The Pawn Legion

I always wanted to play Dragon's Dogma ever since I saw the trailers and gameplay footage of it, however I lacked the money at the time to get it. Normally I'd assume a game like this wouldn't sell out so fast in my town, but boy was I wrong, it seemed like everyone in Jacksonville, NC wanted the game. I waited until about mid September to try and buy the game at a local Walmart, luckily they had just restocked and I had just enough for it. Everything started up pretty normally (start screen showing a dragon, main theme etc).

Started up a new game, and spent a bit of time making my guy, he was a mountain of muscles with a large afro and a high pitched voice, and his name? Wiggles. After that, the first cut scene showed up, Quinta meeting Wiggles just before the dragon attacks and steals his heart making him the Arisen. Everything progressed fairly simply from there, I started out as a Strider, and went out to begin the game with Rook showing up soon as I leave town, though there was a rather minor glitch, just a slight screen tear when the rift opened up. I figured it was just a bit of hiccup with my 360. The game continued normally from there, when we reached the encampment and the next rift stone, to make my pawn. I figured I may as well make her female, I gave her dark hair in a short double ponytail style, dark brown eyes, and a lithe figure, and named her Aloe. Her profession, at the time was Fighter, when the rift showed up a second time the screen tear seemed to be slightly worse than before, but I ignored it still.

So on we continued battling thy Cyclops, bandits, wolves, and other unsavory types, including the Hydra. So off we went to Gran Soren, fighting Harpies and the occasional screen tear, they seemed to be getting worse as we got closer to Gran Soren, normally pawns would be telling one how to handle a foe or something about the area, well not mine. They kept saying " 'Tis a terrible place we head to." they sounded almost scared to venture any further. Though we had to push on, I wanted to see how the game made out when we got to where we needed to go. Soon as we passed the gates into the city, there was no cut scene with Mercedes, just an empty Gran Soren. My main pawn Aloe was with me, though Rook seemed to have disappeared. The capital, a ghost town very odd, the screen tears had ended as well. I was curious as to where everyone had gone, so I explored, and eventually received a quest "The Darkest Depths." the quest was simple enough, go to the Pawn Guild, it's location marked on my map. I went there, though I wasn't quite ready for the sight I saw. There were multiple Pawns, all named Legion, curled on the ground dead..or otherwise not moving. It was an odd sight for sure, though what was odder was the fact I was not connected yet these pawns showed up. Stranger still, the rift stone that was supposed to be there seemed to be broken, as if it was in use by someone with a small ring radiating from it's center and outwards. I don't know why, maybe simple curiosity or who knows, but I continued on down this rabbit hole.

I got to the quest area, the gate was open for me, my pawn warned me that there were unknown dangers and started heading in before me without my telling her to do so. There was a short moment of hesitation on my end as I followed after her, I had no idea what to expect, only that it wouldn't be good. What I entered was not the dungeon, but rather the rift..it seemed different, again I was offline, and saw more of the legion Pawns all of varying levels and jobs, and all with the name Legion. I noticed my pawn was among them..she seemed different as well, just staring at me no matter where I moved. I used to rift stone to get out of there, it took me straight to the bottom of The Everfall, a dark place under Gran Soren that's home to many un-dead and other monsters.

All the doors were open, but everything, save for the Pawns, I couldn't talk to, or hire them..and they always showed up in groups of two or more and kept repeating one phrase over and over 'Master, we're waiting...' in a unison monotone voice. It was unnerving to say the least, but I pressed on, going up the path, seeing more and more pawns, their voices all saying that one phrase, though once I left the Everfall, I saw what had happened to the residents and creatures, they were the first victims of the legion.

Many of the monsters lay defeated, or with bits of them chopped off, the villagers and soldiers lay on the ground dead, or turned to stone, how I didn't notice that until now is a mystery to me, maybe the legion hid it from me to lure me in or I do not know all I knew at the time is I had to my character out and fast.

The legion was slowly moving in towards my character, normally I would've tried to fight them but no my quest log told me to run..nothing more. So I ran, as fast as I could out of Gran Soren, it was nighttime though which was unfortunate since that meant I couldn't see but as far as my lantern allowed, and all I could hear were the voices of the legion telling me they were waiting, but for what? I do not know.

I know I should've turned it off as soon as the freaky stuff started, but I wanted to see what would happen if I continued. I kept Wiggles running as fast and as long as he could, since if I stopped it seemed the legion would get closer to me, and each touch from them inflicted some form of ailment, from poison to burning to drench. I had to use every item in my inventory just to keep myself from dieing.

I continued the mad dash to the encampment, the valley between the encampment and Gran soren was littered with the corpses of soldiers, either crushed by rocks, or killed by a wild beast. The path that normally lead to the encampment was blocked off by the legion,just staring at me with those lifeless eyes, always getting closer. the night didn't seem to be ending either. I made a dash for the only place I could, the forth and witch woods blocked by more of the legions the Eradication site.

I've ran out of options, I couldn't go into the water, since it would kill me. I could go anywhere else either do to the legions of pawns just behind me, and I can't fight them there were simply too many, and they were too powerful. The legion crept closer, leaving me no room to run, and nowhere to hide.

If my game was going to end it wouldn't be to those things, I made my choice, I turned my character towards the ocean and had him run, as far as he could, until the brine caught him, there was no struggle on his end, he looked almost happy to be caught by the mist. He soon respawned in Cassdiras, his home town, it was day time and the villagers were milling around as usual. My pawns were with me as well, telling me to be careful of the ocean as the Brine can take you to strange places.

I couldn't play anymore of the game after that strangeness, so I turned it off and took it out, and put it away. I don't know why the game acted that way, or how it happened all I know is it happened, and every so often I can still hear them, saying they are waiting.