A Santharian Tales Adventure: Mysteries of Nepris

In the last diary entries concerning the Santharian Tales RPG Adventure we tried to show you the work of the developers and explain what things are necessary to be taken care of before anything can be realized in the game, so that the player can actually have fun with the result.

Now let's take a look at the other side of the game. Let's see on how the game looks from the player's side so far. If you aren't a developer and haven't installed the Legendary Tales engine yet to test the current game version, the following game excerpt will give you a first idea on what you've been missing. If you have followed our progress on the site or at the Development Forum you might have already seen dialogue excerpts, various maps and pictures here and there, which will be part of the game - but never the pieces put together. Well, here's a glimpse on the game in the making without giving away too much hopefully... Following is an excerpt of a transcript of the start of the game on how it will look like in the next version. While the game is dynamic and interactive, such a transcript of course is only static and can only give you a rough idea on what is possible in the game, but I hope you get the idea...

Introduction
It was one of those melancholic afternoons in beginning autumn when the sky already turned grey early in the afternoon. You remember that a strong wind came in from the sea, chasing leaves and howling desperately through the streets, and the citiziens started preparing for a coming thunderstorm. It was this third day of Fallen Leaf, the Month of Arvins, when you accidentally met a friend in the streets of Marcogg, who asked you to have a drink with him. Well, and so you ended up in the “White Deer Tavern”, drinking some dark dwarven ale, while the first raindrops chased the people out of the streets.

As it turned out, your friend Camthour had a mission for you. A parchment precisely, which was meant to be delivered as soon as possible to a businessman in the small fishing village of Nepris up north. You have always been thankful to Camthour to provide you with a little work which brings some extra sans to your purse, and as a short trip to Nepris seemed like a nice change, you already left with the parchment in your backpack on the next day towards the Hills of Svanfrill.

After a day’s ride through the Hills of Svanfrill to the Mossy Rocks Cove region you finally reach the trading post where you deliver your horse to make the last steps on foot. But even the short trip to the village from the southern trading post make your feet feel weary and you surely would welcome a bit of rest. Well, anyway, a bit of rest is what you've come here for as well. At least right after you've managed to deliver this message from the Count to this local. You make a mental note to read the letter again which was given to you to make sure you hand the message to the right person.

A new quest has been added: Deliver Count's Message.

Nepris at last!
"Ah, there we are!" You nod to yourself as you finally see smoke rising from the chimneys of a few sturdy houses in the distance. Breathing deeply you let the wet air of a light breeze coming from the Adanian Sea fill your lungs. You can also already hear the waves rolling towards the shore to the east, never ceasing in their endless monotonous rhythm, again and again. Yes, that's Nepris: A small idyllic village located at Mossy Rocks Cove, home of a bunch of simple but hard working fishermen. You've reached your destination.

(Continue...)

Hills of Svanfrill
You are standing at the northwesternmost elevation of the hilly landscape commonly known as the Hills of Svanfrill. The hills represent the eastern foothills of the great Mithral Mountains to the west and are sandy and mostly covered in sturdy reed grasses and low hardy shrubs. A path leads south over the hills towards Marcogg from where you came from, while to the north you can already see a glimpse of the sturdy houses of Nepris.

Exits: South, North

Examine Count's Note
Camthour Thamil, Marcoggian Secretary of Trading Relations, has handed you this note the Count had given him. It contains some instructions on your Nepris mission.

Read Count's Note
The Count's Note is directed to the official who provided you with your mission and reads as follows:

"To Camthour Thamil,
Marcoggian Secretary of Trading Relations.

Dear Camthour!

Now that we've officially agreed on the contract with the fisherfolk of Nepris and the Mitharim dwarves, we should make sure to deliver the final text to both parties to look through it again, so that our good relations will be ensured for the coming years once the contract is signed. Unfortunately the couriers are all in use at important issues currently, but I assume you can handle that - at least we're not transporting any valuables here, just a piece of paper. Pray see that you can find a trustworthy fellow who can deliver it to the merchant Tendrim Kahlof in Nepris as soon as possible. Just make sure that the document reaches its destination undamaged.

Haerem Vannith,
Count of Marcogg"

A quest has been updated: Deliver Count's Message.

Examine Count's Parchment
The Count's Parchment is in fact a heavy scroll, made of quite expensive material as it seems, endowing it with an official touch. It is sealed with a red wax seal representing the insignias of the Manthrian province, the proud toran eagle circling over a ship. The parchment was given to you by an old friend and official of Marcogg to deliver it to one of the locals in Nepris. You remember that you were strictly forbidden to open the scroll or to show it to any other people except for the person specified in the note you've received as well.

Open Count's Parchment
Though you feel a certain temptation to read the contents of the parchment, you eventually decide against it. A broken seal wouldn't look too good when you deliver your message.

Go North

Southern Coastal Road
You are walking on the broad north/south main road leading into the fishing village of Nepris. While you can already see first houses of Nepris on both sides of the Coastal Road to the north, the southern road leads further to the Hills of Svanfrill. A signpost stands at the right side of the road with the big capital letters "NEPRIS" carved into the wood.

Items: Wooden Signpost
Exits: South, North

Examine Signpost
The signpost is firmly anchored into the soil. Aside from the capital letters spelling "NEPRIS", you also see upon closer inspection that the words "Welcome to" are written above the big letters. There's also a smaller text carved into the wood at the bottom: "Fishing Village of the Manthrian Province in the United Kingdom of Santharia".

Go North

As you move north along the Coastal Road you see a little kid playing in the middle of the road. As he spots a stranger nearing, he quickly grabs his toy and heads of towards the east.

Southern Coastal Road
You are walking along a narrow, rutted dirt road which runs north/south. The packed greyish-yellow dirt is firm underfoot but rather monotonous to look at. From the east you can hear the sounds of waves of the Adanian Sea. A small path leads to the east, to the shore nearby.

Exits: South, North, East to Rocky Beach

Go East

Rocky Beach
You are standing on a small, only a few ped long shore to the Adanian Sea. The area here is a bit rocky, especially to the north and south large bolders block your path. The ground is covered with about two thumb large black and gray rounded stones. Green shaggy moss grows all over this part of the shore. A small dirty path leads back between the rocks to the Southern Coastal Road to the west. The beach continues to the southwest, littered with some shells.

Sitting on the stones near the water you can see a small boy playing with a miniature ship.

Items: Miniature Ship
NPCs: Little Kid
Exits: West to Southern Coastal Road, SouthEast

Examine Little Kid
The boy has blonde hair, large blue eyes and a bit of a forlorn expression on his round face. He doesn't seem much older than six and his main interest seems to lie in playing with his toy.

Examine Miniature Ship
The toy ship is a small extremely well crafted representation of the largest Avennorian ship, the triton. Like all tritons the toy also has three masts with main sails and smaller sails on top. While the toy ship has a length of only approximately half a ped, the original triton is 100 peds in length and has 20 peds width and harbours up to 300 men. You can also see little metallic spears on the toy ship, representing harpoons used for whaling. Even small pieces of rope were glued on top of the ship, and a likewise firmly attached captain carved from wood looks into the distance.

You may attempt to take the toy ship if you want.

1. Take Miniature Ship
2. Leave Miniature Ship

You attempt to take the miniature ship

As you want to take the ship, the boy playing with it tears it from your hands. "That's mine!" he shouts. "Dad said it's all mine. Mine, mine!"

Talk to Little Kid
As you approach, the little blonde-haired kid turns away from you, hiding its toy from view. Seems like he is not very fond of talking to strangers.

Artimidor: "What are you doing here, little one?"

A Little Kid: The boy doesn't look up. "Playing...", he mumbles.

Artimidor: "Playing? All alone? Doesn't it get boring after a while?"

A Little Kid: "Naaah...," the boy answers alound to make his point.

Artimidor: "My name is Artimidor. And how are you called?"

A Little Kid: The boy looks up so that you see the blue bright eyes in his round face. Though still a bit shy, the boy says triumphantly: "I'm Pinn!" Then he smiles at you before returning his attention to his toy.

You look over his shoulder, seeing that he's playing with a miniature ship.

Artimidor: "Lovely ship you've got there, Pinn!"

Pinn Derkhan: Pinn nods vehemently. "That's a triton ship! People go out catching big large fish with the triton! And exploring!"

Artimidor: "Would you like to hunt big fish as well when you're big?"

Pinn Derkhan: "Yeah!" Pinn nods, very sure of this. "Or exploring! Find new islands and gold!"

Artimidor: "Do you happen to know a man called Tendrim Kahlof living here in Nepris?"

Pinn Derkhan: Pinn looks a bit unsure at you with his big eyes. Then suddenly he seems to remember. "That's Uncle Tenni!"

Artimidor: "Well, can you tell me where to find Uncle Tenni, Pinn?"

Pinn Derkhan: The boy thinks a bit, then quickly shakes his head and gets back to playing.

Artimidor: "Are you sure you can't lead me to Uncle Tenni? Say, if I give you a candy?"

Pinn Derkhan: "Mom says, don't follow strangers!" He moves away a bit from you. "And never take candy from them!"

Artimidor: "Bye!"

Pinn Derkhan: "Bye!" the boy says.

Go West

Southern Coastal Road
You are at a narrow road which runs north/south. A path leads to the east, to the shore nearby.

Exits: South, North, East to Rocky Beach

Go North

Southern Coastal Road
You are walking along a narrow, rutted dirt road which runs north/south. To the east large man-high bolders prevent a clear view to the Adanian Sea, while to the west a barely recognizable path leads past a farmhouse to the northeast. To the north you can see a bridge crossing the small river below.

Exits: South, North

Go North

South of Small Bridge
You are standing in front of a massive stone bridge crossing the river to the north. To the west a small path leads to a farmhouse and to the east you can make your way through a few dispersed pines towards the shore. The main road continues south.

Exits: South, East to Dispersed Pines, West to Poor Farmhouse, North to Small Bridge

Go North

Stone Bridge
You are standing on a massive stone bridge leading to the main village area of Nepris to the north. Aside from a few dispersed houses there doesn’t seem to be anything of interest in the southern area, and a path leads through the Hills of Svanfrill in the direction of Marcogg. A few peds underneath you the Toran’s Creek flows from its western origin in the craggy Mithral Mountains down to the Adanian Sea to your east. Looking east through the thick pines of this area you think you can just catch a glimpse of the grey-blue waters.

Exits: South, North

Go North

North of Small Bridge
You are standing north of a hewn-log bridge over the Raven River. To the east you can see a large building with massive stone walls and a flock of taenish in front, while the main road continues west. To the north pine trees block your way.

Exits: South to Small Bridge, East to Prosperous Farm, West to Small Crossing

Go East

Prosperous Farm
You are standing in front of a large building with a number of little outsheds and a large, invitingly shady veranda along its front. The stone walls are straight and solid, going up one story to a slanted roof, angled so as to deflect the sea winds upward and out of the yard. In front of the veranda a flock of taenish are scratching and pecking at some grain which has been scattered for them. Seashells outline areas of the yard in delicate white scallops and traceries, creating an attractive effect on the greyish soil of this region.

A man is working in front of the house, busy with sawing on some planks.

Exits: West, Enter the house

Prosperous Farm Kitchen
You are in the kitchen area of the Prosperous Farm house. Lots of cooking utensils are spread all over the place: pots, spoons, knives and plates are laid out at the table. Spices of various interesting kinds, taenish eggs, fresh vegetables are lying close by waiting for preparation... At the oven nearby something really tasty seems to be brewing already - the aroma of the place makes you feel hungry already.

NPCs: Blonde woman
Exits: Exit house, Common Room
Items: Cupboard, Barley Bread, Butter, Sun Cheese, Kitchen Knife

Examine Blonde Woman
You see a resolute, buxom woman, whose blonde hair is tied back to a ponytail. She's wearing a red blouse and a worn skirt, which shows races of the meal she's currently preparing. She bustles through the kitchen, doing this and that, re-arranging things and cleaning stains here and there, spreading cooking ingredients all over the place. She appears quite strong as if she'd help out with manual work as well and seems determined to do her work with the necessary care and devotion needed to keep a larger household at bay.

Talk to Blonde Woman
You nod to the blonde-haired woman who - judging from the enticing aroma and your salivating mouth - is obviously in the process of preparing an exceptionally good meal.

Blonde Woman: "We haven't met yet, have we?" the woman asks as you make a step closer to the magically smelling pot.

Artimidor: "I'm sure we did."

Blonde Woman: "Well, I usually remember a face when I see one. And there aren't too many people passing through Nepris."

Artimidor: "Well, ok, I admit I wasn't sure. My name is Artimidor, may I ask yours?"

Blonde Woman: "Certainly, stranger. My name is Ilbeth, and as you can see I'm preparing some food for the bunch of strong men we have here at the house. Northman's Pot as you can probably smell: spicy beans with cheese and onions. - Well, what can I do for you?"

Artimidor: "You've three men in your household?"

Ilbeth Derkhan: Ilbeth laughs. "Yeah, that's right. Poor me. Aside from Mannef, my husband, and Pinn, my little darling, my grandfather lives up in the attic. I guess all they were born for is to bring this house in turmoil. Well, well, well..."

Ilbeth sighs while grabbing some plates, then puts one after the other carefully on the table.

"Say - you didn't happen to see Pinn on your way? A little boy, eight years old, carrying a toy ship with him and a ball made with sheep's wool?"

Artimidor: "Yeah, sure, I've even talked to him. He's at the shore, just a bit to the south."

Blonde Woman: "I see. Well, you don't seem to be as busy as I am, but maybe you're a bit hungry... If you could you be so kind as to go fetch him and bring him home soon, I could give you a bit of our Northman's Pot as a reward. - What do you say?"

Artimidor: "Sounds great!" You can't await to taste Ilbeth's cooking. "I'll see what I can do..."

Ilbeth Derkhan: "Fine. Then hurry up, Artimidor, or the beans will get cold!"

Artimidor: "Your Northman's Pot looks delicate! And smells fabulous as well..."

Ilbeth Derkhan: "Yes, it is indeed a speciality. Althz'onn Beans aren't that common that far south. Traders have brought them a while ago from the Celeste area, a region north of the great Tandala Mountains. We've started to cultivate the beans here, Meghrin and I, and they grow pretty well. And they taste delicious!"

Artimidor: "I'm searching for a man called Tendrim Kahlof. Do you happen to know his whereabouts?"

Ilbeth Derkhan: "It's this businessman, isn't he? The merchant from the south, right? - Well, I've seen him lately, though where he's right now I can't say. At least businessmen have business to attend to. But ask at the Pines Hostel, I'm sure he got a room there."

Artimidor: "Where may I find the Pines Hostel?"

Ilbeth Derkhan: "Just follow the main street to the north, till you reach the crossing. Then go west, and there at the south it is."

Artimidor: "Bye!"

Ilbeth Derkhan: "See you later, Artimidor!"

Examine Cupboard
In the corner you can see a stury cupboard made of reddish baych tree wood.
It is closed.

Open Cupboard
The cupboard is opened and harbours mainly various glasses of spices ingredients and other foodstuffs. A strong exotic scent coming from the cupboard reaching your nose

Items: Cloewen Honey, Raisins, Cookery Book

Examine Cookery Book
The cookery has the title “Dame Sausade’s Cookery Boke”, subtitled “Being a Collation of Receipts From Variouse Parts of Sarvonia”. It seems to be quite old and worn-out, some pages are already loose, but on the other hand the book’s state shows that the knowledge in this tome seems to be used regularly in order to fill the bellies of the family members here.

Upon expecting the book more closely you see that there are some bookmarks to the most often used recipes. You may want to take a look at any of these recipes:

1. Roast Taenish with Forcebreed Stuffing
2. Thergerim Caroot Mash
3. Kao-Kao Fruitballs
4. Maple Candy
5. Close the Cookery Book

You look up the Kao-Kao Fruitballs Recipe.

Kao-Kao Fruitballs

Set the carroot mixture into a clay dish and let it bake till all are at the table. The dwarves often eat this by dipping farls of their heavy bread into it; you may do so, or scoop it out upon your plate as with mashed tuberroots or any other soft vegetable.

Ingredients

½ scup of dried Lorriv berries
2 ladles of dried and chopped meldarapple berries
2 ladles of chopped dotch nuts
½ bar of dark, unflavored, kao-kao
1 bar of cream kao-kao

Preparation

Combine lorriv berries, meldarapple berries, chopped dotch nuts and melted dark kao-kao in a small bowl. Roll teaspoons of mixture into balls, let them cool overnight. Break cream kao-kao into pieces, place in top of a double saucepan with butter over simmering water. Stir until smooth. Dip each fruit ball in the melted kao-kao until evenly coated. Place balls on trays; allow to set in a cool place. The balls can not be stored for long and have to be eaten cold.

You close the Cookery Book again.

Examine Kitchen Knife
This kitchen knife is one and a half palmspans in length and has a dark wooden handle. Though it is sharp and may be helpful for defending one’s self, it’s probably not a very good weapon to attack.

Pick up Kitchen Knife
You take the Kitchen Knife.

Go East

Prosperous Farmhouse Common Room
You are in a large, warm and cozy common room with an elegant carpet covering the wodden plankets below. A fireplace can be found at the right side of the northern wall with a chimney leading upwards – a picture of an Avennorian barek is attached to it. To the left of the chimney there’s a large window from where you can overlook most activities near the village’s shore.

A large and heavy round table dominates the center of the room with a wonderful table cloth showing various flowers of the region. Around the table cushioned chairs invite the guests to take a seat. On one of the chairs tinkering tools are laid out, obviously in preparation for some necessary work.

Items: Barek Picture, Dried Apples
Exits: Kitchen (West), Bedroom (East), Bottom of Stairway (South)

Examine Barek Picture
You step closer to the chimney to examine the barek picture in more detail: It has been painted on canvass with an exceptionally talented artist’s hand showing the large Avennorian ship in great detail. Interestingly, the dwarven symbol of the Mitharim dwarves is shown on the sails and not the Avennorian coat of arms. At the bottom right you spot the artist’s signature, it reads: “Quellion, 1662 a.S.”. Wow, you think, as the picture definitely is a true masterpiece of one of the most famous Santharian artists.

Go South

Prosperous Farmhouse Bottom of Stairway
You are in a rather tiny windowless – and thus quite dark - room, featuring only a small table on delicate well-crafted feet in the corner and a bookshelf on the western wall. On the table sits a vase with some fresh flowers on it. The main part of the room though is occupied by a wooden staircase winding its way upward.

You hear a loud snoring sound coming from above.

Items: Bookshelf
Exits: Common Room (North), Up

Examine Bookshelf
There’s nothing exceptionally special about the shelf, but upon scanning through the books some titles look quite interesting and perhaps would be worth investigating. Do you want to take a closer look?

1) Check the books in detail.
2) Leave the books for now.

You decide to scan through the books.

Books worth of notice are the following:
a) The Tale of Katya Dragonseeker
b) The Tale of Greybark
c) The Trials and Tragedies of Dygan Heartswind
d) Enough reading for today.

You examine the Tale of Greybark.
This seems to be a very interesting story dealing with the smallest known race in Santharia, the Brownies: The "Tale of Greybark" tells about the life of the Brownie Greybark of the Ferretmaster clan in the Vale of Brownies: How he had to choose his destiny, how he became Brownie messenger with the outside world and about the many adventures he experienced together with his snowy owl, Ookpik.

Go Up
The wooden stairs creak under your feet as you go up...

Ok, that's it, just a first small glimpse at the game as promissed. Note that what you can read above is only a part of what is currently in development, representing only the first area you'll come across when playing. And from this area you also see only a small part here. Quests and how to solve these quests weren't included in order not to spoil the fun of playing the next test version yourself (developers only!). Further pictures, items, sounds, musics, monsters and characters will be added in the course of time. Hope you enjoyed... - more to come:)