Swamp around Toranor’s tower
The path is overgrown with weeds, and at this point, it disappears completely.
However, you can see footprints of several people in the swampy ground. They lead north.
Geyser
The moment you reach the hot spring, a giant fountain of boiling hot water shoots into the sky. You find yourselves in the middle of a scalding rainfall.
As fast as you possibly can, you get the hell away from the geyser.
You step into the water. The sweat is glistening on your brows. You can feel your shoes getting soaked and disintegrating.
You step into the water. Sweat is glistening on your brows. Your unprotected feet are scalded.
Before you lies a small lake. Occasionally, bubbles rise to its surface, where they burst. It is very hot and stinks of sulphur.
Morass
Although the ground here appears to be very unsafe, none of you breaks through the thin surface.
Suddenly [Hero1] breaks through the thin layer of grass and sinks in up to the knees. Quickly [Hero2] reaches for his/her hand and pulls him/her almost effortlessly from the morass.
Suddenly [Hero1] breaks through the thin layer of grass. He/she slips into the morass up to the neck. [Hero2] can only rescue him/her from the swamp hole with a great effort.
Suddenly [Hero1] breaks through the thin layer of grass. Before you realize what has happened, [Hero1] has completely disappeared into the morass. It takes [Hero2] a while to reach and find him and pull him out of the swamp — [Hero1] has been sunken within the swamp too long.
Suddenly [Hero] breaks through the thin layer of grass and sinks up to his knees in the morass. However, [Hero] can escape from the swamp hole without problem.
Suddenly [Hero] breaks through the thin layer of grass and quickly sinks up to his neck in the morass. [Hero] grabs for a branch of a bush and pulls him-/herself at the last minute from the swamp.
Suddenly the thin grass layer gives way under the feet of [Hero]. [Hero] has no chance to grab hold of anything and [Hero] sinks completely into the swamp.
The ground here looks decidedly untrustworthy. Still, none of you fall through.
Swamp
Suddenly, [Hero] breaks through the thin crust of grass and sinks into the swamp underneath up to his/her knees.
Abruptly, [Hero] breaks through the thin crust of grass and sinks into the swamp underneath up to his/her knees.
Don’t you think, [Hero] had better take off his/her backpack?
With a supreme effort, [Hero] manages to grasp the branches of a bush nearby and pull free.
[Hero] succeeds in grasping a nearby bush to support him-/herself, but his/her weight is too much for it, and the bush is pulled free. [Hero] sinks beneath the swamp surface.
As no one can come to his/her aid, [Hero] disappears beneath the surface of the swamp. [Hero] will be missed.
Abruptly, [Hero] breaks through the thin layer of grass and starts sinking into the swamp beneath.
I would strongly suggest you help [Hero], before it’s too late.
What do you propose to do:
Throw, a rope and together pull, free
Loose no time and grasp his/her hand
That was pathetic. While you were running about, looking for a non-existent rope, [Hero] has sunk beneath the surface of the swamp.
Pulling [Hero] from the swamp-hole turns out to be child’s play. Good show.
Unfortunately, [Hero] has sunk so far into the mud, you can’t pull, free.
By now, your hands have become so slick from the mud, [Hero] can’t hold on to the rope. With a gurgle, [Hero] vanishes below the mud surface.
Your hands have become so slick from the mud, [Hero] can’t hold on to you.
Swamp Serpent
From the corner of your eyes, you notice a movement on the ground.
You have disturbed a swamp serpent which attacks [Hero]. Fortunately, [Hero] only just manages to avoid its bite.
Too late, [Hero] notices a snake you disturbed. It sinks its fangs into his/her leg and slithers away.
Wooden Post
A wooden post is stuck in the muddy ground.
“See the marks in the wood?” asks [Hero]. “That post was hammered into the ground just days ago.”
Foot Prints
“Look!” [Hero] calls out, pointing to the ground. “There are boot prints in the mud!”
Marked Rock
“Check it out!” calls [Hero] and points at a rock near your position.
“That rock’s been marked with color.”
You take a closer look at the rock and find remains of flaking red paint on its surface.
Borbarad Mosquitos
You see a small black cloud heading straight towards you. No, it isn’t a sign of impending bad weather. Actually, it’s a swarm of mosquitos that has chosen your party for attack.
You slap dozens from the air, but even so, several more alight on your unprotected skin.
Suddenly, [Hero] starts beating his/her skin and screaming: “These are the accursed Borbarad-mosquitos! They don’t drain your blood, they drain your memory!”
Soon, it’s all over, and the mosquitos have either been squashed or flown away.
Where you have killed one as it was feeding, large, painful boils appear. Where they could feed undisturbed, no sign remains of their presence.
[Hero] has lost N points of Life Energy and N Experience Points.
In the distance, you notice a mosquito swarm heading towards you.
Do you:
Concentrate on killing mosquitos in flight, to avoid the painful boils
Concentrate on killing the mosquitos on your skin, to avoid losing experience
Swamp Rantzy
The snout of a swamp rantzy appears from behind the rock. The apelike animal considers you and apparently finds you an appetizing prospect. Together with eleven more of its kind, it comes running straight at you.
Returning on a boat with Haffel
On the opposite river bank, the rowing boat with the Holberkian Haffel starts to move. After a few powerful strokes, he reaches the dock on your side of the stream.
“I’ve seen him”, he calls out to you with a big grin. “I saw good ol’ Reto swimming the river. He’ll be waiting for me, when I get home.”
Do you get into the boat with Haffel?
On the opposite river bank, the rowing boat manned by the Holberkian Haffel starts to cross over. It takes just a few powerful strokes for him to reach you.
Do you step into the boat with Haffel?
Haffel strains to move the boat against the powerful current. On reaching the opposite bank, he brings the boat up to the landing stage.
Swimming in the Sea
The sea washes around your feet. The ground falls away sharply here, and if you want to continue this way, you’ll have to swim. A good ways out, sharp-edged rocks rise from the waves. The current seems to be very strong.
Are you willing to take the considerable risk of swimming out to sea?
All right, it’s your funeral. Who will do it?
After just a few strokes, [Hero] is caught by a breaker and flung back ashore.
[Hero] manages to dive under the next big breaker, but [Hero]’s caught by the undertow, which pulls, straight onto a large rock. It takes all of his/her strength to get free and back to shore.
Locked Door
The portal is closed and can’t be opened.
The door is locked, but from the clear boot prints in the mud, you can see some people must have come through here not too long ago.
When [Hero] takes a closer look at the lock, you suddenly hear a savage snarl from behind you. Two swamp rantzies have climbed from the swamp and attack you.
Do you want to follow the footprints through the door?
Through a crack in the wood, you can see two large metal bolts keeping the door shut. You won’t be able to open it from the outside.
The door is unlocked. Do you want to enter?
Steep Road
Despite your best efforts, you can’t find anything remarkable:
Basically, you’re standing in front of a stone wall barring your way.
Because of the nearby rocks, the road runs very close to the flooded river.
In front of you, the ground goes down a bit, forcing you to wade.
With a scream, [Hero] keels over. The ground is even steeper here, too steep to keep it in view, actually, and [Hero] stumbled. Fortunately, [Hero] didn’t seriously hurt him/herself.
If you want to continue along this road, you’ll have to swim.
As far as you can see, the river has flooded the plains. There’s nothing for it. You’ll have to turn back.
Landing Dock
A small landing dock reaches a short way into the river. Mind you, it doesn’t look particularly trustworthy. The boards are very much under the weather, and the thin posts supporting the construction are overgrown with water weeds.
One of the boards breaks away beneath your feet. [Hero] only just manages to stay dry. Still, every cloud has a silver lining. Looking through the hole, [Hero] spies two donf sprigs.
Boat House
Looking through a small window, you can check out the interior of the hut. It’s just a shed, and partly flooded. Apart from two small, severely damaged rowing boats, it is empty.
Do you want to break into the boathouse?
At the end of the stage, the Holberkian Haffel waits for you aboard his rowing boat.
Do you get in?
Haffel strains to overcome the strong current. Finally, he reaches the landing dock on the opposite bank.
“I do hope you’ll be able to put an end to these animal thefts once and for all!” With that, he sends you on your way.
[Hero] checks the dock and finally declares:
“It doesn’t see much use, but it is used occasionally.”
Looks like Haffel took his boat and rowed home.
Riva Surroundings
You see two trees standing so close together, their branches are entwined. [Hero] is absolutely positive they’re weeping willows.
You see two trees standing so close together, their branches are entwined. [Hero] suspects they’re birches.
[Hero] examines a few of the dangling branches and then says:
“I am absolutely positive that this is a weeping willow!”
[Hero] examines a few of the dangling branches and then says:
“I believe this is a birch tree!”
“I have never seen such a strange birch in my life.” says [Hero], surprised.
Dragon Picture
Some “artist” has scratched a picture of a dragon into the stone wall of the watchtower.
You’re standing in front of the forbidding outer wall of a city watchtower. Any attackers will have their work cut out, trying to force their way into town. Fortunately, you can enter through the city gates.
Lomar’s Cave
You stand in front of the rock wall thinking about the redeemed warrior. There’s nothing more for you to do around here.
You step in front of the rock wall with the inscription and the embedded boots.
Do you want to try and pull the boots free?
There’s a large stone slab in front of the rock wall, bearing an inscription beneath a Wheel of Boron. A pair of boots stick out halfway from the rock.
“If he had had the boots,
he surely could have escaped.
In remembrance of my best friend. Lomar.”
“Looks like someone lost a friend to the avalanche”, speculates [Hero].
Do you want to try and pull the boots free?
Who’s going to try?
[Hero] grabs the boots with both hands and starts pulling as hard as [Hero] can. Abruptly, [Hero] finds,self, without the boots, inside a small cave. The ground is covered with skeletons and human bones. No exit is visible.
[Hero] finds [Hero] is not alone.
A well-armored man of middling age steps from the darkness. “So, more company”, he says to [Hero]. “Hear my story then:
When I was still a young man, I met a peasant’s daughter of unimaginable beauty. Her blonde curls were radiant as the sun rising on a bright spring day, her blue eyes as clear as a mountain lake, those precious lips red as the ripest cherries. Her shapely body… but I digress, back to the point.”
“I was a guardsman in Riva Castle then, with a fine career ahead of me! Always, when I went to visit my adored one, my way brought me past here, for this was the shortest route. It was by no means without danger, as avalanches were known to come crashing down when the snows had melted. So I asked my friend Lomar, the cobbler, who had magical powers, to furnish me a pair of boots that allowed me to run faster than I could have with any others. They would also have given me that much more time to spent with my beautiful Rose.”
“A few days later, he gave me the boots, which he said had all the powers I had asked for. With a joyful spirit and oblivious to danger, I set out for my lovely bride. But cruel fate caught up with me that day: an avalanche came down, the boots failed me, and I was crushed and killed.
How could I have known the cobbler was in love with the same beautiful girl and saw me as a rival to get rid of?”
“But the release of death was denied to me. Boron refused me entrance to His halls. When the cobbler’s conscience bothered him, he had the inscription made and brought me the true magic boots he had kept for himself all along. But he hadn’t expected me to lie in wait for him here! I killed him then, and since that day, the boots are stuck in the rock, the only entrance to this chamber, where I am captive, waiting for a worthy opponent to release me from this dreary fate.”
“I cannot let just anyone just strike me down, you understand, for that would be a dishonorable death, which I am not allowed. More than once, I have heard the beat of Golgari’s wings, but never yet has he come to carry me to Boron’s realm. So, are you ready for a fight to the death? Or will you take your last chance for retreat and renounce the boots?”
[Hero] turns around and grabs the boots. Everything turns black before his/her eyes, and [Hero] sinks to the floor.
[Hero] grabs the boots and pulls. As expected, [Hero] is transported into the cave. The captive speaks to,:
“You know my tale! Thus, you have come to face me! En garde!”
Fatally wounded, the warrior sinks to the ground with a relieved smile. Within moments, his body decays, until nothing but his skeleton remains. Then, it too disintegrates.
[Hero] looks around, but there’s nothing in here but the skeletons of various predecessors. So, [Hero] grabs the boots again, and is transported back to the outside, where a soft rumbling makes the rocks vibrate.
Avalanche
The avalanche reached the forest here. It buried some of the trees before coming to a stop. The wall of rocks, tree trunks, and branches effectively blocks any progress.
While climbing across the scree, [Hero] is hurt by sliding rocks.
“This must be the entry to the hidden valley”, declares [Hero] and examines the crack in the rockface. The crack grows wider towards the ground, and after [Hero] has rolled away some boulders, the entrance is clearly visible.
Mine Entrance
“But there’s the entrance to the mine”, [Hero] whispers, as [Hero] looks around the bend.
The door is more solid than you first thought. Whoever smashed through the door must have had tremendous strength.
Do you want to enter the mine?
Herbs
“That ball-shaped bush at the forest’s edge is Belmart”, [Hero] calls from several steps away. [Hero] runs to the bush and rips off the few leaves left on it.
“There’s a Gulmond bush over there”, says [Hero] and points into the woods. Mind you, the undergrowth is so thick, no one could reach the bush without being scratched quite severely. Nevertheless, [Hero] is not to be denied and makes a path towards his/her goal. Only after picking all the leaves does [Hero] crawl back.
All of a sudden, [Hero] stops in his/her tracks. “I do not believe this!” [Hero] exclaims. [Hero] forces his/her way into the underbrush as far as possible.
“I was right, there’s Thonnys growing here!” [Hero] crows about his/her precious find.
Slowly, [Hero] breaks through the undergrowth towards the herbs. [Hero] doesn’t even notice the cuts and scratches [Hero] suffers. [Hero] picks all of the plants and searches all around afterwards, to make quite sure [Hero] didn’t overlook any.
Finally, [Hero] turns around. Just then, a large branch hits, right on the kisser.
“Up ahead there, is that a bush of four-leaf loneberries, or are those sheenberries?” [Hero] asks [Hero]. “That’s four-leaf”, [Hero] answers, then they set about picking the berries.
“Well, well, a four-leaf bush”, says [Hero] to no-one in particular and starts collecting the berries.
“Back there, on that bush, those are Shurin bulbs”, proclaims [Hero]. [Hero] crashes through the undergrowth, which isn’t quite as heavy around here, and…
… puts-hand straight into a rabbit trap, firing a bolt into his/her arm. Despite the considerable pain, [Hero] picks the Shurin bulbs before going back.
… reaches the bush unharmed. Once there, [Hero] picks the fruit [Hero] is after and returns.
Ring of Stones
The compound is surrounded by a ring of stones marking the outer limits of the grounds.
“Are those pebbles supposed to keep wild animals away?” mocks [Hero] with a sneer.
Stoerrebrandt College
As you approach the entrance to the main building, a desperate looking young man turns the corner.
Looks like a roofed-over stack of firewood to me.
“Do you really think the ring is hidden in here? We can’t take down the whole stack!” laments [Hero].
“Ah, this looks interesting! Seven of the logs are stacked lengthwise. It’ll have to be one of them!” declares [Hero].
After thinking about it for a while, you pull out a short branch five fingers thick and look into the opening thus created.
And yes, indeed, there’s a ring in there. Before you can take it, Stipen puts his hand down the hole and grabs it. He slips it onto his finger and runs back to the main building, shouting with joy.
“Wait here! I’ll be back, once I got my reward”, he shouts and disappears into the building.
Do you:
Get away while you can
Wait for Stipen
Nearly half an hour has passed, when a crow alights on the wood-shack roof.
At that precise moment, a blue shaft of light shoots out from one of the upper windows of the main building. You hear a painful caw from the roof of the shack.
Do you really want to keep waiting?
You wait another half hour, until Stipen comes back out. He runs toward you.
“Look what I got”, he shouts.
“A magic shield! And I got potions and elixirs.”
On reaching you, he displays his valuable new possessions: a shield, two magic potions, one healing potion, and two elixirs of Wisdom.
What do you say to him?
“Well, according to our agreement, that’s all ours!”
“Keep it, pal! You’ll need it more than we do.”
The poor boy’s jaw drops from disappointment. Shocked, his eyes wander from you to his new treasures and back.
Are you really going to insist on payment?
It takes a lot out of the young fellow to bring himself to do it, but in the end he hands over the vials. Now all he has left is the shield. The conflict is obvious in his face:
Should he hand you the shield or run away with it?
Finally, he makes his decision. With shaking hands, he holds the shield out to you.
Do you:
Take it
Let him keep it after all
After you take the shield, Stipen turns and run back into the house, weeping.
Apparently, Stipen had already given up on the shield, because he doesn’t look all that unhappy, even though he had to give up all his magic potions.
The shock in Stipen’s face is replaced by joy. “That is very noble of you! At least accept the healing potion and one of the elixirs.”
He hands you two vials and returns to the building.
Apparently, Stipen had totally forgotten about your agreement. Overjoyed, he says:
“You really want to let me keep all of the reward?
I can’t accept that, at least take part of it as a token of my gratitude.”
The boy looks over his possessions, then he chooses the most valuable item, the miracle shield. He holds it out to you.
Do you:
Gracefully decline his generous offer
Accept the shield
Overjoyed and laughing, the young man skips back inside.
The loss of the shield dampens the young fellow’s joy somewhat, but he still seems to consider himself lucky. Joyfully, he runs back inside.
Sewers
“The entrance to the sewers has got to be around here somewhere!” complains [Hero], and almost immediately afterwards, [Hero] finds it.
Are you climbing down, then?
You can’t just leave. There’s still much to do in Riva.
More Herbs
“Well, looky here, there’s Gulmond growing in that crack up there”, [Hero] shouts, and points at a bush growing somewhat askew on the mountainside.
Feel like climbing up there?
[Hero] looks for the easiest way up, then! [Hero] starts climbing, until reaching his/her goal about twelve paces above. [Hero] rips off the few leaves and comes back down.
[Hero] looks for the best way up and starts climbing towards his/her goal, which is about eight paces up the rock face.
[Hero] rips off the few leaves and starts on the climb down. Halfway down, a stone gives way under his/her foot, and (s)he falls.
[Hero] gazes up the cliff face and suddenly stops. Near a bird’s aerie, some light green shrubs can be seen.
“That can only be Joruga”, [Hero] exclaims.
Anyone feel like climbing up there?
You are standing beneath the aerie with the Joruga shrubs growing nearby.
So how about it? Is one of you going to climb up there or not?
And who’ll be the brave mountaineer?
As the conditions here make rappelling impracticable, [Hero] scales the rock face without a rope.![Hero] has no trouble on the first bit. Finally, (s)he reaches a chimney going straight up to the Joruga shrubs.
But halfway up, about twenty paces above ground, (s)he is attacked by a storm hawk protecting its aerie.
[Hero] climbs up the same way as before. And again, the hawk attacks!
As [Hero] is already severely weakened, the hawk’s furious attacks dislodges him/her, and (s)he plunges down.
The hawk is extremely nimble, but even so,[Hero] finally succeeds in grabbing the bird’s legs and smashing it against the rock. However, the hawk’s beak and claws wreak havoc with his/her unprotected hands.
Now, [Hero] can climb up to the shrubs, dig them out, and return back down unhindered.
The hawk’s furious attacks dislodges [Hero], and (s)he drops straight down. At the bottom of the chimney, (s)he hits a small ledge and grabs hold.
After a short break to catch his/her breath, (s)he climbs back down.
The hawk’s furious attacks dislodges [Hero], and (s)he drops straight down. At the bottom of the chimney, (s)he hits a small ledge. [Hero] tries in vain to grab hold and keeps falling.
Drunk Thorwalians
Eight Thorwalians approach along the road. They are boisterous and exuberant. When they reach you, their ringleader talks to you:
“Swafnir’s Blessings, lonesome wanderers, say, have you got a drop on you for us?”
What do you answer?
“Find your own booze!”
“We don’t have any brandy!”
“Hold on, pals, we’ll have a look.”
“You don’t want to share? Well, we’ll get our own booze alright! From you!”
“Liars! Have at you!”
“Ah, there’s something to whet the whistle”, the head Thorwalian, who has been looking over your shoulder, shouts and grabs the bottle from your hands.
Do you:
Leave your booze to the Thorwalians
Slap their wrists for being too eager
“It’d have only gone bad on you”, the ring leader patronizes you. That’s more than [Hero] can bear, and [Hero] charges the Thorwalians.
“It’d have only gone bad on you”, the ring leader patronizes you, and the wild bunch moves on.
“Those little toads haven’t got a drop on them”, moans the ringleader, who has been looking over your shoulder. “Come on, lads, off we go!”
Are you going to take that insult lying down?
Disappointed at finding neither fresh booze nor a decent brawl, the Thorwalians start singing a rude ditty and march on.
Town Gates
The city gates are locked at this hour!
Do you want to enter the city?
Suddenly, before you reach the gates, one of the guards gives his companion a nudge and points to you. You start to run, but that does not help. The guards immediately confront you.
The crowd, which had moved aside at the beginning of the fight, has now become so sparse that you find yourself almost alone on the street. You quickly try to gain ground.
That’s lucky! The guards at the city gates don’t take any notice of you. Do you want to enter the city?
It makes no sense to carry the dead body of [Hero] around with you. Do you want to leave his/her body here?
NPC Leaving
“Stop! Wait a minute!”, shouts [Hero]. “I have been outside there for the entire week. Better travel without me for today. Maybe next time I will come with you.” Do you want to separate from [Hero]?
[Hero] obviously does not want to accompany you.
“Sorry, but I am at home in the city and will only come with you after you have explored outside for a while”, [Hero] says.
Do you want to separate from [Hero]?
You can’t take the dead Stipen with you. You might be accused of murder! Do you want to inconspicuously rid yourselves of this dead body before you continue your travel?
“He would have soon started to stink anyway”, says [Hero] shrugging his shoulders, laying the dead body inconspicuously under a nearby shrub.
It is not the best idea to walk around with an unconscious student of the Stoerrebrandt-College! Do you want to leave the boy behind?
“Yes, yes, the world is a miserable place. But there will likely be one merciful soul around who will take care of the boy”.
With these words [Hero] lays Stipen’s body on the ground in a noticeable place. You continue your journey.
“I thought you were willing to help me!” Stipen protests loudly. Do you want to leave the boy?
Under a barrage of loud insults from the disappointed Stipen, you continue your journey.
Stipen’s Task
Stipen blows into the horn, but you can’t hear any sound. He freezes for a few seconds and appears to listen. Finally he says with frightened voice:
“This was the wrong location!”
When Stipen blows into his horn, you don’t hear a sound. However, the boy freezes for a few seconds and finally says with a whining voice:
“We have to find the location described in the document. If I blow my horn again at a wrong location, I will have flunked the test.”
When Stipen blows into his horn, you don’t hear a sound. However, the boy freezes for a few seconds and finally breaks out into tears:
“We are again at the wrong location. I’ll have to quit the college.” After that the boy runs away.
When Stipen blows into the horn, a distant sound echoes back. However, the boy freezes for a few seconds and finally says:
“The next problem is written on the parchment.”
When Stipen blows into the horn, a distant sound echoes back. However, the boy freezes for a few seconds and finally says:
“We have solved the problem. Now we have to find the ring!”
When Stipen blows into the horn, a distant sound echoes back. However, the boy freezes for a few seconds and finally says:
“We have solved all the problems and now we can return for the reward.”