[-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-] [-] [-] [-] S H A D O W K E E P [-] [-] [-] [-] D O C U M E N T A T I O N P A R T 1 [-] [-] [-] [-] [-] [-] Written by: LA THIEF [-] [-] Edited and Distributed by: Friendly Man [-] [-] [-] [-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-][-] 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.