Part 41: NORTHERN FOREST - Man Pagan Sure Sounds Like A Cool Game, I Can't Wait For It To Come Out

Man Pagan Sure Sounds Like A Cool Game, I Can't Wait For It To Come Out



"Alright, we've managed to leave the dream world with several weapons that can't possibly exist, a chest full of imaginary gold, and various other objects we probably ought not be carrying around but are. But the better question is, who the hell gets this Amulet of Balance now that I've got a new piece of neck crap?"
"Dibs!"
"Why do you want it so badly, Sir Dupre?"
"I dunno, Iolo got all the old plot items before, I just wanted my cut."
"And as for me, I wouldn't be caught dead with something like that."
"What are you talking about? This thing is awesome! Hey, does this make me the Champion of Balance now, Steve?"
"Sure, why the hell not. Knock yourself out."



Moving right along. Although we "finished" the Swamp of Gorlab section yesterday, we didn't technically finish the Swamp of Gorlab, if that makes any sense. We still have to cross the swamp again, but this time without falling asleep.

Gorlab is really annoying because a lot of slimes and other enemies creep out towards you through the bushes, slowing the game to a crawl (because the engine seems to chunk on combat calculations). Fortunately this time I'm not 12 years old and thought to give everyone Swamp Boots and a ranged weapon. Who's the tough guy now, Ultima swamps?

Also, there's blood moss out here if you still care about reagents.



There are also some torched buildings which Siranush insinuated are part of the old town of Gorlab. The corpse up there looks fresh, however...



I accidentally clicked on Iolo instead of the corpse, initiating a conversation. No one in the party actually finds it a pleasure to be jumped by a random swamp witch murderer. Except maybe Boydon, he's always interested in meeting new people. Unfortunately, when you hang with Steve, most of the new people you meet wind up dead.



"Thank God, we're out of that mess. Nothing ahead of us but untamed wilds, desperate tundra, and fat druids who are planning to kill us with no actual workable plan. I feel as if a great and wordy weight has finally been lifted from our shoulders."
"I wouldn't speak too soon, Steve. As long as there are people living in the Serpent Isle, and probably long thereafter, some asshole will be talking our ear off."
"It's a hell of a job."



Heading west to the ocean, the party comes across a destroyed camp surrounded by a pack of hungry wolves, whom we kill in blatant disregard for the local ecology. I was under the impression wolves didn't attack people, especially heavily-armed people with swords, bows, and spellbooks, but wolves are pretty stupid.

"I wonder what happened here?"
"Let's read that conveniently open journal and see if we can find out!"
"Oh man, I bet it's one of those journals that ends the second before the person dies, like he had nothing better to do but write about what was about to happen to him."
"Shut up, I need a lot of concentration for stuff like this."
"What, reading?"
"...yes."

JOURNAL

Day 17 -- Everyone is overjoyed that we have actually reached the northern marches, including myself. I look forward to setting camp and finding treasure!

Day 22 -- We were forced to kill a pair of wolves near the encampment.

Day 28 -- The men are upset that no gold hath been found... However, I remain confident of our venture.

Day 40 -- Finding more wolves than gold.

"It would seem this is the remains of some sort of failed colony."
"Maybe not so failed after all..."

Day 41 -- Gold. At last!

Day 45 -- Women and children are finding gold nuggets. How exciting! This is fabulous! 'Tis finally paying.

Day 69 -- More have been eaten alive. Wolves. More wolves. Men behaving like wolves. Worse than wolves. They are after our gold. For them, life is suddenly worthless. How could they value a nugget more than its true worth?

Make your own oh-so-topical Ron Paul jokes here.

Day 108 -- No one can be trusted. Who will be the next target? Hopefully, I will survive and my gold will not be stolen.

Day 121 -- Something horrible happened to Hamlin. He was found with his throat slit and, of course, his gold was missing. This worthless gold that he hath painstakingly gathered killed him. So, this is what it hath come to... Goldthirsty and bloodthirsty bastards.

Day 127 -- I have finally found a vein of gold, from whence I retrieved a small quantity with my pick.

"Somebody didn't learn his lesson."

Day 148-149 -- I lay awake on my bedroll all night until dawn, cannot seem to be able to sleep. Too many angry thoughts disturbing my mind. At daybreak, I rose in a state of exhaustion.

Day 167 -- More men are fighting amongst themselves. I am so weary. Is this what I wanted? The encampment is split into factions. Now, I will cease writing and rest by the fire, gathering much needed strength for tomorrow.

Day 183 -- Draygan betrayed us. Who would have thought it? I think bitterly of his treachery. The ship is burnt. We are doomed. The howling is getting closer...

"Draygan?"
"Something tells me we'll be seeing more of that name soon."



"But not right away. Let's check out that huge castle east of the swamp!"
"What in the world is a castle like this doing out here?"
"And it's still intact..."
"Well, only one thing to do now."
"Looting?"
"Damn right."



"How nice, they even left the drawbridge down! This probably is a trap, but I think I stopped giving a shit about ambushes by the middle of Ultima V."



"Well hell, the front door's locked."
"Imagine that, foiled by a basic home security measure."
"There's bound to be another door somewhere, or a window we can smash in. I'm not going to be outburgled by a stupid castle."



Not exactly what I'd call the best rewards for your troubles, but at least it's something.



All the other doors are locked up tight. You pretty much can't get in this castle at all right now. And you probably don't want to, because doing so would sequence break the game somewhat badly. So don't do that. I can't even hint at what this castle is for without spoiling, so just rest assured we won't be leaving this place forever.



The important thing about the second half of Serpent Isle is that it is considerably more combat-heavy than the earlier half or its predecessor game. Think back to the goblin caves and you have some idea of how this is going to go. Large packs of annoyance enemies, the occasional big guy, you know the drill. I'll keep screenshots of the important things, but just imagine I fought four to five packs of wolves in between the major destinations up here and you have a decent idea of what this is like.



Far to the north, against the mountains north of where the ancient serpent highway ends, there's a fort. The only real sign of civilization anywhere around here, it is of course a place of Bad Things(tm) we will have to fix.



Locations for major things in the latter half of the game will be provided where possible, because directions are very spotty in the second portion and nobody really tells you where anything is.



A mere four people live in this mining camp: One woman and three men. Two of the men don't talk, have no portraits, and therefore are completely pointless, but the other man and the woman actually matter.

"I do not believe we have met. My name is Draygan. I am lord of all the land that I survey."
"Draygan!"
"We read a book about you once."
"At present, I am hard at work fulfilling mine appointed destiny. Conversing with thee is nothing but a useless distraction from achieving that end."
"Your destiny? What are you talking about?"
"I was born a pauper's son. My father was a rancid beggar-man who lived in the dirt of the road. I hated it as I hated him. But there was one thing he always told me. He told me that one day I would be a rich and powerful man. I believe this is my destiny. When I was still a lad, I stole his near-empty coin purse and sought my fortune. I have acquired naught but half of my legacy... though I already have the power!"
"So the expedition... excuse me, 'your' expedition, has done well?"
"It was one year ago that I led my band of men to this spot. We had all heard the tales of gold and fabulous gems that could be found here. We came by ship -- the Emerald Lady. As we planned to settle here, they all brought their wives and children. For months we suffered through bad luck. Then one of the miners made an important discovery. That was before I went on the hunting expedition -- but, ah, I am ahead of myself. It hath been too long since I have had a fresh face to converse with. Damned distraction!"
"Oh, don't mind us Mr. Draygan, please continue your ranting about your own greatness."
"Gladly. For three months we toiled near the site of our original landing. But we found nothing. It made the men so discouraged that they nearly surrendered. At last, we moved camp and came here. One of the men, a fellow by the name of Hamlin, discovered a nugget of gold as large as my thumb. It was not far from our present location. Rest his soul."
"I'm sure you did everything you could for him."
"Not long after the first significant find, we had planned a great feast as a celebration. I led a group of hunters into the forest to hunt for game. We were attacked by a vicious pack of wolves. Only I survived to make it back to camp. It was then that I discovered my power. But the failed expedition was a bad omen. Soon my men were divided and our group fell into rebellion. A man named Falcon declared himself the leader of a group of dissenters that was comprised of nearly half of our number. He was a man of exceedingly weak character. He suggested that we return home penniless, without a single piece of treasure! All because a few of the women and children had a difficult time of it in the wilderness. Well, all that is the past, and there is nothing one can do for the dead. And we have the treasure..."
"Then you did endure a rebellion."
"Simple disobedience, really. Oh, yes, and someone cut Hamlin's throat and stole his gold. I do not know who did it. After this, most of the men chose to leave. So what was I to do? I gave them their fair share of the gold that we had found, and sent them back to the ship with my blessings. They were led by the weakling, Falcon. After they left, I never saw them again. Ah, well..."
"You said that only you survived the hunt because of your power. What power?"
"I need not bore thee with the details of how I learned of this power. Suffice it to say that I cannot die. Thou wouldst do well to consider that a warning. Do not think of stealing my gold, for it is thee who shall lose thy life. I cannot die because I am destined to become wealthy. Hurd and Ivor work the mines night and day. Beryl cooks and cleans. They are good workers. They shall make me wealthy."
"Did you just threaten us?"
"If we ever come into conflict over the gold that I know lies somewhere in this land, I shall kill thee dead without an ounce of regret. I am the Master of the Great Northern Forest, and none can dispute it. And if thou shouldst ever speak to a disfigured cripple named Morghrim -- and I would recommend against that -- pay no mind to what he may say. Morghrim is an evil and depraved man. Thou shouldst avoid him like the plague. This is the one and only piece of friendly advice I shall give to thee."
"Gosh, we'll keep that in mind sir."

We already know from the log that Draygan betrayed the dissenters by burning the ship and leaving them to the wolves. He's obviously an asshole and not to be trusted. But is he really immortal? Let's ask the camp's one remaining female member.

"My name is Beryl. I need thine help, but I cannot speak now..."
"What art thou saying to that stranger, Beryl?"
"Nothing, Lord Draygan."

Well, that's not very helpful. We'll have to get rid of Draygan for a while.



Fortunately, Draygan is very paranoid and starts following us around the camp. We can lure him into the mine and then quickly dash out before he can catch up.

Also, note he's a Knight of Monitor, and a Leopard besides, proving that most of the Leopards are dicks.



Allowing us to figure out what's going on. Also, god does Beryl's portrait suck.

"I live in fear of Draygan and his terrible power."
"We've got a pretty good idea of why you fear him, but I might as well ask."
"Of the two-score settlers who came to this place led by Draygan, only three of us survive! And the other two work for him! Draygan burned the ship and left the others to die! I know he played a part in the death of mine husband, as well."
"The other two men don't seem terribly talkative."
"Beware them! They follow Draygan's orders unquestioningly! They would even kill at his word! Mine husband, Carvell, died when Draygan took a group of men in search of gold. Only Draygan returned. He told a story of how they were attacked by the wolves, but he lied. I did not find the truth until a short while ago, when Draygan drunkenly boasted of killing Carvell and the others. That was when I ran away."
"But you're still here..."
"Yes, I could not stay here with the man who murdered mine husband! I went deep into the woods... but Draygan's lackeys found me and brought me back. Now they watch me closely -- but not closely enough!"
"How did you all wind up here in the first place?"
"A year ago, a group of us left by ship and came to the Northlands. We were in search of the gold and precious gems that are said to fill this land. Our original camp was to the south, but we had no luck there and we made our way to this place. Once here, Draygan seized control! We had to do his bidding or suffer the consequences. There were beatings, and other things... I would rather not talk about that."
"And so you're stuck here, and you want our help."
"I feared that no one could save me from Draygan, for he is invincible! But that is before thou didst come here! Thou must save me from this devil Draygan!"
"How are we to do that if he's invincible?"
"He cannot be harmed by blade or knife nor by any magic that I have seen. Whatever he and his expedition found, it hath given him unimaginable power. I have been thinking about this for some time. Perhaps Draygan can be defeated by something that doth not actually bring harm to him. Thou couldst treat an arrow with the plant that is called King's Savior! An arrow thusly treated would put anyone stricken by it in a deep sleep. Dost thou not see? The arrow would not harm him, but it would allow the herbal medicine to take effect! This would give us the chance to find and steal the source of Draygan's power. Unless we do this, I am doomed to be his slave."
"That's... actually a fairly clever plan. Alright, we'll help out. Where do we get this?"
"According to legend, the plant is found in the deepest and most dangerous part of the forest."
"You'd think useful and well-known herbs would be found in places that are actually accessible, but I've never seen that to be the case."
"Only one man can help thee. The Forest Master could guide thee to King's Savior -- but beware him! He possesses strange powers."
"The who?"
"His name is Morghrim. His face is horribly scarred, yet I do not fear him the way I fear Draygan. Morghrim is a strange man, foreign in some way I cannot explain. But he is the only one who hath treated me kindly since Carvell was murdered. I stayed with him a short time after I ran away. His dwelling place lies far southwest of here, in a grove of silverleaf trees. Perhaps he shall deign to aid thee."
"And what powers did he display?"
"I cannot say what they were, for he was careful to never let me see any such display. But thou wilt feel his power if thou dost meet him. Take care that thou dost not anger him."

I suppose that gives us an objective for now. You might be wondering why we're helping this woman and not chasing down Batlin. Well, we kinda need to know where he is (even though I already know where he is). This quest will accomplish that.



There are other buildings out in the forest. Some aren't very interesting, like this one. Notice the guy outside; he's one of Draygan's minions, who is sent to spy on you as you wander the woods. If questioned they'll proclaim "I am not a spy!" and kind of shuffle off. They're not aggressive, so while I suppose you could murder them (summoning the Two Random Pikemen of Murder), there's no reason to.



House is here, if you for some reason care.



Elsewhere in the forest is something far more interesting: The lodge of Hazard the Trapper, whom Cellia mentioned before.



Located here. I believe the entrance to the frozen north is somewhere near here to the west, but we'll be avoiding that for at least another update. There's still a few things to be done here.



The trappers seem initially nice enough, but then at some point as you're milling around realize they hate you and attack.



So much for those guys. But Hazard is nowhere to be found. He has, naturally, left a note for his minions.

To me fellow trappers:

Greetings to ye.

I will be heading north when ye be reading this message. Make sure ye guard the cave and protect our goods well. If I find out ye let some ne'er-do-well steal our goods, I'll personally skin every one of ye bastards, hang yer hide on me walls, and eat yer black hearts for supper!

By the way, don't be lookin fer the wonderful glass sword that appeared after the last storm, for I took it with me. I be headin' back to the North.

This fancy sword should be mighty handy for slaying some dragon or other fearsome beast...

Slaughter a beast in mine honor.

~Hazard

This explains one of our last missing items. Hazard the Trapper found our Glass Sword in the wilderness (where it was swapped for a pinecone). He seems to have gone hunting in the frozen north though, leaving us in the lurch.

Oh wait, we can buy as many Glass Swords as we want in Moonshade. Well, it's the principle of the thing.

Also, who writes notes in a cheesy accent? That's almost as stupid as Chrono Cross.



Wayyyyyyyyyyyyy to the west of the encampment is a strange silver forest. An old man mills about here. An old man from another world.

A world that would be pretty cool to visit. Too bad the one he describes is nothing like the one that actually appears in Ultima VIII.

"I am Morghrim, Master of these forests. What wouldst thou have me speak of, stranger?"
"We're looking for some kinda plant called King's Savior."
"It is a green plant with spiked foliage and tiny yellow blossoms. Thou shalt find King's Savior growing near mushrooms, along the western shore of this land, beyond the mountain ridge. I won't be asking what thou dost want it for. It is none of my business."
"Cool, but since we're here, let's chat for a bit. You said you were a forest master? The forest master? Whatever."
"That is correct! I am the Forest Master! Friend to Windrunner! Former protector of Elerion, and now refugee of Pagan! Of course that will mean nothing to a foreigner like thyself. Dost thou know that I can speak to animals and trees? Do not smirk, knave!"
"Oh come on, you brought it up!"
"Friend to whom?"
"He is a great gray wolf, and my longtime friend. He is also a refugee, like myself. We have been through many adventures together."
"Well that's pretty interesting. Your world is called Pagan?"
"Ah, Pagan! A wondrous world, far better than this miserable place. At least, it was before it was destroyed by the Evil One and his followers."
"Evil One, eh? This sounds familiar."
"He is the Destructor of Worlds, the one who calls himself the Guardian. Ah, but why do I speak of this to thee? What wouldst thou knowest of him? Bah!"
"He sometimes talks in my head."
"It's true, I do."
"Although he hasn't lately."
"Well, you know, I'm going through a lot of things lately."
"The followers of the Evil One were legion, and they declared war upon all who did not fall in tribute to their master. I am proud to count myself among the enemies of the Evil One and am proud to have earned his wrath. But his followers in their cowardice set fire to my forest. Even the Great Tree of Life, Elerion, burned. Using all my powers I was able to obtain the Silver Seed from within Elerion, but in the effort the flames took away my sight. The agony was unbearable and I would have surely died there, in my dead forest, on my dead world, if not for my one true friend, Windrunner. He saved me, so that one day I could become the protector of a new forest. But I have been blind since that day."
"And so you came here?"
"Through his efforts, we escaped, and I used the last of my magic to escape. We found ourselves here -- on the Serpent Isle. That would be this place. I have been the caretaker of the trees of these lands for several centuries. It seems that time doth not pass at the same rate here as on my world. But I am sad to say that my powers are not what they once were. Now this forest, this entire world, is dying -- even as mine old world did. But this world will not die with a scream, but with a whimper. Not torn asunder by some terrible devil, but gently fallen into the slumber of death as great cosmic forces shift out of alignment."
"That will make it easier to fix, though."
"If you can fix such a thing."
"Yes well, that's the trick, isn't it. But I've gotten us through worse before."
"Have you? I can't recall the last time we were saving the entire universe in a direct, active fashion."
"If you consider something like that a threat, I guess, Iolo. Also, tell us a little more about this world of yours. What was Elerion, again?"
"Elerion was the magnificent tree of life on the world of Pagan! How couldst thou not know such a thing! It stood as a symbol of peace and endurance for more than a millennium, its branches stretched across the sky. I was the last in a long line of noble and dutiful protectors of Elerion. It was the bearer of the Silver Seed and the prime target of the Evil One and his followers."
"You have a Silver Seed? We just went through a bunch of garbage with one of those. I seem to recall Karnax mentioning you."

Indeed he did! Of course if you hadn't met Morghrim yet, Karnax's statement wouldn't make any sense.

"Avatar, fate has burdened me with a tremendous weight! The Silver Seed was split open in the destruction and discord and its magical powers have seeped from it. The task was mine to plant the Silver Seed, if I survived the cataclysmic end this land faces. I have failed in that duty now, too. Hrumph! If only the tales were true!"
"And those tales are?"
"One day in the far, far future, if this world doth somehow manage to survive its myriad cataclysms, it will be time for me to plant the Silver Seed. Only I will know when and only I will know what to do. Hmmph! I will speak of this no more! Do not ask me of it again!"
"Don't worry, I think you've been relieved of that responsibility. So why'd the Guardian go after you first?"
"It seemed to be the way of this Guardian to try and destroy all goodness and life in the world. I spit upon him! Why, if this Evil One were here right now I would tear off his head and feed the rest of him to Windrunner! That is what I would do!"
"Now that is simply unkind, sir."

Having spoken with Morghrim about his past, let's ask him about his powers. First, his ability to speak to plants and animals:

"It is far more interesting to speak to an animal or tree than it is to speak to thee, I can assure thee of that! Much better conversation! Why, it is through this talent that I am able to speak to the Hound of Doskar, for instance. Unfortunately, I am having a problem with most of mine other magical powers."
"The Hound of Doskar? That sounds familiar."
"Where did we hear that before?"
"I think Cantra's mom asked us to find one to track her down."
"Oh man, we are in so much trouble. She's probably dead by now."
"Yyyyyyyyyep."
"The stories that Hound can tell! I can talk with the Hound of Doskar for hours! It is a great mystical beast capable of tracking any sort of creature. It can track across worlds and is often ranging, on the scent of one unusual thing or another. Before the Hound of Doskar can track, thou must show it an item belonging to the person whom thou dost wish to seek. Not any old item -- it must be something which reflects the soul of the lost one! Something personal, something of the heart. Then the Hound can guide thee to the general vicinity where the sought being doth dwell. Nothing can stop the beast."
"That'd have been useful had we remembered to go looking for it. I guess we couldn't have found it until now anyway though. So what's wrong with your other powers?"
"I confess I am not comfortable with the ways magic is practiced on this world, as prescribed by the sorcerers of Moonshade. I suppose I am simply not used to it. This world is plagued by such chaos and imbalance. Long ago, I grew so frustrated by not understanding the way it worked that I put all of my power into a living Orb -- the Heart of Elerion. With the Orb I am as one with the animals and plants of the forest, and I am its Master, servant and devoted protector. The Orb is spiritually connected to me. But it hath been stolen!"
"Then... maybe you shouldn't have put all your power in an orb? Just a thought."
"My thoughts, emotions, perceptions -- my soul -- it is all tied to the Orb. The Heart of Elerion is like unto mine own heart beating in my chest. Having lost the Orb I am as a dead man walking. I cannot heal the land! I cannot even summon the Hound of Doskar for a decent conversation! And the land doth sorely need it. Thou hast travelled this forest. The trees are tall, but brittle-dry. Soon they will be lifeless and bare. The wolves in this forest are already becoming quite mean, as I am certain thou hast noticed. It is all the wicked result of forces out of balance."
"So let me guess. Your orb was stolen by..."
"Draygan, the leader of a mining camp that is elsewhere in the forest, came traipsing through here with some of his friends one day. They reached my Sanctuary while I was away and stole mine Orb! I had mine hands full with another problem at the time so I sent Windrunner and his mates after them. The wolves killed all of them save for Draygan himself. But he threatened to destroy the Orb if I did not let him go. Since that time, he hath escaped me."
"What was the other problem you were dealing with?"
"That would be Hazard the Trapper. Perhaps thou hast heard of him. I am told he is a man of some renown in certain circles. He and I have come against each other before. I bear no grudge against any who hunt in my forest for food, nor one who makes their living as a hunter. But this Hazard is as he is named. No sense nor love for anything save the kill. He hunts and kills without ceasing, with bloody and painful methods. None of the predator's grace -- like the wolves. I cannot abide a man such as he!"
"So is there anything we can actually do to stop Draygan?"
"Now that Draygan possesses the Orb, he is nearly as powerful as I. Yet I am not as powerful as I once was. Over time my powers have diminished even more and I am no longer capable of challenging him for possession of the Orb. He is virtually impervious to all forms of harm. I doubt thou wouldst fare better than I have against him and the conflicts have all but killed me! If I were thee, I would try to reason with Draygan. He'll not listen to me for we are enemies. But thou mightest have a chance. Wouldst thou try to retrieve mine Orb?"
"No problem! We're going to kill him anyway."
"Thou art a true friend, if a strange one. So I shall give thee a word of warning. The wolves and bears and boars of this forest are very hungry. There was a time not so long ago when I could have assured that no harm would come to thee, not only while thou wert in my forest, but all across this world. But not only hath my magic gone, but as I am certain thou dost know, this world is off kilter. Nothing is certain anymore. Good luck to thee."

Okay, I just want to say something here: Morghrim is here to stir up interest in the next Ultima game, Pagan. But those of you who have played Pagan through (both of you) know that nothing Morghrim describes resembles the Pagan we see in Ultima VIII at all. The disintegration of Origin probably took part in this, but I just want to point out that the world described in the Ultima VIII manual and Morghrim's speech here (mountain temples overthrown by the Guardian, a world in eternal twilight and overcast skies, smoldering forests) is much cooler sounding than what we actually got. It's a shame.



As you can see, we cover a lot of ground at this point in the game. There's a whole lot of walking.



Along the west coast are the mushrooms Morghrim mentioned. The little green and yellow plants are King's Savior.



Use them on an arrow to get one, and exactly one, Sleep Arrow. Now, we've found some Sleep Arrows before. In fact, any old Sleep Arrow is sufficient, but I'm doing this to fulfill the quest because I don't want to break it (until the end of this update, anyway).



If you keep going north to the far end of the west cape, you'll find a burned-out ship full of dead guys. Nothing too exciting here. I'm not even sure what they're for, besides color.

And so we go back to Draygan's camp and shoot him with a Sleep Arrow.



"Wait, that killed him? I thought this was a sleeping arrow!"
"I might have just poured all the potions in our backpack on the arrow tip."
"Awww man... wait, we haven't really used potions ever. Good job!"



Sensing Draygan's anticlimactic death, the Forest Master teleports in.

"Thou must return the Heart of Elerion to me! I need it to restore balance to the forest and its creatures."
"Alright."
"You're giving up ultimate power pretty readily, Steve."
"Dude, have you seen the shit we're brandishing? The power to speak to trees and wolves ain't shit compared to what we're going to fuck with by the end of this trip."
"I thank thee for thy kind deed! In return I shall give thee the whistle to summon the Hound of Doskar. He will tend to range away from thee when thou hast not given him something to track. If thou dost ever need him, all that thou must do is blow the magic whistle."



"Well, there you go Beryl, we kicked his ass."
"Also killed him."
"Not that we meant to do that, but nobody's losing sleep over it."
"I am so glad that the tyrant is dead! Thanks to thee, Steve. Do not fear for me -- I can care for myself, now that Draygan cannot use his magical secrets to control me."
"Thou canst come and stay with me, woman, until thou art ready to return to thy kind. My camp is clean, and the forest animals enjoy thy company."
"Heh, heh."
"I shall accept thy kind offer, Forest Master."
"Alright, so let's just blow this whistle..."
"Woof!"



Now's the time to summon the Hound of Doskar, like we promised Harnna we'd do something like 28 updates ago. To use the Hound's powers, you need to set a personal item on the ground, use the whistle, and tell the dog to track something.

In this case, we can use the wooden practice sword that belonged to Cantra to track her current location. The Hound informs us that she's somewhere to the east.



Perhaps in that bigass castle to the east?

Note: There are two bigass castles. This is another, entirely different bigass castle from the one earlier this update. Just thought I'd point this out.





Can we Vibrate the Orb of Elerion off of Draygan?



We sure can! We can also disarm his dragon breath power, turning him into a giant pussy.



A giant invincible pussy who summons random pikemen every time he's struck in combat. Look at all those guys.



Mass Death is a beautiful thing. Note that it still doesn't help kill Draygan. Jerk.