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The Better Man is a task in Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire.

Synopsis

With a host of traders left stranded at Port Maje by the storm's destruction, there are no vacancies at the local tavern. However, Thorel, the tavernkeeper, is willing to put the Watcher up - if they clear out one of the current occupants. Thorel identified the lead culprit as Galian, a merchant captain. You can find him and his crew upstairs, in the room furthest to the back.

Walkthrough

  • Speak to Thorel in The Kraken's Eye to start the quest.
  • Head up the stairs and find Galian and his crew in the back room. The door is initially locked (difficulty 4), but you can open it with the key Thorel gave you.
  • You have an assortment of options to get him to clear out peacefully:
    • Threaten him with guards (minor Rational disposition and a minor reaction to Pride if you have Aloth or Tekēhu in your party). When he decides to put up a fight, you can use...
      • Athletics 2 to punch him.
      • Dexterity 13 to dodge his punch.
      • Resolve 13 to stop him from getting riled up.
      • Constitution 13 to take the punch (+4 Stoic), after which you can punch him.
      • Sleight of Hand 2 allows you to stab him in the arm, though it does give you +4 Cruel disposition.
      • Shove him back or ask if he feels better about himself (minor Stoic disposition), this leads to the "polite" options below.
    • Use Intimidate 2 to threaten violence (minor Aggressive disposition).
    • Try to be polite about the situation...
      • Diplomacy 2, tell him that Thorel seems pretty steamed.
      • Give him Copper pires (cp)100 to find another tavern.
      • Ask him to pay what he's owed, then suggest he ask around the docks for work.
  • Alternatively, you can start combat by saying that Thorel gave you permission to get rough if you had to (minor Aggressive disposition). Upon being brought to zero health, Galain will concede and will agree to leave. You can choose to let him live - for a peaceful result, or finish him off. Note that this prompt does not trigger should you attack him out of conversation.
  • Once Galain and his crew have been dealt with, return to Thorel for your reward.
    • If you killed them and made a mess of the place, Thorel will be understandably angry. Regardless of the dialogue options you choose, there's no undoing the damage.

Note

  • When you first speak to Thorel, if you ask him to pay you money instead of giving you a discount, he will promise you a reward in addition. This however does not change the reward received, as he implies.
  • The dialogue option to threaten Galain with guards is repeatable, and so are the disposition and reputation modifiers behind it. This allows you to infinitely add 1 point to your Rational disposition, as well as a Minor (4) adjustment to your companion relationships (Pride), -16 with Aloth and +32 with Tekēhu each time.

Behind the scenes

  • Another rather hilarious dialog option in the "polite" route exists, though it is disabled (perhaps it didn't work thematically due to the reliance on a non-existent voice for the Watcher). It requires Intellect 11 and Insight 2, and grants the player minor Clever disposition. The conversation still has VO, and can be re-enabled by modifying or removing the "AlwaysFalse" condition in 09_cv_galain.conversationbundle, node 31.
Watcher "I thought I'd help out with your headache. By screaming very loudly."
Galain

Galian cringes, grimacing, as you start to scream. He claps his hands over his ears, doubling over.

Multiple distressed protests issue from his companions, all muffled by your caterwauling.

"Hylea's tits, what're you doing that for?!"

Watcher Resolve 13: "I can do this all day."

Galain: "No! No, no need for that. Just stop." He raises his hand in a placating gesture, still wincing.

Artist: "I do a great falsetto." (minor Clever, Lighthearted)
Bluff 2: "Don't test me. I can take this up to a shriek."
"I don't think you realize how much of a nuisance i can be." (minor Clever)
"For fun, mostly." (no result)

Galian gives a low, aggravated groan.

Journal

Quests/09_Port_Maje/09_TSK_Tavern_Hooligans.quest
ID Objectives
0 The Better Man
10000 With a host of traders left stranded at Port Maje by the storm's destruction, there are no vacancies at the local tavern. However, Thorel, the tavernkeeper, is willing to put me up - if I clear out one of the current occupants.
Alternate descriptions
40001 The tavernkeeper at the Port Maje tavern is having trouble with a rowdy group of traders staying in one of the rooms upstairs. He offered me a discount if I clear them out. He'd rather I not harm them, though taking a swing or two isn't out of the question.
1 Find Galian.
10001 Thorel identified the lead culprit as Galian, a merchant captain. I'll find him and his crew upstairs, in the room furthest to the back.
2 Convince Galian to leave.
10002 I've found Galian and his compatriots. Judging by the stink of this place, they've been wallowing in drink for days.
3 Return to Thorel.
10003 I dealt with Galian. I should head back to Thorel and let him know what happened.
4 Defeat Galian.
10004 Galian's challenged me to a fight. I'll have to defend myself.
Unused strings
- 20000 Galian and his buddies are putting up a fight. I'll have to consider my approach.
40002
End states
No 30000 Someone critical to the completion of this quest has been killed
Yes 30001 I convinced the roustabouts to be on their way, and the tavernkeeper agreed to let me stay in the inn at a discount. Having somewhere to rest while I'm in town ought to come in handy.
Yes 30002 Thorel wasn't exactly thrilled by my methods, but I convinced him to let me make use of the room I cleared out. Having somewhere to rest while I'm in Port Maje ought to come in handy.
Yes 30003 I decided to deal with Galian and his crew more directly. The innkeeper didn't appreciate it as much as I'd hoped.
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