A fight against a sea dragon

This is a ritual which can only be attempted at the marriage of Beren the Tall to Redalda. Unlike other rituals, there is no corresponding in-game myth.

At this point, the game has effectively been won. But this ritual may determine whether it is an unalloyed triumph or a more bittersweet victory...

## Benefits

The game ends directly after this ritual's completion, so you will not see any benefit from this ritual in *Ride Like the Wind*. However, you may earn a divine blessing to pass on to the descendants of your clan.

You can gain Orlanth's reward for prevailing against Chaos or the forces of Water.

## Questers

Your questers are decided for you: your hero Beren and his bride, the Ram priestess Redalda. However, their stats, as well as other factors such as clan magic, Sacred Time ritual allocation, and more, can still affect the success of their choices and the ritual as a whole.

## Walkthrough

What path you should take through the ritual depends on what blessing you seek to gain.

* If you want Orlanth to reward your descendants for defeating Chaos or Water, Beren must successfully help fight the Chaos monster or water dragon, respectively. Choices that actively do damage are more effective than supporting Orlanth in the battle. Then in the final stage, make any choice but the second. If the ritual didn't go smoothly, it may be safest to tell Orlanth that **this was all Redalda's idea**, which amuses him, rather than claiming that you fought better than you really did.

## Dialogue

The ritual force of the wedding ceremony allows Beren to sheathe his horse in a mantle of flame. Redalda climbs behind him and holds on as he rides to the sky. She directs him south, much further than he has ever imagined going. There the air crackles with divine presence. They reach a battlefront of the Gods War where the forces of water have flooded the earth. The people suffering from the flood aren't the same kind of Rams as her, but they are Rams all the same. What does she cry out to them?

1. "Do not fear, for fire and earth have united to aid you!"
*Tests Redalda: Leadership vs. Fear. Harmony magic aids choice.*
2. "Let the weak give way to the strong, so they may survive to fight the Water Tribe!"
*Tests Redalda: Strategy (probably Combat + Leadership) vs. Resentment. War magic aids choice.*
3. "Shelter the weak, who most need aid!"
*Tests Redalda: Mediation (probably Bargaining + Diplomacy) vs. Bullheadedness. Health magic aids this choice.*
4. "You have lost, but let us fight for you. Have you a treasure that might aid us?"
*Tests Redalda: Bargaining vs. Skepticism. War magic aids this choice. Success grants the Lance of Dragonslaying, which unlocks extra options in the next stage.*

Beren and Redalda ride onward to the heart of the battle: chief of the Ram gods, Orlanth himself, battles Aroka , a dragon formed by the surf and waves. How does Beren assist Orlanth?

1. With flaming sword.
*Tests Beren: Combat vs. Duel. War magic aids this choice, and clans whose ancestral enemies are the forces of Water get a bonus.*
2. With fiery arrows.
*Tests Beren: Combat vs. Skirmish. War magic aids this choice, and clans whose ancestral enemies are the forces of Water get a bonus.*
3. With the Lance of Dragonslaying.
*Tests Beren: Combat vs. Duel. War magic aids this choice, and clans whose ancestral enemies are the forces of Water get a bonus.*
4. By tossing Orlanth the Lance of Dragonslaying.
*Tests Beren: Combat vs. Duel. War magic aids this choice, and clans whose ancestral enemies are the forces of Water get a bonus.*
5. By wreathing Orlanth's blade in flame.
*Tests Beren: Magic vs. Divine. Ritual magic aids this choice, and clans whose ancestral enemies are the forces of Water get a bonus.*

*If you have the Lance of Dragonslaying, you might as well use it now. It isn't useful in later stages of the ritual, and you can't keep it as a reward.*

Then from the sea rose a creature so terrible that Redalda went blind, and Beren was deafened by its cries. They could tell it was even worse than Aroka, and not a part of the Water Tribe. It was a thing of Chaos, and its mere presence fouled the world. What does Beren do?

1. Retreat, in hopes that Redalda will recover her sight.
*This option prematurely ends the ritual.*
2. Strike it with a sword.
*Tests Beren: Combat vs. Duel. War magic aids this choice. Clans whose ancestral enemies are the forces of Chaos get a bonus.*
3. Strike it with arrows. *Tests Beren: Combat vs. Skirmish. War magic aids this choice. Clans whose ancestral enemies are the forces of Chaos get a bonus.*
4. Wreathe Orlanth in a mantle of flame. *Tests Beren: Magic vs. Divine. Ritual magic aids this choice. Clans whose ancestral enemies are the forces of Chaos get a bonus.*

When the battle is done, Beren and Redalda see that Orlanth was aided by many others, like them, who flew or charged their way to the Gods War. Some looked familiar, but many others were strange. Those who fought well present themselves to the Storm Chieftain in hope of reward. What does Beren say to him?

1. "I fought well; grant my people a boon."
*Tests Beren: Strategy (probably Combat + Leadership) vs. Foreigness. Diplomacy magic aids choice. Will go better if Beren fought well against at least one enemy.*
2. "To survive against such as these, our people must be friends."
*Tests Beren: Diplomacy vs. Foreignness. Diplomacy magic aids choice.*
3. "My wife brought me to this fight. Grant her people a boon."
*Tests Beren: Diplomacy vs. Skepticism. Diplomacy magic aids choice.*
4. "Don't look at me. This was all her idea."
*No test; automatic success.*

**Notes:**
If Beren successfully fought against both the dragon and the monster, this stage leads to a follow-up question as to which of those fights he and Redalda want remembered: if they choose the dragon he will promise to reward their descendants for fighting the forces of Water, and if they choose the monster, he will reward them for fighting Chaos. Otherwise, success has Orlanth granting a boon based on which stage went better, although if Beren fought poorly, Orlanth may not choose to give any blessings at all. Despite the phrasing, any blessing granted will be given to the descendants of both clans. The fourth option amuses Orlanth, who promises to bless Beren's people whether they like it or not.

Rituals