Quest For Glory Epic Let's Play Parts 124 and 125: Punny's Last Show and Last Day

In Which Our Hero attends a fine comedy show and enjoys his last morning in Mordavia Town.







"What do you know about show business?"

"There's no business like it. No business I know."

Ah, showbiz. The glitz and glam of being up on stage and having people pay attention to you. If you're a gnome then it's pretty much the beginning and end of your existence. So it's understandable that Punny Bones wants to do one last show in Mordavia before he moves on. Who wouldn't want these rubes laughing at his jokes?

Punny's in rare form, and his act takes up most of the first video along with the townsfolk's reactions to it. Marcus also pays a visit to Boris, who talks about snuggling with Olga again at night. Good deed done.

Marcus drop in on Piotyr too, who tells him that the way to greater light is to travel the path of Darkness. Very interesting advice. Perhaps the meaning will become more clear soon.

The next morning Marcus gets a note from Katrina asking him to meet her at the castle gate. They have much to discuss. Yeah, like why she's an undead freakshow with giant 1988 hair. There really isn't a hell of a lot to do but wait at this point, so Marcus kicks back and chills - and the next series of videos will be the climax.

Quest For Glory Epic Let's Play Parts 114 and 115: Bella and The New Quest

In Which Our Hero meets Bella and gives Punny his sensahuma back and he learns what happened to the Innkeeper's daughter.







These next two updates take place almost entirely in the Inn. Marcus climbs over the gate and Piotyr's ghost stops him again, this time to tell him about helping the grieving mother. He also mentions that Erana's staff may have some magic in it yet. Sounds like a hero-ish sort of job.

At the Inn, Marcus takes some time to talk to the locals before sitting down to have a meal. He is approached by a 'new' character, Bella, who up until now has taken a nonspeaking supporting role in the game. She seems to want to talk to Marcus about something, but can't quite say it, and Yuri isn't helping. Her accent also shifts around like a broken clutch.

Marcus bids her adieu and goes upstairs to meet Punny, who is understandably glad to have his humor back. He cracks a few jokes, goes on about dwarves for a bit, then tells Marcus something that may be very useful: The Ultimate Joke. And it's not even an aristocrats set-up.

Staying up late we meet up with the Domovoi, who tells Marcus a story about - yup - a grieving mother. Bella and Yuri once had a daughter, Tanya, who was taken away in the night. Yuri and Bella tried to protect Tanya, but when a mysterious and nice doll showed up from an unknown benefactor they took the doll away and locked it up. The Domovoi says that a big, friendly monster befriended Tanya, and that one night, Tanya was taken out of the house and now lives at the castle.

Looks like we may have to find that secret passage.

Quest For Glory Epic Let's Play Parts Ninety-Eight and Ninety-Nine: Marcus' Pledge and Redeeming Piotyr

In Which Our Hero pledges to help save an innocent man and teaches the Burgomeister what it means to be a Hero.








Picking up where we left off, we walk into the Burgomeister's office and pump him for information about this gypsy business. It seems that the gypsy was just wandering outside of town and happened to be there when people were looking for Igor. So naturally, they brought him in, locked him up and want to burn him. Reason is lost on the mob so unless someone can prove the gypsy's innocence - figure out what happened to Igor - this guy's going to burn for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The second video covers Marcus telling the Burgomeister about finding Piotyr's sword, the battle with the wraith and the ghost in the town square. It turns out that Piotyr was suspected of abandoning Dmitri's grandmother and this sword proves he didn't, that he was killed in battle instead. Dmitri is impressed, so much so that he gives Marcus Piotyr's Paladin shield as well (woohoo!) and tells Marcus that his faith in Heroes and Paladins is restored.

All in a day's work!

The rest of the video is Marcus' morning routine, talking to Olga, looking for Igor, and finally going to Nikolai and telling him about the ghost we saw in the forest. Before we can stop him, he runs off to find her.

Oops.

Quest For Glory Epic Let's Play Parts Ninety-Six and Ninety-Seven: Ghostbusting and A Strange Crime

In Which Our Hero helps a ghost come to terms with her death and learns of a crime that has been committed - maybe.







This is where things really start to take off. We open the first video with Marcus addressing some various ghostly undead issues: first, it's back to the female ghost in the forest, whom Marcus finally convinces she's a ghost. We then return and learn her name: Anna. As if we didn't realize it already. This is Nikolai's lost love, who perished after being out at dusk. Seemingly on an errand for Dr. Cranium, but who's counting?

Then Marcus heads to another wraith barrow where he does battle with the vicious undead and is triumphant. Another wraith horde to add to the stack. It's too bad Marcus can only buy candy and sandwiches with his loot. Maybe he should look into the deed on Borgov Castle...

Back to town and the inn, where Marcus has a quick meal, a good night's sleep and wakes up for the second video.

There is a lot of dialogue in this one and not a lot of commentary, mostly because I wanted you guys to enjoy it. As I pointed out in the commentary, this is the start of the events that lead to the endgame of Shadows of Darkness. We're through learning about the town and this series of events will lead us to our final confrontation. But enough about that: this is something to be savored.

Marcus rolls out of bed, heads downstairs, noshes a bit and walks out to Mordavia's fine morning. The birds are singing, the sun is shining, and there's a lynch mob ready to tie a gypsy to the stake and burn him.

What?

It seems that Igor the gravedigger's gone missing. And the mob caught a gypsy outside of town. Naturally, gypsies are werewolves and eat people so this gypsy was brought into town for questioning as he is clearly related to Igor's disappearance. Or is he?

Looks like Marcus is going to have his work cut out for him.

Personal note: this is one of my favorite scenes in the series because it combines so many great elements of gothic fiction: the paranoid mob, the slightly supernatural, the disappearance of someone familiar and the terrible things that linger just beneath the surface of common folk. So yeah, enjoy.

Quest For Glory Epic Let's Play Part Ninety-Two: Everybody Loves a Clown

In Which Our Hero learns that some comedy just isn't Punny. Err, funny.





There's something strange afoot at the Hotel Mordavia. Or is that underfoot? I just don't gnome anymore.

Get ready for a wild and punny ride as Punny Bones, the resident non-funny jester, is here to provide some comic relief - and to serve as a kind of friend for Marcus, who certainly could use a kindred spirit right now. Punny is a comedian but he's jut not all that funny. In fact, he's really really unfunny. Even the locals think so.

But how did he end up this way? Well it seems it had something to do with Baba Yaga. And, inadvertently, with something Marcus did in the first game.

Enjoy the humor, what there is of it. It's a good time anyway.

Quest For Glory Epic Let's Play Part Eighty-Seven: Piotyr's Quest

In Which Our Hero gets a new quest and is entertained by the locals.





Walking north, Marcus encounters a different kind of ghost. This is the kind that shoots ghostly fireballs and causes damage. It's also the kind that falls down after Marcus beats on it for a while and has a big pile of stones full of ghostly treasure!

It's time to go back to town, and Marcus takes a little bit of time to practice climbing over the gates (in fact, he grinds this out in a very subtly deleted scene) and makes it over no problem. Inside, Piotyr's ghost gives him his first official quest: free the Rusalka. OK, no problem.

Then it's back to the inn for some dinner and amusing conversation with the locals. It's more of the same banter we've come to love, with a few clues about the Chernovy cult, so enjoy!

Quest For Glory Epic Let's Play Part Seventy-Five: The Locals

In Which Our Hero meets a farmer and an elephant-herder, and breaks the glass because it's an emergency.





We start off at the Inn where we pump the Innkeeper for information, which consists largely of 'avoid trouble' and 'dangers at night.' So the same old song and dance really. It sounds a bit like a scam to drum up business at his Inn if you ask me.

Then we question the three locals sitting at the table, a pumpkin farmer, a garlic farmer and an elephant herder. These guys will be providing some much-needed comic relief throughout the game. Note there was an audio bug right before Ivan's intro which caused me to skip past it, so I've pasted it above.

These guys aren't very helpful (yet) so it's on to the adventurer's guild, stopping quickly to talk to Igor, the town gravedigger. He may have a funny accent and a comically deformed body but he's got a great sense of humor! Really.

The adventurer's guild is a sad, deserted place. One thing catches Marcus' attention: a fine sword in a glass case on the wall. "Break Glass in Emergencies" the plaque reads. Well, if being stuck in Mordavia without my equipment doesn't qualify as an emergency, I don't know what does!