"The Quest Blog"

[wolf3167]

Alright so this is my second attempt at posting the adventures of my character in The Quest . I changed for 2 main reasons-
1- My save file was messed up when I switched devices even though I saved it by computer.
2- Rasvim is NOT a noob-friendly race, and this guide was intended for noobs in the first place. I have decided to redesign a more playable character for first-timers.

Chapter1- Vlad
My character is the Nogur named Vlad.
Trained in the ways of heavy weaponry, armor, and shield work, as well as accuracy, diplomacy(persuade), and environmental magic, Vlad was sent to Freymore to investigate the cause of Governor Hume's disappearance for his first mission. Arriving he was met by a fat man named Bryl. Bryl pointed him towards the capital city, Mithria, and the Thieve's Guild of Vastares . First though, he advised gearing up and getting a financial base in Matras. So Vlad set out in town to the house of the mayor, along the way noticing how sour the town smelled. The mayor explained that there was a rumor going around town that there was a plague and that people were dropping dead in the streets. He told Vlad to inquire at the inn for more information.
Walking for about 5 minutes, He came to the tavern. Hose the innkeeper greeted Vlad and told him that the noxious air was coming from the crypt where he had buried his aunt. He set out for the cemetery but first bought some new gear- a knight's helm from the smithy.

Finally Vlad set out for the crypt, where he found 2 skeletons chilling above the ground . He quickly (re)killed them before finding the ladder and cautiously climbing down. Inside he turned a corner and found a cobweb, which he sliced open. Suddenly, 2 huge and hungry looking bats flew at Vlad! He sliced them down quickly and walked into the middle of the chamber, bow drawn. Suddenly, a venomous bat flew at him, which he shot once before it got close enough to hit with club. He sliced it down quickly and was thankfully not poisoned. Searching around the room he found a potion of cure poison, which he took just in case. Finding a side chamber, the source of the gas was discovered! He knocked some rocks down with his weapon to cover up the noxious gas. Finished, he could have left now but decided to explore further. Coming to another spider web he sliced it open to find 2 stone skeletons and one regular one. He killed those three with very little trouble. The stone skeletons did hurt him a bit so he rested afterwards. Next he scavenged a lock pick from the bodies. Continuing he found a mossy chamber with a book about undead magic on a pedestal, a ritual skull which he took, and a coffin which he tapped. Suddenly a ghoul attacked him. They fought for a while before Vlad was backed into a corner and he hit the ghoul, forcing him around the corner. Vlad quickly drank 2 potions of healing as he was injured, and ran at the ghoul, being hit with a magic attack first that stung badly. He endured and cut down the ghoul, scavenging several magic scrolls and 150 coins. He was exhausted.

Achieving level 2 I put 2 points into strength and endurance and 1 into intelligence. For skills I put 2 into each primary except persuade and accuracy, putting 1 into each of those.

End of Post 1-
Level 2- 605 xp
108 HP, 55 SP
Damage: 7-15
AC- 7

[abstractcolors215]

You're an excellent writer! That was very interesting to read!

[wolf3167]

Thank you! I will try to post WAY more often than I did on the first blog at least until I get pretty far- then I may slow down for a small time. My next post will revolve around doing small quests in Matras and should be out later today or tomorrow!

[wolf3167]

Quest Blog Post No 2


As a side note, I need a popular vote. Should Vlad take a good path or the evil path? Vote below!


Chapter 1- Vlad
Having defeated the ghoul in the crypt Vlad now looked into the corner he was backed into. He saw a switch, which he cautiously pressed. Suddenly the wall to his left collapsed inward. He stepped over, seeing a path. Following it he came to a big open room full of weapons, potions, beer, and more.
Scavenged:
-Potion of Small Healing
-Beginners Lockpick
-2 Scrolls of Burning Hand
-3 Black Beers
-Cure poison potion
-Scroll of Magic Missile
-Scroll of Cure Warrt
-Spellbook of Curse
-Total of 130 coins

Going up a set of stairs Vlad found himself back in town! Exhausted, he went to the inn and slept til morning.

Along the way he saw a piece of rope in a green barrel and took it just in case. When he got up the innkeeper congratulated him and gave him some coins and beer, which he drank. The mayor refused to pay until he could feel a change, so Vlad walked around the shops and sold his loot. He bought a cheap metal shield and some low quality armored pants.

*Random Fun Fact!- Did you know that walking around decays whatever boots you may wearing? I know it sounds silly but I bet most people don't even realize it!

Anyways- still needing money, Vlad walked around town. He came to the house of Lord Bogar, across from the mayor's place. He knocked and Bogar began begging for help! His wide had been kidnapped and he needed Vlad to help! Oh no! The wife was located in the queerly named "Robber Forest", so Vlad set out.
Along the way he was attacked by an archer whom he looted 50 coins off of (drinking money is drinking money) and a couple of outlaws which he looted for similar results as well as a book on disarming traps.

Achieved level 3-
+2 str/end
+1 int
+ 2 to all major skills except persuade.

He came to a house on the east of the camp and found the lord's wife , Shiela, inside. She didn't want to leave! Angry, Vlad walked down the path to the south and found a man named Drann, who made a deal-
If Vlad would go into the dungeon nearby and investigate the noises, he could raid the storeroom. He accepted but now walked back to the camp to talk to the robber's leader, who made a counter offer that Vlad took- get the money from Bogar and Vlad kept half as well as getting something special. He now went to town to talk to Bogar. The prick whined about it but paid up. As Vlad left the bastard called the guards. He paid a fine of 100 coins and walked off, cackling. Now he returned to the robbers and was given a high quality bow! He went back to town and sold his old bow , buying a quiver of 19 elven arrows, a heavy belt, some etched gauntlets, and having his armor repaired before resting at the inn. A day well done.
End of Post 2-

Remember to vote whether Vlad should be good or evil! Thanks for reading and for any new players I recommend Prickett's guide. Thanks Redshift for making such a good game and again thank you for reading. Any comments post below!

Level 3- 1055 XP
8-16 damage
12AC
Max HP- 116 Max SP- 60
Gold- 446

[Prickett]

Good path

[wolf3167]

Alright then. I guess Vlad will be a good guy. Next post in a couple days.

[Prickett]

Thanks

[DeMenchev]

Good path is much easier to follow.
Try the evil path.
You can always clear the dark sky with evil Returning stuff in Astirimis.
Btw, it's a good idea not to take Mayana's quest until you finish the game with 100+ crime. Guards would catch even their King or Liberator of the island for being a burglar

You can still be praised for good deeds after having plundered everyone in the past.
Try neutral path then, with a blameless fame
You decide.

[Sylon / Redshift]

...And another vote for the evil path. Sorry. : )

[Prickett]

Shucks

[Prickett]

Oh and thanks for the shout out wolf

[wolf3167]

Next post coming soon. Thanks for waiting. Having a very busy week!

[wolf3167]

Quest Blog Post 3

Chapter 1-Vlad
Thanks to all the readers. Today I will be covering the missions of Thurn on the peninsula.
As for the good/evil vote, I am going to hold off on that decision until more opinions come in. I am leaning towards good as this is a simple ongoing guide for less experienced players.

Anyways, back into character
Vlad got up in the night and decided to go walking north of town on the peninsula and go meet the forest ranger that supposedly lived there.

Tip from me- Buy at least 5 potions of cure poison or have a spell to do so AND have about 5 healing potions/heal undead potions or a spell to restore health, which I forgot. Luckily Vlad had 116hp

Tip 2- Begin searching the magic shops for the following 3 spells now-
-Mark
-Recall
-Disarm
You don't NEED mark and recall, but they make transit much easier! Disarm is needed in the dungeon of blood.

He began by crossing the creek to the north and walking west when he got to the sea. In the night he was attacked by an archer, but by this point he was good enough to walk up and club her to death.
He got to the ranger's home at about 5:30am but the wife was already working the gardens. She asked if he would do a favor- go get a potion from her father who lived to the south in the farmland. He agreed but first went inside and talked to Thurn. Thurn gave him another mission- wipe out the damned archers that had been attacking people.
Vlad was happy to do it so he went south to the River of Brendan and found a manhole, which he went down. Only about 8 archers were inside but none attacked. He got to the queen at the end of the hall and found out why- she wanted "The D", to be very ambiguous He agreed and she pleased him greatly. The next morning, hung over, he went back down and killed them all. He leveled to 4 and increased his abilities as such:
+2 strength
+2 intelligence
+1 endurance
+2 heavy weapon, heavy armor, block, persuade, env magic.

He grabbed a book on archery: "Essentials of the Amazon Arts", to read later, and freed the farmer.
He also looted about 500 gold and a couple pieces of cheap armor, some poisonous arrows, a nice bow (his was better), a jeweled amulet with +4 dexterity (good for archery ) and a better suit of armor which he put on immediately. Now all he needed was a better melee weapon.
On the way back it began raining.

Back at the peninsula Thurn and Nadia were ecstatic. Nadia gave him lots of food and some beer, which he drank.
Thurn gave him 2 pieces of paper- a recommendation to the thieve's guild of Vastares and half a treasure map, which he was to take to a friend across from the Vastares smithy.
First, though, he went back to Matras and stayed the night.

After selling a bit of loot, Vlad had almost 2.5k gold. He headed south to Vastares now. Hopefully he would find a better weapon there. Along the way he killed 2 archers, an Orc, and. 3 muggers.

In Vastares, he went to Solomon, Thurns friend. He gave him the other half of the map and was told to come back tomorrow. He bought a maul from the blacksmith and sold his wooden cudgel. He also got a suit of enforced chain mail. Now he went to the inn, tired from the past 5 days of adventuring, and rested a full 24 hours!
He got 3000 gold from Solomon and went back to Thurn's home. He gave Thurn half in exchange for his special weapon- a short sword. Vlad didn't want it so he sold it. Finally he went to the mayor's residence and was paid for curing the plague as well as for finding the smuggler's storeroom!

With that business taken care of, it was time to visit the robber storeroom in the Forest of Blood. After climbing down a manhole and opening a gate, he was attacked by 2 enemies, whom he slew. Walking through the southernmost door, he used the storeroom key and found 2 more enemies inside, killing them as well.

Reached level 5!
+2 strength, +1 intelligence, +2 dexterity(for block)
+2 heavy weapon, heavy armor, block, persuade, environmental magic

Vlad found himself in the storeroom and looted:
-2 wands of weak feather
-A superior battle axe (light weapon) to sell
-wand of remove curse
-alchemy skill book
-beginner lock pick

Having looted that room, Vlad went to the easternmost room. Suddenly the door slammed shut behind him...

End of Post 3
Level 5- 2545/4000 XP
Fame- good
Damage: 13-25
AC:16
Hp-120. Sp-75
Gold-4465

Note about the good/evil vote. I haven't made a final decision but am leaning towards evil for the heck of it. I want MORE opinions on the matter before I decide. In any event, it will be a while before I make any MAJOR decisions regarding alignment.

Next post within a week hopefully! Sorry about how long this one took. Busy week!

[wolf3167]

Quest Blog Post 4
Thanks to all the readers. Today I will loot the Dungeon of Blood and complete Oyo's quest.

Chapter 1 Conclusion- Vlad
Continuing where we left off...

Vlad was startled by the shutting door behind him. He advanced along a wooden walkway over a deep pit and saw a hooded figure beckoning.
"Step closer stranger, I'll not hurt you",called the figure. Moving closer Vlad saw that the thing was a Rasvim- an undead.

The "thing" introduced itself as Oyo, a shaman. His goal was to bring several monsters over from another dimension for an experiment. He would reward Vlad and let him live- if he followed some instructions. First Vlad had to look in four mirrors around the room. He did so and returned to Oyo. Now, he was given a new task- find 3 ritualistic skulls- 1 of which he already had (Remember the crypt in Matras?).
Vlad left the room as the gate was open and went to the sealed gate in the northern part of the dungeon. As it appeared to be trapped, he used his wand of disarming. Then he opened the door.

An outlaw jumped out! Vlad destroyed him and a buddy or two that came from the corridors to the left or right. Now Vlad headed left over several spike traps and came to a dead end. Why the hell would someone put all those traps there for nothing? Then he noticed a switch on the northern wall and pressed it. The wall collapsed and a chasm leading to a shelf of treasure appeared.
Vlad, though he hated heights, wanted that treasure! He climbed across using his rope (from the green barrel in Matras) and found 2 things- a blank scroll and a potion of strong fortify endurance. Crap. He headed back to the intersection and went right of the stairs. There were 3 switches and a door. Randomly guessing, Vlad flipped the 2 outermost switches down. The door opened and 2 robbers jumped out. He killed them and found a new treasure room. He collected-
120 gold
Potion of small resist magic
Spellbook of Disarm
Potion of small resist plague
Ruby ring
Spellbook of Recall (now to get Mark!)
Scroll of Drain Mana touch


Now Vlad went down the stairs and found himself in an arena across from a cyclops. He ran forward across the room, dodging the cyclops, and found a Spellbook of Enchant. Then he ran back to the entrance and went upstairs to plan. Finally he went back down and killed the thing- easily. He didn't even need to heal!

Reached level 6-
+3 dexterity (for block), +2 intelligence
+2 heavy weapon, heavy armor, block, environmental magic, accuracy

Vlad even found a nice new weapon on the cyclops- a spiked club, which he could enchant! He also found a book on attack magic and the 2nd skull (that IS why we are here). He headed back to Matras and sold his junk as well as reading his spell books first, or course!
Then he visited Ichi the pawn broker near the port district. He had the skull! Vlad needed to get a book from Oyo first- the "Book of Fire". He got it and came back. Giving Ichi the book and 500 of his hard-earned coins, Vlad got the skull.

Oyo was VERY happy and gave Vlad:
1500 gold
A Spellbook of Recharge Wand
An alchemy skill book
An attack magic skill book
He read the spell book back in Matras and sold it after spending a MUCH-NEEDED night in the inn. He even found a spell book of Mark to get around quicker!

Also, Vlad got the magician, Ithulde, to enchant the following items with said enchantments (his environmental magic wasn't very good yet).
1. Enforced chain mail- +6% resist magic, +1 hp (every bit helps)
2. Spiked Club- +4 damage
3. Cloak (purchased from the tailor)-
+5% resist magic

He also bought a pair of armored leather boots as he had been running around barefooted. Finally, Vlad felt ready to leave Matras for the next city- Vastares, and its mysteries.

End of Chapter 1
Summary of Chapter 1
Levels spanned: 1-6
Total XP: 4395
Gold: 6375
HP: 121 Damage: 19-33
AC: 19. Magic Resistance: -11%
Quests Completed: 6

Vlad is coming along really well and is much more powerful than I hoped! Hope you enjoyed reading and COMMENT BELOW!

[Prickett]

This blog is going great, way to go Wolf!

[Sylon / Redshift]

Wolf, I have no complete quest list but I think you left out some quests around Matras... For example, there is a little girl, Marisola, north of Matras, who has a little quest. Also there is Mayana, the streetwalker around the port quarter. Or the Agent Recruiter at the end of the inn's street. And probably more... (I don't remember to read something here about what happened with the father of Thurm's wife, for example.)
Also between Matras and Vastares you can meet some extra quests or places like Osman the orc around the Pagoda, or Borgh the Lonely Knight in the Dark Pine Forest, also there is a secret dungeon under the River of Brendan (probably there is a quest connected to that place too, I'm not sure).

Other than that, Vlad seems now like a real badass, have fun with him. : )

[wolf3167]

Yeah Vlad is becoming quite badass, hehe. And for those quests, Sylon, thanks for the reminder. I hadn't planned on doing every quest but now I may as well do those quickly. Will post in a few hours. I had planned to do the Kingdom Agent Recruiter quest but forgot.

[wolf3167]

I amgoing on vacation. Probably won't have internet. When I get back, expect a LONG post. (4 hour plane rides).

[Joshua_is_good]

Evil

[wolf3167]

Quest Blog Post 5

This is coming along very well! Definitely better than I hoped. As you will notice below I have started the second "chapter" of Vlad's journey. It is almost time to leave the village known as Matras and head to Vastares, the first big city. However, first we will tie up some loose ends. Also, we will be running one of the game's most rewarding dungeons- the Abandoned Mine!


Chapter 2- Welcome to Vastares
Vlad was almost finished in this town. All that was left to do was gain the complete trust of the locals. First things first, he Marked a spot in town for quick transit. He walked down the street to the west of the inn. At the end of the street was a home that he knew belonged to a Kingdom Agent Recruiter. Maybe he could offer help? He knocked and the old Siery came to the door.
"Greetings, friend." Vlad said.
The man stared him down for a second and beckoned him inside.
The man made tea and offered Vlad an important job- track down a child for him. The child would be a Kingdom Agent for Mersant, like Vlad. He accepted.
Where to look?, Vlad wondered. He had been told to go to the abandoned swamp to the south of town and see if Onin the fisher boy was there. So he went and found the pale-shirted boy. Talking to the dumb kid, he was asked if he wanted some fish. He then told the kid the situation and found out that the kid didn't want to go! He kept asking and the kid finally agreed to go under one condition- Vlad went to see the kid's older brother at Wolfcreek, north of Matras.
He told Vlad the brothers' password-
"The Bird Went to the Nest", or something along those lines.

Tip for Noobs- I could have marked a position in the swamp and saved some time, but chose not to.

Anyways, the brat agreed to come along and they returned to the recruiter, who gave Vlad 800 gold and a skillbook for persuade and mercantile. Time to leave this hellhole!

Another tip for noobs- I did not finish EVERY quest in Matras. It didn't seem necessary to me to waste my time to get such small rewards when Vastares is just around the corner. Onwards!


Vlad continued southwards along the road to Vastares. Getting there, he marked a spot in the town center and went to browse armor and weapons. He bought a heavy, green garrison shield, a little disappointed by the selection in such a large city.

Having fought many battles over the previous week, he decided to rest a day or two and read those skill books. (Yes I realize that skill books CAN be saved until your skill reaches 100 to over-cap but really- that is completely unnecessary. )
He paid the city librarian to train him 1 level in environmental magic- to 30! Then he read all his skillbooks, getting:
+5 mercantile
+5 accuracy
+5 persuade
+8 attack magic
+5 alchemy +3 more! Total: +8!

Having read all these books he sold them- making a tidy sum of gold.
It was getting late so he rested at the inn. The next day he went to the city jewelry store. He bought an emerald ring to wear (+2AC!).

Vlad was now ready for a good old dungeon to explore. He had heard of just the place- an abandoned mine to the west of Vastares. Before setting out, he bought some potions:
4 potions of cure Warrt and 4 of cure Plague. He also bought 10 potions of full healing- more than he would likely need, but extras never hurt!

Now he went to the city gate and went west- he came to the "Abandoned Region", as marked on Freymore's map. Along the way he slew more than a dozen orcs.

In fact, the orcs (worth 200xp each!) leveled Vlad to 7!
+2 strength, +3 intelligence
+2 heavy weapon/armor, block, env. magic, accuracy.


Arriving at the ominously named "Abandoned Region" at almost midnight and in the rain, Vlad was attacked by seven skeletons, which he UTTERLY DESTROYED!

He found the entrance to the mine after that fight and marked a position before teleporting back to Matras to rest and heal. After a night in the inn, he bought a spell book of cure wounds and had his gear repaired. He was ready. Now he headed back to the Abandoned Region via teleport.
He descended into the mine. As he entered, he noticed a signpost to the right. It read: "Abandon your soul here". Damn, what kind of mine was this? He sliced away a cobweb and was attacked by a pair of venomous bats, which he dispatched quickly so as not to be poisoned. He cautiously crept forward and shot a third bat with his bow. Moving along, he was attacked by 2 skeleton captains and another bat. This bat poisoned him! He didn't have any antidote potions so he quickly finished off those enemies and teleported to Matras and bought several just in case.
Now he went back and looted some money and scrolls off of his fallen foes. On a shelf he found a small potion of healing and some ages old bread , which he left. Another skeleton captain and a general attacked him. Finally , he came to realize that 2 venom bats were hitting from the side when he was poisoned! He finished the skeletons and turned on the bats before drinking an antidote. He also drank one of his healing potions. So far, the opposition had been stiff- 9 enemies guarding one hallway! FINALLY he came to a turn. He saw two skeletons hiding behind a spiderweb and got an idea. He took his bow from a range and shot the web. Shocked, the skeletons ran at Vlad, who shot them a bit before they reached him. He easily finished the weakened enemies. He scavenged a wand of weak unlock and a skill book for environmental magic on them!
Quickly, he drank a small potion before turning south. He found himself in a big room with corpses hanging from the ceiling. He cleared out the only enemy inside/ a skeleton general, before looting 2 scrolls of poison touch from a shelf.

Going back he noticed a side-chamber with a locked door- he was a crappy lock-picker so didn't try in case the door was trapped. He noticed another side passage that led to a manhole, on his left, which he climbed through. He killed a bat that was behind him.

Tip- save here. This is the most damn annoying part of the game unless you have high magical resistances.

He noticed a long passage and decided to follow it- after grabbing a skill book of dual wield to his left.
Suddenly, a skull shot out and hit him. DAMN!, that stung. He drank a potion and moved up, getting hit several times and drinking some potions. Finally, he saw the problem- a ghoul, like the one in Matras' cemetery, was shooting him with magic. He dove into a side corridor with 2 skeletons and killed them. He drank a potion and ran out, killing the ghoul. Suddenly, then, another stepped up to take the first ones place! He (re)killed that one, too.
Totaling their drops as well as those from the shelf in the side chamber, Vlad got:
250 coins
A spell book of resist poison
A scroll of weak unlocking
A wand of drain mana touch

He went back to the manhole, safe from enemies, and rested.
Continuing along, he came to a cobweb with a powerful ghoul smiling at him from behind it. He cut away the web and rushed the abomination, killing it. He looted 2 carved rings and an apple.

In a huge chamber, he saw 2 more ghouls across a chasm. He killed them and looted 300 gold. Now he looked around the room and looted:
A key (the "damned key") , which he had to cross a poisonous puddle to get to. Unfortunately he was poisoned and had to drink an antidote. Also, he found a side room to the south of the main room with several treasures:
-some fresh water, a spell book of cure wounds, and a cheap katana, which he left. Now he teleported back to Matras, tired. He thought that night that maybe the key he had led to the locked door and hid some treasure or prize? The next morning he checked his gear, sold any loot, and went back one last time.
He tried the key- perfect fit! Now he walked forward and saw a coffin on the far edge of the room . There were
2 switches on either side of the room, and he flipped one. Suddenly, 2 ghouls jumped out! He killed them and tried the other switch for the same result.
Looted a wand of mass drain health and a scroll of unholy word.

Vlad leveled to 8 after killing the first ghoul, actually.
+3 dexterity, +2 intelligence (gotta work on that block)
+2 all primary skills except accuracy
He rested and touched the coffin. Suddenly he was thrown backwards and a massive monster jumped out (The Damned). He fought for a long time and was hit twice by DEVASTATING magic attacks. He almost died several tins bit healed himself. Finally, he killed the son of a bitch. It dropped some VERY nice gear- an undead plate mail and an unholy crown, which he couldn't wear, but could sell for a small fortune. Finally, he teleported back to Vastares and sold his items and stayed at the inn- a day well done, no?

Tip- if you step into one of those pentacles, you are transported into an alternate dimension. If you kill all the enemies, you will get some more undead gear, which Vlad can't use, so I didn't bother. If you are an undead, that is one amazing shield!



End of Post 5!
Level-8
XP- 14833/17000
Damage-21-36
AC-28
HP-121 SP-110
Magic Resistance- -8% (will work on it)
Gold-8454

Next post will be shorter and likely just be one quest, maybe two. Thanks for reading and post any comments, questions, etc. below.

[wolf3167]

Vote tally so far:
2 evil
1 neutral (kind of like that idea)
1 good
Keep voting!

[wolf3167]

Quest Blog- Expansion Vote

Welcome back everyone! Vlad has become pretty powerful over the past few sessions, right? We are looking at probably 15 posts to finish the main game and 20 or so to tie up loose ends. Anyways, keep voting for good/evil but also vote for one if the following:
-Vlad should not play any expansions
-Vlad should start by playing Celtic Rift/Cursed Chess Set
-Play Islands of Ice and Fire first

As a side note, I have never played Celtic Roft completely so cannot ensure how good the blog will be.

[Prickett]

Islands of ice and fire

[wolf3167]

Quest Blog Post 6

Thank you all readers. Today we will be doing Nobleman's Inheritance. Sorry about the lack of info for so long. Was busy and then I got sick.
Continuing where we left off...
Vlad rented a room for the night and in the morning got up and went to the blacksmithy to browse. He saw nothing he liked. Time to look for work. Vlad went to the town center and stepped inside the town castle, where the governor lived. He walked to the end of the hall and found the governor in his study.
The governor, who had obviously heard of Vlad's deeds by now called him in.
Sure enough he had a job for Vlad- go and find his father's killer and also deliver a letter to his girlfriend. Vlad agreed when told that the reward would be great.

Leaving the castle and stepping into the rain, Vlad crossed the street to the north and spoke with Tyssanandenea Ferney, the Lord's sister. She told Vlad to inquire at the tavern in the port district about 2 Nogur stonemasons. Herahn, the innkeeper, told Vlad that one of the masons was living in the port district. Vlad had a lead. Herahn told Vlad to wait until night to visit the stonemason, so he slept at the inn until nightfall.
He found the house easily enough and knocked. The ugly Nogur came out with a knife and said: "If you want to make a lot of friends, leave and never come back!" Vlad punched the idiot and asked him about the murder. He swore he knew nothing and Vlad left the poor bastard to talk to the jeweler.

IMPORTANT!- Have your persuade skill value is fairly high for the next part of this quest. Vlad's was 29 but I think 28 works, too.

He went to the jewelry store next to the city gate and knocked. The jeweler, Elitia, was at her desk even at night. She called him in and he came, closing the door behind him. When asked about the murder the lady didn't act suspicious but when pressed for information about the Nogurs she choked up and told Vlad that she killed the governor but that if he remained quiet she would tell him where she had hidden the chest with his will. He agreed and was told that it was hidden in a hollow tree in the forest to the west of town. He went to the Pine District and then to the cemetery before going west about 20 paces and going due south.

Note- I recommend keeping a save point here, especially if this is your first play through, as the shamans south of here can use their magic to kill you VERY QUICKLY!

He ran through the forest and encountered a dwarf! He killed the thing but as he killed it 2 more attacked him! Finally, he killed the last of the trio and looted about 500 coins and a couple weak magic scrolls. Not bad. He cast a weak healing spell on himself and continued south. A shaman suddenly jumped directly in front of him, chanting a curse. Vlad interrupted him with a club to the face. In response the old man shot him with some lightning. That hurt. Meanwhile a dwarf was approaching from further in the forest. Vlad cast a healing spell and slashed the old son of a bitch down for good, picking up a magical wand of poison touch and killed the dwarf, who dropped a shroom. Connecting with nature, eh?
Very injured, Vlad pitched a bedroll and rested until morning. In the morn he continued south until about 5 paces from the edge of the Barren Forest zone and looking east, saw the tree with the chest. Sure enough, it was there! He noticed about half a dozen dwarves closing in on him so he teleported back to town.

Note- now you have a choice. Give the chest to the young nobleman, or the jeweler. Depending on actions taken during the quest, you may also give the chest to the Lord's daughter. Each course of action has different rewards- I recommend trying them all! Edit- as Sylon pointed out, you can take the chest to the locksmith near the jeweler.

Vlad decided to give the chest to the nobleman. First, though, he delivered the letter to Shannon Donnen, in the port district. She told Vlad to tell Ferney to screw off because he was no longer rich- why does the nobleman like her, again?
Anyways, Vlad returned to the castle and the thankful nobleman paid him well!
Rewards: Champion Plate Mail (a whopping +16 AC) Dragon Blade (enchanted then sold), Spellbook of Fireball, and a Fame Increase.

Vlad sold his old scale mail for 1200 gold and read the new Spellbook. He also had his gear repaired. He sold his spare magical gizmos but he didn't get his armor enchanted because the magician couldn't enchant it completely.

End of Post 6
Current Stats:
Level: 8. XP:16483/17000
Fame: Good
Damage:21-36
AC: 35
Gold: 9082

[Sylon / Redshift]

The blog goes well - just a side note, Wolf: when you finally have the chest you also have a 4th option: you can give it to the master thief (who has a shop in the Outlands of Vastares). He also can open it for you and this gives you another two or more options. So this quest has at least 8-10 different endings, depending on your choices and skills. : )