Dragonsphere - Quicksand

Written by Vetinari

Before travelling to the desert, I take stock of my inventory and notice something very interesting.

This is the description of the bird figurine I just got from the Butterfly King...

...and this is one special action command from the sword.

I try to carve up the figurine, and, as expected, I manage to construct a crude flute.

 

Callash is not really cut for manual labour.

Unfortunately when I try to “make noise” with my newly constructed bird call, I am told that though I've heard rumours of a mysterious bird people, they seem to live in the Hightower mountains (the ones where Sanwe's tower is), not here. So, another thing to try when I am near Tyre nak Branwe. Got it.

When leaving Brynn-Fann to return to the map, I witness another cutscene of the Dragonsphere. Fiona is extremely apprehensive and asks why is it taking so long, while Nak-Hella retorts that a magical quest is not so easily accomplished. Seems reasonable, but when Fiona asks her if she really thinks that I will be able to defeat Sanwe, Nak-Hella's answer is this: 

Well, thanks a lot for the encouragement, mom!

The cutscene ends, leaving me very perplexed about what is really going on here. Lots of foreshadowing in this game folks. However, let's go to the desert. 

I hope it will not be too hot.

Okay, never mind.

Callash trudges slowly through the desert, wondering if he will ever make it, when he finally notices something in the distance.

Or if he has access to WikiHow.

Arriving at the lean-to, I find a Soptus trader. I strike a conversation with him in order to have some help in traversing the desert.

Ou est la bibliothèque?

Well, that was to be expected. The man only talks in Soptus language, so I have to understand what he means. Let's see. I know that KA means “you” and VINKIOTUM seems to be “search” (from the Soptus word for astronomer, remember?). He is asking if I am looking for something. TRATRATRASHAB is a compound word, where each TRA means “big” so a really very big... SHAB. From what the Slathan wise man told me, Shab can mean several things, among which... “death”. No, I don't think so, mate.

That's better.

This one means “are you looking for the Soptus?” I answer affirmatively, and he gives me some directions, with the “shab”, “falla” and “ecliptus” words (meaning respectively “north”, “south” and “west”). By following his advice, I manage to find an encampment in the middle of the desert, near an oasis. 

Finally.

Since I like to take care of my protagonist, after such a grueling passage across the desert I try to make him drink from the oasis, and this is how the game responds.

I respected the game so much after it lampshaded this.

Anyway, the Soptus encampment has two shamans sitting near the pond, and a guard posted at the entrance of the tent to the left, which is probably the residence of the Soptus Caliph. I start with the two shamans. 

Okay, I can surmise what this means.

Having learned a smattering of the Soptus language, I do what every self-respecting traveller does, and try to engage them in their own tongue. I answer “Ika-hei”, then “Ko vinkio Soptus” and then they answer with a convoluted phrase which I absolutely have no idea how to translate. So, defeated, I have to admit that “I don't know your language very well”. 

Thank God for polyglots.

Talking with them, they say that I have a strange aura, and when I tell them that I am seeking aid against the sorcerer Sanwe, and that I am King Callash of Gran Callahach, they seem particularly pleased.

Is it tea? Please let it be tea.

The shamans give me another powerstone, this one yellow like the desert. For some reason, Callash thanks them but says that he has one already, and the shamans answer with a very reasonable statement: that any extra cannot hurt.

This is actually a really sensible thing to take into account: if you are able to get a spare or two of anything, you should get it, doubly so if it is an artifact needed for a world-saving quest.

Having received all items and information I could from the two shamans, I turn my attention to the guard near the tent of the Caliph. Since I have been made aware that the way to impress the Soptus Ecliptus is through flattery, I lay it down with a trowel. 

Too much?

The trick works, because I am admitted to the presence of the caliph himself.

That's real glamping.

Here the game throws at me one really amusing sequence, that is another one of the many dialogue puzzles which Dragonsphere is very fond of making you navigate through.

Callash and the Caliph exchange pleasantries, and since (as we have seen) the way of the Soptus is to praise and compliment the other person as much as possible, this devolves very soon in a series of humblebrags where each one tries to belittle himself while expressing admiration for the accomplishments of the other.

Just a little excerpt:

“O most great King of the Fair, you are most welcome in my humble and dirty tent.”
“Blessed be the day I found you, o Caliph. Great is your power.”
“My power is as a puff of wind compared to the mighty hurricane of yourself, o king. Now if you would grace me with the answer to the mystery of why you have deigned to enter my miserable abode, my life would be happy.”
“I merely wished to see your magnificence.”

and it continues like this for a while.

Before getting down to business, the Caliph also presents us with some entertainment, a Fair One under his employ who performs the Dance of the Swirling Winds. Interestingly, this woman is actually an intrepid explorer who agreed to serve the Caliph for a time in exchange for knowledge and trade goods.

A female Richard Burton.

I am more into blondes.

That's a trick question right there, because the Soptus word for “sun” means also “death”, so I doubt they would find the sun much beautiful. I tell the Caliph that her beauty outshines the moon instead, and he seems satisfied.

After a further round of dialogue we finally can get to the part where the Caliph provides me aid for my quest to rid the world of Sanwe, but obviously he cannot just give me some items, it would be too uncouth. I will have instead to win them at a bag-pulling game called Desert Sands.

Is this at all like Quacks?

I have to predict which colour the stone which will be pulled from the bag will be. As long as I get some points, I go again. Red gives 1 point if the stone is red, yellow, or green; Yellow gives 2 points if the stone is yellow or green; Green gives 5 points if the stone is green. Purple gives 12 points if the stone is purple, but gives your opponent 2 points if it is not. First player to 16 wins.

After getting the hang of it I manage to win some games, and the Caliph rewards me with three different gifts.

Wow. Some sticky fruits gone bad...

...a tacky doorstop from a garage sale...

...and... hey, that seems actually to be valuable!

The Caliph finally tells me that the Shamans also have some gift for me that they have foreseen will be useful in the fight against the sorcerer (thanks, already been there), but also that their true value may come later, if I can convince them to take me to the Spirit Plane. Interesting.

Having finished the visits to all other realms, it is high time to scale up the Hightower mountains to Sanwe's tower.

Session Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Total Time: 4 hours 55 minutes