ACT 1 - Chapters 7 - 9

Chapter 7

The scene immediately opens with dramatic music and the party taking Cara below deck to a bed. The title "Chapter 7" appears in the bottom right corner then fades. Arc is somewhat panicky and Dyne is silent (but obviously in shock), Triss is very worried and trying not to cry, Finn is worried but trying to calm Arc down, while Frith is very calm and lies her down and covers her with blankets. He tells them that she has been poisoned and her body might be shutting down. He leaves to speak with the captain and Arc kneels down beside her. There will be some talk among the party until Frith returns and says that the trip will only be a few days and that they'll find help once they reach Kazka (the port city in Salem they're headed to). Finn says that he hopes she'll make it there. The scene fades to black. The next scene opens with the boat arriving in Kazka. The party is shown exiting the boat with Cara wrapped in blankets and being carried by Finn. The title "Kazka" appears and then fades. The camera focuses on the party and Frith says that they need to find someone who can help them right away. Control is given to the player and a mark is made on the minimap indicating the closest healer. The player has the choice to explore the city as there is no real time limit as to how long they take to get to the healer. There are some stores to visit as well as a pub they could go to. At the pub, the party will hear about the nearby locations and culture, even a story or two about The Kazili, a large crime syndicate that has taken over a lot of the markets in the kingdom. Once the player decides to continue, they will navigate the party through the city until they reach a local healer. Once inside there will be a cutscene where they bring in Cara and they ask what to do to heal her. The lady will tell them that their healer had just recently left to live in Sandred, a city south of there. She offers them a camel (or similar desert crossing creature) for Cara. They accept and head south out of town. The party will enter the world map and go south until they are prompted to enter the Sahleed Pass. Upon entering, the title "Sahleed Pass" will appear and then fade. Control is given to the player and the must travel south through the desert, fighting enemies along the way. If the player leads the party in an alternate direction for a while, they will come across a cave guarded by a large reptilian monster (an optional boss). Upon defeating it, the player will find some very rare items used for crafting superior weapons. However if the player sticks to the charted path, they will eventually cross through the desert and come upon the gates to Sandred, the capitol city of Sundaaq Kingdom. Upon entering, there will be a cinematic montage of the city streets before focusing back on the group. Arc will say that they need to find the healer before it's too late. A mark will be placed on the minimap indicating the healer's house. At this time control is given to the player to explore the city. They can visit the local shops but most of the items will be the same as the ones in Kazka. However, there is a crafter who can craft superior weapons for the party if they had found the rare items in the desert. Once the player decides to continue, they will reach the healer's house and enter in. There will be a cutscene of them entering the house and placing Cara on a table. They explain to the healer that she was struck with a poison dart and has since been asleep. The healer will examine and look her over, eventually stating that she is in a coma and that the poison used on her is a very unique one. This specific poison will put her in a coma for a few months before it kills her, and that the only cure is made from a flower that grows only in Foxwood, a forested island kingdom to the north. Arc asks what they should do and the lady tells him that if they hurry, they may catch a ship headed for Foxwood at a small fishing village north of them. Arc says that he'll go and that someone else should come with him while the rest stay with Cara. The party agrees and the player will then have to decide which party member will join him on the journey (any member can be chosen, but the best choice would be Dyne, followed by Triss, then Frith, then lastly Finn). Once the player is chosen, they will say goodbye and head north out of the city. The party enters the world map and must head north until they are prompted to enter the Northern Sahleed Pass. The Northern Pass is an arid hilly region with many monsters, and the player will have an option to travel by day or night. Depending on what the player chooses, there will be different monsters and certain areas will be accessible only during the day or the night. However, at the end of the Pass, the party will encounter a large sand dwelling reptile that will serve as the desert boss. Once defeated, they can pass through and will come upon the Fishing Village of Gadira. Upon entering, the title "Fishing Village of Gadira" will appear and then fade. Control is given to the player and they must talk to one of the fishermen at the docks to take them to the merchant ship passing by on its way to Foxwood. The fisherman agrees and they board his small fishing vessel. As they sail towards the ship, the scene fades to black.

Chapter 8

The scene starts with Arc and the other party member being helped onto the ship and being greeted by the captain. The title "Foxwood Merchant Ship "The Lark"" will appear and then fade. Control will be given to the player and they will be able to navigate the party around the ship and speak to the crew members. At any time, Arc may go to the cabins and sleep in a bunk to skip the remainder of the voyage. However, there are some optional quests to fulfill while on the ship if the player so chooses.
1. Fishing Minigame - Arc can approach a crew member who is casting a line off the side of the ship. He will offer Arc the chance to do some fishing, upon agreeing, a minigame will start and a dialogue box will appear explaining how to fish and which buttons to press. Depending on how well the player succeeds in the game, they will receive different rarities of fish. Each type of fish can be used for either Dyne's cooking or for item synthesis for health or buff items. The crew member will tell Arc about a rare type of fish he's been striving to catch. If Arc catches it, the crew member promises to trade him something for it. Upon catching it, the crew member will trade him for a very rare and exotic spice.
2. Trading Quest - In order to earn their spot on the ship, the captain gives a telescope to Arc saying that he needs to deliver it to the Navigator. Arc must then find the Navigator and give him the telescope. In return, the Navigator will give you a map to give to the captain. Upon giving the captain the map, he will ask Arc to deliver a note to the cook. Deliver the note to the cook and he will give you a slab of cured meat to bring to a sick crew member. Give the crew member the cured meat and he will give you a compass. Take the compass to the navigator and he will reward you with a dalzanite hook. Use the hook to better your chances at winning the fishing minigame.
Once the player decides to continue, they must go below deck to the cabins and choose to sleep in the beds, this will skip the rest of the voyage. After choosing to sleep, the scene will go black and then fade in with the ship arriving at the dock in the Hunter City of Gharmog . There will be a cinematic montage showing the forested city, the title "Forested Hunter's City of Gharmog" will appear and then fade. As the party disembarks from the ship, they will notice that the city is abuzz with festivities and celebrations. Arc will inquire from a crew member what's going on, and they will tell him that it's their annual hunting festival. Control is given to the player and they will be free to roam the city. They can explore all the shops and the market to upgrade their weapons and armor. They can visit a tailor and get new outfits as well. Eventually, they will make their way to the entrance to the forest where they must go in order to obtain the antidote flower. However, it will be blocked by guards and they will say that the forests are off-limits during the festival, only hunters taking part in the competition may enter. Arc will say to the other party member that they need to enter the competition so that they can access the forest. A mark will be placed on the minimap indicating where the sign-up booth is. Once there Arc will register them both as competitors and they will be told that the competition will be starting soon and to meet in the town square. At this point, the player can explore the city more until they go to the town square. Once there, there will be a cutscene of all the different hunters meeting and Arc and the other member will join them. Atop a stage with a podium, a man will talk about the celebration and the rules of the hunting competition, a dialogue box will appear and explain how the hunt works. After this, the party will be given access to the Leaderboard. The Leaderboard will show the hunting scores of many other hunters. Depending on who comes in first, second, or third place will determine which rare item the player will receive. In order to increase their points, they'll need to hunt as many beasts as possible, some will reward the player with more points than others. The hunting festival spans over 3 days. Each day will be spent deep in the forests. A daytime system will be initialized, where the party can hunt in certain areas during different times of the day. When the party leaves a certain area, they can choose how long they will wait in hiding. Time will pass and the party will be able to hunt again. By choosing where to hunt and when to hunt in those areas, the party can either gain insane amounts of points or almost nothing at all. It may take a few tries to figure out which areas have the best prey and at what times. During any of the 3 days during the festival, the party can return to the city and stock up on items. Also, if they go to the main restaurant and speak to a chef in the back, he will notice that Arc has the rare and exotic spice (that is if that sidequest was completed) and offer to trade him the spice for his family sword. If the player chooses yes, they will receive a very powerful sword for Frith, if the player chooses to keep the spice, it will be used as a spice for Dyne's cooking and will give great buffs to the characters. Once the player is on the last day of the hunting festival, they will come across the flowers needed for Cara’s antidote. However, as they go to retrieve it, they encounter the forest boss. This boss will be massive and ferocious, a very hard boss to defeat. After defeating it, the party will finish the hunt and return to the main village square. If any party members placed in the top 3, there will be a short ceremony and they will receive their prize. If the party did not succeed in placing in the top 3, they can stay and enjoy the closing celebration or head to the docks and stay in the merchant ship. Once they decide to return and sleep in the ship, the scene will fade to black.

Chapter 9

The scene will open onto the world map and the ship will travel from Foxwood back to Salem. This will be automatic and the player will not be able to control the ship. Once it reaches the fishing village of Gadira, the scene will change and it will open with Arc and the other party member on the docks of the village. Arc will say that they need to hurry and go back to Sandred with the antidote flower. Control will be given to the player and they will be free to roam the village once more. There will be no new items for sale. Once the player decides to move one, they will enter into the Northern Sahleed Pass again and must navigate their way through while fighting the various monsters that appear along the way. This time, along the way through the pass, the party will encounter a traveling band of nomads. Here the player will be able to interact with them and trade with them. By speaking to one member in particular, Arc will be able to get information about a vendor in Sandred who rents out sand beasts (traveling creatures for the desert, similar to camels) and will recommend that if they mention his name to the vendor, they'll be able to rent some for free. Once they have reached the end of the pass, they will be taken to the world map. The player must enter Sandred in order to progress the story. When they enter Sandred, a cutscene will immediately occur with Arc and the other member entering the healer's house with the flower. Arc will hand it over to the healer and then go to Cara and the others. They will banter among themselves and Arc will begin to tell them what happened while in Foxwood, but will be cut off by the healer coming back into the room with a cure. Everyone gathers around them while the healer administers the cure. It will begin to take effect and Cara will begin to regain color in her face and then slowly wake up. Everyone will be overjoyed and relieved, even Frith (who shows barely any emotion besides a proud smile to Arc and a silent hand on his shoulder). Cara is confused and asks where she is and what happened. Everyone starts talking at once trying to tell her everything (except Frith who remains silent). The scene slowly fades to black as Cara tries to understand everyone and laughs while trying to say "one at a time please!" The next scene opens with everyone in the healer’s house, they thank her for her help and then leave outside. Once outside, the party will shortly discuss where to go next. Frith mentions that the closest city port that sails to Silverspire is The Great Trade City of Vaash to the east. Control is given to the player and they are free to roam the city of Sandred. They will be able to shop and stock up on items and buy new outfits at the tailors more suitable for the desert. If the player attempts to leave town, Arc will mention that they should stop by the beast vendor to get some free rides (if the player did not speak the nomad who gave them the information, this will not happen and the party will be able to leave town on foot). Using a desert beast will speed up travel and allow the party to run past monsters and skip battles. Once the player leaves town, they will enter the world map and must travel east until prompted to enter the The Eastern Sahleed Pass. After entering the Eastern Pass, there will be a cinematic reveal of the landscape and the title "Easter Sahleed Pass" will appear and then fade. Control will be given to the player and the must navigate the party eastern through the pass fighting monster and enemies as they go. The further east they travel, the bushier the area will become, and more forested (still arid though). Also, the further the party travels east, the darker it will become and at the end of the area, Dyne will suggest stopping for the night and setting up camp. Everyone agrees. Here, a scene will occur with everyone setting up camp, Frith will go to gather some wood for a fire. As everyone is doing their thing, Frith will return and say to the group that there are some ruins nearby and would work well as some shelter. The party agrees and move camp. The next scene starts with the group sitting around a campfire in the ruins. Someone will say that it looks like the ruins of an ancient temple. Some small banter will occur in the party until all of a sudden they are attack by bandits. A short scene will show the party members jumping up and readying their weapons. Arc jumps up and runs over to Cara to fight with her. Control is given to the player and boss fight occurs with the bandits. The player will need to fight off 10 bandits, who all carry different weapons and throw small bombs. A very difficult battle. Once they are defeated, a cutscene will show them trying to get away and one of the bandits will throw a bigger bomb into the middle of the ruins, it explodes and a massive crater opens up in the floor and Cara and Arc fall through it. The party tries to clear out the way from falling debris and the whole is covered so that Arc and Cara are trapped. The scene goes black.