|
"Avatar,
arise from your slumber! The Guardian has invaded Britannia
and Lord British has summoned you for your final adventure!"
A man's voice, speaking from nowhere, awakens you from a nightmare
of a great column of evil arising from the ground. Only vaguely
familiar as the voice is, you instinctively know the Truth:
that the speaker can indeed be trusted.
<Somehow anyway. I suppose that the mention
of Lord British might have something to do with it. The tutorial
comments that the Voice gives you are ignored in this solution.
If you haven't bothered to listen to them before, you should
do so now. Otherwise you might be in trouble later on. It's
nice knowing how to jump for example.
One
of the things that gets me a little irritated here is that
the Avatar is in bed at home. After defeating the Titans of
Pagan, encouraged by the taunts of the Guardian, describing
the unpleasant things he's doing to Britannia in the Avatar's
absence, the Avatar chooses to go straight back home to Earth
where it's nice and safe. Of course at the end of Pagan the
Avatar appeared in Britannia, but such details clearly don't
matter to the high and mighty pen of Richard Garriott.>
Getting
up from the bed at his behest, you turn on the lights and
after opening your bedroom door head for the bathroom. Grabbing
some clothes from the laundry basket and throwing them on,
you head for the stairs, pausing only to grab your toolbelt
from the table on the landing.
Downstairs
you dash into the kitchen and grab your first aid kit. Being
hungry you also use the bread maker to bake a quick snack.
<Opening the fridge a time or ten has some
interesting effects. And the product of the breadmaker after
'accidentally' dropping the rat poison into it can have funny
results later on... Don't forget to look at the stove door.>
Back in
your work room you get your backpack from on the book case.
In the
chest next to it you find a map of the area around your house.
On it you see marked some sort of structure in the park, just
possibly something with wheels. You also pick up the key on
the desk next to your computer.
Feeling
the need to continue, you head on into the lounge. You grab
your Journal from the coffee table and your compass from the
mantelpiece. Finally you feel ready to head outside your house.
<Maybe I'm feeling a little niggly here,
but maybe some people wanted to try to finish the game without
parts of their equipment? It might be fun to try the game
without a compass for example. But no, you're not allowed
to leave without buttoning up nice and warm and picking up
all your stuff. Unfortunately this 'leading by the nose' style
is pretty typical throughout your quest.>
Outside,
you spot your sword, left out in the open air to rust. Grabbing
the thing, you then head over to get your bow and arrows,
similarly abandoned to the elements.
<I
have to admit that maybe swords which you can stick into a
stone without damaging might just be rust proof as well.>
Now fully
equipped, you head over to the gate, which you open using
the key from your desk.
In the
park, you head off east, down the garden path. A turn to the
south leads you past a path blocked by a log, then a circle
of standing stones. Continuing roughly southwards, you finally
reach the structures depicted on your map - a tent and a gypsy
wagon, sans horses. As you approach the wagon you hear a woman's
voice chanting.
<You may have noticed some of the more 'interesting'
creatures in the park. One supposes a zoologist might be interested
in rats the size of large dogs and spiders big enough to chew
somebody's hand off. They certainly aren't all that common
in most places.>
You enter
the wagon, to be greeted by the ornately costumed Gypsy woman.
She bids you sit down, and when you comply she produces some
cards. The strange woman's magic brings two cards up from
the table to float in front of you. The Gypsy asks that you
select between them. As you make choices, the cards change
to represent the new questions. With your final choice the
Gypsy declares that your path has been chosen.
As
the Gypsy speaks a vision dances in your head. In the Circle
of Stones a portal of purple light has risen. The Gypsy tells
you to go through the Moongate and seek out Lord British,
the wise ruler of Britannia.
Having
answered your questions and chosen what path you will follow
in Britannia you head back towards the Circle of Stones. As
you approach the purple gate, something huge passes through.
The Voice warns you of the nature of the foe you face - one
of the terrors of Britannia, a Gazer, sent by the Guardian
to slay you. Yet here, on the magicless world of Earth, this
terror is far weaker than in it's own domain. Only a few well
placed blows with your sword are needed to dispatch it.
<One of those funny things - originally the
Moongate was blue. Then when the Orb of the Moons was described,
a second sort was described - the red. Later histories described
the Black Gate and the Silver, crossing dimensions and time
respectively. But I'm dratted if I know what a purple gate
means. Little continuity blooper on someone's part. As for
the Gazer, I found that I could just stand there and bash
it with my bare hands without taking damage.>
With your
foe removed from your path, you sheath your sword and step
into the Moongate.
The Return:
A
shadow flows across across a stony mountainside. A leathery
wing is glimpsed, before the dragon swoops past the circle
of ruined pillars atop a lofty peak. The ensorcelled red sky
is broken as a pillar of white light descends from infinity,
striking into the heart of the circle. Inside, the Avatar
floats in the radiance, until it vanishes with a flash visible
for miles. The Avatar drops to his knees, standing to examine
the mountainous landscape. As he turns he gasps in shock.
Below him stands a great fortress, whose size is revealed
by the circling dragons around it, and whose shape is carved
into an all to familiar visage. The Guardian.
The
Avatar gasps and staggers backwards as the looming bulk of
a dragon rises up in front of him. Atop the great beast a
rider clad in purple mail smiles. The rider draws a sword
and waves it in challenge, but as the Avatar reaches for his
own weapon he finds that it has vanished in the Void between
Earth and Britannia. The Avatar's expression changes to one
of resignation as the dragonrider's smile becomes chilling.
The dragon stares at the Avatar then, as he raises his hands
as if to shield his face, it exhales. The Avatar is blasted
by the dragon's fiery breath, which continues to was over
the stone circle until nothing remains. The dragon and rider
once more swoop clear, to resume their patrol of the skies.
The
scene of the Avatar's destruction is once more seen, bound
within a glowing mirror. The black bearded man standing beside
it moves his hands in rhythmic patterns, controlling the sorceries
bound into the mystic scrying device. He turns away from the
mirror and speaks. "My Lord, the Avatar has arrived in Britannia,
and has been easily dispatched by my Wyrmguard." A deep and
rumbling voice answers him. "Do not be so sure. The meddlesome
Champion of Virtue is not so easily defeated." As the vision
moves back from the mirror, a great throne covered in veinlike
traceries of stone is revealed. The chamber is dark, the roof
supported by black columns lined with red patterns. The mirror,
it's power now canceled reflects the throne, and the red figure
sitting within it.
"Of
course My Lord," the man answers, "But I ask you, where is
he now? The Mirror of Darkness would reveal Lord British's
lackey. If he-" The enthroned figure interrupts his servant,
and the vision changes, revealing the throne, it's occupant
still half hidden by the shadows. "The Avatar has been teleported
to a place hidden from the Mirror's sight. Our Virtuous paragon
could only have been taken to Stonegate, and the figure adds
musingly to himself "and by one of great power." More of the
figure is revealed now as it rubs it's chin, the creature's
skin rough and scarred, it's eyes glowing like orange embers.
"Shall
I reduce Stonegate to a cinder, My Lord?" the man asks. "No..."
is his answer. "I want the Champion of Britannia to see what
has become of the land and it's people. I want to feel his
rage burn as he sees what I have done to Britannia. You are
to keep the Avatar occupied while I complete my plan for Britannia's
conquest. What remains is yours, when I am finished." Beyond
the mirror the stone portal opens to it's master's will. "Now
leave me," the figure dismisses his servant.
"Yes
my Lord."As the man turns, a flicker of anger crosses his
face before he can control himself and obey his master. When
the door is closed behind him the creature speaks again to
his absent servant, words that the former ruler of Britannia
would not care to hear. "Blackthorn. You are indeed a fool
to want Britannia, once I am finished with it..." The Guardian
leans forward out of the shadows of his throne, and the slight
smile on his misshapen face chills the blood before he sits
back into the shadows, his eyes glowing like fire in the gloom.
<I
have to say I'm unhappy about this. The Guardian does not
particularly resemble the images of him shown in the earlier
games. In fact the only similarity is in his skin and eye
colour. As for Blackthorn, back when he first appeared in
Ultima V he was depicted as a once-good man bound by evil
sorcery. A diary found on the Serpent Isle also suggested
that the once-noble man was finding his way back to Virtue
from the depths of the spells binding his soul. And now we
find him aligned with the Guardian, with no explanation as
to his sudden reversal to an evil nature.
And
of course one does have to wonder how the Avatar didn't appear
there in the first place after escaping Pagan...>
You appear
from the heart of the dragonfire within a chamber at the pinnacle
of the tower of Stonegate, rescued by your mysterious advisor.
Your clothing, changed in the passage between Earth and Britannia,
bears not a single scorch mark despite the inferno in which
you had been engulfed.
The mysterious
Voice warns you that the Guardian is certainly aware of your
presence, and that it's not a good idea to hang around.
You notice
a chest in the corner of the chamber and walk over to it.
Inside are some potions and scrolls, plus some extra goodies
dependent on which class you became. (Large items will be
next to the chest, not in it). Also on a table is a yellow
potion. Books on the shelf and the tables contain some useful
information. You should read them.
When ready
to continue, you walk to the door. On the floor is a short
sword. Grabbing the weapon, you continue into the passageway
and down the stairs.
On the
next floor you find a glowing red book in a case. You pick
it up, to discover that it is a spellbook. Just what you need
to cast spells now that you're in Britannia. Unfortunately
there are only four basic spells, which limits things a bit,
for the moment.
Just around
the corner you encounter a problem. The way onwards is blocked
by a barrier of light. Fortunately the Voice is at hand to
give you advice on how to pass it. Casting Ignite on the torch
in the wall bracket will dispel the barrier and allow you
to move onto the next puzzle.
<Remember this trick - you need to use it
again further on in the game.>
The next
level down in the tower is ruined. Ledges are spaces around
the walls, lonely remnants of the floor which once stretched
from wall to wall. The first thing you notice is the giant
rat on one of the ledges. The Voice again has advice on what
to do here. Another of your spells, Stone, can strike foes
at a distance. Casting it at the Rat will get rid of it, and
allow access to the lever above the rat's ledge. Once the
Rat is removed, jump to the nearby ledge. Don't forget to
pick up the leather gauntlets that are on the floor there.
Jump again to the Rat's ledge and pull the lever.
Beneath
you, the door in the chamber below swings open.
By the
time you jump back to the ledge you started on and walk down
the stairs, the door is closed again. However it is not locked,
and opens easily at your touch.
<What is it with these self-closing doors
anyway? So far I've found just one door that won't close automatically
after a short period. If Britannia could export these mechanismless
doors to Earth, they would make a mint.>
Down more
steps you reach a chest. All it contains is a pair of leather
boots, but they are superior to those you are wearing. Downwards
again, and you reach a portcullis. The Voice, personified
by his glowing Ankh again has advice. On the other side of
the portcullis a vase sits upon a narrow shelf. The Gust spell
can dislodge it to fall on a pressure plate on the floor below.
Do so and you again downwards after the portcullis opens.
The passage ends in a cul-de-sac, in which a golden platform
floats over a shaft, and a red button is set into the wall.
How to continue is obvious...
The
platform floats downwards into a larger chamber. Twin statues
of daemons support huge braziers in each hand as water gushes
from their mouths into a pool in the center of the room. Across
the pool a large stone attached to a chain stands in the center
of the floor there.
Looking
around you see a wheel on the wall next to one of the statues.
Turning it results in the water draining from the pool, revealing
a button on a small pedestal in the center. A pile of 27 gold
is also in the bottom. You jump into the former pool, grab
the gold, and press the button.
There
appears to be no effect for a moment, then stairs slowly project
from the walls of the pit. Once they have finished their motion
there is the sound of some hidden mechanism, and the stone
on the chain rises, revealing a passageway downwards.
Down the
stairs you go, entering a new chamber. As you enter braziers
ignite and fire spouts up from the floor. On the wall opposite
you there is a plaque, reading, "This Tower is protected
from unlawful entry by flames. To exit, clear the way to the
source and extinguish the braziers." Once again the solution
is clear, even without the assistance of the Voice this time.
By casting the Douse spell on each flaming floor tile, you
clear a path through to the braziers at the far end of the
chamber. When you Douse both braziers, the remaining flames
on the floor and the barrier blocking the passage die away.
You continue
to the exit. The Voice speaks to you one more time. It tells
you that once outside you will be in danger from many enemies.
It also mentions a nearby cave with the means to reach Britain
within.
Stepping
north through the tower doors, you are faced with a chilling
sight. In front of you, across a pool of water, stands a statue,
depicting the three Shadowlords, larger than life, and almost
as realistic. Walking over, you see a chest in the pool, but
also note the presence of a large fish. As it swims, you get
glimpses of a set of very large teeth. Sharing the water with
this creature is clearly not a healthy idea, a point driven
home by its biting attacks as you stand too close to the edge.
However a carefully targeted Stone spell takes care of the
problem nicely. Swimming down to the chest nets you a total
of 24 gold crowns.
Turning
around you look up at Stonegate. And up. And up. The tower
is extremely tall, seemingly going up forever. Around the
base are statues, each holding a dark hexagonal stone marked
with a strange purple symbol. As you approach the statues
the stones lighten, and the symbol changes to that of one
of the Virtues. You realize that there are eight statues...
Wandering
around the Tower to confirm your assumption, you are forced
to deal with attacks from giant rats and wolves. Striking
them with the Stone spell from a distance to soften them up
before they close to weapons range is a useful tactic.
Looking
about, you find some Garlic around the east side of the tower.
Finally to the south you come to an archway over a tunnel
leading back into the cliff. Within stands a figure in purple
armour and a horned helm...
Your conversation
is short but gives some useful information. Corlando, one
of the Wyrmguard intends to capture you in order to gain status.
And he reveals that a familiar foe is the leader of the Wyrmguard
- Blackthorn, long since banished from Britannia...
<This is the point at which you begin to
hate the voice acting. The Avatar's voice can't have been
done by anyone with any acting skills whatsoever. Or maybe
the actor was as bored by the plot as I was. The random gestures
that the Avatar makes seem rather pathetic too. You'll be
seeing a lot of him sticking his hand through his head for
example...>
All too
soon the conversation comes down to violence. Corlando wants
your head, and obviously you don't want him to have it. After
you beat him (you did grab that short sword didn't you, and
don't forget the Stone spell) you can pick up his scimitar.
Hop onto the teleporter at the back of the cave, and reappear
in Castle Britannia.
Onwards
to the Next Part (forthcoming)
|
|
|
|
1
|
Your
Home
|
|
2
|
The
Gypsy
|
|
3
|
The
Circle of Stones
|
|
4
|
The
Waterfall Cave
|
|
5
|
The
Rat Cave
|
|
6
|
Invisibility
Potion
|
1
Your
home
This is the home of you, the Avatar of Britannia. Look
around carefully, for this shall be the last time you
see it.
2
The
Gypsy
Once again the Gypsy has come to guide your steps to
Britannia. When you have selected the path you will
follow, she will summon a Moongate to send you to your
destiny.
3
The
Circle of Stones
This place is the site of the Moongates through which
you traveled to Britannia in the past.
4
The
Waterfall Cave
Hidden behind the waterfall in the park, this cave contains
some spare arrows.
5
The
Rat Cave
Besides rats and a magical Britannian Potion of Curing,
there is nothing here.
6
Invisibility
Potion
This little treasure up on a ledge has obvious effects.
You'd better hope nobody from the NSA gets their hands
on it...
By
choosing the answers to the Questions asked by the Gypsy,
you are selecting the character class that you will
become in Britannia. The Classes and Virtues are as
follows.
|
Bard
|
Compassion
|
|
Druid
|
Justice
|
|
Fighter
|
Valor
|
|
Mage
|
Honesty
|
|
Paladin
|
Honor
|
|
Ranger
|
Spirituality
|
|
Shepherd
|
Humility
|
|
Tinker
|
Sacrifice
|
As
you might guess, there are different benefits to beginning
in each character class. All classes have starting equipment
consisting of an Avatar costume, magical scrolls of
Light and Fireball spells, potions coloured white, orange
and yellow in hue, and a bag to put it all in. They
also get two special items determined by class.
The
Bard
|
|
|
|
Strength
|
Weak
|
|
Dexterity
|
Proficient
|
|
Intelligence
|
Dim
|
|
Hit
Points
|
30
|
|
Mana
|
15
|
|
Special
Items
|
Map
of Paws
Target Bow & Arrows
|
The Druid
|
|
|
|
Strength
|
Weak
|
|
Dexterity
|
Nimble
|
|
Intelligence
|
Smart
|
|
Hit
Points
|
30
|
|
Mana
|
25
|
|
Special
Items
|
Map
of Yew
Gnarled Staff
|
The
Fighter
|
|
|
|
Strength
|
Powerful
|
|
Dexterity
|
Clumsy
|
|
Intelligence
|
Dim
|
|
Hit
Points
|
90
|
|
Mana
|
15
|
|
Special
Items
|
Map
of Valoria
Scimitar
|
The
Mage
|
|
|
|
Strength
|
Weak
|
|
Dexterity
|
Clumsy
|
|
Intelligence
|
Brilliant
|
|
Hit
Points
|
30
|
|
Mana
|
35
|
|
Special
Items
|
Map
of Moonglow
Arms of the Magi
|
The
Paladin
|
|
|
|
Strength
|
Strong
|
|
Dexterity
|
Clumsy
|
|
Intelligence
|
Smart
|
|
Hit
Points
|
60
|
|
Mana
|
25
|
|
Special
Items
|
Map
of Trinsic
Chain Coif
|
The
Ranger
|
|
|
|
Strength
|
Strong
|
|
Dexterity
|
Nimble
|
|
Intelligence
|
Smart
|
|
Hit
Points
|
60
|
|
Mana
|
20
|
|
Special
Items
|
Sextant
Key to chest on Skara Brae
|
The
Shepherd
|
|
|
|
Strength
|
Weak
|
|
Dexterity
|
Clumsy
|
|
Intelligence
|
Dim
|
|
Hit
Points
|
30
|
|
Mana
|
25
|
|
Special
Items
|
Crook
of Charming
|
The
Tinker
|
|
|
|
Strength
|
Strong
|
|
Dexterity
|
Nimble
|
|
Intelligence
|
Dim
|
|
Hit
Points
|
60
|
|
Mana
|
15
|
|
Special
Items
|
Map
of Minoc
Buckler
|
Several
of the items deserve special notice:
The Crook of Charming is one of the better offensive
weapons in the game, and casts Charm on its victims
as well.
The Arms of the Magi subtract 25% from the mana cost
of spell casting.
The Key given to the Ranger opens a chest on Skara Brae
containing a Blackrock Helm and Blackrock Gauntlets.
No
doubt you are wondering just what effects the ability
scores noted above will have upon your game. Here's
a quick rundown:
Strength:
The stronger you are the healthier you are, and
the more damage you will do to your foes.
| Weak |
30
Health |
|
| Strong |
60
Health |
+2
Combat Damage |
| Powerful |
90
Health |
+4
Combat Damage |
| Heroic |
120
Health |
+8
Combat Damage |
Dexterity:
The quicker you are, the higher the skills you can
learn to apply to your foes in combat.
| Clumsy |
|
| Nimble |
Can
learn Apprentice skills |
| Proficient |
Can
learn Journeyman skills |
| Adept |
Can
learn Master skills |
Intelligence:
The more intelligent you are the more base karma you
have to determine your spellcasting abilities, the more
damage you do to your opponents with spells, and the
less damage enemies will do to you with magical attacks.
| Dim |
10
Karma |
|
|
| Smart |
20
Karma |
+2
Spell Damage |
-5%
Magic damage |
| Brilliant |
30
Karma |
+4
Spell Damage |
-10%
Magic damage |
| Genius |
40
Karma |
+8
Spell Damage |
-15%
Magic damage |
As
you might expect, there are some cheats in the game.
These are noted on their own page,
but there is a 'cheat area' in the park region that
should be noted simply because it's only accessible
from this area, and cannot be reached once the Avatar
enters Britannia.
By
stacking objects and jumping it is possible to get over
the fence to the west of the Avatar's house, beside
the training area. Behind the fence is a tree with a
bush growing against it's left side. Concealed in the
bush is a lever. This lever, when pulled, reveals a
group of teleporters. These have various effects, ranging
from (apparently) nothing, through reequipping the Avatar
with various sets of armour, to teleportation to Britannia,
bypassing the Gypsy's questioning. Not
that this is necessarily a good thing...
The
supplies arranged for you by the Gypsy contain some
magic potions. A complete listing of the colours and
effects are below:
|
Colour
|
Effect
|
|
Red
|
Cure
Poison
|
|
Orange
|
Restore
Mana
|
|
Yellow
|
Minor
healing
|
|
Green
|
Poison
|
|
Blue
|
Breath
Underwater
|
|
Purple
|
Invulnerability
|
|
Black
|
Invisibility
|
|
White
|
Infernal
Armour
|
|
|
