Redemption
| Redemption | |
|---|---|
| ◄Eamon adventure #256► | |
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| Author | Sam Ruby |
| Released | May 1993 |
| Revised | 29 April 2000 |
| EAG number | SD137 |
| EDX number | 09-16 |
| EDX set | The Sam Ruby Adventures |
| Native format | Apple ProDOS |
| File | Eamon 256 - Redemption.dsk |
Redemption is a commercial Eamon adventure written by Sam Ruby and published in Softdisk issue 137 (side B), released May 1993. Based on a review by Tom Zuchowski, the Eamon Adventurer's Guild gives Redemption a 9.5 rating, higher than any other adventure. Ruby continues the story in two subsequent adventures also published by Softdisk: Banana Republic and The Curse of Talon.
Premise
While you're away from the kingdom adventuring, a huge dragon named Argon takes up residence in the steaming crater of a nearby volcano and regularly raids the kingdom, slaughtering livestock and plundering treasure. The dragon prophesies that he's fated to die in his sleep, but he seals his lair with a large boulder to prevent anyone from entering while he rests.
Learning this upon your return, you assure the king you can kill Argon and convince him to commission the construction of a golden statue of a cow: you plan to hide inside, and when Argon returns it to his lair, leap out and slay him. Despite the considerable expense and risk, the king agrees, but on the day the statue is to be offered to Argon you wake up hung-over and climb into the statue without your sword. Taken by Argon to his lair, you have no choice but to flee, and when the dragon realizes the attempted ploy he angrily disposes of the statue in a pool of lava.
Incensed at your incompetence and the loss of his gold, the king turns you over to a band of slavers who take you to work in the western mines. Escaping them, you begin your long trek home.
| Full introduction |
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You see now that it had been a really boneheaded idea in the first place. The Slavers are nowhere in sight. It seems you've finally given them the slip. That's the good news. The bad news is, you have no idea where you are, and although you could probably find your way back the way you came, the Slavers would get you. If you had your armour, weapons, your warhorse... but you've got nothing. And even if you could manage to get past the Slavers, whether by stealth or force, you'd probably be executed by the King's soldiers the minute you got home. You've been in the Slavers' hands for some time, but not long enough to expect that the King has by now forgiven you. And why should he? It really was a boneheaded idea. * * * It all started when you returned to your home kingdom after a prolonged period of adventuring. In your absence, a humongous dragon named Argon had taken up residence near the steamy crater of Mount Collapso. A particularly greedy and gluttonous dragon, Argon had nearly decimated the kingdom through his destructive marauding. There was hardly a horse, pig, sheep, goat, or cow left in the nation. Argon had also amassed quite a hoard of treasure at the expense of your countrymen. The King's warriors and wizards were soundly trounced in one battle after another. Argon, a dragon of few words, cryptically informed them in the midst of one skirmish that he was fated to die while asleep, not in combat. This was confirmed by an independent prophesizing firm commissioned by the King. Naturally the Royal Guard attempted to infiltrate Argon's lair and dispatch him while he was napping. Unfortunately, what Argon lacked in eloquence he more than made up for in wariness; the King's men always found his cave blocked off by a large, immovable boulder. Enter you and your hair-brained scheme. Recalling an ancient legend about the downfall of a certain city, and hoping to take advantage of Argon's love of treasure, you advised the King to build a giant, golden statue of a cow (Argon's favorite appetizer), adorned with all kinds of precious stones. Hidden in the statue would be a secret compartment in which you would hide. Wheel it outside the city, you told the King, and Argon will take it back to his cavern, thinking it some pathetic (but shiny) form of tribute or appeasement. Then, while the dragon slept, you would leap out and kill him with your awesome weaponry. The King, with whom you held considerable favor, accepted your advice and did as you suggested. It pained him to take such a drastically expensive course of action, but he trusted you, and after all, he'd get the statue back once the dragon was dead. But on the night in which the plan was put into motion, you had been partying with some friends from out of town. You showed up at the gates with your scabbard, but not your sword! In the darkness, none of the engineers noticed. They simply tucked you into your compartment, where you promptly passed out. Early the next morning Argon came calling, and sure enough, he was immensely amused and pleased with the Golden Cow. Just as you had anticipated, he took it back to his cave (stopping along the way to munch on a caravan's horses) and sealed himself inside. By this time you had discovered your mistake, so you got out of the statue and prepared to escape when Argon next left his lair. You were successful in doing so, but you forgot to close the trap door to the secret compartment behind you. When Argon returned, he figured out what had been tried, and in a fit of rage he took the statue, flew high above the royal city, and with unerring precision dropped it on the palace. Adding insult to injury, he retrieved the statue and deposited it in the sulfurous lake in the crater of Mount Collapso. Needless to say, the King was furious. Here he was in the middle of the greatest national emergency since the Ale Revolt of 1093, and you had convinced him to melt down half his treasury to build that stupid... thing which now lay at the bottom of a bubbling, boiling, volcanic cesspool! Plus he was catching hell from the Queen for losing her favorite diamond necklace! In a quick show trial you were convicted of Treasonous Negligence of the Highest Degree. Since you woefully lacked the moolah needed to repay the King, you were turned over to the Slavers, who would see that you spent the rest of your natural life underground in the Western Mines. The King even set his Clerics about the task of committing your supernatural life to this fate as well. Since your escape, you have been wandering east through a wide valley of plains. Over the last three days you have passed by several farms. Now you see the gate to a small village surrounded by a wooden, lightly fortified wall. You take a breath, step through the gate, and pray that somewhere in this new land you may find the means to your redemption. |
Author's notes
Ruby includes the following notes with his adventure:
This adventure can be mapped using a grid system, provided that you map the wilderness separately from the towns. The map is so simple, however, that you should consider mapping optional.
This is not as challenging an adventure as someone might expect of me, but it does require that you pay attention to what people say to you. There is no single "right" way to complete the adventure, although you will of course have to do some things before others. Feel free to pursue whatever element of the plot interests you at a particular time.
Some notes on commands:
GIVE— to give money, just enter a number (the amount you wish to give).LOOKsummons the full room description. If directions are listed in the short description, then those are the only directions you can go from there.EXAMINErecalls an artifact's description. It also identifies artifacts that are "embedded" in the room description which you might normally ignore. There is one embedded artifact. It isn't a trivial item, so don't worry about examining every little thing. There is also an item that appears normally but must be examined.HEAL— the chance of success decreases the more times you use it. Eventually your power will give out and you'll have to find other sources of healing.One more hint: there is a "secret" exit in one room that is only mentioned in one of the monster descriptions — so don't ignore them!
Enjoy the adventure!
Walkthrough
EAG president Tom Zuchowski published a walkthrough written by Ruby in the June 2000 issue of the Eamon Adventurer's Guild Newsletter. The walkthrough lists important tasks that must be performed in different parts of the adventure, ordered geographically rather than in the order they must be performed.
Ruby also provides a few tips and hints in his author's notes, included with the published adventure.
External links
- Eamon Adventurer's Guild Library Master List
- The Interactive Fiction Database: Redemption
- Interactive Fiction Reviews: Redemption
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