Silksong: Act 2, Citadel of Song, part 2
Oct. 16th, 2025 09:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
schneefinkMore Silksong :) Still having a fantastic time.
Day 32, contd.
Going back to the save file there is no indication that I beat Grand Mother Silk, except for her journal entry: "Monarch of Pharloom, and the primal source of Silk. Heart of the Haunting, long lulled to slumber and desperate to wake. The higher being's threads stretched throughout Pharloom, snaring its bugs and driving them to madness and discord." So the bugs of the Citadel kept GMS asleep but eventually her power turned into too strong a curse despite that, it sounds like. (Not not reminiscent of the Radiance, js.) I wonder if "primal source of Silk" means in this kingdom specifically, or in general; how connected is Hornet to GMS through her own Silk? How connected was GMS to the Weavers? GMS being half-awake also fits well with her fighting style.
I went back to Weavenest Atla again because watching a LP showed me that I'd overlooked an area: an obvious one, even, even indicated on the map *facepalm* I found a rune harp relic there and a mask shard, and an inscription: "This low, her gaze escaped. Prepare, sisters. Weave hope anew. That we might break free this accursed web born of our naïve foundation." Mysterious. Her gaze – GMS? But I thought GMS was one of the Weavers – maybe not a beloved ruler, or maybe in her sleep GMS did not spare the remaining Weavers from her curse?
The rune harp inscription says "Hide her deep, the despised child, our shame shown in shell of iron. She is a wish cast vain, divinity mimicked in form too frail." Presumably referring to Eva, a failed experiment. Though why on a harp? Maybe it was used to make the enchantment keeping her there.
Then I decided to go to the top of High Halls and get whatever was surely hidden there. The last time I tried I died to the ministers, but this time I let my poisoned cogflies take care of that problem for me. The very top is beautiful, the glass dome with the fountain in the middle, and waiting there was the very last spool fragment, nice.
Day 33
I tried fighting Signis and Gron a few more times, and then I thought I might as well go back to Wanderer crest since I wanted to conserve tool use until I got better at it, and promptly beat them. That gave me access to a spa! Nice. Beyond the spa I found lava caverns with giant lava slugs, and beyond those a closed diving bell. Hm, interesting. Definitely coming back here later.
Then I went back to the Sands of Karak to practice climbing, I made it further this time but still not very far.
I took a break and finally delivered the Queen's Egg to Styx. Hornet says she's surprised Styx even knows the couriers and wonders where else Styx goes and who they speak to, Styx of course says there's nothing to worry about ^^ Hornet when asked if pleased: "You are diligent at your work, and have raised no claw against me. If it remains so, I will have no reason to be displeased." I played the needolin, Styx admired the sound, and Hornet told Styx that he too could learn the skill, if he cared to. Styx says no, they have to grow morsels for his mistress.
Then I checked out a secret path to the right of the Far Fields Bellway station that I saw in a LP. The parkour took me longer than expected, but I finally saved a flea. I also saw that the thing clanging against the gates of Pilgrim's Rest is a rhino bug, and I didn't think and opened the gate and then died. Oops. I went back to Pilgrim's Rest and remembered that I'd disabled the door to the shop >.< Very smart. The rhino was inside and I killed it, but I haven't seen Pilby since then, not in Pilgrim's Rest and not at the Songclave, uh-oh… (Okay I looked this up and it seems like Pilby already moved on after I met him there the first time, so he was presumably no longer there. If the rhino had attacked before I talked to him there, however, he would no longer show up there later… According to the wiki this is the last appearance of Pilby so we don't know what happened to him. Also apparently the rhino has needolin dialogue, huh; and if I hadn't killed it here it would have shown up again elsewhere later.)
Then I went to Weavenest Cindril in Far Fields, where also thanks to a LP I knew how to open the secret lower floor (run across the runway but with the anklets and fleabrew this time.) I found a huge silk spool that pulses like the ball of silk GMS is trapped in, uh-oh… (Later I saw in a video that there's also one like that in Weavenest Atla, but back then I hadn't seen GMS yet so it didn't seem as ominous.) Also a rune showing paths away from Pharloom, a "window" to the outside, and a rune harp that I brought back to the relic seeker. The rune harp says "Flee, sisters. Flee until your strength exhausts, so far you may escape at last her silken sight. To start anew, to sustain, free of web and service eternal." Hm, so the Weavers did various experiments in their Weavenests (Eva, perhaps the glowing silk spools… or those could be more "normal" Weaver things) and then fled GMS' reach; still not entirely sure if GMS was one of them originally? She is a higher being; maybe like their patron deity, of sorts? Or could be a Weaver who absorbed the power of another higher being, like Hornet seems to do in the Weaver Queen ending.
A little over 72 hours.
Day 34
I beat Savage Beastfly 2! \o/ That was hard, but much less bad than I was expecting, based on how much swearing about the fight I saw online. It took me around an hour. Sure it was difficult and the mobs it spawned in were annoying, but it was also one of those where figuring out how to approach it and incrementally improving was very satisfying. When I finally got the kill I was staring in delight and disbelief and immediately got killed by one of the mobs ^^ I was worried I'd have to repeat the fight but fortunately not.
I ended up going with a set-up of Reaper crest (for the reach) with injector band (very necessary because there are few and short windows to heal), the reserve bind, and druid's eyes; the latter I hadn't really used before but I really needed a lot of silk in this fight to have threadstorm ready for the additional mobs as soon as they spawned in. I had no idea how long the fight would take and just focused on getting further, and didn't even end up using any tools.
The reserve bind is the badge I got from Second Sentinel. Cogwork creatures don't use silk (afaik) and I really like the idea that their badges had silk they couldn't use in honor of Weavers, and Hornet just so happens to be able to find it useful, too.
After that I went back to Bilewater and got the mask shard from behind the annoying jumping slugs things. Now with eight masks I decided to take on Groal again. I'm getting better at the gauntlet, but I need to practice Groal himself. I got him to his second phase once before I decided I needed a break. (I remembered that I wanted to do Sands of Karak before to get that one electricity trinket I saw speedrunners use…)
Buut then I went back for one more try anyway (past 1am in the morning because I was procrastinating on going to bed anyway so might as well.) I had more trouble than usual recently with the gauntlet, a bad sign, but I made it through, and then fell into the maggot water early but managed to land a few hits on Groal. Then I figured screw it and started spamming my poison tools, sting shards and cogflies, but it was really hard to place the sting shards effectively (should have used the threefold pins, maybe.) I had run out of tools to craft in his second phase and was starting to become pessimistic, when my very last poison cogfly killed him!! I did it!!
Such a relief. Finally. (Equipped: Reaper crest with poison tools and also reserve bind and cracked mask (the latter I didn't even end up needing) and magnetite dice.)
Groal's journal entry: "Chief and chaplain of the Stilkin, forever raging against the Citadel that chokes their caves and sees them suffer. This one's strength was much enhanced by stolen soul. They are not the first who tried to hoard it, or to mould it towards such violent ends." Tbf I can't blame him for being mad.
In the hut next to the arena I found the "Seeker's Soul," a cracked shell with the soul of a long dead bug in it, iiinteresting. Another soul Groal tried to mould, probably.
Then I made my way up toward where I know the Putrified Ducts are, but I only found a small area of it and no way through. I must be missing something. I did find the Apostate Key though! And Huntress, (who is maybe related to Styx? Possibly?) who craves meat for their brood, and I promised to bring them organs of other bugs. Specific ones – I think I have to kill enemies in a specific way?, I'll have to figure that out.
A little over 74 hours.
Day 35
Back to the Slab, now that I have the Apostate key. I killed Broodmother first, which took me around three tries this time, that was a relief. Then I explored the new areas now open to me, which first gave me a mask shard, then a relic and a memory locket and an area below the Slab very reminiscent of the Sands of Karak, and very ominous writings about the sentences for various "Penitents." And then I finally found the prison of First Sinner. As Hornet opens it the same voice that I've heard often from Weaver statues asks to Hornet to let her bind her strength to yours, "reclaim the future of our accursed kingdom," but not without a fight first.
Cool fight! I really liked how it had elements of all the Weavers' fight styles we've seen so far, like the claw attack from Widow and controlling the needles like GMS her blades and healing like Hornet. I think it took me around an hour to beat her, using Wanderer again. First I thought clawline would be very helpful but then I never had enough silk to heal and I definitely needed that, weavelight was also very helpful for that I think. I also had the memory crystal on again.
I ended up in a grey ~cocoon again, climbing out to receive a silk skill. Rune Rage! And we see a little spidery bug, a pharlid, hit by a strand of silk evolve into a Weaver, I think? "She called us daughters… Called us divine… She lied…" Oof. So GMS created the Weavers? Iinteresting. (Also, are all Weavers female?)
Next up: there has to be a way to make it through the Putrified Ducts somehow, so I went back to Bilewater. I decided to unlock the way coming down from the Whispering Vaults, and on the way I found the Twisted Bud, a crying baby. Recently reminded via LP that Greyroot talked about a "time of birth" approaching, and since it resembled Greyroot a bit, I brought the bud to Greyroot in Shellwood. Greyroot was happy to see it and asked for my help for the "ritual of rebirth," and I agreed – which resulted in Greyroot attacking me and stuffing me into some kind of petrified tentacle thing, and putting a parasite inside of Hornet's shell that's attempting to consume her. Oof. I can't use any crest right now, which means no tools, no silk skills… The path came out through the mouth of that giant skull in the Marrow, very cool.
Frey in Bellhart told me to talk to Pavo, Pavo told me to talk to the Bell hermit, the hermit told me to go talk to the exiled physician Yarnaby. I went to see Yarnaby, who opened her door and agreed to operate but asked for steel spines from Benji and Crull, which I got. So I could go back to Yarnaby for the operation, buuut. I do know there's a special ending achievement for defeating GMS with the curse on…
(I remember one of the patch notes said something about making hints about the cure for the curse more obvious: I wonder what exactly they changed because it seems pretty obvious now, even Creige mentioned Yarnaby. Maybe before Frey didn't say anything?, she's probably the most likely candidate in the area for people to talk to.)
I went to see Eva to see what she'd say, and Eva created a rune cage around her iron cage and told the parasite to stay back, that it won't claim her soul.
I also went to see the Songclave Caretaker, and he talked about the Seeker's Soul I found in Bilewater. First he accused Hornet of stealing someone's soul for herself, but then accepts that she found it. Hornet: "This is soul siphoned from a once powerful bug.It's only a thin mix now, but there is still some strength left. At peak, their talents must have been impressive." The caretaker says he knew the bug it belonged to, a long time ago: "Braver'n most, and as little a fan of this Citadel as you yourself." He tried to ally with the bugs of the swamps for mutual benefit; "scheming alliance, or some such stupidity! Now he's as dead as he was daft! Don't go tryin' ta make friends in Pharloom, bellringer. Nothin' good comes of it." So that sounds like that Seeker is how Groal figured out how to claim soul for himself for additional power, and he claimed the soul of the bug that had come for an alliance. (The Seeker might have died through natural/other means and Groal might not have betrayed him, but it does seem a plausible conclusion...)
I went up to Terminus and challenged Grand Mother Silk. (First step: figuring out how to reliably make the climb without taking damage *facepalm*) Not easy but definitely doable.
A little over 76 hours.
Day 36
It took me until the fifth attempt until I even made it to GMS' second phase, but starting with the tenth attempt I managed it eight times in a row and afterwards pretty consistently. Once at full health, even. I stopped for the day at attempt #30.
A little over 77.5 hours
Day 37
Twenty more attempts. I'd hoped I could do it in the first fifty attempts, but sadly not – but I think I got pretty close a few times!
79+ hours
Day 38
I did it! I made it to her second phase every time today, and then on attempt #56 I did it \o/ In 79.5 hours, so under 80, even. (And it was while I was on the phone with LB so I couldn't even scream in excitement ^^ (also I have a sore throat.))
A relief to get it done. The fight felt pretty comfortable by the end, too.
"Twisted Child," a telling name for the ending, too. So Greyroot's parasite took over, fed on a higher being, and pretty much took over the world, it seemed like… (or at least the surroundings.)
After the credits, and admiring my new menu screen and symbol on the save file, I went to Yarnaby to have the parasite removed. Very nice cut scene of Hornet being strapped down and menaced by the Extricator, mm. Hornet describes it as "an ordeal such as I have rarely suffered," though the parasite does seem to have "unbound somewhat. Whatever remnant still lingers in my shell feels calmed, enough for me to claim its power as my own." Still sounds a bit unsettling though ngl, even though Hornet calls it "perhaps fortunate after all."
Hornet claimed the Witch crest now. It's certainly intriguing – three blue tool slots, nice reach and moves – but the fact that I need to hit enemies to heal – or leech their life through twisted roots, as the description says – makes me hesitate, and definitely makes it seem less suited for exploration, at least. I'll give it a try for fights eventually.
Next I prepared the Broodfeast for Huntress, which was a nice opportunity to switch up my tools for a bit. I handed the organs in and got Longclaw, which extends my range, great tool especially for Wanderer crest. Hornet correctly guessed that Huntress wants organs to feed her young so they don't feed on her; "many times I've seen it similar." Huntress asks if it's shameful not to sacrifice herself for her children and want to see them grow up instead. Hornet: "Your choice is your own, tall mother. You won't be judged by me. I've seen enough sacrifice. I've no love for the act." Aölsdkf
I then tried again to find another way into the rest of the Putrified Ducts, without success.
I remembered to hand in the two weaver effigies I found to the relic seeker: those two, and the first one I'd already discovered, they all had prayers to specific Weavers. One to Camora, Weaver of healing; one to Keelal, Weaver of the path; one to Atla, Weaver of time. So Weavers were definitely revered as gods, and not only in general but also specific ones.
Then I gave up and checked, and there is actually no way to get to Putrified Duct's bellway station via Bilewater. So I went via Memorium instead (something I'd avoided doing earlier because I only found out about the path through spoilers.) I found the bellway station, and the Pale Lake, and the Wreath of Purity. Very nice. The green flying things in that area (spit squits) are the worst though, their tracking is so good, very annoying. Much worse than the green flying things in Bilewater (swamp squits.)
I'd heard that there's an NPC nearby that gives a map with flea locations, I didn't find them so I looked it up. I found Vog, a very martial flea. As Vog said I went to speak with them at the flea caravan, but I talked to flea master Mooshka first, who asked if I'd seen a good place for the fleas to settle. Hornet mentioned the Pale Lake, and the entire caravan moved there. The cut scene was very cute, Hornet surrounded by so many very fluffy fleas :)
At the Pale Lake as thanks Mooshka gave me the final upgrade for my tool pouch, nice. Vog sold me maps with the location of lost fleas marked: I bought all of them and found out I missed six fleas, so that's what I'll do next. I also talked to Varga, who's enjoying some quiet time near the lake a little bit away from all the younglings; when playing the needolin Varga mentioned a ritual, I look forward to finding out about that.
Almost 81 hours.
I don't know how to get to act 3: I know I need the Seeker's Soul somehow, and I suspect the shrine caretaker is involved because he knew something about it, but other than that… so I'll just keep doing quests until I discover something (or until I give up and look it up.) I still have the Sands of Karak to explore, too, and according to Steam I have 26 out of 28 maps so there's two more areas I haven't even discovered yet.
I want a Silksong icon, but not (yet) enough to spend more time looking for or making one, but probably soon-ish. I have some ideas.
Day 32, contd.
Going back to the save file there is no indication that I beat Grand Mother Silk, except for her journal entry: "Monarch of Pharloom, and the primal source of Silk. Heart of the Haunting, long lulled to slumber and desperate to wake. The higher being's threads stretched throughout Pharloom, snaring its bugs and driving them to madness and discord." So the bugs of the Citadel kept GMS asleep but eventually her power turned into too strong a curse despite that, it sounds like. (Not not reminiscent of the Radiance, js.) I wonder if "primal source of Silk" means in this kingdom specifically, or in general; how connected is Hornet to GMS through her own Silk? How connected was GMS to the Weavers? GMS being half-awake also fits well with her fighting style.
I went back to Weavenest Atla again because watching a LP showed me that I'd overlooked an area: an obvious one, even, even indicated on the map *facepalm* I found a rune harp relic there and a mask shard, and an inscription: "This low, her gaze escaped. Prepare, sisters. Weave hope anew. That we might break free this accursed web born of our naïve foundation." Mysterious. Her gaze – GMS? But I thought GMS was one of the Weavers – maybe not a beloved ruler, or maybe in her sleep GMS did not spare the remaining Weavers from her curse?
The rune harp inscription says "Hide her deep, the despised child, our shame shown in shell of iron. She is a wish cast vain, divinity mimicked in form too frail." Presumably referring to Eva, a failed experiment. Though why on a harp? Maybe it was used to make the enchantment keeping her there.
Then I decided to go to the top of High Halls and get whatever was surely hidden there. The last time I tried I died to the ministers, but this time I let my poisoned cogflies take care of that problem for me. The very top is beautiful, the glass dome with the fountain in the middle, and waiting there was the very last spool fragment, nice.
Day 33
I tried fighting Signis and Gron a few more times, and then I thought I might as well go back to Wanderer crest since I wanted to conserve tool use until I got better at it, and promptly beat them. That gave me access to a spa! Nice. Beyond the spa I found lava caverns with giant lava slugs, and beyond those a closed diving bell. Hm, interesting. Definitely coming back here later.
Then I went back to the Sands of Karak to practice climbing, I made it further this time but still not very far.
I took a break and finally delivered the Queen's Egg to Styx. Hornet says she's surprised Styx even knows the couriers and wonders where else Styx goes and who they speak to, Styx of course says there's nothing to worry about ^^ Hornet when asked if pleased: "You are diligent at your work, and have raised no claw against me. If it remains so, I will have no reason to be displeased." I played the needolin, Styx admired the sound, and Hornet told Styx that he too could learn the skill, if he cared to. Styx says no, they have to grow morsels for his mistress.
Then I checked out a secret path to the right of the Far Fields Bellway station that I saw in a LP. The parkour took me longer than expected, but I finally saved a flea. I also saw that the thing clanging against the gates of Pilgrim's Rest is a rhino bug, and I didn't think and opened the gate and then died. Oops. I went back to Pilgrim's Rest and remembered that I'd disabled the door to the shop >.< Very smart. The rhino was inside and I killed it, but I haven't seen Pilby since then, not in Pilgrim's Rest and not at the Songclave, uh-oh… (Okay I looked this up and it seems like Pilby already moved on after I met him there the first time, so he was presumably no longer there. If the rhino had attacked before I talked to him there, however, he would no longer show up there later… According to the wiki this is the last appearance of Pilby so we don't know what happened to him. Also apparently the rhino has needolin dialogue, huh; and if I hadn't killed it here it would have shown up again elsewhere later.)
Then I went to Weavenest Cindril in Far Fields, where also thanks to a LP I knew how to open the secret lower floor (run across the runway but with the anklets and fleabrew this time.) I found a huge silk spool that pulses like the ball of silk GMS is trapped in, uh-oh… (Later I saw in a video that there's also one like that in Weavenest Atla, but back then I hadn't seen GMS yet so it didn't seem as ominous.) Also a rune showing paths away from Pharloom, a "window" to the outside, and a rune harp that I brought back to the relic seeker. The rune harp says "Flee, sisters. Flee until your strength exhausts, so far you may escape at last her silken sight. To start anew, to sustain, free of web and service eternal." Hm, so the Weavers did various experiments in their Weavenests (Eva, perhaps the glowing silk spools… or those could be more "normal" Weaver things) and then fled GMS' reach; still not entirely sure if GMS was one of them originally? She is a higher being; maybe like their patron deity, of sorts? Or could be a Weaver who absorbed the power of another higher being, like Hornet seems to do in the Weaver Queen ending.
A little over 72 hours.
Day 34
I beat Savage Beastfly 2! \o/ That was hard, but much less bad than I was expecting, based on how much swearing about the fight I saw online. It took me around an hour. Sure it was difficult and the mobs it spawned in were annoying, but it was also one of those where figuring out how to approach it and incrementally improving was very satisfying. When I finally got the kill I was staring in delight and disbelief and immediately got killed by one of the mobs ^^ I was worried I'd have to repeat the fight but fortunately not.
I ended up going with a set-up of Reaper crest (for the reach) with injector band (very necessary because there are few and short windows to heal), the reserve bind, and druid's eyes; the latter I hadn't really used before but I really needed a lot of silk in this fight to have threadstorm ready for the additional mobs as soon as they spawned in. I had no idea how long the fight would take and just focused on getting further, and didn't even end up using any tools.
The reserve bind is the badge I got from Second Sentinel. Cogwork creatures don't use silk (afaik) and I really like the idea that their badges had silk they couldn't use in honor of Weavers, and Hornet just so happens to be able to find it useful, too.
After that I went back to Bilewater and got the mask shard from behind the annoying jumping slugs things. Now with eight masks I decided to take on Groal again. I'm getting better at the gauntlet, but I need to practice Groal himself. I got him to his second phase once before I decided I needed a break. (I remembered that I wanted to do Sands of Karak before to get that one electricity trinket I saw speedrunners use…)
Buut then I went back for one more try anyway (past 1am in the morning because I was procrastinating on going to bed anyway so might as well.) I had more trouble than usual recently with the gauntlet, a bad sign, but I made it through, and then fell into the maggot water early but managed to land a few hits on Groal. Then I figured screw it and started spamming my poison tools, sting shards and cogflies, but it was really hard to place the sting shards effectively (should have used the threefold pins, maybe.) I had run out of tools to craft in his second phase and was starting to become pessimistic, when my very last poison cogfly killed him!! I did it!!
Such a relief. Finally. (Equipped: Reaper crest with poison tools and also reserve bind and cracked mask (the latter I didn't even end up needing) and magnetite dice.)
Groal's journal entry: "Chief and chaplain of the Stilkin, forever raging against the Citadel that chokes their caves and sees them suffer. This one's strength was much enhanced by stolen soul. They are not the first who tried to hoard it, or to mould it towards such violent ends." Tbf I can't blame him for being mad.
In the hut next to the arena I found the "Seeker's Soul," a cracked shell with the soul of a long dead bug in it, iiinteresting. Another soul Groal tried to mould, probably.
Then I made my way up toward where I know the Putrified Ducts are, but I only found a small area of it and no way through. I must be missing something. I did find the Apostate Key though! And Huntress, (who is maybe related to Styx? Possibly?) who craves meat for their brood, and I promised to bring them organs of other bugs. Specific ones – I think I have to kill enemies in a specific way?, I'll have to figure that out.
A little over 74 hours.
Day 35
Back to the Slab, now that I have the Apostate key. I killed Broodmother first, which took me around three tries this time, that was a relief. Then I explored the new areas now open to me, which first gave me a mask shard, then a relic and a memory locket and an area below the Slab very reminiscent of the Sands of Karak, and very ominous writings about the sentences for various "Penitents." And then I finally found the prison of First Sinner. As Hornet opens it the same voice that I've heard often from Weaver statues asks to Hornet to let her bind her strength to yours, "reclaim the future of our accursed kingdom," but not without a fight first.
Cool fight! I really liked how it had elements of all the Weavers' fight styles we've seen so far, like the claw attack from Widow and controlling the needles like GMS her blades and healing like Hornet. I think it took me around an hour to beat her, using Wanderer again. First I thought clawline would be very helpful but then I never had enough silk to heal and I definitely needed that, weavelight was also very helpful for that I think. I also had the memory crystal on again.
I ended up in a grey ~cocoon again, climbing out to receive a silk skill. Rune Rage! And we see a little spidery bug, a pharlid, hit by a strand of silk evolve into a Weaver, I think? "She called us daughters… Called us divine… She lied…" Oof. So GMS created the Weavers? Iinteresting. (Also, are all Weavers female?)
Next up: there has to be a way to make it through the Putrified Ducts somehow, so I went back to Bilewater. I decided to unlock the way coming down from the Whispering Vaults, and on the way I found the Twisted Bud, a crying baby. Recently reminded via LP that Greyroot talked about a "time of birth" approaching, and since it resembled Greyroot a bit, I brought the bud to Greyroot in Shellwood. Greyroot was happy to see it and asked for my help for the "ritual of rebirth," and I agreed – which resulted in Greyroot attacking me and stuffing me into some kind of petrified tentacle thing, and putting a parasite inside of Hornet's shell that's attempting to consume her. Oof. I can't use any crest right now, which means no tools, no silk skills… The path came out through the mouth of that giant skull in the Marrow, very cool.
Frey in Bellhart told me to talk to Pavo, Pavo told me to talk to the Bell hermit, the hermit told me to go talk to the exiled physician Yarnaby. I went to see Yarnaby, who opened her door and agreed to operate but asked for steel spines from Benji and Crull, which I got. So I could go back to Yarnaby for the operation, buuut. I do know there's a special ending achievement for defeating GMS with the curse on…
(I remember one of the patch notes said something about making hints about the cure for the curse more obvious: I wonder what exactly they changed because it seems pretty obvious now, even Creige mentioned Yarnaby. Maybe before Frey didn't say anything?, she's probably the most likely candidate in the area for people to talk to.)
I went to see Eva to see what she'd say, and Eva created a rune cage around her iron cage and told the parasite to stay back, that it won't claim her soul.
I also went to see the Songclave Caretaker, and he talked about the Seeker's Soul I found in Bilewater. First he accused Hornet of stealing someone's soul for herself, but then accepts that she found it. Hornet: "This is soul siphoned from a once powerful bug.It's only a thin mix now, but there is still some strength left. At peak, their talents must have been impressive." The caretaker says he knew the bug it belonged to, a long time ago: "Braver'n most, and as little a fan of this Citadel as you yourself." He tried to ally with the bugs of the swamps for mutual benefit; "scheming alliance, or some such stupidity! Now he's as dead as he was daft! Don't go tryin' ta make friends in Pharloom, bellringer. Nothin' good comes of it." So that sounds like that Seeker is how Groal figured out how to claim soul for himself for additional power, and he claimed the soul of the bug that had come for an alliance. (The Seeker might have died through natural/other means and Groal might not have betrayed him, but it does seem a plausible conclusion...)
I went up to Terminus and challenged Grand Mother Silk. (First step: figuring out how to reliably make the climb without taking damage *facepalm*) Not easy but definitely doable.
A little over 76 hours.
Day 36
It took me until the fifth attempt until I even made it to GMS' second phase, but starting with the tenth attempt I managed it eight times in a row and afterwards pretty consistently. Once at full health, even. I stopped for the day at attempt #30.
A little over 77.5 hours
Day 37
Twenty more attempts. I'd hoped I could do it in the first fifty attempts, but sadly not – but I think I got pretty close a few times!
79+ hours
Day 38
I did it! I made it to her second phase every time today, and then on attempt #56 I did it \o/ In 79.5 hours, so under 80, even. (And it was while I was on the phone with LB so I couldn't even scream in excitement ^^ (also I have a sore throat.))
A relief to get it done. The fight felt pretty comfortable by the end, too.
"Twisted Child," a telling name for the ending, too. So Greyroot's parasite took over, fed on a higher being, and pretty much took over the world, it seemed like… (or at least the surroundings.)
After the credits, and admiring my new menu screen and symbol on the save file, I went to Yarnaby to have the parasite removed. Very nice cut scene of Hornet being strapped down and menaced by the Extricator, mm. Hornet describes it as "an ordeal such as I have rarely suffered," though the parasite does seem to have "unbound somewhat. Whatever remnant still lingers in my shell feels calmed, enough for me to claim its power as my own." Still sounds a bit unsettling though ngl, even though Hornet calls it "perhaps fortunate after all."
Hornet claimed the Witch crest now. It's certainly intriguing – three blue tool slots, nice reach and moves – but the fact that I need to hit enemies to heal – or leech their life through twisted roots, as the description says – makes me hesitate, and definitely makes it seem less suited for exploration, at least. I'll give it a try for fights eventually.
Next I prepared the Broodfeast for Huntress, which was a nice opportunity to switch up my tools for a bit. I handed the organs in and got Longclaw, which extends my range, great tool especially for Wanderer crest. Hornet correctly guessed that Huntress wants organs to feed her young so they don't feed on her; "many times I've seen it similar." Huntress asks if it's shameful not to sacrifice herself for her children and want to see them grow up instead. Hornet: "Your choice is your own, tall mother. You won't be judged by me. I've seen enough sacrifice. I've no love for the act." Aölsdkf
I then tried again to find another way into the rest of the Putrified Ducts, without success.
I remembered to hand in the two weaver effigies I found to the relic seeker: those two, and the first one I'd already discovered, they all had prayers to specific Weavers. One to Camora, Weaver of healing; one to Keelal, Weaver of the path; one to Atla, Weaver of time. So Weavers were definitely revered as gods, and not only in general but also specific ones.
Then I gave up and checked, and there is actually no way to get to Putrified Duct's bellway station via Bilewater. So I went via Memorium instead (something I'd avoided doing earlier because I only found out about the path through spoilers.) I found the bellway station, and the Pale Lake, and the Wreath of Purity. Very nice. The green flying things in that area (spit squits) are the worst though, their tracking is so good, very annoying. Much worse than the green flying things in Bilewater (swamp squits.)
I'd heard that there's an NPC nearby that gives a map with flea locations, I didn't find them so I looked it up. I found Vog, a very martial flea. As Vog said I went to speak with them at the flea caravan, but I talked to flea master Mooshka first, who asked if I'd seen a good place for the fleas to settle. Hornet mentioned the Pale Lake, and the entire caravan moved there. The cut scene was very cute, Hornet surrounded by so many very fluffy fleas :)
At the Pale Lake as thanks Mooshka gave me the final upgrade for my tool pouch, nice. Vog sold me maps with the location of lost fleas marked: I bought all of them and found out I missed six fleas, so that's what I'll do next. I also talked to Varga, who's enjoying some quiet time near the lake a little bit away from all the younglings; when playing the needolin Varga mentioned a ritual, I look forward to finding out about that.
Almost 81 hours.
I don't know how to get to act 3: I know I need the Seeker's Soul somehow, and I suspect the shrine caretaker is involved because he knew something about it, but other than that… so I'll just keep doing quests until I discover something (or until I give up and look it up.) I still have the Sands of Karak to explore, too, and according to Steam I have 26 out of 28 maps so there's two more areas I haven't even discovered yet.
I want a Silksong icon, but not (yet) enough to spend more time looking for or making one, but probably soon-ish. I have some ideas.
