Journey to Save the Light: Part One

For this series of posts, we have returned to the Scotrun realm to bring you a closer look at ShadowQuest, a.k.a. The Journey to Save the Light.

This two-part post will discuss the gameplay (though it will not provide a step-by-step walkthrough, because that is really beyond the scope of this blog,) story, characters, and what we learn about the lore of Vellara on the ShadowQuest journey.

Currently, ShadowQuest can be played in Scotrun PA, Wisconsin Dells WI, Mason OH, Grapevine, TX, Williamsburg VA, Concord NC, and Grand Mound WA. It is listed as "coming soon" at a number of other locations, but no specific arrival time has been indicated, so if you want to play, you will probably need to plan a trip to one of those seven realms.

In some ways, ShadowQuest is sort of a "Part Two" to the original MagiQuest adventures, with bigger challenges, more complex quests, and somewhat less predictable combat. The story is mostly separate, however, aside from a few connecting lore threads that are fun for fans but not necessary for new players to understand the storyline. 

Like Guardians of the Realm Portals (and unlike Runes of the Quest Master,) ShadowQuest uses digitally rendered characters and voice acting instead of live actors.

To begin your journey, you will meet Lumina at the main quest hub - the quest trees or quest stones, depending on your location - and she requests your aid. She will send you on the quests to create the runes you will need to save the light.

Lumina is the leader of the Light Pixies. She seems a little young to be in charge, but we don't really know how pixies age, so she could be ancient for all we know.

As a side note: Lumina pronounces the word "rune" oddly, which can be confusing if you aren't reading the subtitles. When she says a two-syllable word that sounds like "ruin," she means "rune."

The elements of ShadowQuest are mixed in with the elements of MagiQuest, but are generally unique items. If, for example, you are asked to find a crystal, you will be looking for one specific to ShadowQuest, not the same one you found on your MagiQuest adventure. The quests usually end at MagiQuest stations, though, with Lumina or Ivan giving you instructions for a location to meet them.

It's a good idea to keep mental notes (or even write notes down) about where you find things. This will help you later. You will also find it useful to remember the speed at which each crystal blinks - for every color, there is a slow blinking crystal, a medium blinking crystal, and a fast blinking crystal. You will need this information multiple times, so you can save yourself some headaches by keeping track of it, trust me.  

ShadowQuest requires the magi to interact with various scenes, including the swamp village pictured above. You will return to each scene multiple times, with different goals. 

Sometimes your goals can only be achieved at certain times of day (or night,) so pay attention to your objectives. Some wand toppers can manipulate time so you don't have to wait at all, which can be handy if you happen to have one but is really not necessary because the day/night cycles move at a brisk pace, so you'll never be left waiting long.

And so your journey begins...

Lumina pretty much cuts right to the chase and tells you that something is stealing the sky lights, risking eternal darkness for the realms. The sky lights seem to be along the lines of stars, although it is not clear whether they actually act as real stars do, or simply light the realms at night.

It is Lumina's assumption that the sky lights are being stolen by a "creature," in her words.

Your first quest is the Detect Magic Rune. We learn from this quest that the use of magic leaves a trail, and this trail can be detected by magical means, and then followed. To follow, you will need a separate but related rune, the Track Magic Rune, which is the task given to you by Lumina after you have learned how to detect magical energy.

Your next quest is for the Lock Portal Rune. We have already learned in our previous adventures in Vellara (specifically the Silver Dragon Adventure and the dearly departed MagiQuest Online) that portals can be dangerous, and not all visitors who travel through them are welcome. You can use the Lock Portal Rune to temporarily seal a portal. When used alone, this rune is a stopgap measure and will not permanently deny a creature access, but it can buy the magi some time to forumlate a solution.

You will also need the Banish Creature Rune. Lumina explains that the majority of creatures who wander through the portals do so by mistake and leave peacefully. Occasionally, though, creatures with malicious intent come through and refuse to leave. For those situations, you need the Banish Creature rune to return the unwelcome creature to its place of origin.

The Banish Creature Rune and the Lock Portal Rune can be used in combination to send a creature back and then prevent it from returning. 

There is one more rune you will need before you can go on your first adventure: the Sky Light Rune. As well as the obvious connection to restoring the stolen lights, this rune can provide illumination in dark places, helping you to see. 

Once you have obtained all of these runes, you will begin the Investigate the Vanishing Light Adventure. You will meet another character, Ivan, a Yeti runemaster who will aid you on your journey.

After you have received your quest objectives, you will go to the ShadowQuest Portal and use what you have learned. You will illuminate the darkness, track the magic energy of the culprit, and journey into the Cairn to catch the first glimpse of your adversary.

One gameplay note: If you have already completed ShadowQuest at least once at the location you are visiting, the adventure will not start automatically at the correct point in the story. Nor does the icon appear in story order on the quest screen. You will need to select it manually at the bottom left of the quest screen when the time comes - if you have forgotten when that is, the printed guide will help you.

When you have completed this adventure, your journey is only half finished. You have more runes to obtain, more to learn about the characters, and a final confrontation with the thief who is plunging the realms into darkness. We will cover the second half of the journey in Part Two.

As you journey to save the light, Lumina bestows a great honor - she names you as an honorary Light Pixie!

Part Two of the ShadowQuest journey can be found here.

From one honorary Light Pixie to another - may your adventures be magical! :)

~Annacat