Belinsk Castle

Belinsk Castle is accessible after completing Belinsk Ruins. It is the location where the player will rescue Hou Ju and Eoleo. It is also the home of the Czamaral Clan.

Story
Belinsk Castle is the center of government for the country of Morgal, housing the Morgal royal family. The castle itself is built atop an extensive set of ruins, which could be entered directly from the castle. For a long time, however, only a small portion of the ruins were explorable and the passageway itself, known only to a select few. The castle is heavily guarded by soldiers and seems to employ a number of staff to serve the royal family.

Following the Morgal Revolution, where the native beastmen overthrew their Sanan occupiers, a young girl, Hou Ju, was captured and imprisoned in the castle's dungeon. At a later point, the Champan pirate Eoleo was also captured. Both were scheduled to be executed by boiling at an upcoming Festival. In reality, the captures had been orchestrated by Volechek and the Tuaparang commanders, Blados and Chalis as part of a bigger plot.

At some later point, Matthew and his party of Adepts come to Belinsk during their quest in an attempt to rescue both Hou Ju and Eoleo. As the castle is otherwise impenetrable, the group is forced to enter and traverse the Belinsk Ruins via a hidden entrance. During their exploration, the entryway to the castle is cut off, forcing the group deeper into the ruins. It is only after the Adepts activate the ruins' hidden Alchemy Dynamo, which reveals a large tower, that the Adepts are able to exit. Astonishingly, the Adepts are then allowed to enter the castle and rescue both captives. As the group leaves the castle, the Grave Eclipse, an effect of the Tower's revival, begins, causing many monsters to appear and attack the city. While numerous casualties happen outside, those in the castle appear to be relatively safe.

Walkthrough
You are barred from entering for virtually the entire time your party is at the Morgal region until after you have completed the Belinsk Ruins dungeon and returned to the village, at which point the guards at the front gate will let you pass through the lowered drawbridge. Once inside, go up the immediately visible stairs, and cast Slap on the gold bell to your north to get the guard in front of the royal bedroom to move out of the way. This lets you climb up to the castle's roof to find a chest containing the Beast Knuckles; this is the only window of opportunity afforded to the player to claim this unique weapon, which is decidedly stronger than two other weapons for Sveta that can be purchased as artifacts once the Eastern Sea segment of the game begins.

Go back downstairs to the main lobby and enter the double doors to reach a branching hallway. The two stairs leading down in front of you at the "T"-intersection lead to an enclosed part of Belinsk Ruins that is functionally irrelevant from a gameplay perspective. The choice to go either left or right is seemingly presented as the game allowing you to choose whether to rescue Eoleo at the end of the left fork or Hou Ju beyond the right fork, but cutscenes at the west end will force you to take the right fork for Hou Ju first. After a long cutscene takes place automatically in front of the holding cell in the floor above the east stairs, head through the metal gate and inspect the jar at the southwest corner for an Apple; like the Beast Knuckles, this is an item that the player can permanently miss if they do not claim it right now.

Only now can you return to the T-intersection and fruitfully take the left fork up the stairs, which will bring you to a balcony that places you level with Eoleo's hanging cage nearby. Cast Slap on the cage, then head back down the stairs and head out the narrow door to climb down to where the cage fell. As soon as you approach Eoleo, another cutscene will transpire. When you regain control, exit the castle through its front gate, where a cutscene will hint that you should go west through town to the opera house before going east to the town's pier, which is your mandatory destination.

Items
Oil Drop: Found in the leftmost pot on the second floor by going up the West staircase. Apple: Found in a pot in the second floor cell accessed by going up the East staircase. Beast Knuckles: Found in the treasure chest at the top of the castle. (Access by using Slap on the bell in the second floor). 20 Coins: From the Apple, go down the left corridor and through the north door and grab the coins from the jar here.

Trivia

 * If Belinsk Castle is reentered at the end of the game using an Action Replay, there are various NPCs inside that cannot be spoken to or Spirit Sensed. If you attempt to speak to a certain guard, he runs over to a door and bars entry. Behind the door is an NPC pacing aimlessly around.