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Story finished first pass.

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Timothy van der Valk
2026-01-12 12:04:57 +01:00
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intro_quest.fountain
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@@ -8,7 +8,9 @@ This is the introduction quest for Blind Nature, where Liora wakes up in a blazi
A BURNING FOREST AT NIGHT
LIORA, AGE 15, lies on the ground in the GRAND FOREST and opens her eyes. Her FATHER spots her lying on the ground and screams while running towards her.
A small village surrounded by burning trees. Flames can be heard from all directions. The screaming of roughly 20 other people can be heard as they try desperately to survive.
On the middle of the grass in the center of the village lies LIORA, AGE 17. Fallen unconscious from the initial blasts near the GRAND TREE, she opens her eyes. Her FATHER spots her lying on the ground and screams while running towards her. He is carrying a little bag on his belt containing a bit of food. Liora wears a belt that holds a single medicinal healing potion that she had brewed herself.
FATHER
Liora! Liora!
@@ -22,7 +24,7 @@ Take my hand! We must get away from here!
Liora extends her hand and gets up with the help of her father, she COUGHS once from the burning ashes that fly through the air. She clings to her father.
FATHER
Listen carefully to follow my directions.
Listen carefully and follow my directions.
FATHER and Liora are holding each other tight. On directions from FATHER, Liora walks in the appropriate direction or stops. She is corrected when trying to walk in the wrong direction.
@@ -39,15 +41,18 @@ FATHER
To the right.
FATHER
Not in that direction. To the right.
Not in that direction.
FATHER
Very well, we're almost there.
To the right.
FATHER
Good. We're almost there.
FATHER
Forward.
When Liora takes the first few steps forward with her father, a FLAMING TREE falls over and blocks their path. They are forced to take a detour again. Liora and her father are SHOCKED.
When Liora takes the first few steps forward with her father, a FLAMING TREE falls over and blocks their path. They are forced to take a detour again. Liora and her father are SHOCKED. Liora screams out of concern.
FATHER
Watch out! That tree is falling down!
@@ -61,12 +66,14 @@ FATHER
We must continue! To the left!
FATHER
Stop! Now forward, we're almost around it!
Stop! Now forward. We're almost around it!
FATHER
We passed it! Now straight ahead.
The two keep walking straight for a while as they approach a SMALL CANAL that leads to the GRAND LAKE. The flaming forest still surrounds them, but sounds more distant. The flames have not yet reached this part of the forest.
The two keep walking straight for roughly 15 seconds. The burning flames can be heard all around them. Wooden huts collapse nearby.
As they approach a SMALL CANAL that leads to the GRAND LAKE. The flaming forest still surrounds them, but sounds more distant. The flames have not yet reached this part of the forest.
FATHER
The canal is just ahead.
@@ -99,6 +106,7 @@ We will reach the Grand Lake in about an hour, from there it will take about hal
Liora closes her eyes and lets her exhaustion put her to sleep.
MIDDLE OF THE GRAND LAKE
Liora sleeps for about 4 hours, opens her eyes well-rested. She can hear the sound of subtle water flowing on the Grand Lake and the motion of the rowing paddles that push the water. Other than that, it is a silent lake. The fire has brought a great mist upon the lake that makes it hard for her father to see. On a clear day, one can see across the entire lake.
@@ -110,16 +118,384 @@ Relative to the boat, far in the distance on the left, a MOUNTAIN WATERFALL that
FATHER
(coughs)
Father realizes Liora is awake from the sounds she makes when sitting upright.
FATHER realizes Liora is awake from the sounds she makes when sitting upright.
FATHER
Liora.
LIORA
Where are we, Father?
Where are we?
FATHER
Almost halfway across the Grand Lake (coughs). Did you get a good sleep?
LIORA
Yes, I feel well.
FATHER
Good. Then would you please take over the rowing for a while? I don't feel so well.
LIORA
Ofcourse Father. Aren't you just tired?
Liora's father is struggling with pain, but he tried hiding it all this time. In his next response to Liora, he sets an angry tone for "No" but regrets it afterwards. Liora is initially shocked, but then learns of the true nature of his condition.
FATHER
NO! I mean, no, I am not just tired. Sorry, I don't know what overcame me.
A brief silence lets Liora process what just happened.
FATHER
Since we departed with the boat, a pain has been swelling in my thigh. It has grown worse over time. Initially I thought it must have been the stress, the exhaustion. But this is something different.
LIORA
Father..
FATHER
I need to rest (cough).
Liora takes the healing potion from her belt and presents it to her father.
LIORA
Here, take this potion. It should ease the pain.
Liora's father takes the potion from Liora's hand, removes the cork at the top and takes a good sip. The potion is still half full. He seems to be calming down.
FATHER
Thanks.
He returns the potion to Liora, who attaches it back to her belt.
FATHER
Do you hear that waterfall on your right?
LIORA
Yes, a distant rumble.
FATHER
That is The Grand Waterfall Of Ronn, which collects half of the snow and ice from the Ronn Mountains and sends it all clashing down on the Grand Lake.
LIORA
So?
FATHER
Do you still remember the key parts of the map of our continent, The Land Of Mirelia?
LIORA
North lay Ronn's Mountains, East for the Grand Forest, the Grand Tree, South lie the Great Desert Of Gynn and West, the vast Mana Plains that lead to the Pilgrim's Forest. And all beyond, the Sea.
Liora pauses for a bit to understand the map's structure in relation to the waterfall. She quickly sees the connection with where they are going.
LIORA
With the Grand Waterfall Of Ronn on my right, that means forward leads to the Pilgrim's Forest!
FATHER
Yes. Listen to the sound of the waterfall. Keep it on your right, and then, go straight. That will bring us to the western end of this lake.
LIORA
Got it.
FATHER
Now come sit forward a bit and I'll hand you the paddles.
Liora feels the edge of the boat with her hands and moves one bench forward. Out of the three benches, she sits on the middle one. She then searches with her hands forward to the two paddles left and right.
FATHER
Very well. Remember, keep the waterfall on your right. Row straight by moving both paddles together, turn by moving one paddle at a time.
LIORA
Take a rest, Father.
FATHER
(hums) I'll be off then.
With that, Father closes his eyes and begins to sleep. Liora keeps rowing straight by keeping the waterfall to her right. When the water turns the boat a bit, she corrects the orientation by listening and moving one paddle at a time. With the mist and the silence, a calming mood sets over the boat.
FATHERS LAST WORDS
The rowing continued for about two hours while Liora was calmy paddling forward. She got quite good at it too. The silence of the waterfall got interrupted when the noise of rushing water got stronger ahead of them. They were nearing the end of the Grand Lake. The rushing water is the beginning of the SPIRIT CANAL, a wild river stemming from the Grand Lake, with occassional bumps, falls and turns. Passing through requires an adequate concentration and balance, a wrong move could leave them both swimming for their lives.
Liora lets go of the paddles and bends forward to wake her father with her hands. She shakes his leg and clothes to make him wake up.
LIORA
Father, wake up.
Father begins to move slowly and gapes as he rises from his sleep. He opens his eyes to look at Liora, and then turns around to observe their position. Most of the mist has cleared up, which allows him to see halfway across the lake. A dense mist still surrounds the shores with the Grand Forest, which is likely due to the fire and ashes. Far beyond the mist and rising high into the sky, he can see the GRAND TREE. What used to be a great, green tree is now a BLACK TREE with a large bundle of GIANT RED LEAVES at the top. The leaves are occasionally falling down.
A tear strikes across Father's face as he realizes what had happened the night before.
FATHER
The Grand Tree... a black trunk and red leaves.
LIORA
It burned?
FATHER
It did.
Liora is left speechless for a while, as she comes to understand that this great tree she played around as a child, and which she had heard in many tales, is now a dead tree. While the tree looks dead, it is still alive on the inside, a fact that Liora will come to learn from Lauren in the future.
Father turns around and sees that they have reached the end of the Grand Lake.
FATHER
We're at the end, Liora. Ahead is the Spirit Canal. It will be a bumpy ride, and you will have to stay in balance to prevent tipping the boat, but after that it will be smooth travels to the Pigrim's Forest. You've reached the end when you hear the final waterfall.
LIORA
What do you mean "You"? We are going together!
Father remains silent for a while as he thinks about what to say.
LIORA
Father!
FATHER
I won't be coming with you, Liora.
Liora, filled with an emotion of sadness, anger and denial, refuses to believe her father. She shouts, with tears rolling from her eyes.
LIORA
Why! I need you!
FATHER
Liora...
LIORA
Father!
FATHER
You are the strongest girl I have ever seen, Liora. My girl. Believe in your own strength, just as I believe in mine. In the Pilgrim's Forest seek out the one church. Then you will understand where I have to go.
Father gets up from the boat and puts one leg on the edge. He looks one final time at Liora. Liora realizes what he is about to do and begins to shout in tears.
LIORA
Father!!
FATHER
I love you.
Father jumps from the front of the boat. At the same time, Liora gets up but trips over the front bench, her hand reaching out in desperation towards her father.
LIORA
Father!!
Liora can still be heard crying as she hears her father's swimming fade in the distance. In the meantime, the wild water from the Spirit Canal is getting closer. After a few more seconds, Liora accepts the situation and realizes there is nothing more she can do.
LIORA
Father...
THE SPIRIT CANAL
Shortly after, the boat makes a steep dive downwards as it enters the Spirit Canal. Liora is caught off guard and plumets between the front bench and the middle bench. She quickly gets up and sits on the bottom of the boat with her head against the front bench, facing backwards. She will have to keep the boat in balance to prevent it from tipping over.
In a slightly hurried fashion, yet completely aware and ready for the situation, she repeats her father's instructions.
LIORA
I have to keep the boat in balance. If the boat tips left, I push right. If the boat tips right, I push left.
When she feels that the boat is leaning too much towards one side, she pushes and leans towards the other side to balance it. She is constantly switching between left, middle and right to maintain the balance.
The boat hits a bump and tips to the left.
LIORA
Tipping left, balance to the right!
She pushes hard to the right and the boat balances.
LIORA
Back to the middle.
The boat hits a bump and tips to the right.
LIORA
To the left. Left!
She corrects by leaning hard to the left. The sound of her shoulder hitting the side is a loud bump. The boat balances itself again.
**FADE**
This balancing continues for about 15 minutes, after which the boat enters the calm segment of the canal. Liora can be heard breathing heavily from the physical exhaustion. She lays down and begins to rest.
After 10 seconds of listening to the gentle river and calming down, Liora takes the opportunity to reflect on what happened. This can be heard as an in-head voice-over (V.O).
LIORA (V.O)
Fire, ash, death, loss. How do I deal with all these emotions that wash over me? The Grand Forest has burned down, I lost my friends, Ria, Brunt, Eeve. My home amongst the woods and my treehouse in the Grand Tree (smiles). All the beautiful smelling flowers, and the softest of grass beneath my feet.
LIORA (V.O)
Father came for me through the fire. All this pain he endured. Yet he brought me this far to safety where my memories feel like a distant past. What would separate him from me, that is more important than coming along to a safer place? He mentioned a church in the Pilgrim's Forest.
Liora breathes heavily twice.
LIORA (V.O)
My head is still spinning...
Liora continues closes her eyes and falls asleep.
**FADE**
WATERFALL PLATEAU
After sleeping for about an hour, the gentle water turned wild just like before. Liora jumps awake from a heavy bump that left the boat tipping towards the right side (from Liora's perspective facing back).
LIORA
Quick! To the left!
She manages to stabilize the boat just in time. She braces herself for more bumps to come and sits again straight up on the bottom of the boat with her head against the front bench. Again, facing the back of the boat.
A bump tips the boat to the left side.
LIORA
Right!
The boat balances itself again. Liora can hear a big waterfall nearing, and the river grows even more restless as it nears the final dropdown.
LIORA
The end of the river must be nearby!
The boat tumbles again, this time from left to right. Liora balances quickly in the opposite directions.
LIORA
To the right!
LIORA
Left!
The sounds of water intensify as a the boat tips down and begins the final very bumpy descent to the WATERFALL PLATEAU. Liora can be heard holding on for dear life.
LIORA
Argh!!
The final bump is the hardest, and it causes Liora's head to slam to the side of the boat, rendering her unconscious. The boat now entered the lake surrounding the Waterfall Plateau, and it drifts for about thirty seconds. It spins around a few time, causing the sound the of the waterfall to also change direction.
Eventually, the boat can be heard bumping onto the land and comes to a halt. Liora is still unconscious.
**FADE**
About half an hour later, the evening is beginning to set in. A cart can be heard coming closer from the South. This is the boy TOBIAS, AGE 16. He has gone to get supplies from the merchants in the South-East of the Pilgrim's Forest. He is pulling the cart by himself with his hands. He stops the cart a few meters away from the boat and stops.
TOBIAS
A boat?
He approaches the boat and sees Liora, dressed in a GREEN GARB, sleeping unconscious on the bottom. He feels her pulse with his hands to check if she is alive, then he tries to wake her up by shaking her arm.
TOBIAS
Hey.
She does not seem to be waking up, and instead begins snoring and rolls to show her forehead.
TOBIAS
A deep sleeper huh.
Tobias then notices the SCAR on Liora's forehead.
TOBIAS
Did she come down the Spirit Canal? That must have been a painful ride.
He then walks back to his cart and searches for a bit. He takes some salve and bandage, and then walks back to the boat.
TOBIAS
Treeroot salve and bandage, that should help with the pain.
He opens up the lid on the salve, and takes a bit on his finger. He then gently brushes it across the wound on her head.
TOBIAS
Now the bandage.
He takes the bandage and wraps it around her head.
TOBIAS
Done!
He walks back to the cart and puts the bandage and salve away. He then takes out a glossy brown viola, and begins to play while leaning against his cart.
Since he does not know what happened to Liora, he plays a serene tune, not too slow to make it a sleeping piece, but not to fast either to make it sound overly joyful. What should represent the harmony of the forest, and the mystery and potential pain Liora has endured, is heard among the sound of the waterfall further across the lake (roughly 100m). The piece lasts for about 30 seconds, which is when Tobias repeats the same piece. He is practicing and does not know the full piece.
After the first piece is about halfway finished, Liora begins to regain consciousness. She mutters something very softly.
LIORA
A song...
She tries to get up by leaning her hands on the middle bench, but she slips and falls back down. Tobias hears this and interrupts his playing. Then he jogs to the boat. He realizes Liora is waking up.
TOBIAS
Careful there. You don't want to wind up with another scar on your head, do you?
Liora gets up a second time, and this time manages to sit on the middle bench of the boat.
LIORA
Who are you?
TOBIAS
My name is Tobias, I live here.
LIORA
My name is Liora.
TOBIAS
Liora...
TOBIAS
Here, take my hand. I will bring you to a place where you can rest.
Tobias expects Liora to look at his hand, but she can't see it. A brief silence is broken by Liora telling him about her condition.
LIORA
I can't see.
TOBIAS
Oh.
Tobias thinks for a bit about the mistake of extending his hand.
TOBIAS
That is fine, let me guide you then.
TOBIAS
My hand is right in front of you.
Liora extends both hands until they make contact with Tobias' hand.
TOBIAS
Now sit on the edge of the boat so I can get you out.
Liora puts one of her legs over the edge, then the other and sits.
TOBIAS
Now jump!
Liora lets herself slip, and with a slight splash, the water reaches up halfway to her knees.
LIORA
Cold!
TOBIAS
Yes. My cart is over there, you can rest there. Follow me!
Tobias pulls her along while Liora takes gentle steps to follow him.
TOBIAS
Here is the cart, you can lay down.
LIORA
Thanks.
Liora feels the cart with her hands, and then lays down between baskets of apples, bread and plants.
TOBIAS
I will bring you to my fishing hut closeby, no one lives there, so you can treat it as your own.
LIORA
Thanks.
TOBIAS
Off we go.
As Tobias pulls the cart ahead, the subtle shaking and movement puts her back to sleep. It is almost EVENING and she is feeling very tired from the long day behind her.
**FADE OUT**
Tobias brought her to his FISHING HUT, which lies next to a small river that stems from the lake at Waterfall Plateau. Liora is in a deep sleep again, and the next morning she will wake up in the forest and meet Kestrel and Tobias for real.
> _**THE END**_ <