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[-] S H A D O W K E E P [-]
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[-] D O C U M E N T A T I O N P A R T 1 [-]
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[-] Written by: LA THIEF [-]
[-] Edited and Distributed by: Friendly Man [-]
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THE OUTPOST......312/441-6957
THE BEGINNING
Many years ago, an evil began to spread across the land. It was
centered in the Shadowkeep, the home of the powerful wizard,
Nacomedon. The demon, Dal'Brad, had imprisoned Nacomedon in a
crystal and held his captive deep in the tower while he wrought
the evil madness.
This evil spread until it reached the borders of the four races
of to Earth. Roos, Thalidars, Zhis'ta and Humans alike were
threatened by the wretched evil that was spreading from the
tower. A few brave adventurers were sent forth from each
civilization, determined to put a stop to the evil and perhaps
acquire a small fortune at the same time.
Roos, hardy explorers of great physical endurance; Thalidars,
masters of the ancient art often known as magic; Zhis'ta, agile
and shrewd warriors from birth; and Humans, intelligent leaders
with a knack for getting into trouble -- akk hiubed together to
fight the demons in the Shadowkeep.
Alas, it was not enough. Each was defeated in turn. There was
time for just one more group of brave adventurers. One more
party of heroes was needed to topple the cruel and heartless
obelisk that was the Shadowkeep. We call on you, our last and
most able chance, to accept the challenge -- to assemble your
party, approach the Keep, and, if your spirit is able, rid the
tower of its malicious tenant.
II. FINDING YOUR ADVENTURERS Here at the Lonely Inn, the
mysterious proprietor will greet you and ask your name. He is a
friendly sort, curious about your band of adventurers and eager
for your business. He has run this Inn on the edge of the
Shadowkeep for many years, unexplainedly protected from the evil
of Dal'Brad that lurks so close to his door.
Before selecting your band form among the many visitors at the
Inn, pause and consider the importance of assembling a balanced
and able group of adventurers. Up to twenty different characters
may be registered with the innkeeper, and form this gathering you
will create a band of nine, all who must harmonize and support
each other.
As you register your team, the proprietor will ask a series of
questions about each member, questions that concern their race,
profession, and gender. As the details are recorded onto the
register, the resulting attributes of each individual are open
for your inspection.
Characters may have any name, in length up to twelve letters, and
with no spaces or numerals....
The four great races of Roo, Thalidar, Zhis'ta, and Human each
possess their own qualities and quirks. Within each race, males
are stronger that females, though the females of a race possess
greater dexterity....
Adventurers are trained in one of the five professions:
WARRIORS:
sturdy masters of the mace and broadsword; at least four per
party is a sound grouping
MONKS:
wise and insightful, agile and vigorous
RUNEMAGES:
possessors of the Runes of power; can decipher glyphs that baffle
others
SHADOWMAGES:
draw their power from shadow
NECROMANCERS:
seek power over what is most feared:
death....
The innkeeper records the background of each adventurer in his
log. It is acknowledged that race, gender, and profession
determine a character's attributes. But, of course, all
individuals bring stengths and weaknesses that exceed those of
their positions. The proprietor thus allows extra value to be
distributed among any adventurer's attributes, in any or all of
the six areas:
STRENGTH:
How much an individual can carry, and the amount of damage he can
inflict in combat.
INTELLIGENCE:
How many spells a character can learn, and how quickly he can
learn new ones.
DEXTERITY:
The agility of a character -- the ability to move quickly and
leap out of (or into) danger. The most dextrous individual moves
first in a fight.
POWER:
The ability to focus magical energies. Power is drained by
magic, restored by rest. A character with no power will not
live.
LEADERSHIP:
Force of personality. The character with most leadership will be
declared leader of the party. HIT POINTS:
The ability to withstand physical damage. Hit points are
restored by rest or healing arts, and, as with power, are
necessary in order to live.
Once new adventurers have been registered, review or rename
veteran characters from past adventures.
Also, recreate any whose souls were saved on the Save Disk.
Select this option form the list, name the character whose life
and spirit should be restroed. Welcome the adventurer back into
the party.
Finally, gather the party, selecting up to nine of the most able
and ready. The mission ahead is not for the dull of mind or the
frail of spirit.
III BEGINNING THE QUEST The adventurers must prepare for the
journey to the Keep. They may give equipment and supplies to
each other, and through other means prepare themselves. They may
also visit Raddath. An enigmatic, pan-dimensional creature,
Raddath will offer his wares and wisdom to the party. He has
felt the evil of the Keep and thus will give his aid in any way
he can. Raddath buys and sells magic and goods, and can heal
damage, drain poison, and even revive a character killed while in
the Keep. He is not, however, given over to charity. Raddath
has no aversion to acquiring a fortune while helping destroy the
Keep.
FURTHER NOTE:
While Raddath is skilled in magic, he offers no guarantees of the
effectiveness of his cures. No refunds.
The final preparation may be to order the party. Sound
organization is essential within the confines of the Keep. Take
this opportunity; it may be your last.
The road to the Keep is short, but it wears long on the soul of
the hero who walks it....
(OF COURSE, IF YOU HAVE BECOME FAINT OF HEART, NO ONE WILL STOP
YOU FROM ABANDONING THE QUEST NOW. IF YOU LEAVE THIS PLACE, YOU
MAY NEVER SEE IT AGAIN...)
IV WITHIN THE TOWER While approaching the Keep, and within it,
instruct the adventurers with precision and clarity.
RALPH GET THE TORCH
EZEKIEL CAST THE LUMINANCE SPELL
NAOMI GET THE TORCH AND GIVE IT TO REBB
REBB LIGHT THE TORCH AND PREPARE THE SWORD
NAOMI WEAR THE ARMOR THEN PREPARE THE MACE
DAGMAR PUT THE WAND OF TRAVEL IN THE CHEST
Any command not directed to a certain character will inspire the
leader of the party to respond.
The party as a whole will move following basic commands.
F or FORWARD
L or LEFT (to face left)
R or RIGHT (to face right)
B or BACKWARD (to step back without turning)
Explore the Keep thoroughly, and exercise caution.
OPEN DOOR, CLOSE DOOR, LISTEN
Inhabitants will occasionally allow you to address them, which
you should do in either of the following ways. Try to do so
before they lop your head off.
ASK SILDRA WHERE THE GOLD IS "SILDRA WHERE IS THE GOLD"
From time to time, assess the damage inflicted on fellow
adventurers.
LOOK PARTY (gives members' power, hit points)
STATS
ROLF CONDITION (substitute C for Condition)
LOOK NAOMI
Magical healing is possible through the aid of Raddath. If a
visit to him is impossible, characters may use any magic they
possess, but at the expense of some power.
The adventueres can investigate and acquire objects while in the
KEEP.
SEARCH (some characters will find hidden objects more quickly
that others)
LOOK SCROLL
MORDOR GET SCROOL
FANNIE GET ALL BUT TORCH ZOORA GET ALL GET GREAT SWORD AND READY
IT
If an adventurer has too heavy a load, something will need to be
dropped. The amount they can carry depends on their strength.
DROP THE BASTARD SWORD
DROP ALL BUT THE TORCH
MERCER DROP ALL
Or, the adventurer might simply give the object away.
MYRA GIVE ROBERT THE GEM OF CHANGE GIVE THE SOGGY STICK TO BILL
You might wish to let one object hold another.
OPEN THE BOX AND
PUT THE GOLD INSIDE
CLOSE BOX
PUT ROCK IN HOLE
PLACE GOLD ON THE TABLE
Find out what an object can do by using or examining it.
USE THE FUNNY ROCK
EXAMINE THE FUNNY ROCK
If you have a particular use in mind, and a certain target, state
those.
SMASH THE ALTAR WITH THE BREAKER BAR
ATTACK THE CORD WITH THE GREAT SWORD
Light is required to explore the dark, dank Keep. Wihtout a lit
torch (or an appropriate light spell), searching will be
impossible. (Compat will be possible but difficult; there would
be no warning at the approach of monsters.) Any illumination will
serve thebut will eventually extinguish, but will eventually
extinguish, becoming a soggy stick or used up spell. It is
advisable to have several sources of light at any given time.
LIGHT TORCH
ZEKE CAST THE LUMINANCE SPELL
V MAGIC:
Rely on the power of magic; above all else, it will be your key
to success.
Though all may cast spells within the Keep, many have the
capacity to learn no more than a scant two or so. Power and
training determine one's triumph while using this ancient art.
Mages, with exceptionally learned backgrounds, begin the journey
with knowledge of a small number of spells. Raddath has acquired
many others, which he makes available for sale to the hopeful
adventurer.
As all may cast spells, so will all feel the effects of the
task. After casting a spell, even the most powerful magician
weakens, and eventually must restore powers with sleep. Monitor
the losses of power, thus avoiding the loss of an adventurer.
Up to two spells or magical artifacts may be active at any one
time.
INVOKE RING OF LIFE AND CAST THE FORTRESS SPELL
Discover more about spells you acquire by reading or learning
them. READ BOOK OF DARKNESS, LEARN DEATH SPELL GET HEAL SCROLL,
LEARN IT, CAST IT
A scroll that is successfully learned becomes a spell that may be
cast. The scroll will vanish once it has been learned.
Mere mortals are limited in the number of spells they may know.
When one's memory is full and the spell cannot be learned, a
spell must be forgotten. FORGET DEATH SPELL
Once a spell has been forgotten, only another scroll will grant a
new opportunity to acquire the spell. Ready the magical
artifacts as you prepared other weaponry. READY SOULEATER SWORD
Learning magical spells is sufficient preparation for use.
Watch for podiums while in the Keep. Through these devices you
and your band of adventurers may quickly transport to another
level of the Tower. The incantations needed to operate these
mysterious devices are always changing.
Finally, the halls of the Keep are laced with spells that bind,
hide, or hinder. Doors are often sealed with spells of warning,
released only by the timely use of magical words discovered by
those who made the journey before you. The passwords that are
known: SAFETY, LAIR, PASS, FRIEND, HOME
Be apprised of the possibility of other passwords; and hope that
if you are unsuccessful in vanquishing the demons from the Kee
that you will at least return your successors what you learned.
VI COMBAT:
Successful warriors approach combat with weapons, equipment, and
magic in readiness. An adventurer would do well to have
equipment prepared for both Attack and Parry, and to wear the
armor.
READY BASTARD SWORD, PREPARE GREAT SHIELD, WEAR SCALE MAIL
At a sign of combat, the party will, at your command, negotiate,
flee, or remain to fight. When you mobilize the ranks and
determine the course of action, you may assign each member to
attack, parry, cast spells, change places prepare equipment, or,
of course, do nothing.
When assigning adventurers to their tasks, consider the skill
that they might possess due to heritage and profession. These
skills might cause them to perform some tasks better than
others. Before combat, gain information on a member's skill as
such:
EXAMINE ELLA
THE SKILLS:
ATTACK:
Skills necessary to land a blow on an enemy.
PARRY:
Success with which a character can avoid or deflect a blow.
MAGIC:
Technical proficiency in casting magic.
OPEN:
The ability to open sealed or locked objects.
SEARCH:
The aptitude for finding hidden objects.
If combat has worsened the condition of the party, change
positions to preserve life and limb. Enter: ORDER
And, as weariness sets in, allow the few remaining good spirits
in the Keep to restore your band's energy. Rest for up to ten
hours, then resume the journey. One hit point and a unit of
power is restored to each character for every hour of sleep.
SLEEP FOR 3 HOURS
Beware:
Monsters can sense when a party is asleep and unprepared for
attack. A blow while asleep can be far worse than the extremes
of combat. Consider the use of certain spells that will conceal
the sleeping party from marauding monsters. Or, perhaps choose a
safer course:
sleep outside the confines of the Keep.