Zap has been staring intently at a grey tabby for over 30 minutes. Its unknown whether that registers to the other party members. In fact there isn't any real way to gauge how time passes in Rivellon. There is no definable day or night. Yet somehow there is a Weaver Of Time in the Shelter Plane, which is ostensibly outside of time. Then again I've yet to see the Weaver do any weaving, and maybe that speaks for itself.
Divinity: Original Sin has rapidly expanded around me at this point. I've been places, I've seen things, killed those things in those places. And yet I'm nearly aimless in my wandering. The lack of any guiding hand coupled with the sheer density of content conspire to overwhelm me with detail at times. The cat that Zap is talking to is named Unsinkable Sam. Sam is a storied cat, his past is filled with intrigue, adventure, opulence, and loss. A former ships cat, Sam's vessel sunk not far off the coast of Cyseal. As he tells it he barely escaped with his life, and the entire crew was raving about a "Lighthouse" and how it was not lit. Sam doesn't know what a lighthouse is, but he harbors no fondness for them after the loss his friends.
After unlocking the ability to speak with animals Zap learns that there are entire worlds within worlds in Rivellon. In the graveyard we meet Murphy a dog, whose master was none other than the councilor Jake. Zap realizes that the key to solving the murder may lie with Murphy's nose. And so the quest for Esmeralda's smelly panties begins.
In the bowels of the lighthouse we meet a sorrowful ghost named Samson. He mourns the loss of his beloved Desdemona. The former lighthouse keeper in a fit of jealous rage left the flame unlit and watched as the ship carrying his love was dashed against the cliffs below. This story sounds familiar and I realize that this was the same ship that Unsinkable Sam escaped from. Upon further inspection I realize that there is a shipwreck impaled on an iron crystal beneath the lighthouse.
Eventually our travels lead us to the lichyard of an abandoned church. Amongst the graves and mausoleums we happen upon a group of ghosts. They pace about arguing. They are led by a charismatic specter named Ebenezer. He talks of his life as a captain his proclivity for decadence and of the ship's cat Oscar. He says he doesn't want to leave Rivellon for the afterlife. And Zap realizes she may know this cat. We're off to Cyseal to talk with Sam once more.
Sam remembers his old name, Oscar. He remembers Ebenezer. Remembers Ebenezer's life of exclusive excess. Ebenezer was a consciousless opulent. Ebenezer confided his truths in Sam/Oscar. Rare and exquisite clothes at the cost of ecosystems. Wines and liquours from the sweat, toil and suffering of slaves. And soft flesh, tender and young girls, destroyed for pleasure. A quiet monster of a man.
We return to confront this quiet monster. This ghost. This ghost who refuses to face his life. This ghost that says no god is worthy to judge him. Its a short talk. Hack, whose proclivity is for thieving, blades, and arrows, is not so quick to condemn. Seeing the coils of decadence in himself. But Zap, who's proclivity is for logic, fire, and stone will have none of it. This man, this shade, will face his sins. Face his sins and fade.
There is a confident attention to detail that captivates me in these narratives. A woven skein of relation. Subtle and yet pervasive. As I travel through Cyseal and it's surroundings there is nuance all around me. A care and consideration in the creation of this space. Its not just the big shiny things. Its not just in the cohesive art style. There is care accorded the small and seemingly insignificant things. The cats, the dogs, the rats and all they have to say. The placement of a book, a shovel, and a bloodstained knife.
And while it may feel aimless at times, its a good aimlessness. There is always a new conversation to have or secret to discover. Always some new morsel of plot that ties another seemingly disconnected story to the one at hand. And that's nice even if its a bit overwhelming at times. For sheer amount of content, Divinity: Original Sin is almost peerless.
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