When we approach the gate, the exit into the larger world, we’re stopped. A Riftstone stands in the corner of the square. A swirl of aether, and out lands a person. He holds up his palm, which has a glowing scar similar to the one on our toon’s chest. The Chief explains:
“Not human, quite. They look the part sure enough, but they lack the will . . . the spark that drives us. They have no capacity to feel nor act alone, so they live as sellswords.”
That is a Pawn of the pawn legion. This one who’s here to help us is named Rook. He’s a mage. He gives us advice (go shopping!), more like a robot would than a human. And so he and we leave the village together.
We head down a quiet lane and see a salesman, Reynard, attacked by goblins. Our first fight! If we help him he gives us a cape, another piece of armor. Also (*cough*) he’s a very useful person to rescue.
Killing goblins levels me up. Each level boosts my overall health and stamina/magicka. DD’s other system, though, vocation ranking, moves at a different pace. This is the juicy one. Remember I picked Strider. It’s a class that ranks up, opening new skill maneuvers. I look forward to the achievement levels.
We reach the Encampment, a small, walled military compound. Rook’s purpose is to lead me here. Inside a tent is another Riftstone, one that talks to me. “The pawn legion has awaited you.” I’m a hero, baby. “The Arisen possesses a will powerful enough to guide the legion.” So not everyone gets a Pawn. Even though they wander the Encampment, mixed in with the soldiers, they have no purpose for everyone else in this world.
Now I must prove myself by fighting, along with other soldiers from the Encampment, a Cyclops. Great fight! I stand back and shoot arrows for a bit, then charge in and climb its leg, stabbing. Even Rook, that mad mage, does a little leg clambering. He’s basically a continuation of the tutorial, so I can imagine the first time seeing a pawn go up against a monster, thinking “They . . . climb? Ohhh, YEAH!” It’s been a quite a while since I had that initial, brain-quaking experience. I still thrill, though.
As the Cyclops lies dead, and the soldiers disperse, we see a mysterious figure in a hood standing on a hilltop overlooking the battle scene. He turns and walks away, one malevolent eye visible. We have an overseer, apparently, keeping tabs on the Arisen. Plot point!
When we return to the Encampment, Reynard awaits. He’s a shop and, more importantly, a service for enhancement. This is why we collect every little stinking thing we find. The item we need in order to upgrade a piece of equipment — to enhance it — could be anything. And we sometimes need multiple instances of it. Each piece has three stars, three upgrade levels. This process is sooo worth it. Big changes.
Reynard also mentions how important we’ve become. (What, already? We haven’t done anything yet!) The Arisen is practically the second coming of Duke Dragonsbane. Aha. Important information dropped from the guy we helped on the road. Good choice!
Now we return to that Riftstone, mission complete. We are invited to create our own Pawn.
I name and build a second toon. This is my constant companion going forward. I love the ownership process. We also choose their class. I pick Fighter for my Pawn. It will give me extra gear — sword and board — and it will complement my dagger/bow style. It can be nice to farm out the aggro to another teammate.
When my Pawn comes from the aether to meet me, she and a host of other pawns from the Encampment bow to me. Weird. I’m like, “Get up, you guys.”