Ah, you must be the latest Stranded.
I’m the town Elder. Not what you expected?
Well, “Elder’s” always been more of a title than a description.

You’re exactly what I expected, actually.
Why? Are you an oracle too? Well, you can’t be Elder, that job’s taken.
By me, if you haven’t figured it out. I’m the Elder. It’s my job.

You do seem quite young.
Thank you! It takes a lot of work and a little magic to keep this complexion youthful.
Nothing untoward, of course. No child sacrifices or anything of that nature.
It would be tempting though, I do despise children. But I hate romance more.

Elderly is a perfect description for you.
Well, in truth I’m fairly young. Mostly fair, but also young.
It takes a lot of work and a little magic to be this handsome.

I wasn’t stranded. I came here on a boat.
True, but “I came here on a boated” just doesn’t have the same ring to it. So, you’re a “Stranded.” You’ll get used to it.

How did you become the village elder?
Obviously it’s because I’m the best looking.
People will tell you it’s because I’m an oracle. But no, it’s all looks. The villagers here are very shallow.

 

You’re an oracle?
I have various methods for divination, yes. It’s usually bad news though, so I tend not to share it unless absolutely necessary.
Typically, I do my work at the Scryer’s Cave by the waterfall. It’s a quiet place, at least when noisy people aren’t around.
I suppose because to the villagers, it’s just an elaborate pond.

 

What are your responsibilities as Elder?
I govern, mostly. I assign work to the Stranded and manage disputes.
In short, I’m the town Jarl, the court wizard, and the one everyone sucks up to.

 

Do you have any hobbies?
Magic and alchemy, maybe a little witchcraft.
In fact, I once befriended a hagraven, although I was just using her for her feathers.
I’d wager you have all sorts of useful body parts as well. A shame you’re still using them.

 

Do you have any work for me?
Ah, the magic words! Well, they’re not actually magic, you aren’t going to conjure any atronachs with them.
But…woop-woop-woop….you have conjured yourself…a job!
I proclaim you, the village…not idiot, don’t worry…you thought I was going to say idiot, didn’t you.
No, you’re the village bounty hunter!

Ylldi is pronounced ill-dee
lycan is lie-can

Bounty hunter?
Yes. Bounties given and paid for by me.
Your first job is to find a naughty little half-blood named Ylldi. She’s gone missing, or about to, I can’t remember. I need you to find her.

 

Don’t you already have a guard?
Yes! And she’s great at guarding and killing. Like an artist with a blade. But you have to commit a crime first. Rules are rules.
I need someone who can hunt. Get into the mind of this little half-blood miscreant named Ylldi.

Thank you. It’s a good job.
I thought it would be, but it’s always good to hear you say it. Makes me think I know what I’m doing.
But yes, the job. I need you to find someone. A little half-blood deviant named Ylldi.

You say that as if I care what you think.
Well, you should. What’s the point of being Elder if people didn’t pretend to respect your opinion?
If you do change your mind, I need you to find someone. A little half-blood troublemaker named Ylldi.

I appreciate it, but I can find work on my own. 
You can, but it’ll be hard without my approval. I’m the Elder, after all.

Where should I look for her?
Well, if she did scamper off, she likely goaded that Wood Elf, Lycan, into coming with her.
They’re friends, I think. I know because they talk a lot, but haven’t tried to harvest each other’s organs.
That’s when you know it’s not just pretend.
In any case, check his camp just southwest of here. My scrying intuition says you’ll find a clue.

What did Ylldi do?
Technically, it’s what she’s going to do that concerns me.
I always warn her not to wander too far from the village. And yet, wander she does.
Hm, I wonder if there’s a disease that makes people disrespect authority.
Well, if she’s dead, make sure to bring back her brain so I can take a look.

How’s your relationship with Ylldi?
Same as with all the other villagers. I keep them at an arm’s length. The arm belongs to a twenty foot giant, but it’s an arm.
I did name the girl though. Her mother left her at the shrine to Ylldra, and the village practically begged me to come up with a name.
So I figured, take the name of the shrine, put an “i” at the end, and my work here is done.

All right, that’s all the questions I have regarding Ylldi.
Good, because with that girl, I’m all out of answers.

I have questions about the job.
Okay, query away.

Is it true I can’t leave?
Yes and no. You’re more than welcome to try. I don’t think anyone’s ever done it, successfully anyway.
But the ferryman’s the only one who really knows the way, and to pay him you need a token.
It’s a system that goes all the way back to the village founder, Ylldra.

Where can I get a token?
Good question. I might have one, somewhere. But I’ll need a reason to give it to you. Asking nicely isn’t nearly enough.

I want to know more about the history of this village.
You arrived here one Elder too late. My predecessor knew everything.
All I know is the gist. This island used to be uninhabitable. Saint Ylldra changed all that.
As for how, well, that’s lost to history. Necromancy, maybe? My money’s on necromancy.
Anyways, her tomb is a holy site, which you can find at the top of the hill to the east.
Which is a shame really. Burying a body is such a waste of good alchemy ingredients.

Does anyone live outside the village?
I doubt it. Most of the island is uninhabitable. There are Stranded who leave, and ones we kick out.
So maybe there’s an entire village out there full of wanderers and criminals, but it’s far more likely you’ll find a graveyard.

Do you know a man named Nifram?
That name sounds familiar. But I can’t remember if I heard it in the past or the future. Oracle problems, you see?
Well, maybe you don’t see. And that’s the problem.

 

Ah, you’re back. I trust you found Ylldi’s corpse was well preserved?

She was alive, actually.
And you found her on the other side of the Dead River? But no one crosses the divide and lives.

She looked pretty good for a dead woman.
Wait, are you saying she’s alive? I didn’t expect that. No one crosses the divide and lives.
Well, that used to be the saying, anyway.
Granted she’ll still die at some point, so maybe we can keep it, with an asterisk.

Well preserved and extremely delicious.
You shouldn’t have eaten her. I would’ve liked to research the effect of the fog on her lungs.
Well, no matter. According to the my visions, someone who bears Ylldi’s likeness will come to the village very soon.
Maybe we’ll recover her corpse intact.

I did. Unfortunately I contaminated it shortly after.
(sigh) That is grave news indeed. Oh, I made a pun!
Well, not really, given we aren’t going to bury her in an actual grave. She’ll likely be devoured by wolves.
Anyways, best not tell the other villagers. Don’t want to dour their spirits with all the gory details.

 

In any case, with that business behind us, we can now talk about your reward.

What about a ferry token?
Oh, well, that’s not going to happen. You haven’t earned one yet. No one has, really.
Besides, you just got here! You couldn’t possibly want to leave. Not without doing something extremely embarrassing first.

Gold would be a good start.
It would, but as you can see, while I am an all-powerful, all-knowing, and exquisitely handsome Elder, I am also one of modest means.
Besides, gold is such a cheap gift. You wouldn’t give a loved one gold for Saturalia, would you?

No reward necessary.
Oh no, that’s not going to work. I tend to find people who aren’t rewarded with tangible goods end up resentful.
Best to give you something now before it festers.

That’s why, for your reward, you’ll be given…shwoom woom woom…a house!
A wonderful house to live in that will make you feel part of the community.
Here’s your key. Enjoy.

 

 

How can I earn a ferry token?
Well, I suppose now that you have a home and are a pillar of our community, I can share this with you.
There are no more ferry tokens. At least, I don’t have any.

Then how does anyone leave?
They uh…don’t? But if you believe the legends, you just need to perform a heroic deed.
I assume when that happens, Ylldra herself will descend from the sky and give you one.

Are you saying I’m stuck here?
No, no, of course not. There are ferry tokens, and there is a way off the island.
I’m just saying as town Elder, I don’t have the answers you seek. I got this position by default.
But plenty of people have earned tokens. None in the past five hundred years, but plenty.

 

I’d like to talk to you about your brother.
Do you mean Trevyn? Is he still alive? Shame what happened to him, or will happen.
It’s a strange thing, knowing when and how someone will die.
And since I don’t want to wreck the time stream, I do my best to just ignore him completely.
Because if he doesn’t die, bad things will happen. First and foremost, my prediction would be wrong. And what’s worse than that?

 

 

Hellos

Don’t let Akshei fool you with this nonsense about the rot. The rot has existed outside this village since the time of Saint Ylldra.

As Elder I have many duties. And as Elder, I have the authority to ignore all of them.

We have a good system here. The fishermen fish, the shopkeepers sell, and I tell them all what to do.

One of the perks of living on this island, no one will complain if you dabble in the darker arts.

As Elder, I don’t get to make the laws. Ylldra’s laws are supreme. But I do get to interpret them.

Prior to Saint Ylldra’s arrival, this place was home to dirt. Lots and lots of dirt. I don’t believe this talk of a manor. That’s absurd.

Yes?
What is it now?
This better be good.
Hm?

Goodbyes
All right then.
Well, off you go.
Goodbye.
Farewell.
Good day.
Mm-hm.
Now, if you’ll excuse me…

 

Main Quest 3 scene

(angry mob gathers outside Elder’s house)

This is an outrage! I demand to know what’s happened to my sister!

And poor Dastri…she’s just a child for Ylldra’s sake!

Everyone calm down. I have diagnosed the problem and I am working on a solution as we speak.

Diagnosed the problem? My husband is a ghost you fool!

Yes, he has a clear case of uh…ghostus maledictus, which is a magical term and obviously not something I made up.
Now run along, little villagers. This will all be taken care of in a day or two, you have my word.

(to player)

Ah! Just the person I wanted to see. If you don’t mind joining me inside, there’s something we need to discuss.

All right. I’ll meet you inside.
Good, good. And make sure to bring your accomplices with you.

Whatever you want to say to me, you can say out here.
No, I don’t think I’ll be doing that. I’d like to keep my neck attached to this beautiful head.

I just want to say I had nothing to do with this.
Of course! Nobody’s blaming you. You’re obviously just along for the ride.

I will see you all inside.

(in private)

Well, you three have some explaining to do. I don’t know how you turned half the village into ghosts, but I know it was definitely you.
Now explain yourself, in great detail, so I can replicate this trick later.

There’s nothing to explain. We barely left the village.

Ylldi, why must you torment me with your lies?
And what about you? What do you have to say for yourself?

We opened Ylldra’s tomb.
I knew it was something horrific like that. And I want nothing to do with it. I’m the town Elder in name only.

Ylldra’s journal mentioned she was raised from the dead.
Raised from the dead? Ylldra’s journal? This is way over my head.
And as town Elder, I grant myself full authority to excuse myself from this fiasco.

Like Ylldi said, there’s nothing to explain.
Well, it doesn’t matter. I doubt you three even know what you did. Of course, it didn’t stop you from doing it. Nothing ever does.

(sigh) We’re going to need to consult a higher authority. Someone who knows the history of the island, and has been across the divide.

And who would that be?

My predecessor, Elder Hethena. She knew much about the island’s history, and could help fill in the gaps.

Where can we find her?
Not where, but “when.” She disappeared into the fog decades ago.
(Sigh) Like mother, like daughter.

 

What did you just say?

Nothing, nothing at all. Regardless, if we want to step into her memories, we’ll need something that belonged to her. A bridge.

This was her house. Is there anything here that belonged to her?

Nothing powerful enough. It’s not like you can just use some random pot she used to cook with.
Of items, I can think of two. One was the skull she kept on her desk. The other was a pendant she kept around her neck, with a sapphire stone.

Wait, did you say a pendant? Like the one my partner has?

Really? Do you have the pendant?

Is this the one?
Yes! Exactly that one! Where did you get it? No, on second thought, I don’t want to know. That would just incriminate me further.

I also have the skull.
Perfect! Either one should work. But having both is helpful, as it doubles our chances.

When you’re ready, go to the Scryer’s Cave behind this cottage, and drink from the pool. It will know exactly where to take you.

How does the scrying pool work?

Memories are never forgotten, but they can be lost. They wander in the darkness looking for something familiar to hold on to.
Until one day you come across a memory trigger, and poof! They reappear. Just like that.
The pool is a window into these forgotten memories. The bridge is the trigger that sorts out what you will see.

 

 

So what, we just drink from this pool, say a few magic words, and we can see the old Elder’s memories?

Everything except the magic words part. That’s patently ridiculous.

Well, magic words or not, I don’t know if I believe it.

You’ll have to if you want to undo this mess. Which I’m sure you’ll agree is your responsibility, not mine.
So please, when you’re ready, go to the Scryer’s Cave, and fix whatever you broke. I have far more important things to do.

 

Whatever you deviants are up to, leave me out of it. Do your best to fix it, but I am not to be involved. Unless, of course, you actually succeed.

 

(player fixes it)

Well, it looks like the village is back to normal. No more ghosts, and no more complaining villagers. I think my work here is done.

(alt) Well, the ghosts are gone, and while the village is mourning, they’ll get over it. They always do.
Besides, if they want to leave, now they can. In any case, I think my work here is done.

Your work? You didn’t do anything.
(said coyly, as if you really did do something behind the scenes that wasn’t obvious)
Didn’t I?

Thank you for your tireless efforts.
No need to thank me. Just remember who saved you the next time I need a favor.

We were the ones who did all the work.
Maybe, but as the person in charge here, I’m the one who will take all the credit.

This village will never be normal.
Well, normal is a relative term, isn’t it. It’s just sometimes those relatives are dead.

 

What’s next for you now that the village is stable?
Oh, I’ve got a few things planned. This whole experience has only bolstered my interest in the dead.
And people say necromancy is boring. Oh wait, no, that’s not what they say. “Dangerous and evil” were the words I was looking for.
Well, that’s of no concern to someone like me.

You mentioned people can leave the island.
Yes, if you haven’t noticed, there’s a giant ship parked near the docks. It came barging in not long after the fog cleared.
I consider this a personal win, as I no longer have to answer questions about ferry tokens.