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PRESENTS

Dragon Wars Amiga Reference Card

Typed by Mictlantecuhtli
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Note to Interplay: You are really cool and we like all of your products very
much and we have even bought this one. We also encourage all other
pirates to buy this program if you like it. I will provide most of the docs
but there are some key things that will be left out that you will only find
in the docs that Interplay has made.

GETTING STARTED

Dragon Wars will run on Amiga models 500, 1000, 2000, and 2500. You need at
least 512K to play. If your machine has only 512K, disconnect any external
drives to free up memory.

Before you begin, make a backup copy of your Dragon Wars master disks. Do
not play off of your original disks.

If you are going to be playing from disks, format a blank disk to use as a
save disk. You can name the save disk anything that you wish but we suggest
"DWSAVE". Only use this disk to save and load Dragon Wars games in progress.

You can install Dragon Wars to HD by creating a subdir on your HD and
copying all of the files from Dragon Wars disks 1 and 2 over to the newly
created subdir.

For maximum video and audio quality, use a RGB color monitor and use both
audio connectors when hooking up your sound equipment. Dragon Wars is
IN STEREO where available!

LOADING INSTRUCTIONS

If you are loading DW from HD, boot up CLI, enter the subdir with all of
the Dragon Wars files and type "DW".

To load from a non HD system: use your brain! Any moron should be able to
do this! However, if you have one drive or 512K, turn off the sound effeccts
and/or music to cut down on the memory usage.

STARTING THE GAME

After Dragon Wars has loaded, you will be left standing in Purgatory. You
can play the game with the characters provided or you can create new
characters. We suggest playing with the provided characters until you are
comfortable playing with the Dragon Wars system or using them as
guidelines for your characters.

PLAYING DRAGON WARS

Whenever prompted, you may enter a command by typing the first letter of
the selection or clicking on the selection with your mouse. Throughout
Dragon Wars, pressing the space bar is the same as pressing the esc key.

The following are Movement Keys. Press the key for the party to move or
turn towards the corresponding direction.

I: forward
J: turn left L: turn right
K: kick forward through doors

The "K" key will move your party through doors and secret doors (which
appear as walls) directly in front of you. Nothing bad will happen if there
isn't a secret door in front of you but your characters may get a little
embarrassed. You may also use the arrow keys to navigate around. The left
and right arrows turn you to the left or the right, the up arrow key does a
"kick forward" and the down key makes you do an about face. You can also use
the mouse for movement by clicking the mouse button when the pointer towards
the desired direction of travel.

COMMAND KEYS

The following are command keys. Press the key to do the corresponding
action. (Note: to use the commands outlined with the brackets '[]', press
the Open-Amiga key and the command key at the same time.)


C Cast spell
D Dismiss Character
O New Party order
U Use item/skill
X Experience
[L] Load game
[M] Music toggle
[N] New game
[Q] Quit
[R] Rename character
[S] Save game
[T] Transfer Bard's Tale character
[X] Sound-fx toggle
[Z] Create new character
/ Automap

Cast spell: The program will prompt you for who should cast the spell, what
class of magic you wish to cast, what type of spell, and finally, the spell
name. If the particular spell lets you invest variable amounts of power
in the casting, you'll be prompted for a number of power points. Dragon
Wars will then tell you how it went--whether you successfully cast the spell
or if the casting failed for some reason.

Dismiss character: If you want to get rid of a character, pick this option.
It will work on both player characters and NPC's. Warning: if you dismiss
a character, that character will be gone forever, along with all itmes,
spells, and abilities!

New party order: This option lets you pick a new marching order for your
characters. You'll want to put the characters with the best AV, DV, and
AC in the first four character slots, because only the first four slots can
hit opponents with weapons or be hit by opponents. Magic and missile weapons
can be used from any slot.

Use: This multipurpose command lets you use an item, skill, or attribute.
After selecting this option, you will be prompted for which character and
whether an item, skill, or attribute is being used. If you pick Skill,
you'll be further asked whether the skill is a Lore skill, Knowledge skill
(including the Magic skills and Bureaucracy), or an Ability (most other
skills). Then you will be asked what you want to do from a final list of skills
or items. After picking what you want to do, you may be asked for a target
(for example, with Bandage skill, you'll be asked which character you want
to bandage). When you find a spell scroll, USE the scroll to read it. If you
have the appropriate magic skill, you will then remember that spell forever.

Experience: This command brings up the skill point allocation window (see
Creating Characters). If you're notified that a character gains a level, you
may wish to go the Experience screen so you can use the newly gained skill
points to learn some skills immediately.

Load game: yeah, use this to load a damn game. Select the name of the saved
game by clicking on it then click on the LOAD button.

Music toggle: turns the COOL music on and off.

New game: This option will allow you to restart the game from the very
beginning, with the further option of starting the game with the original
party or your current party.

Quit: You've had enough of this awesome game. This will return you to WB. Be
sure that you have saved the progress of your game beforehand.

Rename character: You can change the name of any of your characters when you
select this option. You will be prompted to enter the new name of that
character.

Save game: You will probably not be able to complete Dragon Wars in a single
session. Use this option to save your game so you can return to it later. A
standard dialogue window will appear; select the location of the your save
game disk by clicking on the drive button, type in the name of your save game
file and click the save button. You can save to any standard Amiga file
system but we suggest a stand-alone save game disk which will only be used
to save Dragon Wars games. You can save to the RAM disk, if you have one,
but you will lose all of your data when you turn off your computer.

Transfer Bard's Tale characters: You can transfer in characters from the
Bard's Tale series. When you select this option, a standard dialogue window
will appear. Select the location of your Bard's Tale character disk by clicking
on the proper disk drive button. Then click on the name of the character that
you wish to transfer and select the load button. If you have less than three
player characcters, the Bard's tale character will automatically take an
empty slot. If you have four PC's, you must select a character slot to
overwrite. Warning: if you overwrite a character, that character will be
gone forever (as will all of his possessions and abilities).

Sound-fx toggle: turns the fx on and off.

Create new character: This command will let you create new characters in your
fight against the odious Namtar. See the Creating Characters section.

Automap: Pressing the question mark key will bring up the Automap. This shows
an overhead view of where you have travelled on the present map. You may use
the movement keys to to scroll the overhead view. Blank areas are places that
you have not entered; you must actually walk through an area for it to appear
on the automap.

Number keys and arrow keys: You may press any number key to bring up View
screens for a character. THe left and right arrow keys adjust the speed of
message display during combat.

Press ESC to pause the game.

CREATING CHARACTERS

You may create a character if there are 3 or fewer PC's in your current
party (you can make room by dismissing some characters). After deciding on
a name and sex for your character, you'll be presented with a list of skills
and attributes. Use the proper key, your mouse or the up and down arrow keys
to select a skill or attribute, then use the +/- keys or the left and right
arrow keys to spend points or remove them on your abilites. The number under
"Amount" shows your current level of that skill and the number under "Cost"
shows how many points it will cost to increase that skill by one level.
The other abilities are shown on the other two skill screens, which you can
read by pressing the "Z" key. If you wish, you can spend all 50 points on
skills and attributes at the beginning of the game or you can save some
points to increase them later in the game. For explanations of the skills
and attributes, see the manual.

Press ESC when you are done creating your character.

VIEWING CHARACTERS

When viewing a character, either by typing the character's number
or clicking on the character with the mouse, you'll be presented with a list
of options.

Choosing "General Overview" will give you a list of attributes and skills.
AV is attack value, DV is defense value, and magic AV is magical attack
value. Health shows that the amount of damage the character can currently take
followed by their max. Stun and Power are also given by current/max.

"Item Overview" shows your gold and what items that the character currently
has. You can Pool Gold (all gold in the party goes to one character), Share
Gold (divide all gold up equally among the party members), or Trade Gold
(give some gold to another character). If you select an item by it's letter,
you can Trade that item to another character, Drop the item for good, or
Equip the item so you have it for use instead of just toting it around
(you'll want to equip your armor and weapons). A minus sign means that you
cannot equip that item and a plus sign means that the item is currently
equipped. A number next to the "#" sign shows the number of items or charges
left. Note that you can equip one each of armor, shield, gauntlets, boots,
weapon and helm. You can equip any number of miscellaneous items. To equip
a weapon that launches missiles, you must first equip the weapon then the
missile.

To view your spells, choose the proper class of magic.

One final note about viewing characters: At almost any point, you can press
another character's number to jump to that character, even when you're looking
at spells or items.

THE MAIN SCREEN

Under each character's name will be two or three colored bars. The first
(red) indicates the character's current health, the second (green) indicates
stun and the third (blue) indicates magic power and will only listed if the
character has a magic skill. If the bar is all the way to the right, the
statistic is at 100% of its max value.


And the Lord God did direct that man go forth and kill his brothers in
His name that honor and glory may be bestowed unto Him.
===============================================================================
Dragon Wars
Complete Documentation
(manual only)


Stolen from the IBM docs by The Hellion and improved/edited/maps by
Mictlantecuhtli, who sends special greets to the following role-playing
fanatics: Loverboy/Paradox, The Light/Tristar, and Sniper/Prophecy.


INTRODUCTION
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Orbiting the star Sirius, millions of miles away from any other
intelligent life, a tiny ball of hot water is home to amazing adventure.
Sirius is three times the mass of our own star, and sixty times brighter;
its huge bloated mass spans the entire horizon of the humid world of Oceana.

Oceana is a world 85% of water and getting wetter, as the baleful fury of
Sirius erodes her diminutive polar ice caps year by year. Oceana is a
world burning the candle at both ends, enjoying twice the light in half the
time, and spinning all the faster toward annihilation and the Void.
Her surface is dotted with ten thousand islands. Some are home to thriving
civilization, while others are all that remain of greater achievements
long since sunk beneath the waves. Oceana is a violent world of
capricious storms, where natural geographic barriers and hostile sea life
hold people and empires apart. In no time of her history has Oceana known
unified rule.

Of all the islands of Oceana, the most fabled by far is Dilmun, "The Land
Where The Sun Sets". Located on a score of nautical charts, each time in
a different place, Dilmun is always just over the horizon. It is the
home to all that is best of Oceana - the home of her eldest empire; the
seat of her finest culture; the lair of her most terrible beasts. It is
an isle of dragons and a destination of pilgrims. Beneath Nisir, "The
Mountain of Salvation", is the secret heart of Magan, the Underworld.


As your adventure begins, you find yourself aboard an armored pilgrim's
barge, nosing through the still waters of a silent fjord, nearing the
moment you will drop the plank on an isle you believe to be Dilmun.
Perhaps you are a pilgrim in search of peach and enlightenment, or an
adventurer on the trail of fabled treasure, or a weary mercenary seeking
retirement and eternal slumber in vaults held high above the waves. Hopes
are high as the incredibly ancient architecture of this isle's lone port
swims into view. Rapture is just off the bow.

As it turns out, Purgatory is just off the bow...rapture may or may not
lay beyond the walls of the port city. No sooner does the pilgrim's
barge enter the harbor than she is boarded by city officials, who
quickly put all crew and passengers under arrest. Stripped of all
possessions and wealth, one pilgrim in every ten is separated from the
pack for sacrifice to the Dragons. Your party is among the fortunate
remainder dropped naked and defenseless into the slums of Purgatory,
there to fare as you will. The armored barge is confiscated and made a
part of Dilmun's rapidly growing navy - a navy that will one day sally
out across the seas of Oceana, at long last bringing her beneath the heel
of a single ruler: Namtar, the Beast From The Pit.

Back to basics in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods anywhere, you
know only you've been had. A well-intentioned traveller, you've been
treated like a beast by Namtar, and consigned to a life of perpetual
poverty in Purgatory. No one escapes Purgatory alive, and few know the
luxury to die in bed within her walls. Starting hip-deep in mud, you
must use every trick just to stay alive, much less worry about sticking
it to The Beast From The Pit.



OBJECTIVE
~~~~~~~~~

You and your party are adventurers in the magical land of Dilmun, an
island of salvation perverted into a world of horror by Namtar. You
begin the game armed only with your wits in the savage streets of
Purgatory. You must find a way to survive in Oceana's most dangerous
slum, locate a way out of the same, and accept the impossible task of
toppling Namtar. Vengeance must be yours!

Examine your reference card to determine how your mundane computer
becomes a portal to the mystic world of Oceana. The card will show you
both how to boot up your game and what keys to press to execute game
commands and summon various menus. Once the game is up and running,
you'll find a party waiting to begin the adventure in the middle of the
stinking city of Purgatory. We'd tell you to watch your purse - but you
don't have one! Nor do you have a belt from which to hang a purse, or
pants from which to hang a belt, or...you get the idea.


THE PARTY
~~~~~~~~~

A party can have up to four characters, plus up to three non-player
characters. Non-player characters are summoned creatures or heroic
individuals you may meet in your travels. Everyone else is one of your
own people.

The game provides a beginning batch of characters for your use should
you wish to jump directly into the adventure. All characters are able-
bodied and have no brain damage - use them, or create your own. If
you'd like to create your own characters, read the "Creating Characters"
section.

It may also be possible to transfer characters from other computer
games into DRAGON WARS - check the reference card for details. Be
warned that such translation is inexact...characters arriving in this
game from other "worlds" will find none of their magic objects and few
of their spells make the journey with them.


CREATING CHARACTERS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

When the game fires up, you'll see the names of the default characters
displayed on the screen. If you want ot create your own characters,
you'll have to delete those already present to make room. Type the
number of the character you want to delete and follow the screen
prompts - when you open a space in the party, the computer will offer
you the chance to create a new character.

There's also an option to rename the default characters, which allows
you to personalize your party without having to create a whole new batch
of heroes.

The process of character creation requires you to spend points to custom-
design your character. You are provided fifty character points to spend
on attributes and skills. Characters begin with a default value of ten
in all attributes, and have no skills. By following the prompts, you
can page through the character creation menus to modify attributes and
purchase skills.

Character creation is an art, and you'll have to experiment if you want
to arrive at the "perfect" design (if such a thing exists). To get you
started in the right direction, consider the following design guidelines.

o No one character can do it all...nor should they. While everyone will
benefit from weapon and magic skills, it helps if your characters
specialize. It's better to have a character who is very good at something
and useless in other fields than to have one who can do a little bit of
everything.

o This is a game of slow character growth. Don't expect your characters to
change very much, even if they earn vast amounts of experience.

o When buying skills for beginning characters, it is rarely wise to purchase
more than one level. Situations requiring skill levels of two or higher
are rare in the game, and you'll know them when you find them. If you find
an instance where your skills are insufficient, you can always pursue
another path, then return later when you've improved the relevant skill
through experience.

o Finally, be aware that a character must master Low Magic before any other
variety of magic can be learned.


CHARACTER PROFILE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

See your reference card on how to view a character's profile. After a
character is called up, you can perform a variety of functions, such as
viewing statistics and managing your inventory of gold and items. As
with character creation, just follow the prompts. A few minutes of hands-
on experimenting will show you everything you need to know about the
character profile.

Characters are represented by a series of words and numbers, the
significance of which are illuminated below:

STRENGTH (STR): The most immediate effect of great strength is the
ability to cause additional damage to foes. Strength is also useful
for breaking things, lifting heavy objects, and opening stubborn pop bottles.
High strength is required to use certain weapons; strength in excess of
what a weapon requires provides additional damage. Inquiring at a weapons
shop will sometimes tell you the strength required to user certain weapons.

DEXTERITY (DEX): A high dexterity makes you light on your feet, improves
your chance of hitting the bad guys, and diminishes the chance of getting
nailed yourself. Dexterity also determines the order in which a character
acts in combat, starting with the highest dexterity and moving down to
the lowest. Consider designing some magic-users with low dexterity, so
they can cast healing spells at the end of a combat round.

INTELLIGENCE (INT): Ultimately, your characters are only as intelligent
as are you. This statistic measures a character's abstract intelligence;
it is important for learning spells and solving puzzles. Intelligence
also affects your chance of successfully hitting an opponent with a spell.

SPIRIT (SPR): On Oceana, the mundane realm is just one part of life.
Spirit reflects the strength of a person's soul, and is important for
casting spells and resisting evil spirits. Spirit also determines the
number of power points retained by magic-users.

POWER (POW): Power is derived from spirit, and represents spell points
used for energizing magic spells. Once spent on a spell, power points
do not naturally regenerate...you will need to use a Dragonstone or
find some other means of regenerating Power. For this reason, power
points should be used with discretion. Power is twice your Spirit.

HEALTH: Health is terrifically important for when health is reduced to
zero, the character dies. Health can be restored only by certain spells,
retaining the services of a healer, or through use of the Bandage skill.
Death is usually permanent on Oceana, but legend holds that somewhere in
the depths of the Magan Underworld can be found the Well of Souls, within
which resurrection is possible.

STUN: Stun is derived from health, and represents the ability to resist
damage before a character falls unconscious at a stun value of zero.
Characters generally run out of stun before they run out of health. Stun
fully regenerates following every melee - you'll find yourself taking a
lot of stun damage in the game, but it isn't really serious unless the
whole party gets stunned all at once.

SEX: Male, female, sometimes, or never.

EXPERIENCE: Experience points are an abstract measure of a character's
activity. The more things a character does - the more monsters he slays,
the more secrets he discovers - the more experience points will be earned.
Experience points translate into levels.

LEVEL: Levels are gained automatically as a character earns experience
points. The computer will let you know when a character attains a new
level. Initially your characters will rapidly gain levels, but after
the fourth or fifth level you'll notice character growth is considerable
slowed. This is because it requires progressively greater and greater
amounts of experience to reach the higher levels. When your character
reaches a new level, he receives two new character points that can either
be saved or spent on skills and attributes.

ARMOR CLASS (AC): This rating indicates the quality of your armor. The
more (and better) armor you wear, the more damage it can absorb before it
starts counting against your health and stun. Armor does not make it
harder for opponents to hit you. It does increase your life expectancy
by taking damage that would otherwise be taken by your skull, ribs, etc.
Remember, armor does not contribute to your DV - it may actually reduce
AV. But your AC will rise if you wear armor, and it will help you survive.

ATTACK VALUE (AV) & DEFENSE VALUE (DV): These factors are based on your
dexterity value divided by four, and are the basic statistics influencing
combat. You'll want these numbers to be as high as possible, as they
determine how often you will hit your enemies with weapons and spells, and
how often you will be hit by the same. Some items increase or decrease
AV and/or DV. Weapons usually improve AV, while armor actually decreases
your combat values - armour will encumber you and may impair your
performance slightly.

Your AV is different for magical combat and weapon combat, depending on
your magical skills and weapon skills. These skills do improve your AV
but the improvement is not shown on the AV gauge. For example, Raggletok
has a Dexterity of 16 and a crossbow skill of 1, and no other weapon skills.
His base AV is 4; that's his Dexterity divided by four. When using a mace
in combat, Raggletok's AV is 4, since he has no weapon skills to increase
his combat proficiency. However, when using a crossbow, his AV is 5
because of the influence of the crossbow skill. Remember, whichever
skills he may be using at the time, Dragon Wars will display only his
base AV without skill modifications - modifications for actual weapons
or armor will be reflected.


SKILLS
~~~~~~

Skills reflect a character's areas of expertise. Correct selection and
use of skills is the key to completing the DRAGON WARS adventure.

Skills are defined by type and level. In most cases a skill need not
exceed level one to be useful, but to complete the game certain skills
will have to be higher. For instance, a single level of skill is
perfectly adequate for most of the LORE skills. Eventually attaining
tow or three levels of skill in LOCKPICK, BANDAGE, CLIMB, and the weapons
and magic skills is recommended. Skills always begin at level one, but
can be initially purchased at higher levels, or improved during play by
the accumulation of experience points.

It isn't necessary for every character to have every skill. You can divide
the labor to your advantage if you decide to have one LOCKPICK specialist,
for example, a couple of characters with BANDAGE skill, and a CLIMBer.
As long as you work as a team, specialization will help you survive.


SKILL DESCRIPTIONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BANDAGE: A very important skill, as healing services are scarce in Dilmun.
With greater skill, more health can be restored to an injured character.

CAVE LORE: Many of Dilmun's dangerous and exciting places are found
underground, and having this skill may yield important information at
appropriate moments.

CLIMB: Use this skill to climb over rocks, up into trees, and down to
certain doom. Some obstacles require high levels of skill to overcome.

FOREST LORE: Dilmun is largely a wild place, and this skill yields
knowledge of how to operate in a wooded environment. This skill is
important to the Druids, who inhabit the forest lands of Dilmun's
wilderness.

HIDING: If you can't kill something, and you can't outrun it, your
only hope is to hide. Note that once you're in combat, it's too late.

TRACKER: While your characters' mundane eating and sleeping concerns
are invisibly maintained by the game, you might find it useful to hunt
every now and then. Using this skill allows you to track various
creatures, be they men or beasts.

LOCKPICK: Valuable objects are usually locked within chests or behind
doors. Seeing as how Namtar robbed you of all your worldly goods, you'll
doubtless want to engage in a little first hand social reform by robbing
from the rich (everyone else) to give to the poor (yourself). Knowing
how to pick a lock is important to resolving your quest.

MAGIC SKILLS: The skills of LOW MAGIC, HIGH MAGIC, DRUID MAGIC, & SWORD
MAGIC are required to learn spells of a specific type. Furthermore, you
must have the LOW MAGIC skill before you can learn any of the others.
High levels of magic skill are useful, as they determine the maximum
number of power points you can invest when casting a spell - the higher
your applicable magic skill level, the greater the potential of your spells.
A higher level of magic skill also increases the chance your spells will
accurately hit their targets.

MOUNTAIN LORE: Fabulous treasures and fearsome beasts reside in Oceana's
mountainous climbs. Knowledge of the world's high mountain places might
save your life.

FISTFIGHTING: Adds to your ability to hit when using fists.

ARCANE LORE: Dilmun is a magical place, and it's important to know about the
world's magic, mysticism, and gods. A well-rounded sorcerer will combine
magical might with arcane lore.

BUREAUCRACY: To liberate Dilmun from Namtar's foul grip, you will need
to sway hearts and minds. To this end, skill in public speaking is
important, as represented by the BUREAUCRACY skill. You might also have
success using this skill on stubborn guards and petty officials.

SWIM: While it is generally not possible to swim between the islands of
Dilmun, this skill will help you should you find yourself unexpectedly
underwater. A character who can't swim could find himself in deep water.

TOWN LORE: You will visit many of the towns of Dilmun in the course of
your adventures - this skill will provide you with local legends and
history.

PICKPOCKET: Times are hard in Dilmun, but there may still be a few
unwary folk that you can practice this age-old skill on.

WEAPON SKILLS: You need not have the relevant skill to use a weapon, but
doing so will improve your performance with the weapon in question. Each
level of weapon skill adds 1 to your AV when you use that type of weapon.
Note that the effects of weapon skills are not shown on the display of your
AV, but rest assured the additional effects of your weapons skills are
invisibly maintained by the computer.

For example, if Muskels the Barbarian has a 20 Dexterity, he'll have a
base AV of 5. Armed with a flail and a Flail skill of 1, his AV with
the flail will be 6, but Dragon Wars will only display his AV as 5,
because the effects of weapon skills are not shown on the display.

When creating characters, there are several ways to get your AV up. You
can either have a high Dexterity, which will increase both your AV and
DV, or you can choose to add to your weapon skills, which will increase
only your AV at a cheaper cost. Adding to weapon skills also restricts
you to a certain weapon if you want the additional AV.


SKILL USE
~~~~~~~~~

In some cases, merely knowing a skill will be enough to benefit from it.
This is sometimes the case with the Lore skills, which yield useful bits
of knowledge at the appropriate time if a sufficient level of Lore
knowledge is present. If on of your characters suddenly notes an odd
detail and you didn't select the USE command, then a Lore skill has
kicked in.

Other skills will require that you actually use them to be effective.
If you're confronted by a puzzle or obstacle which you think can be
solved by skill use, select the skill you want (see the reference card)
and follow the prompts. You can use items and attributes using the same
prompts. If you fail, but are still convinced you've used the proper
skill, you probably need a higher proficiency level in the skill in
question - come back and try again after you've learned a thing or two.

MAGIC
~~~~~

Namtar, the Beast From the Pit, is the mightiest sorcerer of Dilmun.
Smart boy that he is, Namtar has manipulated King Drake of Kingshome
into declaring a general ban on magic, thus giving Namtar a monopoly
on this world's true power. The City States of Dilmun, none too closely
allied to begin with, did not take kindly to this decree, and open warfare
resulted. Spellcasting legions were chewed up in the opening weeks of
the war, while conventional forces continue the struggle to this day.
Namtar's Stosstrupen, a sort of magical secret police, eliminated most
of Dilmun's top individual sorcerers before an effective resistance could
be organized.

Namtar has all but won the war, and the formal practice of magic has
been outlawed in Dilmun. Rumors persist that magic is still taught
in secret out-of-the-way places, and it is one of your tasks to recover
the world's lost magical knowledge.

Learning a spell always entails using magic scrolls. After a scroll
is used, it vanishes forever, although the character reading the scroll
will remember the spell for the rest of his life. Using scrolls is
easy - finding them is the difficult part, but no one said the life of
a hero was simple.

There are four branches of magic in DRAGON WARS. All wizards must begin
with Low Magic. There is no established school of Low Magic; teaching
chores are handled by assorted bush wizards and holy men. Because
teaching of Low Magic is so widespread - and because Low Magic is
relatively mundane - Namtar has done little to shut it down. There's
actually a functioning Low Magic shop in Purgatory.

The acknowledged master of High Magic was Lanac'toor, a dangerously
unstable being formerly in residence in the City of the Yellow Mud Toad.
Lanac'toor was the Strosstrupen's first target - he was ambushed while
torpid following an excessive feast of lampreys. Lanac'toor's body was
first turned to stone and then smashed to pieces. With Lanac'toor's
demise, the practice of high magic all but vanished from Dilmun, but
rumors persist lanac'toor himself had a teacher, and that the teacher
resides somewhere in the Eastern Isles.

Oddly, Sun magic remains public and legal. The Master of Sun magic is
Mystalvision, a great public hero in residence at the Temple of the Sun
in Phoebus. Sun Magic has gained popularity in recent years as the great
star Sirius gradually drowns the planet by melting the polar icecaps. Sun
magic combat spells are the most potent in the game.

Druid Magic is the way of the elements and the beasts, and is the purest
of all magic, although not nearly so powerful as high magic. The most
skillful druid is Zaton the Displaced, of which the current whereabouts
are unknown. The Druid Magic cult has been driven underground by namtar's
persecution, but worship of the cult's patron deity, the beast-man Enkidu,
continues at the various Druid shrines.

There is one further "class" of magic in Dragon Wars: that which is
called "Miscellaneous Magic." These three spells are usable by anyone
who has skill in any of the four standard classes of magic.

When you cast a spell, the computer always deducts a certain number of
Power points from the caster. In some cases, you'll be prompted to
indicate the number of points you want to invest in a spell. In such
cases, the extra points will increase the duration of the spell or its
damage or effectiveness. The number of points you can invest in these
spells is limited to twice your current skill level in that area of magic.

The following few pages contain descriptions of all the world's known
spells. Although many spells are well-documented through centuries of
use, some descriptions are incomplete because of the spells experimental
or foreign nature. And, perhaps, because some spellcasters have placed
themselves in great peril by playing with forces they do not know...
Because of this, you will have to experiment with spell use to learn
the best application of magic in each situation. In fact, creative use
of spells may be a vital element necessary to solve the game.



LIST OF MAGIC SPELLS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Key to spells
__________________________________________________________________________
| |
| SPELL NAME |
| ~~~~~~~~~~ Effect: Damage or other effects |
| Description of the spell, Range: Distance the spell can be cast |
| miscellaneous notes, and Target: Who is affected by spell |
| tips on casting. Time: Duration of Spell |
| Power: Power points taken |
|__________________________________________________________________________|


Char - 1 character
Group - 1 group of monsters
Party - Every character in your party
Var - Variable. The more points you expend, the more damage or extended
time. Maximum equals 2 times your skill in that magic class.
1-6 xP - Damage shown multiplied by power points expended.
Combat - Duration of entire encounter. Once one side or the other is
defeated or flees, the spell ends.
_____________________________________________________________________________


LOW MAGIC
~~~~~~~~~
_____________________________________________________________________________

MAGE FIRE
~~~~~~~~~
The beginning zap spell, and always worth Effect: 1-8 pts
falling back on if nothing more powerful Range: 30'
is at hand. Target: 1 foe
Time: --
Power: 2


CHARM
~~~~~
This simple enchantment offers a small Effect: +1 AV
bonus to a character's ability in combat, Range: Heal
and will heal 1-2 points of damage. Target: Char
Time: Combat
Power: 3


LESSER HEAL
~~~~~~~~~~~
A simple heal spell, restoring up to Effect: 1-4 pts
four points of health. Heal spells are Range: Heal
very important, because you can't use Target: Char
the Bandage skill in combat. Learn a Time: --
heal spell if you want to survive! Power: 2


DISARM
~~~~~~
This incantation disarms one foe -- Effect: Disarm
that is, if it carries a weapon. Range: 30'
Dragons' claws are not affected. Target: 1 foe
Time: --
Power: 4


LUCK
~~~~
If you'd rather be lucky than good, Effect: +2 DV
cast this spell on yourself or a Range: --
friend. It improves your DV for the Target: Char
duration of the combat. Time: Combat
Power: 3


MAGE LIGHT
~~~~~~~~~~
Useful for exploring dark places when Effect: Light
places when a mundane source of light Range: --
is not available. A "torch" icon will Target: Party
appear for the duration of the spell. Time: Variable
Power: 1 = 3 Hr

_____________________________________________________________________________


HIGH MAGIC
~~~~~~~~~~
_____________________________________________________________________________

- Combat Spells -

FIRE LIGHT
~~~~~~~~~~
An improved zap spell. The greater the Effect: 1-6 x P
power of the caster, the more damage Range: 30'
this spell will do. Target: 1 foe
Time: --
Power: Var


ELVAR'S FIRE
~~~~~~~~~~~~
This was Lanac'toor's favorite method of Effect: 2-12 pts
dispersing autograph seekers. While this Range: 30'
spell doesn't pack much punch, it is an Target: Group
area-effect weapon, and can sometimes Time: --
take out whole groups of lesser foes. Power: 6



POOG'S VORTEX
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An improved version of Elvar's Fire, Effect: 4-24 pts
created by the arch-wizard Poog to Range: 20'
suck away the life force of his foes. Target: Group
Time: --
Power: 11


ICE CHILL
~~~~~~~~~
A precise spell that usually results Effect 1-4 x P
in a frigid death for the victim. Range: 50'
Like the Fire Light spell, Ice Chill Target: 1 foe
is power-based, and while not so Time: --
potent as Fire Light for beginners, Power: Var
it works at greater range.


BIG CHILL
~~~~~~~~~
An area-effect version of Ice Chill Effect: 4-24 pts
that will inflict up to 24 points of Range: 30'
damage to all opponents within range. Target: All
Time: --
Power: 15


DAZZLE
~~~~~~
Use this spell to befuddle simple Effect: Miss turn
foes, but make sure someone is on Range: 30'
hand to exploit your enemy's Target: 1 foe
hesitation. Time: --
Power: 3


MYSTIC MIGHT
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Instant muscles for the friend Effect: +15 Str
of your choice, lasting for the Range: --
entire combat. Target: Char
Time: Combat
Power: 4


REVEAL GLAMOUR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A very important spell that Effect: Dispel
will (usually) dispel illusions. Range: 40'
All is not as it seems, Target: Group
especially, in the Eastern Isles. Time: --
Power: 2


COWARDICE
~~~~~~~~~
Fearsome foes suddenly fear you. Effect: Foes run
They will either run away, or Range: 60'
continue to stand and fight if Target: Group
they resist the spell. Works Time: --
best against weaker opponents. Power: 8


VORN'S GUARD
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Originally developed to protect a Effect: +2 AC
king and his entourage, this spell Range: --
is excellent for parties desiring a Target: Party
blanket of magical protection. Time: Combat
Improves armor class (i.e. damage Power: 6
absorbed), but has no effect on DV.


SALA'S SWIFT
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Improves the dexterity of a Effect: +8 Dex
single character, for the duration Range: --
of an entire combat. This will Target: Char
improve the target's AV and DV. Time: Combat
Power: 5


- OTHER SPELLS -


AIR SUMMON
~~~~~~~~~~
Conjures an air elemental for Effect: Summon
whatever lofty goal you pursue. Range: --
See the "Summoning" notes after Target: --
the spell listing for further Time: Var
information. Power: 1 = 4 Hr


EARTH SUMMON
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Creates a potent creature from Effect: Summon
stone and soil, under your command. Range: --
The earth elemental is somewhat Target: --
stronger and more durable than the Time: Var
air elemental. Power: 1 = 4 Hr



WATER SUMMON
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Allies a spirit of the water for a Effect: Summon
time. Water elementals are a bit Range: --
more powerful and stronger than Target: --
earth elementals. Time: Var
Power: 1 = 4 Hr


FIRE SUMMON
~~~~~~~~~~~
Summons a fire elemental. Guaranteed Effect: Summon
to brighten up a party. The fire Range: --
elemental is the most powerful known. Target: --
Time: Var
Power: 1 = 4 Hr


- HEALING SPELLS -


HEALING
~~~~~~~
More potent than the Low Magic Effect: 1-6 pts
"Lesser Heal" spell, this Range: --
enchantment can set broken bones Target: Char
and stop internal bleeding. Time: --
Power: 3


GROUP HEAL
~~~~~~~~~~
A group medical plan the entire Effect: 1-6 pts
party will appreciate. Restores Range: --
up to six points of health to Target: Party
each character. Time: --
Power: 6


- OTHER SPELLS -


SENSE TRAPS
~~~~~~~~~~~
Safely guides you past Effect: Sense
dangerous deadfalls without Range: --
tripping the traps. Target: Party
Time: Var
Power: 1 = 2 Hr


CLOAK ARCANE
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Renders the party partially Effect: +2 AC
invisible, diverting both Range: --
the light around you and Target: Party
the force of your opponents' Time: Var
blows. Power: 1 = 1 Hr

_____________________________________________________________________________


SUN MAGIC
~~~~~~~~~
_____________________________________________________________________________

- COMBAT SPELLS -


SUN STROKE
~~~~~~~~~~
The Sun magic version of Effect: 1-8 x P
'Fire Light.' Subtle Range: 20'
distinctions are claimed Target: 1 foe
by those familiar with Time: --
both spells. Power: Var


EXORCISM
~~~~~~~~
The undead cannot abide Effect: 6-36 pts
the light of the sun. Range: 50 '
Usually. Not effective Target: Group
against the living. Time: --
Power: 5

RAGE OF MITHRAS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A highly powerful spell Effect: 1-6 x P
thankfully restricted in that Range: 70'
it can only harm one victim Target: 1 foe
at a time. Can hit an enemy Time: --
up to 70 feet away. Power: Var


WRATH OF MITHRAS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
An even more hideously Effect: 1-4 x P
powerful spell, featuring Range: 90'
a small blast radius. Damage Target: Group
is lower than the Rage of Time: --
Mithras, but affects a group. Power: Var


FIRE STORM
~~~~~~~~~~
Simply the most hideous Effect: 6-36 pts
spell known to man. Range: 60'
Target: All
Time: --
Power: 20


INFERNO
~~~~~~~
An underpowered version of Effect: 1-4 x P
Fire Storm. In the hands of Range: 40'
an experienced character, it Target: All
can actually cause more Time: --
damage while using less power. Power: Var


HOLY AIM
~~~~~~~~
Sheds divine light on a melee, Effect: +2 AV
and guides a righteous group Range: --
in smiting their foes. Target: Party
Time: Combat
Power: 5


BATTLE POWER
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Significantly improves the Effect: +10 Str
muscle ability of any band Range: --
of heroes. Target: Party
Time: Combat
Power: 8


COLUMN OF FIRE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sheets of flame fall from Effect: Stops
the heavens, preventing Range: 40'
a group of opponents from Target: Group
advancing during their Time: --
turn in combat. Power: 5


MITHRA'S BLESS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shields a group from harm Effect: +3 DV
with a blanket blessing, Range: --
courtesy of an alien god. Target: Party
Time: Combat
Power: 5


LIGHT FLASH
~~~~~~~~~~~
Produces a blinding flash that Effect: Lose Turn
might disorient foes. Especially Range: 50'
useful against underground Target: Group
enemies and creatures Time: --
unaccustomed to the light. Power: 6


ARMOR OF LIGHT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cloaks a character in Effect: +2 AC
gleaming magic armor proof Range: --
against most attacks. Target: Char
Time: Combat
Power: 6


- HEALING SPELLS -


SUN LIGHT
~~~~~~~~~
Improves the health of any Effect: 1-6 pts
one character. A little Range: --
sun light never hurt Target: Char
anyone. Time: --
Power: 3


HEAL
~~~~
A potent heal spell which Effect: 2-8 pts
affects one character. Range: --
Target: Char
Time: --
Power: 4


MAJOR HEAL
~~~~~~~~~~
The best value in Sun Magic Effect: 1-6 pts
heal spells when more than one Range: --
character is injured. Dispenses Target: Party
one 'Sun Light' spell on each Time: --
party member. Power: 6



- OTHER SPELLS -


CHARGER
~~~~~~~
The perfect pick-me-up for Effect: Charge
depleted magic items. Range: --
Non-addictive. Target: 1 Item
Time: --
Power: 8


DISARM TRAP
~~~~~~~~~~~
Will safely trigger a trap. Effect: Disarm
All you have to do is walk Range: --
into a trap, and it'll safely Target: --
be sprung. Time: Var
Power: 1=2 hr.


GUIDANCE
~~~~~~~~
Accurately tells you the Effect: Compass
direction you face. Very Range: --
useful underground, where Target: --
your friendly direction gauge Time: Var
is useless. Power: 1=3 hr.


RADIANCE
~~~~~~~~
The best light spell known Effect: Light
to wizardkind. Range: 40'
Target: Party
Time: Var
Power: 1=2 hr.


SUMMON SALAMANDER
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Either this spell conjures a Effect: Summon
potent magical creature, or it Range: --
blows the caster's skull off. Target: --
Give us a call and let us know. Time: Var
Power: 1=4 hr.


_____________________________________________________________________________


DRUID MAGIC
~~~~~~~~~~~
_____________________________________________________________________________


- COMBAT SPELLS -


DEATH CURSE
~~~~~~~~~~~
A savage spell left over from Effect: 3-18 pts
the bad old days, designed to Range: 40'
punch the ticket of someone Target: 1 foe
you hate. Causes up to 18 Time: --
points of damage to the target. Power: 6


FIRE BLAST
~~~~~~~~~~
This potent spell unleashes Effect: 4-24 pts
a minor fire storm on one Range: 30'
group of foes. Use with Target: Group
discretion. Time: --
Power: 12


INSECT PLAGUE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A formidable way to weaken Effect: -2 AV, DV
some monsters' defenses, Range: 60'
and a real drag at picnics. Target: Group
Reduces a group's AV and Time: Combat
DV, making them vulnerable. Power: 4


WHIRL WIND
~~~~~~~~~~
Possibly transports one or Effect: Push 30'
more foes away from you Range: 40'
on a twisting cone of Target: Group
howling winds. Time: --
Power: 4


SCARE
~~~~~
If cast at the right time, can Effect: +2 AV
improve your party's ability Range: --
in the eyes of your foes. Target: Party
Time: Combat
Power: 4


BRAMBLES
~~~~~~~~
Effects a temporary barrier of Effect: Miss Turn
thorns between your party Range: 60'
and a group of opponents. Target: Group
Use the time thus gained to Time: 1 Round
plan an effective attack. Power: 5



- OTHER SPELLS -


CREATE WALL
~~~~~~~~~~~
Erects a barrier of stone Effect: Create
before the party. Also of use Range: --
in repairing old buildings. Target: --
Time: --
Power: 5


SOFTEN STONE
~~~~~~~~~~~~
A very powerful spell popular Effect: Remove
with civil engineers. Useful Range: --
for underground construction Target: --
and removing certain walls. Time: --
Power: 6


BEAST CALL
~~~~~~~~~~
This holy spell of Enkidu is Effect: Summon
used in secret Druid rituals. Range: --
Target: --
Time: Var
Power: 1=4 hr.


WOOD SPIRIT
~~~~~~~~~~~
Creates a helpful ally from Effect: Summon
wood and bramble. Range: --
Target: --
Time: Var
Power: 1=4 hr.



- HEALING SPELLS -


GREATER HEALING
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Uses natural energies to Effect: 1-6 pts
rejuvenate and heal the Range: --
wounds of any one character. Target: Char
Time: --
Power: 4


CURE ALL
~~~~~~~~
The most powerful and Effect: 1-8 pts
efficient healing spell that Range: --
ancient Druid learning has Target: Party
devised. Time: --
Power: 6



- OTHER SPELLS -


INVOKE SPIRIT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summons a friendly spirit to Effect: Summon
aid you in battle. See the Range: --
restrictions and features Target: --
described in the "Summoning Time: Var
Spells" section. Power: 1=4 hr.


_____________________________________________________________________________


MISCELLANEOUS MAGIC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_____________________________________________________________________________


ZAK'S SPEED
~~~~~~~~~~~
Named for a sorcerer of long Effect: +15 Dex
ago, a nifty spell that improves Range: --
the Dexterity of all characters Target: Party
in the party. Time: Combat
Power: 10


PRISON
~~~~~~
Pins a group of foes beneath Effect: Halt
the weight of a magical Range: 60'
barrier, preventing them from Target: Group
advancing or running away. Time: Combat
Power: 8


KILL RAY
~~~~~~~~
Courtesy of the demented Effect: 10-80 pts
Czar Strahkenhorc out of centuries Range: 50'
past, this deadly beam will waste Target: 1 foe
anything it strikes. Beware the Time: --
terrible cost of this spell, as it Power: 15
can quickly drain a weak or weary
wizard.


_____________________________________________________________________________


A note on spell icons: The computer shows you that certain spells (most
notably the light spells) are active by displaying an appropriate icon
on the screen. When the icon vanishes, the spell has run out of juice
and is no longer active. In the case of light spells, this usually
results in the sudden onset of darkness. For the detect spells, it
means you're no longer likely to detect danger at a distance.

Monster Summoning: A word is warranted on the subject of conjuring up
creatures from other locales or dimensions for use in combat. Several
High Magic and Druid Magic incantations bring forth creatures of this
sort to do your bidding. All of these spells have some things in common:
you must have an open character slot in your party to accommodate the
summoned creature. You should also be aware that summoned creatures do
not last forever, and will eventually return to the magic worlds from
which they appeared, leaving a lifeless husk behind. The more Power
points you invest in summoning a creature, the longer you can expect
it to stick around. Finally, the lengthy and precise summoning spells
cannot be cast in combat. Although summoned creatures come complete
with their own armor and weaponry, you may be able to equip them with
any items you choose.



COMBAT
~~~~~~

Unless you're willing to roll over and die, you're going to have to fight.
Fortunately, you have lots of options during combat, and if you exhibit
the proper mix of prudence and courage you should emerge victorious more
often than not.

You'll know a fight is brewing when a picture of some nasty being appears
on the screen. The computer will tell you what you've encountered, and
set the range at which the encounter begins. You'll have to close to
within ten feet of the enemy before you can enter hand to hand combat,
but spells and missile weapons can be used at varying ranges.

When facing a battle you can always run away, but it's more fun to fight.
The game offers you two types of combat: Quick Fight, and Fight.

Quick Fighting gives you more limited combat options to speed encounters
along.

If you choose Fight, instead of Quick Fight, you have a few more options.
First off, you'll have the option of striking a normal blow (just like the
quick fight option), a mighty blow (reduced chance of hitting, but improves
damage done to the target), or a disarm blow (try to knock your opponent's
weapon away without doing much damage). You also have a chance to
rearrange your party, which is important if one or more characters have
been incapacitated or killed - only the first four characters in the
party order can actually fight in hand-to-hand combat. Finally, you
can attempt to block, which improves your DV against the attack of a
single foe.

In either type of combat, you always have the option to use an item,
run (shame on you!), dodge, or cast a spell. Dodging is similar to
blocking, but it works against all enemies in the combat and is less
effective.

Note that if you run from an encounter, the computer will actually run
you across the map you are on for several moves...if you return to the
scene of your defeat, don't be surprised if you run into the same enemies
again. Just because you turned tail doesn't mean the bad guys are going
to pack it in!



GETTING AROUND
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The computer simulates the perspective view available to your characters.
Think of the computer as a window to the world of DRAGON WARS. Check
your reference card for specifics on how to navigate around the world.

If you lose track of where you are, or start to develop a dangerous case
of tunnel vision, try using the automap feature. (See your reference card
for how to invoke automap.) You'll call up a top-down vies of your
character's present position, showing exactly where you are in relation
to the local terrain. Black areas on the map represent areas you haven't
explored yet - you must actually move through a square with your party
to fill it in on the automap. Black areas that you cannot reach may
indicate secret adventure areas worthy of further investigation. Then
again, they may be solid rock.

Speaking of secret stuff, you'll find plenty of it in the game. Secret
doors are indistinguishable from normal walls...until you walk through them.
Clever use of the automap may reveal where secret doors "should" be.
You'll know a locked door when you bump into it - try battering the
door down with strength, or maybe use your lockpick skill. The game
also features exotic and rare one-way doors, teleporters, spinners,
and...well, find out for yourself.



PARAGRAPHS EXPLAINED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Frequently you will be instructed by the computer to read a certain
numbered paragraph. The paragraphs are printed in the paragraph text
section of this manual, and supplement the briefer on-line text present
in the program. Paragraphs frequently elaborate on the information
provided by the computer, but are an important source of clues and
are not to be overlooked.

You'll greatly increase your enjoyment of the game by only reading those
paragraphs to which you are specifically referred by the game. "Reading
ahead" could spoil some of the surprises that await you in DRAGON WARS.
Don't try to read the paragraphs consecutively, as they are printed out
of order and will prove confusing.

Ultimately, you put down your hard earned cash for this game, and you can
of course do what you damn well please with the paragraphs. However,
should you use the paragraphs as a free "cheat book", beware the wrath
of Namtar...and be advised certain paragraphs are pure ya-ya that will
do nothing to improve your performance in the game. In fact, acting on
ill-gotten information could prove hazardous to your health. You have
been warned.


ITEMS
~~~~~

Almost as important as your attributes, spells, and skills are the items
you will discover during your quest. An item is anything you can pick up.
A very few items are worthless, but everything else you find, buy or steal
in DRAGON WARS could be important to completing the game.

Simple items are things like weapons (used to do mayhem to the bad guys)
and armor (used to prevent the bad guys from doing the same to you).
Magic armor and weapons can also be found in Dilmun - and there are no
cursed magic items. Certain weapons could actually decrease your AV, but
this means they're harder to use, not that they are imbued with evil magic.
As Muskels the Barbarian said of his Crush Mace, "Yeah, it was harder to
swing, but boy did it crack skulls!"

The use of many items may not be immediately obvious. Sometimes you will
need to discover secret knowledge or clues to determine what to do with
an item. Other times an item may be useful only in some part of the world
you have not discovered. Keep track of the items your party carries, and
try to use them in novel ways. The secret to item use is to consider all
the things an item can do...if you find a key, it is probably used to open
a lock. If you haven't yet found a lock, remember you have a key, and
keep your eyes open for locked doors or chests as you explore. No
character can carry more than twelve items.

IMPORTANT: If you "discard" an item, it is gone forever...and along with
it may go your only hope of solving the game, so manage your items
carefully.

The various stores in Dilmun can only keep certain mundane, plentiful
items in stock; there is high demand for the unusual. If you find unique
items during your adventure and sell them to a store, they will be sold
to other adventurers, and you cannot buy them back.

To use an item, follow your reference card's instructions on the "Use"
command, and follow the menus. Select the item you want to use and give
it a try. The worst that will happen is you'll look silly, and most of
the time no one is looking anyway. Actually, that's not exactly true.
Some magic items have limited uses. Once you've shot up an items's
charges it usually cannot be recharged, so a certain amount of resource
management should be applied to item use.



A FINAL NOTE
~~~~~~~~~~~~

DRAGON WARS is as much a story as a game. To complete your quest you
must pay careful attention to your environment, and realize you are in
the middle of a fully-developed fantasy world. Very little happens in
this game without a reason. Take note of details, consider what
motivates your enemy, and keep your eyes open. Finally, don't be
afraid to take control of your own life. You are the hero of this
saga, and without you there is no adventure.

Good luck.


HOLIDAY GUIDE TO OCEANA AND DILMUN,
THE LAND WHERE THE SUN SETS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Dilmun" is the name used to refer to the group of islands where the
Dragon Wars adventure is set. Collectively, Dilmun is viewed by the residents
of the planet of Oceana as a place of salvation and retirement. Under
Namtar's fould rule, this formerly fair land has been twisted into a place of
ruin and death. In better times, the Navigational Guild compiled this map of
Dilmun for the benefit of Pilgrims.

��Well, there is a map here and I do not like to do ansi shit. I will try to
do some of it but forgive my crudeness at it since I did this whole fucking
thing for you!

Kingshome _______________
_________________________ ____ | |
\ �Byzanople \_____/� | \ /
/ | | |
|Kings Island ______________/ | /
| | _____ / Rustic |
| \ \ \ | \
/ | \ \ \___ \__
����������������������� \�___\ \__________|
Nisir

______ ____
/ � | | \
| Lansk \ \�___|
______________/ \_________________ Necropolis
/ \
/�Phoebus \���������������������\ \
/ \ | \
|Isle of the Sun \ | Quag \
/ ___________ ___| \ \
/ | | | \ � |
| | | | \Mud Toad \
������ / �����������������\ ����������
/ �|���| Forlorn \
/Purgatory| |
| | \______Ruins�|
| \
|_______\

Legend: the symbol � is used to indicate the location of a city
The areas inside the "lines" are islands and those out of the
lines are meant to be the seas/oceans/whatever.
End.........
============================================================================

DRAGON WARS PARAGRAPHS

And, kids, please remeber this:

"Streams, once fresh, were centers of life for so many a creature
"Beauty without a defense, polluted, never to replenish
"Smudge as toxic pollutants destroy Gaia's remaining rights
"The power of corporations, spewing chemicals into the air
"Fines are imposed to discourage, but what's a dime to a millionaire?
"The one that gave us life is being burned to the raw
"Reaping unprotedted riches, human nature's self-destructing flaw
"It's time to listen, and see the signs
"It's time to listen and hear her cries!"



The following are the paragraphs that the game refers to when it says
"read paragraph #". The numbers on the left of each set of the paragraphs
below are the numbers that are refered to as mentioned above.


1) In this dark chamber are warehoused several sculptures of decidedly
inferior quality. Mostly, they are crude attempts at busts, or full-figure
nudes of decidedly pornographic intent. Whoever produced these disasters, it
could not have been the same artist that created the rest of the artwork that
you've seen on the estate.

2) Renewed by the fruit of your sacrifice, the vampire lord emerges from his
tomb. "You have awakened me, and for this I am in your debt," he lisps. "Do
not presume tp cpmmade me, however. You have not obtained the Silver Wheel,
and until you do so, my soul is my own!"

The Lord of the Undead vainshes, leaving behind only an oily cloud of smoke,
and the bucket of deep-fried jumbo shrimp. Back to the drawing board.

3) This is a shrine to dark lady Irkalla, queen of Magan, the underworld of
Oceana. Of all the structures in this area this is the best preserved. Simple
offerings of weeds and rocks lay before Irkalla, indicating that some
residents of this world still worship the dark queen.

Irkalla's image is blasted from bronze. She seems serene and confident,
with a terrible sort of beauty lurking in her fierce countenance. The black
pits of her eyes stare at you without emotion. Here is a deity to be
feared-perhaps even to be loved.

4) You stand before the gate to Purgatoy's great public arena. Bloodthirsty
of the Dilmun interior come here to enjoy the spectacle of outlander scum,
such as yourselves, fighting to the death on the floor of the arena.

A guard swaggers up to you. He is clad in the trappings of authority--
fine armor, a weather beaten harness, well-oiled weapons. "Oy there, you
filthy street scum," the guard growls. "You look fit enough to hold a
weapon. Why not haul your butt into the arena and make yourself useful?"
Why fight for another man's pleasure when life in Purgatory is a daily
struggle for survival? You're about to turn away when the guard lays a
heavy hand on your shoulders and adds, "You'll get your choice of arms...and
if you defeat your foe, which I doubt, you might win Papers of Citizenship.
Namtar help me--heathen dogs like you living in Dilmun! I don't like it, but
the law is the law."

5) With distaste you discover the source of the foul odor. Before you is a
low structure, not so much a building as an odd series of stone slabs
leaning against one another. Some ancient stonesman identified this place with
a legend carved into the rock: "Morgue". A more recent hand has added its own
opinion: "The way out, chumps!"

The stench of the dead is overpowering, but sensing that there is something
important about this place, you hang around on the fringes and observe the
routine. Sallow work gangs of malnourished slaves, themsleves more dead than
alive, slowly carry corpses from the building and stack them in sloppy piles.
You dimly wonder what crime or heresy landed these poor souls a job as
slaves in a city of criminals.

From time to time additional corpses are brought here by the more tidy
citizens of Purgatory. These are deposited in the house or stacked in the
piles without seeming purpose. After a time, several of the slaves bundle
one or more corpses into a crude canvas sack and hurl the bundle over the
wall. Distantly, you think that you hear a splash. You judge you're near the
harbour wall--are the dead of Purgatory hurled into the waters of the city's
harbor?

It occurs to you a living man could lay with the dead, and journey with them
in a sack over the wall and to freedom in the harbour beyond. How far do the
sacks of the corpses fall? Are they really tossed into the harbor, or do they
tumble into a well? Could you escape from a bag of cadavers before it sank to
the bottom of the sea, maybe forever mired in muck and weeds? Perhaps the
overpowering smell of this place is starting to get to you. Or perhaps this
is your ticket out.

6) Here you find a simple wilderness shrine, tended by a lonely druid. He
welcomes you to his temple, saying the place of worship is open to all.

The shrine is earthy and natural. The walls seem rooted in the depths of
the earth, the rock seems alive with animal spirit, the very air is crisp
and sweet. You see that the patron deity of this shrine is the man-animal
Enkidu. "He is the god of beast-men and man-beasts," the druid explains.
"He respects only the strong and pure, to whom he will grant a powerful
boon. Before Namtar's purge, the god was in residence in this forest, where
he presided over a vast druid colony. Now Enkidu is gone, the brotherhood
is broken, and knowledge of our magic is lost."

7) You secure yourself in a bag full of only slightly stinking corpses and
wait patiently. Someone sews the bag up as you lie motionless. Alter some
moments, you hear a throaty voice call, "Oy, yew! Run yer sword throo them
bogs, thar! You `membar wot hopp'nd last week! We don't wont any mar escayps
now, do we?" You are bound and helpless!

8) A great cry of joy goes up as you debase yourself. In a city of
criminals, what shame is there in going native? Just to make you feel at
home, the beggars beat you steadily for a week. Properly inttiated into
the world of mendacity, you eventually are set free to wander the streets
of Purgatory, better understanding if not entirely fond of the city's
lowest class of citizens.

9) A statue of Namtar, the Beast From The Pit, dominates this dirty city
square. You carefully examine the statue, trying to memorize the features
of the villain who exiled you to Purgatory. You struggle in vain. The
citizens of Purgatory, themselves no less fond of Namtar, have taken it out
on his image-the nose is broken, limbs are chipped, and the mouth is
deformed beyond all recognition.

As you watch, a wild beggar spits on the statue. "Filthy face of stone!,"
she mumbles. "Layed down with lizards he did, that stone face lies as much
as he!" The poor mad creature wanders off, still spitting and mumbling,
leading you to wonder if a similar fate awaits you in the months to come.

10) This back-alley building is in remarkably good repair. Curious, you
enter, and recognize the interior of a modestly-appointed magic shop. A
wizened gnome of a man springs from behind the counter and scurries up to
you. "Mercy, mercy me...customers! Bless me, customers at last!"

The old man is insane but friendly. He explains all high magic has been
outlawed by order of Namtar, hut instruction in the low arts is still
permitted in isolated regions. He is eager to teach you what he knows,
and will in fact refuse a fee, preferring to teach for the simple joy of
it. Unfortunately, the old man knows little useful magic.

11) Try as you might, you just can't get your nose to remain on your face.
That Namtar sure has an odd sense of humor.

12) Just ahead you see a bridge. The bridge is covered and armored doors
bar the way across. The bridge appears to be the only way to cross the
water and reach the land beyond. A pack of guards lounge before the
entrance to the bridge. As you appear, they snap to attention. A guard
with a narrow forehead and small eyes approaches you.

13) You're in the middle of the bridge. Although the bridge is covered,
you can hear water rushing beneath you. It is astonishingly loud.

The bridge is longer than it appeared from the outside. You recognize now
that even a good swimmer would find it impossible to swim from one island
to the next. This bridge is the only way across.

14) Your knowledge of city lore serves you well. This place isn't so much
a city as a prison. The streets are unpaved and evidently double as an
open-air sewer system. Many of the city's structures are buildings only in
the loosest sense of the word-several have holes in the roof (or no roof
at all), others have been gutted by fire. Everything is damp, showing this
city is little different from any other on Oceana...the rising sea level
is eroding the land upon which the city is located, and it is slowly
sinking. Doubtless those buildings that have basements will be at least
hip-deep in water. Graffiti is scrawled on walls everywhere, generally
curses directed at Namtar and crude pornographic renderings of all the
species of Oceana. In all, Purgatory is an ugly place you would do well
to leave as soon as possible.

15) The guards retire a few steps and converse in low tones when you show
them the ring. One of them approaches nervously. "We're King's men, you
know. We don't want any trouble." He shuffles his feet and won't look you
in the eye. `We just went along with...with everyone else. You have seen
the King?" He frowns when you answer. "That ring means you're on King's
business, so you can pass...but if anyone asks, we never saw you.
Understand?"

You pass into the city. The guards still won't look you in the eye.

16) Before you is a tumble-down collection of huts. A group of ill-clad
unfortunates are gathered around a fire. They see you approach and rush to
your side. "We saw you swim aeross the bay", says a toothless man who seems
to lead the group. "Any enemy of Purgatory is a friend of ours. C'mon in
and sit by the fire."

17) This is the temple of the Yellow Mud Toad, dedicated to the patron
beast of this city. The temple is a run down and depressing as the rest of
the city. The center of the temple is dominated by a huge statue of the
Yellow Mud Toad, sunk fully a third of its height into the muddy floor of
he building. "Iiverything sinks these days," a priest of the temple
complains. "This whole city must he built on a lake. We'll all sink away
to nothing if this keeps up!"

18) The camp is deserted. Apparently everyone who lived here was slain in
your recent battle. You notice signs of habitation, but whoever lived here
was dirt poor. It's unlikely you'll find anything of worth in the camp.
Glancing back at the pile of bodies left in your wake, and then at the
bucolic scene of the camp, you sense there was probably a better way of
handling this situation. The man who confronted you seemed a lot like
yourself. Maybe he mistook you for authority from Purgatory, and only
sought to defend himself. This was probably a time for words, rather than
swords.

19) Alter about an hour, the sick man's fever breaks. He props himself up
on one elbow and smiles. "I was dreaming," he says in a weak voice. "I
imagined I floated on a vast black pool far beneath the earth. I think
it was in the Underworld. I saw a goddess bound in chains. She was stranded
on an island guarded by monsters." He laughs. "I guess I had a fever."

The man tries to stand up but finds he's still weak. You help him sit up.
"My name is Ulm," he says. "I guess I have you to thank for breaking my
fever. The guards at the bridge beat me up, and I just can't seem to
bounce back." Intrigued, you encourage Ulm to continue. "I escaped from
Purgatory through a secret door in the wall. I tried to cross the bridge
north of the city, but I didn't have the right papers, and the guards beat
me. I've been coughing blood ever since."

Ulm's eyelids begin to droop, and in minutes he's asleep again. A moment
later his body stiffens, and Ulm dies. At least his final moments were
pleasant ones.

20) In the center of the ruined tower that occupies the heart of this city,
you find a dais and what's left of a statue. The dais stands about four
feet high, and, from the looks of things, appears to have been placed
here since the tower was destroyed. A plaque on the dais reads, `This
plaque marks the original location of Lanac'toor's Tower and Magic Academy.
This statue commemorates his feats." There used to be a statue atop the
dais, but it has been removed, leaving only Lanac'toor's swollen feet
behind. The statue appears to have broken off clean at the ankles.

21) You pick your way through the ruins and come upon a spy post maintained
by the defenders of Byzanople. Several soldiers are gathered here. They
are gaunt from months of isolation~ou surmise that if the city does not
fall by assault, it will soon succumb from hunger. The soldiers are led by
a woman warrior dressed in white and red. As yet, you remain unobserved.

22) This shack has been set up as a universal shrine for Dilmun's many
religions. A priest welcomes you and escorts you around the shrine. The
majority of the shrine is devoted to Irkalla, the Queen of the Underworld,
and her consort Nergal. The priest explains worsbip of Underworld gods
always spreads during times of strife, perhaps because people come to
view their own world as an extension of hell. Also represented is the
man-animal Enkidu, patron of the Druids, and the obscene Refeek, god of
things better left unsaid.

The priest lets you worship or observe as you see fit, neither condemning
nor encouraging your actions. "These are hard times," he says, "you had
better pray to them all. We can use all the help we can get."

23) You intently scrutinize the murals for several minutes, and are able
to arrive at a few broad conclusions. It seems this city square was used
to confine a dragon. You remember a legend of the cities of Dilmun holding
dragons captive as defense against their neighbors. The murals depict
blood sacrifice and obtuse ceremony being used to pacify the dragon. In
one of the ceremonies, a priest is depicted aiming a short metal rod at
a dragon, seemingly holding the beast under his sway. There is no
rendering of the dragon in action. It seems the dragon demanded a terrible
price for a purely defensive weapon. Furthermore, the ruins surrounding
this square offer mute testimony to the effectiveness of a dragon for city
defense.

24) You board the ship as soon as the last of the pirates drops dead, eager
to see what it was the thieves were so determined to defend. You see the
ship's name is the PRAIRIE MADNESS, and that it seems to be fitted out for
fast raiding missions. There isn't much of a cargo hold, so the ship won't
serve for long journeys, but it looks very fast and dangerous.

25) "Welcome to Phoebus, City of the Sun!" chirps an odd mechanical voice.
You stop in your tracks, trying to identify the source of the voice. Alter
a few moments, you hear the message again, and determine it is coming from
a raised stone dais and plaque directly in your path. Evidently the message
is activated by your presence. "Welcome to Phoebus, City of the Sun!" the
voice says again, this time a little slower than before. You examine the
plaque and see it is a a map of the city. "Welllcoooome tooo Phoeeeeebussss,
Ciiiityyy offff theeeee Sunnnnnnnn..." the voice intones, now perilously
slow. Something's wrong with the device. A mechanical hand protrudes from
the dais, frantically trying to shake your hand, but there's no way you're
getting near it. Two stern looking gentlemen dressed all in black stare at
you, making you nervous. Committing the details of the map to memory, you
hurry away from the silly device.

"Wellllllllllllllcooooooooooommmmmeeeeee...!"

26) The walls of this city are of bright marble that seem to glow with an
inner light. The streets are paved and clean, and there is no sign of
poverty or disorder. The horse carts run on time. You can't shake the
feeling something is about to go tragically wrong.

27) You at last stand before the Sword of Freedom. The hilt of the fabled
blade is just inches from your grasp. A hush comes over the city of
Freeport. The furiously boiling waters previously surrounding this isle
have subsided. You look up and see the citizens of Freeport have gathered
all around the harbor, waiting to see what you will do next. Some of the
citizens appear happy, others are proud, many just wear blank stares. One
large man stands silent, but tears roll down his cheeks.

You smell a faint scent of ozone. Somewhere, a baby cries.

28) Two officers occupy this building, evidently associated with the
military force drilling on the parade grounds outside. The officers
quickly shuffle aside the dice game they were playing when you entered,
and snap to attention. They relax when they see who you are, and you
sense a change in their attitude.

The elder of the two officers gives you a close inspection. "Such a fine
lot of patriotic types," he says. "It's about time someone from this feeble
little burg enlisted in the army! Welcome to the service of King Drake.
Hail Namtar!"

29) Perilously weakened from your long journey through the swamp, you at
last enter the City of the Yellow Mud Toad. The walls here are sagging
and brown with grime. The city smells almost as bad as the swamp that
surrounds it. Still pools of foul water and puddles of bubbling mud clog
the streets. The people of this city shuffle about on their tasks,
letting your greetings go unheeded and refusing to look you in the eye.

30) Sheltered at the base of the ruined city wall you find a funky little
souvenir shop. A sign in the window identifies the place as "Your
Lanac'toor memorabilia shop!" Intrigued, you enter. An unseen bell chimes
an offensively sour note as you swing open the door to the shop. Inside you
find a remarkable selection of Lanac'toor souvenirs. Images of the mad
sorcerer are inscribed on mugs, bowls, plates, bookends, trophies, boxes,
candles, and lanterns. Lanac'toor grinning face or family crest is
embroidered on hats, ties, underwear, capes, and belts...a store clerk
even offers to personalize any item you select, sewing or engraving your
name on your purchase. A very small portion of the shop is given over to
items nrelated to Lanac'toor. Most of it seems like junkbits of masonry
from the city wall, tiny images of the Yellow Mud Toad, and odd scraps
of metal. You are amazed by the single-minded devotion this shop shows
to an historical figure so insignificant outside the walls of the City
of the Yellow Mud Toad.

31) On the far distant horizon you spot the menacing shape of a black sail.
It seems these sea lanes are patrolled by pirates and other scurvy beasts.
The enemy ship is down-wind from yoult is only a matter of time before you
are caught!

32) Huddled in the shelter of the city's ill-repaired wall you find a
militia of wild-eyed men. "Is the war over?" one of them asks. "Does
Lanac'toor live?" wonders another.

You are able to piece together something of the history of this place.
The patron of the City of the Yellow Mud Toad was a wizard named Lanac'toor.
He occupied a tower that formerly stood in the center of town. Lanac'toor
quarreled with Namtar when a general ban on magic was announced, and war
broke out between the City of the Yellow Mud Toad and Namtar's city of
Kingshome. As soon as the war began it was over. Kingshome legions summoned
a dragon from the swamp to shatter the walls of the City of the Yellow Mud
Toad. Lanac'toor's tower was destroyed and the wizard himself was turned to
stone.

After Lanac'toor was killed, the enemy army withdrew, apparently
unconcerned with the fate of the City of the Yellow Mud Toad. The citizens
of the city are convinced the worst is yet to come, and thus maintain a
feeble city militia as defense. It seems unlikely the city has anything
worth defending. The men of the militia mutter to themselves as you leave.

33) Ahead you see the walled city of Byzanople. The tattered banner of
Byzanople still flies above the city's unbreached walls. The approaches to
the city are occupied by the army of Kingshome. The besieging army is
spread across the countryside, indicating it has been several months since
Byzanople was invaded.

As you approach, several heavily armored soldiers launch an assault on
the city. They scramble over rubble and rush the city's gate, waving their
weapons and shouting war cries. A hail of arrows, stones, and boiling oil
descends upon the attackers wherever they stray too near the wall. The
defenders make short work of the Kingshomer assault, and fewer than one in
ten of the soldiers launching the assault make it back to their camp.

34) A rough pile of rubble marks the perimeter of the Kingshome advance
siege camp. The cyclopean walls of Byzanople are just a few yards away. A
twisted path leads through the rubble toward the gates of the city. The
path passes beneath the walls of the city, forming a savage killing ground.
The path is littered with broken arrow shafts, debris, and the bodies of
others who have tried to take this city by storm.

35) This massive central structure dominates the city of Lansk. Unlike the
walls that surround this city, this structure is fortified and prepared for
war. Armed Lansk guards patrol the battlements, looking stem and ill
humored. Written wamings in a variety of languages advise passers-by to
keep their distance. And not without reason, for within the structure,
visible through a thick glass panel, you see a dragon. The beast is huge,
completely filling the fortress that is its home. It must weigh at least
eighty tons. The dragon is asleep, but no less fearsome for all of that.

A plaque explains the dragon is maintained by the city as its primary
means of defense. Should disaster ever threaten the city, you read, the
dragon will be set free, destroying both the city and the army that would
conquer it. The dragon is maintained by expensive blood
sacrifice--primarily by hurling criminals into the dragonbunker.

The dragon is impressive, but you feel vaguely disappointed. This isn't
a fearsome flying saurian; it's an overfed monster sitting in a cage.

36) You alert the warriors to your presence. The soldiers are startled when
you speak, and when they turn you see they are pale with fright. They
realize you could have killed them before they knew you were there. The
soldiers regard you nervously as the woman in red and white approaches.

"You're the infiltrators the Kingshomers sent from their camp," she says.
"I see you are surprised-my city might be losing this war, but we're not
without our resources."

The woman shakes your hand as she introduces herself. "My name is
Princess Myrilla," she says. "If you meant us harm you would have attacked
us from behind. You don't look like Kingshomers; I choose to trust you."
Myrilla barks some orders to her men in a language you don't understand.
Turning back to you, she continues, "Follow me. My brother will want to
speak with you."

Myrilla leads you through a secret passage into the heart of Byzanople.
It's odd this girl has so abruptly taken you into her confidence. You
decide to play along...if she can't make you a better offer than the
Kingshomers, this is certainly an easier way into the city than storming
the gate.

37) Several squat figures surround the entrance to a tunnel leading under
the walls of Byzanople. A wooden palisade shields the tunnel entrance from
the eyes and weapons of the city's defenders. You recognize the figures as
siege engineers, and surmise they are attempting to undermine Byzanople's
walls.

A short and powerful man covered with mud and sweat emerges from the
tunnel. "I think we're through," he says. We had to find our way through a
patch of granite, but I think we've come up against a cistern or basement
wall." He looks at you expectantly. "All we need now is a pack of brave
idiots to try the tunnel, find their way into the city, and open the gate
for us."

38) Using your magic spell, you watch in wonder as color flows back into the
frozen dwarves. The chamber is filled with a noise uncomfortably like the
popping of popcorn as the dwarves return to life, their joints made stiff
from ages of disuse. Before long, the entire clan is restored to life.
The dwarves give you the once-over.

39) You find a hidden cove. There's a dock house by the water, and beside
it you can see several small ships tied up to the dock. You must pass
through the dock house to get to the boats. To your right is a small
wayside shrine to some divinity or another. The cove is very quiet, aside
from the lapping of the waves and the rhythmic creaking of the boats tugging
at their ropes. It's hard to tell if this place is inhabited or not.

40) A wave of fetid humidity strikes you like a slap in the face when you
open the door to this room. This place must be under an enchantment.
Within the room is exactly reproduced a hot and swampy environment not
unlike the Isle of Quag. The floor is a deep and bubbling mud bog,
wide-leaf palms grow here and there, and in the underbrush you think you
see small reptiles warming themselves on hot rocks. A most unusual sight
to find in a dungeon....all the comforts of home (if you're a reptile).

41) The pirates are friendly enough when you pay them their gold. They
offer you a seat and serve you a brutal meal of calamari and grog. "My
name's Long John Ugly," the leader identifies himself. "And this here is
my gal, Peg." Ugly's girl has two peg legs and no teeth, but she's by far
the most presentable member of this motley crew.

You converse with Ugly and his band for several hours. Ugly used to be a
sailor in the Tarsian navy. He explains Tars was a minor city on the isle
of Forlorn, and that it was reduced to ruins in the early days of the war
with Kingshome. "These ain't good times to be a sailor, me bucko," Ugly
growls, becoming increasingly maudlin as the grog does its work. "Namtar
don't want folks sailing about from one island to the other. Too hard to
keep people in their place that way!".

You learn Ugly's band has scratched out a living raiding along the coast,
but pickings are slim. You also guess they do a bit of smuggling. Ugly is
hesitant to take you out in his boat, saying the weather is wrong and the
seas are too dangerous lately. When you remind him of the gold you paid,
Ugly smiles and Peg shrieks with laughter.

"I didn't figure that gold covered the cost of a passage, mate!" Ugly
laughs. "That was just a fee for this fine repast and for not gettin' yer
throats slit." Peg whispers something in Ugly's ear. "But Peg likes ya,
and I'm in a charitable mood, so I'll do ya a favor. Seein' as how ya
should be dead anyway, I'm willin' to ferry ya over to the Necropolis.
There's plenty of loot to be had in that place, which should suit you folks
just fine." Ugly gestures over his shoulder and points toward the south
wall. "The dock's on the other side of the south door. I'll meet ya out
there in a minute." Ugly looks you straight in the eye as he concludes, "And
I do mean the south door. You'll do as yer told if you've got any sense."

42) In this dusty and disused chamber you find what was formerly the throne
of King Drake of Kingshome, the mightiest ruler of Dilmun. The throne is
heaped in the corner and in poor repair. Carelessly tossed behind the throne
you find Drake's ceremonial crown. Maybe it will be worth something, if
there is ever a true king in Kingshome.

43) You sail through most of a day and night through thick fog. There is no
moon, and the going is slow and treacherous. Several times you think you
glimpse phantoms in the fog, or hear strange beasts bumping against the
hull of your vessel. Just when you think you may never reach your
destination, an island looms out of the murk.

The island is an irregular mass of black stone, covered in moss and green
slime. Ruins of impossibly ancient design are just visible in the center of
the island. Luminous eyes peer at you from dark hollows and forbidding bogs
nestled along the coastline.

44) The magic paint works as advertised. Now covered with the mystic colors,
the formerly ruined walls of the City of the Yellow Mud Toad stand tall and
strong. You hope strong walls will be enough to hold off the growing terror
you know lurks in the swamps, just a few feet away.

45) The sail to Freeport is a long one, and your supplies are barely enough
to last the voyage. You sail east and away from the majority of the Dilmun
islands, headed into previously unknown waters. Once free from the war-torn
islands of the Dilmun interior, you are able to enjoy the natural beauty of
the maritime world of Oceana.

Presently you come in sight of a glistening modem harbor sheltered in a
strange coast. Your charts indicate this is Freeport, and anchor your ship
at a dock.

46) Your journey takes you to the frontier known as the ll?astern Isles.
This area is unclaimed by any nation, and you experience no encounters with
hostile maritime forces.

The Iiastern Isles have a rustic quality lacking in the Dilmun Interior.
Here things are unfinished and wild, and seem untouched by the corruption
of the Interior. This region is the closest thing you've seen to the
paradise you expected to find when you arrived in Purgatory, many months
ago.

Presently you spot what seems to be a ruined city, half-submerged in the
sea. You find a place to land your craft on a stretch of sand southeast of
the ruins.

47) Near the bridge you find a run-down building. A sign above the door
identifies the place as the `Official Quag Visitors Information Bureau'.
The building is every bit as run-down on the inside as out.

An ugly little woman with a cluster of purple-eyes enthusiastically
greets you. "Welcome to Quag, Isle of Luxury!" she says. `I'm so glad
you're here. We don't get so much business since the war." You learn that
Quag's only city-the City of the Yellow Mud Toad-is sinking into the swamp
and the priests of the Yellow Mud Toad are powerless to stop it. "But it's
really quite safe for travellers," the woman is hasty to add. "Quag remains
an isle of wonders, and many still dream of taking the vapors!"

You judge the woman quite mad. Saying goodbye, you depart.

48) A wall of rock stands athwart your path. Massive bronze doors guard a
way through the rock; fearsome beasts guard the way to the door.

Two creatures guard the way through the rock. They are half scorpion
and half dragon, but in some ways they look like men. Their eyes glow with
balesome fury. They glow with an inner light, bathing the ground at their
feet in glory. They appear to be a man and a woman, and thus doubly
dangerous for the bond they must share.

49) Alter a few hours of cautious work, you're able to lash an appropriate
rock to the broken pick handle with the laces you received from the dying
man. Tlie result is a serviceable if makeshift hammer. The hammer probably
isn't worth much as a weapon, but it might hold up long enough to break the
chains that bind you.

50) The door closed behind you with an ominous sound evoking the finality
of the tomb. The door and wall from the bridge must have been sound proofed,
for no sooner do you emerge from the bridge than a mad chorus of howls
assails your ears. Insane screaming seems to spring from every direction,
although you cannot see the source of the noise. It's enough to drive a
person mad!

51) You walk beside a clean and stylish harbor. Although you are near the
sea, this place has none of the stink associated with Oceana's coastal
places...either Freeport is not sinking, or the port is engineered such
that seepage is not the problem here that it is elsewhere in the world.

The construction here is simple but attractive. There's rustic feeling
associated with the unfinished wood railings, foliage, and crisp scent to
the air. The people of this place are dressed in effective leather and
cloth, and seem healthy and energetic. Everyone is armed, and you judge
the citizens of this place know how to defend themselves. You are greeted
warmly as you approach, but the citizens of Freeport do not tarry to speak.
Everyone seems engaged in a mission of great industry.

52) To the south is a little island in the harbor. Standing in the center
of the island is an anvil; plunged to the hilt within the anvil is a
brilliantly gleaming magic sword. There seems no way to the island...the
water here seethes and boils with magical energy. It doesn't take much
imagination to surmise a swim to the island would be fatal.

A Freeport citizen notices your interest in the island. "That is the
Sword of Freedom," he says. "Many years ago, the great hero Roba delivered
it from the Underworld. Alter many years of adventuring, Roba retired here
and founded our city. Shortly before his death, Roba built this magical
island to protect his sword."

The citizen is silent for a moment before continuing. "Legend says that so
long as the sword remains in the anvil, no harm can come to Freeport,
"he says. "At the same time, Roba warned a time would come of great strife
on Oceana. He said a champion would appear one day to claim the sword. He
who wields the Sword of Freedom will quell the strife in Oceana, but at the
same time will doom our city. Such is the sacrifice we must someday make."

The citizen wishes you well and leaves. The Sword of Freedom is just out
of your reach. It seems to taunt you. How to get it? How to get it...?

53) In this cell you find a weak young man dressed in soiled motley. "Good
evening ladies and germs, it's good to be back at the palace," he says as
you enter his cell. "A funny thing happened to me on the way to the
dungeon." The poor man was obviously a court jester. "I ran into Sir Loin
of Pork this afternoon-he said he was about to become Baron of Greymatter."
This guyireally stinks. If wiser men than you consigned this man to the
dungeons, who are you to set him free. "I got a million of `em," the jester
says, seeming to notice you for the first time and perking up considerably.
This confirms your worst fears, and you slam and lock the cell door.
"Cancel the Renaissance-it looks like a reign of terror!" comes the muffled
voice from behind the door.

Even Namtar has a good idea now and then.

54) "Thanks for putting me back together-I feel swell!" Lanac'toor grins.
"I was a little nervous when you put my arms on backwards, but I guess
I'll get used to it. Having my elbows bend the wrong way will make it
easier for me to scratch my back!"

55) A yawning chasm stretches before you. A violent gust of hot wind
rises from the chasm...the void must reach to the very roots of the world,
below even the Underworld. Out of the chasm, starting an unknowable
distance beneath you and stretching as far as the eye can see, you view a
vomitous mass of irregular black stone. The tower stands piled atop itself
and is at once designed and chaotic...from one angle it looks like a
sorcerer's stronghold, while from another it seems like the exposed spine
of a fantastic beast. Perhaps it is not really there at all. More likely it
exists in more than one dimension at the same time, and is thus difficult
to see in its entirety.

One thing is certain...this tower has nothing to do with god, or salvation,
or pilgrims. This is a tower of Evil. This is the Tower of Namtar!

56) A tall and powerfully built man with a greeiiish complexion greets you
when you enter the building. "I am Tarkas, first citizen of Tars," he says.
You learn that he and his fellow officers fled here to Freeport when their
home city of Tars was destroyed by the legions of Kingshome. Tars was
previously the foremost city of the Isle of Forelorn. Now Tars is a sad ruin,
while Purgatory passes for the isle's only city. If you explore the ruins of
Tars, Tarkas says, be sure to seek the hidden chambers beneath the city-they
might still contain fabulous treasures.

Tarkas is bitter when he recalls the ruin of his city. "We were betrayed,"
he says. "We relied on our dragon to defend us. We didn't dream Kingshome
would be so bold to assault us when our dragon was healthy and awake. When
they lay siege to our city, we released our dragon...and the beast did
nothing! A hundred years of blood sacrifice to that terrible dragon, and
what good did it do us in our hour of need?"

Tarkas grows animated as he speaks, accidentally smashing a table as he
excitedly flails his arms. "I tell you, Namtar found a way to usurp control
of our dragon! Since Namtar rose Kingshome against all of Dilmun, dragons
have all but vanished! Namtar controls them somehow...but no man can
control the saurians without paying a terrible price. If someone could
learn what he's done with the dragons-and learn how to wrest their control
from Namtar...then Kingshome would learn a thing or two!!"

57) This simple hall serves as the community meeting place for the citizens
of Freeport. You are greeted by minor city officials who welcome you to
their town and eagerly ask you for information of the war in Dilmun.
"These are dark days," the official says. "Soon Kingshome will control all
of Dilmun, then Namtar will cast his evil gaze toward the Eastern Isle and
our fair city."

The official scratches his head. "It's odd," he says. "My father was an
advisor to the court of King Drake at Kingshome. He said Drake was a
peaceful old man. His son, Jordan of Byzanople, was a regular firebrand...
but not Drake. Why suddenly make war on his neighbors? It doesn't make any
sense...Namtar must have poisoned him." The official shrugs. "I wonder if
something's happened to him. King Drake hadn't been seen in public for
over a year when I was last in Phoebus, and that was some time ago. Maybe
something happened to him."

58) Alter a long wait, you shuffle onto the block with a host of other
unfortunates. You are in better shape than the poor wretches that surround
you, and your group is instantly the subject of spirited bidding. You
shudder as you are sold to a man with a fat neck for more gold than you are
likely to see in a lifetime.

You are led away from the slave auction and linked one to another by a
continuous sequence of chains and collars. Presently your new master
appears and introduces himself. "I am Master Mog," he says. "From this
moment on, I am your mother, I am your father, I am your God, I am your
world. I am Mog-Mog is All. Abandon all hope of freedom. You are my
property, to do with as I please."

Mog leaves you to the hands of his slave bosses, who spend the next
several weeks attempting to break your spirit. During this time you are
loaded aboard a painfully slow cog and sail to Master Mog's estate. You
are afforded a brief glimpse of Mog's luxurious palace before you are
led beneath the earth and introduced to Mog's salt mines.

Then begins a mind-numbing series of repetitious chores. You are not
permitted to leave the mines. You work, sleep, and eat in the same series
of identical tunnels, never permitted to see the sun.

59) You are admitted to the camp and immediately pressed into service. The
army makes no attempt to provision or train yoult's evident they consider
you a band of cutthroats, and that they like you just the way you are.

You are billeted in a siege camp located a few miles south of the walled
city of Byzanople, which for months has stubbornly resisted the
enlightenment of joining the unified Kingshomer Empire under Namtar and King
Drake. The besieging Kingshomer army is preparing to take the city by storm.
You are to be among the waves of unfortunates they wish to send over the
wall. You may not take kindly to this idea, but there are many more of them
than there are of you, and this is no opportunity to desert.

60) These cramped quarters serve as home for Mog's unfortunate slaves. Men
sleep fitfully on the cold rock floor, encumbered by the stout chains that
bind them one to another. An examination of your companions proves your
chains will never be removed-some of the sleeping men are still chained to
companions who have long since passed away.

61) The dying man gratefully gulps water from your cup. "You are angels," he
says. "I want to die, but not alone, and certainly not thirsty!" The man
wipes his mouth with his wrist. His parched lips crack and smear his wrist
with blood. "Not much longer," he says with a wan smile. "When I'm gone, I
want you to have these." The dying man shows you his boots. The soles are
entirely worn away, but the tops are still secured by stout leather laces.
"The boots aren't much good, but the laces are strong-maybe you can do
something with them." The old man is abruptly seized with a coughing fit.
You know the end is near. "I hope you fare better then me," he croaks.

62) The last of the guards drops dead and silence claims the mines. A
ladder leads up out of the salt mines. In the dim distance you can see
sunlight for the first time in uncountable hours, days, or months.
Freedom is at hand. But what awaits you at the top of the shaft?

63) Several people are huddled around a fire. One of them offers you some
stew which you eagerly accept-it's bland and watery, but it's the first
hot food you've had in days and you eat every drop. Alter your meal you
doze off by the fire, grateful to at last be in the company of charity and
good will. When you awaken, you feel as if you've been reborn.

64) You stand before the gleaming city of Lansk. The streets are clean, the
people are orderly, and while the city is walled, there is no gate. None of
the busy citizens you spy carries a weapon. The city shows no sign of war
or occupation. However, it does seem like a very rich place, and you can
detect a faint smell of dragon in the air....

65) This guard room is occupied by several menacing men who stand when you
enter. "Well... look at this," one of them sneers. "Our prisoners have
`escaped'. We have to `recapture' them~erhaps several times." The guards
begin to close in. "Remember, men, these prisoners were trying to
escape...we won't be accused of beating prisoners in their cells again!"

66) This is Phoebus' incredible Temple of the Sun, renown all across the
world of Oceana. The sun's warm rays shine into an open atrium, bathing
the broad leaves of a variety of exotic heliotropic plants. Acolytes of
the temple are busy about on mysterious tasks. The floor is inscribed with
a gold design depicting the motion of Oceana and her sister planets. From
some unseen chamber you hear the soothing sound of running water.

A gold curtain swings aside and a short, swarthy man enters the chamber.
He is dressed in blue robes inscribed with stars and moons, and wears a
pointed cap. It seems the man very much wants to look like a wizard, but
has no idea of what wizards actually look like.

"I am Mystalvision, High Priest of the Temple of the Sun," says the wizard
in a comically high and wet voice. "You are to be commended for making it
this far. I don't care that you cracked out of Purgatory, but your behavior
since entering my city has been intolerable." Mystalvision snaps his fingers,
and several cruel gentlemen dressed all in black appear out of nowhere.
"Namtar's Stosstrupen would like to ask you some questions," Mystalvision
sneers. "I should ask you to come along quietly, but it will be more fun to
do this the hard way."

67) This is an open-air slave market, filled with the cry of fleshmongers
and the laughter of a perfumed crowd. Here men and women are for sale-people
such as yourselves-to the jaded residents of the Dilmun interior.

From the gate of the slave market you watch as several young men are
auctioned off. They seem less healthy than yourselves-maybe they've been in
the city longer than you. It seems a sad way out of this place, to make
yourself a slave...but isn't anything better than a life of misery and slow
death in the streets of Purgatory?

You scan the crowd, anxious to measure the character of citizens of the
Dilmun interior. Their faces seem cruel and aristocratic, with a faint hint
of the more-than-human. Here and there you spot a face that seems kinder
than most, but if you were on the block, what yuarantee would you have of
receiving a kind master? Could you truly live with yourself as a slave?

There is a long line of lost souls waiting for the auction block. Nothing
will stop you should you decide to join them.

68) The door to this hut is open, and from within you hear someone singing.
Entering the hut, you see a simple room...a pile of straw serves as a bed,
while a candle bums on a large rock that passes as a table. Behind the rock
you see a sad man who seems very old. His eyes are empty sockets and both
his hands have been amputated at the wrist. You wonder why a blind man burns
candles when he's alone.

The man stops singing and swings his head in your direction when you enter.
"You must be the outsiders everyone's so excited about," he says with a firm
voice. "I can smell Purgatory on you. Please come in. I'd like to see some
new faces...provided I could see."

You learn the man's name is Carson. He was a sorcerer at the Temple of the
Sun, in Phoebus. "That was before Namtar rose from the Pit," says Carson,
pausing to spit. "Damn Underworld types should stay in their own world."

You talk with Carson well into the evening, pumping him for information.
You learn that Namtar is either a demon or a man-Carson seems to use the
terms interchangeably. About a year ago Namtar appeared at the court of
King Drake in Kingshome, and was welcomed as the court magician. Within
a year, Kingshome had mobilized and began making war on its neighbors. At
the same time, Namtar announced a general ban on magic, using his secret
police-the Stosstrupen-to enforce the ban. A great magical war ensued,
which Namtar and the Stosstrupen won handily.

"Now sorcery is all but dead in Dilmun," Carson continues. "Take a look
at me. Ten years learning Sun Magic and it leads to this! All the old Masters
are gone...Lanac'toor was finally driven over the edge and shattered into a
score of pieces; Zaton exiled to the deep wilderness; and Mystalvision..."
Carson is silent for a long time, then says, "I can't prove it, but I always
thought Mystalvision was wrapped up with Namtar. He's the High Priest at
the Temple of the Sun. Our Order fell to Namtar so quickly...we must have
been betrayed. Beware of Mystalvision!"

You talk with Carson late into the night, but learn little else of value.
He is either unwilling or unable to teach you any magic. Heeding his advice,
you take your leave of the old man.

69) When no one is looking, you crawl into an open sack filled with
disgustingly fresh corpses. You lay still as the sack is crudely sewed shut.
The darkness of the tomb descends upon you as the bag is closed.

None too gently, the entire sack is heaved onto the backs of the slaves.
Dead arms embrace you, long fingernails claw at your hair, rotting grave
mould seems to penetrate your body. There is a lurch and a rasp as the bag
clears the wall, and then you fall.

Your flesh crawls with anticipation. Will you meet your end, smashed to
death with a host of corpses on some unseen rocky spire? Or will you
splash into the warm waters of Oceana, at long last free from the stinking
hell of Purgatory?

You splash. You sink. You struggle. At last you win free of the sack, and
the dead hands that drag at you seemingly resentful of the life you display.
Lungs bursting, you break from the water at the base of the harbor wall, and
quickly clamber aboard some debris you find floating close by and strike out
for shore.

70) Mighty oaks intertwine above your head to form a living gateway to this
enchanted forest. A fresh coat of sparking dew lays over everything, lending
a fantastic quality to the scene. The ground is covered with an inviting
blanket of green moss. Faerie lights glimmer from within the boles of dark
yet pleasant trees. This is a magical place.

71) Much to the garrison's dismay, the gates of Byzanople prove little
obstacle for you. The Kingshomer army streams through the open gate and
makes short work of the outnumbered city garrison. Byzanople has fallen.

After putting the garrison to the sword, the victorious Kingshomer soldiers
gleefully get down to some serious pillaging. Buck Ironhead, the commander
of the Kingshomer siege camp, appears from the chaos. "I've got to hand it
to you," he says, "you really did a job on these Byzanople jerks! Now
Namtar's control of Dilmun is complete. I'm sure the Beast From The Pit will
want to thank you personally." Ironhead smiles when you remind him of your
bargain. "I haven't forgotten, I assure you...but seeing as how you threw in
with me so easily, I doubt you have any real sense of honor. I wouldn't
trust you clowns as far as I could throw you!" Buck stands back as several
of his soldiers gather around. "Put these traitors in irons!" he snarls.

The guards close in. It's an epic fight, but no heroes can long withstand
sheer weight of numbers. Everything goes black as the last of your party
falls to the dust.

72) This shrine is formed from rocks and wood and mossit seems a profoundly
natural thing, more an outgrowth of this enchanted wood than a thing built
by man. The divinity worshiped here is none you recognize, but the feeling
of the place is one of harmony with nature.

Upon closer inspection, you see dried bloodstains on the rock. The stains
are not large-this shrine is not used for sacrifice-but perhaps its resident
god is awakened by a token gift of life.

73) This hidden glade is charged with magical energy. The rocks marking this
clearing form a ring of deliberately-placed standing stones, the focus of
which is upon the earth where you now stand. You feel power rushing from the
roots of the earth and into your soul. Enkidu himself stands and regards
you.

74) Old Jack's eyes grow bright when you show him the signet ring. "His
majesty...?" Jack whispers. You sadly shake your head, indicating Drake is
dead. Tears form in Jack's eyes as he sighs. "Me poor, poor king...I knew
ye'd come to no good with that demon Namtar!"

After showing him your ring, Jack treats you like an honored guest,
forgiving all your misdeeds in the forest. "I'm a King's man, ye got ta
believe that," he says. "I love me King an' I never disobeyed him. But I
never like the looks o' that Namtar-he's a very devil, he is! It must have
been `im wot killed old Drake." Old Jack pauses to spit. "Someone's got to
bring Namtar down, and clear the way for young Prince Jordan to take the
throne. You've got the ring, so you're it!"

Old Jack solemnly hands you his bow. "This here's me bow, I call her
Nevermiss! Drake gave her to me when we were both boys, and she's never
failed me. Now I give her to you, to shoot down that foul Namtar!" Jack
is hesitant to release the bow, and even as you hold it his eyes linger
on the weapon. "She's like a lady, she is...you treat her kind. You treat
her kind."

Jack is abruptly eager to leave. He refuses to leave the forest, saying
it's his only home. He wishes you all good luck and melts into the woods.

He will never be seen again.

75) Alter what seems an eternity, you locate the source of the screaming.
Nearly mad yourselves, you find a city of the mad squatting on a desolate
shore. Feeble huts made of driftwood and debris huddle together in a feeble
pile. White-haired loons with wild eyes stumble to and fro, mumbling to
themselves or shrieking like cats. Crazed citizens of the place wrestle with
one another, seeming like writhing human serpents. It's a madhouse, and the
inmates are running the asylum.

76) A mad artist inscribes designs on the sandy floor of his hut. "I don't
have to do this, you know," he says as you enter. It's uncertain if he's
talking to you, or if you walk in on him while he was talking to himself.
"I can make a good living as a tattoo artist!" he continues. "But I will
draw on you, mother earth, because everyone else draws from you. You. Who.
Moo. Moo?"

The artist jumps up and bounds about the hut. "Moo! Moo!" he howls. "Don't
you see? It's all so clear. At last! At last!" The poor man rushes past you
and is quickly lost in the village of the lost.

77) Amid the ruins you come upon a remarkable sight. A bonfire illuminates
a shattered city square. Scores of people cavort about the fire this is the
greatest gathering of people you've seen since arriving in Purgatory.

The occupants of the square constitute a cross-section of Purgatory's
citizenry. Blind beggars, mad poets, dog-faced children, and drunken priests
swarm about the fire like moths to a flame; drinking, singing, loving,
bleeding, brawling. Above them all, seated on a rude throne of stacked
masonry, you see the man you surmise to be the king of this place. If he is a
king, he is a king of thieves.

Astounded by this strange sight, you do not notice until it is too late a
score of scoundrels sneaking up on you. Surrounded by rogues, you are urged
toward the fire, where you come under the gaze of the figure on the throne.
"Outlanders!," the king roars, teetering atop his perilous perch. "You've
strayed far from your homes, little does and kittens. This is the Court of
Miracles, gathered to pay homage to the King of Purgatory..." the king
pauses, awaiting the proper moment before continuing, "me, Clopin
Trouillefou!

78) A group of ragged unfortunates sun themselves on this dismal coastline.
They sit in folding beach chairs, some beneath the shade of colorful beach
parasols. All the men and women are dressed in rags. Few have teeth; fewer
still have a proper tan. The day is cold and grey.

"Hail Namtar!" a woman cries. "Great is he to take such care of us! What
have we to want for?" A one-armed young man elbows you in the ribs, and says
with a sidelong wink, "Quite a little resort we got here, wouldn't you say?
Boy, that Namtar sure is a swell egg!" "This is a ritzy place-nothing less
than a king retired here!" cackles another. Similar comments come at every
turn. You find this place is called Toxic Beach, and these poor lunatics
think it's some sort of beach resort to which they've been sent as reward
for faithful service to Namtar.

A few bloated dead rats have washed up on the bleached coastline. An odd
tumble of rocks marks the north end of the shore. The rocks are covered
with debris, as if the remains of a shipwreck have washed up here.

79) There is a deep rumbling as storm clouds gather Abruptly rain begins to
fall in relentless sheets, threatening to flood the stone, the forest, the
entire world.

A supernatural hush falls over the glade. Even the pelting rain seems to
fall silent. Suddenly you are surrounded by animals-bears, dogs, deer,
ducks, and even a penguin. You turn and see still more animals crowding
outside the door to the shrine. You see a lion lay down beside a lamb. The
animals are waiting for something.

Above the stone appears the ghost of Zaton. The ghost speaks. "My friends,
I am forever in your debt for liberating my soul. By restoring me to the
world, the world restores itself. The natural order is reestablished. Man
and beast may again live in harmony."

The animals begin to excitedly roar, bark, and bray. "My time in this
world is done," Zaton says. "But for you brave adventurers the task is just
beginning. Namtar is evil! He must be destroyed! To you I grant the boon of
knowledge...use it well!"

80) The center post of these communal huts shelters a secret chamber. A
skeleton dressed in the royal colors of Kingshome sits on a makeshift throne.
Whoever this was, he's been dead a long time. A royal signet ring gleams on
one skeletal finger. The ring seems both valuable and important.

81) A dwarf springs up as you enter the room. He eagerly scans your party,
then collapses in disappointment. "No dwarves," he weeps. "Never are there
any dwarves. Poor Josephina is all alone." The dwarf has a woman's name,
but it's bearded and it smells and...well, no matter, Josephina is probably
just as crazy as everyone else in this silly town.

"The kingdom is broken," cries Josephina. "The great clanhall is sealed,
and all the dwarves slumber in the vaults. Namtar stole the eyes from our
icon and hurled them into the sea. Every day I search the coast, but never
do I find the eyes." Josephina continues to weep, hardly aware of your
presence.

82) Nisir, the Mountain of Salvation, rises above you to an impossibly
great height, seeming to rip the sky. Although it is daytime, when you look
up you can see stars near where you guess the summit of the mighty mountain
must be. It seems to you the mountain must push through the very atmosphere
of Oceana to produce such a sight.

Ahead of you, a long line of pilgrims slowly files past the sole gate
leading from the harbor.

83) A prisoner lies babbling in the corner. "A secret tunnel connects this
prison to the Nisir", he says. "When you find the swamp within the mountain,
know you are near Namtar!"

84) The pilgrims stop one-by-one to kneel before this elaborate shrine
before continuing. The shrine depicts the image of the Universal God, a
faceless deity that looks in all directions at once, and raises its arms
to encompass both earth heaven, and underworld. You note with relief that
not even Namtar has dared to undermine the basic faith of Oceana.

The pilgrims evidently expect enlightenment and salvation to result from
their visit to Nisir. You expect salvation of a different kind-the sort
that can come only from sending Namtar to his doom.

85) It is several days' sail to Nisir, the Mountain of Salvation, but the
route is easy to follow. The great mountain Nisir seems to rise from the
roots of Oceana and reach to the heavens-it is easily the tallest mountain
on the planet, and you are in sight of your destination for most of the
journey.

The harbor at Nisir is clogged with pilgrim's vessels. Several hundred
robed figures crowd the docks, slowly passing through the harbor's only
exit into the interior. The great mountain of Nisir looms above you, stern
and forbidding. You sense a moment of destiny is at hand.

86) You are pressed into service and sent directly to the front. The army
makes no attempt to provision or train you-it's evident they consider you
a band of cutthroats, and that they like you just the way you are.

A troop ship conveys you to King's Island, where the walled city of
Byzanople stubbornly resists the enlightenment of joining the unified
Kingshomer Empire under Namtar and King Drake. Byzanople has been under
siege for several months, and the besieging Kingshomer army is preparing
to take the city by storm. You are to be among the waves of unfortunates
they wish to send over the wall. You may not take kindly to this idea, but
there are many more of them than there are of you, and this is no opportunity
to desert.

You are billeted in a siege camp located a few miles south of the actual
siege.

87) Directly ahead you see the semi-permanent camp of the Kingshomer
campaign army. The army occupies a valley between two mountain peaks. A
wooden palisade has been erected across the mouth of the valley, providing
the camp with a measure of protection against raiders from the south.

There is no evidence of an enemy army anywhere in the area. From the
looks of the camp, it seems likely this is a base from which the Kingshomer
army is besieging an enemy fortress or city.

Several guards lounge before the entrance to the camp. They eye you with
suspicion.

88) Within this building you find a group of old men gathered around a table.
They're playing dice and speaking rapidly to each other in a dialect you
can barely understand. You are noticed and welcomed into the game.

The men play for the joy of it. There's a complicated wagering scheme
involved, but no money ever changes hands, and the men don't seem to care
if you're rich or destitute. Alter a while, you begin to make sense of
their speech.

It seems these men are residents of the Dilmun interior, displaced to this
island of outlanders by war and oppression. From them you learn a little of
recent events in Dilmun. The Dilmun interior consists of several large
islands, each of which is dominated by an autonomous city-state. Warfare has
been frequent between the rival cities, but no single nation has ever been
able to rule all the others. Each city keeps a dragon captive somewhere
within its walls-if total disaster ever threatens, the dragon will be let
loose. This would almost certainly lead to the destruction of both sides,
but it serves as a deterrent to conquest.

Recently, the city of Kingshome launched a bid for empire. Kingshome's
imperialism was aided by a sorcerer--Namtar, the Beast From the Pit. Thanks
to Namtar, all magical opposition was quickly overwhelmed, and Kingshome
made rapid gains. For some unknown reason, the conquered cities never
launched their dragons against Kingshome.

The youngest of the men arrived at the camp just a few months ago. So far
as he knows, nearly all of Dilmun's cities have been conquered or lay in
ruins. The city of Byzanople on the King's Isle remains free, although it
has been under siege for several months. He also mentions a city called
Freeport in the Eastern Isles, but his companions scoff when he does, saying
Freeport is more myth than reality. Nevertheless, the young man asserts
he'll find Freeport someday-as soon as he can find a ship bound for the
Eastern Isles. Since the war, very few ships travel the interior waterways,
and it has become increasingly difficult to use Dilmun's many bridges.

89) You restrain the hunchback and prevent him from hurling the prisoner
into the pit. Tears flow from the hunchback's already swollen eyes. "Buth
Gethtrude must eat!" he mumbles. The dragon's thrashing intensifies, and
the great beast begins beating its head against the side of its pit,
setting up a great rumbling through the dungeon. "Now thuh manue hath hit
thuth windmill!" the hunchback howls, trying to flee down the narrow
causeway to the edge of the pit. He doesn't make it...with a great booming,
the dragon lurches from from his chains, bumping against the platform on
which you stand. The hunchback is hurled screaming into the maw of the
dragon...but now that that beast is free of its chains, no mere morsel can
satisfy it!

You flee the scene as the dragon smashes at the supports of the dungeon,
and in so doing at the foundation of the entire city of Phoebus. You find
a crazy path to the surface uncovered by the dragon's rage. You flee the
vicinity of the city and watch from a nearby hill as the dragon claws its
way to the surface. Before long, Phoebus is a flaming ruin as the dragon
takes its terrible toll. The city destroyed, the dragon slowly rises into
the sky, and flaps off to the east.

90) This is the office of the supreme commander of the campaign army of
Kingshome. General Buck Ironhead regards you from behind his desk. Ironhead
is a frightening sight. His arms are a mass of scar tissue from a sequence
of wounds too tedious to list. His face shows no mirth. His hands continually
clench and unclench. Kis head is completely flat-you could balance an egg on
it.

"It's about time ya goldbricks showed up!" Buck snarls. "What do ya think
this is-a soggin' country club?? Ain't ya ever heard of reporting to yer
commandin' officer??" Buck doesn't wait for a reply. "Now, I know you
clowns are a pack of liberal adventurers. You don't like Namtar, you don't
like the army-kid's today!! Ungrateful whelps! Well, I don't care about any
of that. I'm here to give you a second chance."

Buck comes out from behind his desk and hobbles around his office as he
continues. "You're in the army whether you like it or not, so you might as
well do this the easy way. You may think you've got this thing licked, but
I know damn well you can't tell your elbow from a dragon's blowhole. You
keep your nose clean and serve with some distinction at the front, and
I'll do what I can about gettin' you a full pardon. Namtar's a megalomaniac,
but he's also a businessman, and he needs creeps like you!"

Buck dismisses you. "This is yer only chance. Namtar's gonna control
everything sooner or later, so you might as well join the winning side.
Namtar's promised a kinder and gentler Oceana, but he can't get on with
it until guys like you toe the line.

"Get outta here!!"

91) Some bandits were evidently holed up here. Their campfire is still warm.
Evidently they were eating a meal when you showed up, as half-finished
bowls of gruel stand all around the fire.

They weren't very good bandits, or maybe they hadn't been at it for long.
There isn't much loot to be had in this camp. Maybe they were adventurers
such as yourselves, turned to crime in these hard times.

92) The magnificent stag lays dead. As you kneel beside your kill, the
shaft of an arrow buries itself to the feathers in the sod between your
feet. You look up and see an old but very dangerous-looking man aiming
yet another arrow at you.

"This is the private preserve of King Drake," the old man says. "An' you
have been poachin'." He glances over your party before continuing.
"These bein' hard times, I imagine ye gots to eat...but that was a prize
animal ye just killed, and I've gots to do me job."

The man keeps his bow half-cocked and watches you closely. He seems to
be waiting for you to make the first move. Maybe it would be worth
winning his trust.

93) "BRAAAAAP!" Nergal is crude. "That was delicious...I will hallucinate
later, and imagine Irkalla working for a living." Nergal shifts his
ponderous mass on his throne, leans forward, and leers. "And now you
will serve Nergal!"

With impossible speed, Nergal grabs the volunteer with both slimy hands.
His jaw seems to drop down to his belt as the black maw of his mouth is
exposed. He quickly slips the volunteer's head into his mouth, and
clenches his jaw with a sickening crunch. The volunteer's body stiffens,
then goes limp, collapsing to the ground without a head.

All is silent. Nergal smiles.

94) You recall learning of waters like this during your mystic studies.
The pool of water ahead fits the description of Apsu Waters...waters of
the world ocean that underlies the surface of Oceana. Apsu Waters are
coterminous with the world of Oceana, the mystical Magan Underworld, and
dark dimensions where gods and devils reside.

95) The slave boss is relentless. He offers you not a moment's rest, nor
a drop of water, or even a scrap of bread. All that matters is that the
tunnel be completed. No single man or beast may stand in the way of the
project. Night and day you are driven to finish your task, with the sharp
lash of the whip on your back, and the laughter of the cruel slave boss
ringing in your ears.

96) An old man leaps to his feet and Iunges for his bow when you enter the
shack. "Glory be-ye got past me snare!!", he exclaims. "That's quite a
feat, but it still don't do to go bargin' in on honest folks without so
much as a knock!"

"Me name is Old Jack," he continues. "I'm the gamewarden hereabouts."
Jack keeps his bow half-cocked and watches you closely. He seems to be
waiting for you to make the first move. Maybe it would be worth winning
his trust.

97) The long line of white-robed pilgrims ends at this rocky shrine.
One by one the pilgrims pass before a huge and powerful image of the
Universal God. There are no guards here. None are required. The God keeps
its own order beneath its own roof.

Looking up into the faceless face of the god, you feel the hand of
destiny upon you. Namtar has not yet attempted to supplant Oceana's primary
religion...but can that day be far away? The gods risk disaster when they
come to the world in person-they must work through champions to see their
will is done. The Universal God seems to need a champion, a legendary hero
to serve the cause of Freedom. Roba of Freeport was such a hero. Will you
be another?

The God requires a sign.

98) You climb the Mountain of Salvation for several hours, but the summit
seems to draw no closer. Several pilgrims drop from exhaustion along the
path...the road to salvation is not for the weak of heart.

But a fraction of the way up the mountain, the path abruptly cuts into
the rock. A level plain has been cleared in the side of the mountain.
This is evidently the place to which the pilgrims travel. Turning around,
you look out at the world of Oceana from your lofty perch on the world's
highest mountain. To your alarm, you see you have long since risen above
even the highest clouds. The sky is purple and strange stars twinkle-the
huge bloated mass of the sun fully fills half the sky. Truly, this place
is close to God.

99) In this stuffy bedroom you find a journal. From it you determine the
master of this house was a man named Mog, a rich aristocrat who made his
fortune in the mining business. By all accounts he was a crude man-wealthy
but uncultured-who fancied himself an artist. The journal is largely given
over to a remarkably frank account of Mog's failure as an artist.

Mog admits to experimenting with alchemy in pursuit of his art. At one
point he confesses using a potion to transform living flesh into stone,
but the artistic results were not satisfactory.

Near the end of the journal Mog mentions "acquiring an apprentice" by
supernatural means. It seems this apprentice was originally supposed to
assist Mog in his art. Toward the end of the joumal, Mog admits the
apprentice has begun producing incredible works of art which Mog displays
in his garden and calls his own. Mog hints that the apprentice demands a
terrible price for his art, and that he fears him. It is possible the
apprentice might not be human.

100) Off the beaten path you find this is a temple to the Magan Underworld.
This seems a considerably older place than the other structures on this
plateau. The Underworld was before there was a was, and doubtless it will
still thrive when all of Oceana has long since burned off into the void.

101) You receive a note with your feeble meal for the day:

'I am Berengaria, Acolyte of the Temple of the Sun. Mystalvision has gone
mad. He punishes me and the others for no reason. He has been corrupted by
Namtar.
`We of the Sun serve justice; you must believe that. Mystalvision has
brought dishonor to our Order. These are dark times. You have been unfairly
imprisoned.
`I have unlocked your door, and made certain the jailor is drunk. If you
are cautious, you should be able to sneak past him and escape. The jailor's
room adjoins the cell block. Look for the secret door in the south wall of
the jailor's room-beyond is a passage that leads to people who will help
you. I regret I cannot give you a weapon...just doing this much has placed
me in great jeopardy.
`Should you escape, meet me at the Icarian Triumph tavern in the
northeast quarter of the city. I'll have something for you.
'For justice and the Sun, I remain your friend-
-Berengia'
Berengaria'
102) This is the jailor's room. The fat jailor snores in a drunken slumber.
He's slumped over his table, but there is a rope tied to his hand, and a
bell tied to his rope. Should he stir, the bell will ring, possibly
summoning guards. The jailor is asleep, and doubtless very drunk, but
turn-keys are notoriously light sleepers.

103) These are the private chambers of the master of the house. The
curtains are drawn across the windows permitting little light to enter
the room. In the murk, you can see that this room, like the others in
the house, is strangely devoid of wall hangings...and that no mirrors
are present.

The Master is in, sitting in his favorite chair. He wears the garb of an
artist-specifically of a sculptor...and he wants you to be his next
masterpiece!

104) In the dark shadows of the dungeon you find a pit, at the bottom of
which is a frothing dragon. The beast is constrained by a series of
chains, but it seems to you the saurian could hardly be bound by such
puny restraints.

Suspended above the center of the pit is a wooden platform, on which a
demented hunchback struggles with a bound prisoner. The hunchback is about
to push the prisoner into the pit, evidently intending him as a sacrifice
to the dragon. The prisoner struggles as best as he is able, but his hands
are tied behind his back, and he is weakened from long captivity. The
dragon thrashes back and forth, impatient to receive its meal.

105) There are evident signs this chamber was formerly the lair of a beast
or large animal. A pile of straw in the corner indicates where a large
creature could have slept. The walls scraped with claw marks, and the
room is pervaded by an unpleasant odor. The room makes you feel
instinctively uneasy.

106) This torture chamber is a vision of misery. The walls are lined with
chains for securing prisoners in place; the center of the room is occupied
by racks, iron maidens, a fire pit, and other horrible instruments. In the
corner is a hole into which are hurled the grisly remains of stubborn
heretics.

A dying druid is stretched on the rack. You have rescued him from his
torture...at the same time, it is evident he will soon die. There is nothing
you can do to save his life, but perhaps you can ease his final moments?

107) This tower chamber is in very ill repair. The supports are sinking, and
half the floor is flooded with inky black water. The contents of innumerable
vials and potions are emptied on the floor alongside the smashed vials that
formerly contained them. What was once a great magical library has been
destroyed by fire and water damage.

Amid a pile of debris you find the fragments of a journal. Much of it is
in some magic language you can't understand, but a small part is legible.
The journal is dated prior to the destruction of the City of the Yellow Mud
Toad. You surmise the journal was maintained by Lanac'toor.

`The chicken remains animate, not that it matters any longer. That
pinhead Mystalvision has changed the rules again. Where will I find a vole
in this weather?...Have resumed expansion of my tower's basement, using
Soften Stone and Create Wall spells to clear rock, but this whole damn
building is sinking. I keep running into pockets of water. Furthermore, I
uncovered an entrance to Magan, and all manner of berserk Underworld
denizens are running amok in my tunnels...The hell of it is that I've lost
my spectacles that Utnapishtim the Faraway gave me. I'll never see the
entrance to the College of Magic without them. They're buried somewhere in
the rock. I don't know if I can locate them at this late date, with Namtar's
thugs loose and my name on the hit list. I should prepare the city for
defense, but I haven't done my laundry in weeks, and it's beginning to
smell.'

Such are the concerns of sorcerers.

108) You are led to a secret throne room beneath the city of Byzanople.
There Prince Jordan and several advisors huddle around a map in a council
of war. Jordan is stunned when he sees his sister has brought you into the
heart of his defenses. Jordan's private guards tense as they lock eyes
with you.

Prince Jordan recovers his composure and listens with interest to his
sister's story. He is very interested to learn you are infiltrators recently
pressed into service with the Kingshomer army. "You are not native to
Dilrnun, I can see that," Jordan says. "This isn't your war. No Outlander
reaches the interior without going through Purgatory...and Purgatory is
administered by Kingshome. I know because my sister was formerly Governor
of Purgatory."

Jordan invites you to sit and offers you wine. "My father is King Drake
of Kingshome," Jordan says. "I haven't seen my father in over a yearnot
since Namtar rose from the Pit. My father is a peaceful man, and he loves
his children...but he has recently dismissed my sister from her post at
Purgatory, and then layed siege to me here at Byzanople. My father loves
me and the succession is not disputed. I want to see my father die in
bed-I do not covet his throne. There is no reason for the King to make war
on me. It must he Namtar's doing.

"My father is not perfect, but it was never his way to imprison Outlanders
for no reason. Namtar has stolen my father from me; he has robbed you of
your dignity. He is our common enemy. I make you an offer-reject Kingshome
and join me in my struggle against Namtar. When my father is restored to
the throne, I will see you are richly rewarded."

109) Jordan smiles. He leads you to the map he and his men were examining.
You recognize it as a plan of the Kingshomer siege camp. Jordan pumps you
for information concerning the camp and the size of the force stationed
there.

"We'll attack them tonight," Jordan decides. "There is a secret way from
the citadel to the enemy camp-we will take them by surprise." Jordan
looks at you as he continues, "Feel free to explore the city until we
are ready to leave."

110) "The time has come," Prince Jordan says as he meets you on the stairs.
Together with several of Prince Jordan's best fighters, you sneak away
from Byzanople through a secret passage. Only a skeleton garrison is left
behind-you realize Jordan is throwing everything into this attack.

Using a local guide, you pick your way through the mountains surrounding
the Kingshomer siege camp. The guide seems to lead you through solid rock
at times, and you soon have little idea of where you are. Suddenly, from
ahead, you hear Buck Ironhead bellow orders to a pack of new "recruits".
The battle is about to begin!

111) You enter the dusty and perhaps forgotten ancestral crypt of Byzanople.
The murky vault stretches off into the darkness, harboring the remains of
several generations of royalty. Perhaps they were buried with treasure...?

If you listen, you think you can hear a faint rattle of chains, and the
raspy sound of a corpse drawing breath.

112) Deep beneath the live volcano, you find the dragon hatchery. Here
fantastic riches are free for the taking. Your perilous journey across the
northern desert, so terrible in its undertaking, at last seems worthwhile.

113) The priests gratefully accept your knowledge and help in restoring
the temple. "Truly you are people of the Toad," says a priest. "Please
accept these boots as our gift." You are provided with several sets of
oversized golden boots. The boots are fashioned so as to resemble the
flipper feet of a toad. It will be difficult to walk wearing such thing.
"The owner of Magic Golden Toad Boots can leap great distances!" the
priest says with pride.

114) In the darkest heart of this palace of the dead you find an incredible
sight...the court of Nergal, consort to Irkalla and King of the Underworld.
The bloated white mass of Nergal slouches on a throne of skulls, attended
by a score of pallid goblins. Worms squirm in his hair, bats nestle in his
loins, and rodents peer at you from within Nergal's mouth. About his neck,
on a silver chain, you see a large and ornate key.

"Topsiders...in my Court!" Nergal roars. "Bad enough I am in exile without
fool clodhoppers barging in on me. Goblins! Ghoulies! Bring them here!!"

115) "Haw! Most entertaining," Nergal laughs. The hideous god raises one
fist and his court of freaks-though you just hacked them to pieces-lurch
to their feet like puppets on invisible strings. The goblins and ghoulies
look ready to fight again...it's evident the undead monsters will eventually
wear you down. "You have entertained me...but you must also feed Nergal
and serve Nergal before you can ask a boon of Nergal. That is the law!"

Negal looks at you expectantly. A ghoul titters.

116) Just as advertised by the blind juggler, there was indeed a secret
tunnel out of Purgatory. Beneath the rock marked with the secret sign you
find fresh armor and weapons...thus armed, you are ready to seek revenge
for your imprisonment.

117) Here in the open garden you find an unusual statue. It is of an
apparently wealthy man, if the quality of his garments is any clue. He is
in poor shape, and appears to be afraid of something. The quality of the
work is excellent, but the statue is very unflattering.

118) A massive mechanical brass automaton stands at silent attention in
this chamber. It is a flawless piece of engineering, massive yet agile,
and heavily armed and armored from head to toe. It would not do to run
into this thing in a dark hallway.

119) This vault is filled with slumbering dwarves...but it they sleep, it
is the sleep of the dead, for the dwarves have been turned to stone. The
dwarves are frozen in all variety of poses-sleeping, eating, working, and
just a few while fighting. It seems the dwarves were surprised by something
terrible that turned them to stone.

120) The Dragon Queen recoils when you show the DragonGem. "Curse you!" she
hisses. "The DragonGem marks you as friend of dragons, and binds me to your
will." The Dragon Queen looms above you, seeming impossibly large. "I grant
you your life, and I dismiss you from my presence. When next you use the
DragonGem, I will respond...but the sacrifice you offer must be sweet, or
I will turn on you, and the DragonGem be damned!!"

With a beat of her wings the Dragon Queen is gone.

121) Peals of hysterical laughter assail your ears. You've discovered the
secret undercity of Lansk, and where the city above is staid and
conservative, this place is a true party town. Citizens stagger about in
drunken stupors, angry soldiers wrestle with one another, women and
animals run through the streets.

122) This statue represents Irkalla, the reigning deity of the Magan
Underworld. It is to her you must appeal if you will long survive in the
Underworld. She frequently wars with her consort Nergal, sometime King of
the Underworld.

123) Here is a statue of Nergal, the cowardly King of the Underworld. When
he is not getting along with Irkalla, Nergal is exiled to his palace in
the Necropolis, a city of the dead hidden on one of Dilmun's many isles.
Nergal is a bloated and ridiculous creature, but from the look in his eye
you surmise he might have a sense of humor.

124) This statue honors the Universal God, the most popular deity of the
surface realm of Oceana. The Universal God is a faceless deity with multiple
arms and hands. Each hand is posed in a different signal, sending messages
of hope and fear to the faithful. The Universal God is said to offer power
to those who serve Freedom-it was a patron of the legendary Roba of Freeport.
An ancient shrine to the Universal God on the mountain of Nisir attracts
millions of pilgrims annually.

125) Here you find an image of Enkidu the beastman, patron deity of animals
and Druids. His worship is strong in the wild places, but has declined in
cities with the rise of Namtar and the destruction of the Druid sect.

126) Here you find Lansk's dragon, perhaps first glimpsed from the city
square above. Up close the dragon is not nearly so impressive. It is an old
dragonlts fire has gone out, and its teeth have been pulled. It is still a
powerful beast, but age or drugs seem to have robbed the beast of its
fighting spirit. The animal looks at you with something close to sadness
in its eyes.

127) The cave is much larger on the inside than without. The interior of
the cave is lined with thousands of natural crystals that crazily reflect
the light. Alter your long dark journey through the Underworld, you are
dazzled by the sudden light, and become disoriented.

A voice rings in your ears. "You are the heroes of Oceana, and to you
has fallen the burden of this adventure. Listen closely, for this is what
you must do...

"The fair world of Oceana is sinking as the seas swell ever larger-there
is little to be done for this. The world has its span of life like any man
or beast. The pilgrim Isles of Dilmun have been usurped by Namtar, a
renegade demon from the realm of this Underworld. He has disposed of King
Drake of Kingshome and rules in the late King's name, using the King's
legions to pursue his path of conquest.

"Namtar must be destroyed. He has isolated his enemies, dispersed the
magical brotherhood of the world and taken control of the dragons.

"The Sword of Freedom must be found and reborn in its forge. A
reconciliation of sorts must be set between Irkalla and Nergal, for without
accord in the Underworld, there can be no peace on the surface. When all
is ready, seek the Mountain of Salvation-Namtar must be returned to the pit
of hell from which he came."

The voice fades...

128) You sprinkle the ashes on the dark waters of the well, which abruptly
begin to swirl. Although the night of the Underworld is absolute, you
think you see a reflection of stars in the swirling black waters. The
motion of the water intensifies and the ashes are sucked into the depths.

You stand back as a ghostly apparition rises from the well. At first the
form is a shade, then a ghost, then a spectre, then a living corpse.
Gradually the shape takes corporeal form...blood, bone, muscle, teeth,
hair is restored.

The ashes are restored to life!

129) The meeting of the Dilmun Underground is called to order. All those
in attendance at the meeting are cloaked in dark robes, and although you
recognize a few voices, no faces are visible.

130) Formerly the imperial court of King Drake, this hall retains none of
the splendor of ages past. Where once hung brilliant tapestries, the
walls are now bare. Empty pedestals mark where renowned sculptures formerly
stood. Blocks of marble are missing in several places where materials have
been removed to construct fortresses for Kingsbome's campaign army. This is
not the court of a king in residence.

131) This is a private bedchamber. A man wearing a simple robe lays on a
divan. He seems neither old nor young. He has no distinguishing marks or
characteristics...there is no evil air to him, his eyes do not piece to
your soul, his brow has no spark of mad genius. He sits up lazily as you
enter, swings his feet to the floor, walks across the room, and shakes your
hand.

"I'm Namtar," he says. "I suppose you guessed that. You've given me quite
a lot of trouble." Namtar smiles. "Disappointed? Expecting something more?
Later-I promise you. Won't you sit down?" Namtar offers you a chair.

Namtar looks sleepy. He keeps rubbing his eyes. "Administering the conquest
of the world is a bitch," he says. "If I'd know how much work this was going
to take, I doubt I ever would have started. Or maybe I never had a choice.
No matter. We need to talk.

"I am the son of gods. It is my destiny to rule men such as yourselves.
You don't have to like it-I sense you do not-but that is the way of things.
I have some grand plans, but I can't begin until this futile resistance is
quelled. It's just a matter of time. You know that as well as I. Why don't
you pack it off to the Isle of the Damned-it worked for old Drake. You're
not even native to Dilmun...there's little reason for you to oppose me.
Granted, that episode in Purgatory was nasty, but into everyone's life a
little reign must fall. Ha ha. That was a pun.

No one laughs. Namtar sighs. "Ah well, I suppose we'll have to do this
the hard way. I'll be leaving now. If you're very dedicated, and very lucky,
we may meet again within the Mountain of Salvation. I will kill you then.
In the meantime, consider yourselves to be living on borrowed time. It's the
least I can give you in gratitude for the entertainment you've provided thus
far.

"Oh...by the way. You can move again." Namtar's sorcery was so complete,
you did not notice you were under his compulsion until he brought it up.
"I wish you the worst of luck, my friends." Suddenly Namtar is gone - no
flash of light, no peal of thunder - just gone.

132) Aradrax screams as the first pint of blood is pumped from his body.
This is going to be a long night-a single pint will never satisfy the
Vampire Lord, but it seems none of the blood is going to come easy. You
check the machines and see they function as advertised, but it still seems
your volunteer is experiencing needless pain.

133) "You're all right," the troll laughs, wiping the froth from his lips.
"We have many other strange and wonderful customs of which you should
partake. Meet me at the crossed oaks when the moon is full, and you will
have your promised meeting with the king."

134) In the very heart of the valley you find the sacred hive of the Dragon
Queen. The Queen sits atop a mountain of eggs, some of which hatch young
saurians even as you watch. The Dragon Queen is colossal-easily ten times
the size of any beast you've confronted thus far. She fixes you with a
fierce glare.

"You carve your way through my valley," she hisses, "destroying my
creatures, and now enter the presence of the Mother Dragon. You will die
for what you have done, but you will die slowly...as food for my brood.

The Dragon Queen rears up and prepares to breathe a blast of poisonous
fire.

135) "I trust you have read Poe," Namtar laughs. "The best place to hide
something is in plain sight. You paranoid dolts would never consider that,
would you?" Namtar slides another rod into his arcane box. "Soon my work
will be complete...soon I will fulfill my destiny-and then you will rue
the day you laughed at me!!"

136) The galleries are crammed with fools, each exiled here for their
inability to follow directions. The fantasy is only so real as you allow
it to be, and while at times life may seem a fool's errand, it is only
what you make of it. There is little sense in cheating yourself at
solitaire.

137) Bound in chains upon this lonely Isle of Woe you find the dark queen
Irkalla, Mistress of Magan. The chains are made of enchanted silver, and
she is unable to move. "Topsiders!" she snarls when she sees you "It's
always the same. The water level rises, your toilets back up, and everyone
rushes to the Underworld for help! Well, I have problems of my own, as you
can see. That filthy halfbreed Namtar chained me here, and gave the key to
the one creature who owes me no favors."

Irkalla regards you. "Perhaps you could be of some use," she says, her
tone suddenly becoming incredibly seductive. "Find the Silver Key and set
me free...you will be richly rewarded. Namtar is our mutual enemy. Serve me,
and I shall serve you to defeat him!"

138) You stand at the edge of the Isle of Woe, looking out across the dark
waters, and are convinced nothing is going to happen when a sudden flight
of bats overhead heralds the arrival of momentous events. An ominous
ringing fills the air. A few yards offshore the dark waters part, and
offered up from the depths you see the legendary Sword of Freedom. Forged
from dwarven steel in the fires of hell, powered by the essence of the
legendary hero Roba, and tempered in the Apsu waters that underlie creation,
the most powerful artifact Oceana has ever known has been reborn!

139) The dwarf has the engine running in no time. With a shudder and a
cough, the ancient airship lumbers aloft, and for the first time in
centuries something other than a dragon plies the airways of Oceana.

Alter several days journey to the west, you spot an uncharted island. At
the center of the island is an odd ring of standing stones, and in the
center of the ring you see...

140) You are up to see the dawn as the sun's rays brilliantly spread across
the waters of Oceana. Nights on the trail have their own sort of beauty,
but you can't hope helping it won't always be like this. Someday you will
no longer be an outlaw. Someday you will sleep beneath a roof like other
people, and at last be considered a true citizen of Dilmun. You won't always
be poor-this is just a phase.

141) In the next chamber, you see fires identical to the first. "Very good,"
the voice intones. "You have potential, but I detected a flaw in your form.
Please negotiate this wall of fire for me, that I might study your finer
points."

142) "Now you are learning. Not everything is as it seems," says the voice.
You enter a chamber occupied by a stone gargoyle. The gargoyle's gaze is
fixed on the door through which you must exit the room. "To be seen by the
gargoyle is to know death," says the voice. "Yet the gargoyle sees the
exit. What to do, what to do...?"

143) "Now you have learned to listen. Excellent...you are half-way home,"
says the voice. You detect genuine admiration in its tone. "This college
exists in the rarified atmosphere of the true academic, but not everyone
you will encounter appreciates the Art. You must learn to deal with such
ruffians." Out of thin air, a huge warrior appears, wielding a sword in
both hands. "I'm gonna split yer lobe, highbrow!" he snarls.

144) "I'm sorry that was so brutal, but I had to prove a point," the voice
explains. "Some people can't appreciate Art...in such times, you must rely
on more direct measures." You find yourself in a chamber over which is
suspended a huge block of granite. The block is hung by a cable...the cable
trails to a wall and down to the floor, where it stretches across the floor
as a trip-wire. It doesn't take much intelligence to figure it would be
unhealthful to trip on the wire. The voice is strangely silent.

145) "That was novel. I don't think I've seen that solution before."
Across the room you see your mysterious host. "I am Utnapishtim, also called
the Faraway. I have been your teacher, now you must teach me something.
I want to see something novel and new. Give me your best shot...you go
first." The wizard waits for you to act.

146) This time it is Utnapishtim in the flesh who greets you. "Well done!"
he says. "Having learned to listen to me, you've learned you don't have to
listen to me. Lanac'toor could not have done better." The old wizard shows
no concern when you tell him Lanac'toor is dead. "There's death, and then
there's death. I wouldn't worry about Toor."

Utnapishtim shows you to a cabinet, within which are three magic items.
"For completing my gauntlet, you may select one item. I offer the Soul Bowl,
the Laugh Staff, or the Sing Ring. Which will it be, my friends?" The wizard
looks at you with a hint of impatience. From the way he introduced the items,
you judge he does not want you to select the Soul Bowl.

147) You emerge from a narrow pass and look out on a hidden valley. The
valley is narrow and wet and confined on three sides by mountains and by the
sea on the fourth. The swampy mass of the valley floor at first appears to
be moving...until you look closer, when you realize the valley floor is
covered with a mass of living creatures, crawling one atop another as far
as the eye can see.

To venture into the Dragon Valley is to invite certain death.

End............
==============================================================================

______________ ____________
/ | __ \ ______ __ \
/ | /|| \ | / / \ \ /
/__ | / || \ | / | | | |
/ |/\ || / |/\ | | | /\ |
/ | \||__/ | \ \__/ \/ \/ /
\________|_____/ | \______________/Mct!

_______________________________________
_____ /_____ ___ __ ___ \/ __ \
| \ | / | \ / | \ |\ | || /
|__/ | / |___ /__ |___ | \ | || /__
| |/\ | / | | \ | || /
| | \ |___/__/ |___/ | \| || __/
\_______________________/\________/


The Dragon Wars Clue Book/Book of Lore
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scanned/Edited/Typed by Mictlantecuhtli!
���������������

I was not going to release these at all but some people were asking me
about it so I decided that it was not too late. This file is dedicated to
Prisoner of Wife/Paradox and Midnight Caller. Other greets go to:
Swayzar/Paradox, Loverboy/Paradox, The Light/Tri Star, Dutchman/Genesis,
Bulldog and Freddy Krueger (in Saudi Arabia!!) of Scoopex.

Finals SUCK!

If anyone has anything NEW that they want scanned, please give me a call
at 805-967-8833 (this is the # to the Inquisition).


TABLE OF CONTENTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Introduction 4
A Brief History of Dilmun 4

Purgartory 6
Slave Camp 8
Guarded Bridge 10
Mog's Slave Estate 10
Slave Mines 12
Tars Ruins 14
Phoebius, City of the Sun 16
Phoeban Dungeons 18
Mystic Wood 20
Heavily Guarded Bridge 22
City of Lansk 22
Lansk Undercity 24
War Bridge 24
City of the Yellow Mud Toad 26
Lanac'toor's Magic Lab 28
Smuggler's Cove 28
Necropolis 30
Old Dock 32
Bridge of Exiles 32
Snakepit 32
Dwarf Ruins 34
Dwarf Clanhall 34
Siege Camp 36
City of Byzanople 36
Byzanople Dungeon 38
Kingshome 40
Kingshome Dungeon 40
Royal Game Preserve 42
Scorpion Bridge 42
Freeport 44
College of Magic 46
Dragon Valley 48
Sunken Ruins 50
Magan Underworld 52
Pilgrim Dock 54
Nisir 56
Depths of Nisir 58

Weapons Statistics 60
"Which items should I keep?" 63
Major Dragon Stone Caches 63

Note: all page #'s are given at the bottom of every "page" in this file.


INTRODUCTION
~~~~~~~~~~~~

It wasn't always like this. There was a time when the skies of Oceana
weren't the color of lead, and when the air didn't smell like meat. Our world
has become a waking nightmare since Namtar rose from the pit. Some of the
young ones have never experienced a world without war. And this is jus the
start of what Namtar has planned for us.

Here and there you'll find people holding out against the dark, but don't
expect them to pitch in on your side just because your campaigning against
Namtar. These are desperate days, and even honest folf won't hesitate to take
you on if you look like an easy mark.

Collected in this book of lore you'll find maps and descriptions of all
the major areas of Dilmun, the Land Where the Sun Sets. I've assigned the
report of each earea to someone intimately associated with that region. You
may meet several of my correspondents in your travels. I take no responsibility
for the accuracy of the information. Note also I have room only to describe the
most prominent features of the areas you will visit--even armed with the
knowledge this books provides, you will still encounter many surprises as you
explore Dilmun. You have been warned.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF DILMUN
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The archipelago collectively referred to as "Dilmun" is composed of nine
large islands and several small atolls. Many of the islands were formerly
dominated by independent city states. The city states previously existed
in a rough balance of power, with no single city able to dominate the
others. All that changed when Namtar rose from the Pit.

In the beginning, Namtar was a simple wizard to the court of King Drake
of Kingshome. Namtar was not human, but many demi-human creatures existed

4

peacefully with man in those days. Shortly after Namtar arrived at Drake's
court, observers noticed a change in the old King, and things started to
turn bad.

The first thing King Drake did was recall his daughter as governor of the
city Purgnati. Drake then ordered the guard tripled in the city, sealed off the
city's gates, and left the people within to rot. In the absence of authority,
Purganti became a living hell....and Purgatory was born.

Next Drake declared a general ban on Magic. This was followed almost
immediately by the first appearance of Namtar's new secret police, the
Stosstrupen. The Stosstrupen sacked the City of the Yellow Mud Toad and
destroyed Lanac'toor's school of magic. The great, if eccentric, Lanac'toor
himself was killed in the battle. Simultaneously, Zaton the Displaced, the
master of Druidic magic, mysterously went mad. It is unknown exactly what
deal Mystalvision struck with Namtar, but the Master of Sun Magic continues
to hold court in Phoebus, the City of the Sun.

Open warfare from Namtar's perfidy. King Drake wasted no time, but went right
for the throat. With the City of the Yellow Mud Toad already in ruins, Drake
unleashed dragons against the peaceful maritime city of Tars, utterly destroying
it. The city of Lansk immediately sued for peace, but only after determining
their dragon was sick and unable to defend the city. The city of Byzanople,
ruled by Drake's own son, Prince Jordan, was promptly beseiged by the
Kingshomer army. Phoebus was never touched by war.

Some of the wild places remain free. In the Eastern Isles, Namtar is but a
shadow, but the shadow grows longer and darker by the day. Here and there are
scattered those that remain loyal to King Drake, convinced the King is not
responsible for the reign of terror. But resistance is feeble and disorganized.
It seems only a matter of time before Namtar is triumphant.

5

PURGATORY
~~~~~~~~~
This used to be a nice place before they sealed off all of the exits
and cut off the food. Now rats rule the streets, and I, Clopin Trouillefou,
am King Rat!

I know Purgatory like the back of my hand, so you'd do well to listen to
what I say. Your first priority on arriving armored and to get armed. You'll
doubtless have a brawl or two almost immediatley after your arrival, but
you should have little trouble surviving unless you're a total wimp. A good
initial strategy is to strike almost due north from the main city square
and sign up for a battle in the arena. You'll get the snot kicked out of
you but at least you'll score some weapons.

Magic is forbidden in Dilmun, but no one can stamp out the Art entirely.
You'll find a modest scroll shop due west of the statue of Namtar (a nice
bit of irony, that). The scrolls won't do you any good unless you are
skilled in Low Magic. If you intend to do any intense spell casting in the
city, you'll want to investigate the southeast corner of town, right behind
the harbor wall. You'll find it refreshing.

My favorite tavern is in the northeast section of town, not far from the
arena. the place is usually lousy with drunks, but they'll scatter if you
give them a taste of steel. The tavern is good picking for the latest
rumors, and you even find a fool there interested in joining your quest.
If one of your friends dies, you should do your civic duty abd deliver the
corpse to the city morgue north of the harbor and east of the main city
square. I've heard some have tried to escape the city hidden in a

7

bag of corpses, but I wouldn't want to try it. Now would I ever consider
surrendering myself to slavery just to escape the city, but you can take that
way out by visiting the salve market north of the staue of Namtar.

My own part of town is southwest, and you'll likely stumble on my court if
you wander in my neighborhood. I might have a job for you, if you're a cut
above the common scum I usually deal with. Play your cards right and and you
might even score enough gold to pay the outrageous prices demanded by the
black market. The black market shop is just a few blocks west of the arena.
Not far to the north of my court you'll find a shrine to the Dark Lady,
Irkalla...be sure to pay her your respects before entering the Aspu Waters.

One last bit of advice. Don't be in such a hurry to leave Purgatory. As
bad as it is inside, it is tougher outside. If you don't belive me, have a
look for yourself. There's a secret door leading behind the wall in the
northwest tower of the city, and a door leading to "freedom" in the southwest
corner of the wall.

Be seeing you.

-Clopin

SLAVE CAMP
~~~~~~~~~~

You'll probably find the slave camp if you ever escape from Purgatory,
especially if you do so through the harbor. The camp was founded by escapees
from Purgatory and Mog's slave estate. Why poeple would escape from one
pit and immediately cluster together to form another is beyond me.

Mostly you'll find shattered nerves here...tread softly and never draw
your weapons. Use your bureaucratic skills to convince the slaves you
mean no harm.

A wizard lives in the camp, and he'll welcome anyone displaying a bit
of their skill in the art. Healing the sick--or at least trying to--can
be to your benefit. They brew good stew by the campfire. Mostly you can
serve yourself best by keeping your mouth shut and your ears open

9

Get in, get some information, and get out. I visit about once a month, but
things never get interesting. The slaves are mostly losers, aside from an
old rogue name Louie, whom I'm sure would join your party if given the
opportunity.

-Clopin

GUARDED BRIDGE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

North of Purgatory, you'll find a bridge connecting the isle of Forlorn
with the Isle of the Sun. You'll need citizenship papers to get past the
guards, and even then expect to get shaken down for some gold in the form
of a toll. You can get citizenship papers by winning a battle in the
Purgatory arena, or by looking in the right place in the Slave Camp. A
complete search of the region near the bridge is worth your time.

-Clopin

MOG'S SLAVE ESTATE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I am the world's greatest artist. Of this there is no doubt. My works of
art are displayed for the benefit of cretins such as yourself at my slave
estate on the isle of Forlorn. You should come visit, but don't touch
anything.

I maintain a large garrison in a wing adjoining my home, so don't think
that you can get away with anything. My finest art is displayed in the
middle garden. I do not mind telling you this--even should you fight your
way through my guards, you will not have the strength to claim my gold.

No monsters or beasts are permitted inside my house. Leave your familiars
and summoned pets at the door.

-Mog

11

SLAVE MINES
~~~~~~~~~~~

I'm working on a plan. I think that I know a way out of the mines. I would
never have sold myself into slavery to escape Purgatory if I'd known how
impossible it would prove to get out of these mines.

I don't have much time. If Mog's guards catch me talking to Outlanders,
they'll flay me alive. I've been in these pits so long that I'm no longer
afraid of pain, but I don't want to die! (WIMP!)

There's no way to escape the mines so long as I am bound by Mog's chains.
The guards beat me for sport, and the chains prevent me from reclaiming
my stolen goods. They key to escape is to break the chains, recover my
goods, then play the guards a sharp turn.

The richest man in the mines is about to die. You'll know him when you
see him--he's the one in the main quarters who still owns a pair of shoes.
I've tried to befriend him but he is unconcious most of the time, and when
he is awake all he does is moan for water. Even if I could find the spring
rumored to exist somewhere in the mines, how could I bring him water? It's
not like the guards provide us with drinking cups. It's not the old man's
shoes I want--it's his laces. I found an old axe handle, and there are
plenty of loose stones lying around....with the laces I could make a
hammer. And with a hammer, I could break my chains!

-A friend

13

TARS RUINS
~~~~~~~~~~
(EAST COAST OF FORLORN)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Of course my city wasn't always in ruins. Prior to the attack by Namtar's
dragons, this was the proud city of Tars, the greatest maritime center of
the world.

Little remains of Tars' past glory. You might find something interesting
in the southwest corner of the ruins, where a magic scroll shop formerly
stood. You would likewise be wise to investigate the old hero's house...
you'll know you are near when you find the magic snake that guards his
home, long after the house itself has been destroyed.

One skilled in tracking should be able to follow the clear trail through
the ruins to the threshold of the undercity. Many looters have doubtless
passed this way, but a few treasures might remain. You will discover the
entrance to the undercity beneath the great slab of stone if one of your
party possess great strength. The ruins below are overrun by monsters,
but important treasures can be found near where your footsteps sound
hollow. You will also find a shaft descending to the Underworld.

Although the ceiling may sometimes seem about to cave in, you have
nothing to fear. The undercity is also smaller than it appears...at one
point, minor magic may permit you to see your own party as if it stood
at the end of a hall.

-Tarkas of Tars

15

PHOEBUS
~~~~~~~

Phoebus, City of the Sun, is a city well past its prime. While Phoebus
puts on a bright face, there is little to recommend it as a destination for
adventurers or pilgrims. It is in fact a very dangerous place.

Ignore the Welcome Waldo. It is a bit of civic folly. Our funds would
have better been invested in restoring the ruined sections of the city. It
is true we were never touched by the war, but peace has not been pleasant
for us. Namtar's Stosstrupen have destroyed several buildings and many of
the public monuments that formerly graced my city.

The streets in the southwest corner of the city are uninteresting, and
doubly dangerous since a tribe of goblins (of all things!) took up
residence in the city. Thieves squat in several buildings, hoarding their
ill-gotten gains. The big buildings in the center of the city are occupied
by the Stosstrupen, and are not a healthy place to linger. The large
compound in the southeast of the city is controlled by the military, You
can join the army by visiting there, but remember, as a friend of mine used
to say...the army's not just a job-it's a lousy job!

In the northwest corner of the city you'll find the Icarian Triumph, my
favorite pub. You'll find me there from time to time. The pub is also
frequented by an old collegue of mine named Valar, He is skilled in the
ways of Sun Magic and could prove a valuable addition to your party.

The north side of the city is dominated by the Temple of the Sun. You
can't miss the Temple-just travel directly north along the main street from
the city gates. While the temple remains an architectural wonder worth
seeing, it has become a perilous place since Mystalvision, the High Priest
of the Temple, was corrupted by Namtar. I am afraid only misery greets
pilgrims who call at the Temple these days.

-Berengaria
17

PHOEBAN DUNGEONS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As is all too common these days, if you visit Phoebus you'll probably
wind up in the dungeons. Do not waste your spells or strength
trying to escape from the magical cell in which you'll be imprisoned.
I will help you when I can. Beating your head against the door will
release frustration and help to pass the time.

Although the jailor drinks heavily, he will notice anyone moving
through his room that does not take care to hide. The secret tunnel
south of the jailor's room is poorly maintained, and subject to cave-ins
You may need to recover a shovel from the dungeon's armory
before you can successfully travel the tunnel.

When excavating these dungeons, it was discovered the Temple of
the Sun was built on the foundations of a considerably older druid
shrine. The treasure of this shrine is still guarded by a powerful
supernatural force that will permit passage only to those using the
proper password. The Stosstrupen even now torture a poor druid in
the depths of this dungeon to learn the password. He might respond
to kindness, rather than cruelty. I have also heard the password is
identical to the name of a freelance adventurer who frequents the "Brew's
Brothers" tavern in Freeport.

Mystalvision resides in the dungeon, but know that even should you defeat
him you will be robbed of victory. There is a dragon here, poorly tended by
a demented hunchback keeper. Angering the dragon could destroy the dungeon
and entire city of Phoebus above-a fitting revenge, perhaps, but cruel to
those few honest poeple who still dwell there.

-Berengaria

19

MYSTIC WOOD
~~~~~~~~~~~

My woods are a holy place, and so far we have been largely un-
touched by the war. Zaton, the chief Druid of our Temple, is absent
and mad, however, so all is not well. The woods are home to all
manner of beasts, and this is their home, so do not expect to explore
here with impunity. Combat with animals is a regrettable but natural
aspect of the order of things, but you could easily come out on the
poor end of most encounters here...it would not be shameful to run
from such encounters.

The Temple is sacred to Enkidu, and adventurers may summon the
god to flesh by blowing his horn. One strong in both body and spirit
will most benefit from grappling with the god. Beside the Temple is
the Well to Hell, down which the foolish can climb to the Under-
world.

In the midst of the forest you'll find an enchanted glad-those
skilled in tracking may follow a trail to the very place. It is also
important you find the shrine to the Old Druid Zaton. Should you
rescue Zaton's soul from the Eastern Isles, return it here for your
reward.

Just to the east of the glade is a magical pond. The shrine on the island
in the pond cannot be reached by swimming...you must leap across the pond
using a magic item's assistance. The shrine is very old, dating back to the
days of sacrifice. Use a weapon to shed blood on the shrine, and the old
god should awaken.

Somewhere in the forest you'll find a patch of mushrooms. Do not eat
these, as they drive mortal men mad. The mushrooms are the favorite
delicacy of the abominable Nergal, and you should have them ready if you
would serve him.
-David the Druid
21

HEAVILY GUARDED BRIDGE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The soldiers garrisoning the bridge connecting Lansk with the Isle of
the Sun take craven profits from the war. Travellers are required to
pay outrageous fees in the name of "customs inspections"-in truth,
this is simple highway robbery. At first you'll have no choice but to
pay this fine, but when your party grows strong you'll do well to pay
these finks with steel. It is also possible to outwit these dullards with
high levels of skill.

The building to the south of the bridge is a barracks filled with sleep-
ing guards. The guard nearest the door sleeps with a valuable My in
his pocMt. A nimble fingered sort will profit from relieving the
soldier of this My, and using it on the strongbox found elsewhere in
the room.

To the north of the bridge is a customs house occupied by a tiresome
Lansk bureaucrat. The man is a turgid bore, but a regular party guy
compared to the plastic clowns you II meet in Lansk. He means what
he says when he threatens to turn the guards on you. Should you
defeat the guards, be advised the treasure to be had here is still not
without protection.
-Clopin

LANSK
~~~~~

Everything on ground level in this city is pure ya-ya. Find the
Department of Lubrication, cut through the red tape using your bureaucratic
skills, pay the man at least 500 gold, then join us in the undercity. The
party is just beginning!!

-a wild woman
23

LANSK UNDERCITY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Whereas the surface portion of Lansk is staid and conservative, the
Lansk Undercity is a wide-open party town. Nominal city laws re-
quire you keep your weapons sheathed and refrain from violence in
the city streets, but experience has proven this is all but impossible.
Venture into the Lansk Undercity at your own risk, and beware the
wild women!

The usual range of city services are available here: weapon smiths, ar-
morers, and healers. You will also find the Ministry of EZ Paperwork,
which will provide invaluable documentation for a price, including
tickets for the ferry to King's Isle which regularly departs from the
north docks.

Strictly off the record, there is a grey market magic shop hidden in
Lansk. It's not too hard to find if you poke around, and the manage-
ment has valuable scrolls as well as dragon stones to sell.

Visit the statues in the four corners of the Undercity to learn some-
thing of Oceana's religion and history. Strive also to visit the Lansk
dragon. The dragon pen is in the center of the Undercity, and while
it is not normally open to the public, with determination you can gain
entrance. The dragon found within is sick, and needs healing from
spell or item.

And remember...look out for those wild women!!

-Doctor Death
WAR BRIDGE
~~~~~~~~~~

There is little to say about this bridge. The soldiers gaurding it require
a governor's pass of any who would travel to or from war-torn Quag. The
pass is most easily available from the Ministry of EZ Paperwork in the
Lansk Undercity. Or you can jump through a bunch of hoops and get your pass
by dealing with Lansk desk jockeys, but why waste you life in such
pursuits?

The woman in charge of the Quag Tourist Bureau is mad. Treat her kindly,
and pay no attention to what she says.

-A. Pismo Clam

25

YELLOW MUD TOAD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The City of the Yellow Mud Toad suffered mightily in the war, and the
squatting inhabitants of this place have done little to repair their
decaying home. Large sections of the city wall have been destroyed,
and the city streets are overrun by swampy horrors.

The Temple of the Golden Toad has always been a lesser attraction in
Dilmun, and few seem to care that the poorly constructed building is
sinking on its foundations. The priests of the Toad reputedly offer a
pair of magic golden jumping boots to anyone who can shore up the
supports of their Temple. It is a wonder this has not yet
happened...all you need do is locate where the wall surrounding the
Temple leaks mud, stand just outside it, then seal the fissure with a
Create Wall spell. See what good outlawing magic does? Buildings
fall down but no one is allowed to repair them!

The souvenir shop in the southeast sector is worth a visit, as is the
Cavern Tavern in the northeast corner of the city. The tavern is some-
times frequented by Berengaria, an Acolyte of the Temple of the Sun
in Phoebus. Most of the town garrison has gone mad, but I've heard
of one group that guards a valuable treasure hidden in the walls.

The City of the Yellow Mud Toad was formerly the site of Lanac'toor's
College of High Magic. All that presently remains of the College is a
ruined statue of Lanac'toor. Legend holds the statue is actually Lanac'toor
turned to stone. The pieces of the statue or scattered in the four corners
of Dilmun-in the Necropolis, the ruins of Tars, Freeport, and along the
shores of the penal colony of Snakepit. Returning the various pieces of the
statue here could prove interesting.

-Eyebulge Thunderleg

27

LANAC'TOOR'S LAB
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I've seen the place. It's ain't such hot tuna. For one thing it's in the
City of the Yellow Mud Toad, which is the devil's armpit so far as I'm
concerned.

I don't think Toor will ever finish the place. It verges on another di-
mension, such that if you wander off too far in one direction you'll
come back again to where you started from another. That's a real
pain in the neck, especially without all the corridors In place yet.

The best way to get around is to use Soften Stone spells. There's one
place where Toor's uncovered an entrance to the Underworld. Seal-
ing it up with a Create Wall spell will cut down on the available
supply of wandering monsters.

Toor kept all his valuables in a single room. The way the dimensions
wrap around, you can reach it by heading southwest, northeast,
northwest, or southeast. There's no best way to get there-just pick
a direction and be assertive. You'll get there.

Unless, of course, you run into one of those pockets of water. But
best not to think of that.
- Instep

SMUGGLER'S COVE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arr..to you it may be Smuggler's Cove, but I calls her home, and me crew
calls her Pirate's Cove. We don't much care for visitors, and if you find
us on the north coast of Quag, don't expect much hospitality.

Pieces of eight will soften our salty hearts...bureaucracy is our
language. Offer enough money, and you might score a meal and passage to the
Necropolis. Whatever you do, stay away from the south door, unless you want
to check your sneakers in Davy Jones' locker. Arr!

-Long John Ugly

29

THE NECROPOLIS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NOW DON'T GET THE WRONG IDEA. IRKALLA IS QUEEN BUT I'M
NO CONSORT. SOMETIMES I JUST GET SICK OF THE UNDERWOFLD,
IS ALL. NOBODY THROWS ME OUT. YOU GOT THAT? I JUST GET
SICK OF IT.

I HAVE A LITTLE SUMMER PLACE CALLED THE NECROPOLIS. IT'S
FULL OF DEAD GUYS AND GOOD FOR A FEW LAUGHS: A PAIR OF
GRIM GUARDIANS PROTECT THE ENTRANCE TO MY PALACE. GO
AHEAD AND KILL THEM--THEY'RE USED TO IT.

MY BACKYARD IS FULL OF CORPSES. THEY'RE ALL WAITING TO
SEE ME, BUT I'M A BUSY MAN. THEY'LL BE HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN
YOU. IF YOU'RE VERY LUCKY YOU MIGHT FIND THE SECRET EN-
TRANCE TO MY PALACE, BUT YOU'LL PROBABLY BE DEAD BY
THEN. AND THEN YOU WON'T CARE SO MUCH.

I KEEP MEANING TO CLEAN OUT THE EASTERN GUESTHOUSE OF
MY PALACE. THE PLACE IS FULL OF SPIDER WEBS. I SUPPOSE I
SHOULD JUST BURN OUT THE SPIDERS, BUT THAT SEEMS CRUEL.
THERE USED TO BE A TELEPORTATION PORTAL BUILT INTO THE
GUEST HOUSE, BUT I HAVEN'T USED IT IN AGES. THERE'S ALSO
AN UNDERWORLD ENTRANCE ON MY PROPERTY, BUT IT JUST GOES
DOWN TO THE WELL OF SOULS, WHICH IS A REALLY DULL PLACE
UNLESS YOU WANT TO BRING SOMEONE BACK FROM THE DEAD. YOU
HAD BEST BE VERSED IN ARCANE LORE IF YOU WISH TO TRY.

DON'T DARE TO FACE ME WITHOUT A STRONG RIGHT ARM, A
STRONGER STOMACH, AND PLENTY OF MUSHROOMS.

BRAAAAP! THERE'S ONE FOR YA! PLAY YOUR CARDS RIGHT AND I
MIGHT BE THE KEY TO YOUR ADVENTURE.

NOW GET OUTTA MY FACE!
-Nergal

31

OLD DOCK
~~~~~~~~

There was a time when this dock was very busy indeed, before Namtar and
the war. Not only was this the single port connecting Lansk with King's
Isle, it was also the primary point of departure for Nisir, the Mountain of
Salvation.

Now traffic has slowed to a crawl. Passage is offered to Lansk but the fare
is necessarily high. In honor of the old traditions, properly attired pilgrims
are still offered free passage to Nisir.
-Wiggly Warmflash


BRIDGE OF EXILES & SNAKEPIT
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Previously a leper colony, the spit of land on the western end of King's Isle
is known as the Isle of the Damned on some charts, but now known far and
wide as the site of Snakepit, Namtar's penal colony for the criminally
insane. The isle is reached by bridge from the mainland. The bridge
permits traffic in one direction only. Those who cross over to Snakepit do
not return by the same route.

Namtar has lately exiled many who disagree with him to Snakepit, so a few
bits of wisdom might be found amid the madness. The central cluster of
the village's huts conceals a secret chamber, within which is the private
apartment of the colony's most important member. It is here that the late
King Drake of Kingshome lived out his final days after being sent into exile
by Namtar.

The western coast of the village is known as Toxic Beach, and while the
inhabitants think of it as a resort, sane folk are unlikely to agree.
Interesting artifacts sometimes was up along the beach.

There is a patch of fresh pine somewhere in the village, which should
stir something in your sould if there's anything like a druid in you. If
you find an old man sitting out of doors and refusing to go inside, he's
probably on eof the colony's mad druids. Show him fresh pine branches and
do the fellow a kind deed.

You may first encounter servants of the king here. Remember that in times
of strife, evidence of the King's seal is often enough to convince one you
are on the business of the King. The King is innocent of wrongdoing, and
many good and noble people still serve him.

-Josephina

33

DWARF RUINS AND CLANHALL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In a desolate part of King's Isle you are likely to find a once-proud
dwarven statue. The statue gazes at a tunnel into rock, but within
the rock no door or crack can be found. The dwarves are enemies of
evil and they have been all but driven from the world by Namtar.
The entrance to the clanhall will remain sealed until the statue is
restored. Somewhere in Dilmun you will find a pair of jade eyes that
will fit the statue. Namtar cast the eyes into the sea, but I hope some
fisherman or pirate will recover them one day.

Rumor has it a terrible doom overcame my people even before
Namtar rose from the Pit. A hideous monster was supposedly re-
leased from the dwarven mines...a monster that turned my people to
stone. It has been said the proper spell can soften the dwarves
stony hearts, and it has never been more true than now. Should you
gain access to the clanhall, beware the beast that lurks in the dark-
ness.

Also be advised that dwarves are jealous people, and even should
the clan be indisposed, their treasure will be well hidden and well
guarded. It is best to rescue the dwarves from their fate, rather than
taking advantage of their misery. That way, you will win both the
friendship and the treasures of the dwarves, and avoid thier defenses in
the bargain.

Sealed behind an unbreachable wall of glass at the heart of the clanhall
you'll find the fires of a magical forge. In former days great treasures
came from this forge, but now the smith is idle. The forge cannot be
reached from the clanhall--you must brave the fires of the Underworld to
arrive there. IT was a dwarf who forged the Sword of Freedom, and perhaps
someday that deed will be repeated.

-Josephina

35

SIEGE CAMP & BYZANOPLE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's bad enough I have to fight a war without having to give an orien-
tation tour to every greenhorn cadet that walks into my office. If yer
in my camp, yer in the army. It is isn't important to me if you signed
up at the gate or in Phoebus...all that matters now is that I'm the
boss!

Right! There isn't much to say about the siege camp because we
don't expect to be here much longer. One way or the other we're
going to resolve the war with Bysanople, and then the camp will be
abandoned.

Armies are armies and men are men and I'm confused...what I'm
trying to say is there are things that always follow armies (and I don't
mean women!) and you'll find several of them in the camp. I know
there's a black market (even though I'm not supposed to know) and I
think there's a healer (even though I am supposed to know). Don't
forget to report to yer commandin' officer--that being me! And
don't try to desert--my boys don't take kindly to rats who go
AWOL.

When you're done goldbrickin' in the camp, strike out north and
head for the siege of Byzanople. We've just about starved the rebel scum
out of their city, and all we need is a few suckers--er, I mean hereos--to
find a way into the city and open the gates. Yer best bet is to run along
the wall and try the main gate, but I suppose getting peppered with arrows
and boiled by oil might make you wanna cry for mommy. Our dwarf sappers are
supposed to be diggin' a tunnel under the wall, and there might even be
other ways to get into the city. Once yer in, on yer own--but remember that
amnesty I ptomised ya if you do a good job.

Now quit loafin' and get to work!!

-Buck Ironhead

37

BYZANOPLE DUNGEON
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is no place for adventure, but rather the nerve center of my war
effort against Namtar. He has corrupted my father and lay siege to
my city. I fear I cannot long hold out against the forces of evil.

The halls are regularly patrolled, and should my sister find you she
will request your surrender. You would be well advised to comply. I
am a fair man, and I know many who fight beneath Namtar's banner
do so not of their own choosing. Perhaps you could start anew for
me.

There is a treasure chamber here, but my stores have been depleted
by war. A single stair leads from the dungeon to the city above.
Near the stair is a locked door leading to the crypts of my ancestors. My
great grandfather is buried there, still clutching his magic axe, and a
legion of undead soldiers protect him.

-Prince Jordan

39

KINGSHOME & DUNGEON
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Understand that I have not visited my father's court at Kingshome for
many years. When last I was there the place was bustling with activ-
ity. I have since heard the palace is a virtual morgue, with its great
stonework stripped away to build fortifications on the frontier. Re-
gardless, if King's men still patrol the place, they'll respect the King's
seal and permit you to enter the castle.

If the Great Hall is abandoned there may still be things worth finding
in the antechambers. My father owned great riches, although I doubt
much remains. Of interest is my father's library and wardrobe.
Somewhere in the palace you may still be able to view poorly ren-
dered portraits of my sisters and me.

The dungeon beneath the palace was not used in my father's time,
but I can well imagine the use to which it's been put lately. There's
no way out of the cell block without passing through the guard room,
so if you're imprisoned here you'll have to carve your way out. I'm
sure the various barracks are claimed by mercenaries and
Stosstrupen.

The long north-south passage has a secret door directly in its midst--it
leads to a tunnel that to my knowledge has not been completed. My father
intended the tunnel system to serve as a treasure vault, but I do not know
if he has gone through with his plans. The only way out of the dungeon
leads through the royal apartments in Kingshome. I doubt anyone is in
residence there now, but should you find my father please tell him to cease
his war against me. I mean him no harm and fear for his safety.

-Prince Jordan
41

ROYAL GAME PRESERVE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It's been a long time since the King hunted here. His young boy
Jordan was a firebrand, and he liked to hunt, but they don't come
around anymore. All the way out here on the Isle of Rustic I don't
see much of anyone anymore, and that's the way I like it.

I've filled the forest with snare traps to capture poachers. They're
heaviest around my home. If you get captured I'll get around to you
when I can, but don't try anything funny or I'll let you have it with my
bow Nevermiss.

Around the ford you'll find some animal tracks, but remember not to
hunt any game as the forest is King's property. The forest is still a
pretty wild place, and killing in self defense is all right, I reckon.
Some outlaws have made camp on the far side of the river, and they
look pretty tough. I'll clean `em out when I get around to it.

Bring me news of the King and I'll be much obliged.

- Old Jack
SCOPRION BRIDGE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The scorpion bridge guards the way from Rustic to the Eastern Isles, the
Utnapishtim's College of Music. The man-scorpions that guard the bridge are
fearsome beasts and not to be crossed. Recall, however, that Enkidu is
patron of beast-men and man-beasts...if you show the man-scorpion the Totem
of Enkidu to be found in the Mystic Wood, they wkll permit you to pass the
bridge.

Within the bridge you will find darkness, confusion, and fierce beasts.
Remain on a straight and true path and you will find your way to the far
side of the bridge. Do not stray into the north-south passage or you may
never leave the bridge.

-David the Druid

43

FREEPORT
~~~~~~~~

Freeport is aptly named, for it is the last free port in Dilmun. The city
is located in the Eastern Isles, and you will have to acquire a boat
before you can sail here.

The city is arranged around the best harbor this part of the world has
to offer. Along the waterfront you'll find the Brews Brothers tavern-
the best pub hereabouts--and the Order of the Sword. The Order of
the Sword is a pack of thugs and they deserve to be put in their
place. Everyone else you'll meet in town is friendly and industrious.
Most of us are from somewhere else, and we know what it means to
lose your home, so we work all the harder to keep Freeport free.

You'll find the usual armoring, magic, and healing services if you look
in the right places. You'll also find the town's most important arti-
fact, the Sword of Freedom. The Sword was set in the harbor by the
great hero Roba when he founded the city. Legend holds that so
long as the Sword is safe, Freeport will thrive. The same legend
holds that in a time of need a great hero will appear to claim the sword
and fight against the darkness.

Several months ago a dark figure was spotted on the island where the
Sword of Freedom is displayed. The Sword is still visible, but I can't help
but wonder if the mysterious figure did something evil to the weapon.

-Tarkas of Tars

45
COLLEGE OF MAGIC
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cliff's Notes: Utnapishtim's requirements for graduation are stiff and
uncompromising. If you would pass his test, keep the following
points in mind. And remember these notes cannot substitute for a
first hand experience of the test...they are intended as a guide for
study only.

First, you will be unable to enter the College unless you can see the
entrance, and to see the entrance you must use a pair of rarely found
magical spectacles. Lanac'toor had one such pair. Use them where
you see tracks in the mud.

Utnapishtim requires you overcome a number of obstacles to claim
his boon. Most require the use of magic, so don't bother coming
here before you are well-versed in spells and their use. The first
room requires that you overcome a wall of fire. Defeat fire with ice.
The next room presents you with another wall of fire, but all is not as
it seems. Reveal the glamour of Utnapishtim's illusion, and take ap-
propriate action when you see the true nature of your task.

Invisibility will let you move unseen past the creature that kills with
its gaze. Cloak yourselves with an arcane spell. When the time comes to
kill the Phillistine,do so and without remorse. Magic will not help you
here. And even if you clearly see and understand what you think is an
obvious trap, you must trigger the trap with magic before you can safely
pass. Either disarm the trap or eliminate the stone block by softening away
to nothing.

Neither magic nor any other action help when Utnapishtim demands to see
something novel--just walk past him and claim your reward. The ring and the
staff are amusing but only the Soul Bowl will genuinely help you in your
quest. Take all you can when the treasure is offered--you can't come back
for seconds!

-Rimshot Hilario

47

DRAGON VALLEY
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Exploring Dragon Valley is a quest for heroes and fools. There is little
to be gained by venturing here, unless you love bloodshed or seek
an invaluable ally against Namtar.

The Valley is wide and flat, and crawls with dragons and other beasts.
Legend holds the teeth of a dead dragon make for powerful weap-
ons, so should you find a dragon skeleton be sure to make the most
of your discovery. A large collection of dragon bones can be found
just north of the entrance to the valley, but they will not be without
guardians.

At the north end of the valley, beside the water, you'll find the lair of
the Dragon Brood Queen. She is as powerful as all her children put
together, and no one can hope to survive combat with her. When
confronting the Dragon Brood Queen, your only hope is to prove to
her you are a friend of dragons--a difficult task after hacking through
legions of her children to reach her. Correct use of a dragon gem--such as
that to be had from the dragon of Lansk--will temporarily bind the Dragon
Queen to your will. Entering Dragon Valley without such a gem is sheer
folly.

-Hamaran Tongs

49

SUNKEN RUINS
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Not far from Dragon Valley you'll find these exotic coastal ruins. The
ruins exist both above and below water--to explore the underwater
portion of this area, you will require the water breathing potion lrkalla
maKes available in the Underworld.

The ground level of the ruins is mundane. No amount of skill will
permit you to pass the locked door. Seek a secret way past the door
rather than wasting precious experience on improving your lockpick-
ing skills.

Once past the gate, explore the ruins thoroughly. You will soon
uncover a blank area where a secret door will prove the only means
of entrance. At this point you must use your water breathing potion
if you would advance.

Important treasures are to be had here, but none more so than the
skull of the legendary hero Roba. The skull is required to reforge the
Sword of Freedom. The skull is trapped in the maw of a clam...just take the
clam, and it will shrivel away to reveal the skull when you leave the sea.

There are other items of interest in the ruins, not the least of which is
the original Davy Jones' locker. However, you will doubtless come here
late in your quest, and be anxious to confront Namtar. In such a case, it's
probably best not to linger here and risk falling prey to some aquatic
horror for no good reason.

-Floyd Bridges

51

MAGAN UNDERWORLD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Beneath the surface of Dilmun is a magical Underworld. The kingdom is
called Magan, and it is not a place for the weak or inexperienced to explore.
You will have to come here eventually to complete your quest, but better
later than sooner.

The Magan Underworld is coterminous with all of Dilmun, which means many
of the surface world's locations can be reached directly from the Underworld.
Veteran adventurers sometimes find travel through the Underworld ultimately
less taxing than similar travel overland across Dilmun. If you prefer
combating Underworld beasts to dealng with pesky bridge guards and swarms
of goblins, you may agree.

Of course, there is more reason to explore the Underworld than simply
searching for a rapid means of travel across Dilmun. Irkalla's Realm is an
important land, but you will gain admittance only after sacraficing an item
to the Dark Lady at one of her surface shrines. Irkalla herself is on an
island which can be reached only by using a magic item. The Dark Lady is
further bound in chains that can be removed only by the grace of Nergal,
the lord of the Necropolis, who certainly owes Irkalla no favors. It is
well worth your time, however, to rescue Irkalla.

The entrance to the magical forge of the Dwarven clan hall can be reached

53

through the field of fire in the Magan Underworld.

Elsewhere in the Underworld you'll find access to several surface lo-
cations, magic pools, and an oracle cave that will further explain your
quest. The Well of Souls, the only place in Dilmun where the dead
may be returned to life, is located in the Underworld, but it can be
reached only through Nergal's palace of the Necropolis. The Well is
only of use to those blessed with arcane knowledge.

Pay special attention when you find the pit from which Namtar was
spawned. Legend holds Namtar cannot truly be destroyed unless
and until he is pitched back into the pit from which sprang. Making
careful note of the pit's location could save you precious time at the
end of your quest.
-Bill Yarde



PILGRIM DOCK
~~~~~~~~~~~~

This old dock has welcomed pilgrims to Nisir, the Mountain of Salva-
tion, for as long as anyone can remember. Not even Namtar would
dare tamper with the will of the gods, and pilgrims are still welcome
here. Be aware, however, that Namtar's Stosstrupen are on hand to ensure
only pilgrims pass this way, and that no adventurers try to take the
mountain by storm.

To this end, a fortress has recently been constructed near the docks.
Adjoining the fortress is a block of cells in which are imprisoned those
who came here on a quest rahter than on a pilgrimage. The cells are in
frequent use. At least one prisoner is usually present. There is a rumor
that someone recently escaped from his cell by tunneling through the heart
of the mountain, but I know nothing of the details.

-Wiggly Warmflsh

55

NISIR
~~~~~

Nisir is the holiest place in Dilmun, and also the most dangerous
since Namtar made it his place of primary residence. The old shrine
and even the entrance to the Underworld are unguarded, but the rest
of Nisir is a very treacherous place.

Your approach up the mountain will be long but unremarkable. Once
at the mountain's summit, be sure to visit the shrine to the Universal
God. Displaying the Sword of Freedom to the God will gain its
blessing.

While at the mountain, seek the treasure of the Dragon Eyes. They
are powerful magical artifacts that will aid you in your quest.

The entrance to Namtar's tower is in the southeast corner of the
plateau. The approach to Namtar's stronghold is protected by a
locked guardroom, but an intelligent climber can bypass the guards if
you find the right patch of rock.

Once past the guardroom. you can't miss Namtar's tower. You'll have to
leap across the chasm with the Golden Boots to enter the tower. What
happens next, no man has lived to say.

-Jim Nasium
57

DEPTHS OF NISIR
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It is here that you will (with luck) engage Namtar in final battle. The
heart of the mountain Nisir is a confusing and treacherous place, complete
with many obstacles not seen in other parts of Dilmun.

What you do here depends largely on you. Great combats are to be had,
provided such is your ambition. It may be possible to enjoy a final
reckoning with Mystalvision or Buck Ironhead, if you look in the right
places. Likewise, many clues to Namtar's identity and ultimate ambitions
are here for the curious.

Chances are, however, that you'll want to make directly for Namtar's lair.
You'll have to break out of the initial cavern using Soften Stone spells.
There are many places to wander in the Depths of Nisir, but you'll know
you're on the right track when you find the seemingly uncrossable chasm.

A summoned air elemental will bear you across the chasm. Pass through the
doors and turn right...continue south to the wall and cast another Soften
Stone. You;ll now be in a large chamber that teems with traps. The doorless
stone structure in the center of the chamber contains the portal that will
transport you to Namtar's lair. To enter it, you must cast another Soften
Stone. This may seem like a difficult path to take to your final
confrontation, but it is nothing compared to the combat that awaits. If this

59

preliminary action exhausts your resources, turn around and get out
while you still can.

Before you can battle Namtar you will have to get past his army. You
can always hack your way through Namtar's mighty legions, but it's
easier to call upon the Dragon Brood Queen, the alliance of which
you've hopefully secured. Astride her back you can sail high above
the army and arrive at your final confrontation with Namtar.

Good fortune in your final battle with Namtar, and remember that
you will not be entirely done with him until his body is hurled into
the Underworld pit from which he sprung.

--?


WEAPON STATISTICS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Following are set forth the names of the different weapons that can be found
in Dilmun, along with the damage each one inflicts and the minimum strength
you will need to wield them.

Damage is listed as the number of dice the computer will roll followed by
the number of sides on the dice. For example, if a weapon does 2d20 of damage,
your computer will "roll" two twenty-sided dice, add the results together,
and inflict that much damage to your poor opponent. Hand-to-hand weapons
generally require a minimum strength to use, and missile weapons a minimum
dexterity. A minus Attack Value (AV) makes it harder for you to hit your foe,
and a plus makes it easier. You may wish to "Use" a weapon - or any item for
that matter - both in and out of combat to find out if it has any special
powers. CAVEAT: From universe to universe (or computer to computer) the actual
statistics listed here may vary slightly, or may even have undocumented
abilities.

MELEE WEAPONS
�������������
____________________________________________________________________________
AXES Damage Minimum Notes
Strength
����������������������������������������������������������������������������
Small Pick 1d4 4
Pick 1d6 7
HandAxe 1d6 5
Battle Axe 1d12 17 -1AV
War Axe 1d12 18 -3 AV
Rusty Axe 1d20 18 -3 AV
Axe of Kalah 1d12 18 +4 AV, can attack
20'-50' for 1d20
Magic Axe 1d30 20 +1 AV
Nature Axe 1d30 18 -6 AV


60
____________________________________________________________________________
FLAILS Damage Minimum Notes
Strength
����������������������������������������������������������������������������
Flail 1d6 10
War Flail 1d12 10
Bladed Flail 1d12 10
RunedFlail 1d20 14 +2 AV, +1 armor
Barbed Flail 1d30 16 +2 armor
Spiked Flail 4d20 16 +2 AV, +1 armor
____________________________________________________________________________
SWORDS
����������������������������������������������������������������������������
Dagger 1d4 3 +1 AV
Ruby Dagger 1d4 3 +3 AV
Shortsword 1d6 8 +1 AV
Broadsword 1d8 12 +1 AV
Hook 1d8 12 +1 AV
Magic Sword 1d12 17 +1 AV
Fire Sword 1d12 17 +2 AV, + 1 armor
Lance Sword 1d20 12 +1 AV, can attack foes
at 20'
The Slicer 1d30 17 +4 AV, +2 armor
Glow Sword 1d30 24 +1 AV
Dragon Tooth 2d20 12 +8 AV, +2 armor
can attack foes up to 60'
Freedom Sword 1d100 15 + 15 AV, +5 armor, casts
Inferno if blessed by the
universal God
____________________________________________________________________________
TWO-HANDED WEAPONS
����������������������������������������������������������������������������
Polearm 1d10 13 +1 AV
Greatsword 1d12 17 +1 AV
Grand Sword 2d12 22 +1 AV
Mountain Sword 1d30 2(mountain lore) +3 AV, +2 armor
Holy Lance 3d20 13 +4 AV
Heavy Sword 8d10 25 -3 AV
Dragon Sword 4d20 21 +3 AV
____________________________________________________________________________
MACES
����������������������������������������������������������������������������
Mace 1d8 10
Old Peg Leg 1d8 10 +1 AV
Hammer 1d10 12
Long Mace 1d20 15 +1 AV, can attack foes
at 20'
Holy Mace 1d20 12 +2 AV, +1 armor
casts Exorcism spell
Druid's Mace 1d20 12 +2 AV, +2 armor
casts Cure All spell
Throw Mace 2d12 18 +1 AV
1d12 at 20'-30'
Spiked Mace 2d20 18
Crush Mace 4d10 15

61

MISSILE WEAPONS
���������������
_____________________________________________________________________________
BOWS Range Dexterity Notes
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������
Bow 20' 10
LongBow 40' 14 +1 AV
Great Bow 50' 16 +1 AV
Archer's Bow 50' 18 +3 AV
Magic Bow 70' 10 +4 AV
Gatlin Bow 20' 10 Can fire 1,3 or all
arrows in quiver
_____________________________________________________________________________
CROSSBOWS
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������
Crossbow 30' 12
Tri-Cross 30' 15 + 1 AV, can fire 1 or 3
bolts
_____________________________________________________________________________
THROWN WEAPONS
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������
Javelin 30' 12 1d6
Spear 40' 12 1d8
Fire Spear 50' 14 1d12
Boomerang 50' 12 or 14 1d12 or 2d20
Barbed Spear 40' 16 1d20
Trident 40' 15 2d20
_____________________________________________________________________________
ARROWS Damage
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������
Arrow 1d6
White Arrow 1d8
Silver Arrow 1d12
Grey Arrow 1d20
Magic Arrow 1d20
Magic Quiver 1d4 Always full
_____________________________________________________________________________
BOLTS
�����������������������������������������������������������������������������
Bolt 1d4
Long Bolt 1d4 +20' range
Pierce Bolt 1d6 +1 AV
MegaBolt 1d20
Dead Bolt 1d20

62

"Which Items do I keep?"

Items that you should hang onto: the Golden Boots, the king's Signet Ring,
and the Dragon Gem. The Spectacles are useful if you want to return to the
Magic College, though you do not ever need to go to the College to finish
the game. The same applies to the Water Breathing potion at the Sunken
Ruins. The Pilgrim's Garb, Citizen Papers, Governer's Pass, and Enkidu Totem
are all useful for getting around. Of these four items, however, only the
Pilgrim's Garb is required to finish the game (to get back and forth to
Nisir). Everything else is of general use over the course of the game, or is
only useful in a particular spot and can be discarded or sold after that
use. The mushrooms, Soul Bowl, Jade Eyes, mirror, various Stone statue
parts, Roba's skull (the clam), stone hammer, Key, Silver key, battered
cup, and shovel are all one-use items that can be discarded after they
have been used in the proper location.

If the item has a price, it can be safely sold. The parrot, drifiwood,
flotsam, crown, rare books, jewels. and Royal Robe have no use beyond any
monetary value.

Major Dragon Stone Caches

Dragon Stones are the primary source of magic power regeneration throughout
Dilmun. Use them wisely since, with the exception of a few shops and minor
locations, the stones listed below are all that exist.

Num Map Approximate Location
5 Slave Camp Protected by the "wizard" in the central
building
6 Tars Ruins Behind the guardian snake at the east border
5 Tars Ruins Underground Behind a secret door
4 Guarded Bridge Behind a tree on the Purgatory side
7 Mystic Wood Along the west coast
5 Phoebus Room in northwest corner
5 Phoeban Dungeon Treasure vault
7 Byzanople Duneeon Treasure vault
20 Kingshome Dungeon Treasure vault
10 Magan Underworld In the fires
10 Magan Underworld Near a small body of water south of
Irkalla's Realm
10 Heavily Guarded Bridge Armory on Lansk side
12 Lansk Undercity Under Irkalla's statue
7 Old Dock Under Statue

Dragon Eyes (half again as powerful as Dragon Stones)
�����������������������������������������������������
15 Dragon Valley Southwest corner
30 Nisir (Salvation) Along the west wall

63

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