A Hidden Weakness

A Hidden Weakness was a virtual representation of one of Eivor Varinsdottir's genetic memories, relived by Layla Hassan in 2020 through the Portable Animus HR-8.5.

Description

Eivor looks for a smuggler to discover a weakness in Paris' defenses.

Dialogue

Eivor arrived in the Flooded Slums to locate Nolwenn.

• Eivor: Now to find Nolwenn, the Breton smuggler Toka told us about. If there is a weakness to the island, she'll know it.

Eivor passed by a man and woman arguing nearby.

• French Man 1: Not even Odo's warriors patrol these ruins. We are left to rot in squalor.
• French Woman 1: On the bright side, there's nothing left for the Northmen to steal.
• French Man 1: Everyone, come bask in my wife's comforting words of wisdom. Her cheerful quips will warm us this winter. Her playful words will feed us! Her sharp tongue will defend us!
• French Woman 1: You're awfully sarcastic for a ditch-digger, Henri.

Eivor looked around and heard a man yelling out comments.

• French Man 2: That smuggler owes me wine! Guard my warehouse, she says. And I'll give you a jug of wine. I have been guarding that pile of rocks for three hours already. Bring me my wine! Curse you, Nolwenn! You left-handed child of a Breton thief!

Eivor speaking to a Frenchman for Nolwenn's whereabouts

Eivor spoke to the man.

• Eivor: Pardon, friend. Did I hear you speak of a smuggler named Nolwenn?
• French Man 2: I did. That damned thief promised a jug of wine to guard her warehouse.
• Eivor: O? And where is her warehouse?
• French Man 2: It's, uh... over to the east somewhere. Got a plague cross painted on it.
• Eivor: Thank you, my friend. Perhaps you should sleep it off before going back on guard duty.
• French Man 2: All right, good idea.

Eivor headed east of the man and found the warehouse. Eivor entered the warehouse and found supplies near an entrance.

• Eivor: Food, herbs, healing wraps. I wonder who these are meant for.

Eivor looked more and found weapons on the other side of the room.

• Eivor: Arrowheads. Whetstones. Smuggled goods, meant for the Île de la Cité.

Eivor finding a letter addressed to Nolwenn

Eivor peeked through the bars into the adjacent room. She loosed an arrow to destroy the crate in front of the shelf barricading the entrance, then pushed it to enter the barred room, finding a letter addressed to Nolwenn.

Letter to Nolwenn

Nolwenn,

My good Breton, when you return from your latest foray, please meet me at Saint-Julien.

I have urgent need for more medicine and supplies.

Yours candidly,

- Queen R.

• Eivor: It seems the Queen knows the smuggler. Maybe Richardis can help me find Nolwenn.

Eivor headed to find the church. Near Saint Julien, Eivor overheard a man speaking nearby.

• French Man 3: Behold, a wonder in heaven! A red dragon with seven heads, ten horns, and seven crowns upon his seven heads! Are these not the seven heads, the seven sons of Ragnar Lothbrok, and all that heathen horde? It is written that the dragon's tail shall tear one third of the stars from heaven and cast them upon the earth. Have not the heathen armies ravaged a third of Francia and slain that many of her people? There shall be a war in heaven, and Michael and his angels shall fight against the dragon! The angels shall prevail and cast down that old serpent, the Devil, Satan, which deceiveth the whole world.

Eivor entered the church as she heard Richardis praying with the ill.

Richardis prays with the plague-infested people

• Richardis: Let us pray in the words of Our Savior. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you." "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Eivor walked towards Richardis' prayer circle. One of the constituents noticed Eivor.

• French Man 4: A heathen monster, bearing weapons on our holy ground!
• Richardis: A trusted friend. Good people, do not break the peace of our church.
• French Man 4: Who can trust a pagan diable? How many have you killed, fiend?

Eivor stared angrily.

• Richardis: Friends, remember. "When the Good Samaritan saw the beaten man, he had compassion and bound his wounds.

The people around Richardis left Eivor and Richardis alone, as Bernard appeared next to Richardis.

• Eivor: You keep busy, Queen.
• Richardis: Someone must tend to those who fall in battle.
• Eivor: Plague did this, not war.
• Richardis: War breeds plague, Eivor. I am not yet ready to return to Charles, if that is what brings you here.
• Eivor: No. I seek a Breton who resides in this ward, name of Nolwenn.
• Bernard: I know her! A freelance thief.
• Richardis: A disreputable woman, although not without... talents. To those who can pay.
• Eivor: They say she can smuggle goods and messages over walls and past guards.
• Richardis: Yes... So why do you seek this woman's help?

Best to end this siege quickI cannot tell you allA last chance for peace

• Eivor: Better we take this city before it starves. We will not harm the commoners if I can help it.

• Eivor: There is a friendship between us, but I cannot share everything. Yet I promise, our goals are the same.

• Eivor: I have urged a truce on all sides, without success. But I can still try.

• Richardis: But Sigfred the Frank-killer leads this army, not you. He inflict vengeance upon us, town by town.
• Eivor: Because the Franks killed his brother.
• Richardis: How many Northmen must die so Sigfred can avenge one man? Should his niece die too? Should you?
• Eivor: I cannot stop entire armies. Only urge reason and a truce on all sides. I do what I can.

Richardis reflecting on Eivor's words

Richardis ponders on Eivor's words.

• Richardis: You did save my life. I must take that first step and trust you, my Good Samaritan.
• Eivor: Thank you, queen. I am in your debt. I mean that. So, where is this Breton?
• Richardis: Alas, I do not know. She visits from time to time.
• Bernard: I know! I know the way to Nolwenn's hideout! Please, let me show Eivor!
• Richardis: From the mouths of babes! Very well, but hurry back, Little Bear.

Eivor nodded to Richardis as she followed Bernard.

• Eivor: Not so fast, little prince. This place is not safe.
• Bernard: Nowhere in Francia is safe now! Mother Richardis says so.
• Eivor: How is it you know where this smuggler works?
• Bernard: Yesterday, I went on an adventure and followed her! But she saw me and waved. I felt silly.

Bernard led Eivor to an underground opening through the slums' sewers.

Investigated sewers during 'The Rot in the Slums'Skipped sewers

• Eivor: Ah, I have been down this way before. Thank you Bernard, get back to the queen.

• Eivor: Looks like the place. Thank you Bernard, best you return to the queen.

• Bernard: Bye, Eivor. Have fun and let's have another adventure soon.

Eivor climbed down the opening and searched for Nolwenn. Upon probing the area, Eivor heard a commotion and went to check it out, only to find Nolwenn facing off three bandits.

• Nolwenn: Back off, you rat bastards!
• French Soldier 1: Why so sour, my sweet?

Eivor charged in and helped Nolwenn kill the bandits.

• Nolwenn: Farewell, vermin. And you, my friend, just who are you?

Eivor finding Nolwenn within the tunnels

Eivor talked with Nolwenn.

• Nolwenn: Bonjour my brave friend, but I do not have any silver.
• Eivor: I am not here to take your silver. I have no quarrel with you.
• Nolwenn: Praise the saints! And I thank you for your fine and timely blade, but I must go.
• Eivor: No, you see, I'm a friend of Richardis, Queen of Francia.
• Nolwenn: And I am married to the pope. Long may he reign.
• Eivor: They say you walk through city walls. I need your help.
• Nolwenn: I am no ghost, just a simple bard from Brittany that has lost her way.
• Eivor: Look, you are a smuggler, all Paris knows it, even the Boy-Prince does. I need your help.
• Nolwenn: And if I know a thing or two about all that, what is it worth to you?

Tell me, or else(50 silver) I have coin(Level 2 Charisma) Toka sent me

• Eivor: You saw how well I fight. Would you like to see it again?
• Nolwenn: No, friend. You helped me, it's only right I repay the favor. Such is my free and generous nature.
• Eivor: At last. We understand each other.

• Eivor: Is this enough silver to loosen your tongue?

Eivor threw a bag of silver to Nolwenn.

• Nolwenn: Ah, sweet silver, the bane of Judas. It will do.
• Eivor: Silver makes fools of even the wise, and the rich make greater fools than the poor.

• Eivor: My friend Toka wants her necklace back. This I know.

Nolwenn reflected with sadness, then tossed the necklace to Eivor.

• Nolwenn: There is her chain, friend. Tell her to find me in Nantes when this is all over.
• Eivor: Toka shall hear your words.

• Nolwenn: All is well. So, what do you need, Northerner?
• Eivor: I seek a weakness in these walls. Is there a hidden tunnel, a secret door, something like that?
• Nolwenn: No, no, not so simple, the Franks sealed the city well. But take this key, it will open the bridge-door.
• Eivor: The bridge? I can reach the bridge from outside. What I could use is a way to take it down.
• Nolwenn: A little silver birdie told me that the bridge's foundations are in dire shape.
• Eivor: I see. And if we can take that bridge down, the longships can encircle the city.
• Nolwenn: You did not hear this me from me. Farewell.

Nolwenn left Eivor.

• Eivor: Where is this bridge? It must be near.

Eivor looked around and soon found the locked door. Opening it, Eivor went further down the path to find an exit, through a ladder above. Climbing the ladder, Eivor broke through a barred door and found herself outside under the Wooden Bridge. Eivor saw the bridge's foundations and noticed explosive cartridges nearby.

• Eivor: The smuggler was right. Some jars of grease will bring this bridge crashing down. I will set the jars so we can destroy the bridge later, during the attack.

As Eivor placed the jars at the second weak point, she heard a guard sitting nearby, slumped forward.

• French Soldier 2: Tell me to scout the Northmen's army by myself? What do I want with their suicide mission? Let's see how well they hold their city without their precious bridge. Bastards.

Eivor talked to the guard.

• French Soldier 2: Hey, you don't belong down here. Though to be honest, neither do I.
• Eivor: Then let us pretend we're both elsewhere.
• French Soldier 2: Eh, why not? We are all doomed.

The guard kept drinking as Eivor went to put the last crate of jars in its spot, which proved difficult to reach.

• Eivor: Maybe if I moved something I could get across.

Eivor placing the explosives near the weakened foundation

Eivor found that she needed to have certain movable structures placed in order to go to the last weak point. After placing the structures just right, Eivor went across and placed the last explosive.

• Eivor: There, the trap is set for the siege of the island. Better return to the others.

Eivor left to continue her preparations.

Outcome

Eivor prepared an explosive trap at the bridge's weakpoints.

Behind the scenes

The dialogue with Bernard will change slightly depending on whether or not the player investigated the sewers during The Rot in the Slums. Getting the change requires the player to infiltrate the church by either following only the scribe's trail and not rescuing the drunk's daughter—or at the very least not entering the sewers after killing the guards detaining her—or fighting one's way into the church, which simply skips both investigative trails and has no reference to doing so in game dialogue.

Although the persuade option will imply Eivor returning Toka's necklace and reconciling her and Nolwenn, no such dialogue or reference to this takes place at any further point in the story, even if this memory is completed before meeting Toka for her errand.

Gallery

• 
  Eivor entering the church in search of Richardis
• 
  Nolwenn informing Eivor of the bridge's weakened foundations
• 
  Eivor finding crates of explosive beneath the bridge