How to Survive

Ziggy Fairweather, a photographer camped with his tripod on the ridge over Meadowbay, is making a book of the island. He lent you a camera: take five nature photos with it, the sunset, the lake, a bird, a big old tree up close and the night sky, then show them to him.

Steps

  1. Take the photos
  2. Show Ziggy your photos, up on the ridge over Meadowbay · Meadowbay

Reward

The camera's yours, 150 gold and XP

Dialogue

Starting it

  1. “Name's Ziggy. I'm making a book of this island, all of her. Eleven years on this hill, and I've got one roll of film. It's all this hill.”
  2. “I'd go out myself, man. But once a year a grey heron comes down to that lake. And the day I leave this tripod... that's the day she lands. She knows. Herons know.”
  3. “So you be my legs. You'll need a camera for that, so here. Bought it off a fella who swore it caught a ghost. Turned out it was his thumb.”
  4. “I need five pictures. The sunset. The lake. A bird, any bird. A big old tree, up close. And the night sky. Nature, man. No people. People ruin it.”
  5. “The lake's right down there, at the foot of this ridge. Birds and trees, you can't miss. The sun goes down every evening, and the stars come out after. Very dependable, nature.”
  6. “Then come back and we'll look at them together. Don't rush the light. She doesn't like it. I rushed her once. She went to Arizona.”

Talking to them again

  1. “The sunset, the lake, a bird, a big tree and the night sky. They don't have to be good. I'll say they're good either way. That's how I got through the seventies.”
  2. “Still no heron. That's all right. I've got a thermos and a lot of patience. Mostly the thermos.”

Handing it in

  1. “Let's have a look. The sunset. Oh, that's nice. She's showing off a little. She always does when somebody's watching.”
  2. “The lake. That's the heron's lake, you know. She's not in it. But you can feel her not being there.”
  3. “Wait. Is that her? Is that my... no. That's some other bird. But she'd like you.”
  4. “Now that's a tree. Big, old, doesn't move. People say I'm the same way. They don't mean it nice.”
  5. “And the night sky. Half those stars burned out a million years ago. They just haven't heard yet. I know the feeling.”
  6. “That's the book, man. You keep the camera. A camera ought to go with whoever made it worth carrying.”

After it is done

  1. “Still waiting on the heron. Twelve years now. I'm not giving up. I'm just sitting very still in her direction.”
  2. “Your pictures are in the book. Your name's in it too, in the back, real small. That's where they put the people who did all the work.”

If you lose the item

  1. “One of them's gone, man. You threw it out? Well, the island's still there. Go take it again. That's the beauty of nature. It doesn't remember you.”

When your bag is full

  1. “Your bag's full, man. I'd hold the camera for you, but then I'd have two. That's how a collection starts. I can't afford a collection.”