Dishonored Mission 2: Escape from Coldridge (Part 1)

DEAR READERS, THE FOLLOWING TEXT CONTAINS SPOILERS, AND SPOILERS CAN RUIN A GAME. IF YOU DO NOT WISH TO GET SPOILED ON THE PLOT DETAILS OF THIS GAME, IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU READ SOMETHING ELSE.

Hey people, it's been a long time since I've updated this blog. So I thought that it was probably time that I made the next part of the blog. So maybe you were wondering what happened after Corvo got framed for murdering Dunwall's beloved Empress? Maybe he got executed (that would be a bit ridiculous at such an early time in the game)? Maybe he's in solitary confinement? Let's find out...

Coldridge Prison (a few months after Corvo's arrest)
Corvo woke up (I mean, I woke up) strapped in a chair in an interrogation room. I saw the Royal Spymaster, (you know what? Call him Hiram Burrows, or just Burrows. That's his real name, and by the way, I'm tired of using the name "Royal Spymaster") Thaddeus Campbell and, well, how should I describe this one last guy? He's wearing overalls, almost completely bald, and holding a red-hot iron stick (the ones that have extremely hot edges). I think he's a torturer or interrogator. Here's a picture of the guy:

Anyway, let's get on with what happened next. "This is your final chance, Corvo. Sign the confession and let me give you the rites to put your spirit at ease," Campbell suggested. After he said this, the torturer used his heated iron stick to assure me that signing the confession was probably a good choice (in other words, he fried my chest. Ouch). Burrows decided to interfere. "Now, now, get out," he ordered the torturer. "Let's give the man some time to think," he said as he moved towards me (for the next part, I didn't remember what he said, but it was something like this). Then he said,
"Corvo, the Empress is dead. Her daughter Emily is hidden away, and no one will ever know the truth,"
(Campbell) "Yes, tomorrow you'll be executed, but it's for a good cause. This city needs strong leadership now, someone to guide the weak. And that's where we come in,"
"Yes, and even though you almost sank our plans, it turned out well. After all, somebody has to take the fall. Goodbye, Corvo,"
Burrows then turned to the guards (who were offscreen, so you couldn't see them). "Guards! Take him back to his cell."

Corvo's Cell
Left to rot in a prison cell, framed for killing the Empress, this is outrageous as hell. Now it all started to make sense. Those assassins (read the previous post) were sent by Burrows to kill the Empress and frame me! And now he had the required evidence to lock me up in Coldridge and execute me. Now, with no one left to stop Burrows, his allies and their plan to rule Dunwall, those corruptors will be free to do anything they want to the city. I have to admit, that IS quite smart.

Back in my cell, I wonder when the game will REALLY start? When I'm about to get beheaded tomorrow? Wait, there's a Watch Officer at the cell door... "You should eat, Corvo. This meal comes from a friend." the Officer said. Then he closed the door behind me, only leaving a food tray with a hunk of bread on it. Oh well, might as well have one last meal before my execution tomorrow, I've looked around the cell and there's nothing else to do anyway, so I took the bread.

Strangely, I found a note under the bread. Curious, I read it. It was a note wrote by "A Friend". This "friend" said that under the note, there will be a key to unlock my cell door (there will also be a sword on a table outside the cell). Then I was instructed to take an explosive from a safe in the interrogation room, and make my way to a gate, where I would plant said explosive and make a run for the sewers. After reading the note, I snatched the key from the food tray and unlocked the door. FREEDOM! Now to kill EVERYBODY who was involved in this coup against me (including every single guard who stands in my path)! YAAARGH!!!

After grabbing the sword that the guard left on the table (along with a few coins, which hopefully could be used to upgrade my gear later on in the game), I entered stealth mode and got ready to slit some necks. However, as I got ready to chop up my first victim, this tutorial appeared:

In other words, putting a guy to sleep will result in less weepers (AKA zombies), man-eating rats (seriously), more friendly reactions from allies, and a happier ending.

I suddenly held the thought of slicing the poor guard's neck open. After all, when you think of it, this dude is just an underpayed guard with a crappy uniform and a hat for armor. He's just trying to survive in this plague-ridden city. He didn't deserve to die just for standing in my path to escaping the prison. So instead, I strangled him and carried his snoring body (yes, unconscious bodies snore in this game) to the bed in my prison cell. As for the two other guards in the same room as he was, they suffered the same fate. Who knows when they wake up, they'll be scolded by their bosses for sleeping on the job :). By the way, here's a bit of info about the enemies I've encountered so far in the game:

Watch Lower Guards and City Watch Guards

These are the first classes of enemies that you encounter in the game. The Lower Guards are the weakest in the game, armed with a sword, a hat and the standard Watch uniform. In battle, they can only swing their sword in a predictable manner, making it easy to block or parry their incoming attacks. They are also cowardly, running like little girls to the nearest alarm (or, if there is no alarm, flee) in order to call for backup after they witness their friend's neck get sliced open.

City Watch Guards are more formidable than their lesser Watch friends. Equipped with body armor, a helmet and a sword, they have the ability to kick Corvo away and block most of his incoming sword attacks. However, their attacks are easily predicted and can be blocked/parried with ease. It is said that the only thing separating them with the common criminal is their uniform and their skill with their swords. It is also said that under Burrows's rule, they are grateful to follow the city's new, unjust rules, the more unfair the better.

Top left: City Watch Guard

Bottom left: Watch Lower Guard

 Interrogation Room

After making my way through the rooms of the prison (choking out guards along the way), I made it to the interrogation room, the exact same place where I got tortured. There I found the safe containing the explosive (strangely, there was no combination for the safe) and an audiograph about Burrows's plan to make my interrogation as miserable as possible and a hint of his heinous plans. I then made my way to the gate where I was supposed to plant the explosive.

Bomb Planting Site

It took a few save reloads, but in the end I managed to make it to the bomb planting site without killing so much as a rat. After I planted the bomb on the designated area, I took cover in a nearby steel crate, where I could quickly make a run for the sewers after the explosion (actually, when I say "make a run for the sewers", I actually had to dive into the water below AND THEN run for the sewers instead of fleeing to the sewers straight from the gate). Finally I escaped to the sewers. But what would I do next? Well, find out in the next post! See ya for now!