Fighting the Guards: You can fight the guards but it is not likely you will win. On the off chance you do, it still results in the same outcome......either a night in the stocks or death by drowning. So to those of you who don't like to fight, it isn't necessary to do so.
I suggest you do spend several nights in the stocks just to see what happens. I was teased by children, robbed on another occasion, had a visit by the Fortune Teller on another and an old man laid a beating on me with a stick. After a night in the stocks the game resumes as normal. 
Death by drowning did not occur with the first fight I had with the guards as I was spared by the intervention of a village woman. Continuing to get into serious trouble will result in your death. Both cutscenes are worth watching. 

The only times I had a "game over" was when I ran out of air while pearl diving and after being condemned to death by drowning.

Pearl Diving: There are three locations to dive for pearls. At the lighthouse, behind the tavern and at the Council House dock. You have approx 45 seconds of air while you are under the water. Pay attention to the ambient sounds and you will hear Arrikk's heartbeat get louder, an indication he is running out of breath. The music will start up soon after which is a clear signal to swing your cursor upward and swim to the top. You can pearl dive as often as you wish.

Mystic/Fortune Teller: It is not absolutely necessary to play his games. If you end up in the stocks several times as I did he will come to you and give you the important clue you would have received by winning his games.

Interesting Extras: A couple of interesting things to try are: refuse to buy a drink in the tavern and see how quick you get the "bum's rush". 
Drink several cups of rice beer and try to walk down the steps of the tavern.

After a long introduction Arrikk awakens in his house. Pick up the bucket at the end of the bed. Leave the bedroom, turn left and enter the bathroom. Pick up the notebook beside the toilet. In inventory place the viewing glass on the notebook to read it. Here you will find drawings for some of the tasks set before you. Leave the bathroom then click down and to the left to go downstairs.
Things to pick up downstairs are: oyster shells, bowl and file. Open the table drawer and take the one pearl you find there. This is the currency of this land. Now you may leave the house.

Explore your surroundings. Enter the open shed and pick up the grinder. Turn right and visit the ship for a closer look (you can also see it from your bedroom window). At this point you can not enter it. 

Go forward onto the path leading out to the main road and you will find a couple of villagers blocking your way. Click on them and choose any dialogue choice. When finished click to the right to continue on to the main road. You will find yourself facing right. Go forward to the lighthouse location. Talk to the man sitting on the rock. Follow all dialogue choices then right click to leave. Click on the final dialogue choice. Turn left away from him and click on the pile of metal. In close-up run your cursor over the lower part of the pile until it changes to a circle. Click to pick up a piece of metal. Explore the area further if you wish. The only thing you can do here for now is pearl dive off the dock. When under the water, click on the shells to open them. Some will have pearls, some will not. Click on the pearls to pick them up. Note this is a timed sequence. You have about 45 seconds before you run out of air. However you can return underwater as many times as you wish. 

Leave this area and go back the way you came. You will stop on the main road with the path to your house on the left and the path to your Uncle's house on the right. Follow the path to your Uncle's house and click on his door. Follow the dialogue choices until you are able to ask him for a ladder. Right click to leave. 

Leave your Uncle's house and turn right at the main road to go to the village. Along the way you will overhear villagers talking about you. Click on them to get more information. When finished proceed down the road until the game stops you. Turn right and talk to your Grandmother. When finished talking, click on her again and she will lend you 10 pearls.

Continue into the village until a woman calls to you from her window asking you to run an errand. If you agree she will give you 2 pearls, one is for purchasing the rush wool and the other is for you. Go to the market by first turning right in front of her house, then click forward which brings you to the doorway of the tavern (don't enter). From here turn left until you see a ramp-like entrance. This is the way to the local market.

Walk through the market all the way to the second last merchant. Here is where you buy the wool. After your purchase, turn 180 degrees and you will see a bag of rice. Next to it is a box with a grocery list on it. Pick this list up. While at this end of the market you may want to take the time to visit the Mystic/Fortune Teller whose stall is at the very end. Play and win all of his games and you will be rewarded with valuable information and eventually a deck of cards (I found no use for these cards in this episode). If you have enough pearls (if not, time to go pearl diving) you can pick up a few other things you will need in the game. While you can purchase everything offered for sale the only things essential to buy are: fillets of fish, rice, rice beer, pears, eggs and chicken.

Take the rush wool back to the woman in the house. Return to the front of the tavern, turn right until you face another merchant's stall. Buy the rope and the nails (and you'll get a bonus hammer). Now turn slightly to the left and click forward. You will come to another merchant. Here all you need are the candles. You may need to go pearl diving first to get enough pearls.

Turn to the right until you see a tree, click forward just to the right of the tree. In front of you will be a shrub, search underneath and you will find the scissors.

Turn right and walk onto the dock. If need be, you can go pearl diving here but it's advisable to save your game first. Repeat the dive until you get the amount of pearls you want.

To leave the area click on the tree in the centre of the screen. You will end up in front of a graffiti board. Open the doors and take a look. It's interesting to look at but it is a red herring as none of what was depicted by the pictures came to pass in this episode. Right click to close the doors.

Turn slightly to the left, click forward, turn right and buy the candles from the merchant if you couldn't afford them earlier (when you buy the candles you will get a free firestarter).. Turn right again, past the group of people and click forward ensuring you are well left of the tree when you do so. Turn right until you face the stairs to the tavern. Enter. Turn left, click forward and order a rice beer. When the barkeep brings your drink, do not drink it or he will just ask you if you want another. Instead turn right, click forward then turn right and pick up the crowbar from the barrel. Return to your seat, still do not drink your beer but click forward turn right and leave. While in the tavern you may speak to the drunken guard if you wish.

Once outside turn left past the rope merchant and click forward (stay to the right of the tree). You will notice an opening in the fence. Go through. Take your scissors from inventory and click them on the stone wheel to sharpen them. Turn left and click on the guards you can see through the fence opening, to hear their conversation. Turn left and look down. Use your freshly sharpened scissors on the leather strap protruding from the door. Enter. Click on the coat hanging on the wall, then click again on the round wooden thing and you will pick up a crank. Look at the key impression on the wall. Click your notebook on it to make a tracing. Leave the building.

Turn right and click forward. There are several things you can do in this area. Look through the fence opening and click on the older woman. Don't bother to respond to any of the dialogue choices as it will result in her summoning the guards and you will end up in the stocks for the night. Right click in the dialogue box to exit. You can click on the white ball on the stand next to her for a closer look.

Turn away from the fence opening and click forward to examine the stone monument. Click your notebook on the six pictures on the stone to make a drawing of each. Click your ladder on the monument to climb to the top for a look-see. You may have also noticed a set of wooden doors in the stone fence. They are locked and remain so throughout the game so you can ignore them. If you explore the grassy area further you will find a dog. Click on him and he barks. If you bought pork at the market you can give him a doggy treat. Just to the left of the dog, click forward then forward again. You have found a shortcut.

From here make your way to the lighthouse dock. Turn right and click the crank on the device and a paddle boat will take you to the lighthouse. Click forward and you will arrive at the back of the lighthouse. Use the hammer to chip off a piece of the amber crystal. Return to the boat and to the dock. At any point in the game take the crystal and use it on the drawings on the stone monument. Pay particular attention to the sounds you hear when you click it on the sun drawing.

Find your way back to the front of the tavern. From here click in the direction of the market place. Now turn 180 degrees and click to enter the street beside the tavern. You find yourself in front of a large building. If you speak to the guard he will tell you it is the Council House. If you try to speak to him a second time he will challenge you to a fight. No good will come out of this as you will end up losing and the resulting punishment will either be a night in the stocks or death by drowning depending on the number of your previous arrests.

After talking with the guard turn around and look at the four rocks with etchings on them. You can use your notebook to make a tracing of each one. When done turn back around until you are facing the guard. Now turn right and click forward and you will end up facing a set of steps. Climb the stairs and take in the view. Come back down the steps and turn left until you see the dock. Go forward turn to the left and click on the boatman. Choose "Ferry me to the rice fields". Then select "But I have no map". You are finished with him for now. You can also pearl dive off this dock.

Turn around and go back the way you came. Notice the large rock now click on it. Run the cursor over the close-up scene until it changes to a circle. Click and you have a grapnel.

An important clue you received from the Mystic was to steal a guards uniform. So head back to the front of the Council House. Go past the guard and enter the fenced in area. You will be facing a boarded up window. Use your crowbar on it. Enter. Turn slightly to the right and click forward. Light your candles using the firestarter that came with them. Go forward three times turn left. Go forward and you will arrive in a room containing fish barrels. Look up. The trapdoor is locked. Go into your inventory and bring up the grinder. Grind up the shells and then the rice.  Select the bowl and put the ground shells and rice in it. Add the eggs and now you have glue. (The clue for this procedure is in the sketchbook). Click the piece of metal you found at the lighthouse on the bowl. Use the drawing of the key on the gluey metal. Now use the file (it's that pointy thing that looks like an ice pick) on the metal and you will have made a key. Use the key on the trapdoor.

Enter the Council House and you find yourself in a storage room. Turn right and take a uniform from the rack. You can open the door but it will only end up with your arrest. There is a box just to the right of the uniform rack. You can click on it to look at it but other than that there is nothing left to do here. Leave by clicking on the trapdoor. Turn away from the fish barrels, click forward twice turn right click forward twice. Turn left and click on the wooden book on the floor to look at the pictures. Back out from the book. Turn far right and click forward twice and exit through the window.

Go back to your house and visit the ship. Talk to the guards. Exhaust all conversation choices. Enter your house and go upstairs. Click on the mirror then on the hook beside it and Arrikk will change into the uniform. Go back to the guards at the ship and talk to them again. Choose "the tainted one has been seen in the vicinity" then choose "I was stung on the right hand by a bee". As soon as the guard leaves to answer the call of nature you will be able to enter the ship. Use the ladder on the side of the ship. If you haven't already combined the grapnel with the rope, do so now and use it on the upper reaches to climb aboard.

Have a good look around on the main and upper decks. There isn't anything to do here. Climb down to the lower deck. On the starboard (right) side of the ship at the back you will find a hoist with a hook attached. Click your bucket on it then turn the handle to fill it with water. Pick up the filled bucket. Walk around the lower deck until you come to a door. The object of this puzzle is to repeat the three tones you heard when you clicked the crystal on the sun drawing on the monument in the grassy area. Use your bucket on the door. You can raise or lower the water levels in the containers by using the top/bottom buttons thus changing the tones as well.

Solution (from left to right): first container - full, second container - 1/4 full, third container - 1/2 full. Now click on all three from left to right.

Click on the door to gain entrance into a foyer. The only other door that can be opened is the one in front of you. Use the crystal to fill the container just to the left of it. Open the door. Explore this area. Stand in front of the fireplace then turn right and look down. Click on the drawer. Pick up the map. In inventory use your viewing glass on it to examine it. Exit the drawer scene and go to the bookcase. Here you can look/read all the books available to you but it isn't necessary to do this in order to complete the game. Now go upstairs and have a good look around. Nothing to do here either but there are some interesting gadgets.

Leave the ship. Refuse the offer to go for a beer with the guard. When he asks you for your halbert, give it to him. Enter your house and change into your regular clothes (using the same method as before.) Go to your Grandmother's house.

Talk to her. She will explain the map to you. Use all dialogue choices. Turn around until you see the fireplace. Pick up one of the disc shaped objects (rice bread?) hanging on the side. Turn back until you see the steps. Climb up to the attic. All you can do here is look at the pictures on the floor and open the trunk to see a picture of your parents or could be your grandparents. Leave the attic by clicking on the trapdoor.

Leave the house and go to the Council House dock. Talk to the boatman. Choose " Ferry me to the rice fields" then "Here is the map". Choose "I am on my way to one of the rice growers with provisions" then "Yes, of course" then "Here is the paper!" and lastly "Of course". After making sure you have all the provisions on the list he agrees to take you for one pearl.

After disembarking from the boat click forward. The fence is locked. Turn right and follow the path. Night falls and Arrikk makes camp. Search around in the darkness until you find some twigs. In inventory use the firestarter on the twigs and he will make a campfire. Click on the blanket on the ground.

Watch the cutscene.............To be continued.

Episode one completed.