Part 38: Level Two: Citadel of Osmet Khan, Outskirts

Level Two: Citadel of Osmet Khan, Outskirts



At last you have come to the fabled palace of Osmet Khan, absolute ruler of the desert lands. Onion domes float on towers above the buildings. The crowns of palm trees nod above the walls. It is vibrant and gorgeous in the desert light.

But before you may enter, you have perils yet to face. Sadly, you realize your horse may not come with you. Your water and groom him, and leave him near a patch of weeds. "If I do not return," you whisper in his ear, "return to Carlon's court." And somehow, you believe, he understands you.

Yes, unfortunately, we will not have faithful Veillantif with us for the entire run of the MadMaze, as he can't come past the palace with us to the third level. Left completely unexplained is how he's supposed to get past all the perils and vast stretches of deserts with no water and no way to store it up like when he was with us. I guess he'll take the scenic route home, if there is such a thing.

Sad partings aside, we now have some choices to make. Arrayed before the palace are a number of perils, just as we were warned. The first is right before our faces:



Yeesh. Let's go see what our other options are.



Wall of fire or forest of razor blades. Not a huge improvement in choice. Next!



Molten river. Osmet is batting a thousand on the perils at this point.



Huh. That's it? A twelve foot cliff? That doesn't sound so bad. Okay, next?



A pleasant meadow? Did Osmet Khan's contractors run out of money halfway through the peril installation?



A one foot crack in the ground. Ooooh, but look out everybody, it's bottomless.



Alright, now here's a respectable if predictable peril. "Tons of poisonous snakes" is a tried and tested security measure, provided they don't all wander off into your pleasure palace.

So then! We need to get inside. If our clues are correct, each of these perils is a test of character or personal attributes in disguise, and all but one are fatal for each individual. So here's what I want to know:

1) Which peril can we safely cross, and why?
2) If it's possible to determine, why can't we pass the other perils?
3) For bonus credit, how will the more innocuous-seeming perils kill us?

If you want hints, here's a spoilery rundown of the traits one must have for each peril:

Flames: Pureness of heart.
Blades: Quickness of lightning.
River: Wisdom.
Cliff: Mastery of the philosophies.
Meadow: Surety of purpose.
Crack: Piety.
Snakes: Bravery.