Belgian Amiga Club - ADF Collection/BS1 part 60.zip/BS1 part 60/LSD 29.adf/Might&Magic3.JOURNAL.pp/Might&Magic3.JOURNAL

Text File | 1990-09-07 | 35KB | 682 lines

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 USA/FLT                  United Software Association                  USA/FLT
                             Fairlight PC Division

                               Proudly Presents
RYGAR 1992                                                          RYGAR 1992
                           Might & Magic ]I[ Journal

                                    from

                                  New World

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

                          A Passage Through the Isles
                          ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   The Journal of Corak the Mysterious

   I am Corak, called the Mysterious, and these are my scribblings as I
   journeyed across the Isles of Terra in search of forgotten lore. Take
   them as aid in the adventure before you, for these isles are not all
   they seem to be, and behind the shroud of legend, truth is often seen.

       From the corners of the misty Void
       Rang loud the battle cry
       The Elemental lords of four
       Had sworn to fight and die

       Fire, Water, Air and Earth
       Did meet their might and force
       And in their battles bloody mire
       Found our land its source


   Second Day of the New Moon, 491 In the Town of Wildabar
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   It has been four years since last I set out to explore a new
   land and discover the hidden lore and fables surrounding its
   towns and castles. The swelling of spirit brought about by the
   telling of these stories of heroism and bravery beyond hope is
   the thread of magic woven in the minds and hearts of all who
   long to answer the call of adventure, and it is for this
   purpose, to preserve that magical spark, that I have devoted my
   efforts to recording these tales.

   From the rumors and murmuring I have heard passing through
   Wildabar these isles are rich with such histories. While talking
   to a town elder he told me of an ancient rhyme once read before
   festivals that contained the legend of the mysterious conception
   of the isles, a legend that today circulates across the land,
   but altered through the years since the original scroll's
   disappearance. He read to me a portion he recorded before the
   original vanished and told me what he could remember of the rest
   of the tale. Other parts, he said, may be recorded across the
   islands.

   The epic was written in three parts and the fragment he gave me
   was from the first, in which is contained an account of the
   birth of the isles out of a great battle between powerful lords
   of the four elements who used fierce storms to fight for supreme
   control of the Void, a place where there was no land or sky or
   ocean. Water and Fire and Air and Earth met in this empty Void
   to fight for the right to fill it with their presence, but so
   matched were they in this battle that none could defeat the
   others, nor could any stop fighting lest the balance be upset and
   he be overrun by the others. They had become locked in an eternal
   war none could turn away from. And as the war raged on through the
   decades, in the midst of the Void where the fallout of the
   mighty storms gathered and settled, a rich land began to
   develop. From where, no one knows, but beasts appeared to graze
   the fields of the new land and take refuge in its forests and
   caverns. Little notice did the Elemental lords pay to these dumb
   beasts for there was little threat in their roamings. They were
   seen as nothing more than the flies that gather around a fallen
   animal. So the war raged on with intensifying storms that added
   to the richness of the budding land.

   But then a new creature mysteriously appeared in the Void, not
   dumb like the beasts, but clever in ways of cultivating the raw
   loam of the battlefield further into a rich provider of food and
   shelter. Difficult and costly though it was in the midst of the
   furious storms of battle, a continent was forged in the misty
   Void.

           The forests and valleys settled spry creatures of great
   influence. thin and strong, the Elves were quite at home among
   the trees and fields of green.

           Though weaker in endurance than some, they were
   possessed of a high aptitude for the magical arts and resistance
   to its power and energy.

           And in the snowy areas of bitter cold found the Gnomes
   their home. Like the Elves, they were strong of mind, not body,
   and a little more prone to the ways of magic. But unlike the
   brooding Elf, the Gnome was very jolly and quick to make friends.

           Because of the harshness of the snowy land their
   countenance was toughened to the elements, and even more so to
   magic.

           So journeyed then in the desert sun the Dwarf. Small but
   mighty they survived in the turmoil of the stormy war for little
   of the elemental realm could do them no harm. After all, it would
   take a strong creature to find a thriving life in the lands of sand.
   With little power over magic, Dwarves found their strength in
   solitude among the dunes.

   And in the swamps and bogs settled a tribal people of great
   strength and endurance. So strong were they that fire, electric
   and cold could hardly harm them. Because they lacked the greatness
   of mind for magic they had to rely on their ability to fight to
   survive, and that ability was developed to great heights, for the
   Half - Orc lived for battle and saw the opposing of men as the
   greatest of endeavors.

   But scattered across the many diversities of the new found land
   Humans wandered and made places for themselves among all others.
   Able to resist all, the elements and magics, and learned in the
   ways of the mystical arts, they were well equipped to settle where
   they wished. Soon they thrived across the land and with the others
   began to tame the beasts and cultivate the fields.

   With the arrival of these conquerors of land the Elemental lords
   realized that while they fought among themselves the very prize
   for which they were slain was being taken away from them by
   little mortal beings who in their eyes were no better than the
   dumb beasts. Each would try to vanquish the mortals with a great
   storm, but because they could not remove too much of their force
   from the war the mortals were able to withstand them. In fact,
   the storms of the Elementals were less severe than the effects
   of the war itself, so the Elementals had to find another way to
   purge the Void of these intruders. So an agreement was made to
   halt the fighting for one day and devote all their powers to
   create one great tempest of such destructive power that none
   could withstand it for even an hour.

   Air gathered together the strongest of its winds to blow the
   sands of Earth with such force as to tear away the flesh from
   mortal bone. And Water prepared a flood to wash the fallen
   mortals to the center of the Void where Fire would then bake the
   mire into solid stone. Even combined in total unity the mortals
   could not survive a day of such torrent. So little hope was
   there that in the darkest hours before the great destruction all
   merely stayed in their doomed homes and the helplessness in
   their hearts made the greatest cry for mercy any world has ever
   known.


   Fourth Day of The New Moon 491 - The Quest Begins
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   After searching for the right opportunity I have finally found
   a group to set across the isles with in search of the lost parts
   of the legend. A band of four fighters and a healer have
   enlisted me as their image, not knowing the fullness of my
   power. We are to travel to Swamp Town and receive a scroll which
   we will then deliver to Fountain Head. The leader of the party,
   Asa Milchima, has agreed to take a circular course to allow me a
   wider search for the lost pieces. We will be travelling across
   most of the islands, skipping only the smaller ones. I will be
   receiving a smaller share of the reward for delivering the
   scroll, but it is the search and hopeful discovery of forgotten
   lore that calls me to this adventure, not the promises of
   wealth.

   Assuming all to be in order we will set out tomorrow for the
   Isles of Illusion where I will search the two castles said to be
   laid out in ruins upon the sand. From there we will travel to
   Buzzard Bluff where we will camp for the night. The next day we
   will journey through the Evermoors and north to Swamp Town, find
   the scroll and most likely spend a pleasant night in a local
   inn.

   From there I will lead the expedition to Serpent's Wood, the
   original settling place of the Dwarves, and on through the
   Frozen Isles where we will camp a second night. Then we go to
   Leper Canyon and straight to Fountain Head. Four days they plan,
   but it will likely extend to double.


   Fifth Day of the new moon, 491 - Setting Off
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Today, after much preparation we started our journey across the
   Isles of Terra. This group I've joined is far more powerful than
   I had earlier believed. Rather than renting a boat as I had
   thought we would, the healer, Rapha, stood at the water's edge
   where earth meets ocean and stretched her arms wide. All was
   still for a moment, then a strange wind blew the corners of her
   robe and there seemed to be a disturbance in the waters. Fog
   rolled in, thick and choking, and in the midst of it appeared a
   ghostly galleon riding on the swelling waves. It was truly a
   most impressive sight, and a little unnerving too. The ghost
   ship took us across the waters to the closest of the Isles of
   Illusion where we are now resting before entering the castle
   ruins, but I still don't know from where it came or to where it
   returned, for as soon as we stood upon the shore it drifted away
   in the silence of the fog.

   It is a poor omen when the first battle of an adventure ends in
   death. While searching the ruins of Castle Greywind we came upon
   a powerful phantom magic user that had made his home in the
   rubble. He attacked at once without warning and engulfed Rapha
   in a pink glow of energy, draining all life out of her. Asa
   Milchima responded quickly by letting fly a bolt from the
   crossbow at his side, but it only passed through the apparition.
   While the others advanced, the ghostly figure summoned a huge
   and beastly bear and vanished in a flash of light. Asa Milchima
   and Supha, the Ninja, were only hurt a little in the battle with
   the beast, but Rapha had been our healer. I did what I could for
   the others without revealing the full extent of my powers, but
   the loss of Rapha is most unfortunate. The loyalty of this group
   is strong for they plan to spend their part of the reward to
   have her healed at the temple in Swamp Town.


   Sixth day of the new moon, 491 - Camping at Buzzard Bluff
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Then descended on the land The Forces of the Dome
   To lend into the mortal hand Power before unknown

   Five Forces, they of might and magic Two champions forged by each
   Ten heroes made the tale most tragic For the Elemental beasts

   There is a dark mood hanging over the camp tonight, darker than
   the clouds that cloak the moon, darker than the thick limbs of
   trees that hide untold creatures peering from outside the circle
   of fire light. It has been raining since the middle of day and
   the falling drops have beaten down the spirits of even our
   steeds who stand nervously stamping. The fight of yesterday
   still weighs upon the minds of all, myself included, made
   heavier by the legend of the Winged Death said to prey on
   travelers of the Forsaken Sands. I must admit even I will feel
   relief when this night is nothing more than a memory. It seems a
   fitting enough setting to muse upon the piece of the legend I
   found in the ruins of Castle Greywind. It tells of the
   intercession of the Forces of the Dome, the five Forces that
   gave men the power to overcome the attack of the Elementals.

       Cosmonium was that force which guided the elements and
       other forms of energy from place to place. Air, water,
       fire, earth, and the electrical energies were commanded
       and controlled.

   Esoterica was the power of the inner self, the energy of life
   and the forms of life, with command of the mind and the ability
   for healing and inflicting.

   Gaiam commanded the order of life in the forest and in the skies
   of the trees and the clouds.  The manner and temperament of
   nature and the wills of the beasts bowed to its influence.

   Bellum, which was the essence of war and violence which
   manifested itself in the darker moods of beasts and
   violent turns of weather, like this storm tonight.

   And Lurkane, that invisible, silent sheet of
   clandestine power that slipped its works into the
   world unseen.

   These were the Forces that silently watched from their perch
   above the clouds as the Elementals did battle. According to the
   legend they never joined the fight, but when they discovered the
   Elemental's plan to destroy all men and beasts they had pity on
   the helpless mortals and gave them the secrets of their powers
   to defend their lives. Other tellings of the tale say the Forces
   of the Dome feared the Elementals would be so amazed at the
   strength they possessed when joined together they would unify
   and attack them in their lofty home, pulling them into the
   never ending battle. For whatever reason, the Forces
   taught we mortals of their power, two to each Force, and made
   ten champions to drive back the Elementals before they could
   pull their ranks together.

   To an Elf, Cosmonium opened the secrets of how the elements move
   through the Void, giving total control over fire, cold, energy,
   and electricity. In Padded armor and armed with a staff, the
   first great hero set about mastering his control over the
   elements and created many powerful incantations for the
   coming battle. He was called a Sorcerer. I remember the
   thrill of discovering the power and beauty of lightning, my
   personal favorite. In my youth, camping on a rainy night with
   a band of adventurers like this dark evening, I would sometimes
   fire a bolt at a nearby tree just to startle my companions. An
   act I'm sure our fallen comrade would strongly disapprove of.

   And to another of the Elfin kin Cosmonium showed the way to
   make a shaft of wood travel straight and true to its mark.
   This was named the Archer and gird in armor of chain she was
   the second of the heroes to emerge. Due to their common
   origin she was able to use the spells created by the Sorcerer,
   but only to a limited degree. Most of her energy was spent
   in the study of the bow.

           Next, Esocerica took a Gnome and trained her in
   the healing ways, revealing the secrets of the mind
   and body, unlocking the Power to make good or render
   bad one's constitution. A most powerful hero was this,
   called the Cleric, in her splint mail, helm and shield.
   To heal the fallen comrade and destroy the weakened foe
   was her pledge.

   Another Gnome was taken thus, and taught the healing ways, but
   much emphasis was also given to the use of weapon and armor. A
   most noble champion called Paladin was he, and a frightful foe
   to face. Clad in the strongest of armor and wielding the
   weapons of truth and right, he was to become one of the
   greatest of the legendary figures inspiring much lore and many
   followers.

   Then Gaiam made its choice in the Dwarf to champion its cause.

   Many languages were revealed, empathy with Plants and beasts
   and the patterns of seasons and stars. Secrets of the living land
   endowed in a smallish figure to command the forces of nature to
   do her bidding, commanding great storms and flurries and
   swarms to do battle, but also calling upon the natural
   healing of nature to help the fallen. As devoted to the land as the
   Cleric to the body, this new one called the Druid would
   sacrifice her being to maintain the orders of nature. In leather
   the Druid travelled with barely a sword to swing. A storm such
   as tonight's would hardly be worthy the talents of such a
   champion.

   When the force Gaiam gave empathy with the forest to the Dwarven
   champion it called Ranger, a dark and mysterious one was indeed
   created. At home in the denseness of the trees, contented with
   the thicket of vines and cluttering of bushes, the Ranger was as
   diverse in mood as the forest was diverse in creatures. Like the
   first hero Ranger, our own Asa is prone to sudden changes in
   temper from jovial and impish to condemning and stern.

   Bellum then chose the Half-Orc to be a champion of the sword.
   Gird in the finest of armor, helm and shield, and with
   the mightiest weapons trained he in the arts of war,
   melee, and valor. Called the Knight he became the strongest
   of the champions with the greatest desire to march across
   the battlefield.  While the Paladin would seek peace through
   battle and find victory in the quick end of a war, the Knight
   longed for the brotherhood of battle and felt a kinship to all
   combatants.

   And the second champion made Bellum to be called Barbarian, for
   it was not brotherhood she seeked in battle but the lust of
   blood. With the greatest endurance of the heroes the Barbarian
   seeked the thrill of rushing into battle.  Clad only in scale
   armor she wielded her shield and great hammer against the
   armies of her foes. In all the statues and tapestries I have
   seen dedicated to the likeness of this champion she stands
   high upon a mountain of fallen warriors, a helm of horns upon
   her head.

   Lurkane then, the last and most mysterious of the forces, took two
   humans to its cause.  He first was taught to move in the invisible
   folds between the places of here and there and travel unseen and
   unheard.  Known as the Robber, he was able to work the mechanisms
   of locks and traps, hide in the faintest of shadows, and advance
   upon his foes to deliver a fatal thrust of dagger in the back.
   In mail of chain with shield and dagger, a crossbow hanging at
   his side, he moved in the leaves like a feather.

   And the tenth champion, made for battle, was strong in
   all attributes of fitness and mind. Called the Ninja,
   a most powerful warrior was she with special weapons
   created especially for her mastery at arms, a mastery
   not even equalled by the might knight.  Bound to a
   life of solitude, alone even among the other champions,
   her discipline of body and mind consumed every moment.
   She was called the silent warrior for she possessed
   the stealth of the robber, even in her chain mail,
   and was never known to speak.

   These ten were the champions of the war against the Elementals,
   where mortal man was taught the arts of magic and ways of war by
   the five Forces of the Dome, Cosmonium, Esoterica, Gaiam, Bellum
   and Lurkane, the Forces that are above the clouds, above the
   stars, that indeed guide the stars through their journey across
   the night. Now my time at watch is done and Supha comes to relieve
   me. Tonight I must rest well for tomorrow we journey across the
   Evermoors, and that is no place to be when weary.


   Seventh Day of the New Moon, 491 - In Swamp Town
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Today we arrived in Swamp Town after a surprisingly easy journey
   through the Evermoors. There were only a few small battles along
   the way as we came across wandering animals and insects.
   Although the danger was small it was a good workout, for any
   small mistake could cost dearly.

   After entering the west gate of Swamp Town and finding the giver
   of the scroll we are to take to Fountain Head, Rapha was taken
   to Temple Moonshadow. It was by luck alone that the others had
   barely enough to pay for the services of the monks, as the boat
   we rented to carry us from the Forsaken Sands to the Evermoors
   dug deep into our parties pouch. The reward for delivering the
   scroll will hardly do more than recoup the fee of Rapha's
   resurrection.

   With Rapha's return, a room was then taken at the inn where I
   now sit writing these notes. The others are relaxing, as it
   were, in the tavern where they are telling Rapha of all that has
   happened in the past two days.

   My hopes of finding more of the legend are failing after talking
   to others I have met around town. While visiting the guild there
   was one who had just returned from the Frozen Isles where he had
   been searching for the rhyme himself. He told me there was no
   part of it to be found in the northern regions and was very
   happy to see the fragment I returned from the ruins of Castle
   Greywind. I told him the tale the elder of Wildabar spoke to me.

   After the battle was over and the champions had used the powers
   the Forces of the Dome gave them to drive the Elemental lords to
   the corners of the Void, the five Forces picked up the land that
   had been the battlefield and moved it through the heavens, from
   the gates of the Ancients to the gates of Terra, where the land
   was set in the midst of water and broken into isles. While the
   Forces were carrying the isles through the stars the ten heroes
   built towns to protect the people from the monsters and beasts
   that roamed the land, and they trained others in the disciplines
   they were given by the Forces starting a long tradition of
   skills that has carried over to present times.

   Great walled towns were built to provide shelter and protection
   from the outside wilderness and be a place of haven for those
   adventurers who travelled across the new land and tried to tame
   and conquer its growing life. They were exciting times of
   adventure and bravery, but there was a need for places of
   healing and trading and training, so in the towns were raised
   dwellings where all the services an adventurer needed could be
   received. There were places of weaponry, houses of ale and
   feasts, five houses of healing where the mysterious monks who
   tended them payed homage to the Forces for saving them from the
   Elementals, grounds for training in battle skills, mystical
   schools for heightening one's magical prowess, and places where
   the weary could rest in safety and store their goods and find
   others to replace a fallen companion. It is in these foundations
   that our town dwellings of today find their source.

   In the blacksmith's shoppe workers of steel and iron forged new
   weapons of destruction and repaired the broken implements of
   warriors. There was a lucrative trade of wares from many places
   abroad and all the needs of dungeon lurking, such as rope and
   torch, could be found. It was also a place to find the finest
   in armor and protective wares, and unknown mechanisms
   or weapons could be identified and their uses and value
   revealed. Of course the excess in a traveller's pack would
   bring a decent enough price to pay for a good time in the
   houses of ale.

   The inn was a place where the weary could rest behind a locked
   door and under a roof to protect from the falling rain. But the
   inn was created as more than just a place to take a much needed
   halt in travelling, for young adventurers seeking the thrill of
   battle and discovery of untold wealth could sign in the registry
   and wait for a party in need of help to enlist his services.
   Often times, when enlisting the aid of those you meet roaming
   the forests and caves and ruins, he will bid you meet him at the
   inn where he had registered last before joining you on your
   quest.

   Taverns were built where the ale flowed as profusely as the rumors
   off the loosened lips of explorers and warriors who came to
   these rowdy bars for a healing that could not be found in the
   temple. It was a place where gold put in the hand of the barkeep
   might reveal the clue to find unspeakable treasure and fortune.
   And when the adventurer's pack ran low of food it could be
   filled with the specialty of the house. After all, when one's
   strength runs low resting is to little avail when there is no
   meal to replenish the flesh.

   And for the fallen and injured warriors temples of healing
   were erected to the Forces of the Dome. Five Forces gave mortals
   the power to subvert the deluge and five temples were constructed
   to honor their powers and help those who fell in their service.
   Warriors with any affliction could find cure from the mysterious
   monks that tended these sacred shrines. Flesh would be restored and
   curses lifted. And it was believed that special blessings
   awaited those who donated a portion of their booty to these
   shrines.

   But those portions of gold and treasure that were not donated
   to the sacred monks were under constant threat of becoming
   another's booty, so the builders of the towns made a sturdy and
   secure cage and commissioned strong golems to guard it. The bank
   was needed to keep one's wealth in safety because there were,
   even in those exciting days following the victory over the
   Elementals, those who would feed on the weaker but more
   fortunate of their fellow man. Though fallibly secure from
   theft, the bank was safer than the skin tents of the
   adventurer's camp.

   To trade others in the ways shown to them by the Forces of the
   Dome, the ten champions also made great training grounds with
   tracks and arenas and all manner of devices for improving
   strength and stamina. For a price, any adventurer who had come
   from a long quest or journey could seek the help of specialists
   in all the arts of battle to advance in the skills of swordplay,
   archery, and all other methods of melee. A person's stamina and
   endurance in battle could also be enhanced by the techniques of
   the masters of the grounds.

   And for those who studied the magical arts, mysterious guilds
   were built to train the magic user to control the forces.
   Through intense study deeper control of one's chosen way could
   be gained and new incantations purchased to expand the mage's
   abilities and arsenal of spells. These were places of great
   secrets and none but members of each guild could enter. Legends
   of the surrounding area were written in the history of each
   guild to provide helpful hints and warnings to the wise.


   Eighth Day of the New Moon, 491 - The Frozen Isles
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   Tonight we are camping in the chilly environs of the Frozen
   Isles. As I suspected after talking to my fellow searcher in
   Swamp Town, there is no sign of any part of the legend around
   these frozen woods. We searched the snowy wild for many hours
   but there was little more than ice to be found gleaming in the
   sun.

   After being denied entrance to Castle Dragontooth on account of
   prior dealings with our healer Rapha, we decided to camp in the
   frozen woods of these isles and keep fire watch, which is what I
   do as I write this. I've had more comfortable nights but there
   are no hard feelings toward Rapha. It is, after all, much easier
   crossing the ocean with the use of her ghostly ship.

   I will miss this group when we part ways in Fountain Head, but
   there are other things that call me. This has been but a tour
   for me, the real search is not for legends and lore but my
   nemesis Sheltem. From the very beginning he has seen these isles
   and all that lives upon them as his enemy, and twice he has
   planned their extinction. Now that these isles have rested in
   the gates of Terra I'm sure he has not given up his crusade to
   destroy them. I know not what plan he has set in motion but I
   see his work in all that is chaotic.

   I have been making these notes as a record to leave behind for
   any who will join me in my search for Sheltem and his evil plot.
   I believe the ancient pyramids play into his schemes and that is
   where I will begin my search when I set out again.  This time I
   will go alone, but to any who follow I will leave clues to give
   the benefit of new information I uncover.

   I have not told the others of this but in the ruins of Castle
   Blackwind, back on the Isles of Illusion, I found a message
   among the rubble that may shed light on the mystery of Sheltem's
   scheme. It seemed to place much importance on the three manners
   of men we have come to call alignment; Good, Neutral, and Evil.
   For many years there has been peace among these different
   attitudes, but it has not always been so. There once were many
   wars fought over the differences of these three alignments and
   perhaps it is Sheltem's plan to rekindle this ancient rivalry.
   I'm still working on what may be the meaning of this message in
   the rubble. In the land today the question of Good and Evil is
   resolved in the response to certain situations, and there are
   certain enchanted areas where one or the other may not be
   welcome, but there is little chance of a war fueled by these
   differences being started in these times of enlightenment.
   Nevertheless, I am sure the subtle differences of these three,
   Good, Neutral, and Evil, play into the schemes of Sheltem.

   I will stop writing for tonight, Asa will soon come to relieve
   me of my watch. It has been a pleasant trek across the isles
   with this group, pleasant save for the death of Rapha. Thank the
   Forces the monks of the temples can lift the conditions of ill
   that inevitably befall the adventurer. Be you cursed, paralyzed,
   or even eradicated, there is always a remedy, and a price, to be
   found in the temples.

   With the coming of the morning light we will start our final
   journey to Fountain Head, and from there I will once again set
   out alone. My feelings are echoed in the cries of
                                                     ^
            <This page actually stopped right here --|
            <The author of the dox must have been really stoned that day>


   Ninth day of the new moon, 491 Fountain Head reached
   ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   After passing through Leper Canyon we reached Fountain Head
   late into the day. I parted company with my group at the inn
   where they immediately found another young adventurer anxious to
   join them on their next excursion, of course... after they spend
   some time in the tavern to recuperate.

   Before I start my search for Sheltem there are a few final
   pieces of advice I would like to offer to those who follow me
   into this mystery. There are skills that will be very helpful if
   not completely necessary in your travels across the isles. You
   must find their masters to teach them to you, and be prepared to
   pay the price. Here are some of the more helpful of these
   skills...

   Cartography   - To help you keep better maps of the areas
                   you visit.

   Danger Sense  - Which will give you warning of monsters you
                   may not see until it is too late.

   Detect Secret - So not to miss out on hidden opportunities.
   Passages

   Mountaineering- to gain access to the higher regions.

   Pathfinding   - For cutting your way through dense forests.

   Swimming      - For crossing shallow waters.

   And always keep a full spellbook. When you have mastered the
   spells you know to such degree that you are prepared to learn
   others, gain membership to a guild and learn what you can. Seek
   the wandering mages who sell these memberships, the price is
   small to pay to have the right incantation when needed. And if
   you gain a spell from an enchanted pool or buy it from a
   traveling teacher and have no explanation of its use, go to one
   of the guilds for its description.

   Remember to keep a good supply of gems as some spells require
   the power locked inside their crystals. These are the spells
   available to the novice in the ways of magic...

   Awaken       - Pulls all sleeping adventurers from their slumber.

   Detect Magic - If there is a magical item in the pack of the
                  caster this will make it known, and reveal the
                  number of its limited use. Use this to discover
                  the nature of a chest of treasure.

   Elemental    - Unleashes the power of the elements upon a single
   Arrow          enemy. Expel a bolt of flame, electricity, acid,
                  or ice upon your foe to rob him of a little well-
                  being.

   First Aid    - An adventurer's minor wounds of battle can quickly be
                  healed with this anointing incantation.

   Flying Fist  - Summons an enchanted gauntlet to deliver a stinging
                  punch to a single foe.

   Light        - Provides a magical light to illuminate the darker
                  areas.

   All spells were forged through the mysteries of Cosmonium,
   Esoterica and Gaiam, and only those classes devoted to their
   study can cast them. More powerful spells await as you advance
   in your abilities.

   It will also be necessary to gain protection from the six forms
   of damage that are delivered through the use of weapons and
   spells. These forms are fire, electricity, cold, poison, energy,
   and magic. Each race has a natural strength against some of
   these and further protection can be gained through spells and
   enchanted items.

   As you travel from town to town there will be many occasions to
   enlist your services to others in need of help. It would be wise
   to accept their challenges for there may be great rewards in
   their completion that will help in future dealings.

   And when all hope is gone, be it in the face of a great dragon
   or surrounded by too many orcs to dispatch, you may call upon
   the benevolent hand of Mister Wizard to carry you back to
   safety. He will always answer the call for help, but be warned
   that he will also extract a toll of experience from those he
   rescues. A mighty warrior can soon be rendered weak if he calls
   for the help of the Wizard too often. It is best to resolve a
   situation without his help if any solution exists. But new
   adventurers find favor in the heart of Mister Wizard, and those
   he will help without fee.

   Now I must prepare for my search for Sheltem. Take these notes
   and use them as you can to discover his schemes, and together we
   may be able to thwart his plot. Search for the clues I will
   leave behind, and good luck to you on your journey. May the
   powers of Might and Magic be always at your side.

   FIXED BY RYGAR!
   ~~~~~ ~~ ~~~~~