Blade and Souls is finally here!!!

sans wrote on 2016-06-02 05:03

Quote from sans;1294392:
[SPOILER="NA Silverlands Arc"]The whole thing with us betraying our friends and stuff doesn't happen in NA. It was probably in the original "Dark path" that got removed. However, there are still some traces of evil in us, such as outright refusing to help a little girl find her daddy and only returning to help them because it benefited us.

First we get called into Mushin's tower and Mushin tells us to fight him to see if we're strong enough (a dumbed down version of his 8th floor form, with 100k HP). He then directs us to defeat Jinsoyun, and Yura sends us to Silverfrost Mountains, where the capital of the Talus Dominion sits. Meanwhile, the little bitch Namsoyoo who backstabbed us in Viridian arc is getting accustomed to Talus royalty.

We land just outside Zaiwei (Talus capital), where we're roped into helping the Talus led by Captain Yu Chun; the capital's blocked off access to anyone since the Lumang Syndicate are assaulting Skypetal Plains and kidnapping little girls. This is because their leader, King of Thieves Yunsang (who we've been told about throughout the Cinderlands arc), is searching for his daughter Yunwa. We trick him with a fake Yunwa and then capture him.

We meet Juwol from the Cinderlands arc as we search for Yunsang, and we learn from her that she and Yunsang had "stuff in common" (leaders of groups and whatnot) and were "in love" or something along the lines, and she got pissed when she found out Yunsang had a daughter and thought he slept with someone else, without realizing Yunwa was adopted (and we only just tell her about this now instead of during the Cinderlands arc). Juwol tries to intervene Yunsang's capture but fails, and she gets captured as well (she also sheds a tear when Yunsang takes a hit for her).

In Zaiwei, we run into Yehara who's also searching for her niece Yunwa. We're also introduced to the 7th of the Eight Masters Leerok, who also turns out to be Soha's brother. He welcomes us with an assassination attempt ("If they block it, they're the one... If not, oh well."), then we chase him to his school and fight him; Soha just shows up and says hi (and her outfit changed for some reason).

We get roped into a tournament whose victor is given a choice to serve as a bodyguard for a member of the royal family; we take this opportunity to return to Talus Princess Yunma Fei's side (she's fine, she just got taken back to the capital and quietly sits in her royal chambers, nothing more). Namsoyoo recognizes our name on the entry list (why are we not being discreet?) and asks us via rulebook to pretend to not recognize her since she's still a whiny selfish bitch who doesn't want to go back to Bamboo Village. Dochun and Blackram Captain Gwon from the Viridian Arc returns and fights us in an attempt to get back Namsoyoo, who is now under Talus royalty as Jinsoyun promised her. Gwon ragequits and Dochun gets rejected and sent to the dungeon, and we don't give a shit about Namsoyoo.

We learn Yu Chun is one of Yumna Fei's right hands and help them uncover shady dealings with the Talus Chancellor to learn what Jinsoyun is planning. At one point, Madun shows up and summons the rest of the Eight Masters to help stop some corruption.

We decide to take the battle to Jinsoyun, but of course she kicks our ass again, makes the dark chi in us even worse, and sends us to the dungeon. Yura shows up with Yunwa in tow; Jinsoyun's pleased to know that Yura's been helping Mushin (and knows we got help from Mushin) and has plans for her later.

Yunma Fei rescues us and we regroup with Dochun, Yunsang, and Juwol. We also find the real Talus Emperor, Yumna Kahn, locked up; Gubong tries to stop us from escaping, but he recognizes the emperor, gets a brief memory lapse, and leaves. We get carted to Snowfrost Monastery shortly afterward.

As we're told to walk off the dark chi, Lusung, Mushin, and Jinsoyun illusions show up and make us feel even more shitty to the point where we want to commit suicide, and Jinsoyun is kind enough to leave us a dagger to do the deed. We get stopped by the Eight Masters, who, with the help from the chi of the Spirit Beasts in Moonwater, purge the dark chi but all of them turn into stone in the process. (Also the buddha statue in the Sanctum of the Eight missing one of its eight arms... Foreshadowing the 8th and final Master?)

We regroup with Dochun and others and he tells us that he used to fight for the Stratus Empress Namsolyn (who is actually Namsoyoo's mother) alongside Yunma Kahn (a mere Stratus General who slept with the Empress) and Gubong (we were told of Gubong during the Cinderlands arc, who worked for Stratus and then got backstabbed). The group gets attacked by Ebondrake Cult (some group you see rallying people in certain towns), but they escape and Dochun rescues Namsoyoo. The Emperor and Empress form the Talus Dominion because of Stratus Empire conflicts or w/e, and Namsolyn eventually dies after giving birth to Yunma Fei; the threat of the assassins separate Fei and Namsoyoo, which led to Dochun adopting her. So we learn that Yunma Kahn and Fei is Namsoyoo's step-family, and Namsoyoo is the only sole heir of the Stratus Royalty, therefore foreshadowing her role in Jinsoyun's Divine Mandate Ritual (the stuff that corrupted Highland Necropolis in Moonwater when Yura tricked Stratus Prince Sogun into sacrificing Stratus Princess Solaan to heaven or hell, the latter of which occurring).

We are asked by the Talus Emperor to help reclaim his throne, and to do that he needs his treasures he hid across Silverfrost: a crest in Primeval Forest and his Seraph Sword Shiverstone Range. We find these items, regroup with everyone, and recruit a Talus general.

During our time in Shiverstone Range, we arrive at Jiwan's home and see the past exactly as detailed earlier: Mushin kills Jiwan for her sword, Mushin puts the blame on Jinsoyun, Jinsoyun retaliates, Hong and Iksanun throw Jinsoyun off a cliff, Jinsoyun goes down path of vengeance.

We finally get to talk with the "white ghost lady" who's been helping us the entire time: Jiwan. She pleads us to help Jinsoyun from Mushin and helps us realize if we keep going down revenge we'll just end up like Jinsoyun unless we seek justice instead.

With Yunma Kahn and his army prepared, he tell us to recruit people on Moonwater for his cause, and tells us to visit Heaven's Reach (where the Hongmoon school perished) once more to ease our mind. The act abruptly ends with this small talk, there's just 6 more chapters left, some of the scenes advertised in the trailer aren't even included in what we have.

It's been several years since we've left Bamboo Village (if you haven't noticed a lot of toddler characters grew up when progressing to another zone). We learn that the village went to Heaven's Reach and started rebuilding the area (Act 5 prelude). The least we can do now is pay our respects to the fallen Hongmoon.

With the Divine Mandate Ritual coming sooner than expected, Yunma Fei instructs us to light a Naryu beacon to signal our allies in Moonwater Plains to begin to mobilize. It is only natural for us to lead them to Brightstone Village's Skygate to teleport them into Zaiwei (oddly enough there aren't any presence of Demons in Brightstone, even though Jinsoyun transformed the entire village into such at the end of the Moonwater Arc).

Before we can move forward, Snapjaw Sage Redjaw asks us to perform the Incantation of Clairvoyance to teleport our mind into the Altar of Divine Will so we can scout out the Divine Mandate Ritual. We see Jinsoyun stabbing Namsoyoo, revealing that she is the only sole heir to the Stratus Empire, and uses her as an offering to open the gate to the Dark Realm and summon demons into the Earthen Realm. Before we can find out more, Jinsoyun spots us and breaks the incantation.

The Moonwater forces begin to storm into Zaiwei, but all hell has literally broken lose. The least we can do is help fend off a bit before storming the Altar of Divine Will. Also, because Yunma Kahn triggered Gubong's memories, he's now helping us fight Jinsoyun.

Dochun charges first up the altar but of course gets knocked away and takes a fatal injury, and Namsoyoo gets flown off but Gwon comes in on a kite and saves her (in the original Dark/Light story Gwon is actually shown, but in the storyline renewal it only shows the kite flying over Namsoyoo and the part where Gwon is shown got omitted). Meanwhile everyone else gets overwhelmed. We do some chi infusing stuff and then Master Hong appears and by emptying ourselves into nothingness we have opened the path to greatness and gives us the final Hongmoon spell or something that vaporizes all the demons.

The final fight with Jinsoyun is at hand; she throws up Yunwa into the Dark Gate to use her as the Dark Lord's vessel. We finally defeat Jinsoyun for good and she urges us to complete our revenge. Instead, we take the Twilight's Edge and shove it down the dark corrosion of her demon body, and then go Gurren Lagaan mode and fly to pierce the heavens with our drill. The Dark Gate is destroyed, but the Twilight's Edge also shatters. (The whole thing with Mushin and Yura interacting with Jinsoyun afterwards was only part of the original Dark/Light story and got removed entirely.)

In conclusion, we receive a letter from Master Hong telling us to go back to Heaven's Reach. The spirits of our fellow school members greet us and thank us for staying on the Hongmoon path and they're now ready to move on. Jiwan also appears with Jinsoyun and asks us to give her a second chance at life, without the danger of the Dark chi. In one final act befitting the Hongmoon school, we of course agree and infuse our chi into her, causing Jinsoyun to regress into a child-like form before being taken away by Jiwan.

In the aftermath:

Namsoyoo and Gubong have mysteriously vanished.
Yehara went back to her Mirage with Yunwa. Yunwa doesn't remember what happened after being kidnapped by Mushin.
Juwol and Soha, as usual, are drunk regulars in the Mirage. Juwol's also pissed that Yunsang one up left her.
Yunma Kahn retired to Snowforest Monastery and put Yunma Fei on the seat of the Talus Dominion.
Yunsang also retired to Snowforest Monastery and feels that his daughter Yunwa is better off raised by a woman and not by a thief.
Yunma Fei continues to work against the Ebondrake Cultists with Junghado and Yu Chun at her side.

We are greeted in Zaiwei by many side characters and Dochun for praise. Meanwhile, Mushin looks down on us from atop of Zaiwei's tallest building and mutters to himself if we're blind to the truth.
[/SPOILER]

http://www.bladeandsoul.com/en/news/shadows-of-the-innocents-notes-and-overview

Continuing storyspoilerland.

[SPOILER="Interlude"]"Missing" Gubong is already found injured in Northreach. Now, remember all the people preaching and shit in various towns? These are the Ebondrake Cultists, and now they're active. Gubong says they're trying to find Namsoyoo and Yura.

So an investigation leads to a Lumang Stronghold, where they have secured Yura and teleport her away via dark portal. Their aim is to use her demon form, the Scorpion Queen, as an egg machine to spawn demons, overseen by Julia (she still has the dumb name Zulia, I'm not calling her that). The whole point of Sogun's Lament was simply to foreshadow Julia's role in the next line of acts.

Dochun wants more answers from Gubong, but he (again) mysteriously vanishes.[/SPOILER]

[SPOILER="Act 5"]Rumor has it that someone has started up the Hongmoon school again, without Dochun's or your knowledge. On investigation, some side characters from past areas (most of which I don't even remember) are actually crashing in. People sleep in, kitchen chaos, someone gets injured during windwalking and some students get convinced from us that true weakness is true strength. In a nutshell, we "politely" kick out the "students" and find out that the school is being "run" by Old Man Cho's two grandkids, Bunyang and Bunah, who also shows us a tome belonging to Hajoon and had ripped out all the pages. All this seems like a scam from two money hungry lyns.

One of the kids tell us that someone from Sandstone Refuge in Cinderlands kept sending pigeons about her kid Jinbin (who helped Dokdan of the Three Sages and begged us to take him under his wing in Act 2), who hasn't shown up at the school at all. On investigation, people suspect the Yonkai Brigade and the Yes Men, but neither of them are the culprit. The Yes Men thinks the Tyrian Cult is responsible, and indeed they are. Some guy we helped from Act 2 goes suicide by proxy to reunite with his GF who also died in the same act, the Tyrian Cult leader Gwihan who got axed off by Jinsoyun in said act got revived somehow and is playing the pied piper flute to lure children, and eight schools which each member of the Eight Masters are part of (their next in line form the Council of Eight) get involved and are planning to meet with Yunma Fei because the kidnapping isn't just limited to Sandstone Refuge.

Tayjin, the son of Southern Tiger Kung Fu Master Taywong (or w/e his name is), instructs us to find a musician who could be related to the events. He resurrects his bodyguards into demons but then quickly spills the beans that he was hired by the Ebondrake Cult to make a song to hypnotize children. He gets assassinated by the cult right after, and we take his music sheet back to Tayjin, who reports that the cult is holding its hostages at Shiverstone Range.

Trackers from Northreach find an Ebondrake Hideout nearby, where the children are stashed away. In the hideout, Gwihan, in exchange for his service to the cult, gets a power up by Julia, but then quickly dies by our hand. More thanks from Yunma Fei and Junghado, etc etc., we have no clue why the Ebondrake are kidnapping children but its clear the Dark Lord is still fighting.

Dochun arrives with important news for us: he found [S]Loli[/S]Jinsoyun and has a letter from Jiwan asking us to watch over her and make sure she keeps her second chance at life. Dochun reluctantly agrees to do so, while we need time to think about this. In the meanwhile, "Hongmoon School" recruitment gets plastered all over again; we take down the notices, and tell Old Man Cho's grandkids to fuck off or we'll tell their granddad.

Dochun retreats to Snowforest Monastery, but four the Council of Eight (Kung Fu Master, Assassin, Destroyer, and Force Master) quickly find out about Jinsoyun and try to kill her for revenge for the Eight Masters. Dochun reminds us that revenge is wrong and he had hoped for the revival of the Hongmoon School even if it was a fluke. Our character decides to take Jinsoyun as our pupil and fight off the attackers, who declare their alliance with the Hongmoon is broken. Meanwhile, Julia oversees the whole thing.

We then windstride to Heaven's Reach with Jinsoyun, an orphan/kidnapped victim named Ryu, and Old Man Cho's grandkids who just show up out of nowhere. Jinbin also shows up at Heaven's Reach and pleads to accept him as a pupil. We find the pages of Hajoon's tome and agree to restart the Hongmoon School, make everyone do chores, and shove the name "Cricket" on Old Man Cho's grandkids.
[/SPOILER]

[SPOILER="Act 6"]The portal to the Dark Realm was destroyed, and so was the Twilight's Edge. It's fragments have been scattered all across the world, with one landing in Snowforest Monastery. A letter from the head priest tells us to collect it from the Sanctum of the Eight; he's already left on a journey with Yunma Kahn and Yunsang, and tells us to go to Old Man Cho if we ever need help.

This doesn't fall deaf ears to the Ebondrake Cult, who are attacking the Monastery to find the fragment. The defected members of the Council of Eight show up and try to claim the fragment, accusing us of putting it in storage so we can give it to Jinsoyun. Once the defected Coucil and Ebondrake Cult are repelled, a child monk tells us they had a vision of us searching for someone while afraid, and worries that something might have happened to one of our students.

Our merry band of five disciples all get bored of chores and beg us to start training them. Insert timeskip of chores, windwalking, waking up the kiddies, sparring, and watching them level to 50. Jinbin finds out that Jinsoyun is coming down with a fever and for some reason our chi isn't healing her anymore. Bunyang instructs to concoct a medicine from monsters that have taken refuge in the Proving Grounds (Bunah can't hold her own against spiders and Bunyang gets ping pong pulled by mushrooms, while Jinbin holds his own decently against bulbaris). However, even the medicine doesn't seem to work.

The only remaining option is to take Jinsoyun down to Bamboo Village to a doctor. However, the village is now under assault by the Blackram's Eastern Fleet (remember Blackram Supply Chain and Bloodshade Harbor?), who are searching for us. Dochun's son Dodan from Act 1 has matured drastically and is now the Captain of the Bamboo Guard, who helps safeguard our Hongmoon disciples. Blackram Chef Tae Jangnum steps in and pleads us to help Vice Admiral Poharan, the little miss who misses her grandfather Admiral Hae Mujin, but we refuse; why should we help the Blackram, whose caused so much trouble over the passing? Poharan immediately goes trigger happy maniac mode on this and after a scuffle she continues begging us for help, explaining that the entire Eastern Fleet fell to a demon invasion from black pillars raining from heaven and Hae Mujin sacrificed himself to let his granddaughter escape. To us, this is more of divine retribution to the Blackram; Poharan, annoyed that we aren't helping the Blackram, decides to retreat.

The doctor manages to cure Jinsoyun of her fever, bringing relief to the Hongmoon. Dodan arrives and tells us Sandstone Refuge is under attack. Tae Jangnum shows up again and pleads for us to reconsider, which is again refused; she says she's headed to Sandstone Refuge as well and offers us a ride there, which is begrudgingly accepted.

The refuge has been overrun by corrupted, Twisted Grimhorn; most of the villagers have hidden away in the Sentinel Ruins thanks to Dokdan (I guess the "our time is up thing" in Act 2 was just a fluke?). Surprisingly, the Blackram Eastern Fleet is on the defense for the village; we don't care and just focus on fighting the Grimhorn. Dokdan suggests we get to the heart of the problem at Grimhorn Wilds.

The Snapjaw Sages show up to assist, explaining that the Grimhorn Wilds too has fallen victim to the black pillars and were corrupted by its dark chi. Sealing the pillars reveal spirits of children, who are trapped by dark chi flowing out of a dragon pulse. This pulse leads to the Skygate in Brightstone Village, which too has been overrun; once again Poharan shows up and once again we tell her to fuck off, and they still help us either way. Poharan throws a temper tantrum (literally) since we refused her rescue and pleas to save Hae Mujin from demon corruption and after reminding us about family we finally agree to help her -- only if she gives up piracy for good.

The two travel to Jadestone to meet Old Man Cho and Nightmare of the East Naksun (from Dreadtide Arena and Mushin's Tower Floor 15), who coincidentally happen to be drinking pals with Hae Mujin. Old Man Cho says we can use the Twilight's Edge fragment to sever Hae Mujin's demonic connection and two more fragments are required: one from Ebondrake Hall and Gloomdross Forest, the latter corrupted by demons. Poharan decides to part ways for now and heads back to the Eastern Fleet to check on her grandpa.

With the two fragments in hand, we make our move to the Shattered Masts to rescue Hae Mujin, whose corruption has transformed him into a demon. We use our chi and the fragment to separate Hae Mujin from the demon's husk. Poharan is then happily reunited with granddaddy. Hae Mujin mentions that he accepted the dark chi in exchange for power, but hopes to overcome it just like us. Poharan finally manages to thank us properly.

We get a letter from our disciples that they miss us and that some of the Council of Eight have shown up. By the time we arrive, cue prologue: Heaven's Reach is under attack by demons and Jinsoyun has been kidnapped by the Council. Julia toys with us with a game of tag and leads us into a trap. Cue prologue again: Ryu takes a hit intended for us and gets thrown off Heaven's Reach. Cue prologue one more time: we get knocked off Heaven's Reach, fall into the ocean, and despair once more at the fall of the Hongmoon School.

Cue prologue one final time where we wake up in Bamboo Village's hospital bed, with the remaining disciples having survived the attack and Poharan/Dokdan saving our ass (and we're still tsundere to her). Poharan confirms that the defected Council of Eight have allied with Julia and the Ebondrake Cultists for handing Jinsoyun over to her, and the Blackram intend to find the remaining fragments of the Twilight's Edge if it means crossing paths with Julia again. Dokdan reminds us to be strong for our students, and that we can depend on them as much as they depend on us, but wonders why the Council and Ebondrake kidanpped Jinsoyun instead of wanting her dead.
[/SPOILER]