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from: the Asimov collection
T H E B A R D ' S T A L E I
(Tales Of The Unknown)
(Full Solution - compiled by John R. Barnsley)
(Order of exploring the Dungeons.........SEWERS.........SCARLET BARD INN -
Ask for wine - CATACOMBS - below Mad God's Temple - Tarjan........HARKYN'S
CASTLE - Top RH - need eye from Catacombs.........KYLEARON'S TOWER - Kill
Mad God's when it comes to life - only if you have the eye - then you can
enter MANGAR'S TOWER through the long staircase in the Sewer).
THE SOLUTION
Obviously, the first thing you must do is assemble your party. There is a
BEGINNING party (supplied with the game) already equipped with a basic
level of Armour, Instruments, etc. A much better and unique option is to
transfer characters over from either WIZARDRY or ULTIMA III!! These
characters come over as fairly senior level characters and make the
beginning of this game much easier. This is a highly desirable
alternative.
If you create your own characters - which you MUST do for your Bard - pay
special attention to the DEXTERITY attribute. This attribute determines who
strikes first in combat, and can be the difference between an easy
encounter and one which is a struggle.
Magic users should have a HIGH IQ, while Fighter classes should have a HIGH
STRENGTH. It is recommended that you choose a Monk as one of your Fighters.
Their Armour class drops as their level rises. Eventually the Monk will
have an Armour class of 'LO' wearing only a robe. They can also do the most
damage unarmed in actual combat!
The starting party in this solution consisted of a Monk, 2 Paladins, a
Bard, a Magician and a Conjuror. At higher levels of the game, you will
want to trade in one of your Paladins and develop another MAGIC user.
When you first leave the Adventurer's Guild, explore the City. Visit
Garth's Armoury, and find the Review Board (located next to the Inn on
Trumpet Street). Don't wander too far until you get a feel for how you can
survive. To restore HIT POINTS after fighting, visit a Temple. There, all
ills - including death - can be cured for a price. After a fight, you will
quite frequently find objects of some type. Keep them all. If you don't
need them, go to Garth's and sell them for gold - you will need it!
Visit Roscoe's Energy Emporium located off the Gran Plaz on the corner of
Grey Knife Street. There you will get an idea of what it costs to RESTORE
SPELL POINTS.
Early on, when you are still short of gold, the best way to restore Spell
Points is to go into the Adventurer's Guild and just wait. This game is in
real-time and Spell Points are restored as you just sit there. If you wait
on the street or in a house, you will almost certainly be attacked.
When you find an object after a fight or in a Chest in the Dungeons,
experiment with it to find out what it is. There are no cursed items. Quite
a few objects have magical properties that are not readily apparent. Here
are a few of the objects that you will find most useful, even though you
won't run into these until later in the game:
(1) KAEL'S AXE: Seems to be the best weapon, causing the most damage
for your Paladins.
(2) FROST HORN: For your Bard, when used in combat it causes 40 - 70
Hit Points of damage to a group of Monsters.
(3) MAGE STAFF: For your Magic Users, allows them to regain Spell
Points even in a Dungeon (this is incredibly useful).
It is left to the individual player to discover the usefulness of the other
items found during the game. After learning the game-play by wandering
around the City and being able to survive, it is time to visit the
Dungeons. This is where the battle with Mangar will be won or lost!
There are FIVE Dungeons in the game that must be explored in the following
order:
(A) WINE CELLAR & SEWERS
(B) THE CATACOMBS
(C) HARKYN'S CASTLE
(D) KYLEARAN'S TOWER
(E) MANGAR'S TOWER
Each contains something that will help in the subsequent stages of the
game.
WINE CELLAR & SEWERS.
The easiest dungeon of them all is reached from the Inn on Rakhir Street.
Enter the Inn, ask to order a drink, then select WINE. You will then be
ushered into the Wine Cellar. I cannot overstress the importance of MAPPING
in this game. Whenever possible, have the MALE SPELL in operation. This
will help you avoid some of the traps that are lying around. When you have
an encounter and find a Chest, always cast a TRZP SPELL to disarm any traps
that may be guarding the Chest.
Located in the Wine Cellar are the stairs down to the SEWERS. The First
Level of the Sewers contains almost nothing of interest. So locate the
stairs to the Second Level of the Sewers as quickly as possible and get
down there. The Second Level contains one very important bit of information
that you will need to enter The Catacombs: the name of the Mad God. There
are also two hints to questions that will be asked in other Dungeons.
Explore this level fully to find all the hints and the Mad God's name. The
Lowest Level of the Sewers is next and contains one item of importance for
later in the game. Locate and take the stairs exiting from this level. Make
sure you know where the stairs lead EXACTLY. After this (I hope you have
been visiting the Review Board regularly to advance levels and learn new
spells), you are ready for the Catacombs.
THE CATACOMBS.
The Catacombs are reached from one of the Mad God's Temples, located on the
East side of the Temple. Ask to speak to the Priest, then give him the Mad
God's name: TARJAN.
The First Level of the catacombs is just a survival test at this stage.
Once you can survive there fairly easily, head for the Second Level. This
level has a clue in it about the Mad God. It also contains a very nasty
creature called a Soul Sucker that lurks in the Southwest corner of the
Second Level. If you decide to go in there and try him out, make sure that
you have your character disk backed up. You will not be able to defeat him
at this stage of your development but, fortunately, you don't have to!
The lowest Level contains something you will need later. Once you have
reached the Third Level you must use a TELEPORT SQUARE to enter the
Wizard's Realm. The Teleport is located in the SOUTHEAST CORNER of the
Dungeon. Once you are in the Wizard's Realm, you must defeat him to gain
the EYE. After you have this item, you are ready to tackle Harkyn's
Castle.
HARKYN'S CASTLE.
Harkyn's Castle is located in the NORTHEAST CORNER of SKARA BRAE. At this
point in the game, it becomes very important for you to have filled your
special slot with the most powerful character your magic users can summon.
If you are in the process of developing a Wizard, a lesser demon is best.
The First Level of this castle contains one item of importance: THE CRYSTAL
SWORD from the SOUTHEAST corner of this level. You will now begin to find
some of the more powerful objects to experiment with during your
encounters. After obtaining the CRYSTAL SWORD, head for the Second Level of
the Castle. The stairs are located in the NORTHEAST corner of the First
Level.
The Second Level of the Castle has a couple of interesting things. If you
answer the riddle correctly ("SHIELDS") you get a MAGIC MOUTH which can be
used to cast the SOSI SPELL. You must also obtain the SILVER SQUARE from
the SOUTHWEST corner of the Dungeon. The access to this is from a TELEPORT
located towards the middle of the Northern section of the Dungeon. The
PORTAL to the Third Level is located in the NORTHEAST section of this
level.
The Third Level of the Castle contains the ENTRANCE to KYLEARAN'S TOWER and
some interesting opportunities. The answer to the Old Man's question is
"SKULL TAVERN". When you encounter the Berserkers, located at 12E 5N of
this level, take advantage. They can be fairly easily defeated with the
right magic spells. You should have at least 2 Sorcerers capable of casting
the MIBL SPELL. It also helps if your Bard has a FROST or FIRE HORN to aid
the others along.
When you can defeat these guys easily, it is time to make another Magic
User. You can TELEPORT from the CASTLE ENTRANCE, fight the Berserkers,
TELEPORT back back to the Entrance, exit the Castle, then do it again and
again until your spells run low. At 60,000 Experience Points a crack, it
doesn't take long to develop a decent Magic User.
After this, it is time to attempt Kylearan's Castle. When you approach, and
fight the STATUE OF THE MAD GOD located in the SOUTHEAST corner of this
level, you will be teleported inside the gates of Kylearan's Tower.
KYLEARAN'S TOWER.
After the battle with the Mad God and your subsequent teleport (you DID
have the EYE in your possession?!), go ONE STEP forward, TURN RIGHT, then
kick the door down. You will then be entering one of the two most difficult
mazes in the game. Most of it is in the dark and there are riddles that
must be answered. Back up your character disk BEFORE entering this maze!
Once you are in, watch carefully for teleports - they are everywhere. It is
extremely important that you map this maze VERY CAREFULLY. After you have
reached the ANTIMAGIC SQUARE from wandering in a very small section of the
dark, the next step forward is a TELEPORT to 11E 12N.
Explore until you find a MAGIC MOUTH that asks you to "Name the one of
cold, foretold twofold". The answer to this one is "STONE GOLEM". You will
then be teleported again. After this, you will enter a very large, dark
area. In order to get out of this, you must answer the question posed at
12E 2N which says: "Name the Endless Byway and your path will be
guaranteed". The answer to this is the only street in Skara Brae with no
end - "SINISTER".
You can then map your way through a lighted section to another dark area.
From this dark area you must obtain the SILVER TRIANGLE, located at the
very NORTH of the dark area. You can then exit the dark area, going SOUTH
from 1E 6N. After this, you will face the CRYSTAL GOLEM (did you bring the
CRYSTAL SWORD?). You can defeat him with conventional weapons and spells,
but somebody has to have the Crystal Sword or he will reappear to block
your exit!
At this point, you can exit the Tower to refresh your players or continue
on. If you exit, when you re-enter you must again answer the endless byway
question to continue. Upon reaching the end of the Snakey Road on the East
side of the maze, DON'T go through the South door. Take the door that goes
WEST. You will then enter several rooms with Spinners and Teleports that
make finding your way almost impossible!
The way past these is SOUTHWEST. When you make it, you will be teleported
to 14E 1N. It is then an easy stroll to meet Kylearan himself. He turns out
to be the friendly Wizard and gives you a KEY that allows you to get into
MANGAR'S TOWER. He then teleports you to the stairs exiting his tower. You
no longer need the Crystal Sword or the Eye, and you are now ready for
Mangar himself!!
MANGAR'S TOWER.
If you paid heed and followed the stairs from the Bottom Level of the
Sewers, you will know how to get inside Mangar's walls. If not, go to the
Wine Cellar, TELEPORT your party 17E 16N 3D, and take the stairs UP. Then
TURN RIGHT and kick the door in. You should be at the Entrance to Mangar's
Tower.
Level One is fairly easy to find your way around in. Follow the teleports
and walk around until you reach the MAGIC MOUTH on the EAST side of the
maze. What is tricky is that after leaving the MAGIC MOUTH, you are now on
Level Two of the Tower.......so BE CAREFUL with your mapping!
Level Two is again fairly easy (not even a warm-up for Level Three!). From
this level you must answer the question located at 4E 15N to obtain the
SILVER CIRCLE. The answer to the question is "CIRCLE". You must then make
your way to the stairs located in the MIDDLE of the SOUTHERN side of the
maze.
Level Three is the hardest maze of all, but by this time you must be
getting really proficient at mapping. You must wander around this level and
obtain quite a number of items. First of all, you should get the MASTER
KEY, for 50,000 Gold Pieces, from 19E 12N. This Key allows you to enter
Mangar's through the Front Gate, instead of from the Sewers.
You must then find the CLUES to the SEVEN WORDS needed to access the Fourth
Level of Mangar's. Gratefully, you can teleport into and out of this level.
After finding the CLUES, you can then SPEAK the SEVEN WORDS to the MAGIC
MOUTH located at 10E 4N. They MUST be entered ONE AT A TIME. The words are:
"LIE WITH PASSION AND BE FOREVER DAMNED". Stairs will then appear at 3E 9N.
This is the ONLY way to obtain access to the UPPER REACHES of MANGAR'S!!
The Fourth Level of Mangar's has only ONE tricky part. When you first
arrive, you have a LIMITED NUMBER of ways you can go. After reaching a
certain point, located in the NORTHEAST CORNER of the level, doors appear
everywhere. Don't be confused! Everything maps the same, it's just that
doors are everywhere!! Eventually, you will find the PORTAL to Level Five
in the SOUTHWEST corner of this level.
Level Five is the home stretch. This easy maze leads you to the LAVA PIT in
the middle of the EASTERN side of the maze. There you DIVE IN and are
TELEPORTED to 10E 6N. You will then find the march up the Hall of Harm to
be fruitless if you didn't bring the THREE SILVER ITEMS along. If you have
the SILVER TRIANGLE, SILVER SQUARE and SILVER CIRCLE, a door will appear
directly NORTH of you.
After passing through this door, cast your REST SPELL to restore everybody
to HEALTH and proceed directly NORTH to the final battle with Mangar!
The final battle itself is a large disappointment as it is fairly easy to
defeat Mangar and his Vampires, and meet Kylearan again, who gives you
300,000 bonus Experience Points. After defeating Mangar, you can then
proceed ONE MORE SQUARE NORTH for the LAST QUESTION of the game!
The answer is: "SPECTRE SNARE", which you then receive (it is good for
binding to your party any of your opponents in battle).
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *