Dragonsphere - Heroes

Written by Vetinari

Welcome back to Dragon Ball – I mean Dragonsphere.

The two plots have some passing similarities, i.e. very few dragons.

We start the game proper with former Prince now King Callash in his chambers, being woken up by his wife Fiona (who is now the Queen, I guess?) saying that the dragonsphere is stirring more forcefully with every passing moment.

I just love that one of the possible answers to this dialogue is just “Let me sleep. We'll destroy the sorcerer another day.” We've all been there, right?

Anyway, Fiona and the Queen Mother (that is, Callash's mom) will await our hero in the council chamber before his departure. Callash makes his morning ablutions and then changes clothes, saying that, as per his teacher of etiquette, you must “do nothing in the clothes in which you sleep, except sleep”. Callash thinks that this is very sound advice even if he found some exceptions to the rule as he grew older. Okay, let's keep it PG-13, game.

Now we're just missing a good breakfast coffee and we're all set.

Our inventory starts with only the royal signet ring in it; apart from being an obviously important treasure, it also has the magic power that when invoked it can teleport Callash instantly back to the castle waystation.

Not that this game has any particular need for fast travel.

We can examine the various objects in the room to get a feeling for the lore and background of the game (such as the various coat-of-arms to which clan Fianeulla – the one to which our wife belongs – will have to be added), but nothing significantly puzzleworthy.

It is interesting however to get a little info on the characters of Callash and his wife. On the nightstand there is a book of love poems that you can read – this is a gift from Fiona to Callash – and he comments that even if it is an odd thing for a woman to give to a man, Fiona “is a very special woman”. It would seem they are very much in love.

Actually, now that I read it again, this is a hint for a later puzzle.

Also, looking at the robe and crown, Callash says that he made a solemn vow not to touch them again until Sanwe's threat was removed. I chuckled when looking at the robe Callash said that it was of “a shade of blue you wouldn't wish on your worst enemy”.

Following through the door where Fiona went, we get to the Queen's chambers.

Cozy.

Even here there are no particular items of interest, apart from Fiona's diaries in the bookcase. As a consummate adventurer, I obviously want to read them, but even then at least the game provides a good rationale for this blatant invasion of privacy, by saying that, since Callash is not sure that he will even come back alive from his fight against the sorcerer, his curiosity to know what his wife thinks takes the better of him.

As expected, Fiona is very worried about her husband, and says that even if Ner-Tom says they cannot defeat Sanwe, she feels very helpless but just cannot sit and wait for the sorcerer to strike. As he closes her diary, Callash decides to redouble his efforts to get rid of Sanwe once and for all, also for Fiona's sake.

Outside the royal chambers there is a corridor that connects to the other, more public parts of the castle. Also here are some decorations to be examined, but nothing major.

I know how you feel, Callash.

The leftmost door from the corridor goes into a meeting room. By examining the various parts of the scenery, Callash is particularly attracted to the bookcase, since it contains a six volume set of “The Decadent Empire”, a fiction series that his father forbid him to read when he was younger. But now that he is the King, he can finally see what the fuss is all about.

Really, Callash do you seriously think this is a good time to read some smut? Unfortunately for him, it turns out that the books aren't books at all, but a secret switch that opens a concealed door behind the tapestry to the right.

Another frustrated attempt at lewdness.

The door is locked and without any obvious means of opening, except for a carving of a crown. Since Callash will not take the royal crown with him, I guess that for now there is nothing that we can do here.

Proceeding southward, we come to the throne room, where Callash's brother, MacMorn, is sitting on the throne all brooding.

Yes, why not.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but MacMorn is a d***. He just rants on passive-aggressively that he could just sit there whenever since someday the throne will be his, anyway. When you answer that if you won't defeat the sorcerer this might be sooner rather than later, he just says that perhaps you could just end up in the dungeon one of these days.

Chill out dude! Now I know who will be the most probable culprit if something goes suspiciously awry during our quest. Anyway, MacMorn leaves, and we can check the various parts of the room, including the very conspicuous Dragonsphere, just between the two thrones.

Go ahead, you know you want it.

Since it has not started to crack yet, it would seem that we still have some time left before Sanwe escapes his imprisonment.

By taking the rightmost door we come to the castle ballroom, which connects back to the inner chambers corridor and which seems to still be suffering from the aftermath of the coronation party.

Is this a frathouse or what?

After chatting with the scullery maid (who has nothing interesting to say), you can check out the tables and find your own royal goblet, who someone carelessly left behind. You can also get a half-eaten bone from the ground, saying that even if cold meat is not your favourite, it might serve you if you're hungry.

He obviously never heard of the five-second rule.

Proceeding southward from the throne room, we finally arrive at the council chamber, where Fiona and her mother-in-law, Lak-Hella, are waiting for us.

Fiona tries to make us reconsider, saying that Tyre nak Branwe (“The Dragon's Tears”, the name of Sanwe's tower) is deadly, and we would be better served by hiding or at least meet the sorceror on our own ground. After Callash refuse to yield, Fiona begs to at least take the army with him, but he has the perfect riposte for that.

Pure Metal Gear Solid approach.

Having assuaged their concerns as much as possible, the two women present Callash with some parting gifts. Lak-Hella gives him a sword.

Why, thank you mom. Between your name and your choice in clothing and headgear, I would say that you seem perfectly trustworthy.

Fiona interjects by saying that even if no weapon may actually harm Sanwe, maybe we could find other uses for it. Our wife's gift is instead a magical shieldstone, which is a miniature version of the spell that Ner-Tom used to confine the sorcerer. You can hurl the stone at an enemy to imprison him within a field of magic.

Goodbyes are exchanged, and we can then add the gifts to our inventory.

As if they wouldn't be alarmed enough by an evil all-powerful sorcerer menacing the land.

Having finished to explore its accessible parts, we can now proceed outside to the castle courtyard and waystation.

A fine collection of secondary characters.

The five persons milling around here have actually come from all parts of the land: apart from the Captain of the Queen Mother's Guard and the stall merchant (who are humans), there is a Slathan, a Soptus Ecliptus and a Faerie.

Grilling the captain for some information, Callash recalls that she is a tough woman with a deep facial scar. She took it as a small child, but tells her cadets that she received it in battle to seem more intimidating. She also is loyal first to your mother and then to you, even if you share a mutual respect and admiration for one another. I am sure this is not foreshadowing anything at all.

Anyway, she gives some background information on the three travellers, but nothing fancy. We will be better served by talking to them directly.

The first one is the Slathan, coming from Slathan ni Patan, the land of the shapechangers. Apparently they are feared, hated and persecuted by the other races. The man asks you, as King of the land, to do something about their plight.

I blame Invasion of the Body Snatchers for that.

We tell him that we will come to see their lands as soon as other matters allow, and he tells us to visit the Cave of Shifting Dreams, which seems to be the classic fantasy oracle.

Proceeding to the right we get to the Soptus Ecliptus, a desert nomad from the southern reaches. He says that their Caliph wishes to see me and also their Shamans have discovered large portents concerning me that they want to discuss. Since travelling through the desert seems to be dangerous, I ask him for some help, and he says that there are friends of the Soptus living in the desert, and any man can cross the desert if they have friends.

It would also seem that the Soptus have their own language and customs to be accounted for when visiting their realm.

Klaatu barada nikto.

The merchant is only good for supplying some fruit to eat and filling our waterskin.

Which is actually pretty important, since we would be starving otherwise.

So, we have already two places to visit (Slathan ni Pathan and the Soptus desert) before we can go on with our quest to defeat Sanwe. Will the Faerie also asks us to visit her realm?

Obviously yes.

She tells us of the magic forest of Brynn-Fann where the Faeries live, and that they have the habit of annoying the Fair Ones (humans) on purpose, because they want to test their limits. Also, that we will need to pass the trial of the forest maze, as it is their custom, before being allowed to see the Butterfly King. Typical.

I now seem to have explored all of the castle of Gran Callahach, so the next obvious move would be to get on the road and visit these other three realms. But there is a very conspicuous object in the middle of the courtyard, that just begs to be examined more closely.

Intriguing.

I wonder... Would the game allow me to take such an idiotic and self-destructive action?

You bet it would.

So, the game actually lets you die, but just warps you back to the previous point without any need to having saved your game before. A good compromise between Sierra instant deaths and LucasArts “do whatever you want without any consequences”.

Session Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes

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