RGR009 - The Staff of Change

It was as good a time as any to tie up loose ends, so we made our way back to Samanao to prepare for our search for the Mirror of Ra. We had gained some levels and upgraded our equipment since the last time we set foot in the area, so we were fairly confident we could handle ourselves this time. So we marched southward across the mountains until we found a double bridge leading to a cave surrounded by poisonous marsh, and knew it had to be the place.

The cave was fairly tough, mainly because it was expansive and had several looping pathways. In one area, a path made of treasure chests led us into a small treasure room, and we would surely have died there had it not been for Theron's X-Ray spell, which can detect traps in chests. On that same level, there was a small pit, and when we fell through it, we landed on an island in the middle of a spring in the cave, with a single chest containing the Mirror of Ra! Not content to leave treasure undiscovered or maps incomplete, we continued on, and were able to clean out the cave before heading back to Samanao.

We used the Lamp of Darkness to bring about nightfall, and then snuck into the castle and the king's bed chamber. When we looked into the mirror, the king's reflection was that of a monster, which promptly attacked us. It was a Boss Troll, a simple but powerful enemy, and it gave us a hard time. But we were victorious, and with the false king destroyed, the real king was found and released, along with everyone else in prison.

Yeah, we're working on it.

Chocolate mint apes!

The marsh is a nice touch.

Oh, but there's more treasure over there!

Surprise!

We don't need your permission.

As usual, we made everything better.

Was this back here the whole time?

After everything was put in order, the guards in Samanao Castle became much kinder and friendlier, and welcomed us to the castle. And since we had found the Staff of Change in the king's chamber after defeating the monster, we had a clear objective for the next leg of our quest (well, two actually, thanks to the game's manual). So our first stop was the village of the elves, where the shopkeeper wouldn't sell to humans. It took some time, but the Staff of Change eventually turned us into dwarves, to whom the elves were friendly. We picked up an Angel's Robe for Viron, and were thinking about getting another Wizard's Ring, but didn't have the money.

When we finished up with the elves, we took the Staff of Change to the old man in Greenlad, who was ecstatic to finally have a chance to own it. He gave us the Sailor's Thigh Bone in exchange, which apparently acts as a locator for the Phantom Ship. Using it tells us how far away the ship is, and in what direction. I find the whole idea of using some guy's leg bone to find a ghost ship a tad unsettling, but you gotta do what you gotta do.

Wow, you're much friendlier now.

No need to thank us, citizen.

You should make this a motel now.

See, we even make dreams come true!

All right, but just this once.

Well, you seem to be feeling better!

Ha ha! Fooled you!

I hope we're getting a good deal.

So I guess the next step is to hunt down the Phantom Ship and find whatever treasures it holds.

I hope Theron makes it through this okay. He's kind of afraid of ghosts.

RGR009 - The Blue Orb

Still wondering just where we should go next, we decided to pay our superfluous merchant, Gabriela, a little visit. We found her starting to progress in building the town as well as herself: her original sprite had been replaced with the generic merchant one, which I've always assumed was male. It's kind of awkward. She seemed to be doing just fine, so we left her to her business and sailed back to Lancel, where we knew we had a new path open to us thanks to the Final Key.

You've changed...

So where can I find it?

Oh, you mean Gabriela?

Well, probably not Theron.

In the locked shrine in Lancel, a priest was waiting to test my bravery. And only mine. I was forced to leave the party behind and fight my way through the Navel of the Earth alone. I had to turn back very early the first time, since a locked door blocked my path, and I had left the Final Key with Viron. But once I equipped myself properly, the cave wasn't so bad. I had plenty of magic to keep my hit points up, and was able to clean out the cave of all its treasure (and traps) in two trips. And the best part was that the very last chest in the cave contained the Blue Orb!

Wait, I'm not ready!

Who says? Seriously, who said that?

Hey, do what you've gotta do.

Oh, I thought you were complimenting me.

This one was much easier to get!

Jeez, Brindar, calm down.

That makes two orbs! Two! Now, if we can just find the Echoing Flute, which echoes when played in the vicinity of an orb (like it did with the crests in Dragon Warrior II), we'll be able to go on an orb hunt!

RGR009 - Orochi's Last Stand

Back in the cave near Jipang, the enemies were still pretty tough, but most fights had become manageable. Derangers still scare the crap out of us (they can confuse party members, causing them to attack one another), but that's about it. The cave is suprisingly short, and the second basement level is little more than a path to Orochi.

Orochi took us out a few times with his powerful attacks and super fire breath, but we eventually worked out a strategy. Theron had recently gained a spell called BiKill, which doubles one ally's attack power, so we had him cast it on Brindar and then me, and follow up the rest of the battle by casting Increase, which increases our defensive power. Viron healed as needed, and we were finally able to defeat him, winning the powerful Orochi Sword.

Oh Noh!

Is that French?

And he looks mad!

I didn't know he had a sword.

Beaten, the Orochi retreated into a portal in the lava behind him, and we quickly followed. The portal led back to Himiko's room in Jipang, where a wounded Himiko was being tended to by a nurse of some sort. I knew she was up to no good, but I honestly didn't expect to find out that Himiko herself was the Orochi. We immediately challenged her again, and the same strategy led us to victory once again. With Orochi Himiko defeated, word quickly spread that the remaining girls in the village were safe, and we were quickly hailed as heroes.

More importantly for us, though, was that Himiko's crystal ball was in fact the Purple Orb! We've finally found one of the orbs, and our ticket to the skies is that much closer. With the Purple Orb in hand, we set out to continue our quest.

Seriously? That was Himiko?

But we still need to kill her.

We're just going to beat you again.

Told you.

Yay, our first orb!

Maybe there never was a real Himiko.

Give my friends some credit here...

No siree!

It's what we do.

No, she was here the whole time.

Yeah, you should probably give up.

Scandalous!

We happen to like money quite a bit.

Now then, there's just the problem of figuring out where we're supposed to go next.

RGR009 - The Altars of the Orbs

Okay, the shrine in Liamland is creepy. Inside, two elf girls stand by, protecting an egg that apparently contains the yet unreborn phoenix, Ramia. Around the egg are six throne-like altars, each of which is mostly likely the final resting place for an orb. When we've gathered the orbs, we'll be bringing them back here and placing them on the altars to resurrect the phoenix. And I'm guessing we'll be able to ride it!

Ooh, this looks important.

One at a time, please!

Personally, I'd kind of like to know where the orbs came from originally. Maybe Ramia created them the last time it died.

RGR009 - Not Soo Eloquent

After chatting with the old man in Greenlad for a bit, our exploration led us southward, through a series of inland rivers, and finally to a small town of natives (the game calls them Indians, but it's 2009 now) called the Soo. I imagine they were going for Sioux, but didn't want to be too obvious. Unlike everyone else in the tribe, the Soo men spoke in somewhat fragmented sentences, like the stereotypical Native American movie character, or Tonto from the old Lone Ranger radio and TV shows. The women, children and elderly all speak perfect, complete English, and even one horse named Ed (yeah, I know) speaks more clearly and fluently than the men of the Soo tribe. Ah, how far we've come in 18 years.

Are you sure that's spelled right?

We not believe you.

Well, that narrows it down a bit.

Many moons? Wow.

Oh, we already did that... Ed the Horse.

So orbs and crests are similar then?

That old guy was a wizard?

Oh yeah, we still need to do that.

The village actually had little to offer, as the weapon shop only sells simple, weak weapons and armor. Since the old man trying to start a town was nearby, we decided then to finally recruit the merchant I created in the beginning and drop her off to help out. This merchant, Gabriela, was starting at level 1 and being taken to a somewhat dangerous area, so we were a little worried she might not survive the trip. But survive she did, and also managed to gain several levels due to the higher experience load the seaborne enemies bring. Once we dropped her off, the old man was so grateful that he passed on a hint about a hidden item in the Soo village, which turned out to be the Staff of Thunder. Hooray, Theron finally gets a new weapon!

You mean we have to go back?

Look, Theron! An actual weapon for you!

With that, I think we've been just about everywhere, so it's time to head back to Jipang. There is one more stop to make, but it's basically on the way. It's a shrine on an icy island that the map calls Liamland, and that name came up once as an important place regarding the orbs.

I just hope we're strong enough to take on those enemies in the Jipang cave.