Mission:The Choice of Hope - Part Five: Twisted Memories

Part Five: Twisted Memories

Briefing

Scirocco is going to go investigate the office building you discovered. We'll need you to help the wizards that Vanguard provided to reach out to the Sentinel. The creature seems to have some connection to you, some reason why it bitterly hates you. I'm not sure why it would hate someone that's of your stature, though.

The place where they'll be attempting to bind the Sentinel for you to talk with it will be the same place where Scirocco fought the creature some time ago.

• So I'm just supposed to walk up and -talk- to the Sentinel?

I know, it isn't exactly the best of plans, but at this point we're running out of options. We're getting reports of Mot's influence spreading in various parts of the globe. People as far away as Australia are reporting 'strange mouths' erupting from the ground to devour people.

Mot's power has grown to the point where it doesn't care about feeding on a person's guilt or sorrow, it just wants to feed, and it has the power to take whoever it wants. The number of people it can devour is going up as we speak; soon, Mot will be able to devour entire cities, Character.

In the meantime, I will be working on preparations for a possible final battle on my end. Destroy the Ravagers of Mot within the cave and you should be able to lure the Sentinel back out. The Vanguard Wizards will be in place to bind it. You won't have a lot of time, but try to see if you can reach out to it and discover its true identity.

Unnecessary Solicitation

Don't worry about me, Character. I've got plenty to do on my end.

Mission Objective(s)

Map: MOT_GRANITE_CAVES

You're here.

• Release the Sentinel's Humanity
  • 5 Ravagers to defeat to lure out the Sentinel
  • Investigate the trapped Sentinel

You've discovered the true identity of the Sentinel, and a way to weaken Mot.

Enemies

Banished Pantheon

Notable NPCs

• Sentinel of Mot

Ravager Dialogue

Ravager: Your existence has come to an end. Accept it and Mot's embrace will be yours.

---

Ravager: Your hope is gone. Even now, your immunity begins to waver. You cannot hope to stand to Mot.

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Ravager: Why do you continue? Accept your fate, embrace becoming one with Mot.

---

Ravager: There is no one left to stand against Mot. Understand this and weep.

Sentinel of Mot

Briefing

The Sentinel snarls at you with its giant maw, mucus-covered spit flying out from between its many teeth. The binding spell from the Vanguard seems to be holding it back.

Character... the fact that you stand here and live freely while I am bound once more...!

You chose all of this... you chose to have me die, while you lived! I will not forget... I will not forgive...!

• Who are you, really?

Who am I?! Hah... haha... you do not recognize me in my new form. It has been hundreds upon hundreds of years. I have waited all of this time to be released, to destroy you for what you've done.

I was Marcus Valerius, captain of the guard in Cimerora. I was the one who took the burden of Mot, I was the one who chose to sacrifice everything to save Cimerora! And it was all for nothing. My name was forgotten, while you, you became a legend. Mot showed me the truth in my dying breath, the nature of it all. It showed me how you manipulated everyone so that I was the one chosen to take the idol, that I would suffer while you sat comfortably, lavishing the praise of the Cimerorans!

All of our encounters, they were only a means to an end for you... you needed me alive so that you would not be the one who took the burden of the idol!

• I saved your life because it was the right thing to do, not for my own benefit!

The right thing to do? You sent me to my doom, Character, ALL of us went to our doom!

I did this for my people, and my people abandoned me! They forgot about me, about all of us who sacrificed our lives! Mot has not... all that I've done with Mot shall echo through eternity.

It showed me the truth of things, that Sister Solaris was a fraud, that Imperious was nothing but a tyrant over Cimerora!

You can tell that Mot has twisted Marcus Valerius's mind to hate his former friends and loved ones. You'll need something physical to remind him of what he once fought for, of who he once was; perhaps the medallion that Sister Solaris gave you as a memento would do the trick.

(Show Marcus the Cimeroran Medallion) (Go to 'A')

• You willingly did this, Marcus. I did not try to purposefully condemn you.

You knew what you were sending us to do! I know you laughed at us as we went, laughed at our pathetic idea that we could save the people who we thought cared about us!

I did this for my people, and my people abandoned me! They forgot about me, about all of us who sacrificed our lives! Mot has not... all that I've done with Mot shall echo through eternity.

It showed me the truth of things, that Sister Solaris was a fraud, that Imperious was nothing but a tyrant over Cimerora!

You can tell that Mot has twisted Marcus Valerius's mind to hate his former friends and loved ones. You'll need something physical to remind him of what he once fought for, of who he once was; perhaps the medallion that Sister Solaris gave you as a memento would do the trick.

• (Show Marcus the Cimeroran Medallion) ('A')

Marcus Valerius pauses as he sees the Cimeroran medallion. The tremendous claws on the beast begin to shake, as its many eyes remain focused on the medallion. You can see from his reaction that the true memories of his friends are flooding back into his mind.

I... I remember. The memories... they're returning... fighting alongside Imperious... Sister Solaris always being there to help me in my time of need... the people of Cimerora saying prayers for our safe journey. I remember, Character... I remember the why, why we gave up our lives. We knew the people would forget about us eventually... but we knew that our actions would save them all.

I also remember you, Character. You saved me from the Talons of Vengeance not once, but twice. You could have let me die, but you chose to save me. We both did what had to be done to save my people...

On that day, when we set sail on the boat that Marathon and Daedalus built... Sister Solaris gave me a similar medallion to remember her by, but I lost it at sea. She warned me that without a physical reminder of my why... that I would eventually grow to hate the very people I sought to save... she was right, Character. What have I become?

• It's not too late, Marcus. You still have a chance to make things right.

Yes... I can do that, Character. I am still a part of Mot, but I have my mind back. Many of those that Mot has absorbed are gone now, but the stronger ones... they still remain inside of the beast, their power being drawn out slowly until they fade into nothing. Tielekku is one of them, her great power flowing through Mot.

I... if you can get to the maw of Mot, Character, I can get you inside of the beast. From there, you can destroy the magic that Mot is using to power itself.

That will not end the beast, however... but that is all that I can offer to you. I will do my best to maintain my humanity, but the force of Mot is immense.

If you do find a way to destroy Mot's power, Character, then I can finally be free. I am kept together by Mot... if its power wanes, then my form will wither and die. Please... I beg you, find a way to end Mot, so that I may once again see my loved ones and allies, Character.

• I'll do what I can, Marcus.

That's all I can ask, Character. I must go now. The binds that the wizards have cast have vanished.

If you can make it to Mot's maw, I will appear to get you inside, but I will only be able to do so if Mot does not have any forces to stop me.

• Alright, Marcus. I'll see you soon.

Debriefing

The wizards relayed everything that happened, Character. I never would have thought that Marcus Valerius was the Sentinel... truly, Mot is an evil being, a representation not only of death, but of blind, unreasonable hate. Hate, Character, that makes us forget why we love our friends, our family. It twists the truth of the past to be the lies of the present... and those lies become what drives us.

I suppose this is a lesson for us all, Character. We can't survive on the past by just memory alone... we need something in the present to remind us about why we fight, why we live. Marcus lost that... and lost himself in the process.

Sorry, Character, this isn't a time for reflection, not just yet. We have one half of the equation, the other rests in the journals of David Hazen. Unfortunately... I have not heard from Scirocco. I fear the worst.