Invasion of Yhilin

This is a draft page based on my playthrough. If people like the format, it can be moved in the main namespace so it can be filled out further. I'll try to make it as spoiler-avoidable as possible.

Chapter 3 begins with the long awaited first decisive step of the Doomed King plan: the invasion of Yhilin. While your choices during the invasion do matter, your options have been determined by your actions before the start of the chapter. In other words, your cards have been dealt, now you can only decide how to play them best.

Here's a summary of some of the factors that come into play during the invasion:


 * Unsurprisingly, the size and quality of you army.
 * The affection of a few party members.
 * Whether or not you have spared the Impaler.
 * Funding the bridge in Rebel's Pass.
 * Your investments in certain suppliers.
 * The targets of Trin's copying during the party split.
 * Which mercenary groups you paid before leaving for the Summit.
 * The topic researched by Robin before leaving for the Summit.
 * Whether or not the orc extermination campaign was put into action.

Final preparations
You have a few things to finish first. Enjoy the last couple of free-roaming sections - the battle itself "runs on rails", though you will still get to make decisions.

Orc band
The chapter starts with the party mopping up an orc cave.

If the orc extermination campaign is in effect, the orc band's previous leader has been killed, and you are only able to loot their meager hoard and fight a group that's foolish enough to resist you, adding the rest to your army.

The war council
After you are done with the orcs, you return to Janine's Retreat.

This is the time to make sure that every member of the party is equipped with the most effective items for the coming battle - you won't be able to change equipment for most of its duration, so choose carefully.

While you can still wander around, talk to everyone. As usual, Orcent will be able to report on the quality and quantity of your (non-human) forces. This is also the time to see what new on-demand sex scenes have been unlocked by the affection changes during the Ardford summit.

Talking to Janine reveals that while you were away, thing in Yhilin have gotten worse - there was mob violence against nobles and a brutal retaliation, and things seem to be escalating. You need to act soon. Talking to her again presents you with the option to start the invasion.

Notes:

pre-battle council

Megail: equipment

"If the Doomed King doesn't win a clear victory and maintain order, we're opening ourselves to an immediate counter-attack from neighboring nations."

Ari-Relhana

Military targets: crush opposition, purge nobles

Four enemy armies: nobles or A-R, family armies (bridge), Ari-Khan, mercs.

Minimize "army loses, collateral damage, and chaos"

Aka's transformation is complete.

The invasion itself
The battle consists of a series of cutscenes interrupted by decision-making and combat. At a few points you will be prompted to save the game.

Again, just some draft notes. There probably will be subsections:

First strike
Savepoint.

Battlefield HQ cutscene. Hilstara, Aka, Nalili. And Orcent.

Ari-Relhana. Succubus report - military success, nobles, orc discipline. Choices:


 * Assist in the battle
 * Enforce orc discipline
 * Target enemy nobles
 * Assault mage tower

Orcent's choice
Battlefield HQ. Orcent's force. Choices:
 * Guard Ari-Yhilina
 * Intercept Ari-Khan
 * Attack Nobles

The Doom King
Queen's Palace. "The Doom King" (following the tradition of Incubus Kings with silly names). "Command the army to march immediately."

Mercs on the move
Battlefield HQ. Nalili: "That's such a cool name!" Ivastan & Co: Combat! (No healer.) Not your final meeting, unfortunately.

Savepoint.

Battlefield HQ. Dealing with the mercantile legions. Choices:


 * Reinforce position
 * Sending scouting parties

Death from above
Battlefield HQ. Robin reports that the enemies have launched a magic-propelled airship. It will become a major problem if something is not done about it.
 * Aka deals with it.

Follow-through
Ari-Relhana. Robin reports. Choices:
 * Hit Main Army
 * Lead Orcs
 * Destroy Enemy Position

House Jade.

Rebel's Pass

 * Yarra: "NOM NOM NOM!"

Savepoint.

Bridge ambush.

Some pesky mages
Battlefield HQ. A group of four mages. Choices:
 * Stay here
 * Fight them - Combat! The Magekillers drop the Green Hat.

Savepoint.

Kick her while we are down

 * Cutscene

Palace. Under attack.

They keep coming
Battlefield HQ. The Ari-Khan army. Choices:
 * Keep current position
 * Group opponents
 * Spread out opponents

Healers in trouble
Clearing. Back to HQ, healer's clearing under attack. Choices:
 * Rescue party members
 * Hold the position

Help or hindrance?
Battlefield HQ. Succubus reporting. The Impaler has arrived.

The last decisive choice
Battlefield HQ. Pincer attack. Choices:
 * Hold ground
 * Retreat
 * Break through one pincer

The end?
"THE BATTLE IS OVER"

Orcent's words seem to indicate the losses inflicted on your army:
 * "Many have fallen."
 * "Many have fallen."

Dealing with the coup. Choices:
 * Keep orcs out
 * Send orcs into Ari-Yhilina

Meanwhile, elsewhere
Lower city, elf ghetto. Altina saves the elder.

Lower city, Kingsmen bar. Varia... persuades people. Combat!

Facing the mastermind
Savepoint.

This is the only free-roaming portion of the battle, but you need to choose the members of your "strike team". Simon is obligatory and Yarra is necessary for the illusions, so you can change only two slots, and the roster is limited: Robin has to remain behind, Altina and Varia can't be reached, so this leaves only Aka, Carina, Hilstara, Qum and Nalili. Hint: As Simon points out, the plotters have used Unpeople in the past, so it may not be the best idea to take succubi along...

After the selection, the assault party is teleported in the storeroom of the Hidden Stronghold. The place has heavy magical defenses, but your first obstacle is a mundane steel door. Yarra manages to open it by applying a Jedi mind trick a traditional succubus power on a sleeping guard. Unfortunately, this triggers an alarm. You have three minutes to face the mysterious mastermind before they teleport away. Hint: the main objective is doable under normal conditions, but if you want to get the maximum of the area, it's a good idea to enable text skipping and disable attack animations in the System menu.

House layout: Top left: Storeroom. Contains an intriguing metal chest. You can't open it before opening the vault's door, Simon just remarks that it's guarded.

Walkthrough:
 * You need the key to face the mastermind.
 * When you enter the chamber, the timer stops, but you will be jumped by a pair of powerful unpeople: an Arcane Unhuman and an Unhuman Failure.
 * If win the battle, but you haven't disabled the teleportation spells, the mastermind will get away.
 * Your only chance of getting the contents of the chest in the storeroom is while the timer ticks. Prepare for a fight with a few demons!

How to discipline your orc
Outskirts of Ari-Yhilina. Combat!

Aftermath
It's over... for now. Back in Janine's throne room, Simon and Janine will discuss the results of the invasion. Pay attention to their conversation: the wording reveals the degree of success in each of the three categories.

Simon will start first, describing your military success:
 * A: "victory was crushing"
 * B: "sound victory"
 * C: "decent victory"
 * D: "we struggled"

Next, Janine will describe how much chaos the attack caused:
 * A: "remarkably contained."
 * B: "ugly, but the situation isn't unworkable."
 * C: Merchant Quarter shutdown and "ugly, but the situation isn't unworkable."
 * D: Merchant Quarter shutdown and "It will take time for every layer of society to recover."
 * E: Merchant Quarter shutdown and "It will take a great deal of time for every layer of society to recover."

And what were the "death tolls", i.e. the collateral damage:
 * A: "I hesitate to say I rejoice,"
 * B: "though many were spared,"
 * C: "all these bodies weigh on my conscience."
 * D: "I fear many civilians were killed"
 * E: "I shudder to think of all the lives"

(Military losses?)

Simon will ask Janine about her general feelings. If the results are good overall, she'll answer "Honestly, relieved." ( affection).

After they are done with the conversation, you'll have to talk to all of your allies.

Left to right, top to bottom:
 * Robin will tell you how she feels about the battle - it the price was worth the cost ("Despite the cost..."), you gain affection; she will also report on the situation with the Order of Yhilini Thaumaturgy.
 * Aka is doubting her conscience, but she really wants to... see you later.
 * Yarra asks how to deal with an enemy commander that refuses to surrender; seducing him may be the easiest way to do it.
 * Yes
 * No
 * Megail
 * Hilstara
 * Trin complains of boredom; if you have copied the Big Man during Chapter 2, she will mention that he died heroically in the battle (EFFECTS!), freeing one copy slot.
 * Altina
 * Varia
 * Carina: Clinic?
 * Dari enthusiastically agrees to hunt down the remaining sleeper agents of the coup mastermind.
 * Sarai has foiled an attempted takeover of the Cathedral by Andra; "since there aren't many Unpeople to interfere", Sarai has a lot of control.
 * Balia
 * Orcent

Unfortunately, this is still not the end. Simon will have to start fulfilling the Doom King's newly acquired obligations as a ruler of Yhilin by dealing with some petitioners. Choose wisely and heed Janine's warning about over-extending your forces.

Not all of the listed petitioners will appear, as some of them depend on previous choices.

From left to right, top to bottom:


 * Royal soldier (green armor): deal with the Dusty Horde.
 * Send royal army
 * Send orcs
 * House Thelon (red hair, blue cloak): The head of the house has been mortally wounded during the battle by lust magic.
 * Refuse request
 * Send Qum
 * Send Carina
 * Rabble-hater (blond hair, grey cassock): Rioting in the slums, he hopes you send orcs.
 * Send royal army
 * Send orcs
 * Send succubi
 * Ardan embassy (bald head, old guy): There is an Ardan delegation on the way. Who will escort it:
 * Send a human escort
 * Send an orc escort
 * House Adamant (blonde noblewoman): the mine.
 * House Rose (silver hair): reports effects of battle.

After the last of the petitioner leaves, Janine will finally escort Simon to the king's bedchamber... only for him to find some more work inside. Don't worry, it's just a couple of reports.


 * Yarra
 * Carina/Qum

Relationship points
A summary of the relationship point changes according to the battle results.

Additionally,
 * Janine
 * Robin and Dari