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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Deuce Traveler" data-source="post: 5874160" data-attributes="member: 34958">I start off again from where we left.  "Jenlar sees you to the guest rooms.  When you are awake, he is there to see you to the door.  Jenlar Temlin stops before the door, motioning to the guards to wait before pulling it open to the wintry air. 'I have a warning to give you.  One that might help on your way. Master Arkayz wrote it himself and hopes that you will be wise enough to remember it and use it when you need it.' Jenlar reaches into his robe and brings out a small scroll. He unwinds it, clears his throat and begins to speak. 'Golden dreams can quickly turn to nightmares filled with flames that burn. Dark clouds may not bring you light, but watch for silver linings bright. Strength is not as strength might look. Remember falsely covered books! Simple treasures won't grow old, and all that glitters is not gold.' Jenlar winds up the scroll and adds, 'Legends also say that the secret is in two parts, visible and invisible. Luck to you all.' Jenlar Temlin motions to the guards, who pull open the door. The air of late autumn gusts through the opening to offer chilling greetings, and you step outside, listening to the click of the lock behind you."The heroes are let outside and begin to return from the trail that brought them to the manor.  I'm not a big fan of the simple prose used so far, but I do like riddles.  If anyone can find a connection between a piece of the riddle and a moment in the game, please point it out.  I'll try to catch onto them, too.On the way towards the inn, the game gives me this script: "With the aid of Jenlar's map, you spot a little-used trail leading off to the west, towards the Rock. Looking at the map, you find yourself on the right, easternmost side, where the trail branches westward." If we continue towards the inn, we'd get another message that says we can still ditch the quest and head off to the city of Specularum.  But we're heroes, and we shall not be driven off so easily!I turn west, down the new trail, and walk until I read "The forest has come alive with the setting sun. Unused to the presence of men among the trees, the beasts of the wilderness howl and cry out loudly."I think we just left the friendly woods... I step forward and...<img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-aDsP5m6HSHE/T4BKqeWuI1I/AAAAAAAAAQQ/m0JCvOWRDpY/h120/Rock07.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Yep... definitely left the friendly woods..."A large, sinister-looking wolf leaps from the shadows, boring into your party and snapping wildly its sharp teeth."A battle begins...<img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-hRPhQDK1mgo/T4BKqW6rzyI/AAAAAAAAAQM/yn2ljqt2i34/w389-h258-k/Rock08.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />The lone wolf appears on the tactical screen right next to our well-armored Scott DeWar.  GlassEye gets to go first, and I aim a shot at the wolf.  I find out when I move the cursor over our enemy that he is a dire wolf with an AC of 6 and 19  hit points.  This wolf might be too dangerous, and  consider using a precious sleep spell.But GlassEye fires and hits for 3 hps of damage.  Certain ranged weapons, like arrows from a longbow, allow for a second shot if the character is standing still during the round.  A second arrow does 5 more hit points of damage.  Looks like I'll be saving the spellcasting  for later.Scott DeWar misses, and so does Fenris.  I'm getting nervous again when Col Pladoh hits for 3 hit points of damage with his sling, followed by Queenie's own sling shot for 1 hp of damage. (Un)reason is up next and misses, but I bring Fenris to the creature's rear flank at the start of the next round.  Unfortunately he misses along with Scott DeWar, but GlassEye is showing off on why I spent most of my money on someone to have a longbow and a stock of arrows.  He plugs the dire wolf once more with two arrows for 4 more hit points of damage. (Un)reason misses next with his mace, and Col Pladoh with his sling, but Queenie hits once more her slung stone, bringing the creature down to 1 hp.  But the dire wolf attacks next and does 6 hit points of damage to Scott DeWar.  Scott has 1 hp left now, too.  But unlike the dire wolf, we have a cleric.  Queenie attacks at the start of the 3rd round, hits the beast for 3 hit points with her sling stone, and kills the beast.  I have (un)reason heal Scott DeWar for 4 hit points (bringing him up to 5 and near max), before ending combat.  We get 22xp each for the battle, but the stingy dire wolf carried no valuables.  I wish I got a screen shot of Queenie's killing blow, but I really didn't expect a magic-user to hit three rounds in a row and to make the party's first kill.We are jumped by a random encounter with six giant bats next, but they put up a pitiful fight, do no damage, and only give each character 8xp each for the encounter.  It was a waste to shoot at one with an arrow.  Good thing slings require no ammo.  I guess the game figures there is a abundance of decent sling stones on the ground for those that look.  Bah, is this the worst this forest has to offer?<img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ARhGVNZ6zhM/T4BKql9PXaI/AAAAAAAAAQU/ZjH4-Z2xQuk/w390-h258-k/Rock09.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />I should have kept my mouth shut..."Your party stops short as a lumbering creature breaks out of the overgrowth ahead of you. A mass of bulging, rippling muscles, the ogre roars fearsomely. 'You pay 80 gold, or me crush you!"We don't have a gold coin to our name.  "Fenris shakes his head, saying 'He's asking for a bribe,' your friend mutters in disgust."Now now, Fenris.  This is not the time to lecture the nasty giant with the huge club.  I have the option to attack or pay.  I try to pay, just for kicks, but the ogre notes that I'm not forthcoming and attacks... oh boy.Things quickly go bad.  Scott DeWar takes 8 hit points of damage from the ogre as the giant won initiative.  Scott goes down and is dying.  GlassEye fires his arrows and hits twice, but only for four hit points of damage. The ogre still has 14 hit points and a lot of attack bonuses.  I decide enough is enough, and waste a sleep spell on it from Col Pladoh, which works.  Queenie is up next and finishes him a coup de grace from her dagger; magic blast animation in full glory (I wanted to show it off). <img src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-nrgSSa50-IU/T4BKrRHyabI/AAAAAAAAAQc/kyzeT7WTbRE/w432-h287-k/Rock10.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />We win 52 xp each, 40 pieces of gold and the giant's club.  (Un)reason heals Scott DeWar with two spells, bringing our fighter/thief up to full hit points, but using up our last healing spell.  The game still won't let me camp for the night, so we must press forward with only one sleep spell left in the party, and a cleric and magic-user who are tapped out of magic.</blockquote>

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