UPDATE – August 15, 2023

Helma reiterates the mission; find that special thread, save Henry and save Midnight Castle.  To that end, Helma searched her many magic threads with no luck.  She suddenly feels foolish when she remembers, “I used the thread when making a new dress.  Give me a hand while I separate it out.”  She pulls the thread from the dress and hands it over.  “Here is the thread.  May nature’s blessings find and guide you.”  (Rewarded with the Unifying Thread)

The completed Bearsbane Staff goes to Henry at Ice Rock and cures him of the shapeshifting curse.

Pinfeathers is very happy Henry is safe and the castle once again secure.  But he senses strange vibrations, “It’s as if reality itself has been pierced by an unknown power.  We’re in danger, and we need the power of fire.”  He rewards you with the Convergence Device and sends you to the Fire Conjurer.

Fire Conjurer wonders what “spark of interest brings you to me?” and confirms feeling the disturbing vibrations that threaten the castle too.  “There’s a common assumption that fire mages like me know everything about fire, but it’s not true.”  However, the Fire Conjurer knows about one of the Elements the artifact requires.  “The knowledge of the Fire Element was forgotten a long time ago.  Faded away like ash returned to ash.”  Believing her teacher might know something about it, the Fire Conjurer remembers, “The Element was only used once before it was forgotten.  Only my teacher remembers it because it saved him.  My teacher was an ancient fire mage, and his teacher was the one who created the Element.”

Even though no one came close in centuries to finding the Element and all trails have gone cold, “Fire Magic always leaves a vague trace that can stay around for centuries.”  The Fire Conjurer doesn’t know how or why the Element was used, only that it saved her teacher’s life.  In fact, her teacher’s teacher cast the Element into the lava under the mountain because it “can be terribly destructive if it’s used incorrectly, so this was an attempt to destroy it.”  But the effort to protect future generations didn’t work and the Element “is still there, somewhere at the bottom of the lava pit.  The cursed flames protect it from evildoers.  There are few creatures who can withstand that wicked fire.  Not even our Wise Dragon can withstand the flames.”

LEVEL 123

Anyway, the Fire Conjurer knows “now that the Wise Dragon is half-human, he wouldn’t stand a chance against those flames.”  But there may be someone who can…the Fire Elemental!

The Fire Elemental, burning with curiosity, is eager to help.  “Very well.  I will plunge into the cursed flames and help you get the Fire Element.”  But something must be made very clear first, “I’m an elemental, but that doesn’t mean I can substitute a part of my body for the item you’re looking for.  The Element we’re searching for was created by a fire mage.  It’s not as if it’s a part of me.”

Having second thoughts, the Fire Elemental admits your request “might be trickier than I made it sound.  Plunging into cursed flames could be dangerous, even for me.  I must gather protective equipment before I bathe in the inferno.”  The first piece of equipment needed is fireproof stone.  “Next, I need enchanted protective goggles so I’ll be able to actually see what I’m looking for.”  Even if the Element isn’t found within the cursed flames, the goggles can help pick up its trail.

The Element is impossible to touch, even for the Fire Elemental, but the Fire Conjurer is much better suited for that task.  To aid in its recovery, the Fire Elemental “procured a special staff that should help me locate the element without touching it.”  Everything looks ready, but wait!  “I almost forgot something!  I’ll need a way to get back out.  A strong hook on a fireproof chain!  I can use the chain to find my way back through the flames.”

The final piece of protective equipment is a “talisman that will keep me cool…well, relatively speaking.”  After taking a few minutes to focus and clear his mind, the Fire Elemental is ready.  “It’s so hot.  Now I just need to follow the heat, but I can’t approach it too fast.  It could burn me out completely.  I’m getting closer to the source!  It’s almost time to tell the Fire Conjurer where to find it.”  The cursed flames almost got the best of the Fire Elemental, but he found the Element!  “I’ll place a magical barrier around the Element to keep it in place and serve as a beacon for the Fire Conjurer.  I’ve set the spell, so the Fire Conjurer can’t miss it.  Incidentally, her teacher was also the one that created the spell.”

After the item is secured, you return to the Fire Conjurer.  “We’ll need a torch to get the Element out.  It’s already lit, so I’ll just need to be careful until I reach it.”  Once the Fire Conjurer has the Element, a way to cool it needs to be found.  “You won’t believe this, but the only way to cool this Element is…another fire!  It’s a special cooling fire, and I need to find it.”  The Fire Conjurer completes the task by borrowing the cooling fire from a frost mage and now there’s nothing left to do but wait for the Element to cool down.  Finally, you are rewarded with the Fire Element, along with the Fire Conjurer’s parting words “Use the Element only for kind deeds.  Otherwise, you’ll get burned.”

Pinfeathers says “People from another world are invading and Midnight Castle is in great peril!  We must stop it and send the outsiders back home.  We need to find the essence of life itself.  There’s only one person who can help with that.”

Anabel in Tiara, still waiting in Ghost Town Square, is very happy.  “The Knight and I have finally started talking to each other normally again.”  But she also senses dangerous vibrations.  “Our reality was pierced from the inside.  We must stop the destruction of our home.  These vibrations are coming from someone at the castle, but I can’t tell who it is.”

Anabel is familiar with the artifact but its parts are very hard to come by.  Pinfeathers’ requests are usually realistic, but the Element of Life is impossible to obtain.  “One of my ancestors created the Element of Life using a complicated ritual intended for one reason.  They were trying to become immortal.  Unfortunately, I haven’t a clue where the Element ended up.”

Continuing on, Anabel says “My ancestor performed an ancient sacrifice to achieve immortality.  He put his life force in a stone, and the stone became the Element of Life.  While this stone contained his life force, my ancestor could live as normal for as long as he wished.  Naturally, my ancestor hid the stone away.  But one day, the unexpected happened.  He decided he lived long enough and chose to pass on to the next world.  However, the stone still contains his life force, though nobody knows where it is.”

While her ancestor successfully achieved immortality, it came at a cost few would pay.  “Even if the ritual was still known, who would sacrifice their life to tie themselves to an object?  Those who have tried to recreate the Element of Life have failed, with terrible consequences.  Dying in failure…a fate nobody wants for themselves.”

Deciding the “only way to find the Element is to fight for it”, Anabel needs the help of her dear Knight.

The Warrior Knight offers a hearty hello and is also very happy to be talking with Anabel again.  Fulfilling the quest is a matter of the heart for the Knight.  “The Element of Life can be found!  I must prove my loyalty to Anabel.”  The Knight knows who to ask about the Element of Life, but there’s a catch.  “The one we must ask about the Element is already dead, but I have a solution.”  A dangerous quest, the Warrior Knight must “go to the lair of spirits alone to speak to the dead.  There’s a chance I’ll remain there as a spirit myself.”  The lair of spirits is a place where the spirits of dead people are more like echoes than ghosts.  “The actual spirits have moved on.  These echoes still hold the memories of the people they once were.  I hope to find Anabel’s ancestor and ask him for the Element.”

Finding Anabel’s ancestor won’t be easy.  “There are hundreds of thousands of spirits there.  However, I can track down the one we need.  I need something that belongs to Anabel and some time to concentrate.  This will allow me to see the soul of Anabel’s ancestor amidst the other spirits.”

The Knight was able to find Anabel’s ancestor, but the spirit only speaks the language of the dead.  Trying to come up with a common tongue, the Knight starts with “simple yes and no questions.  We’re making progress!”  But just as things were going well, the spirit fell asleep.  “They can sometimes sleep for centuries, so I need to find a way to wake him.  A pungent scent might work.  Strangely, spirits can essentially hear smells, so only an unpleasant odor can wake them.”

While the spirit wishes to help, he will do so only if the Knight can prove his intentions.  “I’m glad Anabel isn’t here.  This quest is both dangerous and tiresome.  Persuasion can take ages.”  Finally, the spirit accepts the Knight’s proof and, while the questioning continues, it’s difficult keeping the spirit on topic.  It seems the spirit insists on being sure of the Knight’s intentions regarding Anabel!

While the spirit no longer doubts the Warrior Knight, “He seems to have a penchant for puzzles.  He says I must seek the Element in her.  How cryptic…”  Riddles aren’t the Knight’s forte and he simply can’t wrap his mind around this riddle.  “The spirit has even added a new layer – he says there’s no riddle at all.  What could it all mean?”  Thinking he missed something, the Knight tries again to clarify, “It seems I misunderstood the spirit.  I should have seen this coming, but the Element of Life is literally hidden inside Anabel.  She has to figure out how to get it out safely.”

Anabel never doubted her Knight in the slightest.  “I can’t believe my ancestor hid the Element of Life in me.  We just need to get it out.  Do you suppose one could find life in death?  The living can’t take the Element of Life, so what if I died for just a minute.  Don’t worry, I’ll only be dead temporarily.”

Continuing, Anabel says “I need to go to the deadly grotto to make sure I don’t stay dead.  It’s a place that can hold someone right on the verge of death.  It sounds tricky, but don’t worry, no one dies in the grotto.  At least not permanently.  (Both the lair of spirits and the deadly grotto would be terrific new locations.)

LEVEL 124

In order to die, Anabel must put herself in mortal peril.  But she manages to find a way and succeeds with the quest.  “I’m back from the dead!  You wouldn’t believe what I saw!  Unfortunately, I can’t tell you what happened there, or I will die permanently.  But what’s important is that I’ve claimed the Element of Life!”

You are rewarded with the Element of Life and Anabel’s parting words, “Please be careful…someone’s life is literally in your hands.”

Pinfeathers wants to find out who’s behind all the commotion.  “There’s always a greater evil.  You just need to find the right person to ask about it.  Do you know who I mean?

Leland the Corruptor senses the danger and says “our reality is distorting.”  He apologizes for everything he did and to prove the sincerity of his apology, agrees to help find the Soil Element.  Leland says “My parents are the ones that kept the Soil.  It was used to protect the castle grounds from unwanted guests.  One pinch was enough to keep most enemies at bay.  Our castle was impenetrable while the Soil was in my parents’ hands.  The Soil came from the ground of a nonexistent land.  Well, it used to exist, but its inhabitants destroyed it.  Pride destroyed that forgotten land.  The inhabitants were so sure that no one could conquer them because of their magical Soil, they destroyed themselves through infighting.”

“Only the kindness of one of the residents”, continues Leland, “could ensure that a sample of their soil survived.  As you know, everything comes to an end.  Soon, outsiders came to us asking for help.  My parents gave the last of the Soil to them.  These outsiders were underground people.  They had been attacked by a giant worm, and they had no means to protect themselves.  The underground people reshaped the remaining loose soil into an object called the Element of Soil and kept it for themselves.”

“While the underground people died out long ago, the general belief is that they worked themselves to death in the mines.  However, the Soil Element still remains there.”  Obviously, a visit to the mines of the underground people is necessary to find the Soil Element, but “the mines are not under the Twisted Mountain, as you might think.  They’re somewhere in the woods, hidden from sight by strangely convenient accidents.  The woods are deep and vast, so I’m not even sure where to look.  We must seek further help.”

The Dark Jester appears in Hidden Storage under the Domain of Desolation.  “Joking aside, another victim comes to tell me their last joke.  I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but I can be dangerous when I’m bothered.”  Noting there’s something funny about you, the Dark Jester bets “you could both help me and defeat me.  I won’t kill you yet…I just don’t see the fun in it.” 

She’s a perplexing person, freely admitting “I’m about to cause chaos in the castle.  Why?  All of these…things!  Good intentions, bad intentions, conquering, vanquishing…It’s so boring!”  Everything the Dark Jester does is for fun.  “This place needs my brand of chaos!  I’ll teach you to see the beauty in it!  Chaos is creation.  You should know that.”

The Dark Jester knows you’re here to stop her, but she thinks it’s all a joke.  “What I’m about to do can’t be stopped!  Still, maybe I owe you some background in exchange for the help.  My story starts with…well, my first victims.  It all started when I came to visit my fiancé’s relatives.  They asked me to play a game.  Little did I know, it was a survival game, one of their ancient customs.”