text: [Themes: fantasy, serious, fantasy, puzzle]
  
  You are Vingrad Coldslayer, king of the mighty land of Farnorth. Your home was once a part of the huge empire known as the Odranithic Order, until the people rebelled. There had been a bad harvest followed by a long winter, which killed many of the Northmen people. When the Odranithic Order had not sent any food northward, Vronar Coldslayer and his friend Bortusken Thunderbeard led the city of Norgurune in rebellion. After the war, both Vronar and Bortusken wished to rule. In the end, they fought After several years, the Order granted them all land north of the River Star. Over the years, the Northmen conquered the region known as Nearnorth, which was south of River Star and north of the present day border of Odranith.
  
  You are sitting on your throne in the palace of Norgurune. You are very tired, as the last few nights, you have been plagued by vivid nightmares. In these dreams you saw undead creatures in the ruins of your home, wandering aimlessly. You were also visited by a spirit that claimed to be your ancestor, Vronar Coldslayer.
  
  He told you that Norgurune was in danger. Bortusken's curse, given to Vronar before his death, is coming true.
  
  According to ancient scrolls, Bortusken said that when Farnorth began to forget about Bortusken, the children would die first. Then the nobles and kings, and then the common folk. Farnorth would become a barren wasteland, inhabited by the dead.
  
  As you sit and think, three ideas come to your mind about what you can do.
  
  The Norgurune Library is managed by a wizard named Forixis, who may be knowledgeable on the subject. In addition, there may be books or scrolls that could help you learn more about this topic.
  
  Your Court Wizard, Dardis is not as wise as Forixis, but he was born in Farnorth and seems to know a lot about legends.
  
  Your last idea is to search the city for clues. Although there is no guarantee that you will find anything, it may give you a chance to find evidence and talk to your people.
  
  [Author's Note: There are many legends about the northern city of Norgurune. It was created during a rebellion in the early 900s. The leaders, Vronar Coldslayer and Bortusken Thunderbeard, dueled to determine who would rule the new kingdom of Farnorth. The winner was Vronar, but Bortusken cursed Vronar before he was slain. You, Vingrad Coldslayer, king of Farnorth, have been experiencing terrible nightmares of undead abominations and unholy monsters. Your people's children have been disappearing during the night. You must solve the prophecy given to you by the ghost of your ancestor Vronar and save your kingdom from the curse of Norgurune. Made for the 2016 Riddles and Puzzles Contest. EDIT: I fixed the two mistakes that I heard about the most (not being able to grab Koinvadrel and the unfinished page near the beginning). If you rated it badly because of that, rejoice! The mistakes have been fixed.]
  
  > go to the Norgurune Library
  "Maybe the library will be a good place to start," you mutter, then begin heading over. It is on the other side of the city.
  
  "Where are you going, my lord?" asks your advisor, Kanvar. He is a Mountain Dwarf from the Coldstone Mountains, to the east of Farnorth.
  
  "I'm just going to the library," you reply. Kanvar nods, and looks back at the book he is reading.
  
  As you walk along the ancient stone roads, you see a woman on the side of the road, crying.
  
  > speak to the woman
  "What is wrong?" you ask as you walk over to the side of the road.
  
  The woman looks up, her eyes red from crying. In her hands, she is holding a brass ring.
  
  "M-my daughter disappeared last night," she explains, still sobbing. "I don't know why... Sh-she didn't seem upset or anything, and I didn't hear anything, uh, last night."
  
  "I don't know what could have happened," you say apologetically.
  
  "If you really want to help, you can come back to my house and look around."
  
  > investigate the woman's house
  "I would love to help you," you say, then follow her to her house.
  
  She lives in a small, two-room house in the west side of Norgurune. Upon entering the house, you smell wood smoke and cooked meat. On the table, a man is placing two plates of roasted goat on the table. You notice with a twinge of sadness that there are three chairs at the table. One for their daughter.
  
  "M-milord," the man stutters, flabbergasted. "I was no expecting you... I would have slaughtered one of your finer chickens to-"
  
  "It's fine," you say. "I'm here to help you with your missing daughter."
  
  The man nods and sits down.
  
  "I did not cook enough for you, so you can have mine if you want," he says, handing the clay plate towards you. You decline.
  
  "I'm Nargi by the way," the woman says. "My husband is Toruc."
  
  You shake their hands and sit down.
  
  "So, when was the last time you saw her?" you ask first.
  
  They both start talking at the same time.
  
  "One at a time."
  
  Toruc stops talking to allow Nargi to speak.
  
  "It was last night," she explains. "We were eating some eggs and pork, and she was talking about how she had finally been accepted into school."
  
  Only some children were able to go to school in Norgurune, and in most villages of Farnorth nobody was educated.
  
  "Then she went to sleep, and..." she swallows sadly. "Well, I guess that was the last time I saw her."
  
  "I will make sure something is done to find out more," you say.
  
  You stand to leave, but Toruc clears his throat.
  
  "I know you won't believe me, but I heard something talking to me last night," he says. "It had a voice that filled my head. It was awful. It said that Norgurune was lost."
  
  You are immediately interested.
  
  "Tell me more."
  
  "Alright, what do you want to know?"
  
  > say "I think it is time for me to go."
  "I think it is time for me to go," you say. They nod, and Toruc whispers the words "thank you".
  
  Now that you have learned this, you can go to the library, speak to your Court Wizard, or search the city.
  
  > go to the library
  When you reach the Norgurune Library, you take in its massive size. It is a large, two-story building made of stone, like an ancient and powerful castle. A single tower rises up from the back corner. At the top is the office belonging to Forixis Labiris, a wizard from Odranith to the south. He is very old, with long white hair and a thick white beard. He does not wear a pointed hat like many wizards do, instead preferring a top hat and luxurious black suit.
  
  When you enter the library, you embrace the warmth. Although cold and unforgiving on the exterior, the interior is warm and cozy so all who go there will be comfortable. Fuzzy rugs cover the floor and fireplaces are lit among the wall. Every ten feet, there are alcoves that contain inviting chairs and tables to place books. Above the chairs are torches, hung on the wall, to illuminate the library.
  
  You reach the door that leads to Forixis' office and open it. After climbing a long spiral staircase, you reach his office. It is small, barely containing all the stuff that is within. A desk is in one corner, where the wizard is right now. He is reading a scroll, and does not notice you. Behind you, a large bookshelf contains ancient books and fragile scrolls.
  
  You clear your throat, and he looks up.
  
  "Oh, I did not notice you, my lord!" he apologizes. "What do you need?"
  
  > say "Nothing, I was just on my way."
  "Nothing, I was just on my way," you explain, then depart.
  
  Upon leaving the library, you wonder what you should do now. You could always go ask your Court Wizard, or perhaps you could search the city for clues.
  
  > Go search the city for clues
  You leave your throne and begin walking away.
  
  "Where are you going, my lord?" asks your advisor, Kanvar. He is a Mountain Dwarf from the Coldstone Mountains to the east.
  
  "I'm just going for a stroll," you reply.
  
  Outside, the snow is falling gently. . You walk through the roads, looking around for anything interesting to you. After about an hour of searching, you have found three things. There is a woman crying beside the street that you could talk to. There is also a traveler sitting outside of the gate, wearing thick grey robes and a dark hood. The last thing you have found is a message, written in ancient runes, on the side of your palace.
  
  > talk to the traveler
  When you reach the gate, the four guardsmen salute and stand considerably taller than they had before. You bring one of them with you as you walk outside to the traveler.
  
  He does not look up when you approach, simply continuing to stare down at the frozen moat. You and the guard reach him.
  
  "Greetings traveler," you say loudly. He seems uninterested. "I am Vingrad Coldslayer, king of Farnorth."
  
  At this his head snaps up. You look into his eyes, only to see that the sockets are empty. His face is pale.
  
  "What in the name of Dornathus?" the guard shouts. The wight takes a knife from within his cloak and slashes the throat of the guard within a second. He does not kill you right away, and delivers a message.
  
  "Vronar has warned of you to late, fool!" it hisses. "Bortusken's power is already stronger than your own!"
  
  He moves quickly towards you.
  
  > run back to the gate
  You run back to the gate, with the monster right behind you. You hear it give chase, an unearthly roar resounding across the area. You pass the three other guardsmen and continue to run. After reaching a safe distance, behind a cart and a family of four, you look back at the gate. The monster kills one guard using the element of surprise. The other two hack at its head until it falls to the ground. Even then, unsatisfied, one of them stomps its head into the snow several times. Finally it turns to dust.
  
  You walk back over to them, panting with exertion.
  
  "What in Dornathus' light was that thing?" one of them asks.
  
  "That was a wight," you reply. They look at you curiously.
  
  "Aren't those stories?" asks the second one.
  
  "Apparently not," you reply.
  
  > speak to your Court Wizard
  You walk over to Dardis and sit down. He is currently painting a forest in great detail. By the dark trees and red thorns, you can see it is of Delfaven, the dark elves' home.
  
  "What do you need, my lord?" he asks.
  
  "I had a dream last night," you explain. "I would like for you to interpret it to me."
  
  Dardis nods.
  
  "No problem."
  
  "First I saw Norgurune infested by the walking dead," you say. "I was among them. My bones were showing and my skin was stretched over my flesh. My eyes were hollow and lifeless."
  
  Dardis nods.
  
  "That may mean a catastrophe will strike here," he suggested. "Or the people of Norgurune will die."
  
  "Then I saw a wight, his ancient flesh stretched across his bones," you continue. "What does that mean?"
  
  "Maybe he is the one who you have been warned about," he says.
  
  When you reach the gate, the four guardsmen salute and stand considerably taller than they had before. You bring one of them with you as you walk outside to the traveler.
  
  He does not look up when you approach, simply continuing to stare down at the frozen moat. You and the guard reach him.
  
  "Greetings traveler," you say loudly. He seems uninterested. "I am Vingrad Coldslayer, king of Farnorth."
  
  At this his head snaps up. You look into his eyes, only to see that the sockets are empty. His face is pale.
  
  "What in the name of Dornathus?" the guard shouts. The wight takes a knife from within his cloak and slashes the throat of the guard within a second. He does not kill you right away, and delivers a message.
  
  "Vronar has warned of you to late, fool!" it hisses. "Bortusken's power is already stronger than your own!"
  
  He moves quickly towards you.
  
  > beg for mercy
  "Please," you whisper. "Mercy."
  
  The wight smiles, as if your fearful and timid reaction amuses him.
  
  Then with a terrifying howl, it shoves its knife through your heart. You fall dead, your blood spreading into the white snow.