The Forest of Katib in chapter 5 has two memorable NPCs. One is a plant that talks, the other a man who believes he is the luckiest unlucky person alive (the Courier Drake of The Wandering Courier). Both are puzzle guides rather than merchants.
The talking sunflower#
The sunflower (hero 20031, monster 5050) is a former priest of the Church whose body took the shape of a plant. He is surprised to find people who look normal in Katib, senses blood on one of the party and recognizes someone who "was once a pawn of the Church". The Courier is startled to meet a talking sunflower.
Topics. The menu has five entries, some gated by quest flags:
| Topic | Answer in short |
|---|---|
| Were you a human? | Yes, he was a priest. Only a normal person can look into the cause of the dreams. |
| What is the trap? | The mist here is not the Sendrils; it is a small Marcion trick, and he gives tips: the Marcions believe life flows through Past, Present and Afterlife. |
| Where are the other people of the Church? | They went back to the Sacred Tower, where a frightful secret had been found. They chose to keep it forever, so nobody left. Perhaps they all fell asleep together. |
| Give it Time Stones | Appears only after you learn about the stones. He receives them and says "please wait a moment". |
| (leave) |
When the Colossus started growing into the Sacred Tower, he says, the Marcion Witches put everyone to sleep and it was hard for anyone to wake.
Exchange. Handing over The Stone of the Past, The Stone of the Present and The Stone of the Future (items 10013, 10014, 10015) creates the Marcion Puzzle Ball (trophy 60028, which lets the wearer resist the Marcion poisonous mist). The quest log entries are "Find the Past, the Present and the Future", "Ask that Plant for hint" and "Go deep into Katib".
The stick man#
The man with the stick (hero 20030, monsters 5101, 5102, 5103, 5105, 5128) is spread over five spots, one per stage of his story. He keeps muttering that he must find something, thinks of his wife Chloe in the Blessedland (he cannot remember her face but still longs for her) and considers himself unlucky.
- Searching. He asks whether you have the hourglass. "No" (flag 55005) gives a line about how even the luckiest folks can be unlucky, and he says the hourglass must be behind the trap; this sets flag 55004.
- Found it. If you hold the hourglass (flag 52201) the menu shows "I found it". He is overjoyed, calls it his lucky day and says everything is ready to set off, hoping to find the Seal of Yekub under the Sacred Tower. This sets flag 55006. (The copies of the scene that delete the glass, flag 55007, are the hand-in described in The Wandering Courier.)
- Waiting. After that spot his lines reduce to "be patient" or "at last I can return to the Blessedland".
The hand-in copies of the scene (dialogs 51140, 51274, 51294) also set the Tale flag 95051, so he counts toward the Witness achievement (Side Quests#Witness: "Finish all the Tales"). He appears in five states in the same area, and the later ones (monsters 5105 and 5128) only show once the hourglass flag 52201 is already set.
Related#
Jerold has several NPC spots in the same chapter too (monsters 5104, 5106 and 5108). The forest also holds visions about Teresa holding the Seal of Yekub (Seals of Yekub).
Hidden mechanics#
- The sunflower's "Give it Time Stones" option is hidden by flag 55070 once completed, so you can only trade once. It requires flags 55023 and 55021, which are set by the tips he gives about the Marcions, so you must listen to the trap topic first.
- The Marcion Puzzle Ball is given as a trophy, so it can be equipped in a trophy slot (see Trophies).
Sources#
- Table
StoryMonster: story 5, monsters 5050, 5101, 5102, 5103, 5105, 5128. - Table
StoryDialog: story 5 dialogs 51102-51127 and 51141-51295 (stick man), 51150-51166, 52154-53166 (sunflower). - Table
StoryQuest: 55042 (removes items 10013, 10014, 10015), 55024 (item 60028 x1), 55023/55021/55025 (messages 10503, 10504, 10505), 55004, 55006, 55070, 95051 (Tale). - Table
ItemData10013; tableTrophyData60028; tableUIQuest10503, 10504, 10505.