Today I managed to make myself go to school. Luckily my first and fourth classes were canceled, so I have an early day. Just finished with Japanese and now I have an hour before Socioling (for which I did not do the homework)...

Played more Suiko3 yesterday (of course) although play time was cut short due to work (even then I got in about 3 or 4 hours).

Gripe #1: I've yet to see Sasarai. I have a feeling that this is because I haven't played Chris or Geddoe's chapters yet. It seems most likely that he'll show up first in Geddoe's chapter, but right now I'm still wandering about in another chapter.

This will be, naturally, full spoilers.




Well, right now I'm still wandering about in Thomas's chapter 1. I dunno if he has more than one chapter, but I'll just say chapter 1 for now.

So, so far I really haven't done much yet.

After Thomas and Cecile returned from Brass Castle, I ended up wandering around Budehuc Castle more. There was some lady talking to Sebastian about how her son, Thomas, is missing and how she would like the people of Budehuc to help find him, since he's probably hiding there anyway. Thomas the new castle master agrees to help look for the boy with his same name and calls the residents of the castle together. Juan and Eike do not show up. So Thomas, Cecile, and Piccolo wander around the castle looking for Thomas, and Cecile stops and comments to Thomas about certain parts of the castle.

We finally come upon the training center where Juan is sleeping as usual. We talk to him to find out that he had told Thomas about how he'd gone to Mt. Hei-tou and slain a tiger or something there, and realized that that's what excited the missing Thomas and that he'd probably run off there. Great.

So Since Juan admits that he's probably partially to blame, he agrees to come.

So we set off. But....Juan has a wakening rune on him. The wakening rune first came about in Suiko2, and if you put one on a party member, they're always ASLEEP during the battles. It takes an enemy attack to wake them up, but when they do wake up they're in berserk mode, which means stronger attacks. But the thing is, usually the enemies won't ATTACK HIM!!! That, and I can't remove the wakening rune from him! Argh.

Anyway, we wander about Mt. Hei-tou, which is actually a rather pretty section, nice for picnics if it wasn't inhabited by monsters, looking for Thomas and come across him at the end of the path cornered by a wild boar. We beat him easily and turn to head back, and I go along the side mountain paths that I ignored last time. At present time, my Thomas will still not ransack the bags of dead soldiers on the field, which is a shame because I want the goods! And then I came across an area boss, but apparently this dude was like, major tough because Thomas and Cecile ran away when I got too close.

So we finally return to Budehuc Castle and return Thomas safely to his mother. After that, castle-master Thomas has nothing better to do so he goes to bed.

Waking up again, it turns out that he hasn't really had anything to do for an entire week. He remarks that he should find Sebastian and ask him what a castle master should be doing, so I set off to look for Sebastian, with no luck. Can't really find anything to trigger an event, so I end up going to Martha to try to buy a lotto ticket. And it turns out that she triggers the next event. Yay.

She comments that her business isn't doing well because no one ever comes to Budehuc Castle anymore. Thomas isn't sure what to do and gets berated by Martha, saying that the young these days are too lazy.

So Thomas returns to the main part of the castle and comes across Sebastian who comes up from downstairs. He was going through the castle books/records and as it turns out, we have NO MONEY.

Great. Why are Suikoden main characters always so poor?

Thomas realizes they need to find a way to bring in money to the castle, so he calls everyone together....and as usual Juan and Eike do not show up. In fact, I can't find Eike anywhere anymore....

So gathered around they try to come up with ideas. Someone says (I think it was Cecile) that before Budehuc castle used to be abundant with shops and people from all over always came and that's how the castle was supported, and that it would be great if they could do the same now. Sebastian interrupts to say that they'd never be able to get the permission from the Zexen Council, nor do they have the kind of money to bribe them to be able to set up shops there. Apparently everything in Zexen is rigidly controlled by said Council.

I dislike the Council. They were extremely rude to my Hugo.

Martha then speaks up and says that she remembers when she was really young that there used to be a document stating that Budehuc Castle was jointly part of both Zexen and Grassland, therefore the controls of the Council did not extend to them. But in order for them to go through with the search for people willing to open up shops there, they'd need to find that document in order to prove it. The document thought to be in Thomas's room, they all go up there and do a search.

After a while, Thomas finally finds it and then his search for people/shop owners/108 stars of destiny finally begins.

So, after all that, I exit Budehuc Castle, and on the world map I can finally go to a lot more places than I could before, including Iksay Village, which I previously did not get a chance to go to when playing Hugo (I don't know about Chris or Geddoe yet.)

So, my first stop is Iksay.
Yay, Iksay. It looks like they're about to hold a festival there, which I believe some women in Brass Castle were talking about.

I find Watari, who says he'll work for Thomas for 100,000 potch. Thomas is poor and currently only has 40,000 potch. So Watari is not the first star that Thomas recruits. Wandering around the village I come across .....Gordon or someone I think, who owns an item store and looks like quite the narcissist himself. He comments that Thomas has a gentlemanly air about him but has qualms about the company that he keeps (my party consisted of Cecile, Juan, and Piccolo) so he doesn't join.

Outside I come across Mel.

Mel is....insane. But she easily joins and becomes the first. Yay. I next enter the inn and there's Tuta! All grown up now, with a nurse named Mio. Tuta doesn't join just yet (I guess I'll have to find him again later?) but Mio does. Continuing on through Iksay, I come across Barts, who truly is unnecessarily a pretty boy. (I guess because Tony was uh....not as appealing, visual wise?) But it doesn't seem like he'll join up just yet, so I have to wait and see.

Done with Iksay, I return to Brass Castle. I come across Scott, who I assume is the trading person of the game. He tells me to bring him some deer antlers from trade. I haven't got any on me, so I ignore him for now. I go see Miss Jeane and she joins my group quite easily. Yay! Jeane is the first of the regulars to join! (Well, since Tuta didn't join up just yet.) Then I find Arthur, the newspaper boy, and I have to join him on a hunt for clues as to how the Karayans escaped through the Brass Castle security. We find the passage, Arthurs pleased that he'll be able to make front page with his news, and joins.

Then I meet Belle, agree to help her, and exit Brass Castle through the way I came, so that means putting off looking for the screw to Gadget until later.

I go to Vinay del Zexay next. As I enter, Guillaume chasing Shabon runs past....a very odd site indeed. Thomas doesn't pay much attention and continues through the streets. Next I come across Nei and Toppo, who are concerned because Shabon is missing. Oh my...well, I don't know where the 2 ran off either.

I make my way through the market place and onto the shopping street and speak with Augustine. He goes off about his beloved beautiful rose brooch only to find out that it's missing....and as he's busy going through dispair along the docks, Guillaume runs past again, at just such perfect timing I thought it was hilarious.

Ahem. I continue through the shopping street, talking to Dominic the defensive gear selling, but in order to get him to join apparently I have to by his stupid mole armor for 40,000 potch. If I do, then I'm broke, so I put him off for now. I speak to a random woman and she tells me that you can by rose brooches at Iksay. Yay. I continue onto the city hall, where Guillaume is chasing Shabon around in circles in front of it, saying something along the lines of "isn't this fun?"

......argh, goddamn freaking bastard pervert Guillaume....you're telling me that I REALLY have to get him to join as one of the 108 stars? He's a million times worse than Krin and Hoi put together! Thomas interrupts, Guillaume is pissed, and I get thrown into a one on one battle with him Guillaume is stronger than Thomas, but I manage to beat him and he runs off. Shabon, Toppo, Nei join the 108 stars. I go to the trading post and buy deer antlers, return to Brass, give them to Scott who joins, then continue past Brass through the Amur plains. Find the screw, can't go to the Karaya Village since it's been burned down, and go to the north Amur plains. I meet Kathy there, help her with her horses, and she joins. I make my way to the Duck Clan. I see Hortez VII, who has as terrible a sense of direction as Raura it seems....and I think he got lost because there was no message saying that he joined the 108 stars, so I'm guessing I'll have to find him in another village and point him in the right direction again before he joins.

Talk to Sanae Y, who doesn't seem like she'll join yet either. Then I come across the duck murder mystery, help out Kidd, and get him to join.

At which point I'm really sleepy and so I quit there.

Whew, that was a lot to type. It took up time though, and I have to get to socioling now.