Ragpicker's Square

To gain a finger (AR0101)

   At the Ragpicker's square there are a lot of collectors, talk to them if you want. Move to the centre of the area and notice, a strange looking fellow, even for a collector. Talk to him and discover that he is even stranger than you first thought. His name appears to be Marrow-Friend and just loves to take a bite of death people. Around his neck he carries a finger with a ring attached to it. He is willing to trade it if he can take a bite from you. Because you're as good as death anyhow it's no big deal so make the exchange. Now replace one of your own fingers with the ringed finger. It will grow on you and the ring will fall off. It gains you a ring, but it's a cursed item and there is basically no point in doing this. But hey, you can not know everything up front, can you.

No way out!

   Now walk around the building and discover a portal that leads inside the hut (AR3006A). Only once inside there is no way out. After a while Vlask appears that offers you a way out for only 100 copper coins. You have the option to fight him and his companions or pay up.

Becoming a mage

   Anyway after this pointless exercise let's explore the area a bit more until you come to a hut (AR0102), which is close to the portal. Inside lives Old Mebbeth who is a midwife, she sells several healing potions and charms. But even more interesting she also can turn you into a mage. Now if this does not appear to be appealing to you just simulate it and convince here to teach you to be a mage. She is a bit reluctant at first but in the end she promises to teach you when you've completed some tasks she wants you to do.

The first task

   The first one is to collect some herbs, of which she gives you some examples, from the market in the Southwest part of the Hive (to get there leave this area and from the next area head south upto the SE Hive). So off we go, to the market. At the market you have to locate the hive merchant that sells the herbs and ask him for the herbs that Old Mebbeth want (500XP). Unfortunately he doesn't have them and tells you to go looking for a gardener somewhere in the Hive. This is great where do you find somebody like that? Up to now you have not found anybody that even looked like a gardener. To save you a long run throughout the areas of the Hive, I can tell you he is in the northern part of the Smouldering Corpse Bar area (Southeast part of the Hive). There you'll find Mourns-for-Trees, who takes great care in helping the trees in the Hive, talk to him and offer to help the trees that you'll find on your path (500XP). To him you can also talk about the herbs and together with him you can make the seeds grow (500XP).

The second task

   Now you have what you want head back to Old Mebbeth. When you have returned to Old Mebbeth give here the herbs (2 x 500XP). She wants you to perform another task, which is to collect here rags from the cloth seller named Giscorl, at the market. He washed them for her and she still needs to collect them. If you want to be a mage then go get them at the market from Giscorl (500XP) and return to Old Mebbeth again with the wash.

The third task

   Now she wants you to perform one final task. She wants you to get some ink from Kossah-Jai, at the market. Now why couldn't she have said that the first time, then we could have done all the shopping at the market at the same time? Anyway go to see here and she will tell you that she does not have the ink, but she can tell you where to get it. It bleeds from the gills of a Brogota-fin, which is a fish. You can get one from Meir'am, which can be found a bit to the south. Ask Meir'am about the Brogota-fin. She appears to have one but asks you to get a bowl or a cup to contain the ink in. So it's back again to the market, where one of the merchants sells pots and cups. Buy one and return tot Meir'am to collect the ink. Finally you have the ink and you can return to Old Mebbeth. Give Old Mebbeth the ink (1000XP).

Finally a mage!

   Now you're ready to be taught by her (5000XP). She will make you a book, of which the frame is made from the herbs and the paper from the wash you collected. The ink is used to write the spells down. You also can gain some spells from here (5000XP) and some magical earrings that will allow you to remember more spells. Finally you're a mage! You have the information right now to go locate Pharod. It might be wise however to get an extra companion in your party prior to doing that and you can also try to gain some extra XP first to level up, which is very sound advice before confronting Pharod.

Missing a sister

   Outside Old Mebbeth's you'll find Nodd. Talk to him, when you're finished talking he has a quest for you. He asks you to find his sister Amarysse, from who he was separated, and tell here that he misses her.

The jewel of the south

   In a hut at the south (AR3004B) Jarym is trying to complete a spell, but has some difficulty with it. He wants you to find a ruby of exceptional quality.

Share-a-grave

   In the large hut at the SE you'll find Sharegrave (AR0103C). Talk to him and he will pay you 100 copper to find out where Pharod gets his bodies. Be careful however, he is easily triggered to attack you.

Becoming a thief

   Outside Shargrave's hut is Ratbone. He can teach you to be a thief if you want. It will cost you some copper and gains you 2500XP.

At this point in time you should have several quests, but don't worry. The game has a journal that keeps track of all the quests in the game, to make sure you don't forget one.

So now it's time to start collecting some of that XP, for which we go back to the Hive.