Part I – The Wale and the City

Part I – The Wale and the City

Wake up back on the Wale. Things inside are pretty quiet, though you can hear voices on deck. Audiographs in Sokolov's and Foster's quarter indicate they're both thinking about the past, though Meagan's goes into more depth.

When you're done indoors, go out on deck for a little war counsel.

Aramis is here, and good thing too- he's got a map of the palace and a lead on where Delilah's soul might be. If you talk to him after the meeting, he'll also mention that the Duke has a body double. Which is the sort of relevant intel that he might have volunteered earlier, but I suppose we should just be grateful he's not crawling around on all fours.

When you're done taking in the ambience, head to Meagan and the skiff for transport.

The Duke brought chaos and ruin to *your* palace, it only seem fair to return the favor. With interest. In a very silent, and non-lethal way, of course. Just after landing, wade through the little archway behind Meagan to loot 40c worth of Tyvian ore from a ruined rowboat.

Return through the arch, and walk up the ramp to a fishmarket. Steal some angelfish scale from within, then turn around and head up a short flight of stairs. Blink up to the overhead balcony to find an abandoned easel… and two bottles of ether. Oh, ether bottle, I've *missed* you.

You won't need to break out the ether quite yet though- there are two toughs on the shore below, and a fishmonger on the street. All can be easily gainfully pickpocketed without violence (and it's highly recommended you do *not* knock out the shipmen. Later events may kill them, and if they die any time at all after you've attacked them, it counts against your kill record).

The fish market also has a whalebone, and some coin in the register. You can't gain access to the boat here, at least not yet, but there is a blue metal crate with some Tyvian ore, incendiary bolts, grenade, and spring razor.

Just past the fish market is a boarded gate- Blink over for some coin and bloodfly husks, then bash off the board as you leave.

Enter Ravina Boulevard and bear right, down a lush little back alley where a beggarman will tell you a secret about the fountain for 5 coins.

Seems fair, especially as you can take his pied avocet feathers for 10. The Heart will perk up at the end of the alley- equip to get a bead on the Black Bonecharm overhead.

Blink up to the platform, then the black ductwork, and duck to enter the open window of a sculptor's studio. Open the vise to claim your prize (Bonecharm 1/7), and search the place for some whalebone and scrimshaw.

Note that the sculptor is working on both a bust of Aramis and an a full body Jessamine. Intriguing. Drop to the street on the other side and pick up some nearby whaleoil, noting the blackmarket sign here.

Make for the the gambling civilians. They can be pickpocketed without noticing, and the area can be looted for some coin, copper wire (in the dumpster) and journal entries.

Behind the two is an archway, which leads to locked gate a curious note. Follow up on the contents at the safe shop next door. Let the guard finish his extortion speech, then Blink up to the balcony to pickpocket him and the shopkeeper as they descend.

After the guard is gone, open the register for some coin and gate key, and search the shop for two notes concerning keys and gates, including the gate combination. Choke out the guard as you leave, and Blink up to the sculptor's studio to hide the body. Use the same strategy for the rail-leaning redguard here, then dropstop the blueguard as he wanders by.

Blink up to the roof of Winslow's, then turn left and blink up to a balcony with an open door. The apartment has some high value lootables, so take your time. When ready, exit through the rear window onto the AC unit. If you creep just to the very edge of it, you can get enough of an angle to Blink into the window past the locked door.

There's a note from Petronilla about the dispositon of her key stabbed into the wall here (this a woman sorely in need of some Scotch tape). Of course, you've already looted the place, so ignore the lootless stairwell, and instead glance out the window to see a plaza surrounded by hidden Howlers.

This must be the extra security hinted at earlier. Blink over the near balcony and choke out the two howlers, starting with the farthest. Be careful to avoid the eye of the Howler across the square as you choke out thug number two, then hide the bodies around the corner of the market building, in a grassy area.

Blink over to the far balcony, then up the mini balcony just above where thug #3 is waiting.

Bang your sword against the wall to get him looking about, then dropstop him, and drag him inside, taking a moment to loot the room.There should still be another Howler looking for you on the ground- if not throw a glass to lure her out, and either way apply a quick boot to the head (this one has Petronilla's Apartment Key, if you're interested).

The last ambush Howler is inside the shop itself. He's apparently hard of hearing, so you'll need a  close smash or clang to draw him out, but once you do it's all pretty textbook.

The shopkeep is unruffled by the total disappearance of his security force. Upgrade and shop as you like. You'll have the chance to apply a Masterwork upgrade to your pistol – neither is extremely helpful to a nonlethal ghoster, but the precision mod is perhaps slightly less unhelpful- the last thing you want is a lot of collateral damage. Besides, it ma be handy for the final mission.

When you're done, go around back and past that grassy area where we stashed the bodies, and you'll come across a woman arguing with the black marketeer about her access code, which she left back on her the boat. Doubtless this is the smugglers' boat near the start of the level. Filch her boat key, and then go up the grassy hill to see a barricade – this is fountain the beggar spoke of.

Smash it open and go inside to claim a shrine, and get another talking to from your outside man (Runes 1&2 /5).

The journal entries here are interesting, particularly the one about bonecharms with secret curses. Good thing none of *your* bonecharms have that sort of thing, even though you've picked up every bonecharm you've ever come across, regardless of the disturbing placs you found them and the terrifying people who made them. Hmm. In anycase- to the sea! Use the combination you got in the safe shop to open the gate down the hill, and return to the delivery boat.

Depending on how long you've played and, I suspect, how many times you've reloaded your game, the boat may be empty when you return. If so, read the ransom note from the Royal Guard, and return to the plaza in front of the black market. Head toward the building across from the market, then bear right to follow the near walkway and flight of stairs, disarming traps as you go.

Smash open the barricade and head to the ground floor to pickpocket a loaded civilian (she may still be talking with another, coinless civilian about relocation out front).

If you get the chance, you may want to choke her out- you'll be taking out these guards soon, and she's an inconvenient witness. Head back up the stairs and listen at the white door to hear the ransom guards gloating. After that, they'll just stand and stare at each other. Irritating. You can, as ever, tediously lure them out, but a quicker solution is to open the door (neither notice) and Blink into the corner by the balcony, which has our ohter old friend, chloroform.

Chuck it in the main room, wait, then loot to your heart's delight. Keep this location in mind if your ammo runs low later, and listen to the audiograph for the blackmarket code.

Go out onto the balcony and blink to the Watchtower, disabling it. Blink over the balcony above the one you just left- the one full of bloodflies. The nestkeeper here is unchokeable, and there's a ton of ammo one floor down, so go ahead and incinerate the hives, then sleepdart the keeper right in his ugly face.

The reward for you efforts is an apartment full of loot, a painting of Daud (as well as book about him and… Billie), plus a Rune under the bathroom sink (Painting 1/3)(Rune 3/5).

With pockets full, ascend one more flight of stairs to choke out the two guards above- they're complacent and unobservant- easy pickings.

You can deactivate the Wall at this point, but there are subtler ways we can proceed (I would recommend against drop-stopping the elite guard below, however. Something about the nearby guardpost seems to muck with Corvo's autoguidance, and he keeps failing to connect. Instead, make your way to the other side of the rails here, blinking via the central tree-ring platform. This turns out to be Lucia Pastor's old apartments, which hold a little loot and a single bonecharm, (Bonecharm 2/7).

Leave by the stairs. The next apartment down is being ransacked by guards- you can take them out with an ether bottle that's been left in the bathroom, but there's no real loot here outside the soldiers' own pockets. It is possible to simply sneak in and pickpocket them both- maybe the civilian sees you, but he doesn't raise a ruckus.

On the ground floor is an elite guard with her pouch full and back turned, but make sure you account for the patrolling blueshirt before taking them both out, and stashing them beneath the stairs.

Exit the door and turn left toward the Wall. The guard on duty here can be approached from behind via a stack of crates.

As soon as the patrolling guard leaves, take this one out, and Blink him back to your stairwell sleepaway. Snap up the patrolling guard when he comes back this way, and finally pick off that redguard on the otherside (you may have to lure him away from the civilian witness or witnesses there). With the plaza unguarded, make for the building just to the left of the Wall, where the Heart detects a bonecharm.

Ascend the stairs to find the shopkeeper's apartment. The bonecharm is under his pillow (Bonecharm 3/7).

His other treasures, include almost half a dozen bath salt bottles, and blueprints for small-scale combustion refinement on the desk.(Blueprints 1/3)

In that same little work area is a picture of the safe salesman with a safe behind him. The silvergraph is fine enough you can even make out the combination.

Apply this same combo to the safe in the apartment for even more pistol ammo you can't pick up and will never need, and a couple ingots. You can exit to the Grand Palace through this apartment, but there are still a few things to take care of. Loot any buildings or persons who still want to, then make for the market.

You've already done the legwork here- just give the passphrase at the door, then choke out Mr. Snooty and make yourself at home. Fill up any ammo you're still short on at the ransomer's apartment, then head on through the Wall, via the safemonger's home.

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