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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Demetrios1453" data-source="post: 9290752" data-attributes="member: 6801060">Pool of Radiance  (Part 20): Podol Plaza (Part 1)Off we go to Podol Plaza, to investigate the auction that has had the city council so worried.But first, let's clean out the remaining random patrols in Kuto's Well so I don't need to worry about getting slowed down by them passing through it.We go through the Slums again with no incident, and get to Kuto's Well and start marching around looking for a patrol. If I counted right, I've defeated seven out of ten, so this should go quickly. After a short bit:[ATTACH=full]351761[/ATTACH]Already the extra damage from Bragir's new bow comes into play, as he's often dropping lizardmen in a single shot:[ATTACH=full]351762[/ATTACH]And soon they're dead.[ATTACH=full]351763[/ATTACH]But, yet again, Bant has taken a beating. Time to switch some equipment up:[ATTACH=full]351764[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]351765[/ATTACH]That should keep the damage from piling up so quickly.The party continues to march around. We find the southern entrance to Podol Plaza, but we aren't going there quite yet. Oddly, the wall opposite the entrance has this fountain decoration, which isn't like anything else in the game. I've always wondered why it was put here. Or maybe it's an actual fountain, but just looks like a wall decoration due to the two-dimensional nature of the game:[ATTACH=full]351767[/ATTACH]A few steps to the south, and:[ATTACH=full]351768[/ATTACH]We take care of them pretty quickly, as they are hindered by the door and struggle to get through. Eventually they give up and surrender:[ATTACH=full]351769[/ATTACH]We wander about the area for a bit, but no further encounters appear. Apparently we had only two encounters to go to clear the block. Eventually, we give up and head to the Well to rest and heal up[ATTACH=full]351770[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]351771[/ATTACH]Bragir memorizes knock, which he thinks might come in handy in Podol Plaza:[ATTACH=full]351772[/ATTACH]And, off we go, leaving Kuto's Well and entering Podol Plaza through the northern entrance:[ATTACH=full]351773[/ATTACH]Upon entering Podol Plaza, we're given a choice:[ATTACH=full]351774[/ATTACH]Disguising yourself as monsters is the best way to go here, although it can become tedious as we meet monster groups, as we will see. But it's better than the other two, which can easily blow your mission well before you can even reach the auction area.[ATTACH=full]351775[/ATTACH]Every few steps we encounter a group of monsters. Some, like these, just basically ignore you, while others:[ATTACH=full]351776[/ATTACH]The best choice here, as long as you have a powerful group, is to go "Abusive"[ATTACH=full]351777[/ATTACH]You might also hear some rumors as you make your way to the auction:[ATTACH=full]351778[/ATTACH]More about our mysterious "Boss", it seems.[ATTACH=full]351779[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]351780[/ATTACH]This just keeps happening over and over again. Thankfully, we soon reach the location of the auction, at the center of the zone.[ATTACH=full]351781[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]351782[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]351783[/ATTACH]Let's move in a bit.[ATTACH=full]351784[/ATTACH]At this point, a message flashes by (without the "Press <Enter>/<Return>" option, so it just continued on to the next screen before I could screenshot it) stating that you can see that it's just a wand of fear.[ATTACH=full]351785[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]351786[/ATTACH]Let's have some fun and make a bid.[ATTACH=full]351787[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]351788[/ATTACH]Hey, that's cheating! Totally against the rules of auctions! I expected better from attendees in a monster-infested zone![ATTACH=full]351790[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]351791[/ATTACH]We'll ignore the ogre (obviously a decoy) and try to find the man.[ATTACH=full]351792[/ATTACH](The game sets you up to fail, no matter how you choose. If you chase the ogre, it turns out he's empty-handed. There's no way to actually gain the item in the game).[ATTACH=full]351793[/ATTACH]Well, that was a bit anti-climatic. We've actually finished the mission now, and could return to the City Clerk for our reward, but let's explore around the Plaza a bit. There's what looks to be a tavern directly across from the auction location...[ATTACH=full]351794[/ATTACH]What a quaint and evocative name! I do hope their wine list is good![ATTACH=full]351795[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]351796[/ATTACH]Oh, he's one of those types. Baroness Bella will teach him a lesson.[ATTACH=full]351797[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]351798[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]351799[/ATTACH]And that is that. Interestingly enough, only Baroness Bella gains XP for this battle, which is treated like a duel in the Training Hall:[ATTACH=full]351800[/ATTACH]However, our now ex-buccaneer had some nice stuff![ATTACH=full]351801[/ATTACH]Buffy will get the longsword, as it will replace her old magical broadsword.[ATTACH=full]351802[/ATTACH]And Brin will get the chainmail, as it will give her a better movement rate than her current non-magical banded.[ATTACH=full]351803[/ATTACH]And just in time, too, as the clientele here looks like they could get pretty rowdy after this fight, although they remain calm - for the moment...[ATTACH=full]351804[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]351805[/ATTACH]Trying to be friendly and mingling turns out to be a mistake.[ATTACH=full]351806[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]351807[/ATTACH]"Attack" and "Insult Back" basically just lead to the same thing, and leaving is no fun at this point. Drinking heavily is just stupid - you'll end up eventually getting thrown out onto the streets with your pockets and inventory somewhat lighter.[ATTACH=full]351808[/ATTACH]But that, and the rest of the exploration of Podol Plaza, will be in the next post...</blockquote>

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