Hillsfar Walkthrough
(Well, no-one but me knew my Pool of Radiance party, but it had two Human Fighters(Matthew and Daniel), a Human Cleric(Ben), two Elven Fighter/Mages(Leanna and Andrew)(Me) and a Half-elf Fighter/Thief(Peter)
My friends and I had travelled to Hillsfar from Phlan, after the battle against Tyranthraxus. Phlan was under re-construction now, and the excitement and adventures had died down. We were heading to Comyr, in search of further adventures. We had crossed the Moonsea by boat, and had docked near Hillsfar.
We needed supplies for our journey, and we were all curious to what was happening inside the city. The guards had some strange
"ideas" about what we were allowed to bring into Hisslfar, and we didn't
want to leave our valuable armour and weapons with the guards, so we set up camp some distance from the city, and Matthew and Daniel, stayed behind to guard our gear. The other four of us each headed to the four guilds in the city, to see what we could discover.
Fighter - Andrew
The Fighter's guild is located in the North-Western section of the city. When I reaced there, Caratacus, the guild master insisted that I proved myself in Archery before letting me join the guild.
It was 2pm, and the archery range closed at 4pm, so I rushed to Tanna's archery range (North-East city) and had two tries, winning both times. Tanna then ran up and told me to return to the Fighter's Guild.
Caratacus seemed pleased by my achievement, but another requirement to join the guild was to prove myself in the arena. That was easy. My first opponent was a weak orc, who I attacked immediately with an overhead smash (special), which he blocked, then quickly finished the job with a left and a right.
The Red Minotaur was not as easy, but he was pretty vulnerable to left, right alternating swings. Back at the guild, Caratacus was pleased, probably about the 150 gold admission fee I had to pay!
Caratacus told me of a guild member who had been carrying valuable documents. He had been killed, and the documents were apparantly still on the body. I broke into the ceremony at night, and found the body. On it was a note that the documents had been taken to the Jail as "evidence". I could never work out who had written the note, or why.
The jail door was firmly locked, but smashing it in did wonders! The dart trap missed by a mile, and I walked in. I found the documents in a chest near the door, which I had to bash open, and quickly ran out the front door, before any guards came.
Caracatus was relieved to recieve the documents, and expressed his gratitude to the sum of 5,000 gold! I knew the other party members would be impressed.
My attention was drawn to a recent murder and robbery at the Castle. Jared Jymn, the suspect, had been seen running towards the Rat's Nest Tavern, In the North-East of town, so I decided to go there and see what information I could find.
While listening to various gossip, I heard someone say that the Plumies were still looking for Jared at the Tavern, and that the fellow believed that Jared was scum, and that the guards should be searching the sewers for him. What an insult! Still the sewers seemed like a good place to hide so I went down there.
I discovered Hillsfar's great security. What other city can boast of set Teleport traps in their sewers! Anyway, I found a beggar in the sewers, who told me that Jared used to fight in the Arena for a living. After a fight with Ssslander, the lizardman, I talked to him about Jared.
He said that Jared had been friends with the old Hermit, and had been there many times. A ride through the woods proved how obedient and well trained my damn horse was, throwing me onto the ground several times. I swapped the old nag at the Trading post, for a horse called "Lightning", who liked to run at fast speeds.
There was a suspicious poster from the King's advisor, offering a reward of 7,000 gold for Information about Jared. I assumed Jared had torn down the poster. I returned to the Rat's Nest Tavern, and asked the barmaid what interesting information she had heard.
She told me that the only area the Plumies had not searched was the Haunted Mansion Secret Rooms. That seemed interesting, so I went to the Haunted Mansion and bashed in the door, taking a poison dart for my efforts.
No one can hide secret doors from the elves, and I soon found the Secret door, leading into the secret treasure rooms. The door was in the Northern-most part of the mansion in a rectangular shaped room with a protrusion that had a long corridor leading up to it. The secret door is on the Western wall.
Anyway, Jared was in the area, and after telling his story, he asked me to help him by delivering information to the King's daughter, at the Bugbear's Cave Tavern. I argeed, thinking that if he had been lying I could always give the information to the King's advisor.
I went to the Tavern, south of the mansion, but didn't find the King's daughter, so I gave the information to the barmaid, and on her advice, left for the Trading Post.
When I got there, the Trader told me that the Knig's advisor had framed Jared, and the Fighter's guild was looking to reward the person who had delivered the information. I returned to the guild, and recieved 10,000 gold pieces for my trouble.
Caratacus then told me that Hector Sams' daughter Arlana had been kidnapped! I went to his house, and he tearfully told me that Arlana had disappeared from the cemetary. At Hector's wife's Tombstone, I found some wilted flowers, and a map to the big tree. The map was interesting, so I went to the tree.
In the tree, I found Charlie, who had been attacked by someone with a sling. He asked me to go to Tanna. After a round of Throwing Daggers, I discovered that Tanna was no help at all! I was on my way to the Fighter's Guild when a lunatic called Wak Rathar who asked me if I wanted to see a magic trick.
I replied yes, and he teleported me into the Arena, with all the prisoners who had to fight for their lives! I had a very tough fight with a Knight called Morin, barely escaping with my life. I was not impressed by this type of magic.
Back at the Fighter's Guild, Caratacus mentioned that Smasher, the Minotaur had been beaten by Hector. I went back to the arena, and had a really easy match with Ottis the orc. After the battle I talked to Smasher, who said that someone had lost all he owned on the fight.
I went to the Rat's Nest Tavern, where the story was repeated. The man was Franklin Smith, who had worked at the Healers shop. At the store, near the Temple, the healer told me that Smith had been seen heading for the quarry. At the quarry, I found a little girls bonnet, which proved that Arlana had been kidnapped.
I had been getting used to breaking into houses now, and either the Plumies were getting better, or I was getting worse. I almost got caught, narrowly escaping by using two scrolls of Hold Person. Caratacus had heard of a slave ring operating near Hillsfar, and sent me, and other Fighters around to search. I was asked to go to the ruins.
Somehow I just knew the girl would be there. At the ruins I found Smith, and rescued Arlana, who wanted to go home. However, I got caught by those bloody guards, who almost arrested me for buying a slave. I don't think Arlana was terribly impressed.
I returned Arlana to Caratacus, who rewarded me with 26,000 gold pieces, and raised my life with his Ring of Wishes. What a waste. I would have just asked for Immortality. After the ceremony, I left Hissfar and returned to Camp, wondering how my friends had fared......
Since I had returned first, I recieved the extreme "honour" of being the one to write a journal for the whole set of adventures at Hillsfar. Oh well. I can't win everything.
Cleric - Ben
The Cleric's Guild, the Temple of Tempus, was Ben's first point of call. He learned that an acolyte had been transporting Scriptures, and he was sent to the Trading post to look for him. The Trader told Ben that the acolyte had gone to the Big Tree for lunch.
Ben followed him to see what the delay was about. Ben found that the acolyte had been robbed, and beaten up, and escorted him back to the Temple. After a period of meditation, Ben had decided to return to the Trading Post. The Trader there revealed that someone had been roobed at the Hermit's place.
That seemed like a place to start the search, so he went there. He found the scriptures, near the entrance, tossed behind a bush. He picked them up and left through the front door. Ben had also been having trouble with his horse, so he had also traded his horse, for one called "Jumper" who had an annoying habit of leaping all around.
He returned the scriptures to the Temple and was rewarded with 1,000 gold.
The High Priest then complained that his incense had been stolen. Ben ran to the sewers behind the temple, and right inside, found a Thief counting money. Ben made a deal with the thief, who told him that he had sold the incense to "Kridar" who was going to the Dragon's Lair for a drink.
Despite rushing to the Tavern, Ben didn't find Kridar. A patron said that Kridar had been "living" in the haunted mansion lately, and so Ben decided to inspect the building. Someone had fixed the door after I'd left, so Ben just bashed it in again. A note from Kridar was found in a chest, asking someone to meet him at the hut.
The hut was a short journey away from Hillsfar, but Ben didn't catch the two clerics. Instead, he found an old man, who told him the clerics had left for the ruins. At the ruins, quite a far way in, Ben found a chest, along with broken furniture. Opening the chest, he found some of the Incense, which he returned to the High Priest.
The High Priest then told him that the King had caught the two clerics performing a Dark Ritual, and had exiled them from Hillsfar. For returning the Incense, Ben was rewarded with 8,000 gold.
I interrupted his story. "Did you see a mage called Wak Rathar in Hillsfar?"
"Yes, he teleported me into the arena." Ben replied angrily.
On the way out, back to our campsite, Ben came across a Thief who explained the problem of a fellow cleric, Brother Serson. The cleric asked Ben for a 50 gold donation, which he readily supplied, and then the cleric asked him to retrieve a wand from the Mage Tower.
Ben found the wand, In a secret passage in the tower.
"Where was the passage?" I asked.
"I can't remember." Ben replied "But it was at the end of a long corridor
somewhere."
Brother Serson then asked Ben to give the wand to "Dalma". Ben didn't know where to go, but a voice in the Temple told him to go to the Rat's Nest at early evening. Ben met "Dalma", the Rouge who had told him about Serson's problem in the first place. He refused to give her the wand, and she stormed off.
Ben returned to the Temple the next day, where Dalma told him she wanted an extra 400 gold from Serson. Ben returned to the Temple and asked Serson what was going on.
Serson replied that his daughter was missing, and told him that Dalma, who knew where she was, had a ring belonging to his daughter, and he demander to see the ring before paying the extra gold. Ben returned to the Inn, where Dalma gave him the ring, and took Serson's gold.
Ben later discovered that he had been robbed by Dalma. Well, anyway, he had the ring. He took it to Serson, who said that it was not the real ring. Ben, who was pretty angry by now, went to Dalma's hideout in the Quarry. There, he found Dalma's corpse, along with her killer, who had a bow aimed at Ben's head!
Ben reasoned with the person, who told him why he had killed Dalma, and that if she ever had the ring it would be in her secret hide-away.
The person had told of Dalma wanting to live in a mansion, so he went to the Haunted mansion, and into the secret passage.(I mentioned it in the Fighter section) Inside he found the ring, and rushed back to the Temple, only to find that Serson's daughter was there!
Serson explained that they had an argument, and his daughter had run away, made friends with Dalma, and lost her ring. Still, Ben was given 19,800 gold and some extra Life using a wish, just like me.
"I felt like slapping the girl." Ben muttered, "after all that trouble,
and I didn't even ever get my gold back from that thief."
Mage - Leanna
The Mage guild is located just south of the castle, in a well sheltered alley.Before going to the guild, Leanna first ate a meal at thee Hydra's Den, in the South-West of town. Biswon, the guild master, asked Leanna to go to the Trading Post, to search for Squid Sepia.
The Trader had no idea what the mage meant, and mentioned that there had been a squid washed up at the Dead dragon. At the dead dragon, the squid was found, near a chest, and Leanna tore off a tentacle, and went to a Magic shop to extract the Sepia, only to find that she'd grabbed the wrong part, and the correct bit was an eyeball.
Back at the Dragon, someone had removed the squid, but she remembered that the Hydra's den was serving squid dinners. She ordered a squid meal, but there was no eyeball in the meal. When she asked the barmaid, the barmaid said that the Trader at the Post collected eyeballs.
After a trip to the Trading Post, the Trader gave her an eyeball, free of charge. Then, she took the eyeball to the magic shop, and gave the Sepia to the mage, who rewarded her with 1,000 gold coins.
"If only we could have taken spell components." She sighed. "A fireball
would have been very nice in the Post indeed."
The guild master then told of a book, that contained foul evil magics, and asked Leanna to go to the Trading Post to look for it. The Trader was a little more helpful this time, telling that the book had probably been taken to a bookstroe in town.
The bookstore owner explained that he had not wanted the book, and the man had gone to the Magic shop to try his luck. The magic store owner said that the man had not liked the offered price, and had left. Leanna then went to Tanna's archery range, where Tanna told her that the man with the book was Eclipse and that he often went to the Hydra's den.
At the Hydra's Den, Leanna overheard that Eclipse had hidden someting valuable in the ruins, and when she went there, she found a pendant.
Returning to the Hydra's den, she found Eclipse, who was willing to exchange the book for the Pendant and 500 gold pieces, and arranged a meeting at the Dragon's Lair,in the North-west area of town. At the Tavern, Eclipe and Leanna made the trade.
and she returned the book to the guildmaster for 5,275 gold.
"A pity." I commented "We could have learned a bit from that book."
Next, she recieved a vision telling her to search the bookstore at night. When she did, she found a small silver cup with "Dragon's Lair Tavern" enscribed on it. She returned it to the Tavern, where the Bartender gave her some "Elixer of Diane" which spoke of three honours.
The first honour was to appear on the fourth board at Tanna's archery. That one was fairly easy, according to her. More of the elixer was kept in the Wizard's Labyrinth, and a quick trip there turned up one vial and opening it revealed the second honour, removing an evil spirit from the Mage Tower.
That was also easy, all that was required was to enter the secret passage (located in the north, in a room similar to that of the haunted mansion.) and open a chest. The last vial of elixer was kept in the ruins, and the third honour was to defeat Taurus the minotaur. That one was hard, especially defeating Morin.
After the battle, Dianne approached Leanna and told her of the fate of her three daughters, and that the guild master knew what had happened. The guild master said that the Minotaur locked the three girls in a mirror of life trapping, which he gave to his minion.
At the Rat's Nest, the barmaid said that the Minotaur's servant had hid the mirrior in the mansion. Leanna found the mirror in the secret rooms and broke it, before returning to the mage guild, where Diane had left a reward of 21,500 gold and a life bonus.
"Did you meet a mage called Wak Rathar?" I queeried.
"Yes, he created a pile of gold." Leanna replied.
I scowled. Still, At least now I knew the man was sexist.
We're still waiting for Peter to return. When he does, I'll add his story to this. Apparantly so far he has found some weird potion, Broken into the Temple, raided the Castle Treasury and is now looking for Thieves who robbed the bookstore. May we meet again soon,
Playing Guide
Cleric's quests
Mission One
A. Find the temple of Tempus and talk to the Master; he will inform you of
your task and give you your first lead.
B. Leave the town and head for the Trading Post. Talk to the Trader and he
will inform you of the movements of certain characters.
C. Ride to the Big Tree. Search the maze, opening chests as you go. You
should find a dead body in one of the chests.
D. Return to the Temple of Tempus. Once again, talk to the Master and
inform him of your findings.
E. Head back to the Trading Post and talk to the Trader.
F. Ride to the Old Hermit's House. There you should search the maze
collecting items as you go. Eventually, you will locate the Holy Scriptures.
G. Return to the Temple of Tempus and talk with the Master. He will take
the Scriptures and reward you for your efforts.
Mission Two
A. Having rested, talk to the Master of the Temple of Tempus.
B. Locate and enter one of the Town's sewers. When opening one of the
chests you will discover a small Thief. Do NOT report him to the town guards; instead show pity in order to receive your next clue.
C. Find the Dragon's Lair Pub, treat yourself to a meal and listen to the
local gossip, especially that concerning the Haunted Mansion.
D. Walk to the Haunted Mansion and break in. Search the chests until you
discover a note.
E. Leave town and head for the Hut. Again, search the chests. Eventually,
you will come across an Old Man who will give you your next clue.
F. Locate the Old Ruins and open the various chests. You should find a
bottle of Incense.
G. Finally, return to the Temple and seek an audience with the Master. You
will be rewarded for your help.
Mission Three
A. Having rested, leave the Temple and search directly outside it for your
first clue.
B. Re-enter the Temple and talk to the Master. Having donated some money
you'll eventually be given your next clue.
C. Head for the Mage's Tower. Enter it and search the chests. You should
find a Wand with blue runes carved on it.
D. Take the Wand to the Master of the Temple.
E. Once again, search outside the Temple for a clue.
F. During the hours between 8pm and 10pm visit the Rat's Nest Pub. While
there, listen to the local gossip until you meet a Woman.
G. Return to the Pub and listen to the gossip again.
H. Return to the Temple and have another chat with the Master.
I. Revisit the Pub and listen to yet more idle banter.
J. Once more, return to the Master of the Temple for a quiet word.
K. Make for the Rock Quarry; you can find it by using a secret path from
the Hermit's House. Open the various chests until you find the dead woman and a new hint.
L. Explore the Haunted Mansion and open the chest to find the missing
Ring.
M. Return to the Master of the Temple to end the third mission.
Fighter's quests
Mission One
A. Locate the Fighter's Guild where you should approach the Master for your
first hint.
B. Attend the Archery Range where you'll need to improve your skills by two
levels in order to gain another clue.
C. Return to the Guild and have a word with the Master.
D. Head for the Arena and defeat the Red Minotaur for a clue.
E. Again, visit the Master at the Guild.
F. Enter the Cemetery and open the chests until you receive another clue.
G. Break into the Jail where you should search the chests until you uncover
the Documents.
H. Take the papers to the Master of the Guild where you'll be rewarded for
your troubles.
Mission Two
A. Talk to the Master of the Guild.
B. Search around the outside of the Great Castle.
C. Visit the Rat's Nest Pub and listen to the gossip relating to the
sewers.
D. Descend into a sewer and open the chests until you meet a Beggar who
will give you a hint about the Arena.
E. Defeat the Orc in the Arena for a vital clue.
F. Travel to the Hermit's House and open the chests in order to uncover a
Poster.
G. Freshen up at the Rat's Nest Pub and buy the Barmaid a beer while you're
there.
H. Enter the Haunted Mansion and search the TOP LEFT portion of the maze.
Hidden in one of the LEFT HAND walls is a Secret Passage. Enter the Secret Room and locate Jared. Help this character to proceed.
I. Enter the Fighter's Guild and talk to the Master to end the Second
Mission.
Mission Three
A. Talk to the Master of the Guild.
B. Search the building next door to the Stables, until you meet a character
called Hector.
C. Search the Cemetery and open the chests until you find a Map.
D. Leave town and head for the Big Tree where you should open the chests in
order to locate a dead body.
E. Return to the Archery Range where you must reach the FIFTH level before
getting another clue.
F. Return to the Master of the Guild for a talk.
G. Enter the Arena and fight until you've managed to defeat Taurus to get
another clue.
H. Freshen up at ANY Inn. While you're there, listen to local gossip,
especially the information about the Healer.
I. Walk to the Healers in the SOUTH of the town. There talk to the owner
for yet another hint.
J. Make for the Rock Quarry; you can find it by using a secret path from
the Hermit's House. Open the various chests until you find a Bonnet.
K. Return to the Guild and talk to the Master.
L. Rest up at ANY Pub. Again, listen to the gossip until you hear something
about the Guild.
M. Confront the Master at the Guild.
N. Leave town and head for the Ruins. Search there until you discover
Ariana.
O. Finally, return to the Master of the Guild.
Mage's quests
Mission One
A. Find the Mage's Guild and have a chat with the Master.
B. Leave town and head for the Trading Post.
C. Ride to the Shipwreck; once there, take the hidden trail to the Dead
dragon where you must locate the Squid's remains.
D. Return to Hillsfar and enter the Magic Shop where you should talk to the
owner.
E. Return to the Dead Dragon for a hint about the Hydra's Den Pub.
F. Visit the Hydra's Den Pub and listen to the gossip about the Trader.
G. Ride to the Trading Post and chat with the Trader.
H. Return to the Magic Shop and, once again, talk with it's owner.
I. Walk to the Guild and request an audience with the Master to finish the
First Mission.
Mission Two
A. Have a word with the Master of the Guild.
B. Leave town and ride to the Trading Post where you should have a chat
with the Trader.
C. Find the Bookstore and have a talk with the owner.
D. Return to the Magic Shop and obtain a hint about the Archery Range from
the owner.
E. Attend the Archery Range and reach the THIRD level in order to obtain a
new clue.
F. Take a walk to the Hydra's Den Pub. There have a beer and listen to the
gossip, especially that concerning the Ruins.
G. Visit the Ruins where you must unlock the chests until you discover a
Gold Pendant.
H. Return to the Hydra's Den Pub where you should charm the Barmaid.
I. Make sure that you have 500 Gold Pieces or more and stagger to the
Dragon's Lair Tavern. When there charm the Barmaid.
J. Finally, return to the Guild where you should talk to the Master in
order to end the quest.
Mission Three
A. Rest up before talking to the Master.
B. When it is closed, visit the Magic Shop and locate the Red Liquid.
C. Make your way back to the Guild and have a word with the Master.
D. Attend the Archery Range, where you will need to attain the FOURTH level
in order to win a clue.
E. Head for the Ruins and then take the hidden path to the Wizard's Lair.
Open the chests taking all that you find.
F. Head for the Mage's Tower. In the TOP LEFT portion of the maze, hidden
in one of the LEFT-HAND walls is a Secret Passage. Enter the Secret Room and open the chests found there.
G. Leave town for the Hermit's House; once there, open the chests in order
to find the next clue.
H. Return to town and enter the Arena. In order to get a clue, you must
beat Taurus.
I. Take a walk to the Cemetery. There open the chests in order to find a
clue.
J. Attend the Shipwreck and when there open the chests to obtain a clue.
K. Locate and enter the Haunted Mansion. Find the Secret Room and open the
chests found there to get the information you need.
L. Finally, return to the Guild Master in order to complete the mission.
Thief's quests
Mission One
A. Ride to Hillsfar and locate the Rogue's Guild. When there, talk to the
Master.
B. Walk to the Magic Shop where you should chat to the owner.
C. Descend into a sewer and when there open the chests in order to find a
Fungus.
D. Return to the Master of the Guild for a quiet word.
E. Travel to the Hermit's House where, upon opening the chests, you should
locate a White Liquid.
F. Finally, return to the Guild and seek an audience with the Master.
Mission Two
A. Awake and talk with the Master.
B. Enter a Pub and listen to the gossip concerning the loss of an Amulet.
C. Descend into the sewers and search the chests until you find a Torn
Note.
D. Visit the Dragon's Lair Pub and listen to the gossip about the Hut.
E. Travel to the Hut and obtain a useful hint.
F. Return to Hillsfar and enter any pub. There you should listen to more
tales.
G. Walk to the NORTHWEST part of the city where you should enter the sewer.
Open all the chests until you encounter a Dead Thief.
H. Return to the Guild and talk with the Master.
I. Walk to the Temple of Tempus. There, find the Secret Room and unlock all
the chests.
J. Head for the Healer's Shop in the SOUTHWEST part of the city. Once
there, have a chat with the owner.
K. Leave the city and ride to the Hermit's House, where you should uncover
his Diary.
L. Using the secret route, travel to the Quarry. There you must find a
Rusty Old Pick.
M. Ride back to Hillsfar and the Castle. Enter the Castle's Secret Room and
locate the Amulet in a chest.
N. Finally, return to the Guild and talk with the Master.
Mission Three
A. Talk to the Guild's Master.
B. Visit the Magic Shop when it is closed and uncover a strange Pick.
C. Enter a Pub and listen to the local gossip about the Trading Post.
D. Ride to the Trading Post and talk to the Trader.
E. Return to the city and visit one of the watering holes. There, listen to
gossip about the Orc in the Arena.
F. Take a walk to the Arena. You must beat the Orc to gain the next clue.
G. Take a trip to the Bugbear's Cave Pub. Here you should hang around and
listen to the chit-chat.
H. Move to the Archery Range where you must improve by at least FOUR levels
to get the next hint.
I. Search the area outside the Guild.
J. Enter the Secret Room in the Mage's Tower and recover the Book of Arcane
Lore.
K. At 4pm, search outside the Dragon's Lair Pub.
L. Report to the Guild Master with your news.
M. Duck into a local Pub to listen to the latest gossip.
N. Ride to the Shipwreck and then, using the hidden trail, onto the Dead
Dragon. Open the chests to uncover another strange Pick.
O. Visit the outside of the Dragon's Lair Pub and search the immediate
vicinity.
P. To end the last mission, visit the Guild and have a private word with
the Master.
