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Post by Gomer Sting on Apr 22, 2010 21:41:57 GMT -5
Reward: 3 Coconuts (only for the first of your characters) Reward: Spear of Zoz (Sticks & Stones - 260 AR Two Hander)
Thanks to Endy, TheRealGizmo and TheLady for the solutions (and for flooding my inbox )
[Obscure] Spoiler: Quest started Go to Mizniaport
[Obscure] Spoiler: Clue #1 You had a few doubts when you first began your career as an adventurer, but you've had a pretty decent run of things from the Eastlands to the Westlands. And with financial security comes the need for the occasional vacation. What better place to vacation that Mizniaport, with its famous skyway gondola or unicorn shows? Walking down the streets of the bustling city, you tell yourself that you might be able to relax in that new maze-themed amusement park, or even run into other big names in adventuring like Antharia Jack or Bivotar or even the local Arena fighter, Bozbik the Face Breaker!
The moment you say this, you round a corner and run right into a very tall, very ominous, and very well armed fellow, wearing recognizable sandals, a cape made out of some sort of animal hide, and (thanks to you) a newly acquired coconut smoothie on the front of his tunic. You lift your head up, up, and up some more until you finally stare into the frighteningly grim eyes of the one and only Bozbik the Face Breaker.
"A fellow adventurer!" he says as he looks over your gear. "Thinking to get a jump on me, eh? Well, we'll see about that. I will do battle with you in the arena! And I shall Break your Face as it has never been broken before!"
With a dramatic flourish of his cape, Bozbik the Face Breaker strides away through the crowd that's quickly gathered to witness his challenge. As you curse your luck and wonder if you could have picked a worse way to start your vacation, you hear a "psst" from the shadows beneath an umbrella at the smoothie kiosk.
"Bad luck, matey," says a fellow with an eye patch and a hook for a hand. "Looks like you could use some help." "The last adventurer to duel Bozbik the Face Breaker had his face broken before he could blink," says a second fellow, wearing what looks like an enchanter's cloak. "Not that he could blink afterwards, either." "It's that astonishing Face Breaker style he's developed," says a third, wearing the green of the Hunter's Guild. "He can Break more Faces per second than anyone else in the Empire." "Who are you three?" you ask, taking a seat in the shade of the umbrella. "I be Oldric the Pirate," says the gentleman with the eyepatch. "And these be Beldric the enchanter and Tandric the Trapwright." "A pirate?" you ask, feeling a shade uncomfortable. "He deals mostly with smuggling," says Beldric the Enchanter. "Locating treasures lost to the ages and such. Standard adventuring fare." "Ah, I see," you say, relaxing back into your seat. "Regardless," says Tandric, "You need some help. Bozbik the Face Breaker will Break your Face in a heartbeat without it. And if you don't face him in the Arena, he'll track you down and you won't even have the safety of witnesses to help you during the Face Breaking." "He comes from a long line of adventurers," says Beldric. "And they know how to handle themselves. Although they weren't without enemies. It is said that the great warlord Zoz created a spear destined to defeat those of the bloodline of Bozbik's grandfather. And when that spear was lost to time, the mage Gnilbel created an oracular device to locate it, but Gnilbel's treasure vanished suddenly when Bozbik's father learned about it." "There be a legend o' pirates who almost found it," says Oldric. "But they crashed in th' flats an' were led to the gallows b'fore they could unbury it. Some say that a ghost ship sails along those tidal flats from time t' time, an' the cap'n of that ship still seeks vengeance. Find th' cap'n and he may be willin' to help ye."
You nod curtly and rise from the table. Given the choice between going on yet another quest and having your Face Broken, it's not something you need much time to think about. Looks like you need to put your vacation on hold while you comb the beaches, looking for a ghost ship that sails among some tidal flats, wherever they might be.
[Obscure] Spoiler: Solution of Clue #1 Go to the Tidal Flats
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Post by Gomer Sting on Apr 22, 2010 21:42:29 GMT -5
Clue#2 dark, green fog rolls in more suddenly than you would have thought possible, and through it bursts a barely sea worthy vessel, pushing its way over the waters of the flats despite the low tide. A thin, skeletal man peers over the side of the ship, his searching eyes scanning ahead.
"Excuse me!" you shout. "Are you the ghost pirate who was looking for Gnilbel's oracular device? I need it to protect myself from Bozbik the Face Breaker and-"
As soon as you mention Bozbik the ghostly pirate's head snaps in your direction. Pulling a crossbow from within his coat, he takes aim and fires. You instinctively dodge, and hear a thunk from behind. Turning your head, you see the arrow lodged into a rock. Curiously, you push the rock until it rolls away, revealing a small hole containing a leather pouch with the word Gnilbel written on it.
"Thanks!" you say, turning back to the ocean, to discover that the ghostly ship, the pirate, and the green fog have all vanished. Nervously, you reach into the hole, take the bag, and head back for Mizniaport.
[Obscure] Spoiler: Solution of Clue#2 There is no riddle in here. Just go back to Mizniaport
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Post by Gomer Sting on Apr 22, 2010 21:43:00 GMT -5
Clue#3 Returning to Mizniaport, you feel uneasy. Tourists and adventurers and local merchants all eye you and whisper nervously as you walk by. It isn't long before you discover the reason: several posters have been put up around town, with a drawing of Bozbik the Face Breaker fighting you in the Arena. It's amazing how accurate the drawing is since Bozbik only saw you for a few moments, really.
It isn't long before you return to find your three contacts still sitting beneath the same umbrella, looking over a map and discussing things. They get quiet as you approach, and Beldric the Enchanter smiles. "May I have the bag, please?"
Eagerly, you hand Gnilbel's bag to Beldric, who opens it, reaches inside, and pulls out what looks like a standard die, carved from some black rock. "The Dice of Gnilbel! These can be used to find the Spear of Zoz wherever it may be. Best not to waste them..."
Beldric tosses the die, and it spins through the air, and lands, as if drawn by a magnet, to a spot on the map. A letter Z briefly flashes on the top of the die, before it crumbles into a pile of ash. "That was a swamp region in the Eastlands," says Tandric the Trapwright. "Right around the middle. Shouldn't be too hard to find." "Go find yer hidden treasure, mate," says the pirate. "The Spear of Zoz can defeat Bozbik for ye."
As you turn to leave, you hear a throat clearing behind you. Turning back, you find Beldric holding out the bag of dice and a crystalline sphere. "Here, use the dice if there's any trouble finding the spear. And we can use that crystal ball to communicate with you if need be. Good luck!"
With a nod, you turn to leave Mizniaport once again. Looks like you're heading to the Eastlands for a trek through a swamp. Always one of the best parts of adventuring.
[Obscure] Spoiler: Solution of Clue#3 A swamp in the Eastlands (the right part of the map) is the Fenshire which is your next step
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Post by Gomer Sting on Apr 22, 2010 21:43:42 GMT -5
Clue#4 You continue to march through the swamp, until you spot what looks like a well-fashioned stick in the mud. Could it be? Might this be the legendary Spear of Zoz that will allow you to defeat (or at least survive against) Bozbik the Face Breaker in the Arena? You reach out to pick it up, but hear a noise from the other side of some bushes. You leap behind a tree and watch, just in time to see Bozbik himself emerge, carrying a sack of loot with him.
"Ah, at last," he says, reaching for the stick you found. He pulls the spear out of the mud, and holds it aloft. "The Spear of Zoz! Dreaded enemy of my bloodline! This will look wonderful in the Museum of Face Breaking when it opens next month."
So saying, Bozbik straps the spear to his back, and looks at a parchment. "Okay, that's my last epic quest for the day in the Eastlands...looks like I need to raid the Ghostly Tunnels of Barbel and the Hidden Castle of Yob next. But hey, once I finish those, then I'll be done with marshes and swamps for a month! Wonderful. Nothing but nice cool forests and mountains for a while sounds great."
As he walks away with the spear, you pull out the Crystal Ball to contact Beldric, only to see him already looking out at you. "I've been watching the whole time," he says. "We heard. Sounds like Bozbik has the spear and is on his way to another swamp, but this time it'll be in the Westlands. Shouldn't be too hard to figure out where then, heh. Good luck, adventurer! We know you can find that spear for us all! Oh, but before that..."
Beldric continues to speak, but no sound comes from the crystal ball. After a few moments, the video feed turns to a static picture, and soon he's nowhere to be seen. Sadly, it appears that your crystal ball's battery has given out.
Wondering if this ever happens to other adventurers, you turn to leave Fenshire to find another swamp in the Westlands.
[Obscure] Spoiler: Solution of Clue#4 The swamp in the Westlands is the Miznia Marshland. So you need to head there.
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Post by Gomer Sting on Apr 22, 2010 21:44:21 GMT -5
Clue#5 After barely avoiding another deep pit of swamp water that looks exactly the same as the ankle-deep water that you're standing in now, you have to ask yourself just why so many ancient civilizations and powerful wizards and learned scholars built their strongholds and hideaways and kingdoms in swamp. All the loam and mud can't help a foundation, can it? As you ponder such thoughts, you hear a sharp, grating noise as the outline of what looks like a door appears in the side of a very, very large boulder. You approach to investigate, examining the mysterious door, looking for any clue as to how it can be opened.
WHAM! The stone door swings outward, knocking you into the swampy water. Picking yourself out of the brackish marsh, you spot what appears to be Bozbik, the Spear of Zoz strapped to his back, swinging his sword wildly and preventing three gigantic tentacles of pure darkness from pushing their way out of the door. As Bozbik pulls a crystaline orb from a pouch at his waist, it occurs to you that he might not notice a sneaky adventurer coming up from behind to take the spear from him.
"O Wah," Bozbik intones as he continues swinging his sword at the eldritch monstrosity. You creep forward, keeping an eye on both Bozbik and the strange tentacles, hoping to avoid both of their attentions.
"Tay Gu," Bozbik continues, and you can't help but notice that the orb in his hands is glowing brightly. "Zayam!" he shouts, causing the orb to explode in a brilliant flash of blinding light! From the burst of energy, the form of Bozbik launches backwards, slamming into you, and pushing you beneath the water once again. Bozbik quickly gets off of you, reaches into the water and pulls you up. "Sorry about that," he says. "Couldn't let it into our world, it would've spread faster than Grues from a Pit. Would've said hello otherwise."
He grins at you and looks at your face before snapping his fingers. "You wouldn't happen to be the adventurer that I challenged to a duel in Mizniaport, would you? I thought you looked familiar. Anyway, when would be a good time for you to do that? Also, feel free to use whatever weapon you'd like, I can take it. I was thinking of using my Obsidian Cudgel personally. It seems a little blunt, but it's actually good at enhancing Deep Magic, so I should probably practice with it more."
Something's not right here. Where's the lumbering oaf that you walked into? Where's the insane berserker who can barely keep himself from ripping someone's head off? You're about to ask such questions when you hear a shout of "Get 'im, boys!!!"
Bozbik whirls around, but it's too late to stop the arrow from pinning his cape to the rock, the glowing gauntlets from appearing on his hands, and the weighted net from launching from the other side of the rock and landing on him. Cackling, your three associates from Mizniaport emerge from behind the rock to observe their prey.
"Oldric the Pirate? Beldric the Enchanter? Tandric the Trapwright?! What are the three of you doing here?" asks Bozbik. "We be joinin' forces t' gain revenge on ye," says Oldric. "After you stopped Oldric's smuggling ring, my attempt to summon the Beast of Beldra and Tandric's band of bandits, we felt it wise to make sure you were out of the picture once and for all," says Beldric. "And when you inadvertently scared this wannabe adventurer in Mizniaport, we knew we had a way to get the Spear of Zoz without drawing attention to ourselves!" says Tandric.
"Wannabe?" you say. "Wait, you mean you used me?" "I'll be takin' this, mate," says Oldric, carefully pulling the Spear of Zoz from Bozbik's back. "Beldric, do yer thing."
With a snap of his fingers, Beldric and company vanish, just as Bozbik manages to break the magical gauntlets around his hands. "Don't worry," he says to you. "They're crafty, those three. We need to find them, though. Head on without me, I'll catch up." You nod and run towards civilization, but stop when you realize that you have no idea where they are. However, they probably have that spear with them...
Finding the nearest dry rock that you can, you pull the bag of Gnilbel's Dice from your pack, and in lieu of a map you pour the entire contents onto the rock. The dice fall in a suspiciously linear arrangement, and briefly reveal the letters BJOAJN GP TFMHOVK.
You barely have time to copy down the text before the dice crumble to dust. Not as helpful as it might have been, but it's definitely a start.
[Obscure] Spoiler: Solution of Clue#5 You need to do a 1 letter shift to BJOAJN GP TFMHOVK (B becomes A, C becomes B, ...) and get AINZIM FO ELGNUJ. Now just mirror it to see the solution. You need to go to the Jungles of Miznia
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Post by Gomer Sting on Apr 22, 2010 21:44:51 GMT -5
Clue#6 You've searched several crocodile-filled caves, nearly been trapped in numerous clever devices, and even discovered a village of friendly snake-people who invited you back for dinner some day, and you're near to giving up. However, just when you're convinced that you'll never be able to find any evidence of the three villains, you happen to notice something strange in the tree just ahead of you.
Cautiously, you climb the tree and discover yourself in a surprisingly large tree house hidden within the jungle's canopy. A banner on the wall says "This be th' super secret clubhouse o' Beldric, Tandric an' Oldric" indicating both that this is the right place, and also that Oldric the Pirate was probably the one who set it up.
Sadly, most of the place looks like it's been ransacked, probably due to the three leaving in a hurry. However, in a hastily emptied filing cabinet you spot a parchment in a file labelled as "Contingency Plans." The parchment says "Never ahead, ever behind, Yet flying swifly past; For a child, I last forever, For adults, I'm gone too fast."
You know you've heard this phrase before. It sounds like something from the "Historical Riddles" class you took in school, but history was never your best subject. If you can't remember where that riddle comes from, perhaps solving it could jog your memory, or at least give some clue. You'd best get to work.
[Obscure] Spoiler: Solution of Clue#6 The solution of the riddle is childhood which leads you to your next step the Forest of Youth
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Post by Gomer Sting on Apr 22, 2010 21:45:21 GMT -5
Clue#7 ou step over a sleeping Cruel Puppet, and make your way further down the path in the forest. Moments afterward, you leap backward in surprise as a rope ladder drops down immediately in front of you, and Bozbik slides down from what appears to be a very cleverly hidden tree house in the trees above.
Spotting you, Bozbik waves. "Ah, I was hoping to run into you. No luck finding them, then? I broke the traps that had ensnared me shortly after you left, and decided to come here and search for this is where Tandric the Trapwright had his headquarters before I broke his gang that plagued the traveling merchants." "I tracked them to a hideout just like this one in the Jungles of Miznia," you say. "I think that Oldric set it up. I found a note there that implied they might come to this place, but it looks like it was just a leftover piece of scrap from their other plans." "If Oldric's hideout is abandoned, and this one is empty, then I'd suggest that we search for Beldric the Enchanter's lair. I never found exactly where it was, but when he was summoning the Beast of Beldra, he was working in the Fields of Frotzen." A gleam enters Bozbik's eye and he draws his sword. "Race ya!" he shouts, before charging out of view through the forest's underbrush. You sigh and follow after.
[Obscure] Spoiler: Solution of Clue#7 No riddle here. Just go to the Fields of Frotzen
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Post by Gomer Sting on Apr 22, 2010 21:45:57 GMT -5
Clue#8 Pushing your way through another of the seemingly endless farming fields, you find yourself standing in a giant circle that’s been cleared out of the middle of the crops. Standing in the middle of the circle, you see Bozbik the Face Breaker surrounded by Oldric, Beldric and Tandric.
"I swear, by Crumb, you won’t get away with this," shouts Bozbik, lifting his sword above his head. "We already have, mate," says Oldric, viciously jabbing the spear in Bozbik’s direction. "Maybe you could take two of us…maybe." "But all three of us?" says Tandric. "Face it, Bozbik. You couldn’t break our faces fast enough. It just isn’t possible."
Beldric is about to speak, but before he can say anything you tackle him from behind. Not knowing what’s hit him, Beldric is completely unprepared for casting any spells your way, and while he may be mighty in terms of spell casting, when it comes to brawling, wrestling or any other form of physical combat he doesn't come close to an adventurer of your prowess.
You pin the enchanter and look over to see that Bozbik the Face Breaker has already tossed Oldric and Tandric to the ground, holding the Spear of Zoz over his head triumphantly. He grins at you. "Thanks," he says. "I don’t think I could’ve gotten through that with Beldric about to cast a Cleesh or Liskon spell on me. Come on, let’s tie these three up and take them to Mizniaport."
You grin, take some rope from Bozbik’s pack and get to work.
[Obscure] Spoiler: Solution of Clue#8 Again no riddle. Go to Mizniaport.
[Obscure] Spoiler: Quest solved Well, it’s been a few days and your vacation’s almost over. Before you end, however, you need to get ready for your duel in the Arena. As you prepare in the Arena’s waiting room, Bozbik enters, looking giddy. "It’s a great crowd out there," he says. "Win or lose, today’s show should be excellent PR for the both of us. Oh, and here," he tosses the Spear of Zoz your way. "Feel free to use it, if you like. Perhaps this will be the fated loss that my bloodline is meant to suffer thanks to that spear. I welcome the loss, if it comes from one such as you. But don’t think I’m going to go easy on you if you’ve got that spear. By Crumb, the way you took down Beldric I think I wouldn’t go easy on you even if you didn’t have the spear. Prepare to have your Face Broken!"
So saying, he winks and turns to leave before stopping in the doorway. "Oh, and check with the Arena management before you leave. I’ve arranged for a few coconuts to be waiting for you after the match."
You nod and pick up the Spear of Zoz, feeling the weight of it and pondering whether or not to use it. Either way, not a bad prize for a day’s work.
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