#kqvi_log

Down the hatch! Ignoring the poor shopkeeper's protests.

Shamir heads off excitedly and we're treated to another scene of him and Abdul Alhazred.

Alhazred's a little surprised, but is ultimately pleased and they must prepare for the wedding for now.

Most importantly we're shown Shamir's lamp which he disappears into at the end of the scene. The blue tall one.

Back at the shop, Alexander wakes up and apologizes to the shop keeper. He was "doing a little acting I'm afraid."

Sorry sir...

The lamp seller from the beginning of the game has returned outside and I still had the old hunter's lamp for trade. Lucky for Alexander the lamp seller happens to have a lamp just like Shamir's.

With the lamp taken care of it was time at last to go to the castle. Of course you can't just walk in as the guard dogs are in place. Turns out I never noticed a side path though that takes you around to the side of the castle and a handy-dandy bare wall.

I had the magic paint spell ready to go, so after mixing up the paint and painting an outline on the wall it was time to cast!

The outline turns into a proper door and lets us into the castle.

I ended up in a lower section with a variety of rooms from dungeon cells to a guard room to a locked door to Jollo's room. First up was checking out the dungeon cells.

Most of the cells were empty but in one was a ghost child, Ali, that the mother in the Realm of the Dead had been missing. I passed on her handkerchief and in return he gave me some information about a secret passage before leaving.

As it turns out, there is a suit of armour next to the guard room and as entering the guard is a very bad idea, it was time put the kid's hint to use. The armour's arm can be moved like a lever which opens a door leading into the passage with stairs going up. On this first level is a hole in the wall that peeks into the guard room where it's time to do some eavesdropping. There are two guard dogs and Captain Saladin.

They talk about Princess Cassima and how there's been rumours from the guards watching her that she's been begging to be let out. Saladin returns that Alhazred has claimed there's foreign assassin and so she needs locked away until the wedding. Thanks to the King and Queen's deaths and Cassima's mourning, Alhazred has been in charge for months and the wedding will seal that. Their loyalty is to the crown.

The guards also gossip about the Vizier and a 'magic' room though the other guard claims it's not the room, only the door has been enchanted. The guard thinks the royal treasury is in there and notes that even the court treasurer isn't allowed in there. Not suspicious at all! The guard also said he overheard Alhazred using the word, "Ali" before entering, but then Saladin shoos them all back to work.

I hadn't entirely explored this basement area yet, so I wanted to do that before continuing up the secret passage stairs. And, it's a good thing I went back as I found Jollo's room and Jollo himself.

Jollo further confirms that Cassima is in her room and that the guard dogs are very loyal to the crown and as the that crown is currently Alhazred they're only going to be a danger to us. That said, if we had proof something real foul that Alhazred's done they could possibly be convinced.

I also gave Jollo the replica lamp and he hurried off to see what he could do. There was actually a comment about how Alexander knew which lamp since it wasn't like he would have seen what the player sees with the scene between Alhazred and Shamir, so it was a nice little sort of acknowledgement of help beyond the fourth wall. Alexander basically chalked it up to gut feeling.

Then I went back to the passage and climbing up I found another hole in the wall and through it none other than Cassima herself!

Alexander asks is she truly wishes to wed Alhazred to which she vehemently says no. She never liked him even when her father trusted him. Alexander asks her to escape with him, but she points out she cannot fit through the wall and besides she can't leave her kingdom or people to Alhazred.

Alhazred would also tear the castle apart if she disappeared. She reassures Alexander she's been here for safely for nearly six months. Abdul seems to be in no hurry and she is to be his bride. She's been planning too.

Go Cassima go! We don't really see very much of her during the game and I want more. I like what we do get. Gimme more Cassima.

Then it's time for some loving stares.

But also this gives me the opportunity to do another action such as... giving Cassima the dagger. Who needs to wait for the wedding to get some weapons?

Sadly for them the loving stares and weapon gifting can't last as guards come and Alexander has to back off. But then a scuffle and a woman's cry can be heard and when peeking back through the hole Cassima is gone and "how could he have LET them take her?"

However, there's nothing more we can do but keep going.

Continuing on back through the secret passage led me to a corridor with another crack in the wall. This one peers into Alhazred's room and we're just in time to eavesdrop on him too as he writes a letter, conveniently narrating it as he goes.

So, Alhazred is part of a "Black Cloak Society", which is unfortunately nothing we learn more about in this game or anything after. He spells out his plan for taking the crown and how he'll have to stage another 'accident' though it is a pity to kill Cassima, but she's being too troublesome and he's worried she'll convince the guards to treason. He send her to Shadrack but had no such luck in sending her to Mordack. He closes in 'triumph as KING Abdul Alhazred' before leaving his room.

Next to the hole is an opening with a bunch of black cloaks. It actually opens out into a wardrobe in Alhazrad's room so it's time to snoop around.

I found a chest with a piece of paper that had the word ZEBU written on it. And I found a letter from Shadrack.

This makes me laugh. "a bit of a ninny at chess": what a petty thing to bring up here.

The letter further congratulates Alhazred on his handling of the king and queen and how he isolated all the island so they won't raise protests. He says to do as he recommends with the girl and the crown will be his. Lots of incriminating evidence here!

And I got another word, so I went back to basement area and the locked door that is the enchanted door. Ali Zebu are the words to type in and the treasury is revealed with a table covered oh so suspiciously by a large cloth. Removing the cloth reveals each of the treasures we learned had been stolen from the islands.

Very well informed of Alhazred's misdeeds now.

I left the room and started hearing the guards no the prowl and distantly wedding music could be heard uh oh!

I managed to get myself caught... but Jollo came to the rescue! Just once however. And I got caught again... but was able to use the skeleton key from the realm of the dead! Until I got caught again--yeah I was having some trouble--and this time the guards wised up and searched me and took the key and so I got stuck with a game over.

Things went better after that initial little disaster and I made it back up to the main floor of the castle. However, there was no charging into the wedding because Captain Saladin met me at the door. He gives Alexander one chance to explain himself and I was able to get him to read the letter. Actually, first I fumbled, and got killed, but after that.

Saladin is furious about the letter, but he also doesn't know whether he can trust it's true or a forgery. He says he's seen Cassima with Alhazred and she's looked happy, even enthusiastic and he doesn't believe she could love him if he was wicked. Still, he allows Alexander to come in to see for himself and we enter just in time for Cassima to be making her vows.

And Alexander gets all "But...Cassima, what are you saying?" and tries to interrupt and I'm just gonna say panic dumped all the thoughts out of his head. Like my guy, you know about Shamir, you've seen him in various forms trying to lead you to your death, you just spoke with Cassima earlier and she essentially hates his guts. Sir. Get your head back on.

Anyway, Abdul orders Saladin to kill Alexander but Saladin refuses until hearing it from Cassima as this is a wedding, not an execution and Alhazred isn't king just yet. But "Cassima" also gives the order.

Glowing. Eyes.

Saladin draws his sword! Everything appears doomed! But then! King Caliphim and Queen Allaria come bursting in with their supporters in tow.

Queen Allaria has her head on straight and as soon as "Cassima", rather rudely, speaks, she recognizes that's not her daughter.

So, Shamir is revealed. All hell breaks loose. Alhazred orders Shamir to attack so he starts blasting magic while Alhazred retreats and we give chase. At the top of some stairs we find Alhazred and Cassima who's bound.

Alhazred doesn't just have a sword, but Shamir quickly appears too, although not quickly enough for Alhazred's tastes. The jerk. He orders Shamir to attack but then Jollo shows up with the lamp and gives it to Alexander. With Shamir's lamp in hand Alexander becomes Shamir's new master, much to Shamir's delight.

"I've got a new master! I've got a master!" he chants while disappearing into his lamp.

Alexander then grabs the sword off the wall, but it's heavy. He and Alhazred start fighting under Alexander starts to succumb to exhaustion. Alhazred is about to deliver a finishing blow when Cassima manages to wriggle free and

stabs Alhazred in the shoulder. This gives us a window of opportunity to do something but I clicked wrong or something, I don't know what happened, and lost my chance, so Alhazred manages to pull himself together enough to stab and kill Alexander. One more death for the road I suppose.

On my second try, however, I was able to get it right away and knock Alhazred out with the sword hilt. Like really, I just had to click on Alhazred, or maybe his head. Either way I don't know what went wrong the first time.

Alexander confesses his love to Cassima and asks if she would marry him to which she happily agrees.

Ahh, romance.

Their loving kiss is interrupted by the guard dogs. Alhazred regains consciousness but it's too late. He's arrested and taken to the dungeons though Cassima requests he's given a doctor.

We get a week time skip and then it's wedding hour! Officiated by Captain Saladin as requested by our couple.

We've got Cassima's parents here, Jollo, the Winged Ones, the druids, guard dogs, Beauty and Beast, the Chess Queens and our Daventry family! There they are! Graham, Valanice and Rosella.

Once their vows are exchanged, Caliphim has a request of his own: for Cassima and Alexander to take the throne. He and Allaria have been through too much. He had once badly wanted a son and husband for Cassima and was wrong, but Alexander has proven himself to all their people. He believes Cassima and Alexander together can heal the damage done to the kingdom. Cassima is more than happy to stay and serve her people and beloved home and Alexander is happy to do so and asks if his family would be disappointed in his leaving Daventry. However Graham steps in with his blessing as well.

Valanice and Rosella are proud of him.

He also lets us know that Alexander's crew made it back safely. Remember that ship wreck at the start of the game?

Saladin also chimes in saying that Alexander has brought them all good fortune. With Shamir freed from Alhazred his power can help reunite the islands. He's already fixed the ferry. Cassima also confirms it was clear Alhazred had Shamir steal the islands' treasures and spread blame between the islands.

But now everything will be well again and the future is bright! The crowds cheers and we come to the end.

We come to some wonderful credits ballad of cheesey 90s delight that is so very classic Disney. It is very nostalgic feeling and I kinda love it. Please listen. This is a fan vid pulling in different scenes from both KQ V and VI, mostly VI, but the song, the song!

And so we come to the end of King's Quest VI.

225/231 points by the end, so I missed some points. I think some are gotten from trying to visit the castle right away and meeting with Alhazred and Saladin, but I took too long to try that and missed the chance. Not sure about the other points, but oh well. I know I'll play it again sometime.

Now, this was the longer and better ending. There is a shorter and easier ending as well. Once you've completed the Isle of the Beast, you can go to the castle and skip all the spell stuff and the Realm of the Dead. With the dress from Beauty you can disguise yourself as a servant and join the line heading in to prepare for the wedding. There's sneaking around and ultimately you end up doing a similar thing with the end but you use the mirror from the beast to reveal Shamir and during the fight you give the peppermint leaf to Shamir and he ends up 'drunkenly' blasting himself. The rest of the fight plays out the same.

Cassima and Alexander still get married by Saladin, but the wedding only consists of Jollo, if you've befriended him (it's possible to ignore or otherwise miss him) and a couple of guard dogs. Saladin requests that Cassima and Alexander take the throne and work together to start repairing relations between the islands. Long road ahead of them but they're together! Then credits roll but with a purely instrumental version of Girl in the Tower.

There's something to be said about this ending's more grounded nature, but at the same time with this game's whole premise, the everyone lives and happily ever after nature of the long true ending is the most fitting.

Anyway final stats!

Final Points: 225/231

Deaths: 29

Time: 8:29

--

Final Thoughts

I really like this game and I'm sure it'll end up in my comfort food selection of games. There are so many fun moments and there's a lot of charm. I enjoy Alexander as the protagonist in this game. I love just how many things can be interacted with. So many examinable things. It still looks nice and the voice acting is pretty good. I quite like the narrator--looking him up he seems to have quite a few narration roles (Bill Ratner).

There are still plenty of ways to hit dead ends but it doesn't feel as cruel as the past games. Deaths feels easier to avoid too. This was my second lowest death count and a lot of those deaths or equivalents were deliberate because it's still fun. They're just less fun when it's getting eaten constantly or falling off terrible stairs repeatedly. Not an issue here!

I feel like I should have more to say based on my past posts for the other games but honestly I don't have much more to say! Just yay I like it! Easy favourite in the series, though of course I still have VII to play, having watched it as well I know it won't surpass VI.

Enjoy your reign, King Alexander and Queen Cassima. I just wish I could get more Cassima.

P.S.

I kept forgetting to go back to check on the rotten tomato so I reloaded a file after I finished and I'm happy to report the rotten tomato is doing quite well and is happy in the swamp.

If you talk to him, he says "Can't you see I'm snoozin'? Ya done good. Now go play in the street or somethin'."

So truly,

And they all lived happily ever after.

I appeared on the island, startling the two druids there. Alexander is captured again. The Arch Druid guesses he was the foreigner they were warned of and they're about to have a Rain Festival so he's the perfect sacrifice. Here we go again.

Alexander is locked into he wicker cage over the fire, but this time when the cage started to catch on fire he automatically uses the dress from Beauty to put it out, although the dress is reduced to smouldering ashes. It's still not but as the heat builds the lamp full of the water mix starts to boil!

My Make Rain spell activated and caused a thunderstorm, dousing the fire and making the druids think Alexander is a nature wizard.

Once Alexander was freed and the storm ended, the arch druid apologized. They've been inhospitable since the Winged Ones (from the Isle of the Sacred Mountain) stole their sacred miniature oak tree. Vizier Alhazred had also sent a message they were to watch out 'for a highly-dangerous foreign assassin."

Alexander explains what he's doing here and the Oracle told him to speak to the druids about the Realm of the Dead and two souls in unrest there who may be freed. The arch druids explains that legends say the Lord of the Dead was once a mortal man who became bound to the realm of the dead. He further explains that there is a legend that any human may challenge the Lord of the Dead for their or another's life, but the knowledge of how to do that has been lost. He'd heard of a knight who came long ago from a distant land and was determined to win back the soul of his dead lover. It was said he tamed the Lord of the Dead's black-winged beast named Night Mare. Night Mare is said to come to the human world to feed on certain noxious plants. Somehow the knight captured the Night Mare and rode off on her but never returned.

Well, we know where some noxious plants are and there's a spell to charm a creature of the night.

Charming a Creature of the Night Spell: 1 Skull full of hot Oak Embers A bit of sulphur (Brimstone) 1 strand of a pure-hearted maiden’s Hair

I had the skull. I was able to use it to collect some embers from the fire the druids tried to roast Alexander. I had the strand of hair from Cassima. I got stuck on the sulphur.

I went back to the druid's village where I found I'd either missed coal or it hadn't been available until now. Then I went back to town but didn't find much of use. I thought there might be something back at the catacombs to do with the fire pit, but no luck there either. Then after all my pointless wandering I discovered that the embers had grown cold.

So I reloaded.

But my last save was after I'd taken the embers so I had to go back to a previous save and go through the druid capture again.

Sidenote: I choose to blame the cruelty of previous King's Quests and not my own ridiculous oversight. Okay, this was a really silly mistake. So, it wasn't until after I already finished the game that I realized I could have just... gone back to get more embers. I went back to an earlier file I had still on that island, and yeah, if the embers go cold, you can just go back and get more. Shocking!

This time I avoided taking the embers until I could figure out where the heck to get sulphur.

I ultimately ended up back on the Isle of Wonder where this time I found another item at the flower area. A little bottle was left on the table with a label saying "DRINK ME".

Well, of course I had to obey that message and died. ...Except not! It causes Alexander to collapse and his heart seemingly stops then he comes back a moment later, so we now have a way to fake his death as Jollo hinted at.

I headed to Chessboard Land and I wish I could say it was because I knew what to do and not simply out of just trying places, but it wasn't until I saw the queens coming back that I remembered their argument over coal. This is why longish gaps in playing isn't so good.

I gave them my lump of coal so now they each had one and they gave me the rotten egg in return. Them being them however, they left while arguing over the new lump of coal.

But we have a stinky rotten spoiled egg! Sulphur at last!

Then I went back to get the embers and put all the ingredients together. The Night Mare is at the Isle of the Sacred Mountain munching on the nightshade berries. If you go to close or otherwise try to interact with her she flees, but if you leave and come back she'll have returned.

Sidenote: On that first screen of the cliffs of logic, you can fall off a lot of the steps safely with Alexander only seeming more offended than anything else. However by around the last couple steps on that screen it is high enough to kill him if he falls. Well, guess who got one more death by falling in for the road?

At the top of the cliffs, I had the spell and so was able to charm Night Mare.

I got my ride on the Night Mare and off they went...

And so we have come to the Land of the Dead.

I spoke with the ghostly couple who are none other than Queen Allaria and King Caliphim.

They were murdered in the night by the vizier and her husband hardly speaks a word now, lost in grief for Cassima. Alexander informs them Cassima was rescued from Mordack and is now at home. He's come to try take the pair back. Their people are still loyal to them and Cassima needs them.

Queen Allaria says only the Lord of the Dead could help but he has no such mercy. Still, Alexander is determined to try and she gives him her ticket to the underworld. For as long they go unavenged they're unable to rest and so are trapped in this place anyway.

There are some ghouls or zombies that crop up now and then and can kill you, but I avoided them.

I carried on to find another spirit separated from her son whose spirit remains lost in the living world.

Alexander offers to help her too and she gives him her handkerchief to pass onto her son and tell him she's waiting here.

Then I came to an entirely familiar place: the doors into the underworld.

Yep, it's the death screen! Which is cool to see it all come full circle like this.

The horse skull-ed skeleton up front gives tickets to pass through, but refuses to give one to Alexander as he's clearly not dead. But since we have Allaria's that's fine. However he also has a key and it's not like I can just let a key go unobtained.

Time for some music!

This is so silly, but cute. A very Monkey Island-ish sort of moment. I love all the little bits like this in the game.

I scooped up the tossed key and continued on my way.

I found a body that was probably the knight the arch druid spoke of and took his gauntlet which had this passage written on it:

I carried on to the banks of the River Styx, scooping some of the water into my teacup along the way--gonna need that for the magic paint spell--and found Charon.

Payment has to be given before he'll ferry you across. The coins over the eyes of the dead. I had the two coins, from the skeleton in the catacombs and was able to use those.

I was led to another area with a gate and when I tried to open the gate it morphed into a monstrous sort of face.

If you try to push your way through he eats you.

I convinced him into a riddle challenge and the riddle he gave me was this:

"My first is foremost legally. My second circles outwardly. My third leads all to victory. My fourth twice ends a nominee. My whole is this gate's only key"

And then you have to select letters to spell out the answer. That answer is...

Love.

I passed through and came to the Lord of the Dead's chamber.

And here is the Lord of Death himself.

He's very much ready for you to just die and offers the chance to kiss his hand to do so. However, you have the chance to do something, but if you take too long he'll reach out instead to touch you which results in immediate death but a new death screen!

If you use the gauntlet from the knight Alexander issues a challenge. The Lord scoffs at the idea of wanting to save two souls and get out alive but acquiesces.

He talks about the tragedies and miseries and deaths and torments and awful things he's seen in his all long existence and says he has never once cried. So the challenge is to make him cry.

The mirror is key. Holding it up to him shows his life and the things he's seen and what he once was and now has become.

The reminder, onslaught of memory, is enough to make him shed a single tear and so the challenge is won. He summons Allaria and Caliphim and hopes they'll be more ready for their rest in the future and reminds Alexander that he WILL see him again. Then we're all sent back with Night Mare.

Caliphim and Allaria decide to go gather their people and form a plan while requesting that Alexander look after Cassima.

The realm of the dead section isn't very long but it has some cool scenes. Though, it's also a place you could potentially get, heh, dead-ended or dead-end yourself a bit later if you miss the River Styx water.

But, I had and got everything I needed so it's time to head into the end game! Next time it'll be time at last to infiltrate the castle and rescue Princess Cassima.

–

First the catacombs, which weren't too bad to get through really and certainly helped to map it as I went. The general ambient sounds of it can be a little tension inducing and sometimes you hear hoof clopping off in the distance and occasionally get a message box telling you about the sounds. Just to keep you on your toes.

There are a few items to be found at different points in here: a skull, two coins of the dead, and a shield.

I also came across a trap room that involved needing the manual again.

You have to step on the right tiles in the right order or get shot. I got shot, but just once!

Shortly after I found Lady Celeste! Easy-peasy.

Nothing wrong or suspicious here either. Of course we'll follow her!

But where did she...

Add one to the death tally.

And the fun doesn't stop there, oh no. I found another trap room this time with gears causing the ceiling to drop. You can throw the skull into the gears to try to stop it and get a step by step narration of what happens...how the gears grind and slow and...

And the skull bulging then shattering and the ceiling keeps coming down and crushes Alexander. It is actually kind of harrowing getting it all blow by blow.

I think this may be the one worst deaths in the series just for how drawn out it is... There are more nasty ones to come though!

The narrator on the other hand has no mercy as usual.

The actual solution is the brick I'd been missing before. That causes the gears to grind to a halt and all is safe.

There's a good ceiling. I talked to it.

Moving on I found another pit trap but this was one that drops you to the second floor straight into the darkness. Completely pitch back, all you can see is Alexander's eyes. If you wait around the minotaur comes in after a bit and kills you in a cartoony shaking you around way while all you can see is the whites of Alexander's eyes and then there's a ripping sound and yeah I did say there were more nasty deaths... This one is more visually (in as much as you can see anything) and audibly cartoonier at least. Still yikes.

Thankfully I had the tinderbox so I was able to light things back up to continue. More catacomb wandering later I came across a room where the minotaur could be clearly heard coming from an adjacent room. It's finally the Hole in the Wall's time to shine! Placing it against one wall lets you see you into the adjacent room where the minotaur can be seen lifting a tapestry over a secret entrance. The poor little hole flees and we can only hope it found its way back home. Of course I had to find the way to that room which took a little more exploration and at least one pitfall.

Still, I found the lair at last.

Alexander gets backed toward the pit of fire and if you do the wrong thing he gets knocked in for yet another nasty death. However, the solution is the red scarf from the Red Queen because half bull.

And he charges right through plummeting himself into the fire. Which is also nasty, but hey, we saved the girl and she let me keep her dagger in thanks after using it to cut her free.

She is not impressed with her people.

In thanks for saving her Lord Azure grants an audience with the Oracle and will let Alexander live despite the vizier's orders.

The Oracle has some important information about finding a path toward finding the one we must face to save Cassima, though there's little about this force she can make out--only a black cloak--and hints at there being more than one ending.

She also senses two restless spirits seeking revenge and they may be of help against the dark force before us.

She advises seeking further counsel with the Druids on the Isle of Mist but warns they're reclusive and dangerous and may help us or may destroy us.

She gives a vial of sacred water from her pool and off we go.

I'm done with this island for now and tried again with the Isle of the Beast. With the shield I was able to get past the statues only to get blocked by magical vines. I went back to town thinking I could maybe find something of help there.

I didn't but I did encounter Jollo again. He has some more important information:

Alhazred has put on the alert for Alexander and doubled the castle guard

It's too bad there isn't some way to make Alhazred think Alexander has left the island or even died. Then he might lower his guard enough to get close

Notes the genis is Shamir Shamazel and Alhazred brought him when he came to the kingdom. Won't directly threaten you but is a terrible trickster and spy. I dunno, feel pretty threatened after all these death attempts

That said Shamir isn't necessarily evil. Genies only reflect their owners heart

If there's way to get an exact replica of his lamp Jollo might be able to get close enough to swap them

And with that Jollo leaves for the castle again, ready to help if he can and if we can find the means to get in and get a lamp...

I also popped by the pawn shoppe again. The genie was there once more in his robed old man outfit. If you talk to him Alexander says he seems familiar and starts prodding at all the possible times he's seen him--ie all the times he's tried to lure me to my death. The genie just keeps denying it angrily and goes into a huffy silence.

I looked at the magic map again and realized I should try for the Isle of Mists now. On landing there's a warning that drums and chanting can be heard in the distance. I found the druids' village though they weren't there. I did find a sickle. Then I went a different route and found the druids. They captured Alexander and slung him in a wicker cage over a fire for another brutal death.

This session was really not kind on Alexander. And, okay, neither was I.

Setting that little mess aside, I went back to the Isle of the Beast again now armed with the sickle and was able to cut through the vines. I finally made it!

And found the reason for the isle's name.

I met the beast who turns out to have been a prince adventurer. However he eventually ran afoul of one too many evil hags and was cursed into this form and trapped here over 100 years ago. The magic barriers we've been getting through were put in place to protect others from coming through. Alexander was the first to break through except for the druids who stole his heirloom coat of arms. More inter island theft!

Unfortunately for Alexander, now he's made it this far the enchantment has fallen over him too and he'll turn into a beast as well very soon unless the overall enchantment is broken. The only way to break it is to find a maiden that would willingly share the prince's castle and life here. And who would want to spend their life with a beast?

Fun fact: Alexander's voice actor also played the Beast in Beauty and the Beast.

Alexander offers to help and the prince gives him his ring to pass onto a maiden who would be willing though he can't imagine Alexander would find anyone.

There is someone though! However, I wanted to run the clock out and turn into a beast.

There he is! I think he's cute.

So we do know a maiden who may be interested, though we haven't seen her for a while. The lady with the nasty step-mother. She's out in the rose gardens again but was too shy to speak to Alexander. I had to figure out a way to get her to open up. I went back to the isle of the beast where there are white roses and picked one then I came back and gave it to her. She was very taken with and became willing to talk.

I learned more about her in that her father remarried after her mother died but passed shortly after leaving her with her stepmother who treats her like garbage. Alexander tells her more about the island and the beast, both of which intrigue her. Unfortunately because I had to go back and forth and was dilly dallying in trying to get all the dialogue off her I could I took too long and got turned into a beast again, which must have been quite a sight for her...

Once I tried again and moved more quickly I was able to succeed this time.

After giving her the ring, she agrees to come. Her step mother is less thrilled yelling at her, "Beauty! Where do you think YOU'RE going?" Away, away from you! Thankfully the game takes us directly back to the beast prince.

And he's saved! And I... think he looked better as a beast but regardless. Beauty here worries he'll no longer want her here as she's unneeded, but he learned of true love in his time here and we all know the power of love at first sight here. She shall be his queen!

And she gets a new gown. She gives us her old clothing should anyone ever need it. And the prince gives a mirror with the advice to give it to someone with nothing to fear from the truth it reveals.

They wander off happily to the castle and now only Alexander needs to find his happily ever after. For now, though, falling water! The last ingredient needed with the baby's tears and sacred water. I was able to cast the make rain spell and have that ready to use.

At last after several attempts the Isle of the Beast is completed!

Next up: back to the Isle of Mists most likely.

--

I wasn't sure what to do or if there even is anything I can do right now, so I went back to the Isle of Wonders for things that won't help me right now but that I will need a later point. There are spell ingredients to be had here. Will they help me now? Probably not. Was I slightly avoiding the Isle of the Sacred Mountain? A little. Not that it's some awful place to do or anything, I just... didn't want to do it yet. Although it is a place I believe you can get softlocked in a couple different ways if you're not prepared. That said, can't put it off forever and I did finally go there as well.

While I'm at it these are the spells and their respective ingredients from the spell book acquired last time:

Magic Paint Spell: 1 Cup Swamp Ooze River Styx Water 1 Black Horse Feather

Make Rain Spell: Few drops Salt Water not from the sea 1 vial Sacred Water Falling Water

Charming a Creature of the Night Spell: 1 Skull full of hot Oak Embers A bit of sulphur (Brimstone) 1 strand of a pure-hearted maiden's Hair

Back on the Isle of Wonders I found a teacup I'd missed in the flower area. I also finally used my bottle of milk by giving it to one of the baby tears. The others were less impressed with this.

They started crying and I was able to collect some tears in the hunter's lamp. There's my salt water. I can also get swamp ooze here.

So I went back to the swampy area and tried to collect some swamp ooze in the teacup but...

So sayeth the Stick in the Mud. Swamp muck is no swamp ooze.

And the Bump on the Log chimed in. There he is on the log in all his bumpy gloomy glory. The Stick in the Mud has swamp ooze around him but refuses to give any. And of course if you try to walk into the swamp, well... It goes about as well as you'd expect.

"Do you ever get that sinking feeling?"

So Bump-on-a-Log and Stick-in-the-Mud Do Not Get Along. According the Bump the Stick is lazy and temperamental and won't lift a finger to help. He also likes to throw swamp matter at the poor Bump who can't reach anything to retaliate. Handy for us! If we can start a fight...

In comes the rotten tomato. You can try to throw it at the stick yourself, but Alexander fails to hit and the poor tomato sinks into the mud while the Stick and the Lump both think that was a poor attempt and end up agreeing on something! They realize they can agree and everything is well between so they settle back down to their naps and that's that. No ooze for us, which means no spell later.

There are two endings to the game and you need the spells for the better ending, so I couldn't let that stand. Reloading I gave the tomato to the Bump instead and let him wreak some havoc.

The Bump manages to hit the Stick which angers the Stick into hurling muck at the Bump until he finally stops and apologizes. They reconcile and go back to their naps. Poor Bump is covered in ooze that we can now get! One teacup of ooze later, now I'm done with the Isle of Wonder.

It's time for the Isle of the Sacred Mountain, which means climbing the Cliffs of Logic. These cliffs have different puzzles along the way to activate the stairs up. Most of the answers rely on information given in the manual, yay later-game, in-depth copy protection?

Here's a sample of one of the puzzles. The line "A master of language will ____" is in the manual under information about the Island and the Ancients who once dwelt here. The missing word is 'soar' and you have to pick the symbols that correspond with each letter--also in the manual.

There were five puzzles, nothing too arduous and I made it...after falling a couple times because of course. There's stairs. Okay, these stairs are pretty easy with the point and click interface, but misclicks happens okay.

I made it to the top! And to a not-at-all suspicious old woman who just happens to have flashy gold eyes. She's so surprised I climbed up when I could have simply flown!

No dangers here. See, she'll even eat one herself and float around!

Yes, I ate one. Yes, of course it was poison. Yes, the narrator was snarkier than ever.

Yeah yeah.

As always if you simply wait around, totally-not-Shamir gets mad and leaves in a huff. In a puff of smoke too which puzzles Alexander as to how! Maybe those berries are even more powerful than he thought! Alexander, I like you, but you're none too bright sometimes.

There's a hole by the berry bush I was able to enter however the cave it was too dark to really get anywhere. I wanted to deal with that cave before progressing further so I went back to the pawn shoppe to fetch the tinderbox first.

The cave led to some peppermint leaves! And nothing else to do here, but I have mint!

Then I carried on to meet some guards who were not pleased to see Alexander.

Ahh, more thefts between the islands.

The guards take Alexander to Lord Azure and Lady Ariel.

Alexander explains how he arrived and Ariel that his arrival must be the sacred Oracle's prophecy. It states that whoever can climb the cliffs of logic will defeat the minotaur. They were ordered by the vizier to 'dispose' of any strangers who come to this island but the prophecy puts things in a different light.

They've been struggling with a minotaur who invaded their sacred catacombs and is demanding sacrifices. Their own daughter Lady Celeste was taken this very morning.

They decide they can fulfill both the vizier's orders and the prophecy by sending Alexander into the catacombs. Also if one can make it through the catacombs they are granted a visit with the Sacred Oracle. Alexander agrees because the lady needs rescuing plus oracle visit I'm sure factors in there somewhere.

They do give you the chance to prepare and get dumped back off on the beach. Turns out I was missing a brick that will be needed. It was back at the Isle of the Beast, so whoops. I ended up back there after all. I had everything else already, so it was time to return.

The guards get disparaging at Alexander for coming back to try. Suicide or foolishness and Alexander responds in kind:

Angry Alexander!

That all said and done it's time for the catacombs...

--

After some general examination of things I went for the tomatoes first, specifically the grumpy tomato on the ground there.

Of course I wasn't gonna let this ol' rotten tomato sit and rot alone. Into then inventory he went, where you can still talk to him.

That's a healthy adventurer's inventory, sir! One more item and I'll have to scroll!

I then took a peek at the hole in the wall, or rather, through the hole in the wall.

The land beyond the gate: a giant wavy chessboard.

I wasn't quite ready to go through the gate yet though. First I talked to the clinging vines. They just want to "LIKed" and "HUGged" and can't go anywhere because they're clinging vines, not exactly mobile. If you try to touch them... well, they cling.

Clung to death...

After reloading I attempted to pick up the hole in the wall, but it darts to a spot behind the wallflowers. The wallflowers are naturally shy and cluster together when you get close so you can't take the hole. And the snapdragons snap threateningly at you for bothering the wallflowers too.

So, for now, I moved on beyond the gate to Chessboard Land as informed by the guarding knights.

Very quickly said queens arrive but they're in the midst of an argument over who shall get to have a lump of coal to gift to the vizier and the princess for their wedding present.

Some important info here in regards to the singing stone as we've been told that the treasures of the Green Isles had been stolen, starting all the feuding between the islands. Well, that and arguing the virtues of coal versus a spoiled egg as presents for the vizier (and the princess, sorry Cassima?) has its own entertainment.

They try to get Alexander to decide but he avoids the whole thing with attempted diplomacy stating he's partial to both red AND white and is sorry, but afraid he can't solve their problem. One of them will have to be gracious and let the other have the coal.

They think that's a 'ridiculously stupid idea.' and hop back away down the road, though not before Red drops her scarf.

Of course the scarf can be taken and if you try to give it to the knights they inform you that the Red Queen is always dropping her scarfs and thinks it's fashionable, so just be honoured and keep it.

Sadly, you can never go further into Chessboard Land. I know there's only so much a game can have, but it's right there! So tantalizingly close.

There wasn't much more I could do on this island with what I had so I popped back to town. My main goal was the pawn shoppe to get the flute next, but I stopped first at the book shop because I remembered there was a book on the owner's counter I never tried to get.

Turns out it was good I stopped by because Jollo was back again too. Talking to him I learned that wedding proclamations have gone up. Jollo gives a little more info about the vizier--that Abdul Alhazred had first come around 15 years ago and wormed his way into the king's trust. Alexander is concerned for Cassima's safety and Jollo wasn't entirely reassuring in not knowing if she'd be safe or not though figured the vizier would rather keep her as wife. However, he's the sort who would use her to his best advantage.

As for the book:

It's a book of spells. The shopkeeper wants another book in trade. So, I'll need to find something of interest to trade for it. Alexander's got another bout of incidental wizardry coming his way I suppose.

At the pawn shoppe I ran into the robed 'man'--clear by now who he really is after that scene with the vizier and Shamir--getting mad that the candy dish is empty. No more mint for him and he stomps out.

I traded the mechanical nightingale back for the flute--not before attempting to trade the rotten tomato only to get a message that it wouldn't appreciate being traded at a pawn shop. I tried some of my other items as well for various denials from the shop keeper.

Outside, I found one of the wedding proclamations:

Wedding and coronation oh my. Not looking so good for Alexander's crush here, or poor Cassima.

I went back to the Isle of Wonder because it's time to get that hole in the wall, not that I have any purpose for the hole in the wall right now, but when you see a thing to be gotten you get that thing! It'll be needed later.

I put the flute to use!

With the wallflowers busy in their dance I was able to pick up the hole.

I then realized I'd miss a route from the beach where the horrible gnomes were and that took me to this place.

Books, books, books! But first I checked out that web with the big spider.

A very uh, flirtatious spider, but also there's parchment in that web. If you try to touch anything though she comes over and bites you and Alexander racks up another death. A widow after all...

I wasn't quite sure what to do here just yet, so let things be for now.

Instead I tried poking at all those book only to draw the ire of their owner, the book worm.

We need a rare book to trade for the spell book at the book shop, and this certainly seems to be the place to get one. Despite what the book worm says here, he is willing to trade for something interesting enough. Such as

or an idiosyncrasy among other things I didn't have. Alexander could only refuse each of them while two others fellows popped up to to chime in, but we are assured not to pay them any mind.

Did I mention I love the Isle of Wonders? I love the Isle of Wonders. So much silliness like this here.

There wasn't much more I could do here for the moment but I realized that while I saw the lettuce in the screen with all the flowers, but forgot to pick any up. It's icy cold lettuce, iceberg lettuce perhaps.

And there's that boiling pool at the Isle of the Beast. Yeah I went back, tossed the lettuce in and it became cool enough to get though, although still hot enough to be uncomfortable. Alexander was doing the hot hot hot jumpy walk through it. But on the other side I found both an old hunter's lamp and this fellow.

He didn't trust me at first but once I gave him that string of words he was ready to talk. And, indeed, he is a dangling participle who flew from home and got lost. He let me pick him and I went a little further down the path to here.

And a not at all suspicious gardener who's certainly not a genie trying to lure Alexander to another untimely demise. That would and has never happened already. Drowning, what drowning? Those statues are totally safe.

Yeah, of course I went for it and got killed. I got rewarded with a groaner.

Anyway, if you leave instead he gets mad and disappears in a poof of smoke. Yep, nothing weird there at all.

I went back to the book worm who was very happy to see the dangling participle returned and gave me a rare book of riddles. One page was torn that had Alexander very fascinated by what the question and answer were. But, we need that spell book so I went back and traded it in at the bookshop. The spell book has three spells all requiring various ingredients, much like the third game, but all things I don't have yet. The spells are Make Rain, Magic Paint Spell and Charm the Creatures of the Night.

I still had that black widow to deal with so I tried one more time and found there was a thread of web to pull that unravels some of her web causing her to go over to the hole. Unfortunately, I took too long to grab the parchment while she was distracting and got poisoned and killed by her again. I think that was my first accidental death in this game.

I was successful the second time and the scrap looked like it was from the riddle book, but only had the answer: Love. Then it was blown away but Alexander committed it to memory--given his current lovesick situation, an easy thing to do.

With the Isle of Wonders tied up for now (more to come in future!) I'll end it here. I'll probably go further into the Isle of the Beast next time, since I already went part way.

--

Guard dogs! However, they've been alerted of Alexander by the Vizier and ordered not to let him through. And if it wasn't obvious, it was Vizier Abdul Alhazred speaking with Shamir in the last scene.

I'm actually slightly annoyed I did things in this order. If you go to the castle early you can get a scene meeting the Vizier, who informs you that he's already set to marry Cassima and basically Alexander has no chance here and go away. But you also get to meet the Captain Saladin (who is also a dog person). I missed Saladin and now I don't know when I'll get to meet him, probably not until much later.

Oh well. That's how it goes. This is a game with a couple different routes/deviations at a couple points, so gotta suck it up.

I popped back into town for a moment and saw the pawn shop owner dumping some trash into a pot. What else is there to do but search it! I found an empty ink bottle. Using it causes the sound of faint sloshing, but maybe it's only Alexander's imagination.

I went back to the nightingale and couldn't get her to interact until I used the mechanical nightingale from the pawn shop to play a song. She liked that and flew to a lower branch. I was able to give her the love poem and she took it off to...

Cassima!

Who... having no way of knowing who it's from assumes Abdul, and was not impressed.

I reloaded as I'm not ready to lose that poem just yet. I need a way to send her proof! Like the insignia ring! Of which I need something else valuable to trade back for it.

So, it was finally time to put the magic map to use.

I started on the Isle of the Crown, so there are three other places to check out and maybe some mysterious fog on the right there, but I couldn't do anything with it. I went to the Isle of the Sacred Mountain first.

There's a very smelly flower and a feather, both of which I picked up. There's an inscription on the cliff face and the game informs you to read the guidebook to the Green Isles to make sense of this place. This is something that comes with the game--fancy copy protection basically, but it gives you the information needed to solve this place. This wasn't something I wanted to attempt tackling now however, so I moved onto the next island.

There wasn't much to do here at the moment. The water is boiling and can't be crossed without dying. Naturally I tried.

Mmm stewed Daventry Prince.

Before I left I tried picking up the mushroom to a shocking response.

Not letting me do it? Alexander, a King's Quest protagonist, being safe? Not killing me with poisonous or enchanted mushrooms? They really have grown softer.

Next, I went to the Isle of Wonder.

Where there are some sleepy oysters in their little beds. Yeah, this island lives up to its name in strangeness. And fun!

Sadly one poor little oyster can't sleep for the awful ache in its mouth. You can catch a glimpse of something white in its mouth.

What better way to put something to sleep than that boring book?

Yeah, I recorded this. The way Alexander reads it is just so soft... Sweet nonsense.

During one of its yawns I was able to snag a pearl and with that pesky thing gone the oyster feels much better and falls asleep with its fellows.

There was also a string of words in the water to scoop up. Yes words.

Then I tried to progress further into the island and oh boy. It's guarded. It's guarded by none other than the sense gnomes set by the vizier to guard this place.

I don't. I don't like them. I think they would have scared me as a kid. They still just. No. They all speak in unison until one comes forward to test and their rhymes. It's just... a lot.

They line up and you need to trick each sense with an item. The stinky flower for the nose, the nightingale for the ears.

No! Yes, go away!

No! I realized I didn't have something for the eyes, so I deliberately failed at the taste to end this suffering sooner, and tried giving him now I can't remember what, but not the mint like you're supposed to.

And so failing they know it's a man.

And throw Alexander out to sea where he dies again. A lot of deaths by drowning happening.

SIGH.

Still, I did get the pearl, the very lovely valuable pearl, and went back to the pawn shop where I was able to trade it back for Alexander's insignia ring.

I was able to give the nightingale the ring and she flew off to Cassima.

She sends back a red ribbon and on examining it more closely I also found a strand of black hair.

Now I sent the poem again for which she was far more open and she sends back a letter warning of Abdul and tells him not to endanger himself trying to get to her.

Oh Alexander. He's got it baaad.

But we can't let this or the threat of the vizier stop us or love!

I tried fiddling more with the ink bottle and this time attempted using it on him. That caused him to try and open it and in doing so he spilled some on himself causing some of him to vanish. It's invisible ink.

Now I was ready for the dreadful gnomes.

Flower for nose, nightingale for ears (I wonder if the flute would work too), mint for mouth, rabbit's foot for hands (those are gloves being worn by the way, but the actual hands are not much better), and at last pouring the invisible ink over himself to fool the eyes. And off they go, convinced there is no man here.

And now I never have to see them again. Thank goodness.

I found a swamp.

Some milkweed growing milk and a dogwood tree!

I took one of the bottles of the milk as you do. I drank it too and nothing bad happened. It was probably good for Alexander to get some refreshment really.

And the dogwood tree lived up to its name and barked at me for taking the milk. I still took another milk bottle.

Alexander, however, doesn't seem too concerned when I tried talking to the tree. Haha, Alexander, haha.

And then I carried on to this scene of wonder and mystery.

Which I shall tackle next time! This island is fun once you get past the...gnomes. Their voices are still stuck in my head. Perhaps all these plants will save me or will there be more deaths for Alexander?

--

Valanice tells him it's been months and he essentially should move on and think of other things to which he sort of reluctantly agrees and she leaves. But then the magic mirror activates! As it does.

And Cassima's voice can be heard calling for Alexander and then he gets a vision of her. She 'feels so alone and doesn't know what to do. Alexander...'

You know, the chest of infinite gold and the shield that were the other two treasures Graham got back in the first game never come up again, but this mirror is sure getting its use. It's been in every game in some capacity except for V.

I'm about to get cranky for a moment, and I don't want that to give the wrong impression because I am excited for this game and have already had a great time with my first session, but this is one of the reasons I was cranky about the ending of KQV. They were deliberately building to this game, so why did they make the meeting between Alexander and Cassima that rough with such a poor first impression of Alexander? I can suspend my disbelief for this game for love at first sight (as silly as it is), especially for this series where it's a very common thing, but from Cassima's point of view, especially with the trouble currently going on there as we'll learn about, what is there for her to think about in regards to Alexander now? Just argh.

Anyway, this is enough to get the smitten Alexander going and he gathers a crew and ship and sets sail to find the Land of the Green Isles.

After three months of sailing certain lands are spotted, but when they get close night falls and a storm starts raging. They're dashed upon the rocks and ship wreck...

Title screen! Look at the 3D text.

And the adventure begins as Alexander wakes up on the shores...

He got his men safely to lifeboats but wasn't able to make it himself. And we have text again! Voice and text thank goodness.

I poked around a bit and lifted the plank to find a broken chest underneath that contained one single Daventry copper coin. Alexander's insignia ring was also on the beach.

Then there was one tradition to fulfill. Out into the water you go, sir!

It actually warns you of the undertow when you first enter the water, so you have a chance to back off, but you know. Gotta do it once. He gets swept out to sea and...

Well, down he goes. Sorry Alexander.

Fancy death screen in this game!

And snarky narrator message. I really quite like the narrator in this game. Did I mention this game has actual voice actors now?

Once I was done drowning poor Alexander (what do you think of your choices now, Cassima?) I set off down the path to find a branching path.

I've got a town in one direction a castle in the other. I went for the town first.

We've got a pawn shoppe, a book shoppe and an old man selling old lamps for new. I talked to him and Alexander questions his business practice to which he explains that 'there's always a chance he'll find a genie and be richer than a king! And there's always a roaring business in antique illuminaries.'

Unfortunately, newly washed up and all, I have no new lamps for him, so there's nothing to be done at this point.

I went to the pawn shoppe next to a very familiar voice because the shop keeper is voiced by the same person who voices King Andre in The Curse of Monkey Island and it's a very recognizable voice. When I first heard it in the let's play I perked up like 'I know him!' It might be silly but I always get happy recognizing a voice actor. It's just fun.

Like this pawn shop is fun!

There are so many things to examine and so many good descriptions.

I love this hatchet spiel. It's just an axe lodged in the floor, but off he goes...

And then! Examining the shelves brings up all kinds of jokes relating to the past games such as:

And

And a 'golden bridle finder, for finding those nearly-invisible golden bridles', a box of 'cat-cookie mix. "Play tricks on your friends," the box says' and 'self-adhesive emeralds. "What you use when you don't have honey." and something I greatly needed: "stairs traction pads; "Stop slipping off those narrow staircases." And there were more! But I won't list every single one.

There were also potions and things like "a bottle labeled 'Owl Courage Potion," for spineless owls.' and 'a small box of "Enchanted Sorcerer's Flea and Tick Collars." Among other goodies.

The shop keeper was surprised to find Alexander didn't know where he was and explains he's landed on the Land of the Green Isles. We made it! And Alexander explains how he reached here, following the stars...

He sure is. With Princess Cassima! For the best reaction.

He has a little more information: Cassima is in a dark time, things aren't well between the islands and the ferry is no longer running. Otherwise there isn't much info to get from him but he does have items on the counter the copper Daventry coin can be used on. Get one item but able to exchange it for one of the others any time. There's a mechanical nightingale, a flute, a tinderbox and a paintbrush. None of which there is currently a known use for, but I snagged the flute for fun. There's also a bowl of free mints for customers and I grabbed one.

I moved onto the book shop next.

Books! And more information to be had! But first there was a little table with bargain books.

Of course I had to take it, especially being free and everything. What could it be?

Very very confusingly boring. When I later tried to give it back to the owner he was aghast--he was trying to get RID of it.

The cloaked man wouldn't talk but examining him notes that he seems to keep watching you. He may have refused to talk, but the fire will be friendly instead.

I tried talking to it. There's a number of things that give you some kind of response if you use the talk command. I'd tried it on the Daventry coin earlier too and being a coin of Daventry had King Graham's face on it, so the message was something like 'only if King Graham were here to ask for his advice.'

Anyway the little book on the table was about court entertainment. One shelf had some silly guide books and the next had a book of poetry that Alexander had to read. There were a few he seemed to appreciate but then one in particular 'hit close to home' and he was quite taken by it. The page falls out when putting the book back the shop owner lets you keep it because he's already had to repair it twice and doesn't want to do it.

The poem in question:

I wanted to record it because this narrator reads it with so much gravity. And this boy is truly lovesick.

The shopkeeper had some more information. He also notes the ferry no longer runs between the islands. There's been much political unrest and it's been too dangerous to travel. He also mentions at least three islands but there may be a fourth. And that the Land of the Green Isles is said to exist on the boundaries of this world and the next. He mentions a ferry man to talk to and that's all for now here. Time to find the ferryman.

Passing through the archway in town led to this house with many roses along its gates and walls. There was a lady outside tending the flowers.

Before I could talk to the lady another woman came out and berated her a bunch and she went back insider after her. Very Cinderella and evil step-mother situation there.

The screen after has the dilapidated ferry. And a boy swimming in the water who tells Alexander to come on down. He claims he can show Alexander the way to the other islands.

Surely there's nothing suspicious here and we've had no bad experiences with the water already. What could go wrong? Obviously I jumped in after.

Yeah, it goes about as well as expected. Alexander drowns.

Reload! The boy keeps nagging you to come in but if you wait just a little he'll disappear in time.

Nothing to worry about there I'm sure. Ferry time!

The ferryman is willing to talk and invites Alexander inside. We learn a little more about the seeming weirdness of this place, though he doesn't much believe some of the wilder stories. He speaks fondly of Cassima and her mother Queen Allaria and how he used to take them to the other islands to help people. The King and Queen served their people. Then things got bad between the islands and the vizier shut down travel. Even if he wanted to travel now the ferry isn't seaworthy anymore. However, there is word of a map that may help that the pawn shop owner may know something of... He also let me take his old rabbit's foot and with that I left.

I stopped in at the book shop again and this time the robed man was gone, but a newcomer was there.

He wouldn't talk at first until showing Alexander's insignia ring and he recognizes the name thanks to Cassima telling him of a Prince Alexander of Daventry. He's the clown to the royal court and had seen her briefly when she returned. Unfortunately, Cassima's parents, Queen Allaria and King Caliphim, died a few weeks before her return. They say it was due to heartbreak and he's afraid she's blaming herself. She's sequestered in mourning, an apparently outdated tradition that isn't required, but the vizier says she insisted out of respect. He doesn't trust the vizier and is only staying at the castle to keep an ear to the ground. He wishes he could get a message to Cassima, but the only way he knows to do so would be through her pet nightingale, Sing Sing, but he doesn't know where she is, so he can only wait. He'll try to come back here in the future so we can talk more.

We have information and a contact!

With that I carried on to the pawn shoppe where the robed man was also. He still wouldn't talk.

The shop keeper indeed has a magic map that will enable one to teleport to the other islands as long as the user is near the sea. He would normally want a magic item in return, but with business bad due to the islands being closed off to each other, he's willing to simply take something valuable instead. Alexander offers his insignia ring :(.

It's enough, but the shop keeper does offer to keep it for him for a few days, so that if he finds something else valuable he can get his ring back.

After the exchange the robed man darted forward and snatched a mint and ate it. Then he started wobbling and acting drunk, staggered out.

Leading me to a "Seconds later, in the castle..." and a scene elsewhere!

The Master here gets mad at him for eating mint and had told him to stop that. With some effort he gets the information out of this fellow, who's name is Shamir, that Prince Alexander of Daventry is here. He knows that's the man Cassima met at Mordack's castle, so he knows of that, hmm. And that Alexander found a magic "smap". He's not happy; he thought he'd taken care of the only mode of travel. He orders Shamir to 'go to the other islands and tell them...' and the scenes fades.

Trouble is afoot!

But for now I have a magic smap, er, map, as well as a castle to go check out, which will be my tasks next time!

--