The Ribbiting Tale of a Lily Pad Labour Dispute

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It briefly summarises the steps needed to complete the quest.

The Ribbiting Tale of a Lily Pad Labour Dispute (#164)
Released		20 March 2024 (Update)
Members		Yes
Quest series		None
Lead developer(s)		Mod Ed Partial naming credit claimed by Mod Lenny Disputed by Mod Ed ([2]) Dispute disputed by Mod Lenny (see page history) Disputed dispution is disputed by Mod Ed.

The Ribbiting Tale of a Lily Pad Labour Dispute, known by its shortened title Ribbiting Tale, is a quest in Varlamore set in the Locus Oasis in which players solve a ribbiting dispute and gain access to a new hardwood Farming patch.

Details

Start point	Speak to Marcellus at the Locus Oasis. <maplink group="pins" align="center" text="<b>Show on map</b>" plane="0" y="2975" x="1684" zoom="2" mapID="-1"> {"features":[{"type":"Feature","geometry":{"coordinates":[1684.5,2973.5],"type":"Point"},"properties":{"mapID":"-1","providerID":0,"description":" X/Y: 1684,2973 ","group":"pins","icon":"greenPin","plane":0,"title":"Start point"}}],"type":"FeatureCollection"} </maplink>
Official difficulty	Novice
Official length	Very Short
Description	Solve a ribbiting dispute and gain access to a new hardwood Farming patch.
Requirements	15 Woodcutting (not boostable) (required to start) Completion of the following quests: Children of the Sun
Items required	Any axe (a bronze axe is obtainable during the quest)
Enemies to defeat	Cuthbert, Lord of Dread (level 1)

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Walkthrough

Crazy Frogs

Speak to Marcellus at the Locus Oasis (fairy ring AJP), by the hardwood tree patch. He will appear to be crazy, accusing you of being in cahoots with the frogs at the other side of the oasis, believing that the frogs will enslave all of humanity.

Head to the centre of the oasis, just north of the grove of teak trees, and speak to the blue frogs. They will tell you that they simply have gone on strike, as they believe Marcellus is mistreating them. You will then attempt to mediate between the two parties.

Return to Marcellus, who tells you that he refuses to make peace until they return his brain back, and will only negotiate with their leader.

Democracy at Work

Items needed: An axe

Speak to Gary or Sue, who will decide to hold an election to determine who leads, and reluctantly asks you to sabotage Cuthbert's lily pad so that he does not win the vote in the frog-hopping competition, as they believe he will declare all out war with the humans. They will also ask that you do not let Dave and Jane spot you, as they are sticklers for the rules.

Speak to Dave or Jane, who you find has already set up the lily pads for the election. You will attempt to convince them to let you inspect the lily pads, but they refuse, believing it is their duty to look after them. They will note that they are hungry, and that the oranges nearby are considered a nice treat.

Chop down the orange tree near them; if you did not bring an axe, the stump near Marcellus will give a bronze axe. With the both of them distracted, sabotage the lily pad.

Return to Gary and Sue, who will begin the election. A cutscene will play in which Sue and Cuthbert compete; Sue successfully hops on the lily pad, but Cuthbert sinks into the water and dies, as he never learned how to swim.

• 
  Distracting Dave and Jane by cutting down an orange tree.
• 
  The frogs' Election Hop-Off begins.

Peace Talks

Now that Sue is the leader, she will negotiate with you and ask that in exchange for helping Marcellus by eating flies, he must pay the frogs with oranges. Take this offer to Marcellus, who will ask what the flies have done wrong. You will tell him that they are planning to kill him, but he wants proof of the flies' betrayal.

The interface displaying a passcode required to open the chest.

Return to Gary and Sue, who will suggest you steal something from Marcellus and pin it on the flies. Inside Marcellus' home, search his bed for a love letter; reading it reveals he is in love with someone named Nalia, which is the passcode to the chest in his home.

Cuthbert, Lord of Dread, returns with a vengeance.

Open the chest to retrieve a plushy, then place it by the capybara dung to the east to plant the "evidence". However, upon doing so, Cuthbert, Lord of Dread, is revealed to have survived the election and proceeds to attack the player. Cuthbert is a level-1 enemy and poses no meaningful threat. However, Cuthbert can still damage the player so can be killed with recoil damage for non-combat accounts.

After your epic battle with Cuthbert, Lord of Dread, speak to Marcellus, who will now accept the frogs' terms. Finish up by talking to Sue or Gary to finish the quest.

Congratulations, quest complete!

Rewards

• 1 Quest point
• 2,000 Woodcutting experience
• Access to a new Hardwood Farming patch

Transcript

This article on a quest has an associated dialogue page. Click here for a transcript of possible conversations encountered throughout the quest. Click here for a transcript of the quest's journal entry.

Music

• The music track Attack 6 is played during the fight with Cuthbert, Lord of Dread.

Developers

• Developer: Mod Ed
• Partial naming credit: Mod Lenny

Trivia

• The quest has the longest name of any in Old School RuneScape.
  • The quest name contains the maximum amount of characters that the quest list currently allows.
  • This is one of only two quests that take up multiple lines on the quest interface, the other one being Desert Treasure II - The Fallen Empire.
• The update containing this quest was released on World Frog Day 2024, although it's unclear whether this was intentional.
• The quest contains multiple references to the labour movement, such as the title and the variations of the phrase "a fair day's wage for a fair day's work" used throughout the quest. Other labour references include the frogs striking, Gary's comments on capitalism, and the focus on collective leadership.
• During the 2024 Summer Summit, it was announced by Mod Ed that there would be a sequel.