A5: Sort of lost

[Chopkinsca]

I'm on the "Northern Frontier" quest and not sure where to go. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to assume I can travel down the river rapids. Cienna doesn't tell me much. I've explored everything that I can before going over the one way rapids. I just don't think I have an in-game role playing reason to go the way of the rapids, as in nobody told me to.

[Randomizer]

There are several places in the game where you eventually have to go down one way rapids and if you survive then you will reach a portal pylon to allow you to return. When you run out of things to do to level up then prepare your inventory with consumable items and take off to explore.

 

To be on the safe side always have an extra save before going on one way trips.

[Chopkinsca]

I was just wondering if there was a narrative reason to be going down the river other than curiosity. Yep, I keep a lot of saves, I'm paranoid.

[Randomizer]

This game goes off into new areas of Avernum. Most of it after the Demo area involves traveling down two main rivers to reach these previously unexplored areas and you luckily follow an expedition that was placing portal pylons that allow you to return passed the rapids. This isn't completely explained other that how to use the pylons at the Portal Fortress.

 

There are several things that aren't properly explained in this game. The option to join the Darkside faction requires you to help them almost all the time and most players don't do that until it's too late to join them. Then there are all the fake hidden switches that don't open any secret passages or hidden rooms that have no access.

[Chopkinsca]

I'm just going to pretend the priest in my party thought the river rapids would be a wicked ride. 

[Caligula]

There are at least a couple of people, and most probably more, who tell you that they spotted Darkside goons going farther beyond this place, taking the river North.

Besides, since you know they went through the Northern isles and then disappeared, it's only logical to try the only path open to you. But the clues are there, if you do all the area's quests and talk to everyone up there.

[Chopkinsca]

My retention of information is rather low, so maybe I did talk to people that said they went North. 

 

The game has been fun so far. I'm in Drake Pillars now and finding a lot of stuff is too difficult for me at the moment. I'm only playing on hard. I like it, it makes me wonder what's past those difficult spots and will come back later to find out.