Source:Sanctuary notes

This page is a verbatim reproduction of original source material and should not be edited except for maintenance.
Description	Author's notes, comments, and solutions for Eamon adventure #204, Sanctuary.
Source	The BASIC files "AUTHORS NOTES", "COMBAT NOTES", and "SOLUTIONS" from the original game disks
Date	September 1989
Author	Sam Ruby
License	The use of this item is permitted on the grounds that it's free or in the public domain.

Author's notes

This game operates differently from other Eamons in several respects, some of which will be familiar to you if you have played The Boy and the Bard. These notes will cover three general topics:

• Commands
• Combat and encumberance
• General strategy for this particular adventure

Later, you will have the opportunity to repeat these notes or print them out if your printer is turned on. Please don't be alarmed by the length or complexity of these notes; the game is really very easy to play and most of this stuff would be obvious enough, but just to be on the safe sid more difficult and complex than they are.

Commands

Get

When you get a single object you can ready it at the same time, if you have a free hand. Get all allows you to grab several things at the same time. Important clue: "get" also means "pick" or "gather".

Drop

Drop all allows you to drop several things at the same time. Worn objects must be removed first, but if they are armour types, they will automatically be dropped by remove.

Look

Summons the full room description. This command does not find secret passages or hidden items.

Attack

You may attack unarmed. You should use this command to simulate any violent action and to throw objects.

There are several commands that require two subjects. You should always type the command and the primary object first and then at the second prompt, enter the second subject, which is usually a "target" or destination.

Give

To hand something over to someone.

Fill

This command has been added because put and use are just too general. The first subject is the thing you're filling, the second subject is the source, which may be a container or a substance.

Put

To put things in containers. Also used for "place", "tie", "hang", etc.

Examples:
Your command? Give gold To whom? Merchant
Your command? Fill bottle From/with what? Jug
Your command? Fill bottle From/with what? Brew
Your command? Put jewel Into/on what? Pouch
Your command? Put bowl Into/on what? Table

Put all allows you to put several things into a container at the same time. This only works for the backpack and the belt/scabbard.

Inventory

A cursory look at your possessions that does not take up a move. However, it does not tell you what you are carrying in containers.

Say

Use this command to read something out loud. This feature allows you to cast spells from scrolls.

Your command? Say loose page

Ready

You can ready any artifact in either your left hand or right hand (because of space problems I had to delete the code that handles two-handed items and make everything one-handed). This command only works on something you are carrying. To pick up something in the room and ready it, use get. To ready something that is in a container (like your scabbard) use open. Note that many commands, such as drink, light, say (artifact), etc. Require that the artifact you want to act upon be ready in one of your hands, that is, you must be holding it. The attack routines use what's in your right hand as your weapon (or your bare fist if it is empty). If your hands are full and you ready something else, the other item will be "unreadied", but not put away, and therefore will add to your encumbrance penalty (see notes that follow on encumbrance).

Save

Is quick and painless and highly recommended. Saved games may be resume'd at any time.

Open

This command operates in two different ways depending on the location of the subject. If it is something you are not carrying, the contents will be emptied as usual.

If you are carrying the container, you will see something like this:

Your command? Open sack

The sack holds
  fork
  knife
  spoon
(e)mpty contents or (r)etrieve object?

If you type e the contents will empty into the room and their descriptions will be displayed. If you select r you will be asked which object you want and will be able to ready it. If you just type return, nothing will happen and the command will be cancelled.

Switch

Exchanges the objects in your hands.

Use

Executes the function of an artifact when no other command is specific enough. For example, use chair, use window, etc.

Combat

This adventure makes use of an Advanced Combat & Encumberance ("ACE") system I developed to expand special effects and improve realism and combat.

In this particular adventure, there are three range situations. They will be obvious from the monster's description and the "monster present" message.

Hand-to-hand: Melee weapons only.
"Bird is here."

Close: Melee or missile weapons.
"Bird is at close range."

Ranged: Missile weapons only.
"Bird is in sight."

If you are in a melee situation and you attack with a missile weapon (or vice versa) you will be advised of your error and will not lose that round.

Since you don't have a shield in this adventure, the best thing to do would be to have your sword ready at all times and, if you are expecting ranged combat, have your bow ready in your left hand.

If you need to use the bow, put your sword away and ready an arrow. If you don't mind the encumberance penalty (like if you're using magic arrows that don't miss) you don't need to put the sword away, just ready an arrow.

As you may have guessed by now, the way bow & arrow combat works is, you have your bow readied in your left hand and the arrow you want to use in your right hand. You have to reload after each shot, but it gives you a chance to select a different type of arrow. Your enemies have to reload too (though not all at the same time).

Various monster fields, artifact fields, and almost all the attack routines have been modified. The major difference between this system and the old one is that making contact and doing damage are not separate calculations in this system — the quality of the hit determines the range of damage possible. A 1d6 weapon will do 1–6 pts of damage on a light (minimum) hit, 7–12 on a good hit, 13–18 on a solid hit. A critical hit will automatically kill most opponents, regardless of the weapon used, since it usually represents a strike to a vital organ, decapitation, etc.

If an attack is missed, that means that the attacker simply made a poor attack.

If an attack is dodged, the defender's natural defensive odds, from agility, magic, etc., were primarily responsible for the failed attack.

In melee combat, some types of attacks may be parried. When you fight against two opponents, your parrying odds are halved, since you must defend against two attackers. If you are fighting three or more opponents, your parrying odds are at 1/3 normal. Thus, your parrying odds get better once you cut your opponents down to two, or one. However, the better odds do not kick in until the next attack.

This is about all you have to know about the new combat system to play the game. If you'd like to know more about the details of the system, there is a program on disk 1 called "Combat Notes" you may be interested in reading. Knowing more about the combat system may help your fighting a little, but if you would prefer to maintain a little mystery behind the battle readouts and keep things simple, I promise, you don't need to know the specifics to survive.

Encumberance

As usual, there is an overall limit to the amount of stuff you are carrying. What I mean by "encumberance" is (1) the accounting for of the way you are carrying things and (2) the penalty you may suffer in melee and missile combat from carrying a lot of loose things that are not secured in pouches, packs, sheathes, etc.

In this adventure there are three "safe" objects that you may use to hold things (these objects are worn and therefore have no encumberance penalty themselves, and everything that you put in them will not count against you either): these are your backpack, your belt, and your quiver. Your belt is actually a representation of three different places to stash something: a pouch on one side, a scabbard on the other, and some straps in the back for securing something like another pouch or a spare weapon. Use the open command on it.

Worn objects and the weapon in your right hand do not count against you in combat (the weight of the weapon is already figured into its odds). The weight of everything else is counted as a penalty that is subtracted from your offensive odds. Containers have a set encumberance value that does not change if you put things in them; thus, if you have to carry a small chest loosely, you can put other things inside it and they will not count against you, only the chest itself.

The important thing is: put things in containers, put things away when you aren't using them, and don't carry around unneeded objects. Nothing will disappear in this adventure, so you can always come back for some bulky thing that you're not sure you'll need.

However, a small encumberance penalty is normal. Do not worry if you have to carry a few things loosely.

General rules

Weight limit: there is a limit to the total weight you can carry.

Encumberance penalty: this penalty is equal to the weight of all loose items. If, in battle, you get the message "too slow!" that means you would have scored a hit if not for all the junk you're trying to juggle. But the penalty reduces the quality of all hits, so just because you score a good hit, don't think your encumberance penalty isn't hurting you — that might have been a critical hit (instant kill) if not for the penalty.

What counts towards weight limit? All items except worn items that are some sort of armour or clothing. Thus, your armour (if worn) does not count towards the weight limit, but your backpack does.

What counts towards the encumberance penalty? All items not worn or not carried in your right hand. Items in containers do not count either.

General strategy: Mapping

Most of this adventure fits nicely onto a grid, though the areas are not all the same. In a few cases there are some "round" room connections; in others, the areas on the grid must be subdivided into nine areas that fit within the usual bigger square area. This only happens in the temple and will become obvious once you figure out how the temple is laid out.

Though there are areas into which you should not go, there are no instant deaths from moving in a particular direction, such as accidently walking off a cliff because you thought you could go south a little more.

I suggest you keep good maps because it will save you a lot of time finding things (there are many interconnected puzzles and you will be recrossing a lot of ground). I suggest you keep four maps on separate sheets of paper: the plain and other outdoor areas, the keep, the temple, and the temple garden.

Since you know little about the setting and what to look for and where to look, you pretty much have to poke your nose into everything and gaze with a keen eye at everything unusual, though you may not have to act upon most things immediately. The exception to this strategy is the keep: there is only one thing in there you need to get; the rest of your concern should be with getting through the keep with as little damage as possible.

Kalosan cross

This is a "Kalosan Cross". It comes into play often, especially in architecture and mapping, so remember it. The four "plusses" are referred to as the extensions; the middle part is the square.

The quiver is a rigged container. You can only put arrows into it. To ready a type of arrow, you do not need to open the quiver. Use the ready command and specify a single arrow of a specific type. Ex.: Ready silver arrow

Examine your stuff at the beginning of the game.

There is one instance in the adventure when you must recover something that is inside an artifact that is not really a container. Nevertheless, use the open command to look inside of it and retrieve what is hidden within it.

Because there are 114 artifacts in this adventure, it may be less confusing at times to use the full name of some artifacts so they won't get mixed up with others. The program does recognize abbreviations, though, and you can use them as much as you want.

If you get stuck, you can boot Disk One to access the hints and solutions program.

Note: After running the adventure, you don't have to reboot, but you should at least type fp to recover all of available memory. The "solutions" program won't run if you don't do one or the other.

Please write to me with any comments on the new systems, the game, or anything else.

Sam Ruby
1718 41st Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94122
415-681-7020

Combat notes

This program explains the combat system employed in this game from a technical point of view.

The combat system is closely tied to the new encumbrance system, and the two form an "Advanced Combat & Encumbrance" ("ACE" for short) system that was first employed, in rudimentary form, in The Boy and the Bard and appears more completely in Sanctuary.

However, the system was (and is being) developed independently from these adventures, and was modified or reduced for their particular needs. These notes address the system itself and therefore may describe features and code that are not apparent or do not exist in Sanctuary.

The central, major change to previous combat systems, around which all the other changes revolve, is the basing of hit scoring on a series of damage level breakpoints determined by the type of armour worn by the defender. These damage levels (quality of hit) then determine the number of "dice" of damage done. Thus, making contact (hitting) and the calculation of damage (dice & sides) are not separate calculations as they are in previous systems, but are instead closely related.

In general, "ACE" involves changes or special code in four areas: character conversion, artifact fields, monster fields, and the attack routines of the main program.

Character conversion

The major disadvantage of this system is that it is not compatible with old systems and with the current structure and fields of the character record. Thus, the data in the Fresh Meat file must be converted into data, fields, etc. that are used by "ACE". Because of the plot of Sanctuary, this was not too much of a problem, since the character loses most of his weapons and his shield. Thus, Sanctuary's coversion is largely rigged and many values and stats are simply assigned arbitrarily.

Ideally, character conversion would be standardized like the rest of the "ACE" system. However, the character record is just too different for this to be possible. The only way to solve the problem would be to convert the Main Hall, character creation, character record, Fresh Meat file, etc. to support "ACE". The new master disk would need to support things like the new weapon types, shield skill, and weapon data.

While I strongly believe that a major overhaul of Eamon combat is needed to rejuvinate combat and restore it as an important and exciting part of the game, instead of a familiar, boring, tedious thing you do between solving puzzles, I realize that making major changes to the Eamon system is too much to ask and would be imposing upon other authors. Therefore, the problem of character conversion will always exist and will always involve a certain amount of tinkering with the character and arbitrary value assignments. I think that the positive things that "ACE" brings to the game far outweigh this disadvantage, but it is nevertheless an enduring concern of mine.

Anyway, here's how the latest version of "ACE" handles character conversion, though it is still evolving:

First, artifacts for armour and shield are created. At this point, there is no code for armour expertise, because the penalties assigned under the old system would severely affect the character in the new system. To effectively include armour expertise (and it's not that I have something against it) would require changes in the master disk. Shield skill will probably be arbitrarily assigned or will be made from an average of two or three weapon abilities plus an arbitrary bonus.

Next, while hardiness (HD) is not changed, M%(0,1) is adjusted to make sure hardiness is in the ballpark of a tough but not super humanoid. Thus, M%(0,1)=HD if HD < 19, +1 for HD 19-22, +2 for HD > 22.

M%(0,2) is the character'sstrength bonus (if any), which is equal to the bonus for HD. The character gets +10 to maximum carrying weight or +20, according to the same ranges.

M%(0,3) is the character's agility bonus, which is +5 for AG 19-22, and +10 for AG > 22. The agility bonus is added to the offensive bonus of all attacks, and also serves as the char's natural defensive (dodging) odds, M%(0,7).

I am considering increasing the bonuses to M%(0,1) in order to give characters who depend upon their HD a better survival chance and better representation.

Normal Eamon weapon types are axe, bow, mace, spear, sword. "ACE" weapon types are edged (slashing, hacking weapons), blunt (crushing, bludgeoning), thurst, thrown, projected (bows, slings, etc.). I am not currently decided on whether or not to do a straight conversion or average a few of the old fields into the new ones (like axe+sword/2 = edged) or do something else. Converting weapons is the biggest problem and will probably be handled in individual ways unique to particular adventures. The main problem is converting dice & sides to damage bonus, as well as converting types.

Anyway, in one way or another the character gets converted. Before I go into the attack routines, it is necessary to explain the changes to artifact and monster fields.

Artifact field modifications

All weapons are artifact type 2 (A%(A,2)=2) and shields are type 3. There is no "magic weapon" type because there is no longer a "break weapon" fumble, which, personally speaking, has ruined a lot of my adventuring over the years and I don't think anyone else will miss it either. In the future I hope to expand the system so that just about anything could be used as a weapon or shield, but this is not currently supported.

For weapons, A%(A,5) is type:

1. edged
2. blunt
3. thrust
4. thrown
5. projection
6. ammunition (arrows, darts, etc.).

A%(A,6) is the offensive bonus/penalty. A%(A,7) is the damage potential bonus/penalty of the weapon, usually a number between -3 and +1, or +2 for a two-handed weapon. A magical sword with a bonus of +5 would be an extremely powerful weapon. A%(A,8) is number of hands needed to ready it. Some two-handed weapons can be used withone hand, at a penalty. These weapons have A%(A,8)=1.5.

For shields, A%(A,5) = coverage, or size, which is the bonus to blocking ability. A%(A,6) is composition, i.e. wood, covered wood, metal. A%(A,7) is its strength, which figures in shield breaking. A%(A,8), #hands, is almost always 1.

Monster field modifications

M%(M,2) = original number in group

M%(M,14) = current number

M%(M,6) = size. This field does not directly affect defensive odds; do% already take into account size. Size has its own field because it can be used to reduce (or eliminate) the likelihood of a critical hit. This is helpful for large monsters, magical monsters, etc. Negative values represent large size, usually -1 to -10 (biggest). Positive values do not increase crit hit chances and can be used for other things by the designer.

M%(M,7) = natural defensive odds, (NDO%). NDO% represents size, speed, and magical/special factors — invisibility, etherealness, etc. Most animals will have NDO%, some in the range of 40-60 (very small, very fast).

M%(M,8) = combat defensive odds, (CDO%). Positive values of CDO% represent parrying ability. Negative values represent shield use. Few monsters will actually have a shield artifact, so they do not have their shields broken.

M%(M,9) = armour class and armour protection. These are two different things but are represented by the same variable.

M%(M,10) = attack type. This triggers the appropriate battle verbs in combat. It also determines if the monster's attacks can be parried or blocked with a shield. I would also like to use this field to indicate special attacks, like +100 for poison, +200 for breath weapon, and so on for spells, life drain, etc. This is not currently supported but can be added if needed.

M%(M,11) = offensive bonus. As you know by now, "ACE" does not go by base offensive odds or comparative agility.

M%(M,12) = damage potential bonus.

Attack routines

OK, how do attacks work? When the character attacks, a few things have to be taken care of to make him look like a "regular" monster so that the attack routines in lines 7500-7799, which all attacks use, will function.

The program uses the artifact in the character's right hand as his "ready weapon." M%(0,11) (offensive bonus, or OB) is set to skill with weapon type + weapon's OB + agility bonus (M%(0,3)).

M%(0,12) = strength bonus (M%(0,2)) + weapon's damage bonus (A%(A,7)).

M%(0,10) — attack type — is set according to the type of weapon used. If the character is using a melee weapon, and the defender's attack type permits it, the character's combat defensive odds (M%(0,8)) is set equal to his offensive bonus (M%(0,11)). If the character has a shield in his left hand, then the character gets negative combat defensive odds equal to -(shield ability + SH. Size + AG bonus). A shield can block a few types of attack that can't be parried, but there are still some that can't be blocked.

M%(0,8) is halved if there are two opponents, and is cut in three if there are three or more opponents.

I am skipping over ranged combat because I am still working on it. Unarmed combat does exist; it automatically kicks in if the character's right hand is empty, "RH=0". Artifact zero is "empty hand", which is a blunt weapon with +15 OB and -4 DPB. Unarmed combat uses the "punch/kick" attack verbs.

OK, now the character's fields are set up, and the attack goes to the main attack routines, lines 7500-7799. At this point the program acts in terms of "OF" and "DF".

First, offensive bonus (OB)=M%(OF,11) and DPB (damage potential bonus) = M%(OF,12). Next, the attack message is printed, according to the attack type (M%(OF,10)). There are three verbs for each type and they progress in order until they repeat. Hostile monsters may attack with surprise if their status (M%(OF,15))=5. In this case, they are unidentfied, they score an automatic (but minimum hit), and then lose their surprise.

Next, AC (Armour Class) = M%(DF,9). AC 0 is no armour, AC 1 is light leather, AC 2 is heavy leather/studded, AC 3 is metal. If M%(DF,9)>3 then AC=3. It is now that the damage levels (DL%(1-4)), the breakpoints for the different qualities of hit, are set. The base values are for no armour, and are adjusted for other types all in one line. DL%(1) is the minimum modified roll needed for a hit, a light hit. DL%(2) is the minimum for a medium hit, DL%(3) — serious hit, DL%(4) — critical hit (instant kill). DL%(4) is adjusted by 5 for every -1 of size. A size of -7 or greater effectively neutralizes critical hits even for AC 0.

The damage levels look like this:

	DL%(1)	DL%(2)	DL%(3)	DL%(4)
AC0	75	75	90	115
AC1	70	80	90	125
AC2	65	85	95	130
AC3	60	85	105	135

As you can see, the heavier the armour, the easier it is to make contact, but the harder it is to score more serious hits.

Now comes the random roll (RR) of 0-99. This becomes a modified roll: MR = RR + OB, - M%(DF,7) if the defender has negative defensive odds for being big, slow, whatever.

If the MR already falls below DL%(1), then the attack is simply a poor one, the message "---a miss" appears, and the attack ends. Surviving this, the character's encumbrance penalty is subtracted from MR if the attacker is the character, and if the MR now falls below DL%(1), the attack fails and "---too slow!" appears. Surviving this, the defender's NDO% (M%(DF,7)) are subtracted. If the attack fails now, it is "---dodged!"

Next, the absolute value of the defender's CDO% are subtracted, and if the attack fails now, it is either "---parried!" or "---blocked!" Depending on the sign of M%(DF,8). If the character is defending with a shield the program checks to see if the monster breaks or damages his shield.

If the attack is still alive at this point, it goes to the damage routines, starting at 7600. Here the final MR is compared against the damage levels to determine the type of hit, light (minimum), medium hit, serious hit, critical hit. The variable HT represents these levels; HT=1, 2, 3, or 4. If HT=4, then regardless of the weapon or the monster's armour, the routine prints "---a critical hit!" and goes to 7700 for the instant kill.

Depending on HT, the message "---a hit!" or "---a good hit!" or "---a solid hit!" is printed.

Damage is determined in line 7620. S = sides of the die, which is normally six. If the attacker's DPB is negative, the sides are reduced. Thus, a dagger, DPB = -2, has a 4-sided die. The die is then "rolled" for a random damage determination, and the DPB, if positive, is added. Then, for each level of hit above 1, a full die of damage and another DPB (if positive) is assessed.

From this total damage is subtracted M%(DF,9); thus, if the monster has an armour of 100, it is counted as AC 3, but it will be impossible under normal conditions to hurt it. If the damage has been reduced below 1, the message "absorbed by armour" appears and the attack ends, although you can put in special attacks here that merely need totouch the defender to take effect.

Some examples of damage ranges: attack "A" is with a broadsword, DPB=0; "B" is a dagger, DPB=-2; "C" is a 2-handed sword, DPB=+2; "D" is a stomping mumak, DPB+4 (better get out of the way!)

	AC0	AC1	AC2	AC3
A:
HT=1	1-6	0-5	0-4	0-3
HT=2	7-12	6-11	5-10	4-9
HT=3	13-18	12-17	11-16	10-15
B:
HT=1	1-4	0-3	0-2	0-1
HT=2	5-8	4-7	3-6	2-5
HT=3	9-12	8-11	7-10	6-9
C:
HT=1	3-8	2-7	1-6	0-5
HT=2	11-16	10-15	9-14	8-13
HT=3	19-24	18-23	17-22	16-21
D:
HT=1	5-10	4-9	3-8	2-7
HT=2	15-20	14-19	13-18	12-17
HT=3	25-30	24-29	23-28	22-27

This damage is added to M%(DF,13), and you know the rest.

That covers the basic routines. "ACE" also handles lines 300-500 a little differently, although I am trying to arrange the basic structure like DDD 7.0.

For one, you can give a monster negative status (M%(M,15)=-whatever) and for each point, the monster is inactive for a round. While it is inactive, it can be attacked with its defenses down, +20 to MR and no defensive odds.

At this point, no more than five members of a group may attack in one round, although this may go up to 8 to reflect DDD 7.0. Actually, I will probably keep it at 5 unless there are lots of good guys and bad guys going at it, in which case more attacks should take place each round. The adjustment to 300-500 involves defender determination. It is an attempt to more evenly spread combat out amongst the combatants while still reflecting the fact that some groups will be closer to the front and therefore be more likely to be attacked.

GG = number of good guy groups; G2 = total number of good guys. BG and B2 reflect bad guys. If GG = 2, then the base chance that the character will be attacked is 60%; the other 40% of the time, the ally is attacked. The change of the character being attacked goes down to 40 if there are two allies, and down to 30 for three or more. When the bad guy attacks, a roll is made, and if the roll falls below the character's chance, the character is the defender, and off we go. If not, then a loop checks all the remaining good guy groups in monster order, and for each group there is a 70% chance that that group will be attacked. If the group is the last remaining group, the chance is 100. When designing allies, you can number them according to who is likely to be up front and who is going to stay behind; weak allies who are important should be in this category.

When good guys attack bad guys, the first bad guy group has a 70% chance to be attacked, followed by the next, etc.

That's about it. I'd appreciate any comments, suggestions, etc.

Solutions

Note: the bulk of this game is very "nonlinear", which means that there are many ways of progressing through the adventure, none of which are especially "best". For this solutions program, I've chosen to arrange the hints in the sequence of encounters that I think is most likely, but by no means the only "correct" one. Therefore, if the hints start talking about an area you haven't been to yet, the best thing to do is to stop the solutions program, return to your game, and explore as far as possible until you all your avenues are blocked.

Select appropriate range:

1. The Beginning
2. The Keep
3. Temple (Part One)
4. Temple (Part Two)

The Beginning

First, you should examine your equipment. Remember that your sword is in your "belt and scabbard." Don't forget to wear your quiver.

The brick has no particular significance, other than an allusion to a certain 1979 album.

If you have gone east, you will have come to the east tower. Examine the dark areas.

Examine the large nest.

Examine the helm. Read the inscription.

Hmmm, that could mean that wearing the helm will kill you, or that there is something inside the helm (but obviously there isn't), so perhaps it refers to something later on. You don't need to take the helm with you, but it would be good to remember its description and what the inscription says.

If you've gone west, you've come to the west tower. Examine the pool.

Once you've successfully gotten the chest, put the arrows in your quiver. You can "open quiver" to check your supply.

There are two significant things to notice on the plain besides the general layout of things. One can be seen on the western side of the plain near the mouth of the river. Just take note of it. The second, and more important thing, is to see in the north east corner of the plain that there is no way to reach the bridge from here. You will have to reach it by way of the keep.

The Keep

Well, now you know who attacked the company — bugbears living in the keep. You will have to be careful. Remember that your mission is to get to the temple and find the staff, not to fight bugbears. You'll not want to waste much time in the keep. Remember that you are trying to reach the bridge, which means you will have to get to the top of the keep in the northeast corner.

In your first ranged encounter, you will discover what the blue arrows do.

The graffiti in the southern side room has no significance; it is a refrain from My Fair Lady.

The side room with the cross on the door warrants your attention.

There is something very "fishy" about this room. Why are there dead bugbears here? Why is the western half of the room empty except for the chest? Maybe you'd better take a closer look at the dead bugbears.

So, try to reconstruct what happened. A few bugbears discovered the room and moved towards the chest. They didn't make it. Some other bugbears came and found them, tried to help them, and also fell. What killed them?

The bugbears are in a strange state of decay, covered with mold (as if the mold were feeding off them). In fact, the whole middle portion of the room is covered with mold. Somehow, the mold must have killed them! It seems it would be unwise to try to cross the room — you would probably suffer the same fate as the bugbears.

So how will you reach the chest?

Note that no mold grows around the old torch, suggesting that fire is bad for the mold. You could make use of the oil you found to burn a path through the mold, perhaps.

Put oil (on) mold and light it.

Now you can cross the room and open the chest. Put the arrows in your quiver. The blue arrows are waterbolts; what do the red ones do? The white ones? The gold ones? Perhaps you should try one of each the next chance you get.

The arrows obviously have different values. The waterbolts take out one foe. The firebolts are effective against several. The icebolts and lightning bolts are obviously more powerful than the waterbolts and would be more effective against a bigger target than a bugbear. However, you do not have equal amounts of arrows. This suggests that you should not simply use one type of arrow until you run out, or use the most powerful arrow all the time. The best strategy would be to use blue arrows against bugbears, or red arrows if there are a lot, say, more than three. The white arrows are powerful enough to take out a cave troll as are the gold arrows, but it seems that the gold arrows are too scarce to use when a white arrow works.

Whatever you do, make sure you have at least two of each kind left over for the temple. You will not use all of them, but the more you have, the more you can afford to waste in the temple

Your path through the keep should be something like this:

From the second ranged encounter, continue until you reach the stairs. On the deck, do not try to fight all the bugbears — make a dash for the entrance that is south of you. Don't open any doors unless you are pretty sure that there is no one behind them; remember, you are looking for a stairway to the roof. Continue south down the hall until you find the stairs. Go up, head north across the upper deck, enter the tower, and climb to the top. Then head for the plateau, cross the bridge, and follow the path to the temple entrance.

Temple (Part One)

Remember, from the bridge, you saw that the temple is shaped like a Kalosan cross. To help you map (and figure out where you are and where you have yet to explore) it would be wise to draw a giant Kalosan cross and fill in the areas accordingly.

You should realize that you have entered the "southern extension". The foyer is the southernmost tip; the dining commons is the center of the extension. So you should realize that the bulk of the temple is to the north, and it would be best to explore to the east and west of the dining commons first, as there cannot be much in either direction.

If you have gone east, you have found several sleeping quarters. Examine and read the graffiti on the walls. Also examine the cardboard box and the tin can.

Try to fill in the missing word in the graffiti message, and also in the label on the tin can. These two messages contain hints for something you will find to the west of the dining commons.

The cardboard box has no significance. The graffiti message about the oxen is from a pretty bad Tom Selleck movie.

If you haven't figured out the missing words, that's O.K., they may become more obvious when you go west.

In the chapel, get the small box. Don't forget to read the embossed silk. The candles seem to be unusual and they don't light; you can carry them with you or leave them here, but don't forget about them.

In the infirmary, open the medicine cabinet. Get the flasks and read the paper. In case you haven't noticed, you have burnt out your heal spell after using it in the keep. If you find any wine, athelas, or lembas root, you may be able to mix some healing drink. Chances are that you may be able to find these ingredients around the temple as the monks were sure to have had them.

If you've gone west, you may have found several interesting things. Starting with the north door:

After defeating the bone golem, check out (and read) the recipe. Another incomplete rhyme — well, this one's pretty easy. In the side room, examine the casks. Read the message.

The casks are filled with wine, which is one of the ingredients of the healing potion. Why not fill a flask from the casks?

In fact, at this point, you have no use for the other flask; why not fill both?

Next, the south door. That meal looks magical. But it's good Eamon strategy not to eat or drink anything without some sort of reason. Perhaps all those strange messages you've been finding could give you some guidance. After all, you are hungry and thirsty, not having eaten since before the company was attacked.

"The flagon with the dragon has the brew that is true" — that must be the wine, so drink that. "The vessel with the pestle has the pellet with the poison" — that must be the mashed potatoes. Don't eat those.

"Be strong to the finish... eat your spinach."

"Those who have fed on the bread are all dead, it is said."

"Swish, swish, eat the fish."

It sounds like you can eat the salad and the fish, but not the bread.

Not bad! All healed, +1 hardiness, and some weird vision. Since you can't make any sense of the vision, you'd best turn to other matters and hope that its significance will be revealed later.

The west door:

What a strange person! Putting everything else aside, he did say there is something in the library you could use. He's ignoring you — maybe you could go west to look for it.

Maybe not. If you've tried to attack him, you've found that nothing works. Oh well, there's a lot to explore to the north. Might as well leave this guy alone for a while.

If you've gone north, you've found the great hall that forms the square of the temple. You can fill in the square on your map as "hallway". You may have also found unmovable doors that block off what must be the north and east extensions of the temple's cross (the Halls of the Saints and Martyrs, as they are called). The way to the garden is open, but let's turn to the Hall of Prophets, which is north and west of the Hall of the Devout. It is the only other hall that is not blocked by unmovable doors.

Examine the mural. In fact, examine every mural you come upon from now on. Read the words. At this point, they don't mean anything, but write them down for future reference.

In the domed hall, examine the brazier to see why it's glowing so strangely.

Get the ring.

That golem looks formidable. You have a few rounds. Perhaps you might try one of your arrows (or more than one).

None of your arrows hurt it. Your melee attacks are similarly foiled. It seems that discretion would be the better part of valor at this point — flee. After all, you've got the ring...

...which is probably the ring the blue mage is looking for. Maybe if you give it to him, he'll stop being such a jerk and either help you out or at least let you look over the library. Maybe he'll even go away, since he did say something about needing the ring to get out of here.

If you've given the ring to the mage, you can search the library. Read the blue flame words, they should give you an idea of how to fight someone. Examine the crystal ball. Read the small scroll.

Apparently, the small scroll has the spell that will open the doors you found before. The crystal ball? Who knows what that first image is all about. The second image should be very interesting, though. Could that be the staff?

In the stacks, read the loose page and the open book. The open book says something about a potion of supreme invulnerability — sounds a little silly. Besides, those ingredients look a little hard to come by. I don't think you need to worry too much about this potion.

The loose page, however, has some crucial information, even if it its significance is not immediately apparent.

Those blue flame words contain the secret to defeating the obstinate fellow you've encountered so far — the clay golem. Since you are advised to be "blunt," perhaps you should attack him with your mace.

Now you can explore the rest of the Hall of Prophets. Note: if you are pretty banged up now, or if you get pretty banged up as you explore the hall, you will need concern yourself with mixing a healing potion. If this happens, go to the garden. You need to get athelas in the herb patch and get lembas root in the area with the bushes and shrubs. The rest of the garden will be dealt with later.

In the Hall of Prophets: starting with the south chamber and moving counter-clockwise...

In the south chamber, examine the pedestal.

Put the statuette on the pedestal.

Pay close attention to what you are told. The flower has no use or power, but it is significant.

In the west chamber, examine the mural. Open the sarcophagus.

The mummy seems invincible. You have the feeling that the staff is going to be important, but right now you don't need it. You will have to figure out a way to defeat the mummy, though.

Remember what the loose page in the library said?

You are probably going to have to find some holy water to throw at the mummy.

In the north chamber: examine the statue, and read the plaque. Notice how real the north wall looks and how cold you feel.

Try going north!

If you've encountered the ice toads, you've found that your armour gives no protection against their breath weapon. What could protect you from the cold?

Examine, get, and wear the clothes that are on the statue.

Now you can get the frozen bundle, which will thaw when you return to the chamber. Open it to find the incense of mediation. That wraps it up in the Hall of Prophets... for now. But keep that staff and that mummy in the back of your mind.

At this point, there are three places you can go: the Hall of Saints, the Hall of Martyrs, or the garden. To get to one of the halls, you need to say small scroll to open the doors.

If you have not yet made the healing drink, it would be best to go to the garden first.

You can take whatever path you want through the garden. There are three significant things on the walkway:

• Examine the murals on the east and west walls, and read them. The one on the west wall that speaks of humility should remind you of what the vision in the Hall of Prophets said to you. If you can solve the puzzle now, you may, but you can also wait for the final clue, which will come much later.

• The mural on the east wall has an unfinished message. Perhaps this message connects with the one you found in the Hall of Prophets.

• The completed phrase is, "There is holiness even in a tree, and the snake shall know the tree." Well, there are some trees in the garden. The part about holiness is unclear. Well, if you see any snakes, maybe things will become clearer (or have you already found a sort of snake?).

• There is a shovel in the middle of the south walkway. You do not need it to dig up the lembas root. You do need it for something else — have you figured it out? The solution will be listed later, after you've found the last clue.

Now, for the garden itself: you can get athelas from the area with the herbs. The area with the white flowers should remind you of something, but it is not necessary to make the connection right now. You can get lembas root from the area with the shrubs. In the center of the garden, examine the tree.

Climb up to investigate. Maybe this has something to do with the "holiness in trees" thing.

Better hold on to that sceptre. Does this solve the puzzle? Maybe, but what about the snake?

That's it for the garden, for now. You will return here at least once, twice if you haven't solved one of the puzzles. To make the healing potion, put the athelas and the lembas root into the flask(s) with the wine.

There is plenty of wine in the casks and it's assumed that you pick a good amount of athelas and lembas... so you can make more healing potion if you run out. Just refill the flask(s) and add the other stuff.

It doesn't really matter whether you explore the Hall of Saints first or the Hall of Martyrs. In either case, you will come to a foe who appears very formidable. Since the clay golem was impervious to almost all your attacks, it seems likely that these foes are similarly armoured. The mace, however, does not work against them.

Try the Hall of Martyrs first. Examine the blue sword.

Looks like a clue left by the blue mage. But what could it refer to? The iron golem in the next room does not seem to have anything to do with it.

The iron golem is too tough. Better try the Hall of Saints.

Examine the blue graffiti.

Another hint. The "opponent with an iron will" seems to refer to the iron golem. Perhaps the "shocking experience" you need to give him could refer to electricity.

Try a gold arrow (lightning bolt) out on the iron golem.

Now you can explore the rest of the Hall of Martyrs. Starting with the north room and going clockwise:

Examine the fused armour. Read the plaque.

There is something you can do here if you put two clues together. However, you may need the third clue, which is to be found in the Hall of Saints. You can leave this room and come back to it later if you'd like.

Hmmm, that message on the wall could be significant. You might want to write it down; who knows if it will still be here later on. But what's happening? Why is it getting hot?

After your duel with the demon hound (who, now you realize, must have found a way to melt the wax statue and fuse the armour), you can go to the east chamber. The words on the wall are paraphrased from The Catcher in the Rye.

Examine the armour and read the plaque.

In the south chamber: examine the armour and read the plaque. Try going south.

After adventuring in the valley of the dragons, you've found that you are unable to defend yourself against their breath weapons. Now, who have you recently learned about who was able to fight and kill dragons?

Why, Sir Wolgod, of course, and (how convenient!) his actual armour sits in back in the chamber! If it worked for him, perhaps it will work for you!

....but the chain armour you find is too small. If you read the description, you may have noticed that it even fit tightly on the wax statue. In fact, the plaque refers to "plate" armour, not chain armour. And you may have noticed in the east chamber that the plaque said Dallon wore "chain" armour, while the statue was actually wearing loose-fitting "plate"!

It looks like someone switched the suits of armour!

What you need to get is the armour in the east chamber. It is big and bulky, which shouldn't hurt you too much when fighting dragons, but it would be best to put on your old armour after you're done in the valley.

After slaying all the dragons and recovering the three keys, put all three into the red chest to open it.

Censers... Incense... There could be something going on here. However, at this point you have no reason to light any incense, so just hold on to the stuff. You can put the incense in the censers if you'd like, and put the censers in your backpack.

Don't forget to remove the plate armour.

The rest of the temple is covered in "Temple — Part Two".

Temple (Part Two)

At this point, you should have completely explored the Halls of the Devout, Prophets, and Martyrs, and also the garden. If not, the hints you need are in "Temple — Part One".

In the Hall of Saints:

Examine the odd statue.

At this point you can go east, west, north, or up. Let's try east first.

Examine the mural and the monument. Examine the basin.

What could that basin have been for? Probably for holding some sort of liquid. The saint to whom the room is dedicated was known for his ability to bless (make holy) things. And you've yet to find any holy water, which any temple would have (but of course it would have evaporated long ago)...

Chances are, this basin was once kept full of water to be blessed by the saint. Too bad it's empty. You could have gotten some holy water here to throw at the mummy.

If you know where you can get some water (there was a hint a ways back in the game) you can do that now, but I think there is another clue you need first.

There is another way to get some water here. It has to do with the monument and something you are carrying.

But let's turn to the west chamber now.

Of course, you've got to get past that odd statue, which has revealed itself to be a stone golem! Perhaps the clue you found on the sword in the Hall of Martyrs holds the answer.

If you don't remember it, flee, and go back and look at it.

What carved the valleys of granite? Glaciers. What is granite? Stone. What are glaciers? Ice.

Maybe an icebolt could take care of the stone golem.

In the west chamber:

Examine the mural. It is very important.

Open the curtain.

The gate is locked. If you've closely read all the descriptions, you may guess that the stairs behind the gate lead to the catacombs. Perhaps that is where you may find the staff.

If you've already found the key, you've done very well. If not, now is the time to do so. The overall tone of this room seems to be "death". The stairs probably lead to the catacombs.

You need to get there. But your passage is blocked.

Remember that helm you found a long time ago? What did it say?

Perhaps "passage to world of dead" has something to do with getting through this gate.

The helm was an oversized silver helm. Does that connect with anything you've found in the temple?

In the Hall of Martyrs?

In the north chamber?

Remember that large, helmless, silver suit of armour?

Maybe what you found in the tower was its missing helm. And maybe there is something inside it. Remember that clue in the intro about having to open something that is not really a container to look within it?

Open the fused armour to get the large key that is stuck within it.

Now you can enter the catacombs. You'll need that torch.

You encountered some pale figures that inhabit the outer passages of the catacombs. You must flee from them if you haven't solved the mummy puzzle yet.

But while you're leaving the west chamber, take one more look at the mural on the wall. Then go north from the main chamber.

The graffiti has no particular significance. It is the chorus from the Midnight Oil song "Kosciusko" on the Red Sails in the Sunset album.

You should now go up the little stairs in the main room.

In the high priest's chambers:

Try the bedroom. Examine the mirror. Read the inscription. There is a puzzle to be solved here, but there is a final clue later on that makes it more obvious. Remember the words you saw in the north chamber of the Hall of Martyrs.

There is nothing in the closet. In the library, read the note. This is very important. It should remind you of something you saw from the plain.

You can act upon the note right now if you've got an idea of what to do, but if not, hold on to it for a moment and check out the room to the north.

Try saying "al naktos" in this room.

You should find yourself in the high priest's sanctum sanctorum, two stories above the ground floor (you can use the windows to help you figure out where you are). Examine the altar.

Read the tablet.

Things should be falling into place very quickly now. If you've been keeping a good map, you should realize that there is only one place left in the temple where you haven't been (and where the staff could be): the catacombs. But let's take stock of what you've solved, and what remains.

The Hall of the Devout: you cleaned this place out. No staff, no lingering mysteries. The loose page told you how to defeat the mummy. You have the candles but you're not sure what they are for; they are obviously special though.

The Great Hall (the square): There is nothing here except doors and some wandering flesh golems.

The Hall of Prophets: Everything is explored here. Two mysteries remain: what did the shedu message mean, and how to get the staff (and what is it for)?

The Hall of Martyrs: All cleaned out. The words in the north chamber may still be mysterious. You have the censers and the incense.

The Hall of Saints: Many mysteries. How to get water. How to get passed the pale figures. What lies beyond them. The mirror. And now, this sanctum. Don't forget the note.

The altar has rings for censers. It also has a place for candlesticks. You have candles but no candlesticks. The candles do not light, but the silk said they can be lit if held by "ancient faith". The note says that some candlesticks were sent on a ship. You remember seeing a half-sunken ship from the plain. You need water. You had a vision after eating the fish of some fishing piers at the south base of the island, and of steps leading up the cliff.

There are a lot of mysteries here, but perhaps a good place to start would be to see if you can find those steps and get to the base of the island. You can't cross the bridge because of the bugbears, but you need to get water from the lake... and something tells you you need to check out that ship.

Go south or down from the room south of the temple steps.

At the base of the cliff, fill one of your flasks with water. Then use the boat.

Go south until you come to the ship. Climb up the rigging.

There is a key in the cabin on the second level. To reach the cabin, go north from the upper deck, and down the stairs.

To get to the bow of the ship, you must cross the flooded hold that is down from the upper deck.

Recover the case from the bow. Get the candlesticks. If you put the candles in the candlesticks, they will light. However, they will go out quickly, and since you don't need a light, don't light the candles.

Return to the temple. Now that you've got some water, maybe you can deal with the mummy.

[Fill] the basin with the water.

The saint has blessed the water! Fill a flask with it and throw it at the mummy!

By the way, the second way to get water was to fire a waterbolt at the monument (some of the water would have collected in the basin). If you figured that one out, consider yourself a genius!

Now you can grab that staff. But what is it for?

You have several clues. (1) The mural and the statue, (2) the quote about "the snake shall know the tree". Maybe the "holiness" is the staff!

The mural shows Esmos dropping the staff, and it turns into a serpent (a snake).

Drop the staff.

It turned into a snake! At least, it did for a moment. Maybe if you dropped it in front of some trees... After all, "the snake shall know the tree". Remember that big tree in the garden?

Nothing happened? Well, that's not the only tree in the garden...

Try the fruit trees.

Pick up or examine the staff, and get the holy symbol. So this is the "holiness in trees".

But you still don't have the Staff of Retribution. Maybe it's in the catacombs, but those pale figures block your way.

If you carefully examined the mural in the west chamber of the Hall of Saints, the holy symbol that you just found should suggest something to you.

Ready the symbol in your left hand, empty your right hand, leave the torch behind, and head into the catacombs.

You should be able to reach the cave now. The pale figures will not bother you as long as you do not change what you did before.

In the cave, read the inscription and examine and read the scroll.

Still no staff, and this was your last hope. But you do have some new information and a new artifact.

The inscription: Three pairs plus two could refer to the pair of censers, the pair of candles, and the pair of candlesticks, plus the scroll you have found here and perhaps the holy symbol.

"In faith and meditation shall he read." Well, obviously you're supposed to read the scroll (out loud, probably, as if chanting). "In meditation" may refer to the "incense of meditation" you found earlier. "In faith" may have something to do with the candles, which can only be lit if "held by ancient faith," i.e. the candlesticks.

At this point, the pieces should be falling into place almost all at once.

The censers go on the rings in the sanctum (put). So do the candlesticks. Don't forget to put the incense in the censers and the candles in the candlesticks first. Presumably, you are to light the censers to start the incense burning, and light the candles. Thus, "in faith and meditation," you will read the scroll, and hope that something happens. But...

If you have not yet solved the shedu-flower-mural puzzle or the purity message-mirror puzzle, you may be very interested in what the tablet says.

You can do all the stuff in the sanctum and read the scroll if you'd like, without solving these puzzles. But you may have trouble in one or two places that follow.

The tablet says "only with humility will he reach the light." The shedu said you would have to toil like the humble ere you achieve your quest. The mural on the west wall of the garden showed people digging (the word digging appears three times) while a prophet addresses them as the "humble". There is a shovel on the south wall of the garden. And there is a flower patch with flowers that look just like the flower the clay statue dropped.

Maybe you'd better do some digging in the flower patch. A lot of it.

Ready the shovel, and use it three times in the flower bed.

Open the wooden chest and get the sandals. Perhaps these, along with the experience of getting them, will provide you with the "humility" needed to "reach the light".

What about the "only in purity shall he reach it" bit? The words in the northern chamber of the Hall of Martyrs said "to make thyself pure, shatter thy sinful self." You can't very well shatter yourself, but you could shatter your reflection by shattering the mirror in the priest's bedroom!

The only problem is, the inscription warned that the mirror would reflect any "unrepentant anger". If you try to smash the mirror with your sword or mace, your attack is reflected back at you!

But maybe if you used the "sceptre of repentance" you might have more success.

So you found the robe. Maybe this has something to do with being "in purity" to "enter the light," as the words in the hound's chamber did say that shattering your sinful self would allow you to "make yourself pure".

Return to the sanctum. Put the censers and candlesticks on the altar, light them, and read (say) the scroll.

If you can't cross the light bridge, you haven't put the sandals of humility on.

If you can't pass into the light, you haven't put the robe on, or you haven't removed your other clothing and equipment (as you can enter the light "only in purity" and not in other stuff.)

You should have no problems from here on.