Game 26: Rings of Power (Genesis) - A Wall On The Horizon

I can see it. I'm about to hit a wall. My clues are drying up quickly. By the end of this post they're so few I have trouble planning what to do when I play next. If I can't find anything more, then I'll have to review everything I have once more and hope for a moment of inspiration. My main hurdle at this point is I still haven't located a place to buy dragons. (As I typed this I realized I didn't properly search the City of Commerce's vehicles, the most likely place to purchase rare items.)

So far not even close to the longest game, but who knows when it will end if I have to scour the map more than once

Last session I had just recovered the War Key from Sparta, and made my way to the paladins' fortress. The document locked in the chest to help me with one of the rings proved fruitless. It merely told me the order of Variation, something I'd figured out on my own (it's not too hard as they only fit in a certain order given the room and starting square). That was my one hope for the Ring of Advancing. I ventured back to the Great Cathedral for more research.

Are you telling me I need to find all 11 rings and then some other Foozle?

I started to despair, but I still had a few hints left. I decided the most tangible was the thief who stole the map from the sorcerer in Oxbridge. It was in Thieves Haven where I learned a bit more about the Ring of Mutation. The guildmaster there confirmed the ring had taken human form. He then directed me to speak with all the other enchanter masters to gather more clues. I then found the thief I was looking for, not in the thieves' guild but in the inn.

Another bit of dialogue no one saw as it flashed on the screen a frame before combat began

The map I picked up off this thief pointed me towards a piece of snow drift in the middle of nowhere. Some kind of orb was buried there, and while it took me a bit of time to find exactly which square was at the center, I exacerbated the issue by not reading the directions completely (missed a bit that told me it was at the center). What the orb does, or how it might solve the final piece of the sorcerer's message (a key given to a friend that vanished) I haven't the foggiest idea. I've tried to use it and show it to the sorcerer, but he doesn't acknowledge it at all. Another dead end, for the time being.

At this point I started revisiting old locations, and noticed I'd never entered this house

Well, I took a trip back to Sunrise/Sunset to check for anything I may have missed. This after I visited Sarah's parents' house and found her not returned, she's completely vanished. I found a house I immediately recognized I'd overlooked in my initial search. Inside were two youths; one that mentioned a missing key to the backroom. After a short search of the other houses I found it, unlocked the door, and retrieve the Youth Milk.

Because it does a body good

Returning it to the regent accomplished very little. He said he'd make sure the king got it, but the king wasn't any better. At least he trusted me enough to open all the doors (save the king's own). I used the iron key to speak to the king privately without angering anyone. He instructed me to kill the regent and retake the milk. I'm not sure why killing the regent at this point was okay, but before was not. I mean, the guards suddenly didn't care about it. Also, I wonder what would happen if I ignored the king's request and merely retrieved another carton of milk. In any case, I took the easy way out, killed the regent, and received the milk (instead of the castle key as I did previously).

A fairly simple ring to get once I found the right house

This bit of progress inspired me to return to Richi. The queen continued to insist I would need to gather intel on the key to the crypt below. I was most confused by these instructions because I thought it meant I needed to find a key somewhere else. There was a door locked with a ladder visibly beyond it. Apparently, this door opened once the lens was delivered. I believed it was for this door I needed the key. I stumbled upon the open passage in an effort to prove the door was still locked, only to find it wide open. The enchanted locked door was actually inside the crypt, with the key floating about on its own just out of reach.

The clue from Cathedral mentioned covering all my bases, and the floor tiles change when traversed, another simple puzzle

The key to this puzzle was to turn them all from one color to another. Then the key remained stationary and unlocked the door. As with the tomb in Necropolis, this crypt had some zombies roaming around. It also had Imino, another sorcerer. He claimed the right to the Ring of Advancing, and challenged me when I wouldn't allow him to leave. This fight was easier than the one at the Cave of Perfection.

I'm pretty sure I'm right before max level as I've stopped gaining levels as easily, but can cast most spells

This leaves me with three rings: Intuition, which I need to find a vanished friend who has a key (I have no idea what the key unlocks); Blood, which might prove incredibly simple once I have a dragon and access to the Power Lord; Mutation, which is a woman and very little else is known. I spent the remaining time gathering clues on Mutation from the Enchanter Guildmasters. A conjuror (spelled with an 'o' this time) noticed a woman at some inn that had the aura of a Ring of Power. You'd think he'd have marked the location of such an oddity. Another master enchanter reported a mutated object or person must be shown an image of its original form in order to be restored. I'm not sure if this means any of the rings will do, or if I need a mock Ring of Mutation.

My last stop for the night was at Mr. B's... the ring leader of the bandits

Not enough to go on for mutation, I set my sights on Mr. Belmont's residence. Sadly, the only thing I learned of was his interest in the town of Mesa. Nothing else moved him to divulge any secrets. Writing all this out, I believe the City of Commerce is my next stop. I hope to find a dragon for sale, and possibly another enchanter guild for another hint. I believe I've been to them all and only received those two clues. I'd hate to have to venture to all the inns in the world and hope that using the show command will transform a woman back into the ring she was. I could also try to return to the combat's I've skipped to see if they drop any helpful items. Maybe I can release this dove and it'll lead me to the mysterious friend with a key.

How about this, it's a town that can only be reached by a dragon... got one?

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