The fink explorer, a grand quest

Past painful protrusions.
Superimposed over this location, an ethereal forest reaches up to the sky.
You see exits leading east and west.

Your scaled nose twitches as a familiar odour fills your nostrils. Like a swamp, but with something else. Oil? Grease?

<Killing spawns.>

You twitch your snout and scent the air, sensing through a scaled fink nose upon your face the faint traces of others in the surrounding area.

The scent grows stronger. It is nearby, but where, you do not know.

<More killing spawns.>

As you pummmel the spawn, you instinctively sniff again: the rankness is nearby, but not here. Elsewhere. You have a memory of something, of an earlier time.

<Moving.>

At the foot of a round hill.
Superimposed over this location, an ethereal forest reaches up to the sky. Dense white clouds have spread completely across the sky. Covered in soot and aethergrease, a fink explorer observes his surroundings. A plump red grouse coos softly here, combing through the vegetation.
You see exits leading east, west, and up.

<I didn’t notice him here. Heee. More moving.>

A whiff of fragrant spices.
Dreamy whorls of opalescent light twine across the ground, indicating a healing shrine of Hoaracle nearby. Superimposed over this location, an ethereal forest reaches up to the sky. It is uncomfortably cold. Huyana Greyhide stands here serenely, surrounded in herbal aromas.
You see a single exit leading west.

Enadonella tells you, "What are you doing my love?"

You give the corpse of a spawn of the horde to Huyana Greyhide.
Huyana Greyhide flashes you a joyous smile.
Huyana Greyhide says, "Thank you for bringing a specimen of the fiends, fink."
Huyana Greyhide hands a scented pouch of coins to you.
Your karma rises in response to your deeds.
Huyana Greyhide says, "I have enough specimens now. Could you help me find the ingredients for making an antidote?"

You tell Lady Enadonella, Chosen of Ellindel, "I was hunting spawn, but, I keep smelling something strange. Or familiar, rather."

A soot-covered fink explorer tells you... something. But the words are gibberish, yips and murmurs and swears and curses. It takes you a moment: finkish! Finkish! Your head falls into memory, understanding the words. "Hello? Hello? Are you there? I am lost. Hello?"

You say to Huyana Greyhide, "Is there a swamp nearby here?"

You twitch your snout and scent the air, sensing through a scaled fink nose upon your face the faint traces of others in the surrounding area.

Questioningly, Huyana Greyhide says, "In the hills? No..."

tell fink Hello, can you hear me?
To whom do you wish to tell?

You crease your brow in a frown.

A soot-covered fink explorer tells you, "Hello? I-I can hear you, yes! Where are you?"

tell fink hello!
To whom do you wish to tell?

You say, "You can hear me? I am in the hills. Where are
you? Are there hills around you?"

Peering at you, Huyana Greyhide says, "... of course I
can hear you. I am right here."

You say to Huyana Greyhide, "Sorry, I can hear someone else, talking to me."

Showing that she understands, Huyana Greyhide nods her head slowly.

You yell, "Hello! Fink explorer?"

A soot-covered fink explorer yells, "Yes! Hello!"

You tell Lady Enadonella, Chosen of Ellindel, "I'm in Hifarae."

A soot-covered fink explorer yells, "Where am I? What
is this place? Is a forest?"

A beam of moonlight comes down from the sky and bathes you in light.
You sense Enadonella pulling on the strands of aether surrounding you.
A silver, portly pony with feathered wings trundles in from the ether.

You yell, "Describe what's near you?"

You hug Enadonella compassionately.

Comprehension flashes across Enadonella's face.

You give Enadonella a peck on the cheek.

Lady Enadonella, Chosen of Ellindel says, "I'll help find them."

<We both run around searching.>

Lowland among thistles.
Superimposed over this location, an ethereal forest reaches up to the sky. It is uncomfortably cold. A thorny bush grows from a cleft between rocks, dotted with small berries.
You see exits leading east, northwest, and up.

A beam of moonlight comes down from the sky and bathes you
in light.
You sense Enadonella pulling on the strands of aether
surrounding you.
A silver, portly pony with feathered wings trundles in from
the ether.

Enadonella begins to follow you.

At the foot of a round hill.
Superimposed over this location, an ethereal forest reaches up to the sky. It is uncomfortably cold. Covered in soot and aethergrease, a fink explorer observes
his surroundings. There are 3 rattlesnakes here. A silver, portly pony with feathered wings stands here quietly.
You see exits leading east, west, and up.

"Ahah!" you exclaim triumphantly.

"Ahah!" A soot-covered fink explorer exclaims triumphantly.

<This is apparently the standard fink greeting.>

A characteristic fink, this presumably young man hunches
over to assess his present predicament. His skin is utterly hairless and covered in splotchy, pink scales that have dulled and turned brackish thanks to smudges of soot and aethergrease. What few clothes he wears are tattered: a pair of dirty, cotton overalls that were once mustard or yellow or maybe even cream-coloured. Yellow teeth are visible even when he is not speaking or smiling, as his lower jaw do not fit neatly into his mouth and cover his blubbery lips. Not muscled or huge, the only large feature of this fink are his hands, which are disproportionally big in comparison with long, black nails. Around his neck, a strand of yarn loops around a fragment of blue cognito rock, its edges dull brown and black. Though still malodourous, the soot and grease covering the fink prevents him from smelling overwhelmingly rank.
A soot-covered fink explorer looks to be crushingly strong.
He weighs about 15 pounds.
You cannot see what a soot-covered fink explorer is holding.
It has the following aliases: fink.

A soot-covered fink explorer exclaims to you, "Hello!"

You say, "What are you doing here?"

You say, "I have never met any finks in the basin
before, besides those in the Newton Caverns."

Absently scratching his nose, a soot-covered fink explorer
says, "I am on a mission, by the Great Bog Mother, to find out what has happened to Granny
Gucka."

Comprehension flashes across your face.

A soot-covered fink explorer tilts his head curiously.
"The glowy hole finks?" he questions.

You say, "Glowy hole?"

You crease your brow in a frown.

A soot-covered fink explorer nods his head emphatically.

You say, "I think so. Um, have you found anything out
yet?"

Shaking his head, a soot-covered fink explorer admits a
silent defeat in his quest. Finally, he speaks up with a yip, "Not at all. Granny Gucka seems
to have long gone... unless..." Here, he glances at you, a hopefulness in his beady eyes.
"Unless you heard news of her?"

You say, "I know Grandmother Gucka and her army invaded
a place called Lolliprin, and fought a great war against the gnome king, Newton. But Momma Mia in
Lolliprin says that Gucka left them for some reason, but they do not know why."

A soot-covered fink explorer rubs his scaly chin
contemplatively.

A soot-covered fink explorer says, "Then I must
continue my quest."

You say, "How did you get here?"

A soot-covered fink explorer bares his yellowed teeth with a
smile. "I stowed away. One of them gnomish ships circled Mucklemarsh, checking out the Divinity
ruins. I slipped in. They landed upon that great mountain." He points to the east, to Avechna
in the far distance. "And I stumbled my way about and found myself here. I think this is a forest. Is
this a forest?"

You sniff about, blanching a bit as you note the timid musk
emanating from a soot-covered fink explorer.

You say, "This is the Hifarae Hills, though druids have
summoned trees here. The real forest is to the east, Serenwilde, where I live."

Showing that he understands, a soot-covered fink explorer
nods his head slowly.

You say, "Tell me, are there any other fink tribes left
on Mucklemarsh? When I went there, I could not find my own tribe."

A soot-covered fink explorer blinks.

You say, "I fear they were killed by the slivven or
something."

Confused, a soot-covered fink explorer says, "Why, the
tribe of the Bog Mother is the tribe on Mucklemarsh." With his beady eyes, he peers at
Nikkakorra, curious but unsure. "Unless there are other tribes I do not know about..."

You say, "Oh."

Almost to himself, a soot-covered fink explorer says,
"Except those glowy hole finks."

You say, "Why do you call them 'glowy hole' finks?"

A soot-covered fink explorer peers at you unscrupulously.

A soot-covered fink explorer says, "... because they
are finks that live inside the glowy holes?"

A soot-covered fink explorer scratches his bald head in
confusion.

You say, "You mean the portals?"

Nodding, a soot-covered fink explorer says, "Yes, the
glowy holes."

You say, "I see."

You say, "Perhaps you should travel to Lolliprin then,
there is anther tribe there, lead by Momma Mia. Perhaps she can tell you more about the war against the
gnomes."

Eyes darting elsewhere, a soot-covered fink explorer says,
"... well, I should keep exploring and searching for-- oh?"

Lady Enadonella, Chosen of Ellindel says to you,
"Perhaps you should go with."

To you both, Lady Enadonella, Chosen of Ellindel says,
"Together you could find answers."

You say to Enadonella, "But the Fates will not allow me
to travel into Newton or Lolliprin."

Lady Enadonella, Chosen of Ellindel says to you,
"Perhaps an exception could be granted."

Lady Enadonella, Chosen of Ellindel says, "For the sake
of knowledge."

You ponders the situation, looking
at the fink explorer.

You say, "I guess we can try."

A soot-covered fink explorer begins to follow you.

A soot-covered fink explorer points boldly towards the
horizon and declares in a proud tone, "Onward!"

 

You say, "But I do not trust the Fates."

 

"Oh?" A soot-covered fink explorer exclaims
quizzically.

 

Lady Enadonella, Chosen of Ellindel says, "I believe,
we can succeed in this."

 

You teleport along the aether strands to the Aetherplex
Chamber.

Enadonella follows you ether.

 

<moving>

 

Newton Road. (road).

Superimposed over this location, an ethereal forest reaches
up to the sky. Small particles of dust fly through the air, caught up in a moderate gale. A silver,
portly pony with feathered wings stands here quietly.

You see exits leading northeast and southwest.

"Your destiny does not lie here!" the Fates
screech. A sparkling wind sweeps in and you find yourself floating over Avechna's Peak before being violently
ejected.

 

The Path of the Teacher. (road).

Superimposed over this location, an ethereal forest reaches
up to the sky. Dense white clouds have spread completely across the sky. A silver, portly pony with
feathered wings stands here quietly.

You see exits leading north, northeast, and southwest.

 

A soot-covered fink explorer creases his brow in a frown.

 

You give a pained sigh.

 

You say, "They will not allow me to enter."

Lady Enadonella, Chosen of Ellindel asks, "Perhaps it
is me?"

 

You slump down dejectedly.

 

You move about quickly and lose Lady Enadonella, Chosen of
Ellindel.

 

You have recovered balance on all limbs.

 

Newton Road. (road).

Superimposed over this location, an ethereal forest reaches
up to the sky. Small particles of dust fly through the air, caught up in a moderate gale.

You see exits leading northeast and southwest.

 "Your destiny does not lie here!" the Fates
screech. A sparkling wind sweeps in and you find yourself floating over Avechna's Peak before being violently
ejected.

You shake your head.

 

Tentatively, a soot-covered fink explorer says,
"Perhaps I shall go onward... and if I learn anything, I can find you again?"

 

You say, "To fink Please do! You can ask in Serenwilde
for me, the big forest."

 

You say, "You will need to help the glowy hole finks to
fix the portal to Lolliprin."

 

A soot-covered fink explorer nods his head emphatically.

 

You say, "Momma Mia lives inside the big mountain
there. Be careful of the giant ants though."

 

You say, "They hate finks."

 

A soot-covered fink explorer says, "Then I will squish
these giant ants."

 

The corners of your mouth turn up as you grin mischievously.

 

A soot-covered fink explorer exclaims to you, "Farewell
for now, Fink of the Serenwilde. I shall find you when I learn many things!"

 

You say, "Good luck."

 

A soot-covered fink explorer waves goodbye.

 

The air freshens as a fink explorer trods off to the
northeast.

 

You bounce up and down.

 

You bounce up and down.

 

Lady Enadonella, Chosen of Ellindel smiles and says to you,
"That was...unexpected."

 

You nod your head emphatically.

 

Lady Enadonella, Chosen of Ellindel laughingly says to you,
"I almost thought the Fates would find it in their hearts to let us proceed."