Creature of Fenkenstrain Quest Analysis

Intro

RuneScape is known for its unique quests. They are in my opinion the best aspect of the game. As such, I decided to take a closer look at the quest "Creature of Fenkenstrain".

I chose to analyze this quest because it is mostly detached from the bigger story of the game. It is also the first quest I think about when I think of the game. I believe it is quite representative of the "RuneScape style".

This is technically a documentation of the RuneScape 3 version of the quest. The only differences with the OldSchool RuneScape version are improved graphics and audio.

AlaskaRS's recording and RuneScape Wiki were used as references.

Lore Context

• The quest takes place in a region called Morytania. It is a land that was corrupted by evil long ago. Normal people live there despite the area being pretty bad.
• The player character is generally considered a "good adventurer". It should be noted that the game don't have an overarching morality system of any sort; there is no such thing as an "evil playthrough".
• In a previous quest, the player acquired the "Ghostspeak amulet" item. This allows him to talk to ghost if he wears it.

The Quest

The quest starts in Canifis. The town has a dark but lively atmosphere. This area plays the music track "Village" which give off a cozy feeling similar to what you would find a bog standard medieval fantasy tavern. The inhabitants appear to be normal humans, but are actually werewolves.

The quest start by the player reading a sign in the town. It reads as follows:

"Braindead Butler Wanted. Gravedigging skills essential – Hunchback advantageous. See Dr. Fenkenstrain at the castle NE of Canifis".

This immediately contextualize that the player is looking for a job. The mentions of grave digging signals that the would-be employer is probably doing some shady stuff.

The player makes his way to Fenkenstrain's Castle. The castle is in ruins and was clearly inhabited for some time. The background music changes to the track "Fenkenstrain's Refrain". The audio immediately gives off a "dark science" vibe.

The player then talks to Dr Fenkenstrain. The player decides to apply to the job by saying "Yes, if it pays well." - giving off the impression that he is after money first and foremost. At this point in time, the player character seems more dumb than greedy.

The employer decides to ask the player some question beforehand. The chathead animation of the player clearly convey the message of "Well, that's unusual".

If the player answers wrong, Dr Fenkenstrain is like says that you are not fit for the job. You can easily retry by talking to him. He is only employed if he describes himself as the following:

• The player must describe himself as "braindead".
• The player must claim that his greatest skill is gravedigging.

The answers to this quiz were outright said on the signpost earlier. When you read behind the lines, it is clear that Dr Fenkenstrain is seeking a dumb servant that is willing to do some gravedigging. Very sus as the kids says.

Dr Fenkenstrain explains to the player that he needs to gather dead body parts to stitch together a dead body which he will bring back to life. The chathead expression reveals that the player is horrified at the prospect of gathering a dead body. The player reluctantly agrees to do so.

There is some "meta humor" there. Due to the nature of the game, the player basically kill everything he sees and he wanders into a region full of "dead stuff" without any issue. The implication here seems to be that the player is reluctant to gather human organs specifically.

The instructions given are quite vague. There is no indication of how many and which body parts you need to gather. Opening the quest journal reveals that you need a pair of arms, a pair of legs, a torso and a head.

Due to the nature of the game, it's not like you can just go murder a random NPC and decapitate his body. You need to find specific items. This is not ideal quest design.

You can however just talk to your employer again to gain more insight on the job. When doing so the player can gather the following info:

• When the player asks where to find the body part: Dr Fenkenstrain believes that you can find dead bodies in the nearby Haunted Woods and mausoleum because they are graves there. He mentions that the soil of Morytania has proprieties that help preserve bodies.
• When the player asks about why he wants to create a creature: Dr Fenkenstrain make the vague claim that he moved in this abandoned castle to "do something good for mankind". The player asks why he came to Morytania. He tells the player to stop asking questions. This is an interesting interaction because in the above dialogue tree, he has justification for coming in Morytania. This implies that he is insecure and don't want you to ask too many questions.
• When asking if the creature will take his job: Dr Fenkenstrain claims he has a "special purpose" for the creature.

It should be noted that the player can find the body parts in the order he chooses.

Near the castle there are interactive gravestone that have a "Read" and "Dig" right click options.

Digging here will not lead you to find anything. If you interact with the graves, you will discover that one of them has a "depression in the shape of a six-pointed star".

Back in the castle, the player might find interactable bookcases. Another bad design decision here is that only two of them has a substantial interaction. A player could easily assume they all share the dialogue.

In the eastern room bookcase, the player can find the following books:

• Men are from Morytania, Women are from Lumbridge; prompt a dialogue that claims it reveals "fascinating insights into the mind of the female kind".
• Chimney Sweeping on a Budget; opens a book interface that explains that a long-haired brush and wire might be used to clean chimneys.
• Handy Maggot Avoidance Techniques; When the player tries to read the book, they find an obsidian amulet.
• My Family and Other Zombies; prompt a dialogue that reveals that the book is a "fascinating read

In the western room bookcase, the player can find the following books:

• 1001 Ways To Eat Fried Gizzards; the dialogue reveals that it leaves the player "contemplating vegetarianism" - implying the content of the book was disgusting.
• Practical Gardening For The Headless; the dialogue reveals that the book makes some good points, but that the intended audience would not be able to read it.
• Human Taxidermy for Nincompoops; the dialogue reveals that the book was read a lot and that there are formulas inscribed in it. There is a note that claims that "something was locked in the caverns".
• The Joy of Gravedigging; upon trying to read the book, the player discover a hidden marble amulet.

The player can then use the two triangle-shaped amulets to make a six-pointed amulet.

Also in the castle, the player can find a clock that contains a letter. It reveals that the previous owner of the castle was manipulated by an unnamed doctor to try to please vampires (the local dominant race) with human sacrifices. This interaction is entirely optional.

Returning to the aforementioned graveyard and using the amulet into the grave reveal an entrance to a cave complex. Inside are "experiment monsters", hybrids of animals and humans that is clearly the result of some sick scientific experiment.

At the end of the cave is a locked door. The key can be obtained by killing one of the experiments. As far as I am aware, there is hinted nowhere and frankly do not make much sense.

At the end of the tunnel is a ladder and a chest. Searching the chest gives you another key. Climbing the ladder it put you on a small island with 4 graves. The island can only be reached through the cave.

Unlike earlier, the graves here are still readable. Reading those some lore about the previous inhabitant of the castle. Digging up the graves here gives a pair of legs, a pair of arms and a torso.

If the player wanders in the courtyard of the castle, he can find a ghost called "Grave-digging Gardener". If the player tries to talk to him, the game will explicitly tell you that he cannot speak as he has no head. If you wear your Ghostspeak amulet, you will be able to take to him.

The gardener appears to speak in a exaggerated British accent. The player can ask him the following questions:

• Can you tell me anything about Fenkenstrain?; He explains that the castle used to be full of life, but that one day all people but him and Dr Fenkenstrain disappeared. Dr Fenkenstrain ordered him to dig a hole for an unknown purpose. Someone then chopped off the head of the gardener. His story contradicts what Dr Fenkenstrain tells you. He also jokingly mentions that "worse things could happen" despite the fact the worst already happened to him.
• What happened to your head?; Pretty much the same thing as above. In addition, the player will ask to show him the place where he lost his head. The gardener agrees.
• What's your name?; After some struggle, he recalls his name to be "Ed Lestwit ".

There is also a pile of garden cane. Interacting with it let you take a cane.

If the "What happened to your head?" choice was selected, an awful gameplay section begins where the gardener follow you and give you vague instructions on where to go. Combined with the horrible NPC pathing in the game, one can easily fail this part if the gardener get stuck behind scenery objects.

The player and the garderner eventually made it into the Haunted Woods. The player finds a grave marked with the name of the gardener. Digging it up gives you a head. The ghost can also comment by saying "This is the place where I met me' maker.". This implies that the gardener is kinda dumb and use the expression without grasping his meaning since he obviously did not move on to the afterlife.

You can now go talk to Dr Fenkenstrain again to give him the body parts. After he takes the items, the dialogue abruptly ends for no reason. Using the head item on him will reveal that the head is somehow missing the brain.

Back in Canifis, the player can interact with a brain in a jar found in the local pub. A NPC notice your interest which allow you to purchase the item. As far as I know, nothing in-game hints about this.

The player can then use the brain on the head to get a more complete head item.

Back in the castle, the player can now hand over the head to Dr Fenkenstrain. The NPC then ask you to fetch some needle and thread (generic items in the game found outside of the quest area).

Dr Fenkenstrain then assemble the body (this spawn a new scenery object). He then remarks that he is still missing something. The chathead animation of the player makes it obvious that he is getting sick of running errands. To the surprise of no one, he needs lightning to bring his creature to life. He asks you to repair the lightning conductor. The player remarks that he is legally entitled to a 15 minutes breaks, but the doctor orders him to finish the job. This is a wonderful joke as it superimpose IRL laws with a setting presumably devoid of workers' rights, but do so in a way that does not break the immersion.

If the player talks to the gardener again, he can obtain a key to the gardening shed. If asked about a conductor mould, he believes that one of the previous inhabitant of the castle likely had one.

In the gardening shed, the player can find a garden brush item.

As hinted a by a book earlier, the player needs to fetch some wire (a generic item found outside of the quest area). By combining the garden brush and the cane to make an extended brush.

The player can then use the extended brush on a specific chimney to make a conductor mould fall out. Although the need "cleaning chimney" thing was hinted in a book earlier, the acquisition of this item does not make much sense to me.

You now need to go to a furnace to make conductor mold using some silver (generic item). As there is no furnace in the quest area, the player will need to go to a completely different zone to make the item. This completely destroys the mood set up by the quest.

Back in Fenkenstrain's Castle, you can repair the lightning conductor (scenery object).

When you return in the main room, you notice that the central table is empty. Talking to Dr Fenkenstrain will reveal that he imprisoned the creature in the castle tower. The player notice that his attitude suddenly shifted and he is now very concerned about what he just created. You are tasked with destroying the creature. He gives you a key.

When you go to confront the creature, you quickly realize that he is not very threatening. His reaction to you about to murder him is essentially "that's not very nice". He also sounds drunk for some reason. The creature see his reflection in a nearby mirror and realize that it is an undead abomination - the implication being that it thought he was still alive and a normal person that simply got too drunk. He explains to the player that he is the previous owner of the castle. Fenkenstrain was the castle doctor and he murdered him.

The player decides to leave the dreadful place and do not care if he does not receive his pay. The creature ask you to prevent Fenkenstrain from making future experiments before you leave but do not elaborate on how to achieve this.

If the player talks to the Fenkenstrain's monster again, he will learn that the best way to do so this to his Ring of Charos - a magic ring that allows him to make undead stuff.

To finish the quest, the player must right-click Dr Fenkenstrain to steal from it. Doing so bring the quest complete screen.

There is some post-quest dialogue. Talking to Fenkenstrain's monster and/or Dr Fenkenstrain reveals that the doctor now suddenly fears werewolves as the ring cannot deceive them anymore (it masked his human scent). This lore is nice in a vacuum, but do not make sense in the grand scheme of things as the player wandered in Canifis with no problem earlier.

The Good

• Central area; the quest mostly takes place in Fenkenstrain's Castle and the immediate area around it. This limit the scope of the quest and incentivize the player to figure things out.
• Simple catalyst; the goal and motivation of the player character is stated quickly.
• Extra interactions; the castle has lots of extra interactions that do not progress the quest in any way. This makes the world feel more alive.
• Extra and hidden lore; although the general gist of what happened in the castle is conveyed through the main dialogue, the player can find extra details.
• Subtext through chatheads; The emotion of the player character is often carried through chathead animations. A fine example of "show, don't tell".
• Conflicting reports; different NPCs have diverging version of events. This help create a more believable world and help establish hidden motivations.
• NPCs have personality; some NPCs are just straight up stupid and manipulative. It shows that they do not only exist to spit out hints or quest objectives.
• Different speech patterns; pretty much same thing as above.
• Good humor; Sometimes the NPCs will be disconnected from the events and do not have the expected reaction. This keeps the quest fun to read.
• Post quest dialogue; the existence of post-quest dialogue help sell the idea that this is a living world.

The Bad

• Unclear objectives; I would make Dr Fenkenstrain tell you exactly which body parts you need alongside hints to find them. Furthermore, it would be better if he were to notice that the head has no brain and tell you to go Canifis.
• Duplicate subjects; the quest has three distinct graveyard areas for some reason. I would turn the mausoleum island into a crypt under the castle and make a locked door instead. I would put the experiments in a secret optional room. There are also two set of bookcases with two different sets of interaction (one being generic). I would give a unique interaction to all of them.
• Artificial locks; the locked door in the experiments cavern does not make much sense.
• Bad pathing system; I would outright remove the "guide the ghost" section. He would just tell you that he died somewhere in the Haunted Woods.
• External items; I would remove the need for the needle, thread, wire and conductor mold. For the repair section, I would just make the player use a garden cane on the electricity conductor. The need to fetch external items completely destroy the vibe of the quest.
• Dialogue breaks; Sometime the dialogue just stops for no reason. This might have been due to an engine limitation at the time. Anyway, this should not happen.
• Lore and gameplay conflict; I would rework the "human scent" lore as to not have a conflict with the gameplay. This could easily be fixed by saying that Dr Fenkenstrain had a deal with a werewolf he was manipulating or something.

Other Notes

According to RuneScape Wiki, this quest was developed by Mod Dibber. The other quest he made were Ghosts Ahoy and Garden of Tranquillity. The quest was released on 31 January 2005.

I suspect that the graphical and musical improvements made to Morytania over the year strongly amplified the vibe that this quest gives. The need to go out of Morytania to fetch items might have been less jarring back in the RuneScape 2 days when there was no skybox and lighting effects.

Conclusion

While the quest contains that signature "RuneScape style", it is also a prime example of a quest that can be quite cryptic at times.I must say I was expecting Mod Dibber to have made way more quest than this. I presume the he was simply following an established paradigm.

Hmm, this begs the question. When exactly did the "RuneScape style" emerges? One day I will look deeper into this.

Written by manpaint on 16 May 2024.