My daughter is now safe and sound, so I can breath a small sight of relief. That being said, I can’t go with her just yet. Before heading back to her and Samuel, I still need to eliminate the Pendleton twins so that Trevor can take control of his family’s voting block. Thanks to the conversation I overheard earlier, I know that Morgan Pendleton is in the Ivory Room and Custis Pendleton is in the Smoking Room, located on the second and top floors respectively. In order to avoid the long arm of the law, it would be best to find a way to make these kills look like the result of unfortunate circumstances. That may be easier said than done. I’ll need to case their individual rooms to discover the best way to pull this off.
But before I do that, the Heart tells me that while I was in the attic, I missed a Rune. Since it’s only a few flights of stairs away, I should get it now so I don’t have to worry about it later. On my way up, I hear the whispers of a Bone Charm. The Heart begins to beat in my pocket confirming what my hearing already told me, leading me to take a brief detour into one of the rooms by the stairwell. Along with the Charm, there were also a few valuables I may be able to use to pay for my supplies in the future. Sadly, this artifact, like previous charms, is of no use to me, so I drop it in my bag. Heading once more for the attic, I arrive at the room with the Rune. As I enter, I see a woman cleaning her room, probably awaiting a client. Quickly, I move in, grab the Rune off a table behind her, and dart back out before she notices anything turns around. Taking a quick breath, I return to the floor below and retreat onto the awning above the second floor balcony.
Opening a window, I decide to try and stick to the rafters for this one to avoid detection. Arriving just outside of what appears to be the lobby of the building, I overhear one sad, pathetic guard tell another about how he thinks one of the girls in this brothel might actually like him. Saying what I’m thinking, his buddy politely reminds him that both him and the girl are in a whore house, and she’s on duty. That’s when I notice the other Rune on the wall. While they are there, I can’t swoop in and get to it, so I decide to wait until they finish their little spat and leave. After dropping down and snatching the Rune, I teleport back up to my hidey-hole, deciding that now is a good time to develop my powers. As before, I open my mind and receive a vision. In it, I see myself next to a rat. When I activate my powers, I throw myself, body and soul, into this little rodent, forcibly seizing control of its form. Pouring my Rune energy into this vision, I feel my powers react and once more develop further.
Returning to reality, I use Blink to move onto the top of the circular metallic decoration above the lobby. Walking around, I see a door labeled “Ivory Room”, and recall that one of the twins is located there. A quick scan of the area nearby reveals a door to a balcony right outside the Ivory Room. I think that I can use that balcony to sneak around and get a better view of what’s inside. Before I do anything, I watch to see if any guards are coming out of the door. To my detriment, there is one. He shows no signs of moving from his post and if he remains, he’ll spot me when I make my move. I have no intention of being caught, which means he has to be fed to my summoned rats. What happened next was perhaps the most awesome thing I ever witnessed, and entirely unexpected. My rats did take care of the guard, but his screams brought another guard out of his post in order to see what’s going on. To my surprise, Morgan Pendleton also took the time to move away from his whore and charge the unknown threat (which is odd when you consider that the room he is currently occupying is supposedly soundproofed and he’s a noble, therefore a complete coward). The two of them together were accosted by the rats that remained. Why the guard decided to use his pistol against the rats, I have no idea. What I do know is that he missed completely and instead shot the first of the two Pendleton twins square in the chest, killing him instantly.
Oh dear, what a terrible accident.
Retreating back to the rafters, I sat there for a moment in pure astonishment. That went nothing according to plan, and I’m all the better for it. It’s taking everything I have right now to suppress my laughter. One down, one to go. Regaining my bearings, I remember that the other Pendleton, Custis, is upstairs in the Smoking Room. The staircase upwards is to my right and in plain view. As I go to climb it, I see two watchmen returning to their posts upstairs after witnessing the commotion, so I wait a moment before advancing. When I do, I take position atop the light fixtures on the top floor. I see the Smoking Room from my vantage point, door wide open, but the guards are on high alert after the incident with the rats downstairs. Acting on instinct, I teleport into the Smoking Room. Luck is on my side today, as there are decorations I can use to hide behind as I move to the balcony. I know what I need to do, but it’s going to require good reaction time.
I see Custis talking to his prostitute, and their conversation is quickly turning ugly. It’s no secret that the Pendletons and the Boyles are not on good terms, so to hear him say that he wants her to dress like one of the Boyle women is alarming. I feel bad for the girls, but what I’m about do will likely not turn out well for her. Accepting the potential collateral damage, I summon a swarm of rats onto Custis Pendleton. They devour both him, and his unlucky partner, quickly. (Note: I don’t know how, but the mission results page insists that no civilians were killed in this mission, so apparently she survived and I didn’t realize it.) The guards won’t even have time to react as I’ve already teleported down onto the streets, quietly hiding while I figure out how to get out of here. When the watchmen just outside turns around, I dive into the alleyway and make my way back onto the rooftops. All I have to do now is head for the door to Clavering Boulevard and make my escape on the boat. Blinking behind a cluster of nearby crates makes getting back onto Clavering a joke, and when I do make it back I scale a guard tower to avoid being spotted. From there, I regain the high ground and, through a series of Blinks, make it back to the top of the guard tower on the other side of the boulevard. It is a short trip from my present location to the coast, where Emily and Samuel are waiting for me. Giving them the go ahead, we depart this place and make our way to the Hound Pits Pub.
As we are about to dock, Samuel accidentally talks about what I just did, in front of my own daughter no less. Dude, I like you and think you’re a great friend, but stow it! Emily somehow takes it in stride. She clearly knows what’s going on, but is either trying to feign ignorance for my sake or just doesn’t want to believe it. After making it ashore, Callista introduces herself to Emily as her new tutor for the duration of our stay here. Emily seems to take a shine to her, and I feel like I can trust Callista to care for her, so I let the two of them go for now. It’s then that Havelock finally appears and praises me once more for my skill, assuring me that the conspiracy is going according to plan. My only problem is that once this is all done, I’m pretty much convinced that his plan does not at all involve me living through this after hearing his audiographs. Turning to part with me, the old admiral says that the last remaining Pendleton sibling would like to speak to me personally.
I find Trevor at the base of the lighthouse, staring out into the horizon. When I walk up to him, he turns to face me. He has… an odd way of showing that his brothers’ deaths are affecting him. The nobleman clearly knows that what I did was best for him, but he still can’t quite accept that his own family is dead, partially by his own hands. This is when he begins to have a bitch fit about all the money that was spent breaking me out of prison and I stop listening until he tells he that… Havelock is looking for me? I just spoke to him, so that’s stupid. Honestly, I have no idea why I’m working for these guys at this point. I have my daughter back and, aside from Martin, they clearly aren’t competent to any significant degree. Plus, Havelock is making it really obvious that he’s likely going to kill me. Actually, I have an idea. Before going back to speak with the navy man, I think I’ll inspect the second floor rooms again. Perhaps if get some dirt on them, I can blackmail the two of them as a way to keep them in check. Sadly, the search turned up nothing but a Rewiring Tool in Pendleton’s room. I should keep my eye on them for the duration of our working relationship, because I fear it’ll cost me my head if I don’t.

Returning to the bar, I see Cecelia serving drinks to both Havelock and Martin. According to them, Baldy’s book makes mention of a consort of the Lord Mole who has been giving him the funding to run his little operation. Sokolov apparently painted her portrait, so in order to get at her, we’ll need to kidnap him in order to get him to cough up her identity. When we first spoke after my prison escape, Havelock assured me that his goal was to get Emily on the throne. I wonder if he’s being honest with me about that. Is there an ulterior motive? Is this really best for Emily? I don’t know, and I don’t trust them. Still, I suppose I should at the very least keep my options open. If I plan to continue this little game, I’ll need to leave now in order to catch Sokolov at his apartment on Kaldwin’s Bridge. This will be the first time I’ve ever abducted someone, hopefully it’s the only time. These things have a way of getting messy. As I tell Samuel to head off, I feel my head racing with all sorts of questions. Maybe a mission is just what I need to clear my head right now….

Well, that was a pretty good sleep. Comparatively speaking, I mean. Again, when you spend six months in a maximum-security prison, even the most uncomfortable bed in the world is the most pleasant experience you’ll ever have. However, a mystical assassin’s work is seemingly never done, so I can’t stay in bed forever. The moment I push up the covers and stand on my feet, the Heart leaps to life in order to inform me that it detects the presence of 2 Runes. I head downstairs and take a detour on the 2nd floor to see if anyone’s doing anything worth note. In Pendleton’s room I see another one of his “memoirs”, but I’m quickly losing interest in them. They were an amusing diversion at one point, but the way this pathetic man goes on and on about his “hard life” of wealth is privilege is beyond disgusting. Havelock’s room is no less a bore.
As I head to the cellar of this pub, I witness Wallace and Lydia having an argument. Wallace is clearly annoyed by her, because he threatens to fire her if he ever got the chance, as if he has the authority to do so. Surprisingly enough, Lydia stands her ground, bluntly saying that the pub can’t function without her, pointing out 5 mistakes he made in the accounting books as proof. I leave the room with a wry smile cross my face. Watching Wallace get his ass handed to him is a great source of entertainment. Outside, on the coastal side of the pub, I hear Callista and Piero at the entrance to his workshop. They talk about a place called “The Golden Cat”. From the sound of it, it seems like it’s some sort of brothel. Piero brags that he’s made many “exotic” contraptions for the place, and offers Callista a look at the blueprints in what appears the most awkward, painful way to hit on a woman I’ve ever seen. As one might suspect, Callista didn’t care much for the advance. I think I saw her shudder as she said that she regrets bringing him tea. I like you, Piero, but what did you expect? You may be a genius when it comes to invention, but when it comes to love you’re hopeless. I’d offer him a project or two to take his mind off it, but alas he has nothing that I’m interested in.
So, I decide to see if Havelock and Pendleton need anything. I find them next to what appears to be the entrance to the basement. When I close in, Havelock tells me Martin will arrive today, and that there have been noises coming from the sewers beneath us, suspecting them to be weepers. Before I can ask “What the hell’s a weeper?”, he anticipates my question and tells me that they are plague victims in the final stage of the infection. Little more than walking shambles of their former selves, weepers are now nothing more than active plague vectors. Before getting my next formal assignment, the admiral tasks me with removing the menace in the sewers, just in case they happen to be nosy guards. Taking the key, I unlock the hatch and drop down. In the sewers, I hide behind a wall and use my spyglass to see who the interlopers are. What I see are two very pale individuals. There is blood coming from their eyes and their movements are stilted, as if rigor mortis is taking hold. Knowing that no one will question a weeper’s death, I lunge at them, impaling each of them with my sword. It’s sad, but there really is no coming back from that.
With the blood still dripping from the blade, I look around and notice the 2 Runes that revealed themselves earlier. Since their powers will be necessary in the coming trials, I scoop them up. With that, I have the absorbed power of 5 Runes I have not yet used to increase my power, so I decide that now is the time to do just that. Unlike before, this time I have two visions appear in the depths of my mind. In one of these visions, I see myself behind a barricade, readying Blink to teleport behind a guard. However, when I release, I teleport farther than I have even been able to before. The other vision tells of an even more fascinating ability. When I watch myself clench my fist, time itself appears to slow down around me. The nearby guards are moving slower and take longer to detect me. Just like before, I feel myself pour the energy of my collected Runes into these visions, and my powers respond in kind.
When I jump out of the sewers and arrive back at the pub, Cecelia says that she’s impressed with my bravery, and informs me that Martin has just arrived. I take that as my queue to head to the bar and speak with him. He’s with Havelock, and together they brief me on my next assignment. As fortunate as I’ve been, the assignment is the one I’ve been anticipating more than any other: I am to finally rescue Emily. She’s been taken to the Golden Cat to hide out with Pendleton’s brothers, Morgan and Custis.
While saving my daughter is my top priority, I am also to ensure that the Pendleton twins do not survive this day. With them out of the picture, Trevor can take his brothers’ place as head of the family and take control of Parliament. The former overseer and the admiral depart, telling me that Trevor is waiting by the docks to brief me personally. Giving my next targets, this must be bittersweet for him. He sounds about as conflicted as one might expect a younger brother requesting the death of his siblings to be. It seems that when he talks about their cruelty towards others, knack for putting wealth over all else, and alliance with the Lord Mole, he’s trying to convince himself more than he is trying to convince me that this is the right thing to do. I almost feel bad for him, but he knew the risks of being involved in this. In the end, Trevor made his choice just as I have. Leaving him to his thoughts, I ask Samuel to head out.
When we arrive, we touch down at the same spot as we did the night before. While Samuel tries to help by advising me to ask Slackjaw for a way into the Golden Cat. I appreciate his helpfulness, but that would simply be leaving too much evidence behind and I’m still too mad at Slackjaw’s men to even consider it. On a more useful note, he warns me of a watch tower installed on Clavering. After Campbell’s death, Lord Mole must be getting paranoid. The Heart reveals to me the presence of 3 Bone Charms in the area. If they were Runes, I may be more willing to go out of my way to get them. As it stands, I consider it far too risky.
Rather than go the same route as last time, I opt instead to use both the extended range of my Blink and the new watch tower to my advantage. I climb onto the top of a nearby pillar, and then use a series of Blinks to scale up to the top of a lamppost and eventually onto the watch tower. From this point, I can teleport to the top of the archway housing the Wall of Light in my path. It is a trivial matter to move from here to the next archway’s roof by sticking to the high ground, and it’s from there that I see a sign advertizing the Golden Cat, with an arrow pointing to a nearby door. Passing a second watch tower, I open the door and proceed onward.
According to nearby signage, I’m getting close to the Golden Cat. Pulling out the Heart, I detect 3 nearby Runes and a Bone Charm. Rather than risk the guards spotting me, I opt to take to the alleyways, using various crates and stands as barriers between myself and the watchmen on patrol. Eventually, one the alleyways is set up in such a way as to allow easy access to the rooftops with my magic jumping powers. This vantage point gives me full view of the Golden Cat’s exterior. Pulling out the Heart again, I also see that from here I can easily get to one of the Runes. I cross the street and onto an adjacent rooftop with a single Blink, and dive into the building in order to acquire the Rune I saw earlier.
Teleporting back onto the roofs, I find a ventilation shaft I can use to sneak onto the second story balcony of the Golden Cat. Instead of entering from this location, I decide that it might be a better idea to sneak in through the attic, as less people are likely to be there. Plus, the Heart indicates a Rune is there too. As I drop in, I immediately peep into the door in front of me to make sure it’s safe. That’s when I see that which I’ve been looking for. There’s no mistaking it, Emily is in this room. As quietly as I can, I open the door go to her. She’s initially scared thanks to my Death mask, but when I take it off, she leaps into my arms. They told her that I was dead and that nobody would come for her. Unfortunately for them, they were lying. Despite this, she never lost hope and planned her escape. I put my mask back on and prepare to get her out of here. Out of sight of the guards and staff, she leads me to a locked back entrance. Emily suspects that after her last attempt, the Madame Prudence locked the door and keeps the key on her person. Until I get that key, my daughter is stuck here in a whore house. There is no way I’ll let that happen.

When I make it to the second floor, I spot the Madame. Talking to a watchman, she reveals that Morgan Pendleton is located in a soundproof room called the Ivory Room on the second floor while Custis is upstairs in the smoking room. As I see her come towards the door I’m peeping through, I quickly dive for a corner. Luckily, she does not spot me as she passes towards her office. I seize this chance to take the key off her belt and sneak back to the bottom floor. Using my shiny new key, I unlock the door. As I do, Emily deduces that I had to have arrived by boat and tells me that she’ll meet me there when I’m done. She’s smart, like her father, so I have no doubt that she can get there. That leaves 1 objective complete. All that remains is to find the remaining 2 Runes and find a way to kill the Pendleton twins discreetly, making it look like an accident. A tall order perhaps, but I think I just might be able to pull it off…

Getting here was easy enough. Now comes the real challenge. It looks like I’ll be able to accomplish one of my objectives right now. In front of me, my contact Martin lies in chains, being interrogated by one of his fellow overseers. Either Martin is playing a very convincing bluff, or he saw me and knows I’m here to break him out. Letting the stupid overseer have a bit of fun before he dies, I wait a little before summoning a swarm of rats to devour his flesh. Once he falls to the ground, I pull the lever and release Martin from his restraints. He tells me a bunch of stuff I already know regarding my assignment and the likelihood that Geoff Curnow will be poisoned, and then leaves, promising to tell Samuel to pick me up on the other side of the estate so that I have a good escape route.
Using my magically enhanced jumping abilities, I scale a nearby wall to the top of an air vent, climbing around and to an awning passed the main gate. As I teleport across the pillars and onto the rim of the Abbey’s walls, I overhear two of the zealots talking about the Heretic’s Brand. Apparently it can be used to mark any overseer, even Baldy, as a traitor. One such marked will no longer be welcome. Aiding him would also become a capital offense for all residents in the city. If it weren’t so risky, I might have considered it as a form of poetic justice. As it stands, I can’t risk being seen dragging a body around like that. Pulling out the Heart, I see that this complex harbors two Runes that I can use to boost my power. Hopefully I can get to them. For me to succeed in future missions, I’ll need to grow as strong as I can.
I sneak around the Abbey’s walls and take a moment to study the area. Going in through the main gate is far too risky as there are many patrols outside. Fortunately, I appear to have a workaround. Looking down, I notice that the drainage system for the area’s rain is completely unguarded and spacious enough for me to fit through, so I Blink down and climb in. There was a bit of an obstruction in the pipe, but nothing that a blade can’t fix. Once I’m in, I notice that while I’m closer, I still need to get into the building proper, and the front door is a terrible way of sneaking in. Knowing this, it appears that taking a detour and moving through the dog kennels is my next best option, so that’s what I do. While the dog trainer is on duty, I am fortunate enough to have the door open to a few crates I can hide behind. To traverse this area, my best option is to stick to the vents as best I can. There is some tricky maneuvering, as two or three dog trainers are patrolling the area, but I eventually make to the main building’s basement.
Since I’ve been to the Abbey before on business trips with the Empress, I know that Baldy will likely meet with Geoff in the dining room on the second floor. I could likely sneak around these guards even without the power of short-range teleportation, but it sure does help. Once I’m on the second floor, I scale a nearby bookcase and decide to walk on top of the industrial lights to navigate. Fortunately, the dining room is close to the staircase by the kennels, so it’s not a long trip. Sadly, as I enter the area I notice that the two of them are right outside the door, waiting to enter. This means that whatever I do, I have to do it fast. Before making any decisions, I grab the Rune on the wall. These overseers are hardly trustworthy, and with what I’m about to do, it’s likely that they’ll pass the blame onto one of their own, taking advantage of the ensuing chaos.
Ever since Callista told me of Baldy’s plan to murder Geoff, I knew exactly what the best way to kill him would be. The poor fool plans to use poison on my old friend. Little does he know that his own poison will be the instrument I use for his demise. All it takes is a little sleight of hand to switch the glasses. With a single move, I’ve saved Callista’s uncle and murdered a High Overseer. Not to bad if I do say so myself. Now, the only thing left to do is watch this play out and collect Baldy’s Black Book when it’s done. Rather then remain conspicuously on the ground, I retreat to the rafters to observe my handiwork. It’s truly amazing the way some people walk in feeling all powerful, and then scramble as they realize what’s going on, knowing they are about to die. Such was the case for Campbell. To the outside world, the moron made the mistake of a lifetime by ingesting his own poison, paying the ultimate price for it.
Oh dear, what a terrible accident.
After realizing which drink he imbibed, he tried ordering Geoff to burn the Black Book to no avail. Then, he passed from this mortal coil, and things became interesting. When Curnow saw Baldy’s lifeless form, he did what he was trained to do, alert the guards. The overseers came in, and he quickly realized there was no getting through to them. After warning them to go after some initiate that must have been in the room before me, he was accosted and the encounter quickly turned violent. As the overseer in question drew his sword, my old friend shot him dead with his pistol and warned his own entourage that they would need to fight their way out. He’s skilled, and so are his men, so I have every confidence that he’ll escape. That being said, I still need to wait for the dust to settle so that I can pick up that damned book. It took a moment, but eventually I found my chance, slipping in and out faster than Geoff could shout “Men! CHARGE!!!!”. I decided to skim the book a bit and was surprised to note two things. First, Blady was blackmailing a crap ton of nobles: enough to ensure the money and favors kept flowing in almost indefinitely. Second, he makes note of a secret room in the basement, where I emerged from the kennels. Since there’s no kill like overkill, I might as well peruse the place to see if there’s anything I could make use of.
It’ll be tricky making my way back, as the guards have placed this whole facility under high alert. Given my skill, it should still be quite possible. When I do succeed, I reread the journal to make sure I’m in the right place. Following the instructions, I depress the colored eye on the bust adjacent to the kennel doors, and I’m in business. The wall comes to life and opens up wide. In Campbell’s secret chamber, I notice the Sokolov painting he made six months ago. Thinking I should pin it on one of the many low-lifes in this farce they call an Abbey, I snatch it up for Piero to sell on the black market. With that same logic, I smash the glass case nearby to steal of gold plate and the other Rune hidden in the area. Since I’ve covered my tracks well, this will have the look of an inside job, assuming they find this room at all. The last thing I do is listen to an audiograph where Baldy laments my escape of Coldridge and what it may mean for his and the Lord Mole’s plans. Way to go, me!
The only thing left to do is escape, and if my memory is correct, the back gardens, where Samuel will be waiting, are not far. In fact, they are just to my right when I exit back onto the main floor of the Abbey. When I make it to the backyard, the Heart begins to beat something fierce, revealing the presence of 2 Bone Charms and a Rune. Before the nearby overseer spots me, I hide behind cover and begin to plan out my escape. When he turns around, I Blink behind him and then again onto a nearby building too high for him to see me. Indicating that I’ve gotten closer to a Bone Charm, the heart beats at an increased rate. Rather than approach from the front, I decide to make my way around and slip in on the side facing the coast, since it’s on the cliff and therefore unguarded. When I enter, I’m greeted by the smell of decaying corpse. According to a note I found on scene, this overseer died trying to steal this Bone Charm from their vault. Its effect won’t do for my purposes. However, the intoxicating effects these charms give off on people are clearly far too dangerous to be handled by those without Poncy’s mark, so I ultimately decide to stash it in my bag.
Exiting the way I came, I climb the awning and return to the rooftops. As I make my way to the other Bone Charm, I hear the whispers of the Rune beneath me. Sadly, I’m not at a good vantage point to get to it with the guard standing there, so I decide to go continue after the charm. With Blink and the increased height of my jumps, it is a trivial matter to make it to the abandoned warehouse where it lies. Avoiding the trap, I notice that while there are no overseers here, the area is nonetheless guarded by a swarm of rats, meaning I can’t stay on the ground for very long. Again, this charm is of no use to me, so I store it in my pack and head back out. Before I head to Samuel, the last thing on my checkbox is to retrieve that final Rune. To the chagrin of the guard watching the roof of the building, my rats appear from the ether and devour his body. With him out of the way, I break the sun-roof and jump down, snatching up the Rune and an audiograph. The overseer recorded on it mentions that their little cult now has access to music boxes that can cancel out magic powers like my own. Should I come across more overseers in the future, and doubtless I will, this will be something I need to keep in mind.
With all of my tasks now complete, I head to Samuel at the dock behind the garden. I’m glad I don’t have a fear of heights, because the dock is a long way down. So long that I have to use a chain to climb down. Now that I’m here, the two of us take his boat and return to the Hound Pits Pub. For my first assassination, this turned out quite well. I was never seen and the overseers likely suspect that Baldy accidentally killed himself and one of their own used the situation to his advantage in a number of thefts across the estate. Even better, they might suspect the city watch and begin infighting amongst the factions in Dunwall. Overall, this was an overwhelming success.
Once we make it back to our makeshift HQ, Callista turns to greet me with gratitude. Apparently Geoff did make it out of there, and a sigh of relief escapes my mouth. Touched by my actions, Callista insists upon giving me a family heirloom of hers. I feel bad knowing that this will almost definitely be pawned off to pay for my equipment, but how can I refuse her? Before I report to Havelock and Pendleton, I decide to step back and listen to them talk. It appears that they are pleased with my results, and have already begun discussing who they’ll send me after next. They mention that Pendleton’s older brothers control his family’s voting block in Parliament, so I suspect that’s where I will be asked to strike next.
When I talk to them, they congratulate me for saving Martin and retrieve Baldy’s Black Book of Blackmail, which comes from the Always Awesome Academy of Amazing Alliterations. Instead of immediately sending me out again, they decide to wait for Martin to get here and read the journal to choose the next hit. Yeah, these guys clearly have no idea what they’re doing. Pendleton’s a coward and while Havelock has charisma, he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. They recommend that I get some sleep, but I decide to walk around a little first. As I make my way to Piero’s workshop, I am pleasantly greeted by Lydia. Nice woman, if a little rough around the edges. The audiograph next to the entrance revealed that Poncy has been giving the inventor ideas in his sleep, flooding his mind with tons of plans for killing devices I will likely never use. After praising me (and his tools by proxy) for my daring kill, he pulls out the list of things he can make for me. Double-checking it, I decide that I’d rather save my money as I’ve no use for his current stock.

Entering the bar, I see Wallace again chastising Cecelia over not knowing proper etiquette. Despite being close to nobility myself, I never did like all the rules we’re expected to follow. They’re often so arbitrary and frankly stupid, so hearing him talk about their importance is winning him no favors from me. Traveling to Pendleton’s room, I see that he’s begun to worry that his brothers are conspiring with the Lord Mole. His “memoirs”, as he calls this little audiograph series he’s been working on, only talk about his disdain for the Boyle family, so I almost immediately begin to lose interest. In Havelock’s room, his journal and audiograph sing my praises. However, I also note that he fears me. In particular, he hears that I might betray him at a moment’s notice. Experience tells me that those who harbor such thoughts tend to be the betrayers themselves, so I think I’ll need to watch my back from now on. No Runes have revealed themselves, as the Heart lies dormant, so it’s best that I head to bed and await my next assignment….

Before I begin the post for today’s episode, anaphysik reminded me that I never told you guys exactly why this week’s section was so late. Sure, a lot of that 4 weeks time could be blamed on Aldowyn’s general laziness, but there was another, dumber reason.

You see, we had actually met with Ringwraith on Skype for two recording sessions. Why two, I hear my hypothetical inquisitive audience ask? Well, Aldowyn forgot to save at the end of our session with Irridium. This would normally be a non-issue, because the game auto-saves your progress. However, Aldowyn decided that he would play a little bit of Alpha Protocol on the side, accidentally overwriting the auto-save.

When we began the session with Ringwraith, we learned that we had to painstaking redo every friggin’ mission in Moscow up to just before the embassy. Because we had to recreate the situation we ended off on with Irridium, we ended up having to reload a few times as well. It was a fun hour, but it meant we had to meet again next week to record the actual session. Coupled with a few communication issues (mostly my fault, admittedly), that meant this batch was fairly aggravating. With that said:

The reason we ended up replaying THIS boss fight is a combination of several factors. One, we were unsatisfied with the outcome in which we missed out the aftermath mission in Moscow that can occur if you get enough intel on Brayko and/or Surkov. This was when we discovered we screwed that up well before starting this session.

Second, Skype kicked all of us during Leland’s interrogation as you saw previously. In order to avoid the auto-save screwing things up, anaphysik told Aldowyn to kill the process. Luckily, we only had to redo the boss fight because of some quick thinking. Still, compounded with the screw ups described above… I don’t speak for the others, but I was getting pretty pissed off by this point. Hopefully, it doesn’t show too much in the episode.

The mission we missed is a pretty critical one too. If you have enough dossier information, Brayko will tell you the Surkov screwed him over and is Halbech’s primary contact in the area. From here, the player can meet up with him and confront him with this fact. In can result in many different scenarios depending on Mike’s reputation with those involved, including an uneasy alliance with Surkov, execution of both him and his bodyguard at either your’s or Brayko’s, and grievous physical injury. Without that mission, this whole arc kinda feels incomplete.

(For your viewing pleasure: I have opted to include the Moscow ending we were going for immediately below this line:)

When you choose to make a deal with Brayko, he gives you a sound system that can only be played in the Moscow hub. This sucks because once you finish Moscow and move onto another hub, you can never return. I played on console and used it a few times. However, everyone I’ve spoken to who played on PC had a glitch where the sound system wouldn’t play. I suspect that it has something to do with the port job, but can’t confirm. Those of you watching this who choose to strike a deal with Brayko, can you please comment to tell me which system you played AP on and whether or not the sound system glitched on you so that I might have more data points?

And now we’re at Rome: The last of the three hubs. I can’t wait to show you out next batch of episodes. They were fun to record and we hope they are fun to watch. As for what I did when we touched down in Rome… I regret nothing.

In this episode, we continue our siege on Brayko’s mansion while anaphysik continues to speak in his native accent. At the same time, Ringwraith insists on faking a British accent. What a jerk!

Anaphysik makes a great point when it comes to the reference to “The Outsiders”. Considering the kind of attention to detail that I’m used to from Obsidian, it’s odd that they include this little reference to that book without actually doing much of anything with it. Brayko’s self-styled band and the protagonist’s group from the book have very few things in common. I wouldn’t expect Brayko to understand the subtleties, but I would expect Obsidian to. It would’ve been interesting if Mike had some sort of dialog option that eludes to some comparison between them, either subverted or played straight, just to make use of the little detail. If it’s just there to show Brayko’s comic ineptitude when it comes to understanding things, then I’d like to have something to point it out. As it stands, it seems like the writers just remembered about it and thought to include a reference to the work in their game.

One thing I’d like to note is that we got Championchik’s Secret Fact… without ever having met him or even getting a single document on him. This means that we can’t view it since we have no file on him. If we didn’t play this game before and met him, we’d basically be going “Cool, we got Championchik’s secret fact! Wait, WHO THE FUCK IS CHAMPIONCHIK!?”

I like how Obsidian decided to include a vault as a way of tying Alpha Protocol into the Fallout series. I’m surprised though, how would Brayko have been involved with Vault-Tec? Did he know about their plans to experiment on vault dwellers? If so, did he allow them to do it willingly or was he coerced by them? It’s a great leap for both this game’s and Fallout’s canon, but it raises so many questions.

It really is bizarre that the game gives you the choice to execute SIE/Albatross if you choose to save them. Mostly because in order to do so, you’d need to willing choose to abandon the vault data to kill them yourself instead of having Brayko do it for you. This is incredibly petty, even for an aggressive Thorton. I’m not complaining, since the choice still allows for more role-playing possibilities, but honestly anyone who chose it for any reason other than role-play is dumb.

Brayko’s boss fight sucks… unless you’re playing as a Veteran on Easy. I remember playing through my first time on Hard: This is the exact opposite of fun. I hated Turn Up the Radio for weeks just because of that boss fight. People complain about his ridiculous coke-fueled CQC attacks which give him huge defense, but on Hard he’s even FASTER, so dodging him is very difficult. Again, the boss fights are so bad in this game. It’s shocking how much this real-world spy thriller can be a typical 90s video game.

This episode is filled to the brim with explosions, punching, shooting, and punching while shooting. Needless to say, Aldowyn has abandoned any notion of being “discreet”.

I’m extremely disappointed we missed the scene with Surkov in his office. Odds are we didn’t get it because we pissed Grigori off. (As it turns out, for some reason he didn’t like having a vodka bottle smashed in his face. Something about “assault” or some such nonsense.) It’s a nice scene that serves as a great setup for the secret endgame of this hub. There’re also some very good jokes to make at the expense of both Surkov and his bodyguard. It’s a real shame. We were aiming for showing you something different, but we accidentally missed out on content at your expense. Sorry, guys. It’s only a contact mission, but it’s an important one.

I love how Albatross and SIE emphasize to different approaches to the same mission, even if the missions themselves don’t change. The entrances to the mansion mission really show off how one is more subtle while the other is more reckless. Choosing between multiple handlers can easily work, but it’s a shame that the game only uses that concept so many times and often leaves you with Mina. (Random fact: The conversation between Mike and Mina, regardless of which person you chose to go with, is the exact same. It’s just that with Albatross, he and G22 are sniping the guards while SIE… you know.)

Skype is… okay. It generally works fine, but unless your connection is excellent, it has a terrible tendency to occasionally drop calls. Since a few members, particularly me, have poor connections, dropping calls is fairly common for us. Unfortunately, this time Aldowyn’s connection was the one that went (which is exceedingly rare), which is a problem since HE’S recording the Skype call. It resulted in a bit of a clusterfuck as far as our session went. Not the first time, and doubtless it won’t be the last. Thought you all might appreciate a window into how we record this show. Thankfully, Aldowyn had the common sense to edit it down a bit.

We were talking about the choice to save Albatross/SIE in this mission. It makes sense to have that choice if you choose SIE, since she’d no doubt lead the charge. The thought that it should’ve been Sis instead of Albatross makes sense, but I have to assume they didn’t do that because Sis could potentially be dead at that point in the story. We’ll talk more about that choice when it comes up later. Yes, it’s stupid

I head into the bar to begin my first assignment, and my new life. Havelock is there reading from what seems to be some sort of journal. He tries to encourage me, saying that “sometimes good men need to do bad things to make the world better”, but I think he realizes both of us see through the bullshit. With that said, he gives me three objectives. My first target is High Overseer Baldy himself. As he announced it, I couldn’t help but grin. In stories like this, the cliché is that the ones most directly involved are the last targets. Unlike those stories, the second-in-command is will be my first. Once the deed’s been done, I’ll need to loot his black book, where he keeps all his blackmail secrets, from his body. The final objective will be to free Martin, an overseer who decided to join up with Havelock’s group. From what the Admiral says, Martin is the brains of this entire operation, so freeing him will get me that much closer to Emily. Neither one of these tasks seems terribly complicated, so I don’t see much reason to worry. Getting their seems like the hard part, but Samuel can get me close enough so that I can do the rest.
Before catching my boat, I take a look at what Havelock was reading. It appears to be a report from one of his spies. The message claims that it’s no coincidence that the Mole took control after Jessy died. No shit, Sherlock! I figured that out almost immediately after it happened. What have you been doing the past six months? Continuing on, the report mentions what are referred to as “Tallboys”, special guards on stilts who are heavily armored, wielding incendiary bolts. I recall the vignettes from my trip to the Void, in particular the one of the stilted guards shooting two innocent civilians. If this text is correct, then the guards in these suits are drugged so that they feel nothing. Let’s hope these guys aren’t terribly commonplace, else I may be in for some trouble.
Since I’ve already stocked myself at Piero’s shop, I head to the boat in order to embark on my mission. Before I reach the vessel, I am stopped by the woman whose voice I didn’t recognize on the audiograph earlier. She introduces herself as Callista Curnow. I recognize her last name, as her uncle Geoff and I go way back. My recollection of Geoff seems to be a crazy coincidence, as her request involves him. My old friend has been invited to The Abbey of the Everyman to speak with Baldy himself. According to Callista’s sources, the High Overseer has ordered a quantity of exotic poisons that are impossible to trace. She suspects that the two facts are related, and fears that her uncle’s life my be in danger. I accept her request and vow to protect her uncle, after all what friend would I be if I let him die, especially to Baldy of all people. Since the poison intended for Geoff is untraceable, I think I know of a good way to kill two proverbial birds with one stone, or in this case switch the target of the stone from one bird to the other. Anyway, it’s about time I departed this place and made myself useful. I speak to Samuel and we head out.
As we touch down near the Distillery District, and out of sight of the City Watch, the boatman primes me on how the area’s changed in recent months. He tells me that the guards and the gangsters have been fighting over the territory for some time. The guards have establish Sokolov’s “Walls of Light” so that non-guard who passes through them is disintegrated. Meanwhile, the Bottle Street Gang has taken control of the Distillery, likely where Slackjaw is making his diluted plague elixir. Lastly, Granny Rags has recently appeared in the fringes, and who knows what the old hag is thinking. This information will no doubt come in handy.
Before I begin to pursue Baldy, I move away from Samuel, who has taken up camp nearby so that I can make a quick escape, and pull out the Heart. It points me to two Bone Charms and two Runes in the area. The closest thing to my location is a Bone Charm in the guard tower on a small island outcropping nearby. There are watchmen on the bridge dumping the bodies of plague victims, so I’ll have to swim around into order to get to it. When I pull myself out of the water, I see that the Bone Charm is out of my reach. Then, I spot a chain with which I can pull myself up towards it. Rather than risk the jump, I Blink onto the ledge. The Bone Charm is next to a body and a pouch containing 100 Coins. This charm has the effect of tricking rats into thinking I’m one of them until I get closer, so I hook it to one of the holes in my belt.
Once more, I follow the Heart to a Rune nearby, swimming back to shore and walking down the streets to get to it. One guard doesn’t even notice as I creep directly behind him and back into the shadows, until he returns to his patrol route. Rather than chance future encounters, I Blink to the top of a nearby pillar and decide to take to the rooftops as long as I am able. On the rooftops rafters overlooking the streets, I see a gangster’s corpse on a rooftop, apparently keeping watch for Slackjaw until he died. Next to him was a pouch of money that I decide to take with me. It was then I saw Granny Rags herself, talking about feeding the birds. It should come as no surprise that her squat happens to be the one with Poncy’s Rune in it. If I’m careful, I can in and out of here before she even realizes. Sneaking past her, I notice that the Rune sits atop a shrine to the ponce himself. Taking it from the shrine is enough to summon him into this world because apparently he’s so interested in speaking at me. He tells me things less about Granny Rags than I already know, then wonders out loud how I intend to take out the High Overseer. It’s amazing how dull chaos incarnate can be.
I take a moment to plunder a couple of heirlooms from this shack before I finally leave once and for all. Even if Granny Rags finds them missing, she didn’t see me and no one will pay attention to her, so no matter what I’m in the clear. I cross through Bottle Street on my way to the Abbey on John Clavering Boulevard. On my way over, the Heart once again starts to beat. It pinpoints a Bone Charm located in a nearby house, but going for it seems to be a less than wise idea. There’s a man being blockaded by two members of the Bottle Street Gang looking for their extortion fee. I can take care of them by summoning rats. However, if I want to get to that Charm, I’ll need to expose myself to the man inside. He’ll likely get grateful to me for rescuing him, but under the interrogation he might crack, so while I feel sorry for him, I have to ignore his pleas for help.
But just because I can’t help him, doesn’t mean I won’t do anything to the Bottle Street Gang in response to this outrage. Instead of heading to Clavering Boulevard, I make a split second decision to take a detour over at Slackjaw’s distillery. As usual, I take to the rooftops on my way there. And, as I’ve come to expect, the Heart starts beating once again, indicated the presence of a Bone Charm. I see a key on the belt of one of the guards. Assuming I’ll need this key, I wait on the rooftop until just the right moment. As I wait, I hear a group of nearby guards mention Daud, which gets my attention. Sadly, they don’t know anything I’m not already privy to. When the guard with the key goes to relive himself on a nearby tuft of grass, I Blink down behind him, nab it, and then quickly make my way into the distillery proper. Aside from those two guards at the front door, the entrance is barren. They have a locked gate barring direct access to the control room, but the key I nabbed renders it moot. Once there, I steal Slackjaw’s recipe for the diluted elixir as some strange form of revenge for the poor guy back on Bottle Street. Thankfully, Slackjaw runs with the type of people who would do something like that, so he’ll likely blame his staff. And it’s not like criminals are known for calling the City Guard.
I decide to nab the Bone Charm and then make my way out. The door to the room containing the Charm is being watched, so I take to the top of the some nearby pipes and wait for the patrols to pass before entering. Since I don’t know the guard routes in here, I am relived to find that the Bone Charm is onto of the rafters, so I can hide there for a bit. This one has the power to boost my speed while sneaking, so I immediately attach it to my belt. After the guard below me passes, I make my way through the distillery room back into the warehouse area. With haste, I Blink back into the control room before someone looks in my direction and slip back to the entrance. From there, heading onto the roofs and back onto Bottle Street in trivial.
Sneaking back onto the roofs, I utilize my powers to make it onto Clavering Boulevard. From my vantage point on a nearby balcony, I can see a Wall of Light under in the stone archway on the route to the abbey. Above it is a sign that I know comes from the Mole himself, saying that “The Boldest Measures are the Safest”. It’s amazing how paranoid one man can be. Rather than take a direct approach, I look around the area for an alternate pathway. Remembering the powers I have at my disposal, I have the idea to Blink onto a light fixture above the archway. Though the move could be seem as rather reckless, it worked, and soon I’m on the roof of the archway, above the Wall of Light. As I complete my maneuver, I hear a couple of guards scream. I jumped, not sure if they saw me or not. Luckily, they were being devoured my ravenous mutant plague rats. One of them shook it off, then other is too chewed up to be recognizable.

After that brief amusement, I blink onto a nearby lamppost and again to another condemned building that has the look of a seedy hotel. This new rooftop gives me direct view of the entrance to the Abbey, but something else gets my attention. I look down at a small guard post and the Heart begins to beat in my pocket. Taking it out, it shows me that inside that post is a Rune. With a running start, I jump forward and Blink onto the roof of the post. Fortunately, there’s a hatch on the roof that leads directly to the Rune, so I drop, quickly seize it, and teleport behind a section on cover on a nearby awning. In order to make suspicion low, I make it back on to roof to close the hatch before retreating back into my cover. Since no one will see me from here, I take this time to strengthen my powers. With my mind’s eye, I envision my new ability. I see me, leaping into the air in order to get to someplace high up. Normally, I wouldn’t be able to do so, but I see myself leaping again, seeming to push off the air itself, in order to gain extra height on my jump. Pouring the energy of the 2 Runes I’ve obtained here into this vision, I feel my abilities strengthen. From this point, I teleport passed the guards and stroll up to entrance of Holgar Square, where I’ll find the Abbey of the Everyman, and my first target….

So here we are in the Moscow finale. I apologize both for the delay and for the massive degree of failure that ensued during this recording session. However, I’m not sorry for the accent. I will never be sorry for the accent.

I like the choice between Albatross and SIE, at least in theory. It would be a meaningful choice both for Mike as a character and the player in terms of gameplay. Sadly, it’s a little disappointing how disturbingly similar both versions of these missions are. Aside from the permanent perk you can for the choice between them, it honestly doesn’t matter at all. The only things that change are superficial.

If we hadn’t have smashed Grigori’s face in at the bar, then the guards in this area would be less armed. However, their increased security could have worked to our advantage. Since we were a Veteran (this also works for a Soldier) we could convince them that we’re there to protect Surkov with our knowledge of (Alpha?) protocol. The weaker guards can be swayed by anybody. Again, “no bad choices” was a guiding principal when designing this game, and it shows. We could also use the door on the side to sneak in, but it’s glitched so that the game automatically assumes you MUDERED THE SHIT OUT OF EVERYONE if you do that.

In order to get the Albatross version of this mission, picture bigger dudes in combat armor being your enemies in this mission, because that’s exactly what happens. I do like how SIE and Mina argue with each other over… everything. It shows how opposite the two of them are. Still, this is overall a bit of a letdown, which is even more of a shame since this mission was part of the marketing for the game.

I’ve noticed that as we continue, Aldowyn has been getting more and more blood-thirsty. I don’t even need to tell to shoot people anymore. He just does it. I guess it’s just something that happens to LPers.

This “Protect Surkov” mission is one of the missions people come to me with when saying that this game is terrible. Honestly, it’s hard to refute them. It terms of play, Moscow is the worst hub in the entire game. Taipei has a terrible plot and Moscow has terrible level design. Despite these flaws, I do really like the game. Goddammit Obsidian, why do you have to be so flawed?

Exhausted from my recent activities, I am escorted to my room by Pendleton’s servant, Wallace. It’s not a particularly great room and it’s all the way on the top floor, but I understand that given our current predicament we can’t afford 4-star hotels. The bed is a little hard, but in minutes I’m out cold. After an unknown time lapse, I awaken. However, something feels wrong about this place. It looks like my room, obviously, but the air feels foreign. I open the door, greeted by the sight of a lamppost and a portion of a road on top of two small islands, floating in the air. Looking down, I gaze upon a dim white light in what appears to be a bottomless void. There are stories that describe such phenomena. If the tales are true, this is what it’s like to be summoned by The Outsider. Part of me still wants to think this is a lucid dream, but the other half knows exactly what’s going on. More importantly, both halves realize the futility in denying the Outsider, so I proceed along the path laid out for me.
Climbing the stairs that appear to my left, I end up on what can best be described as the roof of this island. Heading towards the center, I’m greeted by figure whose appearance closely resembles that of a teenager/young adult who is likely bullied regularly by his peers. While I am the opposite of intimidated, this boy refers to himself as the Outsider, and brands me with his mark. Calling it a gift, the Outsider says that he has chosen me, granting me the power to use magic. Then, he taunts me to use this new power to come after him. Once he dematerializes, two thoughts enter my head. The first is more serious: The men who murdered Jessy clearly had this power as well. Did the Outsider give them these powers too? If so, why? Hell, why did it give me the gift of magic, and does it come at a price?
The second thought: Man, this whole “Outsider” guy is really disappointing. I was expecting some kind of elder god whose form was too alien to comprehend. At the very least, he could have looked menacing! And for someone who is, according to legends, the incarnation of chaos itself, he has to have one of the least interest, blandest faces and voices I’ve ever experienced. This is the abomination the Overseers led by Baldy constantly go on about! He looks like a ponce, which is not a good way to intimidate people. Actually, Poncy sounds like a great nickname for him. Anyway, since I’ve literally no where else to go, it’s down the linear path for me. However, the gap between this island and the next is pretty big, too far for me to jump. Almost instinctively, I squeeze the hand branded by Poncy and release. This causes me to move fast, faster than I even thought possible. It’s as if I blinked in and out of existence in some form of short-range teleportation. Since I have no better name for this power, I’ll call it Blink.
The island I land on has the appearance of the rotunda where Jessamine died, complete with her body on the ground and a not reading “You cannot save her.” This place appears to be trying to play with my emotions, but I can’t let that stop me. Resolved, I continue Blinking from platform to platform until I reach another vignette. This time it appears to be in some wealthy establishment, either a noble house or some kind of hotel/brothel. In it, two men, remarkably similar, yet subtly different in appearance to Pendleton are grabbing Emily and trying to restrain her. A note is flying out of her hand, but the words don’t seem like they belong in her mouth. Is this place just playing tricks on me, or is their meaning here? The next image that appears before me on another island is that of the strategy room in Dunwall Tower. It appears that the Mole is either scheming in there now, or will do so later. Immediately afterward I see two guards on stilts, one of which is shooting a flaming arrow at two men hobbling away. So much must have happened in my absence. Does this city even have a chance?
I come across a wall that’s too tall for me to climb, so I do what comes (un-)naturally and use Blink to reach the top. I aim just short of the top of the wall, but my ability seems to have the built in fail-safe of automatically landing me at the top of a building should I aim it correctly. This will definitely come in handy later. Advancing further on yields another visit from Poncy. Warning me of “great trials ahead,” Poncy tells me that through the powers of Runes engraved with his symbol, I can further develop my powers as I see fit. To assist in the collection of said Runes, he hands me a Heart, which will beat faster as I grow closer to them. Before I leave, he says that the Heart has a secondary function of revealing the secrets of whatever I’m looking at when I squeeze on it gently, them vanishes once again.
I hold the Heart in my hand, and I feel it beat. A Rune must also be here in the Void. Testing out it’s other function, I gently squeeze the Heart. The voice that rings out in my head causes me to jump. There’s no possibly way I could mistake that voice. Without a shadow of a doubt, it was Jessamine’s. If that’s her voice, then this must be… Oh no! First she’s murdered in front of me, and now Poncy rips her heart out and gives it to me as some sick joke. I’m not amused. Despite this horrible turn of fate, I’m likely going to need to keep using the Heart if I want to stay prepared for new occupation. Very well Poncy, I will play by your rules as right now they’re the best way to get Emily back.
The Heart, along with the linear path laid out for me, makes finding the Rune a trivial matter. Once I pick it up, the brand on my left hand absorbs its power. A vision enters my head, and shows me the myriad ways my magic can develop. Right now, the skills that seem most useful are out of my reach until I acquire more Runes. After I decide to wait until advancing my skills, the vision passes, and Poncy reemerges. After explaining that only I can choose how to use my powers and that he’ll be watching me to see what I do, he returns me to my bedroom in the real world.
I wake up in my room, and gaze upon my left hand. Sure enough, the mark is there, just as it was during my “dream”. The Heart is also present, placed in my pocket. For a small test, I squeeze my left hand and release. Sure enough, I can still use Blink. After confirming my suspicions, I look around the room and see a number of decorations that were not present before. A note on my desk reads as follows: “Congratulations on your purchase on the Void Walker’s Arsenal. Scattered about your room are the results of your purchase. Use them wisely!” Though it appears the courier dropped these off at the wrong address, I am in no position to complain and decide to make use of these gifts. Since 12 of these presents bear the Outsider’s symbol and make the Heart beat like crazy, I conclude that they have something to do with my powers. They are not Runes, but they appear to be old sailor charms, made from whale bones. A vision appears and tells me that these are “Bone Charms,” which pass minor powers onto their wielders when equipped. The best place to affix them appears to be the holes in my belt, so that’s where they’ll go.
Picking up the four statues that line my room burns new holes into my belt, which I can use to equip more Bone Charms, for a grand total of 8. Among the 12 charms I “earned”, I pick 3 with which to adorn myself, and store the others in my bag. Other items to make note of are 4 pouches, each containing the financial equivalent to 500 Bronze Coins, plenty of money to fund upgrades from Piero. Lastly, I notice 4 books, each detailing a person of great influence in Dunwall. The first is a what appears to be an excerpt from the Mole’s personal journal. It describes his constant paranoia that someone will come in and murder the Empress, along with the various countermeasures lined up. He does not seem to be very trusting of the populace, which is ironic in a sense. The last line of the text hints that he likes to spend his time in the Estate District. Considering that’s where all the noble families live and party, it should be no surprise.
The second text appears to be from the journal of an Overseer who works undercover on behalf on the Abbey. He appears to be unhappy living among the various thieves and cutthroats of the city. While that’s certainly not the best place to be, it certainly beats that den of indoctrination they call The Abbey of the Everyman. Between the streets and their walls, I’d choose the streets any day. While I feel no sympathy for the man, the text that follows his incessant bitching intrigues me. It appears to reference a man named Daud. I had heard the name several times before, as everyone in the upper levels of society knew of him. However, I never attached any significance to the name up until now. If this report is correct, Daud works as an assassin, hired by the “elite” of this city to kill their political rivals. He is known for an art where he vanishes and summarily reappears less than a second later in another close by location, remarkably similar to my own abilities.
Reading on, it appears the Knife of Dunwall has a history with black magic. Rumors speak of his witch-mother and of known ties with the infamous Brigmore coven. The man is also well-educated, apparently spending time in the Academy of Natural Philosophy itself. Finally, the report mentions two thing that really catch my attention. The first: He appears to be in charge of a group of masked assassin. The second: He has been sighted worshiping Poncy at one of his shrines. I need to keep a close eye out for further information on Daud. If this report is at all accurate, then it seems very likely that he’s the assassin I saw that day. Apparently I should have been more concerned when hearing his name come up. Still, I never thought someone would be so brazen as to actually order a hit on the Empress in her own castle. I suppose the blame falls more to the one who made the hit than it does to the hitman, but still!
The third of the four documents appears to talk about Slackjaw, a well know gang leader on the outskirts of the city. The Bottle Street Gang’s infamous leader, according to this, was likely the daughter of a prostitute who decided to join a gang rather than be pressed in the Navy or made to work in a noble family’s mine. The text describes the brutal way he rose from a cutpurse to one of the most feared men in the cities underworld. Despite this, Slackjaw appears to be a stabilizing element of this plague-ridden city. Though the plague elixirs made by Sokolov and Piero are expensive to the average person, the Bottle Street Gang has been making good business selling diluted, cheaper versions of the Sokolov’s brew to people. For gangsters, this seems like the closest thing to legitimate business. He’s also been offering employment to people outside the usual mob contacts. Decent work in exchange for food and medicine. Who would’ve though the crime lord would have the closest thing to a heart of gold in this city after Jessamine’s death?
The last document is titled “The Journal of Granny Rags.” Everyone in the city knows that name by heart. According to the tales, she was once a wealthy aristocrat to took a dark turn after devoting herself fully to the Outsider. Rumor has it that she has great power at her disposal, and won’t hesitate to use it against those who wrong her. From what this text says, the old hag used to be known as Vera Moray. She had parties that surpassed even the Boyle’s in their extravagance. Hell, at one point Sokolov made a painting of her, and Sokolov doesn’t make paintings of anyone without a fair degree of prestige behind their name. Vera and her husband used to travel the world together, until what appears to be her first contact with Poncy. From then on, she was obsessed with acquiring bones to make Runes and Bone Charms out of, going so far as to kill her own husband for his. Granny Rags sounds dangerous, so it seems wise to avoid crossing her path. I wonder who would have the resources to acquire all of this and yet not enough influence to get them to their correct destination. Unless they were somehow intended for me. If so, then why me? What am I so special? And how would they know I’m here? I doubt I’ll ever know the answer.
After I finish my morning reading, I decide to explore the place again, in part because the Heart indicates another Rune is in the area and because I’d like to get some exercise in. After spending half-a-year in prison, I’ll take any excuse to get some fresh air. I enter the lighthouse adjacent to my room, and spot an audiograph. It appears to depict a woman planning out lessons for a child. The woman doesn’t sound like either Cecelia or Lydia, so it must be someone I haven’t yet met. Speaking of those two, I overhear them talking about Samuel. From what they were saying, apparently he can no long sleep in beds, and has decided to take up residence in a small tent near the boat. Poor guy, that can’t possibly be comfortable. I enter Pendleton’s room and play an audiograph where he appears to be chronicling his life story. It’s not very interesting so I won’t describe it here. The audiograph in Havelock’s room is only slightly more interesting, revealing that he’s glad I showed up, but still unsure of my skills.

Before continuing my search for the Rune, I make a pit-stop at Piero’s workshop, since by some stroke of luck I’m now 2000 Bronze Coins richer. His audiograph reveals that he’s the one who bound the Heart, doing so at the Outsider’s behest without even knowing it. I doubt he even knows it was the Empress’s heart. If he did, I wonder if he would’ve still bound it and kept it in a suspended state of half-death like he did. With the money at my disposal, I buy a Rune off of Piero, a few tools to rewire security devices, some of his plague elixirs, and another hole in my belt with which to affix a Bone Charm should I happen to come across any more. The last request causes Piero to give me a curious glance, but he doesn’t ask any questions. Exiting the shop, I follow the Heart’s beat to a Rune on a small outcropping of nearby rocks. Time seems to stop as I summon a vision into my head. I picture an image of hungry rats being summoned from the void and pour my Rune energy into it. I can feel my magic growing in strength as a direct response, and I know that this new skill is now available to me. I’m ready to speak to Havelock and Pendleton to accept my first assignment….

As it turns out, I have friends on the outside who are willing to help me out. Enclosed in my daily bread was a key to my cell and a note, giving me instructions on how I can break myself out of this god-forsaken prison. Since I’d rather not get hanged tomorrow morning, I decided to do the obvious and make my escape. Outside my cell, a guard left his sword on the table, exactly as the note said he would. In my present condition, a sword may be too heavy and weigh me down too much, so ultimately a decide not to bring it with me, though I take the money left next to it. I turn to the exit and see three guards out on patrol. None of them have seen me yet, so I take the opportunity to grab one in a choke hold, incapacitating him. After dumping him in a safe place, I use some deft maneuvering and stealth to move passed the other two and head upwards. It appears that I somehow located the armory, so I take the time to pilfer a few coins and doses of Sokolov’s “amazing” healing tonic/plague elixir.
Before leaving, I hear a few voices outside, so I peep through the keyhole to get a better view. Sure enough, more guards are right there. The gleam of a key radiates from the pocket of one of them, so it seems my next course of action has already been determined. My intuition works in my favor, as the door forward just so happened to be locked. Passing through the yard’s walkway, I choke out another poor guardsman on patrol, and proceed to the interrogator’s room. As per my instructions, a bomb should be the safe in the back room. If I didn’t suspect that Baldy and the Mole weren’t evil enough already, an audiograph and note they appear to have left behind that implicate them in their crime. I’ll stash them in my prison garbs for later, as they might come in handy.
For whatever reason (presumably because my outside friends set it up), the safe containing a highly volatile explosive compound was left completely unlocked and unguarded. Note to self: After clearing my name and reclaiming my status, remember to lecture the guard about the merits of not keeping explosives out for prisoners to obtain! Oh well, I suppose it makes my job easier in the long run. Luckily, the gate to the yard is unlocked and only two guards are on patrol. Sneaking passed them is trivial, and now I am only a few rooms from freedom. Unfortunately for me, the gate is sealed and the only way passed is to sneak behind the booth to press the switch. Worse, the controls are guarded by on patrol on the outside on the booth and two inside. It may be tricky, but I think I can do it. As I had hoped, Dunwall guards are as clueless as they’ve ever been. The ease of which I managed to sneak around and choke the guards was surprising. All I had to do was wait for one to walk off and then go for the other, dealing, with his partner in the booth afterward. In only a few moments, the lever is pulled and the gate opened. The next room has only two more guardsman separating me from the taste of fresh air. My training kicks in, and I remember not to be too hasty in my escape. After knocking out the guards and sealing the door back up so that more of them won’t come rushing in, I plant the bomb and dive into the river below.
Swimming to dry land isn’t a big challenge, as the shore is close by. Prison garbs clinging to my skin, I follow the path set before me in the instructions received and make my way to the city’s sewer system. The way forward is blocked, and shit! I hear voices coming from the other side of the door. Thinking quickly, I climb up to the top of a nearby stack of crates and into the crawlspace above. Listening in on their conversation, it becomes clear the one of these two fears me, and the other has no idea what I’m capable of at full strength. Sadly, neither of them will ever live to find out, since as I was moving above them, the rats swarmed in from below. I had figured the plague was getting bad during my “vacation” at Coldridge, but there’s no way I could imagine that the rats could become so aggressive so quickly.
Pressing forward, I see a valve that opens a nearby gate, corpse attached to it. Poor man must have also tried to escape through here. It appears I have arrived at a pit that guards have been dumping plague victims into. Fittingly enough, the rats are gnawing at a corpse next to the valve of the next gate, blocking my way. To avoid becoming food for the rats like the gossiping guards back at the entrance, I’ll need to use my head. Those corpses look like tasty distractions for the rats, so I pepper them around, away from the valve, and take off. Fortune seems to be on my side this day, as this next room only contains a few, easily disarmed traps. Deftly, I disable them, using a platform above me to navigate around the tripwires, before they spell heartache for me, and make my way to the drop off point indicated in the note from my cell.
There I find a container with gear that will prove most useful. A lightweight, retractable sword, crossbow, and new garments with which to adorn myself. After taking a few moments to change I use the enclosed key to open a nearby door, and spot a safe on the other side. The note next to the safe indicates that to find the code I need to “look to whiskey for the answer.” Since I doubt getting drunk will give me some sort of epiphany, I decide to look around. I spot a shelf of whiskey behind the safe. Behind the numerous bottles of alcohol, there appears to be a combination: 451. Sure enough, the safe unlocks and I obtain a spot of coin and a healing elixir.
As I progress, I find myself above another group of guards. I can see at least two of them, and doubtless there are more. There’s not much more I can do besides wait for one of the guards to turn their back so I can choke hold the other. Fortunately, there appears to be path above the guards via the sewer pipes, so I do not have to confront these guys head on. I prepare my sword and crossbow, just to be safe, but as it turns out I have no reason to worry. Daylight quickly reaches across my face, and I breath a sigh of relief as the man I encounter calls my name and tells me he’s a friend. The way he acts doesn’t give off any obvious discrepancies, so I decide to trust him. Samuel, as he tells me his name is, works for the people who assisted my prison break. His job is to send me to them so that I might meet them in person. Since I’ve nothing else to do with my time, I tell him I’m ready and we head out.
The boatman takes me to an old dive in the city, calling it “The Hounds Pit Pub”. From what Samuel tells me, this place doubles as the HQ for the organization who lent me their aid. Since they no doubt spent many resources bringing me here, the very least I can do is hear them out. Docking ashore, the old man escorts me to the bar, where I encounter two individuals and stand back for a minute, listening in on their conversation. One of them is clearly nobility, judging by his outfit. The other is in uniform, and has the look of experience in his eyes. My gut tells me he’s the leader of this little outfit, likely a navy man. Anyway, they talk about needing me to perform wet-work assignments for their cause. So, they’re too chicken shit to get their own hands dirty. It’s just as well, I suppose. After all, I need to do some legwork in order to win back my reputation and save Emily. I don’t enjoy the thought, but I’ll have to steel myself for the trials ahead.
Approaching them, the two introduce themselves as Admiral Farley Havelock and Lord Trevor Pendleton, so my preliminary suppositions were right on the nose. Odds are I’ve seen them before at the royal court, but Jessy has always been the center of my attention, as more than just her bodyguard. If we did meet I’m having trouble remembering it. They tell me that the Mole has crowned himself “Lord Regent” in the absence of a true heir to the throne, and uses this title to oppress the people of Dunwall. Since my skills and common sense are legendary in this city, they want me to assist their little group of resistance fighters by killing the Lord Regent’s allies and ending his reign of tyranny. If it wasn’t for the fact that Emily is missing, I’d never even consider the deal. However, I do not have much in the way of options.
Before I get a chance to mingle with the others, my new employers tell me to meet with Piero Joplin, their inventor. This name I am familiar with, if only because Sokolov droned on and on about how it was so unfair that Piero graduated the academy at a younger age than he. If he’s an enemy of Sokolov, he’s a friend of mine, so I enter his office as politely as possible. As I walk in, he tells me that he’s prepared to spend a large portion of his time crafting for me all the tools that I would need. As he prepares to finish his latest work, a tank drops from his machine. I quickly move up the stairs to fetch a replacement, and place it in the receptacle. The little project he’s working on just so happens to be a mask which I can use to hide my face from the public. Like it or not, I’m a wanted man, so it’s best to be prepared.
Piero explains that this isn’t all he can build. Weapons, upgrades, supplies are all covered under his expertise. I politely nod, but deep down I know that I will not need his services as much as he suspects. Dunwall’s police force may be stupid, but it’s detectives are not. If I’m to succeed in my new life as an assassin, I’ll need to make sure that I leave as little trace as possible. They can’t even know that there was an intruder. I trained many of the Dunwall Bureau of Investigation myself, I know they have the skill to find me and the professionalism to do it despite their personal feelings of the Mole… I mean Lord Regent. However, since I trained them, I know what they’ll be looking for and can use that to keep my mark on the world as concealed as possible. This will take skill, more than I might have even in my best shape.
I look at the list of wears Piero says he’ll be able to craft and hand him the money he needs to improve the optics in my mask. Apparently now I’ll be able to use it to spy on people from a distance. It even comes with a built in sound amplifier so that I can eavesdrop from further away. For my purposes, this should prove incredibly useful. While I am there, I ask him to drill an extra hole in my belt. Since my stint in Coldridge, I appear to have lost some weight. After he finishes with his work, I smile to Piero and we part ways.
While he recommends I go straight to bed, I feel that exploring the place and getting to know the other residents will be a good use of my time. Overhearing some of the staff, it appears that I’ve already made impressions, some positive and some negative. Pendleton’s servant Wallace seems like asshole. A bit too stuck up for my personal tastes. On the other hand, Havelock’s bartender, Cecelia, gives me the impression of someone who is quite kind, if timid. Lastly, the maid Lydia gives off the same aura Cecelia does, but there’s clearly a fire in her. Audiographs laden around from Havelock, Pendleton, and Piero indicate that these guys all clearly have their own separate interests in partaking of this conspiracy. Let’s only hope that this doesn’t interfere with my rescuing Emily. I end my day scavenging the area for this Piero can sell, and then head to bed wondering how exactly I’m going to pull off any assignments without leaving behind enough trace to get caught….
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