Final Fantasy II/Mission to Fynn

The fall of Fynn
The game begins as the empire finishes their assault on the peaceful town of Fynn, from which four youths escape after their parents have been massacred. Despite their efforts, they are caught and forced to battle against four Black Knights who stop them in their tracks. You are given control over this fight, but it is a hopeless endeavor; no action you take will be enough to stop the entire party from being slaughtered. You will not be able to damage your foes, and they will defeat each member with one strike.

After this dreadful scene is over, you switch to a new scene where Firion's wounds are being attended to by the white mage Minwu. Rebellion leader Hilda is in attendance, and asks if Firion will recover. Minwu confirms that he will live, and they leave Firion to rest. After he awakens, Firion rises and shouts for his companions before exiting the room. Upon entering the corridor, he encounters Maria and Gus who confess to being unable to find Leon anywhere before joining Firion. Then the trio walk to the Hilda's audience chamber.

They speak with Hilda who is delighted to see that they have survived. Firion begs Hilda to allow them to join the rebellion, but Hilda refuses on the basis of their young age. She instead invites you to live in Altair, and she teaches you the password, Wild Rose, which is the first keyword that you are given the chance to learn. Do so, and repeat the words back to Hilda by choosing the "Ask" command. She suggests that Maria's brother Leon may be held captive in the occupied town of Fynn. Then she introduces you to Minwu who is standing to her right. At this time, you are given full control over your party.

You may speak with anyone you wish. Start by speaking with Minwu. If you use the keyword Wild Rose while speaking with him, he will advise that you visit a sanctuary to restore any member who falls in battle. Speaking with others in the room, you will learn of a town called Gatrea to the north of Altair. Paloom lies to the east, but you need a canoe to cross the lake in order to reach it. In newer versions of the game, if you return to the room where Firion recovered, you will find it full of sages who can teach you more about how to play the game.

Outside of the war room, you can find the chamber with a weakened king who is the father of Hilda. He laments his wounded condition. On the left side of the hideout, you can find a treasure chest containing a Potion. Be sure to grab it before you leave.

Town of Altair
Altair is full of people to speak with and shops to visit. Altair has thus far been able to avoid Fynn's fate as the empire has not traveled far enough south to claim it. You may meet Paul, a thief from Fynn who only steals from Imperials. You'll learn that something may be bothering Tobul, the blacksmith found in the weapon shop. Indeed, he seems troubled, but if you mention the password Wild Rose to him, he will confess that it's just a cover to protect his identity. Standing behind the hideout is a prince named Gordon from Kashuan, who is filled with self-doubt since fleeing from the scene of his brother's defeat.

The item shop in Fynn sells no less than 12 different items. The armor shop sells very basic gear. Consider buying leather caps/helmets and leather gloves for everyone. Know that buying a buckler can raise Gus' defense, but at the expense of his offensive power. Maria can't be equipped with a buckler at all unless you purchase a different weapon besides the bow for her. The weapon store also offers only basic equipment. The bow is a difficult weapon for anyone to use, including Maria. It may be worth considering purchasing an alternate weapon for her, such as the javelin. If you do buy her another weapon, be sure to remember to change her formation (she defaults to the back) so that she stands a chance of hitting enemies with the new weapon.

The spell shop offers the four most basic spells in the game, including Cure, Fire, Thunder, and Blizzard. It's not a bad idea to teach Cure to every member of your party as a means to protect yourself, and to get every party member's magic ability growth started. You should select one character to specialize in black magic (Maria is a popular choice) and teach the other three spells to that character when you can afford them.

Venturing outside
When you are prepared, step outside of Altair to enter the world map, but don't venture far. Your goal should to be wander around Altair, get into several battles, and begin improving the stats of your characters. Cure as often as you need to in order to increase magic ability, but be sure to allow your characters to lose up to half of their health before curing in order to encourage their health stats to rise. Continue battling to earn Gil for more spells and equipment, and to pay for stays at the Inn so you can restore your lost health.

The enemies around Altair, and indeed much of the surrounding land aren't terribly powerful. You will commonly encounter Goblins, Hornets, and Leg Eaters around Altair, and they represent some of the weakest enemies that game as to offer, so they make good training material. Maintain your efforts to level up your characters' stats until you notice that you are defeating several groups of enemies while taking little to no damage. Use that as the indication that it's time to advance north to Gatrea. Note that the southern tip of the peninsula has extremely powerful monsters. While you could use this to help gain experience later, right now your party does not have the equipment or attributes to survive those monsters.

Town of Gatrea
Head North when you're ready but travel inland and away from the coastal region. You'll find the town of Gatrea around here if you need to cure your party along the way.

Occupied town of Fynn
Continue North to find your destination, the occupied town of Fynn. When you enter here, DON'T talk to anyone unless you feel like getting mauled by more Black Knights. Head to the North side of Fynn and then step one square beyond the wall and start walking clockwise around to the South East corner where the pub is located. Enter it.

Inside, there are a bunch of surly soldiers from Palamecia. Don't talk to them either, instead, make your way to the top right corner and talk to the guy behind the table. Tell him the keyword, WILD ROSE, and he'll let you enter the hidden passage behind him. Follow the path until you get to a room with a bed and talk to the guy in it. He'll tell you he's the prince the guy in Altair was talking about and that he's mortally wounded. He'll give you a ring as a final gesture and then expire. Exit the pub and make your way back to Altair to give the Hilda the bad news.

Once you speak with Hilda, show her the ring, and she will mention mithril. Asking her about it will commence the next chapter.