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.

(As of Version 0.28 the conflict is not yet finished, so consider this guide incomplete with the possibility that things may change dramatically upon release of v.0.29 or later).

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 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.").
 * 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

Investments:
 * Dwarf 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 the Yhilin Square or Economic Chaos
 * Magic Standardization
 * Arcane/Sexual Agreement

Research projects:
 * Essence Shielding
 * Orc Evolution
 * Order of Thaumaturgy Exam

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 you talked to the surviving Chosen in the Order of Silence's empty lot.
 * If the Battle for Yhilin resulted in Social Chaos and/or Population Devastation.
 * If the head of House Thelon was treated by Qum and survived.
 * If Carina's men were saved in their previous encounter with the Incubus King's orcs.
 * 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 Preparations score
 * Yhilin Acceptance score
 * Religion score

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 and Uyae.
 * 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.

Instability is calculated, with a starting value of 10 wich 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 what happened during the Border Incident and how Yhilin chose to respond:

(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.

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

The Seed of Corruption is similar to the ones you've faced before but with more HP and higher attack values: the seed is vulnerable to fire, 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 seed wasn't the only seed Iris launched. One already struck the poorly-defended Ari-Vhel too late for the party to deal with it. How well the city defends itself depends on your War Preparations score: The other seeds are launched at Aram, Ardoheim, Stineford and Zirantia. A last one is launched depending on your Border(s) reinforcement (or rather, focuses on regions 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 score. But it can destabilize the region if the border score is low enough.)

It's time to solve the problem, which involves to split the party. First, talk to the other people in the room and see what's happening.

Four identical fights await you in four regions. With Robin heading off 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 party members.

Varia in particular can be very powerful if equiped with attack-boosting gear and some lust resistance (Crusader Mail for Reshaped Varia, or the custom blades for Dominated Varia). She can potentially solo a seed inside of two rounds by 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 XP if nothing else.

Without Robin in the party, Altina is your only source of fire damage (provided that you recruited her of course), 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 Batlle Progress score wich is boosted by a further +1 if you bring the right party member 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.

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 the New Unpeople motion passed: +2 Battle Progress as the new Unpeople deal with the threat.
 * If you supported the Old Zirantian League: +1 Battle Progress as the League cooperates.

Your progress is then totaled and determines your results: That was just the opening move, but if you want to end this war quickly you're going to have to contain the damage and engage the Incubus Emperor on all fronts. It's time for the party to split up again on different battlegrounds.


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

Be sure to make any last 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 to fight the Incubus Emperor.

Travel up and feel free to stop and talk to anyone you encounter 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 just how stable and secure the war in Aram is. 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 talking about the horrors they've seen. 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 state of the border incident also provides a bonus to Aramite Front if things are going well, and determines what enemies spawn. The succubi scouts are in the Northeast, while the Monsters and Deserters are wandering around the southern part of the map. Defeating the enemy as the priestess requested, gives an additional +1 Aramite Front.

Talk to the Priestess again when you're ready to move on. Hilstara and Simon discuss the state of the front, bringing up the possibility of stationing extra troops in Aram to protect the refugees: Having the reserves is a great deal, especially since it opens up 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: Send your orcs straight north if they're stronger, or into the mountains if they're smarter. If they're both strong and smart then it might be better to send them straight north since Instability is boosted by more things than Aram Collateral Damage score.
 * 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:

With that decision out of the way, it's time for a brief character interlude between Hilstara, Varia and possibly Altina that plays out differently depending on the personalities of the latter two, and 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 occupies 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 take a quick decision: Recruiting the succubi offers a potentially massive hit to enemy morale, but also opens up conversations with the succubi afterwards.
 * 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:

Furthermore, a succubus in the northwest corner of the map gives a quest to clear out the monsters located in the caverns. 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. Talking to her after you defeat all three gives -1 IKD CD.

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 are his orcs going to 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 north east, 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 one uses more physical attacks while the other uses lust attacks.

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 Preparations 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 makes a comment about one of Simon's newest party members). 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 the New Unpeople motion passed: Vhala requests that they visit a remote fortress near the Watchtowers and the party has to fight two wolves and three scorpions.
 * If the New Unpeople motion 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. The succubus mage incinerates the soldiers guarding the bridge with a single spell, spooking Antarion into retreating. But as fate would have it, she simply teleports away rather than facing down Simon.

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

Aram 2: Aramite Forest
Back to Hilstara's group, Simon's briefs her on the course of the battles in Ardoheim so far with the Collateral Damage: As well as 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 +1 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 bonuses or penalties come into play. How many soldiers the army has lost depends on your Orc Discipline:

The call finished, a letter asks the party to meet a mysterious orc in a nearby cave. Explore the various encampments nearby to help coordinate the war effort: 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.
 * If he is alive, 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:

Her comments also change based on your Religion score:
 * While it provides no mechanical effect, the numbers 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 Aram Supplier gives +1 Aramite Front with a bonus based on your investment(s): 1 point for Dwarf Supplier, 1 point for Megail's Supplier and 2 points for Aram Supplier, with the sum determining how well your supply line can do:
 * To the south is the Church's camp. If your affection with Sarai is 50 or higher, she sent a priestess to coordinate efforts with Yhilin's succubi. The amount of help she can provide is based on your affection score:
 * Religion 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 allows Hilstara to convince the Inquisition to avoid blundering into a costly 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. Mestan 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: 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. You then fight four succubi.

At this point there is an unavoidable increase of Aram Collateral Damage. How big is depends of your Aramite Front score: 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: 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.
 * 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.
 * 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: 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-Yhilins Square:
 * If Ari-Yhilins Square was destroyed and never rebuilt: +1 Instability and +5 Yhilin CD, and the following scene is skipped.
 * If Ari-Yhilins 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: The Yhilin Coup score is totaled up and used to determine its effects: 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'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 Preparations 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 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 Qum healed and saved the head of House Thelon: +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:
 * 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 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 the 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 orc wandering 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 (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.
 * Do nothing: to Yarra, Qum and Nalili's RP.

Stineford 2: 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, 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. She can be revived with Simon's Support skill, though you might want to wait until towards the end of the battle. 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: 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: The bonuses are totaled to determine how well you're doing: 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 Ardoheim Naval Guild:
 * If Stineford Preparations score is 10+: "The one bit of good news is that we seem to be maintaining control of the Stineford region."
 * If Stineford Preparations score is < 10: "The Stineford region is at least stable. It's not a problem compared to other concerns."
 * If Succubus Saturation is achieved: +2 Battle Progress.
 * If Orc Evolution wasn't researched: -3 penalty Battle Progress and +1 Ardoheim CD.
 * 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: -2 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.

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: Many Meetings
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 may be 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.

See you next time when we get ready to finish the fight!