Invasion of Yhilin

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

This guide will offer thorough advice regarding each situation without giving away any of the variables involved. If you would prefer seeing the explicit mechanics of this section, a guide that presents them can be found here.

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

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

Final preparations

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

Orc band

The chapter starts with the party mopping up an orc cave. Loot their meager hoard first. Going inside, you face a group fight.

If the orc extermination campaign is in effect, the orc band's previous leader has been killed, and you've just offed the current one. If it's not in effect, you have the pleasure of meeting Ralke, another intelligent orc. In both cases, you add the band to your army.

Calm before the storm

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

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

While you can still wander around, talk to everyone. (Hint: look behind the potted plants...)

Dari's location.

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

Talking to Janine reveals that while you were away, tensions in Yhilin has been escalating. You need to act soon. Talking to her again presents you with the option to start the invasion. Choosing it triggers a pre-battle council with your allies. Pay attention to everyone's words:

Megail reports about the equipment and supply of your army, the result of hiring all those suppliers in Chapter 2. It's followed by a discussion of your long-term and short term goals, as well as a summary of what enemies you should expect, the dislocation of your troops and the consequences of the battle. The lines about achieving military objectives while minimizing "army losses, collateral damage, and chaos" hint at the hidden mechanics of the battle and the categories in which its effects will be graded.

Place to insert description of the hidden stats? In a collapsible section?

After the council, Simon's conversation with Janine will be interrupted: Aka's transformation is complete (+10 affection).

The invasion

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

First strike

Save point.

A short cutscene introduces Simon to his army's battlefield HQ, manned womanned and orced by Hilstara, Aka, Nalili, and Orcent. Then it's time to put on the Incubus King armor and attack Ari-Relhana.

After a dramatic appearance on the city square, Simon sends his orcs into attack. A succubus appears to report - her words provide feedback on the military success of your strike, including the elimination of enemy nobles, and how well the orcs have behaved so far. You need to decide what Simon should do next:

• Assist in the battle
• Enforce orc discipline
• Target enemy nobles
• Assault mage tower (only if Robin has researched Essence Shielding)

Orcent's choice

Back at the battlefield HQ, you have to decide what to do with Orcent's half of the orc army:

• Guard Ari-Yhilina
• Intercept Ari-Khan
• Attack Nobles

The Doom King

At the Yhilin Castle, the court has received news of the invasion. While Janine tries to minimize losses, the nobles freak out. A report gives them the name of the enemy leader, overheard from an orc: "the Doom King". The name sticks, continuing the tradition of Incubus Kings to have silly names. After the Doom King himself contacts them, Janine's willingness to negotiate with such monstrous power shocks the nobles... and some see an opportunity to strike.

Mercs on the move

Back at the battlefield HQ, Hilstara's group receives the news of Simon's new pseudonym with mixed reactions. More pressingly, they have to deal with the first group of enemies to engage them: the mercenary legions.

First in the line are our old buddies, the Redlight Mercenaries, led by Ivastan & Co. Prepare for combat! There are two variants: they can either be intercepted on the battlefield, or to show up at the HQ itself. (Which one you get seems to depend on orc extermination and/or army size.) The only difference is that on the battlefield you have an additional fight with some low-rank members before confronting Ivastan and his two seconds-in-command. The only unpleasant part of the fight(s) is that your group has no healer. Unfortunately, this is not your final meeting with Ivastan - after you defeat him, his trio teleports away.

Save point.

If you faced Ivastan on the battlefield...

The mercantile legions have been smashed in your absence. Now, deal with the consequences:

• Send orcs for healing
• Rebuild traps

OR

If Ivastan managed to reach the command post...

You need to decide how to deal with the mercantile legions.

• Reinforce position
• Sending scouting parties

Death from above

Battlefield HQ. Robin reports that the enemies have launched a magic-propelled airship. Something needs to be done.

• If you don't have enough affection with Aka, Simon will have to deal with the thing himself.
• If you have 80 affection with Aka, she takes the airship down.
• If you have 100 affection, the airship falls on an enemy legion, killing them.

Follow-through

In Ari-Relhana, Robin reports to Simon the results of the airship operation.

If the airship was not shot down, Simon has to take care of it and can't do anything else. (?)

Otherwise, you get to choose how Simon should assist the assault:

• Hit Main Army
• Lead Orcs
• Destroy Enemy Position

Robin also provides an update about the battle's progress. If you've managed to undermine House Jade during Chapter 2, its armies have been much weakened.

What happens otherwise? I noticed that if you do extra demons in the mine, also mentions that house Arma

The next enemy are the armies of the nobles from the south. They are advancing through Rebel's Pass...

Rebel's Pass

Yarra: "NOM NOM NOM!"

Save point.

This is a short, but hilarious cutscene of Yarra's succubus corps ambushing the troops in the pass. (To a great success if you've funded the bridge restoration.)

What happens if the bridge is down?

A quartet of mages

What happens if you've never met them before?

Back at the battlefield HQ, a succubus reports that there's a group of four mages that is too strong for the orc army to handle. (If you've taken a certain sub-quest during Chapter 2, their description should sound familiar.) You have to choose whether to send Hilstara's group to fight them:

• Stay here
• Fight them - Your second (or first?) encounter with the Magekillers. Combat! When defeated, they drop the Green Hat and teleport away. Save point.

Kick her while we are down

At the Queen's palace, a soldier reports to Janine that the city is under attack - not by the orcs, but by a human army. It's another coup attempt!

They keep coming

Simon returns to the battlefield HQ. The veteran army of Ari-Khan is about to arrive.

Pay attention to Hilstara's words when she describes the enemy's disposition - they can come either clustered ("most of our opponents are clustered together") or not ("some of our opponents are spread out and others are clustered").

Any other possibilities? Enemy is spread out over a broad area. Takes option spread opponents out.

This affects your available choices and has consequences down the line. (The clustering itself probably depends on whether the orc extermination went into effect or not, and/or the size of your army.)

Your options:

• Keep current position
• Group opponents (appears only if the enemies are not grouped)
• Spread out opponents

If you've sent Orcent's army to Intercept Ari-Khan in the beginning, his orcs attack them from behind.

Healers in trouble

A short scene at the healer's clearing, where Carina, Qum and Balia work on the orcs fallen in battle. Unfortunately, an enemy force finds them. Back at the HQ, you have to decide how to deal with the situation:

• Rescue party members
• Hold the position

Help or hindrance?

What happens if the Impaler was not spared? does not show up, no succubus reporting it.

Battlefield HQ. A succubus reports that a band of orcs lead by the Impaler has arrived.

The last decisive choice

Battlefield HQ. You face the last major tactical decision in the battle. What exactly it is depends on some of your previous choices:

Does this also depend on Orcent's actions? Choosing to group opponents when spread over a vast area gives you the Ari-Relahna walls were breached.

If the enemies were not grouped and you chose to "Keep current position", or if they were grouped and you chose to "Spread out opponents"...

The walls of Ari-Relhana have been breached.

• Throw troops into the breach
• Abandon wall positions, fortify elsewhere
• Ignore breach, counterattack elsewhere

OR

If the enemies were grouped and you chose to "Keep current position", or they were not grouped and you chose to "Group opponents"...

You position is going to be caught in a pincer attack.

• Hold ground
• Retreat
• Break through one pincer

OR

If the enemies were not grouped and you chose to "Spread out opponents"...

A group of orcs has been surrounded.

• Abandon group
• Save orcs
• Exploit chance to attack elsewhere

The end?

Doom King: "THE BATTLE IS OVER"

Standing on a field strewn with corpses, Simon receives the first reports of the outcome of the battle.

These lists are incomplete. The battle for Yhilina is just beginning

Hilstara gives preliminary evaluation of chaos and/or collateral damage.

• "It is difficult to say."
• "I would anticipate a great deal..."

Orcent's words seem to indicate the losses inflicted on your army:

• "Despite the chaos..."
• "Though many fell..."
• "Many have fallen."
• "We more or less held together..."

Yarra gives collateral damage?

• "Actually,..." not much worse than human army
• "It's a war,..."

At this point, the group is contacted by Janine who makes them aware of the coup attempt. The good news is that the mastermind behind the plot has been located. Janine also asks for help against the attackers. (If you have chosen to send orcs to guard Ari-Yhilina, they've managed to blunt the strike somewhat. If you have hired the Dusty Horde, they've been annihilated.) In any case, you have to decide whether to send orcs into the city to crush the coup:

• Keep orcs out
• Send orcs into Ari-Yhilina

Meanwhile, elsewhere

This section probably depends on those characters' personalities.

While battles rage outside and inside the city, Ari-Yhilina's slums are in chaos:

The elf ghetto is on fire. Altina saves the elder.

In the Kingsmen bar, people are winding themselves up to rise against the Queen. Varia shows up to... persuade them otherwise. Combat!

Facing the mastermind

Save point.

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

After the selection, the group is teleported in the treasure room of the Hidden Stronghold. Opening the room's door triggers an alarm - you have three minutes to face the mysterious mastermind before they teleport away (and you get a GAME OVER). Hint: the main objective is doable under normal conditions, but if you want to get the maximum out of the area, it's a good idea to enable text skipping and disable attack animations in the System menu.

General house layout:

• Top left: Storeroom, your entry point. Contains an intriguing metal chest. You can't open it before opening the vault's door; Robin remarks that in addition to the magical defense, it appears to be guarded. The only exit is at the bottom.
• Top left, a bit lower: guard room, connecting to...
• Top left, right of the guard room: a library, connecting to...
• Center, from middle to bottom: a large hallway, patrolled by a couple of guards that try to catch up with you when they spot you. (Combat!)
• Top right, opposite the library: a living room with a piano. A passage appears to lead "up" from the room; its entrance is a hidden door below a painting. Interacting with it prompts you to look for a key...
• Bottom left: a living room with four jewel boxes on tables in the corners.
• Bottom right: a room with a floating magic crystal. It has no apparent points of entry, only a wall shared with the hallway. Hmmm...

Walkthrough (with spoilers):

• The guards are avoided easily, but you can whack them for XP. Each one is a pair of Defenders - one with magical attack, one with physical. Both are weak to Lust.
• The hidden passage leads to the mastermind's chamber. To open its door, you need a key. It's in the lower left box in the lower left room. (If you are fast enough, you can also loot the other boxes for some Sx.)
• When you enter the chamber, the timer stops, but you are jumped by a pair of powerful unpeople: an Arcane Unhuman and an Unhuman Failure.
• If you win the battle, but you haven't disabled the teleportation spells, the mastermind gets away (and you get a GAME OVER). To disrupt the teleportation system, you need to interact with the crystal in the magic room before the final showdown. The room has no visible door, but you can interact with the sections of the wall. One of them is fake and will let you through; you exit the same way.
• Your only chance of getting the contents of the chest in the vault is before you face the mastermind, i.e. while the timer ticks. Prepare for a fight with a few demons!

How to discipline your orc

At the outskirts of Ari-Yhilina, Orcent's command over the orc troops is slipping, and an orc challenges him. Combat!

Aftermath

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

Simon starts first, describing your military success:

• A: "victory was crushing"
• B: "sound victory"
• C: "decent victory"
• D: "we struggled"

Next, Janine describes how much chaos the attack caused:

• A: "remarkably contained."
• B: "ugly, but the situation isn't unworkable."
• C: Merchant Quarter shutdown and "ugly, but the situation isn't unworkable."
• D: Merchant Quarter shutdown and "It will take time for every layer of society to recover."
• E: Merchant Quarter shutdown and "It will take a great deal of time for every layer of society to recover."

(Damage to the city? I think that the Merchant Quarter bit goes here.)

And what were the "death tolls", i.e. the collateral damage:

• A: "I hesitate to say I rejoice,"
• B: "though many were spared,"
• C: "all these bodies weigh on my conscience."
• D: "I fear many civilians were killed"
• E: "I shudder to think of all the lives"

(Military losses?)
(Acceptance?)

Simon asks Janine about her general feelings. If the results are good overall, she answers "Honestly, relieved." (+5 affection).

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

Left to right, top to bottom:

• Robin tells you how she feels about the battle - it the price was worth the cost ("Despite the cost..."), you gain +2 affection. She also reports on the situation with the Order of Yhilini Thaumaturgy. If she has researched Yhilini magic, she'll be able to send them a message to surrender; otherwise, you'll have to rely on Janine.
• Aka is doubting her conscience, but she really wants to... see you later.
• Yarra asks how to deal with an enemy commander that refuses to surrender; seducing him may be the easiest way to do it.
  • Yes
  • No
• Megail
• Hilstara
• Trin complains of boredom; if you have copied the Big Man during Chapter 2, she mentions that he died heroically in the battle (EFFECTS!), freeing one copy slot.
• Altina
• Varia
• Carina: Clinic?
• Dari tells you how she feels about the battle - it the price was worth the cost ("Sounds like the battle went great overall!"), you gain +3 affection. She also enthusiastically agrees to hunt down the remaining sleeper agents of the coup mastermind.
• Sarai has foiled an attempted takeover of the Cathedral by Andra; "since there aren't many Unpeople to interfere", Sarai has a lot of control.
• Balia
• Orcent

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

Listed here are all possible petitioners, but some appear only on certain conditions.

From left to right, top to bottom:

• Royal soldier (green armor; only if you have not hired the Dusty Horde): Unsupervised, the Dusty Horde are looting and pillaging - someone needs to deal with them.
  • Send royal army
  • Send orcs
• House Thelon (red hair, blue cloak): The head of the house has been mortally wounded during the battle by lust magic and needs a suitable healer.
  • Refuse request
  • Send Qum - She'll heal him, unless you have whored her out in Stineford; at 100 affection, this will also add an acceptance bonus.
  • Send Carina - Only healing.
• Rabble-hater (blond hair, gray cassock): There's still rioting in the slums, he hopes you send orcs "to take out the trash".
  • Send royal army
  • Send orcs
  • Send succubi
• Ardan embassy (bald old guy): There is a diplomatic delegation from Ardoheim on the way. Who will escort it?
  • Send a human escort
  • Send an orc escort
• Warrior (headband, purple armor; only if the orcs weren't exterminated): Asks you to send troops to stop the raids of unaffiliated orcs.
  • Use humans
  • Use orcs
• House Adamant (blonde noblewoman): the mine. (Depends on how the mine issue was resolved in Chapter 2?)
• House Rose (silver hair): reports how the battle affected the House; it depends on whether you've paid the Ari-Garda or not.

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

• Carina or Qum will appear to report if you have sent them to heal House Thelon's leader.
• Yarra will appear if you have sent her to seduce the stubborn commander.

Relationship points

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

	Military				Chaos					Collateral damage
Character	A	B	C	D	A	B	C	D	E	A	B	C	D	E
Altina (addled)	+3	+1
Nalili	+5	+3	+2	+1
Trin	+5	+3	+2	+1
Varia (dominated)	+5	+3	+1
Yarra	+5	+3	+2	+1
Hilstara					+5	+2	-2	-3	-5
Megail					+2		-2	-3	-5
Varia (reshaped)					+5	+4	+3	+1	-1
Altina (saner)										+5	+3	+1	-2	-5
Aka										+5	+3	+1	-2	-5
Carina										+2	+1	-1	-3	-5
Sarai										+5	+3	+1	-2	-5
Janine	+2		-1	-2	+2	+1	-1	-3	-3	+3	+1	-1	-3	-5

Additionally, a few personal bonuses:

• Janine: +5 if you get the "Honestly, relieved." line
• If the military success of the battle outweighs the costs in chaos and collateral damage (all of these have the exactly the same condition?):
  • Robin: +2, she says "Despite the cost, I feel as though what we accomplished was worth it."
  • Dari: +3, she says "Sounds like the battle went great overall!"
  • Esthera: +5 (hidden!)