I wrote this in response to a comment by Kiranya and as a possible inclusion to Splatter's eguide. I'm looking for comments on whether or not this works as a walkthrough.
Did you find the information is all there? Is it too long? Would anyone but roleplayers like this kind of format? Do roleplayers even like it? ;)
Thanks in advance for any comments.
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The Path to Dark Wizard
The feeling gnawed at me, more powerful than any hunger I’d ever known. The more I learned about the art of Magic the more I longed to know. I was a quick student and learned every spell presented to me and still I longed for more.
Magister Vasity and Magister Harne in the Dark Elf village had come to the end of what they could teach me. Secretly I thought they knew more than they would show, but perhaps they really had reached the end of their knowledge. When I beseeched them for yet another spell, I was told in no uncertain terms I had learned it all. I would have to seek elsewhere if I were serious about my desire for more magic.
Although I had been taught the powerful healing magics and was well aware of their very good use, nothing made my blood sing quite like the power of coiling a ball of air into a lethal strike of wind. Let others heal and protect, I craved the dark magics of destruction.
A bit of investigation taught me the key to learning more was at the Altar of Rites in the Southern part of the Dark forest. I was told a woman there named Varika could satisfy my burning hunger.
I made my way to the altar through the dangerous forest. I had hunted here as I grew in power and well knew the dangers lurking nearby. Giant spiders waited to have me for a snack, hostile orcs and ill tempered bats, all had to be avoided. Eventuallly, I found myself in the long passageway to the altar.
A Mysterious woman stood on lower stairs, I did not know her purpose, but she was not the one I sought. Above her, standing gracefully in her flowing robes was the key to unlocking the mysteries I craved.
Varika waited until I approached her. There must have been something about my eagerness that gave away my purpose, either that, or she truly was a Witch as I’d heard rumored. Her words talked of power. The power I craved. She told me I mustn’t hesitate. To have that power I just had to decide to become a Dark Wizard and impatiently she waited for my answer.
Unhesitatingly I told her I wanted to obtain power. Then my first lesson began.
She told me that Dark Wizards can control the power of nature, but I should always be aware of the origin of this power.
She spoke to me of how our Mother Shilien was insulted by Einhasad and betrayed by the Elves who turned their face from her to worship Eva. Thus darkness was the origin of our power, like our mother Shilien. She spoke of the four factors of dark power… anger, despair, horror and lunacy. If I collected four seeds that symbolize these things I could become a Dark Wizard.
To start me on my journey she gave me the seed of despair and told me to choose one of the others to begin.
I choose Anger.
Varika told me to go to the waterfall, north of the Neutral Zone. I’d seen it in the distance once as I explored the area. She told me a Dark Elven youth named Charkeren held a seed of anger planted in his heart.
Eager to be on with it, I made my way to the waterfall. It was northeast of the altar, and easily found. In my youth the field near the waterfall had been inhabited by dangerous beasts, but now for some reason it stood empty and passage was uneventful.
I found the youth staring sullenly off in the distance. I spoke to him and was curtly told he cursed everything in the world and to leave him be! The anger emanating from him seemed almost alive.
I spoke to him, despite his curt greeting. He raged on about how he would destroy the world if given a chance. But something about his haunted eyes made me listen further. I didn’t have long to wait before he began to talk.
He spoke of an idyllic time. His family had built a farm near the waterfall and lived a good life tending their fields. Happy and content, their peace was shattered by the Elven militia’s harassment.
He had gone to repair the family roof in preparation for the rainy season, when the militia swept through and murdered his family. He hid there on the roof, silently pressed down and watched his family being butchered, doing nothing to save them while he saved himself.
He spoke of revenge and begged of me a favor.
I truly felt sorry for this young boy and even without the test his tale would have moved me to compassion. I agreed to help and waited to hear what he wanted.
Charkeren told me how the Elves had taken his families bodies and thrown them like refuse in the swamp. He was sure the wood elf zombies there would have torn up the corpses. He asked that I kill them and bring back three of the remains.
Hesitantly he pulled a chain from around his neck. I saw that on the chain dangled a key. He seemed reluctant to part with it, but pressed it into my hands.
He told me it had been given to him by his parents as a gift. The key was reputed to bring good luck and he exhorted me to carry it with me. As I moved away from the angry youth I couldn’t help but be touched by his gesture.
I had never been overly fond of the swamp area. It was rumored all kinds of horrible things had happened there to create such a vile and evil place, but I knew I could handle myself well enough and I found myself swallowed in the mist.
All kinds of horror lurked in the fog. Dark Horrors were aptly named, floating specters clothed in robes, handless, save for scythes that tore through flesh. Hard to see, I had to avoid them and the bloodthirsty bats.
Eventually I found the zombies in the north eastern edge of the swamp. As I gathered a ball of air into my wind weapon, I had a rude awakening. These disgusting creatures of rotting flesh resisted my magic. I was used to cutting quickly through my enemies with powerful spells, and instead I found them very difficult to kill.
Thoughts of the young Dark Elf sustained me and eventually I killed enough of the zombies to find the three pieces of his family. I placed the remains in a pouch and returned to the youth.
As I returned to him, his face lit up. He thanked me effusively and as he did he suddenly felt ill. His heart hurt him and from his skin burst a small seed. He stared at it in wonder and told me his heart was now much lighter. He gave to me the seed of anger he’d carried and back I went to the Altar of Rites. I would not forget this troubled youth, but for now our ways would part.
Varika once again gave me a choice of which seed to obtain. This time I chose horror and she told me how there was a young beautiful woman trembling in fear near the School of Dark Arts.
The school was very close to the Altar and I’d seen an attractive woman lurking near the entrance several days past as I wandered by. I returned to the spot and found here there, though I had to tread carefully around the Prowler spiders who would chase me if they had the chance to puncture my flesh with their sharp talons.
I found the woman Annika, trembling in fear as Varika foretold. I spoke to her and listened as the words tumbled out.
She was supposed to be training to become a sentry and part of that training was to explore the ruins of the Black Magic Laboratory once known as the School of Dark Arts and still called that by many.
She told me of her fear of enclosed spaces and how it made her unable to breathe. As she spoke I could see even the thought of going in there was affecting her breathing. She begged me to help her complete her training but I was not sure what I could do. I told her I would love to help and was about to explain how I wasn’t sure there was anything I could do when she told me if I could fine just two skeleton kneebones that would be proof enough.
I turned to go and she caught my sleeve pressing into my hand a wax cylinder. Puzzled I looked closer and saw it was a candle. Her expression was earnest as she explained how if I were trapped in a dark corridor I may need it. I was truly touched by her concern and turned to head down into the dungeon.
I was not sure how deep I would have to go, but I took a chance at the first room and made a right turn into a corridor. Nothing in the first room was hostile, the dull and stupid orcs just standing around in a stupor.
I followed the twisting corridor into a large room and there before me stood a Hunter Skeleton. Annika had told me I could kill Hunter’s, Hunter Archers or Misery Skeletons. Careful not to become overwhelmed I set about killing the Skeletons until I had two kneecaps among the various bones.
Finished, I quickly retraced my steps and made my way back to Annika.
As I turned over the kneecaps I could see the relief on her face. She chattered about how she’d finish her training and her friends would no longer laugh at her. I suppressed a qualm at the slight deceit since she had not really completed the requirements, but I left that to her own conscience.
In gratitude she gave me a marvelous seed she’d found in the forest a few days before and I with two now down I headed back to the Altar.
Back at the Altar Varika told me to speak to her sister Arkenia about the last seed and when I had it to return to her. Arkenia stood right next to Varika so she was not difficult to find.
In answer to my greeting Arkenia spoke of how the Dark Forest was peaceful and orderly, but the town of Gludio was not like that. In a chilling voice she spoke of how the wounds of war ran red in that place. She spoke of how the madness of a Sorcerer caused things to happen that should not have been. He turned humans into evil skeletons and if I killed the Scouts I would find the heart of Lunacy left by the one who created that evil.
I had heard tales of this place and wondered how I could keep myself from going mad there. Almost as if in answer to my silent wonder, she handed me a perfume made from crushed herbs and told me it would defend my mind from the madness.
I was still hesitant to go. I’d heard such tales of horror of the place and for all my bravado I hadn’t yet ventured outside of the Dark Elven territory. Swallowing my fear I made my way there.
Although it would have been more economical to run the distance, I chose instead to use the Gatekeeper to transport myself there magically. Every time I ported I felt a bit of queasiness in my stomach and this time was no different.
Once in Gludio I asked around. I knew there were two different Ruins that might qualify as the one I needed. I took a chance and chose Ruins of Agony. Taking a deep breath I headed out towards the ruins.
Before I had left town I’d stocked up on the magic boosters known as Blessed Spirit shots. Although they are costly and my funds were tight, I knew that since I’d be fighting archers they would be critical. My magic did a great deal of damage quickly, but I was still not match for a well aimed arrow.
It wasn’t long before I reached the ruins. Cautiously I headed in begin careful of the Tracker Skeleton Leaders and Spartoi, since I knew they would attack me without provocation. Although the creatures in Ruins of Agony were horrific, they mostly left me in peace. I couldn’t help but feel horror at what must have befallen those poor people who were transformed.
Systematically I began killing. Using the Blessed Spiritshots enabled me to kill the Scouts before they killed me, but even so some of the fights were very close. I had killed about 10 skeletons when one of them held the heart of lunacy for which I searched. Although Arkenia hadn’t said I should get more than one, I gathered three more just to be safe and later was glad I had done so, since she wanted all three.
With all three hearts, I returned to Arkenia. She explained the hearts would be used to make medicine, but they needed to be handled with care or they would burst. Nice that she told me this after I had jostled them around while bringing them back!
She explained that the dried hearts became the seed of lunacy and since I’d found the ones she now held she would give me a heart already dried.
With all three seeds in hand I returned to Varika.
As I turned in the seeds to her, all became clear. She explained to me how the source of the power is emotion and if I kept it under control by my will I would have the power I craved.
She presented me with a token to show I’d completed her test and told me to take it to the Grand Master of Gludin. I thanked her for her wisdom in her instruction to me and headed out for the final change.
Although she’d instructed me to go to Gludin, Gludio was closer and I thought I would check there to see if the Grandmaster would recognize my accomplishments.
I didn’t have long to wait to find out. Grand Master Tobias in Gludio was happy to promote me and with his blessing I eagerly gained the title of Dark Wizard.
Perhaps now I will finally have access to the power I crave!