Seven Silver Scales

The volcanoes and mountains often hold the greatest amount of earth mana. Volcanoes are most often aligned with chaotic elements, so we know gathering and using mana from them will often result in unstable mana that may produce more destructive results than required. Even mountains are not always stable, and the mana there is often covered by vegetation or snow, but there is a cave near midway up the southeast of the mountain that produces rich ores and large crystals of earth mana. It is hard to find even by those who know where it is, so many settle for mana produced in the area of the cave when they want the strongest earth mana. This place is known to us as a place of steady strength—but not recently. The land has become more dangerous than usual. Many of us have tried to investigate, but being so strongly aligned with the earth, we seem to trigger even larger events of destruction. It is too dangerous for us to stay too long on the mountain. To work earth mana, you must be tough and stubborn with an unwavering dedication to mastering the craft. I sense this in you and hope that with your knowledge of many elements and spells, you will be able to overcome this obstacle and help us out. Will you try?
(Parla il Green Dragon)
I vulcani e le montagne spesso contengono il più grande quantitativo di Mana di Terra. Essi sono spesso legati agli elementi del chaos, quindi sappiamo che raccogliere e usare mana da essi darà un prodotto instabile che potrebbe creare risultati più distruttivi di quello che si voleva. Anche le montagne non sono sempre solide e stabili, e le fonti di mana sono spesso coperte di vegetazione e neve, ma c'è una caverna a metà strada del fianco su-est della montagna, che produce grandi pietre e larghi cristalli di mana di Terra. Questo posto è difficile da trovare anche per coloro che sanno la sua ubicazione, quindi la maggior parte degli avventurieri si accontenta del mana della zona circostante la caverna, che è comunque piuttosto forte. Questa zona è nota per la forza costante con cui produce mana, ma recentemente qualcosa è cambiato! La terra è divenuta più pericolosa del solito. Molti di noi hanno provato ad investigare, ma poichè la zona è così fortemente legata all' Elemento terra, sembra che per errore di creino eventi anche peggiori di Distruzione. E' troppo pericoloso stare a lungo sulla montagna. Per lavorare mana terra, è necessario essere duri e testardi, con una grande forza di volontà per gli obiettivi fissati. Sento questo in te e spero che con la tua conoscenza di molti elementi e incantesimi sarà in grado di superare questo ostacolo e aiutarci. Vuoi provare?
Take up the challenge
You hope you are being more brave than foolish in accepting this quest. Diamond Breaker beckons you to climb on their back, so you swallow your doubts and clamber aboard. Diamond Breaker beats their strong wings once, twice—and you’re off! You cling to the dragon’s back as they make good time through the air. As you near the southeast portion of the mountain, you grimace as Diamond Breaker tilts a bit, allowing you a view of the ravaged ground. Large ravines have torn through the land, decimating the trees on the mountain. Big boulders litter the area, looking like they bowled down their fair share of the flora on their way to rest. Diamond Breaker takes you far below the majority of the ravines, circling a few times before landing. You take a deep breath and hop off.
The wind howls around you, seemingly louder on the ground than it was in the air. Diamond Breaker flicks their tail up the slope, and says:
"If you walk true, the cave should be somewhere right up there. Listen for earthquakes and landslides on your way up. I cannot stay here. I can feel the earth rumbling deep below already."
Speri di essere stato coraggioso piuttosto che uno stolto nell'accettare questa missione. Diamond Breaker ti sospinge ad arrampicarti sul suo dorso, quindi tu scrolli finalmente i dubbi di dosso e ti avvii deciso. Diamond Breaker batte le sue forti ali una volta, due volte... e poi si è già in volo! Ti aggrappi saldamente alla schiena del drago dato che il viaggio non sarà breve: non appena vi avvicinate però alla zona sud-est della montagna il possente drago Green si inclina un po' nel virare in cielo, mostrandoti sotto di voi un terreno devastato. Grandi burroni hanno aperto squarci per la valle, decimando gli alberi. Valanghe di macigni hanno devastato la foresta nel loro tragitto fino al luogo in cui finalmente giacciono. Diamond Breaker ti porta piuttosto lontano dalla maggior parte delle rovine e vola in cerchio un paio di volte prima di atterrare. Prendi un profondo respiro prima di scendere dal suo dorso. Il vento ulula intorno a te, sembra più forte a terra di quanto non fosse mentre volavi. Diamond Breaker indica il pendio con la coda e dice: "Se cammini in questa direzione la grotta dovrebbe essere in questa zona. Ascolta i terremoti e le slavine mentre procedi. I non posso stare qui, sento la terra tremare nel profondo già ora".
==>
You nod to your friend as they take off, creating a gust of wind that knocks you off your feet. Well, you’re stuck now; might as well get started.
Annuisci al tuo fedele amico e non appena si alza in volto un vortice di vento quasi ti fa cadere a terra: sei da solo ora. Bisogna cominciare.
Survey the area
Gathering your courage to move forward, you decide to have a look around you first.
Raccogliendo coraggio decidi di avanzare e di dare uno sguardo a ciò che ti circonda prima di salire la montagna.
Go west
You wander off to the west. Usually these mountains are teeming with all kinds of nightlife, so the deafening silence of the night is off putting. As you strain to hear any sign of life, you stumble upon what could be a path.
Decidi di andare verso ovest. Normalmente queste montagne sono piene di animali notturni, quindi il silenzio paralizzante della notte ti stordisce. Cerchi disperatamente di udire della vita intorno a te e nel frattempo raggiungi un sentiero.
Follow the path
The stars seem eerily absent tonight and you trip several times trying to follow the path. The silence weighs you down and several times you think to yourself you are getting too far off course. Just when you’re about to turn back, you stumble across a small, broken down cabin that creaks in the wind. You hesitantly approach it, intent on looking inside. The door is half off its hinges and blows open and shut with the wind. You put a steady hand on the door and have to push hard to get it to stay open.
Le stelle sembrano essere assenti questa notte ed inciampi numerose volte mentre segui il sentiero. Il silenzio ti pesa addosso e molto spesso ti ritrovi a pensare di star osando troppo. Proprio quando stavi per tornare indietro ti imbatti in una piccola casetta in rovina che scricchiola nel vento. Ti avvicini esitante, con l'intento di voler dare un'occhiata. La porte è mezza scardinata e sbatte violentemente con la corrente d'aria. Metti una mano esitante sullo stipite e devi spingere forte per farla stare aperta.
Take a look inside the cabin
You duck through the opening. The howling of the wind increases and the door slips out of your hand. BAM! The door slams shut. Immediately, you turn around and yank on the door as hard as you can. It won’t budge. Taking a deep breath, you turn back around. Inside is completely dark, the roof in tact enough to hide the light of the stars. The cabin creaks and groans around you as you wait for your eyes to adjust, heart hammering in your chest. After what seems like an eternity, your eyes haven’t adjusted.
Ti intrufoli nell'apertura. L'ululato del vento aumenta e la porta ti scivola dalle mani. BAM! La porta sbatte fortissimo. Subito ti giri e cerchi
Explore the cabin in the dark
With hands cautiously outstretched, you feel for the wall on your left and decide to follow it to see if there is another exit to the cabin. Your fingers lightly brush the walls. The howling of the wind is nearly as loud as your harsh breathing and you work to calm yourself down. The wall feels rough and splintery where there aren’t spider webs. The wall juts out and your hands brush over what must be a bookshelf. It feels empty.
Con le mani cautamente tese in avanti tocchi il muro alla tua sinitra e decidi di seguirlo per vedere se c'è un'altra uscita dalla cabina. Le tue dita sfiorano i muri. L'ululato del vento è rumoroso quasi quanto il tuo respiro affannato e ti sforzi di calmarti. Il muro sembra ruvido e scheggiato dove non ci sono ragnatele. Finalmente la parete si interrompe e le mani strisciano sopra quella che deve essere una libreria. Sembra vuota.
Check all the shelves
You don’t want this trip to be in vain, so you decide to check all the shelves. The top shelf holds something sticky that smells vaguely of blood. You quickly move onto the next shelf, deciding not to linger on it. Each shelf results in nothing—except! Your fingers brush against something smooth on the last shelf. You reflexively bring your hand away, but it didn’t feel alive. You feel for the object again and grab what feels like some rolled up parchment. Parchment is always helpful.
Non vuoi però che questo viaggio sia stato vano, quindi decidi di controllare tutti gli scaffali. Lo scaffale in alto contiene qualcosa di appiccicoso che puzza vagamente di sangue. Ti muovi velocemente verso il successivo, decidendo di non soffermartici oltre. Tutti i ripiani risultano vuoti ECCETTO l'ultimo. Le tue dita si fermano su qualcosa di liscio. Di riflesso tiri indietro la mano, ma non sembra essere vivo. Tocchi di nuovo l'oggetto e scopri che è una pergamena arrotolata. Le pergamene sono sempre utili.
Pocket the parchment
You store the scroll away for later. Who knows what insights it contains?
Conservi la pergamena per dopo, chissà cosa contiene?
==>
You stumble into a table next. Rubbing your shin, you walk around it, feeling the top as you go. You trip over a chair lying on the ground on the other side of the table and grumble about the dark as you find the wall again. When you walk into what must be a counter, you decide you should put your hand a little lower on the wall. This must be the kitchen.
Dopo la libreria sbatti contro un tavolo. Strofinandoti lo stinco lo aggiri, raggiungendo l'altra estrmeità. Inciampi però in una sedia a terra dall'altra parte e brancoli nel buio finchè non trovi l'altro muro. Quando cammini dentro la nuova stanza capisci di dover spostare le mani più in basso sul muro. Questa deve essere la cucina.
Feel about for cabinets to search
Your fingers quickly find some large, wooden cabinets and you immediately prick yourself and have to pick out a splinter. You feel in the cabinet carefully and find only broken glass.
Le tue dita velocemente trovano alcune assi di legno ed immediatamente ti ritiri perchè devi tirare via una scheggia. Ti aggiri ancora con cautela trovi solo vetri rotti.
==>
Most living places have a kitchen window. Now that you think about it, there’s something odd that you haven’t seen any light from any windows, but you hope perhaps the window is just boarded up. You find the sink and hopefully reach out towards the wall.
Molte case hanno una finestra in cucina. Ora che ci pensi però è strano non aver visto alcuna fonte di luce da alcuna finestra, ma speri che sia solo perchè le finestre sono coperte da delle assi. Finalmente trovi il lavandino e ti dirigi verso il muro.
==>
Your fingers hit wood. Determined not to give up, you search carefully for the window underneath.
LE tue dita trovano solo legno. Determinato a non arrenderti cerchi con attenzione sotto la finestra.
==>
Your heart sinks as you find no glass and no nails sticking up. This probably won’t be a good exit. You sigh and continue along the wall. You don’t run into anything else until you return to the door.
L tuo cuore sobbalza non appena ti rendi conto che nn c'è n vetro, nè chiodi. Questa probabilmente non è una buona uscita. Sospiri e continui lungo il muro. Non sbatti contro altre cose mentre torni indietro verso la porta.
Tug on the door again
It seems there is only one way out of this place. Glaring at the door, you grab the large, metal handle, set one foot next to where the door should open, and the other solidly on the floor. Gripping the handle with all your strength, you count to three and tug. With a whoosh, the door comes open so forcefully, you are flung into the wall. Ignoring your aching shoulder, you rush out of the cabin just in time for the door to slam shut behind you. Without looking back, you run down the path to return to where you came from.
Sembra che ci sia una sola via d'uscita. Puntando alla porta afferri la grossa e larga maniglia di ferro, metti un piede vicino a dove la porta dovrebbe aprirsi e l'altro solidamente a terra. Stringendo la maniglia con tutta la tua forza conti fino a tre e tiri. Con una folata la porta si apre così violentemente che sei spinto contro il muro. Ignorando la spalla dolente ti precipiti fuori dalla casetta giusto un attimo prima che la porta sbatta nuovamente dietro di te. Senza guardarti indietro corri giù lungo il sentiero per tornare da dove sei venuto.
Go east
You decide to look over on the east side. After walking a few meters, you don’t see anything that might be of interest besides what looks like a sturdy walking stick.
Decidi di dare un'occhiata al versante ad est. Dopo aver camminato pochi metri non vedi nulla di interessante a parte quello che sembra essere un bastone da passeggio.
Collect the walking stick
You grab the walking stick. It could come in handy later.
Raccogli il bastone, potrebbe essere utile dopo.
Head back to where you were dropped off
- Climb the mountain
You’ve dallied enough. Time is wasting. There is no more procrastinating. You must move up the mountain. Keeping in mind that Diamond Breaker told you to move true, you start straight up.
Hai temporeggiato abbastanza, Il temo sta finendo e non si può più procrastinare. Devi muoverti verso la montagna e tenendo a mente che Diamond Breaker ti aveva detto di andare avanti senza indugi, inizi a scalare.
==>
The night is growing darker and the wind has not yet died down. Panting, you glance back the way you came. It’s hard to tell, but you think you’ve made it far enough for a break. The land is becoming harder and harder to climb. Large cracks in the earth force you to jump over them, hoping you don’t misjudge the distance in the dark and twist your ankle or anything. You could really use some water; too bad you didn’t bring your waterskin.
La notte si fa più buia e il vento non si è ancora calmato. Ansimando getti uno sguardo alla strada percorsa. E' difficile da dire,ma pensi di aver proceduto abbastanza per fare una pausa. La regione sta diventando sempre più difficile da scalare. Larghe spaccature nella terra ti costringono a saltarle sperando di non aver preso male le distanze nel buio e di non inciampare nella tua stessa caviglia o simili. Potresti bere un po' d'acqua, peccato non aver portato la borraccia.
Survey the area
The slope looks like it’s becoming even steeper. You may as well take a bit of a break to look around and gather your breath. More and more trees have fallen here, allowing you to see quit far to the east. Doesn’t look like there’s anything interesting there, so you move west. You don’t want another cabin incident nor do you want to lose track of where you should be heading up, so you move slowly. A glimmering a few meters off catches your eye. It looks like...
La salita sembra diventare ancora più ripida. Potresti bene prenderti una pausa per guardarti intorno e prendere fiato. Più e più alberi sono caudti in questa zona, permettendoti di guardare lontano verso est. Non sembra ci sia nulla di interessante li, quindi ti sposti vero ovest. Non vuoi un altr incidente come la casetta, e nemmen vuoi perdere le tracce del percorso che devi seguire, quindi ti muovi lentamente. Un luccichio pochi metri più avanti cattura la tua attenzione, sembra...
Head towards the glimmering
Yes! It is water! You know you shouldn’t drink from natural springs—they can carry many diseases—but you’re so thirsty you think the risk may be worth it. You fall to your knees at the water’s edge and lean down, cupping your hands to gather water. You bring the water to your lips and are about to drink, when...No, wait. This isn’t right. You lower your hands and stare into them. Something looks wrong with your reflection. You drop the water and stare into the pond. Your reflection looks...angry, but that’s not the worst of it. Three long, deep gashes mar your countenance. Slowly bringing your hands to your face, you watch your reflection do the same. You release a small sigh of relief. Your face feels fine. The reflection’s mouth warps, sneering at you. Falling back, you crawl away from the pond. Once you’re at a safe distance, you stare at the pond, perhaps expecting something to attack you. When nothing pulls itself from the murky water, you shake your head to clear your thoughts, thankful you decided not to drink the tainted water.
Sì, è acqua! Sai che non dovresti bere da sorgenti naturali -possono portare molte malattie- ma sei così assettato che pensi che valga al pena correre il rischio. Cadi in ginocchio a bordo del lago e ti pieghi con le mani a coppa per raccogliere l'acqua. Porti l'acqua alle labbra e stai per bere quando... No aspetta. Non è sicuro. Abbassi le mani e le fissi. C'è qualcosa che appare sbagliato nel tuo riflesso. Butti l'acqua nella pozza e fissi il laghetto. Il tuo riflesso sembra...arrabbiato, ma questa non è la cosa peggiore. Tre lunghi squarci tagliano il tuo viso nel riflesso. Lentamente porti la mani alla faccia e il tuo riflesso fa lo stesso, ma poi tiri un sospiro di sollievo perchè al tatto non ahi le cicatrici mostrate sullo specchio 'acqua. La tua immagine riflessa fa una smorfia guardandoti beffarda. Cadendo all'indietro strisci lontano dal laghetto. Quando sei a distanza di sicurezza ti volti verso lo stagno, forse temendo che qualcosa di attaccasse, ma quando nulla esce dall'acqua torbida scuoti la testa per chiarire i tuoi pensieri, per fortuna non hai deciso di bere l'acqua contaminata!
Head back towards the trail
Shaking your legs, you know you have to keep moving. You don’t make it too far before you find yourself stuck where you are. A large boulder is sitting right in front of you. It seems to have torn down many trees, which are lodged against its side, blocking any quick path around it.
Con le gambe tremanti sai che devi continuare a muoverti. Tuttavia non vai molto distante prima di ritrovarti nuovamente bloccato. Un grosso muro si staglia davanti a te, sembra che abbia abbattuto molti alberi, i quali ora sono attorcigliati contro il suo fianco, bloccando le vie più rapide per aggirarlo.
Climb over the boulder
Wishing you had brought thicker gloves, you search the cold, jagged boulder for some good handholds. You find nothing but small crevasses your fingers catch on. As they’re the best you can do, you hold them tightly and attempt to pull yourself upwards. You succeed—partially. You nearly manage your head to finger level when the measly handholds break and you thump back to the ground. So much for that.
Desiderando di aver portato guanti più spessi cerchi nel freddo muro frastagliato alcuni punti di appoggio. Non trovi nulla se non piccole crepe in cui infilare le dita. Sono la cosa migliore disponibile quindi ti ci appigli con forza e provi a spingerti con decisione oltre il muro. Ce la fai, in parte. Eri quasi riuscito ad issarti quando gli appigli hano ceduto, rompendosi e mandandoti a cadere per terra. Fatica sprecata.
Climb over the logs
Deciding your best bet is to just bushwhack through the fallen trees, you pick a spot that looks less dense than the others. Branches curve down into each other and the leaves make it impossible to see straight to the other side. You haul yourself over the first log and make your way into the thick of the wooden mess. The wind is muted within the trees, which creak and groan as you climb over them. Sticks scratch at your back, your arms, your face. Leaves tickle your open skin, giving you goosebumps. You grab at sap more than once. When you finally break through to the other side, you’re sure you look a mess.
Decidendo che la tua migliore via sia di passare attraverso gli alberi abbattuti scegli un punto che non sia denso come gli altri. I rami si curvano l'uno sull'altro e le foglie rendono impossibile guardare oltre dall'altra parte. Ti trascini oltre il primo tronco e i crei una via attraverso la spessa massa legnosa. Il vento è mutato in mezzo agli alberi, i quali scricchiolano e si lamentano man mano che li attraversi. rametti ti graffiano la schiena, le braccia, il viso. Le foglie ti solleticano la pelle dandoti la pelle d'oca. Spesso scivoli su della linfa, e quando finalmente esci dall'altra parte sei tutto scompigliato.
==>
You know you have to keep climbing but your energy has quickly dwindled. You’ve had quite an ordeal tonight, but this doesn’t feel natural. You have a feeling magic is the root of this exhaustion.
Sai di dover continuare a scalare, ma la tua energia scivola via velocemente. Hai fatto grandi sforzi questa notte, ma questa sensazione non sembra essere naturale. Pensi che sentirti esausto abbia alla base dei motivi magici.
==>
You’ll crawl if you have to, but you’ll make it. You can’t go back and you have a feeling Diamond Breaker won’t come back for you until you succeed. You must keep moving. Trembling, you haul yourself up on a nearby tree and trudge on, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. You’ve been focusing so hard on the ground, it surprises you when your foot catches in a hole and you tumble over.
Lamentati se vuoi, ma devi farcela. Non puoi tornare indietro e hai il presentimento che Diamnond Breaker non tornerà indietro per te finchè non avrai avuto successo. Devi continuare a muoverti. Traballando ti dirigi verso un albero vicino e ti appoggi, concentrandoti sul mettere un piede dopo l'altro, ti sei concentrato così tanto sul terreno che ti sorprendi quando il tuo piede cade in un buco e cadi lungo disteso.
==>
Groaning, you free your foot from the hole. You want nothing more than to lie down and give up, but you can’t. You can’t. Pulling yourself to your knees, you crawl forward for a while, until you decide crawling is harder than walking, and finally push yourself to your feet again. You come face to face with a great cave when you stand, leaving you in shock. This giant thing is the earth mana cave? How could anybody ever miss it? Before you lose your courage, you force yourself to keep moving forward, entering the dark, damp cave.
Mugugnando di stanchezza inciampi e cadi a terra. Tiri fuori il piede dal buco in cui si era incastrato, anche se vorresti solo sdraiarti e arrenderti, ma non puoi. Non puoi. Spingendoti in ginocchio arranchi ancora per un po' finchè non decidi che trascinarti in quel modo è più faticoso che camminare e finalmente ti rimetti in piedi. Non appena ti alzi ti trovi faccia a faccia con la caverna e la cosa ti colpisce. E' l'enorme cava di Mana di Terra? Come hanno potuto non notarla coloro che sono venuti prima di te? Prima di perdere coraggio ti costringi a muoverti, entrando nella buia e profonda grotta.
==>
Once your eyes adjust to the lack of stars, the cave is actually lighter than you’d expect. Small crystals here and there glow faintly, pulsing brighter and duller, like the cave has a heartbeat. Even just in the entrance of the cave, the temperature is slightly cooler. You feel weaker than ever. This must be the place. Crystals light the way of two separate tunnels. One looks like it may get very narrow just a little further in. The other is large, stalactites hanging from the cave ceiling, slowly but steadily dripping water and reminding you of a large, gaping maw.
Una volta che i tuoi occhi si sono abituati alla mancanza delle stelle ti rendi conto che la grotta è più luminosa di quanto ti aspettassi. Piccoli cristalli qui e là brillano leggermente, pulsando ora più forte ora più piano, come se la caverna avesse un cuore.Anche se è solo l'entrata della caverna la temperatura è più fredda. Ti senti più debole che mai. Deve essere questo il posto. I cristalli illuminano due tunnel separati. Uno sembra diventare molto stretto appena più avanti. L'altro è largo e ha stalattiti appese al soffitto della caverna che gocciolano lentamente, ma continuamente, acqua e ti ricordano una gigantesca bocca spalancata.
==>
- Explore the narrow opening
The way your night is going, the narrow opening probably holds all the excitement. Maybe you should be afraid. Maybe you’re too tired to be afraid. Either way, even though you feel immediately squished by rock wall, you don’t feel all that afraid. Time to end this. Wriggling through head first, you get stuck in quite a few places, having to scoot back and realign yourself to fit through the rocks better. The tunnel seems to go on forever and you begin to wonder if you’ll ever get to properly breathe again when suddenly there is no more floor beneath your hands. You’ve arrived in a large cavern. Bracing yourself against the wall, you slowly extract yourself from the tunnel and fall ungracefully to the floor. There are either less crystals here or they have become duller. You can hardly make out the wall in front of you. Debating what the best method for exploring is, you finally decide just to go for it and feel around. Wandering around prove useless, though, unless you really enjoy twisting your ankle. This is useless. You may as well go back.
Per come sta andando questa notte probabilmente l'apertura più difficile e stretta è la più avvincente. Forse dovresti essere spaventato Forse sei troppo stanco per essere spaventato. In ogni caso anche se ti senti immediatamente schiacciato tra le pareti della grotta non hai paura, vuoi concludere tutto ciò. Spingendo prima avanti la testa resti incastrato in un po' di punti e devi scuoterti indietro e riprovare ad infilarti meglio tra le rocce. Il tunnel sembra infinito e cominci a chiederti se respirerai di nuovo adeguatamente quando improvvisamente il pavimento scompare da sotto le tue mani. Sei arrivato in una grande caverna. Stringendoti contro il muro esci lentamente dallo stretto tunnel e cadi sgraziatamente sul terreno. Ci sono pochi cristalli qui ed inoltre sono più scuri. Puoi a malapena distinguere il muro davanti a te. Dubbioso che questo sia il modo migliore per esplorare infine decidi di andare avanti e tastare in giro. Gironzoli inutilmente tuttavia, a menoc he il tuo obiettivo non sia storcerti una caviglia. Questo è inutile, meglio tornare indietro.
Return to cave entrance
- Explore the large opening
Seeming like the much easier fit, you start down the large opening. The floor is rocky and uneven, but even with unsure footing and slow going, you run quite suddenly into the back of the cavern. The light the earth crystals provide is faint but is enough for you to see there’s nothing useful or informative around.
Sembrando motlo più facile entrarci scendi lungo il tunnel largo. Il terreno è roccioso e irregolare, ma anche con piede insicuro e andando piano arrivi piuttosto in fretta al centro della caverna. La luce dei cristalli di Terra è debole, ma è abbastanza per farti notare che non c'è nulla di utile.
Pick up a rock
One of the crystals catches your eye. You pick it up as a good luck charm.
Uno dei cristalli attira la tua attenzione. Lo raccogli come segno di buona fortuna.
Head back to the cave entrance
-Head back down
- -Walk around the logs
The trees look far too thick to climb through, so you begin walking down the line of trees to the east, hoping you shouldn’t have tried the west. The boulder still towers over the terrain, close enough in your sight, when you hear it. The first sign of life you’ve seen, but you know that sound and it doesn’t bring good news.
A low, rumbling growl echoes around the forest. You freeze in place, trying to determine where the noise is coming from. Your muscles are tense, ready to act. You finger your belt, where you usually keep a knife, only to find it missing. Not good. Your walking stick will serve merely as firewood. The growling continues, long and low. It sounds like just one, but the fire-breathing wolves of this forest usually travel alone. Your heart thuds slowly in your chest and you take a cautious step backwards, snapping a stick behind you.
A great, giant beast leaps out from the trees to your right, spurred on by the sudden noise. Jaws snapping, it lunges towards you as you fall away, tripping over your own feet. The fire wolf releases a howl to the wind—the sound these beasts make when they’re ready to go in for the kill. Fingers digging into the dirt beneath them, you clench your fists and burst to your feet, already running before you’ve turned fully away. The wolf snarls and makes a gross, guttural noise. Heat immediately nips at your back as flames lick your ankles. You hear the wolf’s paws pound into the ground. There’s no way you can outrun it! You must try the fallen trees; they’re your only chance! The beast comes close enough for you to smell the death on its breath and you dive right into the thick of the logs without a second thought, breaking a branch on your way in.
Desperately, you fight your way forward, kicking out at branches to break them and get past them, swiping at everything in your way. You hear the dreaded guttural noise again. Your heart catches in your throat as you drive forward, making your escape of this great kindling. The night around you lights up as the woods catch fire. Screaming, you wriggle forward as fast as you can, falling right to the floor opposite of the great boulder. No time to rest! Smoke has already found its way to your nose and mouth and you dash away from the inferno. When you can no longer feel the great flame’s heat, you stop, doubling over to catch your breath.
Shaky hands wipe at your face as you gulp in great breaths of clean air. Your hands catch on something sticky and finally, you collapse to the ground, laughing. What a sight you must be. Sap must have caught a small beetle to your face. You gently pry the creature free. A small, horned beetle stares at you quizzically. You gently pat its head. “Willing to travel some with me? It seems fate meant to stick us together.”
Gli alberi sembrano troppo intricati per passarci in mezzo, per questo inizi a camminare lungo la fila di alberi ad est, sperando che non avresti dovuto provare a ovest. Il masso domina ancora il terreno, abbastanza vicino ai tuoi occhi, quando senti un rumore. Il primo segno di vita che noti, ma lo conosci e non porta buone notizie.
Un basso, brontolio echeggia nella foresta. Ti congeli sul posto, cercando di determinare da dove il rumore proviene. I muscoli sono tesi, pronti ad agire. Metti la mano sulla cintura, dove di solito tieni un coltello, solo per scoprire che manca. Non bene. Il tuo bastone da passeggio servirà solo come legna da ardere. Il ringhio continua, lungo e basso. Suona come uno solo, ma i lupi sputafuoco di questa foresta di solito viaggiano da soli. Il tuo cuore batte lentamente nel petto e fai un cauto passo indietro, scattando con il bastone teso dietro di te.
Un grande, bestia gigante salta fuori dagli alberi alla vostra destra, attirata dal rumore improvviso. Facendo schioccare la mascella si lancia verso di te, e tu cadi, inciampando nei tuoi stessi piedi. Il lupo del fuoco rilascia un urlo al vento: il suono queste bestie fanno quando sono pronti per uccidere. Le dita si stringono nel terreno sotto di loro, stringi i pugni e salti in piedi, correndo come un forsennato già prima di esserti girato completamente. Le ringhia lupo si fanno sorde ed emette un basso suono gutturale.Il calore immediatamente arriva alle tue spalle e le fiamme lambiscono le caviglie. Si sentono le zampe pesanti del lupo sul terreno. Non c'è modo di può correre più veloce di così! Devi provare a gettarti nel groviglio di alberi caduti; sono la tua unica possibilità! La bestia viene abbastanza vicino a te per sentire l'odore di morte del suo respiro e tu ti immergi direttamente nel bel mezzo di rami senza pensarci due volte, rompendone uno per entrare.
Disperatamente, combatti per andare avanti, calciando i rami per romperli e superarli, sorvolando tutto ciò che è nel tuo cammino. Si sente di nuovo il suono gutturale temuto. Il tuo cuore salta in gola mentre si guarda in avanti, rendendo la vostra fuga ancora più terribile. La notte intorno a te si illumina per i boschi che prendono fuoco. Urlando, guizzi in avanti il più velocemente possibile, cadendo a destra sul pavimento di fronte del grande masso. Non c'è tempo per riposare! Il fumo ha già trovato la sua strada per il naso e la bocca e ti devi precipitare fuori dall'inferno. Quando non è più possibile sentire il calore della grande fiamma, ti fermi, piegandoti in due per riprendere fiato.
Con mani tremanti ti pulisci il viso, prendendo grandi boccate d'aria pulita. Le tue mani catturano qualcosa di appiccicoso e, infine, crolli a terra, ridendo. Che spettacolo dovevi essere. Un piccolo scarabeo si era attaccato al vostro viso. Tu delicatamente estrai la creatura dai capelli e la liberi. Un piccolo, scarabeo cornuto ti fissa con aria interrogativa. Accarezzandogli delicatamente la testa gli chiedi: "Sei disposto a viaggiare un po 'con me? Sembra che sia destino stare assieme". </ I>
[color=purple]Place the beetle in your pocket
You gently pry the creature free. A small, horned beetle stares at you quizzically. You gently pat its head. “Willing to travel some with me? It seems fate meant to stick us together.”
Prendi delicatamente la creatura e gli accarezzi la testolina. Un piccolo scarabeo conuto ti guarda confuso. "vuoi viaggiare un po' con me? Sembra che sia destino stare assieme".
Place the beetle in your pocket.
==>
You know you have to keep climbing but your energy has quickly dwindled. You’ve had quite an ordeal tonight, but this doesn’t feel natural. You have a feeling magic is the root of this exhaustion.
TRADOTTO SOPRA
==>
You’ll crawl if you have to, but you’ll make it. You can’t go back and you have a feeling Diamond Breaker won’t come back for you until you succeed. You must keep moving. Trembling, you haul yourself up on a nearby tree and trudge on, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. You’ve been focusing so hard on the ground, it surprises you when your foot catches in a hole and you tumble over.
TRADOTTO SOPRA
==>
Groaning, you free your foot from the hole. You want nothing more than to lie down and give up, but you can’t. You can’t. Pulling yourself to your knees, you crawl forward for a while, until you decide crawling is harder than walking, and finally push yourself to your feet again. You come face to face with a great cave when you stand, leaving you in shock. This giant thing is the earth mana cave? How could anybody ever miss it? Before you lose your courage, you force yourself to keep moving forward, entering the dark, damp cave.
TRADOTTO SOPRA
==>
- Explore the narrow opening
The way your night is going, the narrow opening probably holds all the excitement. Maybe you should be afraid. Maybe you’re too tired to be afraid. Either way, even though you feel immediately squished by rock wall, you don’t feel all that afraid. Time to end this. Wriggling through head first, you get stuck in quite a few places, having to scoot back and realign yourself to fit through the rocks better. The tunnel seems to go on forever and you begin to wonder if you’ll ever get to properly breathe again when suddenly there is no more floor beneath your hands. You’ve arrived in a large cavern. Bracing yourself against the wall, you slowly extract yourself from the tunnel and fall ungracefully to the floor. There are either less crystals here or they have become duller. You can hardly make out the wall in front of you. Debating what the best method for exploring is, a sudden series of rapid clicking from your pocket catches your attention. The beetle! “Hold on, little guy,” you whisper, gently extracting it from your pocket. The beetle squirms in your hand and you drop it to the ground. You hear it scuttling around, clicking rapidly. You hardly dare to breathe as you listen for what has agitated the tiny insect. It grows quiet after a few seconds. A sigh of relief escapes you just before you hear a louder click. Whirling around to face the sound, you gasp as torches along the cavern’s walls spring to life. Of course! A clicking beetle. They can start fires by rubbing their pincers together.
You grab one of the torches to help you explore.
Per come sta andando questa notte probabilmente l'apertura più difficile e stretta è la più avvincente. Forse dovresti essere spaventato Forse sei troppo stanco per essere spaventato. In ogni caso anche se ti senti immediatamente schiacciato tra le pareti della grotta non hai paura, vuoi concludere tutto ciò. Spingendo prima avanti la testa resti incastrato in un po' di punti e devi scuoterti indietro e riprovare ad infilarti meglio tra le rocce. Il tunnel sembra infinito e cominci a chiederti se respirerai di nuovo adeguatamente quando improvvisamente il pavimento scompare da sotto le tue mani. Sei arrivato in una grande caverna. Stringendoti contro il muro esci lentamente dallo stretto tunnel e cadi sgraziatamente sul terreno. Ci sono pochi cristalli qui ed inoltre sono più scuri. Puoi a malapena distinguere il muro davanti a te. Dubbioso che questo sia il modo migliore per esplorare ti sorprende una rapida serie di scricchiolii nel tuo taschino. Lo scarafaggio! "Un attimo, ragazzo" gli sussurri estraendolo delicatamente dalla tasca. Lo scarafaggio si agita in mano e tu lo depositi a terra. Senti che zampetta in giro, ticchettando rapido. A malapena osi respirare non appena senti per cosa si è agitato il piccolo insetto. Il silenzio sale dopo pochi attimi. Un sospiro di sollievo. Ma certo! Uno scarafaggio battente. Possono accendere dei fuocherelli strusciando le loro zampette assieme. Afferri una torcia per aiutarti nell'esplorazione.
Observe the cave
It seems someone has made this cavern into their study or perhaps even their home. A large bookshelf stands against one wall near a thick, odd-looking table. Scrolls are haphazardly shoved on the shelves and some lay discarded on the floor. The table is littered with broken glass. What’s left of some kind of alchemy set-up takes up half the table. On the other half sits a large, empty-looking cauldron. The opposite cavern wall has some photos tacked up onto it.
Sembra che qualcuno abbia trasformato questo posto in uno studio, o forse anche una casa. Una larga libreria si appoggia ad un muro vicino ad vecchio e grosso tavolo. Pergamene sono sparse disordinatamente sugli scaffali ed alcune giacciono a terra. Il tavolo è coperto con vetri rotti Ciò che rimane di libri alchemici copre metà del tavolo. Sull'altra metà siede un grosso calderone vuoto in apparenza. Dall'altra parte la caverna presenta alcuni quadri appesi sui muri
Check the bookshelf
The bookshelf looks promising, but the scrolls are a mess. There’s no labeling system and there are far too many to skim. Unsure of where to start, you suddenly remember something! You collected parchment earlier!
La libreria sembra promettente, ma le pergamene sono in disordine. Non c'è un ordine preciso e sono troppe da controllare. Insicuro su cosa fare ti ricordi improvvisamente qualcosa! Hai raccolto una pergamena prima!
Read your parchment
Carefully, you bring out the parchment you collected from the cabin. It looks very yellowed, so you take extra care in unrolling it. Large smudges cover many of the words, but you can make some of it out.
“...th mana holds the key t...”
“...bborn and tough, masters of earth can bend...”
“...low is brightest when...”
“...ull then something must be wro...”
Interesting, but doesn’t really help. Fingering the material used to tie the scroll, you grin. This material used to be a bright, noble blue. Most scrolls on the shelf that are tied are tied with green or brown. Perhaps they are color coded!
Con attenzione tiri fuori la pergamena che hai raccolto dalla casetta. Sembra molto ingiallita, quindi la srotoli con cura ancora maggiore. Grosse macchie coprono la maggior parte delle parole, ma puoi ancora leggerne alcune.
"...il mana contiene la chiave..."
"...bborn e spesso, i controllori della terra possono piegarlo..."
"... il basso è più chiaro quando..."
"...ull poi qalcosa deve essere sbaglia...."
Interessante, ma non è di molto aiuto. Toccando il materiale usato per legare la pergamena sobbalzi. Il materiale usato un tempo era stato un nastro di un blu profondo. Molti rotoli sugli scaffali sono legati con nastri verdi o marroni, forse sono in ordine di colore!
Keep searching the bookshelf
Grabbing a brown tie, you undo the scroll. Notes on dragons. They are similar to your own notes you take for your dragon collecting and taming. The green ties seem to signify scrolls on history. You poke about the bookshelf until you come across what looks like a blue tie. Quickly grabbing it, you open it hopefully.
Prendendone uno legato con spago marrone lo svolgi per leggerlo. Note sui draghi, sono simili a quelle che prendi tu stesso per la tua collezione e addestramento. Il filo verde sembra rilegare pergamene di storia. Rovisti nello scaffale fino a che non trovi uno legato con filo blu. Lo prendi in fretta e lo apri speranzoso.
Read the scroll
What looks like a list of ingredients for a spell cover half the scroll. So many ingredients! Some sound hard to obtain—gold dragon scales, newt urine, stardust—and others can only be collected during certain times of the year—blooming mushroom flower, water cardinal egg. Must be a tough spell. You skim the scroll for what the spell could be. It mentions the use of many complex spell names that you aren’t sure how to pronounce. It’s near the bottom, where the text begins to fade out, that you find something that you think may be helpful. “Mixing of other types of mana can drastically weaken earth mana, as can certain types of dark magics. The key to returning ... the source of the wea... time. Be careful ... stout of heart may ... ced.”
Quella che sembra una lunga lista di ingredienti per un incantesimo copre metà pergamena. Così tanti ingredienti! Alcuni sembrano difficili da trovare : Scaglie di drago d'oro, urina di tritone, polvere di stella - e altri possono essere collezionati solo durante certi periodi dell'anno -Fiore di funghi che sbocciano, uova di Cardellino acquatico.- Deve essere un incantesimo difficile. Analizzi lo scroll per capire quale sia, menziona il nome di alcuni complessi termini che non sei sicuro di come pronunciare. Vicino al fondo dove il testo comincia a sbiadire trovi qualcosa che pensi possa essere utile. " Mischiare diversi tipi di mana può drasticamente indebolire il mana di Terra, come certi tipi anche di magia nera. La chiave per tornare... la risorsa di ... time. Stai attendo... a chi manca coraggio... non.."
Examine the large table
Upon closer inspection, the table appears to have been carved out of... pure earth mana. You gasp slightly. How would this interact with magic? The alchemy set is too broken to function anymore and the cauldron is definitely empty. The table gives you the willies. Nothing here looks useful anyway, and you gratefully back away from the table.
Dopo un controllo più attento il tavolo risulta essere intagliato in... puro mana di Terra. Tu trattieni picano il fiato.Come potrà interagire questo con la magia?!? Il set di alchimia è troppo rotto per poter funzionare ancora ed il calderone è decisamente vuoto. Il tavolo luccica e nulla più qui sembra essere utile e tu sollevato ti allontani.
==>
- Inspect the photos
The photos are beautiful, hand drawn masterpieces of a middle-aged woman and a two powerful-looking dragons. The noble Guardian of Nature is easy to recognize. You aren’t too sure of the other dragon, though. It is larger than the Guardian and where the Guardian looks noble and proud, this dragon looks angry and intimidating. However, it looks like the woman, dressed in a full suit of armor, loves both of them. The three of them are depicted in either a meadow or a forest in all the pictures. You smile and gently brush the edge of one of the pictures, displacing the frame. You touch the wall gently. It looks like there may be more to this wall than pictures.
Le foto sono bellissime, capolavori disegnati a mano di una donna di mezza età e un due draghi potenti a vedersi. Il nobile guardiano della natura è facile da riconoscere. Non siete troppo sicuri dell'altro drago, però. E 'più grande del Guardian ed esattamente come il Guardian sembra nobile e fiero, questo drago sembra arrabbiato e intimidatorio. Tuttavia, sembra che la donna, vestita con un' armatura completa, li ami entrambi. I tre sono raffigurati sia in un prato o un bosco in tutte le foto. Sorridi e strofini delicatamente il bordo di una delle immagini, spostando il telaio. Si tocca delicatamente il muro. Sembra che ci possono essere più immagini su questo muro.

Remove the pictures
You try to be gentle as you remove the pictures from their frames as quickly as possible. The backs are all blank. You glance up to feel at the wall instead. Behind where the first picture must have been is a small, rectangular hole. Your finger isn’t long enough to reach the back of the wall. But... You may have something else that is! You search about your pockets until you find the one you placed the rock from the large cavern in. Excitedly, you shove the rock into the wall. It fits perfectly.
Feeling as though this has to be it, you gently push the rock in until it is even with the wall. A faint whirling sounds behind the wall and you take a half-step back. A small square begins to appear beneath the hole as the wall slowly opens, revealing a small vial of light purple liquid. You don’t recognize the liquid, but it seems harmless enough.
Tenti di essere dolce nel rimuovere le immagini dalle loro cornici il più rapidamente possibile. I retro delle immagini sono tutti in bianco. Gettate uno sguardo per controllare la parete, invece. Dietro dove la prima foto deve esserci stato un piccolo foro rettangolare. Il dito non è abbastanza lungo da raggiungere la parte posteriore della parete. Ma ... Si può avere qualcosa di diverso che può farlo! Fai una ricerca riguardo le tasche fino a trovare quella in cui è stata inserita la roccia della grande caverna. Eccitata, è spingere la roccia nella parete. Si adatta perfettamente. Sentendo che questo deve essere fatto, spingi delicatamente la roccia finché non non tocchi il fondo del muro. Un debole suono vorticoso rieccheggia dietro il muro e fai un mezzo passo indietro. Un piccolo quadrato comincia ad apparire sotto il foro mentre il muro si apre lentamente, rivelando una fialetta di liquido rosso-chiaro. Non riconosci il liquido, ma sembra abbastanza innocuo.

==>
- Observe the cave
- - Leave the cave
- - - Explore the large opening
You still haven’t solved the mystery of what is plaguing the mountain, so you cannot leave. Hoping you missed something before, you head back into the large cavern. Nothing seems much different, so you crouch down and dig deeper through some of the rubble. Feeling ridiculous and lost, you aimlessly pick at rocks—and then you seem to hit the ground. The ground feels odd here and there are no mana crystals. The floor is exceptionally smooth. Perhaps it’s a large crystal—or perhaps you’ve found an ore that made its way all the way up to the cave floor! You attempt to find the edge by feel, but everything feels smooth.
Dig some more
Maybe you just didn’t clear enough rubble away! Quickly now, adrenaline surging through your veins, you practically throw rocks out of your way trying to uncover the rest of the ore. One edge appears to you. Then another. And another. Soon you feel what seems to be a nicely formed hexagon. You know this must be important. But how? You rap your knuckles over the ore. Sounds solid. You get up and jump up and down on the ore, hoping to get lucky. It doesn’t budge. No! It can’t end like this, not when you must be close to solving things! A roar escapes your throat and you wildly kick at the rocks around you. “Ow!” you shout at the same time the rock you kicked goes flying into the ceiling, bouncing off of it and into the wall before hitting the ground. Nice, you might have broken your toe all for nothing. But the cave seems... lighter?
The rock you kicked knocked out a chunk of wall, exposing some fresher earth mana. You stare at how bright and healthy it seems, watching as it slowly fades. Being exposed to the surface must be poisoning it. On a hunch, you crouch again and begin to dig around the outline of the hexagon. The thin covering of dust comes up easily. Your gloves inhibit you from removing the small pebbles mashed together on the floor. Tearing them off with your teeth, you get down to work, ignoring the stinging in your fingertips. Slowly, slowly, the floor around the ore is removed and the ore seems to jut up.
When you can no longer tear out material with your hands, you grab a nearby rock and scratch at the floor, working tirelessly to clear some area. You’ve no idea how far you are going to have to dig when a cobble comes free too quickly and you nearly cut your leg with your rock-shovel. Shaking your fingers, you feel around the hexagon. There! There seems to be some kind of lip to the hexagon. Spitting on your fingers, you rub them together, grab the lip, and brace yourself on the floor. Tugging on the hexagon, you begin groaning. “Come on, now!” You feel the adrenaline dwindling and your muscles straining more and more. Gritting your teeth, you refuse to give up. Earth may be a stubborn element, but so are you! Continuing to lean back, you pant and sweat, and decide to count to three and give it everything else you’ve got. One, you count in your head, two, three—you yank at the hexagon, and the lid of the odd container you thought was an ore pops off, sending you backwards.

The cave shakes and rumbles and dust rains down on you. Quickly, ignoring the stinging in your tailbone, you lean over the hexagon, reach into the container, and pull out a small, heavy object. You don’t have time to study it: the ground beneath you shakes and gravel begins spitting down from the ceiling. Cave in! Scrambling to your feet, you dash forward to the cave entrance.
The cave groans and the rubble beneath you shifts as if trying to trap you. You leap over a large block of rock that lands in front of you. The exit is in sight! You dash towards freedom when a sinking feeling hits your chest. Without looking up, you can sense the rocks tumbling towards the entrance, ready to block it. A harsh “no!” tears its way out of your throat. Without thinking, you dive forward, snatching your walking stick tightly, and sticking it in front of you. The rocks from the ceiling hit the stick and you nearly bow from the pressure, just managing to throw yourself forward as the stick breaks and the rocks fall slightly backwards. The rumbling dies down and the ground stills.You allow yourself to sink to the ground, panting as you just lie there, staring up at the star-filled night.
Nearby, crickets begin chirping. You close your eyes and smile. You did it. A loud shrieking cry interrupts the crickets’ song. Diamond Breaker. You hear the wooshing of wind and the small thump when the dragon lands.
==>
A laugh bubbles out of you as Diamond Breaker nudges you with their muzzle. You did it! The land is healing! The ravines are shrinking and trees are moving back up hill. It was such a sight to see. Brief flashes of the earth healing itself flash through your mind and you laugh some more. “Thank you, friend. That’s beautiful. But please get me out of here!” Diamond Breaker lies down next to you, urging you on their back. Strength has returned to you a bit seeing your success through Diamond Breaker eyes and you manage to pull yourself up. The air is crisp and cool so high up and you breath deeply, taking it all in. The landscape does look much better already. Glancing down at the heavy object clutched tightly in your fist, you see that it is some type of amulet made of stone. You’ll have to find a safe place to keep this. You feel good to be going back to the carnival and hope that the rest of the night may be more tame. But you doubt it.

Return to the carnival

As the bluna dragon bears you away from the carnival he tells you of a sacred cove where a nexus of the ocean's water mana has created a wonderful paradise full of life and color, with flawless sunsets and such beauty that is steals the breath. This wonderland has suddenly become twisted and corrupt, turning hostile to any creature that tries to enter. The dragons have tried without success to find the source of the corruption, but have been unable to enter. They hope that a human will have more success.
Will you agree to help?
Tenevei swims toward the cove with you safely perched on his back. You can see a violent storm raging ahead. As you get nearer the building force of the waves threatens to overwhelm Tenevei. Before you can both be swamped by the crests he heads to the nearest shore, taking shelter in the trees. You're just in time, as a torrential rain begins falling. This storm is too violent to be natural. It must be caused by whatever has been affecting the water mana nexus.
You see a cave nearby, as well as a path that runs parallel to the beach. Which path will you take?

Take shelter in the Cave
You walk briskly into the cave, already eager to be out of the rain. Although the cave had seemed dark when viewed from the storm outside, now that you are inside, you glimpse a light glow deeper within the earth. Glancing behind you, you see that the rain has only become heavier, and that exiting the cave now is probably not a good idea. You decide you might as well satisfy your curiosity, and walk deeper into the cave, waving for Tenevei to come with you.
==>
The cavern ceiling is covered in luminescent fungi of dozen different colors, looking like a rainbow kaleidoscope spread out upon the rocky surface. Beneath, there are shelves and tables stacked high with plants, books and vials. It seems you have stumbled upon someone’s alchemy lab. Exploring the small cave, you find several places with runic markings, wards to protect against creatures and thieves, but unfortunately—or perhaps fortunately, as you are not necessarily a welcome visitor yourself—none of them were active, with the magic powering them either long faded or disrupted by the mana-infused storm. The layer of dust over the objects also spoke of desertion, although the multicolored nature of the dust could mean that it was just the pollen of the ceiling’s fungi, so whether it was indeed recent or not was yet again left in question. Regardless, the owner of this place was not here, and hopefully would have no issues with you should they arrive. Your thoughts are interrupted as Tenevei motions you towards them, having found something. They are pointing at a pile of scales. Investigating them, you realize that they are scales of a deep-sea fish, imbued with just enough water mana to work as an excellent catalyst for water breathing spells. Whispering an apology for your thievery, you grab a handful, quickly creating the enchantment that will allow you to breathe underwater—with the storm outside, it may be the only way you can proceed any further with safety.
As it takes effect, you take a deep breath, feeling lightheaded for a second as the air feels suddenly light in your lungs, insufficient. It balances quickly though, and your head clears. Not wanting to impose further upon hospitality of their absent host, you turn towards the entrance of the cave, ready to continue on.
Proceed back into the storm
You walk back into the storm, now a severe downpour, and you can barely keep track of the path in front of you. You stumble often, plunging into steadily growing ponds and rivers, as Tenevei helps you along. With the water breathing spell, you need not worry about drowning, although constantly trying to swap between breathing air and breathing water was becoming an annoyance, it was thankfully only an annoyance at worst. Traveling was slow, and the path seemed to go on forever, until you reached a solid wall of water, breaking through it into a small—and unexpected—gap in the storm, a brilliant light shining above you. Glancing up, you see a lighthouse, the light shining from the tower literally forcing away the rain, although the sheer power of the storm was crushing in on the light, creating a small bubble of safety surrounded by a wall of water, streaming down upon the invisible shield.
Looking through the warped window made by the wall of water, you can see lightning cracking across the sky, the thunder reverberating within the bubble. Tenev esitates that you are now at the edge of the cove itself, with the source of this storm not far from where you currently are, however you will have to proceed underwater from here, venturing beyond the beaches’ edge.
Investigate the lighthouse
You push open the door to the lighthouse, stepping into the warmth inside with surprise. It felt like you just walked home, with the room softly lit by a fire burning in the center, keeping the place warm. Beds, chairs and couches tempted you with comfort, while some modest supplies waited on shelves—nonperishable foods, blankets and medicinal aids. You glance at Tenevei, who replies, This place is for any travelers to stay at, since there is no inn or town in this area. Reassured that you were not intruding yet again, you sit down next to the fire for a short time, drying yourself off. Not that you weren’t going to get wet again, going out to find the source of the corruption, but it felt nice to warm up. Having only so much time to spare though, you quickly get back up, searching around for things that may help you against whatever you may face beneath the water’s surface. Alas, there were no weapons to be found among the supplies, or anything useful for spells. You see a ladder that heads up to the top of the tower, where the light resides.
Climb the ladder
You climb up the ladder to the top, leaving Tenevei behind you, and as you get closer, you feel mana channels built into the walls, runes to strengthen the source of the light. That would explain how the lighthouse manages to drive back the storm as well as it does, although its ability to do that to start with is quite astonishing. Opening the trapdoor to the top, you climb through, almost immediately blinded by the torrent of light. Covering your eyes, you quickly weave a small spell to balance it for your eyes, allowing you to see the source of the lighthouse’s power—not a fire, but a magical relic. Shaped like a shield, it shone brilliantly against the storm, its power reverberating through the stones of the tower. It appeared to be reacting to the storm’s presence, actively fighting back against the dark storm. You brace yourself, hoping that none of the residents of the sacred cove minded you taking this, but you could think of nothing more useful to have with you when you encountered the source. You reach out, carefully unclasping the shield from the base that held it, separating it from the strengthening runes of the lighthouse tower. Almost immediately the light dims, and the shield around the lighthouse shrinks to a small shield around yourself, the torrential rain suddenly crashing against the tower. Wincing, you retreat back inside, Tenevei looking at you with concern over the sudden noise. “What happened... the shield! You took it?” The tone was nearly accusatory at first, until they realized that leaving the shield untouched was not as important as protecting the cove, and it would be invaluable against this storm. Sighing, they follow you as you head outside, carrying the luminescent shield.
Head into the water
You walk through the storm with much greater ease now that the shield’s protection from the rain follows you, although it is only just barely large enough to cover yourself and Tenevei. You glance forlornly at the lighthouse behind you as it is now being pummeled the rain, making a mental promise to try and return the shield to it as quickly as you can. Before you, the ocean’s waves before you writhed like a living beast, swirling and spiking unpredictably. Lightning sparked above you, thunder roaring over the oppressive sound of the rain. As you reach the edge, you carefully dive in. With Tenevei’s help, you venture into deeper waters, less affected by the turbulent forces of the storm raging above. As you swim deeper, shadows began tracing circles around you, black-scaled toothy sharks drawn to your presence—but the light of the shield forced them to keep distant. Those few that approached too close erupted in an explosion of bubbles as their flesh burned into steam, and they quickly retreated.

The deeper you went the more light came from below you, solid mana crystals grown into the coral formations at the base of the cove, their blue light illuminating the colorful coral. A pattern seemed to emerge as the crystals radiated out in circles from a center point—a massive mana crystal that had grown above the nexus of the ocean’s deep mana streams, where the liquid mana flowed like tiny minnows drifting in the currents. However, a dark shadow surrounded this crystal, forcing the purifying streams away, and corrupting any creature that touched it. It was slowly seeping into the massive core crystal, drawing its strength away, generating the storms above and powering something remotely. The darkness in this power sent shivers down your spine. You need to find a way to break its connection to the core crystal.
Approach the mana crystal
The dark shadow that covers the mana crystal must somehow be pushed away from the crystal so that the pure water mana can reach it. You aren't certain exactly how you know this, but you're certain the shield you took from the lighthouse is the key. Slowly you swim down to the surface of the crystal, shield held in front to protect you from the creeping darkness.

Wherever the darkness touches your skin it feels like thousands of insects crawling over you. Wherever the darkness touches the shield however power sings up your arm. You can feel the light of the shield fighting the darkness and the darkness fighting back. Slowly, gritting your teeth, you press on. The vibrations of the shield intensify, shaking your whole body. At last you touch the crystal with the shield. In the sudden blast of power the darkness is destroyed, but a fragment of the water mana crystal breaks free. Carefully you pick it up. Once again the liquid mana floods over the solid crystal. Already you can see the corruption is starting to fade. You are confident that the crystal will eventually be completely purified.
Return to the lighthouse
You head back to the lighthouse as the storm slowly begins to dissipate, putting the shield back at the top. It connects just fine and shines brightly again, although much calmer now. You leave as the rain finally trails off, glancing behind yourself to see a rainbow-filled sky.
Head back to the carnival

"There is a forest to the southwest of the continent with some of the richest veins of life mana to be found near the surface. Since the last full moon something horrible and perverse has come to dwell there, and none of my kind has been unable to stop it, or even enter the deepest parts of the forest. I have come seeking the expertise of a magician versed in other branches of spell casting in hopes that they may be able to find and remove the source of the curse. Would you help me?"
Yes
You agree to go with the dragon to the forest and do what you can to help, though wonder how you can succeed where a dragon has failed.

You climb onto the white dragon's back and begin your journey.
==>
You are standing in what appears to be an agricultural field gone fallow. Rising abruptly before you is an ancient old growth forest. Behind you, the ruins of a burned-down wooden house stand by an old oak tree. To your left a river snakes lazily out of the trees, and to your right you can see a hill with a collection of weathered gravestones. The white dragon walks up behind you.
"When this started, everything in the forest suddenly began aging at an alarming rate. Animals and plants withered and died, and their bodies did not decompose. I was only slightly affected, but the deeper I go into the forest, the weaker I become. As far as I know, the only things still surviving are the trees, and some of the. . .stranger life. Go carefully; time has begun to move in strange ways now, and not everything that dwells here is friendly. I would suggest you follow the river towards the spring in the heart of the wood; that seems to be the source of the enchantment."
Explore the Graveyard
You trudge up the hill to the graveyard. Most of the stones are so worn that they are illegible, but on others you can still make out the inscription. The hill gives a good view of the surrounding area; you can see a vast expanse of forest extending to the south and west, with mountains and what appears to be a city far in the distance to the east.

Suddenly you stumble and fall into a pit with sloping sides, hitting the bottom with a crunch. Your heart stops as you come face to face with a human skeleton. Its bones are bleached white and covered with tiny tatters of cloth. It looks like it was in the process of climbing out of the hole but stays quite still.

Beneath you and your new friend, part of a simple wooden coffin is visible. There is a large hole in it that appears to have been made from the inside. You wonder if this person was unfortunate enough to be buried alive, but then notice an ornate golden chain snagged on one of the splinters and dangling inside the coffin. You pick it up. Hanging from the chain is a large, diamond-shaped black stone wrapped in wire. It gives off a faint, pulsing, reddish glow, disturbingly resembling a beating heart. You recognize the stone as an undeath mana crystal. It must have been buried with this person, and then reanimated their corpse before getting caught on the coffin and falling off. You think it could be useful later and take it with you before scrambling out of the grave.
Go back
- Explore the House
You walk to the house and carefully step over the threshold. There is only one room, and most everything has been burned down to charred pieces of wood, but the stone fireplace still stands, and you can make out what used to be a table and chairs. Mysteriously, a scythe leans in one corner looking almost untouched. You pick it up and examine it. The blade is still sharp and unrusted, and the handle is covered in black lacquer. A leather strap is attach at the base and near the top. Small depictions of sundials and hourglasses have been carved up its length. You can sense that it has some sort of spell cast upon it, but are not sure what it is for. You sling the strap over your shoulder so it rests across your back.
Go back
- Enter the Forest
You enter the forest and begin following a path along the river's edge. At first the going is easy, but it soon becomes an uphill hike, and true to the white's word the ground is littered with the desiccated corpses of forest animals. Initially the forest floor is open and the trees widely spaced, but soon the vegetation becomes denser and the path narrower and more winding. You stop briefly to rest and to admire a bright purple flower, but hurry on when its center opens to reveal a jawless, circular mouth lined with row after row of sharp teeth. Vines begin to reach out and grasp at your legs and clothing, and soon you are swatting away several with every step. You take the scythe in hand and slash at a large creeper reaching for your face. The severed part falls to the ground, and the places where the metal touched the plant burst into growth before withering and dying. So that's what they used it for.
You reach a place where the river forks as a stream joins it. Both lead uphill. Which do you follow?
Follow the Stream
You hop across several stones sticking out of the water and begin following the stream. Before long you can see a large body of water through the trees, which soon open onto an expansive lake. The water is rather muddy and the top slicked with scum.
Explore the Water's Edge
You approach the lake. The water is completely still, and the air eerily silent. Suddenly the water's surface explodes and something massive comes shooting out after you. You jump back just in time to avoid the gigantic catfish-like creature that just tried to eat you. It is easily twice as tall as you are, and must be 20 meters long! Its scaleless skin is a deep teal and covered in black spots, and it has a huge, round, staring eye in the middle of its forehead in addition to two smaller, normally placed ones. It waves its long, fleshy barbels at you in an impotent rage, knocking you backwards and smearing you with pond slime.
Attack!
You bonk the giant fish monster on the nose with your scythe. It gets even more angry and tries to lunge at you again. You'd best be leaving.
Go back to the fork
- Follow the river
You continue along the river, slashing at any overly aggressive vegetation. You have been following it for what feels like five or six hours, and it has become narrower and deeper, and the water is now moving much faster. You've started noticing streaks of mana flowing through the water as well. Soon the terrain becomes rocky and your hike becomes a climb. As you go you notice veins of mana crystals streaking through the rock. You would guess from their color that they are life mana, but they have a slight sickly green tinge to them. Eventually you reach a tall waterfall. Grunting with effort and fatigue, you pull yourself up the rocks along side it to the top of the precipice. Ascending the cliff felt like it took hours, but looking back down it couldn't have taken more than 30 minutes.

At the top, you find a perfectly circular pond with sparkling, crystal-clear water. It appears to be fairly shallow, but you wonder if that is an illusion caused by the water's clarity. You can tell that this is a highly magical place; the hairs on the back of your neck are standing on end, and there is a strange taste in your mouth. At first glance nothing here seems to be amiss, so you decide to walk the spring's perimeter. After several hours of walking, you look back only to see you have walked about 30 meters. You run forward; in a split second, you have dashed forward 3 times as far.

Feeling rather disoriented, you sit down on a nearby boulder only to notice your second human skeleton of the day. This one appears far more recent, with some of the flesh still stretched across the bones and most of his clothing intact. A very long, snow white beard covers the bottom half of his face, while the top of his head is completely bald. He holds a scroll in his hand, with another sitting on the ground beside him. A scrap of mostly burned paper sits by his feet.
Read the first scroll
This scroll appears to be an introductory text on time mana, with basic information on its use and a few simple spells. It says that time mana has a strong effect upon creatures aligned with life, but that the undead appear to be immune. It also warns that large quantities of time mana are very unstable and may have unpredictable effects on living creatures if introduced into the ecosystem. Most of the spells deal with altering one's perception of time, though there is one for very limited precognition and another that will make paint dry more quickly.
==>
Read the second scroll
This scroll has been torn, and only a paragraph or two of information remain. It appears the be a theoretical discourse on the balance of nature, and proposes that for a Guardian of Nature to exist there must also be some chaotically aligned counterpart. On the reverse side a fragment for some sort of spell has been scribbled, but from what little remains you cannot determine its purpose.
==>
Read the scrap of paper
It appears that someone tried to destroy this. A few lines are still visible.
“...rupt the balance of ele...”
“...allow the Master to gain purchase against...”
“..pple one of the strongest sources of life mana on the continent...”
“...of undead to subjug...”
==>
Return to the pond
You put the scrolls and the scrap of paper into your pocket and return to the water's edge. It seems that this man had something to do with the curse before he died, but what? And who is this “Master?” You scan the pond bottom; at first all you see is smooth pebbles, but then you notice an odd black shape further out. Wading into this highly magical water feature seems like a very bad idea, but you don't see a way around it. Remembering what the scroll said, you remove the undeath amulet from your pocket and place it around your neck. It appears to be glowing and pulsing more strongly than it was when you first found it. Wearing this thing is rather creepy, but it might afford some protection against whatever is in the water.

You take a deep breath and take a few steps into the water. At first nothing happens, though it gets deeper very quickly. Your skin starts to burn and feel icy-cold at the same time, and you feel like you're going to be sick. The amulet at your chest is now beating frantically, and your own heart is now beating in tandem. You wade further into the water until you're standing on your toes and can just barely look down to see the object. You use the scythe to hook it and begin retreating as quickly as possible. A sudden current threatens to sweep you in deeper, but you manage to keep your footing and soon step backwards onto dry ground. You pull the object from the water. It is an hourglass, with an ornate black iron frame. Instead of sand it is filled with tiny, glittering purple crystals that appear to be moving up and down simultaneously. When you touch the glass your skin tingles, and you lose all sense of time.
You remove the amulet and wrap it around the hourglass before stowing both in your pack, hoping that the undeath mana will help to nullify the hourglass' power until you can figure out how to safely store it.
Go back
You go back the way you came, and begin descending the rocky wall next the the waterfall. Going down is much more difficult than climbing up, and by the time you reach the bottom you are sweating profusely. Suddenly you hear the thumping of massive wings and look up to see the white dragon approaching from above. It lands with surprising grace.

"You've done it! I could sense when the curse was lifted—what was it?"

You remove the hourglass and amulet from your pack and explain what you found to the white dragon. It wrinkles its brow in concern.
"I've never heard of any of that. Peace and stability have predominated for centuries, but given the strange events of the past few weeks...we will have to keep an ear out. In any event, please take this as a token of my appreciation."
The dragon hands you a human-sized stave of elm wood with a glittering life mana crystal set into the top.
Return to the carnival

"Light mana can be found wherever the sun and stars touch the world with their bright, life-giving caress. However, there is one place in particular that yields the most abundant and potent of light mana. It is deep in the heart of the desert on the northwest of the continent, where the sun burns without mercy and the stars in the sky are not obscured by the smoke and filth that rises from man’s dwellings. A verdant oasis exists with a bubbling spring at the center. It is ringed with bioluminescent plants and trees mutated by the strong magical energies present. Even in the dark of night, the rainbow hues of this almost-alien place can be seen for miles around and paint the horizon in impossible colors. Of late, though, any aligned with the light who attempts to approach this place only returns driven mad. They mutter of things that can only be illusions and other tricks-of-the-light, and the welcoming glow of the oasis has been obscured, no more to be seen. The peril is great, but I see in you the potential to brave the shadows and return light to our land. Will you assist?"
Yes
Sunrise Shade throws back their head and a deep, rumbling roar announces the dragon’s excitement. You stumble back a step when Sunrise Shade leaps towards you, causing the ground to quiver beneath your feet just as you did for a fleeting moment when the travails of the coming quest were being explained to you. Hunching down, Sunrise Shade turns and meets your eyes.

"You have given me hope that we will defeat this mysterious enemy. I will be honored to bear you as close to the oasis as I dare fly. Come along. There is no time to waste."

Not wishing to disappoint, you heft yourself onto the dragon’s back. With a mighty beat of their wings, Sunrise Shade takes to the air and you turn back to watch as the flickering lights and loud laughter of the carnival disappears behind you. Soon, you are only left with the steady whoosh of dragon’s wings to mark the passing of time. Sunrise Shade carries you far and long, and the landscape slowly shifts to an endless plain of dunes. Your companion finally descends and lands upon of the heights of one of these sandy reaches.

"Go, adventurer. I wish you luck, but one as brave as you will not need it to succeed I think."
Dismount and say farewell
You climb from the dragon’s back to the sand below. The ground shifts beneath your feet, and for a moment you worry if you might slip and be swallowed by the sandy sea. Lost in your ponderings, you have no time to change your mind before Sunrise Shade spreads their wings and leaves you with one final farewell. ‘The world depends upon you now, and you are on the verge of becoming a legend. I cannot wait to tell the others I carried a legend upon my back!’

The mighty beat of Sunrise Shade’s wings creates a tornado of sand, and you sputter and sneeze as the wind blows it into your eyes, nose, and mouth. By the time the sand has settled, your companion is long gone. There is only one place to go now.
==>
The trek down the dune was just as treacherous as you had feared, and sand has managed to find its way into places you do not wish to even think about. It is one thing to carry a hero, and quite another to be one. Part of you wishes that Sunrise Shade’s excitement had not been quite so infectious. After you rub your eyes, vainly trying to clear them of the stinging grit, you turn to scan your surroundings.
==>
In the distance you see a dark mass seeming to rise from beneath the sand and your heart leaps with fear. After a second or two, however, you realize it is not moving. Squinting and edging closer, you begin to realize it is a half-collapsed and seemingly-abandoned tent. The wind picks up and blows sand against the sagging fabric. In a matter of days the tent will be completely covered as if it had never existed, just another dune in this sandy sea. Now you must decide whether to investigate the tent or carry on.
Investigate the tent
There may be something of use left inside the tent, and it certainly worth the few moments it will take to search it. You edge closer. As you approach, you notice that the cloth is dyed a rich purple and covered in elaborately designed scenes of exotic places and dragons stitched in golden thread; this is certainly not the tent of a beggar, and that makes it even more curious.

You push aside the flap and step inside. A still-burning lantern is the only light to see by and it causes the faceted surface of an emerald lying on the ground to dance and shimmer. A nearby chest has been tipped over, strewing precious coins, spices, rare manas, leather-bound books, and other valuables about. You find it odd that someone would leave this fortune behind and that the lamp is still managing to burn despite the time that has passed. Do you investigate further or leave?
Plunder valuables
As you edge towards the pile of spilled treasures, you cannot almost sense Sunrise Shade’s disappointment from afar. This is not the sort of thing they discuss in legends, heroes plundering, but the shimmer of those golden coins is simply too tempting. As you reach out to touch one, however, you hear the thwump of dragon’s wings outside the tent and a furious roar causes the very air to shiver. Then you remember it is not uncommon for rich men to keep dragons to protect their valuables, and this one seems to have not left its post despite whatever happened here.

One thing you like more than gold: being alive. Getting to your feet, the stumble out of the tent just in time to see a dragon swooping down from the sky to land in front of you. You recognize it for a nebula dragon, but its hide is completely black and lacks the map of stars its kind is known for. There is no time to dwell on that, though, as seeing the manic glint in the dragon’s eyes only spurs you to run faster than you have in your life.

After running for a minute or so, you dare to look over your shoulder to see that the dragon has decided to peer its head into the opening of the tent to check on the contents of its treasure hoard instead of chasing after you. That is probably the only thing that saved your life, but that is not what causes you to falter in your step and trip before tumbling to the ground. The sky, before glimmering with the brightest stars you have ever seen, has gone as black as your greedy heart.

You stare in mute astonishment as the nebula pulls away from the tent, assured its valuables are safe, and leaps back into the sky only to meld with the blackness and disappear. You cannot even hear the thwump of its wings. A blink of your eyes, and suddenly the stares are shining down upon you again as if they had never disappeared. One thing you know for certain, you will be more careful if you approach that tent again.
==>
Investigate the tent (di nuovo)
Examine the lamp
How can a light continue to burn for so long? There is only one way to find out. Ignoring the valuables strewn across the floor, you approach the lantern and lean down to examine it more closely. The workmanship is impeccable and the outside appears to be covered in decorative, golden filigree, but it is the runes carved across the base that really captures your attention. As you begin to read it, you realize the lantern is wrought with a spell that allows the light to burn forever. Such an enchanted object is not often seen and might prove useful, especially since night has fallen. You decide to take it with you.

Before you can explore further, however, you hear the thwump of dragon’s wings beating the air outside of the tent. Curious, you scamper outside and turn your gaze towards the sky. A black shape appears to be flying circles above the tent and it is obviously agitated by your presence. It is not uncommon for rich men to keep dragons to guard their valuables, and it is fair to assume that is why the creature is lingering here. Instead of pressing your luck, you decide to back away and leave the tent be.
==>
- Carry on
Perhaps it is better if the tent is buried beneath the sands. The former owner must have abandoned it for a reason. Instead, you turn to the northwest and think you see the faint glimmer of light in the distance. There is the oasis! You may have miles left to travel and there is no time to dally. Onwards towards adventure.
==>
You travel deeper into the depths of the merciless desert; the sand sucks at your boots and every step seems to be a struggle. Every dune that rises in your path is a wave that slams against your weary body, but they must be scaled for the sake of legends (in the inspiring words of Sunrise Shade)! However, that light you saw in the distance appears to have only been a mirage. After trudging on for what seems a lifetime, it disappears behind the rise of a dune and never reappears.

What takes its place is much more terrifying. At first you begin to see dark shapes moving out of the corner of your eyes, and as you walk on the hallucinations become more vivid and gruesome. However, the light of the enchanted lantern you carry with you seems to keep them shadows at bay and at a distance. Your heart still beats wildly like dragon wings trying to bear you away, but you have just enough courage to carry on.
==>
After some time has passed, another eerie apparition forms in the distance; this one seems to edge closer to the light of your lantern than the others have dared. The semi-transparent figure of a woman garbed in the winding robes native to the people of this desert continues to dog you for some time, and you cannot escape the piercing stare of her black-brown eyes. All you want is for this hallucination to leave you alone, but it refuses to fade away like the others. Do you ignore it and continue on or approach the apparition?
Approach the apparition
This shade is different than the others; your instincts are telling you so. Still, as you set aside the lantern and leave its shielding light to approach you can’t help but wonder if you are surrendering yourself to the madness that has claimed so many others who have dared to venture here. As you come closer to the woman, her eyes widen with fright and she reaches a ghostly hand towards.

The wind begins to pick up, and you pause when you hear a distant keening carried upon it. “Please... The dark will swallow me...” The woman’s lips are moving along with the words, but they seem to be coming from some place far, far away. You stumble back a step, ready to wrap yourself in the comforting glow of the lantern once more, and the woman’s pleading only because more insistent as a result.

“Dark mana... contaminated the li- Please! Before the darkness swallows us a- Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!” A dark cloud forms behind the woman, tendrils of blackness wrapping about her arms and legs and pulling her in until she is completely consumed. You sprint back and grab the lantern, holding it close before the dark mass can do the same to you.

It is only after both have disappeared that you notice a glint in the sand where the ghost had been standing before.
Investigate glint
Edging forwards slowly, making certain the dark cloud does not manifest itself again, you make your way towards the glint. You soon realize what you saw was the metal clasp on a leather satchel. Curiosity overcoming fear, you decide to open it and investigate further. Inside is a canteen of water, a few golden coins, a hunk of jerky, a pouch of refined mana to perform spells, and a rolled up piece of parchment.

As you unroll the parchment, you begin to read:

Dearest husband,
As you know I have gone on a long journey. I am taking many of my wares to sell at the festival at Valkemare, and all seems to point at a profitable journey. I had my faithful Nebula companion, Astriferous, read the stars for me and she says that all will be well in the future if I can make it past a dark time coming just ahead.
Recent rumors have reached me that a dark mage is attacking those who travel along this path, and I believe that that may have to do with the troubles she predicted. As a precaution, I have written a ward against such magics. I have every confidence I will make it through this dangerous area safely. As you know, dearest husband, we have faced more difficult things together. Bless our son and may he rest in peace.
I eagerly await the day I return to you. Until then, rest your head easy knowing I am well.
Signed,
Zegawa

Across the bottom of the parchment is scratched the spell the woman had created. You reach up a hand to wipe your eyes, but this time it is not to clear away the grit. There is no time to dwell, though. Rolling up the parchment, you place it back in the satchel and decide to carry it with you. These supplies may be the difference between life and death.
==>
More walking. Does it ever stop? This desert is as endless as the lectures your mother gave you as a child. Just when you are on the verge of giving up hope, however, you pull yourself over the rise of a dune. The sky before you suddenly blossoms in colors you did not even know existed, a sight more beautiful than you could have imagined. It is as if a rainbow had fallen from the sky to light your path. You can see the outline of glowing vegetation in the distance.
==>
You are nearing the oasis. Nothing else could create such beautiful colors, but the light begins to dim as quickly as it flared. You saw enough, however, to see the silhouette of some dark figure skulking about the edges of the trees that ring the oasis. It is possible to sneak around it if you try hard enough.
Face the dark figure
What would Sunrise Shade say? A legend is nothing without a final skirmish, and it is their words that give you the confidence to approach the figure. After coming so far, you are almost beginning to believe you are the hero Sunrise Shade claimed. Upon approach, you see that the dark figure is actually a man dressed in a black robe. His face is obscured by a cloth crusted with grime and a pointed hat sits crooked upon his head.

When he spots you coming closer, his deep voice rings out across the sands to greet you. “Turn back! None may approach while the master takes the final step to overthrow order! Turn back now!”
It’s time for an epic battle!
You are a hero! No threatening figure dressed in black is going to stop you, and you are quick to let him know. “No!” you shout, eyes burning with defiance. The man does not waste a moment in replying, and you see him reach for a pouch about his waist. Withdrawing what you recognize to be raw dark mana, all of your confidence suddenly flees from you.

Does he plan to cast a spell with it? There is no time to dwell upon it, however; your life depends upon it. Reaching for the pouch of mana about your own waist, you remember the simple words of the ward written by Zegawa and mutter them just in time.The dark mage’s powerful spell rebounds off the shield and strikes him instead. His body falls to the ground, ragged black clothing waving in the air like some perverse flag of surrender.
==>
Sunrise Shade would be so proud! The enemy has been defeated, but something is not quite right. The wraiths still dance about the edge of your lantern’s glow. No, there is something else that needs done. You look between the unconscious body of the dark mage and the oasis, and once again you find yourself wondering how he managed to handle the raw dark mana. How do you proceed?
==>
With a confident stride, you approach the unconscious man. You have defeated him once, and you can do so again if he stirs. As you lean down to examine him, it takes only a moment for you to discover the answer to your question. The man appears to be wearing dragonhide gloves, giving them some of the natural resistance dragons have to the touch of raw mana. It would not hurt to take those with you, and relieving the mage of them will make it more difficult to attack you if he does awaken. As you slip them on to your own hands, you are pleased to find that they are a perfect fit. Now there is only one place left to go.

Continue on into the oasis
Pressing on into the heart of the oasis, you see all sorts of strange creatures skulking about in the vegetation. Numberless red eyes watch your advance, but none dare approach. Upon occasion, there is a startled screech as a black tendril forms and tugs one of the beasts into the arms of the darkness clouding this place. Pulse quickening, you pick up the pace of your search, desperate to find what is causing all of this chaos.

It is then you hear the burbling of a spring nearby, the source of the life mana the oasis is infamous for. You push your way through the thick vegetation; thick vines tangle about your feet, as if eager to impede your progress, as you stumble forwards. Despite how clumsy your rushing makes you, you eventually manage to find your way to the foot of the spring.

The light mana burbling forth from the earth shines in a rainbow of colors, constantly shifting and changing, but it is not that that captures your attention. You notice that a crystal of dark mana has been placed in the very edge of the pool, and you know that mixing mana of opposite elements can cause disruptions on a massive scale. There is the source of the chaos. There is only one way to put an end to this.

Attempt to remove the dark mana crystal
You attempt to reach down and pick up the crystal, and the dragonhide gloves that you are wearing protect you from the effects of touching raw mana. Lifting it from the spring, the change is almost instantaneous. With the opposite elements no longer in contact and warring, the black cloud and wraiths that have been following you throughout your whole journey fade and disappear. The plants ringing the oasis surge and return to their normal hue and brightness.

You have done it! Everything has been returned to its proper balance, and a victorious whoop escapes you that reminds you of Sunrise Shade’s roar. They really will write legends about this day!

Carefully slipping the dark mana crystal into your borrowed satchel where it can no longer cause problems, you turn around to face the tangling vegetation and then realize something. How are you going to get home? Sunrise Shade is no longer here to carry you. As if in answer to the thought, however, you hear the distant beat of dragon wings approaching. The mind of a dragon brushes against your own.

My name is Astriferous and you have saved me from the hold of the darkness that fell across this land. I have lost much here, including a good master I was honored to serve, but you have given me a second chance. If there is any way that I can repay the debt, just let me know. I will be honored, hero.

Time to return to the festival