Part 57: Finding Exotic Locations
Chapter 10: Finding Exotic Locations
QfG3 Manual posted:
Jungle Jaunting
When most outsiders think of Fricana, they envision thick vegetation
blocking the trails being hacked by machetes, creepy vines reaching to trip
the unwary, snakes slithering through the very branch the Explorer is
reaching for, mosquitoes munching every section of exposed flesh, and the
heat and humidity helping the sweat stick your shirt to your skin. Yes,
this is it -- the great jungle. This is where we separate the Explorer from
the Tourist.
The jungle is indeed a place of wild beauty. It is merely a matter of
searching for it. Various tribes live in the jungle of East Fricana. It
is only a matter of finding them. Lost civilizations are concealed
everywhere in the thick undergrowth. It is only a matter of avoiding them.
(Few lost civilizations are filled with friendly folk.)
Government: None.
Money: None.
Places to Stay: None.
Things to See: Plants, snakes, monkeys, bugs, leopards, vines, mosquitoes,
trees, ferns, etc. It is rumored that there is a giant, magical tree
somewhere in this part of the country and a lost sister city of Tarna filled
with ancient treasure. Such are the stories of this great land.
Time to head east some more.
Jungle
I guess they really were close to the ju—holy HELL that’s a huge tree!In addition, the giant pile of dirt that looks sort of like an anthill is not actually a location you can visit. By the sound of things, it was intended to be much like the goblin training grounds back in QfG1, with more and more giant ants pouring out, but it, too, got cut.
What we’ve got here is a flying, spitting cobra. Do I need to say more?
QfG3 Manual posted:
Definitely Not Quite As Amusing and Even Rather Harmful Creatures
Flying Cobras: Venomous vipers with wicked wings (a particularly nasty
combination), Flying Cobras have the added evolutionary advantage of
spitting venom as well as biting. Thus, when journeying through jungles,
Poison Cure pills are recommended.
I just threw this one in here because it’s the first time I managed to screencap a transition and I think it looks neat. Also, poison works differently in 3 than it did in 2, where it was an instant death unless you had eaten a poison cure pill ahead of time. In this case, the poison will slowly sap your health until you eat the pill. Be warned, though, that the only indication that you’re poisoned is that your health level turns green on the status screen. On the other hand, it works so slowly that I was once able to sleep through the night while poisoned and wake up with 30 points left, so even getting poisoned in the jungle without any cure pills isn’t a death sentence.
The Giant Tree
The tree is so huge that other, normal trees are growing out of it and a spring is apparently coming down from its heights. The fact that there’s a man-sized path climbing up is really the least surprising aspect of this sight.
The tree takes forever to climb up. Oh, and the pathfinding completely breaks when you return to this screen; the hero should be on the path just above him right now, but he can wander wherever at this point so long as he doesn’t walk over a real path. Thankfully, the exit on the left of the path still works after doing this.
*You find yourself in a strange, cave-like hole in the tree. There’s a feeling of peace and serenity within, and the scent of strange flowers.*
An alcove in the tree, I see. And a…floating purple and yellow spheroid made of sparkles.
Is it…analyzing me?
*You seem to hear voices coming from inside your head.*
Welcome to the Mother of the World. We are the Guardian. What is it that you seek?
H…hello. What—We are the Guardian. We protect the Mother of the World. There can be no actions of harm within the heart of the Mother because of our powers. You are a creature who seeks peace for others, so we permit you to enter here.
What is—The Mother of the World is the first tree. She is the source of all living plants. She is the living heart of all plants.
So if—Yes, they would all die. That is why we protect her and shield her from all who seek to do harm.
You know, Sekhmet said—We are the Guardian she spoke of, and we have the gems that you need. We create them from the essence of the Mother of the World. We will be happy to share one with you.
And Salim mentioned—You are seeking a gift from the Heart of the World? To receive such a gift, first you must give. Gather some life essence from the Pool of Peace. Give that essence to the Mother at the top of the stand at the Heart of the World. Then you shall receive your gift.
Is the water I have—Yes.
And why do you—Because we have made direct contact with your mind. Your insistence on speaking out loud is quite amusing.
Fine. Wait, one other thing—If you desire some magical wood from the Mother of the World, you must first earn it. Seek in the jungle a blue orchid. Bathe it in the life essence of the Pool of Peace when the moon shines upon its waters. Return with the glowing blue orchid to the Heart of the World. Place it upon the stand, and you shall gain the magical wood you desire.
Thanks, I guess.
These must be the gems. Maybe I could take two, just for security's sake.We only offered you one gem! You have returned our kindness with greed.
This screen was surprisingly hard to capture. Not because it's hard to piss off the Guardian, but because it's dragging the hero away really fast, and I only get a split second to capture the hero before it's over.
No, the Guardian told me to only take the one. I guess I should go find the heart before I look for the orchids, though.
The Heart of the World. This is another good track, though I still prefer Erana’s Peace.
*An incredible feeling of living energy flows through you as you enter. You smell the perfumes of thousands of different flowers, all blending together to overwhelm your senses. You hear the sounds of all the living things in here creating a melody which is so beautiful you are moved to tears. It is the music of life itself. The very air invigorates and revitalizes you. You feel as though you’ve reached the ultimate center of all living things in the universe, and that you are suddenly the source of all energy and life.*
*This place is like, well, totally awesome, dude.*
Even with the warnings, I could never have imagined…This, this is what mages strive for, this feeling of ultimate understanding and communion with the world. Now if only I could bottle it up and figure out how to power my Force Bolts with it…*This orange tree has leaves which smell like cloves. The leaves taste like spiced tea.*
*You see a blue tree with purple leaves—must be a cerulean shrub with tendencies to violets. You pick a purple leaf. It smells like grape. It tastes like a cross between a plum and a blueberry.*
*You never saw a purple tree, you never hoped to see one. But from the branch that you have found, you guess it might be fun.*
I guess I can just pour the water out onto the pedestal here.
*You empty the skin of Peace water onto the spiral platform. A few moments later, a new fruit appears on the branch near you. This must be your “gift from the Heart!” You take the gift and carefully place it in your pack.*
Now, to find the orchids and get the last thing I need.*One long, frustrating journey down a huge tree later*
There they are, but they’re far too high up.
Like that’s ever stopped me. Fetch!
A magic glow. I wonder what the Mother gains from this transaction? It irks me to think I may never know.*Yet another laborious, time-consuming trip up the side of the tree*
Seriously, nothing else in this game makes you want to turn up the speed more than climbing around on the Mother of the World. Also, since it’s so dark, I circled the new growth that occurs when you bring back the orchids. I should also add that the Heart is a safe place to sleep at night as well.
So my staff is going to be made from a piece of the Heart of the World itself. All you other wizards best beware!