Thief has a medieval setting last time I checked. They made it a little bit too Victorian in TMA. I prefer the dark medieval type of setting that was present in TDP and they did a great job of conveying a medieval atmosphere in TDS I think. For the first time you actually get to rob an appropriately medieval looking castle (Lord Julian's estate), hence the lack of colour, grey stone would be the norm. I liked that appearance. Seems more suitable than the colourful wall paper of TMA. We're robbing medieval type castles and estates, not Jane Eyre and her Victorian style manors.

One of the most annoying aspects of the TDS Pagan-speaksie, besides the lack of poetry, was the over and often completely incorrect placement of the word "bes" and rare variations of it. In TDP/Gold, the word "am" or "ams" sometimes takes the place of where TDS would use "bes".

"Bes" is never used in all of TDP/Gold, but a little in TMA:

[INDENT]"Hush, sneaksie friend. Time runs out. There bes a Mechanist named 'Cavador'. Karras needs him."

"Besie something?"

"He am the Trickster, and the Woodsie Lord he bes."

"...sweet hare and vole bes kept aways too."

"...Full moon bes called Nene, for him Woodsie Lord's jackal, / New moon bes called Enen, thems jackal's dark shadow."[/INDENT]



From TDS--TEXTS only, not including voice-overs:

[INDENT]"Hyssop You wills get them saplinger tree! Bes a rare centuried plant that will helping us. Whens you having the sapling, bringer it to them abandoned Inn – heres in our territory in Docks. There bes a patch of ground there I blessed. Plant them sapling there, and it bes will bringer us them powers rooted in them deeping earth. Dyan"

"Garrett- My visionings show that it bes was you who takered them Jacknall's Paw from us. This crime bes punishable by deadings! But, we bes knowing Viktoria woulds want to finding another way. We offers you this deal: first you doers some things for us, then we lets you live. We have enchanting your bow, so you cans do us these favors. First, bes many cornerstones in them city that we have readied for you to make greening. You bes will know which cornerstones because they have greensy markings. Use your mossing arrows on them, then our magicer vines bes will grow there. Second, we bes have Elemental Cocoons in our territories - shaped like the crescent moon, and bes the height of a man. Fire yours elemental arrows into thems, one of each type per day, and bes will add to their strengthings. When you do one of these favors, your standing with us bes will improving a little. You bes not attacks any us Pagans! Or steal from our territories, or we bes decreasing your standing with us! Now you bes our enemy, and you bes attacked by any Pagan who finds you on them cityhead streets. Bes you do us enough favors, we bes will not attacker you on them streets. But, bes you do us very many favors and you bes our friend and ally... we bes lets you into our territories. Bes your choice. Dyan, Woodsie Priestesses"

"Juniper / Them sapling tree bes held by the cityfools on the docks./ Nows we just needering a plan to getsy past them guards. And soon! Dyan bes making a place readies for them saplinger to grow. Shaman Hyssop"

"Shaman - I bes thinkering an idea - when we bes dones here, we should takesy them diamond lights with us. It bes near them glowings crystal here in our base, where them Kurshok theater used to bes. I thinkers those cityfools trading much with us for it. They lovers shiny rocks, and it bes doesn’t look too heavied to carry. Willowtail"

"Bes a message to them Shaman Cornbriar / Shaman, I bes want you helpings in findering my them Battle Horn. I bes losted it nears them Kurshok hatchery. It bes them ivory horn with them rubies. Them red rubies, like them bloods of our enemies! Maybe some herbals or them Shaman magics could helping us finder it. Please be helper me. / Willowreed"

"Us orderings: Finders them crown, taken long ago by thems Kurshok who betrayered the Leafy King. Checks for them Throne Room – bes might there. We takers us it back with us, returns it to Him that feeders us and drinks us in honeyed mead, them Woodsie Lord. Kills us any Kurshok or other getters in our way. Shaman Cornbriar"

"Bes a scouting report / Me findered a hatching place for Kurshok eggs, and it coulds be a goodsie place for foods. Me bes finded no crowner yets. - Berrythorn"

"Moonsday
I made them enchantings with my magicer wand to raising them undead again. Them hammerheads bes battling them all day and nights! bes a good thinger I do. It bes keeper them from burying friendsy Alfred in thems Hammerfool graveyard. Bes I no want him buried in a hammer spot. Bes I want him to resting in goodsy earth – where hims flesh can feeders them trees and vines. If I coulds just getting to them cornerstone - and bes starting the greensy. Then the hammery graveyard bes will turn greens and goodsie. Then will let friend Alfred bes buried there. But bes too risky – them hammers bes too manied. I bes must stay hidings in them sewers in Old Quarter for nows. It bes safe for me there – and I bes close enough to raising more undead with my magicer wand.
Cloudsday
I bes not able to get to them cornerstone agains. Bes a hammerhead near theres. What bes I will do? At least I still havers my magicer wand – I bes will keep raisings them undead to stoppers them hammerheads. Them Woodsie Lord will guider me."

"Reed- Keeper them Bronze Beetle with you always. Bes you never let it out of your sights. Dyan tolded me she had a visioning it would be stolen from us by a cityfool! bes not let that happen. If you bes need to sleeps, then keepers it locked in something nearby – there bes a strongsy chest where we all sleepsies. May them Woodsy Lord -them greats and terrible Trickster - bes watching over you, and our precious Bronze Beetle. Shaman Woodbine"

"Cursings on the Manfools / Oh Woodsie Lord, oh Trickster, oh Greens and Leafy King, bes you giver my curses them power of them woods and the speed of them winds. Giver you my curses them potent of the seas. For the cityman who beated his horse. Be cursing him with them blackening sickness. I bes burn them cornsilks on that fullsy moon - and whisper them words that bringers on them bruising. He bes dead by next moon. For the cityman who choppered them trees. Be cursing him with them itchings. I bes offered them mice to the itch ivy patch - and they spirits be finders the cityman. First he bes itch and itch. Then soon the madness bes follow. Bes I thanker you, Trickster, greensy father of us all."

"Woodbine- Bes you not touch the ruby Hammer Statuette you founded in them ruined factory wall. Bes it fullsy of Hammerhead magics and poison. It bes curses them earth all arounds it. Only them hand of them Trickster himself can takers it away. I bes feared what would happen if a Pagan touchered it. Them Hammerheads must have lefted it there on purpose to danger us, and tempting us with them golden shines. Dyan"

"All Shamans- To havering the Jacknall’s Paw, first must be done the Ritual of the Root. None can taker the Paw without the Ritual – which bes known only to us Shaman. If them Paw is tookered without the ritual, them Jacknall’s Paw bes will kills they that tookered it. The foolsy Pugleaf bes deaded this way, in his forgetting. Bes will none us ever forget agains. Shaman Woodbine"

"The Ritual of the Root Givers three gifts in the taproot cave. Givers them each on the Givering Altar markings .
-- Givers first the water, on the Givering Altar, for the Heartoak to takers for the Paw. Bes the First and Olders of the gifts o' the Woodsie. Bes the water feeders the plants, bes the water feeders the birds and the foxers, bes the water feeders the Folk o' the Woodsie.
-- Givers next the moss, on the Givering Altar, for the Heartoak to takers for the Paw. Bes the Second and Greeners of the gifts o' the Woodsie. Bes the moss to feeders the trees, bes the moss to smooth the earth.
-- Givers last the bloods or the fleshes, on thems bloody marking , for the Heartoak to takers for the Paw. Bes the Third and Greaters of the gifts o' the Woodsie. Bes the blood, bes the lifers of the man, bes feeders thems who eat hims and bes keeps the tellings o' the hearts."

"Fangwort / Maker you suresy Leafer bes getting them map of them sanctuary to me befores sunbreak. You not let him wasting time and hide in them sewers again. / Woodbine"

"Cress and Baccy- Finders you anyone or anything in them mines that bes NOT a Pagan - then bes you deading it and feeder them fleshes to the bloodroots. Bes we must stayer secreted. Shaman Singreen"

"Garrett Dyan bes having her visionings. Says you bes doing wellsy for us Pagans - bes greening them cornerstoned for us. She says we shoulds rewarding you now. So here bes some more mossing arrows for you. User them wellsy. - Shaman Singreen"

"Larkspur I bes havered another visioning of them Abomination. It bes has a lair in them canals. But I bes thinker, that if the water level bes kept high, then us Pagans will bes not stumbling into its den there. Bes you must sealing off the Pump House, and warn all Pagans to staying away from theres. Why bes this Abomination in my visionings when it bes them Hammerheads we fightings? I wishering that Viktoria comsey back to leading us. My thoughts bes ungreen and troubling. Dyan"

"Pagans- We bes closing off them manfool Pump House. Dyan had a visioning! bes an abomination that lives in them canal! Stay aways! / As long as them water level in the canals stays high, not lowered, then no pagans or cityheads can go down into them canal and cause trouble with them abomination. / Bes you needer to get into them Pump House, then seek you Dyan in them greensy park. She havers them Trickster amulet that makers them vines go away. / Larkspur"

"Leafers and vines grower more quicksy bes you feeder them with the saps and bones of manfools."

"Dyan- Here bes my reportings. Twelve bes were lost in them Old Quarter. Five bes lost in them Docks. Them hammerheads more strongsy than we thinkered. We bes needing helping. Daisy"[/INDENT]



There are 84 counts of "bes" in the mission-specific voice-files alone. I won't bother counting in the six general Pagan voice-file sets or the two Rat Beasts' voice sets. It just made the Pagans sound dumber, less steeped in history, and not as dark, or poetic.