Completed Let's light the Magic Candle... Blind!

[Monstrous Bat]

The Magic Candle is a (supposedly) Classic RPG created in 1989 by Mindcraft. According to what I've heard, the game is quite good. The game plays very similiar to the early Ultimas (U4 or U5): roam in a large world, visit towns, collect clues, explore dungeons, etc. Is the game really as good as they say? Let's find out!

Plot stuffies nobody cares about

HEROES WANTED

The Lands of Deruvia are in dire peril. A band of brave companions must be formed. Volunteers
report to our royal castle.

Rebnard, King of Deruvia.

This was written on the paper tacked to the signpost on the road to Phaleng. The young ranger called Lukas had hidden in the underbrush while the man in monk's robes posted the paper in the mists of dawn. He had read the paper at sunrise, and returned to his hiding place. He had watched a band of orcs tear the paper down, defile it, and grind its shreds into the dirt. Lukas well knew that Deruvia was no longer the peaceful domain of the Children of Light. Orcs and wolvinga from across the eastern sea wandered the countryside of Pheron at will. the Children of Light were still safe within their towns, villages and castles, but could travel the roads of Deruvia only at the whim of the forces of Darkness. But this paper must mean that the plight of Deruvia was desperate! How could the King expect to raise a force of heroes with a few papers that would not last from dawn until the dew was dry? Lukas touched his belt buckle - his only legacy of the father he had never known - and felt his destiny descend upon him. His years of service to the forests of Pheron were at an end. He must present himself at King Rebnard's court and do everything in his power to save Deruvia and the Children of Light. Lukas had gazed upon King Rebnard's castle from afar many times, but had never before left the forests of Pheron to enter its gates. The splendor of the castle was more than he had imagined: the towering ceilings, the intricate tapestries, the marble fountain in the main hall. . . . Lukas saw splendor, but could no marvel at is as he wished. A pall of gloom seemed to hang over the entire castle, damping everyone's spirits. The papers posted about the countryside had done thief job after all: many heroes of Deruvia had answered King Rebnard's summons. But all seemed to feel, as Lukas sometimes did himself, that this was not a call to a glorious quest. This was, instead, a final meaningless gesture, a hopeless sacrifice of the Children of Light to the powers of Darkness. Why were they here? Commander Grolf of the royal guard guided the heroes to their barracks, but he would not say why they had been called. The servants who cleaned their clothes and served their food, Dincher and Gelhad, had no idea why the call had been sent out. Sir Brontos, the Honorable Rimfiztrik, and the elf, Prince Nethien of Trilliad, drilled the heroes all day in swordplay, spell-casting and archery, but would not tell them why. Lukas felt nothing but frustration. In the bunk below him, his old friend Nazim felt the same. Something very important was happening, but what? Lukas glanced around the barracks. In the next bunk, Alhan was oiling and sharpening his gem-cutting tools, and Amad was sound asleep. No point in bothering them. Same story beyond them: Nehor asleep, and Eflun crouched over his spell book. Lukas wished, not for the first time, that he had taken his magic lessons more seriously. A few more months, and he would have earned his own spell book...it would have given him something to do on a night like this. Across the aisle was Sakar, the dwarf. Furiously sharpening his axe, Sakar did everything furiously. No wonder that nobody chose him for a bunkmate... Beyond Sakar were the halflings. Miko, Jimbo and Min. Lukas wondered once more why the halflings had been given barracks space.

Cute little fellows, and fine company, but what could they do to defeat the Forces of Darkness? Beat zorlims and trolls at dice? For that was what they were doing now. Playing dice. Not with zorlims and trolls, of course, but with three guards from the castle. No, two guards and someone else...Lord Bhardagast?? Yes, King Rebnard's Chief Advisor! The halflings had a wider circle of friends than Lukas had imagined! What was Bhardagast saying? As Sakar paused to look for a polishing rag, Lukas overheard a few words. The 44 guardians of the Magic Candle. They had...vanished?? Deruvia's peril was dire indeed! Suppressing a sigh, Lukas began to undress for the night. His fingers touched his father's legacy. A belt buckle. A pair of brass circles fused together. A device to keep his trousers secure on his waist and to bear the weight of his sword in its scabbard. Lucas knew enough of magic to recognize the buckle as nothing more than it seemed. It would not transport him through the skies; it would not turn away evil magics; it would not bring lightning bolts down upon his enemies. It would hold his trousers up, that was all, and even for that it would need the help of a strong leather belt. But that was not all. Magic was not all. Strength was not all. What the buckle gave Lukas was not magic, nor was it strength. It was certainly not comfort. All Lukas could tell, as the days wore on at King Rebnard's castle, was that his heirloom--a simple belt buckle-seemed to protect him from the descending curtain of gloom and despair. Perhaps all the buckle gave him was hope. Perhaps that was enough.

Oh, and of course, this is a blind LP, so no spoilers please!

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Recruiting heroes
Preparing for adventure
Port Avur
Stopping the trolling
Seeking for Dermagud
Temple of Valon
The charming troll
The other castle
Gem trading
Grave robbery
White Wolf
Zirvanad
Crusaders of Khazan
Crystal dust
Gaining power
Godwin's Law
Levers and obelisks
The Candle Repaired
Bonus Update: The Shocking Relevation

 

[Monstrous Bat]

Recruiting heroes

So let's start a new game!

First we have to select a difficulty level. Normally I'd go with the hardest difficulty possible, but AFAIK difficulty level in this game just determines the time limit and nothing else. Because this is my first playthrough, and also because I like taking my time, I'll choose the "Fair" difficulty.

Unfortunately, we don't get to customize our protagonist. He's always a human ranger, and we can't modify his initial attributes either. By default his name is "Lukas", although that can change. The game limits his name to 5 letters, which is way too short IMO. Oh well, Kodex will do.

"Thou art aware of the darkness that has fallen upon our fair realm. Forces of the darkest nature walk our lands, destroying all that is dear to us. Their aim is to prevent the brave children of light from restoring the eternal candle so their leader, Dreax the Demon, can escape to freedom. Alas, the four and forty guardians, who kept the magic flame burning, have all mysteriously disappeared. The candle melts! The throne needs a hero to step forward and face this dreadful threat. The magic of the candle must be restored and Dreax must not be allowed to escape!"

Naturally, I chose "no" for da lulz.

Oops.

Then the sequence starts again. Not sure if C&C. Okay, let's pick yes this time.

"Proceed the Knight's room where thou canst 'call' upon volunteers to join thee. Upon completing this task, return and we shall grant some provisions for thy party. The Guest Room upstairs is hereby appointed to be thy quarters whilst thou visitest our castle. Go now and may the gods be with thee!"

And now the game has officially begun! First, let's hit "0" to check the status window.

We're now looking at Kodex's status window. As you can see, he's a ranger of the race of Man. There're 5 races in this game: Men, Elves, Dwarves, Halflings and Wizards. Yes, Wizard is a race in this game. Anyway, let's check out his stats:

Strength does what you'd expect. It makes you more deadly with melee weapons as well as bows.
Stamina is basically HP in other games.
Energy indicates you vigor. You become tired when it drops low.
Sword skill and bow skill affects your accuracy with swords and bows.
Agility is your ability to dodge blows.
Magic level determines the power of your spells as well as the energy cost of them.
Charisma is your ability to get along with others.
Hunter skill is... well, hunter skill. You can gather foods in wilderness with this skill.
Learning skill decreases the time needed to learn spells, and also make you learn more stuff at a school.
Dexterity determines how many actions you may take in a combat round.
Speed determines the speed at which you travel in the overworld.

The first number indicates the current score of an attribute, while the second number indicates the maximum level. There's a limit to how high you can raise a single attribute, determined by you race.

Also note the "800 days" in the upper right of the screen. It indicates how many days are left before Dreax would break free and destroy the world. Hopefully we'll fix the candle before he does.

This is Kodex's inventory screen. Not much to see at this point; Kodex has 10 units of food, as well as 6 sermins, which would boost his energy when eaten.

Let's dick around with NPCs for a while.

You may ask NPCs about "advice", "rumors", or choose "other" and type in a keyword. Let's ask about advice first.

Good to know. Any rumors?

Hmm...

Apparently this is all he'll tell us about Gustron and Veridia. Oh well.

Veridia is just standing nearby, actually.

"Hey, do you have any advice for us?"

"Kids love Rimfiztrik."
"How about rumors?"

"I love them. Do you have any?"

Not getting much out of her, apparently. Let's try the knight guy next to her.

"You must be Gustron. Any advice for us?"

"Rates of combat schools vary from town to town."
"Thanks. Any rumors?"

"They say Thorin's hammer is stolen!"

I wanted to ask him about Thorin and hammer, but we still have things to do. Let's go to the Knight's room.

This must be the room!

Now we're in the Knight's room. First, let's check out the list of possible companions.

OK. Let's go through the races quickly. Men are decent in every area, and is the only race other than halflings that can max out charisma. Elves are decent spellcasters and can max out the bow skill, while also receiving a innate +5 bonus to damage when using a bow. Dwarves can max out the sword skill, but are very bad at dodging. Halflings are weak in combat, but are very agile and charismatic. Finally, wizards are extremely good at magic while abysmally bad at everything else.

Another thing to note is that elves, wizards and human rangers are the only ones who can use magic at all.

Now let's Call a volunteer here to inspect him...

Volunteer: Ziyx

Armed with: The Book of Sabano.

The Honorable Ziyx is simply the greatest wizard alive. It goes without saying that he is highly recommended for the quest. He has asked to provide his own evaluation of himself as a companion. While such a request would be ludicrous, even insulting, from any other volunteer, it seems only natural from the Honorable Ziyx. His message follows: "Your Royal Highness: I believe that you will now understand why I refused your appointment of me as chief advisor in the matter of the Magic Candle quest. My flimsy excuse of 'pressing matters needing extensive research' was, of course, a sham, and I thank your Royal Highness for accepting it without question. "In my youth, centuries ago, I dreamed of adventure. I dreamed of great danger, high excitement, and forces of evil that could be conquered only by the greatest bravery, cunning and magical skill. In my dreams, I was the bravest, cleverest, and most skillful of them all. Time after time, I saved the Deruvias from Darkness, and was honored forever after by the Children of Light. "The dreams were but dreams of youth, and I set them aside. I devoted myself to my studies, and, through diligence and good fortune, reached my present position in the Deruvian court. I have served you and your predecessors faithfully and, I hope, well. "But, with this invasion of Deruvia by Darkness and the news of the dangers to the Candle, my youthful dreams have returned. I cannot ignore them. Even wizards grow old, and I am convinced that this is my last chance to fulfill those dreams. My arms and legs are withered sticks, but bravery and cunning need not depend on strength and speed. As for magical skill, I cannot be modest concerning my life's work. Call it a second childhood, if you will, but I humbly beseech your Royal Highness to consider me for the quest to save the Magic Candle.

Ziyx is an old archmage. He's very weak and slow, but still good at magic.

Volunteer: Nazim

Armed with: Short Sword.

Nazim is a childhood friend of "Lukas Kodex" and another of the rare rangers of the Race of Man. He was closely considered for the hero's position. Nazim is highly recommended. (Sir Brontos remarks that Nazim, like Lukas Kodex, would benefit greatly from additional training. This is to taken not as criticism, but as advice. Sir Brontos also is highly impressed by Nazim's hunting and trapping skill; the companions will never want for food if Nazim is among them.)

Nazim is the friend of Kodex. (Yes, Kodex has friends.) His stats are very similiar to Kodex's.

Volunteer: Jimbo

Armed with: Short Sword.

The young halfling Jimbo has impressed us with his carpenter's skill. He convinced the Mayor of Bondell to bring some samples of his cabinetry to the Council meeting, and they are beautiful pieces of work, indeed. Jimbo's enthusiasm cannot be faulted, and they are beautiful pieces of work, indeed. Jimbo's enthusiasm cannot be faulted, and he has shown some ability with the sword and bow. We cannot deny Jimbo the opportunity to join the quest. (His Grace, Lord Banas, dissents: "Appealing as the halflings may be, enthusiasm cannot substitute for proven skills. Young Jimbo has proven himself only as a carpenter, and carpentry skills are not in short supply in northwestern Deruvia. At this time, Jimbo's talents would be put to far better use in improving the defenses of our castle.") (Lady Subia submits a rebuttal: "Remember that the Companions of Light will, of necessity, be wandering the Deruvian wilderness for days on end. I have heard that master carpenters can provide shelter in the most barren terrain. Jimbo recently accompanied me, and several trusted retainers, on an overnight hunting trip. I can truthfully state that, because of Jimbo, the night in the forest was as comfortable as any I have spent in my own room in the castle.")

Jimbo is a carpenter. He's charismatic, like all halflings.

Volunteer: Nehor

Armed with: Ash Bow, 50 Arrows.

The elvish ranger Nehor is an ideal companion for wilderness travel. His speed makes him an excellent scout, his hunting skill is surpassed only by his fellow ranger Nazim, and his accuracy with the bow is astonishing. He admits to being uncomfortable indoors or surrounded by others, and can therefore not be expected to be an asset to the companions in the towns and villages of Deruvia. Nonetheless, he is highly recommended. (The Honorable Wizzard Rimfiztrik has not submitted a written addendum, but his oral comments were delivered with such vigor that they deserve paraphrasing. The gist, omitting comments on the other advisors' mental acuity, moral fiber, and sanity, was that Nehor would be nearly as valuable as a wizard to the companions once a spell book was obtained for him, and that distaste for crowds is not a character fault, but a sign of incipient wisdom.)

Nehor is a good archer and hunter. Note his high learning score.

Volunteer: Sakar

Armed with: Light Axe, Chain Mail.

Of all the volunteers at Your Highness's castle, the dwarf Sakar shows the most prowess in combat.And, except for Sir Rexor, he is the best-armed of the volunteer. He would be a great asset to the companions during hostile action. (Lord Bhardagast comments that, if Sakar is chosen, theother companions should be selected carefully. Sakaar's personality stretches the limits of tolerance: he considers each and every minion of Darkness a personal enemy, and is so consumed by fury that one wonders how he can sleep at night.)(Sir Brontos mentions a rumor that Sakar's formerhome in the mountains of Uberion was taken by orcs, and that the blame for the dwarves' defeat fell on Sakar.)

Sakar is a strong fighter. Apparently he dosen't get along with others too well, although I'm not sure what gameplay effect this have other than a low charisma score.

Volunteer: Dalin

Armed with: Light Axe.

We are honored to have Dalin, prince of the royal Dwarvish blood, volunteer to join the quest to save the Magic Candle. Of course, we must evaluate the candidates on their merits, however regal their blood may be. We are pleased to say that Prince Dalin has shown himself as an excellent fighter, although he claims that his talents lie in smithing. And our smiths judge Dalin a master metalsmith, confirming his modest claim. (Commander Grolf stresses the importance of a metalsmith in a traveling party: weapons can be repaired more quickly, and with a smaller likelihood of future breakage. (The Honorable Wizard Rimfiztrik has announced his intention to include a comment on Prince Dalin's candidacy. When he presents that comment, it will be included here.)

In addition to being a powerful fighter, Dalin is also a metalsmith, which allows him to work in towns as well as fixing our equipment.

Volunteer: Min

Armed with: Short Sword.

The third of our halfling volunteers is an amusing little tailor who arrived in the party of the Mayor of Bondell. We admit that we found it difficult to take Min's candidacy seriously--his combat skills are negligible, and his survival skills are questionable. But Min has somehow convinced us to recommend him as a volunteer. (Lady Subia points out that the companions will be facing not only the minions of Darkness, but also other Children of Light. Combat skills are of little use when enlisting the cooperation of isolated villagers and frightened townsfolk. Min's persuasive abilities and his effects on the companion's morale may be essential to the success of the quest. (His Grace, Lord Banas, withholds his endorsement, "for obvious reasons.")

Halfling is the most charismatic race, and Min is the most charismatic of the halflings. He's also a tailor, but he'd probably be too busy running around asking questions to have time to work at a shop.

Volunteer: Eflun

Armed with: The Book of Demaro.

Any wizard is welcome to join the quest to save the magic Candle. And, as Your Royal Highness knows, any wizard is extremely difficult to interview and evaluate. Eflun's remarks tend to indicate that he might have spent some indeterminate period of time in Upper Deruvia, perhaps. He looks healthy, and a surprise test showed that he knows how to handle a sword. (The Honorable Wizard Rimfiztrik insists on adding, in his words, "Rebnard! Pay attention, this is important! This wizard, Ef-what's his name, knows the Resurrect spell. Don't let these kids out thegate without him! Sire. Your Royal Highness.")

Eflun is a decent mage. His strength is very high for a wizard.

Volunteer: Alhan

Armed with : Ash Bow, 25 Arrows.

The Elf Alhan comes to our castle from the forests of Marmaris. Alhan is a skilled archer, with considerable magical training. These skills alone qualify him for the quest. But of particular interest is his friendship with the dwarves who fled Uberion to establish the settlement of Soldain in coastal Marmaris. From them, he learned the profession of gem-cutting. Alhan is, in fact, the only Gemcutter among the volunteers at our castle. (His Grace, Lord Banas, emphasizes that the companions will be required to fund their own endeavors, and that the gemcutting skill will provide both substantial wages in town and increased profits--as much as one-third--on gems traded for during the companions; travels.)

Alhan is a good archer, and can also cast spells pretty well. He's also the only gemcutter available to us.

Volunteer: Amad

Armed with: Scimitar, Ash Bow, 20 Arrows, Ring Mail.

With some misgivings, we recommend the Mercenary Amad of the Race of Man as a candidate for the quest. We are forced to acknowledge his prowess with the sword and bow, and his eagerness to slay the minions of Darkness. However, we understand that Amad has made his living as a hired killer since his youth in the dark streets of Knessos. We are convinced that Amad will stab, slash, gut and loot the minions of Darkness at every opportunity. We are not convinced of his dedication to the Children of Light. (Sir Brontos, joined by Commander Grolf, respectfully present the opinion that Amad has proved himself as a superb fighter, and that fighters must be the core of the questing companions. If the gods grant that fighting the forces of Darkness is no longer the most important goal of the quest, Amad can return to the castle with his well-earned plunder and be replaced with a companion with subtler skills.)

Amad excels at fighting, and not much else.

Volunteer: Rexor

Armed with: Scimitar, Steel Plate Armor.

Sir Rexor is, of course, well-known to all. His courageous exploits in the field, his winning smile, and his insistence on polishing his armor to a mirror-like sheen have endeared him to everyone in our castle. He modestly declined to be considered for the hero's position; had he not, the selection of "Lukas Kodex" would not have been so easy. Needless to say, Sir Rexor is most highly recommended. (His Grace, Lord Banas, adds the observation that Sir Rexor would be of nearly as much service in the towns and villages as one of the halfling volunteers, and of immeasurably more service in the strongholds of Darkness.)

Rexor is a solid fighter, and also has the potential of maxing out charisma. Also note that he comes with very good equipments.

Volunteer: Miko

Armed with: Short Sword.

Miko is the largest and strongest of our three halfling volunteers. His dismay at the invasion of Fubernel caused him to sell his smithy in Delkona and to travel to our court to join the fight against the forces of Darkness. He admits that his fighting skills have been neglected during his years at the forge, but we feel that his remarkable strength and his metal-working ability qualify him for the quest. (His Grace, Lord Banas, points out that Miko's strength is remarkable only for a halfling; it is rather ordinary compared to the other volunteers. His Grace respectfully repeats his opinion that the talents of the halflings would serve our cause better here in the castle.)

Miko is strong, for a halfling. Other than that, not particularly noteworthy.

From these volunteers, Kodex must pick five who shall accompany him in his quest. Which five shall it be? Vote now!

(Note that any decision we make now is not final -- we can come back later and drop a companion to pick up another one.)

 

[Azira]

Alright, voted.
Eflun, high-strength mage.
Alhan, elven gemcutter.
Dalin, dwarven metalsmith.
Rexor, human knight (sounds kickass).
Nazim, human bro-ranger.

Note, I've never played this game, so these votes have been cast without any metaknowledge.

 

[tindrli]

me neither...

i voted for Nazim, jimbo & Miko

 

[Crooked Bee]

Cool. Voted.

 

[Monty]

Have to have Amad in there too...

 

[CappenVarra]

Alright, you have yourself a blind vote.

 

[Mrowak]

This should be interesting. My votes go to:

1). Ziyx

2). Dalin

3). Nehor

4). Rexor

5). Alhan

 

[Rumsfeld]

Alhan - what's not to like?

 

[lightbane]

Voted for Zyx, Nazim, Sakar, Eflun and Rexor.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

I played through the first bit of combat after I formed my party. I love this game and the Lord of the Rings vibe so far but I'm still trying to get through MM7 and MM8 and the Gold Box games before I can get back to it. I voted Zyx, Nehor, Dalin, Rexor, and Miko. I leaned towards some of the characters because of their high learning and I hope it pays dividends down the road.

 

[octavius]

Ziyx, good mage to start with.
Nehor, excellent ranger. High hunting skill helps flush out annoying ambushes.
Sakar, excellent fighter. He was one mean little killing machine in my game.
Eflun, secondary mage.
Rexor, good fighter and diplomat.

Of these, all but Ziyx carry over to Magic Candle 2, which may be a consideration.
Ziyx is an excellent mage to start with, but can be replaced once your rangers start learning magic
I had a halfling in my party, but regretted not picking Rexor instead. The halflings are excellent in the early game du to their diplomacy and money making, but they make rather poor fighters.

 

[Monstrous Bat]

Alright, voting closed. I count:
10 votes for Nazim
9 votes for Eflun
9 votes for Rexor
8 votes for Ziyx
7 votes for Nehor
7 votes for Dalin
7 votes for Alhan
4 votes for Sakar
4 votes for Amad
4 votes for Miko
3 votes for Min
3 votes for Jimbo

Nazim, Eflun, Rexor and Ziyx are in. There's a 3-way tie between Nehor, Dalin and Alhan which was resolved by a dice roll. The dice says I should take Alhan, and so Alhan it is.

The party composition:
Kodex
Nazim
Rexor
Eflun
Ziyx
Alhan

First update coming in a few days.

 

[Monstrous Bat]

Preparing for adventure

"We accept you, Alhan! You're now part of the hivemind!"

"Part of the what?"

Recruitment completed! Now let's pay King Rebnard another visit.

Thanks, King!

Alright, then. Now we have to locate the Guest Room. I think it's upstairs.

Found it!

Guest room is where you can have your party rest. The party members can do a number of things during the rest, such as sleeping, repairing equipment, or learning spells.

"Alright, listen to my command. Rexor, you go around the castle and interrogate everyone you meet. Ziyx and Eflun, learn some spells. Everyone else, get some sleep. We'll be setting off tomorrow."

Now let's take a look at one of the unique mechanics in this game. We can Divide our party to have them do different things at the same time. For example, Rexor will go around collecting information while others would rest in the guest room.

Ziyx will have to learn some spells. Magic works a bit like spell memorisation in D&D -- You must learn a spell from book before you can cast it, and once casted it disappears from your memory and must be learned again. However, in MC you can learn up to 99 copies of each spell at a time, and spellcasting is instead limited by energy cost.

Ziyx carries a book of Sabano, which is the book of conflict. Each spellbook contains six spells; I'll explain those once we get to cast them. Right now, I have him learn the only direct damaging spell in the book, Shatter.

SHATTER is a deadly spell in the form of an ice ball which shatters upon contact, with dozens of small ice particles piercing the target. The damage varies greatly from attack to attack, but the average damage done depends on the caster's magic skill.

Eflun, on the other hand, carries a book of Demaro, which is the book of protection. I have him learn the Energy spell.

ENERGY restores the target's energy to its maximum possible. The maximum is lower when the target is ill or poisoned.

Sermin mushrooms basically cast the Energy spell when eaten, which is why they're useful.

Now that we've assigned everybody something to do, let's Begin the rest...

And switch to the other party while this one is resting.

Now we're controlling party 2, which has only one member: Rexor. So let's start collecting information!

"Greetings good lady! Do you have any advice regarding our quest?"

"Isn't Bardagast wise?!"
"He certainly is, lady! Have you heard any rumors lately?"

"They say he will propose soon!"

Unfortunately, we can't seem to get more out of her. Either Rexor isn't charismatic enough, or she really doesn't know more.

"Kid, do you have any advice?"

"Do your homework!"
"How about rumors?"

"Ha ha!"

Useless brat. But I recall hearing that kids love Rimfiztrik...

"Have you heard of Rimfiztrik?"

"I asked Rimfiztrik about 'teleportals' once."
"Alright, thanks, kid. Goodbye."

Level 3 of the castle has a lot of closed doors. We could Knock on them...

...But as we have no idea who or what we're looking for, they won't let us in anyway. Downstairs, then.

"Salutions, Gelhad. Do you have any advice regarding our quest?"

"Ask monks about temples."

Uh. That's helpful, I guess.

"Salutions, great wizard! Do you have any advice regarding our quest?"

"You must find 'cubes', 'spheres', and 'pyramids'."
"What are these?"

"Talk to Ferdo about those."
"Ferdo?"

"He is usually by the fountain."
"Ah! I almost forgot. Do you know anything about teleportals?"

"Read about teleportals at the library of Keof."

Alright, then. We'll have to keep that in mind.

"Hello sir. Have you got any advice for us?"

"Buy cheap, sell dear!"
"We'll have to remember that. Heard any rumors recently?"

"They say trolls are holding all the bridges."
"We heard that you know about cubes, spheres and pyramids."

"My wandering 'colleagues' sell them."
"Colleagues?"

"Those that travel the roads."

We'll make sure to check out any merchant we come across in the roads, then.

Next, we shall ask Gustron about Thorin...

He dosen't have anything to tell us about Thorin's hammer, though.

Now let's check out the king's courtiers to see if they have anything important to tell us. Note that there're significantly less people in the throne room than before -- people in this game have schedules, like in Ultimas.

"Greetings. Do you have any advice for us?"

"Ask Trikerviz about pearls."
"Trikerviz?"

"He is on the road a lot."
"Alright. Heard any rumors lately?"

"We are all doomed, they say."

How intersting.

"Greetings. Do you have any advice for us?"

"Find old Lufer in Port Avur."
"Lufer?"

"He gathers 'mushrooms'."
"Have you heard any rumors?"

"They say Belazar is dying!"
"Belazar?"

"He is very old now."

More advice...

Hmm, another mention of Belazar. We'll have to make sure to meet him.

"Seek my kindred in Trilliad."

Trilliad is the elven forest, by the way. We ain't gonna get there anytime soon, though.

"Advice?"

"Oh do stay for a while. It has been so dull lately!"
"I'm afraid we can't, lady. Duty awaits us. Anyway, Heard any rumors lately?"

"They say Banas is up to something!"
"Banas?"

"He is the king's uncle."

"Advice?"

"Guard are knowledgable about peoples' schedules."
"Already knew that. Also, I don't think 'people' is countable. Anyway, rumors?"

"The queen is depressed, they say."

That would certainly be understandable.

"Advice?"

"Come see me tonight in my chambers."
Suspicious. But I don't think it'd be a trap. Ok, we'll come tonight.

It's not nighttime yet, though, so downstairs we go.

:takenotes:

"Advice?"

"Seek Everos at Port Avur."
"Everos?"

"He is Belazar's grandson."
:takenotes:
"Rumors?"

"I saw Sir Banas chase a chambermaid last night!"

"Advice?"

"You may buy a Sabano from Azidamus."
"Azidamus?"

"Knock on his door at Soldain."
"Ok. Rumors?"

"I hear screams from below!"
The manual mentioned a dungeon beneath the Castle that was sealed off many years ago. I wonder if we'll get to explore there...

"Advice?"

"Nuri the cook gives free food."
"Good to know. Rumors?"

"They say Lady Naran is in love again!"

"Advice?"

"Beratt hides a secret, they say."
"Beratt?"

"He cleans the council room."
Hmmm. :takenotes:

"Advice?"

"Eat my master's food."
"Rumors?"

"I hear screams from below!"

"Advice?"

"Don't ever eat orc-food, it's deadly!"
"Rumors?"

"The queen will go on a diet, they say."

As you have seen, rumors can sometimes be inaccurate and sometime be useless to us.

Free food!

On our way back, we checked out the previously empty guards' mess room. Surprisingly, we found a man there.

"Advice?"

"Bosekan knows a 'dwarf'."
"Bosekan?"

"My friend Bosekan gets here at noon."

Well, seems like we'll have to come here again tomorrow, at noon.

The guard here provided us with information about Beratt.

Hey, it's the royal chambers! Let's go in.

"Advice?"

"You are sweet but you must leave the royal apartments now!"
"Not before you tell me about rumors!"

"They say Mikemira can alter the effects of black magic."
"Mikemira?"

"She is a guest of her highness."

The other chambermaid tells us about Mikemira's past.

This Mikemira sounds important, so I asked the guards where could I find her.

Oh, did I mention that you can switch between parties anytime you want? While your wizards are learning spells, you should switch to them once in a while to make sure they're not tired.

Ziyx and Eflun have learnt 2 copies of Shatter and Energy, so I have them learn something else.

FEAR instills a fear of combat into an opponent for a time. The length of time depends both on the skill of the magic-user casting the Fear spell and the Dark power of the opponent who is the target. The target will neither move nor attack for the duration of the Fear spell. Your companions may approach and attack your target without danger-from him. But Fear does not paralyze him. He can still dodge your attacks. An inexperienced magic-user will expend almost half his energy on a Fear spell. It will take him about three hours (36 "ticks") of rest time to learn another Fear.

RESURRECT is the most powerful spell in the Demaro book. It actually raises the dead. But it has its limits. The person to be resurrected must have been slain in combat with the Forces of Darkness, and cannot have been dead for very long. The resurrect spell should always be cast as soon as possible.

We met a servant on level 3 who wasn't here before. He offers no intersting information however.

We don't know who's living here. We're looking for Banas and Mikemira, but neither of them is behind this door. Maybe we should try the one to the west?

"Advice?"

"My power of sorcery is mostly gone now. But there is one last thing I can do to 'help' you."
"Help?"

"If you are down to ten days or less to complete your quest, and in dire need of more time, I shall make you a 'gift'."
"Gift?"

"At great risk to my life, I will attempt to cast a 'Neutar' spell."
"Neutar?"

"It should slow down the effect of the evil magic that causes the candle to melt. You would gain an extra 60 days to complete your quest."

Summary: When left with less than 10 days, come see Mikemira and she'll sacrifice herself to give us another 60 days. Got it, but hopefully we won't have to do this.

There're 3 locked rooms on level 3. We have already checked 2 of them, so Banas must be in this one.

"Why must this meeting be so secretive?"

"There is something about this castle that I think you should know. But I can't speak of it for I am under an oath to my late brother Ongar. However, I will tell you this much: read about Meardom at the library of Port Avur, and seek Bestul at Keof."
"Meardom?"

"I can't say anymore than I did."
"Bestul?"

"He is a friend."

:takenote:

Now only one room is left locked. However, with a little luck, we should be able to guess who's living inside. We kept hearing about a guy called Belazar, but we can't seem to locate him. Maybe he's in this room?

Success!

"Advice?"

"Do not stay too long for my master is very old and not in the best of health."
"Ok, we won't. Heard any rumors?"

"They say some of the castle servants are enemy spies."

"The king has told us to seek your advice."

"Yes, I have some advice for you."

:takenote:

"Gods?"

"They may grant you more power."
"Temples?"

"For each god, there is a temple."
"How are elven maids related with our quest?"

"Their songs have strange effects."
"And what about halfling teachers?"

"One may teach you how to be more charming."
"What are gate prayers?"

"They are needed to raise dungeon gates."
"Who are gem traders?"

"You may buy gems at favorable prices from wandering dwarves."
"And what is the deal with Zirvanad?"

"Ask Orbonn."
"Where's Orbonn?"

"He can be found at the 'library' in Port Avur."

Well, that's it for Belazar.

Done with his interrogating works, Rexor rejoined the party to get some sleep.

Incidentally, you can see how many 'ticks' are left before you wizard learns his current spell in his status window. A 'tick' is 5 minutes.

We rested until morning, then I had the wizards learn some new spells, and Rexor went off looking for Beratt.

Not sure if decline.

But anyway, we can't get anything out of him right now.

We went to the throne room at noon, and met some people who we didn't meet before.

"Advice?"

"Go to Shendy."
"Shendy?"

"It's on the way to Bondell!"
"Bondell?"

"Home of halflings."
"Rumors?"

"They say Banas is up to something!"

"Advice?"

"Seek help of 'gods'!"
"Gods?"

"There are but eight. One sleeps in 'Dermagud'."
"Dermagud?"

"It's a deserted old dwarf mine in 'Uberion' that Bordal knows."
"Uberion?"

"Ropes may be needed to cross the mountains of Uberion."
"And who's Bordal?"

"He is probably at the inn in Port Avur."

"Advice?"

"My kin are gifted with 'charisma'."
"Charisma?"

"Tonton may improve your charisma."
"How can someone named Tonton be charismatic?"

"He lives in Bondell."

Remember the Bosekan guy Gron told us about? Gron said Bosekan'd be here at noon, and indeed, there he is!

"Advice?"

"I have a 'friend' in Soldain."
"Friend?"

"He is a 'dwarf'."
"Dwarf?"

"My friend Yodan the dwarf lives in Soldain. Knock on his door at Soldain."

Now that we're finally finished with information collecting, I switched back to the main party, had Rexor join them, and prepared to leave the castle.

Before we leave, however...

You may have noticed that Ziyx and Eflun don't have a lot of energy. That's quite understandable -- they haven't slept for a whole day. However, I'll have Eflun cast Energy on Ziyx...

And bam! Ziyx's energy is restored back to 99. However, spellcasting costs energy as well, so Eflun is now tired and unable to cast Energy on himself.

Fortunately, one can still eat when tired, and a sermin mushroom immediately boosted his energy back to 99.

And so ends the update! Next time, Kodex and his companions will explore the overworld, slay monsters, and make it to Port Avur. Stay tuned!


Bonus content: Map of Deruvia

Here, have a look at the world map:

We're currently in Pheron, the province in the northwest corner of the world. Port Avur is just north of the castle, about a day's walk away.

 

[CappenVarra]

Yes, it is imperative we learn more about 'elven maids'

 

[Monty]

Can see why you need to take notes with all those names.

Like the look of the party.

 

[Crooked Bee]

 

[lightbane]

Looks good, too bad I am too lazy forgetful to take notes whenever I play these kind of games.

 

[Monstrous Bat]

Port Avur

And we're now looking at the overland map. Our party is indicated by the white arrow. Note that the arrow is blinking, so you may not see it in every screenshot. Anyway, we want to get to Port Avur, which is to the north of the castle.

First, however, I have Ziyx cast the Locate spell.

LOCATE can be used either to avoid conflict or to find it. When a Locate spell is cast, the party becomes aware of all the Forces of Darkness in the area. It can only be cast outdoors. Its duration depends on the skill of the caster.

See the skeleton icon to the south? Yep -- that's the patrolling troops of Darkness. Once a patrol has found you, it will stay on your tails until you kill them or cast a Confuse spell on them. Normally you can only see patrols when they're next to you, but thanks to the Locate spell, we're able to see all enemy on the screen for its duration.

We went north, only to find another patrol in the forests. If we wanted to avoid a fight, we could turn away or cast a Confuse spell on them. But monsters in Pheron are pretty weak, so I figured we should be able to take on them just fine.

Here comes our first combat, against four orcs!

ORCS: Orcs are stupid creatures. You will face many of them. The Powers of Darkness seem to have decided to use orcs and their close cousins, goblins, as their primary invading forces. I imagine that this is because there are so many of them, and none of them will be mourned. Orcs sometimes go into a rage, neglecting to defend themselves. This rage does the orc no good, but leaves it open to attack from anyone. Your aged aunt with a knitting needle could severely damagean enraged orc. The orc, however, could severely damage her in turn. None of the Minions of Darkness are harmless.

Before the combat starts, there's a "preparing phase". In this phase you can position your characters, draw your weapons, and recall spells.

Spells must be recalled before they can be cast. I have Ziyx recall Shatter, and Eflun Energy.

We're done with preparations. Let the combat begin!

During a combat round, PCs act first, then the monsters act. The PCs don't have to act in any particularly order, though -- for example, I can have Kodex attack an orc, have Alhan shot at another orc, then have Kodex attack again.

In a moment of immense dumbfuckery, I had Alhan marching forward with other fighter when he should be shooting the orc to his right.

Ziyx casts a Shatter at one of the orcs, dealing 8 points of damage. Note the "stamina 15" message in the combat log; it means the orc has 15 points of stamina left.

Kodex missed his attack. Nazim's attack was more successful, however. He rolled 14 for damage, but the orc's armor absorbed 2 points (as indicated by the A-2 message). So Nazim dealed 12 points of damage to the orc, bringing it down to 3 stamina.

Rexor slays an orc.

And Ziyx kills another with a Shatter that did 41 points of damage.

Ziyx's energy is running low, so Eflun casted a Energy spell on him.

Alhan shot an orc for 8 points.

Note: the orc at the left is flanked between Nazim and Rexor when Alhan shot him. When an arrow comes for you, dodging forward or backward isn't going to help, so the orc is unable to dodge Alhan's arrow, making the attack an automatic hit. This works for melee as well, but you'll have to block all 4 squares adjacent to the target.

One of the orcs managed to hit Rexor. However, Rexor's plate armor absorbed most of the damage.

Anyways, we made short works of the remaining orcs.

After the battle, Kodex searched the orcs' corpses and found some coins. Nothing particularly noteworthy, however.

After a day's travel, we have finally made our way to Port Avur!

Fuck those city dwellers. We'll just camp in the forests until dawn. Meanwhile, Nazim goes to hunt for food. I think we have cleared this area of monsters, but I still had Kodex watching while others rest. Better safe than sorry.

Nazim obtained a grand total of 4 units of food. I... had sorta expected more from someone with 70 hunter skill.

Port Avur, here we come!

First things first. We located the guest house, and rent a room for 3 days.

Kodex and Nazim will get some sleep. Ziyx and Eflun will learn spells. Rexor and Alhan have other things to do.

We quickly located the gemcutter's shop. For some odd reasons, working does not cost energy at all, so Alhan will be working 24/7. Capitalism FTW!

I divided the party again; Rexor has some more interrogating to do.

Let's try our luck, shall we?

Better be prudent...

Ok, no more stupid gambling.

Hey, it's the magic school!

This school is useless to Rexor, who can't cast spells anyway. But we'll keep it in mind.

Aha, we have found the library! Libraries are excellent sources of information, if you know what you're looking for.

"Advice?"

"Make sure you have a lens when you visit temples."
"Temples?"

"There is one for each god."
"Rumors?"

"I hear Fubernel wine cures baldness!"

If you're looking for something, this is the guy to ask.
"We're looking for information about Meardom."

Very intersting. Not sure how is this related to our quest though...

"We're also looking for information about hoyam essence."

:takenote:

"Hello, Father Orbonn! Do you know anything about Zirvanad?"

Alright, we'll come later.

Rexor met this guy outside the library.

"Advice?"

"Hear Fetrik's advice."
"Fetrik?"

"He's a night person."

"Advice?"

"Stay out of trouble."
"Rumor?"

"They say Scorpia can solve it!"
"Scorpia?"

"She is of another world."

"No, wrong Scorpia."

We have found the supply shop.

The supply shop sells a large variety of item, all of which are very useful. Shopping takes a lot of in-game time, however, so we'll leave that for later.

The archery school. Again, we aren't training right now.

The tavern! A nice place to gather information.

"Advice?"

"Hire a captain to sail."
"Captain?"

"Garlin is here at nights."
"Rumors?"

"The word from south worries the dwarves!"

"Advice?"

"If you want to know about Valon, ask Hokando."
"Valon?"

"He sleeps in Dermagud."
"Dermagud?"

"Old dwarf mine."
"Who's Hokando?"

"He lives in Soldain."
"Rumors?"

"There is a dungeon under Lake Brelleht, they say."

:takenotes:

This guy is useless.

"Advice?"

"You can buy 'passage' from a captain."
"Passage?"

"Ask a captain."
"Rumors?"

"They say Dolomar hides in Keof."
"Dolomar?"

"He knows the mad one."

:takenotes:

What are these two chicks doing, anyway?

"Advice?"

"A carpenter may find work at Keof!"
"Rumors?"

"They say food is expensive at Merg."

"Advice?"

"Don't camp out without blankets."
"Rumors?"

"I hear the tailor at Knessos is the best."

"You're Belazar's grandson, aren't you? Do you have any advice for us?"

"Visit Belazar again after reading Zirvanad."
"Belazar?"

"He may help you again."
"Zirvanad?"

"Gotta find it!"

"See my officer about a 'pass'."
"Pass?"

"You need one to enter."

"Advice?"

"'Offer' beer to the bard."
"Rumors?"

"I hear king's court is full of spies!"

"Advice?"

"Sail to Bondell via Shendy."
"Rumors?"

"They say gods may grant strength!"

Here's the town hall! Let's have a talk with the officer there...

"Advice?"

"Stay out of trouble and you will be o.k!"
"Rumors?"

"Why don't you make me an offer!"

Is he asking for a bribe?

Uh... let's try 10 coins?

Fucking corrupted douchebag!

In the end, though, I was able to buy a pass for 70 coins:

Now we can get in the jail! Although, honestly, I'm not sure why would we want to do that.

This is the last school in Port Avur, which trains sword skill.

The docks. Nobody is here currently.

"Advice?"

"Listen to my friend's advice."
"Rumors?"

"They say words are needed to awaken gods."

The other kid:
"Advice?"

"You must give me lots of candy if you wish to succeed!"

Now that we have a pass, we can show it to the prison guard.

Let's go in, then...

Inside are three orcs, who won't talk to Rexor because he's not charismatic enough. We'll come back later.

Now Rexor will sleep until it's nighttime.

Meanwhile, Kodex and Nazim, who have replenished their energy, went to get a combat lesson. It would take about a day for them to finish their lessons.

It's dark now, and Rexor has some more interrogating to do.

This wizard dude refuse to talk to Rexor because he's got a charisma score of 25 when he needs 26.

The tavern is more crowded at night.

Bordal too doesn't want to talk to Rexor.

"Advice?"

"Don't walk, sail to Point Hena."
"Point Hena?"

"A fine place to sail to."
"You're a captain, right? May I buy passage from you?"

"How about a trip to Fubernel?"

"Well... Not today, no. But we'll need your help eventually."

Another jerk who won't talk to us.

"Advice?"

"You can but 'passage' from a captain."
"Rumors?"

"I hear dwarves are in town selling hoyam."
"Hoyam?"

"Ask dwarves."

"Advice?"

"Offer the bard a drink."

People keep telling me to offer the bard some beers, but I can't figure out how to do it.

"Rumors?"

"I hear Garlin sails to Fubernel."

We finally managed to find Fetrik outside the tavern.

"Advice?"

"Buy 'ropes' and 'blankets' if you are heading to Uberion."
"Ropes and blankets?"

"Sold at merchant shop."
"Rumors?"

"I hear the old man studies mushrooms."
"You must be talking about Lufer."

"He visits the park early in the morning."

Going back to the tavern, I noticed that the "call" command is available here. The manual said that this command could be used in taverns to call a serving girl. Let's try it out...

First, Rexor bought and ate 1 unit of food to fill his belly.

Then he bought a bottle of beer, which could be offered to the bard.

"Far yonder in Seldarad
Lives a fair elven maid
Eyes of bright emerald
And hair of shiny gold.

Man and elf come from afar
Yearning a glance of her
And her songs to hear
Said to be like no other.

Her name is Ellidrin
She is known to favor the hearty
Deep in Seldarad green
She sings, she waits for thee!"

Ah, an elven maid! Belazar and CappenVarra have told us that we must learn about elven maids. We should take note of this Ellidrin girl.

You know, this gives me an idea... If I'd offered a beer to the dwarves, who weren't willing to talk to us, maybe they'd be a bit more helpful?

It worked!

"Rabbonkar?"

"He lives in Soldain."
"What do you know about hoyam?"

"Seek Drakka council."
"Drakka?"

"Means dwarf in old dwarvish."
"I hear you know about Dermagud."

"I've been there! Chant 'achunne', 'reshiptar', 'ebitonagzi' to get in."

Now we know the magical words of Dermagud! Magical words are necessary for entering dungeons. Now let's check the other dwarf.

"Denkar?"

"'Knock' on his door. Denkar claims to know about the mysterious bowls in dungeons."

Back to the guest house, I was surprised to find out that even non-metalsmiths can fix their weapons by themselves. I immediately ordered Rexor to do so.

It's morning time now... Lufer should be around somewhere.

"Advice?"

"Seek Makaso the wizard in Soldain."
"Rumors?"

"Some say the words at temples are ancient prayers to gods."
"I hear that you study mushrooms."

"I found gonshi mushrooms by the river in Pheron forest."

:takenotes:

Eflun has learnt a crapton of Energy spells, so I have him learn the Shield spell instead.

SHIELD erects a magical shield around the target. The shield protects against magical attacks only, not against physical attacks, poison or disease. The strength of the shield depends on the caster's magical skill. A second shield spell will increase the strength of the shield, up to a maximum of 99 magic points.

We haven't ran into any enemy spellcaster yet, but when we do, this spell should prove VERY useful.

Shopping time! Ziyx and Eflun transferred all their money to Rexor.

First, the weapon store. I should explain how melee works in this game. The damage you deal when you hit an enemy in melee is equal to you strength score, but the weapon you're using restricts the maximum damage you can deal. For example, Kodex has 16 strength, so he should be able to deal 16 damage with each attack. However, Kodex is using a short sword, which can do 14 damage each strike at most, so Kodex is unable to deal more than 14 points of damage until he buys a scimitar.

Bows work a bit differently. Ash bows deal damage equal to half you strength. Brom bows, on the other hand, deal damage equal to three-quaters of you strength.

Rexor already has a scimitar, so I bought him an ash bow and 50 arrows. I could have bought a brom bow instead, but those are much more expensive, costing 500 coins each.

Each character can only carry one melee weapon and one ranged weapon, however, so Kodex and Nazim will have to buy their weapon themselves.

Supply shop next...

We bought a lot of stuff, expending more than 1000 coins. Ropes are needed to cross mountains, blankets make you recover more energy when resting in wilderness, pearls are rumored to be useful in dungeons, picks are useful for picking locks, shovels are needed to dig out buried treasures. Finally, we have been told that lens are needed in temples, and since I'm planning to visit Dermagud soon, I bought one of these as well. I'll explain other items at the end of update.

Meanwhile, Kodex and Nazim have finished their training session!

Note that Kodex got a +5 skill boost while Nazim only got +3. High learning score helped a lot here.

Kodex and Nazim went to the weapon store and bought one ash bow and 50 arrows each.

Finally, let's check out the armory.

Kodex bought a piece of steel plate armor -- the best armor this town has to offer. It cost 550 coins, but it'll be worth it. Unlike weapons, armors must be ordered and won't be ready until after a few days.

We're almost bankrupt after all these shopping. We couldn't afford another piece of steel plate, so Nazim has to settle for a chain mail.

We're going to do some more outdoors exploration. Before we go, however, Rexor would distribute consumables evenly among the party members.

Ok. We're ready to go! In the next update, we'll explore the province of Pheron some more, hopefully obtaining wealth and information in the process. See you next time!

Bonus content: Magical herbs

Magical Mushrooms and Plants

Casting spells is not all there is to magic. The informed use of magical plants and mushrooms is also very important, especially for those of you who are unable to cast magical spells. Anyone can eat a mushroom. You may buy magical plants and mushrooms in supply shops in the towns, or find them growing wild in secluded spots. Make careful note of the location of any wild mushroom patches you find, so that you may return for another harvest when more have grown.

I should remind them to leave a few-if they pick all the plants, nothing will ever grow there again.

To restore energy when you can't afford to sleep, eat a SERMIN mushroom. Its effects are the same as the Energy spell. Sermins are especially important to magic-users. During combat, sermins restore the energy used by casting spells. Afterwards, they allow a magic-user to stay awake learning spells while his companions sleep.
Eating a GONSHI mushroom before or during combat will give you a burst of magical dexterity. When next you act, you will accomplish three times as much as a person of normal dexterity.
Eat a DRELIN mushroom to keep up with the rest of your party. It will increase your traveling speed significantly, for a considerable period of time. Since a party is only as fast as its slowest member.

I don't need to tell Ziyx about drelins.

When your next attack must succeed, chew a LUFFIN flower. It will magically increase your sword or ax skill, so that your next swing will be guaranteed to connect. Although luffins are only useful during combat, they may be eaten ahead of time to make sure that your first attack strikes home. Luffins grow well in deserts.
If you rub the leaves of the MIRGET plant on your arm, your strength will magically increase for the next swing of our sword or ax. If you connect, the damage you do will be the greatest your weapon can afford. (To make sure you don't waste a mirget, use a luffin at the same time.) Mirgets grow in swamps and marshes.
If you rub the leaves of the NIFT plant on the back of your neck, your flesh will be magically toughened against physical attacks by the Minions of Darkness. Their next three blows will do you no harm. Nifts are of no avail against the magical spells of Darkness.

The monks cure poison with tea made from the root of the LOKA plant. You can also carry the powdered loka root with you. It removes the poison from your body, but will not restore your lost stamina and energy. Loka is said to grow in hidden valleys and mountain passes.

The MEDICIN plant is grown by the monks, who make a paste of its seeds. This medicin paste is the universal cure for diseases carried by the Minions of Darkness.

Pronounced "meDISSin," not like the medicine I take for my rheumatism.

Finally, the monks distill a powerful healing POTION from extracts of a variety of herbs and fungi. This potion restores stamina in the same way as a "Heal" spell.

 

[Monty]

Cool update. And glad we ended up with two spellcasters in the initial voting, the balance looks good.

 

[CappenVarra]

Good

 

[Crooked Bee]

"No, wrong Scorpia."

In wonder if it is in fact the same Scorpia referenced here.

 

[lightbane]

Your aged aunt with a knitting needle could severely damage an enraged orc.

Average aunt in the grim world of Magic Candle:

 

[Monstrous Bat]

"No, wrong Scorpia."

In wonder if it is in fact the same Scorpia referenced here.

Unlikely, as The Magic Candle was released two years before MM3. Unless Scorpia was already famous in 1989?

 

[Crooked Bee]

According to Wikipedia, Might & Magic I was reviewed by Scorpia for Computer Gaming World as early as 1987. So maybe.