Introduction
In this game, you can form up a party of up to six characters. There are many classes you can choose your character from. The most important statistics in this game are foresight, strength, endurance, and body points. Good foresight will allow your characters to foresee opponents' moves and respond to them. Balance represents your character's courage when faced with terrifying creatures. Speed is also not very crucial as speed boots can be found in the game. In this game you will find lots of quests to complete. The main aim is to rescue Seggallion the knight from Pildar. To complete the game, you will need to complete all 24 quests.
Character Creation Tips
When you are creating your party, make sure that you have a good mix of characters from different races. There are certain locations where certain races are not welcome — the person there won't talk to a certain race. Make sure you have at least two characters from different races with charisma above 80 so that you can obtain quests from people of all kinds.
- Have one or more archers with very good foresight.
- Get at least one Kelder as they are the strongest fighters.
- For spell casters, make sure they have at least intelligence of 70 so that they can join a magical order.
- You will need at least two spell casters for the tough battles against giants.
Money Tips
In this game, money is very important because you need cash to save your party at the inn, buy weapons and armours. If you lose a combat battle, there is a high chance you will be robbed. There is no option to transfer money from one character to another — you can only trade items between characters. So it is very important to learn how to gain extra money.
To gain extra money is a tedious but rewarding process. Create a few dummy characters, preferably Brettle Regular because they start off with 3000 GC. Have them buy as much plate armour as possible. Then trade all the armour to a single dummy (call them dummy A). Save dummy A to disk by going to the inn — do not save the rest of the dummies. Quit the game by pressing Ctrl-Q when outside the inn. Load the game again, this time bring in your own party with an extra slot for the dummy. Have the dummy trade all armour to your party. Do not save the dummy afterwards. Sell the armour to the armour shop for extra cash. Repeat as many times as you like.
With this method you can also give the dummy any useful items you want to duplicate, such as the Truth Sword, courage coat, etc. Make sure you keep at least one copy of these items in your dummy, because you might lose your weapons when you flee from a battle.
General Tips and Combat
The map is rather big and you will need to explore it thoroughly. Every town and area has an entry point — if you do not position yourself at the right place, you won't be able to get inside.
Combat
The combat sequence in this game is extremely long. When in combat, let your archer check through all the opponents' actions by aiming at all possible enemies. Take note of the opponents' moves and their direction of attack. Your archer must have high foresight in order to see their moves. Have your characters respond to the attacks using the information gathered.
- Jump is very effective against attacks to the lower part of the body.
- Duck is very effective against high attacks.
- Backup is useful against attacks to the middle, though it sometimes depends on your weapon defensive skill.
- To kill opponents fast: attack their chest (berserk) until it is all red, then one more attack to the chest kills them instantly.
- Attack to the arms will disable them so they cannot fight anymore.
- Attack to the legs will make jumping impossible.
- Usual tactic: thrust to the area the opponent is moving; jump or duck if you know their attack direction; backup and thrust to the middle if unsure.
When you find the Truth Sword, you can kill most opponents easily. The sword is powerful and lightweight. However, you will almost certainly get wounded during battle because you cannot improve your skill for it. If your greatsword skill is high, you hit slightly better.
Before your characters find the courage coat, you may find them frozen in terror when facing creatures like trolls or giants. This is because their courage is not high enough; the only way to overcome it is to wear a courage coat.
If you encounter creatures your party cannot deal with, don't be afraid to flee. Before fleeing, put your weapon back in your belt first — otherwise you might lose your weapons in the process. This does not apply to missile weapons like bows and crossbows, which you may still hold when you flee.
When your party is on horseback, there is an option to attempt to run away. Learn to recognise which messages represent which kinds of creatures. If you think you can win, don't run away — fight for more experience points and items. Also, don't run away from travelling healers, otherwise you will have to pay for healing in town.
Magic
Your characters can only join one magic order at a time and cannot quit once they join. It is best to learn as many different kinds of spells from all orders before you try to join any order.
Though you can only learn basic spells without joining an order, when you join an order later you will be able to modify those spells you have already learned — the only thing you cannot change is the race. For example, if you join the White Pearl order you can only select spells for humans and elves, but if you have already learned spells for dwarves and kelders before joining, you will be allowed to modify those spells provided you don't change the race.
You will be allowed to modify spells only after joining a magic order, and you will need enough experience points for each modification. The more powerful the spell, the more expensive the modification. When in the modify spell menu, use the arrow keys to select and modify spell components. For race subclasses, try to learn a spell that is higher in the subclass list. If your spell can affect a certain subclass, all subclasses below it will also be affected.
Magic Orders
- White Pearl — Brettle — Human, Elf
- Blue Gem — Tegal Forest — Kelder, Dwarf
- Black Onyx — Shellernoon — Elemental
- Secret Storm — Poitle Lock — Giant
- Red Mist — Thimblewald — Legendary
- Dark Stone — Olanthen — Undead
Gaining Levels and Skills
In this game you might not advance in certain skill levels because the game is open for expansion and there is an option to harbour masters from other scenarios. Do not be disappointed when you cannot find the appropriate masters to advance your skills.
You may only learn up to four skills. The number of skill points you can have is dependent on your rank:
Total skill points = 20 × level (where Peasant = level 1, Serf = level 2, etc.)
If you manage to reach level 25 (Knight — Baronet), you can learn up to 25 × 20 = 500 skill points. Since most weapons have an offense and defense skill of roughly 100 points each, you may learn up to two hand weapons and one missile weapon.
When you train with a weapon master you can train at most 5 skill levels per session and you need the corresponding amount of experience. A rough estimate is about 100 experience points per skill level. You may gain experience by winning battles or completing quests.
When you have used up all skill points for your current level, you will be asked to fight in the arena. If you refuse, you will never be promoted to a higher rank. The arena is located north of Brettle — follow the north road, pass the three-way junction, head north for about 2 days and you will see a building by the side of the road. You fight a randomly chosen monster alone without the rest of the party. A Truth Sword is very effective against man-sized creatures, but if the opponent's skill is high, use your weapon skill against it.
Weapon Masters
- Fortress of Brettle — Hvrad Myth
- Longsword 0–30, Broadsword 0–30, Short Spear 0–30, Battle Axe 0–30
- Tower at 3-way junction north of Brettle — Fistan Stockhard
- Broad Axe 0–45, Hand Axe 0–45, Hvy Crossbow 0–45, Great Axe 0–45
- Htron, a residence — Zachary Bladeshure
- Scimitar 46–95, Greatsword 0–30, Shortsword 0–55, Bastard Sword 0–45
- Htron, Training Grounds — Mornag the Merciless (Kelder not welcomed)
- Scimitar 0–50, Mace 0–60, Lt Crossbow 0–55, War Hammer 0–50
- Tegal Forest, The Portal — Monvin the Elder
- Halberd (to 45), Morningstar (to 55), Flail 0–??, Broadsword (to 30)
- Building along Krell Way near the Hobe — Nigel Gulliam
- Club 0–45, Halberd 0–45, Great Hammer 0–45, Quarterstaff 0–45
- Shellernoon, Weapon Trainer — Kelmore Stratsmoth
- Long Spear 0–25, Morningstar 0–55, War Maul 0–25, Heavy Maul 0–45
- Olanthen, Rhun Manor — Rhunholland
- Longsword (to 30), Broadsword (to 30), Bastard Sword (to 45), Greatsword (to 30)
- Klvar Wood, Klvar Tree House — Tyrolliar Cellana
- Self Bow 0–55, Elf Bow 15–70, Long Bow 12–35, Dagger 0–60
Weapons and Armour
Two-handed weapons are effective but your characters must be strong enough to wield them. If they are not strong enough, they will tire very fast, increasing fatigue. When using a one-handed weapon, equip a shield to increase protection. For archers, it is best to use the elf bow, but since the master only trains you if your skill is at least 15, this is only possible if you choose characters who have it as a basic skill. You can buy elf bows from Htron.
Magic ingots can be forged into a weapon. You will be allowed to give it a name. However, changing the name to a common weapon type does not make it behave as one. Name them something unique like Dragon Slayer or Soul Stealer and use them like the Truth Sword.
Armour for your characters depends on their size, strength, and the weapon they use. Smaller size means smaller armour and lesser weight. Strength determines how much weight your characters can carry. If they use heavy weapons, they can't fight well if their armour is too heavy.
The 24 Quests
There are 24 quests in this game. You will need to obtain these quests from different people you find in the game. In order for them to give you the quest, you must talk to them using the right keyword. When the correct word is used, the person will ask whether you will like to take on the quest — if you reply 'no', the quest will not be given. As long as at least one person in your party is given a particular quest, the rest of the party can take part in it. To play it safe, make everyone in your party take the quest.
After obtaining a quest, talk to other people to find out the quest location. When your party is ready, travel to the quest location. It is best to buy a horse for everyone in the party — your party's movement speed equals that of the slowest character. You can find stables in many towns, but some stables don't welcome certain races.
When you arrive at a quest location, a long message will be displayed ending with the question "Will you partake?" Answer yes to enter. There are two ways to complete a quest:
- Kill all monsters — you will automatically exit and receive the quest item after battle. Note the number of creatures at the start, as that is how many you need to kill.
- Grab and run — have one character pick up the quest item, then run to the exit (the entry point). At the exit you will be asked if you want to flee — answer yes. This method forfeits all experience from kills. Do not attempt to flee the battle before reaching the exit, or the quest will not be completed.
After completing the quest, go back to the person who gave it to you. When you step into their location a message will be displayed confirming completion and you may receive rewards or clues. A medal will also be given to you — check your medal to see how many quests remain. Save the game before returning to the quest giver in case you want to re-read the message.
There is no need to complete the quests in the order listed. If you cannot complete a certain quest, skip it and return when you are stronger. It is necessary to complete all 24 quests before the final quest to save Seggallion will be given.
Quest 1: The Stolen Gavel
Find Stephanie in Brettle. Talk to her about 'gavel' and she will give you the quest. She asks you to retrieve the gavel from the Ruffians who have stolen it and escaped into the Tantowyn. Go out of Brettle and move along River Passing. At the point where the river enters the Great Wood — roughly one day's journey from Brettle — you will find the creatures. The Ruffians are not very tough. When you return the gavel to Stephanie, she will tell you the code word 'Kydar'. Note down the first letter.
Quest 2: The Stolen Standard
Find Stephen in Brettle. Talk to him about 'standard' and he will give you the quest. His guild's standard was stolen by bandits who escaped north. Go outside Brettle, follow the road north to the three-way junction with a broken tower, then turn left into Krell Way. Walk along the path and you will find the bandits. They are not very strong but slightly difficult to hit — good foresight improves your hit chance. After finding the standard (a flag), return it to Stephen. He will tell you the code word 'Aklom'. Note down the first letter.
Quest 3: The Stolen Quill
Find Hegissa in Brettle. Talk to her about 'knight' and she will give you the quest. The quill has been stolen and the thieves have entered Klvar Wood. Head for the wood to the southeast of Brettle — walk along Sheller Road for one day, then head south into Klvar Wood. You will encounter ghouls guarding the quill. When you return the quill to Hegissa, she will tell you the third code word 'Moram'. Note down the first letter.
Quest 4: The Truth Sword
Go to see the mayor of Brettle, Benjamin. Combine the three letters from quests 1, 2, and 3 (K, A, M) and tell him the word. He will ask you to look for the Sword of Truth which was stolen by goblins. Head south to the south coast. At the coastal area west of Usip Wood you will find the creatures. Return the Truth Sword to the mayor and he will give it to your party as a reward. The Truth Sword deals 4–32 damage and is very light, but has no trainable skill — you will not hit creatures with very high skill levels reliably. It is very effective in the arena against most creatures.
Quest 5: The Crown
Find Biblik the Sage in Htron. Talk to him to receive the quest. Go to the Tegal River and move along it. Near the middle of the river you will find the creatures guarding the crown. Return it to the Sage and you will be rewarded with a flying cloak — wearing it allows your characters to fly.
Quest 6: The Parth Oil
Talk to Sam in Htron about 'stod' and he will ask you to find parth oil for him. Travel all the way to Berthand's Bay in the southern part of Ashtalarea. Walk along the coastal area of the bay and you will find the creatures guarding the quest item. Give the oil to Sam and he will tell you to mention 'Nobjor' to pirates.
Quest 7: The Shipwheel
The pirates live in a small house to the west of Stone Island. Talk to Pegleg about 'Nobjor'. He will ask you to look for his shipwheel. Go to Erwenwald just north of the pirates' house. You will find hobgoblins guarding the shipwheel. In return, the pirate will give you a map.
Quest 8: The Pirate Hat
Bring the map to Scotty (next door to Pegleg) and ask him about 'map'. He will ask you to look for his pirate hat. Travel all the way to Prazen Point and you will encounter slyphs. Make use of the terrain to shoot arrows or cast spells at the slyphs when they cannot reach you — slyphs are water elementals and must be carefully dealt with. Upon retrieving the hat, Scotty will ask you to look for someone with the initials T.D.
Quest 9: The Iron Chest
Go to Htron to look for T.D. The person you are looking for is Tulliana Daverland. Ask her about 'map' and she will ask you to find her iron chest. Go to Ebbwater and you will find minotaurs guarding the chest. Minotaurs are slow in combat but deal great damage when they hit. It is best to throw spells at them before engaging. The Truth Sword is risky here as it makes you easier to hit unless you kill the minotaur first. Bring the chest to Tulliana and she will open it and give you a red ring.
Quest 10: The Golden Necklace
Talk to Belinda in Olanthen. She will ask you to look for a golden necklace. Go to the Mountain of Lorr to the east. You will find orcs guarding the necklace. Belinda will give you a magic ingot as a reward — use it to forge a weapon for your character or sell it for cash.
Quest 11: The Wand
Talk to Orofin in Poitle Lock. He will ask you to find the wand. Go outside town and find the two rivers. Walk along the southern river towards Pauper Valley. After a short journey you will find skeletons guarding the wand. Skeletons are very easy opponents — they collapse if they move too much. When you complete the quest, Orofin will tell you to say 'gold' to Sedfrey.
Quest 12: The Coat of Arms
Talk to Sedfrey in Poitle Lock (using the word 'gold'). You will be asked to search for the coat of arms in the heart of Tegal Forest. At the centre of the forest you will find thugs who have stolen it. Return the coat to Sedfrey and he will reward you with the courage coat. The courage coat gives you the courage to face terrible creatures — without it you cannot complete certain quests.
Quest 13: The Oil of Changeling
Talk to Milinya in Thimberwald. She will ask you to look for the oil of changeling in the Downing Swamp to the east of town. The swamp is not very large. You will encounter muck creatures there — not very tough, though they may look horrible. In return for the oil, Milinya will tell you the name of the spy: Delmor.
Quest 14: The Cloak
Find Trimrose at Thimberwald and mention the spy's name 'Delmor' to him. He will ask you to look for a cloak in Karg Hill. You will find the quest location at Northwald. Return the cloak to Trimrose and he will tell you to say 'follies' to Yardley. Yardley will in turn tell you to talk to the Kelder.
Quest 15: The Vial
Talk to the Keldinarr in Thimblewald about 'vial'. He will ask you to look for it. The quest location is at Windy Run. Return the vial to him and he will tell you to say 'scalfeth' to the warrior soul.
Quest 16: The Millet
Talk to Ballaster (the warrior soul) at Krag Keep. He will ask you to help him find his millet. The quest location is at Wesswald, where mist giants guard the item. In this location you will need to move along corridors only one person wide, so you will fight mist giants one-on-one. Put your strongest character at the front, followed by archers and spell casters. Very high weapon skill is crucial to avoid being hit — spells that increase skill level help a lot.
After the tough battle, Ballaster will give you his deathblade (dealing 5–27 damage). He will also tell you to talk to the Fostering about 'rhording'.
Quest 17: The Golden Chalice
The Fostering is at the northern part of Tegal Forest. Talk to Dunnigen about 'rhording'. She will ask you to look for something in the Wood of Dream. Go to The Darkwood, south of Krell Swamp. You will find ogres guarding the quest item — use the same tactics as against the mist giants. Return the golden chalice to Dunnigen and she will tell you to say 'inthos' to the Hobe.
Quest 18: The Hidden Staff
Talk to Lord Stiveron in the Hobean Keep (using the word 'inthos'). He will ask you to look for the hidden staff in the Downing Mountains. The quest location is at the southeastern end of the mountains, where you will find stone ogres. Stone ogres are very tough — defeat them with spells or when your skill is high enough. You will receive a pair of speed boots when you return the staff to Lord Stiveron. Wearing the boots allows your character to move faster.
Quest 19: The Wristband
Talk to Rodrigard at the Sheller Bridge. Tell him 'bryor' and he will ask you to find a wristband. Go to Sheller Ridge and you will find ettins there. After returning the item, Rodrigard will tell you to talk to Aurin about 'grey'.
Quest 20: The Djinn Item
Talk to Aurin (next door to Rodrigard) about 'grey'. He will ask you to look for something at the Thanakesh Hills. Fight the djinns there to get the quest item. Return it to Aurin and he will tell you to mention his name to the main guard.
Quest 21: The Shade Ring
Tell the Sheller Elite Guard that Aurin sent you. He will ask you to find the shade ring in Westwash. The ring is heavily guarded by cliff trolls. You will need the courage coat in order to face them. Return the ring to the main guard and he will tell you to say 'silver knot' to Norgan.
Quest 22: The Ward
Talk to the Lord of Shellernoon, Norgan (using the phrase 'silver knot'). He will ask you to recover the ward from Sodden Hills. The ward is guarded by sledge creatures. Beware: when you enter this quest location, your party will be split into six groups, meaning each character must fight their own battle before regrouping. The sledge's main weakness is the head, but you must be tall enough to hit it. Return the ward to Norgan and he will give you the shade ring and tell you to see Dundle.
Quest 23: The Statuette
Talk to Denswurth in Olanthen. He will ask you to find the statuette. Go to Missip Valley, south of the Mytrone Hills. You will find trolls guarding the statuette. Trolls are terrible creatures that will make your characters freeze in terror if their courage is not high enough — make sure you have the courage coat before coming here. Return the statuette to Denswurth and he will give you a great shield. The shield offers great protection and weighs little. You can change its pattern using the edit shield option in the opening menu.
Quest 24: Rescue Seggallion
You must complete all 23 quests above before Dundle will give you the final quest. Find him at the Assembly Building in the Olanthen Barrier, outside the Mountains of Lorr. Talk to him about 'Seggallion' and he will give you the quest. Go to the Ghor Hills to find the quest location. You will find cyclops guarding the area. The final battle is quite tough and requires the same tactics used against storm giants.
After defeating the cyclops, you will be rewarded with a mini slideshow. After rescuing Seggallion, he will give you his shuckles as evidence. Go back to see the black dwarf, and he will reward you with a black ingot which can deal 3–36 damage.
At this stage you have cleared all the quests in this scenario — watch out for the next one!
