Nalbina Dungeons

STOCKADE > ARENA > CONFISCATORY > THE BLACK WATCH

Cut Scene: Vaan awakens and we are looking up at Dormin?!  He want’s us to go kill a Colossus?  Oh, no this is FFXII and we are back now with Vaan.  He was knocked out by that imperial guard that I miraculously commanded into striking.  Balthier tells him that they are in a dungeon which he surmises must be the bottom of the palace.  Fran is looking for a way out.  Vaan decides to go for a little walk.

STOCKADE
Run to the northern most part of the dungeon to the save.  As far as dungeons are concerned, it doesn’t look too bad, just very sandy.  Everyone you talk to says how bad the empire is and how bad it is in the dungeon.   Run around to the various chests and collect four “Knots of Rust.” Go out the door. 

|| HOUR - 3:51 ||

Vaan enters a large room with an oculus.  Two pigs start beating one of those lizard men.  Vaan begs the pigs to stop beating the skinny lizard.  First rule of prison: never yell at the big guy everyone calls Tuff Susan.  Here is an example why not: the pigs go after Vaan and knock him out.  Gather round chillin’!  Looks like we got ourselves a good ol’ fashion backwater pig fight!  

Note: I can’t believe I worked so hard for a college degree so that I could someday write about a lizard/pig/hume fight.  Sometimes I wonder why I do this.

Fight against the pigs:
- Focus your attacks on one pig at a time. 
- Use heal and cure as needed to keep your party alive. 
- Throw the knots of rust you got from the treasure chests to inflict damage.

Cut Scene: All the other lizards gather around to see what is happening when the guards arrive.  Vaan and Balthier find a real crappy hiding place and then Fran appears to tell them that there is a way through the oubliette.  A green lizard scolds the soldiers about their incompetence for loosing Balthier.  The Judge shows up – he is the leader of the imperial commanders.  The judge approaches the lizard and tells him off – is that a black jock strap on the lizard’s nose?  The lizards and guards strike out to find the prisoners.  They should check the OTHER SIDE of the CAGE that Vaan and Balthier were LOCKED IN. 

CONFISCATORY

ZODIAC CHESTS: If you are thinking of going for the Zodiac Spear, do not open the chests that are located in this room.  I recommend opening them, the Zodiac spear is not that great and your chances of getting it are so slim.  Don’t waste your time.  But, if you want to be a dumbass, skip these piles of goodness - I hope you enjoy your stupid spear.

Use the save crystal and don’t open the treasure chests here if you are going for the spear. Head into the next zone.

The gates nearly close on the party, trapping them in a room swarming with soldiers.  A guard looks over at the strange sound Balthier made.  The guard’s mask laid sideways looks like the following emoticon [>-<].  

THE BLACK WATCH
Head around the large room to the door in the center of it.  Fight any of the guards you see to pick up some good loot and EXP. 

When you get close to the locked magick door you will see a cut scene of the soldiers using a magic spell to unlock it.  I swear the magic words were “How are my roots Eliza Dushku?”  Follow those knights.  

A cage is pulled up from the depths and Basch is in it (he was the one who allegedly killed the king and taught us how to talk to NPCs and open doors).  His emaciated frame implies he has been there the whole two years since the assassination or spent a lot of time doing calisthenics.  The judge removes his mask (he looks a lot like someone we know...) and asks Basch why he still clings to life.  Basch says that he is covering for Ondore.

The Judge tells the imprisoned Basch that Amalia was caught.  As the Judge leaves, he blames Basch for killing the king and thus “throwing away our homeland.”

As the party walks by Basch pleads for his escape.  When Basch tells the party to do it for the good of Dalmasca, Vaan jumps on his cage and blames him for the death of his brother.  Hearing the approaching guards, Fran and Balthier join in the cage jumping and descend into the abyss.

Basch is free and Vaan attacks him but is pulled away.  Balthier calls Basch a “Sword Arm”.  Which would make me a “controller arm”.  Vaan seethes with all the teenage angst he can muster.  It just makes him look like Julie Bowen from TV’s Ed and TV’s Lost.