Saga and Final Fantasy Legend

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Let's Attempt To Play Romancing Saga 3 Part 2:  Deserters And Useless Recruits


Enemies in Poduroi Cave were similar to those outside, except for a Bruiser goblin and Skeletons.  Bones were weak to Martial Skill blunt damage just like insects and arachnids.  What passed for a "boss fight" in the cave was a Scalpodon, a Biter dragon, and a Bruiser.  Almost identical to fights earlier in the game.  I guess the tradition of "generic enemies as boss battles" from Romancing Saga 2 continues.  Thunder Kicks were enough to dispose of them.


Monika had made astonishing gains in Martial Skill:  she was just one level short of Ellen's 9 upon returning to Poduroi.  Ellen bought two spells from Poduroi's magic shop:  Soul Freeze to cause Ice damage and Stun, and Lunar Light for healing.  Good thing I didn't waste any of the money from treasure chests and selling equipment on the other party members, since they were all gone after I talked to Leonid!  The vampire informed us that Mikhail had defeated Godwin, and we were sent to Loanne automatically.


Mikhail honored the other player characters for helping him directly in Khalid's case, or for escorting Monika in the case of the others.  In the pub, Sarah said she wanted to go to Pidona where Thomas was going to study, and both abandoned Ellen.  Julian wanted to join the Princess Guard to help Monika.  He said farewell with "all the best", and Ellen thought it was a "canned response" coming from someone who was once "groveling over me".  All The Best was good enough for an Ajay Devgn comedy, so why not Romancing Saga 3?  The most reliable character on this team was Khalid the mercenary?!  Ellen gave him the Casablanca response:  "Of all the chairs here, you had to pick the one next to mine".


One person in the tavern said the Archfiend Palace was on the "outskirts of Pidona".  Myules was the nearby port town, so that was the next destination.  Minstrel joined the team after he sang about Ferdinand, who founded the new "marquisate" on the ruins of old Loanne.  The spoony bard had 5 in Martial Skill, so he didn't seem worthless. The one who WAS worthless was Candy, a Vagabond with 0 in Martial Skill and most other weapons, except for Spear which was at 2.  Even reloading a save couldn't stop her from forcing herself into the party, and I couldn't dismiss her at the tavern.


The local magic shop sold "Soryu" spells, which seemed to be plant and wind themed.  They included Snooze, Dancing Leaves ("ward an enemy attack"), Binding Thorns ("attack and stun"), Suction (HP drain), and Tornado ("very effective against flying enemies").  I didn't take any of them since money was scarce at this point.


Boats from Myules led to Zweig and Pidona.  Another lead was Mt. Taftan near Loanne, which had "thick fog" which prevented an old ex-mountain climber from reaching the summit.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Let's Attempt To Play Romancing Saga 3 Part 3:  Gathering Clues and Party Members


No combat in this part, but still much to discuss.  Romancing Saga games usually involve the player wandering around the world looking for quests, unlike the linear plots in the Final Fantasy Legend games.  So far, the graphics in the Switch version of Romancing Saga 3 are superior to 2, since it looks like a late Super Nintendo RPG rather than a mobile port with weird clashing styles.  While taking the boat to Zweig, Ellen and Khalid watched dolphins leaping into the air.  None of them were drill sergeants.


Although I took a boat to Zweig, it turned out to be on the same screen in the world map as Poduroi.  An old man mentioned there was a "small village called Kyurdlund" that was "beyond the mountains".  Kyurdlund was also on the same map screen.  The local shop sold Byakko spells, possibly a reference to the fiend from Final Fantasy Legend 1.  But why was it earth magic?  Byakko in FFL1 was in a cloud world.  Byakko spells are as follows:


Berserk:  Increases strength and stamina
Tremor:  Rift damages and Stuns enemies
Stoneskin:  Increases defense
Earth Heal:  Restores HP, and cures "non-physical" ailments at high levels
Gilded Touch:  "Convert enemies to money with a shining light from your fingertip".


Someone in the inn/tavern wanted to buy "strange animals" in the area.  He was probably referring to the "peculiar animals" in Westos Forest that another character mentioned.  Another Westos Forest rumor involved an "eccentric inventor living in a mansion".  Zweig's Duke offered a tournament that operated by standard battle rules, but my team was probably in no shape to participate.


The boat in Zweig offered free passage to Pidona, so I went there.  This was a much bigger city than Zweig.  One man said "Maximus, a leader of the Divine Order, has been asking an awful lot of questions about the relics of the Matriarch".  Several people belonging to the Divine Order were present in Pidona, and they wore white hooded robes.  If King's Quest 6, Kingdom Hearts, and the Argentine soap Rebelde Way have taught me anything worthwhile, it's never to trust cloaked societies.  I was right about them:  "After the Divine Order massacred the Naj Kingdom, many of its people sought refuge in Ryblov".  Apparently I can join them if I wanted to.


It's possible that the Divine Order may have been the people who burned an anonymous astronomer who "predicted the Death Eclipse right before it happened" at the stake.  The remaining members of the astronomer's family went to Lance.  Every 300 years in the Romancing Saga 3 world, the Death Eclipse or Rise of Morastrum happens that kills everyone born that year, with a few exceptions who are important to the plot.


Thomas refused to rejoin the team, since he had to work for his grandfather.  Sarah immediately returned, however, in spite of her dramatic separation from Ellen earlier in the game.  One NPC said a "descendant of the Matriarch has inherited her Royal Ring".  She was the heroine who defeated the Archfiend's Sinistrals 300 years ago and closed the Abyss Gates.  (The Abyss Gates are likely reopening now.)  She was a survivor of the Rise of Morastrum. 


The Matriarch's Spear was stolen from the legendary blacksmith shop in town in a battle between "Ludwig and Clemens", and Nora's father was killed for it.  Nora gave me the option to recruit her to avenge her father, while her brother Cain wanted me to get other smiths to return, since they had been scared off by the murder.  The only clues were "a red coral earring and the word Jackal". 


Nora had 14 Life Points compared to 10 for everyone else, and had 10 Hammer skill and 6 Spear skill.  So of course I stripped her of her weapons and decided to make her fight with Martial Skill and magic like everyone else!  This team believes in training the body and mind, not relying on weapons.


One person in Pidona wondered "Why can't Ludwig just be king already?"  Residents of Old Town in the western parts of Pidona thought of Ludwig as a tyrant.  The old town was the poor neighborhood with dilapidated buildings, broken doors, and the Archfiend Palace one screen over.  Most came to Archfiend Palace hunt for treasure, but the Old Town locals said there wasn't much treasure left.  They did have hope in a goddess who made them feel "uplifted by her very presence".


Pidona sold Solar and Lunar magic in addition to Byakko.  Lunar magic was the school taught in Poduroi, while Solar magic had the following spells:


Heat Wave:  Damages enemies and lowers their Speed
Star Fixer:  Damages and Stuns enemies
Daybreak:  "Lure and knock out enemies in a dimensional breach".


The only magic I bought for the team in this part was Berserk in hopes of making Candy and Nora useful without any native Martial Skill.


Pidona's port offered many destinations, but they all cost money to visit.  Places already seen are in bold.


Ryblov:  100
Myules:  200
Wilmington:  200
Yarmouth:  300
Faros:  300
Zweig:  500
Vanguard:  500
Great Arch:  1000


Great Arch was supposedly a "great vacation spot".  Black Sparrow's treasure was more enticing to the team.  Some other NPC mentioned the city of Stanley, which was on its own map screen.  Where will I go next?  Find out in the next part. . .

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Let's Attempt To Play Romancing Saga 3 Part 4:  Demonic Tourist Trap


The residents of Pidona Old Town weren't lying when they said there wasn't much treasure left.  Most of the chests had already been looted, even on lower floors.  But the real treasure was the Martial Skill and SP training from fighting monsters in various forays into the dungeon.  Usually the party would Thunder Kick enemies, but they'd occasionally Punch foes in vain attempts to learn new skills.  One time they actually succeeded, and learned Tumble, a 1 SP cost move that dealt damage and Stunned enemies. 


Minstrel tried out his unique Minstrel's Fiddle to buff the party, but even he was better off doing the same thing as the other characters.  His Martial Skill had ascended to 10 by the end of this episode, compared to 13 for Ellen.  When Ellen was low on SP, she sometimes cast


Many enemies were familiar, such as Bruiser goblins, Warbats, Biter dragons, Lurkers, Melting Men, Kamaitachi wind spirits, and even the odd Archanoid spider and Beetle.  The recurring enemies are probably more justifiable in RS3 than in RS2, since they could come from the Abyss Gates.  Marchenrum mushrooms were vulnerable to Thunder Kick but resistant to normal Punches.  Cryptons were like stronger Goblins:  a generic melee enemy.  Raksha demons were a new encounter that threatened to use Self-Immolation to counter a single physical attack.  Even Thunder Kick counted as a physical move.  Rakshas liked to use Heat Wave to scorch the whole party, but the Tiger's Ferocity defense formation ensured they would survive.


Phantom Souls on the bottom floor looked like Raiden from Mortal Kombat, and could occasionally block Thunder Kick.  They were no more resistant to it than other enemies, however.  A "goblin" sprite on the floor with many staircases was a sort of miniboss, the Ogre, accompanied by a Sindi plant and a Sullied Lancer.  Thunder Kicks eliminated them, though the Ogre had considerable HP.


One thing that I noticed was that attacks were stronger outside of Tiger's Ferocity than when they were in formation.  The game only told me it would reduce Speed!  Romancing Saga 3 can be as bad about concealing information as any other old RPG.  From here on out I used Whirlwind as my formation, which gave a Speed bonus without any decrease in power.


There was one intact treasure chest in the entire Archfiend Palace, and it had a Spyder sword which I sold for 1000 aurums.  At least it can pay for a ticket to Great Arch if I want one.


As for Candy, she sat out the entire dungeon.  All formations as of now only account for 5 characters, so she got to watch the others and take up one of the 4 beds in the Pidona inn, forcing Nora and Sarah to either stand up or sit in a chair.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Let's Attempt To Play Romancing Saga 3 Part 5:  Worst Starting MMORPG Quest Ever


Mount Taftan seemed like a good place to visit.  It was close to Loanne, making me think it would be an easy side quest to clear.  Some enemies were repeated from the beginning of the game, like Serpentfangs, Helldiver birds, and Rose Spiders.  If my memory isn't mistaken, Geo Pythons were inside Archfiend's Palace.  Others were new, like Soilfish that would cast earth spells.  Why did one boost Ellen's defense with Stoneskin?  I have no idea!  My favorite enemy name in the game so far is "Irate Simian", but it was wasted on an opponent who cast Rockfall on Khalid for 0 damage.


The old man in Loanne warned us of the fog in advance.  I thought it was a Lost Woods in Zelda situation where I merely had to know the correct exit for each screen, but that didn't work out.  Apparently it's the location of an Abyss Gate, and I'm supposed to come back later in the game.  Not that Romancing Saga 3 would tell me that!  At least I can warp to the campsite close to the fog screen when the time comes.


In the village of Kyrdlund on the same map screen as Poduroi and Zweig, the locals feared being sacrificed to a monster.  The mayor promised a reward if the party would go into the Sacrificial Cave and eliminate it.  Monsters were recycled here too.  Gels were resistant to Punch but perished to Thunder Kick, and Beetles were vulnerable to any Martial Skill.  Warbats, Eerie Skulls, and Archanoids returned too.  Firespits were new, and once cast Fireball on Minstrel for 64 damage.


I knew a boss battle was coming when the room south of it was completely quiet.  If killing 10 rats was good enough for an online RPG request, then the mayor of Kyrdlund must have assumed that killing 10,000,000 rats at once was worth a "tidy sum".  Maybe "Rat Mischief" didn't have that many rodents, but they were more than enough to overwhelm the kickboxers.  Thunder Kick hit for up to 398 with Ellen, which seemed respectable.  Then Rat Mischief unleashed Bubonic Plague, an all-target physical attack that hit for up to 115 against Khalid.  Nora lost 43 HP while poisoned at the end of Turn 1, almost 1/5 of her max health.


Rat Mischief's other attacks were the single target Dark-inflicting Chop, and Fake Out, which caused Stun. Romancing Saga 3 beat Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire to a flinching move called Fake Out, since Kawazu does everything first in Japanese RPGs.  Bubonic Plague was guaranteed to happen at the end of every round.  A second attempt trying to use Tumble to stun Rat Mischief failed.  Sabin may Suplex a Phantom Train, but Ellen can't grab a mass of rats all at once.  Yet another attempt with ailment resistance accessories like Wing Amulets and Balms for 100 HP healing failed.


What was the party to do?  Leveling skills wouldn't be efficient here, and treasures like Cudgel, Skill Salts, and Rigid Leather were equally uninspiring.  Leaving Sacrificial Cave seemed impossible too when the mayor sealed the entrance:  "I can't really hear you because of this huge boulder".  Another 2000s Argentine soap opera cliche applies to Romancing Saga 3:  mayors are always evil!  This is an "intendente", not the hopefully more honest "alcalde" from other countries.  Ellen's retort to the mayor:  "Backstabber!  Fiend!  Jerk!"


There was one way out.  The Flee option wasn't blocked in the Rat Fiend battle!  Ellen imitated Serge from Chrono Cross and ran away from the boss fight.  At the entrance of Sacrificial Cave, a Kyrdlund woman named Nina removed the boulder because Ellen reminded her of her friend Paul, who had left the village to find adventure.


Both leads in this episode went nowhere.  Maybe next time I'll actually complete a quest?

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Let's Attempt To Play Romancing Saga 3 Part 6:  Treasure Island


The town of Stanley had a low opinion of neighboring Faros:  "The Faros Army is a buncha warmongers.  They'll spin up any fiction to seem the heroes".  "Those evildoers in Faros have even taken to hiring mercenaries!"  Uh, was Khalid listening to that line?  One person in the tavern wanted to recruit me:  "Won't you join us in battle?  1,500 aurums now, and another 1,500 once we wipe the floor with 'em.  Good deal, eh?"  I turned it down for now, not wanting to be committed to one side in a sidequest without knowing more. 


Stanley's magic shop sold Genbu spells, which were water based even though Genbu wasn't the water fiend in Final Fantasy Legend 1.  Genbu magic list:


Water of Life:  Restores HP.
Libation:  Cures all status ailments except Petrify.
Water Column:  Makes a water pillar that blocks attacks.
Sparkling Mist:  Makes fog that reduces enemy accuracy.
Thunderclap:  Electric attack that can "interrupt magic spells".


One person was worried about his sister who lived in Faros.  The weapon shop had sold everything to the Stanley Army and had nothing for Ellen's team. 


In Faros, one NPC shouted "Ludwig must be made to atone for his crimes!"  At this time, I'm imagining Ludwig von Koopa.  Faros hated Stanley as much as Stanley hated them:  "Those underhanded curs from Stanley have hired bandits to ambush our traders en route to Lance".  Faros's magic shop sold Shucho spells, possibly a misspelling of Suzaku?  Shucho magic list:


Flashfire:  Increases Speed.
Self-immolation:  Counters attacks.
Feather Seal:  "Hide behind a barrier of feathers and disappear from the enemy's sight".
Birdsong:  Damages all combatants at beginning of the turn, "wakes sleeping characters, and interrupts magic".
Wall of Fire:  Blocks heat and ice, can hurt enemies at higher skill levels.


Faros mercenary contracts paid less than Stanley:  only 1000 aurums up front, and 1000 for victory.  Both Stanley and Faros had smiths that moved to Cain's forge in Pidona and could craft weapons and armor.  I spent 1000 aurums to buy a Great Arch boat ticket, which led to a town of huts on the water which reminded me of Pacifidlog from Pokemon Sapphire.  One canoe could take me back to either Pidona or some place named Ache that I hadn't heard of before.  A man offered to take me to Treasure Cave to look for Black Sparrow's loot for only 100 aurums.


Treasure Cave had many recycled enemies, like Heptopus, Kamaitachi, Eerie Skull, Geo Python, Scalpodon, Skeleton, and Phantom Soul.  Slime seemed to be new, but was just a replacement for Gel.  Barbarricuda was a physical fish type enemy.  Rana Warriors, from the Spanish for "frog", were resistant to standard Punches and were generally destroyed with Thunder Kick.  Two Martial Skill abilities were learned:  Counter, and Way of Focus, a self-healing move similar to the Monk's Chakra in Final Fantasy games.      


No amount of preparation could destroy the Blue Dragon, a monster that appeared when I activated some skull faces on the walls which were necessary to progress.  Even regular physical attacks hit Ellen for 179, let alone a Feral Pounce to Nora for 300 or some lightning attack that killed two characters at once.  Ellen had a better solution after one Game Over:  Flee and run past the sprite in the dungeon.  Treasure chests in Treasure Cave had rewards of up to 1000 aurums, suggesting that I was supposed to come here early in the game.


The "boss" of Treasure Cave didn't have special music, but was instead an encounter with Venom Lich, Quetzalcoatl, and a Croaker frog.  All Thunder Kicks were concentrated on Venom Lich for about 1 round, though Quetzalcoatl took longer to kill.  Quetzalcoatl's notable move was the basic Shadow Bolt spell, which injured Minstrel for 114.  Croaker fell as unceremoniously as Venom Lich. 


The game didn't automatically reward me with the treasure, and I was wondering why.  A guide informed me that I actually had to pick up the Dolphin Figurine for a 2nd time in order to receive it.  (The 1st time started the battle.)  The eastern exit led out of Treasure Cave, and I was back in Great Arch.  Ache sounds like a pleasant place to visit, right? 

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Let's Attempt To Play Romancing Saga 3 Part 7:  Airy Lies


Other Great Arch inhabitants promised to take me to Black Sparrow's treasure for various fees, implying that there were fake Treasure Caves too.  The Dolphin Figurine combined with the miniboss fight suggested that I'd somehow found the real one on the 1st try.  It's realistic to include treasure hunt scams in a video game!  The Dolphin Figurine itself was an accessory that granted immunity to water attacks.


Ache was a jungle village that knew of the "Jackal" that Nora had mentioned:  "The pirate Jackal was never content with the usual plunder of gold and valuables.  He was a notorious child trafficker".  Another NPC offered to make a Twig of Life in exchange for a Root of Life, which I did.  The Twig of Life was a consumable item that fully restored HP.  Other residents warned that the fairies in the Jungle liked to trick people, and that the "abandoned Fire Fortress of Aunus the Firelord" could be found.  Apparently the Jungle was also a "breeding ground for disease", and there were "sightings of men in strange robes".  ¡La Logia! The Divine Order?


Ache's magic shop sold only Shucho spells, so I returned to Poduroi to buy the Lunar healing spell for everyone.  This was probably a waste of money since everyone learned Way of Focus from the Martial Skill line anyway.  Jungle had many recurring enemies, and some less common ones like Sullied Lancer or Sindi.  These were easily Punched or Thunder Kicked to death.  Romancing Saga 3 combat so far is much easier than the enemy scaling of Romancing Saga 2. 


The real problem with the Jungle was that it was a "Lost Woods" area where I was never sure which screen would lead.  Eventually I stumbled into Fairyville, accessible by climbing a vine on a tree.  The fairies were slightly more trustworthy than their Bravely series counterparts in that they wouldn't try to kill me or summon a demon god.  They still gave fake directions in the Jungle, mostly about which color butterfly to follow.  Drinking fairy tea just kicked me out of the village.  I made sure to save before trying that one. 


Fairyville's best line:  "Not that I recommend autodefenestration, but there IS a treasure floating just outside".  This may be the first and last time that I'll see "autodefenestration" in any work of fiction.  To get to different areas in Fairyville, Ellen had to run and jump to different tree branches.  All of the treasures were Fairy Harps that would restore MP and SP when used.


I thought that since the fairies gave contradictory butterfly chasing advice, that perhaps following NONE of the butterflies would work.  That didn't work because there was often more than one butterfly-free exit.  Maybe the puzzle is based on some Japanese mythological concept that foreign barbarians like me wouldn't understand? 


I returned to Ache and rested in an abandoned hut.  If this were Romancing Saga 2, it would have started a termite invasion of the village.  Time to go to another town in hopes of finding clues. . .

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Let's Attempt To Play Romancing Saga 3 Part 8:  Finally, Some Useful Information!


I learned from the world map that I could warp back to Fairyville at any time from the same screen as Ache.  The remaining destinations in Pidona's harbor were worth investigating, and Wilmington was the cheapest at 200.  Wilmington's residents were obsessed with businesses and didn't seem to have any quests.  They mentioned Fullbright & Co., a company that was founded in the Matriarch's time, yet now has a "somewhat lackluster" reputation.  Others suggested buying out companies with "group funds".  One the blacksmiths from Cain's sidequest in Pidona was here, and I told him to make some armor.


The more interesting lead was the Dophore Group of Yarmouth, which was known for "shady business dealings".  Ellen returned to Pidona and paid the fee to travel to Yarmouth, and just north of the harbor was a warehouse where two people were attempting to smuggle "grass used in drugs".  Maybe they should have tried bananas!  After replying with "I spy with my little eye!", a vigilante named Robin dropped from the sky and intimidated one of the smugglers into saying the Dophore Group was responsible.


Robin was a hero to some of Yarmouth's citizens, but others thought he was a mercenary for a rival business, or that the downfall of Dophore Group would destroy the economy.  Other Dophore Group goons were harassing a woman whose grandmother was bedridden.  The woman refused the 1000 aurums offer to move, and the goons would have dragged the grandmother out if not for Robin's intervention.  "Robin" fought 3 Dophore Group minions until failing to escape. 


When they captured him, they "unanimously" sentenced him to burn to death.  But the real Robin rescued his "stand-in", and two fights ensued.  The first was a Raksha from Archfiend's Palace, who died to about 2 rounds of Thunder Kicks.  Another monster called Oannes couldn't take Thunder Kicks either.  After these battles, nothing happened!  People sometimes say Saga games are unfinished, and this arc makes it seem that the developers ran out of time.


One person in Yarmouth told me the location of Lance to the northeast, so I could visit it on the world map.  Ellen performed an errand for a businessman that involved taking goods to Yarmouth for 1000 aurums.  There was a short forest "dungeon" with Burglars running around, but they were so weak even Punches could beat them in 2 rounds.  After reaching Yarmouth, Ellen said "That was a quick 1,000 aurums".


Remember the astronomer who was burned at the stake mentioned in Pidona?  His family lived in Lance.  Johannes mentioned the locations of the Abyss Gates:  Mount Taftan, Jungle, "deep beneath the waves of the Occidental Ocean", and Archfiend Palace.  Looks like my best chance is to return to Archfiend Palace. . .


The Matriarch Mausoleum on a screen west of the main town looked like a bright cathedral, and featured a "trial of royalty" and a "trial of hunters".  Ellen wasn't able to participate in either.  Perhaps the royalty one is meant for Monika or Mikhail?  One NPC back in town introduced himself thus:  "Welcome to Lance, hometown of the legendary Matriarch.  I am her descendant and current head of the household".  Yet there was no more dialogue after that.  The last lead in Lance was the location of another snow town called Justerm.

[Herman Gigglethorpe]

Let's Attempt To Play Romancing Saga 3 Part 9:  Kawazu Also Did Golden Sun First


Justerm had nothing worth investigating at all, not even a token blacksmith for Cain.  Ellen returned to Pidona and purchased a ticket for Vanguard, another port town, or so it seemed.  The old mayor liked to be called "Cap'n", and another person talked about "two feuding mages" in the town of Mahzoz to the south.  "The barkeep twitches every time someone mentions dolphins".  Maybe he was the protagonist of Time Machine 6:  The Rings of Saturn in a previous life.  In this life he was apparently a "thug" who did well financially after the Death Eclipse.


Another NPC mentioned stories about Vanguard being a moving city were "just folktales", just like the Matriarch.  Skeptics aren't welcome in RPGs where ancient myths are correct rather than Euhemerism or something.  A town called Tinyville was to the north, but I didn't visit there, as tempting as it sounded.  A couple was suddenly murdered in their house by a demon at night in a cutscene, and Ellen needed to investigate.  Eventually there was a fight with 3 of "Forneus's Minion", but all of them went down in two rounds to Thunder Kick.  The best the enemy could manage was to cast Squall for moderate damage to the team.


Cap'n wanted to make the town mobile in order to fight Forneus, just as the Matriarch did.  He was standing on top of a short dungeon where Ellen fell into pits to find treasure.  A miniboss fight with 4 Frostspits "fireballs" was dangerous when they cast Frost on someone for 196-210, though nobody died since they spread out their attacks.  Thunder Kick as usual was the way to victory.  After that detour, the control room seemed to work.  The catch was that I needed Genbu mages to cooperate, and to accomplish that I had to resolve the conflict in Mahzoz.


Undine was in North Mahzoz, and the decision was between siding with her or Volcano in South Mahzoz.  Undine specialized in Genbu magic, so Ellen accepted Undine's mercenary contract.  Perhaps Ellen should have trained her Bronze Mages in more practical techniques like Martial Skill.  Volcano's tower had many Crypt Maguses that had high HP and a tendency to cast Celestial Sand for 195.  If two or more attacked a single character, they would usually die, and several party members lost a couple of Life Points.


By the way, Thunder Kick has a small chance of Stunning the target.  Volcano had to sit there for two turns as the party jumped towards him.  Volcano had enough dignity to instantly kill Nora with Death Shot just before expiring on the 3rd round.  No dialogue after Volcano died, but his tower was empty and Undine agreed to help Vanguard.  With their mages and the Dolphin Figurine from Treasure Cave, the city moved west.  I could now take a small boat to the literal World's End.  It had waterfalls flowing off the edge of a flat world, just like Weyard in Golden Sun The Lost Age.  Some crustacean (?) people living on the island said they knew about Undersea Palace's location, so Forneus wanted to kill them with a dragon in the local dungeon.  (This plot reminds me of Subier in Romancing Saga 2. . .)


Many of the enemies in the waterfall cave were new, even if some like Mobelwagen were palette swaps of Heptopus. Sundiver birds rarely cast Sunshine for 39-111 damage to the whole team.  Petrified Fish looked more intimidating than they actually were in combat.  No foe could withstand Thunder Kicks, but I couldn't find the way to the bottom of the dungeon.  Since I have no faith in RPG game design, I suspect there's some counterintuitive solution that I'll have to use a guide to find.