The Fantasy Faire is doing a two part hunt again, and only the second half is available. The Hunt continues until the 18th, so you don't have much time to wrap it up - sorry I got this out so late. The HUD still costs 250L and is for sale at the Palace of Tears. It's fairly complicated, with a variety of menu options, and the HUD Instructions covers that, as well as a series of notes and encouragement to click on the sponsors links at the bottom.
I had an error with my HUD so that for some reason, despite the fact I finished the first half, it reset to halfway through the first half which could no longer be done. I chose to repurchase the second HUD, so I don't know if continuing with the original HUD changes anything at all. It at least starts at the same place - finding the Bard Queen and speaking with her. Like the first half of the hunt, this one has cutscenes; the transcripts are available through the "History" button.
One note up front - I have now run most of the hunt multiple times due to crashing and sleeping. Unlike some other HUD based hunts, removing your HUD and putting it on again clears the progress you've made instead of "locking" it. If there's one improvement I hope they make, it's some way to save progress as you go; since this hunt is so time intensive, the likelihood of crashing is high and after the fifth time I did the first half of the hunt I was not behaving in a ladylike manner. The only nice thing is that the puzzles all remain solved - though you have to make it "wrong" then "right" again to trigger moving on. Despite this technical difficulty, I really enjoyed this hunt - especially the puzzles.
[BARD QUEEN] And so it came to pass that after a thousand years of rule, the Emperor finally started to age. He sent away the courtiers, who served only to flatter him, and kept his counselors close. Then, after another generation, they were sent away as well. In time, only the most trusted servants were permitted to enter his presence. And now he has not been seen at all for a week.
The Eternal Empire is in chaos. No successor has been named, and now the lords and ladies strong enough to take the crown are drawing the lines for civil war. Thousands will die, unless...
Well, hero, unless you help. The Emperor cannot have left the Palace without being seen, so he must be in there somewhere. Can you find him? Help us, hero. Search the Palace.
Save us all...
NEW OBJECTIVE: Find the Emperor. Look for clues.
Now is the time to seek all over the building for various clues as to the Emperor's disappearance. As you click things, there is a response from your HUD, and sometimes your view changes to focus on a detail, or widens to focus on a place.
Deoridhe: Here is the throne room. It appears that the Emperor is interested in art...
NEW OBJECTIVE: Look for clues in the Emperor's bedroom.
Deoridhe: This must be the Emperor's private bedroom. Now if I were going to have a hiding-place, this is the sort of room I'd want it near. Perhaps there's some kind of switch?
NEW OBJECTIVE: Look for a possible switch...
Deoridhe: Hmmm... it seems that I can move these...
NEW OBJECTIVE: Solve the puzzle to proceed.
The hints are found by clicking on the images on the little puzzle.
Deoridhe: Ah-ha – a keyhole! But we need a key... Hmmm. There has to be a spare, right? But powerful people get smug, and the Emperor's a tease. I wouldn't be surprised if there's some kind of clue around here.
Deoridhe: So yes, that's him. In the crown jewels, too – very swish! But what's he holding there? Sceptre in one hand and...
This is where things get a little confusing. I'm assuming that if my first HUD had worked I owuld have already had the key, but if you purchase the second HUD you need to find it. I spent ages looking at where his right hand might be, all over, clicking everything I could find, and after a good night's rest I tried a door I had noticed in the main hall, but which I assumed was only part of the end game. Wrong. Click on the door between the stairs in the entrance hall to get to the Treasure Room.
Deoridhe: The crown jewels... full of riches from all around the world.
Mysterious Key acquired.
Gold acquired.
The next step is to head upwards again. The next step is a little confusing - the first time of using an object. Stand near the keyhole and click the "inventory" tab and arrow over to the "mysterious key". The click "use." Your camera will be taken over again (by now, clicking on things, you should be used to that) and will focus on the door hidden behind the portrait. Click on the door and you will be teleported through it.
Deoridhe: It's working! It's opening!
NEW OBJECTIVE: Open the secret entrance and look for the Emperor.
[EMPEROR] Who..? Well, no matter.
They poisoned me, you know. Slow, but certain. I sent them all away so they couldn't give me any more, but... but I think I've had enough. There's a cure, you know, in the library. But it's in code, and I can't understand it. Help me... please?
Deoridhe: Hmm! So I need to find a recipe in the library?!...
NEW OBJECTIVE: Look for a recipe in the library.
Now it's down to the library, which is a few doors down from the Throne Room. It's a lovely room full of books, and the recipe isn't difficult to find.
Deoridhe: The palace's library, filled with all sorts of books. Romance, Action, Potions, Myths, Magic...
Potions Book acquired.
Deoridhe: Great, it's in code. Typical. Honestly, do these people have so much time on their hands that they can't just write down a recipe? There has to be an explanation of how to decode it around here somewhere. NEW OBJECTIVE: Find a way to decode the recipe.
Don't leave the room - the cryptokey is on the ground in the library. Once you click on it, another puzzle will open up on your HUD - and in this case, the word you are trying to reproduce you have seen many times in many different ways as you went - and it's seven letters long.
Deoridhe: Right, so it's a sprig of Rosemary, a Mandrake root, a lump of gold, and some powdered sulphur. And we'll need an alchemist's or wizard's lab to mix it in.
Deoridhe: They should have the sulphur as well, so that's something. Best find the other three ingredients before tracking the lab down.
NEW OBJECTIVE: Find the following ingredients:
Rosemary ☑The items can be found all over the building - and you may have found some of them already. The first is someplace warm where you haven't been in the plotline yet. The second hides around the castle, dancing out of the ground. The third is key and I already picked it up in this walkthrough. If you, like me, already had everything, you have to "refind" something in order to trigger the next step of the hunt.
Mandrake root ☑
Gold ☑
Rosemary acquired.
Deoridhe: Finally! Got everything!
Deoridhe: Hummm... The ingredients need a wizard to mix this. If only I knew where to find one... Perhaps someone around here knows one?
NEW OBJECTIVE: Find a wizard. Talk to someone who may know one.
This one is kind of obvious. Of course, if you're me, you've been back to click her about a half dozen times already.
[BARD QUEEN] You have ingredients, but need somewhere to mix them? This at least I can help you with. Speak to the wizard Fimbalius. The doorway will take you to his gardens, but you must find your way to his tower yourself.
Now, for the first time all game, clicking the door next to the Bard Queen lets you open it and clickt he tantalizing doorway beyond. You end up in the "maze". Cleverly, they've put a level at the top of the maze, so even if you have wings, flying over isn't an option. That being said, it isn't the most difficult maze to solve, and with [this image] it will be much easier.
You read... "Speak, friend and enter."
Hope you know your Tolkein.
You hear "You may enter..."
NEW OBJECTIVE: Talk to the wizard.
[WIZARD] Honestly, you put a maze outside your front door and people still keep managing to barge in! Adventurers, I ask ye!
Wait, the Emperor sent you? Oh, right. Well, I suppose he's better than the alternatives. If you've got everything you need you might as well be getting on with it, I suppose - the workbench is over there.
Well, don't just stand there gawping at me, get on with it!
You don't actually have to do anything - just look at your local chat.
Deoridhe: Perfect! I better hurry back to the palace now...
Cure acquired.
NEW OBJECTIVE: Return to the Emperor and administer the cure.
To get back down, click on the shiny door and it will teleport you to the front of the maze. Click on the door you just came through, and it will teleport you down to the Bard Queen. Run back to the Emperor's Room and just click on the picture to go through the door again (no need to use the key). Then open your inventory and use the "cure" you got.
[EMPEROR]
You have the cure?
Thank you! Yes, this is the stuff. I do at least know what to do with it now.
You have done me a great service, stranger, and I am grateful. Go to the treasure room and take what you will as a reward.
Perhaps one day, when there is need, I may see fit to call on you again...
NEW OBJECTIVE: Retrieve the treasure...
Master Key acquired.
Now it's back to the Treasure Room, where you got the gold, and possibly the key. When you click on the treasure boxes, your inventory will become inundated by awesome stuff.
You have Won!!!
Art in the Throne Room:
Secret Garden at Imaginaria by Peace Edenflower-Switchblade
Mermaid by Mena Lancaster
A Siren's Call by Naniel Finlayson
Up by Gidge Adagio
The Secret Lives of Dwarves by Davie Frequency
I Loved a Maid Fair as Summer by Anabelle Marquis
No comments:
Post a Comment