Third Arclent War guide

Chapter 3 started with the Battle for Yhilin, but ends with the Third Arclent War, an even greater conflict that stretches across the nations of Arclent as they attempt to resist the invasion of the Incubus Emperor and ultimately defeat him. It's the biggest conflict in the game, with consequences for a wide variety of decisions both past and present.

This will be an in-depth, spoiler-filled guide that covers all of the hidden variables and flags that determine every outcome in the war, so be warned.

Variables
Like the Battle for Yhilin, this war tracks a host of different variables that determine the outcome and consequences of the war:
 * Arclent Acceptance - The willingness of the other countries to accept Yhilin's new existence.
 * Instability - Similar to the Chaos variable, this variable tracks the general upheaval and breakdown of social order on the continent. Increased by the chaos of war, but can be lowered by your decisions.
 * Incubus King's Domain Morale (IKD Morale) - Morale of the people in the Incubus King's Domain, representing how willing the Incubus King's subjects are. Starts at 100, and can be reduced by the decisions and victories of Simon and his party, but can also be raised when the Incubus King's forces have decisive victories or if Simon does something that outrages the people of the IKD (usually by harming their homes).
 * Collateral Damage (CD) - Represents the loss of lives and destruction of homes and lands. Increases as the war drags on, but can be lowered with the right decisions. Unlike the Battle for Yhilin, each of the nations/regions involved in the war has its own Collateral Damage tracker, so the war may harm some countries more than others depending on your decision. Six regions are tracked:
 * Yhilin
 * Aram
 * Stineford
 * Ardoheim
 * Zirantia
 * Incubus King's Domain (IKD)

Many of your past decisions and investments will come into play:

Army:
 * Size and Quality.
 * If Succubus Saturation is achieved ("Yarra's recruiting has given us more succubus troops than expected, enough to support all other units.").
 * If Yhilin's Army is back to full strength ("Yhilin's forces are at least as strong as they were before the invasion."). This factor depends of the value of n. If it's &ge; 10 the army has been fully rebuilt, otherwise no:


 * If the forces at Withered Mountain were recruited.
 * If the succubi at the Tower in Stineford were recruited.

Orcs:
 * Strength, Intelligence, and Discipline scores
 * Presence of Implevon the Third
 * Presence of Stark
 * Presence of The Impaler
 * Presence of Ralke

Investments:
 * Eustrin Supplier
 * Aramite Supplier
 * Special Supplier (Megail's Investment)
 * Ardford Supplier
 * Ardford Naval Guild
 * Ardoheim Magic Trade
 * Order of Silence

Discretionary funding:
 * Succubus Immigration
 * Aram and/or Ardoheim Border reinforcement
 * FANCY WALK
 * Elven regions improvement
 * Failing to fix Yhilin Square or Economic Chaos
 * Monastery converted in Aid Station
 * Magic Standardization
 * Infrastructure
 * Arcane/Sexual Agreement

Research projects:
 * Essence Shielding
 * Orc Evolution
 * Order of Thaumaturgy trials completed
 * Qum's Special Project

Past decisions:
 * State of the Aram Border (Great/ Average / Disaster) and diplomatic response.
 * If the New Unpeople motion passed.
 * If it passed, then did Dari investigate and remove Unpeople from Yhilin, and talk to the Unpeople in the Cathedral Library.
 * If the Orc Extermination motion passed.
 * If the War Vaults motion passed.
 * Altina presence in the party
 * If you talked to the surviving Chosen in the Order of Silence's empty lot (which requires having funded the Order of Silence at least some).
 * If the Battle for Yhilin resulted in Social Chaos and/or Population Devastation.
 * If the head of House Thelon was treated by Qum or Carina and survived.
 * If Carina's men were saved in their previous encounter with the Incubus King's orcs (which requires having mercenaries at that point).
 * If you chose to support the Old Zirantian League.
 * If you purchased the Aramite Shining Armor in Eustrin.

Hidden variables:
 * Border Incident score
 * Elven Investigation score
 * Zirantian Investigation score
 * Eustrin Impact score
 * War Prep score
 * Yhilin Acceptance score
 * Religion score
 * Economy score
 * Social score
 * Battle Progress score - a temporary value, reused and reset for each section.

Party members:
 * Simon's Level
 * If Simon learned the "Control of increased flow of lust" skill.
 * Affection values: Yarra, Qum D'umpe, Aka, Carina, Janine, Nalili, Uyae, Hilstara, Altina, Varia, Sarai and Ginasta.
 * Having the following items in your inventory : Aka's Custom Knife, Lustplate, Worn Whip, Ancient Glove, Arcane Crystal.

Setup
First the game takes a moment to do a few calculations. Your new Arclent Acceptance score is created by dividing your Yhilin Acceptance score by 4 (so a Yhilin Acceptance of 40 gives an Arclent Acceptance of 10). Note that this division is rounded down (so 43 / 4 = 10 rather than rounding up to 11).

The game then counts your Army Extensions, basically the number of forces you have in reserve to bring to bear on any given theater of war. The minimum is 1 extension, but you gain more for having a larger army, plus one more on top of those for having an Army Quality of 20 or higher, making 6 extensions the maximum possible. You will want every one of them.

There are various points along this guide when you have the option to deploy of your Army Extensions. Depending on your hidden stats, the number will vary from six to eight. You can find easily if you use the Find option of your browser and write:

OPTION TO DEPLOY AN ARMY EXTENSION

Instability is calculated, with a starting value of 10 which is modified by the Border Incident score:

Incubus King's Domain Morale is calculated, with a starting value of 100, which is then modified by two variables:
 * If Succubus Immigration was funded: -5 IKD Morale.
 * If Yhilin Acceptance is 40 or higher: -5 IKD Morale.

The starting damages are based on the outcome of the Border Incident and how you chose to respond once back in Yhilin:

(If you somehow managed to bypass any of that through a bug or something, the game simply gives +1 Instability, +1 Yhilin CD and +1 Aram CD.)

After these calculations, you start with a tour of your Headquarters, but you are quickly interrupted when Iris makes her move.

Optimal outcomes
A quick outline of what you're aiming for in all this.

You will eventually learn how you fared in the war in aftermath scenes, mostly in the Conference Chamber by speaking with Iris and Riala and meeting (or not) with Sarai. But since you're reading this, here are exact numbers for how to get there.

Optimal Battle outcome:
 * IKD Morale < 10: Iris explains the Incubus King's Domain people see you as their savior.
 * Arclent Acceptance &ge; 25: Riala strongly suggests that try to get a hidden cache in Ardoheim.
 * Instability < 40: Iris doesn't mention any troubles when you first talk to her in Conference Chamber.
 * Aramite Front &ge; 42 to get the best result, just &ge; 34 to avoid any injury to Hilstara.
 * Total Collateral Damage (CD) < 100: Sarai doesn't request help to remove corruption around Arclent.
 * Collateral Damage by countries:
 * Aram CD > 9 and Aram CD < 30 (Aram CD > 9 only applies if the Eustrin Embassy was funded in Megail's Path)
 * Yhilin CD < 5
 * Ardoheim CD < 19
 * Zirantia, Stineford, and the IKD don't seem to have a safe/penalty score. But the sum of these three values can not exceed the following value: 100 - Aram CD - Yhilin CD - Ardoheim CD.

Final note: The developer has stated that Aram may be more troublesome if they come out of the war in a good position. As of 0.31.4 version, we don't know what a "good position" is, but it is likely to involve low Aram CD. As of 0.32.0 we know that having an Aram CD > 9 reduces the cost of the Aram Eustrin Embassy.

Yhilin 1: Seeds of Corruption
Seeds of Corruption are flying everywhere, and unlike some earlier ones, Simon can't just absorb them. One lands nearby, prompting the party to teleport in and destroy it.

The seed is similar to the ones you've faced before but with more HP and higher attack values: vulnerable to fire and anti-sex damage, but heavily resists lust attacks and status effect. Its attacks are physical, a lust stun AoE, a silence AoE, and a single-target paralysis attack. Still, it shouldn't be too hard to deal with since you have a full party.

This wasn't the only seed Iris launched. One already struck the poorly-defended Ari-Vhel too late for the party to help How well the city defends itself depends on your War Prep score:

The other seeds are launched at Aram, Ardoheim, Stineford, and Zirantia. A last one is launched depending on your Border(s) reinforcement - it hits a region Yhilin hasn't reinforced, which increases the Collateral Damage for that region.

(If a seed is launched at the unfortified Aram border, the collateral damage is decreased by having a high Border Incident score. But it can destabilize the region if the border score is low enough.)

To fight them all, you must split the party.

Four identical fights await you in four regions. With Robin leaving to deal with the seed near the Stineford Academy, you need to divide nine to ten party members among the four fights. To make the most balanced groups, choose your best four fighters to assign them a fight and later add the rest.

Varia in particular can be very powerful if equipped with attack-boosting gear and some lust resistance (Crusader Mail and Crusader Sword for Reshaped Varia, or the custom blades for Dominated Varia). She can potentially solo a seed within two rounds using Blade Dance, letting her carry a harder fight.

The lust resistance means that Yarra's skills won't have much effect. This can be solved by her synergy skill called "Forceful Kiss" if she is in Hilstara's group. Regardless, she should still come along with someone for the EXP if nothing else. She can have a token effect by casting "Shared Fantasy" on someone, either for the SP or the DEF buff.

Without Robin in the party, Altina is your only source of fire damage (if you have her), so the other battles will all involve spreading around your heavy hitters and supporting them well so they don't get KO'd. Be sure to save your game and experiment, because you don't want to lose any of these fights (no Game Over screen, but it complicates matters).

Lose a fight, and that region gets hit with +2 Collateral Damage score as the seed goes to town on the poor civilians, and you take -2 penalty to your Battle Progress score.

Win a fight and you get +2 to your Battle Progress score which is boosted by a further +1 if you bring one of the right party members to the right region, as that party member provides support and leadership for the people.

Note that having two party members with the same bonus in the same fight won't stack: for example, sending both Simon and Carina to Aram's fight will only yield a single +1 Battle Progress. So spread them out if you want to do your best.

One possible arrangement:
 * Aram: Simon, Nalili, Qum.
 * Ardoheim: Aka, Carina.
 * Zirantia: Varia, Uyae.
 * Yhilin (or whichever location is targeted based on Yhilin's borders): Altina, Yarra, Hilstara.

After the four fights are over, you're back in Headquarters to hear how things went in the other countries, which are partly determined by how much you did when you visited them:

You get additional bonuses based on your past decisions:
 * If you supported the Old Zirantian League: +1 Battle Progress as the League cooperates.
 * If the New Unpeople motion passed: +2 Battle Progress as the new Unpeople deal with the threat.

Your progress is then totaled and determines your results:

Defeating all the seed landed in Ardoheim (the mandatory one and the four if hit Stineford) give a +1 RP with Vhala, on the other hand losing to them give -1 to the Vhala RP.

That was just the opening move, but to end this war quickly you must contain the damage and engage the Incubus Emperor on all fronts. It's time for the party to split up again:


 * Aram: Hilstara, Varia, Altina (if present)
 * Ardoheim: Aka, Carina, Uyae
 * Incubus King's Domain: Yarra, Nalili, Qum D'umpe
 * Stineford: Robin

Robin won't be fighting until she leaves Stineford, so you can give her equipment to someone else for now. Be sure to make any desired changes to your equipment, and then talk to Janine to get this war rolling.

Aram 1: Canlin Abbey
Hilstara's party arrives at Canlin Abbey. If you decided to Assist Aram, this is where your troops first enter Aram and you can find some of the vanguard in the southwest corner of the map. Otherwise, you need to convince Aram to let you bring troops through.

Travel north, and feel free to talk to anyone you like to get a feel for the war. Your contact is at the abbey's door.

Behind the scenes, the game tracks a new variable: Aramite Front. It represents how well the war in Aram is going. This variable starts at 0, but takes -1 penalty if Aram CD is 4 or higher (which means something went wrong and/or you lost against the Seed of Corruption in Aram), which is visually represented by the tents on the western edge of the map being filled with refugees. If you chose to Assist Aram you get +3 Aramite Front score. If Aram was the target of multiple seeds (because you reinforced the Ardoheim border but not the Aram border), you get -1 Aramite Front as divine casters are stretched to their limits.

The outcome of the border incident also provides a bonus to Aramite Front if it went well, and determines what enemies spawn.

The succubus scouts are in the northeast, while the monsters or deserters are wandering around the southern part of the map. Defeating the enemy gives +1 Aramite Front.

OPTION TO DEPLOY AN ARMY EXTENSION

Talk to the priestess again when you're ready to continue. Hilstara and Simon discuss the state of the front, bringing up the possibility of stationing extra troops in Aram to protect the refugees:

Sending the troop is a great deal, especially since it enables other advantages later.

The next decision is how to send your forces to the front - either take the direct path to the northern border and enter the fray, or creep through the mountains and battle it out with the Incubus Emperor's forces. You won't find the exact consequences of this decision until later on, but they'll be displayed here for convenience:
 * Head straight north: It turns into a battle royale for +1 Aram CD. Further results are based on how strong your orcs are:


 * Fight in the mountains: The fight breaks up and focuses on guerrilla warfare for +1 Instability. Further results are based on how intelligent your orcs are:

Send your orcs straight north if they're stronger, or into the mountains if they're smarter. If they're both strong and smart, it's better to send them to the mountains.

With that decision out of the way, it's time for a brief character interlude between Hilstara, Varia, and possibly Altina, which plays out differently depending on the personalities of the latter two. Then it's off to check on Yarra.

Incubus King's Domain 1: Entrance Tunnel
Yarra, Qum, and Nalili have teleported in along with some orcs as part of a plan to sneak behind enemy lines to do some damage before the eventual assault on the Incubus Emperor. If the Impaler was spared, he joins them. Otherwise, a generic orc takes his place.

Head north and west to meet up with your orc forces, only to discover that they're not alone. The five succubus deserters are vulnerable to lust damage, so between Yarra's skills and Nalili's Cleavage you should be able to make short work of them.

Yarra's party realizes that the succubi are rather desperate and suspicious. They have to make a quick decision:
 * Capture the succubi: +2 IKD CD, but that penalty is reduced by 1 each if your Orc Intelligence is 10 or higher, and/or Orc Discipline is 10 or higher, effectively canceling it out if you have both.
 * Recruit the succubi: +1 Instability and -5 IKD Morale, with other bonuses based on several factors:

Recruiting the succubi offers a potentially massive hit to enemy morale, and furthermore opens up conversations with the succubi afterwards, including a quest for a further -1 IKD CD.

The succubus in the northwest corner of the map gives a quest to clear out monsters located around the map. There are three groups in total: one in each of the southwest and southeast corners, and the last one wandering around on the upper level (north). Talking to her after you defeat all three is necessary for the IKD CD decrease.

The Impaler offers his commentary on the succubus fight but either way it's time to call Simon and make a decision: just how rough should the orcs be when raiding the succubi? Again, the results won't be seen until later, but are based on how disciplined your orcs are:

With this decision made, it's time to go find that tunnel. The entrance is over in the northeast; just climb up the vines to reach it. Enter the tunnel... and once again run into succubi and a new fight - both are vulnerable to lust damage but the orange-stockinged one uses more physical attacks while the blue-stockinged uses only lust magic.

Once victorious, the conversation reveals that these women aren't enemies. The woman is introduced as Lady Elleani, a half-elven Givini noblewoman from a kingdom long-lost. Backstories and character development ensue, and Yarra's group heads deeper into the domain with some new allies.

Stineford 1: Stineford Academy
Robin is putting the finishing touches on some defensive wards in the Academy. One of the academics asks her to talk to the staff and students to reassure them. It's a good idea, since it also builds up a hidden Stineford Prep score, which determines how well Stineford is prepared to handle any impending assaults. There are many people to talk in and around the academy:

A certain Academy guard can also be found outside, though he offers no meaningful contributions. Once you've spoken to everyone, talk to Orcent outside to finish up.

Ardoheim 1: Ardford and the Bridges
Aka, Carina, and Uyae's meeting with Tyna reveals that Ardoheim is rather slow to take action, not fearing the threat of the Incubus Emperor. If the New Unpeople motion passed then the military district is filled with them (forcing Simon's orcs to stay on the other side of the walls). Otherwise, you will find Ralke near the walls. If Simon spoke to the Chosen in Empty Lot, that Chosen is outside the Blademaster's Guild, expressing some misgivings about the coming battles.

Inside the Blademaster's Guild is a chance to talk to Commander Geoff from the Watchtowers and to Antarion (he comments on Aka, apparently not remembering her, and on Uyae). Visiting the Ardford Military Offices gives you a chance to catch up with Vhala and Hester.

Exactly what you need to do next depends on the New Unpeople motion:
 * If it passed: Vhala requests that they visit a remote fortress near the Watchtowers, where the party will fight two wolves and three scorpions.
 * If it failed: Commander Geoff asks the party to help with a hostage situation at a church. Four succubi can be quickly defeated.

Either way, things are cut short when the party is called back to deal with the Incubus Emperor's incoming army. The exact state of the battle depends on several factors:
 * If the Orc Extermination motion passed: the enemy army is much smaller, -1 Instability and +1 Battle Progress.
 * If the Orc Extermination motion failed: the orcs reinforce the enemy army, +1 Ardoheim CD.
 * If the New Unpeople motion passed: the Unpeople are able to help, +1 Battle Progress. Otherwise it's just the Holy Knights, no bonus.
 * If Stineford wasn't the target of extra seeds: Stineford has enough soldiers on hand, +1 Battle Progress. Otherwise, no bonus.

While Simon now has permission to get involved in Ardoheim, it's too late to bring in any troops in time, forcing him to come alone. But if Robin researched Essence Shielding, then Simon can also bring along the Doom King himself, granting a bonus opportunity to affect the outcome of the battle and help people based on how he chooses to focus the Doom King's efforts:

Aka's party has now to protect the bridges from the Incubus Emperor. The encounters are orcs followed by a mixed force of orcs and succubi. Her party doesn't have any real way to take advantage of weaknesses, so just hit them hard and take them down.

Meanwhile, Simon is joined by Antarion. First they encounter some orcs, and then some succubi. After those easy battles, Simon and Antarion run into a considerably more dangerous opponent: Riala. She incinerates the soldiers guarding the bridge with a single spell, spooking Antarion into retreating. But rather than truly engaging Simon, she teleports away after a token effort.

The battle for the bridges is over; time to see how well you did. Some bonuses are added based on the party: Battle Progress determines results:
 * If Aka RP is 100: +1 Battle Progress
 * If Carina RP is 80 or more: +1 Battle Progress
 * If Uyae RP is 90 or more : +1 Battle Progress
 * If Aka's Custom Knife was made: +1 Battle Progress

Aram 2: Aramite Forest
Back to Hilstara's group, Simon briefs her on the battles in Ardoheim so far, including Collateral Damage:

Hilstara in turn updates Simon on the state of Aramite Front, with potential costs:


 * If you chose to send an extension of reserve forces at the Abbey, Hilstara thanks Simon. Otherwise "Some refugees were lost in the aftermath" for some previously mentioned Aram CD.

This is the point where Hilstara explains how well the orcs have been doing if they were sent straight north or sent through the mountains (and where the previously mentioned bonuses or penalties are technically applied).

Regardless, the army may have lost some soldiers, depending on your Orc Discipline:

The call finished, a letter asks the party to meet a mysterious orc in a nearby cave. You should also explore the various encampments nearby to help coordinate the war effort:
 * If he exists, Implevon the Third can be recruited as a scout for +1 Aramite Front.
 * North of that spot, an Aramite officer explains that the Holy Legion will soon be making a big push into enemy territory. Whether or not he takes Hilstara's advice depends on the angle of approach Hilstara uses, and the circumstances of Yhilin:

Basically, if you assisted Aram then say We are Allies, otherwise go with Yhilin Needs This unless somehow your Acceptance is terrible but your border response was not.


 * While it provides no mechanical effect, the number of wounded soldiers in the upper camp increases as Aram CD rises (thresholds at 5/10/15 CD).
 * East of the Aramite encampment is a soldier sent by Captain Palina to join the battle. Discuss strategy for +1 Aramite Front.
 * In the northeast the Aramite Supplier gives +1 Aramite Front with a bonus based on your investment(s): 1 point for Eustrin Supplier, 1 point for Megail's Supplier, and 2 points for Aramite Supplier, with the sum determining how well your supply line can do:


 * To the south is the Church's camp. If Sarai's affection is at least 50, she sent a priestess to coordinate efforts with Yhilin's succubi. The amount of help she can provide is based on your affection score:

Her comments also change based on your Religion score:
 * Religion &ge; 10: "...and the Church views you favorably enough that I should be able to convince the others."
 * Religion 8-9: "...and the Church views you favorably enough that I may be able to convince the others."
 * Religion < 8: "... but the Church is rather skeptical of you, so they may not believe regardless."
 * If you already spoke to the Aram captain in the north, talking to the masked Inquisitor may let Hilstara convince the Inquisition to avoid a similar mistake. Her effectiveness is based on your Religion score. Furthermore, you get +2 bonus to Religion if you purchased the Aramite Shining Armor in Eustrin.


 * Wandering in the woods is a soldier who lost his sword: the shining sword is in the southernmost tent.
 * If your Eustrin Impact score is 10 or higher: a pair of dwarves is waiting in Southwest of the church's camp. Talk to them to get a set of dwarven explosives.

Once you've finished up there, head down into the cave as the letter proposed. Another unique orc called Grubbak volunteers to join the party later.

It's time to head back to Hilstara's tent and turn in for the night... only to be interrupted by Mestan. He wants to meet up with Simon, so he volunteers to do Hilstara a favor and kill exactly one person. Once again, the results won't be revealed until later:

Stineford 2: Clash of Titans
Enjoy the action at the start of this section (the only relevant investment to this part is the state of the border with Ardoheim: if it's reinforced then Doom King's forces reinforce Stineford).

The battle between the the two soul-shard bearers start. How well Simon does in that clash depends on a total based on Simon's level, training, and equipment:

That sum determines the outcome:

In the Headquarters, Robin assesses the battle. If Simon's Power score was 10 or higher, she points out that "It's not as bad as it could be". Otherwise it's that "The Incubus Emperor will definitely win". The rest of the battle runs automatically. It's a victory, but exactly how much of a victory depends on your preparations:

And how large of an army you have:


 * If Ardoheim border was reinforced: +5 Battle Progress and -1 Instability.

Succubus Saturation also helps if they are enough to saturate your army and defend against lust magic:

If Carina's men survived : they manage to help fight the Incubus King's army, +2 Battle Progress and -1 Instability.

The Battle Progress score determines the results:

OPTION TO DEPLOY AN ARMY EXTENSION

Despite the costs, Wynn points out that this is still a victory that proves the Incubus Emperor can be beaten. Simon must still deal with whether or not to send reserve forces into Stineford to help maintain control. Even if he has no troop remaining, he can choose to overextend his current troops to do so (but there may be consequences for that later):

Aram 3: The War Drags On
Back in the Aram wastelands, Varia feels sense of impending disaster and Hilstara worries about the fate of the Holy Legion. Unfortunately, enemy orcs are marching on Aram. Her decision depends entirely on if Simon sent an extension of extra troops to Aram:

So, attack if you sent troops to defend the refugees, defend if you did not.

Hilstara's party takes to the field, and you fight a few relatively easy orcs. Grubbak reveals that the Holy Legion has been trapped and will be destroyed if not helped.

If you sent troops to defend the refugees, the situation in the south is stable enough that Yhilin has been able to move more orcs north, giving Hilstara the chance to make a difference.

If no troops were sent, then there's no time or forces to spare, and Hilstara has to fight a group of weak orcs before moving on. Either way, Grubbak joins the party, bringing three Orc Potions with him.

Meeting up with the Aramite forces, Hilstara learns that there didn't seem to be a plan for the Holy Legion, and tries to figure out what can be salvaged. The state of the Aramite forces depends on if they listened to Hilstara's warnings back in the forest, which in turn depends on Aram's relation and how Hilstara approached them:

This strategy meeting is interrupted by the arrival of two ogres, leaving one for Hilstara's group and one for the Aramite forces. The ogre should be easy prey for Varia's Blade Dance, and Altina's fire spell if you have her. This is also your first chance to use Grubbak, an orc with some magical sword abilities including the extra effective Flame Attack.

The conversation is interrupted by the news of a mysterious shadowy figure killing either a giant ogre or a captain of the advance guard and opening the way for the Aramite forces to retreat - Mestan's handiwork.

Hilstara is then faced with a choice of which group to defend - the main line under assault by ogres, the Holy Legion under assault by a force of orcs and an ogre, or a mixed group of Aramite and Yhilin forces targeted by succubi. Whichever groups she doesn't pick will be harmed, but the harm can be mitigated if Yhilin's forces are doing well enough already.
 * Help the main line: -1 Religion, and a penalty to Instability based on your succubus strength - +1 Instability if Succubi Saturation is achieved, or +2 Instability if not. You then fight two ogres.
 * Help Holy Legion: +2 Religion, and the same penalty to Instability based on succubus strength - +1 Instability if Succubi Saturation is achieved, or +2 Instability if not. It also gives a penalty to Aram CD that can be minimized if the Aramite Front is strong. +1 Aram CD if Aramite Front is 10 or higher, or +2 Aram CD if it's less than 10. You then fight one ogre and several orcs.
 * Help mixed group: -1 Religion and a penalty to Aram CD based on the Aramite Front score. +1 Aram CD if Aramite Front is 15 or higher, +2 Aram CD if Aramite Front is between 14 and 10, +3 Aram CD if Aramite Front is between 9 and 5, +5 Aram CD if it's less than 5. You then fight four succubi.

After saving your chosen force, you're faced with a new threat - a monstrous ogre that's even stronger and tougher than the previous ogres you may have fought, but vulnerable to ice this time. When that enemy falls, Hilstara admits that the Aramite Front is probably going to get a lot uglier. It's then time to see how you've performed, with bonuses totaled based on your army's size and quality:

This total then determines how things are holding:

The Aramite Front is modified further based on your previous interactions:
 * If you have an Aram Positive relation: +3 Aramite Front.
 * If you have an Aram Neutral relation: +1 Aramite Front.
 * if the Inquisition Withdraws : +3 Aramite Front.

OPTION TO DEPLOY AN ARMY EXTENSION

Hilstara must decide if she wants to request back-up from another one of the reserve forces. If they're out of reserves she can choose to overextend their forces, but not if their forces have already been overextended already.
 * Tough it out: +1 Instability, +2 Aram CD
 * Request backup: +10 Aramite Front

Yhilin 2: The Next Coup
The discussion between Simon and Janine in the Headquarters is interrupted by news of another coup attempt, weaker than the last one but still with enough forces to cause some problems. Everything will come down to the preparations and decisions already in place.

In the Palace, the events depend on whether or not you funded the FANCY WALK petition:
 * If FANCY WALK was funded, +2 to Army Size: a pair of orc soldiers are busy showing off their results until they're suddenly overwhelmed by the coup forces. Any mockery is cut short by the arrival of a significantly more capable member of your orc forces, who Fancy Walks his way through a magical barrage, ultimately taking down the coup soldiers and defending the honor of the Fancy Walk at great cost to himself.
 * If FANCY WALK was not funded: the coup forces manage to overpower some of the castle guards only to be turned back when Trin steps in.

In Ari-Yhilina Square:
 * If Ari-Yhilina Square was destroyed and never rebuilt: +1 Instability and +5 Yhilin CD, and the following scene is skipped.
 * If the Square is not destroyed, what happens next depends on Yhilin's Acceptance score:
 * If Yhilin Acceptance is 30 or higher: the bystanders save an innocent succubus, +1 Yhilin CD.
 * If Yhilin Acceptance is less than 30: the soldiers slay an innocent succubus, +3 Yhilin CD.

Back to the Palace, where Simon attends to those lost to the coup forces. If the FANCY WALK petition was funded, the orcs explain that the ogre who died was the very first fancy walker (and likely the one who petitioned Simon in the beginning), prompting Simon to send for Balia. The Zirantian harem member then arrives and engages the orc splitting process to save the "valuable materials".

Regardless, Mestan pops out of the shadows, intent on observing Simon. He eventually backs off, stating that he'll be hanging around outside the headquarters if Simon wants someone killed.

In the Headquarters, the damage of the coup are evaluated and depend on your preparations, which build up a Yhilin Coup score:
 * If Yhilin's Acceptance is 30 or higher, and the bystanders rallie against the coup: +1 Yhilin Coup ("With everyone standing together against the coup warriors, it wasn't difficult.").
 * If Yhilin's Acceptance is less than 30: -1 Yhilin Coup ("It seems a succubus was brutally murdered in public and it turned into a riot").
 * If the Yhilin Army was fully rebuilt: +5 Yhilin Coup ("Fortunately the local Yhilini forces are strong. They dealt with things as fast as we could have hoped for.").
 * If the Yhilin Army wasn't rebuilt: +1 Instability ("I'm afraid the forces left here weren't organized enough and a great deal of damage was done before we could stop the coup.").
 * Yhilin War Prep score is also a factor:


 * If Robin completed the Order of Yhilini Thaumaturgy trials: +3 Yhilin Coup ("the Order of Yhilini Thaumaturgy actually took a hand, stopping some of the magical components of the coup."). Otherwise, no change ("the Order of Yhilini Thaumaturgy stayed neutral, as usual.").
 * If the New Unpeople motion passed, then things get more complicated:
 * If Dari contacted the Unpeople in the Cathedral Library: -1 Yhilin Coup ("Sarai reports that the Unpeople made it difficult for her to get in the way of the coup, but at least it wasn't a disaster.").
 * If Dari never contacted the Unpeople: -3 Yhilin Coup and +1 Yhilin CD ("Sarai reports that many of the Unpeople actually joined in...").
 * There is a further penalty to Yhilin Coup based on how many Unpeople Dari and Simon failed to remove: -2 Yhilin Coup if they didn't remove any, -1 if they removed 1 or 2, and no penalty if they got all three.
 * If the New Unpeople motion failed: +1 Yhilin Coup ("Sarai reports that she kept Ari-Yhilina's churches and shrines safe all throughout the attack.").
 * If the empty monastery was repupose in Aid Station: +1 Yhilin Coup, -1 Yhilin CD ("She says that the aid station you funded is also very helpful in gaining control of the aftermath.")
 * If Magic Standardization was funded: +1 Yhilin Coup ("Mages across the country have been working in a coordinated fashion to help...").
 * If Arcane/Sexual Agreement was funded: +1 Yhilin Coup ("We had an encouraging amount of cooperation between arcane mages and all the new succubi...").
 * If the head of House Thelon was saved after the Battle of Yhilin: +1 Yhilin Coup ("We also had a surprise of support from House Thelon.").
 * If the Elven regions improvement was funded: +2 Yhilin Coup ("the coup tried to rouse the elven ghetto against us, but they refused them absolutely.").
 * -2 Yhilin Coup is applied for each of the following still in effect from the Battle of Yhilin: Economic Chaos, Societal Chaos, Population Devastation.
 * Janine needs to make a few speeches, but the effects depend on her affection score:

The Yhilin Coup score is totaled up and used to determine its effects:

OPTION TO DEPLOY AN ARMY EXTENSION (conditional)

Janine departs, leaving Simon to deal with the aftermath. The first decision is if Simon should assign another unit of troops from the reserves to keep the peace:
 * If Yhilin Coup score is 15 or higher: he admits that won't be necessary.
 * If Yhilin Coup score is between 9 and 14: Simon has the option of sending in a unit of reserves for -2 Instability and -2 Yhilin CD. No penalty for refusing, though you cannot overextend your forces if you have no spare troops.
 * If Yhilin Coup score is less than 9: Simon will automatically deploy a unit of troops for -2 Instability and -2 Yhilin CD. If no spare troops are left, then things are just going to get worse with +1 Instability and +4 Yhilin CD.

Simon must take another decision: Should they enforce Martial Law to prevent another coup attempt? The results depend on the Yhilin Acceptance score:

An easy way to figure this out is what happened to the succubus in Yhilin Square: If she got murdered (Acceptance <30), declare martial law; if she was saved by the bystanders (Acceptance &ge; 30) then don't do anything else.

Simon takes a rest, then it's back to Yarra's group.

Incubus King's Domain 2: Gasm Falls and the Tower of Mist
Yarra arrives at Elleani's home and the group discusses their plan to infiltrate Gasm Falls to spy on the Incubus Emperor and take down one of the Towers of Mist. Elleani has several topics of conversation, so feel free to talk to her and her succubus companions.

Once out of the cave, the party manages to talk their way past the guard and then they can explore the city more. There are several things to investigate: With the tourist stuff out of the way, it's time to take care of your mission. Your way into the Tower of Mist is blocked by an orc who proves immune to the party's charms, so head back down south to the orc caves on the outskirts of town.
 * Wandering around outside of the Pink Sheets is a succubus who comments on the raids conducted by Yarra's band of orcs, with different things to say based on if Simon chose to Sabotage the domain and how disciplined his orcs are (the actual mechanical effects were calculated by the game at the start of this section).
 * Inside the Pink Sheets Yarra's group can talk with owner to explain a few things about succubus culture, and if Yarra walks over into the larger bedroom it triggers a conversation with Elleani that gives to Elleani's RP.
 * The Gushing Quim sells Lust Wine, and at the top of the screen is a succubi sitting at the bar that the group can talk to. They have a discussion about slavery in human lands, with Qum sharing her experiences, providing -1 IKD Morale, or -2 IKD Morale if Qum D'umpe has had her RP max conversation.
 * Most of the shops to the north are closed, but a succubus saleswoman is still standing in front of one of the doors selling basic sexual equipment. Talk to her to examine her inventory, and when you're done looking it provokes a conversation about succubus trade deals and gear, providing -1 IKD Morale, or -2 IKD Morale if Nalili has had her RP Max conversation.
 * Over in the northwest corner is a shop run by a succubus blacksmith with a particular... interest in human armor. Visiting her shop gives you a potential contact for future events.
 * On the upper level is a succubus priestess dressed in the robes of the Lustlord. Talking to her reveals that she was one of Yarra's friends from before and the two have a conversation about Incubus Kings and brighter futures that provides -1 IKD Morale and gives to Elleani's RP, or -2 IKD Morale and  to Elleani's RP if Yarra has had her RP Max conversation.

Once inside the cave, the way is blocked by a stereotypical orc... a suspiciously stereotypical orc. A little investigation and Yarra's group discovers that the Incubus Emperor has some critics even among his orcs, who aren't so keen to die for him. The orc is skeptical of the Doom King, but mentions that other orcs will be meeting at the Bloody Spire to fight and discuss things in the future. Eventually, Yarra manages to convince him to clear a path to the Tower of Mist. While you're here, take the opportunity to converse with some of the orcs. In particular there's an wandering orc around the eastern edge of the cave who will have a short conversation with the party about roles for orcs in Yhilin, providing -2 IKD Morale.

Once outside the tunnels you run into a Succubus Elite, but this one isn't quite interested in fighting. She's a friend of Riala from before, and Simon's battle against the Incubus Emperor in Stineford have convinced her that he might just stand a chance. She's willing to help the party access the Tower of Mist, but asks that they avoid causing too much damage.

Make your way back to the Tower and you'll find that the orc guard is missing. It might be a good idea to save before entering the Tower, especially if you want to keep things quiet.

The biggest way to keep quiet in the tower is to avoid getting into any fights other than the mandatory one at the end. This means avoiding succubus guards whenever you can.

Once inside the tower, head right, and wait for the succubus guard to look north before running over the chest and claiming the Tower Key. Wait for her to look north before running back over to the main area. Don't enter any of the squares touching her even if she is looking the other way.

There's a succubus running back and forth in the hallway so wait until she runs past your position heading west before running through the area. Circle around the back of the boxes to avoid entering a square next to the next succubus.

Make your way around the back of the building, but don't go up the stairs just yet. Wait until the succubus is looking south so you can cross over and pull the lever, then wait until she's looking south again to cross back over and head up the stairs.

Once on the second floor, the Tower Key unlocks the wooden door while pulling the lever on the first floor traps one of the succubus guards in the southeast corner. You can circle down around the line of boxes and even walk all the way over to the south-east door without triggering the remaining guard so long as you don't enter the two squares directly south of her.

Once you get towards the western end of the line of boxes, it's not a bad idea to save. Crossing out from the line of boxes will automatically activate the succubus sitting in the chair, causing her to head towards your position. Note that you don't have to fight her - simply run around her into the room to your north, avoid the succubus in that room and head into the room to your east, then hit the lever in the northwest corner of the room to lock the door behind you.

You may notice a room to the east with several chests in it. Entering the room triggers an alarm and a fight with the guards, and each chest you open triggers an additional alarm. As tempting as it may be, it is recommended to leave them alone because they aren't even worth much. Head south into the next room to accomplish your mission objective. This will trigger a mandatory fight with an Elite Security Succubus and two other Tower Security Succubi, all three of which are vulnerable to lust damage. If Nalili has a plug and extra SP, she can disable one or more of them outright, while Yarra's charm abilities can turn them against one another.

Once the fight is over, approach the sparkling point to trigger an appearance by your succubus elite ally, who offers an assessment of how well you did (there is a relevant decision to make after this, so you should save before triggreing the conversation as you can't do it later). The IK Infiltration meter starts at 0, but goes up by +1 every time you get into a fight (other than the last one with the Elite) or open any of the chests on the 2nd floor (opening the middle one increases +1 IKD CD.) The Tower Key chest on the first floor doesn't count. Higher values increase Instability, Morale and Collateral Damage in the Domain, while lower values reduce or even eliminate those penalties, and provide increased RP bonuses to Elleani, Iris and Riala.

The party contact Simon on the tower roof. Hhe must then make a difficult choice. Should he use this opportunity to have his forces raid the Fertile Chalice ? With the conversation finished, the group resets the Tower of Mist, completing their objective in Gasm Falls. Enjoy the interactions between the Chosen, the Inquisitor and Ginasta! Then it's back to Simon again as he joins with Robin in Stineford.
 * Begin sabotage campaign: +5 IKD Morale, +10 IKD CD, -2 Yhilin CD, -2 Aram CD, -2 Ardoheim CD, -2 Stineford CD, to Yarra and Qum's if they're not maxed out,  to Nalili's if she's not maxed out. This option has further consequences later.
 * Do nothing: to Yarra, Qum and Nalili's RP.

Stineford 3: Feroholm
Robin is finishing up her work in Stineford in the wake of the battle and has a brief conversation with Orcent. If you invested in the Stineford Magic Shop and the shops were damaged in the battle with the Incubus Emperor, Orcent will mention it. When the conversation is over, Robin can talk to her various teachers and classmates gathered around the area, and if the battle for Stineford went so poorly that Rachilia died, this is where Robin will learn about it. Once you've spoken to everyone you wish to speak to (reequip Robin if you cleared her gear at the Seeds of Corruption section), talk to Orcent and wait for Simon to arrive.

Simon's arrival draws interest from Robin's fellow students - while Infasis is ignored, Sho actually gets to join the party and help out in the region. She's a mage like Robin, with basic elemental and healing spells.

The trio teleports into Feroholm with an extra hitchhiker in the form of a succubus elite. The battle begins but their first action is to promptly knock Sho out with a powerful attack (Lust Death), so she can do nothing during this fight. Simon can silence the succubi with Unified Strike or dominate them to stop them from attacking, but the party doesn't have any especially effective attack options so just blast them with your favorite elemental spells.

With the fight won, Simon and Robin ponder the strange spell that the succubus elite used on Sho before Wynn teleports in to explain it as a combination of lust and death magic that resists most attempts to remove it. She also explains how the battle for Feroholm went - if it went poorly enough, the Incubus Emperor's horde rampaged through the town, killing many except those behind the church's barriers. Otherwise Wynn explains that the horde "mostly sought less well-defended targets."

You need to visit the church, but you can also take a look around first.

On Simon's way into the church, he's greeted by a succubus, who explains that they were able to help the soldiers hit with sexual magic even when the church healers were overwhelmed, then mentions that they'd be willing to provide a demonstration inside.

The other person you shouldn't forget to talk to is Sister Kara, Simon's former partner in theological discussions. Troubled by an urge to take what skills she has and use them to help those suffering in the war, she asks Dargai what to do. This decision will have consequences later on depending on what Simon advises and what has happened in the war. Saying nothing (or never talking to Kara) will always kill her, urging her to stay will always save her, but you won't see the results until later.
 * Urge her to go immediately: Kara leaves for Ardford, giving a guaranteed -1 Ardoheim CD. However if Feroholm took lots of civilian deaths then it's dangerous enough that she runs into trouble and Kara dies. If Feroholm didn't experience lots of deaths, she survives her journey, and helps reduce Ardoheim CD by another -1.
 * Urge her to stay for now: Kara stays safe and lives, helping out and reducing Ardoheim CD by -1 . Later, she departs to Ardford to help with the War effort (but you don't get any further bonus).
 * Say nothing: Kara runs into trouble and then Kara dies during the travel to Ardford.

Talk to the head priestess about the war effort, and leave the church when you're finished.

You can talk to the people inside the church to encounter some familiar faces and see how much they have (or haven't) changed. Pay particular attention to the succubus in the nun's outfit over by eastern side - talking to her not only gives you a scene where they provide a hands-on demonstration of succubus magic, but Simon also encourages them to use their talents more in the war effort, providing +1 to the Religion stat and -1 to both Ardoheim CD and Stineford CD by letting the succubi save lives.

On your way out, Sho talks about all the things she saw, commenting on the Succubus healer if you saw the scene. Their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of another raiding party from the Incubus Emperor. The first wave consists of orcs - hit the mage with any magical attack and have Simon try to shut the Assault Breeders with Unified Strike. Once you get down to the last orc you might want to take a round to heal up because you'll immediately get thrown into a fight with a Succubus Elite, two succubi, an Assault Breeder and an Orc Mage. These are all enemies you've already fought, so just shut them down with Simon while Robin blows them away and Sho does what she can to survive.

The fight wraps up and Simon praises Sho's contributions, then it's time to see how things are going in Ardford.

Ardoheim 2: The Wall and the Superking
Exactly what Aka's party is doing depends on how the war is going, which in turn depends on what events took place so far. You get a point for each of the following:
 * Ordering your forces to Hold Back and not raid the Incubus King's Domain back when Yarra first entered the tunnels.
 * If during his clash with the Incubus Emperor Simon was not powerful enough and the Incubus Emperor had the upper hand. ("You really think you can fight me?")
 * Ordering your forces to do nothing and not raid the Fertile Chalice after Yarra finished in the Tower of Mist.

You can jump directly to the appropriate branch, depending on the sum:
 * 0 points
 * 1-2 points
 * 3 points

Ardford Castle

 * At 0 points.

The war is going well enough that Aka's party doesn't have much to do and remains in the castle. Carina attempts to start a conversation by asking what everyone's favorite color is. Vhala joins the conversation ("White"), startling the others with her sudden appearance. She offers to join the party and lend her Unpeople's support in a joint operation. There are several possible options.

The battle has been going pretty well for the Unpeople, though if the New Unpeople motion passed Vhala has issue with how the new legions are being used. Concerned about the Unpeople's failure to cooperate with the Doom King, Vhala volunteers to join forces with the party for a period to work on their joint operation.

Click to jump to the convergence.

The Battleground

 * At 1 or 2 points.

Out on the battlefield, Aka's group are severing the Incubus Emperor's supply lines to strengthen the Ardan front. Carina wishes she could do more with her excess mana, but Aka states that she needs to save it to handle serious situations. Vhala appears and offers a suggestion. Once again she offers to perform a joint operation between her Unpeople and the Doom King's forces. There are several possible options. Again, Vhala expresses concerns about the Unpeople and the use of the new legions if the New Unpeople motion passed, and joins the party to help collaborate.

Click to jump to the convergence.

The Military District

 * At 3 points.

The war is not going well, and Aka's party stands on the walls of the military district watching the battle, unable to help out of concern for the enemy elites lying in reserve. Carina wishes for something to do and wonders why High Priestess Hester hasn't done anything yet, only for Vhala to appear and explain that there's some sort of plan. Once again, she's ready for a joint operation between the Unpeople and the Doom King's forces. There are several possible options.

Again, she expresses concerns about the Unpeople and the use of the new legions if the Unpeople vote passed, and collaborates with the party.

Scenarios Converge
All paths converge in another interlude that doesn't require any decision or internal mechanism.

Screams at Ivala's Wall herald the arrival of ghastly creatures who pass through the barrier and fall upon the allied forces on the other side. If Simon never told Sister Kara what to do or if he told her to go but Feroholm had too many civilian deaths, then Sister Kara is among these forces and meets her grisly end.

A unit of Ardoheim Cavalry is scouting, trying to pierce the fog of war and find out what the hell is happening. One of the surviving scouts brings word of horrible monsters that resembled Unpeople, but tore through both the Doom King's forces and the human soldiers. Two surviving succubi from the Doom King's army enter, describing the monsters as horribly, painfully wrong versions of the succubi. One of the knights asks their leader what they should do, but the captain's decision will depend on Arclent's Acceptance of the Doom King:


 * If Arclent Acceptance is 20 or higher: the Captain recognizes that the Doom King's forces have fought well to protect them. The Holy Knights charge into battle for +1 Instability, +3 Ardoheim CD, -5 IKD Morale and +1 Arclent Acceptance. Results are further modified based on your Army Quality and Orc Discipline:


 * If Arclent Acceptance is less than 20: the Holy Knights promptly get the hell out for +3 Instability and +2 Ardoheim CD. Results are further modified based on your Army Quality and Orc Discipline:

Aka's group teleports in with Vhala in town, and speaks to one of her Unpeople. If the New Unpeople motion passed, then the Unpeople explains that the new numbers in the Unpeople Legion were enough to convince them to make an ineffective attack on the new creatures, while if the motion failed their numbers are low enough that they focus on evacuating civilians instead.

The group is then attacked by these new creations and you experience your first encounter with the Unsuccubi. They're resistant to lust damage and immune to the antisex damage of some of Vhala's special skills like Arrow of Purity and Arrow of Abstinence. They take normal damage from fire and weapons, are vulnerable to Ice and resist all elemental damage. The standing ones have more HP while the crawling ones constantly use a double attack making them the highest priority. Use Aka to blind or disable them them and have Uyae use Takedown if she has claws equipped while Vhala uses either Blinding Rain or Defensive Rain to disable them or Triple Shot to damage them. They should go down without too much trouble.

The scene switches to an orc and succubus pair whose position has been under siege by the Unsuccubi. Fortunately, Simon teleports in to relieve them and bear the brunt of the next assault. With two mages in the party you can take advantage of their ice weakness while Simon blinds the others with Unified Strike to prevent them from destroying the squishier mages.

Yhilin 3: A Clearer Picture
Back at Headquarters, Janine explains how the war has been going. The seeds of corruption have been cleared, though Zirantia is hiding something. Aram is pushing into the Incubus Emperor's Domain, but not very effectively. Over on the main front, Stineford is holding out, but how well depends on how well Robin prepared it: With the Unsuccubi going east, the western front is a slugfest between orc armies, and how well you're doing depends on your Army Quality and Orc Discipline:
 * If Stineford Prep score is &ge; 10: "The one bit of good news is that we seem to be maintaining control of the Stineford region."
 * If Stineford Prep score is < 10: "The Stineford region is at least stable. It's not a problem compared to other concerns."

The bonuses are totaled to determine how well you're doing:
 * If Succubus Saturation is achieved: +2 Battle Progress.
 * If Orc Evolution wasn't researched: -3 penalty Battle Progress and +1 Ardoheim CD.

Over on the eastern front, the Unsuccubi are causing problems for everyone. First is for the Unpeople: Arcane magic is your best weapon against them, and depends on if you invested in the Ardoheim Magic Trade: Next is your investement in the ardan supply lines, the Ardford Supplier and the Mercenary Flotilla:
 * If the New Unpeople motion passed: +2 Instability, +2 Ardoheim CD ("The Unpeople and the Unsuccubi have dealt heavy casualties to each other.").
 * If the New Unpeople motion failed: -1 Instability, +1 Ardoheim CD ("Vhala has been able to convince the Unpeople to avoid the Unsuccubi...").
 * If you invested: +1 Arclent Acceptance, +2 Army Quality, +1 Ardoheim CD ("Fortunately, we've been able to support Ardan mages quite well.").
 * If you didn't invest: -1 Army Quality, +2 Ardoheim CD ("I wish we could do more to support the mages there...").
 * Both investments: -5 IKD Morale ("The Incubus Emperor's forces are definitely suffering more.").
 * One investment: +1 Ardoheim CD ("We've had some difficulties with supply routes...").
 * Neither investment: +1 Ardoheim CD, -5 Army Size, -1 Army Quality ("...and I'm afraid we're frequently coming up short.").

Then comes the discussion of Ardford. The city rebuked a raid by the Incubus Emperor and his elites thanks to the High Priestesses and the Holy Knights, and the Unsuccubi he brought with him tried to attack the Incubus Emperor instead. But Ardford's supply of Chosen aren't making things much better, doing more harm than good unless you managed to talk to the Chosen at the Order of Silence's lot.
 * If you talked to the Chosen: +1 Ardoheim CD, +1 Instability ("But one of them has begun acting more seriously, actually repelling a major assault. I understand he's in Ardford now.").
 * If you didn't talk to the Chosen: +2 Ardoheim CD, +2 Instability.


 * If you donated to the Order of Silence: they also join the battle with no bonuses, but also no penalties.
 * If you never donated to the Order of Silence: +2 Ardoheim CD, +2 Instability.

OPTION TO DEPLOY AN ARMY EXTENSION

Before Simon leaves for Ardford, you have the opportunity to move any reserve troops. You could support the Western Front, the Eastern Front, or even Both Fronts if you have enough troops. You could also support neither, but you cannot overextend your current troops if you have no more reserves:

If you've got the forces to spare for both fronts, it makes a big difference.

Ardoheim 3: Mountains and Madness
Back in the Military District of Ardford, feel free to wander around and talk to people to see how things have been going.

Of note is that if Kara survived her journey, she's in the southwest corner engaged in a discussion of philosophers with none other than Orcent, and the two make plans to look into other readings.

If you spoke to the Chosen back in the Order of Silence's lot, he's outside the Blademaster's Guild but has serious doubts about the war. You can choose to either encourage him to keep fighting or give up his power. There are immediate benefits, but there are also other consequences later on.
 * Keep fighting: -1 Ardoheim CD. The Chosen begins to act more like usual.
 * Give up the power: +1 Ardoheim CD. The Chosen deserts.

After the meetings, it's time for the big prize. Go to the Bosses page to learn how to get her.

When Riala falls it's back to Yhilin to see what can be done for her. Two scenes later and the war is finally looking up.

Simon, Vhala and the rest of the Ardan squad teleport into the western mountains to clear out the Unsuccubi currently rampaging through the area. Check your formation to make sure that your party members are active after the last fight with Riala. Your progress, tracked again in a hidden Battle score, is improved by defeating unsuccubi, coordinating with your allies and convincing the Incubus Emperor's forces to stand down:
 * +2 for talking to the nun in the southwest about how to care for traumatized succubi.
 * If the New Unpeople motion passed, +3 for talking to the Unpeople sitting by the fire about baiting the succubi using sex.
 * Up to +4 for defeating Unsuccubi patrols - two wandering around on the lowest level outside, two more inside the cave.
 * +1 for talking to the succubi scout patrolling the middle level, who simply wishes to surrender.
 * +2 for talking to the Unsuccubi on the middle level, with an additional -2 to IKD Morale.
 * +2 for escaping the fight with the two succubi soldiers asking you to spare them.
 * +3 for entering the succubus camp, allowing Aka to capture their leader.
 * +2 for having Simon use his Dominate skill on the succubus soldier who doesn't want to fight but worries about her family, allow you to end the fight without killing her.
 * +2 for flanking the orcs in the northeast, allowing you to dominate them and get them to surrender without a fight. Talk to them, and they'll let you loot the chests (1070 Sx and 2 Health Potions).

Inside the cave is a black orb, and interacting with it reveals the Unsuccubus Mass boss fight. Once the Unsuccubus Mass has been defeated and you've taken care of everything else in the mountains, head up the stairs and summon the Doom King to raise some hell.

Things don't really go as planned however. The Incubus Emperor launches an assault of his own, forcing Commander Geoff to buy time with Antarion and whatever resources he has on hand. If you managed to open the War Vaults at the Ardford Summit, it grants +2 to the Battle score, and Geoff explains that he should be able to take a few blows. Unfortunately things don't go according to plan here either.

Back at the Military District, the Ardan forces (and Unpeople, if the motion passed) are preparing to counter an Unsuccubi assault. If Stark has been given a body, he joins the battle, providing +2 to the Battle score as he draws off the Unsuccubi with his undying body.

Simon's group finishes up, receives word of the attack and arrives at the scene. After some conversation, Vhala offers her assessment of the battle so far:

OPTION TO DEPLOY AN ARMY EXTENSION

You have the option of deploying a unit of troops to help out. The consequences are based on the Battle score so far:

If the army is already overextended: +3 Ardoheim CD, +1 Stineford CD, +1 IKD CD, +2 Instability, +5 IKD Morale.

Once troops are deployed or not, you learn Vhala's assessment of the final outcome of the battle:

Before Simon heads out, he must decide where Aka's group should focus their aid:

After that, you're back at Headquarters to find out what's happening with the Incubus Emperor and Yhilin forces. Then it's off to the Bloody Spire.

Incubus King's Domain 3: The Bloody Spire
Here at the Bloody Spire, it's all orcs all the time. Hope you collected some good ones. Yarra departs, leaving them to fend for themselves. As Orcent explains, Robin has modified some of the equipment you received from your suppliers for their use. So check your equipment, you possibly have better gear to distribute.

Not that you might have noticed, but your unique orcs gained some levels training with your other orcs based on your Orc Strength: 1 level for a Strength of 8, 2 levels for a Strength of 9, 3 levels for a Strength of 10 or higher.

You might also want to familiarize yourself with your orcs and their abilities.
 * Orcent: he will be present in all the games.
 * Grubbak: The only other mandatory orc.
 * The Impaler: you will be happy to have him.
 * Ralke: not a great damage dealer, but solid and dependable.
 * Implevon the Third: his behavior in combat is erratic, so it's not recommended to use him in long/continuous fights.

Note that with the exception of Orcent's Eyepatch, all gear can be shifted around between orcs, so if you've got all five orcs but only four slots on the active party then feel free to take the good stuff from the orc you're not using.

In the southeast corner is an orc merchant who sells some general orc gear including Orc Potions and Heavy Orc Potions which heal twice as much, while in the northwest area right by a fence is an orc who lets you rest your party for 1000 Sx. No matter how you arrange your party, you're not really going to have any way of healing up from damage other than using Orc Potions or paying for a nap, both of which are expensive. Still, it's a cost you're probably going to end up paying to get the best results at the Orc Summit.

Once you've got your party set up, wander around and talk to some orcs. You want to build up a secret Orc Summit score, and you do it by convincing other orcs that you're the best around and they should listen to what you have to say: Once you've got your talking (and fighting) out of your system it's time to get on with the main event - more fighting. Talk to the orc at the top of the map for an explanation. It's not a bad idea to rest and heal up first if you fought the other optional orcs, and it's an especially good opportunity to SAVE YOUR GAME (preferably in a new slot). The following challenges can be dangerous, as can the events immediately following the Spire.
 * +1 for talking to the orc by the pillars in the center of the map. Also sets the "Talky Orc Summit" flag, which will be relevant later.
 * +1 for talking to the Erosian orc in the northwest fenced area, who supports Yarra since her actions at the Gathering.
 * +1 for talking to the orc on the eastern outer edge of fenced area if you have the Impaler in the party, who supports the Impaler's raids for killing off weak orcs.
 * +1 for talking to the orc on the western edge of the map with Ralke in the party, as Ralke explains how to save orcs (and also the world).
 * +1 for talking to the Imp in the southeastern corner of the map with Implevon in the party, since imps got to stick together.
 * Talking to the ogre in the northeast corner he comes to agree with Orcent, but he will bring up any acts of sabotage Simon has performed in the IKD: you receive +1 to Orc Summit for any act of sabotage avoided (up to +2 for avoided both), +1 to Orc Summit if the Succubus Saturation was achived lead to Orcent point the support of the succubi gave to the Doom King army.
 * Challenging the ogre on the eastern edge of the map doesn't give any points for the fight, but it does give you... 1 Health Goo (and good EXP, at least).
 * Talking to the orc in the corner of the northern portion of the map results in him insulting you for being a human lover. Challenging him results in a fight against one Rabble, two Ragged Berserkers and one Armored Fighter, and winning gives +1 to Orc Summit as well as an attack-boosting Orc Gauntlet that also provides immunity to the Orc Poison ability.
 * Talking to the green orc on the southern side of the fence results in a fight with a Corrupting Shaman, two Ragged Berserkers and one Rabble. Winning gives +1 to Orc Summit and the Orc Shaman Shield, which boosts your magical attack and defense.

You are thrown into a series of fights without the possibility of either rest or change your party or gear in between, meaning that the only way to heal is to drink Orc Potions, Large or Huge Health Potions on the battlefield. Each fight you win gets you a bonus to your Orc Summit score, losing one means you're done, and you want to win all five for the best results. Winning all five fights gives you a good position for negotiations, but you'll learn more about that later on.
 * Fight 1: 5 Rabble, 1 Ragged Berserker. +1 to Orc Summit for winning. The Rabble are so weak that they should probably be unable to even scratch you if you have any decent armor, and should go down in one hit. The Ragged Berserker can probably be dropped in one hit by Grubbak's Flame Attack or Impaler's Cull the Weak. You'd have to try to lose this one.
 * Fight 2: 1 Brutal Shaman, 2 Ragged Berserkers, 1 Armored Fighter. +2 to Orc Summit for winning. The Ragged Berserkers can be knocked out quickly like before, and the Armored Fighter is severely weakened by hitting him twice with Defensive Attack, making him do no damage and allowing you to save him for last and use Piercing Attacks or magic attacks like Flame Attack or Defeat Human King to finish him off. The Brutal Shaman is dangerous though, and should be killed or weakened as fast as you can.
 * Fight 3: 2 Ragged Berserkers, 2 Armored Fighters, 1 Captain. +3 to Orc Summit for winning. Again, you can sweep the Berserkers, and use Defensive Attack to neutralize the Armored Fighters, letting you focus on the captain, who can boost the stats of the other orcs. Once he's gone it's just mop-up on the Armored Fighters, giving you time to drink some potions.
 * Fight 4: 1 Ragged Berserker, 1 Armored Fighter, 1 Corrupting Shaman, 1 Brutal Shaman. +3 to Orc Summit for winning. This may be the fourth of five fights, but it's quite possibly the hardest one since you have two shamans to deal with and not a lot of good ways to deal damage to them. Knock out the berserker and neutralize the armored orc, then focus down the shamans, starting with the Brutal Shaman because his Fire attack hurts more than Corrupting Shaman's Poison. If you can't kill a Shaman before the Shaman's turn comes up, consider having Impaler use Magic Smasher on him. Once you're down to the Armored Fighter, see if you need to heal up for the next fight.
 * Fight 5: 1 Corrupting Shaman, 1 Captain, 1 Towering Ogre. +3 to Orc Summit for winning. Strangely enough, the ogre is probably the lowest priority target - disable him with Defensive Attack first and then focus on the shaman and the captain. The captain is vulnerable to Fire, and the ogre is vulnerable to Ice. If one or two of your orcs get KO'd towards the end of the fight when you've only got one weakened enemy left, it is possible to just finish the fight and leave the orc unconscious if you think you have things under control, but don't be afraid to play it safe and use potions to revive/heal if you've come this far already.

Aram 4: Holding the Pass
Hilstara and Varia's plans to interfere with Aram's aggression are put to a halt when the Incubus Emperor launches a major assault of his own. The only way to stop things from turning into a complete disaster is to bottleneck his forces in the mountain passages.

If Altina is part of the party, then she's out scouting, and shows Hilstara which of the passages to block and which to hold. Otherwise, a generic succubus plays the same role.

The scene shifts to Hilstara in the largest of the passages, and she explains that with the army elsewhere she'll need to prepare as though she'd have to hold the line on her own. You then have an opportunity to change Hilstara and Varia's equipment. Above you have a list with the recommended gear for Hilstara for the upcoming challenge:


 * 1) Weapon: a Durge Axe is advised because these fights are a bit of race against time. You want to finish them ASAP.
 * 2) Helm: If you have Hilstara's Helm, equip it. Otherwise, the Heavy Helm from the Forge (free) or the Mammoth one.
 * 3) Shield: For the Shield, the best one is the Mammoth Shield (from the Heavy line) or the Rune Shield (from the Light side). Three is really no point of worrying about AGI, so I'd go with the heavier if you can choose.
 * 4) Armor: The best Armor in this situation is the Crusade Plate (that requires to have opened the War Vaults in Ardford). The next option is the Mammoth Armor (it can be got from a chest in Eiustrin).
 * 5) Accessory: You will need at least a Warrior's Pin (Vhala has one) or the Duelist (if you got it in Aka's path) but the Barrier Pin will be better.
 * Other thing that could help is Recovery potions. If you have any Huge Health Potions (they recover 5,000 HP) they could give you the edge required to win the fight. But keep in mind that each fight is increasingly harder and you have to win at least 3, so plan accordingly.

Since the menu is open it's not a bad idea to save your game, but note that if you load this particular save you won't be able to change your equipment again before it continues so be sure you have the gear you want when you save or you're going to have to reload an earlier save.


 * Fight 1: the first wave of attackers is 5 Rabble and 1 Ragged Berserker - who are just as easy to defeat as they were at the Bloody Spire.


 * If Altina is not part of the party, the scene doesn't shift and you start the second fight without transition.
 * If she is part of the party, then the scene shifts to her as she holds off orcs in the pass and confronts her old memories in the process, with results depending on her relationship points (her dialogue changes depending on her exact mindset):
 * If Altina's RP &ge; 80: +2 Aramite Front, 4000 EXP
 * If Altina's RP < 80: +1 Aramite Front, 3000 EXP

Then it's back to Hilstara, and the real fight begins. As with the Bloody Spire, you potentially have up to four more increasingly dangerous waves of enemies to deal with, but unlike the Bloody Spire losing a fight is going to cost you a lot more.


 * Fight 2: 2 Orc Husks, 2 Burners, -15 Aramite Front if lost. Meet some new enemies. Husks either attack you or try to blind you, while Burners are constantly losing HP and hit very hard by spending the HP, but have no defense and only 1000 HP. Use Hilstara's Shieldwall skill to get a feel for how much they can hurt her. If you receive some serious damage then you should probably be concerned.

After the fight, Hilstara sends Varia away to go help with the other passes. If you picked up the Explosives from the dwarves in the Aramite Forest, it provides +2 Aramite Front, with a further +1 Aramite Front if Varia RP is 80 or higher. Varia also gains EXP based on her relationship points:
 * If Varia's RP &ge; 100: 5000 EXP
 * If Varia's RP 90-99: 4000 EXP
 * If Varia's RP 80-89: 3000 EXP

Without the explosives, Varia is simply told to go help the others any way she can.


 * Fight 3: 1 Orc Husk 2 Burners, -8 Aramite Front if lost. One fewer Orc Husk than the last fight, but you're also short Varia's firepower. Best to start with Shieldwall to boost your defenses even further before they start swinging. If Hilstara is armored enough that even the burners can't do more than scratch her then you can wait out the burners and finish them off. Otherwise use her skill Indomitable Will to heal your way through the damage, buff your defenses and wait for them to burn out.

Win this fight and the Aramite Front is boosted further based on Hilstara's relationship points - +2 Aramite Front if Simon had the Max RP conversation with Hilstara, or +1 Aramite Front if it is 80 or higher.

The game then checks your Aramite Front score. A score of 34 or higher means that this is the final wave, Hilstara's forces managed to survive and the Aramite Front has gone so well that Hilstara gets a chance to help out in some way:

If your Aramite Front score at this point is lower than 34, then you're not out of danger yet and the waves continue:


 * Fight 4: 2 Burners, 1 Dominated Shaman, -6 Aramite Front if lost. If you're strong enough to outlast the burners, then the magic-slinging shaman is the only real threat. Using Indomitable Will boosts Hilstara's magic defenses as well as heal her, letting her slug her way through the shaman's magic.


 * Fight 5: 1 Ogre, -4 Aramite Front if lost. Buff your physical defenses, and chip away, healing with Indomitable Will when necessary.

If Hilstara manages to beat even the ogre by herself and the Aramite Front score is 24 or higher she secures some form of victory; if she loses any one of the four previous fights or the Aramite Front score is less than 24 things are going to get messy. Not only is the Aramite Front penalized based on how easy the fight was, but your game takes a further -5 Aramite Front and she has to fight in her Last Stand.


 * Last Stand: 2 Ogres, 1 Monstrous Ogre. This would be a tough boss fight with a full party, but it's even worse for a solo Hilstara, especially one who probably wasn't strong enough to fight the previous battles. This would probably be unwinnable if Hilstara didn't have the Last Stand state applied to her, granting her a boost to her attack, defense, agility, critical hit chance, HP and MP regen and hit rate, plus a penalty to her evasion rate and an immunity to being defeated by being reduced to 0 HP. She's unkillable in this state, so fight on until you win. Enjoy the fight and the pile of experience you get for winning it, because you're almost certainly not going to like what happens next...

The scene shifts to Varia giving Simon a report back at the camp, explaining how Hilstara managed to delay the Incubus Emperor's forces long enough for the armies of Yhilin, Aram and the Church to sweep in on them. The exact outcome is based on your Aramite Front score, with different dialogue depending on if Varia is Dominated or Reshaped:

Hilstara's state is further expanded on back in Yhilin: if she has suffered no serious injures the first stage of injury (Aramite Front between 22 and 33) will take at least a month to recover from (she will be ready to rejoin the fight at the start of Chapter 4, so she will miss some EXP), the second (Aramite Front between 10 and 21) will take several months (but due to the time lapse she will be fine at the start of chapter 4 too but with less EXP than in the other case), while the final one means that she's been so heavily maimed (Aramite Front < 10) that it's a miracle she's not dead, but she'll never be able to fight again.

Incubus King's Domain 4: The Final Assault
News from Iris reveals that Ginasta managed to wound the Incubus Emperor, so Simon decides to take the war to him and end this conflict before it ruins any more lives. You have a chance to prepare first, so be sure to check all your equipment. Now's your chance to get back any gear you lent to Sho (but not Hilstara if she's been sidelined by her injuries), make sure everyone's got their best gear, talking to Riala gives RP with her.

You're going to be splitting up into three groups for this mission, led by Simon, Robin and Riala. How you divide them is up to you, but here is some general advice:
 * A common enemy encountered by each group has high physical defense, meaning you want some form of magic attack in each group. Robin and Riala are both mages, so it's not a bad idea to put Yarra and/or Altina in Simon's group. It may also be good to put Aka in Robin's group so she can use Flaming Stab.
 * Vhala is immune to Qum's healing abilities, so don't put them together if you need to rely on a single healer. On the other hand, Riala also uses SP for her abilities, so she works well with Qum.
 * There is an encounter with a proto-unsuccubi in the lowest level that's best faced by someone with high DEF and/or MDF. Only Robin's group can attempt it. You can only use defensive and healing spells, as you will fail if you deal her her any damage (so you can't debuff her). She hits very hard, but, if you survive, you will be fully rested. There are various strategies to deal with it:
 * If Hilstara is available, she is the best option, as this task is right up to her alley. With who can boost defenses such as Carina (with Shield of Purity) and/or Reshaped Varia (with Encourage). If you have both, that is even better. If you have the other version of Varia, use Uyea as a second healer instead.
 * If she is not present at the party, there are other options:
 * Nalili or Vhala: both have a good HP pool HP and reasonable DEF. The bad news is that neither have the Encouragment skill so you can only increase their maximum HP Reshaped Varia.
 * Robin: may work if she has good equipment and allies to buff her DEF and MDF.
 * Carina: make sure she's got full defense buffs (e.g. via Encourage / Shield of Purity in the first round), and then just have Carina heal herself with Divine Touch every turn (everyone else will get knocked out). It's kinda heart-rending, but it's also the kind of selfless thing she'd do. Proposed by Lamsey in the blog.

Possible party arrangement: It's difficult to provide a walkthrough of the castle with text only, but the idea is fairly simple: go forward until you encounter something you can't get through, then switch to a different party and repeat the process. Robin starts in the basement, Simon starts at the front door, and Riala starts near the roof. Once Simon passes through the front door, the Incubus Emperor activates three barriers, requiring all three groups to make their way to the sparkling spots to break the barrier at the same time. Along the way the three groups have to defeat a mid-boss:
 * Riala is a very potent succubus mage, possessing a full array of both spells and sexual skills (note she has two skill menus).
 * Simon, Vhala, Altina, Uyae
 * Robin, Hilstara, Varia, Carina, Aka
 * Riala, Qum, Nalili, Yarra
 * Simon encounters a mid-boss (Distorted Demon) that's very vulnerable to Anti-Sex damage, vulnerable to Sex and Lightning and resists Physical attacks, Fire and Ice damage, so Vhala does well in his group (9680 EXP).
 * Robin encounters a mid-boss (Draconic Beast) that blocks her access to the upper room. It is vulnerable to Ice and mildly vulnerable to Anti-Sex and Sex damage. Its defeat provides 9509 EXP.
 * Riala encounters an Unsuccubus Mass like the one in the Ardan Mountains. This one resists debuffs to ATK and MAG, but it's still vulnerable to Ice and provides 6666 EXP (less than others, but Riala's group fights more enemies in total).

Of the common enemies you encounter, Flickering Wraiths might be the most annoying to deal with, since they have high physical defenses and take a while to beat down with weapons, meaning that they're best dealt with by magic attacks using Robin, Riala, Yarra, or Altina (or Aka's Flaming Stab if she's in Robin's party). Of the remaining enemies, you should be familiar with the Unsuccubi by now, Inflamed Breeders are vulnerable to Sex and Anti-Sex damages, and the Lust Ooze has a chance of inflicting Lust Death with its attacks so be sure to kill them quickly.

There are several succubi guards on the map, but most of them will surrender to Simon's forces if their morale is low enough, building up a Surrender score (if overcome the optional fight +1 Surrender Score, -5 IKD Morale and a Rabid Whip) that comes into effect after you defeat the Incubus Emperor:

The teleport crystal Robin needs to access is in the southeast floor of where she first comes in.

Simon crosses paths with Ginasta on the outskirts of the Incubus Emperor's castle, and the two have a conversation. If their relationship is good enough (-25 or higher) then Ginasta makes a promise: if Simon does not become a tyrant, she'll lend her strength to the citizens of the domain while recover. This grants +1 to Surrender score, -1 Instability and -1 IKD CD. Otherwise she simply stays long enough to witness the Incubus Emperor's fall and then recovers her strength before setting out to hunt down Simon. There is a treasure chest nearby, but Ginasta got to it first.

Aside from simply heading to the Incubus Emperor, there are several challenges and collectibles to acquire. Once you're ready, be sure to take back any of the gear you loaned Riala, since she won't be participating in the battle with the Incubus Emperor himself. Head north and you'll face the Incubus Emperor in a brief conversation before he retreats to his throne room, challenging Simon to follow him.

Heading north also triggers the final check of the Surrender score, determining how well you did convincing the succubus forces to stand down:

Your group has been fully healed, and now is the time to figure out your final party for the fight against the Incubus Emperor.

Aftermath
Talk to your party members to see their thoughts on the situation (especially Hilstara if she was injured in Aram), then talk to Janine and Iris once you're finished.

Orc summit consequences
Several scenes later and it's time to begin the process of recovering from this war. The party splits up to cover the different fronts. Aka reunites with the orcs, who report on their progress, as determined by the Orc Summit score. With a high enough score the orc legions decide to serve the Doom King, represented by the Orc Bonus variable:

OPTION TO DEPLOY AN ARMY EXTENSION (conditional)

If you didn't earn the allegience of the orcs then you have the option of stationing a unit of your reserve forces to help keep the peace:

In Yhilin
Several scenes later and you're back at the palace, where Trin asks what Simon wants her to focus on in the Incubus King's Domain. Essentially you're choosing what to keep settled, and whatever you're not focusing on gets worse:
 * Focus on stability: +2 IKD CD
 * Focus on reducing damage: +2 Instability
 * Just fuck shit up: Trin tells Simon to stop teasing her and pick one of the boring, helpful options. Selecting this option more than three times results in her telling him "But thou must."

Then, Riala and Iris offer their assessment of how the Domain residents now view you, based on how much you reduced IKD Morale. Doing well enough unlocks various bonus events with the Domain's succubi later on:

Riala and Iris also receive relationship points based on your decisions:
 * If Orcent and the other orcs managed to convince the hordes to join the Doom King, Iris says "the horde is surprisingly controlled" and you get to Iris and Riala's RP scores.
 * If Simon ordered his forces to sabotage the succubi back in the tunnels, then it's to Riala's RP and  to Iris's RP.
 * If Simon ordered his forces to sabotage the Chalice, then it's to Riala's RP and  to Iris's RP.

In Zirantia
Over in Zirantia, Biyue discusses events with Orilise:
 * If you supported the Old Zirantian League, then the league is keeping things together: +2 Zirantia CD, +1 Instability
 * If you supported no one, things aren't under control: +5 Zirantia CD, +2 Instability
 * If your Zirantia Investigation score is 15 or higher, then the corruption is contained. Otherwise you receive +2 Zirantia CD.

Unfortunately, an assault on Zirantia by the Fucklord means that Simon must now make a choice - should the Doom King focus on helping the Zirantians, or stay and focus on repairing the Domain? Whichever one you neglect gets worse. Your reputation also determines the outcome: if you're well-liked then they want you to help out, while if you suffered then they'd prefer you keep to your own affairs.
 * Stay Here: +5 Zirantia CD, and either -1 Arclent Acceptance if it's 25 or higher, or +1 Arclent Acceptance if it's under 25.
 * Go to Zirantia: +5 IKD CD, and either +1 Arclent Acceptance if it's 25 or higher, or -1 Arclent Acceptance if it's under 25.

In Stineford
Over in Stineford, Robin is working to clear the corruption from the mine when she hears about the Zirantian attack, but an attack by a band of mercenaries forces her to make a decision - stay and work on her project or risk herself and put a stop to them?

Sho volunteers to help, so equip her with decent gear (don't be afraid of losing it, you will have the chance to recover it very early in Chapter 4). If Rachila survived the battle in Stineford, Robin can talk to her to receive a magic defense boost for the first three rounds of battle. Then it's up to her to talk to the mage and make a decision:
 * Help reinforce the barrier: +1 Instability, +1 Stineford CD.
 * Fight the mercenaries: you go to fight the Magekillers once more.

In Aram
Over in Aram, tensions are flaring up between the Aramite and succubi forces, and Hilstara must make a difficult decision about how to emply her military forces: However, if Robin did Qum's research project then Qum provides her own solution. Boop! Enjoy the scene.
 * Force Aram back: +5 Aram CD, +2 IKD CD, -5 Army Size, +2 Instability
 * Force the succubi back: +2 Aram CD, +5 IKD CD, -5 Army Size, +2 Instability
 * Stand in the center: +2 Aram CD, +2 IKD CD, -10 Army Size, +1 Instability

With that out of the way, you begin the process of nation-building with the three domains carved out of the Incubus Emperor's territory. There's the Succubi Chalice States, the orc nation of Tak'Kan and the new Givini nation of... New Givini. Each starts with its own hidden score:
 * Chalice States: 10
 * New Givini: -5
 * Tak'Kan: -5

At this point in the game, there is a change in your Instability score based on your Army Size:

Petitioners
Then you're taken to the Conference Chamber where many different representatives are asking for your support, be it military, political, or economic. Your military support comes in the form of any remaining Military Reserves you didn't deploy during the war (plus a possible free one if the Yhilin coup went OK), while your Social and Economic reserves are calculated now:

So you can have as much as 4 Political Capital and 3 Economic Aid reserves, or no reserves at all. In this last case, the scene may be a bit depressing.

Iris tells you how many of each reserve you happen to have, and you can also check that sum with her at any time.

Vhala gains RP and Esthera  RP for each of:
 * Instability < 40
 * total CD < 75

Guaranteed appearance
Some petitioners show up no matter what:

Wynn is always present and she has a discussion with Simon about what happened with the Fucklord in Zirantia. The orb on the western side of the screen can be interacted with for a call from Eustrin's King Relondo and an ominous message from Aram.

Guaranteed appearance (option to bypass)
Some petitioners always show up, but their requests can be bypassed by the right conditions:

Conditional appearance
Some only show up under certain conditions:

If the Total Collateral Damage from all fronts is 100 or higher, Sarai shows up with a petition from the Church to help clean up corruption. This request can't be refused and doesn't have any immediate effects, but Robin states that it will tax your resources later on.

Bonus requests
Some petitioners show up under certain conditions, but their petition is free and entirely beneficial:

Once you've dealt with all the petitioners, it's time to move on to a more solemn matter.

A time to mourn
Various mourners are present at the graveyard, but some showing up under different conditions:
 * If Kara died on the way to Ardford, the priestess is here to mourn.
 * If Rachila died at Stineford, Robin and Simon discuss her death.
 * If Robin did Qum's research, one of the people it affected is here contemplating the experience.
 * If Simon urged the Chosen in Ardford to give up his power, he's now normal again and reveals his name to be Kalant.

Others are always present:
 * Janine, reflecting about the burden of command.
 * Antarion, doing a hypocritical gesture with the man that he left to his fate.
 * A proto-unsuccubi, mourning the death of a friend.

A time to invest
Check this section of the investments page to learn more about costs, advantages or conditions. But, just in case that you need some advice, here you have it:
 * There are a number of investments that will be more expensive later, so you should prioritize them in favor of the other ones.
 * Of the National Trades, the New Givini one is most interesting one as it will affect the cost of an investment later. Check this section to calculate your score. But the three has been made more profitable (and interesting) in version 0.32.2.

Once you have chosen your new investments, speak with Megail to continue.

If you finished all the research projects available and Sarai don't request aid to clean the corruption (total CD value 100 or higher), you get a quick scene with Robin deciding to start a research project of her own (no more info on this available for now). Then it's a few more scenes that raise more questions than answers and it's on to Chapter 4.

You made it through the Third Arclent War, good work!