Dragon Warrior IV/Chapter 1: The Royal Soldiers

"This is a story about royal soldiers of a small country called Burland. One of the royal soldiers is you, Ragnar. One morning, the King summons all the soldiers to the Castle court..."

Burland
Our story begins in the castle town of Burland. After a small village has been cursed with the disappearance of many children, the King decides to send Burland's finest out to find the kids. You play as Ragnar, one of the soldiers. Before going out to find the missing children, spend some time wandering around the castle to speak with some of the people here. You might get some valuable information. Before you leave the castle, head into the southeast room on the first floor. Search the fourth drawer from the left-hand wall to find a Medical Herb. There are other treasures to collect, but they are inaccessible...for now. Time to leave the castle.

In the castle town, there are plenty of people to talk to. One man suggests traveling to Izmit (Strathbaile), a village across the river. One young woman, named Flora (Aigneas), says her husband Alex (Angus) left town and never came back. Keep her tale in mind. All of the shops sell some good equipment and items, but Ragnar is fairly well equipped to begin with. If you need to buy anything, you should at least purchase a couple of Medical Herbs. They're inexpensive and restore 30 HP, so stock up!

Time to head to Izmit! Leave town and head northeast until you reach the Cave of Izmit (Cave of Strathbaile).

Cave of Izmit (Cave of Strathbaile)
One thing to keep in mind is that the enemies in the Cave of Izmit are slightly harder than the enemies you encountered around Burland, but they can be easily taken down. The one enemy to definitely watch out for is the Healer. These slimes can heal themselves and their allies, making them very annoying pests. Make them your first target if you fight them alongside other enemies.

From your starting position, follow the path until you reach a fork in the road. The north fork leads to a dead-end, so go east and follow the path. When you get to the second fork, go right again. Follow this new path to find a treasure chest containing a Medical Herb. Return to the fork. Head north and you'll arrive at a small pond. Speak with the soldier here if you want. At this pond there are two paths: one to the north and one to the west. Both lead to the exit, but the western path also has a chest containing 40 gold pieces. The choice is pretty obvious here.

After emerging from the stairs, head east and a bit north to find the village of Izmit.

Izmit (Strathbaile)
Right when you get into town, a few things to note is that both the Weapon and Armour shops sell new equipment that is much more expensive than anything you could afford without grinding. As you walk around and talk to the townsfolk, a few things they'll mention is that there is a thief asking to be let out of prison and claiming they are a child, as well as a little girl walking around the well saying the guy in jail used to be from Burland. Drop down this well to net yourself 25 Gold Coins.

Go inside the school to learn that one of the disappearing children is Pocos (Willy Wally), the innkeeper's son. The rumor is that they are flying away like angels. Check the left cupboard for a Medicinal Herb. The right barrel next to the item shop has 4 gold coins, and inside the inn you can find a set of Plain Clothes in the left drawer.

Where is this jail you heard about? If you look behind the House of Healing, you will see a set of stairs. Go down and you'll find it. Talk to the man inside the prison and you will find out this is none other than Alex, the missing husband of the girl in Burland! He seems to be acting childish. Check the right barrel for a Medicinal Herb. Make sure to come back at night and talk to Alex again, and then return back to Burland to find Flora. Upon being told of where her husband is, she'll ask that you escort her to Izmit so she may see him again, and she'll temporarily join you (although she won't participate in battle).

The Old Well (Auld Well)
There are three floors in this dungeon. Moreover, a voice will guide Ragnar at the forks. Feel free to explore the corridors that the voice says "not that way", knowing that they are dead ends, but could hold some chest. The bottom 3rd floor is actually just a corridor connecting two ends of a corridor on floor 2. On the second floor Ragnar can meet Healie the kind monster, who will join you for this chapter, and with him find the Flying Shoes (Talaria).

Healie the Kind Monster
 * Level: N/A
 * Max HP: 35
 * Max MP: 30
 * Strength: 18 (9 in remake)
 * Agility: 18 (56 in remake)
 * Resilience: N/A (28 in remake)
 * Wisdom: N/A (12 in remake)
 * Luck: N/A (30 in remake)
 * Attack: 9
 * Defense: 20 (28 in remake)
 * Battle-spells: Heal
 * Sex: male