Online:The Ghostwriter of Giovesse

Quick Walkthrough
#Speak with Yisara.
#Test the Spirit Lantern in the city gardens and summon a ghost.
#Find the abandoned cottage and search the place.
#Summon Mathen Galenus with the Spirit Lantern.
#Travel to Castle Giovesse and meet Yisara in the chapel.
#Search for clues and use the Spirit Lantern.
#Look for Duchess Astella's study and her notes.
#Find the mound marked with Heartsbane and dig it up.
#Talk with Yisara and then summon Mathen to talk.
#Search for the other pieces of armor.
#Talk with Duchess Astella after summoning her.
#Enter the crypt and retrieve the  .
#Bring the items to Tavia's Tower and break the curse.
#Talk to Mathen and Yisara, help Yisara make her choice.
#Talk to Yisara
 

Detailed Walkthrough
Following what you've read on ''Author's Assistant Wanted!, find Yisara and talk to her about the work, or speak to her directly.

:"Thank you for agreeing to accompany me. With your help, my next romance novel will be a masterpiece! Here, take the lantern. Now, fair warning—I've never actually used it. But I heard a ghostly woman wanders the city gardens. We can test it there!"

Go to the city gardens. They are in the southeast corner of the town. Yisara will then catch up to you and then point at a spot in the garden.
:Yisara: "Perhaps there, near that overturned slab?"''

Talk to the ghostly duchess that appears who'll tell you about Castle Giovesse and her son who's apparently been murdered by a woman called Alizinda. You'll have to head to a cottage northeast of Gideon and Castle Giovesse. You can find a   and ''Alizinda's Journal, Yisara will want to see them:
:"Nothing but creaky floorboards and old weeds for me. I knew I should have brought my spectacles. What did you find?"
:I found an old ring and a journal belonging to Alizinda.
:"May I? Her anguish just jumps off the page, doesn't it? So, Mathen intended to marry someone else and Alizinda killed him in a fit of passion. Can you imagine loving someone so deeply that you end up murdering them? Gods, that's romantic. Sort of."
:Do you think the ring belonged to her as well?
:"It's a ring of Mara—the sort of ring used in a pledge of marriage. Mathen might have intended to give it to this mysterious fiancée, or …. I'll hang on to the ring. Let's use the lantern. Maybe Mathen can shed some light on this."
:All right, I'll light the lantern to call out Mathen's ghost.'''

You can then use the   to summon Mathen's spirit who will appear and mistake Yisara for someone else: no one else than his old lover Alizinda herself. Speak with Mathen to hear his side of the story, he confirms that he was poisoned by a deceived Alizinda on the night he was going to propose to her but denies that she cursed anyone. He suggests that he may still be anchored to the world by certain personal possessions which can be found in the ruins of Castle Giovesse. Meet Yisara at the chapel :
:Yisara: ''"Well, here we are, and not a scrap of golden armor in sight. Let's have a look around."

You can then investigate the area. On an intact desk you can find a Scrawled Incantation, it seems important enough that you can bring it to Yisara for her to see:
:"What's that you've got there? Not a golden helm by any chance?"
:No. Some strange lines written out. Have a look.
:"A magical incantation! The handwriting is different from Alizinda's journal. That means she can't be responsible for the curse! I knew my ancestor wasn't a sorceress. A murderer, maybe, but not a sorceress! Of course, this all begs the question …."
:Who really placed the curse on the castle?
:"Yes. And more importantly, why? The person who cast the spell clearly had an axe to grind. Maybe it was a court wizard? Or some jilted witch? My novel's less romance than mystery at this point! Let's use the lantern again. Maybe the culprit's here!"
:All right, I'll light the lantern again.'''

After you place the lantern on the altar, Duchess Astella will appear, wanting to know why you are there. When you speak with Duchess Astella, she will let slip that she tried to bring her son back from the dead. She used his armor as a focus but doesn't know why it failed. The Duchess then suggests that you find her notes on the ritual in her study. Fight or avoid the spectral warriors and enter the study through a hatchdoor. In the study you can find ''Duchess Astella's Notes. After reading them, you can hand the notes over to Yisara:
:"You found Duchess Astella's notes that quickly? Thank Ruptga I can rely on your eyes. Can barely see a thing in this place! What do they say?"
:Apparently, the spell involved burying Mathen's armor under clumps of heartsbane.
:"Really? Ugh. I think I spotted some on the way across the castle grounds. I knew that herbalism workshop would come in handy someday! If we do manage to find the armor, be careful pulling it out of the tangle. Heartsbane's quite deadly."
:I'll be careful.

You will need to go upstairs and find some heartsbane, a small plant with purple flowers:
:Yisara: "I saw a clump of heartsbane on the way here. Come on!"

As you reach the place she saw it, she will call it out. The flowers will be next to a mound:
:Yisara: "This way! I think."
:Yisara: "There. That's heartsbane, right?"''

You will find Mathen's Golden Helm, after you retrieve it Yisara will want to talk:
:Yisara: ''"You found his helm? We're off to a great start! Unless …. Come here a moment."

See what Yisara has thought of:
:"Sorry, sorry. I feel like we've assembled most of the clues to this mystery, but I just can't shake the feeling that we're missing something here."
:What do you mean?
:"Well, Duchess Astella got them into this situation, right? She cast the ugly spell that cursed poor Mathen. And now, we're gathering up the items she used to make this mistake in the first place? It can't be that simple. What are we missing?"
:You think there's more she's not telling us?
:"Maybe. Maybe not. She wasn't a professional necromancer. Maybe she missed something too. Remember what Mathen told us? Certain objects take hold of the soul. If that's the case, isn't it odd that we found him in the cottage instead of the chapel?"
:We found that ring of Mara in the cottage. Do you think that might play a role in this?
:"Only one way to find out! Let's use the lantern again. I'm still carrying the ring. If he followed us here, maybe we're on to something!"
:All right, I'll ignite the lantern again.'''

Speaking with Mathen, you explain that his mother's attempts to resurrect him caused the curse. But he agrees that the rest of the armor needs to be found, and that he will stay with Yisara for awhile. Once you have found the pieces of armor, you will need to find a place to summon Duchess Astella to talk. She reveals that one more item is needed, the Sword of Giovesse which can be found in the crypts. You will need to enter the crypt, fight the first lord Duke Calvus Vanin to retrieve the sword and bring the objects to Tavia's Tower which sits near the castle. When you enter the tower and use the lantern, Duchess Astella, Mathen and Yisara will appears as spirits. Once you lay out the arms and armor, ritual will start though the end result is unexpected:
: 
:Duchess Astella Galenus: ''"Mathen! Why aren't you—? Mathen!"
: 
:Mathen Galenus: "I'm … I'm still here?"
:Yisara: "My poor Mathen! What went wrong?"

Speaking with Mathen, you will learn that Mathen was tied both to the cursed armor and the Ring of Mara, and his soul still remains linked to the ring. He then requests to speak with Yisara:
: 
:Mathen Galenus: "Lady Yisara, light of my … afterlife. That ring you carry is the key to my heart. I leave my fate in your hands."
:Yisara: "My hands? Mathen, what are you saying?"
:Mathen Galenus:"If you choose to wear the ring, I will remain by your side—an attentive and loving guardian."
:Yisara: "Are you serious? Tall Papa preserve me …."
:Mathen Galenus: "Destroy the ring, and I will pass to Aetherius. The choice, my lady, is yours."

With a twist straight out of a romance novel, you can talk with Yisara about this decision:
:''"Did I just get a proposal from a ghost? Up until now, the only man who ever wooed me was a stable hand in Bergama! I know I should recoil at this. It's profane! Blasphemous? Right? But, gods he's cute. And the way he speaks! It's like a dream!"
:He said the choice is yours.
:"Ugh! How could he lay something like this at my feet? I can barely decide which boots to wear most days. When he abducted—I mean, swept me away, he told me his heart was torn to pieces. He said I was the only balm. He said I was his second chance."
:Do you think that's true?
:"I don't know! Aside from the whole ghostly murder victim thing, this is what my heart always yearned for. It's why I write romance novels! The thought that I could bring him love and joy is intoxicating. Still, he deserves peace and rest, right?"


No matter what you've chosen, you'll be rewarded the   and some gold.

   

Quest Stages