It’s no secret that Crimson Desert’s story, which revolves round protagonist Kliff trying to reunite the Greymanes, is a jumbled mess. The CEO of the sport’s developer Pearl Abyss, Heo Jin-young, admitted as a lot in a press convention the place he acknowledged “the frustration customers really feel concerning the story” and admitted that “we may have executed a greater job with it,” as reported by Yonhap Information Company.
Even by the tip of the fifth chapter in the primary questline, the sport doesn’t present that a lot context to who the Greymanes are, why the Black Bears are after them, and what precisely occurred that led as much as the opening cutscene. It’s not till the center of the sport in Chapter 7, together with extra tidbits of lore, that the sport fills in a few of the blanks on what really motivates Kliff and his fellow Greymanes. In truth, Crimson Desert really has an attention-grabbing story to inform about them; it’s simply hidden throughout the submenus and advised in a frustratingly disjointed approach that’s begging to be entangled.
Who precisely are the Greymanes anyway?
The Greymanes are certainly one of a number of tribal factions in Pailune, a area north of the beginning space of Hernand, who had been charged with being the protectors of the land. They’re identified for being kind of useful heroes for rent, at the least when in comparison with the 2 different clans in Pailune, the Black Bears and the Jackals (extra on them later). And they’re knowledgeable swordsmen, which is partly why Kliff is seen in cutscenes wielding a sword and protect (as a substitute of the sport’s many different weapons). The clan doesn’t appear to have an outright chief, per se, although Kliff is among the most important pillars of the group given his steadfast demeanor and prowess in fight.
One of the crucial vital occasions that influence the Greymanes however isn’t defined within the early a part of the sport is the premature demise of Jian (pronounced Jee-ahn), the chief of Pailune who managed to unify the clans collectively and produce peace and prosperity to the area. It’s unclear whether or not the Greymanes acted like a do-gooder mercenary band earlier than Jian successfully grew to become the top chief, however they definitely grow to be identified for safeguarding Pailune and its folks throughout his reign. That stated, the primary time we hear about this mysterious determine is when Myurdin, the top of the Black Bears, tells Kliff to “give Jian my regards” as he flings him into the river within the opening cutscenes.
Past that, Jian isn’t talked about a lot within the early chapters, regardless of him being one of many few characters who ties Kliff and Myurdin collectively — and by extension, the Greymanes and the Black Bears as properly. In his journal, which Kliff receives later within the sport, Jian describes the Greymanes as “valued allies” who he considers sending to Hernand to type an alliance earlier than the occasions within the opening cutscene. By the best way, this implies that Jian will not be really the precise chief of the Greymanes (in contrast to what’s being said elsewhere), since he makes use of the phrase “allies” right here as a substitute of, say, “fellow Greymanes.” Reasonably, he appears to steer them typically as the top of state for Pailune.
At any charge, Jian posits that Kliff will grow to be a key determine in Pailune’s future and that the Greymanes would assist “restrain the Black Bears” given their aggressive tendencies. Regardless of his higher judgment, he rapidly unites the Greymanes, the “wild and untamed” Black Bears, and the opportunistic Jackals below one banner in response to the bloody rise of Gabriel Caliburn within the neighboring area of Demeniss. He additionally makes strikes to type alliances with Hernand, Delesyia, and Celphade to various levels of success.
Whereas it is a very affordable alternative (as we be taught later within the sport), this in the end results in Jian’s downfall. He fails to behave rapidly sufficient when he learns that the Black Bears, led by the power-hungry Myurdin is “consorting with powers past our borders.” And he overlooks Ludvig, the chief of the Jackals, who’s envious of the Greymanes and whose loyalties change with the wind. (Throughout an encounter with the Jackals, I heard certainly one of them accuse Kliff of being “Jian’s lapdog,” revealing how they actually really feel in regards to the Greymanes.)
Kliff’s journey is a revenge story on a number of ranges
In order destiny would have it, Jian is assassinated throughout a shock raid by the Black Bears, with support from the Jackals. His sudden demise fractures Pailune, and the Greymanes together with it.
The Black Bears take the chance to pounce on the Greymanes whereas a lot of its members are unfold all through the continent of Pywel and proceed to hound them till the primary group is pressured to retreat to a cabin within the sport’s prologue. It’s essential to notice that this cabin is definitely distant from Pailune and is located someplace between Hernand and Demeniss, which reveals simply how determined and flat-footed the Greymanes are at the beginning. Regardless of a valiant effort, Kliff is surrounded by the Black Bears and mortally wounded by Myurdin earlier than being thrown into the river and left for useless.
With out the safety of the Greymanes, Pailune descends into chaos. Underneath the tyranny of the Black Bears and the Jackals, a lot of its residents are shoved into cages and offered as slaves. That is why Kliff is given the faction quest “To the Rescue” close to the start of the sport as it’s his unstated responsibility, in defiance of Myurdin and Ludvig, to avoid wasting the folks of Pailune from their machinations.
To precise revenge on Myurdin, not just for killing Jian and his fellow Greymanes but in addition for taking their homeland by pressure, he wants to collect the remaining Greymanes collectively and is suggested to type alliances with the leaders of Hernand, a spot the place they’ve little to no standing at the beginning. The upside, although, is that Kliff is way from Pailune and out of the Black Bears’ attain, which permits the Greymanes to recuperate their power till their eventual conflict in Chapter 6.
On a private stage, Kliff doesn’t appear to have an in depth relationship with Jian, or at the least that’s what Torstein, who was Jian’s vice captain of the guards, says about him. Nonetheless, the sport’s description says that the Greymane “feels the load of his absence,” revealing that he has a deeper connection to him than his stoic persona would recommend. When Torstein tells Kliff to take Wolf’s Fang, the blade as soon as owned by Jian that “symbolizes justice and willpower,” he formally and spiritually accepts the mission to hold Jian’s will and expunge the betrayers in his stead. Even earlier than that, the Greymanes are by no means seen mourning Jian’s demise, as if they’ll’t permit themselves to take action till retribution is met. In impact, Kliff can’t transfer on till their honor is restored.
