Part 48: Scavenger Hunt
Music - "Hope for the Damned"
Download (Thanks to Grawl)
Chapter 43 - Scavenger Hunt
What can I do for you?
What is your name? I'm Elder Antopar… I will become the High Elder… *if* the Council ever sees the real value of my work… Who are the Council? The Council of Elders… they elect the High Elder every 52 years… What value is your work? Taking care of all the books… I'm *preserving* the knowledge of the Raanaar… What is your job? I'm the librarian… I take care of the books in the Academy… What do you know about the drugs here? Read the book about *Dangers of Drug Addiction* … A Riftrunner once tried to reach a place named *Groofland*… but he couldn't pronounce it right… the rift led him into *Grooveland* … we nearly didn't get him back again… but he did return with much better rhythm! Do you have a book about Summoning? A book… for your studies? Please, enter the library… Bye.
Mort looked at a couple of volumes on the shelves.
Mort used his traps to dispatch a pesky Shadow Creature.
That's a lot of books.
Well then, "Damian", we'd better get started!
What an incredible, disorganized mess this place is! The end of the world comes to the Academy… but some things never change.
Finally! I think this might be it. Hmmm… Let's go.
Wait… We've found the correct book, it seems, but did your tiny, squashy human brain understand all the necessary information? … Let's test it… What kind of informer do we need? We need to summon an imp. Hummm, I hope that wasn't just a lucky guess! Let's go to the Component Clerk to get the ingredients.VIDEO: Ingredient Trouble
Greetings… what do you need? I need some components. You need summoning components… what do you need exactly? I need a spider's leg. You can get that from the Room of Specimens… make sure you'll get a fresh one though… I need some Kohar Root. Unfortunately… I don't have that at the moment… the delivery imps are overdue… probably hiding in the tunnels again… you'll have to come back later… Not the bloody imps again! How is this place still standing with lazy imps in charge of the grunt work? … If we wait for the imps to bring the delivery, we'll become ghosts ourselves. I need some Feynur Potion. Feynur Potion… you're out of luck… I have my last sample to Markunthar… the mage working in the laboratory… You can go and ask him for it… but I doubt you will get it… he doesn't usually share his samples with mere students… What is your name? My name is Belehram… I am responsible for delivering… and organizing the spell components… Shall we trade? I'm not a merchant… I'm only here to provide you with summoning components… What do you know about drugs? Drugs are a problem… amongst some of the students… it helps them to keep focus at first… but then strange accidents happen… What kind of accidents? I mean, it's never good to insult a demon when you're juggling protection runes… especially when you're not very good at juggling… and the demon has five sets of teeth!Mort and D.K. started to leave, but discovered that two more student-ghosts had entered the room already.
Again… that last component sample… was given to Markunthar…
This mage gets all the samples… while we have to wait for the next delivery… 90% of our studying time… spent waiting for spell components… it's crazy! Markunthar always is first… and he never shares… unless you are female… What are you saying? Haven't you heard? Markunthar has a weakness… for the *ladies*… I thought everyone knew this… Aha! Dohuam tried it… she needed a spell component so badly… But she failed… Because she did everything wrong… How did that happen? She invited him… to a nice evening… with a bottle of wine… But Markunthar is allergic to wine… …and later she started reciting poems… he hates that! Hahaha… poor girl… my heart bleeds… Then she started to tickle his tail… THE SAUCY MINX! Unfortunately Markunthar didn't see it that way… he threw her out of the Academy… Rightly so… she should have tried to praise his intellect… he would have surely fallen for that! Silly woman… hahahahaha… Hahahahaha…The ghosts noticed Mort.
Greetings. Hello… are you some kind of a magical experiment gone wrong? What are you called? I'm Dorharhar… only son of Xetharhar… the mighty warrior. Domequar… my father… is a minor mage in the sixth order… I hope to follow in his footsteps one day… What do you do here? My father wanted me to become a warrior… like himself… but I'm night-blind… so he accepted my decision to join the Academy… I'm an apprentice mage… I'm visiting the Academy for the highly praised library… but a lot of books are missing… it's a real shame… Do you know Markunthar? You've heard about Markunthar?... It's sooooo unfair… this mage is always the favoured one… Markunthar is a mage… but I don't like him, he's very arrogant… Do you think he ever had a love affair? Hahaha… that would be a funny story to hear… I heard he has problems in the *bedroom* department… if you get my meaning… Yes, it's scandalous how far a mage can sink… if a nice tail can distract a mage… he might abandon an important experiment! Do you know anything about the drugs? A very sensitive subject… hmmm… I know nothing about it… My father always told me… never cast when drugged… The Room of Specimens is right next door, "Damian."
It's locked! Damn!
I wouldn't go in there… the creatures have broken free… What creatures? Stupid imps… forgot to feed the floogefrog… it broke free… damaging the other cages… releasing far more dangerous specimens… You need spell components from the creatures?... Well, wait until the imps feed the creatures again… some of them are quite nasty… when they're hungry… If we wait for the imps, we could be here forever! You need these components badly? …hmmm… Maybe I'll give you the key… for… let's say… how much gold do you have? I'm strapped. I only have 500 gold at the moment. Vile spook… why if he weren't dead already I'd… So, will you pay me 500 gold? … They are really *expensive*… Yes, I'll pay you. Here's the key… but don't get killed… What is your name? My name is Dolehar… I'm studying here… like yourself… I'm also in need of some components… Bye.Mort unlocked the door. Dolehar was right, the room was swarming with hostile, starving creatures.
How are these still alive after all this time?
It was simple enough to lure the monsters to the door, and into a trap.
There we are, one spider's leg. But we're still lacking the other two ingredients, human. Well, let's check out the laboratory, it's closer.
What are you doing here? This is my laboratory… What is your name? I am Markunthar… battle mage of the sixth order… So you're doing experiments then? My experiments are secret… when they are successful… they will revolutionize all battle strategies! Do you know anything about the strange door? I'm not interested… feel free to find out… childish games! What do you think of the women here? There are some women studying in this academy… quite nice… some of them are *even* quite intelligent… Do you know anything about the drug problem here? Some have tried to break into this laboratory… to create their own drugs… and why are *you* in my laboratory? I've come to talk to you about the Feynur Potion. What about it? Not another damn ghost! Did you need it? … Bad luck for you then… wait for the delivery… my experiments are more important… My tea is unbearable… without Feynur… He puts it in his tea?! It'll be hard to search this place with him still in it.
There was a new, female Raanaar ghost outside the laboratory.
Greetings to you… What do they call you? Dojuram is my name… have you heard about my family? … We are quite famous… What is your job? My mother… is head of the Merchants' caste… she paid a lot to let me join… Do you know anything about the drugs? I'm so close to trying them… the pressure here is very high… so very high… What do you know about Markunthar? I know of him… I would really like to meet him… but he seems to ignore me… how can I gain his attention? You could try praising his intellect. He would like that? Maybe I should try it…She entered the laboratory. A few minutes later she emerged, Markunthar in tow.
Come my genius! Let's go to my room…
Let's look for the potion.
Damn. Both of these are locked tight.
Over here, human. I think there's something behind this shelf. Help me move it. Alright.
Four buttons. This must be the puzzle to do with the door. Let's keep searching.
This moves… and I think there's something behind it.
How did someone accidentally lose THAT MANY potions behind there? Hmmm… maybe it wasn't an accident. … Ah… I see what you're getting at. There's one red potion, so maybe the red button should be pressed first. Green second, blue third, yellow fourth…
The door slid open.
Inside were four cabinets. Each were locked, but they each had four coloured buttons in place of a keyhole. Just like the door outside, the colours were red, yellow, blue and green.
Ughhhh… Yeah, that seems to cover it. This is simple. The key is in the runes on the wall! Let's come back later. We still need to find that potion.Finally, Mort turned his attention to the book on Markunthar's desk. It wasn't a book.
Mort tried it on the closets.
Finally. But we still don't know where to get a Kohar root. The clerk mentioned that the imps might have the shipment. Let's check the tunnels. If we're relying on a senile imp to find something, we're REALLY in trouble, human!
"About the Game" posted:
The rope really makes travel a lot more convenient than is normal.
VIDEO: Nixfix and Kohar 1
Who you? Never saw you before? Getting out of bed must be a constant adventure for this guy… What you want? I need some Kohar root. Hmmmmm… Kohar difficult find… floogefrog likes Kohar… floogefrog always hungry… What is a floogefrog?"About the Game" posted:
Come on, work with me Larian. Why do you keep putting words into the Paladin's mouth which assume that he has a hole in his head and all the shit he's learned just dribbles right out five seconds later? A floogefrog-based illness was part of the main quest, for Divine's sake! Mort first heard the word "Raanaar" in the under-arena tunnels in Samuel's citadel. He also learned what Riftrunners were back in Act 1 as well, by talking to guards. And yet even as late as this act, he was still asking what that meant.
He speaks of his pet frog, I guess… But my sword is sharp and thirsts for this imp's blood… Floogefrog like mushrooms better than Kohar… If you bring mushrooms, you get Kohar… Where can I find mushrooms? Mushrooms grow in tunnels… go look… bring mushrooms, get Kohar… guick, floogefrog hungry… No warning about a monster this time? So… what you want again? Chaos preserve us!
Luckily, I remember seeing a large mushroom the last time I was down here.
I hope this nightmare of a scavenger hunt will soon be over.VIDEO: Nixfix and Kohar Root 2
I know you? You in imp village last year… This is hopeless… Here is the mushroom. Oh, mushrooms… floogefrog likes mushrooms… thank you… Now, about that Kohar root? What about? Why do I get the feeling that we're banging our head against a brick wall here? Did I offer to give you some? I don't remember… but floogefrog likes mushrooms better than Kohar… so I give you Kohar for Quetzacellona… Quetzaxellona? Yes… mushroom name… Name from imp tribe that first tried to eat mushroom… They almost die… But then clan became rich and famous, because floogefrog like them… Goodbye. Hopefully, for the last time! Now we only need the rune.
Hmmm… the rune of wisdom…
It's that one, second from the right. We saw it in the temple catacombs. You're right.
Mort touched the rune on the wall, and he and D.K. were teleported into another chamber where they were attacked by a monster.
Once it died, it dropped the rune.
Got it. Finally. The trick to the test, though, has nothing to do with finding the ingredients. VIDEO: The First Summoning Test
All necessary items are there… give me the protection rune… and put the three components inside, between the summoning pillars… I will protect the summoning square… with the rune-stone… Read the spell from the book on the desk over there, student… Begin the ritual, when you're ready…
SAMRAMBATAAN FEYUR EKAN KOHARA EKAN ARACHANIA IMPE HASNATUR
Where am I? I summoned you. What you want? Can you tell me about Quetzacellona? It's a mushroom! What you wanna know? Where does the name come from? Origin of name? Is name of chieftain who ate it first… I thought it was the name of the tribe? Was tribe? Hmmmm… yes, might be name of tribe… they ate but died… They *almost* died. So, they survived? Yes? Might be true… but afterwards became famous because spiders - - floogefrog. Oh, yes the floogefrog liked them… this is story… thank you for telling me… You're welcome… Strange little character… Remarkable! You spotted all your informer's lies instantaneously… I'm impressed! Let's unsummon this tiny little liar… If you get your facts wrong, you fail and need to take the test again. You need to be careful and research things yourself. That is the real test. You've passed the test… you can go for the second test any time you feel ready for it, Damian…
Guessing wrong…
Wait… We've found the correct book, it seems, but did your tiny, squashy human brain understand all the necessary information? … Let's test it… What kind of informer do we need? I don't know. Pah, thought so… you should read the books you found more thouroughly… We need to summon an imp as an informer, because Mycology is the science of mushrooms… Wait… We've found the correct book, it seems, but did your tiny, squashy human brain understand all the necessary information? … Let's test it… What kind of informer do we need? Let's summon a gargoyle! Why in the name of Chaos would you want to summon a gargoyle for information about mushrooms? Get a clue, human! We need to summon an imp as an informer, because Mycology is the science of mushrooms… Wait… We've found the correct book, it seems, but did your tiny, squashy human brain understand all the necessary information? … Let's test it… What kind of informer do we need? We should summon a mutant. You want to summon a mutant? May Chaos save us from your foolishness! The only thing that might happen is that the mutant mutates into a mushroom! We need to summon an imp as an informer, because Mycology is the science of mushrooms…Pranking Dojuram
What do you know about Markunthar? I know of him… I would really like to meet him… but he seems to ignore me… how can I gain his attention? Maybe a bottle of wine would go down well. I didn't know he likes wine… thank you for telling me……
I cannot believe you let me make such a fool out of myself! Shame on you!!! What do you know about Markunthar? I know of him… I would really like to meet him… but he seems to ignore me… how can I gain his attention? Maybe you could recite some poetry? I can try that… I know of some really good ones… thank you!…
I cannot believe you let me make such a fool out of myself! Shame on you!!! What do you know about Markunthar? I know of him… I would really like to meet him… but he seems to ignore me… how can I gain his attention? What about tickling his tail? How can you suggest that? … But I suppose if he *really* likes that……
I cannot believe you let me make such a fool out of myself! Shame on you!!!Markunthar
You have the option to attack him, but it's not needed to get the potion.
In the laboratory, you can find "Permanent Strength/Vitality/Mana" rock, as well as empty flasks. They don't do anything, they're just decorations. But there is treasure here for the explorer to find.
When I saw the summoning imp's portrait, I realized that it would be PERFECT for Taxlehix. I wish I'd thought of it earlier, but now I've gone and retroactively put it back in to all the earlier updates.
I've also removed the broken video in chapter 42.
In the Star Rune chamber (top row, far left), you can find the Rune Guardian.
Thank you for killing the Shadow Guardian… I don't know why he could hold me captive here… or why my protection failed… I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact that he's a ghost now… Leave me alone now, I have to clean up this mess…He can also teach Summoning Doll stuff up to level 10, but you can learn it up to 20/15 in the Battlefields.
In the Rift Rune chamber is the third Battlefields Key.
Reader Feedback: Idle Chatter Edition
1) The thing which bothers me the most about this game, it's not the broken skill system, or the poor voice acting, or the complete neutralization of magic, or the spotty voice acting… it's that the game treats the Paladin like he is a fucking moron . "What is a floogefrog?" Really, game? It's not like the main quest depended on curing a FLOOGEFROG-BASED ILLNESS a while ago. What bothers you, the reader, the most about this game?
(I could use more replies, this chapter was long and image heavy, and we're only halfway to a new page)