Buckman
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Warning! Spoilers ahead!
Proceed at your own risk! |
Lord Ludwig Buckman is a non-playable character encountered in Fear & Hunger. The Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Rondon, he led a party to the Dungeons of Fear & Hunger to find out what had happened to it and to the man called Rudimer.
Lore
Buckman is the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Rondon during 1590 and was appointed to lead a party consisting of Ser Seymor, Jeanne, and Ser Seril. The party's objective was to investigate the Dungeons of Fear and Hunger, with the aim of rescuing Captain Rudimer, who had gone missing in the treacherous environment. It is not known why the prince decided to lead such a perilous mission.
Soon after entering the dungeons, Buckman and his party were ambushed and dispersed in their attempt to escape from the dangers ahead. Consequently, Buckman was left without his allies, and had to contend with the harsh and dangerous conditions of the dungeon alone, struggling to survive. The situation has taken a serious toll on Buckman's composure: he claims to have lost his sense of time and is unsure if he has been trapped in the dungeon for weeks, months, or possibly years.
Location
Buckman can be encountered on Level 1 - Inner hall. He has apparently just escaped from Trortur, the dungeon's insane torturer. Running in a panic, he is shocked to find that the player is both alive and not a monster.
After hiding in a nearby cell, Buckman advises the player that the only way to survive in the dungeon is stealth. The player can choose to either find and kill Trortur to begin Buckman's side quest, or to betray him to Trortur in exchange for a 2F key and two light blue vials.
Quest
Buckman wishes to be reunited with his companions: Ser Seymor, Jeanne, and Ser Seril, the three Rondon knights who ventured into the dungeons along with him.
Should the player kill Trortur, then return to tell Buckman about it, he will automatically move to the 2nd basement floor to reunite with Ser Seymor. If the player does not inform Buckman and instead simply leaves the floor, he will not return to his companion. It is also important that the player leaves the map through the stairs that lead to the Blood Pits, as the other exits will not trigger Buckman's departure to the basement. It is critical to do so before the player visits Ma'habre, as Buckman will be killed if he did not leave this floor by then. His body will be left at a torture table, having been cut in half.
Be aware that talking to Buckman while he and Ser Seymor have been reunited will end the sidequest. A unique dialog option will appear where Buckman admits to fearing the rest of their party is most likely still dead, and he will award the player 40 silver coins. Ser Seymor will suggest they only worry about their own well-being now and to continue going deeper in the dungeon. After within 30 minutes, they will later end up forming a failed marriage in the Level 7 Catacombs, marking the end of their journey. If the player wishes to avoid this outcome, they should avoid talking to Buckman or Ser Seymor entirely for the time being.
Once the player makes it to Ma'habre, they will find a Lord of flies attacking Jeanne. Presuming the player rescued her and that Buckman and Ser Seymor are still alive, Jeanne will be brought safely back to her companions in the basement. At this point, it is safe to talk to Buckman and Ser Seymor again. Talking to Jeanne will now inform the player about Buckman's other missing companion, Ser Seril.
To bring back Ser Seril from the ancient city, the player must have a Potion of mind in their inventory, which could be bought from the Bug-Eyed Figurine in the same area as Ser Seril in the past version of Ma'habre. Initiating the battle with Ser Seril, the player must choose to talk to him and choose the "use Potion of mind" option in the first round of combat. Doing so prevents Ser Seril from attacking for the first round. Talking to him the second time will end the combat as his sanity is returned to him. Informing him about the other three members in the basement will make him reunite with them shortly after.
Going back to the basement, the player will discover all four members are gone. Buckman's letter will have been left on the floor, informing the player that all of them have safely left the dungeons to proclaim their mission a failure. Buckman will also leave behind a valuable gift: a Ring of Wraiths.
Also within the letter, Buckman says that should the player run into Captain Rudimer, or whatever is left of him, they should put him out of his misery and spare him whatever honor he has left. The player can do this if they want to or not. It does not matter for the quest, as killing the Captain has no benefit to the story other than stopping him from continually chasing the party and gaining access to a very powerful endgame weapon.
Trivia
- Within the game's database, there is evidence indicating that Buckman was initially considered as a recruitable party member. However, this idea was ultimately abandoned.
- A bug with Buckman's quest will cause him to still be tortured despite if the player has killed Trortur if they also have killed Ser Seymor before.