I took the deal once to see how it would play out (and promptly deleted the char before it could acquire a single darkspawn blood vial). I can't actually roleplay a char who would do it, but I was curious to find out what happened. I failed to hide the 40sov in time, so it felt even more disgusting to have sold out for nothing.
If on a stretch I could see a cowardly elf living up to Vaughan's stereotype and taking money for the rape of his cousin, bride, and best friend's bride (among others), I can't see how it would be conceivable in that moment to make it happen. The story goes that some new person- a soldier hireling of Vaughan's (someone not on the Estate grounds then because every one of those to a one was slaughtered previously)- comes by to give you the money... And I was supposed to have waited there for it? I thought maybe if you were given a key to a locked room somewhere back in the estate that you could access immediately, then the coward could say, ok, gimme the key- or even force Vaughan at swordpoint to unlock and procure it and hand it to you outright. But the actual deal requires such utter naivete and stupidity as to "wait outside and my messenger will bring it to you..." So I'm supposed to just leave now and trust you'll be by in a bit with a huge amound of sovereigns? It would be fitting if while waiting like a ****** for Vaughan to just trot out 40sov to you while idiotically cloud-watching outside in a secluded spot, a throng of his soldiers would burst around the corner just to gut you instead.
Of course, the elf coward
can be rewarded by taking the naive and stupid course: the 40sov can be hidden successfully and recovered later. On a metagamed level, that's actually a nice amount. It takes me quite a while and quite a few life-risking encounters before I come up with that much, at least until Level 18 or so, and the best equipment for purchase are worth much more than that- Rose Thorn alone being 148ish. 40sov would help nicely, and especially in the beginning of the game... but you only get access to that hidden cache near the end of the game just before Landsmeet when you can return to the Arl's Estate. At that point you've already bought most everything you were after, all the areas you wanted the expensive equipment for are finished, and the gold is already coming in nicely. So going ahead and metagaming it, knowing you'll be able to get the bribe sov's back at some point and how to do so, even 100sov wouldn't be particularly impressive given how irrelevant it becomes. The 150 or so XP you get for killing the three racist rapists is more worth your time...
Even the attempt to take the deal is so full of checks where you have to insist on doing the wrong thing repeatedly during the dialogue... there's no way I could find to do so with a shred of feeling in me. And I have plenty. And really, it's not as if there's any reason at that point to play a coward and fear the fight with Vaughan- though metagamingly we know it's not such an easy fight (at least on Hard+). The char by then had just mown a path through outside guards and mabari (if male), and many, many more dogs and soldiers throughout the entire Estate, several fully armored and all equipped with a range of weapons. Why would a few clown-suited and potentially-inebriated rapists all steeped in the act seem daunting?
I do like to hear him out though usually. Since he does request a moment to talk, it's my way of giving him a chance to surrender and make things right. After all- everyone else he relied on to enforce his cruelty lies dead behind you, and one attempt to be clever, and I stab him... But he doesn't surrender or make things right, however... and just thinks his money can buy his way both to forgiveness and to continuing a lifestyle of cruelty upon my people (and a female elf in that case would've been one of his direct victims)... so he dies. And the elves, particularly girl elves, are free of a direct threat.
It was curious to hear Soris mention taking the deal during the talk with Vaughan- even without your char saying anything in favor of it and knowing that his bride was also among the abducted and that Shianni was on that very floor to hear the suggestion... which is one big reason he'll never be as strong or endearing an Origins companion as, say, Leske or Gorim. Even Jowan and Lily are far more interesting.
On the "they'll burn down the alienage if you kill 'im" notion, as was already stated by Skadi a yr ago, they do that fairly regularly anyway. And, if that consequence were really a direct causation, by the time you're in front of Vaughan covered in blood, you've already given them more than enough reason. Killing Vaughan at that point wouldn't affect it in the least. The only way not to catalyze that ongoing process of alienage "purges" would be to just wait in the alienage for Vaughan to "finish" and bring back whichever women they didn't also kill. As it is though, Vaughan's actions were
in themselves already an attack on the alienage outright, so ignoring it would be no more a catalyst than opposing. Plus everyone in that group discussion after the abduction- the discussion only male city elves get to see- is already unanimously supporting the decision to rescue the women regardless of any consequence (except that detractor woman who resents your "success"). Hence the disappointment by
everyone in the alienage if you take the bribe. Note also that if you take the deal, although Vaughan does give you the 40sov (for whatever reason), he also does send the troops immediately after, so you end up conscripted anyway... though then you have no chance to spare Soris from jail, dweeb that he is. So again- killing Vaughan is not what brings the occupation of the alienage...
I just can't help wondering at Duncan... standing by while they rounded up women for rape... oh, but sent lent a sword for your girl char... to be taken in by someone else... if they managed to make it... Yeah, my Warden wouldn't hesitate to "get involved" at that point. I mean, he didn't even try to persuade Vaughan somehow, much less block that small group of soldiers from carrying out Vaughan's orders... "Believe me, my involvement would only make things worse." No wonder Cailan doesn't believe his archdemon claims...
Modifié par Bhryaen, 02 avril 2012 - 03:01 .
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