Editing World on Fire (section)

=== Objects ===
==== Events ====
{| class="sortable wikitable" cellpadding=5px
! Location
! Message
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 5, 21, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | I'd be happy like a little girl if it weren't for the circumstances. Here is our secret! This is the storeroom with the firecrackers for the New Year celebration—we set up a dry cache for them, away from the villages. Halflings are way cautious when it comes to danger and fire, so I insisted on safekeeping these things in a secluded place. [[Frederick]] made small batches of them in his spare time, and once a year, the villagers brought themselves to curb their aversion to the scientist, for no one else could give them this beloved amusement. Each time, [[Frederick]] would get almost a year's worth of foodstuffs for the firecrackers; the halflings sure loved their big celebrations! The people of the Valley bragged that no one had ever seen fiery rains quite like this, not even in [[Bracada]], and would stop at nothing to show their neighbors up and enjoy some honest-to-goodness miracles.<p>Frederick would grin dryly and agree that indeed, nothing like that was ever seen in [[Bracada]].<p>“There, you just slip a couple coins to some dropout illusionist quack and get twice the spectacle," he muttered to himself as he carted away his hard-earned pay.<p>The crates contained onion-sized spheres that exploded with a deafening bang, spraying bright droplets of fire all over. Usually they were launched into the sky out of a long pipe dug into the village square like a spring pole, but now we could use them to arm a few sling-wielding [[halfling]]s. These perfectly uniform projectiles worked even better for throwing than stone bullets.</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 8, 32, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | [[Frederick]]'s message spoke of "names and faces from the past", and he was going south... I assumed that he was going to meet some old acquaintances, and if so, they could only be meeting here, in [[Dry Ryehill]], a place where outsiders came to trade and were less shunned than in other villages in the Valley.<p>A mile away from the village, it was clear already that it was gone. Those who came here not only hungered for killing, but also for razing... Or maybe it was some twisted, alien approach to creation? What if these creatures are just as happy to contemplate mounds of burnt logs as a [[halfling]] is to behold a new, lovingly painted barn? And the earth scorched to a molten crust is as dear to them as his favorite, hand-ploughed gardens with huge carrots are to Grampa Haye?<p>And if they caught those who lived here by surprise, what did they do to them?</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 12, 20, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | As we approached the campfire, we saw a hastily abandoned camp. The footprints of a dozen two-legged creatures led away from it into the forest. Two decapitated carcasses of celestial guests were lying by the fire—it looked like someone began field dressing them, but left halfway through.<p>“Ah, those are [[halfling]]s…” you hear from the bushes. “Go away! Don't you dare follow us, or we'll have you taste steel, like we did to those freaks!”<p>Apparently, the men in the bushes are hardly nicer than the horned ones. Are they the same gang that brought mayhem to the neighboring valley five years ago? They’d been forgotten by now, but surely there was no way a new one would just pop up out of nowhere right here. Well, I guess trouble comes in threes.</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 14, 12, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | The horned one lies on the ground, hit between the eyes a few times with heavy slingshot bullets. His head is cracked, one horn broken off. What seemed unthinkable yesterday is now sprinkling our land with its stinking blood. A beast, it would seem; but no, not a beast. His eyes were too intelligent until they faded. Not an [[elemental]] spirit, not a human, not a magic creature. And silence all around. Nothing more to argue about.<p>“We should inform everyone about this devilry at once!”<p>“How many of them are roaming the forests now, trampling our mushrooms!”<p>“We must prepare an ambush!”, I heard from the [[halfling]]s flocking around the vanquished creature. Suddenly the clatter died down, and I felt a dozen intense stares.<p>“[[Henrietta]], you know all the paths around here! You're the only one who knows where all the villages are!”<p>What an ordeal it is for them to go beyond the outskirts of their home village. All their lives, they had been afraid of strangers, and here was their fear embodied. Even dead, it made them sweat, but now they stood with their chins high and spat on the brown corpse. If there's more than one of them out there…<p>“Why, lads, where there is one, there gonna be others, right? We'd better get some heavy stones and go together!”, [[Kosta]], an elderly carter who was lamenting the horses, threw his hat on the ground. “I wanna make these singed hogs pay for my ponies! Show the way, lass—can’t we cut through the woods to the [[Tall Ridges]]?”</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 15, 13, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | There was indeed a "hole" in the place the villagers had mentioned—a hole with smooth, seemingly melted edges, but somehow it wasn't too hot near it, and it didn't even look like something had been burning there. What could that mean? Some of those stars that fell in the night didn't announce their imminent arrival, but simply fell... wherever they needed to…? I froze, frightened by my thoughts, while the clamoring peasants kept waving their hands and rebuking me, as if it all were somehow my doing. I turned back to them and tried to think of what to say; suddenly, the outrage on their faces gave way to surprise and then to horror. Stunned, I realized that the villagers weren't looking at me anymore, but behind me.<p>A pair of sharp, crescent-shaped horns appeared above the hole. Then two huge red paws, and then their owner got out of the hole with a mighty leap. Straightening up, he inhaled gurglingly and let out two streams of smoke. Huge in stature, with lumpy skin the color of fresh meat— or with no skin at all?—here, in the middle of the village, he looked infinitely alien. The eyes of the strange visitor were fiery spots, and the air around his figure was churning like it does above a frying pan. I felt a wave of heat and a strange, iron-like odor or taste on my tongue—and then it was as if a chemical reaction had stopped, like at [[Frederick]]'s, when he’d let me drop some "im-ge-be-tor" in a flask. The monster's eyes became dim, its skin turned brown, the heat around it subsided, and I could finally get a good look at it. If one were to imagine a huge wild boar growing horns, losing its bristles, standing up on two legs like a man, and getting humps on its back and chest... that would still be a very rough and flattering description of the creature I saw. Its ugliness was striking.<p>The creature wiggled its huge head around and looked at the crowd. Its snare-like mouth opened, and a disgustingly long tongue fell out. With a loud clang, the monster took its first step onto the land of [[Eeofol]]. Funny, I thought, as if some good farrier had already shoehorned him....</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 19, 9, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | The sign at the gate reads:<p>"Experimental maintenance shop. Property of the mining company. Currently not hiring."<p>Looking closer, I noticed scratches on the sign. Barely visible smudges of dirt complement them, forming the symbols of a secret alphabet invented by [[Frederick]].<p>"...You'll soon come rushing here, like if it smelt of hot apple pies. This starfall breaks all the laws of cosmology: I've never seen such celestial phenomena described anywhere... the speed of passing celestial bodies, the deceleration exceeding all norms, flame streams with a vector opposite to... the strongest light filter broke... extremely interesting, but the situation forces me to leave the home. Names and faces from a past life have resurfaced; it could be dangerous. Be careful and don't forget our secret! I am heading south, and don’t even think..."</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 21, 5, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | We stepped through the door that opened before [[Frederick]], followed by a line of [[halfling]]s. None of them had ever been here before. Had it been any other time, they would have been struck by the sight of the elegant laboratory, topped by a [[Bracada|Bracadian]] dome; they hadn’t seen anything much nicer than plain stone huts and wooden barns. But no, the villagers had had enough shocks for the last few days, and the only thing they were looking for was a chance to plop down on the grass and rub their tired feet. We decided not to disturb the weary [[halfling]]s yet and first went up the hill so that [[Frederick]] could check on his creations being prepared for their first big flight. The sight was incredible! In the middle of a clearing surrounded by snow-capped mountains, three huge bubbles were swaying majestically in the wind, with a very large boat beneath each of them. I confess that even I gaped at the sight of the spider-like mechanisms moving deftly about the decks and tackle, tightening knots with their steel beaks and doing something else totally incomprehensible. Soon [[Frederick]] was back from his inspection of these, as he called them, [[airship]]s. With a hint of pride in his voice, he said:<p>“A job well done! My [[automaton]]s worked smoothly and without error. The tanks are filled to the top with water. All that's left is to put the orbs of fire in the furnaces, and we're ready to go! I'll steer the main airship, and the mechanical assistants will repeat my maneuvers on the others.”<p>We went back to the [[halfling]]s. The peaceful scenery of the valley nested between the mountains seemed to have calmed the poor villagers—perhaps even a bit too much. Some were asleep, others were lighting their pipes. [[Frederick]] shook his head, grabbed an iron cone, and spoke into its top. The thing made his voice so loud that those who were resting leapt up.<p>“Enough sleeping! Go, go, let's get a move on! Time is very, very short: the [[demon]]s may appear any minute now, and then we will all be in big trouble. In the building in front of you there are supplies prepared—not a lot, but better than nothing. Take the crates and carry them where I show you, if you don't want to starve to death during the journey.”<p>“Hope those lazies didn’t forget the sack...", [[Frederick]] said with the cone out of his face, and I was the only one who heard him. Suddenly, someone touched my shoulder. I turned around and met [[Tavin]]'s gaze. He emerged silently behind me—but that was to be expected of a seasoned warrior like him. I wanted to greet him, glad that the Guard had survived, but there was something in his eyes that made me hesitate. [[Tavin]] squinted at me and said:<p>“If I had no trouble tracking down and finding you, those infernal beasts will do no worse. They've got as good a nose as the best hunting dogs in [[Erathia]]. Give me a week’s worth of provisions and a sack of your firecrackers. I'll lead them away from the valley. At the very least, I'll buy you some time, holding them back for a bit.”<p>“But… [[Tavin]], what are you talking about? We need you and your expertise! It would be suicide to go up against those beasts alone. Maybe they won't find the secret passage.”<p>“Don't try to change my mind, child. If my life saves hundreds of yours, that's the price I'll pay. That's why I became a soldier. Someday you'll understand.”<p>I sighed and, feeling weak in my legs, did as he asked. [[Tavin]] slung the sack on his shoulder, looked me in the eye again, and without another word or a glance back, he strode firmly out of the valley.</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 23, 24, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | “You're alive!”<p>“Yes, I'm alive, and I'd very much like to know which [[Bracada|Bracadian]] demonologist I’ve pissed off. I've never even crossed paths with any. What a mistake.”<p>I didn't know what [[Frederick]] was talking about, but I was so happy to see him alive, I didn't even try to ask him anything. He, as usual, kept feeding me a mountain of thoughts and assumptions, as if I'd shown up at his lab in the morning and he couldn't wait to have my ear to share what he had cooking in his head...<p>“Some time ago I received a letter personally signed by [[Khazandar]]—I think I told you about him... the freest mind in [[Bracada]], for which he will surely pay sooner or later. I had not heard of him since I left those lands, but a few years ago a messenger from him found me, and we entered into correspondence. It seemed as though our connection has now been discovered. The signature in his last message looked forged to me; I decided that if I had been found indeed, I should act first. The letter proposed a meeting; [[Khazandar]], was supposedly going to send me a crucial component for a certain experiment... but there were demons waiting for me in [[Dry Ryehill]]—those are creatures from another plane of existence, you just saw them! Somebody summoned them, but neglected control, so they captured me, killing half the village meanwhile!"<p>“[[Frederick]]… those things… they weren't summoned. Or, at least, not by the [[wizard]]s certainly.”<p>“Not by the [[wizard]]s? What makes you say that? Those were some archetypal [[demon]]s—I'd seen stuffed ones in the [[Bracadian Academy|Academy]]’s museum!”<p>“Shooting stars. They came out of the rocks that fell from the sky that night.”<p>[[Frederick]]’s face fell; he began arguing, but I just took him to the place where the creatures were doing their ritual, and I showed him the huge crater at the village’s edge; the stone that had fallen there was so big that a [[devil]] could fit inside, maybe even a few. The rock had split open, and the cracks revealed something strange and unnatural. Either a tangle of angular pipes, or...<p>“Well, I’ll be— If only [[alchemist]]s [[Widman]] and [[Statten]] would have seen that! I don't even want to think about… I mean, I suspected it was not a real meteor shower. Wait, so it was a coincidence? [[Khazandar]]’s messenger was actually waiting for me? And you're telling me those things have already taken over half the Valley?! [[Henrietta]], we need to get back to my lab now! You go straight there right now, and I'll—I didn't tell you this, but [[Khazandar]] had once talked me into joining an interesting project, and I'd set up another research site in the mountains to the east. Now I need to get there, and you…”<p>“I'm going straight north. You weren't held here alone. Another prisoner said there's a detachment of [[Erathia]]n soldiers camped nearby. Apparently, someone escaped the Valley and was able to call them for help. Refugees are flocking to them now. [[Frederick]], listen! I know you don't much like [[halfling]]s. Sure, I myself feel like a stranger in my own land sometimes—but I've seen what the monsters do. We have to do something or they'll kill everyone and turn them into their filthy flesh. If we don't try to save someone—well, that’ll kill me.”<p>“...Yeah, well, there might not be enough hands... in fact, that would be most helpful. Yes! Ahem. That's right, we can't just stay aside! Now listen: take everyone you can to my lab. Three hundred, maybe five if I can get those old [[Gavin]]’s underpants to fly too... Someone’s gotta help me settle down when our flight ends.”<p>“Flight? Are we gonna fly like birds?”<p>“Not exactly, but it's our only chance if the [[devil]]s continue to destroy everything in their path with such abandon. Trust me as you always have, and you'll soon see it yourself. That’s it, then! I'm going to the mountains.”</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 23, 24, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | A palisade was an unusual sight for these places, yet someone had cared enough to build it. It gave me some hope, even if faint. The sentries were steady and waved cheerfully, inviting me to the camp.<p>My companions fell to the ground right as we stepped inside the walls; several days with barely any food or proper rest had taken their toll on them. They were unaccustomed to such deprivation of their fleshy, well-fed bodies. I went straight to talk to the commander. He was standing in the center of the camp, giving instructions and waiting to talk to the new arrivals.</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 23, 18, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | The ragged cohort lined up for battle. Commands were heard, but no longer in [[Erathia]]n. Some alien tongue, crude and animalistic. Shields and surcoats over their armor were thickly stained with blood—they didn’t even attempt to clean them. How could they dare to betray? To submit to this vile force? What had broken the will of these experienced soldiers— was it the fear of imminent death.... or of being turned into alien flesh?<p>It doesn't matter now. There is only one way north.</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 26, 11, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | I love discovering new things, but I hate surprises. That's the beauty of the process: developing a theory and then practicing it to achieve exactly what you expect. The theory, of course, can be as bold as you like...<p>That unusual starfall could not help but attract my attention, even though I was thinking about other things that night. I'm not ashamed to admit—the unraveling of this phenomenon was the most unpleasant surprise in my life. All of us, the scientists of [[Enroth (planet)|Enroth]], even those who do not yet suspect what has happened, were confronted with a fact: rocks can fall from the sky. And not just fall, but carry guests that no one would willingly invite into their home. Now I think: what if they are not stones at all, but something akin to our airships, only more complex and perfect—or maybe only fragments of such a ship that has crashed? Is it possible that up there, so high that we can't see it even with telescopes, city-sized hulks someone crafted are flying somewhere on their business, carrying whole nations, exchanging signals and sometimes volleys of monstrous guns? And where do they dock—for their harbor surely cannot be on our planet, can it?<p>I caught myself thinking. What I would like most of all now is to find a common language with one of the aliens, to listen to their stories about their native places, to ask a thousand questions... for some reason they didn't throw me straight into the cauldron where they made their warriors from the dead flesh. Maybe they saw in me someone with whom they could reach an understanding and agree on something? Maybe I should have....<p>As I thought about it, I didn't notice we'd reached my old lab. Hearing [[Henrietta]]'s command, "Ready the shells!", I looked up to see a large group of aliens blocking our way. This time they were lined up in a sort of battle formation, and there was a clear leader, a lean, scarlet-skinned horned one clad in black armor, as if covered in a thick layer of soot. He stepped forward, looked me straight in the eye... and scraped a claw across his throat, licking his thin lips.</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 5, 25, 0<p>5, 26, 0<p>6, 32, 0<p>6, 33, 0<p>18, 27, 0<p>24, 8, 0<p>25, 9, 0<p>26, 10, 0</p>
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | -move for AI<p>''Note: ONLY applies to {{red}} AI player.''<p><center>'''Contents:''' {{Mv|Nullify|Nullify}}</center></p>
|}

==== Towns ====
{{town header}}
{{town row|1, 0, 1|red|Inferno}}
{{town row|6, 10, 1|red|Tower|- <small>''[[Map Editor - Tricks|(Has Skyship)]]''</small>}}
{{town row|21, 4, 0| |Tower|[[Laboratory]]|nofort=y}}
|}

==== Heroes ====
{{hero header}}
{{hero row|19, 8, 0|green|Henrietta|Mercenary}}
{{hero row|24, 30, 0|{{green}} {{imprisoned}}|Frederick|Artificer}}
{{hero row|24, 17, 0|red|Xarfax|Knight|hero_link=Xarfax (World on Fire)}}
{{hero row|0, 4, 1|red|Calh|Demoniac}}
{{hero row|0, 6, 1|red|Marius|Demoniac|img=Marius (HotA)}}
{{hero row|0, 8, 1|red|Ash|Heretic}}
{{hero row|0, 10, 1|red|Nymus|Demoniac|img=Nymus (HotA)}}
{{hero row|0, 12, 1|red|Axsis|Heretic|img=Axsis (HotA)}}
{{hero row|0, 14, 1|red|Zydar|Heretic}}
|}

==== Monsters ====
{| class="sortable wikitable" cellpadding=5px
! Location
! Type
! Message
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 0, 25, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Halfling (Factory)|name=Halflings}}
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | No one seemed to heed me in this house. The old woman was laying the table, and the children were playing by the hearth.<br>“Did that [[Frederick]] put you up to this kind of follies? Don't you trust that devil! What's he doing at the graveyard? Casts spells on dug-up graves? You'll be lost with him, just like your good-for-nothing mother. Tut, tut. Hey… ya sit down and have a meal with us—can’t let a guest go hungry now, can I? There's not much, just steamed turnips—but still a dinner. Just don't think of sweet-talking us into your silliness. We're not going anywhere, we've got a lot to do. No reason to.”<br>I realized words were useless, but I didn't refuse a snack. The old woman had mentioned something about my mother, but I didn't remember her, and no one had ever told me a word about her. I tried to get her to talk over the meal—but the harridan pretended to be deaf.</br>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 6, 26, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Demon}}s
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | These things are already here, too! Did they really come on the rocks from the sky? And where are the blacksmiths who forged their horseshoes? Are they coming next?<br>The monsters split into groups, as if planning to pincer me and my companions. They were certainly more intelligent than animals—and there were getting more and more numerous! Sure, we had our slings ready, and enough stones for all of them, but I wished we had something stronger.</br>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 6, 26, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Horned Demon}}s
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | The two-horned creatures were noticeably different from their lighter-skinned kin, not only in appearance but also in behavior, just like adults are different from a bunch of feckless teens. They were clearly better organized, so they spotted us earlier. The creatures quickly banded up into several squads and attacked.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 10, 17, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Devil}}s
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | On our way, I tried to entertain myself in some way, keep from succumbing to horror and despondency. I painted in my mind a picture of a stern smith shoeing the screaming horned creatures. The reality turned out to be far beyond anything I could have imagined; there, in what had once been the village square of [[Dry Ryehill]], I saw… him.<p>The word "[[devil]]" came to mind, for according to the drunken [[monk]] whose ranting I had once listened to in the local [[tavern]], there was nothing more horrible than the [[devil]], either in this world or the other. The top of the two-legged creature's head, crowned with twisted horns, was visible even over the roofs; each clawed foot seemed capable of easily covering and crushing a [[halfling]]; and a scythe that could surely cut down a young grove glistened in its hands. That was when I realized: the horned ones have no farriers. The devil just wags his finger at them, and they rush to shoe each other, or even themselves, fighting over hammers and nails.<p>Apparently what I had seen disturbed my mind; I tried to stay on the edge of madness, while it threw more and more absurd visions at me. My companions told me later that I was laughing and shouting "get some longer, sharper nails!" as they dragged me into the bushes away from the road.<p>“There, there, lassie,” [[Kosta]] muttered, trying to calm me down. “Sure, that’s a big beastie, yeah, a foul one—but I'll hit it square in the eye with the firecracker, and then we'll see who’s got the reddest nose in this village! Empty your pouches, lads! We'll teach the [[devil]] how to celebrate the New Year our way!”</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 11, 17, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Demon}}s
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | These creatures looked simpler than the one in the pit—they had no metal ornaments on their paws, and only one horn, thick and short. They exchanged jerky guttural noises, as if they were barking at each other, but I could see they understood each other much better than dogs. As soon as the pack spotted us, however, the quarreling stopped. With their hooves digging up the ground, the creatures rushed into the fight.
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 13, 26, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Arch Devil}}s
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | I think I lost my mind, thinking we could handle this gang of [[demon]]s. I realized too late that my impulse had been madness; they spotted us, and it was too late to run....
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 14, 20, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Rogue}}s
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | We followed the tracks, and presently they led us to a clearing where some ragged men were tramping about. They looked like brigands, and they could hardly have been anything else. They were hastily gathering up their belongings. A lanky, scraggly man was explaining something to the leader, dressed a bit nicer than the others. The tall man turned at the noise and shouted, pointing his finger at us. The ringleader nodded and drew his sword.<p>“I told you!" the lanky one shouted, "You shouldn’t have come after us!”</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 15, 31, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Halfling (Factory)|name=Halflings}}
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | After the battle against the [[devil]], we searched every corner of [[Dry Ryehill]]. I feared that [[Frederick]]'s burned and mangled body was about to emerge from the rubble. However, we found no corpses in the village, but we saw many tracks, as if the owners of the big hooves were dragging something behind them. The tracks led to the eastern outskirts of the village, and the nearby forest had been burned to the ground.<p>Suddenly, swerving between the black, ugly dead trees, a small group of [[halfling]]s came running straight at us.<p>“There! There!..” They shrieked, running at a steady gallop. I managed to catch a ginger boy with a crazy look in his eyes, and my companions grabbed the others. The redhead caught his breath and blurted out:<p>“They took our folk, and now they're executing them, and not to death, even worse! Help, good people, don't let the wicked do such a thing! This is a fate worse than death, worse than anything in the world…”, and he burst into tears.</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 16, 12, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Halfling (Factory)|name=Halflings}}
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | “It fell from the sky, can you believe it? I saw it myself! There it is, in the hole. Too scary to approach.”<p>“I don't see no hole in the sky. Are you seeing things, brother?”</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 16, 15, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Halfling (Factory)|name=Halflings}}
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | “Whatta boom! I swear, my shutters hit the wall and came to bits....”
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 17, 13, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Halfling (Factory)|name=Halflings}}
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | “What are you doing here, wench? Heard you like to look at weird things, so go over there... Like the look of it? Eh? Struts about the place all the time, never once looks what’s at her feet; nay, likes staring at the sky way more, and now there's a gift fell down from there... Remember the hitchrail over there? Now it’s a hole in the ground as big as a gate where it was, and the horses are all gone…”<p>“She and her sorcerer brought us bad fortune!.. Not even old [[Aiker]] remembers anything fall from up there, and he’s old enough to have seen a living [[giant]]... if the old buzzard isn’t making it up...”<p>“It’s black magic, that’s what I’m saying! The evil one reached up from his mountain with his magicks and tore off a piece of the firmament! Lucky no one got hurt…”</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 20, 32, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Pit Lord}}s
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | The wind blew a pall of stinking smoke in our direction. With it a great, desperate, almost inhuman shriek came to us, and then we heard an eerie, rumbling voice, which seemed coming from beneath the ground. We rushed into the smoke, and after a hundred paces we saw a picture that made our eyes water.<p>In the middle of once was a meadow, now just a circle of scorched earth, there was something like a huge hearth with a flat stone cauldron, its walls red-hot, and around it a lake of thick fire slurry was glowing and gurgling. Knee-deep in it, as if ignorant of the heat, tall, mighty creatures with bright red skin were standing, and a few more giants of the same kind were driving a few stumbling [[halfling]]s to the cauldron with long whips. Farther away, near the burned trees, the horned beasts, already familiar to us, were standing guard over a large crowd of villagers.<p>The [[halfling]]s were brought to the cauldron, and among them I recognized [[Maltman]], the innkeeper from [[Dry Ryehill]]. Before I knew it, the red giant had swung his whip in a fiery line, and three unfortunates fell dead. The crowd began shrieking again, while the monsters seemed to be doing their usual, enjoyable work—tossing corpses to each other, easily tearing them limb from limb, putting them into the cauldron... One of the creatures looked inside, then, apparently satisfied, made a sign to the others. The giants stared at the cauldron, gestured with their hands some, roared, and their eyes glowed. Then, the voice we had heard from afar sounded again, as if the hell itself had spoken! The flesh of the executed instantly burst into flames, turned into a disgusting mash, boiled up into a huge cap of brown foam, fell, and in the midst of the cauldron the ugly figure of a one-horned monster appeared. Its body was billowing smoke, and the drying sludge dripped down its body with a hiss.<p>The ginger boy was right; fate worse than death exists now.</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 21, 22, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Halfling (Factory)|name=Halflings}}
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | Everyone in [[Eeofol]] had heard of [[Tavin]]—but not everyone spoke of him favorably. The [[halfling]] who left his home village of his own free will to join the [[Erathia]]n border guards was hardly a role model they wanted for their children. Years of military service had left visible marks on the hard face of the commander—his faded eyes were deeply sunken, his nose was broken, and his thin cheek twitched distressingly every now and then.<p>“What's going on north?” [[Tavin]] asked, wasting no time on greetings.<p>“I have death at my heels. We've broken away, but the villagers…”<p>"Good as dead," the commander snapped. “The forests here are already crawling with creatures, and any day now they will be under every bush. In the south and west, everyone who didn't escape has already been turned into meat. I led the advance party of the Guards, followed by the rest of the men under Captain [[Xarfax]]'s command, a half-day’s march behind us.”<p>“Followed? Were they attacked by the horned beasts on their way?”<p>“No, they came just fine. There's only one way out of here, but that's where they're standing now... just them. I served with [[Xarfax]] for 15 years. And today, when I went to rendezvous with his unit, he ordered his men to cut out my liver. We barely got away and hid behind those flimsy walls. Now we're figuring out how to make ourselves tasty so the [[devil]]s don't get bored eating us.”<p>“[[Tavin]], we need to get through. There's still hope of rescuing someone, but we need to get to the north road. Your commander is a traitor, but together we can...”<p>[[Tavin]] grabbed me by the collar with a snarl and yanked me into the air like a sack of rags. His gaze was frightening.<p>“Fool! Stupid girl! [[Xarfax]] did not betray. The [[devil]]s bewitched him, you hear that?! You're going to take your dolts with the firecrackers and we're going to beat this foolishness out of the old man! And then you're going to get whoever you can… and go do what you're gonna do. I don't want to know anything about it, so I won't tell anything when they catch me and roast me over a slow fire like a Bluemeadow sausage.”</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 29, 32, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Demon}}s
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | It's those horned slop buckets again, but now the first move is mine! Ha, let's see what you're worth when my hands are untied!
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 31, 20, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Arch Mage|name=Arch Magi}}
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | The [[mage]]s appeared suddenly, as if a veil of invisibility had fallen. Of course, I could feel their presence. These are powerful [[mage]]s—their energy cannot be hidden. Very good. Even stronger ones could have taken care of that.<p>“Renegade [[Frederick]]!”<p>Their leader's voice came from all directions at once, as if from the sky. No echo, no whisper of leaves or wind, just impassive speech pouring straight into my ears.<p>“The [[Council of Bracada]] knows of your dark deeds: your forbidden practice of [[necromancy]], your stealing of the [[skyship]], your disgraceful flight from [[Bracada]], and your ties to the renegade [[Khazandar]]. However, you have done no harm to the living and so you deserve a fair trial and a fair sentence— we will guarantee that the punishment does not include death. Lay down your weapons, release the mana from your body, and approach us. You know it full well: by following this path you have fallen into sin. The dark books may give knowledge, but it is always laced with poison of pain and death. A researcher must not spread it. You still consider yourself a seeker, don't you? Redeem yourself, [[Frederick]], and live on as a honest man.”<p>My lips spread into a smile. I've heard it all too many times.<p>“Gods! [[Liston]], it's you, isn't it? Still working as a heavy club in the grip of [[Gavin]]’s morality police? Any you had so much potential back in the day. "Renegade [[Frederick]]" is even flattering to hear. But "renegade [[Khazandar]]"?! Isn’t that too big for your britches? Even your superiors haven't dared to decide anything regarding him yet; I would have known it otherwise. There's too much of his merit, too many other respected wizards in the [[Bracadian Academy|Academy]] who won't let you dumb thugs take down the best mind in [[Bracada]] based on ridiculous speculation—and [[Magnus]] himself hasn't spoken yet. "Forbidden practices"! Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds? Tell me, former colleague... is there really a big difference between [[Naga]]s and [[Medusa]]s? Oh yes, the [[Medusa]]s are the result of a twisted process that causes the surviving objects to rage and feel anguish. How could I forget! And [[gremlin]]s differ from [[troglodyte]]s only in the fact their slavery is signed by magical contracts and seals—am I not confused? Everyone needs servants. And putting the souls of fallen warriors into statues to get sapient [[titan]]s is, of course, fair to the dead and purely academically impeccable. Well, well, well, why blushing so much? Let's start exchanging spells. We won't ever get each other, [[Liston]]. Your mind is not free…”</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 33, 24, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Automaton}}s
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | The legacy of the [[Time of Wonders]] is truly priceless. Rulers and warriors yearn to find armor and weapons dating back to those times, but they are not what matters to someone who wants to change the whole world in time. I've spent a long time gathering tiny scraps of ancient secrets to build something of my own from them... and I've gotten somewhere. My machines are still very vulnerable, their propulsion systems are unstable and inefficient, but they are reasonably autonomous and capable of making simple decisions on their own—and that's something, wouldn't you agree!<p>The [[automaton]]s and assembly line await!</p>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 33, 34, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{Cn|Walking Dead}}
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | Stopping for a second, I dug into my memory. No, there shouldn't be anything in the cemetery that would be important right now. Except for a couple of... things that might come in handy for experiments someday, but I changed my field of scientific interest quite some time ago. Not that anyone cares. Just once can you… no, it's true what they say; only the dead don't care about reputation.
|}

==== Seer's Huts ====
{{SorQheader}}
{{SorQrow|seer=2|loc=0, 28, 0|quest=Return with:<br>{{An|Pendant of Dispassion}}</br>|prop=The head of the family, the honorable [[Odo Two Aulns]], heard me out, but didn’t bat an eye.<p>“Your adventurousness will not do you any good, [[Henrietta]]. I think you're making it all up, but you know me,” [[Odo]] grinned, “can't say no to a young lass—I'd have some of my lads go with you, but since you say there are such horrors around, it wouldn't hurt us to protect ourselves, would it? Tell you what, get the elder of [[Dry Ryehill]] to lend us the [[Pendant of Dispassion]], then we can stay protected and spare those men.”|comp=Ah, exactly what I needed!  Here is the reward I promised.  You still wish to trade the [[Pendant of Dispassion]], yes?}}
{{SorQrow|seer=2|loc=5, 20, 0|quest=Return with:<br>20 {{Cn|Halfling (Factory)|name=Halflings}}</br>|rew=20 {{Cn|Halfling Grenadier}}s|prop=This is where you stashed your supply of firecrackers. Actually, you were saving them for the festivities, but now they'll be useful elsewhere. All we need are volunteers to arm them.|comp=The volunteers were a bit wary of the new weapon at first, but now they seem to like it even better than regular rocks. These definitely made their shooting way more effective!<p>Do you wish to arm all the volunteers?}}
{{SorQrow|seer=2|loc=8, 11, 0}}
{{SorQrow|seer=2|loc=13, 23, 0|quest=Return with:<br>{{SmCost|w=15|gem=15}}|rew=25 {{Cn|Halfling (Factory)|name=Halflings}}|prop=This family lives in the sticks and remains impenetrably calm—Henrietta even thinks that the solitude and monotony of their lives have made them quite dim. When they hear the latest news, they don't even bat an eye. The gray-haired father laments the lack of manpower, but agrees to let some of his laborers go with you, yet only for a hefty payment.|comp=The head of the family eyes up the bag of jewels greedily, and the laborers take their slings and are ready to follow you. Do you wish to hire them?}}
|}

==== Quest Guards ====
{{SorQheader}}
{{SorQrow|guard=1|loc=23, 8, 0|quest=Be:<br>{{Hn|Frederick|Artificer}}</br>|prop=This road comes down from the laboratory, and leads south through the forest towards [[Dry Ryehill]]. There's no point in going down this road now—must find [[Frederick]].|prog=This road comes down from the laboratory, and leads south through the forest towards [[Dry Ryehill]]. There's no point in going down this road now—must find [[Frederick]].|comp=Do you want to pass?}}
{{SorQrow|guard=1|loc=24, 16, 0|quest=Defeat:<br>{{Hn|Xarfax|Knight}}</br>|prop=The closed gates of the [[Erathia]]n outpost can be seen ahead.|prog=Trying to storm the gates is too dangerous. Must wait for [[Xarfax]] to be defeated.|comp=After the defeat of the possessed and the flight of [[Xarfax]] himself, this outpost was deserted. Do you want to pass?}}
|}

==== Quest Gates ====
{{SorQheader}}
{{SorQrow|gate=1|loc=21, 6, 0|quest=Be:<br>{{Hn|Frederick|Artificer}}</br>|prop=[[Frederick]] had long ago entrusted [[Henrietta]] with the key to his laboratory, but today she is surprised to find another pair of lugs on the gate, with the shackle of a ponderous lock threaded through. There is no semblance of a chink on it, and all attempts to find some secret button are futile. Probably its secret is only known to the scientist himself.|prog=All attempts to open the heavy lock are futile. The shackle is so thick, even if one were to try sawing it off, it would take hours, perhaps even days. Even if the lock were cast in solid gold as a reward for the more persistent burglars, there is no time for such foolishness now.|comp=[[Frederick]] presses his palm against the lock, and it trembles. His fingers make a shape and touch the lock again, several times. Something clicks inside; the shackle, as if turned liquid, disappears inside the case. [[Frederick]] swings the gate open and invites all to follow him.}}
{{SorQrow|gate=1|loc=24, 16, 0|quest=Be:<br>{{Hn|Frederick|Artificer}}</br>|prop=This mountain path leads to [[Frederick]]'s factory. He's the only one who knows how to get there.|prog=This mountain path leads to [[Frederick]]'s factory. He's the only one who knows how to get there.|comp=Do you want to pass?}}
|}

==== Artifacts ====
{| class="sortable wikitable" cellpadding=5px
! Location
! Type
! Message
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | 32, 19, 0
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px; white-space: nowrap;" | {{An|Orb of Tempestuous Fire}}
| style="padding-left:7px; padding-right:5px;" | I got three orbs of fire out of the box with the utmost care. These lightweight, smokeless heat sources would make the water in the engine boilers bubble, and the quality of steam produced thus would make my machinery work just right. For years, [[Sam]] had been urging me to move to her place and take my designs with me. It would be quieter and all the raw materials would be readily available, she insisted. Why did I ever put this off? According to the rough calculations I'd used to keep myself busy on the road, the orbs’ charge should have been enough for the long trip to [[Jadame]]. Three would surely do it for me alone, but now I had to get every ship I had up in the air at once. Had I just a little more time to prepare, I could get the heat medium condenser running and ramp up the orbs’ initial charge... Or I could just leave everything be, take to the air, and fly to safety alone and without fear of getting stranded in the middle of the ocean. No! That would mean betraying not only [[Henrietta]], but my dream itself.
|}