Post by Gomer Sting on Apr 22, 2010 21:30:36 GMT -5
Reward: Uncle Chesterfields’s Breastplate (Walking Tank - 120DR)
Thanks to Gnorr for the solutions.
[Obscure] Spoiler: Quest starting
Go to Greater Borphee
[Obscure] Spoiler: Clue #1
You step off the ship and look around in amazement. Well gosh, you had heard that Borphee was a bustling seaport and the busiest city in the Westlands, but you're genuinely shocked with just how much is going on. There is so much life and vibrancy in this place! All around you people are running back and forth, an old man trying to sell you fish, a young girl trying to sell you fruit, a woman running past you, screaming, a small-... hang on a minute...
You look down the street after the hysteric woman and see her run into one of the biggest houses near the docks. Hmm... a poor woman in distress? Well, obviously not poor, but nevertheless a woman in distress... Your adventurer sense tingles as you approach the house and see that the knocker is in gilded gold and the curtains seem to be of the finest lace. It's curious, but the wealthier the owners of the house seem to be, the more distressed and in need you seem to remember the woman being. I mean, initially you only thought she was somewhat upset, but as you get closer and notice the fine porcelain in the window, you seem to remember her dramatically tearing out her hair while standing at the top of a storm-blasted cliff screaming "WILL NO ONE AID ME?!?!" into the howling wind. Strange how you can the fine details can come back sometimes, isn't it?
You knock on the door, which is opened by a stone-faced butler. "Yes, sir? May I help you?"
"Hello, yes, eh, hi, I'm here for- eh- the lady that just ran in?"
The stony-faced butler fixes you with a particularly hard look. "Sir is not an opportunistic adventurer, here to try and get a reward, is Sir?"
"Oh, me? Heavens no! Oh no, no, no, no, no! Ha! No. I'm the, eh... the..."
"Jeeves?" A voice from within the house calls, "Is that the detective?"
"-the detective! Yes, that's what I am. I am the detective. Now, if you would be so kind as to stand aside, Giles, I have some detecting to do..."
You push past the irate butler and into the front room of the house, and are met with a scene that would break any adventurer's heart. The room was filled with fine art in golden frames, jewel encrusted mirrors and any number of idols filled with precious stones, and there, sitting in the middle of it, were the two people who probably owned it all (and a wizard who looks like he would rather be somewhere else). And you were there to help them, rather than help liberate all the loot. Oh well, better get on with it...
"Evenin' all. My name is Dirk Softly, and I'm here to... detect... a solution to your... problem?"
A stern faced man, tall and thin with a nose like a hawk and eyes like an aardvark stands up, resting a hand on his sobbing wife's shoulder and says "Detective Softly, my name is Baron von Wolfawitz and I cannot exaggerate the urgency of this situation. As I'm sure you know, earlier today there was an attack on one of Borphee's most expensive private playgrounds, and our son was kidnapped! Now, as we're patrons of the Guild of Enchanters, they've very graciously loaned us Zippy here-"
"Zipathormus..." muttered the wizard.
"-who has been doing everything he can with magic, but so far he hasn't had any luck, have you Zippy?"
"I- well, to say that I've been doing EVERYTHING I can with magic is a bit of a stretch, I mean I can level entire buildings with the flick of my wrist, or summon the spirit of mother nature herself to do my bidding, but-... well, no, I haven't been able to "find" your son... So to speak..."
"So that's why we've turned to you, Mr. Softly. We have heard that forensic science has made great leaps and bounds in recent years, and hope that you will be able to succeed where magic has failed us."
"Ah, yes, of course!" you exclaim, eager to leap at any opportunity to bolster your credentials, "Now-a-days it's incredibly easy to get all kinds of information from the scene of a crime, and we very rarely have to summon the spirits of the dead to ask them how they were murdered. I mean, if your son has been killed, there's every chance that I'll be able to tell you how it was done-"
As the Baroness bursts into a fresh fit of wailing, it dawns on you that this might not have been the best thing to say in the circumstances.
"Not that he's been killed, of course! In 99.7% of these cases they've just been kidnapped, and we practically always get them back before anything too major has been cut off-"
As the wailing intensifies you suspect that a change of tact may be required here...
"But not to fear Madam, I will find your son for you! I guarantee that absolutely no harm will come to him, or my name isn't Dirk Softly!"
She manages to get herself under control and wipes away her tears with a tiny, lace handkerchief. "Oh thank you, Mr. Softly. Thank you so much."
"But first I must ask, have you any idea who might do such a thing? Are there any clues?"
"No, we have no idea who would do such an awful thing. But we do have one clue, Zippy here tells us that there have been reports from his fellow enchanters of some unusual magic flying around at Enchanters' Retreat, and it corresponds exactly to a magical residue which he found at the scene, so there may be some connection there, but apart from that we're rather at sea."
"At sea eh? Well then it's lucky for you that you found me, for I am the guiding light to lead you into the harbour. I am the friendly dolphin that will carry you safely to shore. I am the wandering albatross that... eh... helps you when you're attacked by... a swarm of squid or... something..."
A few minutes later you're out on the streets again, but now with a new swing in your step. You now have a quest to go and save a child from horrors unknown! What could be more noble and rewarding? ... Spiritually rewarding, of course. You would never get into something like this just because the parents are stinking rich and could build you a house out of gold! Perish the thought... Now you just have to focus on the issue at hand, getting over to Enchanters' Retreat and finding out-... well, first of all you have to find out where Enchanter's Retreat is... Maybe you should swing around the library and get a copy of the Encyclopedia Frobozzica? It is the ultimate source of knowledge when it comes to... well, everything really. The answer will be in there, you're sure of it!
[Obscure] Spoiler: Solution of clue #1
Searching inside Encyclopedia Frobozzica we find
Quote:
The Enchanters' Retreat is an old stone structure perched high in the Flathead Mountains
So the first step is to head to the Flathead Mountains
Thanks to Gnorr for the solutions.
[Obscure] Spoiler: Quest starting
Go to Greater Borphee
[Obscure] Spoiler: Clue #1
You step off the ship and look around in amazement. Well gosh, you had heard that Borphee was a bustling seaport and the busiest city in the Westlands, but you're genuinely shocked with just how much is going on. There is so much life and vibrancy in this place! All around you people are running back and forth, an old man trying to sell you fish, a young girl trying to sell you fruit, a woman running past you, screaming, a small-... hang on a minute...
You look down the street after the hysteric woman and see her run into one of the biggest houses near the docks. Hmm... a poor woman in distress? Well, obviously not poor, but nevertheless a woman in distress... Your adventurer sense tingles as you approach the house and see that the knocker is in gilded gold and the curtains seem to be of the finest lace. It's curious, but the wealthier the owners of the house seem to be, the more distressed and in need you seem to remember the woman being. I mean, initially you only thought she was somewhat upset, but as you get closer and notice the fine porcelain in the window, you seem to remember her dramatically tearing out her hair while standing at the top of a storm-blasted cliff screaming "WILL NO ONE AID ME?!?!" into the howling wind. Strange how you can the fine details can come back sometimes, isn't it?
You knock on the door, which is opened by a stone-faced butler. "Yes, sir? May I help you?"
"Hello, yes, eh, hi, I'm here for- eh- the lady that just ran in?"
The stony-faced butler fixes you with a particularly hard look. "Sir is not an opportunistic adventurer, here to try and get a reward, is Sir?"
"Oh, me? Heavens no! Oh no, no, no, no, no! Ha! No. I'm the, eh... the..."
"Jeeves?" A voice from within the house calls, "Is that the detective?"
"-the detective! Yes, that's what I am. I am the detective. Now, if you would be so kind as to stand aside, Giles, I have some detecting to do..."
You push past the irate butler and into the front room of the house, and are met with a scene that would break any adventurer's heart. The room was filled with fine art in golden frames, jewel encrusted mirrors and any number of idols filled with precious stones, and there, sitting in the middle of it, were the two people who probably owned it all (and a wizard who looks like he would rather be somewhere else). And you were there to help them, rather than help liberate all the loot. Oh well, better get on with it...
"Evenin' all. My name is Dirk Softly, and I'm here to... detect... a solution to your... problem?"
A stern faced man, tall and thin with a nose like a hawk and eyes like an aardvark stands up, resting a hand on his sobbing wife's shoulder and says "Detective Softly, my name is Baron von Wolfawitz and I cannot exaggerate the urgency of this situation. As I'm sure you know, earlier today there was an attack on one of Borphee's most expensive private playgrounds, and our son was kidnapped! Now, as we're patrons of the Guild of Enchanters, they've very graciously loaned us Zippy here-"
"Zipathormus..." muttered the wizard.
"-who has been doing everything he can with magic, but so far he hasn't had any luck, have you Zippy?"
"I- well, to say that I've been doing EVERYTHING I can with magic is a bit of a stretch, I mean I can level entire buildings with the flick of my wrist, or summon the spirit of mother nature herself to do my bidding, but-... well, no, I haven't been able to "find" your son... So to speak..."
"So that's why we've turned to you, Mr. Softly. We have heard that forensic science has made great leaps and bounds in recent years, and hope that you will be able to succeed where magic has failed us."
"Ah, yes, of course!" you exclaim, eager to leap at any opportunity to bolster your credentials, "Now-a-days it's incredibly easy to get all kinds of information from the scene of a crime, and we very rarely have to summon the spirits of the dead to ask them how they were murdered. I mean, if your son has been killed, there's every chance that I'll be able to tell you how it was done-"
As the Baroness bursts into a fresh fit of wailing, it dawns on you that this might not have been the best thing to say in the circumstances.
"Not that he's been killed, of course! In 99.7% of these cases they've just been kidnapped, and we practically always get them back before anything too major has been cut off-"
As the wailing intensifies you suspect that a change of tact may be required here...
"But not to fear Madam, I will find your son for you! I guarantee that absolutely no harm will come to him, or my name isn't Dirk Softly!"
She manages to get herself under control and wipes away her tears with a tiny, lace handkerchief. "Oh thank you, Mr. Softly. Thank you so much."
"But first I must ask, have you any idea who might do such a thing? Are there any clues?"
"No, we have no idea who would do such an awful thing. But we do have one clue, Zippy here tells us that there have been reports from his fellow enchanters of some unusual magic flying around at Enchanters' Retreat, and it corresponds exactly to a magical residue which he found at the scene, so there may be some connection there, but apart from that we're rather at sea."
"At sea eh? Well then it's lucky for you that you found me, for I am the guiding light to lead you into the harbour. I am the friendly dolphin that will carry you safely to shore. I am the wandering albatross that... eh... helps you when you're attacked by... a swarm of squid or... something..."
A few minutes later you're out on the streets again, but now with a new swing in your step. You now have a quest to go and save a child from horrors unknown! What could be more noble and rewarding? ... Spiritually rewarding, of course. You would never get into something like this just because the parents are stinking rich and could build you a house out of gold! Perish the thought... Now you just have to focus on the issue at hand, getting over to Enchanters' Retreat and finding out-... well, first of all you have to find out where Enchanter's Retreat is... Maybe you should swing around the library and get a copy of the Encyclopedia Frobozzica? It is the ultimate source of knowledge when it comes to... well, everything really. The answer will be in there, you're sure of it!
[Obscure] Spoiler: Solution of clue #1
Searching inside Encyclopedia Frobozzica we find
Quote:
The Enchanters' Retreat is an old stone structure perched high in the Flathead Mountains
So the first step is to head to the Flathead Mountains