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Information about the great Beholder and possible inputs.
Guide to Mechanics behind the Beholder
This guide documents the mechanics behind the Beholder, and as such contains minor spoilers of game events.
Roadwarden is best experienced when players explore and learn on their own. You’re free to use this information as you want, but it may ruin the magic for you.
That and I’m just text. Not like I can stop you anyway.
Basic
The Beholder is the large tree encountered on the western road, between the Ruined Village and Howler’s Dell.
After visiting Old Pagos for the first time and returning to the Old Druid, you will be told that the fruit from the Beholder could be used to cure the plague. Offerings can be made at the alter to power Beholder, and after enough offerings the tree will bear fruit.
The offerings to Beholder work on a “points” system, with certain items giving more power than others.
Beholder will produce the fruit after reaching 25 power.
The below sections list what offerings provide power.
Upon first approaching the alter, players of a specific class can have special interactions.
Mage
I use an amulet to detect if there’s any magic hidden in the altar.
- Cost: 1 Pneuma
- Time: 15 minutes
- Reward: Flavor text
Alter Offerings – Items
The alter can accept various magical items that the player has. The items will be consumed on use and removed from the player’s inventory.
Offerings
A spirit rock.
- Requires: A spirt rock, found in numerous places and sold by Eudocia.
- Rewards: +6 Beholder power
The potion I found in the dolmen.
- Requires: The potion from the basement of the dolmen.
- Rewards: +6 Beholder power
A small healing potion.
- Requires: The “small healing potion” item.
- Rewards: +2 Beholder power
One of my healing potions.
- Requires: Any normal healing potion.
- Rewards: +6 Beholder power
A share of my sharpening poison.
- Requires: At least one charge remaining on a sharpening potion.
- Rewards: +2 Beholder power, -1 sharpening poison charge
My sharpening poison.
- Requires: A full sharpening potion.
- Rewards: +2 Beholder power, -1 sharpening poison charge
The magic quills I’m carrying for the monks.
- Requires: Magic quills, part of the “Quills for The Monastery” quest.
- Rewards: +2 Beholder power
- Notes: Will cause the related quest to fail.
A bronze rod that I got from Eudocia.
- Requires: At least 1 bronze rod, part of the “Bronze Rods” quest.
- Rewards: +1 Beholder power
- Notes: You will not be able to fully finish the Golem quest.
Asterion’s cloak.
- Requires: Asterion’s Cloak, available at Foggy’s.
- Rewards: +12 Beholder power
The magic chisel.
- Requires: The magic chisel, given after learning the fate of Eudocia’s parents.
- Rewards: +8 Beholder power
The Tool of Destruction.
- Requires: The magic chisel, enhanced by Eudocia.
- Rewards: +12 Beholder power
The Golem Glove.
- Requires: The Golem Glove, given by Eudocia after sealing the deal.
- Rewards: +10 Beholder power
- Notes: Will effect the “Explore the Peninsula” quest.
The dragon horn.
- Requires: The Dragon Horn, available from the Green Mountain Tribe.
- Rewards: +8 Beholder power
The blinding powder.
- Requires: Blinding powder, purchased or created by the player.
- Rewards: +10 Beholder power
The withering dust.
- Requires: Withering dust, purchased or created by the player.
- Rewards: +3 Beholder power
The cursed coins.
Requires: Navica’s box of cursed coins.
Unlike other magical items, the alter will refuse to take the coins.
I was meant to make sure no one is going to use these coins. I throw them into the smelly water.
- Rewards: +1 Pagan faith points.
I did my part. I’ll keep the coins for myself and will later lie to Navica about them.
- Rewards: +15 coins, -1 Pagan faith points.
I add the coins to my own pouch and forget about this whole ordeal.
- Rewards: +15 coins, -1 Pagan faith points.
Alter Offerings – Blood
At any point, players may offer their vitality in exchange for Beholder power. Players can not die from blood offerings, but will be left with at least 0 vitality.
Entering “blood“, “myblood“, or “theblood” will unlock this option.
Offerings
Just a couple of drops from the tip of my finger.
- Requires: Minimum 1 vitality
- Rewards: Flavor text
I make a slight cut on the palm of my hand. It will only hurt a little.
- Requires: Minimum 1 vitality
- Rewards: +2 beholder power, -1 vitality
I make a deep cut.
- Requires: Minimum 2 vitality
- Rewards: +4 beholder power, -2 vitality
I clench my teeth and hurt myself quite a bit.
- Requires: Minimum 3 vitality
- Rewards: +6 beholder power, -3 vitality
As much as I can before I faint.
- Requires: Minimum 4 vitality
- Rewards: +9 beholder power, -4 vitality
Alter Offerings – Magic
Players of the mage class can offer any pneuma they have to the alter.
Entering “magic“, “mymagic“, “power“, “mypower“, “myenergy“, “magicalenergy“, “energy“, “spell“, “mana“, “spirit“, “soul“, “myspirit“, “mysoul“, “pneuma“, “mypneuma“, “psyche“, “mypsyche” will unlock this option.
Offerings
I risk it.
- Requires: Minimum 3 pneuma
- Rewards: +4 Beholder power, -3 pneuma
I’ll give it everything I have.
- Requires: Minimum 5 pneuma
- Rewards: +8 Beholder power, -5 pneuma
Alter Offerings – Extra
Various extra offerings.
Prompt: rock, rocks, stone, stones, pebble, pebbles, ground, dirt, earth
Response: “You place a couple of regular rocks on the altar, but it doesn’t look like it does anything.”
Prompt: water, drink
Response: “You pour out both clean water and some of the smelly liquid from the swamp, but in both cases nothing occurs.”
Prompt: branch, stick, branches, flower, flowers, grass, bough, mushroom, mushrooms, fungi, leaf, leaves, herb, herbs, plants
Response: “You place a couple of plants of all types and sizes, but none of them seems to do anything.”
Prompt: foodrations, rations, fruit, fruits, ration, foodration, vegetable, vegetables, abucketfulberries, bucketfulofberries, abucketfulofberries, berries, greens, food
Response: “You place any type of food you can find in your sacks or on the nearby plants, but none of them seem to make any difference.”
Prompt: spit, saliva
Response: “You spit on the altar, but nothing happens.”
Prompt: hair
Response: “You pull out a hair of yours and put it on the altar, but you don’t see any change.”
Prompt: myself, myshell, mybody, mylife, hand, life, self, shell, body, life
Response: “You put your hand on the altar, but you don’t see any reaction.”
Roots
When first approaching Beholder, the player can inspect its roots, and perform an action.
These prompts all lead to the same outcomes, with different flavor text.
Prompt: cut, slit, slash, pierce, gash, injure, hurt, lacerate, knife, stab
Prompt: cutoff, cutthrough, cutaway, chopoff, chop, axe, ax, attack
Response: “I make the cut.”
Time: 15 minutes
Rewards:
- +1 Pagan faith opportunities
- -1 Pagan faith points
- Item: Beholder Root
- Increases Beholder power requirement by 2.
Response: “I better spare it.”
Rewards:
- +1 Pagan faith opportunities
- +1 Pagan faith points
- +1 Animal spared points
A bit weird that you get points for this even though you decided to start by attacking…
The remaining prompts are simply flavor text.
Prompt: bite, chew, eat, munch
Response: “…The scent of decaying water is now especially repellent. You bite into the warm root and start chewing it, but with no results. It’s flexible and stretchy, and you can’t hurt it with something so blunt.”
Prompt: touch, pat, poke
Response: “The root is moist, soft, and weirdly warm.”
Prompt: kick, kickit, boot, hit, punch, blow, bash, crush, squash, stand, standon, fist, strike
Response: “The root is flexible and stretchy, your blunt hits sink into it like it’s a pillow. Whenever you lean away, it returns to its original shape.”
Prompt: push, push in, nudge
Response: “The root doesn’t resist your touch and you can easily bend it. You try to push it into the water, but with no effect – whenever you let it go, it returns to its original position.”
Prompt: hold, grasp, grip, catch, squeeze, clutch, bend
Response: “The root doesn’t resist your touch and you can easily bend it. You hold it tightly and your hands sink into it like it’s a soft pillow. You feel its warmth, but when you hold it for a fair bit, you notice a gentle itching on your skin.”
Prompt: pull, tug, draw, stretch
Response: “The root doesn’t resist your touch and you can easily bend it. You hold it tightly and your hands sink into it like it’s a soft pillow. You feel its warmth.”
Prompt: hug, cuddle
Response: “…I mean, it’s really dirty and disgusting.”
Prompt: realhug
Response: “The root is soft and doesn’t resist your touch. You hold it tightly, even though its smell is not far off from the stench of water from which it sticks out. While your gambeson keeps it away, you can still feel its warmth, or maybe it’s just a trick of your imagination. After a couple of moments, it doesn’t look like it’s trying to hurt you, but you feel a… pulse, of sorts.”
Prompt: kiss, lick
Response: “…?”
Prompt: realkiss
Response: “The root is soft and doesn’t resist your touch. Its smell is not far off from the stench of water from which it sticks out. You feel its warmth, or maybe it’s just a trick of your imagination. After a couple of moments, your lips start to itch.”