ESCHALON TRILOGY - Q&A (SPOILERS)

[Prismatic Maelstrom]

'Tis a shame there will not be a 4th Eschalon game to answer them...

Your add-on might. Or perhaps you don't know the answers yourself.

[Prismatic Maelstrom]

Maybe Malkur and Erubor were in it together all along against the other Orakur?

If this was true there would be no need to continue the deception when you reach Karamiklan. There would be no escape for you.

[Prismatic Maelstrom]

Unless they were trying to get rid of you.

So why not kill you there and then in Alundar's Dungeon? All four of the Crux stones are in the same place.

[Prismatic Maelstrom]

If you side with Erubor at the end Malkur gives you a leather satchel that holds the Crux of Ages and Crux of Wisdom. Isn't it dangerous having them together in the same container? Wouldn't they pull together being so close to each other, like the Crux of Fire does with the Crux of Ages in the Crux Chamber?

[Prismatic Maelstrom]

How did Malkur get into Alundar's Dungeon?

He obviously isn't a ninja so there was no way he could have got past Alundar. Malkur must have a special form of the Elemental spell Portal because the original requires the caster to have visited an area and placed an *anchor* point. So if he can teleport anywhere, why didn't he just teleport to the bottom of Hammerlorne Mine or the top of Bastion Spire for the Crux stones?

[Prismatic Maelstrom]

I already know the answer to this from a writer perspective, but...

If Erubor can teleport to you and teleport you to a location why doesn't he meet you after your adventure in Mirkland and take you straight to Karamiklan, bypassing the Warlord completely?

And was any thought given to having Charma help out during the development of Book III? Seems like a missed opportunity to me.

[Prismatic Maelstrom]

I was always thinking that these strange machines were what Malkur mentioned in the ending cinematic but I'm not sure now. We don't see the craft at the end to make the ending either ambiguous or that Basilisk Games didn't have the time or money to have an artist do something after having to scrap the original end fight. What if they are some sort of amplifying device for his mind control abilities, the Crux stones extending his power so he could TAKE OVER THE WORLD?

Of course, you never even bring up the third possibility, that is was all fake. What if there is no impending apocalyptic event. Remember in Book II, Erubor mentioned the Mage Games and the strong rivalries between mage guilds? What if this whole thing was just two old rivals, Malkur and Erubor, competing against each other for the ultimate prize of 4 powerful stones that they each coveted. The whole plot line changes if you think of it this way. Perhaps you just helped a powerful wizard achieve complete domination over Eschalon by handing him four Crux stones. With these stones, he can control armies, manipulate time, and even travel into and out of dimensional planes. The one who possesses these stones would be a god. <shudder> ....no, let's not think of that possibility.

What about Valx Grayraven and his machine? He has no reason to lie, and I doubt Erubor/Malkur knew you would visit him. And I'm sure the Akadai Kingspawn mentions the impending apocalyptic event as well.

[Prismatic Maelstrom]

"...the warlord Alundar has closed all the roads leading into the Astral Range, but rumor has it that there is another way. Erubor explained that long ago Malkur constructed a number of secret passes, anticipating the need to move his troops quickly and secretively between regions."

Why the elaborate structure for when two simple pentagrams would suffice? Father Michael did this in Book I for the Goblins.

And what was the deal with the crazy blacksmith? In his part of the dungeon are torture devices with skeleton remains and a place to forge tools and weapons. He can't leave Omentor Temple so how does he get materials or feed himself? What is he doing there?

[Prismatic Maelstrom]

Certainly the event was coming- the question was whether or not it would be the end of the world.

I thought the question was whether or not it would be the end of all life on Eschalon until the cycle begins again?

A weakened world would be a place where a powerful wizard could easily rise to be the ruler of all.

Why would anyone want to be king of the ashes?

[Prismatic Maelstrom]

Look PM, I tried my best to write a solid, leak-proof storyline. It's easy to poke holes in the best plots of any book/movie/game. Instead of trying to find holes, you should look for the solutions. When you begin to question a plot element, consider all the ways it could work while maintaining plot integrity.

Five months ago in this very topic you got all defensive on me and I got a little upset. This time round I love it! And don't pretend you aren't being defensive this time!

I'll save the Baizel and necrosleep potion discussion for another time.

[Prismatic Maelstrom]

That wasn't what I was going to talk about Randomizer but as I said I'm going to leave it for now. There is still so much to discuss, I can't do it all at once otherwise I would be overwhelmed with disappointment.

[Prismatic Maelstrom]

Prismatic: Why doesn't your character use one of the Goblin rafts at Oceana Lowlands to travel north and reach the beach where Captain Morgan is to bypass Omentor Temple?

Maelstrom: At the beginning of Book II we learn from Keebo that Chancellor Pylot has sent a fleet of Ironclads north of Thaermore to stop any incoming ships reaching Mistfell. Malkur has influenced the crew of one of these Ironclads and has sent it to Macross Point with orders to destroy anything heading north.

Prismatic: Really?

Maelstrom: No.

Prismatic:

[Prismatic Maelstrom]

I always thought of Captain Morgan as a 'joke' character. What you've posted is very depressing. A pity that most of it wasn't in the game but we've had this conversation before.

[Prismatic Maelstrom]

[/url]There's art for four cruxes in the game files, but only two actually exist in the game. So no photoshopping required - I just edited my character's inventory. Interestingly, there are two names for the fourth crux in the game files - wisdom and ether.

Were these originally for the ending or for modding?

[Prismatic Maelstrom]

If you please Alundar with your gift he opens the entrance to his dungeon where you can talk to Karamiklan. Alundar tells you that you have five minutes with him and no longer. Does Alundar really expect you to solve that puzzle in five minutes?