Abandonware DOS title

Anvil of dawn walkthrough

ANVIL OF THE DAWN WALKTHRU
By James D. Hudnall (76507,1175) - Yes, I am the comic book writer

The purpose of this walk-thru is to help you make it through Anvil of 
the Dawn without too many headaches. The game is fairly easy, but there 
are a few places that are hard to figure out. I am not going to list 
where every item is to be found in the game, but only tell you what you 
absolutely need to know. That way, you won't have the whole game spoiled 
for you. 

The game allows a player to take any course they want, rather than 
follow a predestined path. But there is a right order to follow and a 
wrong order. Some people have made it into desolation without getting 
all the pieces of the chest they will need. Here is the dungeons one 
should conquer, in order:

Gryphon Keep
The Dark Lantern
The Undersea Maze
The Sunken Ship
The Underground City
The Land of Roots/Elder Tree
The Barrier
The Temple of the Moon
The City of the Dead
The Eye of Clay/Sanctuary
Gorge Keep (optional)
The Reed Plain (optional)
The Iron Titan
The Quagmire
Fire Mountain
The Warlord's Tower
The Anvil of the Dawn

We'll detail what you need to do in these places, but first let's deal 
with the basics.

STARTING OUT

You can choose from five different characters. Each has an advantage in 
the four statistics (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Power), except the mire 
lurk, who has even stats across the board. You can modify any 
character's stats if you want, so you don't have to choose Brice (the 
big hairy guy) for a strong fighter. But the stats are limited to the 
amount given and only a modifier like a talisman or a potion will allow 
you to increase them later. You don't get to increase them permanently 
later in the game. So choose them well.

CONTAINERS

The inventory screen has an area that shows what you're carrying. 
Everything is placed there in a jumble if you right click to add your 
items to inventory. In order to keep things organized you will come 
across containers in the game. They come in two forms: Sacks and Chests. 

I recommend you use sacks to hold rocks and chests to hold other items. 
There are a lot of places in the game where you will need to weigh down 
a pressure plate with ten rocks. You won't always have a block figurine 
to spare. Using a bag full of rocks is a lot easier to deal with because 
to can pick it back up in a jiffy when you're ready to leave. Fill each 
sack with ten big rocks and you will have perfect tools for dealing with 
those annoying plates. Always test a plate first to see if it can take 
only one to three rocks, because you don't want to tie up a whole sack 
of you only needed one rock. AND ALWAYS REMEMBER TO TAKE YOUR BAG WHEN 
YOU LEAVE THE AREA. You will get three bags in the game. One in Gryphon 
Keep, one in the Dark Lantern, and one in the Sunken Ship. 

The Chests are great for storing items. You get three of them 
eventually. I recommend putting all pieces of the quest in one chest, 
use another for money and temple tokens and a third for magic items like 
potions and power-ups. That way you will be able to access things 
without sorting through a big mess. Keys should be left available on the 
main screen in a neat pile, because you won't be carrying them around 
long.

ARTIFACTS

These come in many forms. Most are offensive spells, but there are also 
amulets that enhance your stats and potions that enhance them 
temporality. There are two potions in the game that enhance your stats 
permanently. They are the potion of Mortal Enhancement and the Potion of 
Magical Enhancement. When you take these they raise your maximum health 
or mana (magic) points permanently. However, the number they give you is 
random. Always save before drinking one, then restore and try again if 
the new points are low. The max for health seems to be 10. I never 
accept less than an 8. The max mana seems to be 80. I never accept less 
than 65. 

The block figurine is one of the most useful items you come across. 
Using one creates a stone block for weighing down a pressure plate. Use 
these things sparingly. I will tell you where you need to use them. You 
should use rocks whenever possible, and save these for the places where 
a block is really needed. 

THE MAP

The auto map is very useful in this game because it will not only show 
you what areas you missed, it can be used to spot enemies and see if 
doors have opened outside of your field of vision. When you step on a 
plate or throw a switch you can check the map to see if it changed 
anything on the map. This is very useful. Monsters appear as green 
squares and those annoying rolling rocks are shown also in relation to 
where they are when the map was called up. 

When you enter a dungeon or exit a stairway, ALWAYS turn around and look 
back the way you came so the map will register it. Otherwise the exit 
will show up blank. You should want to know where the exit is at all 
times. You can also make notes on the map by clicking on the pen box. I 
recommend this for confusing areas. 

Now for the game...

THE CASTLE OF THE LADY

Okay, your character has just awoken and you have to start the game. 
Grab what's in the chest in your room, turn the knob on the wall that 
opens the door (it's on an artsy pattern next to the door) and talk to 
each character on your way down the stairs. You don't need to talk to 
the guards or the servant boy, but you can if you want to. 

The first person you need to see is the castle wizard. He will teach you 
the spell of healing and an optional offensive spell. I recommend 
choosing the water spell "Shackles of Ice". This spell freezes your 
opponent temporarily so he can't fight back. The other spells are okay, 
but they are slow and don't give you as much of an advantage. You will 
get all these spells later so don't worry about missing them here. But 
make sure you talk to the wizard because he's the only source of the 
heal spell and you need it to win the game. 

Next up is the armorer. I suggest you get a sword (Slashing weapon). 
Swords are the best weapon in the game. You will end up with two really 
powerful swords later on, so spend your skill points on slashing before 
you start to improve any others. 

Always check the damage a weapon does when you get it by bringing it up 
to the eye on the inventory screen and clicking on it. The higher the 
damage, the more deadly the weapon. Ranged weapons aren't much use in 
this game except in a few places. You don't really need them.

Finally, you meet the old man who tells you what your mission is. He 
will direct you to a portal that will  take you to the wine cellar of 
Gryphon Keep. Enter and you are on your way. 

GRYPHON KEEP

Goal: Find the Spell of Heavenly Mend, Find Exit

This is the easiest dungeon in the game and serves to educate you on the 
game mechanics. You start out in a wine cellar. Make your way to the 
door opened by a pressure plate on the floor. Stepping on the plate 
opens it. Step inside and fight the guard. You may find it closing on 
you before you can do that. This is because the guard stepped on a plate 
on his side. Step back on your plate and the door will open again. 

The wine cellar/basement level is pretty small. There are a few guards 
to kill. Two will drop keys which will open the rooms on this level. In 
one room you will find Lord Gryphon, who is dying. Talk to him and he 
will give you his signet ring. You will need this when you finish the 
keep. 

The ground floor is pretty straight forward. In four corners of the keep 
are stairs that go to four separate towers. Each has some useful items. 
There are long halls on either side of the castle and lots of rooms in 
between. I will break down the areas by compass direction on the map. 

The South West Tower entrance has no door. There is a healing altar 
nearby. This is where you use the strange looking tokens that you find 
to heal yourself. The gold ones heal all your points, the flesh colored 
ones heal a random amount of points. Upstairs in the tower are two 
pressure plates. You need to weigh down the one in front of the door 
first, with three rocks. Then step on the other plate. This will open 
the door to the next room. A round switch on the wall opens an alcove 
where two chests are hidden. There is also a chest on this level with 
the spell of "Heavenly Mend of Unseen Artisans". Do not leave the keep 
without this spell. It is essential to winning the gam and this is the 
only place you find it. 

The South Corridor of the Keep has a flying skull spell coming down the 
hall like clockwork. Wait for it to pass. You will see a door with no 
way to open it. Find a side passage nearby. At the end is a switch on 
the side wall. Throw the switch. A rock will roll back and forth, 
opening the door in the south hall every now and then. Go to the door 
and wait for it to open. You may get hit by a skull spell, so make sure 
you are healed up. 
Inside you get your first shield in the game. 

The South East tower entrance is opened by pushing a stone block onto a 
nearby plate. You will enter a room with rolling rocks. Find the stairs. 
In the tower is a Mana Altar which can only be accessed by putting a 
gold coin in the hole in the wall next to the door. 

At the East side of the keep is the exit to outside. Make sure you 
finish the keep before leaving. You can reach the exit by pushing a 
block onto a plate near the door. This leads to a hallway with some 
chests before the true exit. 

Across from the Exit hall is a big Throne room where there are several 
chests. You can enter this room by putting one stone on the plate in 
front of the door. In this room is a messenger monster. These guys are 
really tough to fight. I suggest using the offensive spells you find 
earlier to soften him up first. If he is hurting youbadly, try running 
away and healing up, then come back and finish him off. 

The North East Tower entrance is opened by entering the room next door 
and placing three rocks on each of the two pressure plates inside. There 
are two doors that open periodically due to a rolling rock. Wait for 
them to open. One leads to the tower. Upstairs you will find two 
pressure plates next to a switch in the wall. Move back and forth on the 
plates until you can throw the switch. An alcove opens revealing two 
chests. 

The North West Tower entrance is opened by a switch in the wall. Near 
this entrance is a room with armor. It doesn't hurt to get it before you 
go on. Upstairs in the tower are two pressure plates you have to walk 
over before reaching the chests. Move fast and then sidestep. These 
chests activate traps that send Earthen Fists flying at you from behind. 

After you have searched every room, go outside the castle and turn to 
face the ruins one step from the door. You will meet Parselfal, whom 
Lord Gryphon spoke to you about. Parselfal will hand you a bag of gold 
coins which come in useful later. 

Head on straight down the way you were coming to the Dark Lantern, your 
next dungeon. 

THE DARK LANTERN

Goal: Talk to Wizard, Get Sea Shell of Summoning

When you reach the causeway leading to the Lantern Tower, you will see 
it is gone. Use the spell of "Heavenly Mend of Unseen Artisans" to 
repair the causeway, then head to the tower. 

This is a small place except for the basement. On the first floor you 
will have to put three rocks on the pressure plate near the entrance to 
make a teleporter vanish. Then, put a rock on the pressure plate the 
teleporter was hiding. This will open the door to the rest of the tower. 

In the north is the exit to the pier. You will leave this way when you 
finish the tower so make a note of it. There is a block nearby. Push it 
onto a plate to open the two doors leading down and up. Take the down 
stairs first. You should finish the basement level before going on to 
the rest of the tower. 

Next to the stairs is a healing altar. A gargoyle guards the entrance to 
the north section of the basement. Talk to it and find out you need to 
"unsummon" it. 

Go south to a long hall, then west.  In a north side passage is a 
switch. This opens a wall to the south. In this area are some chests and 
a clue to unsummoning the gargoyle. 

Down the hall, west of there is a side passage to the north. There are 
lots of chests in here, guarded by Wyverns. The chests are hidden behind 
illusory walls. You can always tell an illusory wall because it 
flickers. Pay close attention to each wall. 

Further west is a pressure plate that makes a teleporter appear. Enter 
the teleporter and find yourself in an area guarded by a juggernaut. 
There is better armor in a chest nearby.  There is also a section with 
two rolling rocks. This section will have a chest with one part of the 
unsummon spell. You need to get it then teleport out and reenter the 
hall teleporter. This will take you to another identical area. Go to the 
rolling rock spot and get the second part of the unsummon spell. 

At the west end of the long hall is a plate and a wall switch. Step on 
the plate and then flip the switch. It opens a door to the south. 

This area comes in two parts. Behind an illusory wall is a big room with 
four wyverns guarding chests. The middle chest contains a sea shell. You 
need this to get to the sunken ship. The other area has two hidden 
chests revealed at the far west end by stepping on a pressure plate. 
Unfortunately, the plate also causes a screaming skull spell to come 
flying at you. If you avoid the spell, it goes into a teleporter nearby 
and comes around again. Every time you step on the plate, more skulls 
fly. If you keep avoiding them you will soon see lots of flying skulls. 
This is very dangerous because you will get hit sooner or later, so take 
it like a man and empty those chests. 

Now you can go back the way you came and unsummon the gargoyle. You will 
then find a long hall with a door to the south and a door to the west. 
You need a key to go west so enter the south door. 

You will find yourself in a large room with rocks neatly laid out. Walk 
the length of the room along the north wall and head south toward the 
entrance to the next room. There is a spinner going on in this room that 
will try to mess up your sense of  direction. Try doing moves in reverse 
when this happens and make your way into that room. It takes some 
effort. You will find a chest with the key and three teleporters guarded 
by a juggernaut. The middle teleporter will take you to the exit of the 
rock room so you don't have to deal with the spinner again. 

Once you unlock the west door you find yourself in a similar room. The 
far west door needs a key, the door to the south is opened by a pressure 
plate. There is a stone block you need top destroy to free a pressure 
plate. This will open the door to a room with a bunch of chests. One of 
the has the key to the third area.

The third area is the same. You'll need a key to go further west. 
Entering the south door you'll see rolling rocks. Enter their halls and 
find the gaps to get across to a room. Throw any switch you see. Get the 
key in a chest. 

The fourth area is the final area. A door to the south leads you to a 
room full of switches. Throw all the switches. Doors open revealing 
chests. One door leads to the final room. To get in you have to go to a 
side passage, kill the juggernaut and put a block on the pressure plate. 
The other pressure plates will then let you in the door. 

Now head upstairs to the second floor of the tower. There are three 
doors leading to the stairs to level three. To open them you must do the 
following: Near the doors is a switch                    in a recessed 
area. It causes a stone to roll onto a plate. Throw it. Now, there is a 
pressure plate east of the stairs. Put three big rocks on it. Another 
plate in the south requires a block. A wall opens and closes 
periodically. It has the block, but I'm not sure if you push it into one 
of the plates in this area or on the plate to the north. I just made 
sure there is a block on the first plate in the hidden area and the one 
exposed. 

The doors will then be open, go on the way to the stairs is a side 
passage with an illusory wall. Throw the switch on the other side and 
rob the chest. Head upstairs and you will walk across a plate that opens 
a wall. Inside, behind a illusory wall is a chest with a key inside. Get 
it. East of the stairs is a Mana altar. Throw the switch nearby. This 
will cause rocks in another room to roll which will open the door to the 
Wizard's lair. 

You will find that he's already dead. Get the yellow globe on the floor 
and put it in the fish's mouth. Go to the nearby chest and read the 
scroll inside. Then click on the globe. The wizard will tell you his 
story. In the locked room is a chest with a good sword. 


Now that you've cleared the tower, make your way to the pier exit on the 
ground floor. You can take the teleporter in the hidden room where in 
the key was, but it takes you to the causeway exit. Use the pier exit. 
Go to the end of the pier and use the sea shell. Talk to the elemental, 
then enter...

THE UNDERSEA MAZE

Goal: Get to ship

This area is pretty simple. It's a maze with the center as the goal. But 
you must inspect every square inch of the place before you try to enter 
the center. You'll need to find eight pearls to reach the center. You 
should also find Aegis, the best shield in the game. Throw away your old 
shield when you find it. The maze has blood thorns which can poison you, 
so save up on those poison cures. Only use them when you really need 
them. If you can fight a couple monsters while poisoned, hold out until 
you must use the cure. That way you won't run out. 

There is a teleporter on each side of the maze that will take you to the 
opposite side. There are two exits. One takes you to a land pier to the 
south of the underground city. The other takes you to the lantern pier. 
If you accidentally exit the maze, call the elemental with the shell 
again and click on GREET. 

The Mana Altar is in the North West part of the maze, the Health Altar 
is in the South West part of the maze. 

Once you reach the center of the maze, teleporters will block your way. 
You need to enter them until you are next to a chest with the final 
pearl. Teleport back and put the pearl in the hole in the wall. The next 
teleporter will take you to the center where another teleporter whisks 
you away to an area north of the maze, the entrance to the ship. 

THE SUNKEN SHIP

Goal: Talk to Demon

You enter the ship and find yourself in a room with two exits to the 
north. Either one takes you to a huge room in the center of the ship. 
The far west side of this room is a altar of healing. You need a gold 
coin to get in. The far east is a room with the demon the wizard told 
you about. The demon wants eight hearts, which you get by killing the 
sailors on the ship. You get four on the first level and four on the 
upper level. You may want to wait until you have all the hearts before 
talking to the demon to save trips back and forth.

The north east door of the great hall is opened by pulling the anchor 
switch. Inside the room are seven switches. Pull them all. You can now 
enter seven doors off the hall. 

The south east door leads to the stairs going up. Save them for after 
you finish clearing level one. 

Somewhere near the western end of the great hall are two doors facing 
each other. They are opened or closed by a pressure plate. To hold down 
the plate, put a bag on rocks on it. Take them off to enter the opposite 
door. Both rooms are identical. They have a teleporter and a wall 
switch. Two pebbles will be on the floor. Get them, pull the switch, 
enter the teleporter. Put a pebble on each pressure plate in the room 
you have arrived in, then step in the teleporter to get sent back to the 
hallway. Only one teleporter does this. The other keeps you in the room. 

You can now get into four rooms at the west side of the ship. 

Now go upstairs. To the east of the ship is a area with rooms and 
chests. A hidden room can be accessed by fining an illusory wall near 
the area where a rolling rock is standing in a side room. Enter the 
wall, throw the switch and two rocks roll onto plates, opening up the 
hidden room to the far east. 

The middle section of the ship has a large room with four blocks in the 
center. Push them onto the four plates in each corner. This opens a door 
to the north that leads to the captain's quarters. On the way watch out 
for the rolling rock. There are alcoves you can jump in to let the rock 
pass. 

The captain's quarters is in a hidden area. You can only reach it by 
stepping on the pressure plate in the center of the room. A wall to the 
north opens. Go into the south room, pull the wall switch. Do the same 
to the north room and a west wall will start to open and close. Enter 
and find a suit of shell armor and some other stuff. The suit is the 
best one so far. It looks goofy, though.  

Go back and talk to the demon, give him the hearts. Now that you've 
accomplished that and found out what you need to do in the game, go back 
into the sea maze. 

The north west corner of the sea maze is the exit leading to the 
underground city. That's the best way to go. 

THE UNDERGROUND CITY

Quest Items: Heartstone, Sun Disc, Trumpet of Earthen Quake

This place is pretty creepy.  If you came out of the sea onto the land 
pier you will enter the city from the East. If you go in from the 
Gryphon Keep side you will enter South. At the South entrance is an NPC 
who will tell you the story of the city. It is haunted by some horrible 
monsters. The Blood Spawn are especially tough. There are two other 
exits to this place. North is the Exit to the Elder Tree. West takes you 
to the Barrier.

If you enter from the East follow the outer wall south until you get to 
the south entrance. This is a good starting point. Talk to the weird 
looking man. Following along the outer walls is usually safe. No 
monsters are around there unless they chase you there. The only threat 
are Iron fist spells which fly along a set path. These are easy to 
avoid. You can use a reflecting pool spell to deflect them anyway. 

There are two levels to this place. A huge main level with lots of 
buildings to explore and a small mine level where you will find the 
heartstone needed for your quest. Worry about the mine later. Save it 
for last. 

Throw away the Sea Conch if you want to. It's no longer needed.

Since most of this dungeon is pretty cut and dry I will only describe 
the tricky parts. The main thing to remember is look for illusory walls, 
all picks stuck in walls are switches and be careful of those monsters. 

Like the sea maze, there are teleporters at each side of the dungeon, 
next to the exits, that will take you to the other side of the city. The 
altars are in two separate areas. The Health Altar is in a open area 
surrounded by a lot of monsters. It's near the center, north of the 
Enclave Area. You can just ignore the monsters and heal up if you are 
desperate. They don't immediately attack you unless you face them. The 
Mana altar is slightly north of the West exit. You need an Amethyst Hex 
key to get in. This is found in a house nearby, surrounded by four 
pressure plates. (See description below) 

We'll start with the south entrance and work our way around in no 
particular order. There are plenty of other places I don't describe 
here. Make sure you check everyone. Don't leave any section of the map 
blank. 

Directly to the north of the south entrance is an area I call the 
Enclave. It is a large walled off area full of houses. The entrance has 
rolling rocks and spikes guarding it. Go straight through, watching out 
for the rocks and fire spells. You will find the place has lots of 
houses. Directly north of the entrance is the first place you should 
enter. Here are a couple Sword Thanes (like the one's guarding Gryphon 
Keep) inside. One of them will drop a gold skull key when you kill him. 
To the west of this room is another room opened by a pressure plate. A 
messenger will be guarding it. Kill him and take his hat. These hats are 
the best headgear in the game until you get the knight's armor, so throw 
away that stupid seashell helmet. An adjoining room is entered by 
stepping on the pressure plate again. Inside you will find a sun disc. 
This is an important item you will need later on. 

Two houses on either side of the enclave have pressure plates. They take 
one rock each. Now go around the enclave and clean out the other houses. 
The one locked by the gold skull key has a flame shooting crossbow 
inside. It's helpful against blood spawn. Especially when you enter the 
rolling rock house I describe later.  

Finished with the enclave? Okay, let's now go north of there to the 
healing altar. It's in an open area surrounded by what looks like square 
pillars. There are a lot of monsters here, so be careful. It's also a no 
magic zone, so you will have to use your weapons on the beasties. If you 
don't look at them, they usually won't attack, so if you are desperate 
for healing, just ignore them and head for the altar. One of the 
quivering pool monsters will drop an ankh when you kill him. This is 
needed to enter a house near the east exit. If you don't get an ankh in 
this area, you will probably get it from another quivering pool 
elsewhere. They are really small, so pay close attention to the ground.  

To the east of the enclave, just south of the altar area, is a house 
that must be opened with a blue tear key. Inside a rolling rock moves 
across your path. Monsters block your away ahead. You have to kill them 
without stepping in the way of the rock which will clobber you. The 
Inferno weapon comes in handy here. Also, the throwing star you found in 
the sea maze that comes back to your hand. Another method is just step 
up when the rock passes, take a whack at the monster, then step back. 
When the monsters are dead, go into the far room and throw a wall 
switch. This will open a door in the hall where the rock is rolling back 
and forth. Go right, raid the chest, then return to the switch, throw it 
again, and go left down the hall when the rock passes to find another 
chest. You will find an hour glass artifact that comes in real handy 
later. 

In the South East corner of the city is a house with three pick switches 
in its walls and a teleporter blocking the door. Fire spells keep 
starting periodically. Wait for the fires to die down. Go to the 
west/left switch. Pull it, then go to the east/right switch, pull it. 
The teleporter will have vanished. Then, pull the middle switch and 
enter. There are illusory walls directly in front of you. Behind them 
are some chests. 

Next door is a house with a rolling rock sitting motionless between two 
pressure plates. Nearby is a chest with a key and a wall switch. Get the 
key, throw the switch. Open the locked door with the key and you will 
see a rock rolled away to reveal a chest. Raid the chest, go back to the 
switch, throw it again and return to find another chest revealed. 


Near the East exit is a big house requiring an ankh key. There is a hole 
in the wall next to the door and a speaking statue. Use the ankh to 
enter, go to the door that has a wall switch next to it in the north 
east of the place. Throw the switch, enter and you will see a pressure 
plate. Step on the plate four times and it will open the other doors. 
Two rooms are empty. Two have monsters. One has a chest with another 
hourglass artifact. 

North East of the city, next to the Ankh house is a house opened by a 
blue tear key. Entering you will see two pressure plate doors and a door 
opened by a wall switch. The wall switch opens the center door which 
only leads outside. The north room has a chest containing the Trumpet of 
Earthen Quake. The south room has a sleepy imp inside. Talk to him then 
leave the room and shut the door. Now, without entering the room again, 
step on the plate and open the door. Use the hourglass you found to stop 
time. Enter the southern room and you should see the imp sleeping with a 
thought bubble over his head. Wait for the time spell to wear off and 
you will learn the spell of  Fire Haven. 

Slightly west of the south exit is a house with two closed doors and a 
stone block. Destroy the block with your sword and the doors will open. 
The door farthest away from the block may need coaxing. Step on and off 
the plate until it opens up. You can check it with your map. 

Near the West exit is a house surrounded by four pressure plates. Put 
one rock filled bag (8 to 10 rocks per bag) on three of the plates. You 
should have three bags by now. On the fourth plate place a stone block. 
Now you can enter the house. If you don't have enough rocks or blocks, 
then try entering anyway. A spinner will make it really hard but if you 
keep trying you will eventually get in. It took me a long time when I 
tried it without the rocks. Inside you will find the Amethyst Hex key 
needed to get to the Mana Temple. 

The Mana Temple is slightly north of the west entrance. You need the 
Amethyst Hex key to enter. There will be blood spawn guarding the place 
and it is a no magic zone. 

Near the North Entrance is a house opened by a steel circle key. This 
house contains a great sword, the best weapon you will find up to this 
point in the game. It can cause up to 16 points in damage. So I 
recommend you start using it. 

In the North West section is the entrance to the mine. It's a wood 
building with a rock rolling in front of the entrance. But before you 
enter, next to this building are two rows of small houses. Explore them 
and you will find a little girl. Talk to her before entering the mine. 

Back to the mine. Fight your way past two blood spawn to the stairs. The 
stairs lead down. You will find you way blocked by a collapse. Use the 
Heavenly Mend spell to raise all fallen debris. You will find a miner 
near the entrance. He is the father of a little girl NPC you can find 
upstairs. The miner will tell you about the heart stone and give you a 
tool for finding it. Once you have the stone you can leave the mine. 
It's not worth exploring as there are a lot of zones that steal your 
mana points and no treasure. You'll also fight Jesters, who are a pain 
in the butt. You may want to use the Reflecting Waters spell to avoid 
getting hit by their screaming skulls when you're not looking. 

Here is the directions to the heartstone if you want to get there 
without too much bother. 
Go south of the miner, take the first left, heading east, take the 
second right, heading south, go around the bend heading south. The next 
right and you will see the stone stuck in the south wall. Take it and 
get the hell out of there. It's not worth hanging around.

Once you are finished with the underground city you will have one green 
leaf  key left. Throw it away. Some programmer made a mistake in the 
game. Now head out the north exit and you will face the Elder Tree.

THE ELDER TREE/THE LAND OF ROOTS

Quest Items:  Dragon Amber, Hallowed Staff of Elder Wood

Now that you've beat the underground city, you should have the Trumpet 
of Earthen Quake in your possession. Head toward the tree and you will 
see the bridge is up, turn right and keep going until you see a big rock 
holding back the sea. Use the trumpet. You can now enter the Elder Tree.

Once you enter the tree, you can get rid of the trumpet. You don't need 
it anymore. 

The Healing Altar is just outside the entrance room, to the west. There 
is no Mana Altar in this Dungeon. 

This place is divided into the ground floor called the Land of Roots, 
which is rather large, and the Elder Tree, which is a series of small 
floors leading up to the top. You need to go to the top floor before you 
do anything else. 

When you enter the tree, you start out in a room with a door to the 
north and a teleporter east and west. Go east to the teleporter that 
takes you to the stairs. Go north to the stairs, fight your way to the 
top. The Fungus Man and Earthbile monsters will poison you and there are 
no poison cure bottles on the way, so use your stash sparingly. 

The floors with the Fungus Men are a trap. There are hidden alcoves 
behind illusory walls where fungus men lie in wait. When you get 
attacked by a fungus man coming at you from the front, wait for him to 
come to you. DON'T stand in front of those illusory walls or you will be 
slammed from three sides! Kill the Fungus man and run for the stairs. If 
you really want to fight the others, go ahead, but you can bypass these 
levels once you reach the top. You don't need to come back this way. 

At the fourth floor you will see a pressure plate. Drop a bag of rocks 
on it and a wall opens up. You will get an Earthen Rot Spell inside a 
chest there. Now go up to the top and exit the tree. Turn to face the 
west and the tree spirit will appear. She will give you a wand of 
healing called the Hallowed Staff of Elder Wood. This thing makes your 
healing spells a lot more effective when you hold it. 

Now go back into the tree and take the teleporter to the second floor 
and head for the Land of Roots. You're ready to finish off the rest of 
this dungeon.   

Okay, let's start from the stairs and work our way back to the entrance. 

South of the stairs is a rolling rock that keeps entering a teleporter 
and coming back around. Wait for it to pass then enter the teleporter. 
It should take you west of it. If not try again, then move out of the 
way so you don't get clobbered by the rock. 

Due North West of the stone teleporter is a illusory wall facing a north 
passage. Enter and go to through the other illusory wall. Be aware that 
a spinner will trick you and make you face the opposite direction, so 
watch the map window on the lower corner of your screen. When your 
direction turns you can back up into the wall, or just turn yourself 
around again. Heal the root you find hidden away in there. Now go south 
the way you came, then west. 

There will be a door with a teleporter nearby. Enter the teleporter and 
you will find yourself in the room behind the door. When you're finished 
you should have a stone claw key. Step on the plate and you will be let 
out. 

Go south of there to find the room needing the stone claw key. The place 
is large and full of fungus men. West of this room is an illusory wall 
where a big rock rolls in and out. Follow the rock and you will find 
another root to heal. 

Back through the stone teleporter until you are back where you started. 
Head due east, then south down a twisty passage. When it comes to the T 
crossing, go east. You will enter a room with spikes and a rolling rock. 
Navigate around the rock and head north, turn east then go down another 
long passage, being careful to avoid another rolling rock. At the end 
are some chests with some useful stuff and another root. Now go slightly 
north and enter an illusory wall on the east. There is a teleporter 
inside. Take it. 

You will find yourself in a room in the North East section of the map. 
It goes in a circle around a area with no door. There are four pressure 
plates in this area. One of them will move when you step on it. Weigh 
this one down with a bag of rocks. Now repeat on plate, using blocks 
when you run out of bags. Go back to the first bag and pick it up. A 
door wil open in the wall. Kill the earthbile, raid the chests and heal 
the root. 

After retrieving your bags from the plates, enter the illusory wall and 
go around the teleporter. You will find another root to heal. Once 
you're done with it, you can enter the teleporter and make your way back 
to that T crossing. 

Go west, young man, but the passage will turn south. Go all the way 
south till you come to a room with four teleporters in it. The front two 
blink on and off. Wait for them top blink off then step into the back 
teleporters. You will find yourself in either a passage with a chest or 
a hall with a root to heal. Whatever, do your thing then reenter the 
teleporter and get to the other hall. When you're done, teleport out of 
there by reentering the 'porters until you are able to leave the room. 
Head north and face the east door that needs a copper sun key. You 
should have found one in the teleporter room. Open the door and do your 
thing. You will find a illusory wall to the south. Put a bag on rocks on 
it and it opens a wall in the main room, revealing a chest. The chest 
has some armor that's better than the Sea Shell stuff, but just as goofy 
looking. Don't worry. There's some fly armor coming up later in the 
game. 

Now head west again. In an area where blue fires sprout you will see a 
door to the south opened by a pressure plate. That's the entrance room. 
You want to pass it for now and keep going west. Take a north west route 
first. It leads eventually to a passage that heads south over two 
pressure plates. Step on the first one and a wall opens up nearby. Go 
inside, do your thing. Explore the rest of this small area, and so on.

Due west of the entrance you will come to a shut door. South of there is 
an area with pressure plates and a block. Cast a Reflections on the Lake 
spell and push the block all the way west. The door will now be open. 
Talk to the purple rock and you will be almost be finished with this 
dungeon. 

In the south west corner of the dungeon there is a shut door and two 
pressure plates. Step on them to open the door. Heal the root inside. 

East of this door is an area with a rolling rock. Moves north and south 
in front of an illusory wall. Go inside and get some block figurines. 
They'll come in handy later on. 

Okay, you're almost done. Go back to the entrance room and take the 
teleporter to the dragon (the western 'porter). Put the ruby shard you 
found earlier into the hole in the wall next to a door and get the jar 
out of the chest. Now Click on the ornate hole in the wall where the 
dragon comes out and say it's name. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE JAR ON YOUR 
CURSOR ICON when you do this. A dragon comes out and spits amber. Gather 
it up with the jar on your cursor. You now have the second quest item 
the demon mentioned. Put it away with the heartstone.

Now leave the tree through the way you entered. You are not ready to 
cross over into desolation yet. Go back to the underground city and take 
the west exit. Head for the Barrier. 


THE BARRIER 

Quest Items: Spring Equinox Disc

Before you enter this place, turn right  and go into the ruined house. 
You will find an old man there who wants to trade with you. Buy 
everything he has. You will get some useful items. Now head back to the 
barrier. 

This place is a simple maze. You can cut straight through it once you 
solve the place, but first you need to deal with some headaches. The 
monsters here are the hilarious Clansmen, who sound like Scotty on Star 
Trek, and the Colossal Baboons who are no laughing matter. 

You can avoid the baboons by freeing their king. But to do that you have 
to fight a bunch of clansman. The main goal here is gather up four ivory 
lion keys and place a stone block on each of the four pressure plates 
found at each corner of the dungeon. 

When you enter the East entrance of the place you find dying warrior who 
tells you the tale of the place. Past him to the west is a door opened 
by a switch on the wall. This will lead to an area with a spinner. There 
are four directions you can go in this spinner area. Go north. It takes 
some getting used to but eventually you can do it without a lot of 
effort. 

Due east of the north door in the next room is a Healing and Mana Altar. 

Now, you can go north, east, or west when you enter the north door. 
Unless you need to use the altars, go north. 

The first room you enter has a side passage to the west full of stone 
blocks. Destroy the first block and you will see an illusory wall. Enter 
and follow the passage around. When you come out the other side, push 
the block in front of you north onto a pressure plate. Now destroy the 
block to the west. You can then enter a secret area and find members of 
the resistance. Take four stone block figurines from the chests in 
there. They're needed for this level. 

Go back past the blocks and head north. West is an area with lots of 
plates. Cast a reflections on the lake spell and walk over the plates 
until the door to the west opens. Go inside and find the withered hand 
key and the first plate you need to weigh down. Put a block on it. 

Before you explore anymore of the north section, go back to the spinner 
and head through the south door. Either fight or avoid the baboon that 
you see, but head due south of the door until you find a Green Baboon 
behind a force field. He's their king. Talk to him, then use the 
withered hand key to free him. All the baboons will vanish from the game 
and you will not have to fight them. If you want to fight them, save the 
king for last. 

Behind the king are some chests. One of them has the Spring Equinox 
disc. Put it away with the sun disc and the other quest items. 

Go north again and finish off the north area. Heading west of the North 
door, you will find more chests. Heading east, past the altars, you will 
come to a twisty passage that heads North East. When it dead ends, fine 
the switch that opens a wall. Cast a Reflections on the Lake spell and 
move through the next area as fast as you can. There are doors that open 
and shut in the walls. If you move fast you can catch them all before 
they close. When you see the pressure plate, put a block on it. 

Now go through the south door again. 

Head east. You will come to an area with a row of plates. Walk over the 
plates then put a bag of rocks on the first plate. Find the SE corner 
plate and put a block on it. 

Now head west. The SW plate is in a hidden area. Find an illusory wall 
on the south wall. Behind it is a teleporter. It will take you to the 
area with the SW plate. Put a block on the SW plate and one rock on the 
other plate to activate an escape 'porter. Now head down the south west 
passage and you will come to an area where four doors need four ivory 
lion keys. You should have three by now. A Clansman will drop the fourth 
one when you kill him. Open all four doors and throw all four switches. 
The blocks you put in the four corners opened inner doors here. If you 
failed to place any of the blocks, these doors will be closed. 

Throwing the switches opens the way due west. Go back to the spinner. 
Head west. Unlock the first door then throw all the switches you see on 
the way out. These turn off spinners. 

You are now across the scar and ready for the Temple of the Moon. 

THE TEMPLE OF THE MOON

Quest Items: Tears of the Weeping Moon, Three Soul Houses

Leaving the Barrier, head due west until you see some strange rock 
formations, like dark fingers. Turn north and you will see a white 
towered city. Head straight for it. It's the Temple of the Moon.  

This place is on three levels. The main level is large. There are two 
floors above which are slightly smaller. The South Eastern exit leads to 
the City of the Dead where you need to go after finishing this place 
off. 

When you enter the temple, a blank scroll will be on the floor. Pick it 
up and click on the floating pen in front of you. It will answer your 
questions by writing on the scroll. You need a blank scroll for each 
question and these you will find throughout the first floor of this 
dungeon. 

In the next two rooms are chests. One has an iron mark. The other has a 
blank scroll. North is a door to a long hallway where a rolling rock 
moves east and west. Another hall just like it runs parallel to the 
north. Destroy the blocks in-between so you can avoid getting hit.  I'll 
refer to these halls as the north and south halls. The south being the 
one closest to the entrance. 

Wait for the rock to roll East then walk West down the South Hall. On 
the way you can enter a room to the south by hitting the wall switch. In 
there you'll find a gold Ankh key. 

Keep on going west. Before the hall ends you'll see an illusory wall to 
the north. Inside is a chest and two harpys. 

At the west end of the south hall is a door with a switch on the wall 
and a plate om front of it. Weigh down the plate with a bag of rocks. 
Then throw the switch. The door will open. Now go around the room 
turning on every wall switch you see. There will be an area where you 
will see some pressure plates. Ignore that for a second. You will see a 
side room with a Lightning Wild spell roving the hall. Cast a 
Reflections on the Lake spell and go into this other room and search it. 
After making a circle of the rooms and turning on all the wall switches, 
you can take back your rocks bag without exiting the room. Go to the 
area with two pressure plates in an alcove. Step on the plates, back and 
forth until you see another area next to this one has opened up. Weigh 
down that plate with two rocks. A secret passage will open up nearby 
with a chest inside.

In the Southwest corner is a room opened by an opal moon key. You should 
have got the key off of one of the monsters you killed while combing the 
area. Inside there is a side passage with a pressure plate in front. 
Step on the plate, wait for the fire spells to wear off, the go inside 
and get a soul house. You will need this later. Search the rest of the 
area, then go out into the main room and look for the teleporter that 
came up when you hit a wall switch. This will take you to the east side 
of the south hall. 

Before you explore this area to much, go into the south hall and raid 
the room next door, which is opened by a wall switch. Now return to the 
South East area and raid any chests you find. To the south is a 
teleporter in a hallway. Keep entering it until you are on the other 
side and able to enter the room. The first time another teleporter will 
block you way. This will be gone the next time. It is activated by a 
plate you are standing on. 

Once you are in this room you will see an east, west and south door. 
Ignore the south door because that leads to the City of the Dead and you 
aren't going there yet. Go to the East door. One of the monsters you 
kill will drop an opal moon key. Raid the chests then go to the West 
door and open it with the key. You will find a second Soul house in a 
chest in this room. Take it. 

Now, go to the North Hall and avoid the rock. Go all the way to the west 
door leading north. The East door can only be opened from the inside. 
Use the Gold Ankh key to get in. 

You will find yourself in a room leading to the tower stairs. In the 
North of this area is a Healing Altar. Find the stairs and head up. 

The second floor is pretty simple. You come up the stairs and find a 
teleporter to either side of you. It doesn't matter which one you take. 
They both go to an identical room where two harpies will attack you. 
Choose which one you want, kill the harpies and make for the hall 
directly south. The teleporter you se in these rooms takes you back to 
the stairs. 

A long hall goes east and west. Go East all the way and enter a southern 
area. You will see a room off to the East. It opens by pulling the Cross 
shaped wall switch. Inside is a Mana Altar and two chests. Go down the 
south hall, step on a pressure plate and it opens a wall to the north 
hiding a chest with the third Soul House. You now have all of them. 

Continue south down the hall and the last room has something called the 
Sacred Sipher in it. You need this bottle so don't forget it. Read the 
note on the floor. 

Go all the way west down the hall, ignoring the center southbound hall 
for a moment. You will enter an area were a rolling rock opens and shuts 
a door. Go in the door and follow the rolling rock to your right as it 
enters a teleporter. You will find yourself in a room with a chest. In 
the chest is a powerful weapon. 

Now, return to the main hall and go to that center south bound hallway. 
Wait for the teleporters to blink off them move down that hall as fast 
as you can. At the end is an illusory wall. Enter it and raid the chest. 
Now go up the nearby stairs. 

He third floor is a series of doors and teleporters leading to the 
Oracle. You need eight gold coins and two iron marks to get through 
them. The first bunch of doors take one coin each. The last door takes 
an iron mark on either side. Take the teleporter and look for an 
illusory wall. Inside is a room where the Oracle weeps. Talk to her, 
holding the sipher in your cursor. When she weeps, move the sipher to 
the tears and click. When you see the Sipher become blue you now have 
the tears of the Moon. Put it away with the rest of your quest pieces. 

Now head for the exit to the City of the Dead. It's in that hall in the 
South West of the first floor. The south passage.  You will enter into a 
bend. An illusory wall will be to your west. Put a block on the plate 
behind it, then step into the teleporter. 

You should be in a room leading out to the City of the Dead. Near the 
door, if you are playing one of the male characters, you will see 
Foxwen, the blonde woman, dying from a bunch of arrows. She will tell 
you to look for Nula in the City of the Dead. If you are playing one of 
the women, you won't see anything in the alcove. 

THE CITY OF THE DEAD

Quest Items: The Soul of the Warrior, The Knight's Armor, Anti-Poison 
Shield. 

This place is on two levels. The ground floor is a necropolis, a city of 
the dead. But many tombs have stairs leading to underground areas. The 
Lurking Stench monsters are poisonous, but you will find a poison proof 
shield in this maze, which will make you invulnerable to poison once you 
start using it. 

If you have any Wyvern Blood flasks left, this is a good place to use 
them. The Tormented Souls that hang around this place shoot arrows at 
you from far away. It can get real annoying. Lightning Wild spells seem 
to hurt them badly, though, so you may want to fire off some now and 
then. 

Go around the path and head south. Explore the three southern tombs 
first and the game will be easier. The one closest to the entrance in 
the south west has two stairs leading down. You will find yourself in a 
huge area with a bunch of  Infernal Bones standing over armor and 
weapons. At the far south of this area is a throne. In front of the 
throne is a shield that will make you 100% invulnerable to poison. Start 
using this shield. There is also an axe that casts Raging Hero spells. 
Take what you want, but most of the armor and weapons in this dungeon 
are stuff your probably threw away earlier. 

The next tomb to the south of the City is a small one. You will find a 
portable chest inside. If  you are playing a woman character, it will 
have a Fall Equinox disc inside. If you are playing a man, it will be 
empty. 

The tomb in the South East corner is very important. In the center is 
the blue knight. Do not take his soul yet. Talk to him. Do not open the 
chest south of him. Leave it for later. You can raid the other two 
chests if you want. Go through an illusory wall to the east and down 
some stairs. You will find the fourth disc (Moon Disc) in a chest. You 
now have a complete set. 

Now, head north along the easternmost wall of the city from the blue 
knights tomb. Throw a switch and open a north wall. Beware of the 
rolling rock. You will see a stone block to your left. Destroy it and 
throw a switch. Keep moving north. You will see a pressure plate in an 
alcove to your left. Put a stone block on it (or a rock bag). Now go 
around to the west side of this tomb and enter. You will find an 
illusory wall on the inner east side in an alcove. Enter and take the 
stairs down. You will find the evil spirit the blue knight talked about. 
Talk to this clown, then take his soul. Drop the soul house on the 
floor, because you won't need it. Enter the room to the north. Talk to 
the lady ghost. Do NOT take her soul. Let her go. Now, return to the 
blue knight's tomb. Tell him what happened then take his soul. You can 
get rid of the third soul house. It's not needed. You know have another 
quest item. Store it away. Go ahead and take the armor in the chest now. 
It was cursed before. Now it is the best armor you will find in the 
game. It also looks a lot better than any other armor (I like the War 
Armor the best, but it's wimpy). Too bad they don't have a dry cleaners 
in this world. The blood stains are annoying. 

Anyway, you can now explore the city anyway you like. Here are 
descriptions of the more tricky tombs. 

NW of the City is a healing altar. A few paces east of there is a Mana 
Altar. Both are at the north. A few more paces east of the Mana altar is 
an exit to an outside viewing area, where you can look at the scar. You 
will meet Nula there if you are playing a male character. She will give 
you the Fall Equinox disc. If you are playing a woman character, no one 
will be there. 

South of the healing altar is a tomb. There is a illusory wall on its 
east side that leads to a complex area. Take the stairs down, get all 
the rocks you can from the chest and surrounding area. A plate in the 
floor opens a wall. Go in and ignore the plate near the east wall. Put a 
bag on rocks on each of the two plates in the side passage and enter the 
teleporter. You are now in a room with four pressure plates. Put one 
rock on each plate, then step through the 'porter. Take your rock bags 
off the two plates and you can now enter the area. Near one of the 
chests is a spinner. Make sure you are facing the right way. It has a 
ruby shard. Now go back to the door with the hold next to it and load in 
the ruby shard. You will get a wand of unmaking which is a very powerful 
weapon. Save it for the nasty monsters later in the game. 

Just south of the NW area is a graveyard. One of the monsters will drop 
a Onyx Raven key that'll let you into a tomb nearby. 

The rest of this place is pretty simple. Just look for illusory walls 
and you won't miss a thing. 

When you're done, go back into the Temple and take the 'porter to your 
left. You will be taken to the exit of the temple. 

THE EYE OF CLAY/SANCTUARY

Quest Items: The Sacrifice of Clay

After finishing the Temple and Necropolis, you will have four white 
discs. Go back to that area where the strange rock formations sprout up 
and walk around. It goes in a circle. To the side are four altars with 
round holes. Put the discs in the holes until you have filled all four 
of them. 

You will also see a stranger hiding behind a rock. Talk to him and take 
the Wreath of Hallowed Leaves. You'll need this at the end of the game. 

Keep walking around and you will find a center area. When you walk into 
it after putting all the discs in you will be transported to Sanctuary. 

This is a weird place but rather simple to explore. On the north walls 
are six dragon imprints. To the south is a door that looks like an eye. 
East and West are four teleporters. 

You need to enter each of the teleporters and get the dragon pieces, 
then place them on the dragon imprints to open the doors to the Eye of 
Clay. Let's deal with the teleporters one by one. 

To the East are two 'porters. One is in a recessed area the other is 
not. The same as in the west side. 

Eastern Non-Recessed 'porter: This takes you to an area with shifting 
walls. Just keep moving ahead into what looks like hallways before you. 
Eventually you will come across three chests. The exit is behind a 
illusory wall with a plate in front of it. Stepping on the plate causes 
a 'porter to appear behind the wall (or disappear). 

Eastern Recessed 'Porter: You end up in a big room with a pressure plate 
at one side. Step on the plate to open a wall in the north. Beware of 
fires and flying fists. Enter the two 'porters behind the wall to get to 
the two chests. 

Western Non-Recessed Porters: This area has a bunch of plates between 
walls. Rolling rocks patrol along the far walls. You must weave yourself 
around the center walls, walking across the plates as if you were sewing 
a thread. This will open two doors on one side and one on the other. 
Three chests await. 

Western Recessed 'Porter: Save this one for last. It takes you to an 
area where a Mana and Health Altar are. Stepping on the plate will 
create a Jester to fight you. Finish your business then teleport out. 
Now enter this 'porter again and you will be in a new area. This place 
has a plate that requires one rock. It opens a door to a chest. 
Teleporting out you will end up back in the altar room. Using that 
escape porter takes you to a north/south hall with a porter at each end. 
Go into the north porter, but beware of the spinner that will try to 
make you head south. You will arrive before the final chest and get the 
last dragon piece. 

Once all pieces are in place, you can enter a hallway to the north. Open 
the door to the west and raid the chests. Now go east and follow the 
twisty hallway around. You will see a rolling rock and an illusory wall. 
Pass through the wall and keep going. Beware of spinners. Eventually you 
will come to a teleporter. Take it and talk to the tree in the north.

Now that you have the sacrifice of clay, teleport out. Nearby is a 
porter in a recessed area. Take it to the exit. 

You can now cross over to desolation and the last stage of the game. The 
way you take is up to you. I list both methods below. If you choose 
Gorge Keep, just go back to the Temple of the Moon, but turn north right 
before you enter the gates. Follow along the path, enter a waterfall on 
the way to pick up a spell, then make your way to the keep. You will see 
Brice, the big bearded guy crucified in front of the keep if you are not 
playing him. 

If you choose to go through the Reed Plain, cross back over the scar on 
either the Ward Bridge or the Barrier. Go back to the top of the Elder 
Tree. Move north and the tree will bend and take you across the Scar. It 
will only do this if all the roots were healed earlier. 

THE REED PLAIN (optional)

Goal: Cross the place to get to the Iron Titan

This area is optional, but if you cross into desolation from the Elder 
Tree, you have to pass through it. There are a lot of Slog Riders and a 
few Will O' Wisps here, but you can move in any direction. Beware of 
hidden spikes in the reeds. The only things to find here are the spell 
of unmaking in a chest surrounded by spikes and Skaracs. Skaracs are 
scorpion things. You only need one. When you exit at the north west side 
you'll come to a bridge guarded by a two headed giant. Talk to him and 
you'll eventually find the skarac to be useful.

GORGE KEEP (optional) 

Goal: Cross the Scar to get to the Iron Titan. 

If you decide to cross into desolation through Gorge Keep get ready for 
a fight. This place is good for racking up fight and spell points 
because it is full of enemies. The layout is really simple and there are 
no heavy tricks to the place. Enter and you find yourself in a huge room 
full of  Slog Riders. This room is a magic free zone, so you can't use 
spells. You have to fight.  Run if you have to or choose a corner and 
fight them one by one. To the north is a long hall leading to the other 
exit. But it's useless to go that way until you have raised the 
portcullis. Enter to the east of the large room and go all the way 
north. Kill all the guards until you get a key. Take that key back to 
the large room and enter the western area. Go north and find a chest 
with a glowing ember inside. Take that to the south eastern room where a 
man is encased in ice. Drop it on the floor. He will give you a key when 
he thaws out. Go north to the one room you couldn't get into before. Use 
the wooden dowel you should have found earlier and insert it in the 
mechanism. Move it all the way to the left. Also throw all the switches 
on the wall to turn off the spinners. Now you can make it to the north 
exit. But get ready to fight three messengers waiting for you. 

THE IRON TITAN

Quest item:  Invincible Iron

This three level area is one of the most complex of all the dungeons. It 
is also full of some nasty monsters and traps. It's the first dungeon to 
have pits, so watch your step. The monsters here are poisonous, so start 
using the anti-poison shield when you enter this joint. 

This place is really tough to get through and a nuisance to back out of, 
so make sure you have all the quest items you need before trying on this 
maze. The only things you won't have by now are the Wood and the Iron 
for the chest. These you get here and the next dungeon. 

Okay, upon entering you will see a big area to the north with lots of 
blocks and four pressure plates. It's kind of a simple puzzle. You want 
to push the blocks next to the plates onto the plates, which creates 
teleporters. Then push the remaining blocks into each of the teleporters 
and step through. This will take you to four separate rooms with 
pressure plates. Push the blocks onto the plates and take the escape 
'porters outta there. 

This will open up some halls around the rest of the first floor. Before 
you weigh the blocks down, there will be holes in the floor that will 
drop you down below. Unless you want to deal with that, just push them 
blocks. 

The puzzle is simple. To the north and south of the plates are the 
blocks you push on them. The other four blocks go into each of the 
teleporters that appear. Shove them on the plates in those rooms. 

Straight to the north of the entrance is a giant head coming out the 
floor. Talk to him and hear his story. He needs you to use a magic 
immersion spell to free him. But the area he is in is a no magic zone. 
There is a switch to the east that will shut it off. Go into the east 
hall and follow it around to the north. On the way you will come across 
a pressure plate that opens up a room with two altars in it. 

To the west is some chests with goodies and a cube of magic immersion 
maker. For some weird reason, if you use the cube sitting on the floor, 
another will appear. I always do it just because it may have some 
purpose in the game. 

Shrink the big guy's head, then walk past him and head for the stairs. A 
lot of  blocks will be in your way. Either push them or destroy them. 
After the first block you will find an illusory wall. It leads to a room 
full of stamina potions. You may want to use them to help you with the 
blocks, but I never bother. 

Now head down to the second floor. 

First, go north until you have to turn right past four closed doors. A 
rolling rock will be in this area. You will see a south passage near the 
fourth door. Go down it. Put a bag of rocks on the pressure plate, then 
throw the switch on the wall. This will shut of the no magic zone on 
this level. Now walk past the plate and take your bag back. 

Go back to the south. The hall wraps around and you will see a hole in 
the floor. A plate in an alcove closes the hole. Go into the illusory 
wall and shrink the giant's torso the way you did before. Now go back to 
the hall and keep on going west. It will curve like a snake. Beware of 
holes in the floor that open and close and spinners. On the way you will 
see a mana altar. Eventually you will come to a room with a plate in the 
center and four pebbles on the floor. Pick up the pebbles. Step on the 
plate. A teleporter will appear. Step into it. Drop a pebble on the 
plate where you appeared. Enter the escape 'porter and repeat until you 
have visited four separate rooms and weighed down four plates. 

Now make your way back to the area to the north east where the four 
closed doors were (and the switch). The doors will be open. The first 
three have chests. The fourth takes you to a Packrat's lair. This is the 
only Packrat I found in the game. If you find any others, let me know at 
the above e-mail address. 

Now you can go to the third level. Pass the shrunken body. You will 
enter a room with lightning wild tornadoes and rolling rocks. Do a 
reflections on the lake spell and find the chest to the north. The 
stairs down are in the west. 

The third and final level is pretty easy. Explore all the rooms you can 
until you have five iron dragon keys. The monsters down here are Swarm 
Maidens. I found the Fountain of Scorching Vapors spell kicks their ass. 
Usually only one does the trick. You should have got that from the guy 
in the waterfall in front of Gorge Keep. 

Anyway, after you have all the keys you can unlock the five doors 
leading to the exit. On the way you will pass a room with two altars. 
Take the stairs up and up. When you reach the first level a messenger 
will attack you. He will drop a Soul Link spell when you kill him. 

Now head out the door and straight for the land with the hand. 

THE QUAGMIRE

Quest Items: The Sword "Soul Wrought", Wood from the Wicked Tree, The 
Whistle of Fiery Summons, the Spell of Dance on the Stone of Winds

This place is pretty cut and dry. With won't even detail it for you. 
Basically, you're going to deal with a big, one level maze full of 
monsters. There are some important things to do here though, so pay 
attention. 

Turn on all switches you see. They look like wood knots in sticks 
imbedded in the walls. Keep your eye peeled for illusory walls. There 
are lots of them on this level and they hide a lot of important stuff. 
The monsters here are poisonous, so keep using that anti-poison shield. 

Near the entrance a messenger attacks you. He'll drop a whistle of fiery 
summons. Save it for later. It's important. 

Make your way to the North West first. You will find a lot of Mire 
Lurks, those green snaky dudes who do bad Peter Lorre imitations. Here 
you will find a lot of gold coins. You'll need them. Trust me. A big 
throne area around here has two plates. If you drop a rock bag on each 
one a wall opens revealing a chest with a suit of armor. This armor is 
inferior to the knights armor, but it slows poison. If you have the 
poison shield, you don't need it. If you want to look like a lizard man, 
this armor is for you, though. 

North of this area is a hidden room, behind an false wall that moves 
when you put a bag of rocks on a plate (behind an illusory wall). There 
are wind chimes in a chest. Get them. 

Once you clean out this area, head southeast. You will find some 
illusory walls and lots of Murk Elementals. Eventually you will find a 
talking sword being held by two magic chains. Put money in the holes to 
free it. This is the second best sword in the game and you will need it. 

In the west, behind some illusory walls, is a wind elemental. With the 
chimes in your possession you can understand her. She will teach you an 
important spell you will need in Fire Mountain. 

Finally, go to the center where the Wicked Tree is. It's surrounded by 
rocks and protected by those Beast of Trung. Use the yellow sword to 
chop off a piece of wood. You now have all the pieces you need to build 
the dark slag container. 

Head to the north east and the exit. You will end up on top of the giant 
hand. Use the whistle of firey summons and you will be taken to the Dark 
Lords...I mean the Warlord's tower. 

FIRE MOUNTAIN

Goal: Meet Black Gnarl, get him to make you the Container, find the 
words of opening. 

Okay, you need to go here after the Quagmire, but you've ended up on the 
Warlord's doorstep instead. No problemo. Just enter the Warlord's tower. 
Two Sword Thanes will attack you (and a Cacofiend, which you can ignore 
for now if you like). One of the Sword Thanes will drop a gold ankh key. 
Use it on the door to your right. Enter the 'porter and head for the 
nearest exit. You will be facing Fire mountain. Step off the landing and 
you will be teleported there. Now enter. 

This place is on two levels. The first level is similar to the Barrier, 
in that you need to open doors to get through the mountain so you can 
reach the Anvil of the Dawn. But first you have to meet Black Gnarl and 
get your container made. To enter the stairs leading down you will need 
to find four iron marks and an amulet called the Sigil of Fire. You also 
need to find a scroll with the Words of Opening on it. This is all 
fairly simple. 

You enter in the west. To the north is an opening. This leads to two 
altars. 

Ahead in the east-west hall are pressure plates. These open and close 
holes in the floor. You do not want to fall through these holes because 
the second level is deadly hot. You need to find the Sigil of Fire 
before you can go down there. So be careful. The spell the wind woman 
gave you will allow you to float over holes and move faster. But when 
you use this spell, make sure you aren't standing over a pressure plate 
when it wears off. For some reason this is deadly. 

Anyway, down the hall, to the south are two illusory walls. The first 
leads to an area you need to explore. In there, behind an illusory wall, 
you will find a scroll with the words of opening on it. Read the scroll 
then toss it. Another hall in this area is found behind an illusory 
wall. It has spinners and holes in the floor. If you can make it to the 
end you will find a teleporter. It will take you to an area where you 
can find the Sigil of Fire in a chest. Put it on. 

Now, once you clean out this section of the map, head back down the 
hall. The second south passage leads to a door that requires and iron 
mark. You will need at least three of them to enter through to the 
stairs leading down. So go west down the hall to the first opening in 
the north. This leads to a hall of teleporters. To the east is a 
illusory wall. Go down this hallway to an area where there is a spinner 
that will make it really hard for you to weight down a plate in an 
alcove. Do it anyway. An illusory wall in the north of this area has a 
mark and some old armor. Go back to the teleporters. Enter and  keep 
entering them until you end up in a room to the west. You will find some 
useful stuff in here. 

Between the teleporters is an illusory wall to the north. Enter there, 
head east then north. In the end of that hall is a room. In a south west 
wall of this room is a switch that opens passages to the east and west. 
The western room has some rad armor that is less powerful than the 
knight's armor but it gives to 25% protection against fire spells. To 
the east is a complex area with holes in the floor, and spinners. A 
south passage in this section has illusory walls to east and west. Put 
on a Dancing Winds Spell and float into these rooms. Put bags on the 
plates until a pressure plate is revealed at the south end of the hall. 
Put something on it then repeat until a second plate is revealed. After 
weighing this down, two rooms open up. In one of these rooms you'll find 
War Render, the best sword in the game. Use it for everything except the 
Castellan, whom you'll be fighting soon. 

Once you've explored all the areas you can, head back to the room with 
the mark doors to the south. Put an iron mark in the hole and you'll 
find another door wanting a mark. In the next to last room an illusory 
wall to the south will provide the fourth mark, if you need it. 

Make sure you have that Sigil of Fire on. Now go downstairs. 

This part is easy. There are a bunch of infernal bones in this place to 
fight. There are blocks and rocks here. Push a block on one of the 
plates or roll a rock onto one. A door will open in the center of the 
dungeon. There are four plates controlling four doors. You only need to 
open one. Go in and find Black Gnarl. He's hard to miss. Talk to him and 
he'll make you the Container. 

Now head back to the Warlord's tower. By stepping off the landing in 
front of fire mountain (the side you came in, west) you will end up back 
at the tower. 

THE WARLORD'S TOWER

Goal: Get the Dark Slag

This place is pretty simple and by now you should find it easy to kill 
the monsters because you should have the best swords in the game. Two 
words of warning. Watch out for holes in the floor and keep a 
Reflections on the Lake spell going at all times. You will keep out of 
harm that way. 

The switches look like bull horns on a demon face. Pull them down 
whenever you see them. 

I think the best way to do this place is kill everything you see on the 
first level and try to clean out every room. In the north of the first 
floor you will find the barracks. Lots of Sword Thanes here. Kill them, 
get the keys. 

The southern barracks room has a block standing near a pressure plate. 
Ignore the teleporter in the alcove. Push the block onto the plate. It 
opens a door down the hall. In that room you can find Cloudburst, a 
shield that helps make you immune to lightning. Though I think a 
reflection spell is the best way to go. 

One room in the north has a lot of pressure plates and lightning spells 
going off. Cast a Reflections spell, walk over the plates until the 
doors open revealing the chests. Get the key you need inside. 

The altars are right off the main entrance room. They are opened by 
using a wren key. You need to hit the switches on either side of the 
room to reveal the wren keyholes. But you have to move fast because 
rolling rocks are turning off the switches. Pull it and a door opens. 
Use the key and you can get to the altars. 

When you have cleaned out this place, use the pearl serpent key to open 
the door in the north of the entrance hall. This reveals a teleporter 
that takes you to the stairs going up. But before you can find the 
stairs you have to deal with a few annoyances. Avoid the rolling rocks. 
Go to the north east hallway and put a block on the plate in the alcove 
east. Now walk through the illusory wall to your west and step on the 
pressure plate. A wall opens revealing a door. Use the sun key to get in 
and head upstairs. 

On the second floor, keep your reflector spell going. You will enter a 
room with three blocks and one rock. Destroy the block south of he rock 
with your sword. Now get behind the rock and push it north into the 
blocks above it. Now destroy the block to the east of it. Now go where 
that block was and push the rock west, then south onto the pressure 
plate. If you return to the hall, you will see a passage opened to the 
stairs going up. 

On the third floor you will find an illusory wall north of where you 
come up the stairs. A switch in there opens a nearby door. Pass the gold 
ankh door, and head upstairs. 

On the fourth floor, fight you way to the room with the Wither Priest. 
Take the key in the chest. Now return to the third level. 

Go to the door, open it with the gold key. Make sure you have the golden 
sword "Soulwrought" equipped as your sword. You better do a save. And 
make sure you are healed up. Head north, kill the cacodemons, avoid the 
rocks and find Castellan. He's the dude in the purple armor to the 
north. Talk to him then get ready for a fight. 
When he's dead, enter the alcove, pull the switch. In the next room you 
will find the dark slag. MAKE SURE YOU ARE HOLDING THE CONTAINER WHEN 
YOU PICK IT UP. MAKE SURE IT GOES INTO THE CONTAINER. The container will 
be shut when it's in there. If what I just said doesn't work, try 
picking it up with your hand or variations, but it must go into the 
container or you will suffer. 

All right. One last dungeon. Make your way to the exit and head for fire 
mountain. 

THE ANVIL OF THE DAWN

Goal: Destroy the Dark Slag

Enter fire mountain gain. Put blocks on the pressure plates to the north 
in the east west hall to open the doors leading east. Exit the mountain 
and head for that light in the sky. 

After crossing the ice, you come to a mountain door guarded by an 
armless giant. Talk to him, then use the spell of Heavenly Mend. Now 
talk to him again and say the words of opening. You will now be able to 
enter the final part of this game. 

Just when you think you're almost done, they throw one more obstacle in 
your path...an invisible maze. This part of the game can be the most 
frustrating. But I will help you through. 

The first area has three exits to the east and a rolling rock that sits 
on a pressure plate to the south. Throw the two switches before you 
until you get the rock to the north side. Then make it go south. You 
should now be able to walk through the north most eastern opening. 

This part is hard to describe, but feel your way east near the north 
wall, then about half way, turn south and head for that plate in the 
center of the room. You have to walk about one space past it or so then 
head back west all the way until you see a switch on the wall. Throw it. 
Now feel your way over to the plate and step on it. 

Okay, you can now feel your way south to an illusory wall. Enter and 
stand a pace or two away from the ice worm. Throw that spear Steelripper 
at it a few times to kill it. Or fight it with your sword if you really 
want to. These things are tough, though. A Vampire Mist spell doesn't 
hurt. 

Enter the illusory wall to the north and push the block you will 
eventually see over one. Then push it east onto a plate. There is an 
illusory wall to the south. Enter and you will be in a room with one 
alcove and three plates. East, South, and West. Step on the east plate 
and a teleporter appears in the alcove. Enter. You should be in a room 
with two teleporters and a block. If only one teleporter is there, go 
back to the plate room through the porter and step on the south plate. 
Check your map to see if a second porter came on in that other room. If 
not step back and forth on the east and south plates until one does. Now 
enter that porter and push the block through the nearest porter. 
Teleport into the plate room, push the block onto the east plate. Weight 
down the south plate with a block or a bag of rocks and leave the area. 
You can start divesting yourself of bags now. You only need two rocks 
after this. 

After leaving the first room, head back to that plate in the middle of 
the main room and step on it again. Now work your way east of there. You 
will be able to go all the way east just north of a big eastern opening. 
When you hit the wall, turn north then west and enter the illusory wall 
to the north. You will be in a big room after stepping on a pressure 
plate to open a door. On both sides of this big room are thrones. The 
old gods sat on these things. Looks like they bought their furniture at 
Levitz. No variation. Anyway, ignore these areas. Go all the way east 
and fight the ice worms. A chest in the back has a silver chalice. Take 
it. 

Now go back to the plate in the main room and step on it two times. You 
should now be able to work your way south again to another illusory wall 
further east on the south wall. A teleporter on the other side takes you 
to a room in a big circle. Twelve plates are in this room like numbers 
on a clock. Put a rock on the north and south plates. Now walk over 
every plate in the room, making a circle. A passage will open to a 
teleporter to the main room. You can now work your way to the big 
eastern opening. Kill the worm. Put the chalice in the hole and a door 
will open. Almost there!

First, put on the wreath of hallowed leaves. Now activate a soul link 
spell. Exit through the eastern door (do a save for the hell of it, you 
never know). 

Heading east you will meet the Warlord himself. I guess he likes hanging 
out in weird ass locales. Anyway, talk to him. He will lay a Darth Vader 
rap on you. Don't accept the dark side, Luke. Trust me. After talking to 
him you can only do one thing. Walk to the Anvil of the Dawn. 

For an alternate ending, do everything I just said, but don't wear the 
wreath or use a soul link spell. 

See ya in the next game!