History VideoGame / Tyranny

Yet the Overlord's victory is still not absolute, as rebellion rises in the former Tiersman kingdom of Apex. Normally, such a problem should be a minor issue for the might of Kyros' armies, but [[InterserviceRivalry bickering and infighting in their ranks]] has allowed the rebellion not only to survive, but also putting up a surprising amount of successful resistance. Unhappy with their armies' performance, Kyros has a representative send out to the area to smooth over the reconquest process. This representative is the PlayerCharacter, an enforcer of the law and "justice" of Kyros' regime -- a Fatebinder. It's up to players what they do with the power given to them.

** In the end-game, [[spoiler:the Fatebinder is pitted against all of the Archons in turn. But provided the player has made the right choices, it is actually possible to convince most of them to step down peacefully and serve the Fatebinder rather than Kyros.]]

* BonusDungeon: Several areas are optional on certain runs, turning them into this. The Oldwalls probably come closest, as even when the Fatebinder is forced to enter them (forbidden under Kyros' Law), large sections may be avoided in favor of taking the most direct routes to your goal. [[spoiler:Fatebinders on non-Disfavored runs can return to the Burning Library after sacrificing an artifact to take the place of the Silent Archive and lifting the Edict of Fire. New sections of the Library will then become available, complete with a BonusBoss Havoc]].

*** [[Theatre/JuliusCaesar Cry Havoc!]], for defeating every [[BonusBoss Havoc]] in the game.

* StockholmSyndrome: This twist shows up near the end of the Stalwart questline. [[spoiler:Graven Ashe's daughter Amelia was treated with kindness by the Regent's son and fell in love with him. They had a child together before he perished in battle.]]

* BonusBoss: The Havoc in Oldwalls Breach, as a tough FlunkyBoss which can be safely left alone while still otherwise completing the dungeon -- unless you need the [[MagicalAccessory Steadfast Insignia]] which it guards.

** Verse responds this way when the Fatebinder asks Barik how he... [[ADateWithRosiePalms enjoys himself]] while trapped in his armor.

** [[ProudScholarRaceGuy The Sages]]: Librarians, scholars, scribes, and historians by day. Spies, manipulators, and covetous thieves of knowledge by night. The Sages guild used to hire themselves out to the authorities in the Tiers[[note]]Just having broad literacy makes them one of the most educated groups on the planet.[[/note]] to take records, work out logistics, and act as the mail service, putting their own in well-placed positions to also act as an espionage force. They also collected information of all sorts, freely given [[GottaHaveItGonnaStealIt or not]], catalogued it, and preserved it; as a result they have the biggest library on Terratus. This also means that they violated the stipulation against forbidden knowledge. That, combined with their refusal of surrender, forced Kyros to issue the Edict of fire, scattering the surviving Sages to all corners of the Tiers.

** It extends to [[spoiler: The Fatebinder.]] The continuing resolution of [[spoiler: Kyros' edicts, whether or not they're followed in the way the Overlord intended, has the effect of imbuing the PlayerCharacter with some magic, as well as people's continued belief that the Fatebinder is a person worth following or fearing, elevating them into the status of Archon of Edicts.]]

** Taken UpToEleven on an Anarchist run, where you basically murder your way through half of the Tiers in a bid for power.

* OneStatToRuleThemAll: Lore is a skill that is not only really beneficial for all party members. Aside from the fact that Lore checks are very common and can quickly resolve plotlines, it also dictates the number of and the strength of the spells the character can learn in a game where spells can dominate the battlefield.

* AuthorAppeal: You know you're in an [[Creator/ObsidianEntertainment Obsidian]] game when it features an [[TheBadGuyWins ascendant evil]] [[VideoGame/KnightsOfTheOldRepublicIITheSithLords empire]], the chief generals of which [[EvilVersusEvil can't get along]] thanks to their [[OrderVersusChaos competing ideologies]], the [[OurSoulsAreDifferent soul]] as something [[YourSoulIsMine quantifiable and commodified]], [[EldritchLocation haunted]] [[RuinsForRuinsSake ruins]], [[MalevolentMaskedMen masks]], the colossal [[NeverwinterNights2/MaskOfTheBetrayer petrified remains of an extremely powerful being]], [[ShellShockedVeteran past wars]], [[TheAtoner past sins]], a faction of [[SlaveryIsASpecialKindOfEvil slavers]] who [[VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas dye their scavenged gear red and black]] and who rose to power by [[GenghisGambit assimilating other tribes into themselves as they went]], an [[RagtagBandOfMisfits unlikely party]] of [[DysfunctionJunction lost souls]] [[MagneticHero thrust together]] seemingly [[ThereAreNoCoincidences by fate]] (including [[VideoGame/PlanescapeTorment a fiery dual-wielding redhead, a walking suit of armor, and a scribe]]), [[TheMentor mentor figures]] whose teachings were [[BrokenPedestal wrong]], misguided, or [[EvilMentor evil]], [[GrayAndGrayMorality complex moral choices]] with [[VillainHasAPoint no]] [[WellIntentionedExtremist easy]] [[SadisticChoice answers]], and [[TalkingTheMonsterToDeath extensive dialogue trees]] which serve to [[ArmorPiercingQuestion turn the listener's entire worldview on its ear]].

* FeministFantasy: In the tiers, only women inherit land, while only men can captain ships. As a result, prior to the invasion, women held most of the power. This extends to the beastmen, where most of the Primas are women, as their females are larger and stronger than the males. Likewise, gender equality is law under Kyros, and both the Scarlet Chorus and the Disfavored have an abundance of women in positions of authority.

* FascistButInefficient: Kyros's armies who on paper are supposed to enforce the peace are both rife with corruption. The Disfavored are inflexible about rules, codes, and customs and violating any of these can be punishable by death. They are prone to DisproportionateRetribution often slaughtering their enemies to the last man for the crime of harming a few of their own. They are also racist, harassing anyone that isn't from the North, which is problematic when Kyros's Empire spans the whole continent. The Scarlet Chorus is much more receptive to equality, which means they rape, torture, and kill everyone equally including people from their own ranks. There is a critical lack of oversight in the Scarlet Chorus as their commander, the Voices of Nerat, only cares about military victories and absorbing souls for power. They also recruit their ranks by forcing civilians to fight to the death, which means [[PragmaticVillainy losses that can't be taxed or be part of the labor force.]] Verse tells the Fatebinder that even if Kyros succeeds, they will simply find another reason to incite violence because they don't thrive in stability. To make matters worse, there is also the constant InterserviceRivalry between the Disfavored and the Chorus, which lead them to waste lots of time and resources on undermining each other rather than actually carrying out their assigned tasks.

** If the theory is true, it totally backfires in the rebellious Anarchist path, as [[spoiler:the Fatebinder lifts all Edicts in the Tiers, gains control over all the Spires and has Tunon, Bleden Mark, Sirin and the Voices (now under Verse) all pledging allegiance to them.]]

* AmbiguousEnding: The ending where [[spoiler:you swear fealty to Kyros. On the surface, it looks like Kyros has finally taken over the world and everyting's fine and dandy. However, the Fatebinder and Kyros are both quietly gathering their forces and people are whispering about a storm on the horizon, hinting that one or both of them is planning too betray the other and restart the fighting.]]

** spoiler:In the latter case, the epilogue notes that, while things seems fine on the surface, you and Kyros are both still gathering your armies and a storm is brewing on the horizon, indicating that eventually one of you is going to attack the other.]]