Jason Aller Floppy Collection/224.img/CONQDOC.ZIP/ARTHRDOC.TS

Text File | 1990-04-10 | 20KB | 470 lines

Ok...here  are  the complete docs for CONQUESTS OF CAMELOT I: THE SEARCH FOR
THE GRAIL.  I am going to assume you've played a Sierra game  before  and  know
all of the basic commands...such as movement, how to load/save a game...etc.
==============================================================================



                                  CONQUESTS OF
                                    CAMELOT


KING ARTHUR:  HISTORY VS. MYTH

Archaeological  diggings  at a hill known as Cadbury in central southern England
have revealed the remains of a fortress  dating  roughly  to  the  6th  century,
based  on  an even older Roman fortress before that.  Cadbury is a location many
associate with one of the most famous locations of all time -- Camelot.

There are many indications that there was a powerful war leader in the  time  by
the  name  Arthur, Arthur, Artos, Artorius and other variations.  A Welsh history
from about 850 A.D.,  the  Historia  Britonum,  provides  the  earliest  written
record  of  him.   The  10th  century Annals Cambriae even mentions his date of
death as 537 A.D.

He was not known as King Arthur, though at one point he seems to have  had  the
title  "emperor."  During his time, the Roman rule of Britain had ended, leaving
behind a chaos that would evolve into the Dark Ages.  The historical Arthur  was
noted  as  probably having a Roman education which he used to create a swift and
effective body of cavalry and would have been the last  major  figure  of  power
before  post-Roman  Britain  sank  into  its decline.  This made his lustre as a
warlord shine all the more in the darkness that followed.

Whoever this historical figure may  have  been,  he  would  be  amazed  to  find
himself identified with the Arthurian legends we know today.

The  mythological  story  of  King  Arthur  says  that  he  was the son of Uther
Pendragon, King of the Britons.  Arthur was  conceived  and  born  in  Tintagel,
then  was  taken  away  and raised in secret by the wizard, Merlin.  When Arthur
reached manhood, he proved he was the true  king  by  drawing  a  sword  from  a
stone.   This  sword  broke  in  battle  and he received another sword, Caliburn
(later renamed Excaliber), from the Lady of the Lake.

he gathered valiant knights around him and built a round  table  so  they  would
all  sit  equals around it.  He built the magnificent stronghold of Camelot.  he
married Gwenhyver (or Guinevere) and though she loved him, she  also  loved  one
of  his  greatest  knights,  Sir Launcelot.  Launcelot loved her and was forever
torn between this love and his loyalty to Arthur.

This barely scratches the surface of a rich and complex body of myths which  have
combined  and  grown  over  the centuries into the Arthurian Cycle.  Very ancient
Welsh and Celtic legends link him to the constellation of Ursa  Major  (The  Big
Bear)  because  his  name in Welsh, Arth Vawr, meant Heavenly Bear, meaning that
he was a god in his earliest form.

Numerous other gods and goddesses lost their divinity and  became  his  knights,
rival  kings and various ladies.  An early Welsh Goddess, Gwenhwyfar, resurfaced
much later as Arthur's queen, Guinevere.

There are scores of Welsh and Celtic legends about larger-than-life  heroes  who
go  upon  monumental  quests,  rescue  or  win  their  ladies,  and  search  for
miraculous treasures.  They face giants, visited magical islands and  fought  in
the  underworld.   Most  of these colorful tales eventually found their way into
the Arthurian Cycle in one form or another.

In the 2nd century A.D., 5,500 Sarmatians who were defeated by the Romans  in  a
battle  on  the frozen Danube were sent in exile to northwestern England to serve
as border guards against the Scottish Picts  in  the  north.   These  Sarmatians
originally  came  from  southern  Russia  and  were  roving,  marauding  mounted
warriors complete with chainmail and heavy lances.

More significantly, they brought with them an  entire  body  of  tales  about  a
heroic  king  named Batradz who had a body of loyal knights, a sword in a stone,
a miraculous cup, and a magic sword that hod to  be  thrown  into  an  enchanted
lake  as  he  lay  dying.   All  of  these  elements  and more seem to have been
assimilated into the Arthurian legends.

From the 12th century onward, the legends acquired the themes  of  chivalry  and
courtly  love  (devotion  to  a  particular  lady)  which arrived along with the
Normans who invaded England and brought with them the  troubadour  influence  of
France.   During  this  time,  Launcelot  appeared  in  the  stories  and he and
Guinevere became significant figures, caught in the tragic  love  triangle  with
Arthur.  At this late point also the Round Table was added to the stories.

And  finally,  around  the  same  time, the Arthurian legends were Christianized
and, later still, the quest for the Grail was  attached  and  gained  dominance.
The  theme  of sin causing the downfall of Camelot are now completely associated
with King Arthur, yet they are very late additions.

Century after century, storytellers continue to  embellish  and  embroider  this
fascination mix of history, mythology and pure fantasy.



                          THE GRAIL AND THE SACRED CUP

Grail  derives  from  the Medieval Latin word "cratella" meaning "bowl."  One of
the medieval writers of the  Arthurian  saga,  the  12th  century  French  Poet,
Cheretien  de  Troyes,  left  behind  after his death an unfinished poem about a
knight-hero named Perceval.  This poem was taken up and used  by  later  writers
until  it became the story of Parzifal and his encounter with the Holy Grail and
the Spear of Longinus (the Roman spear used to pierce Christ in the ribs  as  he
hung on the cross).

In  1485,  the  most  famous  of  the Arthurian storytellers, Sir Thomas Malory,
wrote 'Morte d'Arthur (The Death of Arthur)' in which the search for  the  Grail
became a permanent part of the legends affixed to the court of Camelot.

In  these  various versions, the only knights who ultimately proved pure enough
to see or possess the Grail were Parzifal (Percival), Sir Bors and Galahad.

The basic myth says that Joseph of Arimathea  was  a  priest  of  Jerusalem  who
supervised  the  burial of Jesus.  He acquired the cup from which Jesus drank at
the Last Supper and into it gathered  drops  of  Christ's  blood,  either  while
Jesus  was  on  the  cross  or  during  his burial.  Joseph brought the Grail to
Britain where he established a shrine on Glastonbury Tor.

but there is no doubt that the Grail legend itself  is  firmly  based  upon  the
much  more  ancient  myths of the Sacred Cup of the Goddess.  In virtually every
mythology in every culture, the cup or  chalice  or  cauldron  is  a  symbol  of
feminine power, the ability to create life and grant fertility.

Just  as  the  Grail  was  reputed to have the power to heal and to give endless
food and drink, so where there endless older myths of a Sacred Cup  or  cauldron
which gave life or other boons.

It  appeared  in  the  earliest legends of Egyptian, Babylonian, Indian and Norse
mythology where it was linked to a Goddess (or a  female  trinity  as  a  Triple
Goddess)  who  gave  birth to the universe and often there heroes would drink to
gain power of knowledge.

To the Celts, it was the Cauldron of  Regeneration  in  which  injured  or  slain
warriors  could  be  resurrected.   In  other tales, it was a bowl that provided
endless food and drink that was wrestled from the underworld,  or  the  cauldron
of a giant.

To  the  Sarmatians,  it  was  "Amonga,"  a magic cup that gave endless food and
drink and also would not boil the meat of a coward.

Even the Christian legend  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist  associated  him  with
rebirth  from  a  boiling cauldron until his festival was expunged from Christian
calendars in 1960.

That the Grail is really the Sacred Cup of the Goddesses  is  inescapable,  even
in  the  name  of  Joseph  of Arimathea.  The literal translation of "Arimathea"
means "belonging to the Goddess-mother Mari."



                            THE MESSAGE OF THE ROSE

THE LANGUAGE OF THE FLOWERS

From  the  earliest  days  of  civilization,  flowers  have  been  given  special
meanings.  For example, the rose has a long association  with  love,  sexuality,
and with many goddesses, the Virgin Mary, and the science of alchemy.

Not  only the flower itself, but often the color indicated what significance was
attacked to it.  There are many legends of flowers springing up where  drops  of
blood  or tears fell to the ground.  What follows is a list of flowers and their
meanings:


Almond blossom -------- hope
Anemone --------------- withered hopes
Aster ----------------- afterthought
Buttercup ------------- memories of childhood
Carnation ------------- heartbreak
Columbine ------------- folly
Chrysanthemum, yellow - slighted love
Chrysanthemum, white -- truth
Cornflower ------------ celibacy
Daffodil -------------- death
Forget-me-not --------- true love
Hyacinth -------------- sport, game or play
Lily, white ----------- purity
Lily, yellow ---------- falsehood
Orchid ---------------- seduction
Periwinkle, blue ------ early friendship
Periwinkle, white ----- pleasures of memory
Poppy, red ------------ consolation
Poppy, scarlet -------- fantastic extravagance
Snowdrop -------------- hope or consolation
Sunflower ------------- haughtiness
Tulip, red ------------ declaration of love
Tulip, yellow --------- hopeless love
Violet ---------------- lust



                                 SIX GODDESSES

ASTARTE

Astarte  was  the Goddess of Byblos, from which our word for "bible" originated.
She was known as the Star, the Moon, the Heavenly Virgin,  Queen  of  the  Stars
and  the  Queen  of  Heaven.   Some  of her other names were Tanit, Ishtar ("the
star"), Astroarche ("Queen of the Stars") and Attar-Samayin  ("Morning  Star  of
Heaven").   The  Israelites  burned incense, offered wine and baked cakes in her
honor.  Her great shrines were at Byblos and Aphaca (known today as Afka).   King
Solomon  built  a  sanctuary  to  her in Jerusalem.  Her priestesses were famous
astrologers.

ATHENE

She is  best  known  as  the  Greek  Goddess  sacred  to  the  city  of  Athens.
Originally,  she  was a Libyan goddess imported from North Africa.  In the Greek
legends she was born from the head of Zeus.  She has dozens of  attributes  which
include:   warrior-goddess  and  protectress  of  heroes; patron of architects,
sculptors,  spinners  and  weavers;  protectress  of  horses  and  oxen;  and  a
counsellor-goddess  famed  for  her  wisdom.   The  owl  is associated with her.
Sulphur is an element identified with her because it was  believed  that  burning
brimstone  9sulphur)  would  drive  away  the  evil spirits that caused disease.
Athene's major temple was the Parthenon which means "virgin-house."

CERES

Was a Roman goddess with the title "Mother of the Harvest."  Her Greek name  was
Kore,  the  virgin  aspect of December.  she ruled over all grains and the words
"cereal, kernel, core, corn"  comes  from  her  name.   Her  major  early-summer
festival  was  called  the Cerealia celebrated on April 19th.  Farmers performed
rituals to her to safeguard their crops.  One of her  other  titles  was  "Ceres
the  lawgiver"  and  her  priestesses  were important in founding the Roman legal
system.  Her sacred "matronae" ("women of rank") ruled Rome from 600-200 B.C.

ISIS

She was the major Great  Goddess  of  Egypt,  known  also  as  Hathor.   She  was
considered  the  mother of every other god created in the primeval time.  Two of
her titles were "Giver of Life" and "The One Who Is All."   She  gave  birth  to
the   sun.    The   pharaohs  believed  she  would  grant  them  immortality  by
resurrecting them after death as she did her  husband  Osiris.   Some  Egyptians
believed  that  the yearly flood of the Nile was caused by her teardrop.  She was
enormously popular with the Romans who called her "the  eternal  savior  of  the
race  of men."  Her son was Horus, the Egyptian Divine Child.  The word "pastor"
comes from "Pastophori" meaning "servants of Isis."

VENUS

She was he Roman version of Aphrodite.  Her sign represents  the  female  gender
in  both  plants  and  animals.   She  is  associated  with  love and sexuality.
Mirrors are objects considered sacred to her.  The  morning  and  evening  "star"
(in  reality, a planet) was named after her.  Her sacred day was Friday on which
her followers would eat fish.  Julius Caesar built a marble and gold  temple  in
her  honor.   In  alchemy, her symbol stands for copper.  her main shrine was on
Cyprus which was a center for mining copper.   She  was  once  also  a  Lady  of
Animals and the word "venison" means literally "Venus' son."

VESTA

She  was the Roman version of the Greek goddess, Hestia.  She was considered the
"guardian of the innermost things" -- home and  hearth.   Her  name  comes  from
"vas,"  a Sanskrit word meaning approximately "shining."  She personified earth,
and domestic and religious fire.  The perpetual sacred fire of her  temples  was
tended  by  six  women know as the Vestal Virgins.  Young girls who entered this
order took strict vows of chastity for thirty  years,  after  which  they  could
marry.   The  fire  of  her  hearth/alter was considered to be the center of the
earth.



                           THE MYTHOLOGY OF APHRODITE

APHRODITE

She  is  a  fundamental  Goddess  known  by  scores  of  names  with  dozens  of
attributes.  Aphrodite is simply the name by which she came to be known via  the
Greeks,  but  she  was an ancient deity even then.  She was variously considered
the goddess of life, ideal or  chaste  love,  sexuality,  marriage,  childbirth,
fate,  death, arts, crafts, culture, hunting and the sea.  She was truly a queen
among goddesses.

From 70 A.D., her cult dominated the main  temple  of  Jerusalem.   There  is  a
legend  that in the 4th century the Empress Helena, mother of Constantine, found
the true cross (on which Christ was crucified) hidden in  a  crypt  beneath  the
temple of Aphrodite in Jerusalem.

The  sacred  number  of  Aphrodite  is  six.   Symbols  associated  with  her and
responding fertility are the dove and the apple.



APHRODITE AND ADONIS

Adonis was  a  youth  of  such  extraordinary  beauty  that  he  was  adored  by
Aphrodite.   When  he was but a child, she hid him inside a chest which she left
in the care of Persephone, goddess of the underworld.   But  Perephone  disobeyed
Aphrodite  and  opened the chest.  Seeing Adonis, she too fell in love with him.
When Aphrodite came to fetch the young man, Perephone refused to release him.

The warring goddesses ended their dispute when Zeus decreed  that  Adonis  would
spend  half  of  the  year with Aphrodite and half of the year in the underworld
with Persephone.

But Ares, the god of War, was jealous of Aphrodite and her passion  for  Adonis.
He  transformed himself into a boar, waited for the young man to go hunting, and
fatally gored him, leaving Aphrodite to bitterly mourn her lost love.



APHRODITE AND PYGMALION

Pygmalion was a sculptor who live  on  the  island  of  Cyprus.   Aphrodite  was
displeased  with  the  women of his town, who had refused to accept that she was
divine.  She cursed them so that they lost all sense of modesty and  would  give
themselves to any man who came along.

Because  of  their  behavior,  Pygmalion  disdained  the  company  of women, but
nonetheless he devoutly worshipped Aphrodite.  He remained  alone,  carving  his
statues.   One such statue, carved of ivory, was of a woman so beautiful that he
fell deeply in love with her image.  But she was only a statue  until  Aphrodite
heard  his  prayers  and  pleas.   Pygmalion was rewarded for his devotion.  The
cold ivory turned to warm flesh as his statue came to life and embraced him.



APHRODITE AND HIPPOLYTUS

Hippolytus was the son of King Theseus.  He was an  avid  hunter  who  rode  out
every  day  in  his  chariot.  Aphrodite loved him because of his handsome form,
but he scorned her love and the love of all women.  Furious  at  being  rejected
by  the  handsome  prince,  Aphrodite caused his stepmother, Phaedra, to fall in
love with him, but Hippolytus rejected her as well.  Phaedra  convinced  Theseus
that  his  son  had  raped  her  whereupon  the  King  called  upon the sea-god,
Poseidon, to exact vengeance.  While Hippolytus  drove  his  chariot  along  the
shore  of  the Sardonic Gulf, Poseidon sent a fierce bull from the waves to panic
the horses.  They stampeded and Hippolytus was dragged to his death  behind  the
chariot.

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                            A LIST OF BASIC COMMANDS

Use the arrow keys to move Arthur around.

To use EXCALIBER:  Hit [F8] to draw/sheath Excalibur.
                   Press the [space bar] to SWING the sword.
                   Press [shift] to PARRY with your shield.


To use a SPEAR:    Hit the [space bar] at the right moment to inflict damage.

To JOUST:   Use the following keys:    SHIELD            LANCE


                                       S=LEFT, E=UP,     2=DOWN, 4=LEFT,
                                       F=RIGHT,          5=CENTER, 6=RIGHT,
                                       D=DOWN            8=UP

For the SARACEN BATTLE (fighting with swords):

If  you  get backed into a corner, hit the [r] key to swing around your opponent
and reverse positions.

COMMANDS


Fighter Facing Right
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7=GREAT BLOW HIGH    8=HIGH PARRY      9=HIGH ATTACK

4=RETREAT            5=MIDDLE PARRY    6=MIDDLE ATTACK

1=GREAT BLOW LOW     2=LOW PARRY       3=LOW ATTACK


Fighter Facing Left
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7=HIGH ATTACK      8=HIGH PARRY      9=GREAT BLOW HIGH

4=MIDDLE ATTACK    5=MIDDLE PARRY    6=RETREAT

1=LOW ATTACK       2=LOW PARRY       3=GREAT BLOW LOW

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                            TO HELP YOU GET STARTED

(To enter a room, hit [ENTER]


Find Merlin's Room.

LOOK AT THE ROOM
LOOK AT THE OBJECTS
LOOK AT THE WIZARD
ASK ABOUT GAWAINE
ASK ABOUT GALAHAD
ASK ABOUT LAUNCELOT
WHERE IS THE QUEEN

Leave Merlin's Room and find the Queen's Bower.

LOOK AT THE BOWER
TALK TO THE QUEEN

Press [F3] until she has nothing more to say.

Walk over to Gwenhyver.

KISS GWENHYVER
ASK ABOUT LAUNCELOT
LOOK AT THE ROSE

Walk over to the rose.

PICK THE ROSE
ASK ABOUT THE MESSAGE OF THE ROSE
LOOK AT THE ROSE

Go back to Merlin's room.

ASK ABOUT THE GRAIL
LOOK AT THE MAP

Go over to the map in the back, left hand corner of Merlin's room.

READ THE MAP

Walk over to Merlin's desk on the right side of the room.

LOOK AT THE DESK
LOOK AT THE SCROLL
TRANSLATE THE SCROLL
TAKE THE SCROLL

Walk over to Merlin's alchemy table on the left side of the room.

TAKE THE BEAKER

(Might want to save your game here.  Hint hint!)

TAKE THE FLASK

(Don's panic.  Merlin will listen to any reasonable apology.  If you really  get
stuck, you can restore the game.)

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Well  that  about  wraps  up the docs for CONQUESTS OF CAMELOT I:  THE SEARCH FOR
THE GRAIL.

Have fun!




     Toxic shadoW