Path to a Human Knight

There is no doubt that Einhasad has guided your footsteps here. You see, something is troubling me, and I was thinking of asking for the help of the knights.

A few years ago, during the war with Gracia, we sent several priests to a small village in the south, now called the Ruins of Despair. There, the priests treated the wounded and performed funerals for the dead. But the village was suddenly attacked by mercenaries and the wounded soldiers, village people, and the priests of Einhasad were all brutally murdered

The spirits of the dead have no peace and still haunt the ruins in the form of undead. It is the duty of a priest to console their spirits and put them to rest through prayer, but it is too dangerous of a task for someone not trained as a Cleric, like myself, to face the vicious monsters of black magic. That is why I am asking you a favor.

Esquire, I beg you! Please go to the Ruins of Despair to the south of the village and find the departed spirits of the priests that have turned into the undead. Destroy them with your sword and recover the Einhasad crosses that are somewhere on their bodies. If you bring back twelve Einhasad crosses, I can perform a mass that soothes the spirits of the dead priests.

Before you go, take this. It is a mark that shows you are performing a holy task for the church of Einhasad.

Well than, I shall pray for your safe return. May the light of Einhasad guide you.

Now I can finally pray for the brothers who have perished while answering the summons of the gods. May Einhasad admit their souls ...

Esquire, on behalf of the priests, I thank you. Here, take this coin of the lords. May the light of Einhasad guide you.

Esquire, I see your pilgrimage is not yet finished. Please take a moment to kneel in front of the altar and offer a silent prayer of reverence. The light of Einhasad will bring the strength back into your weary soul.

If you follow the road southeast of the village, you will come to a river that marks the border between Gludio Castle Town and Dion Castle Town. There is a bridge that crosses the river. Recently, bugbears raiders have appeared near the bridge and attacked trader coaches. Already twenty traders have lost their lives, and the goods that were stolen are too numerous to list. The traders have requested funds from the trader's guild headquarters in order to hire mercenaries, but the guild has yet to answer their request.

I would be much obliged if you would get rid of the bugbears. According to the reports, there are about ten bugbears that attacked the trader coaches. Kill them and bring back ten necklaces. While on this task, you will be performing an official task of the Gludio Castle Town guards, so take this with you.

Oh, so you have killed all the bugbears. Now the traders can safely drive their carts to Dion Castle Town. Here, take this -- it's a coin of the lords.

Now you have the coin in your hand, and I have preserved my dignity as captain of the guards. Wasn't that a good exchange? Ha! Well, have a fine day!

Are you still on your training quest, fledgling? You're inviting trouble ... tsk tsk ...

Come and see me whenever you feel like quitting! I will hire you on in the guard. Ha! Well, have a fine day!

My my ... you are quite stubborn. Fine. If you must play the part of the hero ... why don't you go and hunt the spiders that have been wrecking havoc lately? Giant spiders have recently been reported upturning farmers' carts, raiding sheep and cattle, and even attacking Humans.

The monsters you need to hunt are called poison spiders, or trimden. Cut off their legs, then bring back twenty of them and I will give you the coin of the lords. Follow the southern coastal road and you will reach the area where they usually appear. I must follow procedure, so as a captain of the guard, I give you this mark to take with you.

Well then, I hope you return with your life!

Ho ho, so you've really killed twenty poison spiders! Perhaps I've been too harsh on you. I was just about to organize a team of soldiers to battle the poison spiders, because I thought you weren't coming back. I apologize for being rude.

Here, I give you one of the few coins of the lords I have in my possession. I hope you have a successful quest.

So we meet again. Are you still on your quest? Ho ho, it must not be that easy to become a Human Knight.

Have you been to Talking Island Village? As you know, the island is also a part of the Gludio Castle Town province. The captain of guards and the high priest there also have coins of the lords. As it is a remote place, security will be loose, and a warrior -- no, an apprentice Knight -- like yourself will be of aid.

Giant spiders have always existed on Talking Island Village. They used to only live on the northern part of the island, but lately incidents of their attacking homes and carrying off livestock have increased. They are so huge and ferocious that it is sometimes too difficult for the guard troop to deal with them.

Please. Destroy the giant spiders. Hunt the spiders and peel off their husks. Return with twenty husks and I will give you the coin of the lords. I am sorry to ask you to do such a dangerous task, but I cannot think of anyone but you who could possibly manage this.

Thank you, young esquire. As promised, I will give you the coin of the lords. I hope your pilgrimage is successful.

So we meet again, esquire!. Nice to see you! Is your pilgrimage going well?

Have you been the Einhasad Temple, by any chance? High Priest Biotin may have need of your services.

These days, I hear from the guards that the lizardmen appear in great numbers on the western shore of the province ... As you know, they look like lizards but are all evil creatures made by Shilen. The lizard is the descendent of the dragon, which is the ultimate creature of evil.

In addition, the guards say that these lizardmen perform strange sacrifices every night towards the sea. I am sure they are praying to Shilen, who lies asleep in the deep. Gludio Castle Town is the land of the righteous ones that follow Einhasad. We cannot allow the land to become contaminated by unholy pagan creatures.

In the name of Einhasad, destroy Shilen's evil creatures. Take this mark with you, and strike the lizardmen with your sword of righteousness. If you return with twenty tokens after killing the lizardmen I will give you the coin of lords.

Thank you. Now the lizardmen will not dare covet the land of Gludio Castle Town. When I look at the strange idols of the lizardmen, I get shivers. I am thinking of burning these unholy things.

As we agreed, I will give you the coin of lords. May you always live by the will of Einhasad. Only the spiritual teachings of light will protect you from corruption.

Pray, do not take my advice lightly. I have seen many Knights fall to the apostles of darkness because of arrogance. In the end, they return to the arms of Einhasad as they are cleansed in the flames of the stake, but it is not a desirable fate.

May Einhasad bless your pilgrimage. By the way, have you been to Talking Island Village? As you know, that small and isolated island is also a part of the Gludio Castle Town province. Therefore the captain of guards and High Priest there will also have the coin of lords.

Long ago, this place was where the Elves taught the Humans magic. However, not long after, the Humans betrayed the Elves and went to war with them. In the end, we Humans repaid kindness with betrayal.

Although it was committed by our ancestors, we inherited their sin. We are still paying for their actions. On this island, dead Elves are unable to rest and became undead called silent horrors and threaten the island residents.

Wouldn't it be best to put the souls of the elves slain by humans to rest, and ask pardon of their souls? I would like to ask you to do this favor. Go to the Elven Ruins and defeat the silent horrors. And please come back with ten of their skulls. I would like to perform a proper funeral service so the spirits of the elves can obtain rest.

You have brought back ten skulls from the ruins. With these, I can perform a proper funeral service for the elves that were slain a long time ago. May the departed spirits of the ruins forget their resentment of a thousand years, and gain peace within the arms of Einhasad.

Please take this coin ... This is proof that you have given a great contribution to the people of Gludio Castle Town. May your sword continue to be used to punish evil, and your shield be used to protect the righteous. May the protection of light be with you!

Einhasad leads all pilgrims in the right direction in their search for truth. We cannot know what disasters or blessings are in store for us in the future, being as we are mere Humans. But I am sure there is something prepared for you.

From that mark, I see you are undergoing the Trial of the Esquire. I guess they are giving opportunities to amateurs like you these days? Your courage is admirable but I want to advise you to give up. Do you think just anyone becomes a Knight? Even more, you are not even of noble background, are you?

One cannot become a true Knight without born disposition and talent. It is truly pathetic to see lowly ones struggle to become a Knight.

Greetings, traveler. I see you are an esquire. You are to be commended for having come all the way to this isolated island on your pilgrimage. I am a member of the Knight League myself, but I do not really like Knights. All those I was acquainted with on the mainland spoke of justice and sacrifice, but were very calculating people who did not involve themselves in fights that were unprofitable.

During the war with Gracia, the civil troops fought for their lives in the mud with crude spears while those that called themselves Knights discussed tactics at the table, hiding behind the castle walls. In my eyes, the courage and sacrifice of the farmer that died while fighting to protect their villages was far nobler than the virtue of any Knight. The will to put your faith into action -- that is what I think chivalry is.

Good luck, esquire! When you end your trial and become a Human Knight, please remember our talk today. Well then, may the divine protection of Einhasad be with you.

Even in this age, there are still young fighters now and then who wish to become a Human Knight. However, most are novices wrapped up in fantasies that they will become hero knights like those from legends. There are not many that have the qualities of a true Knight -- in other words, the courage to sacrifice oneself and the faith to stand up against the absurdities of the world.

My comrade of the sword, you do not have enough experience to become a Knight yet. Looking at your eyes, I see that the passion and faith in your heart is not false, but that alone is not sufficient to become a Knight. As long as you live in this world full of immorality, you need power to fuel your faith, and that power comes from experience on the battlefield.

Train a little more before you come back. When that day comes, I will test you to see if have the talents to become a true Human Knight.

Haven't you already earned the title of Knight? Brother, you need not receive the trial of the esquire again. Your duty is to fight for your noble faith and the glory of the lord.

It seems that you have already selected your path. You do not need to perform the trials of the esquire.

Haven't you already received the sword of ritual? That sword is proof that you have the qualifications to become a Knight. If you take it to the grandmaster of the fighters guild, he will change your profession to a Human Knight.

You want to become a Human Knight? Then you must go through thetrial of the esquire to prove that you are not merely a rash, hot-blooded fighter, but one with true knightly spirit. This is a form of ritual and a process of training that all who desire to become a Human Knight must perform.

Originally, Knights were warriors selected to fight against injustice and protect the helpless people. As they are given the authority to be armed with a sword and shield, they must protect the commoners from danger. As times have changed, the status of the Knight has greatly changed as well, but the fact that we are the guardians of common people remains unaltered. That is the divine duty and summons given to us by Einhasad of the light.

The journey taken by young Fighters to find their calling as a Guardian of Knights is the trial of the esquire. Esquires journey many places around the kingdom, especially into remote areas that do not receive the protection of the central army, and assist those in danger who ask for help. Those who receive help give the coin of lords as a token of thanks.

Come, comrade of the sword. You have done well. By bringing these three coins of lords, you have proven you have the abilities and qualities to become a Knight.

Now, do you want to complete the trial of the esquire? If so, I will give you the sword of ritual, with which you may change your profession to a Human Knight. Of course, if you want, you need not finish the trial of the esquire, but may instead continue with your journey.

Welcome, comrade of the sword. I cannot be anything but surprised - it has been long indeed since any esquires that have brought back six coins of lords. This is more than enough to prove that you have the abilities and qualities to become a Human Knight.

Now it is time to complete your trial as esquire. You have successfully endured this most demanding trial. Congratulations! Now you have earned the qualifications to become a Knight. I will give you the sword of ritual. This sword was used in the knighting ceremony of the legendary Sir Cedric -- bear it with care. If you take this to the Grand Master of the fighters guild, he will change your profession to a Human Knight.

You have successfully endured a most demanding trial. Congratulations! Now you are qualified to become a Human Knight.

I will give you the sword of ritual. This sword was used in the knighting ceremony of the legendary Sir Cedric -- bear it with care. If you take this to the Grand Master of the fighters guild, he will change your profession to a Human Knight.

Now, it is time for you to leave. Keep the faith and the romance of chivalry in your heart, and make your own destiny. May the good will of Einhasad always remain with you through every challenge.

You have successfully endured a most demanding trial. Congratulations! Now you are qualified to become a Human Knight.

I will give you the sword of ritual. This sword was used in the knighting ceremony of the legendary Sir Cedric -- bear it with care. If you take this to the Grand Master of the fighters guild, he will change your profession to a Human Knight.

Three coins of lords are the minimum condition in order to become a Human Knight. If you think that you are not ready, continue your pilgrimage. If there are villages in Gludio Castle Town that you have not gone to yet, go to them and meet the Guard Captains or High Priests. I heard one enthusiastic esquire even journeyed to Talking Island Village