Quest for Glory Omnipedia
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Baron Stefan von Spielburg was the ruler of Spielburg at the time of Quest for Glory 1 and the father of children Elsa and Barnard. He was the twelfth baron of Spielburg castle.

Background[]

Unlike many other rulers, Stefan von Spielburg ascended to the throne through his own accomplishments and deeds. According to Wolfgang Abenteuer, he was a stalwart adventurer and resourceful fighter. It is known through the stories of the local Adventurer's Guild that him and Abenteuer once teamed up to rid the valley of two hostile Dragons. Stefan was credited with slaying one of said dragons, the head of which remains stuffed and hung on a wall in the guild.

Ruler of Spielburg[]

Stefan's family must have already possessed the Barony of Spielburg for a few generations prior, because the family's castle was inherited from a King Siegfried several centuries prior. Regardless, Stefan's combination of heroic deeds and noble lineage eventually placed him in line for the throne, and as Baron of Spielburg, he ruled justly and without fear in the name of King Stephan.

He participated in some crusades to Tangiers from where he grabbed some beautiful stained windows that now decorate the Great Hall of his Castle.

The peaceful years in the valley eventually came to an end when the Ogress Baba Yaga arrived in his valley, placing a curse on it. Among the treacheries of this curse were the disappearances of his son during a hunting trip and his daughter, Elsa. After discovering that his daughter had fallen into a trance and became leader of the Brigands, he sent his court jester Yorick to watch over her.

During the Series[]

After several years, a mysterious Adventurer arrived in Spielburg, much to the apathy of the Baron. Stefan von Spielburg had spent quite a bit of his time confined to his estate as a recluse, the once-confident and outspoken man becoming gloomy and somber as the Brigands and Baba Yaga continued to bring his valley to ruin. However, once his son Barnard (whom was transformed into a bear through a Kobold Magic User's powerful enchantments) was rescued by the aforementioned traveller, he caught the Baron's eye.

Inviting him into his estate, the Baron praised the Hero-to-be for his assistance in saving Barnard von Spielburg. He stated that, for once in a long time, he had regained his hope that someone may indeed be capable of stopping Baba Yaga's curses and restoring Spielburg Valley to its full glory. The young adventurer did just that, eventually dispelling the leader of the Brigands, revealing that she was none other than the Baron's daughter, Elsa.

The adventurer was recalled again to the estate, where he was met by all his friends and acquaintances in Spielburg and showered with praise for his heroic deeds. The Baron personally declared this man to be the Hero of Spielburg and with that, he was off.

Abdication of the Throne[]

At an point (at some point after QFG4), Stefan von Spielburg retired from his position as Baron and proclaimed his son the new ruler of the valley. This decision was one of several occurrences which led to Elsa journeying to Silmaria.

Titles and nicknames[]

  • Baron
  • Lord of this Valley

Gallery[]

Behind the scenes[]

Baron is mentioned in QFG4, in part by the Hero telling his stories to other characters such as Dr. Cranium, who recalls his experiences with the Baron. This gives a rough reference to when the previews baron retired from the throne.

Stefan von Spielburg is a pun on famed movie director Stephen Spielburg[1]. This was also pointed out in early development articles which also poked fun by mentioning Lucasville, and the VGA remake mentioning Amblin Entertainment.[2]

Topics[]

In the EGA version, these are the topics that the character can be asked about during their brief meeting: castle, son, daughter, baroness, yorick, baba yaga, curse, prophecy, magic, Zauberberg, reward, brigands, brigand leader, brigand warlock, kobold.

The meeting will end when he is asked 3 times about topics he doesn't know about.

References[]

  1. Stephen Spielburg at Wikipedia
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20040409213634fw_/http://www.transolar.com:80/TSQGhumor.html "The first game of the Quest for Glory series, "So You Want to Be a Hero," was set in the lovely alpine village of Spielburg. The word, "Spiel" in German means "game," so the name literally meant "Game Town." For many years, the name Spielburg was associated with the director of "Indiana Jones", so it only made sense to name the Baron of the land "Stefan." His son's name, Barnard, reflected his un-bear-able personality."
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