Philip de Beavauis is a Guardian of the Grail and one of two Priory agents in Aeternis.
Background[ | ]
The youngest of the twelve Guardians and the least of them,[1] at least according to the rest of the Guardians, Philip had neither the brawn nor, seemingly, brains to qualify for the position. Yet through one way or another, he was picked for the Aeternis project.[2] Over the decades, exposure to grailstone turned him into a self-serving coward.[3] His weakness manifested in him supporting Malik in the conflict for control over Aeternis. Yet like Edgar, he refrained from ultimately swearing fealty to the rogue Templar, resigning himself to vocal support.[4]
He knew enough about Malik's affairs to be privy to the secrets of his laboratory, including access points. This became instrumental in his survival, as when Malik's sinister, depraved experiments forced Tobias to act, Philip was there to provide the means for flushing them out of the stronghold: Pumping poison gas into the area. For this, Philip's transgressions were forgiven and he was spared Tobias' wrath,[5] although it did not improve his opinion of the glorious Templar leader. He continued to keep the anti-Tobias faction alive together with Edgar... Although their ineffectual attempts to seize control over what remains of Aeternis invited mockery, not support.[6] Still, to Edgar, Philip's support was enough.[7]
The truth about Philip is that he's perhaps the most perfidious and cunning of all the knights. He is, in fact, the famous Cobweb, a Priory agent who successfully eluded Tobias for centuries, always one step ahead. After Philip and Malik embedded themselves within the Aeternis project, as Cobweb and Spider respectively,[8] they worked towards ensuring the safety of the Grail and its survival until it was required. Philip aided the Cirrus crew in their attempt to take the Grail in 1307,[9] sounding the alarm just as they acquired it.[10] That way, his loyalty to Tobias became unquestioned and the perfect cover created.[11] Apart from updating the Priory on the situation in Aeternis, Phillip also provided the Priory with a substantial amount of grailstone for their purposes,[12] and aided in the removal of Malik after the scope of his research and activities went beyond what was needed by the Priory.[13] His final task within Aeternis was to aid the thieves infiltrating the citadel in their quest for the Grail. To this end, he guided Colin Scott and the Holy Thief towards their goal.[14]
More than a mere pawn, Philip also worked to ensure his own survival after the Grail was acquired. He made a secret pact with Lurka, using him to plant messages to the Thief, so that they would wind up in a perfidious trap laid down by Philip once they acquired the Grail. That way, Lurka and Philip would acquire the Grail and be free to escape Aeternis, while simultaneously ensuring a position of power for themselves within the Priory.[15]
Interactions[ | ]
- Philip is encountered first at the vestry, offering information on Aeternis and its guardians, as well as helpful pointers on how to progress. His appearance depends on picking up the note from Cobweb in the chapel.
- He is then found at the alchemist lab and if you were nice enough to him - exhausted his dialogue tree - he will warn you about the poison covering the alchemist and provide further input.
- His final appearance is in one of the bad endings, where if you take the route down the aqueduct, you wind up skewered by an angel statue. Your corpse is then dragged before the gloating Philip and Lurka.
Behind the scenes[ | ]
| “ | Phillip's indecisiveness has been magnified by the Grailstone so that he is now plagued, almost incessantly, by extreme doubts about, well... about everything really. Like a lost soul he patrols the darkened corridors arguing with himself and muttering things like "...perhaps Richard and the others had been right all those years ago, after all it was that black-hearted Mallik who had spoken against them ... the same Mallik who later deserted his brothers and the Grail for the freedom and pleasures of the outer world ... and yet perhaps Mallik had the right idea after all, and that he, Phillip, was a prize fool for hanging around on this perpetual fooľs errand! But he had given his solemn oath ... and there was no denying the power of the Grail ... but what if..."
In short Phillip no longer knows what he believes and so his mind swirls in constant circles of indecision and inaction. This does not mean that he is harmless however, in fact quite the contrary – he still has a job to do, but the player will find Philip easy to deal with is he/she directs the conversation towards these ever-present doubts. In fact, by persevering sympathetically with this conversational relationship the player may find that Phillip will become a friend, which can be of considerable help later. |
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| ~ Design document |
References[ | ]
- ↑ Mikhail: "A young knight. We were told he would cause us no trouble."
- ↑ Phillip: "Me? I am a knight of small consequence. At least that is how I was regarded by all the others when we entered this place. But since I have outlived most of them, perhaps I am a little more wily than they give me credit for."
- ↑ Tobias: "Philip. He was once a good man. But he always had a weakness within him. Deep down, he is a coward. Self serving and weak. Over the long decades, this aspect of his character has become dominant."
- ↑ Vincent: "He was one of the traitors, that like me, followed the false hope of Malik when we became disillusioned by Tobias. I suppose he is dead too"
- ↑ Entry 1501
- ↑ Tallum: "Since Mallik and Guy left the temple, things have been much as they were at that time. Edgar and Philip maintain their obsession with keeping the faction alive, while Tobias lives as always amongst his books, worshipped by the fool Geffrye and his twisted little dog Lurka. Meanwhile I have wandered the temple having little to do with them. I occupy most of my time keeping and training to the best of my ability the Theos and other beasts of the temple. I do this for Tobias. It is his punishment for my past foolishness in being a party to Mallik's dreams of power."
- ↑ Edgar: "Yes, he is my ally. A strange one and somewhat self serving, but sane and mostly loyal. He can be trusted."
- ↑ Special Order 1047
- ↑ Mikhail: "We met cobweb for a briefing when we had not long entered the temple, but his face was covered, so I cannot tell you which of the knights he is. This is well, for under the torture of that fiend Tobias, I would have gladly sold any man's soul."
- ↑ Entry 785
- ↑ Special Order 1103
- ↑ Special Order 1172
- ↑ Special Order 1390
- ↑ Special Order 1597
- ↑ Endings