The Boy and the Bard

The Boy and the Bard
◄Eamon adventure #183►
Author	Sam Ruby
Released	September 1989
Revised	18 September 1989 (DOS) 10 April 1993 (ProDOS)
EAG number	183
EDX number	09-14
EDX set	The Sam Ruby Adventures
Native format	Apple DOS 3.3
Files	Eamon 183 - The Boy and the Bard.dsk Eamon 183 - The Boy and the Bard (ProDOS).dsk

The Boy and the Bard is an Eamon adventure written by Sam Ruby released by the EAG in September 1989. The adventure tells the story of a boy's quest to collect important possessions that belonged to a bard who befriended him, and use them to bring justice to the ruffians who killed him. It features a mix of combat and puzzles and is difficult enough that Ruby included a walkthrough. It's also unique in that the player controls a special character created just for the adventure, not an adventurer from the Main Hall.

Background

Ruby described the adventure in his author's notes:

This is a simple, self-contained chapter of an epic storyline that I may develop in future adventures, but for now it stands alone as a sort of fairy tale, in which your character (a new one, not the one you brought from the Main Hall) will rely on his wits, his courage, and a little luck to get by. You should feel satisfied by the end of the game, but if you still have a few questions... good! I suggest that you use this character only for Boy and the Bard sequels.

Rather than developing sequels to Boy and the Bard, Ruby instead focused on a new adventure titled Sanctuary which was released by the EAG a year later. Had he pursued sequels, Ruby says he probably would have written a trilogy, and that "there would have been revelations about the bard and dark things afoot in the wider world (which the "boy" would have gotten involved in)."

Premise

Rather than letting you play as your own adventurer, Ruby's adventure casts you as a young boy growing up in an isolated town far south of the kingdom, living a peaceful and boring life enlivened only by a mysterious traveling bard named Torin who periodically passes through town and entertains the patrons at the local tavern. You love the bard's tales and admire his skill with musical instruments; the bard for his part recognizes that you have a gift and decides to train you.

In your training, Torin reveals that his three instruments — a triangle, pipes, and a lute — can produce magical effects when played correctly: the triangle can open locks; the pipes can summon small animals; and the the lute can put men to sleep. Torin teaches you how to produce the effects, but one day on your way to the tavern to meet him you see a crowd has gathered and learn that the bard has died, for reasons unknown. Shortly thereafter, soliders appear in town asking for him; you hear the tavernkeeper tell them of the bard's death, and that a couple of mysterious dark figures had been seen in the area — possibly tied to a band of ruffians southwest of town led by a villain named Kroger. Thirsty for revenge, you gather Torin's instruments, buy a sword, and set out to confront Kroger, but you're accosted by his men who steal your instruments and send you back to town defeated.

Six years pass, and life worsens for the townsfolk as Kroger's band becomes bolder and more belligerent. One day at the tavern two of his ruffians come in for a drink and you happen to overhear them talking about Torin's instruments, with one revealing where he hid them. You once again resolve to settle your score with Kroger, and set out to find the magical instruments.

Full introduction

Growing up in your town was pretty uneventful. You lived with your uncle; your parents had died of illness soon after you were born. The small country town is located far in the south, originally an outpost along the great road that comes from the north. The town became somewhat isolated since expansion of the Northern Empire was never completed. Few Northmen come this far south anymore; the road goes east a ways, through another small town, and then ends abruptly. The surrounding countryside is rural, a mixture of rolling grasslands and forests. Around the town and out to the east are small farms. The town's trade is mostly self-contained, though some trade is conducted with the town in the east. Few merchants travel to the north these days, and even fewer return. The land west and south of the town is wild and unsafe, roamed by ruffians, dangerous animals, and (some say) monsters. The townspeople carried on a lifestyle that, though rugged, was by and large free of great danger. The community was very closely knit, and things were stable; boring, even. Which was tough for an adventurous boy like you; "you've got the traveling spirit," your aunt always said. "Don't encourage him," was your uncle's reply. You were able to find an escape, though — at the tavern. You'd hang out there for hours... listening to the bard. Other bards would occasionally come to town, and at other times local people would take the stage at the end of the hall to sing, play, and tell stories; but they could not hold your attention like the man they called Torin. He was a master of all instruments; and a spellbinding storyteller. When he sang, he would play a lyre, a lute, or a fiddle; at other times he would simply play on a flute. When he told of marching armies, he beat his drums, or sounded his horn. And the stories! He knew, of course, all the myths about the sun, and the stars, and why the sky is blue, and how the porcupine got its spines, etc. Through him you learned of legends passed down through the generations, stories of adventure, and love, and how things used to be. And then there were the tales of the north, tales of great battles, valiant men, and terrible evil. The bard would come and go, sometimes staying for a few weeks, then disappearing for months. Occasionally, soldiers would appear at the north gate, and he would leave with them. But he always came back, and over the years he taught you how to sing and play, once bringing you a lyre which he said was crafted in the north. You were an amazingly quick study, and occasionally he would invite you on stage to accompany him (and show off to all your friends). Then, one day, he said, "You have the gift. And against my personal judgement, my visions tell me that you should learn the secrets of the trade. I am going to teach you a few tricks." It began with the simple instrument that you learned first — the triangles. "Ding, ding, ping," that was all very nice, but what "trick" could you possibly perform with them? Torin brought out a small chest, and told you to open it. "It's locked," you told him. "Oh?" He replied, and then struck a series of notes on the triangles. "Try it now." You opened the chest with ease. Torin then closed the chest, handed you the triangles, and said, "Your turn. You remember the notes?" "Yes." You struck the triangles, but Torin quietly chuckled as he demonstrated that the chest was still locked. "It will take some practice," he said. "But you have the ability. 'Unlock' is a simple song, but not very powerful — it sometimes requires several playings to take effect." When you had mastered the triangle trick, Torin showed you how his small pipes could be employed to summon animals (though you were only able to summon small ones); and then, when you were fourteen, he showed you how to play the lute so softly that it would put men to sleep. One day, as you were walking to the tavern (Torin slept upstairs when he was in town), you were surprised to see a crowd of people gathered outside, quite restless. As you drew closer, someone saw you, and said, "Here comes that boy." As you pushed your way towards the door, someone grabbed you. "Let me go! I've come to see Torin!" "I'm sorry, son... The bard's dead." Needless to say, you were upset. The town was shocked. No one wanted to talk about it; no one seemed to know anything. The tavern keeper had heard some sounds the night before, but nothing that alarmed him. There was something else, but he wouldn't say, at least not while you were around. You went home, and for a while tried to play the lute (Torin had lent you the three instruments to practice on), but it was no help. Then, about a month later, while you were loitering in the tavern, some soldiers came, asking for "the bard." They spoke with the tavernkeeper, who explained what had happened. You overheard him say something... "Lots of rumors, lots of talk about seeing, out in the country, well... a strange fella, maybe there was more than one; folks say he was dressed in black, even his face..." "All black; rode no horse?" One of the soldiers inquired. "Yah." The soldiers started whispering to each other, something about a "Netherworlder." "From what I figure," said the tavernkeeper, "there were two of 'em. Word is they came out of the southwest, out of Kroger's." Kroger was the leader of a band of ruffians; his stronghold was an old fort in the wild country of the southwest. His men had long plagued the town, and people were being harassed, robbed, and beaten with increasing regularity. Once, when he himself rode into town, he crossed paths with the bard, who mocked him and, grabbing a horse, rode off. Kroger, enraged, sent a few of his men after him. Later, when the incident was over, Torin returned. He would not say what had happened or whether the men had caught up with him. It was assumed that he outrode them, but no one knew for sure what happened. Someone did note a few months later that the man who had been stealing from his farm had not appeared in a while. The soldiers left, obviously despondent. That night, hatred of Kroger and his villains swelled in you, and you concocted a crazy plan. The next day, you took the instruments and went into town. With your savings you bought a sword from an incredulous merchant. And then you headed out into the wilderness bent on revenge. As you reached the edge of the forest, you were captured by a group of Kroger's men, who thought you were such a funny sight that they took you to their stronghold in the forest. There you were brought before Kroger, who was interested in your instruments and took them. The men teased you for a while, then turned you out, throwing your sword out after you in mockery. Glumly, you made your way back to town, swearing you'd even up all scores when you were older. Six years pass. During this time, rumors spread of terrible wars and dark times in the north, but soon all travel along the great road ends and no word comes to the south. The gate is eventually closed. Hard times fall upon the town. It becomes increasingly dangerous to walk outside at night, even on the streets, and farmers are repeatedly bothered. Kroger unleashes a reign of terror. One day, while you are sitting in the tavern, listening to a man quietly strumming an old, out-of-tune instrument, two ruffians walk in, grab some ale, and sit down... "Heh-heh, look at that old wheezer, playin' that thing. You remember that kid that we caught — you know, around the time of that creepy business with that bard..." "Yeah, yeah, I remember — Where's Kroger? Let me at him! I'll kill him! — Punk had spunk." "Anyway, remember those things he had? Those music things?" "Yeah, yeah, I remember — Hmm, so you had these. Nice of you to bring them to me! — Kroger says. What ever happened to 'em? Ain't never seen them around." "Kroger says to me, Rocco, take these and leave them where no one will ever find them. So I takes the little ping-ping things, first, and I go south, and east, to the big pond... You know—" "Yeah, yeah, I know that one, the one with the lizards." "Right, and then, after I throw it in there, I think — maybe it would be better to spread the stuff around — so it ain't all in one place." "Yeah, yeah, you real smart, Rocco. You got... what they call them? Brains." "So I go west, to the cabin, you know—" "Yeah, yeah, I know, the cabin — you real brave to go there, Rocco." "'Cause of that? Hey, next, I go north, to the cave... You know," "Yeah, yeah, I know, oh man, you nasty. Ain't nobody gonna ever get those things back." "Got that right. Then, I come home and tell Kroger all about it, and he tells me, Rocco, you did well. Now we're ready. "That mean what I think, boss? (I says) — robbin' and stealin'? "That's right, Rocco — he says — robbing and stealing." "Yeah, yeah, oh man, I love it when he say that — he nasty, that Kroger." The men get up and leave. You get up too, and, after buying some provisions, head for home... to get your sword.

Walkthrough

Main page: Source:The Boy and the Bard notes#Solutions

Adventure map by Huw Williams

Ruby in his notes writes that "this game isn't so easy" and so includes on the disk a solutions file that gives hints and instructions for how to find and obtain the missing musical instruments and defeat the villain Kroger. See The Boy and the Bard notes for Ruby's step-by-step walkthrough.

Before the story begins, the adventure prompts you to set up a new character different than the one you entered with, an unusual step that Ruby added in order to preserve the integrity of the narrative. Your original character is saved, and both are returned to the Main Hall when you complete the adventure.

Additional tips

Though Ruby's instructions are thorough and helpful, there are a handful of places where the necessary steps or commands can be unclear. Below are some additional tips that may be helpful for players following the author's walkthrough:

• Save your progress frequently. If at any point the game crashes, type run to restart the game, then use resume to return to your saved state.
• When you're finding your way into the lizard people's lair, first examine stump, then put your rope on the root that's revealed, and finally enter the stump.
• Use the enter command to go into the pond, the cabin, and the cave.
• Be sure to examine bookshelves to reach the final chamber.

Kroger's final words reveal a double meaning in the adventure's title, referring both to the boy and his bard mentor, but also to the boy growing over the course of the story to become a bard in his own right.

Reviews

Tom Zuchowski reviewed The Boy and the Bard in the September 1989 issue of the EAG Newsletter and gave it a very favorable rating of 8.5 based on its detail, special features, and "overall high quality". Zuchowski praised the challenging puzzles and the encumbrance system, noting that "puzzle fanciers will love this one" but that fans of hack'n'slash-style adventures might be disappointed.

Location

The adventure is set far south of Evenhold in a small country town surrounded by rolling grasslands and forests. The areas west and south of town are wild and dangerous, but small farms and a neighboring village lie to the east. The town was originally built as an outpost of what the locals refer to as the "Northern Empire" and is connected to it by a long road, now infrequently traveled.

The introduction states that "rumors spread of terrible wars and dark times in the north"; Ruby gives no clues about the nature of these conflicts or their belligerents, but we can imagine how they might square with documented events in the larger world of Eamon, such as the wars against the forces of the Darklord.

See also

• Source:The Boy and the Bard notes

External links

• EAG Online: Master List
• The Interactive Fiction Database: The Boy and the Bard
• Interactive Fiction Reviews: The Boy and the Bard