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HTML
473 lines
21 KiB
HTML
<html>
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<head>
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<meta http-equiv="Content-Type"
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content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
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<meta name="AUTHOR" content="Flamefiend">
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<meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage Express 2.0">
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<title>The Draining Readme</title>
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</head>
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<body bgcolor="#000055" text="#FFFFFF" link="#FFFF00"
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vlink="#FFFF00" alink="#FF0000">
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<div align="center"><center>
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<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%">
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<tr>
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<th valign="bottom" width="100%" bgcolor="#000000"><h1
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align="center"><font color="#FF0000" size="7"
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face="CloisterBlack BT"><em>T</em></font><font
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color="#FF0000" face="CloisterBlack BT"><sup>he</sup> </font><font
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color="#FF0000" size="7" face="CloisterBlack BT"><em>D</em></font><font
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color="#FF0000" size="6" face="CloisterBlack BT"><sup>raining</sup></font><font
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color="#FF0000" size="7" face="CloisterBlack BT"><em> - R</em></font><font
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color="#FF0000" face="CloisterBlack BT"><sup>eadme</sup></font></h1>
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</th>
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</tr>
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</table>
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</center></div>
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<h2 align="center"><em>b</em>y <font color="#FF4600">Flamefiend</font></h2>
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<ul>
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<li><p align="center"><em><strong>Note:</strong></em><strong>
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</strong>It is recommended you view this file in a
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graphical browser that supports the HTML 3.2 standard,
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such as Internet Explorer or Netscape.</p>
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</li>
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</ul>
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<h3 align="center"><a name="Contents"><em>C</em>ontents</a></h3>
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<ul>
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<li><p align="center"><a href="#Contact">Contact information</a></p>
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</li>
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<li><p align="center"><a href="#Acknowledgements">Acknowledgements</a></p>
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</li>
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<li><p align="center"><a href="#Installation">Installation</a></p>
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</li>
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<li><p align="center"><a href="#Readme">Readme and design
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notes</a></p>
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</li>
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<li><p align="center"><a href="#Hint">Hints</a><br>
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<font color="#FF0000">(POTENTIAL SPOILERS!)</font></p>
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</li>
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<li><p align="center"><a href="#Walkthrough">Scenario
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walkthrough</a><br>
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<font color="#FF0000">(SPOILER!)</font></p>
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</li>
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</ul>
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<p align="center"> </p>
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<h3 align="center"><a name="Contact"><em>C</em>ontact information</a></h3>
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<p align="center"><strong>Email:</strong> <a
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href="mailto:cpelling@hotmail.com">cpelling@hotmail.com</a></p>
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<p align="center"><strong>Website:</strong> <a
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href="http://www.geocities.com/flamefiend4/">www.geocities.com/flamefiend4</a></p>
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<p align="center"> </p>
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<h3 align="center"><a name="Acknowledgements"><em>A</em>cknowledgements</a></h3>
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<h4 align="center"><font face="Viking, Bard, Arial">BETA TESTERS</font></h4>
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<p align="center">Thanks to all the people who beta tested this
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scenario: Leoj, Kattana, Terrors Martyr, Blueflame, and others.</p>
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<h4 align="center"><font face="Viking, Bard, Arial">Graphics</font></h4>
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<p align="center"><strong>Note:</strong> You may use custom
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graphics by me or edited by me freely. Credit would be
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appreciated but is not neccessary. All other custom graphics
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listed here can be used freely (as far as I know).</p>
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<p align="center"><strong>Another Note:</strong> If you know who
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created any of the below graphics marked `Anonymous` below,
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please email me at the address above.</p>
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<ul>
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<li><p align="center"><strong>White pillar, roof, wooden wall
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set, black basalt wall set (except sign on black basalt
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-- see below), dead tree, dice;</strong> by Luz Piazuelo</p>
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</li>
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<li><p align="center"><strong>Sign on black basalt wall;</strong>
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edited by me from the black basalt wall; like the
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standard basalt wall sign, but on Luz's black basalt.</p>
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</li>
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<li><p align="center"><strong>Catapult; </strong>by Tim
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Farland</p>
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</li>
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<li><p align="center"><strong>Rock in lava; </strong>Anonymous;
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obtained from Ph<50>acia (a BoE website)</p>
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</li>
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<li><p align="center"><strong>Gremlin Mage;</strong>
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Drakefyre</p>
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</li>
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<li><p align="center"><strong>Cultist, Arch Warlock;</strong>
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Anonymous (from All Humans Pack at Terrors Martyr
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University - the Arch Warlock was edited slightly by me)</p>
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</li>
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<li><p align="center"><strong>Goblin Shaman; </strong>Anonymous,
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edited by me.</p>
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</li>
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<li><p align="center"><strong>All other custom graphics; </strong>originals
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or edits of standard BoE graphics by Yours Truly.</p>
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</li>
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</ul>
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<h4 align="center"><font face="Viking, Bard, Arial">Other
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Acknowledgements</font></h4>
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<p align="center">Thanks to all the people at the Lyceum's <a
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href="http://pub26.ezboard.com/fthelyceumfrm1">Blades of Exile
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message board</a> who helped me with a few minor last minute
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details (like a name for the scenario...!).</p>
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<p align="center"> </p>
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<h3 align="center"><a name="Installation"><em>I</em>nstallation</a></h3>
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<p align="center">Installation is the same as for any other
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Blades of Exile scenario; copy all the files in the compressed
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file you downloaded to the Blades of Exile Scenario Folder
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(BLADSCEN on Windows machines). Use Winzip, Stuffit Expander, or
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any other compression program to unzip\decompress\whatever the
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compressed file. On Macintosh computers, you must convert the
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included<strong> draining.gif</strong> file to <strong>.meg</strong>
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format; instructions can be found on Spiderweb Software's
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website: <a href="http://www.spiderwebsoftware.com">www.spiderwebsoftware.com</a></p>
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<p align="center"><a href="#Contents">Back to contents</a></p>
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<p align="center"> </p>
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<h3 align="center"><a name="Readme"><em>R</em>eadme and design
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notes</a></h3>
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<p align="center">Welcome to my second scenario, <em>The Draining</em>.
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In this scenario, the normally fertile Mossy Vale (where the
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scenario takes place) is experiencing a famine. On top of that,
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mages and priests are losing their powers, and hordes of
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"little people" (goblins, gremlins and pixies) are
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running around stealing what little food there is. You start with
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a set amount of food, and can't buy any more. Your spell points
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also get depleted over time; and if you spend too long solving
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the problems, you start to get dumbfounded. And then your mage
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and priest spell statistics start to go down (shock horror!).
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Although you should be able to complete the scenario before that
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starts happening. And of course you can use the Character Editor
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to restore your statistics.</p>
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<p align="center">Speed is imperative in this scenario, as you
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rush to discover what, or who, is causing these problems, and
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solve them before you either starve to death or lose your magic
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(or both!)</p>
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<h4 align="center"><font color="#00FF00"><em><strong>Design
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Notes:</strong></em></font></h4>
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<ul>
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<li><p align="center">You will notice, shortly after starting
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to play this scenario, that of the three wall sets in
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BoE, two have been replaced with custom ones; Basalt wall
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with Black Basalt, and Adobe wall with Wooden wall. This
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was done because some towns require black or wooden
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walls. And also to make the scenario look better... :)</p>
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</li>
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<li><p align="center">In many places in the scenario where
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you are given an item (a normal one, not a special item),
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you are not given it directly but instead it is placed on
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the ground, on a counter, or somewhere else nearby that
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you can pick it up from. You are notified of this in
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these cases. This was done so that people with full
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inventories would not miss out on getting the item, as
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with most of these items you only have one chance to get
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them.</p>
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</li>
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<li><p align="center"><strong>Note:</strong> There is an easy
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way to discover if a door is extremely well locked (i.e.
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you cannot open it with the Unlock spell, or by bashing
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it or picking the lock no matter how hard you try). Just
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look at it! The unlockable door terrains are all named
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`Sealed Door` rather than `Locked Door`, so you don't
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waste hours casting Unlock spells on the stubborn
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thing...</p>
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</li>
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<li><p align="center">A non-magic using party can beat this
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scenario very easily, but magic users (especially low
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level parties) will find it a bit harder. In particular,
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this is not a good scenario to use to train beginning
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one-PC parties, as these guys are heavily dependant on
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fireballs and resting to regain spell points.</p>
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</li>
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</ul>
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<p align="center"><a href="#Contents">Back to contents</a></p>
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<p align="center"> </p>
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<h3 align="center"><a name="Hint"><em>H</em>int section</a></h3>
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<p align="center">If you have a problem, chances are this section
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will help you. If not, try the walkthrough. Hints are organised
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with the question in large type, and the answer in small type.</p>
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<p align="center"><font size="6"><em><strong>Q:</strong></em><strong>
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My spell points are decreasing and I'm not casting any spells!</strong></font></p>
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<p align="center"><em><strong>A:</strong></em> You are
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experiencing the Draining. Your magic is slowly being Drained
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away from you.</p>
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<p align="center"><font size="6"><em><strong>Q:</strong></em><strong>
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I'm getting dumbfounded for no reason.</strong></font></p>
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<p align="center"><em><strong>A:</strong></em> See the answer to
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`My spell points are going down`.</p>
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<p align="center"><font size="6"><em><strong>Q:</strong></em><strong>
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My mage and priest spell statistics are going down! Why?</strong></font></p>
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<p align="center"><em><strong>A:</strong></em> See the answer to
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`My spell points are going down`. NB: You can put them back up
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again with the Character Editor when you finish the scenario
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(which you should be very close to doing if this is happening to
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you).</p>
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<p align="center"><font size="6"><em><strong>Q:</strong></em><strong>
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I found a gargoyle in a goblin outpost. How do I kill it?</strong></font></p>
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<p align="center"><em><strong>A: </strong></em>With great skill
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and accuracy. In other words, cast Ritual of Sanctification on
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the evil altar. (remember you can't cast Ritual in combat mode).
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Be aware that the goblins may not like you doing this. To put it
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mildly.<br>
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Or better yet, avoid the altar room altogether. (You did have a
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recent backup save file, did you not?)</p>
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<p align="center"><font size="6"><em><strong>Q:</strong></em><strong>
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There's this invulnerable monster on the second level of a tower
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with black basalt walls. It does massive damage and has death
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touch! How do I get past and survive?</strong></font></p>
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<p align="center"><em><strong>A:</strong></em> The pillar north
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of the monster can be walked through, so you can avoid it
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completely. The sign on the door does say `let's see how
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resourceful you are`, after all. [evil grin]</p>
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<p align="center"><font size="6"><em><strong>Q:</strong></em><strong>
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Someone told me to go and kill the leader of a cult called the
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Esurients. Where is the cult?</strong></font></p>
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<p align="center"><em><strong>A:</strong></em> Underneath
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Pabulum, the sneaky people! Go up to the northeast of Pabulum
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while remaining inside the city walls. Search around for secret
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passages. When you find one, there should be a guard blocking the
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way. Find a sneaky way to get past him. (See the next hint if
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you're really stuck.)</p>
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<p align="center"><font size="6"><em><strong>Q:</strong></em><strong>
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I've found the Esurient cult, but I can't get past the guard!</strong></font></p>
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<p align="center"><em><strong>A:</strong></em> Try talking to
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him. One of the words he says when you ask him about his name (it
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starts with J) will make him go away.</p>
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<p align="center"><font size="6"><em><strong>Q:</strong></em><strong>
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I'm starving to death! Where can I get food?</strong></font></p>
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<p align="center"><em><strong>A:</strong></em> Some of the
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monsters around the place leave food when you kill them. The
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spells Minor Manna and Manna would be quite useful, too.</p>
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<p align="center"><font size="6"><em><strong>Q:</strong></em><strong>
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How do I get across the river running along the centre of the
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Vale?</strong></font></p>
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<p align="center"><em><strong>A:</strong></em> There are two
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bridges; one at the north and one at the south. The south bridge
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has been destroyed, and the north bridge is guarded by a large
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group of pixies. The pixies will let you through if you pay a
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toll (or you can attack them). In Port Maren (on the east side of
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the river), you can take the ferry across at the docks, or buy a
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boat. Buying the boat is a good idea if you have the cash. Just
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make sure you don't take it down any waterfalls, or you won't be
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able to get it back up. (You could also fly over, but you'd have
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to stop over on an island in the middle of the river so you
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wouldn't fall in the water and drown).</p>
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<p align="center"><font size="6"><em><strong>Q:</strong></em><strong>
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How do I exit the scenario?</strong></font></p>
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<p align="center"><em><strong>A:</strong></em> What?! Was my
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scenario that bad? Did you know the hardest thing to do in this
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scenario is bring yourself to say Yes to the exit dialog box?</p>
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<p align="center">If you've eliminated the cause of the problems,
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go to the Border Outpost where you started the scenario and the
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guards will let you back out. If you haven't, you can bribe the
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Empire Dervish again so he'll let you past. There is also
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another, secret way, only available to those with vessels of a
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nautical persuasion and who don't have a fear of heights. Someone
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in Port Maren can tell you about this.</p>
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<p align="center"><font size="6"><em><strong>Q:</strong></em><strong>
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Alright. So what </strong><em><strong>is</strong></em><strong>
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the secret way to exit the scenario?</strong></font></p>
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<p align="center"><em><strong>A:</strong></em> Buy the boat in
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Port Maren (say `boat` to the River Captain, near the docks).
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Sail it south, down several waterfalls, until rocks block your
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way and you cannot go on. Land on the north\west bank and follow
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the `passage` between the mountains. Step on the white dot.</p>
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<p align="center"><font size="6"><em><strong>Q:</strong></em><strong>
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Help! I keep getting massacred in the final battle!</strong></font></p>
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<p align="center"><em><strong>A:</strong></em> Think different.
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(As Apple reminds us :-) ) The best way to fight this battle is
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not as a hack-and-slash, go-and-get-'em sort of way, but a sneaky
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how-do-I-exploit-the-enemy's-weaknesses sort of way. See the next
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hint if you're still stuck.</p>
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<p align="center"><font size="6"><em><strong>Q:</strong></em><strong>
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I give up. What's the best way to fight the final battle?</strong></font></p>
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<p align="center"><em><strong>A:</strong></em> The first thing
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you should do is trap the gargoyle with force barriers (fire
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barriers might not work, because it's immune to fire - I haven't
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tried it though). The pillars should help. If you could move fast
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enough, you could trap it with one barrier; however, you will
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probably need more than that. The best thing to do to deal with
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the guy on the throne (I'm not mentioning his name in order to
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prevent revealing secret plot details) is to just cast antimagic
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cloud on him! (Remember to cast it again when it fades away).
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This won't stop him from casting some (read "special")
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spells, though. Also, summon a few fire-immune creatures on the
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pillars to attack him with (Demons work really well for this!).
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Then just cast some protection, bless, and haste spells on your
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best fighter, and put him or her next to the throne. Don't cast
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spells at the guy on the throne; he'll just get stronger (and if
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you've cast Antimagic Cloud on him like you should, you can't
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anyway). Cast Envenom on that fighter too; the guy on the throne
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isn't immune to poison. Be aware that the poison will wear off
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the fighter's weapon, so cast it several times. This battle is
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easier with a full party, so you have several characters healing,
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envenoming (is that a word?!) and protecting the fighter
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constantly. Keep in mind that missile weapons often don't work,
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as he has too much armour. Oh, and try and kill him within 20
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turns of the battle starting. Trust me on this one. You don't
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want him to survive for that long.</p>
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<p align="center"><a href="#Contents">Back to contents</a></p>
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<p align="center"> </p>
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<h3 align="center"><a name="Walkthrough"><em>W</em>alkthrough <font
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color="#FF0000">(SPOILER!)</font></a></h3>
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<p align="center">This walkthrough is organized into sections
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according to your objective in each section. This is the most
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direct and quick way to complete the scenario; however, you will
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miss<strong> a lot</strong> if you do it exactly as the
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walkthrough says. Try going and visiting a few dungeons and
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out-of-the-way towns and things along the way.</p>
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<div align="center"><center>
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<table border="2" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
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bgcolor="#000080">
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<tr>
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<td align="center" valign="bottom"><em><strong>Part I - </strong></em><font
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color="#FFFF00"><strong>Esurient Madness</strong></font></td>
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</tr>
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</table>
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</center></div>
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<p align="center">Say `bribe` to the Empire Dervish in the Border
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Fort to get into the Vale proper. Walk through both sets of
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gates, and walk east. Walk along the road, fight the pixies,
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continue along the road and keep going until you see a large town
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(Pabulum). Enter it. Find Will, in the Wonderous Wizardry shop
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(it's the one with several different types of wall on it). Say
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`help` to him. Read his response. Go to the northeast of Pabulum,
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and enter the secret passage. Say `join` to the guard near the
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end of the passage. Go down the stairs. Refuse to join the cult,
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and start fighting! Go to the southwest of town and enter the
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Esurient leader's bedroom. A secret passage in the southwest of
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the room leads to a room full of bookcases. One of the
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southeastern bookcases can be walked through, and leads to a
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throne room. Kill everyone there, and go through a secret passage
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in the northeast corner. Search the chest. Exit the dungeon. Say
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`help` to Will again.</p>
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<p align="center"> </p>
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<div align="center"><center>
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<table border="2" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
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bgcolor="#000080">
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<tr>
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<td><em><strong>Part II - </strong></em><font
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color="#00FF00"><strong>Whodunnit?</strong></font></td>
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</tr>
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</table>
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</center></div>
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<p align="center">Go to Port Maren (you may need to consult `How
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do I cross the river?` in the hints section) and say `Will` to
|
||
Hagar, in his shop next to the barracks. Go to his shop, west of
|
||
the south gate. Cast Unlock Door on the door, and search all the
|
||
bookcases. Exit the town, and go to the far northeast to a forest
|
||
(not the one just east of Port Maren, nor the one with a logging
|
||
town in the centre). Via a complex maze of secret passages in
|
||
trees and mountains, you will eventually find the town entrance
|
||
for a secret glade. Enter the glade. You can only avoid the first
|
||
trap if you have Woodsman skill; you can avoid the second trap by
|
||
finding a secret passage in the west `wall` just after the first
|
||
trap. If you fall into either trap, you will be transported to
|
||
large underground cave full of lava (ouch); you can return to the
|
||
glade by stepping into the portal to the north. The answer to the
|
||
first riddle is `mark`; the second is `tree`. Say `tell` to the
|
||
Tree Spirit, then step on the white dot next to it. Press 2, then
|
||
2 again to ask who caused the problems. Go back and tell Will.
|
||
He'll give you something useful.</p>
|
||
<div align="center"><center>
|
||
|
||
<table border="2" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
|
||
bgcolor="#000080">
|
||
<tr>
|
||
<td><em><strong>Part III -</strong></em><strong> </strong><font
|
||
color="#0080FF"><strong>Endgame</strong></font></td>
|
||
</tr>
|
||
</table>
|
||
</center></div>
|
||
|
||
<p align="center">Find a secret passage somewhere in the eastern
|
||
mountain range. Beyond is the Black Tower. Enter it. Go into the
|
||
southeast section, climb the stairs hidden behind a bookcase, go
|
||
north, set off the alarm, go north some more. When you see a
|
||
really powerful monster that is rooted to the spot, avoid it by
|
||
walking through a pillar. Go past the annoying fire breathing
|
||
monsters (you can't hurt them) and walk along the secret passage
|
||
next to the edge of the water. Don't enter the portal; there's a
|
||
secret passage somewhere in that room that is slightly less
|
||
lethal. Fight a group of assorted enemies and go through a secret
|
||
passage in the southwest of the room that they're in. Go up the
|
||
stairs. Go through the porticullis to be confronted by the cause
|
||
of the problems. You have a choice here; ally with dark forces,
|
||
or destroy them. Allying with them wins the scenario (sort of),
|
||
but is not the best way to do so. Refusing results in a tough
|
||
battle, but a more satisfying outcome. Once you win, exit the
|
||
black tower and enter Pabulum to get half of your reward. <em>After</em>
|
||
you've been to Pabulum (<strong>not</strong> before), when you
|
||
enter Port Maren, you will get the other half of your reward.
|
||
Then proceed to the border fort (west of Pabulum), where you
|
||
started the scenario. The guards will let you past the blockade
|
||
and out of the scenario. Checkmate!</p>
|
||
|
||
<p align="center"><a href="#Contents">Back to contents</a></p>
|
||
</body>
|
||
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