Everlight of Magic & Power
Walkthrough by Becky Waxman
October 2008
Preparations
Everlight is a third person perspective, point-and-click adventure game. The Main Menu allows you to select New Game, Continue, Save Game, Load Game, Settings, Credits, Exit the Game, and Fiona’s Notes (a commentary and hint feature). During gameplay, pressing the “Esc” key brings up the Main Menu.
The game contains four difficulty levels, allowing you to choose the frequency of selected hints. Helpful keyboard functions include “H” (shows all hotspots) “G” (shows items only) “E” (shows exits only) and F1 (Fiona’s Notes). Double-clicking on exits or on the locations on the map (indicated by a “door” icon) will take you straight to the next location without the “getting there” animation.
Moving the cursor down to the bottom of the screen brings up an inventory bar – this includes inventory items, small arrows for scrolling through the inventory screens, a map icon and (a short way into the gameplay) an icon for changing between nighttime and daytime. Items can be combined in inventory by clicking on one item, which will attach itself to the cursor, and then clicking on the second item. To use inventory items in the game environment, click on the item and then click on the person or object with which you wish to use the item. Right-clicking on items in inventory gives more information about them.
Dialogs can be clicked through using the left mouse button. Occasionally, during conversations with the various characters, you may find a line of subtitle text left over at the bottom of the screen. Simply click on the screen to finish the conversation. Sometimes progress in the game is triggered by something said during a conversation with a character in the game. So, if you are stuck, it might help to go back and talk to all the characters, exhausting all dialog options, in both daytime and nighttime.
During gameplay, you may see a book icon that suddenly appears at the top right of the screen, flashes on and off, and then disappears. This is a signal that new information is available in Fiona’s Notes (accessed by pressing the F1 key). Fiona’s Notes contain some general information, and also can help steer you in the right direction if you are feeling lost. The Notes also contain a Hint system – you can access three hints per gameplay challenge by clicking on each of the three candle flames. If you click on “Completed Tasks” from time to time, you’ll find comments in blue by Fiona.
If you wish to play the game mostly on your own and only refer to this walkthrough occasionally, the following hint might be helpful – as each new chapter begins, a few things will most likely have changed within the game environments, so searching interiors and exteriors in both daytime and nighttime – as well as talking to the characters again --will be worth your while.
Everlight is somewhat nonlinear, and although some of the tasks must be accomplished during specific chapters, others can be started and/or completed in more than one chapter. If you are playing the game largely on your own and are looking for a hint, you may find the description of that particular challenge in an earlier or later chapter of this walkthrough. I have noted the original location of the inventory items, as well as whether they were discovered during nighttime or daytime as described in the walkthrough – you may discover on your own that certain of the items are available in their original locations both in daytime and during the nighttime.
Note: short paragraphs in italics beginning with the word “note” will discuss various themes within the game. Reading these notes is not necessary in order to progress, and can be skipped if you desire. Skip the notes if you don’t enjoy plot foreshadowing and inferences that may work together to become slight plot spoilers. Also, skip the notes if you’d prefer to enjoy Everlight’s high fantasy environment without thinking about the more serious issues hinted at in the game.
Prologue
Melvin is a somewhat awkward young man who has just been caught in a rainstorm. He stops into a shop to keep from getting soaked by the rain. In terms of exterior appearances, the shop sells only candles. But something much more magical awaits our hero.
Melvin meets Mr. Teeth, who challenges him to a shell game. Melvin chooses all the correct cups under which the flame is hidden (it does not appear to be possible to choose wrongly). Mr. Teeth informs the young man that he has magical powers, and asks if Melvin would like to try his hand at a quest in a magic world. Melvin might qualify to become a magician if he manages to find a spiritual guide and if he overcomes his deepest fears. Irresistible, or what?
Chapter One: Fear of Failure
Click anywhere on the screen to begin Chapter One.
Fiona the Elf: After Melvin agrees to try to discover more about his magical talent, Mr. Teeth magically transports him to a medieval town. There’s a cage hanging from a nearby tree, and a tiny fairy-like creature is flying inside the cage. She berates Melvin as he takes his time deciding whether it’s a good idea to free her.
Click on the cage to talk to Fiona, the flying elf.
There’s a branch lying under the tree below Fiona. Click on the branch to pick it up and it goes into the inventory. (Note: if you want more information about inventory items, right-click on them in the inventory.) Move the cursor to the bottom of the screen and you’ll see the inventory pop up – click to take the branch. You can see the branch attached to the cursor. Click on the tree, and Melvin knocks three times and Fiona’s cage is opened.
Click on the manhole in the ground just to the right of Fiona’s cage (press the “H” key on your keyboard to see the hotspots on this screen if you’re having trouble finding it).
Click on Fiona to talk to her again. Other adventure-seekers have been so incompetent that Fiona no longer makes it hard for them to find her. She will be Melvin’s spiritual guide through the town of Tallen and its environs. (No one but Melvin will be able to see Fiona as she accompanies him on his adventures.)
A Terrible Curse: Melvin’s quest is to figure out how to rid Tallen of a horrible curse – after sundown the inhabitants all go a bit mad. While getting rid of the curse, Melvin also has to confront his deepest fears. These are: the fear of disappointment, the fear of loneliness, the fear of failure, the fear of death, and the fear of fear itself.
The Map: Fiona gives Melvin a magical map – it finds its way into the bottom right portion of the inventory. She also tells Melvin to talk to the town councilors about the town’s curse and suggests going to the Town Hall.
You can delay going to the Town Hall by talking to Fiona again – she describes in detail the various kinds of fears that Melvin will have to overcome.
The Town Hall and the Next-to-be-Served Number: Press the “H” key to locate the Town Hall (If you don’t see it, make sure you’re in the Town Hall Square, and click to move Melvin around a bit before trying the “H” key again). Click to enter the Town Hall door. You can click on the announcements and chair, then talk to Jorog. Tell Jorog that you want to talk to a town councilor, that you want to help the town, and that you’d like an appointment with a town councilor. He gives you a number and tells you to take a place in line. For sixteen years or so.
Melvin walks out of the Town Hall and says that he needs to find someone with a much lower next-to-be-served number.
Chasing Away Mice and Getting in to see the Town Councilors
The Inn: Walk to the left of the screen and click to enter the inn. You can look around at things. Click to pick up the fish soup on the table. Click on Olof to talk to him. He doesn’t remember what happens in the bar at night, though the cash register till is full of cash in the morning. Odd.
The Street at the Hill – Meeting the Neighbors: Click on the map and then click on the Street at the Hill. Here you will find Walt’s house, Daphne’s house and Jeronimo’s house.
Not all areas designated above are available at this point in the game. They will become accessible as gameplay progresses. Red text indicates hotspots on the in-game map.
As Melvin enters the scene, Daphne and Jeronimo are having an argument about a carrot tree. Click on Daphne and Jeronimo to talk to each of them. Ask Daphne if she has spoken to the council, and will she consider exchanging numbers with Melvin. Daphne has the next-to-be-served number that Melvin craves – Daphne wants to use the number to appear before the Town Hall councilors so that they can resolve her dispute with Jeronimo about the tree.
Explore a bit. Talk to Puppy – he’s standing with his skateboard near the statue. Look at the house to the left of the screen with the man sitting on the porch. Click on the holes in the top portion of the house – the house seems to have been hit by projectiles shaped like bullets, but larger than the typical bullet. Talk to Walt, who is somewhat taciturn.
The Library – Mice and the Librarian: Click on the map and go to the Main Road. Enter the library. Lots of cute, upright, running mice. Walk around and examine things. Note the bookcase on the right of the room. There’s a document/parchment in a book in the bookcase – click to take it. Right-click on the document in inventory to learn that it refers to Anubis. Click to take the Book of Magic Creatures from the bookcase – top shelf. (To read more about Magic Creatures, left-click on the book in inventory.)
Click to try to eat the candy in the bowl near the bookcase. Click on the poison in a bowl on the floor. Pick up the craft scissors on the side of the desk near the bookcase (you may need to move Melvin around in order to see the craft scissors).
Move to the left of the room and note the mosaic on the floor. At one corner of the mosaic is a toy dragon to click on that’s also a wind-up lighter.
Talk to Jonas, the librarian. The magical animals talked about in the Book of Magic Creatures have mostly disappeared. Jonas would like to get rid of the mice because they chew the books, but he finds them too adorable to kill by day, though at night his more ruthless personality puts out poison for them. Fortunately, the mice ignore the poison. Click to pick up the candy, now that Melvin has discussed it with Jonas.
Getting Rid of the Mice: Go back out into the Main Road outside the library. In inventory, click on the fish soup (the fish soup’s original location: the inn, daytime) and click on the cat. (Note: if you try this before talking to Jonas the librarian about the mice and the poison, the cat will refuse to eat the fish soup until after Melvin has spoken to Jonas.) Then click to enter the library and the cat will follow you. Talk to Jonas -- the solution is fish soup. Jonas agrees to keep the cat. The mice skedaddle. Jonas asks Melvin to remove the poison. Cross the room and pick up the bowl of poison on the floor. Exit the library.
Note: the curse not only causes the Tallen residents to do odd things at night, but it seems to have affected their problem-solving abilities by day. One way to succeed: first try what’s obvious. For a mouse problem, “hire” a cat.
Mail and Manufactory – Learning about The Magic Capsules: Walk over to the manufactory and Steve’s post shack next door. (It may be a somewhat difficult to do this because there are so many exits on this screen. Use the “H” key and look for the manufactory. Click on the road just below the manufactory door, and Melvin moves to the right – as the scene shifts you can see the post shack and Steve at the post shack window.) Click a couple of times on the postal notice next to the little window and then talk to Steve. Walt is the owner of the Manufactory (remember Walt from the porch in the Street at the Hill). The Manufactory manufactures magic short message transportation products – the capsules (these are ball-shaped) in which the air mail is sent.
Raymond’s Hodgepodge: A Fishing Rod and a Brooch: Click at the bottom of the screen to go out to the Town Gate. Explore this new area. Talk to Waldo, the guard at the gate. Cross the street and talk to Upright Simon, the blacksmith. He needs work to do to earn money.
Cross the street again to talk to Raymond by the Hodgepodge table. Click on the fishing rod (if you haven’t already) and talk to Raymond again. Raymond tries to sell Melvin a brooch. Tell Raymond that the brooch has stains – he goes back into his shop to clean it. Swipe the fishing rod next to the door while he’s away. Raymond returns and, when Melvin says that it still seems stained, Raymond throws the brooch on the ground in disgust. Pick it up.
Right-click on the brooch in inventory to discover that it’s made of copper.
At some point, there will be so many inventory items that they won’t all fit on the first inventory bar screen. To locate the additional inventory items, click on the small arrows to the right of the inventory bar to see the second inventory bar screen.
Daphne and Jeronimo make “Peace” – How to Get Number 13: Click to exit via the Town Gate and find yourself at the map. Click to go to the Street at the Hill. Go to Daphne’s carrot tree, click on the poison in inventory (the poison’s original location: the library, daytime), and click to try the poison on the tree. Fiona scolds Melvin and then tells him that he ought to do this without witnesses.
Go to talk to Puppy – will he do his skateboarding trick to distract Daphne and Jeronimo? Puppy wants a reward – perhaps candy? Melvin tells Puppy that he’ll give him candy (the candy’s original location: the library, daytime), and Puppy does some nice skateboarding moves down the road. Daphne and Jeronimo watch him. While they watch, click to bring the bowl of poison out of inventory (the poison’s original location: the library, daytime) and use it on the tree. The tree’s leaves drop immediately. Daphne throws her town council number-in-line into her trash can (next up – number 13). Click on Daphne’s trash can to pick up the number.
Note: Melvin cuts right through this Gordian knot by killing off the immediate source of the quarrel. From what we can tell of the town councilors and their employee Jorog, it’s unlikely that they would have resolved Daphne and Jeronimo’s quarrel even if they’d agreed to hear the case. Still, this was not as neat a solution as the cat in the library. Another way to succeed: use drastic measures when necessary.
Meeting the Town Councilors: Use the map and go to the Town Hall Square. Enter the Town Hall and click on the number 13 in inventory (the number 13’s original location: Daphne’s trash can, daylight) and click on Jorog, who complains, but he has to let Melvin pass. Walk further into the room. On the left, just before the open area with the councilors, is a hook with a cellar key on it. Try to swipe it – it looks like you’ll have to distract Jorog somehow in order to get the key.
Talk to Valerius at the tall desk. You learn something about the councilors. They want to test Melvin to see if he is trustworthy. Melvin needs to get a room at the inn and observe Walt’s house at night to see who (or what) is shooting large bullets at the house.
The Mill: Go to the map and click to go to the Mill. Look around and then try to talk to the werepoodle and to Marlene. Click on the Mill – it’s been recently restored. Find that Jorog the janitor lives in a dump and has disabled his doorbell.
Nighttime in the Town of Tallen
While Melvin Slept – Nighttime at the Inn: Use the map to go into the inn in the Town Hall Square. Talk to Olof to rent a room. Go upstairs to sleep and return in the middle of the night to observe what happens when the curse is in effect.
Talk to Olof. At night he becomes an existential philosopher.
Click on the jug of milk in front of Marlene. Talk to Marlene about milk.
Talk to Upright Simon. By night he becomes a drunk. Clearly the money in Olof’s till in the morning mostly comes from Simon.
At this point, it might be a good idea to get more background information on the people in the town and about their world. Talk to Fiona about all of these things.
Sneezing Powder: Talk to Hocus. By night he is a prankster. He has sneezing powder, which he will only give to Melvin if Melvin can come up with something really funny to do with the powder. Tell Hocus that you would use the powder on Valerius, putting it in his pants as he sat at the fireplace all day and causing him to crawl about in the dirt. Hocus gives Melvin the powder.
Tallen Night Follies: Exit the inn (move to the right of the screen and press the “E” key on your keyboard if you can’t find the exit). Talk to Steve if you can catch up to him.
Enter the Town Hall. Unfortunately, the cellar key is missing. Observe Valerius and Adamus and talk to them. They keep very busy at night and aren’t aware of what is going on around them (for instance, they would be unaware of changes a visitor might make to the items on Adamus’ desk).
Use the map and go to the Street at the Hill. Click on Walt’s house. There doesn’t seem to be much to observe here about Walt’s house at night after all.
Daphne at Night: Enter Daphne’s house. At night, Daphne becomes a dominatrix. Take the book of matches by the lit candle on the right. (Use the “H” key if you can’t find them.) Click on the perfumed candles on the table by the fruit. Click on Daphne if you’d like to talk with her further. Ignore her if you’d rather not interact with her at this point.
More Night Changes: Walk to the Main Road. Enter the library. Examine the cell phone and the cell flap. Pick up the magnet in the cell phone device. Talk to Jonas. By night Jonas is an egomaniacal, cutting-edge inventor -- abilities that Melvin might be able to tap into later.
Exit the library and talk to Walt, who is sitting on the steps. (I like him better by night.)
Walk to the Town Gate. Talk to Raymond and Waldo. Waldo’s “night-self” is particularly intriguing, given his responsibility to fearlessly guard the town gate. Click on the trap door near the anvil, now that Simon isn’t observing the area. Melvin won’t go in there until there’s a need.
Go to the map and click to go to the Mill. Look around. By night the werepoodle is a lot bigger and a lot meaner. Talk to Fiona to gain more understanding about the world and state of things -- Fiona explains about the werepoodle.
Solving the Magic Bullets Mystery and Shopping at the Magic Shoppe
Walt Fingers a Suspect: Switch back to daytime by clicking on the icon on the far right part of the inventory. Go to the Street at the Hill and talk to Walt – mention that the council has told you to investigate the bullets fired at his house at night. Ask him who might be a suspect. He mentions Farida, a witch.
Farida’s Magic Shoppe: Use the map to go back to the Town Gate and click on the door of Farida’s Magic Shoppe. Plenty of things to examine in here! Walk around and explore a bit.
Talk to the Coast Frog in the terrarium. Click on the statuette under the Frog’s terrarium. The statuette looks innocuous enough, but there’s more here than meets the eye.
Walk over to the counter (Farida is standing behind it). Pick up the genie in the bottle on the floor in front of the counter where Farida is standing. Pick up the flyer on the counter next to Farida. Right-click on it in inventory to examine it – it’s an advertisement for a rejuvenation potion that takes you back to your youth. It’s very expensive. Click on the abacus on the counter. Pick up the magic ink on the short table with the bowls on it. (If you can’t find an item mentioned here, press the “H” key on your keyboard to reveal all hotspots.)
Farida: Talk to Farida. She seems quite reasonable, considering Walt’s description of her. Use all the dialog choices about the statuette under the terrarium. Farida must have acquired it during the night, but she has no memory of how she acquired it. Talk to Farida about Walt’s accusation.
Melvin has no money, so Farida takes back all the stuff he just pocketed, except for the magic slow-drying ink which only can be made visible with the powder in Farida’s shop that Melvin can’t afford to buy. (Life is very cruel.)
Melvin automatically leaves the shop. Farida is painting the shop’s exterior. Talk to her again.
Talk to Fiona about Farida and ask about people and things to understand, especially about the likelihood that Farida is the culprit in the shootings. Fiona says to check out the alley next to Walt’s house. If you wish, talk to Waldo the guard at the gate about his employment contract.
The Sneezing Powder Gag: Click on the sneezing powder in inventory (the sneezing powder’s original location: the inn, nighttime) and click on Farida. Watch the result.
Getting Gold into Simon’s Hands: The sign is broken, and Simon the Upright Blacksmith walks over to pick it up and repair it. Farida will pay Simon for the repair, so that Simon will have money once again. How can Melvin use this knowledge? Talk to Simon before you leave, using all possible dialogs.
The Hermit’s Cave: Now it’s time check out Fiona’s hint about the alley next to Walt’s house. Go to the map and go to the Street at the Hill. Melvin automatically examines the alley next to Walt’s house, and a new location – Hermit’s cave – becomes available. Click to go to the Hermit’s cave, and explore a bit.
Click on the trash pile. Talk to Kalas the Hermit. He is not particularly responsive. Kalas finally stands up and talks to Melvin. The garbage around his place is from tourists who come to gawk at him. He’s missing his usual guard dog – which sounds suspiciously like the statuette back at Farida’s. Melvin tells Kalas where the statuette is currently located.
Talk to Fiona about Kalas. Click on the playing cards in Kalas’ cave. Walk back down to the Street at the Hill and click again on the bullet holes in Walt’s house for Melvin’s current theory as to what caused them.
Night Gambling at the Inn: Switch to nighttime by clicking on the icon on the right portion of the inventory screen. Use the map to go to the Town Hall Square and enter the inn. Talk to Simon and agree to gamble with him. Melvin automatically uses Mr. Teeth’s shell game cups. Melvin is surprisingly good at this, and nets 40 gold coins from this gamble. You can talk to Hocus if you like, to tell him how you used his sneezing powder.
The Hermit’s Cave at Night: Click on the map to go to the Street at the Hill and walk to the Hermit’s Cave. Kalas has left the cave and the playing cards are gone. Use the map to go to the Town Gate and try to enter Farida’s shop – it’s closed. Is she inside playing cards with Kalas?
Shopping at Farida’s: Switch to daytime at the bottom right of the screen and enter Farida’s shop. Take the magic powder from the counter. Talk to Farida and pay for the magic powder and the genie in a bottle. Ask her about playing cards. (Melvin is learning how to be rude to people – maybe he will turn into a typical hero after all!)
Marking the Playing Cards: Use the map to go to the Hermit’s Cave. Talk to Kalas. Click on the playing cards in Kalas’ cave. In inventory, click on the magic ink (the magic ink’s original location: Farida’s shop, daytime) and click on the cards. Melvin won’t put ink on the cards without first asking permission. (Maybe the rudeness to Farida was a temporary aberration.) Talk to Kalas to ask his permission, which he grants. In inventory, click on the magic ink and then on the playing cards in Kalas’ cave.
Kalas and Farida: The Confrontation: Switch to nighttime. Kalas is gone. If he’s playing cards with Farida, the cards should now be marked. Switch to daytime and use the map to go to Farida’s shop. Talk to Farida about going to see Kalas.
You’ll automatically be back at the Hermit’s Cave. Melvin puts powder on Farida and Kalas’s hands – both used the playing cards the previous night. They argue about the statuette and part as enemies.
Note: so far Melvin is a failure when it comes to patching up old quarrels among the residents of Tallen. But at least he now knows why Walt’s house has been attacked at night.
Solution for the Magic Bullets Mystery: Caught in the Crossfire. Farida has been shooting magic bullets at Kalas’ cave at night because of their quarrel over the statuette and Kalas’ repeated attempts to steal it back. Farida’s magic bullets have been falling short and hitting Walt’s house instead. How can Melvin stop the shooting war before someone gets hurt?
Getting the Statuette -- Officially Fooling Farida
Talk to Fiona about what you don’t understand. Fiona says there must be an official way to get Farida to turn the statuette back over to Kalas, so that Kalas doesn’t continue to try to steal it, prompting Farida to shoot magic bullets in the direction of his cave. But Melvin will need an official document and a uniform to accomplish this.
Stripping the Scare-guard of his Uniform: Use the map to go to the Town Gate where you know there’s a Scare-guard with a useable uniform. Click on the genie in a bottle (the genie’s original location: Farida’s shop, daytime) in inventory and click on Waldo the guard. Waldo is unimpressed.
Switch to nighttime. Try the genie in a bottle on Waldo again. Waldo is frozen with fear. Click on the scare-guard to take the uniform. (Melvin will change into and out of the uniform only when he is near the town gate – to get him to change, click on the uniform in inventory while Melvin is standing near Raymond’s Hodgepodge, and Melvin will go into the alley next to Farida’s shop and either put the uniform on or take it off.)
Getting an Abridged and then an Official Document: In inventory, refresh your memory about the “document’s” contents by right-clicking on it (the document’s original location: the library, bookcase near the desk, daytime) to read what the it says about Anubis. (If you are only referring to this walkthrough only occasionally, and find that you can’t now find the document in the bookcase in the library, you may have picked it up without realizing it earlier in the game – right-click on all documents currently in inventory and see if any of them refer to Anubis.) Click on the document and combine it with the craft scissors (the craft scissor’s original location: the library, near the desk, daytime) to get an abridged document.
If Melvin is wearing the uniform, click on the uniform in inventory to get him to take it off (he won’t wear the uniform while walking all over the town).
Use the map to go to the Town Hall Square. Enter the Town Hall and click on the abridged, signed document in inventory, then click to place it in the basket on the desk. (If you have switched to daytime at some point, switch back to nighttime in order to put the abridged, signed document in the basket on Adamus’ desk.)
Switch to daytime. Walk all the way out of the Town Hall and click to look at the document on the bulletin board to the right of the Town Hall door. The abridged, signed document is there! It automatically goes into the inventory.
Ready to Fool Farida with the Uniform and Official Document: Use the map to go to the town gate. Click on the uniform in inventory and Melvin will go into the alley and dress in the uniform (the uniform’s original location: the scare-gard at the town gate).
Now’s the time to confront Farida. Click on the door to Farida’s Magic Shoppe. Fiona gives Melvin advice – Farida will be tricky. Melvin should stand up to her, and not be submissive. Melvin needs to convince Farida that giving the statuette back to Kalas is really Farida’s idea.
Answering Farida’s Questions: Click on Farida to talk to her. If you fail to give the correct answers/responses, Melvin ends up back on the street, where he will sometimes receive further advice from Fiona. He can then try again by trying out different responses.
The correct answers to the eleven questions are:
Question One: I’m the new guy from the town guard.
Question Two: I’m here to confiscate banned magic symbols
Question Three: An Anubis head.
Question Four: I have the official document with Adamus’ signature.
Question Five: We’re talking about the safety of the town.
Question Six: The councilors think that the curse has something to do with a death cult. That makes the Anubis so suspect.
Question Seven: Hocus found a hint in some old writings that makes him believe that there is a connection between jackals and cursed towns. Now they want to examine it more precisely
Question Eight: Hocus, as an expert for Anubis magic, surely knows quite well what he does. At least he found the first useful hint as to the reason for the curse.
Question Nine: If I got that right, the curse is related to old bewitched artifacts that have jackal heads on them. Therefore all objects with this symbol are confiscated for safety’s sake.
Question Ten: I guess we can restrict ourselves to highly magical objects. Some cheap Anubis head magic surely won’t cause a curse.
Question Eleven: I could restrict myself to symbols that are suspicious of causing bad magic. Can you think of anything like that?
Returning the Statuette: Farida gives the statuette to Melvin, who walks outside with it. Fiona compliments him (a first, I think) and then Melvin automatically discards the guard’s costume in the alley. Click on the map to go to the Hermit’s cave and click on the statuette in inventory that Melvin just received in Farida’s shop -- then click on Kalas.
Note: Melvin overcomes his fear of failure, improvises well and shows how persuasive he can be while engaging in battle of wits with a wily antagonist. If he follows Fiona’s directions precisely, he does this quickly. But even if he works through the battle of wits by trial and error, persistence wins out in the end.
Reporting to the Town Councilors: Click on the map and on the Town Square and then enter the Town Hall. Click on Valerius to talk to the councilors. Tell them that Farida is responsible. Then tell them that Kalas has been trying to steal the statuette back. Then say: “I solved the problem. Kalas got his statuette back.”
Chapter Two: Fear of Loneliness
Click on the screen to begin Chapter Two.
The Councilors Agree – Melvin Should Break the Curse: The conversation with the councilors continues. The councilors note that Melvin is not changed by the curse and is the only one who can travel back between daytime and nighttime while remaining unaffected. They want to appoint him as their official designee to figure out how to end the curse.
Note: the events that just unfolded were a sort of warm-up for Melvin’s mystery and problem solving abilities. For the rest of the game he’ll be doing everything he can to figure out what’s causing the curse – but this won’t be easy. The task is complex enough to begin with, but Melvin will also encounter opposition and distractions along the way.
History Lessons and a Beautiful Blonde
Background Information: Talk to each of the councilors in turn – you may be able to talk to each twice. Valerius, the “head” councilor, is clueless when it comes to knowledge of history and about magic – he seems to be all form and no substance.
Hoscus is the most adept magician among the councilors. He mentions that some curses are triggered by events (the town’s curse is probably of that type). Not everyone in town is magical – in fact, there are fewer and fewer magicians around.
Adamus is in charge of the town’s finances. He seems to be the “power behind the throne” in terms of getting anything practical done. He says that Jeronimo used to be town historian, and may know more about the Founders. There’s a magic resin in the trees around Tallen that is the source of the town’s wealth and some of its magic.
Town Founders and Magic Creatures: The town was founded by four magicians who consulted an oracle regarding the town’s best location. Until the current curse, Tallen has been remarkably free of disastrous natural events. It’s almost as though the town has been magically protected.
Ask Fiona about magic, this world and impudence. The forest, in addition to its magic resin, also used to house many magic creatures. There may still be a few left.
Meeting Laura: Exit the Town Hall. A beautiful blonde? Talk to Laura. She is Councilor Valerius’ granddaughter and is staying in Tallen for a few weeks. She isn’t subject to the curse either. She mentions that there are lots of important documents lying around Councilor Valerius’ house. Oddly, Laura is able (part of the time) to see Fiona.
Coffee from Walt: Click on the map and on the Street at the Hill. Talk to Walt – he gives Melvin a cup of coffee as a gift of gratitude.
Go up to the Hermit’s Cave and talk to Kalas and click on the statuette on your way.
Jeronimo as Historian/Illusionist: Return to the Street at the Hill. Talk to Jeronimo about the founders of Tallen, the town councilors, and where to get more information about the town’s history. He mentions the names of the town’s founders. He tries to do a magic illusion, but it isn’t as impressive as he expects. He says that more information can be found at the town library.
Note: Is the curse draining magic from the town, the townspeople and the forest around the town? Or has the reduction in magic been going on for a very long time?
Potency and Pins: Go into Daphne’s house. During the daytime, and now that Daphne isn’t quarreling with anybody, she is pleasant to speak to. Pause to talk to Fiona about Laura and about the magic resin in the trees. Talk to Daphne. Click on the potency formula near the stack of plates on the doily. Talk to Daphne again. She gives Melvin the potency formula. Take her pins (near the tea things) when she isn’t looking. (Use the “H” key to find the pins and potency formula if you need to locate them.)
The Cemetery and the Cellar
Valerius and the Moon Lamp: Go back to the Town Hall Square and walk into the Town Hall. Talk to Valerius about Laura – Valerius gives Melvin a non-charged moonlight lamp – the cemetery would be the best place to charge it. As you walk out, note Jorog’s absence – and pick up the key from the pegboard on the wall to the right of the chair.
Now that Jorog’s Gone…Searching the Cellar: Go back out into the square and click on the cellar key in inventory (the cellar key’s original location: the Town Hall, daytime) and then click on the Town Hall cellar door, which is to the right of the Town Hall.
Melvin automatically goes down the stairs. Explore the cellar a bit. Melvin won’t pick up the dirty tablecloth. Click on the magic mousetrap. Walk across the room to the bookcase with files and coffee tins and pick up the defective/incomplete gramophone. Leaning against the file cabinet, standing on the floor, is a skyrocket. Take that too.
Exit the Town Hall cellar. Click on the bulletin board on the Town Hall exterior to read the Notice from Hocus and the Fireworks Ban.
Cemetery by Day and Night – Charging the Moon Lamp: Click on the map and go to the cemetery at the bottom right corner of the map. Explore the headstones. Walk further into the cemetery and pick up the St. John’s wort. Look at the beautiful anonymous grave. Click on the daylight flower that’s impossible to pick in daylight and then walk to the left and click on the night herb that has faded in daylight.
Switch to nighttime. Click on the night herb (now in bloom) to pick it. Click to bring the moon lamp out of inventory (the moon lamp’s original location: given to Melvin by Valerius at the Town Hall, daytime) and click on the moon. Melvin charges the moon lamp, and it returns to the inventory charged.
Getting Jorog to Leave the Library
Fish at the Inn: Enter the inn and click on the fish wrapped in newspaper that is now on the bar. Talk to Olof. That fish looks familiar!
Newspapers and Headlines: Switch to daytime. Walk to the Main Road. Talk to Puppy, who looks tired and loves coffee. (The cup of coffee’s original location: given to Melvin by Walt on his porch.) Tell Puppy you’ll give him coffee (Puppy seems easy to manipulate by offering food and drink.) Tell Puppy that you’ll keep an eye on the newspapers for him. After he walks away, click on the pile to take a newspaper. Right-click on the current newspaper in inventory to glance through it. The Mill has recently opened after centuries of disuse.
Finding Information about the Town at the Library: Enter the library. Talk to Jorog and Jonas. Puppy’s voice shouting the latest headlines can be heard clearly within the library walls. Melvin can’t find out more information about the town’s past because he isn’t authorized to look through the documents. Jonas can’t break the “authorized persons only” rule while Jorog is in the library, listening to everything that is said and done.
Getting Jorog to Leave the Library: Apparently, Jorog wants to keep Melvin from finding out more about the town’s history. The town’s janitor has plunked himself down in the library where the best information is located, and seems content to stay there indefinitely, unless there’s a much more interesting distraction. Maybe sensational news would get him to budge? Something of interest in the only other newspaper Melvin knows about – the one wrapped around the fish in the inn?
Hot News! Go to the Town Gate and talk to Waldo, who is upset about the scare-guard’s missing uniform. Go into Farida’s shop and talk to Farida – ask about incense sticks and Melvin is given a free fried fish incense stick. Also, cross the street to talk to Simon about jobs, King Arthur and Excalibur 2.0.
Switch to nighttime. Click on the map and go to the Town Hall Square. Enter the inn and in inventory, click on the fried fish incense stick (the incense stick’s original location: Farida’s shop, daytime) and click on Simon. (Before Melvin can light the incense, he needs the matches originally located in Daphne’s house, nighttime.)
Melvin lights the incense and Simon becomes so hungry for fried fish that he demands it from Olof, who unwraps the paper around the fish on the bar and takes the fish to the kitchen to cook it. Olof throws the newspaper into the trash can by the bar. Click on the old newspaper and Melvin will pick it up. Right-click on the old, crumpled newspaper to examine it in inventory – “Town Hall Up in Flames!” Did that really happen? It’s the kind of headline that might lure Jorog from the library if he thought it was current news.
Making Old News New Again: Switch to daytime. Go to Daphne’s house and click on the old newspaper in inventory (the old newspaper’s original location: the inn, nighttime) and then on Daphne. She will iron the old newspaper for Melvin and give it back to him – it’s now an ironed newspaper.
Walk down to the Main Road. Talk to Puppy about being tired. He leaves for a short break. Click on the ironed newspaper in inventory (the newspaper’s original location: the inn, nighttime) and click on the pile of newspapers. Melvin puts the ironed newspaper on top of the pile. Puppy returns and notices the new headline. “Town Hall Up in Flames!”
The Library for Research and as an Inventor’s Shop
The Fourth Town Founder Gone Missing: In the library, Jorog hears the headline being shouted and runs to check it out. Click to enter the library and talk to Jonas. He gives Melvin documents that can’t leave the library. Right-click in inventory to read the documents. The town site was selected by three magicians: Valerian, Pocus and Adamian, but there is an indication of a fourth founder who may have been written out of the record. Perhaps the curse is related to that fourth founder. To find out more, Melvin needs someone to build him a time machine so he can go back and witness events as they unfolded. Click on the document about the town’s history in inventory and click on Jonas to return the document.
For Ancient Mysteries – Build a Time Machine: Switch to nighttime and talk to Jonas about building a time machine. There was a local scientist named Triplestein who built a time machine, which endangered the town. The plans are still at the Town Hall or with Valerius – if Melvin can get his hands on them, Jonas can build a time machine from the plans.
The Dungeon and Making Magic Mail Capsules
Time Machine Document and Laura’s Letter: Switch to daytime and go to the Town Square. Talk to Laura. Melvin wants her to find the document describing the time machine at Valerius’ house. Laura agrees to do this if Melvin will send a letter to her boyfriend – the current mail system isn’t functioning properly. Melvin (all the time wishing that the boyfriend didn’t exist) agrees. Laura gives Melvin the letter. Melvin is now officially involved a love triangle, in this pitiful “go-between” capacity.
Why Don’t You Speak for Yourself, Melvin? Walk to the main road and go to the mail/post shack next to the manufactory. Click on the letter in inventory (the letter’s original location: Laura in the Town Square, daytime) and click on Steve. He is on strike and so he won’t mail the letter. Walt, who manufactures the magic capsules at the manufactory next door, has raised the magic mail capsule prices so high that Steve can’t afford to use them. If Melvin wants to mail a letter, he’ll have to come up with another capsule supplier in order to do so.
Wanted: A Cheap Supply of Magic Capsules: Talk to Puppy. Ask him about rumors and learn about the tunnel that leads out of the dungeon.
Walk up the hill and talk to Walt. Walt leaves for the manufactory. Walk to the Main Road and click to enter the manufactory. Explore a bit. Talk to Walt again. Eventually he throws Melvin out of the manufactory and goes home. Fiona talks to Melvin and tells him that Walt needs a magic capsule competitor so that the prices he asks for the capsules will be reduced.
The Tunnel to the Manufactory: Talk to Steve about entering the manufactory and about Walt’s father, who found an escaped convict in the manufactory and forced him to work for decades. The tunnel from the dungeon ends in the manufactory. Melvin needs to get arrested and thrown into the dungeon so he can go from the dungeon to the manufactory and figure out how to make the magic capsules.
Getting into the Dungeon to Get into the Manufactory: Walk to the Town Gate and compare Waldo unfavorably to a slice of toast. Melvin ends up in a cell with no tunnel in sight.
Note: Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea! Does Melvin really need to spend time in solitary confinement in order to overcome a fear of loneliness? Seems a trifle extreme.
Explore the cell a bit. Click on the window and pick up the radish. Walk further toward the table with the spoon and take the mushrooms growing on the wall to the left of the table. (Use the “H” key if you’re having trouble finding them.) Read the “guest book” on the table, clicking several times to read various entries.
Click near the door to call the guard and say that you are starving. The guard gives Melvin a cheese sandwich without the cheese. Melvin puts the sandwich/toast slices on the floor, and then he hears a rat squeaking. He’s not so lonely after all! He has to tempt the rat to come closer.
Tempting the Rats: Pick up the sandwich/toast slices near the cot. In inventory, combine the toast slices with the radish and mushrooms to get a mushroom-radish sandwich.
At this point you may need to combine two items that are not on the same inventory bar screen. To do this, click to pick up one item, which will attach itself to the cursor. Then click on the little arrows on the right of the inventory bar to scroll through the different screens until you see the right item for the combination – then click on that item.
Place the mushroom-radish sandwich back on the floor near the cot. The rats still aren’t tempted. Click on the cell door to ask for more food. The guard will eventually give Melvin a slice of cheese and a slice of ham.
Pick up the sandwich and put it back into inventory. Then combine the sandwich with the cheese and the ham to get a cheese, ham, mushrooms and radish sandwich. These rats are picky eaters. Click to return the sandwich/toast slices to the correct place on the floor.
A rat wearing a little chef’s hat comes up through a hole in the floor and slides the floor tile out of the way, revealing the secret passage/tunnel. Go down the now-revealed secret passage/tunnel -- Melvin and Fiona wander about in the dark.
Note: It’s strange that Fiona’s “sparkly” quality isn’t operating here, where it would be extremely helpful. Perhaps she wants Melvin to show that he can overcome a fear of the dark as well as fear of everything else on the list.
Learning the Magic Capsules/Balls Manufacturing Process: Melvin comes up through the floor and finds himself in the manufactory, alone.
Take the key near the door. Go to the other side of the room and pick up the empty varnish container under the funnel near the trunk on the floor. (Use the “H” key to locate the varnish containers if necessary.)
Look at the instructional poster on the wall (up a short flight of stairs). It’s impossible to read the writing, but maybe the illustrations will be sufficient.
Use the poster to identify the parts of the machine (holding down the “H” key on your keyboard will help you identify the names of the parts): Number 1 seems to the trap door, with a capsule going in. Number 2 seems to be the cartridge holder, with the cartridge currently missing. Number 3 is the funnel with varnish being poured in. There’s a varnish pressure gauge (it has a curved arrow over it on the poster). Number 4 is the chute for the capsules to exit into the box for capsules.
Talk to Fiona – Melvin needs to set up as a competitor to Walt. To do this, he has to find the right materials – the capsules, the magic resin and the magic varnish so he can use the machine here at the manufactory to create his own magic mail capsules. Leave the manufactory via the front door.
Finding the Right Materials -- The Balls/Capsules: Switch to daytime and go to the Town Gate. Talk to Simon and use all the possible dialogs. Simon has capsules in his cellar – the trap door is currently open. Melvin can’t reach them with his hands.
In inventory, click on the fishing rod (the fishing rod’s original location: Raymond’s Hodgepodge at the Town Gate, daytime) and the cursor becomes attached to the rod, then click on the magnet (the magnet’s original location: the library, nighttime) to combine the two to create a fishing rod with magnetic head. Click on the fishing rod with magnetic head in inventory and click on the open trap door. Melvin won’t use it because Simon might be watching.
Switch to nighttime. Open the trap door. There are capsules down there. Click on the fishing rod with metal head in inventory. Click on the trap door and Melvin fishes for capsules. The inventory now holds many metal capsules.
Finding the Right Materials – Picking Farida’s Brain: Go into the magic shop (Farida now leaves the shop open at night) and talk to Farida. Melvin asks about magic resin and magic varnish. Farida wants the statuette back, and in exchange she may be willing to make the magic resin available. Farida also says that magic varnish can be acquired by combining the flowering night herb with the daylight flower.
Note: this means that Melvin must somehow steal from or trick Kalas, and probably in such a way that Kalas doesn’t have the ability to try to steal the statue back at night, which would trigger the magic bullet war again. Kalas has to be set up for some serious distraction.
Finding the Right Materials -- The Magic Varnish: (Assuming you’ve already spoken to Farida), switch to daytime. Click on the map and go to the cemetery and walk across the screen to the daylight flower. Click on the night herb in inventory (the night herb’s original location: the cemetery, nighttime) and then click on the daylight flower. The flower gets a red center. Click on the empty container in inventory (the empty container’s original location: the manufactory, nighttime) and click on the daylight flower. Varnish is added to the empty container to become magic varnish.
Finding the Right Materials – The Magic Resin: (Assuming you’ve already spoken to Farida), switch to nighttime. Click on the map and go to the Hermit’s Cave. Click to examine the trash pile, the tree, the wine jug and the statuette. Talk to Kalas about borrowing the statuette -- Kalas refuses.
Click on the skyrocket in inventory (the skyrocket’s original location: the Town Hall cellar, daytime) and click on the wine jug outside Kalas’ cave. In inventory, click on the matches (the matches’ original location: Daphne’s House, nighttime) and use them on the skyrocket. It flashes across the sky. Waldo comes to arrest Kalas. After Kalas is arrested, Melvin goes back to the cave. Pick up the statuette.
Click on the map and return to Farida’s shop. Talk to Farida – Melvin offers her the statuette and she gives him magic resin in return. It goes into inventory as a magic cartridge.
Manufacturing the Magic Capsules/Balls: Walk to the manufactory. Click on the manufactory key in inventory (the key’s original location: the manufactory at night at the end of the dungeon tunnel) and click on the door. You may need to click again in order to enter.
Click on the metal capsules in inventory (the metal capsules’ original location: the opening in the ground at Simon’s smithy, nighttime) and click on the trap door (use the “H” key to identify it if you can’t find it). Melvin puts the metal capsules in the machine. (Step 1 in the instructional poster.)
Click on the magic resin cartridge (the magic resin cartridge’s original location: Farida’s shop in exchange for the statuette, nighttime) and then click on the cartridge holder on the left side of the machine. (Step 2 in the instructional poster.)
Click on the magic varnish (the magic varnish’s original location: combining the night herb with the daylight flower in the cemetery, daytime) and click on the funnel. Melvin pours the varnish into the funnel. (Step 3 in the instructional poster.)
Click on the control desk. The machine begins pumping out the magic capsules, now transformed into magic mail balls/capsules. Click in the box for capsules to put them into inventory – they enter the inventory as magic mail balls. Exit the factory.
Mailing Laura’s Letter, Getting the Time Machine Plans
Finally Mailing Laura’s Letter: Switch to daytime. Click on the magic mail balls/capsules in inventory (their original location: the manufactory, nighttime after the machine has produced them). Give them to Steve. Steve and Melvin discuss price. Walt gets involved.
Note: Melvin has now repaired the mail system in Tallen in order to mail Laura’s letter so that Laura will give him the time machine plans from her grandfather’s house. Will he have the integrity to keep his promise to Laura, despite the probability that mailing the letter means aiding the continuation of Laura’s romance with a rival?
Click on the letter in inventory (the letter’s original location: Laura at the Town Square, daytime) and click on Steve. Steve offers to mail the letter free of charge. Melvin finds he’s ambivalent about mailing the letter. Fiona attempts to call his bluff.
Note: You can try to keep the letter or destroy it (just for starters, I tried burning it, tossing it into the Abyss, putting it down the manhole, feeding it to the nighttime werepoodle, and giving it back to Laura) but (as far as I could tell) NOT mailing the letter is not an option. In the end, Melvin has to be able to do the right thing, even at the risk of losing Laura.
Click on the letter in inventory again and click on Steve. Steve finally mails the letter. Talk to Puppy about rumors, for a reminder of the person Melvin had to sacrifice in order to get the mail working again.
The Time Machine Document: Click on the map and on Town Hall Square and talk to Laura. Laura gives Melvin Triplestein’s Plan.
Click on the map and on the Main Road. Enter the Library.
Switch to nighttime. Click on Triplestein’s Plan in inventory (the plan’s original location: Laura in the Town Square, daytime) and click on Jonas. Jonas takes the plan, expresses enthusiasm, and then asks Melvin to leave him alone to work.
Note: Melvin’s Accomplishments and Failures So Far. Accomplishments -- Chasing the mice out of the library. Getting past Jorog to talk to the Town Hall councilors. Ending a shooting war between Farida and Kalas. Getting past Jorog to read the library’s town foundation documents. Fixing the mail system. Keeping a difficult promise to Laura. Manipulating Walt to give Steve a reasonable price on the magic capsules. Starting up the time machine project with Jonas.
Failures & Questionable Actions -- Killing a tree. Not fully resolving the disagreements between Jeronimo and Daphne and between Farida and Kalas. Playing a dangerous practical joke on Farida. Tricking Simon out of 40 gold coins. Impersonating a municipal official. Committing a crime that resulted in Kalas being sent to the dungeon.
Chapter Three: Fear of Disappointment
Click on the screen to begin.
Lucky in Love? Talk to Fiona. Then talk to Laura about her boyfriend. Talk to Puppy, who is now also in the Town Hall Square in front of the Town Hall. Puppy gives Melvin a stink bomb.
Enter the Town Hall and speak rudely to Jorog. When he’s feeling stress, Jorog seems to resort to a pocket flask filled with an unknown substance.
Talk to Valerius. Melvin gives Valerius the charged moon lamp. They discuss Laura, who Valerius says is quite demanding.
Fiona tells Melvin to take Laura on a romantic picnic outside of town. Part of Melvin’s Fear of Disappointment challenge is to figure out how to stop acting like a dork. (Fiona then displays the likely result if Melvin doesn’t improve his social skills by flying away in a snit.)
Kalas is Stuck in the Dungeon: Talk to Valerius again, this time about Kalas. Kalas may not get out of the dungeon for a couple of years, since the wheels of justice turn so slowly (since Valerius has misplaced all the trial documents, the wheels of justice may never turn at all). Fiona chimes in that Melvin cannot win his series of challenges unless he somehow manages to free Kalas.
Mice and a Poodle Near the Mill
Of Mice and Men: Use the map to go to the Mill. Talk to Larry. The cellar would be like a palace to him if it weren’t for the mousetrap baited with the finest alpine cheese made from happy cows. If you click to talk again, Larry discusses his concerns for his family when the snows of winter approach, etc.
Note: it seems that Melvin hasn’t figured out how to help one set of town residents or individuals without harming another set. Everything in the town is finely balanced, and he’s been acting without taking that into consideration. He needs to become more empathetic towards others – even towards animals – and not focus on his own potential disappointments.
Go toward the Mill and talk to Marlene. She has recently managed to get the Mill working again, after it had been abandoned for centuries (there must be a water source under the Mill somewhere). Talk to her about the werepoodle. Click on the sacks of flour and laundry basket.
Setting the Scene for a Picnic with Laura
Planning the Midnight Picnic: Click on the map and go to the Clearing (it’s outside the town wall and west of the Mill). Fiona tells Melvin what he needs for his romantic midnight picnic with Laura – a white tablecloth, candles, music and something to eat. Talk to Fiona if you’d like more details or if you’ve forgotten which items are necessary for the picnic.
Explore a bit. Click on the rustic hunting lodge to the right of the screen, and note the pond between the hunting lodge and the stone table. Pick up the rake near the hunting lodge.
The Tablecloth: Go down into the Town Hall cellar and take the dirty tablecloth. Melvin needs to wash it. Go to the Mill and talk to Marlene. She’ll wash the tablecloth (the tablecloth’s original location: the Town Hall cellar, daytime), but she won’t do a load until there is more dirty laundry.
Switch to nighttime and click on the clean clothing. Melvin brings down the clothesline. Switch to daytime. Marlene finds all her clean clothes are now dirty. She does the laundry and hangs it on the line. Click on the clean clothing and a clean tablecloth goes into inventory. You have fulfilled Fiona’s request for a clean tablecloth for the midnight picnic with Laura (though it’s not exactly white).
Recipe for the Perfect Dinner: Melvin is clueless when it comes to meal preparation – he’ll need to get ideas from the townsfolk. Use the map to go to the Street at the Hill. Talk to Daphne inside her house. She gives Melvin a broccoli gratin recipe. Talk to Jeronimo. He owns the hunting lodge, but he doesn’t want Melvin going there. He gives Melvin a chicken recipe.
Daphne of the Perfumed Candles: Switch to nighttime. Go inside Daphne’s house and into the bedroom – perfumed candles! In inventory, click on the stink bomb (the stink bomb’s original location – Puppy standing outside the Town Hall) and click on the candles – Melvin says that that’s a good idea, but he can’t do it while Daphne is watching.
Exit Daphne’s house and in inventory click on the stink bomb and click on the window of Daphne’s house. Go into the house and click on the perfumed candles and then talk to Daphne (who is standing at the left of the screen near the bed) about the smell. (You don’t need to use the other Daphne dialog options if you don’t wish to.) Melvin convinces Daphne that the source of the smell is the “fragrance” of the perfumed candles. Take the perfumed candles. You have fulfilled Fiona’s request for romantic candles for the midnight picnic with Laura. Exit the house.
The Music: Creating a Portable Orchestra: Talk to Jeronimo, who’s peeping through Daphne’s window, and use all the dialog options. Jeronimo gives Melvin a key to the hunting lodge, and takes the rejuvenation flyer (the rejuvenation flyer’s original location: Farida’s shop, daytime). Jeronimo says that he’ll order the rejuvenation drink advertised in the flyer.
The Hunting Lodge: Use the map to visit the Clearing. Click on the key to the hunting lodge (the key’s original location: Jeronimo outside Daphne’s house, nighttime) and use it on the door. Explore the hunting lodge a bit. Take the hunting horn and the ram horn (the ram horn is from the ram skull over the bed on the left of the screen). Click on the honey pot on the table and note its location for possible future use.
More Steps for Making Music: Switch to daytime and use the map to go to the Town Gate. Talk to Simon and use all the dialog options. Simon gives the saw and a fried fish recipe to Melvin. Excalibur 2.0 is completed.
You can only keep Simon’s saw while standing near him. In inventory, combine the saw (taken from Simon) and the hunting horn (the hunting horn’s original location: the hunting lodge, nighttime) to get a sawn up hunting horn. Click on the saw and click on Simon to return the saw to him.
In inventory, click on the sawn up hunting horn – the horn will attach to the cursor, and you can then click on the arrows on the right of the inventory bar to search for the right inventory bar screen – the one with the incomplete gramophone. Click on the incomplete gramophone to combine it with the hunting horn (the incomplete gramophone’s original location: the Town Hall cellar, daytime) to get a gramophone. You have fulfilled Fiona’s request for music for the midnight picnic with Laura.
The Food – Laura’s Preferences and Finding a Chef: While still in the Town Gate area, talk to Farida and get a Tortilla recipe. Then use the map to go to the Town Hall Square and enter the Town Hall. Talk to Jorog about what he’s drinking – it’s medicine to calm his nerves. Talk to Hocus and get a Surprise Soup recipe. (At this point, you can right-click on all the recipes to hear Melvin comment on them if you wish.)
Talk to Valerius. You can ask his opinion of all the recipes. Valerius has entertainingly bizarre opinions of all of them except the chicken recipe, so you might want to leave the chicken recipe until last. Now, how to cook the recipe?
Enter the inn and talk to Olof. He doesn’t want to be Melvin’s private chef. How unaccommodating!
Switch to nighttime. Talk to Hocus about the “freaky horn” he is playing -- its music seems painful to Fiona, though Melvin can’t hear the music at all. Hocus refuses to give the instrument to Melvin. Talk to Olof. He is concerned about Simon, who is becoming even drunker than usual and has finally reached the bad poetry stage. Agree to get Simon to go home in exchange for Olof preparing the chicken recipe. Ask Olof about the curse to receive some words of wisdom.
Doing the Mice and the Olof a Favor – Stinky Cheese and Sending Simon Home
Talk to Simon and attempt to reason with him. What would make him stop drinking and go home? He says that seeing white mice dancing a polka would make him go home.
Of Men, Rejuvenation, and Dancing White Mice: Switch to daytime. Melvin needs something that will give him influence with Larry and his family of mice – plus it’s time to see if the rejuvenation drink has arrived at Jeronimo’s house. Go to the Street at the Hill and note that, on the steps of Jeronimo’s house, is a plate of snack food. Cheese, anyone? Click on the snack food and Limburger goes into the inventory. Right-click on the Limburger and find that it stinks and is unappealing to the palate.
Also at Jeronimo’s house is a parcel on the mailbox. Take the parcel and discover that it contains the rejuvenation drink mentioned in the flyer.
Unbaiting the Mousetrap: Use the map to go to the Town Hall Square and enter the Town Hall cellar. In inventory, click on the Limburger (the Limburger’s original location: Jeronimo’s house, daytime) and then click on the magic mouse trap. Melvin substitutes the unappetizing, smelly cheese for the irresistible cheese currently in the trap.
Use the map to go to the Mill. Talk to Larry and tell him that his family can move into the cellar in exchange for dancing the polka for Simon. Larry is dubious, but Melvin puts the whole family in his pocket to attempt the deed. The mice are now in inventory as Larry’s Family.
Whitening the Mice: Click on Larry’s Family in inventory and on the sack of flour next to the Mill. Larry protests, but convince him by telling him that it’s for a good cause. Once Larry and his family are whitened by the flour, they hop back into the inventory as white mice.
Switch to nighttime. Use the map to go to the Town Hall Square and enter the inn. Click on the white mice in inventory (the mice’s original location: near the Mill, daytime) and click on Simon. Simon questions whether the white mice are dancing a real polka (I agree with Simon -- it’s not like any polka I’ve ever danced), but the mice are sufficiently disturbing to get Simon to leave the inn. Simon’s bottle of Schnapps goes automatically into the inventory.
Getting Olof to Cook the Recipe: Click to talk to Olof – he’ll cook the chicken dish, but only during the day.
Kalas, Amber and the Crystal Energy Resonator
Checking in on the Time Machine: Walk to the Main Road and to the library. Talk to Jonas about the time machine. He needs polished amber – Kalas should know where some is. (And Kalas is still in the dungeon.)
Side Trip for Information from Kalas about Polished Amber: There are two ways to reach Kalas in the dungeon. You can use the key to enter the manufactory – then use the dungeon trap door on the floor of the manufactory. Or you can switch to daytime and insult Waldo at the Town Gate again – Waldo then throws Melvin into the same cell that Kalas is occupying.
Talk to Kalas in the dungeon. He says that it’s easy to find amber around Tallen – just use a crystal energy resonator and look near water. A crystal energy resonator looks like a chestnut that’s been studded with copper-headed pins (copper will have to be added to regular pins) and then is hung by a golden thread. Kalas also remembers how to polish amber, but he’ll only do that as a favor for Melvin if Melvin helps him get out of prison quickly and legally. (If you like, you can read Kalas’ entry in the book on the table.)
The following two tasks – “Coating the Pins with Copper” and “Finding a Chestnut” can be done in either the current chapter (Chapter Three) or the next chapter (Chapter Four). If you wish to find the materials for the crystal energy resonator before having the midnight picnic, proceed as described below. If you wish to find the materials for the crystal energy resonator after having the midnight picnic, skip directly to “Back to Olof to Finish with the Food” and then return to the instructions below after Chapter Four begins.
Coating the Pins with Copper: Use the map to go to the Town Gate. Switch to daytime. Click on the melting pot on the water trough and Melvin puts it in the furnace. In inventory, click on the brooch (the brooch is made of copper, and its original location was the ground near Raymond’s Hodgepodge, daytime) and click on the melting pot in the furnace. In inventory, click on the pins (the pins’ original location: Daphne’s house, daytime) and click on the melting pot. The copper-coated pins then go into the inventory.
Finding a Chestnut: Walk toward the large chestnut tree that’s at the Main Road in front of the tower across from the library. Click on the chestnut tree. How to get chestnuts when they’re out of season? In inventory, click on the parcel with rejuvenation drink (the parcel’s original location: Jeronimo’s mail box, daytime) and get the rejuvenation drink removed from the wrappings. Click on the rejuvenation drink and on the chestnut tree, which returns to its infancy. Click to pick up the chestnut. In inventory, combine the copper-coated pins (copper-coated in Simon’s furnace, daytime) and the chestnut to get a chestnut with pins.
The Midnight Picnic at Last
Back to Olof to Finish with the Food: Use the map to go to the Town Hall Square. Olof will only cook the meal from the chicken recipe in daytime, so if it’s currently nighttime, switch to daytime. Enter the inn and talk to Olof, who cooks a choice meal for you that goes into inventory.
Melvin is now prepared for his first romantic encounter. Exit the inn and fear no disappointment.
The Midnight Picnic: Talk to Laura and invite her to the picnic. You are automatically taken to the Clearing, which is now set up with all the proper accoutrements. Melvin must answer many questions correctly, with integrity, sensitivity and flair. The conversation is somewhat “guided,” so that Melvin can answer differently in a few places, and even wrongly a time or two, and still recover enough to impress Laura.
You should experiment with some of the hilariously wrong answers for awhile, but when you want to end the chapter, try the answers below (if Melvin messes up too badly with his answers, he gets to start over again from the beginning):
Question One: When I first came here, I just knew I had to show you this place!
Question Two: Fiona gave me the idea.
Question Three: Fiona has an urgent date somewhere else.
Question Four: The magic is well concealed in my world, yet it exists.
Question Five: I can’t answer that, Laura. I would need to know you better.
Question Six: Food? Ah, the food is just a minor matter! The most important thing is that we can be here and enjoy this wonderful evening together. (It’s hard to imagine a 15-year-old actually talking like this, but it’s the most effective answer.)
Question Seven: See each other more often? I’d love to see you more often, though I don’t know how much time that stupid curse will take up.
Question Eight: Hmmmmmmmnblblblb (approximately) will work, although Chrchrwlwlwlwrgrg and Mwmwmwrghawrwrwr are probably more entertaining.
Question Nine: I…eh…I like you too. Let’s…eh…Well, you know what I mean.
Melvin and Laura automatically return to Valerius’ house. After a long good-by, during which Laura gives Melvin a curl entwined with gold thread, Melvin remains downstairs where he can search for the documents for Kalas’ trial.
Note: Melvin has set himself up for rejection and disappointment and passed the test. He’s shown empathy and the ability to impress a new acquaintance, who now trusts and likes him. He’s also spent a night in Tallen without Fiona around to observe his every move.
Chapter Four: Fear of Being Afraid
Click anywhere to start the chapter.
You are in Valerius’ house – switch to daylight so that it’s easier to see what you’re doing, and explore a bit.
Kalas Finally Gets a Trial
Kalas’s Case Files: Go into the kitchen and click on the kitchen mill. In inventory, click on the ram horn (the ram horn’s original location: the hunting lodge, nighttime), and click on the mill. Ram horn powder goes into the inventory.
Click on the pantry door and the potato sack. It falls over, revealing Valerius’ case files for the trial. Pick up the case files and Kalas’ case files go into the inventory. Read the note on the wood cabinet next to the pantry. Walk into the parlor/living room, click on Kalas’ Case Files in inventory (the case files’ original location: Valerius’ kitchen, daytime or nighttime) and click on the desk under the window to place the case files where they will be easy for Valerius to find.
Saving Kalas from the Long Arm of the Law: Now it’s time for Kalas’ trial. Go to the Town Hall. Talk to Waldo, who is waiting to testify. Offer to give him a sip from the Schnapps bottle (the Schnapps’ original location: the inn, nighttime) to calm his jitters. Waldo drinks the whole bottle and testifies while “under the influence.” Kalas is acquitted for lack of evidence. Waldo is reprimanded.
Talk to Hocus who is playing the strange instrument that makes only ultrasonic sounds. Ask to take the “horn.” It goes into the inventory as a hocophone.
Note: Melvin doesn’t overcome his “fear of fear” sufficiently to confess that it was he who set off the skyrocket. Of course, if he did confess, he’d be thrown back into the dungeon every time he left through the tunnel to try to finish his “fear of fear itself” challenge.
Exit the Town Hall. There’s a very odd-looking tradesman there. Talk to Norgle the Goblin. He is selling an elixir that (among other things) protects against bird droppings. Automatically, a special detergent sample goes into the inventory. Talk to Fiona about Norgle and his magic elixir and the hocophone.
Locating Amber and a Bucket of Pitch
Finding Amber by Using the Crystal Energy Resonator: It’s time to find some amber for the time machine, now that Kalas is free to polish it. In inventory, combine the curl with gold thread (the curl’s original location: given to Melvin by Laura at Councilor Valerius’ house, nighttime) with the chestnut with pins to get a crystal energy resonator.
Use the map to go to the Clearing. Position Melvin about midway between the two tree stumps and as close to the little pond of water as possible (the pond is next to the hunting lodge). In inventory, click on the crystal energy resonator. Melvin wanders around using the resonator, and stops on the left near a large rock. Maybe the amber is under the rock? In any case, he has to somehow break up the rocks to find the amber.
Distracting Jorog to Get Tools for the Amber: Next use the map to go to the Street at the Hill. Jorog is cleaning the statues. Click on the tool case to find that he has a fully-equipped tool case. Talk to Jorog and ask for a hammer and chisel. Jorog is not cooperative. Offer the magic detergent/potion/elixir. It works a miracle! Jorog runs off to get more detergent. Click on the tool case and Melvin picks up the hammer and chisel.
A Bucket of Pitch – Good for a Prank? Talk to Jeronimo and ask what he’s doing and talk to him about the many unhappy qualities of pitch. Click on the bucket of pitch in Jeronimo’s hand for more information. Jeronimo will give up the bucket of pitch for something even better – like the magic detergent elixir.
Switch to nighttime and back to daytime. The tool box will be gone, and the statue will be clean, and a remnant of the special detergent/magic potion/elixir will be on the statue. Click twice to pick it up and it goes into inventory. Talk to Jeronimo about the special detergent, and then click on the bucket of pitch in his hand. Jeronimo takes the special detergent. (If Jeronimo doesn’t give Melvin the bucket of pitch, you may have to click on the bucket again or talk to Jeronimo again in order to get the bucket of pitch.)
Chiseling the Amber: Use the map to go to the Clearing. In inventory, click on the hammer and chisel (the hammer and chisel’s original location: the Founder’s statue, daytime) and click on the rocks. Melvin breaks the rock apart, revealing a large piece of unpolished amber and automatically picks it up.
Polishing the Amber: Use the map to go to the Hermit’s Cave. The trash heap is even taller, even though Kalas has been in the dungeon. Someone else has been leaving trash! Talk to Kalas, who takes the amber and polishes it and gives it back to Melvin.
The Time Machine
Time for the Time Machine? Switch to nighttime (if you like you can talk to Kalas again for a different “take” on being free) and go to the library to talk to Jonas. Jonas takes the polished amber (polished by Kalas after being chiseled out of the rocks near the hunting lodge in daytime).
Click on the time machine, which is now ready to be used. Melvin discovers that he is too afraid (too sensible?) to use the machine.
Note: According to Fiona, what’s bothering Melvin is a resistance to finding himself in an unknown situation where he will confront something frightful and not be able to deal with it. This sounds like Reasonable Caution, not the Fear of being Afraid (especially given Jonas’ possible incompetence in creating the time machine). Whether Melvin’s fear is reasonable or not, he has to become used to the idea that he can handle dangerous situations. Fiona isn’t challenging him to become a magician only – he also has to become a hero, since the greatest magicians take the same risks that heroes take.
Bolstering Melvin’s Courage – The Dog and the Missing Damsel
The Courage-O-Meter: Fiona gives Melvin a Courage-O-Meter and tells him to practice being a hero until the meter has an acceptable reading. Melvin might want to start by catching a runaway dog.
Where has my werepoodle gone? Go to the Mill and pick up the chain for the werepoodle that’s lying in the street – apparently the werepoodle is the runaway dog. (If you like, you can click on Fiona to talk about how the courage needed to use the time machine is similar to the courage needed to use magic as a magician.)
Use the map to go to the Town Hall Square. No more Steve with a sword, but it turns out that this is where the werepoodle has wandered off to. Click on the poodle chain (the chain’s original location: the street near the Mill, nighttime or daytime) in inventory and click on the werepoodle. You need to stun the poodle before chaining it.
Click on the hocophone in inventory (the hocophone’s original location: the Town Hall, daytime) and click on the werepoodle. The poodle goes mad and starts turning in circles over the manhole. In inventory, click on the poodle chain and then click on the werepoodle (this can be a little difficult as he moves around so fast). Melvin somehow manages to chain the werepoodle and lead it up to the Mill.
Gone Missing: Switch to daytime and visit the Town Square to find Laura gone. Fiona says that she may have been kidnapped, giving Melvin a chance to act like a hero.
Walk to the Main Road and talk to Puppy – Arthur may now have no need of Excalibur 2.0.
Locating Laura: Talk to Steve. Ask about Laura. Steve says that he woke up in the morning with scratches all over his skin and his clothes smelling like a cesspool. Melvin concludes that Steve has taken Laura down into the sewers by night.
Walk to the Town Hall Square and note that Norgle’s cart is directly above the manhole cover. Talk to Norgle and ask him to move his cart. He isn’t inclined to accommodate any requests. (You can try to bribe him with everything currently in inventory, but nothing tempts him.)
Switch to nighttime. Open up the manhole cover and climb down. Laura!
Melvin and Laura are interrupted by Steve. Melvin turns around and runs away. (Okay, he still needs work on the courage thing.) Melvin tells Fiona that he needs a weapon. Isn’t there an extra sword around here somewhere?
Girding for Battle: Switch to daytime and talk to Norgle. Norgle really doesn’t want to move his cart, even though Melvin would find it much easier to rescue Laura by day.
Soothing Simon’s Headache in Order to Get a Sword
Go to the Town Gate. Click on Excalibur by the anvil. Talk to Simon and ask for Excalibur. Simon is willing to give the sword up if Melvin can bring him a headache remedy.
Talk to Waldo if you like. Talk to Farida about a headache remedy. The one-armed witch outside her door can create many potions, including one for easing a headache. Farida gives Melvin a coin with a hole in it to use on the one-armed witch. Exit the magic shop and click on the one-armed witch to see how it works – the witch spews out a shopping list of ingredients for the headache remedy. Right-click on the Ingredients for a Potion list in inventory to see what Melvin will need – the spider’s milk is finicky. (Thank goodness for footnotes.)
The Hangover Drink Recipe: Melvin will need St. John’s wort in honey, ground ram horn and spider milk (cow’s milk can be substituted). Melvin has the ram horn (the ram horn’s original location: the hunting lodge, nighttime) and has already ground it up -- when he visited Valerius’ kitchen (Valerius’ house is the V.I.P. House near the Mill).
Where was that honey? Go to the hunting lodge in the clearing. Once inside, click on the St. John’s wort in inventory (the wort’s original location: the cemetery, daytime) and on the honey jar on the table. The result looks disgusting and goes into inventory as St. John’s wort coated with honey.
Switch to nighttime and click on the Town Hall Square on the map to visit the inn (watch Melvin on the map – he’ll leap right over the town wall near the Mill instead of going back through the Town Gate). Once in the inn, talk to Marlene – she’s at a table to the left -- about taking a sip of milk. The glass of milk goes into the inventory.
Using the One-Armed Witch: Switch to daytime and go to the Town Gate. Click on the glass of milk in inventory (the milk’s original location: the inn, nighttime) and click on the one-armed witch’s stomach where there’s a kind of slot. Melvin puts the milk down the slot. Click on the St. John’s wort coated with honey in inventory (original locations: the cemetery and the hunting lodge, daytime) and click on the witch’s slot. Click on the ram horn powder in inventory (original location: the hunting lodge, nighttime, ground up in Valerius’ kitchen) and click on the witch’s slot.
All that’s necessary now is the coin. Click on the coin in inventory (original location: Farida, daytime) and click on the witch’s slot. The result is a magic ampoule with a greenish liquid inside. Click on the magic ampoule and click on Simon. Simon says that Melvin can have the sword – Melvin picks it up automatically.
The Courage to Fight Steve
The Manhole: Switch to nighttime and go to the Town Hall Square. Open up the manhole cover and descend the stairs. It looks like this will be a duel of words as well as a duel of swords. Melvin answers aggressively with words, but he loses the duel. Fiona tells him that he needs to work on Steve’s insecurities – slander him with gossip during the next duel.
Enter Rumor (Tongues Costume Extra): Switch to daytime. Collect rumors about Steve by talking to Adamus (the accountant at the Town Hall), Puppy by the library, and Olof at the inn. You can gather other rumors from other residents if you like, but only three rumors are necessary. (Norgle won’t gossip unless you pay him.)
Switch to nighttime and return to the Town Hall Square. Go down the manhole again. Fight Steve with the ugly rumors.
Note the bone next to Laura. Click on Laura to undo her chains. Talk to Fiona about the last challenge Melvin must face. Fiona says that Melvin should try to trick someone dangerous who dislikes Melvin.
Head for the exit, but Laura calls to Melvin and tells him that she wants to see what’s on the other side of the sewer. Walk past Laura to the other side and go up to the “dump.”
Reckless Courage -- Provoking Jorog
Jorog’s House: Melvin and Laura end up in Jorog’s house. Explore a bit. (Use the “H” key to locate all the hotspots if necessary.) Magic equipment is stored in a secret room, even though no one in town knows that Jorog is a magician. There’s a shield that’s not the town shield. Click on the carafe to the right of the screen – is that water inside, or something else? Click on the magic tools above the curtain. What’s going on? When you’re finished exploring, talk to Laura and agree to leave.
Setting a Trap for Jorog: Switch to daytime. Go to the Town Hall and talk to Jorog, who is behaving very strangely. Automatically follow Jorog to the cellar to where he keeps retreating whenever he’s feeling nervous. Afterwards, go down into the cellar to take a look at what Jorog’s been hiding. Fiona suggests a trap for Jorog. To examine the elements for the trap, click on the herb brew, the cabinet, and the pit in front of the mousetrap. Now to choose the ingredients for the trap.
Something Painful, Something Sticky, Something Nasty: In inventory, click on the bucket with pitch (the bucket’s original location: Jeronimo, daytime) and on the cabinet to place the bucket on the top of the cabinet. In inventory, click on the rake (the rake’s original location: next to the hunting lodge, daytime) and click on the pit in the floor in front of the mousetrap. In inventory, click on the potency formula (the potency formula’s original location: Daphne’s house, daytime) and click on the herb brew to pour the potency formula into the herb brew.
Ready to Provoke Jorog: Go back and talk to Jorog in the Town Hall again. (If he really is a magician, what follows could be more dangerous than it looks.) Watch the result. When Jorog comes to confront Melvin, answer as aggressively as possible. If you examine the Courage-O-Meter in inventory by right-clicking on it, you’ll find that it is now fully charged.
Note: Melvin is now so courageous he’ll stop at nothing!
The Time Machine
Ready to Time Travel: Switch to nighttime and go to the library. Talk to Jonas and click on the time machine. Melvin will have to use the time machine alone and with no guarantee that it will work correctly or return him to the present time.
Note: Melvin’s Further Accomplishments and Failures: Accomplishments – Making the cellar comfortable for Larry and his family. Creatively setting the scene for a romantic encounter. Sending Simon home when he’s drunk. Impressing Laura for an evening while saying what is helpful, sensitive and true (well, mostly). Searching Valerius’ house and finding Kalas’ case files.
Clearing Kalas and springing him from the dungeon. Discovering the location of amber and getting a large sample. Chaining a vicious werepoodle. Winning a battle with swords and words. Saving a damsel in distress. Healing Simon’s headache. Discovering that Jorog has been hiding his past as a magician. Facing Jorog when he’s at his angriest.
Failures & Questionable Actions – Not admitting guilt in the skyrocket incident. Forcing Larry and his family to live for awhile in a tent. Stealing an expensive rejuvenation formula. Shrinking a tree back to the chestnut stage and sticking it full of pins. Getting Waldo drunk before he testifies. Giving Jorog and Jeronimo a dangerous magic detergent/elixir. Enriching Norgle and letting him keep his cart in the Town Square. Canvassing the town for gossip about Steve. Humiliating Jorog just to get him angry.
Chapter Five: Fear of Death
Click to begin the chapter.
You may want to save your game here, so you can return to the beginning of the chapter and listen to the dialogs again or try out different dialog options and other choices.
Note: Melvin’s adventures so far have prepared him for this final chapter. He’s no longer a rather shy, awkward young man, unaware of his own fears and uncertain of his abilities. His adventures have prepared him to be persuasive, to improvise and use his wits, to make decisions on his own, to show empathy and to convince others to trust him. He’s also able to face the unknown with more confidence.
Explore a bit. Pick up the crowbar. Talk to the stag and tell him that you have a crowbar.
Pure magic.
Click where the founders are standing to listen to their conversation. Afterwards, enter the house. Explore a bit. Look at the banner and shield. Pick up the ladle on the barrel near the torch on the right. Click on the ladle and then click on the barrel. Melvin refuses to drink the magic spring water. Go to the desk and click on the workbook. The workbook explains a lot. Melvin decides to risk everything by using the time machine again.
Exit the house and go over to the time machine. Listen to what the three founders are saying. Take the magic wand near the rock and backpack. Click on the time machine.
Talk to Tomarak. All dialog possibilities seem to lead to the same result. The dialog about how beautiful the place is triggers the best description of the magic spring/well. The dialog pattern: “I can do something for you. Someone is going to try to kill you.” “Jorog is a murderer.” “By any means, they want to build the town by the well because the magic power is strongest there” gives the most complete response. But the dialog: “I’m from the future, and I know that someone wants to kill you!” has some interesting entertainment value too.
When the conversation with Tomarak ends, click to go to the magic spring/well. Listen to the conversation. You will be given a choice. Watch the ending sequences. Read Fiona’s final comments on Melvin’s past performance and readiness to become a magician.
This document was provided to GameBoomers.com and may not be distributed without express written permission of the author and the content may not be altered in any way.
Copyright © 10/2008 BeckyWaxman
