Part 3: Prince Salamander of Pagentry

III - Prince Salamander of Pagentry



Hello everyone and welcome back! Today's update should cover the rest of the opening of the game. After this, things will open up quite a bit more. First off, last time we neglected to look at the center of the room.

book in the middle

There's a book entitled "The Changing Role of Court Entertainers Through the Ages" on the small table in the reading area. It appears that some regular customer likes that book.

the same book



This has a really cute little animation of Alexander sitting down to take a load off. Not many games will let you take a seat, even for a few moments!

Well that was refreshing.

There's also a man in a black cloak that's been in here the whole time.

man in black cloak

An old man occasionally steals sidelong glances at Alexander from under a concealing hood.
Good day, sir
The mysterious old man just ignores Alexander.

Anyway, that's most everything we can do in here for now. So...

door



through the archway



Beauty, the Young Servant Girl

If you listen to the whole theme, that's more of it than you will typically ever hear while playing the game. It plays every time you enter this single screen and there's pretty much never anything happening here - this one visit being one of the only exceptions.

girl

There's a young girl in the yard. The girl is dressed in a long, plain, orange robe with a thick headdress. From the appearance of her clothes and from a skittish, fearful look about her, Alexander gets the strong impression that she is a servant--or even worse, a slave. The serving girl appears to be stealing a quiet moment tending the rose bushes.

After about 5 seconds...



You lazy thing! Get back to work and stay away from those roses! I've told you a million times, those flowers are too sweet for the likes of you! You've still got to do the breakfast dishes, make lunch, and clean the stables yet this morning! And get your veil back on! No one wants to look at your face!
Yes, Stepmother.

According to the wiki there are other voiced lines between Lady Tremaine and this unnamed girl Belle here. I've literally never seen them in my life, and I've played this game through to completion more times than I'm comfortable admitting. So I'm just gonna put them here.

Will you STOP hanging around those STUPID rose bushes! If you've nothing better to do, the chimney could be cleaned!
Coming, Stepmother.

Are you out here again? Have you finished the chores I gave you?
Yes, Stepmother. The house and the stables are clean.
Then start polishing the silverware! Do I have to tell you EVERYTHING?
Yes, Stepmother. Right away.

You! Go help my daughter! She needs something to fix her hair!
Yes, Stepmother.

Also I've named the girl Belle. In a few updates we'll be able to visit the Isle of the Beast. Spoilers, but it has an enchanted castle in the middle. Unsurprisingly, this game was in development when Beauty and the Beast was in theaters. Also Alexander's voice actor, Robby Benson, voiced Beast in that same movie. So the girl's name is topical in a way. Also say goodbye to Belle until the mid-late game.

further along the path



Swimming Boy

This is the only time that this music will play on this screen. This is also the only time in the game we will ever come here, so it's fine. Enjoy the weird music while it lasts!

Hey! Stranger! Come join me! The water is wonderful, and I can show you the way to the next island!

This mysterious little boy with glinting golden eyes seems legit.

Good day. I'm Alexander. What are you doing in the sea?
What does it look like I'm doing? I'm swimming! <ahem> I mean...come join me! The water's wonderful! I can show you the way to the next island! Come on! Jump in! A little water won't hurt you.

Alex never really experienced peer pressure growing up, so this small child saying "c'mon c'mooonnnnn" is enough to convince him.

swimboy

Considering the poor condition of the shore, it looks like the easiest way to get into the water is to just jump off the pier.



So graceful, just like a swan. Or a brick.

Glad you could join me! Ha, ha, ha!

The powerful currents grab Alexander. Struggle as he might, he feels himself being pulled out to sea.



Tee, hee, hee! Not a very good swimmer, are you?
<Glub> Help me!
Sorry! I think not! Tee, hee!

As his head submerges for the third time, Alexander finds himself pondering the wisdom of going out on a limb for a stranger.

Master will be so overjoyed now!





Hey! Stranger! Come join me! The water is wonderful, and I can show you the way to the next island!
I don't know, that water looks awful choppy. Also I'm pretty sure there's an undertow.
What are you talking about? It's perfectly calm!
Well regardless, I don't want to get my outfit wet. So I think I'll pass for now.



Chicken!
Well now I'm definitely not diving in.



boat cabin

That's strange. The young boy in the water just disappeared. Oh, well. Perhaps he just dove under the water.



Hassan here appears as soon as the boy disappears gets dragged down to a painful death beneath the water. Also there's something about his appearance... I say he's very obviously queer-coded, while YappingEevee puts it perhaps more elegantly, if not eloquently.



Excuse me. My name is Alexander. The owner of the book shop in the village told me you might be able to help me. I hear you used to run this ferry for the islands. I'd like to talk to you, if you have a moment.
Ya say old Ali sent ya? I can't see why. The ferry's not running, ya know.
I understand. I'd just like to talk to you about the islands if you don't mind.
Well, I guess it'd be all right--if Ali sent ya. Don't just stand there. Come on inside.



The Ferryman

The track is a MIDI accordion playing "yo ho blow the man down." So gauge if that's something you want to hear before clicking.



The ferryman is a disgruntled-looking man who is probably a lot younger than he appears. Despite his tired air, he watches Alexander patiently.



There's a rabbit's foot on the table. It seems the ferryman is counting on a little luck.

We could look around, but this update is gonna be another lengthy-ish one anyway, so let's not waste any more time than we have to.

I'm a visitor to these islands. I'd like to learn what I can about the area.
So ya said outside. What is it ya want to know?
Well, for one thing, why has the island's only ferry been dry-docked?
Hmph. It just ain't safe to sail these days, what with the islands feuding and all. Vizier Alhazred ordered the ferry closed 'til things settle down. Me, I don't think she'll ever see water again <sigh>.
But why are the islands feuding?
Ya got me. Something about stolen property or some such thing. 'Tis a real shame. Things used to be so friendly.
Then this unrest is recent.
A few years is all, but it's been long enough.
Perhaps if the ferry were repaired?
This old thing? This ferry's been out of water so long, she's no longer even seaworthy. Her boards have dry rot. She'd fall apart at the first taste of seawater! Also for that matter, the other islands wouldn't be too welcoming to envoys.
But there must be some way to get off this island!
There's only one other way to travel that I know of--a magic map. The owner of the Pawn Shoppe can tell ya more about that than I can, Alexander.

There's a bunch of conversations, so strap in. We're going for overtime!

Tell me more about the ferry.
I remember when I used to ferry Queen Allaria and Princess Cassima themselves! There was no thought of danger back then. They used to go visiting to care for the needy and to keep up the friendly relations between the islands. I remember their last trip. Things had started getting nasty by then, and when they came back aboard I gathered that the queen and the princess had been received a bit coldly. Princess Cassima was such a pretty thing, and she was terribly upset. 'But, who could be spreading these lies?' she asked the queen. But the queen had no answer.

There's no indication of just how long Cassima was Mordack's prisoner. The way Hassan was talking here, she was still a young girl instead of a teenager. He also said the ferry's been out of commission long enough to have dry rot. But unlike what Alexander seems to think, you can't just overcome years of hate with some goodwill.

What do you do now that the ferry no longer operates?
Me? I'm out of a job--the job my ancestors have held for generations. I'm the only one trained to avoid the reef and the rocks, but that knowledge does me no good now.
Is there no other boat on the island? One that might be more seaworthy?
Boats don't last long on these shoals, as ya may have found out if ya got here by ship. Ya can be quite sure that this ole ferry is, or was, the only craft on the island.

Tell me more about Princess Cassima.
Ah! Such a beautiful child! And so pure of heart! Why, a contrary thought has never crossed her mind. Her mother was the same. The king and queen, they served the islands, not the other way around. Always thinking 'bout the people. <sigh> They are sorely missed.

The next bits of dialogue are just Alex repeating the same question and getting a different answer each time. So I've separated Hassan's speech up so you can tell where it breaks.

What else can you tell me about the Land?
Let's see. The Isle of Wonder's a lovely spot. A bit crazy, mind. Ya gotta have a good sense of humor to enjoy a tour there. If ya ever get the chance to visit, just bear in mind that the inhabitants are a bit more literal than you or me.

The Isle of the Beast is pretty, but unfortunately ya can't get very far onto the island. There used to be a beautiful castle deep within the interior, but the island is believed to be deserted these days. Nobody's been seen coming or going for a very long time.

The inhabitants of the Isle of the Sacred Mountain are the most gorgeous creatures ya'll ever see. If ya ever get to see them, that is. They can be a bit holier-than-thou, however. Good thing it doesn't rain very often up on top of that mountain, because they'd all drown, if ya catch my drift.

The Castle of the Crown sure is a beauty. She's the finest palace ever built, I'll warrant.
It was quite beautiful from what I saw of it earlier when I met with the Vizier.

Some say that the Land of the Green Isles is near the edge of the world, and that the deadly currents are a result of a magnetism that sucks life from this world to the next. Of course, that's just silly talk....
The owner of the book shop said something similar.
He tell ya that story about the dark and dreary mountains? Lemme tell ya, Alexander, I've been on the sea all my life and not once have I ever seen those mountains. And not for lack of looking!

The island's currents keep us pretty isolated. I can only recall three visitors in my lifetime. When I was a boy a wanderer came, Alhazred himself arrived many years ago, and now you. We have almost no contact with the outside world, but we're content with our little kingdom. At least, we always were in the past.
That wanderer you mentioned, was his name perchance Derek?
I think so. Yeah, now that you mention it, it was. I remember my dad took him around on a tour of the place.
Derek is an old friend of my family.
Is that right? Small world.



I'm posting an image again because according to notepad++ the update to this point has been 12,000 characters and a full 6,000 of that has been Hassan soliloquizing about how things used to be so much better. There's not really been a need to post a screenshot because it would just be almost a dozen repeats of the one up above.



I see you have a rabbit's foot. Has it brought you much luck?
Hrmph! As ya can see, my luck's been out for some time now, despite that old charm. Why don't ya take it with ya? Perhaps giving the darn thing away will bring me good fortune at last!
Perhaps it will at that. Thank you.

door



Well, I think I'll be going now. Thanks for allowing me into your home.
Posh! Not at all. It breaks the boredom, if ya know what I mean. <sigh>



In the interests of not having this LP take 50 years to complete, I'm going to keep going.

up the path & back into town



Believe it or not, but talking to Hassan and learning about the map is enough to make a new NPC appear in the book shop. But we just left there earlier in this update, so that can wait until next time. For now...

pawn shoppe door



Good day!

Oh hey, the man in the black cloak came in here.

old man

The old man just glares at Alexander and does not reply.

Oookay.



Also his eyes are golden. And they sparkle occasionally. :thunk: Oh well. I'm sure it's nothing. Anyway...

blue bowl

The dish is full of green mints offered for the enjoyment of the customers. Alexander takes one.

I technically am combining two actions, but it saves space so give me this.

Also while I'm here, I'm going to look at the new inventory items before I forget to do so.

Alexander is carrying a book from the bargain table in the book shop.
Alexander opens the bargain book and reads a paragraph at random.

Two dulcimas raised to the degree of 40 halfdulcimas, divided into equal parts by the third of a cackle of grouse geese, put over the result of ten finemackels (albeit small finemackels), stretched over the total of... *yawn*
Phew! What an incredibly boring book! No wonder the book shop owner wanted to get rid of it so badly

The small green mint looks very tasty.
The mint might melt if Alexander held it too tightly.

Most objects don't have much to say, so I'll be skipping actions most of the time.

The mechanical nightingale is made of tin painted dreary shades of brown to match the coloring of a real nightingale. A small key emerges from its back.
The mechanical nightingale's hard tin body doesn't feel anything like a real bird's soft feathers.

The rabbit's foot has long, soft fur.
he long fur of the rabbit's foot is soft to the touch.

Alexander has a love poem from a book in the book shop.
This will just make Alex re-read the poem. None of us want that, so we'll just skip it and say we did.
The poem's written words speak plainly enough.

Excuse me, merchant, but the ferryman mentioned that you might have a magic map of the Land of the Green Isles.
Why, as a matter of fact, I do! I keep it under the counter. It has been gathering dust so long, I nearly forgot about it. It was quite a few years ago, you see. The estate of a wealthy wizard fell into my hands when he died. It was useless magical junk mostly--which reminds me, I've still got some things of his in the back that I need to dump out.
Anyway, the magic map was the one true treasure in the lot. The wizard was quite old and feeble and had enchanted the map to aid in traveling. It is said that one need only desire to be on an island depicted on the map to find oneself there. It is a very valuable map, as you can imagine. Unfortunately, no one is interested in traveling these days. It is far too dangerous with the current state of the kingdom.
What would you take for the map?
I would normally want something magic in return, but since I am hardly overrun with prospective buyers, I would be willing to take anything of equal value in exchange.
Equal value... like gold, perhaps?
Gold is fairly valuable, yes.



If you've played this game, then you can't sit there and tell me with a straight face that you never did this. Anyway, we need to trade something valuable to Hakim. The only remotely valuable thing we have possession of is our insignia ring, so...



Would you be willing to take my family ring in exchange for the magic map?
Daventry...are you a king, then?
No, that's my father, King Graham. I'm just Alexander.
Well, Prince Alex, she is a beautiful ring. Are you sure you can part with such a unique family heirloom?
The ring does mean a lot to me. I didn't always have a family, you know. Still, it IS only gold. There are more important things at stake now.
Then you now own a magic map, Prince Alex. I will keep your ring out of sight for a few days. If you find anything else of great value in your travels, you can return for your ring. I would hate to see it melted down for the gold.
And a warning about the map; it will only operate when you are out in the open and within sight of the sea. The limitation has something to do with the teleport spell ingredients. You might try the beach.
Thank you. You're very kind. And I'll remember about the map.

I actually had typed up that the map doesn't work anywhere but the beach, but the game devs were actually clever! I went to the screen with the ferry and used the map and I'll be damned if it didn't work! This game came out in 1992 and it's 2020 and I'm still learning new things about it.

While doing so I actually triggered one of the subsequent appearances of that I mentioned in this very update. The narrator also pronounced Manannan "Man-an-in" instead of "Muh-nan-in" so I'm learning all sorts of things today.

Suddenly, the old man in the concealing cloak sneaks past Alexander and, with a sneaky dart of his hand, steals a mint from the candy jar. The old man stuffs the mint into his mouth and wobbles unsteadily out of the pawn shop.





Shamir Shamazel



Master! <hic> I followed Prince Alexander as you <hic> wished. From the pawn shop owner he just obstained...uh...just reprieved <hic>.... He just got a magic map.



The Genie Falls Over

You fool! You've been eating those mints again! I ordered you to stop that!



Yes, <hic> Master.
Now what is this about a magic map?
With the map, Prince Alexander can travel anywhere as bickly <hic> uh...quickly as I can.
What? I thought I took care of the only means of travel! By my scimitar, I can't have him stirring things up now! Get a hold of yourself and listen carefully, Shamir! Go to the other islands and tell them...

While we're here, you don't have to do things in the order that I did. You can skip going to the castle altogether. If you do that, then there's a slightly different conversation that plays out...

Master! I was 'obsermving' <hic> in the village as you wished, and I saw a manger... no, a danger... no, a STRANGER there! He says <hic> he's Prince Blamentander of Smaventry.
You fool! You've been eating those mints again! I ordered you to stop that!
Yes, <hic> Master.
Now WHO did this stranger say he was?
Prince Salamander of Pagentry, I <hic> think.
You idiot! Are you trying to tell me that Prince Alexander of Daventry is here?! Confound it! That's the young man Cassima met at Mordack's castle! The timing could not be worse. Tell me, what is he doing?
He was in the pawn shop buying a magic <hic> smap.
Magic smap? What is this magic smap?
With the smap he can travel to the other islands, Master.
That's a MAP, you dolt! Drat it all, I thought I took care of the only means of travel! By my scimitar, I can't have him stirring things up! Not now! Get a hold of yourself and listen carefully, Shamir! Go to the other islands and tell them...



Alex and Hakim have presumably been standing in awkward silence for the past couple minutes. Anyway, before I call it here, there's a little housekeeping...

The magic map is made of thin leather, and has life-like drawings of the islands on its uneven surface.
Alexander remembers what the pawn shop owner said about only being able to use the map "out in the open" and "within sight of the sea." He correctly surmises that the map will not work here.
Though it possesses some magical capabilities, the map cannot talk.

NEXT TIME: We meet a new friend!

List of Points

+2 - Listened to Hassan
+1 - Received luck from Hassan
+5 - Magic smap
+1 - Minty fresh!

Total Points: 25/231

Register of Deaths

Trusted a kid