The Curse of Talon

The Curse of Talon
◄Eamon adventure #258►
Author	Sam Ruby
Released	1995
Revised	29 April 2000
EAG number	SD156
EDX number	09-18
EDX set	The Sam Ruby Adventures
Native format	Apple ProDOS
File	Eamon 258 - The Curse of Talon.dsk

The Curse of Talon is the final Eamon adventure written by Sam Ruby, published in 1995 in issue 156 of Softdisk. The adventure is set two years after Ruby's Redemption and continues the story of the New Kingdom.

Premise

A messenger from the New Kingdom summons you to Kingscourt on a matter of great urgency. Arriving at the palace you expect to see the king (whom you helped during your previous visit) but are instead greeted by the prince who informs you that the king has fallen deathly ill, as have countless others.

The affliction, as the prince explains, stems from a great disaster in the kingdom's past. Hundreds of years ago the people of the Cyrakian kingdom lived in the forested old lands west of the Great Mountains, but the Dark Lords attacked the land and, with help from treasonous collaborators within the kingdom itself, gained the upper hand and moved to invade. The king, Talon Cyrak, refused to see his people and his kingdom handed over to the invaders, so as his loyalists fled the invaders he sacrificed himself to initiate a powerful, plague-like curse against the collaborators who remained. The "Curse of Talon" swept through the population, leaving the land depopulated and depleted.

Now three hundred years later the Dark Lords have begun to send orc raiders across the Great Mountains, and though immune to the curse themselves they carry it with them. It's now spreading through the kingdom and only a magical rod created centuries ago by Talon himself can lift it. The rod is believed to be hidden somewhere in the castle of the Cyraks in the old land, so with several able companions provided by the prince you set out across the mountains on your quest.

Full introduction

A messenger from the New Kingdom was coming to see you. It was there that you found yourself two years ago, when fortune and foolishness sent you into exile, and it was there that you found redemption. In tracking down and destroying a vicious Green Dragon, you saved the kingdom and your honor. What news might there be from that faraway land? "My lord," the messenger says, "I was commanded to bring this message to you with the greatest of speed. It comes from His Highness the Crown Prince. Will you hear me?" The Crown Prince? "Speak," you say. "Thank you, M'Lord. Thus says His Highness: Once before, Great Warrior, you brought salvation to a land beseiged by a terrible force from without. Now a greater peril faces us, and this time the cause of our imminent destruction is our own past. In the name of my father and the people of the New Kingdom, I beg you to come to our aid once again... or all may be lost! One week later you arrive at Kingscourt, the capital of the New Kingdom. A contingent of guards escort you to the palace. Your presence causes quite a stir, which is not surprising given your heroic status. The Prince, clad entirely in purple, greets you in the throne room. "Perhaps you were expecting to see my father The King," he says. "Alas, he has fallen deathly ill, as have countless others. Many have already died, and all of us will eventually succumb if the Curse is not lifted." A curse? What curse? "The New Kingdom was only founded three hundred years ago. Before then, our people lived on the other side of the Great Mountains. The center of the Old Kingdom was a castle located in the forest. The castle was home to the Cyrak Princes, a family which produced a long line of rulers. Many were mighty warriors, clerics, and mages. But in the time of Talon Cyrak, the last of the Cyrakian line, dark and evil powers had seduced many members of the aristocracy and their vassals. "Talon could not bear to see his great family, proud people, and mighty kingdom fall under the Cloak of Darkness, but he realized that the tide was against him. Many thought that he would lead his remaining, fanatical followers into overt war against the treasonous elements, even though he was likely to lose. But Talon made no such move, and died mysteriously. "His vassals dutifully buried him and then disappeared. Actually they migrated to this land, and founded the New Kingdom. Meanwhile, back in the forest, an inexplicable plague swept out from the castle. No medicine could stop it, for it was not a plague, but a curse — a curse invoked by Talon himself, who sacrificed his life to make it so powerful. The curse decimated the aristocracy, then the populace. The forces of evil eventually took control of the territory, but Talon had achieved his goal — the powers, secrets, and strength of the Cyrakian Kingdom would not be handed over to the Dark Lords. "For three hundred years, the New Kingdom flourished. But recently the Dark Lords finally crossed the Great Mountains and attempted to subdue us. We were victorious, but it was a terrible war, and we were not able to move back over the mountains and reclaim the old kingdom. Yet we were satisfied that we held a defensive advantage and were freed from any immediate threat of a new invasion. "Unfortunately, we now believe that the Curse of Talon has been passed on to us by the hordes of Orcs and other things that we fought in the war. You see, these creatures lived for three hundred years in the cursed remains of the Old Kingdom. Although they themselves were not affected by the curse, they became imbued with it, and passed it on to us — the lost descendents of the Cyraks — when we met in the wars. Now, it is only a matter of time before we are all wiped out. "Our only hope lies in an ancient legend. It is said that Talon hoped that the Faithful would one day grow strong enough to retake the forest. He enchanted a rod that would remove the curse from the afflicted, and hid it somewhere in the castle. We must recover this artifact at all costs. But as I said, we lack the strength to launch an attack over the mountains. Our only chance is to send in a small team that can make its way to the castle by stealth, find the rod, and bring it back. Because of the skills you displayed in your heroic efforts here before, we thought that you would be the best person to lead the team." Well, the game would be over pretty quick if you refused, so you agree to lead the team on this dangerous adventure. "All the major centers of the New Kingdom will aid you in this. To add fighting strength to your party, the Lord of Ironcastle himself, Sir Blackstone, will accompany you. He may also be able to help overcome obstacles that require great physical strength. "From Shrine City, the High Priest of the Temple of Light shall march with you. He is a mighty cleric who can cast the spells known as HEAL and COMMUNE, the latter of which can sometimes access the knowledge of the Gods to solve dilemmas. He does not like to cast this spell, however, so try to solve problems yourself. The High Priest is also a powerful enemy of the Undead, whom you might encounter. Against them he has special defenses. "From Kingscourt, you shall have the aid of Tolkien the Scribe. You will have to take great care to defend him in dangerous situations, but in that ancient castle, you may need someone with the knowledge of old languages, science, magic, and alchemy. "The province of Agroville is sending a young squire to help carry your provisions and equipment. These are being paid for by Tradetown. The squire can also help defend the party and can carry whatever treasure you may wish to recover. Although this mission is of great importance to us, we know that as an adventurer, you will be interested in collecting valuables, and it is the least we can offer in terms of compensation for your assistance. "Legend has it that the rod will not be easily found. Many puzzles will have to be solved, and other items obtained and used — this to test you and ensure that only the deserving would be able to lift the curse. You will face many challenges left by Talon as well as many perils left by the Dark Lords. Search thoroughly and fight bravely!" Soon you leave Kingscourt and embark on the difficult journey over the mountains. Eventually your escorts leave you, and the party descends into the dark forest on the other side... enemy territory. Author's notes Some notes on commands: Most commands involve a verb and an object or subject (ATTACK MEAN DOG). You can abbreviate most verbs, objects, and subjects down to two or three letters (A ME or A DOG) but not MAGIC words! Hold down the RETURN key to repeat a command. You can get a list of commands during the game by entering ?. Most commands are easy to figure out. You can move in four horizontal directions (NSEW) plus Up and Down. In battle you must RETREAT to exit an area. LOOK recalls an area's long description. EXAMINE does the same for artifacts. It can also be used to get more information on objects that are only mentioned in the room description and are not fully described because they do not have anyobvious significance. Finally, examination by other party members may uncover facts not discoverable by a fighter. CAST is for spell casting. To make things easier when healing after a battle, you can say ALL when the cleric asks who to heal. This is not the same as a Heal All spell, which is a single spell and can be cast during combat. SAY can be used to pronounce magic words. It can also be used to give orders when you SAY someone's name. You can order others to do almost everything you can and many things you can't. Although your allies will often use their special abilities on their own, you must sometimes give commands during combat when something, such as giving someone something or healing someone, must be done immediately before your enemies attack again. Type SAY then RETURN; then enter the command for the character to execute. Torches must be HELD while they are lit. Many other objects must be held in order to be used, but some, such as keys, do not. LIGHT can be used to try to burn or melt something. Locked objects must be unlocked by USE-ing appropriate keys before they can be OPENed. Some READable objects can or must also be USEd. Worn items cannot be removed or dropped. Some advice: Conserve healing objects by not using them on minor wounds. Don't be quick to use up potions. You will need them if your cleric is busy or incapacitated, and for emergencies in battle. Save the game often. 1) When the party survives a tough fight. 2) Before you do anything that might hurt you or not work. 3) After completing a significant segment of the game, such as a puzzle, or a level. Drop used, used-up, or unneeded objects to reduce encumbrance. The COMMUNE spell is not really supposed to be used. Using it because you're too lazy to solve a puzzle is cheating! All your companions are important. Keep them alive. Later in the game, death can be overcome, but at a great cost of clerical power.

Walkthrough

⚠️ A walkthrough is needed for this adventure.

Adventure map by Frank Black

External links

• Eamon Adventurer's Guild Library Master List
• The Interactive Fiction Database: The Curse of Talon
• Interactive Fiction Reviews: The Curse of Talon