Treasures of Azovka

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The first thing you notice about Finland--other than the biting cold--is the sound of people shouting. As you step off the docks and past the sign welcoming you to Kaleva, a group of men storm past, arguing loudly. Up the road, a mother rushes out her door to retrieve her wayward child. She glances around furtively, then darts back inside her wooden cabin. The streets were at one point blanketed with snow, but it's since been trampled into slush and mud. The atmosphere is humming. Something is wrong. The only island of calm in this sea of chaos is a man sitting on a wooden bench at a street-corner. He plucks out a quiet melody on the strange stringed instrument in his weathered hands and does not seem to notice the clamor surrounding him. [[Talk To The Man]]

"Hello, sir," you greet the man, approaching him. "Greetings, Brother Fox," he replies. "Welcome to Kaleva." You don't bother clarifying that you aren't actually a fox, but just happen to resemble one at the moment. [["What are you playing?" you ask.]] [["What is going on?" you ask.]]

"This is a kantele," the man tells you, plucking the instrument's many strings. "I've been playing it all my life. I make music for anyone who cares to listen." "It sounds lovely," you say. The man smiles, showing a mouthful of missing teeth. "Your words are kind, but they won't get you anywhere. If you want something, you'll have to make a donation." [["A donation?" you ask.]]

The man looks up from his playing and sets down his instrument on his knee. "What is going on?" you repeat, wondering if he heard you. "Interesting question," the man muses. "You'd like an answer, I suppose?" "Yes," you say evenly, trying to contain the urge to grab the man by his collar and shake him until the answer falls out of his mouth. "You may have one, but I need something first." A slow smile spreads across the man's mouth, revealing a number of missing teeth. "A donation." [["A donation?" you ask.]]

He nudges the wooden bucket before him with his boot, and it rattles. You look inside and see a collection of valuables: coins from many lands, buttons, pieces of jewelry, shells, bones, glass beads, and countless other small treasures. "If you want to know, you must first give me something in return." The man leans back on the bench. "An exchange." You have: <> <<if $inventory.has('candles')>> [[Something to trade]] <<else>> [[Nothing to trade]] <<endif>> <>

Pawing through the contents of your bag, you come across something you are willing to part with, a few old candles you picked up in the Urals. <> <<if $inventory.has('candles')>> <<linkreplace "Drop the candles in the bucket">>You dropped the candles in the bucket<<drop '$inventory' 'candles'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> You dropped the candles in the bucket <</if>> <> "Here you are," you say, and drop the object into the bucket with a clatter. The man gives another slow smile. "Thank you, Brother." "Now, what's going on here?" you ask. "Something's wrong, I can feel it." "You are perceptive," the man observes. "But it is not my story to tell. Follow this road for a ways, and you will find the castle of Väinämöinen. He will tell it." "Väinämöinen?" you ask. "Isn't he the king? "He is," the man replies. "What about the guards? They'll stop me," you say. The man shakes his head. "Not anymore. They're just as afraid as the rest of us." He returns to playing the kantele, and says nothing more. You look up the road and see the stone towers of the castle looming in the distance against the colorless, unforgiving sky. [[The road is waiting.]]

You paw through the belongings in your leather bag, but there's nothing you're willing to part with. "I don't have anything to give you," you tell the man. "What a shame." He doesn't look particularly bothered. "Can you please tell me what's going on?" you persist, but he simply shakes his head. "Come back when you have something to offer, Brother Fox. You are not ready." He resumes playing, and no matter how much you try to reason with him, he ignores you. You return to the docks where you [[arrived->The Finland Docks]].

By the time you reach the gates of Väinämöinen's castle, it's evening. The sun sets more quickly in Finland, you realize, since it's so far north. The man was right; the doors hang open, unguarded. You slip through them and into the enormous stone fortress. Every step of your paws echoes through the empty entrance of the castle. Torches in sconces line the shadowy hallways, but they all seem to have been extinguished. At the end of a hallway, there is a large wooden door, open just a crack. [[You slip through.]]

Through the door, you find an old man sitting alone at a table. He has a long, snow-white beard and wears a black-and-red cap upon his head. A large sword made of some metal that refracts the candlelight lays on the table. Väinämöinen, king of Finland, god of poetry and music, son of Ilmatar, is sitting before you, looking more despondent than you expected. "Hello there, sir," you say, not sure how to address a literal god. Väinämöinen looks around, startled, at your voice, and you realize he cannot see you due to the table. [[You jump onto the empty chair opposite him.]]

"Ah." Väinämöinen looks relieved to see that you are a fox, and not a disembodied voice after all. "Greetings." "My apologies for startling you," you say. The king shakes his head. "There have been people in and out for days now. I should not have been surprised if a spirit //did// decide to visit me." "What happened here?" you ask, hoping the king doesn't mind your casual tone. Väinämöinen's snow-white brow creases. "It is my duty to bring order to my people, whether that is with my sword or my music. But now, I only have my sword. The balance has been tipped, and my people can feel it." [["What do you mean?" you ask.]]

Väinämöinen sighs deeply, and his face seems to grow older in the flickering candlelight. "Do you know of the kantele, child?" "Yes," you answer. "I met a man who played one earlier." "I have a kantele as well--the first kantele--made from the jaws of a giant pike and the hair of maidens. It is my instrument as the god of music, just as this sword is my instrument as the king." He gestures to the glimmering blade. "But my kantele was stolen. A shaman took it. He means to use it to enter Tuonela and learn the forbidden secrets of the dead." The king shook his head. [["What's Tuonela?" you ask.]]

"Tuonela is the Underworld, child. I went there once, when I was younger. I, too, wanted to learn the secrets of the dead." Väinämöinen pauses. "I barely escaped with my life. After that, I cursed the place so no living person could enter the realm of the dead." "Well, why not let him go?" you suggest. "If he's not going to survive, then it's not a problem anymore." The king looks at you with tired grey eyes. "Yes, but then I lose my kantele. And if he does succeed somehow, all of Finland is at his mercy." "What are you going to do?" you ask. "I cannot do anything, child. I must stay here and try to calm my people." Väinämöinen looks directly at you, and you feel the eyes of a god on your soul. "You, however, are not bound by the same responsibilities." [["What are you proposing?" you ask.]]

"The curse only affects people," Väinämöinen explains. "It says nothing about animals. If the shaman does somehow manage to get through the gates, you can follow him." "You want me to go to the Underworld?" you clarify. The king nods gravely. "Yes. If there was any other way, I would take it in a heartbeat. But this is the only way. I need my kantele returned, or all of Finland will be plunged into darkness." He looks expectantly at you. [["I will go," you say.]] [["I won't go," you say.]]

Väinämöinen nods, and his aged face looks younger for a moment. "Thank you." "How do I reach Tuonela?" you ask. "Follow the road that leads west from here. It will take you through deep woods. You will reach a river with a ferrywoman. That is the river of Tuonela," the king tells you. "On the other shore are the gates of Tuonela. If you are fortunate, that will be as far as you need go." "And if I'm not fortunate?" you prompt, feeling uneasy about this whole journey you're suddenly on. "If you are not fortunate," Väinämöinen continues, "you will meet the king and queen of Tuonela. Their names are Tuoni and Tuonetar." Before you can ask about them, Väinämöinen stands up, towering over you. "Follow this west and you will always find the right way." He hands you a compass.<> <<if $inventory.has('compass')>> You took the compass. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Take the compass.">>You took the compass.<<pickup '$inventory' 'compass'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> "Good luck, young one." [[Begin Your Journey]]

The king nods slowly. "I see," he says. "I'm sorry," you say, trying to make him understand. Väinämöinen's grey eyes glint in the candlelight. "Not sorry enough, it seems." He stands from his chair, towering above you, and the light from the flames flickers on his wizened face. He takes his gleaming sword in his hand, weighing it. You try to say something, but are struck silent. The god-king levels his sword at your head, which you suddenly realize is very small. "Leave this place and never return. Unless you decide the fate of my kingdom is worth your time." In a flash, Väinämöinen is gone, striding out the door behind his chair. It slams shut after him, and the sound echoes through the empty castle. [[Outside, it starts to snow.]]

The world is far colder than before as you walk through the falling snow. You go to talk to the man who was playing kantele on the corner, but when you find the corner, it's empty. The man is gone. All that remains is his empty wooden bucket. With a heavy heart, you head back to where you [[arrived->The Finland Docks]] to wait for the next ship.

The forest is cold and dark, full of evergreen trees that tower over you and block out the silver sky. You follow Väinämöinen's compass west, over the hills, through the valleys and glades of the forest. You travel for days and nights on end--for speedily a tale is spun, but with less speed a deed is done--until you reach a fork in the path. The right fork is the wider of the two. It isn't well-trudged, but it is clearly defined among the snow and tree roots. It looks much like the path you are already following. The left fork leads slightly northwest, as opposed to true west. It is narrower, and more shadowy. The snow looks mostly undisturbed, and you can see the edge of a body of water further down the trail. [[Take the right fork]] [[Take the left fork]]

You proceed down the right fork without a backward glance. You continue traveling through the forest for several more days, until one fine morning when the sun has barely risen, the forest floor suddenly gives way to one of stones. [[Continue Forth]]

You take the left fork without a backward glance. The body of water, you discover, is a small pond lined with reeds and other hardy plants. Its surface is frozen over with clear ice that appears to be several inches thick. The water below is dark and deep. As you observe the pond, you notice something caught in the ice. It catches the dull light and reflects it, sparkling golden among all the grey. You lean closer and discover that it is a beaded bracelet, much like the one your eldest brother wears. Instead of being multicolored, however, this one is made entirely of gold. [[Reach for the bracelet]] [[Continue along the path]]

You advance towards the dark water, stumbling over the smooth, cold stones beneath your paws. Arriving at the water's edge, you peer around. The river looks like it goes on forever. Still, you cannot see the other shore. This must be the river of Tuonela, you think to yourself, but where is the ferrywoman? As if summoned by your very thoughts, a small boat glides silently out of the fog before you. It is shaped of wood, with a prow formed after the arching neck of a swan. From the swan's beak hangs a lantern. The figure standing at the boat's bow drives the oar into the shore, stopping the boat before you. She is a woman, draped entirely in white. You cannot see her face. [[You look up at her, uncertain.]]

Emerging from the trees, you look around, trying to figure out where you have landed. The stones are pale with frost. At the edge of your vision, you can see the shore sloping down to a flat, dark, glassy river, so still it barely appears to be moving. You can see little else; most of your surroundings, as well as the river's far shore, are enveloped by fog. [[Approach the Water]]

You reach out your paw for the bracelet. Just as you make contact with it, the frozen surface of the pond explodes, showering you with shards of ice and a wave of freezing cold water. In the midst of the chaos, you catch sight of a pair of round, glowing yellow spheres. Before you can react, you are seized by a pair of clawlike hands and lifted into the air. The next thing you see is an enormous gaping pit of teeth that look like shards of glass below you. You fight in desperation against the hands as they lower you closer to the creature's mouth, but there's nothing you can do. [[Or is there?]]

The bracelet probably belongs to someone, you reason. You keep going, leaving the icy pond and the bracelet behind. You continue traveling through the forest for several more days, until one fine morning when the sun has barely risen, the forest floor suddenly gives way to one of stones. [[Continue Forth]]

Your father always said words were the best weapon against adversity. "Please let me go," you manage to gasp. Everything stops. There is silence for a moment. You hold your breath. "You are no man." Its voice is deep, but crackling. It sounds like frostbite. "And yet you speak like one." Slowly, the creature lowers you to the ground. "I mistook you. My apologies, Brother." From your vantage point, you can now see the creature's full form. It is a tall, bizarre form, composed of branches and horns that extend from its shambling body at strange angles. Strings of pondweed hang down from its branches. Its eyes are the two yellow lights you saw before, shining down at you, blank and pupilless. [["What are you?" you ask.]]

The creature tilts its strange head. "I am the Nøkk, Brother Fox. I live in this pond and I wait for foolish men to come by and prove their greed." It grins, showing off its dagger-like teeth once more, and twirls the golden bracelet around a twig finger. "They call me by many names. Neck, näkki, nixy, nøkken. They are all true, for I am many things." Before your eyes, the Nøkk's body folds and contorts into itself, cracking and crunching as it reforms into something entirely new. The face of a young woman peers out from behind a curtain of pondweed hair, but she still has the Nøkk's luminous eyes and dangerous smile. "I am what I choose to be." [[It awaits your response.]]

"Has anyone passed by as of late?" you ask. "A man with a kantele, perhaps?" The Nøkk tilts its head. "So you are Väinämöinen's, then." You bristle at the remark. "I belong to no one but myself." "I have met the man whom you seek," the Nøkk continues, ignoring your retort. "He was prepared for me. He offered me a gift, so I spared him." "What gift?" you ask, wondering if the Nøkk has the kantele. "Three drops of blood," the Nøkk says. Seeing your expression, it continues, "You would not understand. To a Nøkk, that is the best gift one can receive. In return, I taught him." [["Taught him what?" you ask.]]

"He was barely even a man," the Nøkk says, not answering your question, and its face morphs once again. "A boy, really." It lifts one of its arms, and its fingers grow long and thin until they become strings. Its wrist folds back, the finger-strings attaching to the creature's elbow, forming its arm into the shape of a kantele. Its face has become that of a young man: round-faced, but with something like sorrow in his eyes. It plucks its finger-strings with its other hand, and the music floats through the trees. For a moment, the silence of the forest dissolves, replaced by the Nøkk's melody, and the trees sway, sighing. The reeds in the pond hum in tune with the strings, and the whole forest becomes a symphony. The music is almost too beautiful to bear. [[You are spellbound.]]

After a moment, the Nøkk stops playing, and its fingers unfold, shrinking back into a hand-like shape. "Not all is as it seems, Brother Fox," it warns. "What do you mean?" you ask, surfacing from the music. "Choose carefully." The Nøkk's face cracks and morphs back into its own once more. "Hubris is the worst flaw a king can have." You have no idea what to say to that. "Take this. For your brother." The Nøkk extends a clawlike hand. The golden bracelet dangles from one of its fingers. <> <<if $inventory.has('golden bracelet')>> You took the golden bracelet. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Take the golden bracelet.">>You took the golden bracelet.<<pickup '$inventory' 'golden bracelet'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> "Thank you." "Act wisely, Brother." With that, the Nøkk descends into the pond, vanishing beneath the dark waters. As soon as the last ripple disappears, the water of the pond freezes over once more, and you are [[alone again]].

You travel on through the forest. It is just as dark and deep as before, but if you listen, you can hear faint snatches of music in the gusts of wind blowing through the branches of the tall evergreens. You continue traveling through the forest for several more days, until one fine morning when the sun has barely risen, the forest floor suddenly gives way to one of stones. [[Continue Forth]]

"Hello?" you say, nervous. "Greetings." Her voice is smooth and even. "I am Tuonen tytti. Do you desire to reach the gates of Tuonela?" "Yes, I do," you answer. "Then come aboard, Brother Fox." She bends down and holds out her arm to help you onto the boat. You take a seat behind Tuonen tytti and settle in. She turns to you, and for a moment, you catch sight of her eyes beneath her white shroud. They are pure black. No iris, no whites--only black, a black so deep it hurts your eyes to look at. "Are you ready?" she asks. [[You manage a nod.]]

Tuonen tytti pushes off from the shore, and before you know it, you're sailing directly into the blanket of fog. As you glide across the glassy river, unable to see anything besides the boat and the water around it, you realize that you are experiencing the exact opposite of darkness. Everything is white. You can no longer see the sun. "How long does it take to cross this river?" you ask, trying to quash the dread you feel rising in your stomach. Tuonen tytti does not look at you; her pitch-black eyes remain fixed on the unseeable horizon. "Time is immaterial, Brother. It has no place here." [[The boat sails on.]]

A long or a short time later--you have lost the ability to tell--just when you are beginning to forget everything except fog and dark water, something rises up out of the fog beside you. At first, you almost mistake it for another boat, but it isn't. It is a large, pitch-black swan. "What's that?" you ask, pointing to it. Tuonen tytti doesn't have to look to know what you are referring to. "She is the Swan of Tuonela. A young man named Lemminkäinen once tried to kill her, but he was the one who died." The swan turns its black head and looks at you. You are overcome by the same feeling you felt when Väinämöinen stared into your eyes. This swan knows something. [[Reach out for the swan]] [[Stay where you are]]

Fascinated by the intelligence in the swan's gaze, you lean over the side of the boat towards the Swan of Tuonela, desperate to touch its feathers. "Brother Fox, no!" But Tuonen tytti's warning comes too late. All of a sudden, you lose your balance and fall into the dark waters of the river of Tuonela with little more than a ripple. The water is freezing; it saps the breath from your lungs and the movement from your body in seconds. You try to swim, to find the surface somewhere, but you cannot move. You can only sink deeper and deeper into the dark waters, until the only thing you know is darkness.

The swan bobs its head towards you. You do the same in return. It swims closer to the boat until it is right beside you. Purposefully, the swan reaches its head under its wing and reappears with a single feather in its beak. It sets the feather on the side of the boat beside you. The feather shimmers and glows with a golden light that almost resembles sunlight. <> <<if $inventory.has('swan feather')>> You picked up the swan feather. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Pick up the swan feather. ">>You picked up the swan feather, and the glow strengthened.<<pickup '$inventory' 'swan feather'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> With that, the swan glides away into the fog and vanishes. Time passes. Again, with nothing to mark it, you find yourself unsure if it's been hours or minutes. As you're trying to figure out how long it's been, you feel the boat grind to a halt. You look up to find that you have reached the far shore of the river of Tuonela. "I leave you here, Brother Fox," Tuonen tytti says. "Thank you," you reply. [[You climb out of the boat and onto solid ground once more.]]

As you pick your way across the uneven shore, leaving Tuonen tytti and the fog behind, you realize that the place you have arrived in is very different to the one you left behind. You find yourself surrounded by a quiet sighing, like the wind is blowing somewhere nearby, but you don't feel any wind. The stones beneath your feet are bleached white and oddly-shaped. With a little imagination, they may have once been bones. You shudder and continue forward. Out of habit, you take out the compass Väinämöinen gave you to ensure that you are still going west. The compass's needle is spinning wildly. Somehow, it seems to have lost its way. You replace it in your bag and continue, dread curdling in the pit of your stomach. [[In the distance, a tall structure begins to appear.]]

Out of the smog, a pair of gates emerge. They are formed of bone, glowing dully white in the gathering gloom. During your passage, things have grown darker, as if night is approaching. If night exists here, that is. As you approach the gate, you begin to hear the plaintive cries of someone who has lost something. You see the two stone statues standing before the gate with their swords crossed before you see the figure kneeling in front of them. [[You draw up behind, unnoticed.]]

"Please, you don't understand," the figure pleads, addressing the statues. "I have to get into Tuonela, I have to!" The statues stay silent. The figure pauses for a moment, then asks, "Will you let me in if I'm dead?" Slowly, the statues nod in unison. [["Not so fast," you say.]]

The figure whirls around, and you are met with the visage of a round-faced young man. His face is flushed and stained with tears, and he wears a sealskin bag on his back. "Who are you?" he stammers, struggling to his feet. "It doesn't matter," you respond. "I'm here to take back what you stole and return it to its rightful owner." The young man's dark eyes widen. "No, please! I can explain!" [[Take back the kantele]] [[Hear him out]]

"I don't want to hear it," you say through gritted teeth, and lunge for the young man. The impact knocks him over, and you <> <<if $inventory.has('sealskin bag')>> seized the sealskin bag, <<else>> <<linkreplace "manage to seize the sealskin bag, ">>seized the sealskin bag, <<pickup '$inventory' 'sealskin bag'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <<if $inventory.has('fur coat')>> holding a fur coat <<else>> <<linkreplace "holding a fur coat">>holding a fur coat<<pickup '$inventory' 'fur coat'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <<if $inventory.has('Väinämöinen’s kantele')>> and Väinämöinen’s kantele. <<else>> <<linkreplace "and Väinämöinen’s kantele.">> and Väinämöinen’s kantele.<<pickup '$inventory' 'Väinämöinen’s kantele'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> In a flash, you turn tail and dash back towards the shore, tripping over the uneven stones. Behind you, you can hear the young man shouting and chasing after you, but you don't look back. [[You dash back into the fog.]]

"Go on, then." You nod to the young man, who takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry for taking the kantele. I just thought that since it's the original one, it would be more powerful." He rubs his eyes. "I'm a musician, and I need to reach Tuoni and Tuonetar and play for them." You narrow your eyes. "Why?" The young man's sad eyes grow even sadder. "The only reason I'm here, the only reason I took the kantele in the first place, is because I lost the love of my life." He turns and gazes at the gates. "Eurydikeä. She died, but if I can just get through these gates and play for the king and queen, I know they'll understand." He looks back at you with desperation in his eyes. [["That will never work," you say.]] [["How are you going to do that?" you ask.]]

You reach the shore quickly and see that Tuonen tytti is waiting in her boat. As you glance over your shoulder, you see that the young man is hot on your heels. You leap into the boat, rocking it, and shout, "Tuonen tytti, I need passage to the other side of the river!" "As you wish," Tuonen tytti sighs, and she pushes off from the shore. Just as she does so, the young man dives for the boat, catching the side and making it tip violently. Tuonen tytti does not appear to notice. "Let go!" you say, trying to pry the young man's fingers off of the boat's side, but his grip is strong. "No! Not until you give me back my satchel!" He grabs for the satchel with one hand, but just then, [[the boat tips unexpectedly]].

The young man half-smiles apologetically. "I have to try." "You really don't," you say sharply. "You could just accept it, like the rest of us." "You can't tell me you wouldn't at least try." The young man blinks down at you. "If there was even the smallest chance you could get her back." You feel the weight of your leather bag in a way you usually don't notice. [[Agree to help]] [[Take back the kantele]]

The young man turns to look at the gates, then back at you. "I'm- I'm not sure yet, exactly," he stammers. "But I know there has to be a way in somehow." "Väinämöinen's curse says no living person can enter Tuonela," you point out. "Of course, but I've heard stories of shamans tricking the guards and getting in." He rubs his forehead. "I mean, I'm not a shaman, but-" "You're not?" you cut in. The young man looks at you, confused, and shakes his head. "No, of course not. I just play music." [[Agree to help]] [[Take back the kantele]]

"I'll help you get into Tuonela," you tell the young man. "But you have to return the kantele afterwards." His sad dark eyes brighten for a moment. "Oh, I can't thank you enough!" "Don't thank me now," you sigh, approaching the guards. "We haven't gotten anywhere yet." The statues stand stock-still, swords crossed, but you can feel their eyes upon you. You take several purposeful steps forward, and as you reach the statues, they grind to life and uncross their swords. [[Proceed.]]

As you try to figure out what to do, your eyes fall on the young man's sealskin bag. It's worth a try. "Play for them," you call back. "What?" the young man asks, confused. You nod to his bag. "Play the kantele. It might help." The young man slings the bag off his shoulders, rummages inside for a moment, then produces a kantele the likes of which you have never seen before. Its strings shimmer like pure gold, and its sides are formed of two enormous jawbones. [[He props it up on his arm and begins to play.]]

You glance back at the young man, who looks stunned. "Come on, then." With that, you proceed through the guards and find yourself staring up at the gates of Tuonela. Behind you, there is a sudden noise. "Hey!" You turn to see the young man trapped behind the stone guards, whose swords have crossed again. He strains his neck to see you. "What do I do?" he asks. [[You stay silent for a moment, unsure.]]

The young man's fingers move swiftly and delicately across the strings, plucking out a tune. The music fills the air, humming through your ears and echoing off each and every stone on the shore. Although there are no words to the song, you seem to hear them anyway. It's a song of sorrow, of loss, of pain. You know those songs well. And yet, the melody climbs back up, speaking of determination and of hope. The rhythm becomes steady, pulsing like a heartbeat, a promise that come what may, hope will not be lost. [[You are enraptured.]]

It takes the sound of the statues shifting to bring you back. You look down to see that the two statues of lost heroes have fallen to their knees at the young man's feet, heads bowed, leaning on their swords as a sign of respect. Behind you, there is a soft swish. You turn to see that the gates have opened just a sliver. The young man lowers the kantele and stares in awe. [[Tuonela awaits you both.]]

Tuonela is less frightening than the gate made of bones implied it to be. At first, at least. If the far side of the river was dusk, you and the young man have now entered twilight. Shadows surround you like a curtain; the only light you have is the swan's feather, which, to be fair, is a very strong light for its size. As you walk on through the gloom, the young man tells you that his name is Orfeuksen, and that he's played kantele since he was a young boy. His father taught him how, he tells you. In return, you tell him your father taught you to stand up for those in need. [[In the distance, something flares orange in the gloom.]]

As you approach the glow and it grows larger and larger, you realize that it isn't one single thing at all, but countless tongues of flames. Beneath your feet, the carpet of bones subsides to one of hard stone as you enter the second phase of Tuonela. Now you begin to understand the gates of bone. You are surrounded by the color of burnt orange, and smoke hangs heavy in the air, making both of you cough. Plumes of flame burst from the ground unexpectedly, catching you off-guard. [[Nevertheless, you forge forwards, determined to reach the court of Tuonela.]]

As you and Orfeuksen make your way, there is a scream from within the fog, and a figure staggers out, reaching half-decayed hands for you. You recoil, stepping away. It is a man. At least, it used to be a man. Now, it is barely more than a skeleton decorated with scraps of flesh and clothing. "Help me," comes a rattling whisper from its ruined throat. "Help me..." [[Run]] [[Try to help]]

You tug on Orfeuksen's sleeve and pull him away. The two of you dash off into the smoke, shaken by the sight. The man was the first of many, you discover. This entire section of Tuonela seems to be full of half-decayed former humans screaming for help. You try to get through as quickly as possible. [[At long last, you see a clearing in the smoke ahead.]]

You circle the man, keeping a safe distance. "How can we help?" you ask, but the man is unable to respond. "Here." You turn to see Orfeuksen pulling Väinämöinen's kantele from his knapsack once again. "Some music for you, Brother." The man stares blankly up at Orfeuksen as he plays, and for a moment, the punishing heat feels a little less hot. For a moment, you feel like you can breathe a little easier. For a moment, a light reignites in the man's eyes, and he is drawn upright, exhaling a long breath. Then, without another word, the man dissolves into dust and seeps into the cracked stone beneath your feet. [[Orfeuksen lowers the kantele.]]

The two of you emerge from the orange smog, glad to breathe in smokeless air, stale though it might be. Orfeuksen replaces his kantele, and the pair of you continue on through the third phase of Tuonela. Electricity crackles in the air around you, making your hair stand up. Seemingly out of nowhere, the path begins to narrow. The stone ground beneath your feet seems to shift when you walk on it. Eventually, the path grows so thin that you are forced to shimmy along single-file. The deep green hue of the void looms in front of and behind you, impenetrable, unknowable. [[Just then, lightning strikes the path behind you.]]

The man was the first of many, you discover. This entire section of Tuonela seems to be full of half-decayed former humans screaming for help. You try to get through as quickly as possible. You lead Orfeuksen--who plays the kantele all the way through, trying to bring peace to as many souls as possible--through, guided by the glowing light of the swan's feather. [[At long last, you see a clearing in the smoke ahead.]]

The ground shatters, tumbling into the void, and cracks run up the path towards you. "Run!" you call to Orfeuksen, and both of you do. Behind you, you can hear the sound of the stone ground shifting and rumbling and falling down, down, down into the void below you. Before you, more strands of bright green lightning flicker silently, threatening to strike the path again. A glance over your shoulder shows that the both of you are barely outrunning the fractures spreading through the walkway. [[Better pick up the pace.]]

The path comes to its end at a set of rough-hewn stone stairs. You dive onto them just as the last of the uneven stone walkway crumbles beneath your feet. You and Orfeuksen watch as it falls away into the deep green darkness, vanishing silently into somewhere beyond sight. "Well, I guess we won't be going back that way," Orfeuksen remarks. Green lightning flashes in the distance. You turn to face the stairs, which are hewn from a more grey stone than the green of the walkway. [["Down we go, then."]]

The two of you descend the stairs into the darkness of a starless night sky. It grows ever darker as the two of you descend, keeping an eye out for whatever awaits you in this new phase. To your surprise, you reach the bottom of the steps without major incident. Once your paws touch the floor, you get the feeling that you are somewhere deeper than you've ever been before. As the two of you proceed carefully, you hear thousands of whispers surrounding you, saying things you can't quite make out. You are not alone down here. It's too dark to see anything but Orfeuksen and the ground in front of you. The darkness has never been this overwhelming before. [[Suddenly, a figure looms up out of the dark.]]

The two of you stop short. The figure is colorless and not-quite-opaque, and she isn't facing you. But when Orfeuksen cautiously says, "Hello?" she turns quickly. Orfeuksen's dark eyes go wide as he stares down at the young woman before you. She has dark hair and light eyes, and wears clothes similar to Orfeuksen's own. "Orfeuksen?" When she speaks, her voice is like a whisper in the wind. "Eurydikeä," Orfeuksen breathes. [[The two gaze at each other.]]

"What are you doing here?" she asks, reaching out a hand to touch Orfeuksen's shoulder, but it just passes through. He touches the spot. "I'm here to bring you home. I'm going to play for the king and queen, and then you can come home." He smiles, the first time you have seen him do so. "Do you think they'll let me go?" Eurydikeä asks, twirling a curl of hair around her shadowy finger. Orfeuksen nods firmly. "I know they will." Eurydikeä smiles. "Then be quick, my love. I'll be waiting." [[With that, she fades away into the darkness, leaving Orfeuksen to stare at the blank space where she was.]]

With the image of Eurydikeä close at hand, the two of you begin to move much faster. However, this phase of Tuonela is much longer than the others. You've lost track of how long you've been wandering in the dark for, blindly hoping you're going in the right direction. There's one whisper that you keep hearing in the thousands surrounding you. It is a woman's voice, calling out the same thing over and over. At first, you thought it was saying "Dima", like Dimitri, but as the voice grows harder and harder to ignore, you realize that it's not saying "Dima" at all. It's saying "Tima". [[Follow the voice]] [[Stay on the path]]

You plunge into the darkness, veering off the path, holding the swan's feather aloft to cast light on the rocky ground. "Where are you going?" Orfeuksen demands, catching up to you. "Someone's calling my name," you reply, and though Orfeuksen doesn't look entirely convinced, he stays by your side. You wander past muttering spirits and shades, none of whom seem to take notice of you. The woman's familiar voice grows louder and louder, until finally- You find her. Your mother is standing in front of you, looking just how you remember her, and [[her kind face breaks into a smile]].

You continue on, ignoring the voice. For some reason, you have the sudden urge to begin weeping, but you fight it back. Now is not the time. You have a job to do. The two of you continue walking on through the dead of night, passing shades and spirits that mutter unintelligible things and fade in and out. Finally, just when you've given up hope, the deep darkness of night begins to subside, lightening to an indigo, and a shining palace built of silver rises in the distance. One of the palace's towers is so tall that it stretches further than you can see. [[You know without being told that this is the Palace of Tuonela.]]

"Mamushka?" you manage. You never thought you would see her again; certainly not here, certainly not now. "I knew it was you, my little Timushka," she sighs, and all you want to do is give your mother the last hug you never had the chance to. But you know she can't touch you, and it hurts. "You look a little different." She laughs, the sound like a faintly ringing bell. You weren't a fox the last time she saw you. "Yes, I got into a bad turn with a sorceress on the ship here," you explain, "but it doesn't matter. Mama, I've missed you so much." "I've missed you too, Tima. How are Nikita and Viliam? And your father?" she asks. You can only nod. "They're wonderful, wonderful. Nikita is so strong, and Viliam makes the most lovely music, Mama. I wish you could hear it." [[She smiles sadly.]]

"Someday I will, Tima." Her smile is just how you remember it when you were just a boy, sitting on the stove and watching her make borscht. You want nothing more than to curl up and talk with her forever, to ask her all the questions you never got to and tell her all about everything. You know, deep down, that you can't. But you can ask her one thing you have always wanted to know. "Mama, why did you name me Timofei?" you ask. "I named Nikita because I knew he would be brave; I named Viliam because I knew he would protect all that he loved. And you, Tima, I named because I knew you would always choose the honorable way." She smiles softly. "That's how you got here, after all." "Oh," you say, holding back the flood of emotion that desperately wants to come pouring out for Orfeuksen's sake. [[Your mother turns to him.]]

"I've heard your reason for coming," she tells Orfeuksen. He looks surprised. "Really?" She nods. "Yes. Word spreads quickly here. Be advised: Tuonetar is more willing than her husband. She loves the sound of a mountain melody, for there are no such mountains in Tuonela." "Thank you," Orfeuksen says, bowing his head. "And now," your mother sighs, "you must go. For if you stay too long here, you will not be able to leave." You wonder if that would really be such a bad thing. "I give you all my love, Tima," your mother says as she begins to fade away. "Bring it back to share with your father and brothers. And remember, Timushka--I will never truly leave you." [[She is gone, and you swallow back your tears.]]

The two of you continue walking on through the dead of night, passing shades and spirits that mutter unintelligible things and fade in and out. Finally, just when you've given up hope, the deep darkness of night begins to subside, lightening to an indigo, and a shining palace built of silver rises in the distance. One of the palace's towers is so tall that it stretches further than you can see. [[You know without being told that this is the Palace of Tuonela.]]

Sooner than you thought possible, you and Orfeuksen find yourself at the doors of the resplendent silver palace. You take a breath. Beyond them, you know, lies the feasting-hall of the king and queen of the dead. You glance at Orfeuksen, who has gone pale. "Play a mountain air, remember?" You nudge his arm. He nods shakily. "I remember. Let's go." [[The two of you step forward and push open the heavy wooden doors together.]]

At the end of the hall, the king and queen of Tuonela are seated upon their thrones. At first, you are somewhat confused by the lack of guards, but then you realize that they have nothing to fear from the spirits of the dead. You and Orfeuksen slowly advance up the aisle between feast tables, examining Tuoni and Tuonetar. Tuoni, the king, is dressed in a black tunic gilded with silver. Tuonetar, the queen, wears a long, full-skirted black dress with silver embroidery. Her long, pure white hair pools around her throne like water. Both of them wear animal skulls as masks; Tuoni's is an elk's, complete with enormous antlers, while Tuonetar's is a bear's. "You are not of this world." Tuoni's voice is so deep that you can feel it rumbling in the ground below you. "State your business or else." [[Tell the truth]] [[Make something up]]

Orfeuksen appears to be struck dumb, so you speak for him. "We come here with a request," you say. "A request?" Tuonetar lets out a hollow laugh. "There is no bargaining with death, children." "Death's never met me." You look over at Orfeuksen, shocked. He is gazing up at the rulers of Tuonela with that familiar look of determination in his eyes. "Orfeuksen-" you hiss, trying to warn him, but he holds up a hand. Tuoni and Tuonetar's expressions are unreadable behind their masks. [["Explain yourself," Tuoni says.]]

"We're just lost," you say quickly. "We found a hole in the ground and-" "Enough!" Tuonetar rises, and waves of billowing white hair spill over her throne and curl behind her as she descends the stairs towards you. "You are a fool if you believe the queen of the earth will not notice a lie." She stops mere feet from you, looking down at you. Behind the bear's skull, her eyes are full of fire. You, it seems, have made a mistake. [[Apologize]] [[Stand your ground]]

"I'm sorry," you say, averting your eyes and bowing your head. "I should not have spoken so rashly." Tuonetar's fiery gaze remains upon you. "No, you should not have." You squeeze your eyes shut, waiting for whatever she deems your punishment to be, but the only thing that happens is her footsteps ascending the steps once more. "Now," Tuoni growls. "Why are you //really// here?" [[You look up.->Tell the truth]]

"I wasn't lying," you lie. Tuonetar tilts her head. "You've been traveling far, child. You must be thirsty." She holds out her hand, and a silver goblet materializes in it. "Drink this. It will restore your spirits." She extends it to you. [[Drink it]] [[Spill it]]

"Death took someone it wasn't supposed to," says Orfeuksen, "and I'm here to bring her back home." "Death makes no mistakes," Tuoni says, his tone commanding. "Then how did we get here?" Orfeuksen points out. "We crossed the river, got around Väinämöinen's curse, walked all the way through Tuonela, and we're still alive. There should be no way we're here." Tuoni and Tuonetar stare at him, silent. Orfeuksen stares back, undaunted. "Give me the chance to show you how we got here. Would you like to know?" he asks, looking between them. After a moment, Tuoni speaks. [["Show us," he says.]]

Having no other option, you lean forward and take a small sip from the goblet. Almost immediately, your knees buckle, sending you sprawling onto the fine wooden floors. You roll onto your back, coughing. "Timofei!" Orfeuksen falls to his knees beside you. "What did you give him?" he shouts at Tuonetar. "Why, the Beer of Oblivion," she replies. "Fit for a liar." You can barely make out her words over your coughing. The world is starting to become very dark. "Orfeuksen," you manage to gasp. "Yes? Yes, Timofei, what is it?" He looks scared. He's so young, younger even than you. He needs you to be here, but you can't be. In fact, all you can do is say one last thing. "Play the mountain song," you whisper. "For her." "I will," Orfeuksen says, his voice breaking, and then all you know is darkness.

You bat the drink over, and a thick black sludge of worms and snakes spills out, splattering on the fine wood floors. You recoil at the sight, very glad you decided not to drink it. "Timofei!" But Orfeuksen's warning comes too late. Tuonetar's hand closes around your throat, and she lifts you into the air. You struggle, but are no match for the queen of Tuonela. "You are a fool," she whispers to you as you choke for breath and your vision begins to fade. "You are a fool, and both of you will die for your foolishness." You gasp for breath, but there's nothing, nothing but the darkness that jumps and flickers at the edges of your vision before enveloping it completely, and then all you know is darkness.

As you watch, Orfeuksen slips off his sealskin pack and pulls out the kantele. You look up to see the rulers' reaction. It's almost imperceptible, but you notice them do a double-take as they recognize Väinämöinen's kantele. Orfeuksen lifts the kantele and takes a deep breath of the heavy air. He exhales and plucks his first note. It's an old song, one that even you recognize; your brother used to play it. A mountain song. As it goes on, though, Orfeuksen weaves in bits and pieces of other songs, adding in harmonies and switching rhythms at an incredible pace. You have never seen him this focused before. The music sweeps you up and takes your mind far away from the throneroom of the Underworld. Instead, you find yourself standing on the side of a grassy mountain, breathing the fresh air of spring and feeling the breeze on your skin. [[The air in the throneroom begins to hum.]]

Around you, something incredible begins to happen. From the wooden floorboards, plants begin to sprout. Flowers unfold, growing taller and blossoming in more colors than you thought possible. Vines weave around the feasting tables. Grass begins to grow in the cracks between the steps to the thrones. All of a sudden, the throneroom of the dead is full of life. You look back at the rulers and see that Tuonetar has gotten to her feet, but it isn't to punish Orfeuksen. No, she is gazing around at the vines weaving their way up among the rafters, the fir tree sprouting up out of the floor, the snowdrops growing at her feet. Beside you, Orfeuksen comes to the end of his composition and looks up. [[Tuonetar takes off her mask.]]

She stands at the top of the stairs with her white hair flowing around her and her skull mask held in her small hands. For the first time, you can see her eyes. They are the same green as the plants that grow around you, and they are wet. "Thank you," she says quietly. "What is your name?" "My name is Orfeuksen," your companion says, "and this is Timofei." He gestures to you. "I could not have made it here without him." Tuonetar holds her skirts and steps down to be on the same plane as Orfeuksen. "Your song reminds me of when I was a girl in the mountains. I, too, was in love." She looks back at Tuoni. "Do you remember?" "I do," Tuoni replies, but says nothing else. [[Tuonetar smiles at Orfeuksen, who looks very surprised.]]

"Who are you seeking?" she asks. "Her name is Eurydikeä," Orfeuksen says, excitement rising in his voice. Tuonetar nods. "She is in the fields. We must go fetch her and bring her back here." Orfeuksen appears to be too delighted to do anything but nod several times. Tuonetar takes his arm and guides him out the door of the throneroom, leaving you alone with Tuoni. [[He is looking at you in a way that makes you uneasy.]]

"And who are you?" Tuoni, unlike his wife, still has his elk's skull mask on, so you cannot gauge his facial expression. "I was sent to retrieve Väinämöinen's kantele," you say, and hesitate. Tuoni nods, stroking his chin. "But you did not." You shake your head. "No." "You speak like a man," Tuoni says, looking you up and down. "Is that because you were one?" "Yes, and hopefully I will be one again sometime soon," you say. "I displeased a sorceress, and she cursed me to hold this shape." [[Tuoni seems to be considering something.]]

"I'm sure you must miss having a human form," he muses aloud. "More than anything," you sigh. "Being a fox makes everything much more difficult. I just want someone to turn me back to the way I was before." There is silence for a moment. "I could turn you back," Tuoni says. He looks down at you. "For a price." "What's the price?" you ask immediately. Tuoni drums his fingers on the arm of his throne. "My wife is sentimental. She is easily swayed by displays of love like the one that child gave." He nods to the door that Orfeuksen and Tuonetar exited through. "I am not won over by such things. Death does not make mistakes." [[You frown, but continue listening.]]

"As king of the dead, I cannot allow myself or my citizens to be ruled by the living," he continues. "What are you suggesting?" you ask. "I am //suggesting// that, if you were to subtly intervene in a way that would result in the girl staying here and the boy leaving empty-handed, I would be more than willing to break the curse and transform you back into your human form." You can't quite tell, but Tuoni seems to be smiling. You are speechless, and guilty. "You don't have to say anything," Tuoni tells you. "It's up to you. Retain the natural order of things and regain your rightful form, or allow this abomination to succeed and lose that right." [[Moments after he finishes speaking, the doors open.]]

Tuonetar leads the way into the throneroom, and you step aside to let her pass. She has Orfeuksen on one side and Eurydikeä--her spirit, at least--on the other. "Tuonetar," Tuoni says, and the queen stops in her tracks. "Yes?" "I need to speak to you for a moment." Tuoni beckons her over, and the two of them have a hushed conversation. After a moment, they separate and look down at the three of you. [["What's going on?" Orfeuksen asks.]]

You cling to the side of the boat, barely avoiding getting thrown off. Once the small boat is stable again, you look up, but the young man is gone. You peer over the side of the boat. There he is, floating under the deep, dark waters of the river of Tuonela with his eyes wide open and his mouth stretched in a perpetual scream. You don't have to ask Tuonen tytti to know that the young man is dead. You look at the sealskin satchel and ask yourself if it was worth his life. [[The boat ride back feels much shorter than the one there.]]

You reach the eastern shore of the river of Tuonela and disembark, thanking Tuonen tytti for the passage. You cannot shake the image of that nameless young man sinking down into the dark waters. You cannot shake the thought that it was your fault. He was a danger to the safety of this whole country and the people in it, you tell yourself, following Väinämöinen's compass east now, back through the forest. But he really didn't seem dangerous, the rational part of your brain argues as you make your way down the path with the pond. [["Back so soon?" A crackling voice interrupts your internal argument.]]

You look over to see the Nøkk sitting in the crook of a tree beside the pond, staring down at you with its disconcerting, blank yellow eyes. "I suppose so," you sigh. The Nøkk tilts its strange head. "You are different, Brother Fox. You've changed. Something has happened, hasn't it?" "I met the young man you taught," you begin, reluctant and plagued by guilt. "We fought over the kantele and he fell into the river of Tuonela." The Nøkk is silent. "I never even got his name," you sigh. "And now he's gone." "His name was Orfeuksen," the Nøkk says. You turn to say something, but the crook of the tree is empty. The only thing remaining of the Nøkk is the [[music drifting faintly on the wind]].

You're not sure exactly how long it's been when you arrive at the gates of Väinämöinen's castle for the second time, bedraggled and guilt-ridden. The doors are still unguarded, so you go in the same way you went before. The torches in the hallway are lit now, casting flickering shadows on the stone walls. At any other time, their light would have been comforting, but now it just feels disrespectful to the young man--Orfeuksen--'s memory. [[You slip through the door once more.]]

Inside the room, Väinämöinen is enjoying a meal of lihapiirakka with rye bread. "Hello," you say, climbing up onto the chair opposite him as you did before. The god-king smiles at you. "Hello, young one. Back already?" You nod. "Excellent." Väinämöinen rubs his hands together. "I can't wait to have my kantele back." You dig through the young man's sealskin backpack and pull out the kantele. At any other time, you would have admired it, but you just want to get out of here. <> <<if $inventory.has('Väinämöinen’s kantele')>> <<linkreplace "Return the kantele to Väinämöinen">>You returned the kantele to Väinämöinen<<drop '$inventory' 'Väinämöinen’s kantele'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> You returned the kantele to Väinämöinen <</if>> <> [[You turn to leave.->The Finland Docks]]

"Wait, don't go!" At Väinämöinen's words, you pause. He pulls the kantele towards him. "Thank you, young one. You have done me a favor; now, what can I do to repay you?" Your first thought is to resurrect the young man, but you know the dead must stay dead. Orfeuksen is gone, and that's that, you tell yourself. To be honest, payment hasn't even crossed your mind until now. That aside, you do have a certain problem that still needs solving. "Turn me back into a human," you say flatly. Väinämöinen raises his snow-white brow. "Why, I didn't know you were a human. I thought you were just a particularly vocal fox." [[He laughs. You do not.]]

"A sorceress put a curse on me," you say, "and I'd very much appreciate being human again." "I can do that for you, young one." Väinämöinen claps his hands, then picks up the kantele. He thinks for a moment, then plucks a few notes several times over. Once he finishes, he speaks several words in a language you don't know. Then, and only then, do you feel your fox's skin burning away. Being human would feel a lot better if you didn't have the spectre of Orfeuksen hanging over your head. [["Thank you," you say, and leave as soon as possible.]]

In an attempt to both honor Orfeuksen and keep your newly human body warm, you put on the fur coat that you found in the sealskin bag. It is spitting a mixture of rain and sleet, and being outside without a coat is unthinkable. With nothing else to do but leave, you head for the docks to catch the next ship out of town. On your way there, you pass the man playing kantele on the wooden bench, who is sitting under an overhang to avoid the weather today. "Excuse me, Brother Fox," the man says, and you stop. [["How did you recognize me?" you ask.]]

The man grins his toothless smile. "You look just the same as a human as you did a fox." "What is it?" you ask, exhausted and ready to collapse into a hammock belowdecks somewhere. "I wanted to ask where you got that coat." The man nods to it. "My boy has one just like it, but I haven't seen him in a while." He peers down at his bucket. "What's his name?" you ask, already sure of the answer. "His name's Orfeuksen, after my father," the man tells you. "So, where'd you get the coat?" You aren't sure what to tell him. [[Tell him it's your coat]] [[Tell him what happened to his son]]

"My father actually got it for me," you tell him. It's a lie, but there's no way you could tell him what actually happened to his son. The man nods slowly. "Well, your father has good taste, then." He gazes out into the grey streets. "Perhaps someday I'll see my boy again." The two of you stand in the rain for a moment. Then, without saying anything, you reach into your shoulder bag and pull out the glowing swan feather. You certainly don't have any need for it anymore. <> <<if $inventory.has('swan feather')>> <<linkreplace "Drop the swan feather in the bucket.">>You dropp the swan feather in the bucket.<<drop '$inventory' 'Väinämöinen’s kantele'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> You dropped the swan feather in the bucket. <</if>> <> You place it into the man's wooden bucket, wish him a fine day, then turn away, unable to face him any longer. [[You arrive at the docks, readier than you've ever been to leave.->The Finland Docks]]

"I got the coat from your son," you tell the man. "I met him while I was traveling. He...he's not coming home." The man stares at you. "You don't mean-" You nod silently, unable to say anything around the knot in your throat. "My son..." The man buries his face in his hands and begins to weep. "I'm sorry," you manage to say, "I'm so sorry, sir." "I never even got to say goodbye," Orfeuksen's father whispers. You sit with him on the bench in the rain for a long time. You tell him everything you can remember. At the end, you <> <<if $inventory.has('fur coat')>> <<linkreplace "wrap him in the fur coat, ">>wrapped him in the fur coat, <<drop '$inventory' 'fur coat'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> wrapped him in the fur coat, <</if>> <<if $inventory.has('swan feather')>> <<linkreplace "place the swan feather in his wooden bucket, ">>placed the swan feather in his bucket, <<drop '$inventory' 'swan feather'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> placed the swan feather in his bucket, <</if>> <<if $inventory.has('sealskin bag')>> <<linkreplace "give him the sealskin bag, ">>gave him the sealskin bag, <<drop '$inventory' 'sealskin bag'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> and gave him the sealskin bag, <</if>> <>and set off into the rain, content to be soaking wet and freezing cold. [[You arrive at the docks, readier than you've ever been to leave.->The Finland Docks]]

You are at the docks, where you find a ship to take you across the Baltic Sea. [[Take the ship to Scandinavia->Scandinavia]]

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio scandinavia loop play>> <> You leave the deck with the other travellers. You are walking from this village by the docks to another one. While you are walking, you encounter a woman. She is struggling to stand, being pinned down by something. You rush over to help her, seeing a hammer on the sleeve of her dress. She is desperately trying to pull it out from under the hammer. “Do you need help?” you ask, reaching for the handle of the hammer. “You probably can’t lift it. Do you know what that is? That is Thor’s Hammer, Mjolnir! Only those who are worthy can lift it! But feel free to try,” she cries dejectedly. You reach for the handle, grasp it, and lift it, jerking it because you expected it to be heavier. <> <<if $inventory.has('Mjolnir')>> You picked up Mjolnir. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Pick up Mjolnir.">>You picked up Mjolnir<<pickup '$inventory' 'Mjolnir'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <>The woman gasps in shock, and she stands. She bows, and begs you come with her. [[Follow her.]] [[Don’t follow her.]]

"Before you and Eurydikeä can be together on the surface, you have to prove your love," Tuonetar tells him. "You will be leading the way to the surface using the spiral staircase in our tallest tower," Tuoni says, "but you are forbidden from speaking to this girl or looking behind you." He does something to you behind his mask that may be a wink. You hope it isn't. "If you break those rules, Eurydikeä returns to Tuonela for good," Tuonetar warns. "Do you agree to the terms?" the king of the dead asks Orfeuksen and Eurydikeä. They look at each other, then back at him, and nod simultaneously. "Yes," says Eurydikeä, and Orfeuksen smiles. [["To the tower, then," Tuoni says.]]

The tallest tower in the Palace of Tuonela is an endless spiral of stone staircases, circling endlessly upwards into what must be the Overworld, but you don't really have any idea of knowing whether that's true or not. You stand at the bottom with Orfeuksen and Eurydikeä, who tell the other to be strong, then assume their positions. Your job is to walk in the middle of the pair, keeping them far enough apart. Now that Tuoni has broached the subject, you are incredibly uncomfortable in this body. It's like being crushed into a space less than an eighth of your actual size; you wake up every day dreaming of when you will become your real self again. "It's time," Tuoni says. "Good luck," Tuonetar tells the three of you. [[Orfeuksen steps onto the first stair.]]

The tower is grey. There is no sighing of spirits to be heard, no lightning making the air crackle with electricity, no flames jumping up from beneath your feet. There are only the steps, leading you upwards in a neverending spiral. Has it been seconds since you began walking? Minutes? Hours? You cannot say. All that you know is that time has passed. Every step looks the same. Every turn around the stairs leads to another turn that looks exactly like the one before. [[You begin to wonder if Tuoni and Tuonetar haven't tricked you into walking up this staircase for all eternity.]]

Ahead of you, Orfeuksen is struggling. His breathing is labored, and you can see him fighting to keep from speaking, or playing the kantele, or doing something to try and hasten the ascent. You cannot see Eurydikeä behind you, but you can feel the fierce, desperate hope emanating from her. She can see Orfeuksen, so she trusts him. It would be wonderful to be human again. It would be wonderful to be able to have hands and fingers instead of paws, hair instead of fur. Finally, you would be //yourself//. [[Orfeuksen's steps begin to falter.]]

He slows down, holding his head in his hands and breathing heavily. One by one, he continues up the steps, each requiring a Herculean effort, but you can see his spirit fading. The hope and determination of the first song you heard him play is a distant memory. Finally, he comes to a complete stop, standing on a stair that looks just like all the others. His jaw is clenched. The silence is almost unbearable. This is your chance. [[Confirm his suspicions]] [[Do nothing]] [[Reassure him]]

Although Orfeuksen and Eurydikeä are forbidden from speaking, you are not. You wonder for a moment if this is the right thing to do, but you shake the thought away. You do what you have to in this world. "Orfeuksen," you whisper to him, "I can't hear her anymore." Your words feed his fear that Eurydikeä was never there at all, and after a painful pause- [[Orfeuksen looks back.]]

You watch Orfeuksen's heaving shoulders with trepidation. He seems to be facing some sort of internal crisis. Is Eurydikeä //really// behind him, he wonders, or is he being tricked? The same thing you've been wondering. Is Tuoni really offering you a solution, or is he just tricking you into thinking he is? Before you, something seems to happen to Orfeuksen. This is his breaking point. You open your mouth to say something, but before you can- [[Orfeuksen looks back.]]

Although Orfeuksen and Eurydikeä are forbidden from speaking, you are not. You step forward and nudge Orfeuksen's heel. "Keep going," you whisper. "Remember the mountain air." Slowly, Orfeuksen lifts his head. Though you cannot see his expression, you can feel something change in the air around you. Without a single word, Orfeuksen begins climbing the steps again. [[You let out a breath and follow.]]

By the rhythm of his footsteps, you can tell that Orfeuksen is silently singing a song to himself. His fingers twitch as if playing an invisible kantele. The steps go on forever, and keep going after that, but Orfeuksen takes them on with a determination that cannot be stopped. A long time later, you round the spiral of the stairs one last time and see the bright golden light of day shining before you. [[You've made it.]]

Orfeuksen runs the last few steps, emerging into the sunlight of the Overworld. You follow him. You haven't felt the light of the sun in so long. It's a wonderful feeling, even if it is on your fur and not your skin. You turn to watch Eurydikeä step from the shadows of the tower into the sunlight. As she does so, her silvery form solidifies, and her colors return, replacing the greyscale. In the doorway of the tower, Tuoni and Tuonetar appear. "A promise is a promise," Tuoni says, concealing the bitterness in his voice. "You are free to go until your time arrives." Tuonetar breathes in the fresh air. "May you live long, happy lives." [[With that, the two of them vanish, and the tower's door swings shut behind them.]]

Finally, Orfeuksen turns around. He sees Eurydikeä standing there, vibrant, colorful, and truly alive once again, and embraces her. He tries to say something several times, but can't seem to find the words. Eurydikeä nods, understanding. "I knew I could trust you, love," she says, and wraps her arms around him. After a moment, the two of them break apart and Orfeuksen looks to you. "Thank you," he says, "for giving me hope." [[You smile back at him.]]

The journey back to Kaleva feels shorter than the journey there. To be fair, though, you were alone when you made the trip the first time. Now, you have Orfeuksen and Eurydikeä to keep you company, to laugh with around the campfire late at night, to stargaze with, to share stories with. One grey morning, as you are following the road back east towards the rising sun, the three of you arrive at the gates of Väinämöinen's castle. [[This is a trip you have to make alone.]]

"Here's the kantele." Orfeuksen produces it from his sealskin bag and gazes down at it longingly for a moment. He hands it to you. <> <<if $inventory.has('Väinämöinen’s kantele')>> You accepted the kantele. <<else>> <<linkreplace "You accept the kantele">>You accepted the kantele<<pickup '$inventory' 'Väinämöinen’s kantele'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>><> "I'll be back soon," you tell them. "Let's meet up in town." They agree, and merrily set off down the road to Kaleva. [[With the kantele safely in your leather satchel, there's nothing left to do but enter Väinämöinen's fortress.]]

There are still no guards standing at the doors, so you are able to enter unimpeded. In the hallway, however, the torches are all lit now, casting flickering shadows on the stone walls. Their golden glow makes the place a lot more cheerful. The door at the hallway is still open a crack. [[Again, you slip through into the room beyond.]]

Inside the room, Väinämöinen is enjoying a meal of lihapiirakka with rye bread. "Hello," you greet him, climbing up onto the chair opposite him as you did before. The god-king smiles at you. "Ah, you've returned! Were you met with success on your journey?" "I was," you say, producing the kantele from within your leather bag. Its golden strings shimmer in the candlelight. [[You present it to Väinämöinen.]]

The king's grey eyes light up, and he takes the kantele from you. He admires it for a moment, then looks up at you. "I cannot thank you enough, young one." <> <<if $inventory.has('Väinämöinen’s kantele')>> <<linkreplace "Return the kantele to Väinämöinen">>You returned the kantele to Väinämöinen<<drop '$inventory' 'Väinämöinen’s kantele'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> You returned the kantele to Väinämöinen <</if>> <> "It was an honor, sir," you say. "Now, what can I do to repay you?" Väinämöinen folds his hands and looks at you. You blink in surprise. You didn't think you were getting any sort of compensation for this. That said, there is one problem that only a god could solve. [["Turn me back into a human," you say.]]

Väinämöinen looks surprised. "I didn't realize you ever were one," he says. "I was," you tell him, "and I have been for most of my life. I was turned into a fox by a sorceress on the ship here, and I've been looking for a way to transform back ever since." "Well," Väinämöinen says, "I can certainly help you with that." He takes the kantele into his hands. Deftly, he plucks a progression of notes and begins to chant in a language you've never heard before. As he does so, [[you feel yourself begin to change]].

Your fox skin burns away, and then you're human again, standing on two legs instead of four, back to your usual height. You pat your face with a hand--not a paw--and sigh with relief at your familiar facial features. "I can't thank you enough," you say to Väinämöinen, who offers a benign smile in return. "Anything to repay you for retrieving my kantele," he says. You bid him adieu and [[head into town]] to meet up with Orfeuksen and Eurydikeä.

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio finland loop play>> <> On the final day of your journey from Russia to Finland, you stand at the bow of the ship, gazing into the frothing waves of the sea below. You've grown accustomed to the rocking of the ship by now; your seasickness subsided days ago. A voice interrupts your reverie. "Excuse me, young man." You turn to see a rosy-faced woman draped in a wolfskin cloak standing behind you. "Can I help you, madam?" you ask. "Yes, actually." She smiles, revealing a set of oddly sharp white teeth. "I have a favor to ask of you." [["What is it?" you ask, with some trepidation.]]

When you find Orfeuksen and Eurydikeä, they are recounting your journey with delight to the man on the bench you spoke to when you first arrived. They look confused for a moment at your approach, but when you explain that Väinämöinen turned you back into a human, they relax. The kantele-playing man, you discover, is Orfeuksen's father. He had been missing his son, and was very relieved to have him back. Eurydikeä's mother and younger sister were more shocked than relieved at her return at first, as she had been dead, but they were both overjoyed that she had come back to them. You leave the group of them there, talking and laughing by Orfeuksen's father's bench, and they wish you safe travels on your [[next journey->The Finland Docks]].

He is met with the sight of Eurydikeä's betrayed face as she fades away into nothing. She was there all along. Orfeuksen collapses to his knees. Just as he hits the floor, the staircase dissolves around you, and the pair of you find yourselves in a grove of trees. You glance around. This is the Overworld, not Tuonela. Before you, Tuoni and Tuonetar materialize and gaze down at you both. Orfeuksen buries his face in his hands and shakes his head, unable to speak. "I'll take good care of her for you," Tuonetar says, but Orfeuksen doesn't seem to hear her. He staggers off to lean against a nearby tree. Tuonetar looks as if she's going to comfort him for a moment, but she vanishes instead, leaving [[you and Tuoni alone]].

Tuoni bares his teeth in his version of a smile. "You made the right choice," he says. You stare up at him, not bothering to hide the outrage in your eyes. You weren't the one who did this. This isn't your fault. Or so you tell yourself. "Now, for your reward." Tuoni raises a skeletal hand and makes a motion in the air, then brings it down towards you. In a moment, your body is enveloped by the sensation of burning flames that bite into your skin. It lasts only long enough for you to cry out, then it subsides and you find yourself in the form of a human once more, curled up on the forest floor. [[Tuoni shoots you a wink and vanishes.]]

"Timofei?" You turn to see Orfeuksen standing beside you. "You're not a fox anymore." You shake your head. "No, I'm not." You're taller than Orfeuksen, you realize. He really is just a boy. "Why did he change you back?" he asks blankly. You shake your head. "I don't know," you lie. Orfeuksen stares into your eyes for a moment, then turns and walks into the woods. [[You follow him.]]

The two of you don't talk about what happened in Tuonela on the journey back to Kaleva. You don't press Orfeuksen. He is grieving twicefold now. He talks about sitting in the woods and playing music until the whole world weeps. You worry about him, but you let him grieve. As you're walking eastward one day, he says, "They had no right to do that to me. They had no right to take her away. It's ridiculous!" He shakes his head and storms forward, leaving you to follow behind, guilt roiling in your stomach. "I can try again," he says one night around the campfire, and his voice breaks. "I did it once, I can do it again." Both of you know he won't. The worst part of the journey is when Orfeuksen falls completely silent. He refuses to eat, drink, or sleep, and nothing you say gets through to him. [[Try to help him]] [[Let him grieve]]

The night sky above you is filled with stars. It must be close to midnight, but neither you nor Orfeuksen are asleep. He hasn't slept for days. He just sits by the fire and stares into the dying embers. You cannot stand this any longer. You sit up and address him. "Orfeuksen," you say, "I want to play kantele." Orfeuksen just stares at you with his dark, blank eyes. You hold out a hand. "Give it here." Slowly, he removes the sacred kantele from his sealskin bag and hands it to you.<> <<if $inventory.has('Väinämöinen’s kantele')>> You accepted the kantele. <<else>> <<linkreplace "You accept the kantele">>You accepted the kantele<<pickup '$inventory' 'Väinämöinen’s kantele'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>><> You size up the instrument. Having no idea how to play it, you lay it on your knee and begin plucking at the strings. [["That's not how you hold it." Orfeuksen's voice is hoarse from lack of use.]]

You decide, reasonably, that interweaving yourself with Orfeuksen's personal tragedy will only lead to more heartache, and leave him to work through it alone. You are by his side in shape, but not in spirit. Nevertheless, he eventually works through it and starts speaking again. He is far sadder than before, however, and everytime he speaks, he has to put in a great deal of effort. [[Your journey home continues.]]

You look up, surprised. "Can you show me?" you ask. Orfeuksen nods. "Here, let me." He rearranges the kantele, positioning your fingers over the strings where they are supposed to go. "Try again." You pluck several notes, which sound marginally better. You look to Orfeuksen for approval, and he nods. "There you go. Now, try this." He takes the kantele from your hands and begins to play a simple melody. You watch him visibly relax into the music, closing his eyes. Around you, a breeze blows through the trees. [[Something begins to grow at Orfeuksen's feet.]]

Orfeuksen finishes the song and opens his eyes to see that a single red flower has grown and blossomed at his feet. He tilts his head as he looks at it, then turns to you. "Did I do that?" he asks. "Yes," you reply. "You did." "Oh." He looks at the flower with tenderness in his dark eyes. <> <<if $inventory.has('sealskin bag')>> You picked up the red flower. <<else>> <<linkreplace "You pick up the red flower">>You picked up the red flower<<pickup '$inventory' 'sealskin bag'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> [[After that night, he starts eating again.->Your journey home continues.]]

When you reach Kaleva, you walk Orfeuksen into town before you return Väinämöinen's kantele. His father lives in town, he tells you. It is only when Orfeuksen embraces the kantele-playing man on the bench you spoke to when you first arrived that you connect the two. They have the same eyes. Orfeuksen's father is relieved to have him back home safe, but he knows why his son left, and is gentle with him. Orfeuksen thanks you and says goodbye, and he and his father walk down the street together, leaning on one another. You look around Kaleva. Things appear to have returned to normal, even without Väinämöinen and his kantele. Children giggle and chase each other down the sidewalks, and the jovial sound of laughter drifts out the open door of a nearby pub. [[Return Väinämöinen's kantele]] [[Keep Väinämöinen's kantele]]

You arrive at the gates of the castle, only to discover that the castle's guards have reappeared in their places. "Hello," you greet them. "I'm the one Väinämöinen sent to Tuonela to retrieve his kantele. I have it right here." You pat your leather satchel. "Will you return it to him for me?" The taller of the two guards nods and extends his hand. <> <<if $inventory.has('Väinämöinen’s kantele')>> <<linkreplace "Hand the kantele to Väinämöinen's guard.">>You returned the kantele to Väinämöinen.<<drop '$inventory' 'Väinämöinen’s kantele'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> You returned the kantele to Väinämöinen. <</if>> <> He and the second guard open the castle's doors and walk inside without a word, leaving you alone outside. You aren't sure what you expected, but it wasn't this. You return to [[the docks->The Finland Docks]], feeling whatever the opposite of vindicated is.

You look up the road to where the silhouette of Väinämöinen's castle looms over the town. He //lied// to you. He told you that Orfeuksen was a dangerous shaman, when he was really just a grief-stricken young musician. Finland seems to be getting on just fine without Väinämöinen's guidance and without his kantele. You turn away from the castle, walking east towards the rising sun. Väinämöinen doesn't deserve his kantele, because it isn't his anymore. It will forever belong to Orfeuksen, the young man whose music brought life to the land of the dead. You shoulder your leather bag and head for the [[docks->The Finland Docks]].

She points into the dark waters churning below the ship's bow. "You must jump into the sea for me, young man." You stare at the woman in disbelief. "And why would I do that?" you ask. The woman's icy blue eyes bore into yours. "Because I told you to. My orders are not to be disobeyed." "I don't understand," you say. "Why would I want to jump into the freezing cold ocean right here, right now?" "If you follow my orders," the woman says sweetly, "You will receive a gift. If you refuse, you will be punished for your insolence." You have never met this woman before in your life. [[Jump off the ship]] [[Refuse]]

Not knowing what else to do, you shed your bag and coat and climb over the ship's railing. You stare down into the frigid, roiling waves of the Gulf of Finland, and you have never wanted to jump into anything less in your life. But one glance back at the strange woman in the wolf's cloak tells you that there is no going back now. [[You breathe in deeply and take the leap.]]

The woman's sweet smile widens. "Very well, young man. Be a fool." She raises her arms. "Let the world see you for what you truly are." In a flash, you collapse to the deck, writhing in pain. Your body seems to be crushing in on itself, growing smaller and smaller, sprouting russet-red fur from beneath your skin. Once the pain subsides, you try to get to your feet, but you find that your feet and hands have become paws. You duck your head under the railing--for you are now small enough to do so--and see in the reflection of the water that you are no longer a man, but a fox. The woman smiles coyly at you. "And thus you shall remain, young man, until you prove your worth another way." In another flash, she vanishes, leaving you alone on the bow. [[You are still a fox when you arrive in Finland the next day.->arrived]]

The water is paralyzingly cold when you hit it. It saps the breath from your lungs, and you can do nothing but watch the bubbles escape from your mouth. You try to swim, but the currents drag you down like a ragdoll. There is no more air to breathe, no more sensations except the seaweed winding around your feet and dragging you down, no more sights except the woman leering mockingly over the side of the ship at you. Your skull collides with the ship's hull, and you lose not just your consciousness, but everything else, too.

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<set $inv to ["\n a pickaxe"]>> <<audio urals loop play>> <> Once upon a time, there existed a small mining village at the foot of the Ural Mountains famed for its riches of gold, rubies, diamonds, and the finest malachite. Hoping to strike it rich, you have travelled to this small village to stake your claim as a prospector. The village is small, but has a hotel, a pub, and general store. Go to the [[hotel]] Go to the [[pub]] Go to the [[general store]] Go to the [[mine]]

In your inventory you have: <<inventory '$inventory'>> <> <<if $inventory.has('Fliodhais’s Chariot')>> [[Use Fliodhais's chariot]] <</if>> <> <<return "Close inventory.">>

[[Inventory]]

<<cacheaudio "hieland" "music/hielandladdie.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "wellerman" "music/Wellerman.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "urals" "music/urals.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "finland" "music/finland.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "russia" "music/russia.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "pomors" "music/pomors.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "caucasus" "music/caucasus.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "ireland" "music/ireland.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "turkey" "music/turkey.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "greece" "music/greece.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "rome" "music/rome.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "spain" "music/spain.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "khanty" "music/khanty.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "netherlands" "music/netherlands.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "england" "music/england.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "scandinavia" "music/scandinavia.mp3">> <<cacheaudio "germany" "music/germany.mp3">> <<newinventory '$inventory'>>

The hotel is small, but a few rooms are available. You book a room for the night. Go to [[sleep->hotel]] Go to [[town]]

The pub is busy with local prospectors relaxing after a hard day in the mines. You begin to talk to the locals and they begin to regale stories of mystical mountain spirits, grand treasures, and strange creatures. One older prospector grabs your attention who tells of a beautiful maiden who watches over the riches of the Urals. He calls her Azovka, the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. According to the prospector, the Mistress was prone to beguile miners and steal their riches. You talk with the miners throughout the night. Some of the prospectors invite you to go mining with them the next morning. Go to the [[hotel->hotel1]]

The general store is small, but well-stocked. The locals come here for all their necessities. There is: <> <<if $inventory.has('lamp')>> You picked up the lamp <<else>> <<linkreplace "a lamp">>You picked up the lamp<<pickup '$inventory' 'lamp'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> <> <<if $inventory.has('fish soup')>> You picked up the fish soup <<else>> <<linkreplace "fish soup">>You picked up the fish soup<<pickup '$inventory' 'fish soup'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> <> <<if $inventory.has('tea')>> You picked up the tea <<else>> <<linkreplace "tea">>You picked up the tea<<pickup '$inventory' 'tea'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> <> <<if $inventory.has('candles')>> You picked up the candles <<else>> <<linkreplace "candles">>You picked up the candles<<pickup '$inventory' 'candles'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> Go to [[town]]

You begin to follow the trail to the mine, passing through a peaceful forest with a babbling brook. The trail you follow twists and turns until you come to a large birch tree. Tired of walking, you decide to [[rest next to the birch tree]].

The village is small, but has a hotel, a pub, a general store, and a nearby mine. Go to the [[hotel]] Go to the [[pub]] Go to the [[general store]] Go to the [[mine]]

The hotel is small, but a few rooms are available. You book a room for the night. You awake the next morning to find the prospectors you spoke with last night, waiting to take you to the mine. Go to [[town]] Go to the [[mine->mine1]]

The miners bring you to the mine. After spending the morning down in the mine, you and the prospectors retire for a hearty lunch. After lunch, you and the miners fall asleep under a nearby tree. You are [[awoken]] by a mysterious figure

As you come to your senses, you see a beautiful young maiden sitting on a pile of copper ore. Her dark hair flutters in the breeze, and her dress shines a silky green. She beckons you to follow her. [[Follow her]]

The mysterious woman leads you into the mine. Her shimmering outfit reminds you of the stories of the old prospector. This woman must be Azovka, the Mistress of the Copper Mountain. As she passes a pile of ore, lizards of all colors begin to surround her. Green lizards, blue lizards, sandy lizards, grassy lizards, glassy lizards, lizards made of clay and mica. The lizards completely cover the floor in a strange pattern reminiscent of every variety of copper ore--mica, blende, and malachite. "Don't tread on my soldiers," the Maiden warns, "If you crush my servants--it will be bad." You remember the warning the old prospector gave, should you trust the maiden? Might she be luring you into a trap to steal your possesions? [[Tread on the lizards]] [[Remain still]]

"I am the guardian of the Urals, do you know who I am?" the Maiden questions "You are the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, the old prospector called you Azovka," you reply. "Indeed. If it is treasure you seek, I can guide you on your quest. But, first I must ask that you assist me," she inquires. "[[Of course]]," you respond.

You disregard her warning, and step forward, crushing several lizards beneath your boots. "You are big and heavy, and they are but tiny, yet you smother them under the sole of your boot." the Maiden laments "You have made a terrible mistake." "I'm not afraid of you!" you respond angrily. [["So be it," the Mistress retorts]]

You remain still and the Mistress claps her hands and the lizards clear a path. "You come seeking fortune," she says, [["I am but a humble treasure seeker," you reply]]

With those words, the Mistress proclaims: "You come seeking the riches of the Urals, yet you insult the Mistress of the Copper Mountain, protector of the Urals, and her servants. For this, you will pay dearly. You will be doomed to fail eternally in your search for treasure. Any gems you find are condemned to turn to ordinary rock." As soon as the Mistress spoke her curse, she turns and becomes a silky green lizard and scuttles away. You begin to feel tired again and fall asleep. [[The mistress disappears, leaving you alone]]

You begin to walk around the dark mine, looking for the exit. Eventually, you stumble across another opening, and leave the mine in haste. You emerge in a peaceful forest, with a babbling brook nearby. Exhausted after wandering the mine, you [[rest next to the birch tree]].

You stop at the tall birch tree and sit down, taking the opportunity to eat some of the fish soup and start a fire. As you eat, a strange man approaches. [["Hello?"]] you inquire

"Good day," an old man replies. He is all yellow, dressed in a golden tunic and trousers, and a greenish brocade. His cap is yellow with red flaps, and his boots shone red as well. Most striking of all were his cat-like green eyes and his curly beard. "So, you are a free prospector? What you find you keep, eh? Don't have to give it up?" You [[nod in agreement]].

"I work only for myself," you respond. "All men are shoes from the same last. As long as they're poor and in need, they're decent folk, but let them come upon my golden trail, and evil grows up in them like toadstools, and whence come the spores none can say. Beware of greed in your search for riches," the old man warns. "[[I will,]]" you respond. "[[The riches I find are mine for the keeping!]]" you retort.

"Good. I had high hopes for you," the old man replies. With these words, the old man begins to change. His body stretches and his neck becomes scaly, while his head grows but its features remain unchanged. As you watch in amazement, the body of a great, huge serpent rises from the ground. Where once the old man stood now stands an enormous snake shimmering of gold with the head of the old man. The flame of your fire turns from a warm orange to a sort of cold blue. The serpent slithers into the nearby brook, instantly freezing it. "I am the Great Serpent. I am the master of all gold. Where I pass, there it lies. I can pass over the earth or under the earth. Those that work for they need themselves, I leave alone, and sometimes help, such as you. Note where my trail goes. Along that trail, dig on top; don't dig deep for there you'll find naught. Only mind, keep silent about what you find, or you'll spoil it all." "[[I will keep it a secret]]" you promise.

"You will regret that," the old man replies. With these words, the old man begins to change. His body stretches and his neck becomes scaly, while his head grows but its features remain unchanged. As you watch in amazement, the body of a great, huge serpent rises from the ground. Where once the old man stood now stands an enormous snake shimmering of gold with the head of the old man. The flame of your fire turns from a warm orange to a sort of cold blue. The serpent slithers into the nearby brook, instantly freezing it. "I am the Great Serpent. I am the master of all gold. Where I pass, there it lies. I can pass over the earth or under the earth, and I can take away the gold. When I surround a place and lay there a night or two all the gold is drawn to me. And try as you will, you'll never find where I lay. I despise trickery and swindling where there's gold, and worst of all I hate to have one man push another down. Anywhere you look, you will fail to find gold." "[[A snake ... why did it have to be a snake?]]" you mutter.

After the Serpent finishes speaking, he seems to melt away, your fire returns to a warm orange flame, and the brook begins to babble again. The only sign of his presence was the grass, turned white as though covered in frost. Remembering the Serpent's words, you take your pickaxe and begin to dig where the Serpent had stood, the sand there was different than before. Right below the surface of the sand, you find two small nuggets of gold. <> <<if $inventory.has('gold nuggets')>> You picked up the gold nuggets <<else>> <<linkreplace "Pick up the gold nuggets">>You picked up the gold nuggets<<pickup '$inventory' 'gold nuggets'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> Amazed by what you have experienced, you return to the [[town->town2]]

You follow the Mistress further into the mountain. Wherever she turned, great underground chambers open before her, all the walls different. Some were green, and some were yellow with golden specks, and others again had copper flowers on them. There were blue walls too, of lapiz lazuli. Her robe changed with each chamber too. Sometimes it schone like glass, and then it would shimmer with colors, or sparkle like it had diamonds all over it, or go coppery red and then shine a silky green gain. The Mistress leads you to a huge chamber, with a couch, and tables and stools all pure copper. The walls were of malachite studded with diamonds and the roof dark crimson with a tinge of black, and flowers of copper on it. "Let's sit down here," she said, "and talk a bit" You sit down on one of the copper stools. "This is the place I love best. I bring you here to ask you to help fill my chambers with the treasures of the world. If you do this, we can revel in the wondrous items you bring back." "[[I would be honored]]" you respond.

"Excellent!" the Mistress responds, "Here is a gift to help you on your quest." The mistress hands you a casket of malachite. Inside are jewels and ornaments of every sort--rings and earrings and such. <> <<if $inventory.has('malachite casket')>> You picked up the malachite casket <<else>> <<linkreplace "Take the malachite casket">>You picked up the malachite casket<<pickup '$inventory' 'malachite casket'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> She claps her hands and the lizards came running in again and lay the table with all sorts of things. She feeds you good cabbage soup and bunds stuffed with fish, and mutton and boiled grain and all sorts, the way the Russian custom is at feasts. You thank the Mistress for her generous gift and hospitality. "But how am I to get out of here?" you ask. The Mistress points and a way opens in front of you, like a drift, and it was light as day in it. You follow the drift and again pass all the wealth of underground until you reach the surface. The casket suddenly gets quite tiny so you can hide it in your shirt. You go back to the [[town->town2]]

The village is small, but has a hotel, a pub, a general store, and a nearby mine. A wagon caravan heading east departs tomorrow morning. You stay overnight in the hotel and awake early the next morning. A local boatman also offers to take you down the Volga to the Caspian Sea. You [[join the caravan->Russia]] on its way to Moscow. You [[take the riverboat->Caucasus]] down the Volga.

After the Serpent finishes speaking, he seems to melt away, your fire returns to a warm orange flame, and the brook begins to babble again. The only sign of his presence was the grass, turned white as though covered in frost. Shaken by your meeting, you decide to return to the village and look for riches somewhere else. Return to [[town->town2]]

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio russia loop play>> <> Your caravan arrives at a quaint town on the edge of a vast forest. The quaint village features buildings with colorful exterior moldings, colorful dome roofs, and a decorative façade. The small strip of downtown features a blacksmith, dress shop, and bakery. You notice a couple sitting by the edge of the forest and crying. Where should you go first? Go to the [[couple]] Go to the [[bakery]] Go to the [[dress shop]] Go to the [[blacksmith]]

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio caucasus loop play>> <> Leaving the mountains of the Urals, you take the riverboat carrying ore down the Volga River towards the Caspian Sea. You overhear one of the passengers talking about a mysterious island that has risen out of the water in the middle of the Caspian. After several days floating down the Volga, you arrive in the port city of Astrakhan on the banks of the mighty Caspian. Interested in visiting this magical island, you find a local fisherman who is willing to take you to the island. You [[set sail->buyan-set-sail]] for the mysterious island.

The journey across the Caspian Sea is smooth and the fisherman conducts you there quickly. On the island is a walled city. You enter the city, which is called Ledenets by its residents. In the city square, you see a man getting flogged. [["Why do you whip him so?"]] you ask.

You walk up to the couple sitting by the forest. The husband stands up and asks, “How may I help you, boy?” [[“Where am I?”]] you ask. [[“Why are you crying?”]] you ask.

You go to the bakery. At the bakery, you see many foreign baked goods that you do not recognize but smell delightful. You wander around looking at the unique baked goods until a worker finally comes up to you and asks, “How may I help you, sir?” You reply that you are just looking around since you can’t buy anything with your foreign coin. After taking in all the smell that you can, you decide to leave the shop. Where should you go now? Go to the [[couple]] Go to the [[dress shop]] Go to the [[blacksmith]]

You make your way to the dress shop. There you see many ornate garments that you have never seen anything like before. Dresses with detailed floral embroidery on the trim and vibrant colors. You wander around the shop and notice that all the clothes are, in fact, dresses, and overpriced dresses at that. After realizing there is nothing for you here, you leave the shop. Where should you go now? Go to the [[couple]] Go to the [[bakery]] Go to the [[blacksmith]]

You make your way to the blacksmith. Once you get there, you notice that there are no customers or workers. After standing in the shop for a few minutes, you conclude that the owner is on a long break and won’t be back for a while. Where should you go now? Go to the [[couple]] Go to the [[bakery]] Go to the [[dress shop]]

The husband responds, “Why, you are in great Russia, home of the Magestic Firebird, Matryoshka dolls, and ruled by the most benevolent Tsar!” [[“Why are you crying?”]] you ask. [[“What is this forest?”]] you ask.

The husband responds, holding back his tears, “My poor little girl wandered into the forest three days ago. She has yet to return. We fear that the evil Baba Yaga ate her.” His wife shrieks hearing the name Baba Yaga. [[“What is this forest?”]] you question. [[“Baba Yaga?”]] you inquire.

The husband responds, “That is the great Dvinsky Forest. Do not wander in there, my friend. Fiends live in that forest and will kill you!” [[“Why are you crying?”]] you inquire.

The wife yells, “BABA YAGA! YOU DON’T KNOW BABA YAGA? SHE IS THE MOST FEROCIOUS WITCH OF ALL OF RUSSIA” RUN AWAY IF YOU DARE EVER SEE HER HUT ON CHICKEN LEGS! IF SHE CATCHES YOU, SHE WILL EAT YOU!” [[“Shouldn’t somebody stop her?”]] you ask.

The husband responds, “You look capable enough. Please boy, I beg you, please go into the forest and slain Baba Yaga!” [[“No.”]] you refuse. [[“Okay.”]] you accept.

The husband asks you again, “Please slay Baba Yag!” [[“No.”]] you refuse again. [["Fine, I accept"->“Okay.”]] you relent.

The husband responds, “Thank you so much, boy. I’m the blacksmith of this town. Follow me, and I will give you a knife and some armor.” You follow the man into his quaint blacksmith shop. In the shop, you notice a small fire burning, an anvil, and a few weapons and shields lying around. The man hands you a small knife and says, “It’s nothing special, but it will work. When you go into the woods, keep going into the center until you see a hut on Chicken legs. That is the home of Baba Yaga, be wary of her wicked ways and make sure you don’t let her eat you.” You leave the shop and make your way into the woods. While walking in the forest, you come across a fork in the road. Which way should you go? [[Left]] [[Right]]

As you make your way to the left of the path, you accidentally step on something and hear a squicking noise. You look down and notice that you step on a small doll. You pick up the doll to see if it is broken when all of a sudden, the doll starts talking. “Hello there, where are you going to?” [[“You can talk?!”]] [[“I am going to Baba Yaga’s hut.”]]

You continue on the path towards the right. While making your way down the trail, you notice a crow circling above you. The crow loudly squawks and then swops down right in front of you. “Where are you going, traveler?” Asks the crow. [[“A talking bird!?”]] [[“I am looking for Baba Yaga’s hut.”]]

The doll responds, “Yes, I can talk, and I can feel. It hurt when you stomped on me. Now, tell me where you are going!” [[“I am going to Baba Yaga’s hut.”]]

The doll responds, “Baba Yaga’s hut! Be careful, my last owner went to Baba Yaga’s hut, and she was eaten! Let me come with you, put me in your pocket. I can help you out by doing chores for you.” <> <<if $inventory.has('magic doll')>> You put the magic doll in your pocket <<else>> <<linkreplace "Pick up the magic doll">>You picked up the magic doll<<pickup '$inventory' 'magic doll'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> and [[continue walking]].

“A talking bird is not that strange around these woods. You did not answer my question; where are you off to?” [[“I am looking for Baba Yaga’s hut.”]]

“Baba Yaga’s hut!?” Are you insane? What are you going there for?” You inform the crow that you are going to kill Baba Yaga. “Be careful! If you are not witty enough, she will eat you alive. Let me help you, friend. I will help you by doing chores for you, but first, I must test your wit. Answer this riddle. I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?” [[“A breeze.”]] [[“A fart.”]] [[“An echo.”]] [[“A leaf.”]]

The crow laughs at your response, “You are a fool; there is no way that you could ever slay Baba Yaga!” The crow continues to laugh while you feel utterly defeated. You realize that your quest is in vain and turn back and quit.

“That is correct; you have what it takes to slay that wicked witch. Let me show you the way to Baba Yaga’s hut.” You follow the crow and make your way towards the hut. After walking for what felt like hours, you come across a hut on chicken legs. You muster all of your courage and knock on the door. A large woman with a big nose opens the door, “Boy, you do not have the smell of a Russian; what are you doing at my hut?” [[“I am here to kill Baba Yaga.”]] [[“I am here to get some fire.”]]

Baba Yaga responds, “Well, I am Baba Yaga, and I won’t let you kill me.” Right after Baba Yaga stops talking, she opens her mouth wide and swallows you whole, killing you in an instant.

Baba Yaga responds, “Some fire you say. Well, I can give you some fire, but you must work for it! I need you to cook and clean for me. I will give you some fire when I am satisfied with your work. I am going out now, and when I come back, I expect everything to be spotless and there be dinner for me to eat!” Baba Yaga then leaves the hut, leaving you to do the chores. What shall you do first? [[Start cleaning]] [[Look around Baba Yaga’s hut]] <> <<if visited("Left")>> [[Pull out the magical doll]] <<endif>> <<if visited("Right")>> [[Call for the crow]] <<endif>> <>

After walking for what felt like hours, you come across a hut on chicken legs. You muster all of your courage and knock on the door. A large woman with a big nose opens the door, “Boy, you do not have the smell of a Russian; what are you doing at my hut?” [[“I am here to kill Baba Yaga.”]] [[“I am here to get some fire.”]]

You start cleaning, but no matter how hard you worked, there was still a mess. By the time Baba Yaga returned, you were still cleaning and did not even start making dinner. “WHAT IS THIS,” said Baba Yaga. “Why is the house still dirty and WHERE IS MY DINNER! It looks like I will have to eat you instead!” Baba Yaga then pushes you into the stove and eats you for dinner.

You look around the hut. It’s a small hut, with an old bed in the corner, a small kitchen with an old stove, and an old wooden dining table with wooden utensils. As you look around the hut, you notice a shiny pin lying by the window. You are tempted by the shiny pin. <> <<if $inventory.has('shiny pin')>> You put the shiny pin in your pocket <<else>> <<linkreplace "Put the shiny pin in your pocket">>You put the shiny pin in your pocket<<pickup '$inventory' 'shiny pin'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <>. [[Start cleaning]] <> <<if visited("Left")>> [[Pull out the magical doll]] <<endif>> <<if visited("Right")>> [[Call for the crow]] <<endif>> <>

You call for the talking crow. “Yes?” asked the crow. You explain to him that you need to clean and cook for Baba Yaga. “I can cook, and you can take care of the cleaning,” replied the crow. After splitting the tasks up, you and the crow were able to finish everything before Baba Yaga returned. With some free time on your hands, what should you do? [[Look around Baba Yaga’s hut]] [[Come up with a plan to kill Baba Yaga]]

You take the magical doll out of your pocket. “How may I help you?” asked the doll. You tell the doll that you need it to clean the hut and cook dinner for Baba Yaga. “I can do that.” replied the doll, and it began the chores right away. With some free time on your hands, what should you do? [[Look around Baba Yaga’s hut]] [[Come up with a plan to kill Baba Yaga]]

You pull out your knife and the shiny pin you found in the hut. You sit at the table looking at these two items for a while. You go to pick up the pin and accidentally stab your finger with the pin. With the pin in your finger, you transform into a pin. The pin eventually falls out of your finger, and you transform back into a human. You decide to prick yourself with the pin and wait for Baba Yaga to return. Once she returns, you will transform back into a human and sneakily kill her. You wait a while for Baba Yaga to return. A couple of hours pass, and she finally returns home. “Where is that boy?” said Baba Yaga. “Did he dare try to leave without informing me!” Baba Yaga then looks around her hut. [[Wait]] [[Strike]]

You wait until you find the right moment to strike. “I’m getting impatient, boy! COME OUT NOW,” yelled Baba Yaga. [[Wait some more]] [[Strike]]

As Baba Yaga looks around the hut, you transform back to human and sneak behind her. Before you have a chance to strike, Baba Yaga turns around. “There you are, boy. I’m getting impatient with your games! I see no reason for you to be alive anymore!” Before you have time to react, Baba Yaga eats you whole, killing you in an instant.

As you wait for the perfect time to strike, Baba Yaga begins to be more and more impatient. “SHOW YOU SELF NOW, BOY!” Shouts Baba Yaga as she has a temper-tantrum. Baba Yaga starts jumping around her hut, breaking her table, and throwing things around. You finally see the perfect time to strike and transform back into a human. While Baba Yaga is throwing a tantrum, you sneak behind her and stab her deep into the back. You pull your knife out, leaving her to bleed to death. “How dare you kill me, Boy! How dare you!” Baba Yaga says with her last bit of energy. You wait for Baba Yaga to bleed out, recollect yourself, clean off your knife, and put your things back in your pocket. As you leave Baba Yaga’s hut, you notice a burning skull on her fence.<> <<if $inventory.has('burning skull')>> You picked up the burning skull <<else>> <<linkreplace "Pick up the burning skull">>You picked up the burning skull<<pickup '$inventory' 'burning skull'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <>. You make your way back to the village and see the couple from before standing outside of the blacksmith shop. [["I have slain Baba Yaga"]] you report.

“You have? Well, show me some evidence that you killed that witch?” asks the husband. [[Show the shiny pin]] [[Show the burning skull]]

You show the husband the shiny pin. “What is this? A pin? Do you mean to mock me, boy? I should have never trusted you.” The husband then walks away from you with a disappointed look on his face. You feel like an utter failure for letting him down. [[Show the burning skull]]

You show the husband the magical skull. “What is this witchcraft? Only a witch like Baba Yaga would possess such a thing. You must have really slain her to get your hands on an item like this. I owe you big time, boy. Let us feast in your celebration.” Later that night, you make your way to the couple’s house and have a great feast in the celebration of Baba Yaga’s death. There you eat, drink, and party till dawn. In the morning, you realize that there is nothing left in this village for you to do, and you must continue on your journey. You ask the husband if there is any transportation out of the town. “There is a caravan that takes you west towards Germany, and a caravan that takes you all the way south to a port on the Mediterranean, and another caravan that takes you north to Finland. You could also take a boat on the Dvina to reach the far north” You pack up your things and make haste to a new frontier; all that is left is deciding where to go. [[Take the caravan going west to Germany->Germany]] [[Take the caravan going south to the Mediterranean->Rome]] [[Take the caravan going north to Finland->Finland]] [[Take the boat up the Dvina to the far north->Arctic]]

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio germany loop play>> <> Thor takes his chariot south to a land he calls Suðrvegr. You thank Thor for the ride. As you walk away, you trip and fall into a cloak. You squawk as you fall, and realize by the sound that left your mouth that you are a bird. Your leather satchel becomes one of your wings, which is brown, a different color of feather than the rest of you. You don’t know how to make the cloak come off. To buy some time while you regroup, you figure out how your wings work, and fly off. [[Settle in a tree]]

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio rome loop play>> <> Your caravan conducts you south and you eventually reach the grand imperial city of Rome. Upon arriving, you immediately notice the crowds of people screaming in the streets. You are able to see over the crowd, looking to where some city officials were trying to keep the peace. You get as close as you could to ask what was happening. The city official tells you they had an outbreak of plague that had been halted by a gift from the gods, but it has been taken. They are looking for a qualified volunteer to go after the thief and retrieve it. You offer your service. He tells you to follow him into the building for your instructions and materials for the quest. [[Enter the building.->Rome2]]

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio pomors loop play>> <> You sail up the Dvina until you reach the port of Arkhangelsk. You are amazed by the city and its environs. As you approach, you see locals sailing on rafts of ice. There are huge cloudberries growing on the far bank. The salmon and cod catch, salt, and pack themselves, leaving it to the fisherman to place the lids on the barrels. There are great white bears, here too, instead of being savage, these polar bears are selling milk in the streets. There are penguins too, who dance and march with organs and dance around with tamborines. One of the most remarkable things you discover in Arkhangelsk are the frozen songs. In the cold winter, the young girls sing sweet songs that freeze in tiny rings, almost like lace. In the spring, the songs melt and produce the most wondrous music. Some of the frozen songs are stored in a special box where they stay frozen so merchants can purchase them. The local shops are filled with such songs. The locals use these frozen songs to decorate their homes. <> <<if $inventory.has('frozen song')>> You purchased a frozen song. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Purchase a frozen song.">>You purchased a frozen song.<<pickup '$inventory' 'frozen song'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> You, realizing you aren't far off from your home, decide to embark overland to take you back. [[You find a local reindeer herder who is willing to take you across the tundra back to the Urals.]]

"Because he borrowed ten thousand rubles from a prominent merchant," a local tells you, "and did not pay them back at the agreed time." Another local pipes in "As for the man who redeems him, his wife ill be carried off by Koschey the Deathless." You decide to [[walk around town]] You decide to [[intervene]]

You walk around town for several hours, visiting small shops selling handicrafts and wares of all sorts. After a while you return to the square, seeing the man is still being flogged. You [[intervene]].

You think, since I have no wife, no one can be taken from me, and decide the help the poor man. You agree to pay the necessary ten thousand rubles and the man is set free. Having helped the man, you begin to look for accomodations for the night when the man begins to rush after you. "Thank you, kind Sir! If you had not redeemed me, you would never have won your bride. But now I will help you. Buy me a horse and a saddle at once." You return to the horse merchant and purchase a horse and saddle for the man and another for yourself. [["What is your name?"]] you inquire.

"My name is Bulat the Brave," the man replies. "Nice to meet you Bulat," you reply "My name is Tima Rybakov." You mount your horses and set off towards a castle on the far side of the island. When you arrive at the castle tower, Bulat instructs you "order chickens, ducks, and geese to be brought and roasted, so that there will be plenty of everything. And I will get you your bride. But mind you: every time I come to you, cut off the right wing of a fowl and serve it to me on a plate." You make the preparations and Bulat [[goes to the tower]], while you lie down for some much needed rest.

Bulat the Brave throws a stone which breaks the top of the gilded tower where the Princess Vasilisa Kirbitievna was sitting. Bulat runs over to you and demands "Why are you sleeping? Give me a chicken!" You cut the right wing off the chicken and hand it to Bulat on a plate. You sit down and relax while Bulat returns to the tower and cries out: "Good day, Vasilisa Kiribitievna! Tima Rybakov sends you his greetings and has asked me to give you this chicken." The maiden is frightened, but responds "Good day, Bulat the Brave! Is Tima Rybakov well? Thank God, he is well. And why do you stand like that, Bulat the Brave? Take the key, open the cupboard, drink a glass of vodka, and God speed you." [[Bulat runs back to you]]

"Why are you sitting?" Bulat demands "Give me a duck!". You promptly cut of the wing of the duck and hand it to Bulat on a plate. You return to your seat while Bulat brings the duck to the Princess. "Good day, Vasilisa Kiribitievna! Tima Rybakov sends you his greetings and has asked me to give you this duck." The maiden responds "Good day, Bulat the Brave! Is Tima Rybakov well? Thank God, he is well. And why do you stand like that, Bulat the Brave? Take the key, open the cupboard, drink a glass of vodka, and God speed you." [[Bulat runs back to you again]]

"Why are you sitting?" Bulat demands "Give me a goose!". You quickly cut of the wing of the goose and hand it to Bulat on a plate. Bulat carries the duck to the Princess. "Good day, Vasilisa Kiribitievna! Tima Rybakov sends you his greetings and has asked me to give you this goose." The Princess takes the key, opens the cupboard and offers Bulat a glass of vodka. Bulat refuses, and instead draws Vasilisa out of the tower and sets her upon your horse. [[You, Bulat, and Vasilisa gallop away on your horses.]]

The next morning, King Kirbit wakes up and notices that his daughter Vasilisa is missing and the tower has been broken. With incredible anger, he orders his knights to set out and find Vasilisa. Bulat waits behind and slays any knights who catch up, and after riding for a long time catches up with you and Vasilisa. You and Bulat pitch a tent once darkness sets. Bulat assigns you to guard the tent at night. "If anything happens, rouse me." Bulat tells you. [[You stay up to watch over the tent]]

You try to stay awake, but as the night drags on you grow tired and eventually fall asleep. While you sleep, Koshchey the Deathless appears and carries Vasilisa away. You awake to find your bride missing and begin to weep, waking Bulat up. "[[Why are you weeping?]]" Bulat inquires.

"How can I help weeping? Someone has stolen Princess Vasilisa Kiribitievna." you respond, with tears in your eyes. Bulat replies "I told you to keep watch. This is the work of Koshchey the Deathless; let us set out to find the old rattlebones." You ride for a long, long time until you come across two shephards with their flocks. "Whose flock is this?" you ask. "It belongs to Koshchey the Deathless." one shephard answers. You and Bulat interrogate the shephards: "Does Koshchey the Deathless live far from here?" "How to you get there?" "When do you return home for the night?" "Where do you shut up the flock for the night." After they answer your questions, you and Bulat dismount your horses and you kill the shephards and take their clothes. [[You drive the flock home that night]]

When you get to the barn, you see a maid milking a goat. "Why are you milking that goat?" you inquire. "Why, this goat belongs to Vasilisa Kirbitevna, who bathes in its milk every morning and evening." the maid replies Bulat takes his ring and throws it into the cup of milk. "Oh my friends, you are playing pranks" the maid remarks. [[The maid brings the milk to Vasilisa]]

"The herdsmen are now making mock of us; they threw a ring into the milk" the maid complains to Vasilisa. "Leave the milk; I will strain it myself." Vasilisa replies. Vasilisa strains the milk to find the ring and orders the herdsmen be brought to her. You and Bulat are brought to Princess Vasilisa. "Good day, Vasilisa Kiribitievna," Bulat greets her "Good day, Bulat the Brave. Good day, Tima Rybakov. How has God brought you here?" You respond "We have come for you, Vasilisa Kiribitievna. Nowhere shall you hide from us; even in the depths of the sea we shall find you." Vasilisa seats you at a table and gives you food to eat and wine to drink, a welcome meal. Bulat the Brave tells Vasilisa "When Koshchey returns from hunting, ask him where his death is. And now it would not be a bad idea for us to hide." [[You and Bulat hide]]

As soon as you are hidden, Koshchey the Deathless comes flying into the room back from his hunt. "Fie, fie!" he shouts "Formerly there was no breath of anything Russian here, nor could a glipse be caught of it, but now something Russian has come here in person and is offending my nose." Vasilisa answers him "You have been flying through Russia, and yourself have become full of it, and now you fancy it is here." Koshchey eats his dinner and lays down to rest. Vasilisa embraces him and says "My beloved friend, I could hardly wait for you; I began to think that I would never again see you alive, that wild beasts had devoured you." Koshchey laughs "You foolish woman! Your hair is long, but your wit is short. How could wild beasts devour me? "But where is your death then?" Vasilisa asks "My death is in that broom that stands at the threshold" As soon as Koshchey flew away, Vasilisa runs to you and Bulat and repeats what Koshchey said. "No, that is a deliberate lie; you must question him more cunningly." Bulat says. [[Vasilisa comes up with a cunning plan]]

Vasilisa takes the broom, gilds, and decorates it with many ribbons, and places it on the table. Koshchey later returns and sees the broom on the table and asks why Vasilisa had done such a thing. "I could not allow your death to stand thus unceremoniously at the threshold," said Vasilisa, "it is better to have it on the table." "Ha, ha, ha, you foolish woman! Your hair is long but your wit is short. Do you think my death is here?" Koshchey laughs again. "Where is it then?" Vasilisa inquires. "My death is hidden in that goat." Koshchey responds. [[Koshchey leaves again for the hunt]]

Like before, Vasilisa adorns the goat with ribbons and bells and gilds his horns. When Koshchey returns, he sees the goat and laughs again "Eh, you foolish woman, your hair is long but your wit is short. My death is far away on the far side of the island, where there stands an oak. Under the oak, a coffer is buried, in the coffer is a hare, in the hare is a duck, in the duck is an egg, and in the egg is my death." With this, Koshchey flies off once more. Vasilisa relays this information to you and Bulat. You and Bulat stock up on provisions and [[set out to find Koshchey's death.]]

After a while, Bulat and you consume all of your provisions and you begin to feel hungry. You happen to come across a dog with her young. "I will kill her," Bulat says "for we have nothing more to eat" "Do not kill me," begged the dog. "Do not make my children orphans. I will be useful to you" "Well, God be with you." you say and walk on when you come across an eagle with her eaglets. "I will kill the eagle." Bulat says. The eagle cries out: "Do not kill me, do not make my children orphans, I will be useful to you." "So be it," you say, "live in health." After walking for a while more, you [[come to the coast]].

You arrive on the beach where you see a lobster crawl onto the shore. Bulat the Brave exclaims "I will kill him." The lobster protests: "Do not kill me, good youth! Tere is not much substance in me; even if you eat me, you will not be sated. The time will come when I may be useful to you" [["You will be useful to us now as food!"]] Bulat shouts and with a swing of his sword dispatches the lobster. [["Well, crawl on with God,"]] you let the lobster go.

You and Bulat set up a tent on the beach. Bulat casts out a line to try to catch some fish. After a while, Bulat has caught several fish, including one with a magnificent golden head. The eyes of the golden-headed fish look so piteous that you decide not to kill such a special creature and you throw it back. Bulat cooks the rest of the fish and you both enjoy fish and roast lobster for dinner. While the lobster did not fill your bellies completely, it was still tasty and the extra fish helped to satiate you. You and Bulat [[retire]] for the night

You and Bulat set up a tent on the beach as the sun sets. Still hungry, you both retire for the night. [[You awake the next morning]]

You and Bulat cook the remaining fish and eat a hearty breakfast. While eating, you notice a large oak tree, which you set off to investigate. Bulat grasps the oak with his mighty hands and tears it out by the roots. Underneath the oak lay a coffer, which Bulat opens. A hare jumps out of the coffer and runs away as fast as it can. "If only we had a dog here, he would catch the hare" you remark, and lo and behold the dog had already caught the hare and was bringing it to Bulat. Bulat tears open the hare and out springs a duck. "If we had the eagle now, he could catch the duck" you say, and lo and behold the eagle had already caught the duck and was brining it to Bulat. Bulat tears open the duck and an egg rolls out into the sea. "If only we hadn't eaten the lobster, he would bring it up." you despair. The egg is lost as the bottom of the sea. [[Disappointed, you and Bulat decide to head back to the city before returning to Vasilisa]]

After waking Bulat notices a large oak tree, which you set off to investigate. Bulat grasps the oak with his mighty hands and tears it out by the roots. Underneath the oak lay a coffer, which Bulat opens. A hare jumps out of the coffer and runs away as fast as it can. "If only we had a dog here, he would catch the hare" you remark, and lo and behold the dog had already caught the hare and was bringing it to Bulat. Bulat tears open the hare and out springs a duck. "If we had the eagle now, he could catch the duck" you say, and lo and behold the eagle had already caught the duck and was brining it to Bulat. Bulat tears open the duck and an egg rolls out into the sea. "If only the lobster would bring it up." you exclaim, and lo and behold, the lobster was crawling towards you with the egg. You thank the lobster and <<linkreplace "you grab the egg">>you grabbed the egg<<set $inv to $inv + ["\n Egg of Koshchey's death"]>><</linkreplace>>. [[You set off back to Koshchey's palace]]

With the egg in hand, you and Bulat make it back to Koshchey's palace. When Koshchey returns from the hunt. "Fie, fie!" he shouts "Formerly there was no breath of anything Russian here, nor could a glipse be caught of it, but now something Russian has come here in person and is offending my nose." You and Bulat step out from the shadows and shout "Koschey the Immortal, prepare to meet mortality!" With that, you smash the egg on Koshchey's forehead and he instantly falls, sprawls across the floor and dies. [[You rescue Vasilisa and return to the city of Ledenets]]

On your way back to the city of Ledenets, a lonely Arab approaches you and offers his services. "What wages do you ask?" you inquire. "I do not ask for money." the Arab replies "at the end of the year you can see what my services are worth to you and you can pay me anyway you like." "Very well" you respond and take on the Arab as your servant. [[You come to an area of the island that is completely ravaged.]]

You return to Ledenets where you and Vasilisa get married. You find a splendid palace on the coast where you take up residence and where you live happily ever after with Vasilisa.

You learn from a local that a hideous monster who rises from the sea and devours all the corn and cattle. The governor had sent soldiers to kill the monster, but they always happened to be asleep when the monster pillaged the countryside. No matter how many soldiers the governor sent, all slept through the monster's incursion. In desparation, the governor is now offering a great prize to any man who can slay the monster. Your Arab servant goes to the governor to inquire about the reward. "If my master can succeed in killing the mosnter, what reward will you give him?" the Arab asks. "My daughter and anything besides that he chooses" answers the Governor. [[The Arab returns to you and tells you of the prize.]]

That night, the Arab waits by the coast for the monster. Before setting off, the Arab lathered himself in a smelly oil so there would be no chance of him falling asleep like the soldiers. He hides himself benind a large rock and waits for the monster to emerge. A while later, a swell seems to rise and a hideous monster-part bird, part beast, and part serpent-steps silently onto the rocks. It walks quietly towards the fields. Seizing the moment, the Arab sneaks out and plunges his dagger behind the monster's ear. The beast gives a load cry and with a thump collapses on the ground, with its feet still in the sea. [[The Arab cuts off the ears of this hideous beast.]]

The Arab brings the beast's ears to you and bids you bring these to the governor and declare that he himself, and no other, had killed the monster. "But it was you, and not I, who slew him" you object. "Never mind; do as I bid you. I have a reason for it" the Arab answers. You bring the severed ears of the monster to the governor, who begs you to marry his daughter that very day. [[You accept]] [[You refuse]]

You accept the govenor's offer of his daughter as a bride. Later that day, you are wed. While she may not be as beautiful as Vasilisa, she will do, you think. You live happily ever after with the governor's daughter in a splendid palace the governor provides.

You refuse the governor's offer, and instead say: "All I desire is a ship that can carry me to see the world." The governor grants your request and you, the Arab, and Bulat board the ship. Once onboard, you find that the governor has secretly placed stores of diamonds and precious stones on board. [[You set off in your new ship, relieved to finally leave this island]]

You sail and sail and sail until you reach the shores of a great kingdom. Leaving you aboard, the Arab scouts out the area. He returns and tells you it is a fine land filled with wonders and excitement, however he seems to be focused on something else. "What is it?" you question. The Arab responds: "I have been summoned back to my own country in Arabia. I ask your permission to return." "Leave me! Do you really wish to leave me?" you ask. "No, my master; never could I wish to leave you! But I have received a summons, and I dare not disobey it." the Arab replies. "Well, I must not try to keep you," you say. "That would be a poor return for all that you have done for me! Everything I have is yours: take what you will, for without you I should long ago have been dead!" "And without you, I should long ago have been dead," answered the Arab. "For I am the Golden-headed Fish." [[The Arab departs, and Bulat decides to accompany him->Turkey]]

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio ireland loop play>> <> As you sail, you come to a verdant green land, where sheep graze peacefully in rolling meadows. The ship docks at Gaillimh, one of the largest port cities in Hibernia, which the locals call Ireland. You head downtown, eager to experience some of the local culture while you find more treasures. [[Explore the city->Stay in Ireland]]

Much to your luck, you discover that you have arrived in Ireland on the final night of the Festival of Samhain, a celebration of the end of autumn and the beginning of winter, so there is much culture to be found. [[You venture forth into the streets of Gaillimh.]]

The city is full of people dressed in all sorts of costumes and disguises, masked and clothed in strange garments. Torches line every street, bathing the festivities in an orange light. Above you, the full moon shines. You join a group of people sitting around a bonfire and telling stories. They speak of Fliodhais, goddess of fertility and the harvest, and how she is said to be on the streets of Gaillimh tonight, searching for someone upon whom to bestow her chariot. [[You lean over to the person next to you and ask what is so special about her chariot.]]

"Everyone wants Fliodhais's chariot," the girl tells you. "It can take you anywhere you want faster than you can blink." You tilt your head, considering. A chariot that can take you anywhere very quickly would be helpful to have. Finally, you could return to the Copper Mountain with all the treasures you've found. "How do you get the chariot?" you ask. The girl nods to the storyteller. "Listen, he's about to tell us." [[You return your attention to the storyteller.]]

"Only the worthiest person among us here tonight will receive the chariot," the storyteller announces in a booming voice. "The one who can first gather the Four Treasures of Ireland and present them to Fliodhais's altar!" The girl beside you gasps behind her mask. "What does that mean?" you ask. "This is the first Samhain that all four of the ancient Treasures of Ireland are in Gaillimh," she tells you. "They were brought to the four corners of the country by the Tuatha Dé Danann, the Fair Folk." [[You stand up to leave, but the girl grabs your shoulder.]]

You stand up to leave, but the girl grabs your shoulder. "Can I come with you?" she asks. "My sister Finnabair was stolen by the Fair Folk last year, and the only way I can get her back is with Fliodhais's chariot." Her large eyes are pleading behind her mask. "If we work together, we can get things done twice as fast." As much as you prefer to work alone, it might be helpful to have a companion who knows Gaillimh well. Reluctantly, you nod. The girl claps her hands together. "Oh, thank you! I'm Sionnaidh, by the way." She holds out a hand, which you shake. "I'm Timofei," you introduce yourself. [[The two of you set off through the winding streets of Gaillimh.]]

"So what //are// the Four Treasures?" you ask Sionnaidh. "Well," she begins, "There's the Stone of Fàl, which tells whoever the future king is; there's the Spear of Lugh, which prevents anyone from going to war against its owner; there's the Sword of Light, which used to belong to Nuada Airgetlám-" "Who?" you ask. "The first king of the Tuatha Dé Danann," Sionnaidh tells you. "He had a silver arm." You nod. "Cool." "And then the last Treasure is the Cauldron of The Dagda, which is never empty of food," Sionnaidh finishes. [["What's The Dagda?" you ask.]]

"The Dagda is one of our gods," Sionnaidh explains. "He controls life and death, as well as the passing of time and the changing of seasons." She gestures to your surroundings. "He plays a big part in our celebration of Samhain." "Where can we find the Treasures?" you ask. Sionnaidh shrugs. "I'm not entirely sure, but wherever we look, we had better make it fast. Everyone else is looking for them, too." [[Look for the Cauldron of The Dagda]] [[Look for the Sword of Light]] [[Look for the Spear of Lugh]] [[Look for the Stone of Fàl]]

Look for the Cauldron of The Dagda Around you, you hear whisperings that not only is The Dagda's cauldron present in Gaillimh tonight, but The Dagda himself is walking the streets. Sionnaidh warns you to watch for a tall, hooded man. "This is the last night of Samhain," she tells you, "which means the veil between the Otherworld and our own is the thinnest it will be all year. Not only humans walk these streets tonight." [[You turn off the main road into a craft market.]]

You and Sionnaidh head up the road that leads north towards a large round enclosure lined with cobblestone walls. You cannot see what is happening inside due to the sheer volume of people. "What's this?" you ask Sionnaidh as the two of you draw up to it. She frowns. "It's usually the sparring field for students training to be warriors, but I think it's being used for events during Samhain." "What event is going on now?" you ask. "I'm not sure," she answers. [["Well," you say, "let's go find out."]]

None of the other people searching for the Four Treasures agree on much, but all of them seem to concur that the Spear of Lugh is somewhere in the eastern section of the festival. Naturally, you and Sionnaidh take that to mean you should look in the western section instead. The western section of the festival, you discover, is quite dead. There isn't much going on there, except for the docks where you landed and a long, sandy beach. [[Explore the docks]] [[Walk along the beach]]

"So how does the Stone of Fàl tell if someone is meant to be king?" you ask Sionnaidh as the two of you head south through the streets of Gaillimh. "I'm not entirely sure," she replies, shrugging her shoulders. "All I know is that if someone stands on it and they are the future king, the stone lets out a cry." You keep walking a ways, until you pass a pub with a sign in front of it. "Look!" Sionnaidh points to it. "Verse competition!" She turns to you. "Do you write verse, Timofei?" "I have a brother who is a musician," you offer. "Shall we go?" Sionnaidh's large eyes gleam behind her mask. "Maybe they'll know about the stone. You know, spoken word and all that." [[Look elsewhere]] [[Go inside]]

"I think we should try somewhere else," you say. "All right." Sionnaidh nods, and the two of you continue walking through the festival. Although you walk for a long time, there doesn't appear to be any sign of the Stone of Fàl, just some people bobbing for apples. "How does that Verse Competition sound now?" Sionnaidh asks. [[Return to the Verse Competition->Go inside]]

The atmosphere inside the pub is brimming with energy and life. Candles flicker on every table, giving the place a warm, welcoming air. "Ah, newcomers!" You are approached by a short, round-cheeked old woman. "Welcome! Here for the Verse Competition, are ye?" "Yes," Sionnaidh says, speaking for the both of you. "You're just in time, then." The woman places a hand on each of your shoulders and guides you to the rest of the pub's patrons. "We're just about to start!" [["What have you gotten us into?" you whisper to Sionnaidh as the old woman goes to the front of the pub to speak. Sionnaidh silences you with a glare.]]

"Welcome, welcome, everyone," the old woman begins. "to our Annual Samhain Festival Verse Competition! Whether you're a first-timer or a veteran, you are welcome to take part." She claps her hands together. "The way it works is, each person is to match up with another and make a poem. Whichever person's poem is deemed to be the best advances to the next round, wherein they match with a different person and repeat the process until there is one poet remaining." She beams around at you all. "Now, let us begin!" You glance around, feeling severely out-of-your-depth. The rest of the patrons look like they know how to compose poetry on the fly. You, however, do not. [[It's too late to back out now.]]

You consider matching up with Sionnaidh, but then remember that if there are two of you, there's a better chance of victory. Instead, you look around the room to try and find someone who looks unintimidating. Unfortunately, you feel a hand on your shoulder right away. "Excuse me," a voice says, "Would you be my partner for this round?" You turn to see a man probably ten years older than you looking at you. "Yes," you say, already certain that you are going to lose in the first round. "I'm Aubrey Thomas de Vere," he introduces himself. [["Begin your versing...now!" the old woman exclaims, and the pub fills with murmurs of poetry.]]

In front of you, your partner is mumbling rhymes about wildflowers under his breath. You peer around and see that everyone else is doing the same. You try to locate Sionnaidh and make confused eye contact, but even she appears to be composing poetry. Time is running out. [[Write a poem about candlelight]] [[Write a poem about winter]]

"Time's up, everyone!" the old woman declares. "Share your poems with your partner and deliberate." "You go first," Aubrey says. "Okay," you reply. "Candles flicker in the night/They light the world up with their light/But when the sun rises each day/The candlelight just fades away." You wince. It doesn't sound much better out loud than it does in your head. "Your turn," you tell your partner. Aubrey clears his throat and looks down at the floor as he speaks. "When Earth with all her floral train doth woo thee/And all old poets and old songs adore thee/And love to thee is naught; from passionate mood/Secured by joy's complacent plenitude." [[You are speechless.]]

"Time's up, everyone!" the old woman declares. "Share your poems with your partner and deliberate." "You go first," Aubrey says. "Okay," you reply. "Winter, winter/Wood gives me splinters/The sun is cold, the night is colder/And now we are a new year older." You wince. It doesn't sound any better out loud than it does in your head. "Your turn," you tell your partner. Aubrey clears his throat and looks down at the floor as he speaks. "When Earth with all her floral train doth woo thee/And all old poets and old songs adore thee/And love to thee is naught; from passionate mood/Secured by joy's complacent plenitude." [[You are speechless.]]

"You won, I'd say," Aubrey says quickly. "What?" you manage to say. "No-" "No, no really," he assures you, "You don't have to try and pretend. I know my poetry's horrendous." You shake your head, disagreeing, but he's already gone and sat down with the other poets eliminated from the first round. Sionnaidh meets your eyes from across the room. She looks just as confused as you are. [[The Verse Competition continues.]]

For the second round, you are matched up with a woman named Katharine Tynan. She wears a small silver St. Brigid's cross on a chain around her neck. Before you can say very much to each other, the old woman tells you it's time to come up with poems again. [[Write a poem about snow]] [[Write a poem about daffodils]]

Once your time is up, you volunteer to go first, to simply get it over with if nothing else. "Here's my poem," you begin, and Katharine nods. "I like the title," she says. "Very literal." You smile, pretending that was the plan all along, and continue, "Snowflakes falling from the sky/I see you falling, passing by/I sometimes stop and wonder why/You fall down just to say good-bye." Katharine smiles. "Very nice. My poem goes like this." She, too, clears her throat and does not look at you as she speaks. "He was so foolish, the poor lad/He made superior people smile/Who knew not of the wings he had/Budding and growing all the while/Nor that the laurel wreath was made/Already for his curly head." [[Again, you are struck dumb by her poetry.]]

Once your time is up, you volunteer to go first, to simply get it over with if nothing else. "Here's my poem," you begin, and Katharine nods. "I like the title," she says. "Very literal." You smile, pretending that was the plan all along, and continue, "Daffodils, flowering yellow/You have such a lovely smell-ow/Winter comes and crushes you/But in the spring you flower anew." Katharine smiles. "Very nice. My poem goes like this." She, too, clears her throat and does not look at you as she speaks. "He was so foolish, the poor lad/He made superior people smile/Who knew not of the wings he had/Budding and growing all the while/Nor that the laurel wreath was made/Already for his curly head." [[Again, you are struck dumb by her poetry.]]

"I like your command of language," Katharine comments. "The directness of the rhyme scheme communicates the bluntness of nature." "Your poem was incredible," you say, lacking the words to describe what made it so. Katharine smiles warmly. "Thank you kindly, but I think we both know who won this round." She leaves you standing there, dumbfounded, and goes to sit beside Aubrey Thomas de Vere. [[The Verse Competition goes on.]]

You go through several more match-ups and several more rounds--Eavan Boland, Padraic Colum, Thomas Moore, Jane Wilde--each of which you clearly lose, but each time, your opponent concedes and sits down with the growing crowd of eliminated poets. Finally, the last round arrives. You step up to the front of the pub to face your opponent- It's Sionnaidh. "You too?" she says in an undertone, shooting a look at the rest of the poets, who are much better than both of you at composing verse. You nod. "And here we have our final two contestants!" The old woman places a hand on both your shoulders. "Remember, whoever wins this round wins the Stone of Fàl!" [[Both of you turn to look at her, exclaiming, "What?"]]

The old woman blinks cheerfully up at you both. "Ah, I forgot to tell ye, didn't I? Silly old me. Well, that's the prize! Off with ye both now, go write yer verse." She makes a shooing gesture. You and Sionnaidh exchange an incredulous look, but do as she says and go to opposite corners. Competing with Sionnaidh seems sort of ridiculous to you, seeing as you're working together, and will be bringing the Stone of Fàl to the altar together, so it doesn't matter which one of you ends up winning it, but Sionnaidh seems intent on the idea. As you're staring at the floor, trying to come up with a single rhyme, [[the old woman comes over to you.]]

"How's it coming over here?" she asks you. You pull a face that correctly expresses your current mental state. The old woman nods in sympathy. "Well, when in doubt, mock your opponent." She gives you a wink. "That's an Una original. I'm Una, by the way." Before you can respond, she hurries off to talk to Sionnaidh. Probably telling her something similar, you suppose. You have just enough time to compose a timidly mocking poem about Sionnaidh before Una declares that your time is up. [[The time has come to share your poem.]]

Taking a leaf out of everyone else's book, you clear your throat before beginning your poem. "This poem is titled 'Girl From Gaillimh," you say, then launch into the verse. "I'm told her name is Sionnaidh/She does not wear a bonnet/She loves to write a sonnet/My verse, she'll dance upon it." You take a deep breath and continue into the second half. "Her heart is good and pure/Of that you can be sure/She dances wild upon the moor/She will now kick me out the door." You receive some lukewarm applause from the gathered poets. "Your verse is getting better!" Katharine calls. You smile back, appreciating her positivity. You look over at Sionnaidh, who whispers, "I 'dance wild upon the moor'? What are you talking about?" "I don't know," you say. "It sounded good." [[It is then Sionnaidh's turn.]]

"Hello everyone, I'm Sionnaidh, and this is my poem. It's titled 'Timmy, the Enigma'." You roll your eyes. She grins at you, then clears her throat. "Upon this blessed Samhain day/A ship arrived from far away/And deep beneath its decks did lay/The strange and wild Timofei." You sigh, which just makes Sionnaidh grin wider. "He wanders the streets without a mask/Sipping from a flour flask/Asking if I'll do the task/To join him in this bizarre masque." "Technically, //you// asked //me//," you mutter, but Sionnaidh ignores you and continues. In fact, she continues for several more minutes, detailing your adventures together and making them sound as ridiculous as possible. [[Once her epic is finally over, Sionnaidh is met with resounding applause from the collected poets.]]

"We have our winner!" Una exclaims. She reaches into the pocket of her apron and draws out a flat, round stone. "Here you are, Miss Sionnaidh. The Stone of Fàl, just for you. And now, one last round of applause for all our poets and the verse they've created here tonight!" <> <<if $inventory.has('Stone of Fàl')>> You accepted the Stone of Fàl <<else>> <<linkreplace "Accept the Stone of Fàl">>You accepted the Stone of Fàl<<pickup '$inventory' 'Stone of Fàl'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> Everyone claps and cheers. You applaud so much that your hands start to buzz. Sionnaidh has to pull you away from hanging around with Una and the poets. "See you soon!" Una calls as the two of you leave. You're halfway down the street when Sionnaidh stops dead. "What was that woman's name?" she asks. "She didn't tell you?" you ask. Sionnaidh shakes her head. "Well, her name's Una," you say. [[Without warning, Sionnaidh takes off down the street and dashes back into the pub, leaving you to trudge after her.]]

You find her asking around in the pub, but all the poets say that Una is gone. You bring Sionnaidh back outside and ask what that was all about. "That wasn't just any old woman," Sionnaidh growls. "She was the Queen of the Fair Folk. Uonaidh." Seeing your confused look, she explains, "It's spelled differently than Una, but pronounced the same." Sionnaidh grits her teeth. "She's right, I will see her soon. When I get my sister back." "Where shall we go next?" you ask, mildly afraid. [[Look for the Spear of Lugh]] [[Look for the Sword of Light]] [[Look for the Cauldron of The Dagda]] [[Go to the Altar of Fliodhais]]

You arrive at the empty altar, positioned right in front of the large, unlit Samhain bonfire. <> <<if $inventory.has('Cauldron of The Dagda') and $inventory.has('Spear of Lugh') and $inventory.has('Sword of Light') and $inventory.has('Stone of Fàl')>>[[You have gathered all four of The Treasures of Ireland.]] <<else>> [[You have more Treasures to find.]] <<endif>> <>

The pair of you head to the docks. There isn't much to be found there, other than a lot of boats and frighteningly-rocking piers. After you and Sionnaidh both almost fall in for the third time, you decide it's perhaps not the best idea to be out here in the dark. [[Try looking for something else->You have more Treasures to find.]] [[Walk along the beach]]

The cool darkness and sounds of the ocean are a welcome change from the streets of Gaillimh. The two of you stroll along the beach, investigating anything that looks remotely spearlike. As you walk, you begin to hear something. At first, you just dismiss it as the whistling of the wind, but then it grows louder. "Do you hear that?" you ask Sionnaidh. She nods. "What is it?" she asks. [[The two of you stand there, listening to the chilling sound.]]

<> <<if not $inventory.has('Cauldron of The Dagda')>> [[Look for the Cauldron of The Dagda]] <<endif>> <> <> <<if not $inventory.has('Spear of Lugh')>> [[Look for the Spear of Lugh]] <<endif>> <> <> <<if not $inventory.has('Sword of Light')>> [[Look for the Sword of Light]] <<endif>> <> <> <<if not $inventory.has('Stone of Fàl')>> [[Look for the Stone of Fàl]] <<endif>> <>

"Look!" Sionnaidh points down the beach ahead of you. There, in the distance, is the silhouette of a woman standing at the water's edge, letting the water wash over her feet. "Who's that?" you ask. "She must be a banshee," Sionnaidh whispers. "A Wailing Woman." "What does that mean?" you say. Sionnaidh looks at you with fear in her wide eyes. "She is an omen of death." [[The woman continues her keening wail.]]

The woman continues her keening wail. Something doesn't feel quite right to you. "Maybe she's not a banshee," you reason. "Maybe she's just a woman singing." Sionnaidh raises an eyebrow. "Maybe." "Well, let's go ask her," you say, and set off briskly towards the figure. "Hey, wait up!" Sionnaidh draws up beside you. "You can't talk to a banshee," she hisses. "Why not?" you ask, continuing forward. Before Sionnaidh can offer a reply, you arrive by the woman's side. "Excuse me, madam," you say loudly. [[She turns to look at you with glowing green eyes.]]

"Yes?" she replies, her voice low and raspy. "I- uh-" It takes several seconds to regain your train of thought. "Are you a banshee?" "What do you think?" the woman answers. "All right." You rub your eyes. "Have you, by any chance, seen a magical spear around here somewhere?" "I have," she says. [[You shoot Sionnaidh an excited look, but she just looks terrified.]]

"Where is it?" you ask eagerly. The woman extends a finger towards the ocean. "In there. I am its keeper. It rests in my home, for it would be dangerous anywhere else." "Wait." Sionnaidh seems to have regained her voice. "Banshees don't live in the ocean. They're not water spirits." "Clever girl." The woman's smile widens, and keeps on widening. She grows taller, her limbs lengthening and transforming into something very different. "I am no banshee; that is merely my disguise." The woman is gone; in her place, towering above you, is an enormous, scaly, serpent-like creature. [["What are you?" you demand.]]

The creature's scaly mouth twists into a grin, revealing a sizable set of fangs. "I am an Oilliphéist, children. I guard the Spear of Lugh from the unworthy." "We're not unworthy!" you retort. "That remains to be seen," the Oilliphéist responds. "How do we prove our worth?" Sionnaidh asks. You glance over and see the determination in her eyes. "You must show a cool head in the face of danger." The Oilliphéist's forked tongue flickers. "Take a scale from my head, and then you shall be gifted the Spear of Lugh." [[You look up at the Oilliphéist's head. It suddenly seems very far away.]]

"Don't just stand there." Sionnaidh seizes your arm and splashes into the shallows of the ocean. "Let's go! There's only so much time until the sun rises and Samhain is over!" You follow her, holding your leather bag up to prevent it from getting soaked with salt water. You hear your socks squelch inside your shoes and wince. Sionnaidh clambers onto the Oilliphéist's back and holds out her hand to pull you up after her. [[Just as your feet leave the ground, the Oilliphéist begins to move.]]

"Hey!" you shout, clinging to Sionnaidh's hand for dear life. "Stop it!" The Oilliphéist lets out an amused hiss. "You didn't think I would let it be that easy, did you?" Sionnaidh pulls you up onto the Oilliphéist's slippery back just in time for it to dive underwater. "Hold on t-" Her words are cut off by the rushing tide of water that envelops you both as the Oilliphéist dives. You seize the Oilliphéist's spine in front of you and hold on as tightly as you can as it writhes and whirls in the dark water, trying as hard as it can to throw the both of you off. You can't see very much in the dark water and storms of silver bubbles, but ahead of you, [[you can make out Sionnaidh dragging herself hand-over-hand towards the Oilliphéist's head.]]

Just then, the Oilliphéist turns and swims directly upwards, picking up speed at an alarming rate. The saltwater stings your open eyes. The Oilliphéist breaches, throwing itself into the air, and you see Sionnaidh lose her grip on the spine she's clinging to as the serpent reaches the arc of its flight. You stretch out an arm and just manage to catch hold of her leg as she falls, pulling her safely onto the Oilliphéist's back once more. She barely has time to thank you before [[you hit the water once more.]]

you hit the water once more. You manage to take a large breath before finding yourself underwater once more. After checking that Sionnaidh is still safely on the Oilliphéist's back behind you, you begin your own journey towards the giant serpent's head. The beast writhes and twists in all sorts of knots, trying to knock you off, but you hang on. You've just managed to reach the creature's head and yank out one of its glossy green scales when it rears above water once more, flinging you off. <> <<if $inventory.has('Oilliphéist's scale')>> You grab Oilliphéist's scale. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Grab Oilliphéist's scale.">>You grabbed Oilliphéist's scale.<<pickup '$inventory' 'Oilliphéist's scale'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> You land with a splash in the shallows of the beach, facedown in the sand. You sit up to see Sionnaidh running over to you, a worried look on her face. Her mask is hanging around her neck, having nearly been blown off by the sea. [["Are you okay?" she asks.]]

"Yes, I'm fine," you answer, coughing up some seawater and struggling to your feet. Behind you, the Oilliphéist rises from the sea. "So you managed to obtain one of my scales. You humans never cease to surprise me." "Sure." You toss your soaking wet hair out of your face. "Can we have the spear now, please?" The Oilliphéist looks displeased by your attitude. "Yes, as promised, I will retrieve the spear-" "Can you make it quick?" Sionnaidh snaps her fingers for emphasis. "We're kind of on a time crunch here." "Fine," the Oilliphéist spits, and [[vanishes beneath the surface.]]

You and Sionnaidh stand there for a moment, both dripping with salt water. "Hey," she says. "Thanks for not letting me fall." "You're welcome," you respond. The two of you stand there, looking at the sea, and for a moment, things almost feel normal. Then the Oilliphéist rises from the sea, and the illusion of normalcy is broken. "Here is the Spear of Lugh," it says, producing the instrument and laying it in the shallows. "You must always keep the tip covered, or it will act of its own accord. It is a violent thing, the spear." <> <<if $inventory.has('Spear of Lugh')>> You picked up the Spear of Lugh. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Pick up the Spear of Lugh.">>You picked up the Spear of Lugh.<<pickup '$inventory' 'Spear of Lugh'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> [[You walk forward and pick it up, wrapping the spearhead in a spare bit of cloth.]]

"Use it wisely," the Oilliphéist rasps, before receding back beneath the waters of the ocean. Once it is gone, Sionnaidh looks over at you. "So," she says. "Where to next?" [[Look for the Cauldron of The Dagda]] [[Look for the Sword of Light]] [[Look for the Stone of Fàl]] [[Go to the Altar of Fliodhais]]

The two of you elbow your way through the crushing crowds until you finally reach the front. On the other side of the cobblestone wall, inside the field, a pair of warriors decorated in full armor clash together, crossing swords and ducking behind shields to dodge the other's blows. All around you, the crowd shouts and cheers. As you watch, the shorter of the two warriors knocks the other to the ground and levels their sword at his head. The crowd roars with approval. The shorter warrior, dressed all in red, has won. They wave to the crowd before helping the taller warrior to his feet. [[Suddenly, a voice rises above the crowd, and someone climbs onto the stone wall opposite you.]]

Standing on the wall is an enormously strong man dressed in full battle armor. Beside you, Sionnaidh stifles a gasp. "What is it?" you ask her. She can only point. You follow her finger and see that the man's left arm is formed entirely of silver. Before you stands Nuada Airgetlám himself. "Another victory for Warrior Aislinn!" he announces, and the red warrior removes her helmet, showing off her beaming face and bright golden hair. "Next, she and her second face Warrior Breannain and his second, Warrior Eila!" "What's going on?" you ask a nearby spectator. "This is the Dual Duel Championship!" she tells you with enthusiasm. "Whichever pair wins gets Nuada's Sword of Light, and it looks like it's going to be Aislinn and Claimhín!" [[You look at Sionnaidh.]]

She sighs. "Do you have any experience dueling, Timofei?" You shake your head. "No. My brother Nikita is the warrior of my family." "Well," Sionnaidh says, "I do. I trained for years alongside Aislinn, but I gave it up when my sister was taken." She rolls out her neck. "Looks like it's time to take it up again." As the two of you make your way around the circle, Aislinn's second, a man named Claimhín, spars against a thin warrior who you presume to be Eila. Claimhín wins, but it's a close call. Aislinn enters the ring to face off against a man who must be Breannain just as you find the organizer of the event, who--according to Sionnaidh--is also the man who crafted Nuada's silver arm. His name is Creidhne, and he is more than willing to [[sign you up as a pair]].

Your match against Claimhín is first. Sionnaidh tries her best to give you tips, but you have no idea what most of the words she's using mean. She straps your shield to your arm, gives you the most balanced spare sword she can find, and wishes you luck. More quickly than seems possible, Nuada is calling out in his booming voice, "Now, I give you Warrior Claimhín against Newcomer Timofei!" and you are being pushed into the ring. Despite being much taller than Claimhín, you inexplicably feel shorter. He stands at the other end of the circle with his sword raised, practically foaming at the mouth. He is strung from toe to tip with muscles. [["Begin!" Nuada shouts.]]

Claimhín charges towards you, shouting something you can't hear over the racing of your heartbeat. [[Dodge]] [[Block]]

You duck to the side just in time, and Claimhín's slash barely misses you. He advances on you, pushing you to retreat toward the wall. Your mind is racing as you try to figure out how to beat him. Before you can come to a suitable conclusion, he comes at you again, sword slashing. [[Block]] [[Dodge again->roll]]

You hold up your shield, and Claimhín crashes into it at full speed, nearly knocking you over. You regain your balance just in time to see him coming at you from the side. [[Block again]] [[Dodge->roll]]

You duck and roll out of the way, momentarily confusing Claimhín. He doesn't realize you are now behind him for a few seconds. After he does, you regret not using those few seconds to your advantage. Claimhín stabs and slashes, leaving you with mere moments to avoid being run through. You wonder if this man is trying to kill you. [[You scan the crowd for Sionnaidh, hoping for some help.]]

You try to block again, but Claimhín hits your shield at just the right angle and sends you flying backwards. You hit the ground hard, but the realization that you just lost hits harder. [[Give up]] [[Rematch->"Begin!" Nuada shouts.]]

There's no way you can beat Claimhín by being entirely defensive; at some point, you have to fight back. That said, you know there is no possible way you can beat him in a straight fight. You'll have to use your brain instead. Somehow. Across the circle, Sionnaidh is shouting something to you, but you can't hear what it is. [[Try to get closer]] [[Go on the offensive]]

Hoping to confuse Claimhín, you leap onto the stone wall and start to run to where Sionnaidh is leaning over the side. You glance behind you to see that Claimhín is struggling to get onto the wall. Just as he finally gets to his feet, you reach Sionnaidh, who you finally realize is saying, "Play to your strengths!" You're not sure you have any. In the few moments before Claimhín arrives, Sionnaidh teaches you a quick, simple move to disarm an opponent and says again that you need to turn this into a fight you can win, not try to win the fight Claimhín is fighting. [[This is a lot for a few moments.]]

You lower your shield for a moment and take a timid stab at Claimhín. He sees you coming a mile away and easily parries your strike before plunging forward with three quick jabs and knocking you to the ground. [[Give up]] [[Rematch->"Begin!" Nuada shouts.]]

Claimhín comes in with an attempt to knock you down by whacking you on the head with the flat edge of his sword, but you block him just in time and jump down off the wall. Time to play to your strengths. [[Try to knock him over]] [[Run to the other side of the arena]]

Just as Claimhín jumps down off the wall toward you, you raise your shield. Instead of knocking you down, Claimhín hits the shield and bounces off. He manages to land on his feet, but he's off-balance, as you knew he would be. [[Try to disarm him]] [[Use your shield]]

Your legs are longer than his. That's a strength, right? You dash across the field and wait there until Claimhín comes charging at you once more. [[Block again]] [[Try to disarm him]]

Staying safely behind your shield, you lash out your sword and manage to hook it around the blade of Claimhín's and send his sword flying. For a moment, he looks as surprised as you feel. Then, while you're still marveling at the fact that you successfully executed Sionnaidh's tactic, Claimhín dives onto your shield and sends you sprawling onto the ground. You lie on the muddy grass, feeling defeated and also very dumb. [[Give up]] [[Rematch->"Begin!" Nuada shouts.]]

Before he can even catch his breath, you charge at Claimhín with your shield outstretched. The two of you collide, and you send him tumbling to the trampled grass. All around you, the crowd cheers. You breathe heavily, able to hear them now. You lean down and help Claimhín to his feet. He congratulates you on a good match. [[Miraculously, you've won.]]

You stand by the helmet rack, helping Sionnaidh put her armor on. "You did well out there," she tells you as you strap her shield on. "I got there eventually," you sigh, handing over her helmet. "That's all that matters." Sionnaidh takes off her Samhain mask and smiles at you. This is the first time you've seen her without it. Her hair is red as the flames of the torches around you. "Wish me luck, Timmy." "Don't call me that," you grumble, but she's not listening. [[You wish her luck anyway.]]

"Give up?" Sionnaidh exclaims, as if it's the most ridiculous thing she's ever heard. "We can't give up!" "I can't go out there again," you tell her, setting your helmet on the rack with the others. "I'm already beat up enough." "Listen," Sionnaidh says, leaning in, "Either you get back out there and give it everything you've got so I can get my sister back, or you give up and go home." [[Give it another try]] [[Give up and go home->Ireland]]

"Fine," you sigh, and Sionnaidh smiles, her eyes lighting up behind her mask. "That's the spirit. Go get 'em, Timmy." You roll your eyes at the nickname, but still [[pick your helmet back up and prepare.->"Begin!" Nuada shouts.]]

"For our final match," Nuada Airgetlám booms, "Warrior Aislinn, our sitting champion, versus Warrior Sionnaidh!" You watch from the sidelines as Sionnaidh walks into the ring, clad in all green, her back straight and her head held high. Aislinn waits on the other side of the ring, her bright red striking against the grass and mud. "Begin!" Nuada Airgetlám roars, and the crowd screams wildly. [[The two warriors begin to circle each other.]]

Aislinn strikes first. She catches Sionnaidh in the midsection, and your friend cries out. Aislinn, encouraged, continues her attack, striking quickly and with precision. You hold your breath. Just as Sionnaidh looks like she's about to fall, she twists her shield in a way you've never seen before. Aislinn, who had gone for a stabbing attack, impaled the shield with her sword, embedding it in the wood. Sionnaidh tosses the shield aside, leaving Aislinn with nothing but a shield. [[You let out a breath.]]

After that, Sionnaidh begins her attack in earnest. She moves so quickly that her limbs become a blur, driving Aislinn back towards the wall, giving her no chance to escape. Just as Sionnaidh prepares to strike her final blow, though, she stops. Aislinn stares up at her, confused. Sionnaidh steps back and tosses Aislinn her sword. Aislinn catches it and looks down at it, bemused. Sionnaidh hurries over to the opposite side of the ring and retrieves Aislin's sword and her own discarded shield. She pulls the sword from the shield. "There is no honor in winning an unfair fight," she says to Aislinn. [[Aislinn looks shocked.]]

Nevertheless, Aislinn takes the chance she's been given and runs with it, plunging back into combat with Sionnaidh. They slash and jab at one another, dodging and ducking and blocking at an incredible pace. You can tell they know each other well and that they've fought before. You can practically see the gears whirling in Sionnaidh's head as she fights, trying to figure out how to throw Aislinn off, but it's difficult to be unpredictable in such a perfectly-matched duel. [[They match each other blow for blow, block for block, making their way around the ring in a sort of violent dance.]]

After several tense minutes of sparring, Aislinn has begun to slow. Her blocks and slashes have grown slower. Sionnaidh, you realize, is wearing her down. They stay locked in lightning-fast combat for another minute, then Aislinn stumbles. She immediately regains her posture, but when she goes to resume slashing at Sionnaidh, she isn't there. Aislinn doesn't even have time to look around before Sionnaidh comes at her from the side, placing a well-aimed kick into the center of her shield and sending Aislinn crashing to the ground. [[The duel is over, and Sionnaidh has won.]]

Sionnaidh pulls Aislinn to her feet and the two embrace. Before you know it, you're standing with Sionnaidh on the cobblestone wall and Nuada Airgetlám is declaring you both the winners of the Dual Duel Competition. Seemingly from nowhere, he lifts an enormous, glowing white sword. "I hereby present you, our champions, with the Sword of Light." He bows and hands it to you and Sionnaidh. You both accept it and raise it aloft. <> <<if $inventory.has('Sword of Light')>> You accepted the Sword of Light. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Accept the Sword of Light.">>You accepted the Sword of Light.<<pickup '$inventory' 'Sword of Light'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> [[The crowd cheers wildly.]]

"So where to now?" Sionnaidh asks, admiring the sword as you stow your armor back in the rack. [[Look for the Cauldron of The Dagda]] [[Look for the Spear of Lugh]] [[Look for the Stone of Fàl]] [[Go to the Altar of Fliodhais]]

The market is bustling, full of merchants selling hand-knitted clothing for the coming winter, apple garlands, turnips for carving, and masks with which to disguise oneself. "You should get a mask," Sionnaidh suggests. "It's dangerous to show your real face at this time; someone might steal it." She says this very casually, as if it is a normal thing to say, and you don't dare to ask what she means. [[Approach one of the vendors selling masks]] [[Continue without a mask]]

"Hello," you say as you stand in front of a booth decorated with many-hued Samhain masks. "Happy Samhain, stranger," says the vendor before you, their face obscured by a leather mask of a fox's face, decorated with leaves instead of fur. "What do you seek?" They tilt their head to one side. "I'd like a mask, please," you say. "Which one strikes your fancy?" asks the vendor, gesturing to their wares. You look around at the dozens of masks staring back at you with empty eyes. [[Point to the mask made to look like an owl, formed of feathers and straw]] [[Point to the white mask sculpted to resemble a skull]] [[Point to the pumpkin with eyeholes cut out of it that rests on the table]]

Sionnaidh rolls her eyes behind her mask, but you proceed through the market unmasked nonetheless. As you near the end of the market and the stalls begin to thin out, you catch a whiff of something delicious-smelling on the cool night air. "Do you smell that?" you ask Sionnaidh. She sniffs the air. "Yes. What is it?" she asks. "I don't know," you say, [["but let's go find out."]]

"Wise choice, stranger," the vendor tells you, reaching up to remove the mask from where it hangs. "The owl feathers will give you wisdom in your search." "Search?" you ask. "Yes, your search for the Four Treasures," the vendor says. "That must be what you are looking for, correct?" You nod. "Correct. You don't happen to know where we could find the Cauldron of The Dagda, do you?" "I cannot say." The vendor shakes their head. "But I will tell you this--follow your nose." They lean forward and place the owl mask before you. "Here you are, stranger. Consider it a gift." <> <<if $inventory.has('owl mask')>> You picked up the owl mask. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Pick up the owl mask.">>You picked up the owl mask.<<pickup '$inventory' 'owl mask'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> [[You take the mask and continue on.]]

"Interesting choice," the vendor says. "How do you mean?" you ask. The vendor unhooks the skull mask from its place and admires it. "The skull mask is an omen of death to many." "Oh," you say. "Should I choose another?" "No." The vendor shakes their head. "The mask you choose is the one that speaks to you most. There is no choosing another." "Oh," you say again. "How much will that be?" Sionnaidh asks, rummaging in her pockets for spare coins. "For you, stranger, it is free." The vendor hands you the mask. "I thank you for taking it off my hands." <> <<if $inventory.has('skull mask')>> You accept the skull mask. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Take the the skull mask.">>You accepted up the skull mask.<<pickup '$inventory' 'skull mask'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> [[You gingerly accept the mask and continue on through the market.]]

The vendor looks down at the pumpkin. "That isn't for sale." "Why not?" you ask. "It was specially shipped here from the other side of the world," the vendor tells you. "Is there anything you would be willing to trade it for?" Sionnaidh suggests. The vendor strokes their chin. "Perhaps, if you have something of equal value, <> <<if $inventory.has('golden bracelet')>> perhaps that golden bracelet you wear around your wrist." She points to you. [[You agree to hand over the bracelet]] <<else>> but it looks like you don't have anything that would interest me." [[You do not have something of equal value]] [[You do not have something of equal value, but must have the pumpkin anyways]] <<endif>> <>

As you near the end of the market and the stalls begin to thin out, you catch a whiff of something delicious-smelling on the cool night air. "Do you smell that?" you ask Sionnaidh. She sniffs the air. "Yes. What is it?" she asks. "I don't know," you say, "But that vendor did say to follow our noses." Sionnaidh nods. [["Let's go follow them, then."]]

You follow the enchanting smell through the streets, weaving through market stalls and groups of people who, like you, are searching for the Four Treasures. The scent finally leads you to a shadowy alleyway. You glance at Sionnaidh. "This doesn't look safe." "No, it doesn't," she observes. "What should we do?" "Follow our noses." You tap your with a finger. "Right?" Sionnaidh nods. "Right." [[The two of you continue down the alleyway.]]

The two of you start down the alleyway into the gloom. "I don't think I've ever seen this alley before," Sionnaidh whispers to you. "Why are you whispering?" you whisper back. "I don't know," she says, still whispering. "It seems appropriate, doesn't it?" You can't argue with that. [[At the end of the alleyway, a scene begins to emerge.]]

You arrive at the end of the crooked alley to discover an inhumanly tall form draped in all-black robes standing over a vast black cast-iron cauldron and stirring its contents. It is from this cauldron that the delicious smell is emanating. Could it be...? "Are you The Dagda?" you ask. The tall figure nods his head slowly. You look over at Sionnaidh, but she appears to be speechless. "Can we have your cauldron?" you ask timidly. By way of response, The Dagda lifts the large ladle from within the cauldron and presents it to you. [[Drink from it]] [[Refuse->refuse_owl]]

You lean forward and sip from The Dagda's ladle. The stew is so piping hot that it nearly burns your mouth, but it is delicious. It tastes like your mother's borscht from when you were a child. The Dagda offers the ladle to Sionnaidh, who drinks from it as well. Once both of you have swallowed the soup, The Dagda replaces the ladle in the stew. "You are honorable." You don't hear The Dagda's voice so much as feel it in your bones. "The stew would have burned you if you were not." With a slow, sweeping gesture, The Dagda waves an arm over the cauldron, and it shrinks down to the size of a teacup. "When you place my cauldron upon the altar," he rumbles, "it will return to its true size." With that, The Dagda dissolves into shadow. <> <<if $inventory.has('Cauldron of Dagda')>> You picked up the Cauldron of The Dagda. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Pick up the Cauldron of The Dagda.">>You picked up the Cauldron of The Dagda.<<pickup '$inventory' 'Cauldron of The Dagda'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> [[You continue on your way.]]

"What should we look for next?" Sionnaidh asks as the two of you emerge from the alley. [[Look for the Spear of Lugh]] [[Look for the Sword of Light]] [[Look for the Stone of Fàl]] [[Go to the Altar of Fliodhais]]

The Dagda stirs within his dark robes and glides forward. You realize how badly you've messed up when Sionnaidh whispers, "Timofei!" with nothing but fear in her voice. Before you, The Dagda raises his arms and removes the black hood obscuring his face. You stare up at him, speechless. Staring down at you is a gleaming white skull with eye sockets full of live flames. The Dagda raises his hand, and you feel yourself being lifted into the air. "To walk these streets and ask favors of the gods without offering anything in return is foolish." You don't hear The Dagda's voice so much as feel it. "You will not make this mistake again." The Dagda drops his hand, and you plummet down into the scalding hot stew within the cauldron.

You follow the enchanting smell through the streets, weaving through market stalls and groups of people who, like you, are searching for the Four Treasures. The scent finally leads you to a shadowy alleyway. You glance at Sionnaidh. "This doesn't look safe." "No, it doesn't," she observes. "What should we do?" [[Keep going down the alleyway]] [[Search elsewhere for the cauldron]]

The two of you put on brave faces and start down the alleyway into the gloom. "I don't think I've ever seen this alley before," Sionnaidh whispers to you. "Why are you whispering?" you whisper back. "I don't know," she says, still whispering. "It seems appropriate, doesn't it?" You can't argue with that. [[As you near the end of the alleyway, a scene begins to take shape.]]

You turn away from the alley, ignoring the enticing smell, and decide to look elsewhere. The two of you search through the night, but cannot seem to find any of the Four Treasures anywhere. When the sun rises from the eastern horizon, Samhain is over, and you are forced to admit defeat. With a heavy heart, you return to [[The Docks of Ireland->Ireland]].

You arrive at the end of the crooked alley to discover an inhumanly tall form draped in all-black robes standing over a vast black cast-iron cauldron. It is from this cauldron that the delicious smell is emanating. Could it be...? "Are you The Dagda?" you ask. The tall figure nods his head slowly. You look over at Sionnaidh, but she appears to be speechless. "Can we have your cauldron?" you ask timidly. Again, The Dagda slowly nods his head. [[That was easier than you thought it'd be.]]

"Why?" you ask The Dagda, genuinely curious. "You wear the Death's Head with pride." You don't hear The Dagda's voice so much as feel it. He points to your mask with a long finger. "To label yourself with Death during Samhain requires honor. You are deserving of the Cauldron, so you may have it." With a slow, sweeping gesture, The Dagda waves an arm over the cauldron, and it shrinks down to the size of a teacup. "When you place my cauldron upon the altar," he rumbles, "it will return to its true size." With that, The Dagda dissolves into shadow. <> <<if $inventory.has('Cauldron of Dagda')>> You picked up the Cauldron of The Dagda. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Pick up the Cauldron of The Dagda.">>You picked up the Cauldron of The Dagda.<<pickup '$inventory' 'Cauldron of The Dagda'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> [[You continue on your way.]]

"I don't have anything to trade," you tell the vendor. "That's a shame, stranger." The vendor shakes their head. "Would you like to choose something that is actually a mask and for sale?" [["Yes, thank you," you say.]] [["No, thank you," you say.]]

"Hey, look! Someone's trying to steal one of your masks!" You point behind the vendor, who whirls around. While they're distracted, <> <<if $inventory.has('pumpkin mask')>> you stole the pumpkin <<else>> <<linkreplace "you steal the pumpkin">>you stole the pumpkin<<pickup '$inventory' 'pumpkin mask'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> and dash off into the market, leaving Sionnaidh to chase after you, shouting about dishonor. Once you're sure that the vendor isn't chasing you, you slow down to catch your breath. Sionnaidh stands beside you with her arms folded. "Why did you do that?" she demands. "I really wanted the pumpkin," you answer lamely. She gives you a look, but says nothing more. [[You carve out the bottom of the pumpkin and place it over your head.]]

<> <<if $inventory.has('golden bracelet')>> <<linkreplace "Present the golden bracelet to the vendor">>You presented the golden bracelet to the vendor<<drop '$inventory' 'candles'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> You presented the golden bracelet to the vendor <</if>> <> , who picks it up and inspects it closely. "Yes, this will do nicely," they muse. "Can I take the pumpkin?" you ask. They nod absently, still observing the object. "Yes, go right ahead." Exchanging a look with Sionnaidh, you pick up the pumpkin and leave the vendor to their business. <> <<if $inventory.has('pumpkin mask')>> You picked up the pumpkin. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Pick up the pumpkin.">>You picked up the pumpkin .<<pickup '$inventory' 'pumpkin mask'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> [[You carve out the bottom of the pumpkin and place it over your head.]]

You follow the enchanting smell through the streets, weaving through market stalls and groups of people who, like you, are searching for the Four Treasures. The scent finally leads you to a shadowy alleyway. You glance at Sionnaidh. "This doesn't look safe." "No, it doesn't," she observes. "What should we do?" [[Continue through the alleyway]] [[Search elsewhere for the cauldron]]

The two of you put on brave faces and start down the alleyway into the gloom. "I don't think I've ever seen this alley before," Sionnaidh whispers to you. "Why are you whispering?" you whisper back. "I don't know," she says, still whispering. "It seems appropriate, doesn't it?" You can't argue with that. [[At the end of the alleyway, something begins to emerge.]]

The Dagda stirs within his dark robes and glides forward. You realize how badly you've messed up when Sionnaidh whispers, "Timofei!" with nothing but fear in her voice. Before you, The Dagda raises his arms and removes the black hood obscuring his face. You stare up at him, speechless. Staring down at you is a gleaming white skull with eye sockets full of live flames. The Dagda raises his hand, and you feel yourself being lifted into the air. "To walk these streets and take the valuables of others is foolish." You don't hear The Dagda's voice so much as feel it. "You will not make this mistake again." The Dagda drops his hand, and you plummet down into the scalding hot stew within the cauldron.

"Well, which strikes your fancy?" asks the vendor, gesturing to their wares. You look around at the dozens of masks hanging around you. [[Point to the mask made to look like an owl, formed of feathers and straw]] [[Point to the white mask sculpted to resemble a skull]]

The vendor shrugs their shoulders. "May it be upon your head, then. A Happy Samhain to you both." [[Continue without a mask]]

Double-click this passage to edit it.

You and Sionnaidh arrive at the Altar of Fliodhais struggling to carry the four treasures. A magic evil spear, tiny cauldron full of spillable stew, shouting stone, and glowing full-sized sword are rather unwieldy, to be fair. With a crowd gathering around you both, the two of you deposit the items on the altar and stand back as the cauldron grows back to its original size. Before you, there is a shimmering in the air, and a tall woman wearing a robe that looks to be woven of flowers and plants appears before you. "Ah, you must be the winners of our little Samhain competition," she greets you. Her voice is soft and light as a piece of music. "Yes," you say, [["and you must be Fliodhais."]]

The goddess nods serenely. "You are correct, my son. And here is your reward." She vanishes in another shower of shimmering dust, and is replaced by a shining green four-wheeled chariot drawn by a pair of dark-eyed deer. "The Chariot of Fliodhais," you breathe. You turn to look at Sionnaidh, but she's already clambering onto the altar and into the chariot. She glances back at you. <> <<if $inventory.has('Fliodhais’s Chariot')>> You accepted Fliodhais’s Chariot. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Accept Fliodhais’s Chariot.">>You accepted Fliodhais’s Chariot.<<pickup '$inventory' 'Fliodhais’s Chariot'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> "Well, come on." She pats the seat next to hers, and you join her. "Now," she declares, holding the reins of the chariot, [["to the Court of the Fair Folk!"]]

In a flash, your surroundings vanish, and the two of you find yourselves in a calm green meadow surrounded by trees. Unlike the world you just left, it is day, and the sun is shining brightly. Sionnaidh looks around. "Do you know where we are?" you ask. "Yes," she answers. "I used to play with Finnabair here when we were children." As she finishes speaking, a familiar face emerges from the woods. "Ah, here ye are. I was wondering when ye would arrive." [[Beaming up at you beside the chariot is Uonaidh, the Fairy Queen and organizer of the Annual Samhain Verse Competition.]]

Sionnaidh does not smile. "Hello," she says. "Where is my sister?" "She is just through these woods," Uonaidh says. "She has been waiting for you." "She has?" Sionnaidh's face softens. Uonaidh nods. "Yes. All the others have forgotten, but she still asks constantly when she may go and see her sister Sionnaidh." Sionnaidh smiles. "That is the only reason I'll allow ye to take her back," Uonaidh says. "All the others are happy here, but sweet little Finnabair is never happy without you." [[She steps away and vanishes into the trees.]]

Moments later, she returns, guiding a young girl with Sionnaidh's big eyes and red hair. "Sionnaidh!" the girl exclaims, breaking out of Uonaidh's grip and running to her sister. "Finnabair," Sionnaidh sighs, as if a weight has been lifted from her shoulders. Her sister dives into the chariot, enveloping Sionnaidh in a hug. You can't help but smile as you watch them. "I leave you here, children," Uonaidh says. "Tread through the world lightly, and leave only good things behind." [[She watches as Sionnaidh takes the reins once more and calls out, "Back to the Samhain Festival!"]]

Again, the world falls away. Between you and Sionnaidh, Finnabair gasps, gazing around as the familiar streets of Gaillimh come back into focus. "We're back!" she exclaims. "We're really back!" "Yes," Sionnaidh says. "We are." The three of you step out of the chariot for now. Behind you, the enormous Samhain bonfire begins to catch, creating a beacon of light and warmth. You turn and watch it with Sionnaidh and Finnabair for a little while, enjoying the comfort after the madness of tonight. The last you see of Sionnaidh and Finnabair are the two of them serving piping hot stew to hungry Gaillimhans from The Dagda's cauldron as you ascend in Fliodhais's chariot, returning at long last to [[the Urals->Urals2]].

Drawn by two dark-eyed deer, Fliodhais's chariot is shimmering emerald green with four large wheels. You can use Fliodhais's chariot to travel to any region you have already visited. <> <<if visited("Urals")>> [[Urals]] <<endif>> <> <> <<if visited("Russia")>> [[Russia]] <<endif>> <> <> <<if visited("Arctic")>> [[Arctic]] <<endif>> <> <> <<if visited("Caucasus")>> [[Caucasus]] <<endif>> <> <> <<if visited("Finland")>> [[Finland]] <<endif>> <> <> <<if visited("Ireland")>> [[Ireland]] <<endif>> <> <> <<if visited("Netherlands")>> [[Netherlands]] <<endif>> <> <> <<if visited("Rome")>> [[Rome]] <<endif>> <> <> <<if visited("Arkhangelsk")>> [[Arkhangelsk]] <<endif>> <> <> <<if visited("Spain")>> [[Spain]] <<endif>> <>

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio turkey loop play>> <> You arrive at a small village, where you decide to disembark. You thank the Arab and Bulat for their service and companionship, make sure you have your leather satchel and that it is secured (and untampered with). You have travelled here on your journey in an attempt to discover more about this world of the supernatural that most don’t seem to know about, save for as legends or myths. You venture towards the outskirts of the village. There was a well for public use, for the oasis was protected for the private use of the equivalent of the village’s nobles. The well is next to a tall monument. You assume it was once a wondrous structure, but time has not been kind to it. It has crumbled, and large rocks surround what remains of the base. As you reel the bucket up from the well, a movement in the shadows of the monument catches your eye. You drink from the well as you let your gaze wander back. What you see is startling. It is a man, but not quite. He has a wolf’s head, and fur down his torso and arms. He looks quite menacing, and he is staring straight at you. [[Approach him.]] [[Turn away and try to ignore him.]]

You cannot ignore his stare. You approach him, and though wary, he looks at you approvingly. “You must be a visitor. No resident of this area would approach me so willingly,” he snarks. “I am dangerous, after all.” “Yes, well, you assume you wouldn’t be trying to get a villager’s attention if you didn’t need something. What is it?” “I need someone to go on a quest, of sorts. Someone human. Monsters like me can’t get near where you need to go.” [[“What do you need me to do?”]] [[Stare and wait for more information.]]

You look away from the wolf-man, doing your best to ignore him. He makes an agitated sound, and even goes so far as to throw a small rock in your direction. You look back over to him and he beckons you over. You sigh, rolling your eyes and stride over. You [[approach->Approach him.]]

“I need you to go find The World Tree, Ağaç Ana, and collect the dew that gathers on its leaves. My mother is ill and needs it to heal. It is a two day journey each way. The question is, are you up to the task Russian spawn?” Offended, you shake your head, but agree to the task. “There’s just one small issue. I have paid for passage on a boat that leaves in five days, and I cannot leave today, for I need to gather supplies for the journey. I need to be back in time to continue your journey.” “I can assure you will be. Here is a map for your journey. I will meet you at our home. It is still a two days journey from the tree. Make sure you have what you need to leave. You will not be coming back here once you are gone.” [[Gather supplies and go to sleep.]]

You stare at him. The silence only gets thicker until he speaks again. “Will you help me or not?” [[“What do you need me to do?”]]

You go through to the various stalls in the marketplace, primarily getting rations for your journey. You also buy a thick blanket, some kindling, and a flint so you could keep yourself warm in the desert at night. you were a bit uncomfortable, because you were taller than most of the people and definitely from up north. You looked different and that made others wary of you. Because there wasn’t an inn, you decided to put your new camping equipment to use. After cooking and eating dinner and getting your campsite set up, you allowed yourself to drift to sleep. [[Start journey]]

You prepare to leave for your journey, packing up your camping supplies and making sure you had your rations and all of the items you had found previously. Sure enough, after starting on a very long and uneventful journey, two days later you reached a barrier around The World Tree. There was an inscription carved into a stone sign illuminated by the glow of the supernatural energy in the area. It read “Only those who do not intend to use the powers of the tree for themselves may get to it.” [[Remain focused]] on the goal of healing the grey wolf. [[Risk it]] and try to be fast enough to get the healing dew for yourself before something happens.

You sprint down the path of levitating stones. You feel the stones trembling as your feet hit them. You quickly fill your spare canteen with a few sips of the healing dew from the rivulets running off the leaves. The pathways you took to get here are rapidly dropping into the emptiness below. You run down some other paths trying to get back out of the circle around the tree. Suddenly, the rocks around you fall as one of your feet pounds down into the surface, you plummet down, reaching up towards the roots rapidly shrinking on the distance overhead. You hear a loud ringing in your ears. Your head starts to hurt and your vision blurs. Your vision fades to black.

You step onto the floating red stones that make various paths to the tree. The dew is running from the leaves in rivulets. <> <<if $inventory.has('dew from The World Tree')>> You fill your canteen with the dew from The World Tree <<else>> <<linkreplace "Fill your canteen with the dew from The World Tree">>You fill your canteen with the dew from The World Tree<<pickup '$inventory' 'dew from The World Tree'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> by pulling out your spare canteen that you emptied on the way here and hold it under the one of the rivulets running down as you reach a point where the path is close enough to reach it. As the canteen almost overflows, you cap it off once more and put it back in your leather satchel, the ever-so-sweet memory of your mother hitting you as you run your hand over the leather. You turn and make your way back down the path and out of the ring separating the tree from the rest of the world, now carrying the dew from The World Tree with you. [[Begin your journey to The Grey Wolf’s den]].

After another boring two day journey, you reach the den of the Grey Wolf, meeting her son and some of his siblings outside of it. You are in awe, seeing this massive wolf that was centuries old, especially to see her so weak. You pull out the canteen with the dew from The World Tree and you <> <<if $inventory.has('dew from The World Tree')>> <<linkreplace "pass the dew from The Wold Tree">>you passed the dew from The World Tree<<drop '$inventory' 'candles'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> you passed the dew from The World Tree <</if>> <> to one of the sons of the Grey Wolf. He pours it into a bowl hollowed from stone and offers it to his mother to drink. You turn towards the opening of the den, observing the position of the sun. You will not make it to your boat on time. You hear an animalistic huff from behind you, turning to see the Grey Wolf now at full strength, more in awe than before. The son you spoke to earlier approaches you with his mother behind him. He passes you, gesturing for you to follow him out of the den. “Mother insisted she repay you for your service, though she did not know how initially, however if I remember correctly, you have a boat to catch.” You nod. The Grey Wolf lowers herself to the ground. “Mother is offering you a ride to make it on time. Climb upon her back, and she will carry you to your destination faster than an arrow. Do not take this service lightly, human of the north,’ he snarls. You climb on the Grey Wolf’s back, and she takes off. The world blurs due to her speed, and in just a few minutes you have reached the docks. The people stare at you, mouths agape as she carries you right to the boat that is just about to depart, the only one there at this time. She lowers herself to the ground, allowing you to get off. You make sure to thank her, waving as she turns and runs back to her den. [[You board the boat->Greece]].

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio greece loop play>> <> Arriving on the island you were heading to, you got off the boat. As you walk through the city, the architecture and art jump out. There are libraries and temples all around. You go to purchase rations after using your supplies, but found you didn’t have anything you were willing to barter with nor enough to purchase anything, so you asked where you might be able to acquire gold. The seller in the market directed you towards a job board. As you looked over the tasks, one in particular caught your eye. It involved the supernatural, and seeing as you had had plenty of survived encounters by now, you figured it would be worth checking out. The posting said to ask for the captain of The Argo to receive the job. Payment would be given upon completion. You reposition the strap of your satchel, and head off. [[Make your way to the docks]].

When you finally find the docks, you look around for where you should start asking for the captain of The Argo. Your gaze passes over a man off to the side near an older, beat-up looking ship. you approach him, and ask him if he knows the captain of The Argo. “The Argo sank years ago. But that means you’re here about your quest!! I used The Argo to get people’s interest. Many believe the ship never sank and will one day return. BUT, that’s not why you’re here. How do you feel about going on an adventure?” he asks with a gleam in his eye. “Is the payment as you said it would be?” you ask him, unsure. He nods enthusiastically, pulling out a small wooden box and opening it to reveal it was full of gold and silver coins. You nod and gesture for him to lead the way. He leads you to board his ship. He laughs, and calls out, “Ready to leave port!” [[Set sail]].

You were leaning on one of the rails as the man lowered the sails to slow the ship, then dropped anchor. He turned to you, and said, “This is as far as I can take you. You need to make it out to Calypso’s Island and get a lotus from her. Offer her this as a trade.” He hands you an intricate box, and you open it a bit to see what was inside. It was an expensive jeweled necklace fit for a goddess. <> <<if $inventory.has('jeweled necklace')>> You accepted the jeweled necklace. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Accept the jeweled neckalce">>You accepted the jeweled necklace.<<pickup '$inventory' 'jeweled necklace'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> “How am I supposed to reach the island?” “Climb down this rope into the water, and drop this plant in front of you. Then, just hold on tight,” he laughed as you slowly swung your leg over the rail, He handed you a plant you had never seen before. You hesitated before taking it, but ultimately did. You climbed down the rope and into the water, doing your best to keep your satchel out of it. You dropped the plant and watched it float away. The water was getting rougher, and a large form was quickly approaching from below. You tried to swim away, but were too slow. You were boosted out of the water on the back of a hippocampus as it snatched up the plant. Sure enough you had to hold on as it took off. It swam and dodged through the water for a few minutes as you struggled to keep your grip before eventually settling down. “Tell it to take you to the island! I will see you back at the docks! And don’t drink or eat anything!” the man shouted as he raised sails and anchor, sailing away. [[“Take me to Calypso’s Island.”]]

As you arrived at the island, passing a barrier of magic that hit you with force, the island was revealed. It glowed softly, and you were received by some beautiful women near a small dock. Some others pampered your hippocampus ride over. The women led you deeper into the island. As you walked, you were offered a cup of tea and some biscuits. You were parched, and your stomach rumbled, as you had eaten your last bit of rations this morning. You remember the warning of the strange man. [[Kindly refuse and state you have urgent business with Calypso.]] [[Take something from them.]]]

The women get frustrated and insist you take something. You refuse again, and they huff and hurry you along to meet Calypso. When you reach her she turns to you, one of the most creatures you have ever seen. “What business do you have with me?” she asks with a firm tone. You stutter, clearing your throat and dig out the box from your satchel. “I’m here to trade. This necklace for a lotus. I got it from a man. He said to give it to you.” She looks inside the box, closing it again and sighing. “Then that means I am giving you your next task before you return to your acquaintance. Your hippocampus has been given directions to another island. There you must trick the cyclops guard into drinking tea of the lotus so that you may acquire the Golden Fleece. You must also grab the sack made of golden thread. Grab nothing else.” She plucks a lotus plant from her garden pools and hands it to you. <> <<if $inventory.has('lotus plant')>> You accepted the lotus plant. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Accept the lotus plant.">>You accepted the lotus plant<<pickup '$inventory' 'lotus plant'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> <> <<if $inventory.has('jeweled necklace')>> <<linkreplace " You give the jeweled necklace.">>You gave the jeweled necklace.<<drop '$inventory' 'jeweled necklace'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> You gave the jeweled necklace. <</if>> <> “One petal from this lotus, if dropped in a lake, could put a whole population of mortals into a hundred year sleep. Use the whole flower for the cyclops,” she spoke seriously, holding direct eye contact with you. You nod. “You may go,” she huffs. “Take him back to the dock.” You are grabbed roughly by your arms and led away. The hippocampus whinnies when it sees you return, and snorts mist onto you, tossing its head. You make sure the lotus is tucked carefully into your satchel and clamber back onto your temporary steed’s back. You wave farewell to your escorts around the island as the hippocampus slowly turns from the dock so as not to hit it, then flips its tail and darts swiftly away from the island. [[Continue on your quest.]]

You accept their offer, and the women grin at me. It is sinister but you are too hungry and thirsty to notice. They keep grinning as you take your fill. When you turn back to them to thank them, you sway. Your grin drops, and you become concerned as you hit the ground and fall unconscious. When you wake, your head throbs, and you try to stand, but find you cannot. You look around. The world seems much bigger. What happened? You see a puddle, and catch your reflection. You are a hog.

As night fell, you reach the island. The hippocampus swam up to a portion of rocks on the island that pushed out into the sea, allowing you to get off. You carefully walked the island, finding that there were only a few cyclops living in their own caves. They had barrels of water and mead scattered around the island at various places. The mead barrels smelled like it, but you needed water for this plan. You can hear low grumbling and some snores as the cyclops all settle in for the night. You snuck around the caves peaking into them until you found one that gleamed with the brilliance of the Golden Fleece. You remembered where it was, heading back to the barrels, smelling them until you found one without a smell. You tipped it onto its side, and rolled the barrel back to the cave of the Cyclops with the Golden Fleece. He was towering and still awake. He was stoking a fire when he stopped, sniffing around. “I can smell you mortal. Reveal yourself!” he demanded in a booming shout. You step into the cave and call back, “Oh mighty one. I was so in awe of your size and power that I wanted to give you a gift. A favorite beverage of the mortals. I just need to make use of your fire and the water in this barrel to do so.” “Mortal from a foreign land, you may give me this gift,” he states proudly as his ego swells. [[Make the tea.]]

You roll the barrel close to the fire and pop the top off. It is not so close that the wood will burn, but enough to heat. You move to the other side of the fire under the watchful eye of the proud cyclops, and turn your back for a brief moment, swiftly pulling the lotus from your leather satchel and placing it near enough to the fire it can dry out without burning. Once the water is warm, you tell the cyclops to close his eye, and try to smell the blend of the beverage. You quickly crumble the dry lotus into the water, and as it steeps, a sugary aroma permeates the air. “Oh great one, your gift is ready! May the favor of us mortals stay with you!” you shout out to him. He smiles cruelly, and drinks all the contents of the barrel in a few gulps. He laughs after finishing, calling out, “That was good, mortal. I demand more!” “I will make more,” you call out, feeling your nerves beginning to take over. “I just need to go get another barrel of water.” “I will get it. It will be faster,” he grumbles out impatiently. “No!” you cry, causing him to look down at you in anger. Switching your tone, you try again. “No,” you call up to him, “let me serve you, Oh great one. I will be swift.” He gestures for you to go, and you run out of the cave and act as if you are turning towards a barrel storage area, but instead turn back to wait outside of the cave so that you may hear. It only takes a minute, but you hear, and feel, the cyclops fall as he snores loudly, falling into the slumber of the lotus. [[Re-enter the cave.]]

You rush back into the cave, not knowing if this will last long or not. <> <<if $inventory.has('Golden Fleece')>> You snatched the Golden Fleece <<else>> <<linkreplace "Snatch the Golden Fleece">>You snatched the Golden Fleece<<pickup '$inventory' 'Golden fleece'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <>, draping it over yourself. Quickly scanning over the pile of other treasures, you spot the golden bag and <> <<if $inventory.has('golden bag')>> you grabbed the golden bag. <<else>> <<linkreplace "grab the golden bag">>You grab the golden bag<<pickup '$inventory' 'golden bag'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <>. It moves in your grip as if something alive was inside. Though it startled you, you do not let go. You ran out, disappearing down the path and behind cover as you could hear the others that were still awake calling out to their brethren to find out what was going on. You clamber back onto the hippocampus and tell them to go, the island fading in the distance as you hear angry shouts of cyclops finding that some of their more precious treasures had been taken. In the dark of the night under the stars, you make it back to the dock. You thank the hippocampus, and give it a hearty pat before it dives back into the water, splashing water on you. You grin as you prepare to find the ship that took you out to sea, and the man. [[Find the ship.]]

The ship of the man was not hard to find. It was the only run-down looking one in sight. you walked aboard, trying to see if the man was on deck, or even on the ship at all. As you were turning in a slow circle trying to figure it out, you heard someone clear their throat behind me. You whirled around and saw the man, that same gleam still in his eye. “Do you have them?” he asked in a whisper. You nod, holding out the bag, moving more now, and unwind the Golden Fleece form around you, holding it out as well. He snatches them from you with startling speed, and then tosses the chest of coins to you. <> <<if $inventory.has('chest of coins')>> You caught the chest of coins, <<else>> <<linkreplace "Catch the chest of coins">>You caught the chest of coins<<pickup '$inventory' 'chest of coins'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <>, and look back up from examining it only to see that this man was now cackling with glee, and glowing as he transforms. “My shoes!” he shouts, opening the bag and allowing some winged sandals to fly out. He puts them on and then shoots up into the air, circling the masts before hovering before me, as you stare in shock, jaw dropped. “Thank you, mortal! Now you can return these to where they belong. Farewell!” and he flies off. You faint on the deck from surprise, and wake in the morning. You try to process what happened, and head back to the market. The job posting you followed has vanished. You purchase more rations, and make a hearty meal to make up for not eating yesterday. You head back to the docks and book passage on a ship back to the mainland for the evening. You are still too in shock to leave, so you sit on the dock and wait for evening. [[You get on the ship.]]

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio rome loop play>> <> You get off the ship, immediately noticing the crowds of people screaming in the streets. You were able to see over the crowd, looking to where some city officials were trying to keep the peace. You got as close as you could to ask what was happening. The city official told you they had an outbreak of plague that had been halted by a gift from the gods, but it had been taken. They were looking for a qualified volunteer to go after the thief and retrieve it. You offered your service. He told you to follow him into the building for your instructions and materials for the quest. [[Enter the building.->Rome2]]

You follow the city official leading you to a small armory. In it, there is a sword in a glass case, and you are immediately drawn to it. “How does the sword make you feel?” the city official asks. “I want it. Just to hold, to keep,” you say, unable to tear your eyes away. “But does it make you feel aggressive? Would you kill to get it?” “No! I wouldn’t!” you cried, giving him a perplexed look, managing to take your gaze away from the sword. “Hm. Interesting,” he mumbles. “That is the Sword of Peleus. It draws people to it. It’s an irresistible sword. It is the key to retrieving the stolen gift from the gods,” he explains. He removes the sword from the case and wraps it in a heavy blanket. “The blanket conceals iot and keeps people from feeling its pull. Take it, and go to the temple a two hour ride south of here. There, you will be tested. We will provide you with a horse and an escort.” You nod. <> <<if $inventory.has('Sword of Peleus')>> You take the Sword of Peleus <<else>> <<linkreplace "Take the Sword of Peleus">>You take the Sword of Peleus<<pickup '$inventory' 'Sword of Peleus'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <>, feeling the weight of such an important item as you held it. You let the city official lead you from the building and out to the stables. There, an armed guard waits. The official tells you he is your escort. He tells you to pick a steed, saying you leave immediately after. Pick the [[white horse]]. Pick the [[brown horse]].

You head out, riding towards the temple. About halfway through your journey, you are ambushed by bandits. They knock you off your horses and kill your escort. Afraid the blanket wasn’t working, you ask them why you, of all the people who took this road. Their reply? “That pretty horse of yours is why. That is a horse that looks too good to be owned by just anybody,” he sneered, unwrapping the Sword of Peleus. “And I was right,” he speaks, eyes locked on the sword. The aggressive tendencies it creates come forth, and he ruthlessly slaughters his whole team of other bandits with it. You come to your senses, and run away, as fast as you could. You turn and see him pursuing. Turning around causes you to trip, and as you fall, the bandit reaches you. The last thing you see is the sword swinging towards your neck as you close your eyes and brace.

You ride out some minutes after a couple of travelling merchants with brilliant white horses. They are just in sight for the whole ride out to the temple, until you see them get attacked by bandits. Your escort and you kick our horses into a gallop and bolt by the bandits before they catch you, too. As you pass, you can hear the screams of the merchants and the bandits as they fight. Once you passed them, your escort yelled, “Keep going for about another 30 minutes in this direction. You should see the temple! Hopefully I will meet you there!” He reels his steed around and heads back to help the merchants fend off the bandits. You keep course until you see the temple. You dismount from the horse, tying the reins near the water trough for others who visit. You are the only one here, though. You grab the sword wrapped in the blanket, check your satchel, and head into the temple. Sunlight streams in making a spotlight on a circle in front of an inscription written in stone. “To enter the thieves ranks, you must first pay tribute to our patron deity. Place your offering on the correct pedestal. This offering is not food, but an item of value. There is not necessarily one correct answer.” You select the pedestal for [[Mercury]]. You select the pedestal for [[Discordia]]. You select the pedestal for [[Laverna]].

Something told you that you were not meant to use the Sword of Peleus yet. You opened your satchel to see what you could find. You spotted the chest of coins given to you by the god after your last quest. It still has plenty of the coins in it. You take some out to buy more food later, placing the intricate box with the rest of the coins on the pedestal for Khaos. It sinks down and a trap door opens under you. You fall into a pit and land on a pile of bones. The trapdoor closes above me. In the fading light, you read an inscription on the wall.

Something told you that you were not meant to use the Sword of Peleus yet. You opened your satchel to see what you could find. You spotted the chest of coins given to you by the god after your last quest. It still has plenty of the coins in it. You take some out to buy more food later, placing the intricate box with the rest of the coins on the pedestal for Laverna. It sinks down and a trapdoor opens under me. You grip the sword wrapped in a blanket and land in a marble slide and are carried through the hidden rooms until it stops you in what looks like a round room dedicated to management of the organization. In the room, there is a man sitting at a table. On the table, there is a shield. [[“I am here to negotiate,”]] you state as firmly as you can muster.

You walk down the stairs and meet a woman at the bottom. You tell her you are here to negotiate for something that should be here. She says nothing, just gestures for you to follow her. She leads you to a large door. She unlocks it, opens it, and pushes you inside. You stumble in as the door swings shut behind you. Regaining your balance, you see a man behind a desk with a shield resting upon it. [[“I am here to negotiate,”]] you state as firmly as you can muster.

“And what, pray tell, would you like to negotiate for?” The man behind the table asked calmly. “I want to make a trade with what’s in this blanket for that shield on your desk.” “Ancile. This shield is a gift from the gods. What would you have that was equal to or greater than its value?” “The item wrapped in this blanket. It is also a gift from the gods,” you state. “Show me.” “No. It is dangerous. You must take my word for it. Have someone ready to grab me before I get away or something, but you must take my word for it.” “If this is a trick, I will have you killed,” he informs you. “Fine. Do we have a deal? You don’t open this until I’m out of this room.” “Yes. Fine,” he growls. He slides the shield towards you, and <> <<if $inventory.has('Sword of Peleus')>> <<linkreplace "set the Sword of Peleus on the table.">>you set the Sword of Peleus on the table.<<drop '$inventory' 'candles'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> you set the Sword of Peleus on the table. <</if>> <> As he pulls it towards him, <> <<if $inventory.has('shield')>> you grabbed the shield <<else>> <<linkreplace "grab the shield">>you grabbed the shield<<pickup '$inventory' 'shield'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <>. You turn and make your way out of the room, and a man enters at the same time. There, a woman waits, and leads you to a staircase leading up. You enter the temple through a hidden door in the wall, and as it closes behind you, you hear the sounds of fighting as the power of the sword creates a slaughter. Shield in hand, you walk out of the temple to see your escort waiting with his steed by yours. He is a little banged up, but fine. He mounts his horse as you untie yours and do the same. [[Ride back to the city.]]

Once you arrive back to the city, you ride towards the stables you met at. Once leaving your steeds in the stable, your escort leads you back to the office where you got your quest. There, <> <<if $inventory.has('shield')>> <<linkreplace "you hand the shield">>you handed the shield<<drop '$inventory' 'shield'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> you handed the shield <</if>> <> over to the city official. He thanks you, and leads you out to a public area in the building, placing the shield back on display. As the crowd cheers and gathers around, you slip into it and make your way out of the building. You make your way back to the sea, see a ship about to leave and purchase a space on it. [[The ship departs for a land to the west.->Spain]]

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio spain loop play>> <> You eventually make your way to a small town on the Spanish coast. When you find the main plaza some minutes later, there is a large crowd, all clamoring for something. You ask what is going on. Some stranger tells you it’s a competition. The one who can successfully stand against the sword in challenge without backing down shall win a magical ring found in the plaza. You groan, but join the queue. Eventually, it is your turn to step up to the man holding this mythical sword. He tells you that it is a magical sword called Tizona that makes anyone who is not a worthy opponent stand down from challenging the blade. [[Stand]] against the power of the sword. [[Back down]] from the power of the sword.

You feel a pull wanting you to turn away from and submit to the sword. However, you resist that pull and square yourself against the wielder of the blade. You stand there, staring down the blade for a full minute, it seems, and then the crowd erupts into cheers. You are handed the ring of Mudarra. <> <<if $inventory.has('ring of Mudarra')>> You accepted the ring of Mudarra. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Accept the ring of Mudarra.">>Accepted the ring of Mudarra<<pickup '$inventory' 'ring of Mudarra'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <>, and the wielder of Tizona laughs as he congratulates you and gives you a hard pat on your back. “You know, you are pretty good for a foreigner,” he laughs. [[Return to the old man at the baker.]]

You are unable to stand up to the power of the sword. You back down and rejoin the crowd of observers. You are unable to finish your task.

You return to the old man a few minutes later. <<norbr>><<if $inventory.has('ring of Madurra')>> <<linkreplace "Give the ring of Madurra to the old man">>you gave the ring of Madurra to the old man<<drop '$inventory' 'ring of Madurra'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> you set the ring of Madurra to the old man. <</if>> <>. He smiles at you as he puts it on. When his vision clears he startles. “You’re tall. And form the north. I did not know who it was that helped me, but I am glad to see your face. This is my ring. The ring of Mudarra. It is my family name. This ring has been in my family for generations. I am glad it has found its way back to us.” “I am glad to have helped. Now, though, I think it is time to return to my own family.” You take your leave, heading back into the market. Once you purchase rations and ingredients for your trip back. You go the nearby harbor where you cannot find any ships travelling back to Russia. The closest you can find is a ship bringing an ambassador to the faraway island of Hibernia. [[Taking the opportunity to get out of Spain, you hop aboard this ship]]

The woman leads the way into the woods and down a short path. She leads you right to a chariot. Pulling this chariot are two goats. “I am a Valkyrie, and I need your help.” [[Help her]]

You refuse to follow her. “Whatever this is, I’m sure you can handle it yourself.” you back away from her. She reaches out to you, and you drop the handle of the hammer into her hand. It immediately drags her to the ground, popping her wrist out of place. You immediately apologize and pick it back up, asking how you can make it up to her. “Follow me. Help me,” she replies. You [[agree->Follow her.]] reluctantly.

You allow her to pull you on to the chariot. She cracks the reins, and the goats surge into the air. The world streaks due to the speed you are travelling. You scream, gripping onto the front of the chariot. Soon, it halts in front of a man fighting for his life. There is a sign that says they are competing for a rope. “Thor, catch!” screams the Valkyrie. “Throw the hammer towards him,” she demands. [[Throw the hammer.]]

<<norbr>><<if $inventory.has('Mjolnir')>> <<linkreplace "Throw Mjolnir">>You threw Mjolnir<<drop '$inventory' 'Mjolnir'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> You threw Mjolnir <</if>> <> Thor catches the hammer, and quickly uses it to defeat his opponent. Claiming the rope, he rushes towards you, ushering you onto the chariot with him. “You found it!” he smiles, “Actually, he did,” she points to you. Thor pats you on the shoulder. “We can use you,” he says. We arrive on an island with a giant wolf rampaging, a cuff that used to be tied to something on his ankle. “I have the rope that Loki untied from Fenrir!” Thor calls out to the other valkyries, battling with the wolf. “I am going to distract him. You take this rope and attach it to that cuff. The valkyries will handle the rest. When I tell you, go!” and he runs off. After some time, Fenrir gets hit in the face by his hammer and falls to the ground, stunned. “Take Gleipnir! Go! Now!” yells Thor. [[Run away]]

You sprint towards the wolf, and tie the end of the rope around the cuff. Fenrir, however, doesn’t stay down for long, and quickly recovers. As the valkyrie takes the other end to tie it to the post that will keep him on the island, you try to get away from Fenrir as he stands, but you are too slow, and feel his jaws close around you. [[Hold onto a fang.]] [[Slip]]

You are soon released from Fenrir’s mouth by Thor. You scramble away from Fenrir and towards the chariot. You clamber onto the chariot screaming, “I’m done! I want to leave! Take me away. Anywhere but here! Now!” Thor gets on the chariot, chuckling, and cracks the reins. Soon enough, the chariot [[stops->Germany]].

You are unable to fend off Fenrir and are quickly devoured by the wolf.

Someone grabs you out of the tree. A man. He smiles down at you. “I can take the cloak off, but first you have to help me. It won’t take long. Just a quick favor.” You bob your head. “I need you to get me the Nibelungen ring, to match with this. This helmet is the Tarnhelm. They both turn the wearer invisible, but so long as the two pieces are separate, more than one person has that power. I want both pieces. I want to be the only one.” [[You bob your head again, agreeing]].

The man mounts a horse, and roosts you on his shoulder. About half a day later, you arrived at a manor. “That window there, it leads to the artifact room. The ring is in there. I need you to fly on and grab it. I will meet you back in the village. Bring the ring.” You fly into the room, searching for the ring. The challenge is, there are many. Then you see a mirror. [[Start grabbing rings and look at your reflection]].

You start grabbing rings, allowing them to slide onto your leg over your clawed foot. You fly in front of the mirror after switching out rings. Eventually, One of them causes you to no longer see your reflection in the mirror. <> <<if $inventory.has('Nibelungen ring')>> You picked up the Nibelungen ring. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Pick up the Nibelungen ring.">>You picked up the Nibelungen ring<<pickup '$inventory' 'Nibelungen ring'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <>Keeping your grip on it, you fly out of the room and follow the road back towards the village. When you reached the tree he found you in, he was no longer there. There was a note, though. It told you to go to the cabin east of the village. You fly your way over, and see an open window, seeing a dock in the distance from your higher point-of-view. There has been a window left open for you at the cabin. [[Fly through the window.]]

The man grins at you as you land on his table, somehow being able to see you. <<norbr>><<if $inventory.has('Nibelungen ring')>> <<linkreplace "The old man takes the ring off.">>The old man took the ring off.<<drop '$inventory' 'Nibelungen'>><</linkreplace>> <<else>> The old man takes the ring off. <</if>> <>He takes the ring off your leg gingerly. “This is what I wanted.” He lays the ring next to Tarnhelm. “Now, to get this cloak off of you.” He holds his hand over you, muttering a spell you couldn’t hear. You feel yourself grow as the cloak falls to the floor off the table. You are now sitting on this man’s table. “Well, thank you,” you mutter as you rush out of the cabin and down the path to the village, completely embarrassed. When you get to the village, you find a wagon to take you to the docks on the river, where you hope to catch a boat travelling up the Rhine. [[Flee on the riverboat->Netherlands]]

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio netherlands loop play>> <> The riverboat travels up the Rhine until you reach the flatlands of the Low Countries, also known as the Netherlands. You disembark and join a hoard of people all travelling to the fabulously wealthy city of Saeftinghe. A fellow migrant tells you about the city: the farms dress in silk, their horses wear silver, and their doors are made out of gold. After walking for a good while, you come to the walls of Saeftinghe. [[You approach the gates]]

You approach the gates, attempting to enter the city. "I'm sorry sir, you can't enter the city. Entrance is limited to citizens only" a guardsman stops you. Disappointed, you follow the other travellers who are setting up tents in the fields outside the city walls. [[You spend the night in the tent village]]

Unable to enter the city during the day, you decide the best course of action will be to spend the night in one of the tents. You find someone who is willing to share their accomodations with you and you settle in for the night. [[You fall asleep]] [[You try to sneak into the city at night]]

You manage to fall asleep, but several hours later you are awoken by a sweet song that floats across the midnight air. You get out of the tent and decide to investigate the mysterious song. [[You set off towards the source of the song]]

Once the rest of the migrants have gone to sleep, you decide that the only way you will be able to enter the city is by climbing over the walls and sneaking in. You stealthily clamber over the city walls and make your way into the city center, careful to avoid detection by any guards. As you walk through the city, you are amazed by its fantastic wealth, gold, silver, and gemstones are everywhere to be seen. You eventually come to the Seaftinghe's magnificient harbor, home to enormous East Indiamen and more modest merchantmen whose trading ventures generate the wealth for the city. While you are admiring the massive ships, you hear a city guard approaching. Keen not to be caught, you [[hide in a large East Indiaman]] [[hide in a good-sized merchant ship]] [[hide in a modest schooner]] [[hide in a small fishing boat]]

You sneak onboard the large East Indiaman and find a place to lay low. You find a set of sailor's clothes and put them on, hoping they will help disguise you. You find a comfortable spot where you hide for the remainder of the night. [[You awake the next morning->East Indies]]

Quickly hiding before the city guards finding, you tuck yourself underneath a tarpaulin in a small fishing boat. You eventually fall asleep. [[You are awoken]]

You begin to walk towards the forest where the sound is emanating from. As you walk, you notice that you are not the only one following the sound. A young maiden is also walking in the direction of the sound. [[You run to introduce yourself to the maiden]]

You quickly catch up to the maiden and introduce yourself: "Hello, my name's Timofei. Do you hear the song as well?" The girl responds "My name is Machteld. I do hear the song. I believe that it is the magical song of Lord Halewijn. Many a young maiden has disappeared after following his song." "Aren't you scared?" you ask. "Yes, but I have a plan to defeat Lord Halewijn," she responds, "for it to work I will need you to remain hidden in the forest." [[You agree and find a comfortable spot to hide in]]

Once you are hidden settled underneath a large oak tree, Machteld sets off, entranced by the song, and meets an imposing figure at the edge of the forest. That must be Lord Halewijn, you think. Machteld and Lord Halewijn disappear past the edge of the forest. [[You wait]]

As you wait in the forest, Lord Halewijn leads Machteld to a field filled with gallows, from each hangs the lifeless corpse of an unlucky woman. "You are such a beautiful maiden," Lord Halewijn says to Machteld, "that I will allow you to choose how I shall kill you." "If I must die, I choose to be beheaded," Machteld responds "but, remove your shirt first, for surely my blood will splatter and stain it." Nodding his head, Halewijn begins to remove his shirt. As the shirt covers his face, the spell of Halewijn's song is broken. Seizing the moment, Machteld grabs Halewijn's sword and slices off his head, his body falling lifeless to the ground. [[Machteld picks up his head and returns to you]]

You see Machteld approach, holding the bloody head of Lord Halewijn in her hand. You offer to take the bloody head and carry it for her, she happily obliges. <> <<if $inventory.has('Halewijn's head')>> You took Lord Halewijn's head. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Take Lord Halewijn's head.">>You took Lord Halewijn's head.<<pickup '$inventory' 'Halewijn's head'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> [[Machteld brings you into the city to show her family]]

Machteld takes you inside the city walls and brings you to her home. She introduces you to her father, Pieter, and her mother, Wilhelmina. They offer you a hearty meal of herring and potatoes. Pieter, a fisherman, asks if you would like to accompany him out to sea tomorrow. [[You agree to accompany Pieter]] [[You decline Pieter's offer]]

You awake early the next morning to accompany Pieter. You help him prepare the fishing boat and yet set sail until you come to a promising fishing ground. [[Help Pieter bring the catch in]]

You decline Pieter's offer and instead request his assistance in finding passage across the ocean. He agrees to help find vessel to bring you to where you need to go. Pieter informs you there is an East Indiaman destined for the Spice Islands and a schooner heading to England tomorrow. He also mentions a voyage of exploration intending to find a Northeast Passage to China. Pieter informs you that none of the ships have room for passengers, so you must work as a member of the crew. You decide to take the [[East Indiaman going to the Spice Islands->East Indies]] [[schooner going to England->ship to England]] [[merchantman looking for the Northeast Passage->Northeast Passage]]

You slowly open your eyes and look around. To your surprise, you are no longer at the docks, you are out at sea. "Hallo, I was wondering when you wake up" the fisherman speaks, "since you are here, you might as well help bring the catch in. My name is Pieter, what's yours?" "Timofei," you reply. [[You agree to help with the fishing->Help Pieter bring the catch in]]

You and Pieter work throughout the day bringing the nets in. They are filled with fish of all sorts--cod, herring, grouper, and mackerel. It is tiring, but rewarding work. After bringing the nets in for a while, you find you enjoy this line of work. In the late afternoon, just before you are about to return to the harbor, Pieter pulls in something strange in his net. The upper half of this creature has the form of a beautiful maiden, while the bottom half is a fish. It is none other than a mermaid! "Please, sir release me from your net! You and the other citizens of Saeftinghe must change your ways or else disaster will befall you" the mermaid pleads with Pieter. Disinterestedly, Pieter responds "I don't think I will. Potverdorie, I caught you I'm going to bring you into town to show my maatjes." [[You continue with the mermaid towards Saeftinghe]]

Just before you enter Saeftinghe's harbor, the sea surrounding your boat begins to swell and a merman rises out of the water. "Please sir, let my wife go. Without water, she will surely die!" the merman protests to Pieter. [[You convince Pieter to let the mermaid go]] [[You and Pieter refuse the merman's request]]

With a bit of persuasion, you eventually convince Pieter to release the mermaid. She thanks you as you free her from the net and she swims away, leaving you and Pieter alone. You and Pieter bring back the rest of your catch, itching to tell Pieter's friends what you saw later that night. [[You go to the local pub with Peter]]

Pieter refuses to release the mermaid and yells back "You verdoemd meerman! I will not release this creature. I caught it my nets, so it's mine for the keeping!" The merman, angered, replies "May you and your city be cursed! The lands of Seaftinghe will fall, only its towers will continue to stand tall!" The merman then disappears again under the water, leaving you and Pieter smug if not a little disconcerted. You make it back to the docks and unload your catch. You and Pieter drag the mermaid back you the local pub, where you show off your find to Pieter's friends. Once the locals finish gawking at the mermaid, you and Pieter drag her to the local guild hall where she gasps her last breath and dies. Her body is embalmed and put on display in the local cabinet of curiosities. [[You return to Pieter's home]]

You make your way back to Pieter's home where you feast on another hearty meal of fish and potatoes. You retire for the night in preparation for another long day at sea with Pieter. [[You awake the next morning]]

You awake the next morning and have a quick snack before heading to the well to collect water for you and Pieter while you are at sea. When you arrive at the well, you notice something strange. Cod and sundry other fish are swimming in the well. You pull up a sample of the water and taste it, immediately spitting out, much too salty than it should be. Before you can get back to warn Pieter, an enormous tidal wave sweeps over the town, killing all its inhabitants. The only remnants left are the imposing towers of Saeftinghe.

In the local pub, you and Pieter chat with the other locals. Most don't believe your account, dismissing it as hogwash. One patron, however, takes a keen interest. He says his name is Drebbel, Cornelius Drebbel. You chat with Drebbel through the night about mermaids, the ocean, and both of your adventures. When you are set to leave the pub, he invites you to come to see one of his inventions. [[With nothing better to do, you follow him]]

You sneak onboard the merchant ship and find a place to lay low. You find a set of sailor's clothes and put them on, hoping they will help disguise you. You find a comfortable spot where you hide for the remainder of the night. [[You awake the next morning->Northeast Passage]]

You sneak onboard the schooner and find a place to lay low. You find a set of sailor's clothes and put them on, hoping they will help disguise you. You find a comfortable spot where you hide for the remainder of the night. [[You awake the next morning->ship to England]]

The next morning, you join the ship's crew in loading provisions onto the ship. The ship is loaded with goods and products such as textiles, rum, and rifles to use as to trade with the natives of the East Indies. You learn that the ship is destined for the Banda Islands, the center of the nutmeg trade in the East Indies. You quickly learn the ropes of a sailing vessel such as this and make friends with some of the crew members. Once the vessel is loaded, you set sail. [[You sail south]]

The next morning, you join the ship's crew in loading provisions onto the ship. The ship is loaded with food and drink in preparation for your long journey and trinkets and commodities to trade with the Chinese. You learn that the ship is destined north, towards the lands of Norway and the icy seas beyond, and hopefully to the Orient. You quickly learn the ropes of a sailing vessel such as this and make friends with some of the crew members. Commanding this vessel is the legendary navigator Willem Barentsz, famous for his explorations looking for the Northeast Passage. The captain of the ship is Jacob van Heemskerck, an accomplished sailor. Once the ship is loaded, you set sail. [[You sail north]]

The next morning, you join the ship's crew in loading provisions onto the ship. You learn that the ship is destined for Great Yarmouth, a port on the Kentish coast of England. You quickly learn the ropes of a sailing vessel such as this and make friends with some of the crew members. Once the ship is loaded, you set sail. [[You sail west->England]]

You sail north, continuing farther than you thought possible. You come to an icy land which Barentsz christens Spitsbergen, after its pointy mountains. On these mountains, you and crew observe strange animals. They are large beasts with two long tusks. These creatures remind you of the stories of morses you heard back in Russia, the Dutch sailors call them walrus. The morse clamber up the cliffs using their tusks, as if they were using a ladder. Once the morse reach the top of the cliff, they graze on the sweet grass and roll back down the cliff to the sea. Some of the morse fall asleep before the make it down and hang by their tusks on the cliff. You and several of your crew mates sneak up behind one of the morses and tie a rope around its tail. At a safe distance, you pelt rocks at the morse, which wakes up startled, and throws itself into the ocean to escape. In its hurry, the skin of the morse is peeled off and your crew maters pick it up. Nearby, you find an old tusk of the morse. <> <<if $inventory.has('morse tusk')>> You pick up the morse tusk. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Pick up the morse tusk.">>You picked up the morse tusk.<<pickup '$inventory' 'morse tusk'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> [[You set sail once again, towards the seas to the east]]

The East Indiaman soon sets sail for the East Indies, where you are hoping to discover many riches. The sailing is smooth for the first few days of the journey. As you pass the Spanish coast, a the lookout spots a Spanish warship approaching. The captain attempts to outrun the Spanish, but laden with goods, your ship is too slow. The Spanish warship docks alongside out, where Spanish marines board your ship. It is at this point you discover that the Dutch Repbublic, which had recently delcared its independence, and Spain are at war. The Spanish seize the goods and take you and the crew prisoner. [[You are locked up in a Spanish prison]]

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio england loop play>> <> Eventually, you make it to the English coast. You disembark, thanking those who brought you to this point. You arrive in the nearby town of Hartlepool, where the people are confused by your strange clothes. One citizen proclaims "He must be a French spy!" and after some thought, the rest of the townspeople seem to agree. The townspeople hold an impromptu trial where they declare you guilty of espionage for the French and sentence you to death. The townspeople then set up a makeshift gallows and hang you on the spot.

You continue your voyage east towards the Orient. You eventually come to another icy island, which Barentsz christens Nova Zembla, meaning "New Land". It is at this point that an argument breaks out between Barentsz and van Heemskerck. Barentsz wants to travel around the northern end of the island, saying the ice won't be a problem at this time of year. van Heemskerck wants to travel around the southern edge of the island to avoid as much ice as possible. [[Barentsz wins the argument, and you take the northern route]] [[van Heemskerck wins the argument, and you take the southern route]]

Deferring to Barentsz' navigational experience, van Heemskerck relents and pilots the ship around the north end of the island. The ice is heavier than expected, and a short distance passing around the north end, the ship becomes stuck in the ice. Unable to free the ship, Barentsz announces that it will be necessary to overwinter on the island. You and the crew begin unloading the necessary supplies and materials and construct a makeship lodge on the frozen island. Built out of the ship's timber, it is you home for the next several months. Luckily, the ship had been provisioned with adequate supplies of salted beef, butter, cheese, bread, barley, peas, beans, groats, flour, oil, vinegar, mustard, salt, beer, wine, brandy, hardtack, smoked bacon, ham, and fish. To ensure the supply lasts through the winter, Barentsz rations the supplies. You find some blankets and other fabrics intended for trade to use as warm clothing. [[You spend the winter on the island]]

Barentsz eventually relents, deferring to van Heemskerck's experience. Van Heemskerck rounds the southern tip of Nova Zembla and you continue into uncharted waters, which Barentsz calls the Scythian Ocean. You closely follow the coast line, which is lined with tall pines, reminding you of the forests of the Urals. Eventually, you come to a settlement on on the coast, where you and the crew disembark. The buildings in the village are mostly small, constructed of local timber. You recognize the language of some of the villagers as similar to that of the Khanty traders who visited your town when you were young. You decide to remain in the village, and try to make it overland back to the Urals, leaving your crewmates to continue their voyage to the Orient. [[Look for transportation to the Urals->Khanty]]

You and the 15 other crew members get used to life in the lodge. One crewmate fashions traps out of leftover wood and uses them to catch the small white foxes that scamper around the lodge. One day, the sun sets and never rises again, beginning a long, cold, dark winter. To keep yourselves warm, you sleep with stones and cannonballs warmed by the fire. [[One day a crewmate goes out to check the traps but does not return]]

You and several other crewmates go out looking for him. You find his clothes strewn about in the snow, and following a bloody trail, you spot a great white bear dragging the lifeless corpse of your crewmate. Smelling you, the bear drops the corpse and rushes forward to attack you. Terrified, you grab a rifle and shoot the bear as it rears up on its hind legs. It takes several shots, but eventually the bear collapses, dead. You and the crew skin and carve up the great bear, eager for some new meat. <> <<if $inventory.has('polar bearskin coat')>> You fashioned the bear skin into a coat. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Fashion the bear skin into a coat.">>You fashioned the bear skin into a coat.<<pickup '$inventory' 'polar bearskin coat'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> [[You return to the lodge]]

You return to the lodge, continuing on for several more months until one morning a crewmate bursts in shouting "The sun! The sun has returned!" In excitement, you all rush out of the lodge and begin celebrating the end of the long dark winter. With the return of the sun, Barentsz annouces that now is the time to leave the island. You and the crew prepare the open boats to sail back to Holland. [[You set sail once again]]

Commanded once again by Barentsz, you and the crew set sail on several of the open boats from your ship. You float across the rough waters around the southern end of Nova Zembla and back into the open seas. You and the crew are exhausted, but relieved to finally be off the frozen island. After sailing for a while, you notice a strange object in the distance heading in your direction. It floats on the water, but it does not look like a ship and smoke emanates from a chimney. As it approaches, you find that it is actually a small floating shack. Its captain pulls up along side you and invites you and the crew onboard. You board his makeshift vessel and discover that it is warm and steamy. You realize that this isn't in fact a ship, but a floating sauna. The boatman has fish smoking in the chimney, which he invites you to eat as he takes you back to his homeport of Arkhangelsk. [[You arrive in the bustling port of Arkhangelsk->Arkhangelsk]]

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio pomors loop play>> <> The floating sauna steams into the port of Arkhangelsk. You are amazed by the city and its environs. As you approach, you see locals sailing on rafts of ice. There are huge cloudberries growing on the far bank. The salmon and cod catch, salt, and pack themselves, leaving it to the fisherman to place the lids on the barrels. There are great white bears, here too, instead of being savage, these polar bears are selling milk in the streets. There are penguins too, who dance and march with organs and dance around with tamborines. One of the most remarkable things you discover in Arkhangelsk are the frozen songs. In the cold winter, the young girls sing sweet songs that freeze in tiny rings, almost like lace. In the spring, the songs melt and produce the most wondrous music. Some of the frozen songs are stored in a special box where they stay frozen so merchants can purchase them. The local shops are filled with such songs. The locals use these frozen songs to decorate their homes. <> <<if $inventory.has('frozen song')>> You purchased a frozen song. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Purchase a frozen song.">>You purchased a frozen song.<<pickup '$inventory' 'frozen song'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> Barentsz and the rest of the crew find a ship to take them back to Holland, while you, realizing you aren't far off from your home, decide to embark overland to take you back. [[You find a local reindeer herder who is willing to take you across the tundra back to the Urals.]]

You climb into the reindeer herder's sleigh and he sets off across the wide and snowy tundra. After travelling for several days, you arrive back in the town where you began your journey. [[Back in the Urals, at last!->Urals2]]

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio urals loop play>> <> Once more, you trek down into the gloomy depths of the mines. Without the Mistress of the Copper Mountain to guide you, the mines are dark and difficult to navigate. You feel your way through the stone tunnels, touching the rough-hewn walls with your hands. Finally, [[you see a light at the end of the tunnel]] and start towards it.

Moments later, you emerge into the Mistress of the Copper Mountain's chamber. The malachite-embedded walls, shining copper furniture, and dark crimson ceiling of the cavern look just as they did when you departed the chamber. "You have returned." The Mistress of the Copper Mountain turns, smiling. "Have you done as I requested?" "Yes," you answer, removing your leather bag, [["I have."]]

You step over to one of the copper tables and upend your leather bag onto it. All the treasures you have collected along your journey spill out onto the table with a clatter. They are: <<inventory '$inventory'>> The Mistress of the Copper Mountain's metallic eyes light up. "You speak the truth." She sweeps over to the table and gathers the treasures in her hands. "You have brought me beauty from beyond the horizon. I can feel their stories." She looks back at you with eyes that shimmer like the copper surrounding you and raises a hand. "From this day forth, I bless you with good fortune wherever your journey takes you." [[For a moment, you feel a comforting warmth flow through your body.]]

"Thank you," you say, bowing to her. "Now!" She snaps her fingers, and the cavern fills with the echoing rustles of the Mistress's lizards emerging from the cracks and crevices. "You shall dine with me. We shall have a superb feast for two, and then you shall go find your way." She smiles at you with pearl-like teeth, and you find yourself smiling back. You'll find your way.

<> <<audio ":playing" stop>> <<audio khanty loop play>> <> Your search for a route back to the Urals brings you to the modest palace of the local prince. He invites you in, where he treats you to a filling feast of fish soup, Selkup bread, smoked grouse, and mushroom and reindeer stew, with a piping hot cup of tea. You regale the Prince with stories of your adventures, which he thoroughly enjoys. He offers to organize a riverboat down the Ob to bring you back to the Urals. You thank him, and as a parting gift he offers you a small bell. <> <<if $inventory.has('Nenets bell')>> You accepted the Nenets bell. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Accept the Nenets bell.">>You accepted the Nenets bell.<<pickup '$inventory' 'Nenets bell'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> [[You take your leave, once again thanking the Prince]]

The next morning, you walk to the dock on the river, where you find a small dugout canoe waiting to take you down the Ob. The Prince meets you on the dock and sees you off. You again thank the Prince for his assistance and hospitality. You hop in the canoe and the boatman begins paddling you down the river towards the Urals. After paddling for the day, the boatman beaches the canoe along the bank and begins to prepare a meal for you both. While he is cooking, you set up a small tent for the night. You have a hearty meal and then retire for the night. [[A large grunting sound awakes you]]

You climb out of the tent and decide to investigate the strange sound. You are walking towards the sound, when all of a sudden, a clod of dirt hits you in the head. In the distance, you can make out a large beast that soon after disappears into the ground. You make your way to where the beast was digging and find a giant hole. [[Out of curiosity, you enter the hole]]

You walk into the hole; it is more than large enough to fit a tall man on his horse comfortably. You begin to walk through the labyrinth of tunnels in search of the mysterious giant beast. As you make your way through the tunnels, you find that some of them are lit by small ivory basins filled with whale blubber fueling a small flame. You follow one of these lit corridors until you come to a great chamber. In the chamber, you see a small city inhabited by small dwarfs wearing conical hats and beautiful clothes. Tall sandy hills cover the floor of the chamber, which you later learn are houses. As you walk closer, you see the dwarves have light blue eyes. Some of the dwarves ride on large pure-white Samoyed dogs, while others ride what must have been the large beast. They are enormous woolly animals, with two long tusks and a prehensile trunk. [[You soon attract the attention of the local chief]]

You are approached by a delegation of what look to be high-ranking dwarves, who request that you come to visit the Chief. You are brought to a large tent covered in draped with the pelts of the great beasts. The Chief greets you, and you greet him likewise. The Chief speaks to you, stuttering: "We do not usually get visitors, here. How did you come to find us, stranger?" You reply: "I followed one of those great beasts, I saw it digging late at night and wanted to find out what it was." "Ah, that must have been one of our mammoths," the Chief replies, "they've all but disappeared on the surface, killed off by the surface-dwellers. The surviving ones escaped underground with us. We use them to excavate tunnels from the Urals to Kamchatka." "You have tunnels to the Urals?" you ask, "I've been trying to get back there." "Yes, indeed we do. If it would be useful, I can arrange transportation there for you, but you must promise to never tell anyone about what you see here." [[You agree to the Chief's terms]]

"I agree," you respond. "Now, that's settled, you will need this," the Chief says, "this will be needed when you ride one of the mammoths." <> <<if $inventory.has('Sihirtian amulet')>> You accepted the Sihirtian amulet. <<else>> <<linkreplace "Accept the Sihirtian amulet.">>You accepted the Sihirtian amulet.<<pickup '$inventory' 'Sihirtian amulet'>><</linkreplace>> <</if>> <> The Chief orders his servants to prepare a mammoth for your journey to the Urals. While you wait, you tell of your adventures to the Chief, who is thoroughly entertains. Not long after, the mammoth is ready to depart. [[You thank the Chief and set off into one of the tunnels atop the woolly mammoth]]

Riding atop the mammoth is unlike anything you have experienced before. It is a large beast and you are perched quite high upon its back. The rhythmic swaying motion of the mammoth's back relaxes you so much that you fall asleep. When you are awoken by the mammoth driver, you discover that you have reached the end of the tunnel. You thank the mammoth driver and give the mammoth a loving pat as you dismount. The mammoth and its driver turn back around the tunnel, returning to the underground city. You leave the tunnel, finding you have returned to the city where you began your journey. [[You go back to the mine->Urals2]]

Life in the Spanish prison is miserable. You are fed once a day, and forced to haul rocks from a nearby quarry, backbreaking work. After you and your crewmates tire of this work, you devise a plan to escape. One day, when the guards seem particularly lazy, you use a particularly large rock to break off the chains you are bound in and run off to a nearby town. Your crewmates do the same, and to avoid capture, you all split up. [[You make your through the countryside to another town->Spain]]

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Drebbel brings you to a small workshop on the coast. Inside, tools are scattered over a workbench and on the dock nearby you see a mysterious looking boat. Drebbel beckons you to enter the vessel through a hatch on the top, which you do. Drebbel lso boards, and closes the hatch after him. "Ready to go?" Drebbel asks. "I guess," you say. With that, Drebbel begins to power several oars which propel the vessel forward. He pulls a lever and you begin to sink into the water until the vessel is completely submerged. You are astounded. You look out the window and see fish and other ocean creatures swim past. "My vessel can make it across the channel to England much quicker and more quietly than any other ship-of-the-line!" Drebbel boasts. [[Drebbel makes course for England->England]] [[Drebbel dives deeper]]

Drebbel dives the submarine deeper, towards the ocean floor. As you descend, you are simply amazed at what you are experiencing. You are one of the first men to have ever descended beneath the waves. Your astonishment does not last long however, as you notice a small leak in the side of the submarine. The small leak grows to a larger leak, until the submarine is completely flood, drowning both you and Drebbel.