The 21st volume in the Endless Quest TSR gamebook series is an interesting one for a couple of reasons. In the first place it’s the first (and only?) to feature a monk character as the point of view character of the book, secondly it seems to introduce a character which would eventually become an iconic part of D&D lore, particularly that of the Forgotten Realms.

Can this be the introduction of the Grandmaster of Flowers into the universe? I read the Spanish version of the book, but the head of the monastery where the main character is an apprentice is named the Gran Maestro de las Flores, which if you know your lore is, at least in the Forgotten Realms, an incarnation of Bahamut, the god of good dragons. The character comes across as a mysterious old monk, and not like the more energetic Grandmaster of Flowers of later works, but I’m sure this is more than a coincidence.

In terms of story there isn’t really much to write home about here. The monastery where you are apprenticed gets a visit from a military commander looking for help in keeping the rightful king in power, so the Grandmaster of Flowers calls you to accompany the Commander and try to figure out how to fix stuff. On the way there is the usual mix of encounters, including one with a talkative 5-headed hydra which with its multicolored heads reminds me of another famous Dragon goddess.