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Corey had to return to work, and we made our way back to our makeshift hotel. At 7am the next morning, we arose for our departure to meet Lori in Oakhurst. It was a pretty uneventful five hour drive to Northern California. Once we neared Coarsegold, we called Lori to receive further directions to her abode. She generously offered to meet us in town and escort us back to her house in an effort to save us some trouble. Foolishly dismissing this as merely a kind gesture, we insisted that we would locate the premises by our own means. We were given surprisingly detailed, yet strangely vague instructions as to the location of the Cole residence. We were told to look out for a yellow house. We followed the directions until we reached a point of uncertainty, and at that point, we continued as best we could, having no idea as to where we were going; as chance would have it, we DID eventually roll up at the gates of a yellow house in need of some serious repairs. Tricycles littered the ground and several trailers were strewn about the property in an apocalyptic scenario reminiscent of the introduction sequence of Terminator II: Judgement Day. The paint peeled off the house and the shutters of the windows banged noisily in the wind. A screen door hung uneasily from its battered hinges, and not a visible sign of life dwelled inside the run down establishment. A neglected bloodhound was chained to a nearby post and looked at us with silent eyes, while other smaller dogs circled our car, yipping and yapping. The rough, uneven driveway offered no mercy to the suspension of our city car. It quickly became apparent that either the Coles were backcountry hicks or we were merely at the wrong residence. We called Lori for further instructions, and we were happy to see the latter had been the case. In no time, we were pulling up her driveway and were personally welcomed into her home by Lori herself, and absolute joy of a person. A Honda-CRV stood proudly outside, bearing the license plate “2BAHERO” and emblazoned with a bumper sticker “Back Off Man: I’m a Professional Hero.” A stone gargoyle sat atop the front gate, reminiscent of Erasmus’ house in Quest for Glory I. To the trained eye, it is easy to see many similarities between the Cole’s residence and the games.

Two dogs pranced about, encircling us with glee--one of which had been viciously accosted by a dastardly rattlesnake in the past, and had the scars on its leg to prove it. We were humbly welcomed inside, which felt similar to the Hero being welcomed into the Welcome Inn. The living room was decorated with a plethora of Quest for Glory-like nostalgia, such as a moose head that was conveniently replaced with a triceratops head (since an actual moose head wouldn’t fit).

Lori invited us to show her our current projects, Quest for Glory II VGA and Al Emmo and the Lost Dutchman’s Mine. She seemed impressed with what we have done, and we took it as a huge compliment and were inspired to continue work with increased fervor. She also bestowed upon us several Quest for Glory V: Dragonfire badges that she had left over from the E3 in 1998. The badges were much like the sapphire pin given to the hero as a gift by the Katta in QFG2.

Next, Lori showed us the holy grail of every Quest for Glory fan - the ACTUAL design documents for each and every Quest for Glory game. These contained concept art, original maps, Lori’s personal sketches, notes, and many game scenes and characters that did not make it into the final version of the games. We were sure to take this into account for our Quest for Glory II remake. Additionally, she showed us clay moldings of the characters from Quest for Glory I and an early concept figurine she molded from clay of Erasmus and Fenrus.

We found it most difficult to drag ourselves away from this treasure trove of historical greatness - it was like all our Christmases had come at once! But, more good things were in store - the time had come for Lori to personally escort us on a tour of Oakhurst! It was extremely interesting to see such legendary locations as Sierra Way, the street upon which the main offices were located; the old Sierra buildings, where the work on all our favorite games was undertaken; and Ken and Roberta Williams’ former residence by Bear Lake, behind a secure and foreboding gate with spikes upon the top, intended to deter any would be intruders. Fortunately for us, the architects overlooked the fact that there was an open pathway leading directly behind said gate and up to the multimillion dollar mansions. We wanted photos of this residence, so true to a Quest for Glory game, we snuck behind the gate and got up close for a good shot. It was at this point, we were overcome with the familiar feeling of how it felt to play the thief in Quest for Glory - only this time, we were doing it in real life, and Lori was the chief.

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