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In a spider's web
He set them up.
The fog in the forest was a tale in itself,
A tale of lie and of truth.
SPOILER WARNING! BELOW THERE ARE SPOILERS Here's a Length Warning as Well!
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Part One
This is intended as an exploration of everything in the game concerning Rosencrantz. It will be an exploration of his words... his actions... his truths... his ambitions... his lies. Perhaps, I should start at the very beginning... though for Jan Rosencrantz, it is more like the beginning of the end (but we're only covering the beginning of the end to the almost-end on this part of Power Play-- the end is the next section).
Rosencrantz first entered the game by genuflecting (that is, going down on one knee as a sign of respect) in front of a portrait of the Duke Bardorba and explaining to the Duke the situation at hand. I reacted as could be expected by someone who doesn't see color very well, but sees very well in the dark: is he really wearing orange and barbed wire? !!! He IS! ORANGE! BARBED WIRE!
But then things subsided (Rosencrantz left, not to return for a few levels) and I soon forgot about him. Why even bother thinking about someone wearing barbed wire who wasn't there when I could try to figure out what was wrong with Ashley's hair (I liked his pants... and his shoes... Gladiator Toes). He entered again in Abandoned Mines B1. However, he didn't say much of anything. It was not until he opened his mouth for the third time in the Snowfly Forest did I begin to dislike him.
Rosencrantz:
The symptoms resemble those of case ... 72, was it? Borrowing another's eyes and ears -- Clairvoyance, if you will. All people are tuned to a certain "rhythm"; some can find a like rhythm and jump on board.
He seemed like a know-it-all, and I didn't like that. Not to mention that he knew something Ashley did not, which did not bode well. The fact that he was standing right behind Ashley (whom I by now regarded as an extension of myself, as I often do in RPGs) just pissed me off even more. It was like one of those "RIGHT BEHIND J00!!1!!!" answers to the "location" question.
We spoke, Ashley/I garnered some... interesting... information. Information about the Dark. I was intrigued by his barbed wire, repelled by his lip ring, and wondering when Ashley/I was going to fight him. I wondered what his weapon would be.
When it came time to fight him in The Warrior's Rest, I learned a lot more than I thought I might have. This may make me sound like a REAL freak, but you can learn a lot about a character by figuring out how he fights. Here, Rosencrantz proved to be intelligent enough to dodge and block Ashley's/my more complicated chains and spells, which proved frustrating enough that I didn't have time to drink orange juice (as I often do in RPG battles) but a good kind of challenging. It was a Riskbreaker duel, pure and simple. When I defeated him, he replied, "Yield", a Medieval way of begging for mercy. He'd gotten a little soft; I would have liked to have fought against him in a memory as a training purpose.
Part Two (the meat)
Once upon a time, apparently, there was a boy named Jan Rosencrantz. Jan did a number of things as a child, eventually enrolled in the VKP Academy, and became a member of the VKP. How exactly he did so is unknown; unlike Hardin, Jan did not spill out his entire past. Instead, he hinted and teased but didn't say much of any substance. Which, if you set it down and try to make sense of it (which your brain very kindly does FOR you as you assimilate this information while playing the game), you get a basic timeline.
Jan: ---> born ---> VKP ---> Cases ---> Mullenkamp ---> FFired ---> Mullenkamp/Crimson Blades ---> Stuff ---> Mullenkamp/Crimson Blades --->Stuff ---> Bardorba ---> Stuff ---> Game ---> Die
Sometime during all this, Jan finds the time to hook Ashley up with the VKP, ally himself with the Crimson Blades, get the idea in his head that he'll take over the Dark, and get a serious grudge against nobles.
Part Three (the REAL meat)
But that's all background. What we're focusing on is the game. Jan enters in Bardorba's castle and converses with Bardorba. We infer from his conversation that he has plentiful knowledge of what went on inside Bardorba's primary manor, but perhaps he does not know all. He makes no mention of Sydney's Wyvern and does not directly mention Ashley. There is a chance he saw or encountered Callo and inferred VKP involvement from that. An interesting fact: Jan's reaction to Bardorba's orders to torch the manor is rather less shocked than the reaction's of Bardorba's aides. Perhaps Jan has become accustomed to such atrocity, or perhaps he has been in contact with Bardorba for a longer period of time than the aides.
He then goes to Lea Monde, and does Stuff We Don't See. We next see him watching Ashley, wondering what the crap Sydney's doing. He vanishes without a trace, only to show up again near the Snowfly forest. Here we learn that Rosencrantz knows a lot about the VKP's goings-on: The symptoms resemble those of case...72, was it?
Not only does this imply that Ashley or Rosencrantz or somebody else has served more than 70 cases, it implies that even a possible outsider (his direct allegiance to Bardorba to me implies a lack of current connection to the VKP) might have access to information on the inside. Either that, or Rosencrantz has people on the inside of the VKP who are loyal to him. Or perhaps Bardorba gets him information on the VKP.
Rosencrantz next explains about the Dark, saying that it "grows a power in those its dark waters have touched", and outright states that the VKP and Parliament knew. By separating "VKP" and "Parliament", he implies that they are not completely unified. And of course they aren't-- VKP agents are above the law. Ashley is not so quick to believe Rosencrantz, and Rosencrantz does not offer proof. He offers one last elusive hint and vanishes from sight, only to return once Ashley leaves. Now, he converses with Grissom. Grissom reveals his impatience and a new interesting bit: Rosencrantz is also on the Blade's payroll as a spy in Mullenkamp. Rosencrantz gives us yet another interesting tidbit, as he's been in the habit of doing: he reveals that he knows Sydney is increasing the flow of Dark energies, but does not know why.
Cut to The Warrior's Rest. Rosencrantz enters the scene praising Guildenstern's brilliance (probably with sarcasm). He reveals that his time with Sydney or the Duke has given him more insight into the Dark, and Lea Monde. Rosencrantz states that he is no ally of Guildenstern's, nor a true ally of the Duke's. When Guildenstern insults him, Rosencrantz deflects it with more sarcasm and arrogantly states that he himself is more than a match for Guildenstern. However, when Guildenstern orders him to kill Ashley, he agrees. A new twist unfolds: Rosencrantz set Ashley up with the VKP, and was fired because of Ashley. They fight, Rosencrantz subjects Ashley to yet another memory, revealing a few more things. One: the Riskbreakers are above the law. Two: Rosencrantz infiltrated Mullenkamp. Three: there aren't a lot of sane Riskbreakers left. Four: he hates nobles. They banter about a bit more, and Rosencrantz vanishes... again.