User:Arthgon

Hello guys and gals, my name is Arthgon. I'm 38 and I'm an Ultimate fan of Ultima since I've had Ultima II on my Commodore many years ago. (1983 or something)

C64 Ultima VI:

 * The Journal of the (mis)adventures of Arthgon the Avatar.
 * C64/128 version of Ultima VI End game pictures.

Cleanup:

 * I am going to write more projects down in here.
 * Any articles that needs to be cleaned? Please do tell me. You point, me clean! :)

Characters

 * Ultima VII
 * Ultima VII Part Two A couple still need to be fixed and cleaned.

Dungeons

 * Doom

Misc

 * Others that needs to be cleaned.

Walkthroughs

 * Ultima VI Walkthrough
 * Ultima VII Walkthrough
 * Ultima VII Part Two Walkthrough
 * The Ultima 6 Project Walkthrough

Armour Data

 * Ultima I
 * Ultima II
 * Ultima IV With help from Dungy.
 * Ultima V Dungy beat me to it
 * ROV I and II
 * Ultima VI
 * Ultima Underworld
 * Ultima VII
 * Ultima Underworld II
 * Ultima VII Part Two
 * Ultima VIII

Equipment

 * ROV I and II; Better versions and those who are missing.
 * Ultima VI
 * Ultima Underworld
 * Ultima VII
 * Ultima Underworld II
 * Ultima VII Part Two
 * Ultima VIII (if needed)
 * Ultima IX (ditto)

Items

 * Ultima V
 * ROV I and II; Better versions and missing items.
 * Ultima VI
 * Ultima Underworld
 * Ultima VII
 * Ultima Underworld II
 * Ultima VII Part Two
 * Ultima VIII

Lore

 * Ultima V Terrain

Monster Data

 * Ultima I
 * Ultima II
 * Ultima Exodus NES With the help with Browncoat Jayson. Thanks.
 * ROV I
 * ROV II
 * Ultima Underworld
 * Ultima Underworld II Finally completely Done!!!

Potions

 * Ultima V Tribun beat me to it.
 * Ultima VI
 * Ultima Underworld
 * Ultima VII
 * Ultima VII SNES
 * Ultima Underworld II
 * Ultima VII Part Two
 * Ultima VIII
 * Ultima IX

Walkthroughs

 * Ultima I Walkthrough
 * Ultima II Walkthrough
 * Ultima III Walkthrough
 * Ultima IV Walkthrough
 * Ultima V Walkthrough
 * Ultima VI Walkthrough
 * The Ultima 6 Project Walkthrough Done!!!
 * Ultima VII
 * Ultima VII Part Two Walkthrough
 * Ultima VIII Walkthrough

Articles

 * Carriage
 * Horses. Almost
 * Inns
 * Potions Needs better wording
 * Ships
 * Shipwrights

Armour/Equipment/Items/Weapons

 * Armour
 * Equipment
 * Items
 * Party Members
 * Weapons

Monster Data

 * Prominent NPCs
 * Quest-related Opponents

Armour/Equipment/Items/Weapons

 * Armour
 * Equipment
 * Items
 * Weapons

Monster Data

 * Monsters
 * Only the Guard have to be done
 * Perhaps Ranger?
 * Prominent NPCs
 * Quest-related Opponents

Portraits

 * Still needs to be done:
 * Abraham
 * Adjhar
 * Avatar Female
 * Avatar Male
 * Bollux
 * Courage
 * Dracothraxus
 * Elisabeth
 * Erethian
 * Ferryman
 * Forskis
 * Hook
 * Horance
 * Hydra Brothers
 * Love
 * Truth
 * Guard I
 * Guard II
 * Xorthian Wisp

Armour/Equipment/Items/Weapons

 * Armour
 * Equipment
 * Items
 * Weapons

Monster Data

 * Monsters
 * Prominent NPCs
 * Quest-related Opponents

Merging Articles:

 * Anachronistic Armour
 * Ships
 * Merging Valorian Steeds into the article Horses

New Articles:

 * Living Toupee
 * Stickman

Walkthroughs

 * Runes of Virtue (The Lost Runes)
 * Runes of Virtue II

Weapon Data

 * Ultima Underworld
 * Ultima Underworld II

Illustrations:

 * Some are not very good looking.

Pictures

 * Maybe Mage Lord's Palace. I am not sure what kind of screenshot is needed.

Advertisements

 * Martian Dreams advertisement Sept 1991
 * Better version of Ultima Underworld advertisement (From the Zero Magazine on July 1992) of mine

Books/cluebooks

 * Ultima V Cluebook Black and White Version

Box Scans

 * Utima Underworld Series
 * C64 Ultima VI Box C64/128 of the front and the back
 * C64 Ultima Trilogy I (I, II and III) box of the front and the back

Magazines

 * Old Commodore magazines about Ultima games. They're somewhere on the attic at my parents. I hope.
 * Other Odds and ends that's needed here.

Whatsoever that does not fit in:

 * Finding my old C64/128 on the attic at my parents and play Ultima VI to see about the bugs that's plaguing the emulator version.

The Journal of the (mis)adventures of Arthgon the Avatar
Yes. What’s the time? It is Commodore version of Ultima VI adventure time. Journey Onwards!

Starting Location: Earth


While watching another re-re-rerun of one of those shows that you would rather want to forget, it came to my notice that a chill wind was rising outside. To my better knowledge (we have all heard about the metaphor "curiosity killed the cat", right?), I still went out to investigate. Looking through the window who had a really good view of the stones I became aware that in minutes, the chilly wind had turned into a storm. Then all of a sudden, a bolt of searing blue fire struck the earth!



Wait. Is THAT a sign? Other than STOP? Running through the rain I ran down the path, to the stones (Leaving the door once more unlocked. Wow. Thieves must be having a great time, right?) and found a tiny obsidian stone in the midst of the circle.



Awestruck, I picked this curious thing up. The two questions that crossed my mind were; 1) How did this object get here? and 2) Why does this seem so familiar? It was on the tip of my tongue and on my mind.



Quite suddenly I could see a softly glowing door ascending from the heart of the stones! Ah! Now I remember! The last time that I saw an orb like this, it was used by Lord British to banish the tyrant Blackthorn. Fingers crossed, I hurl myself through the gate. Wait. Is my insurance even covered for these sorts of actions? Hope so.

The Gypsy


I am not sure how I got here, but I seem to be strolling along until my feet brought me to a curious gypsy wagon. Inside, a friendly gypsy welcomed me with open arms and began to ask seven questions concerning on the Eight Virtues that would greatly benefit me later on.

After answering her questions, she passed me a flask with a shimmering liquid. As I drank the substance a soothing mist obscured the gypsy's face and I fell asleep without any fear in an untroubled sleep.

The Sacrificial Slab


Oh man! I've a feeling we're not in Kansas....huh...wait...never mind. The question is where am I exactly? But then again, do I even want to know? Examining my surroundings, I realized that I was on a desolate plain with a massive rune-struck altar nearby. Wait. What was that? Somewhere on these desolate plains I heard a hundred voices chanting. By the time that I finally figured out where it came from, the chanting already draw closer and closer.

Out of nowhere, fiendish red creatures appeared, grabbed me with unearthly strength, and bound me to the altar stone. The hordes sway and chant as a winged nightmare stepped forward. Not only must this guy be THE leader of the pack, *vroom vroom* but he also clutched a book that looked very interesting to me. He opened the book and began to recite from it in a formal, stilted tongue. Shouts exploded from the masses as he slammed the book shut, and started to threaten me with a nasty looking dagger. As my whole life flashes before me like those series called "This is your life", a yellow-fletched rose bloomed in the priest's forehead. Bulls-eye!



Phew. Luckily that my old companions were not too occupied to save me from their clutches! Otherwise, it would have been a very short game. In a hurry we dived through the red Moongate to safety, not before Iolo snatched the book from the priest's corpse. Let's get out of here.

The Arrival At Lord British's Castle
Great. Just great. Not that it is an out of the frying pan and into the fire situation, but after escaping a sacrifice of which I was the intended victim (Must remember that I definitely should complain to the travel agency about the use of the Moongates), I still would not mind that two of the same creatures (you know...those who tried to sacrifice me), did NOT follow us through the Moongate into Lord British’s Castle and attack me and my party.





Fortunately, (Or not. It depends on how you look at it. These creatures are not THAT happy with the outcome. Well, being dead and such) the battle was over in no time.



Still dazed I spoke with Nystul first. He really finds the unintelligible book intriguing, but have not got a clue to read it at all. (wow, what a surprise) Therefore, I have to travel to the Lycaeum, to see the wizard (not Oz) with the name of Mariah. (and no...is not Carey as well) Unlike this guy here, she HAS the capability to translate an intriguing plot-driven object. Seeing the Orb in my inventory, he told me that Lord British knows more about it.



Lord British told me that the shrines of virtues are in the hands (claws) of the Gargoyles (so that was the name of those creatures) and need to be re-captured. He also taught me how the Orb of the Moons works. Luckily, I am a fast learner. To get more information about the dire situation, I have to talk to Geoffrey.

The Captain of The Royal Guard and an old friend of mine Geoffrey told me that the leader of the survivors of the counter-attack against the Gargoyles at the Shrine of Compassion can help me. I have to look for him in Cove.



Instead of travelling directly towards Cove, there are some things that needs to be done in the castle first. What would that be you may ask. Taking everything important that is not nailed down with me is the answer. I left the throne room by the south door and immediately took the door to the left. The door to the north is Lord British's bedroom. The south door leads to my room. Lord British's bedroom, here I come!



The bedroom of Lord British was very fancy and just as comfortable. Yes, you could say that it was fit for a king. On the left I could see two doors. One of them was locked. Well...let's us put the emphasis on WAS, because after I took the key from the floor that is no more the case......and what is behind the unocked (and yes, it is really spelled that way) door number 1? It is a private observatory! The door number two led to a room where I found some weapons, potions and armour.



I left Mr. Nose's room and went to the south. THAT is MY room. Here, I found my spellbook, ingredients that are needed to cast spells and some other stuff that is important.



Now that there is nothing else to pilfer in my room, I left my room and went further to the left that leads me to the lab. A couple of potions that are essential to survive in Britannia could be found here. While putting them away in my inventory I noticed that I was not alone in this place. Someone else was roaming around here as well. To my surprise it was a talking mouse. She told me that that her name was Sherry and that she wants some cheese...pronto. I had nothing on me, so I went to the kitchen and came back to give her what she want. I had the feeling that she was important in my party, but not at the moment. I said goodbye and left. Leaving Britain behind, I journeyed to Cove to speak with the leader of the pack that got beaten by the Gargoyles.

Intermezzo: The Scavenger Hunt
''As an option you could follow the string of notes that Chuckles, THE royal jester of Lord British's court has scattered throughout the kingdom. IF you have done it right, you will end up with Smith, the talking horse. He will give you a vital clue that is centuries too late.''

Cove
This is a small retreat, dedicated to the arts of healing. There at the Traveler’s Shrine, I met the mayor of Cove, Viscount Ahrmand.



He immediately told me that a protection field shielded the nearby shrine. According to him, the corresponding Rune and Mantra could destroy it. That means I have to do the same thing with other shrines. He also advised me to speak with Gertan who was in the healing hands of Sasha for more information. Let us say goodbye...and so I left the mayor to his musings to find the leader of the disastrous counter-attack against the Gargoyles.



While Nurse Betty...wait...Sasha was not THAT friendly, Gertran was jovial and friendly. Luckily, for us (or else we could not have spoken with him in the first place) that guy was healthier than his own men were. He confirmed the bit of information that Ahrmand gave to us. There IS a protection field who shielded the shrine against intruders.

Let us do it. First, some serious shopping, then I could return to Britain to get the Rune and learn the Mantra of Compassion.

Intermezzo: INCREDIBLY Important
''As you can see I will follow the plot in the most logical way. You should go FIRST to Cove and NOT as it may seem taking AND USING the Rune and Mantra of Compassion at the Shrine! Why? That is because in Cove you actually learn that you have to use the Runes AND the Mantras to free the Shrines from the "evil" influence of the Gargoyles from Viscount Ahrmand. Strange ah? Oh...well...stranger things may happen, right? Right.''

Britain: Rune of Compassion


Back in Britain, I spoke with Tholden. He told me the identity of the current Rune of Compassion’s owner. The Bards of the Conservatory seems to have him (or it), and knows the mantra as well.



At the Conservatory, I met a nervous bard named Lady Nan (what is in a name?). This woman told me that she gave the Rune to Ariana. Oh. Not only that, she also told me the Mantra; it’s MU. All right. Let us go and talk to the kid then.



This girl asked my name and gave it to her. Feeling acquainted, we talked freely about her job. I went on to ask about the Rune of Compassion. She told me that I had to ask permission from her parents to have him.



Their tavern called "The Blue Boar" was not hard to find, just past Iolo's Bows. It was a nice and cozy place with great atmosphere and the prices were not too high. Anya, Ariana’s mother was friendly but professionally minded. Did you know that all the income of this tavern; go to Ariana’s study at the conservatory? Yes, really. After I received permission from Anya, I went back to Ariana for the Rune of Compassion.



Without any hesitation, she gave me the Rune so that I now could travel to my next destination: The Shrine of Compassion.

Intermezzo: Who are you Who who who who?
''Somehow, they all rather call themselves "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa" than their actual names. Come on! Follow the script! Oh, wait...it is a bug. The odd thing is that THIS does not happen all the time when I spoke to Xiao and some others.''

Shrine of Compassion
Here, my companions and I came across a welcoming committee of gargoyles. AH, I already have some fans. They welcomed me with readied weapons. With perseverance and hardship, we won the battle. While I was looking around for loot, I soon noticed that the one with the wings dropped a potion. A blue one. It was okay to pick it up, because we all know that the gargoyle was dead, so he would not need that anymore.

Just as I picked up the potion, I heard the humming of the force field. Let us free it from the influence of the gargoyles. Humbly *ahem*, I knelt down before the shrine, took out the Rune and used it. A mystical voice in my head came to me and asked for the Mantra of Compassion. “MU”, I said.



Before I knew it, the force field was utterly gone! With the force field gone, I could see that a moonstone was lying on top of the shrine. I stood up and took it with me. Not only the meditating at the shrine, got our dexterity up, it also told me that "No beast so fierce but shows some touch of pity." "Sweet mercy is nobility's true badge." Now that I am of a higher level than three, I could buy "Great Heal" as well.

Intermezzo: Gargoyles Bug
''I am not sure if this supposes to happen, but as you move far away from the shrine and come back to the shrine, the gargoyles are back! It is good for experience though.''

Next Stop: Moonglow: Honest!
In the city of Honesty (Using the Moongate Express), I spoke to Lord Aganar of Moonglow, who told me that he entrusted the Rune to Beyvin's care. Really? You would expect from a mayor to know the whereabouts of all the citizens, but noooooo...he is pretty clueless about them. Great job Aganar. To know the exact location of this guy, I had to visit Penumbra. His girlfriend.



As I open the door of Penumbra's home, I soon stumbled upon some magical fields. I quickly came to the conclusion that I need a spell that could counter them, nice and easy. Near the Lycaeum, I found someone who could give it to me. Her name was Xiao. After talking to her, I got (well...sort off) the two right spells that was essential for my questing.



After handling the magical fields with the spell Dispel Field (talking about being a wee bit paranoid), Penumbra told me the future and where I can find Beyvin pushing up some daffodils. Why? Seems he had an allergic reaction to a short piece of steel that somehow found its way between his ribs. According to his girlfriend he is buried in the catacombs under Moonglow with the Rune. She also knows the Mantra of Honesty for a fee.



Manrel, the cousin of the deceased asked me some questions before handing over the key of the crypt and some flowers that I need to place upon his grave.



Behind a locked door in the Blue Bottle Tavern, I found the way to the Moonglow Catacombs. With a deep breath, I went down the ladder and wondered if the insurance was also included for dangers that lay ahead in such places.

Spell Trouble: Whose Line Is It Anyway?


''As you can see from the picture above, she follows the right lines of the script. However...''



''IF you want to buy Spells (or use the keyword Learn) ...she begins to use lines of Isabella from Minoc. Is it just me or is she suffering from an abrupt identity crisis or having multi-personalities? “Curiouser and curiouser!” (Interesting enough, the same thing happens when you are using the keyword Mantra) Alas, the game gets stuck afterwards as well. Meaning that you cannot buy spells and have to re-start and load the previous save.''

''Therefore, thanks to a bug called Xiao. Wait. That does not sound right. Oh...ooops. Sorry girl. Let me rephrase that. Thanks to the bug with the keyword Spells you have to get these TWO important spells; Telekinesis and Dispel Field, in a dishonest way. (Ironic is not it? As being dishonest in THE City of Honesty) Mind you, this is from the emulator.''

''To get them you have to use The Cheat Menu. First, you have to talk to yourself and say the following.''

I (enter) want to (enter) cheat (enter)



''When that is done, press 5; Hocus Pocus. This allows you to learn ANY spell in the game. The first thing that you will have to do is to point out in which circle you want to study.''

(In this case; the 3rd Circle. Thus, press 3''.)



''Now that is done, you can choose the spell from the list of that Circle. (In this case; Dispel Field. Therefore, press 2.)

Spell Trouble: Reagents and Spellbook


''As you can see above, the keyword Book is also bugged and may cause the game to get stuck and you'll need to re-start the game. Therefore, no spellbook can be bought from Xiao.''



''In case of the keyword Reagents (or Buy) the conversation with Xiao will NOT cause the game to get stuck, but the conversation is just over. That means you cannot buy any Reagents from her.

Bugged Keywords
''Unfortunately, these are not the only bugs that can be found in the game. Other highlighted keywords of the conversation are also sadly bugged.''



''As you can see above, these two keywords; Avatar and Wizards (just like the keywords Powe, Serv, Shri, Libr, Coun, Prom, Virt and Thar) will also cause an error message to appear and/or she will say that she does not know anything about it. Unfortunately, the game gets stuck afterwards and you'll need to re-start the game.''

Important: It is also NOT advised to use any other words either, because that will get the game stuck as well.

IMPORTANT: Eighth Circle Spells
Let me just throw it out; Because of the keywords bug that is inflicted upon Spells and/or Learn you'll NEVER hear from Xiao that you'll need to seek out the Wisps, before the spells from the 8th Circle can be learned. However, the bug stands in the way to get those spells anyway.



Not only that, the keyword Wisps (just as the keywords; Powerful and Secret) is bugged as well and may cause the game to get stuck afterwards and you'll need to re-start the game.

Moonglow Catacombs
I was now in one of the famous landmarks of Moonglow; The Crypts. According to the local tourism, this landmark was just as old as Moonglow and has always been used as THE burial place for the citizens of this fine city. It was also very dark in here.



Iolo: "Oh no! Without a good light source we probably get caught by a Grue, so... Shamino: "A what?"  Me: *facepalm* A Grue? Seriously Iolo? What's next? A house with a mailbox or even an echo room? And I thought that Dupre was the only drunk here." Dupre: "DRUNK! Come on! One time! I drank too much ONE time!" Shamino: *smirk* "A lot of times." Dupre: "I must have lost the count..." Iolo: "Losing the count of drinks does not count!" Dupre: "Yes, it does!" Iolo: "No, it's not!" Dupre: "Yes, it does!" Iolo: "No, it's not!"

Now, if you'll excuse me I first have to bang together my two companions' heads. *Slam* With that out of the way, I cast Light to brighten up the day and everything around me.



Feeling adventurous I traveled to the north, west, passing an interesting ladder, through some marshes (Red potions is really handy), south, east and down the ladder to the next level. Yes, I could have just traveled immediately to the west, but I did not. That would have made things waaaaaaay too boring.



On the second level some Slimes and Acid Slugs await in the darkness. After defeating them, the final resting place of Beyvin stood finally before me. As promised to Manrel I lied down the flowers as a token of respect. Yes, promised is promised. Then I unlocked the door with Manrel's key and went inside to investigate. Inside the crypt I searched the decayed body of Beyvin to find the Rune of Honesty that was buried with him. Beneath the pile of bones I came in the possession of the important symbolic artifact and also a gold nugget!

Because I am not yet in the possession of the Unlock Magic spell, I cannot unlock these magically locked doors here at the moment. Using the ladder on the right of the tombs I descent to the third level.



To my disgust, I discover that this door is just as magically locked as those that I found on the previous level. I have to deal with this later. In the meantime I just go back to the Blue Bottle Tavern.

Intermezzo: Another Entrance to the Moonglow Catacombs
''There is another entrance to this place that I actually find very interesting. Have you seen the other UP ladder on the first level?''



''THIS one. Now what lies beyond the ladder do you think? Could there be any possibility that it leads back into someone's house?''



''Exactly! The ladder brings you into the house of Xiao! The question remains; What's the main reason that she has access to those crypts? Has this woman some unsavory methods that we do not know of with the dead? Alas, we will never know for sure. But then again, she IS a wizard. Strange people those wizards.''

Shrine of Honesty


While I could have taken a ship (or a skiff) to get there, I just used the Moongate Express to have a more dramatic approach. Besides, it would have taken toooooo long if I find one that actual floats. That is because 1) nobody on this island, were professional shipwrights and therefore could not sell me a ship. 2) the island was just too big to set off and search for a skiff that may be lying around somewhere. 3) Alright, I was a bit lazy, okay? Sheez.

Strangely enough, nobody was encountered for at this shrine. No Gargoyles who were bound to take my life...and my companions. Nobody. They must be on a tea break or something. To liberate the Shrine of Honesty, I used the Rune and said AHM...the Mantra of Honesty. Success! With the force field gone I could now take the Moonstone that was lying around on the top of the Shrine.

Now feeling virtuous I knelt down and meditate to gain deeper intellect and greater magical power. I heard another mystical voice in my head who told me told now that "Whatsoever things are true..." "Whatsoever things are honest..." "If there be any virtue and if there be any praise, think on these things." Afterwards, I used the Orb of the Moons to get me to the city of Justice.

Intermezzo: Encounter?
''It was said that the only shrine you would not encounter Gargoyles is the Shrine of Spirituality, but NO ONE was to be found at the Shrine of Honesty as well. A bug?''

Yew:...And Justice for All
Yew. Ah, yes, I remember this place. It's been awhile since I visited the city of Justice. Back then, Yew had become one of the bastions of Lord Blackthorn's regime, where members of the citizenry lived in constant fear of the draconian rule of law AND the visiting Shadowlords. These spectral embodiments of the antitheses of Britannia's three cardinal Principles (Flames of Truth, Love, and Courage) were not here for a friendly visit that includes tea, friendly chat and some biscuits. Only to warping the minds of those within with hatred, falsehood or cowardice. So, it is good to see that after the return of Lord British the whole city within the Deep Forest...

Iolo: "Yeah, you literally can't see the forest FOR the trees, right? right?" Shamino: "...." Dupre: "...." Iolo: "Okay, okay. Wow, tough crowd."

Wow. Everybody thinks they are a comedian now, ah. *sigh* Now, where was I? Ah...yes...of northwestern Britannia had largely recovered from the harsh totalitarian regime and becoming again a woodland hamlet where woodcraft and simple industry flourished. The trademark of this fine city is THE primary seat of Justice within the realm of Britannia; the High Court. And that is where I am heading to. Why? Because I am pretty sure that someone there could tell me the Mantra and current location of the Rune of Justice.



You know, the last time I was here, during the dark era of Lord Blackthorn's regency, this post was occupied by one of the leaders of an organisation called the Oppression, the judge and head inquisitor Judge Dryden. His main job was to fulfill Blackthorn's cruel justice. However, when the dark regime fell, this man lost his job and the post changed hands to someone else. The current Lord Mayor is an unfriendly, suspicious and stern woman called Lenora.



After asking about the Mantra of Justice, Lenora told me that she could not believe her ears that I may not know this, but thought it was improper to withhold this information. So, she gave it to me. Good.



Lenora also told me that the Rune of Justice has been stolen from the grave of a former Lord Mayor. Good news; the thief has been caught and spending time in jail. The bad news; the important quest item was nowhere to be found. Figures. That is how it goes for all Avatars. Let's have a little chat with the one who stole this.

The jail was managed by an old man whose pastime was whittling. He told me that his name was Pridgarm. I told him that I want to do a tour and he gave me his keys. Unfortunately, the keys only open the main cells. So, I talked to him again.



He told me now that if I want to visit the solitary prisoner I need a letter of permission by Lenora first. Alright, let's get it then.



Without hesitation she gave me the letter of permission when I asked for it. (Otherwise I would have complained at the UA. That is THE Union of Avatars.)



With the permission letter in my possession I can now have the key of the cell of the thief who stole the Rune of Justice. I wonder what this guy has to say about the situation that he is in. Not to mention, where he has hidden the important quest item.



The thief told me that his name was Boskin and claimed that he only stole the Rune, because he needed to feed his poor kids. Suuuuuure. I don't trust this kid any further than I can throw him. (well...I can throw pretty far, but still) Lenora is the right person to check this "story". So I went back to talk to her. (yeah. That is how it goes to us poor Avatars.)



Aha! Just as I have thought he was indeed lying. The truth is that he is nothing but a drifter without any family.



Confronting Boskin with this new and condemning evidence, the thief immediately came clean and told me that it all was just a ruse (it did not work though) to get sympathy from Lenora. Known that the jig is up Boskin confessed without hesitation the hiding place of the stolen good in exchange of being released from prison. The Rune was hidden under a potted plant in the Slaughtered Lamb.



Now I know where to look for the missing Rune, we visited the Slaughtered Lamb to collect it. And there it was, under the potted plant next to the door. Just as Boskin has told me. I took the important quest item, and then went back to the prison to return all those keys. I really do not need them anymore.

Before we go to the Shrine of Justice, we ought to do two things. First we take a visit to the local armorer. Someone told me that while he does not have any particularly good armor, he DO sell Swamp Boots. If you do not want to get sick from swamp-borne poisons, you need one of those.



Entering the shop a huge, dark-skined (is it even supposed to be spelled like THAT?) man with a close-set face welcomed me with "Ombogo sano!". According to Utomo (yes, I asked his name) it means "Hello friend". (NO Iolo, NOT hello sailor!) He also told me that his name meant "Island" and that he came from an island (yes, that IS very deep, ah). Years ago, he ran away from the island when he was threatened by an evil man. In these days he is making weapons/armor in this land.

Alas, his selection of armors only existed out some leather armour. Blast! This remarkable piece of armour probably only exists in another dimension of this world or something. Well...this is disappointing.

Nicodemus is the next stop. Why? He is one of the two wizards who sells the Unlock Magic Spell. How to get there? The best thing to do is to go east from Yew. Then at the end of the road there will be a pier with two skiffs. Taking the lower one and by sailing south we eventually came to Nicodemus house.



Because of his private nature, he set up some clever defences as force fields and a magically locked door to keep his privacy. The force fields is not the problem. The magic lock IS the problem. To get past the magically locked door you need an Unlock Magic spell. Nicodemus sells the Unlock Magic spell. He may be crazy, but still very very sharp.



I soon discover that I needed to use a white potion to get a clear view of the wizard, because there is no windows near him. He comfortably sit near the crystal ball in the upper side of the house. The walls became look-through when I gulped the potion. With the money that I have in my possession I bought the crucial spell from Nicodemus. After casting the spell on the magically locked door I removed the protection field that was blocking the door. The rest of the money I used to get the spell Protection and some reagents; Blood Moss, Spider Silk and Sulfurous Ash.



He also seem to be experimenting with something, but he quickly told me to stop being so nosy when I tried to get more information out of him. Everything that was needed in Yew is done, so I can row back to the pier and go en route to the Shrine of Justice.

Shrine of Justice


Even before I knew it, I was already there. (wow, that went really fast!) And of course there was a welcome committee there again. Greeting me with boomerangs and murderous content. The battle was hard, but we won. So I could use the Rune and Mantra to remove the Shrine's force field without being attacked. Having the Moonstone in my pocket, I knelt before the Shrine and it told me "Justice without force is impotent." "Force without justice is tyranny." Through the meditation we all had an increase in Intelligence and Dexterity. Another one freed and of we go to Jhelom with another try with a moongate.

Jhelom: No Dutch Valor here!
This city who lies on the Valorian Isles in the southwest seas of Britannia has dedicated itself since the beginning of the Age of Enlightenment to the virtue of Valor. Interestingly, it still fell victim to the Shadowlords. To get more information about the Mantra and Rune I had to talk to the mayor of this place.



The mayor whose name was Zellivan told me something interesting about the Rune. There was a tournament here in the Sword and Keg Pub to decide who would be entrusted with the rune's care. Who has won? THAT was "no man". Better go and see him.



I soon found Nomaan a blond man with broad shoulders and a stern, unsmiling face in his shop called Naughty Nomaan's. In here he confided me with some useful information about the Rune. Yes, it was true that he indeed won the Rune, but lost it again as he clumsily dropped it while being drunk from a couple of full quart of ale.



A rat (hence, the "no man") took the opportunity and ran of with the quest item into a hole in the west wall of the pub. They have tried EVERYTHING to get it, but to no avail.



It was getting dark but I could still make out that The Sword and Keg was just like any other taverns in Britannia; random brawls, good beds, drinks and eatable meals. Except boasting about swordsmanship and fanciful accounts of their exploits was pretty much common here. A girl of perhaps twelve years old with the name of Lyssandra (but favorites the name Andy) who serves drinks here showed me where to find the hole; in the north wall, where floor and wall meet.



She also had a idea. The only one that has the right size was...a talking mouse. Believe it or not, but I happen to know one; Sherry. I said goodbye and used the Orb of the Moons to get back at the castle.



Inside the castle I made some use of the healing powers of Lord British and walked until I bumped into Sherry, the talking mouse again. I asked her for help and because I already gave some cheese she was willing to join the group. It is also time to get some a rest.



Now getting back to Jhelom went pretty easy and in no-time I was inside the The Sword and Keg again. Thanks to the size and nimbleness of Sherry I also have the Rune of Valor now. (not to mention a cheese and an Invisibility Ring, but I let Sherry keep them as a gift) It is now time to free another Shrine.

Intermezzo: Solo or Not to Go Solo?
''There are some major differences with the PC and the C64 versions. One of them is that the fact that you cannot go into the solo mode. That is why you have to use the attack mode ((B)egin Combat) to unlock the full potential of the size and nimbleness of Sherry to get the Rune of Valor.''

Intermezzo: The Sword and Keg Sign


''At the entrance of the pub I saw something that I find very interesting. Why is there even a sign that notify that you have to leave your weapons behind on the table while YOU and your companions just can walk in WITH your weapons? Does not these rule count for the Avatar or something?

Shrine of Valor
To get to the southernmost of the Valorian Isles where the Shrine of Valor is located, I "borrowed" the free skiff that I found at the southern dock of Jhelom. That's near the Town Hall and Naughty Nomaan's shop. And yes, I took it because I did not had the money to buy a skiff or a ship, okay? Being an Avatar does not mean that everything is for free. Well...huh...if you not count all the stuff that was not nailed down.



With no enemies in sight, I once again knelt down before the shrine, took out the Rune and used it. A mystical voice in my head came to me and asked for the Mantra of Valor...RA. Another Shrine has been saved from the clutches of the Gargoyles. Trusting my gut feelings that I need all the Moonstones for an important quest, I took this one as well. Kneeling down before the altar, I heard another mystical voice in my head who told me that "Tender-handed stroke a nettle, and it stings you for your pains." "Grasp it as a man of mettle, and it soft as silk remains."