This multi-cache is designed for kids to have a fun adventure - read the story out for them as you go along and let them solve the puzzles as you go. Ofcourse anyone (not just kids, parents and grandparents) can also enjoy this cache! The difficulty of 3 is not because it is hard but because it will take some time to work through. If you are doing it with kids, take your time there is lots of stuff for them to climb on and crawl through - maybe allow an hour. There are little "Side-quests" along the way to entertain the kids. If you are not with kids I think you should allow 30 minutes. Please let me know if the instructions are not clear, I'll fix them up.
Start at the posted coordinates (Statue 1) and walk south from statue to statue along the path as the story dictates (these were created by the famous wood-sculptor Rob Bast). After statue 6 the path changes direction to the east - check the posted waypoints if you get confused. Any important information that you must collect is in bold (for those of you who want a quicker find!).
This cache was inspired by the Rusty's and Zeus, Hera & Kids multi "The Fairytale of Pirianda" which I highly recommend. Please be gentle with the final container it can get cracked by the rocks on top. I hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1: Sam & Bob set forth
Statue 1: Once upon a time there lived an owl named Sam. She was mostly happy but she often dreamed about adventure - she wanted so badly to explore castles, fight dragons and climb mountaintops. One day she found a really old dusty book and it told her about a secret treasure in a land far far away. It even gave instructions on how to get there - could this be real? Sam noticed that on one page it said,
"On your journey you will be collecting letters. Once you find the treasure you will need to know what order to put the letters in. The order of the letters is ....." but the rest of the page had been ripped out. Sam looked down, and underneath the books she found the piece of the page that had this important information.
At the statue (at the posted coordinates) look under the books (about 30cm under them) and find the missing page piece.
She was so excited but all of a sudden she was full of fear - could she do this? What if something bad happened to her? She decided she needed some help from her friends so she headed off....
Side-quest: Can you touch Sam?
Statue 2: She found her mate Bob the dragonfly. Bob was very busy eating hamburgers, but was excited to come on the adventure anyway.
"Yee-har, let's do this!" he said. They both continued on together...
Side-quest: Can you touch Bob's wings?
Statue 3: Side-quest: Can you put your hand through the diamond hole?
Statue 4: Side-quest: Can you look through any of the big holes?
Statue 5: Sam & Bob now came across 3 baby birds Charlie, Madison and Jamison and asked them,
"Where's your Dad, kids?"
and the babies said "He's just over the other side of the path, hiding in the tree".
So Sam and Bob flew over the path to find him.....
Side-quest: Can you sit on the little birds head?
Statue 6: "Hello Sam & Bob!" said Alex.
"Hello Alex" said Sam and Bob, "We're going on an adventure to find treasure, you wanna come?".
Alex thought about it for a few seconds and then said "Sounds great .... but I have to look after the babies. Sorry guys I can't come."
1=the first letter of the type of bird that Alex is: _ _ _ LE (The leaves are getting pretty thick - it is easier to see Alex from the road side)
Chapter 2: Across the sea
Statue 7: "So what exactly does the book tell us to do, Sam?" asked Bob whilst munching on a pickle-burger.
"It says we need to go to the home of the dragon and find the map. The map tells us where to go next." said Sam. Sam looked worried as she read this out - she was very scared of dragons.
Bob piped up, "I'll go in if you want Sam".
"No. I must do this "said Sam "I wanted to come on this adventure, I must find my courage."
And with that Sam snuck into the dragon's home as quietly as she could - her heart was pounding so hard she was sure the dragon could hear it! But soon enough she found the map and read the name of the town they needed to go to next, "Argana". Quiet as a mouse she snuck back out and found Bob sitting eating a cheeseburger.
"Got it! Let's go!"
2=the first letter of the type of building the dragon is crawling over: _ _ _ _ LE
Side-quest: Can you see the dragon? Can you touch the highest point of the tower?
Statue 8: After leaving the dragon's house, Sam and Bob came across a gang of tough-looking birds. There were vultures, parrots, and cockatoos. There were also 2 other types of birds:
3=the first letter of the type of bird which is just like Sam: _ _ L
and 4=the first letter of the type of bird of the other one: _ _ _ _ _ _ URRA
Bob was always super-friendly, "Hi guys, do you know how we can get to Argana? We're looking for treasure!".
The tough birds looked at them both and laughed, "Ha! You're looking for the long lost treasure of Argana?! Many others, much stronger and smarter than you have looked but none have ever found it - you two little things think you can find it?! Ha!"
Sam looked disheartened by the nasty birds, and Bob said, "C'mon let's get out of here."
But Sam said "No. I won't be intimidated. I wanted to come on this adventure, I must find my courage." So Sam went back to the birds and asked again, "Excuse me, but we would really like to know how to get to Argana - could you please tell us how to get there?".
The tough birds were a bit surprised that Sam stood up for herself, "Okay, okay, sorry for being a bit rude. It's over the river, you will need a boat to get there - there is a boat that you can use not far from here."
Side-quest: Can you find the frog?
Statue 9: It's not long before Sam and Bob find the boat that the tough birds told them about, and they started paddling out from the shore. After a little while they noticed they were getting some help from some friendly animals in the water next to the boat.
5=the first letter of the animals that help them (next to the boat): _ _ _ _ HINS
Side-quest: Can you sit in the seat and steer the boat?
Statue 10: After a few hours of sailing, it is getting dark when they finally reach land. Lucky for them there was a building (which was surrounded by squids and whales) that guided them safely to land.
6=the first letter of the building that they are near: _ _ _ _ _ HOUSE
Side-quest: Can you touch the top of the squid?
Statue 11: On the shore they come to some wise penguins who say "Well done on making it this far, you have shown good courage - but you are only half way. We know you have been collecting letters, it is now time to put them all in order according to the instructions in your book - you will need this when you find the treasure."
"Now, follow the instructions in the book carefully, otherwise you may get lost or something even worse! Go behind us and start at the square which I have marked with a red cross, face the playground and follow the instructions. Now go! And good luck - you will need it!"
Chapter 3: The Bridge of Doom
"Ok Bob" said Sam, "here we go. Finish off that triple-burger and listen carefully when I read these out - we don't want to get them wrong!"
- If you look carefully, you will see a ladybug staring at you.
If she has a red body and black face, turn right and go forward 6 squares.
If she has a black body and a red face, turn left and go forward 7 squares.
- Look at the 2 ways you can go here. One way the path turns to dust - do not go this way! Go the other way and go forward 4 squares.
- Look carefully and you will see one path points towards some cars driving through the hills. Go this way 3 squares forward.
- Now look 2 metres to your left and you will be confronted with the terrible Bridge of Doom! You must face your fears and cross the bridge. As you go, count the number of round poles you walk over.
Sam was concerned, she didn't like bridges - and this one looked scary. But she managed to gather herself and in her head she said, "I can do this. I wanted to come on this adventure, I must find my courage." and she bravely walked out onto the bridge of Doom.....
Chapter 4: The Goblin's Cage
"Wow that was exciting!" said Bob as he chewed on a vegie-burger, "what does the book say to do next?".
"It says that at the end of the Bridge of Doom you are faced with a decision - you have 5 choices of which way to go!" said Sam
- Figure out the last digit of the number of round poles you just walked over, and follow that path to the next intersection.
- Look carefully at the 2 ways you can go here. One path will lead you towards the Raiders (look up a bit) who will try to steal the book from you - do not go that way! Go the other way, and the number of squares you need to go forward is the number of round poles which you walked over on the Bridge of Doom.
- You will have arrived at the Goblin's Cage - his name is Smeagol and he needs to stay locked up - he is very dangerous don't let him out! However you need him to tell you the next way to go on your treasure hunt.
Sam didn't like the look of the cage, but her courage was growing everytime she did something scary. She looked at Bob and said, "I wanted to come on this adventure, I must find my courage".
Bob looked impressed as Sam walked over to Smeagol's Cage and started talking to him. Smeagol wasn't actually very scary at all (or so it seemed) and he told Sam, "The lock that holds me inside this cage is magic and has an incantation that will open it magically (look carefully at the lock).
- If the incantation is "Abra Cadabra" then go up the steps and turn right until you reach the next intersection.
If the incantation is "Abus" then go across the Great Black Bridge until you reach the next intersection.
Chapter 5: The Final Test
Bob was starting to get excited again, "C'mon Sam we are almost there, lets keep going! What does the book say?"
- You will see a lamp shining brightly on one side of the intersection - but do not go that way! Go the other direction up the hill along the path until you come to some steps.
- Do not go down the steps. Do not turn left down the path. Instead go on the right-hand side of the right handrail and travel along the concrete "cliff-face" to your right.
- Follow this cliff-face until you see a picture of a man throwing 2 objects. Looking only at the top object, what is the total of the numbers on the sides of this object that you cannot see? Let this number be "A"
- Now continue along the cliff-face as far as you can go until you come to the Great Grey Sea. Look to your right and you will see 3 large brown rocks in the Sea. Go and stand on the nearest of the 3 brown rocks.
- Now imagine you are standing on a clock. You are at 6 o'clock and the 2 other large brown rocks are at 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock. To find your treasure you need to sail all the way to the edge of the Sea in the direction of A o'clock.
When Sam had found the treasure chest she looked up at Bob, "Bob, you have been such a loyal friend to me on this adventure - I want you to open the treasure chest."
"Awwwww, thanks Sam......." said Bob as he put the correct lock code into the lock with his greasy burger fingers. He opened the chest and a look of disappointment came across his face.
"What's wrong Bob?" said Sam.
Bob explained, "There's just some crummy fake treasure in here, and an old soggy notepad. I was hoping for treasure that will last a lifetime."
Sam just sat there and smiled at Bob, "But Bob can't you see? We set out in hope for adventure, and that's exactly what we got. This isn't about what you get at the end, it's about how you grow and learn as you battle through adventures and challenges - and these experiences and memories are the treasures that will last a lifetime."
Bob thought about this for a moment before smiling and adding, "and do you know what else Sam?"
"What's that Bob?" said Sam
"I do believe you have found your courage, Sam."
THE END
Congratulations to The Welder for FTF!