Quest for Glory Epic Let's Play Parts 176, 177 and 178: The Rite of Justice, Prelude to the End and Dragon Fire

In Which Our Hero unveils the conspiracy in Silmaria, raids Minos' fortress and witnesses the Dragon of Doom waking; is summoned to darkest combat by the woman he loves; and stands by his friends to defeat the Dragon of Doom, saves Silmaria, becomes King, marries the woman he loves and earns the title Hero of Five Lands.







Marcus goes to sleep and wakes up to the sound of the guard knocking on his door. It's time to set the plan in motion.

Minos attends the ceremony for the Rite of Justice, but Elsa is nowhere to be seen. Marcus and Logos confront Minos, who denies the charges - but the Ring of Truth proves otherwise. Like a petulant child, Minos declares he's going to destroy Silmaria if he can't rule it and teleports away. Marcus boards the kingdom's fastest boat and soon makes landfall at Minos' island fortress. He attacks Marcus-style, but instead of killing everything in sight he Awes the goons away.

A couple of doors stand in Marcus' way, but it's no big deal to smash them down. He's an old hand at that. Inside are more goons and two of those horrible centaur wizards, who are luckily vulnerable to Awe as well. Marcus makes his way upstairs, pausing to kill a particularly troublesome goon, then enters Minos' chamber.

Minos makes a little speech about how Marcus might have made a good King, then orders his paltry guards to attack. Elsa's trapped in a cell; Marcus frees her and the two of them make short work of the guards. Didn't Minos know that Marcus defeated Toro like four games ago?

Minos then decides to kill himself and destroy Silmaria if he can't rule it. He childishly throws himself off the balcony, breaking the Prophecy Stone and freeing the Dragon of Doom in a nicely-rendered cutscene. Elsa says that she has a bad feeling about this.

No kidding.

Marcus and Elsa quickly loot the room, stopping only to kick Minos' dead body (seriously.) Erana then shows up and summons them to battle the Dragon. The Dragon is still bound, but only just. Fenrus summons Toro and Gort to help them fight, and the five friends start attacking the beast.

Marcus distributes healing potions and passes Toro the minotaur axe he took off of Minos' guard. He, Toro and Gort restore the Dragon Pillar in the cave, binding the Dragon to the spot. Then it's time to simply hit it until it dies.

The Dragon eventually breaks free of its bindings and flies around vomiting fire on everyone and making a nuisance of itself. The friends continue to beat on it until it finally gives up and dies - and everyone can breathe a sigh of relief. The Dragon of Doom is defeated, Silmaria is saved and there's a ceremony to attend.

Marcus is faced with a choice: to become King or not. Thinking of the life he wants to share with Erana, who has made Silmaria her new home, Marcus decides to take the crown and retire from adventuring. It's been a long road from his time as a beginning hero in Spielburg, but it's been worth it.

The end credits roll - and that's the end of the Let's Play!

Quest for Glory Epic Let's Play Parts 157 and 158: The Rite Of Conquest and Murder Most Foul

In Which Our Hero ahem, kicks a lot of ass and saves his friend's life, and learns of another assassination.





Alright you've waited patiently while Marcus has namby-pambied around. He's brokered peace deals, he's refused to fight or kill his opponents. No longer.

Marcus starts on the shores of the mercenary village. He looks around, calmly draws his sword, and runs at them presumably yelling something extremely badass. Like Lancelot at a wedding he cuts through wave after wave of mercenary invaders, leaving a stack of corpses in his wake.

Finally a centaur wizard appears, and Marcus demonstrates that his lessons with Uhura and Yesufu didn't go to waste as he turns the wizard into a living pincushion with some spears. That's what it takes to get Claudius to show up, and Marcus walks up to him and plants Piotyr's sword in his midsection repeatedly until Claudius will no longer trouble Silmaria ever again.

Then it's a teleport back to his room, collapse into bed, and an early start before it's off to the marketplace. The first stop is the healers to stock up on some much-needed supplies after the little fracas. After that it's off to Pholus and Shakra to ditch the weapons and magical items. Then up to the Hall of Kings, where Marcus proudly presents Claudius' shield.

Of course Marcus wins this Rite as well, and Logos announces that Magnum Opus has been killed offscreen. We're down to three contestants now. Logos then lays out the next Rite: to journey to the island of Hydra and kill the beast that gives the island its name. That's right, we get to kill a Hydra! Awesome!

Rakeesh isn't too keen on it though; he insists that this is an unimportant diversion. He then gets a sense of danger, and Marcus ducks only for a poisoned dagger to hit Rakeesh in the chest. Marcus thinks quickly and gives Rakeesh a poison cure pill, but even that may not be enough to save his old friend. It's a dark time in Silmaria...

Quest for Glory Epic Let's Play Parts 155 and 156: Overachiever and Come Sail Away

In Which Our Hero wins not only his Rite of Freedom challenge but those of every other contestant, and sells more loot and goes for a sail.





We're getting close now, so it's time to crank this baby up to two videos per update.

We open with Marcus taking a trip to the apothecary, where he restocks his pills for the trip ahead. And it's a good thing too; he's going to need them. Then he runs to the Hall of Kings and tosses the stack of sigils at the guards. The little overachiever then wins the Rite of Freedom easily and handily. Yup, it's good to be Marcus.

The next rite is the Rite of Conquest - Marcus must find the fortress of the Hesparian mercenaries and their leader General Claudius and return with his shield. He speaks at length to Rakeesh about the situation, and learns that Claudius is a ruthless and cunning strategist. Well, that's OK. Marcus has killed more ruthless and cunning strategists before. Khaveen thought he was pretty hot shit too once.

Marcus sells off the rest of his stuff he doesn't need, then charters Andre's boat to take him to Syfnos, where the mercenary base is rumored to be. After a little sailing around trying to find the right pixel, Marcus makes landfall just after dusk and prepares to launch an all-out frontal assault on the mercenary fortress.

Things are about to get bloody!

Quest for Glory Epic Let's Play Part 152: The Rites of Rulership

In Which Our Hero enters the Rites of Rulership to become King of Silmaria.



It's a sunny, beautiful Silmarian day. The birds are singing. The world is a stunningly rendered 640x480. You know what? It's time to become a King.

Marcus takes a nice leisurely walk to the bank, where he transfers a good deal of his loot into the royal treasury to compete in... The Rites of Rulership! Then he ambles up to the Hall of Kings where the official kicking-off ceremony takes place. He meets the other competitors: a lovely German lass named Elsa Von Spielburg, whom Marcus already knows; Kokeeno the guard; Gort the, um, Gort; and Magnum Opus, the Roman. Magnum may have one of the best names in the game, lame as it may be. Together they make five contenders for the throne!

Their first quest, they discover, is to liberate the fishing villages around Silmaria from the Hesparian mercenary invaders. Marcus draws Naxos, a small village to the south. First one back with their village's sigil is the winner. Of course there's nothing preventing Marcus from liberating those other villages while he's at it. And there's probably some good loot in them...

That's for next update.

First, Marcus visits his new friend Andre, who confides in Marcus that he's not happy being a fisherman. He'd rather be a Healer in fact. Marcus scratches his rock-hard noggin for a moment and thinks, hey, I know a Healer!

And we'll pick up there next time!

Quest for Glory Epic Let's Play Part 142: Fightin' Goons

In Which Our Hero receives a king's ring and takes out a bunch of goons. LOL goons.



Right, that Ring of Truth. The first component is right around the corner in the Hall of Kings. As Rakeesh promised, Logos is expecting us. And somehow Rakeesh has managed to teleport there first. How did he manage that?? It is a mystery.

Logos takes a little convincing but he finally gives up the Ring of Justinian, which we shall reforge into our Ring of Truth after jumping through some other hoops.

Now on to some quests! Some of which may actually involve glory! Remember the quest board? Something about a lost basket? That's the easy (ha) quest so we'll do it first.

Outside of Silmaria Marcus wanders around Marete, looking for a likely beach. While he's wandering he's beset by four Goons - fat ugly people with green skin and long hair. He draws his sword, fights and...

Dies??

Luckily we saved. Whew. A slightly different approach to combat is required here, so Marcus is more cautious on his second go-round and manages to handily defeat the Goons. Then he takes a quick dip in the ocean before swimming back to shore and grabbing the basket, which is where next video picks up.

Quest for Glory Epic Let's Play Part 141: The Ring of Truth

In Which Our Hero discusses Truth with Rakeesh and plants with some hippies.



Ah Silmaria. A lovely city populated mostly by characters from other Quest for Glory games. This update, we'll spend a lot of time with three such characters.

Marcus starts this movie in the Apothecary with Salim and Julanar. Salim is very, ahem, laid back, but Julanar.. she needs a new scriptwriter. The actress does the best she can but the original material isn't all that great to begin with. Kind of sad.

They talk about how Salim went to Shapeir and met Julanar by camping out in the desert and giving her 'hugs.' Marcus smiles and nods politely, buys some pills and then heads off to Nob Hill to meet Rakeesh.

Rakeesh wants to give Marcus Soulforge, but Marcus has Piotyr's sword so there's no need. Rakeesh also gives Marcus the Katta's pin back, which is pretty cool even if it doesn't really serve a purpose in this game. He then explains to Marcus a little more about the situation in Silmaria and about something called the Ring of Truth, a glorified lie detector that will help Marcus and Rakeesh figure out what the hell is going on here. Lucky us!

Quest for Glory Epic Let's Play Part 135: The Obligatory Shopping Trip

In Which Our Hero begins the traditional trip around the marketplace.



The first half of this video is Marcus chatting with Logos and Rakeesh about what's going on in Silmaria. Most of this is just backgrounder and flavor information, but there's some pretty important points: the assassin not only took out the king, but some common unnamed merchant by the docks. The assassin's MO: a poisoned dagger. We shall have to be on our guard.

Outside of the Hall of Kings there's a good old quest board, which Marcus gives the once-over. It seems the people of Silmaria are not above advertising for the job of king in the classified ads. You know, maybe we shouldn't rule this country. The adventuring life is kind of fun anyway, and it's only been, what, a few months of time since we first arrived in Spielburg.

Then it's off to the marketplace, where we meet a Katta! Hooray! She doesn't give Marcus as much of a discount as one might think when looking over her wares, but she does have a really really nice ring that would look good on a lady's hand. A kind of, say, engagement ring...

Quest for Glory Epic Let's Play Part 134: Arrival in Silmaria

In Which Our Hero talks to Erasmus and is introduced to the 640x480, pre-rendered, 256-color world of Silmaria.



We join Marcus in his new adventure on the Title screen, where we import him to Silmaria flawlessly. He's a trooper like that. You'll note right off there are some big differences here: a couple of stats are missing, Parry and Dodge have been rolled into one stat, and it's just using rounded numbers from the end of Quest for Glory IV rather than Marcus' exact stats. In fact, all it seems to have actually imported was his name and class... but that's OK. We won't tell.

The mechanical bits aside, Marcus finds himself on the other end of Erasmus' teleportation spell, which happens to be Erasmus' living room, which he, um, swims around in for a while. Erasmus fills Marcus in on the situation in Silmaria: an unknown assassin has taken out the old king, and a contest called the Rites of Rulership is about to begin for the throne. He called Marcus here to take part in the Rites... but there are some vague references to something a little darker going on as well.

After this introduction, Marcus is zapped to Silmaria where he wanders around Nob Hill, the upper part of the city. There's a giant Arena here for gladiatorial contests (hmmm!) and the Hall of Kings, which we enter and report for duty. Our old pal Rakeesh is inside along with a fellow named Logos, a centaur and speaker for the Court. Logos fills Marcus in on what the Rites of Rulership will actually entail - not the least of which is a large sum of money - before Marcus starts pumping him for information.

The video kind of cuts off in the middle of the dialogue because I ran out of time, but we'll pick up there next vid.

Hope you guys enjoy yourselves some Dragon Fire!

Quest For Glory Epic Let's Play Parts Sixty-Nine and Seventy: Hero of Tarna and Quest for Glory III Credits

In Which Our Hero prevents a war and defeats the Demon Wizard.




The final assault on the Demon fortress begins. Marcus breaks into the next room (OK, he opens the door to the next room) and finds Reeshaka, Rakeesh's daughter who isn't doing so hot. We soon find out why when a Demon possesses her and challenges Marcus to a fight, telling Marcus that everything done to the Demon will be done to Reeshaka as well.

Good thing we've got brains as well as brawn.

A dispel potion later and Reeshaka collapses on the floor, and a portal opens in the room. Uhura, Johari, Yesufu, Harami and Rakeesh all step through. Rakeesh tells of a prophecy where five from different backgrounds stand together against the Darkness. Harami opts out but is replaced by Manu, who jumps in at the last second so his man-friend won't get hurt.

The next room contains five mirrors, one for each character. Demonic dopplegangers appear and start to fight: Marcus is engaged with what looks like a zombie version of himself. You'll note there's a minor cut in the video where several minutes of 'spam attack until you get hurt enough to trigger the end of the fight' was cut (you didn't miss anything, I promise.) Harami appears at the last second, apparently not as chickenshit as we thought, and stabs the demonic Marcus in the back before telling us to climb to the top of the tower and finish it.

On top of the tower is the World Gate and the Demon Wizard. He orders a Gargoyle to attack, which Marcus makes quick work of, and then snares Marcus in its stony hands. No problem, because we didn't really want to get close enough to smell his breath anyway. Marcus chucks the flaming sword into the Demon's chest, then uses his Shield to knock the orb into the gate itself, causing it to close.

And that's it. Tarna is saved, War is prevented, and all is well.

Except.

Marcus isn't dancing for his health! What dark magic is this?



See you in Mordavia!

Quest for Glory III End Credits:

Quest For Glory Epic Let's Play Part Sixty-Five: A Very Sexy Peace Conference

In Which Our Hero initiates a peace conference, and actually gets to enjoy his marriage.




This is a slightly shorter video with a lot of dialogue, but it's the start of the endgame for Quest for Glory 3. We open right after we left off, with Johari in the jungle. She takes us to the Leopardman village where she says we have to wait until dark to go inside. It's still full daylight. I wonder how we can pass the time?

Cue the funk music, 'cuz it's jungle fever time!

After proving actions speak louder than words, we witness the change ritual and are introduced to the Leopardman leader. We hand the Drum over to him and receive the Spear of Death in return - what we need to return to the Simbani, who will now discuss peace with the Leopardmen in Tarna.

So we arrange the peace conference. We're almost asleep during one of the really boring parts when all of a sudden our Marcus sense starts tingling. This happens about five seconds before the Leopardman leader kills the Laibon, Yesufu kills the Leopardman leader, a Demon leaves the Leopardman leader's body, and we run like hell out of the city so we can figure out how to fix this mess.

Quest For Glory Epic Let's Play Parts Sixty and Sixty-One: What's Up Pussycat? and Capture a Story

Picking up after the montage ended, we're back in the Simbani village but there's something a little different here. Like that prisoner in a cage. They caught a Leopardman spying on the village! And it sounds like they're going to get some information from him in any way possible! And they haven't heard of or don't respect the Geneva conventions! Who cares if he was just taking pictures of a parking garage, he's still a suspected enemy combatant!

But Marcus has a better idea. Why don't we see if we can force the Leopardman to go back to his human form, say with one of these new dispel potions the apothecary gave us? Nom nom nom, little kitty. Now...

Oh.

Oops.

Well, he's a she and that changes everything. You can't beat a she for information, but you can marry her off and that's exactly what the Laibon has in mind. Quickly Marcus runs to Tarna to get Rakeesh's take on this new development:





Then pick up in video 2 (I wasn't going to show the 10 fights Marcus had to do to get to Tarna and back, it would have been two more videos worth of footage.) Uhura also weighs in but has a slightly more pragmatic (and sarcastic) approach to her people's buying and selling of women as brides. Then the storyteller regales us with another nonsensical (but points-awarding) story, and it's off to bed.

The next morning: we will compete to be initiated as a Simbani warrior! See you next time.

Quest For Glory Epic Let's Play Parts Fifty and Fifty-One: Pillow Talk and Village Life

In Which Our Hero discusses the many events of the last day and In Which Our Hero chucks some spears, crosses a bridge and plays a game.

First Video With Subtitles

Second Video With Subtitles







The first video picks up right where we left off, in Uhura's hut in the Simbani village. It's basically the second half of the cutscene from the previous video, and the only commentary is at the beginning - the rest is exposition about the war and Marcus' role in preventing it. The important parts are: the Laibon isn't being completely forthcoming with the story of how the Spear disappeared, and he's acting a little strangely - usually he's a very thoughtful and considerate leader.

Note that in the playthrough I uploaded I managed to miss asking two questions (for a total of 5 puzzle points): one to the Laibon about the Spear, the other to Uhura about the Spear. Here are their responses:


The second video has a little more action. We met Yesufu, who will become one of our new friends. He shows us how to play a game called Arawi, a variation on a Mancala game, which I admit I'm not very good at. So we lose.

Exploring the Simbani village a little more we find the spear throwing area, where Uhura directs us in the fine art of throwing a spear at a distant target. It looks like we're going to be spending some time here in the future because our aim is just a little bit off.

And last but not least, the bridge, which anyone who has played this game knows can be a major headache later on. Right now, Uhura just tells us about the bridge - the challenge, the history, and how it will come into play should we ever decide to take the warrior challenge to try to become a Simbani warrior. It's not like they haven't been dropping all kinds of hints about it or anything.

Quest For Glory Epic Let's Play Part Forty-Nine: Journey to the Simbani Village

In Which Our Hero takes a long trip across East Fricana.

Video With Subtitles





Before heading out into the wild, we appear before the Council of Judgement with Rakeesh to swear an oath to stop this war, or our honor will be forfeit and we face expulsion from Tarna. Not a big deal for us since we just got here, but that's a pretty big deal for our furry pal so I guess we should help him out.

We then set off across the savanna and Rakeesh instructs us in the ways of the Paladin, most of which we already know because we're been doing it since the start of last game. He fills us in our growing abilities and what to expect from the Simbani.

When we arrive at the Simbani village we're introduced to their leader, the Laibon, who fills us in on his side of this whole war thing. He tells us that the Leopardmen stole the Spear of Death, and it must have been the Leopardmen because it happened at night and Leopardmen travel at night. There are lots of other things that travel by night, but never mind that - definitely the Leopardmen. Also, Leopardmen use magic which we all know is tantamount to signing a written confession of stealing the Spear of Death.

Anyhoo, it looks like we've got our work cut out for us. At least we're not preventing a war over taxation of the Naboo system.

Quest for Glory Epic Let's Play Part Forty-Four:Far Out, Man

In Which Our Hero learns about his mission and meets a hippie.


Video With Subtitles





We've landed in Tarna, so it's time to figure out what the hell we're doing here exactly. Rakeesh and Kreesha explain the rumors of war and the political situation: the Simbani, who supply food for Tarna, have asked Tarna to go to war against the Leopardmen with them. Leopardmen are a shapeshifting tribe who look like Leopards.

Why do the Simbani want to fight the Leopardmen? Food? Resources? Better schools? Religious reasons? Oil? To prevent terror attacks? Who knows. It's our job to find out and to try to prevent the war if at all possible.

We hear of a peace mission sent to talk to the Leopardmen who were cowardly ambushed. Only one human survived. Rakeesh and Kreesha's daughter was part of the peace mission but her whereabouts are currently unknown. That's not good.

There's not much else to do here at the moment so we set off into Tarna, which looks a lot like a giant Ziggurat (and not really all that Egyptian, as the game manual would have us believe.) Our first stop: Salim's Apothecary. We get the lowdown on his various pharmacological pursuits and hear about this dream he has of a woman in the desert who has been transformed into a tree. You know, she sounds a lot like this girl we once helped...

Next time, we'll hit the Bazaar!

Quest for Glory Epic Let's Play Part Forty-Three: Quest for Glory III Intro

I just received a pamphlet in the mail that reads:

Do you want to explore new lands and seek out new civilizations?

Do you want to trek the tractless trails of tributaries to talk to timeless tribesmen?

Does the idea of backpacking with eighty-pound packs through dismal swamps and snake-infested jungles turn you on?

Then you need the Famous Explorers’ Correspondence Course for Wayward Wanderers.

We here at the Famous Explorers’ Correspondence Course for Wayward Wanderers understand the unique needs of Explorers and thus publish a valuable series of succinct and informative Field Guides in order to capitalize upon those exploring needs.

Field Guide to East Fricana includes “Tips about Tarna,” “Jungle Jaunting” and “Savannah Siteseeing.”

Field Guide to West Fricana includes “How to Do Voodoo,” “Local Customers” (and How to Avoid Paying It), and “How to Stay a Free Agent in the Slave Trade.”

Field Guide to North Fricana includes “How not to by Gypped in Egypt,” “Guide to Local Cafes Catering to Expatriates,” and “Discovering Destiny in Dusty Deserts.”

Field Guide to South Fricana includes “How to Speak with a Southern Accent,” “How to Host Post-Apartheid Parties,” and “Scintillating Diamond Mine Tours.”

Field Guide to East L.A. includes “How to Have a Riotously Good Time,” “Fabulous Freeway Festivals,” and “Budget Tours on Less than 200 Golds per Night.”

These handy and informative guides are available for just 10 golds each, plus 25 silvers shipping and handling. (Traveler’s checks not accepted, so leave home without them.)

Just remember the Famous Explorers’ Correspondence Course for Wayward Wanderers motto: “Wherever you go, there you are.”

Famous Explorers’ Correspondence Course for Wayward Wanderers
12345 Aerris Way, Silmaria

This was underneath it:

Introduction to the Land of East Fricana

“Hello there, F.E. here. That’s Famous Explorer to you. I’m going to be your guide through the sizable savannas and gigantic jungles that make up the land you call East Fricana. I call it ‘Boopsie’, myself- named it after a girl I once… Well, that’s another story.

I’ve been an experienced Explorer for a long time now and I’ve learned a lot over the years. I’ve seen everything from the great Zezeboo Desert to the great, greasy green Limpopo River. I’m kind of an Explorer’s explorer, you know? So now, you want to be an Explorer? You’ve come to the right place for all the secrets of savanna survival and jungle journeys.”

What is an Explorer?

Exploring is not an easy job. In the Hero business all you have to do is fight ferocious monsters, rescue dainty damsels from dragons or deliver defeated knights fro dungeons and stop mad Magicians from unleashing terrible powers and destroying the world. Big deal. An Explorer must face malicious mosquitoes, fend off bodacious babes from decadent lost cities who mistake you for the legendary missing Master of the World and solve cunning and complex puzzles to avoid traps built with technology far beyond the capabilities of the civilizations which constructed them in order to find incredible artifacts of unbelievable power and put them in a museum (or store them away in some unmarked government warehouse).

Pointers for Potential Explorers

“F.E. here. Just thought I’d share a few secrets to scouting the savanna and suggestions for jaunting through the jungle. I remember the time when I discovered the Great Lost City of the Brass Bikini where I… well, uh, where was I? Oh yeah, anyway, if you want to be an experienced adventurer like me, you’ve got to learn how to get along in the exploring biz.

For instance, always observe local customs – many tribes have customs worth observing. I mean, the way those women don’t wear, well, you know what I mean. At any rate, try to obey the villagers’ quaint rules and never annoy the locals. While there may be a few tribes you can still favorably impress by flicking your bic at them, some will spear you for using magic in front of them and others will counter your fire with some flame magic of their own, and then were will you be?

Also, never underestimate the local inhabitants. Remember, they’ve been local for a lot longer than you’ve been lost there.

Finally, keep a wise crack handy for serious situations. You never know when you might get caught in a goblin pygmy trap just when twenty of the little buggers are converging upon you for a late night snack. Just whip our your wit and recite some rapid repartee and you’ll really earn their respect. They’ll tell stories about you long after they’ve gnawed your bones. Reputation is an important part of being a famous Explorer.”

Peeress, Personable Paladin Explorers

Some call them “Do-Gooders”, some call them “Knights of Nobility” and some call them “Cavaliers of Courtesy”. Others just call them “Confounded Nuisances”. There are many names for these unsung heroes who try to prevent injustices in the world and encourage harmony between living things. However, since modesty is an important quality for Paladins, they seldom become famous Explorers.

Paladins uphold the virtues of goodness and are at one with the essential rightness of the universe. Paladins are not followers but leader of their own destinies. Where the laws of the land and the rights of the individual are in conflict, the Paladin promotes what is ‘Good” rather than what is “Lawful.” Paladins are seldom welcome in totalitarian societies.

To become a Paladin you must be trustworthy, helpful, pure, and brave. (So most of you can bloody well forget it.) A potential Paladin is often watched by those who are already Paladins and is rewarded for his good actions by a formal presentation of a Paladin Sword. Through the acts of kindness, charity and heroism, the Paladin gains his knowledge and understanding.

Because the Paladin is in harmony with the peaceful power which pervades all, he gains certain abilities as he continues to do “Good.”

Palaver for Paladins

1. Do good deeds.
2. Don’t do bad deeds. (Kicking cats is bad Karma.)

Partial Posting of Paladin Powers

Flaming Sword: The first benefit the Paladin gains is the ability to create a magical flame around his Paladin Sword. This increases the amount of damage the sword will do to evil doers.

Healing: As the Paladin continues to promote peace, monsters tend to try to tear him to pieces. Therefore, the Paladin acquires the ability to heal by touch. Since this draws upon the Paladin’s inner strength, this temporarily weakens him, so the ability cannot be used in combat.

Sense Danger: After the Paladin has continued pursuing good activities for some time this ability will automatically give the Paladin advance warning if danger is present.

Honor Shield: When a Paladin has performed many deeds of great heroism he is surrounded by magical protection whenever the Flaming Sword is ignited. The Flaming Sword will now incinerate certain magical attacks intended for the Paladin.

Welcome to East Fricana

Tour Guide to Tarna

Built centuries ago on the banks of the Mto Kubwa (Big River) at the western edge of the great savanna, this city has retained the basic architectural style of the ancient Egyptians. Some of the descendants of the original builders still remain there and the major languages spoken are Egyptian, Swahili and Common.

Liontaurs are the dominant species in the city. They are the ruling class, and the warrior class of guards. The Liontaurs primarily live in the eastern section of the city. This area is restricted to humans.

Government: The government of Tarna is headed by the position of King. The laws of Tarna are made by the matriarchal Council of Judgment. The King is selected through a series of tests of skill, strength and wit known as the “Rite of Rulership.” He serves as King until the Council of Judgment proclaims him unfit to rule. The former King can again compete in the Rite of Rulership to regain the throne. Usually, he is torn to shreds by the younger males during the competition.

The Council of Judgment consists of six positions: the Speaker, the Mother, the Youth, the Warrior, the Priestess, and the Wizard. These roles are restricted to females.

Money: The primary currencies of Tarna are Royals and Commons. Royals are roughly equal to the Golds and Dinars of other lands. There are 100 Commons to the Royal. Tourists should note: There is a Money Changer in the northwest section of the city who will exchange other currency for Royals and Commons.

Places to Stay: There is a good inn called the Welcome Inn in central Tarna. Tis inn has fine rooms at reasonable prices. The food ranges daily from standard Mid-Eastern cuisine to many more local specialties. FECS rating: ****.

Things to See: No self-respecting tourist should miss the spectacle of the bazaar in western Tarna. The sights and sounds create an ambiance unrivaled in this part of the world.

The sightseer should also go out of the way to see the impressive “Temple of Sekhmet” located in the highest tower of the city. Although humans are not allowed inside the temple, a peek inside is more than worth the asthma attack from climbing so many steps to get there.

Savanna Sightseeing

The savanna is a large plain of grass with a few trees and rocks to break up the monotony. Scattered through this vast grassland are the villages of the Simbani people.

Simbani Village Life: The Simbani are traditionally nomadic Warriors and herders of cattle. They travel many months of the year from village site to village site in order to keep the herds in fresh pasturage. The Simbani are friendly and open people. They value physical fitness and greatly respect outsiders who are physically fit. They are openly antagonistic towards Magic Users, so it is strongly suggested that no magic be used in their presence.

Government: The main ruler of the tribe is the Laibon, chosen fro the Elders (older members of the tribe) for his wisdom. Most decisions of the tribe are made by the Laibon and the Elders discussing issues together.

Money: The principal currency of the Simbani is cattle. One bull = Two cows = Four calves. Gold is of no value to the Simbani except as an item of jewelry. The bartering of items is very common also.

Places to Stay: Simbani villages usually have a guest hut for visitors. It is strongly recommended that tourists bring their own food. While the Simbani are more than willing to share, few sightseers can stand the coagulated blood and milk that make up a major part of the Simbani diet. FECS rating: **. (After all, you can’t beat the price!)

If you must sleep outside in the savanna, be sure to bring along something with which to light a fire. Many monsters stalk the savanna, searching for sleeping Explorers. A well-lit fire will either drive them away or attract them, but at least you can see what you are fighting.

Things to See: The people, the huts, and the cattle of the Simbani villages are much more exciting than the grass, rocks and trees of th savanna.

If you are into walking, somewhere south of the main Simbani village of Tarna you will find the Pool of Peace. This pleasant little lake has a reputation of being magical and is always a great place to watch for wildlife.

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.

Field Guide to Native Fricana Flora and Fauna

East Fricana is widely renowned for its dynamically diverse wildlife. The elegant impalas leap past the grazing gnus and enormous elephants, the cunning cheetah pursues at incredible speed the zippy zebra, the giant giraffes spread their legs wide apart and bend their elongated necks down to drink at the wondrous waterhole while the happy hippopotamus wallows in the malodorous mud. These are the incredible images of the savanna safari journeying deep into the hidden heart of this lovely land. Unfortunately, most of these amazing animals are now found only in a small game preserve east of colorful Kensington, so you are unlikely to come across them even on your most extensive excursions.

Amusing and Mostly Harmless Creatures

Monkeys: Arboreal mammals with puerile senses of humor, monkeys do their best to enliven the dull day of even the lowliest Explorer with such amusements as dropping overripe mangos on the traveler’s head, leaving banana peels on the path of the unwary wanderer, and sneaking into the camp of the exhausted Explorer and making off with his traveler’s cheques.

Meerbats: Small, furry creatures with wings, meerbats seem to be a mutant form of meerkat. They live in large colonies underground and eat fruit and insects.

Not Quite So Amusing and Slightly Less Harmless Creatures

Rhinoceros: These ungainly remnants of prehistoric times still wander the savanna of today. They have extremely poor eyesight, keen hearing and an irascible tempter. If you happen to come across one of these amazing creatures remember this famous Simbani proverb: “The only way to stop a rhinoceros from charging is to take away its credit card.”

Goblin Pygmies: These diminutive members of the Goblin family are seldom seen in the savanna and jungle although their presence is obvious. Being meat-eating and cautiously cowardly, they capture their pray in traps. These traps are found throughout this region. The wise adventurer should stay alert, as some of these traps are well-concealed. There is nothing more damaging to the dignity of the Explorer than to be discovered hanging from a footnoose by the wandering Warrior of the Simbani. While the Simbani are too polite to laugh at you, they do tend to snicker when they think you can’t hear them.

Giant Ants: These insects are no picnic. Giant ants have unbelievable appetites and have been known to strip an elephant carcass in 2.3 seconds. They are persist-ant and resist-ant to giving up their chosen prey, be it eland or Explorer. I addition to their vise-like jaws and acid-ejecting abdomens, giant ants are deadly since they seldom stalk solo.

Venomous Vines: There are poisonous plants elsewhere on the planet, but none are as vicious as the Venomous Vines of the East Fricana savanna. The fruit of the vines is similar to grapes, very sweet and highly appetizing. They form on a central stalk near the center of the vine patch. When living creatures approach to poach upon the fruit, the vines whip around, snagging and trapping the animal and injecting the virulent venom with their thorns. Use caution and common sense wen coming across these crummy creepers and skedaddle.

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.

Crocs: These humanoid reptilemen are intelligent, tough and toothsome. They refuse to talk truce (since they can’t speak) and seldom spare the spear or sheath their teeth.

Apemen: While it is not clear if these are apes ascending to men or men descending to apes, Apemen combine the brute strength and toughness of the anthropoid with the stupidity and cantankerousness of the humanoid.

Shapechangers: These are members of jungle tribes having the magical ability to take on certain aspects of an animal and transform into a combination of human and animal. The type of animal depends upon the totem of a particular village. Some tribes, like those that assume the aspects of the Bushbaby, are pleasant to encounter. Others, like those that assume aspects of the Python, Warthog or Leopard are best avoided. All know magic and use spells to defend their territory from all outsiders. Shapechanger villages are extremely hard to discover since they are generally magically concealed.

Moose: There are no moose in East Fricana.

Creatures From Which You’d Best Run Away

Dinosaurs: Bug, ugly, mean, too stubborn to quit, too stupid to die, the “Hatari Kubwa” (Big Danger) is definitely something to put on the feet-don’t-fail-me-now list.

Demon Worms: Legends are told from the Mijikenda on down of the big monster they call “Utakufa” (You will die.) Since no one who has ever actually seen this thing has ever lived to tell about it, rumors are sketchy. It is supposed to burrow underground after its prey and spring up out of the earth at the last moment. Most famous Explorers discard such naïve native narratives as pure poppycock.

Demons: Demons are not native to this region. In fact, they are not native to this world. They enter our world through magical gates to spread chaos and desolation upon everything. The gates are opened by means of negative energy released through death or destruction. Such gates are usually temporary unless sustained by a “Gate Orb” – a magical device that draws magic and negative energy from the air n order to maintain a gate.

Demons are resistant to fire and damage from non-magical weapons. They may be highly intelligent and magic-using (Demon Wizards), or jus stupid and tough (dumb demons) but all Demons are dangerous.

(Sorry if I misspelled anything - I had to transcribe it by hand from the PDF!)

So let's kick this off! A note: I'm using the patch found here that fixes a couple of possible bugs in the game, so if you're playing the home game you might want to consider installing it as well. I've never used it before and have played through the entire game just fine without it, but it can't hurt.

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Unlike Quest for Glory II, we don't dive right into the action after the last game. In fact Marcus has been sitting on his ass for the last three months enjoying the life of a prince of Shapeir.. whatever that happens to be.

But we open with Aziza, Marcus and Rakeesh sitting around Aziza's (256 color) table, watching a slightly retconned reconstruction of the end of the last game - where Ad Avis calls out to his Master. Aziza explains that Ad Avis' death caused a magical energy burst that could have been used to open a gate between this word and the Demon world. Coincidentally, Rakeesh's mate calls from Tarna and explains that the tribes there are about to go to war, and Rakeesh needs to come and intervene. This would be a good chance for Marcus to get off his ass, err, see the world, and for Uhura to go home.

Three days later, we're talking to the Sultan (who seems to have lost his penchant for rhyme) and he gives us a nice going away present: a magical shield. Then the portal opens, we step through - and into Quest for Glory III: Wages of War!

Quest for Glory Epic Let's Play Parts Forty, Forty-One and Forty-Two: The End, Hero of Two Lands! and Quest for Glory II End Credits

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The Hero Ceremony
Quest for Glory II End Credits







Back in Raseir we mount a surprise attack on the palace Groo-style: by walking up to the gate and yelling 'SURPRISE!' as we attack. We make short work of the guards, then race through the palace to find Khaveen guarding a ritual chamber. Well it's time for the final boss fight.

Khaveen is one tough motherfucker, but we get a chance to show that we're better than he is - apart from the fact that he ends the fight in a bloody heap on the floor of course. Then we SURPRISE ATTACK the door to the ritual chamber and find Ad Avis inside doing something he shouldn't.

So we run, and we push, and we knock him over the parapet, and that Ladies and Gentlemen is the end of Quest for Glory II!

Almost.

The Sultan - who has been watching us the whole rhyme, err, time, makes us Hero of Shapeir and adopts us as his son. And Rakeesh tells us we've acted with honor and offers us Soulforge, his flaming Paladin sword.

Hells yeah!

We ended the game with 550/500 points and saved Marcus for his trip to Tarna in Quest for Glory III. If you're interested, here's a screenshot for Shadows of Darkness to add to your 'incorrect Quest for Glory end cinematics' screenshots, as SOD wasn't until Quest for Glory IV.

Quest for Glory Epic Let's Play Parts Thirty-Four, Thirty-Five and Thirty-Six: Saving the City, Caravan to Raseir and Rasier on 30 Dinars a Day

In which our Hero saves the city and goes to another city.

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Back at the old Katta's Tail we wipe the sleep from our eyes to find out that yet another elemental is raging around - this time the Water Elemental, Shapeir's final doom. So it's off to Aziza's to learn about how to defeat the Watery Tart, which isn't really much of a stretch - we've got the opposing element sitting in a bellows anyway.

For being a final doom it doesn't take long to put the Water Elemental away in a waterskin - although you can enjoy the fine death our Hero makes as he gets to close and receives the kiss of his life.

Back to the Katta's Tail again where we're still sleeping to pass time - until the next day, when we get our last 'note' with 'orders.' Time to find out what all this business is.

Turns out it was the EOF, who have been watching Marcus and think he's member material. Well, they're right: we are just that bad-assed. But we're better than that because we refuse to kill a helpless opponent, which earns us their ire but they still make us a Brother Saurus. Gotta take what you can get, I suppose.

Next morning, after getting hammered with our new friends, we roll out of bed and go practice with a new opponent in the guild - Rakeesh. He gives us some helpful pointers about how to fight with Honor. Then it's on to Aziza's, where we learn the truth behind an old loyal (if slightly cowardly) friend. It turns out the Emir of Raseir has been in Shapeir this entire time.

That night Omar raps one last time and gives us our last reward, and we're off to Raseir in a long and entertaining cut-scene which I step out of as narrator so you can enjoy it in all its various degrees of hilarity.

Raseir itself is a shithole. We meet Wilmer and Signor Ferrari, who seems to kind of be the de facto leader of the underworld - and a very dead parrot, who is leader of nothing in particular. We then spend way too much time wandering around Raseir getting a feel for the city

Next time: we're going to meet a very nice girl and make a very special new friend!

Quest for Glory Epic Let's Play Parts Thirty-One, Thirty-Two and Thirty-Three: Earth, Sand, and Fire; Beauty and the Beast; and Dark Foreshadowing

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Our scene opens at the Katta's Tail Inn, where Marcus is sleeping away the days to pass time. Quite literally in fact - we've done everything there is to do at this point, and I don't see the need to grind up stats anymore, so we might as well just kill the time instead of monsters. Ah the life of a hero.

We come out of our stupor long enough to hear Omar give another poetry reading, which is:

Came a Hero drawing near
to our land of fair Shapeir,
The Katta called and carried that one here.
I shell tell and allegory
'bout a Quest for Love and Glory
Which I shall relate if you will lend an ear.

The Hero first faced fire
which was making matters dire,
For the flames he fought were flitting ever higher.
With water first he fought it
and into a lamp he caught it
'Ere our city of Shapeir became our pyre.

The next he faced was Air,
which I'm sure that you're aware,
Was blustering and blowing here and there.
Before the Winds became our bane
as a fearsome hurricane
With a bellows then he caught it fair and square.

So let us raise a cheer for the Her of Shapeir
And remember that our praise is quite sincere,
For in the Quest for Glory as related by this story,
Is a Hero who has saved us from our fear,
Is a Hero who's a Hero without peer!

Inspiring stuff, eh?

Next morning Shameen tells us there's an Earth Elemental wreaking havoc in the city. It's off to do our normal elemental research - first to Harik, who knows something about Earth, and then to Aziza, who shows us yet another of her little movies.

But it's ultimately Rakeesh who holds the key to us defeating the elemental - a giant flaming sword-like key called Soulforge, his paladin sword. You know that when weapons have names, they're badassed. And so it is.

Next video we head into the streets to look for trouble - in this instance Rocky, the giant Earth Elemental, who literally springs from the streets in one of the coolest 16-color EGA animations ever. We go a couple of rounds with him, tracking him all over the city, before finally reducing him to a pile of magical dirt.

But what can you do with magical dirt? I seem to recall that Aziza said Julanar, the tree woman, needed a gift of magic. Magic.. dirt... tree... yes!

So it's off to the desert, but not before the guard tells us the Dervish wants to see us. Well I happen to know he's going to blather on about the Beast, so we'll just go look for him after we help Julanar.

Which we do.

The beast proves more elusive than I thought, largely because I can't remember exactly where the hell he's supposed to be. So I orient myself with the dervish and get directions, and meet our next puzzle: what the hell is this thing in a cage and what are we supposed to do with it?

Which is addressed in the third video, where we quickly run to Harik and get the final ingredients for a dispel potion.

Back to the desert, where we feed the potion to the beast and learn a lot about what's coming for us - the name of our adversary, what he's up to, and some of his magical capabilities. Uh oh.

That's a good day's work for Marcus so we'll pick up there, after we receive a very mysterious note - they're watching us. Uh oh.

Quest for Glory Epic Let's Play Parts Twenty-Eight, Twenty-Nine and Thirty: Running to Rasier, The Big Score and The Air in There

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The first video has Marcus killing the last wandering monster we need to round off our points, and the explanation for getting to Raseir early - along with the fruits of our initial failed attempt and a video of the second, successful attempt. Aside from a silly pun and what I could right-click-look at for the few seconds we were inside the city, it's more of a curiosity than anything - but it can be done.

The second video picks up at the end of the first, with Marcus carrying around a huge amount of loot - both money and monster pieces. Of which we can only sell one, it turns out. Bummer.

Then we hit up the Astrologer, whom we kind of forgot about until now - who gives us an interesting fortune (that also happens to contain a very important clue about the final puzzle in the game.)

As if we didn't have enough money, Rakeesh has a reward for us from the Sultan himself - and the poet Omar is freestyling in the fountain plaza, after which we find his purse on the ground - we'll have to give that back to him the next time we see him.

The final video picks up right away, with word that the Air Elemental is wreaking havoc in the Palace Plaza. A little prep work is necessary before we take him on, so it's off to Aziza's for a quick Air Elemental lesson, then Keapon's for a necessary ingredient (and a little item for later.) Next on our list is Issur, who after some communications problems surrenders his bellows to us. After all, we did beat him in arm wrestling.

Mr. Air himself isn't too bad - the challenge is more in getting him to stay still, as you might expect from a tornado with sinister eyes. All in a day's work for a hero, eh?

Quest for Glory Epic Let's Play Part Twenty-Four: Wrasslin' and Dancin'

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We pick up exactly where we left off, in the relaxing and liquid sounds of Aziza's house where she explains just what the hell a Fire Elemental is, what it can do and how we can stop it. There's really no purpose into having Aziza give us those little demonstrations, but they are pretty cool.

Then it's off to Keapon's place where we sell our whirl, across the plaza to pick up some more Vigor pills, and then to Issur's place. That's right you big bald gay stereotype - it's rematch time.

Piece of cake to beat him when our stamina isn't in the single digits. Then we go a few rounds with Uhura before going to the pad for one of the true delights of this game: Shema's dance. Looking back on it, it's actually really sophisticated for 1991 and the art style especially is a harbinger of some of the good things to come from Sierra - note the use of perspective and multiple simultaneously animated elements. This isn't King's Quest 4.

Then it's down for a quick nap before we mount our noble steed and head into the desert at night.

Bonus Video: Shema's Dance Without Subtitles