appears once more. Twice more this happens, on the last run I manage to finish Arantir once and for all. 
The Skull of Shadows lies before me, this is when Leanna finally decides to grace me with her presence, she tells me I don’t have to free my father, I should destroy him. This is what I had planned to do, but she doesn’t make it clear how I am meant to achieve this. 
I head towards the now clear path where the shield wall used to be, Leanna then says I don’t have to do this, whoops, wrong way. I check my objective screen, ahh, so that’s what I have to do. I place the Skull back on the pedestal, then the final cutscene starts. 
The ancient prophecy (why is there always one of them?) is read, in the middle it cuts back to me. 
My father attacks Leanna but to no effect. I use the Skull and banish him.
‘I’ll get you next time Gadget, next time!’
Fin.
That’s the end of that. Despite a sluggish middle I’ve enjoyed this new take on the game, if you want to create the best character you shouldn’t focus on physical skills alone, magic is practically essential and definitely makes the game more fun. One day I might have another go, there is still the thief style character to try out, but I need a long break before that happens… I had orginally planned to do another Week-long special, but as it’s now Tuesday that’ll have to wait until next week. Hopefully I shoud have a few interesting bits and pieces over the next few days. I also finished Crysis today, so I’ll probably cover a bit more about that. Stay safe.
