WIZARDRY VI - BANE OF THE COSMIC FORGE

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GENERAL NOTES ON THE GAME

The numbers in brackets refer to locations marked on the maps that accompany this solution.

Choosing a balanced party and taking care to develop the party members wisely and evenly can
really make this game a most enjoyable experience. Since there are 11 races and 14 professions
available in the game, there are a huge number of combinations of characters to choose in making
up a party. Be sure you have enough fighter characters in the front slots so that your physically
weaker spellcasters will be protected long enough during combat rounds to use their magic.

Most of the skills can be improved with practice. Spend all your spellcasters' skill points in their
respective disciplines. Pick the most promising member of your party and build up his scouting skill
until you are strong enough to acquire and cast the DETECT SECRET spell. One member should
possess and develop Skullduggery, since a high degree of that skill is needed to get to one of the
game's successful endings.

Combat encounters are tightly balanced in the game. To be successful, upgrade your fighters with
better weapons and armour whenever possible, especially early in the game, even if it means having
to develop another weapon skill from scratch. Hide your ninja and thief-type characters often to
improve their Ninjutsu skill. As for the spellcasters, don't overlook Sleep and Blinding Flash spells.
These are easy to learn and cheap to cast, yet work surprisingly well, even against high level
monsters. Some monsters are totally immune to certain spells and very susceptible to others.
Keeping good notes on their strengths and weaknesses just might save your party one day.

Spellcasting is an important part of the game. I found the following spells to be very useful; try to
learn them as soon as they are offered: Detect Secret, Identify, Knock-knock, Heal Wounds, Sleep,
Blinding Flash, Silence, Conjuration, Fireball, and Iceball. Keep in mind that most unfavourable
conditions - such as sickness and insanity - can be recovered from just by resting. (Death and stoning
are the only two exceptions.) So, you may not want to waste the time to learn the spells that
counteract these conditions.

There are various locked doors and gates throughout the game, remember that gates must be
opened by using keys or other items; they cannot be lock-picked or forced open. At the castle, it is a
good idea to practice picking the locks of the wooden doors, although you should be able to find
enough keys to open the majority of them. Don't worry if you can't seem to open all of the gates and
doors. Some of them you can bypass and visit the area behind them via a different route; others
you'll just have to return to and visit again after obtaining a useful item or two from other areas of
the game.

At various times during the game it is a good idea to go back and visit Queequeg in the castle and
see if he has any resurrection potions, as the party will need them later in the game, if he hasn’t just
leave then re-enter the room as his inventory changes each time the party sees him. Before starting
the River Styx portion of the game, go to him and stock up with six or seven potions as some of the
battles, especially with the giant crabs and sirens may leave the party with a dead member. Stock up
again before entering the Isle of the Dead as there are some pretty tough battles in there too. Stock
up again before visiting Rebbeca in the Isle of the Dead as the party won’t be able to get back to see
him again after this point.

Bane of the Cosmic Forge has three different endings, and two different ways of getting to them the
first point the story line will split is on the Isle of the Dead, if the party visit Rebbeca whilst carrying
the Silver Cross the story branches along two different routes although the branch does not occur
until near the end when the party meet the King in the temple. If the party were carrying the Silver
Cross there are two possible endings, if they were not carrying the Silver Cross there are two more
endings which are similar to the ones when they are carrying it.

THE SOLUTION

CASTLE ENTRANCE LEVEL

The entrance level of the castle is fairly straight forward and is used mainly to build up the party for
future encounters. Have the party stay on this level for a while and build up the party to level 3 or 4
by fighting everything they come across. From the entrance go north into the main hall and open the
two chests in the alcoves (1 and 2) to gain the Amulet of Life and the Sword of Striking. Many of the
door on this level are locked, have the thief in the party pick as many as he can to develop his
skulduggery skill those that he cannot open can be opened using the copper and iron keys found
after the party have killed off some of the various enemies on this level. One room to visit is the one
in the southeast corner (3) where the party will find another chest that contains the Book of Directions
amongst other useful things. Just beyond the door at the north end of the hall there is a closed gate
and just to its right (4) there is a button on the wall, using the search command to push the button
opens the gate. Have the party search in the northwest corner of the room (5) beyond the gate to find
the Key Of Ramm. Once the party have thoroughly explored the entrance level have them take any
of the stairs down to the next level of the castle.

CASTLE LOWER LEVEL 1

The monsters the party will face on this level of the castle are similar to the ones on the entrance
level and so they should be able to survive quite easily if time was taken to build up the party on the
entrance level. Explore the level having the thief pick any locks or using the keys found on the dead
monsters. At one door the party will be asked for a password and will not be able to enter without it.
Search the room in the southwest corner (1) to find some chain mail and a shield and visit the pedlar
Queequeg (2) talk to him and ask him about rumours, he will tell you about L'montes, the captain,
and the "beloved." Also, ask Queequeg about the password. He'll want to trade the password for the
location where the captain buried his treasure. Have the party buy the mystery oil as they will need it
for a puzzle later in the game. Search the room in the south east corner (3) to find a lump of cheese
and search the room in the north east corner (4) to get a wine bottle.

Go to the room just north of the stairs at the east side (5) and turn to face each of the walls in turn to
read the graffiti written on them then search the east wall at the southeast corner of the room to find
a mouse hole. Use the cheese on the hole and the wall will collapse revealing a passage leading
east, it also reveals a large number of very large rats which the party will have to fight. Follow the
passage to the room at the end (6) to find some useful items and a stuffed beagle, after retrieving the
beagle and other items return to the main area and go through the door to the north. Further to the
north (7) there is a locked grate, the Jailer Key to this grate can be found in a room off to the right (8),
go and get the key then unlock the grate and continue north into the prison area. The Jailer Key can
open most of the jail cell gates except the eight gates in a row to the north. Search the cells and in
one of them (9) the party will find the Dead Man's Log, take this then try using the log while in the
character review mode; you will learn that something is needed to decipher the log book. Leave the
jail area and go to the southeast corner of the level and go up the stairs back to the entrance level.

CASTLE CORNER TOWERS

Continue to follow the stairs up to the top of the southeast tower as the party near the top they hear
someone running away and a door slam. Once at the top there is a locked door from behind which
comes a voice telling them to go away. Say "BELOVED" and L'montes who is hiding in the room will
open the door. Talk to L'montes about Snoopcheri, the captain, and any rumours then give him the
stuffed beagle and the party will get a silver key in return. Go back down the stairs to the entrance
level then go and explore the other three corner towers (northwest, northeast, and southwest) by
going up the appropriate stairs all the way to the top. The party will find some minor treasures in each
of the three towers and, a few encounters. On level one of the northeast tower the party will find a
couple of copper keys should they need them in a small room to the south of the stairs. When the
four towers have been explored return to the entrance level of the castle.

CASTLE UPPER LEVEL 1

Proceed along the long western corridor to the stairs in the middle and go up these to upper level 1 of
the castle. Go through the second archway to the south of the stairs and enter the room at end (2)
search the room to find a Keys of Spade then explore the rest of this level as far as the party can.
Some of the doors can be opened using copper keys (3) but two will require a chrome key (4) which
the party does not yet have.

WEST SPIRE

Return down the stairs to the entrance level and enter the main hall, go up the stairs to the left at the
northern end of the room and follow these stairs up to the top of the tower. Unlock the door with a key
of spade and enter the room. Inside the room is an undead monster kill it them go over to the alcove
in the western wall and open the chest for some loot and a Chrome Key. Return downstairs to the
entrance level then go up the western stairs back to upper level 1.

CASTLE UPPER LEVEL 1

Unlock the two doors (4) with the chrome key then proceed to the small room (5) at the back of the
queens boudoir and search it for some armour and weapons. Go through the door into the king's
bedroom suite. Search the room to the south (6) for the King's Diary and a Gold Key. Then enter the
closet at the north of the king's bedroom (7) and search the walls for a button that opens a secret
archway that leads from the bedroom to the west. The two gates beyond this archway can both be
opened by the Key of Ramm. Open the chest in the alcove to the north of the first gate (8) to obtain a
Goat Mask, the Dagger of Ramm, and other treasures. Beyond the second gate is the Altar of Ramm
(9), the party is not quite ready to figure out what to do here yet but they can use the fountain to the
northeast of the altar which has healing and restoring stamina powers, don’t use the one to the
northwest as it is poisonous. Return downstairs to the entrance level then use the stairs in then
northwest corner to go down to lower level 1, continue down the other stairs to the left of these to
lower level 2.

CASTLE LOWER LEVEL 2

This is a rather small level, there are two gates and a strange door here, unlock the centre gate with
the Gold Key. Inside there is a room with several pits in the floor and a chest in an alcove at the back
of the room, as the party moves forward towards the chest they step on a pressure plate (1) that
opens a pit on front of them (5). Go to the southeast corner (2) and search for a button on the south
wall that fills in the pit on the west side of the room allowing the party to get into the small room in the
northwest corner (3) where they can search for a button on the west wall to fill in the pit on the east
side of the room and cause another button to appear near the gate (4). Go back to the gate (4) and
search for a button on the west wall which will fill in the pit in front of the chest (5). The party can now
approach the chest in safely. Open the chest to obtain the Book Of Ramm and some other useful
items.

CASTLE UPPER LEVEL 1

Return to the Altar of Ramm on upper level 1 (9) and save the game here, the party will soon have a
rather tough battle on their hands. Go into character review mode and use the Book Of Ramm to
read it. The Book of Ramm provides the clues needed to push the altar buttons in the right sequence.
The order is: head, head, orb, staff, orb, once the correct buttons are pushed, the altar will lower and
reveal a pit. Have the party jump into the pit and they arrive back on the entrance level in the room
where they found the Key of Ramm (5). The party will have to fight a giant serpent here to continue.
Once they are victorious, the gate to the north will open to allowing them to go downstairs to the far
north end of lower level 1. From here the only area that is open to the party is a hazardous area
beyond an archway (10) in the north wall.

HAZARDOUS AREA

Save the game before entering this area (1) as there is a big fight with a man eating plant shortly
after
entering. Have the party make its way to a room in the far northwest corner of the area (2) and
search it to find a Miner's Pick. Return southwest from this room then go west and search the room
there (3) to find a Dungeon Key. Go back east then southwest again to the next open area and go
northwest to a dead end (4) use the Miner's Pick to uncover a treasure chest and open it. Return
southeast to the open area then proceed southwest to another dead end (5) and use the Pick again to
expose a passage leading west. Continue along this and explore the area, the party will find a chasm
(7) but at the moment does not have the means to cross it. Beyond the chasm they will come to
another room (6) which when searched will reveal a Bell Key. Once the party has this return to the
Lower castle level 1.

CASTLE LOWER LEVEL 1

Using the Dungeon Key, open all the gates then go and search in the eastern dungeon cell (11) to
find the Jolly Rogers' Decoder Ring. While in character review mode, use the Decoder Ring on the
Dead Man's Log. This turns out to be a log of the last expedition of the pirates and gives you the
location of the captain's buried treasure. Now go back to where the party first met Queequeg (2) and
talk to him again about the password, when he asks about the location of the captain's buried
treasure, say "Giant Mountain." Queequeg will reward the party by telling them the password to the
Captain's Den. Leave the room then go north to the door where the party was asked for a password
earlier and this time when asked reply "Skeleton Crew". After entering the Den, the party will have to
overpower Captain Matey either by out-drinking him or by defeating him in combat, then use the
silver key that L'montes gave the party to open the cage (12), and gather up the hook and the other
items. In a room through the first door on the left in the north wall (13) is a treasure chest to be
plundered.

BELFRY

Return to up to the entrance level and use the stairs in the western corridor to go up to upper level 1,
following the passage around the back of these stairs the party will come to another set of stairs (10)
that lead up to the castle belfry, go up these stairs and follow the stairs all the way up until the party
reaches a hole with a bell rope choose to grab the rope to swing across the well. The party will have
to fight a battle with bats each time they attempt to swing across. They may have to try this several
times to successfully swing across to the other side of the hole. Also, it is important to note that the
views on both sides of the well are identical, the only way to know for sure is to try to go through the
door after each try; if the door is locked, then the attempt was successful. Unlock the door with the
Bell Key and inside you will find a chest which contains a long rope. Have one character carry both
the rope and the hook in their inventory (not in their swag bag), and merge the two items together.
The party now has a Rope and Hook, just what they need to cross the chasm in the hazardous area,
so have them swing on the bell rope to get back to the other side of the hole. Again, they may have
to try a few times to make it, once across go all the way back to the chasm in the hazardous area (7).

HAZARDOUS AREA

Use the Rope and Hook at the chasm and this will allow the party to swing across the chasm over to
the west side. Follow the passage around and in one of the alcoves at the end (8) the party will find a
button that will activate a lift that sends the party down and out of the castle. Be warned, though, that
the party will have to fight a surprisingly tough enemy to get to the button.

MOUNTAIN AREA

The party are now standing at bottom of the mountain area (7), there is a button here that will lift the
party back up into the castle if they search/push it. The monsters in this area are stronger than those
in the castle, so, if they seem to be more than the party can handle, it will be wise for them to return
to the castle to develop further before tackling this area. There are six sets of stairs in the west of this
area that lead down to the mines, follow the passage round to a junction then go southwest and at the
next junction south. Go down the first set of stairs the party to comes to (2) into the mines.

THE MINES

The six sets of up stairs on the west side of level one of the mines correspond to the steps down
found in the mountain area. The mines are four levels deep and each level has multiple up stairs and
down stairs going between levels but only one level at a time. On levels one and two there are dark
areas, once inside these areas the party will not be able to see anything at all. There are no torches
or light spells that will help. The only way to map out the dark areas is by trying to move in all
possible directions until the party bumps into the walls. As it is difficult to map out a plan of action for
the mines below is break down of what needs to be done on each level in roughly the right order.

MINES LEVEL 1

In the dark area in the southeast corner of the level there is a treasure chest (11) which can be
reached if the party search for a button on the eastern wall. The party has yet to find the key to open
the three gates in the northern part of the level (9).

MINES LEVEL 2

On this level have the party find its way to the three rubber beasts at locations 7, 8, and 9; fight and
defeat the beasts then take the rubber strands that are left. There is a button on the south wall of a
room at the southwestern corner of the level (10) which allows the party to get into the secret room to
the south, a chest here contains a miner's chisel. There are treasure chests that can be looted in two
rooms (11 and 12) just to the north east of this room. In the northwest corner of the level there is a
button on the south wall which leads to a secret alcove (29), the has a chest which contains the Key
of Miner. At a room in the centre of the level (30) is an old dwarf named Smitty, he doesn't have
much useful information, but he will perform a very important task for the party later on. He also has
some very nice weapons and armour which the party can buy. Also on this level beyond the dark
area in the south is a fountain (31) that will restore the health and stamina of the party members.
Whilst exploring the mines, the party should use this fountain as its home base, returning to this
location for healing and rest as often as necessary.

MINES LEVEL 3

Level three of the mines is much smaller than the first two levels. The party should make its way to
the room in the northeast corner (13) where they will find another rubber beast, kill off this beast and
take the rubber strand that is left. The party should now have four rubber strands, merge two of the
strands together to make a braid then merge the other two strand to make a second braid, finally
merge the two braids together to form a rubber band. A gate in the northwest corner (14) is opened
using the Key of Miner to gain access to a room with a treasure chest. Another treasure chest can
also be found in a room near the southwest corner of the level (15).

MINES LEVEL 4

Level four is the bottom of the mines on the western side of the level is a room with a gate (1) that
can be opened using the Key of Miner and leads to a treasure chest. There is also another rubber
beast in a room in the southeast corner (2), the party don't need any more rubber strands, but the
experience points will still come in handy. The northeast portion of the level contains a large diamond
block that can be accessed from four different directions (3, 4, 5 and 6), the party needs to approach
the diamond from each of the four directions in turn and use the Miner's Chisel to crack the diamond
at all four locations to break it. The party may have to use the chisel more than once at each location
before the diamond cracks. Also the fourth crack must be made from the southern location (6) in
order to break the diamond. Once the diamond has broken, the party will meet the spirit of Xorphitus,
the evil wizard who allied with the king to steal the Cosmic Forge. He has a long story to tell,
afterwards, search the area to find all the items he leaves behind, especially the Key of Wizard Cave
and the Wizard Ring.

MINES LEVEL 1

Return to Level one of the mines and go to the three gate at the northern end that could not be
opened earlier these can now be opened by the Key of Wizard Cave. In a room beyond the eastern
gate the party meet a large serpent (10) which turns out to be Xorphitus's apprentice. Talk to him a
bit, feed him some food, and ask him about the wizard's lair, as well as some of the items left behind
by the wizard. Beyond the other two gates you will find two other sets of stairs (7 and 8) going up that
don't lead out to the mountains. One leads to the castle morgue; the other apparently leads to a
dead-end but can be opened up from the otherside later. Have the party make its way to the fourth
set of stairs back out to the mountain (4) and climb out of the mines.

MOUNTAIN AREA

Once the party is back in the mountain area again follow the path northwest to a junction then head
south and at the next junction west, follow this path to its end (8) to one of the three spots where the
mountain can be climbed. Somewhere along the way, the party will meet a troll who demands
money. This is a one-time appearance, the party can either pay him or fight him, he does demand a
pretty high amount of money, though. Climb the mountain all the way to the top, during your trip up,
you will have to climb up three times. Be warned that at this stage of the game, the party is
susceptible to falling and taking damage so It's best to save the game after each successful climb.
Once the party reach the top, the only thing they will find is a couple of pieces of huge boulders. Pick
up one of the boulders; it'll come in handy a bit later. Return to stairs the party came up (4) and travel
through the mines to the stairs at 5. Go up onto the mountain again and follow the path round to the
south until the party reach a drawbridge (9).

There is a control panel on the wall and when the party try to open it, they are told that it is rusted
shut. Use the mystery oil that was bought from Queequeg and the panel opens. Read the instructions
to figure out how to activate the drawbridge then use the following sequence to lower the bridge:
Safety, Pump, Coilwrap, Truss, Safety, Winder. Once the drawbridge is lowered, follow the path to a
junction then go south then north and west to another spot where you can climb the mountain (10).
Again, you should save after each successful climb. This time when the party reach the top, they will
find the captain's buried treasure, or, what's left of it, for that darned Queequeg has already been
here. Return back to the stairs (5) and travel through the mines to emerge again at the southern most
stairs (6).

Proceed west until the party reach a broken-down machine that used to be a catapult (11). From its
description it should be obvious that to get it to work, you'll need a boulder, a rubber band, and a
fixed sprocket. The first two the party already have, so they just need the third, get the broken
sprocket and travel back to see Smitty on level 2 of the mines. He will gladly fix it for them for a
price. Go back to the catapult and repair the machine by using the Rubber Band, the Sprocket, and
the Boulder. Save the game before you perform the firing operation.

Fire the catapult by latching the ladle, winding up the band, and releasing the latch. There is a
chance that the boulder may miss the target the first time, if so, just restore and try again. Once the
boulder hits the target, the party will be allowed to move eastward. Go north to the end of this path to
the third and last spot where the party may climb the mountain (12). Climb all the way up to the top
and once there you should save your game right here. Turn east and enter the room through the
archway. Here the party will meet the giant twins, the Gryns Twyns, these are very tough opponents.
If the party keep getting wiped out by them after several tries, it's a pretty good indication that your
party development is not keeping pace with the game. You may want to descend the mountain,
return to the mines, and pick a few more fights to advance your party a level or two before returning
to the twins. After defeating the giants, be sure to rest and heal everyone completely, and recharge
all spell points. Take the stairs up at the southeast corner which leads to a cross-shaped room and
the Guardian of the Rock. It'll help here if the party has the missile shield spell. He's also somewhat
vulnerable to acid splash. Once the party has defeated him they will acquire a ruby eyeball. Return to
the place where the party met the giant twins and go out to the ledge at the northeast corner, then go
west to enter a closet. There is a button on the wall that activates a chute which transports the party
to the Pyramid.

PYRAMID ENTRANCE

The party lands at the end of a passage inside the pyramid (1), follow the passage to a dead and use
the Miner's Pick to break through the wall (2). Going through the door to the north and following the
passage round brings the party to a junction to the east is a dead end (3), using the Miner's Pick
again here breaks through back out onto the mountain at 13. Proceed west into a small room, going
through the south door here takes the party to another dead end where there is a pile of sand (4),
remember this for later then take the west door from the room to some stairs (5) leading up to a
narrow passage which leads to another set of stairs going up to level 1 of the pyramid (8).

THE PYRAMID

The pyramid is similar to the mines in that it also tries to confuse the party with numerous up stairs
and down stairs, but it covers quite a bit less area than the mines, and you do not have to contend
with dark areas here. As it is difficult to map out a plan of action for the mines below is break down of
what needs to be done on each level in roughly the right order.

On Level 1 most of the action is near the centre of the level, but the party will have to go up and
down quite a few stairs to get from one place to another. In a small room to the north (10) is a chest
that contains an empty sack, make sure the party take this and when it is convenient, return to the
entrance area and the dead where the pile of sand is (4), use the sack to fill it with sand, then go back
to Level 1. In a small room to the south (11) there is a Gloop Sploch monster, this is similar to the
rubber plant found in the mines, fight it and take the strange gluey substance after it is defeated. In
the northwest corner (12) there is a button that will open up the north archway which leads to a small
room (13) with another button that opens up more of the walkways outside on the ledge. Right in the
centre of the level is a large room (14) with four alcoves on the east and west walls. In one of the
alcoves there is a chest that flies from one alcove to the next if the party try to approach it, use the
Gloop Sploch on any one of the alcoves, then keep approaching the chest until it flies to the alcove
that the Gloop Sploch is in. It will be stuck there and the party can then loot what's inside, be sure to
grab the Bone Key.

There is nothing to do on level 2 this is just part of the maze of stairs. On Level 3 the party will have
to locate and press buttons in the northwest (1), southwest (2) and southeast (3) corners of the level
that open up other areas of the pyramid. At another location in the southeast corner (4) there is a
chute that takes the party back down to Level 2 again. After acquiring the bone key and the sack full
of sand, have the party make its way to the only other set of stairs down on level 1 (9) to the
basement level of the pyramid.

PYRAMID BASEMENT

Use the Bone Key to open the gate (1) then go along the corridor, just before the party turn left at the
end (2) they will step on a pressure plate that resets all pit traps along the corridor. Continuing to
follow the passage they will step on another plate (3) that will open a pit in front of them and another
one two steps back. If the party move back one step they will find a button on the east wall that fills in
both pits. Continuing on the party turn right then right again, just after the second right turn searching
the passage (4) reveals a button that when press opens a room to the south (5), go into the room and
find a button on the west wall that will deactivate pressure plate further up the corridor (6) that sets
off a rolling boulder that would otherwise have crushed the party. Continuing along the corridor the
party will turn right then left, immediately after turning left they will step on a pressure plate (7) that
opens up a pit further along the passage (9). Just around the next corner (8), search the passage for
a button that closes the pit to the north (9) but open another right behind the party (10).

Make sure all the party are fit and well the walk into the pit, they will take some minor damage as
they fall and end up at the bottom of the pit (11). Down in the pit there are two buttons one to the
northwest (12) and one to the east (13) go to the northwest one and press it to be lifted out of the pit
into another area beside a pit (14). Follow this passage round until the party reach another pit then go
north to an archway (15), but don’t go through it, there are many traps beyond the archway and these
have to turned off first before proceeding. Search the walls to find and press a button then return
south to find that the pit blocking the way west has now closed follow the passage round to its end
(16) and search for a button that will switch off all the traps beyond the archway. Go back to the
archway and through into the room beyond, continue through the gate at the far end and as the party
step through they step on a plate that activates the traps around the altar. Before turning right at the
turning ahead (17) search the west wall that open a room to the west, enter the room and search the
room to find another button that will allow safe passage to the altar (18).

Be sure to save the game before attempting to do anything at the altar. Use the Bag of Sand at the
altar and the party should be able to swap the sand for the idol. If they fail, restore and try again.
Once they have the idol go back to the pit by which the party entered this area and walk into it.
Again they will sustain only minor damage and end up at the bottom of the pit go east and push the
button (13) which will take them back to the corridor east of the pit (8). Go east then north to the
room (19) at the end of the passage and search it to find a button that open a small room in the
southwest corner (20). Go in there and search again for another button that closes the pit (10) then
return back to the stairs and up into the pyramid. Have the party make its way to the locked gate out
on the ledge (5) on level 3 of the pyramid and use the Idol on it to open the gate, go through then up
the stairs to level 4 of the pyramid.

PYRAMID LEVEL 4

Here is where the queen of Amazulu resides in alcove south of the stairs (1). The party can talk to
her about Mau-Mu-Mu and sacrifice. Be sure to answer no when they are asked whether they are
here to take the rock. Also, be prepared to give the queen something in order to be left in peace, give
her something of no value, anything at all will do. Once the party finish chatting with her, her sidekick
will offer you a chance to talk and trade, buy some foot powder. Before moving off down the western
passage (2) use the foot powder, the passage is hot underfoot and the powder will prevent the party
taking damage as they traverse the long passage. At the end of the passage (3) the party will meet
the Mau-Mu-Mu, if the party have any anti-fire items or spells, they should equip and cast them
before fighting him. After defeating him the party will acquire a second ruby eyeball. The pyramid
section of the game is now completed so have the party travel all the way back to Lower Level 2 of
the Castle.

CASTLE LOWER LEVEL 2

Once back in the castle use the Wizard's Ring to open the other gate (6) and enter the Wizard's Lair.
Make sure that the party are fully healed before entering as there is a rather difficult fight with a large
cat just inside. Once the cat has been defeated loot the four chests in the corners of the room to gain
a Spire Key and Wizard's Record amongst some other useful stuff. Use the Wizard's Record while in
review mode to find out more about the pen then look for a button in the centre of the west wall (7) to
open up the wall and go through into the alcove (8) where another button give the party access to
another room to the west. There is another chest in this room (9) to be looted and a bunch of potions.
In the chest amongst other things is a wand with a red tip, be sure the party is fully healed then strike
the wand and there will be a loud explosion and the party will take some damage, but a set of stairs
will have been opened up to the west (10). These stairs lead down to location 7 on level 1 of the
mines.

EASTERN SPIRE

Reading the Wizard's Record tells you that there is something strange locked up in one of the spires
of the castle. Since the party have already visited the Western Spire, it is time to go to the Eastern
one. Go back to the entrance level of the castle and take the eastern stairs out of the main hall to
Castle upper lever 1. Unlock the gate (1) with the Spire Key then continue up the stairs to the top of
the spire. Here the party will find a locked door that they can open by using the second Key of
Spades. Once inside, you will encounter the spirit mentioned in the Wizard's Record defeat it and the
party will be able to open the chest in the alcove and acquire the Horn of Souls. Return to the Castle
Lower level 2 and go to the one remaining door that hasn’t been opened, the skull door (11) and use
both of the ruby eyeballs to open it, go through and take the stairs down (12) to the River Styx.

RIVER STYX

The River Styx flows in a northwesterly/southeasterly direction, and it wraps around from the top of
to the bottom of the map. After the party descend the stairs behind the skull door, they wind
up at location 1. Go out onto the landing stage where the party will find a design on the
floor (2), standing at this location use the Horn of Souls. The ferryman, Charron, will appear and ask
for payment, since the party don’t have the cylinder of ashes that he refers to at the moment, give
him 500 gold pieces for a ride up the river. He will take you to the Isle of the Damned (3). In the
porch to the east (4) the party will find the Key of the Damned as well as the Book of the Damned at,
use the Book while in review mode to gain some interesting information then use the Key of the
Damned to open all the gates at the northern and southern parts of the island. In the room to the
southwest (5) they will have to fight the demon to release the cursed being inside, opening the chest
here gets the party some nice weapons, as well as the Key of Minos and a cylinder of ash. Get a
second cylinder of ash from the room to the northeast (6). In the northwest room (7) the party will
find a small raft just outside the gate, but don't take it out for a ride just yet. Use the Key of Minos to
open up the gate at the centre of the island (4), just inside are two fountains on either side of the
stairs (8), one restores health and stamina while the other one restores spell points. The party will
want to use this spot as their home base most of the time while on the river.

ISLE OF THE DAMMED

Take the stairs down into a east/west corridor with a gate to the north and one to the south. Go all the
way to the east and get the Tomb Key from the chest on the wall. Use the Tomb Key to open up the
gates to the north and south, each leads to a mausoleum with nine tombs, visit and search each
tomb. The party will have several battles fighting undead characters, this is an excellent opportunity
to gain combat experience points. Be sure to search the tomb at the northeast corner of the north
mausoleum to find the Book of the Sirens, use the book while in review mode to read it. You should
copy down the passages since you will need to quote them at a later time. When the party have
finished with all the tombs go back upstairs to the raft (7) and board it by walking onto it.

RIVER STYX

The raft will automatically take you to the Siren's Cove (9). As the Sirens begin to sing, all the party
have to do is quote the choruses from the Book of the Sirens when the game asks for them. Do it
right and the party will get some Water Wings required to explore the rest of the river, mess up,
and the party will have a heck of a tough battle on their hands. When the party have done here, the
raft will take them back to the Isle of the Damned. Using the Water Wings while facing the water will
allow the party to travel all over the river. There are quite a few places to visit, and locked doors and
gates to open, use a Knock-knock spell or have the thief pick the door locks. From the Isle of the
Damned, go south on the river, to the west are two landing stages the first (10) leads to a locked door
behind which is a room containing a chest full of loot. The second landing stage (2) leads up to the
castle and is where the party arrived at the river. To the east is a large island, the Isle of the Dead,
ignore this for now and go further east and south to another landing stage (11). Enter the room
behind the locked door and loot the chest there to obtain a fishing line, hook and cork bobber.

Merge the line and hook, then leave this small area and continue south along the river, in the centre
of the river is another island, the Isle of Keep, ignore this for now and follow the eastern wall of the
river until the party comes to an alcove with a chest (12) that contains a random treasure. Open the
chest then continue to follow the eastern wall until they find another alcove with a chest containing
random treasures (13), open this one then go north then west over to the Isle of Lost (14). There is a
button on the north wall in the northwest corner (15) which opens an archway to the north. Just north
of the archway the party will find a message written on the wall giving a nice location for fishing.
Open the locked door here with a Knock-knock spell, or have a thief pick the lock then return to the
southwest corner of the other room (16) and search to find the Key of the Lost buried in the sand.
Use the Key of the Lost to open up the gate behind the locked door (17) and enter the room beyond
to find a chest containing a third cylinder of ash.

It is now time to go fishing, leave the Isle of the Lost and travel north, keep to the western wall until
the party find the red "X" (18) mentioned in the message by the door. From that spot go east three
times then north once and use fishing line, to hook up an East-Exit Key plus some other items.
Continue north from here until the party reach the south wall of the Isle of the dead, to the south and
west they will find a passage that leads round to another landing stage (19) with some steps leading
up to the Swamp.

THE SWAMP

The gate (2) at the top of the stairs can be opened using the East-Exit Key, the party should then
travel to the southeast corner of the swamp (3) and meet up with a giant caterpillar. When you arrive
he will ask if the party have anything to smoke answer no and he will go on to tell the party about his
misfortune of misplacing his hookah pipe. After he finishes his speech, ask him, "Where is the pipe?"
and he will give you a very strong hint to go to the Isle of the Keep and tell you the keyword to use
there: "Reclamation." The party should also buy some incense from him as this will come in very
handy later in the game, if he has any it might be a good idea to buy and resurrection potions from
him as well. Explore the rest of the swamp area for some encounters to gain more experience points
then return down the stairs (1) to the River Styx. Go to the Isle of Keep (20) to the south and talk to
Mai Lai the keeper there. Say "Reclamation" and she will then ask you for the claim number which
the party doesn’t yet know. Go back to see the caterpillar in the swamp and say "Claim number" then
listen to his instructions on how to use the bottle oracle. After he finishes he will give the party a
special message. Merge the message with Empty Wine Bottle then merge the Cork Bobber with the
bottle and go back down to the River Styx again.

RIVER STYX

Now go to the Bottle Oracle (23) this is found near the west wall just north of the Isle of the Dammed.
Use the bottle at the Oracle and it will float off down the river. Go north to the Isle of the Lost (14)
and the party will find the bottle again complete with the claim number. Return to the Isle of the Keep
and talk to Mai Lai once more. Tell her the claim number “38-23-36” and she then makes a rather
sudden departure from the island. Make sure the party are fully healed before going through the door
to the north as Bork and three Island Giants are waiting behind the door (21) and these four are really
difficult to beat. Once the party have managed to defeat Bork and his helpers go into the next room
(22) and retrieve the hookah pipe then travel back to the caterpillar in the swamp and give him his
pipe back, he will give the party some red mushrooms as a reward.

Go back to the river and return to the Isle of the Dammed (3), stand on the emblem by the river and
use the Horn of Souls to summon Charron. When he arrives, give him all three cylinders, he will take
two of them and reward the party with gold and by increasing some of their attribute points. He will
also give them the Key of the Dead and tell them to take one remaining cylinder back to the Isle of
the Dead themselves. Go south to the Isle of the Dead (23) and use the Key of the Dead to open the
gate (24). Follow the passage round then go down the stairs (25) into a narrow north/south corridor
where there is another set of down stairs leading to the Hall of the Dead.

HALL OF THE DEAD

The Hall of the Dead is a very tough area to clean out, it also covers a lot of ground. In the beginning,
make frequent trips back to the healing fountains on the Isle of the Damned, when the party have
been through a big fight, to heal up. You will find another fountain later on that is a lot closer, but until
then, be patient and clean out this area slowly, but surely. After coming down the stairs from the Isle
of the Dead (1) follow the passage round to a room with an altar in the centre (2). Use the cylinder of
ash that Charron asked you to return at the altar and also use some incense here to prevent a
boulder falling on the party (4) as they travel through the catacombs. Putting the cylinder of ash on
the altar will open the gate in the southeast corner of the room (3), the party should now follow the
winding passage and kill off all the monsters found in any of the rooms off the passage. In one of the
rooms the party will acquire a Skeleton key after one of the battles (5), use this on the gate at the end
of the passage (6) to open it.

In the room beyond the gate search the south facing alcove in the northeast corner (7), this will
disturb the bones and the party will be attacked by either spectres, ghosts or banshees, after killing
the monsters there will be a chest left in the alcove in which there will be the Key of Drow. Searching
the centre of the north and south walls in this room (8) will open up archways giving access to further
rooms to the north and south. Go south into the large room at the end of the passage and search the
north facing alcove in the southwest corner (9), this will disturb the bones and the party will be
attacked by either spectres, ghosts or banshees, after killing the monsters there will be a chest left in
the alcove in which there will be the Key of Knight. In the passage to the east of this room the party
will find a fountain (10), this fountain restores hit points and stamina, as well as spell points, so visit it
when ever the party need healing or the spellcasters are running out of spell points.

Go back north and go through the western archway off the passage and unlock the gate (11) using
the Key of Drow, enter the room and fight the First order Drow Guardians, after defeating them the
party will gain some good armour and weapons for its fighters. Heal up at the fountain if necessary
then head north through the entrance room and continue into the passage to the north. Go through
the western archway off the passage and unlock the gate (12) using the Key of Knight, enter the
room and fight the Second order Knight Guardians, after defeating them the party will gain some
more very good armour and weapons for its fighters. After healing up again if necessary continue
north then go east, ignore the arch to the north for the moment and enter the large room at the end of
the passage. Search the south facing alcove in the northeast corner (13), this will disturb the bones
and the party will again be attacked by either spectres, ghosts or banshees, after killing the monsters
there will be a chest left in the alcove in which there will be the Key of Valkyre.

Continue south then east and unlock the gate (14) using the Key of Valkyre, enter the room and fight
the Third order Valkyre Guardians, after defeating them the party will gain some more very good
armour and weapons for its fighters. After healing up at the fountain return to this room and search in
the southwest corner to find a button that opens a passage to the south. Follow this passage to its
end (15) and search again to open and archway into a room to the south. Cast all the protection the
party can then enter the room (16), here you will find the Fourth Order Guardians which are a group
of lords, ninjas, and samurai, this is a very tough battle which the party doesn’t really need to fight,
however, defeating them does provide a lot of experience points, and leave behind excellent
weapons and armour if there is a samurai in the party. Search the southwest corner of the room for a
button which opens the gate to the west then head back to the fountain to heal up.

After healing up go to the northern east west passage and go through the archway leading north that
we ignored earlier in the room to the north (17) the party will have its very first encounter with the
King. It should be obvious from the description of the king that we are dealing with a vampire, no
matter what the parry says they will have to fight him. No matter how they try the party will not be
able to harm him, so it is best that they just, parry and dodge during every round of the battle to avoid
as much damage as possible. Fortunately the King is just toying with them at this point and after a
few rounds of battle, he will suddenly leave, search the room to find the Key of the Queen then return
to the fountain. Use the Key of the Queen to open the gate just to the south and go into the Queen's
chamber (18) where the party meet the Queen who will tell them her story when she finishes she
gives the party a Silver Cross and the Key of Evil. Search the northwest corner of the room for a
button which opens up the passages to the east (19) allowing access to another part of the halls.

You should keep a permanently saved game at this juncture, for some of the game's endings will
hinge on what you do immediately after this point. The key to the varying endings is the Silver Cross
this part of the solution will continue with the party carrying the Silver Cross. The solution to the
alternative ending, will continue later . To play it just restore the saved game and drop the cross
before continuing. Go up the newly opened eastern passage and use the Key of Evil to open the gate
to the west (20), go through and continue to the north to have the party’s first encounter with the
King's daughter, Rebecca (21). No matter what the party do or say during this encounter, the end
result is that they will be under Rebecca's hypnosis and will follow Rebecca to the King's hideout in
the room to the south, and after a brief time with the two of them, the party will awaken to find
themselves in jail.

THE JAIL

Search the wall of the jail until the party discover some cracks, use the mushrooms given to the party
by the caterpillar, and the party will shrink in size. When they're small enough to fit through the
cracks, they will be able to escape to the other side of the jail where the adventure will continue. After
escaping from the King's jail, the party emerge on the other side of the wall and find themselves in a
very small area with a single set of stairs leading up. There is nothing of real interest here except for
a few encounters, take the stairs up after the party have dealt with the few monsters in this area of
the jail.

THE FOREST

After the party climb up the stairs they end up on the edge of a forest area (1), following the path to
the south the party will see a ship to the west, enter the ship and have the party make its way to the
northern end (2). Searching here will provide the party with a wooden crucifix which will promptly
break up into three wooden stakes. Go back out onto the path then south, east, north and east
through two archways. Continue north then east then just as the party turn south again search the
walls to find a button that opens an alcove to the east (6). Search the bones in the alcove for some
holy water then continue south and follow the path around to another junction. Go north and at the
end of this path the party will find the Rock of Truth (5), use the Miners Pick on the rock to obtain four
Rocks of Reflection then return to the junction. Go south to a room with arches off in all directions, go
through one of the southern archways into a dark area. Go in each of the following direction until the
party bumps into a wall; south, west, south, west, north and west.

The party should come out into a lighted area where there is a chest (3), open the chest to get a
Tinker Bell then reverse the party’s route back to the archways at the start of the dark area. Go back
along the party’s route to the point where they came through the double arch then go south and follow
the path round to its end (4) where the party will see some flickering lights. Use the Tinker Bell to
summon the Faerie Queen and talk to the Queen about rumours, she will tell you about Delphi, the
apparition that resides in a chamber within the dark area. Say "Where is the Delphi?" in order to get
some vital information from the Faerie Queen. Buy some items from the queen and spend as much
money as the party can on items as they won't have any money left once they have visited the
Delphi. Go back to the archways at the entrance to the dark area then go through the east archway
into the dark, go east once then south three times, west twice, south once, west three times, south
twice, east twice south twice then continue east until the party run into a wall and north into the
Delphi’s cave (7).

Here the party will meet the Delphi, answer the Delphi’s first two questions with the exact answers
given to you by the Faerie Queen, we are fascination, we seek divination. Next answer yes when he
asks for a donation, for which he talks all the money the party has. Once that is done, the party will
be granted a vision. Pay careful attention to it for the vision contains all the clues needed to defeat
Xorphitus and the Bane King. The Delphi will give the party the Staff of Aram at the end of the vision.
Check that the party have the following items: Staff of Aram, Rocks of Reflection, Holy Water,
Wooden Stakes and Silver Cross. Then have them make their way back to the double archway near
the ship. On the west side of the arch’s head north and follow the path round to a large open area,
with the entrance to the Temple of Ramm to the north (8). The two sets of stairs on either side (9)
lead to the same sets of chambers below the temple, there is nothing very interesting down there,
except for a few fights with monsters. When the party approach the gate they will be attacked by the
temple guardians, after the first fight back off and equip one of the party with the goat mask and
approach the gate again, this time the party will be let through to some stairs (10) that lead down into
the temple proper. Once through the gate un-equip the goat mask as it is cursed and will do the
character wearing it no good whatsoever.

TEMPLE OF RAMM

Go down the stairs into the temple (1), proceed north and at the edge of the chasm the party will
meet the evil side of Xorphitus's spirit (11), he warns the party then vanishes. Equip on of the party
with the Staff of Aram then just walk across the chasm, once across, un-equip the Staff of Aram right
away, for it, too, is cursed. Go north into the alcove (2) ahead and after a fight get the Key of
Decision from the box. Go to the gate to the west (3) and use the Key of Decision to open the gate.
From now on, the party are going to encounter a lot of very hard battles which can’t be avoided rest
completely and save after each battle. Enter the room beyond the gate and fight, once the monsters
are defeated leave the room through the archway to the south and go along the ledge into the next,
fight again then rest and heal up before going into the northwest corner of the room (4). The party will
be transported to another room (5) as they arrive they will be attacked, fight again then head for the
room next door and another fight. Once the monsters here have been defeated open the box and
take the Key of First Test.

Use the Key of First Test to open the gate to the west (6) then go to the edge of the chasm and equip
the Staff of Aram again to cross it. Once across don’t forget to un-equip the staff before going north
back to the alcove (2) and opening another box that will have appeared there that contains the Key of
Quandary. Use the Key of Quandary to open the gate to the east (7). Go through the gate and fight
the monsters in the room then go out onto the ledge and into the next room. Fight again there, then
rest and heal up before walking into the northeast corner of the room (8). The party will be
transported to another room (9) as they arrive they will be attacked, fight again then head for the
room next door and another fight. Once the monsters here have been defeated open the box and
take the Key of Finality. Use the Key of Finality to open the gate to the east (10) and go through.

The party have now made one complete circuit through all the rooms in the temple. Rest and heal
the party completely and save the game. Cast all the protection the party has, then go forward to the
chasm again to meet the evil side of Xorphitus' spirit again. This time, there will be a fight to the
death during which some of the party will more than likely be killed. Once the party have defeated
Xorphitus and his Greater Demons, he will ask you what you are seeking. Answer the “Cosmic Forge”
and he will go into a long rambling speech that gives a clue as to how to find the Cosmic Forge, after
he has gone resurrect any dead members, rest and heal up the party then save the game. Go
forward to a dead end and walk into the north wall, doing so will trigger a chute which will send the
party to their final meeting with the Bane King and his daughter, Rebecca.

LOWER TEMPLE

The party will be dropped in front of a door (1), if you the party turn around, they will see a button
which is their means of escape back to the forest area. But note that once they use that escape route,
they will have to fight all those battles around the temple again to get back here, but they won't have
to fight Xorphitus a second time, he stays dead. Before the party opens the door time should be taken
to equip the party for the meeting. Equip the Rocks of Reflection, they protect the party members
from the King's hypnotic gaze. The Silver Cross has to be used once during the battle, none of the
party’s blows will land until after the Cross has been used. All the party’s weapons will be useless
against both the King and Rebecca. The party must equip and fight them with the wooden stakes and
holy water. None of the party’s offensive spells will be effective; however, the defensive ones do
work. Be sure to cast Enchanted Blade, Armorplate, and Magic Screen before the encounter. During
the battle, cast Silence and Anti-magic for as long as the party can. The spellcasters should also
concentrate on healing the fighters as much as possible. Ultimately, it will be up to the fighters
equipped with the wooden stakes to kill the two.

Go through the door and fight the King and his daughter (2), once they are defeated, the party will
hear the story again from the King's and Rebecca's points of view. You will get the Ring of the Stars
and the North Exit Key which opens the gate in the southeast corner of the forest (11). Use the Ring
of Stars on the King's Diary while in review mode to learn the password to the northern gate then
approach the gate (3) and say the password “The Hand of Destiny”. Enter the Chamber of the
Cosmic Forge after opening the gate. First, save the game as the story will split here depending on
the party’s next action. Enter the alcove at the centre of the room, and take the Cosmic Forge (4).
This is the first successful ending and the party will be transported back into the forest. Save the
game on a floppy disk and keep it handy for the sequel.

ALTERNATIVE ENDING NUMBER ONE

After entering the Chamber of the Cosmic Forge don’t take the pen but go around to the back of the
alcove (5) and if the party has a thief with high skullduggery skill, walk into the wall. The next door (6)
will have to have its lock picked then before going into the next room cast all the protection the party
can then enter the room to confront Bela the dragon (7). Cast silence at her to stop her from creating
more monsters for the party to fight. Once she has been defeated the party will acquire the Key of
Stars, go through the archway at the back of the room and unlock the gate (8) using the Key of Stars.
Continue on through the door and the party will be confronted by a large metal monster (9) and when
asked if the party wish to enter the mouth of the monster should say yes. This is the second
successful ending and the party will be transported back into the forest. Save the game on a floppy
disk and keep it handy for the sequel.

ALTERNATIVE ENDING NUMBER TWO

If the party are not carrying the Silver Cross when they go in to meet the King and his daughter at the
temple, the fight there does not take place. The party will be told the story again from the King's and
Rebecca's points of view and will be given the Ring of the Stars the Back Door Key and the North
Exit Key which opens the gate in the southeast corner of the forest (11). Use the Ring of Stars on the
King's Diary while in review mode to learn the password to the northern gate then approach the gate
(3) and say the password “The Hand of Destiny”. Enter the Chamber of the Cosmic Forge after
opening the gate. First, save the game as the story will split here depending on the party’s next
action. Enter the alcove at the centre of the room, and take the Cosmic Forge (4). This is the first
successful ending and the party will be transported back into the forest. Save the game on a floppy
disk and keep it handy for the sequel.

ALTERNATIVE ENDING NUMBER THREE

After entering the Chamber of the Cosmic Forge don’t take the pen but go around to the back of the
alcove (5) and if the party has a thief with high skullduggery skill, walk into the wall. The next door (6)
can be unlocked with the Back Door Key. The party can then enter the room to meet Bela the dragon
(7). He will talk with the party then offer to take them on a trip to seek a Cosmic Lord if the party
answers yes then this another successful ending and the party will be transported back into the forest.
Save the game on a floppy disk and keep it handy for the sequel.

Source: geocities.com/timessquare/chasm/4265

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