Chapter 1:
Get to Panizo.  There really isn't much else to tell you.  Take the southern
route and make sure you periodically check both the seaside and cliffsides
for hidden chests and (IMPORTANT!!!) hidden caves.  Somewhere around the
middle of your trek you will come to a town (Balmestri, I believe) where a
woman will complain about here son gone missing.   To the northwest of the
town there are some caves and the boy is trapped there in a pit.  NOTE: if
you didn't buy rope in Briala you won't be able to get the boy out.
Continue on towards Sortiga after rescuing the ungrateful brat.  Be
careful... sometime before Sortiga a solid row of trees will appear on your
left (south).  If you continue on the road you will hit a particularly nasty
ambush just about the time Sortiga comes into view in the distance.  If you
keep to the seaside (to the south of the solid row of trees) you will
encounter other easier enemies.  In Sortiga you will have to expose the
corrupt doings of the mayor.  This is easy enough--all you have to do is
defeat the pirates in town.  HINT:  talk to everyone in town BEFORE fighting
the pirates and then again afterwards.  Continue on to Panizo, but avoid the
temptation to take the Carridge (Stagecoach?  I don't remember exactly what
they called it...).  Its far too expensive relative to the time you save and
at least initially I think it only goes in the wrong direction--back towards
Balmestri.  Visiting William's estate in Panizo concludes the chapter.

Chapter 2:
The second chapter is long and torturous.  William must take Aren to see the
High Wizard.  The problem is the only information to locate him with is that
he is north "near Midova."  Actually he is directly North of Midova in a
small cul-de-sac in the cliffs.  Problem is, he won't talk until you find
him some Chilen Tea.  The exotic foods merchant in Midova normally sells
this Tea, but is out of it and promises to have some for you in a week.
Burn a week of game time and then go back to Midova.  Sleep.  Walk aound.
Whatever.  Unfortunately when you go back the Tea--along with all of the
mechant's other goods--have been reposessed by the city's moneylender for
defaulting on the loan.  Talk to the folks in Midova's Inn to find out why.

The High Mage (who looks curiously like a cross between a bum and Friar
Tuck) still refuses to speak with you unless you have the Tea.  The
moneylender in Midova will agree to return the Tea (and the other
merchandise) if someone goes and finds yet another mage who owes him money
and collects the debt.  The only information you are given is that this mage
is "near Montari territory."  The problem is none of the game documentation
(or characters) bother to tell you where Montari territory IS.  Well... I'll
save you days (real days, not game days) of looking.  Montari territory is
the mountainous quadrant between the towns of Ligano, Aspreza, Balmestri and
Sortiga.  The mage is located on the North---South road between Sortiga and
Ligano.  He will immediately give you jewels to repay the moneylender--but
also a quest.  He gives you a dowsing rod and tells you to plant it "in the
Montari Warren" to bring back the region's dwindling water supply.  Again,
the documentation, on-line help and even the characters have no information
on how to find the Montari Warren--or even if it is a cave, a cul-de-sac, or
canyons in the mountains.  This is important because there are extensive
canyons contained within the stretch of road between Imazi and Aliero and
you can get distracted looking there for hours.  It turns out that the
Warren he is speaking of is a series of caves located just EAST of Sortiga
around the very same area where the ambush is in Chapter 1.  Hidden in these
caves are many treasures (boost your lockpicking skills before getting here)
as well as a friendly Montari and a hidden spring.  Contrary to what the
mage tells you the Dowsing rod he gives you will NOT help lead you to the
underground spring--don't even bother trying.  If you find the friendly
Montari you have pratically found the spring, by the way.  Go due east after
speaking with him and follow the tunnel behind him northwards afterwards.
Plant the dowsing rod by the creek and take a least a minute to go open the
treasure chest on the opposite wall in that cavern before hightailing it out
of there.

Return to Midova.  You might think about taking the Northern route and
explore 1.) the earlier mentioned canyons between Imazi and Aliero--along
the south-west wall  2.) the mines just north-west of Aliero.  Make sure you
buy a pick in Aliero first, and get a chance to use Aren's Moonglow and
Jewel finding spells as well.  Okay... when you get to Midova and try and
give the moneylender the mage's jewels you are going to encounter a BIG
problem.  He won't, in any way, acknowledge that you HAVE them.  This drove
me crazy and I wound up wandering half the kingdom looking for some
uncompleted task to finish.  There is no uncompleted task--this is just an
interface problem.  If you try dragging and dropping the jewels on the
moneylender in the store view, it won't work.  If you try cashing in the
jewels for money to give the moneylender, it won't work.  The only way to
get him to take them is to enter the conversation mode with the moneylender
and THEN move your mouse to the bottom of the window, pull open the
Character inventory and then drop the jewels on the little inventory
portrait of the moneylender.

Now things will progress quickly.  The moneylender returns the goods to the
storekeeper, the storekeeper gives you your Tea and the High Mage will
FINALLY talk to you.

Chapter 2 is not over though!   William must proceed to the city of Ticoro.
Here's a hint... don't even waste your time taking the direct western route
from Midova to Ticoro, because a group of soldiers is going to stop you from
crossing a bridge halfway down that road.  There is another way across this
river, but you have to backtrack all the way to Panizo to get there!!!
Slightly northwest of Panizo there is a canyon trough the mountains which
has a bridge across this river.  If you proceed Northwest from this bridge
you will be able to visit the town of Waterfork.  TIP:  If you looked in the
cul-de-sac BEHIND the High Wizard you found a chest whose contents will be
of great interest to a certain resident of Waterfork!  Continuing even
further Northwest from Waterfork you will finally be able to reach Ticoro.
By the way, particularly in this area do not constrain yourself to following
roads.  With only slight derivations, the fastest way from Panizo to Ticora
is to keep going due Northwest and mostly ignore roads.


Entering Ticoro ends Chapter 2.