Vanagar - Project Sluicer (bo)

Storyline

We have had a slight... err.. mishap in our Biological Warfare Division.
It seems that.. ahem.. one of our research groups based on Vanagar, in
the city of North Narwhald, was... well... attacked by a small terrorist
outfit known as the Sechifrae, whom we suspect to be linked to the...
Rebellion.. possibly. After killing most of our staff, they discovered
Project Sluicer. Shortly thereafter, the 'Project' terminated the
terrorists. Gravely, the 'Project' then... decided to leave. It is now
believed that it has entered the Aridol river. We were able to surmise
this once a number fishing ships began to crash into the shoreline, and
seemed to be lacking crew members. 
 
The few that know of the 'Project' believe that the North Narwhald
Parliament is responsible... which seems advantageous for now. It is
imperative that we... contain the 'Project' though... If it were to
leave the planet, the consequences could be... disturbing. We recently
intercepted a distress call from the Wind Bleeder, but we are waiting
to respond... until some countermeasure can be devised. At present, we
know of nothing, short of thermonuclear bombardment, that could...
cancel the 'Project'.
 
-- Grand Moff Lieko
 
NOTE: This mission is designed for players of level 9 and higher.

Map

Sluicer Fish Stats

Walkthrough

Before you start this mission, make sure you have good armour like a black set or better and bring a couple of torches to the ship.

First, get to main deck of the Wind Bleeder ship from the Narwhald Starport: Go d, 2w, 2n, path, w, n, enter river, climb line. To get back to the starport, you go: dive, shore, s, e, path, 2s, 2e, u.

Go north and you'll find a Pooki, a parrot-like creature that provides clues on the mission. Go south and climb nets to reach the crow's nest. This is an idyllic place to sleep, so <sleep> and you'll be woken up by a magazine hitting your face. A strange key with a skull on top will drop out of the magazine.

Get the magazine and key. Reading the magazine gives you information on how to torture someone to obtain information, a combination of choking, strangling and kneeing should do the trick. Go back down to the main deck.

In the following part, make sure you do not stray from the path since you might make the Sluicer fish appear prematurely. There are a few things you can get done before spawning the fish.

The filet knife, torn pages and rations are not required items for completing the mission, so you can skip them.

Pooki says: (ask about sluicer)
The Sluicer is a big fish! Beware! Beware!!

Go down to the central cargo hold: exa socket, search socket will reveal a filet knife.

Pooki says: (ask about fish)
Many fish below, normally, we kept them in the lower storage area... 
but... something kept piling them under the main hatch, letting them rot. 

Pooki says: (ask about knife)
We had a wicked filet knife... with it.. you could filet any corpse... 
get some good tasty guts that way... 

Go south to a narrow hallway and open the hatch which will allow you to go down. Light one of your torches and go down to the storage holds. Go west to find a ceramic crate chained to the wall. Now, break chain until it breaks. You will need at least 51+ STR to get this done.

Pooki says: (ask about crate)
The crew used to stand on the crates all the time, especially when they 
needed to get into the vents... 

Get crate, then go north and search ropes. You will find a torn page (page 5).

Pooki says: (ask about page)
Pages and pages of the diary... I snuck a peek at five of them... 

Pooki says: (ask about diary)
Hmm.. Puzdarin kept a diary... he was the first mate.. but.. i've seen 
pages of it floating all about the ship now.. 

Go e, s, s, then kill the Bilgerat and search equipment to reveal a blue switch.

There's nothing more for you to do in the storage deck for now, so go north, then up to return to the narrow hallway.

Go north, and make sure you are at full health before proceeding, since you will now make the Sluicer fish appear!

 rRrRrRrRrRrRrRrRrR            RrRrRRRrRrRrRRrRrr
  { o   }r{  o  }RaRa        RaRa{   o }r{  o  }
  {     }r{     }rRaRaRaRaRaRaRar{     }r{     }
 RaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaR
 |   | |   | |   | |   | |   | |   | |   | |   |
 \   | |   / \   / |   / |   / \   / |   | \   |
  |  | \   |  | /  |  /  \  /   \  | \   |  |  |
  \  |  |  /  | |  \ /    \ |    | |  |  /  |  /
   | |  \  |  \/    \|     |/    \ /  | /  /  /
   \ \   \ |   |     \    /       \| //    | /
    \|    \|                       |       \|
 RaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaRaR
      RrRrRrRrRrRrRrRrRrRrRrRrRrRrRrRrRrR
	

Go west, drop crate, get page (page 1).

(Note: you can now escape to safety from the Sluicer fish either by going east and up to get back to the main deck, or by standing on the crate, <stand crate>)

Exa equipment, search equipment. Since you're carrying the skull key, you're able to dislodge a gaff! It's used for impaling fish from a distance, you might as well <wield gaff> right away.

Pooki says: (ask about gaff)
A gaff is used to impale fishies... we had a really nice one though... down 
in port cargo.. it was made of a special metal... 

Now go 2e, north to the first mate's cabin, and lift the rug to discover a shipkey, then open the fridge to get a small supply of rations, and search bed for another torn page (page 4). The shipkey will allow you to enter the engine room, which is protected by a force field.

Pooki says: (ask about field)
The engine room has a force field around it... you need the shipkey to 
get in.. I think.. the first mate had it... kept in a stupid place... 

(If you go to the engine room and try to press button, you will notice there's a gap where there should be a small power converter, but don't go there yet)

Pooki says: (ask about converter)
Scariest thing.. I think the captain SWALLOWED the power converter! 
I wonder what you could do to make him cough it back up, eh?

Instead we need to find the ship's captain. Go south from the first mate's cabin, 2x west, stand crate, u, n, e, d to enter the captain's quarters.

Pooki says: (ask about captain)
The captain... he's insane these days... locked himself up in his cabin... 
Scared to utter death of the Sluicer... someone needs to slap some 
sense into him... 

Slap captain, kick captain, and knee captain should make him cough up the power converter and divulge the positions of the red, blue and green switches.

Now head to the engine room, go u, w, s, d, e, s, s. Then install the converter.

Next, you need to flip the four switches to their right positions, you already know the red/blue/green positions, and you'll have to guess the white position.

Pooki says: (ask about switch)
Yes.. the switches... there are 4 switches on the ship... if all of them 
are in the right position... and you go into the engine room.... you can 
release the cadaway gas... need to get through the field though... 

Go north, the red switch is here, flip it if needed. Go down, south, flip the blue switch if needed. Then go east to find the green switch, and 2x west to find the white switch. The rooms with the green and white switches are rooms that will make the sluicer appear so be careful!

When you have flipped all the switches, return to the engine room, from the white switch: go e, n, u, s, press button.

The white switch may still be wrong (it's a 50/50 chance), if nothing happens when you press the button, go: n, d, s, w, flip switch, e, n, u, s and press the button again.

Now the lower storage area will be flooded with cadaway gas, which makes it possible to kill the sluicer fish, since it cannot heal itself anymore.

Pooki says: (ask about gas)
Cadaway gas is a nerve gas... causes problems in aquatic thingies.. we 
kept some onboard and would flood the lower storage area... thus paralyzin 
our recent catches.. and some of the bigger 'uns too.... 

Light your second torch, since the gas will make the storage holds really dark. Make sure you are wielding the gaff, since it's by far the most effective weapon you can use against the Sluicer fish. Now go north, d, s, w, wait for the Sluicer fish to appear and you should be able to hurt it severely with your wielded gaff.

You will probably have to move around in the storage area to keep fighting the fish since it wanders around, just remember that it's a 3x3 area with the entrance in the center, so if you need to escape to make a heal run, return to the center, then go u, n, u to return to the main deck.

After you hit the fish around 10 times, it will die and you will have completed the mission!

Congratulations!

RRRrrargggh!!!
The Sluicer fish coughs up some black blood, shivers, and 
then collapses to the floor, dead. Several of its large 
and glassy eyes fall limply from their sockets, having 
been crystallized by the cadaway gas. 

Having slain the nightmarish Sluicer, a sharp wave 
of confidence passes through you. Your blood now flows 
with a fearless fire, like burning acid. 

Now you can <filet corpse> with your knife if you'd like, though it's not required. The filet knife will work on any corpse, so you can keep it with you.

Enjoy your spoils; the two eyeballs will heal your force points for 300 points each when shattered, the tooth is just treasure you can sell to a store.

There are a couple of torn pages you haven't found yet, if you're interested, then you can go d, w, n from the main deck to find the second one, and d, e, s from the main deck for the third one.

Diary Pages

--- The 17th day of Arrilan, 202. (Page 1)

The Aridol river seemed almost peaceful today, the ceaseless waves
were remarkably quiet, smooth. We received another message from
the Fisheries Syndicate, once again denouncing our methods, they
still contend that the kilometer nets are destructive to the river's
ecosystem. Personally, I've seen no evidence of that. Until we
refrain, though, we are not being offered the privilege of port,
and the captain does not seem willing to back down. One side must
give in soon, for I long to see my wife and children. 

Of interest, I have heard strange rumors, some of the ships on the
comm channels have been reporting unusual encounters with some
type of fish, or variation thereof. Nothing has been confirmed.

Ahh, I grow weary. Good night dear diary, may tomorrow seem slightly
more promising.


Puzdarin Reolffe

--- The 21st day of Arrilan, 202. (Page 2)

Well, we are still engaged in this fruitless conflict. Our supplies
are beginning to dwindle, we were not prepared for an extended
voyage you see. Worse yet, the repulsors and air duct systems are
malfunctioning, if we do not dock soon for repairs, we could find
ourselves in rather perilous straits I fear. And I am quite sure
that our 'beloved' government would not be very eager to aid us.
Conditions on the river are starting to get sort of rough again,
of that, I am less than happy. 

Reports pertaining to the creature I had mentioned earlier have
been increasing with alarming frequency. The governments of both
North and South Narwhald have officially denied the possibility
of an undocumented organism even existing here. Yet, I have been
hearing reports from reliable men, quite honest folk, of some
hideous beast that has come aboard fishing vessels late in the
darkness of our artificial night, slaying a few men in seconds,
and quickly receding into the waters.


Puzdarin Reolffe

--- The 23rd day of Arrilan, 202. (Page 3)

The repulsors are starting to fail, the captain says we'll keep
vigilant, continue to wait. The fish in our hold are now rotting,
ventilation and thus refrigeration systems went out yesterday.

The mysterious creature that has been murdering so many of my
countrymen has lain quiet for two days now. No more word of its
destructive endeavors have we heard. 

I look so forward to seeing my children, may the strife of late
please end with remarkable speed.

Hmmm.. someone seems to be yelling about a hole in the ceiling
of our port cargo hold. I'd better check it out...


Puzdarin Reolffe

--- The 24th day of Arrilan, 202. (Page 4)

Tragedy. Today, we lost directional control. The repulsor lifts
failed soon after. Desperate, the captain tried to anchor us, but
we ran aground. Our port side struck an outcropping of rock,
gutting most of our electrical equipment, flooding the secondary
hull. 4 men died in the impact. We have tried to signal for aid,
but, alas, our communications systems were severely damaged, no
outside contact has been possible. We are relatively close to
the shoreline, unfortunately, present river conditions prevent
even the use of lifeboats. There is no choice, we must wait.
And take what may come of it.

The captain seems to be losing it... he seems... nearly insane
now. To get him to talk sensibly, I find myself having to kick
or slap him. Since the wreck... I think he has become quite
disassociated from reality.

Even more worrisome, my friend Thuegall Wifflnot was found
shortly after the wreck. He had been eaten.


Puzdarin Reolffe

--- The 25th day of Arrilan, 202. (Page 5)

It is now dark. I sit here in my cabin, alone, afraid. Screams
seem to permeate the night as if blind men were let loose in
bowls of razors, 7 men have disappeared or died thus far. And
we have SEEN it. I cannot describe it, the nature of it, it is
beyond appalling. It is like some grandiose concoction of fish
and fang, preying on us relentlessly. A few men have fought
back, but, to no avail. If we are not discovered soon, there
will be no doubt as to our fates.

I had found the captain earlier, gibbering incoherently. I 
nearly strangled him in my frustration. He ran off a few
moments later... 

Later, I found him again. He had locked himself behind
his security door. I feel this may be my last entry. 

Goodbye Verrun, Juipmon, and Terris. I love you all.


Puzdarin Reolffe