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Chapter 1 Guide: Part I
🕑 Added 2021-12-25 01:34:05 +0000 UTCHappy holidays!
Due to Chapter 1’s complexity, the official walkthroughs will be divided into different sections. Because I think Patreon posts aren’t the easiest way to showcase a guide, once the full chapter is covered, I’ll either put all the walkthroughs together into a downloadable PDF with a table of contents or create a Patreon-only webpage that has a navigation.
You’ll be able to find any released guides under the “walkthroughs” tag. These guides will be as complete as I can make them and will include notes on stat changes, how to get specific results, and additional fun development/process notes.
With that out of the way, let’s start at the beginning of Chapter 1!
Chapter 1 is divided into three main parts: a Common Route, Route A and Route B.
- Route A refers to the events that unfold if the player character (PC) goes to the Docks, encounters Zenaida, and accepts her contract.
- Route B refers to the events that unfold if the PC either 1) goes to Rat Alley, fights Kane, and searches for the chalice or 2) goes to the Docks, encounters Zenaida, refuses her contract, and continues searching for the chalice.
While it is possible to jump from Route A to Route B by going to the Docks and refusing the contract, you cannot jump from Route B to Route A. Early in development, there was a plan to allow you to switch between them, but it got cut due to the action point system and the player potentially not having enough action points to visit both locations on Route A.
I. SKILL CHECK THRESHOLDS
Skill checks roll a D20 and add the dice roll to the player’s skill level. The regular threshold to pass is 18. This results in the following percentages:
- Level 5 — 40% chance to pass
- Level 6 — 45% chance to pass
- Level 7 — 50% chance to pass
- Level 8 — 55% chance to pass
- Level 9 — 60% chance to pass
- Level 10 — 65% chance to pass
- Level 11 — 70% chance to pass
Skill checks roll before the passage renders. Even if you save on the passage with the skill check, it will randomize a new number every time. This is true for both hidden skill checks and regular skill checks.
Hidden skill checks do not count towards the player’s skill check records (available in your Journal). The records—which show how many times you’ve passed or failed a specific skill check—are mostly a fun addition originally.
DEVELOPER'S NOTE: The player’s records are inspired by Fable 3, which tracks a number of different stats (like how many spouses the player character has, how many children, how many times they’re knocked unconscious, etc.). However, in Wayfarer, they aren’t just for show. The game will eventually incorporate them into ability selection, meaning that some abilities will only be unlocked after the player’s successes or fails pass a certain threshold.
II. APPROVAL
During Chapter 1, Aeran’s approval is locked to 5 and 90. Even if you gain or lose more approval, you cannot go lower than 5 and you cannot go higher than 90.
Similarity, in this chapter, Lethalis’ rapport is locked between 20 and 79. Because Lethalis is not unlocked as a faction until the end of the chapter, there are many instances of reputation gain/loss that do not have notifications.
Both companions and factions need to be unlocked in order for their approval/rapport notifications to be shown.
SECTION 1: THE COMMON ROUTE
The start of Chapter 1 unlocks a number of codex entries and letters. While there are entries for each of the major Rhesainian countries, only the country of the PC’s origin will be unlocked here (i.e. if you’re a Child of the Desert, you’ll unlock the codex for Sathir; if you’re a Child of the Wilds, you’ll unlock the codex for Artanis).
The first event is a hidden perception check that determines whether you are robbed by Luthais or not. Hidden skill checks are not very common in Wayfarer, however they occasionally show up in moments where I want something to happen to the player, rather than having them choose how they react to something. As the PC is standing in the middle of a busy town square and are a little distracted thinking about their contract, the perception check essentially measures how aware they are of their surroundings in the moment.
The exact passage the hidden check occurs on is here:
Your skin prickles at the nape of your neck. You stop. Raising your head, you scan the market. Even as the crowd jostles around you, no one paying you any attention, you can’t shake the feeling that someone is watching you.
Someone who isn’t here to argue about discounts on fish or imports from Farandor.
Continue.
Clicking continue will either lead you to the passage where Luthais steals from the PC or to the passage where the PC catches him in the act.
I-A. IF LUTHAIS STEALS FROM YOU
If Luthais steals from the PC, the PC will lose the following items:
- Wayfarer pendant
- Medical kit
- 5 crowns
The PC will then tail him, bringing you to the following choice:
The boy stops looking through your purse and ties it to his belt. He takes off down the thoroughfare, walking quickly, but not so quickly as to draw attention from passersby. You follow him, unnoticed, from a distance.
After tailing him for several blocks, you decide it’s time to catch up.
1. [AGILITY] Chase him down.
2. Approach him calmly.
1. [AGILITY] Chase him down. [PASS]
If you succeed the agility check, you will catch Luthais and get all of your stolen items back. The next choice will be:
Unless the kid is lying. Or whoever paid him to cut your purse is lying.
1. Go to Rat Alley. You can’t take the risk that Aeran is in trouble.
2. Go to the Docks. The kid must be lying and you don’t have time to deal with this shit.
Choosing Option #1 will send the player to Rat Alley and you will be locked onto Route B. You will not have an opportunity to flag his friendship stat (which will come into play in the Flotsam Grove scene).
Choosing Option #2 will send the player to the Docks, circumventing the Kane fight. You will encounter Zenaida early and have the opportunity to either accept or decline her contract.
1. [AGILITY] Chase him down. [FAIL]
Failing the agility check here will send the PC chasing after Luthais. You will follow him directly to Rat Alley, which will lock you onto Route B.
This is the only variation in this sequence where the PC is never given the choice to go to Rat Alley.
2. Approach him calmly.
Choosing this option will let the PC catch up to Luthais. Luthais will tell the PC about Kane and give some additional backstory.
You exhale sharply, your frustration starting to get the better of you. You could easily take the pouch back, but you don’t want to hurt Luthais in the process. The only thing the kid is guilty of is living in a world that doesn’t give a shit about him.
1. [PERSUASION] Persuade him to give you back your belongings.
2. [STRENGTH] Take back what’s yours regardless
Option #1-A – [PERSUASION] Persuade him to give you back your belongings. [PASS]
Outcome: Stolen items returned.
Passing the persuasion check here will convince Luthais to return the PC’s belongings and the stolen items will be returned to their inventory. This choice will lock the PC into going to Rat Alley, which locks them onto Route B.
Option #1-B – [PERSUASION] Persuade him to give you back your belongings. [FAIL]
Outcome: Stolen items lost for good.
Failing the persuasion check here will cause Luthais to kick the PC in the shins and run off down the street with your belongings. You can either choose to go to Rat Alley and deal with Kane, or ignore Kane and meet Aeran at the Docks.
Choosing to go to Rat Alley locks you onto Route B. Choosing to go the Docks will send you to Zenaida.
Option #2-A – [STRENGTH] Take back what’s yours regardless. [PASS]
Outcome: Stolen items returned.
Passing the strength check here allows the PC to forcibly take their belongings back. All stolen items will be returned to the player’s inventory. Luthais will then run off down the street, which means the PC will no longer have the opportunity to flag his friendship stat (which comes into play in Flotsam Grove).
You will then have to choose between going to Rat Alley or going to the Docks. As before, going to Rat Alley locks you onto Route B and choosing the Docks will send you to Zenaida.
Option #2-B – [STRENGTH] Take back what’s yours regardless. [FAIL]
Outcome: Stolen items lost for good.
Failing the strength check here allows Luthais to run off with the PC’s belongings. You will no longer have the chance to flag his friendship stat. You will then have to choose between going to Rat Alley and going to the Docks.
I-B. IF LUTHAIS DOES NOT STEAL FROM THE PC
If the PC catches Luthais in the act, he will not steal from them and your inventory will remain intact. Your next options will be:
“Please, ser—” The boy squirms in your grip. “I won’t try it again, honest, I won’t.”
1. Let him go with a warning.
2. Push him for answers.
Option #1 – Let him go with a warning.
If you let Luthais go with a warning, he will tell you that Aeran is captured in Rat Alley. You can either choose to go to Rat Alley and rescue him or assume Luthais is lying (which he is) and go to the Docks.
Option #2 – Push him for answers.
If you push Luthais for answers, he will get spooked and attempt to attack the PC by conjuring fire and throwing it in their face. The next dialogue choices change whether the PC knows about Kane before they go to Rat Alley or not.
1. “A bit rude, don’t you think?”
2. “You’ll have to try better than that.”
#1 will lead Luthais into telling the PC about Kane.
#2 will not lead Luthais into telling the PC about Kane.
Regardless of which option you take, you will have to choose between going to Rat Alley or the Docks.
II. IF THE PC CHOOSES RAT ALLEY
If Luthais has not run away from the PC, you will have to choose between letting him come with you or going to Rat Alley alone.
You frown. Luthais looks cold and miserable, as pathetic as any street urchin caught outside in the rain could be. But behind those bright eyes, a deep anger burns.
Maybe he has a score to settle with these thugs. Or maybe there’s something else going on. You don’t know—and you don’t have the time to find out.
Besides, you have a feeling arguing with Luthais is a lost cause.
1. Leave Luthais.
2. Tell Luthais he can come with you.
Choosing Option #1 – Leave Luthais will make the PC go to Rat Alley alone.
Choosing Option #2 – Tell Luthais he can come with you will let Luthais go with the PC to Rat Alley. Walking with Luthais will open up a chance for the PC to give him their cloak, open new dialogue options with him, and flag his friendship stat. Giving Luthais your cloak doesn’t do anything major, aside from changing some extraneous flavour dialogue (Aeran will occasionally comment on the PC’s cloak being missing, for example). The dialogue options are also flavour text; passing or failing them will add to your skill check records.
DEVELOPER'S NOTE: Luthais’s friendship stat was originally a scale and changed depending on how the PC interacted with him (for example, giving him your cloak gained points, but being caught in a lie decreased points). However, this was removed in favour of a simple Boolean variable since he ended up being a minor character.
Regardless of whether you walk with Luthais or go alone, you will end up at Rat Alley (see Section 2: Rat Alley).
III. IF THE PC CHOOSES THE DOCKS
If you choose to the Docks, the PC will leave Luthais behind and proceed to the Docks (see Section 3: the Docks).
SECTION 2: RAT ALLEY
Rat Alley encompasses is the PC’s first fight scene. It will be your first experience with Wayfarer’s combat system and it can end in multiple ways. The MC’s actions can have ripple effects throughout Chapter 1 that results in different flavour text and different options becoming available. You cannot do this fight if you go to the Docks.
After arriving in Rat Alley, the PC will encounter Two-Fingers Kane. Depending on whether they heard his name from Luthais earlier, they will either recognize him or not. There are three main “entrances” into this scene:
- If Luthais walked with the PC to Rat Alley, he will “betray” them by taking Kane’s coin and running off, revealing that this was all a guise to get the PC cornered in the alley.
- If the PC went alone, Luthais will show up briefly to accept coin from Kane before running off.
- If the PC chases Luthais into Rat Alley, he will yell at Kane that the PC is “here” before taking the coin and running off.
IV. KANE FIGHT
Regardless of which entrance, the game bottlenecks to the same point and combat begins. There are three outcomes here.
1. Stall for time and look for an exit.
2-A. [STRENGTH] Strike Kane before he strikes you. [PASS]
2-B. [STRENGTH] Strike Kane before he strikes you. [FAIL]
Because of their complexity, I’ve divided these outcomes into three branches.
BRANCH 1: Stall for time and look for an exit.
Stalling for time will open up a single choice for the player:
1. [AGILITY] Bolt for the tree and climb it.
DEVELOPER’S NOTE: This option had several different versions that were slowly whittled down for time and pacing. Originally, stalling for time lead the player to a sequence where they used perception checks to look for different ways out. There was only one “correct” way out—using an agility check to get out via the tree. If they spent too much time looking for a way out (i.e. selected every available option), they would get attacked and wounded automatically and send down the main combat branch. If they pursued one of the “bad” options, they would end up on the main combat branch. The only way to escape was to check the tree early and pass the agility check to climb it.
This was unnecessarily complicated and really messed with the continuity of the PC’s dialogue with Aeran after the fight scene. I was felt that hiding the “escape over the roofs” option behind multiple checks made it too difficult for players to access. Not only did they have to pass their checks, but they also had to select the right options. Because the “escape over the roofs” option was originally the only way to unlock Deadwood and the Guild, I needed to make it easier to access.
In the next draft, the agility choice here was a hidden perception check, but I found that playtesters were a little confused about what controlled what happened to their character. Because climbing the tree is something the PC does (rather than something that happens to them), I decided to make it a single-choice option. The PC knows their only way out is to climb the tree, so it’s the only choice they have to make. They can either succeed or fail.
Passing the Agility Check
Outcomes: PC not injured, no action points lost, Rat Alley set on fire, Deadwood unlocked
If you successfully climb the tree, the PC will end up on the rooftops. Kane’s people will shoot conjured fire at the PC, but it doesn’t do anything to them. Instead, it sets the alley on fire and Kane remains alive, two events that are flagged for continuity. Once the PC get away, they will encounter Aeran on the roofto0ps and he will have his official introduction (see Section 4: Setting Aeran’s Relationship Stats).
The PC and Aeran will discuss the magical fire in the alley, leading to this sequence:
Aeran jumps the gap and alights next to you with ease. “Doubt it,” he replies, casting an uneasy look towards the alley. “If the fire was summoned by magic even the wrath of nature won’t be able to douse it.”
“Yeah. I suppose so.”
He glances at you. “Don’t tell me you’re feeling sorry for the people who tried to kill you.”
Your eyes narrow as you watch the plume of smoke rise through the rain.
1. You don’t care. You need to move on with your mission.
2. You don’t care about Kane, but you are concerned for the townspeople nearby.
Choosing #1 will lock you out of going to Deadwood as the PC has no interest in helping people. You can unlock it later.
Choosing #2 will unlock Deadwood right away and it will be available when you reach the Exploration map.
The next section, Route B Exploration, will be available in Chapter 1 Guide: Part III.
Failing the Agility Check
Outcomes: PC Injured, 2 action points lost
Failing the agility check causes the PC to fail in getting to the tree. Kane attacks the PC, injuring them. The PC’s health status is now injured and they lose 2 action points.
The fight continues. Aeran will appear on the rooftops and pick off Kane’s lackeys. The PC’s next action will be a timed choice, where they can either:
1. [EXECUTE] Kill him.
2. [SPARE] Let Kane go.
Executing Kane will give the player +1 to their executions and flag Kane dead. Sparing Kane will give the player +1 to their spares and flag Kane as alive.
If you have timed choices enabled, letting the timer run out will default to the PC letting Kane go. This choice does not have a unique alternative.
Afterwards, Aeran will have his introduction and you can set his relationship stats (see Section 4: Setting Aeran’s Relationship Stats).
For the next section, jump down to V. HEALING THE PC.
BRANCH 2-A: [STRENGTH] Strike Kane before he strikes you [PASS]
Passing the strength check will give the PC the upper hand. It leads to the following timed choice:
1. Get out of the way, but let Kane go.
2. [AGILITY] Cut Kane’s throat, but risk taking the hit.
3. [ABSTAIN]
This additional third option allows the player to abstain from either choice. If you have timed choices disabled, you will see an [ABSTAIN] choice. If you have timed choices enabled, let the timer run out.
Option #1 - Get out of the way, but let Kane go.
This choice moves the PC into a new phase of the fight. Their next choices will be:
1. Goad Kane.
2. [PERSUASION] Persuade Kane to leave for good.
Choice # 1 – Goad Kane
Outcomes: Kane alive OR Kane dead (executed by the PC)
Goading Kane will give Aeran enough time to arrive and start shooting Kane’s lackeys. You will encounter a timed choice where you must decide whether to EXECUTE or SPARE Kane.
- EXECUTING Kane will add +1 to your executions and flag Kane as dead.
- SPARING Kane will add +1 to your spares and flag Kane alive.
If you have timed choices enabled, letting the timer run out will default to sparing Kane.
Afterwards, Aeran will have his introduction and you can set his relationship stats (see Section 4: Setting Aeran’s Relationship Stats).
For the next section, jump down to VI. LEAVING RAT ALLEY.
Choice #2 - [PERSUASION] Persuade Kane to leave for good. [PASS]
Passing this check will force Kane to give up and leave. Afterwards, the PC will encounter Aeran. He will have his introduction and you can set his relationship stats.
For the next section, jump down to VI. LEAVING RAT ALLEY.
Choice #2 - [PERSUASION] Persuade Kane to leave for good. [FAIL]
Outcomes: Kane alive
If you fail the persuasion check, Kane will attack the PC. Aeran will show up at the last minute and shoot his lackeys. Like in other variations, the PC will have the chance to execute or spare Kane.
Afterwards, Aeran will have his introduction and you can set his relationship stats (see Section 4: Setting Aeran’s Relationship Stats).
For the next section, jump down to VI. LEAVING RAT ALLEY.
OPTION #2-A - [AGILITY] Cut Kane’s throat, but risk taking the hit. [PASS]
Outcomes: Kane dead (killed by the PC)
If you pass the agility check here, the PC will kill Kane. Because this occurs in battle, it does not count as an execution. Meera’s throwing dagger will miss the PC and they will not be injured.
Regardless of how you interact with Kane’s lackeys after his death, they will leave the alley and Aeran will arrive. He will have his introduction and you can set his relationship stats (see Section 4: Setting Aeran’s Relationship Stats).
For the next section, jump down to VI. LEAVING RAT ALLEY.
OPTION #2-B - [AGILITY] Cut Kane’s throat, but risk taking the hit. [FAIL]
Outcomes: Kane dead (killed by the PC), PC injured, 2 action points lost
If you fail the agility check, the PC will kill Kane but get hit by Meera’s dagger, injuring them. Aeran will arrive and shoot the rest Kane’s lackeys. He will have his introduction and you can set his relationship stats (see Section 4: Setting Aeran’s Relationship Stats).
For the next section, jump down to V. HEALING THE PC.
OPTION #3 - [ABSTAIN]
Outcomes: Kane dead (killed by Aeran), PC injured
Abstaining from killing Kane or moving out of the way gets the PC injured. Aeran will then arrive and shoot Kane. The rest of his lackeys flee.
Aeran will meet up with the PC and have his introduction, where you can set his relationship stats (see Section 4: Setting Aeran’s Relationship Stats).
For the next section, jump down to V. HEALING THE PC.
BRANCH 2-B: [STRENGTH] Strike Kane before he strikes you [FAIL]
Outcomes: PC injured, 2 action points lost
If you fail the strength check, the PC will be injured. The fight continues. Aeran will appear on the rooftops and pick off Kane’s lackeys. The PC’s next action will be a timed choice, where they can either:
1. [EXECUTE] Kill him.
2. [SPARE] Let Kane go.
Executing Kane will give the player +1 to their executions and flag Kane dead. Sparing Kane will give the player +1 to their spares and flag Kane as alive.
If you have timed choices enabled, letting the timer run out will default to the PC letting Kane go. This choice does not have a unique alternative.
This is the same sequence of events as the one that happens after the PC fails the agility check to climb the tree and escape.
Afterwards, Aeran will have his introduction and you can set his relationship stats (see Section 4: Setting Aeran’s Relationship Stats).
For the next section, jump down to V. HEALING THE PC.
V. HEALING THE PC
If the PC is injured, they will have a chance to patch up their wounds. This is the main introduction to Wayfarer’s health status system.
DEVELOPER’S NOTE: This scene was written before the health status system came into effect. It’s part of the reason the player’s health status operates on a 4-level scale (injured – healing – recovering – full health). Because Wayfarer is a gamebook text adventure, it doesn’t have the same suspension of disbelief as video games. The player can’t just take a health potion or devour a bunch of baked apples in a row ala Link (circa Breath of the Wild) and be good to go. It breaks the suspension of disbelief to not acknowledge the hinderances that come with being injured. It takes time to recover from your wounds.
If I was going to the trouble to adding flavour text dealing with injuries, then I wanted injury to have importance in the gameplay as well. There needed to be a consequence to the PC getting injured—and in this case, it’s decreasing the amount of locations they can visit during their investigation. The logic behind the player’s health decreasing their action points is because action points are a representation of how much time/energy they have to investigate a location. If they are injured, they’re slower, they have less energy, and therefore they have less time to investigate locations.
If Luthais stole from the PC, they will either be able to borrow Aeran’s medical kit to patch themself up, or let Aeran help them. If you do not have your medical kit and you get injured, this should be an indication that the player should prioritize getting a new medical kit. You cannot heal without one.
If the PC has their medical kit, they can either do it themself or let Aeran help them.
Your choices here do not affect Aeran’s approval.
Once the PC is patched up, their health status goes from Injured to Healing. This does not recover any action points.
The next section, Route B Exploration, will be available in Chapter 1 Guide: Part III.
VI. LEAVING RAT ALLEY
If the PC is not injured, they will leave Rat Alley with Aeran.
The next section, Route B Exploration, will be available in Chapter 1 Guide: Part III.
SECTION 3: THE DOCKS
If the player goes to the Docks, they will search for Aeran upon their arrival. After finding him interrogating Yarrow in a nearby alley, the player is given a number of options:
1. Intervene and toss Yarrow a coin for the information. (only available if you did not have your belongings stolen by Luthais)
2. Stand back and don’t interfere.
3. Threaten Yarrow for the information.
4. [PERSUADE] Intervene and convince Yarrow to give you the information.
Depending on what you do, Yarrow will either give information to the PC or to Aeran. The choices here are reflected mostly in flavour text, with option 1 being the only choice to have concrete changes (in that the PC loses a single crown). Your original opinion of Aeran may change depending on which option you take—some options give a darker view of his character.
Afterwards, Aeran has his introduction and you can set his relationship stats (see Section 4: Setting Aeran’s Relationship Stats).
The PC and Aeran will then be approached by Malsara, who forces them to follow her to a nearby tavern. Upon their arrival, the PC and Aeran will be requested to give up their weapons.
1. Refuse to hand over your weapons.
2. Surrender your weapons.
3. [PERSUADE] Convince her to let you keep your weapons.
Selecting Option #2 will net -1 approval from Aeran.
VII. MEETING ZENAIDA
Codex Entries Unlocked: The Guild of Mages, the Annexation of Velantis, the Astrandium
There are a number of dialogue choices that affect Aeran’s approval here. In general, he disapproves of the PC being too polite to Zenaida or just generally interested in listening to her.
Passage 01
“Mistrust?” Aeran scoffs. “That’s putting it lightly—”
“—but you must hear me out.” She pauses, locking eyes with Aeran. “If you can deign to hear a desperate plea from a mage.”
1. “Fine. I’ll deign.” [-1 to Aeran’s approval]
2. “Get to the point or we’re leaving.” [+1 to Aeran’s approval]
Passage 02
“I had hoped I could plead to your sense of compassion,” she says. Behind her, Malsara and Nova seethe, but draw away. The elven bodyguard sheathes his sword. “But perhaps I was wrong to assume you would do what you can to prevent the deaths of thousands.”
1. “I care about the people, make no mistake of that.” [-1 to Aeran’s approval]
2. “Don’t try to guilt us, your Grace, we’re not so easily manipulated.” [+ 1 to Aeran’s approval]
3. “This is your fight, not ours. We don’t want any part of it.” [+1 to Aeran’s approval]
VIII. LEAVING THE TAVERN
Outcome: +250 crowns
Regardless of what you do, Zenaida will always give you 250 crowns. When the PC and Aeran leave the tavern, they will then have to decide whether to talk to Aeran about the contract or not.
1. Follow him out of the tavern and continue on with your day. Zenaida’s offer is probably too good to be true. You already have a contract and you’ve wasted enough time.
2. Stop him. You need to talk about Zenaida’s offer.
Option #1 - Follow him out of the tavern
Outcomes: Zenaida’s contract refused, -20 Lethalis rapport, -2 action points
This will flag the PC’s refusal of Zenaida’s contract, which leads to an automatic -20 loss of rapport with the Order of Lethalis. The player will lose 2 action points for the time they spent with Zenaida and they will be routed onto Route B.
The next section, Route B Exploration, will be available in Chapter 1 Guide: Part III.
Option #2 - Stop him. You need to talk about Zenaida’s offer.
Selecting this option will give the PC a chance to talk about the offer with Aeran. If you want to pursue Route A, you must select this option.
Aeran’s approval can be affected in the following choices:
“I’m not asking you to trust her.” You cross your arms. “I don’t, by the way. Just to clear that up—”
He snorts. “Good. Glad to know you’re not swayed by false promises of gold, I was starting to worry.”
1. “It’s not a false promise.” [-1 to Aeran’s approval]
2. “Good. Glad to know you still worry about me.” [+1 to Aeran’s approval]
3. “False or not, I think we need to consider her proposal carefully.” [no approval change]
Regardless of which option you select, you’ll end up with the same options (with slight differences in text depending on which one you did above):
1. [PERSUADE] Convince him to drop the Count’s contract and take Zenaida’s offer. Yes, it means working alongside Guild mages, but it’s a one-way ticket out of Rona and you’ll be paid handsomely. It’s a better deal than what you have going on here.
2. Give up and continue your contract for the Count. You can always return to this argument when the chalice is found. / Drop it.
Option #1-A – [PERSUADE] Convince him to drop the Count’s contract and take Zenaida’s offer. [PASS]
This skill check is not a regular skill check. The threshold to pass is 20 (2 points more difficult than regular skill checks). You can also automatically pass it if Aeran’s approval is over 60.
If you pass this check, Aeran agrees to taking Zenaida’s contract and you return to the tavern. Jump to IX. ZENAIDA’S CONTRACT.
Option #1-B – [PERSUADE] Convince him to drop the Count’s contract and take Zenaida’s offer. [FAIL]
Outcomes: -1 to Aeran’s approval, Zenaida’s contract refused, -20 Lethalis rapport, -2 action points, Kane alive (because the PC never encountered him)
If you fail this check, Aeran will override you and the player will be routed to Route B. You will flag Zenaida’s contract as refused, lose 20 rapport with Lethalis, and lose 2 action points for the time spent with her.
The next section, Route B Exploration, will be available in Chapter 1 Guide: Part III.
Option #2 - Give up and continue your contract for the Count. / Drop it.
Outcomes: Zenaida’s contract refused, -20 Lethalis rapport, -2 action points, Kane alive (because the PC never encountered him)
This will flag the PC’s refusal of Zenaida’s contract, which leads to an automatic -20 loss of rapport with the Order of Lethalis. The player will lose 2 action points for the time they spent with Zenaida and they will be routed onto Route B.
The next section, Route B Exploration, will be available in Chapter 1 Guide: Part III.
IX. ZENAIDA’S CONTRACT
Codex Entries Unlocked: Blood Oaths
When you return to Zenaida, she will make the PC’s acceptance of the contract official. When she offers wine, you will have the chance to set your character’s alcohol preferences.
1. What the hell, it can’t hurt. Might as well accept – you could use the drink. [the PC will be open to drinking throughout the game.]
2. You’ve never been much of a drinker. Refuse her offer. [the PC will automatically refuse alcoholic drinks throughout the game.]
3. You never take drinks you have not prepared yourself. Refuse her offer. [the PC drinks and be open to drinking throughout the game, but for roleplaying purposes they refuse her offer here.]
If you do not do this route, you will have a chance to set your alcohol preferences in Chapter 2.
Afterwards, the PC and Aeran will be free to explore as they want. The PC loses 2 action points for the time spent with Zenaida, but this doesn’t matter as there are only two locations they can visit on Route A.
The next section, Route A Exploration, will be available in Chapter 1 Guide: Part II.
SECTION 4: SETTING AERAN’S RELATIONSHIP STATS
Aeran is unique among Wayfarer’s companions because of his established relationship with the MC. In order to reflect that, the player can set his relationship stats. All other companions in the game start with 50 approval, which is the dead centre of the approval scale.
When Aeran is introduced, you will have the same 4 options, regardless of which path you followed:
1. Your friendship has waned over the past few years, as friendships sometimes do. You’re not sure what has changed, but you know something has.
This option sets Aeran’s approval to 40. If you want your PC to have a strained relationship with him, this is the option for you.
2. You are good friends. Though you share much of your life and you trust him, you know the day will come when you no longer travel together.
This option sets Aeran’s approval to 60. This is a general friend option and the closest to a neutral relationship.
3. Your friendship is as natural as breathing. At this point, you trust Aeran more than you trust yourself.
This option sets Aeran’s approval to 80. This option means that Aeran and the PC begin the game as extremely close friends.
4. You are friends and you are partners. You can’t imagine this life without him at your side. Though nothing romantic has happened between you, you can’t help but wonder…
This option sets Aeran’s approval to 80 and his (hidden) romance stat to 10. This option means that Aeran and the PC begin the game as extremely close friends with burgeoning romantic tension.
While it is possible to slowly build Aeran’s romance stat throughout the game, you will cut yourself out of his Chapter 2 (and possibly all Act 1) romance content if you do not select this option now.
This is the end of Chapter 1’s current guide. In Part II, I will cover the events of Route A, including the different options available in Edgewater and the Cove, the various combat branches at the Count’s villa, and Chapter 1’s different endings.
