Misty Musings (Patreon)

So, just wanted to air out some of my thoughts. I know some of you were most interested in the option to ask Mist about Alessa, but the more I stare at the text... the more I'm tired of seeing Tarek repeat: "I don't know."

I think it's clear, from the options available, that the lord of the underworld knows intimately what happens in Tarragona — but his details and interest go down the more the topic strays from the city. He knows a good deal about the Theers' ascension and the Red Guard, the Tomb Diggers, and the Stones. But when you ask him about Neia or the Pirate, the Inquisition, or what Rowan Theer did before arriving in Tarragona, he can't answer you as well. 

He doesn't know. 

I wanted to make it obvious as you're playing that asking him things outside of Tarragona would be detrimental for you — Mist tries to warn you once, but if you ignore it, he very happily accepts to give you basically breadcrumbs while he reaps the benefits. 

It's why there's no option to ask him about Hadrian. He very clearly knows nothing about the ex-Templar. He even tests to see if Hadrian knows Latin at the beginning of the meeting. Why would he know Hadrian? 

I added the option for Alessa because Mist remarks that her reputation precedes her. Which, of course, means that he has heard of her. But what he knows is... so little, and everything he can tell you, you'll be able to learn from Alessa and Rafael's mouths in chapter 3. And, honestly, I'd rather you hear it from them. 

So, I'm going to cut Alessa here. I kept asking about the Inquisition and, subsequently, your mother because if you tell Mist her name, there will be narrative consequences. New scenes, new clues before certain events. So, even though he's repeating himself that he honestly doesn't know what the Inquisition is doing in Tarragona, you can still get more info about the abductions and unlock a future scene. 

As for Tarek, I think I'll keep it for now because you can get more details about Aelia, the former leader of the White Company — since Mist has met her in person numerous times and they were partners in their own dishonest way. You can get some little piece of info about Tarek that Romanus actually knows, but you, the player, don't, and a discovery that, if you don't ask about Tarek, you'll only find out at the end of book two. 

But again, it won't be as informative as the early options. I'm sorry if this disappoints, but I think the game will be better without asking about Alessa.