TCI - TIBIA CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION: RATHA

TCI - TIBIA CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION: RATHA

This mission is carried out by the Ankrahmunian detectives and explorers:
Leon Nake & Oblivion Whisperer

We were approached at our home, Ramen Tah, in Ank to solve a mystery and give our client some relief. Draccon came to us to resolve what actually happened to Ratha and to mourn him completely.

This report aims to decipher some questions about what may have happened to our former explorer. Final report.

The '20 years of cook' mission was introduced in the Winter Update 2023 and with it brought several old references and characters from the game's lore. One of them, the mysterious and enigmatic Ratha, that keeps periodically whispering phrases in our mind.

This investigation want to answer the questions below:

1 - Who was Ratha?
2 - Why was Ratha killed?
3 - Who killed him?
4 - How was he killed?

Ratha was a member of the Explorer Society, but from an older generation of explorers as he himself mentions “The old explorers”. His initial introduction was made in update 7.24, on March 14, 2004. Well, partially, since his skull was only introduced, together with the quest "The Skull of Ratha", part of the main mission "The Explorer Society". 

Mortimer explains a little about Ratha's profile and gives an explanation about who he was.

“Mortimer: Ratha was a great explorer and an even greater ladies' man. Sadly he never returned from a visit to the amazons. Probably he is dead …”

For 19 years, the mystery of Ratha was hidden, until we met Draccon. They were inseparable friends and after Draccon spent 20 years as a slave, he is the first one who wants us to warn about his return. This friendship it’s confirmed by the NPC Airclairebear:

“- Player: Ratha

- Airclairebear: I vaguely remember him from the days I first met the Draccoon. The two of them were the best buddies, of course the Draccoon won't give him up easily.”

“The Draccoon: My dearest human friend must yet be informed of my return. I am sure he will join us in our campaign! ...
The Draccoon: He lives in an apartment in Kazordoon, as I understand he had some trouble in most other cities. I'm pretty sure you'll still find him there. ...
(mission one - 20 years of cook quest)”

At this point, we can confirm that Ratha died less than 20 years ago, as when Draccon was made a slave, he was still alive and living in Kazordoon.

As my brother and I investigated, two things were extremely attractive to him, which would later turn out to be what led to his death. However, in our research, we discovered that he had two weaknesses: Treasures and women.

About women, we can see some examples below:

“Mortimer: Ratha was a great explorer and an even greater ladies' man.”

“Ratha: I once fell in love with a woman, who turned out to be a cultist that wanted to sacrifice me in the dark cathedral!”

“Ratha: Back in my day I had quite a reputation. Most secret services were after me. The C.G.B. in particular.” (C.G.B = Carlin, a city ruled by women). 

About treasures, we found this: 

At mission 'The Serpentine Heist', from 20 Years of Cook Quest, Dracoon plans to take revenge on Nimmersatt by entering the chamber of the Serpentine Tower and stealing the treasures there. But instead he starts shitting all over the place (It's very funny). While this is happening, Ratha gives us a VERY INTERESTING dialogue:

“Ratha: Yeah! He is in! We will be filthy rich soon!

Ratha: Any moment, the Draccoon will throw all the sweet loot to us! Be ready, we will have to hurry!!

Ratha: Rich! Muhahaha!

Ratha: Wha... What?? NO DRACCOON!! NOOOO!

Ratha: Oh great! There goes my dream of unfathomable riches!! We better get out of here I guess!”

While preparing and studying Ratha's profile, my brother Oblivion went to Amazon Camp, where his skull was found, to investigate further.

The amazon camp in Venore is full of Amazons, Valkyries and some Witches. It is necessary to understand a little about the history of the place so that we can continue the investigation. 

This is the place of the quest: 

We find rewards in those two boxes: 

In the first box: Skull of Ratha and 1 White Pearl.

in the second box: Dwarven Ring and Wolf Tooth Chain.

The place has two Witches, a Valkyrie and a Lion. 

If we think about power, we can assume that two witches "rule" that place to be stronger than a Valkyrie and a Lion, right? But let's try to look at it another way...

I thought: "WHY THE HELL THERE'S JUST ONE 'THRONE"?

It's said in the book about Valkyrie, that they are superior to Amazons. "Every amazon who has proven her bravery by taking the skulls of thirteen opponents will be promoted to a Valkyrie."

Which makes me think that in fact, that Valkyrie is in charge of everything. This is her throne. The Witches are there to protect or as advisors and the Lion... Well, is there a better way to show the strength of a woman who has a Lion as a pet? We see that in what a foolish quest when we meet Kitty, the “Cat” of queen Eloise, which is a Tiger. By the way, the surface map itself shows this. We do not find Valkyries on the surface, only in places accessible by stairs, which demonstrates their superiority over the Amazons.

At this point, we already know that Ratha went there and never returned to The Explorer Society bases (PH or Northport). The Amazon Camp it’s a place full of women and we already know that he loves that. So the answer to everything would be: Was he caught, decapitated, following the tradition of the Amazons and that’s all?

So my first thought was: he was taken after discovering something. This stone is very suspicious. Look like that kind of rock to lay down a person and decapitate their heads. Makes sense...well…

...Make sense from 2004 until 2023, before the update, because, if it happens this way, WHY THE HELL HIS BODY IT'S WALKING AROUND IN HIS APARTMENT? Doesn't make sense at all! Right?

So, my brother and I presume that he was killed in his own apartment, at Kazordoon. And his head was taken back to the Amazon Camp. Makes more sense. But how?

This part contains more personal deductions and interpretations. However, I do this based on facts and clues that I collected. 

Ratha was in fact there as mentioned by Mortimer and how do we know this? Well, he himself told us:

“Ratha: Did you ever wonder what those amazons do with all the parcels and books they are hoarding?”

Indeed, Ratha, we found out. And to answer your question, this room is an Easter egg for the American company AMAZON.COM. In the early 2000s it operated more as an online bookstore. That's why it's full of parcels and books and it’s in the Amazon camp. However, we also discovered that just like the original company, it really works. The First Dragon does business with the Amazons. It buy books from there, as Kisar himself confirms and this is extremely important for the next step:

“Player: deliveries

Kizar: The boss has some kind of agreement with the amazons of the Green Claw Swamp. They sent us all the goods we need.”

So, how could he know about this room that is underground if he had never gotten there? He is indeed there, but is it only because of the women? Well, we'll get to that, but what actually seems to have happened is that our Ratha was caught or at least discovered at Amazon. Camp, where he allegedly fled to his apartment in Kazordoon, chased, killed and his head brought back. But how? By whom?

Witches have knowledge about mushrooms. At Wyda's house we see a book about them and we also know about The Mushroom Blight in Kazordoon and how they know about poisonous mushrooms and we've already seen the witches' proximity to Kazordoon, even within the city. 

One of the random sentences of Ratha is:
“Ratha: I would die to taste gnomish mushroom soup again! That's easy to say when you are already dead, of course.”

"I would die to taste gnomish mushroom soup again!"
What if we read this sentence literally? "again" means that he has already taken it before, at least once.

if we consider that he tastes that soup and dies afterwards. That’s why it’s “EASY TO TELL WHEN IT’S ALREADY DEAD”.

I mean, he would die to taste again, cuz since he's dead, it will not affect him anymore. So that's why it's easy for him to say this. The fact that the body is moving until these days may be the result of a potion or a witch spell/curse.

But one question still intrigued me: What was the real reason he went to that Amazon Camp and not to Carlin, for example?

The first things that came to my head was:

- Explorer Society was investigating that place and sent him. (there's no evidence that the Explorer Society knows about any secret there - Next!)
- He was a Ladies man, he went there to find some new love (hahahahaha, could be, but...don’t think so).

But there's one more interesting fact about that place. A thing that doesn't fit ALL with that place…

We can find what looks like a...Dragon Treasure? Seems to be very similar. Even the type of gate is different from anything else in that place, which appears to be very rustic and out of nowhere there's a really well-protected gate.

This is Pythius the Rotten and his treasure at Fenrock, for example. So that treasure in the Amazon Camp must be the payment of The First Dragon for business done with the Amazons. All makes sense now. 

Therefore, we have reached our conclusion.

After the disappearance of his inseparable friend, Draccon, Ratha decided to make an incursion into the Amazon Camp de Venore, which would be his kryptonite, since the place has his two weaknesses: Woman and Treasures.

When he went underground in search of the treasures, he was identified and, with luck, managed to escape to his apartment to the west, in Kazordoon. 

The leader then ordered that the intruder be killed and demanded his head, according to the Amazon tradition of decapitating their enemies. The witches followed him, infiltrated Kazordoom and enchanted him with our explorer's gnomish mushroom soup. 

The witches cut off his head and took it back to the camp leader, kept there as an example. His body, left to wander, enchanted, in his apartment for nearly two decades.

An interesting fact is that the reward for the location's quest indicates exactly what happened.

Who? Skull of Ratha = Ratha
Motive? White Pearl = Treasure

Where? Dwarven Ring = Kazordoon
By who? Wolf Tooth Chain = Witches

Draccon, we are sorry for your loss and I would particularly like to have known him in life. In the meantime, I hope that what we discovered helps and comforts you.

Whenever you need it, count on the desert brothers. Until later.

Leon Nake, The Mystery Hunter & Oblivion Whisperer, The Boss Obliterator.