Feuerstelle

- Holy shit.
*- I'd say that's an understatement.*

**Feuerstelle** is an optional mission in *Dragonfall*.

## Synopsis

*The drive from the Kreuzbasar to the Schönbuch Forest was a long one. For over six hours, you and Glory rode in relative silence, with only the sounds of the road for company.*

*Now you find yourself crouching in the woods, watching, waiting. Off in the distance, the rustic exterior of Feuerstelle looks curiously warm and inviting, but you know what's waiting inside. The anticipation churns at your guts like a living thing.*

*Eventually, a van pulls out of the compound's driveway and rolls out along a service road before disappearing from view. Glory gives you a nod and begins to scramble forward.*

*Harrow has left the building. It's time for you to make your way inside.*

## Walkthrough

* You begin outside the Feuerstelle. Glory gives you a brief rundown of what's waiting for you inside - and what you'll be facing. If you suggested taking out Harrow, she will instruct you that the best way to do that is to wipe out the spirit that channels energy to him, allowing him to tether the cultists to his will. And if you advised to save the kids, she'll say you should purefy the shrine, with said spirit in it.
* After you're done talking, enter the place. To the left you will find a warded door that leads to the shrine. With Willpower 6 you can fight it through for a small shock. Or step back and look for the key.
* The corridors are free of any cultists. In the rooms, clockwise, you will find:
	+ Harrow's office, with a terminal you can hack with Decking 5 to receive paydata: Harrow's bribes. In the back you will find Harrow's manifesto, a bulky book that will allow you to learn about Harrow's philosophy - and spawn a Seeker. Uh-oh. **Reading it is necessary for the confrontation with Marta.**
	+ The next room contains a kitchen and a refrigerator with... supplies. Inspect at your own peril.
	+ Yet another contains a dressing room with a medicine cabinet (free medkits!) and bathroom.
	+ Next one: Dormitory. Interact with the door to realize who's talking on the other side: Marta. Glory will insist on waiting until she leaves before confronting the initiates. **This is where you find the key to the shrine, by following Marta. Don't go in if you want to explore first.**.
	+ Another room contains the van, which brings back old memories for Glory.
	+ The central area contains the lounge for Harrow's acolytes. You can barge in to wipe them out, but Glory advises against that. There are two lounges:
		- The one closer to the entrance contains two acolytes torturing a victim. It's a relatively easy fight, though you need to get to cover fast as the two are shamans. Talk to the Ranger afterwards (what you tell him to do doesn't matter) to have Glory patch him up and learn the location of a stash in the garage. Inspect the tri-vid player.
		- The other one contains a picture that depicts Glory and Marta (and three acolytes to kill). You can pick up Glory's ring from the picture for use later. Make sure to inspect the shirt on the floor.
* Head to Marta and confront her once you're done sightseeing. You can talk down the acolyte using Etiquette Street or by saying that you're here to meet Marta. The female acolyte will offer insight into how the Feuerstelle functions now - and uncover an interesting fact that will help Glory's plans. Opening the door triggers the next part of the run, so make sure to do the sightseeing first.

### Confronting Marta

* The conversation with Marta can go a variety of ways - most of them end in combat if you fail to talk Glory down. In order to do so, you need to have read Harrow's manifesto (to logic bomb Marta's brain and the hold the shrine has on her). Having Glory's ring taken from the lounge also allows for easily talking Glory down.
	+ In order to stop Glory from eviscerating Marta, you need to emphasize that talking to her is necessary to figure out what the shrine does, forcing the chrome-laden lady to focus on the mission. Don't try to play on her feelings; she's got plenty of them and they're all negative.
	+ To talk Glory down, use the following lines: *I think we should hear her out...* and *Knowing how the shrine affects...*, followed by *I want to know everything about this place*.
	+ Talking Marta into giving you the key is based on a system of points. Successful logic bombs that force the shrine to exert its influence on her gain points. Trying to convince her through threats and morality-based arguments is wasted effort. You need at least 3 points to get the amulet peacefully.
	+ To gain points:
		- Use Etiquette Academic to point out the inherent contradiction in a freedom-based cult with a totalitarian leader.
		- Point out that the manifesto is inconsistent in its juxtaposition of charity and egotism.
		- Mention that Harrow was going to make the initiates do something horrible (after talking to the female initiate outside).
		- Mention the blood-stained shirt found in the lounge.
		- Mention that Glory had to kill a man to get a tri-vid player for Harrow - and he loved it.
* The outcome can be:
	+ Fighting Marta right away.
	+ Convincing Marta to give the amulet to you, however she uses this opportunity to try and kill you and reveal how angry she is at Glory for turning away from Harrow.
	+ Convincing Marta to help you, after which she will join the party - but will mention that she only does so to help the kids and won't hurt Harrow. This will only happen if you gathered at least 4 points. (some people managed to get this by choosing only: academic, talking about the manifesto and the initiate, don't say anything else except these 3 and it should work). You can also tell her to leave and never return and she will leave in tears, dejected by Glory's rejection to fight alongside each other

### The Shrine

* Approach the shrine. Glory will smear ointment on your head (also revealing where her money went from all these runs). Afterwards, she reveals the purpose of the run. If Marta is in tow, she will be outraged if you plan to kill Harrow - but you can amend the goal of the run and Glory is surprisingly agreeable. Otherwise, Marta will attack and you will be forced to kill her.
* Enter the shrine. Nothing is easy in this world and you land in the astral sphere. Head to the shimmering portal in the upper left corner to face your first pair of spirits: A Seeker and a Mauler.
* The next section contains one Mauler and two Seekers. Deal with them as you see fit.
* In the next section you face the Heart of Feuerstelle. If Marta is in tow, she'll react with supplication. Glory will be defiant. The whole thing ends in combat (listen to Glory and don't make snide comments, it's better that way). This is the point of no return for the upgrade choice for Glory, if you choose to destroy the spirit, Marta will try (and in vain) to attack Glory and she kills her in self defense or choose to purify it and save both Marta and her own soul. If you make the decision to destroy the spirit, her charm breaks, causing her to unknowingly become a toxic mage once more.
* Harrow will materialize out of thin air after the first round of combat if you decided to kill him. He's easy to dispatch and more of a nuisance. If killed, he will respawn every two rounds. Taking him out is important, as he buffs the spirit continuously and can really throw a wrench into your efforts.
* The Heart has an interesting method of attack. Every turn, it will spawn two apparitions to distract your attacks. These disappear after being dealt any amount of damage. The real Heart will never disappear and will always receive damage. Apparitions can be identified by the attacks they deal - if the damage is extremely low, then it's not worth your attention. In addition, apparitions have a seperate turn order from Harrow and the true Heart - they go right after.
* Marta is a powerful asset, but she will be targeted by the Heart as a priority. Shove her into cover as soon as possible to minimize incoming damage.
* If you decided to save the children instead of killing Harrow, then he will escape. Once the Heart is down, the deed is done and Glory will purify it - and then accept it into herself, binding it to her. This will give Glory the ability to heal herself and her teammates in the upcoming battles. The ability works essentially like a heal spell.
* On the other hand, if you chose to kill Marta and the Spirit, Harrow will come to taunt Glory in that she was responsible for everything and now has doomed the lives of so many innocent children. In a fit of rage, Glory gets her chance kill Harrow. The toxic mana of the Adversary flows into Glory's claws and overpowers Harrow. This grants an upgrade to Glory's claw damage in the future.

### Escape from the Feuerstelle

* With the spirit bound to Glory, the place begins falling apart. Head down to the entrance to the lounge and clear away the rubble. Enter the room - and finish the run.

## Aftermatch

Rewards depends if you chose to kill Harlow or Save victims