Seek out the doomsayer and learn all you can before venturing forth.

You decide it's best not to charge in right away. Once the small, dismissive crowd disperses, you approach the doomsayer and sit down next to him on a log bench at the edge of the town square. He's a haggard old man wearing nothing but a potato sack, sporting a bushy white beard with twigs sticking out of it.

"Excuse me, sir," you say. My name is Jamie. I want to help."

"Finally, someone believes me!" He lets out a sigh of relief, then looks you over. "Hm... you could stand to have some more muscle, but put a sword in yer hand and I'm sure you'll be fine, heh heh!"

"What do I have to do?" You ask, ignoring the old man's remarks about your puny body.

"You'll need to destroy Sadista, that's what. She'll always come back, but if we don't banish her before the new moon...."

You gulp. "Wh-what happens on the new moon?"

"She'll complete her evil ritual when the moon is highest in the sky, when her powers are at their strongest. Once that happens, she'll be able to cast a spell that'll ensorcell the entire kingdom and make us all her slaves!"

You thought of you and everyone you know and love becoming a sex fills your heart with dread, but also the fire of determination. "I'll do it alone if I must," you say. "Just show me where to go."

The old man pulls out a scroll from his potato sack and hands it to you. "I saw her tower here, to the southwest. In the swamps. You have to be careful there, them swamps have monsters that'll eat you whole...."

He sees the look on your face and smiles. "Well, don't you worry about that. Just stick to the path laid out for ya on this map, and you'll be just fine. And if you do run into trouble..." he pulls out a sword from his potato sack as well. "You can use this. It's seen better days, but it's slain the sorceress once before...."

Your eyes widen. "I won't let you down... uh...?"

"The man smiles. Just call me Chad."

You smile back and thank him for his help before returning home to get everything you need. You hate to leave your parents and your sister to take care of the farm alone, but if Old Man Chad is right, you haven't a minute to lose. Based on the map, you figure it'll take you nearly a month to make the journey on foot. You wish your family could afford a house, but you are a lowly peasant. However, you suddenly remember that the young nobleman at the top of the hill has a fine stallion you're quite friendly with. You know it's wrong, but if it got you to Sadista's tower faster, it'd be for the greater good right?

You look at the map and consider your options. The map says to go south along the main road and pass through the ruins of Fort Clockbock to reach the Wild Bushlands, but you also know that area's been rife with bandits lately. There's two other ways of crossing the Moist Mountains according to the map, though. The first is to the southwest, through the Moist Passage, rumored to be infested with bloodthirsty vampires. Your other option is to leave the village going east and cut through the forest before curving back towards the old abandoned fort, thus avoiding the dangers of crossing the southern road on foot. Your only other option is to cross trough the Shrinking Wood and try climbing over the mountains.