Merrick, a wizard on the meadow island's north ridge, says the gods ran a fantasy show before the westerns. Its underworld set is still standing: seven rooms, one school of magic each, and two Wardens at the end. He opened a portal by his hut. You go in with nothing: the set keeps your bag and gives it back when you leave.
Steps
- Walk into Merrick's portal by his hut on the north ridge · Merrick's portal, the north ridge
- Learn the seven lessons on the underworld set and get past the two Wardens · the underworld set
- Go back to Merrick on the north ridge · the north ridge
Reward
Three spells of your own, and XP
Dialogue
Starting it
- “Before the cowboys, they had wizards up here. A whole season of it. Towers, dragons, a fella in a hat like this one. Then the numbers came in.”
- “They cancelled us. Nobody told me. I've been in character for forty years. That's either commitment, or nobody's watching. Usually both.”
- “The props still work, though. Real spells. Somebody ought to learn them before they get thrown out. I'd teach, but you need a student for that. That's the whole job.”
- “The old set's still standing. The underworld. Seven rooms, one kind of magic each. At the end, two Wardens. They're actors too. They don't know either.”
- “You go in light. The set keeps your things at the door, like a coat check. I'll lend you a spell in every room. Then you give them back. That's how lending works. Mostly.”
- “Get through all seven, and I'll give you three of your own. Different kinds. Those you keep. I'm not a monster. That was the Wardens' part.”
- “Stand back. I'll open the way. This part used to have music.”
- “There. Walk into the light. Enjoy it. Where you're going, it's the only light they could afford.”
Talking to them again
- “The light by my hut. Walk in. Seven rooms. Mind the edges. It's a long way down, and at the bottom there's more down.”
- “Bring nothing. You'll get it all back. The set's very honest. It's the only one down there that is.”
Handing it in
- “You came back. I can tell, because you're standing there. Most of the cast didn't, and they had scripts.”
- “Three spells, three kinds. Picked them myself, with my eyes closed. That's how magic works. It's also how I pick lottery numbers.”
- “Don't thank me. Thank the props department. They've been gone for years, but the work holds up.”
- “Somebody still keeps the lights on down there, you know. Not me. I just hum.”
When your bag is full
- “Your bag's full. I'd hold them for you, but I'm a wizard, not a coat check. The set's the coat check.”
acid
- “Lesson five. The Geyser. Right button, and the ground spits acid where it lands, for a while. Whatever stands in it stops standing.”
- “They're coming down those stairs, through that little arch. One at a time. But a lot of times.”
acid done
- “That's the lot. Messy. The cleaning crew got cancelled too.”
acid hint
- “They all come the same way. There's only the one way. Make it unpleasant.”
arcane
- “Last lesson. Candlelight. Right button, and you get a little light over your head. Like an idea. You'll need one.”
- “There's no lights past here. We spent the budget on the barrels. Watch your step. I mean that literally.”
arcane done
- “You made it through the dark. Most people need a hand for that. You had a candle. Same thing, less talking.”
arrive
- “Welcome to the underworld. Not the real one. Ours had a budget.”
- “Seven rooms, one spell each. I lend you the card when you get there. The lesson's the right button. The left button you can work out yourself.”
cactus
- “Lesson four. The Decoy. Right button. You throw a little fella out there, and everybody shoots at him instead of you.”
- “There's gunmen on those towers. You can't hurt them. They're union. Somebody's got to take the bullets. Make it him.”
cactus done
- “You made it across. The little fella didn't. He knew what he signed up for.”
cactus hint
- “You're walking out there like it's your bridge. It isn't. Give them something else to look at.”
elec
- “Lesson one. Thunderstrike. Right button, and you go straight up. Left button, and you come straight down. Mostly down.”
- “When you land, everything near you has a very bad day. Remember that if you're ever surrounded.”
elec done
- “That's how you leave a crowd. Gate's open.”
elec hint
- “There's nine of them and one of you. You'll never win that one at a time. So don't do it one at a time.”
elec ring
- “Oh. Fans. They do get close. That's the trouble with fans.”
frost
- “Lesson two. Ice Breeze. Right button, and everything in front of you stops. Cold. Like my second wife.”
- “Down this walk come the fellas with the barrels. If one reaches you, that's it. You're done. We start the walk again.”
frost done
- “Nobody exploded. In this business, that's a good day.”
frost hint
- “Don't let them get close. A frozen man doesn't run anywhere. Ask my brother. Actually, don't.”
pyro
- “Lesson three. The Fireball. Right button. It goes where you throw it, and then it goes everywhere.”
- “There's no floor here. There used to be. Things come up when they're warm. Most things do.”
pyro done
- “There's your bridge. Built it out of fire. That's not how bridges work. It's how this one works.”
pyro hint
- “The stones are down there in the fog, waiting. They like a fire. Everybody likes a fire, from a distance.”
too soon
- “You're not ready. I can tell, because the island's still winning. Come back when it isn't. I'll be here. I'm always here. It's in my contract.”
voodoo
- “Lesson six. Corruption. Right button on a fella, and for a while he's on your side. Like a lawyer.”
- “That big one's too much for you. Don't feel bad. He's too much for everybody. Himself included.”
voodoo done
- “His friends are gone, so he's going. He knows when a scene's over. That's the actor in him.”
voodoo hint
- “You can't beat him. Nobody can. So the trick is, don't be the one fighting him.”
wardens
- “These are the Wardens. They played the guards in the finale. Two of them. They never got to film it.”
- “They're big, but they don't like the cold. Nobody does. That's what cold is for.”
wardens down
- “And... scene. Forty years late, but it's a wrap. Come on back. There's a way home past them. I've got your spells. Your real ones.”